Chapter 31

Eye for an Eye

(that time I slew a cyclops…)

Gob jumped from my pocket and ran onto the top of my head. It made a sound that I think was meant to be some kind of growl. The Cyclops stopped in its tracks. Still dripping blood, its death march turned from one of rage to laughter. It pointed and groaned at the tiny tenrec standing on top of my head. I felt like a king’s jester. One that was definitely just about to drop through a trap door to their death. That too would be better than dying in the stomach of another monster.

The tenrec stood on its hind legs. It was the only one of the three of us not covered in mud. It must have looked strange to the cyclops. The strange yellow creature making ferocious sounds. It grabbed its stomach it was laughing so hard. I wasn’t sure if Ajax and I should use the opportunity to run or fight. I did finally get to use my insight on the cyclops. It was the same as it had been thousands of years ago.

-Bestiary-

Cyclops

Skull size does not equate intelligence. The Cyclops is a sub-class of Giant, sometimes called their deformed cousin. Clueless as they are strong, the Cyclops have only three desires: east, sleep, and mate. However, unlike most things they don’t care who, where, or what.

HP: 1130 / 2000

Weaknesses: Fire, Ice, their eye.

Immunities: Poison, Blunt attacks (good luck breaking skin)

This cyclops was already weakened quite a bit but even the snake and crocodile together hadn’t managed to bring its health down more than halfway. With 1,130 health left it was suicidal to attack it head on. And given its intelligence there was no way we were going to make friends.

I took a deep breath. I tried to remember how my guild mates and I had killed a cyclops before.

My mind flashes back to the past. Dirt and mud rained down around us, shards of rock broke apart as an old gray haired cyclops went into a rage. Rak had punctured a blood vessel in its eye. I had my hand over Chel’s mouth as the a boulder crushes the back of her legs. She wants to scream in pain but I can’t let her, we’ve pissed off the giant and if it hears us we both know its game over. I slowly move my hand away. She nods. She understands better than I do that if we are heard we die.

I am enraged. Looking at Chel’s injuries, mad at myself for not doing more to protect her. Mad that this whole mission was my idea.

One of the Holy Knights that accompanied us on the quest is dead. Laying on the ground, broken, twisted into abstract shapes. He had met his end at the hand of the Cyclops. One slap was all it took to break the knight’s armor and send him to an early grave. The same slap broke through a large rock mound, burying Chel, nearly burying myself. Both our weapons laid several feet to our left. I held my hand out, reaching for my sword. I was an Apostle of Fire, there was no way I was going to let a giant get the best of me.

May and Stem run to our side to give us aid. Stem pulls a health potion as May and I lift the boulder from over the top of Chel’s legs. She drinks its in one shot and it immediately begins to heal her wounds. The power of magic. Distilled delicious mana. We had about five of them left.

“Is Fren alive?” May asks. She turns and then see’s the Holy Knight Fren’s body. She doesn’t repeat the question.

Rak and Puck are keeping the cyclops busy but its only a matter of time before it catches up to them. Rak has already dropped his heavy gear. Puck is firing a barrage of arrows in the monster’s direction. Only a minute before they both start throwing rocks.

“Puck!” I run out from behind the rocks, my sword in hand. “Aim for its eye.” Puck see’s me and nods. He uses his magical archery skills to summon an arrow made of ethereal energy and fires it directly at the Cyclop’s eye. It blocks the magical attack, deflecting the mana into the ground nearly incinerating Rak. The Cyclops knows what we are doing and keeps its hand up blocking the rest of Puck’s attack. It basically ignores the archer completely. Its body is nothing but muscle, hardened. I’m not even sure if my sword could pierce it skin even with Dragon Strike.

I doesn’t matter. I have to try. I activate my abilities. My sword catches fire and as I heat the ether in the air around me. There is fire burning through my veins, anger, rage, a cockiness I don’t really have anymore. I remind myself I am a master swordsman, the Apostle of Fire, and my sword is the sword that burns the world. I activate flash step and move away from Chel, May, and Stem. The three of them will be ok without me. Rak and Puck are the ones that need my help.

