Advent of the Archmage

Wine cellar

The Yabba obviously didn't believe Link. This was quite awkward.

Thinking a bit, Link said, "Look at me. I can't be a demon right?"

The little Yabba held a short-handle musket. It was like a handgun from earth. At the moment, the muzzle was shaking but still pointed at Link. "Demons are the best at disguises. Those demons outside aren't scary. It's the evil demons pretending to be humans that are. Like Akensser, he's a respected artisan, but he betrayed us all!"

Thus Link learned that there was a traitor from Lirico. It was the artisan Akensser, just like in the game.

Link looked helpless. "There's no point for me to hurt you, right?"

"Yes you do!" the little thing yelled. "Kill me, hurry! I won't say anything."

This intrigued Link. The Yabba definitely knew something.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard a soft noise outside. Shocked, he listened closely and gestured at the Yabba in the corner of the wine cellar to be quiet. Then, looking left and right, he saw a few wine jars.

He immediately started moving. He stacked the jars one by one beside the entrance. When they almost reached the entrance, Link glanced at it. He estimated the measurements, and then stabbed his sword into the wall. He sliced it lightly as if it was tofu, cutting out a slab bigger than the entrance.

The Yabba's wine cellar was very low-hanging, only eight feet high. Link picked up the stone slab and gently put it on the jars of wine. It sealed off the entrance perfectly. During this entire process, Link was extremely fast. More importantly, he didn't make a sound. Even when slicing the wall, it only made tiny snicks. One couldn't hear it without listening closely.

When he finished, he realized that the Yabba had put down his musket.

Link was slightly relieved. He brought his finger to his lips to gesture the Yabba to be quiet. The little thing also heard the noise outside. He didn't dare breathe loudly, and his body was shaking. At this moment, even though he still suspected Link, he'd pushed it to the back of his mind. The demon outside the cellar was more terrifying.

The two didn't make a sound. They just waited inside the cellar. Link stood beside the entrance with his sword, ready for anything.

After around two minutes, the ceiling vibrated. Thud, thud, thud. Those were the demons' footsteps. Judging from the sound, there were at least three demons. They weight more than half a ton. Link could also tell that one was a Fodor Flaming Demon.

They got closer and closer to the entrance and Link could hear the Abyss language.

"Do you smell it? It smells weird, like wine."

"A little. Sniff, sniff. Smells nice."

"Hey, leader, there's a sealed entrance. It looks like it's been moved."

"Oh? Let me see."

Hearing this, Link tightened his grip and pressed the sword's tip against the stone slab. As soon as the demons realized something was wrong, he would stab.

Crash! They opened the lid above the cellar. Heavy breathing traveled from the stone slab above Link's head. It was getting closer and closer.

At this moment, not only was Link completely focused, but the Yabba in the corner also picked up his musket nervously again. Rather than aiming at Link though, it was pointed at the stone slab.

The breathing sounds lasted for three seconds before leaving.

"It's just a stone slab. There's nothing there." The demon's voice resonated deeply. This meant he had big lung capacity. Judging from his footsteps, this was the Fodor Flaming Demon. He was at Level-8 too.

The footsteps faded into the distance. The demon seemed to have really left. Link let out a breath and turned around. "Hey, we can't keep wasting time. We need to leave now. The demon might come back any time."

Actions spoke louder than words. Link's earlier actions had greatly reduced the little thing's doubts. He stared at Link with huge eyes. "You really are the human messenger? What's your name?"

"I'm Link Morani. This is my noble seal, and this is my wand… Hurry, we don't have time!" Link urged.

The Yabba was shocked. "You're the Ferde Lord. Why don't you use magic?"

"Something happened. No time to explain. Follow me!" Link's heart jumped. This meant there was danger, and he had to leave as soon as possible.

This time, the Yabba seemed to believe him. He kicked the jar above the fire, putting the fire out. Then he ran over to Link. "Do you have food? I haven't eaten in three days."

Approaching the Yabba, Link realized that his lips were cracked and he looked frail. Link took a baked potato from Aragu and a pot of water out of the dimensional storage bag for him.

The Yabba took a bite and smacked his lips. "It tastes weird. I've never had it before, but it's nice. I like it."

Link then took out a shirt. He tore it into strips and tied them together. He reached out and put the busy eating Yabba onto his back. At the same time, he ordered, "Hold on tight."

"Ah, oh… okay." The Yabba was frightened, but he had to follow through. He clasped his thin legs tightly around Link's waist. He also hugged tightly with his arms but didn't forget to eat his potato. He was honestly starving.

Link finally realized from the body hugging him that the Yabba was a girl but was completely flat-chested.

Link wrapped the rag around until it got to the Yabba's neck. He turned around. Seeing that she was still eating, he took the potato away. "Enough. Don't eat too much at first."

"But I'm hungry." She stared imploringly at Link.

He was unmoved. Link continued wrapping the rag until her head was firmly fixed to his back.

"I'm going to die if you tie me like this."

"I'll run very fast later. If I don't fix your head, your neck will turn into twisted rope."

She didn't believe him. "You're lying again! Let me see how fast you run!"

After tying her, Link listened to the outside. It was quiet, but he couldn't lower his guard. He clenched his fists again. Dragon Power surged and activated the Clear Sign effect. Instantly, Link could perceive all sorts of signals.

The ground trembled lightly. There were four demons nearby, including the Fodor Flaming Demon from earlier. He was talking 150 feet away.

The Clear Sign effect collected his voice.

"Look, this seems to be footprints. They're fresh too," he said.

"Something passed by. He must have tossed the bomb earlier too," another demon said. Judging from the voice, it was a Winged Howler.

"He walked the entire way to the wine cellar from earlier, but it was sealed… Is it a secret room?" the Fodor Flaming Demon muttered. After a pause, he said, "Let's go back!"

