A few days had passed since Emily and I bid farewell to Zachary and Helen Connolly, their hospitality lingering in our memories. Now, near the stone gatehouse of our village, I stood waiting for Wesley. He arrived with the weight of his burdens etched upon his weary face. The toll of leadership was evident in his eyes.

"Hey, Wesley," I hesitated, my voice filled with a flicker of hope. "Are we heading out today? There's gotta be more villages out there, maybe more people to find. We can't just sit here while they're out in the wild."

Wesley let out a weary sigh, his eyes fixed on the village bustling behind us. "I wish it were simple, Cade. But my duties are here, with our people."

He gestured to the new cottages built for the arrivals from Doe Run. "We welcomed thirty from there just last night. Now comes the task of integrating them into the village, finding roles for them to fill."

My heart sank at his words, realizing the weight on his shoulders. Thirty more put us closer to two hundred, the number needed to establish a proper manor.

"I understand, Wesley," I said, unable to keep the disappointment from my voice. "We gotta care for our own first. But we can't abandon those still lost out there."

I met his gaze resolutely. "Let me take a scouting group for a few days. We can search for stragglers, spread word of our village. And if we encounter others, we can open a dialogue."

Wesley considered a moment then nodded, a weary smile touching his lips. "Ever the explorer, Cade. Your compassion does you credit." He gripped my shoulder. "Take Hanna and Jayden. And Emily too, if she's willing."

At her name, I felt my cheeks flush and mumbled vague agreement. Wesley clasped my shoulder firmly. "Oh, and bring Brian Wallace along. His healing skills may prove useful."

I managed to meet his gaze despite my embarrassment. "It's settled then. I'll gather the team and hit the road."

Wesley nodded. "Good luck my friend. And tread cautiously."

The midday sun beat down as we trudged along the crumbling highway, heading north from the village. Our footfalls echoed hollowly on the fractured pavement. I felt each step weighted with purpose. We were bound on a quest, one of our own making - to search out other settlements, and hopefully expand our alliance.

I glanced back at the team I'd assembled, their faces lined with determination: Emily, Hanna, Jayden, Brian Wallace, and Steve Junior. Emily caught my eye, falling into step beside me.

"Do you think we'll find anyone out here?" she asked, shielding her eyes as she scanned the barren landscape. I spotted a glimmer of hope in her gaze.

"I'm sure there are others, Em," I said firmly. "And we'll help however we can."

On point ahead, Hanna paused, picking her way back over the broken asphalt. "There's a village up ahead," she reported in a hushed voice. "Something seems off...I didn't get too close."

As we approached, I saw what she meant. The walls were battered down, the gates torn from their hinges. Inside, the village lay in ruins. I wondered how many had called this place home before calamity struck.

Crouching beside a ruined hut, I ran my fingers over scorch marks on the timbers and stone from a fireplace. Hanna found me, her eyes troubled. "This place gives me chills, Cade," she murmured, barely audible over the wind.

I met her gaze and nodded. "I know. It looks ransacked, but this damage...it's different somehow."

Nearby, Jayden called out, "The walls were knocked inward. This was no storm." He swept his gaze over the wreckage, brow furrowed.

I felt a chill creep down my spine despite the heat. What tragedy had befallen this village? Something or someone had left only devastation behind.

As we sifted through the wreckage of the ravaged village, curiosity compelled us to investigate further. It seemed some great force had swept through, leaving only devastation. Had it been monsters? Raiders? Or something beyond imagining? The answers eluded us.

Until we stumbled upon them - a trail of enormous prints sunk into the mud. They resembled the tracks of a gigantic raccoon, the size of wagon wheels. We gathered around them, equal parts awed and uneasy.

"What on earth could have left these?" Emily finally voiced the question in all our minds.

Brian crouched down, brow furrowed as he inspected them. "No natural beast made these. We could be dealing with some system-made monster...or some twisted mutation."

"Either way, we stick together and keep our eyes peeled," Hanna said, scanning the surroundings warily.

Unease swirled in my gut, but we had to press on, following the bizarre tracks. The sun blazed overhead as we trudged down the crumbling highway. Monstrous prints now etched in our minds, our steps felt heavy.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Up ahead, the air itself seemed to shimmer with heat. I squinted, glimpsing movement on the horizon. A family emerged from the haze - a man struggling to push a heavy wheelbarrow, woman and child stumbling along in his wake. Their shock at seeing us quickly shifted to desperation.

Before we could even approach, the man called out, voice hoarse with thirst. "Water...please. We've nothing left." His ragged clothes hung limply, drenched in sweat. The woman regarded us with sunken eyes under a dusty shawl, clutching her children close to her filthy skirts.

I approached the ragged family warily, even as Hanna offered them water. The man's haunted eyes scanned the barren road behind us. "You think this path is dangerous?" he rasped. "What lies ahead is far worse."

I frowned, hand drifting to my rifle grip. "What did you encounter out there?"

The woman clutched her child tightly, resignation and fear etched on her face. "A monstrous creature, big as a house. It tore through our village like a tornado."

Emily's eyes widened. "A monster? You're certain?"

The man nodded, voice quavering. "I ain’t seen nothing like it before. It was like something out of a nightmare. We couldn't fight it. We had to flee."

