“So, Liam, can you tell me what happened here?”

Two mysterious men stood at the entrance to the village. The villager crowded around, staring at the four men conversing. Mertle didn’t know what to make of the two strangers, but what he could deduce was that they weren’t here for a feast and jolly praise.

One of the men wore orange sunglasses to block out the approaching sun. However, that didn’t seem to be the case since the glass was tinted such a strong orange that looking through it would be like staring at a painted wall. He wore a business suit and carried a briefcase at his side.

The other man wore an orange robe, adorned with a dizzying green pattern. He was significantly older than the man in the business suit, but whereas the business suit man had a constant frown, the robed man smiled sweetly. Despite his older disposition, he didn’t let the inevitability of his death weigh him down one inch.

Liam and Harold stared at the two men in shock. They looked absolutely terrified at their presence, but they didn’t back down when pressed about the happenings that occurred without their knowing.

“Yelm? Ont? How did you get here so quickly?” Harold asked.

The robed man, Yelm, raised his hand to silence him. “We were doing a separate job, but we got called from HQ about your mishap.”

“So you already know what happened?” Liam asked.

“A bit, but not everything. We can get the gist of it from here.” Yelm looked behind them at the cage whose door was swung open.

“The captive escaped, and you want us to bring her back? Did I get that right?” Ont clarified.

Liam swallowed his nerves, hoping they’d reach his stomach and burn in the acid. These two men weren’t people to mess around with. Both of them are well known in the organization because of their work within the Exxen Rings. Two extremely talented Gifted, where although they aren’t the strongest, they can still effortlessly navigate the Brixton Ring.

“Hold on. What did you say about a captive?” Mertle butted into the conversation, approaching them with a concerned expression. “I’m afraid I don’t follow what’s going on here.”

“This isn’t any of your business.” Ont answered. “Leave us to our business before we burn this place down.”

“Is that a threat?”

Ont raised his briefcase, but before he could do anything, Yelm grabbed his hand. Ont grumbled to himself, aggravated that his partner stopped him, but nevertheless, he lowered his hand and crossed his arms.

“Don’t think of it as a threat, giant. Think of it as a warning. Leave us to our own devices, and nothing will happen to you.”

Yelm and Ont moved forward, ignoring the massive giant who was frothing at their hilarious attempt at a threat. He couldn’t just let these two men move about as they pleased with them presenting a danger that could bring to ruin their entire way of life. To do so would be to basically give up his position as leader of the village.

The villagers thought the same as well. The adults got in a line and blocked the two men’s path. They didn’t know who exactly this captive was, or the damage these men could dish out, but in the name of the man that gave them comfort in times of need, they promised they’d return that to anyone looking for help. These men were laughing at their hospitality by placing fear in the hearts of everyone, and they couldn’t forgive that.

“So you choose to defy us?” Ont asked one last time.

Mertle gave his answer the best way he knew how to. He turned around and kicked at the robed man, putting as much force as he could into it. Liam yelled out a warning that no one heard, and no one cared about. They’ve already made their decision. It’s too late to take everything back.

Ont moved in between Yelm and Mertle’s foot, spreading his arms wide. The kick slammed into Ont, and instead of being sent flying into the stratosphere, he stood his ground, stopping the foot upon impact by grabbing his toe. He moved an exact amount of zero centimeters, and instead of him screaming out, it was Mertle crying into the air.

Mertle retracted his foot, but the onslaught wasn’t just going to stop there. Yelm jumped, soaring all the way to the giant’s face. The entire crowd looked up in awe as someone met face to face with their leader for the first time. It was surprising to Mertle as well, as the human who was nothing but an ant to him met him head on.

Yelm returned the favor that Mertle tried to deliver on him and kicked him straight in the eye. Mertle covered his eyes, screaming in pain and stumbling backward. Liam and Harold dashed out of the way as the large guy nearly trampled them as he recovered from the pain.

“We tried to warn you.” Yelm said. “But it seems like you guys just don’t like to listen.”

Mertle uncovered his eye, which was bloodshot red. He groaned, but the size of his vocal cords made it sound similar to a growl.

Liam thought about the situation and the chances for the villagers to win against these two. From the way the giant fights, he deduced they weren’t going to last a minute. There’s just no way that they could beat them. Not only were they strong normally, but they’re also Gifted, and their gifts were so useful within the eyes of the boss that they were one of the chosen to gain official titles.

They are, Yelm the Jump King, and Ont the Metal Business Body. All one has to do is hear their titles and right away they knew the danger that they were about to face.

