TAP—
As soon as Verc stepped into the clearing, the heavy silence of the Cursed Forest seemed to snap like a thin glass rod. The sound of his boot hitting the dark, flat stone was quiet, but in this place of dead air and hushed whispers, it might as well have been a thunderclap.
-GRRRR...?
The giant monster resting on the massive boulder reacted instantly. Its yellow, lantern-like eyes snapped open, glowing with a dull, predatory light that pierced through the dim gloom of the clearing. It didn't have to look around or sniff the air; it locked onto Verc's position immediately. It was able to sense his presence the moment he crossed the threshold of the stone floor.
Verc stopped walking for a second, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. He looked at the mountain of muscle and stone-gray skin before him, noticing the way the monster's pupils dilated as they focused on him.
"Well, looks like I can't start the fight with an ambush."
Verc said to himself, smiling a little.
