“This is really me. It is well-nigh impossible to impose a new illusion over a current one. The images blur and merge. But my specific illusion is needed. I am a Gothi, a priest slash holy man of the gods, the All-Father in particular. Apparently, graying hair is one of the requirements of the job. The Jarls and warriors would be insulted if one younger than them started ordering them around.”
“Your magical knowledge, what you call runic magic, obviously didn’t come out from the blue,” observed Tyler.
“I had a benefactor. It is but a dispensation. Without magic, one can’t be a Gothi. A job requirement. Not to mention that it would be a dead giveaway that one is not of this world. Havard, as I mentioned, You. Are. A. Smart. Person. The potion doesn’t decrease your ability to think. Please don’t ask questions you already know the answers to or you know I can’t answer.”
Tyler grinned.
“Okay. Sorry about that, Master. Your Padawan awaits your teachings.”
“I am not your Master. What’s a Padawan?”
“I was joking, Ivar. Another cultural reference based on a popular movie after your time. Titled “Star Wars”. A series of movies in fact, all revolving around a central theme of good against evil. Set in space. Man, you missed a lot of good movies.”
“That’s one thing I missed about Earth. Entertainment here is a bit low-grade. The exciting ones need active participation. And a waiver of liabilities, as you legal experts would say, in the event of death,” drolly replied the Gothi.
“Oh, then you do have 3-D movies,” joked Tyler.
“What’s a 3-D movie?”
“Man, I am really sorry about these modern references. You’ve seen movies during your time, right? Those are movies in two dimensions. You’ve got a flat movie screen in front of you. The movie appears as a series of moving photographs. In 3-D, you get to wear special eyeglasses. These trick your brain into believing that you are in the scenes you see. As all modern movies are in color, the experience becomes more believable. The technology has already extended into television.”
“You’ve got a weird shocked expression on your face, Ivar,” Tyler continued, giving way to a small laugh.
“So, this is how it feels like when you see the future. You do have a lot to tell me and more surprises for me than I have for you.”
“Really? I expected the surprises coming from each of us to be roughly at par. Or in equal value.”
“You forget I have been in Adar for only around eight months, plus or minus several days. And about a month of that was spent in… seclusion, you might say.”
“With a harem of Nordic beauties? And all the mead you can drink?” Tyler couldn’t resist the verbal jab. Inwardly, he was hoping the answer would be yes as that raised a lot of possibilities for his distressingly active hormones. It was difficult to get a girlfriend when one’s time was focused on earning enough. His interests and personality didn’t find any suitable candidate among the females in the office. Not that he would even dare to start such a relationship. He didn’t want to lose his job and knew that it was only because of his Aunt that he got accepted.
“More like a monk in a locked jail cell inside a convent within a huge barracks. There were really beautiful women there, not girls, women! But nobody would talk to me. Even the men! I tried to start a friendly discussion once or twice with some of those beauties but they didn’t even look at me. They turned away and left without a word. I didn’t think of pushing the matter. All those metal armors and wickedly sharp looking blades and axes left no room for negotiation.”
Both men laughed at that.
“Let’s go back to the topic of Adar. Earth updates will come later, as agreed,” Tyler decided, before his horny imagination got the better of him, “but first, answer me this. Are there a lot of us here, and when I say “us”, I mean those from Earth.”
“Only very few, as far as I know. And this has reference to the 1900’s up to now. Though my knowledge is limited to what I have seen and read. And what I know only covers the territory of Skaney and nearby areas. But I also hear from those trading with the Greeks, the Akkadians, the Phoenicians, and a few others. I haven’t had the opportunity to travel beyond Nordic territory yet. For Skaney, I guess we two are the only ones around here. Remember, Adar is a world. A planet. From my readings and other information, its land area is immense. Nobody has mapped it yet. So, I have no idea where the other visitors from Earth are. Or how many are we. Curiously, the deities refuse to provide information about what the planetary land masses look like. Or even the names or nature of other civilizations we haven’t discovered or have not been in contact yet. Adar appears to have a single massive continent, with numerous islands around it. I hear some of these islands are also continental in scale.”
“How about those portals or gates or whatever they are?”
“The gates or portals seem to be randomly distributed and once used, close immediately. There were bigger ones in Adar’s past but those are already shut. From what I have read, the deities of Adar, and I mean not only the Nordic pantheon, appear to frown upon the use of such existing entrances or exits. For some reason, they take an active role in their closure. No new gates are allowed. I was told that these portals are one-way gates. You come in through one gate and go back to Earth through another portal, an exit portal to be precise. One opened from this side. Where they lead also appear to be random. I have no idea whether the direction of these portals can be guided. Randomness seems to be the norm."
