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

horde encamped about a mile from their position. Beyond that was a small river

with a stone bridge crossing it, a tributary of the Telemark River.

In the far distance he could see a vast sea of figures, some marching and some at rest.

Flags too many to count marked the positions of various companies. His mind raced. If

they could raise this army against Bildsfell, what more for Scarburg? He estimated,

compared to the force which ambushed the Maljen column, a greater proportion of

attackers to defenders. Bildsfell was doomed.

He turned his attention to the encampment before him. No dokkalfr could be seen. He

estimated the force in front of them to be around four to five hundred beings and

creatures. He was a bit surprised to see the tents set up in orderly rows, pennants

flying at regular intervals.

The giants among them especially caught his attention. They were walking to and fro,

some glittered so he assumed those were ice giants while the others were of some type

he was not familiar with. Some looked like men, blown up to ridiculous proportions. The

non-human looking giants were of all sorts and sizes, some with two heads, some

bearded, some looked cyclopean. Most wore loincloths adorned with dangly straps of

leather and iron. Others had more decoration in their bodies, the most popular being a

spiked collar. Some had very crude helmets, adorned with animal bones. They didn’t

bother with shields. But they carried giant spiked clubs, rudimentary war hammers or

massive makeshift greatswords. The human looking ones were better armed and

outfitted. Though also of different sizes and all heavily tattooed, they had simple leather armor of different makes and crude iron helms. Their war hammers and huge swords

appeared to be of better make. Each group kept to their own.

Interspersed among the giants were some tall beings. Very pale in complexion, armored

in a common pattern but with full covered helms with long white hair flowing out at the

back of the helms. They wore what looked like light plate armor made out of some form

of metal, definitely not iron, but with many jagged odds and ends. He could see that

their weapons and even shields were cruelly designed like those of the dokkalfr. A few

of these tall beings were riding massive wolves almost as big as horses. Some of the

giant wolves were armored. On one end of the encampment, he could make out a

group of human warriors, with their own camp and flag among their own tents. A long

row of horses was secured on one side. Turncoats? Allied bandits?

He looked at Jorund.

“How are we going to go shopping in town?” Tyler tried some levity to lighten the somber mood which descended upon them.

“Vargar, sons of Fenrir. Jotunn ice and stone giants. Mountain giants. Jotunn ice elves.

Human scum,” answered Jotunn, “We’re lucky. I don’t see trolls, ogres, goblins, ice

drakes, earth and chaos giants, and others in the mix.”

“Huh?” Tyler turned to look at Jorund. The man looked as serious as always. He didn’t

know whether the warrior just cracked a joke.

“Even if we manage to avoid that encampment, the field beyond is swarming with

them,” added Jorund, “We can cross Telemark River on the side of these hills, make our

way nearer the town and cross the river again. But given the time, we may find

ourselves in a town overrun by jotnar and dokkalfr. Other choices would be to go back

to Maljen but I doubt if the road is safe or we can try to make it to Scarburg by

ourselves. Again, I also doubt the way is clear past Bildsfell.”

“You mean we’re stuck here?”

“I don’t know. Choices must be made but these are matters which cannot be made

lightly. I have to get back to the camp. A better decision will be made on a full

stomach. Are you coming, my lord?”

“No, I’ll stay here for a while.”

“Keep your head down,” Jorund advised as he crawled back to the trees.

We’re going to die here, gloomily thought Tyler. Nowhere to go. The entire countryside

must be full of these creatures. Maybe even Scarburg is now under siege too.

He continued to watch the encampment and as he did, his spirits continued to sink. His

mind was focused on the horde in front of him. He could see the cruel jagged edges of

the weapons of the beings Jorund called the ice elves. Everytime he focused on one

such weapon, his heightened eyesight fueled his active imagination more and more. His

illusory sense of danger increased and he could imagine the jagged edge of the weapon

rising up and then falling upon him.

A part of his mind became very irritated at their presence. Another part wanted them

away. Another part wanted to crush them. A heavy feeling arose in him. Strange,

warm, yet focused. Tyler involuntarily clenched his fists, staring at the scene. He didn’t

notice that clouds have started to gather above the encampment. Large, dark clouds.

As he grew more upset, more and more clouds gathered.

Eventually, the encampment noticed. The field beyond them was filled with sunlight

while their area was darkened by the gathered cloud bank. As if in a trance, Tyler

released his fists. Suddenly, lightning crackled down among the creatures looking up,

some pointing at the phenomenon. No rain fell, only the flashes of an angry sky.

The abnormal circumstance of hundreds of lightning flashes crackling down after the

first few flashing streaks was murderous. But it didn’t end there. When a bolt hit a

creature, it leaped to the nearest one and then to another. It was like watching a huge

electrical storm show not only in the sky but also on the ground. Stray lightning flashes

also hit the tents and other camp gear, either blowing them apart or setting them on

fire. Even the armor worn by the enemy as well as their weapons worsened the

situation as they acted like lightning rods. Men, ice elves, and giants whose gear

attracted lightning, multiple bolts at times, blew up, spraying fine red mist everywhere.

The rolling and continuous thunder following the discharges was deafening. It was

hellish and beyond unbearable.

But not to Tyler. He was in a world of his own. He couldn’t hear anything. He could only

see with dispassionate eyes