Natsu

  The minotaur horde isn't getting smaller, and rather the opposite, I feel like reinforcements have arrived. Dam it if they were normal minotaurs I'd be over it by now. I'm lost in thought for a minute when a minotaur's fist strikes me in the right cheek with force. Insane pain shot through my face and I flew backwards two meters using physics. My mouth fills with the familiar burning iron liquid. I spit blood on the ground and wipe my lips.

  "I feel like this place needs some heat." I spray between my teeth.

  I make a couple of lunges at the minotaur, who wanted to grab the chance while I'm down. I finally have solid ground under my feet. From my left, another axe-wielding foe lunges at me. I take a deep breath to get as much oxygen into my lungs as I can, and once I have the minotaur within arm's reach I grab him below the neck before he can dismember me with his axe. I feel the familiar transformation in my eyes as I release my inhibitions and the vampire's power engulfs me fully. I return the spear I hold in my right hand to its original dagger form. I tighten my grip a little more and the minotaur's head suddenly explodes in all directions, blood splattering over part of me and the surrounding area. The bulls stop for a moment in horror. Good thing I needed that. I hear their heartbeats quicken. I can hear their giant hearts pounding like church bells. And the sweet blood rushing through their veins as fast as if an imaginary dam had burst and torrents of water flooded their bodies. It's not enough for their hearts to strike again, and I'll rush at each of them with vampiric speed. Not one of them can react and I rip the heart from their body without mercy, breaking ligaments and sucking blood. If the others were here I would never lose control like this, but this is what fills me up as I do my job. I am judge and executioner in one. The power I have and the strength I have to help spread justice while feeling most alive. I am stopped in my rampage by an electrical discharge that passes through my entire little body and I fall to the ground. The bull holding the staff from which the discharge came smiles darkly.

  I forgot they have magical powers too. I scramble back to my feet and feel everything start to spin around me. I shake my head to get rid of the feeling. My yellow eyes seem to be engulfed in fire and I cry out:

  "Open the gates of the seven circles of hell."

  All around them, giant flames burst forth. There were exactly seven small groups of 5, surrounded by different colored fire. They all fell into a considerable panic. Three of the seven groups were engulfed in infernal flames. Their last screams pierced the mountain silence. An axe flew through the fire, aimed directly at me. I barely dodged. The rings of fire disappeared and the bulls were free again.

  "Ow." I hissed, fixing my eyes where my right hand held my left upper arm. My arm is whole, but the axe has scratched me, and even through my arm, rivulets of blood run down my arm.

  "My axe never misses." The minotaur leader utters with a sinister laugh. Suddenly my knees buckle and I fall to the ground. My vision begins to blur.

  "And it's definitely not just ordinary. Now feel my poison, you insect."

  The bull stretches out his hand and the axe that was stuck in the dirt lifts up of its own accord and rushes back to its owner with lightning speed. And the owner doesn't wait and throws it at me with all his might. I quickly roll to the right side. My vampire powers are working, but for how long? My eyelids begin to grow heavy and I feel the venom in my system rush as fast as it can towards my heart. Not now. I can't let them leave here. My family is counting on me. Memories of brothers and friends flash before my eyes. Childhood memories of his mother hugging him. Of laughing with Kenji. The way he danced with Shika. And the times Iruka told him he wasn't a monster. Yes. I'm not a monster. I'm not like them. I'm not a monster of darkness. I lifted my left corner a little in a mischievous grin.

  "I am Natsu Naruno. I am a hunter of magical creatures, and you now know the heat of my fire. The Phoenix Flare!"

  My entire body was consumed by fire. My wound instantly coagulated and retracted. I reach into my sheath and pull out my dagger. I raise my dagger hand in front of my face and stroke my dagger along its entire length with my fiery hand.

  "Fire blade." I utter and my weapon bursts into blue flame.

  I swung it and it immediately transformed into a familiar sharp spear. With a battle cry, he ran towards the others and once again put his speed into it, attacking the minotaurs with battle lunges. I was just a quick orange beam, letting them catch fire one by one when only the one with the staff was left.

  "Your turn." I whispered in his ear.

  The minotaur froze, but after a second he turned around at the sound and then back. The silence was cut by the noisy dropping of the bodies of all the soldiers who were decapitated or burned to the bone. Only the dust on the ground became animalistic under the weight of their bodies.. this is the power of Natsuo Naruno.

  The bull didn't even blink, and like the others, I cut its head off from its body. The bull just made a panting sound and fell to its knees. My body stopped burning. And I leaned towards the bull with a triumphant smile and whispered one last time.

  "So who's the insect?"

  The bull immediately slumped to the ground. Its head separated from its body and rolled toward the rest. I just wiped my blade on the rest of the body and lowered my weapon.

  ?????????????????

  Shika

  "Shiko behind you!" Kenji yells at me.

