Chapter 783

Chapter 783: The Difference Between Elements and Arcane

The next morning, Jesse went out to Ironforge and spent a few silver coins to buy a suitable sword sheath. After all, carrying the sword reforged from the scales of the Blue Dragon King—which radiated arcane light and emitted an ethereal melody when swung—would draw too much attention on the streets.

Though his previous robe hadn’t been completely burned, it was now riddled with scorch marks and holes. He headed to the upper level to buy a new coat.

Finding human-sized clothing in Ironforge proved challenging. He visited a human-run trade shop and settled for a secondhand coat. The upside was its cheap price; maintaining appearances wasn’t necessary here.

Returning to the Thorium Brotherhood’s basement, the narrow corridor echoed with the dwarf’s growls and the Sayaad’s cries, making Jesse frown.

Whether they’d brawled all night or resumed their activities at dawn, the dwarf’s intermittent coughs now stirred guilt in him.

At noon, the dwarf pushed open the door, releasing a thick succubus-scented haze. Jesse waved a hand through the air as Rueg stumbled out leaning against the wall. His jet-black skin hid any dark circles, but his bloodshot eyes had lost last night’s gleam.

"Seso, does your succubus mistreat you?" Rueg fastened his belt, clutching his robe as he staggered to the doorway. Removing his hat, he added, "Otherwise, why travel without her? Or is your servant poor at invisibility?"

"She treats me well," Jesse replied. "But I need magic reserves for protection. She can’t resist draining too much, leaving me weakened the next day. You should be cautious too."

"That just means you’re weak," Rueg retorted.

"Remember this," Jesse warned. "Succubi crave their master’s magic. All demons do—from Pit Lords to Felhounds, even imps… Restrain yourself before you get hurt."

"Miss Geya’tan is kind to me! Why begrudge her extra magic?" Rueg snorted. "The Brotherhood only assigns me guard duty here—no real work or fights. What else would I use it for?"

"Merely a suggestion," Jesse said. "Command your succubus never to use Charm magic on you, her master. Whether you love each other or not, you wouldn’t wish to become her flesh puppet, would you?"

Rueg licked his lips hesitantly. "Fair point. I’ll remember." He straightened up. "Now I’ll fetch that book for you—likely back by evening. Wait here. And don’t touch anything! Most items belong to the Brotherhood. No magical experiments that could wreck my room, or I can’t explain it to them. Sabotaging relations with the Thorium Brotherhood won’t benefit you either!"

"Understood," Jesse nodded.

The iron door clanged shut, its echo fading into the rumbling depths of Ironforge. Alone, Jesse rested his chin on his hand, replaying his advice to Rueg. It was a classic case of the bystander seeing clearer than the participant.

He knew Molofeel answered his summons solely for his magic. As he’d said: demons seek power. Lesser demons followed masters to grow stronger—safer than drifting through the Twisting Nether where death meant true oblivion.

Yet Molofeel’s words and actions often moved him. He had to constantly remind himself she was a demon to stay grounded.

Her smug smile seemed to materialize before him:

*—Am I winning your heart, Master? Your will isn’t as firm as you imagine.*

Jesse knew his willpower wasn’t the bastion others believed. Beneath his resolute exterior lay hesitation, confusion, and fear—something Molofeel grasped far better than Vereesa or even Greed. This demon…

With hours until Rueg’s return, Jesse couldn’t idle. But practicing Fel Fire spells was impossible in Ironforge, and Rueg had forbidden magic in the room. Little else remained.

He pulled out paper to draft Malin’s requested report on Deathwing.

When Malin first asked him to summarize the Grim Batol incident, he’d agreed readily. Yet afterward, each attempt to write made him recoil from confronting that period.

Only since returning from Lordaeron—no, since Quel’Thalas—had he begun accepting those mental scars.

He touched the faint scar on his arm, recalling the time he spent with Vereesa by the river outside Windrunner Village… As long as she stayed by his side, as long as everyone he cared about was still here, and as long as they understood what his efforts were for, there was nothing to fear.

That evening, Rueg came back from outside, carrying a heavy book. He put the book on the table, and Jesse glanced at the cover, filled with a long string of Language Dwarven characters.

