Echoes Of The Seven

Thankfully, blessedly, Nima’s idea was turned down. Despite the awkwardness in the entire room of what was being talked about, and numerous deans all stating that it was indeed an effective idea, it was also agreed that it could wait. There were simply more important things to do. With the unanimous decision that Jaxie, Alex, Nima, Meghan and Claire would be travelling towards the front end of the war effort to try and get level progression since nobody wanted to risk the Obelisk as an option, that meant they needed the speed-course on how to combat the Hollow effectively.

School, not sex.

That meant biology lessons on what the Hollow even was, with the specifics on how the magical corruption annihilated the host to take over the body in a half-alive state. Those corrupted were far more resilient and feral than normal, but could still be slain and thus remove a carrier of the plague. That was especially important, since if a carrier was allowed to linger uncontested, it could apparently plant itself like a tree, spreading roots of corruption and magical disease to further the Hollow’s influence far more quickly. That meant it was imperative that every single Hollow-infested creature that EVER made it to the mainland was exterminated on the spot, no hesitation whatsoever.

With the Syndicate having laid defensive claims over every inch of shoreline around the continent, there wasn’t a single possibility of anything swimming its way onto shore or flying in without a fight. In that same vein, it was easier to defend. It meant that although attacks could still come from any point on the edge of the continent and had forces spread thin, it also meant that only a fraction of the Hollow could actually get to Kavala at any given time. The vast majority of corrupted beings were fairly land-locked. Anything that could reach Kavala was few and far between.

Though the destination of their deployment still needed to be figured out, there was much that could be taught in terms of Hollow attacking strategies, hive mentality, and even basic, non-combat related survival skills like foraging and starting fires. No longer were the students to oversee their own studies and manage their own training. Jaxie, Alex, Nima, Meghan and Claire were being forced onto the Syndicate’s training schedule with no refusals allowed.

They even had Elmas personally overseeing their efforts. From the little that Eris had seen the woman do before losing her powers, as well as hearing some of the fantastic ways the woman had used those powers, it didn’t matter if she was mundane. Apparently, the woman had taken magic that was used almost exclusively for creating barriers to protect against attacks, and figured out ways to use the magic for anything but. Conjuring miniature barriers and manipulating them inside of locks to pick them. Sliding them between door hinges to keep them from squeaking. Layering it just above a floor to keep from activating traps, making noise or leaving footprints. Using it to fly by making a staircase up into the air, or apparently laying invisible traps and tripwires that could alert Elmas of anything that it interacted with regardless of the distance.

No wonder the woman had been one of the Syndicate’s best soldiers and spies. She’d effectively figured out how to take a shield and turn it into every tool she could possibly imagine. Eris wasn’t sure how well the party would be able to take that advice and put it into practice, though. She couldn’t really imagine very many ways for Jaxie to manipulate her Rage and provide any effect other than ‘Hit things really hard’.

But… that was for the party and Elmas to figure out. Eris had her own ‘training’.

“The Echoes bestowed with power by the Seven, before the calamities of the Sundering, bore what are commonly referred to as ‘Mythic’ classes. This is because the legends of those classes power far, far overachieve anything that any class granted after the Sundering has ever accomplished.”

Eris tried to look attentive. She really did. However, the woman standing at the front of the mostly-empty classroom made it difficult. Professor Rita Dzhemehal (which she adamantly ensured was pronounced Zuh-muh-hull after Eris butchered it the first few times) dragged the stick of chalk over the blackboard at a frankly remarkable pace.

“The Syndicate had previously assumed that, in the absence of the Seven post-Sundering, the Waypools serving as limited connections to the Stream were what allowed us the power of the Giftings. After all, it was only the individuals that lowered themselves into the waters of Grohl, the Whirlpool of Life, that were granted power- and even then only if they held the goal of eradicating the Hollow. Any others that did not have that goal and tried to partake in the power were rejected entirely, often scarred by the waters in the process. We did not know why it was only the single goal of fighting the Hollow and seemingly nothing else whatsoever, even if it was a good-oriented goal, but the Syndicate embraced that power regardless and was born from it.”

