"You guys are crazy."
"You two don't even have half your group not even 2 hours in and you're trying to kill a minotaur?"
"Shhh, you're going to set it off prematurely."
"Don't shush me, you're both going to die."
"Seriously."
As if to back me up the minotaur grunted again.
"Let's go guys, I don't want to see fellow classmates die."
With that they turned around.
"Why did you refuse their help?"
"They think we're a couple of weak 3rd circle trying to corner a medium rank emergency monster, and were trying to help."
"But they didn't realize, we weren't scared, because we were foolish, but because we were prepared."
The corridor in front of us was only 8 feet high or as tall as an adolescent minotaur.
And just wide enough for the minotaur's horns to scratch the walls when it charged.
Thankfully when it charged on all fours, it lost about 2 feet of height.
"Remember, just stand there with me."
"I'll take you to safety, but we have to step into the corridor to grab it's attention, and then walk forward towards it to make it charge us."
"We can't outrun it Lucas."
"I'm trying to hunt it, not run Harry."
He gulped.
This was more than he'd bargained for, but it was okay.
"Remember, you need to cast a attack spell where the other junction is once the minotaur passes it, to empower Morgan and Aisha."
"I'll do my best."
"Great."
"Let's go."
We moved into the corridor.
The minotaur scrunched up his face as if to see of we really existed.
If this were a certain game, a yellow question mark would be above his head.
"When I tell you, just jump, and let me take care of the rest okay?"
"Got it."
With that we walked towards the minotaur.
"Alright, when I say to run, turn and start running."
"But we're not fas-"
"Run!"
I yelled cutting Harry off.
The minotaur huffed letting puffs of smoke exit his nostrils as he charged at us.
Harry turned around and cast the buffs where Morgan and Aisha would be as we both ran away from the minotaur.
"Lucas!"
"Ready..."
I could hear the scraping of the horns rapidly approaching us.
"Jump, now."
He jumped and I tackled him into a opening I had made in the wall.
I quickly sealed it shut once more, and heard the scraping of the horns pass by us.
"Go go go."
I pushed Harry back out of the wall and back out.
Now the minotaur was on the opposite end of the hallway facing the opposite direction.
"When he starts to get close get in the other hallway again."
I said into our communication artifact.
"Where to, Lucas?"
I pointed down the hallway at Aisha and Morgan.
"No way, we won't make it, and the minotaur won't fall for it again instead choosing to fight Aisha and Morgan."
"Which is why this time when I say jump, dive, okay?"
"Dude, you are going to get us killed."
"Well, it's between trusting me now, and dying to the horns or axe of the charging bull, your choice."
"Well that's not fair."
"You make that decision, but to be honest, now that the minotaur is turning around I know my choice."
And with that I began to move.
Harry was not going to be left behind, and despite his scrawny self, he was fast, unnecessarily so.
It was like all the 3rd circle mana was between his leg muscles and his brain and not magic at all.
The minotaur snorted and began to charge once more.
The galloping already much closer than before.
I turned around to help Aisha and Morgan with their attacks.
"Harry, get ready jump and then to remove the buffs."
"Alright."
I began to turn my head back towards our groupmates.
"Jump!"
I yelled over the bull's noise.
He dove into a hole I had made in the ground.
I made it swallow us as the minotaur ran over us unimpeded.
Harry disrupted his spell, and the girls stepped out of the hallway.
As the minotaur came overhead and passed us I got out of the hole and began firing.
"Harry buff me. He's not going to keep running down this hallway."
As I pelted the minotaur with spells he reached the end of the tunnel.
He took the axe he had sheathed on his back and began to walk slowly towards me.
As I kept hitting him with spells he roared and began to run at me.
He was slowly picking up speed.
I needed to be weary of his hooves when I rolled between his legs.
"Aisha, Morgan come out and keep hitting him, Harry, stop disrupting the old buff circles and use some of those mana crystals to replenish as needed."
As the minotaur approached I unsheathed Isla and rolled in between his legs.
He got a few steps past me before he realized I wasn't there.
I jumped onto his back and stabbed it.
I watched as Morgan's and Aisha's spells hit it's legs.
It dropped it's axe, and began reaching at it's back trying to grab me.
He started to shake side to side, a difficult task considering his size.
He started to turn as well to shake me off.
All in vain, however as Morgan and Aisha's attacks finally brought the monster to it's knees.
It didn't stop it from trying to reach for me though.
As it reached backwards with it's right hand like it was about to itch it's back I put a mana bomb in it's hands.
It immediately gripped the bomb and slammed it's fist into the ground in front of it making the bomb explode.
The sudden forward movement also threw me off in front of the monster.
The smoke and dust from the bomb and it's fist hitting the floor was still covering the hallway, but using the light from Morgan's spells, I inserted my aura blade straight into the forehead of the beast.
With that, the beast slumped down on the floor.
We had killed the thing.
I radioed to the girls, or the magic orb equivalent.
"We got him."
I cleared away the smoke and the girls started to make their way towards me.
I turned back behind me to get Harry out of the makeshift foxhole I had made for him.
"So, your feeling okay Harry?"
