[TW//: Blood, gore... y'know, death. Just read with caution.]

The entrance to the cave was gapping, the grey rocks jutting out around the edges like the mouth of a beast. It was dark inside, stretching out far beyond where he could see as it faded into a void. The Captain sighed softly, eyes focused in on the darkness of the cave as sunlight barely reached it, and sheep bleated inside. A whole giant herd of them wandering around the dark, damp cave. Plenty of food for six hundred starving men, a wonderful find. The Captain took his bow that he had slung over his back in hand. Loading in an arrow and drawing it back, eyes singling on a single sheep before letting the arrow fly. It let out a bleat as the arrow pierced through its neck. He slung his bow back over his shoulder, careful to not bend the string.

"Over here!" The Captain called out to the men behind him. The pattering of feet against grass told the cyanette that his men were following him, and he dropped down onto the rock floor. The familiar head of the pale blonde popping up beside him, a smile gracing his face.

"Look at all these sheep! I can't believe this cave has all this for us to keep!" Atlas exclaimed, voice echoing slightly in the cave. Stepping further into the cave, spinning around slightly in his excitement for the number of sheep in the cave.

"I've gotta hand it to you both, this is quite the treat. There are enough sheep here to feed the entire fleet." Elias noted, following Atlas into the cave. Though less enthusiastic, and less spinning around happily.

"It's almost too perfect, too good to be true..." The Captain muttered, his brows furrowed as he stepped further into the cave. The cold air brushed against bare skin.
"Why would the Lotus Eaters pass up on all this food?" The cyanette asked to himself mostly, footsteps echoing against the cold cave floor.

"Who are you?" Something called from the darkness, stepping out of the darkness with lumbering footsteps. The Captain's eyes trailed up, the large body of it almost hitting the ceiling. Pale, pink skin covered by an incredibly dirty, and barely fitting toga. The Captain's eyes locked with its... eye. A large, fiery red eye stared wide down at him. A cyclops. They were in the cave with a Cyclops. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

"Hey there! We're-... we're just travellers! We come in peace." The Captain called, offering a small and polite smile to the giant. Putting up a peaceful act to the thing in front of him as its eye flicked to the sheep they killed.

"You killed my sheep... my favourite sheep..." It started, causing the Captain's face to pale. And for Atlas to silently shuffle themselves to stand in front of the sheep to try and act like it was going to make the Cyclops forget the fact they killed the sheep.
"What gives you the right to deal a pain so deep Don't you know that pain you sow is pain you rеap?" It stated the Captain glanced at Elias who stared back at him with an equally paled face of terror.
"Time to drink your blood over where you stand. But before I'm done, you will learn that it's not so fun to take. You came to my home to steal so now you'll become my meal. A trade, you see? Take from you like you took from me..." It said fists clenched as it took a lumbering step forward. Which then caused the Captain to take several steps back to keep the distance they previously had.

"There's been a misunderstanding." The Captain stated, raising his hands as a way to say 'I mean no harm' to the Cyclops.
"We never came here to steal. But, now that I see we've done some damage, maybe you and I can make a deal? I'll give you our finest treasure; the world's best-tasting wine, so long as we leave alive." The cyanette said, waving his hand to some crew members to tell them to go rush off for it. To which they did. They came back after a few minutes, heaving a large barrel along with them before placing it by the Captain's side before running away.

"Wine?" The cyclops asked as the Captain lifted the lid, taking something out of his pouch that was placed on his belt underneath his cloak before fully pushing the lid off, revealing the dark red wine that lay still in the wooden barrel.

"Have a drink! One sip and you'll understand that it's a wine so fresh, you'd never wanna eat human flesh again! Then we shall be on our way, no bloodshed in here today. A trade! A gift from you and a gift from me." The Captain said, patting the edge of the barrel before stepping away from it as the Cyclops took it in hand. It brought the wine up to its lips and drank the whole thing in mere seconds before placing it back down, letting out a sigh of contentment.

"I'd like to thank you. Stranger, what's your name?" The Cyclops asked, its eye focused on the cyanette that stood before him. The Captain's brow furrowed as he stared back up at it, a soft breeze brushed coldly against his skin and pushed his cloak against his body before stilling.

"My name is Nobody." The Captain replied after a few seconds of silence, hair fluttering in the wind that had picked up once more. His eyes never broke their stare at the Cyclops's eye.

"Nobody, for your gift I've one to reply..." The Cyclops said, a smile pulling on its lips and revealing sharp tusks that were previously hidden from the cyanette and his crew.

"I'm so glad we see eye to eye." The Captain said, offering a small smile back to the Cyclops as a hope for the fact he and his crew can get out alive.

"Yes, you shall be the final man to die." The Cyclops said, its eye almost darkened with the fact. The cyanette's face dropped, colour falling from his face as he stared back.