  Instinctively, I make a lunge and use my sword to stop the axe that was coming at me from behind.

  "Star Magic: Orion's Staff." I immediately lunge out, not wanting to give my opponent a chance.

  "Stop!" Kenji waved his hand and the bulls remained motionless.

  "Well done Kenji!" I praise him.

  "You too."

  The two of them smiled triumphantly at each other as the bulls started to move normally again, and the ones that had been hit by the elf got up as well, and it was as if nothing had happened to them.

  "What?" They said in chorus.

  Minotaurs have more magical power than I expected. The bull in the middle reaches out and our hands drop our weapons as we feel the burning heat within them. It's the bull. I think to myself. Another minotaur reaches out and throws an axe at us. Kenji pulls me to the side in time, but that gives our opponents, who are two long jumps away, a chance. Kenji lay on top of me to protect me, but before we could get back into fighting position, the bull took Kenji and threw him against the wall with all his strength. The blond bull bellowed and you could see all the air evaporate from his lungs and he slumped to the ground. I sat on the ground and watched the scene in silence. Then I turned my gaze to the minotaurs who were smiling darkly above me. I began to back up as fast as I could. The minotaurs slowly shuffled towards me and I could feel the panic rising in my body. My legs felt heavy and my mind was closing in. Their faces didn't bode well, and I already knew my entire body was paralyzed with panic. My eyes darted from one to the other, hoping that maybe I could get one of them to stop with a look. My eyes suddenly anchored on Kenji, who lay motionless on the ground behind the bulls. I gasped.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Kenji are you okay?" I slowly let out a shaky voice.

  "Kenji? Kenji?! Wake up!" I started screaming. The minotaurs were enjoying my despair watching my face fall into despair. They weren't in a hurry, and that was much worse. I hit the wall and gasped out loud. I kept trying to contact Kenji telepathically, but silence was the answer. Paralyzed by the situation, I didn't know what to do. My magic and my power seemed to have faded from my body. The bulls stopped. They were only a step away from me.

  "We got you, you little bitch." One of the minotaurs growled.

  I began to shake my head dismissively. No way. You're not dead. I don't believe it... I repeated to myself. It was as if a sliver of light illuminated my darkened, lame mind and I came back to my strength.

  "Pegasus' wind shield!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and instinctively stretched my arms out in front of me.

  A giant, silver-transparent Pegasus leapt out of my hands, flapping its wings mightily and hurling the minotaurs five metres to the edge of the mountain. Two of the minotaurs fell, but that didn't bother me as I quickly ran over to Kenji. I knelt down and turned his face towards me. Kenji showed no signs of consciousness.

  "Kenji..." I whispered.

  I placed my hand on his chest and checked to see if his heart was still beating. The minutes it takes to find out the truth are as long as hours. Tears fell from my eyes like streams of water and landed directly on Kenji's mute face. He was alive, but his heart was very weak.

  "Please..." She whispered, uttering spells in Elvish.

  My voice escalated until I was almost screaming again. The wind began to swirl violently. Dust and pebbles suddenly knew no gravity and floated in the air like light fluffy clouds. Suddenly, a giant glow engulfed us. My tears receded. I know my spell was successful. The blood on my temple stopped flowing and the skin slowly healed. His barely beating heart took a second wind. His chest rose gradually and regularly. Until he finally opened his eyes. The pale blue irises saw the light of day again, and most importantly, my blissful smile. Tears of sadness turned into tears of happiness. The glow around them receded and the stones returned to the ground. Unfortunately, it wasn't over. The clatter of hooves indicated that the minotaurs had survived and were coming. But I could feel my body screaming with fatigue. Not physically, but rather my magic was at its limit, but I made it. I saved him, and my consciousness falls into darkness.

  Kenji

  "Thank you. I'll take care of it now." I whisper and stroke her cheek.

  I don't have time to take care of Shiko since the minotaurs are coming back.

  "So four against one." I chuckle.

  "I'll send you back to all the devils." I said, reaching out as if to throw something at them.

  "The power of the water element: Wrath of Poseidon!"

  At that moment, it was as if all the water on the planet had accumulated and formed into a trident shape above my head, where I held out my hands. With all my might, I cast a spell against the minotaurs. I didn't have enough power, so I put it all on one spell. It was either them or me.

  The magical trident impaled them and threw the minotaurs against the wall on the other side. The water regrouped and started drowning them into one. Now they didn't stand a chance. We won. I thought to myself.

  I couldn't keep my footing and one of my legs fell to the ground and I started breathing heavily. I don't have much left in me, but I need to get us to safety. I hobble over to Shika and scoop her up in my arms. And hide us behind a bigger boulder that provides the best hiding place around. Shika regains consciousness and mumbles something, but I can't understand her. I stroke her cheek and smile at her.

