Chapter 137: The Dragon Talon Powder And The Collapse!
Sable tilted his head, clearly confused as he folded his arms across his chest.
"You can use what?" Sable asked, his sharp fox eyes studying Neve’s face. "What are you up to? I’m the one guarding you today so I can’t let anything happen to you. My job is to keep you safe."
"Nothing is going to happen and I’m not going anywhere," Neve said, brushing off Sable’s concerns.
He reached into his inventory and pulled out the dragon talon. The large, curved claw materialized in his hand, glowing slightly in the dim light of the cave room.
Sable wasn’t even surprised anymore since it was not his first time seeing Neve pull things out of thin air. The fox had already gotten used to Neve’s mysterious storage ability. Neve had not told him about his system and missions and the fact that he was from another world. He had only told Sable that he was able to store things in some kind of magical space.
And like others had first believed, Sable thought this ability was because Neve was originally from the red panda tribe. A special gift passed down through their bloodline perhaps.
"If I use this, I’ll be able to feel better," Neve said, turning the talon over in his hands.
Sable stepped closer, examining the object.
"A dragon’s talon," Sable said thoughtfully. "I heard people in the village talk about how you were gifted a talon by your dragon mate. Vaelthorn, right? The dragon king himself gave this to you."
Neve nodded.
"Did you sneak into the village?" Neve asked suddenly, concern crossing his face. "What if you get caught? What if someone recognizes you as an outsider?"
Sable smirked confidently.
"Assassins have stealth skills," he said simply. "Do not worry, no one is going to catch me. I know how to move without being seen. I know how to listen without being heard. That’s what makes me good at what I do."
"God, I hope so," Neve said, shaking his head at the fox’s casual attitude about danger.
He walked out of the bedroom, heading toward the kitchen. As he moved through the cave, he could hear the kids laughing in the main room. Popi and Sif were giggling about something together. The sound was comforting and normal. It reminded Neve that there was still joy in this world despite everything dark that was happening.
Neve wished he had a way to complete his second mission so he could finally unlock the market. There was no good reason for Soren to say no to him when he was helping the people on his behalf. Maybe Soren felt threatened. Maybe Soren felt like his position as chief was being questioned. Maybe that was why he decided to bare his fangs at whoever wanted to steal his position or his power.
He sighed deeply, shaking his head at the situation.
He grabbed a sharp knife from the kitchen and went back to his room. Sable was still standing there, waiting patiently for Neve to return.
Neve began carefully scratching the dragon talon with the sharp knife, gathering the powder that fell from it into his hand. The powder was fine and glittering, like crushed diamonds. It sparkled in the light.
He gathered it slowly, methodically, making sure not to waste any of it.
And then he paused.
Was it okay to take this? He knew it was safe for his cubs. The dragon talon had already been used to save Cael’s life from the poison. It had healing properties. It had magical properties.
But what about Skarr?
The original owner of his body had been quiet ever since that day when Neve came back from being trapped between worlds. Skarr had not tried to take control again. He had not spoken. He had just been silent and still inside Neve’s mind.
But Skarr had mentioned something about how he got to awaken thanks to the magic he felt. The dragon talon was magical. Taking the same source of magic power, using it, consuming it, would that trigger Skarr to wake up again?
Would using the dragon talon powder bring back the original owner of his body?
Neve stared at the powder in his hand, uncertainty flooding through him.
Sable got close to Neve and used his own finger to gather some of the powder from Neve’s palm.
"Is this safe?" Sable asked, studying the glittering powder on the tip of his finger.
"Maybe," Neve replied hesitantly, watching to see what Sable would do.
He was not sure. He was not confident about what would happen if someone else took the powder.
Without waiting for more confirmation, Sable brought his finger to his mouth and placed the powder on his tongue.
He swallowed it.
At first, nothing happened. Sable stood there calmly, his expression unchanged. But then, after just a few seconds, the fox’s entire body went rigid.
His eyes went wide.
His mouth opened in a silent scream.
"Damn it!" Sable cursed, his voice filled with pain and shock. "Don’t take the powder, it’s... not... good."
His knees hit the floor hard as his body gave out.
Sable’s eyes rolled back in his head and then they closed completely. The fox beastman collapsed onto the stone floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
He was not moving.
He was not breathing.
Neve froze in absolute terror.
Fear choked him, making it impossible to breathe or think or do anything useful.
Without caring about what he had gathered in his hand, without thinking about the consequences, Neve rushed to Sable. He dropped to his knees beside the fallen fox, his hands shaking as he reached out to touch the fox’s face.
"Sable? Sable, wake up!" Neve called out desperately.
He checked for a pulse. He pressed his ear against Sable’s chest to listen for a heartbeat.
The fox was still alive. His heart was still beating. But he was unconscious. Completely unresponsive.
Neve’s mind raced with panic and guilt.
"Did I almost kill Sable?"