Chapter 47: Message & Mission

Zaos dragged the corpse of his opponent to the lower floor. By the time he arrived, the dangerous cloud of green gas had already dissipated.

"You're done?" Venom Panther stopped his inspection of the elven corpse in front of him and asked Zaos in surprise.

"She wasn't that powerful after all," Zaos casually dropped the body on the wooden floor.

A chill ran through Venom Panther's spine at Zaos' statement. Although he was powerful, he hadn't reached the point where he could effortlessly slaughter individuals of the same rank as him.

Venom Panther forced a smile and asked, "What do we do now?"

"Since we don't know the forces that sought to cooperate with the Obsidian Rings, we will just have to leave them a message they can't miss." Zaos smiled as he strode over to one of the many corpses on the floor.

"What does that mean?" Venom Panther asked with visible confusion.

Zaos simply smiled and continued his actions. He crouched in front of one of the bodies, grabbed the large sword beside it, and walked back to the corpse of the Obsidian Rings' leader.

Grabbing the corpse by the hair, Zaos swung his sword-wielding hand at the neck of the body.

With a quick slash, the head was separated from the body.

"What are you doing?" Venom Panther looked on with curiosity.

Zaos continued smiling as he walked over to another corpse.

He swapped his blade for the spear in its hands, and then walked out of the building with a head in one hand and a spear in the other.

With his interest piqued, Venom Panther also exited the building.

The streets outside the Obsidian Rings' Headquarters had become deserted. The elves that usually walked through them had long since escaped in different directions when the fighting inside the building started.

Zaos stood a few meters from the building, he looked around scrutinizing the environment.

"This would do," He muttered before jabbing the blunt end of the spear into the ground.

Once the spear stood upright on its own, Zaos inserted the elven head onto the spearhead.

He found a random twig off the ground, smeared some blood from the decapitated head on it, and used it to write a note on the ground.

Seeing Zaos' actions, Venom Panther finally understood what he meant by 'leaving a message'.

He walked over to Zaos and read the elven words Zaos inscribed on the ground.

"This a message from the Abyssal Scourge, if anyone dares challenge my authority again, it will be your head put on display next…" Venom Panther could help shiver after reading the words of the text.

"What do you think? My message is clear enough, right?" Zaos asked with a wide grin on his face.

Producing a stiff smile, Venom Panther responded, "Yes, it's very clear…"

Zaos sneered in his heart at Venom Panther.

[It's good that you know,] His message was not only meant for the alliance against him but also a warning to anyone bearing malevolent thoughts against him.

"You can do anything you want from the Obsidian Rings, I'll head back," Zaos said before turning to leave.

"You don't want anything?" Venom Panther asked in surprise.

Zaos waved his hand as he responded, "I'm good." He already had the fortune of two gang leaders, he wasn't lacking Mana gems.

"I will update you on any information I find out relating to the alliance," Venom Panther said before returning to the Obsidian Rings' Headquarters.

Zaos waved a response as he continued his journey back to his residence.

Swiftly navigating through the disorderly streets, Zaos returned to the thieves' quarters. He headed straight to the headquarters of the former Thieves Guild.

[The message I left for the various forces should make them less inclined to attack me. Once I'm done settling the trivial matters between the new division of the Crimson Rogue's Legion, I should be able to begin my training!] Zaos hastened his pace towards the fortress where the Rogue division of his gang resided.

***

In a blink of an eye, two weeks passed by. During that duration of time, Zaos and his force hadn't been attacked once by any of the other organizations. Instead, many of the other factions chose to seek a friendly relationship with him.

Zaos didn't reject their offers, however, he made sure he benefited the most from deals made with these forces.

With Zaos' guidance, the Crimson Rogue's Legion became the strongest force in the underworld of the mercenary city.

Having completed his goal, Zaos decided to begin his solitary training, yet before he could begin, he was visited by a certain acquaintance.

Seated on a cushioned chair in the small but luxuriously furnished room, Zaos stared at the individual sitting across from him.

[I guess the clan found out after all,] He sighed before addressing his guest.

"Mr Ronik, it is good to see you," Zaos spoke.

"So it's you…" Ronik stared at Zaos with wild eyes. He had been tasked to meet the leader of the Crimson Rogue's Legion by the clan, but when he was told the identity of the leader, he almost suspected the information was mistaken.

"How did you manage to kill three high elves? Have you advanced?" Ronik asked with shock written all over his face.

Zaos nodded before asking, "Did the clan send you?"

Ronik took a while to compose himself. He stared deeply at Zaos before replying.

"Yes. The higher-ups have issued you a mission, they want you to take control over the mercenary city, making it an extension of the clan." Ronik spoke in a serious tone.

[As expected,] Zaos sighed inwardly. The Qildor clan barely had any territory left after being cast aside by the other clans. A settlement like the mercenary city was a big temptation to them. If they managed to control it, their influence would spread once more as mercenaries were valuable resources sought after by many clans.

"Alright, I understand. But won't my identity pose a problem?" Zaos asked. The other clans won't sit still and watch the Qildor clan take over the mercenary city.

"You don't have to worry, the clan has already concealed information about you," Ronik replied.

[Oh, no wonder my identity hasn't been found out even after so long,] Zaos thought. He hadn't tried hiding his identity earlier because he thought it wasn't worth it. The amount of surveillance present in the mercenary city was not something a simple disguise could mask.

"It will take me some time to accomplish it," Zaos spoke as he adjusted his position on the chair.

Ronik nodded and got up from his seat, "I will report back to the clan." After saying that, he stared at Zaos as though he had something else to say, but he ultimately shook his head and exited the room.

Zaos remained seated on his cushioned chair, contemplating.

[The clan's mission will have to wait, I'll increase my strength first before deciding to leave or not… ] Zaos had too many secrets, he could stay in a large organization like the Qildor clan for too long lest he exposed his abnormalities.

[The gang's situation is stable now, I don't need to manage it anymore. I can finally begin my training!]