They were still shoulder to shoulder on the way back, but now it felt more like a celebratory march than a grim operation. Tanya swayed with each step, the weight of the box in her arms pulling her slightly off balance, while the pillowcase of tins hung heavily over her shoulder. Inside, she dumped her loot onto the sofa, and the others followed suit until the entire seat was cluttered with mismatched odds and ends. Assistant flopped atop the pile.

"Still need materials," Olena said, eyeing the pile. "But food is good."

"Oh yeah," Tanya said, a thought dawning on her. "You can take your share with you if ya like. You've more than earned it."

Olena waved it off with a casual flick of her hand. "No need. Scavenge is part of my price for tattoo. Food is pfftt. Can get food wherever. Tattoo can only come from you." She rubbed her hands together, her fingers twitching with anticipation.

Olena slapped her palm against the door frame with an almost affectionate grin. "Plus, I maybe getting excited about what this place can be. Boris say I get too many project but I say tsk. No such thing."

Tanya picked up the map, her fingers tracing the frayed edges. "So, what's next then? We've still got a few hours before nightfall. Shame it's winter—otherwise, we'd have more time."

"I've got a light!" Fahad announced proudly, producing a lantern. With a dramatic flourish, he set it down beside him, the chain clinking in his hands as it clattered to the floor. His grin was wide, a spark of triumph in his eyes.

Tanya raised an eyebrow. "An' it's a mighty fine one, little man, but imagine that wardrobe had fallen when we went in and we hadn't seen it comin' 'cause of how high it was?"

He looked crestfallen, plopping onto the stool beside the tattoo chair.

Her gaze shifted to Ishita, who was perched on the arm of the sofa, her lips slightly parted, as if caught in the middle of some fascinating thought.

"The System really liked what happened next door," Ishita murmured, her finger tracing an invisible line in the air. Her voice was filled with awe, and her hand painted the words she spoke as if they were tangible.

Tanya held her breath, waiting for Ishita to finish before she'd read her own version. She wanted to let Ishita reveal things first—made the reactions feel more genuine, more in the moment. Plus, it let her keep the excitement building like they were all experiencing it together.

"I'm Level 3 now," Ishita continued, her voice tinged with excitement. "My attributes are higher, but the big news is that I've got this thing called a Major Ability Crossroads and a new Achievement, too!" She paused, furrowing her brow. "It says I can click to expand options for Crossroads. I'll read the Achievement first."

• • •

The Burden of the Worthy

It is not always the eager hand that seizes greatness. You bore the weight of what was unlocked, and in overcoming your resistance, proved yourself anew.

Achievement Boon: 5 points split between any Attributes you choose. More choices are coming, I promise.

• • •

Tanya whistled, her eyes widening with genuine appreciation. "Now that is a good Achievement Boon."

Assistant made a thumbs-up, bouncing up and down.

"Where you put? Where you put?" Olena asked, her voice tinged with curiosity as she leaned forward, eager to know more.

"All Vitality," Ishita said, her tone filled with newfound confidence. "Not only does it stop me freezing, but I'm ready now. This is my Class, and I am going to win." She looked up after making her choice, and Tanya could see the fire in her eyes—determination radiating from her.

Tanya's gaze shifted to Mrs Eceer, a fleeting concern tugging at her. She wondered if Ishita's Attributes were becoming unbalanced—just like Tanya had struggled with the excess Vitality of the Boon for creating Assistant. It was too late for her to change it now and she didn't want to worry her for nothing. The thought lingered in her mind for a moment, but then she caught Mrs Eceer's eye. The older woman gave a subtle nod, a reassuring gesture that eased some of Tanya's worry. They must have talked about it while Tanya was recovering.

That feels like so many days ago, but it's so recent…

"You pick levels and I make food!" Olena declared with a grin, reaching over to grab a couple of tins from the pile. Her movements were purposeful, almost like she was trying to remind them all of how little she needed in order to feel useful.

"You sure?" Tanya asked, her voice soft with a mix of concern and respect. "You're a guest an' all."

"Psssht, not guest," Olena said dismissively, waving the thought away. "I am contractor and friend and also very hungry. Guest rules no matter." She licked her lips as she made her way toward the kitchen, the sound of her boots tapping lightly against the floor.

"Mum, Mum!" Fahad yelled, jumping to his feet so suddenly that his stool scraped loudly against the floor. "I got one too!"

Ishita's smile widened, her face lighting up with warmth. "Want to read it?"

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Fahad nodded eagerly but then hesitated, his excitement shifting into a more reflective mood. He sank back into his seat, a thoughtful look on his face. "You go first."

Ishita's eyebrows relaxed, and a small, tender smile spread across her lips as she looked at him. Tanya couldn't help but notice the affection in the way he looked at her. Her heart softened at the sight, and she smiled at him, her voice low but warm. "You're a good kid, by the way, ya know that right?"

Fahad crossed his legs and held his hands out to the side, squeezing his eyes shut like he was bracing for something profound. The effort made Tanya chuckle softly. Assistant copied the hand motion with curiosity.

Tanya snorted, unable to hold back. "Whatcha doin' there?"

Fahad cracked open one eye, his face serious. "Meditating. At school last week we did a class project all about monks. They find peace when stuff is realllly realllly tempting."

Man, he was in school only last week. Tanya thought, a little caught off guard by how time was passing.

It had that strange feel of summer camp. Somehow the week felt like it was over in a blink, yet you were a completely new person with a hundred stories to share when you got home.

Tanya reached over and ruffled his hair affectionately. For a split second, she saw her brother Tommy in that cheeky smile and those bright eyes, and it made her heart ache with bittersweet memories.

"Let's help your mother pick then, hm?" Mrs Eceer said.

