Chapter 4; The King-Slayer:

Chapter 4; The King-Slayer

"Seriously Ashu! you're crazy to want him to join you… Are you certain about that? I don't think it's a good idea…" I spoke in an uncertain and doubtful tone trying to mask my fear with a hint of skepticism.

Ashu rolled his eyes and replied, "Come on, what's the worst that could happen? I just want to see if he's a good guy or not. And besides, the day is wasting away. Are you coming or not?" Ashu replied, his tone determined.

"Of course, he's a bad guy, he's in prison for a reason, you know that.! Sigh… I'm coming." I countered, trying to talk some sense into Ashu. But no avail so I followed him quietly and cautiously.

Staying close to him as we crept towards the entrance of the town, our eyes constantly scanning the area for any sign of the military lookout.

We sneakily hide our car in the bushes and began walking towards the entrance, our first task being to enter the city without raising any red flags or alerting the authorities.

As we approached, Ashu suddenly whispered, "Shush!! They are coming! Hide!" upon his warning, I quickly ducked behind a large tree, my heart pounding with adrenaline.

I could hear the muffled voices of the incoming soldiers coming closer and closer as they coming to our direction, their footsteps crunching on the gravel becoming audible. I strained to make out what they were saying, but their words were still unclear.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers exclaimed, "You heard the news?"

"What news?" the other soldier asked eagerly. My heart skipped a beat as I realized the significance of their conversation.

"I was guarding that prisoner yesterday, and Mr. Lester and Mr. Quill came to see him in the underground prison. They had me stand outside the door, so I couldn't hear what they talked about," the first soldier said, his voice filled with intrigue.

"Do you mean the prisoner they're planning to execute by noon tomorrow?" the second soldier asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, that's him," the first soldier confirmed. "Is it really true that the government is planning to execute him?"

"Yes, I'm not joking." "Is he really that dangerous to warrant the death penalty?"

"No way! That can't be true. I heard he was the one who protected our base town from a raid. Rumors about him might not be accurate."

Just as the soldiers were about to continue their conversation, Ashu stepped out from behind a nearby tree, a sly grin on his face. "Well, hello there! Care to chat with us for a moment?" he said, his tone jovial.

The soldiers were taken aback by Ashu's sudden appearance, and I couldn't help but think 'Oh no, here we go again…' Ashu's antics never ceased to amaze me, and this time was no different.

"Who are you!!?" Both asked in shock simultaneously in hurried voices, but what Ashu did next was even more shocking.

He grabbed the nearest soldier and took out a stun gun from his pocket then he threatened the other one; "Now, my friend" he began, his tone calm and measured, "please continue what you were saying before. Oh, and know this if you try to do anything funny, your friend here will face the consequences of your actions." The soldiers' expressions turned to one of fear and apprehension as they saw the gun in Ashu's hand.

"Please sir, we don't know much. Please don't hurt him!" "Then speak!" Ashu growled, his finger tightening on the trigger "I don't know everything about him, information about him is classified…"

"That's not what I'm asking, continue what you were talking to each other." The soldiers hesitated for a moment before one of them finally spoke up.

"He showed up at our base two days ago, asking for food." the soldier began.

"At first, we were suspicious of him, as we didn't know who he was. But then some of the soldiers took pity on him and offered him something to eat."

"And?" Ashu prompted, his gun still trained on the soldiers. "Well, little did we know, he was quite the hero in disguise. Just as he was leaving, a group of raiders attacked our base. We were caught off guard and couldn't defend ourselves, but he stepped in and single-handedly took down the entire band of raiders, all by himself. He moved with lightning speed and precision, using his skills to take out each raider one by one. We were all in awe of his bravery and fighting prowess."

"Wow!" I couldn't help but interject, "That's impressive! But why was he arrested then?"

"Unfortunately, because of his unique fighting style, many of the raiders recognized who he was. When our superior returned, he too found out who he was and arrested him. He used the opportunity to blackmail Cale, threatening to brand the soldiers who had fed him as traitors and execute them if he didn't surrender himself."

"Faced with that choice, Cale had no choice but to comply and turn himself in. He did it all to protect the innocent soldiers who had helped him in his time of need." "That's all I know," the soldier concluded, his voice filled with urgency. "Please, have mercy on us. Let him go. I beg of you."

"Sure. But I'm sorry for doing this, it won't hurt…"

"Huh!!"

SMASH!!

"ARGH!!!"

SMASH!!

"ARGH!!!..." Without warning, Ashu lunged forward and delivered a solid punch to the first soldier's ribcage, causing a cracking sound to be heard. He then delivered a roundhouse kick to the second soldier's neck and a punch straight to the liver. In a fraction of a second, both soldiers were down for the count, unconscious on the ground.

