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…so suddenly and significantly that society had to rewrite its laws and customs overnight.

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“So you don’t know what a cultivation aid is?” Matt asked Verdant as they made their way up the stairs.

When they arrived back in the underground room, Thor had looked at the strange orb. After inspecting it for a moment, he had declared, “When I focus on it, writing appears below the orb. Seed of Balance: Bronze Cultivation Aid.” They had passed the orb around, but nobody found any more information or could trigger any effect.

Hungry and tired, the group had started back up to the ground floor. From there they continued up to the next floor. Now they approached a wide landing, and even as his eyes scanned the open doorways and he held his guandao at the ready, Matt’s thoughts kept returning to the strange orb and the strange energy emanating from it. With the essence crystals, he could reach out with his focus and sense its internal structure, but the cultivation orb was almost… oily to his attention. As he tried sending his thoughts or focus into the pearlescent stone, they slid across its surface.

“No idea,” Verdant answered. “Which is a clue in itself. The cultivators must have kept them a closely guarded secret if no information about them has slipped out. Looking at it… I sense a strange blend of attraction and repulsion. It’s like I can feel the density of the threads packed inside the orb, but there’s nothing to see. The surface is completely opaque, only letting hints of power through. No symbols, no runes.”

Matt nodded silently to himself. Verdant’s assessment matched closely with his own, and the guandao seemed to have a similar impression. Holding the orb in his hand, the message vibrating through their bond fluctuated between something very close to hunger and a confused aversion. We need to be careful with this orb, he told the weapon, and received determined agreement in return.

Pete tapped him on the shoulder. “Are you ok?” He said. “I asked if you are ready?”

Attention snapping back to the present, Matt noticed they were standing outside a set of double doors at the end of the large landing. Behind them, the stairs continued upwards in an ever-shrinking spiral. The doors ahead of them were carved with an elaborate motif, showing a large circle that spanned both doors with thin, curving lines extending from the centre. Each line ended in a unique symbol; many that Matt recognised, but still several that he didn’t.

He was about to step closer to the door to inspect an intricate symbol that combined a wavy triangle he kept seeing on wooden surfaces with a double-crossed square typically associated with worked iron, when he remembered the question. With a sheepish smile, he gave Pete a nod. “Ready,” he said and readied his weapon.

Pete pushed the doors open, and they stepped through.

The first thing Matt noticed when they entered the room were the magnificent windows lining the far wall. Reaching almost from floor to ceiling, five windows gave a spectacular view of the gardens below. While they had been inside the dungeon, the lighting had shifted from the colours of morning to that of late afternoon, and the city beyond was bathed in soft, yellow light.

The light coming from the cave outside illuminated a large, rectangular room dominated by a commanding table in the centre. Constructed from solid, almost black wood, the table was ringed with thirteen chairs; one chair at the end of the table, and six smaller chairs lining the sides. Not only was the chair at the end of the table larger, but it also had an intricately carved back: A thin wooden circlet sat atop the back of the chair, and thin threads of coloured metal spread out from the circlet like the rays of the sun.

A large metal plaque covered the entire left wall, showing a colourful mural depicting a serene, pastoral scene. A field of wheat shone in yellow, framed by lush green woodland with a blue and sunlit sky looking down on clusters of smiling, happy people. In front of the mural; a long, thin table reached across the wall, cluttered with various items. Matt saw paper, quills and ink, wax and small scrolls, a few goblets and plates, and even a few books.

Turning to the right, the opposite wall held another metal plaque. The contrast of the mural with the one on the other side struck Matt with tangible force. This mural showed a scene of dark despair, with red and black colours dominating a scene of war. A blood filled and muddy field reached across the image, as if reaching towards the village burning in the distance. With a small shudder, Matt recalled the battle he had fought only days ago.

