My patrol moves in.

We move through the dense bushes, past the giant trees and over the large logs of the forest as silently as possible. Translation: we are making as much noise as blind beggars because we’re big and we can’t see in the darkness of the night. Unfortunately, that’s what comes in the job description as a Cyclops. We’re not as fast or as silent as smaller creatures like Elves or Leprielves, but we’re not hired for that, we are hired for war.
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Cartak and I am general of the Cyclops army. One of the four armies on this land working for the emperor. The emperor is a close friend of mine and we are part of the military that keeps the evil Vertex and their armies from taking over.

It’s personal between me and Vertex. They killed my family and now I want revenge. So I kill any Vertex warrior that stands in my way of finding the creature that killed my family.

To this day I still remember it: I, my son, Singcock, and my wife, Darlak were having dinner and a good conversation when the nightmare began. The door exploded and I immediately knew it was a raid. That’s when two crossbow bolts came out of the debris. The first one caught Singcock in the eye and the other hit Darlak in the heart. They were both killed instantly. My mind kicked into high gear. This was obviously a Vertex raid and the unnatural violence of it made it an up close and personal message for me and my people: join or die. Mainly because Vertex asked me and my people to join their cause and to their fury we said no.
Then it’s over and I learned who pulled the trigger on Singcock and Darlak: a Sharkonian by the name of Shukon. I had a tough choice: do I find him on my off time or wait for him to come to me? To this day I still hunt him down.
Now I know that General Shukon has the most advanced skills in the vertex army.
That’s why I joined the Galactic Government Army (GGA). And that is also why I’m moving with a patrol to head for the location of where, according to the reports, a Vertex army is gathering.

Sudden movement in the bushes! I signal my patrol to freeze. We all turn into living statues, so silent no one can hear us. We’re in a clearing and this would be a perfect time for an ambush. Luckily none come. Instead, a lone Sharkonian-the common soldier of Vertex-comes jumping out with an ax. He looks humanoid, but with blue-gray skin and he’s about six foot tall, with a stumpy neck bristling with muscles, brutish features, a hammerhead shark head on top of the neck with gills on the sides of the neck and a toothy mouth in the front of the throat.

I get cocky. Twelve Cyclops against a lone Sharkonian? This will be easy. That’s when his buddies pop out too.
Ooookay. Make that about twenty Sharkonians against twelve Cyclops. This could get interesting.

Both sides charge instantly as if by a silent signal. My flail makes contact with a Sharkonian leg. Its’ owner howls in pain and topples over and I finish him off. The next guy knocks the flail from my hand and I respond in kind by knocking his crude-looking sword out of his hand. It then gets into hand to hand combat where I punch him in his toothy mouth and knock him out.

  When it’s over and the Sharkonian survivors-all seven of them-flee, I allow myself to relax about three microseconds and survey the scene. We have killed twelve and have taken one prisoner- the one I knocked out. The only reason I didn’t kill him is he might be useful later. As for my side, not only did we win but we only have one wounded and none dead.

Then we get back and I find a shocking thing out: our prisoner happens to be none other than Shukon himself. Now I am torn: should I kill him and avenge my family, torture him for information and my entertainment, or just be kind and keep him until the war is over?

On one hand if I kill him we will lose valuable information. On the other hand if I don’t kill or torture him my family will never be avenged.

I decide-against my better judgment-to spare him until the war is over and I know that the emperor will be proud of me.