“Wait!” Kenva cried as Kaius took a step towards the entrance to their new Arachnacine Landyacht.

  “What?” he said, looking back. Her face was aghast; what could possibly have her so frazzled?

  “We can’t just enter! Every caravan needs a name, and this is a damned landyacht!”

  Kaius cocked his brow. He didn’t get it.

  “A name?” he questioned.

  “By the matriarchs, why would we give it a name? It's an artefact,” Porkchop added, echoing Kaius’ sentiment.

  Kenva looked at them like they'd spat in her food. “Because it's bad luck, you fools! Every good caravan has one. Besides, this isn't just a caravan — it's a boat, too, which means it's double bad luck.”

  “People name boats?” Kaius said, blinking. That was ridiculous. Why would people name boats? Or caravans, for that matter?

  He searched for a voice of reason, but Ianmus was only looking at him like he'd just asked if houses had roofs.

  “You didn't know that people name boats?” Ianmus asked.

  “Why in all the hells would I? It's not like they have damn boats in the Sea.”

  He snapped his mouth shut, narrowing his eyes as he visibly watched delight spread across Ianmus’ and Kenva's faces. “Don't you fucking dare. You know what I meant,” he said.

  His teammates held it together for all of three seconds before they howled with laughter.

  Even Porkchop laughed, low rumbles that filled the tunnel.

  At least the Castellan had tact. Though with how common it was for it to play at statue, he had no way of knowing what the automaton was thinking.

  “Seriously, Kaius. You did not just say that,” Kenva gasped, doubled over as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “No boats in the Sea? Really, man?” Ianmus choked out, trying to stifle his laughter.

  Heat bloomed on the backs of Kaius’ ears. “I said, shush.”

  “You do have to admit that you walked nose-first into that one,” Porkchop added.

  Kaius narrowed his eyes at the betrayal.

  But he did catch himself smiling at his friends’ damned infectious mirth.

  “Ah, I needed that,” Ianmus said, rubbing his face. “Still, the fact remains that it is tradition. Kenva is right. We should name it before we take a look inside. Any ideas?”

  Kaius looked at the landyacht and the long, heavily armoured metal limbs that kept it supported in the air. A moment later, he looked down at his own.

  “Pegleg,” he said decisively.

  Kenva made a sound like she'd been strangled, choking as her laughter redoubled. “That is terrible. I love it.”

  “Pegleg it is,” Porkchop replied. “Can we go on board now? I want to see what it's like inside.”

  Sharing a round of excited grins, they rushed to the stairs.

  Rushing into Pegleg, Kaius entered a wide open room that must have filled the back third of the landyacht. Where the rear of the vessel rounded out in a gentle curve, there was a singular wraparound seating area: a deep and thickly padded bench that looked like it could easily sit twelve people. Both ends protruded towards the centre of the room, creating a wide, flattened area large enough that even Porkchop would fit.

  Across from it, the far wall held a small kitchenette and cabinetry, with a wooden table and chairs. The varnished things were polished to a fine sheen, as were the ceiling and walls of the place. The care that had gone into the delicate filigree engravings on the finish was obvious. There was none of the militaristic austerity that was visible on the vessel's exterior. Beyond those two defining features, there was a door leading further into Pegleg, and a grand table in the centre of the room. It was an oval thing, likely designed for expedition planning.

  It took bare moments before his team split up, Porkchop sniffing around the padded bench at the vessel’s rear, while Ianmus and Kenva searched deeper through the door.

  Kaius only had eyes for that table — there was something engraved into its surface and sealed in varnish.

  Stepping closer, he saw that it was a map of Vaastivar — though one far larger than he had ever seen before. He blinked in shock. It was the entire damned continent, most of it was completely unfamiliar to him.

  The Sea was there, a massive splotch that spread across the eastern edge of the centre of the map, and there, to the south of it, he saw the Drozag rendered as a bumpy ridge that split the continent in half. There was the Frontier and the Dukedoms, though he knew the edges of those barely reached the centre of the continent. Beyond them were more kingdoms, Franlen and others he didn’t know the names of.

  Yet it was so small.

  Everything he had known, the extent of his knowledge — hells, his entire world — was contained in a thin sliver just to the south of the map's centre. Perhaps a fifth or less of the total landmass.

  The Sea was larger than he’d ever realised, and there was so much more beyond it. Mountains, forests, plains — before the landscape inevitably succumbed to the gripping touch of ice.

