A few dozen minutes later.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."
Urgent hoofbeats rose from the horizon. Dust flew as a large group of humans on horseback appeared.
The horses they rode stood nearly two meters tall, like tanks of flesh and blood. Compared to them, the humans on their backs looked somewhat small, most of them less than 1.6 meters tall.
There were twenty of them, all wearing yellow-and-green camouflage cloaks. Their expressions were grave, their eyes constantly sweeping the surroundings.
Heavy mechanical crossbows were strapped to their backs, nearly bending them over. The black metal bolts were already loaded, ready to fire at any moment. Translucent ropes were attached to the tails of the bolts, long enough to form large piles on the horses' backs, while their other ends were tied around the humans' waists. They appeared to be used for climbing something.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."
After riding several hundred meters, the group stopped before several towering trees a hundred meters tall.
The middle-aged man at the front took out a parchment map from his clothes, studied it, and said to those behind him, "It should be around here. According to the Scout Regiment First Division's report, an unknown number of giants have been active here, posing a certain threat to our city. We cannot rule out the possibility that they are gathering forces to launch an attack on our city.
"Therefore, the mission of our Ninth Squad this time is to investigate the giants' situation, determine exactly how many there are, how strong they are, and whether there are any evolved individuals. If conditions permit, we will try to hunt down a lone giant and bring its blood back for analysis. Do you all understand?"
"Yes." The people behind the middle-aged man nodded in unison. There were quite a few young faces