The Accidental Archmage: Book Three - Blood Wars (The Accidental Archmage Series 3)

by Edmund A. M. Batara

Things were the same at the second and third temple. Tyler’s legs now felt rubbery by the third ziggurat despite the healing he cast on himself and Habrok. He guessed adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going. The fourth temple was the exception. Five guards, a mage, and a priestess remained. Surprised but reassured at the entrance of a fellow mage, the seven let down their guard. Until the swift flying blades cut them down. Looking at the bodies, Tyler couldn’t help but be impressed with their piety. The entire complex was a battle zone, with crumbling and falling structures and yet they remained at their posts. Loyally dead now, he thought.

  After the fourth placement of the mining stones, Tyler observed the conflict on the other side while getting his wind back. The battle was still going strong. The gray ones must have underestimated the gain in power by the Followers of Zin, he surmised. But he couldn’t see the combatants. Tyler assumed that the battle had degenerated to a hide and seek mode. The fighting should not have lasted this long if it were in the open. But considering the arrogance and contempt of the gray ones for the upstart dark Elders, he doubted if the attackers will just leave after failing to destroy the Followers of Zin during the initial attack. They will persist in trying to kill the upstarts even if they have to destroy the entire city to do it.

  Good for all of them, Tyler concluded. They could destroy each other and the Aztecah Empire in the process for all I care.

  Feeling recovered, he now included himself in the invisibility spell. Then Tyler formed a dome of energy over the two of them. He thought about using his affinity but decided against it. It was a searching spell. No telling if the Followers of Zin could detect it.

  “We’re going to cross the open ground, Habrok. It’s a bit far to the other side, but our target is the main temple. The biggest one. Just keep your favorite arrows ready. We will be dealing with magic. Hopefully, our entrance and exit will be unnoticed.”

  “Sire, can I have one or two of those stones? You know, to throw at somebody too eager to sell something to a new tourist? You can detonate them yourself.”

  “That’s a good idea. Here, have four.” Tyler still had half a pouch left. “Once on the other side, we’ll take cover at the back of those large temples and make our way to the big one. I still have some stones left so we better make the most of our sneaking around. Put glue on the outside of the temples on the other side. Let’s not waste the opportunity to create more excitement.”

  It took them around twenty minutes to cross their stretch of open field. They halted at the back of one ziggurat, placed the magical explosives at three locations, and then moved to the next temple. This time, the mage stuck four pebbles at each spot marked by the ranger. All the while, the two made sure that they were not in the line of sight of the furious exchanges on the far side of the central ziggurat. Tyler noticed that the blasts were becoming fewer and he could now perceive a discernible interval between loud explosions.

  “We’re nearly there. It’s the next stop,” he informed Habrok. Tyler could see the main entrance of the temple. It was one hell of a climb. And the muscles of his legs were already loudly complaining.

  He looked at Habrok.

  “You’re not tired?”

  “No, sire, those temple steps are nothing compared to running up and down rocky hills chasing jotnar or dokkalfr.”

  Of course. He’s a ranger, Tyler’s mind reminded him. Despite the healing spells, he was starting to feel the pain and fatigue. He realized there was a limit to the effectiveness of continuously casting those spells. A sort of diminishing return, at least when it comes to exhaustion. He didn’t doubt that his tendons were already raw, the soreness masked by the healing spell. But as he looked at the temple, his brain reminded him that before him was the last hurdle, the place he never thought he would reach.

  Ah, fuck this. One more time. But those freaking stairs!

  “Let’s go, Habrok. Once more into the breach, as a famous warrior once said.”

  “A friend also said the same thing during his wedding night. We could hear him shout it just after midnight.”

  Despite himself, Tyler laughed.

  The mage cautiously looked around once more, trying to find overlooked and unwanted surprises. The two slowly approached the entrance of the massive structure, taking care to approach from its blind side. Then he stopped.

  “Habrok, do you notice any damage to this temple?”

  “Now that you mention it, I don’t see any damage. Unlike the other large shrines we passed.”