"WOW!" was the only word I could think of to describe his magnificent display of strength.

I confess that I was considerably startled by his fast, precise movements. My respect for his powers increased wondrously.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as we dragged the unconscious soldiers behind the nearby bushes and covered them with branches and leaves, disguising them from any potential passerby. We knew that our actions were wrong, but the stakes were high.

"Now what?" I asked my voice barely above a whisper.

"Quick, let's tie them up and take their uniforms. This will make it easier for us to enter the city unnoticed," Ashu said in a hushed tone as he pulled out a rope.

I couldn't help but feel a mix of shock and admiration as I watched Ashu's quick thinking and resourcefulness in action.

"What do you think, how long will they remain unconscious?" I asked curiously as we quickly changed into their uniforms.

"A few hours, maybe," Ashu replied with a mischievous grin. "But let's not stick around to find out. We might have to face some awkward questions when they wake up."

We made our way towards the city, excitement and trepidation building within me.

"We're finally here!" Ashu exclaimed, his voice ringing with excitement.

"Looks like we're going to be playing dress-up as soldiers today."

"Are you ready?" Ashu asked me, scanning our surroundings for any threats.

"I'm asking you again, are you sure?" I replied, a hint of doubt creeping into my voice. "You heard what those guards said; what other proof do you need?" Ashu said, a determined look on his face. "But…"

"My gut says we need to meet with this King-Slayer guy." Ashu replied determinedly. "And besides, who wouldn't want to meet a guy with such a cool name? King-Slayer? It's like he's a superhero or something."

"If you say so," I said, still unsure. And with that, we split up to gather information.

After searching and roaming for a few minutes, I found the Vashir prison. I made my way to the designated meeting spot, where Ashu joined me a few minutes later. "Now the question is, how should we get in!?" I asked, as we surveyed the towering 16 ft walls erected to prevent intruders like us from entering. At the entrance, two guards stood, their huge rifles at the ready.

"Don't worry," Ashu said, clapping me on the back. "We'll just have to use our charm and good looks to distract them. And if that doesn't work, we'll just have to rely on our ninja skills."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Ashu's confident grin. I had a feeling this was going to be a wild ride.

Just as Ashu and I were scratching our heads, trying to figure out our next move, a man crept up behind us and bellowed, "Who are you cadets, and what brigade do you serve?" The middle-aged man was dressed in military garb and was guarded by two beefy soldiers who looked like they meant business. He had an air of self-importance and command, which made us feel a little intimidated.

"Good morning, sergeant!!" Ashu and I snapped to attention, saluted the man in front of us, and clicked our heels together. Unfortunately, our disguise was quickly exposed. "You two aren't from the army, are you!?" he said, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Shocked and nervous, we gulped the saliva that was forming in our mouths. I quickly thought of a ploy. "We serve under the second division, Sir! Unfortunately, the patrolling unit is full, and my friend here isn't feeling well, so I was on my way to the medic department," I said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Who's your superior?" the sergeant asked, in a gruff tone. "Mr. Lester, Sir!" I replied, while giving Ashu the "come up with something" signal. And boy, did he deliver! "Ugh! Brother Ray, my stomach hurts! I think I need to go see a medic ASAP!" Ashu groaned, clutching his stomach and crouching down on the ground, his face contorted in pain.

The sergeant, seeing Ashu's performance, spoke to me in a voice of urgency; "What are you gawking at, Cadet?! Would you please take your friend to the medics right away?"

"O-Oh, yes, sir!" I took Ashu's hand and supported his body through my shoulders, and we walked past the sergeant's sight. As soon as we were out of his line of vision, we quickly darted into the bushes to avoid prying eyes.

"What now?!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice low. "Let me think... By the way, that was some quick thinking back there. You saved our butts! Thanks for that," said Ashu, slapping me on the back.

"No problem, but I have an idea. Are you ready for some action?" I asked, winking at Ashu. "What's the plan?" he asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "How about we both go there and you'll see," I replied, with a mischievous grin. "Let's do it!" Ashu exclaimed, fists clenched in determination.

As we approached the entrance, I took a deep breath and thought to myself, "I hope this plan of mine works, otherwise we're both screwed for sure." Ashu was standing behind me, silent and ready for action. But then he suddenly whispered, "Hey, if this doesn't work, let's pretend we're part of a mime troupe, that might work." I had to suppress a laugh, and I whispered back, "Sure, why not? We could call ourselves the 'Silent but Deadly' duo." We approached the gate confidently, Ashu struggling to hid his grin stood behind me.

