Chapter 5;

Chapter 5:

"So, how do you propose we escape this joint?" Cale asked as he stretched out his limbs, with a dramatic flair, releasing the tension from the muscle.

He made exaggerated noises with each stretch, as if trying to impress me with his toned physique.

He was not bulky but not skinny either, his whole body was a masterpiece, as if it was especially designed by the gods.

"Well, I was thinking... have you seen the latest episode of 'Prison Breakout'?" Ashu replied with a mischievous grin, referring to the popular TV show about escaping from prison.

"Ha! Very funny," Cale replied with a roll of his eyes. "But seriously, how are we getting out of here?"

"Hmm… How much do you know about this prison's current state?" I asked tapping his chin thoughtfully, trying to come up with a plan for our escape.

"Not much," Cale shrugged, "Why do you ask?" Cale responded with a quizzical look.

" Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to escape without making a big racket could be a bit of a challenge. The situation outside is quite dire, due to your infamy." I explained trying to understate the danger outside, the seriousness of our predicament weighing heavy on my mind.

"How so?" he asked.

"You know, the usual... angry mob, hungry alligators, and guards armed to the teeth," Ashu replied with a straight face, before breaking into a grin at the look of alarm on Cale's face.

Cale frowned, "Now what?"

"Let me think," I said, racking my brain for a solution.

"You better think fast," Cale urged, "I have a feeling we don't have much time." Cale quipped, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Alright, alright, I have a strategy in mind," I said.

" But I need to know how many prisoners are currently imprisoned in this place," I said, starting to formulate a plan.

"Bad Idea, if you're thinking about freeing them and starting a prison break, I'd advise against it. There are some seriously bad eggs here, and freeing them could lead to a lot of innocent casualties," warned Cale

"Okay, then let me ask you this. Any power I should be aware of?" I inquired with a smirk., considering all possible options, just then, the alarm blared.

Wee-Woo!!

Wee-Woo!!

"BASE TOWN TO VAL-SHISRI PRISON, WE HAVE REPORTS OF TWO INTRUDERS IN OUR RANKS! I REPEAT, WE HAVE TWO INTRUDERS IN OUR MIDST. INTRUDERS ARE BELIEVED TO BE TWO MALES IN MILITARY UNIFORM! ALL UNITS ARE TO REPORT ON-SITE IMMEDIATELY AND GUARD THE VAHIRI PRISON FROM THIS POINT FORWARD! DON'T LET ANYONE GET AWAY!"

"Well, that's just great," groaned Cale.

"What the heck happened? How did the alarm go off?" he asked clearly taken aback by the unexpected situation, looking around frantically.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I shrugged.

'SH*T!' I yelped as the sudden announcement jolted us out of our planning session.

"We have to make a break for it right now!" Cale declared, already sprinting towards the exit.

As we both raced up the stairs, I thought to myself, 'What now? I can't even imagine what Ray's going through. Fu*k!'

We burst through the main door and I cried out, "RAY! We need to run, now!"

But it was too late. As Cale and I stepped outside, we were met with the sight of thirty armed troops, their rifles aimed directly at us. There was no way out. We were surrounded, with our lives hanging in the balance.

Ray with both his hands in the air and couple of rifles pointed on his head, he turned his head to me and his eyes asking what do we do next.

"Get down on your knees, gentlemen, or I'll have to get rough," ordered a man in a black suit, black hat, and dark sunglasses, with his gun pointed menacingly at us. He stood tall, towering over us like a menacing figure from a noir film.

"One wrong step and your brains will be splattered like a watermelon!" he threatened.

Cale, Ray and I reluctantly complied; our hands raised in surrender.

"Well, this just went from bad to worse," Cale muttered, getting down on his knees.

I shot Cale a look and whispered, "I guess this means our escape plan is on hold for now."

"Guys, not the time." Ray cried as sweat dripping from his fore head.

