Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic

Chapter 245: A Footprint

The army marched with haste, and they arrived at the desired place in the forest, however, they were too late.

The ground where mighty trees once stood was, now a plantless hole in the soil. Fifty meters deep and almost a kilometer across, the crater-like formation spoke of great power transforming the earth.

The commanders sent scouts to examine the hole as well as the forest and villages surrounding it, and what they discovered was beyond terrifying.

Bright sun rays reflected from thousands of pieces of a colorless crystal spread everywhere on the ground, making it look like it was covered with countless shimmering stars.

Four commanders led the group of soldiers, each with two-hundred-and-fifty under their command. Each of them had their own distinct roles and weapons, as well as a place on the field.

There were scouts, specialized in speed and stealth, with the ability to gather information or carry out assassinations unmatched by any other.

Another battalion was armed with swords and shields and covered in heavy armor, they were perfect for vanguard.

Behind them were men with long spears in hand. They stood a step behind the former, making their formation look like a porcupine or a spiky turtle. A massive headache for anyone that would try to fight them.

Further back still, was a group of more than two hundred strong. Those soldiers were armed with bows and arrows of all kinds. Long thin needle-like arrowheads for punching through armor, broad flat ones with hooks for tearing through flesh, poisonous arrows for hunting beings much stronger than themselves

They had it all.

With immense upper-body strength, the bows they carried could provide assistance from hundreds of meters away, with terrifying precision.

The only ones missing were the cavalry, however, in the forecast of an underground battle, even archers were already considered too much and as such, the riders were abandoned.

However now, this elite army stood on the periphery of the crater, helplessly looking around without knowing what to do. Where was the supposed sleeping enemy? Where were the dangerous beasts and cavern systems?

There was literally nothing here! Only a giant hole in the ground, clearly excavated not long ago. Or maybe the ground simply collapsed into the caverns below? Nobody knew for sure.

"Captain!" a soldier shouted. He was one of the scouts that left not even an hour prior. He stopped before the four leaders and gasped greedily for air a few times before addressing his superior, "Captain, we found something, something big!"

"What is it, soldier?" the latter responded.

"I think it's better if you see this"

The Scout Commander tried to convince his subordinate to simply spill the beans, however, the man was stubborn. He could only sigh in the end and follow to where the soldier led him.

The other three commanders also came with, curious as to what they have discovered.

They crossed the forest on foot for a while and soon came to a clearing. It was a small-sized village, about ten houses...or what was left of them.

Dried blood and ash covered most of the ground, and half-burnt walls of simple houses were all that was left standing.

Fields of various vegetables and wheat were either burnt or trampled by hundreds if not thousands of small footprints.

"My god! It's horrible!" the Archer Commander exclaimed. "What kind of monsters would do such a thing?!"

It was a rhetorical question, of course, no need to answer.

Urging them to follow, the scout explained, "The attack must have happened recently, day or two ago at most. The ash was still warm and lone embers can still be found underneath."

The burnt-down village was void of corpses, but there were signs of struggle. However, this was not something the four concerned themselves with. The place where the scout directed them was an open field with soft black soil.

It must have been recently converted from a forest into farmland and some evidence of domesticated plants growing on it were still visible. However, it was now all trampled and destroyed.

"Here," the scout pointed.

The commanders failed to grasp what the man was pointing at. The ground was uneven and full of depressions in the soil, but other than that, not much was left to see.

"Wait a second" The Vanguard Commander took a few steps back and murmured a few words with his hands pointing under his feet.

As he did so, a pillar of stone rose from the ground and lifted him a few meters higher, giving him a better vantage point. His eyes enlarged and he covered his gaping mouth in reflex.

"What is it?" The other three looked back to where their colleague was looking, but couldn't see anything that would make him so stunned and horrified.

They similarly created stone pillars a few meters tall to get a better vantage point. As soon as they did so, loud gasps escaped their mouths.

"Is that?" one of them pointed at the ground but was unable to continue.

The rest felt their throats and mouth turn dry and they swallowed with difficulty.

The scout was standing in an indentation in the ground, and from his vantage point, it was nothing special. However, from a few meters up, it was quite clear what it was.

A footprint.

A massive footprint, similar to those of a human with only slightly different proportions and a few hundred times larger. Nothing special. All four of them could lay inside comfortably and there would still be room to spare.

"This must have been the Giant we were told about! It's on the loose!" the Spearmen Commander realized in horror. The tracks crossing the field were disappearing into the distant forest. Trees in their path were uprooted and any other plant life trampled into mush.

"Send the raven! The Giant is walking in the direction of the capital! It might steer clear of the city, but we can't risk it! Quickly!" The Scout Commander barked his orders. His subordinate quickly saluted and ran to get the messenger bird.

The commanders quickly discussed among themselves what was to be done. They clearly failed in preventing the disaster, and now the best thing they could do was to try and minimize the damage.