Jose followed me as I made a dash towards my apartment where Asaho was waiting for me. If I took any longer, I risked my chances of her survival.
"Notarin! Slow down a bit! We don't want to stick out like a sore thumb! The agents could find us easily this way!", Jose urged.
"I thought you said that Oxenfurt isn't visited by the agents that much! We'll be fine, right? We have to hurry or Asaho could die!", I responded.
"Although the agents don't hang around here much, I highly suspect they might search this city more thoroughly soon. You've gone missing, so their main goal is to look for you right now. We need to stop them, but we also can't let them get near us until you are more powerful! If we're not careful, we'll all be in danger!", Jose exclaimed.
As much as I was worried about Asaho, Jose was right. If we didn't look after ourselves, there was no hope for Asaho either. I slowed to a gentle stroll so attention wouldn't be drawn towards us. A few minutes later, Jose and I finally arrived at my apartment.
As we made our way inside, I could see that Asaho was still lying in bed, but luckily still breathing. I didn't take any time rushing to her side.
"Asaho! Wake up! The rumors are true! I found a man that can help you! Asaho, wake up! Please!", I yelled.
No matter what I tried, Asaho wouldn't wake up. I knew she was still alive, but she was so deep in sleep that she couldn't respond. Jose released Kyle out of his hands and approached Asaho.
"It appears that she's in a comatose state. She won't be able to wake up until I help her. This may take a few minutes, so please be patient. She will be alright now", Jose stated.
I sat and watched as Jose worked his Judgeshroud powers. I could see warm light emanate from Jose's hands as he waved them over Asaho's body. Even Kyle, who had been wandering through the apartment, had their attention drawn to this little spectacle.
"That should do it. She should wake up any minute now", Jose said as the glow from his hands dimmed.
I walked over to Asaho and shook her by the shoulder. To my relief, I could see her begin to open her eyes. With a yawn, she turned to my side and glared at me with her striking green eyes.
"Notarin? I think I feel a bit better. How long have I been out?", Asaho asked.
"Asaho! I'm so relieved! I've been gone for several hours, but I managed to get some help from this guy over here!", I said as I pointed towards Jose. Asaho turned and looked to where I was pointing and then turned to me again.
"Who's that?", Asaho asked.
"His name is Jose. He's the guy in the rumors you were talking about. Turns out they weren't just rumors after all. He has powers that allow him to help out the weak. You were in a comatose state before, and now that he worked his magic, you're awake and feeling better again!", I explained.
Asaho looked a bit shocked, but definitely happy. It didn't take long until the surprised look on her face morphed into a warm smile. She turned to look at Jose, who was sitting across from me.
"Thank you for helping me! I didn't think the rumors were true!", Asaho said to Jose.
"It is my duty to help those in need. Although, I need to borrow Notarin for a while. I need his help with an urgent matter currently", Jose responded. Asaho tilted her head and squinted her eyes in confusion.
"What would you need Notarin for? Don't tell me he'sghe's involved in something dangerous! Tell me what this is about! You're not taking him away unless I go with him as well!", Asaho shouted with concern. Jose let out a sigh and began to explain everything about the Agents of the Undershroud, excluding the traumatizing details of Asaho's past with them.
"Somehow, I always knew Notarin was special. That said, I'm still going with you two, even if it puts me in danger", Asaho said in response to Jose's explanation of the situation.
"Asaho, I really don't want to see you in danger, but I also want to have you by my side and know for sure you're ok as well. I guess it can't be helped", I said. Jose formed a frown on his face as he turned to look at me.
"Notarin, as much as I hate to say it, she will only make things more challenging for us. We must leave her behind, if only for her safety", Jose said in response. I could see Asaho begin to form tears at the thought of being left alone.
"Sorry Jose, she's coming with us. We don't really have any reason for living besides each other. While I do owe you, we're not going to be living apart. What about your turtle? Isn't he a liability? Why must your turtle come with you? Surely you could have your assistant, or someone else take care of him", I rebutted. A visible look of anger formed on Jose's face.
"How dare you suggest that I leave Kyle behind in the 'care' of someone else! That turtle means more than you could ever imagine! Well, there's no point in arguing anymore. We're just wasting precious time. Do as you please and take her with us. However, don't complain to me if you end up regretting it", Jose said in response.
Asaho and I packed our things to get ready to set out on our journey with Jose. Jose tapped his foot impatiently, anxious to get out of this place. We were about to leave until we heard footsteps approaching the door.
"Quiet! We don't know who that could be", Jose insisted.
We tried to hide as quick as possible, but we soon found out that we acted too late. A big, burly man barged in through the door and was staring us down.
"Are you trying to hide from me? You should know that is ultimately pointless. I was going to find you no matter what", the big man said.
Jose bravely took several steps towards the man, seemingly confronting him.
"How the hell did you find this location? Did you follow us?", Jose asked.
"That girl…", the man mumbled as he pointed towards Asaho.
I could feel rage boil up inside me towards this man. I wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face, but I knew I didn't have the strength.
"What the hell do you want with her? I'll not let you lay a finger on her!", I shouted.
"You really think you can stop me? We know you've grown weaker, because all of us who serve the Undershroud have grown weaker! However, just because the Undershroud has grown extremely weak inside you, it still shares whatever power it has left with us. We will not be defeated, and you have nothing to defeat us with", the man explained.
At that moment, I could hear a voice in my head. It appeared to be Jose's. Could it be that he was using his powers to telepathically communicate with me?
