Now, the mage was faced with the prospect of more pain. He involuntarily shuddered as he imagined forcing power down past his bones and into the marrow.
Tyler lost his appetite for conversation. Though he didn’t want to admit it, the mage was deterred by the specter of more painful experiments looming over any further discussion. More insights might lead to the mage engaging in additional tests involving unbearable agony. He preferred dealing with the prospect of painful experimentation one at a time. G was not going anywhere soon anyway.
He smiled wryly at G.
“Explosions and pain usually accompany my rash attempts to experiment, G. So, I hope you can excuse the reaction you saw.”
“I understand, Elder. Though I hate to say this, the pain, if you do venture in that direction, will be two-fold – through your bones and then the bone marrow.”
Frigg spake:
27. "If a son like Baldr | were by me now,
Here within Ægir's hall,
From the sons of the gods | thou shouldst go not forth
Till thy fierceness in fight were tried."
Loki spake:
28. "Thou wilt then, Frigg, | that further I tell
Of the ill that now I know;
Mine is the blame | that Baldr no more
Thou seest ride home to the hall."
Chapter Twelve
Woodland Undead
Three hours later, Tyler and his companions found themselves along a rough forest trail. They had been brought there by Sarva. Several feet in front of the mage, the tell-tale indications of an energy barrier could be seen. The location was at the edge of the protection laid down by G facing the Nordic homeland. Tall mountains protected The People on the Skaney side of their territory, but the Elder intelligence was taking no chances.
The mage looked at Sarva. The deity looked younger, his face exultant. When he got out of the cave, all he told the deity was that The People could forward to the future.
At his words, the deity kneeled and bowed his head, a reaction which surprised Tyler; he embarrassingly rushed to the deity’s side to get Sarva up, though in his hurry, the mage nearly tugged the deity off the ground. The being did stand, but not before vowing his allegiance and that of his people to the First Mage—a declaration embarrassing Tyler even more. He knew the magic of Adar would hold Sarva to that promise.
When he got back to the house, only Kobu was there.
The two others had gone out again. When the mage saw Kobu, he was instantly reminded of the force of mercenaries still waiting for him back at Viracocha’s temple. Now, he just had an entire civilization and its deity swear fealty to him. Tyler slouched on a chair and then moved to the bed. He needed a nap to get over the morning’s events. He needed to process in his mind what had happened and later get the assessment of his guides.
But it was a shuteye abruptly broken by the arrival of Sarva with disturbing news – G had sensed the eruption of powerful energy fields in two areas. One was near the Norse fortress-town of Hedmark where the party was headed. The other was a disturbance spread in certain areas of the Barrens itself, farther away from Hedmark, in ground where the mutated energy of the wasteland was weak.
The Elder intelligence believed it ominously presaged a serious threat to Skaney. The blight affecting the Norse homeland had so far spared most of the region of Namdalen, where the town was located.
With most of warriors and levies deployed in towns and settlements, Namdalen was relatively unprotected, its strength widely spread all over the vast region. Tyler had no objections to a speedy journey to Hedmark, their destination all along. It was the first major town facing the Barrens and the nearest to the party. The mage did hope that whatever the anomalies were, the party would be able to bypass them and proceed to Fossegrim and Maljen.
Provisions were hastily prepared, with the local warriors mobilized to provide what was needed. The mage observed that all the men and women who came to the house bringing food and water were armored and had weapons at the ready. The settlement, given a Greek name by its inhabitants—Profylaki or outpost—was clearly but a heavily armed and garrisoned outpost for the realm beyond the cliffs. When asked about why the Greek appellation, Sarva merely smiled and said it was easier for the Pelasgians to pronounce.
Now, with the magical assistance of Sarva, they stood on the outskirts of a thicket three miles from the road leading from the outlying settlements to Hedmark. The companions spread out while waiting for Tyler.
“Thank you, Sarva. This greatly cut down our travel time. A lot. I hate to think about doing the journey the scenic way – around the base of those mountains, dealing with predators and whatever infests those places,” said Tyler.
“I am glad to be of service, First Mage. There is also one more thing. I have a gift for you. Please don’t object. May it be of use in your journey. Despite my reduced status, even I could foresee you have a long and contentious road ahead of you.”
“Oh, no. You need it more, Sarva. The People could make use of it. You don’t have to give me anything,” protested Tyler.
He meant what he said, but also had thought about the difficulty at this time of adding another new magical spirit, spell, or object to his collection. He still had not even begun to explore or manage what he already had, though the Feathered Serpent’s gift was a very useful one.
“Don’t worry about it, First Mage. It is a spell, a spirit, which I refuse to use anyway. It reminded me too much of a terrible betrayal back in the First World. One which eventually resulted in our hasty departure from that world,” replied Sarva ruefully.
That got the mage worried.
“It wouldn’t turn on me, wouldn’t it?” he immediately asked.
“It’s not like that. You see, back where we both came from, I was also called the lord of animals. The bull was considered my avatar. But unknown to me, the youngest of my consorts was an ambitious spirit and treacherously colluded with our enemies. She took on the name the Goddess of the Spiked Throne and made a mockery of the bull, one of my totems. In her effigies, she was portrayed as sitting on one or using the animal in a slavish aspect.”
