"This is the most normal dream I've had yet." I was surrounded by darkness... Or rather, I was surrounded by nothing at all, the lack of light completely making it so that I could see nothing, not even the darkness that would normally be tied to light. "I guess this is how blind people feel," I commented dryly, my voice not even able to be heard whatsoever.
It was an odd experience, the sensation, that is. I felt like I was floating in water, my body completely relaxed, yet I could move every part of myself around without tensing any of my muscles.
The lack of vision subsided, my body quickly sitting down in an old mahogany chair, a table in front of me made up of the same wood had a letter resting on top with a crimson wax seal on it. A letter opener was by the letter itself, intricate details carved into the metal, while preserving the functionality of the opener itself. "Man, this is a pretty wild dream, I can't lie," I said, before grabbing the letter. Maybe it was from one of my old High School crushes, maybe it was a final message from my late mother. You never truly knew with dreams. It could be nostalgic, or make me wish I could remain in this dream forever.
I used the letter opener, ripping open the triangular flap that was held down with the wax, pulling out the actual letter.
"By reading this, you acknowledge that you are now a player that possesses this totally legal, 100% legit System. Sign here to begin."
A pen appeared in my left hand, but I couldn't help but halt my movements. Didn't experts say that people can't actually read in dreams? Then again, how the fuck did they know? Most people forget their dreams easily, so it would be reasonable to assume that they could forget that they read something within their dream?
Oh well, it wasn't worth thinking that hard over. I clicked the pen, signing the blank space with "Alexander Marquez," before clicking the pen again. "Let's gooo! What did I win?"
Nothing happened... I guess my brain couldn't form something fun for this dream... At least, that's what I thought, before an intense pain ripped through my body, quickly concentrating in my eyes. The best I could compare it to was a cluster headache, but multiplied by ten...hundred.
My vision became cluttered a loading screen being overlayed, the bar slowly filling up until it read "One hundred percent."
Of course, after the clusterfuck of a migraine, I realized this wasn't a dream. The top of the screen in front of me read, "Choose a class," something I had read a thousand times in my games. Multiple different choices appeared on my screen, each a stereotypical choice, such as a mage, druid, Swordsman, spearman, and so on. There were some interesting choices.
[Necromancer]
[Description: A class that focuses on the creation of undead beings. Becoming a necromancer means that you will have the touch of death, and be marked as an evil entity. Necromancers fight from the rear, using the large amounts of undead to fight the enemy while they use their death magic to fight from the rear.]
[Initial abilities:]
[Raise Undead: A simple necromancy ability the turns the corpses of the deceased into mindless drones that obey the user. It is currently limited to ten undead.]
[Death shot: A simple attack spell that launches a necrotic magic towards the target. medium damage, but medium mana drain as well.]
[Secondary Class]
[Beginning level: 10]
[Vigor: 5]
[Mind: 12]
[Endurance: 5]
[Strength: 5]
[Dexterity: 5]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Faith: 5]
[Arcane: 5]
There was a large preference on what I was assuming to be Mana, and skill level over magics. I was fortunate enough to understand the was this was set up, as the status itself was based on Elden Ring's own Runes levels.
I wasn't too interested in being a Necromancer, it was mostly the mention of a secondary class that caught my attention, meaning, I could choose, or figure out which primary class I'd like later on.
However, the next class caught my eyes.
[Summoner]
[Description: Summoners are individuals that sign contracts with both nature spirits, and divine entities in order to gain assistance in battle. They typically are quite weak in the beginning, all of their stats going into mind. Experience is shared between the summoned familiars, and the Summoner, ensuring equal growth. Summoners historically fight from the rear, focusing on commanding their familiars, and boosting their abilities. They are incredibly weak in the beginning, but can take on a more prominent role, depending on the avenue they want to take.]
[InitialAbilities:]
[Summon: Basic summoning ability allowing the User to form contracts with Animals, Nature Spirits, and Divine Spirits. The Level, and skill of the user dictates what Spirits he summons.]
[Call: Basic Spell which calls forth the spirits the User summons. It is done with a thought, rather than a chant one would use with traditional magic. Depending on the amount of Familiars summoned, the user's Mana will slowly decrease. If the familiars are damaged, or use special attacks, the user's Mana will be drained more.]
[Recall: The opposite spell of Call. All familiars will be brought back into the user's soul, stopping the Mana drainage, and allowing the familiars to recover without draining the user's Mana.]
[Spirit Buff: Temporary magic that boosts the user's familiars, increasing their health, defense, and attack. Drains a substantial amount of mana.]
[Secondary Class]
[BeginningLevel: 10]
[Vigor: 5]
[Mind: 13]
[Endurance: 5]
[Strength: 5]
[Dexterity: 5]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Faith: 7]
[Arcane: 5]
I didn't need to think about anything else. When I played Elden Ring, I typically went for a Mage class, sometimes a Holy Knight Class, but I always wanted to do a Summoner Build. I hoped to god that I wouldn't be fighting people like the entities in Elden Ring, but I couldn't pass up the chance to acquire potentially adorable familiars.
