The group clambered to their feet, covered in dust. they had fallen into the next level below them the tunnel was collapsed on one side. They could smell smoke and dirt, but the apparent cause for the implosion was unknown to them. With no other direction to go but forward, they dusted themselves off as best they could and carried on.

The tunnel was different from those above - veins of that strange, translucent red substance permeated the walls. A stony silence greeted them at every turn and, strangely, Sakura's map showed no enemies anywhere nearby.

After a short time, the group reached an opening. All was silent save for the sound of their footsteps. they had crossed into a pitch-black abyss, the glow of Sakura's light-stick and map illuminating a few meagre meters in front of them. It felt like the darkness was a living being, pressing against them as they tried to move on. A low growl sounded to their right.

"What was that?" Natsuki whispered. Toward the back of the room, in the dark, a single pair of red eyes opened menacingly.

There was a hissing noise and the room lit up in bright reddish-orange light. Benzo had popped a flare and tossed it on the ground.

What stood before them was a strange amalgam of previous monsters they had encountered. Cloven hooves led up to bovine haunches, then an almost-human torso topped with a skull-like face. Crystalline horns glittered atop the thing's head, seemingly composed of whatever crimson substance permeated the crater. The monster snorted exhaling steam. In its hands it held an obsidian axe, similar to the one they had previously seen but a bit larger. A normal human could never have held it, let alone actually swung it.

"It's a fucking minotaur!" Benzo's eyes widened with fear.

The minotaur reared and charged forward with alarming speed. Sakura let an arrow fly before the thing was upon them. The arrow hit the crown of its head, right where its left horn formed, and ricocheted harmlessly away. The beast came right at Benzo, attempting to gore him with its blood-toned horns. Benzo deftly dodged, getting in an uppercut with his quarterstaff. The monster staggered back, but quickly regained its composure. It hefted the axe and swung a blow, one-handed, at the team.

Taki ducked and swung at the thing with his maces, attempting to smash its skull, but it deflected his blows with the axe and counterattacked, causing him to backpedal away. The minotaur advanced upon him, readying its axe.

Natsuki cut across, intercepting the great beast mid-step. She skidded to a stop, katana extended gracefully. For a moment, Taki thought she had missed. Then the blood started, a crimson spray from the creature's abdomen. The girl deftly backed away, never lowering her sword. the beast cried out in pain and rage. Before anyone could relax, it charged again, this time at Natsuki. Benzo tried to interrupt its charge, but this time it held aloft the axe, breaking off his attempt at an attack.

Natsuki braced herself. The thing was not slowing down. With a wound that grievous, it should have been slowing down. If anything, it seemed to have gained strength through its rage and pain. It aimed a crushing blow, both hands slamming the axe down at the girl. She rolled out of the way at the last minute.

ZIP! Another arrow, courtesy of Sakura, flew through the air. This one connected, catching the minotaur in its left eye. It screamed and threw the axe down, more out of apparent reflex than anything else. Benzo yelled in pain - the heavy had landed pommel-down on his leg.

The minotaur flailed about, attempting to remove the arrow from its ruined eye socket. Blood dripped down its face, a mask of pain and rage. Natsuki took advantage of the stun, making a long lateral slice across its legs. The creature screamed, now hobbled. It clutched at the arrow, ripping it out in an arc of blood. Delirious and rampaging, bowed its head and went for the nearest assailant it could: Benzo, writhing on the ground, his leg bent at an odd angle.

The beast bore down on the boy, determined to impale him with its horns. Taki, finally in a position to strike, attempted to intercept it and hopefully break its skull with a single strike. The minotaur saw him coming and ducked just before the blow could land. It regarded him as one would regard a low branch in the woods - in the way, but not dangerous. Taki felt himself twist, off balance, and stumble. A third arrow flew over Taki's shoulder, catching the monster in the back of the neck. It screamed and staggered for a moment, stunned from the sudden impact. Forgetting Benzo, it slowly turned toward the source of its pain, a lone archer on the far end of the flickering room.

"Fuck this," Taki muttered, frustrated. He concentrated for a moment, willing the ghostly menu into being and quickly made his selection.

The creature charged back by, passing by Taki again. It clearly didn't consider him a threat after that last pass.

That was a mistake.

Taki whirled as the charging monster passed and brought up left mace, catching its chin in a shattering uppercut. Stunned and halted, the alien thing cried out. Taki swiped at it with his right mace, catching it in the back of the head with a resounding THUD. The minotaur fell to a knee. Discombobulated and enraged, it swung blindly with the axe, hoping to hit anyone who came near. It didn't move from the spot, however. The cumulative wounds it had accrued must have finally taken their toll.

C-team regrouped around Benzo, their weapons carefully trained on the Minotaur should it gain a second wind.

Benzo attempted to stand. "AAAAAHHHHH," the boy exclaimed, his leg clearly broken. Once still again, he gasped. "That was definitely a boss."

"Is. It's not down yet." Natsuki murmured.

As if on cue, the Minotaur turned its good eye toward them. It dropped its axe and made a sweeping motion with its arms. Almost instantaneously, a crimson wall flecked with dirt and rocks was thrown between them, cutting the room in half. Somehow, the beast had drawn all of that material from the walls and formed it into a barrier at will. Instinctively, Taki ran to the wall and attempted to smash it. Whatever it was made of was not as fragile as it looked, however; his blows didn't even scratch the surface.

The light of the flare flickered through the translucent wall, casting an eerie silhouette of the horned monstrosity. It stared at them for a few moments, then turned. The room was abruptly thrown into darkness as the beast snuffed out the flare with a hoof.

With an angry grunt, the Minotaur was gone.