  "Just get some rest. You've been great. That old bitch almost got me." I say and put a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  ?????????????????

  Natsu just ran up to Haru. He had just fought the monsters with his powerful roots.

  "Go get them, brother." He said teasingly and sat down. His arm was tightly secured with a piece of cloth to slow down the poison.

  "Shut up. Or I'll deal with you too."

  "Then hurry up. The others may need us." Haru frowned at his words. He was all too aware of the gravity of the situation.

  "The voice of nature!"

  Roots reinforced what green dust he thought. More wrapped around their thick necks and suddenly crunched.

  "Did you say something?" Haru asked over his shoulder with a smirk.

  Natsu smiled weakly at him. The poison was advancing.

  "What's wrong?"

  Suddenly they heard a muffled sound. Behind the stone, a brown husk emerged. Haru and Natsu were about to fight when suddenly a little girl peeked out from behind the stone, her mouth taped shut. Her brown eyes rest on the brothers. She immediately starts to say something, but can't be understood through her scarf.

  "The mayor's daughter?" Natsu asks in surprise.

  Haru immediately rushes over to her. Her hands were tied. The girl started to back away from Haru.

  " Don't worry little one. We're here to save you. Your father sent us here."

  The brunette stops backing up and looks up with hope in her eyes. Haru reaches his hands out to her cautiously. Seeing that the girl is no longer afraid of him, he quickly begins to untie her. The brunette didn't wait for anything and lunged for Haru's throat.

  "Don't worry, you're safe now."

  ?????????????????

  Aki had already finished fighting and began to take down the poor dead bodies. He then began to slowly carry everything outside, where he met up with the others. They helped him, of course, and then headed back into the cave to see Fuy and Iruka.

  Fuyu

  I was breathing heavily. There was only one opponent in front of me, and probably the strongest one... My vision is blurry and the pain is so unbearable that I don't even know if I have any strength left in me. I was outnumbered by a hundred burly minotaurs equipped with powerful magic against myself. I have a dislocated shoulder that I reattached during the battle, but it hurts like hell. My ankle feels like it's been crushed. Bruises all over my body and I can't see one eye swelling and too much blood coming out of my body.

  "Your turn." I growl at the last minotaur standing, but my voice doesn't sound as threatening as I'd like.

  "I think this is your end leech." Replied the enemy.

  I automatically reached for my sword, but was unable to grab it. My wrist is dislocated? I'm thinking in my head. I frown at my shattered hand. A minotaur named Taurus burst out laughing.

  "How are you going to defeat me if you don't raise your sword and your magic doesn't work on me?"

  I clench my hand into a fist. I don't have room to waste my time here. I have to see Iruka.

  "That's what others have said before you, that they're immune to my magic. And now they're in the depths of hell, where I'll send you too."

  "Then show yourself, leech." The bull smiled slimy.

  "Blackness!" Taurus roared, and indeed a black cloud came out of his hands.

  I quickly dodged to the side. And I smiled.

  "I see I found Azazel's main pet."

  "I am the commander of his entire dark army! Don't you dare mock me or my master!" He shouted, repeating his spell.

  I cannot dodge endlessly. I dig my feet in tight and prepare to face his spell.

  "Water Expansion!"

  The two spells slammed into each other with all their might. We fought over who was stronger, but I know I'm stronger. Taurus increases his onslaught and my feet dig deeper into the earth.

  "No one can get hurt, Iruk. I promised to protect him." I sputter between my teeth.

  Suddenly, Iruka and his huge and infectious smile flashed before my eyes. Exactly. Someone's waiting for me, and I've made a promise to protect him no matter what. I unleashed my magical powers more. I know I haven't used my full potential from this, and I know this opponent is nothing to me. With my other hand, I swing and a water blade flies out of my hand, slicing the bull in half smoothly and quickly. It's over I think to myself and smile triumphantly. I take a step forward, but my body isn't pointing forward, it's pointing towards the ground.

  "Iru...ko..." I whisper softly.

  ?????????????????

  Iruka

  I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I don't even know where. I ran straight and didn't stop if the minotaurs were chasing me. The uneven stone path was suddenly replaced by pavement. I stopped and looked at the ground. There was normal shiny flooring everywhere. I peeked, and before me was a corridor decorated with long stone columns. At the end of this corridor was a giant ornate door. I quickly ran towards it. I hesitated for a moment to wait for the others, but there was no sign of them. I turned my head back to the door. The rage flared up in me again at the memory of the innocent bodies. I leaned against the door and opened it heavily with a loud creak.

  He was there. Right in front of me at the far end of the room. He sat there in his throne, not moving. His hood was thrown over his head. I couldn't see anything of his face.

  "Welcome, Iruka."

  I could hear the darkness in his voice alone. The dark druid Azazel. I said to myself. The door closed behind me. I stared at him, straight and determined. It's between us now.