Not worth it. He wasn’t worth killing.

He was grateful to not have been finished right then and there, but why did the giant spare him? He certainly did not do it out of the kindness of his heart, for the Crusader doubted there was any sort of mercy in that monster’s body. No, there had to be something else.

But he could not understand. While he was grateful to not be able to comprehend the inner thoughts of a demon, his curiosity was getting the better of him. Other than that, there was something that made him confused and worried.

Why did God bring such a monster to this world? More importantly, why did he grant him such powerful divinity?

Perhaps God had bestowed this gift upon others, that much he could believe. Perhaps he had brought in other warriors from his world as well. However, why did he grant such gifts to sadistic monsters and not those that believed in him?

Was this out of desperation to murder the usurper? He wished that would not be the case, that the Lord had uplifted those that were loyal to the cause and capable of understanding their position in the world. But he had given power to those that did not care to bring back his glory, only seeking to further their selfish goals and to bring themselves sadistic glee.

He did not know. And that scared the Crusader.

He found himself drifting into his mind once more, trying to come up with an excuse for God to do such a heinous act. However, he could not.

In the end, this truly wasn’t his place. After all, for all he knew, this could be a test of faith.

Yes. That sounded right. Could this be akin to the same state as Job, who was forced to suffer the loss of everything in his life to test his resolve? The idea that all will be well so long as he kept his faith in the Lord?

Perhaps. But despite these thoughts, he wasn’t convinced at all.

He felt that doubt creep up more in his mind. He–

“Here.”

An unfamiliar voice broke through his thoughts. His eyes started to flutter open, before setting sight upon what appeared to be a fat juicy brown steak. His stomach roared as he stared at the offered slab of meat and all his reasoning went out of the window.

His teeth sunk into the offered piece and his eyes widened. The meat was full of flavor with a good amount of salt to provide some seasoning. The flesh was easy to bite through and he found himself swallowing without a single bit of hesitation.

He didn’t know how long he feasted, but he did know that he went through quite a large amount of meat. Before long, he was offered a cup of water, which he quickly downed to help assist his aching stomach and dry throat.

He gasped in relief as his energy levels began to refill. His stomach felt full and comfortable, which allowed him to have the power to lift himself up and look around his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in that plains full of skeletons. No, he found himself in a cave of some sorts, with a roaring fire nearby that helped provide warmth and comfort. The second thing he noticed was that his helmet was no longer on his head, which seemed to have found itself right next to his side. The third thing was that there was another man sitting right next to him.

He found himself immediately backing up a good distance before moving his hand to go ahead and unsheathe his sword. However, his trusty weapon wasn’t there at all, which caused him to jolt in shock.

He looked back at the mystery man, who stared back at him and merely raised his hand to reveal–

The Crusader scowled. His sword.

This wasn’t the best situation to be in. However, he had to get his weapon back. He got ready to move forward and–

“Is this any way to treat your savior?”

Those words forced the Crusader to pause. At that statement, he hesitated, before slowly lifting himself away from his crouching position. Now that he had the time, he could spend some effort to analyze the stranger and figure out something about him.

First off, the other man was a warrior. He had toned muscles on his arms, with a metal breastplate over his chest that seemed to have abs chiseled onto the surface, though some parts were covered by the red silk he had adorned on top. His face wasn’t all that visible due to the massive beard and the metal open face helmet that had red feathers coming off its top. Lastly and most importantly, the man had a shield with what appeared to be an upside down v scrawled across the surface, with a spear right by his side and a shortsword attached to his hip.

At that sight, the Crusader calmed down. Yes, the man had all the weapons and was more than capable of finishing him. Yes, if there was a battle, he would definitely lose. However, that wasn’t a concern anymore.

If that stranger truly did wish to kill him, he would have done so much earlier when he was out of commission. Had he meant to do ill to him, then he would not have fed the Crusader and provided shelter.

Thus, in that fashion, there was some trust. Of course, he was still wary of this stranger’s position, but even then, he didn’t have to be on edge anymore.

“Pardon, but who might you be?” The Crusader asked, receiving a scoff from the stranger who shook his head.

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“Hmph. I cannot believe I am not recognized.” The man scowled, before looking at the Crusader. “I am a warrior that hails from Sparta and the man who rescued you from that monster infested plains.”

Sparta? That wasn’t a place he recognized at all. He couldn’t tell if that was a city or a country of some foreign land. However, that wasn’t important right now. No, what was important was that the man in front of him was definitely not a native, considering the way he seemed to avoid civilization just like the giant.

He wanted some answers. However, before he did such a thing…

“Ah.” The Crusader blinked, before nodding. “Allow me to apologize for my rudeness then.”

“Hm.” The Spartan squinted his blue eyes at him, before sighing and leaning back. “No, it’s fine. Your suspicion is warranted. After all, one would be quite jumpy if they found themselves in an unknown area right next to a stranger, no?”

“I–Yes.” The Crusader nodded, before walking back up. “Why did you rescue me?”

