Under the pale light of the moon, Zephyr stood tall, his golden eyes glinting as they rested on the trio before him—the boss, Angelo, and Stubby. Nearby, the captain of the knights lay unconscious on the ground. The air was thick, charged with tension.
Zephyr's voice cut through the silence. "I won't hurt you," he said, his tone even. A pause. "But you should hand over the weapon."
Stubby clutched the scythe tighter. The boss met Zephyr's gaze with a smirk. "That decision isn't yours to make. We've been paid to retrieve the weapon, and that's exactly what we intend to do."
Zephyr remained composed, but there was an edge now. "Are you really willing to risk your lives for a small fee? I'm offering you a chest full of treasure in exchange. Surely that's more than enough."
The boss didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Angelo chuckled, voice mocking. "So what? It's just the four of you against us. Doesn't seem like great odds."
As if answering his words, the boss's men emerged from the darkness, surrounding them. Armed, ready. Raphael, perched silently in a tree above, observed through his blindfold, his ears twitching.
Zephyr chuckled, his golden eyes flickering. "You would sacrifice all these weaklings for just one weapon?"
The boss's hand rested on his blade. "None of my men will die tonight. But yours? That's another story."
Zephyr's lips curled. "So be it."
One of Zephyr's men convulsed, his body twisting, expanding. His bones cracked, muscles tore apart and reformed. A deep, guttural growl escaped his throat before he fully transformed—a towering minotaur, black fur, red skin, glowing eyes.
The beast roared. "RAAAAAH!!" The ground trembled.
Some of the boss's men hesitated, stepping back. Stubby's grip on the scythe tightened, his breath quickening. The boss's voice snapped like a whip. "Stubby, run! Get the weapon out of here!"
Angelo grinned, spinning his daggers. "DON'T BE AFRAID!" He charged, cutting through the hesitation, leading the men into battle.
The minotaur lunged, massive fists swinging. CRACK! A man's skull caved in. "AAAAGH!" Another was sent flying, his ribs shattering on impact. The beast stomped, the sickening crunch of bone beneath its hooves. A man screamed, his body torn in half with one violent rip. "GUAAAHH!"
The battlefield became chaos.
Angelo moved like a shadow, dodging, striking, his dagger piercing the minotaur's side. The beast staggered, enraged, but before it could counter, the boss's blade flashed toward Zephyr.
Zephyr stepped aside effortlessly. Too fast.
"You'll pay for this," the boss growled, blade gleaming.
Zephyr's expression didn't change. "Interesting."
Meanwhile, Stubby ran. He didn't get far.
Two mages appeared before him, their grins wicked. One spoke, voice laced with amusement. "Hand over the weapon."
Stubby forced a smirk. "Come on, don't be like that."
"Ignis Sphera!" A fireball shot toward him.
Before it hit, Raphael dropped from above, slicing through the flames. The mages and Stubby froze.
Raphael's voice was calm. "I'm with you."
Stubby grinned, tossing him the scythe. "Good. What kind of man would I be if I couldn't even protect myself?"
The mages' eyes burned with fury. Their hands glowed, chanting in unison. The air twisted, heat rising. A massive fireball formed between them, pulsing, growing.
Stubby whispered, "Raphael, I'll cover you. As soon as they strike, head for the woods."
Raphael nodded, gripping the scythe tight.
The mages unleashed their spell. FWOOOM! A blinding fireball roared forward.
Stubby didn't flinch. "RAPHAEL, GO!"
He charged, swords flashing. The explosion shook the ground. BOOM! Heat scorched his skin, but he pushed through, cutting the spell apart.
Raphael ran.
One mage turned, lifting his hand. "INFERNUS—"
Stubby moved first. SLASH! Blood sprayed as the mage screamed. "AAARGH!!" His arm fell limp, nearly severed.
The second mage's face contorted with rage. "Screw you!"
Stubby laughed. "Not today."
They lunged.
Stubby turned, sprinting toward the trees, their furious footsteps right behind him.
