The team of heroes panted. The fatigue was getting to them. The trek to the lair entrance wasn't easy. And the master of the lair is no pushover either.
A hulking beast, it had the horns of a rhino, but the strength of a gorilla. Claws as sharp as a lion's, fangs as sharp as a shark's. Skin as tough as stone, unbreakable through normal attacks.
The Lancer was getting tired. His ragtag team of heroes, including the Archer, Magician, Priest and Warrior were being pushed back. The battle was tough, and it didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon.
The Warrior jumped high into the air, and striked at the Beast from above. Unfortunately, the Beast shrugged off the attack, and instead focused its attention to the Archer, who was pelting it with various enchanted arrows.
It slammed its gigantic fist against the ledge where the Archer stood, and obliterated that part of the ledge. Other parts of the ledge slowly crumbled as well, due to the instability of the land after the strike. The Beast seemingly smirked, as it thought of how the Archer must have been crushed.
However, it soon saw that the Archer was hiding behind the Warrior's greatshield, with a spell circle underneath his feet. The Magician had used a teleportation spell just in time to transport him there. Angry that it had been fooled, the beast let out a thunderous roar.
Right when things were looking bleak, Lancer saw a shadow appearing from the dust cloud that was once the ledge. Moving with agility and grace, the shadow moved across the battlefield, heading towards where his team were. He frowned, as he now had to be cautious of both this shadow and the Beast.
Before he knew it, however, the shadow changed directions, and dashed towards the Beast instead. Startled, the Beast who had been focusing its attention on Lancer's team tried to trample on the shadow. Suddenly, a figure jumped up towards it, skillfully avoiding the Beast's leg.
The moment the Lancer saw the figure, a huge smile appeared on his face. The figure was actually the Hunter! His most trusted member of the team, as well as his life partner, no one could ask for a better backup than her.
Avoiding the leg, she threw something at the Beast. It coiled around its body, attempting to restrict the movement of the Beast. The Hunter jumped up, and threw a few more in different angles, heavily restricting the movement of the Beast. These were the metal chains that she had inherited from her chieftain, the chains that never broke no matter how strong its target.
She signalled towards her husband, Lancer. Understanding that now was the best moment to strike, he glanced towards the Priest, who had been chanting a spell. Seeing that it was ready, Lancer raised his spear up into the sky. With a blinding flash of light, a bolt of lightning struck down onto the Lancer. But instead of striking him, it cackled and reverberated within the spear.
Now that his spear has been enchanted with the power of the Gods themselves, the Lancer rushed forward to strike. He jumped, and landed right on the Warrior's greatshield. With a push using all his might, the Warrior launched the Lancer up into the sky, using his greatshield as a platform.
The lancer, now high up in the sky, was at a prime position to strike. Utilizing all the strength he had left in his body, he struck at the Beast. With his spear, he slashed the beast, from its shoulder all the way down its body. The moment the attack was done, his hand let go of the spear, and he fainted while still in the air. Swiftly, the Hunter caught him and brought him to land.
The Beast moaned loudly, its body in pain. The lightning that was contained within the spear pierced its stone skin, and it suffered a heavy wound. It was about to fall onto the ground.
BUT!
With a loud THUMP, it solidified its footing with its right foot. It stood up straight, broke the chains, and gave out a loud and powerful roar. The ground shook, and the trees waved. The band of heroes were at their wits' end. Fearing the worst, they braced themselves for the imminent attack.
Right when everything looked bleak, a cry to stop could be heard from behind them. Curious, they all turned around, and saw a frail woman running in their direction. However, she became slower and slower, and almost fell. The Magician rushed over to assist her. She knew this woman well. It was her sister-in-law, a songstress.
The Songstress stood back up, and walked towards the Beast. Sensing no threat, the Beast stood there and stared intently at this woman. The Lancer and Hunter tried to stop the Songstress, but was warned not to do so by the Magician.
At that moment, the Songstress began singing. Her voice was gentle and soft, almost like a summer breeze. It gave them all a sense of calm, even the Beast. Slowly but surely, she approached the Beast. As if acknowledging her, it lowered its head towards her. She then hugged its face, and assured it that everything was alright.
"It's not your fault, dear brother."
Hearing this, it jerked back its head, causing the Songstress to lose her footing. The Lancer quickly ran in front and grabbed her back to safety. The Beast roared once again, but this time it was different. It was not a simple roar of beasts. This time, it was full of pain and anguish. The heroes almost could not believe their eyes : tears were flowing down the eyes of the Beast. It then covered its face with its massive hands, almost as if in shame.
The Beast roared a few more times. As it roared, the sound gradually changed into that of a sobbing sound. Its size started to shrink. Its skin started to change from stone-like to something more human. Slowly, gradually, it started to change into another form. The Songstress and the Magician approached the Beast.
Finally, its true form was revealed : a man, nothing more than a man. The Songstress hugged him, and the Magician went in for a kiss. Finally, finally after all this fighting and travelling, she had found her husband who went missing. The man hugged both of them tightly, apologizing repeatedly for everything that has happened.
The man had been possessed, by the demons within him. Gradually, they turned him into something that was less and less human. A month ago, he started verbally abusing his sister and wife. He lost his job, and turned to alcohol. Finally, the last straw came when he hit his sister for nagging at him too much. His sister, being a frail woman from birth, was heavily injured.
Finally coming to his senses, the man realized what he had done. He knew what he had become : a monster. He ran out of the house, and wandered off into a far off land, where the demons eventually took advantage of his guilt and anger, and turned him into the Beast. However, the forgiveness of his sister had broke him free from his curse, and allowed him to walk the earth as a man once more.
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So, my dear readers. The story has come to an end. Now, it is my firm belief that we all have some form of evil, some demons within us. However, we must always find ways to fight it, to resist its influence, lest we end up like that poor man. Lest we turn into a monster. I myself am still struggling with them, but its a fight that I have no intention of losing. I hope you will join this fight with me, and perhaps, just perhaps, we could make this world a slightly better place.
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