Blood Wars

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  Pikers. Probably it’s an ability at the bottom of their list.

  “It does, X. I’ve got Odin, Zeus, Viracocha, and even Dionysus keeping track of me. Now I’ve got these mysterious and definitely foul beings too. But their use of the Elder language does give them away. Please run through all your routines, sub-routines, and protocols. Check if there’s something which lays down a trail for beings who can trace it.”

  “Right away, Elder. Though the presence of beings who appear to be Lost Ones is dangerously alarming. We will also focus on what knowledge we have on these creatures.”

  “Creatures? Your distaste is showing, Hal. I daresay you’re becoming more human. They also did say something about the patrons of the Aztecah being upstarts and Followers of the Vaults of Zin.”

  “It appears the Elders committed a grievous error in assuming the termination of some of the cults of the Lost Ones. The Followers of the Vaults of Zin were recorded as being wiped out during the Third Elder War back on Earth. These dark elders believed that a vast store of esoteric lore and artifacts could be found in the Vaults. And for your visitors to call them upstarts, that could only mean they belong to one of the major dark Elder sects,” X commented.

  “I don’t know why I am ambivalent about this dark Elder situation right now unless you pumped me with something for my nerves. Normally, my shock and apprehension would have driven my temper through the roof. But given the facts, I believe it’s safe to assume that there are other crazies out there. I do wish there are also remnants of the other major cults.”

  “We did give you some medication to lower your stress levels, Elder. It was already too high and we doubted if you would be able to get some much-needed sleep. But why would you wish for survivors of more of these dark sects?”

  “Put it this way, X. We can’t fight them yet on an equal footing. The most we could do is try to increase our level of knowledge and pick up scraps of lore along the way. These dark ones seem to be moving along with their plans. The best counter to them, for the time being, would be other dark ones. They have different and apparently incompatible purposes. I say let them claw each other’s eyes and throats out. Hopefully, the survivor will be weakened at the end of their many-sided brawl. With their attention on each other, they’ll let an ordinary mortal mage alone. Hopefully.”

  Having given instructions, he tried to go back to sleep. But the disturbing dream kept the young mage awake. It revealed to him the presence of more players in the power games of Adar. If those worrying and abhorrent beings in that gray wasteland are of a different clique, do more exist? In hiding, gathering their strength, and furthering their nefarious machinations? How about the Hidden Ones? Thankfully, he has not met one. They sounded like bad news. Awful news. With unknown abilities and powers. And what about him? Still limited in knowledge, lore, and capabilities. Then a thought came to him.

  “Do you know if there are any negative effects on my body as a result of the stunt I pulled?”

  “We already have examined it, Elder. No effect on your bone structure. It’s devoid of ambient energy anyway. However, we detected damage to your muscular systems. It is minimal and we have healed the injuries. Your present musculature and organ systems have not evolved to a level capable of handling immense levels of energy. This condition had arisen because of the unequal development of your various abilities. We do recommend avoiding similar situations in the future. Damage could either be massive or incremental but still detrimental to your body and mental health,” explained X.

  Aw, shit. Another “magical exhaustion” limitation.

  “Got it. An Olympic marathon is not for an ordinary high school runner.”

  “The ‘Olympic’ reference eludes us, Elder. It does not seem to deal with Greek mythology in this world. Deities don’t do marathons. But the analogy finds application.”

  “To summarize, what you’re saying is no damage so far, but no telling what will happen in the future if I keep on using the ability.”

  “A succinct summation.” That was Hal.

  “Anything on the corruption examination?” he asked.

  “Still under analysis, Elder.”

  “You know, I was handed a copy of the fast travel scroll used by those mysterious patrons of Ares. I forgot to get you to examine it. Too many things happening at once, I guess,” said Tyler.

  “You have to open and look at it, Elder,” said X.

  Half-asleep, Tyler searched his inner pockets for the parchment. Finding it, he merely opened it and looked at it. It was full of unfamiliar symbols, though he could see some of the now familiar, though incomprehensible, squiggly lines mixed among the sigils. After a second or two, X informed him that they have recorded it and will start to examine it.

