The Path of Ascension

Echos Chapter 1

Echos Chapter 1

Luna walked through the crowds as she stalked her prey.

Silver was right there drinking a red liquid that Lunas nose said wasnt wine, though she had no idea what it actually was, and she made a note to look into that. New drinks were rare, but she had been napping for a while in the last few millennia.

Silver was still talking to some Dukeling, but Luna turned a glare on the younger woman, who wilted and made an excuse to free Silver's attention.

Was that really necessary Luna?

Luna nodded firmly. Yes, we need to speak.

Silver gestured with their cup, and Luna once more tried to peg who Silver was behind the mask. Luna had correctly pegged Madam Terror, the yellow mask, as Jebediah Tallow only a few hundred years after the switch, but she had never been able to settle on who Silver was.

Does it need to be right now? I was having a lovely conversation with Duchess Restle, and you scared her off.

Feeling the Emperor's eyes land on her, Luna knew he was protecting their conversation from prying eyes and ears so she spoke frankly. Yes, yes it does. I know you have your little Project Breach, and I want in. Ive sent messages, but nobody is answering.

Silver sighed as if she were the one being exasperating. You shouldnt even know the name of that project, but the answer is simple. We dont need to take advantage of the Pather continued management sub-clause to bring you in. The Armys instructors are more than enough for the group's needs.

Luna didnt believe that for a second and called Silver out. Bullshit. Im the best there is, half the team have had classes with me, and you already asked me for a consult when Light and Shadow graduated. Why are you playing games now?

Silver sighed for a second time, but Luna caught the theatrics in it this time, realizing she was about to get screwed. We simply dont need your help. We have plenty of trainers and teachers already involved, and with two groups of Ascenders, your particular brand of mentorship isnt needed. They can push one another to ever-higher standards perfectly fine on their own, no outside assistance required.

Luna let that excuse roll around her tongue before she responded, Bullshit.

Silver let their mask smirk. Perhaps. But. For the first time, Luna I have something you want that you cant just waltz your way into. You need direct approval for the position, and after all the times Ive asked you for favors, Im going to make you bleed for this one. And dont bother trying to go around me to King Rusty or the Emperor. Ive already spoken to them. Its my approval you need, not theirs.

Luna felt a tooth start to elongate, but she controlled it as she considered her response.

Part of her was tempted to simply resume her nap. She had been in the middle of the most delightful dream when she was woken up, and it had only been a century and a half. She could probably get back to it if she tried.

But.

There had never been an opportunity like this before, and there could well never be one like this again. Two sets of Ascenders, at the same Tier? Ascenders-know-how-many other elites shed never been able to sink her claws into. This was an opportunity to carve something truly transcendent into the sculpture of the Realm. She wouldnt be life-altering to any of them, that much was certain. Ascenders were already close to perfect through sheer necessity.

But this was quite possibly the closest thing to perfection that had ever, could ever exist. She desperately needed to get in. But security was unimaginably tight, and Silver was her only way in. What should have been almost a formality, retaining military contact with her immediate former students and providing some advice as to optimizing their new Talents, had turned into Silver holding her by the scruff and refusing to let go.

But she couldnt just walk away. Not when something so close to a perfected sculpture was within her reach. It was so close to perfect that it only needed her polish to really shine.

What? Her words were little more than a growl, but it was the best she could manage at the moment.

Silver's mask split into a victorious smile, and they laughed as they took a sip of their mystery drink. You dont even know how much pleasure this brings me. This might literally be the best day Ive had since I donned the mask. But I will keep it simple. Five Pather teams of the Tribunals choosing, no complaining. You missed so many Academy lessons the past sixty thousand years that we actually lost count, so well just say you owe five thousand and call that even. Plus, the normal two each decade for as long as you stay active. Luna was about to burst a blood vessel when Silver added, And, you will make yourself available for personal training in exchange for Military Merits going forward.

Luna desperately wished she could refuse. Demanding she make herself available for Merit-hired training was akin to a slap in the face. She hadnt done that since the Cosmos finished the Path under her tutelage, back in Agathas day.

