The Accidental Archmage

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  “So, the assault will come at night?” he asked.

  “I’ll bet Habrok’s bow on it. Those Yahui obviously will be their eyes and battering rams when that happens. The bastards probably could see in the dark. We do have torches ready for a night battle, but I admit they’ll have us at an enormous disadvantage.”

  “Where’s the rest of our group?” Tyler inquired.

  “Lady Asem is with the group across the road. Very effective magical barriers, if I may say so. The Valkyrie was with Drust the last time I saw her. Though I thought Habrok would be with you,” replied Tyndur.

  “I couldn’t risk Habrok crossing with me. He’ll follow as soon as he sees an opening. But be careful, Tyndur. I wouldn’t want to meet your sponsor holding what’s left of you.”

  “I don’t think they’ll be able to get me. Even with Yahui dogs,” asserted the warrior.

  “But I believe they have a High Mage with them,” cautioned Tyler.

  “A High Mage? Precious few of those doddering, cantankerous, and mad magic wielders, no insult intended, sire,” commented Tyndur, who then continued after a slight pause. “But it makes no difference. I had my share of mages in the past. Some crazier than the usual.”

  Tyler then remembered the mercenary still bowed in front of him. He glanced at the strange warrior and looked back at Tyndur.

  “What do I do about this?” he asked, gesturing at the still-bowed man.

  “Just order him to rise and go back to his post. I guess that’s their way of showing respect to their superiors. I can’t blame you for being surprised. I nearly took off his head when he did the same thing when I arrived. Somebody should talk to him about sudden and unexpected movements around touchy einherjar.”

  Tyler examined the mercenary on the ground. The man had remained quiet and still had his forehead pressed to the soil.

  “Rise, warrior, and go back to your post,” commanded Tyler. “Your respectful attitude is commendable.”

  The mage hoped his reply was the appropriate one. The man rose, still on his knees, and gave two quick low bows.

  “Your name, warrior?” Tyler asked.

  “Kobu, great one. My name in this land. My real name and title I have left behind. My loss of honor demanded it,” quietly replied the mercenary.

  Real name? Title? The words rang through Tyler thoughts. This day is really getting interesting. Strangely interesting would be a better phrase. Still, I have more urgent matters on hand. Questions for Kobu could wait. If we get through the day alive and well.

  “Thank you, Kobu. For your service. Fight well,” the mage said.

  The man’s eyes momentarily blazed with eagerness.

  “We will, great one. We look forward to tearing the enemy apart,” Kobu answered with a smile. He went back to his position and barked orders to the men behind him. His words sounded Japanese. Tyler sighed and turned back to Tyndur. So many questions, he thought.

  “You have some experience with mages, Tyndur. Tell me – can a High Mage sense where a spell is being cast? Like now. If I use magical energy, can that High Mage locate me?”

  “Unless it’s directed against the High Mage or whoever is being protected by that person’s enchantment. And even then, only for a specific distance. Varies from mage to mage but at most, around a mile or two. Your explosion, for instance. They heard it, but I doubt if that High Mage could determine exactly where it came from, much less what happened. Mages of this time are fortunately less capable than the ones I had the displeasure to… argue with before. Your sensing spell, for one, is now beyond their knowledge. Their gods didn’t think it appropriate to update this generation’s skills. I guess it wouldn’t do for them for mortals to be able to watch what they’re doing.”

  Tyler gaped at Tyndur. Hold on for a moment, what did he say? Tyndur could sense that spell? And he knows about its existence?

  “Oh, don’t look so surprised, sire. I am not your average einherjar. My experiences when I was mortal up to the time the Elder ones released me did give me some scraps of knowledge and a smidgen of unusual abilities. Enough to recover my memories and survive in the Dokkalfr Mountains. Come to think of it, the Dokkalfr Mountains was nothing. The Elders released me in the middle of the northern part of Barren Lands.”

  Barren Lands? Shit. Must have been quite a trek and a bitch of an experience. He did have that vanishing act when we first met him, thought Tyler. A lot of surprises from this einherjar. I wonder what else does he have in his bag of tricks? Or is he now a different being?

