Page 27 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
a strength from the arm,
defender, my friend
protect me from harm.
[Summon: Carl].”
A few members of the crowd were influenced by her charm-laced voice, walking toward the stage until roused by their neighbors. Julian had a high-enough level that he didn’t need to worry about the natural charm in her words. He leaned back and took another sip.
Rocco leapt to attack her directly, but he was blocked as a stoneskin wombat emerged from the summoning circle on the ground. The monster swatted Rocco like a fly, sending him rolling. He flipped end over end twice before popping back up to his feet.
“Carl.” Sandy pointed at her opponent. “Charge.”
Rocco dove to the side as Carl the Stoneskin Wombat curled up into a ball and rolled toward him. The big beasties were known for their hard-plated butt. If Carl managed to sit on Rocco, the raccoon would take considerable damage, and his fire would struggle to get through Carl’s thick hide.
Meanwhile, the announcer had kept up a steady explanation. “And Rocco leaps over the stoneskin, shooting out a stream of fire at Sandy—but she dances to the side! What a move, folks! And what’s this? He’s running circles around them? Is he hoping to tire the wombat out? I hope not! Wait! No! AMAZING! He’s trapped them in a circle of flames! What will Sandy do now?!”
Julian finished his drink and leaned forward in his chair. These tourneys were a fun part of the festival, but they were also a great place for contestants to showcase their talent and receive job offers going forward. From royals to famous adventuring parties, everyone who was anyone would be interested in prospective combatants skilled enough to make it to the final rounds of a big tournament like this.
The match wouldn’t last much longer. While the stoneskin was still in good form, Sandy was overheating, and Rocco was running out of stamina. Additionally, Sandy’s build was designed to cast [Debuff] on her opponents while her summons attacked. She’d missed hitting the wily raccoon two out of three times, and her mana was running out.
Suddenly, in a surprising move, Rocco stopped short in the middle of the arena. Carl rolled straight through a wall of fire and finally managed to hit the raccoon. It seemed like the beastman had given up … but then, something spectacular happened.
Rocco took the hit—but he’d set himself up to get launched across the arenastraightinto Sandy. The calm look on the woman’s face finally broke when Rocco burst through the flames and headbutted her in the stomach. She was pushed back and landed with one heel slightly out of the ring.
It was time for Julian to fulfill his role as overseer for the tournament.
Standing up, he walked forward and pulled a small lever. A flag descended from the side of his platform, pointing toward the western gate. At the same time, he pulled the other lever and dropped the flag that pointed toward the eastern gate.
A tie.
Rocco had fallen unconscious from the headbutt, and Sandy had been pushed out of the ring.
There was a dull roar from the crowd, and calls for a rematch started to shake the arena itself.
“You saw it here, folks!” Rish was eating it up. “A TIE! What do we want? A rematch! When will it happen? The judges will decide! What a battle! What a show! Who could have bet on this?!”
A lone audience member jumped to their feet, screaming in joy. One person, clearly,hadbet on this.
The referees quickly administered potions to Rocco and Sandy before ushering them to stand before the royal box. Julian then spoke into the arena’s sound amplification enchantment. “An impressive feat. You’re both worthy of reaching the finals.”
The pair stood up straighter.
“But there can be onlyonechampion,” he said. “As such, a rematch will be held on the last morning of the festival, before the closing ceremonies. Go, and prepare yourselves!” Before Julian could finish, the crowd was yelling again. People chanted the names of the two contestants while Rocco and Sandy shook hands, much to the delight of the spectators, and then walked back through their gates.
Julian retook his seat and ordered another drink. He needed something to hold and distract himself with. After a thought, he also ordered something calleda charcuterie, a wooden platter with bread and cheese, cured meats, pickles and nuts, and various jams and butter. It had been introduced last summer, and this was his first opportunity to try it. This one came with honey butter, chive jam, sausages, pickled cabbage, and salted liliput flower seeds.
It was only a short break—a quarter hour—before the newcomer tourney finalists’ match. A few people came and left, and some were still finding their seats when the announcer started in on the next round of combatants.
Julian missed the announcements. There was someone directly across the arena from him who was trying to find a seat. Julian was so distracted staring at the troll that he nearly jumped when the gong signaled the start of the battle below.
Frustrated with himself, Julian dragged his eyes away from Gerda the Bridge Troll and back to the task at hand—watching a storm giantess utterly destroy a preela monk in the ring.
CHAPTER 13
I Can Just Debuff Myself
Gerda
