Marvel: Elden Ring System

Nodding to himself, Ray turns and grabs the singular smithing stone [1] on the anvil nearby as well as the golden rune [2] that is just outside the church before walking towards the forest, making triply sure that the tree sentinel doesn't notice him. 

Near the edge of the forest, he sees a godrick soldier patrolling the road just ahead, his helmet gleaming in the early morning light. Ray manages to sneak up on the unsuspecting victim before slamming his club on the soldier's head, disorienting him. With a few more slams to the noggin, the soldier's body vanishes and the same swirl of runes appears again, though noticeably smaller than the trolls was. He looks at his menu and sees that the soldier gave him 64 runes along with five lordsworn's bolts. 

Ray strangely doesn't feel any remorse at having ended the soldier's life. Whether it is because of the Gamer's Mind skill or the fact that this world is so similar to the game world he is not sure.

"It's not like I have a choice… I will have to kill a lot of people in this world if I want to survive. It's either them or me, and I want to live. Now where was I?"

Ray proceeds further into the forest, sneaking up to and killing half a dozen godrick soldiers. In total, he exits the forest with 448 runes as well as the tree-and-beast surcoat and a brass shield that is far too heavy to lift at the moment. When he equipped the shield to his off hand, he nearly fell over from the weight before he put it back in his inventory.

"Well… It seems that I need to fulfill the strength requirement if I want to use the shield, luckily the armor seems to conform to my body's size… Oh, that is an issue… How do I level up without Melina's help? Maybe she will just show up when I get to the gatefront grace???"

Ray really hopes that is the case as he breaks through the tree line and sets his gaze upon the gatefront area. Surprisingly, the area is quite different then he anticipated, the ruins being partially repaired with wooden scaffolding and a few dozen tents on the southern side that weren't there in the game. He examines the camp and watches as multiple groups of four to six godrick soldiers patrol the area while, in a central clearing, a godrick knight stands resolute. He appears to be directing a weapons drill of some kind with a bunch of the scrawnier soldiers that are only wearing dark gray armor.

But what really catches Ray's attention is the massive golden tree in the distance. The Erdtree in all its golden splendor shines over the entirety of the lands between. A breathtaking backdrop that he stares at for a good moment.

"It's beautiful… Seeing it in the game is one thing, but actually seeing the Erdtree in person… It is surreal…" 

Ray smacks his face lightly. "Now isn't the time to sight-see. Now do I start picking off the soldiers or do I sneak over to the grace and hope Melina shows up… That might not be a good idea seeing as Melina chooses the MC because she finds him in the stranded graveyard. Because I didn't start at the Chapel of Anticipation, she might not believe that I am the destined tarnished. It would probably be best if I proved myself by defeating all of these enemies first. That, and I can get all their loot… And in the worst case, I could check out the first step grace. Maybe I can get into the stranded graveyard from there…"

A hint of greed lights in Ray's eyes as he surveys the forces laid out before him, calculating how he can kill as many soldiers as possible without alerting the whole camp. 

As the sun reaches the midday point, the soldiers in the training grounds start marching towards the east along the road, leaving only around three dozen godrick soldiers and the godrick knight in the gatefront ruins. 

Ray takes off his armor so that he is at the lightest equip load before sneaking into the camp while no one is looking. He slinks into one of the tents and finds a godrick soldier sleeping on a cot, his sword leaning against the wall. Curious if he can add the weapon to his inventory, Ray reaches for the blade and finds that once his hand wraps around the hilt, it vanishes and enters his inventory. 

He adds a mental note that unattended weapons and armor can be taken easily while slain enemies seem to have the standard drop rates from the game. 

Ray sneaks up quietly so as to not wake up the soldier while equipping the lordsworn's straight sword, the well crafted blade showing years of damage and abuse yet still retaining its function. He holds the blade over the sleeping soldier's neck before slitting his throat with one clean slice, his body dissolving into runes that are subsequently absorbed into Ray's body.

Ray stares at the blade for a brief moment, realizing that for some unknown reason, he has all the knowledge he needs to wield the weapon with at least a modicum of skill. A fire burns in his soul as he grips the blade and stalks through the camp with deadly intent, sneaking into a half dozen tents and silently killing a few more godrick soldiers, his killing spree remaining undetected for the moment. 

Once he clears out nearly a third of the soldiers in the ruins, the sound of a trumpet echoes through the camp. Ray darts into the shadows not a second to late as the godrick knight turns the corner and sprints past where he was standing only moments before. 

Ray freezes in place, sweat dripping down his face as he strains to hear any movement near his position. Once he is sure that the coast is clear, he heads in the direction that the knight just left, finding a larger and more well maintained tent that most likely belongs to that knight. He makes sure the coast is clear before darting into the tent, nearly running into a large desk covered in papers. 

He quickly glances over the desk and sees what appears to be a map of the surrounding area. He quickly stores it in his inventory before walking over to a weapon rack in the corner. On the weapon rack is a lordsworn's greatsword and a flail, along with a Soldier's crossbow and three quivers with twenty bolts each. With the speed of a scurrying rat he takes everything in sight before heading to the entrance of the tent, his eyes peeking out the flap to see if anyone is in the area. 

Just as his vision adjusts to the bright sunlight outside, his body is covered in a dark shadow, his instincts screaming at him to dodge. Ray deftly rolls backwards as a spear pierces the tent flap and stabs into the room, right where his stomach would have been. Ray equips his surcoat and leggings and draws the lordsworn's greatsword, holding it with both hands otherwise he would not reach the strength requirement. 

The tent flap flips open and the godrick knight strides into the room, his golden eyes staring at the intruder with malicious intent. Ray grips his sword tighter as he charges towards the knight, lifting the weapon above his head and slashing down with all his strength. 

The knight seems to scoff at him as he holds up his shield and easily withstands the blow, his spear appearing from the side at lightning speed. Ray side steps the spear and swings downward once again, this time aiming for the spear itself. The godrick knight is caught completely off guard as the wooden haft of his spear is cut in half, leaving him with no weapon to defend himself. 

Ray capitalizes on his opponents hesitation by running full speed towards him and shoulder charging the held up shield, causing the knight to stagger backwards and fall to the ground. Before he can muster up a defense, Ray stabs him in the gut with his sword before pulling it out and stabbing him again. The knight coughs out blood from his visor as his body loses strength with each stab, his golden eyes fading before vanishing entirely. His body soon dissolves into a swirl of runes that get sucked into Ray's body.

Ray stumbles backwards as he pants heavily from exhaustion. He sits down on the edge of the desk and waits for a moment before his stamina miraculously returns to him and he feels good as new. 

'That… Was a tough fight…' Ray looks at the sword in his hand. 'If I had made even one mistake, I would be dead right now. Not that it matters if I die, I will just revive at the last grace… I hope that I don't lose some of my memories every time I die, that would suck…'

Ray looks at his menu and sees that he currently has 2,310 runes, the godrick knight giving him 1350 because he had the golden eyes thing. He nods in satisfaction and strides out of the tent only to find himself surrounded by over twenty godrick soldiers, their crossbows aimed at him. Just before they all pull the trigger, only one thing goes through his mind. 

"Fuck…"

*Twang* *Twang* *Twang*