  “So, if I cast an area spell now, I won’t be traced to this location?” reiterated Tyler.

  “This close? I guess as long as it’s not an offensive spell or is directed against that lot on the other side of the bridge, you would be safe. But these men wouldn’t be that secure. Unlike you, sire, my men don’t have magical shields to protect them in the event of a magical retaliation. But the expenditure of magical energy would be obvious to the High Mage. He just wouldn’t know where it’s coming from or the exact nature of the spell,” explained Tyndur.

  “You could see my shield?” asked Tyler, now curious. Tyndur seeing Nike was an incident which was so unusual that it gave rise to other questions of what precisely the einherjar was capable of doing. He knew his companions were familiar with magical protections but such barriers were usually invisible, only coming into view when something nasty is blocked.

  “Shields, sire,” corrected Tyndur. “I see three, though one is colored differently.”

  “That’s… unexpected,” said the dumbfounded mage. “I thought only deities could see such magical forms.”

  “Hah, those ninnies, a few excluded from that description, of course, are so thick, they couldn’t even see beyond what their tiny brains could fathom. Some of the big guys couldn’t even think past their tepolli. Told you I picked up a few things here and there. Magic is everywhere. One merely needs the key, aptitude, and capacity to unlock its secrets.”

  “Key, I can understand. Aptitude and capacity?” asked Tyler. Really dislikes deities, this guy.

  “Some resonate better than others with the energy, sire. Others could course more of the power through themselves. A lot of mortals will burn to a crisp if they try a fireball spell even if they know how to do it. Their bones can’t handle such power. As for me, I found ways of improving on such traits,” answered Tyndur. The mage did catch a momentary flash of gold glow in the einherjar’s eyes as he replied.

  Is that what Eira did to me with that Elder rite? Enable me to handle vast amounts of magical energy? And what’s with that flash in Tyndur’s eyes? Is that normal for an einherjar? Tyler thought.

  “Hal? Is Tyndur right?”

  “Yes, Elder. I believe the Gothi of Maljen also said the same thing.”

  “Oh, I do remember. He did. But Tyndur’s explanation is clearer. A bit scary, though.”

  “Considering your experiments, Elder. Scary is an understatement,” commented the AI.

  “Give me some slack, Hal. I am still learning,” Tyler testily replied.

  “And that sudden glow in Tyndur’s eyes? Is that normal for his kind?”

  “No, it’s not, Elder. We could sense that the einherjar has an enormous reserve of magical power, altered in some ways we are still analyzing. The change does bear the hallmark of minor Elder knowledge in it.”

  Freak this. Another mystery. Another unknown factor. At least for now, I have his binding oath to serve me. But that doesn’t mean I could disregard such information. But I guess those questions could wait.

  He turned his attention back to waiting einherjar.

  “There’s a reason why I had to come to the front lines, Tyndur. I have found that the advice of a companion or two is needed at moments like this. Battles are not meant to be waged through only one mind. And I don’t have the experience of you guys.”

  “Leading from the front? Good quality in a leader. It, unfortunately, results in a decrease in the number of superb battle leaders,
or war mages for that matter, but still, a fine characteristic nonetheless,” answered the einherjar.

  “Well, there’s nothing like seeing for yourself what the enemy is doing, Tyndur. Hopefully, you’ll be there to prevent me from joining that list of late and lamented warriors and mages. I am going to try to get a better idea of how they are forming up and disturb them a little in the process. Don’t worry, I thought of a way to avoid attracting the High Mage’s attention to this location,” Tyler told Tyndur.

  “A retaliation? Outstanding, sire! I hope it’s murderous enough. So far, it’s us on the receiving end. They’ve got the scorpions, and we don’t.”

  “Back where I come from, such heavy equipment is called artillery,” commented Tyler as he turned towards the enemy though the wall blocked his sight. The nearby warriors, seeing that the mage was going to cast a magical spell, hurriedly backed away, leaving Tyler with a small clear field around him. Only Apu Rumi and Tyndur remained near. Kobu stayed where he was.

