Advent of the Archmage

Link took a carriage out of Hot Springs City to the outskirts. After paying the fare, he traveled on foot for a few miles before a black raven perched itself on his shoulders—it was Eleanor.

"Turn left at the next corner," the raven whispered.

The path in front was a narrow, winding and dark road into the forest. Link was slightly hesitant. After all, he was not very familiar with this woman. If he were to go into such a remote place with her, he risked walking right into a trap.

However, he quickly dismissed this thought as preposterous. He rationalized that there was no need to go to such lengths if she truly wanted to kill him. She could have easily done so on Jade Street when he was preoccupied with the three Dark Elves. Furthermore, she wouldn't have given him access to the Scroll of Enlightenment.

Link then walked towards the alley in confident strides.

Eleanor was slightly puzzled. "Aren't you afraid that I will harm you?"

Link smiled and said, "You specialize in secret magic. If you had wanted to harm me, I would probably already be dead." Secret spells were not built for direct combat. However, they were extremely lethal when used in sneak attacks. Many times, the victim would not even realize how they died. This was true even for Magicians. Eleanor simply laughed.

After round 600 feet, they entered the deepest part of the forest. The overgrowth was getting thicker by the moment, devouring the path they were on.

"Are we there yet?" Link asked.

"We are still five miles away. I presume you would have learned some traveling spells by now?" Eleanor spoke with a hint of disapproval in her voice. How could a Magician like Link travel simply by walking?

Link only knew one such spell. He began to summon his Wind Fenrir. His speed increased exponentially after riding his summon. In two minutes, they reached a stream in the middle of the forest.

"There is a hunter's hut straight ahead. It's right there, do you see it?" Eleanor asked.

It was a small, wooden hut that was built to offer passing hunters refuge for the night. The roof was full of algae and the wooden doors were filled with decaying holes.

When they reached the front of the wooden hut, Eleanor jumped down from Link's shoulders and turned into her human form. As Link entered the room behind Eleanor, he saw a huge bed in the room. A female Dark Elf could be seen restrained on pieces of rotten beast hide infested with worms. The rope used to restrain her seemed to be glowing slightly, probably enchanted with some sort of sealing spell. Under the effect of this magical rope, the Dark Elf was unable to move.

When she heard movements coming from the door, she immediately turned and threw a deathly stare in that direction with her pair of crimson eyes.

However, this was only directed at Eleanor. When she saw Link, her expression changed to one that was shocked and dumbfounded, her eyes involuntarily showing signs of retreat. The battle at Jade Street against Link had completely destroyed her pride.

Eleanor sat down on a broken stool and stared pitifully at the Dark Elf on the bed. She then began her introduction, "I have already done my research. The three Dark Elves that day were Felidia, a Magician, Ainos, an Assassin, and lastly, this woman. She is Alina, a Level-5 Assassin and apparently a famous figure in the Pralync Kingdom. She also has a prominent background, being the daughter of King Norigan. Many people call her the Constellation Assassin."

Link was appalled. He thought, it's no wonder that they were strong. They were the Three Musketeers!

In the first two versions of the game, the three of them wreaked great havoc on the human race. The eventual collapse of the Norton Kingdom could definitely be traced back to their actions. To think that the Three Musketeers would suffer such a fate in this timeline. Two of them were already dead while the other was now a captive under his hands.

He then saw a sword lying on top of a small table. If this person was indeed Alina, this sword would be the infamous weapon, the Sword of Shattered Stars.

He unsheathed the sword and a blast of cold air immediately engulfed the atmosphere. The sword shone brightly even under the dim sunlight as the entire sword body was made of thorium. Link carefully studied the sword and gasped. How extravagant, this is a fine piece of work.

"Don't touch it with your dirty human hands!" Alina shouted in rage. She said this sentence in human language.

Link pretended not to hear her and brandished the sword right in front of her. He then spun around and asked Eleanor, "I can probably guess the motive of their mission. It was to assassinate Prince Phillip and sow discord between the human race and the High Elves. Am I right?"

Eleanor nodded. "Of course. Their plan was almost flawless. It is a shame that they met a monster like you."

"Did you manage to get any other information?" Link asked.

Eleanor simply smiled and said, "I did, but you might not like the method I used to get this information."

