Late in the night as the battle had concluded and the church left crippled and marred Noah's eyes open. He was immediately barraged with a large amount of pain all over his body. Not the usual soreness of the training season but by the pain of bruises all over him. Trying to sit up he hit his head on the rocky ceiling and recoiled back to the ground. Looking around all he could see was darkness so he used his hands to feel his surroundings.
As far as Noah knew he was stuck somewhere with tons of sediment laying above him. As the situation finally dawned on him he started to panic and frantically looked for an exit but could not find one. He did not know how long he was knocked out for but judging by his hunger he was out for a while.
Noah did not have much time. He would either starve, die of thirst or die of suffocation anytime now so Noah frantically thought of his option. But his options were few and far between. He could try to lift the rocks off of him which was an impossible task. He could try and dig out which was also a next to impossible task without tools to break the rock. He would also probably run out of energy before he made it out.
Either way he could not escape. He was stuck down there with no way out. Alone with his thoughts and nothing but time he started to break down.
" dammit! I thought I was going to die at the gate opening, but this damned nightmare took me and now looks at me. Stuck under millions of tons of rock. I could have had a fast painless death but noooo I had to starve to death in a nightmare." he paused for a second his eye welling up with tears his voice cracking trying not to break then resumed
" For a second there I really believed that I could make it out, stupid me, I mean why would I make it out, I'm useless. I'm not a warrior, not someone who can protect. I'm Just average, nothing special , the run of the mill guy who just happens to get sucked into a nightmare. And now look at me slowly dying with no way to escape".
He laid their tears flowing from his eye screaming out his woe for the world to hear. But the world did not respond and he was left there in silence, alone to face the end, for there was nothing he could think of that could let him escape. He was abandoned here where no one would ever find him forgotten.
Noah laid there unmoving trying to accept the fact that he would not make it out alive. He stared up into the pitch black expanse of the ceiling in pure silence, Practically waiting for his end to come, But in the back of his mind he knew that he did not want it to end here. He raised his hand only for it to be stopped by the ceiling before its full extension. He then moved his hand back down to his side.
Noah was anything but calm, a storm of emotions . He still did not want to die and he had not come to terms with the fact that he would probably die. Then a little noise barely audible could be heard. *drip**drip*drip*. Noah's head flick straight to the noise. It was coming from directly over his head.
With a hope filled gleam in his eye Noah felt the wall above him turning around to get on his stomach he reached forwards looking for anything. He searched and searched for a crevasse or anything that could have made that noise. Then with much exhilaration he found it. A small hole about the size of this hand. Reaching thought Noah felt nothing.
With excitement Noah pulled his arm back. Now knowing that past the hole had more space, now was motivated to break through. He grabbed a rock and slammed it next to the hole. The wall chipped slightly but the rock Noah was holding broke. He grabbed another rock, slammed it into the wall and watch it break again
Not giving up hope Noah grabbed many rocks and started to batter the wall with strikes. Each strike broke another rock but Noah did not give up, but after a while Noah started to get annoyed at how many rocks were breaking on this surface. His annoyance turned to anger and his attribute flared. In frustration he slammed his body against the crack. The hole is widening. Noah did it again and again, eventually the wall crumbled and Noah fell through it to a narrow crawl space.
Once though he again tried to get up but again slammed his head against the ceiling.Getting back on the ground Noah felt around his new environment to find that there was a path he could follow. Crawling on the ground he would periodically check the ceiling to find that the ceiling was actually rising.
Going farther into the tunnel it started to get taller and wider. Evenchilly the tunnel opened up enough for Noah to be able to stand up straight and stretch his arms. Walking slowly so as not to trip and with a hand in front of him so as not to run into anything he walked though this dark tunnel.
He kept on walking and walking but as he walked he felt as if he was walking down a hill. He took a step to find no ground. He fell about 10 feet and landed on his back. Getting up he tried to back up to find a wall. Finding the wall he walked along it so as not to get lost.
