Chapter 647

Chapter 647: A Suitable Identity

The group ran as hard as they could for a long time until the dark night sky cleared up a lot, and they could clearly see two moons. They finally stopped to catch their breath when the ground under their feet became solid and hard.

Far behind them, the swamp at the edge of their sight still made an eerie "wooing" sound, probably from those Ooze.

No wonder that big swamp had no water birds or calls from frogs and insects.

The thick fog was much lighter here. Looking east by the moonlight, they saw a dense forest stretching far into the darkness where they couldn’t see anything.

The spot they were in now seemed safe. After running so far and escaping the endless dark mire, they relaxed. Everyone except the demon stumbled and couldn’t stand steady.

"What were those monsters?" Vereesa asked.

"Ooze, sludge monsters, corruption monsters—lots of names." Greed leaned on his knees and looked up. "Haven’t you heard of them?"

Vereesa stared at him uneasily for a moment and said, "I’ve never seen a real one. Why are there so many here?"

"Who knows?" Greed turned to Jesse. "Why not ask this guy from the Wizard’s Sanctum?"

Jesse shook his head. "I’m not sure. If I had to guess, too many Orcs, humans, and dwarves died on this battlefield. Their suffering souls and the necromantic power from the corpses slowly polluted the ponds, animating the remains of animals, people, and even Mire Beasts into what we saw."

"Or…" He glanced at Greed. "Maybe it’s the witch who destroyed Grim Batol. Her artifact could have made this place what it is."

"Modgud." Greed nodded and coughed. "I knew it. That witch’s dark power didn’t just corrupt Grim Batol—it turned this whole swamp evil. She’ll always be the criminal of Khaz Modan, and all the Dark Iron Dwarves who followed her will pay one day!"

"But tonight, I can’t make anyone pay." He sounded tired, rubbing his eyes as he looked around. "Let’s find a safe spot to rest. I’m hungry, sleepy, and cold."

"Me too," Jesse said.

"Eat some emergency food tonight," Greed suggested. "I think we’re in an emergency now."

The dwarf pointed at the shadows of a few lonely old trees in the distance. "We can rest over there. If it rains tonight, the trees might give some cover."

The others agreed and followed Greed, dragging their heavy steps to the trees. Jesse sat down hard on the muddy ground, leaning against a trunk. He didn’t want to move another step tonight.

He tossed aside the hooked short broadsword he’d brought from the swamp and pulled a piece of dwarf cheese from his food pouch. He bit off a slice; it was extremely salty, but that small bite satisfied his hunger.

Greed picked up the broadsword. "This is Orc stuff. I know the Blackhand chieftain’s shield bearers liked this kind of sword."

"You mean the Blackrock Orcs?" Vereesa asked.

"Right," Greed said. "The ones hiding in Blackrock Mountain."

"I heard the Orcs in Blackrock Spire plan to rebuild the tribe here," Jesse said, eyeing the Orc sword in Greed’s hand. "Could they be contacting the Dragonmaw Orcs?"

"Do you have a plan?" Vereesa asked.

"I’m thinking," Jesse replied. "Should I disguise myself as a Blackrock Clan envoy to get into Grim Batol? I think that’s safer than pretending to be from the Dragonmaw clan, and it gives me a better reason to meet their leader."

"I first thought of posing as a Shadow Council member, but Kirin Tor intel says the Dragonmaw leader is a warlock too. He might know the Shadow Council well—maybe he was part of it. He wouldn’t recognize me, and neither would others, raising too many questions… But if I’m an outsider, like an envoy from Blackrock Mountain, they might trust me more."

Vereesa asked, "But if Dragonmaw and Blackrock are linked, there could be other Blackrock Orcs here. Jesse, they won’t know you…"

"Be careful about that!" Saenor cut in. "You all need to help my master. If he can’t handle it softly, you step in and deal with any threats!"

"Exactly," Vereesa added. "If his cover is at risk, we can cause some chaos to help him slip away."

"That puts you all in danger," Jesse said.

"Better than you being surrounded by Orcs all the time," Greed said. "Of course, if they hunt us too close, you’ll need to mislead them."

"I know. I’ll hide my identity well to avoid that," Jesse replied. "And Molofeel will help. If they try to expose me, she can use her mental magic. A warlock with a succubus isn’t strange, right?"

"True, not strange," Vereesa agreed.

"Always ready to serve you, Master," Molofeel whispered. "Killing or deceiving." In truth, Jesse wasn’t too worried.

He knew the black dragon must have teamed up with the Blackrock Orcs by now.

When he and Vereesa went to the Badlands, they saw black dragons hunting the Shattered Hand clan and Wyrmkin patrolling Thaurissan ruins—that proved it. Without an alliance, the dragons wouldn’t target specific clans.

And that Wyrmkin Mageweaver recruiting near Lakeshire? Without ties to Blackrock Orcs, they couldn’t move so freely in the Burning Steppes.

Jesse knew Blackrock Spire better than most Blackrock Clan Orcs. He’d explored every detail, from tasks to terrain, and smashed Blackwing Lair countless times.

Plus, he was here under Deathwing’s orders—way above being some prince Nefarian’s slave. Even Rend Blackhand himself couldn’t match his authenticity!

If he met a real Blackrock Legion ambassador, who could tell who was fake?