From somewhere above, in the dark skies, thunder erupted, spreading across the sky in branches of light. The wind howled, mixed with the groan of some monstrosity.

“Stay close together,” Rodrick said, pointing his sword up, ready to engage, as he carefully stepped ahead.

“What is that?” Ardwyn said.

“Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s going to give us a warm welcome.”

Heavy footsteps shook the ground as the figure approached. A massive beast towered over them, a single horn protruding from its forehead along with a single eye gleaming beneath. It was a cyclops, or something that resembled a cyclops.

A night breeze swept through, dispersing the fog and revealing the rest of the cyclops’ gigantic form. The witch had summoned yet another beast to her aid, and this time it didn’t seem like they stood a chance.

As soon as the cyclops saw them it opened up its large jaw, revealing sharp teeth, and let out a large shriek. Whatever realm this beast came from, it seemed ready for battle. Wasting no time, the cyclops slammed its massive fist down. Ardwyn and Rodrick barely dodged in time. Furious at missing them, the cyclops shrieked. It attacked again, this time using its large foot to stomp on them as they started to flee.

Ardwyn while running, concentrated, and conjured a bolt of energy in his palm. He hurled it at the cyclops, but the blast barely fazed the enormous beast.

“Into the trees!” Rodrick yelled.

Ardwyn sprinted after Rodrick, the beast chasing right after them. They plunged deep into the forest. With the cover of the dense trees, the cyclops was not easily able to follow them. Spotting a thick patch of undergrowth, they dove beneath it, concealing themselves. There, they lay still, trying to not make a sound.

“What did you do to this witch?” Rodrick said. “She’s relentless.”

Before Ardwyn could respond, the cyclops’ massive foot crashed down beside them, splintering trees and crushing bushes. The beast’s hand swept close towards them, as if smelling where they were.

“We cannot stay here,” Rodrick said.

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“What’s the plan?”

“I cannot think of one."

“Well, what do we do?”

“Run!”

They gathered themselves, and dashed through the forest. The trees offered some cover, but somehow the cyclops seemed to track their scent. It pursued them without hesitating, straight on their path. Its massive fists pounded the earth, narrowly missing them with each strike. Ardwyn realized they couldn’t outrun it much longer.

They tore through the dark woods with all of their strength. Thorns and branches dug into Ardwyn’s skin as he crashed through the undergrowth, but the pain barely registered. Ardwyn ran for his life, not wasting any time to stop.

They descended down a forested hill, then hurried up another where trees and shrubs thinned out. Suddenly, they burst into an open clearing lit in moonlight. With nowhere to hide, they sprinted across the exposed ground, the cyclops now able to spot them clearly.

The air turned cold. A cold breeze blew Ardwyn’s hair. They found themselves on a hilltop clearing overlooking the town. In the confused daze of the fog, they had run all the way out here. As the mist dissolved, the town lights twinkled in the distance.

“There…” Rodrick said, “There is the town. We are not very far at all. The cyclops is heading straight for the town.”

They sprinted across the clearing toward the town. The muscles of their legs burned with exertion.

Something out in the open of the clearing caught Ardwyn’s attention. “Wait!” he shouted and halted near a large stone. “I know this place,” he said, glancing around. Surrounding them were the Nexus stones — the very spot where he had first crossed into this world.

Ardwyn dropped to his knees beside one of the stones. He ran his fingers across its surface. Some of the stones were marked with rune engravings.

“What are you doing? We don’t have much time!” Rodrick said as he glanced up at the cyclops descending down to the clearing behind them. He drew his blade.

“I have an idea,” Ardwyn said. “Distract it while I aim for its eye. If we blind it, we might escape.”

“Ready?” Rodrick said. Time was running out. The cyclops ran straight toward them.

It slammed its fist into the ground. Ardwyn dodged. Rodrick darted left, shouting and waving his arms, “Hey, over here!”

The cyclops turned, momentarily forgetting Ardwyn. Seizing his chance, Ardwyn conjured his energy bolt ability in his palm, focusing intensely to grow the bolt as large as possible. He launched it straight at the cyclops’ eye. The bolt grazed the cyclops’ cheek, barely doing anything. With an angry roar, it turned toward Ardwyn.

“Come at me, you foul creature!” Rodrick yelled trying to regain its attention.

Ardwyn cast another bolt, aiming for the eye. The cyclops now expecting another attack dodged the bolt. Ardwyn cursed at his lack of precision, wishing he could make the bolts faster, and more accurate.

He hurled a final bolt of energy, his window of opportunity closing. The cyclops easily sidestepped. Now an arm’s length away, it reached down and snatched Ardwyn off his feet. Ardwyn grunted in pain from the tight grip. The cyclops lifted Ardwyn right up to its sharp teeth, jaw hanging wide, ready to devour him.