Gamer's Creed
Ch.1
Waking up was somewhat odd, given that I was pretty sure I was dead.
Normally I'd have been pretty sure what I experienced was a dream, but somehow, I knew for a fact that it wasn't. I knew, some sixth sense that I couldn't explain and could only trust irrevocably that yesterday I had been buying some gas in my shitty college town, shot during an attempted robbery, died, and was now awake.
Awake might have been an exaggeration though. Looking around, I couldn't really see anything that would give me some kind of hint as to where I was. Surrounded be a silver mass of horizontal and vertical lines that extended far into the distance, it was again clear to me through whatever mental acrobatics my mind had decided to pull out of its ass that this wasn't reality, but more of a stopping point.
'Nothing is here, so why does it feel so familiar...'
Music plays. Coming from everywhere, I'm immediately aware that this is more than familiar, it's fucking nostalgic. It doesn't seem to be any more than background noise, the kind of thing that plays in the background of...
'A loading screen'
"Motherfucker."
At the first word spoken since I woke, a gray window appears in the air, causing my shock to increase to levels that somehow made me feel even more confused. It was like being caught in a loop of incredulity that only increases due to being shocked at the amount of shock that I could hold in my head. A line of arrows dart past me through the semi-blank space that is the goddamed Animus loading screen, and I'm grasped by the sudden mad urge to chase after them the way I did every single time I was waiting for my favorite game to load.
Old habits die weird as hell, I suppose.
Suddenly, the feedback loop that has caused me to stare numbly at the window in front of me grinds to a quick halt and I feel only a fraction of my earlier confusion. This allows me to actually read what I've been staring at for what I'm sure wasn't as long as it seems.
Welcome to The Game!
[New Game?]
"No fucking chance I'm that lucky."
It's a sad, if rather accurate, statement of my life up to this point. Asshole father, doormat mother, sick younger sister who was pretty much the only person I gave a shit about and could only be expected to live another five or six years. I didn't have the worst life by a longshot, but random good shit didn't fall out of the sky and into my lap at any point in my previous 22 years. But again, knowledge washes over me and I know that for once I am that lucky. That this is happening and more importantly, happening to me.
With a thought, I select the only available option.
Immediately, the window expands and shifts, showing a list of what I assume is going to be a fuck-ton of decisions that will give me a headache.
You have 2000 points to customize your playthrough!
[Setting]
[Universe]
[Starting Era]
[World Modification]
[Combat]
[Misc]
[Character Creation]
[Race]
[Name]
[Family]
[Appearance]
[Choose Starting Class]
[Specialization]
[Stats]
[Skills]
[Perks]
[Gambling Room]
I should be more pissed than I am at the selections denied to me, but given the state of the (Room? Environment?) I'm in I can't bring myself to be all that upset if I'm going where I think I am. Picking my own name would have been nice though... Regardless, there's nothing I can do about it now, so I select the Setting menu and immediately grin my ass off. There it is.
Assassins Creed.
"I'm going to Assassin's Creed," I cheer to the empty Animus, the sound seeming to echo and fade into the music.
I don't really care much which game in the series at this point, just excited that it's a world that I spent probably close to 1000 hours on that I know most of the lore and history of, that I'll be living in. Yeah, there's the Pieces of Eden, the Templars, Juno, and the world ending cataclysm that Desmond will have to catch in the face, but out of all the possible worlds I could be dropped into, there isn't really much on the upper end of things to beat the fuck out of me for interfering. I'll have carte blanche to meddle, scheme, and change whatever I want without being smited (smote?) by The Beyonder, the Presence, the Fates or whatever other fucking "Don't mess up my universe" characters exist in media.
I probably know more about the historical fiction that I'm going to be living in than I do real history. I know who created man in this universe. I know our origin and the powers that be. The Isu might be using temporal shenanigans to deliver messages and AIs through time, but their ability to reach out and kill me is very limited. As for the Templars? They are men. And I might be getting ahead of myself, but even if I don't become super powerful the way so many Gamers seem to in fanfictions, having the truly stupid amount of knowledge and experience I do about not only the future but also the mentalities of the major players in every game should let me die of old age instead of a Templar knife to the ribs.