“Yeah, Professor Zummy-” the Leatherworking tutor that- after a brief re-introduction Eris now recalled as Rocky- tried to speak. However, the Professor cut her off.

“Dzhemehal. Zuh-muh-hull. Proper names are important.”

“Fine.” Rocky rolled her eyes. “Professor Zuh-muh-hull, what does any of this have to do with Eris specifically, or what she might get as skills when she gets to higher levels?”

“To understand what Eris may be capable of in the future, we must completely understand the differences between the Echoes of old and the Gifted of now. To do that, we need to go back to our beginnings and acknowledge the journey that brought us where we are.”

“Can’t you just tell us what skills Eris might get?” Bailey had her chin resting lazily in her hands, both elbows on the desk in front of her.

Rita trained her gray eyes on the blonde, smoothed out a few wrinkles in her lavender-shaded tailcoat and tapped her stick of chalk back on the board. It bore the white outline of the continent of Kavala. A rougher version, naturally, but it got the point across. Almost rectangular in shape and stretching vertically, but with a few outcroppings and indents on the coast that made it quite recognizable.

“Explaining what her future skills may be is exactly what I amASS on her. However, it remained completely covered as the thirty-something-year-old pale woman brushed a lock of her bright pink-dyed hair back behind her ear from where it escaped her complex braid.

With an elegantly angular face, intense gray eyes, bright hair and focused look, Rita was oddly pretty- in a weird, intimidating and contradictory kind of way.

“For Kavala in particular, there are four Waypools that serve as direct connections where the waters of Grohl leak through. However, more pseudo-Waypools can be made artificially by introducing pure water of Grohl into existing bodies of water, effectively blessing that water and allowing it to function as a limited connection in all ways except taking that water to make other new Waypools. That is the reason that although there are only four legitimate, natural Waypools in Kavala, almost every single town, city or village across the continent has their own artificial one that allows anyone to partake in the Gifting. Or- allowed, rather.”

Rita marked four different locations on the map of Kavala- one to the far northwest, one about two thirds of the way down and hovering near the middle, and then the final two in quite close proximity to each other, hovering very near where Eris knew the capital city of Madaras sat, and thus Marrix as well.

“One of the Waypools is in the city of Whitecloud, in the northwest. One is within the city of Respite, in the southern regions of the Candar desert. The third and fourth are both within a hundred miles of Madaras, one directly north and one closer to the southeast coast. However, the Echoes of old did not receive their power by connecting through a Waypool, as no Waypools existed before the events of the Sundering. They exclusively appeared after the Hollow did, by all records and accounts. It is assumed that the deaths of the Seven weakened some barrier between Tonshlur and the Stream, allowing the waters of the Grohl half to flow into our world. As for the Echoes of old…”

Rita turned back around, robbing Eris of the view of the woman’s backside. Of course, Eris then realized that she had been perving on her teacher and tried to hide the blush on her face as she tried to focus back on the extended lecture.

“By all accounts, the Echoes pre-Sundering were all bestowed with their classes and their powers directly by the Seven themselves. They never appeared to choose their servitude like Gifted do- volunteering to touch the waters and uptake the oath. Instead, they were sought out by the familiars of the Seven, whereupon the Seven would then channel themselves through their familiars and bless the individual with their class and magic. There was no turning down the blessing- at least not in any records that have ever been found. If the individual did not want the power, they simply chose not to use it.”

Rita turned back around, though this time Eris consciously avoided trying to look at the woman’s ass. It really wiggled though as she dragged the eraser across the chalkboard and began writing.

“There is one key difference between the Gifted and the Echoes, however, and that is the sheer number of classes each consisted of. The Gifted have dozens and dozens and dozens of classes that can be given, each with slight differences in how they function. For example, as all of you are aware, there are eight different crafting classes available to Gifted. Culinarian, Metalsmith, Weaver, Leatherworker, Stonecutter, Alchemist, Woodcarver, and Artisan. Each of them is dedicated to a specific aspect of crafting, except for the Artisan which serves as a weaker mixture of the other seven.

