The jungle pressed in around us, its dense foliage casting heavy shadows that made every movement feel like it was being watched. The air was thick with humidity, dampness clinging to my skin and making each step feel sluggish. Nibbles, perched anxiously on my shoulder, was jittery as hell. His tiny paws twitched constantly, his fur fluffed out like he was preparing for something big. He'd been chattering nervously for a while, and I couldn't ignore it any longer. Something was off.
Zainab, my steadfast companion, walked beside me, her four heads swiveling constantly, her senses on high alert. The serpent-like body of the giant creature wound through the dense undergrowth with a fluidity that belied her massive size, her 20-meter form a formidable presence in the forest. But even she, normally so calm and collected, was acting more twitchy than usual. Whatever we were tracking had her on edge, and that wasn't a good sign.
I followed the trail on the ground—a massive, deep footprint that seemed almost unnatural. It was too large for anything I'd seen before, not the marks of a beast or a creature I recognized. And the way it gouged into the earth, the edges jagged as though something heavy and unnatural had dragged its foot through, sent a chill down my spine.
Nibbles chittered again, more urgently this time, his little paws clawing at my shoulder. I followed his gaze, eyes narrowing as I spotted it—a set of prints, deep and heavy, with a strange pattern. They were fresh, too fresh. Whatever made them wasn't far.
I motioned for Zainab to stop and knelt low to inspect the prints. The earth around them was disturbed, as if whatever had made these was a force of nature unto itself, its very weight warping the ground beneath it. There were no claw marks or the signs of claws—just raw, massive feet. There were several of them, spaced out as though a group had walked through, all heading deeper into the jungle.
"We're getting closer," I murmured, my voice low. "Stay alert."
Zainab growled softly, her multiple heads lowering in sync as if to reassure me that she was ready. I felt the familiar, almost comforting pulse of my mana within me as I sank deeper into my Possession state. The stillness washed over me like a tide, my senses sharpening, but my mana usage remaining minimal. I didn't need to fight yet, and I wasn't planning on using much power unless I had to. But in this state, I felt like I could slip between the shadows and move like the wind, unnoticed. I could feel Nibbles still, his tiny presence fusing with mine, his energy flowing into me, his little paws now a part of my own heightened senses. A soft, comforting pulse in the back of my mind as if he were part of me—watching, alert, ready.
We moved cautiously, Zainab's massive body slinking through the underbrush with surprising grace for something of her size. Nibbles' energy helped guide me, sensing dangers and sending gentle, quiet impulses through my thoughts. We pressed on, and the silence became heavier with each step. Even the birds had stopped chirping, the whole jungle holding its breath as we ventured further into the unknown.
After a time, the jungle seemed to open up ahead. The dense trees parted to reveal a vast, unnatural clearing. A massive, cavernous structure loomed ahead—a cave, or what seemed like the remnants of one, but it wasn't natural. The jagged edges of the stone seemed to pulse with a dark, almost corrupting energy, as though the earth itself had been warped and torn apart by some unnatural force. It had the feel of something that was both ancient and wrong, as though it had been created with a specific, malicious purpose in mind.
My heart skipped a beat as we stepped into the clearing. Zainab's growl vibrated through the ground, her massive form tensing, her eyes scanning the dark recesses of the cave. It was a warning, but I couldn't yet see what had caused it.
Then, the ground seemed to tremble, subtly at first, like the entire jungle held its breath. And then, I saw them.
Three colossal figures emerged from the shadows, towering in the entrance of the cave. Their bodies were massive, stone-like, with jagged cracks running through their skin, pulsing with dark energy. Each one stood easily 30 meters tall, towering over even Zainab, who at 20 meters wasn't a small creature by any means. The giants' proportions were monstrous—broad, heavy-set shoulders, massive arms that hung loosely at their sides, their stony faces devoid of any expression, save for a grotesque, hollow stare that seemed to see nothing and everything at once.
My heart beat faster as I took them in. They were immense. Each step they took sent tremors through the earth, the ground beneath their feet cracking and shifting with the force of their weight. I could feel the oppressive aura they gave off even from this distance. They weren't just big—they were wrong. These weren't just stone giants; these were mutated, twisted by something dark and unnatural. They were no longer creatures of the earth, but abominations, corrupted by demonic energy that oozed from their cracked skin in faint tendrils of darkness.
I instinctively reached out for my Analyze skill, the familiar hum of energy rising within me as I activated it, my mind quickly absorbing the information.
{Cursed Mutated Stone Giants}
{Rank: D- (E+/D+)}
{Creatures once subservient to the Stone Goliath, had been mutated by demonic energy, making them lose their sanity}
{Skills: Eye of Corruption, Landscape, Shockwave}
The description hit me like a punch to the gut. These weren't normal giants. They had been corrupted, turned into mindless, brutal beasts by demonic energy. Their once orderly and obedient nature had been shredded, leaving behind something far more dangerous.
The skills they possessed were more terrifying than I could have imagined. Eye of Corruption—I didn't want to know what that meant. Landscape—it sounded like it could change the terrain, reshape the world around them. Shockwave—a skill that could likely send out massive waves of force, turning everything in its path into rubble.
"We need to get out of here," I murmured, my voice barely audible, but Zainab must've heard, as her heads lowered with instinctive wariness.
I made the decision quickly. We were not fighting them—not yet. Not unless we had a clear advantage, and right now, there was no clear advantage. We could barely match their size, let alone their strength. We couldn't risk it. And fighting them would draw more attention to us—there was no telling how many more of these giants might be lurking nearby, or what other creatures might be drawn to the conflict.
We began to retreat, slowly at first, making sure we were still out of sight. Every move we made was calculated. We didn't want to give away our position, but we couldn't afford to move too slowly either. Zainab's massive form was hard to hide, but I trusted her instincts. We slipped back through the jungle, careful to keep our movements quiet. I could feel the tension rising, every fiber of my being alert for the slightest noise, the smallest sign that we'd been noticed.
As we retreated a thousand meters from the cave, I felt a strange weight in the air—like we were being followed. But there was nothing. The jungle around us remained silent, still, save for the rustle of leaves beneath our feet.
When we were far enough away, I stopped, taking a deep breath. I didn't want to leave it like this, but there was nothing else we could do for now.
"We head back to the Fire Ant base," I muttered under my breath, but I didn't move. Not yet. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face what we had just seen. These giants, these abominations—they were too much for us to handle right now. And yet… I knew we'd have to deal with them eventually.
I wasn't ready to take on that fight just yet. But it was coming. And when it did, I would be prepared.
We turned and ran, the jungle flashing past us as we headed back to base, and the weight of what we had just seen settled heavily in my chest.