"You are referring to the Soul Search spell I suppose. I don't really dislike it as long as it is useful," Link laughed. While the Soul Search spell indeed belonged to the realm of dark magic, it was still a useful spell. In fact, he even learned it while he was playing the game. Although he would not voluntarily learn the spell in this timeline, he definitely would not dismiss its effectiveness either.

Eleanor looked at Link carefully and found no trace of disgust or disapproval on his face. She was puzzled. "This is a forbidden spell. Shouldn't you be horrified and accuse me of being a dark witch?"

The Sacred Land of Light had an irrational fear of dark magic and that was exactly the reason Eleanor was alone all these years. Her life was basically a game of hide-and-seek with ordinary humans. Whenever she felt exposed after staying in a location for too long, she would immediately relocate to ensure her safety. Even her Mage Tower was instantly mobile.

"Stop testing the waters. Truthfully, I am not a fan of such spells and thus would not attempt to learn them. However, I have no right to ask others to do the same. I am sure the vengeful souls on Jade Street would have no qualms about you using such spells on the Dark Elves. There is then no reason for me to oppose the use of such spells."

Link was open to the discussion of dark magic. After all, every successful person in the world would have some dirt under their nails. If Link were to follow the rules strictly, he would never have been able to defeat the dark forces.

He then continued, "What did you find?"

"Alright then. You are the weirdest person I've ever met. But I guess it is for the best. If you don't mind, take a look at this." Eleanor passed him a scroll.

The scroll looked extremely ordinary. After opening it, Link realized that the scroll was filled with characters from the Dark Elf language. The arrangement of the characters was interesting as well, lining up in a specific formation that seemed to dictate their relationship with one another. Link came to an understanding after a few looks.

"The original copy of the Dark Elf's secret code?"

"That is what I think." Eleanor shrugged her shoulders, before speaking in a regretful tone, "It is unfortunate that we did not come across any secret messages. This thing is too valuable."

Alina was completely startled. She was clear of the consequences if the secret code fell into the hands of the human race. Careful and intelligent use of the secret code would be a devastating blow to the Death Hand and even might even destroy the entire Pralync Kingdom.

Her instinct was to immediately destroy the scroll. However, her strength was completely restrained and all she could do was cast worried glances in Link's direction.

Link smiled and said, "We don't have any secret messages. However, MI3 would have a lot of them. We can just pass this to them." He carefully studied the secret code and memorized the all the contents of the scroll. He did actually have a secret message scroll with him and could decipher it with the help of this treasure. However, there was no need for Eleanor to know about this.

The secret code was the most valuable loot in this mission. Link then turned his attention towards the Constellations Assassin, thinking of how to dispose of the Dark Elf.

Eleanor chuckled, "Are you hesitant to kill such a beautiful young girl?"

Alina indeed had an exquisite face and a voluptuous body. She would be considered a rare beauty even by human standards. However, that was all a facade. Her true form was a ruthless and crazy Assassin, as evidenced by the destructive ambush in Jade Street.

At the same time, she was an extremely talented Dark Elf Assassin. He could not let such a strong opponent live.

Should I kill her directly? Or should I remove her combat powers instead and turn her into a disgrace of the Dark Elves? After some thought, Link raised the Sword of Shattered Stars and placed it over Alina's chest.

He would end it once and for all!

Alina could see the shadows of death looming precariously over her. She stared at Link furiously and said, "Link, you will suffer the endless pursuit of the Death Hand the moment I die. I will be waiting for your soul in hell!"

Link simply laughed, "I guess you will have to be very patient." He gently pushed the sword down and the sharp blade effortlessly pierced through Alina's heart, ending her life.

Eleanor then spoke in a regretful tone, "To think that a princess would die in such a rundown place. If we had given her to MI3, she would have fetched a huge price."

"She has seen too much. If she was handed over to MI3, you would also be in danger."

Link had considered that option before killing Alina. However, this would not only reveal Eleanor's connection with dark magic, he would also be embroiled in the dark magic mess. The risks definitely outweighed the benefits.

Of course, Link was not about to leave without getting any rewards. The moment Alina breathed her last, a message appeared in his vision.

Mission: Rescue Second Step (Completed)

Player receives one Glyph of Soul.

Glyph of Soul

Level: 5

Effect: Player can choose to store a spell Level-5 and below in the Glyph of Soul. This will greatly reduce the time needed to construct the magic structure. This will not reduce the strength of the spell.

(Note: This is perfect for Magicians who want a fast spellcasting speed.)

Link was elated, this is too good to be true!