OPTION 1: SKIP ALL THE FLOORS AND GO TO THE 54TH FLOOR
OPTION 2: SAVE THE SPIRIT FAIRY FROM THE MINOTAUR
Danaël scratched his neck in annoyance. "What kind of stupid choice is this? I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, no matter what I do. Option 1 sends me straight to the 54th floor, probably the last one, all alone? It would be nice if I could take the others with me, but I have no guarantee that they'll be taken with me, and even if they are, what condition will they be in? Because jumping to the last floor is no small feat. Each of us would have to be in top shape to even have a chance of surviving.
On the other hand, there's option number 2. The statement is clear: I have to save this "spirit fairy" from another monster. But again, that leaves me with too many unknown variables. For example, what would happen if I let this fairy die? Because, quite frankly, I can't see myself defeating a minotaur in hand-to-hand combat, even with Fantasia's help, and I have very little of that left".
Frustrated, Danaël shook his head from side to side, rolling over before getting up to pace back and forth. Being separated from the rest of the group was the worst thing that could have happened. Danaël knew that if they all ended up in different areas, first of all, there was a good chance that different options would appear on their screens, and secondly, if their choices diverged, there was a good chance that they would end up even further apart than they already were.
A thirty-second countdown suddenly appeared above the two digital screens. This irritated Danaël, who was still taking his time to think.
"All right, I choose number two. Send me to save this fairy so we can get this over with."
The two screens disappeared, and the white room was plunged into darkness. Danaël closed his eyes, preparing for the worst, but nothing happened. He felt nothing for a few seconds, only this extreme darkness, then in a flash, he felt the particles of his body slipping away, disintegrating without him being able to do anything about it. Danaël recognized this all-too-familiar feeling: "A turbo transporter?" he thought.
No, that wasn't quite it.
When Danaël opened his eyes again, the particles of his body were still forming around him. Motionless, he had to wait for them to return before he could do anything. The scene unfolding below him was as surprising as it was terrifying. Danaël scanned his surroundings as best he could with his right eye, the only one he had control over at that moment. He found himself in a pit, a huge hole dug into the ground that must have been several hundred meters deep. This time, unlike on the tenth floor, the ground was not made of clay but of a strange mud that was both waterproof and swampy.
Danaël was at the epicenter, which stretched over several floors. The boy was assaulted by a foul odor that reminded him of the dilapidated alleys of Goliath. Monsters, monsters with horns, looked down on him. Danaël did not recognize every species; there was a crazy diversity of monsters of different sizes, colors, and races. Once again, unlike the previous floors, where the only monsters they had faced were goblins.
The monsters did not attack Danaël, and he did not need to think too hard to understand why; the answer was right before his eyes. They seemed to be watching a show. A few meters away from Danaël, two other characters completed the scene: a minotaur and a beautiful fairy.
The minotaur seemed frozen, like the rest of the scene. He was armed with a long axe with a wooden handle, his skin was as black as a bull's, and his arms and hands were so large that they almost eclipsed the fairy in front of him. The minotaur was dressed in a simple, rudimentary gray cloth that partially covered his lower body.
Danaël noticed a countdown timer now displayed above the minotaur and the fairy:
THE SCENE BEGINS IN 30 SECONDS
As the seconds ticked away, young Danaël could feel the "scene" gradually coming to life. The minotaur, which had been frozen in time until now, stretched out his arm toward the fairy, whose expression was changing more and more into one of terror.
The fairy was by far the most beautiful creature Danaël had ever seen in his life. She was extremely slender, and her flowing green dress, which ended at her thighs, complemented her stunning face. The seconds seemed endless as Danaël admired her perfect face with its immaculate black, olive-toned skin. Her hair was separated on either side of her forehead by two large, well-maintained strands. Their unusual color, a refreshing green mixed with intense black, gave the impression that her wavy hair around her neck was in perpetual motion. Danaël was mesmerized by the color of her wings. At their very roots, one could discern a harmony of colors, shifting from pink to purple to blue before lightening ever so slightly to become a breathtaking green.
Unlike the rest of the image, Danaël could move. Once in full control of his body, he rushed towards the fairy as fast as he could. He still felt the weight of time bearing down on him, as he had the impression of moving in slow motion.
Danaël grabbed the fairy with his right arm. Now there were only five seconds left. He tried to get as far away from the minotaur as possible in the time he had left.
With zero seconds remaining, the minotaur missed his target with a roar, swinging his axe through the air. Danaël, meanwhile, was carried away by his change of speed, affected by the resumption of time. He tried to stay on his feet, and with a roll on the ground, he managed to stop his momentum. The fairy seemed completely lost, turning her head in all directions, trying to regain control of her senses.
