Ryn kept his hands raised as he stepped closer to the campfire, the warmth of the flames doing little to ease the chill in his chest. The Spirit Fox walked beside him, its fur glowing faintly, the light dim enough to not draw more attention than necessary.
The three tamers eyed him with wary gazes, their hands never straying far from their weapons. The man who had called out earlier—a broad-shouldered figure with a scruffy beard and a long scar down his cheek—tightened his grip on his sword hilt as Ryn stopped a few paces away.
"Don't get any closer," the scarred man growled.
"Fair enough," Ryn said, his voice calm. He slowly lowered his hands and gestured to the Spirit Fox. "Look, I'm not here to fight. We're just passing through and need a little help. Food, maybe some information about the area."
The second tamer, the dark-haired woman with a sharp jawline, snorted again. She had a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver of arrows at her hip. "Passing through?" she repeated skeptically. "Where exactly are you headed? Nobody just passes through the Wildlands, kid."
"I don't exactly have a map," Ryn said, trying to keep his tone light. "I've been following the river and looking for a safe place to regroup."
The third tamer, a wiry man with narrow eyes and a dagger in each hand, stepped closer, his gaze flicking between Ryn and the Spirit Fox. "And what makes you think this is a safe place?" he asked, his voice low and cold. "You clearly haven't been out here long enough if you think there's such a thing as safe in the Wildlands."
Ryn's jaw tightened. "I didn't have a lot of options."
Scarred Man barked a humorless laugh, his sword gleaming faintly in the firelight. "Options. You think this is a market, kid? If you want something from us, you'd better have something to trade."
Ryn hesitated, his fingers brushing against the straps of his pack. The crystal shard inside pulsed faintly, its presence almost demanding his attention.
Not yet, he thought. The shard was too important, too mysterious to show to strangers.
"I've got a few things," Ryn said carefully, reaching into his pack. He pulled out a small pouch of dried herbs he had collected earlier in the forest, along with a rusted fishing hook and a piece of cord. "Not much, but it's all I've got to spare."
The woman arched an eyebrow, her lip curling. "That's it? You're not gonna last long out here if that's what you're working with."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ryn muttered.
The Spirit Fox chirped softly, its tail flicking as it stepped forward, drawing the tamers' attention.
"What kind of beast is that, anyway?" the wiry man asked, his narrow eyes narrowing further. "Doesn't look like it'd last ten minutes in a fight."
Ryn clenched his teeth. "It's tougher than it looks."
Scarred Man smirked, his tone mocking. "Sure it is. Let me guess—you're one of those new tamers the Guild keeps churning out. Thinks the Codex will do all the work for you."
Ryn stiffened. "I'm not with the Guild anymore."
That caught their attention. The three tamers exchanged glances, their postures shifting slightly.
"Not with the Guild?" the woman said, her tone suddenly sharper. "Why not?"
Ryn hesitated. The truth was complicated, and he wasn't eager to share his entire life story with strangers. But lying wasn't an option either—not when they were already suspicious.
"I left," he said finally. "Didn't have much of a choice."
"Not much of a choice," Scarred Man repeated, stroking his beard. "You make it sound like they kicked you out."
"They didn't," Ryn said quickly. "It's... complicated."
The woman crossed her arms, her gaze skeptical. "Complicated, huh? Let me guess—it has something to do with your bond."
Ryn's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
She nodded toward the Spirit Fox. "That thing's not normal. I've seen plenty of fox-type beasts, but nothing like that. The glow, the way it moves... it's not just any ordinary partner, is it?"
Ryn felt the bond pulse faintly, the Spirit Fox's unease echoing through him. He clenched his fists, trying to keep his expression neutral.
"It's... unique," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean anything."
"Doesn't it?" the wiry man said, his voice laced with suspicion. "Bonds that don't follow the Codex are dangerous. Unstable."
"It's not unstable," Ryn snapped, his voice sharp.
The three tamers tensed, their hands going to their weapons.
"Easy," Scarred Man said, his tone warning. "We don't want trouble, but you'd better start explaining yourself, kid. If you're hiding something, now's the time to come clean."
Ryn's mind raced. The crystal shard in his pack felt heavier than ever, its faint pulsing almost audible in the tense silence.
He glanced at the Spirit Fox, its glowing eyes steady as it watched him. The bond pulsed again, a flicker of reassurance that gave him the courage to speak.
"I don't know everything," Ryn said finally, his voice firm. "But you're right—this bond isn't normal. The Codex called it an error when it happened. And now... things are happening that I can't explain."
The tamers exchanged glances, their suspicion mingling with curiosity.
"Things like what?" the woman asked.
Ryn hesitated, then pulled the journal from his pack. He held it up for them to see, the bloodstained cover gleaming faintly in the firelight.
"This belonged to one of the tamers from the outpost near the river," he said. "They were researching the corruption—and the Codex. Whatever they found got them killed."
Scarred Man frowned, his grip on his sword loosening slightly. "Corruption?"
"It's spreading," Ryn said. "Faster than anyone expected. The Codex isn't responding the way it's supposed to. And if we don't figure out why..."
He trailed off, letting the weight of his words sink in.
The three tamers were silent, their gazes shifting between Ryn and the Spirit Fox.
Finally, the woman sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Alright," she said. "You might be telling the truth. Or you might be spinning a story to get us to lower our guard. Either way, you've got my attention."
Scarred Man nodded reluctantly. "We'll share what we know," he said. "But don't think for a second we're letting you stay here for free. If you want our help, you're gonna have to prove you're worth the trouble."
Ryn exhaled slowly, relief mingling with apprehension. "Fair enough," he said. "What do you need me to do?"
The woman smirked, her eyes glinting. "Let's start with a little test, shall we? There's something we've been meaning to take care of—and now we've got someone to help us."
Ryn felt the bond pulse faintly, the Spirit Fox's unease echoing through him.
"Great," he muttered under his breath. "What could possibly go wrong?"