The Accidental Archmage

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  An enormous detonation echoed throughout the area when the giant fireball impacted against Tyler’s shield. A second sun momentarily graced the sky with blinding light as the enemy spell exploded.

  “That was a very powerful fireball,” commented Hal.

  “At least we were able to block it,” replied Tyler.

  “I do suggest we move from this spot. The High Mage must have determined where you cast the first spells,” advised X.

  “Good idea,” answered the mage as he swiftly ran towards the right, heading towards a row of broken-down structures. Tyler could see that warriors had taken cover among the ruins. Habrok and Apu Rumi followed.

  As he got closer, the mage could see that Maherpa, one of the leaders of the Inkan expeditionary force, was with the group. The mage went directly to the man and dropped beside the Egyptian. Tyler found it difficult to view the land and its people as of Kemet. The terms “Egypt” and “Egyptian” were words he was accustomed to using. “Kemet” was an unfamiliar name which stood no chance against years of education, television, and movies.

  “Greetings, High Mage,” said the warrior. Only a few knew that Tyler was already being referred to as a First Mage. He even introduced himself as a High Mage to people. But the young mage had more than humility on his mind in such an approach. He preferred being underestimated. That way, he had the favorable and satisfying advantage of inflicting unwelcome surprises on troublesome individuals or creatures.

  “Hello, Maherpa,” Tyler replied. “Where’s Tyndur and the rest of the leaders?”

  “The Kamayuk took command of the left flank, Durst the right, and Tyndur with the Lady Asem and the Valkyrie defend the center, focusing on the bridge,” he answered, naming the two other leaders of the expedition and Tyler’s companions. “I am supposed to provide the second line of defense against any enemy who gets past them. But their bombardment keeps us in cover and disarray. They’re damnably accurate. We’ve lost several men already. The Aztecah employed some magical bombardment, but they’ve stopped. Our shields are still effective. It’s those scorpions which we can’t defend against; I guess they’ve got some anti-magic material on those big arrowheads.”

  Freaking Greater Yahui skin, thought Tyler.

  “You think we can hold?” he asked Maherpa.

  “Military? I don’t think so. If it’s only the main bridge and their army to consider, we could fight them to a standstill. But we are scattered all over the place. Our mages are experienced at fighting battles, but then I guess their mages are also veterans and numerous. We also have those creatures to consider,” replied the warrior.

  “Try to organize the second line as you see fit. I’ll try to give us some breathing room. I’ll check with Tyndur,” instructed the mage. He turned to Habrok and Apu Rumi.

  “Habrok, wait here until the enemy missiles stop flying and follow me to the bridge. Rumi, please go with me. I guess those giant bolts don’t matter to you.”

  “Yes, sire,” confirmed Habrok with a nod.

  “The sticks tickle when they pass through me,” Apu Rumi commented.

  “Well, it could be a laughing trip.” Tyler grinned at the being’s reply. “Let’s go.”

  The mage quickly ran towards the main crossing, taking advantage of the cover offered by a few ruined walls and some structures along the way with the gelatinlike figure at his heels. Finally, he reached the last available shelter. A fifty-foot stretch of open terrain lay ahead. He could see some characters in the distance taking cover behind large stone boulders and a single ruined wall.

  Tyndur’s group, he noted. The einherjar’s vulgar and imaginative curses were loud enough to be heard from his location. From time to time, he could see the large projectiles from the scorpions break on the stone wall. The ground in front of Tyndur’s company was filled with missiles buried in the earth.

  There must be some magical protection left in those ruins, he observed. Powerful latent protection, possibly granted by a deity. Even able to deflect the missiles of the Aztecah. An Olmec deity’s last gift?

  He faced the blocky Apu Rumi behind him. The entity had just caught up. In the warrior form, quickness was not a trait of Viracocha’s guardian.

  “Ready?” he asked, noting that the jelly-like body of the being now sported two long projectiles which were starting to dissolve. The entity nodded, though the face had a funny expression.

  Tickled, huh? thought Tyler.

