“You are full of surprises, young mage,” said Hrun while continuing to look at Vivindel. “And I sense Eira’s spirit and power in her.”
Vivindel then grabbed Tyler’s hand, forcing the mage’s attention on her.
“You’re leaving on a journey again, Father? Why do I feel that you are going to leave me behind?” asked Vivindel in a tearful tone.
“Father?” Hrun stared at the mage.
Chapter Six:
A Plague of Visitors
“No, No. It’s not like that,” placated Tyler as he now found himself kneeling on the cold stone floor, hugging the upset Vivindel, leaving Hrun’s query unanswered.
Please don’t cry, he thought frantically, I don’t think I could handle that.
“Then why?” asked the forest spirit, clearly on the verge of a full sobbing attack.
“I am going to find your mother and punish the bad people who took her. But who’s going to take care of our home while I am away?” said Tyler. The mage then looked at the elemental. “Our house still stands?”
“It does, Archmage. Eira was taken while doing her rounds,” replied Hrun.
“See? The forest and our home. It’s a big responsibility. Do you think you’re brave enough for the job?” asked Tyler, looking at the child-spirit, brushing away strands of hair from her face.
She really takes a lot from Eira, thought the mage. Even the green eyes, but her hair is a shade darker, probably she’ll be taller, and has sharper features.
Vivindel looked him straight in the eyes and then nodded, the determination clear in the young face, a reaction Tyler embraced with relief. He wanted Vivindel to stay and learn to use her powers under the guidance of Hrun. For the moment, he couldn’t think of anybody more appropriate, and it would ensure that Fossegrim would have an ancient stone elemental as its guardian in their absence.
“Can I have somebody with me? It would be lonely otherwise,” said the forest spirit.
Oh, right. She’s been with others for so long a time that being alone would be an abrupt change. I wouldn’t want to put her through that; being outside the keep is stressful enough, the mage thought.
“Who do you want to be with you?” asked Tyler in a soft voice.
“Can Polemos and Machi be with me?” requested Vivindel.
The mage was surprised. The two mischievous boys were the ones usually tormenting Vivindel. The last time he’d seen them, the forest spirit was about to let loose a magical storm on the two rascals running after her with the intending of doing something to her hair.
Well, I guess she couldn’t go wrong with two companions named war and battle, the mage considered, thinking about the spirit derivatives of the sons of Ares – Phobos and Deimos. Hrun would also definitely know something about warfare. But the proper use and control of their abilities was the important thing, and knowing Hrun, they’d probably discover new ones too.
Hrun suddenly loudly cleared his throat, calling the mage’s attention. The mage looked at the elemental, now concerned. Hrun did not lightly intrude on personal matters.
“A visitor came, seeketh the daemon; arguments arise, battle portends,” announced the entity.
What the? the irate thought immediately rose in the mage’s mind. He barely caught himself before several decidedly descriptive expletives escaped. Tyler turned to Vivindel and explained he had to leave for a while to attend to a visitor, and at the same time, asked Birki to let the twins out.
“Vivindel, your brothers Machi and Polemos are coming. Could you please explain things to them? In the meantime, Uncle Hrun will look after you three and start clarifying matters,” said Tyler, who then turned to Hrun.
“Not a problem, I hope?”
The stone elemental shook his head, though he had what the mage took to be a wry expression on his face.
“Surprises, surprises, surprises. Full of them, you are, young mage. Pray do I, that notice and warning you make next time such matters involve me. But this! This is a delight for an old elemental like me. Ah, to teach and mentor young spirits once again. The pleasure is all mine, Archmage,” came the reply.
“Thanks, Hrun. Now, if you please, I have to see what the commotion is all about,” grinned Tyler.
***
Tyler was greeted by the spectacle of the companions arrayed several feet behind Asag, who again appeared to be the center of a new disturbance. The mage could discern the shimmer of a barrier separating the daemon from the rest of the party. But Tyler couldn’t tell if it was created by their troublesome member or by the floating entity in front of Asag.
