Dark Crow Rising

"This is everything the guilds were able to compile with what we handed out?" I ask my officers just to make sure this really is everything. We have so little to work with. Protocol dictates an individual tablet be given per communication log, but, some of them are only a line or two. Most end in the same sort of language.

'Help, help us!'

'The ground is vanishing!'

'We're going to die!?'

"I'm afraid so, Grandguard. In turn, we're also getting a sharp drop in those willing to accept the contract. The mortality rate is quickly becoming common knowledge." one of them explains and my hand smacks the table.

"Mortality rate!? They're guild witches, mercenaries! Their jobs are to fight and possibly die!" I almost scream but, thankfully, I manage to keep it as mere exasperation.

"They're not professional soldiers, much as the glory of combat still affects them. Discipline is not something we can count on." one rightly points out and I lean back into my chair with a strained sigh. Testing the limits of how far back I can push the chair, its hinges lock up and fight back against me.

"Fine, tell the guilds to change up how they handle the privacy of the communication lines. We need more eyes on this giant. But, fine. What else do we know? What do we properly know at this point?" I order and ask, rubbing my eye once my mouth closes up

"Confirmed data so far is that this giant is not actively hunting anything. All destruction is a byproduct of what we believe to be a magic-consuming aura. We also know that this aura has a set distance, however, how it is applied we do not know. No magic sensor is able to precisely pick up on any spells, in-built or casted. We believe that to be a result of the aura consuming magic." the officer explains to me as he checks over the tablet that likely has all the useful information compiled on it. I nod quickly.

"And what of our eyes in the air, have they noticed any change in behaviour?" I ask, setting up the meeting table's holo map myself. Wind magic gently fills out the centre and a shape starts to form. In order to get all eyes on it, I set it up on the ceiling's mechanisms and we all lean back.

Our country is being gutted like a live fish facing a blunt knife...

"No observable changes have been spotted, no, Grandguard Inerish. The giant is still within the acceptable parameters for those who have been in charge of predicting its path." one man explains. Frowning, I zoom the map closer to the progress of the giant's march. It need only veer off away from our planned battle line to be on a direct path with a city.

"You can confirm this to be the case, it is not necessary to call for the evacuation of nearby cities?" I question, putting the map in the perspective of that city should the giant turn. If this magic aura wasn't a problem, the mountains between this Grimmicksal and the giant would be adequate protection. Then again, the giant would probably be gone by now if the magic aura was a thing of the imagination alone.

"We've had some talks about this before this meeting's scheduled time. For the moment, we believe the benefits of not incurring a national panic outweigh the precautions. The giant has been behaving as predicted for a little under two weeks now." one of them speaks on behalf of who knows how many. Moving my chair up, I lean forward onto the conference table.

"You are all sure of this?" I ask and my response is mixed, those who clearly support the idea nod or give other affirmations. Very few seem to show any contradiction to the consensus.

I reach a hand out and drum it. Index to pinky. Index to pinky. Index to pinky...

My mouth clicks, "Very well, make sure the cities and towns nearby are put on alert and are ready to accept any refugees who have made it out of the giant's path. We'll hold off on anything major and we'll put our hopes into the defence line. Gods and goddesses, please may it be so..."

The doors to the meeting room open up and my secretary comes striding in. She makes little work of the distance and tight spacing in some parts of the room and arrives at my ear. Leaning slightly towards her, I take the contents of her hands and read it over. I start to nod and hand it back.

"You'll have to excuse me, gentlemen. There has been some progress regarding our air recon. Keep discussing the matter until the allotted time for this meeting is up, please." I ask of them, getting up and following after my secretary.

"Yes, Grandguard Inerish." the officers answer collectively before I close the door behind me.

"So, how bad is it?" I ask my secretary quietly and she turns towards me, hand over her mouth.

"Nothing. We don't know anything about what has happened to our ground-based observation posts." she answers but we both know the truth here. The giant's power reached them because we were too foolish and ignored the mirror's warning. The giant is able to affect such a vast area with that aura and the scale is deceptive. A large creature might move slow at times, but that does not make it sluggish.

Anyone who has seen a ryphurgok on the charge should know this.

"Our troops in the air are still able?" I ask and she gives a single quick nod.

"Yes, the requested airships are awaiting your orders to move in and investigate." she answers and the doors to the command centre slide open. The noise of it all is almost deafening and I almost smirk a little at how my secretary adjusts to it. Reaching my chair, I sit and put in the commands I need to open up a few magic screens.

"Grandguard Inerish at the helm!" one of my main assistants calls out, alerting the entire room to my presence.

"Bring up the airship feed." I order and my eyes snap to the suddenly content-filled screen. An endless pale desert with a looming sign of the end walking along it. Further up, another mountain starts to cave in on itself, the magic drained from each pebble making up its once grand size. What appears to be a large bird of some kind flies away, only to fall and go up with a puff of sand.

