Evil Sorcerer System 14 (Patreon)

I weighed running against staying several times over in my mind. But as my recent experiences had taught me, the only way to stay safe in this dangerous world was to make sure I was powerful enough to protect those I cared about.

Otherwise, who knew what random circumstance might lead to disaster. It was only sheer chance that we'd run into Knight Commander Rufus on the road. Only chance that led me into the arms of Aia, who knew Lamford's Archcleric. And it was only chance that led Jandon to take my book and save it from the fire, only for it to be discovered by the worst person possible.

If I sent Jandon and Aia away on their own, I was certain something terrible would happen to them, no matter how improbable it seemed. We would leave after I had turned my points into new spells and had time to improve my mana reserves by working on the second chapter of the Grimoire of Soul Refinement. The next time I ran into a hundred angry knights, beating them would be far less dangerous.

To that end, I started spending the points I already had.

Purchased Chain Lightning. -2,000 evil points.

Purchased Minor Translocation. -1,500 evil points.

Purchased Shadowstep. -2,000 evil points.

Purchased Apprentice Defensive Charm x3. -3,000 evil points.

Purchased Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potion x4. -4,000 evil points.

The three spells were meant to help me deal with swarms and to get away more easily when surrounded, for the times Minor Teleport wasn't an option.

The three charms were a bit of a gamble. I doubted they would hold up for long, but they seemed like good all-around defensive items that would protect against both hostile magic and mundane attacks. I had my Ward of Minor Deflection, but Aia and Jandon could still be taken out by a stray arrow or spell, and given my luck recently I didn't want to run that risk.

The bigger gamble was the Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potion. I remembered reading about these while going through Chapter Two of my Grimoire of Soul Refinement. They were listed as an item that could save months of laboriously enlarging my mana pool. Drinking four of them would save me the equivalent of years.

It was a bit of an extravagant purchase, but during my last battle I'd been lucky to get off so many Soul Absorption spells and replenish my mana pool. Going into a battle with ten or a hundred times more mana than I currently had would give me a lot more options.

I drank a potion that night and gave Jandon and Aia their charms. Both made me feel a little more secure.

The following morning presented me with an opportunity to earn more points.

Today's Quests:

Quest 1: Teach initiate sorcerers. (100 evil points)

Quest 2: Burn a village to the ground. (2,000 evil points)

Quest 3: Establish contact with a dark god. (10,000 evil points)

The two higher-reward quests were out of the picture, but Master Theragrim had promised me unlimited use of his apprentices, who were perfect for fulfilling this one. Three of them wouldn't get me far, but a full day of it could net me enough points for another spell or two.

Or at least, that was what I thought. When I returned to Lamford, Master Theragrim had foreseen my needs and planned accordingly.

"There you are, Master Reed. I heard you need to see my apprentices. They're right this way at the new school." The old sorcerer gestured for me to follow him. I did so and discovered the local schoolhouse was in session.

"Why are you taking me here?" I asked.

"Don't play games with me, Master Reed. I know you were disappointed I was down to a mere three apprentices." Master Theragrim stroked his beard with a knowing glint in his eyes. "Seeing as how we have control of the town, I decided to replenish their numbers. All of Lamford's impressionable youths have been gathered here to determine their suitability for the magical arts. Most of them won't be worth training, but I'll take on the best students as my next batch of apprentices. I think I'll have a dozen this time. Maybe more. Isolda and the others are serving as their teachers, but you are welcome to take over if you like."

I opened the door to find the room beyond filled with nearly a hundred children, ranging from barely old enough to sit still to nearly grown. They were filthy, sitting cross-legged on the bare floor, as there were no desks or chairs. At the front of the class I saw Isolda and Master Theragrim's other apprentices walking the students through the basics of how letters made sounds. They were teaching the children how to read.

I glanced at Master Theragrim out of the corner of my eye. If he didn't have that big beard, I was certain I'd see a knowing smirk on his face. From the way he acted, he'd figured something out. I must have been seen through somehow. Master Theragrim knew that I was getting something out of teaching his students, and that the more of them there were to teach, the better off I was.

