Advent of the Archmage

Golden Plains

Link had followed a couple of Agatha Nagas all the way here. He was not too sure why he had followed them in the first place. He was now simply letting pure instinct guide his footsteps as he searched for a way to fill the hole in his soul.

At first, he had thought about capturing one of the Nagas and peeking into her soul using soul magic to see if she knew anything he did not. However, he quickly dismissed the idea, fearing that it might alert the Nagas to his presence.

And so Link chose not to lay a hand on any of the Nagas and continued tailing them across the plains.

The moon of full bloom had risen. Though most of the grass and trees had withered away in the plains, new buds had already begun sprouting in their place. The Nagas slithered through the tall withered grass at top speed.

A few days before, the Nagas movements seemed erratic, as if in search of something. However, they must have found some new clue as to their quarry’s position, as their movements had now become more organized.

Each of these Nagas had at least Level-8 power. Their furtive movements made it almost impossible for ordinary folk to keep up with them.

Of course, Link had no trouble tailing them. His pursuit of the Nagas had been a stroll in the park.

The procession of Nagas soon arrived at a huge canyon. Not a blade of grass sprouted from the bare red earth. However, the place was not entirely without life. From a distance, one could see a couple of primitive-looking buildings built of animal skin, bones and straw along the canyon.

These looked to be standard Beastman architecture. Judging from the building density, Link figured that this must be a mid-sized Beastman city containing at least 10,000 Beastmen.

The Nagas hid in the withered grass along the path they had taken. Half an hour later, a group of traveling merchants emerged from the grass. Some of the merchants were pushing along one-wheeled carts loaded with an assortment of goods such as salt, tea leaves, cotton fabric and such, all of which were essential to the everyday life of a typical Beastman.

Thanks to their limber bodies, the Nagas were able to disguise themselves expertly using mere makeup.

Their disguise was practically flawless. The middle-aged man in the lead was in fact a Level-11 Legendary Naga in disguise. She had managed to reproduce every wrinkle and spot on her skin with such skill that no one would be any the wiser about who she really was.

The merchants continued pushing their carts along the road towards the Beastman city.

After thinking for a while, Link too entered the tall withered grass. Half a minute later, a powerfully built Beastman came out of it, with a black wolf skin cape draped over his back. The upper portion of his body was left bare. A black axe dangled from his waist. Beneath his waist was a pair of leather pants and plain-looking straw slippers. He was dressed exactly like a Beastman wanderer.

Wanderers of the Beastman variety usually made their money as mercenaries. Beastman mercenaries were notorious for their cheap prices. Under normal circumstances, any of them would be willing to walk barefoot through hell if they were promised good food, clothing, and top-quality equipment.

However, most of them were extraordinarily dim and prone to resolving their problems with their fists. In this respect, they were usually more trouble than they were worth.

Disguised as a Beastman mercenary, Link began striding towards the Beastman city in the canyon.

He soon caught up with the traveling merchants up ahead. Shooting a sideways glance at the feeble-looking Nagas, Link let out a snort and strode past them.

Suddenly, the leader of the merchants shouted behind him, “Hey, you big blockhead, I’ve got a job for you. You interested?”

Link stopped in his tracks and looked sideways at him. “I don’t take sissy jobs.”

“No, no, nothing like that. In fact, I need a real manly Warrior to do something for me. Of course, you’ll be well compensated for your troubles.”

The Naga leader began sizing up Link’s Beastman form. “You look young and strong, but your weapon could use an upgrade. May I interest you in this fine battleaxe?”

The Naga leader pulled a huge battle axe out of her cart. However, Link knew that this was all a facade. She had simply pulled it out of her spatial bracelet. She had done it so quickly in order to make sure that the Beastman standing before her would not be able to pick up on her sleight of hand.

It was a long-handled battle axe. Its polished surface would gleam with a blood red light from time to time. Link immediately recognized the Level-5 Bloodthirst enchantment on it, which would give its user a 20% boost to his or her power.

He had disguised himself as a Level-4 Beastman mercenary who would probably do anything for such a fine piece of equipment.

“As long as I don’t have to challenge the Warlord himself, I’ll gladly do anything for you,” breathed Link as he stared greedily at the battleaxe in the Naga’s hands.

“I won’t be sending you to your death. It’s like this. We’ve received word that there is a human Magician who goes by the name of Old Blindie living in the deepest recesses of this Beastman city. He’s a traitor of the human race who had once assassinated a princess in Golle Kingdom. Such a crime is unpardonable. We would like to bring him back to the Golle Kingdom so that he may be tried for his actions, but, as you already know, the Beastmen have always been wary of us humans. We would like your help in this matter.”

The Naga leader had spun quite a tale for Link. Any other Beastman Warrior would have immediately provided his services on the spot. The Beastmen always had an inflated sense of self-righteousness and a deep loathing for treason and conspiracy in general.

This human Magician must be the answer that Link was looking for. Since the Nagas came to him first, Link had no reason to refuse them his services. After listening to the Naga’s story, he thumped his chest with indignation. “Say no more. All traitors deserve to be punished. I’ll drag him out of his hiding spot for you.”

The Naga leader quickly added, “Warrior, be careful of his magic.”

“I’ll chop his head off before he even has time to work his magic. Now give me the axe!” said Link with a snort as he reached for the battleaxe in the Naga leader’s hands.

After grabbing the battleaxe from the Naga leader, Link began marching towards the canyon city.

Once she was sure that Link was out of earshot, one of the Nagas stepped forward and asked, “This Beastman won’t cause us any trouble now, will he?”

“Of course not. The Magician has hidden himself deep in the alleys of the city. The Beastman will serve as a great distraction. Let us move on. We can’t let Old Blindie escape!”