Elden Ring: Advent of the Game-Given (SI/Multiverse)

[Present Time]

And that was the prelude to our "training" sessions with Garm, which was more of him just repeatedly beating the ever-living shit out of us and expecting us to be able to defend ourselves against him.

We couldn't even team up against him since he would train us separately at different times. However, it gets even worse.

Once, I accidentally used {Slide-Step} to evade a strike I thought would be lethal, and he started to get all pissy at me and threw a tantrum before he just walked away. After that day, I wasn't allowed to use any of my skills. Otherwise, he'd just refuse to fight any further.

Honestly, the only reason I still continue with this farce is that it actually seems to be working, and I've gotten slightly better at reading his moves, but I still get my ass handed to me every single time.

Hence, why I like to call it "The premium souls experience, just without the infinite lives shenanigans."

Exiting the room, I jogged the way back. Soon enough, I spotted Garm in the distance, his form lit up by the small lamp he carried. Quickening my pace, I eventually caught up with him since his stride was slower than mine. 

As I approached him, the sound of my footsteps must have caught his attention as he glimpsed behind him, his eyes falling on me briefly.

He paid me no mind, continuing his stride as he continued making his way back to the Shunning Grounds. I followed a few steps behind, not bothering to converse with him.

As much as I would've liked to return by myself, the area we were in was deeper than I expected. Though it wasn't deep enough where a single encounter with any creature would mean certain death, the wildlife that prowled through this level was still too much for me to handle.

I occasionally checked the Map for any nearby wildlife, and the ones that did show up were quite a ways away from us. So, our surroundings were clear for the most part.

We traversed the path in relative silence. I used the Map as my guide, while Garm seemed to know the direction by heart, his steps not faltering for even a moment.

However, the peace and quiet we were afforded didn't last long, as a red dot appeared on the edge of the Map, slowly moving toward our general direction. It wouldn't have been much of a problem if it hadn't been on the exact path we were on.

Well, this is a first.

As much as I was curious about what kind of creature it was, I didn't want to take the risk and encounter it only for it to turn out to be something I couldn't handle.

With hastened steps, I turned up beside Garm, warning him of the potential danger ahead. "The path ahead is fraught with danger; we shouldst try to look for another way back," I said with trepidation, hoping he would listen.

My words caused him to halt in place, leaving me stunned. 

Will he finally start acting his age and at least try to hear me out?

I couldn't help but be hopeful, yet my hopes were dashed the next moment as he resumed his stride, his steps directed with a purpose unseen to me.

This damn–

I didn't know what was going on through that thick head of his, but I know for a fact that someone must have dropped him on his head right after he was born.

"Didst thou not hear me?! There is something dangerous beyond this–" I raised my voice, trying to dissuade him, but my words were cut off as I was forced to duck underneath his outstretched hand and take a few steps away from him.

He grunted and pointed at me and balled his fist, his eyes boring holes into me. No words were said, but the message was clear, 'Try to stop me again, and you won't get off so easy.'

The tension between us was thick enough that you could cut it with a knife. We stared at each other, scowls on our faces, as I debated what to do. I didn't get the time to think as he turned away and stomped towards our prior destination in the direction of the unknown creature.

"Fine, do whatever thou want!" I yelled out at him, taking great care to ensure my voice wasn't too loud. Looking over the Map, I searched for any other paths that led back to the Shunning Grounds and were NOT filled with murderous creatures that could maul me to death.

I carefully scrutinized it as I tried to find a safe path. Seconds ticked, and sweat dripped as I desperately searched for anything to help me with my situation.

…

Not one path…

There wasn't a single path I could tread without running into the denizens of these sewers.

Craning my neck towards the ceiling, I closed my eyes in frustration.

Damn my E-rank luck. 

Taking a few deep breaths, I quietly lamented my situation before I started going, using the same path we'd been using to get back. 

I kept my distance from Garm, watching the Map as we approached the unknown creature. I also tried to devise a plan of action.

I didn't know what we'd be facing, so I could only guess what we'd come across and how I'd survive against it.

The few minutes that passed as we kept walking were silent and suspenseful. Not only that, but the anticipation was torturous as we got closer to our obstacle bit by bit.

We soon encountered a more open area, with two alleys leading off to the left and right and a pipe leading straight forward. At the same time, we'd gotten quite close to the unknown creature on the other side—I'd wager the distance is a few hundred meters.

Y'know, this area would serve well for a boss fight.

[Is it wise to be joking at a time like this?]

Eh, it's fine, just trying to ease–

My thoughts were interrupted when something grabbed my attention. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and the dot on the Map had finally begun moving… towards us.

[You were saying?]

Uhh…

I quickly cut off the mental link, momentarily embarrassed, then composed myself and prepared for the battle ahead.

We had crossed the threshold–the point of no return, and now there was no going back.

Discreetly taking out my dagger, I called out to Garm.

"Tis coming towards us, fast," I warned the larger Omen in front. I wasn't sure if he heard me, as his stance didn't change until a few seconds later when he took the axe hanging from his back, gripping it loosely before he… started doing stretches?

Seriously? At a time like this?

