Devin's heart pounded in his chest as they ran through the narrow alleys and quiet streets of Kolla. The adrenaline that had fuelled them during their escape now began to wane, replaced by a burning ache in their legs and lungs. Afton's breath came out in short, laboured gasps, and Devin could feel his own muscles protesting with each step he took. Jamie, though trying to hide it, was not faring much better.
As they finally reached the meeting point at the edge of Kolla, they collapsed against a rough brick wall, their chests heaving with exhaustion. Their faces were flushed, and their clothes clung to their bodies, drenched in sweat. The pain of their escape was evident on their faces, but they knew they couldn't afford to rest for long.
Radburn appeared shortly after, his tall imposing figure casting a shadow over them as he approached. His normally composed demeanour was replaced by a fiery anger that radiated from his every movement. His emerald eyes bore into the trio. Without a word, he approached Jamie, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and lifting him up to his feet shoving him against the wall. Jamie struggled but Radburn's grip was tight and unforgiving.
Afton and Devin both stood up quickly, afraid for their own wellbeing. "What were you thinking?" Radburn shouted, his voice seeming to burst from his mouth. "Starting a fight in the middle of the job? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you put us all in?" he pauses for a moment, thinking... "What if they were able to follow you, if I hadn't stepped in you would have been caught".
The three pause, wondering when he had a chance to help them, none of them can recall seeing Radburn. Devin apprehensive but sure of his words "You weren't there, we escaped on our own" he raises his voice "we got the watch, you did nothing". Radburn releases Jamie from his grasp causing him to collapse to his knees. His anger barely contained, he slowly advances towards Devin. With deliberate measured movements he reaches into his coat pocket and retrieves a small, intricately designed ring. The ring is adorned with numerous exquisitely detailed faces etched into its surface. Each face possessed its own unique expression, they seem to be following Devin's face as Radburn approached him.
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With an effortless slide, Radburn slipped the ring onto his finger, the ring is noticeably too large for his gaunt digits. He releases the ring with his other hand and a remarkable transformation begins, the ring's size shifts with a fluid grace, moulding itself perfectly to fit his slender finger. Remarkably the intricate faces and bands on the ring remained unchanged, appearing as if it had always been the right size for Radburn, without a single distortion.
The three children gaze in astonishment as Radburn's face undergoes a remarkable transformation. Audible cracks and shifting bones alter the positions of his mouth, eyes, nose, chin, and ears. Radburn now in agony, clutches his face and contorts in pain, the area is filled with the sounds of his muted suffering.
Suddenly, an eerie silence descended. Radburn stood up straight, removing his hands from his face, revealing that he had become someone else entirely. Before the group stood a woman, her fair eyebrows arched in surprise, she possessed striking bright blue eyes that shimmered with an unusual intensity, a small, delicate mouth, and an elegant nose. Her new face was a stark contrast to Radburn's former visage.
The three children backed up a few steps in shock as Radburn unveiled her new face, Devin rattling his brain for any resemblance of an explanation "This isn't possible, who are you?" his voice trembled. The other two stood flabbergasted, silently trying to accept what they just saw. "This is the real me, when I'm not wearing the ring I can change my appearance to any I wish. The ring binds me back to my original face. The man who bought you time in the alleyway was me, I stopped the men following you".
A wave of dread hit the three confused children riddled with questions they are too afraid to ask. They stand in silence for a few moments before Jamie speaks up "Thankyou for your help, we needed it", "Of course you did, I saw how badly the job went. You didn't follow the plan and almost got caught" Radburn replies in a sarcastic tone butting in not letting Jamie finish. Blaire thinks about speaking up because she didn't see Radburn in the building at the time of the job but thinks better of it after realising Radburn could have been anywhere in that room and they wouldn't have known.
"You two, get out of here. I'll explain more later tonight. Jamie, I have some more choice words for you before I let you go anywhere," Radburn says, gesturing for Blaire and Devin to leave the area. They obey Radburn's directive and leave the area. As they move away they can hear Radburn's new feminine voice shouting at Jamie, though they can't quite make out the words. Nonetheless they're relieved it's not them left behind.