Clash of the Titans -- Episode #222

EXTENDED SYNOPSIS:
Zad (Steven Grives), intending to crush his adversary, Voden (David Paterson), captures a trio of elephants to help him break down the walls of Xinca. Dar (Daniel Goddard) attempts to stop Zad from forcing the animals into combat, and nearly gets himself killed. Tao (Jackson Raine) devises a clever diversion to save Dar, but winds up in Zad's clutches instead. Zad warns Dar that if he tries to free the elephants, Tao will die, and if he tries to rescue Tao, the elephants will die.

The Sorceress (Dylan Bierk) confronts Zad about the welfare of the elephants. Zad maintains that the elephants' lives are a small price to pay for eliminating the evil Voden. Arina (Marjean Holden) vows to put a stop to Zad's madness, but her plans are thwarted when she's captured by Voden's General, Hjalmar (Mark Lee). She is bound and dragged to Voden's tent. Hjalmar tells the ruler that she was found with Zad. Arina argues that she had been stalking Zad with the intent to kill him. To prove it, she tells them of Zad's plans to conquer Xinca with the help of the elephants. Considering Arina a traitor for having turned her back on his army, Voden orders her to be sent to the fighting pit, confident that the BeastMaster will come to her aid.

From his vantage point near Zad's camp, Dar is keeping an eye on Tao and the elephants. The Sorceress appears to tell him of Arina's plight. Dar heads to Xinca to help Arina, while the Sorceress stands watch over Zad's hostages. Voden's plan to lure Dar into Xinca has worked. With Arina well-guarded and out of Dar's reach, Voden orders Dar to turn Zad's elephants away from Xinca. Dar faces a dilemma. If he tries to save Arina, Voden's warriors will surely kill him, and Zad has already warned him against going after Tao and the elephants. Dar knows he must save Arina before he can go after the elephants, and concocts a scheme to infiltrate the pit. He saves Arina from certain death, and flees with her. Knowing Zad won't harm Tao until his victory is certain, they race to the aid of the elephants.

Moments later, Voden finds the Sorceress standing at the gates to the city, a fog billowing from the ground at her feet. Sensing Zad's approach, Voden orders the gates to be sealed off, and prepares his archers for battle. The thick fog moves in, obscuring the archers' view. The elephants come crashing against the gates, bulldozing their way into Xinca. Dizzy with certain victory, Zad orders his warriors to kill the Nords.

Once the elephants have done their work, Dar and Arina find them lingering at the walls, far from the ongoing battle. They free the beasts from their handlers, and the bull elephant tells Dar that Tao is being held hostage in the nearby woods. They race to find Tao before the victorious Zad has them all killed.

In a final desperate effort to save his domain, Voden orders a counter-attack on Zad's army. Hjalmar exposes himself as a traitor, divulging that he has made a deal with Zad. He has promised to deliver the city if Zad could break down the walls of Xinca. Horrified, Voden escapes Hjalmar's clutches and disappears alone into the woods outside Xinca, defenseless and emotionally drained. Hjalmar's plan backfires when Zad turns on him, furious that Voden has managed to get away. Zad slays Hjalmar as a warning to the rest of the General's men. Meanwhile, Dar and Arina save Tao in the nick of time. The threesome finally rest, knowing that the elephants are free and the world will suffer from one less tyrant.