All of a sudden, I began to wake up while feeling an annoying pain in my back. When I tried to move my body, I suddenly felt something in my neck and limbs that made me still in the place. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and then, when my vision began to clear, I opened my eyes widely.
"What the fuck… No, this can't be happening. This isn't real. What kind of insane nightmare is this?"
I was in a wood platform surrounded by firewood soaked in oil; considering the smell, that was supposed to help with a fire. I had my neck, hands, and feet tied up to a long pole behind me. I was about to be executed like a witch in medieval times, but I wasn't one. Can men even be witches?
I looked around and tried to free myself, and then saw a bunch of people looking at me with disgust. They were quite the weird group; they were wearing very medieval-looking clothes, which made me feel even more that I was in a crazy dream. As if that wasn't enough, their appearances were humanoid, but not quite.
One of them looked like a stripped tiger with a large ax on his back. Another one looked like a crocodile with a spear on his back, and another one looked like a cat with a long bow and an arrow ready to be fired at me… that was a weird dream; I really should stop watching anime.
There was a crowd around as well, and they looked pretty eager to see me become barbecue. They all looked like those three armed guys as well, but they had some variations in their appearances, but I didn't care. I had more pressing matters in my hands… even if it was a dream, I didn't want to be burned to death.
While I was trying to free myself, a cloaked man with some scroll in his hand approached and then opened it. The guy looked like an old dog, so I decided to give up on understanding whatever the hell was going on. Fortunately, I didn't do drugs, so I was saved to having a worse dream, if that was even possible.
"Former Prince Leon Maxwell, heir of the human realm. As the last member of the Maxwell family, you have the duty to receive punishment for the crimes of your relatives and ancestors. For the crime of rebelling agaisnt the other realms, you will be sentenced to death. For the crime of trying to stir a war among all the realms, you will be sentenced to death. For the crime of causing the deaths of thousands of innocents in the war your family started, you will be sentenced to death. For the crime of using forbidden magic, you will be sentenced to death."
How many times did those guys want to kill me? Are they even for real? My name wasn't Leon Maxwell either, and when I looked at my body and I saw some ragged clothes dirty with a lot of blood, it made me realize that perhaps I was very far away from home.
Still, that was a problem for another time; the armed weird guys suddenly grabbed some torches and lightened up from some poles around. Even from a distance, I could feel the heat of the torches, the sky was dark and cloudy and around the same time, a bit of snow began to fall as well, so it made sense that I could feel that heat in such a cold night. However, that didn't make me feel relieved in the slightest.
"What are your last words, Your Majesty? I hope that they will be memorable. Not like you can even remember who you are right now."
The stripped tiger man couldn't try to be more sarcastic. In any case, his words certainly made me feel even more confused… something was off, and I couldn't tell other than hope that this all was just a nasty dream. I prefer the wet ones. What a great thought to have just before dying.
"Last words, huh? Well, this is quite the predicament. Here I am, about to be roasted like a marshmallow at a campfire, and I don't even get a s'more out of it. Talk about toasty! So, let's see… you guys are about to burn me alive for crimes I didn't commit in a body that isn't mine in a world that feels like someone mixed medieval cosplay with a bad episode of Furry Fight Club. Seriously, did I step into the wrong fan convention or what? And let's talk about those crimes for a second. Rebelling against the realms? Stirring wars? Forbidden magic? Honestly, it sounds like my ancestors were overachievers. I can barely stir my morning coffee without making a mess. But hey, I guess if you're going to go out, you might as well do it in style, right? And if my last words are going to be memorable, let's make them good. If you're going to execute me, at least make sure the fire's Instagram-ready. Hashtag crispy."
Everyone looked around in confusion… spewing nonsense was one of the few skills that I took pride in, so it seemed that was highly effective, at least in making people think that I had lost my mind before becoming a barbecue for beasts.
"Listen to my last words, you furry bastards! Who. The. Hell. Cares?
Everyone looked even more confused, and it appeared that they wanted to see me cry and beg for my life. It's too bad for them; when I go mad, there isn't enough medical assistance to stop me.
In the end, the three warriors stepped in with their torches ready to burn the whole platform. I tried to keep my cool, but in the end, I couldn't help but wonder if an arrow in my heart would come to make things less painful for me.
Still, when I was about to say my prayers, I suddenly heard a thud behind me and right on my head. I closed my eyes, expecting the release that death would grant me, but nothing happened. Soon afterward, I heard two other thuds behind me and a bit lower. I opened my right eye in confusion and looked around, and then I saw the shocked faces of the crowd that wanted to see me become charcoal…
"The Human Realm won't be destroyed!"
A random voice echoed in the area, and then suddenly, I felt the ropes around my body weakened. After a bit of force, I was able to free myself.
(You have unlocked a new skill tree.)
Escape Artist: Improves your skill in escaping from bonds, traps, and confinements.
Escape Artist Mastery - Increase your ability to escape bindings and imprisonment by 20%. (Requires Escape Artist skill tree at Level 01) (Rank 1)
"The Human Realm won't be destroyed!"
"The Human Realm won't be destroyed!"
"The Human Realm won't be destroyed!"
A lot of other voices joined the fray when the first echoed. It looked like I had some allies without being aware of… while I was baffled by the sudden system screen, the voices increased in number, but soon the cat archer pointed his arrow at my head.
Before he could release the arrow, something landed in the area, and it seemed like a fireball that pushed everyone around away and even put the platform on fire. At least I wasn't there anymore when it began to burn.
Other fireballs landed in the area, and soon they began to spread smoke, dust, and steam around. At the same time, I heard the sound of an arrow hissing over my head… my knee froze on the spot since I was trying to get up. Still, soon, someone approached from behind and grabbed me to lift me up and move away from the area.
"Your Majesty, we have to leave…."
"You got the wrong guy, sorry."
It was the voice of a man; the least I could do to someone who risked their skin to save me was to be honest with them, but his voice fell on deaf ears. He ignored that and dragged me to an old, run-down warehouse, where he passed me a short sword, a wooden shield, and a chainmail.
(You have unlocked a new skill tree.)
Short Weapons: Improves your skill in using one-handed weapons such as swords, axes, and maces.
Armsman (Rank 1)
One-handed weapons do twenty points more damage and swing twenty percent faster.. (Requires Short Weapons skill tree at Level 01)
(You have unlocked a new skill tree.)
Block Mastery: Improves your skill in defending against attacks with a shield or weapon.
Shield Wall (Rank 1)
Blocking nullifies twenty points of damage. (Requires Block Mastery skill tree at Level 01)
(You have unlocked a new skill tree.)
Light Armor: Improves your skill in wearing and utilizing light armor effects.
Light Armor Proficiency
Gain proficiency in wearing light armor, reducing its weight by 25%. (Requires Light Armor skill tree at Level 01)