  “Thanks. But a change in instructions. Inform me immediately about significant matters without waiting for me to ask for updates. Unless I am in the middle of fending off threats to life and limb. On another subject, can you help me sleep? That damned dream scrambled my ability to do so.”

  With that, Tyler drifted off to sleep. A seamless and peaceful one. Until a banging outside his room woke him up.

  “Wake up, Mr. Mage. Time to meet your surprise!”

  Viracocha, his fogged mind told him. He really had to get out of this place. His Wilan persona was gaining the upper hand again. And It’s an irritating one sometimes.

  “Coming,” he replied.

  Woken up early by the Wilan alarm, a freaking bad dream or should it now be called a visitation? Being tracked by yet another group. Handsome ones, this time. Shit. Which also reminds me. Echidna and company have been quiet lately. That’s worrying.

  After the morning’s ablution, he went out of his room to find his companions already eating.

  “How do you feel, Astrid?” he asked the Valkyrie as he sat down.

  “Good as new, sire. It would take more than a cackling witch to take me down.”

  “Like this?” asked Tyndur, followed by an imitation of the dead Aztecah’s gabble of a laugh.

  At that, everybody broke into laughter, even Viracocha.

  “I suppose Asem has briefed you already on what to expect.“

  Muffled sounds of assent came from faces busy with the food. Viracocha was quiet.

  “Though it is my wish you let me handle them first, sire,” said the priestess.

  “Why is that, Asem?” Tyler eschewed the “Lady” part. He had already talked to the priestess using her name and the title would be a bother in the heat of fighting. Asem, for her part, apparently didn’t mind.

  “I guess they’re all undead. Unless their transformed mages have learned to breathe underground. I have looked over the battlefield this morning and no indication of a living soul could be seen. My religious order makes disposition of the undead as a tenet of our belief.”

  “And I don’t get to see action as the head priestess,” she sheepishly added. “Even our novitiates and acolytes get to see some fighting. I don’t get to be on the field anymore since I became the head of our order.”

  “Undead transformed mages. That’s a sight you don’t see every day,” commented Tyndur.

  “As long as they don’t laugh like that witch,” added Astrid. A comment which set off another bout of laughter. Tyler caught Viracocha looking on with a smile.

  “Let me interrupt. An Incan force is a few miles away. A military reaction to the attack on the sanctuary. They will be passing through the field outside the ruins as that provides the fastest route. They total around five thousand men and some mages. You have the option to let them handle it or clear the area for them. Your choice.”

  “We’ll clear it, Wilan. Those soldiers don’t need the exercise. We do,” replied Tyler. “You can be in front, Asem. We’ll all serve as your backup.”

  “By Odin’s eyepatch! I thought I’ll get to see myself against one of those travesties. Quite rare up north, you see. They keep to tombs and the like,” declared the einherjar.

  “Tell you wha
t, Tyndur. If any gets past Asem’s morning exercise and reaches fifteen feet or less of her position, feel free to bash its head.”

  “Thank you, sire! And also to you, Lady Asem.”

  “Asem will do, Tyndur. Rank or titles don’t matter among comrades,” replied the priestess. Despite what the priestess said, Tyndur gave a quick bow. Astrid was suppressing a smile.

  “Now, I have to take my leave,” said Viracocha. “I will see you when the battle is over. The entrance will be open and will close once you depart. The temple now knows all of you. If you are in the company of the mage, it will accept your presence.”

  “I thought the magical field here is distorted. How can that work without you around?” Tyler mentally asked the deity.

  “The entry barrier is not an energy field. It is an organic life form found in this world. Though trained and helped along its evolutionary path by a certain handsome Incan deity. Its unbelievable innate resistance to magic attacks does help,” came the reply.

  “We walked through the insides of a living being?” exclaimed the surprised and slightly disgusted Tyler.

  “You didn’t ask,” came the smug reply. “Though if you were hostile, my pet would have found its afternoon treats.”