As he walked along the wall he tripped on a metal like object. Once he fell the room was dimly illuminated with light blue flames. Getting up, Noah looked around and noticed that the room was lit by a multitude of blue flames. In the middle of the room lay what looked to be a statue. Noah cautiously walked up to it and noticed that it was not a statue but in fact armor.
A unique dagger hung from the armor's hip. The dagger was rusted over but its unique look stuck Noah as off putting. It had a long, slender and curved shape. The handle was very simple, it was made of wood but as you moved up the dagger it only got weirder. The blade went straight for about 5 inches then curved inwards in an almost consent shaped edge. The inner edge was serrated while the outer edge was smooth.
As he walked up the armor He flick it and a hollow thunking sound could be heard. This sound reverberated throughout the chamber. Judging by the sound the armor was empty. On closer inspection Noah saw that in the lap of the rundown armor lay a lamp. Not any ordinary lamp, the lamp was made in a hexagonal shape; it was made of an ornate metal which had long rusted, its sides having small thin spikes protruding out of it. The bottom of the lamp had two chains hanging from it and its top resembled a king's crown with a golden ornament in the middle which could be used to hang the lantern. And lastly on one side hung a tattered red cloth.
Admiring the lantern Noah felt a compulsion, a drive, NO a need to touch the lamp. As he laid his hands on the lamp the entire room went dark. Then the lamp lit up illuminated the middle of the room with a bright blue light. Noah instantly backed away, but it was too late. Noah was sucked in towards the lamp and felt the same pull he fleet when he first was dragged into his nightmare. Noah struggled to escape, pushed with all his might.
Then it all stopped. Noah, still pushing back, flew backwards. Then The room went eerily quiet. Nothing moved. Then the flames came back and started to slowly move towards Noah. Seeing this Noah tried to run not wanting to be burned alive but he was cornered. As the flames engulfed him felt a strange sense of pleasure. Not sexual pleasure but something very different. As if something that had been missing was filled. The the spell whispered in his ear
{You have received a attribute}
Noah had a look of perplexment on his face. Did the flames just give him an attribute?
Feeling the weight of something on his hip he looked down and was surprised to see the same lamp he had just admired on his hip. He instantly detached the lamp and threw it away. The blue flame bounding into the distance then disappearing. Before Noah could tell what happened the lamp then appeared on his hip again It blue flame flickering.
Quickly Noah opened up his runes and glanced down to his attribute their right in his rune their was a new attribute
Attribute Description : {umbral lamp}
(A Sacred artifact thought to be lost to the ages belonging to the great shadow god. Now replaced by a divine artifact it has lost its luster and is now waiting for its new master.
This artifact is still incomplete and has not reached its full sacred power.)
Noah took the umbral lamp off his hip and held it up. " Does this have the potential to become a sacred level artifact? But it's just a lamp. What can this thing do that is so impressive". Very unimpressed by such a strong artifact Noah used it as a regular light source and walked to the middle of the room. The armor was still on its knee and the knife was still at hip; it sat there unmoving. Noah then touched the armor and it shattered into a rain of sparks. He did the same with the knife which also shattered into sparks. The spell announced again in a whisper
[ you have received a memory]
[you have received a memory]
Noah again opening his runes glanced down at the memory section and he had seen that he had acquired two new memories
Name : Noah
True name: —-
Rank :aspirant
Soul core: dormant
Memories: (Farron Dagger) (fallen Knight's Armor)
Echo:—-
Aspect name : blasphemies worshiper
Attributes: (Adyr's blood) (counter) (Umbral Lamp)
Memory : (Fallen knights armor)
Rank: dormant
Memory tier : III
Memory type : armor
Memory description ( a strong knight of little renown wore this armor. Lost and abandoned by the gods he fought with nothing but the clothes of his back. One day this knight had found a lost artifact, like him the artifact had been forgotten and so he took it with. Now he lay dead with the artifact in hand. Who will be the next soul to carry his burden?)
Memory enchantments : (forgotten) (battle hardened)
Enchantment: (forgotten)
Enchantment description : ( the master of this armor was a knight of no renown ,easily forgotten your presence is lessened with this armor on)
Enchantment: (Battle hardened)
Enchantment description: ( this armor has been through hell and back, proving its durability . the armor is extremely durable).
