The Accidental Archmage

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  His mind desperately tried to come up with a more useful area of effect spell. Thousands were nearing their position. To his horror, the mage saw the left and right flanks of the mass sidle up against the sides of the canyon, threatening to crash like a massive wave on the defenders. Whatever calmness of mind he had left Tyler. He panicked as cold tentacles of unreasoning fear coursed through his bones and clamped its unwanted, freezing fingers on his spine. Suddenly, streams of energy blasts lashed out from his suddenly glowing body, blowing holes in the revenants, cutting off arms and legs. But as long as the head was intact, bathed in the strange azure flame, their bodies continued to move. And Tyler, despite his panicked state, saw the dismal results of his magical outburst.

  Hal and X tried to calm him down. But fear for his companions, the realization of not seeing Eira ever again, the hopeless of the odds against them as the distressingly morbid view of the incoming sea of monsters unwaveringly imprinted itself on his mind, all gave way to an unreasoning and deaf reaction. What stuck in his cognitive processes was the image of a fast-moving wave of death, characterized by a mass of flickering blue embers. Tyler never did react well to desperate situations. The growing realization he might have doomed all of them started to stoke an unpleasant sensation in his brain. Part of his consciousness retreated to the dark room lit by a single flickering candle, and the rest of his mind started to follow.

  Then everything stopped.

  The abruptness of the occurrence shook the young mage out of his extraordinarily depressed and suicidal state. With a shock, Tyler realized what he was about to do. The extent of the odds against them had driven him to a near-suicidal state. He was going to destroy everything he could see if he and the companions were going to die on that forgotten and misbegotten little mound.

  I didn’t know I was capable of such a thing. Or even being able to think of doing such a suicidal and selfish action. Destroying an entire world because it was going to kill me. It was a sobering and depressing self-revelation for the young mage.

  Tyler looked around. He was in that white void again. The same place the mage found himself when he broke nearly every bone in his body during his battle with Supay, the Inkan death god. Then a familiar female voice spoke.

  “My archmage-to-be. You would burn the world as it burns you and yours.”

  Tyler didn’t know who the speaker was but realized it was vastly more powerful than any deity or group of gods or beings he had met.

  “Who are you? My utmost respects, but you never answered my question the last time we met,” said Tyler.

  “Names are not important. Each living being knows or will know who they are. But you, my avatar-to-be, fall into such unhappy and unbalanced states of mind far too easily. But I do understand why. You don’t need to explain.”

  “We were going to die. Not only me, but also highly capable and decent people who might have served this world well. All because of a quest. A burden unwillingly accepted by me.”

  “Yet accept it, you did. Mortals. So impulsive. So eager to blame others. But you might be surprised at what you find at the end of your present destination.”

  Tyler kept his mouth shut though his mind shouted at him to ask what would he find. He knew it was useless. Powerful beings, especially like this one, never reveal more than what they intended to say. The mere fact that the entity was able to pause time indicated just how formidable his visitor was.

  “Now what do I do about you? Impulsive, quick to anger and despair, unsure of his abilities. Yet capable of loving an entity of this world despite every difference and obstacle placed in your path. There’s hope for you yet. Though destroying this world should never again enter your mind,” said the being with a weary tone. “Fortunately, you came at the right time. My punishment of the followers of those who destroyed this land had been perverted. I don’t think I’ll continue to allow that. But with the profane energies of what you call the Void Lands sustaining them, your power is not enough. Let’s change the arena. Do well. My punishment must continue. What they did was unforgivable. I give you leave to destroy their mortal forms. Let their spirits continue to pay for what they have done.”

  The surroundings slowly changed. As the view improved, Tyler saw they were in a desolate plain, fractured by lava flows and eruptions. The companions were still in their combat positions though the revenants were gone from their immediate surroundings. Instead, the detestable horde was several hundred feet away, milling about in confusion. As were Tyler’s companions.

  “Stay alert, people!” the mage shouted. “It’s not over yet! But they’ll be easier to kill now.”

  The mage had noticed that the telltale bluish flickers were gone. Immediately, he cast a cloud of lightning over the disorganized mass of undead. Followed by his signature cloud of sharp blades. Then Hephaestus’s gift – plumes of flame erupted from the ground, burning to ash the emaciated forms they caught in their vortices of fire.

  They’re easy to kill once the taint of otherworldly energies had been removed, noted Tyler. They look pathetic. And killing them now is quite pitifully easy. The blades sliced off parts of their bodies, and lightning is destroying them. And they’re back to their dull and lethargic selves.

  The companions had returned to their original defensive posture. Tyler did notice Asem’s face looking confused. Habrok and Asem were looking at their surroundings, at the exploding mass of undead, and then at Tyler. Tyndur was waiting, throwing his battleaxe from one hand to the other. Kobu stood watching the deadly spectacle, fingers grasping his weapon.

  Looks like a naginata, thought the mage. But with a broader edge and not that long a shaft. Must be a modification or an early version of the weapon. Its shorter length makes it handier for close combat yet allows a longer reach than a sword or axe.