When he appeared, the companions all looked at him. He could tell they were all ready for battle, if Tyndur’s flaming battleaxe and Habrok’s notched arrow were any indications. Tyler put his finger to his mouth, indicating he wanted them all to be on guard but not to show any visible sign of his arrival. Though he believed the burst of power Hrun expended in sending him to the surface was enough to tell any magical being that a new player had arrived.
To the mage’s amazement, the two main characters in front of the company didn’t even give him the benefit of a glance. Understandably feeling a little insulted, Tyler stood where he was and listened in on the two. There appeared to be an argument between Asag and the newcomer who clearly knew who the daemon was. As the mage looked closer, he observed the two shared similarities in their attire, something which made him uneasy, wondering what new devilment would involve the company.
“NO! My Lord Enki was very clear about that! You are not welcome in our domain!” shouted the newcomer suddenly, the voice ringing across the quiet of the denuded glance. From the angry declaration, Tyler assumed that Asag was insisting on the right to visit or return to the western lands.
“Our domain? You’ve won already?” asked Asag calmly, ignoring the outburst.
“Oh, we will, you miserable excuse for a deity. That you can be sure of,” replied the floating being haughtily.
“Insults, Asarluhi? You had a different attitude before, if I remember. Respectful and not so loud, I believe. Fitting a minor god. A former village deity to be exact,” observed Asag, still in a conversational tone. Tyler knew something was going to happen. Insulting the daemon and getting a calm reply wasn’t an indication of a peaceful resolution.
“I am more powerful now, vagabond! Enough to teach you a lesson, mutt!” exclaimed Asarluhi as a massive stream of glowing energy appeared out of thin air above Asag and showered the daemon with its power. For several seconds, his form couldn’t be seen, being entirely covered by the magical beam. The mage and the rest of the companions were caught off-guard by the sudden, brazen attack.
“Consider that a lesson, god of gravel!” loudly proclaimed Asarluhi, laughing as the energy stream bathed the daemon below him. Tyler was already considering how to attack Asag’s assailant, given the existence of the barrier separating them from the two contending deities.
Nothing could be heard from Asag for a few seconds. Then suddenly, a loud guffaw echoed from within the glowing beam which vanished after the laughter subsided. What was revealed was an Asag doubled over by his mirth.
Fuck. Is it just my imagination or is the blasted daemon getting more powerful? the itinerant thought barged into Tyler’s mind.
Asarluhi couldn’t believe his eyes and remained where he was in shock and disbelief. Coils of power quickly appeared out of thin air and bound the arrogant deity’s body, with an unusually large one covering his mouth. Asag abruptly appeared in front of the bound god, and quickly tore away a circular golden pendant around Asarluhi’s neck which was starting to shine. As the daemon took possession of the object, its glow faded.
“So, this is how you tracked me, village idiot,” said Asag as he tucked the artifact into his armor. “Now for you. Normally, I would be lenient with those of our pantheon, but those insults really did it for you, especially calling me miserable. Add to that vagabond. That really wouldn’t do.”
Asag extended his hands in a leng
thwise manner, encompassing Asarluhi’s bound form. Then he moved his hands together, one going down and the other upward, resulting in the arrogant deity’s body being squeezed and compressed. Finally, Asag formed a ball and then slammed both hands together. With nary a sound, the god disappeared. Those watching all noticed that all throughout Asarluhi’s punishment, they couldn’t hear a peep out of him. It could be the gag over the deity’s mouth, but it felt unnatural. Cruel, even.
Suddenly, the daemon was in front of Tyler. The mage could feel that the barrier had disappeared. The companions all hurried toward the duo.
“You killed him?” It was all Tyler could say.
“Hey, I may be cruel, vindictive, and bloodthirsty, but Asarluhi’s family. Of a sort. No, I didn’t kill him. Just sent him to a place fit for village idiots. There, he can talk about how powerful he is to his heart’s content,” replied Asag sagely.
***
“Asag, your past is bound to be the death of all of us,” cried out Astrid when she arrived ahead of the rest.
