As his gaze swept through the barren surroundings, Tyler discovered they were at the center of a large and flat circular ruin, the stones of which had become indistinguishable from those of the ground. Only strange runes at the edge of the circuit marked its existence as a creation of either the Alfar or humans. Then the mage noticed Tyndur was looking at them too.
“By the thrice-blessed balls of Father Odin! A terrestrial gate!” exclaimed the einherjar with a start after a few moments, a declaration which was followed by distant thunder. If the rumbling was a sign of a deity’s displeasure, Tyndur paid no heed.
“What’s a terrestrial gate?” asked Tyler curiously while keeping an eye on the dokkalfr group who were now huddled together, deep in discussion. From the looks of it, he didn’t think there would be a battle – the dokkalfr would have attacked the moment they got their wits together.
“Well, it’s like a portal, like what visitors come through. Only, this kind of enchantment had limited range and was used for travel between lands. But the knowledge and art of building them disappeared a long time ago,” explained Tyndur.
“So, they’re localized versions of portals?”
“Indeed. And don’t look surprised. After dimensional portals, local ones are easy,” said the einherjar.
“And they have the advantage of being permanent, though the transfer is only from one gate to another. But the magical energy needed to activate it is substantial. A Vanaheimr creation, at least that’s the lore in Skaney,” added Sford.
Tyler was surprised. Not only at the depth of knowledge the peculiar mage displayed, but also at the fact that he volunteered the information.
“Can we use this to go back?” Tyler asked immediately.
“If we have the power and the knowledge to activate it,” replied Sford, with a pointed look at the dokkalfr. “As I said, it is magic born out of Vanaheimr. I doubt if any human mage knows how to make this thing work.”
“Sire, somebody approaches,” warned Kobu.
Tyler looked at the dokkalfr. They had positioned themselves again in a line abreast formation, but the woman warrior with the faceplate was walking towards them. As she neared, the mage noticed the hilt of a sword protruding behind her back.
A greatsword? She must be quite strong to be able to handle that beast. But wouldn’t swords of that length be a disadvantage in fighting in deep caves and tunnels? noted the puzzled mage.
When the woman got within a few feet of Orm and Tyndur, she raised both hands as a gesture of peace.
“Greetings, warriors. I would like some words with the High Mage,” she said in a haughty tone, bordering on the arrogant.
Freaking noble, the observation crossed Tyler’s mind as he exchanged glances with the other companions. The mage saw they were in ready stances, though nobody had yet drawn a weapon. He walked forward past the two melee fighters in front, preempting any lewd comment from Tyndur. He didn’t know about Orm, but the warrior still appeared to be of the taciturn sort. Even the sudden change in the situation didn’t give rise to an expletive or a curse from him.
“That would be me. But your people’s treachery does not make me happy,” said Tyler in a matter-of-fact tone. He knew the dokkalfr warrior could easily draw her sword and strike him, considering the close distance between them, but he had every confidence in the strength of his shields.
“I will be frank, High Mage. I was against that course of action, but I had to follow the choice of my House.”
“Now let me guess, that motley group of ragged skunks was comprised of dokkalfr from clans and Houses who didn’t want me butting in and trying my best to save them,” said Tyler. He was in a Tyndur mood, hated the haughty tone of the woman, and he really didn’t like being tricked. Though he had to admit it was quite a show and they managed to take him by surprise.
The dokkalfr angrily stared at him, and Tyler could see the figure of the woman become tense.
She’s going to try me? he thought with surprise. Doesn’t she know they don’t give out High Mage titles on street corners.?
“Don’t,” Tyler advised. “To be frank with you too, my companions could have taken on your host and left none alive. And that’s with me standing aside.”
With visible effort, the woman finally managed to get herself under control.
“You sound so confident, human,” she said through clenched teeth, though the word human sounded like an epithet.
“That’s because it’s the truth. We’ve met larger and more powerful enemies than your horde of cowards.”
