Plight of The Minotaur's...

As Circe opens her eyes, I stood in front of her, the blade cutting right into my arm stopping halfway through my bone.

“Damian!”

She said, relieved.

“I told you not to go far!”

I yelled as I pushed the minotaur back making it release the axe, then I kicked its stomach causing it to trip backwards and hit a tree. I then pulled the axe out of my arm and dropped it.

Inspecting my arm, the axe sliced a decently large gash in my arm, to where I could see my bone. Shit, if it swung a little bit harder, I would have lost my arm.

I walked towards the confused minotaur and placed my right foot back, and right fist back. I focused all my aura into my arm and slammed my fist into its stomach, the tree behind him cracked under pressure.

The monster let out a blood curdling scream right into my face. Pissed off I wrapped my arms around its mouth and shut it. Squeezing the muzzle, I stepped down into the ground into a fighting stance still holding its muzzle, digging my feet into the dirt I forced the beast into the ground.

I looked over and noticed another axe the minotaur was carrying fell off its back. It was made of a large tree truck, with two giant sharpened stones on the end, facing away from each other to make a battle axe.

Picking it up with little struggle I dragged it through the ground, creating a line in the dirt and gravel. The minotaur struggles to stand but falls over again. I raised the axe and placed it on my shoulder, almost knocking me off balance.

Suddenly a pain hit my side, looking to the left a blue coloured minotaur launched me deeper into the forest, by swinging the side of its horns at me.

I landed on my back, but rolled to my side to see the blue minotaur.

It was much bigger, fifteen feet tall, more muscular, and had scars all over its body. Picking up the smaller minotaur by the head it slowly tightens its grip, slowly crushing the minotaur's skull. It shouts in agony, snapping it back into reality. The smaller one stands up as the blue minotaur yells like a demented horse.

“Shit!” I slowly got up grabbing my side in pain. I turned to Corban, frozen like a statue.

“Corban! Protect your sister!” After yelling, the smaller minotaur chases after Circe as she runs into the woods.

Corban stood still, still frozen, he kept hesitating to go like chains were holding him back.

Come on! Gods! Okay...

Even if I run now, the blue minotaur will be able to catch me, and Circe will die.

And if I fight this guy right now, I wouldn’t be able to catch up to Circe!

She dies either way…

Anger and desperation clouds my mind, a black aura forms around me.

I have a limited knowledge of aura. I spoke with the village’s only magic user, and she gave me a very brief explanation. According to her, it is a type of energy all species produce, subconsciously it acts as a shield, that was why I was able to stop the axe previously. It also can have offensive properties, I am able to expel my aura to give, for example, a punch extra power. It almost works like a double punch. The only way I found to make it stronger was getting angry, which is not a reliable way to do so; however, I’m usually angry about something anyway.

“AAH!”

I ran at the minotaur as it picked up the axe which I dropped before. The minotaur swings the axe horizontally which I jumped over carrying my momentum to roundhouse kick it in the face, knocking it off balance. Stopping mid air, I fell right in front of its feet.

I put my foot back and winded my hand back and landed a haymaker onto its knee, snapping it instantly.

The beast, surprised, lands on its back, but quickly sits up.

If I wanted any chance of saving Circe, I had to finish this now.

I took advantage of his position. I landed another haymaker into its side; the monster coughs up blood. Furious, the beast swings its back hand, which slams into me.

However, I was much stronger.

I stopped the hand in its tracks and pushed the hand away. Using my aura, I launched myself onto the upper back of the beast sitting on its shoulders, and held onto its horns.

With no time for the monster to react, I broke off one of the horns.

Lifting it high above my head I slammed it straight into the minotaur's head.

It let out a hiss and collapsed.

I let out a sigh of relief and jumped off.

Looking back at the other minotaur, which was about half a kilometre away, and gaining on Circe.

No way I could run there in time… Desperate, I checked my surroundings and noticed a tree that fell down.

Lifting it onto my shoulders I raised the front of the tree and leaned back into a throwing stance.

“UAHHHH!”

I launched the tree through the air, and chased after it. The three-metre-long tree soars into the air creating an arc. It flew faster and faster, closer and closer to the monster until.

It landed straight on its neck, snapping it.

Circe hears a loud thud and turns around, realizing the monsters are dead she places her hand on her chest lets out a sigh and starts crying.

“W-what the hell were minotaur’s doing on the surface!”

“I don’t know…”

“They might have escaped from one of the dungeons.” I put my arm on her back comforting her.

“Y-Your arm!”

She pushes me away and goes to grab something out of her bag. I stopped her.

