“Thank the Machine, we’re finally done!” said a tired ‘scribe’. He wasn’t actually anything of the sort, but he was one of the few poor bastards that could actually draw technical images worth a fuck. Unsurprisingly, not many people got to try their hand at art down here.

“That’s great news, Ivan. I hope you realize how important the work you're doing is, though.” Said Joy

“Ah, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. It’s just that we’ve been in here for a week straight! I understand how monumental this all is, but it’s hard to keep that in mind when I can’t feel my hand!” Ivan said with a laugh, then continued with a more serious tone, “I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity. Working on something as revolutionary as this… thank you.”

Startled by the sudden genuine emotion, Joy simply responded, “Yo- You’re welcome”

She wouldn’t normally have been caught off guard by a simple statement, but Ivan wasn’t lying about the long work hours. Joy had wanted this done fast, and that meant very little sleep, and a lot of talking. It wasn’t as if she could draw the blueprints herself, so that meant she had to describe in painstaking detail what each part was and how it looked for over a week straight. All the while, she was breathing down each of their necks, making sure there were no imperfections. It’s a miracle they could still stand being around her at this point.

The blueprints themselves ranged from simple machines used for irrigation to advanced machines used for excavation into the upper mantle. Humanity had only made those a decade or so before the Mana Plague.

~~~~~

Finally, Joy had some free time to move around! She was all for productivity, but even she needed a break sometimes.

Things were looking up, and for once, nothing urgently needed to be completed. Expansion wasn’t necessary, in fact, it would be actively detrimental at this point. Right now, what her faction needed was time to settle down and set up some defenses. They could take over the rest of the city when it wouldn’t kill half of her forces from exhaustion.

And as for managing all the hopeful insects? Well, Omar was a sponge for information, and he took to learning about governance with aplomb.

Hmm… I should really stop thinking of them as insects. They aren’t really even scorned, besides in name. They have mana and everything… I’ll think about this later.

All of a sudden, Joy could feel someone watching her.

She quickly looked around the dilapidated street, but couldn’t find anyone.

“Your good. Most people take longer to notice me. That was about… nine minutes? You’ve got some real talent, kid.” Said a shadowy figure that appeared in the alley to her left.

Calming her strange mix of irritation and fear, she responded, “And what exactly is it that you need?”

“The boss wants to meet with you, and no, before you ask, he isn’t some two-bit gangster like the ones you’ve been taking out. I’m talking about the High Overseer.”

Oh. Shit.

The thing about this Undercity, all of them actually, is that they do technically have a government. It’s just never used. It’s mainly just there to keep the masses out, and the scorned in. The High Overseer’s main job is just to keep tabs and make sure no one is planning anything too outrageous.

It’s a position that’s handed out as a punishment, a true dead end. That’s why things are usually so shit down here, even the government officials don’t want to be in the Undercity, and all they do is siphon the limited credits available. If literally free money with no responsibilities doesn’t tempt anyone down here, that’s how you know it’s terrible.

If Joy was being asked for, that could only mean one thing. She was suspected of Treason. Fuck. FUCK.

“I can see the wheels spinning in your head” Laughed the shadowy figure. It sounded like gravel.

“But it’s not what you’re thinking. He just wants to talk to the new up and comer. It’s not often we see a take-over like this occur, and it really does get so boring down here, you know?”

“I’m guessing I don’t have a choice then, when do you want me to be there?” Joy hated being subservient, but she would hate dying more.

“You're one of the clever ones, then. Good, maybe you’ll actually survive long enough to enjoy taking over the city’s premier spot of garbage lord. King of all that stinks.” He said, his dry voice matching his terrible humor perfectly.

“We want you there by… let’s say… half an hour from now. That’d work. See you there, little mob boss.” With a wink, he vanished into the shadows.

Even looking at him, Joy couldn’t actually tell where he went. Definitely Powered then. Machine take her, this was already such a mess. Things were only just starting to go well!

~~~~~~

The Overseer’s Tower was thankfully not very far at all, with it being situated in the center of the city, right next to the supply elevator. Still, it took her twenty-four minutes to make it while running at top speed. These fuckers! They knew she would only barely make it if she was Powered! They were testing her to see if she had one! Or to see if she was Class 4 or higher.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Nothing for it. Either she went in and confirmed it, or she didn’t make it and ruined her first impression with the only man who had any connections in this city. Plus, with them giving her a time limit like that, they must have already assumed that she had one.

Fuck.

Lightly sweating from the exertion, Joy walked up to the front of the… oddly medieval-looking tower. It definitely stood out against the surrounding neon earthscrapers. It had actual wood and stone in its construction and was only a few stories tall. The tower could probably be taken down by a simple rocket, or at least it looked like it could. Knowing the nobles that constructed it, most likely it was just meant to disrupt the otherwise consistent building style that surrounded it. To stand out, or to just make the skyline look worse, she didn’t know. Probably both, nobles were petty bastards, Joy would know.

The gate guards near the front portcullis, why the fuck did a modern city have a goddamn portcullis, let her through without any issues. Joy was surprised. The first thing she learned from other nobles, albeit indirectly, was that posturing and passive-aggressive insults were part of the whole deal. The guards didn’t even turn their noses up like they were looking at trash! Nobles didn’t instruct their guards to act that politely towards anyone, even other nobles!

What was going on with this guy? To be a High Overseer you had to at least be a Baron, and even they were snooty, so why was this guy being so indirectly polite? All nobles were petty assholes to guests! It was expected, even! This guy really freaked Joy out.

Entering the building, she was met with fine art and wooden furniture. And it was actual, honest to the Machine, oak! Earth Wood! That would have had to have been imported from the solar system!!! That was like… four lightyears away! Even with magic, that took a few months! And the trees themselves? Rarer than a scorned’s magic!

