Chapter 8: The Fallen Giant’s Bubble
In less than fifteen minutes, Xena was ready to accompany Han and his maids.
She was dressed in her clothes, finally feeling linen against her skin again. She wasn’t handcuffed and could move freely. That didn’t mean she could escape. The black collar around her neck was a powerful artifact that bound her to Han. It completely prevented her from escaping.
This trash will test me to gauge my abilities. I will use this chance to vent and feel human.
"We’re back and at your service, Young Master Han," Hanna said as she returned with Xena.
While Hanna took her spot in one of the rows of maids, Xena walked behind Han.
He wore clothes befitting a Dark Warlock. Long, obsidian robes draped him. Because of his wings, his maids had devised ways to help him dress. For these robes, they split them into two parts with back clasps so they could easily dress him. The same applied to his shirts, and now he wore a fitted black shirt and pants beneath his robes. Only his pale skin stood out. At a glance, someone might think he wore a white mask instead.
As for his maids, they didn’t change out of their maid outfits and remained at his service as usual.
Han pulled up his hood. "Let’s head out."
His maids nodded. Half of them walked forward, the other half remained behind him and Xena.
As the mansion’s grand doors opened and Han walked outside, he looked up at the dawning sky. It had been years since Han had walked out of his mansion like this. Even with his memories from Earth, the world seemed so different and bigger that he couldn’t help but inhale deeply and prepare himself mentally.
He followed his maids through the mansion’s gardens. As soon as they crossed the mansion’s threshold and passed through the main gates, Han felt a chill.
Goosebumps? Does that mean I’m not protected now and can only rely on myself?
He turned to Hanna. "Is the mansion protected by something?"
"Yes." Hanna bowed. "The Fallen Giant’s Bubble, to be precise. It’s a spell that creates a bubble around the mansion and its surroundings, imitating the stench of a Giant’s death. Monsters who sense this death will not dare to approach us, and the owner of the mansion carries the ’fake blood’ of a Giant."
"In other words, anyone who comes here will believe I have killed a Giant?" Han asked to be sure.
Hanna nodded. "Yes. It works best against monsters, and less so against intelligent races."
"I see. So how come wyverns and this bitch didn’t fear me?" Han asked.
Xena scoffed. "I have this collar. That’s why."
Hanna added, "As for the wyverns, it must be the Red Mistress’s doing."
Everything clicked, and Han’s curiosity was satisfied. He nodded to the two of them and continued their short trek. Following his maids seemed simple, but the way these old women maneuvered around the forest’s roots, bushes, and darkness showed expert skill. They were like fish in water, while Han was like a human baby thrown into a pond. His wings often scraped the trees, creating unnecessary noise.
His maids didn’t comment; only Xena snorted. He didn’t feel like saying anything to her since he couldn’t help being a newbie anyway. Soon, the stench of blood wafted over to Han. He sensed it first with his dragon senses, then confirmed it with his maids.
"It looks like we’re about to stumble on a battle between monsters," Hanna said.
Five minutes later, it was exactly as she had said, except the monsters were unlike anything Han would have imagined. A few of them were oversized bears with elongated claws and canines, and the rest were half-human, half-bears of adult human size. Their human eyes spilled tears while their bestial eyes shone with killing intent. Seeing them like this was a scene straight out of a horror movie. A chill went down Han’s spine, but he controlled himself with his Dragon’s Pride.
With furtive glances, he noticed that his maids and Xena didn’t even bat an eye at these monsters.
Shit like that must be really common here.
He turned to Hanna. "What are these?"
"Parasite Bears. They turn others into their kind and continue spreading their plague. It seems they left the forest and captured humans, now forcing them to fight to complete their transformation," Hanna explained.
"Can’t they just turn their enemies into their own kind?" Han asked.
"They can. But simple transformation produces weak ones. Given that the number of monsters in our forest has increased significantly, they can’t afford weak ones at all," Hanna explained, then asked, "Would you like to sweep in and clear them with your Dark Dragon while we stand by and protect you?"
Han nodded. "Yeah."