Danaël felt his hand vibrate. The fairy was struggling, and Danaël did not hold her back. To his surprise, she took refuge on top of his head, clearly frightened.
"She seems to have understood that I mean her no harm, thank goodness," the young boy reassured himself.
Danaël turned his gaze to the minotaur, who seemed just as surprised as the fairy by what had just happened. Danaël quickly deduced that this creature must not be very intelligent because it took much longer than the fairy to recover. The minotaur looked around in all directions, lost, looking simple-minded.
"Damn it, damn it! That's it! I did it, I saved the fairy, so get me out of this damn place!"
Danaël looked around, searching for a way out, more specifically, the platform that would take him to the next floor. Passing beneath the minotaur, he noticed a gap, large enough for him to crawl through. Very quickly, Danaël realized there was another problem:
"There's commotion up there." With his eyes fixed on the monsters that populated the pit, Danaël could hear them growling and shouting even louder. His presence was not welcome. Danaël didn't need a picture to understand that.
The minotaur, its eyes filled with rage, let out a cry that pierced the young boy's eardrums before lunging in his direction. Danaël dodged the first charge, and with his fingertips, the minotaur only managed to snatch his backpack. In fact, given the state it was in, it was a miracle that it had stayed on his back for so long. Danaël quickly grabbed Evangeline's revolver, but when he pulled the trigger, nothing happened.
"Damn, I'm out of Fantasia!"
The minotaur charged again, throwing his axe at Danaël, who dodged it with another roll. The object lodged itself in a nearby wall. He was covered in mud, and Danaël even coughed up bits of dirt he had accidentally swallowed. Danaël now had his back to the breach and the minotaur in front of him.
"I could turn around and try to run to the breach... no, it's hopeless, even with a few meters head start, there's no way I'll make it in time."
Danaël glanced up again. Some monsters were becoming increasingly agitated, while others seemed excited by the new spectacle offered by his arrival.
"Anyway, I can't hang around here too long before I get the hell out of here. If the pack gets involved, my chances of survival are almost zero."
Almost simultaneously, Danaël and then the minotaur turned their attention to the axe lodged against one of the walls of the pit. Danaël had to do without his Fantasia; the events of the labyrinth were still taking their toll. Danaël and the minotaur both sprinted towards the weapon, but physically speaking, Danaël was no match for him. He was quickly left behind. The young boy then changed tactics, throwing himself at the minotaur's legs and tackling him boldly.
The beast lost its balance and collapsed. The minotaur struggled, kicking Danaël with its sharp hooves, who took the blows as best he could. Danaël let go with his left hand while keeping his right arm wrapped around the minotaur's legs.
Danaël tried to trigger his impulse several times, without success.
"Come on! Come on! Get going, damn it!"
Danaël, filled with despair, continued to scratch his neck ferociously, even if it meant tearing off his skin. He felt his fingers go numb and wet with blood. The minotaur finally broke free from his grip with a kick that young Danaël couldn't withstand.
Danaël was lifted by the force of the blow before landing violently a few meters above the central stage, where several monsters were waiting for him. The young boy didn't even have time to understand what was happening to him, or even to discern each type of monster present, before he was pushed back by them, straight back to the center of the stage. He was greeted in mid-air by a right hook from the minotaur.
CRACK!
Danaël didn't need a picture to understand that several of his ribs had just snapped. Blood rose to his mouth, which he immediately spat out. The minotaur's punch sent him flying to the other side of the stage with a crash that shook the entire stage.
The minotaur seemed to have abandoned his axe, which was still stuck in the wall of the pit. With long strides, he lunged again at Danaël, who was staggering, trying as best he could to stay on his feet. The young boy was having trouble breathing and spat out more blood, which tore at his chest internally. Danaël raised his head. The minotaur was now just a few meters away from him. The boy collapsed from exhaustion. This turned out to be a stroke of luck because, despite himself, Danaël managed to avoid the minotaur, who, caught in his momentum, crashed into the front of the pit, unfortunately getting his horns stuck in the fresh earth.
Danaël lost consciousness for a moment before opening his eyes again. Fortunately for him, the minotaur was still stuck, and young Danaël crawled as far away from the creature as possible.
"So... this is how I die, huh? Damn it!"
Danaël tried to get up again. He clenched his teeth until they ground together with a sickening sound. A mixture of tears and blood flowed from his eyes, down his cheeks, and then together at the tip of his chin to form a single scarlet drop.
"Survive! Survive!" Danaël shouted to himself.