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

inevitable attack of those bony claws.

CHAPTER LORE:

Hirdmadr - (Old Norse). A combination of the word "hird" which usually refers to the informal personal guards of leaders and the word "madr", also an old Norse term which means "man".

As used in the story, it is a term used in Adar to refer to trainees. Literary liberality claimed by author in his defense.

CHAPTER X

Monsters and Coffee

Tyler watched the creature approach. Its wariness of the lighted lamp was obvious. While he was observing the deadly mist, Tyler had already started gathering magical energy.

SHIELD!

The barrier formed in front of him but he knew it was thinner and smaller than his

practice barrier. He infused it further with his will, demanding that it become stronger

and wider. As his grip tightened on his sword, he found it easier to focus his will on the

shield.

“So that’s the trick,” he thought. A psychological crutch but hey, it works.

As the shield became more solid, he saw the monster move sideways, intending to

bypass the light. Seeing that, Tyler moved towards the lamp, willing the wall of energy

to stay in front of him. He got two steps when the dark creature suddenly darted to the

side of the barrier. A bony claw flashed towards him, extended at the edge of an

abnormally stretched arm made of mist.

“Shit!”

Tyler was shaken, not expecting the stretching ability of the creature. As he turned, the

shield moved with him. But he could feel the impact when the claw hit it. His barrier

held. Barely. Only the tips of its claw penetrated. He thought fast, willing the shield to

form a box around the creature. He had an idea but it rested on an untested

assumption. The box of magical energy formed around the creature, to its surprise.

Trapped, its stretched hand dissolved, cut off from its body. The bony claw dropped to

the ground. While the monster was wailing about its lost appendage, Tyler cast his next spell. A fervent hope accompanied its casting. Tyler didn’t know if a new spell would

cancel a previous one. But he was also sure that the monster was very vulnerable to

light.

LIGHT! He shouted in his mind, forcing the energy within the box to illuminate.

The inside of the magical container erupted in a blinding flash of light. Tyler’s will being fortified by the need to quickly dispose of the beast of mist. The light grew brighter

while the shrieks of the monster became louder. Abruptly, the cries stopped. Tyler

immediately dissolved the spells. No trace of the creature was left.

As he turned to look at the other two mist creatures, one was already drawing near

while the other was continuing to fight the sentient trees. It had heard the cries of its

brethren and was coming to the rescue. It was already too close. Spitting distance

close. Tyler could see the many jagged fangs adorning its opened cavernous mouth.

For some reason, it wanted to tear its fangs into him, disdaining the slashing attack it

had used against the trees.

Tyler immediately formed an orb, cast the light spell into it, and flung the lamp towards

the onrushing gaping maw. As the orb went in, he pumped more energy into it for a

second, and then like a fireball spell, exploded it. The monster didn’t even have time to

scream. The incandescent explosion obliterated it in an instant.

He again turned to look for the remaining creature. It was gone, having fled

immediately when the second one died. He noticed that the dropped claw had also

disappeared. Of the guardian trees, only two remained, having sustained severe

damage to their trunks and branches. Tyler was thankful for them and for Eira’s

foresight. Otherwise, the creatures would have caught him as he was sleeping.

He picked up the fallen lamp and placed it on the stone table. He sheathed his sword

and dumped himself in one of the chairs. Adrenalin, fear, and exhilaration were all

jumbled inside him. He could feel his heart pumping. Another close call, he thought. He

forced himself to sit up straight and did deep breathing exercises, hoping it would settle

his mind and clear his brain.

His mind clearing, he thought he could hear very faint shouts of struggle. He tried to

listen. It was as if it came from a long distance away but the sounds died down in a few

minutes. Sighing at the strange events of the night, his thoughts turned back to what

happened.

How did the creatures evade the protective magic of the forest? Who sent them? Why

did they come in this direction? Had he been discovered? Is Eira alright?

While he was considering what happened, Eira appeared before him. She took the other seat. She looked terrible. Her face looked strained, her hair was a mess, and she looked

incredibly tired. She put her hands on her face, elbows on the table. Tyler looked at her

and kept quiet, waiting for his host to regain her strength and composure. After a few

minutes, Eira finally removed her hands and looked around.

“What happened here?”

The alarm in her raised voice finally prodded Tyler to action. She was looking around,

her gaze lingering on the fallen tree guardians.

“Some mist creatures attacked. The trees held them off long enough for me to find the

means to fight them back.”

“What creatures? Wait, don’t answer yet. I have to attend to the trees.”

With that, Eira moved away in the direction of the tree guardians. Tyler couldn't see her

anymore when she reached them and he didn’t want to increase the illumination given

by the lamp. He stood up and went to get a drink of water. Seeing that Eira was still

nowhere in sight, he crawled back into bed for some rest. Eira would call him when she

was done with the guardian trees.

I’m going to die of stress in this world even if nobody manages to kill me, he thought.

He examined his actions during the fight. It was fortunate that the light spell could be

cast quicker than the others, though he believed the situation made him react faster. A

spell of exploding light. That’s new, he suddenly realized.

THAT WAS AMAZING! I CREATED A NEW MAGIC SPELL! I DID COMBAT MAGIC! AND I

WON! I WON! I WON AGAINST THOSE UGLY,