  “Careful, young mage,” came a rumbled reminder from Apu Rumi.

  “Don’t worry, Rumi. This time, I’ll stick with what I know,” reassured Tyler as he started gathering energy.

  Chapter Lore and Notes:

  Nike – The winged goddess of victory. In Greek, “Nice.” The daughter of the giant Pallas and the river Styx. Though sometimes identified with the goddess Athena, some sources name her as one of the attendants of Ares, probably due to the connection of the war-god to battles. The winged goddess does not only represent victory in war but also in peaceful competition. Believed to be a mediator between men and gods. (TAA, Book II)

  Wa – Japanese. The ancient name of the lands of Japan.

  Topknot – A hairstyle where part of the hair on top of the head formed as a bun or bound with a knot. Early Japanese topknots (called chonmage) featured a shaved pate.

  Note on the word “einherjar” – There is no agreement on the plural form of the word, though some have suggested that “einherjar” is plural while “einheri” is the singular form.

  Note on the word “artillery” – A Middle Ages term believed to have a French origin.

  Chapter Eight

  Retaliatory Measures

  In an instant, Tyler could feel the magical energy rapidly forming around him. Tyndur could probably sense the massive power building up, but Tyler didn’t mind. The einherjar knew and expected it. He hoped to achieve two things – a more comprehensive idea of the strength and deployment of their opponents and in the process, create several deadly diversions to disrupt the Aztecah’s preparations.

  “Hail the bridge!” a sudden shout came from the back, startling Tyler.

  “Shit!” the mage cursed loudly, his concentration broken. He was already on the verge of releasing his spells, and the mage had no doubt the Aztecah High Mage could sense the sudden build-up of magical energy and with that, his location. Casting the spells now would result in weakened enchantments. The mage could already feel the dissipation of some of the collected energy. He had to release the magical concentration he had created. It was still a concentrated, powerful, and deadly force. Tyler didn’t know if a magical backlash would result from what he had built up in the event he didn’t push through with his plan. And there was the High Mage and his Aztecah counter-spells to consider. Considering what he had experienced several minutes ago, a magical retaliation was guaranteed.

  The mage immediately decided to focus on continuing the spells but on a more limited scale. Tyler quickly used his questing ability and this time, first created a wide field to his sides, using part of the magical power already at his command. Instead of tendrils of energy, thin walls of power now extended to the left and right. Then he cast a lightning cloud at the force on the other side of the bridge. Tyler knew the High Mage would try to block it, but the few seconds when the Aztecah mage would be focused on stopping the offensive spell would be enough for his purposes.

  As the deadly cloud started to form, he could sense through the eddies of power now building up in the surrounding area that the High Mage was also building up his reserve of energy, making a counterspell imminent. Tyler then released the questing spell – a broad and massive envelope of magic covering the entire field on the other side. It was the first time he had used the ability in its present configuration. Before, it was but wisps of power directed at a limited area. This time, it was on an immense scale.

  A deluge of information flooded his consciousness as the spell slammed into the area on the other side of the bridge. It quickly threatened to overcome his capability to absorb the knowledge pouring into his brain. Everything was revealed to him. Unfortunately, it was full of clutter – even the position and details of the smallest plant was included.

  Freaking data overload. I should learn to have more finesse in casting this fucking spell, Tyler thought with dismay. Then he remembered his AIs.

  “Guys! Help! Too much information!” At the outer edge of his consciousness, he could feel the blocking spell of the High Mage against his lightning cloud starting to form. Through the haze of his dimmed awareness, he cast a quake spell in the general area where the High Mage was located, following up with a deluge of small force blades. They were attacks thrown instinctively, and right at that moment, Tyler didn’t have the time nor the capability to determine their effectiveness. The only thing he could think of doing was to pump as much energy as he could spare into his subsequent spells.

  “What do you want to know from your spell, Elder?” came the quick query. From the voice, Tyler guessed it was X.

  “Enemy locations!”