"...what?" The Captain muttered, his heart skipping a beat as the extent of the words fully set in. His sapphire eyes widened as fear settled in his limbs, stilling him temporarily as he witnessed the Cyclops pulling its hand backwards.
"Watch out!" The cyanette screeched, running out of the way as the Cyclops slammed it into where he and a few others had previously stood, causing loose rocks to fall from the cave's ceiling with the strength of the punch. The cyclops screamed with its anger and the pain of shoving its fist into the rock as it recoiled its hand. The Captain's face hardened as he planted his feet into the floor, cloak swaying behind him as he pushed away the fear that had previously settled in his every limb.
"My brothers! The rest of our fleet wait at the beach and if we're defeated, they're good as dead! We have no backup, no chance for extra support, so draw out your swords because our foe must be thwarted right here and now!" The Captain stated, eyes locked on the Cyclops as it turned to them.
"There's six hundred lives at stake, it's just one life to take. And when we kill him, then our journey's over. No dying on me now, defeat is not allowed! We must live through this day! So FIGHT!" The cyanette said, pointing the sword towards the Cyclops. It was a death sentence, he knew that, but he had a plan that would help them not die. His crew drew their swords, pushing forward towards the Cyclops.
"Surround him! Attack from behind, keep distance in mind, and stay in his blindspot and strike his heels!" The Captain demanded sharply, watching as the crew started to surround the Cyclops. Fear was clear on their faces, but their determination to get home was stronger.
"Exhaust him! Don't let him get close, he's strong but he's slow and he can't land a blow if we're out of reach!" The cyanette demanded sharply as his eyes flicked over to an overhang. He sheathed his sword temporarily as he ran full sprint to it. The cyclops roared in anger once more, his crew nipping away at its heels and running away from possible strikes by fist or foot before they got close. The Captain watched with a sharp eye, waiting until the cyclops's back was turned towards him before unsheathing his sword and running full speed off the overhang. The sword raised high before plunging it deep into the Cyclops's back. It roared in pain as his blade dragged down its back before he slipped off with a sword in hand. The cyanette sheathed his sword midair as he hit the floor and rolled, negating most of the damage but leaving his shoulders a little sore, he got to his feet while ignoring the minor ache of his shoulders as the cyclops fell to its knees, hand reaching out further into the cave. The cyanette walked over to Atlas who beamed at him, passing by the pale blonde.

Barely a word passed their lips.
Barely a second slipped by.
Barely anything could happen for the Captain to save this moment.

The cyclops had grabbed a large wooden club from the shadows, pulled it back and struck Atlas across the left of his body. The Captain felt all his blood drain from his face as he saw his friend's body tumble away from him. Blood splattered across the floor as his glasses fell to the side, shattered. The cyanette's breath hitched, his legs taking him towards his friend without looking back. He fell to his knees by the pale blonde, their eyes staring back up at him clouded with pain. The left side of their body was covered in blood, and their arm looked shattered along with their leg. Their head partly caved in. Blood pooled out slowly underneath them.

"C...apt...ain..." Atlas said weakly, a shaky hand managing to reach up only a few inches from the floor. The Captain took it in his own, tears starting to burn the corners of his eyes as he pulled his friend's body closer. They winced, sharply inhaling as blood leaked from their mouth, body heaving as they weakly coughed up blood. The cyanette saw the life slowly draining from their eyes and softly patted their cheek.

"Enough." The cyclops said lowly, getting to its feet again. The Captain just shook Atlas, trying to keep him awake as tears blurred his vision. Atlas's body fell limp in his arms, eyes hazily focused on the cyanette as they managed to have a smile grave their face. A hand shakily raised, slowly placing against the Captain's cheek.

"He's got a club, HE'S GOT A CLUB!-" Someone yelled before the club struck down on them in an instant. The Captain didn't register it, placing his hand against Atlas's as tears slowly dripped down his cheeks and landed on his friend's blood-stained toga.

"What are our orders?! Captain? CAPTA—!" Another soldier screeched, the sounds drowning from the Captain's ears as he solely focused on Atlas. Their hand fell limp in his, head lolling backwards as their eyes focused straight forward. The cyanette dropped their hand, which fell to the floor limply, softly shaking their body in vain. His tears fell onto their toga, mixing with the blood and making the previous clear tears a pale red as they settled into the cloth.

"You've hurt me enough." The cyclops said as it struck another man with its now blood-stained club. It went blank to the Captain's ears, his head falling onto the chest of Atlas that rested still. No breath drawn in or out of their lungs, just cold stillness.
"Six hundred lives I'll take. And when I kill you, then my pain is over." The cyclops said, striking another two members. The crunching of bones and squelching of meat echoed in the cave.
"You're dying here and now, escape is not allowed." It said, striking yet another crewman. All the noises fell deaf on the Captain's ears as he lifted his head to stare at Atlas's face, parted lips and open eyes staring relaxed at the ceiling.
"You won't live through this day, now die!" The cyclops said, the words slurring and stuttering as it spoke. Before its body collapsed lazily to the floor. The Captain stared at his friend's body, uncaring of the Cyclops's sudden collapse. The cyanette's body shook like a mini earthquake as a sob slipped past his lips. His hands gripped tightly on the back of their toga as his head fell onto their chest once more. Trying to softly shake them, or mutter their name to get them to wake up. But every attempt was in vain. The cyanette knew this as he pulled back, sniffling softly as tears fell down his cheeks like mini waterfalls. His hands shakily moved up to their head, their skin dropping temperature as he brushed their hair out of their face. The Captain slowly undid their headband, ears ringing with a high-pitched noise as they clutched the pale blue band in his hands, tears occasionally dripping down onto the small piece of fabric.

Atlas...