Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)

As the battle finally comes to an end and the colossal ice frog is reduced to nothing but shattered remains, Inky glides down from the sky, his massive wings spreading wide before folding gracefully as he lands atop the frozen lake. His presence alone sends a gust of frigid wind sweeping across the battlefield, stirring up the lingering frost.

"ERIS!" I call out, my voice carrying across the ice, echoing faintly in the vast, open air.

Eris makes her enormous scythe vanish into nothingness with a flick of her wrist, then walks over towards me.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" I ask quickly, eyes scanning her up and down for injuries.

"Nope, I'm totally fine!" Eris beams. "Hehe, how was it? Was I cool?"

"Nn!" I nod enthusiastically, my ears perked.

Damn.

Seeing her wielding that scythe, cutting down a titan like it was a casual afternoon workout?

That was the coolest thing ever.

But then, my brows furrow, and I puff out my cheeks in an exaggerated pout. "But you made me so worried!" I scold, tail flicking furiously behind me. "I thought those frogs actually crushed you!"

"Hehe…" Eris rubs the back of her head sheepishly, a sheepish smile tugging at her lips, her sharp teeth peeking out.

"D-Don't do that again, okay? Please!"

"Ooookay~" she replies, clearly amused, but nodding all the same.

Then, gently, she reaches for my hand, helping me down from Inky's back.

The moment my boots touch the ice—

"Oooooh!" I squeak, shivering as a jolt of cold shoots up my legs.

My tail bristles, puffing slightly. My breath fogs out in thick clouds.

Even with two cold resistance potions, a thick winter coat, fur-lined boots, and mittens—

It's still freezing down here.

Not unbearable though. Just almost, almost unbearable.

All around us, jagged shards of shattered monsters glitter across the lake's surface like broken glass sculptures.

I glance downward.

Beneath my feet… fish are swimming.

They glide so gracefully under the transparent ice, their movements slow and hypnotic.

The lake's frozen layer is thick—really thick.

But it's so clear I feel like I could fall right through, straight into that glassy dream world below.

My eyes glaze a little, mesmerized…

Until Eris gently taps my arm, snapping me out of it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she murmurs beside me, her breath misting into the frigid air.

"Y-Yeah…" I whisper back.

She's right.

It really is.

This place… the atmosphere… the magic…

Totally worth choking down two nasty potions to get here.

Eris stretches her arms overhead with a little satisfied sigh.

"Now, with the monsters taken care of…" she says with a grin, "it's time to collect the loot!"

"Right!" I perk up, beaming.

All around us, hundreds of icy flowers bloom gently from the surface of the lake, untouched and glistening like jewels.

Eris already did the hard part—clearing the monsters.

Now, it's time for me to contribute!

"Alright! I'll help! Leave it to me!" I declare proudly.

I march toward one of the flowers, crouch down, and reach out to grab it.

With determined strides, I march over to one of the beautiful blossoms blooming from the frozen lake. I crouch down, brimming with confidence, and reach out to grab the stem.

But then—

"Nuh uh, not so fast!"

A hand lands firmly on my shoulder, halting me mid-motion.

"Eh?" I blink up at Eris, completely confused.

She leans down with a mischievous smirk and gives my nose a little flick.

"Silly Felicia."

"Ow!" I recoil, rubbing my nose with both mittens, pouting. "Why'd you do that?! I was trying to help!"

"That's not how you collect Vanessa Lilies," she says in a gently teasing tone. "If you touch them directly, you'll lose your hand! Remember what I told you earlier? These flowers are literally crystallized frozen mana."

"O-Ohhh!" I gasp, frozen mid-crouch.

Right.

RIGHT!

And it wasn't just Eris who warned me, the quest also had clear warning letters!

'DO NOT touch the flowers with bare hands!!!'

"But I'm wearing gloves though?!" I argue, raising my hands and wiggling my fuzzy mittens like crab claws.

Surely these thick boys could handle a little frost magic, no?!

But Eris just shakes her head, utterly unimpressed.

"That'll still ruin your gloves—and probably your hands, too."

Then, with a graceful flick of her wrist, she lifts her hand.

Woosh.

The air around her stirs as her magic comes to life. Shadows gather at her fingertips, coiling like liquid ink before shaping themselves with smooth, deliberate precision.

In seconds, they form into two sleek tools:

—A long, wand-like rod with a sharp, angled blade at the tip.

