The Accidental Archmage: Book One - Ragnarok Rising (MOBI EDITION)

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  “Oh? You got married to a forest nymph while I wasn’t around?”

  The unexpected retort resulted in a tongue-tied Tyler.

  “No, No. It’s not that…”

  “TWO FOREST NYMPHS? Tyler, I didn’t know how energetic you were!”

  “Noooo, it's just….”

  “Oh, Tyler. You’re blushing. And cute when flustered too.”

  “Huh?”

  Realizing Eira played him, Tyler finally got to explain the crater field. Though at the back of his mind, he didn’t think Eira had that side of her. A naughty side, if he were to be more specific. He liked it. Cute, huh?

  “So, you were able to develop new spells on your own?”

  “Ah…. Yes?” replied Tyler who was still wandering and fixated on the naughty side of Eira.

  “Hey, put your mind off the nymphs and listen.”

  “No, no nymphs,” answered Tyler, flustered again.

  Eira laughed. Tyler liked to see her laugh and the musical quality of her laughter. The weird thing was, her laughter brought him back to the discussion.

  “Hmmm, yes. I thought about it and finally had the idea to combine two basic spells to create a new one. Three new ones actually.”

  “That’s wonderful! Do you realize that of all mortals on Adar, only you can create new spells the way you did? Everyone else is limited by the use of runes. To create a new spell, a new rune or its equal must be first developed, then refined, and practiced before being of practical use. That takes decades. A lifetime even. And that’s for one spell. What spells did you make?”

  Tyler explained. Eira was able to get the idea of what the results would be. But was lost when Tyler started explaining about gunpowder principles, artillery, and grenades. Ideas which enabled him to think of the new spells in the first place. He left the discussion at that. There was no way for him to convey the modern concepts he had discussed.

  Eventually, Eira had to leave. She assured him she would fix the craters tomorrow and think about what nature spells Tyler could use. She left behind a new sack of provisions and a waterskin. Finally, she presented him with a short staff.

  “A gift for the journey. A short staff fit for a mage. Convenient for traveling. It helps your focus and channeling of energy. When one end is slammed against the ground, its runic element creates a bubble of protective energy around its holder. Slam it twice to turn it off. Thrice, a magical blade will come out on its tip. Four times and the blade will disappear. But you can only use one ability at a time. Now you don’t have to rely on that useless sword too much.”

  “Thanks, Eira. I really appreciate this.” Tyler took the staff. It barely reached up to his shoulder when one end is on the ground. It looked like a simple wooden staff, with a wide band of some metal on both ends, each banded engraved with small runic symbols. The middle part was shaped for a hand to hold it and avoid slipping along the smoothed sides. Two more wide bands were on each end of the molded center part. No other ornamentation was on the staff.

  “Oh, don’t think about it too much. It was an offering to me long ago. When people still remembered the Lady of Fossegrim Forest as real. Unfortunately, nobody ever offered armor so you have to make do with that sorry-looking leather armor. Here are some baubles. Get a better set of armor. You do have to protect yourself better, you know.”

  A small purse appeared securely tied to his belt.

  “Thanks again, Eira.”

  “If ever you need to talk to me, go to borders of the forest, whisper my name and wait. The forest knows your voice already. It will tell me you’re here and where you are. But the staff, I must confess, also enables me to know where you are. You don’t mind, I hope?”

  “No, Eira. I already owe you a lot for saving me, showing me the temple, sheltering me and now these gifts. I may trust you yet. Of all beings on Adar, you’re the only one who knows about the temple and what happened there. I have my suspicion that you do know what happened while I was inside the tablet.”

  “Let a girl have some secrets, Tyler. Good night and goodbye.”

  She suddenly kissed him on the lips. A peck, nothing more. But the feeling of Eira’s lips stupefied Tyler. He was still speechless after she had gone, the feeling of her lips leaving a warm sensation in his chest. Her wonderful smell, her soft electrifying lips, her closeness. Freak me again, he finally thought.

  A quick breakfast the following morning and he was off, Brovi leading the way. The short sword was at his hip and he carried the staff in his right. They traveled at a fast pace, with the same routine as before. The bear, he had to admit, was an excellent guide. Brovi even knew the best crossing point for the forest river. As the sun reached the mid-day point, they finally reached the boundaries of the forest.

  They were on a small foothill and stayed well back inside the forest cover. From his vantage point, he could see the river on the right winding its way into Fossegrim. The terrain in front of him was flat with scattered trees. But some degree of cover was provided by the foothills which bordered the flat land adjoining the river. He decided to use the foothills as cover for his journey. By keeping to its edge, he knew he would be able to see into the flat area while being hidden by the trees. All he had to do was keep north for several days.