And I will be fighting the fucking Templars,I realize.
I could definitely take this second chance at life and fuck off to live a normal life, but what would be the point of that? I'm being reborn into my favorite game and it's not like living a relatively non-violent life kept me from dying a violent death anyway. Plus, you know, fuck those guys. If they were just honest about wanting to be in charge because they were power hungry assholes, I could respect that. I could even get behind it. But they are just so condescending about it instead!
"Mankind needs a guiding hand" my ass.
I select the "Era" option and blink.
[Era Selection]
Warning!
The dates shown are subject to change due to customization and are representative of your new date of birth/insertion into the world.
Odyssey [458 BCE] Cost: 0 PTS
Origins [90 BCE] Cost: 50 PTS
Crusade [1163 AD] Cost: 200 PTS
Renaissance [1457 AD] Cost: 400 PTS
Age of Piracy [1698 AD] Cost: 600 PTS
Revolution [1754 AD] Cost: 700 PTS
Unity [1758 AD] Cost: 725 PTS
Syndicate [1850 AD] Cost: 800 PTS
Cataclysm [1988 AD] Cost: 1000 PTS
So, I guess it scales to roughly how easily I could adapt to the time I choose? That only makes a little bit of sense, having to deal with the end of the world in 2012 would be a major downside to selecting the modern option. Hell, even the title is "Cataclysm".
As if responding to my thoughts, the price attached to the final option shifts from 1000 PTS to 750 PTS.
"Shit."
Is this thing sentient?
Yes, I am! You seemed like you were on a bit of a roll there, and handling everything well, so I figured I'd let you get on with it!
Oh.
"So, I ah... I guess you can read my mind? Okay. That's fine."
It does take some getting used to, I'm sure! I'm your Game Master, or GM, and I'll be setting up your quests, challenges, and rewards. I took the liberty of selecting your starting world for you, but if you aren't satisfied by my choice, rest assured that you will have more than a few options available to you once you decide to leave!
"Leave? As in, I'm going to be able to world-hop my happy ass through the multiverse? Live my favorite games, books, movies? That's what you're telling me?"
Of course! Wouldn't be much of a Gamer if you didn't get the chance to have some fun!
That's what does it for me. Suddenly, my ass is on the ground, and I'm in awe.
"What did I do? Why is this happening to me? How did I get this lucky?"
Oh, it was nothing you did, per se. This was all your sister. She saw how unhappy you were in your old life and wished that you could be happier! Someone out there heard her and decided to grant her wish.
My sister. Of course. She's wishing for something and it isn't to get better, isn't for money for better treatment, isn't for my parents to actually be parental. It's for me to be happy. What kind of 16 year old is capable of that?
I am such an asshole.
While I've been spending the entire time since I died excited, happy, and ready to go, my sister has probably heard about my death. Probably locked herself in her room. Only has our parents to comfort her.
I'll likely not see her again. Because I died.
Why am I being so calm about this! God damn it I want to pissed and sad and freaking out!
Oh that's because of this!
Skill Revealed
[Gamers Mind] (Passive)
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.
Allows peaceful state of mind,
Grants Immunity to psychological status effects.
"Yeah, I was wondering about that, seems to be a bit of a staple. Any others?"
Finally asking questions.
Yes, yes there are others. Here you go!
Skill Revealed
[Gamers Body] (Passive)
Grants a body that allows for the user to live real life like a game.
Skill Gained
[Observe] (Active)
Provides information on target
"Is there any way to turn off the first one? 'Cause I feel like I need to experience this both ways for a moment."
Should be... let me see...
All of a sudden, I feel it all. The lingering fear from being shot. The anger at a shit death in the middle of a gas station. The sadness from knowing my sister is alone and I won't be there to help her. All I can do is sit there on the floor and shudder as I experience the backlog of emotions that built up behind the wall that is Gamer's Mind.
It takes a solid fifteen minutes for me to compose myself enough to ask the GM to turn it back on. My head clears, my tears dry, and the shaking calms. I still know what I'm feeling, but it is definitely taking the edge off.
"Thank you."
You're welcome.
I need to say, it's nice to have a Gamer who isn't so ready to forget about their life. Most of the time its immediately about becoming a god, gathering a harem, that sort of thing.
