Morning arrived in the underground city by the survivors’ own reckoning, though no sunlight pierced the vaulted stone above. Thin bluish crystals jutted from broken archways, flickering faintly in the stale air. Elijah Merrows stood in the center of their makeshift camp, swirling the newly discovered shield-shaped sigil in his hand. He felt its subtle hum of power against his palm. Nearby, Nora Reyes watched him, wind stirring around her ankles, ready to see if this item would finally unlock the city’s secrets.
Across the plaza, Gideon Pierce donned a piece of reinforced chest armor fashioned from drake scales, wincing slightly as he stretched his still-tender leg. Sandra Lewis hovered by a crumbling column, issuing orders to those who would remain behind to protect the base. Misha, Patrice, and Vince Anders waited on the perimeter, their gazes flickering between the battered streets and the assembled party. Harold and Lauren consulted quietly about healing supplies, while Brittany hummed a gentle undercurrent of her Fortifying Song.
Elijah took a breath and addressed the group. “Yesterday we tore down that hulking undead ogre in the sunken tower and found this shield sigil. We suspect it might power the dais in the Tribute Hall or open the library chest. Let’s see if we can use it.”
He led them down a shattered avenue until they reached the half-buried library, a place where they’d once found only disappointment. Stone shelves cluttered the interior, and a sealed chest at the rear had refused to budge without an “Emblem of Authority.” With Gideon’s help, Elijah pried open the library’s creaking door and entered the dusty hall. He moved directly to that locked chest, its runic surface still glowing faintly with defensive magic.
Vince conjured a soft crackle of sparks. “Let’s try it. Talisman from the ogre didn’t help, but this shield sigil might.” He stood back while Elijah pressed the sigil against the chest’s swirling pattern.
A pulse of violet and silver light flared. For a moment, the runes glowed and the chest trembled. Nora tightened her grip on her sword in case a guardian emerged. Then, with a sputter, the magic fizzled out, leaving only a faint echo. Nothing opened.
Elijah’s heart sank, though it didn’t surprise him. “Guess that was too optimistic,” he murmured, stepping back and exchanging a glance with Nora.
Behind them, Gideon flexed his jaw in frustration. “Then it has to be the Tribute Hall’s dais.”
Without lingering, they made their way through the city’s winding streets, dispatching a handful of scavenger undead along the way. The knights they’d battled before didn’t reappear, though Elijah and Nora remained on high alert for more advanced foes. After all, more than once the city had thrown bigger threats at them when they least expected it.
They arrived at the Tribute Hall’s imposing entrance, its dome cracked and ringed by fallen columns. The interior amphitheater lay mostly unchanged, but the memory of how the dais had flickered in their last attempt hung in the stale air. Vince raised a ball of lightning to illuminate the central pit where the puzzle runes waited. Despite the gloom, a sense of anticipation built as the group descended the steps to the dais below.
Elijah stepped forward and knelt by the dais’ central depression, runes spiraling outward. “We tried aligning four Sigils here before, but something was missing.” He lifted the new shield sigil, heart hammering. If this failed, they’d be back to square one.
With slow deliberation, he placed the sigil into a shallow circular indentation on the dais. At once, the runes sprang to life, bright filaments of light dancing across stone. A hum filled the air, growing stronger. Vince, Nora, and Gideon stepped onto the dais with Elijah, each letting their class Sigil energy flow, just like the puzzle attempts in the coliseum. This time, the dais pulsed with energy that didn’t fade. Instead, lines of runic script rose in front of Elijah’s eyes, half-floating in space.
He recognized enough patterns to see the System overlay: “Tribute Dais Engaged—Shield Sigil Inserted—Puzzle Sequence: Activate Synergy.” One by one, small orbs of light swirled around them. The entire group tensed, weapons half-raised, anticipating a guardian or a test.
Then it began. The dais emitted four twisting beams of light, each homing in on one of the Sigil bearers: Elijah with his Bow Sigil, Nora with Wind, Vince with Lightning, Gideon with Spear. Their bodies tingled as the beams connected them in a luminous web. A swirl of System text flickered through Elijah’s vision:
“Synergy Challenge Initiated—Combine Skills to Stabilize Pattern. Time Limit: 60 seconds.”
Elijah sensed the puzzle’s nature: not a direct fight, but a synergy test. The beams flickered, threatening to collapse if they didn’t channel enough power. Nora gasped, concentrating wind magic around her limbs. Vince let arcs of electricity flow from one hand to the next. Gideon set the butt of his spear firmly, focusing on the synergy of might and defense. Elijah harnessed the Bow Sigil’s energies, letting Archer’s Eye help him aim the intangible lines swirling overhead.
