Chapter 217 (2/2)

The Light Angel looked weak and as pale as a sheet as she approached Link.

“I hear you’re going north,” she said. “This is for you.”

Link took it and discovered that it was a rune stone. The rune stone’s surface glowed in a milky white light while pronounced Mana waves lingered in the air around it. This made Link’s hair stand on end. He knew that the rune stone contained a terrifying amount of power in it.

“If…if you get caught in danger and are unable to escape,” whispered Herrera in Link’s ear, “activate this stone, and you’ll find an endless amount of light energy in there.”

Link could clearly feel Herrera’s weakness from that distance. He knew that she must’ve paid a great price in order to get him this rune stone.

“I understand,” said Link simply with a nod of his head.

Herrera said nothing more. She just waved her hand at Link and walked back to the carriage. Link could see that Dean Anthony was sitting in the same carriage too. It seemed that they’d both heard the news of him going north and came together.

The carriage soon drove away from the palace. Link’s eyes followed it all the way until it went out of his view.

Then, Grinth walked up to Link from inside the palace.

“It’s been five days now, Master Link,” he said. “Is there anything else that you need to prepare?”

“I must go back to my estate,” said Link, quickly regaining his senses. “I’ll have to make some arrangements there. I’ll head up north straight away in two days and meet up with the Dawn Swordsman there.”

“I see,” said Grinth with a nod. He then gave Link a formal Magician’s bow and said, “May the Norton Kingdom’s glory shine on forever!”

“May the Norton Kingdom’s glory shine on forever!” answered Link.

Then, a royal carriage rode up beside Link. He climbed into it and left the royal palace.

An hour or so later, Link reached the outskirts of Springs City.

“Stop the carriage,” he shouted to the coachman. “My mount is waiting for me here.”

“Yes, Master Link,” said the coachman reverently. He then promptly put the carriage to a halt.

Link got off and went straight into the Girvent Forest. He probably walked for about a mile before taking out his wand and pointing it to the sky and cast the Level-2 spell Wind Blade. Five minutes later, there was a sound of hurried footsteps. Soon after, Dorias appeared.

“Hey, what took you so long this time?” asked the tiger. On his face was a deep and contented smile.

Link almost laughed at the sight, as he knew what it meant.

“Did you find a tigress?” asked Link.

“I did,” answered Dorias, “but I was just playing around. Those ladies were too boring for me.”

“…” Link was speechless for a while. He then climbed onto the tiger’s back and said, “You won’t get cold feet once we return to Scorched Ridge, will you?”

“Are you kidding me?” said the tiger. “I, the mighty Dorias, never get cold feet and never—”

Before he finished his sentence, he tripped up on a mound of dirt in front of him. He almost toppled over but regained his balance just in time. Link quickly cast a floating spell on him which saved both of them from getting flung out into the distance.

“Oops, my bad! Hahaha…” said Dorias, slightly embarrassed. He then stopped boasting for the rest of the journey.

After running in the forest for about half an hour, Link suddenly sensed a strange aura from a particular direction.

“Let’s head in that direction,” he told Dorias. “It seems like there’s a friend waiting for us there.”

Dorias quickly turned a corner and ran in that direction for half a mile. They then reached a clearing in the middle of the forest, and there stood Eleanor clad in her black dress leaning against a tree trunk with both her hands clasped on her chest.

She took a glance at Dorias and was a little surprised, but her eyes quickly turned to Link, and she smiled warmly.

“I hear you’re going to the North?” she asked.

“How did you know?” Link was astounded. He’d expected Anthony and Herrera to find out; but how did Eleanor get wind of this news?

“Have you forgotten that I’m a Magician specializing in secret spells?” replied Eleanor. “The wind in the forest, the currents of the stream, the songs of the bird, the souls of the dead…I hear all the stories they tell. Anyways, here, take this.”

Eleanor threw a scroll at Link.

“It’s a Dimensional Scroll,” she said. “If you’re in grave danger, open the scroll, and it will let you enter the World of Shadows. You must be careful when you use it to escape, though. There are nightmarish creatures in that world that you must watch out for.”

This scroll might really come in handy. Link took the scroll and kept it in his storage pendant straight away.

“Thank you,” he said.

“And now you owe me a magic gear,” said Eleanor. “Create a storage pendant for me.”

“No problem.” Link snapped his fingers and gently patted Dorias’ neck. He then picked up his speed and headed towards the Ferde Wilderness.

After running for a while, Dorias could no longer hold his tongue.

“Are you going to the North, Link?” he asked. “But the battlefield can be really dangerous!”

“I must go. I have no other choice,” said Link.

Dorias fell into silence for a while.

“Then…I’ll go with you,” he finally said. “Don’t expect me to join in the war, though. I’ll only be there to take you away if you are in danger.”

“That’s good enough,” said Link. Naturally, he wouldn’t mind having another means to escape danger.

When he came to think of it, Link realized that he now had four great helpers. Now, he felt that even if he were specifically targeted by the Dark Elves, he’d probably still end up safe and sound.

Dorias was extremely fast. After little more than an hour, he’d covered the distance of about 150 miles. Link could now see the outlines of the Scorched Ridge terrains.

“Don’t go back there yet,” said Link suddenly. “Turn that way. I’m going to meet an old guy.”

Although he now had many ways to protect his life, Link was still a bit uneasy. He still wanted to meet the thousand-year-old Lich Vance and ask for his suggestions.

He directed his Mana into the communication rune stone, and within ten seconds there was a response from the stone. Link sensed its message for a few seconds; then, he pointed his finger in the air.

“Turn that way,” he told Dorias.