  Activating his triangular barrier, he moved out of Fossegrim into the continued cover provided by the foothills. He had already said goodbye to Brovi who immediately turned back when they reached the boundary of Fossegrim. As he continued to move through the undergrowth, making sure he was always under the eaves of the trees, he noticed that he couldn’t see any animals along his path or even to the sides. He did see a couple of deer once but they were some distance off. Birds, however, remained as noisy as ever. Either something has happened to scare off the animals or he was given some sort of protection by Eira. He continued to push northward. He was surprised at his pace. Unlike before, he didn’t get tired easily and he could now maintain his speed for a longer time.

  On the third day, he could spy a town in the distance across the river. Smoke was still rising from it. Bildsfell, he deduced. He was too far away to see any movement, human or otherwise, but the town didn’t appear to have been totally burned to the ground. Some walls were still standing and the smoke only came from some areas of the town. He prayed most of its people made it out alive before the final attack.

  Not wishing to remain in one place for too long during daytime, he moved north again. About an hour from where he saw the town, he decided to take a break and slowed down his pace. He was also looking for a water source to refill his waterskin. He saw a meandering brook in the distance. Its bank, from Tyler’s side, was elevated and rocky. He had to find a way down to reach the brook. As he was considering the most convenient approach to the brook, an arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself in the tree in front of Tyler.

  “Hold! Magoi!” a voice shouted.

  CHAPTER LORE:

  Vord nafjardar - Old Norse. Mythological being. Translated as "night roaming hag."

  Magoi – Greek term for magician. Unlike many cultures, the ancient Greeks tend to look down on magic practitioners unless they were directly affiliated with temples. Plato himself described magicians as a low order of humanity.

  CHAPTER XI

  Greeks, Gods, and Gifts

  The arrow dug deep into the tree trunk. The fletching was still vibrating from the force of the strike.

  Shit! Again? You merely want to go your quiet way to a bloodbath and what do you get? People who want to skewer you even before you get there! Wait for your freaking turn!”

  His thought did sound absurd to him but he stopped. He raised his hands and turned in the direction of the voice. But his right hand still held the staff. He stood there waiting. After some time, a tall woman, clad in a modest chiton covered by leather armor shaped like a muscle cuirass, stepped out of the trees. But the cuirass also accentuated the shape of her breasts as well as its healthy size.

  She also wore a light
Corinthian-style helmet with short cheek plates. Her feet had sandals of some sort, with greaves of some metal. Her forearms were also covered with armor of the same material. In her hands was a bow with an arrow, pointed at him. A short spear was slung on her back and a sword at her hip completed her attire.

  A young man followed her, clad in typical hoplite armor, but without the helmet. The youth moved to the side, keeping some distance between himself and the woman. Trying to box me in, observed Tyler.

  Weapons were a sword at the hip, a round shield and a spear. The man was also pointing the spear at him. As they got near, he noticed the young man to be shorter than the woman, with curled but unruly hair, and an arrogant expression on his face to boot. The woman put away the bow and arrow and drew her sword.

  Even with the helmet on, he could see her piercing blue eyes, fair skin and the black hair trailing out of the back of her helmet. They were Greeks, he realized. Not only the armor gave them away but also their physical features. Smaller and slimmer than the typical Norse.

  “Who are you, Nord?” the woman asked.

  “I am Havard. I was on my way to Scarburg.”

  “Alone? In these forests. And a magic-user. Speak the truth, human!”

  “Answer her!” echoed the young man. Or boy? Tyler couldn’t make up his mind. He had that androgynous handsome face with egotistical features.

  “I escaped the ambush of my column from Maljen going to Bildsfell. Went through the forest and came out here.”

  “A liar! Through a forest full of beasts? He’s not a magoi! More a goetes, I say!” shouted the young man again.

  Tyler was irritated. If I am a mage, then a forest full of beasts wouldn’t be a problem, asshole.

  “May I suggest we keep our voices down? We don’t know what's around here,” said Tyler. The young man’s voice was starting to grate on him. It was an irritating voice even without being loud. He could see the young took an instant dislike to him. Well, I don’t like you too, asshole.

  “Do not presume to tell us what to do, mortal. Know your place!”

  “And who are you to tell me that, Mr. Bubbly Personality?” asked the annoyed Tyler. Again, with the shouting? Wait, did he say mortal?

  “Such insolence! DIE!”

  The youth rushed at him, spear pointed at Tyler’s heart. Caught flat-footed by the reaction, his mind went into overdrive. He didn’t expect him to be such a hot-headed murderous bastard. Moreover, the unnatural speed of the attacker already enabled him to be at the halfway point to Tyler.