Then footsteps got closer. It sounded hurried; the demons were running quickly. In order for them to not sense the Dragon Power, Link canceled the effect. Then he whispered to the Yabba, "I need to send a message to Elin, the Lady Fortuna. How can I do that?"

Link didn't say that he needed to enter the city's defensive shield. That would raise suspicions and make the Yabba become guarded again. By saying that he needed to send a message and let the girl do it, she wouldn't suspect him.

"Tell me what Elin looks like." The Yabba was quite careful.

"Emerald eyes, under three feet, likes wearing colorful robes with red, blue, and green. She has pigtails, but her hair isn't long. They look like horns—"

"Alright, I believe you. Elin is inside the crystal wall, but we can't go in. We can't send messages either. The demons destroyed all the investigation statues," the Yabba replied softly.

"The crystal wall? Is it that yellow light shield?" Link asked despite knowing the answer. He guided the Yabba closer and closer to the answer he wanted.

"Yes, it's that magic shield. No information can pass through, unless… I can't tell you. I don't trust you completely!" She suddenly stopped.

Link shrugged. He didn't continue asking because that would make his intentions clear. The Yabba's suspicions would skyrocket. He put his attention on the demons outside the sealed entrance.

Thud, thud. The Fodor Flaming Demon returned. This time, his steps were hurried. From the screams in the air, Link predicted that he would shatter the stone slab.

In the span of a thought, Link made his calculations. He didn't attack or retreat. He just went into the corner, hiding behind a jar of wine.

Crash! The demon stomped the slab and broke it. He had rich battle experience. To prevent anyone under the slab from attacking, his stomp carried powerful demon power. Not only was the stone broken, but Battle Aura also reverberated. The entire cellar entrance caved in, creating a gaping hole.

The jars of wine were shattered. Wooden splinters flew and wine splattered. The cellar was filled with the thick scent of wine. It was the Yabbas' favorite red berry wine.

The commotion was too big like the world shattering. The Yabba screamed instinctively, but before she could make a sound, Link covered her mouth. All other auras in the cellar were covered by the smell of wine.

"Go in and look," the Flaming Fodor Demon said. As a high-level demon, he was over ten feet tall. The cellar was too small for him.

Thud, plop. Two smaller low-level demons jumped down. Link could feel that the Yabba's heart quickened instantly. Even her breathing became faster. She was clearly frightened.

Seeing the low-level demons, Link's mind whirred. He thought of various solutions, and a lightbulb went off. He took the Yabba's musket and reached into the wine jar. Distinguishing location by sound, he made three consecutive shots.

When he fired, Link also gently pinched the Yabba's legs. Even though he did it gently, she couldn't take it. She instantly screamed in pain, and her big black eyes fogged up. A teardrop hung in her eyes. It hurt.

Bang, bang, bang. Every bullet hit a low-level demon, and their heads exploded. They died without putting up a fight.

The commotion obviously alerted the Flaming Fodor Demon outside the cellar. Not only did he hear the musket, but he also heard a Yabba's cry. He cackled. "I was wondering what's hiding down there. It's a little trigger-happy thing. They taste good. Seems like I'll get a good meal today too."

Not only did Firuman know about the Yabba's muskets, but the Dark Army had also experienced them from all the battles. So when the demon heard the musket, his first thought was that a Yabba was hiding in there. To him, Yabbas were just slabs of fresh meat. They weren't a threat at all.

A Winged Howler spoke from the distance. "I want one too. I want one too."

"If you want to eat, help me dig up the cellar. These little things are just like rats. You have to dig them out."

Thud, thud, thud. The Winged Howler walked over and really did start helping. The two demons were both at Level-8, and the stone slabs couldn't stop them.

Boom, boom. The cellar was stomped on continuously, and the entrance widened. Link retreated to the border without a sound. After a few more seconds, a ten-foot-tall figure jumped in. He squatted to look for the "rat."

As for the rat's musket, it was only a threat to low-level demons. His skin was rough and thick. Even if he was hit, it would only be a scratch. While he was getting used to the darkness, Link acted.

He rushed to the demon's side instantly and kicked his knee. With a crack, his knee broke, and the demon stumbled. He opened his mouth to scream, but Link had already used the momentum to shoot upward. There was a small scraping sound. He chopped off the Fodor Flaming Demon's head cleanly, cutting off the scream.

Rushing out the hole, Link saw the Winged Howler. The demon felt something was wrong and opened his mouth to scream. He also spread his wings and jumped into the air.

The Winged Howler's voice attack was very strong. Link could resist it easily, but the Yabba on his back would die from the soundwaves.

In this critical moment, Link lunged as fast as lightning. His foot hooked onto a stone and grabbed the demon's ankle as he shot up. Link yanked the 14-foot-tall demon from the air.

Boom! Link threw the Winged Howler onto the ground, disorienting it.

Without hesitating, Link charged. He stepped onto the demon's head and activated his Legendary power. With a burst, the demon's head exploded like a watermelon under pressure.

As soon as he finished, Link heard screams from the air. It was the Winged Howlers. Link was finally discovered by the demons in the air.

Taking a deep breath, Link composed himself. Then he turned around and started running towards the dense cluster of buildings. Since he was discovered, he'd take advantage of the geography.

"Go left. There's an entrance to an alley," the Yabba suddenly said.

At the same time, a message flashed in his vision.

Activate New Mission: Breakthrough

Mission: Break through the demon's blockade and enter the underground world of Lirico City.

Mission Reward: Assassin Pants (Epic)

It was another piece of gear. The name was similar to the Assassin Robe too. If he finished all the missions, would he get an entire set?

Link had never heard of this set in the game, but he didn't care. He accepted the new mission.