Tanya started back towards her shop at a brisk walk, but turning around the first corner, she saw another of the kangaroo-style monsters a couple of dozen feet away. It was similar to the one that she'd defended Adam from, except its tail had a missing tip, like it had been cleaved straight off. Its face was also wonkier, like the right-hand side of its jaw was failing to keep its flesh up. It was hopping around the buildings, smashing unbroken windows with its tail.

With a single leap, it jumped closer to her, and she saw the black ichor dripping down its tail from a hundred shards of shattered glass stuck in it.

The missing tip made more sense now. They really did have no survival instincts when it came to their objective.

It smashed another window, disappearing into the shop briefly. Tanya could hear the crashing inside. Then it appeared again and tried the next. It was hunting for anyone holed up and hiding.

For a moment, Tanya considered running. She could go back the way she came and avoid the fight. It would take far longer to get back, but there'd be no risk—

Why would I run? I could take it down.

Phantom Brand writhed beneath her skin, aching to be unleashed. She let the hunger simmer. Considering this fight wasn't the sword fuelling hunger for blood.

She remembered the girl who had run just to live. The girl who had played it safe for herself, then for Ishita, for Adam, for Ian—for anyone weaker who needed her to.

The last kangaroo monster had terrified her, but only because she'd been shielding Adam while fighting it.

I don't need to play it safe when I'm on my own here anymore.

Now, she had no one to protect. No reason to retreat.

This time, she wouldn't take the long way home.

With a deep breath to recoup her thoughts, Tanya summoned Phantom Brand in one hand and the whip of spikes in her other and ran towards the monster. She stabbed Phantom Brand into a red post box beside her and enjoyed the way the metal bent to the shape of the sword, the small sticking out hatch for mail becoming a strange feature of the flat side of the blade itself.

She kept her eye on the monster as the sword sucked up the metal. It hadn't seen her yet, until it had. Strange beady things, far too human for the gooey form it took, locked onto her.

It snarled and jumped, clearing the last ten feet between them in a single leap. It moved in the same way as the last one had, and Tanya saw it coming. It was going to land behind her. She pulled her sword out of what remained of the postbox and turned so she was facing it. Without missing a beat, she continued her stride, cleaving Phantom Brand straight through its large body.

With a screech, its torso slid down its midriff where she'd sliced it in two, gravity pulling them apart now that they were separated. Small drips of the black goop of its flesh connected, trying to pull itself back together.

It couldn't hop now, just turn and run towards her on its oversized feet. She sprinted towards it again, more confident. This time, she jumped and sliced its neck. The extra cut seemed to be too much for it to handle, and despite its attempt at repair, it disassembled in a single moment, its head and torso and legs all falling in separate directions.

She'd done it. There was no teenager to save or mortal danger. Tanya could defeat the normal monsters of this street with ease.

She laughed at how ludicrous it was, looking down at her hands. Phantom Brand's Tactile Memory Ability of remembering previous strikes must have been part of how practised her shots seemed, but some of it must be her too.

No notifications had popped up.

I've not levelled in a while. Am I really so powerful now that I don't get any notifications from killing that monster?

She willed her Interface open, and the notifications flooded in.

Tanya's mouth dropped open. There were growls in the distance, so she ducked into the entrance of a shop. She leant against the brick wall, just taking it in.

How did this happen?

That's when the memory hit her. Back after giving Marcy her tattoo, she'd suppressed her Notifications so that she could focus on how Marcy was feeling. She let out a laugh, combing her hand through her hair.

Holy shit.

• • •

Alert!

Through your efforts, you have increased the following Attributes:

Strength +2

Dexterity +1

Vitality +1

Will +2

Stolen story; please report.

• • •

Achievement: Magical Entrepreneur

There aren't many plus sides of the apocalypse, but you have just found one. In a world where survival is imperative, your magical talents have a new kind of value. You've crafted a business that won't just help you survive, it will help those around you too.

Achievement Boon: Your shop is now marked on any magical maps, relevant location-based spells, and Relevant Restricted Questions.

• • •

Achievement: Spoils of War

All your enemy has done is take and take until now. You have utilised their technology and magic to create something of your own, and in their loss, your advancement is blooming.

Achievement Boon: Unlocked the Construct Menu and Quests.

• • •

Achievement: Life Changing Magic

All tattoos consider the Wielder within their creation, but you have created a tattoo summon with enough knowledge of the Wielder's Class that it has become instrumental to how they now use their Class.

Achievement Boon: You have received Improved Design Overlay.

• • •

Level Up!

You have leveled up The Magic Touch to Level 4

• • •

Level Up!

You have leveled up Tattoo Summoner to Level 7

• • •

Tanya just stood there and stared at it for a minute.

3 different Achievements. Holy shit.