"You there! Lieutenant Lester asked you and this guy to guard the prisoner; you go with him and ask the insiders to change their shifts," I said, trying to sound confident and authoritative. "But what about outside?" asked the guard, a grey-haired seedy soldier. "About that, you and I will be guarding this instance. While my friend is here, he will be guarding the prisoner," I said, pointing towards Ashu and giving him a subtle nod.

"..."

"Any other questions?" I asked, trying to sound casual. Ashu and the guard on the right entered the underground prison. Now all we could do was hope that nothing went wrong and that Ashu returned as soon as possible.

"What regiment do you serve, my friend?" asked the grey-haired guard, who stood beside me. Without hesitation and with a charming smile on my face, I replied, "I serve under Lieutenant Lester, second brigade. Ray, what about you?"

"What a coincidence! I too serve under the second brigade, Warner."

Oh sh*t! sh*t! sh*t! What should I do now, What should I do now? Think Ray, think?

"But this is the first time I've seen..."

"Oh! About that, me and my friend there, just transferred today from the sixth brigade, which was under lieutenant Quil's."

"Oh! Then I welcome you, my friend."

"Thank you! What about you? Do tell me something about this place." I asked, trying to steer the conversation away;

"Well, there's nothing much to see in this town, other than the main building…"

"Oh!"

"Can you tell me something Mr lester!?"

"Ha-ha!! You'll found about him eventually, I don't want to ruin your day by telling about him before hand." said Warner with a laugh,

"Don't be fooled by his age, he may be a old crone but that scrawny body of his has the strength of 100 elephant." This made me shudder.

Ashu, please hurry...

ASHU POV:

As I walked alongside the soldier, I couldn't help but notice his gruff exterior and the way he carried himself with confidence. "By the way, which regiment do you serve under?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"Third, what about you?" he replied, shooting me a curious glance. "Me? Well, I was in second, but now I'm in fourth."

"Oh! You look quite young for this kind of job."

"Thanks' for the compliment, I hear a lot because of my physic."

"How is that you're so buff, I'd love to have a body like yours."

"Ha-ha! My father is the warden of this prison, so he kind of pushed me to join the army at early age, he's the one who trained me."

"Your father is the warden? Wow, I'm impressed!" "I get that a lot." As we descended the stairs, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement building up inside me. The rumors of the notorious king-slayer being held in this prison had been circulating for weeks, and I was determined to get a glimpse of him. "By the way, I heard the king-slayer is in this prison. Is that true?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "Yeah, because of him, we have to do overtime. It's seriously tiring. I get that he's dangerous, but tired soldiers will do no good against him anyway. What's the point of even doing this?"

The soldier's words only fueled my curiosity. I knew that I had to get inside that prison, no matter what it took. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, I had my plan in place. "I believe it's because higher-ups think someone will attempt to free the king-slayer. What do you think? Is it possible?" I asked, trying to gauge his reaction. " I don't think he's the type of guy, I mean he surrendered himself, for us soldier, he could've run away." he replied, sounding skeptical.

"Do really see him as the rumours depicted him, a demon."

"No, he seems a really nice guy."

"Hmm…"

"By the way, I had something I want to ask you," I continued, with a hint of a smile on my face. "What?" he asked, turning to face me. "I'm sorry for doing this." Without warning, I grabbed him by the neck and gave him a swift punch to the solar plexus, sending him crashing to the ground. I knew that I had to act quickly before anyone else came along. I dragged the soldier's body to the side and hid it behind a stack of crates. I then made my way downstairs, my heart pounding with anticipation.

As I approached the lowest floor, I could see two guards standing at the entrance to the prison. "Who are you!" they exclaimed as they saw me. "I was sent to guard this place, they told me it's my time for the shift," I replied, trying to keep my cool. "Oh! Where's the other one?" one of the guards asked. "He's on his way," I lied, hoping they would fall for it. The guards looked at each other, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Finally..." one of them said as he stretched his limbs.

As they began to move away from their positions, I knew that this was my chance. I lunged forward and punched both guards in their solar plexuses with enough force to knock them unconscious. They fell to the ground in front of the stairs, and I quickly dragged their bodies behind the crates with the other soldier.

With the guards out of the way, I pushed open the huge wooden gate and entered the prison. As I entered the prison, my eyes had to adjust to the darkness. The only light came from a small, barred window high above. The air was thick with the stench of damp stone and mold.

And there he was, the infamous king-slayer, all chained up against the wall in tattered clothes with bruises all over his body. He was sitting in a dark, empty cell, with no speck of light.

His head was hung low, and his long hair obscured his face. He looked like he had been through a lot.

