Chapter 2: The Grand Escape
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Last evening, there was a small party in the Academy's garden where Crown Prince Edward invited every first-year student. There, an unforeseeable accident took place and the situation almost got out of hand. According to witnesses; Leon Dark, the youngest son of the Prime Minister, has gone too far in an argument and insulted the Crown Prince, the two young men dueled afterward and the Prince overwhelmed Leon in all aspects.
As a grave sin as it is to insult a member of the Royal Family, not many wanted to involve themselves with the troublesome affair and those who testified that Leon had insulted the Prince were all close people to the Prince. Even though injured, Leon was ordered to be locked in his room and to place guards on his door until the matter is seen through. That order came from the Crown Prince himself.
Running amok and imprisoning a fellow student is far out of the Prince's Authority but none could refuse him in that situation when he uses his weight to order others around. To make things worse, the only person who could stop him, the Headmistress, left the Academy that night for an urgent matter. Many waited for her to arrive and see the situation through but the Prince took the chance to go as far as he desired with handling it while the other party, Leon, was quiet in his room.
But, that didn't last.
*Swoosh*
*Stab*
The two guards on Leon's door were slaughtered systematically. One of the guards went away to take a leak only for a single minute to return and find his partner missing with the room's door slightly open. Once he looked inside to see what's going on, he was greeted with a knife in his throat.
LEVEL UP!
Ignoring the sudden Level Up message, Leon dragged the guard in and stripped him from the uniform before it gets stained with blood. He then hurriedly changed into the unremarkable-looking Guard Outfit and took the money he found which were a few silver and copper coins.
"Level 10 and 9 Warriors. I wouldn't have been able to take them on directly but thanks for the Experience points."
- Name: Leon Dark
- Level: 4
- Class: Warrior (+10% STR)
- Class: Rogue (+10% AGI)
- Titles: {Loser} {Legendary Thief} {Human Slayer} {Black Cobra}
<Attributes>
[STR: 8] [END: 9] [AGI: 9] [PRC: 10] [INT: 9]
Despite being very skilled, Leon's attributes were too low but his skills combined with that dagger were the core of his strategy. His title "Human Slayer" gave him 25% more damage to human targets and that's it. With all of that done, Leon took the two swords off the bodies of the guards and turned to take his first step outside this room.
A new world awaits!
And with the first step outside the room, Leon took a deep breath and closed the door silently.
Looking left and right, the familiar yet unfamiliar corridor seemed empty with rays of sunlight coming from the windows which were decorated with ornate red curtains. It was the middle of noon and most of the students are in their classes by now.
Dressed as a guard, Leon could move around but to a certain limit. His build was small unlike the guards but as long as he doesn't come in direct contact with them, he is clear.
He walked the corridor trying to remember the best way around this building and soon he found the main stairway leading down. Without much thinking, he took the stairs but as he almost arrived at the ground floor, he heard noises of guards moving around.
"Hurry! This way."
Before they passed beside him, Leon hid in a large curtain beside a window and calmed down his heartbeats and breathing. Those guards didn't seem alarmed but rather hurried somewhere. This means the two dead guards weren't found yet.
Still, with the ground floor being busy, the best way to get out would be
"Hmm the window."
There wasn't much of an option in his case. He is hiding in the middle of the stairway with half a floor till the ground level so he can at least manage such a jump.
Opening the window wasn't much of a hurdle once he moved lightly. Thankfully, there was no one under the window from outside the building but he could see a large garden with a lot of bushes and trees extending until the main roadway that goes around the Academy's facilities.
Now to make a jump.
Leon didn't think much and walked outside the window not neglecting to close it. As he made sure he was unseen, he jumped down in the garden and landed badly.
*Groan*
"Shit! That really hurts."
It was completely different from his adult body that can handle such a fall easily. This body is clearly untrained and barely has four levels for crying out loud. It is a mystery how the past Leon survived until the age of 16.
"Don't think! Move!"
He pushed himself up and looked around making sure he was undetected. He could spot the band of guards that he came across just now standing at the building's entrance anticipating something. Leon didn't care and kept a low posture as he sneaked from a bush to another getting away from the building. This was until he heard the sound of hooves on the roadway nearby.
Sneaking a peek, Leon saw some fancy carriage pulling over and its door open. He hid himself to not be spotted as the guards moved on to receive whomever was coming down from the carriage and carry the luggage.
Moving under the cover of bushes, Leon aimed for the empty carriage on the other side of the bush while at the same time, a silver-haired young lady moved energetically with a wide smile running towards the building, he didn't even notice her and in turn, she didn't notice him as both of them were very focused on their aim.
"Young miss, wait!"
The guards hurried after her which gave Leon enough space to sneak close to the carriage.
The carriage driver seemed to be busy looking around the carriage to make sure the young lady didn't forget anything then hopped on his seat at the front and held the reins. Meanwhile, Leon had successfully sneaked inside the carriage's cabin.
It was clear that this carriage is leaving the academy and no one will stop it. A gift from heavens as Leon saw it.
