The Mage of Stonewall

Chapter 1: Run

Shaking my head out of the past, I turned around the bush to look. I could see a platoon of soldiers, their armour gleaming in the moonlight, searching for me. I pulled my hood a little lower over my head.
It had been six months since that day. The day I had become an abomination. I remember grabbing my travelling cloak, ditching my robes for more light, less flowing clothes, and leaving my home town of Stonewall under the cover of the moon. I had saddled my horse, which had suddenly turned into some kind of hellish nightmare at my touch, and rode away.
I was a wanted man. The Magic Restriction Reinforcement Act had been green-lit by the King two months ago, sending all types of mages into hiding. From the esteemed high-class wizards at court to the hedge mages in their tree trunk hovels, no magic-user was allowed to continue living.
Yet, I was an outlaw even among my own people. Using black magic, whether you meant to or not, was punishable by death. Becoming a literal demon and using the Devil's Art to piss off the richest and most powerful man in the world? I'm surprised I haven't been buried alive and forgotten as only a bad memory.
My tail twitched, causing me to grasp in a death grip. I kept my wings folded against my back, and my tail wound around my chest under my shirt. The main difficulty was concealing the horns, but thankfully my hood was big enough to accommodate them.
"I think I saw something move over here, boys!"
Shit!
A soldier with a moustache so big it poked out of his helmet brushed the leaves aside, revealing me crouched in the bush. His face split into an evil grin as he realized he would be rewarded for his find. "I found another spellslinger, fellas! Come on, he's cowering like a little-GAK!"
His voice cut off as my staff pierced his throat.
As the soldier's body collapsed limply, I leapt out of the bush, unfurling my wings in all their terrifying glory.
The other soldiers had noticed the wings and were quivering in fear. "Is' a demon!" one of them yelled out. "We weren't trained to fight no demons!"
I raised my staff and set it alight with blue fire. "Too bad, a demon's what you're going to get when you mess with a Crowley," I said, my voice low and deadly.
One of the soldiers - brave or foolhardy, I couldn't tell - charged me, screaming at the top of his lungs.
I didn't even move. The fire had a mind of it's own. It bubbled and shot a blast straight into the man's chest, searing a hole right through him. He turned to ashes before he hit the ground, and blew away on the wind.
All in the span of three seconds.
I slammed my staff down, catching some of the ashes between my fingers. "Well now, that looked like assault to me." I turned to the other soldiers as I lit up in fire, my cloak flapping in the wind. "I don't take kindly to assault."
I ghosted forward, a phantom of flame. The unholy fire reached out for the soldiers, burrowing into their well-crafted armour. The screams of the soldiers filled the air as they were seared, singed, and scorched.
When any of the men still survived after my inferno, I casually lashed out with my staff, impaling the struggling bodies. They were all charred beyond recognition.
I sighed. I had hoped to avoid bloodshed. My crimes against both sides of the law were already numerous, and I didn't need more coin over my head. There was already a trail of hunter corpses behind me, all of them wanting the "Demon of Stonewall" hanging from their wall. I had become an urban legend, part of history. Apparently after I left, the town of Stonewall had been engulfed in flames, devouring everything.
Except for the Crowley Cross. Now everyone is blaming the Crowleys, which means they think I became a demon to destroy the town.
It's absurd. I used to be a loved icon, a child prodigy. The women would fall for me every which way, and even the greatest scholars envied me. It was a sordid existence.
I cleaned the blood from my staff with the hem of my cloak. The blood of the soldiers joined the many others who've chased me in the past. I hid my wings and tail back under my cloak and pulled my hood up to cover my horns. I drew up my scarf over my face, covering my nose and mouth. I still couldn't stand the brimstone stench my horns gave off. I'm sure I'd get used to it at some point, but that day was a long way off.
I adjusted the lodestones around my wrists. The pentagrams had seemed to have gotten brighter over the last half year, but I didn't know what that meant. It couldn't be a good sign, surely.
The moon was still high in the sky. Good. That meant I still had some time.
Slinging my staff on my back, I made my way towards the nearby town of Cirrus.

