Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. These characters belong to their respective owners.

This chapter is beta-read by DarkLord331.

A week. That was the time John had spent in this strange world. A strange world where a war between good and evil was an everyday business. A world where magic and more of such exceptional energy could be felt and used to one's skills. A world, where stats and levels apparently mattered, yet were so unreliable you could live without it. A place where unique 'powers' existed. Lastly, a universe that needed saving.

The former student had to adjust to that new world on multiple levels. Monsters that wanted to claim his life. Familiar faces whose trust had to be earned without any verbal way of communicating. Eating food which his stomach was not adjusted to and scenarios far too grim for a normal English student to live in.

It was only to the luck of his companions that John had survived thus far on all fronts. His clothes were a mess, wearing scraps of clothing that were still in one piece in his search for living civilization. He smelled far more horrible than he looked, his scent only held in tune by simple and weak magic. His facial hair had not been kind to him, growing far wilder than it had ever done before. His stomach was slowly turning into steel, yet that progress felt like the devil himself played with it. Yet, he held there, together with his companions the mercenary Spy, the shield Hero Naofumi, the Skeleton Caster Ainz Own Goal, and the Knight Madakero. A decent team compensation, yet far too weak to fight the forces of evil. Mutated vermin were no longer much of a threat, but the lizardmen, goblins, and skeletons took them a lot more effort to kill.

As the party of five walked through a deep forest towards the south, their destination the lands of Kisama, the faint sound of battle could be heard. Naofumi's bat-shield appeared as usual, to no ones' surprise, and he scanned the area for a location. ''There,'' he said calmly after a few seconds, pointing towards a green hill to the south-west. ''Let's move. Perhaps, we find someone alive for a change.''

Despite his calm demeanor, Naofumi had set it on a run, leading as the groups-tank into battle. A second later, a white light engulfed their legs, the familiar spell of Ainz a trivial thing these days. With three damage dealers following Naofumi in his tracks and protecting the caster from three sides, they ran in the hope for survivors.

The weather was as horrible as it ever was. Rain fell down on the wastelands that were once a beacon of life. Now, the harvest had been trampled, and wildlife was mutated or completely gone. The group still did not know their enemy, despite having fought those monsters for over a week, one even half a life-time.

But those were minor thoughts. Now, there was just one thing on the mindset of these individuals: survive with any means necessary and defeat anyone that tries to kill them. Allies were needed, and yet, trust was one thing among these people that was difficult. After all, there was a man in a suit who was literally called a Spy. There was an adolescent who could not speak. The third member was an elder lich of all, similar in appearance as any of those skeleton warriors. The fourth member was a cynical man, whose face always shouted to be kept alone outside of battle. Lastly, there was a knight who was the only true civilian of this world from the party, and although his intentions were correct, he was a fool who did not understand they were still clearly outmatched to fight the forces of evil.

However, again, for now, they only had eyes for the upcoming battle and hoping they wouldn't be too late, which had been the situation lately. Arriving on places where both sides had taken a loss, unfamiliar faces in John's eyes laying in the open with open lightless eyes.

Just as the group had reached the hill, a green figure flew several meters above them before it crashed into the ground. What the fuck? Was that a goblin?! John thought as he shockingly turned around, only for Ainz to say, ''It seems we are just in time. Let's see what we are dealing with.''

~Four minutes later.~

''Senpai! Watch out!'' A pink-haired woman shouted, kicking a goblin away and shielding herself for a relentless attack. However, the warning came too late as blue eyes stared in shock at the goblin in front of him, a sword descending to his chest. Just as it was about to hit its marker, a light flash appeared, and seconds later, the same goblin clashed lifelessly against a tree.

A purple, blue and tiredly orange pair of eyes stared confused when Naofumi's words reached their ears. ''It seems we have made it.'' quickly scanning the battlefield, he commanded, ''John, Spy, Madakero, on me! Ainz, please heal that woman!''

