What is Honor Worth? Pt. 1/3

"Clang!"

"Swish!"

"Clang!"

The sounds of battle resounded through the air.

"HAHHH!"

"DAMN YOU!"

"DIE BEAST!"

Numerous armed and armored long-eared combatants rushed toward a horned creature that could only be described as "half man, half bull" in nature. The creature was tall and muscular, easily dwarfing any of his opponents. The man-bull was also proving to be quite skilled in combat. He was fearsome to behold. A warrior born. Something that proved all too apparent to any who observed his current actions.

Wielding a weapon of his own. A large, bloodstained battle-axe, he parried two of opponents' incoming blows. Then, with a momentum that belied his large size, the horned giant rushed forward. Pivoting sideways, he used the battle-axes pommel to strike the first of his enemy's head with great force.

"Crack!"

The pommel strike caused the helmet his opponent was wearing to collapse into his enemy's head with a sickening squelch. His first opponent fell. Then… in a blur of motion, the man-bull stepped forward, swinging downward with his battle-axe, choosing to meet his second opponent head on.

"CRUNCH!"

The opponent, who had been mid-swing using his own weapon, could only stare in horror, as the horned giant's battle-axe came down atop his head. The axe had been swung with such force that the armored combatant was split in two, from his left collarbone down to his stomach. Death was instantaneous, as blood sprayed through the air.

Blood now soaking the battle-axe's handle, the man-bull grabbed his second opponent's fallen weapon. A sword. Turning to the right, he gripped the undersized weapon as if it were a dagger. Throwing it out with astounding precision, the sword sailed through the air with a whistle, soon plunging itself into the throat of his third enemy.

"Snort!"

Watching his final opponent drown in a chocking gurgle of blood, the horned giant let out a large breath of air from its nostrils. Then, seeing that another two enemies were running at him from afar, the man-bull crouched low on his hooves. Waiting until the two enemies were closer, he barreled towards them in a maddened rush at breakneck speed.

"BOOM!"

One of the incoming enemies was able to dodge in time, the other, however… was not so fortunate. The man-bull struck him at full speed, lifting his enemy and plowing the man into a nearby tree. The man-bull's enemy survived but was clearly unable to move afterward. Tuning his gaze towards his fifth opponent, he saw the man running away.

"Hm!"

Upon seeing his enemy flee, the horned giant let out a small grunt of derision while not bothering to give chase. Then, looking around at the forest clearing the small battle had taken place in, he noticed a ruined city that appeared to be carved from stone through a group of nearby trees.

Noticing no movement in either the city or the clearing, the warrior looked back towards the north from whence he had come. The beginning of a large forest stood beckoning all who would enter. Further in, armored corpses lined the forest floor. Far more than the three he had killed here. They had also died by his hand… not that he had a choice.

Grabbing a bunch of leaves from the forest floor, the man-bull used them to wipe the blood from his hands. Moving towards its battle-axe, it did the same for the weapons handle. Hefting the weapon over its shoulder, the horned warrior killed the remaining survivor, then began trekking back towards the way he came. It didn't get far however, when a raspy voice entered its ears.

"There are more of them within the forest. Far more. Waiting in ambush, no doubt. Tell me, minotaur… is it you alone they wait for? Do you plan to fight them all? Or… is it, that you are looking to die?"

The horned giant looked about, weapon at the ready. Spotting no one around, the man-bull gripped his weapon tightly, as strange and disturbing laughter preceded a question he dared not answer. In fact, he didn't speak at all. Not out of fear, but rather an odd feeling that took root. That the one speaking was not a mortal… but something else.

"I confess my curiosity. What, pray tell… would possess a warrior of such prowess, to do such a thing?"

Moments of silence seemed to make the voice a bit irritated.

"You have no answer? Or is it that you have no intention of answering? Well then… perhaps we can change that."

Sensing a strange energy burst behind it, the horned giant turned his head. The enemies he had slain began to stir. It was clear they no longer lived. This… was magic. A rather grotesque display of magic, at that. It wasn't enough to shock him, however, as the man-bull had seen such things before. Years ago… in a war he'd sooner forget.

"Hm?"

Looking back the way he came, the man-bull saw that even the corpses there were rising to their feet.

"Crack-Crack."

Cracking his neck side to side, the horned giant began to analyze his current predicament. First, was the undead being raised… and more importantly, what it implied. A caster of great skill. That's what it would take to pull off such a thing. That, or the speaker had help. Although… he doubted it. If there were that many casters surrounding him, he would have noticed. That implied it was the former.

Why a caster like that would hold an interest in his affairs, however, was something he would very much like to know. Regardless of his curiosity, the situation still made him nervous. His instincts were telling him not to speak, but to run. And he always listened to instincts. As he prepared to do so, however, the speaker's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"If your reasons intrigue me Minotaur… I may be inclined to aid you. As you can see, the dead march at my command."

Another peal of laughter rang out. It made the man-bull's skin crawl.

"Can you imagine it? For every enemy you slay, another will rise to become part of your ranks. Is that not worth a simple story?"

A sudden chill passed through the man-bull's body. His heart raced. The voice he had been hearing… had come from directly behind him this time. Turning slowly around, he came face to face with the one that had been one-sidedly speaking to him. It was as he suspected. The speaker wasn't a mortal. It too, was undead. A powerful undead, at that… an elder lich. Upon seeing it, one thought echoed through the man-bull's mind.

'I should have run.'

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