“In the same vein, there are many different types of combative classes. Knights, Berserkers, Bastions, Gladiators, Shifters, Pugilists, and more. And those are just classes that are attributed mostly towards Strength-based, melee-oriented brawls and would be best suited towards front line combat, or serving as dedicated ‘tanks’. If you look towards the classes that generally end up based off of Dexterity, then you get options like Rogues, Sharpshooters, Ballasts, Duelists, Blademasters, and more.”

Rita was making a veritable wall of classes on the chalkboard, writing so fast Eris was surprised the chalk in her fingers hadn’t disintegrated. Every single name that was spoken out was added to the list, just as quickly as her words spilled from her mouth to the point it was hard to understand.

“And those are just the classes that don’t have the ability to use Mana, or at least not primarily. Add in a bit of spellcraft to those, then you have Battlemages, War Casters, Spellblades, Rangers, and a few others. Focus entirely on magic and drop the physical aspects, then you get Evokers, Shamans, Conjurers, Menders, Mages, Abjurerers, Illusionists, Enchanters, and so, so many more. Almost hundreds of options across thousands and thousands of soldiers, all encompassing different niches and abilities.”

Professor Dzhemehal drew a sharp line right down the middle of the chalkboard, separating the left half, which was filled with every single class Rita mentioned thus far, from the right which was yet blank. She took a deep breath, and her sentences returned to a normal, manageable pace.

“For Echoes, however, there were only ever nine Mythic classes, and every Echo ever recorded was one of those nine. Paladins, Warlocks, Titans, Summoners, Lycanthropes, Sorcerers, Druids, and Dreadnoughts. And, of course, Artificers.”

Each of them was written out slowly and precisely. When she was done, Rita turned back around.

“There were no regular classes back then. There were no Gifted. It was only nonmagical people in a rather nonmagical world, walked by an Echo for every ten thousand souls, or perhaps even a hundred thousand souls. Magic was rare, because the only magic came from the ones blessed directly by the Seven. It was theorized that is why the Mythic classes were always portrayed as such mighty and powerful beings, is because they were shown in comparison to the common man and thus exaggerated beyond their real limits. A ‘soldier with the strength of an army’ is far less of a feat when you take into account the fact that someone like Miss Carmine here would likely be completely incapable of being defeated by any normal human force or militia.”

Rita gestured towards the corner of the room, where once again, Eris’s bodyguard was remaining in proximity.

“In fact, most of the ferocious creatures and magical beasts that Syndicate soldiers so often have to deal with didn’t seem to exist in that time period, either. They had cows, giraffes, bears and deer. Not cyclopes, dragons, beholders, harpies, hydras, nagas, tallarus and rocs. For threats like those, it would likely take an entire army of mundane soldiers to eliminate a handful, or even just one. However, small teams of Gifted, often five or less, deal with them on a near-daily basis. By that logic, the Echoes could have easily been the relative power of a traditional Gifted, simply blown out of proportion by tales and exaggerated deeds.”

“Ok, but Eris is like… way more powerful than us, and it’s not even close.” Hima chirped, once again playing with the ends of her black-and-green hair. That did pull a nod of approval from the Professor, however.

“Yes, she is. Which proves without doubt that the deeds of Echoes may have been understated due to a lack of proper comprehension rather than overstated. For example, some of the last records that appear to have been made before the Sundering spoke of a Titan named Rimna, who was said to have the presence of a small mountain. However, there was a letter that the Syndicate recovered once in a small town in Kelopa before the continent was lost to the Hollow, and it was a letter talking in detail about how Rimna saved that town from a volcano that erupted with no warning.”

Rita set what remained of her chalk on a small table, wiping her fingers with a cloth that was tucked back into her breast pocket.

