Page 16 of I Ran Away to Evil #3
So I Can’t Tell You
Gerda
Candace won the bout.
Cimor had swung her staff, the giantess had caught it at the last second, and then, Candace had activated a lightning ability that had exploded up the staff in a blast of shining electrical arcs. They’d zigged and zagged, and now, both women were suffering from outrageously frizzy hair.
It had been enough to knock out the preela.
I hadn’t paid much attention to the fight until the flashy ending. Instead, I’d been ruminating over my latest prophecy.
[Passive Perk: Sense Fate has activated. Duke Julian von Slyke will be poisoned during his next meal …]
When I selected the prompt, it gave me slightly more details but also showcased why I rarely bothered to read the full description of Fate’s prophecies.
[Passive Perk: Sense Fate has activated. Duke Julian von Slyke will be poisoned during his next meal.]
[You have crossed paths with a fate that can be changed. Area of effect radius: Level 65 x Perception 43 x Foretelling 4 = 11,180 sq/ft. Fate herself will guide you.]
[“Truly all wonders are to the Chosen of Fate, that suffer the trappings of near death, she weeps. What hour is the turn of the blessed feast, there servings only sorrow and supposed sleep.”]
Ugh.
In all honesty, half of the time, even I couldn’t make out what Fate’s messages meant. And I was the riddle master . My best guess would be that Julian was going to get poisoned with something like Paralysis or Sleep. The “hour turning a blessed feast” was probably lunch—at noon.
Which was immediately after the next fight.
“GO CANDACE!” Brownie yelled, and I looked up in time to catch the flashy ending of the bout. Candace was pumping her fist in the air to the roar of the crowd. I stood and cheered with the rest of my companions.
“VICTORY TO STORMbrINGER CANDACE!” the voice announced, almost as loud as Brownie’s celebratory cheering.
When Candace was done basking in her victory, she turned to meet the healers, waving off their concern for her until Cimor had been fully checked and administered a [Heal].
When Cimor opened her eyes, she found a large palm extended out to her.
The giantess helped the preela to her feet, and they officially shook hands.
Candace slapped Cimor on the back, almost gently, and invited the woman out for a drink.
“Let’s go congratulate her!” Brownie exclaimed, grabbing Rufus by the hand. Henrietta and I stepped into the aisle to let them out.
“Not as bad as I thought it would be,” Rufus said as he passed. “The debuff worked!”
There would be a fifteen-minute break to get snacks and use the facilities before the next bout.
The last round was between someone named Vance Underwood and Kenji Toriyama, a human I’d fought with once before.
Kenji was an excellent sword arts user, and true to the otome nature of this world, carried around a ridiculously oversized odachi .
I’d given the human a riddle.
“What goes around the wood,
But isn’t known to roam
And never goes inside the wood,
Yet calls the forest home?”
And instead of answering right away, he’d challenged me to a duel. After hearing of my battle with the Drendil army, he’d sought me out to test his strength. When he realized that I far surpassed him in level, however, he’d lowered his blade and answered my riddle instead. “The bark of a tree.”
Kenji positively screamed samurai. He came from Peldeep, which embraced a lot of Japanese culture for a nation that had no idea Japan even existed.
The system awarded skills based on behavior and training, and functioned with a level of interdimensional cultural appropriation that I tried to ignore.
I was trapped here, and just trying to survive.
If anything, the familiar European and Asian world-building was a saving grace. That, and knowing the language.
Now, if only I could find chocolate, then I would go from surviving to thriving .
Markleberry didn’t count. It was close, but it was a berry .
And on that topic, I still needed to figure out how to prevent Duke Julian from getting poisoned at lunch. Or, barring that, make sure to save him.
“Do you want to join me?” Amy asked, interrupting my thoughts. “I’m going to grab more snacks.”
“You go ahead.”
When we were alone, Henrietta patted my arm, her gentle eyes worried for me. “Are you sure you’re alright, Gerda?”
“I’m okay,” I assured her. And I was. No injuries at all.
Henrietta visibly hesitated before leaning forward and whispering, “We found a list of targets on the captured Blackfog spies. The council has decided not to disclose the information yet, so I’m not allowed to tell you if your name is on the list .”
I nodded my appreciation. “Thanks for not telling me.”
“Just … promise you’ll be careful?” Henrietta asked.
“I’ll be careful,” I assured her.
The fifteen minutes came and went, and everyone was back in their seats ready for Vance and Kenji’s bout. Everyone except Rufus.
Brownie gave us a thumbs-up. “He’s going to take a walk. We’ll meet up at the Hall of Inventions after this.”
Fanfare met the new arrivals, and I leaned down to let Henrietta know that I would be stepping out to meet Julian early.
She tried to join me, but I told her no, and she begrudgingly accepted.
When I finally stepped inside the corridor and out of sight from the stands, I was met by three knights in North Sumbrian livery.
“Miss Jones?” The youngest elf in the group stepped forward and bowed politely. “May we escort you?”
“You may.”