"Gah!" (Alexis)

I awoke with a start.

Looking around, I found myself in an old church. The stonework was cracked and crumbling, the wooden pews had long since rotten and fallen apart. The stench of death permeated the room as a single corpse laid back against the far wall, clutching something in his hands. Large wooden doors, unbothered by time, blocked the doorway. Behind me stood a broken statue of a woman wearing a crown and flowing dress, her arms spread to the sides as if welcoming all who laid gaze upon her.

 

I knew where I was, Elden Rings starting location, The Chapel of Anticipation.

 

"What the heck?" (Alexis)

 

I remembered my last moments before coming here. I remembered the knowledge now seared into my mind.

 

"This is the weirdest dream I've ever had. How did my subconscious do that? Does it work?" (Alexis)

 

I Focused for a moment and saw the Elden Ring HUD and menu appear. I navigated to status.

 

========================================

Name: Alexis Koffner

Level: 1

Runes: 0

Runes needed: 673

Vigor: 10

Mind: 10

Endurance: 10

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 10

Faith: 10

Arcane: 10

--------------------------------------------------

HP:   414 / 414

FP:   78 / 78

SP:   96

Equip Load:   3.5 / 48.2 Light Load

Poise: 0

Discovery: 110.0

Memory Slots: 2

========================================

 

I took a moment to sort my inventory. Aside from the stonesword keys I started with, the only thing I had was a hefty club.

 

Seriously dream? couldn't start me off with extra equipment? I guess I did want to play this game for the challenge...

 

I walked over to the corpse. It was so old it didn't even stink. I took the Tarnished's Wizened Finger from its hands, and took a look at the message written on the floor. Surprisingly, I could read the words despite the language being not English.

 

[Though the path be broken and uncertain, claim your place as Elden Lord!]

 

Giving the message a nod, I walked over to the large wooden doors at the front of the chapel. Giving the doors a mighty push or three, I finally got them open enough to walk through. Once out on the cliffside I felt the cold wind across my skin. The wretch didn't start with clothes after all, only underwear.

 

Why does my dream have to be hyper-realistic? I never felt this cold playing the game before! Bah! whatever!

 

Walking slowly down the wooden stairs, I looked across the small cliffside plateau towards the old rope-bridge that spanned across the gap between the twin peaks of this stone spire. The wood beneath me creaked and groaned, then I stepped on something sharp.

 

"OOOWWWW!!!!" (Alexis)

 

In my stupidity I jumped and slipped and fell of the side of the cliff, the stones rushing towards me as I screamed. Then I felt my head cave inwards.

 

...

 

My first death.

 

I didn't see a player avatar turn to dust with a big giant ' YOU DIED ' flashing across a screen.

 

I felt everything.

 

From my head being crushed by the impact, to my spine snapping as my legs sped past my arms. From my stomach bursting open, causing my own digestive acids to eat my internal organs, to my brain, splitting apart shred by shred, slowly losing bits and pieces of what made me, me. And as long, and painful, and existentially horrifying as the experience was, suddenly...

 

I was back.

I was whole.

I was me.

 

I was back in the chapel, staring at the old, crumbling ceiling.

 

The only sounds accompanying the chaotic thoughts running through my head as I tried to make sense of my experience, was the sound of howling wind, and faint laughter.