Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)

The tiny, fluffy black cloud hovers in front of me, its body perfectly shaped like a small, cartoonish cat—round and puffy, like a floating marshmallow made of pure darkness.

And it's so unbelievably adorable I can barely handle it!

The moment it notices me, it suddenly zooms forward, its wispy form gliding effortlessly through the air. Like a curious little spirit satellite, it begins to circle me in slow, lazy loops—once, twice, three times—drifting around me as if it's inspecting this strange new creature in its territory.

I stand perfectly still, watching in silent fascination as it continues its playful orbit.

Then, unable to resist any longer, I take off my glove, hesitantly raise my hand, reaching out.

And the moment my fingertips come close—

It nuzzles into my palm.

A soft purrrrrrrr vibrates through its tiny body, a gentle, soothing hum that sends warmth straight to my chest.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~

My heart completely melts at the sensation.

It's like touching a warm cotton ball, light as air, soft as silk, but with a faint static tingle, as if I'm running my fingers through a cloud of magic.

I want to squeeze it. Hug it. Keep it forever!

"Oh? I can't believe it. Felicia, he likes you already!" Eris says, amusement lacing her voice.

"Nn!" I nod quickly, completely captivated by the tiny creature.

As I stroke its fluff again, it presses harder against my palm, its purring growing even louder—a sound so gentle and rhythmic, I could listen to it forever.

But then—

Wait…

What exactly is this thing?!

I blink, suddenly snapping out of my cute-induced trance.

"But… what is it?" I ask, still petting the mysterious little puffball.

Eris smiles knowingly. "It's my pet spirit!"

My eyes widen. "Oooooooh!!!"

A pet spirit?!

I glance between Eris and the tiny floating cat-cloud, my brain racing. That sounds so cool!

"Felicia, this is Inky!" Eris gestures toward the small spirit. Then she turns toward Inky. "And Inky, this is Felicia."

Inky stops circling me and bobs up and down, as if acknowledging me.

Inky…

I grin.

That's such a cute name!

And it fits perfectly too!

His tiny, wispy form is as dark as ink, swirling like a living shadow.

But—

What exactly is a pet spirit?!

Now I'm even more curious!

"He's a spirit I formed a contract with a few years ago," Eris explains. "He lives inside my pendant and feeds on my darkness attribute mana."

"UOOOOHHHH!!!!" I practically explode with excitement.

THAT'S SO COOL!

Now that I've seen a spirit this cute in person…

I WANT ONE TOO!!!

WAIT!

A thought hits me like lightning.

"Eris! My mana is darkness too! Can I feed Inky too?!"

Eris chuckles, tilting her head slightly. "Well, it's already feeding on you now."

Eh?

Wait, what?

FEEDING ON ME???

At Eris's words, I quickly glance down at my hand—and HOLY SHIT!

Inky is already latched onto my finger.

Its tiny, misty mouth is suckling on my fingertip, little wisps of black smoke swirling hungrily around its body, now with some additional shade of crimson red.

Honestly, I can't believe it.

This cute little thing.

Since when it began feeding on me like this?

I can barely feel anything!

But suddenly—

My vision wobbles.

Oooooooooh shittttt…

The world tilts sideways as a wave of dizziness rushes over me.

"Come on, Inky! Don't drain Felicia too much! She doesn't have a lot of mana!" Eris scolds, her tone half-stern, half-amused.

At her words, Inky pops off my finger and lets out a tiny, apologetic-sounding "Nyaa."

Then—

It blows out a soft puff of blackish-red smoke, sending it back into my finger.

Immediately, my head clears.

The dizziness fades, my body feels steady again, and warmth returns to my limbs.

"Whoa… Thanks, Inky." I blink, brushing my finger against its fluff. "And I'm sorry… I'm not very nutritious, am I?"

Eris snickers. "Well, at least he finds you delicious too."

She lifts her hand, and with a small, graceful motion, Inky instantly responds, floating back toward her. It perches neatly on her outstretched index finger, its tiny form hovering weightlessly, like a cat bird.

Eris then turns back to me, eyes glinting mischievously.

"Alright," she announces, "Inky here will help us get to the top of the mountain."

"Oh! That's amazing!" I beam.

But then—

I pause.

Wait.

I squint at the tiny tennis-ball-sized fluff of smoke.

"Wait… how?"

Does it have teleportation magic or something?

Or… some kind of instant travel spell?

How the heck can this tiny little fella get both of us up a mountain?!

Eris just chuckles knowingly, then tilts her head toward Inky.

"Alright, do your thing," she commands.

Inky suddenly floats higher, its small, puffy body trembling as if it's gathering power.

And then—

It begins to glow.

A deep, black light pulses from within, spreading out like rippling shadows, expanding and swelling as if something massive is pushing from inside.

The air grows thick, humming with a strange arcane pressure.

And then—

HOOOOOOOOOOLLYYY SHITTTT!!!

The tiny puffball of cuteness is no more.

Because in its place, a massive, towering figure looms over me, blocking out the light!

My mouth drops open as my entire body freezes.

The once small, harmless fluff of black smoke has now transformed into a massive, terrifying, pitch-black dragon!

"D-D-DRAGGGOONNNNN?!?!?!" I shriek, stumbling backward.

Its shadow swallows me whole, its sheer size overwhelming.

What was once a tiny, floating wisp is now a massive beast, its body easily the size of a house, its wings spanning over ten meters, stretching wide like a cloak of pure darkness. Its eyes are now piercing, glowing like blazing blue flames, staring down at me. Two majestic horns curve back from its massive head, crackling with dark energy, and its body radiates a thick, swirling mist

I can barely breathe. My heart hammers violently against my ribs.

I try to speak, but all that comes out is a sputtered, "E-Eris…? W-WHAT—???"

This…

This…

THIS IS THE SAME CUTE FLUFFBALL FROM BEFORE?!?!?!?

I glance between the enormous, smoke-wreathed dragon and Eris, who's now looking so tiny just by standing next to it, my brain short-circuiting.

HOW?!

HOW DOES THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE?!

Inky—now a fearsome, towering wyvern—lowers its massive head toward me.

Then—

It boops my forehead.

Gently.

With the same softness as when it was a tiny, floating puffball.

I die.

Eris laughs, placing a hand on the creature's side. "Not a dragon, silly," she corrects, running her fingers along its sleek, shadowy form. "It's a shadow wyvern. Dragons have separate arms and wings, and they're at least five times bigger!"

"O-Oooh!" I nod, still breathless in amazement.

True. Now that I look closer, Inky only has two massive hind legs, while its front limbs are fused into its giant wings, like a wyvern rather than a full-fledged dragon.

But still—

It looks hella badass.

"Alright, Inky, would you mind taking us for a ride to the mountain, please?" Eris asks warmly.

At her words, Inky rumbles softly, then nuzzles his massive snout into her palms, his long, shadowy tail wagging like an overgrown, lovable dog.

"W-waittt!" I stammer. "You mean… we're going to ride on Inky?!"

"Yeah!" Eris says with an easy grin. "Unless, of course, you'd rather walk up the mountain."

"NO! NO MORE WALKING!"

I blurt out instantly, my excitement bubbling over like a shaken soda can.

Oh my.

Oh. My. God.

My heart is literally racing right now.

Imagine soaring high above the clouds, feeling the icy wind whipping through my hair, flying with Eris on the back of a giant shadow wyvern—

HOLY SHIT!

THIS IS GONNA BE SO SICK!!!