  “Now!” the mage cried out as he left the solid cover and sprinted towards Tyndur. Halfway through, he was panting. His lungs were burning, and Tyler’s knees felt rubbery.

  Freaking lack of exercise! On this world, it’s really bound to get you killed!

  As he dwelt on the lethal effects of the absence of a cardiovascular regimen, something violently slammed against his side. A glancing blow, but it lifted Tyler off his feet and forcibly threw him several feet sideways.

  Chapter Seven

  Victory Cheats

  Tyler’s body smashed into the ground, jabs from small rocks adding to the all-embracing pain. He could barely breathe, and his vision was clouded. As the mage struggled to remain awake, an image of a shocked and terrified Eira flashed through his consciousness. She was looking at him, face pale and mouth agape. Then the vision faded.

  “Elder, wake up. You’re in shock!” An inner voice shouted.

  Hal. His groggy mind told him. The enormous pain was still there, crucifying his body and torturing his nerves.

  “What happened?” he asked the AI, his attention wavering between the AI’s effort to hold his attention and the pulsating agony crawling through his muscles.

  “A bolt from a scorpion ballista, tipped with an anti-magic coating. Fortunately, it didn’t penetrate your final shield. But it broke through the rest. Even X’s reflective defense was pierced. You’re now suffering from blunt physical trauma and magical backlash,” explained Hal. “Your staff is just below your right hand.”

  “I feel like shit, Hal,” he told the AI as his hand grasped the staff.

  “X is now fixing the damage to your body. But the magical backlash is something which will take time to rectify.”

  “I can feel my body recovering, but I am quite weak.” He willed into existence the shield his staff provided.

  “A side-effect of the peculiar concoction they used. But we still have a problem. The enemy continues to fire their bolts towards this area, probably hoping to get lucky. We’ve rebuilt your shields and taken the liberty to project barriers against magical attacks. The Aztecah are also launching fireballs in this direction. We’ve deflected two already,” Hal explained. A large bolt thudded into the ground several feet away.

  “We’re sitting ducks until I recover? The pain is diminishing, by the way,” said Tyler.

  “I believe so, Elder. The rain of bolts and magical attacks are preventing Tyndur and Apu Rumi from coming closer. Viracocha’s guardian lost a substantial part of its mass from a powerful fireball trying to get to you. He’ll get it back, but I think it was a painful experience for him,” answered Hal.

  “Oh, fuck this!” exclaimed Tyler. The painful agony suffusing his body was almost gone, but the general weakness he was experiencing continued to pummel his muscles and seriously affect his senses. The mage tried moving his legs, but the attempt weakened him further. Abruptly, he sensed the unexpected presence of a figure of massive magical power beside him.

  “Losing this early, First Mage?” a familiar voice sounded in his panicking thoughts. It was Nike.

  Tyler was extremely surprised. This far from Hellas, a lonely battlefield in Inkan lands was the last place he expected to meet the Grecian goddess.

  “Not if I can help it,” he answered in a whisper. “But the other side seems to disagree. It’s raining ballista bolts and fireballs.”

  Suddenly, the mage felt better. Stronger. Reinvigorated. He was whole again. Exhaustion disappeared. At the same time, he perceived a tiny rivulet of energy flowing into his body.r />
  “Thanks, but isn’t this cheating?” Tyler asked, greatly relieved but mystified at the deity’s helpful action.

  “Could be. But I am not actually participating in the battle. Only rendering direct divine assistance to a potential worshipper who had already given me invaluable aid. And it’s called hedging your bets.”

  “You’re far from Hellas,” Tyler observed.

  “I did tell you I’ll be hanging around. And in this field, it appears only the victory of your side would be to my benefit. Those on the other side of the bridge don’t believe in me. I daresay they haven’t even heard of me,” Nike replied with amusement. “Now, get out of this killing zone.”

  “Thanks again, Nike,” said the relieved mage in a low voice. His eyes picked out the hulking Apu Rumi who was already with Tyndur’s group.

  “Win. That’s the gratitude I need,” replied Nike. The goddess stared at Tyler, her blue eyes startling in their intensity.