Pete was already standing over the wide table that sat beneath the war mural, intently inspecting a large map that was spread out to cover the entire surface, held down by heavy metal candle holders. To one side of the table, a strange cupboard with a grid of small cubbies held several smaller and larger scrolls.

“That is Keylor,” Thor said and pointed to a marker on the map. “And there is Gamut. And Brook. See.” Scratching his chin, Thor let his other hand trace up the ridge of the Dagger Mountains to the north. “Northshield was built around two hundred years ago and is not on the map. And…” Thor’s voice trailed off as he pointed to a city in a bay to the south. “Marint is called Ceylour on this map. I have not even heard of that name before.”

“What could that mean? Has the world changed–” Pete began, when Mia put her hand on his shoulder.

“Come, let’s eat,” she said with a smile. “That map has waited a few hundred years, and I’m sure it will wait for us to eat. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”

Matt’s stomach rumbled in agreement, and he went over to grab a chair on one side of the table. Pete sat down next to him, and Thor found his seat across the table. Vic grabbed the seat next to Thor.

Mia grinned mischievously as she pulled back the large chair at the end of the table. “I’ll take this chair, then.”

Her grin disappeared as she sat down, her eyes disappearing into the distance for a moment before returning to look at them, eyes blinking rapidly.

Her voice was just a whisper as she spoke. “The chair… The chair just asked me if I wanted to become the Mayor of Sanctum Citadel.”

Pete gaped mid-chew. “It did what now?” His words were muffled as he tried to swallow the piece of bread.

Vic snorted. “You should totally do it. Mayor Mia of the Mountain. It’s meant to be!”

“What does it even mean?” Pete asked. “Mayor?”

“Welcome to the Council Chamber.” There was a strange mirth in Verdant’s voice. “You asked about the control sigils. They are the runes that empower this building, the Seat of Power for the city and the caves beyond. By holding the Title of Mayor, you become the natural focus for that power.”

Verdant must have picked up on their still confused expressions, and she continued. “You will gain control over any arrays or constructs connected to the City network. They are tools meant to help govern the city. Furthermore, you will get access to the City interface which will help you govern and defend Sanctum Citadel.”

Arrays and constructs. There are those words again. What do they mean? Matt wondered.

“What–” Pete began. “What does that mean? Is it safe?”

“No more and no less safe than holding any other significant power, where you raise your head above others. Bearing the Title will put a mark on Mia, that is true, but it will also give her tools you will need if you plan to raise this city back to life.”

Thor leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table. “Mia, do it. I think you should accept it,” he said, holding her eyes.

“No,” she said, her face a mixture of incredulity and marvel. “I can’t just do that. It should be someone else… And we can’t rush this decision. We need to plan. I’m…” As her voice trailed off, she looked small. Mia was always wrapped in an aura of control and determination and Matt couldn’t remember seeing her this lost and confused. “I’m the youngest here. Even if you guys think I can do this, it’s just going to bring trouble later. Who else will trust me… When this city fills up, there will be others. Others that are better suited than me… I don’t have the experience. It will just be a mess.” She looked pleadingly at Matt. “You should do it,” and then at Thor, “Or you?”

Vic smirked. “How about me? Or Pete? We don’t even warrant consideration?”

“You want it?” Mia asked him, already rising from the chair. “Sure! I think you just need to sit–”

“No,” Vic cut her off sharply, suddenly serious. “I don’t want it. I would make the most horrible ruler in history. Matt and Thor would do, I guess, or even Pete,” he grinned sideways at Pete, “But it doesn’t matter. They won’t accept. You are the best for it, and we all know it. Let’s just get this over with… I vote Mia for Mayor. Any objections?”

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Vic looked around, and all the other men were nodding.

“But–” Mia began, but Matt cut her off.

“Enough. Stop being an idiot, Mia. You are by far the best one for it. I agree with Vic. You have my vote.”

Thor nodded. “Yes, they are right. Another vote for you, Mia. Pete?”