What am I doing? Provoking her? wondered Tyler, but he already had prepared a spell. Just in case.
Suddenly, the woman swiftly drew her sword and swung an overhead slash at Tyler. It was fast and didn’t give the mage time to react, but the large blade merely bounced from the first shield protecting Tyler, and as strong as the strike was, the repulsing field of X returned an equivalent force to the attacker.
As she was thrown back, Tyler released a similar spell against the rest of the dokkalfr, though he controlled the released force of the enchantment. He wanted to teach them a lesson, not kill them. The mage knew they were brought along with the company for a reason and the dokkalfr won’t be able to answer him if they were dead. Nor did he want to walk a considerable distance just to talk to them again.
Immediately after the spell, Tyler held up his right hand to hold back his companions. Fortunately, they were all watching him as the discussion unfolded. Otherwise, Astrid’s speed alone would have sliced the other side to bits before they knew what happened. Instead, the company was treated to the spectacle of the woman bouncing twice as she landed, and her companions rolling and tumbling along the ground like leaves before a strong wind.
As he watched the comical sight, Tyler noticed the dust clouds he had seen earlier had increased in size. But before he could cast the spell to check the phenomenon, a glowing and scintillating orb appeared in the air a few feet from where he stood. Oddly, he could hear loud triumphant music accompanying its unexpected appearance.
What the fuck? thought the utterly mystified and bewildered mage, noting that the music, with its emphasis on brass instruments and cymbals, was quite annoying.
The sphere expanded and brightened, and a voice spoke from within its blinding glow.
“Greetings, ladies and gents!”
The bizarre greeting added further to Tyler’s bewilderment. But after a few seconds, he recognized the voice. The mage had heard it before, and it usually meant something unpleasant.
It was Loki’s voice.
Chapter Eleven
YOLO
Seeing the absurd smile on the Trickster God’s face, Tyler couldn’t help but be extremely worried. Loki popping up here, of all places, was not good news. The deity looked quite pleased with himself, if the extremely amused expression on his face was any indication. The mage saw the dokkalfr group immediately run and regroup some distance away, with the masked woman warrior in front.
As if that would save them if Loki decides to do away with them, thought Tyler. He stepped forward. The rest of the companions had immediately deployed themselves in a more open formation. Tyler didn’t notice what the rogue trio was doing, but he assumed they followed the party’s lead.
“Hail, Loki of… not Asgard anymore, is it? How would I address you? said the young mage.
“The Great or the Supreme would do nicely, I think. But I believe that would be prematurely presumptuous of me. Not to mention the clash with my trait of being known as a humble god. A simple Loki would do. For now, Mr. First Mage,” smiled the deity. He was still wearing the unique and beautifully crafted armor of a supreme battle mage. Surprisingly, Tyler agreed with the mad trickster’s sense of fashion. It suited Loki perfectly.
“I gather you have something to do with this trap?” asked Tyler with some distaste.
“I wish! I but noticed a massive surge of power and naturally, being the scholar that I am, came to investigate. And lo! To m
y surprise, I found my favorite mage in the middle of it. Again. I really like you, Havard. You have proven to be a very interesting mortal. I do hope you survive what’s coming.”
“What’s coming? You’re referring to that dust on the horizon?”
“Of course! Ymir’s unwashed hordes! They’re more involved to the west of here, a few miles away I believe, where they’re digging the dokkalfr out. But your arrival triggered a natural reaction from his legions. Such a massive outpouring of power was bound to call attention, and therefore, here comes the welcome party. They’re supposed to be reinforcements to the burrowing party, but I suppose you should be flattered they’re going out of their way to greet you!”
At the back of his mind, the mage was glad to hear that for the present, it appeared that Loki was not actively involved one way or the other in his present quest. Though it also meant that the malicious deity was also busy wreaking havoc somewhere else, and Tyler again prayed it wouldn’t involve him.
“You’re not involved in the invasion of dokkalfr lands?”
