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The wizard rummaged through an old but well-preserved trunk until he extracted a beautiful dagger and raised it to the height of the expectant prince's eyes, vocalizing:
“Hide, Dagger of Justice.”
Then the weapon disappeared and the magician showed his hands with a certain theatricality to the surprised prince, who was even more astonished when the object reappeared when the sorcerer pronounced:
“Show yourself, Dagger of Justice.”
The dagger was seen again in the hand of the magician, who, handing it to Syriel, invited him to try it.
“Take it, try it, it's not my magic that makes it work, but the magic within the dagger.”
Syriel took it and pronounced the magic phrases linked to the weapon, making it appear and disappear from his hand several times.
The prince admired the beauty of the stiletto, especially a white gemstone that occupied almost the entire stab and that for only a sigh shone in unison with the red gem on his necklace and the golden jewel on the stab of his sword.
“What is this white jewel?” the prince wanted to know.
“It is the heart of a petrified white dragon. There are dark magical arts capable of obtaining such gems and confers incredible powers on the objects which they are attached to," replied the White Magician.
“Are you capable of performing such arts?" asked Syriel.
“I would deceive you if I said no, although I have never wanted to use that kind of magic that leads those who practice it to dark paths and destinations," said the snowy magician. “It belonged to your mother's grandfather, Ronel. Use it carefully and in cases of extreme necessity to defend yourselves, since if you use it to attack for no reason it will disappear from your hand before it hurts your victim. So, try to show it only when you need it, and hide it again when you are done," added the elf.
“Thank you very much," the prince thanked, bowing his head as a polite thank you. “Did it ever belong to my mother?”
“No, she never wanted it, she didn't like weapons, not even invisible ones," exposed the elf.
“Who made it? the prince inquired.
“Alginel, one of the best elven blacksmiths known. The spell of invisibility was cast by an old and mad elf magician who now lives like a hermit in strange caves in the Badlands and who is about to go looking for dragons," joked the magician.
“Well, I hope I'll never run into such a character," Syriel continued. “Can we go now?”
“No, not yet. I must tell you more about the dagger and other magical objects. The story begins with an evil, albeit sublime magician, perhaps the wisest and most skillful ever, but, unfortunately, with a heart as dark as the clothes he used to wear. His name was Mazorik, although he has been better known by the name of Dark Magician. By the year 1600 of the last era, he created seven precious stones with the hearts of each of the seven dragon races. With seven disciples, he sent each one of these jewels to the seven races that populate Frienia. These gems had to be, during seven years, among the people of each race in order to capture their main essence. After that time, his disciples had to return in order to give the stones back to him. With them, he was going to create seven magical objects that would form the Dragon Armor, making the being who wore it acquire the seven essences of the seven races, giving it practically unlimited power that forced all races to submit to the will of the wearer of the armor. But one of the disciples discovered his plans and, not willing to be an accomplice to such evil, betrayed him and managed to avoid his purposes. There is no time to tell you everything, but take this book, which contains everything explained. It works just like the dagger; it will appear when you want to read it and it will disappear when you stop reading it. Only you can see it. Read it, it is of paramount importance, as there are indications that someone wants to collect the Dragon Armor again, and not for very noble purposes. The Dagger of Justice is one such object, your sword and your necklace are two more; do not lose them. I knew that the sword was in your power, but not that you also had the necklace, how did you get it?" asked the magician after his long exposition.
“It was Lirieth's engagement gift," replied the surprised prince.
“There is no doubt that it is a great gift which, moreover, someone has reinforced with a very powerful protective spell," replied the wizard with admiration, examining the jewel.
“Yes," said Syriel, "Lirieth told me that she had enchanted him.
“There's something else," added the magician. “I hope you don't mind, because I detect the appreciation you feel for the princess. Although Lirieth apparently possesses a pure soul, she hides something dark, I don't know if it is evil or not, but it is something bitter that can affect you when you discover it. Take care of her, you can't trust her blindly, you know that, right?” advised the magician.
“I can't believe she's hiding something shady," the prince protested. Baldrich warned me too, though, so I suppose I'll have to take this warning seriously," Syriel resigned.
“Believe me, don't close your door to her, but don't open it all for her either. And you would do well to keep an eye on her and trust her with certain reservations," proposed the albino magician.
