Chapter 90: The Dragon Talon Powder And The Outcast Reveal!
Ryker heard those words from Neve and felt something shift inside him.
Pride. That was the main emotion. Pride that Neve was not weak. Pride that Neve understood justice and consequences. Pride that the red panda he had chosen was stronger than he had initially given him credit for.
He tried to get rid of the jealousy that was still sitting in his chest. He had been wrong about Neve. He had thought maybe Neve was just going to be gentle and forgiving to everyone. Maybe he thought Bella would just kneel for a few minutes and get forgiven immediately because Neve was kind.
But Neve understood something important. Bella was the cause of everything that had happened. She was the reason Ryker had lost his title. She was the reason Sorin had been hurt. She was the reason there was chaos in the village.
Ryker would not have minded if Bella froze to death out there. After all, everything would be better and safer without her.
Soren did not complain or say a word after hearing Neve’s judgment.
He just nodded and looked one more time at his younger brother lying on the ground. Silently understanding, accepting and supporting what Neve said.
"I’ll let her know," he said and stood up, heading toward the cave entrance. "And please, take care of my brother. I’ll return to check on him later."
Neve nodded and watched Soren leave.
He exhaled deeply with his left hand pressed against his chest. The other hand continued moving gently through Cael’s hair. Neve was obviously relieved that the situation with Bella had been handled. That the judgment had been made. That he did not have to face her right now.
He looked back at Cael who had fallen asleep again, his body exhausted from the pain and the wildness. Neve stared at the bite mark on Cael’s calf.
"Is there anything that can help ease the pain?" Neve asked, looking at Gideon.
Gideon scratched his head thoughtfully.
"I don’t know anything specific about snake bites, Neve," he admitted. "The outcasts have never reached this side of the territory before. But I think we might need the venom of the snake itself to create a healing paste for him. Something that works like a counter poison but gentle enough to help with the pain."
Neve’s eyes widened.
He remembered immediately.
The talon. Vaelthorn’s dragon talon. The one that had healing properties. The one that could accelerate recovery faster than most medicines. He had it stored in the main cave somewhere safe.
He slowly placed Cael’s head on the stone floor and rushed to retrieve it.
The talon was massive. As long as a forearm. Heavy and hard. Impossibly hard.
"How am I supposed to grind this to powder?" Neve muttered, brushing his hand over the huge finger nail. "Something as hard as this. There’s nothing in this world strong enough to—"
"You could burn it," Sif said from where she was standing quietly, watching everything like she had been observing the entire time.
Neve looked at her, considering the idea. Burning the whole talon? That seemed wasteful. He wished he could just cut a small piece off. But there was nothing strong enough in this beast world to cut through dragon talon.
"Is that really a dragon’s talon?" Popi asked, walking closer to examine it.
Neve wanted to ignore her, but he just nodded.
"Hmm," Popi murmured, studying it carefully. "I heard it has healing properties. Why don’t we use one of the things in the kitchen? Something sharp that might be strong enough."
Neve raised an eyebrow.
An idea lit up in his mind like a sudden realization.
He rushed to the kitchen and grabbed one of the biggest knives. It was sharp and strong. He had not used it since he was gifted because there was nothing that really deserved to be cut with it. Most things could be prepared with basic tools.
But now he had something that needed it. Something that was stronger than stone. Something that was nearly indestructible.
And he was sure the system knife would be able to handle it because it had come from the system itself. System items worked in ways that defied the normal laws of this world.
He walked back to the talon and began scratching it with the blade carefully.
At first, nothing happened. The knife made contact but nothing came loose. He tried again, pressing harder, using more force.
Then a small bit of powder came off.
Just a tiny amount. But it was something.
Neve repeated the process over and over again. Scratching. Pressing. Scraping. For over five minutes he worked, his hand moving across the surface of the talon methodically.
Talon dust accumulated in his palm. It was white and shimmering. Beautiful in a way that suggested it held power.
It was enough.
He mixed it carefully with water and a bit of the medicinal herbs he had been using for other treatments. The combination created a paste that looked smooth and had a faint glow to it.
He walked back to Cael and gently nudged him awake.
Cael’s eyes opened slowly, still heavy with pain and exhaustion.
"I made something for you," Neve said softly. "Drink this. It should help with the pain."
Cael sat up without complaining. His trust in Neve was absolute. He did not ask what it was or where it came from. He just took the cup and drank it.
Everyone in the cave held their breath, waiting to see if it would work.
The moment Cael finished drinking, his eyes widened dramatically.
His body went rigid. Then suddenly he became very alert. Energetic. Like the poison had been completely reversed and replaced with strength.
"Huh? What is this?" Cael asked.
"It’s something I made," Neve said, relief flooding through him. "I’m glad you’re alright, Cael!"
But Cael was not looking at Neve with the peaceful expression of someone who had just been healed.
He was looking up at the ceiling of the cave with an expression of fury and focus.
"No, I wasn’t talking about the mixture," he said, his voice suddenly hard and dangerous. He gripped the cup tighter, his knuckles going white from pressure.
Suddenly, he threw the cup upward with force.
It flew through the air and hit something on the ceiling. The impact caused something long and curly to drop to the floor of the cave with a heavy thud.
Everyone stared.
It was a rope. But not just any rope. It was a body. A snake’s body. Wound around the rafters of the cave, hidden in the shadows the entire time.
Cael stood up, his body tense and ready for a fight.
"I’m talking about this damn outcast that poisoned me," he said.