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

Eira suggested he leave the ring for the time being with one of

her guardians. The ring will be brought to Tyler when the time came for him to

continue his journey. She assured him that the concentration of energy in the forest

would enable her to shield his presence from prying eyes. And with that, the two

decided to meet at the clearing the following morning.

“Let me prepare your campsite first before I take my leave.”

With that. Eira magically created a wooden shelter for Tyler with a wave of her hand.

“I never will get tired of looking at such conjuration. I wish I could do the same.”

“Don’t worry. One of these days, you will. Even more than what this lowly forest

guardian could do,” Eira commented with a knowing smile.

“There’s a bag with some provisions beside your shelter together with a waterskin. I

would have preferred to leave some wine too but with the jotnar active, it is advisable

to have a clear head.”

When Eira left, Tyler crawled to the shelter. The bed was made of small branches

covered by leaves and a kind of moss he couldn’t identify. He was never an outdoorsy

type to begin with. He finally realized he was physically and emotionally exhausted. A small mage-light illuminated the inside of the small accommodation. Nice touch, he

thought.

He tried to think back on the events of the day. He vaguely remembered triggering an

elemental attack on the encamped jotnar and tried to dissect how it happened. But he

refrained from recreating the kind of emotions which overwhelmed his tired mind

before the event. He now realized that, in some way, emotions start the chain of events

towards any eruption of magical energy.

But he couldn’t shape or determine its effects. For now, he assumed that the type of

magical effect exhibited had been determined by his subconscious. His last thought

before drifting off to sleep was that he hoped he wouldn’t dream of such matters. There

was no assurance that whatever he dreamt wouldn’t manifest in the real world. Eira

wouldn’t take kindly to a burnt Fossegrim Forest, even if it was an accident.

When Tyler woke up, he had a brief disoriented episode on where he was, resulting in

hitting his head on the low overhang of the shelter. Outside, a large bowl of water and

a small towel on top of a low stone table awaited. Eira was still not around. After doing

his morning ritual, he went back to the shelter and sheathed his short sword which was

beside his bed. He did his morning meditation outside the shelter. The day promised to

be a busy and tiring one once again.

Opening his eyes, he saw the morning meal spread out on a conjured stone table. Eira

was patiently waiting for him. He stood up and joined her.

“Good morning, Eira,” he greeted her as he sat down on the stone chair.

“Good morning too, Tyler, may I ask what that was all about,” Eira asked, clearly

intrigued by the meditation.

Tyler explained. It took some time but she finally got it. She wanted to try it out when

she had the time. She did have bad news. The besieging jotnar was preparing its final

assault on the town. She wanted to help but most of her powers are effective only

within the boundaries of the forest, vast area as it may be. Beyond that, she can only

manifest herself and do some small magic. And this was only because of the knowledge

and energy gained from the ruined temple. Moreover, she was already occupied with

storing up the defenses of Fossegrim in the event the jotnar turned their attention

south.

After the meal, Tyler ventured the question he really wanted to ask. What change did

Eira do to him?

Surprisingly, Eira was open about it. She followed a simple ritual specified in the first Elder tablet. It was to improve something in the brain of a being of the First World, a

phrase which even Tyler knew referred to Earth. The short ritual also resulted in

enhancing the bone structure of the being to prepare it for the passage of stronger

energies. It didn’t leave any residue of energy in the body after the change. But the

changes were on a merely physical level and didn’t tamper or modify the mental

processes of the individual.

Learning these details, Tyler bemoaned the ignorance of the beings of Adar about the

physiological make-up of humans. Otherwise, he would have been able to ask about the

specific brain and bone areas changed by the ceremony. Not that he was an expert on

the matter but answers would have given him some insight on how his body was

changed to channel Elder energy. Reliance on magic had its clear drawbacks. It

discouraged the path of scientific inquiry and reasoning prevalent on Earth.

They set out afterward, with Tyler carrying a waterskin. Meals and other provisions

would be magically provided by Eira. The trek through the forest was relatively easy as

Eira knew the best paths and the vegetation moved out of their way. The hard part for

Tyler came when they reached the rocky ground of the hills. Looking at the mountains

ahead, he asked if the ruin was in the mountains or in the hills. Fortunately, the ruin

was at the junction where the hills stop and the mountains start to dominate the

landscape. Still, Tyler could see a hard slog through the still forested hilly area.

After a few hours and frequent breaks, they finally arrived at the bottom of an

overhanging cliff. Eira didn’t appear tired, while Tyler could feel the aches and pains all over his body. He was already fatigued despite the constant gentle breeze

accompanying them. He thought Eira cheated. There were times when he thought he

could see Eira’s bare feet barely touching the ground.

It was already late afternoon by his reckoning when they reached the spot. But then

again, he believed Eira could have made the journey in an instant if she so wished.

Without him, of course. He asked for another break. While they rested, Eira asked him

to see if he could spot the opening. Try as he might, he couldn’t see any. The nooks

and crannies together with the sharp angles of the cliff face made it impossible to see

any opening.

After he