  “I did sense something strange in you, First Mage. But we all have secrets, don’t we?” said the Greek goddess of victory as she disappeared.

  Freaking victory vampire. But my kind of vampire, the mage thought.

  Tyler gauged the distance to the cluster of warriors looking at him. It was enough for a short teleport, well within his ability.

  “Guys? I am going to try to teleport. I won’t end up being embedded in that wall or appear directly above the ravine?” he asked the AIs. Transporting when he was in the Aztecah temple was easy – the distance was either very short, or he intended to travel the farthest he could manage. This time, an error in calculation could be ridiculously fatal.

  “Source the energy from our reserves, Elder. That way we could control the exercise of the ability,” suggested X.

  The mage concentrated on the point he wanted to reach and then dug deep within himself, searching for the magical power his unseen attendants had made available. Finding it, he willed himself to transport to the point he desired.

  Fleeting disorientation assaulted him as Tyler released the energy to power the spell. Abruptly, he was in front of Apu Rumi, though the mage was still lying down on his side. Tyndur was beside the entity, but the einherjar’s attention was on Tyler’s previous position.

  “Ah! Impressive!” said Apu Rumi. “Did not know you have the ability. Pretty goddess help you?”

  Tyler nodded and started to get up. Tyndur’s attention turned to him, surprised by the mage’s sudden appearance.

  “Sire?” said Tyndur. Then the man caught himself as he realized how Tyler was able to materialize unexpectedly. “Oh, mage spell. And who’s the beautiful goddess?”

  Startled by the observation, Tyler stared at the einherjar. Tyndur was looking at the spot where Nike appeared.

  Did he saw Nike? And he knew she was a deity, not a mere spirit. Rumi noticing Nike was not surprising, being Viracocha’s guardian, with some anti-magic abilities. But Tyndur? thought the surprised mage. It was an occurrence Tyler didn’t expect. Many of the principal gods, even if they do belong to different pantheons, do have a lot of things in common – arrogance, blind faith in their godhood, stupidity, narrow-mindedness, and the trait of not sticking around among mortals. Not to mention Nike belonged to a different pantheon.

  No matter, he decided as he grasped Apu Rumi’s extended hand, pulling himself closer to the group. The ruined wall sheltering them was low though impressively thick.

  Must be a remnant of the original settlement wall, he thought as he looked around. Tyndur’s company was a motley though impressively armed collection of mercenaries and Inkan warriors – a large misfit band of killers from the lands around Adar. A forest of sharp spearheads and similar weapons greeted his sight, though the warriors made sure the business end of their weapons didn’t protrude past their section of the wall.

  Egyptian warriors, warriors from Kemet, he corrected himself as he saw some khopesh-armed warriors. Tyler noticed bearded men with long pikes and scaled armor, brown-skinned fighters armed and kitted up with a mixture of Greek iron cuirasses and unfamiliar banded leather protection of a strange design, black fighters in Nordic gear, and many others. Almost everybody had a spear or a version of one. But they all looked battle-hardened. They had the look of men who had looked at the tiger in the eye and never flinched. If the Aztecah force is mostly conscripted, they’re going to be eaten alive by these men, Tyler thought. Come to think of it, the enemy commander must have known about facing experienced fighters. With their gods significantly diminished in power and ability, plus the knowledge of a powerful force previously defeated on that battlefield, no wonder he’s cautious. But he has scorpions, and we don’t. Plus, the Yahui. Never forget those blasted beasts.

  Observing the men taking cover from the Aztecah barrage, the mage noticed they were still in formation – three long lines extending a long way back. Tyler quickly estimated Tyndur’s warband at around eight hundred to a thousand strong.

  “Begging the question, lad. Sorry, I meant ‘sire,’ but why didn’t you teleport directly here?” Tyndur asked. “Those men manning their scorpions are good. And quick. I already lost good warriors to them. Some portions of the walls facing the enemy have already crumbled under their bombardment. Though on the other hand, other sections merely shrugged off the scorpion bolts. But to be on the safe side, I had to order some companies to withdraw to a safer distance. I don’t know what happened to the Yahui hunting groups we organized. Hopefully, they’re still along the ramparts. The remaining walls could only cover a limited number.”

