As Vathek and Drake's troops struggle to both hold off Frost's army that's entered Cavigor and curb the extremist rogues out of their plans to slaughter the prisoners, the two rebel heroes make a shocking discovery as the siege of Cavigor ends.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The deserter Vathek locks up in a cell futilely begs not to be left behind and tries to plead for mercy before a Razor Khan finishes him off.
- Answer Cut: When the heroic rebels reach the prison's second level, they discover to their surprise that the prisoners are free and fighting the soldiers that try to kill them. When Drake asks out loud how is this possible, the scene cuts to a flashback that reveals what led to this.
- Ascended Extra: Jax is revealed to be one of the regular Guards who took Jade to the Infinite City in Kage on the orders of Caleb when he went against Elyon's orders regarding the girl.
- Asshole Victim:
- Once getting his answers out of one of the extremists on the first level, Vathek locks up the man in a cell and leaves him behind for unrepentantly following the Warden's orders. He's then finished off by a Razor Khan as he begs for mercy.
- Jax, one of the Warden's lieutenants who wholeheartedly agrees with his plan to kill the prisoners, ends up being killed by a spear thrown by Frost while trying to take Drake and Vathek down with him.
- Bear Hug: Once freed, Torgo gives Arthur a slightly painful hug.
- Big "NO!": Vathek yells this when he accuses Frost of breaking his promise to spare the remaining rebel soldiers.
- Big "WHAT?!": Vathek shouts this when Frost uses Exact Words against him and throws a spear at Drake and Jax.
- Bittersweet Ending: The first arc on this front of the war ends with Frost taking over Cavigor and freeing the prisoners (some of whom are not so evil). While Drake's fate will be unknown for many following chapters, Vathek surrendering to Jade has managed to ensure that his surviving soldiers won't suffer under Frost or Phobos' torture for a while, and the Razor Khan agree to take Vathek before Jade so that he can try to offer an olive-branch.
- Call-Back: Jax is revealed to be one of the Guards who escorted Jade to the Infinite City on Caleb's orders before passing her to Aldarn. He also recalls how she accused them of undressing her and changing her clothes while she was unconscious when it was actually done by some shadows that were possibly controlled by the Queen.
- Cliffhanger: With the siege of Cavigor having ended in Frost's victory, Vathek is taken to the shadows by the Razor Khan.
- Cornered Rattlesnake: Before entering Cavigor, Curbag warns his troops not to get cocky or let their guard down because the rebels might give all they have left in their final moments, remarking that "a cornered animal is the most dangerous type of animal". This is what happens to Jax; with Frost's army and Razor Khan in the upper levels, his fellow extremists having their hands full, and Vathek and Drake cornering him on the third level, seeing the reserve force enter said level is the last straw. Turning his rage and fear towards the two people closest to him, he tries to kill Vathek and Drake in order to have revenge on someone he blames for Phobos' alliance with Kage.
- Defiant to the End: Many of the prisoners, including Arthur, Manny and Torgo, are ready to defend themselves to the last breath from the soldiers who want to kill them in their cells.
- Didn't Think This Through: When Frost suggests Jade will make Vathek stay forever in the Shadow Realm, the Galhot freezes at having not considered such a possibility before resolving himself to accepting it as a sacrifice that might mean the safety of his men.
- Disney Villain Death: Downplayed with Jax; he's pierced by a spear thrown by Frost and falls to the bottom of the prison from one of the bridges.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Both Vathek and Drake are horrified and hurt to learn that it was Caleb of all people whose disobedience of Elyon's orders contributed to Jade becoming an enemy.
- Evil Gloating: When entering the second level, Jax can't resist making the prisoners' last moments filled with fear as much as possible.
- Evil Laugh:
- Jax chuckles darkly as he threatens to kill the prisoners on the second level.
- Curbag and his men share a dark chuckle in anticipation of taking the rebels by surprise.
- The chapter ends with the Razor Khan taking Vathek to the shadows as he hears Frost laughing over the fact that he got the last laugh even though Vathek denied his triumph by surrendering to Jade instead of him.
- Exact Words: Vathek surrenders on condition that his men fighting a losing battle against Frost's forces will be spared. Frost agrees... but after he tricks Vathek into specifying that his men on the upper levels are to be taken prisoner, he tells his troops that the rebels on the level they're actually on, including Drake and Jax, are fair game.
- Foreshadowing: Curbag's warning to his men to be careful with "a cornered animal" comes to pass with Jax once the reserve force enters the prison a moment later.
- From Bad to Worse: With Frost's army and Razor Khan in the prison's upper levels and some of the prisoners already killed by the deserters, the final nail in the coffin comes in the form of the lowest level being assaulted by more of Frost's soldiers who enter through the secret tunnel.
- Good News, Bad News: As Arthur prepares to defend himself against the soldiers sent to kill him in his cell, he notes to himself that fortunately, the cells on their level are actually closed rooms with wooden and locked doors, which means there's plenty of space to back up. The bad news is that the soldiers have the keys.
- Internal Reveal: Vathek and Drake learn from Jax that Caleb was the one who overrode Elyon's orders and sent Jade/Kage to the Infinite City dungeon in the first place.