I take the offered distraction for what it is and grin a bit.
"Well, I'm not saying I won't be going for all of that, you know."
I figured. But still, you should know something a little unusual about your settings that I found... It seems that your origin world isn't locked to you permanently.
"I can go back? That's fantastic!"
And suddenly my lingering sadness flees. The shroud... I know where a Piece of Eden that can fix and reconstruct a body from any illness is. Or where it will be, depending on what era I choose. I could save my sister.
"GM, how does time work between universes? I mean if I'm picking what era I go into for this world, will I be able to do the same when I try and go back?"
For most universes, the options you have will be directly related to major events you are familiar enough with to register. It's part of why I locked you in for your current universe, the number of options you had unlocked for it is exceptional. When returning to a previous world, you can either go to an era you are familiar with, or resume from practically the moment you left off.
My smile is feral, and all of the excitement I had lost is back in full force.
"That sounds perfect. But enough planning, let's move on before I get any more distracted."
Okay, so let's start at the top. I'm not going to Odyssey. That game is way more fucked in terms of Isu enhanced monsters, abilities, and artifacts. Not to mention how shit the living conditions are and how primitive the society is. Origins is out for the same reason.
Next is the Crusades. A top contender, but I'm leaning against it due to the difficulty I would have influencing things in the much more hierarchal Brotherhood of the time.
Renaissance. The Ezio Trilogy. God, is it tempting to just choose this and be done with it. I know I probably will end up choosing this, but I should probably think at least a little bit more about the others first.
Trying to convince myself isn't working. Fuck it, I knew from the moment I realized what was going on what I was going to choose.
"Let's go with Renaissance," I say aloud to GM.
Good choice! Such an interesting era. Although, I should warn you to stop making plans until you finish the customization section.
"Fair enough, open it up."
[World Modification]
[Combat]
Enemies
Warning!
This section refers to the personal guards/henchmen and the targets themselves
Weaken/Strengthen The Pazzi -/+ 500 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Venetian Targets -/+ 500 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen The Borgia -/+ 500 PTS
Allies
Weaken/Strengthen Assassins +/- 400 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Mercenaries +/- 400 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Courtesans +/- 400 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Thieves +/- 400 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Monteriggioni +/- 400 PTS
Neutrals
Weaken/Strengthen Soldiers in Florence -/+ 200 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Soldiers in Tuscany -/+ 200 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Soldiers in Venice -/+ 200 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Soldiers in Forli -/+ 200 PTS
Weaken/Strengthen Soldiers in Rome -/+ 200 PTS
Focusing on the 13 combat options before me, it seems like I could get away with a lot here. I have 1600 points to spend after selecting the Ezio era, but no idea what the points will do in the Character Creation section, which is definitely more important. And you could argue it's better to keep things the same since I don't want to fuck up my knowledge too badly.
I need to go down the timeline.
Everything kicks off in Florence. I'm pretty comfortable with leaving the guards there as is. If I ever go to Monteriggioni for training like Ezio does, having better guards there will only make me better in turn, and might help in Brotherhood's early game siege, so I'm down to 1200. Vieri attacks Tuscany, then it's back to Florence to kill the Pazzi which Ezio could do alone, let alone with more help, and protect Medici. From there it's Venice, Forli, and then Savonarola back in Florence. Finally, Rome and the Borgia rule.
I can be safe with strengthening the Borgia. They are mid to late game of AC2 at worst, Brotherhood only at best. Plus, I'm pretty sure that it won't make things too much worse than Cesare leading a full-blown army and Rodrigo becoming Pope. So that's puts me at 1700 points. Obviously strengthen the Assassins. Down to 1300. I'm fine with upping the Soldiers strength for the late game, that's Forli and Rome, back up to 1700...
And is that it? That pretty much guarantees the people I care about saving are fine, minus a few individuals like Rosa, who I will be stealing from Ezio. Come to think of it, which girls aren't I planning on stealing from Ezio? Cristina. Rosa. Caterina Sforza. Caterina, she already had kids, and while Ezio didn't seem to mind, that's really not something I want to deal with.
Caterina it is.
I tell GM my choices and that's that.
