“I doubt it. I did learn that my bones helped me control the flow of vast amounts of magical energy. I believe it was during the battle against Aztecah forces near the temple of the deity called Viracocha,” replied the mage.
“Not the bones themselves, but the marrow in them. My maker mentioned it in passing, but without the knowledge of the process, I guess you’ll just have to experiment, if you’re interested.”
“Did your maker say anything else about it?” asked Tyler, now carefully attentive.
“Just that the process is automatic. Once the knowledge is learned, the Elder mage does not even need to cast a spell to get the energy needed. But if it’s a hit-and-miss affair, it’s bound to be a conscious effort on your part,” warned the entity. “Bear in mind that your bone marrow contains stem cells, immature cells converted by your body to what it needs. I guess that’s what the conversion process is taking advantage of – the natural processes of your body.”
“It’s a possibility!” answered Tyler excitedly. “Elder energy is far more powerful than the energy any deity on Adar can hope to wield! It’s the edge I need against the garbage the Elders left behind!”
“If your experiment works. The results, if any, might not be maximized in terms of yield. Or you could fail spectacularly and tear yourself apart.”
“Now you talk like Hal. Can’t you be encouraging?”
“I can only show you the options, Elder. My programming does not allow flattery. Reality is what it is. And if it’s an experiment, remember it’s a blind attempt at something involving your bones, and it’s bound to hurt,” warned the boy.
“How bad?” came Tyler’s hesitant query.
“Excruciating.”
“Duck shit.” The involuntary remark came out from the mage as he slumped in his chair.
Another round of uncomfortable silence prevailed. Tyler’s memory was particularly focused on how bad the pain was when massive amounts of magical energy coursed through his bones.
Now, the mage was faced with the prospect of more pain. He involuntarily shuddered as he imagined forcing power down past his bones and into the marrow.
Tyler lost his appetite for conversation. Though he didn’t want to admit it, the mage was deterred by the specter of more painful experiments looming over any further discussion. More insights might lead to the mage engaging in additional tests involving unbearable agony. He preferred dealing with the prospect of painful experimentation one at a time. G was not going anywhere soon anyway.
He smiled wryly at G.
“Explosions and pain usually accompany my rash attempts to experiment, G. So, I hope you can excuse the reaction you saw.”
“I understand, Elder. Though I hate to say this, the pain, if you do venture in that direction, will be two-fold – through your bones and then the bone marrow.”
Chapter Twelve
Woodland Undead
Frigg spake:
27. “If a son like Baldr | were by me now,
Here within Ægir’s hall,
From the sons of the gods | thou shouldst go not forth
Till thy fierceness in fight were tried.”
Loki spake:
28. “Thou wilt then, Frigg, | that further I tell
Of the ill that now I know;
Mine is the blame | that Baldr no more
Thou seest ride home to the hall.”
Three hours later, Tyler and his companions found themselves along a rough forest trail. They had been brought there by Sarva. Several feet in front of the mage, the tell-tale indications of an energy barrier could be seen. The location was at the edge of the protection laid down by G facing the Nordic homeland. Tall mountains protected The People on the Skaney side of their territory, but the Elder intelligence was taking no chances.
The mage looked at Sarva. The deity looked younger, his face exultant. When he got out of the cave, all he told the deity was that The People could forward to the future.
At his words, the deity kneeled and bowed his head, a reaction which surprised Tyler; he rushed with embarrassment to the deity’s side to get Sarva up, though in his hurry, the mage nearly tugged the deity off the ground. The being did stand, but not before vowing his allegiance and that of his people to the First Mage—a declaration mortifying Tyler even more. He knew the magic of Adar would hold Sarva to that promise.
When he got back to the house, only Kobu was there.
The two others had gone out again. When the mage saw the exile, he was instantly reminded of the force of mercenaries still waiting for him back at Viracocha’s temple. Now, he just had an entire civilization and its deity swear fealty to him. He slouched on a chair and then moved to the bed. A nap to get over the morning’s events was just what was needed. His mind needed to process what had happened. The assessment of his guides could come later.
But it was a shuteye abruptly broken by the arrival of Sarva with disturbing news – G had sensed the eruption of powerful energy fields in two areas. One was from the ground near the Norse fortress-town of Hedmark where the party was headed. The other was a disturbance spread in certain areas of the Barrens itself, farther away from Hedmark, on ground where the mutated energy of the wasteland was weak.
The Elder intelligence believed it ominously presaged a serious threat to Skaney. The blight affecting the Norse homeland had so far spared most of the southern region of Namdalen, where the town was located. With most of the warriors and levies deployed in northern and central Skaney, Namdalen was relatively unprotected. Tyler had no objections to a speedy journey to Hedmark, their destination all along. It was the first major town facing the Barrens and the nearest to the party.
Provisions were hastily prepared, with the local warriors mobilized to provide what was needed. The mage observed what his companions noticed. All the men and women who came to the house bringing food and water were armored and had weapons at the ready. The settlement, given a Greek name by its inhabitants—Profylaki or outpost—was clearly but a heavily armed and garrisoned outpost for the realm beyond the cliffs. When asked about the Greek appellation, Sarva merely smiled and said it was easier for the Pelasgians to pronounce.
