Chapter Twenty-Four: Echo Chamber

Chapter Twenty-Four: Echo Chamber

Honoured Council, he began, taking his cue from Val. The Reaping had been going well, or as well as Reapings usually go. Sometime in the third week though, the camp came under attack during the night. A village-killer swarm. Spiders. He paused, shuddering slightly as he remembered the carpet of black legs.

This matches the accounts of the other survivors, Director Steppenson said. Please, go on, Master Cutter.

We fought them, but there were simply too many. Guardsman Kawlstone died. We were starting to get overwhelmed. Officer Elensfield saw what would happen. He sacrificed himself to buy us time to escape.New novel chapters are published on

There was a murmur from the audience at that. Guards werent supposed to die. The Councilmembers said nothing. They stared at Tom as one, their eyes boring into him.

Im ashamed to say it. Tom paused again, casting his eyes down. I I ran. he rallied himself, looking back at the Councilmembers. At some point in my flight I came across Guardsman Clairvine. We ran through the night. When we stopped, there were ten of us. Just ten, and only one Idealist. We-

False, Archbishop White declared. Something rings false in your story.

Tom stopped, a confused look writ on his face. His story was true. He thought over his words. Realisation dawned on him.

My apologies, Councilmembers. There were in fact two Idealists with us. Gad Courser, as well as Clairvine.

My Gad! Oh, my Gad! A panicked voice shrieked from the audience. Tom turned. It was Lady Courser, Gad and Ellas mother. She was clinging to her husband, her eyes wild. Lord Courser looked stony. What happened to him? Where is-

The staff tapped the floor once again. Lady Courser, we will have silence. We understand you want answers, but they will come. Now, remain quiet, or you will be removed. The Speaker waited, his face impassive. It took some minutes until he was satisfied that Lady Courser had regained her composure. The staff tapped once again.

Archbishop White addressed Tom. A miscommunication then. Continue.

Clairvine declared our Reaping done. We tried to return to Wayrest, but we were pushed further and further west by the swarm. We had good luck, until we were ambushed by a wood sprite, and some kind of giant mantis, back to back. Clairvine was in bad shape. That was when the orcs found us, Tom finished.

The crowd was quiet. Expectant.

They overwhelmed us. Captured us, and dragged us off, further into the Deep. They killed Clairvine outright. One of them, their leader, I think, carried Markharts hammer. They must have been ambushing survivors of the village-killer swarm.

For days, we moved north. I thought we were done for. One evening, I manifested and we managed to escape. We ran, we were hunted, and eventually I was found by Val here. Everyone else died. Tom hung his head.

What!? My Gad! He cant have! Youre lying! You killed him! You- Lady Courser screamed before the tapping of the staff silenced her outburst.

The Speaker watched with an inscrutable expression as two Guards moved to remove her from the chambers. Lord Courser glared at them, keeping them at bay with the force of his stare as he ushered her from the room.

After several long minutes, the staff tapped again.

Im sorry, Councilmembers. There is one other thing, the most important Tom trailed off, not sure how exactly to phrase what he had to say.

Speak your mind, man, Lord Hammer said.

The leader of the orcs appeared to be I mean, the leader - it used a skill, Tom said.

Tom swore he could feel his hair move from the collective in-drawn breath of the room. Archbishop White beat them to the punch.

Truth, she declared. The man speaks the truth. The burgeoning disbelief and outrage of the crowd choked and died out.

He believes he speaks the truth, Lord Ember corrected once again.

What are you suggesting, Lord Ember? That a man who can count himself close to one of the best minds to ever come through the Academy cant tell an orc from another, more pedestrian creature? Director Steppenson said.

There are many explanations, Lord Ember said with a scathing glance for Steppenson. There are any number of plants with hallucinogenic properties in the Deep. There are even monsters with illusory abilities.

Nonsense, said Lord Hammer. If the timeline is correct, this man would have spent several weeks wandering around the Deep hallucinating. I dont know of any single person that could possibly survive such a thing. Its more likely the mans sensibilities are shaken after his ordeal.

The fact remains that he survived three weeks in the Deep - alone. This is unquestioned - he stands before us. The Healers at St Aloes assured me he is sound of mind. Some shock, to be sure, but nothing that could account for such a fantastic tale, said Gauze.

He has no proof, said Ember. Just myths and legends.

We have his word, corroborated by Ms Carver, and verified as truth by the Archbishop herself, Steppenson said. What more could you want? A bloodied head in a sack?

That would certainly put this discussion to rest, Lady Stone snorted.

Its besides the point. The whole story is ridiculous. How exactly did you survive, Master Cutter? How did you escape from these supposed orcs, with supposed skills, while you were newly manifested, when they had, according to you, killed not one, not two, but three experienced Idealists before you? Lord Ember asked him.