Now for the rest...
[Misc]
Genderbender
Swaps the gender of whoever you choose, more important characters cost more and their personality is less affected!
Well, that changes things.
Ezio Auditore Cost: 800
Leonardo Da'Vinci Cost: 600
Mario Auditore Cost: 400
Niccolo Machiavelli Cost: 400
Antonio Cost: 300
Bartolomeo D'Alviano Cost: 300
La Volpe Cost: 300
Federico Auditore Cost: 200
Petruccio Auditore Cost: 100
Again, I see the options and know immediately what I'm going to do. I don't like it. It's wasteful of my points, changes too much of the plot, and is absolutely something I can't pass up. Ezio is a mainstream videogame sex icon on level with Kratos and Shepherd.
Maybe not Shepherd, that dude fucks anything.
Getting the chance to fuck Ezio isn't really something I care about. But Elena Auditore? I spend the points and move on without another glance. I can justify a lot to myself, but not spending more points on filling my eventual harem.
[Family]
This is your origin, your beginning. Street rat? Nobleman? Assassin? Templar?
The options seem to go on indefinitely.
"GM? Is there any way you can help me out here?"
Sure thing! What are you looking for?
"Really, any options that put me on a similar social level as the Auditore family. Doesn't have to be exact, just close enough that I can make friends with them and others at that level without too many raised eyebrows."
Should be easy enough. Any reason you don't just want to be a part of their family?
"I figured that it would be too expensive with only 900 points. Plus, I just spent 800 points so I could fuck Female Ezio, ruining that with growing up with her to the point she doesn't see me that way automatically seems counter intuitive."
That's fair. I did find something that might interest you.
"That," I say slowly, reading the description "seems like a steal. Not too lowborn, only 200 points. It's not like bastardry was all that big of a deal, given Cesare ended up leading armies. Gives me Isu genetics, and an in to the Auditore and Assassins..." I think for a few more seconds, nodding my head. "Let's go with that."
Locked in. Appearance next?
"Works for me."
The appearance menu is actually small on options and looks out of focus, it's clear to me that I'm selecting very base features. I give myself the black hair of my soon to be father, and decide to lighten my eyes from the dark brown default to the near golden amber that Ezio had in Revelations after years of using eagle vision. My body type I set at athletic, but a little thinner than most athletes today have. Knowing how often climbing is going to get my ass out of troublesome situations, I focus on making myself look somewhere between a track star and rock climber. I'm thinking 6'0, just so I'm the same height as Altair for when I get his locked armor.
[Class Selection]
[Warrior][Rogue][Mage]
I'm picking Rogue. It's an Assassin's creed game, I want to be an assassin. The math checks out. While not thrilled I won't be specializing right away and only have three options, I am shocked that Mage is one of them. I won't be picking it right away regardless, but once I finish leveling Rouge that will be my next choice for sure. Going into a Catholic dominated society without any other skills as a mage does not seem like a good time. For now, the +2 to Dexterity, and +1 to Strength and Charisma per level are perfect.
Class selected; I finally get to see what my stats look like based on my choices so far.
[Stats]
Matteo Auditore
The Gamer
Level: 0
Class: Rogue (lvl 0: 0%)
Race: Human
HP:50
SP: 50
STR: 1
VIT: 1
DEX: 2
INT: 11
WIS: 11
CHA: 2
LUC: 10
Matteo Auditore. Not a bad name. I can live with that. A near complete blank slate as far as my physical skills go, I am starting as a baby, so that was to be expected. Which, the more I think about it, the less I'm looking forward to it.
"GM, am I really going to have to sit through my time as a baby and toddler? Is there no way to skip past it?"
You won't be forced to live through that, no. You will be born and then fast forward through the early years, witnessing key moments, and in some cases make key decisions that can affect your relationships with those around you and how you develop. At the age of 8, you will assume full control and begin to live your life.
"That's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be."
Sure, it will still be annoying being a literal child for at least six or seven years, but it's much better than relying on others to wipe my ass.
All that's left are my skills, perks and whatever the Gambling Room is.
[Skills]
[Gamers Mind] (Passive)
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.
Allows peaceful state of mind,
Grants Immunity to psychological status effects.
