Free The Ranger (Book 1) by E.A. Whitehead

breath and struggling to get to his feet. Several broken ribs impeded the process. The beast raised its mace high above its head and let it fall in a chopping motion.
    Vincent clumsily rolled out of the way, grabbing the sword of one of his fallen comrades, and slashing at the beast’s leg, cutting a large gash.
    The creature let out an angry cry as Vincent stumbled to his feet. It lashed out in rage, charging wildly as it swung its heavy mace. Vincent had to move quickly to avoid its deadly blow, but his broken ribs were slowing him down.
    They danced around the fountain, Vincent trying to keep it between the two of them. Suddenly the beast roared in rage again and crashed through the pool of water towards him. The mace swung, hitting the fountain in the center of the pool, shattering it.
    Vincent managed to dodge again, swinging his own weapon in response, hitting the beast in the side, cutting another deep gash. He quickly moved away from the thrashing creature.
    The beast roared and charged once more. It had slowed considerably due to its wounds. This time, Vincent stood his ground. He dodged the mace and stabbed at the beast’s throat.
    The roar died as the blade found its mark. The beast, however, continued its charge, plowing into Vincent; burying him beneath it as it fell.
    It took some time for Vincent to pull himself out from under the heavy body of his foe. The force of the minotaur falling on him had only worsened his difficulty breathing. Every breath was painful and felt like knives digging into his chest. He left the blade lodged in the creature’s throat and went in search of the swords he had lost when the minotaur had hit him the first time. He found the blades on the other side of the cloister; fortunately, they were undamaged.
    Adrenalin was pumping through his veins. His breathing was still tight, but the pain was less sharp. The thrill of battle was taking over. Vincent embraced his token. He pulled some fire from a burning window with his token and sent it flying at the corpse of the minotaur.
    He surveyed the cloister once more. The doorway to the reception hall had collapsed. The only remaining entrance to the abbey was through the sanctuary. There, the door had been knocked down and flames poured through the opening. Vincent ran into the burning abbey, batting flames aside as he went.
    The sanctuary too stood desecrated with the bodies of minotaurs, knights, and other creatures Vincent didn’t recognize. He ran for the door connecting the sanctuary to the reception chamber. The reception chamber showed obvious signs of battle, with bodies of both men and beasts littering the floor. The room was wreathed in flames.
    He rushed on to the entry hall where he found a few knights and Valkyrie battling a group of minotaurs. The knights and Valkyrie were sorely outnumbered and were being pushed back quickly. Vincent entered the fray, hacking with all his remaining strength. Minotaurs fell left and right under his blade.
    More kept flowing through the open main door. The knights were falling fast. Vincent pulled the flames from the reception hall with his token and sent them flying at the wave of minotaurs charging through the door. The blast sent them rocketing back out, temporarily stopping the flow.
    He gathered what little strength he had left and continued through the main door. Outside, the battle raged on. The remaining forces from the abbey were fighting a losing battle against what seemed like an endless stream of minotaurs and other creatures that kept pouring through the gates. Vincent couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Just minutes earlier he had thought the minotaur a myth. Now, he was faced with tens of thousands of them, destroying all that he held dear.
    The anger started mounting in Vincent again and he raised his sword once more, preparing to fight. Suddenly, he noticed two people fighting at the very centre of the chaos. Master Auna was battling a giant cloaked figure.
    Vincent