"Aaaaah!" A male's voice called out, sobbing loudly.
"You had to ask." Zeraph stared at her for speaking out too soon. Agnis shrugged it off as if it was nothing.
Zero and his group bolted towards the sound and noticed a small handful of soldiers fending off a couple of two-legged goat-like monsters. The monsters had a humanoid torso and an ox face on their hind legs. They were the size of a fully grown human male. With his telepathy skill, he was able to get a name. Red Minotaur, but no other information had appeared before his screen.
"We need to save them!" Zero ran forward first.
"Are you out of your mind!" Zeraph called out and ran behind him.
"No. We need them." Zero's hands were already on the sword's hilt, ready to pull out and strike like a viper.
"Is this the Minotaur we are supposed to slay?" Jack asked as he was in the middle of the battle, hammer against ax. "This is the boss, right?"
"I don't think so." Zero slashed at the back of the Red Minotaur. It screamed a bellowing yell from the pain and turned angrily towards Zero. Then, swinging its ax, it charged toward him.
The air shifted sharply as an arrow whizzed past him and embedded itself squarely in the bulking chest of the Red Minotaur. Zero glanced over his shoulder and saw Agnis knocking another arrow into her bow. The Minotaur roared and swung towards Zero's head.
Ducking under the ax, he rushed in and sliced horizontally across the Minotaur's stomach. Then, taking quick steps out of harm's way, he maneuvered to the Minotaur's back. Lightning-fast strikes were continuously dealt without stopping, and finally, the Minotaur stumbled and fell dead on the ground.
The second Minotaur was upon the cowering soldiers on the floor, their eyes full of dread. Zeraph ran forward and hopped on the Minotaur's back, slashing furiously like a madman. In seconds the Minotaur fell onto the floor dead.
"That wasn't too hard," Jack replied without breaking a sweat.
"What are you guys doing out here?" Zero walked forward up towards the three soldiers on the ground, ashamed.
"We were sent here to slay the Minotaur that inhabits these walls, but days went on, and our numbers slowly dwindled to only three. Hundreds of the soldiers disappeared while wandering through the Maze. Every turn we make, the more we can not find where we once were." The haggard-looking soldier replied with sadness and grief. "We don't know how to get out of here nor where the Minotaur who rules this Maze resides. Please, can we come with you?"
"Sure. The more, the merrier." Zero replied. "We were heading towards the Minotaur anyways. If you ever want to escape, this golden yarn should lead you to the exit."
"We can not thank you enough." Their eyes sparkled with hope. "We will follow you till we slay the Minotaur. You have truly given us hope once again." They gladly spoke with enthusiasm. Zero could already see the once gone vitality come back with full force. "My name is Tom. This is Eron and Evan. They are twins."
"Nice to meet you. How long have you guys been stuck here?" Agnis asked. Curious about their answer.
"We think it has been over a year," Tom replied.
"A year!" Agnis gasped and was shocked at the answer that Tom had given him. "How did you even survive?"
"There is edible food and water in this Maze. You could say they are pockets of Oasis that seem to grow fruits and waterholes in the area."
"Who sent you guys for this mission?" Jack asked; he leaned on his battle hammer.
"The King of the City of Diadem. Every month, he sends new soldiers to the Maze to get rid of the Minotaur and take the Golden Eye, but not a single soldier has returned for the past five years." Tom said with sadness. "We all knew that coming here was more of an exile and a death sentence. All the soldiers that come to this Maze are convicts or people that the King does not want near him.
"I see." Zero put away his sword. He was now even more suspicious of the King. But now it all made sense. The King sent him here not for the deal with the Drezo Regalia but possibly more on the side of getting rid of him so they could take back the Draconis Library. This infuriated Zero; his drive to complete this quest was even higher than before.
"At first, the King's favorite soldiers with great backgrounds and standing were sent. Then when no news came of conquering the Maze, he became desperate and sent out people who are just as desperate as he who would want a second chance in getting back their honor."
"That would make sense," Zero grumbled underneath his breath. He was not too thrilled about being tricked so easily. He would show that wretched King that he had accomplished an impossible feat. "We will slay the Minotaur and gain back our honor. I am certain we will accomplish this task."
"You sound so confident," Tom stated with awe. "How are you so confident you would find the Minotaur that guards this Maze?"
Zero grinned. "We have a secret weapon. Bob here will lead us the way. He knows the way around. We must guard him till we find the Minotaur and stay alive. You guys can do that, right?"
"Yes!" The soldiers said in joyful unison.
"That's great. Show us the way, Bob!"
"Yes, Sir!" Bob saluted and went forward.
Agnis came up next to Zero and whispered to him. "Are you sure that was a good idea to tell them about Bob? Bob's still a wild card."
"I know, but you saw hope brought back into those soldiers' eyes. What we need now is more people to protect Bob. We don't know what else is in this Maze, and our chance of survival increases by three more."
"Well, it's your call."
Zero quietly thought of what he said. He knew that the NPC had only one chance in life in this game. He could not haphazardly waste them away in this game, but at the same time, Zero only had one chance to get through this Maze and succeed.
Bob continued to lead them deeper into the Maze through their constant twists and turns. The number of Minotaurs increased in random fights, and even at times, they were lucky enough to meet up with more lost soldiers that wandered aimlessly. Their small group increased in size from ten, twenty, and up to forty.
Each new group of lost soldiers they had met added new additions of different classes that helped grow them into an efficient team. Mages and priests were found, giving Zero's group an edge in combat. Truly, Zero felt he had invested correctly in allowing Bob to take the lead. They were finding more and more straggling NPC soldiers that normally one would not be able to meet.
Zero was commanding a small platoon that followed diligently behind them. The archers were in the middle of the group with the healers and magicians, while the soldiers with high offensive ability defended them.
"Move back! Don't let the Red Minotaur kill you. If you are about to die, come back and get yourself healed." Zero yelled out towards the soldiers, attacking a large group of Red Minotaurs in front of them. They were cornered on both sides and could not break through without destroying the Red Minotaurs. No more were they fighting, just a couple, but now in groups of tens and even more.
The injured soldiers hobbled backward while another soldier replaced their spot. The priest began chanting their healing spells, helping recuperate the wounded soldiers.