[NR] Not Quite There - Chapter 771

The three continue to hide as the sun sinks, shadows lengthen and people return to their homes. This includes the guy who had spent his day helping out in the fields of others having felt a bit paranoid about the beast. Though he did need to work on his own fields, and so felt nervous for the coming days.

He would probably feel at least twice as nervous if he realized that while walking home, his path took him right by Jason. Yet despite walking not even two paces away, did not notice a thing. Now, he wouldn’t claim to be the most observant, but such an example would have made him realize that if it tried, he would not be able to catch a glimpse of the beast, even as it killed him.

But that wasn’t this being out of a tall tale’s M.O. as it preferred to announce itself. Though in this case, that desire didn’t seem to express itself in a vocal fashion. There were no calls for the return of its tailypo.

Instead, Rosha spotted the being strutting down the road, out in the open. Unseen yet not unnoticed. The air filled with spiritual pressure and people avoided the windows without even realizing it. Even if the creature wasn’t undead, it certainly knew some tricks common with that sort.

To go unnoticed while openly walking down the road! An interesting ability that proves there was more to the story than was seen at first. However, now wasn’t the time to interrogate such hidden secrets.

Rosha was the first to spot the beast, but soon the other two noticed it as well. The pressure put off by it is unable to force them to look away. Or rather, in trying to make them look away, the very force behind it caught their attention. Like someone trying to hide in a shadow while wearing pure black clothing, it stuck out to them like a sore thumb.

The trio wait for it to close in on the house. Just a bit closer, no reason to allow the nonsense to spread too far into town. Then the beast crouches, leisurely preparing to jump onto some roof or another.

Except now there is an arrow through the monster’s lower front leg and it almost topples forward. The barbed arrowhead stuck deep in the muscles and held on tight.

The beast let out an almost thunderous yowl and jumped to the side. Wound still open, but the arrow clanged against the cobblestone road.

Jason shouts a warning, “It can selectively turn incorporeal!” And he dashes at the creature.

Another arrow flies true, but now forewarned, the beast proves Jason’s warning to be true. Though this brings up even more questions.

Questions that Jason ignores as he punches the beast!

And what an odd feeling it is. Half punching flesh, yet partly sinking in. Though no matter how odd it is for Jason, the beast has it even worse!

Jason’s Energy disrupts things, and having penetrated partially into its attempt at going incorporeal, said Energy has an easier time of it. No longer having to pierce the flesh.

The beast stutter-steps back before jumping to the side. Except another arrow arrives as it tries this move. And this time, the beast did not notice the attack and was pierced once again.

Though not for long as the beast continues on its trajectory as the arrow falls out through the flesh. Of course, sometimes removing the weapon isn’t the best of plans, as without the arrow blood pours out of the hole. Seemingly having hit an artery.

Which might have been the end, but the beast proves why it can lose a tail and survive as the blood soon stops flowing.

At this point, heads are peeking out of all the nearby windows.

Courtney ignores the audience, her claws bathed in dark shadows as she darts forward and takes a swipe at the monster’s face.

It half pulls back, remembering how Jason’s hit connected, but still not quite believing it could be hit. Yet that is exactly what Courtney manages to do. Her shadow magic was able to reach into the dimensional space this monster used to avoid attacks.

Courtney yells up to Rosha, “Flashbang shot!”

And a few moments later, a different arrow from the previous ones comes whistling through the air. Actually whistling and so the beast easily notices the shot and once again the arrow begins to fly right through the monsters.

FLASH

The head of the arrow, made from the knot from a tree that has been carved down and alchemically treated, bursts apart. Bright light flows out of the monster’s body, revealing the bones.

This flash of light blinds Jason for a moment, but the other two see the beast fall out of the air. All forward motion vanishes.

This proves beneficial to it as Jason’s attack swishes in front of the beast where he had expected it to be. Though he soon regains his sight and slaps back at the beast.

It takes the slap right to the injured front leg and the monster begins to bleed again. Which seems to signal to the beast that this was a losing fight, and so it whimpers as the beast retreats.

Rosha lands a trio of flashbang arrows in the direction the monster is trying to retreat, and the beast rears back.

But this isn’t the death knell for the creature. Those flashes of light only prevent it from going insubstantial, which it doesn’t seem to be able to do enough of to phase through walls, anyway. And so blinded by the light, it runs down the road with Jason in close pursuit.

Sadly, while the beast might not be as strong as Jason, its speed is absolutely supernatural. The beast gains distance and, with a splash, dives into the river and vanishes.

Jason stands at the river's edge and watches, soon joined by Rosha who keeps her bow ready. However, they don’t see the monster surface. Not that any of them believe it has died.