The Fell Fiend

He takes up his sword, he takes up his bow,
And travels the acres of frost and snow.
Through woods, o'er rivers, 'cross fields, hills, and vales,
He seeks the creature spake in dread tales.
By fires he rests; he sets foot at dawn,
Quickly to slay the rampaging hellspawn.
The monster, he's told, has slain of mankind
Ten thousand and more, devoured Adam's line.
Warnings he heeds not, nor words of his doom,
No sense of foreboding o'er his soul looms.
His right hand is mighty; his feet set firm;
His strength and courage will weather the storm.
Nights and days pass by; 'til finally he
Approaches the cave that houses the fiend.
Blood covers the entry; gore and entrails
Portend the fate of he who tries and fails.
With no hesitation, he marches in,
To conquer and kill this creature of sin.
The air becomes dark; he feels out his way
Along the cold damp walls of ancient clay.
He stifles and chokes; he can hardly breathe
Amongst the rank stench of putridity.
A voice whispers now, in language unknown;
It beckons him, calls him into the stone.
Whether 'tis man, beast, or only the wind,
He follows the voice and plunges within.
The voice ceases suddenly; with no sound
To hear, he shakes as a corner he rounds.
There, to first comfort, then dread of his eyes,
A faint glow comes forth; the cavern wall shines
With splatters of blood; the room is dark red,
Painted with ink of innum'rable dead.
The man steps forward, and finds at his feet
A pool of still water; he stoops to see
His own face stare back; there's nothing except
His own visage, into which fear has crept.
He swivels, expects the foul creature near,
He shouts: "Come and face me, I do not fear!"
His words bring nothing; there is no reply
Except his own words, come back to his mind.
Nothing is there; for this cave holds no life,
Mere death, and death only, the wage of strife.
Once more into the still pool the man stares,
And in it he sees his own wants and cares.
Now he knows fully; he knows what dread heart
Can topple empires and rip kings apart.
There is a monster that devastates lands;
It sleeps here with us; that creature is man.