And the Academy training? How dare Silver. Luna had done her time teaching the brats of nobility, and she refused to do it as often as the Pather management system wanted. Whenever there was someone actually worth her while, shed show up, of course, but that was rare. And before this, no one even dared to suggest she keep up with her quota. Quotas and requirements like taking multiple groups under one's tutelage was a thing for those Managers who hadnt created four Ascenders.

Four.

Luna had proved she wasnt a fluke, she wasnt just lucky. Four Ascenders was a record no one was ever going to break, and both of them knew it. She had earned her exceptions, damn it. And were it anything else, she would have left then and there.

But she couldnt walk away. Even if the kids would be leaving this Project Breach in the wake of the war which was at best a coin toss and shed have access to them again afterwards, that would be centuries away, and she couldnt let them be for that long.

One team, ten academy lessons, and no Military Merit teaching.

Four teams, five thousand academy lessons, and Military Merit teaching until the war ends.

Luna scoffed at the counter offer.

Two teams, one hundred academy lessons, and no Military Merit teaching.

Three teams, one thousand academy lessons, and Military Merit teaching but we will raise your price to reflect your status as a trainer extraordinaire to keep out the average troops.

Two teams, one hundred academy lessons to be taught at my discretion and then never again, and Luna debated if she could lower the Military Merits training, but felt she had pushed as far as she could go on that condition. And add that the Merit training is only valid as long as this war is ongoing. No playing with definitions and how border skirmishes count enough to keep me in the mix.

Silver tapped the side of their glass for a long moment before nodding. Agreed on the Merits and the academy lessons, but you need to accept three teams of Pathers. You have proven once more that you are good at making monsters, and the Empire needs them more than ever.

Luna cursed internally as Silver agreed to her academy lessons conditions. She hadnt expected him to cave on that one so easily. If she had known, she would have dug her heels in at a lower limit.

Still. She wasnt going to accept any Tom, Dick, or Harry, the Tribunal thought they could foist on her.

That was not how she worked.

Two teams and I get right of refusal if I think you are trying to foist garbage on me.

Silver snorted. So you can just refuse any and everyone. Not a chance. Three groups. The Tribunal will take your opinion under consideration

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Two, and I get right of refusal but wont dismiss anyone out of hand.

Silver tapped their glass until they nodded. Deal.

Luna felt like she had been dunked in a bath. Still, if it was over, that was acceptable if it meant she was able to keep training the kids. But as Silver's body language changed, she felt like there was another shoe waiting to drop.

What?

When Silver didnt answer her question, she felt her hackles rise.

Silver What. Is. It?

This condition isnt from me, the tribunal, or Military High Command.

Explain.

You need to give a speech about Silver fidgeted like they werent an immortal, but rather a child who was caught with crumbs on their shirt after saying they didnt sneak any cookies.

Spit it out, Silver, or Im going to reach in there and pull it out.

After what they had just done to her, she was seriously tempted. A new Silver could always be raised after all.

You need to give a speech about why cats shouldnt eat birds at Mara Moores Center For Birds Who Were Forced To Watch a Cat Eat Other Birds and Now Cant Sleep Good.

Luna felt a tooth crack as she turned her head to see a stupid bird laughing it up across the ballroom floor.

One search later showed there was one single registrant of the foundation. araM. The idiot hadnt even bothered to fix the capitalization of her name when writing it backwards.

She searched for and found a delving group that needed a mage and bought the spot. It was a bird rift, and she was going to slowly eat every bird she came across and send Mara the videos.

Two could play at this game, and while she had been fleeced, she had at least gotten what she wanted. And really, that was all that mattered.

Unable to unclench her jaw, she agreed.

I accept.

***

Cameron had no idea how she had gotten here, but being surrounded by thousands of the highest echelons of the Empire had been a dream just a few hours ago.

Sure, she had been able to meet some of these people before, but she was so far removed from Matt and Lizs royal parents' influence as Aster's friend, most people just ignored her.

And she was fine with that.

Really, she was.

Sure, she had already made her list of people to rub their noses in that decision once she worked her way up the political ladder, but that was something to be done a few millennia from now, when she was a Duchess in her own right.

But now, so many of her plans had gone out the window, and she knew that she wasnt the only one to have that happen.