  South, beyond the Drozags, there was only an arid waste of nothing, and then the jungle; a humid, green hell that consumed all and took no prisoners. It was one of the most famous dangers he'd heard of, dominating a third or more of the continent and, in times past, one of the most potent high-mana zones.

  Once he got over his shock, Kaius felt a glimmer of excitement as he realised that there were markers on the map. There was no key, but it was not hard to infer that they were major settlements. There were so damn many of them — perhaps there were facilities as well? Some, even, were scattered through the jungle. Had the Empire managed to tame even that place?

  “Come check this out,” Kaius said.

  Porkchop poked up his head from where he was lying on the couch. Ianmus and Kenva filed back into the room, curious looks on their faces.

  When Ianmus saw what he was looking at, the mage hurried over.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “A complete map. You don't see those very often.”

  So it wasn't new knowledge. Kaius had been unsure.

  “Is it valuable?” he asked.

  “Maybe,” Kenva said, leaning on her hands as she looked at the table with interest. “General landscape details aren't exactly a secret, because enough map fragments have been recovered to piece them together. But accuracy is always in question. It might be worth something with these settlement markings. It's hard to tell whether they'll be known sites or new knowledge until we check them out. We won't exactly be able to compare them — if anyone else has similar information, they'll be holding it close to their chest. As we've found, an untouched Imperial ruin can be a profitable venture for an expedition.”

  “I guess we'll have to invest in a tablecloth,” Kaius muttered. In reality, he had very little plan to flaunt their latest acquisition. It would be silly of them not to take such simple precautions.

  “It's still a rare find,” Ianmus confirmed. “This detail is astounding. Most continent maps are only vague impressions of coastlines and major landscape features. I haven't seen anything like this before.”

  “Ah, certainly high quality,” Kenva agreed. “The clans have something similar, but that's been the work of centuries of shared knowledge on trade routes. And even then, it's rare that a Hiwiaan is daring enough to push outside of the settled lands in an effort to build on the work.”

  “Regardless of its value, the settlement markers will truly be helpful in narrowing down the search. If we can find some historical reference to Kaius's ancestral home, right?” Porkchop said.

  Kaius grinned. Of course it would. That alone was far more value than any monetary gain they could get by duplicating the map.

  “What about the rest of the rooms? Find anything interesting back there?” Kaius asked, looking at Ianmus and Kenva. They'd only had a few minutes on the far side of the door, but with a vessel as small as this that would have been enough time to see what else was there.

  “There was a washroom with running water,” Kenva grinned, drawing a smile from Kaius.

  That was fantastic. A comfortable place to sleep was one thing, but the most punishing part of their delve had been their total inability to properly bathe whenever they wanted. This would solve that.

  “I assume there was some kind of bunk room?” Kaius asked.

  “Two, actually,” Ianmus replied. “One with six bunks. It was a little cramped with all the beds, but they’re soft and large, at least. My feet won't even hang off the ends! The other room was right at the front of the craft. It must have been the Head Researcher’s personal quarters. It's part office and rather luxurious compared to the bunks.”

  Kaius nodded. He'd have to check them out for himself later when they got the Pegleg through its paces properly. For now, he was itching to leave and return to Deadacre. As eventful as his time down in the ruin had been, he couldn't help but feel itchy at the thought of the politics involved in deciding what to do with the damn thing. Hopefully, they'd be able to seal the place, or at least create an illusion that it had been deactivated. From his understanding, it would be impossible to hide that it existed — too many delvers had pursued Old Yom and his crew into the upper maintenance tunnels.

  “Shall we take our leave? It's about time we had our final chat with the Castellan, don't you think?”

  While Ianmus and Porkchop simply nodded, Kenva spun, looking around the room as if it was the last time she would see it.

  “Duty before luxury, I suppose,” she sighed.

  Filing out of the landyacht, the vessel sealed itself shut behind them, its hull returning to an imposing monolith of metal once more.

  The Castellan was waiting for them, silent and still.

  Looking up at it, Kaius found that he still couldn't shake his discomfort at such a strong creature being so deferential. It was one thing to know that, when it was still alive, the heights of the Empire had towered above anything ever achieved since, but it was another to be faced with a gods-damned mithril automaton that acted as subservient as a common butler.

  Still gathering his words, Kaius willed the landyacht away. Air rushed over him as it vanished, ruffling his hair.

