Chapter 11 #2
After he said this, three minotaurs materialized behind Shikra. They blocked his way with their hulking bodies all in a row, each carrying heavy, rock-splitting axes so he couldn’t escape further into the labyrinth.
Shikra turned to meet them in battle, but gave her one last glance from his face in profile. “Leave while you can,” he told her, his voice low and resolute. “I will deal with them.”
“I can’t leave you here.”
But her words fell onto deaf ears as Shikra turned back to face the monsters .
All at once, they charged for Shikra, who met them with fury, throwing all his might into this unfair death match, three against one, taking on three giant axe-wielding minotaurs armed with only a dagger.
He could warp using his shadow magic to dodge the axes raining down on him, but his magic wouldn’t last forever.
The minotaur closest to him thrust his axe point at Shikra, but he quickly shifted away, side-stepping another charging minotaur as well.
Shikra was in fine form. His movements were like poetry, beautiful and precise. But he must have been just as tired as she was. How long could he last?
A knot of frustration welled up inside her stomach. “Please, stop this! We did not take your treasure,” she pleaded to the voice, whoever or whatever it was. But all she got in response was silence. Her eyes anxiously turned back to the fight, fearing to look away for too long.
Shikra was good at evading the attacks, shifting and warping to and fro with precision and skill, yet he had no way to kill the beasts. It would only be a matter of time before …
The third minotaur charged from the front, and Shikra waited in a defensive stance while the other two circled his side and rear. It was the same tactic they had used before on the minotaur they killed, distract him with a frontal assault, only to attack from behind.
“Shikra behind you!” she yelled.
But Shikra didn’t hear her, if he could hear her at all.
Behind him, a second minotaur raised its axe high, ready to strike. Shikra’s focus, however, was locked on the one in front. Another beast boxed him in from the side, cutting off any escape .
Her breath caught as the first minotaur feinted low, sweeping downward exactly as she’d feared. At that same instant, the one behind brought its axe down, aiming to split Shikra’s skull.
She screamed.
But Shikra was gone.
He had warped behind the minotaurs, obviously seeing through their formations beforehand. Now with the minotaurs confused by a failed attack, Shikra didn’t waste the opportunity and raised his hand to his dagger.
“Logi!” he roared, loud and true like a battle cry. Fire burst from his hand as he placed it on his dagger.
The minotaur against the wall did not attack, so it did not have to recover, and it snorted and stomped and then charged.
As the minotaur came for him, Shikra braced himself and just when it was close enough to strike, he did a wide step left and leapt up, catching the wall with his right foot and using it to propel himself higher, enough to reach the neck of the minotaur.
With one swift arcing slice, he used the fire blade to slit its throat.
Blood sprayed across the faded yellowish wall.
The minotaur dropped forward, landing hard on the floor. But Shikra had already landed gracefully, one foot in front of the other, one arm up and one arm down.
A breathless laugh escaped her as a smile spread across her face. He killed one. He could actually do this. The crushing fear in her chest lightened, if only a little.
The minotaur closest to the carnage let out a loud roar.
It heedlessly charged at Shikra, who still had the fire blade enchantment.
The beast lifted its heavy axe for a strike, but Shikra went low, ducking and avoiding the axe.
He shifted behind the minotaur, slicing at the back of both its heels, making it fall to its knees with a moan, but it was unable to get back up with its tendons cut.
Shikra jumped on its back and struck his fire blade through the tough leathery back of the creature. The monster swatted both arms around to catch him, but Shikra pulled his blade out, jumping off him. The minotaur swayed uneasily and then flopped forward.
The last minotaur charged without giving him a moment’s rest. Shikra disappeared using his shadow magic and reappeared behind the minotaur, but his flame blade enchantment had worn off.
He called out a fire spell, which hit the last remaining minotaur in the back, making the beast roar with anger and stagger forward, but the fire wasn’t enough to kill it.
The distraction gave Shikra enough time to enchant his dagger again. The minotaur turned on him. Its anger clouded its judgement as it swung its heavy axe at him in a fury of attacks that didn’t connect. Shikra easily dodged them with his shadow magic.
When the minotaur took a heavy swing and missed, Shikra shadowed behind him and killed him like the first minotaur, with a stab to the back of its neck after jumping on its back.
Aelrie’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched Shikra slowly stand back up. He did it. That was amazing, brilliant even. She’d never seen such skill with a blade.
Her eyes met Shikra’s again, and she knew he felt her sentiments. She wanted to rush to him and do what … she didn’t know, maybe hold him, make sure he was re ally there and not a phantom or figment of her imagination.
“No! You mongrel. You’re never leaving here alive!”
The voice sounded above them again. Aelrie looked back at Shikra, but her eyes quickly focused on the area behind him as more minotaurs materialized.