Chapter 120: The Devil of the Sea

As the Projector played, it would display an assortment of images. Like a Slideshow, it maintains its focus on certain pictures, letting the children see it play out. Solomon, being quick in his observation, was able to notice something sticking out from the panels: A Slender object poking out. Keeping an eye on it, the Biblical Sorcerer watched the movie in full, one of which seemed to display real people walking among certain villages. Some Male, some Female. Some within Farms, some around the Castle and its inner quarters. There were even animals such as cats, dogs, and birds within the frames. The children were confused, to say the least, in regards to such content, before being met with something different: A Shadow. A large shadow. Each frame panned itself to where the people meet the shadow, expressions of fear upon their face, before disappearing. One by one, the individuals in such a frame vanished, with their paralyzing face being the last thing the children saw from them. The Shadow still loomed outwards, to which the slideshow began to get its appearance as well. All four of them immediately took into arms, recognizing it as a threat.

Someone is here.

The figure's appearance would start with its feet, then its legs, then the stomach and chest, before finally arriving at its face. The entire body was bandaged, tightly woven around its body like a mummy. Key features would be its claw-like talons for toes and fingers, as well as a spinal-like skeleton reaching across its arms. Its face was just as woven closely, not even showing its eyes or mouth. When the Projector finished, silence and darkness were what's left for the group, cautiously looking around the vicinity, keeping watch and trying to not cause another disturbance, waiting for the beast to strike. As they kept an eye out, sounds could be heard around them.

Scratching.

Clicking.

Scurrying.

It was like an insect, crawling along the battered walls and large trunks and branches that engorged themselves in the building. The children remained quiet, vigilant, studious about the sounds to locate the supposed beast. Before the children knew it, they would quickly assume they were surrounded, despite it sounding like a singular threat. The children looked amongst one another, having one of them try to take the bait. Harvard would attempt to be such a bait, stepping a foot forward, making a solid creaking sound to the floorboards in order to capture its attention.

More Scratching.

More Clicking.

More Scurrying.

The sounds were getting louder. Closer. Stronger. Harvard took another step forward to make another sound, with Stolas taking a step just as much to trigger its reaction. More noises could be made around them. Just when they think they're close, it would stop. It would be quiet once more. It would be still once more.

KABOOM!!!

Out from the walls by Harvard's side would be the beast, bandaged tightly across its body, reaching its claw-like hand out to try and slice his face off, its arm being as long as the very shelves. In anticipation, Harvard would cast a spell, creating a metallic hand to grab the beast's arm and pull it in closer, moving away so that Stolas would get a clean shot right for its face, his own feathered hands quickly brightening into a cluster of stars, socking the beast's jaw directly, almost breaking its mouth with a single hit. To ensure that it wouldn't leave, Harvard would join in such a jumping, casting the same spell to strike at the beast's abdomen, before casting a separate spell with another card to incinerate the creature's body, burning away the bandages and cooking whatever was under there alive. The beast roared in pain, yet such an assault wasn't over yet, as Stolas would be given access to another strike, a left hook directly at the injured jaw, somehow snapping it further, before dislodging it in the opposite direction, making its mouth leave its body in a brutal swing. From here, Harvard and Stolas would send a barrage of attacks right into the creature, aimed at the body and face specifically, before launching it out into the woods, making the plants catch on fire due to the residue of the singed bandages.

The beast's body was in tatters, the bandages dripping down from its body, revealing its full appearance: a Man made out of nothing but muscle, with fangs for teeth and eyes scattered all over its body. The strikes the two children made were directly in such eyes, prompting such a visceral scream from its halved mouth, its long, slender, sharp claws carefully checking on the damaged eyes within its body, its spinal chord being almost visible from its back. Despite a physical skeleton, the beast moves in an unorthodox fashion, as if he has only its backbone to stay rigid, letting him move around and contort its body like a snake. Blood dripped down from its wounded jaw, no tongue left to speak of, as it merely stared at the children down with its opaque eyes. It could tell they weren't showing fear. It could tell they were different. They were focused. It frustrates the beast, letting out one more visceral roar, loud enough for the entire forest to hear its cry, before grabbing ahold of the embers and scattering it all over the forest, lunging at the children with the intent to kill. Solomon and Zazel would attack in the sides, flanking the beast, sending out waves of locusts and fire at the creature, letting the insects dive within the muscles and catch fire, burning it internally, letting it struggle and wail as it continued its assault. Harvard and Stolas merely moved out of the way and assisted in the attack, striking the beast at its back, hoping to disable the monster. "Solomon! What did you said this was??!" Harvard would ask as he closed in, using his metallic appendages alongside with Stolas' Stars to relentlessly strike at the muscle-like menace.

"From what the book said, something called a 'Nuckelavee'! Be careful with it!" Solomon would warn, finally finishing the last message left behind, with the children now focused on destroying such a beast. A Loud wailing sound was heard amidst the distance, yet they didn't cared. They are now focused to protect themselves against such a monster.

They do not plan to give it a chance to breathe.