Chapter 716

Chapter 716: Steps in the Forest

After picking up the robe Jalane had repaired from Ursula, Jesse put on the robe, draped his cloak, and pulled on clean boots. He tidied his hair neatly before heading to the palace.

The guards at Stormwind Keep already knew him well. Even without showing his ring or stating his name and purpose, they still called out "Master Jesse Seso" and cleared his path into the palace.

Such courtesy within the palace still unsettled him. Fortunately, this wasn’t a ceremony or important event. The inner ramps had fewer guards, with only patrols moving about, sparing him constant greetings.

Halfway up, Lord Bolvar Fordragon emerged from a side passage. He wore no armor, only a pale yellow silk coat that seemed too thin for winter, and approached Jesse on the main path.

"Master Jesse Seso."

"Lord Bolvar."

Bolvar nodded slightly, gesturing toward another corridor behind Jesse. "Still unfamiliar with this keep? Even I get turned around sometimes. The court mages’ council hall and library are that way."

Jesse inclined his head. "I came to see the king, my lord."

"Unfortunate timing. The king isn’t at Stormwind Keep," Bolvar replied. "Having returned from Lordaeron, you might not know—His Majesty traveled to Ironforge for King Magni’s Feast of Winter Veil. He’s likely journeying back now. You’ll need to wait a few days."

"I see," Jesse said. "Actually, I wanted to confirm the timing for retaking the Tower of Ilgalar. The king mentioned a spring offensive against the Gnolls."

Bolvar answered, "Commander Troteman plans to strike in early February after Stormwind reinforcements reach Stonewatch Keep. He knows you’ll participate. As a court mage, you needn’t travel with the troops, but arrive at Stonewatch within two or three weeks."

"Understood, my lord." Jesse added, "One more thing—where is Aarna, the horse the king gifted me?"

"She’s stabled in the Mage Quarter. Haven’t you checked?"

Jesse promptly thanked the lord and left for the stables outside Mage Quarter’s walls. True enough, Aarna remained there.

Yet compared to a year ago, she’d grown noticeably thinner. *Had the king neglected her care?* Though rarely ridden, she was his first mount, and he sensed her affection for him. Seeing her gaunt frame pained him.

Still, Aarna had always been a sturdy, handsome mare. Even now, she looked no weaker than other Mage Quarter horses.

Spotting him, Aarna whinnied excitedly and strained against her stall gate. Jesse asked the nearby administrator: "Has she gotten little outdoor time lately?"

"She goes out as often as others. We’ve cared for Lady Aarna per the king’s instructions, Mr. Seso. But she craves more outings than most. With stablehands scarce, her needs might’ve been overlooked. I’m sorry."

"Thank you for tending to her," Jesse said. "Is she fit to ride now?"

The administrator chuckled. "She seems eager enough."

Jesse nodded. His palace visit aimed to avoid hiring a cart for his Moonbrook trip. Before heading to Redridge, he’d visit Mor’zul—perhaps the warlock could help summon a Doomguard.

Even Saenor couldn’t adapt the Dethmoora summoning spell—obtained from Maraudon’s Satyr—to call other Ered’ruin demons. Mor’zul was now their best hope.

Attempting a Doomguard summoning at The Slaughtered Lamb with inexperienced warlocks risked disaster. Those struggling with basic Demon Guards could barely handle such rites.

This clarified why Mor’zul, a true Demonologist, had left that tavern. Naturally, Jesse should reciprocate by helping summon that greater demon.

*If only that demon were Ered’ruin…* But how could he know beforehand unless Mor’zul revealed its nature? The warlock seemed unlikely to share—if he even knew.

"Master Seso?" The administrator’s voice broke his thoughts. "Taking her out now?"

"Ah… yes," Jesse said. "Actually, I’ll be taking her on a journey." He nearly asked to stable Aarna at his new Trade District home, but hesitated.

His eyes swept the tidy stalls, the administrator, the hay-filled troughs, and the paddock. The words died in his throat.

*Better leave her under royal care for now.*

Leading Aarna to his rented home, Jesse summoned Molofeel, grabbed his demon bag, and departed with Saenor through Stormwind’s gates.

