The deity looked out to the sea, shook his sea at sight of the turbulent waves, and held out his right hand. The water immediately calmed, and Tyler was now looking at a placid and welcoming sea.
“Aren’t Titans supposed to be bound in Tartarus?” he asked.
“Only those who fought the Olympians. Such a waste, an odious cycle of war and hatred. Kronus wanted to me join the revolt against our father, Ouranus. Zeus and the other Titans who were with him wanted me to join them in the Titanomachy. My brother, Typhoeus, wanted me to join their side. I refused in all instances. Nothing good ever comes out of such familial conflicts,” Okeanos answered without looking at him. The deity was still looking over the vast seascape.
Typhoeus. Typhon. This guy is the brother of the Typhon?
Then Okeanos looked at him.
“My feet on land grow weary, and the sea calls out to me, mage. I have to take my leave. May you fare well in your travels,” said the deity.
“My thanks, Okeanos. Though I don’t know how our relationship will be in the future. My life on this world seems unfortunately intertwined with the whims and caprices of deities.”
“That’s unfortunate and means you do have to watch your back,” said Okeanos. “But I’ll make it simpler for you. You ignore me, and I’ll ignore you.”
Chapter Four
Sasabonsams and Manticores
“Now what?” The question came from Ivar. “We walk home?”
Okeanos had already left, and the men of the karve could be seen filtering back to the beach. Ivar had exceeded his dose of deities and mythical beings for the day, and emphatically declared it to both Tyler and Kobu. When told that the company’s days on the road were usually like today, the Gothi made Tyler promise never to recruit him or volunteer his name for any quest, no matter how simple. A statement to which Kobu replied that for his master, the mage, there’s no such thing as a simple quest though sometimes it starts off looking like one.
“I guess so,” replied Tyler to the Gothi’s query. “Even if we’re able to send for help, a ship approaching this beach would trigger the kraken’s response. Not a good idea. It just had an early dinner and a disturbed nap. It’ll be cranky as hell.”
“That’s roughly five miles as the crow flies. With the terrain, and even with the help of hunting trails, it’s bound to feel like ten,” commented the priest with trepidation.
Tyler didn’t say anything; he was busy scrying their surroundings. No telling if and when the mysterious observer would decide to come back and send more creatures against them. The magical scrutiny came back clear. Even Okeanos was gone.
“Ivar, gather the crew, we’ll walk back. Hopefully, they managed to keep their weapons,” said the mage.
“It’s at times like this that I miss Habrok and Astrid. My fieldcraft isn’t so good,” said Kobu.
The mage stared at the waiting forest, its darkened eaves and thick undergrowth promising a forbidding welcome.
Me and my imagination, thought the mage.
He stood at the edge of the woods as Kobu took care of arranging their march order. Ivar was beside Tyler, but the attention of the priest was on the island. The mage watched the Gothi who was clearly doing some heavy thinking of his own.
“Changing your mind about the academy’s location?” Tyler asked finally.
“Far from that, my friend. I just realized that the news about the kraken’s presence would be of help.”
“How so?” the mage asked. He couldn’t see anything positive about the proximity of a huge and cranky sea creature near the location of Ivar’s pet project.
“The rumor of the kraken’s presence will remain long after it had left. That will provide additional deterrence to would-be raiders, thieves, and scoundrels approaching from the sea. Students intending to go on private yet unauthorized excursions would likewise think twice. Finally, it lends an atmosphere of the strange and magical to the place.”
“I never thought of it that way. But it’s your school, and hence, your choice,” remarked Tyler doubtfully.
“Of course, a road would have to be built leading to town. A costly effort, even with the support of the jarl, but maybe an Archmage would kindly lend a hand with the clearing of the route,” grinned the priest.
“You’re a sly one, but of course, I’ll help,” replied the mage, already thinking of Birki.
“Sire?” It was Kobu. Tyler turned to the exile.
“March order is arranged, but only four of the twelve were properly armed with axes. No armor. The rest had been told to secure clubs. Our problems now are our flanks and who’s going to be the scout. We don’t have one, and these men are not warriors.”
“I’ll take care of it. I believe it’s better to keep a compact formation once we’re inside the forest. No telling if we’re going to be tested further,” said the mage after a few moments of thought.
“Tested?” asked Ivar.
Tyler then narrated what he had observed during the arrival of the ketea, and that the unknown entity had left immediately, evading identification. He also voiced his suspicion that the episode was intended to draw him out, and force him to display his abilities.
“Then I won’t ask how you were able to handle those creatures. I can’t be forced to say something on a matter I know nothing about,” said Ivar. “But my curiosity is killing me.”
“Thanks, Ivar,” said Tyler, giving the priest a friendly slap on his left arm. “But you do know what the saying is about curiosity.”
“I am not a cat,” laughed the priest.
Suddenly, Tyler felt a warmth coming from his staff.
“Birki?” he called out.
“We’ve been listening, sire, and everybody agrees that considering what had happened, there’s bound to be surprises on your way back. And thanks for the energy of Okeanos. I never expected to meet such an august personage. He’s the eldest son of the grand Titan of them all, Ouranus. And his mother is Gaia herself! You can imagine the might of that being!” The little being was without doubt excitedly euphoric.