  He supposed that if he would spend his time in the future hunting after more Imperial ruins, it made sense to check that the privileges he had found here were universal.

  “Castellan,” he asked. “The Sovereign Star — will it grant me access to other installations as it has here?”

  As soon as he spoke, the automaton shifted, looking straight down at him.

  “Of course, my lord. Your peerage is undying. Yet I must warn you. Even here, degradation made your access spotty. Key subsystems may still recognize you, but communication will likely be limited. If defences are active, it is possible — or even likely — that you will be treated as an intruder. Few installations are headed by sophisticated minds like my own, and fewer still have core systems as robust as the experimental reactor.”

  “So we should expect to be attacked?” Porkchop asked.

  The automaton bowed its head. “Just so. The current directives are universal and clear. Maximise lethality towards all valid targets, and be as destructive as possible towards collateral and infrastructure.”

  Kaius winced. It certainly lined up with what he had originally expected from Imperial ruins. If they were to leave this place functional beneath Deadacre, that had to change.

  “These directives. Can I change them?”

  The Castellan paused for a moment. “A global edict is impossible. Even if the infrastructure hadn't been destroyed, there are preventions that have been hard-inscribed everywhere.”

  That was a surprise. Did that mean that the mysterious Broken Sceptre override had been disseminated manually across the entire Empire? How much manpower must that have taken at the time, for it to occur under the Emperor's very nose in utter secrecy? The scale of it boggled his mind.

  Just how much work had gone into the Shattering — and why? It was clear it was no simple coup.

  “But locally?” he asked, getting himself back on track.

  “Of course, my lord,” the Castellan said, inclining its head.

  Kaius nodded. “In which case, know that we intend to preserve this facility and repair it if possible. It is too valuable of an asset to do anything else. But the city above must think that it has been destroyed and the threat dealt with.”

  “A simple enough matter, my lord. It will take only hours to pull functioning assets from the upper third of the facility and seal off access ways deeper. With that done, safe deactivation of upper-level infrastructure would take longer — a few days, perhaps — but such a thing would create the illusion of destruction, given the amount of superficial damage that already exists.”

  “Won't people go looking for a core?” Porkchop asked.

  “Most critical infrastructure lies on the lower levels. But there is a backup generator that we can place on the lowest floor. It has been rendered inoperable through simple time and retaliation in the original fall. The inhabitants of this facility will provide a good cover.”

  The Castellan turned back to Kaius. “My lord, I must ask: what of intruders — and myself?”

  “You must stay hidden. As for the people of Deadacre — anyone really — leave them be. If they somehow discover the lower levels, we must rely on diplomacy to leave the facility undamaged.” Kaius winced. He didn't know what that would look like, but he knew that his involvement had to stay secret. He didn't need the heat that would come if it got out that he could control Imperial ruins to an extent.

  “Rieker and Ro will know what to do. Don't stress too much about it, Kaius,” Ianmus said, clapping him on the back.

  Gods, he hoped so — the very thought of managing a secret this large had sweat beading at his brow.

  “They are local leaders of an Adventurer's Guild that you have mentioned?” the Castellan asked.

  Kaius nodded.

  “Then I will ensure they can liaise with me. If I am to remain hidden, I will return this body to cold storage. My mind is still linked to the facility, though, so I will be able to direct the drones and repair the lower levels — though it will be the work of decades, and I lack the production facilities to replace Centurions. The drones are replaceable at least, and I can use one of them as a mouthpiece if need be. If it is required, there are plenty of fictions that can be invented to explain away the size and the state of affairs and hide your involvement. I am aware that you must have enemies, my lord.”

  Kaius breathed out a sigh of relief. That was good. At least, he thought so. He didn't have the mind for this kind of thing. Political machinations just weren't his forte.

  “I suppose that's it, then,” Kenva said.

  “I suppose it is,” Kaius mumbled.

  The Castellan gave him a slight nod. “By your leave, my lord. The drone will be here shortly to show you to the exit.”

  As the Castellan fell silent, it took Kaius a few moments to realise that it was waiting. He thought it was waiting to be dismissed.

  “You may go,” he said.

  Without a single movement, the Castellan surged with light — spatial mana. Kaius barely had the time to recognise the colour before an ear-splitting crack left a ringing in his ears, and the Castellan was gone.

  “Suppose we best wait for this drone, then, shouldn’t we?” Porkchop said.

  Patreon is close to the final confrontation of the book!

  https://discord.gg/NjsqGKHHaY