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

finally the means to direct it. Given the general

practice of magic in Adar, he surmised that these basic principles would apply to any

practice of magic in this world. Though the nuances of understanding the source of

magical energy may differ as well as the means of channeling it.

He realized he needed basic knowledge of such an energy, find out how to harness and

use it. Then determine the trigger or triggers to activate the ability, and use the ability in an effective way. Channeling it through external means, as is the practice in runic

magic, is something which he didn’t need to know as it is beyond his abilities. He can

get knowledge about the magical energy itself, at least the Nordic interpretation, from

their magical practitioners. Yet he had to be careful as unquestioned adoption of the

Nordic belief system may lead him down the wrong path of learning.

As an unsuspecting teacher and source of information, he volunteered the Gothi. The

rest he had to find out on his own. Freak me twice with cherry on top, thought Tyler to

himself, this is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought.

He prepared to visit the temple next door to give his thanks to Odin. He didn’t want to

appear ungrateful. Nor did he want to get on the bad side of the head of the Nordic

pantheon. Being polite never hurt anyone. Especially with the canny head of Asgard.

Besides, his mother had always emphasized that “please” and “thank you” are the two

most important phrases in the English language. Well, he may have forgotten it

sometimes but he did try to practice it. Going out of the house, he went straight to the

temple with Jorund following him. A permanent bodyguard, he thought. It’s just that he

didn’t know whether to feel cool or scared.

The stave temple was a wooden building with stone walls making up the first floor. A

cattle skull hung above the main entrance. It looked like a Norse version of a pagoda,

though not as big. It had three floors, diminishing in size the higher the floor. Wooden

tiles made up the roof material. It had a multiplicity of roofs, making the temple look as

if three structures of the same make and design but of different sizes were piled one on

top of the other. The inside looked like the interior of a small modern church, with

wooden well-made pews and small alcoves to each side of the chamber. In front of the

pews were some tall stone blocks arranged in a circular pattern, engraved with runic

inscriptions. The back wall was also made of stone but of a different and darker color.

Two doors at each end frame the entire spectacle. The floor was of flat stones.

There was no one inside. As it was early afternoon, Tyler guessed it must be down time

for the devout. He looked around and guessed some elements of the temple design

must have been the Gothi’s influence. The interior was paneled in hardwood and had a

high ceiling. The third floor must be a room. For what reason, Tyler couldn’t determine

though he noted the height gave a nice view of the town. There also must be rooms

behind the closed doors in front of him. He looked behind him and noticed Jorund remained outside the temple. He took his place in a pew, keeping to the side. He had

no idea on how to act after that. Working with what he knew of churches, he knelt, put

his hands together, and closed his eyes. Now how do you address the big man without

sounding like an acolyte?

“Oh, Great Odin, Al -Father of the Norse, thank you for the help and guidance I have

received so far. I apologize for the bother and trouble I have given your servant but as

a naïve visitor to your world, I pray for further knowledge and guidance,” he murmured.

“Why, you’re welcome, Tyler. Glad to see you’ve got some manners after all.”

The voice came from behind him. Tyler was suitably shocked and speechless. He looked

back and saw an old man with an eyepatch sitting on the pew behind him. With a stock

of unruly long white hair, dressed in rich dark red and black fabric with a blue cape.

“Don’t gawk. It’s not polite. I’ll sit beside you. That would make things easier.”

The old man stood up and walked to Tyler’s pew. The man then took his place on his

right. He saw that the old man was tall, not stocky in build but looked to be muscular

under his clothes. He moved with the grace and sureness of a warrior and Tyler could

feel an overpowering aura of energy and authority emanating from him.

“Now then, the “Great” was a nice honorific. No “Mr. Odin”?” asked the old man with a

knowing smile.

If Tyler was stupefied before, now he was scared senseless. The old man noticed his

reaction.

“Oh, don’t worry. I know Loki talked to you. After learning he was in my halls and that

he heard me lose my… composure, I knew he was going to look for you. If for no

reason at all but curiosity. He may have learned a few more tricks after all this time but

so have I. So, I followed him. Quite a trickster, that son of mine. Very clever

concealment scheme.”

At that, the old man gave him a wider smile. It looked to be genuine so Tyler relaxed a

bit. A little bit. Even so, his mind was screaming. This is Odin! The boss man of the

Nordic pantheon! The Hammer Thrower’s father! The most powerful among the Nordic

gods! The Big Kahuna! You’re screwed, man! Screwed!

“Now what are we going to do with you?”

“What do you mean, Great Odin?”

“Knock off that “Great” stuff, All-Father would do. Even Odin. I am not that vain. What I meant was you've just arrived, no immediate usable skills that I can see and survived.

Now then you have Ymir and others after you. No, I haven’t determined yet who the

others are and at that, I am sure you can conclude that they are also with powerful

beings. Then you showed the capacity to do magic when it would have been impossible

without divine participation.