Marvel: Elden Ring System

Ray gasps for air as he clutches his chest, the phantom pain of the arrows still lingering in his torso. He looks around and is surprised to see he is sitting on a bench in the marvel world, the sun in the exact same position as when he left.

Ray scratches his head in confusion. 'What am I doing back here? The Grace-bound skill said I would be revived at the grace…' Ray opens the menu to see if he can figure out what is going on.

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Name: Ray Winters

Level: 1

Runes: 0

Vigor: 10

Mind: 10

Endurance: 10

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 10

Faith: 10

Arcane: 10

Inventory (+): lordsworn's straight sword, lordsworn's greatsword, brass shield, flail, soldier's crossbow, lordsworn bolts (75), tree and beast surcoat, chain leggings, rowa fruit (23), root resin (9)... ETC

Sorceries (+)

Incantations (+)

Unique skills: Gamer's Body, Gamer's Mind, World Traveler, Grace-bound (updated),

Grace-bound (updated): If the host takes too much damage, they will 'die' then be reborn at the previous site of grace. If the host is in a world without grace, they will be forcefully brought back to their origin world. If the host dies in the lands between without a great rune equipped or a rune arc active, they will return to their origin world and have the World Traveler skill disabled for twenty four hours.

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"Oh, that sure is convenient, you tell me that the skill gets locked AFTER I die. Stupid system…"

Ray grumbles to himself, depressed at his failure and the fact that he can't get those runes back until he returns to the lands between, if his runes even stay in place like they do in the game.

With nothing better to do, Ray runs out and purchases a sleeping bag, knowing that he will most likely be forced to camp outside for the time being. 

A few hours later, Ray is wrapped up tightly in his sleeping bag inside the men's bathroom in the park. With no other options available at the time, this was the best he could come up with. 

But as he lays there, he soon realizes that he doesn't feel tired at all. In fact, he hasn't felt any fatigue either. It's then that he rereads Gamer's Body and face palms. 

"I am so stupid… With Gamer's Body, I don't need sleep. I shouldn't even need to eat or drink either."

Ray begrudgingly stands up and walks outside, the chilly night air assaulting his body but it doesn't seem to cause him any discomfort. 

He eventually finds himself seated on a park bench once more, the light from a lamp post shining down on him. Ray leans back and just thinks for a good while before hearing a voice right next to him. 

"You alright there, kid?"

Hearing the voice coming from his left, Ray looks over and is shocked to see one of his favorite characters in the marvel universe. Scarlett Johansson, or as she is known in this universe, Natasha Romanoff, AKA the Black Widow. His mouth hangs open for a good five seconds before the gamer's mind skill activates and stops him from fangirling. 

Meanwhile, Natasha is examining Ray from head to toe, finding nothing out of the ordinary about him. As far as she can tell, he is just a normal young adult, though her senses that have been trained to perfection by the red room tell her that he is dangerous. It doesn't help his case that he is all alone in a park at night. Everything about this situation screams suspicious to her. 

While Natasha is examining him, Ray is going through a series of emotions before the light leaves his eyes and his shoulders slump in defeat. 

'Man SHIELD works fast... I mean it's been what? Twelve, maybe fourteen hours since I woke up in that dumpster and they already tracked me down.'

Ray sighs loudly, his mind going at a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out what he is going to do here. He could just spill the beans about himself, but with HYDRA still burrowed inside SHIELD, anything he says will just be used against him. On the other hand, if he refuses to speak, he can bide his time, letting him return to the lands between and get strong enough to escape. 

Meanwhile, Natasha watches the boy's face, noticing the many expressions that flicker in his eyes. The one that confuses her the most was the look of recognition when he first saw her. She is pretty sure she has never seen this boy before in her life. 

With a heavy heart, Ray stands up and holds his hands out in front of him with his wrists nearly touching. 

"Clap him in irons, right?"

Ray chuckles at the reference while Natasha just looks at him strangely. She decides not to question the boy's words and just ushers him towards a nondescript black SUV. 

As they are walking, She touches the earpiece in her left ear, activating the communicator. "I have the target, bringing him in now."

On the other line, Nick Fury sits at his desk with an impassive expression. "Understood. Keep me posted."

Natasha opens the back seat door, beckoning him to enter. Ray smirks before opening the passenger door and climbing in. She shakes her head before shutting the door and getting in the driver seat. 

As they drive through the city streets, an eerie silence envelopes the car. While Natasha is driving and making sure that Ray doesn't try anything funny, Ray is still trying to determine what route he wants to take here. 

'You know what… Keeping my meta knowledge to myself is more important than letting Fury know about future events. At best he will believe me if I tell him things that no one knows other than him. At worst, he locks me up in an insane asylum...'

Ray stares out the window, lost in thought. He absentmindedly opens his menu, his eyes reading the item descriptions for his armor and weapons. It's as he is thinking about his inventory that a light bulb flashes in his mind. 

Ray focuses for a moment on the wallet in his pocket and wills it to enter his inventory. And sure enough, his pocket is now empty and he sees a 'brown bifold wallet' in his inventory. Without it, they will be unable to figure out who he is and will lack definitive proof that he was the owner of the future money. 