Now, with the magical assistance of Sarva, they stood on the outskirts of a thicket roughly three miles from the road leading from the outlying settlements to Hedmark. The deity brought them to a narrow gap in the wall of towering cliffs and led them out. The transition didn’t even take a lot of time. It was strange, but the mage could feel the subtle signs of Elder energy around them. The company was being hurried along its way. He suspected even the fortuitous opening in the mountains was created by the intelligence. It would close again, protecting the secret of the kingdom and its people. Once they passed the through, the companions spread out as Tyler halted and turned to their guide.
“Thank you, Sarva. This greatly cut down on our travel time. A lot. I hate to think about doing the journey the scenic way – around the base of those mountains, dealing with predators and whatever along the way,” said Tyler.
“I am glad to be of service, First Mage. There is also one more thing. I have a gift for you. Please don’t object. May it be of use in your journey. Despite my reduced status, even I could foresee you have a long and contentious road ahead of you.”
“Oh, no. You need it more, Sarva. The People could make use of it. You don’t have to give me anything,” protested Tyler.
He meant what he said, but also had thought about the difficulty of adding another new magical spirit, spell, or object to his collection. Tyler had barely enough time to examine or investigate what he already had. Another situation like what arose from Loki’s torc was the last thing he needed, though the Feathered Serpent’s gift was a very useful one.
“Don’t worry about it, First Mage. It is a spell, a spirit, which I refuse to use anyway. It reminded me too much of a terrible betrayal back in the First World. One which eventually resulted in our hasty departure from that world,” replied Sarva ruefully.
That got the mage worried.
“It wouldn’t turn on me, wouldn’t it?” he asked immediately.
“It’s not like that. You see, back where we both came from, I was also called the lord of animals. The bull was considered my avatar. But unknown to me, the youngest of my consorts was an ambitious spirit and treacherously colluded with our enemies. She took on the name the Goddess of the Spiked Throne and made a mockery of the bull, one of my symbols. In her effigies, she was portrayed as sitting on one or using the animal in a slavish aspect.”
“Talk about adding insult to injury,” said Tyler.
“I am over that now. Whatever civilization supplanted us must also be long gone. But that spirit was a venal and tenacious one, I wouldn’t put it past her to have survived whatever changes the millennia had wrought,” replied Sarva.
“Let’s just hope she didn’t cross over to Adar,” grinned Tyler.
“Don’t joke like that; she was a deadly opponent. Let me gift you with the bull spirit, made of pure energy so ordinary weapons can’t hurt it. It is especially deadly to similar spirit forms, emitting an aura distorting magical fields, so best used as a rampaging bludgeon on the battlefield far from your own forces. Only call upon its assistance once a day. Please, take it. I’d have thrown it away long ago, but with my weakened power, it would have been foolhardy. Here, make better use of it,” said Sarva, taking off a ring and offering it to Tyler.
Another ring! I might have to eventually take up Hephaestus’s offer to make me a gauntlet out of all my rings.
The mage took the ring and put it on a finger.
“My thanks, Sarva. I wish you and your people well.”
“Your gift to us is a priceless one, First Mage. We can never repay you,” said the deity.
Tyler said farewell and turned to join his companions. Then he sensed Sarva striding after him.
“What is it?” he asked, noting the concerned expression on the deity’s face.
“Undead infest the woods beyond. I felt their presence. But the animating energy appears to be of a strange sort. It would be best to be on your guard against surprises.”
“We will, Sarva, and thanks again,” acknowledged Tyler, just as he remembered what he wanted to tell the deity.
“Oh, I finally remembered what I wanted to tell you.”
Sarva glanced at him with a curious expression.
“You might want to know the worship of you and your brethren continues on the First World. Probably not in the original form, but millions still remember you,” said the mage.
The joy on Sarva’s face was indescribable.
“They do? Such tidings, First Mage. The magic might be gone from the First World, but the knowledge my brethren and I are unforgotten immensely gladden this heart. We still live! If not in spirit form, then in the hearts of mortals! Thank you for telling me! Such news lightens the burden I feel,” Sarva said with a bow. “Come visit us one day, First Mage. Elephants, tigers, and many animals from the First World still exist in our land. Unicorns and other creatures too. They’re magical animals, but we’ve managed to keep them alive.”
“Unicorns? Really? Unicorns?” exclaimed the surprised mage.
“Of course, they were holy animals back on the First World as well as here.”
***
When Sarva left, Tyler faced his companions. The three warriors were smiling. It was clear they were glad to be back on the road again.
Damn! They’ve got the adventure addiction! Just like me, he laughed inwardly.
But despite himself, the mage grinned back.
“Time to go, warriors,” he said.
“Sire, I heard something about undead. Strange ones. Probably more difficult to kill?” asked the einherjar.
“You heard right, Tyndur,” he answered.
“Good. It’s been two days since the last time we cleaved something back to the nether hells where it came from,” answered the warrior, shifting his weapon from one hand to the other.
