voidtreckerexpress | [open // day 28] miracle spider transformation

[ It's Time.

She has planned. She has bothered the absolute, everloving fuck out of every mage and monster expert on the train. She has done rigorous testing of her own magic and stamina capacity, so even if she doesn't have the system guidelines, she at least has some nebulous 'MP' and 'SP' amount she can gauge. She has borrowed, begged and stolen food for a month, for the inevitable cravings when she wakes up.

She remembers how much stamina evolution took before, okay?!

She ate a whole dragon!

And like a hundred monkeys!

So, she needs cake! Is what she's saying!! Don't judge her!!!

Huff puff.

Anyway. It's Time, as she said. She's spent a whole night preparing her speech device, and the whole morning sneakily charging it on Peter's laptop. The mysterious lines she spent hours worrying over are, perhaps, a little ruined by the machine voice's bland intonation. ]

You might be wondering why I've called you all here today.

[Nita is one of those 'mage' types who's been pinged. She has a wry look on her face, in no small part because of the whole 'evolution' aspect.

~~She's not sure how to think of Charlotte-as-Pokemon, okay?~~]

You wanted witnesses...?

[She shakes her head.]

But seriously, you wanted help with something?

[ Funny she should think that, because... Click click press ]

That's right! It's time to make like a Pocket Monster rip-off and evolve!

[ ..... okay, maybe she didn't entirely anticipate every question and response, but she's trying! ]

What do you need from us to make that happen, then?

[Nita shifts her weight a little, trying to gauge what's planned based on the setup of the room.

It's still the gym car, of course, but what else...?]

[ Not much is set up yet. She doesn't need diagrams or anything, so mostly she's just moved the ping-pong table over and covered it in food.

Her claws flicker on her device, bringing up sentence after sentence. ]

Before, I could let the System do all of the work. There's no System here, so I've got to do the whole thing myself with magic! I need to change my body with a series of spells. After a point in the process, I'll probably fall unconscious. That's where you come in. I need you to keep up the spells.

[Kumoko's got a whole thesis prepared, seems like!

Still, the mention of falling unconscious makes Nita frown.]

So we're the cavalry, huh? Just providing power?

[Certainly she can do that, but...]

Or will we be able to control what they do, somehow? If you're unconscious, is power enough to keep the spells regulated?

[ She pauses to consider which sentences to use, and then just types out something freestyle. ]

Power should be enough probably but if it messes up you should do what feels right. The problem is getting the evolution to start, I think!

[Sometimes ya just gotta freestyle.

Nita nods again after considering it.]

So most of this is 'downhill work'...?

Or the tricky part, anyway.

[So that's sorted!]

Anything else we need before starting?

[ a series of nods, that's exactly it! Once she gets it all started, she's hoping that her body will be able to complete the rest. After all, the Ede Saine was 'designed' to evolve into the Zana Horowa, right? So it should be as simple as finding the right trigger.

Or something. It's actually much more complicated than that, but that's what she's spent a month thinking over and explaining it means madness. ]

Once everyone's here we can begin! I wanna be done before the morning alarm so I don't telefrag myself.

“Is it to eat us?” Joscelin asks dryly, hanging back away from the others. He still hasn’t fully forgiven the giant spider for attacking him on his first day, though he fully owns that he’d attacked her right back.

“Because I thought we’d moved past that.”

"Ha ha ha ha." The voice, for once, has the exact tone she wants. That being, completely deadpan.

No one likes a smart-ass! She's eaten exactly zero people and she thinks she should maybe get some credit for that, because people are delicious! She remembers it very differently, and he was totally the initial aggressor. Or something. Whatever.

She's getting side-tracked.

"It's time to make like a Pocket Monster rip-off and evolve! And you're here to help."

Joscelin still hangs back, though his interest is certainly piqued. Evolve? How is the spider going to evolve? “What, like the video game?” People—or spiders—don’t level up in real life.

Do they?

Exactly like the video game! She nods firmly, and scrolls a little before hitting play again.

"Before, I could let the System do all of the work. There's no System here, so I've got to do the whole thing myself with magic! It's really dangerous, so I need people to watch over me. That's where you come in."

“...where I come in? This makes no bloody sense. What system?” Joscelin’s trying to hide his confusion behind an annoyed expression. Why does the spider need him to watch it?

"Well, yes, but I also figure you'll tell me," Sarai says, a bit bemused. "I assume you need something from me, this time, too--something Dread can't provide you."

She's well aware of Dread Spider Enterprises, or whatever they're calling it, but again, she's more amused by it than anything else.

Everyone is a wiseass today, huh? She studiously arranges a series of sentences, and pulls out a large sheet of cloth, onto which she has carefully woven a series of diagrams in black, red and pink threads. The images, mostly, depict her current form in all of its black, skull-faced glory and EDE SAINE beneath, then an arrow, then a slightly smaller spider silhouette with a large ? within the outline and ZANA HOROWA underneath, then another arrow, and finally a half-spider, half-human silhouette with the subtitle ARACHNE.