—And a delicate grabber claw, flexible yet precise.

"Ooooooooooh!!!" I gasp, eyes wide. I reach out carefully and run my mittened fingers along the surface.

To my surprise, they feel completely solid like metal, yet nearly weightless.

It's like holding a real tool… forged from shadow.

And they are super self-explanatory too!

The blade is clearly meant for cutting the flower's stem, while the claw can gently extract and hold the bloom without damaging it.

With tools like this?

I am so ready to harvest!

Heck yeah!

But first…

"Eris, so you can make… anything from your magic?" I ask, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Hmmmm" Eris hums, twirling a small dagger made of pure darkness between her fingers. "Well, not everything, though."

She waves a hand, and the dagger dissolves into mist. "My magic allows me to create most weapons and tools, but there's a size limit. I can't make anything too massive, nor can I create living, animated creatures. Also, there's a limit to how many things I can control at once."

As she speaks, she raises a hand again—

Whoosh!

The shadows coil around her, twisting and reshaping. In an instant, they shift—

A sword.

A shield.

An axe.

A spear.

One after another, her magic seamlessly morphs into different weapons, forming and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

I stare in awe as she cycles through them effortlessly.

"Woah, that's still amazing!" I gasp. "That's why you don't even need to carry weapons, huh?"

Eris chuckles. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Then—

"W-WAIT!!!" An idea suddenly slams into my brain like a meteor. "H-How many weapons can you make at the same time?! Can you show me? PLEAAASEEEE?!"

I unleash my ultimate move—catgirl begging eyes!!! LEVEL MAX!

The limit of Eris' magic…

I so want to see!!!

Eris blinks.

Then grins.

"Alright, alright," she laughs, "since you asked so cutely~"

She closes her eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly.

And then—

FWOOOOOM!

The air vibrates.

Dark energy erupts around her, swirling like a storm of midnight mist.

And then—

Not one.

Not two.

Not five.

But twelve!

Twelve blades materialize, each one a floating weapon of pure darkness, circling her like she's some divine sword goddess of darkness!!!

My jaw drops.

Holy. Shit.

Eris stands at the center of it all, her expression calm, confident, almost playful—as if this level of power is nothing to her. The swords hum with energy, their sharp edges gleaming under the ice's reflection, moving in perfect, controlled synchrony.

But then—

Whoosh!

With a flick of her wrist, all twelve blades explode.

Not violently—

Beautifully.

They shatter into a flurry of dark petals, roses made from shadow, blooming into the air and drifting down around me like soft, fluttering feathers.

Dozens.

Hundreds.

They swirl through the sky in graceful arcs, brushing against my cheeks, my ears, my tail some catching in my hair. The petals feel cool to the touch. They are all soft, velvety, and impossibly delicate.

Like a scene straight out of some romantic, gothic fantasy opera.

It's… Magical!!!

I stand there, frozen in place, completely spellbound.

Suddenly, Eris winks, her mouth holding a rose as well.

…!!!

!!!!!!!

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???

I feel heat explode into my cheeks!

Damn!

That was smooth!

But cringyyy!!

WAY TO CRINGY!!!

I swat the air, batting away some of the floating petals. "A-Alright! That's enough, you show-off! Give me back my tools! I need to collect the Lilies now!"

Eris bursts into laughter, and with another casual wave of her hand, some of the floating roses twist and morph back into tools, returning to their original form.

I grab them quickly, avoiding eye contact because I refuse to acknowledge how flustered I am right now.

Meanwhile, the remaining petals drift back toward Eris, dissolving as they touch her skin, as if being absorbed back into her body.

She then turns to Inky and reaches for her backpack. "Okay, here's how we're storing them."

She pulls out a small cube, which she casually drops onto the ice.

The moment it makes contact—

FWOOOOOSH!

It expands into a one-meter-tall, one-meter-wide containment box, shimmering faintly with magical enchantments.

"This box is specially enchanted," Eris explains, tapping its surface. "Once you collect the flowers, just drop them in here. It'll preserve them perfectly until we get back."

I have no freaking idea how the cube works, but Eris says it does, so…

"Nn! Roger that!" I give her a salute.

And with that—

I march off to collect flowers, enthusiastically wielding my fancy new tools.

Eris, meanwhile, goes a little bit further, gathering the ones farther away.