# Chapter 23: The Price of the Alliance and the Information

  ## 1. The Bitter Victory and the Escape from Godless

  The victory over Soken was instantaneous, but the silence that followed the death of the Hero of Rupture was more deafening than the tremor of his last attack. The battle left Godless in ruins. The dock was in tatters, and the smell of gunpowder and overturned earth hung in the air.

  The fury of the population, manipulated by Yuzuki's propaganda and Soken's staged charity, turned the victory into a moral defeat.

  "**Assassins!**" "**They killed the Hero!**" "**The Draconic Archaeologist is a traitor!**"

  The crowd, which had previously jostled for gold coins, now advanced with torches and knives.

  "Let's go! The plan went wrong! They don't see us as saviors, but as demons!", shouted Orpheus, pulling Hiroshi and Luna.

  The escape was desperate. Orpheus, with his **Koyote Katana**, cleared the way, using the red blade to disarm and intimidate, without fatally wounding. Hiroshi, with the **Karius Sword**, used the **Whisper** to hypnotize small groups, creating windows of escape. Luna, agile and small, guided them through the dark alleys.

  They reached Orpheus's pirate ship, the *Sea Vengeance*, a black and sturdy galleon, anchored at a secret dock.

  "**The Empire will use this. Soken's death will be the excuse for total war**," Kerchack hissed in Hiroshi's mind.

  ## 2. The Price of the Alliance: Jupiter Prison

  Aboard the *Sea Vengeance*, as Orpheus's crew hoisted the sails, the tension between the three was palpable.

  "You kept your part, Hiroshi. Soken is dead. Now, I will keep mine," said Orpheus, wiping the blood from the **Koyote**. "But first, the price of the alliance."

  Hiroshi was ready to hear about gold or artifacts.

  "I don't want gold, Draconic Archaeologist. I want your strength. I want you to help me rescue someone from a maximum-security prison of the Empire: **Jupiter Prison**."

  Luna gasped. Jupiter Prison was a fortress island in the middle of the sea, known for being impregnable.

  "It's an island in the sea, protected by elite soldiers and a Golden General. The **General of the Sun**," Orpheus explained, his face serious. "His power is fueled by fire. There is a giant torch 30 meters wide and long that the General uses to maintain his power. He is the pillar of the island's defense."

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  "Who do you want to rescue?", Hiroshi asked.

  "My sister. She is the only one who knows the truth about the Leper King and the Quaza weapon. She is the key to bringing down the Empire."

  ## 3. The Information: The Quaza Weapon and the Petrification Disease

  Orpheus kept his part of the deal, revealing crucial information about the King, the Quaza, and the war.

  "The King is building a **weapon of mass destruction** using Quaza. He knows that the other empires want to invade the country and that he needs a new weapon to protect himself. He is draining the Quaza from the mines, and the ore is becoming unstable. That's why the petrification disease is spreading."

  Hiroshi felt a chill down his spine. "The petrification disease... Bella, my friend, died trying to fight the king. And in the cities I passed through, the disease is spreading. What is this disease?"

  Orpheus was surprised by the passion in Hiroshi's voice. "You don't seek office and money. You seek revenge and healing. That's rare."

  "The disease is a byproduct of unstable Quaza. The King is using Quaza to create the weapon, and the residue is poisoning the land and the people. Hiroshi's next target should be the prison where the **Shadow Master (Zark)** is held. She has vital information about the weapon and how to deal with the petrification disease, besides being Orpheus's sister."

  ## 4. The New Path: The Unlikely Trio

  Hiroshi, Luna, and Orpheus became an unlikely trio. Hiroshi, now a fugitive wanted by everyone, had a powerful new ally and a new goal: to stop the King's weapon and, perhaps, find an ally who could help him understand Yuzuki's betrayal and the disease.

  "**You are becoming a leader, boy. A leader of worms, but a leader**," Kerchack mocked.

  "I am a Draconic Archaeologist, Kerchack. I unearth the truth and fight for it," Hiroshi replied.

  The *Sea Vengeance* sailed towards Jupiter Island. Orpheus's crew, a band of loyal pirates, accepted Hiroshi and Luna as part of the crew.

  "Welcome aboard. From now on, we are the **Eclipse Alliance**," said Orpheus, smiling.

  Hiroshi looked at Luna, who smiled with hope. He had lost everything, but he had gained a new family and a new purpose. The journey to Jupiter Island would be dangerous, but the reward was the key to saving the world.

  ***

  **END OF CHAPTER 23**