Ivar paused for a while, clearly thinking about the subject.
"Imagine dropping into the middle of a vast ocean, the mouth of a volcano, rocky terrain, a desert, or in the midst of carnivores. One has to survive the drop first and then contend with either broken bones or more serious injuries. Even if one survives, the chance of finding a friendly civilization is quite small. There are civilizations and tribes out there which look at us as a meal or a propitious sacrifice to their own gods. Besides, there are a lot of mythological and other creatures roaming out there and most are not friendly to humans. As I said, it is an extremely dangerous world.”
“Can we get home? To Earth, I mean.”
“It is possible if you have the magical skill and power for it. Either by the use of an existing exit gate or portal or by making a new one. Finding an existing exit portal is trying to find the proverbial needle in a mountain of a haystack. All have been closed by the pantheons. Opening one will need the magical knowledge and ability of a major deity. And a very complicated ceremony. Not to mention the massive energy required to force a way back. And, this is a crucial consideration, the summoner of such a portal will have to contend against the desire of this world’s pantheons to keep such doors closed.”
“So, we’re really stuck here?”
“Yes. As you Americans would say, like glue.”
Somebody knocked on the door. Tyler heard the word “Davre!” being called out in a woman’s voice. That must be Helga. Looking at the Gothi, Tyler saw him already in his mature guise. That was fast chanting, he thought. The Gothi called out in reply. Tyler noted that even the timbre of the voice had changed.
The Gothi looked at him. “Time for the day-meal. You think you are strong enough to go out of the room?”
“Yeah. I think I can manage. I am still hungry, very hungry. But I don’t feel that weak anymore and the pain has receded. Must be your potion. How about my clothes?”
“Wait for a moment,” said the Gothi as he went to the wooden chest beside the table. He pulled out a set of clothes.
“Here. Put this on. These are not Eric’s, I brought them with me. Hope they fit.”
The Gothi turned his back while Tyler put on the outfit. It felt a bit loose and one size larger. The long-armed tunic was light brown and went down to a point above his knees while the baggy trousers were in dark blue. A buckled leather belt completed the ensemble. It looked like what Eric was wearing.
“We’ll leave the cloak, boots and other gea
r here. We’re inside so you can walk barefoot.”
Digging through the contents of the chest, the Gothi brought out a necklace with a medallion which had a piece of amber in the middle.
“Here, put this own. It’s a runic device for language. But it’s only good for Nordic and similar languages. You can talk to people and people can talk to you. You will actually be talking and hearing in English but it makes people think you are conversing in their language. Even listeners will believe it to be so. Area of effect would be around eight feet around you. So try not to shout.”
Tyler inspected the medallion. The thin metal around the amber centerpiece appeared to be copper, inscribed with runes. The necklace also looked to be copper, made out of tiny interlocking rings.
“I wear one myself,” said the Gothi, “and these things are rare so don’t lose it. Only deities and high-level specialist mages can make them. But be careful, such deities and mages can also see through the magical effects. They will know you for a stranger and think that you are a high-ranking mage. That may be good or bad depending on the circumstances.”
“So how did you get these?” asked Tyler as he put on the necklace.
“Fringe benefit,” answered the Gothi, who was looking him over. The Gothi suggested he hide the necklace inside his tunic.
“Freaking Star Trek universal translator,” commented Tyler as he hid the item.
“Star Trek?”
“Cultural reference again. Sorry. Science fiction television series. Came out during the 1960’s.”
“I do read science fiction,” said the Gothi, “unfortunately, that reading genre doesn’t seem to exist here. It’s mostly runic spell books, trade accounts, history of nobles, lineages of people I truly don’t care about. You get the idea.”
“Hah! You’re living the story already!” replied Tyler.
“Dangerously so, Mr. Havard,” commented the Gothi, amused at the suggestion.
“Now, your back story. You’re an apprentice trader from Barholm. That’s very far from here. Your caravan got hit by bandits, you escaped and wandered through the forest for several days. You’re still recovering and have memory lapses. Don’t talk too much. Let me handle it. Good thing you do look as if you lost a lot of weight.”
Tyler looked at the Gothi.
“You know, that has really puzzled me. I only noticed that I had lost body weight when I was in the forest. I guess I shed around 25 to 30 pounds. Though I didn’t think it affected me that much. It was as if I naturally got thinner without the negatives of abrupt weight loss. The consequences of arrival in this world had more impact.”
“Etheric cost of transfer. Happened to me too. Moving over requires power. Using the portal has an energy cost. In the past, this energy cost was serviced by sacrifices or offerings of power. In our instances, the portal took it out from our bodies. As it couldn’t get magical power from you, it took some of your body mass as payment. Come, let’s have our meal. I am hungry too.”
