The Tattoo Summoner [System Apocalypse]

Tanya wiped her face and then cried some more, then wiped her face again.

She waited until her lower lip was no longer wobbling, and the only sign of tears was the puffy redness around her eyes. She didn't need a mirror down here to know it was there.

Assistant crawled off her hands, picking up the pen and paper. Tanya hadn't realised until that moment that it was probably waiting to comfort her.

She really did love that darn hand.

What's the first step?

The moment she read it, Tanya knew.

"Fuck," she clenched her eyes shut. "I know what we need to ask Ian for."

She didn't need to say it to know that Assistant realised it too.

They both tensed, paused, then nodded.

Then the two of them walked back through to the main room just in time to see Mrs Eceer and Ian shake hands.

"That looks successful," Tanya said.

"I'm gonna help Mrs Eceer with the Wards, and in return, she will help me figure out how my Class works," Ian said.

"It wasn't a very high experience one," Mrs Eceer said with furrowed brows. "I suppose because the reward also benefits me."

"I'm very happy with it though," Ian chipped in.

Mrs Eceer spotted Tanya walking in. "You look grave."

Tanya sat down, trying not to look like she was dropping terrible news. It didn't work. Ian had returned to his familiar face of anxiety.

Tanya interlocked her fingers, leaning on her knees. "So, we've worked out the best Errand for you. It's genuine, very important, and risky. You don't have to say yes."

Ian nodded earnestly, looking just a little bit too excited.

Tanya gave a 'help me' look to Mrs Eceer.

"Ian," Mrs Eceer said.

He turned to look at her.

"If the Errand will kill you, then the reward means nothing. You cannot succeed if you are dead." The coolness in her voice surprised even Tanya.

Ian's mouth dropped open.

"You may proceed," Mrs Eceer said to Tanya. She returned to her book.

I suppose that's one way to say it.

"So, uh, yeah," Tanya started. "Please don't feel like you gotta take it, but it is the best I could think of, an' well, we could probably think of better, but, uhhhh…"

"Go on," Ian said, leaning forward.

"Me an' Assistant just got some pretty life changin' level ups an',"

Mrs Eceer's head snapped up to look at Tanya, then immediately opened her Interface to look. Tanya could tell just from the way her eyes moved the moment Mrs Eceer opened it nowadays.

"Ooo," Mrs Eceer said. Tanya had never heard her make that noise before. It was strange. "It's similar to our shared Achievement, Mrs Eceer mused. "We should collaborate and try and stack them both together."

"Oh, that's a real fuckin' good idea. Should maybe wait until, uh," she looked towards Ian.

"Just tell me the Errand," Ian said excitedly. It was more confidence than Tanya had seen from him so far. She could tell Mrs Eceer approved.

"Basically, we need a test subject," Tanya finished.

"CAN I DO IT INSTEAD?!" Olena yelled from the doorway. She seemed to have returned from her trip upstairs with a large wad of brightly coloured ideas.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Technically yes, but you wouldn't receive any benefit?" Mrs Eceer said slowly, trying to work out if she was missing anything.

"Bragging rights," Olena said, like it was obvious. She flopped down on one side of Ian.

Mrs Eceer sighed. She definitely hadn't missed anything.

"Sorry! I realise is yours. I ask again only if you say no," Olena said. She cocked an eyebrow at Mrs Eceer as if bragging about how much she'd grown. "Please say no," she then whispered in Ian's ear.

"Bugger off," Tanya said, waving her away.

Olena giggled, leaning back.

Ian paused. "What would being a tester mean?"

Tanya wiped her hands down her face. "I mean, fuck it, we're basically family now. Wanna see me Interface?"

"Do I!" Ian squealed. He then looked mortified and tried to play it off by adjusting his hair to cover his large forehead. "What do I need to do?" The tone of his voice was normal, but his bright red cheeks gave him away.

"You are funny, funny man, hipster god. I like you much," Olena said, waving her finger.

"Uhh, thanks?" Ian said, scratching the back of his neck.

"What's your number again?" Tanya said, deciding not to comment on it.

"976856120," Ian recited.

Assistant noted it down as he said.

"Wait are we swapping Interfaces?!" Olena asked. "I want join! Ian I show you mine if you show me yours." Olena winked.

Tanya rolled her eyes. Mrs Eceer simply cocked an eyebrow.

