I Ran Away To Evil: Book 2 & 3 - A Cozy LitRPG RomCom

Candace won the bout.

It’d been pretty impressive too. Cimor had swung her staff, the giantess had caught it at the last second before it connected with her cheek, and then Candace had activated a lightning ability that exploded up the staff in a blast of shining electrical arcs. They’d zigged, and zagged, and now both women suffered from outrageously frizzy hair.

And it was enough to knock out the preela.

I hadn’t been paying much attention during 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 almost never bothered to read the full description of the prophecy.

[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 Perception 42 x [Foretelling] Skill Level 4 = 172 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.”]

In all honesty, half of the time even I couldn’t make out what Fate’s messages meant. And I was the riddle master.

An easy guess would be that Julian was going to get poisoned with something like [Paralysis] or [Sleep], but potentially more harmful. The hour turning a blessed feast was going to be lunch at noon.

Which would be immediately after the next fight.

“CANDACE! WOO!” Brownie yelled at full volume and that was when I looked up to see the finishing blow. Sparks danced around the arena for a few seconds even after Cimor lay defeated and Candace pumped her fist in the air to the roar of the crowd. I stood with the rest of my companions.

Rufus looked like he was sucking lemons and his fur was on end.

“VICTORY TO STORM BRINGER CANDACE!” The voice announced, almost as loud as Brownie’s celebratory cheering.

When the giantess was done basking in her victory, she turned to meet the healers. Candace waved off their concern until Cimor had been fully checked and administered a [Heal]. Cimor opened her eyes to the din of cheering, and found a large palm extended 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.

The crowd went wild and Brownie was already waving us farewell as she led a shaking Rufus out of the stands and up the aisle to beat the rush.

“Not as bad as I thought it would be.” I’d caught from the beastman as he’d passed.

I sat back down. 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 before.

Kenji was an excellent sword arts user, and true to the otome nature of this world, carried around a beautiful katana. Too bad he was good at riddles.

The man had chosen to battle me to a bridge battle for the pure challenge of it. After realizing that I far surpassed him in level, however, he’d elegantly sheathed his blade after a single pass and answered the riddle I’d offered him to begin with.

“What goes around the wood,

But isn’t known to roam

And never goes inside the wood,

Yet calls the forest home?”

After I’d easily blocked his sword strike with my barrier, he’d returned to place at the foot of the bridge. He’d bowed slightly in acknowledgement before giving the answer, “The bark of a tree.”

The man screamed samurai, though I had long ago recognized this world couldn’t really be governed by the common sense of my old one. The titles of the game were system mechanics without any historical context. To Kenji, if he were a samurai class then the foundations of his own lifestyle similar to the principals of the title would open up that skill tree when he leveled up… but that didn’t make him a man born and raised in Edo Japan. It made him a katana wielding, hakama wearing, classically asian looking man with long black hair in a ponytail.

And one who’d never eaten ramen before I’d introduced it in North Sumbria.

The system was stereotypical, with a level of cultural appropriation I tried to ignore since I was trapped here and trying to survive.

Speaking of ramen, I still needed to figure out how to prevent Duke Julian from getting poisoned.

“Did you want to join us?” Henrietta stood up beside me.

“I’m fine,” I assured the woman. “I’ll hold our seats.”

Henrietta patted my arm to get my attention. Her soft eyes were worried for me. “Are you sure you’re alright, Gerda?”

Lady Amy was also looking concerned, standing behind her.

“I’m okay.” I said. And I was. No injury at all. Henrietta visibly hesitated before leaning forward and whispering in my ear.

“We found a list of targets on the captured [Blackfog] spies.” She said, her voice catching. “Council has decided not to disclose information yet, so I can’t tell you if your name was on the list.”

The way she said the last spoke volumes, and I nodded my appreciation. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Just… promise me you’ll be careful?” Henrietta stepped into the main aisle and Lady Amy followed behind.

“I’m with Her Majesty on this.” Amy added, “I know that we don’t care about death all that much in the Dark Enchanted Forest, but I still don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I’ll be careful.” I assured the two. They both left to grab snacks and use the restroom, leaving me to my thoughts.

The question was, did it matter if Duke Julian got poisoned? The man was surrounded by competent attendants who could cure him quickly… the teasing look he’d shot me when I tried to warn him about the poison flashed before my eyes. A feeling of self-satisfaction that he did get poisoned played against my better judgment.

Any grimalcat would be proud of me for choosing petty vengeance.

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 quietly let Henrietta know that I would be stepping out myself. She tried to insist on joining me, but I told her that I would be going to my meeting alone and she begrudgingly respected that.

It wasn’t just her eyes that followed me as I left the audience seats and found my way into the main building that encircled the entire arena. A certain half-elf was burning a hole in my back with his unwavering stare.

And when I finally stepped inside the corridor and out of sight from the stands, I was met by three guards in North Sumbrian livery.

“Miss Jones?” The youngest elf in the group stepped forward and bowed politely. “May we escort you to your destination?”

“You may.” I didn’t fight them as they followed me down the hallway. At this point I had to make a choice, go inside a washroom and figure out any number of ways I could escape to stealth-mission a rescue for the poor damsel duke in distress.

Or I could simply ask.

“Gentlemen, can you escort me to His Grace? I’d rather walk over there early to avoid the mass of attendee’s exiting after the battle.”

It was a reasonable request, and after a shared look the guards led me exactly where I wanted to go.