"Share it with you?" Tanya echoed, the words tasting strange in her mouth..

Mrs Eceer dropped her gaze, flicking imaginary dust off her skirt. Both of their clothes were the 'pay a professional and pray' kind of dirty. She wasn't kidding anybody.

"That's…true." Tanya admitted.

"And I'd share mine too, of course," Mrs. Eceer added, her tone a little too quick, like she was trying to convince herself more than Tanya.

God, why do I feel like I'm a thirteen-year-old getting 'the talk'?

"That would make sense," Tanya said, shifting in place. "Me, you, and the others are like a group—just for now, of course—"

"Oh, yes, of course, of course."

"So we already have a reason to, and it would just be more convenient not to make a new pact each time it was useful, ya know?"

Mrs. Eceer nodded, but something about it felt reluctant, like she agreed but didn't want to. "Yes, indubitably."

Tanya hesitated. The whole conversation had settled into this awkward, heavy thing, like a blanket that was too warm to be comfortable but too necessary to push off.

Mrs. Eceer held out her hand. Not demanding, not exactly offering—just… there.

Tanya stared at it, her pulse ticking up. She knew this made sense. It wasn't even a big deal. So why did it feel so weird?

"Come on," Mrs. Eceer said, a little impatiently.

Ah. She's why.

Tanya cleared her throat, fiddling with her hands in her lap. "…Number?"

Mrs. Eceer blinked. "Oh… yes. Right." She looked flustered by the mistake. Tanya would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel better. "576,876"

"And I'm 10056," Tanya said. They both awkwardly nodded. "System, I wanna make a pact with 576,876. She can see my interface as it levels up—but not change any of it—and, uh, she can't see it any more if she tries to harm me or, like, turn against me in any way." Tanya wished she'd have drafted something first now, but that would have to do.

Mrs Eccer gave her a brisk nod.

At least she seems happy with it. Would suck if she was offended by my stipulations.

Mrs Eceer's sounded rehearsed. "I am 576,876, and I wish to make a pact with Number 10056. My list of stipulations are as follows: updates will be provided as my level ups change; however, this will be halted if she betrays my trust, intentionally deceives me, or withholds critical information that affects my well-being or mission progress—"

Mrs Eceer went on for a while in the same vein. It all felt a bit pointless to Tanya—random clarifications and specific situations such as what situations withholding critical information would be passable. She even explicitly stated a list of threats against Tanya that she would allow as a reason for withholding information even if it wasn't in Mrs Eceer's best interest. Tanya wasn't sure whether to laugh at how ludicrous the speech was or worry that meant her specificity wasn't enough.

"Hm, there. That's all my points," Mrs Eceer finished.

The room was quiet with Ishita and Fahad in the kitchen. All Tanya could hear was the subtle hum of their voices and the wind blowing under the gap under the parlour's shop door. Tanya opened her Interface to check, and that's when she felt it. It was barely there, a slight buzz like someone had rubbed a balloon and then poked her brain with static charge. She flinched at the zap, but it wasn't painful; it just made her jump.

"Did you feel that?!" Tanya exclaimed. She looked around like someone would be right behind her or a face would be revealed through the little gap in the barricades. There was no one there.

"Hm?" Mrs Eceer's typical response rang through.

"The static," Tanya said.

Mrs Eceer raised an eyebrow. "From the pact?"

"You always feel that?" Tanya asked. It felt ludicrous that she'd have missed something like that every time.

Mrs Eceer tilted her head. "Uh, yes?" she said like it was obvious.

Tanya opened Mrs Eceer's interface.

* * *

Attributes

Strength: 12/13

Dexterity: 7/8

Vitality: 7/9

Concentration: 15/27

Will: 9/21

* * *

Holy cow! She's got two over 20, and her highest is 27?!

"Wait, how were you casting so much with 9 Vitality? I assumed it would be a lot higher than that," Tanya asked.

"Ah, I believe my spells require Concentration, not Vitality like you first believed," Mrs Eceer said. "Now, let's look at your Abilities. First, Ink of Dissonance—"

Tanya pulled herself away from Mrs Eceer's Interface for now. Mrs Eceer didn't seem to need any processing time, and she was already talking about the pros and cons of each. Tanya missed the beginning, swapping back over.

"—reminds me of a lot of my choices. Without more information to go off, it could either be very powerful or not at all."

Tanya skimmed through the first one to catch up.

* * *

Ink of Dissonance

Level 1 Your tattoos emit a disruptive presence when activated. Their effects interfere with magical detection, causing false readings, scrambled divinations, or even momentary lapses in enemy spells.

* * *

"Whatcha mean?" Tanya asked. She'd missed some more of Mrs Eceer's monologue but got the gist—something about The System's unpredictability.

Mrs. Eceer's eyes gleamed. She lifted a finger, the movement sharp, deliberate. "Well," she began, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "We don't know how common elements of that type are, and also—" She drew out the also like she was unveiling some grand revelation.

Tanya cut in before she could finish. "Don't know what counts as momentary."

