Zeek

"I would have endured it if I was the only one who had to suffer. But my young siblings went through the same torture because of me. After hearing their screams, I couldn't take it any more... I begged forgiveness and became a dark knight of Gerxel to save them. Laugh at me all you want... My loyalty, my pride as a knight... I lost it all on that fateful day..."

- Zeek, in a conversation with Kate

Zeek (ジーク Jīku, alternatively translated as Sieg or Zieg in fan translations) is a playable character from TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga. He is a dark knight of the Zoa Empire who accompanies Gwenchaos during his assault on the Temple of Mars. During the resulting battle, he defects to Runan's army, claiming to be a knight of the destroyed Kingdom of Barge.

If he is defeated during the time that he is playable, he will be saved from death by Karla.

Profile
Zeek is the younger brother of Karla and the uncle of Shigen. He was born into a family of nobles descended from the ancient Zoans. When he was four years old, he and his family were sent into slavery by Reeve's people, set to be declared as witches as soon as they become of age. While his parents and three eldest sisters were burned at the stake and Karla was saved by Gwenchaos on the day of her execution, he remained in slavery for a total of twenty-five years. During this time, Zeek was brutally tortured and received scars as a result, but he survived through his anger towards Reeve and prayers to Gerxel. Three years before the storyline, he was freed and joined the reborn Zoa Empire as a dark knight.

In his first conversation with Kate, Zeek notices that she is a female knight and reacts with surprise, thinking of it as unusual. When she questions his claims of being a knight of Barge, he reveals his scarred back to her and professes that he was sent into slavery by the Zoa Empire, where he was eventually forced into servitude as a dark knight. He also asks her to keep his past as a secret because he does not want the others in the army to know about it. At the end of Map 7, he is approached by Kate at the banquet, and despite his attempts to keep his distance from her, she convinces him to allow her to remain at his side. Following this, they begin to spend most of their time together and eventually fall in love. This results in him becoming distracted from his mission of spying on Enteh. If they are sent with Runan after the first route split, Zeek will be approached by Kate in a forest after Map 17. After she points out his recent strange behavior, she is bitten by a poisonous spider, and he saves her life. Afterwards, he lifts her up and carries her to the city.

During the second intermission, he is visited by Karla, who has become worried about him becaue he has not reported back to her in a while. After he reassures her that he has not forgotten his mission, she orders him to betray Runan and accompany her back to the Zoa Empire. After defecting back, he is torn between his loyalty to the Gerxel Church and his love for Kate, as he has not truly come to terms with either. At the start of Map 31, Zeek objects to Nefka's view that the ordinary Zoan dark knights are slaves to the church because they are not priests of Gerxel. He states that Gwenchaos said that there is no discrimination against anyone who is Zoan in their country and compares Nefka to their enemies. After Nefka points out his inexperience and accuses him of having a talent for babbling, Zeek tells him not to interfere with his upcoming battle with Holmes's army. During the resulting battle, he is captured by Holmes, who plans to punish him for his betrayal, but escapes with either Karla's or Kate's help.

Regardless of which army that Kate is sent with during the third route split, she and Zeek will meet each other again. Before she realizes that he is a traitor, he asks her to join him in the Zoa Empire, claiming that she has misunderstood Gerxel's teachings and the church's actions have only been for self-defense. He also mentions that he believes that the Zoans and the outsiders could co-exist if the persecution would stop. The two of them are soon approached by Nefka, who kidnaps Kate and forces Zeek to accept it, saying that opposing it would be seen as a traitorous act and becoming a traitor would make Karla cry.

In Map 39, Zeek will ultimately die fighting against Runan's army in an attempt to prevent them from interfering with the resurrection ritual of Gerxel. If he is defeated by Kate, he will ask her to forgive him as he dies.

Recruitment
He first appears as an enemy unit in Map 5 (wearing a helmet that hides his face). To recruit him, have Runan speak to him or allow him to speak to Runan. However, he later leaves the player's army in Map 24, and will appear again as a non-recruitable enemy unit in Map 31 and the boss of Map 39.

Base Stats
Map 5=Map 5


 * -|Map 31=Map 31


 * -|Map 39=Map 39

Growth Rates

 * 80%
 * 55%
 * 35%
 * 55%
 * 55%
 * 30%
 * 35%
 * 35%
 * 0%
 * }

Supports

 * Kate

Overall
Zeek is a very powerful unit, combining high movement, some of the best growths in the game, and a class that makes him immune to the backfiring effect of the Devil Spear. He also possesses a large collection of powerful skills and support bonuses with Kate that are highly useful for her, although they only slightly benefit him. Since he is stronger than most of the other units at base level, he can be used as a crutch in the earlier stages of the game. However, he is not available for much of the game and appears as an enemy boss later that the player must kill, so it is recommended not to rely too heavily on Zeek.

Battle Quotes
"Even if it costs me my life, I shall not let you obstruct the ceremony!"

- Zeek's default battle quote in Map 39

Death Quotes
Defeat Quote as an ally:

Zeek: Ugh... How could I...

Karla: Zeek, what are you doing...? You cannot fall in a place like this.