That was mildly concerning, but in the end I realized it didn't matter. Master Theragrim hadn't said anything that suggested having a System was common for sorcerers, and I doubted he'd guess at exactly how mine worked. The two of us would part ways long before he found a way to turn this knowledge to his advantage.

I wasn't about to let a golden opportunity like this pass, but at the same time I wasn't cruel enough to fill young minds with forbidden knowledge that they might struggle to keep secret when the Order of the Golden Sword returned in force.

"I'll be taking over your lesson for the day. I don't wish to teach unwilling students. If you are not prepared for that, you may leave now and I promise no harm will befall you. If you have no interest in learning secrets of the world that goddesses and knights would forbid you, then go now and attend a traditional lesson on how to read and write with Isolda."

I eyed the crowd of young people. "But if you are interested in magic, then stay with me and listen well to what I am about to teach. Learn from me, and someday you might be able to do something like this."

I snapped my fingers, conjuring a crackling pulse of lightning with Chain Lightning. Even Isolda and the other apprentices stepped back in surprise, since it was a spell a cut above what I'd shown any of them before.

The students muttered among themselves, and I gave them time to decide. Ultimately, about half of them chose to leave or attend a traditional lesson in literacy from Isolda and the other apprentices. I had thought it would be more, considering Master Theragrim had rounded these kids up under threat of punishment.

I doubted unwilling students would even qualify as initiate sorcerers. Leaving them in the packed room would only distract those who really would learn and generate points for me.

The remaining students were at least willing, and they sat with far more focused attention than the full crowd that had been there before. I counted them up and realized I had forty-six students. This would be the greatest haul of points I'd ever had.

Quests Completed! +13,800 evil points.

By lunchtime, I had restored all the points I'd spent and then some. By dinnertime, I'd done it twice more. I'd hoped to keep going until midnight, when my quests reset, but these were youths away from their families. Few of them could stay that late in my classroom after dark without alarming their parents. After dinner, I only had a few remaining, and even then only because I had Isolda bring food for everyone.

Quests Completed! +37,600 evil points.

Just like that, I had more than enough to fund our journey out of the kingdom in gold and still have points and spells to spare. I could even keep chugging those Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potions, blast through the second chapter of the Grimoire of Soul Refinement, and push into the third.

I went home completely satisfied. I finished the Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potions I'd purchased and bought ten more.

Purchased Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potion x10. -10,000 evil points.

Chugging these down so frequently was wasteful and extravagant, and I'd be getting half their full effect this way. According to the Grimoire of Soul Refinement, a user was supposed to prepare their reservoir as much as possible to make the most of the influx of power each potion provided.

Despite that, it was still possible to chug one daily. Time was of the essence, and points were flowing freely, so I decided to accept the inefficiency.

Originally, I'd planned to leave with Aia and Jandon after just one good haul of points, and this certainly qualified. But now that I'd had a taste of such riches, I felt compelled to stay a little longer.

As long as I could roll the teaching quest once more, I might very well be set for life as far as points went. When the three of us left this kingdom, I'd be able to buy enough disguises stuffed with gold to set ourselves up as nobles wherever we wound up.

With some of my other points, I decided to experiment, buying something I'd found while looking for more items like the Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potion.

Purchased Physical Enhancement Potion x5. -5,000 evil points.

These potions were twins to the mana version, but they worked on my body instead. As a spellcaster, my body was usually of secondary concern. But the last few fights I'd been in had left me exhausted, barely able to think clearly. Chugging down some magical steroids would go a long way toward correcting what remained of the malnutrition and abuse this body had suffered, whether during my early days here or under its previous owner.

The first potion had me feeling like I'd just doubled all the gains I'd made from months of healthy living with Aia and Jandon. Unfortunately, the others would have a diminishing effect, just like the Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potions. But that was when I realized I didn't have to drink them alone.

"I want both of you to have one of these," I said to Aia and Jandon at dinner that night. I pushed a potion toward each of them.

"What is it?" Jandon asked. Aia was already pressing hers to her lips.

"It's a potion meant to physically enhance your body. I don't know if there are any side effects, but I do know it will make you stronger. I've already taken one and feel great. Given the dangers we might face on our upcoming journey, I think it's worth the risk," I explained.