  But Tyler’s annoyance at the youth proved to be life-saving. As his attention was on the arrogant young man, his testiness enabled him to react with a quick spell.

  AWAY!

  The force of the spell threw the youth back to the trees. His body smashing into a tree trunk. He lost his spear and his shield. Accompanying his flight back were dirt, small dead branches and other ground matter picked up by the spell. Tyler still hadn’t found the finesse to control the spell’s effects.

  Tyler’s eyes turned to the woman, expecting her to make a move against him. But the woman just stood there and watched their encounter. She had sheathed her sword and crossed her arms. She clearly intended to be a mere spectator.

  The youth groggily got back on his feet. He drew his sword and again rushed at Tyler with his inhuman speed. His face a rictus of hate and anger.

  Man, this guy’s not going to stop. His verbal slip there means he’s a divine or more likely, a demigod. No way I could hurt him with ordinary magic, Tyler thought. But I could exhaust him to the point he gives up. It’s worth a shot. Don’t want to kill him though.

  LIFT!

  As this was a spell unpracticed by him, he barely could control its effects. The attacking youth rose up, together with a good part of the ground around him. But the lifting didn’t stop at a determined height. It was as if the young man went flying up together with his immediate surroundings. Tyler’s eyes followed his lift-off. Stealing a glance at the woman, he saw her watching the youth fly up too. After about a hundred feet up, the young man started falling back to the ground. The silent woman didn’t do anything to help the falling demigod.

  The ground shook when the youth hit and the ensuing impact created a shallow crater. The sound of the young man’s body hitting was a considerably loud thud, with some metal jangle from his armor. Tyler watched the woman first if she would react. Nothing. She stood there and watched. After a few seconds came the moan of the fallen youth who was trying to stand up.

  “Yes. Definitely a demigod. Can’t be Ares or any of the major Greek players. Too young. Even for Eros. Hell, Eros wouldn’t be this crazy,” Tyler considered.

  Finally, the woman spoke.

  “Erethizo. You let your temper rule you again. You’ve been of no help to me at all. First, those dark elves. Instead of leaving some for questioning, you killed them all. You did that twice. Now, this. Leave me. Go home. I have warned you already of the consequences of your temper.”

  The woman’s words were calmly stated but her voice carried a coldness which permeated the air. It was the voice of a precise, emotionless and experienced warrior. The youth slowly stood up, looked at the woman as if to protest his banishment but thought better of it. He turned to the forest and walked back. His form gradually vanished before he reached the trees.

  Tyler watched as the woman walked towards him. Definitely a goddess. She had this aura about her. She also felt a lot more powerful than Eira.

  The woman stopped around eight feet from him. A safe distance, Tyler noted, not close enough for a sudden sword attack. He did notice her hand was close by the hilt of her sword.

  “My apologies for Erethizo, mage. His temper has always been his problem. Took after his mother, I suppose, though he could have done with a bit more brain.”

  “His mother?”

  “Eris, our god of discord and strife. I know you have guessed by now we’re not mortals. That impact would have killed even a giant.”

  “Greek gods, I presume? And you are…” asked Tyler.

  “My, a bit presumptuous, are we? I guess I owe you that after what that fool tried to do. I am Alea.”

  “Forgive my presumption, my Lady. But what are Greek divinities doing here?”

  “You’re one of Odin’s own. I suppose matters will reach his ears anyway. We were worried about Ymir’s plans as of late. His preparations are more extensive and worrying this time around. A Nordic Ragnarok will not serve our purposes. Skaney is a growing trade partner of the Greeks and we are on good terms with this land’s pantheon. A jotunn kingdom in Skaney is not to our interests.”

  “So why don’t you help?”

  Alea looked at him with a questioning gaze, one eyebrow lifted in surprise.

  “As a mage, you know the divine rules. We can’t directly involve ourselves. The Greek kingdoms are also far away and disunited. But even if they send their help, the war would be over by the time they get here. For now, we are puzzled by what is happening. And wish to know more before our own preparations.”

  “You seem capable by yourself. Why bring pretty boy along?”

  “His mother wanted him to gain experience. I didn’t expect him to be such a headache. But be on guard, mage. I will be explaining matters to his mother. I am sure she will not take steps to create friction between our pantheons. But the boy is another matter. Youth and temper are a volatile mix. He may not take his defeat lightly. And with that, I say well meet and goodbye.”

  “Goodbye, Alea. May fortune bless you.”

  “Oh, Fortuna will. And you… you look well and powerful enough for a mortal. Intelligent even. Impressive. I do hope we will meet again.”

  Alea smiled but her eyes stayed with Tyler for a few seconds before she turned and walked back to the trees.