When Destiny Burns, Ep. 2 A Halo and Inheritance Cycle Crossover [Discontinued]

Chapter 16.3 Slow developments

He marched to the cliffs where he had met the dragon and its rider the first time and patiently waited for his partner to arrive. Aeraleth didn't keep him waiting very long, as she showed up about ten minutes later.

'Morning,' he awkwardly said, not knowing how the female would act around him now.

'You too,' she replied in a cool voice. It was apparent that she was still upset by how he had acted yesterday.

The Spartan was about to ask her how she was when he felt a presence touch his mind. He didn't stop to think and immediately banished all thoughts, leaving a complete void in his mind as he stared at a distanced tree. It was the serene state of mind when he practiced, as any deviation or lapse of concentration could mean failure of a technique or movement. Next to him, Aeraleth stiffened. The presence reached deeper into his mind and this time, he took a deep breath and focused on the image of a mangled Grunt corpse, after he had ignited the gas-tank with a high-explosive round. All other thoughts he banished away, leaving nothing behind but the thought of the smoldering corpse.

Eventually, Aeraleth growled loudly and bashed with her tail against him. Hard. His shields flared and dropped ten percent and even as he whirled to face the dragon, he heard her voice yelling at him.

'It was Oromis trying to contact you,' she said through the newly created lapse in his focus and, a few seconds later, he heard the aged elf himself talking to him.

'Very impressive Spartan. Take your blade with you today.'

Blade? He didn't possess a sword or anything like that. His combat knife would have to suffice.

The two of them descended the cliff and made their way to Oromis' hut, where the old elf and his own giant dragon were already waiting for them. They greeted Aeraleth and him and then Oromis asked: "Did you not wait for Eragon?"

"We sleep in different places," he explained.

"Sure, but do you two not travel together?"

"No."

Oromis sighed. It seemed that the elf did that a lot. "It is well that you and he require completely different educations, for this might have been difficult otherwise. I have been meaning to give you this either way-" he handed the Spartan a scroll that he had been keeping on the ground behind him. "This is a dictionary. Study it well, for you will require a large vocabulary to properly fight with magic."

He took the scroll. "Thank you."

"Did you bring your blade?"

He unsheathed his combat knife twirled it around in his fingers and then presented it to Oromis, who took it and thoroughly watched it. "As elegant as the design is, you do not win a sword-fight if you wield a knife."

"A fool with a sword loses to an expert with a stick."

"Ah, but two warriors fighting on equal grounds must be as sharp as their own weapons. Where is your sword?"

"I don't have one."

"You don't?" Oromis raised an eyebrow and his expression turned thoughtful. "This is troublesome. How are you going to be sparring then?"

Sparring? That was not going to happen. "Not," he quickly said. Then he remembered what had been the reason to Aeraleth and him not talking and he quickly added: "Sparring with humans is too dangerous."

'What are you if not human?' Glaedr was quick to ask him.

"Spartan," he vocalized his reply to the dragon.

"Why is that?" Oromis kindly asked. "Do you have a lack of self-control?"

The elf had no idea. "Spartans are physically superior to all humans and, I suspect, elves too."