“There is something I want to know, Mr. Giant.” Yelm said, talking as if he didn’t just kick his eye.

Mertle wasn’t falling for anything. He dashed at the two, and the rest of the villagers did the same. Yelm and Ont stood back to back, none giving any indication of fear or regret. They looked as calm as ever, even though they were surrounded on all sides.

Ont faced against Mertle head on. There wasn’t any need for Yelm to get involved in a fight against an opponent completely beneath him. Ont reared back his fist and waited for the giant to approach. Mertle hollered, sending his battle cry to all the villagers, motivating them to fight against the people willing to disrupt their way of life.

Mertle prepared to dish out another kick, and he launched it forward, this time with even more power and an intent to kill. Ont waited for the last second before unleashing his own punch. As soon as he sent it flying towards the giant’s leg, they collided. The wind parted from their strike, and they paused, waiting to see which one of them would buckle first.

Ont stood perfectly still as a statue, unwavering in his position and pose. His briefcase undamaged from the impact of their fist and kick colliding. It was Mertle who fell first. Excruciating pain running through his leg, Mertle toppled to the ground. As soon as his back hit the ground, he yelled in agony. If the battle cry filled the morale of the villagers, his cry of pain only served to dishearten them. They froze in their charge, only a few running forward.

However, the deadly gaze he gave to the stragglers made even more freeze in their tracks. One kept the pace, ignoring the fear wrecking everyone else’s minds, he charged with bravery. That bravery he felt he was charging with, however, turned out to be nothing but reckless abandon.

Yelm sighed and jumped. He positioned himself in the air so he was directly parallel to the charging idiot. He bent his knees, and even despite the obvious attack incoming, he continued to move ahead. It was almost nice, Yelm thought, to live in such ignorance to the pain one is about to endure.

He kicked with full power, planting his feet on the man’s chest, which sent him flying backward. He crashed into a cabin, completely destroying it, sending it toppling over his lifeless corpse. The villagers reacted in utter terror at the scene, and that’s when the children began to scream. They held it together all that time, but seeing a man crash into their home was the last straw.

“Do you think they’ll learn after this?” Ont asked.

“They better, or that idiot won’t be the only person they lose.”

Suddenly, a roar of might and power erupted behind them. They turned around only to witness Mertle coming at them, his knees digging into the ground, and a fist pushing the air out of its way as it barreled towards them. Mertle aimed straight for Yelm since he was the weakest of the two, and if it slams into him at full force, the only thing guaranteed in the future is a slow and agonizing death.

Ont wasn’t just going to let him get away with doing that. He ran in between Yelm and the tidal wave powerful fist. He grabbed his briefcase and opened it, revealing what was inside. Or, more specifically, what the briefcase actually was.

As soon as the lid opened, a massive steel shield unfolded from inside and hid their bodies behind the mighty metal. Mertle’s fist slammed into it, and the force of the impact pushed Ont back slightly. Ont held his ground as Mertle tried to push him farther and farther. Realizing what Mertle was doing, Ont stomped his foot, sending his feet into the ground all the way to his ankles. With the extra support of the earth, Ont’s body refused to give.

Mertle understood that no matter how hard he punched, they just wouldn’t budge. This is the power that a Gifted can show. Even a mighty giant was unfit to best one, especially when their body contained the same consistency of metal.

Yelm jumped above them, his body blocking out the sun and casting a shadow on Mertle’s face. He fell and landed on the giant’s head. Mertle tried to shake him off, but Yelm refused to move an inch. With the overwhelming power of his legs, he jumped, the force sending him flying, and sending the giant’s face crashing to the ground. His head slammed into the soil, sending debris and roots flying in the air along with Yelm.

He dropped to the ground and stared back at the giant, who attempted to get in their way. By then, the villagers have already given up. The parents in the crowd were busy trying to comfort their crying children, and the rest had lost all morale from seeing their leader fall.

“Alright, Yelm. I’ll begin the search. You stay behind and keep watch of everything.”

Ont turned, expecting to see Yelm where he landed, but instead he only saw a man with red hair punching Yelm in the face. It all went by like the world slowed down by entire minutes, but that was just the shock passing through his conductive body.

“What?”

Yelm flew from the punch, sending him spiraling toward the ground. He crashed with little flair, tumbling and rolling on the ground, picking up dirt along the way.

Ont faced the new opponent, gauging the strength that he just witnessed. The scarlet haired man looked up and a painting of righteous anger and determination plastered on his face.

“Leave my family alone.”