Chapter 166: On Pursuit

The creature had continued to circle me as I walked. "It's time to pay your debt! You have gone many hours without repaying your debt, and so you must pay. I'm stealing a bit of your health as a price." I heard its irritating voice in front of me and in the back of me; there was no definite direction from which its voice was coming as it zoomed around my moving body. 

I grimaced. "What? You're stealing my health? That isn't fair! I need my health for situations such as this one. Where I have to follow a suspicious guy who walks too fast for me to keep up. I'm not even healthy. I have deficiencies since I am quite picky when it comes to food. And that's not all, I don't have anything else but my body. So I can't allow you to steal my health." 

The creature stopped flying. "I don't see how that is  my problem. I am just doing what I must," it said, "I don't have free will. If I only had such privilege, I wouldn't be here wasting my time with a naive being like you yourself."

I snorted. "Ah, shut up already," I straightened my neck to look over the crowd, "your voice is the most annoying thing ever." I squinted, as I scanned the area. I quickened my steps when I landed eyes upon the strange figure. 

"My voice is annoying?" The creature asked. "What makes you say that, mortal? Are you sure?"

"Well duh," I said, "haven't you heard yourself?" I quickened my steps again. 

"I guess that's the way I was created," the creature said, "to annoy the lives of the people owing my master."

"Good. Good to know," I said, "can you shut up and let me focus now?" I didn't blink. I fixed my eyes on the cloaked figure in motion.

I knocked shoulders with someone. The person staggered on his feet, but quickly steadied. "Watch it, you little fuck!"

I continued to walk, but I looked back at the hobgoblin. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. It was a mistake." 

I looked ahead again, relocating the cloaked figure. It wasn't easy finding him again. I sped up my pace to a jog. Eventually, I saw him again. Where was he even going? Where was I even going? 

Claudia and Hanso would return, looking for me where they left me. Their date had gone on long enough. I didn't want Hanso to worry. He was not the type to, admittedly, but I still didn't feel comfortable doing what I was doing at the moment. 

I was following an absolute stranger with a powerful aura to the darker and quieter areas of the new world street. I didn't know who this man was; but I felt an attraction. He felt familiar. I had to follow him. But following him was stupid. 'What if I fall into another trap? There's no one around to save me,' I thought. I clenched my teeth and shook my head. It was too late to turn back. 

I was gaining on him. I was not too far away. I once again felt the energy he carried. It was daunting. Everything about my situation felt foreboding. 'Should I turn back?' I asked myself, my legs moving on their own. When suddenly, the figure stopped. 

My heart almost exploded into a thousand pieces. I slowed down quite a bit. I walked sluggishly, reluctant to continue moving forward. Why had he suddenly stopped? Why here? 

His dark cloak was blowing the wind. His hood was still over his head. He just paused, standing there, unmoving. But then, he finally made a move. He turned to his left, and started walking toward stall. 

I continued walking, nearing the ominous figure. 'If he turns around and questions me, I'd just say I'm heading south,' I thought. This was definetly a mistake. 

"Do you want to purchase this, sir?" The person at the stall asked. 

The cloaked figure nodded, slowly. He didn't say anything. He just nodded. 

The old man scrutinized him a little. Then, he pulled out a bag and placed the goods in them. He quickly handed the bag to the figure. "I like your outfit," he said, "s-suits your face," he forced a nervous smile. 

I ended up walking right past the cloaked figure. I was still going south. I glanced over my shoulder. The cloaked figure was taking the bag from the old man. What was he going to do next? What if I was going to his residence. 

My heart throbbed as I looked over my shoulder again. The cloaked figure was approaching me, a bag in one of his hands. His head was downcast, his hood covering all of his forehead and even his eyes, casting shadow over the rest of his face. He was going in the same direction: the direction he was heading before he made that quick stop. And I ... I was heading there too. 

This was stupid! I quickly tossed my head away from my shoulders. 'He must've seen me looking back at him,' I thought. I was putting my life on the line. I quailed. Why did I even decide to follow him? 

I glimpsed back at him again. He was still following me. In fact, he was much closer to me than he was he was before. Did he sprint everytime I looked away? No, I would have at least heard him. Why was he following me? Did he catch on when I was the one following him? 

I suddenly felt his aura. It was powerful. Stark. But worse of all, it was incredibly ominous. My pupils dilated as I quickly looked over my shoulder again. The figure was even closer! 

I looked ahead again, quickening my steps. 'If he tries to attack me, I'll make a run for it,' I thought. 'But I don't know how fast he is.' What other choice did I have? I felt weak. Unprotected; like a turtle without its shell. I didn't have my metal bat. The thing that gave me the courage needed to fight.

I started jogging. I had to save my energy. But the figure's aura was far too strong. I felt a burning sensation in my back. Pain was a cue. It meant danger. And that meant I had to get as far away from the strange man as possible. 

I looked over my shoulder as I jogged. I couldn't look over both my shoulders because the debt creature occupied one of them. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw that I was losing him. So, I even quickened my pace to a greater extent. I had to escape. I looked ahead again. 

I then started sprinting. I was running as best I could. Though, not at my fastest speed given that my muscles were still sore and numb from last night's attack and poor sleep. I wasn't even fast. I was slow. Slower than all the people I knew, including my little sister. 

I decided to look back at the strange man again. I quickly looked over my shoulder. Only to see ... no one. The cloaked figure was gone. I slowed down a bit. Where did he go? 

'He was there only a few seconds ago! He couldn't have gone far.'

I looked ahead. This time, my heart sank. Standing in the near distance was the cloaked figure; no longer holding a bag of food. He stood there, astatic. His hood still over his head. 

I stopped running. I stood there too. I clenched my teeth, furrrowing my brows. I was still scared shitless about all that was transpiring before me. But I couldn't afford for him to figure out how weak I was truly. He didn't know I was powerless. I wanted to leave him guessing what my ability was. 

'Only the stupid would attack knowing nothing about his opponent,' I thought. I had to play my cards right. I had to be careful. Because there was clearly no beating this man in a battle.

I shifted my attention away from him a bit. I looked around for three seconds to get an idea of my surroundings. We were a strange place. It was dawn, but much darker in this area. People hadn't explored here yet. Apparently, after the witnessing the invasions  people weren't brave enough to explore the unknown. The cloak figure ... I had to keep an eye on him. I looked at him again ... but he was gone in the three seconds spent. 

I saw a blur from the corner of my eyes. I jolted back, retreating. I looked to my left, only to see a fist bursting toward my face. It sunk into my face. It hit me like a boulder. I collapsed, the back of my head colliding with the concrete floor. 

I winced, squinting as I peered up at the sky. My glasses hadn't gotten shattered ... somehow. I was looking up at the sky, but then a towering figure fell into sight, causing my attention to shift focus like a camera lense and blur the sky. 

I was in danger.