The Lightning Dragonfly Boat hummed softly as it cruised above the rippling mist, its sleek obsidian wings shimmering with crackling currents of mana. The rhythmic pulsing of its wing-joints—sculpted like an insect in mid-flight—was almost soothing against the silence that had settled after the battle.
Inside the boat's wide body cabin, four figures huddled around a small, curled creature in the middle of the polished floor.
It looked like a cub—but not an ordinary one. Its fur shimmered faintly like shifting fog, and faint stripes of pale blue glowed when it breathed. Despite its resemblance to the Mist Panther that had nearly torn them apart earlier, this one was only the size of a house cat.
Sleeping very peacefully.
A soft snrk escaped its tiny snout as it buried its head deeper into its paws, as if utterly unaware it was surrounded by thieves who had just robbed its nest.
Gilgamel pinched the bridge of his nose.