“All right, I'll do it," Syriel said.
“And don't stop reading my notes, you have to get the Dragon Armor back together before someone else does. When you complete it, we will look for the best way to destroy it," concluded the magician solemnly.
In the palace of Gargaran, Queen Baldia answered the call of her jeweled silver mirror.
“What’s happening, daughter?”
“Our enemies have been joined by a very powerful white magician and a king of giants who might complicate our plans," a voice from the mirror said.
“A white magician? An elf with completely white eyes?” asked the queen.
“Yes, do you know him?" questioned the mirror.
“Yes, I do. And it is very powerful, but don't worry: neither that magician nor the giants will be a problem if we get dragons," answered Baldia. “Anyway, I'll think of something. You worry about those damn dragons," added the queen.
“All right, Mother. Now I must go," replied the mirror.
Queen Baldia was thoughtful with a worried countenance, looking at her image on the silver surface, where her daughter's face could be seen just before.
A somber detachment of about two hundred and eighty warriors and twenty magicians, led by Princess Elenir herself, began the ascent of the mountain in pursuit of the dragons.
The dragons that populated the enormous ancient volcano normally lived isolated from the beings of the flat terrain, at a considerable height, in large caves that crossed the entrails of the mountainous mass. They rarely ventured out of their elevated territory, since its extension, both in height and in vast valleys, plateaus and rivers at different levels in pursuit of the unreachable summits, meant that dragons, one of the numerous species of beings that inhabited the cliff, were not lacking in hunting.
Elenir and her dark ones advanced with extreme caution, since the scarce references of other previous explorers were not very encouraging, rather on the contrary. Aside from dragons, there were other dangerous species that could prove as deadly or more deadly than the mountain kings themselves.
General Baldin, along with three hundred others sombers, remained in the camp preparing an infallible ambush against the enemy princes, in the hope of regaining his lady's trust, and not out of appreciation for her person precisely, but rather out of fear of her terrible anger.
That same day, after making all the necessary preparations, men, orcs, dwarves, mediam and elves set out for the Dragons’ Mountains.
They advanced smoothly until nightfall, when they all lay down to sleep. All except the chosen ones as sentries and Syriel who began the reading of the book entrusted to him by the albino wizard.
The Dragon Armor
Frienia, year 1600 of the first era (The White Magician’s notes).
Some parts of what is written in these notes are the result of suppositions or hypotheses, but which, in view of the events, of the inquiries made and the testimonies of protagonists and witnesses should not differ too much from what happened in reality.
I imagine that everything must have started around the year 1600 of the first era, when a young and up-and-coming magician named Mazorik found black magic ancient writings on the gems of light describing the steps to create precious magical stones, using the dragon’s heart which had countless properties. One of them was to absorb the essences or the characteristics of the beings that where in its presence for a period of time. As a result, these main aspects were passed on to the wearer of the jewelry.
The desire of Mazorik, who was also called the Dark Magician, was to create the seven stones of power, each one with one of the hearts of the existing dragon races. It seems that gems of the same color nullify each other and lose their power, so they had to be seven jewels of different color and could only be made with the hearts of the different dragon races. Each one would serve to capture the essence of one of the seven races that populated Frienia. Everything hovered around the magical number seven.
His plan consisted of forging seven objects with each one of the seven jewels, once loaded with the essence of each race, forming with all of them the Dragon Armor, which would confer on him an unlimited power to subjugate all the beings of Frienia, erecting himself as the only emperor of all the known earth.
The list of objects he intended to forge was as follows:
In those days, it was talked about a fierce giant warrior who was a master in the art of hunting dragons. Mazorik soon recruited him for his purposes. Garrak, who called himself the “dragon slayer” would have to kill one dragon of each variety and give him the hearts of all of them.
Mazorik also recruited seven disciples, one from each of the races, so that once the jewels were obtained, they returned to their places of origin and, for seven years, the jewels acquired the essence of each one of them. After those seven years, all the disciples had to return with each gem filled with the corresponding nature. A single failure in any of the seven precious stones and their plans would be wrecked.
