Only a Game (Olympus Drive Chronicles)

Chapter 67: Boss fight

Teddy

"I did it, I beat your stupid maze," I say, limping into the arena. All gravel and sand on the ground, and high walls soaring in a circle above me. A helicopter hovers over head. Of course, the walls close quickly over the path I just came from. My feet are raw and burning with blisters, I'm dehydrated and exhausted, and more filthy than I've been in my life. I'm so ready to go home.

"I did it. It's over," I say, ripping off the VR headset but not the ear pieces. I'll assume they'll communicate with me with those. "I found the end. So just take me home. I don't care if I'm last."

I assume I am. No one else is here. Surely some of the other people made it out. Or are they still inside? I look around. Why isn't the helicopter landing?

"Congratulations!" that's Minos---that's Ariadne's dad leaning out of the helicopter, shouting through a megaphone. I can only just hear him above the noise of the helicopter.

"Thanks---can I get a ride?" I ask, a little disgruntled. I realize I'm still clutching the dagger in my hand. Well. They can fault me for that later.

"Congratulations! You have completed Naughty Bull's Labyrinth VR Challenge! For your next feat, you will now fight the bull!"

"What." I blink in case I didn't hear him correctly and this is a fever dream. Please don't let me be hearing something behind me. Nope. I am. I can hear stones opening.

"For your last feat. You will now fight the bull! Good luck!" the helicopter rises, and zooms off into the sunset.

"What? Are you insane!?" of course the last words I say in my life are probably going to be 'are you insane'. Of course they are. I don't want to turn around. But I hear breathing. Distinctly not human, breathing.

I turn, way too slowly given the circumstances.

Clinging to the wall behind me is something. I am not calling it a bull. I am calling it a monster. It's well over two meters tall, with abnormally long, spider like limbs. It's wearing the crude remains of human clothes and its skin is covered in a dark brown, soft fur. But it's face---gaping red eyes and a huge mouth with a double row of razor teeth, similar to a shark. All four limbs are the same, each one with a hand and five long claws. Drool mixed with blood drips from the monster's mouth.

I barely have time to take a step back before it's upon me, knocking me over into the sand and gnashing its teach at my throat. Hot spittle drips onto my face.

I slam my dagger up and into the monster's side, it screams in pain and I take that moment to run. Run where? I'm trapped. Oh, I'm so trapped.

The monster lets out a high pitched scream, so loud it sounds like feedback—the noise that Viktor and I were running from. Shit. Shit. I am dead. Then the monster vanishes, only to reappear much much closer to me, whining in pain. 

I dodge as the monster charges me, crying angrily. It swipes for my dagger. I have almost nothing going for me. But I am smaller than it. Not necessarily faster. Just smaller. So I am moderately able to dodge. I'm well aware that strategy isn't going to last long.

The monster hisses, circling me. Then it pounces again, with lightening speed. I slash wildly. It doesn't like my dagger, but I'm not even drawing blood. I feel a hot rush of blood on my own side as the monster's claws rake me. I stumble and nearly fall. The monster runs up a wall, hissing. Golden blood drips down its side from where I stabbed it.

Then it pounces again.

Viktor