Chapter 199: Prep For War; The Benefactor Or The Forest

The beast, or creature before me stood at near fifteen feet and possibly even higher. The beast stood on hooves, like those of a bull, in fact, exactly like those of a bull.

It's body however was nothing like its black, hairy muscular legs, its body was that of a man. Its entire torso all the way up to its neck is thick with muscle, heaving deep breath and pushing out visible puffs of air.

Its arms were also that of a man, long with a large, veiny hand at the end. The arms attached to a shoulder that then led up to what I stare at now in shock and mild disbelief.

The head of a bull.

Its heavy looking head held equally long, spread out heavy looking horns that could be as huge as my entire flimsy forearm.

My mouth falls agape as I stare at the thing, looming before me in all its terrible glory and I wonder. Perhaps the Benefactor was the Devil after all?

The image I see now is a classic representation of the devil in my old world, but it is also the classic representation of a mythical beast, the Minotaur.

But perhaps this is neither. I'm sure it matters not because it begins to take a step.

Although still in a bit of shock at seeing it, I have enough sense to stagger back at its approach.

Staring at the beast, the Minotaur, I realize that its entire body has likely been the result of the pulled together bits of the little ones I blew up with Corpse ignition.

In realizing this I also realize that it is, in essence, still a corpse if not a bundle of corpses. The black leathery skin that pulls around its body is simply a cover, simple a guise that I can and will see through.

As one of its hoof's lands, trembling the ground beneath my feet, said black skin begins to vibrate. Like splashes in water the black ash skin rises to the surface, blobbing together in clumps that stretch outward until the Minotaur has tendrils of its own skin flailing around in the air all around it.

"Tch." I bit my lip, cursing my luck at meeting more and more intelligent enemies. It seems it learned of how pesky Anselm's presence can be, he being the only one who wore it down with blunt force beatings and freezing ice.

At this point I'm sorely wishing Panda was still alive. But I've sacrificed the poor fella in a shower of bone, teeth and organs to live up to a few minutes longer. But now I'm presented with this.

"Actually, Master, Panda is still alive." I hear Shaco's voice resound in my head.

"You can hear my thoughts? Also, that's great! A miracle really, I thought for sure that explosion would kill him and everyone near it." I breathe a sigh of relief knowing I don't have to carry out yet another one of those rituals to make a new Panda, "What's Panda's condition, he can't fight, can he?" I ask, clearly knowing the answer to that question but asking it anyway.

"Yes, I am just as frightened at the sight of that…Minotaur as you are, Master. Panda unfortunately cannot pick himself up right now." He adds. I switch to his eyes I have a look at the poor, misshapen and frankly scattered Werebear I affectionately call Panda.

"Fuck."

"Yes, fuck." Shaco repeats.

"Shaco, Panda will be fine for now, it definitely looks like it'll take a while to bring himself back together but right now I need to stay alive, look out for any unused corpses around the place, find me something anything."

"Understood, Master."

With that I draw my attention back to the stomping Minotaur that approaches, Anselm flies around its back and all over really, trying to get a way through its skin tentacle defences to no avail.

Meanwhile I keep moving back. Fortunately for me, it hasn't decided to kill me yet because a single rush charge from it would be the end of me, nothing to do about that.

So, I use this time between now and the rest of my life, waiting for Shaco to get me some undead so I can at least put up some fashion of a fight against this beast.

Still how do I kill something that's already dead when I can't beat it like tough meat with a mace as Anselm gracefully does? 

"Rarraghhhh!!" It suddenly breaks out in a thunderous roar to the open sky as something courses through it from its feet all the way up to its head, the Minotaur rumbles loudly, spreading its arms out, hands balled into tight fists.

When it stops, setting its head back down I immediately see a change and realize just how screwed I am.

The Minotaur's wide horns are now long, curved once and shoot up like towers into the sky, its body steams and the skin on it melts.

And its eyes glow a burning, crimson. The only other colour on it so far.

I realize now, that there isn't anything I can do about this. The power currently present wasn't there before and it suffocates me like I'm breathing in a fire.

Anselm no longer flies any closer, knowing much better than to dare.

The Minotaur's head snaps at me and I feel my lung empty out. It raises a hand toward me and immediately, I'm lifted up my feet by some unknown force.

Panic courses through me, and in my panic, I feel anger, righteous unfocused anger, and so as I'm drawn toward the glowing eyed Minotaur, wheezing for a full breath of air, I scream with all I have.

"I thought you said you'd suppress the fucking bad ones!" The instant these words leave my lips the force that pulls me toward the Minotaur disappears and I'm suddenly falling.

I land unceremoniously on my butt, my pathways free to breath again. But more importantly, the Minotaur…something is happening to it.