“While other records of Rimna spoke in relatively vague terms of her having the strength of ten thousand men and a body that blocked out the sun, that letter explicitly said that Rimna was a mountain on legs. A mountain that rose to almost half the height of the volcano, broke open the entire backside with her bare hands, then called down a blizzard so cold it turned a tidal wave of molten rock into obsidian in a single moment.”

Rita leaned back against the table. “A tale that certainly seems an exaggeration, even by the extent of Echoes. Either it is a fabrication, or it was a fairly small volcano with only a minor eruption. That is, until one turns their gaze to Splitshard Caldera, a mountain cresting twenty-one thousand feet in height, fractured almost completely in half, belching a river of completely solidified lava glass that never even managed to make it to ground level before cooling. Dozens upon dozens, if not hundreds of tons of molten rock all flash-frozen miles before it could reach the very same ruined town in which the Syndicate found that letter.”

Rita snapped her fingers, making a shockingly loud, sharp crack of noise for the movement.

“Now, considering Eris’s tremendous capabilities despite only being second level, it serves as yet more proof that when it is said the Echoes were second in power only to the Seven themselves, it was correct. They weren’t just individuals with magic in a nonmagical world. They were, by all accounts, deities in of themselves.”

Rita walked forward, closing the distance to Eris and making the redhead gulp. The teacher’s eyes were so intense as they bored through Eris’s gaze.

“The Echoes were worshipped just as the Seven were. As far as the world was concerned, they were the centers of existence, and the very avatars in which the Seven enacted their wills unto Tonshlur. Such isn’t even a matter of the records and tomes. One could simply ask the very Precursors that you brought back from that prison realm, like I did.”

Eris blinked. “You can understand them?”

“Of course. Who do you think wrote the most recent updates of the Ra’lan to Common Translation Dictionary? I also wrote Dzhemehal’s Lexicon of Pre-Sundering Cultures and Histories, The Mythic Legends, Powers of Sinful Acceptance and all fourteen editions of the Atlas of the Seven, with each one concisely detailing every single particulate of information that could be found about each of the Seven’s two halves. All of them being books and information that will need to be updated with the truly fascinating things that the Precursors will be able to share with me in the following months.”

Eris blinked. “Oh.”

Rita leaned down, placing both hands flat on Eris’s desk and leaning over slightly. It was probably a good thing that her tailcoat and undershirt were so prim, buttoned all the way up the throat, or else Eris would have been able to look right down her-

Not the time, Eris!

“The Mythic classes of the old world were natural disasters given to a host, with seemingly limitless potential for growth so long as the host indulged in enough sin and continued their level progression. If what I understand about Pravala is true, then had she been any higher of a level before being trapped, that much progression resource for her skills would have easily made her the single most powerful Echo in all of history. The only reason she wasn’t was simply because she had too much of her sinful resource and not enough skills to spend it on.”

Rita leaned in even closer, making Eris’s heart thump in her chest. She wasn’t entirely sure if it was from arousal or genuine fear, though.

“The people that Pravala enslaved were originally from a town named Llyne, over in the Jurshi Archipelago. Pravala didn’t bind their souls by force- they gave them to her willingly. She and her siblings were the Echos that had been blessed by Alda. Not just one person- a trio, bound by blood and all chosen by the Promise. Echoes were almost exclusively chosen one at a time, so all three at once was an omen. The entire village worshipped them, because why wouldn’t they? A whole family, born of their own town, blessed by the Mother of Crossroads. They were the guardians of the town, and even though they had only a handful of levels between the three of them and thus less than a fraction of their possible power, they were that town’s religion. So when Pravala’s siblings, Winona and Hadrix, were away dealing with a separate issue and Pravala spoke her concerns about Miknalor, the town listened. They listened, and they gave what they could because their goddess was asking them to; so that she may do her best to protect them yet again.”

Finally, Rita backed away and let Eris take a breath for the first time in what felt like minutes. The pink-haired woman rested her hands on her hips.

“Granted, it was only after that when things took a turn for the worse and Pravala was forced to kill both her siblings in self-defense.”

Eris’s throat went sour. “She did?”

