Sern noticed the three of us, jolting awake.

  Instantly, Rose and Junior backpedaled, ducking around one corner.

  “What’s with you two?” I asked. “It’s just an elf.”

  Rose shot a glare at Sern, then grabbed me by the ear, pulling me back. “Honorable Sir, do you have any idea how dangerous ‘an elf’ actually is?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Her hands light on fire and her stats can go really high. I know what I’m getting into.”

  Rose sighed. “How high, Sir? She’s a third area monster.”

  “Third area?”

  I spent a moment thinking. “So she could kill Urgot, if she wanted to?”

  “She won’t,” Junior hissed, his eyes narrowing to slits. “The greater slaves are Urgot’s dogs. She’s the cash cow,” he said. “Urgot sells her to whatever clueless adventurers he can—no offense, sir—and then, within the end of week, her quest is failed, and she returns to be sold again.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” I stated, with a shrug.

  Rose glanced at Junior. “Sir, there’s only one way to fail a return quest, and that’s to die. Hundreds of adventurers follow her path, each one of them is now dead.”

  “I know Sern,” I said. “She wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less a person. Not if she had the choice. If she's in the third area, then maybe the third area is just really hard?”

  Rose grimaced. “Sir, we don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “It’ll hurt more to leave her behind,” I stated, looking her in the eye. “I will save each and every person in this building, and I’m willing to accept any level of risk to make that happen.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need a cause worth fighting for,” I sighed. “If I’ve got the power I have, then I ought to be using them for something.”

  Rose gawked. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes.”

  An ominous silence filled the hallway.

  “Take Axel,” Junior blurted.

  “And who’s Axel?”

  Junior pointed out the massive metal cage at the end of the hallway. The one covered in glyphs and chains, with padlocks larger than most farm animals.

  “He’s right there,” Junior stated. “He doesn’t talk much, but he’s the strongest monster Urgot has. He won’t fight, and he’s scared to death of Urgot, but Urgot’s too scared of him to sell him, so he just stays in there all the time. But he’s really nice.”

  “Another slave?” Rose hissed, jabbing her brother in the side. “He can’t take every monster along with him,” she hissed.

  “No, but I can take four,” I said. “Axel. Axel. I thought most slaves don’t have names.”

  “Most don’t,” Junior started, before trailing off. “You know what? You’ll figure it out pretty quick.”

  “Keep an eye on Sern,” I said. “She’s precious to me, same as you two. I’ll see what I can do for Axel.”

  Closer to the cage, I started noticing deep gouges in the floor, where metal had been torn from the foundation.

  “What kind of creature is Axel?” I muttered..

  “No idea,” Junior chuckled. “Some sort of third area something or what-other. Nobody actually saw him.”

  I frowned, glancing back at Sern’s cage.

  Junior shrugged. “We can watch the elf from over here.”

  “It couldn't hurt to have a little distance,” Rose whispered.

  “Alright,” I sighed, leaning over and planting a hand on the cage. I squeezed.

  //10,000 Str//

  Surprisingly, the glyphs managed to absorb a couple seconds of impact, glowing bright white and orange. But after a little longer, they melted off and the padlocks crumpled upon each other, blowing away at my touch.

  The steel door to the cage disintegrated, revealing an upside down monster. He hung by his ankles, his arms strapped to the floor with massive metal clamps, and a thick metal muzzle over his head.

  “Just for the record, he’s less dangerous than Sern?” I asked.

  Junior shivered. “To us? Yeah.”

  He glanced at Sern, who was peeking her head out from her cage.

  Rose shoved him out of Sern’s line of sight. “Free Axel quick, Grind.”

  I knelt down, pressing either hand on his muzzle, following where it connected to his mouth. “Guys? This thing’s screwed into his jaw.”

  Junior cringed. “I wouldn’t recommend taking that off.”

  “Sern has a collar that’d kill her if removed,” I stated. “Would Axel have something like that too?“

  “She does?” Rose asked, stifling the beginnings of a scoff. “Sir, I doubt it. Axel already has so many other restraints, a magic muzzle would be overkill.”

  I pressed against his arms, cracking several bands, then repeated it for the other side, before slashing Craposhovler through the chains around his ankles, and his feet dropped down.

