29 Valentine

A bit further away from the village of Nimrod, the cyclopses were hastily running as if devils were prodding at their behinds with flaming tridents. They did not look back, nor did they look forward. All they knew was to run, run far away and not come back. That was why, unfortunately, they didn't notice a figure in an odd mask standing some ways a bit from them.

The figure was dressed peculiarly. His attire was pinstriped from top to bottom, the green color resembling exaggerated vomit. There was a jacket around their torso with pauldrons affixed right were they were supposed to be, on the figure's shoulders. The bottoms of the mysterious person's outfit were almost like slacks, the pinstripes extending into a one piece while the greaves on their feet was the inevitable end. Blackened boots reflected the moonlight with a metallic sheen. He was standing a couple of miles away, the visor of his helmet affixed to the horizon.

"Hm...~ hm..." The figure's humming seeped into the air, slowly yet inexorably moving its way through the armor binding it. The protection of the figure diligently performed its function, protecting even the voice of the figure inhabiting it. That's why, the humming was eerily tinny, deep and rich— yet shrill and piercing.

'Clack. Clack.'

'Boom, BOOM!'

The two sets of percussion rang in the armored creature's ears, the collision of the later completely dwarfing the other. It was almost as if he was approaching an earthquake occurring in real time. The earth beneath the figure's feet held firm, the unfortunate shaking that the figure felt wasn't coming from underneath their soles.

"I once went down to the market~ hmhmm hmhm~ I asked for a ticket to the yard, oh no, they ran out. I once went down to the barnyard~ and found pitiful souls in need. So I moved my hands so quickly indeed, their souls were quickly freed~" The voice was like a virus, the eerie song it hummed along contagious. The wind carried the tune to trees, to bodies of water, to even the dirt beneath the two. The creepy song was then pushed out of whatever it could find itself implanted into, jarring against the near silence that previously reigned in their borders. The horrific tune spread further with each instance of it being pushed out, before stopping right before the cyclopses insatiable pounding.

"Hm...seems a bit too far." The voice complained yet didn't stop the march that was carrying it. It felt like a couple of big ol brutes could certainly span miles in a matter of seconds...these cyclopses were bottom of the barrel for their kind.

"And that's why...they're here. Still, I do have to capture quite a few. It's the only way I'll root out the star of light and darkness amongst these few. The others will probably be brought by others, but that's not really my problem. Ah, I want to go home already...the mana there was at least mediocre."

A couple of minutes to some, yet a year of boredom for the slightly plated frame. The appearance of which looked like a thin silhouette, getting darker and more defined as the cyclopses ran on. Still on high alert, Blackbeard suddenly stopped his tribe.

"Who goes there? There's no one who can harm giants like us, so you'd better fess up or we won't let you off."

'Click, clack.'

"Let me off? I wonder who let YOU off. You're missing one more than I expected, so I guess I can harm you, can't I?"

"Pah! What do you know?? You think I'm someone you can easily piss around with, shrimp?!" Blackbeard's voice was cracking a bit. The veil of anger and ferocity that covered his body tried their hardest to suppress the fear Blackbeard was feeling, yet they couldn't conceal a thing to the pinstriped figure before him. The cyclopses moved their great big eyes towards their leader, showing their heavy dependence on his decision making. This did not escape the one who stood before them, a third of their size and yet tens more stronger.

"Ooh, that's not good. You know, Black-smear, if that's your name...you shouldn't have a gang of idiots that follow your every order without thinking as your subordinates. That's what I refer to as a mob. I'll sweep some of the chaff away for you...no need to thank me~"

A hand clad in blackened gauntlets traced the air in an arc, the fingers pointed at the neck of one of the cowering cyclopses. A head slid off a pair of shoulders and crashed upon the battered earth. There was no fanfare, no charging up, and no combat. It was simply a slaughter. The wind seemed to be singing as a small voice drifted into the ears of the cyclopses.

"And their souls were...freed~"

Blackbeard could no longer pretend to be a cruel, powerful giant who could stomp anything into the ground. His large eye was no longer sharp, no longer focused. He had a thousand yard stare, as if he could see the essence of the universe itself. His attention was drawn back to the world by a crisp snap, another cyclops's body collapsed onto the ground. The poor giant was contorted into a ball, the cracking coming from their bones.

"W-WHO ARE YOU! I SWEAR, I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

"I don't doubt it~ you can have your revenge right here, right now. I'll even tell you my name..." The cyclopses all fell to the ground, their consciousness retreating deep into the recesses of their brain. Meticulously noting each and every cyclops's rising and falling chest, he slowly spoke up.

"My name...is Valentine. A pleasure to meet you, well, maybe not. You guys are a bit too rude, I see it's due to your height. Let's see what happens when..."

—-

'Clack'

"Alban! Alban! Alban!"

Two clans were making a din around a large pyre half the size of Blackbeard. That duo should have been more like a trio, but a certain lizard wasn't very enthusiastic to party with a certain savage teenager. The collared gheckla that resembled humans closer than geckos were drooling, wanting to participate in the festivities as well.

"Hmph, how violent! Uncivilized and uncouth!" The powdered wig upon the gheckla leader's head billowed around at his violent head shaking, almost falling off yet secured by the man's head.

"Certainly right, I could not concur further! How cruel and...ugly of them to celebrate such a feat of barbarity!"

"Woah...doesn't it smell like piss? Realll heavy too, you must've drank a lot before showing your rotund behind around here, huh?" A womanly and mellifluous voice broke apart the gheckla's conceited attitude, offsetting the leader's facetious behavior.

"Chiyo! You have a lot of nerve for a dog that couldn't even bark at that stupid Blackbeard..."

"I'm sorry, does anyone even know this guy's name? Are we sure he's the gheckla tribe leader?" Chiyo's retort didn't even allow the round gheckla to organize his thoughts. Gobsmacked, he was going to quickly announce his name and proclaim that he was so great in defending his people that not even a hair was touched, when Nimral soon chimed in.

"Bah, that's been the leader for five years. I can understand why you wouldn't remember him, Chiyo, the roly-poly slime-ball usually hides behind those poor collared people of his."

"Oh yeah...I think I remember seeing a fat, crappy, cheap, and gaudy white wig in the back a couple times?" The gheckla leader had had enough at this point, his veins popping out of his head. "Ooo, whatcha gonna do lizard ball? Piss on me? Ha!" The lively and voluptuous voice of Chiyo was appealing even when spouting out all manners of crass insults.

"Well, I never! The burning is done, and I don't think we will be needing any food, hmph. Let's go, everyone." The gheckla walked off indignantly and exited Nimrod, leaving so hastily that he forgot his spices. It seemed like no one would hear his name tonight.