He also straightens out his story as best he can. He plans on telling them that he was beaten up in an alley and thrown into the dumpster that he woke up in. From there he bought some new clothes and some food with some money he found in that alley before resting in the park. 

Ray sighs again as he realizes that Fury will undoubtedly see right through his lies. But there is just nothing else he can do in this situation so he just tries to relax until they arrive. 

… 

Soon enough, the black SUV carrying Natasha and Ray drives into the underground parking lot of a building. She parks the car alongside a dozen others that all look identical before walking towards a nearby elevator, making sure that Ray stands ahead of her. 

They ride the elevator up a few floors before the doors open and they are walking down a hallway with many doors on each side. Natasha opens a door and ushers Ray into the room before shutting the door behind him. Ray looks at the metal desk with two chairs and immediately realizes that this is an interrogation room. With no one else in the room, he just sits down and stares into the distance, making sure not to look at his system as he is sure they would notice his eyes moving. 

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Natasha and Nick Fury look through the one way mirror at the boy.

"He hasn't said anything other than a witty remark?"

Natasha shakes her head. "No, sir. He has been incredibly docile since I showed up. On the surface he just seems like a normal teen but I can tell that he is hiding something. Add the fact that he seemed to recognize me and I am positive that there is more to him than meets the eye."

Fury continues to stare at Ray. "I got a few minutes before my meeting. I will have a chat with him, see if I can't get him to talk. Be prepared to knock him out if he gets hostile."

Natasha nods in conformation as Fury goes over to the door into the interrogation room. He strides in like he owns the place and sits down opposite Ray, his one good eye staring at the boy menacingly. 

Ray looks up as Fury enters the room, this time making sure that he doesn't reveal that he recognizes him as well. The two have a stare down for a good minute before Ray breaks the silence. 

"You would make a good pirate with that eyepatch. Ever think about starring in a movie? You might not have such a scowl on your face all the time if you had the money for a massage…"

Fury continues to stare at him, completely unfazed by his words. Ray chuckles lightly before looking down in embarrassment. 

"It was just a joke… … … Are you just going to continue staring at me or are you going to ask some questions? Or is your goal just to pressure me into talking?"

"No… Just trying to get a read on you. It's not often I find myself sitting in a room with someone from the future…"

Ray looks at him with complete confusion, not even having to act. "What? Why on earth would you think that?" 

Fury reaches into his jacket and slaps the bills Ray spent earlier today on the table. "How else do you explain this currency that was minted over ten years from now. You bought some clothes and food with the money, leaving a paper trail that was easy to follow… Now you are going to tell me what I want to know."

"I have no clue what you are talking about! I found that money in a dumpster. I thought that it looked weird but I didn't really have anything else on me."

Fury puts his elbows on the table. "And then there is the fact that we don't know who you are. No license, no passport, no birth certificate… It's like you don't even exist. Now explain that…"

Ray starts to sweat profusely, not expecting Fury to be this aggressive. His eyes start darting around trying to think about what to say. Luckily the Gamer's Mind skill keeps him centered enough to think logically. In only a few seconds, Ray finds the solution to his current predicament.

"I'm a mutant, Ok… I ran away from everyone and everything I ever knew because they were disgusted and afraid of me." 

Ray's voice increases in pitch. "Do you know what it is like? To be in a car with your parents and get into an accident, only to walk away without a scratch while your parents don't survive the crash. To see the judgmental faces of everyone around you while your family is lowered into a casket. You don't know what I have been through…"

Ray barely takes a breath as he practically screams at Fury, the Gamer's Mind skill having a hard time keeping his anger down. 

Memories start to flash in Ray's mind, images of him living with a man and woman that he doesn't recognize. The accident that he thought he was making up playing back to him in his mind. 

Meanwhile, Fury continues to stare without outwardly showing any emotion, even though he feels the anger and sadness rolling off Ray in waves. 

Ray takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down before continuing his story, recalling a life that wasn't his own. 

"I left my home over eight years ago. I lived in the woods, hunting for food or scavenging what I could find. About a week ago, I met a group of men. They told me that I would get paid to deliver something to one of their friends. I was desperate for cash so I accepted. But when I got to the alley, they slit my throat, stuffed me in a trash bag and tossed me into that dumpster."

Ray leans back in his chair. "I stayed in that trash bag for days, suffocating but unable to die, wishing for my life to just end. Eventually, I just got bored of waiting and climbed out of the dumpster, my hand still clutching some of the money that they didn't realize I took. I cleaned myself up, spent the money on some clothes and food, and sat on that park bench just thinking about what I was going to do with my life."

Ray slumps down in his chair, channeling some of the true sadness in his heart. For he knows deep down that he will never be able to see his real family again. He has been avoiding thinking about them since he woke up in the dumpster, but you can never truly bottle up your emotions and expect them to remain there forever.

Fury just continues to stare, taking in all that Ray has said. He slowly stands up from his seat. 

"Alright boy, I will believe you for now… Say, why don't you stay here for the time being, seeing as no one in this building will hurt or judge you for being a mutant. I will have one of my agents show you to a room. Get some rest, we will talk more tomorrow."

Fury walks over to the door and is just turning the handle when Ray looks towards him. 

"Ray… My name is Ray."

Fury turns back towards him. "I will see you tomorrow, Ray" he walks out of the room, shutting the door behind him.