"I hope they serve good food in prison," Cale quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

I couldn't help but chuckle, grateful for my friend's quick wit in the face of such a dire situation.

"…"

While I was calculating how to safely escape this predicament, with our hands behind our heads and us on our knees, the man in black yelled to us, as he abruptly booted my new friend in the stomach, " Cale Valtia Stark, You thought you could get away from us, huh!" in a loud, angry voice, as he glared down at Cale with his bulging out angry eyes.

Cale clasped his stomach, coughing and struggling to breathe, this scene enraged me but, before i could "Don't you dare!!" As if sensing my intent, the man said to me:

"…"

As the man continued to kick him, Ray and I looked at our new companion, who was in anguish.

"Haha!!

What a wonderful day it is!"

"A member of the most illustrious family, the Valtia family, one of the most powerful clans, is now under my boot, hehe!!"

"Oh! I forgot You're no Valtia, you're just a disloyal scumbag who butchered his own clansmen and the owner with his own two hands!!" As his barrage of kicks continued to rain down on Cale's body, the man spoke to him ecstatically. Many of the soldiers turned away, unable to look at the beating.

My blood was boiling from the sight in front of me, and I wanted to jump up, but was stopped; "Ashu! Don't!" Cale pleaded with me not to move. "Why this! What gives... Now, you try to be the righteous one."

"Where has the rumoured silver moon gone, you callous one?"

"How did it feel, to have your honour and pride as Valtia , striped away from you?" While Cale remained still, the man spat on his bruised body.

"Man with honour, haha!! This title, suites you best."

"Also, you!! What are your names? "enquired the man as he turned to face us;

"…"

"..." Ray and I both kept mute, but my rage was directed at him, the one staring down on us.

"Since you've agreed to keep your mouth shut, how about this..."

Cale abruptly rose up as the man attempted to kick me in the face, and before the man could land a sting, he grabbed the officer by the back of his neck and slammed his entire body to the ground;

This action was so quick and so rapid that no one could fathom what was going on in front of their eyes. All the troops stood gaping, while their superior lay unconscious on the ground; Stunned by this action, Ray and I exchanged bewildered glances, then at Cale with an expression of astonishment.

When they saw their commander lying unconscious, all the soldiers around them levelled their weapons at our heads.

When they abruptly triggered their rifles at Cale, Ray and I sprang up and launched ourselves to protect him, but it was the wrong option because the guy didn't need our intervention.

Cale evaded the bullets by vanishing into thin air and reappeared in the midst of the soldiers, much like a ghost. He knocked few numbers of them down before dropping all the bullets that were shot at him, demonstrating to the soldiers that they were ineffectual against them.

All of the soldiers began to feel helpless as they were perplexed by his abilities. In desperate attempts to save some pride, one of the troops dashed into him and threw a punch at him, but Cale, avoided the blow and kneed the man in the stomach.

"Now, either you let us go or we slaughter each other."

"So, what will it be?" Cale spoke confidently and authoritatively.

All of the soldiers had lost their will to fight because they didn't know what to do.

Seeing their captain unconscious on the ground, with bullets falling like pebbles from Cale's hand.

They couldn't do anything, with their heads down because of their frailty, so they paved the way for us. Cale turned and looked at us, signalling us to make a run for it. Ray and I got the signal and took off running, with Cale close behind us.

"Is it him, Ashu?" Ray inquired quietly as we hurried towards the spot where we had hidden our car. I nodded, all smiles, delighted to have a new member.

We made our way to our car, but to our horror, someone had already arrived. The man sitting on our car's roof with a large sword in his hand was none other than the old man who had stopped Ray and I earlier. "Oh! So you guys got away safely, and even defeated Luke on your way! That's quite the feat for a couple of amateurs!" "Well, given his personalities, I'm not surprised. I mean, he had an ego the size of Mount Everest," I said, trying to add a bit of humor to the situation. Ray chimed in, "Yeah, he was like the king of the world, but in a much smaller package." "So, you knew?" I inquired. "Not at first, but your amazing acting and the fact that you didn't know my title revealed your disguise," the man on the roof said with a smirk.

