I used magic to enhance my spear with wind, It had only triggered one of my traps, but getting it to trigger the second and third was easy enough. They were both in a straight line between us. Hopefully, with that, I would fry its nerves.
“Remember, head like a stone, heart like a lion.”
I took my time aiming my spear. My head was clear, and as cold as white granite. When I was sure I’d hit my mark I hurled it across the clearing, sinking it several inches into the beast's hide.
It wasn't deep, but with my wind magic boosting its speed it was certainly too much to be ignored. As I saw the beast twitch I slowly exhaled, making sure I didn’t lose focus on anything that I did, lest I start to lose control of my nerves.
Every twitch of my muscles, every movement of my eyes, even the hair on my skin rising up at the sense of danger. It was almost as if electricity was coursing through me as well. One slip-up and I was dead, knowing that wasn’t making me afraid though, it was only making me more focused.
It roared, and In an instant it spotted me, locking eyes and snarling. It confidently began strolling over, looking more annoyed than anything else. ‘Ok, if it’s not going to charge yet, then how about this.’ I took out my ax, loosely wrapping my fingers around it as I double-checked the strength in my left hand. It was still a bit stiff, but there was power in my fingers again. Instead of wind, I ran lightning through the blade. ‘And… NOW!’
Just as it stepped on another trap I put my whole body into throwing the ax, timing it up with the shock. It wasn’t the fastest throwing weapon by any means, but the weight forced its heavy blade to dig as deep as the spear, wedging itself into the monster's right shoulder and further damaging its nerves.
I could tell it felt the full force of the impact, almost making it take a step back, but the trap wore off and it began its warpath just the same. I gulped as it closed the distance in just three steps, hurling its body across the clearing in an instant and carrying enough force to uproot the tree.
Just before it slammed its head into the trunk though, it sprung my third trap. It was finally stunned. I quickly enhanced my sword with sharpness and leaped from the tree.
As I fell from over 15 feet through the air I put all of my strength into my swing, leading it with a wind blade to cut through the hide before making contact. In one swift strike, my blade neatly fit into the groove carved out by my magic and cleaved the beast's arm clean off just below where my ax was embedded.
My feet hit the ground and I could feel the pain in my joints from absorbing the high fall even reinforcing my body with magic. I knew I had to get away, but before I could move it spun, slamming into me with its other hand and throwing me several paces into another nearby tree.
All of the air in my lungs got knocked out and I gasped as I fell to the ground, somehow managing to hold onto my sword and stay on my feet.
The enraged beast took a moment to scream in pain, grabbing at where its arm used to be in disbelief.
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I wheezed and struggled to catch my breath but I was alive… Thanks to my new armor my chest didn’t cave in. Still, I was out of mana, and even though I survived the first hit, it was just because of luck. ‘If it hits me again I’m not standing back up…’
I didn’t notice right away, but I quickly began to realize that my right leg had gone numb from the impact. From what I could tell it still worked just fine, but it wasn't a good sign either way.
‘No… Come on, I need to be able to move.’ I forced myself to start breathing again, by letting out a scream of my own, using all my strength to get ready. ‘An enraged minotaur without a weapon… Anyone could tell what it’s going to do next… It’s going to charge. I’m close to one of my backup runes I planted to help me run… If I can just put it between us.’
I slammed my fist into my leg, trying to get it to wake up, but quickly switched my attention to how I was going to react to the charge. ‘I'm too slow to dodge it. Deflecting it's almost impossible with its sheer force. One option, make it miss, I just have to get it to flinch.’ In that instant, I took a look at everything I had and decided to just use all of it and hope for the best.
I switched my sword to my left hand. My grip was stiff, but I knew I had at least one good throw in me. I looked down, groaning at the thought of throwing my sword, but before I could think it through the monster locked eyes with me and stomped the ground, taking away any time I might have had for a decision. ‘Something big to get its attention…’
It began to charge right at me. I hurled my sword through the air with my left hand following up with a quick right-handed throw of a smaller knife. As expected, it deflected the sword with its horns, but whether it was skill or sheer luck, my knife stuck it right in the eye, Changing the course of its charge just enough for me to dodge. I spun out of the way like a dancer, pivoting off of one foot, feeling its prickly hide scrape my skin as it passed by.
It veered right over my rune, which caused it to trip on activation, sending it sliding across the forest floor into a tree that cracked and splintered as it came toppling down, taking several others with it like dominos, obliterating my last rune without me being able to get much use out of it.
‘Sparks…’ I quickly scrambled away and gained distance again, reversing our positions as it slowly tried to recover. ‘Well, it’s way too late to run anyway…’
Once again I was left with just my large hunting dagger. I was back at the base of the tree. Electrically burnt grass lined the ground next to its severed arm and pool of hot blood that sloshed against my boots. My legs started to shake with every ripple, making it hard to assume a proper stance.
I groaned, moving away from the blood so it wouldn't affect my footing. ‘Come on…’ the nerves and tension began to build as I tried my best not to rush the fight. “COME ON!” I yelled, trying to vent some of the tension that was building inside of me as it slowly turned around. Its every growl was a puff of air like thick fog as it stood up and wiped its snout, snarling more with every breath.
It bent over, grabbing at its face before reeling with a scream that must have echoed through the entire forest before it pulled the ax from its shoulder. Now wielding my own weapon against me, it started another charge.
Whether it was because I was a genius, or because the tension building inside of me had made me stupid, I stood my ground. I didn’t run. I didn’t want to. I knew the moment I did my chest would tighten until I passed out. If I could fight head-on though, and move so fast I didn’t have time to think, that was how I would win.
It was charging headfirst, and it was slowed by its injuries. I had to finish it. I flipped my knife over to a reverse grip and got took a running start of my own. Before it could crush me with its overwhelming force I slid between its legs through the pool of blood on the ground and slashed its right knee with my dagger before jamming it straight through the back of its left in one swift motion, severing its tendons and forcing it off balence.
I quickly picked up the greatsword from the ground and violently spun, digging into the cut I had already created with my knife and severing its leg, slashing perfectly between the bones.
It flailed wildly, swinging blindly in a mad rage. I didn't stop though, I knew I had to keep moving, and the moment I stopped I died. twisting around again and connecting my movements like water I weaved myself around its flailing arm and ax by taking advantage of its missing eye and with a final violent twist I cleaved its head clean off with its own sword.
The momentum from the monster's final swing carried through, and it struck me with the shaft of the ax, snapping the wooden handle in half against my ribs and sending the blade hurling off into the distance.
Blood sprayed from its body, covering me and painting the forest floor as I tried my best to breathe through the pain.
My eyes started to lose focus as I staggered away to a cleaner patch of grass and took a moment to try and catch my breath, but I never found it.
“Well…” I coughed, each breath feeling more shallow than the last. “That wasn’t so bad…” I muttered, spitting out blood as it filled my throat. ‘Ok… So maybe it could have been better.’