"Dude, I just risked my life."
"No way, we were in control the whole time."
"Alright maybe we were, but it's terrifying to fight that thing Lucas."
"Yea, I'm sorry about that man."
I patted him on the shoulder.
"On the bright side though we can behead this guy and throw him in our dimensional pocket for score keeping later."
"Why not just the horns?"
"People might not leave us alone, if they think we're just faking having killed a minotaur."
"So it's a deterrent then?"
Aisha spoke.
"Exactly."
"Fine."
Said Morgan.
"But I'm not doing the beheading."
"That's fine, I was going to behead and carry it myself anyways."
With that I pulled my sword out of the bowing minotaur and cut his head off in one strike.
'Well done, Master, it was a clean cut.'
'Thanks Isla, I appreciate it.'
Her words were always encouraging like that.
With that we started to head towards the center.
"Lucas!"
I swear I'm getting deja vu.
"Lucas where did you guys fall in?"
Charlotte von Masvis.
"Decently far on the east outskirts."
"Oh, we were more northeast and fairly close to the main labyrinth when we fell in."
"Would you like to introduce your teammates?"
"Actually, let them do it."
I nodded my head.
"Hello, Knight of the Svarmet duchy, I am Rose Castellan."
She extended her hand in courtesy.
"Hello, Ms. Castellan, I am Lucas, knight to Aurelia von Svarmet."
"Oh dear."
Charlotte put her hand up to her cheek, and tilted her head as if to express disappointment.
"I hope all of the introductions won't be so formal."
With that the other two also began their introductions.
"Hello, I'm Lauren Barrett, of the Barrett Barony, I hope we get along."
A nice simple introduction and one not to be dismissed.
She sounded like she actually was presenting herself and not just doing it to introduce herself.
"Hi, I'm Claudia Evenfold, of the Evenfold family."
A county, not to underestimated.
They produced all kinds of talents, from knights to mages, to court officials.
All good, upright people.
"You have quite the powerful girls squad here, Princess."
"Lucas, I may not have known all of these girls since the beginning of school, but they are friends, drop the formalities."
"Sure, Charlotte."
"That's better."
Lauren and Rose's jaws dropped.
A knight lower than even a barony just spoke to a princess like an equal.
Claudia didn't react however.
"Excuse me, Ms. Evenfold?"
"Just call me Claudia, darling."
Charming.
"Sure, did you happen to already be aware of Charlotte and my relationship?"
"My elder sister is one of her maids, and my elder brother Credence is inside the royal court."
She laughed.
"I see, so you're aware-"
"Of your hijinks within the castle walls? Very much so."
"Couldn't your sister get in trouble?"
"For talking? No way, the empress values my sisters advisory."
"Wow, you sure Charlotte won't punish her now that you've said that though?"
"Me and Charlotte are great friends, even before Aurelia and her became best friends."
"Long history huh?"
Charlotte interrupted.
"Lucas, stop talking to her, she's just interested in what I've taken an interest in currently."
"Also, you stop talking, and don't call him darling, we aren't in high society for you to be calling people like that so coquettishly."
"But how could I not like the man you seem to have an interest in?"
The other two ladies whos' jaws were already on the floor cracked the ground and kept falling.
"Claudie!"
"Sorry, sorry."
Claudia raised her hands above her head in submission.
***
*Morgan's Pov*
"Hey Aisha you think Lucas gets way too much attention from women because of his face?"
"What the hell?"
Both Harry and Aisha were sleeping on a rock bench Lucas had made.
So I reluctantly joined his conversation since I wasn't trying to join the other two.
***
*Lucas' Pov*
"Sorry about totally ignoring the three of you."
Rose spoke first.
"No, no, we had no idea you were close to Princess Charlotte like that."
She put her hands out and waved them.
"Yeah."
Lauren added.
"I don't really care, I'm just not trying to sleep in the dungeon."
She jutted her thumb over her shoulder towards the bench I made.
"Ah."
We all expressed.
"Well, Lucas you want to team up for now?"
"I don't see why not, but I gotta ask first."
"Go ahead."
"What are your circle levels, specialties, and feelings on fighting a 5th circle monster?"
Charlotte went first.
"You already know the first two, since we sparred daily for the last week, personally, as long as your team doesn't get hurt because of their level I don't mind."
Only Lauren this time looked shocked again.
Claudia began next.
"I'm of the same mind as Char, over there."
"As for my circle I'm a 5th circle as well, and my specialties are space and light."
"Um," Lauren began, "I'm a 4th circle mage, and I specialize in wood magic and lightning."
Morgan whistled at that.
"I agree with princess Charlotte."
"I'm a 4th star swordsman, longswords are my specialty."
"As for my feelings, I don't mind taking on the minotaur."
Looks like she already knew.
"Well then, seen as everyone is good to go, lets decide a leader."
I woke up the two.
We put it up to a vote and I won 5 to 3.
"What the hell Harry?"
"Princess Charlotte, won't make me bait for the minotaur."
"First off, we were bait together and I made sure of your safety, and secondly, she one hundred percent would."
"Untrue, I would not make sure he was safe."
Everyone got a good chuckle out of that.