The party guffawed at Tyndur’s comment, not concerned whether anybody or anything could hear them. The group again adopted the marching formation which had already become second nature. Tyler noticed the exile had already changed the form of his weapon to that of a steel, club-like, spiked mace with a ring at the other end.
“What’s that?” he asked as the group walked toward the edge of G’s barrier.
“A kanabo, more appropriate for the undead. An ono, or ax, would probably find itself stuck in a tree after slicing through desiccated flesh and brittle bones. As would a sword. This…” said Kobu as he raised the weapon with a hand grasping the ring, “avoids embarrassing moments. It’s a bit shorter than the usual, but it will do nicely.”
The mage noticed Tyndur looking at Kobu’s weapon.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sell that to me, Kobu? I was just thinking of how much damage I could do with my battleaxe on one hand and that on the other,” asked the einherjar hopefully.
Kobu laughed. “I can’t even if I wanted to, Tyndur. It’s bonded to me.”
“A shame. I already imagined myself on the battlefield smashing and crushing with that thing,” replied Tyndur. The mage couldn’t tell if the einherjar was serious or just joking.
Habrok had already passed through the protective barrier and was crouched about twenty feet away, staying hidden below a large tree. The ranger was obviously observing the path and the surrounding area. Tyler held up his hand, signaling silence.
“Let’s give Habrok a chance to do his job,” he softly said.
A few steps after he passed through the barrier, Tyler suddenly felt an invisible force strike his chest, leaving him breathless. He was driven to the ground where he remained on one knee, trying to breathe. His companions looked upon him with concern, but he raised a hand, indicating he was all right.
What the fuck was that? he reacted angrily. He quickly asked his guides who were also clueless, a worrying situation especially when whatever affected him easily passed through his shields. X did have an idea, though untested and unverified. The AI believed they were already in the field that Sarva said. Whatever was the strange energy, it wasn’t strong enough to penetrate G’s barrier, but those of Elder origin could feel it upon getting in contact with its power.
“At least it’s a momentary effect,” replied Tyler as he stood up.
“It is normal magical energy, filtered through a medium we can’t identify,” said Hal. “An area spell, though as far as we could tell, it covers quite a large expanse.”
“An admirable modification of this world’s energy, though it would have taken a lot of power to create such a field,” remarked X. “Still, ingenious in concept.”
“And I’d like to beat the ingenuity out of whoever thought of it,” remarked the mage sullenly.
Suddenly, the three saw Habrok swiftly let fly several arrows in succession. Tyler could see the sparks of lightning and fire down the trail as Quetzalcoatl’s gift took effect. Kobu and Tyndur moved a few steps forward, while the mage strengthened the energy wall in front of them. The ranger ran in their direction.
“Draugr!” shouted the ranger.
“Undead it is then,” remarked Tyndur. “A different kind, but still walking corpses.”
Habrok joined them and took his position beside the mage.
“Undead, Habrok?” Tyler asked.
“Yes, sire. But these act differently. From what I saw, they move swiftly and know how to take cover,” said the ranger. “I fought draugr before and these undead act more like living warriors.”
“Well, we’ll know in a short while,” replied Tyler.
Several arrows abruptly smashed against the shield. Tyler could see figures moving among the trees on both sides of the trail. Habrok replied with a few of his own, exploding an undead head in the process.
“Even so, they can die again,” commented Kobu. “The head was always the weak point of the undead, in whatever form they take.”
“The b
owmen are but the leading elements. I believe it’s a group of about fifty to sixty. The others will be in sight shortly,” advised the ranger quickly.
Tyler cast a blade spell, choosing smaller forms. He didn’t want to cut all the trees in the vicinity; it would just give the undead archers more cover. He got a few of the archers but found to his consternation that he had to guide the blades to their targets. The undead bowmen were adept in taking advantage of the cover the trees afforded them.
This is again seriously weird, he concluded. They do act like the living, as if they retained their skills and knowledge of fighting, but with the advantage of already being dead and a vulnerability limited only to their heads.
Finally, the main fighting group appeared in a shield wall formation, with antique but still deadly spears directed to the front.
“Ah, memories,” exclaimed Tyndur as his battleaxe broke out in flames.
Chapter Thirteen
Bull in a China Shop
Freyja spake:
29. “Mad art thou, Loki, | that known thou makest
The wrong and shame thou hast wrought;
The fate of all | does Frigg know well,
Though herself she says it not.”
Loki spake:
30. “Be silent, Freyja! | for fully I know thee,
Sinless thou art not thyself;
Of the gods and elves | who are gathered here,
Each one as thy lover has lain.”
Strange Undead
Tyler wasn’t worried about the approaching wall of spears; they could easily be managed in his opinion. He was more concerned about the archers. When melee combat was initiated, the party would be vulnerable to arrows – in the heat of battle, there was no telling when a companion would be out of the energy barrier’s coverage.
But they’re undead. With pointed sticks aimed at you, the thought came to mind.
“Guys. I just realized that these are undead, with spears directed at us, inanimate objects which are threats. The shield should stop them, shouldn’t it?” the mage asked his guides.
The Accidental Archmage - Book Five Page 14