A new day dawned on the group, and as they woke up, they began preparing for the big move ahead.
Before they could discuss their plans, a man they didn’t recognize approached them.
 
"Good morning. I hope you all slept well," he said with a slight tilt of his head, smiling warmly.
 
"We slept fine," Azrael replied, his voice calm and steady. "Is it time for work?"
 
"Oh, no, not yet. Don’t worry," the man said as he extended his hand, offering something. "Here’s your payment. Well done so far. Keep it up."
 
He handed a white envelope to Azrael, who took it without showing much emotion. The man nodded before walking away, leaving the group in silence.
 
"Who do you think that was?" Carl asked, his brows furrowed. "Could he be someone important here, besides Druel Kent?"
 
"I’m not sure," Kyle replied, his eyes narrowing as he watched the man leave. "But he’s definitely not just anyone. We should be careful around him. He might be trouble."
 
Everyone nodded in agreement. Before they could return to what they were doing, they were suddenly called over by the burly man. He waved them over, signaling something urgent.
 
"We’ve got a new task," he announced in a firm tone. "Head into the building. The boss is waiting inside."
 
The group moved toward the building, knowing they were about to meet the leader of the operation, none other than Druel Kent. When they entered, they found him having breakfast. As soon as Druel noticed them, he stopped eating and wiped his mouth with a napkin, his eyes fixating on the group.
"You’ve got a new task ahead, and this one’s not as simple as the others," Druel said, his tone turning serious.
"I’m sure you’re all aware by now that the job you’ve taken isn’t ordinary."
"We are fully aware, sir," Azrael responded, straightening his posture and meeting Druel’s gaze. "What exactly do you need us to do?"
"It’s straightforward. Under this building, there are special creatures that need to be loaded into large crates," Druel explained. "But be warned... they won’t go down without a fight. It’s up to you how you’ll get them into those crates. One more thing... you’ll be paid triple what you received today, as long as you keep your mouths shut and get the job done. Understand?"
The group exchanged uneasy glances. Anxiety gripped them as they processed the orders. With no clear plan and few options, they reluctantly nodded in agreement, signaling to Druel that they understood the task.
Just as the conversation ended, the man who had handed them the payment earlier appeared again.
"Follow me," he instructed.
The group followed him cautiously, their nervous glances exchanged in silence. An unspoken fear hung in the air as the tension of what lay ahead weighed on them. They couldn’t help but wonder if this job was real—or if they were being led into a deadly trap.
They entered an underground tunnel, descending stone stairs into a dark and cold space. The only sound that echoed through the passage was the rhythm of their footsteps. Not a word came from the man leading them, and with every step, the group’s unease grew. They were ready for anything, prepared for the worst if it came to a fight.
At last, they reached a dimly lit area, with torches casting flickering shadows on the walls. As they moved forward, faint sounds reached their ears, growing louder the deeper they went, until they finally saw rows of dark cells.
Carl, out of curiosity, peeked into one of the cells and was startled by a chained female elf inside. Her hands were bound, and a long chain was fastened to her back.
"Ahh!" Carl jumped back, his face pale. "W-what is that... an elf?"
"Exactly," the man confirmed, his tone flat and serious. He walked with his hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the group. "As you might have guessed, this is a slave trade. Every creature you see here will be loaded into the crates... one by one."
The group was stunned by what they were witnessing. Azrael clenched his fists in anger but knew it wasn’t the right moment to act. He forced himself to stay calm, knowing that any misstep now would ruin their chances of completing the mission they had set out to accomplish.
They continued walking until they reached a large open space at the far end, where crates were stacked high—these were where the captives would be placed. The man stopped in the center of the room and turned to them.
"This is where you’ll be working," he said with a smile. A woman suddenly appeared behind him. "This is Star, your boss for this operation. She’s in charge here, and you’ll follow her orders."
"Hi, I’m Star! Good morning. I hope we’ll all be great friends," she greeted them with a big smile.
Star was a petite woman, wearing a long magic robe that covered most of her body, leaving only her feet and face visible.
"I’m Azrael," he introduced himself.
"Mika."
"Kyle."
"Name’s Carl."
"Jarred."
"Nice to meet you all!" Star beamed, then leaned in closer to whisper, "Oh! By the way, do you know this guy? Bet he didn’t introduce himself yet. He’s Dabric... a bit of a psycho, just so you know."
She chuckled and left them, leaving Dabric looking annoyed by her words.
"Star, they’re all yours now," the man said.
"Alrighty! Come with me, guys!" she called out cheerfully.
The group followed Star while Dabric quietly left. Once they arrived at the office, Star began looking through her cabinets, searching for something important.
 
"Hm, I know I left it here somewhere," she muttered as she opened each drawer one by one. "Oh! Found it!"
 
She pulled out a key and a rolled-up piece of paper.
 
"This key can open and close various locks. It’s made from purple dust and magic metal." She handed it to Azrael with a smile. "And here’s a map, just in case you get lost in this massive place."
 
Azrael took the items, glancing at them. "I didn’t expect this place to be so vast."
 
"It really is. That’s why you’ll need that." She handed him another small slip of paper. "This lists the cells you’ll be opening and the crates where you’ll be putting the captives. Each number corresponds to a specific cell."
 