His last Moonbrook trip without demon servants had proved perilous—ambushed by a felhound in an alley, then caught off-guard at Mor’zul’s. This time, Molofeel would provide protection.

After resting for the night at Westbrook Garrison, Jesse chose not to stay near the camp but instead found a spot in the shade by the river on the opposite side of the road, out of sight of the Westbrook camp. After all, he still had two demons with him.

Although many people already knew about his use of Black Magic and even summoning demons, with both Quel’Thalas and the Kirin Tor accepting it, that didn’t mean ordinary people wouldn’t fear demons upon seeing them.

To avoid causing trouble for Stormwind’s peace, he needed to be careful about his impact when going out. More importantly, taking advantage of the nighttime in the wild, he wanted to practice Shadowstep again.

Following Molofeel’s earlier advice and recalling his past experience, Jesse sat under the tree, closed his eyes, and called for the shadow power to come closer in Demonic.

Not knowing if it was because the forest night gathered more shadow power or if his call echoed with the darkness of distant Duskwood, Jesse found it much easier to summon the dark force this time. Shadows drifted around him, darkening his figure more and more, reminding him of when he used Life Tap to change shadow mana.

After a few minutes, Jesse had almost turned completely into a mass of shadow. The sudden grip of darkness had surprised him last time, but now he tried to stay in that state longer, getting used to the shadows…

But next, how could he use shadow power for quick movement?

He had found the source of the shadow power but lacked a target point. "Master, try to come closer to me," Molofeel said.

Jesse looked up at the succubus, seeing the shadow power around him fade away by half. "What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"Make me the target you want to chase," Molofeel explained. "We have a Soul Link, so you can sense me better with your mind. Try to let the shadows bring you to me, speaking your will in Demonic. At least, that’s how demons do it, even if they don’t need Demonic for shadow power…"

"Let me try."

Jesse stood up, again calling the shadows to cover him completely in darkness, this time much faster than before.

He focused on Molofeel, guiding the shadow power to send him to her side using Demonic.

Molofeel was right; with the Soul Link, he felt her presence clearer than the trees, far-off people, or any nearby animals. The shadows seemed to lock onto a target, and Jesse felt himself flung toward Molofeel in a rush of dark energy. But just before he reached her, the succubus vanished in a swirl of darkness.

"Master, she went over there!" Saenor peeked from the bag, pointing elsewhere.

Jesse gasped and turned back, noticing Molofeel standing where he had been, watching him. He had suddenly moved five or six meters away.

Then intense nausea hit him. He stumbled to a tree, bent over, and vomited several times, nearly emptying his stomach of the bread and dried mushrooms from dinner.

But there was no shadow taint in his vomit, meaning the sudden jolt from the shadow power had just unsettled him.

"Is that all? Come catch me, Master," Molofeel laughed. "What a damn boring game this is," Jesse said, wiping his mouth.

"Don’t you want to try more while you can?" Molofeel leaned against a tree. "Besides, you’ve got plenty of mana left; I can tell."

Jesse nodded, staring into her golden-red fiery eyes. He called the shadows in Demonic to leap at Molofeel. This time, he appeared right beside her, but when he grabbed for her arm, she dodged easily again. He stumbled, felt dizzy, and dropped to retch, with nothing left to throw up.

"Seems your shadow tolerance isn’t so great, Master," Molofeel teased, tail swaying.

"Mental disorder from words is still mental disorder. Don’t provoke me," Jesse said, leaning on a small tree to catch his breath. "This is truly awful."

"At least it’s better than last time," Molofeel said. "At least…"

Before Jesse finished, he suddenly summoned the shadows!

This Shadowstep was incredibly fast. After those tries, Jesse could now wake the shadows with his mind without speaking Demonic.

He appeared beside Molofeel, reaching for her neck, but the Blade of Eternal Darkness pressed against his throat. His hand froze mid-air, never touching the succubus.

"Today’s last lesson, Master: don’t Shadowstep toward a target way better at close combat than you," Molofeel said, still with that odd smile.

Jesse took deep breaths, fighting the urge to vomit. After a pause, he lowered his eyes to the blade’s edge.

He’d given up Greed’s sword lessons too long ago. Facing the Satyr in Maraudon had shown him he needed to restart them for his own safety.