Consult your walking bestiary.

You glance over to Trin with a raised brow.

She looks back to you. Suddenly, her eyes beam with joy, as if completely ecstatic her knowledge is being requested. Pink glows in her cheeks as she points ahead at the creature and says, "Wow. This thing is super deadly."

"That's not a helpful description."

"S-Sorry. Yes, well that's--"

"A Silent Stalker," the creature says in a terrifying whisper. It sounds as if its voice is being carried throughout the room by a breeze. While it has a vague feminine shape, like a nude woman's silhouette, it's a plastic shape that warps as it moves. Multiple arms extend out like tendrils. Two hollow red eyes peer out from the darkness, and a mouth with sharp teeth looms on an otherwise featureless face. It leans forward. As its digits dig into the stump below, the wood splinters with ease.

"... A super scary undead," Trin speaks quietly. "They project a field of energy that blocks out any and all noise, and slows your body down. The only way to get the field to drop is to get her to--"

Dead silence. You've been in quiet rooms before. You've plugged your ears before. But right now, you don't even hear the sound of your own blood flowing. There is absolutely no noise whatsoever. Not only that, but as you try to move, it's like churning yourself through thick water instead of air. You look down at your hands, and they flow slowly as if time has been slowed. This would truly be something of a nightmare, if you were alone in the woods at night, and a Silent Stalker decided to strike. No victim would stand a chance.

She stands up from the stump and moves freely. Her lips are pursed tight, and her many limbs lift.

You look at the screech hounds and see them open their mouths, but nothing comes out this time. At least, you can't hear it.

The Silent Stalker hustles towards you. It isn't all that fast, yet it still out-speeds the condition you're in. Her piercing stare nears, as do her curled lips, but she doesn't open her mouth, perhaps because you wouldn't hear her speak anyway. There's nothing you can do. The first strike slides over your torso. While your armour does a fantastic job, you feel it cut your lower stomach and your shoulder. The spray of blood moves normally, though you stumble back in slow motion.

Trin looks to you and points to her mouth as if trying to communicate something. But right after that, one of the undead's limbs pierces through her upper shoulder like an arrow.

This is serious! We're caught right in this monster's trap. The silence hardly matters, though if I could hear, I'd know what its weakness was. But what really sucks is being slowed down. Think. What was Trin trying to tell me? And poor Jelly is trapped in a glass prison.

You ponder for a moment. Then you grasp your sword in both hands, take a step back, and prepare to cast a spell.

The Silent Stalker sees this combative stance and retreats shortly back.

She doesn't know what I can do. I have ranged attacks too. I'm not sure if I've figured out her weakness, but I feel like this has gotta do something.

Perhaps the lack of sound will do you well. It means she won't know what spell you're casting. You mouth the words, "Pleasure Bolt," as you pull your weapon flat with the tip pointed forwards. The sword pulses--throbs with energy. As you thrust the weapon forwards, the glow of the weapon extends forth and suddenly launches towards the Silent Stalker as quickly as a crossbow bolt. It lands with ease.

She squeezes her lips hard together as if preparing for the pain, but it doesn't come. Pleasure does, however.

Her eyes widen. With all of her tendrils moving in to cover her face, she falls to her amorphous knees and cries out a screeching, dizzied moan of euphoria. It breaks right through the silent barrier. In fact, you can hear everything again.

"She just had to make a sound!" Trin calls out. "Wh-What did you do?"

You dash forwards. Without hesitation, pushing through the pain, you cleanly slice the creature's head off its body. It wobbles about before melting back into the stone tiles around your feet. "You know. I made her make a sound."

"Was it like a super hot bolt of fire?" She mutters quietly to herself, "Though that didn't sound like pain."

"Don't worry about it," you say with a focus on your trapped companion. You hustle over to the jar, grab the lid, and pull it open.

The moment you do, Jelly spring out like a jack-in-the-box. The jiggly girl throws her arms into the air with a big smile on her face. However, with her clothing a few steps away, she definitely appears even bouncier than she would otherwise. "You saved me!" she shouts before throwing her arms around you.

"W-Woah. Hold on. Let me get your stuff," Trin says as she hurries to grab her belongings.