eargon and the powder mage

chapter 5

Eragon watched from the head side of the table in Taltita's main cabin as the person "Hursch" was lounging in a chair. "You would have thought he wasn't doing anything unless you watched closely he thought. Barely being able to notice as his eye's slowly slide side to side, almost lazily. But Eragon knew how his eye's were taking in everything around him. Eragon turned back to the elf's that were gathered around, most still glancing over at him from time to time. "I'm sorry Argetlman but why is he here" Eragon turned his head back to the elf's before glancing back over at Hursch. 

Who met his gaze then shrugged his shoulder's before siting up and getting to his feet, Eragon saw as his hand settled at his belt that was covered by a thin tunic with an open middle to it. Eragon made a note of it to himself before looking at the elf's "well there are a few reason as to it, for one as you know we couldn't use magic." Before looking over at Hursch as he walked over "well the reason for that is that their was a mage breaker as we call them." He said in an accent Eragon had never heared before "and what is a mage breaker then" asked Blodhgarm. 

Eragon watched as he seemed to be about to say something before he stopped himself, "well I dont know exactly how to phrase it but." He said before stopping and considered it a moment " a mage breaker is someone that gives up the ability to do magic to be able to cancel it out." As he finished the room stood in silence "but we work differently then your mages do don't we." Eragon said to him Hursch nodded at him "yes for a start we refer to people that can do magic or sorcery as privileged. And they channel energy from something called the Else but they need their hands to do it."

"And that is why you neutralize their hands they can no longer do anything against you. But they also need special gloves called privileged gloves or else their hand will burst into flames as the reach into the else for power." He finished before he settled down onto a stool "well those are some interesting developments we have learned so I suggest that we have a nights rest as we think upon what we have learned in the morning." Eragon watched as Blodhgarm and several other elf's nodded before they all walked out and below deck. 

Eragon sighed as the last elf left before turning torwards Hursch then hearing Umaroth saying, "we need to speak to him." "Well why don't you talk to him yourselfs?" Eragon asked "because his mental defense is different then anything either of us have ever seen before." Eragon nodded before saying to Hursch "there are some people that need to speak with you." He nodded before saying "well let them speak" letting out a sly smirk before he returned his face to a neutral expression. 

"Can You speak to him now" Eragon heard as Umaroth let out a deep rumbling sound before speaking, "it seems that we can now and his defenses aren't up; but Gleadr feels like there is something that we can not see lurking out of sight in the shadows of his mind." Eragon nodded to himself mentally before hearing Hursch ask "so what are these question that they have with me."  But before Eragon could say anything "Hursch is not your real name is it" he heared Gleadr say and it was not a question but a statement. Eragon watched as he nodded to himself "it is not" he agreed. 

"But that was not the question the real question is what are you" Eragon heared gleadr say his voice neutral. He saw as "Hursch" or what ever his name was didn't say anything for a moment "what I am is not usually important but what I do is." Eragon heared him state without any pride or arrogance in his voice but simply a statement, "then what is it you do." Eragon heared Gleadr say in a low almost growl like voice, "I am a hunter but more specifically I hunt privileged most of the time. But sometimes I hunt my own kind as well if the money is good enough for it." 

"Why do I feel not that money is the only thing you care about but it is important to you." Eragon said to him and watched as he smiled before saying "you would be correct money is important but why have all the money that exist if you are dead, then you can't do anything with it and it will be all of for nothing." Eragon watched him for a moment trying to see if he was lying but it seemed that he was fully truthful and even believed what he said. "But that's not you last question now is?" He asked 

"no it's not" "well then go on" "why did you help sense it's only sensible that you took out the other human that landed on the deck." "Well I already gave an answer on what I think about life and will leave you to figure it out your self. Sense I'm am but a simple soldier or that is what I would like to be and speaking in riddles like this is hurting my head so I will turn in for the night." Before he got up and made his way out on to the deck "there something else going on" Eragon said to Gleadr and Umaroth "that we agree with Eragon" Umaroth said "but now the question is what is it."

Eragon nodded before he walked out onto the deck and saw that "Hursch" was lying on top of a pile of rope next to a pile of barrels. As he laid his head onto some sort of makeshift pillow before he said good night to Saphira before going to his room and lying down onto his bed and falling asleep. 

Eragon woke up early the next morning and as he got to the main deck he saw "Hursch" sitting on the railings at the prow of the ship. "Nice morning isn't it he called to Eragon before he swung his legs up and over the railings and started walking down to him. "There's a bit of a cold fog coming in this morning" Eragon said "that there is doesn't bode well to say the least." "Hursch" said as he turned his gaze out to the starboard side of the ship. "And why's that" "old sailor story's to say the least and perhaps the will of the gods if you believe in them." He said before turning back to Eragon and saying "but probably nothing more then coincidence and supperstion as they say."

"Hursch then turned and walked to the bow of the ship to the riggings I'll need to keep an eye on the riggings just in case Eragon thought to himself before walking to the steering wheel of the ship and the elf that was manning it. As Eragon walked over to him and he put his fingers to his lips "Atra esterni ono thelduin," "Atra du evarínya ono varda,"  "Un atra mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr." He nodded over to Hursch, "I've been watching him ever sense he walk up deck he hasn't done anything." Eragon nodded to himself as he mulled over his thoughts about him, on one hand he hadn't done anything and had helped them. But he even admitted to it making him nothing but a mercenary or bounty hunter.

He was still deep in thought when he heared Saphira speak to him "there is something coming torwards us it looks like a ship with two main masts," Eragon immediately scanned his brain trying to think what kind of ship it could be. "A war ship probably what do you think Umaroth, Gleadr" "I don't know of any kind of war ship of this kind of distinction, most warships have oars on them." 

"Hm" Eargon wondered to himself before turning up his head and seeing that Hursch had taken a spot next to the ships riggings but was now armed. "What kind of ship do you think it is?" Eragon asked standing beside him "a Galleon I think; you should prepare the people on this ship for combat." "Why?" "because these straights are tight it'll force the Galleon to board us, luckily they won't really be able to use their cannons on us in the straight." Eragon nodded to himself before turning to go below deck.