  Finally, the mass started moving towards the group. Tyler and his companions had been finally noticed. But unlike before, their movement was characterized by a sluggish, ambling gait. Gone was the frightening speed, the gaping mouths, and the dismaying speed.

  A quake spell put a halt to the advance of the undead. Despite being in the thousands, the series of attacks launched by Tyler had destroyed a quarter of their number. The mage continued to cast spell after spell, and then he noticed his energy level was not being depleted.

  “Guys? Anything strange with my energy level? Were you active during that white interlude?”

  “We’re very relieved you’re back in your old self, Elder. You were in such a state that we couldn’t talk to you. As to energy levels, it appears it is being replenished at a fast rate. The energy does not appear to be causing exhaustion in the usual channels of your body. Strange phenomenon,” replied Hal.

  “What white interlude, Elder?” said X. “Our sensors only record an abrupt transition to this place.”

  “And where exactly are we?” asked Tyler as he released another quake spell right in front of the approaching undead.

  “Somewhere up north, Elder. We are still trying to determine where. Our databanks are incomplete, if you remember. And we do not have any reference point with which to start determining where we are,” said Hal.

  “It’s alright. Let me finish off this sorry lot of zombies,” replied the young mage. Hephaestus’s flowers again bloomed among the approaching horde.

  “Zombies?” asked X.

  “A term used back in the First World for these creatures. Not that they’re real back home. At least when I left. Just stories, horror entertainment.”

  “Epics?” inquired Hal.

  “Nah. Cheap entertainment. But given the current state of the world when I crossed over, zombies might be real there now,” answered Tyler. Several clouds appeared and rained lightning on the much-diminished horde.

  This is becoming embarrassingly easy, thought Tyler as several bolts of chained lightning struck at different areas of the slowly walking revenants. Eliminating these undead is now becoming tiresome. A few more minutes of spells and I guess they wouldn’
t be a threat to us anymore.

  The deadly gauntlet Tyler put the undead through crushed, burned, sliced, and exploded the creatures. The plumes of fire erupting from the ground were particularly effective. Other undead merely walked into the fiery cracks. Finally, the revenants stopping coming forward and veered off in different directions except to the front.

  The surroundings again shimmered. When the distortion was gone, they were all back at the foot of the mound at the entrance of the small valley.

  “Sire!” called out Tyndur. “Why did we go to the Plains of Fire? That’s on the borders of Sutr’s realm.”

  At the same time, faint explosions sounded in the distance, followed by the din of thuds, fracturing ground, and crashing masses which suspiciously seemed like mountains.

  What the fuck is it now? thought the exasperated yet curious mage.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Welcome to the Void Lands

  The company stared at the far-off light display accompanying the faint explosive sounds. A beautiful and scintillating light show lighted the sky in the distance. Different hues sparkled. From time to time, a color of the spectrum would suffuse the entire atmosphere. For now, it was a shade of red, cut in places by pulsing beams of ochre and black.

  “Asem? Any idea what’s happening?” Tyler asked the priestess.

  “None, sire, I am sorry to say. A magical battle, that’s certain. I could feel remarkably strong undercurrents of power everywhere. Not the usual flow, but strong, transient ones. Though it is known that beings from the different dimensional gates in this land do fight among and between themselves. The energies I sensed do not belong to this world.”

  The young mage could detect it too. He was slightly buffeted by faint energy bursts, not intense enough to be immediately noticed, but distinct after a while. The priestess, with her training and sensitivity to such manifestations, would be more susceptible to the phenomenon, thought Tyler. But that must be one hell of a battle.

  “Quite a light show,” commented the mage. He turned to Tyndur. “Those creatures get their power from the energies of the Void Lands. The borders of the Plain of Fire is the farthest we could go without stepping on somebody’s toes.”

  “That’s quite the distance,” the einherjar simply said, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

  “Here’s to hoping it won’t be us at the receiving end of those pulses later. Those are very powerful ones,” observed Asem.

  Tyler agreed wholeheartedly.

  “Do we continue destroying these creatures?” asked the priestess.

  Tyler saw the few remaining undead moving out of their line of sight. Habrok was walking among the fallen revenants, recovering his arrows, with Tyndur at his side. The einherjar would pause from time to time and swing his battleaxe. The mage observed Tyndur was making sure that those on the ground would pose no threat. He was continuing to decapitate bodies. From time to time, Tyndur would instead use his armored boots to crush the emaciated heads easily.

  A necessary task, thought Tyler. I guess some of the fallen are still “alive,” though immobile. Kobu and Astrid remained in front of Asem and Tyler, waiting at ready positions.

  “Whatever undead we come across, we dispatch, but no pursuit. We can’t afford any more delays,” said Tyler in reply to Asem’s question. The mage moved forward.

  “We were lucky this time, sire. I already said my prayers for the dying. I confess I thought our time was up. So did the rest of the party. But your ability to transfer everybody to a distant area was impressive. As a strategy, it was brilliant. Cutting off their capability to harness the very source which transformed them into such deadly creatures. I do wonder why they haven’t been able to revert to their powered forms when we returned,” spoke Asem as she caught up with him.