The sun was starting to rise when I reached Cirrus's outer walls. I couldn't go through the gate - they'd recognize me immediately. I had to climb over the walls. It was an easier task for me than for a normal person as my talons provided me with extra grip and maneuverability. I scaled the wall like a giant lizard, my arms and legs spread out and my tail waving in the air below me.
I poked my head over the wall. The streets below were strewn with filth and sleeping people. Water dominated most of the flagstones. I saw a family sleeping half submerged in a puddle of such a dark brown colour it had to carry over a thousand infections. I threw up in my mouth a little.
I dropped down from the wall and landed on the flooded cobblestones, silent as a shadow. The guards were all either asleep, in taverns, or at the gate. Made my job of sneaking around way easier.
I slunk through the shadows of the streets, trying to keep myself as small as possible. My tail dragged along the ground behind me, and I scowled. I may have been living in the wild for the past six months, but I still held hygiene in high regard. My tail would be covered in mud by the time I got to any stream or pool.
I peeked around a corner, only to immediately fly back as I saw the backside of a guard standing right there. I looked him over, and from what I could tell, he was part of the new Silver Blades crew. His armour gleamed silver, distinguishing him from the dull grey-clad guards. He had a massive broadsword at his back, seemingly impossible to lift, yet he treated it as if it were no more than a light bag. The back of his helmet had wings sweeping up from the temples, representing angel wings. I silently chuckled to myself. I used to think Angels and demons were stuff of myth, to scare children into behaving. Now, I'll believe anything.
My silent laughter ceased as a troubling thought entered my mind. What the devil was a Silver Blade doing here? Had word somehow got out that Cirrus had been my next stop? No, that didn't make sense. I had no one to tell plans to, so it couldn't be me that was the problem.
My mind perked at another thought. Maybe more Vampyre attacks? This could be my chance to find that pointy-bearded bastard and kill him.
I was so caught up in my thoughts I hadn't noticed the Silver Blade had walked right in front of me. I looked up at his face from my crouched position, noting the square jaw and drawn-together eyebrows. I did what anyone like me would've done in this situation.
I ran.
I tore off down the street, all thoughts off stealth gone from my mind. My boots thudded and splashed against the flooded cobblestones. I heard shouts from behind me, and when I looked back I saw a whole horde of Silver Bladesmen chasing after me, their weapons waving in the air. Some of them had crossbows, and they opened fire.
I held up my left wrist behind me and sent a spark of magic to the lodestone. The blue gem glowed and the pentagram on it expanded outward in a glowing red shield. The crossbow bolts ricocheted off the pentagram, and I flung my arm backwards to send the shield flying like a magic discus.
The Silver Blades dove to the side to avoid the massive projectile, and started chanting, "Vampyre, demon, werewolves or Croo! We'll kill you all, and your mothers too!"
I cringed at the terrible battle cry. Surely the holy warriors of the King could come up with something better than-
THUNK!
Another crossbow bolt slammed into a wooden beam next to me. Time to stop messing around.
I turned, drew my staff, and planted it in the ground with a yell of fury. Black flames spread from it, moving like a wave towards the Silver Blades. I wasn't heartless, though, so I willed the fire to circle them, and to burn until morning.
The holy men were yelling and throwing curses at me, calling me, "devilspawn," and "abomination". I raised the flames higher to make sure they didn't escape.
I unfurled my wings and took flight with a powerful downward thrust, leaving a ring of dust beneath me. Hovering in the air, I looked down at the circle of flame and sighed.
"I hope I may one day be able to walk down a street without almost dying," I muttered to myself. I flew off into the North, knowing that there was the much larger city-state of Mund nestled in the mountains. Hopefully I could establish a temporary home in the understreets for the next few weeks.
I needed to disappear.