Evil Sorcerer System 10 (Patreon)

When we returned the following morning, the hamlet I had come to call home was already occupied by several low-ranking members of the Order of the Golden Sword.

"Who are they?" I whispered to Aia.

"The young ones are acolytes, the old ones are penitents. Some are hoping to impress the Order of the Golden Sword enough to become squires. Others are paying the temple back for minor crimes," Aia explained.

I grimaced. It was such a tiny hamlet, and yet six people associated with the Order of the Golden Sword were already at our house. This would make slipping away look suspicious. We'd have to be careful not to draw attention when we left, which meant abandoning our camping gear.

I could wander the wilderness with nothing but my cloak. Aia would probably be alright too. But Jandon was young, and several weeks sleeping under the stars might be too much for the boy.

We'd have to go on a hunting trip or two and stash supplies in the woods to pick up later. Otherwise, I'd have to buy all the camping gear with points, which could get expensive.

Aia and I had just finished preparing when our plans were thrown into disarray again. A rider came to town.

"Rejoice, villagers! The Order of the Golden Sword will be using your village as a base of operations while scouring the countryside for the surviving evil sorcerers. All those who volunteer their homes and barns to garrison men and livestock will be well compensated, either in this life or the next."

The rider galloped through town, shouting his proclamation. He came to a stop near Aia and me.

"You two, are you the couple that owns the fine house behind you? It appears to be the nicest in the village. Please make arrangements for staying elsewhere for a while. The Knight Commander will be commandeering your home as his temporary headquarters."

"He's not staying in Lamford?" I asked.

The rider chuckled. "Lamford's a ruin. Knight Commander Rufus was victorious, of course, but the foul sorcerers caused a lot of damage during the fighting, and some of them slipped away. This village makes a good central location to scour the entire region without distracting the knights with the sight of maimed or newly impoverished townsfolk."

"How long will the Knight Commander be occupying our house?" Aia asked.

The rider shrugged. "Weeks, months? He'll be done when he declares the job is finished. I suggest collecting your important belongings immediately. Anything left inside when he arrives will be off-limits for as long as he holds the place."

Before we could ask any further questions, the rider dug his heels into his horse's flank and sped off to continue proclaiming the news to the rest of the hamlet.

Just like that, our home was no longer ours. Clearly, I'd splurged a bit too much on making it nice.

Aia and I rushed inside. Now that we had an excuse to gather our things, we weren't shy about taking blankets. Unfortunately, much of my old travel gear had likely been lost when I couldn't get back to my room at the inn in Lamford, but Aia had enough for us to get by.

"Our story is that we're going to live with my family in the next town over," I whispered to Aia. She nodded while the two of us looked for Jandon. He wasn't at home, which meant he had to be out playing with the other children.

After asking a few of the hamlet's grandmothers, we finally found him.

"Jandon, there you are! You had me worried. Did you get enough to eat last night?" Aia asked.

Jandon nodded, casting a nervous and guilty glance my way. The kid probably still felt bad about secretly reading my book. I'd have to talk to him about it later, especially now that things were out in the open with his mother.

But that could wait. I gave Jandon a hard look.

"We need to leave, Jandon. The Order of the Golden Sword is taking our house. We've already packed. It's time to go."

"Now?" Jandon asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, now. Come." Aia waved.

"I need to get my books first," Jandon said.

"They'll be too heavy to travel with where we're going. I'll get you new ones," I said.

"Jandon! Get back here! This is important!" Aia shouted. But it was too late. Jandon was already running off.

Aia and I exchanged a look.

"This really isn't the time for a rebellious phase," I muttered.

Aia shook her head. "He's normally well-behaved. I don't know what's gotten into him."

We followed Jandon home only to find the door flung wide open. Jandon was prying at some of the wooden boards by the side of the house near the fireplace. He was clawing through mud and straw, making a mess of things as he tore his way into the wall.

"Jandon! What do you think you're doing? The Knight Commander will be here any minute. This house isn't ours anymore, and he might be furious if we leave a mess." Aia glared at her son, who ignored her.

I stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jandon, listen to your mother. She cares about you."

But Jandon shook his head. I frowned. His face was deathly pale, absolute terror written across it.

"No, no, no... you don't understand... it has to be here..." Jandon muttered as he continued to dig.

Behind us, I heard heavy footsteps. Far too heavy to be Aia's. A moment later came the dull ring of a sword being pulled from its scabbard, proof enough that it wasn't Aia behind me.

"Looking for this, Sorcerer?" asked the Knight Commander, who loomed behind me.

