Dragonheart: Of Dreams and Paths

Chapter II: Of Strength and Magic

Seating Asger before him under an oak tree, Egarun looked into the young dragon's eyes. "I know you want answers to the questions you seek, Asger, so, may I help you?" his voice was a deep yet smooth baritone. The youngster nodded. Egarun then proceeded to reach into the pouch strapped about his waist, and remove three flat, smooth stones that looked as black as obsidian. Each, about the size of Asger's palm, was engraved in pure silver with a strange symbol: one was a perfect triangle, which Egarun explained was an ancient symbol for fire; another was an upside-down triangle with three downward-facing spikes within it, meant to represent icicles, and the third was the universal crossed circle for earth.
Placing the three stones into another, smaller leather satchel, the shaman then placed it into Asger's right hand before looking up at him. "You cannot lose these talismans, Asger, even if you tried; I have imbued them not only with power over their respective elements, but also with the power to return to you no matter where they are lost, or if they are stolen. Others may be proficient in these elemental arts, but you can be as well, due to just beginning the journey into your own niche of power! But be not afraid, my friend; your wisdom will allow you to remain free of corruption from either this power, or from the power of others! So use my gift well!"

"Thank you, Egarun," Asger replied. "And may you fare well too!" Before departing, however, Asger chose one stone, for earth, and held it in his hand. Despite the shaman not even having shown him how to use it, somehow Asger knew what to do. Placing the stone on the ground before him, the black dragon stepped back, not taking his eyes off the symbol engraved on it. Then he slowly raised his hands, curling his claws as a look of fierce concentration crossed his face...
Then his blue eyes suddenly glowed...
GRRRRRRRRRRCCCCCCCCKKKKKKK, CRRRRRRAAAAAAACCCCCKKKK!! A low rumble coupled with violent shaking preceded a massive rift that suddenly tore open the ground two metres before both dragons with ear-splitting loudness; the rift walls were at least thirty feet apart, and the rift itself extended from a metre to Asger's left, to about twelve feet in the opposite direction. The rift itself was about sixty to seventy metres in depth!! Asger snuck a peek at the shaman's stunned face, and smiled. After closing the rift, Asger picked up the talisman, returning it to the satchel. "My, my, what an astonishing feat, my son!" a hint of a smile teased the edge of Asger's muzzle, as he turned slowly to find both Egarun and Lord Ragnar standing a few feet behind him.

Asger bowed with a slight smile in reply. "I shall utilize this new power well, and now is the hour for my journey." The elder dragon stepped forward to embrace his young friend. Asger did not hesitate to return the kind gesture, before turning away and taking flight. By occasionally soaring low over the land, about 90 metres (295 feet) from the surface, the earth talisman allowed the young dragon to absorb some of the Earth's energy, thus boosting his strength, stamina, and speed. His journey from Avalon to a small, lonely isle 90 miles north, took just under one week to complete. Asger knew he needed the isolation in order to focus and train himself to better wield the power he had been given. The young dragon practiced by first finding and collecting dry wood and kindling for a fire on the beach, then removed the fire stone from his satchel, and placed it on the sand between himself and the firepit. Focusing on the talisman, the dragon slowly laid down on the sand, and stared hard at the symbol for about five to ten seconds, before abruptly averting his intense gaze to the pile of kindling in the pit...FWOOOOSH! Brilliant blue flames suddenly erupted seemingly from within the wood itself, casting a deep, eerie purplish-blue glow over him and the surrounding beach, and despite the heat being notably more intense due to the higher temperature, Asger quickly grew accustomed to it, and was thus able to make himself comfortable for the night. As the black dragon drifted off, short, sharp pulses of psychic static resounded in his mind, as he felt himself become detached from his own physical form; literally, he was now drifting as a spectral entity not unlike Drago's spirit form. The sensation of speed seemed to take hold of him, and a certain direction he seemed to now be traveling in, guided him like a compass. East...Asger's eyes glowed suddenly, as several more pulses of static resounded...