Chapter 8 · Rust and Relic - Chapter 8: Level Up, Light Up

"Don't."

Liv's hand clamped over mine before I could pull back from the shard. The thing was already burning hot, humming like a live wire under my palm.

"Too late," I said. "Already hit confirm."

"You what?"

"You heard the system same as me. Upgrade or die next time something jumps us."

She yanked my wrist up, forced me to look at her. "That beacon goes up, every clan within fifteen kilometers sees it. Bonewalker's people. The coastal raiders. Every single one."

"I know."

"You know." She shoved me back. "You know and you did it anyway."

"What was I supposed to do? Wait until another one of those things rips your throat out?"

"My throat's my problem."

"Didn't look like your problem thirty seconds ago when you were pinned under two hundred pounds of corpse."

The shard flared white. Heat shot up my arm, locked every muscle from fingertips to shoulder. I couldn't let go. Couldn't move. The progress bar in my vision shattered into a thousand fragments and reformed into something new.

**UPGRADING. STAND BY.**

"Aiden."

"Can't—can't move—"

"How long?"

"Two minutes. Warning said two minutes."

Liv spun toward the broken gate, scanning the tree line.