Jack, Alette, and Riven's group pressed deeper into the forest, every step careful as they watched one another's backs. Somewhere among the trees, the unseen N'ghftnah silently observed them, ready to strike at any moment. Yet despite the suffocating tension, Alette could only stare at Jack with narrowed eyes and a half-open mouth, utterly dumbfounded that he still found time to make terrible puns.
"Let's make the unseen eldritch monster seen…" Alette muttered. "What does that even mean?"
"You know… because it's invisible, and we're gonna make it visible."
"Okay, but why are you making jokes when that thing could cut us down from behind at any second?!"
"I was just… trying to make things a little less tense."
Alette sighed softly as the group halted at Kani's signal. Raising her fist, Kani pointed toward blood staining a nearby tree, prompting everyone to shift their gaze toward it. Riven slowly approached, pressing two fingers against the dark stain as he carefully examined it. His eyes drifted to the right, where dark stains of blood marked the grass beyond the trees.
Bryce stepped forward when something beneath his boot stopped him. He looked down, and his face stiffened at the sight of a severed hand lying among the grass. Startled, he recoiled several steps, instantly drawing the other's attention. The moment Alette saw the grisly remains, she hurried closer to Jack's head, visibly shaken.
Riven's eyes moved from the severed hand to the faint traces left in the soil by some unseen creature. He then examined the blood-soaked tree trunk and the grass surrounding it. Piece by piece, the horrifying scene came together in his mind.
"Something tells me our mercenary friend reached for something… or someone. Then the N'ghftnah came down from above, severed his hands, and sliced through his waist, sending what remained of him crashing into that tree."
"Was it truly necessary to describe what happened here?" Alette asked Riven.
"We need to learn from this scene. Knowing how they died tells us exactly what the N'ghftnah is capable of right now. And from the looks of it, they were running from that direction." Riven slowly pointed into the dark forest ahead of them, toward the deeper shadows waiting beyond the trees. "Could be where it came from."
"Then let's go." Kani said. The group resumed their advance deeper into the forest, while Tatsu eventually stepped forward to walk beside Jack and Alette.
"Jack, right?"
"Yeah."
"I've been wondering… were there other elements you kept hidden back at the Vanguard's Central Hub?"
"Why do you ask?"
"N-Nothing… I just wanted to learn a little more about you, that's all."
"Fufufu~ of course he does. Jack's hiding plenty more elements up his sleeve; it all depends on who he's fighting." Alette declared proudly, flashing a mischievous cat-like grin.
"Oh? Well… from his armor alone, it's obvious Jack is an experienced soldier. Still, I find it strange that you've never heard of the N'ghftnah. They were among the primary forces of that entity, and this nation endured four years of war against them. After they withdrew… were you even present during that time?"
Jack suddenly froze, his eyes widening ever so slightly. The group halted with him, and Alette quickly drifted in front of Tatsu, her expression sharpening.
"Well, Tatsu, that's because he's-" Alette's words were cut short. In an instant, Jack shoved her aside with his shoulder, grabbed Tatsu by the arm, and pulled him sharply backward while drawing his sword in reverse grip. He cut downward at nothing but air, and sparks burst violently from his blade as steel collided with something invisible right in front of them.
The violent clash sent the entire group into alarm. Every head snapped toward Jack. Then realization struck them all at once. The N'ghftnah was right in front of them.
"W-What the?!" Alette startled.
"That's the N'ghftnah!" Riven yelled.
Jack burst toward the unseen creature without hesitation, his blade flashing as he deflected every vicious strike hurled at him. Distorted, gnarly shrieks rang through the forest. With a sharp twist of his left hand, Strike hurled a strike at him. Distorted, gnarly shrieks rang through the forest. With a sharp twist of his left hand, a swirling orb of water materialized beside him before he unleashed it like a cannon blast. The impact hurled the creature backward, and for the first time, its invisible body became visible beneath the water, clinging to its skin.
"Now!"
Bryce thrust his palms forward and roared, "Protective Sphere Barrier!" Brilliant light exploded from his hands, weaving itself into a radiant sphere that enclosed the unseen creature, trapping it before it could lash out or vanish into the forest once more. The unseen creature clawed and slashed violently against the barrier, desperate to break free. Bryce slowly closed his hand into a fist, and the radiant sphere tightened around the monster, steadily shrinking as though preparing to crush it alive.
The glowing sphere continued to close in until it suddenly stopped. Somehow, the unseen creature had braced its bare hands against the barrier, resisting the crushing force through raw strength alone. As it struggled against the radiant prison, its invisibility began to waver and peel away, slowly unveiling its horrifying true form.
The N'ghftnah finally emerged from invisibility. Towering at nearly seven feet tall, the monstrosity was covered in dark beige armored scales layered over pitch-black flesh. Its elongated arms ended in monstrous claws, and from the back of its waist extended a razor-sharp tail that curved like a living blade. Its feet struck the ground with its talons. The back of its head stretched into a slightly rectangular shape, while overlapping scales formed a hood-like crown around it. Four reptilian eyes stared from its face, their lizard-like pupils gleaming coldly through the group, while black scales sealed its mouth shut in eerie silence.
Now kneeling within the barrier, the creature spread its claws against the glowing sphere, straining to prevent the crushing force from closing in further.
Bryce, Riven, and Kani readied their weapons at once. Tatsu raised his bow, an arrow aimed directly at the trapped creature, while Jack gripped his sword in both hands and settled into a middle guard stance. Behind him, Alette remained concealed.
"And so it revealed itself." Said Riven.
With a sickening motion, the N'ghftnah's jaws split into four separate sections, peeling apart like a grotesque flower as it unleashed a thunderous roar toward the group.