With a smile on his face, he stood up and unsheathed his sword, while looking down at us. Cale exclaimed, "Ashu, get back!" as the guy in front of us unsheathed his blade, warning me. Lieutenant Lester materialized out of nowhere between Ray and me, hitting Ray in the stomach and delivering me a roundhouse kick. "Whoa there! Easy on the abs, man! I'm trying to maintain a six-pack here!" Ray jokingly yelled as he doubled over in pain.

Fortunately, we both blocked the blows, but the force of the strike could be felt in the vibration and pain. "Oh, you managed to escape that, but your friend there, I believe, is not so lucky," the lieutenant said as he pointed at Ray who was now on his knees. Cale ran up and covered for him. I instantly gave a straight jab and a frontal kick, simultaneously. Cale delivered an uppercut back-kick. "Oh! I'll be! How did you guys get so good at fighting?" the lieutenant said, clearly surprised. "How can you be so rough with an old man like me!?" he added with a chuckle, as he effortlessly dodged our blows. "How about you? Can't you go easy on us, youngster?" "Where's the fun in that?" I retorted with a smile.

He then grabbed my leg with one hand and lifted my entire body, tossing me around like a sack of potatoes. "Argh!! This guy is stronger than he looks! I may have underestimated him," I shouted out in agony. But Cale cushioned my fall and shielded my head. "Ashu, are you okay?" "Y-Yeah… I think I'll live," I said, getting back on my feet.

The lieutenant pulled his sword out again and said, "You keep Ray safe while I deal with this person." "Are you certain? He's powerful," Cale stated. "But not unbeatable; trust me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well," I assured Cale, turning my head and staring the lieutenant in the eyes. "I like the fire in your eyes, child, but I don't think you'll be able to escape this old man's hold," the lieutenant said with a smirk. "I know that's why I'll give it my all," I replied, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

A surge of energy from my core began to erupt from my body, and I felt my suffering subside. My hair had turned silvery white, and my eyes had turned lavender. "Whoa! Ashu, what's happening!?" I was hoping, not use this but our current situation is not making it easy.

I bit my lip and let my body blend with the energy surrounding me. A suffocating quantity of energy caused me to quiver in anguish, so I concentrated on my breathing.

The world around me became hazy as a perceptible aura of various colours engulfed me and my adversary.

"Phase One!" I let out a strained whisper. "THE FLAW!"

Everyone around me seemed surprised as I went through some kind of metamorphosis.

"Oh!

It's astonishing that you're a power user."

"However, at what cost?"

One of my first phase's powers is to boost my human abilities to an abnormal level, I can not keep this phase for long. I need to end this quickly.

Cale and Ray were taken aback by my sudden appearance.

"Let's play!" I growled, revealing a smirk on my face.

Lieutenant Lester must have been enraged because his face was now distorted as a result of it.

I needed to do this quickly, and I assumed that as exhaustion overtook my body, my vision would get fuzzy.

But it won't matter because my senses are too acute right now.

The world spun slowly around me, so I leaped and focused a portion of my might on my fist, instantly closing the gap between the lieutenant and myself, leaving a crater the size of an elephant.

"Sorry Old man, this will be my last shot," I said as I launched my fist at him and landed on his body.

'I'm hoping we win this.'

I made a wish, and it was granted.

Because of the wind pressure from my fist, formed a massive shockwave that hit his body.

This caused many trees and land masses to be blown far away along with his bodysmashing and crushing adjacent trees.

My pulse rate soared, breathing got difficult, and every muscle fibre in my body and it being felt ripped to pieces, particularly in my hands, where the bones in my right hand seemed like they were going to break.

I was fatigued, so I collapsed on my knee, gasping and breathing, and my body couldn't withstand the pressure from this form for long, so it reverted.

I lost consciousness as a result.