Mask Off

                        Mask Off
Tags: Monstergirl, Minotaur, Lucha, NSFW.

 You quietly sit and look back on the journey you made to get where you are today. Every since you can remember you had a fascination with wrestling. The moves, the raw power, the flashy characters, and the honor. Everything about it called to you. You remember stitching together a cheap mask from cloth you bought with your small allowance as a child. How you would sneak it on and challenge the other human children in the village to matches. Needless to say they were easy matches but the adrenaline of the fight was a amazing feeling. And it was all good practice. Soon there were no more kids in your village to fight so you would go to other villages with your newly acquired fans and find new challengers. But those days didn’t last forever and you became a adult but your love for wrestling never left.

 You worked countless hours to make enough money to start traveling the world and make a new costume. The days of labor in the village grew dull to you and you wanted to travel and find stronger opponents to fight, you wanted to grow and that wouldn’t happen staying home. So one day you packed your bags and costume and left home saying goodbye to your parents and friends. The story of the masked child who couldn’t be beat was simply that, a story told by most of the village. How he simply vanished one day after defeating most of the children in the surrounding area. But you knew why you stopped. They challenge was gone, you had proved to yourself you were the strongest of the children but that just wasn’t enough. You wanted to keep getting better and better.

 And so you found yourself travelling the world searching for your next match. Being a adult now definitely made it easier. Many people enjoyed the theatrics of wrestling in all of the continents. You had no problem finding work preforming and before long you found a nice life traveling from town to town in search of your next opponent. About a year into your travels you were approached by a man who wanted to invite you to a tournament to settle who was the best of the human wrestlers. With the passion burning in your heart you accepted his invitation and dominated the tournament. Fighting through your opponents you gave the crowd quite the show, and they gave you quite the reception. The sound of the applause as you were handed the belt and crowned the greatest wrestler in humanity was mesmerizing. Your mask and your moves were that of legend. While wrestling was just a sport it was still something that brought people together and showed the pure strength that humans can have within themselves. Your mask had become a example of that. You didn’t do this for fame or fortune. You did this because you wanted to become the best you could be for yourself, and now you find yourself as a symbol of humanity's strength and passion.

 So it shouldn’t have been a surprise when there were no more humans to challenge, that a monster would step up to the ring. You weren’t even grand champion of humanity for a hour before she came up to you during the celebration being held for you. With a fire in her eyes she stood before your table “You might be the best humanity has to offer but I guarantee you wouldn’t wrestle a monster like me” she proclaimed. The woman behind these claims was a minotaur. Her large tan figure towering over your table, her physique strong and her aura ferocious. “You can be humanity's best but you will never beat someone like me”. She was challenging you but it was more than that. It was a underhanded insult to all of humanity. The humans in the room were silent, some staring with disdain at the minotaur for her words, and some towards you waiting for your reply. You cant help but recall seeing monsters in the audience during some of your matches and even the day of the tournament. Some enjoying the show, some staring with a passion in their eyes that you could only equate to taking you down. It was intimidating at first but after hearing such a insult and after you accomplished so much you couldn’t bear it. Slamming your hands on the table and standing up you barely reach the minotaur’s chest in terms of height but you are not deterred. “Shall we settle this in the ring then?” you shouted without hesitation. With a look of pure interest and excitement the minotaur responds by giving you three days to rest before meeting back at the tournament ring for the match.

 So you trained for the first two days and took the last one to relax and gather your thoughts. The match was tomorrow but you felt very uneasy for the first time in your entire career. Fighting against other humans was always a show of sport. But this fight is different, you aren’t just putting on a show now. You’re fighting to defend the honor of not only yourself but all humans. Who was this minotaur to insult you and all humans? You knew your kind was strong and for a no name monster to walk right up to you and degrade you like this was enough to make your blood boil. But you turned this rage into motivation and focus. Between training and resting you studied up on minotaurs to learn about their race not sure if your opponent cared enough to do the same for you. Did she assume because you were a human you were weaker than her by default? You couldn’t this idea but you would let this become determination to prove her wrong tomorrow. With that you head to sleep and get some rest for the match tomorrow.

 Finally the time was here and you find yourself back in the same ring you became the grand champ of wrestling in humanity. Now you were going to show these monsters how strong humans really are. Youre in the ring waiting for your opponent and the announcer begins his routine. “Ladies, gentlemen, and monsters welcome back to another exciting match! Our champion who was just crowned a mere three days ago was challenged by his first ever monster opponent!”. With that the crowd goes wild cheering from both sides of the species. Humans and monsters both showing their interest in this match. “Lets give a big hand to our champ The Masked Man!” and with that the humans in the crowd being cheering you on, their applause and excitement giving you the will to make this if anything a interesting match. “And his opponent Anesia the Mighty Minotaur” he points towards the challengers entrance and our from the curtains comes the minotaur. Youre surprised to see her outfit to say the least. Its almost a homage to yours, flashy colors and designs on it. And covering her face a mask that matched her outfit. The monsters cheers were loud enough to bring you back to reality. As she made her way to the ring you couldn’t help but wonder her motive behind her sudden outfit change. Was it to mock you? Your character that you were and the anonymity that the mask brought you. Her face is known from the fliers around the city promoting the event and she was using her real name. So why wear a mask? And how did she get this outfit so quickly?

