Chapter 10: Xena’s Spell
"For this batch of monsters, let a few scatter. They will bring a message about us to other monsters," Hanna said to Xena, who only scoffed and walked past the older maid.
A new batch of monsters could already be seen on the horizon, basking in a clearing. They were a magical variant of wolves whose black fur seemed to drink in the sunlight. As a pack of ten slept peacefully under the sun, the scene was easy on the eyes.
It was then that Xena stepped in and cackled. "Wakey, wakey, dogshits."
Whether it was her cold voice or her mere presence, all the monsters sprang to their paws and turned toward her. They growled, jaws parting to bare their teeth. Their eyes snapped wide open, glowing crimson. Xena only sneered at their killing intent and treated it as foreplay.
Two of the pack couldn’t handle her stare and rushed toward her. In response, Xena slammed her hands together in a prayer position and quickly parted her arms. A dark crimson thread stretched between her palms and coalesced into a needle. She caught the thicker end with her right hand and lowered the needle like a blade.
As the monsters closed in, Xena rushed forward and rapidly thrust the needle once into each skull before darting past them to the rest of the pack. Her attack didn’t seem to do any damage, leaving only pinpricks on the monsters. Even as many more closed in, Xena didn’t lose speed, twisting around them and dodging their assaults, each move fast and precise, cutting through their flesh with her needle.
Once all the monsters were marked, Xena halted and whispered, "Thread."
A single crimson thread threaded through all ten monsters, weaving from one head to the next.
Xena tipped her head back and moaned, her lips curving wide.
Her stage was set.
Hurling her thread into the middle of the pack, the needle’s eye drew the crimson thread, pulling all the monsters toward its center. The wolves slammed into the needle and into each other, flailing their paws and muzzles in a hopeless attempt to free themselves.
Xena joined her palms again and quickly parted them, revealing a second needle of the same color. She caught it and walked toward the pack. With a maniacal grin, she thrust her needle again, this time drawing blood from a monster’s flesh.
They all cried as if each took the blow.
"That’s wrong, puppies! You must scream louder for me!" Xena groaned, thrusting a few more times into the same wolf and making the whole pack scream in agony.
While all the monsters looked genuinely in pain and begged for mercy, Xena’s wide smile thrived off their screams, enjoying every second of their misery. She laughed with each thrust into the monster’s hide and licked the blood that had spilled onto her face and trickled down onto her lips.
Han and his maids watched from afar.
Han said, "Crazy bitch. What she’s doing to those monsters, she must have done worse to other humans and living beings. I’m actually going fucking easy on her, am I not?"
Hanna replied with a question. "Correct me if I am wrong, Young Master Han. Doesn’t the Dark Cauldron Art’s damage depend on a few factors? A cauldron’s mana type and body play a significant role in the damage received. On the caster’s side, mana type, mana pool, and the Cauldron Type."
Han nodded. "The Obsidian Cauldron is the worst type, so she must suffer a lot. But in the end, she doesn’t look that devastated, at least not like those wolves. She’s a tough bitch."
"And disobedient. Given her spell, she will kill all the wolves without letting a few scatter," Hanna added.
Han nodded. "I will punish her when she’s done. Her ability seems to connect her enemies through this needle and thread, then deal damage to everyone at once. But from my research into her essence, she seems to have an ability related to souls. Isn’t pain related to flesh, not the soul?"
"Depends on how intricate a spell is. At this point, we can only make assumptions and get the wrong idea about her abilities," Hanna replied carefully.
Meanwhile, Xena vented all her pent-up emotions on the monsters. All of them were squealing and begging to be killed at once. One of them was completely devastated, its black fur cut open so many times that dark crimson flesh was visible beneath the black fur. It was an eerie, nauseating image for the faint of heart.
Han shouted from afar. "Finish them all. You’ve had your fun."
Xena clicked her tongue and followed the command, killing them all with a single thrust. The monsters dropped dead onto the forest floor and remained motionless. Xena’s thread and needles evaporated into particles, and she made her way back to Han’s side.
"You killed them all," Han said.
"Wasn’t that your order, Young Master Han?" Xena said, smiling sweetly.
"If you hadn’t connected all of them, I’d have spoken differently. And in our case, when I say you disobeyed me, then that’s how it is, even if I might be wrong. Remember your place, bitch."
Xena’s smile didn’t break. "Yes. Punish me with your Daddy’s Cauldron Art."
Her smile grew even more taunting.