Loki laughed. His hilarity at the question was palpable.
“Why should I? Ymir’s doing a fine job as it is. Even the vaunted Stronghold of Kunigunda had fallen. He’s doing very well, thank you very much. Which reminds me, I do have to check on Sutr’s forces. That hothead could be so impulsive. Bad form if the dvergar and the dokkalfr on the northern mountains make it difficult for him. Let me take my leave then, First Mage,” replied Loki with amusement, and then he suddenly gave the rest of the party a meaningful smile. “Lady and gents, my pleasure.”
Tyler noticed the god ignored the dokkalfr. Actually, he acted as if they didn’t exist. But their terror-filled faces already gave away their role in the present game the Trickster God was playing. It was clearly a match where the dokkalfr group was a non-entity. And the young mage knew that every time Loki appears, he always had a plan in play or would start one. He wondered what the bastard would do to him this time. If what Loki said was true, that this was but a chance meeting, and the crazy deity was going to leave something to remember him by.
“My regards to the hairy Asgardian fools living on that poorly designed collection of hovels, Havard,” continued Loki as he glanced at Tyler. “But let me leave a token of my appreciation and a display of my small skills before I go to the north.”
Oh, fuck. Here it comes.
Loki raised his staff, and a great, shimmering portal-like form immediately appeared several hundred feet away. It hummed loudly for several seconds and just as suddenly vanished. But it left behind an extensive collection of creatures of various kinds and sizes, with flames around bodies their common trait. The mage could even see giant figures at the rear.
“What the fuck is this, Loki?” Tyler shouted. “Couldn’t you just leave?”
“And lose my street cred built over the millennia? Why, no! But don’t worry, this is but a minor conjuration, a poor display of my magical skills. I would have preferred the jumbo version, but since you are a friend, sort of, I limited himself. They’re flame jotnar! The perfect counterpart to Ymir’s pets! And they’ve been instructed not to attack the First Mage! See? I remembered my promise! Though I can’t say the same for Ymir’s underlings. Tata!” said Loki merrily as he started to vanish.
Street cred? Jumbo? noted Tyler as he filed what he observed at the back of his mind.
“Lokiiiiii!” shouted Tyler.
“YOLO, Havard!” came the laughing reply.
Now it’s YOLO. I’m not surprised anymore. He’s deliberately taunting me about what he knows, showing me bits and pieces of Earth. Fuck him.
The moment Loki fully disappeared, the smoke-enshrouded mass of flame jotnar started marching towards the group. Unfortunately, the dokkalfr were nearer to the incoming creatures. They ran towards Tyler’s party, and Tyndur quickly looked at the mage. Tyler nodded. The einherjar immediately shouted orders, changing the deployment of the company, modifying its position to face the enemy. The mage wasn’t worried. Mage spells could take out the mass of the attackers, and any jotnar which managed to come close could be handled by the warriors of the party.
“So that’s Loki.” Tyler heard Kadir tell Sford. “You know, I used to pray to him. And he looks a lot better in person! I think I am going back to praying to him.”
“You are mad, Kadir.” He heard Sford reply coldly. “That deity of yours is the cause of that bloodthirsty, flaming mass coming for us, and you want to pray to him?”
“Well, he looked so dashing and… ouch! What was that all about?” Kadir exclaimed. A loud thump had interrupted the rogue’s description.
“Something to bring you back to your senses,” said Orm. “Next time, it will be the hilt of my sword.”
The dokkalfr had finally reached the party’s front and were blocked from proceeding further by Orm and Tyndur who had assumed battle positions. Habrok had his bow aimed at them, and Astrid was moving to the left flank of the einherjar. The mage understood that the Valkyrie wanted a clear area for her attack. Kadir had positioned himself slightly in front of the ranger, while Sford stood near Tyler. Kobu remained at their rear. Tyler saw the woman approach the einherjar and after a short discussion, Tyndur ran to the mage.
“They want to fight with us. What do I tell them?” asked Tyndur.