Trees became practically endangered a few hundred years ago, not because of deforestation or anything, though that was a major factor, but because of physical space. With oxygen towers that processed CO2 much faster than a forest ever could, the need for space outgrew the need for scenery.

There were still trees on other terraformed planets, especially the newer ones that didn’t have very many cities, but they were all genetically engineered for faster respiration and reproduction with little heed for anything else, so their wood quality was atrocious. It was necessary, though. Filling an artificial atmosphere with breathable air took time and resources, and trees designed to survive with next to no nutrients in the soil they were planted in weren’t expected to be particularly solid. At most, they were designed to be flexible, and that was only if the planet had high winds.

Fuck! Damn it, Joy, you can’t get this distracted by a motherfucking table!

“I see you were admiring the furniture. I often like to come down here and marvel at it myself. It’s difficult not to, knowing the history behind it, right?” Spoke a baritone voice behind her.

“I find myself unable to disagree, Lord Glazastov. The artistry in the design and the rarity of the material, I imagine it would be difficult to not admire it.” Joy spoke elegantly, years of training overcoming her need to stay undercover.

“Ah, I see you are of highblood yourself. That, or you are simply a cut above the rest of the drudgery that resides here.” A deep voice carried a note of disdain when referring to the scorned. Not unusual, but slightly surprising considering his politeness so far.

“I no longer carry a family name myself, lord. I am forbidden to speak it.” She tried to say neutrally, but only barely hid the hatred from her tone.

“Hmm. From your facial structure I would say Durand, but the color doesn’t match at all… unless you dyed it to blend in. Or… never mind, we can discuss that later. For now, come along with me. My servants have prepared an unforgettable meal, I’m sure it will be miles above what you can get from those trash dispensers. I swear, the fact they even charge a single credit for the slop you get from those machines-” He continued talking while they walked, seemingly never tiring of his own voice.

After an… admittedly fantastic dinner, and really, how could you go wrong with Wagyu? He finally got to business.

“Joy, as I’m sure you're very aware by now, I am not like other nobles. I may share their mannerisms, but I do not share their ideals. The way the scorned are treated down here… it’s not right. I’ve seen what you’re doing for them, and I applaud you. Most nobles wouldn’t even begin to want to make a difference down here, let alone step foot in Undercity. Not that you had much of a choice, of course.” He finished somberly

“Thank you, Lord Overseer. I’m glad you see it the way I do.” Joy responded, only slightly wincing at the casual mention of her revocation.

“Of course, of course. I apologize for my lack of tact regarding your unfortunate situation, but that is part of why I brought you here. You are Class 4, no? There is only one former noble named Joy in this city, and she had a dead-end Power. You clearly don’t, so it must have evolved.” He spoke casually as if he wasn’t threatening her existence with the unsaid accusation.

“Ah, completely unrelated, but did you hear about the noble brat that came down here? A member of the Panoptes family, I heard, but I’m sure you knew that. He says that he lost access to his Power not too long ago. Remarkable. It’s a complete mystery, you know? There should be nothing with the ability to do that. Well, unless it was a Mythic Power of some sort, but those are all recorded, so it vexes me all the more.” He said.

“Truly, Lord, it is a mystery.” Joy spoke quietly.

“Quite. Hypothetically speaking, however, let’s say it wasn’t a mystery. Hmm… what would I say to a person with such a Power. For the sake of argument, let's say you're them, is that all right with you?”

Not waiting for a response, he continued, “So you clearly have a Power that can seal others. How? And for how long?”

“Indefinitely, as far as I’m aware.” Joy spoke, gaining a bit of confidence.

He thought her power was a sort of seal! She was going to have to be appropriately vague for this, as she shouldn’t know anything solid about her Power. Most people didn't have access to their system screens.

“Right, since it hasn’t been logged that means they couldn’t have been to a terminal, so they don’t know their exact specs. Quite astute of you, young Joy.” He said with a smile lighting up his face.

“I try, Lord Overseer.” Joy said demurely.

“And since his Power was stolen while he was reportedly assaulting some poor innocent scorned, you couldn’t help but activate your newly evolved Power. Justice demanded to be carried out, no?” He looked at her like he was solving a puzzle.

Joy kept her face carefully blank, only allowing small amounts of emotion to shine through, just enough to keep him thinking he was on the right track.

“Well, I imagine most people wouldn’t sit back and allow injustice to continue if they had the power to stop it,” Joy said. There, this was her angle! A young, naive, demure brat with dreams of being a hero.

“Of course. I certainly wouldn’t have stood by, either. That does leave you in a tricky position, however. How will you continue to expand once you take over the city? Everyone, excluding a minor few, hates the scorned. They would never allow you on the surface.”

“That is a tricky question, Lord Overseer.”

“Isn’t it? But, what if you worked for me? I could get you the certification to head upwards. You would just need to do me… a few favors. Rorke would approve, I’m sure. You do respect him, correct? You took a bullet for him, after all. My, the way you moved in front of him so quickly, it almost looked planned.” Glazastov spoke, looking at Joy with what almost looked like pride.

Ah, there went the innocent and naive look.

“Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. What was my shoulder for a chance to save such a great man? Sometimes you have to give up a part of yourself for what you think is right.” Joy spoke, laying on the double meaning heavily.

Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Joy killed him for the good of the scorned. That was the only angle that was salvageable if she wanted to keep the 'good person' look going.

“Quite. I’m glad you understand.” With that, he handed her a dossier and an Overseer-backed Digital Certification. The only way in or out of the city was with that cert.

“So, are you ready to get to work?”