Chatper 2: Nightmare
If Blake had days when waking up felt like a challenge, then today was not a day like that at all. As soon as Blake's eyes sprung open, Blake rose upwards. He looked around wildly, seeing metal boars in front of him and three stone walls on the other sides.
Cursing slightly, Blake tried to stand up, only to realize that his legs had been cuffed together with a rope. His hands too, behind his back. Blake glanced at his abdomen, seeing the bandages applied there. It hurt like crazy, much more profusely than during the battle, which made sense considering the adrenaline rush.
Sighing, Blake leaned back, trying to breathe normally and relax. He had been recognized as not a shinobi, which was obvious, considering his peculiar clothing and zero weapons except the kunai. Yet, his wounds had been tended to.
Despite being in prison, Blake believed that he was safe, for a few moments at least. As he lay in the darkness, Blake had only the pain and his grumbling stomach to focus on. However, Blake was content with that, as he could finally process what had happened.
He was in Naruto, a show that he enjoyed watching with his dad when he was still alive. It was an absurd thought, but that was the reality for now. Now, his memories of the show were not that fresh, but he remembered the main events, and, considering that he was caught up in a fight between the Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Rain Village, Blake could make an educated guess that he was in the timeline somewhere before Naruto's birth.
"Some kind of fuckery."
Blake sighed again. When he was young, he dreamed about appearing in a different world, yet, now, Blake felt only pity for himself. First day in a new world and Blake had barely survived against some crazy guy. He ended up killing the man, only to end up in prison with barely any idea as to what was going to happen to him now.
Was it possible to go back somehow?
As this idea crossed his mind, Blake realized seeing some kind of screen before passing out. Was it a hallucination or not?
"Screen."
"System."
"Summoning system."
"Yeehaw, I am from Texas."
Nothing happened, much to Blake's disappointment. Blake pushed his pupils around, searching within his vision, finding nothing. Last resort, Blake closed his eyes, concentrating, trying to feel anything. When Blake thought he did, he opened his eyes and saw the translucent screen hovering in front of him.
Blake flinched away, which caused a spiral of pain down his back. Forced to stay put, Blake read through the contents of the screen.
*
Summoner System
-Character Interface-
Name: Blake Reynold
Attributes:
Strength: E+Endurance: DAgility: D+Intelligence: B+Chakra: ECharisma: DLuck: A+
Passive Skills: [None]
Active Skills: [None]
Summons: [None]
Dice Of Summon: Available
*
Blake's eyes moved through the screen. Okay. Not only was he in Naruto, but he had also become a game character. He had read similar stories like that from fan fiction or some other stories, yet never in his life would he have thought that his life would become such a reality.
However, what disturbed him the most was that there had to be someone, a creature or a being, doing all of this to Blake. Where and who was it, Blake had no idea. Had he been transported here because of not believing in god? Was this his punishment?
Blake clicked his tongue. Whatever was happening, Blake didn't like it at all. But he was here now, and until Blake found ways to go back, he had to survive, and this screen was the only way of helping him do that.
Blake's eyes moved through the screen, reading intently.
"Okay, first things first, what the hell are these stats? E+ in strength, surely there must be a mistake...I mean, if we are looking at it from Naruto's POV, then E+ seems appropriate."
Blake began to talk to himself in a whisper.
"At least I am not dumb, it seems. All that studying must have paid off. My luck is also pretty high, surprisingly. Do I get plot armor as well? Hopefully."
"Alright. To the interesting part. I have no skills, which makes sense, but the fact that the option is there at all implies I can get them. Similarly, I have chakra, even though I have no idea how to use it yet, but I can learn..."
Blake stopped, focusing on the last part. He had a free dice of summon available, possibly meaning that he could summon someone. Well, it couldn't hurt, could it? Blake was still a bit skeptical, but he tried to focus on the last part, and, surely, an instant later, Blake saw another screen pop out.
-
Dice Of Summon: A mysterious dice of unknowable origin, radiating an ominous aura of unfathomable power. Its simple roll holds the ability to summon creatures from across dimensions—beings of divine grace, eldritch terror, or mundane mediocrity. Everything depends on a single factor: luck.
Upon summoning, the summoner gains 10% of the summoned creature's attributes (HP, attack, defense, chakra, etc.), based on its characteristics. This buff grows together with an increase in the summoned creature's prowess and departs once it is dead.
Additional Bonus: The summoner inherits 1 random skill from the summoned creature's ability pool.
Before the summoner can roll the Die again, they must fulfill the final wish of the previously summoned creature. Wishes vary based on the summons's nature and strength.
