With those words, the group dispersed, each person rushing to fulfill their tasks. "Thomas, check if your daughter has evacuated, then meet me on the eastern road," Jamie instructed. He knew that Thomas couldn't fight effectively if he was worrying about Julie's safety. In moments like these, clarity of mind was essential.

Thomas nodded, his eyes reflecting a father's concern, and sprinted toward the village. Jamie turned on his heel and headed swiftly toward the eastern road.

Even kilometers away, Jamie could feel the tremors. The earth shuddered beneath the colossal footsteps of the approaching monsters. As he reached the crest of a hill, a grotesque scene unfolded on the distant horizon. The creatures resembled humans but were warped into horrifying parodies.

They had pale, almost translucent skin and long, unkempt hair that whipped about in the wind. Yet, the proportions of their limbs were surreal. Elongated arms and legs that were both muscular and impossibly long. Their mouths were filled with oversized teeth that seemed too large to be contained.

Most of them wore no clothing, their massive forms exposed save for a few who had fashioned crude loincloths from scraps of cloth or animal hides. They carried enormous pieces of trees; some wielded as clubs, others used as walking staffs, each one so large it could have been a whole tree to normal folk. Towering over six meters tall, they moved with a terrifying grace, their strides covering vast distances with ease.

Behind Jamie, Emyr, the gnome inventor, and Thyra, the ice mage, were diligently setting explosives and conjuring ice walls along the path. Emyr's nimble fingers deftly placed her devices, her eyes gleaming with focused excitement behind her goggles. Thyra, her golden braids tucked neatly under her hood, moved with practiced precision, her staff tracing patterns in the air as barriers of glistening ice erupted from the ground.

As seconds ticked by, Jamie observed the city walls beginning to teem with activity. Silhouettes of soldiers appeared atop the battlements. Some clutched spears and shields, while others readied bows and nocked arrows. Here and there, robed figures took their positions, staffs, and wands glowing faintly. Even from this distance, Jamie could discern the fear and determination etched on their faces.

The tolling of alarm bells pierced the evening gloom, their urgent clangor echoing even beyond the city's fortified walls. The sound was both a warning and a rallying cry, a call to arms for all who could fight and a signal for those who couldn't to find shelter.

"They've started to get ready," Thomas remarked, arriving swiftly at Jamie's side. His breathing was steady, but his eyes betrayed how worried he was. "Julie is safe; she's going to the tavern," he added.

"Good," Jamie replied, his gaze never leaving the impending horde.

"What can we do to delay them?" Thomas asked.

"Anything," Jamie said firmly. "We won't sacrifice ourselves, but we need to buy as much time as possible for the city to mount a proper defense."

"How much time are we talking?" Thomas asked, ever the pragmatist.

"As much as we can manage," Jamie responded. "Once we've done all we can, we'll fall back to the city."

Thomas pondered for a moment, his gaze distant, but chose to keep his thoughts to himself.

Jamie glanced down at his list of spells, urgently checking what resources he had left.

--

[Spells] | Dancing Lights [0/1] | Detect Magic [1/1] | Ghost Sound [0/1] | Alarm [0/1] | Cause Fear [0/1] | Babble [0/1] | Cacophonous Call [1/1] | Thundering Drums [1/1]

--

"Damn it, almost nothing left. I used it all in the fights," Jamie muttered under his breath.

"They're getting closer," Thomas warned, his voice cutting through the tension.

"All right, let's do this." Jamie drew both of his daggers, their blades gleaming faintly in the dimming light. "Any weaknesses I should know about?"

"None. Giants are walking engines of destruction," Thomas replied grimly. "We're fools even trying to slow them down."

"Nothing new there," Jamie quipped with a wry smile.

The first giant loomed just paces away. A towering behemoth wielding a massive tree trunk like a club. With a guttural roar, it swung the makeshift weapon in a wide arc toward Jamie. The bard leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow, the force of the swing whipping a gust of wind across his face.

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'What the hell? That reach is impossible!' Jamie thought, frustration gnawing at him as he struggled to find a way to get closer.

The other giants paid them little heed, their colossal strides carrying them relentlessly toward the city walls. Each footfall shook the ground, the rhythmic tremors echoing like distant thunder.

Thomas, standing a few steps behind, assessed the situation quickly. Instead of targeting a giant directly, he aimed at the ground beneath their feet.

[Sow] he shouted, invoking his new skill.

The earth responded to his command. The ground beneath the giants erupted violently, as if explosive charges had detonated below the surface. Chasms opened up, and out of the fifteen advancing giants, three stumbled, their massive forms crashing to the ground with earth-shaking force.

Jamie cast a glance toward Thomas. Even from afar, he could tell that such a feat had taken a toll. 'He might be able to do that once, maybe twice more before he's spent,' Jamie thought.

"We need to keep our distance! Their strides are too long!" Thomas called out, his voice strained.