Azrael examined the paper closely, his mind buzzing with a mix of emotions he couldn’t quite explain.
 
"Good luck on your first day working for me!" Star said cheerfully as they left the office.
 
The group quietly wandered through the tunnels, following the directions from the paper. Once they were a good distance away, Carl broke the silence.
 
"So, what do we do now? Are we really going through with this?" Carl asked, a note of doubt in his voice.
 
"What choice do we have?" Mika responded. "Besides, those people seem strong. We don’t know if we can even beat them if we try to escape or fight back."
 
"Dabric looks tough. Do you think he’s Druel’s right-hand man?" Carl added.
 
"Probably," Kyle replied, eyes sharp as he scanned ahead.
 
After walking in circles for a while, they finally reached a cell.
 
"Number thirteen, elf," Azrael said, looking up at the number over the cell door. "This must be it."
 
The cell was dark, and they couldn’t see anything inside. Carl, always the curious one, peered in again, half-expecting something to jump out at him. But nothing happened.
 
"H-huh?" Carl said, slowly opening one eye. "Strange, this one’s quiet. Do you think there’s anyone in here, or are they just messing with us?"
 
As Carl spoke, they heard a faint sound, too soft to make out at first. Slowly, it grew louder, until they recognized it as the weak voice of a woman, barely audible as she gasped for air.
 
"You guys hear that?" Kyle asked. "Mika, can you give us some light?"
 
Mika raised her hand, conjuring a small flame that illuminated the cell. Inside, they saw a young elf girl, bruised and barely conscious. Without hesitation, Azrael unlocked the cell and rushed to her side.
 
"Hey, wake up!" he said urgently, his voice strained with frustration. "Please, wake up."
 
He placed his fingers near her lips, and moments later, a trickle of water flowed from his hand, touching her parched lips. Slowly, she began to stir, her mouth opening slightly. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Azrael gave her more water until she appeared more stable.
 
Azrael’s concern was obvious as he continued to help the girl. Gradually, she opened her eyes, her weak voice cracking as she spoke.
 
"W-who... who are you?" she asked, struggling to get the words out.
 
"Don’t speak yet," Azrael said softly. "We’re going to save you."
 
The group stared at Azrael, stunned by his words.
 
"W-what did you just say? Save her? Are you out of your mind?" Mika snapped, her voice rising.
 
"We’re going to save her. Not just her—everyone here," Azrael declared firmly.
 
"You’re insane!" Mika shot back. "Do you really think we can do that? Look at those guys—they’re way stronger than us! It’s impossible to win against them."
 
"Mika’s right, Azrael," Kyle added. "Remember the fight with the cannibals? We barely survived that, and only because Carl saved us. This is different."
 
"I have the Oathkeeper. We can use–"
 
"Enough!" Mika interrupted, her frustration boiling over. "Are you even thinking this through? You don’t know if you can control that power. What if it backfires, and instead of escaping, we end up dead?"
 
"Mika, calm down," Kyle said, trying to ease the tension.
 
Emotions ran high as the group argued, tension thick in the air. Despite their fear, Azrael’s resolve only grew stronger. He couldn’t stand to see the suffering around him. Having grown up close to the people of Denku, it pained him deeply to witness the crimes before him. 
He had promised to protect his country one day, and if he couldn’t save these slaves now, how could he ever hope to fulfill that dream? To him, this was the first step toward making his vision a reality.
 
"Azrael, are you really sure about this?" Kyle asked, doubt still lingering in his voice. "This isn’t something you can take lightly. If we fight them, we’re going to have a hard time winning."
 
"We’ll wait until at least one or two of them leave. Druel is bound to join the next shipment of slaves. When the time comes, that’s when we make our move and free everyone," Azrael explained.
 
"And what if he doesn’t leave?" Kyle asked, still skeptical.
 
"Right now, they’re preparing the crates for shipment. That means there’s a high chance Druel will go with them," Jarred added. "We just need to be patient."
"Oh, so you're all really going along with this?" Mika asked, her tone sharp.
 
"Mika, we’re not exactly good people, but that doesn’t mean we can just stand by and leave them here to suffer," Kyle replied.
 
"He's right," Jarred added.
 
"Tch! Fine, do whatever you want. Just make sure we all get out of here alive," Mika muttered, rolling her eyes in frustration.
 
"You’re so hot-headed," Jarred said with a slight chuckle. "Didn’t we promise we’d stick together until our last breath? If this is it, I’m just glad we’re trying to do the right thing."
 
Mika fell silent, realizing the truth in Jarred’s words. She remembered the promise they made to each other when they were still kids.
 
"Mika, I’m grateful that you’re willing to help me get back to the South Continent. And I’m sorry for dragging you all into this. If I hadn’t paid attention to that job I overheard, we wouldn’t be in this mess," Azrael said, guilt evident in his voice.
 
She sighed heavily. "What else can I do? We’re already here. Even if this goes against everything I believe in, let’s just get it over with."
After a brief discussion, the group came to a decision: they would free everyone imprisoned in this place. It wouldn’t be easy—they knew that. They needed a solid plan, something well thought out. If anything went wrong, they had to be prepared for the worst.