Vinnie and Mathew, two of Matt and Lizs older friends, had been fending off dozens of offers from various nobles to send their children, siblings, spouses, friends, guard captains, or anyone who could reasonably fight and was under their aegis to the training hall they had set up. They werent even subtle about their offers and why they wanted to do so.

It wasnt about Mathew and Vinnies commendable work to reinvest their experience in their home planet, or wanting to help those children who were dealing with subpar resources. It was all about wanting a connection to the newest set of Ascenders in any way possible.

Cameron wanted to say it sickened her, but she had seen far worse this evening.

Samantha, one of the friends from that group, had been using her poison control Talent and working as a luxury therapeutics manager for wealthy mortals who didnt have the ability to control their own bodies. The business she worked for had just been bought out by a noble who made it clear that she just wanted to get closer to Samantha.

Who did that?

Duchess Ablor, apparently. Even Cameron thought it had been an uncouth move that hadnt earned the woman any positive points from the general friend group.

Though, she wasnt so naive as to believe that the Duchess had done it for a good reputation. A bad first impression, so long as the action wasnt earned from some reprehensible act, could be corrected over a few decades, but could get one's name into someone's head far more securely than another act of flattery.

It was a risky plan, but with everyone falling over themselves and only being remembered by their AI, the Duchesss move had cemented her in all of their minds, so it had worked in her favor.

Cameron had already gotten a number of offers to take assistant positions to some of the Empires most powerful ducal families after she declined the marriage proposals to said nobles' sons and daughters.

She was an otter of her word, and when she said she wanted to work her way up from the bottom where she could learn about each position and what the responsibilities it demanded of one in that position, she had meant it. Even now her Baron's Duke had already schmoozed his way over to her and informed her that her application to said position in his court had been accepted. It didnt matter that her application had been rightly rejected due to lack of experience, and had fallen down the chain of command until it landed in Baron Dionices hands. That was the proper method of applying for such a role, but the Duke was trying to hijack the procedure to link himself to her.

Cameron had needed to pull from all her political training lessons to politely decline him without offending him, stating her intention to work her way up the noble ladder on her own earned merits. While she felt like she had managed it, she knew it wasnt over. Not if she wished to follow her plan, at least.

His parting comment about agreeing it was best to work one's way up implied she would eventually be working for him, and he wasnt wrong.

At least, not if she followed her original plan.

Her ideals were wavering in the face of so much opposition, and it made her question herself.

She had dealt with a dozen failed projects, a thousand rejected ideas, and countless ideas that never left her notepads, and she had easily worked her way through said problems. In the end, each of her projects and jobs turned out better than projected for less money than the initial project expected.

She had dealt with all of that without batting an eye, but for the first time, people were throwing everything she could ever want at her, and she found herself floundering.

Not that she wanted to accept the offers. No, resisting that particular temptation was easy. Her morals and ideals werent up for sale to the highest bidder. She just didnt know how to properly navigate rejecting everyone without ruining her future.

Her lessons and training hadnt covered having an Ascender for a best friend damn it.

And she was going to twist Aster's ears off the next time she saw her. Poor Julia was nearly catatonic with all the people pressing in to chat with her. Cameron's bond had never been the social type, which was why Cameron had initially pushed herself into people-facing positions in the first place.

She sent Aster her eleventh scathing message demanding a shipping container worth of ice cream for Julia. Her bond would need the comfort food when they got out of here.

Shed even dig into a carton or five herself. Cameron had not expected her best friend to be a friggin Ascender, and seeing the bubbly fox walk down the carpet to join legends like Duke Waters, Lila Worldwalker, and Light and Shadow had broken her brain a little.

If it wasnt for the constant stream of memes and jokes in their small Bonds group chat, she would have questioned if she really knew Aster.

It was unfair, and she knew it, but Cameron had wondered if anything about the Aster she knew was real. She understood the need for a mask, but having been best friends with someone who revealed that she was secretly one of the strongest people in the Empire was a shock, and not a good one.

She just felt like she didnt know her friend anymore.

Frankly, despite her hatred for this upending of her life and plans, if Aster hadnt spent the last two weeks reaffirming their friendship, Cameron really might have worried that she had only been friends with a fake personality.

But through it all, Aster was Aster.

And that was something.

