The Accidental Archmage by Edmund Batara (read out loud books .TXT) 📕

the map and the lake was indeed bordered by small mountains on

one side. Tyler remembered the rocky cliffs he saw when he first arrived. Beside

Fossegrim Forest was a smaller forest, the Maljen Forest. He guessed that’s where

Eric’s house was located. Putting back the scroll in its case, he figured that settles it for now.

Glancing at his bed, he saw the book on runic magic waiting for him. Ignoring his

curiosity for the time being, he decided to take stock of his situation and come to a

decision about his course of action. The past few days have been exciting and

dangerous enough to deprive him of the opportunity to engage in such a vital mental

exercise.

He sat down on the bed and adopted a meditative pose. The easy pose, or sukhasana,

as called in yoga. Though he wasn’t a yoga practitioner, he found it useful. He closed

his eyes and did deep breathing exercises. After a few minutes, he found himself as

calm and collected as he could be. He began to reflect on his current predicament.

The reality was stark. First, he is on another world, an Earth-like planet of an earlier

and more primitive time. A period when hacking and slashing with a bit of magic thrown

in was more effective than a five-inch thick modern contract. A world where magic is

real. Where mythological and legendary beings and creatures exist. Death by a

thousand paper cuts or by onerous litigation were not possibilities in Adar.

Second, as Andreas had said, there’s no way to go back. Even if he found a way, the

greatly slower time in Adar may result in him going back to an unrecognizable Earth, if

it took him too long to get back.

Third, he can’t use runic magic, again according to Andreas but his conversation with

Loki confirmed it. But Miss Psychotic stated she gave him the power to do some form of

magic and from what he had seen, it appeared to be true. Though as of now, it also

seems to be involuntarily triggered. But aside from such a statement, she didn’t give

him anything to work with. And right now, that singularly lovely face must be raging

mad at him. But then again, she could be lying.

Now, if he had some form of magic he can use, then he could at least have a decent

chance of surviving in this world without being bound to a deity. Deities and similar

beings are capricious. What he had seen and experienced only reinforced this belief.

But he had seen that he could do magic. He just had to learn how to do it in a

voluntary, effective, and willful manner. And not kill himself in the process. The book

may give him some ideas. Or at least make for interesting reading.

Fourth, what’s the real interest in him by Ymir, parties unknown, Loki and even Odin?

Definitely, Odin now knew of his strange ability and his ignorance on how to use or

manifest it. Sigyn, on the other hand, talked about needing him in an attempt to gain

godhood? goddesshood or whatever such a thing is called? At least Sigyn’s avowed

reason appears plausible. Unbelievably dangerous, exceptionally selfish, and even

unusually suicidal, but believable. And no telling if any other being would like to join the Kill-Use-Enslave Tyler West Fan Club. Shit.

Fifth, his role and purpose in Adar. Assuming his arrival was accidental as Sigyn

suggested, what can he do now? At least his immediate basic needs would be

shouldered by Andreas. Ostensibly, by Odin’s instruction. But for the long-term, he

didn't like where it was going. Leeching off. Being beholden. Sitting on his bum. He has

to find his own way in this minefield of a world.

His morning thinking session gave him a nagging headache.

CHAPTER LORE:

Kerasti - Old Norse. Meaning "beloved".

Qahwah - Arabic word for coffee but the term was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

The word led to the Turkish kahve which in turn gave rise to the modern "coffee".

Bunchum - Another Arabic word word "coffee". Derived from the ancient Ethiopian word for the coffee plant (bun or bunno). It is believed that the coffee plant itself is indigenous to Ethiopia and Yemen.

Sukhasana - A pose practiced in yoga. Also called the decent pose or pleasant pose. It is similar to sitting in a simple cross-legged position.

Jorund's old map of Skaney

CHAPTER VI

An Old Man’s Ring

God, what I would give for some aspirin right now, thought Tyler as he made himself

comfortable and started reading the thin book.

The book was intended for aspiring apprentice mages, he observed. Once one gets past

the hortatory preface, the warnings on avoidance of injuries and collateral damage, the

injunctions against abuses, only thirty-two pages of practical theory and knowledge

remained. Knowledge of no use for him as they dealt with the principles of runic magic

and a few basic non-offensive spells.

The theory itself was interesting. It posited that Adar’s inhabitants were all born with

some degree of magical affinity, which may or not manifest during a person’s lifetime.

An observation which seems to apply to almost all of its inhabitants.

In Skaney, when the ability manifests itself, the person is brought before a temple and

tested. If found acceptable, then the candidate has to select a profession - the path of

a mage which had ranks and specialized classes, a warrior class with a few subclasses,

or a priest. The practice applies to nobility and peasant alike. Training in runic magic

then commences. It followed predetermined levels, depending on the choice of

profession and magical affinity. Magical affinity, intelligence, and survival ability dictated the pace of advancement from apprentice to high mage. Which the book warned may

take a lifetime.

The book took him up to an hour after the day-meal to finish. He believed the book

would suffice for now as the advanced books dealt with the practical application of runic

magic. An ability which he does not have any proficiency. But the principles enunciated

in the book were quite clear. The source of the magic, which is said to be the cosmos, gives knowledge of the magical energy, termed as “kunna”. Training provides the ability

to understand and channel it, and