Grimclaw carried them far. Yet, even with the distance they’d covered, the wolves' distant cries still echoed.

Jeff's voice broke the tense silence. "It's my blood. They're following the scent of my wound. You can leave me... I'm just a burden."

Vieran’s jaw clenched. "Stop talking. You'll only distract Grimclaw." His eyes flicked to the bird above them. He knew Grimclaw's strength was waning. They couldn’t afford any more doubt or hesitation.

Then, through the haze of fear and fatigue, Grimclaw spotted it—a towering silhouette piercing the night sky like a beacon of hope. The tower loomed in the distance, its jagged spire reaching out of the mist. Grimclaw let out a low, determined cry and adjusted his flight path, aiming for the structure.

But the ascent was grueling. The earlier exposure to the black mist had sapped Grimclaw's vitality, and each beat of his wings grew slower. His breathing was ragged, his movements shaky. The tower seemed impossibly far, but Grimclaw pressed on, his resolve unyielding.

“Just a little more,” Vieran murmured, his gaze locked on the tower. He could feel the desperation in Grimclaw’s every movement. “Come on, you’ve got this.”

Grimclaw soared higher, his wings slicing through the night air with sheer force of will. The wolves' howls began to fade beneath them as the tower drew closer. Finally, with a strained cry, Grimclaw reached the tower’s broken window. He folded his wings and dove inside, landing hard on the stone floor.

Vieran and Jeff tumbled from Grimclaw's grasp, rolling to a stop in the center of the room. For a moment, none of them moved. The only sounds were their breaths.

Grimclaw slumped against the wall, his chest rising and falling heavily. His feathers were matted, his eyes half-closed with exhaustion. Vieran crawled over to Jeff, checking his wound before leaning back, finally allowing himself a moment of rest.

They were safe. For now.

Vieran scanned the room, taking in the scattered piles of junk that cluttered the floor and corners. The faint sound of footsteps reached his ears, coming from just outside. A sense of unease crept over him—he wasn’t alone.

Weary and drained, he moved toward the door. As his fingers brushed the handle, the door creaked open. A man and a girl stepped inside, their faces betraying their surprise at finding him there.

The man’s expression quickly hardened as he drew his sword. Vieran’s hand shot up in response, leveling his beam-shooting teapot at the intruder. Tension thickened the air as the two stared each other down, neither willing to make the first move.

The man’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. “How did you find us here?” he demanded. “Don’t think for a second we don’t know who you work for. You’re one of the Bloodmaw Reapers, aren’t you?”

The girl stepped closer, aiming her crossbow at Vieran. “We have been had, huh? I thought our action was sneaky enough.”

Vieran exhaled slowly, his hands lifting in a placating gesture. “I’m not with the Reapers,” he said. He jerked his head toward the shattered window behind him. “I came in through there with my friends.”

He pointed toward the dimly lit corner, where Jeff lay slumped against the wall, his face pale and strained from injury. Nearby, Grimclaw, breathing heavily, rested on his back.

“I don’t work for the Reapers,” Vieran repeated, his eyes locked on the man’s.

The man lowered his sword slightly, though his posture remained guarded. His gaze flicked to Jeff and Grimclaw before returning to Vieran. “If you’re not with them,” he said cautiously, “then what the hell are you doing here?”

The girl, however, didn’t lower her crossbow. Her skeptical glare burned into Vieran. “Convenient story,” she muttered, her finger hovering near the trigger. “How do we know you’re not lying?”

Vieran didn’t flinch, keeping his hands raised. “If I were with the Reapers, do you think I’d look like this? My friends are barely standing. We’re just trying to survive.”

Dax hesitated, his grip loosening a fraction more, though mistrust still lingered in his expression. “We’ll see about that. Tell us your story,” he said grimly.

Vieran lowered his hands slowly, keeping his movements slow to avoid spooking the pair. “We’re not here to cause trouble,” he began. “We were attacked by wolf phantom beasts and the Bloodmaw Reapers on our way here.”

Dax and Lila exchanged a glance, their suspicion still evident, though their weapons wavered slightly.

“We managed to fight off the Reapers,” Vieran continued, “including their squad leader, Terek. It wasn’t easy, but we took them down.” He gestured toward the luminous eagle beast resting nearby, its glowing feathers faintly illuminating the room. “With Grimclaw’s help, we escaped and made it to this tower.”

Dax studied Vieran’s face, then glanced at Grimclaw, the creature’s labored breaths and battle-worn state silently proving to the truth of his words. Lila’s crossbow lowered, her skepticism giving way to reluctant belief.

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Finally, Dax lowered his sword completely, though his posture remained alert. “Alright,” he said, his tone softer but still cautious. “If that’s true, then you’re not our enemy. I’m Dax, and this,” he motioned toward the girl, “is Lila.”

“I’m Vieran,” he replied, his voice easing now that the tension had lifted. He pointed toward his companions. “That’s Jeff, and that,” he gestured to the eagle beast, “is Grimclaw.”

Dax nodded slowly, his sharp eyes shifting to Jeff, who was slumped against the wall, and then back to Vieran. “Your friend looks bad,” he said. “Mind if I take a look?”

Vieran hesitated, his gaze flicking toward Jeff. There was a moment of silence before he nodded. “Alright,” he said finally, stepping aside. “But no sudden moves.”

Dax offered a faint smile, his weapon sheathed now, and approached cautiously to assess Jeff’s condition.

Dax knelt beside Jeff, his sharp eyes assessing the bite wound on Jeff’s leg. The jagged edges of the wound were swollen. He pressed his fingers gently around the injury, eliciting a wince from Jeff.

