Chapter 680

Chapter 680: In the Name of a Test Flight

The Tower of Ilgalar.

Jesse remembered an old quest in the game set in Redridge, where Morganth betrayed the Wizard’s Sanctum, turned to dark magic, and joined forces with orcs and gnolls to study poison and black magic to threaten the Kingdom of Stormwind. Players needed to enter the tower, climb to the top, and slay him along with his demon servants.

Though this tower was less grand than the Wizard’s Sanctum, it was the only mage tower by Lake Everstill, and its location near the military stronghold of Stonewatch Keep showed its importance.

But after the Orc Wars and constant fights between Stonewatch Keep soldiers and gnolls, the tower was likely in bad shape.

Years later, Blackrock Orcs invaded Redridge again, captured Stonewatch Keep, and it was taken over by the traitor Morganth. Since then, it became a true shadow tower, packed with black magic traps and home to dark creatures and demons.

Even if the tower fell into Jesse’s hands, he wasn’t sure he could manage it well, with gnolls all around and the threat of orcs from the Burning Steppes…

“Hey, Jesse.” Greed waved his hand in front of Jesse’s face. “What are you thinking about?” Jesse snapped back to reality, realizing they had somehow returned to the Pig and Whistle Tavern. “Did I agree with King Varian Wrynn?” Jesse asked.

“Are you drunk?” Greed rested his chin on his hand. “Oh, right, you barely ate at the banquet, just drank. I shouldn’t have ordered such strong drinks; I only meant to fill your stomach.”

“I meant the mage tower!” Jesse insisted.

“Of course you agreed. How could you say no to the king?” Greed clicked his tongue. “You’re not so drunk you forgot, right? That’s too important to miss.”

“Maybe.” Jesse looked at him. “But I feel like you’re not happy.”

“Nothing to be unhappy about. It’s just…” The dwarf dipped his finger in his drink and scribbled on the table. “I’m starting to pay for Goergette. Jesse, do you know what this means?”

“It means you have your own gryphon now,” Jesse replied.

Greed scratched his face hard. “King Varian Wrynn said Goergette could stay in the new gryphon nest on Stormwind’s walls, but that’s all. If we go out, I feed her myself. You can’t imagine how much a gryphon that size eats… I figured that if we ride her to Dalaran, the food costs more than our ship tickets! And that’s with her taking it easy.”

Jesse asked carefully, “So are you planning to…”

Greed paused. “Can you pay for that?”

Jesse stammered, then said, “Right, let her grab a sheep or cow from the mountains. We pass Khaz Modan, right? Let her catch a goat!”

“Isn’t it bad to cause trouble in Bronzebeard Dwarf lands?” Greed scratched his beard. “Then go to Hillsbrad for a bear or mountain lion,” Jesse shot back.

“What if she gets hurt?” Greed went on. “And keeping her in Dalaran’s gryphon nest will cost a lot; the Kirin Tor won’t cover gryphon care, will they?”

“Why make it hard?” Jesse scratched his hair and neck. “I’ll pay.”

“Really?” Greed asked.

“What’s wrong?” Jesse said. “You’re taking me. I can cover it; no problem.”

Greed laughed. “You just want to see that elven woman fast, right? Picturing Miss Vereesa Windrunner waiting for you in Dalaran keeps you up at night, doesn’t it?”

He chuckled, and Jesse smiled a bit too, quickly drinking to hide it. After eating and drinking, Greed slapped the table. “Jesse, come to the walls with me.”

“What?” Jesse put on his cloak. “You want to see Goergette?”

“More than see.” Greed said. “I want to ride her out. Where? To the Tower of Ilgalar!”

“That place is full of gnolls, Greed! And it’s almost dark,” Jesse warned.

Greed replied, “Exactly because it’s dark. Some gnolls have crossbows—dangerous, right? How do they aim at night? They’re blind or asleep, so we sneak close from above, peek at the tower, and come back. Are you in or not?”

“I’m in,” Jesse said.

“Then let’s go.”

The two left the Pig and Whistle Tavern, ran to the Trade District, and climbed the steps by the Stormwind lion banner. “Quiet—gryphons are sleeping!” the gryphon administrator rubbed his eyes as he walked over. “Ah, isn’t that…”

Greed cut in, “Where’s Goergette?”

“The king met her this morning, gave her to you, and now you can’t wait to ride her?” The gryphon administrator playfully punched Greed’s arm. “Follow me; I’ll take you, and Mr. Seso too!”

The dwarf administrator led them through a low corridor, asking, “Did you really save a princess from Grim Batol?”

“It was the Queen of the Red Dragons! Buddy!”

“Why save a red dragon?!” The administrator gasped.

“Turns out orcs captured the red dragons’ mother and forced them to be mounts,” Greed explained. “Saving her freed the red dragons from helping the orcs.”

“I thought those red dragons went mad to serve otherworldly monsters,” the administrator nodded. “Damn, you guys did great… Seriously, what’s Grim Batol like, Greed? Is it as grand as the pictures, like Ironforge?”

“I think it’s a bit smaller than Ironforge,” Greed said. “But I didn’t see much. Ask this human; he became an orc and lived there for days…”

“Became an orc?!” The administrator cried out.

“It was just realistic illusion magic, not really becoming an orc,” Jesse explained. “Grim Batol isn’t as big as Ironforge, but it’s huge—three levels where I walked, and deeper parts unseen.”

“I envy you, Mr Jesse Seso; I wish I could see it someday,” the gryphon administrator shook his head. “Now I’m stuck in Stormwind, no chance to leave. Most humans can’t ride gryphons well. I thought training human gryphon administrators would be easy, but life here hurts more than on Aerie Peak, Greed. I’d rather teach Hinterlands elves to drink.”

“I think, brother Buddy,” Greed said, “it’s easier to teach humans to ride gryphons.”