They had fought off the last of the monsters in the chamber, but the human form of Brax still remained.

‘So you have fended off my pets,’ he said. His calm, reserved manner had returned. Horatio wasn’t sure which was more disconcerting—this relaxed persona, or the screaming and shouting, or the unannounced switches between the two. ‘No matter. I shall simply have to put you out of your misery myself.’

And then he transformed.

First the human Brax bent over double, putting his hands on his robed knees and making a gasping noise. Then six red horns suddenly burst up out of his skull, puncturing his headdress and ripping it.

Next his arms suddenly grew longer and stronger, thick knots of muscle extending out of his robe-sleeves and then tearing them to shreds as they grew too big for it. His hands became red too, and his fingers mutated into long, sickle-sharp claws.

Then his legs grew, to what must be at least ten times the height, and the man’s clothes were torn apart completely, with more red spikes protruding out of his knees and his toes turning to more red claws.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Horatio wretched and was nearly sick on his boots as a huge mouth appeared in what had once been the man’s pale-grey abdomen, a massive gaping maw where this new hideous monster’s stomach should be, opening and closing row upon row of pointed flesh-teeth.

His original mouth had grown as well, and a long, lashing red tongue curled out of it past the rows upon rows of teeth there too.

And now two vast batlike wings burst from his back and grew and grew until they touched the ceiling of the chamber.

And not only wings, but a tail, tentacles, more spikes, more horns grew out of the demonic body of Brax and expanded in size so that Horatio could barely tell what part of his body was what. The demon had become a huge disgusting writhing mass of limbs and horns and mouths, a conglomerate of vile body parts all mashed together and exuding evil.

‘DO YOU SEE NOW?’ the true form of Brax said with all of its mouths snarling in dissonant chorus, ‘DO YOU SEE HOW PITIFUL AND POINTLESS YOUR PLIGHT IS? I AM BRAX, FIRST AND KING OF THE DEMONS! I AM DEATH! I AM HELL! AND I WILL BE YOUR END! FACE ME AND BE DAMNED FOREVER!’

And then the hideous mutated form of Brax was upon them.

Final Boss battle. Music: Ariadne_lost boss loop (includes chanting)