Seeing Juan get cornered by another noble house, she grit her teeth and through an extraordinary effort of will, stopped her hair from flaring with heat as she went over to intercept. Juan had nearly agreed to a courtship twice already, and she needed to ensure that no one tried to push anything again.

She didnt get why the elephant was such a hot commodity, but it seemed like half the nobles here were trying to, if not marry him, get him to have a child with their children. Stone elephants were pretty rare, but Cameron felt like she was missing some kind of subtext. She and Juan both.

Once she was done extricating Juan from his predicament, she had to put out the fire that was Kyle and Katherine. Someone was hitting on the small cat and Kyle, true to the stereotype of a delver, was reacting with threats instead of politeness, which would just land him right where the nobles wanted him.

They had pegged him from a planet away, and she needed to stop him from punching a noble.

As she calmed everything down, she sent him a message to calm down. It was adorable that he was protective over Katherine, but first of all, the girl might be quiet, but she wasnt a pushover and could reject people herself. And second of all, it was clearly a ploy, and doing what the nobles wanted was just dumb, damn it.

Then there was Kelly, who was yelling at someone who had implied Aster wasnt a real ascender because she was a bond.

Ugh. She was going to twist off Aster's ears and tail next time she saw her damn it.

***

Eric laughed as Matt, Aster, and Liz walked up to them.

The trio were proud as a group of peacocks who had just gotten their new feathers, but Eric didnt hold it against them.

They had every right to be proud. What they had done was in no way easy.

He and Dena damn well knew that, having almost made it themselves.

Well, look at you three. Dont you guys look spiffy? Eric let his emotions show through with his smile.

Dena nodded. It's impressive, but hey, thank you guys. We took the payout instead of a duchy, and damnnnn was it a nice one.

Matt raised an eyebrow in question, but Eric didnt explain too much. It would spoil the surprise, and if he did that, Allie would haunt him for the next decade again. We made it far enough to get an Earldom of our own, and really don't need or want anything more than that. So we took the cash reward instead of the planets. Not that they had any planets at the time. Seems like with the glut of new Ascenders, the Empire is running out of empty Duchies they have in reserve.

Dena winked up at him. Hey, we are at war, though. If the new Ascenders want a new planet, they just need to win and take it out of the prize pool.

Liz chuckled. We'll see, but from what we have been told, we will be doing missions, so who knows if we will even be all that impactful with the war. It wouldnt be the first time an Ascender was used for more clandestine objectives.

Eric had to resist laughing outright at the idea. No, General Darrow would not be letting his newest set of Ascenders languish on spy missions.

Instead, he said, Im sure you guys will be busy.

Dena nodded. If we are busy, you guys will be just as preoccupied, if not more so.

Eric had to bite the inside of his cheek as he resisted laughing. If the looks the three kids gave each other were any indication, Dena had probably tipped their hands, but this was too fun.

Trying to not spoil the surprise, he added, The war is keeping everyone busy.

Liz nodded. Makes sense. Maybe once we get settled in we can coordinate a joint mission or something.

Aster bounced on her feet as she agreed. Oh that would be fun!

As they chatted, Eric smiled at all the double talk he and Dena were able to slip into the conversation.

They just couldn't resist messing with the trio. Matt was their sponsee, after all, and how often did one of those finish the Path? It was the perfect time to poke one.

Speaking of sponsees, he asked, Did you guys sponsor anyone? They usually get anyone who is doing well to sponsor at least one kid.

Matt grinned, but Liz answered, We did.

Dean learned forward like they were sharing a conspiracy. Are they here? What did they think of this?

Liz sighed dramatically. Sadly, no. They were busy slacking off. Getting ready to go into Minkalla or some drivel. Who needs prep for that or anything? But we did the recruiting in masks thanks to my identity, so we sent them a little surprise.

Dena almost cackled at the news. Oh, that sounds devious. You must share.

***

Eleanor was lounging, her feet dangling over the edge of the love seat as she watched the screen on their rented apartment. Ethan was loudly chewing a bowl of cereal, and it grated on her ears as she contemplated violence. The monster didnt let the cereal sit for a few minutes to get just a little soggy, which was the only proper way to eat cereal.

