Alex circled around the tree and saw another sign pointing to the north. It was far more faded than the other signs, but he could decipher the words “Mt. Fagbu Mi-“ thanks to the sign pointing to the Mt. Fagbu Dwarves being just above it. The path going to the north appeared easy enough for him to follow, thankfully.
“Maybe the dwarves know a way for me to get back home…” Alex thought to himself, starting down the northern path. ”That second sign probably pointed to their mines.”.
The path, while relatively easy for him to traverse, was still a bit painful. Small rocks dug into the bottoms of his feet with each step, and there were a number of times he almost tripped over an exposed root or vine due to the overgrowth. Still, anything was better than being eaten by wolves. At least, he assumed they were going to eat him…
“Fuck it’s cold out here,” Alex muttered to himself as he shivered slightly. “Really wish I had clothes right now. Maybe those dwarves wi-“
Alex was cut off as he felt something wrap around his ankles and yank him off his feet. He fell backwards and landed on the ground, hitting his head rather hard as he was dragged into the air and hung upside down. The young man groaned in pain, his vision beginning to blur. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a large, lumbering figure rising from the foliage in front of him.
==========
Alex slowly opened his eyes, groaning in pain. “Fuck…my head…” The young man grabbed his forehead and sat up slowly, looking around.
He was in a large wooden cage that was itself within a large open cave. All around him were other large wooden cages similar to his own, with the only exception being the lack of occupants. Torches were lined along the wall, giving the room a fair bit of light. At the far end of the room was a large wooden door, closed tight.
Alex slowly stood up, his legs feeling shaky for a second as he took a few steps on the hay-coated floor. He felt awful, like he’d been out cold for days. He moved to the edge of the cage and grabbed the bars, shaking them in hopes he could get them loose. No dice. The cage was far sturdier than it looked. He glanced over to the side and saw a small door fashioned into the cage, a strong metal chain wrapped around it and secured with a padlock. He wasn’t getting out of here any time soon.
“Hey…” Alex called out, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat a bit before trying again. “Hey! Hello?! Is anyone here?!”
A few seconds passed before the large wooden door at the opposite end of the room began to open. Alex sighed in relief, hoping to finally get some answers, only for his eyes to widen upon seeing the figure in the door.
The figure was, without exaggerating, colossal. It was at least nine to ten feet tall with a muscular frame, complete with broad shoulders, massive pecs, and washboard abs. Its calves were muscular and defined, further accentuating how large the creature was. It wore nothing but a brown loincloth that, in all honesty, didn’t seem to cover too much. The creature was covered in brown fur from head to toe, with its legs ending in massive hooves. Its head was the most attention drawing feature, however, as it wasn’t human. Rather, it was the head of a bull, complete with a pair of long horns that were decorated with intricate carvings and shaggy fur that imitated hair. Behind him, a thin bovine tail flicked occasionally. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the creature in front of Alex was a minotaur.
“Ah, you’re awake,” the minotaur replied in a gruff, masculine voice. “Was beginning to wonder if you’d hit your head a little too hard.” Alex simply stared wordlessly, moving back away from the bars. This made the minotaur grin slightly.
“What’s the matter, human?” The minoatur replied slyly. “Never seen a minotaur before?”
“L-Look…I don’t know what you want with me…” Alex said shakily, backing away further. “B-But please…please don’t eat me! I don’t even taste good!”
The minotaur gave Alex a strange look before letting out a hearty laugh that echoed through the small room. “Eat you?!” he laughed. “I’m not going to eat you, human! You’re far too small for that!”
Alex let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he wouldn’t be dying today…probably. “So then, if you’re not going to eat me, then why am I in a cage?”
The minotaur grinned slyly. “Simple,” he responded. “I’m putting you to work.” It was then that Alex noticed that the minotaur was holding a bowl filled with…something. The minotaur approached the cage and slid the bowl toward Alex through a small opening. “Eat. You need your strength.”
Alex slowly moved toward the bowl, picking it up. He took a slight sniff and recoiled from the pungent scent. “I’m not eating this!” He said, pushing the bowl away.
The minotaur frowned and moved closer to the cage. “Eat it,” he commanded.
“No.”
The minotaur proceeded to punch the stone wall of the cave, not breaking eye contact with Alex. The man’s eyes widened in fear as the minotaur pulled his fist away, revealing the massive indent left by the unphased bovine. “Eat it, or that will be you next.”
Alex gulped, taking the bowl and bringing it up to his lips. He hesitated for a second before taking a sip. Almost immediately, Alex felt his body wretch. He had thought the smell was bad, but the taste was somehow worse, and the texture didn’t help at all. Reluctantly, Alex continued drinking.
The minotaur laughed in amusement. “You humans are always so funny,” he said. “Our gruel may not taste the best, but you’ll get used to it. You’ll have to, unless you want to starve. You should be thankful though. Because I like you, I added a little something to make it taste better.”
Alex finished the gruel, putting the bowl down as he wretched heavily. The minotaur chuckled again, amused by Alex’s reactions. “Now, I suppose it’s time you know what your job is.”