Now, as they hid in the shadows of the trees, Falko's role was simple: keep watch. He scanned the area carefully, not just for the Nightcrawler, but for other monsters that might follow in its wake, like lesser ghouls, undeads, necros. His role wasn't to fight on the front lines; Shalana and Rhea had made that clear. He was still conflicted about it, unsure if he was being sidelined because of his perceived lack of strength. But when lives were at stake, he couldn't afford to be selfish. He had to trust the plan.
"The Nightcrawler might come tonight, They say it hunts its victims when they're most vulnerable... while they sleep. Those who survive its attack rarely escape unscathed. Nightmares plague them, and the sickness that follows is something worse than death. It's a curse, one that lingers even after the creature's gone."
Suddenly, Falko felt it. A chill crawled up his spine, and his skin prickled as the air grew noticeably colder. Something was coming. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
It was his instinct telling him to hide, but he wasn't going to obey his instinct.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Shalana signal to the others to stay still. Her eyes were locked on the treeline, where the dark figure of the Nightcrawler slowly emerged, drawn to the heat of their campfire, slithering across trees as if it was drunk.
Falko's breath hitched as the creature came into view. In the dim light of the fire, its true form was revealed.
The Nightcrawler's body was twisted and segmented, its long, muscular form coiling unnaturally as it moved. Its face—no, its skull—was grotesque, with hollow eye sockets and a wide, toothy grin that looked as though it had been carved into its flesh. Its body seemed to blend with the darkness itself, making it nearly impossible to track as it slithered closer.
He had heard the horror stories, but seeing it in person was another thing entirely. His stomach churned at the sight.
As the creature neared the fire, Falko noticed the way it almost seemed to hesitate, its skeletal head tilting as if to listen. It was just a few feet away from the campfire now, and the light illuminated the sinewy muscles along its ribs, the taut skin stretched thin across its bones. Falko could hardly breathe.
Just as the Nightcrawler was about to make its move, Shalana gave the signal.
Leena immediately raised her hand, muttering the words of a spell in the magical language she had mastered over years of study. The words came out soft but powerful, each syllable crackling with energy: "Valorium ma'ak, en'sola ardalum!"
Instantly, the creature froze mid-movement. Its body tensed, its long neck craning toward the fire, but it couldn't move. It was as if the spell had locked its very muscles in place.
All was according to the plan, and Shalana quickly took her sword from her back getting ready for the action.
"Now!" Shalana barked as she hefted her giant sword over her shoulder, and Rhea followed suit, moving to flank the monster. They moved with precision, like seasoned warriors who had done this countless times, but all of them knew it was their first time facing a nightcrawler, except Shalana.
Shalana charged toward the creature, her sword raised high, her muscles rippling with effort. She was silent and her movements were fast despite her sword being half the size of her body.
'It will be over in an instant!'
But just as she closed the distance, the Nightcrawler broke free from Leena's spell. With a sudden, violent twist, it emitted a thick, black smoke that filled the air, causing the campfire to sputter and die. The smell that accompanied it was foul, like rotting flesh and burnt wood. Falko coughed, quickly covering his nose as Shalana had instructed them.
"Cover your noses!" Shalana shouted, her voice muffled by the smoke. "It might be poisonous!"
"What is this?" Shalana thought, as she had never heard or seen that kind of movements from nightcrawlers. "Are they improving"
Falko could barely see through the blackness, but he heard Leena mutter another incantation, her voice strained from the sudden shock. "Luminis fracta, solorven et fieris!"
Tiny orbs of light appeared around them, scattering across the clearing and driving away some of the smoke. But the Nightcrawler was gone. The space where it had been moments before was empty.
"Where is it?" Rhea called out, her sword held ready.
Falko, recovering from the initial shock, quickly scanned the area. He noticed something unusual—the faint imprint of footprints in the dirt. His eyes widened as he realized where they were leading. It's target was none other than Shalana, as the monster identified her as the biggest threat toward him.
"Shalana, behind you!" he shouted tracking the footsteps.
Shalana reacted instantly, stepping back as she swung her massive sword in a wide arc. The blade connected with something unseen, and the Nightcrawler's form reappeared, a deep gash across its body where Shalana's sword had cut through it.
It screeched, the sound a horrible mix of a hiss and a growl, but before it could vanish again, Leena was ready. She cast her spell once more, her voice filled with determination. "Valorium ma'ak, en'sola ardalum!"
The Nightcrawler froze again, its body stiff and rigid.
"Now!" Shalana shouted as she raised her sword for a final strike, hoping Rhea would get it if she fails. With one powerful sweep, she brought her giant sword down on the creature's neck, severing its head from its body in a single, clean motion. The Nightcrawler's body twitched for a moment before collapsing to the ground in a heap of twisted limbs.
"Does it regenarate?" Rhea questioned, but luckily Shalana already knew about the remedy for this matter, as she quickly took the severed head and handed it over to Leena.
"You know what to do. Cast the spell of freezing," Leena nodded her head, and quickly did her part of the job.
For a moment, there was silence. Then the four of them gathered around the fallen creature's body, the tension finally easing from their bodies.
"Well," Shalana said, wiping sweat from her brow as she rested her sword on the ground. "That's one less monster terrorizing the villages. We'll fetch a good price for this hunt. This might be the first big hunt as a group!"
Falko stared at the Nightcrawler's body, still in shock that they had actually killed it. "It's finally over," he muttered under his breath.
Rhea sheathed her sword, her expression calm but focused, but hidden underneath was dissatifaction. "We did what needed to be done."
She was dissatisfied not about Shalana, Leena or Falko, but about herself. Did she do enough to support Shalana? Was her help really necessary? There were several questions in her mind, that she needed answer.
Leena, still breathing heavily from the exertion of her spells, smiled faintly. "Good work, everyone. That was close. I didn't think it would be able to to break my spell so quickly. Looks like I really underestimated my hunt this time."
Falko couldn't help but feel a swell of pride, despite his earlier doubts. He might not have been on the front lines, but his quick thinking had helped. And more importantly, they had all survived.
[Is that enough for you? Are you going to ask Shalana to take the throne for you and hand it over? Celebrate now, Falko but if you can't surpass these people forget about your revenge. Just follow these women and you will be their obedient and lovely spy forever.]
Tyrant said, not because he was angry but he had to remind Falko that he shouldn't be satisfied with someone else hunt.
Shalana looked around at them, her fierce eyes softening for a moment. "You all did good. Leena, that spell of yours saved us more than once tonight. Rhea, your support was flawless as usual."
Rhea nodded, feeling little embarrassed to get praised by a seasoned veteran. "Shalana, your swordsmanship was perfect. You delivered the final blow."
"And you, Falko," Shalana said, turning to him with a rare smile. "That shout saved my life. Don't think I didn't notice. Don't sell yourself short. I can see you're not satisfied with your role, but someday..."
"No! every role is equally important," Falko rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed. "I just did what I could."
Shalana chuckled, shaking her head. "That's my boy."
As the night grew darker, and the wind blew away the last traces of the Nightcrawler's foul stench, they stood together around the creature's lifeless body. They had faced a monster of nightmares and come out victorious. And while Falko still felt that familiar frustration gnawing at him, he knew one thing for sure—he had a place in this team, but for how long?.
They decided to travel quickly back to the city, as the stench of their latest hunt might attract some other lesser monsters toward them, while carrying the monster they just hunted on a cart to hand over the corpose to the Sommeral officials who will pay them a good amount of coin.