[Gamers Body] (Passive)
Grants a body that allows for the user to live real life like a game.
[Observe] (Active)
Provides information on target
[Eagle Vision] (Active)
Born into a family with ancient Isu ancestors, you possess an extremely limited form of what the Isu called "Knowledge" and your family call Eagle Vision.
At its current level, Eagle Vision is useful for determining hostile intent in your area.
[Sneak](Active)
Reduces visibility and sound created by movement, allowing for stealthy traversal. 1 SP/second
Good, I was hoping that Eagle Vision would come with the background I chose. I have 700 points to spend on Perks, and I hope that it's enough to buy whatever catches my eye.
[Perks]
[Reincarnate]
Being reborn comes with a few upsides. With the benefit of experience and the adaptable mind of a child, you gain Skill EXP 50% faster until you reach puberty. Depending on the person, you might gain or lose reputation and affection due to actions that seem uncharacteristic for your age. +10 to starting Intelligence and Wisdom
[Perks Available]
[Demigod] Cost: 600 PTS
You have the physicality of a god. Applies a permanent 1.5x modifier to Strength, Endurance, and Dexterity
[Legacy of the Isu] Cost: 300 PTS
The blood of the Isu was strong in both your mother and father. Negative debuffs and mental effects from use of Pieces of Eden are nonexistent. +1 to Intelligence and Endurance on every level up.
[Fast Learner] Cost: 300 PTS
You throw yourself into anything you learn with passion. Skills gain EXP 10% more quickly. +1 to Intelligence on every level up.
[Dark Knight] Cost: 200 PTS
You learned from a young age not to be afraid of the dark. The darkness became your friend, and like any good friend, it protects you. When standing in a shadow, Stealth costs nothing and is twice as effective. Damage taken is decreased by 10% at night.
[Slippery] Cost: 200 PTS
No one can seem to keep a hold of you, pin you down, or track you. Crimes are only attributed to you if you are caught red-handed, in the daylight, while screaming your name. Guards range of sight is severely limited when it comes to following you.
[Charmer] Cost: 200 PTS
If you've got it, you've got it. Reputation and Affection is both 10% easier to gain and 10% harder to lose. Activate [First Impressions] skill once a day to receive a random boost to the targets Reputation and Affection.
[Light Fingered] Cost: 100 PTS
You're a bit of a thief. That's okay, so long as you don't get caught. 50% to Dexterity when stealing.
[Voice of Reason] Cost: 100 PTS
Regardless of age, experience, relationship, or reputation, people will listen to what you have to say and at the very least consider it. +10% to Wisdom and Charisma when involved in an argument.
There's something to like about all of them, but there is one that is a must. I select [Fast Learner] without hesitation and have to even though it hurts, I know I made the right call passing on [Demigod]. 10% might not help me much in the beginning, but at the higher skill levels, that 10% is going to matter a hell of a lot more. 400 points left. [Legacy of the Isu] is tempting, but I've got a feeling that [Gamer's Mind] is going to be more than enough to deal with any mental effects. Which leaves the last five choices. I can afford two or three depending on the combination, and I am leaning towards [Dark Knight] and [Charmer]. Long term percentages over situational ones every day of the week.
Looking over my last two options one last time, I lock them in with GM.
"What do you think? Good choices?"
I can see your reasoning for each and every single one.
"That was almost an answer to my question, but good enough. Now, what exactly is the Gambling Room? I don't have any points left."
Allow me to show you.
[Gambling Room]
For every time you choose to give it a go, the gambling room will give you one negative trait, and one positive trait.
"Nope."
Not even once?
"Not even once."
You're sure?
"100%"
Well... alright then. That's everything! See you on the other side!
Being born sucks.
A/N: I just finished a playthrough of the Ezio trilogy and was reliving memories from 10 years ago when I was young and less fucking annoyed by everything. Decided to see if there was any AC fanfiction that appealed to me and came up short. I've never tried any sort of creative writing in my life, but decided to give it a try for a chapter. I have no idea if I'll ever update this, but thanks for giving it a read if you made it all the way down to the bottom. Inspired immensely by The Dark Wolf Shiro and a-shifty-sword.