I clicked on the class without an another thought, my body shivering as I felt myself change. It was odd, yet, not unwelcome. I felt a bit more strong, and intelligent, not a big achievement, considering I didn't work out, or had an education beyond High School.
Still, it felt nice, especially since I could feel my body get slimmer, as if I was becoming a blank slate for a beginner character.
[Congratulations on your Choice, Player... Alexander Marquez. You have been awarded 20 points for picking a difficult class, alongside... Three Regular Summons. Would you like to view the redeem shop to see what you can use your twenty points on?]
Obviously, I said yes. even if there wasn't anything good right now, I could at least see what there is to offer in the future.
Another screen appeared over the previous one, like a bunch of windows being open on a laptop. "Beginner mage clothing... two points. Steel sword... five points... Ouu, Summoner's Staff."
I clicked on the item, pulling up its description.
[Summoner's Staff]
[Rarity: Common]
[Description: A Staff that acts as a more efficient conduit for summoning, Calling, and Recalling Familiars. It reduces the amount of Mana used during buffs, and special moves, allowing for prolonged combat.]
[Cost: 15 Points]
[Stats Needed: 15 or more Mind, 10, or more Intelligence, 7 or more Arcane.]
It was interesting, but unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to use this item yet, and as of right now, I needed something more immediate. Truthfully, I believed I should go with a more physical approach. My Mana was already going to be used by my familiars, so, I didn't think I should go for a more mage-like build. Perhaps strength, vigor, and dexterity would by the focus for now... At least until I was strong enough to not need to worry heavily about survival.
How I acquired more points? Probably from leveling up. Maybe it'd be like the rune system, or maybe it'd be experience points that reset to zero after every level. Either way, this was probably going to be a busy life.
[Are you sure you want to purchase the Steel Sword for five points?]
I clicked yes, browsing more until I found a round shield, and a set of padded leather armor with steel greaves. Buying these brought we all the way down to zero points. I intended to equip my armor right away, but another window popped up.
This shit was driving me crazy. So many windows, and requirements. Nonetheless, I read the window.
[Would you like to customize your appearance?]
Might as well. I wasn't going to change my looks that much regardless, but it would be nice to gain some similarities to my step dad, and retain my mom's looks.
A picture of my physical appearance was displayed in front of me, nude and all. I looked at all the info, everything matching up with the current me perfectly.
[Alexander Marquez]
[Age: 19]
[Parents: Debra Marquez, Michael Lionel.]
I paused momentarily, the mention of my biological father making me disgusted.
Fucking druggie.
I took a moment to recompose myself, quickly reading the rest of my information
[Blood Type: O-]
[Height: 6'4]
[Weight: 210 pounds]
[Ethnicity: Caucasian]
[Eye Color: Hazel]
[Hair Color: Dirty Blond.]
I, of course, wanted to keep the traits that I had from my mom, with the exception of my height. As much as I hated my biological dad, I didn't want to lose my height. Tall was a part of my personality, since I didn't have much going for me.
I changed my eye color, going for the same Intense ice blue my other had, changing my hair color from dirty blond to black, like my step dad. Instead of changing my race to Hispanic, or South American, I made it a blend, what would've been if I were my step dad's biological son.
Most would wonder why I would do such a thing. Why even go for a realistic look, when you could make yourself some incredibly handsome individual, or whatever. To me, what mattered was how I felt. My step dad, who I considered my real dad, had taken care of me, even after my mother died. He could have had a son of his own with another woman, left me, and whatever, but he took me in as his own, gave me everything. Made me feel like a normal kid, even when my two brothers would go to their dad's house during the summer.
Point is, looks for the sake of aesthetic did not matter to me. This was a tribute to my mother, and my true father, who gave me everything I ever needed, and wanted. Even if I knew I would never meet them again, due to their passing, I could look in the mirror, and see them in myself.
I changed my head's shape, now resembling more of my father, than my mother, since I already had enough of her genes. With everything done. I clicked finished, a certain parent tab changing the name of the father from "Michael" to "Juan," which made me smile.
At least the system could understand my desire.
With everything completed, I felt the armor materialize on me, the weight of it very much present. I had on brown, padded leather trousers, with steel greaves, and armored boots. a burgundy tabard was layered over a brown surcoat that matched the coloring of my trousers. Darker brown leather gloves fit snugly over my hands, while simple metal cauldrons were strapped to my arms, covering a good amount of my shoulders.
Finally, there was my helmet, which consisted of chainmail over my head, and wrapped around my neck, with a kettle helmet from maybe the 15th century. I resembled a foot soldier from medieval times, at least in my opinion, my wooden round shield, and simple broadsword completing my look.
