“How is this possible?” said Agata as she stood next to him. Wonder and awe in her voice.

“I don’t know, but I sure am glad that we won't have to sleep on the cold floor anymore,” said Michael in reply.

Even though Michael spoke with nonchalance, he had too many questions to even begin questioning the Cyclopses. How did they hide an entire city within Death’s Forest without anyone being the wiser? Weren’t Cyclopses man-eating monsters that go into berserk rages, tearing up the countryside? They were not supposed to be civilized beings, and especially in this forsaken forest. How could human history mess something up that badly?

“It’s the work of The Great Ones,” said Hedergat as he walked by.

His single eye focused on the black and fluffy killing machine that was Mister FluffBottom. An air of wariness and even a touch of fear crept into his stare. Unlike Jugugetgat, Hedergat had spoken to the smaller humans on multiple occasions showing how intelligent the hunter was.

Running after him, Michael was followed closely by his guards, showing no outer emotions having seen the same spectacle; then again, the wore full-plate armor. Noticing him run after them, Hedergat stopped walking in giant steps, slowing down enough for Michael to reach him quickly. Huffing, he did his best to catch up as fast as possible before the Cyclops decided they had said too much.

“Wait,” said Michael breathlessly.

“You said Great Ones? Are they the voices that keep calling out to me since entering the forest?” said Michael, earning a glare from Bialo and Jax at his unexpected secret that could have been fatal.

But, the Cyclopses had completely different responses, nothing like he had expected.

They all froze in their spots, all three stopping midstep at his words. Slowly, they each turned their massive bodies to stare down at him with their single brow raised and eye open wide. Putting Mister FluffBottom down and into Jugugetgat’s care, so the stealthy furball doesn’t scamper off while they were distracted, Bergat walked past him and Hedergat. Standing directly in front of Michael.

Falling down to one knee with a heavy thump that had Michael stumbling backward. Bergat looked Michael in the eye with an intensity that had him covered in buckets of sweat. For a while, the moment lasted as the tension kept on climbing. Bialo had even started casting a spell discreetly, just in case he needed to bring Michael out of what looked to be a very sticky situation. Eventually, it passed as Bergat’s rumbling voice seemed to echo and vibrate with expectancy.

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“Y-you can hear The Great Ones?” he said with a voice much lower in timber than before. The very weight of Michael’s answer pressing down on everyone in the vicinity. Even Mister FluffBottom noticed the tension and Mraw-ed.

Receiving a subdued nod from their savior, his booming laugh erupted deep from his belly. His loud and boisterous outburst attracting the attention of many of the other Cyclopses that had been busy in the city. A contingent of Cyclopses, wearing heavy pieces of armor and massive war-hammers, marched towards them. The clinking of giant metal made an unbearable amount of noise. Looking behind them, the contingent had broken off from a larger group that was practicing nearby.

Getting up from his crouched position, Bergat made his way towards them laughing madly entire way, their appearance giving him no reason to end his fit. Stopping in front of them, he raised an arm in greeting. The largest of the armored Cyclopses, who looked to be their leader, stepped forward as the others stopped moving; milling about a bit farther away. He and Bergat Locked arms at the elbows in greeting.

“Brother!” said the armored giant in a voice that sounded like the grinding of rocks, as he took off his helm. Showing a face that resembled Bergat greatly.

“It has been seven years since your last return, how has your Communion with Silence been? It truly is a joyous day at your return,” said the armored Bergat lookalike, the only difference was the color of their brows; Bergat being brown and the brother golden.

“They have been seven productive years, Gergat. But, my return should be forgotten in the wake of what I bring our people. Look, brother,” said Bergat as he pointed a thick finger at Michael.

“He can hear The Great Ones! We can finally break away from the oppressive yolk of the Thief,” Bergat’s voice was filled with too much hope and expectancy for Michael who awkwardly looked at Bialo.

“Truly,” said Gergat, joy evident in the grinding of rocks his voice resembled.

“Yes, we can finally speak to The Great Ones again,”

“Then we must take him to The Enraged one immediately,” said Gergat.

Only to be met with an awkward silence from his brother and the other hunters. Looking back at Michael, Bergat had a massive frown on his face. Turning back to Gergat, he narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly, making his point clear.

“No, Brother. He needs to see The Wise One. That is probably the voice he heard,” his frown heard in his words.

Michael, standing a bit further away watched in surprise. He guessed everything wasn’t alright in Cyclops paradise. It looked like a massive schism was created between two groups, but he couldn’t be sure without further investigation. As the two Cyclopses continued their heated debate of who they thought he had heard, Hedergat came in between the two before they came to blows. Fuming, they were barely held apart.

“How about we ask the savior who he heard?” suggested Hedergat, receiving a grunt of affirmation from Jugugetgat.

Nodding in unison, the brothers comically swiveled their heads to stare at Michael, who had been on the receiving end of too many of those intense looks.

“U-umm, I think I heard a lot of voices saying those words. It sounded like hundreds of them, not just one… I think,” said Michael nervously.

Nodding their heads at the same time, the brothers seemed to take great meaning in his bumbling words. Looking back to each other, silently they came to an accord no one but them could decipher.

“Of course, they would speak to him together!” said Bergat with a smile that didn’t show any of the tension that was their just seconds ago.

“He needs to go as soon as possible! Let's take him to the Priestess,” said Gergat, all the guards and Michael wincing at his voice again, while the Cyclopses began to drool.

And like that, he was quickly herded into the city of Gargantuan. A city filled with giant Cyclopses and a priestess whom all the giants seemed to drool whenever they mentioned her. All Michael could hope was to be adequate enough to solve this issue he forced himself in. Especially when what looked like to be a few thousand of them were going to be just outside the door.