On the first days of this group's adventures, it was uncertain who took the lead. However, after many battles, the one taking the offensive without flinching called the shots. Seconds later, they were engaging the new enemy alongside a potential new ally as Ainz cast Light healing on the wounded orange-haired girl.

Dark-yellow animalistic eyes stared at the additional reinforcements with intent to ravage, its sharp claws clashing with Naofumi's shield. A lighting-yellow mane danced at pressure's hands as a pink-haired girl slammed another one of those demonic lions upward and kicked it away. Just a bit further, Madakero's spear slammed against a lizardman's temple before he followed with a quick stab and killed it.

''Hang in there. We are trying to heal the wound.'' The dark-brown haired boy comforted the woman lying on his lap, her eyes nearly closing from passing away as a small fluffy creature tried to keep her awake. ''Is there anything I can do?!'' He asked desperately to the skeleton savior.

''If by any chance you have a bottle with red liquid stored somewhere, now is the best time to use it. Otherwise, just focus on her state,'' Ainz answered before shouting, ''Light Healing!''

''Yes, sir!''

A regretful thing it was, having to resort to level 1 spells. Not only had he been teleported to a world as nightmarish as this one, away from his friends and a game he enjoyed - even if it was canceled and would be turned off forever -, he had lost everything he had built over the years, from skills to allies. He was a rookie again, only the experience keeping telling him differently. That experience showed as the knight shouted, ''Need some assistance here!'' just for Ainz to stretch his right arm, shouted, ''Magic Arrows!'' and shot with a manly turn several arrows against the demonic lion before aiming his left hand at the woman and recasted, ''Light Healing!''

As the last beast got kicked away by the black-armored shielder, straight into a faraway rock, the others instantly came running to him and the heavily-wounded girl. ''How is she doing?'' Madakero asked worriedly.

''Most of her wounds have healed, but she is far from safe. We need a place she can rest without any chance for her to be attacked.'' Ainz answered with a practiced calmness. ''These clothes can heal the remaining damage there.''

''Those clothes?'' Madekero asked as he looked at the uniforms. The brown-haired boy wore a white jacket with black pants and the girl wore skirts and leggings instead, although her blood did not show the perfect white and black it had to be. Neither could be said about the boy's clothing, cuts clearly visible on his body.

As the pink-haired warrior looked worriedly at both her senpais, Ainz shifted his attention to the boy and answered, ''Yes. Tell me if I am wrong, but these clothes are infused with self-regenerated mana, correct?''

''I believe so... but how...?''

Ainz wasn't done impressing the likes of many when he shifted his undead gaze on the pink-haired lady and continued, ''And you are not a normal human being. You are connected to him through magic, are you not?''

''Yes, tha..that's right. I am a servant.'' the girl answered, nervous for some reason. A servant? Could this be...? John wondered, shifting his gaze at the boy with interest. Or to be precise, the markings on his hand, which he recognized almost instantly. Fate?! But who is this guy? And the girl? he thought as he also inspected her hands, and saw a glimpse of master signs noticeable. One girl too shy to speak first, a boy who clearly had no idea what was going on and a girl who was still unconscious due to her wounds.

That was the situation in front of the group of five, an awkward silence hanging in the air between the two groups. However, that silence was broken when the boy's watch alarmed and blinkered a blue light. Without much warning, a blue screen appeared before them, a guy in doctor's tunic visible, a brown-haired woman standing next to him. ''Fujimaru-kun! Are you all alright? Where is Mashu? And Ritsuka?''

''I am here, doctor.'' the pink-haired shielder answered. ''Ritsuka-senpai's condition is stabilized and we have survived thanks to these people,'' she added, shifting her eyes on the notable group. She bowed as she said, ''Thank you for saving us!''

''Thank you very much!'' the boy repeated, struggling to lift the passed-out girl up.

Naofumi ignored the thankfulness as he asked Madakero, ''Is there anywhere we can find shelter in this place?''

