As ringing appeared in their ears, without hesitation, lowering its head. The minotaur charged. As the two met, Tasha lifted her shield to meet the first charge. Body met iron and wood. Noise from the collision caused the ground and air to shake.

Grade D mana solidified the air on both sides. So while air normally produced wind, at the moment, air literally shook around them.

Taking a step back, the two continued once more. This time shifting its body, leaning its shoulder to following up by digging into the ground.

Jessica felt she would lose balance if she wasn’t so far away. Without stopping, instead of one, two steps happened this time. Following which, Tasha sped up as she went for a shield bash.

Not being outdone, clasping both of its giant hands together, a large mace like shape was created. Both of its hands, lined together as one, were larger than the large mace held by Tasha. With a single step, bringing both arms above its head, quickly slamming down with all its might.

Jessica watched as the woman holding the shield was forced back as two small lumps of dirt and grass were created by her feet, creating two distinct lines. Using this time to speed past her, Jessica could see blood dripping down her arms, some dripping down prematurely. A testimony to the might of this creature.

Having done so deliberately, without time to reposition. The minotaur, dislodging its hands as it twisted as it raised an arm. As if swatting away a fly.

Dark light flashed through Jessica’s eyes. To avoid the attack, she was forced to jump. Without support from the ground, her attack had little chance to pierce the skin. At least not from a frontal attack. Sure enough, as her dagger made contact, a light scratch not even deep enough to draw blood.

Abandoning this intent from the second she jumped. Reaching out, grabbing onto her recently abandoned dagger. Momentum pulled, combined with her twisting. With a roar from the minotaur, very quickly coming loose.

However, having expected as much. Jessica tried desperately to disconnect the wire tired to the pommel. Having dislodged the dagger, to outsiders, Jessica was pulled back by an unknown force. Keeping her in place as the minotaur bucked and weaved, letting out grievous growls and grunts.

Watching helplessly, by the time Tasha made it halfway back. This unknown Grade E had taken a hit. Unsure if she had been able to disconnect whatever held her in place or if it had snapped from the blow. Flying to the side, her body tumbled over a few times before she lay unmoving.

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Pain was drilling her chest, as her lungs and heart felt as if they could explode the next second. Both arms were tired, either from exhaustion or struggle from taking this beast head on. Possibly a combination of both.

Not being given time, a pair of red, horizontally slitted eyes peered at her from the front. With grit teeth, she charged forward. Tilting to a diagonal slope, receiving a punch. Ignoring the weight that felt as if the inside of her arm was being pushed out, threatening to fracture her bones.

Tasha’s shield was angled just perfectly as with such large movements, the minotaur lost balance just briefly. Being given just enough time, having been blocked from view. A full wind up swing of her mace flew over, straight to the face.

At a severe height disadvantage, as it pulled back, she extended as far as possible. Making clean contact with the lower chin, she could feel the reverberations as she followed through. A crisp, cracking sound resounded through the air as a beast straight out of hell was left behind.

Standing somewhere around eight to nine feet tall, there was blood oozing from its neck as the black hair on its bronze skin was dyed a deep crimson as the sun’s light glinted off the surface of its body.

At some unknown time, whatever was left of Jessica’s string had coiled around causing a series of paper thin cuts circling its torso once.

A strange discoloration, starting from its torso, expanding up its chest to the right side of its neck. At some time, this scar became even more disjointed as a portion of its chest seemed to have extended back an inch as the rest of its body on that side showed further disfiguration. Destroying any symmetry of its body had left.

Its head was the worst off. Already strange looking, with the body of a man and the head of an ox. An ear was missing, now the lower jaw of its snout was hanging loosely to the side. Blood was dripping down.

Pure rage like two fires burning in its eyes. The hate was nearly palpable. Not just for the two in front of it. For all humanoid beings. Insanity that was once being held at bay, with two delicious bodies filled with high grade mana. It could no longer be held back, pain caused any ability to hold onto its sanity lost.

No longer caring about injury. All that mattered was death, so long as it could kill these two and eat them. That was all that mattered. For the time being, enough sanity remained. Knowing full well if it tried to eat the other, this one would harm it greatly.

Focusing fully, as if feeling its shift, they tried to retreat. Increasing its speed with each step, a fist met this little thing’s shield as it gave up on defense to swing its second arm as the two continued to move away. With each hit, it could feel the struggle on the other side.

Therefore, its attacks continued to increase in severity and speed. Excitement now fueled as drool and blood leaked from its mouth as it couldn’t close. As sanity slowly started to lose out to hunger, rage, and insanity.

One of the two had disappeared from its previous positions, completely unbeknownst to the two that were preoccupied. Fully engaged in their own world. One for survival, while the other for instinct.