The battle was far from over.
The battlefield was hell, screams ripped through the air as bodies were torn apart, blood soaking the earth. The minotaur roared—a deep, guttural sound that rattled bones. Its massive fists crushed men like insects, spraying the ground with gore. Limbs snapped. Skulls caved in with sickening crunches.
Angelo stood alone against the beast, breathing hard, his daggers gripped tight. Every swing of the minotaur's arms sent bodies flying, the wind from its strikes enough to knock men off their feet. He barely dodged another crushing blow, his heart pounding.
"Tch… damn bastard!" he spat, wiping blood from his mouth. "This thing's too strong! We're getting slaughtered!"
His gaze flickered to the boss—locked in combat with Zephyr. The bastard barely moved, effortlessly sidestepping each of the boss's swings like he was toying with him. Angelo's gut twisted. "Boss… he's gonna lose."
A shadow loomed. Before he could react, a massive fist crashed into his ribs. CRACK!
"GAAAHH!!"
His body shot backward like a cannonball, crashing through trees, shattering them on impact. He hit the ground hard, coughing blood. Pain screamed through his ribs, something inside torn and broken.
The boss's men hesitated, their faces frozen in horror.
"We can't beat this thing!"
"We're dead! We're all dead!"
The minotaur's eyes glowed red as it locked onto them, nostrils flaring with rage. It let out a monstrous bellow and charged, the ground trembling under its thundering hooves.
"NO!"
Angelo forced himself up, agony ripping through his body. He ran, forcing every muscle to move, and slammed his foot into the beast's thick neck. BOOM! The minotaur staggered, crashing into trees with a deafening CRASH!
He turned to his men, face twisted in fury. "IF YOU'RE SCARED, GET THE INJURED OUT OF HERE! MOVE OR DIE!"
The minotaur snarled, then roared—a sound so loud it sent chills down their spines. It lowered its horns and charged again.
"Sir, LOOK OUT!"
"SHUT UP!"
Angelo met the charge head-on, gripping the monster's horns with both hands. The force slammed him backward, his boots digging trenches into the dirt. His bones screamed. His muscles burned.
CRACK! His shoulder snapped.
"GRRRRRAAAAGGHHH!!"
The minotaur flung him into the sky like a ragdoll. Wind roared in his ears. The battlefield shrank below him. This is it, he thought. This is how I die?
Flashes of the past. Meeting the boss. The first time he felt like he had a family.
"Boss… thanks for everything."
Then he heard it—
"ANGELOOOOO!!!"
His men. His family.
On the ground, they charged the minotaur, hacking at its legs, slashing its hide. Screams.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
The beast swung its massive arm. Bones shattered. Bodies crumpled. Blood splattered across the dirt.
"NO!"
Angelo's rage exploded.
THUD! He hit the ground, rolling to his feet. His hands trembled as he pulled his daggers free. "You damn monster…"
A broken, bloodied man on the ground weakly lifted his head, coughing. "Where's the cold-blooded bastard we know?"
Angelo's eyes burned. "You're right."
He moved.
Blinding speed.
His blades ripped into the minotaur's flesh. Blood sprayed.
"DIE!" SLASH! "DIE!" SLASH! "DIEEEE!!"
The beast howled in agony. It swung wildly, but Angelo dodged—too fast, too enraged. He carved through muscle, bone, tearing the monster apart.
The minotaur stumbled, knees buckling. Its chest heaved, blood gushing from a dozen wounds.
Angelo leaped, both daggers driving into its gut.
SHLK! He twisted. RRRIIIP!!
A final roar—then silence.
The minotaur collapsed with an earth-shaking THUD.
Angelo stood on its twitching corpse, covered in blood. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body broken, his vision swimming.
He turned, looking at the battlefield. Dead men. His men. Their blood soaking the dirt.
His gaze flickered to the boss, still fighting.
"Boss… did I do good?"
His legs gave out.
He fell onto the minotaur's body.