I took a step back, realizing she was attempting to use some sort of ability to get a read on who I was. I was grateful it didn’t work, though I wasn’t sure if it was due to the mask or another reason that her attempt had failed. Either way, the fact she had an ability like that made her a danger to my privacy.

  “No way.” Her eyes widened.

  “What? Did you finally get a read on him?” Han asked.

  “What did it say?” Rubellia chimed in.

  Wait! Was her behavior a hoax to allow her to get close enough to me to read my bio?!

  “You look surprised,” Han smirked. “Did you really think she was into you like that? Sorry, but she’s not. She needs to touch you for a certain amount of time to use her special ability. It allows her to get info on anyone.” He looked at Sora. “So? What did it say?”

  “I...couldn't get any information..." She starred at me wide eyed.

  “What do you mean?” Rubellia asked.

  “I didn’t get anything from him. It showed an error message. I’ve never seen that before, though.”

  So she did things in an attempt to get a read on me. I scratched the back of my head and sighed internally. Yeah, that’s about how it went IRL, too. Girls pretended to like me but always did it as some sort of prank or to get something out of it. It mostly was to get their real boyfriends jealous, which would result in them beating my ass. Man, girls are scary.

  “Who are you?” Sora asked curiously. “Talk to m-” I swatted her hand away as she reached for the mask.

  I’m sick of this shit. I threw her at the door, then Han and Rubellia. I just want to clear this dungeon. The doors opened as I approached them, and they shouted and cursed. I don’t need any of you for that. I glared at them as the doors stopped. I just needed you to open the door. I walked past them.

  “Hey! Where do you think you’re going!” Han demanded as he followed me into the dark room. “You didn’t answer our question. Who are-“ As the others followed us, the doors slammed shut.

  “KYA!” I think it was Rubellia who screamed. Maybe Han. I wasn’t sure.

  “It’s dark!”

  “I KNEW IT!” Han roared. “He led us into a trap! It is a monster!”

  “Han! Where are you!” Sora called out.

  “It’s okay. I can make a fi-“ Before Rubellia could finish, torches that lined the walls began to light one by one, revealing an arena. In the center, along with me, was a monster.

  Oh…my…IT’S HUGE!

  The beast stood over nine feet tall, its body a blend of human and bull, covered in coarse, dark fur that rippled with each breath. Its muscular arms bulged with raw power, one of which held a gigantic, gleaming sword.

  The head was that of a bull, with sharp, curved horns that jutted menacingly from its skull. Its eyes glowed a fiery red, filled with a primal rage that sent shivers down my spine. Each exhale from the beast’s nostrils released a cloud of steam as if its very breath was forged in the fires of the underworld.

  Its hooves clattered against the stone floor as it stepped forward, the sound reverberating through the room. I could feel the heat radiating from the creature, starkly contrasting the cold, damp air around me.

  “W-Wh-“ I heard Han drop his weapon. “What is that!?”

  “S-Sora?” Rubellia stuttered.

  “I’ve never seen or read about anything like that before!” Her voice was filled with panic. “I don’t know what that thing is!”

  A minotaur.

  With a low, guttural growl, the minotaur raised its sword, the blade catching the light and casting a long shadow over me. I knew I had to react quickly as the sword closed in on me, and I felt a smile forming on my lips as I readied myself.

  “Don’t just stand there!” Rubellia shouted. “R-“ She stopped as I zipped up and around the blade, connecting my foot to the beast's jaw. It staggered slightly before grabbing hold of my foot.

  Good reaction time.

  It threw me into the air with enough force to cause me to spin uncontrollably. It swung its blade at high speed, almost as if the giant sword weighed the same as a feather. I quickly used a ripple to stop myself while jumping back toward it.

  Amazing speed!

  Both of my feet collided with the minotaur’s chest. Its pecks tightened, and my kick had no effect. The beast grabbed me in its hand and let out a ferocious roar in my face before throwing me to the ground. I bounced several times before I twisted to my feet and caught my balance.

  SUCH POWER! YES! YES! I pointed at the minotaur. You are a worthy enemy! My hand extended to the beast—a good test for my abilities. My hand slowly closed into a fist. AND I WILL DESTROY YOU!!

  “HE’S CRAZY!” Han screamed as the minotaur and I ran at each other.

  It swiped its sword at me. I jumped, landing on the blade and running up it to its arm. The minotaur reached for me with its free hand in an attempt to crush me like a bug, but I zipped between its fingers, quickly reached for Rei, and pulled her from her sheath as I stabbed her into its hand, slicing between its fingers.