Following instinct more than logic, Elijah and the others worked to align the beams. Each tried to bring their Sigil energies into harmony. Nora’s wind coaxed the swirling lines into smooth arcs. Vince’s lightning kept them from dissipating, forming a stable circuit of power. Gideon’s spear presence anchored the beams with sturdy resolve. Elijah found himself guiding a final thread, shaping it with the archer’s precision. His mind reeled with concentration, chest tight from the effort.
The dais glowed brighter. The synergy web stabilized, time ticking down in the back of Elijah’s mind. At last, an audible chime rang out like a bell. The puzzle lines snapped together into a single point above the dais, blossoming into a bright sphere of light.
“Synergy Challenge Complete—Achievement Unlocked: Tribute of Unity,” the System voice echoed in Elijah’s head. He blinked rapidly, seeing more text scroll across his vision:
[Tribute of Unity: You have successfully harmonized multiple Sigils in the city’s Tribute Hall. Minor Increase to All Stats for 24 hours. +250 EXP.
Title Earned: Cohesive Vanguard (Applies small synergy bonus when working with allied Sigil bearers).]
Overwhelmed, Elijah felt a rush of warmth fill his body. An Achievement. A new Title. He glanced at Nora, who wore a look of stunned awe, presumably seeing her own interface. Vince’s sparks sputtered, and Gideon let out a ragged laugh. They had done it.
The bright sphere floated down to the dais, dissolving into the runes. With a grinding of stone, part of the dais slid open. A hidden compartment revealed a battered metal cylinder etched with swirling text, plus a single ring of tarnished silver set with a crest symbol. Harold and Lauren hurried over, scanning these new items with wide eyes. The ring’s crest matched the style of the puzzle swirl they’d seen all over the city. The metal cylinder, once opened, revealed an old scroll, only partially intact. Harold’s Basic Translation Sigil flickered:
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Excerpt of Authority—An official document referencing the rightful bearer’s privileges to pass. City Emblem is incomplete without the Royal Citadel’s Blessing. Seek the Crown of Dominion to unify the crest.”
Gideon took a careful breath. “So we have something. A partial city emblem, or at least a ring with the city’s crest. But it says we still need the ‘Crown of Dominion’ from the Royal Citadel.” He looked up, scanning the group’s faces. “This city sure likes to send us on a treasure hunt.”
Nora brushed a bead of sweat from her brow. “At least we have progress. We can try that ring on the library chest or Sanctum door, but from the text, it’s not the full key yet.”
Vince sank to a knee, feeling the aftereffects of channeling synergy. “Royal Citadel… I guess that’s the final stop. Or near it.” He peered at the ring in Gideon’s hand. “We might unlock partial puzzle doors now, though. Let’s keep this ring safe.”
Elijah stooped to pick up the battered metal cylinder. The partial scroll inside spelled out some lines about “Dominion flows from the Crown. The Emblem’s ring bestows passage to lesser wards.” He shared the gist with the group. The puzzle was clearer now: they had to retrieve the Crown of Dominion from a major seat of power—likely the city’s biggest fortress or palace—then combine it with this ring to form the completed crest. Only then could they open the final places: Council Hall, library chest, or the Sanctum door.
Suddenly a swirl of text hovered at the edge of Elijah’s vision, a more personal System prompt. He suspected it came from the synergy puzzle success:
[Level Up:
Elijah Merrows—Level 3 (80%) → 100% → Level 4.
Attribute Points +5.
Title Upgrades: Cohesive Vanguard (Minor).
You have gained an incremental synergy bonus when fighting alongside Sigil bearers with aligned synergy.]
A wave of warmth flooded him. That intense puzzle-challenge must have given a big EXP chunk, topping off his progress from the last battle. He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart pound. He flicked through the interface quickly, adding two points to Agility, one to Perception, one to Vitality, one to Endurance, letting the System confirm them. A faint glow coursed along his limbs, the hallmark of a level gain. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Vince and Nora reacting to their own notifications, though likely they either rose in level or advanced some skill.
He turned to Gideon, who was wiping sweat from his forehead, chest heaving. “I just leveled again,” Elijah admitted, voice hushed. “What about you?”
“Yeah,” Gideon said quietly, wincing as he shifted weight off his bad leg. “Hit Level 4. That synergy puzzle was no joke.”
Nora breathed out, eyes shining. “Same here. That puzzle gave me an Achievement too. ‘Tribute of Unity.’ This is huge.”
A few of the others had also gained partial or full levels. Lauren and Brittany, not direct participants, seemed to have gleaned some lesser synergy bonus from supporting them. A subtle wave of hope spread among the group. They had made real progress.
