"Jack, I'm glad you made it out." said Riven, sitting in front of the campfire.
Jack sat up, clutching his forehead. "Ugh, how long was I out?" He asked.
"About two days."
"Oh, thank God... I'm glad I wasn't out for too long."
"We could've headed back to the village to recover and wrap up the quest, but there's something we need to investigate before we leave the forest. We couldn't risk venturing deeper without you, and one of us has to stay here with Bryce and Kani."
"Yeah, it took Miss Alette and Mr. Bryce to heal your mental injuries and the wound on your head. Not to mention, Alette's mana is completely drained." Said Tatsu.
"Drained? But she was just fine a moment a-"
When Jack looked at Alette, his eyes widened. She looked as though she had pushed herself far beyond her limits. Her arms drooped helplessly, her body appeared frail and depleted, and exhaustion was written all over her face. Yet she still hovered before him, refusing to rest while he was hurt.
"AH!! Alette?! How did you get into that state?"
"Yaaaayyyy... Jack... awake... again..." Alette said weakly, her voice trailing off. Having spent the last two days healing Jack's mental injuries, she slowly drifted down to the grass, too exhausted to keep herself aloft.
Jack caught her by the hand and lowered his gaze as she quietly drifted off to sleep in his open palm. With great care, he moved her and placed Alette gently onto his thigh.
He looked at Alette for a moment, a grateful smile on his face, before turning to Riven. "So, what are we supposed to be checking?"
"A nest." Bryce said quietly, his amputated arm wrapped in bandages as he sat next to Riven."It's rare for a N'ghftnah and an Ahephai to coexist in the same territory, let alone cooperate, unless something in that area is worth protecting."
"Since they've decided to attack now, it likely means we're close to the nest." Riven explained. "I went to scout it and found the location, but I don't have the firepower to destroy it. We figured you'd be the one to handle that, so we waited for you to wake up."
"What about Bryce and Kani?" Jack asked.
"We'll be fine. Bryce and Tatsu will carry me back to the village after I lost a good foot of my leg." Said Kani, holding up the amputated foot that the Ahephai had severed from her.
Jack looked at the sleeping Alette resting on his thigh, then glanced at his sword lying in the grass beside him, and picked it up. "Well, now that I'm awake…" He drove the blade into the ground. "Where do I fry them?"
Later that morning, Riven led Jack deeper into the forest toward the nest. The bandage on Jack's forehead remained in place, a reminder of the battle from earlier, but it did little to slow him down, and Alette, in her full recovery from mana drained, followed Jack. Eventually, Riven halted and raised a hand, pointing ahead through the dense trees.
"It's that way."
Jack and Alette followed the direction of Riven's gesture and found a large hole lined with organic mold and debris. A hard, organic shell stood behind it like a protective barrier, and an eerie green light glowed from deep within the opening.
Jack turned his head toward Alette. "Stay there."
"Ah, ok."
Jack walked toward the hole, crouching to see the interior of the nest, and saw the largest piles of orange glowing eggs attached all over the nest, the ground, the wall, and the ceiling.
He leaned closer to one of the eggs and saw the silhouette within. Dark crimson armored scales plated its limbs, contrasting with the exposed black flesh of its chest and claws. Its reverse-jointed legs ended in four talon-like toes, while an exceptionally sharp, blade-like tail extended behind it. Its slender arms ended in four deadly claws, and along its left forearm rested a blade infused with glowing crimson energy. The creature's head was concealed beneath a scale-like helm adorned with small spikes along the back. Beneath it, two glowing orange reptilian eyes gleamed through the translucent shell.
Jack knew what they were at once: infant Ahephai, still developing within their eggshells. He slowly turned his head toward Riven and Alette.
"Those are speeding eldritch's eggs."
"Don't you mean Ahephai? Jack?" Said Alette.
"Yes."
"I see…" Riven said slowly. "If I'm correct, the N'ghftnah must've stayed behind to guard the Ahephai's nest while it hunted or carried out assassinations. Then it returned when it was called back."
"Yeah, and now we know where the bodies are." Jack scanned the area, the lifeless bodies of the previous quest party and nearby villagers strewn across the ground, surrounded by the eggs.
Alette gasped, and Riven's eyes widened at what they saw. Jack slid down into the nest below.
"What? Jack, what are you doing?"
Jack carefully made his way toward the bodies, avoiding the eggs beneath his feet. When he reached them, he crouched down. "I've got to bring something back to their families." He said under his breath. He gently slipped a ring from one villager's finger, then reached for another small belonging from the next body, preparing to return them to their loved ones.
"Ah, good idea! And take the mercenaries tags as well."
After some time, Jack crawled out of the nest, carrying small trinkets from the villagers and the mercenary tags of the Vanguard Guild in his hands.
"I'll take them for you." Said Riven.
"Thanks." Jack handed Riven the small trinkets, placing them into both of his hands.
Riven nodded to Jack, and Jack returned the gesture before turning toward the nest. He raised his hand as fire ignited in his palm, forming a blazing sphere. With a sharp motion, he hurled it into the hole. The fireball detonated deep within the nest, engulfing it from the inside. Flames consumed everything, and the remains of the villagers and mercenaries were cremated within.
Jack, Alette, and Riven quietly watched as the nest burned. The bodies within were cremated, and their ashes rose from the flames, carried into the sky.
Riven was the first to turn and make his way back toward the village, with Jack following close behind. As they walked, Jack spoke to Alette, who stood motionless, still watching the ashes of what remained.
"Alette, let's head back now." He waited for her to come along.
"Ah...ok."
Alette flew over to Jack as they started walking back toward the village. Exhausted after the fire, she gently settled onto his left shoulder. Jack glanced at her, noticed her subdued state, and let her stay there as he looked ahead. Behind them, the nest continued to burn.