29 The Assassin's Return

…Zarand's PoV…

"Sir? How are you feeling today?" A worried voice takes me out of my dreamless sleep. I haven't been able to dream about anything else other than a bright light ever since that damn explosion robbed me of my limbs.

I nod to the nurse and inspect my body; my left leg has been replaced by a grey prosthesis covered in small and intricate runes that emit a faint glow with each of my movements. My left foot and my thumb, as well as my middle finger on my right hand, were also replaced by the metallic limbs.

I move the artificial limbs around and sigh once I hear the familiar clicks of the metal, "I'm fine, and I'm almost back to normal now."

The nurse nods and leads me towards an empty room to help me get used to my new limbs. I can't help but glance at the comatose Hosond on my way out.

He hasn't been able to wake up since we narrowly escaped from that explosion.

*Sometimes I wonder if he's better off than us…*

Hosond lost his legs because of the explosion, so he's never going to see the battlefield again even if he wakes up. On the other hand, Usgia is the one who is the least damaged since she only lost her right arm.

But she lost her mind along with her limb. She refuses to leave her room and sit in the corner all day while mumbling incomprehensible words. I questioned the medical staff about her condition, and it seems to get worse with each day that passes. She lashes out at anyone who enters her room and she barely eats anything.

Memories of our training days flash in front of my eyes: I remember how we all laughed together, how we helped each other during training…

But now their smiles are gone forever, and we can't even bury them properly.

I grit my teeth when I remember the smug face of the one responsible for all this misery.

John Thomson took my comrades away, they were like the family I never had. And I'll never forgive him. I'll chase him across the entire universe if I have to, but I won't stop until I make him regret ever been born. I'll stop at nothing to kill him, even if it means discarding my life in the process.

We finally enter the room, it's populated by a few training dummies here and there. There are wooden weapons on racks lined against the walls and there's also some gymnastic equipment.

I grab a short wooden sword and twirl it in my right hand. I can't help but grimace since the weapon still moves too slowly. The loss of my fingers was a severe impact on my skill with the blade, and it's likely that I'll never be able to regain my previous level no matter how hard I train.

I face a training dummy and strike it a few times, but I'm still not satisfied with how the sword reacts in my hand.

*At least I can hold it properly now…*

I jump and perform an aerial strike on the dummy, and I wince when I land. The links between my body and the prosthesis are still not fully healed, so they hurt a lot. But I grit my teeth and continue my training. The massive loss of mobility caused by the destruction of my lower body is something I need to correct as soon as possible.

*The nurse was impressed that I became able to walk two days after I got the prosthesis, but it's still not enough!*

I smack the dummy's head and the wooden weapon shatters in my hand! A smirk creeps on my face as I kick the splinters away. At least I'm making progress, and I'm slowly regaining my strength.

*But it's still not good enough…*

I grab another weapon from the rack, take a deep breath, and then raise my empty hand towards the humanoid target. A small black tentacle wriggles out of my hand and I immediately feel a burn in my heart, but I endure the pain and continue to activate the spell.

The tentacle vanishes out of existence and I lose control of my body before falling on the floor, a thick stream of blue blood trickles out of my mouth.

"Sir! Are you all right?!" the panicked nurse rushes to my side and start to use various healing spells, I can only answer with a pained grunt since my insides feel like they are melting.

I finally get up after taking long minutes to recover and wipe the blood on my mouth. I look at my bloodied half-metallic hand and sigh.

*It looks like I still can't use my mana properly.*

The doctors warned me that the overdose of mana caused by the explosion nearly shattered my soul's vessel, and it was a miracle that I was still alive. They also told me that I'll have to wait a long time before I could safely use my mana again, and it's very likely that I'll only be able to use a fraction of the power I had before.

*How much more time will it take?! Every day that John Thomson lives through is an insult to my comrades' memory!*

A slow clap interrupts my thoughts, and I recognize the figure of the Scalebound Patriarch. He looks tired and old beyond his years, but I can hardly blame the man. The condition of his daughter is not openly discussed, but everyone in the Family knows about it.

Her life, if we can even call it that, is a living nightmare. She has to be constantly sedated with increasingly potent drugs while her body is continuously ravaged from the inside. Our doctors are doing their best and are working tirelessly to keep her alive, but their effort only serves to prolong her agony and delay her inevitable death.

