"Dragon knights of Algaesia"
Chapter 4: Attack on the Dragon temple (part 1)
I do not own Eragon or any part of the Inheritance cycle whatsoever.
I do not own anything related to anything else written in this story whatsoever.
*Note: I've decided to centre more on the Dragon knight characters than the dragons themselves because it would take too much time and too much effort on my part to produce a story that everyone likes. However, please note that i'm also NOT trying to degrade the Dragons to mere workhorses for the dragon knights. They will still play a minor role in the story.
Master and student sat down on the steps of the ancient ruin, looking out to the sea, drinking water from their pouches. They spent the remainder of their day discussing more about the ways of the dragon knights. Aver was pleased that Balien was an inquisitive student, although he could be quite overzealous in his questioning.
"So there are many types of mithril I can use? How can I make my own sword? When can I do it?" questioned the over inquisitive young rider.
"Whoa whoa there Balien! You sound like an old woman gossiping in the streets of Aberon!" exclaimed Aver, with a hint of irritation in his voice "please! Ask me one question at a time."
"Yes master... please forgive me. I was too... enthusiastic about where my path as a rider would lead me."
"Apology accepted. Now... you were asking me whether there are other types of mithril. Is it not?"
"Well then, as I have told you, the main source of all mithril that we dragon knights acquire from are from the caves located on a group of islands just off the coast of south-west Surda."
"Yes ibrithil."
"The reason why all of us knights have swords of different shades and hues is because there are a variety of mithril ores to be found. The different colours add to the individuality and also shows off the personality of the rider himself. The variety ores themselves, interestingly, also give way to a variety of effects depending on the user and how the user handles it."
"You mean that swords made of different ores can give me different varieties of power?"
"Not necessarily, young one. The effects that the different ores produce are passive. It is up to the rider to manage how to use these effects to their advantage. Again, the ores that riders choose to use for their swords also depend on their personality and connection to vanyali, or 'magic' in the ancient language."
"What kind of effects master?"
"You will learn soon enough... but for now I'll just give you some examples. The first and most common mithril ore available to all riders is the Adegan. Adegan has a special connection to vanyali, and it is through their use that we knights create a bond between ourselves, magic, our weapon, and Dragons. The Adegan in a rider's sword gives off a weak signature of magic that could be sensed by anyone practicing in the ways of vanyali."
"Wow! So that explains the feeling when I held that training sword back at the temple! It was made of..."
"Adegan ore...yes, you are right Balien." Answered Aver,"Because Adegan is so common, we use it in training swords for new initiates to help keep them growing accustomed to the vanyali that permeates everything in this world."
"Another type of mithril," Aver continued, "is synth-ore."
"What's that?" questioned Balien, giving his master a confused look.
"It's a type of ore that has been manipulated by a user to create something totally different. Our then newly created order of dragon knights found a set of these after looking through Galbatorix's personal vaults after his fall. We eventually managed to discover how to produce these synth-ore through his personal archives but we never put it into practice."
"What?!" exclaimed Balien, "Why didn't they allow that? Wouldn't it be better to create your own ore and, therefore, a new blade? That would save alot of trouble from actually FINDING the right one."
"My dear student, after examining and researching on the synth-ore, we found that the Galbatorix produced these unique synthetic ores for any future apprentices, using his considerable powers and abilities to create extremely powerful blades that were practically alive with dark, evil energy."
"Oh... I see. Sorry master for my impulsiveness."
"Not to worry young one. As I was saying, these synthetic ores created by Galbatorix produced a blade slightly more powerful than traditional, natural res, but the blade was also less maneuverable and more unstable than that of their rider counterparts. Through his archives we also found that it was common Galbatorix to use vanyali to channel hatred for his enemies during the forging process, imbuing it with dark energy and shaping it into greater potency."
"So all in all," Aver continued, "these are the two types of ores that you now know. Any questions?"
"No... Ibrithil" replied Balien.
"Hm, your pause disturbs me. I reckon you have more questions, do you not?"
"Ibrithil, I..."
Balien was about to speak when a voice cried out, "Master Aver, Balien-finariel! Help!"
It was Teris Moonrider. He looked panicked as he landed with his dragon, Draumr, to the ground right next to them.
"What is it Teris?" exclaimed Aver, "Is something wrong?"
"The dragon temple..." Teris said breathlessly, "it's under attack by numerous foes! We don't know who by the gods they are! All clad in dark armour, black cloaks and swords seething of dark energy! Just like the one we found in Master Barius's chamber! They are strong in vanyali too!"
"By the gods... come on Balien, Mount up! Teris, lead the way!"