Mazirian the Magician

"Mazirian the Magician" is a sword and sorcery short story by American writer Jack Vance.

[1] Mazirian the Magician paces through his enchanted garden, wrestling with the problem of how to invest the humanoid creatures he has created in vats with intelligence.

Mazirian is interrupted by a distantly spied beautiful woman, who persuades him to follow her out of the garden and into the wild country.

The eager magician follows the girl through hills and valleys, chanting numerous spells to avoid the various strange creatures he encounters.

Battered and barely alive, the woman returns to Mazirian's garden, enters his house, and releases Turjan.