  “Uuggh. Next time do tell me at least.”

  A guffaw answered him.

  “See you, Wilan. And thanks,” said the Valkyrie. Similar sentiments were mentioned by the others.

  After the guide left, Tyler looked at his companions. He realized they needed a distance fighter like Habrok. His bow had served well. The mage thought he’d better look into it. Astrid’s javelins and throwing axes serve a medium range requirement. But distances of one hundred feet and beyond call for expertise with a bow.

  The mage stood up and addressed the group.

  “Well, ladies and gentleman? Ready to play in that welcoming field out there? The sun is up and we’ll have an excellent view of Asem’s practice. Get your gear and everything you need. Once we leave, the next stop is the deity Viracocha’s temple.”

  The group left the temple with Asem in the lead, Tyler immediately behind her, the einherjar on the left and the Valkyrie on the right. A brace of energy shields protected the front, five feet in front of the priestess. Side barriers defended against surprise attacks from man or beast. They reached the broken bridge without incident.

  Shit. Forgot the bridge was out. Despite himself, he started to laugh. The others looked at him.

  “I forgot the bridge was out,” he explained as his laughter continued. The others, after the initial surprise, joined in.

  “Sorry about that,” a voice sounded from the back. They turned and saw Wilan with an embarrassed expression on his face. “Must be old age. There. It’s fixed.” The old turned and walked away.

  The four turned and the bridge was there. They didn’t hear anything as their heads were looking at the old man. Tyler looked back to find Viracocha. He was already gone from sight.

  That was quick. Though the persona issue is getting out of hand. He needs some distance from this place. A lot of distance.

  “Well, let’s cross the bridge. Those on the other side don’t have an excuse anymore to avoid fighting us.”

  The group laughed. As one, they walked forward to the bridge.

  “I like that old man’s work,” said Tyndur as they nearly reached the other side. “Solid, pieces fit perfectly, and clean. Looked freshly scrubbed.”

  Tyler felt it as soon as his feet were on the ground right after leaving the bridge. A shudder, reeking of death and filth, involuntarily shot through his body. The earth felt unclean and violated. Asem kept on walking forward until she reached a distance of ten feet from the crossing.

  “Did you feel that?” she asked without turning her head. “A field of impurity. A travesty of life and the natural order of the world.”

  Tyndur grunted an assent. Astrid mentioned it made her want to take several baths.

  “What do we do now?” asked Tyler. “You want me to lower the barriers in front of us?”

  “Up to waist level, sire. We all need to have free hands to handle these abominations. They’re waiting to see if we move further into their trap. Not that we’re going to accommodate them.”

  Tyler lowered the frontal shield as she asked but retained the barriers on their sides.

  After several seconds of standing where they were, the field started to erupt in numerous small but violent upheavals of soil. To Tyler, it was like watching a huge lawn being ransacked by giant hyperactive groundhogs. Though he preferred the Native American name for the small animal – monax. It sounded less mundane, he idly thought. Now in the middle of a battle, all his fears and apprehensions were gone.

  The nearest uncovered creature was fifty feet away. It was a monster of a puma. Black, jagged fangs, very long incisors jutting outside its rotting mouth, hellish red eyes, and a carcass for a body. Its ribcage could be seen, partially hidden beneath the decomposing flesh. The smell of decaying meat filled the air with its nauseating aroma.

  Those freaking sons of bitches. They animated the mages after asking them to transform while dying, noted Tyler.

  “I don’t think a bath will do them any good. And the smell. Worse than Thor’s farts,” exclaimed Tyndur.

  Other creatures were emerging from their hiding places. About ten to twelve were caricatures of beasts. The mage was concerned about two monsters who turned out to be giant black ravens. Dead, decomposing body and tattered wings. But with a four-foot wingspan and a bizarre fanged beak, the animated creatures could prove to be deadly threats. Further back were undead warriors rising from the ground, armed with their weapons.

