A New Hope Nier

Our entry into the world of Elden Ring was marked by the sounds of a fire crackling in our ears and as I looked around, I grimaced as I realized we landed in a cave. And more particularly the cave in which the Tarnished would fall into after either failing to deal with the Grafted One or just falling off the cliff should he had killed it.

I recognized the cave rather easily due to the gold-glowing ghostly tree in front of us and a staircase with lit braziers leading upwards to the surface. And after a moment of thought, I shrugged saying. "A2 come on then," I said leading us up the staircase and through the crypt with us naturally taking the weird stone mechanism elevator up to the surface.

A2 and I both lifted up the large stone door blocking the entrance to the building and as we came out of the door I saw it as we officially entered the Lands Between. "Thats... A massive tree Jake." A2 stated bluntly as she stared spellbound just as I was at the massive glowing golden tree that pierced the clouds in the distance that made me sigh at the grand sight.

I smiled gently seeing the beautiful and majestic sight before I took a breath as I felt something... No someone coming closer via my senses and I looked down the short staircase from the crypt we came out of, and I saw a man wearing a white mask and also wearing completely body covering robes staring at us.

'That's Varre... The psychopathic blood worshiper who calls everyone maiden less after actually killing their would-be maiden in the beginning of the tutorial.' I thought as my eyes narrowed down upon him and then without any hesitation, I shoved my hand towards him sending a powerful gust of wind blasting him backward with a scream with the powerful wind blast knocking him off the short cliff and sending him down onto the ground below the landing.

"Uhhh why did you do that Jake?" A2 asked with concern.

And I responded with a frown. "He reeked of blood... Down to his very soul he was drenched in blood and he was obviously waiting for us or someone else." 

In response, A2 manifested her great sword and muttered. "So, what are the rules of engagement in this world Jake?"

Even as we heard Varre groaning from the bottom of the hill in which he was blasted off, A2 and I just walked around the drop-off and headed towards Varre's crumpled form. Once we got closer I answered frankly.

"This world is one of pure violence and the very system of death is broken, most people are technically immortal in some way as they come back so don't feel bad about killing them... As most will just come back after that tree digests their soul for a bit." I finished pointing at the massive glowing Erd Tree in the distance as we reached Varre.

I could feel the mad bloodlust being aimed at us from Varre as he finally managed to get back to his feet and from behind his back he unleashed his weapon of choice... It being a bundle of bleeding rose flowers that I knew would cut us to ribbons should he hit us with it.

"You runt! I am an agent of the blood lord Mohg! I will enjoy slowly bleeding your maiden-"

But without a word, A2 dashed forward and her greatly enhanced Greatsword chopped through his swinging arm and carved open his chest all but cutting the man in half from shoulder to opposite hip.

A2 then kicked away the obviously cursed bloody roses that glowed with blackish red light as the blood of Varre covered them but before the man expired I leaned over and said with a cold smile. "I wonder how your dear lord Mohg will react when I lead Malenia to him and she sees her beloved brother's state?" 

Varre's eyes went comically wide in fear at my words before I enhanced my foot with gravity magic and with a stomp I mulched his skull killing him instantly.

Even as I killed him, I hissed as a burning sensation filled my body and I realized the Runes of Varre's soul were entering my body. A body in which that wasn't native to the Lands Between!

'Shit... Well, good thing I got a cheat!' I thought as I pulled at my Gap manipulation Semblance and with the burning agony of foreign energy coursing through my body, the Gap between having a suitable body, and a non-suitable body were all too damned clear.

A2 gave me a look of concern but with a comical popping noise of my back popping I exhaled in relief as the mental gap between being suitable for Runes and unsuitable was closed via my semblance and I naturally felt those runes of power pooling in my soul.

Just waiting for them to be spent in growing strength. Should I acquire a maiden who could translate the runes into energy to refine my body and other abilities?

"Alright... A2, we got one important thing to do now." I said firmly taking a breath as I realized something. "If we want to get the attention of a Maiden to help me use the runes I get for killing the monsters and people of this world, we will need to make names for ourselves... So with the knowledge that everyone here is cursed to some immortality let's make our names as swiftly as we can." I finished.

A small cold smile came across my face as I looked down at the golden-armored Tree Sentinel that was a good mile or so down the path to the run-down church and was clearly patrolling the surroundings.

'Let's see if the maidens and Melina can ignore me if I kill Godrick without their blessings! Hell, I don't mind saving up these runes so long as I can actually spend them at some point, so watch me kill all the damned demi-gods without even getting a maiden at lvl 1 basically!' I thought with a mental cackle at Melina and Ranni's plans falling apart.

All due to a random human who wasn't a Tarnished or demi-god Shard Bearer of the Elden Ring that bound this world together, just speed-running the world.