“Oh, we may have a slight problem, my young mage. Ice drakes are coming.”
CHAPTER LORE:
Bergbui – Old Norse. Literally “rock-dweller.” A kind of landvaetter which likes to make its abode in mountains and rocky terrain.
Aettir – Old Norse. Meaning “families.” In Norse mythology, nature spirits, like humans, also have clans and families.
CHAPTER XVII
A Method in Madness
“Hide,” Tyler answered weakly.
The two grabbed him and opened an entrance in the nearest rock wall. The hollow was
enough for the three to move around easily. Tyler rested with his back against a wall.
After a while, he cast a healing spell on himself, gauging such a simple spell to be well
within his current limits.
“Rumpr.”
“Yes, lad?”
“How many do you think are left of Ymir’s host?
“That's a bit difficult to answer. They’re still fighting before the town walls. But I
daresay around ten to eleven thousand.”
“Still too many. The defenders’ numbers will have also been reduced by this time.”
“True. But I can say you’ve done all you could, lad.”
“Not enough. Just need time to rest for a while.”
“Ah, that little time we do have. While those ice drakes are flying around here, the horde will not move to attack the town. Ymir’s lieutenant definitely would want to make
sure no other surprises await him. Or her. Or it.”
Assuming ten thousand still remain, that’s still a lot. That’s even my initial guess on the attackers’ numbers. The siege towers are blocked so that’s one thing off my list. The
flow of the assault will be hindered by the rocky field. That another. But ten thousand…
Tyler closed his eyes, wishing for a solution to come his way.
“Who do you think is in charge of Ymir’s horde?”
“Not a giant for sure. Those creatures are all crush! crush! crush! But it’s hard to say.
With so many joining him, it may be an ice elf, a dokkalfr, or even a human.”
I can’t continue fighting from up here. The boulder tactic was a delaying move at the
best. Almost all spells I have don’t do well at the distance from here down to the Gap.
The best way to fight is down there. Preferably at the back of the column to split their
forces. But that also means I may die down there. No, dying not happening.
“Rumpr, can you ask Hrun to take a look if the drakes are still there?”
Hrun left after Rumpr talked to him. Tyler, on the other hand, was trying to remember
the deployment of the enemy horde at its rear.
Few minutes passed and Hrun came back.
“A puzzling thought,
A strange sight; where
The sound of battle, doth
Drive beast and fowl away;
My eyes beheld, wolves
Of a breed strange, birds
And drakes, of numbers aplenty;
A woman, gazing on war.”
“That’s mighty strange indeed, my stone friend,” replied the ancient landvaetter.
“Tell me. Ravens? Owls? Eagles? Hawks? White wolves?”
Hrun nodded. Rumpr scratched his beard. “Hmmm. It seems this battle bears its own
share of watchers.”
He looked at Tyler.
“And one of your girlfriends?”
He shook his head. Rumpr quietly sat for a while with eyes closed.
“She smells Greek to me. Well, with all these guests, then Hrun and I won’t look out of
place after all. So, my friend? Your plan?”
“I have to get to the back of the column and attack from there.”
Rumpr stared at him and then looked at Hrun.
“Told you this one had a death wish.”
“Well, I am hoping I won’t die if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Far from it for me to ask questions of you, lad. It’s your life anyway. You do sound
eager to throw it away. My advice? LIVE!”
“I don’t intend to die if I can help it.”
“SO! Where in the back? With these magical auras about, even Hades and Hela
combined will find it impossible to find out who’s casting what. At whom. But no direct
attacks, my lad. That would be too obvious.”
“I was thinking of the tail-end of the column. That way, only a narrow front could
attack me at the beginning. It will take time for their forces at the front to move to the
back.”
“Anything you may want us to do? Aside from bringing you there?”
“If we can find an elevated mound around fifty feet from the nearest enemy, a wide
ditch around it would be fine. I do have to talk to Jorund and Habrok. It’s their lives too if they decide to join me.”
“Elevated… I don’t think there’s such a place down there. We can lift the ground a little,
doubt if it will be noticed. About the ditch, that may be a problem, instantly appearing
like that. It’s not as if you’re a mage of the earth.”
“You can teach me, if that’s possible. I can do the job myself.”
“Nope. Wouldn’t work. Me and Hrun here are different. Our magic is what we are. No
spells, no incantations. Tell me to do air magic and I'd be stumped. It’s like that.”
Tyler thought fast.
“What if we disguise you as Habrok first. Then do your ditch work. After that, you can switch places.”
“That would be a mite difficult,” answered Rumpr as he stood up, “unlike rock and
earth, your mortal forms are beyond us, for one. A limitation on our magic.”
Tyler removed the torc from his upper arm.
“A gift from L …. somebody. Enables one to copy another’s form or attire.”
“A powerful gift indeed. You would allow me to use such an artifact?”
“Well, I trust you Rumpr. I don’t know why. But, as Hrun said, you are older than the
gods. And beyond their …. peculiarities.”
“Oh. I have my own crazy moments, lad. But if you allow me to use it, then my thanks
for your trust. It will be returned to you. If you die, then my pranks will go up a notch
in complexity,” chuckled Rumpr.
“When the world was made, born
The elementals of …”
“Hrun, I asked no more secrets please.”
Hrun replied with a grunt followed by a vibrating sound. Tyler could swear the stone
being was laughing.
A stone doorway again appeared. In a short while, the three found themselves back
with Jorund and Habrok.
Jorund spoke first.
“How do things go, Sire? Does Scarburg still stand?”
“Yes, barely,” answered Tyler as he sat down.
“But we are
