Chapter 33: Scarlet Cauldron
"He has a plague essence that he spreads through his rats. It’s like an invisible mist covering his presence, even if someone else has marked him. I can’t easily track him now," Xena explained.
There was also the problem of the plague itself. It could kill even stronger opponents without a proper antidote. That was where Bellatrix stepped in. Her presence radiated a gentle light that repelled the foreign essence and kept everyone safe from the toxins. Even without her immediate help, she could save them later with her powers. She allowed Han to stay calm and proceed slowly.
"That said, you brushed off his spells without a second thought. All because he’s not a handsome prince in white armor," Han said with a chuckle, his eyes on Xena.
She scoffed. "A rat should never dream to be Prince Charming."
"It’s not appearance but genuine intentions that matter," Bellatrix added.
"Oh, shut up. You wouldn’t want to spend your entire life with a rat as a husband," Xena retorted.
Han cut them off, then looked to the side, toward a small hole gnawed by a rat. He noticed a pair of eyes and realized the human rat was keeping tabs on them, listening to their conversation.
Got you.
It would be foolish for someone of his caliber not to use his summons to their full potential.
Han had his Dark Dragon deal with that rat. The rest of his team scoured Xena’s room for any others, then sealed every gap to ensure no conversation leaked outside. His maids piled up the rat corpses. Han stood before them and studied them with his new spells.
His Bloodline Analysis Spell opened a map of their bloodlines. Usually, Han saw three layers: the first looked like a DNA strand. Within that string was the second layer, written in a difficult mana language he was still deciphering. He called it Mana Code, because this layer told him how the bloodline’s powers were coded in the bloodline. The last layer was about the bloodline’s characteristics.
Now that Han had advanced to the Initiate Stage, he could see more through his Bloodline Analysis Spell.
There was an emerald ribbon in each DNA strand.
Is that his True Name? Heh. I can work with that.
A new magic circle spread beneath the mound of rat corpses. It shone red and bore a similar image of a cauldron with horns that curled into half-hearts.
Scarlet Cauldron. An old-fashioned cauldron method used in primordial times by the Dark Warlocks of the Tenaxis Household, focused on burning blood and squeezing as much of it as possible from enemies. Blood contains mana and traces of essence, so this cauldron was a predecessor to the Obsidian Cauldron.
It was mentioned in Dark Cauldron Art for its history and because it helped budding Dark Warlocks of Tenaxis understand the principles. Han had plenty of uses for that cauldron. The rat corpses melted into the magic circle beneath them. Moments later, the scarlet circle brimmed with light and steam, as if etched with molten lines.
"Xena, Bellatrix, come here," Han said.
As they heeded his order and stood behind him, Han activated their Dark Dragons through the Obsidian Cauldrons branded on their bodies. They convulsed and bit their lips. So much cold spread from their abdomens that they could barely stand.
Hold it together. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Trash is growing so strong so fast.
Endure this cold. Bear the light. His mana is even colder than before... he’s heading in such a wrong direction!
A single magic circle appeared before them. Their mana slipped into the circle, and a huge Dark Dragon slithered out, filling the room with its presence. Its head hovered over Han, its eyes fixed on him with reverence.
"His True Name is RØDɆN. Howl," Han said.
His Dark Dragon’s blue eyes shone with a pride Han had yet to show. It slipped out of the room and circled above the living room, then howled the enemy’s True Name in dragon language. The howl blew away furniture, paintings, flowers, and everything else in the living room as it carried the human rat’s True Name across the mansion.
A moment later, all the rats exploded into blood, leaving only pools and smears across the walls. Hidden in the basement, the human rat was forced into his human form. He sprang from the floor and landed hard on his side, trembling with a fear he had never expected.
They found me. They shouldn’t be able to find me.
It was the human fear of dragons written in his blood!
H-How did... he break my... spell? It’s impossible! He may have Xena’s and that Priestess’s mana, but he shouldn’t be able to sever my connection with my summons! He’s on a fucking Initiate Stage!
Upstairs, Han reactivated his Dark Dragon and let Xena and Bellatrix catch their breath. His maids peeked out of the room and confirmed that the rats had been destroyed.
"All the rats exploded into blood."
"Your spell worked perfectly, Young Master Han."
Han smirked. "I also sensed his mana in the basement. Like a rat, he chose a good place for his funeral. Xena, Bellatrix, you two will work together to defeat and question him. If you fail, I will have you as mere cauldrons."
"You don’t need to order me. I will kill that cunt myself!" Xena shouted, as if she felt nothing after Han had used her mana.
She ran out of the room with a spring in her step. Bellatrix wanted to complain about the order but couldn’t because Han had sealed her lips. She simply followed Xena’s shadow. Moments later, they barged into the mansion’s basement, where the human rat lay on the cold floor, panting after his spell had been severed.
Xena sneered. "Not only are you easy to break, you’re so fucking incompetent. You’re dead."
"We are... both from the Ender Cult!" the human rat shouted.
"I give zero fucks!" Xena yelled. She slammed her palms together, then split them, forming a needle between them, and caught it tightly.