Depression set in as Jack approached the campsite, but he was stunned by what he saw. Rydel was sitting on a chair he carried in his storage with meat already butchered and hanging over the fire pit. The lanky hunter said, "You took too long, so I got impatient. Help yourself."
Jack sat on the ground and leaned back against a nearby tree. His arms fell weakly to his side as the baby fox was revealed on his lap. It cooed and whined quietly as it leaned against Jack's chest. Suddenly wincing pain shot through Jack's body as the fox snuggled up with him. He grabbed the fox gently and placed it next to him on his left side, trying his best to keep it away from his injuries.
"That's quite a nice pet you got there," said Rydel. "A fur pelt like that would bring in about a dozen gold to the right buyer."
Shaking his head, Jack mustered enough strength to speak. "Nah, not this one. I'm too invested to do something like that."
"Yeah, I saw," Rydel chuckled and threw Jack a roasted meat leg. "You did good kid. That's not what I would've done, but I can't blame you. You keep that one, and I'll keep this one."
After catching his dinner Jack squinted and noticed a fur pelt hanging to dry inside Rydel's tent.
Before Jack could say anything or the baby fox noticed its mother's fur pelt, Rydel smirked and pulled down the tarp that covered the entrance to the tent.
Not wanting to waste energy overthinking or complaining, Jack bit into the meat leg. It was a little tough and lacked any seasoning, but Jack's weak constitution greatly appreciated the pick me up.
The baby fox saw the meat and licked its lips as it pounced at the meat leg in Jack's hand. It missed the meat however and bit Jack's right hand instead. While Rydel was laughing and enjoying his meal, Jack pulled off the baby fox with great surprise.
That bite of the baby fox easily broke his skin and could've even torn through the muscles on his hand. Jack may have only been lv. 1, but he was certain that a practically newborn fox shouldn't be able to cause that much damage.
Another piece of meat was flung at Jack, but he was leaning in to look at his hand and was hit in the face by the flying meat. As it fell to the ground, the baby fox's eyes gleamed and it attacked the rib meat in front of it.
"That's some fox." Rydel was spooked by the insane bite the baby fox had taken from Jack's hand. "Do you know what kind of fox that is kid?"
"Isn't it just an infant brown fox?" guessed Jack, now unsure of himself.
Rydel slowly turned his head from side to side and said, "Nah, a brown fox can't do damage like that until they're fully grown, but I'm not 100% sure either. I guess we'll figure it out eventually."
Jack nodded and pulled out a potion. He didn't want to waste them, but such an injury could impede his EXP grinding later. Reluctantly, Jack poured the potion over his wounded hand and watched it visibly heal itself. Then he wrapped it carefully, knowing that although it was technically healed, it was still tender and could easily reopen. "Yo captain, are there any towns or villages nearby to stock up on supplies?"
"There's one just on the other side of our destination, why? Didn't you already gather what you needed?" asked Rydel.
"Yeah, but I don't want to head back until I'm at least lv. 10. I'm sure I'll need to restock eventually, and by them I'll have stuff to sell or trade for what I need," answered Jack as he petted the baby fox with his left hand.
"What are you gonna name him?" asked Rydel, ignoring Jack's answer.
"It's a he?" said Jack, picking up the baby fox to double-check. "I don't know, what do you think I should call him?"
"Don't know, don't care. That's for you to figure out, and you to take care of. Remember, you saved him, so you have to pay for him," said Rydel.
"Sure, I'll take care of all the food he needs, and he can sleep in one of the extra beds," said Jack, trying to relax and ignore the incredible pain he felt.
"No, I mean you'll have to pay to register him. Every pet or beast companion in the Reinolt Kingdom must be registered at a local branch of the Royal Court," clarified Rydel. "They'll run a magical diagnosis to determine its breed and bloodline purity, and then you'll have to pay accordingly. The more exotic or rare the breed, the more expensive. By the looks of that fur coat, he might cost you a pretty penny."
"Seriously?" Jack shrank a little after hearing that. He didn't think it would be so much of a hassle to adopt a pet.
"Hey, I think it's more than worth it," interjected Rydel. "Yeah, it's annoying to pay so much money, but you can also buy a beast master seal and make him your beast companion. We both know that thing is going to grow a lot, just look at the size of the mother. Plus, since he's so young and he already likes you, you might be able to get a mutual beast seal."
"What the big deal? It's just getting a beast companion. I do want him as my beast companion but isn't there a cheaper way to do it?" asked Jack.
"There are a few ways, but that requires a lot of travel and time so it's not worth it. And if you can get a mutual seal, that's by far the best option. A beast can only carry a single seal in its life and the different levels of seals can affect your beast companion's growth. Getting a mutual seal with a rare beast, like that fox might be, would make anyone green with envy."
Jack squinted his eyes and watched the baby fox chewing on the bones after quickly devouring the meat. He asked, "Then what's so special about this mutual seal? If it's so great, then why haven't I heard of it before?"
"I don't know what you ancient heroes did before, but we've been using these seals for the past few centuries," explained Rydel. "And the mutual seal is by far the best seal you can get. It means that you and your beast companion will level up at the same speed. If you level up, he'll automatically level up to match you. And if he levels up before you, the seal will activate and bump you up too. If I could get that fox to like me, then I'd definitely take it off your hands. But let's consider it as part of your 10%."
"Wait, for real!? Can we do that in the town? If so, we've gotta do it before we start grinding," said Jack enthusiastically.
"Calm down kid, we've got to stop there anyway. We need to get you healed up, right?" asked Rydel as he flicked a small leftover bone at Jack's side.
Jack grunted, "Yeah, sorry about that. At least we both got something out of it; that pelt should be worth something too, right."
"I guess you're right," Rydel chuckled. "Besides, I need you in full form for my plan to work."
"On that note, what is the plan exactly," asked Jack. "I don't even know where we're going."
"I guess you'll find out eventually," sighed Rydel as he threw the leftover leg bone to the baby fox. "After we stop in Baltwood to get you and that fox pup all settled, we'll head to the nearby azure mines."
Thinking back to the azure mines and what challenges they contained, Jack smiled. "Oh, is see. I knew I'd like working with you. I'm the bait, right?"
"You got it." Rydel was glad that Jack was happy to follow through with a plan that would make most new adventurers run for the hills.
"Sounds good to me, but I'm not heading back till I'm lv. 10, got it? Otherwise, you can kiss your bait goodbye," said Jack.
"You drive a hard bargain. I guess this will take a bit longer than I expected, but my 90% share is worth it, I guess." Rydel got up and stored his chair. Without another word, he entered his tent and tied it shut.
Taking a hint, Jack laughed and looked back at the baby fox. It was gnawing on the femur that Rydel had thrown earlier and had already eaten through the rib bones. Jack struggled to believe it was so easy for the baby fox to devour even the bones, that was until he noticed char marks all over the femur.
Seeing that the fox's stomach wasn't going to be full anytime soon, Jack forced himself up and threw the remaining meat to the even more excited fox. He thought for a moment and laughed to himself. "I'll call you Bowser."