CHAPTER 38

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While the young man was going over the thoughts in his head, there was a brief, but still delay. The target began not only to get nervous, but also to whisper something under his nose, maybe without even realizing it, being in the power of the unexpectedness of the situation.

Apparently, he was undecided about his choice, as another would have tried to use communicative measures and try to smooth things over. Isaia could not have known that the man he met had some idea of the character of the people living in these parts.

Especially if someone sneaks up on you and tries to take you by surprise, it shows a distinct lack of friendly intentions. Therefore, there is not much point in talking to him, because the attacker already knows what he wants, and has prepared himself in advance for all sorts of consequences.

He had little idea what could have interested his assailant in his humble and very poor person, but it was foolish to speculate on the subject. Who knows what reasonings dwelt in the minds of the madmen, of whom there were great numbers in these lands, even more than in other kingdoms.

Isaia thought that if he was in the shoes of his target, he would have tried to smooth things over and show that he was harmless. That was before those two violent encounters though. Now he'd given up such naive ideas, determined to act decisively. His two previous attempts to act friendly had only resulted in bloodshed, opening the young man's eyes.

However, he missed one important detail: perhaps he wasn't the only one who was a victim of violence, causing others to stop acting friendly as well. The lad didn't want to repeat that experience and waste time waiting for the next opportunity.

Watching the target move away little by little, taking slow steps backward, Isaia began to move closer to him, clearly visualizing what he needed to do.

The target of the kidnapping, seeing the advancing opponent, realized that he could either turn and run or fight back, betting on his own skills. From what he observed, the attacker seemed to be alone, otherwise his henchmen would have shown themselves long ago.

Besides, Isaia didn't look too formidable, though the wild appearance was worrisome, but his short stature and lean build prevented him from appearing threatening.

Admittedly, the lad himself wasn't fond of his physical features. He was always bothered by his short stature, after all, for a guy one centimeter short of height to reach one meter seventy mark (5'6ft) was a bit annoying.

It wasn't just about height; looks were also the source of Isaia's repeated complexes. Had he been taller in stature and more attractive in face, he probably would have engaged in physical activity, taking care of himself and his appearance, alas, the original traits were not in him as such.

It required some minimum to start with, much to the young man's regret, he didn't have it. Thus, the other parts of his appearance were neglected as well. A person with experience would have told him that as soon as you admit weakness in one thing, you start neglecting everything else at once.

And so, after realizing his failure in matters of looks, he completely lost interest in achieving results in life, putting emphasis on his appearance, giving his whole body and soul to aspects of learning and personal skills.

Not-so-long and unkept hair became the norm for him, without excessive demands for grooming and self-care. Waking up on the edge of the forest, Isaia noticed one thing about himself that was hard to ignore. It was the reason why, at the first opportunity, he tried to see his own reflection by finding a water source.

The reason was the color of his skin, which was something he had noticed from the start. The exposed arms, bare feet, and the rest of his body under his clothes gave a strong hint of change.

He had been too pale for a Latino before, but now his skin had taken on a copper tone. He could not understand the reason for this change, whether it was his new diet or some other reason, but it was hard to make a definite conclusion.

Not that he felt bad, on the contrary, he felt much better than before. Earlier, whether it was due to the stressful environment or the simple hustle and bustle of life, but by the evening it felt like his head had gotten a little heavy.

But now such sensations were only normal with minimal stamina, but if he kept track of his consumption and constantly replenished his reserves, he could stay vigorous for weeks on end.

Apparently, the mushroom picker decided to fight back, because he stopped staggering and slightly raised his hand with the weapon, clutching it tighter, making the resulting slight trembling visible to the naked eye.

Isaia was fine with that outcome, on the contrary, if the stranger turned around to run away, he would have to chase him and look for an opportunity to pounce on him. That would take more effort than if someone who believed in his own strength tried to fight back. Because Isaia believed that his pain-inducing way would make it easier for him.

Although the opponent was taller, but the lad was full of confidence in what he had planned. His confidence was not far-fetched, for the boar carcasses he had lifted told him that he was twice as strong as before, and would be able to surprise the enemy with his immense strength.

The main thing is not to give him enough time to come to his senses and act smoothly once the action starts. When the guy realizes that he is not the equal to the young man, he may go to extremes that Isaia doesn't even want to consider.

Isaia was sure that if a hare, driven to despair and cornered, begins to bite and scratch, he can expect no less from a man. He was in no hurry to show his intentions, for as he approached to a distance of three meters, he still did not change his steady and confident pace, taking each step evenly and looking into the stranger's eyes. Who would have told him that he actually looked pretty creepy in his actions.