“Yes, and it seems I was right in my assumptions that she never told you that.” Rita hummed. “When her siblings returned, Pravala was apparently elated to tell them of her plan to try and become powerful enough to prevent Miknalor by siphoning from the town. Unfortunately, Winona and Hadrix had not been receptive and saw the act as monstrous beyond reason- even though the town had been bound willingly. After the siblings fell, Pravala had been bested and captured by Nyx- an Echo who actually appears substantially often in old records. According to those, Nyx was a Dreadnought that exclusively served the judgement of the judicial court of Echoes known as the Conclave. She even had a title; ‘Grihmoira’, which translates directly into ‘Deathblade’. Quite dramatic if you ask me, but I suppose it served the purpose of instilling fear well enough.”

Rita reached into a pocket and pulled out a new, pristine stick of chalk that Eris had no doubts would disintegrate in a matter of minutes.

“If there was ever an Echo that overstepped their bounds or swayed too far in one direction of the Balance, then Nyx was sent to hunt them down and take them in. Judging by the dozens of apparent captures over multiple decades, we can assume that Nyx was either astonishingly powerful and skilled, or may have had many abilities that aided in combating other Echoes. Either way, she is likely who the Syndicate would consider the most powerful Echo to have ever existed. But that circles us back to why the Echoes and their Mythic classes bear such a potency that normal classes don’t reach. Addison, pay attention. This is important.”

Eris’s eyes flicked over to the tall blonde Woodcarver, whose face snapped back forward and away from the window she’d been idly staring out of. “Sorry,” she said. Rita seemed to barely acknowledge it.

“If the Echoes are gleaming gemstones, Gifted are simply fractured shards. From what we know of Paladins, they were effectively a combination of a Knight, A Spellblade, a Bastion, a Gladiator, a Mender, and an Abjurer, if not a few others added on, all at once. A Titan is a Berserker, an Evoker, a Battlemage, a Pugilist, a Ranger and a Transmuter. As for the Artificer?”

Rita returned to the chalkboard, drawing lines across the center divider separating the numerous Gifted classes from the much fewer Mythic classes.

“There are eight crafting classes for Gifted today. There was only one crafting class back then. The Culinarian, Woodcarver, Metalsmith, Leatherworker, Alchemist, Weaver, Stonecutter and Artisan are simply the broken pieces of what the Artificer was. A Mythic class torn apart into fractions of its power, its strength divided between each of its aspects that were then given out as their own classes.”

When Rita finished, all eight of the crafting classes listed out had a line brought right to Artificer, which was circled broadly.

“An Artificer is not simply a more powerful version of an Artisan, or a Woodcarver, or an Alchemist. It is every single Gifted crafting class put together, with every single one of their strengths and none of the weaknesses. It is eight different parts brought back to the same whole, which only opens up the potential even more than eight of the highest-level Gifted of those classes all working together. That is because it isn’t simply taking the same amount of power and putting it in each style of crafting. It is taking all the power of a Woodcarver, and adding it to the power of a Culinarian, and then adding that to the power of a Stonecutter.”

Rita then started drawing lines between each of the other Gifted crafting classes as well, forming a tight, tangled knot of chalk that quickly got to the point of near-unintelligibility.

“Each of the eight Gifted crafting classes is being boosted by the power of every single other crafting class, and only THEN is all of that power brought right back to a single point. A single person. A single being, who sharpens that energy even further with the grindstone of sin. The Artificer. The master of crafting, capable of forging creations that can lock away even the end of the world itself.”

The room went quiet. Eventually, it was Rachel, the Metalsmith that gave a slow nod.

“Gotta say, cool speech. Now, back to the question from half an hour ago, what kind of skills do you think Eris is going to get when she levels up?”

Rita tensed before letting out a long sigh.

“As I said before, I am explaining that right now. To make assumptions of what we don’t know, we must refer to what we do. As you are all undoubtedly aware, each of the Seven had their own familiar which they used to bring their presence into the world…”

This time, even Charlotte and Grace joined the unanimous groan that filled the room.