The idiot was also using a box Willow and Mr. VIP had sent them a few weeks ago, after they declined going to some stupid party like a table, but she didnt have it in her to pursue that argument once more. Not tonight.

Their tiny abode rattled as a transport train sped by outside. With their budget, they couldnt afford anything but the absolute cheapest living spaces, every spare mana stone going back into guides, or gear, or trainers. She hadnt realized just how expensive everything was. For all that the Path demanded self-reliance, it did an impossible amount of work behind the scenes, invisibly greasing the wheels. High-Tier trainers, rift access, even the tax breaks, all things which shed just taken for granted, but now was feeling the absence of all too acutely.

She felt like shed learned more in the few short years being taught by her Path-provided trainer than in all the decades since, and it was maddening. The only thing that she truly felt like she learned after the Path was just how extravagantly they lived before, and just how much it would cost them now to live in even remotely similar conditions. It resulted in some fairly mixed feelings, as the broadcast for Torch and Quills Ascension ceremony played out in their living room.

It wasnt even that getting money was that hard. It was just that all the really good jobs were locked behind Guild recruitment offers. They offered plenty of benefits, but the condition of joining the Guild was just out of the question. They were only here on this planet until they felt that they could reliably delve Minkalla as best as one could. After that, they would get to rejoin their family again, but this time as immortals who could really contribute.

The thought of family got her nervous again. Eleanor had been away from home for decades at this point, and while they still sent frequent [AI] messages, shed not talked with them in person for what felt like forever. Part of her was afraid, afraid that she wouldnt recognise her home after all these years. And knowing her cousin, it was likely he was afraid too.

He was just better at hiding it.

Youre doing that brooding thing again. You really have got to stop doing that, its gotten out of hand recently.

That hit a little too close to home and she snarked back, At least Im not the one whos gotten addicted to those VR games.

Hey! Theyre really good. Dont judge them before trying them! Theres this really good fighting one that teaches you about all the differen-

Still doesnt mean you havent blown away a bunch of your savings on them. Stop talking so much, theyre about to reveal their faces. I dont wanna miss that. With that, Ethan promptly stopped whatever retort he had in mind, and focused on the screen again.

Matthew, Elizabeth Moore. See, its noble brats. It's not that impressive that they finished the Path. Tier 25 by 200 years old. Anyone with half a brain could do that. Ethan was a bit more bitter than her, and while he didnt blame her for their failure, she knew he still felt the sting of falling off before Tier 15. It didnt change his habit of talking about impossible things like they were trivial, though.

Still, it wasnt like she could say she didnt feel similar. Seeing someone do something that you tried your hardest to do but come utterly short of was a rare feeling, and certainly not a positive one.

You realize that your statement means we have less than half a brain, right?

As she pointed that out, Ethan shrugged. Eh whatever. We didnt even bet on them, so what does it matter?

We didnt bet on anyone?

I know, and if you had let me bet, we could have made some good money.

Eleanor swung her legs off the armrest and sat up straight. We dont even know them, so how would we have bet on them? We would have just lost money. You know we cant afford that now, more than ever.

I was just trying to be helpful.

Eleanor threw a crumb at him. Then be actually helpful and open the box Howard and Willow sent.

Spoon dangling in his mouth and muffling his words, her cousin threw his hands in the air. I tried. I tried everything. I even accepted your dumb ass idea and tried merging it with an open box and got the spiritual damage to prove it.

No no no, you half-assed it by trying to merge the box with an empty donut box. If you had listened and built a similar box and then tried to merge it, you wouldnt be having this issue.

Who has time to build a replica box? And if that was your idea, you shouldnt have said it when I had a box of donuts in my hand.

I

Ethan and Eleanor jumped as the box they were using as a coffee table clicked and made a hissing sound.

It might have been a gift from their sponsors, but Eleanor still readied her wand and got ready to cast.

Ethan readied his spoon like he was going to do something with it.

How was this idiot her cousin?

Some days, she really didnt know.

She was just getting ready to say something when the lid of the box slid open with a small whir, projecting a hologram of Willow, Howard, and his little sister.

Hey, kids. Figured this

We arent kids anymore. Ethan whined, and Eleanor reached out and punched his shoulder. A nineteen made him wince and groan, but it at least shut him up.

