Page 48 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
A silver arch appeared on Barry’s forehead with a thin black dagger painted through it. It was a sign that he had betrayed someone in the black market.
In Valaria, the Continental Council rarely punished petty criminals for contract minion work. There was no sense in sentencing someone for just doing their job. This created an interesting problem where hired workers, like assassins, would get arrested and then set free because they’d onlybeen doing their job.
But that was at the hireling level. What separated them from other criminals was simple: knowledge.
Anyone who was brought into the darker side of the underworld were subject to oaths of secrecy as they planned heists, organized assassinations, and transported stolen or illegal goods.
If a government wanted to actually stop criminal activity in their realm, they were forced to address the leaders and power behind the crime, because punishments were reserved for those in the know.
And you were eitherin the knowor you were not.
“Look what you’ve done!” Lomen sighed. He confirmed Julian’s suspicions when he added, “You have the [Deal-Breaker] mark. What are your stats?”
Julian was not surprised to find out that the two were, in fact,in the know.
“Nothing majorly inconvenient.” Barry shrugged. “I was tired of being a smuggler anyway.”
“So you thought the best way to stop was to betray your confidentiality contract instead of—I don’t know—quitting like a normal person?” Lomen scolded. “You couldn’t just say, ‘because it looks suspicious’? You’reimpossible.”
“Gentlemen.” Julian’s voice remained neutral as he interrupted. “I’m willing to put in a good word for you with the Council as long as we find my sister. Need I remind you that time is of the essence?”
“Ah, yes, sorry.” Lomen waved for Barry to continue.
“As I was saying.” Barry walked over to the alley closest to the storage bay and sneaked a peek to make sure there wasn’t anyone below. “We need to check the bay before they move the goods. And if the bay is empty, we should head straight for the docks. You could even run ahead, Your Grace.”
“Why do I have the feeling if I did, you would both turn tail and run off?” Julian asked.
“That does sound like something I would do.” Barry nodded. “But I think your sister is more important to you than we are.”
The swordsman was right.
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 27
The Keeper of Fate
Gerda
I walked onto the bridge connecting to the west wing tower, some twenty floors above the ground, and simply chose not to bring my erstwhile shadow with me.
The sky bridge was reinforced with magic, and there was a protective barrier just below that would catch anyone who slipped and fell off its surface. Ornate coral-pink railings came up to my hip on either side of the bridge. From this vantage point, I could make out the faint shimmer of the magically engineered barriers set up by the grand duchess. Whatever guards she had up against nefarious ne’er-do-wells portaling into the palace did not ward against bridge magic.
They were different skills entirely, but also different magics. The portal skill tree functioned without preset points, which meant that the system directly connected from where a portal user was to the place they were going to portal to. Bridge magic, on the other hand, made permanent connections to my controlled bridges. There was no portal; I was just walking across a bridge.
If portal magic was founded on traveling through space, bridge magic was built on dimensional magic—and worked outside of the realm itself. It was a cheat which let me break into dungeons, bypass certain barriers, and create permanent links in a way that portals didn’t.
Making my way across the bridge, there was movement below as knights combed the palace grounds, searching for the missing Countess Julia. There was no point in hiding my presence and making myself a target, so I simply walked into the west wing and took the stairs down to my room.
“[Oracle].” Once inside, I lay down on my bed and activated my title. I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t interfere,
[Oracle:You are witness to the strings of Fate and her weave. The story unfolds, and the Chosen of each deity mark the way.
You have found 8/12 Chosen.
Impending Scenarios: 5/12 Chosen.
Arbiter of Shadow - The Guild Engagement
