Chapter 402
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Chapter 402: Marsh Phantom
The Black Morass, true to its name, was a dark swamp with dense treetops covering the sky above. The ground below, covered in various dark green vegetation, was divided by interlocking streams of mud, or rather, muddy and filthy shallow creeks.
This terrifying swamp, already filled with filth, had become even more tainted over eight years by the evil energy released from the Dark Portal in the south. Whatever lurked in the dark waters here was no longer recognizable as any kind of creature.
But at this moment, Jesse didn’t have to worry about swamp creatures or predators in the forest.
That team had over ten people, with ten fully armed soldiers among them. They were all experienced soldiers who had joined the expedition here. They wore heavy armor, carried shields and long swords, and moved easily through the swamp.
The captain leading the way was the one who recruited Jesse to join the team. His name was Quinton, and from his accent, it was clear he was also from Lordaeron.
Carrying a seemingly heavy war hammer, this guy moved with agility, showing he was a strong fighter.
Leading and trailing the team were a male and a female Elf Ranger, both members of the Farstriders under the command of the ranger captain Alleria Windrunner.
Originally responsible for aiding the mages and soldiers from Quel’Thalas to enter the Dark Portal for Lothar’s son in Nethergarde, these two elves were sent by the Farstriders’ leader in Nethergarde to Stonard to help protect the portal with the Alliance soldiers after demons appeared at the Dark Portal a few days ago.
Overall, most of these people were experienced soldiers who had been here for a year or two. However, even so, they still needed Jesse’s help to track demons since, like the Farstriders, they lacked experience in fighting demons.
Although the scent of fel fire could be felt throughout the swamp, Jesse, familiar with demons, could still distinguish where the concentration of demon aura was higher and where it was less likely to be found.
The demons of the Burning Legion didn’t bother hiding their aura like the lurking succubus did, making tracking them somewhat easier.
Of course, he had to first get rid of the fel magic radiation coming from the entire Dark Portal in the south.
"Mage, are we heading in the right direction?" asked the captain at the front, looking towards the northeast where the swamp was darker.
Jesse said, "Yes, I can smell the demons ahead more clearly now, as well as the presence of shadow, Captain. And I think for us, the existence of Shadow Power might be more meaningful, because it implies the presence of spellcasters."
"The presence of spellcasters means demon summoning rituals," agreed Captain Quinton.
Jesse walked to the front of the group, focused again on the surrounding forest. At that moment, he saw a faint shadow pass behind dense low swamp bushes.
In the dark swamp, with light and shadows in disarray everywhere, he wasn’t sure if he had seen a demon’s shadow.
The soldiers were walking quickly, and after a few minutes, he glanced to the right, then towards the back of the group. This time, he saw a similar shadow following another shadow.
He looked in another direction and it seemed like another shadow was closing in on them.
This time he was certain, a demon was indeed tracking this group!
The female elf behind the group felt something was wrong. She stared at Jesse, seeking confirmation. Jesse looked back at her. The elves in front kept leading the way with the captain, seemingly unaware of anything unusual.
The Farstriders rangers lacked experience in scouting demons who could hide themselves. They were used to dealing with orcs or trolls, and the few demons they encountered were mostly summoned as servants by orcs. Facing a demon army was a new challenge for them.
Just as Jesse was about to go to the front of the group to explain the situation to the captain, he suddenly felt the shadow of a demon approaching from the side. It rushed towards the female elf at the back of the group. Jesse immediately turned around and shouted, "Watch out, Farstriders!"
The female elf at the back of the group heard the warning and quickly drew an arrow from her quiver. She didn’t expect a naked female demon to suddenly appear from the shadows, wielding a sharp dagger, and roaring as it lunged towards her.
Jesse quickly waved his magic wand and cast the Scorch Curse spell on the demon, blasting off one side of the female demon’s wing and half of her chest. She wailed and fell into the water. However, several Sayaad Demons leaped out from the shadows one after another, filling the air with their sharp cries.
With Jesse’s warning, the soldiers reacted swiftly. They were not caught off guard by the sudden appearance of succubus. The first succubus to attack the soldiers was surrounded by a few soldiers and stabbed to death with their swords. Another succubus managed to escape from the soldiers but was shot in the shoulder by the Farstriders in the front.
She quickly pulled the arrow out and laughed crazily. At that moment, a soldier rushed over, intending to kill her with his sword, but the injured succubus was quicker and whipped her spiked whip towards him.
The soldier raised his shield to block the attack but the whip slipped past the shield, hitting his arm. He winced in pain, took a step back, and tried to counterattack with his sword, but the succubus had already disappeared into thin air.
By the time a succubus fell to Captain Quinton’s hammer blow, and the one stabbed to death earlier, the rest had disappeared.
The group that was originally surrounded by demons suddenly became empty. Jesse focused and reminded everyone, "They haven’t left yet!"
"Cursed imp!" muttered a soldier behind.
"Are we going to die?"
A question with a seductive tone came from somewhere, the soldier hesitated and said, "No… we shouldn’t die!"
The captain tapped the soldier’s helmet and said, "Stay alert, soldier, don’t be deceived by these female demons!"
With that tap, the soldier immediately coughed and said, "Sorry, Captain Quinton!"
In the distance, a shout was heard, several shadow demons approached again, but Jesse immediately noticed a succubus shadow that had climbed up a tree above the soldiers and was about to leap down to attack the captain!
Jesse cast a spell directly at the shadow, a ball of hot flame exploded in the air, hitting the succubus and making her fall to the ground. The captain rushed over and smashed her chest with a hammer.
After the succubus died violently, the other demon shadows immediately stopped approaching. They seemed to realize that Jesse could sense their invisibility and scattered in different directions, giving up the attack.
"They seem to have left," Jesse said.
The female elf walked up and said, "We should quicken our pace, humans. These female demons might inform other allies, putting us at a disadvantage."