“I’m fine.”

She looked at the slash in my arm, there was still a opening, but the bleeding stopped almost immediately.

“How did you–”

Confused, she put back a vile that I assume would help stop the bleeding, and brought out a bandage and wrapped it around my arm.

Ahead of us, I noticed Corban.

Rage filled my hands.

I walked faster leaving Circe behind and met Corban standing still but relieved everyone was safe.

Looking down I punch him on the cheek, knocking him to the ground.

“Damian! What the hell!” Circe yelled.

She grabbed my shoulder, but I wouldn’t budge.

Corban stayed silent and touched his cheek. Grabbing his shirt, I lifted him up and brought him to my face.

“I don’t care if the monster is stronger than you, or bigger than you, I don’t care whoever it is! Circe was in trouble, and you stood here and watched!”

Corban’s eyes widened, he made eye contact with Circe and a wave of guilt hit him.

“Why?”

Corban struggled to talk.

“Why did you stand here and WATCH?!”

I tightened my grip on his shirt.

“...I don’t know”

“You let your fear hold you down, YOU gave it control…”

Corban started to tear up.

“There will be a time where someone that you love will die, because you decided that your life was the only one that matters…”

“So, would you stand back and watch as Circe dies in front of you?”

Corban shook his head.

“I want to hear you say it!”

“N-NO” Corban stuttered.

I slowly loosened my grip on his shirt, setting down Corban gently. Circe stood behind Damian, still shocked that he punched Corban.

“I believe you,”

Corban sat on the ground, wiping his tears with his shoulder.

I know I could have handled that better, that was all I could of think of, but I needed him to understand how important this was.

Circe went to hug Corban, and I patted both of their heads messing up their hair.

Eventually they let go, and we started packing up the wood to go home.

-

A couple of days went by after the minotaur incident, and tiny bits of snow started to fall. Damian was still getting less than a couple of hours of sleep. Circe practised her potions and herbology, and Corban began returning home increasingly late.

Corban bent his knees and kicked forward, carefully sliding into a sitting position, and started to get his boots on. As he leaned forward, his shirt a little too small, revealed wounds spread across his lower back.

“Corban, why are you covered in bruises?” Circe worried and angry.

“Nothing I just bruise easily,”

Corban awkwardly chuckled.

“Could I have some medicine?”

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Circe slaps the back of his head.

“Hey! What was that for–”

“But whatever you're doing, Damian's gonna find out.”

Corban looked down at the ground. Circe gave him a small vial filled with a thick green liquid, with the smell of manure.

Corban gave a puzzled look.

“Are you sure?”

“Very! I added some different herbs that give you some energy and nutrition!” The smell of it made Corban gag.

BANG BANG BANG The door shook from three knocks.

Circe jumped, and grabbed her chest, she started trembling, too scared to open the door.

-

I got up from my bed and walked down the hall to the door. Who the hell knocks that loudly?

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Circe slowly backing up from the door, the minotaur really hurt her, mentally.

Opening the door, there was a old woman.

“Oh Damian! I need some help.” She said with a smile.

“Calypso! what do you need?”

“You see my apple trees up the hill over yonder?” She pointed with her boney hands to a hill around a five-minute walk.

“Would you be a dear and fetch me my apples and some snowdrops? They grow around my trees.” She said with a smile.

The lady was so kind and sweet it would have been a crime to deny her request. I looked back at Circe and made a face, confused on what a snowdrop was.

Circe whispered, “It's a flower, it only blooms during the winter, very good for elixirs.” He looks back at the old lady.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Oh, splendid!” I took the leather bag from the lady and started walking to the apple trees.

“Save travels…! Don't you feel bad for what you did?”

I turned around confused.

“What was that?”

“Your parents? You killed them didn’t you? Murderer. Murderer. Murderer.”

I started to get a skin peeling headache, which I grabbed out of reflex.

The nightmares were getting worse, and after the minotaur incident I haven't slept at all. I couldn’t let Circe or Corban worry, not after we finally are starting to like each other again. So, to prevent me from losing my mind I created a mantra. For Circe and Corbans sake, for Circe and Corbans sake.

Completely ignoring what the lady said, I smiled and kept walking towards the trees, still having this head splitting pain. Once I got to the hill I found a couple of the flowers, picking them out of the ground hoping ten would be enough. However, this headache kept getting stronger and stronger, so I grabbed a handful of snow and placed it on my forehead. It felt a bit better.

I picked up one last flower.

“I think that's enoug—”

I felt a pain in my heart.

My vision got blurry.

The weight of my body was crushing me.

I closed my eyes, only for a second...