“Agreed,” Pete declared, leaning back in his chair. “So it’s decided. Mia, go ahead. Accept the Title, however that is.”

“But do we know this is the right thing to do?” She asked. “Maybe it’s permanent, and then I’m stuck with it. Perhaps Harl, or Duncan, or someone else we find later, will make for a better Mayor? We should wait until there are more people, there’s bound to be someone—”

“Fuck that,” Vic said, interrupting Mia. “This is our place. Our discovery. Our rules. Our Mayor. As Matt said; don’t be a fucking idiot. Look at this objectively–if you don’t do it, who knows what will happen? If we can trust whoever ends up in that chair? We can’t afford a power struggle.”

“What he said,” Matt said, and Thor and Pete nodded their assent.

She tried a last protest. “But… we don’t really even know what it will do… What will happen.”

“Welcome to our life since we fled into the cave, dear Mayor,” Vic smirked. “Just do it already.”

Matt smiled to himself as Mia’s expression of confused defeat transformed into her normal resolve in front of his eyes. He trusted her. She was good at this kind of thing. Leading people, making decisions, motivating them. She had a knack for knowing the right thing to do, the right thing to say. He remembered that moment outside the cave in the beginning, with the enemy bearing down on them. She was the one who decided and got them moving. She was the one who led them down into the dark caves. They would have been cut down or lost in the caves without her that night.

A moment later, the circlet above Mia’s head pulsed with golden light, and Matt saw a thousand tendrils of essence converge on the chair. Lifting her head, she released a deep breath and remained still, her eyes dancing across writing only she could see.

“Oh wow, guys. That was… I can…” She paused and looked overwhelmed. “There’s so much information. I can do so many things! Listen to this.

Title gained: Mayor of Sanctum Citadel. City interface access granted.

You are now the Mayor of the City of Sanctum Citadel.

* You may collect taxes and allocate resources

* You may award City titles and appoint to available positions

* You control the City treasury

* You control City defences

* You control City Laws

Sanctum Citadel: Level 1 City [Change City Name]

Threat Index: Inner City: 0, Outer City: 2, Inner Caverns: 3, Outer Caverns: 9 [View Details]

Population: 5 [View Details]

City Titles:

* Marshall [Open]

* Quartermaster [Level 3 to Unlock]

* Chancellor [Level 6 to Unlock]

City Council (5 positions):

* Council Leader: [Open]

* Council Member: [Open]

* Council Member: [Open]

* Council Member: [Open]

* Council Member: [Open]

[View Production Statistics Details]

[View Stores and Stockpile Details]

[View Defence Details]

[View Economics and Treasury Details]

[View City Laws]

[Further Options not Available at this Level]

Next Level: Obtain a Population of 20.”

As everyone wore equally stunned expressions, Pete was the one to speak first. “Threat Index? What is that?”

Mia paused for a moment before answering. “If I focus on it–on any part of the information actually–a new information box appears. This one says, Threat Index: A measure of perceived threat from internal or external sources.”

“Then…” She was lost in thought for a moment before continuing. “There’s a map-like image that appears when I focus on the writing. It looks like the Inner City is the central garden, and the buildings immediately surrounding it. The rest of the city inside the cavern makes up the Outer City, and the Inner Caverns include the farming cave and… and actually, the area we have been living in below. And the room with the patterned ceiling. The Outer Caverns reach far into the mountain… There are some really long tunnels. Hold on, let me check… Yes; I can change the view on the map, and there are tunnels everywhere. There’s… There’s even one that looks like it crosses through the mountain to the west.”

“If this area has a thread index of 0, does that mean this area is safe?” Pete asked.

“If we can trust this information, it does,” Mia said.

“You can trust it,” Verdant added. “It’s part of the Seat of Power capabilities. It synchronises with the detection array, and unless the map has marked a detection array as broken, you can trust it.”

Detection array? Matt thought.

“How far does it reach?” Thor asked.

