The Scourge of Iverbent

We awoke relatively rested the next day and interviewed the survivors again in order to determine the best possible course of action that would benefit the lot. We learned that many people had ventured to the fields in the north-west to gather food, but often returned almost dead after being attacked from an unknown and unseen enemy. At first we thought the creature might make itself invisible, but a wounded eyewitness told of a monster with wings. The group decided to find and kill the creature, and after fetching some nets from the harbor, we set off.
 
Trying to stay hidden, we avoided the open road and instead made our way between the crumbling houses. Eventually we spotted the creature: a winged monstrosity resembling a bat sat on one of the roofs and looked down at the streets, probably searching for its next prey. It was not alone, however. A dark-clad rider sat motionless on the beast's back, armed with a huge scythe.
 
I had a bad feeling about this and intuitively conjured a protective barrier of ice around me. This thing looked dangerous and very undead, perhaps a henchman of Godard who had stayed behind to kill the rest of the living. And there was no plan, absolutely none. I heard my alter ego scream in despair in my head. She would never have dared to take on this creature unprepared and I realized that it had been a shitty idea to be considerate of the others and not take the lead on this mission.
 
Since it didn't seem to have discovered us yet, I was about to suggest withdrawing, but I was too late. Somebody had started the attack. The monster pushed itself off the roof with its hind legs and plunged towards Nabi, who suddenly stood in the middle of the street. It released a deafening screech that caused devastating pain to everyone. Only I was spared, probably because I had wisely sought cover behind a pillar. I cast a cautious look at Nabi. She was still standing there, her gaze fixating a distant point somewhere in the sky. She seemed completely paralyzed by the scream and showed no reaction when the enemy landed on the street a few dozen meters in front of her. The rider dismounted and started walking towards her. I briefly calculated my odds of successfully getting her out of harm’s way, but then decided to try to draw his attention instead.
I released two eldritch blasts from my palm in quick succession, hitting him right in the chest. The undead figure eyed me for a moment with stoic calm before turning on its heel to return to its mount. Cid spoke a blessing at us and rushed towards the fleeing rider. Oxton, I think, rushed to Nabi and tried to shake her out of her stupor. The undead mounted his beast and rowed it. It rose into the air and shortly afterwards released that unholy screeching again.
Finally, Nabi broke out of her paralysis and sprinted towards the bat. With one skillful leap, she jumped close to the animal and cast her net. It got caught in one of its claws, but provided Nabi with enough grip to slowly but steadily pull herself up its flank. Neither the rider nor the monster seemed to take much notice of her. Instead, they headed straight for the Hero’s Seat.
Knowing that I wasn't an enduring runner, I closed my eyes and called to Balthazar for aid.
"Lend me your strength, for I wish to safe my friend!"
Suddenly gusts of wind riddled with lightning formed around my thighs and before I knew it, I whirled after the monster.
In the heat of the moment, I conjured up an illusion over the enemy, hoping that they might crash. However, he seemed to be able to see through it and flew on towards the city center.
As Oxton continued to pelt the undead with sacred fire, Cid attempted to catch up with the monster on foot. The moment he got there, the bat-like creature came down from the sky and struck him with its claws. At the last moment he cast a protective spell and repelled the attack.
Meanwhile, Nabi tried to wound the rider with her spear, which, however, struck in the void every time the undead cleverly let his mount shift its weight.
Although neither the rider nor the creature showed any visible wounds from our attacks, a final blast of eldritch energy caused the mount to crumble into black dust. The rider, however, skilfully pushed himself away from the animal and struck me with his scythe. Fortunately, I was still enveloped by my barrier and when his scythe pierced it and dug deep into my shoulder, the ice shards of my spell struck his body and destroyed it.
While Nabi completed a graceful landing, it cost me the last of my strength not to fall from the sky like a wet sack.
Oxton approached us with a look of concern. He put his hand on my shoulder, said a prayer and instantly my wound closed. I think he had to heal the others too, but we seemed to have gotten off lightly again.
 
Exhausted and in robes soiled by our own blood, we made our way back.