In my opinion, it all began the day Mazorik entered Belquecia, the city of the elves in which I lived. Mazorik was also an elf, although very dark, unlike me, who was so blond that he was almost white in both hair and skin color, which caused me to be known not only as Fariel, but also as the albino elf, although I was also called "the Magician Boy" or "White Magician", as I had begun to show certain skills for magic, which undoubtedly attracted Mazorik to turn me into his disciple, using false promises very attractive to an inexperienced young man like me.
At that time, I was nothing more than a curious boy, eager for knowledge and avid to discover the limits of my magical powers.
Mazorik approached me little by little, teaching me some things and dazzling me with his wisdom and apparent goodness.
One day, when I was beginning to have some confidence in him, he explained to me that he had a school of young magicians and that he wanted to recruit a magician from each of Frienia's races, who was only missing the elf.
He told me that his school was in the Badlands and that he would soon begin to obtain the stones for a special spell and that it would take him approximately three years to gather them. During this time, his disciples would learn various matters of magic such as mental exploration, telekinesis, domination of beings, transmutation of elements, healing, meteorological influence and many more.
When I was offered that vacancy, I hesitated at first. But when he explained to me his false plans for the stones, which each one of his disciples would have to expose each one for seven years to our race in order to fill it with our essence and, in this way, with the seven gems to perform a spell that would eradicate war forever, he ended up convincing me.
He visited my family and asked my father for permission to allow me to go with him as a pupil without having to pay anything, indicating that with our work, as we learned, we could already afford the classes.
My enthusiasm was such and my conviction so high that Mazorik's intentions did not harbor any evil that, finally, my father agreed to let me go after telling him that this was what I wanted and that I would return once my apprenticeship had been completed.
In the following days, some of Mazorik's students and my companions arrived in Belquecia: Burak the giant, Masarif the mediam-sized, Jorin the dwarf and Marlen the human who was the only female of the group.
Several days later, we left Belquecia together for Urkaroth, where we picked up Maluak, the Orc student. From there, we would pass through Angorian, where we were joined by the somber Esporiel, the last one missing to complete the group.
During the long journey to Mazorik's lair in the Badlands, we already began intense and interesting magic lessons by mastering small beasts, turning sand into water when we needed it, and even causing small but timely rains.
Mazorik's wisdom was so great and his kindness and good disposition so high that soon we all began to feel admiration and affection for him.
In addition, among us the disciples began to weave bonds of friendship, some stronger than others, as well as manifest aversions such as that of Jorin, the dwarf, with Maluak, the orc, who took advantage of any excuse to enter into brawls and bragging that Mazorik, always with patience and total justice for both, tried to cut off at the root.
The disciple who aroused the greatest sympathy among all, even in Mazorik, was Masarif, the mediam one. His constant good humor and sympathetic jokes distributed to everyone equally made him soon the most loved, even by Jorin, who, without a doubt, was the shiest and the most difficult in character.
One of the disciples with whom I began to make a good friendship was, curiously, Maluak, the orc, given the mutual aversion that elves and orcs normally profess to each other. But as we got to know each other, we discovered quite a few things in common which, little by little, made it easier for us to forge a strong friendship among ourselves.
Marlen, the human one, being the only lady in the group, was the one who had it bad when it came to establishing friendly ties, although she immediately established a good friendship with Masarif, and with the rest, being a woman with a strong and at the same time carefree character, she answered with audacity and sympathy to "masculine" jokes, achieving a good relationship of camaraderie. Anyway, although it was difficult for us to recognize it, from the first moment Marlen and I crossed furtive glances that, partly because of shyness and partly because of cowardice, neither of us did anything to make them go further.
At last we arrived at the Mazorik’s refuge, composed mainly of intercommunicated caves and well adapted for group coexistence. Each had a small alcove equipped with a bed, a table, a chair and all the necessary tools for writing, as well as for small manual work. There was also a fireplace for use as a kitchen and a large table for eating together. One of the larger rooms was used as a classroom for classes and study and had shelves full of books and parchments, maps, alchemical laboratory materials, desks and smooth walls that could be used as slate, writing with charcoal, which only Mazorik was able to clean with a simple snap of the fingers.
A few days later a giant arrived that Mazorik presented us as Garrak, an expert warrior. He told us that the seven stones could only be obtained in the heart of seven magical mountains, far away and in very dangerous places, to which only a giant like Garrak could have access.
