Rise of the Devourer

Book 3: Chapter 14 — The Spear's Spirit Pt. 1

Noah rushed forward with his spear, thrusting it towards Kaelan. The Drakonian warrior struck back with rapid precision, his own spear twisting and bending as it deflected Noah's thrust. Then, he spun his weapon around, using the base of the staff to strike back at Noah.

Noah leaned away, dodging the attack and using the chance to move in as he swung his spear around, slashing and forcing Kaelan to step back. Tony tensed the muscles in Noah's legs, changing them so that he could burst forward in a rapid rush, putting his entire body's weight behind his thrust as he attacked Kaelan.

The Drakonian leapt into the air, his wings fluttering as he began to fly. With a rapid change, wings grew from Noah's back as Tony altered his body, and he jumped up as well, following behind. He threw his spear at the Dragon warrior, who intercepted it by grabbing the weapon. But instead of teleporting his spear back, Noah teleported towards his spear. The Dragon warrior's eyes widened for a brief moment as Noah struck with his fist at his chest, throwing him back.

The Dragon warrior spun in the air, laughing as his red aura coalesced, his muscles twitching under his scaled body. Noah used metamorphosis rapidly, his body transforming as both warriors clashed mid-air. The air shook from the strike, with void annihilation meeting Kaelan's spear as the magical strikes collided in a flurry of light.

Kaelan thrust his spear rapidly, a triple strike hitting Noah, stabbing his chest. Noah used his own spear, slashing at the Dragon warrior's face, spinning his weapon around before using the backside to thrust in a surprise strike. Kaelan breathed fire from his mouth, the air sizzling hot and burning bright. The two danced in the air, the battle shaking the grounds and sending magical storms brewing.

With a rapid thrust of his weapon, Kaelan pierced Noah's heart. But before he succumbed, Noah used the chance to pull himself closer, using his own spear to stab Kaelan in the gut. Both warriors fell from the skies, Kaelan steadying himself before Noah, who found his eyes closing as death took him.

You Died.

[Wyrmblood Guardian] has reached level 116!

[Runebody Arcanist] has reached level 115!

[Abyssal Predator] has reached level 116!

With a flash of bright light, Noah reappeared, taking a deep breath as he settled back into reality, clutching his heart for a moment to make sure it was still there. Feeling the beating of his heart calmed Noah down immediately. As weird as this was, he had definitely started to get used to the sensation of dying.

"Good fight!" Kaelan exclaimed, walking closer as he slapped Noah's shoulder. "If that had been real, I would have had a very real chance of dying without a healer. The rot certainly would have gotten me. Would have been a nasty way to die," Kaelan said, smiling almost as if he was describing the weather outside.

"You're lying, and it doesn't help me. I know you were still holding back a little," Noah said.

Kaelan smiled even harder at his words. "That's the right attitude. You have been growing well, Noah," the Drakonian said.

Noah gave a nod. It had been roughly 10 days since he had started training here, and the spars in the chambers had become a regular routine, rapidly. And with them, dying had become a regular routine as well. If he was not wrong, he had died a total of 14 times by now.

"Now, what do you think you did wrong?" Kaelan asked. That was another part of the ritual: probing each other for mistakes and realizing where they could improve. In Noah's case, it was mostly Kaelan teaching him indirectly.

"Should not have let you run away. If instead of striking, I had used Bloodwyrm's, I could've restrained you long enough to transform and then keep you grounded, giving myself an upper hand. And after you took to the skies, I should have tried to bring you down as quickly as I could, and used my spear to strike at your wings. My spear was shivering, but I had lost myself to my instincts. I should have listened to her more."

"Excellent! It's good that you can tell all that on your own. But even if you had tried to hold me down, it would not have worked because I had been ready for that. Although, thats a lesson for another day," Kaelan said.

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The Dragon warrior glanced sideways, and a moment later, Noah did as well, sensing Zax walking into the chamber.

"We hope we didn't interrupt anything," Zax said.

"You say it like you couldn't just see what we were doing inside," Noah replied with a chuckle.

"Merely following courtesy. Our abilities do not excuse us from social norms," Zax said, before turning towards Kaelan. "We have prepared the thing you mentioned."

"Already? I guess that's to be expected from an A-rank mage. Still, that's quite fast. You might be better than any other mage I have ever met," Kaelan said.

"What's this about?" Noah asked.

"You, actually. There's something I have been meaning to do but did not have the resources to do here. So I asked your friend Zax here for a favor," Kaelan said.

"Here it is," Zax added, as a smooth spherical stone appeared in his hand, glowing with a white and blue shimmer with many runes swirling around its surface. Noah looked at the magical object curiously.

"Feels like I'm stating the obvious, but guess I'll play along. What's that thing?"

"This," Kaelan said, taking the stone in his hand, "is a spiritual conduit. We'll be using our training hall alongside this today, to send your spirit into your spear."

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"Okay..." Noah said. "And how's that going to help?"

"It's a common way to bind objects that have a spirit in them. But it is also sometimes used to deepen that bond as well. The more your spirit is tied to your spear, the more the two of you will reflect each other in your path," Zax said smoothly.

"Indeed. So, are you ready to have some good old private bonding time with your spear?" Kaelan asked.

"Are you saying it like that intentionally..." Noah said, to which Kaelan looked at him in confusion. "Never mind. What am I supposed to do?"

"Summon your spear and then activate the battle simulator. I will do the rest," Kaelan said.

"Alright," Noah walked up to the glass pane, putting his hand on the magic circle. Kaelan walked to the other end, but instead of placing his hand like normal, he put the stone onto the magic circle. Noah watched the stone get absorbed through the glass, vanishing entirely.

A second later, a prompt appeared in front of him.

Would you like to enter a dream?