Tyler looked back at the watching Kobu.
“What do you think? Your experience matters greatly in this decision,” inquired the mage.
“An enemy with unclear loyalties, unknown abilities, and who remain an enemy. I respectfully suggest they be allowed to fight with us, but they form their battle line several feet in front of the company. We cannot risk treachery,” said Kobu.
“Well, I still remember that sudden attack on the First Mage,” added Tyndur.
“Tell them what Kobu said. If they attempt to go past us, we will treat it as an attack,” decided the mage with finality.
As Tyndur went back to the armored female warrior, Tyler could see that the flame jotnar had picked up their pace. To their rear, several flame giants wielding large clubs and giant axes started to raise their weapons. Clouds quickly started to gather above the attackers, and the outline of a magical barrier suddenly appeared in their path.
“Your pardon, First Mage,” said Sford with a remarkable degree of respect and awe.
Tyler quickly glanced at the orange-clad mage, a color which never fails to elicit curiosity on his part. But he wasn’t one to pry. Unless the temptation really gets out of hand.
“The path to a First Mage must be a different one, milord. But for those who had trodden the normal path to magehood, we do know that in the domains of Ymir and Sutr, the power of those two primordial elemental avatars reign supreme.”
Milord. The term must be catching.
Tyler immediately looked back at the spells he had cast. They were taking too long to manifest, and it could be his imagination or Sford’s statement, but his cloud spell appeared to be sputtering.
Now that… stinks, thought Tyler, his unfamiliarity with the nuances of the magical arts of Adar were now on full display. Sford might be an unconventional mage, but at least he was grounded in the basics of the art. And if the peculiar mage was right, then the casting of his spells would be, in the eyes of other mages, the dokkalfr in particular, a show of extreme confidence or laughable ignorance.
“Guys? He’s right?”
“We’re afraid so, sire. Of the deities and powerful entities of the First World, Sutr and Ymir were the only powerful beings to reside physically on Adar. And their presence resulted in a visible and continued manifestation of their power. On their lands, all other powers are subdued or greatly diminished. Unless you’re a major deity,” Hal answered.
Tyler wanted to shout an expletive but had learned the futility of the exercise. Though sometimes, it just felt good to let off steam. But not this time. The enemy was clearly geared up for a charge.
“Suggestions? They’re going to rush us,” asked Tyler pro
mptly, a bit of nervousness in his voice. A mage without spells was as helpful as a butcher in a vegetarian convention.
“We need to buy time, sire,” said X. “For now, allow us to infuse your spells with a small amount of Elder energy. That would render Ymir’s power in the land inutile. It would diminish our few reserves, but we do need time.”
“Do it.”
Using the hard-earned energy was like pulling teeth without anesthesia, but he had to bide for time. Tyler’s original intention of engaging in a full-scale battle with the flame jotnar and the inbound army of Ymir was now in the garbage bin. He didn’t have a Plan B; his sense of caution was spoiled by the earlier victories they had over similar foes.
Tyler immediately dissolved his earlier spells just as the looming jotnar mass charged. The mage could see large, blazing wolf-like beings leaving the horde as their speed left their brethren behind. He cast the barrier again, though this time coursing it through his guides. As the barricade solidified, it was followed by the cloud lightning spell.
No wonder Sford and the dokkalfr mages didn’t start throwing magic all over the place, he reflected.
“Sford? How far does Ymir’s power reach in our area?” he asked.
“Around several feet from the ruins, milord. The power in these Alfar structures must have come from a deity’s blessing to be still potent after such a long time.”
“You could sense the perimeters of such energy?”
“Yes, milord. Though its circumference is ragged and imperfect. The ravages of time, I suppose,” replied Sford. “But for some reason, Ymir’s power also stops where the mountains behind us begin.”
Dammit. That’s what I get for not being adequately trained. Not even a basic formal lecture! Though that milord title is starting to grate on me. It’s not High Mage anymore.
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