She thought through what had happened since suppressing them, settling on the shop Achievement possibly being from Olena putting up the sign, the Monster Core Achievement clearly being from the same moment that she unlocked the Construct, and then the magic that changes how someone treats their Class, either being finishing Marcy's tattoo, or from while Marcy was testing it. That one was her favourite. 'Life Changing Magic.' This Achievement felt like it represented everything she wanted her magic to be, and she found herself reeling as she said the words in her head over and over again. Her tattoo was now part of Marcy's life and survival in a way that no other tattoo she had done had been.

Before she could fully dive into imagining the kind of Major Ability Crossroad Abilities that these would create, she heard the faraway growling growing nearer. There was a frantic charge of footsteps—Tanya guessed somewhere between 4 and 10 of the hellhound she'd fought on her street so many times.

With renewed vigour, Tanya closed her Interface and charged into a pack of hellhounds. This time, she was smiling.

Back at the shop, Tanya could already hear chatter inside from the moment she opened the door.

Mrs Eceer was sitting on the highest-backed armchair that she always insisted on for her bad back. With her superhuman Attributes, Tanya doubted her back was even still a problem. Her current position proved it; she was perched right on the end and leaning all the way forward to look at Marcy. Pete was in an armchair by the Aga, shuffling cards and looking incredibly bored.

"So you think they could stack together without the need for an entirely new circuit?" Mrs Eceer asked.

Tanya saw Marcy scratch her head over the back of the sofa she was sitting on. Tanya circled around to the side so she could see both of them. Both of their expressions were deeply thoughtful, with Marcy's being more confused and Mrs Eceer's more excited.

"I would have thought that we could detect the signals from approaching monsters using the same circuits you already have created, but it would need some testing."

"Fascinating!" Mrs Eceer picked up a notebook and began frantically scribbling.

"Sorry, I'm late," Tanya ventured.

"Oh, hi!" Marcy exclaimed, looking over her shoulder. "No worries, I'm just completing part of my trade."

"You what—oh yeah." Tanya had completely forgotten she'd asked for this. "Ward stuff with Mrs Eceer, right?"

"So do you think that if we reconfigured the sensing arrays, we could drive them in reverse—pushing the magic through the same pathways and make them radiate a signal instead of just absorbing one?"

Marcy raised her eyebrows. "You know a lot about circuits."

Tanya's eyes flicked between them.

Mrs Eceer shook her head. "Only what I could gather from Olena, and she doesn't know most of the technical intricacies in English, nor had she ever made a sensor of any kind."

"Well, I think maybe antennas would be a better way of doing that. I'm not very sure about the sensor either, though. That just reminded me of the radio microphones we used when we were recording on location—those turned sound into an electrical signal and modulated it onto a carrier so it could be transmitted to a receiver. I could do the same thing with magic. If I feed my own transmission power into the ward, it becomes the carrier, and the ward's circuits could radiate it like a beacon for others to pick up."

It finally clicked in Tanya's head. "Wait, are you talking about making some kind of radio in the wards?" She sat down beside Marcy.

Mrs Eceer's head snapped towards Tanya. "You know about radios?"

"Made one with my dad when I was a kid, but not really."

Mrs Eceer lost interest, turning back to Marcy. She tapped the pen against the page as she thought.

Marcy explained, "Mrs Eceer heard about how my powers work, and it reminded her of her own, so she's thinking maybe the wards could be added to, to make a more direct method of communication."

Tanya felt hope bloom in her chest.

"It would only be through people with the Ability to communicate or with the Ability to make a similarly working receiver," Mrs Eceer warned.

"So like Marcy's Ability, but it wouldn't only be sent through her, this radio thing could do what she does?"

Mrs Eceer snorted, leaning back in her chair. "It's an incredibly harebrained idea."

"But there's a chance," Marcy added, more hopefully.

Tanya gulped. She imagined speaking to her family again—hearing that they were alive, how they'd changed, whether they had been levelling or if they had listened to the government for too long and were behind the power curve. She clenched her knuckles, forcing the logical words past her emotions. "I'll trade all but half an hour of my time using your powers if you use the rest of that time to help Mrs Eceer with this idea."

Pete's head shot up at the sound of the word trade.

"Sure that—" Marcy started.

"Shut up," Pete said. He placed the cards beside him and pulled the armchair closer. The legs screeched across the floorboards, and Tanya winced.

"She also wants to split any profit this creates, trading with others for the ability if it works. And we get free use of your electricity here."

Tanya opened her mouth to reply, but Mrs Eceer was already locked onto him.

"She can keep all the profit for trades that she organises, and we can keep all the profit for trades that we organise," Mrs Eceer started.

Tanya could see why she'd suggested the change in wording. That way, Marcy or one of them would need to do the legwork in order to make anything from it.

Pete's eyebrows furrowed. Tanya could tell he'd noticed too.

"We'd consider a limited use of our electricity from the Monster Core for a limited number of people and time span," Mrs Eceer started. "But if you get a Monster Core, we will set it up for you if, and only if, this communication system works."

Pete leant forward. "You'll feed her while she's working, and any extra time beyond this trade put in will be fairly paid for with more days of electricity usage."

"Deal," Mrs Eceer shot back.

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