''There is a secret safe room a mile ahead. If we are lucky, it hasn't been found yet.'' the knight answered, hoping many of his former followers had not forgotten about the place.

Naofumi looked thoughtfully before shifting his attention to the duo and the blue projection and said, ''If you value your life, come with us. A mile takes us ten to fifteen minutes to cross, so call them back if you don't want to hinder them. Decide now.''

Mashu stared at her master with a questionable look, one that stated specifically, ''It is your call, senpai.'' Thus, he didn't have to decide long and answered, ''We will follow you.''

Turning around, Naofumi commanded, ''John, carry the girl. Madakero, lead the way. Let's get going.'' Right, leave the heavy stuff to me... John complained as he grabbed the unconscious woman from the ground, carrying her on his back. It helped his strength stats were high enough to handle such tasks, as unreliable as sometimes were, yet it was not something easily done. With a girl on his back, he followed his party to the next destination, hoping they could reach it in time before another storm would rage the lands.

''Emergency, emergency! A fire has broken out in the Central Power Station and Central Control Room. The Central Area barrier will close in 90 seconds. All staff members must evacuate to gate 2 promptly. Repeat, the Central Power Station...''

''Director Marie...'' Ritsuka whispered in shock as she saw the body of the director lying motionless on the ground in a pool of blood. ''No...''

As the machine that had to be humanity's salvation was malfunctioning and going berserk, she could see two familiar faces in the distance. The boy who had fallen asleep in the class the same morning and the familiar girl who was accompanying him. She wanted to run when glass shards struck her body. She wanted to shout, but the pressure in the collapsing room was too intense. ''3, 2, 1. Rayshift commencing.''

''You got blood on my suit, you repulsive bushman,'' Spy said mockingly, referring to the clear neglect of hygiene from his companion.

Well, then you shouldn't have held onto that annoying lion when I stabbed its throat, annoying prick, John retorted internally, a playful push the only visible reaction. The two men laughed a second later, showing that the near-hundred bond stat in John's unique skill wasn't just for show. To think Spy would trust me this much. I wish the others were just as easy... Naofumi is still on 53 and Ainz even only on 33. I am not sure if they are both just a tough nut to crack or that there is something else I need to be doing. And now, I have two more to be concerned about. John sighed as he stared at the girl, who was probably a similar age as him, and already had a headache thinking back about the conversation several hours earlier.

~Six hours earlier.~

As John lay the girl down on a blanket in the old safe room, its underground whereabouts hidden by densely-grown vegetation in a large misty forest, Madakero lighted the room by emergency candles. The warm lights brightened the chamber, making the sturdy pillars of wood visible which prevented the ceiling from collapsing. On the walls, paintings of old hang lop-sided while others had fallen to the dark-stoned floor. Further, some of the emergency furniture had fallen down, clearly showing its discovery had been close one once.

Just as Naofumi wanted to break the silence through interrogation, the watch blinkered again and a blue projection appeared. With each party present -who or whatever those parties consisted of -, Naofumi started. ''We have a little time, and I have no time to play games. Who are you and why are you here?'' he demanded, his expression as intimidating as ever.

''Ri..Right!'' the doctor stuttered nervously.

However, before he could add anything at all, Fujimaru answered, ''I am Ritsuka Fujimaru and these are Mashu, Doctor Romani Archaman, and Leonardo Da Vinic.'' As all three named ones gave a polite bow, he added, ''I am one of the last surviving masters of Chaldea. She is the other one.'' The painter Leonardo Da Vinci?! Is she that person?! Then, what the hell is Chaldea? John thought shockingly. Don't tell me there was another route... Oh, come on!

As Naofumi checked both Madakero and John's expression, the former nodding once and the latter just trying to focus on the wounds of the girl, he concluded there was nothing wrong thus far. Ainz took the liberty to continue the interrogation as he asked, ''Chaldea. Can you tell us more about this place? Perhaps, this could be a base of operations.''