“Talk about adding insult to injury,” said Tyler.
“I am over that now. Whatever civilization supplanted us must also be long gone. But that spirit was a particularly venal and tenacious one, I wouldn’t put it past her to have survived whatever changes the millennia had wrought,” replied Sarva.
“Let’s just hope she didn’t cross over to Adar,” grinned Tyler.
“Don’t joke like that; she was a deadly opponent. So, let me gift you with the bull spirit, made of pure energy so ordinary weapons can’t hurt it. It is especially deadly to similar spirit forms, emitting an aura distorting magical fields, so best used as a rampaging bludgeon on the battlefield far from your own forces. Only call upon its assistance once a day. Please, take it. I’d have thrown it away long ago, but with my weakened power, it would have been foolhardy. Here; make better use of it,” said Sarva, taking off a ring and offering it to Tyler.
Another ring! I may have to eventually take up Hephaestus’s offer to make me a gauntlet out of all my rings.
The mage took the ring and put it on a finger.
“My thanks, Sarva. I wish you and your people well.”
“Your gift to us is a priceless one, First Mage. We can never repay you,” said the deity.
Tyler said farewell and turned to join his companions. Then he sensed Sarva striding after him.
“What is it?” he asked, noting the concerned expression on the deity’s face.
“Undead infest the woods beyond. I felt their presence. But the animating energy appears to be of a strange sort. It would be best to be on your guard against surprises.”
“We will, Sarva, and thanks again,” acknowledged Tyler, just as he remembered what he wanted to tell the deity.
“Oh, I finally remembered what I wanted to tell you.”
Sarva glanced at him with a curious exp
ression.
“You might want to know the worship of you and your brethren continues on the First World. Probably not in the original form, but millions still remember you,” said the mage.
The joy on Sarva’s face was indescribable.
“They do? Such tidings, First Mage. The magic might be gone from the First World, but the knowledge that my brethren and I are unforgotten immensely gladdens this heart. We still live! If not in spirit form, then in the hearts of mortals! Thank you for telling me! Such news lightens the burden I feel,” Sarva said with a bow. “Come visit us one day, First Mage. Elephants, tigers, and many animals from the First World still exist in our land. Unicorns and other creatures too. They’re magical animals, but we’ve managed to keep them alive.”
“Unicorns? Really? Unicorns?” exclaimed the surprised mage.
“Of course, they were holy animals back on the First World as well as here.”
***
When Sarva left, Tyler faced his companions. The three warriors were smiling. It was clear they were glad to be back on the road again.
Damn! They’ve got the adventure addiction! Just like me, he inwardly laughed.
But despite himself, the mage grinned back.
“Time to go, warriors,” he said.
“Sire, I heard something about undead. Strange ones. Probably more difficult to kill?” asked the einherjar.
“You heard right, Tyndur,” he answered.
“Good. It’s been two days since the last time we cleaved something back to the nether hells where it came from,” answered the warrior.
The party guffawed at Tyndur’s comment, not concerned whether anybody or anything could hear them. The group again adopted the marching formation which had already become second nature. Tyler noticed the exile had already changed the form of his weapon to that of a steel, club-like, spiked mace with a ring at the other end.
“What’s that?” he asked as the group walked toward the edge of G’s barrier.
“A kanabo, more appropriate for the undead. An ono, or axe, would probably find itself stuck in a tree after slicing through desiccated flesh and brittle bones. As would a sword. This…” said Kobu as he raised the weapon with a hand grasping the ring, “avoids embarrassing moments. It’s a bit shorter than the usual, but it will do nicely.”
The mage noticed Tyndur looking at Kobu’s weapon.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sell that to me, Kobu? I was just thinking of how much damage I could do with my battleaxe on one hand and that on the other,” asked the einherjar.
Kobu laughed. “I can’t even if I wanted to, Tyndur. It’s bonded to me.”
“A shame. I already imagined myself on the battlefield smashing and crushing with that thing,” replied Tyndur. The mage couldn’t tell if the einherjar was serious or just joking.
Habrok had already passed through the protective barrier and was crouched about twenty feet away, staying under cover below a large tree. The ranger was obviously observing the path and the surrounding area. Tyler held up his hand, signaling silence.
“Let’s give Habrok a chance to do his job,” he softly said.
A few steps after he passed through the barrier, Tyler suddenly felt an invisible force strike his chest, leaving him breathless. He was driven to the ground where he remained on one knee, trying to breathe. His companions looked upon him with concern, but he raised a hand, indicating he was all right.
What the fuck was that? he angrily reacted. He asked his guides who were also clueless, a worrying situation especially when whatever affected him easily passed through his shields. X did have an idea, though untested and unverified. The AI believed they were already in the field that Sarva said. Whatever the strange energy, it wasn’t strong enough to penetrate G’s barrier, but those of Elder origin could feel it upon getting in contact with its power.
“At least it’s a momentary effect,” replied Tyler as he stood up.
“It is normal magical energy, filtered through a medium we can’t identify,” said Hal. “An area spell. Though as far as we can tell, it covers quite a large expanse.”
