The ground shook again, this time with enough force that leaves and bits of branches fell from the upper canopy. The sound reverberated through the forest like the beating of distant drums—deep, rhythmic, and growing closer.
The roots suddenly retreated, disappearing into the shadows of the trees, as if something even worse were coming.
Kael raised his sword. "Prepare yourselves."
The silence shattered with a crack. A branch snapped, then another, and another—until the sound became a chaotic symphony of breaking wood. The trees ahead bent and gave way with a monstrous crack, giving way for a gigantic figure to emerge from the forest.
The ground vibrated. The smell of earth, moss, and rot filled the air.
From behind the trees, a colossal creature advanced, dragging a club made from an entire trunk covered in skulls and rusted iron. An ogre.
But no ordinary ogre.