  “Axel?” I asked, stepping back. “You’re free, so—”

  ~Greater Slave~

  {AXEL}

  [1000 Str 1000 Hp 1000 AtkSp]

  Energy exploded out from the cage, ripping into the stone and metal.

  Axel flung himself from the ground, planting his feet on the ground and flipping backward, ramming an elbow into my forehead, glancing off from a block by Crapshoveler.

  Attacks came fast, raining against myself and the area around him, splintering rock.

  Now that he’s moved into the light, I could see the bright colors mixing around within his veins, lighting up before each attack.

  “Whoa!” Junior shouted, wedging between the two of us with his hands in the air. “Axel! Hey, he’s with me!”

  “We’re with him,” Rose hissed.

  “Whatever,” Junior shrugged. “Axel, buddy, we’re the good guys, okay?”

  Axel stopped dead, fists frozen over his head.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Then a low hiss escaped from his muzzle.

  “Aaaaaaaaxxxxeelll”

  “Ah,” I said. “That explains the name.”

  “Yeah, that’s the sport," Junior chuckled. “Now where are you going to go adventuring and do a bunch of really cool stuff to get way stronger, okay?”

  “Aaa–axxeel–ll

  “Yeah, yeah I know.” Junior said. “But he’s one of the good guys.”

  Axel shuddered, dropping to the ground with a grunt.

  “See?” Junior said. “He’s a big softie.”

  “Alright,” I started, “now that I’ve got your attention, let’s see if I can get this muzzle off—”

  Axel clamped his hands to the metal around his face, hissing. “aAAAAaxxxxxxellll”

  I blinked.

  Junior jolted. “OH! I forgot! He really, really hates it when people touch his jaws.”

  “Jaws?” I asked.

  The muzzle folded back and split in a thin line, revealing silvery metal teeth.

  “Axel, calm yourself,” Junior huffed. “Yeah I think he can control the metal planted into his body. Anyway, he got shipped here cause he ate his last master—”

  “Ate?”

  “He really doesn’t like it when people touch his jaws,” Junior chuckled.

  Rose stiffened. “And you didn’t mention this sooner?”

  “Axel is very chatty. He says so much it’s hard to remember it all,” Junior stated. He nudged Axel in the side. “Right?”

  “Axxxxeeeellll.”

  I cleared my throat and stepped forward, offering my hand. “Axel, you’re free to go wherever you want. Urgot has been killed, but he will be back soon. You’re not safe yet. If you wish, you could accompany me on my travels. Would you like that?"

  Axel barked, repeatedly ramming his face into the ground.

  “That’s a yes,” Junior stated.

  “Okay…” I said, pulling my hand back. “I’ll go check on Sern.”

  Rose glanced at me, then at her brother. “Sir? Are you sure?”

  “She’s family,” I stated.

  “Interesting family,” Junior muttered. He grabbed Axel by the plumes of white fur on his back and hopped ontop of him. “Let’s ride!”

  Axel flung himself into the air, punching a hole through the roof.

  “They’re fine, right?” I asked.

  Rose winced. “Should I?---”

  “Yeah, go check on them.”

  Rose left the inner room, and I was alone.

  I took a step toward Sern’s cage, then stopped, as a stray thought entered my mind. There was something odd going on with her quest.

  Was she dangerous?

  I guess everyone was, one way or another.

  I stepped in—

  —and found an empty room.

  “Sern?” I called.

  The chains had been ripped up from the floor, then dragged up the wall. They ran up into the ceiling, where smoking tiles had been broken away.

  I pulled myself up, climbing after her. The thin passage opened out into a set of steps, winding around into Urgot’s room, covered in trash, clothing, and piles of money.

  A fresh breeze rustled the room, coming from a broken window.

  She was running again.

  I jumped through, clambering up to the roof.

  Sern stood, hugging her ragged dress to her body, hunching down, over the ledge. When she saw me, she spun, cracking a tile underneath her feet.

  “Sern!” I shouted, running forward.

  She concentrated, eyes closed, squeezing herself into a ball, and flung herself off the roof.

  {Unnamed : //1 Hp//}

  Energy exploded off my arm, ripping the roof off the building, knocking Sern into the air.

