ARIA
After they were all frozen, it didn't take much for us to eliminate them.
But the command took a toll on me. I realized this immediately because I was becoming too tired. I must've made a mistake somehow, or maybe because my stamina wasn't good enough. My body felt a bit heavier as I wielded my blades and took the monsters' heads with a clean sweep. Carter immediately went on a killing spree, using the opportunity to use the long sword he chose. Teagan and Austin were hesitant at first, but after exterminating some of them, they slowly got used to it.
That's when we realized who the leader of the pack was. And the moment I set my eyes on it, I knew instinctively we weren't going to win.
A minotaur, of all monsters, came lunging towards us like an army tank. Tough leather skin, massive build, a set of horns larger than any of the weapons we had in this dome. The minotaur came to us, swinging its massive ax in our direction. His eyes flashed with wild rage, snorting ridiculously hot air from his nose.
"Duck!" Carter shouted.
We jumped out of its attack. Carter had kicked Austin's wheelchair out of the way so he could avoid the deadly swing. The ax came down with an earth shuddering smash, instantly leaving a small crater in its wake.
Carter had kicked the wheelchair with too much strength. Austin toppled out of his seat and landed hard on the ground. But rather than complaining like he used to do, Austin immediately crawled towards the gun he dropped, dragging his useless legs behind him, and took aim.
Baam! Baam!
The minotaur let out a loud roar, crashing to the ground. Turns out an enchanted gun was even more powerful than a normal gun. His bullets explode upon contact, which immediately lands heavy damage on the monster.
"Keep shooting, Austin!" Carter yelled. He threw himself onto the minotaur and swung his sword. A gush of blood spewed from the large slash wound that Carter inflicted on his back. The minotaur once again roared.
I followed his track, swinging my blades with so much force that when it hit, his arm came off. Blood once again expelled from the dismembered shoulder. The minotaur let out an angry roar and spun around with speed, his tail was like a whip and it hit Carter straight in the stomach. He went flying.
"Carter!" Teagan shouted in alarm.
Carter hit the wall violently. He coughed out blood and collapsed to the ground—he laid still, unmoving.
"Carter!" I shouted. I made my way towards him but the minotaur leaped and landed in front of me, blocking Carter's direction.
I let out a low growl. How dare this piece of shit!
After tightening my grip on my blades, I lunged at it, blades ready. He swung his ax with incredible speed. I dodged out of the way. He was fast, but I'm faster. I took advantage while his weapon was down and leaped on his arm, using it as a bridge and aimed for his neck.
The minotaur saw this and inhaled. I saw molten fire burst from his lips, my eyes widened in surprise. The minotaur can breathe fire!
This caught me off guard. I ducked as it blew explosive fire in my direction. But there was only enough space on his massive arm for me to use. That's why when I dodged the fire, I slipped over the edge and fell over, hitting the ground hard.
The minotaur had its gaze on me before I could pick myself up. Its mouth immediately opened to blow another fire attack in my direction. Amidst the chaos, I heard my friends shouting my name.
I opened my mouth in an attempt to use my power once again, but the smoke and ash surrounding the minotaur choked me. I was hit with a coughing fit, and was unable to use my voice.
It all happened so fast. A cascade of bullets began firing and exploding towards the minotaur's head. Amidst the smoke, I saw Teagan's figure bursting out of the fumes, wielding her spear faster than I'd ever seen her and delivering a deep slash, taking both of the monster's eyes out.
The minotaur's attack faltered, its remaining arm going towards its face and clutched its eyes, letting out a loud roar. I took the opportunity, immediately leaping straight towards him, using all the remaining strength in my body and slashed with both blades.
The world went quiet. The minotaur's head fell slowly to the ground, its body following soon after.
I gasped hard, my limbs began trembling from all the strain I had caused. I felt my body weaken to a significant degree. Despite that, I limped my way towards Carter's unconscious body. Looks like Austin had managed to crawl all the way towards him in his attempt to protect Carter.
Teagan was all over him too. Fussing at every injury, using her clothes to make makeshift bandages.
All of us looked a mess. Our clothes were tattered, half-burnt. We had ash and soot on our faces and bodies. Carter had injuries to his arm and face. Teagan must've hit her head because there was a trail of blood leading down from her temples, and Austin…Austin looked fine.
I glanced around the room. The majority of the dome was destroyed, the glass ceiling shattered from all the heavy force delivered. The weapons were all clattered on the floor, taken down by the vibrations most likely.
I moved forward, my feet hitting something. I looked down and saw one of the few surviving snow globes on the ground. I reached for it. The glass felt cold on my hand. I took a closer look at the art inside it; it showed the massive establishment of the Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Paris.
Despite everything, I still remembered one of my missions. Hence, I pocketed the globe in my coat and limped towards the headless corpse of the minotaur, climbing until I was on its chest. I lifted one armed hand, my muscles shaking in protest, but I ignored it, and slammed it down straight in the middle.
Bit by bit, I began cutting off skin and bones until I reached the minotaur's heart, where most of the fresh blood can be found. I took the bucket that I grabbed on my way, the one that used to hold the wooden poles that my dad used for training, and filled them up.
I didn't mind the warm, wet feeling of the blood as it clung to my skin. I just filled the bucket to the brim. Rather than being disgusted by seeing all that dark red liquid, I craved for it. Just the smell makes my head spin with euphoria. I wonder if this is how stoners feel when they snort drugs?
I shook my head violently, trying to escape the overwhelming urge to feast. I slipped down the corpse, careful not to spill, and ran towards my friends.
Teagan took one look at my bloody arms and the mad grin on my face and said, "Dear, god."
With great difficulty, I was able to persuade them to drink for their cause. They were hesitant at first, like most people would, but one sniff at the warm blood did the trick. As they greedily gulped and shared the contents, then making sure Carter also drank enough, those gestures didn't just fulfill one of my missions, it also verified my suspicions. I watched as the monster's blood worked their magic, each by the second, began regenerating their current and old wounds. The fact that this became possible would only mean one thing:
As expected, they were also made half-immortal.
Carter's eyes had fluttered open by the time I finished my share. The taste of blood wasn't unlike anything I've ever tasted. It was so rich, so dark—it's like drinking pure pleasure, you can't help but be addicted.
"What's that bump in your sweater?" Teagan asked, pointing at the spot.
"Oh, it's nothing." I said, fishing the globe from my pocket and showing it to her. "It's just a snow globe."
Teagan pulled her hand out to take it, but it seemed like the toll had doubled and my hand lost its grip. The snow globe slipped from my hand and smashed upon contact with the ground.
We flinched as the ground once again rumbled. Suddenly, a burst of energy came out of the globe and has turned into this massive whirlpool. We screamed when we felt our bodies leave the ground and getting sucked in.
Austin was first to go. He had lost his grip on Teagan's arm. He screamed as the whirlpool sucked him completely. Next was Carter, then Teagan, and then finally, me.
What greeted us inside was pure darkness. Then we found ourselves falling from the sky, landing straight towards the river where a burst of cold water pierced our skin. Altogether, we swam upwards. I assisted Austin along with Carter on the way.
When we burst to the surface and caught our breath, the majesty of one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world stood before us.
It was the same one I saw inside the snow globe. We shared a look of shock, disbelief and amazement.
We just got transported to Paris!