There's perhaps a little too much decoration and sparkles on the diagram tapestry to look professional.

"The goal: to become an Arachne," the device narrates. "The first step: evolve from an Ede Saine to a Zana Horowa. Before, I could let the System do all of the work. There's no System here, so I've got to do the whole thing myself with magic! I need to change my body with a series of spells. This is going to hurt like crazy, so I need you to make sure I don't die or pass out from the pain."

Edited 2020-02-26 18:06 (UTC)

"I don't...really have pain-reducing spells." Sarai frowned a bit at that. "I can keep you from dying, however. White magic is powerful healing..."

She was confident in that part, at the very least. "I doubt you want to have dulled senses during this, so I am not certain what else to suggest to keep you pain-free, however." Sarai knew if she were enduring something like this, she'd want to be as sharp as she could be. She wasn't sure if there were anything alchemical she could do to ease the pain, either...

I'm assuming I'm here for my medical expertise.

[ It's a matter-of-factly, professional statement, though Wen Qing isn't feeling terribly professional right now as she faces the giant spider. But I'm not a vet she wants to protest. This place keeps throwing unexpected challenges at her every day. ]

[ I will do my best, though... this is my first time supervising a transformation such as yours. There. That sounds far better though I have no idea what's happening. For some reason, patients don't like hearing their doctors say that... ]

This is my first time trying to transform without System supervision! [ So like, don't worry if she dies, she guesses? Like. This is really stupid and she really shouldn't do it, but she still hasn't given up on the goal of becoming a demihuman and actually getting to communicate-

Well, she guesses she's already gotten that goal. Okay, so she just wants to do it to prove she can, and maybe so she can wear cute clothes! ]

This is going to hurt like crazy, so I need you to make sure I don't die or pass out from the pain. Also, make sure the others are okay!

[ She gives a firm nod, her eyes sizing up both the spider and the mages who have been gathered to help. She thinks for a moment, she may not be familiar with this specific transformation but there are general concerns she can focus on. ]

I can do that. If you're coming close to passing out from the pain, can we safely take a break or must the transformation continue uninterrupted?

[ Hmm! She thinks for a while, running through possibilities. She supposes it'd be okay if she got interrupted? She'd just look kinda... no, actually, scratch that. She was consumed with images of Resident Evil-style monsters and girl-dog hybrids. She didn't want to be a chimera! She wasn't gonna be anyone's tragic backstory!

Better not risk it. ]

It should continue! Keep me awake until I start glowing.

[ Hmmmmmmm. ] Maybe it won't hurt. I don't know either way. But normally things hurt.

Pain is to be expected with such things, yes.

[ Grim truth but it's the truth. She fingers a handful of acupuncture needles. ]

I can keep you awake, that won't be a problem. Although it might not be pleasant. [ She takes a moment. ] Are you sure you want to go through this here?

[ So the first obstacle to evolution - no experience points here! That's where the mages come in. Pour in enough mana, and she's pretty sure her body will overload in the same way it used to when she levelled up. If she catches it at the right threshold, that'll meet the level requirements. She's pretty sure she was almost to the right level anyway, so it won't take more than a few hours. Hopefully.

Second obstacle! The Zana Horowa's evolution requirements! Well, no. Actually, that bit's easy. It's not like the Ede Saine has any other evolutionary options to get confused by, this is it. And after that, it's just the Arachne. So that's nice! It's like this body was made to evolve into the next one, it's not like she's a Digimon with five different potential Champion forms, she's a pedigree Charesquire!

Or something.

Wait, doesn't Charegent have like eight forms now...

Never mind! The metaphor is still good!

Arachne is gonna be a headache, what with it requiring the 'Ruler of Pride' title and all. Does she even have that any more?

Maybe. That stuff was kind of outside of the system, right? Even if it doesn't give her any stat benefits as is. She bets she'll still qualify; that's just how these monsters were designed.

She kinda wishes she could speak to D, though. Get a second opinion, even if it's from her.

Oh well.

Third obstacle! Normally she blacks out and wakes up an indeterminate time later with a depleted stamina bar and a brand new bod. This time... well, she'll probably still black out. But the system did all of the remodelling work, no input required. This time, that's on her. And on the mages. And on the healers.

Because she's pretty sure rebuilding a body is gonna hurt, even if it's to a blueprint that already exists inside her.

Or maybe it'll be like a magical girl transformation and she'll just explode in light and stars and after a few artfully-placed ribbons she'll emerge a new, cuter spider?

Ha.

....

Well, maybe? She hopes so. But probably not, and that's why she's relying on - relying on, how weird! - the others to keep the spell going and her body in one piece.

It's kinda... nice to have people agree to help, actually. It's not like there's any reason to want her to evolve, so they're doing it entirely out of, what, altruism? Community spirit? Friendship? If she survives, she's going to have to hug them, isn't she? It feels like a hugging kind of thing. Or maybe she should save that for the next evolution, when she'll have, like. Arms.