I can't help but clench my fists, causing cracks to appear on my wooden sword. This is all because of that damn Outsider! A demon in human skin who uses those vile cursed weapons that condemn anyone to a fate worse than death, if his targets are unlucky enough to survive.

I start to kneel, but the Patriarch shakes his head, "There's no need for that, you're still recovering."

Erdis Scalebound is the undisputed leader of the Scalebound Family and also the man who saved my life. I was but a mere abandoned child who was dumped into the Shards. I remember how horrible it was, how young children killed each other over a piece of rotten bread…

But everything changed when I met the Patriarch who was passing through my Shard. I had just taken out a few Birdfolks twice my size, and it probably impressed him since he took me under his wing.

He gave me food, a name, trained me in the art of combat, and even gave me a purpose in life… So, seeing him in so much pain makes my blood boil.

"How can this one be of service today?" I say while lowering my head.

"How is your recovery going?" he asks.

"I'm getting used to my new limbs, but I'm still far from my original strength."

The Patriarch nods," I see… Say, can you follow me for a minute? In private." He glances at the nurse who lowers her head and exits the training grounds.

I nod, and the Patriarch grabs my wrist before we turn into a cloud of embers. We reappear in his luxurious office.

"Come on, have a seat." He says while pointing at a chair. I sit down, and he holds his hands behind his back while looking out of the large window that overlooks the main courtyard. "Zarand, how many years has it been since you entered the Black Claws?"

"Sir, it's been twenty years since you honored me with a place in the Black Claws," I say while straightening my back.

"Twenty years already? Time really flies…" he sighs and observes the people coming and going out of the courtyard.

He turns towards me, "I've been the head of this Family for nearly two centuries. And I've never faced such a dilemma before."

I raise an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

The Patriarch takes a deep breath and exhales a small puff of white smoke. "Do you know what it's like to lose what's most precious to you?"

Images of my dead squad mates flash before my eyes.

"Yes," I say with a solemn tone.

"Then what would you do if you had a way to take your revenge on the one who took that from you?" his gaze is now locked with mine.

"I would do it."

Erdis smiles, "Even at the cost of your own life?"

His smile gets even wider when I nod. He sits behind his desk and unlocks a drawer before producing a small box covered in black velvet. "Before we begin, you understand that what I'm about to show you is a secret between you and I, right? I've never shown this to anyone before."

"Yes, Sir," I say after nodding.

My heartbeat increases in anticipation, what could this box contain? And why does it warrant such a level of secrecy?

Erdis slowly opens the box and reveals a small glass vial surrounded by dark metal bands. I spot impossibly complex runes that emit a slight golden light and the liquid inside the container looks like a thick purple soup punctuated with small strands of gold.

I can't tear my eyes away from the mysterious substance, I feel like it's calling me…

The Patriarch closes the box and smirks, "Careful, I don't want you to succumb to its aura."

I take a deep breath and look at the box with a newfound respect.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what was that? I never felt an aura that powerful before."

Erdis nod, "I don't doubt it. But for you to understand the value of this vial you'll have to take a quick history lesson first. You see, us Dragonewts are distant descendants of the legendary Dragons. But their bloodline has been diluted over the generations, so that's why we barely share any traits with the Dragons of olden times… But this liquid can fix that."

My eyes open wide, "Patriarch, pardon me for my incredulity but-"

Erdis chuckles, "Don't worry, I was skeptical too. But the one who sold me this liquid showed me a demonstration. And I can assure you it's the real deal."

"This is incredible! With this, we can unlock the full potential of our Family! We could even-"

He raises a finger, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this liquid is far from perfect. First of all, it only contains the smallest drop of ancient Dragon blood and it's quite deteriorated due to its age. So, this elixir has a lot of…undesirable side-effects. This lack of potency also forced the maker of this elixir to compensate with other ingredients, one of those being the blood of an ancient Beholder."

I open my mouth but Erdis raises his finger again, "I know you have extensive knowledge of poisons, so I don't have to tell you the devastating effects of Beholder blood, especially when it comes from an old specimen."

Of course, how could I not know? Beholder blood is one of the most potent poisons I can think of, and it's also one of the hardest to get. And I'm glad for that. A single drop of Beholder blood is enough to instantly destroy the soul of any living creature, and it will only leave an empty husk behind.