Now to the second phase, Leon dumped the guard outfit into "Storage" and kept inspecting it to see what he has. The plainest outfit was surely the best, this would provide him enough coverage to blend in right away.
And so, the carriage left the Academy.
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***
It has been half an hour now and Leon wasn't able to estimate anything about this city he's in. The past Leon knows nothing of the outside world and Shady has read about the game Lore but this wasn't quite what to expect. Even in the game, the Player character would move between locations through the map, a City was mapped but it was more like the "Palace", the "Academy", the "Forest", etc. One tap and the player would simply fast travel. This city, however, proved both interesting and a good coverage.
The architecture of the city resembled the late Renaissance Period with no signs of the Industrial Revolution period but it gave off an Elizabethan Era vibe. The streets were surfaced by road tiles and the common looking passers-by were not that fancy dressing. Leon could blend in nicely as a young man in the street. He made sure that the carriage was slowing down on a turn as he went ahead and opened the door sneaking out to the street.
As his boots hit the ground, this marked the beginning of Leon's real freedom. And now for the final phase of his grand strategy.
Run! Escape! Hide!
Leon disappeared the second he walked on the pavement. It was as if a ghost went through a wall to another dimension or anything and even if he was being tracked, there is no one around able enough to match his level of stealth. He made sure to blend in and walk away as fast as he could, he didn't even look back until he was an hour away from where he dropped off.
Now in a big street in an area that he has no idea where, his heart was beating from the thrill of the escape.
A clumsy yet perfect escape.
"Hah! Hahaha! I can't believe that actually worked." Delighted, Leon could finally calm down and smell the air of freedom. Nothing felt sweeter than freedom.
But as those escaping emotions came to him, he soon started remembering an escape another escape that he was supposed to be a part of an escape where all directions led south.
***
Shady and the team managed to slip away from the UN Security Convoy. The ring was perfectly recovered.
"Black Cobra to Nighthawk, we clear?"
"No one is on to you, Cobra. Speed up across Queensboro Bridge. Dump the bike Midway across and you'll find a line. Meet at the first extraction point."
"En route."
The Black Cobra has pulled off yet another successful heist and escaped flawlessly with the most priceless item ever auctioned. Nighthawk covered his escape and the rest of the team members moved out.
As he arrived on Roosevelt Island and found the subway station, Shady met his partner Nighthawk.
"Nadia."
"Hurry hurry hurry!"
She opened the door for him and he hopped in immediately.
"Step on the gas!" Updated from novelbIn.(c)om
"We made it! We took it!"
"Just drive, you idiot!"
It was by far the most successful mission yet, the Heist of the Century. Nadia started driving and took the road out of the island.
A couple of hours passed as the two kept walking from vehicle to another until they were out of the red zone on the other side of the city, meanwhile, New York was shaking from all the police sirens going around and around in circles looking for a single trace of him.
"The city will be locked. We can't stay long."
"Is this the spot?"
"Yes, no CCTV or even a cellular network in this area. Maybe the only spot in this goddamn city."
"God, I miss the old country! This world knows no privacy at all."
The man who was leading the Construction Mages was waving his hands up and down and with each move, the earth under the street level would move with his sways. Such a phenomenon was Magic. Leon excitedly locked his senses on that magic and quietly spoke.
"Read!"
Using the [Knowledge Magic - Read], Leon saw something incredible.
[Earth Magic - Earth Control]
Analyzing! 1% 2% 3%
"Wow!"
His Knowledge Magic was analyzing the spell without much effort but all of a sudden, the Construction Mage started looking around with a frown.
"Hey, not funny, guys. You know I hate getting my magic interrupted!" The mage shouted.
Seeing how the mage reacted, his colleagues seemed ignorant about whatever happened but Leon cancelled his reading order immediately. It seems that people who are adept at magic have an extra sense to it.
"That was dangerous!" Leon sighed but he was not done yet.
Analyzing 7%
It was easy to imagine what happens once the analysis hits 100%. Leon could acquire an extra active skill, a new magic.
As the carriage moved forward, he spotted another Construction Mage using the same magic and repeated the process. This time, Leon didn't shy out and kept analyzing as the mage was shouting at the rude colleague that is pranking him.
After a third attempt, the analysis was almost there.
Analysing 97% 98%... 99%
The suspense was killing Leon as he was just at the end of it.
Analysis Complete!
[Earth Magic Lv.1] has been added to your status
You have learned [Earth Control]
"Perfect!"
It was a great win, Leon suddenly learned how not only acquired magic but learned the ability to use it. Knowledge Magic is surely fearsome.
Now, how to use Earth Magic?
He had no idea despite having the skill but there was a better way, why not let the System assist him?
He opened his status and changed the Classes from Warrior and Rogue to Mage and Rogue. The Mage class gave him a 10% buff to Intelligence and opened his eyes to something different.
"Magic I can sense it."
In this crowded carriage, Leon felt as if he grew a different sense he didn't have before just because he chose the Mage class. There was no wonder why the Civil Mages were easily agitated by his interruption while analyzing their magic. It appears that sensing the Magic is an extra sense exclusive to them.