Yes/No?

Noah looked at the message skeptically before selecting yes. A moment later, he felt his body being pulled inside as he vanished.

***

Noah found himself standing on a battlefield covered in blood. No... not just blood, he realized, but blood and Crimson rot. The sky above shone a deep crimson hue with a red moon glowing at the horizon. Corpses littered the ground, people moving back and forth, as their weapons clashed. Magic collided together before falling apart, taking lives as it did. A constant scream and rush of sound enveloped Noah, the air filled with the scent of blood and sweat, and the dying screams were drowned out only by the constant patter of steps and the clangs of metal striking metal.

His mind was overwhelmed for a moment as sensations assaulted him all at once. He stood, almost in a daze, before his attention was caught by something moving in the sky. He could see it weakly, a figure of a woman flying with scarlet hair and golden wings. She moved rapidly, fighting a giant beast whose body dripped dark red blood from which monstrous creatures rose themselves, attacking everyone else.

Noah knew that woman. The faded memory in his mind returned, of the goddess he had met back on Earth. The one who held the answers to everything. He wanted to shout out, to call her name, but before he could, a blade was thrust towards him. Noah moved on instinct, protecting his neck as the weapon missed his throat. He stepped back, claws forming on his arm as he blocked the second strike, before using his spear to attack back and pierce through the throat of the monstrous man covered in rotting red skin.

[Crimson Shambler - ??]

Blood seeped through his throat, the dying soldier gurgling as he slumped before Noah pulled his spear back out. Just what was happening here?

What are you doing?! A woman shouted at him, rushing ahead as she took out the soldier Noah had just killed who had been trying to rise back up.

Noah stared blankly, not understanding what was happening. He looked down a moment later and saw himself donning armor similar to the woman's, clad in red and gold. Protect the Divine Child! the Valkyrie shouted, as words appeared in front of Noah.

Quest of the Spears Spirit

You find yourself in the memory of the greatest war in history. Aid your companions and stop the Divine Child from falling into enemy hands, to alter the tides.

Difficulty: Hard

Rewards: A Greater Bond with your Spear.

After reading the quest, Noahs eyes scanned the battlefield to search for the figure in question. Soldiers clad in rotting armor, their flesh searing as blood pooled around their limbs, shambled around like zombies, shrieking and screaming as they launched themselves at the oncoming soldiers, many exploding into red mists that carried the Crimson rot with them.

Looking through the haze, Noah found a child clad in golden and white robes, standing ahead with a dying Valkyrie protecting her. Noah rushed forward, spinning his spear around as he thrust the weapon between the eyes of a shambling soldier, splitting it in two. He leapt above the crowd, void annihilation crackling around the spear as he threw the weapon at the monster aiming for the child, piercing its chest and skewering a row of blood-covered abominations, like the worlds grossest barbecue.

Bloodwyrms rose around Noah, biting into his enemies, as the Valkyries roared and screamed, supporting him. Golden light flashed all around him, figures moving and holding back the rising tide of enemies surrounding them even as the rot tore through their bodies and skins.

Using arcane step, Noah rushed closer, arriving next to the child as he grabbed her, trying to pull her into his cosmic vault. Target is too powerful to contain.

Noah froze, confused as he looked down at the child. She couldn't have been more than twelve, looking an awful lot like Snow had. Summoning his spear back in his hand, Noah stabbed another monstrous figure attacking him without paying much attention.

Every creature in the area seemed to be aiming for the child, held back only by rows and rows of Valkyries holding the enemies at bay. He didn't have much time to worry, and if his ability wasn't going to work, he simply had to do it the old-fashioned way.

Hold on, Noah said, as he picked up the kid, flinging her over his shoulder. Thankfully, she did not protest or seem to mind much.

Briefly, out of curiosity, Noah used identify on the girl.

[Nascent God ?????]

[The Divine Child of Mercy]

I guess they were being literal when they said divine child.

The title flashed before Noah's eyes, but it offered little in the way of explanation. The urgency of the situation didn't allow him to ponder on it for long. With the child secured over his shoulder, Noah focused on navigating through the chaotic battlefield.

Turning around, Noah began to run, teleporting and jumping through the enemy's strikes, using his spear to cut through the Crimson shamblers, while avoiding the exploding ones that tried to leap at him and cover him in Crimson rot.

The sounds of war were deafening, and the smell of blood and death permeated the air. The Valkyries around him fought bravely, their golden armor shining amidst the crimson chaos. Their battle cries and the clashing of steel against the monstrous foes created a symphony of destruction that echoed across the battlefield.

Noah pushed through, using his spear with precision and deadly force, creating a path through the enemy lines. His every move was calculated and swift, leaving behind a trail of fallen adversaries. The bloodwyrm swarm continued to tear into the enemy ranks, acting as both a shield and a weapon.

Noah's eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, looking for the safest route. He used Arcane Step to dodge more dangerous clusters of enemies, appearing and disappearing in a blink, always moving towards what he hoped was a safe haven.

In the distance, he could still see the scarlet-haired goddess battling the giant beast, her movements a blur of grace and power. As he fought and maneuvered through the battlefield, Noah felt a deep connection with his spear growing stronger. Every swing, every thrust, every kill seemed to resonate with the weapon, as if it were an extension of his own will.

As he moved through the nearby group of Crimson shamblers, Noah heard a powerful roar as a giant axe split one of them down the middle. The person who did so did not bring Noah any relief.

[Crimson Marauder - ???]

Noah stared as the massive man clad in thorny armor of deep red Crimson with a belt of skulls and a giant war axe in his hand walked closer, before he took another swing, this time at Noah.

With a mumbled curse, Noah teleported, making sure the kid he was carrying did not fall off as he began running for his life.