Ethan was about to ask a question, but the gnoll stole the conversation first.
"Have you seen my useless little brother?"
His rough voice echoed down the corridor.
"A spineless crocodile. A dumb gator that does nothing but run around biting things."
Halfway through, the gnoll started laughing at his own joke.
He casually tossed his weapon aside.
Metal clanged against stone—ding-ding-ding—rattling on far too long.
Ethan didn't answer right away.
A white energy sphere had already formed in his palm, but he didn't fire. The dog-headed monster talked like a thug, yet his posture was almost too frank—so open it made Ethan hesitate. For a second, Ethan couldn't tell if this thing was genuinely friendly or just playing with them.
In the end, Ethan let the attack fade.
"We came in from outside. We just wanted to get out of the heat for a bit. We'll be leaving soon."
He watched the gnoll's reaction closely.