The armor that was summoned was in slightly better condition then the statue but the armor still laid in tatters.
The armor supported a helmet with a closed faceplate design with a visor that gave a knight like appearance. The armored plates were colored black but Most of them were missing with the chest plate, the left shoulder, arm guards, the plates on the back of the hand and the shin guards still intact. The rest of the body was covered in old rags so as to not show any skin. Under the shin guards lay a thin boot layer protected by leather and the back of the outfit was covered in a cloak that also covered the right shoulder. The front half of the clock was torn apart leaving the front of the armor visible
The armor was surprisingly comfortable with protection in all the right places and with enough flexibility to be used in Noah's main fighting style. Plus the (forgotten) enchantment could be very useful when trying a sneak attack.
After summoning the armor Noah then summoned the large dagger that was sitting next the armor
Memory : Farron knights dagger
Rank: awaken
Tier: III
Type: Weapon
Memory description: ( A Dagger used by a long dead legion of supreme warriors. Gifted to a forgotten knight for his help. Now this dagger lies in tatters laced with the blood of which have been slain by it)
Memory enchantment (fang)(claw)(black iron)
Enchantment (fang)
Enchantment description
( a wolf never lets go of its prey once bitten; neither will this dagger. Onced stabbed into anything, this weapon will hold on until the user want it to let go)
Enchantment : (claw)
Enchantment description :
(this weapon has a very sharp and serrated edge perfect for stabbing and cutting)
enchantment : (Black Iron)
( This weapon is forged with a special material that is very hard to break. This weapon is very durable)
As the knife fell into his hands, Noah weighed it. For its size the knife was pretty light. It was the perfect tool to use with his punching fighting style. The only problem is that since the blade is curved it will be significantly harder to stab the enemy but that can be worked out later.
Raising the (umbral lamp) the room was illuminated with a blue light. In the corner was a corridor. Seeing no other way to continue, he walked towards and through it leaving the chamber behind with his new spoils.
Being able to see was a god sent for Noah. having traveled in the dark for while Noah was finally able to walk at a good pace without running into things.
He somberly jogged through the corridor, his sprites lifted at the new treasures he had found. Again as he walked the corridor got thinner and thinner till Noah had to walk sideways through the crevasse. Then suddenly the cave stopped. Confused, Noah looked around for another exit but could not find one. Then he looked up and saw that as the walls had been narrowing, the ceiling had been rising.
Seeing this the only way Noah figured he could go was up so he put both hands and feet on each side of the crevasse and pushed scooting up the walls. As he made it to the top of the crevasse he did not see any place he could go but then he looked at the ceiling. The ceiling was made of dirt, not rock. Coming to the conclusion that he was pretty close to the surface he was motivated to dig his way out from there.
On the surface the land was barren, with no plants, no animals, and no movement insight. But then a little rumble in the ground then a little crack. The ground caved in and a man crawled out of the hole.
Noah surfaced and basked in the moonlight that bounced off the helmet of his armor. He looked around to see that he had surfaced close to the church. Taking his first step on the surface he hobbled towards the church and fell to his knees. He felt sorrow and joy in the fact that he was the only survivor and screamed a vulgar war cry to the heavens. A Declaration to all that could hear it, that he had overcome his adversity and survived his execution. Overcome by emotions Noah sat there for a bit looking at the burnt remains of the church. Then he got to thinking
Why hadn't the nightmare ended yet. The entire cult had been killed or captured and the battle was over so why was he still here. then a thought came to mind: "maybe the artifact is still in the church"
Looking back at the church it seemed to be in the same condition it was when Noah had witnessed it when time was flowing backwards. Rubble strewn about, its ceiling caved in and its bell tower, fallen. As Noah entered the great cathedral for the last time he took his time to admire the grandeur of the Archways one last time.