“I agree,” echoed Tyndur as he reached them. Habrok was quiet, but the ranger was shaking his head in disapproval.
Tyler couldn’t help but agree with the group. So far, the threats which had come out of the woodwork, Gullin included, that threatened everyone’s life and health even on a collateral basis, came from Asag’s previous doings.
“Hey, don’t blame me for having such an adventurous past. To be clear, it was all the merrymaking of a young, fun-loving magical being,” Asag replied in his defense, though the tone was too light to be a genuine apology.
Merrymaking. That description referring to an enjoyable experience was entirely based on Asag’s interpretation of the situation.
“And I took care of it, didn’t I? Rest assured that if it involved my past, I’d handle it on my own. It’s not as if there would be two or more pantheons after me. I’ve learned that my limit was a pantheon and a half. But who knows? One only learns if personal capabilities are pushed to the limit,” added Asag thoughtfully.
Groans greeted Asag’s comments. Shaking their heads in resignation, Tyndur and Habrok turned and went to back their guard positions. Tyler could hear the einherjar telling Habrok what a picnic the Aztecha had been, a comment to which the ranger replied that it was only after Asag appeared that Ymir’s minions now looked to be easy pickings. After a while, Habrok threw Sutr’s underlings into the bargain.
The mage thought about it and concluded that they were indeed in a different kind of conflict – deities and whatnot suddenly popping out and confronting Asag about sins and slights of the past. Apologies, weregild, or plain revenge were probably in the list of possible demands. The problem was, it wasn’t the primary purpose of their journey.
At least Eira was safe and comfortable, if Iapetus was telling the truth. The mage believed that assurance, and that the Titan wasn’t lying. He did want Tyler as a hostage in Tartarus as his master scheme unfolded across the length and breadth of Adar.
What the mage was worried about was the splash damage if an area-of-effect spell was suddenly unleashed on the entire company. Tyler had magical shields to protect them, but even the strongest steel or most powerful magical barrier had limits. Worse, with the kind of travel the pantheons used, detecting the arrival of such an opponent – or opponents – would be exceedingly difficult.
The last to leave was Astrid. The Valkyrie had a furious expression on her face which then turned into curiosity.
“What are you, Asag?” demanded Astrid. “I can’t see anything past your adopted form. But I could feel something terribly powerful behind that mortal shell.”
“It’s but my inner glory, my beautiful Valkyrie. It would blind mortals and minor gods alike if I were to appear in the fullness of my dark beauty,” replied Asag with a grin.
The Valkyrie glared at Asag for a few seconds before she turned and walked away, but not before a disparaging phah! as her final word.
Seeing the company back in their designated positions and no enemy in the vicinity that he was aware of – thanks to a quick scrying spell – Tyler thought it was as good a time as any to know more about their troublesome guest. The magical spell binding Asag would ensure truthful answers, provided the mage asked the right questions.
“I need to talk to you, man,” said Tyler. “Somewhere private. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to create that isolated pocket in space and time. You know, the kind deities create when they want confidentiality. You know how to do that?”
“I don’t know about that man reference since that’s obviously in error. But I’ll do you one better. We’ll be here, can hear what’s around us, but neither god nor beast could spy on us. I’ll even put in a blindness spell to punish unwelcome eyes and ears. Temporary, of course, but a lesson to be learned by such impolite individuals. Unless it’s a really powerful deity or monster, then we can’t do anything about it anyway,” said the daemon.
“Sorry about that; man is but an expression referring to the person or entity in the conversation. You can’t blame us for it, since we don’t have deities and magical beings walking among us,” explained the mage.
“Another quaint First World expression, I presume? Don’t use that among deities and such. It would be an insult to those arrogant pricks,” warned Asag.
“How about you?”
“I am another thing altogether, that much I know. But don’t call me man; it sounds so puny,” said Asag with obvious distaste.
I’d sock this guy one if I could, thought Tyler. They’re all so arrogant, even Asag. Though concerning him, I don’t know if it’s arrogance or something else. He didn’t sound haughty when he commented.
