Hearing Nephis, Echo smiled this is exactly what he wanted. Though he didn't show it much he asked.
"How are we going to do that?"
"We'll gather people, explore the Dark City and strengthen ourselves. Specially since you're gonna be our pathfinder. Are you confident?" Nephis questioned, her gaze was intense expecting a reply from Echo.
"Of course, people who can confidently say they can travel outside alone can only be counted by I hand, and I am one of them." He said with certainty. A thought then suddenly reached Echo he raised his hand towards his chin and said.
"Though I'm sure if we started forming a party and if you're planning on having a strong one, we might be on Gunlaug's radar if that happened."
Nephis doesn't seem bothered by it and simply said.
"That's alright. Tell me all about him and everything that goes on in that castle."
Echo scratched his head.
'Isn't that Sunny's job.' He thought.
"From what I heared Gunlaug was an outcast 8 years ago when they reached the castle with his batch of sleepers, since his Aspect in the city is useless, it helps him traverse the sea, like it was land, and stay in breath in it. It was a very dark time where there was no form of order what so ever. but Gunlaug the mad man that he is turned out ot be a mad genius he started to hunt on thr dark sea it self it was said that he jumps in the dark sea every dusk and dawn to scavenge soul shards." Echo stopped for a moment to breath. After a second he continued.
"Thats was until one day when Gunlaug was dragged by the retreating sea, and happened to encounter a dying leviathan, it was said that he stabbed it right when it was about to draw its last breath and since his blade was the last one that touched it the spell attributed him with the kill, and he received a memory out of it. An golden armor that no man can scratch. Since then he formed order and those who tried to change it… Their skulls hang in front of the gate."
He said and made Nephis contemplate a bit before saying.
"So it could be of a transcendent rank." She muttered and Echo simply nodded.
"It basically means that his armor is 2 or 3 ranks above every soul core of every human here." He said in somber tone.
"What enchantment do you think it has." Nephis asked.
"From what I observed from the couple of interactions I've met him, everytime you see your reflection on his armor, you can feel an oppressive aura that makes you want to follow him. It's just a conclusion I came up with of course, anything else, I don't know, no one lived to tell the tale." Echo said and leaned back to breath a little, he's been talking for a bit, but it seemed like Nephis doesn't want him to stop.
"I see, well now tell me about what you know of every single person inside the castle, from every Aspect, every Ability and Flaw. Every gossip grievance people have and every agenda. I need to know it all."
Echo breathed heavily and just resigned and proceeded to tell Nephis every gossip he got.
'Being friends with Aiko sure has its perks.' Echo thought.
—
After a couple of hours. Echo was finally about to be done telling Nephis all the things she wanted to know. His throat was dry from it all.
"…So just yesterday right when I entered Gemma's room—earlier I told you, him and Kido are close to lovers—but when me and Aiko entered there, there were 2 women laying on his bed, one was even crying, he's a real scum, no body else knows about it only Aiko and me. I bet he isn't scared though it will leak. Furthermore, He rarely pays his debts too and being a lieutenant of Gunlaug no one really asks him directly."
Echo swallowed his saliva a couple of time to water his throat, then said.
"Oh and also Sunny and Cassy nearly got in trouble earlier at breakfast, some guardsmen tried to mess with them and Sunny didn't like it told them off, thankfully before it can escalate I was there to save them some trouble."
Nephis face changed a little hearing it while Echo just leaned back on his chair, and concluded.
"So… That was pretty much all of it." He stared at Nephis for a bit and summoned a memory.
It was a sack of water, though it can only hold about 5 litters of water. He drank it after finally having some time to breath.
Nephis was still deep in thought, digesting all the goss– Information all at one that Echo has told him, her face cold and distant. After a couple of seconds she said.
"This is useful information, and It hasten a lot of my plans, could you step out a bit I need some time to think." Nephis said and continued to sit there not saying anything.
'Not even a thank you? And this is my house!' Echo grumbled inside his head, but still chooses to step out of the house.
After finally being able to step out, its like a huge chunk of burden was lifted out of his shoulder.
'Now since Plan A is in motion, before anything else, lets set up plan B incase the world choose to fuck me over.'
Echo knows this very well, since it was always an emphasis in the novel that the nightmare spell is unfairly fair to all, and unexpected things tend to happen all the time. He made sure to think of every step ahead.
'Does this make me like a pseudo Cassie in the future?' Echo joked in his head and headed outside the castle walls and onto the dreaded Dark City.