 Anesia simply steps over the ropes over the newly build ring to accommodate the differences between a human and a monster of size. Still confused but interested in her outfit choice you focus on the match. Stepping into the center and squaring up with the minotaur you start to notice the differences between you two. She towers a good 2-3 feet over you and her frame is much larger than yours. You are a average man over a good 6 feet and a solid 200 pounds. You understand the challenge this will be but that’s the very reason you started this journey. To challenge yourself and become the strongest you could be, and that’s why you took Anesia up on this challenge without a second thought. So you couldn’t be afraid now, no you needed to be calm and collected and use her weaknesses against her. She’s strong but she’s not as agile as you are. Plus you have much more experience than she does for sure so just treat her as you would any other larger opponent, wear her out until she cant properly defend herself then take her down for the count. “Its time folks! Are both fighters ready?” the announcer asks. Without any hesitation Anesia throws up an arm and demands everyone’s attention. “Hear me now, I request that this match be worth more than bragging rights! The winner of this match keeps the losers mask!” Anesia shouts into the arena. You cant believe what you’ve just heard, such a powerful demand. Your mask is a symbol to you. A symbol of humanity's ability to overcome any odds with willpower, but more than that it was a symbol for others as well. To your fans they only knew “The Masked Man” they didn’t know the man behind the mask. A man who lived a simple life when the mask was off, enjoying the sights of the many continents he visited and the life he lived as a following fan of his own alter persona. Would his fans be able to accept it if he lost to this monster? Would he be able to accept it? Having tasted defeat before but never having the threat of losing the mask in the tossing he didn’t know how to react. But his fans did, the humans in the crowd began to cheer him on and let out much more noise than the monsters did early to the point the announcer had to cover his ears. This was all you needed to strengthen your resolve, these people knew you could do this and deep down you knew it as well. She wasn’t going to stop you, she wasn’t going to stop the human spirit from pushing on. “I accept!” you roar at the top of top of your lungs and the crowd returns the enthusiasm with a roar of their own. “Contestants to your corners please!” the announcer requests, and with that you both enter your corners and ready yourselves taking your stances. “Begin!” screams the announcer while motioning his hand for the fight to start.

 With that Anesia launches herself out of her corner straight towards you faster than any opponent has before. Reacting as best as possible you dodge to the right of her and move towards her corner, turning you meet eyes with her before she tries this move again. This time you are able to react with a bit more aggression dodging her but this time pushing her into the turnbuckle, the crowd gives a cheer and Anesia his the top of the turnbuckle in frustration. “Ok your fast so ill take it a bit slower” Anesia taunts as she walk towards you this time. You cant help but notice the size difference again, her weight causing the ring’s matt to shake and making you bounce in place slightly. She is within her arms length now as he goes to grab you but you are able to maneuver around her attempts until she sweeps at your legs with one of her massive legs. You hop into the arm to dodge but that proves to be a mistake as she swiftly grabs you by your leg and slings you into a turnbuckle. Hitting fairly hard you are winded but you regain your composure and notice Anesia is charging at you, kicking off the turnbuckle you slide under her with ease thanks to her larger leg span. Flipping off your back and onto your feet you go to kick her into the turnbuckle again but this also is futile as she simply turns and braces her abdominal area, making contact appears useless and feeling you got from hitting it with bare feet was enough to make the bottoms of your feet sting. Landing on the ground right in front of Anesia she reaches down and grabs you by your throat, lifting you into the are she marches towards the center of the ring she stops once she’s there and slams you into the matt. Without letting go she lifts you again and slams you once more, unable to catch your breath she slams you a third time before holding you in place on the ring by your throat loosening her grip so you can breathe. “You see, im a novice to this sport but im much stronger than you are. I don’t need flashy moves or years of experience, I just need my monster instincts something you haven't faced before.” With that she raises you into the air before continuing. “I’ve been following you since your first major win back in the Mist Continent. The way you fought, so sure you would win no matter what. Fighting with such flair and theatrics, bringing in large crowds and putting on quite the show. Now you have a name for yourself and you’re a symbol to these people, a beacon of the “human spirit” but I know there’s a man behind that mask and im going to meet him!”. And with that she places a massive hand on your mask.