I waited for another window to pop up, only to see all of them disappear, with the exception of one.
[Summoning Three Familiars. . .]
The area around me dimmed, the desk, and chair disappearing, as I saw three orbs appearing in front of me. Two of them were white in color, the third being purple, likely indicating rarity, like in gacha games. 'I guess this will be a gambling thing as well... Or Maybe it depends on which spirits like me, or how I treat them.' Regardless of my thoughts, I silenced those thoughts, as I saw the orbs take form.
The first, well, I never would have expected it.
A Labrador, pitbull Puppy, a female one to be specific. I recognized it immediately, because, this dog was mine from my childhood.
"Lily?" I said, the puppy's tail wagging happily, as it barked, the same red collar I had buried her with now pristine, and wrapped around her neck.
My emotions got the best of me. I was an animal lover at heart. I had possessed all sorts of pups when I was a kid, this good girl in particular passing away of congestive heart failure at the age of seventeen. She lived a good life. I babied the fuck out of her. I was so incredibly sad when she passed, as she was the last living remnant of my mother, excusing myself and my brothers, who I hadn't seen in ten years.
She barked loudly, or rather she tried to, sounding more like a husky talking, since she never really could bark. "Hi baby!" I said, picking the pup up, getting a bunch of licks on my cheek. "Who would've thought I'd get to see you again... This is definitely worth the hardships that'll come..."
I held onto her, as I watched the other white orb take hold, this time, a golden retriever puppy appearing. "FUCKING GRETTA TOO!?" I watched the pupper run to me, my other hand picking her up immediately.
I now had a goal. I was going to summon every single pupper and animal I had ever acquired, and keep them with me forever. I gave both dogs a kiss on the head, before focusing on the last orb, the purple color exploding into a vibrant display, as a singular owl stared at me.
I couldn't tell its species, not that it mattered, because it was clearly a mystical being. its feathers, and overall appearance was dark, resembling a raven's colors. A crescent moon was centered on its forehead, glowing a light blue color, its eyes being two orbs of the same glowing blue color.
People always talked about how owls symbolized wisdom, but I truly saw it with this one. Its lack of pupils, and darkened appearance actually making it have a rather intimidating presence.
But it was still cute in my eyes.
"You are an absolutely gorgeous spirit," I complimented the owl, seeing it extend its wings outwards, its wingspan nearly being the same size of my height.
God, I couldn't help but admire the spirit in front of me. "Do you have a name?" I asked. Shortly after, a window appeared, displaying what looked to be the stats, and information of the three.
[Lily Marquez]
[Rarity: Common]
[Breed: Labrador/Pitbull Hybrid]
[Abilities:]
[Evolve: The Spirit starts off in its youngest, most defenseless form. As it grows in strength, and levels up, more and more abilities, and transformations will become present, offering the ability to learn new techniques as they evolve, so long as the User continues to use them.]
[Gretta Marquez]
[Rarity: Common]
[Breed: Golden Retriever]
[Abilities:]
[Evolve: The Spirit starts off in its youngest, most defenseless form. As it grows in strength, and levels up, more and more abilities, and transformations will become present, offering the ability to learn new techniques as they evolve, so long as the User continues to use them.]
I figured since they were common spirits, they wouldn't really be that different from regular dogs. I was quite surprised to learn that they could evolve, and obtain new abilities. I guess rarity was based on the initial summoning, as some people would rather obtain the greatest ranked spirits, rather than putting in the effort to turn the more common, and available spirits into powerhouses.
Regardless of other's views, I was gonna put in the effort to make these pups powerful dogs. I wanted to always be able to rely on them, and make sure they didn't feel left out. I finally chose to look at the final spirit, the elegant, but intimidating Owl.
[Great Spirit of The Hunt, Aria]
[Rarity: Mythical]
[Species: Great Spirit]
[Abilities:]
[Tracker's sense: The Familiar's ability to not only track, but sense targets, and individuals are incredibly precise, allowing them to not only not lose track of a target, but mentally convey the information to the User.]
[The Apex of The Night: During the night, the familiar is at its most powerful. As long as there is a moon in the sky, the familiar will have its defenses, health, and skills boosted.]
[Shadow Blade:The familiar possesses the ability to use its wings to throw shadowy slashes at a target from a distance. Damage is 35, per slash.]
[ShadowyPassage: The familiar can transport itself, the user, and anyone the user wishes through shadows, making for fast, and energy efficient travel.]
"I suppose you are definitely worthy of the Mythical ranking, Aria. Thank you for allowing yourself to be summoned. I hope you will enjoy your time as my familiar."
The Great Spirit flew, landing on my shoulder. I thought that he, or she would be heavy, but there was absolutely no weight to them at all. It hooed, conveying satisfaction, earning a little beak scratch from me.
[Transporting to new world. . .]
And like that, My vision went dark.