Ishita had been skimming through the options. She pursed her lips. A quiet breath escaped her, the vapour puffing out in front of her in a visible cloud, a stark reminder of how cold the air was, even though they could barely feel it through their new Vitality.

"These are good, I think," Ishita said, her voice a bit more thoughtful now. "Very good."

• • •

Woundbearer's Wrath Level 1 Unlocked from Achievement: The Burden of the Worthy

You were never meant to fight — but now, you must. When your Vitality becomes half or lower, you unleash stored pain as a raw force to all enemies in the vicinity.

Grace in Suffering Level 1 Unlocked from Achievement: A Mother's Love

You turn your own loss into strength for others. Whenever you sacrifice Vitality, you trigger Grace. This gives your loss to your allies as a buff.

• • •

"Interesting," Mrs Eceer said. "So they both store pain in a way, except one uses that to deal damage, and the other uses it to help those around you."

Ishita bit her lip, her eyes narrowing as she thought it over.

"Talk to us," Tanya said. "What's on your mind?"

Ishita opened her mouth, then closed it again. She looked stricken. "I'm so glad I have your help, but I hope to go home, you understand? When I'm strong enough, maybe we can find a new normal there. Grace sounds so wonderful, but—"

"You're worried about how useful it'd be when it's just you or the two of you against somethin'?" Tanya asked, her tone casual, but she could tell it was exactly what Ishita meant.

Ishita nodded.

"Of course, you wanna go home. We all do. Doesn't mean we won't still be there for each other," Tanya stated, firmly.

Ishita's shoulders relaxed.

"I could use it, Mum," Fahad said, jumping up and swinging his fists around. "I'd go all pow pow pow, then they'd go blegh." He stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes, making a silly face.

Tanya watched him, but her mind was on Ishita. It would buff Fahad if it was just the two of them, but she'd rather he stayed safe enough not to need it at all.

"Well, let's think this through logically," Mrs Eceer said. "The Burden of the Worthy has a threshold. This means it isn't yet able to help you until you've used a lot of your resources. That may change as it levels, but—"

"You can never count on it," Tanya interrupted, the words familiar on her tongue. "That's the problem."

"Exactly," Mrs Eceer nodded. "Although if it became more frequent from Boons, you could end up with something that hurts them whenever they hit you."

"Kinda like Armour of Agathys in D&D," Tanya muttered, thinking out loud.

Mrs Eceer raised an eyebrow. "D and what?"

Ishita looked just as confused.

"Mum, it's like Stranger Things," Fahad offered, eyes bright with the comparison.

Tanya winced. Dungeons and Dragons was not just a TV show reference to her, but it was the last thing to worry about right now.

Man, what a week.

"It's a spell in a game," Tanya explained, "that gives you a magical shield, but also hurts enemies when they hit it."

Mrs Eceer's eyes widened. "Have we ruled out the possibility this System is based on some game we have already? That D&D you speak of sounds very similar to this." She shot Tanya a curious look, almost as if she expected a confession.

Tanya hesitated for a moment. "I mean, it's not any game I've ever played," she said, shrugging. "I guess it could be, but... I dunno. I don't think so."

"Hm," Mrs Eceer murmured, satisfied for now.

"So, anyway," Tanya said, pushing forward. "Grace in Suffering does it as you go, and I assume it could be linked to other losses too later. If you could get it to buff you too in some way, that'd be wicked—like if you use your Abilities and it gives you Strength or something, so you can attack better."

"I think I'm leaning Woundbearer's Wrath," Ishita said. "I want to be stronger and fight, but if so much of my power is going to be Vitality loss, then it feels like a good backup."

Mrs Eceer nodded and Ishita leant forward, readying to choose it.

Assistant lurched towards Tanya and she could feel its panic.

"Wait!" Tanya yelled, lunging forward too as the hand hit her shoulder.

Ishita jerked back.

Tanya braced. "Did you choose it?"

"Not yet," she replied, blinking in confusion.

Assistant gestured towards Ishita's scabbing wrist.

"The prosthetic?" Tanya said, staring down at it. "Oh shit!"

Fahad giggled.

Tanya didn't have the brain space to apologise for swearing. "It refills your Vitality right?"

Ishita nodded, still confused.

Mrs Eceer's expression changed as she realised. "Does it do that automatically? It could do it before you reach half, making the bonus hard to use."

"And over time it should store more Vitality for me… which could mess with the Ability." Ishita gulped and interlocked her fingers. "Are we missing anything else about Grace?"

They sat in silence, all thinking.

"Can't think of anything," Tanya said.

"Me neither," Mrs Eceer added.

Assistant twitched two fingers at the same time as Fahad shrugged.

"The Grace thingy could help Fahad too. If he was staying safe behind ya and you used somethin' that activated Grace then maybe it would make him tougher."

Ishita nodded slowly. "I think I'd rather know this could work. I'm not sure how the other will interact with the prosthetic."

With one last look around the room for any objections, she picked it.

"Your turn now babu," Ishita said, the same loving smile as before.

"Yipee!" he exclaimed. He hopped off the chair, kneeling behind it and crossing his arms on it, staring with excitement ahead at his Interface.

"What even is your Class?" Tanya asked. "I just realised I have no idea."

He grinned. "Urban Ghost."

Tanya grinned back. "Wicked."

Fahad read through the information and his brow furrowed, then raised, and finally, one raised in confusion. "It says the Achievement is called Glitch?"

"What?!" Olena yelled from the other room.

She staggered into the room, holding a very blackened pan-handle with a singed oven glove. It had what looked like molten spaghetti hoops in it. Her eyes shone, the pan held out in front of her at a strange angle and her other hand on her head in shock.

"YOU GOT GLITCH??"

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