I didn't even have the time to be surprised or try to understand the situation; the guy who was fully armored suddenly guided me to a secret passage on the ground sealed with a wooden door; he opened it and readily threw me on it, but I resisted.
"Wait, wait! Listen to me, and I am not the person you think that I am…"
"You have lost your memories. We know, but you will recover them in due time, Your Majesty. Recover your strength while lying low for a while. We will buy you enough time for your escape."
As expected, escaping that situation with those guys who helped me was impossible, so they were planning to sacrifice themselves for me. That wasn't sad since I couldn't recall who they were, but it made me feel guilty.
"Don't believe their nonsense; you and your family were good people; it is all propaganda. One day, you will return and free your people from these beasts and punish all of them for their crimes."
That was a bit harsh… while they wanted to toast me alive, I didn't want to go to the extent of believing that all of them were evil; that would put me on a never-ending bloody path. In the end, before I could say anything else, the door of the warehouse was suddenly slammed by a large axe and almost broke. We truly didn't have time for talking…
"Believe in your path, Your Majesty. Also, don't forget us about our families."
The armored men pushed me into the hole and then sealed the exit. It was a bit dark, but soon, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. When I looked around, I soon realized that I was in a sewer… the smell of piss and shit almost made me puke, but I endured it and began to move.
"What the hell did I do to deserve this? Ugh, gross…"
I was barefoot, so I was steeping on a lot of shit and piss as well. It was pretty slippery, so things would get much worse if I fell. Before long, I reached the end of the corridor and then stopped when I saw a large chamber. The place had three paths ahead. I probably could escape from any pursuers using them, but I didn't know the right path either.
"I don't have time to follow the left side all the time to look for the exit of this place… let's focus on the most obvious option, the path ahead."
(You have unlocked a new skill tree.)
Navigation: Improves your ability to travel efficiently using maps, stars, and landmarks.
Novice Navigation
Learn basic navigation techniques to find your way using maps and landmarks. (Requires Navigation skill tree at Level 01)
I ignored the notification and kept moving ahead. Suddenly, I felt that such a place would be quite good to find rats or cockroaches, but I didn't see any of them. I didn't hear the sound of the pursuers either, so that was a good thing.
Maybe I got lucky, but soon I was able to sense a wind breeze coming ahead… it was cold and smelly, but that confirmed that I was close to one exit of the sewers. Still, I froze on the spot when I saw some shadows moving ahead close to the exit… he was fifty meters away, so close, but I had to bump into a problem.
"It must be a rat… a pretty big one. Shit… a rat living in a place like this and of that size, a bite, and I am a goner."
The thought made me feel shivers run down my spine, but I couldn't hesitate. People wanted to burn me alive half an hour ago. The least of my worries would be an oversized rat. With the shield and the sword raised, I began to walk as silently as possible. Eventually, I was able to see some more silhouettes ahead… three silhouettes of overgrown rats, but they didn't notice me.
(You have unlocked a new skill tree.)
Veiled Presence: Improves your skill in moving unseen and unheard.
Sneaking Novice: Learn the basics of sneaking, reducing detection radius by 10%. (Requires Veiled Presence skill tree at Level 01)
For some reason, I had the weird power to unlock skill trees now by getting things or doing things, that was supposed to be pretty helpful and fun, but I was more concerned as to why I had that. Obtaining free things was never something that I liked. Nothing in life is free, after all.
Regardless, I tried to approach the creatures as slowly as possible. Thankfully, since the place smelled so bad and the wind was against me, they couldn't sense my smell. They also never turned in my direction, so they never saw me approaching. Still, I only had a single weapon, and they had three on their side.
Once I made up my mind, I didn't hesitate… I swung down the sword and then stabbed the head of one of the beasts with all my might. The giant rat screeched in pain for a moment but soon died. Still, it had been enough to alert the others.
(The Veiled Presence Skill Tree received 05 Experience points.)
(The Short Weapons Skill Tree received 05 Experience points.)
I ignored those and soon jumped toward the other creature to attack while it was turning around. I swung down my sword, hoping to behead the monster, but I still felt a lot of resistance… before I could see the beast stop moving, the other jumped on my face, but I blocked with the shield its charge.
(The Veiled Presence Skill Tree received 05 Experience points.)
(The Short Weapons Skill Tree received 05 Experience points.)
(The Veiled Presence Skill Tree leveled up. You received 10 Experience points.)
(The Short Weapons Skill Tree leveled up. You received 10 Experience points.)
(You have leveled up and received five Status Points and one Rank-up Skill Point.)
More confusing notifications… I ignored them and then pushed away the second rat while also falling over it using my shield. Not even all my weight was able to smash the creature, so while it was stuck under the shield, I stabbed it time and time again with my sword. The creature screeched in pain for a while but eventually stopped.
(The Block Mastery Skill Tree received 05 Experience points.)
(The Short Weapons Skill Tree received 05 Experience points.)
It took me a while to get up, even after the beast stopped moving. I was breathing roughly, and I felt like something was stuck in my throat. Eventually, I got up and then moved away from the body that had become a mess. At the same time, I finally noticed something in the corner of my field of vision. It was glowing…
Leon Maxwell - Lv 02 (10/20)
HP: 50/50
MP: 50/50
STA: 50/50
Strength: 05
Vitality: 05
Magic: 05
Spirit: 05
Dexterity: 05
Endurance: 05
Free Points: 05
Skill Trees: Escape Artist Lv 01, Short Weapons Lv 02, Block Mastery Lv 01, Light Armor Lv 01, Navigation Lv 01, Veiled Presence Lv 02,
Rank Up Skill Points: 01
It took time for me to understand that I wasn't seeing things completely. That was an actual character status screen. It always had been there, but it was it was a bit smaller while I wasn't focusing on it.
"That guy said that I would recover my memories by getting stronger, but I haven't recovered any so far… since this isn't my body. Well, I should leave this place as soon as possible."
When I left the sewers, the wind started to blow more coldly. A mountain pass stretched out ahead of me, its path winding down between jagged peaks that stood like silent sentinels. It seemed that the town or city that I was in was at the top of a mountain.
Snow dusted the ground, not yet deep but enough to blanket the rocky terrain in a thin, white layer. Each step I took crunched softly beneath my feet, the sound echoing in the stillness of the high-altitude air.
The cold was sharp, a biting presence that seeped through my clothes and settled deep into my bones. Frost clung to the sparse vegetation that managed to cling to the rocky terrain, and their brittle leaves encased in delicate ice. The sky above was a dark gray, heavy with the promise of more snow to come, while a faint wind whistled through the pass, carrying with it a chill that made me shiver.
"It is going to be a very long night…"