The ground trembled. Two giants emerged from the Crystal Grotto. Stone scraped against stone as their massive bodies moved through the passage.
The barrier of thorns, trees, and monsters that kept them separated from the wider valley was finally destroyed. The creatures preventing them from escaping the grotto were gone. They were free.
The first Behemoth halted at the grotto's edge, its massive head turning slowly to take in the world outside. It towered three stories high, a walking mountain of layered stone plates that scraped and shifted with every movement.
The second Behemoth lumbered forward, smaller than its twin but no less imposing. It raised its head and inhaled deeply through vents in its neck, sampling the air. Something burned nearby. The scent of smoke drifted across the valley, carried by the wind.
The larger Behemoth took its first step outside of the grotto. The earth buckled beneath its weight, leaving a crater in the soft soil.