My finger locks up above one of my keys. I shake my head slightly and push the one needed to get the airship to move closer. It's hard to tell how far-reaching the aura is from the rear so I need a side or frontal view. The airship cautiously flies over a half-gutted mountain range.

"Get me some close-up imagery of the land where the land remains the same and the desert begins." I request and the cameras pan towards the designated spot. They flash and click with unending blinks and the data starts to compile. The teams on either side of me come alive with activity and they start to point out various things. I think I can hear talk about magic interacting with a blank environment.

Hmm, Suhurlodst will have to be called in it seems. We already knew about the aura and the effect it has on magic in the area. But, with a vast desert now in our borders with rims of violent magic interaction, we will need the experts. Hopefully, those who are proficient in the study of Sudden Induction Theory and similar will be reachable and not outside the mountain.

I start to clench a fist as more and more of the destruction comes on by. A mountain which has lost most of its, structural integrity becomes the focus of our shots. Its insides have already been hollowed out and the signs of a particular threat come to the fore. Only, they're not acting as they should be, they're in a complete frenzy and the largest chamber is warped with the giant's image.

"Get me a precision bomber from somewhere or make a quick tip to a nearby guild. Have that osibindah hive wiped out." I order before I begin to type in the commands to bring up a recent photo. That chamber in the hive, it's showing the giant on a throne of some kind. The bugs are aware of this threat...?

I push a button.

"Yes, Grandguard Inerish?" the woman on the other end answers.

"I want a call to be made, as public as it can be. I want all experts on osibindah behaviour to be ready for a conference in the Gnomon." I tell her and I can already hear her fingers typing away.

"Of course, anything else?" she asks.

"No, no." I answer firmly at first and then I repeat it with a softer tone. The line goes dead and I return my focus to the airship's reconnaissance.

"Perhaps this danger requires a form of connection?" my secretary suggests and I look up at her.

"In what way do you think that?" I ask so I can hear what she is trying to get at. Maybe she can see something I cannot.

"Well, there have been plenty of birds and other manner of creatures in the air. So, perhaps this ability to destroy only runs in the earth in a specific manner?" she theorises and I put a hand to my chin.

"And what of the bird we had a clear shot of before?" I ask, releasing my jaw and gesturing at her.

"That bird was beginning to fly, whatever danger compelled it to try and flee caught it like a bit of dust will always evade a cleaning cloth." she explains and I begin to nod. This giant must have some fine control over its power if that is the case, then, otherwise, it would collapse all the way through the planet. It doesn't seem to be sinking down, the height at which it is placed remains the same.

"Prepare to move the airship closer once we're firmly in front of the giant. I want us to see how close we can get to the limit of being out of its physical reach." I say, preparing the crew of the airship for a closer inspection. Photographs and video reels of the giant at that level of intimacy should net us better insight. An engineer can always tell us more when he can see the finer gears.

The airship's view rises and rises far above the giant and it safely goes through the clouds until it is ready to descend again. It takes up a position above the next load of peaks likely to be only a memory soon. The camera views adjust and we wait in anticipation as the giant advances.

One footfall and the desert grows. Another and the destruction trails ahead without interruption. It doesn't seem to pay the airship any mind and its posture remains the same. Leaning forward slightly, I prepare to press the button that lets me speak to the airship's crew.

"Make sure to get as close as you can but avo-" I start to say, stopping and choking on the last word when everything becomes static. The command centre bursts to life with frantic activity and I blink. Slowly getting up, I move to one of my men as they hastily type in all the commands they know. One group keeps rewinding the footage to the point we lost the feed.

Nothing happens, it just ends.

"Grandguard Inerish!" a man calls out, standing on his chair. Snapping my eyes up, I rush around to his position as he slowly gets back down.

"We have another airship in the area?" I ask, seeing that he still has a feed.

"Yes, one of the supporting aircraft got a clear view of what happened. Replaying now." the man explains and types and a screen flashes up. Covering my mouth and letting the thumb rise a bit, I watch the footage. The airship is fine and in position, then, as the giant's next footfall lands, it's like a bite is taken out of it.

The airship doesn't even reach the ground before it's all a cloud of dust.

Taking a step back and returning to my chair, I go quiet. One of my fingers finds the alarm button and everyone goes quiet after its sudden blare. Some ideas pass through my head and I check the map we have. Without a blip, I rise.

"I want bombers and artillery at the edges of this thing. I want camera-equipped munitions to give me a clear idea of how covering this aura is. If this giant can be felled, then well done. I want this thing understood, do I make myself clear!?" I let out, my words growing in frustration.

"Yes, Grandguard Inerish!" the room answers.