What did you manifest, Master Cutter? Gauze asked, offhandedly, right on the back of Ember.

Toms fists clenched by his sides. This entire Hearing he had felt like a ball kicked between a crowd of children, and he was getting sick of it. He raised his chin.

I manifested Suffering. Then Silence. And finally, Survival, he declared. If you want to know how I made it out - I almost didnt. Wouldnt have, if it werent for Ms Carver. But to get as far as I did, I suffered, and I kept quiet, and I managed to survive.

The councilmembers looked to Archbishop White, who inclined her head. They turned their attention back to Tom, scrutinising him. He could see the gears whirring in their heads, planning their next words.

Lady Stone spoke first. Well, I think that about settles it. Hes clearly unhinged.

Gauze came next. Suffering? Unconscionable. What a detestable Ideal. Send him off.

Lets not be hasty now, Lord Ember said, backpedalling suddenly. The man might have his uses. We havent seen Silence in generations. The last Idealist to manifest it was certainly useful.

Tom stood mutely, in shock. He had manifested, survived capture by orcs, made it all the way back to Wayrest to bring them news of the dire threat brewing outside the walls, and they wanted to exile him? And Ember, of all people, was defending him?

I will not have Suffering inside my walls because you want a cats paw, Ember! Gauze didnt quite shout, but she was close to it.

He couldnt handle it. He fled.

Tom burst from the building and onto the street. In the distance, he could see his familys carriage trundling away down the cobbles. Yet another sting to his fathers pride; they had even rented a horse for the occasion.

He walked down the street a ways before finding a bench in a small park. The first thing he did was pull his wisp to him. The ball of pink light, limned in black and striated with brown, bobbed merrily over.

Status, he commanded, in need of a distraction.

Ideal One (Classic):Suffering.

Skill One (Classic):Agony (Active):

Mana cost: Low.

Cooldown: Short.

Range: Moderate duration.

Damage: Low.

Damage over time: Moderate.

Inflict pain on target. Damage is typeless.

Skill Two (Classic): Sweet Suffering (Passive).

Debuffs and poisons are negated, and instead give an equal and opposite buff. Buffs last for as long as any debuffs would have. Immune to disease and damage-over-time effects.

Ideal Two (Classic):Silence.

Skill One (Classic): Hush (Active).

Mana cost: Moderate.

Cooldown: Moderate.

Range: Medium.

Duration: Moderate.

Apply Silence debuff to target. Puts caster to sleep if self-targeted.

Skill Two (Classic):Echo (Passive).

Any physical attack made by the caster creates an echo, which deals trivial damage. Any attack that damages the caster creates a retaliatory echo, which deals trivial damage. Both effects are limited to aura range.

Ideal Three (Classic):Survival (Classic).

Skill One (Classic): Survival of the Fittest (Ritual (Familiar)).

Mana cost: Extreme.

Cooldown: Extreme.

Requirements: Fifty life essence, five hunger essence, five sleep essence, five cold essence, five blood essence and one wild essence. Five aspect essence.

When summoned: Familiar can make extreme or heavy damage physical attacks. Familiars physical attacks have a minor damage bleed over time effect. Familiar has a roar that deals moderate magic damage. Moderate cooldown on roar.

When subsumed: Caster gains increased toughness, strength, and their physical attacks gain a trivial bleed over time effect. Extreme buff to casters sense of smell.

Skill Two (Classic): Grit (Passive).

Casters toughness increases the lower their health is.

Huh, he thought numbly. New skill, Echo.

His emotions had rarely run so high as during the Hearing. It must have triggered his new skill manifestation.

By this point, he had manifested two skills under each of his Ideals - halfway to filling them up completely. At that stage, his skills would jump from Classic to Complete. Once all his Ideals were at Complete, he would manifest his pinnacle skill too.

The new skill was nice, but ultimately didnt change much. It would make survival in the Deep, his new life as a Hunter, easier, no doubt, but he still had some hurdles to leap before he even got the privilege of exile.

The worst of it all was that Tom still had to go home. At least briefly. He had next to no material possessions, but he couldnt venture back into the Deep with nothing. He may as well die now.

He also promised himself he would see Ella. She deserved to know what had happened to Gad.

Lastly, he would need to head to Market Square, and buy anything he lacked for his new life.

Not a long list, but a heavy one.

It all still hadnt quite sunk in yet. He felt numb, almost like hed just taken healing after some massive injury, and his mind kept turning and checking, wheels spinning uselessly, trying to catch up with itself.

There was only one thing for it. He stood, and made for home.