I approached him slowly, trying not to startle him. As I got closer, I could see the chains that bound him to the wall. They were thick and heavy, and they dug into his flesh. I could see the pain etched on his face. He looked up at me with tired, defeated eyes.

"Cale Valtia Stark, how have you been?" I spoke his name out loud, to get some sort of reaction.

I approached him slowly, trying not to startle him. As I got closer, I could see the chains that bound him to the wall. They were thick and heavy, and they dug into his flesh. I could see the pain etched on his face. He looked up at me with tired, defeated eyes. "Cale Valtia Stark, how have you been?" I spoke his name out loud, to get some sort of reaction.

"Do I look like I've been doing well?" he replied, his voice rough from disuse. "I've been chained up here for what feels like an eternity."

I chuckled nervously. "I suppose not. So, I heard you're the king-slayer, is that true?"

He raised an eyebrow. "And who are you exactly?"

"Just a curious traveller, looking for a good story," I replied with a shrug.

"Well, you found one," he said with a smirk. "But let me tell you, it's not a happy ending."

I leaned against the wall, trying to make myself comfortable. "I don't mind a bit of tragedy, as long as it's a good story."

He leaned forward, his chains clanking against the stone floor. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Hit me with it," I said, gesturing for him to begin.

"Alright," he said, settling back against the wall. "It all started when the king declared war on my people... "

As Cale began to spin his tale, I couldn't help but be captivated. He was a natural storyteller, painting vivid images with his words. And, as it turned out, he was quite the jokester as well. I found myself laughing more than I expected, despite the dire circumstances.

"So, that's how I became the infamous king-slayer," he finished, a wry smile on his lips.

"Wow, that was some story," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. "But why did you surrender yourself? Why not run away?"

He sighed. "Because, in the end, I realized that I was tired of running. And besides, where would I go? My name is known far and wide, and I would never be able to live a peaceful life again." the man in front of me moved his head towards mine and locked his eyes with mine.

"My name is Ashu L. Stark, and I'm here to save you;"

"G-Get... lost. Before they kill you," the man replied, his voice low and threatening. He was tied up with heavy chains and bruises covered his skin. But despite his rough appearance, his spirit was unbroken, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination.

"Hey now, is that how you speak to your saviour." I said with a smirk. "Want me to save you?" I sat down on the ground in front of his prison, crossing my legs as I regarded him.

"Haha!!! You're a funny man!" he laughed hysterically. Despite his dire circumstances, he was still able to find humour.

"Say, how about I save you from this hell hole."

"… You can?"

" Yes, I can but I have a condition, join me."

"Join you in what!?" he asked, as his curiosity had now picked up.

" I'm lookin for strong and loyal people to travel with me so…Swear your allegiance to me from here on out; join me in my journey to achieve my dream."

"What dream?"

"Ark of the Covenant! I want that,"

"Ha-ha!! Absurd!! You're funny kid. So, your dream is to be the supreme king, huh,?"

"…" I nodded silently and stared him straight in the eyes.

"Do you even understand what that title means, The thing you are aiming for is something that has been dreamt by many..."

"It does," I replied, with seriousness in my eyes.

"…"

"I don't know how you got in, so get lost before you get caught."

"I don't know if you do know this, but you're about to be executed tomorrow by noon."

" !!..." taken aback, by my statement, he looked at me.

"Oh! So didn't knew."

"I-I… I don't want to die, not now at least. So, I'll accept it!"

"Then swear your allegiance to me and help me archive my dream... Know this, I swear on my name that I'll help you archive yours."

"…"

"Either you die here, or, head tower with me? Which option do you want to choose?"

"Ha-ha! Are you the devil's son or what? Sigh…"

"From now on, I, Cale Valtia Stark, swear my allegiance to Ashu L. Stark in exchange for releasing me from this prison and assisting me in seeking the vengeance that my heart desires."

"Yes!! Finally!" I said it while jumping for joy at getting my very own second retainer.

"Okay, hurry and get these chains off me!"

"I'm on it!" I opened the prison gate using the keys I acquired from two soldiers before.

"So that's how you got it!" And just like that, all the restraints on Cale's hands and feet are now removed.

I offered my hand in Cale's direction.

"I already told you I'd be with you on your journey… But I already have a goal in my mind, and I'll swear I archive it, I no longer care if I have sold myself to obtain it. So know this: if you do something that ends up in the way of my goal, I'll have your head first as a sorry, Do you accept it?"

"I accept it,"

"Good, now what?"

"We leave this hell hole; my friend is standing outside!"

To be continued….

Author note:: Editing will be done in a few days, so I'm sorry for the errors and mistakes.

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