  Tyler crouched. Habrok did the same.

  Shit. Something’s wrong here. Now that I think of it, a typical magical barrier wouldn’t stop those Elder blasts from randomly demolishing parts of this structure. Those magical attacks did flatten some of the temples.

  “Guys? What’s the barrier of the temple ahead of us?”

  “An Elder barrier. Strong enough to protect against Elder magic. Though our readings reveal compromised integrity.”

  “Can we pass through it?”

  “We believe so, Elder. These are usually intended to prevent access by magical beings and creatures including Elder beings whose energy wavelength is not attuned to the barriers.”

  Wavelengths?

  “What do you mean wavelengths?”

  “We thought you knew, Elder. Energies usually have wavelengths. The magical natural energy of this world has them. Even the energy from the sun is characterized by such spectra,” answered Hal.

  Duck shit.

  “I know. Don’t remind me. I need to ask the proper question. But how the hell could I ask the question if I don’t know anything about the subject!”

  The guides remained quiet. Tyler realized his temper got the better of him.

  “Sorry, guys. It’s just the freaking stress speaking. Can we enter the temple?”

  “We believe so, Elder. If it does prevent entrance, the bandwidths of the energies obtained from Yayauhqui and that Hualpa creature provides us with the starting point to obtain access.”

  “In short, you intend to hack into it.”

  “We are not familiar with the term, Elder. We use the word ‘decryption’ or ‘decoding’.”

  “Let’s try it. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities. At our level, anyway.”

  Tyler moved forward with Habrok shadowing him. Despite his apprehensions, they were able to reach into the steps of the temple.

  “That was encouraging, guys. Apparently, the barrier allows ordinary mortals. I assume you’re in full alert mode.”

  “Yes, Elder. We’ll watch your back. Hal’s shield is at maximum strength.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tyler gazed at the stairs waiting for him. It was a dizzying experience just to look up to the top of the temple. He noticed a dark area halfway up the steps. It appeared to be a recessed space.

  “Habrok, correct me if I’m wrong but is that a landing I see halfway up? There, bordered by smaller steps. The stairs start as wide rungs and then divide into small ones on that level.”

  “I believe you’re right, sire. Could be a door. It would be impractical for the builders to have only one entrance in a structure this size. Their old priests would die midway to the top,” chuckled Habrok.

  “One way to find out.”

  Tyler started ascending the stairs, forcing his tired legs to move. He began to take deep breaths.

  “You’re alright, sire?” asked Habrok.

  “Just too many steps, Habrok. I am not used to outdoor climbing.”

  Can’t even use the short-range teleport ability those assholes gave me. I haven’t tested it yet. I don’t know how it works. On a level field, I guess there’s no problem but up the steps of the temples? Will probably end up encased in stone.

  But despite the pain and the tiredness, Tyler moved as fast as he could. A quick glance at the ongoing battle between the dark Elders showed him a much-lessened intensity. Though he didn’t know who was winning the magical contest.

  A few numbing minutes lat
er, both were at the landing. An open door was in front of them. Tyler tried to walk through but was rebuffed by an invisible partition. He stopped and tried again. He passed through. The ranger followed.

  “Guys, what was that?”

  “A special barrier. We hacked it, to use your term. Quite fast too,” replied X. The mage thought he could detect a sense of pride in the AI’s voice.

  “Thanks and get ready. We’re in it now.”

  He looked around. Tyler saw he was at the beginning of a bright stone hallway about twenty feet in length. At the end was a wall though he could see that it merely blocked a direct view of what was ahead. There openings at the sides of the passage just before the wall. Unlike the stones on the outside of the temple, the corridor was plain. The typical Aztecah decorations were absent.

  “Guys, no traps or unpleasant surprises ahead?”

  All I need now is the soundtrack from that movie. And a big stone boulder coming at me. Shit, I hope not.

  “None that we could detect, Elder.”

  “Come, Habrok. Let’s explore.”

  “Being with you, sire, is never boring. That’s for sure. I guess this is our first time sightseeing in a dangerous temple.”