  “Asem. I’ll handle the birds. Tyndur, Astrid, guard her,” Tyler instructed. He immediately detonated fireballs at the birds’ feet, trying to catch them before they could fly. A blizzard of large blades followed. The blasts found the birds and threw them off-balance and the magical fiery knives buried themselves in dead flesh and exploded.

  “Can I have the giant cat?” asked Tyndur.

  “Hey!” said Astrid. “Me, too.”

  “Both of you can practice with it. Don’t be wounded or even scratched. We don’t know if their condition is contagious,” replied Tyler.

  In the meantime, the priestess had cast an area purifying spell. She apparently heard the exchange as the enchantment affected the field beyond the enormous puma. A golden glow covered part of the battlefield. Undead warriors and creatures caught inside the radiance fell to the ground like puppets whose strings have been cut. But three of the revenant beasts, excluding the two birds and the puma, had escaped the spell and came bounding towards the group. With the Hephaestus bracer in play, the incoming monsters looked like they were walking as they closed the distance. Even the puma appeared to be sauntering towards them, with occasional small bursts of speed as its attention went to the others. Tyler observed that their real speed must be frighteningly fast. He had already infused the artifact of the Greek god of crafting with a substantial amount of energy.

  He turned his attention back to the birds. They were still moving and trying to get back on their feet. At the back, a mass of undead warriors started advancing. The mage noticed Tyndur had walked a few steps forward, battleaxe ready. The Valkyrie had her javelins in both hands.

  Killing undead looked so easy in the movies, Tyler thought.

  “Cut off their heads,” said the priestess. “Or disintegrate them.”

  Tyler quickly thought about it.

  “Guys, need some of your reserves,” he said. The two AIs didn’t reply, but the mage felt a surge of power fill him. Even with the measured release of energy given to him, he could barely control the additional force. It threatened to overwhelm him.

  This sucks, he thought. I still can’t fully handle even a limited sudden infusion.

  “Sire? You’re glowing. Especially your eyes. I can’t even see the pupils,” said Astrid with some alarm.

  “Experiment,” he mutter
ed through gritted teeth. It was starting to hurt. He could feel the energy bursting past his bones and burrowing itself into his muscles. Shit. I have to release it and soon.

  He looked at the ravens. They were fully on their feet, patches of fire still on their bodies, but the birds were starting to flap their wings. Focusing on them, he created huge force orbs around them, stopping them from leaving them the ground. The mage then filled the spheres with as much fire as he could produce, creating a sticky inferno inside. He let the fire burn. In the meantime, Astrid and Tyndur had already walked past the barrier he had cast, intending to confront the approaching undead creature. But the mage noticed the army of revenants was a lot closer to them now.

  Fast zombies? Freaking oxymoron. But it’s a good thing Asem disposed of the other Naguals. A crowd of them hemming us in would be an exercise in desperation. For us.

  Then Tyler noticed a bright apparition above his head. Looking up, he saw a huge and radiant golden energy form in the shape of an eagle. With a piercing screech, it flew forward at speed and crashed into the middle of the undead army. As it hit, the mage could see swiftly burning undead, while others suddenly collapsed at the sheer touch of its energy. Observing the peculiar reactions of the animated warriors, he could only surmise that the ones quickly disposed of were ordinary warriors while the burning figures must have been magically augmented humans when alive. The attack of the blazing phantasm had momentarily stopped the undead army. The force with which it hit the ground had resulted in a small quake affecting the area. Revenants not neutralized by the purifying energy had tumbled to the ground and their formation was broken. From what the mage had observed before, the zombie army would try to reorganize their ranks before moving to the attack again. He did find it unusual that the creatures retained some memory of acting as an organized force instead of merely shambling along as he expected such beings to move.

  He turned his attention to his two companions now engaging the giant undead beast. Two of Astrid’s javelins protruded from its eyes, rendering it blind. At least that’s what the mage hoped. He could see Tyndur gripping the battleaxe with both hands. Astrid suddenly darted forward, the twin xiphoi flashing and cutting through the front leg of the creature. As it was brought down on that leg, Tyndur moved and quickly hacked through the other one.