“Why?” The Spartan raised his eyebrow. “Are you always curious about why you would be rescued or be given the chance to live?”

“Apologies, but it has been a rough day,” he explained, “Another person had nearly tried to kill me, but ended up not going through with such action. In fact, he left me behind, saying that I wasn’t worth the effort.”

“Hrm.” The Spartan seemed to inspect the Crusader up and down, before shrugging. “Well, all I can say is that it was on a whim. I have no special reason to save you, just that I saw you on the ground and happened to pass by. Nothing more to it than that.”

“So what you mean is that you did it out of the kindness of your own heart?”

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” he scoffed.

“Then what exactly would you mean by that?”

“It’s not something that I can explain.” The Spartan shook his head. “That kind of thing just comes out of pure instinct. I had a hunch that I should help you and I did. Once again, I saved you on a whim. Nothing more, nothing less.”

So that meant the Crusader had been saved by a man with no good reason to do so. He had just done it out of instinct. Nothing regarding a voice from God or confirming the idea of morality. No, the Spartan had done so simply because he could.

The Crusader didn’t really know whether that was a good thing or not.

“Pray tell, do you mind me asking what you fed me?” He asked as he went ahead and equipped his helmet. “I couldn't help but wonder, as the taste was not bad at all.”

“That?” The Spartan raised his eyebrow. “That was meat. Are you meaning to tell me you have never had animal flesh before? If you are to tell me you are one of those madmen that eat nothing but plants all day, I may have regrets saving you.”

“That is not what I meant. I–”

“Oh, calm yourself. I was merely pulling at your leg.” He chuckled, garnering a sour look from the Crusader. “No, I completely understand your concern. That came from a small creature I had caught with my own bare hands, one that was simple to snatch with a trap. Do not worry, I have not fed you one of those giant beasts. I doubt I could even cook such a thing like that within this area.”

The Crusader led out a breath that he did not know he was holding. Thank God he was not fed the flesh of those demons. The fact the Spartan was able to find creatures that had yet to be corrupted allowed him to feel satisfied to a certain degree.

At least, until he realized he must have eaten living flesh. Nausea ran through him, before he managed to choke down the disgust that was starting to come up his stomach.

No. He wasn’t allowed to vomit all the food his savior had provided him. Not only was that rude, but he needed the energy to recover. He needed every advantage he could get for the next time he had to fight the giant, to ensure that he would not falter like last time.

“If you feel like throwing up, here.” The Spartan handed him another cup of water. “Chug this down and forget about what you ate. Otherwise, you’ll probably die of starvation before you achieve your goals in this new world.”

The Crusader snatched the drink and downed it, doing exactly as was instructed. Then, he gasped, before handing back the empty cup. And with that, the Crusader went ahead and sat down on a nearby rock, allowing himself to mentally and physically recover.

The two sat there in silence for a moment, the Spartan not saying a word and merely tending to the fire. Then, he sighed, before tossing the Crusader his sword.

He caught the thrown weapon with ease and raised his eyebrow at the Spartan, who went ahead and snatched his spear and stood up.

“Well, seeing as how you are much better now, I suppose this is time for us to part ways.” And with that, the Spartan turned around to walk away.

Wait. He was going already? No, he couldn’t! The Crusader still had so many questions to ask the Spartan!

“Wait!” He managed to yell out, making the Spartan freeze in his tracks. He seemed to stand there, before he sighed and turned around to look at the Crusader once more.

“What is it?”

“Would it be too much if I were to accompany you in your future endeavors?” The Crusader asked, receiving a suspicious look from the Spartan.

“Pardon?”

“It is as I requested,” the Crusader confirmed, “I wish for us to team up.”

The Spartan stared at him for a while. Then, he blinked.

“Pardon me, but why exactly should we work together? There is no reason to do so, nothing at all.”

“Because it would be beneficial,” said the Crusader, “If we are to survive in this world and kill the usurper, would it not be better for us to work together? We could take shifts in fighting the beasts and having teamwork would make it easier in combating the others seeking to take the tower.”

The Spartan seemed to muse over the proposal, before sighing once more and coming close to the Crusader. The two stood face to face, the two of them close to being the same height.

“Just so you are aware, I do not care about becoming God,” said the Spartan, “Right now, I wish to return back to the world and to achieve my goal. Thus, I will not care about letting others take the throne. However, if you choose to betray me or anyone else seeks to fight, know that I will not hesitate to take the life of anyone that wrongs me. Understood?”

“That is fine with me.” The Crusader nodded. “I too do not wish to become God. The only goal in mind is to take down the usurper once and for all and to restore peace to these lands.”

“Peace, huh?”

The Spartan was silent at that, before sighing and offering a hand. “Very well. Then, let us work in cooperation to achieve both our goals.”

“Very well.”

With that, the two men shook hands. A partnership was formed and the two’s goals were made clear.

And thus, they went out back into the unforgiving world, ready to ensure their plans came to fruition.