Before I could shout “Formation!” The cyclops had overtaken us.

We all stuck our swords up as we formed in a crosshatch pattern. This was meant to be if a small group of us were charged by something huge. But this something huge had an ax to grind.

“First line!” I said, “Get ready to pierce!”

“Are you sure we can even pierce that thing, head cadet?” Huy asked.

“Use True Strike,” I said, “Ghala, you have one more second spell right?” Ghala had been trampled on and slammed but the blood from his nose and the tired look in his eyes could only mean one thing. Mana drain.

“I can hold on,” Ghala said.

“I burned a second-level spell when the pregnant one took me out,” I said, “Best if I use level ones or, if need be, some elfcasting.”

The cyclops did not hesitate. It threw its hands in an absolute flurry, we tried to hold with our collection of swords and spears but the cyclops knocked the first row’s weapons immediately and then smashed Huy in the chest. Kaavi stabbed the giant from the back row with a True Strike. The blade sunk into the giant’s thigh but the cyclops bucked the sword out of the way.

“Righteous Blade!” Ghala saw his opening and took it. He used his might to penetrate the tough exterior of the cyclops. This one was definitely weaker than the pregnant one. The blade slid into the cyclops’ right side more than any weapon we had tried on it yet, but the giant was not deterred.

The giant reached over and slapped Ghala so hard that a tooth flung out and Ghala went down.

I focused my energy while the second row of warriors was being torn down by the cyclops. I imbued my blade with enough heat to glow red. With its newly conducted heat, I stabbed at the monster. The wound seared into the cyclops’ flesh. For the first time in battle, the cyclops rang out in pain. Instead of slapping me or flinging me, it grabbed me right by the neck and lifted me up.

It opened its maw and I was met with a cavernous mouth. Its teeth looked like stalagmite and stalactite, dangerous chompers that could have taken my head off instantly.

“My blade!” I yelled, “it’s hot to the touch!”

Huy’s tail reached over and picked it up, expertly tossing it to Ghala who slashed at the beast’s hamstring.

The cyclops winced again and dropped me. I fell and landed on my feet. As I looked up, I saw Tuf staring at me through the darkness, hiding behind a tree and waving me over. He looked to be alone.

Ghala stuck my sword up, dimming, but still slightly red from the heat. This caused the cyclops to raise his hands and step back. Pawing at Ghala even though the distance it acquired was enough to grant its safety.

I flashed back to when I asked Apep for a cyclops’ weakness and he said, “The obvious one.”

He was right. The singular eye was its weakness but not for the obvious reason. Predators adapted two eyes because it granted us depth perception. We would know how far we’d need to leap to attack our prey. Cyclops weren’t created from evolution. They were made by Poseidon.

“Everyone!” I said, “Tuf’s calling us! Let’s go!”

We all cast Stride began booking it. Despite the help with speed, the cyclops was catching up to us. He would swipe at us, even tripping me up. I had no sword and could only continue my running. Ghala was fading, having pushed himself by casting Stride. We needed to create some distance. It was time to put my depth perception theory to the test.

“Everyone who can!” I yelled, “Cast Knowing Light!”

Huy, Kaavi, and I cast Knowing Light. “Float the lights behind us! Have them move constantly!”

Knowing light was interesting. For the most part, it was automatic. It followed us at a fixed point. But you could… in effect, flex a muscle that did not exist when Knowing Light was not cast, and control it. Kaavi had yet to do it. I struggled with it. Huy, however, was used to a fifth appendage. He was able to move and shift it wildly along with his tail.

We let the lights dance in different arrays and fill his limited vision with an abundance of brightness and shadows. He could not make out how far or close we were and it gained us enough time to finally make it to Tuf.

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“One,” He said as Kaavi passed by.

“Two.” Once I did.

“Three.” After Huy.

“Four. GO!” Just then, as the lights still danced behind us, the other kids pulled on a bundle of vines they had braided into a rope until taut. The cyclops kept running, having not seen the vines through our pretty distractions. The vines tripped the cyclops, where he fell right on the kid’s spears, which they had buried halfway in the ground as part of their trap.

“AHHHHH!” The cyclops cried out. The spears had used his own weight against him. Puncturing him and trapping him on the ground.

“That’s right!” I yelled to the cyclops, “That’s right, Tuf!” I looked back at the cyclops, “That’s right! Bitch!”

“AAAAAHHHHH!” The cyclops cried out, “I didn’t do ANYTHING to you people!”

“If that’s true, what were you going to do with those three you captured, may I ask?”

“I caught those fishchildren in the river fair and square!” The Cyclops said, “And you all robbed them from me! I have a pregnant mate to feed.”

“Have them snack on something else. We’re out of here.”

“I’m punctured with holes!” The cyclops said, “PLEASE don’t leave me like this! Help me, I beg!”

“I understand you were trying to eat. I don’t want to leave you here to die. We’ll help you as long as you leave me and my troupe alone.”

