<24 September 2024, Citadel of the Ninth Tide, C-> [Ellyn Vargen] As Ellyn walked down what used to be Columbus Avenue in San Francisco, she wondered what today would hold. She glanced at the ocean, where the tide of monsters that had assaulted them since the beginning was strangely absent. She pulled up the System notice, reassuring herself.

System Message Regarding: The Saltborn Myriad Description The Saltborn Myriad has drifted away from your safe zone. They will return at a later date as they drift with the currents.

For surviving and repelling the Myriad, the San Francisco Safe Zone is renamed Citadel of the Ninth Tide and granted a System Structure.

System Structure Granted: Hall of Civilization

Note: N/A

Ellyn looked up and saw the massive Hall of Civilization that sat on the edge of what used to be Washington Square. She walked for ten more minutes before finally entering the hall. Another fifteen minutes of walking, as the building was far larger on the inside than on the outside, and she entered her chambers.

It was only once she had put on the robes of her office and climbed behind the bench. That she felt whole, and her class clicked into place.

>Local Message: Universal Translation Active >Local Message: Magister of Law, Ellyn Vargen, Presiding

Everyone who had been chatting quietly in the benches that lined the room fell silent.

Ellyn felt her skill, Public Docket, urge her to speak, and she let her mouth move. "First up, we have Janice Ortega, accused of stealing food from the supply depot. Please step forward."

A young woman, no more than twenty-four, with a baby on her hip and a toddler holding her hand, stepped forward. "I am here, Magister."

Ellyn ran over what information the Public Docket gave her, which was in turn provided by those with the Guard class or any of the wide variants of it, using the Report Crime skill. Ellyn saw what was stolen and drew some conclusions. "It seems that you stole flour, dried corn, and peas."

"I did, ma'am," Janice said. "My husband is away as part of the group exploring the surrounding wilds. Normally, he would be able to supplement what I feed the children with hunting and turning over the corpses to the city, but with him gone, I just didn't have enough. So I took what I needed."

Ellyn felt another of her skills, Lexicon of Order, telling her that the minimum punishment was a warning, and the maximum punishment that she could enforce was hard labor for one month. Ellyn, who had been seeing more and more of the issues surrounding the supposedly 'protected' children, went easy on her.

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"Very well, missus Ortega, consider this your one and only warning," Ellyn said, and then used another part of the Lexicon of Order Skill in conjunction with some of the functions of the courtroom she sat in to produce a small crystal tablet. "Take this, and present it to the Quartermaster nearest your home. It will remind them that they are obligated to provide for your children as per our laws, and more importantly, as per The System."

The young woman nodded, taking the crystal tablet while thanking Ellyn. Then Ellyn called the next case. "Case two, Jimmy Barthan, accused of stealing seven silver coins."

A man who had a decidedly greasy look stepped forward, and Ellyn got to work. It went like this, over and over, Ellyn would call someone forward, and she would review what information the Guards had filed, then she would hear the side of the accused, and more often than not, she would give them a warning, or community service, and send them on their way. She and the twenty-six other Magisters had agreed that for the first four months following the end of the Saltborn Myriad's assault, they would go easy on people who were just trying to get by.

Then the guards dragged in a man in shackles. Ellyn felt her face pinch in dislike. "Ah, Mister Brill, I was wondering when I would be seeing you again."

"Ellyn." Allan Brill said with distaste. "So what will it be today? Community Service, another five days in a cell?"

Ellyn drummed her fingers and reviewed what she knew of the man, as well as what the Guards had provided. Ellyn took a deep breath. "Mister Brill. We have a problem here. In the last twenty-five days, I have seen you ten times. First was just before the fall of the Disciplinary Board, and admittedly, I don't know how much I agreed with the methods of the Disciplinary Board, but even excluding that particular incident. You have stolen money meant to help others twice, for which you were warned and then given two days' extra wall duty. After the end of the onslaught, you attempted to mug one of the off-duty guards and were given ten lashes. You then proceeded to attempt to bully the three other families that you share a living arrangement with into giving you all of their supplies, going so far as to kidnap one of the children, when the System itself intervened and locked you in a cell in this building for five days."

Ellyn continued to detail the crimes of the man, who, prior to the System, she would have called a gym bro. Finally, she got to the reason he was here today. "And now, I find that you stand accused of assaulting a young woman while attempting to take something she found in a System Cache."

"Yeah, yeah," Allan said, "go ahead and slap my wrist. I'll be back. I'm sure."

That short statement enraged Ellyn, so she embraced her Lexicon of Order. Immediately, she knew that if she desired it, she could impose a century of labor. She also saw another option that was available thanks to her newest skill, Etched Flesh. She took a breath and rose from her seat behind the bench. She walked forward and placed a hand on the back of Allan's neck, triggering the skill while speaking.

The first thing that happened was that Allan became unable to move. "Allan Brill, due to your crimes, your unwillingness to cooperate with our society, and your indication to continue to cause problems for yourself and those around you, I hereby sentence you to permanent banishment from the Citadel of the Ninth Tide."

A flash of Cherenkov blue light emanated from her hand, and suddenly a glowing red tattoo of System Glyphs was etched into Allan's neck. Like any other set of System Glyphs, they were instantly understood by all. They declared him a criminal banished from the Citadel of the Ninth Tide.

Ellyn turned to the guards, "Take him to the inland edge of the safe zone, and then drive him a day's travel into the wilds on a cart, leave him there with a waterskin and some food."

Ellyn looked at Allan and nodded to him. "Mister Brill, I suggest you do not come back, and you throw yourself on the mercy of the System. Because we will have no more mercy for you."

She turned back to her bench and moved back to take her seat as the guards dragged Allan Brill out of the building and into a cart, kicking and screaming.

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