Chapter 739

Chapter 739: A Stronger Pact

Having someone help clean, especially a Red Dragon, made things a bit easier, but it wasn’t a fundamental improvement. Jesse didn’t want Vaelastrasz using magic, much less letting him transform into a dragon to blast the tower with purifying flame. Even though Vaelastrasz wasn’t a colossal dragon like Krasus, changing form inside the tower could still cause devastating damage.

Ultimately, Jesse had just found another hard worker who never tired, though two people were definitely faster than one.

For a dragon like Vaelastrasz, purifying small patches of shadow corrosion without fire was manageable, while Jesse could only rely on purification potions brought daily from Stonewatch Keep, which ran out quickly. So Vaelastrasz was at least a little more efficient than Jesse.

The Tower of Ilgalar had four levels. The lowest floor had stone steps along both walls leading up to wooden stairs that reached a narrow stone ledge. This barely counted as the second level but held little beyond some tools or perhaps a statue.

Two spiral staircases hugging the tower walls extended upward from the ledge to the third-floor library. This section was much wider than below, offering plenty of room.

The library held many bookshelves, though few intact books remained. While cleaning, Jesse kept damaged pages with legible text, especially those in Orcish and Demonic—likely left by Horde warlocks—as they might have research value.

A central spiral staircase led up to the tower’s top floor. As spacious as the library, it could store magical materials or serve as an alchemy lab, while the area opposite the stairs could be Jesse’s resting quarters.

If he summoned Kallez as the tower’s energy source, could he practice shadow or even fel magic here without worrying about depletion, given how Gnoll Warlocks had held off Stonewatch soldiers?

But Jesse felt the tower lacked a safe place to unleash dark magic. The top floor was large, yet storing books and valuables made magical practice too risky.

The lower levels… Without dismantling the central wooden stairs and rebuilding the stone steps, fitting Kallez would be difficult, let alone practicing magic there.

Should he dig a basement like The Slaughtered Lamb? That project seemed too massive and needed careful planning.

The tower’s immediate issues were: First, the stairs—especially the damaged wooden ones—and the windows needing repair. Jesse decided to ask Erlan Drudgemoor and his Mason’s Guild colleagues to assess restructuring the lower floors for space.

Second, defense. Stonewatch Keep soldiers couldn’t spare troops to guard the tower; if they could, they wouldn’t have abandoned it initially. Since the king entrusted him with the tower, requesting a garrison felt excessive—he had to handle this himself.

After Vaelastrasz left, Jesse immediately summoned a Felhound named Dazhalm II.

Erlan Drudgemoor had warned him: summoning demons nonstop risked Twisting Nether backlash, corroding one’s mind into foul shadow sludge—a fate suffered by Dark Iron Dwarves.

Days later, he summoned another Felhound named Dazhalm III. By this naming, he could only reach Dazhalm VII since Annihilan numerals stopped at seven. But if Dazhalm II perished, the name freed up. If needed, he could always invent a new one.

With two Felhounds guarding the Mage Tower, Gnoll Warlocks couldn’t seize it quickly. Their leader who’d occupied the tower was gone, and finding a replacement of his caliber would delay the Gnolls long enough for Stonewatch reinforcements.

Strangely, the new Felhound was slightly smaller than the first. Barely noticeable alone, the difference was clear side-by-side.

"What’s going on?" "Saenor!"

Jesse called out while eyeing the Felhounds. The imp, who’d been watching the scenery from a window, scurried over. "What now, master? You’re not asking me to clean, are you? I can’t lift brooms! Besides, the tower’s already spotless!"

Jesse ignored this. "Look at these two Felhounds. Different sizes? I used the same summoning method and similar Soul Shards."

The imp studied them. "Dunno, master. Enslaving Kallez might’ve drained you. Or just bad luck—summoning’s unpredictable. Try summoning another?"

Jesse eyed the smaller Felhound uneasily. Was there a "summoning limit"? Did enslaving a demon sap his strength? He couldn’t tell yet, but more demons felt riskier.

"Can I forge a pact with Kallez like with you and Molofeel? Forced enslavement magic feels unreliable."

The imp chuckled. "You know his true name, master! That shackles him tighter than any chain. For a mighty demon? That’s worse than death!"

"Exactly why he must despise me," Jesse countered. "What if I weaken and can’t sustain the enslavement?"

The imp’s eyes darted. "Then… avoid trouble and stay strong?"

"Trouble finds me," Jesse said. "And if controlling him drains my will, I can’t keep this up."

"Fair point. But you must know what he wants. See, I tolerate Azeroth because while taking orders grates, it beats being hauled back to Nastoy as the Ghost King’s slave. That’s our pact’s foundation!"

"That female Sayaad? She craves your power! You lured her to Azeroth for a reason, so she accepts your summons… But what can you offer the Ered’ruin lord? Or what does he desire? Know that before chanting any contract—forced or not. If you can’t meet his demands, no pact exists!"

"Can’t I compel the terms?" Jesse asked.

"Think of mutual conditions as ‘spell ingredients,’" the imp explained. "Like ordering a demon to cast Holy Light: he’d try obeying, but the Light won’t answer. Right, master?"

*Who knows*, Jesse thought. But he grasped the imp’s meaning—what did this Demon Lord covet?