  Suddenly, to his relief, the confusing torrent of information was relegated into the background of his mind. He could sense the two AIs processing the data, only allowing the information he needed to flow into his awareness. A gloriously detailed vision of the field arose in his mind’s eye – enemy locations glowed red. Tyler found that if he focused on a crimson dot, what was in that area was revealed to him, and the main map became smaller. A freaking mini-map! The AIs even listed on the new localized representation what they could determine from the incoming data. There was a lot more of the enemy than Tyndur estimated. Warriors lay prone at the back of the formations, hiding from view, and Yahui had buried themselves in the ground. The mage found that Tyndur was in error – eight groups were massing along their front. And Yahui were in the ravine and were now in the process of climbing up the steep and rocky sides of the gorge.

  Where in hell did Viracocha get the number thirty-four? There’re hundreds of the damned beasts! Maybe thousands! swore Tyler.

  Then Tyler felt a slight jolt. Focusing on the disturbance, he found that the High Mage had flung an enormous fireball in their direction, though Asem’s shield blocked it. The Aztecah mage had stopped most of the discharges from his lightning cloud and the worst effects of the quake spell as well as his force blades. The spells did inflict some casualties on the enemy, but not the numbers he wanted. He could see the High Mage by way of the questing field, though it was starting to lose its power, its magical coverage shrinking rapidly. Tyler discerned that the High Mage was an old man. Tall, wiry, and adorned with the colorful decorations and attire which marked the Aztecah elite. He did have a remarkable headdress festooned with a lot of large colorful feathers.

  If I didn’t know better, I’d say ostrich feathers, But I guess those are condor feathers, dyed in the colors that distinguished an Aztecah High Mage from other practitioners, thought Tyler. But the young First Mage could sense exhaustion on the part of the Aztecah. A faint rivulet of energy brought that information to him.

  Probably magical exhaustion. It would take big league shielding spells to block what I sent them for Christmas. And that powerful fireball attack was a miscalculation, an enormous drain on the power he had gathered. I guess the time is right for fireworks, Tyler concluded as he promptly formed five sizeable spearhead-shaped force bolts filled with fiery energy. He immediately threw them towards the High Mage as soon as
they were created, each deadly creation approaching from a different point of the compass, twisting and turning in the air. Tyler couldn’t risk the possibility of the Aztecah mage recovering from his magical malaise.

  A violent and deafening series of explosions erupted from the position of the Aztecah High Mage as Tyler’s blades simultaneously slammed into the man. An enormous dust-colored mushroom cloud, tinged with flames, reached towards the sky.

  Block that, asshole.

  Meanwhile, the questing spell had already significantly contracted, just enough to reveal to him an enormous crater where his blades struck. No trace of the Aztecah High Mage remained.

  Tyler grinned to himself. A slight degree of exhaustion assaulted his body, but he knew it was manageable – the battle above Scarburg taught him a lot about his magical limitations. And he was a lot less powerful then.

  “Guys?” he called out to Hal and X. “I am going to cast localized quake spells and lightning clouds on each of the eight locations. Can I direct them through you? I know we haven’t done this before, but I believe you would be more accurate than me flinging them about.”

  “Of course, Elder,” replied Hal. “They’re merely being coursed through adjuncts of your body. If you desire, we could add more power to it. More than any ordinary mage could handle.”

  “You could do that? Don’t mind the stupid question. Do it. Let’s keep them off-balance. We still have to worry about those sneakingYahui,” replied Tyler. Concentrating, he again swiftly gathered energy and directed the release of the spells through Hal. As soon as the mage finished the task, he slumped down. Tyler was tired, but he believed it to be physical weariness, brought on by the stress of the skirmish. Casting eight sets of spells was a considerable drain, he thought as he examined himself for signs of magical exhaustion. Finding none, he glanced at where he previously saw Tyndur. Surprisingly, the warrior was not there. The einherjar was back at the end of the ruined wall, catching a look at what was happening on the other side. Tyndur pulled back when he sensed Tyler looking at him. The warrior’s face-splitting smile greeted the mage.