“But he did sound as if he didn’t care about Olympus or the other Greek deities,” said Tyler.
“That’s true, sire. You could call him a loner, an outcast, for refusing to be involved in their politics and games. But from what I remember, the arrangement suited him just fine.”
“So, we got energy off him? I am not really comfortable with the leeching energy arrangement. As I said before, it makes me feel like an energy vampire,” remarked Tyler.
“Lad. It’s not as if we’re jumping him and biting his head off. We’re just utilizing energy which otherwise would have gone to waste. And yes, we got some. Even from the kraken. Though the encounters were brief, the magnitude of the power they exuded more than made up for it. I doubt if you could call your wards children now. Even Vivindel had grown up.”
Birki stopped talking for a few seconds.
“It’s true then. They grow up so fast,” said the earth spirit with a trace of melancholy in his tone.
“More than the usual, Birki. Which means you have to adjust their training arrangement. And don’t sound so sad, we can’t have them as children forever. So! What do you think we should do while traversing this patch of nature?”
“If you’d allow us, sire. Vivindel and I will be your scouts, accompanied by Apulli. Machi and Polemos, the war spirits, would take the right flank, while Vathys and Seier the left. Above us will be Nehua, the Aztec spirit. She does have the power of flight.”
“You’re sure they’re not biting off more than they can manage, Birki? I am concerned. Very concerned. I refuse to expose my wards to anything which could cause injury to any of them,” Tyler’s voice was tinged with apprehension and worry.
I sound like my father.
“No. Lad. As long as they keep to their spirit forms. Right now, even a minor deity would be hard-pressed to handle a pair of them. They’ve been impressive in their training and have grown. Lovely lads and lasses, if I may
say so.”
“Lads and lasses? They’re that big now?” Tyler was incredulous.
“Of course. Even that kraken’s energy was quite powerful. I’d say they’re now youthful, not childlike. But it would now take more power to help them grow.”
Tyler finally agreed to the participation of his wards, but with the agreement that if a deity or one with a similar power showed up, his wards were not to engage and inform him instead. He trusted them though their lack of experience made him uneasy.
On the other hand, he highly appreciated the extra hands. Ordinary monsters and hostile creatures, provided they appeared in manageable numbers, were not a concern anymore. But his mind recoiled from thinking about his wards in a battlefield situation.
“Sire? Are we ready?” Kobu’s voice called him back from his musings.
“As ready as we’ll ever be, my friend,” said Tyler. “Let’s go.”
It was, as Tyler expected, slow and hard going. A stinging tribulation of thick shrubs, low-lying branches, and uneven terrain not helped by the fumbling unfamiliarity of the ship’s crew with riotous vegetation. Ivar stayed alongside the mage, while the exile was a few paces in front. The others followed in clumped order, despite Kobu’s instructions to keep to the defensive formation he had outlined. As a result, the group looked like a miserable collection of ragged refugees instead of an orderly column of men. It was after a torturous mile when Tyler felt the presence of Birki.
“Sire, we have found some bizarre creatures up ahead, to the front and left of your group.”
“That’s surprising. The woods appear and sound normal. Could you describe them?” asked the mage.
“Certain kinds of magic could hide the presence of strangers in a forest. These creatures looked like the ones who attacked you in the Barrens. I believe they were called sasabonsam. But these ones hang from tree branches, like bats. Difficult to see with the naked eyes. There’s quite a number though,” said Birki.
“That only means our mysterious visitor is back. Have fun. I do need to inform the group not be startled if they hear strange sounds.”
Birki disappeared. The mage raised his hand to signal a halt to their progress, called out to Kobu, and then turned to Ivar.
“Please tell the men not to be surprised if they hear bizarre noises coming from the forest. We’re just clearing our surroundings. There appears to be some bizarre creatures waiting for us,” said Tyler. Ivar immediately left and went to the rear to break the news. Kobu went to Tyler’s side.
“An ambush, sire? I am not surprised. I guess your wards are clearing them out?” commented the exile in a low voice.
“Yes, Kobu. Creatures similar to those who hurt Asem.”
“By Queen Himiko! Those are monsters I would dearly love to kill myself!”
“It’s being handled, Kobu. Save your strength. This is bound to be just the first,” answered Tyler as he cast a spell to check their surroundings. With the spirits of the staff covering their progress, he didn’t think of doing the examination that often. And they have not been long inside the tangled environment of the woods.
“Well, sire. I did say your wards would be quite powerful. And considering they’re still young, the amount of magical might they could manage at this point is already impressive,” commented the exile.
As Tyler cast the scrying spell, loud noises abruptly erupted from the trees ahead of them. The sound of crashing branches, surprised unnatural growls and hisses which were sharply cut off, and a few muffled, meaty explosive thuds resounded through the woods. Cackles and chirps from alarmed birds as they flew off accompanied the din. Then as suddenly as it started, the forest became quiet.
“Cleared, sire. We can proceed,” Birki’s voice echoed in his mind.