After the dais sealed itself, they climbed out of the pit, returning to the amphitheater’s upper ring. The hall had fallen silent, no new undead knights or guardians appearing. Sandra, who had remained at the entrance with half the team on guard, met them with a questioning look. When Gideon showed her the ring and cylinder, her eyes lit with renewed determination.
“So the final objective is the Royal Citadel,” Sandra said. She tapped the ring with a light finger, taking in its swirling pattern. “We suspected as much. Now we have actual confirmation.”
Elijah nodded. “We can probably try this ring on the library chest or Sanctum door, but from the scroll, it sounds incomplete. Without that Crown of Dominion, we won’t get the city’s full Emblem. The library might partially open, though, or maybe the Sanctum yields more clues.”
“We can test those next,” Gideon decided. He motioned to the group. “But carefully. Let’s not attract a swarm of undead while we do it.”
They moved swiftly back to camp, organizing smaller teams to check each locked location. Misha, Patrice, and a few guards accompanied Vince to the library. Meanwhile, Elijah, Nora, Gideon, and a few others headed for the Sanctum door in the catacombs, the one they’d discovered beyond the temple. The plan: see if the ring overcame at least some wards. Sandra and Lauren managed the base, coordinating defenses.
Elijah’s path took him once again through the winding temple corridors, the same place where they had fought hordes of scavengers and the robed undead caster. Most of the catacomb’s corridors remained quiet, though the eerie purple haze still drifted around the floors. Reaching the Sanctum door, the group found it as imposing as ever, runes glimmering in the gloom. Nora and Gideon stood guard while Elijah stepped forward with the ring.
He pressed the ring into a slight indentation near the door’s center. The runes crackled with faint energy, a swirl of silver lines dancing across the stone. For a moment, Elijah believed it might open. Then, with a final sputter, the door refused to budge. The runes returned to their steady glow.
“Looks like we need the full crest,” Gideon said, his tone neither surprised nor disappointed.
They rejoined the others back at camp to learn that Vince’s attempt at the library chest had produced the same outcome: partial reaction, but no full unlock. It confirmed the ring alone wasn’t enough. That final piece—the Crown of Dominion—waited somewhere in the city’s deeper strongholds.
Everyone convened around a crackling fire in the camp’s courtyard, battered but invigorated by the synergy puzzle success. Brittany’s Fortifying Song resonated softly, easing frayed nerves. On a makeshift table, the ring glinted in the flickering light. Elijah watched how each reflection on that tarnished silver surface seemed to promise a next step.
Gideon broke the tense silence. “We keep hearing about the Royal Citadel. That’s likely the city’s central fortress or palace. Probably heavily guarded by advanced undead. Once we retrieve the Crown of Dominion from there, we can unify it with this ring.”
Nora pressed her lips together in thought. “We have to find the citadel first. We’ve only mapped maybe half the city. But the biggest structure might lie in the far north or near the heart. We push that way tomorrow.”
Vince offered a tired grin, sparks dancing on his fingertips. “At least we’ve grown stronger. And that synergy puzzle gave us an Achievement and some synergy bonuses. We might stand a chance.”
Elijah exhaled slowly, feeling the ache in his limbs from the day’s excitement and the aftereffects of leveling. He realized anew how far they’d come since that first day in the coliseum. Their gear was scavenged, their food scarce, but they had discovered synergy, cooperated to solve riddles, and banished powerful undead. They might continue to stand against whatever final monstrosity awaited them in the Royal Citadel’s halls.
He laid a hand on the ring’s crest shape, the swirl glinting under the torchlight. “We’ll find that Crown,” he murmured. “And we’ll see what the System tries to throw at us next.”
Nora touched his shoulder, confidence flickering in her gaze. “We always do.”
As the night wore on, the camp settled into watch rotations and quiet conversation. Elijah and several others huddled in corners, checking their status screens and distributing newly earned attribute points. Achievements like Tribute of Unity or minor synergy titles scrolled in their interfaces, subtle reminders of progress. Some whispered in hushed excitement about the possibility of a bigger payoff once they claimed the full city crest.
Before drifting to a light, uneasy sleep, Elijah took a final look at his updated interface. Level 4, a synergy-based Title, and a renewed sense of purpose. They were edging closer to unraveling the city’s puzzle, inch by inch. The System’s voice echoed in his mind from earlier: “Combine Skills to Stabilize Pattern.” It wasn’t just about synergy in a puzzle, he realized. That phrase summarized everything they faced. They could only endure by working together. And soon, if all went well, the Royal Citadel would be next in their sights—another step on the path to ascend from this forsaken tutorial.