The Accidental Archmage - Book Five, Edmund Batara [best way to read ebooks txt] 📗

the ranger. “I fought draugr before and these undead act more like living warriors.”

“Well, we’ll know in a short while,” replied Tyler.

Several arrows abruptly smashed against the shield. Tyler could see figures moving among the trees on both sides of the trail. Habrok replied with a few of his own, exploding an undead head in the process.

“Even so, they can die again,” commented Kobu. “The head was always the weak point of the undead, in whatever form they take.”

“The bowmen are but the leading elements. I believe it’s a group of about fifty to sixty. The others will be in sight shortly,” advised the ranger quickly.

Tyler cast a blade spell, choosing smaller forms. He didn’t want to cut all the trees in the vicinity; it would just give the undead archers more cover. He got a few of the archers but found to his consternation that he had to guide the blades to their targets. The undead bowmen were adept in taking advantage of the cover the trees afforded them.

This is again seriously weird, he concluded. They do act like the living, as if they retained their skills and knowledge of fighting, but with the advantage of already being dead and a vulnerability limited only to their heads.

Finally, the main fighting group appeared in a shield wall formation, with antique but still deadly spears directed to the front.

“Ah, memories,” exclaimed Tyndur as his battleaxe broke out in flames.

Chapter Thirteen

Bull in a China Shop

Freyja spake:

29. “Mad art thou, Loki, | that known thou makest

The wrong and shame thou hast wrought;

The fate of all | does Frigg know well,

Though herself she says it not.”

Loki spake:

30. “Be silent, Freyja! | for fully I know thee,

Sinless thou art not thyself;

Of the gods and elves | who are gathered here,

Each one as thy lover has lain.”

Strange Undead

Tyler wasn’t worried about the approaching wall of spears; they could easily be managed in his opinion. He was more concerned about the archers. When melee combat was initiated, the party would be vulnerable to arrows – in the heat of battle, there was no telling when a companion would be out of the energy barrier’s coverage.

But they’re undead. With pointed sticks aimed at you, the thought came to mind.

“Guys. I just realized that these are undead, with spears directed at us, inanimate objects which are threats. The shield should stop them, shouldn’t it?” the mage asked his guides.

“We have considered that, sire. The repulsing field would prevent such weapons from passing through. The pikes and spears won’t break through the shield, but the undead will,” said Hal quickly.

“And why the fuck why?” came Tyler’s exasperated question.

“They are animated by the strange field we sensed. If it was enough to affect you through your multiple shields, logically, the barriers would not be an obstacle to them,” explained the guide. Tyler inwardly cursed.

“We recommend that the head be crushed, or if cut off, part of the cranium be destroyed. The energy sustaining them would probably keep them on this plane if the head is removed intact,” added X.

“And why the hell is that?”

“They are undead who regained the skills and abilities they had when still alive. We suspect it is not merely an issue of animated dead, but enthralled souls. In such sorcery, the head is usually the seat of the controlling enchantment. Their glowing eyes reveal that fact,” explained X.

A glance at sunken eyeholes blazing with a green radiance confirmed the guide’s comment. The number of bright green dots all looking at him gave him goosebumps. He shook off the feeling.

“How one was able to bypass the guardianship of the rulers of the underworlds of the pantheons is another issue, though we believe the dimensional medium used was a crucial element,” came the second part of the explanation.

“Another Lost One?” queried Tyler.

“We don’t believe so, sire. There’s no trace of Elder energy. Whoever did this knew ancient magical lore, one the pantheons have already forgotten and which is beyond their present abilities,” Hal clarified.

“We’ll worry about that once this is over. Take care of the archers. Your accuracy is way far better than mine, I’ll take care of the shield wall,” ordered the mage.

Thin beams of coruscating energy instantly shot out of the mage, bursting helmed skeletal heads watching them from the trees. Tyler let go of a chained lightning spell directed at the shield wall, and after a few seconds, followed it with an angry storm of large axe heads, thrown at exposed heads.

The guides were very effective, if one were to go by the greatly decreased number of arrows bouncing off or breaking against the shield. His spells, on the other hand, had mixed results. The lightning smashed and set afire the shields and spears of the approaching mass and burned some undead who simply brushed it off or had the fire handled by their shield-brothers. The force blade spell only netted him a few sliced or crushed skulls.

I swear they’re faster than I expected them to be. Some even evaded blades! Lessened body mass? wondered the mage.

“Hal? Leave the bowmen to X and do the approaching warriors,” Tyler told the guides. He knew he had reached his limit when faced with bobbing and weaving heads on top of moving bodies. Precise targeting would be next to impossible.

“You need to crush or slice the heads!” called out the mage to the companions.

“Damn. A waste of four arrows to every successful hit,” murmured Habrok.

He turned to the ranger.

“Don’t tell me you’re running out of shafts,” the mage told Habrok.

“No, sire. Refilled my quivers at that settlement. Packed them full too. I just don’t like wasting arrows. Four to one is a joke.”

“Keep shooting. We’ll get more arrows when we reach Hedmark.”

The formation of undead warriors suddenly opened up. Through their ranks ran a number of ax-wielding figures, each only clad in ragged wolf or bear skins.