Those Who Rage

[[ENTANGLED VINES] IS NOW ACTIVE. PLAYER WILL BE UNABLE TO MOVE FOR ONE MINUTE UNLESS THEY PASS A STRENGTH CHECK.]

Black Howler felt panic and frustration creep into his mind for he knew a minute made all the difference between success and failure. They were so close to finishing the quest but now they were mere moments from having their victory stolen away.

"Howler!" Ath3na screamed from somewhere in front of the cyclops that was now struggling to break free from its bonds. "Go berserk!"

"What?" he asked confused. "Didn't you tell me to avoid using my class skill?"

"Strength check! Strength check!" Ath3na repeated like she was trying very hard to send her point across without having to call him an idiot for not noticing it himself.

"Ah, sh*t… she's right," Black Howler realized.

If his current strength wasn't enough to break these bonds, his other form could certainly pull it off.

"Whenever you're ready, love," Lyghtning added from her place at Black Howler's side. "These wankers are murdering our prey…"

She was right, of course. For at this very moment, Don Coyote's party of six was unleashing a barrage of attacks that was slowly but surely witling down whatever remained of the Decapitator's life force. In fact, Black Howler was certain that if they could see the cyclops' status bar it would most likely be nearing the red if it wasn't already there.

"And try to remember that I'm not the enemy, yeah?" Lyghtning joked.

"I'll try," Black Howler assured her although he wasn't entirely sure he could do it.

"That's the spirit," she replied encouragingly. "Well, best get to it then."

She needn't have reminded him to hurry along for he could see quite clearly that the Decapitator was just about ready to fall.

To its credit, the cyclops had just broken free from the ice shackles and vines Black Howler's team had trapped it with, and it was now in the midst of unsheathing the battle-ax strapped to its back.

Black Howler knew that it was too late to make a stand though, although he did hope that the Decapitator would kill a few of Don Coyote's men before they could kill it.

"Hold on just a little longer big guy," he whispered. "We'll kill you properly in a second."

Black Howler took in a deep breath before recalling the trigger that allowed him to manifest the beast hiding inside him — and that trigger was an emotion, an emotion called rage. And there was no better way to feel rage than to recall the accident that had ended his athletic career.

He remembered it all as if it were just yesterday. He recalled the early morning breeze brushing against his face as he jogged the same route he'd been jogging in since he was a kid. He remembered waving back at Kikuchi-San who was in the midst of sweeping the front of her ramen restaurant. He even remembered the pretty high school girl in her short skirt who'd smiled at him as he passed her on the road. Then he dredged up the thing he dreaded, and his fists clenched in remembrance.

He saw the headlights of a car that was speeding down the road opposite him. He saw the kindergartener with his bright yellow cap crossing this same road. Then he noticed that the car beyond was swerving left and then right almost as if its driver had lost control, or worse, had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Black Howler ran. He ran faster than he'd ever run in his life, and he'd just about made it to the kid who had been too busy with his smartphone to notice the car speeding toward him. He just barely managed to push the child aside and out of harm's way, although by pulling this heroic act, he'd also put himself in mortal danger.

The pain of remembering sent a wave of deep-seated anger into his chest, and it was a rage that threatened to boil over and consume the world around him. He had to let it out, and so he yelled, "Berserker!"

The rage bubbled out of him, and with it came the change from man to the monster that blocked out nearly all rational thought from his mind. His vision was bathed in shades of red.

[BLACK HOWLER HAS ACTIVATED CLASS ABILITY [BERSERKER]. SUSTAINED ACTIVATION: FIVE JOULES OF SOUL ENERGY PER MINUTE.]

A single swipe of his sharp claws was all it took to cut through the vines that held him in place.

"Howler, are you in control?" someone asked in a familiar chirpy voice. "Because if you are then I'd love for you to cut me loose… but try not to gorge me to death while you're at it, yeah?"

He knew her. He knew she wasn't an enemy. But it was so hard to think through the haze of red.

"Lyght… ning," he managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Yes, that's me, love," Lyghtning answered in a hopeful tone. "Glad to see you're still in there… somewhere."

Black Howler willed himself toward her, and as he sniffed the air he caught her scent — a bit of sweat mixed with a kind of citrus fragrance. The smell of her kept him in control, reminding him that she wasn't his enemy. She was his friend.

"Nice and easy now, Howler," Lyghtning prompted. "And don't skewer me… please."

He grabbed at the vines wrapped around her arms and legs, and in one forceful motion, he pulled them off her while a howl escaped his lips.

"Attaboy!" Lyghtning said in delight.

Finally free of her bindings, Lyghtning zoomed past Black Howler and he watched her head straight for where the noise was loudest, where the fighting was fiercest.

"This way, love," Lyghtning called.

He let out a low growl before he followed after her.

She led him to Ath3na and then to Thorminator, both of whom, seemed just as worried over Black Howler's sanity like Lyghtning had been.

"I'm… in… control," he assured them.

"Good," Ath3na nodded approvingly at him. "Let's rejoin the battle before Don Coyote and his goons finish off—"

They all heard the angry roar that threatened to shatter their eardrums, and they all glanced sideways at its source with all their eyes widening at the sight that greeted them.

In the span of time where they were focused on escape, the Decapitator had seemingly doubled in girth. It was so thick now that it burst through its armor, revealing a muscular form whose complexion had turned a shade of red jalapeno.

"Motherf*cker," Thorminator breathed. "I think it's enraged!"

No sooner had he proclaimed this when the cyclops sent its battle-ax streaking forward with a speed that defied all expectations.

Three of Don Coyote's goons were decapitated with that single swing. Another was stomped to the ground for getting too close. The fifth, a brave warrior who'd charged at the Decapitator, was picked up by one of its massive hands, raised up to its face, and was then summarily executed by getting his head bit off by giant teeth.

"No!" Don Coyote screamed. "No! You stupid oaf! You're supposed to die now!"

He had a point. Even now, the numerous wounds on the decapitator's body seemed to make it obvious that the cyclops was standing on its last legs.

The Decapitator let out a second defiant roar.

Then it turned its one red eye on the indignant player screaming profanities at it. A flash of red light exploded out of its eye and bathed coyote in its crimson light. And it was gone, so too was Don Coyote, and all that remained of him was the ash scattering in the breeze.

"Bloody hell, that thing's got a death ray on him," Lyghtning voiced out the thought they'd all been thinking.

"Hold onto me!" Ath3na ordered. "Now!"

Black Howler did as she'd asked and grasped her hand in his clawed fingers. Their other two companions quickly followed suit.

The Decapitator turned his red eye on their party now.

"Um, shouldn't we be running the hell away?" Thorminator asked.

"Stay still," Ath3na ordered. "I can only use this once a day…"

Black Howler suddenly understood. "Time to show us yours, huh."

Ath3na's entire form lit up in a brilliant shade of blue the moment she whispered, "Spectral Aegis!"

The decapitator's red beam slammed down on the party. But when the crimson light vanished, miraculously, the party seemed unscathed — except all of them were now sporting ghostly forms that were identical to Ath3na's Spectral Cloak.

[ATH3NA HAS ACTIVATED CLASS ABILITY [SPECTRAL AEGIS]. ALL SUBSTITUTE REAPERS WITHIN RANGE ARE NOW INCORPOREAL. ALL DAMAGE IS NULL FOR THE DURATION. ACTIVATION TIME: TWELVE SECONDS.]

"We've got twelve seconds," Ath3na said. "Let's end this!"