The Accidental Archmage, Edmund Batara [read after TXT] 📗

cell phone

and tablet, arranging them on the table. Both were damaged beyond recovery, they

wouldn’t even turn on.

With a sigh, he went back to his bed, the strange encounter weighing on his mind. It

was now dark outside as the fading rays of the sun had already gone. He realized he

forgot to ask for a candle or some sort of lamp. Lying down and covering himself with

the blanket, he thought about what happened.

First off, the being couldn’t be evil, if the Gothi’s remarks about the runes surrounding

the house were true. That’s a bit reassuring, thought Tyler. She also mentioned

something about the gods but didn’t include herself among them, so she must be some

sort of spirit. Probably of the nature kind, as she mentioned saving him. So that must

be the lake and its surrounding forest. It also explained his feeling of being watched

and the eerie quiet. But belonging to her? Nope, not going to happen. It was even a

lousy first date.

Tyler doubted her possessive statement. Otherwise, she wouldn’t assume about Tyler

bound to a god. He really hoped it wasn’t any sort of a dominatrix statement. That

worried him. If it was and it led to relations of the fleshy kind, then the supernatural

aspect of it was disturbing. He was not into that hentai and manga tentacled physical

relationships nor was he into BSDM. He could be as kinky as the next regular guy, but

the unknown paranormal aspects, if it did lead to such a relationship, frightened him.

But then again, he could be overthinking it. But hey, his ego could use the boost of a

gorgeous and sexy female, if that was what she was, being sexually interested in him.

His love life and sexual record back on Earth weren't exactly stellar. Actually, it was

already close to being celibate.

He admitted that she was right about gods and their games. But that suspicion should

include her. She clearly had plans for him. That was again disquieting. The idea of

being a pawn didn’t sit well in his mind. But the medallion may prove to have

drawbacks of its own. Its magical aura may lead to the assumption that he was Odin’s servant. It may result in aggressive actions against him by enemies of Odin’s pantheon.

Adversaries which include frost giants, the fire giant Surtr, and other powerful beings, if his memory serves him right. He had better try to remember what he can about Nordic

mythology from what he had read and his RPG gaming experiences. He was but a

casual gamer but some games did feature the Nordic gods.

The Gothi, on the other hand, was clearly withholding some knowledge from him. He

couldn’t blame the guy as he even gave a heads up before discussing Adar with Tyler.

The “thrall” accusation did put him on guard. If true, then the Gothi must be furthering

his god’s plans. It was obvious that the benefactor the Gothi referred to was Odin,

though the Gothi didn’t try to hide that fact. He did go to some lengths to leave hints

leading to that bit of information, probably within whatever limitations imposed on him.

The ravens merely reinforced his conclusions about the Gothi.

Tyler decided to be a lot more careful. He didn’t want to play any game the gods have

set into motion. People die or meet worse fates than death in those divine diversions.

But then again, the being mentioned she saved Tyler. Would that mean his presence

here was pure chance? If any god, probably Odin in his instance, influenced his arrival

in this world, wouldn’t his arrival be less traumatic? The Gothi’s presence was because

he was called by Eric, the hunter. Does that mean he didn’t know that Tyler passed

through a portal?

With those restless and perturbing thoughts running through his mind, Tyler tried to go

to sleep. As expected, it was a fitful night.

He woke up to the door being opened and a loud “good morning!” from the Gothi. The

Gothi was wearing the same attire though he was now carrying a pouch. As he entered

the room, he pointed to the clothes on the chair.

“May I?”

“Good morning, Ivar. Yes, just put the clothes on the table.”

As the Gothi placed the clothes on the table, he noticed the gadgets.

“Oh, you brought them out. I am really curious about these things. What is this?” asked

the Gothi, picking up the cell phone and showing it to Tyler who was trying to sit up on

the bed.

“That’s a cell phone. A wireless telephone. Enables communication between people

separated by long distances. But it’s busted. The electronics must have been totally

damaged by the water.”

“Wireless communication? Like a miniaturized radio? How far can it reach?”

“The principle is the same but that device also has a lot of other functions. On range, it

is global. As long as compatible transmitters are present and one is willing to pay for

the charges.”

“How about this?” asked the Gothi again, picking up the tablet.

“That’s a tablet. Also electronic in nature. Same as the cell phone, damaged beyond

repair. It also has many functions. It can serve as one’s personal library, a scheduler,

among other things.”

“Can you explain further?” asked the Gothi who took the chair, the devices still held in

both hands.

Tyler explained. He even opened the cell phone and tried to describe its internal

functions. The Gothi was intensely curious and bombarded him with a lot of questions.

The discussion for which led to a description of the internet as well as the history of the development of the cell phone including related devices. The conversation even got

sidetracked to modern modes of transportation. The explanation about the internet led

to a discussion of video games in general as well as their content.

But the Gothi was clearly excited about the use of the internet as a global library of

knowledge. Despite Tyler’s warnings about the internet’s vulnerabilities, the Gothi

remained highly impressed. On the technical side, the abilities of modern day

computers fascinated him.

“It really is a changed world,” marveled the Gothi.

“Maybe,” replied Tyler, “but humans still remain the same in general. Power, greed,

wars, and our failings still exist and I don’t think they have changed a lot since your

time.”

“Well, the human characteristics you have described go back to the