''Well...The thing is... we can't reach it right now...'' Romani muttered, the intimidating stare of Naofumi reminding him of Berserker servants.

However, it was Spy who retorted sarcastically, ''Oh fantastic! Well, that was a disappointment.''

Just as he was about to walk away the doctor added, ''But, if you need a base of operations, this city could be a good choice. If we get permission from the king here, we should be...''

''No interest. We'll find another place.'' Naofumi interrupted rudely, his expression suddenly turning to a terrifying glare. Goddammit... he and his trust-issues! How am I going to convince him to trust a king? We need a safe place after all.

More of his companions thought that way as Ainz stepped forward and said without hesitation, ''Let me rephrase that. We like to come to your city, but only if the king is willing to meet us properly and is willing to fully cooperate. If we expect anything different or feel a slight bit of hostility, we will leave. Personally confirm that our presence is welcomed, or do no longer bring up the subject.''

A trained speech, but an effective one as Romani had an unforgettable expression on his face. Unforgettable, yet not as shocked as its predecessor. Coughing once, he responded, ''I will do my best on my side. Hang in there!''

~Present.~

''Ha!'' the young girl shouted as she shot up from her lying position, John slightly shocked while Spy was just smiling like a gentleman. ''You are as unkillable as you are handsome.''

Ritsuka looked confused as she gazed around, checked her former wounds and bandages that were new, inspected the two men at her side and asked, ''Who are you? Where am I?'' I didn't think this one through. the former student realized, ready to grab his sword to carve his name in the stoned floor.

Spy was the only one who could answer and he did so accordingly. ''I am Spy. This is John.''

''Fancy meeting you, Spy-san. And fancy meeting...?'' She wanted to say, yet stopped due to the shocking expression of the boy. Not towards her, but to his oldest companion. Wait...Did he...just say my name? How?

Seconds past by, both Spy and Ritsuka starring at the boy in awkward silence. That was until spy shoke John out of his thought and said, ''Oh, fat man, please! This is getting awkward!'' Momentarily confused, he shifted his gaze between the orange-haired girl and Spy, read the situation and tried to smile it off embarrassingly as he made a short bow to her. Fancy meeting you as well. He thought, hoping his expression was more than enough to answer for the lack of words.

''Did you two take care of my wounds while I was out?'' She asked, slightly confused but not uncomfortable.

''But, of course!'' Spy answered, smiling as he bowed again, John simply nodding in confirmation. However, he wasn't completely done as gazed at her hand, deliberating focusing on it a bit longer for Ritsuka to see it.

Shocked eyes looked at the three symbols on her hand, which meant that she had become a master, yet she was unaware of actually acquiring a servant. Her senses were too loaded with pain to feel bearings of the share of mana, but even in that state, she knew she didn't miss much if any.

Although being ranked as the 47th member, her training as one of the 48th masters of Chaldea was finished without any problem. Thus, to the surprise of both John and Spy, she extended her marked hand forward, placed her left hand on the extended elbow and shouted, ''By my name, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and this command seal, I command you, one bound to me by ...?''

Her spell was interrupted when the hatch door opened up and a party of six stepped down the wooden stairs. ''Senpai!'' Mashu let out, her shield dematerializing as she ran towards the girl. ''Why are you already standing with your wounds? Please be careful!''

''Don't worry, Mashu. These two nice fellows have cared for me.'' Checking the black armor on her body, as well as the companions walking behind her, she added, '' I believe I missed a lot...Can you catch me up?''

Mashu nodded and said, ''After the explosion of Chaldea's main room, CHALDEAS rayshifted us to this unknown world.'' A bit embarrassed, she added, ''In the process, I became a demi-servant, and both you and Fujimaru-senpai became my masters.''

Ritsuka looked at the black-haired master in the room who shared, by complete coincidence, her name, to his hand, and asked shockingly, ''Two masters for one servant? How is that possible?''