 Acting as swiftly as you have ever done in your life you reach for Anesia's massive horn on her head. Remembering back to your nights of studying you recall reading that monstergirl's horns are usually very sensitive and you needed any thing to get out of this position. Sure enough as soon as you make contact with her horn she lets out a startled yelp, her eyes quivering and her breathing hard. Loosening her grip on your throat and mask enough for you to pry out and fall to your feet you waste no time following through. Ducking under her legs and reaching her backside you reach out and grasp her tail with all your might. This brings the massive minotaur to her knees all while releasing small moans and pants. Trying to buck you off you move in for the kill, wrapping some of her tail around your hand you dive onto her back. With her tail still wrapped tight on one hand you reach up and grab her horns once more. This seems to be too much for Anesia as she is unable to move her arms to try and grab you, she doesn’t try to shake you off. The stimulation seems to be too much for her and with that you take the hand without Anesia's tail and grab her mask from her chin area and yank upwards! And with that you reveal Anesia's bright red face drenched in sweat to the crowd. You let go of her tail and horns and hop to the floor before holding up the mask to the stunned crowd who after a few seconds of registering the events that just transpired lets out a massive roar! The announcer runs over to you taking your free hand and raising it to the sky! “Ladies gentlemen and monster we have our winner and defending champ! Let hear it for the one and only “Masked Man!”. The crowd cheers and chants as you take in what has just happened. You were able to show that even a monster wasn't able to hold you down. As long as you believed you could achieve almost anything. Looking down at Anesia's intricate and flashy mask you realize how well made it is. The material is durable yet colorful, the designs are very well placed. It felt as if maybe she made it herself, almost as to imitate you to a degree. She said she followed you and she obviously enjoyed watching you fight. So why did she do all of this? Hoping to get some answers you turn towards her but she seems to have left to her entrance tunnel during all the after match excitement. You cant help but hope to find her later.

 The rest of the night went as any other night after most of your wins. The owner of the venue and your fans bought you food and drink. You chatted with many of them of your doubts of winning but how you knew you could pull through if you truly believed you would. That and using your opponents weaknesses against them, even if it means almost bringing them to climax in front of hundreds of people. Considering the weight and height differences between you and Anesia you figure it was a fair tactic since she basically manhandled you most of the match. Despite the company of your fans and the festivities you couldn’t help but think of Anesia and what would bring her, someone who seems like a fan more than a foe to challenge you and demand your mask if you lost. Finally its late in the night and you are able to sneak out of the venue unnoticed and head to your stash of spare clothes so you can go back to being just a normal man. But before you can safely take off your mask and stow it in your backpack you hear the sound of someone approaching. But it isn’t a humans footsteps, it’s the clopping of hooves. Peaking from around a hiding spot you took you see the figure of Anesia standing in the dark. “Please come out, I know you’re there. I just want to talk.” She requests. Wanting to figure some things out yourself you step from behind the hiding spot. Face to face with the minotaur once more you question her.

 “So you’ve been following me for awhile now, watching me improve and rise up to any challenge. So why challenge me for my mask? And then wear an outfit like you did to the match?”. For the first time you see Anesia with a soft look in her eyes. “The way you kept fighting and trying to become stronger. The look in your eyes during a fight and the way you move in the ring. It was enchanting, seeing a human move with such passion and resolve. The first time I saw you fight I was stunned. So I started following you and watching you grow. Soon I started to worry that you would become the best humanity had to offer, and sure enough you won the championship title. I was scared you would stop growing and I just thought you could use a push. Now that you’ve beaten me don’t you think you could beat other tougher monstergirl?” With that she stares at you excited for your response. It all starts to make sense now, this minotaur liked watching you so much she was willing to help push you into a whole knew league. “So you did all this so id start fighting monsters? Im flattered you would go through all this but there’s no doubt you were my toughest fight yet. Id love to start fighting monsters but I need way more training first and I don’t know how im going to get that exactly.” As you finish speaking you hear the sound of Anesia getting closer. Turning she is directly in front of you, grabbing you by your shirt she lifts you into the air. “I can help you! Im not the best wrestler but im strong and I can help you get stronger and learn how to fight someone my size!”. You're a bit shocked but it’s a thoughtful gesture. “You really must like “The Masked Man” to go through all this to see him get stronger” you reply. Anesia give you a worried look before she lets you down and kneels down and makes direct eye contact. “I know there is a man behind this mask, a strong man who does whatever he needs to get stronger and defeat anyone in his way. And I would really like to meet that man. Please?” she requests staring into your eyes. You stand for what seems like an eternity in place but those words ring in your head and heart. You have never felt this was before and you cant help be feel like nobody feels this way for you like this minotaur in front of you now. Taking your hands you behind you remove your mask as Anesia face lights up with excitement and glee. Finally your mask if off and you feel the breeze against your skin, your hair breathing and blowing in the wind. Anesia is stunned at the fact she is finally seeing her idols face. Packing up your mask and changing into street clothing you walk over to a still stunned Anesia. “Well should we get going? I would like to start training soon, but for now lets get some rest and get out of town” you state as Anesia regains her composure and rises to her feet. “Of course, lets find a tavern” she replies. “By the way you never told me why you made a costume like mine?” you question. “Oh well…..the flashy colors and cool designs are really pretty to me so I thought id try and make a costume like yours” she softly replies. You look up at her and give her a smile and she in turn moves her head to the side so you cant see her blush as you walk down the road towards the tavern.