The dragon landed just meters away from the group with a thunderous thud, its claws barely gripping onto the narrow passage.
Vale leapt down from its back. The moment his boots touched the ground, he dismissed the spirit, freeing the space of its massive presence.
Ayla rushed to his side, concern etched clearly on her face.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," Vale replied with a soft smile. He turned away without hesitation. "Let's keep going."
She lingered for a moment. The image of him nearly falling off the dragon flickered through her mind—but before she could dwell on it, the heavy thuds of footsteps behind snapped her back to the present.
She hurried forward to catch up to Vale, who was now walking at the front of the group.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted to the voice's announcement—he'd received something.
He summoned his status window.
Lines of text shimmered into existence before him as he continued his stride. He called forth Knight to stay on guard, just in case.