  “I believe the energy built up in their bodies through the millennia. A lot of time. They did have that and those remaining will, as years pass by, become what they were once again. Unless they’re hunted to extinction by other creatures of this land. The appetites of the beasts here appear to be on a ‘whatever-is-available’ basis. The numbers of these undead stood them in good stead before, and now, I guess predators won’t be worrying about their meals for quite some time,” observed the mage.

  “I have to admit being continually astounded by your abilities, sire. Especially the latest one you displayed,” said Asem, going back to what happened. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I wasn’t there. The rank of First Mage was justly deserved. Father would be impressed.”

  Great. Now they think I am the one who did it. Thanks, whoever you are, the mage sarcastically thought. I am saddled with higher expectations. Credited with abilities I don’t have.

  “Uh, Asem. Could I ask you not to tell your father about what happened?”

  “A strange request, sire, but I will obey.”

  “It’s just that I haven’t mastered the ability yet. It takes a lot of energy and is only triggered by desperate situations,” lied Tyler. Now I am reduced to lying. A white lie, but a falsehood nonetheless.

  “I understand, sire,” replied the priestess.

  With Astrid and Kobu covering their flanks, the mage and the priestess walked forward until they caught up with the ranger and einherjar. Habrok had recovered what arrows he could find and had joined Tyndur in eliminating what remained of the undead.

  “Hail, sire! That was unbelievably powerful magic,” the einherjar cried out. “The lad and I are just making sure no muncher gets to bite our heels as we enjoy the sights of this accursed land.”

  “Thanks, Tyndur. Keep on doing that but don’t deviate from our path. We are heading towards the far end of this valley. I believe we are already at the border separating the Barren Lands from our destination.”

  Tyndur looked at Asem and Astrid, grinned, and gave a deep bow.

  “Ladies! Allow me to be your handsome guide in these uniquely desolate, godforsaken, and dangerous lands,” declared the einherjar. “At your back, the Barren Lands. From experience, it isn’t barren enough. To your right and front, the fabled, cursed Void Lands. People are still looking for a large enough void to throw in the entire messy collection. Perturbing does not begin to describe its wonders. And to your left waits human civilization, all the comforts of a warm meal and bed, lucid conversation with beings who know more than moaning, growling, or hissing, plus a high degree of probability of not being the main course when invited to dinner. Unfortunately, we’re not going there.”

  The party laughed at Tyndur’s antics, the mage included.

  A little levity does help release a lot of tension. Thanks, Tyndur, thought Tyler. We still have a long way to go. Along a more dangerous path.

  Unfortunately, the trek towards the end of the valley took on a macabre character when the party discovered how many undead needed disposing. Tyler, mindful of his instructions, had to ask Astrid and Kobu to lend a hand to the gruesome business of exterminating the remaining revenants. Magic proved useless as most of those needing lethal attention were partly buried under their unmoving brethren. At a certain point, when the einherjar and the ranger finally took a break, the mage felt they were on a one-sided murderous spree. Only the thought of how dangerous their erstwhile attackers could be stopped him from calling a halt to the extermination activity.

  After a while, the mage noticed they had traveled a considerable distance and the valley’s terminus, marked by a rise in the terrain and neatly nestled between two opposing mountainsides, was now in sight. It was but a mile away. He looked back the way they came, a journey marked by mounds of the undead. There were so many that Tyndur and Habrok even had to clear a way several times through obstructing bodies and body parts. But he had a feeling there was something wrong between the distance they had traveled and the time spent in traversing the valley floor.

  “Asem, how long do you think have we been walking along this valley?”

  “About three to four hours, sire. Why?” asked the priestess.

  “
Just a feeling of mine. Let me test my theory,” answered the young mage as he repeated the question, this time to Astrid and Kobu. Astrid gave a similar answer to Asem’s estimate. But Kobu had a different view of the situation.

  “I feel like four to five hours had passed, my lord. But I had taken note of the sun’s position when we started crossing this canyon. And based on its position now, I’d say only about two hours had elapsed. A curious anomaly. A dissonance between what we think and what we observe. I don’t think our companions could have made such an elementary error. Asem is a learned scholar, and Astrid is wise in the ways of the wild, training which demands rigorous attention to the flow of time.”

  “Thanks. I might be too paranoid about matters, but I am not one to complain about time being twisted in our favor. For once,” said Tyler.

  Well, at least she made things a little easier for us. Eliminating all the undead who survived all those magical attacks was time-consuming, the young mage thought, his mind going back to the unknown entity which saved him for the second time. I hope the bill for all those “saves” won’t be expensive. I am still nervous about her knowledge of my quest to become an archmage. Add to that the “avatar-to-be” comment. That’s new and worrying. In this world, such things usually have a price too high to pay.

  Tyler noticed the tandem of Habrok and Tyndur had stopped short of the rise. Both were looking at him.