SSS(Roll 8) - 0.5%SS(Roll 7) - 1%S(Roll 6) - 2.5%A(Roll 5) - 6%B(Roll 4) - 10%C(Roll 3) - 15%D(Roll 2) - 25%E(Roll 1) - 40%
Note: Percentage points indicate the probability of rolling from 1-8 respectively.
-
Blake's mouth was open.
He had forgotten the pain.
"Incredible."
This was actually freaking crazy. The description sounded both ominous and liberating. He began to wonder what kind of creatures could he summon, and all of that it depended on luck. It was almost like gambling!
And Blake's luck was quite alright, too!
Blake focused once again, a dice appearing in his palm. It was creepy but nothing could faze Blake anymore. He couldn't see the dice. Touching it tightly with his palm, Blake felt all eight different sides and the letters engraved on each of them. Blake held his thumb over the SSS part, praying to the gods he didn't believe in.
Then, he threw it. It was barely a throw, but it rolled right up to Blake's face, as he stared with hope in his eyes. It rolled and rolled, until it stopped, with a letter C facing upwards.
Blake sighed. So much for his luck.
Then, he waited for something to happen. A few seconds passed, his breath held still.
"Was this a sca-"
As soon as he opened his mouth, the dice vanished into the air, and, Blake watched with horror as a pristine white door formed within the wall of the cell. Blinking a few times, Blake continued watching, seeing the door open and a creature step out.
It was absolutely huge, boasting a height of at least 2 meters, for it couldn't even fit within the cell. It was dark skinned, with a hint of purple. The creature had huge muscles, from head to toe, and they rippled as it moved. It wore nothing except a little piece of cloth to cover its intimate area.
Blake's eyes moved up, seeing red eyes staring back at him. Sweat rolled down Blake's forehead. The creature had two huge horns sticking out of its head and it looked like an extremely scary cow. It was a demon from hell, and Blake was frightened to the point where he thought he might pee.
A minotaur.
He had summoned a fucking minotaur.
The minotaur looked at him from above, but Blake couldn't see any emotion within its eyes except death. The monster grabbed the handle of the axe strapped to its back, taking it out. Blake cursed under his breath, trying to move out of the way. The minotaur raised it gently, careful to not hit the ceiling, but Blake was petrified.
Without any thought in its eyes, the minotaur sliced at Blake from above. Blake closed his eyes, thinking that it was the end, cursing the entire world. However, Blake felt no pain. Instead, it was freedom. The rope on his hands and legs was removed. Slowly, Blake opened his eyes and flinched away, seeing the minotaur a few centimeters away from his face.
It breathed down on him, its mouth smelling like that of an alcoholic who never brushed his teeth. Fear is death. Blake calmed himself down, assessing the situation. He was not dead and, in fact, free. And the minotaur that he had summoned was kneeling?
Blake stood up, looking through the cell, seeing no guards or anyone monitoring him. Then, Blake looked down at the minotaur, staring into those red eyes. Now that he was calmer, he understood that the summoned creature held no hostility within its eyes. In fact, Blake thought he felt some type of a bond with the minotaur. He could somewhat sense what the minotaur was feeling, which was extremely peculiar.
And now…
Desire. Reverence. Expectation. Mild confusion.
Blake stared down at the minotaur, suddenly feeling much more confident, for whatever reason. There was a small screen lingering next to the monster's head, which had an empty slot for the [Name].
Just yesterday, Blake was biking to school after hauling bricks for a some money, and now he was in a cell with a kneeling minotaur. Despite the absurdity of the entire situation, Blake was not amused, because the minotaur was serious, and Blake thought it was only proper that he would not be joking around himself.
"You scared the shit out of me, friend, but I can feel now that you mean no harm to me."
The minotaur huffed a bit of air out of its nostrils.
"You expect a name, so I shall grant you one. In the place where I grew up, creatures like you don't exist. Yet, you are kneeling right before, in the flesh. It feels almost surreal, almost like a dream…or a nightmare."
Blake narrowed his eyes for an instant.
"I grant you the name [Nightmare], for you will inspire fear into whoever sees you. You shall fight for me, for I am weak yet. I…might not be the best leader, but I will try my best, Nightmare, and I hope you will welcome me the same way I welcome you. Stand."
The minotaur stood, almost hitting the ceiling again.
Happiness. Reverence. Duty.
Blake hesitated for a moment before stretching out his hand.
"I wish you shake my hand, Nightmare. My name is Blake, and you shall be my first warrior, and, hopefully, not the last."
The minotaur was visibly confused, yet it shook Blake's with a strong grip. Blake winced at the pain, however, Blake held still, staring at the minotaur's eyes. He didn't know what came over him, but he felt confident in front of Nightmare. The creature was his subject and it was only natural that Blake should act appropriately in front of it.