  “Join the High Mage’s company. See the world,” commented Tyler with a chuckle.

  They went forward, stopping as the exits were reached. The mage chose the opening on the right though he figured it didn’t matter, both seemed to lead into the same chamber. He looked at Habrok. The ranger winked back at him, but he had already drawn his bow halfway. He peeked.

  He was looking at a large silent chamber. Around fifty feet by thirty feet. Stone shelves lined the sides, filled with translucent spheres the size of an apple. Hundreds of them. Each orb gave off a pulsing glow and the illumination gave the room a weird lighting effect. It reminded the mage of a rave, though not as dark, without the music, and the people. At the end of the room was a large arch made of some dark stone. In contrast to the lack of decorations in the room, the curved span was filled with symbols. These were not painted on it nor engraved. Somehow the sigils were melded with the material. Inside the semicircle itself was a thin luminous film. Like the globes, it also glowed intermittently. In front of it, mounted on a pedestal of the same material, was a single shining ball.

  I feel as if I’m in a movie or a tv series, observed Tyler. Just look at that arch. It looks like a gate. He did find it strange that the length of the area, from the entrance of the passage up to the end of the chamber, clearly went beyond the available space he saw from outside.

  He slowly moved forward towards the solitary shining orb. Habrok moved to the side of the room but still within the range of the cloaking spell. As Tyler got closer to the ball and the arch, he noticed that he wasn’t invisible anymore. The aura of the artifact canceled out the benefit of the spell.

  Must be that arch. I could see energy waves dancing around that glowing field.

  He straightened up and examined the orb and pedestal in front of him. The mage couldn’t see any lever, button, or symbol on the stand. Like the rest of the walls, the mount was empty of decorative features. He reached out his hand to take the sphere. It felt warm in his hand. Tyler placed it in one of his pockets, encased in a force form he conjured up. No sense accidentally breaking it, he mused. Then he felt his guides fire off an Elder blast to his rear.

  Despite the action of the AIs, a soundless crimson blast hit his back, picked him up, and smashed him into the wall.

  Tyler groggily turned in the direction of his attacker. His vision was fuzzy for the moment. His head felt as if it was stuck inside a steel barrel while someone beat heartily on the metal. The three shields protected him from the blast and his unexpected encounter with the wall. But he could sense his guides again firing off blast after blast.

  “What was that?” he blearily asked.

  “Elder, a Lost One. That attack broke our shields, though we have rebuilt Hal’s shield and the repulsing field. The protection from your staff is gone. Though your staff is still whole. It’s somewhere in the room. It was Elder energy. Fortunately, we were able to absorb most of it. Otherwise, you would have been disintegrated. We shifted shield strength to the front because of the wall.”

  Tyler’s vision cleared though his body ached. The being was walking slowly towards him while Habrok was firing arrow after arrow at it. Shafts merely broke on its energy shield and shattered projectiles were on the floor. The special arrows of the ranger were ineffective. The approaching figure looked familiar. A cloaked and hooded humanoid creature wearing a face mask with slits through which an iridescent green light glowed. Then, apparently tired of the distraction from the ranger, it raised its hand in a languid motion. Habrok rose and smashed against the wall, breaking some of the shining orbs lined up on shelves. The being’s attention never wavered from Tyler.

  I hope he’s not dead.

  The mage then launched continuous blade attacks and lightning bolts against it. The sharp projectiles broke. The bright coruscations were absorbed by the shield of the creature. Even Hephaestus’s fiery binding dissolved. Though Tyler’s spells were flashing and striking around it, the being halted, gazed intently at the mage, and spoke as if the dizzying storm of magical assaults didn’t exist.

  “Well, this is a surprise. The mortal mage from Akrotiri,” the creature’s words reverberated throughout the chamber. The tone and the way the words were spoken sounded as if speech was being coursed through a non-human throat. It vibrated and echoed in the air of the room.

