Although it wasn't a funny situation, Nox wanted to laugh at the cat's demonic expression; it was reminiscent of a kitten trying to be fierce despite looking cute. He was rather weak to cute animals.
"If we kill the monster, can we leave?" Chang Feng addressed the cat. His left foot shifted on the ground uneasily.
The cat had a pleased grin on its face. "Oh, you're so much better than the last batch. They were crying and screaming as if we chopped off their legs." Adjusting its cape, he said, "You win if you manage to kill the monster residing in the same space as you- but there are many ways to pass a trial, and many ways to fail."
"Different ways?" Fay frowned, hand shifting in her pocket.
With a smirk on his furry face, the cat lifted two fingers. "Oh, of course. There are two ways to fail. The first is your death. The second one depends on that heathen over there," the cat pointed towards the bull monster on the other side of the wall.
"Originally, there were seven of you in this test. If the minotaur manages to eat four of you- or if four of you die for whatever reason," he stressed, "then you fail. Obviously, you can also end the test early this way but there will be a penalty."
Nox looked at the cat's smug expression, pondering the probability of survival. It didn't look too good right now.
The cat smirked. "I suggest that you don't take your chances." With another bow, he started to vanish into thin air. "Then, I wish all participants the best of luck. May the ones blessed by Chaos emerge victorious."
"Wait! Are there other ways to pass?" Fay called after his disappearing figure, looking like she was about to shove a pile of daggers down the cat's mouth for its vague answers.
The cat's remaining eye stared at her. "That is for you to figure out." With a small pop, it disappeared fully.
Nox stared at the place the cat disappeared, running his hand down his face with a sigh. "Why are so many troublesome things happening lately?" he murmured to himself.
Fay let out an annoyed huff, her sharp features pulled taunt. "Well, you heard that damn cat-man." She ran a hand through her hair. "Son of a bitch. It's do or die at this point. I'm not taking any chances."
"We only know one way to pass," Nox pointed out. "Can you kill the mon- minotaur, without dying or losing a limb?" He glanced at their solid stances. "Even as trained professionals." It was added on to gauge their reactions.
Sure enough, both of them stiffened up at his words. Chang Feng frowned at him for the first time, the quiet man giving him a silent warning with his dark eyes. "Or whatever you are," Nox amended, not wanting to get on the muscular man's bad side. His posture was very intimidating right now, a warning aura filling up the space.
"How can you tell?" Chang Feng asked, deep voice rumbling.
With a helpless smile, Nox pointed at Chang Feng's hand. "Would a normal person go for a gun in a threatening situation?" Or even own a gun, for that matter. Thankfully, Roxanne had made him watch all those police shows with her.
He didn't hold any bad thoughts towards the duo despite their calmness; in a life or death situation, people would normally prioritize themselves first. In all honesty, it was surprising that Chang Feng chose to protect him as well when the cat-man showed up.
Chang Feng shot a blank expression towards Nox, his thick eyebrows giving away his surprise. "I… did not expect you to notice." He exchanged a glance with Fay. "But since you know now, we can develop our strategy for leaving this place better." Perhaps he was part of the military? Nox tilted his head, thinking that it was possible.
The roar of the monster suddenly echoed throughout the area, signaling a new hunt. It forced Nox to cover his ears to protect them from the unbearable volume. A small shudder crawled up his back as he recalled the giant hunkering form. It was almost double Chang Feng's height, who was probably about 190cm.
Due to the unexpected appearance of the cat-man, they briefly forgot about the more pressing matter; it caught them off guard, feet stomping against the cement eagerly.
Thump.
Crrrck.
The cement suddenly held a new web of cracks thanks to the heavy movements of the minotaur.
Fay whipped around in alarm. "It didn't eat this fast before!"
The stomping got louder, shaking the ground.
The cat-man must have pushed it along. Looked like they couldn't waste anymore time. "I'll go find the fourth person," Nox said as soon as the roar faded away enough for him to speak without shouting. "If four people die, then we'll be penalized even if we pass." In this situation, his lack of athleticism was apparent; his untrained body wouldn't be able to handle much of a fight.
Staring gloomily at the muscle definition showing through the duo's clothes, he had to resist pinching his own soft stomach devoid of any muscle and leaning dangerously close to becoming a layer of fat.
Fay nodded, her previous carefree manner subdued. "We have three people now. Two were eaten, so besides us there are two others somewhere in the area," she analyzed quickly.
"I know the general direction of where one of them went," Nox replied as the ground continued to shake under the monster's rampant footsteps. "I'll get going." He glanced at his abandoned grocery bag in the corner. Hopefully some of the food would be salvageable after getting home. Most of the frozen foods would need to be thrown away.