“Let me check,” Mia said. “I can move the map around and move it so I can see a larger area. There seems to be a clear border just around the entrance to the tunnel. Everything inside has a different colour.”

“The border shows the extent of your Seat of Power,” Verdant said. “Your influence covers the marked area.”

“So the influence extends almost out of the tunnel? How can we make it larger?” Vic asked. “And what does it mean?”

“You need to make special constructs and align them with the Seat of Power network to extend it. The Mayor’s capabilities will depend on the constructs that are created in that area.”

“Yeah,” Mia paused for another moment. “I can see us on the map as green markers, and there are red markers. Presumably those are monsters, but they are much further into the tunnel system. Wait…” Mia squinted for a moment before continuing. “There is a red marker in the hallway on the way back to our living quarters!”

“Oh… nice. That is very useful,” Pete said. “I wish I could see that!”

“Mia,” Verdant said. “Focus on the Marshall title.”

“Ok? Why–” Mia said with a raised eyebrow before her eyes glazed over. “There,” she looked at Pete with an excited glint in her eyes. “How about that?”

“Oh, wow…” Pete exclaimed and trailed off. “Yeah, I can also see it now!”

“What did you do?” Matt asked.

“She made me City Marshall,” Pete smiled back. “I can see the map information. Also…” he trailed off for a moment. “Apparently, there’s supposed to be some way to organise a defence. Hmm, let me check…” Pete leaned back again in his chair as his eyes stared off into the distance.

“That’s so cool,” Vic grinned. “The city is level 1? So can we level it up? What else can we do now?”

“There’s a bunch of different options,” Mia answered. “I need to explore them all. Verdant, I’ll need your help if that is ok.”

“I believe I can provide some minor assistance under the terms already agreed with Matt,” she said with a grin. “And regardless, rebuilding Sanctum Citadel will be of great help to my people.”

“How is that?” Thor asked.

“More humans with access to the magic system means more essence will concentrate here. That accumulation of essence will cause more monsters, which in turn will yield more essence crystals. Like the old days.”

Thor leaned forward. “What do you mean, more monsters? And what do you mean, more concentration? I thought essence was everywhere, regardless of humans?”

“That is true. And perhaps the word concentration is not the correct one to use. It may be more accurate to say that the essence becomes organised. Without the magic system, the essence flows freely through the world. As people with magic move around an area, they serve as beacons that attract and absorb essence, reforming it into an organised structure. That structure serves to… Pull, I think the right word is. Yes, it pulls monsters out of nearby dungeons. They crave organised essence.”

“Dungeons?” Pete asked urgently. “You mean those white lurkers came out of a dungeon?”

“Yes,” Verdant answered. “Your presence here has already created ripple effects in the essence. Some of the dungeons are ripe for overflowing, and… They will come hunting you. You are not the only ones who want to harvest essence crystals…”

“Ok, that’s creepy,” Vic said. “What will happen when the entire city is full of people with magic?”

“I would recommend… planning for such an occasion.” Verdant said and looked at Pete. “The city Marshall used to organise a City Guard to keep the population safe.”

Pete nodded back at Verdant. “That makes sense. I see the Marshall interface has some functionality to help organise it.”

“Ok, Pete. That’s your job–plan for how to keep the city safe. Now, though…. It’s been a long day, and unless anyone has any strong objections, I say we stop here and rest for a few hours. In the meantime,” Mia said with a smile. “We have a decision to make.”

“Yes?” Matt asked, when Mia didn’t immediately elaborate.

“The people who lived here before us called this city Sanctum Citadel. I propose we rename it.”

“To what?” Vic asked, scratching his chin.

Matt read Mia’s mischievous grin. “I think I know,” Matt smiled at Mia. “It’s a great idea.”

“In that case,” Mia said, as her eyes glazed over as she accessed the city interface. “Welcome to ….”

[City Name Changed: Sanctum Citadel → Sanctuary]