  She screamed, spiraling down, before coming to a sudden halt in my arms.

  “What were you doing?” I asked.

  She ignored me, struggling against my grip. I let her go, and she ran back to the end of the building.

  “Sern? Stop.”

  Her eyes flashed white, and she froze.

  I knelt down, turning to look her in the eye. “You’re trying to hurt yourself, aren’t you?”

  She raised a shaking hand toward her chest, and I caught it.

  “You need to go home, Sern,” I said, with a gesture to the Bestiary. “This isn’t home.”

  Sern shuddered and fell, squeezing her knees to her chest. The air turned bitter, and cold, as the two of us sat on the rooftop, watching each other.

  “I have something for you,” I whispered, summoning a flower from my inventory.

  At her touch, prismatic waves of color washed over the petals, like a metallic sheen, and she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut, pressing the flower into my hands.

  “It’s yours,” I said. “I would like you to take care of it. I’m not very good with plants.”

  I laid the flower in her hands.

  “Where I’m going will be dangerous. But it is far more dangerous here. You are not happy here. I can’t guarantee safety, but I can make you happy. I know many places that would make you very happy, and I’d like to show them to you.”

  Sern shivered, her knuckles whitening.

  “You deserve to be happy—”

  She shook her head, dropping the flower, scrabbling away.

  Why wasn’t this working? It was so easy the last time, wasn't it?

  I needed her to be safe. I refused to imagine what would happen if I left her here.

  But it wasn’t working.

  So what was I supposed to do?

  Sern obviously had more issues than I remembered. She doesn’t want to care for herself. Basic needs aren’t going to get her to trust me.

  But then what more do I have?

  Why did I want Sern? I was already saving some other slaves, so…wasn’t that enough? I could just get her another time, couldn’t I?

  No. That wouldn’t work.

  Sern whimpered, wringing her hands, scratching black lines on pale skin.

  “I need you safe,” I whispered. “That is all that matters. Do you understand?”

  She shook her head.

  “I’m immortal, Sern, or as close as you can get. And that scares me.”

  I took another long, slow deep breath in and out, collecting my thoughts.

  “I don’t have to care,” I stated. “I don’t have to help anyone. In fact, it’d be easier if I didn't. I could blast ahead of the game, doing whatever I want to whoever I want. That scares me. If I let myself go loose, with no morals and nothing to lose…I don’t know who I’d be. Beyond that, I feel helpless.” I frowned. “Anything I can do resets when I die. No matter how strong I get, the problems stay the same.”

  Sern chirped to herself, inching away.

  But she was listening, so I continued.

  “Reasonably speaking, I ought to ignore everything. I want to, you know. Who cares if people die? If some video game characters get hurt, that shouldn’t matter. It’s all a game, and nothing matters. But I matter, and who I am matters. In fact, that’s the only thing that matters. I need to know that deep down, I’m a good person. So I’ve got to do something good, Sern. I’ve wasted every other part of my power, so if I’m going to use anything, it ought to be this.”

  Sern had inched closer.

  “I need to prove to myself that I can save someone. If, despite my effort, I fail to save you, then even with respawning, I’m simply not strong enough. Then I’ll know for sure. But if I have the chance—any chance—to save you, and I don’t, then I’ve given up on who I am as a person. There are other people I’d like to save, but I know I can’t save everybody. So I’ll save—actually save—one person.”

  She hunched down, meeting my eyes.

  “Sern, to me you are the most valuable person in this entire world. I simply can’t afford to give up on you, and I can’t afford to let you give up on yourself.”

  I stood, picking the flower up, and handing it toward her. “Please, Sern. Come with me. I don’t care how dangerous you think you are. I don’t care what you’ve done. I just want to help you. Okay?”

  She reached out a hand, then pulled it back.

  I waited, standing where I was.

  Minutes passed, before she raised her hand.

  Then she slid her fingers around the stem, and pulled it from my grasp into hers.

  Sern hunched down, pressing her face into the flower.

  “Sern, would you like to join me?”

  For a moment, she wouldn’t move.

  Then she laid her hand in mine, squeezing tight.

  We made our way back to the ground floor without further issue.