Mrs. Eceer blinked, her expression flickering between surprise and mild irritation. Maybe at being interrupted. Maybe at Tanya anticipating her point. Hard to tell.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Yeah, I get that," Tanya continued, leaning forward slightly, "but surely they'll be balanced against each other?"

Mrs Eceer wrinkled her nose. "Why would you assume that?"

"Because The System got punished for helpin' me too much at one point?" Tanya's voice wavered, and her inflection rose at the end as she became less and less sure she should say it.

Mrs. Eceer turned sharply, her full attention snapping onto Tanya like a spotlight. "It… what?"

A vein pulsed at her temple, standing out against her pale skin. Her lips parted slightly, but no follow-up came, like she was waiting—demanding—an explanation without outright asking for one.

Tanya scratched the back of her neck. "Well, I mean, it's called Holler at the Gods. It's one of me Achievements."

Mrs Eceer adjusted her glasses, leaning her head further back and reading it with pursed lips. "How peculiar. So you mean you demanded its help and it just gave it, and then you received a reward—" Mrs Eceer stopped and gasped. Her hand flew to her chest. "Answers to any question, any question at all. You know what this means?!" Mrs Eceer was more animated than Tanya had ever seen her.

"Uh, it means what it says on the tin, right?" Tanya said. She relaxed, and her back sank into the squishy sofa. "We get information—the restricted kind. I used the first one to get data about the monsters to make my sword mid-fight."

Mrs Eceer waved her hand, dismissing it. "Of course, but that was a question of necessity. We can use the others to find exploits." Mrs Eceer breathed the last word like it was something sacred. Her eyes gleamed, the tension in her shoulders easing as she settled back, a quiet satisfaction settling over her. "Exploits," she repeated, softer this time.

For a moment, Tanya could see behind Mrs Eceer's thick-rimmed glasses and wrinkles. Tanya wondered if she was quieter back in the 60s, with long dresses and stockings, or if the conservative fashion sense came later, after an era of mini skirts and babydoll dresses. Tanya realised she didn't even know if Mrs Eceer lived as a woman back when she was that young or if she had come out yet at all.

Tanya chuckled. "Wait, how do you even know the word exploit? Isn't that a gamer term?"

Mrs Eceer looked offended. "I do use the internet, you know. I heard it on the radio and did a Google on it."

Tanya suppressed her laugh with a cough. "Why were folks talking about exploits on the radio?"

Mrs Eceer clammed up. "Well, it wasn't mainstream radio," she muttered.

Tanya's head snapped around. "Wait, what?"

"It's a long story," Mrs. Eceer said, tone clipped. She looked perfectly content to leave it at that. Tanya wasn't.

"Oh, come on," Tanya pressed. "You can't just drop 'secret radio of exploits' and expect me to move on."

Mrs. Eceer sniffed, composing herself. "You'll need to do some drawing once the design is settled, yes?"

Tanya frowned. "Uh… yeah?"

"I'll tell you then."

Tanya grinned. "Wicked."

Mrs. Eceer rolled her eyes, but for the first time, she actually smiled back.

The moment passed. Mrs Eceer stretched her shoulder like a swan ruffling its feathers. "Back to work."

"Aye-aye!" Tanya said, miming a salute.

Mrs Eceer glanced out of the corner of her eye and flared her nostrils. She placed her glasses back onto the tip of her nose and tipped her head back. "Now, where were we…"

"Ink of Disonance," Tanya said. "It'll probably level to something pretty powerful, I'm imagining. My abilities seem to expand in range as they grow, so this one will probably end up with some counterspell-style stuff going on. It'd generally keep me safe from people, but I've not seen the monsters use stuff that I'd call magic yet. Feels like unless I was really lucky, and it reinforced me against physical attacks, it wouldn't help us much yet. Doesn't feel like it'd go that direction. That would be like a whole 'nother ability."

"Astute," Mrs Eceer said. "Next."

Tanya expected a pause, but Mrs Eceer spoke as if she'd already both had time to read it, consider it, and collect her thoughts. "Mnemonic Etching—an interesting choice not for what it is but for what it could become—"

"Woah," Tanya said, holding up her hands. "We don't all have 27 Concentration. One sec."

* * *

Mnemonic Etching

Level 1

You can store a single memory within a tattoo. When activated, it imprints that memory onto the Wielder's mind—whether it's a tactical lesson, an emotional moment, or even a warning from the past.

* * *

"Alright, continue," Tanya said.

"I like this one's possibilities. It feels like it'll continue down an interesting path. Memory tattoos could eventually allow for fast information recall across long distances." She plucked off her glasses and folded them, turning to Tanya. "Think of the potential of being able to pass on the things we have studied about The System to the other side of England—even the other side of the world. If it grew into something that could share memories further than just the Wielder—it would be even more significant."

"Huh," Tanya said. "That's very cool but not why I was excited about it at all."