That question was asked earlier in the explanation of the Chaldea's purpose, and Naofumi wasn't planning to repeat that same brain-breaking logic that was the saving of humanity. Instead, he stepped forward, his expression as pokerfaced as ever as he answered, ''We don't know, and we don't care. What is more important is surviving our current situation, and if you any desire to survive, listen carefully. Doctor Orange and miss Artist of the Renaissance are in a city miles away from here. Between them and this place, there are countless monsters that are trying to kill us. Our goal is to reach that city and use it as a base of operations. If you are in, you...''

''I am in,'' she interrupted determinedly, her orange eyes staring at Naofumi without blinking. ''I do have my questions, but if you have spoken to the doctor and Da Vinci, you can't be bad. Besides, you saved my life, so I own you all. When do we go?''

Melmarda. A country once filled with the richness of culture, villages brewing with life doing their everyday business. Music rang in the air as farmers checked their harvest and gathered their cattle. The establishments were small but self-efficient, and people knew each other like their own family. On the rare occasions they did not have something themselves, they could buy or borrow it from the close villages surrounding them. Melmarda was once an example of the pureness of humanity.

The consequence of the fall of Humanity's shield, the city of Katabe, was the destruction of that beautiful pureness. The former count looked over the land he once could call his own, and what was left of his former glory. Even after weeks of fighting his way through these wasted lands. Thinking about it made him angry and desperate, only to know there was nothing he could do.

At least there was one thing he could call fortunate. His companions, as new and strange as they may seem to be, were talented warriors and knew how to fight against the weak spawns of hell. A shield knight who stood on the front, never backing down for anything, no matter how much damage he took. Perhaps Naofumi was hostile towards anyone who he did not know, but he was a trustworthy companion. The strangely-clothed Assasin called Spy was a gentleman like no other, and his invincibility ability was unmissable for the scout role he took upon him. Ainz had been a viable part of the group, one of the few 'creatures' who could master the difficulty of magic. Then again, even Madekero could feel the change in magical atmosphere after all the destruction, marking that feat from nearly impossible to just complicated.

The non-verbally young adult who he met alongside Spy and Naofumi was the rookiest of them all. That said, sometimes Madekero believed the boy knew more than met the eye, but could not communicate it properly. One example was how the shield knight's shield changed after holding their newest member's shield in his other hand, to the shock of the ones who were called 'servant' and 'masters', just because John had taught him such a thing. He was crafty, had a good eye for the unknown and above all else, wanted to get stronger. Apart from the training he undertook with Madekero using wooden branches, he trained his body each day to get stronger. Push-ups, sit-ups, a fighting style called Martial Art and more he undertook just to keep up with his companions.

Back to his latest companions, Madakero first believed Master and Servant were merely a title or a game. However, he quickly learned -after the conversation with the Doctor and the woman alongside him- that those titles were not to be taken lightly. If he ever dared to forget, he witnessed it as the knight known as Mashu Kyleright kicked another Lizardman fifty feet away with jumped backspin and tanked every hit as tenuous as Naofumi from the annoying reptiles.

As the quick quarrel was over before it even began, the male master stepped to Mashu and asked, ''Mashu, are you okay?''

''I am good. How are you, senpai?'' the girl asked concerned.

''I am doing fine. Let's continue.'' Fujimaru answered, looking at Naofumi for confirmation. The shield hero did not even pay attention to him as he stepped past him, continuing to lead his companions to the land of Kisama, to the capital city Dwara. ''Did I say something wrong?'' he asked the others as they reached him, not sure why their party leader was so hostile-looking.

''Do not take it personally. He is a good leader but has been through enough to know not to trust everyone on the spot.'' Ainz answered calmly, his black holes staring straight ahead.

''Really? How do you know that, Ainz-sama?'' Ritsuka asked impressed and curious.

