I suddenly realized I had been standing in the middle of the crowd staring at things no one else can see for five or ten minutes. I quickly started walking in the direction I was facing, matching my speed to the throng of people buzzing in all directions.

I looked at the key to my new apartment. 11269TH. Is this the 11th floor? 112th? What is the TH for? I looked up at the windows in the central hole of the tower. It had to be dozens of floors, but I couldn't tell if it got to over 100. Looking around, I didn’t see a map anywhere. I guess I’ll wander around and see if there’s a sign or any other guide.

I walked along the outer edge of the enormous space and saw there were some other facilities in here. The somators were by the door I came out of, then there was a guard post with one watchman, a small shop on the opposite end of the room, and many other buildings with unclear purposes. A little to the side of me was a large unmarked double-door with a lot of people streaming in and out of it. In between the buildings were a half dozen corridors, all unmarked. They really don't want you finding your way around, do they?

I was walking near one of the corridors, so I decided I may as well start going down it. It was brightly lit, with a ceiling three times my height. The walls were decorated with some ornate squiggle that flowed down the hall; the decoration was pulsing different colors in an almost melodic rhythm. The floor was angled upwards, but still didn’t show any real indication of where it lead to. Everyone else going up the hallway seemed confident in their direction, so I knew I wasn't completely lost at least.

At the top, I saw a balcony that looked out over the ground floor. I estimated I had to be on about the fourth level. Hopefully there isn’t anything important on the second or third floor since I didn’t see any way to get to them.

I turned back toward the crowd. It looked like they were headed for the several risers along the wall. Maybe one of those can take me up to the floor I need to get to. There are a ton of them. They looked like they fit maybe three people on them. Most people were hopping on them alone, though. I think the ones on the right side of the wall were for going up the bulding and the left side were just for returning, based on peoples’ movement.

I walked over to a random one of the risers and stepped on. The risers are basically a thick disk that hovers in the air. Above me was a narrow tube the same size as the riser itself. There was a control pad embedded in the wall of the tube, but there weren’t any clicks for me to press to select a floor. I tried powering it with raw energy. Nothing.

“You need to tap your key on it,” a very impatient sounding man said to me. “You have one, right? Tap it and get out of the way.”

Well this guy is annoying. I wonder what his Charisma is. I pulled out my key and brought it close to the panel. The moment it touched, the riser shot up. It stopped pretty quickly, so I was guessing it wasn't the 112th floor. The riser slid out of the tube and sank into the floor in front of it, probably to keep the tube clear for other people going by.

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There was a golden 11 hanging on the wall. Good start, now I just need to find 269. I walked down the only hallway. Well, I’m calling them hallways, but they were more like streets: wide enough for ten people to stand by each other, and lit by illusory flames on the wall.

I quickly reached an intersection. Luckily, there are numbers and arrows on the walls. Finally some guidance on direction. 1-175 to the left, 176-350 to the right. It looked like the halls to my left and right form a circle all the way around the tower.

I turned right and followed the increasing numbers. The numbering was consistent, with the even numbers on the inner ring of apartments and the odds on the outer ring.

From the ground floor it had looked like the inner ring housing had windows looking into the tower. Hopefully that means the outer ones can see outside otherwise it'll just be a large coffin to sleep in.

The street was pretty peaceful. Every step down the hall put the rabble of the crowd further away. Actually, now that I think about it, why isn’t there anyone here right now?

Link, show me the time. It popped into my vision: 4:32 ET. Almost midday. Maybe everyone is working. Link, remove time. It disappeared. That works pretty well. Maybe I should name the mindlink. Link feels weirdly formal.

Is it weird to name an enchanted piece of metal inside my head?

Here we are, 269. Quest completed: Find your apartment I felt a small buzz inside my head as the message appeared, but shook it off.

I inserted the key and unlocked my door. I started to open the door, but it stopped with a clank. There was a chain on the inside holding it closed.

The lights were already on inside. I closed the door part way and reached out with my magic to grab the chain. Suddenly, the lights went out. I heard a scraping sound like wood on tile and a small crash, followed by movement that crossed by the door and then away.

I managed to unhook the chain and the door slowly creaked open. The only light came from the nearby torches, casting elongated shadows. The room was mostly empty, but there was an overturned chair by a table in one edge of the room. The lone window on the far wall was covered tightly by long curtains, eliminating the last tendrils of light from providing any illumination.

The switch to activate the lights was far across the room. I crouched low and slowly crept into the darkened apartment. It was eerily quiet, with only the sounds of my footsteps and breath.

I was close to the switch when I heard the patter of footsteps to my side and turned to face them, instinctively drawing my dagger. My eyes darted around the darkness, but saw nothing. If I want a fighting chance, I need the light. I dove the last several feet over to the switch, and turned to face the now illuminated figures.