"Oh?" Mrs. Eceer tilted her head. "Enlighten me." She settled into the sofa, arms folded tightly across her chest. Tanya had the overwhelming urge to offer her a cup of tea.

Her knee was bouncing. Not enough movement. She shot to her feet, pacing—one arm crossed over her chest, the other bent at the elbow, a finger poised against her chin.

"So, the biggest issue I've come across with me tattoos so far? Muscle memory," she began. "Assistant has access to my memories sometimes, but not muscle memory at all. So I wondered—what if I could imprint the memory into sentient summons themselves—"

"To give them more data to work with from creation," Mrs. Eceer cut in smoothly.

Tanya stopped mid-step, pointing at her with both hands. "Exactly! But it doesn't stop there. I don't even know if it would work, but maybe—maybe—I could imprint core memories of me figuring out how to use stuff, like me sword, as I get better. Then, I could give people weapons with the beginnings of what they need to wield them properly."

Mrs. Eceer made a thoughtful noise—then again, quicker this time, with a firmer nod. "Hm."

Tanya hesitated, her voice softening. "Honestly, even just letting folks know what to expect could be useful. It's pretty scary, seeing something crawl off your skin." Her hand drifted to the back of her neck. The memory pressed against her skull—his screams, the rawness of them. Knowing people's limits was the first step in keeping that from happening again. But preparing for the pain—that was the real key.

She'd handled it when she summoned Phantom Blade. Because she'd seen it coming.

Mrs. Eceer shivered, clutching her arms. "There will be no creatures crawling out of my skin, thank you very much." She took a deep breath. "Well, that was certainly a convincing pitch. Number three."

This time, Mrs. Eceer stopped herself before Tanya could say anything. She was watching, waiting for Tanya's cue.

Tanya couldn't help but smile.

Mrs. Eceer narrowed her eyes. "What's that grin for?"

"It's nothin'," Tanya said. And her smile only widened.

* * *

Marked Insight

Level 1

Your connection to your Summons deepens. You may briefly share sensory input with one of your active Summons, experiencing what they see, hear, or feel.

* * *

Tanya looked up as she finished.

"Where to even start with this one," Mrs Eceer said. "It has so many obvious use cases." She leaned forward, tapping a finger against her temple. "Scouting, communication, combat awareness—"

"Tracking too," Tanya chipped in, "Or, like, finding safe paths if you send a Summon ahead."

"Spying," Mrs Eceer offered. She nodded gravely. "Going to need to spy with those hooligans on your doorstep." She said hooligans like she was scraping an unknown sticky substance off her shoe.

Tanya nodded slowly, rolling the thought over in her mind. "Yeah. Feels like one of those things that'd be real easy to overlook until you actually use it."

Mrs. Eceer hummed in agreement. "And then suddenly, you can see around corners, listen in on conversations, or even sense danger before it reaches you."

Tanya exhaled, looking down at the empty spot on her arm where Assistant would be. "Still freaks me out a little, though. Merging senses with something else? Feels… weird."

Mrs. Eceer gave her a sharp look. "And yet, you're willing to let creatures crawl out of your skin."

Tanya snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I know how that sounds." She glanced back at the words. Marked Insight. It really did feel like something she'd only understand after trying it.

Mrs. Eceer tapped the page. "If you chose it, I'd be keen to hear what it teaches you. I don't have any sentient magic. Its supposed sentience seems vital to our understanding of these powers."

Tanya smirked. "What, not eager to try it yourself?"

Mrs. Eceer sniffed. "I'll leave the skin-crawling magic to you, thank you very much."

"So, whatcha think—of what I should choose—I mean?" Tanya asked.

Mrs. Eceer's eyes flicked down the list. She let out a thoughtful hum, tapping her fingers against her arm. "Well, Ink of Dissonance would be very powerful against humans, but we've not seen magic from the invaders yet, so I'd rule that one out."

Tanya clicked her tongue. "Yeah, figured the same."

"The other two are both strong options—"

"But?" Tanya asked.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Mrs Eceer finished.

Tanya burst out laughing. "Don't ever say ain't again." She leaned against the filing cabinets. "What's that even mean here?"

"One of the options fixed a problem you'd been having, the other found you solutions to issues we've not yet had."

Tanya nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, that makes sense."

Mrs Eceer scoffed, making finger quotes in the air. "Actually. You wound me." She shuffled forward and pushed herself out of the comfortable clutches of the sofa, walking towards the kitchen. It didn't seem like she was much for goodbyes.

"What if we come across those problems later?" Tanya asked.

Mrs Eceer looked over her shoulder. "Then we fix them later." She opened the kitchen door and then stopped again. "I'll accept any solution that doesn't involve an army of those."

She pointed at Assistant, hovering just past the doorway. Assistant tilted one way and then the other like "Who me?" It was much smoother than earlier. It overshot slightly but recovered quickly.

"We made beans on bread, and the bread's not even that hard!" Fahad called from the kitchen.

Tanya got up to join them, pressing her choice as she walked.

Ability Unlocked!

Mnemonic Etching.

Time to design a hand.

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