Chapter 49

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Chapter 049: Warm Invitation

In the evening, after Jesse had taken a bath and put on his clothes, he saw Greed looking in his direction from a far distance.

"Want to go for a drink?"

"Let’s go."

Jesse nodded, checked how much money he had in his pocket, and when he got to Greed, he said, "Tonight we’re going to The Gilded Rose, have an expensive meal, my treat."

"How expensive?"

"Lion meat, what do you think? From the mountain lions in Hillsbrad Foothills, is that expensive enough for you?"

"Let’s go! Roasted lion ribs!"

The two of them hurried to The Gilded Rose, sat down at a table, and Greed asked, "How are your legs feeling?"

Jesse looked up at him and said, "You’re treating me to barbecue again and asking about my legs – you’re not going to rope me into something new again, are you? I plan to rest for a few days… I can make money now, but my body can’t keep up."

"No," Greed said, "I just got promoted to sergeant, so I want to celebrate."

"Officer, very good." Jesse pretended to praise, because he couldn’t understand the specific usefulness of the mysterious military ranks within the guild organization.

Watching the sommelier bring a platter of bone-in ribeye steak, Greed licked his lips and said, "As for asking about your well-being, it’s not just about caring, I want us to quickly recover our teachings."

"I have already ordered a sword." Jesse said, "I had it made according to your sword, I even hired a blacksmith from the Dwarven District. When you have time, please help me pick it up."

"You are quite proactive, I thought you had learned something…" He glanced at the customers next to him and lowered his voice, "After that magic, I completely lost interest in learning swordsmanship."

"I think you’re right." Jesse nodded repeatedly and said, "I need to reduce my involvement with those things, Greed. Let’s focus on staying healthy, exercising, and learning swordsmanship together."

"Even mages need to exercise." Greed chuckled, took a bite of the grilled steak, and loudly complained, "Where’s the wine? Are you guys fermenting it now? That’s too slow, what if this meat gets cold later? How can we enjoy the wine?"

Jesse watched Greed enjoy his meat heartily and took a sip of the sour grape juice he ordered for himself.

At the moment, only Shadow Magic embraced him, only this path was feasible.

Whether it was the resources provided by the Wizard’s Sanctum or the warlock relic he accidentally stumbled upon in Duskwood, these were conveniences that other possible paths did not offer.

The Holy Light said no, the Arcane said no, Necromancy… he couldn’t even consider. He had come to Stormwind to avoid natural disasters, could it be that the disaster turned out to be caused by himself in the end?

As for the path of Nature, the path of Elements, is it still possible to go find someone to learn from now, or should he go to the trolls in Stranglethorn to seek inspiration?

Without any guidance or help, is there a possibility of success if he has a sudden realization alone in a city where there is no presence of the path of Nature?

Most importantly, how long will it take?

The dark sky, hollow and dim, faintly showing some starlight, but not clearly visible.

Jesse hadn’t returned home this late in a long time. He walked while absent-mindedly observing passersby.

There were some elderly fishermen by the canal, a young couple sat whispering to each other by the riverbank in the distance, and a group of dwarfs were tossing glass bottles into the river, competing to see who could throw the farthest. At this moment, they were arguing about who threw the bottle furthest, unable to see the glass bottles in the water clearly in the dark night even with their dwarf eyes.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp object pressing against his waist from behind.

"Stay quiet, I don’t want to hurt you. Come with me."

He recognized the voice but couldn’t tell because it was whispered.

Jesse nodded and followed the person who kidnapped him into a small alley next to the bar. Finally, the person behind him spoke in a normal voice, "Do you remember me?"

It was Gakin’s voice.

Jesse knew this guy would try to get back at him. He had been cautious for several days, but tonight he let his guard down while having dinner with Greed, and that’s when the other person took advantage.

"I remember, Gakin. We met in Old Town."

"Good that you remember. Now tell me, why didn’t my Fear spell work on you, and where did you learn to resist it?"

"You didn’t pronounce the spell clearly," Jesse replied.

"That’s impossible," Gakin said. "I learned it from the Dark Iron Dwarves. As a warlock yourself, you should know that the Dark Iron Tribe is the most knowledgeable about Shadow Magic in this world. Confess now, you must have used some…"

Suddenly, Jesse elbowed Gakin in the face, causing him to wince in pain, and quickly grabbed his right hand holding the dagger.

Gakin couldn’t keep up with Jesse’s strength. Jesse grabbed his hand tightly, then twisted it hard, making Gakin let go. The dagger fell to the ground with a clatter.