“Kalimag, the language of the elements, or the language of Kalimdor,” the Dark Iron Dwarf said, patting the book’s hard cover. “For now, you can use this to practice talking to the elements.”

Jesse opened the book and flipped through a few pages, then saw that besides the elements’ language, everything inside was in Language Dwarven. “I don’t know Language Dwarven. What do I do?” Jesse asked.

“Language Dwarven isn’t hard to pick up, especially for someone like you from a mage school,” Rueg replied. “The Wizard’s Sanctum might not be as big as Dalaran, but I know its official mage titles mean something.”

“But I’m not a formal mage,” Jesse said.

“Aren’t you Varian Wrynn’s magic advisor?” Rueg asked.

“That’s a court mage job; it’s not the same group as the Wizard’s Sanctum, so no promotions link,” Jesse explained. It made sense, but he still cleared his throat, feeling uneasy.

“Isn’t there another copy of this book, like in Common?”

“I don’t know; maybe check the Grand Library in Dalaran?” Rueg suggested. “But as far as I know, no one’s translated it to Common because most folks wanting to learn elemental languages already know Language Dwarven.”

“So I still need a Language Dwarven-Common dictionary,” Jesse rubbed his temples and asked, “Can I take this book to Stormwind?”

“Sure,” Rueg said. “Just leave something as a pledge; this book belongs to the Thorium Brotherhood.” “How much?” Jesse asked.

“Thirty gold coins,” Rueg replied.

“Thirty gold coins again?” Jesse frowned. “Why do you always ask for thirty gold coins? Do you owe someone thirty gold and want me to pay it back?”

Rueg looked away, coughed twice, and said, “Stop the chatter. If you don’t pay, you can’t take it. Stay here, and I’ll find you a Language Dwarven dictionary.”

Since he had nothing else to do that month, Jesse decided to keep learning about element communication at the Thorium Brotherhood. He just needed to write Vereesa a letter telling her he wasn’t in Stormwind. “Then I’ll read it here.”

Rueg stared at Jesse and said, “You’re really going to read here?”

“Can’t I stay?” Jesse asked.

“It’s not that you can’t.” The dwarf paused, then said, “Do what you want; I think we’re friends now.”

Jesse ignored the friend talk and asked, “Does this have any real chants in it? Like the one you gave me last night.”

“Strictly, that wasn’t a chant. If you insist on seeing it that way, I can’t stop you,” the dwarf said.

“What do you mean?” Jesse asked.

Rueg sat across from Jesse, pulled a cloth bundle from his pocket, and unwrapped a whole crispy loaf of bread. He tore off a piece, stuffed it in his mouth, and said while chewing, “Sure, your arcane chants are like talking to arcane energy. From what I get, for energy floating around or in Ley Lines and magic veins, if you put effort into chanting your thoughts, they’ll answer, right?”

“Pretty much,” Jesse said. “But some people get favored by the Arcane, others don’t have the gift or affinity.”

Rueg nodded and went on, “But elements aren’t like that. Elements might answer you or not; it’s not up to the caller. Some get liked by elements, like you. Last night, I don’t know why the fire element jumped to help you… But even favored people can get dumped, like if you use elements for bad things or hurt them.”

“I know that,” Jesse said. “I’ve heard tales of people begging elements but getting no reply. Hey, Dark Iron Dwarves never get left by fire, do they?”

Rueg’s eyes widened as if Jesse said something dumb.

“The Dark Iron Tribe in Shadowforge City won’t be ditched by fire because they don’t ask fire for favors. They don’t work with it; they choose to be fire’s slaves! They’re the Fire Lord Ragnaros’s loyal dogs! So get it? Fire element isn’t pure like Arcane. I won’t trash talk fire much, but that’s how it is.”

“Will you try again tonight?” he asked Jesse, staring. “To handle fire element.”

“Of course,” Jesse said.

Rueg said, “I’m curious about your Fire Affinity. Maybe later, you could join the Thorium Brotherhood and be a good blacksmith.”

“A blacksmith?” Jesse paused, not expecting that path.