Echo: Stone Saint.
Echo Rank: Awakened.
Echo Class: Monster.
Echo Attributes: [Battle Master], [Stalwart], [Mark of Divinity].
Battle Master Attribute Description: [Born on the battlefield, the Stone Saint is proficient in all forms of combat.]
Stalwart Attribute Description: [The Stone Saint is highly resistant to all forms of damage, as well as being fully immune to mind and soul attacks.]
Echo Description: [Deep in the cavernous halls of his dark domain, the last child of the -unknown- had created them from stone to quell the fire burning in his resentful heart. However, that fire only grew hotter. Designed to bring peace, they were instead born into an endless war.]
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The description for Saint was the exact same as in the novel. proving there was no difference between this one and the Saint that Sunny had acquired. The fact this one was female as well was a strange coincidence, but I didn't really care much about it. The only difference between us and Sunny was...
"There's no Shadow Counter," Sasrir informed me, eyes downcast as he read the Runes. "This means we can't evolve Saint by consuming other Memories or Echoes like Sunny did. However, she may still be able to become a Demon by consuming the heart of the Dark Knight in the Cathedral."
"Damn," I cursed and kicked the ground in annoyance at the revelation, before perking up as I thought of something. "Maybe you can transform her into a Shadow after becoming a Black Knight! At Sequence 4, you gain deeper control over shadows and souls, so that might allow you to evolve her!"
"That's still a long way off," Sasrir dampened my enthusiasm. "If we go by comparative advancement, I'll be a Transcendant and Saint will just be Ascended. What use will she hold for us then? It's not like we can hold onto the upgrade materials until she's ready, we don't have a storage space."
"Alright, alright, I'll figure something out."
I sighed and waved my hand, instead focusing on admiring the Echo standing before me. She wasn't extravagantly tall, and was even "medium" in height, but she carried herself with an unnatural aura that only a killer could-or something inhuman. And Saint just happened to be both.
I stood there, staring at the Stone Saint. She was… impressive. Even with the chunks missing from her shoulder and the crack running down her stony face, there was a noble, powerful grace to her form. The fight was over, the binding was complete, and she was just… standing there. Waiting.
"Well," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets and rocking back on my heels. "You, uh… you certainly know how to make an entrance." She didn't respond, of course. Her blank stone eyes just stared ahead.
I took a hesitant step closer, circling her slightly. "And, you know. The, uh… the form. It's very… sculpted. Solid." I reached out a hand, pausing just before I touched her stone-plated arm. "May I? Just… checking the craftsmanship." I gave her a pat on the bicep. It was cold and unyielding. "Yep. Very sturdy. Good… good proportions."
From behind me, I heard a long, pained sigh. I glanced back to see Sasrir pinching the bridge of his nose, his entire posture radiating second-hand embarrassment. "Are you quite finished?" he asked, his voice flat.
"Just appreciating our new asset," I said defensively, turning back to the Saint. "It's important to build a good rapport. Right, girl?" I gave her another awkward pat, this time on the shoulder. "We're gonna be great friends. You smash things, I'll… provide moral support and witty commentary."
Sasrir just shook his head, the shadows around him seeming to ripple with his disdain. "You are attempting to flirt with a statue."
"I'm not flirting!" I insisted, my voice cracking a little. "I'm being… appreciative! It's called being a good superior. You should try it sometime." I looked back at the Saint, feeling a flush creep up my neck. "Don't listen to him. He's just jealous of your… structural integrity."
I decided to stop while I was behind. "Right. Okay. So. Saint. That's your name. Let's, uh… let's get you cleaned up." I gestured vaguely toward the path home, and Sasrir dismissed her back into his Soul Sea. It was going to be a very long, very quiet walk back to the castle. And I had a feeling Sasrir wouldn't let me hear the end of it.
But what could I say? Saint was the first actual character that I had met from the story. Gemma didn't count, he barely had five lines in the whole arc, but Saint? She was there throughout basically the whole book. Her shenanigans as Mongrel, beating up Sunny and intimidating Morgan were hilarious to read. Anyways, I was smitten, but not in a romantic way. It was more like...finally meeting an idol, I guess.
I'm not weird.
"Alright," I said, clapping my hands together and trying to sound businesslike. "Let's see what the cleanup crew can find." With the nearest monsters either wiped out or scared off by the Fallen Terror's presence, we had the rare luxury of time. We started picking through the aftermath, a grim but necessary harvest.