In his hands, he held the burned remains of my Grimoire of Soul Refinement. The edges were blackened and the old leather cover was barely intact, but there was just enough of the book left to make out what it was.

"No..." Jandon's terrified face went even paler.

The next moment, the Knight Commander thrust his sword at my back.

Crouched as I was behind Jandon, there was only one way I could avoid the incoming lethal blow. I teleported. The jump was short, taking me only as far as the bedroom, but the moment I landed I turned invisible while scrambling to think of a way to rescue Jandon and Aia.

"You were right, Archcleric Maldon. We've found one of the sorcerers right where you said they'd be," said Knight Commander Rufus.

"Maldon, please! Just... let Jandon go. He's your son. I'll burn in his place." Aia fell to her knees between Jandon and the Knight Commander's sword.

Archcleric Maldon shook his head sadly. "You were an adorable girl, Aia. I hoped a few years in this quiet hamlet would give you time to purify your soul with prayer, but now I see you were always too far gone."

"If the boy is truly your bastard, there may be something we can do. But it could cost you your career in the temple," Knight Commander Rufus said, pausing his blade a moment as he glanced between the terrified Aia, Jandon, and Archcleric Maldon.

But the Archcleric shook his head. "Those were merely rumors. I see no son of mine here. We will take them both to Lamford and burn them at the stake. That should sate some of the townsfolk's bloodlust."

Archcleric Maldon turned his back, leaving Aia and Jandon to their fates.

"So be it. Bind the two, and we'll drag them back to Lamford behind the horses. And search the area for the male sorcerer," said Knight Commander Rufus.

Peeking out of the bedroom, I curled my hands into fists at my sides.

I'd been prepared to set aside my magic and my System and live a quiet life with Aia and Jandon. And now these bastards had ruined it. They would pay for this mistake.

I scanned my System shop for something useful. There were so many items for sale that finding the right ones on short notice would be difficult. Thankfully, the short list I'd compiled in recent days included items that would be useful for something like this.

Purchased Greater Teleportation Token. -2,000 evil points.

Purchased Scroll of Demonic Wildfire. -2,000 evil points.

The scroll activated with a tear. Heads turned in my direction, but they were soon distracted as flames spread with supernatural speed. Little cackling imps made of flame scattered in all directions. Our home was engulfed in seconds.

"The sorcerer is still nearby! Find him!" yelled the Knight Commander.

I rushed over to Jandon and Aia and grabbed them both before activating the token. In a moment we were gone.

The token took us outside the village, but I still recognized the area as about fifteen minutes' walk from our house. I cast Minor Teleport three more times, carrying us a bit further.

"We need to get far enough that the knights can't find us. Hurry!"

"I'm sorry, Mister Alden..." Jandon said, tears in his eyes.

"We'll talk later. Move."

Jandon nodded. His mother grabbed his arm. Meanwhile, I focused on something else.

"Sir Arthic, to me."

My Skeletal Knight came lumbering toward me, and I gave it my orders.

"You will lay a false trail and lead the knights away from us. When they find you, you will fight as long as you can to buy us time to escape. Go."

I waved, and the Skeletal Knight departed. Aia and Jandon watched it warily over their shoulders.

When I caught up to them, I saw where Aia was going.

"Isn't this toward Lamford?" I asked.

"It's the last place the knights would expect. And with other sorcerers and undead still loose in the area after the battle, any magic you use will be lost among theirs. You'll be able to use your spells far more freely than anywhere else," Aia explained.

I grimaced. "Alright. But I can't fight all those knights on my own."

Behind me, Sir Arthic died. I wasn't sure how much time it bought us, but I hoped it hadn't gone down easily. Either way, it meant the Order of the Golden Sword was hot on our trail.

It seemed my preparations weren't enough. If I'd been fleeing alone, maybe the Greater Teleportation Token would have taken me far enough, but spread between three of us, the jump had fallen short.

Purchased Greater Teleportation Token. -2,000 evil points.

I fingered the token a moment. I could use it and get myself out of danger. Maybe I could tell myself I'd rescue Aia and Jandon later, before their executions. Or maybe I'd flee for my life, never to see them again.

Fuck that. There were times when a man had to do or die. To rage against the abyss, nails dug in, fighting to the last drop of blood. That time was now.

"Both of you keep moving. I'm going to hold them off." I shoved the Greater Teleportation Token into Aia's hands.

"What's this?" Aia asked.