"I trust you," Aia said as she placed the now-empty vial on the table.

Jandon uncorked his vial, followed his mother's example, and drank it down in a few big gulps. He curled his lips at the taste, but choked it down anyway.

Both looked at me as though they expected me to wave my hands and chant some magic words, but I merely laughed and went on with dinner.

For Aia, I could tell the potion kicked in later that night. She was far more energetic than usual, and if we'd been sharing a proper bed instead of a hidden nook in the catacombs, we'd surely have broken it.

At breakfast the next morning we talked about our departure again, and Aia and Jandon reaffirmed their decision not to leave without me.

I ended up wandering the graveyard at dawn, disappointed I hadn't rolled the teaching quest again, but still determined to make use of the day. As I walked among the graves, I noticed the placard above the ancient mausoleum we'd been staying in.

Within rests the body of Paladin Gavin Haveron, Warrior of Light and Defender of the Righteous.

I attempted to use my Summon Skeletal Knight spell to resurrect him, but it found no purchase, the same as casting Summon Skeletal Soldier on a corpse that had never seen military service.

I tried the lesser spell as well, but the result was even weaker. This man had been a warrior and must have had military training in his life. And from the honors bestowed on him and the size of the crypt, he had probably received a knighthood as well.

The only explanation was that neither of my spells was powerful enough to raise him as an undead. I needed something better.

With that in mind, I began searching through the System shop and found what I was looking for.

Purchased Summon Undead Champion. -8,000 evil points.

The cost of this spell was extravagant, and I never would have bought it if not for the massive haul of points I'd received. But given how little time my lone Skeletal Knight had bought me, I was hoping for something a little more powerful.

"Rise and serve me, Paladin Gavin Haveron."

When I cast the spell, light seemed to fade from my surroundings. Even though it was midmorning, an icy grip of darkness clawed at my heart.

I felt my mana rush out in a great, heaving gasp, leaving me bone-dry in moments despite my massively enlarged pool. The sheer power of this spell probably would have killed me had I cast it before starting the second chapter of the Grimoire of Soul Refinement.

When I sensed the spell was starting to fail, I realized I would either need to give up on it or do something drastic. I grabbed one of my Mana Reservoir Enhancement Potions and drank it down. The explosion of mana filled my growing reservoir to its limits, and the excess poured into the spell I was channeling.

A hand burst from the ground. Its yellowed bones seemed ancient, but there was an undeniable strength to them as it tore up through the heaving earth.

A humanoid form in rusted, age-worn armor pulled itself free. A thick, hazy mist wrapped its bones in a facsimile of flesh, this time so dense and detailed that I could only see through it where the sunlight struck directly.

Then the undead spoke, something not even my Skeletal Knights could do.

"Speak thy commands," the Undead Champion said in a raspy, ancient voice.

I glanced at the ancient, rust-flecked sword hanging loosely at its side. The scabbard had long since rotted away, yet the steel was only partly corroded. Golden runes carved along its length seemed to have beaten back the ravages of time from the core of the blade.

"Show me what you can do." I gestured to a nearby tree.

The Undead Champion lifted its rusted blade. It moved with a speed and force that made Knight Commander Rufus look slow. The Champion stood three paces from the tree, but as it swept its blade, a beam of corrupted light sprang from the edge and stretched the weapon's reach far enough to touch the trunk.

For a moment, I thought nothing had happened. The Undead Champion calmly let its sword hang at its hip again. Then the upper half of the tree slid free and crashed to the ground. The cut was so clean the exposed wood looked polished smooth.

I stroked my chin thoughtfully. The last time I'd summoned a powerful undead, I'd used it as a guard, and it had barely bought the three of us time to run. This one, perhaps, I could put to more active use.

<Note>

Total points: 28,410

Alright, I think I need to do another PoV chapter or something to jump to the next major event. I don't want to drag things out too long. Alden is stacking buffs and hoping to gulp down as many points as he can before leaving. Meanwhile, it's just a matter of time before the Order of the Golden Sword responds to Master Theragrim taking over Lamford and establishing a sorcerer kingdom.