"Notarin! Don't give away the fact that I'm communicating with you telepathically or we're all screwed! I'm going to share a bit of the Judgeshroud's power with you. If we can both take him on, we might have a chance!", Jose explained.
I was somewhat confused. I didn't have any battle experience that I remembered, so how was I going to help Jose, even if I had the power? However, Jose was right. This was our best chance to get out of this situation. I could feel a surge of energy entering me, as if power was growing inside me.
"Notarin, I know you're afraid of being too inexperienced in this situation, but trust me. I've buffed your physical strength. It should be able to at least match his now. I'll tell you when to attack, ok? I'll distract him and you can take him from behind! Just trust your instincts!", Jose instructed.
The man was taunting me by standing in front of me with a devilish grin and laughing with confidence. Jose suddenly drop kicked the man in the face and he stumbled away.
"Fuck you! You really think you can take me on, kid? That didn't hurt a bit. You're gonna need to hit a lot harder if you hope to do anything!", the man shouted.
The man quickly grabbed Jose by the collar and tossed him against the wall, damaging it in the process. Jose looked hurt, but he was able to get back on his feet again. I could hear his voice entering my head again.
"Notarin! I've got his attention. When he gets near me again, rush him and just attack! Push him down!", Jose instructed.
The man stomped as he made his way over to Jose. I could see Asaho watching in terror, clueless as how to help. I could see the man raise his fist, and then that's when I made my move. I dashed toward his back pounced him. The man stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground. I didn't expect to have this much strength in me.
"What… the fuck? How did you…", the man muttered.
"Notarin! Keep him pinned down and give him a beating! If you don't, we…", Jose began to instruct.
As Jose instructed what to do next, I lost my focus and the man rose up from the ground again, making me stumble on my back.
"Haha, you really think your little trick would actually work? You had me fooled for a second, but you're too much of a wimp without your Undershroud powers to actually do anything properly in battle", the man said.
I rose back up to my feet and backed away as far as I could from the man. I was rushing to think of what to do next, but my thoughts were all muddled. At that moment I could hear Jose's voice yet again.
"You screwed up, but we can still win this! I'm going to share a bit more power with you, but it's the rest I've got for the time being, so I'll be out of the fight now. You have more magic potential then me, so you can put it to better use, believe it or not!", Jose explained.
I could feel more power surging through me in that moment. I felt more confident in my abilities now, and I could now calmly observe the man's aggressive movements as he approached me. It was as if time had slowed down, allowing me to react easily to whatever he had in store for me.
I could see his fist swing towards my head. This normally would've been able to take me out in one hit, but I was able to duck under it with ease. I readied my own fist to counter his attack, and I swung at his face in return. The blow from my fist was so strong that, the man stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.
I wouldn't make the same mistake again. I rushed over to the man and began to repeatedly punch him in the face. I could hear him yelling in pain and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable about what I was doing.
"Stop! I beg you! You're going to… break my neck… or turn my head into mush! Please let me live!", the man begged.
"Don't listen to him, Notarin! I know this pig, and he deserves to fucking die!", Jose requested.
What Jose said was probably correct, but I didn't feel right about killing someone. I knew that I had done enough to make sure that this man wasn't going to get up anytime soon, so I did as he requested, but made sure to keep him pinned down.
"How did you know we were here?", I asked the man.
"The girl… she's the reason", the man said.
"What? Explain yourself! What does my beloved Asaho have to do with any of this?", I inquired.
"We implanted her with a virus from another world. It's known as 'COCKVID-69'. The symptoms usually appear within days and kill even quicker, but your Undershroud powers were keeping her alive. It emits a signal that can easily be picked up on and tracked, so that's how we found you", the man explained.
"So, you were using her as a tracker? Why were you keeping her imprisoned then?", I asked.
"The boss expected you to find her eventually. The virus was used as a failsafe in the event we couldn't find you and the Undershroud happened to be weakened. Her death was supposed to reawaken the Undershroud within you", the man continued.
Jose walked over with a look of frustration on his face. He appeared to be holding a sharp knife in his hands.
"That's enough questions for him, Notarin. It's about time this asshole was put to rest", Jose said.
"I recognize you, actually… You're the bastard who defied us and abandoned us! You have nothing in this world! You are weak! Why did you leave us? You were always pathetic!", the man yelled at Jose.
"And you're one of the bastards who tortured and raped this poor girl over here as I was powerless to do anything! I'm going to do what I should've done a long time ago. I know I shouldn't kill, but I can't let people as terrible as you walk the streets freely! I feel shame for not having done anything before, but now I finally have the opportunity to serve some kind of justice!", Jose said in response.
Jose leaned over the man's head and brought his knife closer and closer to the man's eye. Jose was consumed with rage as he thrust down his knife into the man's eye socket. I could hear intense screams of pain as Jose dug into the man's eye with his knife.
Eventually, the screaming stopped.
All that was left of the man now was a lifeless body. Jose was breathing heavily in shock at what he had just done out of pure anger. He backed away from the gruesome corpse in front of him, and both Asaho and I stared at Jose with a dumbfounded gaze.
"What? What are you looking at? He deserved it, right?", Jose asked in response to our gazes.
Asaho clearly looked more traumatized than both of us.
"Is it true? The thing you mentioned about… torture and… rape? I don't remember any of it… and I don't want to!", Asaho said as she began to form tears.
"I'm… afraid so", Jose responded.
Jose and I sat in awkward silence as Asaho continued crying. It was hard to soften the mood of the room. Jose attempted to look more composed and finally opened his mouth.
"We have no time to contemplate. We need to get moving now, or we're dead".