I shook my head at his absurd behavior, trying to get my head in the game. Shaking my body a little bit, I tried to loosen up, ignoring the beads of sweat building on my forehead or the clammy feeling in my palms.

Safe to say, I was nervous, but only a tiny bit. This wasn't my first rodeo, even if I may very well be fighting against something way out of my league.

Doing a quick overview of my surroundings, I noticed that there wasn't really anything I could use to my advantage. The area was barren, save for the grime covering the dirty floor and the sewage water that flowed deeper.

Suddenly, Garm stopped stretching and straightened his body as he went full alert. He took a battle stance, the grip on his axe visibly tightening. His eyes were trained forward, glued to the dark passage straight ahead, as if he knew his foe would come from there.

Moments later, I heard… something. A faint sound akin to tapping. Throwing a quick glance at the Map, the creature was close, closer than I would've liked for it to be.

The tapping sound progressively got louder as the dot moved towards where we were, now within a hundred meters of us.

Instinctively, I realized that the sound of tapping was, in fact, the sound of the creature's limbs pushing it along as it made its way to our location.

Due to the lack of torches lighting the way, we could only rely on the small lamp we'd brought along and our own eyes.

Speaking of the lamp, the fucker decided to hand it off to me right before he started stretching in preparation, so now, not only do I gotta worry about trying to survive, I gotta make sure the lamp doesn't go out or that I don't lose it.

I glared at the back of his skull in annoyance. Perhaps sensing my vexation, he quickly looked back, making a "shoo-ing" gesture with his hands, telling me to go away or at least get some distance so I don't get in the way.

I was just about to throw back a scathing retort when my eyes caught movement in the darkness of the pipe. With a careful shake of my head, I gestured for him to look forward, and thankfully, he listened.

Pitter-patter.

We heard it quickly approaching, and moments later, something ran out from within the pipe, skidding a few meters before it stopped.

Immediately, a few things stood out as I focused on it.

One–the unknown creature… was a rat. Yes, the creature that had me panicking these last minutes, of all things, was a rat.

And second… why was it so big?! It's twice the size of me–hell, it's actually bigger than Garm.

Goddamnit, I should've just taken my chances and went a different route.

Nevertheless, as much as I wanted to vent my thoughts out loud, I kept them to myself, diverting all my attention to Big Chungus' uglier cousin.

{Giant Rodent}

{Level: 25}

{HP: 5000/5000}

{MP: 75/75}

{SP: 500/500}

…

Namu Amitabha… I am cooked.

[You aren't dead yet, you know that, right?]

I know, but I might be in a few minutes.

[I think you're being overdramatic. You aren't alone in this fight. You two might not like each other, but I reckon it wouldn't do him any good if he let you die.]

Okay, okay, fine. Stop with the lecture already. Maybe I was being overdramatic, but I think the situation warrants that reaction.

He went quiet after that, perhaps finding there was no need to try to keep me grounded since he and I both knew the gravity of the situation.

The Giant Rat had higher attributes than Garm, putting him at a disadvantage. And while I had gained a few Levels in the past week, it wasn't enough to bridge the gap between me and it.

We both had lower stats than the enemy, but if we were to jump it together, I'd like to believe that my skills would help even out the playing field.

I'll let him be the tank and the damage dealer since his stats are higher than mine, and not to mention his large physique will allow him to hold his ground against the rat. I'll try to weave around it and deal quick, successive attacks to distract it and deal some minor damage.

The plan isn't without holes, but it doesn't matter. No matter how perfect a plan may be, no plan survives first contact. 

I looked to Garm to swiftly relay the plan to him, but it seemed he had already decided on the course of action. Without hesitation, he'd bolted toward the oversized mammal, his axe poised to strike right at its head.

With swiftness belying its large figure, the rodent leaped back, narrowly avoiding the descending axe head, which struck the ground instead.

Screeching loudly, it snapped its neck forward, trying to take a bite out of his torso in retaliation. Its mouth snapped shut, its incisors tearing into nothing as Garm deflected its bite and threw out a vicious kick that slammed right into its snout, dazing it momentarily.

An opportunity presented itself, and he took it immediately, going in for the kill as he aimed for the rat's cranium. 

Unfortunately for him, the rodent swerved its head at the last second, causing him to miss his target, the axe slamming into the side of the rat's face, shaving off the fur and cleaving part of its skull.

It screeched in pain, its voice a cacophony of different emotions that raged through it.

Garm tried to shut it up, raising his axe in preparation for another strike, but the rat was slightly faster than him, its tail whipping out like a bullet, striking his arm and weakening his grip on the axe. 

Caught off-guard, his reaction speed slowed, which showed in how he couldn't react to the follow-up strike as the rat rammed its body into his gut, knocking the air out of him.

The impact sent him sliding; the axe wrenched out of his grip, landing a few feet away. The rodent wasted no time as it tensed its hind legs, preparing for a mighty leap to try and knock him out first before feeding on him.

It had completely forgotten about me–no, from the start, it paid no attention to me, its sole focus being the disoriented Garm.

Unfortunately for it, it would be the last mistake it'd make.