The fear in Blake's eyes was gone, and, suddenly, he felt much more relieved. Now, he wasn't alone. At the very least, Blake had some sort of protection. The minotaur was visibly glancing at the metal bars, waiting for the command, but Blake shook his head. He couldn't just escape, for he knew barely anything about who was on the other end of the cell.
And he doubted the minotaur, despite its appearance, could take them all out.
Wait, how strong was Nightmare, exactly?
Focusing on the minotaur, Blake saw a screen pop out in front of him.
-
-Character Interface-
Name: Nightmare
Rank: C
Last Wish: Incomplete
Attributes:
Strength: B+Agility: DEndurance: BIntelligence: E+Chakra: CCharisma: C+Luck: E
Passive Skills: [Tough Skin]
Active Skills: [Battle Rage], [Roar]
[Battle Rage]- When activated, the Minotaur enters a state of heightened aggression. The skill significantly boosts the Minotaur's physical strength, speed and endurance for 30 seconds. It comes at the cost of control, making the Minotaur more reckless.
[Roar]-The Minotaur release a fearsome roar the echoes across the battlefield. The roar might make some enemies stunned or disoriented, giving the Minotaur an opening. The skill is much more effective against enemies of weak mental fortidude.
[Tough skin]-The Minotaur's skin is extremely durable, providing natural resistance against most physical attack. The tough hide could also reduce damage received rom elemental attack.
-
"Damn, Nightmare, you are pretty powerful, aren't you?"
The nightmare, much to Blake's surprise, nodded.
Pride was all Blake felt from the minotaur, forcing a smile to his lips. Blake scanned the stats once again. Nightmare was, arguably, much stronger than Blake. Naturally, the minotaur lacked in intelligence and luck quite a lot, but it was not that big of an issue for someone born to fight.
The minotaur was also pretty slow, it seemed.
A perfect tank.
Blake smiled, when, suddenly, his vision blurred and he found himself on the ground. The minotaur turned into a black smoke, which seeped inside of Blake, giving him a freak out. And, then, there was the pain. It was so sudden, so encompassing, so bizarre. It felt like his bones were breaking apart, his muscles ripping, his entire being getting destroyed.
Blake screamed. He couldn't help it. Convulsing on the ground, Blake had forgotten about his injuries on the back. It was hot, so freaking hot. He was sweating hard, leaving trails of liquid in the wake of his rolls within the prison cell. And, as Blake's body grew numb to the pain, it suddenly stopped, like nothing had ever happened.
He stared at the ceiling, numb. Then, a screen popped into his vision.
Summoner System
-Character Interface-
Name: Blake Reynold
Attributes:
Strength: E+ => D+Endurance: D => D+Agility: D+Intelligence: B+Chakra: E => E+Charisma: DLuck: A+
Passive Skills: [Tough Skin]
Active Skills: [None]
Summons: [Nightmare(Rank:C)]
Dice Of Summon: Unavailable. Complete the [Last Wish] of your subject [Nightmare].
*
Blake smiled. Despite the pain, despite that he was still in prison, Blake grinned happily. He could grow stronger, he could survive and, perhaps, even thrive in this world. He had grown stronger and gained a skill! Tough skin! Blake had no idea how to test the effectiveness of the skill, but Blake was sure that it worked, because he did feel stronger.
Slowly, Blake stood up. The pain was lingering, yet not that disturbing anymore. The bandage on his stomach slid off and his shirt had ripped in the process on his body changing. He peered down, seeing that the injuries on his back had practically healed, revealing just a scar. Blake grinned even more crazily, and then he noticed a group standing on the other side of the cell, all of them holding their weapons.
The cell was a mess. It was wet with his sweat and blood, with pieces of his shirt laying scattered. In the middle of the cell stood Blake, smiling crazily, a red haze within his eyes. The guards narrowed their eyes, both awe and fear reflected in their pupils.
What the hell happened?
They heard crazy shouting, as if someone was being tortured. They rushed from the cafeteria towards the only prisoner they currently held captive. They didn't know what to expect, but they didn't expect a man so changed. The man had somehow freed himself of his restraints and, now, he stood, looking at them with defiance in his eyes.
The guards felt like the man had grown bigger, seemed stronger. Whenever it was their imagination, they didn't know it.
Slowly, Blake leaned towards the ground, grabbing the rope that had held his hands before. The guards tensed, but Blake, calmly, banded his hands together with the rope and nodded at the guards.
"I am sorry for the mess. Something…happened, but I really wasn't trying to escape."
Blake flashed them a little smile.
The guards tensed even more.
Who was this man?