Previous Links: Prelude | #1 | #2 | #3
Thus Far: Zeph was made an offer by the empress to join her. Aragon has helped build a contraption that supposedly could put an end to the ice with their combined powers. Elene was captured and put in the slave mines. Zeph refused to help, jumping into a well of some sort while trying to escape.
Zeph is sent around the mines in what turns out to be a whirlpool. He ends up pretty deep near the prison. The slaves there find him but he is out of it. A guard comes to see what's going on. He thinks Zeph is just a dead body that was tossed into the whirlpool. Seems this is rather common. So he orders them to take the body to the incinerator.
When he gets too close, Zeph takes his knife and kills the guard.
The slaves there are mostly children and look up to Zeph. Most humans in the world know who Zeph is. So they are eager to help when he asks them to guide him. First they take him to the prison cells so he can get his clothes.
Aragon has a proposition for his help. He has a magic stone that is useless because of the magic absorbing metal the Ryotians use. However, they both know that with two mages, it will work. One to charge and one to use. So reluctantly Zeph agrees to free Aragon and take him along.
Zeph's condition was that they free Elene first. Aragon did not want to but he seems to need Zeph as much Zeph needs him. So an agreement is made and they head to the incinerator. All new slaves start at the incinerator to break their spirit.
When they get there they spot Zeph's friends. Then Aragon tells Zeph to charge the stone so he can make a distraction big enough for Zeph to free his friends.
He charges the stone and Aragon reanimates the corpses. He has no intention of controlling the corpses so they are essentially zombies that attack the guards. This seems to work well enough because Zeph gets to his friends and they start to head out.
On their way out they run into the one eyed captain and her hand picked guards. Despite the empress' orders to capture him alive, the captain wants him dead so they try to kill them. Zeph and company are doing well until a giant monster comes in and starts to kick their butts.
This is where things take a big twist! Jaros shows up and helps take out the monster. Zeph thinks he's been betrayed and Jaros and Aragon will now kill them. Turns out Aragon has hired Jaros. Zeph wants to know what is going on and Aragon says simply put, Zeph is going to help him save the world!
Well! That was a bit of a potential plot twist. Still not too clear if we should trust Aragon or Jaros but it seems as though they need Zeph and have plans to save the world. Does that make them good guys after all? Something tells me no, or at least that it is not that simple. But Zeph and Elene do not have much of a choice here so looks like we have a team up!
To Be Continued!