Chapter 265

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Chapter 265: Good Friends Helping Each Other

Vereesa agreed to meet at the apartment in the evening. Jesse brought the sword and the papers to the front door of the apartment. Before knocking, she even took a sniff of the sword to make sure she couldn’t smell that sweet scent.

Molofeel told her that the scent of succubus would naturally dissipate if given enough time away. Unlike demon and undead smells that linger for a long time, succubus don’t like leaving clues behind. But Jesse didn’t know how long would be considered enough time.

However, once she returned home, she seemed to have not touched the sword again.

Knocking on the door to enter the room, Jesse placed the sword and papers on the table, saying, "Here are these things, take a look."

Vereesa lifted the sword and examined it carefully, saying, "Seems like something belonging to a demon."

"What kind of demon thing?" Jesse asked tentatively.

"The kind of sword used by demons," Vereesa said. "Death Knights are close to warlocks and demons. Maybe demons help them make weapons, what do you think?"

Jesse nodded, realizing Vereesa had not noticed the succubus’s presence.

He picked up the dark brown fabrics on Vereesa’s table and tried to smell them. A faint smell of mustiness mixed with a hint of a mild stench made him frown, bringing back the memory of the day he and Greed searched through a pile of Gnoll corpses.

The ranger set down his sword and said, "It seems like it’s from the same person, Jesse, at least in terms of the necromantic aura." Jesse couldn’t detect any specific features and could only nod, but he didn’t have the confidence to doubt a Windrunner.

Vereesa continued, "So, could he have been defeated at the Great Mausoleum, his soul escaping? Or could it be… he’s already dead, have you seen the body of that Death Knight, is it similar to the one left by Teron Gorefiend?"

"Quite similar," Jesse said. "A Death Knight killed on the spot looks very different from a shell left behind when the soul escapes, right?"

"There are some differences," Vereesa explained. "A Death Knight killed directly would rapidly turn black and rot due to energy dissipation, while the left-behind shell wouldn’t. The soul would siphon off most of the necrotic energy that sustains the body, leaving behind only some residual energy that couldn’t be taken away in time. So, the body seems like it has been entirely consumed, like an empty husk, and it would take a long time without external interference to change."

"So, I think it’s more like the latter, but if it’s just a shell… then the residual energy has created many Ghoul corpses," Jesse remarked.

"This means he is very powerful, not just a casually resurrected Orc Warlock," Vereesa said. "The good news is, this aligns more with what we know about him – a trusted lieutenant of Teron Gorefiend. Perhaps the owner of this sword is the one we have been seeking."

"But if it’s a shell, it means his soul has fled, making it harder to track him down. I don’t know if bringing these back to Quel’Thalas to report will convince Sylvanas," Vereesa pondered.

Jesse proposed, "I don’t think he was defeated, but rather voluntarily switched shells. The entire Wizard’s Sanctum, even the entire kingdom, is unaware of the Death Knight here, Vereesa. Who do you think defeated him? It couldn’t have been the Gnolls."

"The Great Mausoleum buried many war heroes, from the time of the Troll War, the Gnoll War, and even some who died during the two Orc Wars. When the wars just ended, Raven Hill was not as run down as it is today. Some of the bodies, especially those from the Orc Wars, have not completely decayed yet due to the Dark Energy from Duskwood. Isn’t this exactly what the Death Knight is looking for when choosing a new body?"

"But for a Death Knight to enter a new body, they need a warlock to help with the ceremony, Jesse," Vereesa said. "If there isn’t someone else guiding their soul into the new body… they can’t complete the transformation on their own."

Hearing Vereesa’s words, Jesse remembered a level 70 quest in Shadowmoon Valley, where Teron Gorefiend hid his soul after being killed by Turalyon. It wasn’t until players found him and completed a series of rituals that he was able to be reborn.

Even Teron Gorefiend couldn’t resurrect directly from a dead body, so his followers definitely wouldn’t be able to. Vereesa’s doubt made sense.

"That makes sense," Jesse pondered, scratching his lip. "Let me think, maybe it was his Orc Warlock minion, that would fit."

"I’m not sure," Vereesa shook her head. "I didn’t find any traces of Orcs in the Great Mausoleum. You know Orc Warlocks are not as good at hiding as trolls."

Since Vereesa had said so, Jesse didn’t know what else to say. Then, he thought of someone.

"When you were investigating Darkshire and Raven Hill, did you see a person named Abercrombie?"

Abercrombie in the game is a Necromancer who lived near the Great Mausoleum. After his wife died, he went mad and tried to resurrect her using Necromancy. However, his wife turned into a terrifying undead and attacked the townspeople, leading to her ultimate death at the hands of the villagers.

He deceived travelers to help him gather materials in order to seek revenge on the townspeople… Eventually, he created a huge abominable to attack Darkshire.

If anyone in Duskwood might know about the Death Knight at the Great Mausoleum, it would be him, as he hides near the Great Mausoleum in the game.

"I haven’t heard of him, what does he do?"

Jesse said, "He seems to have knowledge of Necromancy and has lived in Raven Hill, we should ask him."

"Is he still in Raven Hill? I didn’t hear about him when I was there before." Vereesa said, "Well, I didn’t meet many people willing to share information with me either."

Now, with over a decade difference from the game’s timeline, Jesse doesn’t even know if Abercrombie has become a Necromancer, or if he has moved to hide near the Great Mausoleum.

"I can help you look for him," he said. "I also want to find this Death Knight soon."

Vereesa widened her eyes and said, "That would be great… I find it difficult on my own, but will this delay your own tasks?"

"Well, I have something I need your help with too."

"Although, Jesse, it seems like you hesitated for a long time."

"I had a little trouble when studying magic before, now I need proof to show I am not a …"

"I understand." The female elf, with long eyebrows, shook slightly and said, "Let me write a letter to your magic school as proof that you are not a warlock. But helping you hide your scary Shadow Magic is okay, helping you lie… um…"

Jesse sighed softly and said, "Okay… I know it’s very wrong."

The elf leaned on the table and said, "I can’t prove you’re not a warlock, but I can at least prove you are harmless, right? I will write that I saw you attacked by Teron Gorefiend’s Black Magic, disturbed by Shadow Power, but you didn’t intend to harm innocent people using your troubled shadows, how about that?"

"That’s fine." Jesse said immediately, "Thank you so much!"

Vereesa nodded and said, "I helped you, if one day you really go down the wrong path and hurt others… it will also affect me, even in Quel’Thalas, it will bring trouble. So, I don’t want you to treat this as a trivial matter that can be solved with just a letter."

"But I’m still happy to help you get rid of trouble. It has nothing to do with whether you help me investigate or not, of course, it’s also because of this room." She stretched lazily and said, "Ah… lying here on the night back from Duskwood was such a luxury, I haven’t slept so comfortably in a long time."

Jesse said, "I understand the weight of this guarantee, Vereesa, I know how dangerous shadows can be."

Vereesa looked this way and said, "I know you understand, that’s why I’m willing to trust you, after all, we have fought together."