Grim sheathed his sword as the last traces of the Jiaolong disappeared beneath the murky waters.
"We should return to the others," he said to Huangyan and Lianna.
They made their way back through the flooded village toward the higher ground where the Obsidian Knights had taken Liona and the remaining villagers.
When she spotted them, visible relief washed over her face. "You're alive," she called out, taking a few steps toward them. The Obsidian Knights followed the princess.
"The beast has retreated," Grim informed her.
Terran, the senior Obsidian Knight, stepped forward. "We counted seventeen survivors, Lord Ambrose. The village elder says at least a dozen were taken by the creature over the past three days."
Grim nodded grimly and turned his attention to the huddled villagers. Their faces showed a mixture of hope and despair—relief at their rescue tempered by grief for those they'd lost. An elderly man, stooped but dignified despite his soaked clothing, approached Grim.
