Page 180 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
You have gained +24 EXP from Donna’sShared ExperiencePerk.]
[Your bonded companion has defeated aBlackfog Spy (Level 23).
You have gained +23 EXP from Donna’sShared ExperiencePerk.]
Brownie tied them up and dragged them back to the waiting area.
CHAPTER 109
Pink Magic
Rufus
I knew I couldn’t go back through the main entrance, but luckily, the elven knights were just inside the doorway rounding up the spies.
There were a few of my skills and perks designed for exactly this type of situation. My Protector title had a [Secure] skill tree, which on its own allowed me to secure and detain all manner of targets. I mostly used it to prevent anyone sent to the dungeon from escaping until we had had a good heart-to-heart, but I could use it skillfully to keep prisoners of battle as well.
The elf I’d caught outside had a low enough level that I didn’t need to use a skill. I simply knocked her out and tossed her at a knight who’d been walking toward me.
I was tossing a lot of spies tonight.
After that was dealt with and I looked to see that Bronwynn had gone over to Donna and was busy petting her. I leapt to a second-floor balcony and grabbed a ledge, swinging myself up and onto the landing. The balcony led into a ballroom with a long table set for dinner.
On the floor at the head of the table was averymessy puddle, and Sir Vainbark helping a very disoriented elf to stand on his still regrowing leg. A healer wearing all green stood nearby, visibly shaken and sweating.
Sir Vainbark looked up when I walked inside.
“I owe you a great thanks,” the knight said. And this time, he wasn’t speaking to me through a thin veneer of politeness.
“As do I, it would seem,” the recently healed elf said, turning around. It was Duke Briarthorn. He had the same rich brown hair as his daughter, though he was a much darker green. “The guard called the warning as I took the first sip. There was barely enough time to cut off a foot so they could [Revive] me.”
“Please, Your Grace,” the healer said. “The potion is going to take a while to recuperate your health points. We must get you to safety.”
Duke Briarthorn looked grim. “No, I must protect the Hollow. Bring me to the Sanctuary.”
Sir Vainbark nodded, offering his arm to the duke but getting only a dignified shake of the head.
It took him a second to find his feet, but Duke Briarthorn stood straight and tall before taking that first unsteady step. He caught himself and slowly marched toward a door off to the right.
After a few steps he paused and turned to face me. “Commander General?”
“Yes?”
“My daughter …” The duke hesitated, trying to find the words.
“I’ll see that she’s safe,” I replied, walking toward a door I knew led to the grand stairs. “Lady Amy was hunting down Duke Lector the last I saw her.”
Duke Briarthorn clenched his fist. “My cousin hasa lotto answer for.Ifhe survives.”
That was the last he said before continuing his walk toward the private sanctuary of the palace. It was a good distance through the palace to get there, but that gave me time to inspect the place and catch Duke Lector myself. If Lithnilheim dealt with the duke, there wouldn’t be any remains left to [Revive].
Keith and I had been to this estate a few times in our youth, which hadn’t very much endeared us to the elves. As much as it was my job to keep Keith safe and out of trouble … the man had a knack for exploding things.
Needless to say, it wasn’t hard to find my way to the top of the grand stairs and then follow the trail of Lady Amy.
And there was a trail.
It was hard to miss the aftermath of a battle between a mage and a magical bow-and-arrow-wielding saintess who was too grief-stricken over the potential death of her father to aim away from the priceless heirlooms of a thousand generations.