With the dagger out of his hand, Jesse punched Gakin in the cheek without hesitation. Gakin staggered back and leaned against the wall, licking his teeth and touching his nose, which was already bleeding a little.

Glancing at the dagger, Jesse stepped on it and asked, "What are you going to do now, cast a spell?"

"I know, at this distance there’s no way I can successfully cast any magic," Gakin said.

"Good to know," Jesse smiled. "You and Surena Caledon still owe me two silver coins from last time. But considering the outcome, I won’t hold it against you."

"I don’t care about those two silver coins, young man," Gakin said. "I’m just curious why my Fear didn’t work on you."

"It did have an effect," Jesse said. "But not everyone would be afraid, Gakin. Some people, even when hit with a stronger Fear than yours, can stay calm and rational instead of panicking immediately and running away."

Of course, he wasn’t referring to himself, as he had relied on a Shadow Protection Potion to get through it.

He was talking about Greed. Greed devoured his Fear like those wolves, and even under the influence of that strange magic wand, he managed to recover in a relatively short time.

However, Gakin’s words also solved one of Jesse’s puzzles – why the spell he heard from such a third-rate warlock could take effect immediately when he tried to use it.

It turned out that it wasn’t a hearsay spell, but a real one learned from a dwarf who had studied dark magic.

The leader of the warlocks still had some tricks up his sleeve, perhaps this group wasn’t as simple as Jesse had initially thought.

"I understand now," Gakin pondered for a moment before saying, "The dwarf told me that Fear doesn’t work effectively on everyone, but it had worked well on beasts before, and even on a beggar. I never expected a young man to resist it."

"Well, consider this dagger your compensation for threatening me, along with the two silver coins you owe me," Jesse tucked the pretty little knife into his belt and warned, "If you dare to attack me again, I won’t be so forgiving."

Despite saying that, Jesse’s heart was still pounding fast. These days, it was rare to find someone who was willing to fight him and weaker like this warlock. In past conflicts, he had always ended up beaten, with very few victories.

Perhaps, his experiences with Greed this month had contributed to his growth.

Now he better understood the importance of sword practice that Greed had insisted upon. Before mastering spells that could significantly help him, spellcasters like them lacked the ability to protect themselves.

At this stage, close combat skills and physical fitness were crucial in real battles, while spells could only serve as support.

Just as he was about to leave, Gakin suddenly asked, "By the way, your name is Jesse, right?"

"What do you want, reporting me to the church?" Jesse turned his head and said, "I know the background of your group, reporting each other to see who suffers more."

"Of course not, nobody wants things to end in a mess." Gakin brushed off the dust from his clothes, stood up, and said, "But what you said makes sense, we’re all in the same boat now."

Jesse understood what he meant.

"Do you want me to join you?"

Gakin nodded and said, "Not only that, we… lack fighters like you. We only have one Erlan Drudgemoor, but even though he’s with us, he doesn’t have the patience to study magic. He’s from the Stonework Brotherhood, and coming to The Slaughtered Lamb was also by chance. I believe he’s not here to learn magic. He just knows how to bully others with his strength, including me and other members. I hope to have someone who can balance him out, but these days, there are too few people willing to explore dark arts, especially young ones with courage and talent like you. I don’t want to let go of a potentially gifted member like you."

Erlan Drudgemoor is the young man who had an affair with Surena when he first entered The Slaughtered Lamb.

At that time, Jesse hadn’t figured things out yet, and was afraid of being killed by Shadow Magic. Erlan, strong as he was, didn’t resist.

But no matter how strong he was, he was still only a mortal. Since Jesse had already chosen this path, he shouldn’t fear Erlan, but rather value Gakin’s knowledge.

Jesse asked, "So, do you still hold a grudge against me for using Fear on you that night?"

"On the path to pursuing dark arts, there are greater sacrifices and setbacks than this," Gakin said. "But sacrifices are never without value, and I believe meeting you is the reward this time."

Jesse thought for a moment and said, "I have my own conditions too."

"Of course," Gakin replied. "While we may not be wealthy, we have some money. If you are willing to join us…"

"Money is necessary but not the most important," Jesse said. "After joining, the first thing I require from you is a valuable spell."

"That’s the spirit we need. Erlan, that muscle-headed fool, would never make such a request in his lifetime. This is the very reason we established this organization, Jesse," Gakin said excitedly. "Don’t worry, on your first day with us, I will teach you a spell of great value that you will be satisfied with."

"Also, I am not your student," Jesse added.

"Of course, we are partners, colleagues, and friends," Gakin said with a smile.