Talk:No-one! Who cares?/@comment-10268211-20131101122820

Swift and silent

The Ministry of Public Decency, first. The anarchists mobbed the place, but the looters will go elsewhere first. They still fear the Special Constables. But in this utter dark, it's impossible to distinguish worthless documents from vital ones. The few that aren't burnt. And Mr Pages is making his last stand here. You need a Master's robe for the next step.

...that was noisy! But worth the pain. Pages' shrieks still ring in your ears, but you have his void-dyed robe, and you know its uses. You use it to slip through the Bazaar's defences as if they weren't there, ignoring the shivering failure of the sigils above you, the groans of less fortunate robbers, into its deepest vaults. And it's here you find the secret currencies, the coins that underpin the laws of the universe, and of course, a sloshing keg of Hesperidean cider. The plover's-egg-sized emerald and the Book of Ways are almost afterthoughts. But not quite.

You set out for the Travertine Spiral - the path to the Surface. It'll be choked with refugees, but a villain of your stealth and ruthlessness will find a way up. Especially with a gut full of Hesperidean Cider to keep you safe from harm. And once on the Surface, you may very well be the richest human being alive. You can buy yourself a palace. A duchy. An empire, even! But only a small one. You wouldn't want to be greedy.