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  The minotaur roared in pain as I ran up its arm to its shoulder. I was heading toward its jugular when it twisted its head. Its horn collided with me, sending me flying off the beast.

  It's not that easy to get rid of me! I quickly twisted and created a ripple before jumping back toward it.

  “No way…” I could hear the party marveling from where they stood, unmoving.

  The minotaur kept swatting at me like a fly, hoping to land a hit, but it never did. I kept zipping around its hand and using my ripples to jump back and forth around it, slashing its chest, back, arms, legs, and face as I flew by.

  COME ON! My smile grew wider under the mask. I THOUGHT YOU’D BE STRONGER THAN- It finally grabbed hold of my foot, its eyes glowing a vibrant blood red as it dropped its sword. Huh? I watched as the beast's blood absorbed back into its skin and its wounds healed. I see. My eyes glowed brightly under the mask. It’s DMing.

  A red aura surrounded the beast before it threw me across the room. I spun several times before creating a ripple. The minotaur roared as it looked up at me. I, of course, was out of reach. So, its attention quickly turned to the trio.

  “H-Hey!” Han took a step back. “I-It’s looking at us!”

  “It’s charging at us!” Sora yelled.

  “Help us!” Rubellia begged as she looked up at me.

  Nah. I took a seat on my ripple and looked down at them. You three have done nothing this entire time. Carry your weight.

  “Why is he sitting!” Han grabbed his axe and readied it. "That piece of shit is gonna watch us die!” I shrugged.

  “No…I think he wants us to prove we’re worthy of being helped.” Rubellia said.

  Huh?

  “Huh?” Han repeated my thoughts out loud. “What are you talking about?” They dodged out of the minotaur’s path, causing it to crash into a wall.

  “He’s testing us.” She answered. “We would have been in here with or without him. Seeing as how we're trapped in here, we can’t escape. He showed us he could handle this monster, so now he’s making us do the same.”

  “That doesn’t make sense!” Sora shot several arrows at the minotaur. All it did was piss it off more as it roared and ran at her.

  “He’s testing to see if we would have died without his help. He wants to see if we could have handled the beast without him. Because if he wasn’t here and we couldn’t handle it, we’d die.”

  “I think I get it.” Sora slid under the minotaur’s legs and unleashed arrows into its chin. “He wants to see if we’re a bunch of weaklings that should be left to die or if we’re worthy of being saved.”

  That’s…not at all what I was planning on doing. I frowned. I was going to let you die if you couldn’t handle the beast. That’s what happens to people who think they’re stronger than they are. They learn their place.

  “He reminds me of the guild master!” Han grunted as his axe collided with the beast's ankle.

  Guild master?

  “Yeah. That pesky little vampire pisses me off!” Sora said as she jumped off Han’s shoulder to arc over the minotaur.

  They know Sabrina? I watched as Sora unleashed several arrows into the beast's skull. Not long after she landed, they exploded. The explosion along with its weakened ankle caused it to collapse to a knee.

  “She always tests us, and he’s doing the same!” A red light enveloped Rubellia. My eyes widened as I watched magic being used. “The only difference is that this is life and death! At least all she does is drop ridiculous quests on us!” A fireball erupted from her staff and exploded on the minotaur. It fell completely, landing on its back.

  “Who cares!” Han launched himself into the air. “Let’s show him that we don’t need his-“

  “RAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!” The minotaur let out an ear-splitting screech that caused them to drop their weapons. Han hit the ground, paralyzed and unable to get up.

  “I-I can’t move!”

  “Me neither!” Sora panicked. “Rubellia?”

  “I-I can’t move either.”

  That’s an odd skill for a minotaur to have. I rested my hand on my chin—a paralysis roar.

  The beast rose to its feet. I could feel its rage from where I was as it looked to Rubellia, who was closest to it. “No…” her voice cracked as it walked to her. “P-Please…” tears filled her eyes as it reached for her.

  “Rubellia!” Sora screamed.

  “Why can’t I move!” Han was still trying to get up. “Damnit!”

  “I…” Its hand closed in on Rubellia. “I don’t want to-“ She stopped as her eyes looked up to the ceiling above.

  I guess, just this once… Rei’s runes began to glow a bright gold as I gripped her tightly in my hand. I’ll be the hero. I spun as I descended on the beast from above, Rei’s golden light illuminating the room. Her light reflected in Rubellia’s eyes as she spoke.

  “The Gilded Hero.”

  I landed atop the beast's head, plunging Rei into its skull. She cut through like a hot knife through butter. Immediately, the unmoving minotaur collapsed, and the trio was freed from their paralysis.