Walking through the familiar halls of the burn cathedral Noah was giddy with anticipation that his nightmare might be over. As he turned the corner to enter the ritual door Noah saw a few corpses. They were mercenaries. Noah freaked out a little, took his knife out and walked past them and entered the door leading to the place of worship. As he walked Noah wondered why the sungods warriors did not destroy the artifact yet .But As Noah walked down the rocky unpolished hallway that led to the ritual room he found out why. As he walked he came across many corpses. All the corpses seem to have stab wounds in vital areas like the neck or chest. Noticing this Noah decided to press onwards.
As he entered the last hall towards the ritual artifact he saw a man standing in the way. With no armor and a cultist robe on he stood in the middle with many mercenarie's bodies strewn across the hall. This follower locked eyes with Noah and raised his sword. Getting ready for a fight Noah also raised his fist. Expecting an easy fight Noah was relaxed but then the follower rushed at him within human speed. As this happen Noah had one thought before the follower was upon him " crap he's an awakened"
As this thought came to an end the followers' sword swung narrowly missing Noah. Noah, trying to retaliate, tried to close in but he was read and the follower moved back instantly while swinging again. Noah using his knife's unserrated side blocks the sword swing and backs up as well to get out of range. Seeing this the follower then jumped forwards towards Noah which was exactly what Noah wanted. Noah sprang forwards getting into an effective range and threw a cross before the follower could swing his sword. The follower recoiled at the hit which was what Noah wanted. Noah then lunged forwards and faked the jab hitting the follower in the spleen with a right hook. The follower cumbled and Noah without hesitation went for the kill,but as Noah went in with the knife the follower swung his sword at Noah. Noah notices immediately dodging the attack by ducking. He then rushed forwards and hit the follower again with a right hook before driving the knife into the side of the follower's neck serving the spinal cord. The follower feeling the pain in his neck lost all control of his body and went limp on the floor. He bled out shortly after.
Noah, seeing the follower bleeding out of the floor, walked past him to the chamber at which he saw the religious artifact hovering in the middle of the room. Almost instantly he ran, pulled back his knife and tried to stab it. The knife hit the artifact and harmlessness scraped off the side.
Confused, he tried again with no result. Enraged he stabbed it again, nothing. even with his attribute he could even lay a scratch on it. Noah, refusing to admit defeat right before the end hit it multiple times with the dagger. It was ineffective till the end. Defeated, Noah screamed at the artifact " JUST DIE ALREADY, LET BE GO BACK!" Noah in defeat crumpled to the floor. He could not damage it so he could not destroy it, so what now? Looking at the artifact in horror Noah came to a stark realization." if i can't get rid of this artifact then how do I escape this nightmare". In desperation Noah tried to find something, anything to destroy this artifact but he found nothing. Then he noticed that on his hip something was shaking.
The (umbral lamp) was reacting to something. Pulling it out Noah followed where the lamp was taking him. He walked straight at the artifact and the lamp reacted again. Putting the lamp right next to the artifact the blue fire in the lamp started to grow string like tentacles that engulfed the artifact. Then the spell whispered into his ear
( you have slain the fallen demon, Adyr heart)
( you have received a memory)
Noah quickly opened his runes and saw the new memorie he instantly opened the runes to the memory. The stated.
Memory : Antediluvian Chisel
Rank: ascendant
Tier: I
Type: tool
Memory description:
(the final piece of the umbral lamp)
enchantment : (kindling)
Enchantment description :
(This memory can be used to restore the umbral lamp to it full glory)
Noah looked at the memory with joy and sadness. On one hand he had found the other part of the umbral land but on the sad side he just got a acendent level memory and all it did was strengthen one of his attributes.
As Noah summoned the chisel he put it near the umbral lamp. The umbral lamp reacted the same way it did to Adyr's heart. The blue tentacles erupted form the blue flame and the chisel was consumed by the ravenous lamp the spell rang out again
( your memory has been destroyed)
Ignoring this Noah looked at the lamp, its flame glowing brighter than ever before the spell then spoke again.
[ congratulation you have restored a sacred artifact to it former glory]
[ the artifact without a master has now chosen you as it host]
Noah was ecstatic; he would be the wielder of sacred artifacts who could have guests that he would become so strong. Then his vision went dark and the spell announced
[ wake up, Noah! Your nightmare is over.}
[Prepare for appraisal…}