Fay forcefully patted his back, causing him to stumble forward unsteadily. "We'll hold down the fort on the combat end, don't worry about us." She gave him a thumbs up, a smile on her face. "That bull won't know what hit him." They held sharp knives that weren't present before.
Nox started when they whipped out the blades from nowhere, but decided not to question their sudden appearance as the two ran out to face the monster.
Impressed by their enthusiasm, Nox moved towards the direction he last saw the middle aged woman. "I'll leave it up to you guys then," he muttered under his breath as his eyes scanned the buildings, circling around the crosswalk where the minotaur was located. There were no signs of the other person, so she was his only lead at the moment.
The buildings in this area were all shops that were closely crowded together, allowing Nox to slip around the distracted monster. Spying an open door to a two story building, he immediately headed inside, carefully stepping clear of the glass littered in the doorway. Nothing else looked out of place except for the shattered glass, giving Nox an uneasy premonition as he navigated the first floor in a hurry.
Outside, he heard a raging roar coming from the bull-like monster, followed by an unusual sound of metal clanging. They've started already.
Quickening his pace as the clashing grew fiercer, Nox brushed past the quiet restaurant. The building belonged to a popular noodle restaurant- everything was still in place, seats pushed in and the tables were clean like all they were waiting for were customers to walk in the door. Nox ran a finger across the surface, checking for dust. Nothing.
He headed towards the bathroom next, knocking twice before pushing the door open. Sparkling white tiles greeted him, but there was no sign of the woman who ran away. He made a note to come eat at this restaurant sometime.
Right next to the bathroom was the kitchen. Nox noticed the lack of knives in the knife holder as he opened up the big cabinets one by one, rummaging around for anything useful. Unfortunately, it seemed like someone had taken most of the practical items.
Annoyed by the fruitless results, Nox headed upstairs, keeping his steps light as he peered around the corner. Oddly enough, the second floor smelled like incense used for praying.
Silence greeted him as he walked through the second floor. Something definitely happened here, chairs and tables overturned like a fierce scuffle had broken out. There were some suspicious marks scored on the floor, as if something had carved its way across the wood.
The windows on the second floor were intact. Nox peered down, spotting Fay and Chang Feng fighting. Their figures darted around the enraged minotaur.
The situation didn't look too good. Maybe the woman was hiding somewhere else. If not, he would have to start searching from scratch. Sighing in frustration, Nox turned to head back down before a glint of light came his direction from an inconspicuous corner.
The unexpected sight made him take a step back, saving his face from being slashed into a bloody mess.
The girl facing him looked like she was around the age of a middle school student, eyes wide like an animal trapped in a corner. She held a knife firmly in her hand. Even though the blade shook, betraying her nerves, there was a defiant glint in her dark eyes, a scowl resting on her face.
Out of the corner of his vision, Nox spied a small compartment that looked like it was seamlessly merged with the wall, swung open. So that was what he missed.
Taking in the blood streaking across her cheek, Nox raised his hands slowly, avoiding any sudden movements. This girl looked like she would gut him without hesitation. "I'm not here to hurt you."
The girl tilted her head up, like a young panther staring at a new type of prey. "Why are you here?" she demanded, voice unexpectedly low for her young appearance. Fierce. "Don't try to do anything funny." She glared at him harder, as if she knew his thoughts.
Although Nox wasn't well-versed when it came to girls, he did have a hotheaded younger sister back home. "I'm not here to trick you into doing anything," he replied calmly. "I just want to ask some questions." Even he had to suppress a wince at his badly phrased line.
Based on her answering glare, she agreed with his poor choice of words. Ignoring it, Nox continued, "Did the cat with a weird top hat appear in front of you?"
Her grip on the knife handle visibly faltered before it tightened quickly. "If I say yes?"
Nox let out a sigh at the sharp tone. It felt like she was interrogating him instead of the other way around. "If more than three people die, we get penalized," he repeated the cat's words. "So I came to find a fourth person to make sure that doesn't happen."
Her warriness didn't lower. "Why me?" she demanded, knife held closer to her body defensively.
"It didn't necessarily have to be you," he shrugged. "I just came in this direction because I saw someone running this way before."
Finally, the girl lowered the sharp kitchen knife slowly. "Are you talking about a woman?"
Nox noticed her shoulders hunching defensively. "If we're talking about the same person, I suppose so."
"She's dead," the girl replied flatly.
"…Oh."
She shot an unamused look at him. "Don't be stupid, Uncle. There isn't just one monster in here."