From beneath the ropes and hands that held Lucifer in place, it cawed miserable at William’s captor, “Raww!... Aruuhh”. Apparently, what it said was funny, for it made Kaibalac laugh hoarsely in rough short grunts. Its cocky head rose as it used its human tongue to further implement how vile William was, “Rrhhn… This one is especially afflicted… Believing that this Skoi truly loves it like a doting mother, when in truth it’s just a filthy mammal that dared take advantage of it in its most vulnerable state!”.

Lucifer continued to cry at the behemoth, but in turn, all it spewed was turned into preachings, “... Lonely?... That emotion that haunts one like flea-eggs? That, my kin, is nothing but a passing feeling. If you had just waited, your heart would have hardened itself to ignore such foolishness………………… Skois are the worst… They don’t know their place in this world. They not only steal from each other but from us as well… To copy and exploit a system meant solely for the true gods of this land… A lower-being simply doesn’t exist!... They don’t care about our kind. We are nothing but a new tool for them. The same as the fire and stone-axes they discovered at the dawn of their miserable time”.

At the end of its words, the humans surrounding Kaibalac knelt down one by one. Showing how guilty they were for carrying this sin that was nothing but natural.

Urka pointed towards the offering wrapped beneath Kaibalac’s foot, “We kept the Skoi well and alive as you ordered… Now, please have your offering and take some rest afterward. There are, after all, still loose ferals about that need your attention”. Kaibalac left its piercing eyes on William, who was oblivious to his own emotions. Exactly what was he supposed to feel right now?

He took a plagued glance at Lucifer, who in turn tried to claw its body closer to William. Seeing how desperate Lucifer was to be near him, his mind sparked with inspiration and he let Kaibalac know what he thought of all this. For, in the end, these might turn out to be his last words.

With a snarky attitude, William shouted at the giant, “... And what of it?... So what, if I bonded with Lucifer because I could benefit from his ability? It’s as I once told my friend once. Friendship is a balanced trade between two people. Or in this case dinosaur and human… Sure, I bonded with Lucifer because he could benefit me, but I sure do hope he also finds a need in me… And yes, most humans look at their dinosaurs as tools and not partners, but I won’t… To me, Lucifer is a precious-… Friend?”. 

William searched his brain for the perfect definition but found none under the pressure of Kaibalac. The creature huffed and from its skinny lips it wanted to retort, but William was ahead of it. This time he directed his words at the humans spectating it all, “As for you guys!... Who do you think you are!? Putting everyone, including yourselves, lower than dinosaurs? Oh, that’s just so benevolent of you… HAH! Who do you think you’re fooling!? In truth, you people must think that your above everyone, like a gang of gods! For only a god would be able to view a human being as something foreign that has no impact on their life…………….. I mean, if you indeed were higher beings, then yes, viewing all animals to be of equal value would make sense. But you’re not… Instead, you put others down as someone who’s found the true meaning to life. But how can that be the truth?... Just who varified your view of the world as the only viable one!?”.

William found it hard to believe that these people would throw away their lives that easily and succumb to a higher power. But by chewing on the subject he found that perhaps it was exactly the voice of conservation, and thoughts of the future that made these people choose to serve. It’s a loser’s way of survival, but a reasonable way of doing it. At least, he couldn’t deny that he hadn’t chosen this route a few times himself.

But having it as a lifestyle?... That couldn’t be healthy…

Urka and her fellow followers got uproared by William’s accusing tone. She spat on behalf of the others present, “You dare question our way of life!?... Skoi, who happily cracks and bends the world to your will, ignorant of those who bleed in said cracks!?... The fighting can cease for we have found our place! And it is time you found yours!”.

The claws holding William down, crumbled the dirt as they encroached on his body. Kaibalac’s mouth transformed back into a beak. Then it went down to take a lazy bite…

William ground his back against the dirt. Hoping to squirm out from beneath its grasp but he was 100% stuck at the moment and rather helpless. Kaibalac’s polished beak came uncomfortable close. It opened up its yellow gates to let out a tainted waft of hot air. And then it halted its dive, to gander at something in the distance. William looked in the same direction of its gaze and saw an upside-down man appear with his dinosaur.

William stared at the man as he drew closer. When he was merely a few meters away from the drama, William could discern some of the man’s features. Like his messed up hair that looked more like a mangled furry helmet and his clothes, that was a mad fashion designer’s way of bringing the wilderness into an outfit.

Dead eyes stared back at all of those who were present. Then, with a tint of pleasure, Thalgar muttered aloud, “Even with wings, there is no escape from me...”. His naughty comment was directed at Kaibalac, who flared up its feathers in rage!

Seeing his insolence, Urka stepped in to stop his path, and fiercely she declared, “Another Skoi!?... Hrmph! My dearest Kaibalac! Please, proceed with your first offering. We’ll have this one ready for later…”.

Their goddess growled, about to reform its mouth for human use, when its followers did the opposite. Slowly but surely, 30 people’s mouths grew wider and more fit for killing. As did their nails. William looked on in horror. Not too ecstatic at how similar their ability was to Kaibalac’s…

Roa, who was among the believers, went up to anesthetize Lucifer. Afterward, she put the limb creature aside for later use. Then she along with the others threw themselves on Thalgar and his bonded dinosaur. Although not as big as Kaibalac, his dinosaur was approximately 6 meters tall. With a feathered mane covering most of its head and neck.

Dutifully it whipped the first wave of followers away with its tail, mortally wounded them with its claws, and lightly chewed their heads into deform watermelons. Yet, this amount of effort wasn’t enough. The flock of cultists was many and strong, thus the second wave managed to push through to its master.

Said master stood ready with his staff. Because of their sheer volume, they managed to get in a few scratches and bites, but most were flung aside or wounded enough to falter. A few even slumped over dead from the force they met.

Alas, just a few dead wasn’t good enough for William. He couldn’t believe what he saw, because in his mind Thalgar was supposed to be an impressive opponent, even at this stage in the story. So how could it be that this group of nobodies were almost a match to the man-beast? Weren’t they all supposed to get blown away, crippled for life, by his first series of attacks!?... Shockingly, most weren’t. They were quite steadfast.

The more he saw of their attacks and abilities, the more William nudged his thoughts into an unthinkable direction. However, without stronger proof, he couldn’t be sure of its plausibility. Nonetheless, his carelessly crafted theory was beginning to scare him pale…