Dark Magic

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. In fact the last one was destroyed at the end of the Great War, but it seems they are back. Dragons are a lot like golems in the way that they are made, not born. And it takes an enormous amount of dark energy to create one. A dragon is the most powerful weapon a dark mage can possess.

In order to create one you need an immense amount of energy and the soul of a willing human. You combine the soul and the energy and then encapsulate that inside a vessel of your own making. In the past dark mages would use stone or metal, the hardest substances they could find, but now there are even harder materials. The dragon takes the properties of the vessel, thus increasing its power.

After the Dark Clan was destroyed, its followers scattered or dead, the new age began. That was only two decades ago, but now that a dragon has been spotted everyone is worried that the Dark Clan has regained power. The nations of the world are drafting men and women into their armies in anticipation of war. They are also stockpiling magical relics and ingredients for potions.

Magic users are rare, so the different nations started to actively search for them. One magic user, no matter how powerful, is worth at least 100 regular soldiers. A child magic user could easily best a full grown fully trained adult. With them being rare some nations resorted to forbidden magic that, like creating a dragon, required a willing human sacrifice. The human soul would be put in a weapon, or whatever object available, turning it into a magical relic.

The blacksmiths were working overtime. They had orders from their governments and the local fighters guild. Weapons and shields were being mass produced in every country. War is on everyone's lips.

Rimney is a regular soldier in the Royal Guard of the Jeraren nation. He wields a magical sword, imbued with his father's soul, and a shield that is made from obsidian. His shield is also a magical relic. It holds his mother's soul. Both relics give Rimney increased speed, strength and endurance. The sword also allows the user to shoot a magical beam that disintegrates all matter. The only drawback is it takes time to recharge. The shield also grants its wielder a protective bubble that absorbs attacks. It, too, takes time to regenerate. His parents were older than his peer's parents and sacrificed themselves in order to help Rimney fight. Inscribed on his relics are his parent's names, Trenon and Wilsana. Being Rimney's parents insured that no one else could wield his relics.

His regiment already had their orders to march to the White Forest and find the dragon. They were set to leave in two days. Rimney is scared, but his mentor is there to encourage him. Uulin, Rimney's mentor, is a masterful tactician and a ruthless fighter, but he has a soft spot for Rimney.

After Trenon and Wilsana sacrificed themselves, just days after the first real sighting of the dragon, Uulin took in Rimney. Uulin was determined to teach Rimney all he knew about strategy. They constantly played a strategy game while fighting. Uulin wanted to instill a sense of calm in difficult situations in Rimney and he excelled at multitasking. He could never beat Uulin at the game or the fight, but he did keep shortening the gap.

Rimney has been in the Royal Guard for five years. He has been under the keen tutelage of Uulin the entire time. His parents' sacrifice happened less than a week ago and now he will be off to fight a dark mage.