"So, what's the point of this elixir then? Awakening our bloodline doesn't serve any purpose if we die in the next moment." I say.

"Not really, it will still turn the Dragonewt who drinks it into an unparalleled existence even if it kills him afterward. In fact, the Beholder blood will multiply the effects of the Dragon blood, so the being created could be considered an equal to the ancient Dragons, or even surpass them."

a being like that existed, then it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that whoever controls it could take over the world without any difficulties.

"But I have the solution to this problem. I believe you're an adept of Puppet magic, right?"

My jaw drops again when I realize what the Patriarch implies, "Of course! We could use Puppet magic but where will we find someone with enough mastery to control such a being? Is it even possible?"

Erdis shakes his head, "Of course not, it's impossible under normal circumstances." He grins, "But I think I have a perfect solution. We could fuse the shattered remnants of the body's soul into its flesh, so it will lessen the burden on its controller."

"But the owner of the body would have to be willing and have absolute trust into the controller, and he should have a severely damaged soul vessel for-"

The realization hits me before I can finish my sentence, and Erdis looks at me with a grave expression.

"Your expression tells me you realized what I'm asking you. Of course, I can't force you to accept. But I can say with certitude that you're probably our only real shot of succeeding with this plan. And you would become an invaluable weapon against the oncoming war with the Wolfhearts."

I barely register the Patriarch's words. Do I want to sacrifice myself? This way I'll make sure that my comrades are avenged, but I won't be able to see the Outsider's demise… I take a deep breath and steel my resolve. I swore that I would do anything to kill that bastard, so I'm not backing down now.

"Sir, I would be honored to become the Scalebound's ultimate weapon. But can I ask for a favor?"

Erdis smiles and nods, "Of course, how can I refuse anything to you after what you just said?"

I clench my fist, "Make sure that John Thomson suffers as much as possible."

A toothy smile creeps on the Patriarch's face, "I'll make sure to be extra careful with him. I swear on my name that he'll regret ever crossing the Scalebound Family."

I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I don't have to worry about my loss of strength now, the Patriarch's plan all but guarantees that we'll succeed. However, I still feel a hint of sadness since I'll never see my remaining comrades again…

"You sacrifice will be remembered, and we'll sing your praise for generations to come." Erdis interrupt my thoughts with a pat on the shoulder. "Go rest now, we need to prepare you for the ritual and it'll take some time."

…Erdis' PoV…

I wait until Zarand leaves my office before bursting into a fit of laughter.

*Ah, I'm a genius!*

Keeping the useless crippled remains of the current Black Claw squad around to remind Zarand of his failure and push him to accept my proposition out of guilt worked perfectly.

My plan when I first met this kid was to turn him into another test subject. But he surpassed all my expectations and turned out to be quite capable, so much that he quickly earned a real position in the Black Claws. Eventually, he rose through the ranks and became the new leader.

I wanted to get rid of him and the rest of the Black Claws after the doctors provided a more detailed report of their injuries, because why would I waste resources on useless cripples? But then I remembered that elixir.

I bought it a long time ago since the idea of making a super-soldier sounded appealing. That's when I started the Black Claws squad, a secret squad made of abandoned children that I thoroughly brainwashed to be absolutely loyal to me. The ones who showed good martial talent where sent on missions while the others became test subjects.

Shattering a soul's vessel and keeping the subject alive is harder than it looks, and I have never succeeded once despite using hundreds of test subjects.

But then Zarand, a good combatant, shows up with a soul vessel that's on the verge of breaking! How lucky is that! The timing is simply too good, I'll only have to wait three weeks before unleashing hell on the Wolfhearts.

I take a deep breath to calm my beating heart. This is the chance of a lifetime, so I better review my notes on the ritual and practice on other corpses beforehand.

But the Wolfhearts are just the beginning. I think I'll set my sights on the rest of the Council once I'm done exterminating these dogs. The bastards in the Council won't be able to do anything against me, and they'll be forced to become vassals or risk extermination. In fact, I doubt anyone will be able to do anything against our super-weapon. So why not aim for the neighboring Councils once I get the local one under my control?

The age of Scalebound domination is coming, and nobody can stop it.