"Keep running. If you hear them coming, hold Jandon tight and break this token. It will take you away. Hopefully far enough to lose whoever's tailing you." I brushed my lips against Aia's, giving her one last kiss before pushing her and Jandon onward.

"Mister Alden..." Jandon said.

"Take care of your mother for me, Jandon." I turned without looking back and conjured a Fireball into my hands.

***

My objective was to buy as much time as I could. In the few minutes I had to prepare, I decided to become an ambush predator. Outnumbered as I was, it was my best shot at slowing them down.

I still had just over 1,400 points to work with, so I spent them well. Aia had shown me more than one type of trap during our hunting days, and raw materials from the System were cheap enough. To me, men and horses were nothing more than another kind of prey.

Purchased Tripwire Rope. -150 evil points. 

Purchased Caltrops. -100 evil points. 

Purchased Spike Trap Set. -200 evil points. 

Purchased Deadfall Trap Set. -200 evil points.

I threw down the caltrops first, little spikes big enough to stab through a boot or bring down a horse. The tripwire also let me block off a few paths. The spike trap was easy enough as well. But the deadfall trap gave me some trouble. I just didn't have enough time to dig a proper hole. What I ended up making might cost someone a leg, but not their life.

The first scout came straight for my tripwire. He'd been riding hard, searching the area for any sign of us. His mount never noticed the wire I'd strung between two trees, and when it hit at full speed, the animal's legs snapped like dry twigs.

The rider was hurled from his horse and slammed into the ground while the animal died on a set of spikes. I'd been hoping the spikes would kill the rider too, but he'd been lucky enough to land clear of them. And unlucky enough to land right at my feet.

"Ugh... ow, what in the abyss?" the rider groaned as he stood up. Then he blinked as he saw me. Soon after, he was screaming as I cast Fireball point-blank at his face. His hair burst into flame, and he rolled on the ground, bellowing at the top of his lungs. Meanwhile, I faded back into invisibility.

His screams had been like a siren, alerting every rider searching for the three of us. Three more came for my position. A horse stumbled into one of my deadfall traps. It was stuck fast, and its rider abandoned it, searching the area with wary eyes. Another rider lost his mount to my caltrops, and a third took a Dark Bolt right through the eye when he strayed too close without seeing me. Unfortunately, that revealed my position to the others, even through my invisibility.

"The mana scanner says he's right there. Get him!" one shouted.

I glanced at the dead man on the ground and clenched a fist.

"Rise, Skeletal Knight, and serve your new master."

The one-eyed knight's corpse twitched, much to the horror of his surviving comrades. The Skeletal Knight climbed to its feet, took up its sword, and swung. A nearby knight barely managed to deflect the blow in time. Unfortunately, that left him open to another Dark Bolt from me.

Another spell and he was on his knees, letting my Skeletal Knight run him through. The undead's powerful thrust pierced a weak spot in the knight's chainmail at the throat, and the man died coughing up his own blood.

"Rise, Skeletal Knight!" I said hastily, pouring yet more mana into the spell.

The third rider was surrounded now, and he turned to run. That was a big mistake. I conjured another Fireball and hurled it at his back. His tunic caught fire, and his screams of terror soon turned to wails of pain. I cast Soul Absorption to put him out of his misery.

"Rise, Skeletal Knight! Rise, Skeletal Knight!" I cast the spell twice more, and two more undead knights picked themselves up off the ground.

A small horde like the one I'd just assembled should be cause for celebration. But my mana reserves were already running low. If I hadn't cast Soul Absorption, I wouldn't have had the power to cast those last two Skeletal Knight summons, and I was still practically empty.

The next ambush didn't go so smoothly. Another scout fell to my tripwire, but the friend close behind him spotted me and my Skeletal Knights tearing the scout apart, and turned to flee.

"Forgive me, Sir Gottard! I will avenge you!" The fleeing scout turned his horse and took off back the way he'd come.

His escape was unfortunate, because it meant the enemy now knew exactly where I was and would approach in force this time.

But it wasn't without its merits. When the knights came this time, they did so cautiously. Now that they weren't free to gallop through the woods, Aia and Jandon had to be gaining considerable distance.

It would have to be enough, because the one who arrived with the main group was no mere scout, squire, or junior knight. It was Knight Commander Rufus himself. And behind him on horseback was Archcleric Maldon.

The Knight Commander drew his sword. He pointed it right at me, even though I was invisible.

"You must be the leader of the sorcerers who attacked Lamford. It isn't every day we get to kill a master sorcerer. Men, prepare for battle! Archcleric, back us up."

<Note>

Total points: 760