  “Still a lad compared to you, Tyndur,” answered Tyler. “There’s a lot of ruins and dead trees between here and the temple. I need a clear area to teleport safely. Getting stuck in a wall would ruin my day. And about the wall, it could be possible that the segments that gave way were built later. There seems to be strong magic in these stones.”

  “Haven’t mastered the spell yet, I guess,” said Tyndur. “From what I know, teleportation is one ability lost to the mages of this era. Even High Mages can’t do it. You must have just gotten it. I didn’t see you using it back in Scarburg.”

  “You’re right,” confirmed the mage. “I need to be careful about my abilities. Haven’t really mastered some of them.”

  “Excellent decision. Magic is dangerous and unforgiving. It cruelly bites back when one makes an error. I guess that explosion was you too?’

  Tyler just grinned in reply.

  “Ouch. Good thing you’re still with us then. I don’t even want to ask what happened. But I believe you’re right about the wall. I could also feel strong eddies of power in many parts of it.”

  “How many Aztecah do you think are facing us right now? I saw more coming through the broken hills,” asked Tyler. The discussion was moving in an uncomfortable direction. He didn’t want to remember how close he was to dying through bungling and ignorance. Nor did he want Tyndur to have an idea on how clueless he was with his abilities, unique some of them might be.

  “Absolutely no idea, sire. But a lot more than us. A lot, lot more. Enough to force several crossings if we’re not careful. But we were able to prepare the ground facing the ravine and the area on this side of the bridge. There’s a lot of stakes out there, enough to impale any Yahui jumpers. Painted with flammable potions too. We’ll burn any who gets stuck on the pointed poles.”

  Suddenly, one of the men near the einherjar crouched forward and bowed on his knees before him. Tyler was startled and looked back at Tyndur. The einherjar shrugged.

  “A mercenary from the lands of Wa. Around a hundred of them, in fact,” Tyndur clarified. Tyler looked at the middle-aged person bowed before him, the mercenary’s head pressed against the ground. The man had removed his helmet, and the mage saw that the warrior was bald with a topknot. The armor of the warrior looked… strange. He had an Illyrian helmet; the rest of the protective outfit was a mishmash of cultures. But the body plate was something which was strangely familiar to Tyler. Of a lamellar design, it looked
like what a samurai would wear. The mage looked back at Tyndur.

  “Lands of Wa?” he asked the Norse.

  “That’s what he said. Heard of it but never been there. Large islands to the west,” replied Tyndur. “He’s their leader. Came with a request to be where the fighting would be fiercest. I guess that would be here.”

  A series of bolts slamming against the stone wall drove home the einherjar’s point.

  “Why is he bowing before me?” the mage asked.

  “Well, he knew I was not the leader of our little group though I now command the defense. Probably figured you’re the chief. You’ve got better-looking armor than me. But you shouldn’t be here, sire. It’s too dangerous. Our guests are just waiting for our frontal defense to be thinner as they strip our cover and reduce our ranks. They want us to withdraw from the crossing points,” said Tyndur who then moved to the end of the wall to take a quick sideways look at the enemy. Three bolts immediately crashed uncomfortably near the einherjar. Tyler also could feel the soundless detonation of magical spells as they struck the shield covering them.

  The mage turned his attention from the warrior bowing before him and regarded Tyndur. The einherjar was smiling as he looked at the mage.

  “Told you they’re good and fast with those scorpions. And their spells,” Tyndur said. “They’ve now got seven groups at different sections of the ravine. They’re trying to disperse our warriors and disrupt our formations. Hah! That stone bridge is where they’ll focus their main strength. That’s where the gorge is narrowest. The rest are diversions. It won’t be long now. I’ll give them an hour or two. I guess a simultaneous effort by their attacking clusters will be our early dinner. They won’t attack in broad daylight. We’ll shred them like dried beef.”

  Tyler shook his head in resignation at the einherjar’s risky action.