My mind raced. If it had ravaged their settlement, how long until it reached our own? "Do you know where it went after the attack?"

He shook his head desperately. "We don't know. We grabbed our kids and ran as fast as we could."

A chill crept into my heart. This mysterious creature's power was beyond imagining. I turned to the others, voice grim. "We can’t ignore this. We need to be ready for anything."

Emily met my eyes, resolve tempered by unease. "Agreed. We need to be prepared for anything out here."

Jayden gripped his sword tightly. "We won't let any monster take us by surprise."

As we continued down the ruined highway, Hanna returned from scouting ahead and waved me over urgently. Her expression was grim, eyes troubled.

"Cade, you need to see this," she said in a hushed voice. Her clear unease made my pulse quicken.

"What is it?" I asked, signaling the others to halt as I followed her.

She led me to a cracked rise overlooking the road ahead. "Get down and look."

I crouched beside her, slowly peering over the crumbling edge. As my gaze fell upon the scene below, my blood turned to ice in my veins.

Lumbering through a ravaged village was a hulking armadillo. The only thing missing was a capsized Lone Star beer truck. It was monstrous, freakish, like something warped by radiation. The creature tore through walls methodically, almost casually, clearly not on a mindless rampage but stalking living prey.

We watched in horror as it plucked up a fleeing man and swallowed him whole. The armadillo continued its deliberate hunt, oblivious to the chaos in its wake.

"Sweet Jesus, would you look at the size of that thing," I whispered, my voice barely a breath in the stillness.

Hanna nodded, her eyes reflecting a mix of awe and concern. "Yep. I've never seen anything like it. That beast looks like it could destroy an entire village without batting an eye."

Although we were some distance away, I could still inspect it. We watched in silence as Armadon the Colossal continued its destructive rampage through yet another ruined village. The scene before us was like a macabre symphony, a symphony of destruction and chaos. The creature's movements were deliberate, its actions driven by a primal instinct that spoke of untamed power. I blinked in shock as it lowered its head and gobbled a person who had tried to run away, like it was eating a bug.

"There's something eerie about its behavior," I mused as I turned away from the grisly image, my thoughts drifting into a realm of speculation. "It's as if it knows exactly what it's doing, as if it has purpose amidst the ruin."

Hanna nodded in agreement, her eyes never leaving the colossal armadillo. "Yeah. We’re what's on the menu. It's not just mindless destruction. It’s hunting in the ruins for more people."

We shared a knowing glance, a silent understanding passing between us. We had encountered our fair share of adversaries, but none quite like Armadon. It was a foe that demanded respect, strategy, and a need to destroy it before it got to us.

"We need to tread carefully," I warned, my voice low and cautious. "The last thing we need is for it to follow us home. I suspect its armor will prove to be damn near impenetrable. There’s no way our little adventuring group could take it. I doubt our village could take it. We’ll need to rally the other villages if we’re to stand a chance against that thing.”

Hanna gripped her weapon tighter, a flicker of determination in her eyes. "No kidding, Cade. Let’s go tell the others."

As Hanna and I returned to the rest of our nervous party, our worried faces mirrored the weight of our journey. The group gathered around us, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Alright, gather 'round," I called out, my voice carrying a hint of urgency. "Armadon is unlike anything we've ever faced. It tore through villages like a tornado, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake."

Emily, her rapier gleaming in the dim light, leaned in closer. "How big are we talking? Like, bear-sized or...?"

I shook my head, a sense of unease settling in. "No, Em. It's far larger than that. This thing is colossal. Picture a creature the size of a house, armored like a fortress, and fueled by an insatiable hunger for destruction and, um, us."

Jayden, who had been playing with the pommel of his two-handed sword, dropped it at my news. He scrambled for the hilt as he blurted, "Damn, that's one hell of a monster. So, what's the plan?"

Hanna stepped forward. "We should head back to the first village that Armadon attacked. We didn’t really pay enough attention before to know how many people lived there and whether they put up a fight. We need to see the scale of the devastation firsthand."

Brian nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Understanding the enemy's capabilities may help us to defeat it."

We set out retracing our steps back to the remnants of the first village. The journey was somber, the weight of our mission hanging heavy in the air. As we arrived at the desolate site, the ruins painted a haunting picture of the lives that had been abruptly snuffed out.

As we spread out, investigating the scene of the crime, Steve Jr. surveyed the wreckage. "There must have been the better part of a hundred people if the number of wrecked houses are any indication.”

I nodded, as I knelt next to what appeared to be the remains of one of the villagers. My stomach wanted to revolt against me. My grip tightened on my Sharps Rifle as I tried to control my body’s response to the horrific scene. I rose and turned away from the gristly remains. "We've seen the power of Armadon firsthand. Neither village was small or weak, and yet they were crushed effortlessly. It's clear we've gone far enough. This news is too important to ignore. Our village needs to know what we're up against."

Emily locked eyes with me. "You're right, Cade. If this monster turns our way, we need time to prepare.”

With a troubled final glance at the remains of the village, I turned my back on the ruins. Every step we took would bring us closer to home; I’d never felt such an urgency before.