Ian's cheeks returned to the same shade of beetroot, and he coughed out a "maybe."

"I, number 10056, pledge access to my interface to number 976,856,120," Tanya declared.

Ian's mouth dropped open. "10056? That's so early!"

"I'll tell ya the story later. Anyways, here's me Interface—Assistant's too."

Assistant stood up straighter with pride.

"I, number 976,856,120, pledge access to my interface to number 10056," Ian copied.

"Oh, mate, you didn't have to do that," Tanya said.

Ian nodded. "I know. I wanted to."

"Me too," Olena asked with puppy-dog eyes.

After Ian relented, Olena realised she didn't have Mrs Eceers, which became an entirely different back of forth of Olena pleading and Mrs Eceer flaring her nostrils.

Tanya gave up on following it, turning back to Ian.

"So, we think that me new Achievement synergy with Assistant's Mind Meld and me Mnemonic Etching could make for a much stronger idea of who we give tattoos to and what would suit 'em. The issue is we've never tried it."

"And then Mrs Eceer, adding in her synergy somewhere, could make it even stronger," Ian added, slowly.

"This sounds perfect for getting me to my little girl. If this is stronger and more tailored to me, then it's exactly what I came in here for."

Tanya nodded. She took a deep breath. "The last time I did a tattoo after a big level up, it was too powerful. I died multiple times."

"Oh no, Ian said, looking equal parts bewildered and horrified.

"I'd keep the test as simple as possible—the way I got around it was by makin' tattoos with a lot of potential but that need a lot of training…"

Tanya drifted off. She wondered how large the gap between its lowest attribute and highest attribute could be without any negative effects.

"So it would take a while to help me get to her?" Ian asked, less sure than he had been previously.

"If it worked at all," Tanya admitted. "With all that grouped together, it'd probably be very strong, even if I was tryin' to make it weak."

"We could get Ishita, the friend who saved me here." She wondered if it was okay to still call Ishita a friend. "Perhaps an Errand, or—"

Ian shook his head. "The end line of the Errand summary says—"

Tanya followed along with him, reading it aloud.

• • •

Errands may be to help the Offerer with a task, but multiple deals may not be used to fulfil each other.

• • •

"Ah, shit," Tanya said. "It's okay, we can keep thinkin' an'—"

Ian steeled himself. "I want to do it."

Tanya was surprised by how certain he sounded. She glanced over to Assistant, who twitched in a shrug. "You sure you get the risks?"

"Tanya," Ian said. "You're level 6 but you wouldn't cross London would you?"

Tanya shook her head. "Honestly, no. But part of that is I'm not a front liner."

Ian turned to Olena. "Would you cross London?"

Olena scratched her chin. "Maybe when full mech suit done but that unlikely to be before Level 10."

It was a surprisingly sensible answer coming from Olena.

Ian turned to Mrs Eceer.

"Not even if I knew the other side would be safe," she stated.

Ian winced. The safety of the other side seemed to be a factor he hadn't considered.

It only seemed to steel him further.

"See," he said to Tanya. "I have a death wish." He laughed nervously. "All I need to do is get there and know I can protect my little girl from whatever is coming."

"Big ask," Mrs Eceer stated. She sighed. "I'll help you too. Tanya, once you know what he needs, I'll see if I can integrate any of my wards. That will both fulfil our synergy and give him a cat's chance in hell of surviving."

Olena grinned, wide. "I help too, but have no idea how!"

Ian's face softened. "Thanks, guys."

"So what I think would happen," Tanya said, "is you'd share a memory with me whilst I was tattooing." She gulped. "I wouldn't know what the design is yet because I'd want to use the memory to design it, but it would be shaped as I went—using me overlay to help, I guess. That's all I got, really." She laughed nervously.

Ian nodded. "I need the terms for the Errand."

Errand felt like an incredibly simple word for what Ian was agreeing to. Tanya felt it, and she could tell the others did too.

"Recieve a tattoo from me an' Assistant usin' a new method to help us…"

Tanya realised she needed to be able to give the reward, whether Ian lived or died, with that wording.

"Fuck," Tanya said. She tensed her face up, then let the tension go with a deep breath.

"Survive recieving a tattoo from me an' Assistant usin' a new method to help us develop our skills. The reward will be that tattoo as well as another tattoo of your choice."

Ian held out his hand. "I accept."

They shook hands. His palm was warm and clammy against Tanya's skin.