Countdown to discovery

1

Deep in the crowded woodlands, and far from civilization, lay two people. 
     Illuminated by a few scattered honeydew colored petals from the weathered barks, a pack of nether raccoons emerges from the shadows before the two adventurers, Lars and Marsh; both in battle stance. 
     Pressed against a boulder, there was no sign of hope facing those four creatures. 

Despite this, in the vanguard stood Lars, calling out to Marsh to raise his protection. Naturally, it was the most logical thing to do, but paralyzed in fear, Marsh’s knees had already given up. 
     With a little help of gravity, an opaque viscous substance gently flowed down the curves of her alabaster, and yet smooth porcelain skin like a slow drift in a river creek. 
     Perhaps she didn’t feel too well on this dark night, or perhaps it was because she saw, with her appraisal skill, one of the raccoon’s class titles : a [Master Sergeant] — A title bestowed to wild monsters that almost rivals that of a hero. 

“I-it, it’s a Master Sergeant…”  
     Maybe because he was dead tired, but Lars didn’t feel the will to fight anymore. His ass was leaking and his trousers were full of shit from his dinner of 3 days ago — he has constipation. 
     No adventurer had ever heard of a demon raccoon going beyond the Lance Corporal title. That’s why the duo were confident when they first entered the forest, they thought they could hold their own against those common demons.

His grip loosened up; His but-cheeks tightened; His face was beset with beads of sweat. But he still had a job to do : alert the guild. 
     As if they both had the same thought, Marsh summoned the courage to swiftly clap her hands together and cast the spell [Record Vision] — a high level spell from one of the academy’s grimoires.

Among the spells inside those magic books, [Record Vision] was perhaps the most useful for the security department of the guild. It turned its user into a living recording device; plus it didn’t require a lot of mana to maintain it. Therefore society used it for many things, ranging from patrolling the streets to documenting historical events, such as this one. 
     The vision can then be transmitted, saved and displayed through an enchanted gem crystal on a table linked with the user, and that’s exactly what Marsh did. The operator from the guild could now see what she saw, including any magic visual enhancements currently in her point of view, such as information from the appraisal skill.

Suddenly, from within the shadows behind a demon raccoon, a giant hand slowly crept from up high — its source could not be seen. The hand’s features were impossibly grim, the cracked nails were filled with grime; pits of mold mediated between the long withered fingers; appalling scars bared almost the entirety of its visible surface. 
     In one sweeping motion, the hand fell down and effortlessly crushed the creature. The poor thing has been reduced into tiny bits of wet mush, splashing its surroundings. 
     Lars’ hole opened again.

The atmosphere near that hand indicated a clear death warning for all those who loomed around it, but also to those who saw from the guild’s command center. 
     From within Marsh’s vision, with her appraisal skill still active, a single piece of information from that arm drew the attention of everyone in the room : [Ancient Cyclop].