  “Are you doing the bidding of those monster-worshippers? No. I don’t think they would stoop to using animals for their errands. But you have been a bothersome gnat for us,” said the entity as it raised its arm and pointed to the arch. The span came to life, the opaque and lustrous layer held between the arcs changing its colors. An image started to come into focus, beginning from the middle of the eldritch field. It was a scene from a distant and barren land. In front of the arch, on the opposite side, was a pavement of hard dark material. Beyond it was soil though strangely it was black. What he could see of the terrain appeared to be broken into fantastic and surreal shapes. The sky was gray, with muted sunlight trying to force its way through the dismal atmosphere. Another figure, clad in similar attire, waited on the other side.

  Suddenly, through the constant barrage of fruitless magical strikes from Tyler, the being turned and noticed the empty pedestal.

  “And a thief too.”

  “Guys! Why the hell don’t my spells work?”

  “It’s an Elder shield. Normal magical energy doesn’t work against it.”

  “What would work?” Tyler’s question was shouted in his mind, an indication of his desperation.

  “Give back the orb, thief, or your prayer for death will never come.”

  Tyler kept quiet and tried to appear more badly hurt.

  “Playing that game won’t work with me, thief.”

  “Guys!”

  “An attack using the same kind of energy will get past his defenses. Fortunately, we had obtained some of it when we absorbed his treacherous attack.”

  “Give it back now! Or I will get it from the pieces of your still living body!”

  He doesn’t want to risk breaking Inti’s orb. The bastard must have vital need of it. It’s the only thing preventing him from slicing and dicing little ol’ me.

  Then a barrage of arrows struck the barrier protecting the being’s head. Habrok! Still alive! Tyler turned to look at the ranger. Habrok had taken cover behind the wall they saw from the corridor. The entity turned to face the ranger, incensed by the audacity of the mortal archer. As he spun in Habrok’s direction, Tyler acted. He quickly but surreptitiously formed a large spearhead filled with fiery energy and prepared to launch it at the creature’s back.

  “X! Coat the tip with Elder energy!”

  Then he let fly the projectile. The blade effortlessly sliced through the shield of the entity, stabbed through his torso spewing red
dish black ichor as it exited the bodygero, and then exploded. A loud blast shook the chamber. The flames billowed and filled the room, eating at anything in its path. In that instant, Tyler could see pieces of the creature’s attire fly through the air. The mage’s shield held back the flames. As they disappeared, he swiftly cast a light healing spell on himself and forced himself to stand. The mage saw the being on the other side of the magical gate starting to move towards him.

  Freak me. He’s going to cross over!

  “X! Same thing. Two blades!” he ordered as he cast two more of the same spell, each directed towards the anchoring stones of the arch. The projectiles hit and then violently exploded. The span crumbled. The image within flickered once and disappeared. Dust permeated the air.

  That was another fucking close call!

  He wearily slumped down on the floor, his back to the wall.

  “Sire!” He heard Habrok call out, followed by several coughs from the man.

  “I’m alright, Habrok,” he responded. His guides have thoughtfully increased the impermeability of the shield, preventing the dust from choking him. He felt more tired than before. Worse was the increased pain in his muscles. Where previously only his legs were affected, now it was his whole body.

  All I need now is a toothache to complete the set, thought Tyler.

  “Guys. Can you find my staff for me? It’s a mess around here right now. I don’t think I have the strength to look for it among the stone debris and cracked orbs. And the dust is everywhere.”

  “You can call it, Elder. Though your skill at attracting objects is still bad and actually dangerous, the staff is now connected to your DNA, as we have mentioned before. Bringing it to your hand is not a problem. Merely imagine it, course your call through the ambient energy field, and it will come to you.”

  “Me and my stupid unasked question,” he sarcastically answered. Tiredly focusing, the mage did as instructed and in seconds, found himself holding the staff. It was buried under a pile of stone. But its removal precipitated another dust cloud in the room. With the aid of the rod, he stood up and made his way to Habrok’s location. Once he reached the ranger, he saw that the man was full of dust, a few scars and small wounds were on exposed skin.