~~~Episode Fourteen~~~
"Who are you?" the teen asked, gripping the handle of the whip in his hand. Yuri quickly stepped forward in front of Haku,
"I'm Yuri, and this is Haku. Sorry, we fell in from above. We were surrounded by these black creatures-"
"Black creatures? You mean the Dark Beasts? Why were you on the surface?" he asked. Haku tried to speak, but Yuri cut him off,
"We thought the storm had passed, but were caught in it once it started up again."
The boy relaxed a little, not seeing Yuri as much of a threat.
"That was stupid. Everyone knows not to go near the surface during this time of the month. My name is Z-" he trailed off, then narrowed his eyes, "Wait, are you from the castle?"
"Castle?" Yuri asked. She looked at Haku, who shrugged.
"Yes, the castle...how the roake do you not know about the castle? Actually...you guys do look kind of weird...your skins darker than most of the people here..." he said. He smiled a little, shifting his goggles with a finger.
"You cant be from the castle. Names Zeph. You two look out of sorts here, are you from another world?"
Haku tensed, and before Yuri could do anything, he ran out from behind her, unsheathing his katana. He lashed at Zeph, but with a crack of a whip and a blue flash, Haku was knocked back, his katana hitting the ground nearby. Zeph shook his head, "You dont stand much of a chance with a frontal assault, especially since your magic level is so low. Relax, quite a few out-of-worlders have been here to Scyaro."
"Really? Why haven't we heard anything about it?" Yuri asked as Haku angrily picked himself up off the ground.
"Because, those who come here are instantly brought to the castle, and we never see them again. Thats probably why the Dark Beasts were surrounding you instead of shredding you to bits."
He turned, rolling his whip up.
"Its not to safe to be talking in here...we can go to my dugout, that way we wont be so suspicious."
he started walking, and Yuri was about to follow when Haku grabbed her arm.
"Wait, we're just going to follow him??" he asked.
Yuri nodded,
"Why not? He could give us valuable information about this world."
"Maybe because hes a freak? Hes as white as snow."
Yuri smiled,
"Your just mad because he beat you so easily." she said. She walked forward, following Zeph. Haku glared, muttering something under his breath before following.
Zeph's dugout was what Yuri would call an apartment, except it was carved into the ground. All the appliances looked older than dirt, and the furniture might've been used in the medival age. It looked primitive, but still had some features that caught her attention, such as the torches that flickered with blue flames. Zeph pulled out a chair, sitting at a wooden table. "So, wheres your ship?" he asked them. Haku glared, "None of your buisness." he snapped.
"You better hope its hidden well. The king would love to get his hands onto a good ship. Most get torn up during the crash."
Yuri sat down across from Zeph, "Wait, why do all the ships crash?"
"The king and his new right hand man, its their doing. The king's name is Heang, and his right is Giox. Heang used to be a great king...he helped us carve most of these tunnels. Scyaro didn't always used to be the ice land it is now. But a couple years ago, storms started pounding us relentlessly. But that was also around the time when Giox showed up, and when his majesty left us to fend for ourselves. The Dark Beasts are Giox's work; they listen and obey him to the death. The worst part is that the Dark Beasts keep multiplying, and that some are sneaking down into the tunnels and killing innocent people. But Giox just covers it by saying they were traitors..." Zeph shook his head, his black hair moving with the motion.
"I thought you were Giox's servants for a moment, with your strange looks."
"Why would Giox send servants into this area?" Yuri asked. Zeph looked at her,
"Because, I'm a 'traitor' as Giox puts it. A Dark Beast attacked and killed my family, and I came home and killed them."
"Thats horrible! So he calls you a traitor just because you killed the Dark Beasts?!" Yuri asked, stunned. Zeph nodded, "And he'll call you traitors as well. You escaped his pets, and I'm sure he wont be pleased with that."
Haku turned,
"Those things wont come for us, will they?"
"Of course they will." Zeph said, as though the answer was obvious. Yuri casted a worried glance to Haku before speaking.
"Then we cant stay down here! Innocent people will be hurt!"
Zeph shook his head, "We're close to the surface, and this tunnel is deserted except for myself. Everyone else moved deeper after the first couple of attacks."
"Great, so we just sit here and wait for those things?" Haku said.
Zeph shook his head,
"No, we leave. Theres one tunnel that leads straight to the castle. I've been waiting for some help to see just whats going on there, and you two are perfect volunteers."
"And what makes you think we'll help?" Haku asked.
Zeph stood, "Because, you'll end up at the castle sooner or later. Besides, neither of you know how to get back to your ship."
Haku and Yuri both twitched, and glanced at eachother. Yuri narrowed her eyes,
"Haku, do you seriously not know where the Gummi Ship is?" she asked. Haku shrank back a little, "Uhh...well, I know its outside...and its near a large drift of snow..." he said.
Yuri groaned, "Great, so we are stuck here." she said. Zeph smiled,
"If you help me, I'll help you. I'm one of the best trackers here on Scyaro, and I know this area like the back of my hand."
he held out his hand to Haku,
"Do we have a deal?"
Haku paused, then sighed, "Like we have a choice." he said before shaking hands with Zeph.
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