Was about the right time to tell you guys who our real identities are.

There was a long dramatic pause, one so long Ethan started eating again as he mumbled. Told you they were wearing masks.

It was something theyd debated during their downtimes far too many times to count. Ethan was convinced that theyd hidden their identities, and she agreed. Theyd tried looking for the duo on the EmpireNet countless times, and had always come up blank.

A crunch turned gurgled choke as the trios appearances shimmered and changed into a set of faces they wouldnt have recognized ten minutes prior.

Eleanor whipped her head back and forth, between the chuckling new faces of their sponsors, and three people with those exact same faces slowly advancing down a very long carpet. Their cheap Screen didnt include spiritual sense, so she was only able to go on visuals but she couldnt find any differences, other than their outfits.

I wha She was interrupted by Ethan spraying a fine mist of milk across the room.

What the fuck dude? A spit take cant be that delayed or it's obviously fake.

I was in shock.

Eleanor wanted to say that was bullshit, but she couldnt say he was wrong.

Their Mr. Vip and Willow were the very people completing the Path right then and there.

As that thought started to settle in, Eleanor started to have a mini panic attack. Not a fake one for an audience, but a genuine panic attack. Like that one time when she was using a bidet and managed to roll all ones with her Talent.

She had no idea how to react to the news, but the sinking feeling in her gut told her it probably wasnt anything good.

That or the bearitos they had eaten last night were actually poisoned, and not just badly cooked. Sketchy food carts were notorious like that.

After a moment to check herself, Eleanor decided, no, this was a normal bad feeling just magnified to eleven.

Well, shit. What do we

Her words were interrupted by another set of locks coming undone on the box, but instead of a screen popping up, the entire lid came up and revealed an expanded space larger than their entire two-room apartment. A space packed with goodies.

Willows, or Elizabeths, or Torchs, Eleanor wasnt sure what to call her any more, voice spoke from the open lid. Inside you will find notes of our own Minkalla run along with some of the best Tier 14 gear we could get commissioned for you guys. We wanted to bring you guys to the party, but someone was too set on Minkalla. To that end, we will help you as much as we can. Just don't die in there. It's dangerous. Like really, really dangerous. Even we almost died a few times.

Thats the party they were referring to?! I thought it was some regular party too far away! Youre telling me we could be out there in the Capital instead of being out here in the middle of nowhere?! He was cut off from complaining more by Eleanor poking him sharply on the side.

If youve finished complaining, do you want to pull out what they got for us inside this box?

Ethan took another bite of his cereal as he tried to look nonchalant and failed. Let me see too. I bet theyve got something incredible.

Eleanor slowly nodded as she pulled out a skin-tight suit of armor made from what looked like fish scales, but much larger, not overlapping, and more leathery. It took her a moment, but finally, she understood what the under armor was made from.

Dragon hide.

What the fuck.

Ethan, who was holding a similar but larger set of under armor, tossed the still half-full bowl of cereal into the sink backwards with a splash. Fuck me sideways. Thats more than just incredible. This is absurd. Beyond absurd even. I take back everything bad Ive ever said about Matthew and Elizabeth not working hard to finish the Path. I

Dont worry. I already recorded it, and Im sending it to them.

That's not fair, I had no idea who they were at the time! I was just talking shit. It wasnt serious.

That's what you get for being a sarcastic asshole to everything and everyone.

Please dont send it. Daddy needs more dragonhide.

Ew. First, don't ever call yourself daddy in front of me again. Second, that's what you deserve for talking shit all the time. Thirdly, more dragonhide for me!

Rubbing the buttery smooth leather to her cheek, Eleanor had no idea how to thank Howard and Willow. Or Matthew and Elizabeth. Or Quill and Torch?

Shit, masked names were hard.

Thank you just wasnt enough for something like this.

Still, despite everything they had earned on The Path and everything their families had been saving for them, a Minkalla run was dangerous and expensive at the best of times.

This gear and the help of an actual Trainer was exactly what they needed, and she couldnt help but feel touched knowing how much this all cost, especially for Pathers, who had limited resources of their own.

Maybe with this, they wouldnt chicken out before going into Minkalla this time.

Maybe.