The roar of the Tier-7 monster rolled across the clearing like thunder breaking over the forest.
The sound rattled the leaves above and sent distant birds fleeing from the canopy. The creature stood at the edge of the shattered treeline where it had burst through moments earlier, its enormous body framed by broken trunks and crushed undergrowth.
It was massive.
Even larger than the monster that had nearly wiped out the elven hunting party minutes earlier.
Thick armored plates overlapped across its body like layers of dark iron. Each step it took sank deep into the soil, leaving cracked earth and shattered roots behind. Its claws were as long as swords, curved and jagged from countless battles fought in the wild.
Venom dripped slowly from the creature's fangs as it lowered its head toward the clearing.
Its crimson eyes burned with hunger.
Behind John, the surviving elves felt the pressure immediately.
One of the younger warriors instinctively stepped backward.