- It Can Think: Though the Shadowkhan obey their summoners without second thoughts, it's revealed that they can question orders that go against the wishes of their highest ruler, who's currently Jade. When Vathek takes a gamble by asking the Razor Khan to tell Jade that Elyon wants to bury the hatchet and make amends with her, they actually take the time to hear him out even though Frost has ordered them to bring the Galhot to him. Feeling this to be something Jade might want to take a closer look at, they silently debate on whether to just follow the orders of Frost or take Vathek to their Queen and let her decide if his words are worth her time. When Vathek puts his soldiers' lives in Jade's hands instead of those of Frost or Phobos, Frost tries to claim that he can have his way with them anyway, but the Razor Khan turn their gazes on him with the clear message of reporting it back to their Queen before taking Vathek with them.
- Karmic Nod: When Vathek is surrounded by four Razor Khan, he admits out loud it feels like him getting continuously faced by the Shadowkhan is karma for his abuse of Jade.
- Knight Templar: Like the Warden, Jax believes that by murdering all their defenseless prisoners, he's doing what's necessary to protect Meridian from Phobos. He also accuses the more heroic rebels of being too gutless for keeping Phobos and his minions alive, and claims Elyon and the past queens would see the wisdom of finishing off the enemy so that they can't be a threat anymore.
- Know When to Fold 'Em:
- With all the exits from the second level blocked except for the one leading to the lower levels, the extremists on that level are forced to fall back in line when confronted by Vathek, Drake and Yoruichi who let them fight on their side only because they need all the hands available.
- Conceding that Cavigor's been lost, Vathek surrenders to the Razor Khan on condition that his remaining men shall be spared and he'll be delivered to Jade/Kage so that he can pass along Elyon's peace offer.
- Loud Gulp:
- The extremist Vathek furiously interrogates on the first level does this twice while answering his questions.
- Vathek gulps at the thought of staying permanently in the Shadow Realm.
- Precision F-Strike: Upon seeing the murdered prisoners on the first level, Drake calls the culprits fucking barbarians.
- Prison Riot: After the Razor Khan foil the extremists' attempts to kill prisoners on the second level and release them, the prisoners take up arms to fight their would-be murderers. The Phobos loyalists who enter the prison in the third level also release and arm prisoners.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: When Jax spills out Caleb's dirty little secret, Vathek growls this out:Vathek: What...did...you...just...say?
- Scared of What's Behind You: As two of Jax's soldiers advance on Arthur in his cell, they stop and look in fright behind the unarmed fisherman. Unsure if this is good or bad for him, he turns around to see two Razor Khan emerging from his shadow and attacking the soldiers.
- Screaming Warrior: Deconstructed when a rebel soldier tries to attack Arthur from behind; his battle cry alerts Arthur just in time for the latter to dodge and kill him. Arthur then comments on how foolish it is to throw away the element of surprise by bellowing in battle.
- Slasher Smile: One of Curbag's men gives a bloodthirsty grin as he hopes there'll be rebels left for them to slaughter once they enter Cavigor.
- Spiteful Spit:
- Arthur does this when he believes Vathek and his troops are siding with the deserters who're trying to kill the prisoners.
- Drake does this while demanding the extremists on the second level to explain themselves.
- Jax does this as he fumes about the fact that Jade/Kage wasn't killed when she first showed up on Meridian.
- Stab the Sky: To show how much he thinks of himself to be a hero, Jax raises his blade high in the air while gloating to the prisoners about killing them in Elyon's name as Phobos' servants.
- Taking You with Me: When Vathek and Drake catch up with Jax on the third level just as Frost's army enters the prison through the forgotten maintenance tunnel leading to that very level, Jax has a Villainous Breakdown under the belief that none of this would be happening if Phobos, his minions and Kage had all been killed in the first place and decides to kill Vathek and Drake (who are among those he blames) before going down himself. He gets killed before he can kill either.
- Tempting Fate: As Vathek and Drake leave Yoruichi behind to hold the line in the second level, she reassures that the heavy stone blocking the entrance to the first level will prevent Frost's troops from entering for a long while. The narration remarks how wrong she turns out to be as the scene cuts to the reserve force led by Curbag reaching Cavigor through the secret underground passage.
- This Cannot Be!: As he sees Frost's reserve force in the third level, Jax mutters this as he's consumed by his Villainous Breakdown.
- Villainous Breakdown: When Jax is defending the Warden's decision to mass murder all the prisoners to Vathek and Drake, seeing Frost's troops breaching Cavigor through the Secret Underground Passage causes him to snap in his desperation and fury, leading him to decide that if he must die, he'll take the two "weak" rebel heroes with him first.
- Villainous Rescue: Just as Jax's men are about to kill Arthur, the Razor Khan appear to fight the soldiers and free the prisoners, giving them a chance to properly defend themselves.
- Wham Line: Jax reveals that he knows Caleb's the one who sent Jade to the Infinite City in Kage. This also serves as an in-universe example for Vathek and Drake.
- You Monster!: When one of the extremists justifies their actions by saying that they're stopping the tyrant from getting his monsters back, Vathek has this to say:Vathek: The only monsters I see are the ones killing defenseless prisoners!
