By later that day, Jack, Alette, and the mercenary group were already on the road, riding toward the distant village where the forest loomed. Their mission to slay the mysterious creature hung over them. As their horses pressed forward, Riven rode alongside and began introducing his fellow party members, including himself.
"The name's Riven, I'm the leader of my party."
"Jack." He said, flicking his eyes upward to Alette perched on his head. "And this little one is Alette."
"Heya!" She waved at Riven.
"And what about your companions?"
"Ah, right, ahem…" Riven cast a glance behind him, beginning his introductions as Jack and Alette followed his line of sight. "That's Bryce, our paladin and cleric. He specializes in defense, support, and healing, though he's just as capable in combat."
Bryce acknowledged them with a wave, which they returned.
Riven then inclined his head toward the rabbitfolk. "And that's Kani, our scout."
Kani remained vigilant, carefully scanning and listening to the forest around them.
"She doesn't take her job lightly."
"I can see that."
"And then there's Tatsu." The trio looked back at him riding behind Kani. "Our newest member is an archer. He's still a bit green in a fight, since the rest of us are iron-rankers, and he's just a copper-ranker."
"Hmm..."
"But, he has encountered more varieties of eldritch beings than any of us, even some we have never faced. So he may be able to tell what kind of creature we're about to face."
"Like what?" Alette asked.
"Well-" Riven started, but Bryce's sudden call cut him off mid-sentence.
"Hey, look over there." Bryce said. Jack, Alette, and the rest of the group turned their attention forward, where a village stood atop a hill.
By the time they reached the village, an empty caravan stood abandoned by the wooden fence. As they entered, uneasy eyes followed their every move. After dismounting, an elderly village chief slowly approached, his expression lined with worry.
"E-Excuse me… are you the mercenaries who answered our request?" the elderly chief asked Riven, his voice uneasy.
"That is correct, sir."
A heavy sigh escaped the elderly chief as he took in the sight of three iron-rankers and a lone copper-ranker. Around them, murmurs spread through the villagers, their doubtful whispers carrying a sense of fading hope.
"Are they serious?"
"They're bringing someone who could die… even a silver-ranker didn't make it out of that forest."
"This is just great..."
"They're going to die for nothing."
From behind Riven's group, Jack and Alette watched the villagers' uneasy faces, their doubt thick in the air. Riven's party spoke with confidence, trying to restore hope, but it wavered. Alette glanced at Jack, her eyes drifting to the mithril tag at his neck. Slowly, a sly grin crept across her face as an idea sparked.
"Fufufu…" Alette's sly laughter echoed, pulling everyone's gaze toward her. Even Riven's party turned. "Fear not, people of this village! We do not come empty-handed. Standing before you is the mithril-ranker of the Vanguard's Guild, Jack Ryder!"
With a grand gesture, she presented him, his mithril tag glinting brilliantly in the light.
The villagers' gazes shifted to Jack, settling on the mithril tag at his neck. Hope flickered across their faces, relief replacing doubt as they realized someone of his rank had come to face the monster.
"Whoa! A mithril ranker?"
"Is it really a mithril ranker?"
"L-let me see!"
The villagers surged toward Jack, voices overlapping as they begged him to slay the monster. He glanced at Alette, who met him with a bright smile and an encouraging thumbs-up. Jack let out a quiet sigh, lowering his gaze. This was recognition he had never wanted. In front of them, Riven's group watched as hope flickered back to life among the villagers, their tension easing into relieved laughter.
A few minutes later, the villagers crowded outside the chief's home, quietly peering through the windows as he briefed the mercenaries, their anxious eyes filled with hope. The village chief began to speak at the table before Jack and Alette, his voice steady, while Riven's group stood behind them, listening in silence.
"It has been a week since this began. At first, several villagers entered the forest to gather herbs and berries, but they never returned. After a few days, we went to search for them and… ho… what we found was not something one forgets easily. As we attempted to leave, we lost more of our people. We never saw the creature responsible, so we fled and submitted a request to the Vanguard's Guild, hoping mercenaries would put an end to it.That very night, we heard their final screams. None of us dared to enter the forest again. The next morning, we found blood along the path leading out… but no bodies."
"That explains the empty caravan." Said Kani.
"Thanks for the info. I'll go talk it over with the others." Jack said, standing up. Alette followed as he joined Riven's group, and they gathered in a circle to discuss.
"Well, what do you think?"
"A silent killer… unseen by all, not even silver-rankers have laid eyes on it." Riven murmured.
Jack, Alette, and Riven's group continued to deliberate, trying to determine what kind of creature lurked within the forest.
"I-I think I've got an idea… it might be the only thing that fits," Tatsu spoke up.
"What is it?"
"I think it's...Ng...N-N'ghft..."
"N'ghftnah?" Riven corrected him.
"Yeah! That one..."
"N'ghftnah?" Jack asked Riven.
"One of the eldritch soldiers, a lethal hunter capable of turning invisible and moving in near-perfect silence, its footsteps completely inaudible."
"Eep! How are we supposed to fight something we can't even see or hear?!" Alette exclaimed.
"Well, we'll have to rely on our senses… and our instincts."
"That's our only option?!"
"Yep."
"But, it doesn't make sense!" Tatsu added.
"What doesn't?" Said Kani.
"Those N'ghftnah are basically assassins, right? Shouldn't they be going after mages or powerful people instead?"
"Yeah?"
"So why would it linger in that forest for weeks instead of moving on?"
"You're right, Tatsu. That is concerning." Said Bryce.
As the conversation came to an end, Jack quietly passed them, opened the door, and stepped out into the open air. Alette caught sight of him and darted after him. "Jack! Wait!" Behind them, Riven's group watched for a moment before following outside.
"What are you doing?"
Jack stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'm the only one who can sense it. If you're going to risk your lives on this, stay together, watch each other's backs. I'll track it through the forest."
Riven's group shared uncertain glances, then Riven stepped forward to speak.
"Tatsu saw what you did against Mr. Kayden. A N'ghftnah shouldn't be a problem for you. We'll support you however we can, Jack."
Jack looked over Riven and his group, then let out a chuckle before turning away. "Alright, just stick together."
Riven's group exchanged determined nods and followed him as he made his way toward the shadowed forest.
"Let's make the unseen eldritch monster… seen."