“Let’s sit down, shall we?” said the daemon. At the same time, Tyler sensed the emergence of a powerful dome around them. It wasn’t as large as the ones he had seen before, but enough to encompass both of them. Following the daemon’s example, he sat on the grass facing Asag.
“Now what is this all about?” asked Asag. “And no, I am not interested in Astrid. Not my type, if that’s what you’re going to ask.”
Shaking his head at the uncalled-for information, Tyler opened the conversation with his observation that Asag seemed to be more powerful compared to what he had been back when the mage found him, and every day, the daemon appeared to grow in strength. Then the mage asked for an explanation. The daemon roguishly grinned, and his eyes suddenly had an air of mischief about them.
“You don’t know?” came Asag’s query in a knowing tone.
“Of course, I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking, man,” answered Tyler, emphasizing the last word. An action that got an involuntary wince from the daemon.
“You meant to do that,” accused Asag. “But you know, even an ordinary mage would have guessed the answer by now. For an Archmage, you sorely lack knowledge of the basics.”
“Don’t rub it in, Asag. I didn’t ask for this job. Come on, don’t beat around the bush. Give me a straight answer,” demanded the mage.
“Beating around the bush. Another of your bizarre First World expressions, I guess,” dryly commented the daemon. “But on the source of the sudden surge in my power, the answer is simple – you.”
Me? What kind of fucking answer is that? thought the shocked mage.
Just as he was going to ask for clarification from the daemon, Tyler felt the approach of mighty waves of power. Two of them, in fact, and both quite familiar. He immediately stood up as did Asag. The dome segregating them from the rest of the party disappeared.
Looking around, the mage also saw the companions moving into skirmish positions though no weapons had yet been magically triggered. The sensitivity of the companions to magical events had clearly increased. Asag looked at him, winked, and moved toward Tyndur.
“This is turning out to be quite the day,” Tyler said to himself in an exasperated tone.
“Indeed, it is, Archmage.” A voice known to him sounded from the rear. It was Hrun. Tyler spun around.
“The children?” he asked immediately.
“Safe. The safest they could be in this troubled world. Mentor mine, fast as the wind came he; To gaze with delight upon spirits born not out of man’s fear and doubt; A change profound in the fortunes of Adar,” replied Hrun cryptically.
“Where are they?” continued Tyler. He was glad they were safe, but he’d rather also know where they were.
“With dearest Mother, with all the Ancients in attendance; such a marvel gladdens us and to you, a great debt we owe. Though the responsibility lies in your hands, any aid you require in their upbringing, you need but ask,” said the stone elemental.
Now that’s a bit of a headache. They’ll know soon enough about the other children, thought the mage. And I got volunteer teachers on top of everything but wonder if that’s a good thing? They also have their agenda.
“Thanks, Hrun. But for now, we’ve got royalty coming in. I better go greet them,” replied Tyler.
“Ah. To parley they come, heads of pantheons; such a sight was never heard of,” commented the elemental, ending the answer with his weird laugh.
A brief radiance appeared in the middle of the clearing and Tyler headed toward it. The luminescence flashed exceedingly bright and vanished as quickly, revealing two standing figures. The duo was a study in contrasts.
One was Odin, in his Gangari guise, holding a wooden staff in his right hand, but this time with two ravens perched on each shoulder. The other was an armored Zeus, though without the hoplite helm, holding a crackling thunderbolt as his weapon of choice. It was the first time Tyler had seen such a weapon up close, and indeed, it was a frightening one. Only a fool would say he wasn’t daunted by the sight of the blazing magical creation, sparkling now and then with signs of its innate power.
But despite the warlike appearance of Zeus, with lines of magical energy running through the ornate decorations of his armor, the aura around the two was calm with a slight tang of tenseness. The two disregarded Asag’s presence and instead looked at the approaching Tyler.
The Accidental Archmage: Book Seven (Dragons and Demons) Page 8