''He has the eyes. The stare of a man who has been through hell and is still searching for a way out.'' The caster answered again, a brief smile appearing on his fleshless face. ''As one should be stuck in a world ready to kill him. Or am I wrong?'' Ainz asked with a freighting seriousness.

John and Madekero just shook their heads, Spy answered, ''I think not,'' leaving the two masters and their servant wondering why there was so much trust between them. The girl's curiosity got the better of her when she asked, '' I know we are new but he does not seem to be this hostile with all of you. He knows what we are trying to accomplish, so why is he so wary of us?''

Ainz kept his eyes on the horizon as he answered, ''First of all, even if the intentions are the same, it does not mean you automatically like each other. Individually can make or break a relationship, and sometimes you are born to clash. Secondly, for a relationship to form, time is needed. You need to learn one's actions, behavior, emotion, strengths and perhaps even weakness to truly connected. If you don't know these basics, how do you expect to strengthen your bond between master and servant?'' the skeleton asked calmly as if he was a teacher talking to his students.

''That makes sense. I guess I never really thought about it that way. Again, perhaps I can say people always seemed to like me at first sight.'' the orange-haired master commented. Looking at her servant, she said more to herself, ''I guess I still have a lot to learn as a master.''

''Yes, you do. So use your time accordingly.'' Ainz answered wisely. ''If I understood correctly from the doctor, your servant's power depends on the amount of mana her master can deliver and something called Ascension. For the first, that means both you and Fujimaru have to train in order to increase the strength of your servant. That, together with working on your relationship with your servant and companions and contracting other servants will leave you with plenty to do for the time being.''

All sounded logical to both masters, but something curious struck Ritsuka. With confused eyes, she asked, ''Ainz-sama, Do you know about the ritual of summing a Heroic Spirit?''

Madekero looked slightly confused about what the female master meant by those words, but he could not wonder for long. As the caster answered in a mumble he sort of less knew something about the ritual, he received a strange familiar sense from the former student. A mix of emotions switching between shock, annoyance, relief, and slight anger. I should give him a piece of paper when we are in Dwara. Perhaps then I find out what he is thinking about. The senior knight thought as he shifted his eyes to the side, his gaze inspecting the area.

A worried gaze, for the number of enemies had been less and less each passing day. For a normal enemy, that sign would be positive. For a force that had grown as unpredictable as the dark forces, it was unsettling. He jogged to catch ahead of the group, walked alongside Naofumi and said, ''Something feels off. We getting closer to Kisama, so we should be finding the scouting troops from the enemy. Instead, we have only encountered small forces. Can I ask you to scan the area again?''

Naofumi hardly reacted, but nevertheless complied as his shield took the familiar bat shape and started scanning the area. His stare changed to a glare as he said, ''A large group up ahead.'' Shifting his eyes to the side, he commanded, ''Spy, John, scout the area!''

''Of course.'' Spy responded before he turned invisible and moved with caution forward, John following him straight into the danger, both armed with only swords.

The role of scout is to, as the name suggests, scout the area up ahead for any dangers, usable equipment and more that could be an advantage or obstacle to the rest of the group. Although Spy had the invincibility skill, he lacked any other traits of a scout. He wasn't quick on his feet, he wasn't as agile compared to Jean Lousie Finch, or better known as 'the scout' and neither did he like the task. After all, he was an assassin, not a scout.

John never saw himself as a scout, but the lack of verbal sound made him perfect in tight situations. Even if he was nervous, nothing would give him away. That didn't made him a scout, but since he was low-armored, silent and agile made him more suited than any other of his party members.

After proceeding with a quick stealthiness, the duo noticed two goblins standing guard for a cave entrance, their armor suggesting this was not your average goblin base. A small smirk emerged from Spy's lips as he whispered, ''Leave This To Me.'' The words sounded strange, not fitting together in the same sentence. So that is how you do it. Combining in-game responses to make new sentences. Well, show me what you made of. John internally answered as he gave a confirming nod and a smile.