The Cyclop’s mouth moves, trying to say something in a strange ancient language none of us can understand. I’m pretty sure it is cursing at us. We bothered its dinner, some mammoth stew made of fur and fat, followed by marrow from giant tusks. It wasn’t the only thing it had been eating though. Over three villages had been destroyed since the Cyclops got a craving for human flesh. It was our job to make sure no one else died. For a price of course. And this job was paying out big time. Money was useless if we died, not to mention the cost in repairing our equipment. No, we weren’t just here for the money, it was the rush. Using our skills to slay monsters. It wasn’t just business, it was pleasure. The Cyclops was an A+ rank monster. Killing it would let us pick and choose whatever quests we wanted. No more fetch quests, no more small mobs.

I drag my sword along the ground running towards the monster… I am fearless. I activate flash step again and its like I teleport from one space to another. I jump up raising my blade and bring it down across the giant’s wrist. When my feet hit the ground it turns to face me and I bounce backwards as it slams its fist down to where I had landed. I’m moving through the air like its my home, bouncing off solid earth like its some kind of bounce house. I point myself at the monster’s knee and force it to kneel on the ground. The whole time its kept its other hand up, blocking Puck’s magical archery attacks. Puck is running out of mana. Only a handful of shots left. I reach around my side and grab some rope.

I move so fast, dodging every one of the monster’s attacks. Rak joins me with a giant spear. At least he isn’t throwing rocks. I toss him the other end of my rope and we wrap it around the Cyclop’s hand then spread out in opposite directions. Alone we aren’t enough to pull, we are insignificant, small. Comparing our strength to the giants it is a no brainer who would win. The Cyclops however doesn’t know that. Its a fool and lifts its arm into the air in an attempt to pull the two of us back. We let go off the rope and an arrow from Puck reaches the monster’s eye. Blinded, it roars. It only takes a few hundred cuts, a storm of swords, to break through the monster’s skin. May and Stem join using their daggers. Running up and along the monster’s back and neck. Attacking its shoulders, spine, and paralyzing it with each attack. Puck begins dinner, his mana is nearly depleted and attacking from afar only risks us getting caught in his crossfire.

In under fifteen minutes my guild mates and I had slain one of the strongest monsters in the world by working as a team, exploiting its weaknesses and attacking with magic.

Ajax and I don’t stand a chance.

Unable to run, unable to fight. I do the only thing I can. With what little mana I have I cast a Fire Bolt at the laughing giant’s eye.

The giant is fast, it holds up its hand and takes 100 Fire Damage across its left hand. The hair on its body catches fire and it shakes it off.

Ajax fires a pebble from his slingshot. The Cyclops, not expecting it doesn’t block the second smaller attack. Ajax nails it right in the pupil. Blood vessels burst and the Cyclops stands up, covering both its eyes with its hands. I grab Gob off the top of my head and toss the little tenrec to Ajax who catches him no problem.

‘I am the Apostle of Fire’, I remind myself. Samosek ignites into a flaming sword and I swing it at the giant’s kneecaps. The sword breaks through the monster’s bones and it falls to its knee. It is younger than the Cyclops I fought in my past life, younger, dumber, and weaker. Burning damage does - 15 health per minute but its not enough, bleeding damage is even less at - 5. I bring the sword up again under the Cyclop’s throat and bury it up to the hilt, until I feel the edge of my blade tap against the monster’s spine.

Its jugular splits and I’m covered in a red rain as I retrieve my sword. The rest of the Cyclop’s health drops instantly and it beats its fists against the ground before I manage to roll out of the way. It lays half buried in the mud, several cockatoo are already picking at the back of its corpse… one last meal from their master.

Fire Strike advanced to level 2.

I smile. I probably look like a demon king covered in blood, smiling beside the corpse of dead cyclops. I sheathe Samosek. I don’t care that I’m a mess. I feel like I can take on the world and I can’t wait to celebrate this victory with Ajax…

Ajax…

His body is buried in the mud. He’s not even screaming. Gob is sitting near him, covered in mud, licking the tears rolling down his face. I run over to him, reaching for a health potion, realizing that I don’t have any. The Cyclop’s last attack hit him, Crippled his legs and broke several of his ribs, possibly his spine. He’s not even screaming, despite his mouth gaping open. My victory came with a cost. One I wasn’t ready to pay. I don’t bother to go back for any of our gear, I lift Ajax and start running through the woods, towards the smell of salt water and fish. I can only pray I’m running towards the docks or some kind of village.