...

Ahhhhh, she wants a hug.

ANYWAY. WHATEVER. One foot comes down to hit Play and then slide the talkie device out of the AoE splash zone. ]

Three, two, one. Moon Prism Power Makeup!

[ A month of saved energy flares up, broken circles of rune and code and jittery barcodes spinning into place around her as six legs begin writing out the spell they've hacked together. First, the power! Then, the qualifications! Then, the transformation!

Her body begins crumpling and bulging, the sleek black of her skin bubbling as she begins the prepatory stages. ]

[ooc: just make shit up about what your character is doing, I'm happy to accommodate any amount of magical nonsense. This is mission style, so everything in one thread and y'all get one optional tag after each of Kumoko's unless otherwise indicated. <3 ]

[Oh hey! Something familiar - it may not be the Speech Charlotte's using, but that's definitely a spell for transformation.

Plugging in to the power receptors shouldn't be too much work, she just shouldn't put in too much all at once-]

Whoah!

[Even just donating to this spell feels like abruptly stepping onto a rollercoaster, and she drops to her feet to better ground herself.

Still, she keeps going, pouring power in at a constant rate, breathing regularly...

Please let this not knock anyone out - well, anyone other than the Spider running the show!]

[Sarai can feel the aether the other girl is manipulating--it's not quite the same as on Hydaelyn, but especially as a White Mage, she can sense it. She'd told Charlotte that she wasn't entirely sure she could dull the pain of the transformation, but white magic is a balm anyway. The Au Ra grips her staff in both hands, face a mask of concentration.

For now, Regen seems like a good idea; keep up a consistent stream of healing magic, at a current low level so the transformation can indeed progress, not be locked into the old form from the sheer strength of the higher powered Cure spells...]

[ Pouring the magical energy, is one of the things Caster can't do. His existence here is like basically running on the fumes. But with so much energy around him— he can tap into it, direct it. That's a way he can contribute to the ritual. ]

I'm gonna tap into that mana fountain, and return it in a second. [ He warns the others as he siphons enough to start writing a string of glowing runes in the air. The excess of the mana that has been escaping the ritual site, directed back again to the ritual. Nothing gets wasted. ]

Should— work. Another barrier has been set up.

[ The power from Nita pours in, glittering throughout the widening gyre of mana just as Caster's barriers snap up around it. She manages to think, hey, why didn't I think of that! before the returned magic hits her and burns down into her stomach with the rest of the released energy.

It hurts-- she's not sure why it's taking so long, but perhaps the system really was a huge shortcut. Still, with her body in some kind of passive regeneration state, it's almost easier to just ignore it and begin forcing her cells to recognise the new shape they're supposed to be in. No, she tells them, with layers upon layers of spellcasting, You should look like this now.

Oh, they say back, why didn't you just say so!

Just kidding, they're less helpful than that.

Her skin, just barely still visible amidst the flow of power, is losing all colour, all opacity. Underneath, muscles and organs are in a state of flux. She hits the floor with one of her scythes, a signal for the next stage. She releases as much mana into the circle as she can, in case they need to rewrite anything as she starts to lose consciousness. ]

[ The transformation seems to be entering the next stage. If he's right from what he seems— that's the most vulnerable moment. While in rituals there might be moments where there could be some leeway given, a lot of them had the moments where no shit could be allowed to go wrong.

That looks like one of those moments. Far more carefully he taps into the energy flow and starts writing wards ]

Careful guys, play it safe.

[Cu's warning is a good one--Sarai clings to her staff one-handed, raising an arm to cast a shimmering dome over all of them--Asylum, a protective spell that, if needed, will grant all of them healing if necessary. She casts another Regen spell to bolster the first one--still being conservative, here...

Until the Echo decides to be helpful. A draining health bar appears for Sarai, over Charlotte's prone form. It is helpful--instead of simple Regens, she casts Cure to extend the Regen spell further.]

Haaa...I could wish white magic had more in the way to ease pain!

Don't need to tell me twice.

[Nita manages to get the words out, looking slightly less winded now.

The spell's turning finicky now, though, rendering the physical world a blur as she tries to keep her contribution to the spell on track.

That spare energy's getting shoved into storage packets - though perhaps Caster can take the lead there.]

[ Caster recognizes Sarai's Asylum for what it is, the protection granted on all of them. ]

Healing magic is not my forte, unfortunately. So I'll leave that to you.

[ A staff materializes in his hands and he hits into the floor, releasing the magic with another burst. That's when an idea hits him. ]

If it turns out we need more directed feed, you can always use me as a conduit. [ He's made of magic after all ]

[open // day 28] miracle spider transformation

Gathering, Preparation, Briefing (mingle style)

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Re: Gathering, Preparation, Briefing (mingle style)

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Re: Gathering, Preparation, Briefing (mingle style)

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Casting the spell, Transformation. Mission style!

Tossing Nita into the ring! Well, her power.

And your White Mage is at your service!

throws in another mage

excited shriek

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