Riding the element of surprise, I covered the distance between us within milliseconds. As soon as I was within arms range of it, the large creature realized something was amiss until its eyes fell on me. 

The sudden appearance of someone it had disregarded as a non-threat sent alarm bells ringing through its head. It stopped the impending assault on Garm and focused on me, its sharp fangs ready to tear me apart.

But it reacted a moment too late.

Schlick!

Half of its vision went dark before the pain registered a moment later, and a guttural scream tore through its throat, echoing throughout this chamber and the next. It thrashed about, causing streams of blood to splash everywhere.

Welp, there goes my weapon.

My trusty dagger, which I had used to stab it, stood stuck halfway in its eyesocket, coated in its blood. 

Though the attack had landed and the dagger penetrated, the rat moved its head at the last second, causing my aim to be slightly off. This resulted in the dagger being lodged inside but never fully reaching its brain.

With my only means of attack being unavailable, I retreated quickly, wracking my brain to come up with something else.

Should I try to beat the shit out of it using my fists? No, no, I'll barely even tickle it with that.

Precious moments trickled by as my mind came up with nothing but blanks. Slight cracks began appearing in my composed expression as panic gave way to frustration.

Yet, soon enough, a mounting dread took place as the Giant Rodent had calmed down slightly to regain just enough mental clarity to focus its assault on its next target–me.

Tensing its legs for a mighty leap, it snarled and chittered furiously, its body language promising nothing but a painful death to the foe that dared blind it.

I, too, stood on my toes, ready to evade its ravenous wrath, when something caught my attention from the corner of my eye, causing me to relax as a relieved expression graced my face.

The rat ignored my relaxed demeanor, making a jump toward me. If it had kept an eye on its surroundings, perhaps it would've been able to avoid the rage-filled Omen that barreled into its airborne form.

The two slammed into a wall with a crash, with Garm not letting the opportunity evade him for a second time as his axe cleaved into its gut. It screamed rightfully, only to be cut off the next second as its head was separated from its body with a bloody axe.

I blinked for a moment, taken aback by the sheer brutality of the kill. While I'd killed my fair share of unfairly sized rodents, most were through quick and precise stabs to the brain since my dagger wasn't suitable for slashing.

While the beheading was brutal, it wasn't too out of place compared to the loud screaming that came from Garm as he stood victoriously over the rodent's corpse.

I ignored the caveman standing away from me in favor of opening the Map and checking my immediate surroundings.

Good, I don't see anything approaching us, and the way back seems clear for now.

The next thing to check after that was the notification that popped up right after the Giant Rodent died.

{You have assisted in slaying a Giant Rodent (Lv. 25)!}

{You have gained 50 EXP and 750 Credits.}

That's… lower than I expected, especially considering it was a Level 25 monster. Is it because I wasn't the one to kill it?

[That is correct. While you did not deliver the killing blow, you still helped by dealing critical damage and taking out half of its vision. So you were awarded only half EXP and Credits.]

Well… the more you know, I guess.

It's a shame because it didn't even get me a quarter of a Level.

{ – Status – }

{Name: Morgott}

{Race: Omen/Demigod}

{Level: 6 (44%) | EXP: 155/350}

{Title: None}

{Class: Warrior}

{Credits: 7,870}

{HP: 2800/2800 | HP Regen: 0.28 per second} 

{MP: 360/360 | MP Regen: 0.36 per second}

{SP: 300/300 | SP Regen: 0.30 per second}

{VIG: 14 (28)}

{MND: 18 (36)}

{END: 15 (30)}

{STR: 13 (26)}

{DEX: 11 (22)}

{INT: 28}

{FAI: 29}

{LUC: 20}

{Stat Points: 10}

My leveling speed is really slow, as I only raised three Levels after a week or so of grinding.

Though there were a few silver linings–not only am I finally stronger than an average man, but with such a significant increase in stats, the enemies in the dungeon have become a cakewalk.

That's why {Demigod Physiology} is such a boon. Without it, I'd still have trouble dealing with those small rats.

But enough about that. It's high time we finally get back.

Closing out of the System menu, the sound of the caveman establishing his dominance had ceased, bringing my attention to him.

He had stopped screaming and was at work, lifting the corpse onto his shoulders with a grunt. 

I contemplated bringing the severed head along but ultimately decided against it since I didn't have anything to carry it with, and I was NOT going to use my cloak as a makeshift bag.

It was already dirty enough; I didn't need fresh bloodstains on top of that.

Picking up the lamp I had put discretely put away before joining the fight, I walked up to Garm, asking a very important question.

"So?" I asked, not bothering to elaborate further, which only left him confused, judging by the baffled look on his face.

"Where is my gratitude?" I asked again, the smuggest of grins on my face, which, no doubt, left him peeved off, judging by the way he began speedwalking, even with that heavy ass weight on his shoulders.

"Heh."

A small chuckle escaped me, the satisfaction of getting one over him transparently visible on my face.

My face beamed with a smile for the rest of the way, further annoying the larger Omen as he did his best to put some distance between us the entirety of the walk back.

All in all, it was peaceful. Just the way I like it.