“It’s still fresh,” Dax muttered, glancing up at Lila. “We need to disinfect this before it gets worse.”

Lila nodded without a word, already pulling her bag off her shoulder. She rummaged through it, her hands quickly finding a small medical kit. Tossing it to Dax, she said, “Here. Do it fast—he’s losing strength.”

Dax caught the kit and flipped it open, retrieving a vial of disinfectant and clean cloths. The sharp smell of alcohol filled the air as he soaked the cloth. “This is going to sting,” he warned, glancing briefly at Jeff, whose jaw tightened in anticipation.

Dax pressed the damp cloth against the wound. Jeff hissed in pain, his fingers digging into the floor as the disinfectant seared into the open flesh. Grimclaw let out a low, concerned growl from where it rested, its luminous feathers dimming slightly.

“Hold still,” Dax said firmly, wiping away the blood and any residue left by the bite. Once the wound was cleaned, he reached for a roll of bandages. Carefully, he began wrapping Jeff’s leg, layering the gauze tightly enough to stem any further bleeding but gently enough to avoid causing more pain.

After securing the bandage with a knot, Dax leaned back, inspecting his work. “That’ll hold for now,” he said, packing away the remaining supplies.

Lila stepped closer, her gaze flicking between Jeff and the bandaged wound. “Will he be able to move?” she asked.

“With a healing pill, he can immediately move,” Dax replied, standing up and wiping his hands on a spare cloth.

Dax moved cautiously toward Grimclaw, who lay sprawled on his back, chest rising and falling in labored breaths. As he drew closer, Grimclaw’s glowing eyes flared with warning, and the eagle beast snapped its beak, the motion quick and menacing.

“Easy,” Vieran said sharply, stepping in and placing a steadying hand on Grimclaw’s head. The beast’s feathers flickered dimly as Vieran’s touch calmed him. “They’re not bad people,” he said, his voice firm but gentle. “Let him help.”

Grimclaw’s growling subsided, relaxing slightly. Dax nodded his thanks and knelt beside the beast, his hands carefully examining Grimclaw’s sides and wings. As he worked, his expression grew grim.

“He’s inhaled the black mist,” Dax said after a moment, his voice low. “If we don’t act fast, it’ll corrupt him completely. He needs to absorb a Luminorb or convert his own Vitalumen.”

Vieran’s stomach dropped, his mind racing. “The next Luminorb won’t come until morning,” he said, panic threading his words.

He glanced at his companion’s dull feathers and labored breathing. If it was him, he could control his Vitalumen thanks to his trait. But he didn't even know if Grimclaw had that trait.

Dax hesitated, his brow furrowing as he considered their options. Finally, he looked over at Lila. “Give me a Vitalumen Pill,” he said firmly.

Lila blinked in surprise but quickly pulled out a small vial containing the pill. Handing it to Dax, she watched as he turned to Vieran, his eyes sharp. “Are you a Lightseeker?”

“Yes. I'm a Lightfinder,” Vieran admitted, nodding.

Dax’s expression shifted, a glimmer of hope lighting his features. “What factor have you learned?”

Vieran hesitated, then answered quietly, “Only item purification.”

The hope in Dax’s eyes faded, replaced by mild disappointment. He exhaled sharply. “Alright,” he said, pulling the pill from the vial. “I’ll give this to your beast and treat Jeff with a healing pill, but it’s going to cost you.”

“I will pay,” Vieran replied immediately.

Dax wasted no time, pressing the Vitalumen Pill gently to Grimclaw’s beak. The eagle beast hesitated, then swallowed the pill. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the vitalumen veins running through Grimclaw’s body flared to life, glowing brighter and steadier with each passing second. His breathing evened out, and he let out a low, relieved trill.

Dax stood, satisfied, and tossed a small, pale pill to Jeff. “Eat it,” he instructed.

Jeff caught the pill weakly, popping it into his mouth without argument. Moments later, his complexion brightened, and the pain etched into his features began to fade. He stretched his leg cautiously, then let out a relieved sigh.

“Thank you,” Vieran said, his voice sincere as he looked at Dax.

Dax merely nodded, his expression a mix of business and faint satisfaction. “You’re welcome for a price.”

Vieran glanced between Dax and Lila, his mind turning over their situation. Grimclaw’s condition had improved, and Jeff seemed stable, but the cost weighed on him. “I can purify items,” he offered. “If you have anything corrupted, I can clean it for you as payment.”

Dax’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, but his skepticism was clear. “We do have some corrupted items,” he admitted, crossing his arms. “We stole them from the Bloodmaw Reapers when they were out for a raid. But purifying them alone wouldn’t be enough to cover the cost of a Vitalumen Pill and a healing pill. Those aren’t cheap.”

Vieran’s chest tightened. He hadn’t thought much about it before, but now it hit him just how valuable a single healing pill was. When he had first started his journey, he’d had a small supply of them. But he’d wasted them all, using them recklessly on minor injuries, never considering their worth or the struggle others faced to obtain them.

He lowered his gaze, lost in thought for a moment. "I should’ve been more careful, he thought grimly. But now wasn’t the time for regrets."

After a pause, he raised his head and met Dax’s eyes. “We also have some purified items,” he said. “I’ll trade a few of them to cover the cost of the pills you gave us.”

Dax arched a brow, intrigued but cautious. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Vieran turned to Jeff, who was still regaining his strength. “You know the drill,” he said.

Jeff gave a weak nod, reaching into his small magic bag. With a flick of his wrist, he dropped several items onto the floor.

Dax crouched to inspect the goods, his eyes scanning each item. He had the air of someone who’d dealt in such trades before. Then, he nodded as a sign that the offer was being seriously considered.