The road towards Loch Ness passed through dense forests and cold, mist-covered hills. The air was damp, and the wind carried the smell of rain. Alan and Hannah travelled carefully, with the Kelpie following close behind.
When they reached the shores of Loch Ness, they found a community of fishermen living in constant fear.
Boats had disappeared. Nets were torn apart. Several people had vanished beneath the water, never to return.
Alan approached an elderly fisherman who was repairing a damaged boat.
"What lives in the lake?" he asked.
The fisherman stopped working.
"Something enormous."
He described a long, slender creature with a green body, dark humps and a powerful tail. Its head resembled that of a serpent, and it could move beneath the water without creating much disturbance. Those who saw it often noticed only a ripple or a series of circles spreading across the surface.
The fisherman had lost his brother to the creature.
"We were swimming one afternoon," he said. "The water was calm. Then something moved beneath us. It caught my brother and dragged him down. I tried to reach him with a boat, but by the time I arrived, there was nothing I could do."
Alan listened quietly.
"I am sorry," he said.
The fisherman looked at him.
"Do not be sorry. Just do not make the same mistake."
Alan decided that the creature had to be stopped.
He studied the lake for the remainder of the day. He noticed that the creature usually attacked near the deeper sections, where the water became darker. It also seemed to avoid the shallower shoreline.
He devised a plan with Hannah.
The Kelpie would remain near the surface, ready to pull anything from the water. Alan would enter the lake and draw the beast towards him. Hannah would remain on the shore with a rope secured around Alan's waist.
The following morning, the sky cleared.
Alan removed his armour and entered the cold water. He swam towards the deeper section, keeping his breathing steady. Beneath him, the lake grew darker.
A shadow moved.
Alan turned.
The creature emerged from the depths.
Its enormous body passed beneath him, and its tail struck the water with enough force to throw him sideways. Alan struggled to regain his balance.
The beast opened its jaws.
He swam towards the surface.
At that moment, the Kelpie surged forward. It leapt from the water and struck the creature's side, distracting it long enough for Alan to reach the rope.
Hannah pulled with all her strength.
The Kelpie seized the creature with its powerful jaws, and together they dragged it towards the shallows.
The beast fought violently. Its tail smashed against the rocks, sending water across the shore. Alan climbed onto a nearby stone and wrapped the rope around a wooden post.
The Kelpie pulled again.
With one final surge, the creature was dragged onto the bank.
It thrashed desperately, its enormous body twisting against the stones. But it could not survive for long outside the water. Its movements gradually weakened until it became still.
The villagers emerged from their homes.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then the fisherman approached the body and lowered his head.
"It is over."
The people celebrated. They prepared a generous meal for Alan and Hannah and offered them supplies for the next stage of their journey.
That evening, Alan sat beside the lake with Hannah.
"Do you think we are doing the right thing?" he asked.
She looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"We travel from place to place, killing creatures. Some of them are cruel. Others may simply be dangerous because they have never known anything else."
Hannah considered his words.
"Then perhaps the question is not whether every monster deserves to die. It is whether we can find a way to protect people without becoming monsters ourselves."
Alan looked towards the water.
He thought of the ogre king begging for mercy. He thought of the Kelpie, who had been given a chance to change. And he thought of the creatures that had destroyed his home.
He still wanted revenge.
But he was beginning to understand that revenge alone could never tell him what kind of man he should become.