In the forest of cyclops

Elysia pursued Mortis to the outskirts of the city and was nearly scared to death when a gray giant suddenly appeared in the air and a gigantic dog leaped out of it. Mortis, however, had no time for explanations and lifted Elysia, jumped on Nightshade and rode off.

After a few miles on the Helpfarden, Mortis heard Nightshade's stomach growl. They jumped off a deer and continued on their way to find something to eat in the nearby forest. The forest they entered was already huge and made Mortis wonder. The trees reminded him of redwoods on Earth - so tall and wide were they that the treetops reached almost to the sky. In general, everything was bigger, stronger and more robust.

But the beauty of the forest was soon overshadowed by fighting and loud shouting. Mortis spurred Nightshade to get closer to the source of the noise, and saw a group of people fleeing with their belongings. "Nightshade, dodge them and take me to where they are fleeing!" said Mortis, clinging on. Nightshade leapt over the people, from tree to tree, until they were closer to the action.

As Mortis got closer to the sounds of battle, he readied himself for the fight ahead. But what he saw gave him pause. They were Cyclopes, gigantic creatures about 10 meters tall and taller, armed with wooden clubs and weapons made of bone. They were obviously targeting the fleeing humans.

Mortis did not let up and continued to urge Nightshade on, while the dog was already licking its lips and ready for the attack. "Stay on the ground and run towards the first one! When I tell you to dodge, you jump to the side, Nightshade. I'll take care of the rest," Mortis explained, trying to stand on Nightshade's back. The first cyclops saw the huge dog heading towards him, raised his club and tried to smash dog and rider with it. But Nightshade deftly dodged, and Mortis seized the opportunity.

With a deft twist, Mortis hacked his scythe into the Cyclops' arm, catapulting him upward. Then he cut deep into the behemoth. The Cyclops dropped his weapon and looked around angrily when he saw no blood where he had struck. But Mortis hovered in the air, preparing to be caught by the Cyclops.

At that crucial moment, a woman's voice was heard. "Black flame of calamity and a blade sheathed in black flames..." It seemed as if the voice was casting a spell. Suddenly, a blade-black flame cut into the Cyclops' Achilles heel, making him cry out and forcing him to his knees. His gaze, however, was still fixed on Mortis.

But before the Cyclops could strike, Night Shadow leapt at the giant and bit down. This surprised the Cyclops so much that he forgot about Mortis, who was in free fall. Mortis concentrated and used all his strength to destroy the Cyclops' eye, including its owner. So he broke through the eye, smashed the skull and stepped out on the other side.

Mortis landed Galand and exhaled heavily." Now my epic fight has been ruined by the dog and this woman, and it was supposed to be really cool," said Mortis, a bit fermented in his non-existent beard, and kicked away a stick. But when his dog came, he immediately jumped on Mortis and licked him, because mortis was still full of eye slime, which Mortis did not like at all, but when he saw Lucia coming towards him with a nasty grin, her sword covered in black flames, Mortis forgot this thought again and praised Lucia from afar and then went on to the next cyclops, yelling: "You take care of another one so we can finish faster.

When Mortis was further away, the sword, which was covered in flames, suddenly transformed and now showed Serena. "So, now it's time to show what I can do, too," she said with a lovely, friendly smile. Then she ran off to face a cyclops as well, along with Nightshade.

The cyclops became wilder and more unpredictable when they saw one of their colleagues lying dead on the ground. They saw themselves as the hunters, not the prey. As Serena faced two cyclops, she whispered softly, "Flash." She raised her sword, and two white beams instantly blinded the cyclops. This sent the creatures reeling and made them easy prey for Serena and Nightshade. The dog took advantage of the moment to bring the creatures down, while Serena stabbed at the cyclops with flashing beams on her sword until she finally reached the eye of one of the creatures and was able to defeat it.

Mortis, meanwhile, had created a clone and was simply slashing at the creatures. He tried to slice them and proved to himself that he was capable of not only severing their necks, but also cutting off their legs. When he finished off the third Cyclops, he went in search of Elysia.

When Mortis found Elysia, she was surrounded by a large group of women who embraced her and lamented her suffering. Others bowed and went down on their knees before her. Mortis wondered about this until he came closer and heard the words of an elderly lady, "Young madam, you are still alive, that's good to see. And also it was you who saved us unworthy servants. Young lady, terrible things have happened in Venice. Your mother is besieged by the neighboring counts and barons. They claim she is cursed and would make common cause with the queen to abandon the kingdom to the demons. They say she has cast a blood curse on the land and is in a relationship with the queen, which is why she is so often in Bayaroma to feast on her perversion. That is why she has not chosen a husband for years."

When Mortis heard this, he could hardly believe it. He knew that the old Count of Bamberg was plagued by a malignant obsession and had become a figure of fun. But the others seemed driven by blind rage and must have been manipulated. But what surprised him more was Elysia, or rather Lucia. She scowled at the women and said icily, "I hope these two bitches get their skulls cut off. The margravine who poisoned her husband and the first margravine before her to get to this place should burn in hell. It would not surprise me if the two really belong to the godless ones. Let them burn. Any peasant on the throne could serve the people better than these two metzen. I should take a good look at it, and perhaps it should be me who lights the funeral pyre."

Mortis was puzzled, but also curious as to what was going on. But he actually had enough on his own plate to deal with, because after all, there were still demons and beastmen waiting for him, serving the evil gods. He wondered if this attempted coup was coming from someone in his world or if it was coming from the humans here. But before Mortis could pass judgment, he continued to listen.

An elderly woman replied anxiously, "But madam, your mother is also still in the castle." Lucia, retorted hot-temperedly, "You are also here and have escaped, aren't you? So neither the town nor the country can be so dear to you, or you would hold your ground. So don't lecture me about what my duties are. My mother, that stupid woman, who did not take action against the first margravine, is therefore to blame herself. Let her burn at the stake with her oh-so-good friend. I have no pity for her. After all, she had none with me, and let my oh so beloved sisters all die. It's all right with me. After all, I will be free of this bond and live as I please."

The servants and common women were surprised at how much this young woman despised her own family, but they said nothing and just nodded. Then they got up and continued on their way south.

"It seems everyone has his or her share," Mortis said, stroking Lucia's shoulder. "Come on, let's keep walking. I have some unfinished business. If you're worried, I have no problem going to Venice with you."