“An admirable modification of this world’s energy, though it would have taken a lot of power to create such a field,” remarked X. “Still, ingenious in concept.”
“And I’d like to beat the ingenuity out of whoever thought of it,” remarked the mage sullenly.
Suddenly, the three saw Habrok swiftly let fly several arrows in succession. Tyler could see the sparks of lightning and fire down the trail as Quetzalcoatl’s gift took effect. Kobu and Tyndur moved a few steps forward, while the mage strengthened the energy wall in front of them. The ranger ran in their direction.
“Draugr!” shouted the ranger.
“Undead it is then,” remarked Tyndur.
Habrok joined them and took his position beside the mage.
“Undead, Habrok?” Tyler asked.
“Yes, sire. But these act differently. From what I saw, they move swiftly and know how to take cover,” said the ranger. “I fought draugr before and these undead act more like living warriors.”
“Well, we’ll know in a short while,” replied Tyler.
Several arrows abruptly smashed against the shield. Tyler could see figures moving among the trees on both sides of the trail. Habrok replied with a few of his own, exploding an undead head in the process.
“Even so, they can die again,” commented Kobu. “The head was always the weak point of the undead, in whatever form they take.”
“The bowmen are but the leading elements. I believe it’s a group of about fifty to sixty. The others will be in sight shortly,” advised the ranger quickly.
Tyler cast a blade spell, choosing smaller forms. He didn’t want to cut all the trees in the vicinity; it would just give the undead archers more cover. He got a few of the archers but found to his consternation that he had to guide the blades to their targets. The undead bowmen were adept in taking advantage of the cover the trees afforded them.
This is again seriously weird, he concluded. They do act like the living, as if they retained their skills and knowledge of fighting, but with the advantage of already being dead and a vulnerability limited only to their heads.
Finally, the main fighting group appeared in a shield wall formation, with antique but still deadly spears directed to the front.
“Ah, memories,” exclaimed Tyndur as his battleaxe broke out in flames.
Freyja spake:
29. "Mad art thou, Loki, | that known thou makest
The wrong and shame thou hast wrought;
The fate of all | does Frigg know well,
Though herself she says it not."
Loki spake:
30. "Be silent, Freyja! | for fully I know thee,
Sinless thou art not thyself;
Of the gods and elves | who are gathered here,
Each one as thy lover has lain."
Chapter Thirteen
Bull in a China Shop
Tyler wasn’t worried about the approaching wall of spears; they could easily be managed in his opinion. He was more concerned about the archers. When melee combat was initiated, the party would be vulnerable to arrows – in the heat of battle, there was no telling when a companion would be out of the energy barrier’s coverage.
But they’re undead. With pointed sticks aimed at you, the thought came to his mind.
“Guys. I just realized that these are undead, with spears directed at us, inanimate objects which are threats. The shield should stop them, shouldn’t it?” the mage asked his guides.
“We have considered that, sire. The repulsing field will prevent such weapons from passing through. The pikes and spears won’t break through the shield, but the undead will,” said Hal quickly.
“And why the fuck why?” came Tyler’s exasperated question.
“They are animated by the strange field we sensed. If it was enough to affect you through your multiple shields, logically, the barriers would not be an obstacl
e to them,” explained the guide.
“We recommend that the head be crushed, or if cut off, part of the cranium be destroyed. The energy sustaining them will probably keep them on this plane if the head is removed intact,” added X.
“And why the hell is that?”
“They are undead who regained skills and abilities they had when still alive. We suspect it is not merely an issue of animated dead, but the twisted and malevolent parts of enthralled souls. In such sorcery, the head is usually the seat of the controlling enchantment. Their glowing eyes reveal that fact,” explained X hurriedly.
A glance at sunken eyeholes blazing with a green radiance confirmed the guide’s comment. The number of bright green dots all looking at him reminded Tyler of a horror movie, this time for real. He shook off the feeling.
“How one was able to bypass the guardianship of the rulers of the pantheon underworlds is another issue, though we believe the dimensional medium used was a crucial element,” came the second part of the clarification.
“Another Lost One?” queried Tyler. The thought had been always at the back of his mind.
“We don’t believe so, sire. There’s no trace of Elder energy. Whoever did this knew ancient magical lore, one the pantheons have already forgotten and which is beyond their present abilities,” Hal clarified.
“We’ll worry about that once this is over. Take care of the archers. Your accuracy is way far better than mine, I’ll take care of the shield wall,” ordered the mage.
Thin beams of coruscating energy immediately shot out of the mage, bursting helmed skeletal heads watching them from the trees. Tyler let go of a chained lightning spell directed at the shield wall, and after a few seconds, followed it with an angry storm of large axe heads, thrown at exposed heads.
The guides were very effective, if one were to go by the greatly decreased number of arrows bouncing off or breaking against the shield. His spells, on the other hand, had mixed results. The lightning smashed and set afire the shields and spears of the approaching mass and burned some undead who simply brushed it off or had the fire handled by their shield-brothers. The force blade spell only netted him a few sliced or crushed skulls.
The Accidental Archmage - Book Five: Loki's Gambit Page 14