The meal was laid out in a bigger room which served as the dining room, the kitchen and the receiving area of the house. A half-opened wooden door reinforced by iron bars led to the outside of the house. The room still smelled of smoke from the cooking fires. The area and its furniture were all made of wood, except for the large cooking area made of stone. A cauldron hung from an iron rod laterally traversing the enclosed cooking chamber. It also served as the fireplace of the house, the chimney’s egress being visible. Tyler could again see runic inscriptions carved on some of the stones.
Eric and Helga were standing and waiting for them, together with a boy and a girl, their children. After greeting the family, the Gothi sat at the head of the table, gesturing at Tyler to sit beside him. While taking his seat, Tyler smiled at the family and greeted them too. The family then took their seats.
The meal was simple but tasty fare. Lots of flatbread, cuts of roasted deer, and apples. A jug of water and another jug of some beverage completed the meal preparations. Eric gave Tyler profuse apologies for the incident while Helga looked on, still wearing her nervous smile. Surprisingly, the children were quiet and behaved. Tyler, in turn, accepted the apology and waved it off as an accident, insisting that it was his fault.
He then gave thanks to Helga for the potion and his treatment. To both, he gave his thanks for their hospitality and emphasized that they saved his life. With that, the tension in the room palpably eased. It was evident that they feared the Gothi’s displeasure and were apprehensive about being blamed for Tyler’s mishap. Everybody waited for the Gothi to start eating before putting food on their wooden plates.
The meal proceeded pleasantly, with Eric’s questions about Tyler being addressed to the Gothi. Ivar maintained the back story. From what he understood, Tyler was expected to spend a few more days with the family as part of his recovery. While recovering, the Gothi will be visiting Tyler on a daily basis. Eric looked thankful that the Gothi will be taking responsibility for Tyler’s care and treatment.
Looking around while finishing off his mug of beverage which turned out to be ale, Tyler noted that the room had several runic decorations. A bow and its quiver of arrows were hanging near the main door together with a spear. A sheathed sword on a leather belt was also hanging on the other side of the door. A small round wooden shield was hung below the weapon. A series of red runic symbols can be seen around the circumference of the shield. The dependence on magical means in the house and its implements was quite obvious.
Feeling a bit dizzy from the smoke circulating in the room, Tyler excused himself and asked to go out for a while. When he got outside, he found a wooden bench beside the door and made himself comfortable. It looked to be late afternoon. The air was refreshing and he took several deep breaths to remove the smell of smoke in his nostrils.
The yard was paved with flat stones and as the wooden gate in front of the house was open, he could see a path leading from the yard to the trees in the distance. It was also paved with stones for about 30 feet from the yard and then continued on with a dirt trail. The house was enclosed with a rough fence of wooden posts about five and a half feet in height. The roughly-cut wooden planks were spaced around two inches from each other and braced by horizontal wooden beams near the top and at the bottom. Reinforcing posts propped up the fence in a regular manner. The one-story house was relatively large though larger runic inscriptions again showed up on the walls. He could see a horseshoe nailed above the main entrance.
The Gothi stepped out of the house and sat beside him. Both remained silent for a while, taking in the fresh air and the feeling of a full stomach.
“How long was I out?” asked Tyler.
“Around two days. Eric brought you in late evening and you were asleep the whole day yesterday.”
“Eric seems to be well-off for a hunter, considering the size of this house.”
“He has good skills and luckier in his hunts than most. A good man, simple and smart in his own way. Also fortunate to have Helga as his wife. A practical woman with healer skills. A good match for a hunter.”
“From what I can see, there appears to be a serious dependence on magic in this world. The house is peppered with runic symbols. Is that normal?”
“This is Adar. With deadly magical creatures around, the use of magic evens the odds for humans and other mortal inhabitants. You need to learn about Adar’s magic if you want to survive. If only to know what to watch out for. Fortunately, almost all humans and non-humans born in this world have some degree of magical affinity. Those with the least affinity would have enough for basic or simple spells, even without formal training. Magical effects are channeled through runes and similar devices. The existence of magical affinity means the ability for the active and direct use of such runes or at the very least, the ability to charge such runes. If one knows how.”
“Eric’s house is more magically protected than most, being outside of town and near the forest,” continued the Gothi, “Town houses are not as decorated. The protect
ion is against malevolent beings and creatures for the most part. Some runes invoke blessings from the gods.”
The Accidental Archmage: Book One - Ragnarok Rising (MOBI EDITION) Page 5
