Chapter 7

After the introductions were done I am made to lead at the front.
We check room by room but not once the adventurers seem excited about anything, they agree that the fine clothes in the bedroom are indeed valuable enough to take with, and some books in the library pick the interest of Marina, but all in all, they look pretty defeated at the end of the search.

They have me carry the stuff back to their camp. I feel like I’m being treated as a pack animal, and also as part of the loot.
Their camp is nothing more than a campfire lined with stones and a wagon with a few horses tied to it.

When I enter the camp the horses seem a bit scared of me, but I don’t care, I never liked horses even as a human, and now as a fox, I’m pretty sure that with a bit of cardio I’d be able to keep up with them if need be.

I drop the loot in the wagon and one of the adventurers beckons to me to come to the fire which they were lighting up, I barely had noticed that it was getting late, it is about sunset right now and the three adventurers invite me to have a serious talk around the fire while their food cooks.

Lionel tells me in a very serious tone: <so, Ivo. Let me be straight with you unless you are tricking us, which is not out of the table yet, I don't feel like it's a good idea to leave you here. People are gonna come to your den and you are gonna either kill them or they are gonna kill you, if you are being truthful then we would be leaving a child to be killed or worse, and if you are tricking us, we’d be leaving a threat for unsuspecting people to fall into. So, my proposition is as follows, you come with us, work for us, in exchange we won't kill you and teach you how to live in a way that won’t put you on the radar of other adventurers, BeastHunters or Demon hunter alike, of course, fighting, magical training, food, and water are included as long as you are of actual help.>

I perk my ears at the proposition, but then I look at the other two adventurers to make sure they were on board with it, and well… they didn't look like they hated it. Marina seems fine with it, excited even… hopefully she doesn’t plan to study me or something like that; while Evan doesn't seem to like the prospect and looks a bit dejected so I say sounding a bit dejected myself: <I am interested for sure… I doubt I could be lucky twice in finding someone that won’t just go for the kill, though, well… I will accept only if the other two want me around, or else there would be no point in agreeing when they just want to see me dead.>

Lionel nods and says: <Sure thing Ivo, Marina, Evan, What do you have to say?>

Marina nods profusely like a child and says <I’m totally fine, I only ever got to study about magical beasts in books, having one that is not hostile and helping us would be great!>
I sigh internally… She indeed wants to study me… Well, as long as she doesn’t try to dissect me I might be able to do some studying of magic of my own with her.
Evan huffed and said: <I know it’s unusual of me, but I think having him with us could be a pretty big mistake. What if he’s just making himself look like a child? What if he is actually dangerous, waiting for us to sleep to kill us? I trust you, Lionel, I won’t say no to Ivo coming with us, but I won’t have him take watch duty ever, and I will not put my life into his hands>
Well… that was an issue of trust, nothing that can’t be improved with time, all in all, these people don’t seem so bad, I would like to ask Dento what he thinks about all this, but he hasn’t been around since the adventurers showed up, so I am left to my own devices for now.
Lionel breaks my thought process and says: <well Ivo, you heard ‘em, so what do you choose? you can say no, it’s your choice in the end, just know that if you do start killing people in your den people will come to kill you, people stronger and more prepared to fight something like you than us, and I can’t do much but report that you are living here now.>
I didn’t plan to stay there anyways after what they told me, even if I didn't go with them… though I wonder if the shrine fort that they call my den will still be standing when I’m ready to come back, I enjoy that place.