We all took his explanation for good and accepted Garrak as another one of ours, although his clumsiness in general and his lack of understanding in intellectual matters made him not get along too much with anyone except Burak, a giant like him.
Garrak disappeared from time to time some days, reappearing with numerous wounds that we healed among all with the teachings of the master, but satisfied, because Mazorik taught us every stone that Garrak provided him and this filled with joy to the enormous warrior.
This is how the months went by during which Mazorik became a great master, teaching us all with patience and pretending kindness when needed and an unbreakable rigidity when necessary to bring out the best in each one of us.
Even today, remembering that time, I do not understand how he could deceive us so well, showing us a false face of infinite goodness when, in reality, he was so evil.
And between Mazorik's classes and Garrak's comings and goings, time passed until only one of the stones was missing. So, I will continue my story on the night that the giant Garrak got the last stone that closed the circle of the seven jewels of magical light that Mazorik needed for his abhorrent plans.
Beneath the Celestial River
Frienia, year 1815 of the second era.
Guided by the White Magician, after two days the princes and their troops arrived at an extensive and fast-flowing river which separated them from the huge mountain that was already about four days away.
“How may we cross this river? The other bank is very far away and the flow is very strong,” Syriel addressed White Magician.
“This is the Celestial River, the widest one of these lands. It won't be long before nightfall, we'll rest here, and tomorrow we'll look for a safe passage. Don't worry, we'll find someone," replied the magician.
While the others were preparing the camp, the princess and Baldrich continued the hard training to which the White Magician had subjected them since they left their den.
Hours later, the group was ready to dine the appetizing fish which they had fished abundantly in the wild river, and which had been roasted and piled up waiting to be shared, but suddenly they all disappeared swallowed by the ground.
As they approached cautiously, they saw a tunnel gradually entering the earth's interior.
“Mole-men!” Garin said.
“Yes, they populate these lands and they're getting more and more extensive. With an extraordinary sense of smell and an insatiable appetite, they will have come to the smell of our supper," corroborated the White Magician.
“Are they dangerous?” Syriel wanted to know.
“They wouldn't be in an open-field-battle, because they are almost blind and very clumsy on the surface. But, well-coordinated, they could sink the ground that supports an entire army in a single instant and leave them trapped in a dead-end," said the magician.
“Then, as a precaution, we should move to those rocks," proposed the prince.
“It would be prudent, yes," accepted the magician. “Although I don't think they’d attack us, they're not violent if they're not disturbed. They are very frightened and slippery, but I will try to ask for their help," said the elf.
“Help?” Syriel was surprised.
“They could solve our problem of crossing the river," said the pearled sorcerer.
“A tunnel under the river! Magnificent!” exclaimed the prince enthusiastically. “I will accompany you," proposed Syriel.
“It is better that I go alone, I can guide myself well in the darkness. Carrying torches or any source of light would be taken as a sign of hostility for them. If someone were walking with me, I would only delay and frighten the mole men," concluded the elf magician.
A few moments later, the White Magician was lost in the darkness of the tunnel.
Elenir perceived as a large group of small minds lurking crouched where they were about to pass: a narrow passage between two elevations of steep rocks.
The princess made an energetic gesture of stop and all the retinue stopped at once, vigilant before an imminent danger.
The mental exploration of the powerful sorceress detected the restlessness of the creatures when they were uncovered, although she was unable to discern the type of enemy that was trying to ambush them, but she did know that they were not of great size and felt safe to defeat the victim who had discovered them, which worried Elenir even more.
After weighing several options, the princess threw two powerful rays of fire upward on each side of the road, causing two landslides and rocks that dragged most of the surprised vermin, killing and bad tempering much of them.
The dark ones saw that they were horrendous and small beast of the approximate size of an arm, with very powerful jaws of very sharp teeth which would have got them into trouble if they had it not been detected them before.
After finishing off the wounded creatures and making sure there was no more stalking, they proceeded on their way with as much caution as possible.
At dawn, the White Magician returned to the surface, and when he stood before the princes, he informed everyone.
“They will help us, but first we have to help them. In one of their galleries a beast has slipped in that terrifies them and does not allow them to pass. If we get rid of that beast, they will dig the tunnel under the river for us," said the snowy wizard.
“Do you know what kind of creature it is?” asked Syriel.