With the sneakiness of a pro, he deactivated his invisibility behind a large rock, drank a mana potion, and reactivated the cloak for his next plan. He picked up a pebble, snuck behind the right goblin, threw the pebble far to the right for distraction, and watched how the goblins switched their attention to the noise.

''Gra, gra!'' One of the goblins let out shocked as if he was trying to determine what the source was. Receiving no reaction, he set his dark-yellow eyes on the other goblin, nodded once and moved to the source. Those same eyes wondered what was going on when he saw the source had been a pebble, but he could not say another word as a hand covered his mouth and sword pierced through its chest. ''Surprise.'' The spy whispered before finishing the job and severing the connection between the head and body.

''The world will thank me for this, you monster!'' Spy said as he pulled the lifeless corpses out of plain sight and noticed his comrade making his way to him. Quickly stepping behind a rock for coverage and crouching down, he whispered, ''Move these things up. I Proceed.''

Got you, lad. Stay safe. John thought, laying a careful hand on spy's shoulder with a friendly nod before he made his way back to the waiting members. With John leaving his side, spy moved in on the cave, invisibility reactivated.

Although the cave was large enough for Spy to stand in, he quickly deduced fighting would be a whole different story. A spear user such as Madekero would not be able to use his weapon efficiently and they wouldn't be able to move as coordinated as well.

Suddenly, an insane stench reached spy's nostrils, nearly breaking his concentration of sustaining the invisibility. Ugh...Merde. Spy thought as he used his sleeve as cover for the stench, moving further into the deep cave. It was only by the experience of similar stenches he could hold himself standing, although it did require upmost concentration to keep the invisibility going. Reaching the end of the cave tunnel, entering a large area, he realized the source was much worse than he ever had anticipated.

Iron shackles hung onto the stoned walls, their ends holding tightly onto frail and bloody wrists. They belonged to corpses or people who were in a state much worse. Ripped clothing, cuts, the smell of a beast's lust coming from the women and rotten stench from the males. Bite wounds marked every exposed spot, and that was only the things spy could see before hearing the sound of beastly laughter. Making sure not to step into the blood or other mess he rather not named, he proceeded to sneak towards the laughter.

Passing the first sights, Spy realized that was only a small part of what seemed to be a base for more than goblins alone. Dogs as large as normal tigers, blood-red eyes and a darker than black coat were lurking from the corners, standing on guard for anything unusual. Further, into the base, he found cages with trapped creatures fitting the words demi-humans and normal animals; normal food, prisoners who had not been through such distasteful acts yet and much more. However, as expected, the base was heavily guarded, and it was much more than his current party could handle.

It was in the prison compartment where his mana supply ran out, fortunate enough there were no enemies around him. However, before he could take another potion to restore his magic, a weak voice suddenly whispered, ''You.''

''Me?''

''Yes, you. You are Spy.'' the voice whispered, a vassi inside the dark-wooden door the only thing the voice could leak from. ''Help me.''

The former silence changed to faint noise, prisoners moving to see who was the figure that was called Spy. Another low-male voice whispered, ''I see. This is the famous Assasin you were talking about. Well, if he trusts you, so do I. Spy, can you help us get out?''

''I'm afraid not,'' Spy answered whispery, not sure how to free everyone without warning the guards, nor if he could trust any of the people who were contained.

The man behind the wooden door seemed to realize the cautiousness as he said, ''You are afraid for the guards. Don't worry, I have a plan. Are you willing to listen to it?''

''But, of course.'' the masked man answered, leaning his ear closer to the vassi.

''Perfect. This is the plan.''

Author notes:

This was chapter 3.

Sorry for taking a bit long to post this chapter. Another anime has joined the group, namely Fate Grand Order, and the many paths were a pain to research. For anyone familiar with the Fate Grand Order serious, I did change the beginning on purpose.

Thank you, darklord331 for beta reading this chapter. Solid work as usual. And that was it for chapter 3. Hope to see you guys in the next one. Beyor out!