A big 'friend'

With your stone chip in hand you go from intersection to intersection, marking and mapping out this maze. The air isn't stale, like you would expect for such old and dusty corridors. There's got to be some ventilation, but the air moves so slowly you can't easily trace it.

After another half an hour you feel you've made real progress. You started near one corner of the maze and you've figured out the lines two of the outermost walls follow. They're at roughly right angles to each other, which is easy for you to recognize.

You explore closer to the center, hoping to find whatever treasure this maze is hiding. At this point you'd be quite happy to find a small freshwater spring hidden there. You step around a corner and find a large, domed room. The walls are built from a dark black-red stone, very different from the common limestone you've seen everywhere else.

Your eyes glimpse the glitter of treasure on a low stone table in the center of the room. They also get a glimpse of something else: Getting up from a bed in one of the alcoves is a huge, furry creature. It stands up, horns nearly brushing against the ceiling. You'd say he's a good nine feet tall - and it's definitely a 'he' because his loincloth, the sole piece of clothing he's wearing, has been lifted by a massive bulge.

You're so stunned to see something else moving in here that you haven't either run or drawn your blade yet. The mountain of minotaur cocks his head at you and asks "Friend?" 'Oh crap', you think, 'it can talk.'