"I'm doing my best!" Jamie shouted back, dodging another swing from the persistent giant fixated on him. The creature's tree trunk whooshed past, splintering a boulder that had been behind Jamie moments before.

[Cacophonous Call] Jamie invoked, pointing his hand toward the giant.

Arcane energy surged as the spell took hold. The giant halted mid-swing, its eyes widening in confusion. It clutched its enormous hands to its ears and bellowed in agony. The magic assaulted its senses, a deafening cacophony reverberating inside its skull as if a thousand discordant bells were clamoring at once. The creature staggered, disoriented by the unbearable noise.

"That should buy us some time," Jamie thought, seizing the moment to put distance between themselves and the pursuing giants.

Their efforts might have only gained precious seconds, but in this dire situation, every heartbeat mattered.

Even from afar, Jamie could witness the city's defenders springing into action. Arrows, bolts, and spells arced through the darkening sky, unleashed from the battlements atop the towering walls. The heavens themselves seemed to respond to the looming threat; clouds gathered swiftly, casting the world into shadow. A spear, glinting in the fading light, soared through the air and struck the chest of an approaching giant. In an instant, a massive bolt of lightning cracked down from the storm-laden clouds, connecting with the spear and ripping through the creature in a blinding flash.

"Can you believe you managed to beat that kid?" Jamie remarked, his voice tinged with both admiration and disbelief.

"Can you believe you expect me to train someone like that?" Thomas shot back, a wry smile ghosting across his face despite the urgency.

The three giants felled earlier by Thomas's earth-shattering blow, along with the one ensnared by Jamie's magic, had recovered. Shaking off debris and disorientation, they resumed their relentless pursuit. With thunderous strides, the giants were closing the gap, each massive footfall hammering the ground like a drumbeat of doom.

Every second they drew nearer, their grotesque features coming into sharper focus.

"That's my last spell!" Jamie shouted between ragged breaths. "After this, we need to run and not look back!"

"Got it!" Thomas yelled in response, his voice firm despite the pounding of his heart.

Jamie cast a swift glance over his shoulder, gauging the distance of their pursuers. The giants loomed ominously, their shadows stretching long across the barren terrain. Turning sharply, he faced them, clapping his hands together with resounding force.

[Thundering Drums]

A colossal shockwave erupted from the point of contact, rippling outward with deafening might. The very air seemed to shatter as the sonic blast tore across the field. The earth trembled violently, fissures snaking across the ground. The giants staggered, momentarily disoriented by the overwhelming force. Some fell to their knees, bellowing in confusion and rage.

Wasting no time to witness the full extent of his spell's effect, Jamie spun on his heel and broke into a sprint. His muscles screamed in protest, exhaustion threatening to overtake him, but adrenaline, fueled his flight. Thomas was beside him, matching his pace stride for stride.

They raced toward the line of ice barriers, going around the crystalline walls with practiced agility. The cold emanating from the ice was biting, sharp breaths forming clouds of vapor as they pushed onward. Behind them, the thunderous footsteps of the giants resumed, the temporary hindrance of the spell wearing off.

Through the outskirts of the village, they ran; it was eerily deserted. Shadows clung to the corners of abandoned homes, and the silence was broken only by the distant sounds of chaos. Finally, they crossed the threshold into Hafenstadt, the city's looming gates a welcome sight.

Explosions echoed in the distance. The chain reaction of Emyr's bombs and the traps laid along their path. The ground shook subtly beneath their feet, but Jamie barely registered it. His chest heaved as he gulped in the air.

Only then did he become acutely aware of the turmoil surrounding them. The city entrance was engulfed in pandemonium. A sea of people pressed toward the northern gate, faces etched with fear. Mothers clutched their children tightly; elders leaned heavily on canes, urgency quickening their steps. The din of hundreds of voices melded into a chorus of panic.

"Do you think we bought enough time?" Thomas asked, his breathing heavy as he surveyed the frantic exodus.

"No way," Jamie replied honestly, his gaze fixed on the chaotic mass running far from the South Gate.

As if in grim answer, a deep, resonant crash reverberated through the air. The unmistakable sound of something massive colliding with stone. Then another, and another. Each impact sent a tremor coursing through the ground, dust dislodging from rooftops.

"The wall is going to fall," Jamie said gravely, turning to meet Thomas's eyes.

Around them, the crowd's panic escalated. Cries and shouts filled the air. Some people pushed forward desperately, while others seemed frozen in place, eyes wide with terror.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar split the night, louder than before. The ground shook violently beneath their feet. Jamie's gaze snapped toward the source of the sound.

A billowing cloud of dust and debris rose near the city's edge. As the veil of dust began to settle, the horrifying truth became clear. A massive breach gaped in the wall.

"Dear gods," Thomas whispered, gripping his sword until his knuckles whitened.

The first of the giants stepped through the rubble.

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