Chapter 434: Shifting Colors (1/2)

Ignoring his steadily rising anxiety and the uneasiness of his body, Ranulf slowly stepped into the darker, slimmer path, and left the safety of the main streets as he followed after the young boy.

Unsuspecting of the change in their ambiguous relationship he was now the hunted, instead of the hunter, and the prey of the innocent young man, was nothing of what he expected him to be…

—

The silence, though usually another layer of assurance for a man in his trade, felt eerie, ominous all of a sudden as he suddenly found himself in a closed-off back alley, surrounded by thick, stone walls from all sides.

As if on instinct, he knew, he was found. Without hesitation, Ranulf wanted to turn around and quickly escape, as now he was certain that he was played. He now regretted the fact that he went against his very own nature and ignored the foreboding signs, the warnings of his very own body. The decades of his resolve, finely tuned and crafted through experience… Like a rookie, he ignored it, and even went against it… and for what? Because he wanted to avoid punishment? The fear of the dungeon?

He could have just escaped, and leave the city. Use any of the countless fake identities he crafted through the years and just start his life anew, away from the potential threats and dangers. Yet at the time of his need, he ignored everything he learned and now landed himself in such a precarious situation.

He couldn't understand what he was thinking just a moment ago… What made him react in such a manner? It wasn't like him at all… It was… as if, something was clouding his mind, a chaotic haze had changed his actions.

Turning around, he could only bitterly smile at the young teen, he was supposed to track, as he was now blocking his way, his eyes glowing, providing a grim illumination in the dark veil of the night.

As he gazed back at Ranulf with that chilly, calm-looking smile of his, the Master of Shadows suddenly felt he was standing in front of something much more than just a young sapling adult.

”H-h-hey… Mind letting me go? I h-have taken the wrong t-turn… b-but you are b-blocking the way…” Trying his best, Ranulf stammered a hasty response, as he hesitantly stepped forward, as if trying to slip through and escape.

Unfortunately, the boy didn't budge and Ranulf was forced to stay in his urban trap.

Both sides looked at each other for a short while. As there was no response or any sort of reaction from the boy besides that chilly smile of his, Ranulf was unsure of his next action.

He lamented his options in silence, trying to guess his chances in either case.

For one, he could just rely on his lead in terms of years of life and pull out his weapon. Adding to his chances, the Black Stone Arachnid's poison should still be anointed and active on both of his daggers' blades. A deadly, highly effective, fast-acting toxin, that should make quick work of even an orc, much less a thin youngster.

Still, as he pondered this choice, he, once again, felt the foreboding warning of his hairs standing up at attention. This time, however, not just his arms, but all around his body, causing his entire being to slightly tremble at the thought. This was unlike anything he had felt before.. Such a strong reaction was uncanny to anything he had ever faced.

Alternatively, he could try to rely on his wits and gums and yammer his way out of this predicament. Although he wasn't a windbag, a blabbermouth like most of his acquaintances that spent most of their days in one of the taverns of the city, he was still quite gifted in that regard.

This though would heavily rely on the stoic youngster's attitude, would at the very least offer him more hopes of survival.

While Ranulf was deep in thought, trying to come up with a way that assures him of keeping his life intact and, at the same time, escape the situation he had fallen into, Aiden was watching, scrutinizing each of the man's actions with great interest.