Tyler merely nodded, a motion which would have looked odd to everybody, except for Kobu. The mage’s mind was on what his spell revealed. It only caught the tail-end of the hasty disappearance of an entity. He got the impression that it was a cloaked, humanoid figure but bizarrely, there appeared to be no substance behind the shape. His mind ran through the various creatures he had encountered or heard about, but came up with nothing. Even the Lost One he had faced back in Akrotiri had a solid form behind its appearance.
He looked for Ivar and found him standing at his back, surrounded by very frightened men. The mage stared at the priest and raised his eyebrows.
“Can’t do anything about it, man. They’re scared to death,” said Ivar in English.
“They do have to keep some distance from each other and from you. A closely packed mass like that is an inviting target. I would hate to lose you,” replied Tyler.
“I know, I know. Trying to do my best here.” The voice of the priest sounded exasperated.
The company continued on, though they had to take a few rest breaks. The terrain was punishing even for sturdy and muscular men exposed to the rigors of the sea.
“How many miles have we managed so far, Kobu?” Tyler asked during one such rest period.
“I would say we’re half-way there, but we might have a problem with food and water. We don’t have provisions, and this forest trek is taxing the men.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Tyler. “I am feeling the effects myself. A nice brook or stream would be welcome at this point.”
“We’re bound to run into one, sire.”
Then Tyler mentally kicked himself.
What the fuck am I doing? I could ask Birki or Vivindel to look for one nearby!
A quick query and the party made a slight deviation from their route in the direction of a stream Vivindel had found. Water never tasted so sweet to the mage as he had his fill from the peaceful brook. The cold liquid refreshed him. Seeing the condition of the crew, he told everybody to take their time and wash up if they felt like it. Everybody took him up on the offer. As he sat on the ground watching the tired and scared crew make the most of the welcome break, he again scanned his surroundings and immediately discovered that the infuriating cloaked figure had again materialized and just as quickly vanished.
Again?
Even as he felt his irritation rise, the mage felt the materialization of three large figures in the distance. They were magical, he had no doubt of that, and they were headed towards the group. From what he could discern from his spell, they appeared like large dragons similar in size to the skeletal drakes they had fought in Hedmark. But these monstrous lizards were three-headed ones. Tyler called out to Birki.
“You know of the recent arrivals?”
“Of course, sire. The magical signature of their arrival was deafening enough.”
“What are they? Some species of drake?” asked the mage.
“Oh, no, sire. Not quite as ordinary as those over-growth chickens. These are zmei, if Rumpr’s memory is correct. Though they’re usually found in the forests of the Bastjan lands. Shapeshifters, regenerative powers, and can regrow their heads.”
“Can you guys handle them? You need my assistance?” asked the now greatly worried Tyler.
“Oh, don’t worry about those minor creatures, sire.”
Minor?
“It’s that clown who keeps appearing and disappearing which you should be concerned about. I don’t think your wards are capable of handling a being with that power. Transporting creatures from various parts of Adar to this location meant extraordinary magical knowledge and a huge amount of magical power.”
“But how are you going to handle these zmei? They can regrow their heads, you said, and I guess that also applies to their other extremities too.”
“Hah! Not if they don’t have a body to regrow anything from,” laughed Birki. “We’ve already figured it out. All we need is to pin them in place and boom! – no more zmei.”
Then Tyler felt another magical disturbance, this time closer to their location.
“Shit. Doesn’t that bastard run out of energy?” he cursed. “You felt that, Birki?”
“Yes, sire. Merthykhuwar, also three of the
m,” replied the being.
“What are merthykhuwar? I don’t think I’ve heard of them. That bastard is unleashing an entire freaking bestiary on us,” said Tyler.
“Let see if I could give a simple description. They’re from the northeastern part of Adar. Mostly found in the inhospitable parts of the Dual Monarchy. Human head, the body of a lion, scorpion tail. Sometimes has wings,” replied Birki.
“I think we called them manticores back in the First World.”
“Manticores or merthykhuwar, makes no difference for us, lad. They’re still beasts. Magical beast-monsters, but still not a problem. Though we better handle them first. I hope somebody in your group knows how to cook.”
As Birki left, the mage inwardly cursed again.
This fucking trek is turning out to be a gauntlet. No, not really a gauntlet. We’re not doing any of the fighting ourselves. Yet. Though it’s good thing Tyndur is not around. He’d be so disappointed. Probably throw several tantrums.
Tyler decided to wait where they were until he heard from Birki. Another scrying spell merely revealed the sliced and mangled bodies of the manticores and the energy trails of the wards as they moved to intercept the zmei. He felt immensely proud of them, though the mage considered tempering his congratulations. Too much confidence could be disastrous. But he honestly didn’t expect how deadly the combination of their powers and abilities would be. It was a source of pride and yet, also a matter of concern.
Several minutes passed. The mage resisted the temptation to check on his charges. They would feel the scrying spell and Tyler didn’t want them to think that he wasn’t that confident in their abilities. And the mage also feared what he would see if the worst scenario happened.
Tartarus Beckons Page 5