Hey folks!

I travelled to see family today and got stuck in the endless misery of Brits trying to deal with any wind at all. I think you Americans would laugh at us.

Basically, all the trains were delayed or cancelled because of a wind warning, so we had a lot of waiting and train changing to do.

Chapter isn't done yet after the chaos of a ridiculously long journey, but I'll have it to you as soon as it is done this weekend :)

This isn't long enough to post so here's the end of the last chapter in case you want to remind yourself of how it ended... and then not be able to continue. Yeah, I'm evil.

• • •

Tanya expected her Vitality to be the thing that gave out first the next day. She was wrong.

Mid morning, Mrs Eceer had come to 'check she was alive' or so she said.

Tanya had been in the middle of an incredibly gripping memory of the griffen tattoo she'd got in memory of an old friend's D&D character. That person hadn't been in her life in a long time, and she was filled with so many bittersweet memories that she simply babbled something incoherent to Mrs Eceer about a new strategy and thanked her for the food.

With each tattoo, her Vitality went down, and then up again.

Her Will, however, was trickling further and further. She'd underestimated how exhausting it would be to relive these memories. It appeared that not only was Will increased due to them going over existing designs, but even more so by the demanding nature of reliving often very core moments of her upbringing in excruciating detail.

3 tattoos in, Tanya changed tack, deciding to add a Will-focused tattoo every couple of Vitality. She had to be more selective with these ones to have the same impact. Lots of her tattoos were impactful to who she was, but few of them represented the strength of Will.

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Tanya ended up deciding on 4 different tattoos that would be left for Will Wellsprings, or as the Ability called them, 'Wilful Wellsprings.' The first was a cobweb on her elbow that had really fucking hurt. The second couple were both tattoos she'd gotten to make promises of change to herself. The sun and moon on her hands had made the best Will tattoo, however, not because of their meaning themselves, but because they were the tattoos she'd had to fight hardest for. A couple of tattoo artists had refused to do them for her; it was hard to convince people, as a 19-year-old, that you genuinely did know what you were doing and didn't have to worry about hiding them for an office job.

Even her tattooed friends had tried to talk her out of it, but she'd scribbled this design on her hands back in high school, so she had a long time to be sure.

Almost every tattoo had the same Interface entry with the same Boon; it was just whether it was for Will or Vitality.

She filled the entire day that way, summoning Assistant when she got a cramp in her hands. Assistant being there all the time would be preferable, but her Vitality was a precious resource. Once this was over, she was hopeful she could find some way of giving Assistant a way of absorbing Vitality itself, or at least better its Absorption so she could think less about it.

By the time Tanya flopped into bed, barely able to keep her eyes open, she had 13 wellsprings, 4 Will and 8 Vitality. There were other tattoos on her sleeve, but those were all of the low-hanging fruit. Beyond this point, the tattoos didn't have strong enough memories to get a boon.

A rush of Notifications came through as she ended the suppression at the end of the day.

• • •

Alert!

Through your efforts, you have increased the following Attributes:

Will +3

Concentration +1

Dexterity +2

Vitality +2

• • •

Level Up!

You have leveled up Mnemonic Etching to Level 5

• • •

Level Up!

You have leveled up Mnemonic Etching to Level 6

Mnemonic Etching has received a Minor Ability Boon.

Mnemonic Etching

Level 3

You, your tattoos, and those being tattooed can store a single memory within a tattoo. When activated or during creation, it imprints that memory onto both the Wielder's and your mind—whether it's a tactical lesson, an emotional moment, or even a warning from the past.

This can be utilised during creation or modification to shape the tattoo itself. You have influence over the kind of boon it gives through how you channel the memory into the design.

• • •

Mrs Eceer poked her head round the door for the third time that day. "You look like you've been hit by a truck," she said.

"The thing they don't tell ya about these Attributes," Tanya said, her voice slurring slightly from exhaustion. "When you go far enough beyond what you're used to, you still feel shit even though you can do it."

Mrs Eceer raised an eyebrow. "You're only just realising this now. Perhaps you should apply yourself better."

Tanya groaned and threw her pillow at the door. She very quickly regretted it…

But not enough to move and get it back.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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