This came as both good and bad news for Leon. For the good part, he learned more but for the bad part, he never knew of the existence of this sense while escaping which makes it troublesome now. His enemies may use such means to look for him.
Now that he senses magic as well, he tried getting the hand of Earth Magic. The nearest earth to him with the dirt stuck to his boots. He gradually tried to focus his senses towards that earth with "Earth Control", Leon could feel the magic and the earth as if extensions of himself. Further control would be possible if not for what happened next.
"The Knights are patrolling ahead!" One of the passengers spoke nonchalantly but that triggered Leon right away.
He looked up to see the bridge over the river which leads to the southern district not far from him but the area is being inspected by Knights.
Knights of all people, it had to be knights!
Leon didn't need to search in the memories of his past or the common sense of the world to understand about Knights. Those elite-fighting, horse-riding, sword-bearing, metal-wearing knights.
"First the Americans, now the Crusades? This is too much jinx for two lifetimes." Leon was having enough pursers for one day it felt like too much now.
He turned to the middle-aged man on top of the carriage with him and asked.
"Is this a regular thing?"
The middle-aged man looked at him with an uncaring expression.
"It is not regular at all. Knights are never deployed to the streets unless it is something big. Well, it doesn't matter. Those noblemen have their business to take care of." The man said.
"I remember hearing of some knights this afternoon looking for something around the western district." The other bald man said.
"Yeah, I remember seeing knights too." The middle-aged man nodded to him and as soon as the two turned towards Leon, he was no longer here.
As if someone wore the invisibility cloak, his spot was empty save for two apples. The two men were taken aback by the sudden disappearance of their young man but how could they say no to a free snack after a day of hard work. Men tend to be less perceptive around food.
Meanwhile, Leon had long since reached the other side of the pavement and looked for any way past the knights yet behind them was a squadron of guards inspecting what the Knights may miss.
This is a sweeping party. Secure a certain area and search it thoroughly to find the needle before it drops into the bigger haystack.
"Dammit!"
Even if Leon wasn't their target, his instincts would tell him to never fall into such a situation. He only needs to find an alleyway to sneak away through but going forward is no longer an option, he must wear down the pursuers then act when they make an opening. Once he retreated far enough and made it to an alleyway, with swift steps he moved silently.
Careful as he was, he was alone and without someone watching his back. Or maybe he had someone watching his back, just not the kind he wanted to watch him at all. A pair of clean white boots clicked on the alley's road tiles behind him. It was not trying to hide or fake its presence.
Someone clumsy enough to not sneak up on him or maybe someone confident enough, both are troublesome in their own way.
Leon stopped and looked back to see a girl walking towards him in academy uniform. White tailcoat with black lapels and a white and black dress skirt blending with the theme. The traditional demure and chaste theme of a noble young woman.
"Good evening, young man. May I inquire why you are sneaking through the alley?" As soon as she noticed him noticing her, she spoke out.
Leon turned with cold eyes knowing that he is suspected, with a twisted tongue, he made up a confused accent.
"Excuse me, milady. I was just passin'. I didn't cause trouble, did I?"
"Not at all, good man." The young lady walked closer as the world darkened announcing the final moments of sunset.
She took a few steps towards him and spoke again.
"May I inquire once again why you were sneaking in the cover of darkness in an alleyway opposite to the direction of the knights?" She asked with a demanding tone.
Leon felt uncomfortable. He changed his appearance and she may have found him so easily. Was it magic? He had to know.
"Read!"
< Lena Hart - Lv.8 Mage >
[STR: 12] [END: 14] [AGI: 13] [PRC: 17] [INT: 21]
- Skills: [Wind Lv.5] [Earth Lv.2] [Combat Lv.2]
- Talent: 74%
- Using Magic [Wind Magic - Aerial Detection]
"The tutorial girl?" He exclaimed.
"The what?"
"No nothing."
That was Lena Hart. No one but the first girl the Prince hanged around with, in the Game, this was the first girl players get in the party guaranteed in the free bundle and on top of that, this blonde was actually very easy to capture even if the wrong dialogue choices were chosen.
"I will ask you one last time, why are you sneaking?" Agitated by Leon, Lena stepped towards him angrily.
Leon felt threatened. Her stats may look weak but she is stronger than him. He [Wind Magic - Aerial Detection] was surely the way she managed to track him down but she doesn't lack in attacking methods either. He had to keep playing dumb until she suspects him no more.
"Excuse my embarrassment, milady. It is just that I can't simply say to a noblewoman that I was heading into the alleyway to take a leak, can I?"
With the innocent play he perfected. Lena stopped her advance with a disgusted look on her face.
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You, of all people, being the son of Duke Dark and taking a leak in the streets?"
Her words just now revealed that she didn't suspect him from the start but she was rather playing him around. From the beginning, he was found out and she never saw him as a threat let alone an opponent.
Leon's eyes turned cold. He wasn't the kind that would take insults lightly and he is surely going to see this bitch through.
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