I walked toward the cyclops, but then they lifted their right arm and made a swipe at me.

“You swiped at me!” I said.

“No I didn’t,” It said, “I was just… trying to reach you. There’s a difference.”

“You tried to swipe at me and I was going to let you go!” I balked.

“Please let me go,” it said, “I have a child and parent that I need to feed.”

“You promise not to swipe at me?”

“I plomise.” The cyclops whispered.

“It said, ‘plomise,’” Porta said.

“What?” I asked.

“It said, ‘plomise,’ instead of ‘promise.’ I believe it intends to swipe at you again.”

“NO I DIDN’T!” The cyclops said, “I said ‘Promise.’”

“We have to leave you!” I said, “We have to leave you like this because I don’t trust that you won’t strike us!”

“Let’s kill it, Egen,” Kaavi said, “It already tried to get us.”

I held Kaavi back as best I could, “We’re going to leave it like this. Cyclops, how far is Memphis?” I asked.

“The farms are only half a day’s travel left in that direction.”

“Thank you,” I said, “Hopefully you can cry out and have your mate find you.”

“Please,” It said through bated breath, “I do not have the strength and my child will need its parent. Please.”

I shook my head, “I just don’t believe you.” I said.

“Trust me.” The cyclops begged, “I won’t.”

I looked into its one eye and saw… a large creature begging me for mercy. I sighed and approached it. It swiped at me again.

“You gotta be kidding me!” I said as I dodged it.

“Fine! Leave me! I can heal from blades easily. Once my partner finds me I’ll be fine!”

“Is everyone here?” I asked, “We have to go.”

“I’m here,” Huy said.

“Huy’s here,” Tuf said, “I am too.”

“Alright, well… if we’re not missing anyone then let’s leave.”

“Are you sure you have everyone?” We looked behind us and saw the pregnant cyclops standing up, their huge hand wrapped around Barth’s neck.

“Let go of him,” Yajaira cried.

The upright cyclops was holding the bard with one hand, and the cudgel we saw earlier in the other.

“A trade.” I said, “A trade. Your husband’s safety for the bard’s safety. Sounds reasonable right?”

“Swipe at them, dear!” The pinned cyclops said from the ground, “No surrender!”

“That’s enough, Sollis,” The pregnant cyclops said, “We’ll have fish for dinner. Deal.”

“No. Betray them.” The cyclops said, “I'm tired of fish.”

“Okay,” I said, “Sounds pretty good, right?” I looked over at Kaavi, who had his hand on his sword, “Everyone kind of wants to kill everyone, but that’s a good position to be in. We can negotiate from here. Why don’t we do this? You give me the bard, we walk away with our bodies facing you? You can unpin your husband from the ground and we’ll be on our way.”

If the cyclops could squint at me, it would have. Instead, my permanently open eye glowered at me. It gave me the shivers. I placed my sword on the ground.

“I don’t want more trouble for my family. I accept your terms.”

I glanced over at Kaavi, the look of anger had crept back into his stare. His knuckles were white with how hard he was gripping his sword. Terrified of his decision, I said, “It's your call.”

“You think we can trust it?” Kaavi let out a wry laugh. This was the very cyclops with that destroyed his village. He looked at it and asked, “Do you remember the village of Abnub?” It was small. You were part of a group of raiders that day.

The cyclops took a step back, clearly activated by something Kaavi just said.

“Kaavi,” I said, “Just drop it.”

“I was not ‘with’ the raiders.” It said.

“You killed many innocent people that day,” Kaavi said. “You killed…”

“I did what I had to.”

“You did it gleefully. You rampaged through the town, killing people.”

“Stollis saved me. We cyclops do not look for trouble. We mind our own.”

“You killed other mothers. Other children,” Kaavi said.

“Drop it, Kaavi. They don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ahh!” The bard eked, “You’re grabbing me quite hard.”

“Drop him!” Yajaira yelled.

“Drop it,” I told Kaavi.

“Drop the act. You killed my parents.”

“That’s enough, Kaavi!” I yelled.

“Do you know how I got this wound on my chest?” The cyclops asked, choking up,” I would never-”

“Never what? Kill! You did! You did kill!”

“You’re really starting to sting my neck,” Barth said, “I’m quite fragile.”

“We have a deal,” I told the cyclops, “Let him go.”

“You’re going to want to shut your friend up, red-haired fish-child,” The pinned cyclops said to me, “He will regret it.”

“I wish whoever gave you that wound would have finished the job, MURDERER!” Kaavi yelled, “You think you’re going to be a good parent knowing how many orphans you’ve made?!”

I could see a light leave the pregnant cyclops’ eye. Just then, a crunch rang out throughout the whole forest. Yajaira’s mouth opened but no screaming was coming out. I looked and saw our dear waifish bard drop, the cyclops’ monstrous strength having snapped his neck.