Max, Neros, and Finn climbed the staircase leading toward their target.

The hatch opened slowly with a faint metallic creak.

Finn went up first, barely poking his head out as he carefully checked both sides. His ears twitched slightly.

The place was silent.

Or at least... the kind of relative silence that existed in a place full of suffering.

"It’s clear," he murmured.

He climbed out completely and motioned for them to follow.

Max went next, pushing himself up with both arms to climb onto the floor of the new area. Neros came out behind him, carefully closing the hatch once all three were above ground.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Cold. Much colder than the tunnels.

The air was damp and heavy. Dense. Like it was slightly harder to breathe in there.

It was a massive warehouse.

Dark, except for a few bluish magical seals embedded into stone pillars, casting dim light throughout the room.

Rows and rows of cages filled nearly the entire space.

Large ones. Small ones. Reinforced ones. Covered with black cloth.

Some were empty, but most weren’t.

And sounds came from them. Low growls. Heavy breathing. Small whimpers. Chains scraping. Groans. The faint sound of hunger. Pain. Exhaustion.

Something scratched metal somewhere in the distance.

SCRATCH.

Max swallowed.

"...I really don’t like this place."

Finn let out a dry little laugh.

"That means we made it to the right place."

He spread both arms as if proudly presenting the scene.

"Welcome to these idiots’ main warehouse."

He looked around.

"This is where they keep the really important merchandise."

Neros scanned the area with obvious disapproval. His ears twitched slightly. Then he looked at Finn.

"There’s something I’ve been wondering for a while now."

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"It’s a miracle you wonder about anything."

Neros ignored the comment.

"Why are you so determined to destroy these people?"

The question made Finn stare at him silently for a few seconds.

His expression changed. The smile disappeared. He no longer looked mocking. Or relaxed. Just tired.

"The short answer,"

he finally said,

"is that these idiots are the reason my group fell apart."

Max turned toward him.

Finn lightly toyed with the dagger between his fingers.

"Years ago, we took a job."

His voice came out flat.

"A big one."

He looked at the floor.

"It went bad. Really bad."

His eyes hardened slightly.

"They killed my companions."

Silence. Only the distant sound of chains accompanied his words.

"I was the only one who made it back to our base that night."

Max lowered his gaze slightly. He said nothing.

Neros didn’t soften his expression much either.

"This is a rescue mission."

His voice was firm.

"I don’t care if you want to use it to avenge your friends."

Finn looked at him. A crooked little smile returned to his face.

"You’re charming."

Before that could escalate, Max raised a hand.

"Quiet."

Both turned toward him.

Max frowned.

"I hear voices."

Immediately, he raised a hand toward his ring.

He activated it.

An almost invisible pulse spread through the air.

The area around them became wrapped in absolute silence.

No sound could escape. No footsteps. No breathing. No social disasters caused by Neros.

Max sighed in relief.

"Much better."

On the other side of the warehouse, a large door opened. A line of yellowish light cut through the darkness. Several orcs began entering while pushing metal carts.

Small cages were stacked on top.

At the front walked an orc woman. Black dress. Deep neckline. The seven-pointed star mark clearly visible.

Finn recognized her immediately.

"Vasha. She’s the one who contacted my group for that job."

The woman clicked her tongue.

"Move faster."

She crossed her arms.

"The auction is about to begin."

The orcs grunted something and kept pushing the carts.

Finn smiled faintly.

"Perfect."

He drew his dagger, and before Max could say anything, he silently slipped away into the shadows and rows of cages. Almost completely disappearing.

Max blinked. Then turned toward Neros.

"What does that goblin think he’s doing?"

Neros crossed his arms.

"Not our problem."

He smiled.

"...And probably illegal."

"Fair point."

From his hiding spot, Finn began moving between the cages like a shadow.

Fast. Precise. Barely visible.

His dagger worked through the locks with absurd speed.

CLICK.

CLICK.

CLICK.

One after another.

Opening small cage doors just enough.

Then he ran and hid behind several large dark curtains.

Max frowned.

"...What did he just do?"

He didn’t have to wait long. One cage burst fully open. And something shot out.

ROAR.

A roar shook the warehouse.

A manticore burst from a massive cage, spreading partially damaged wings.

One of the orcs screamed.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Another door slammed open violently. A small rocky creature jumped out. It looked like a miniature earth elemental. Round. Compact. Surprisingly furious.

It immediately started smashing ankles without discrimination.

CRACK.

Another scream.

And then...

A giant spider crawled out across a wall.

Its body was partially covered by a pulsating mass of fungus growing over its head. Its many eyes gleamed in the dark.

Max felt immediate chills.

"Nope."

He pointed at the spider.

"That definitely should not exist in this world."

Instant chaos.

The orcs started shouting. Weapons drawn. Carts overturning. Cages falling.

The manticore charged straight into two guards.

The elemental hurled itself at people’s legs.

The spider leapt onto a crate.

The orc woman staggered back in horror.

"THE PRODUCTS GOT LOOSE!"

She turned and ran toward the exit.

"BRING REINFORCEMENTS!"

Neros watched the disaster unfold. Blinked once. Then looked at Max.

"I thought that little idiot was going to attack the orcs directly."

Max smiled slightly.

"Looks like he’s not as stupid as you think."

Taking advantage of the chaos, he started moving between the rows of cages. Looking inside each one. Searching desperately.

"Chloe..." he murmured.

He pulled aside one cloth.

Nothing.

Another.

Nothing. Just some weird reptile.

Another.

A small sleeping devil.

"No, definitely not."

Neros immediately followed behind him, sword in hand. Covering him while watching the chaos around them.

"Hurry."

He looked toward the entrance, where the battle between orcs and creatures was becoming increasingly ridiculous.

"This won’t distract them forever."

Max nodded. He kept moving through the cages.

Faster and faster.

More tense. More desperate.

They had to find her before the so-called auction began.