A Second Chance (Reincarnation/Crossover)

[Larekko12]

Yessssssssssssss!

 

[Vindictus]

So, would the hypnosis have worked or not?

Pipeman and I had a discussion on IRC about whether or not Tabisvell could use any Nasu style magecraft other then her threads and healing/decay, and I'm curious to the answer.

 

[Inara Seraph]

So, would the hypnosis have worked or not?

Pipeman and I had a discussion on IRC about whether or not Tabisvell could use any Nasu style magecraft other then her threads and healing/decay, and I'm curious to the answer.

Click to shrink...

Not without a lucky roll, you have no practice with it. I don't remember precisely all the Nasu magic- it's hard to tell what counts as 'basic spells any magus knows' especially given the nature of mysteries in that setting. Hypnosis/mental interference is definitely something I think Iri would've known, so yes you can learn that- I will admit that aspect of magic slipped my mind. If you want to pursue that, it is possible. The only other thing I can think of is reinforcement but you're already sort of heading that direction with your nerve/body control.

BGM Set



[X] "Oh good. Could you help me bring this attempted assassin to my mother? I think she'll want to ask him some questions."

You immediately steer the conversation into a productive direction, desperately hoping this maid will be willing to hear you out.

For a moment, you worry that she's too terrified to think rationally- was it a mistake to try talking things out? You know your reputation amongst the servants is bad.. but perhaps this maid is newer to the castle? Maybe she isn't prejudiced against you yet. You pray desperately for luck as you nervously watch her terrified expression.

A couple seconds of uncomfortable silence pass, and she reaches some kind of resolution. The cornered look in her eye lessens. She bows her head (in fear or deference, you're not sure) and says in a shaky voice, "Y-y-yes.. m-my lady."

You break out into a wide smile. Success! How inconvenient would it have been if she didn't listen to you. Fortunately, you know how to command your subjects. She looks like she's already regretting her choice, though.

Skill improved: Royal Demeanor E-

You have her carry the unconscious body for you- she's not terribly strong either, so she drags him along behind her. You get a few odd looks on your way to the castle, but nobody interrupts.. whatever it is you're doing. You signal the guards at the entrance to find your mother, and they hasten to obey. You idly glance around the entrance hall as you wait.

Your mother enters and catches sight of your blood-stained form. She dashes hurriedly over to you while sparing a glance at the maid and her burden. She starts inspecting you worriedly. "Charlotte.."

You quickly explain what happened- how you were coming back from watching the knights train, and that your would-be kidnapper was one of them. You glaze over the details of how you subdued him, and also omit the part where you were contemplating dragging him off for interrogation, instead saying that you tried to find somebody to help you and came across the maid. She listens to your story attentively and gives you a warm hug when you finish. She turns her gaze over to the still-unconscious form of the squire. Her eyebrows raise when she takes in his state. She kneels down next to him.

"How did you do this..?" she asks, moving her hands over his injuries.

Your thoughts grind to a halt for a second. For some reason, you don't want to tell her the truth. It's not like she's unaware that you possess unique abilities, but you instinctively shy away from talking about your decay. Your thoughts are discombobulated, and you can't form a proper response. Desperate to fill the silence, you blurt out, "U-um.. I.. he tripped."

She shoots you a puzzled look. Your answer was so bizarre, she isn't even offended at the obvious lie. "..."

You shuffle your feet anxiously as she stares back at you. That was really stupid. Why, why, why did you do that? You lied to her, for no reason. You've never lied to her before. Your eyes become glassy, and you lower your head in shame. "I'm sorry..!"

Your mother puts a hand under your chin and raises your head while kneeling over to look you in the eyes. Her voice is intentionally soothing. "..It's okay, Charlotte. You're fine, that's what matters."

You gaze back into your mother's face. At odds with her words, she wears a troubled expression. Her eyes have a far-off gaze, and her smile doesn't reach her eyes. She tucks a lock of hair behind your ear and plants a kiss on your forehead. "That's enough for tonight," she says gently. "You should rest."

She leads you back to your room personally, summoning a healer to your quarters to double-check that you're fine. Really, you can heal yourself better than any mage at this point- but you endure it, to put your mother's mind at ease. She kisses you goodnight and tucks you into bed, bidding you sweet dreams as she exits, leaving the room dark and empty but for yourself.

You can't sleep. It's not that late, and your head is still buzzing with unanswered questions about the attack. You creep over to your mother's study, hoping to find her there. When you hear voices on the other side of the door, you stop. After a moment's hesitation, you put your ear to the door and listen intently. A man's voice comes into focus- you recognize it as that of the Captain of the Royal Guard.

"..not like there's nothing we can do, my lady."

Your mother's voice is hard, and has a tone of warning in it. "If you're suggesting what I think you are.."

The Captain plows on regardless. Speaking casually, he continues, "Probably. Speaking frankly.. with no real leads, it's the only way you'll get anything done. But what do I know? I'm just a knight."

There is steel in your mother's voice as she speaks with finality, "No, absolutely not. That is final."

"I'm not going to leverage our present safety against something that might happen in the future."

The last part appears to be spoken more to herself than anyone else. "I will deal with this myself. Charlotte doesn't need to be involved."

"As you say, my lady."

You hasten back to bed as you hear the meeting come to a close, not wishing to be caught eavesdropping. It sounds like they don't have any more idea of who was ultimately behind the attack than you do. But.. what was the Captain suggesting? Something that would put you in danger, is your guess- that would be why your mother vehemently opposed it. Maybe he wanted to use you as bait- if you can't attack your enemy, make them come to you. That would undoubtedly be dangerous for you, but it might be more dangerous to let your enemies act freely. On the other hand, your mother is an accomplished mage and powerful politically- the Captain could be underestimating her ability.

What do you do?

[ ] Approach the Captain of the Royal Guard. You overheard his conversation with your mother, and you want to help.
[ ] Approach your mother. Try convincing her to let you help.
[ ] It's fine, your mother can deal with this. You want to spend time on other things.
[ ] Something else. (Write-in.)

1-25: Maid is hysterical, runs away screaming bloody murder.
26-75: Maid is terrified, runs away.
76-100: Maid gathers her courage and tentatively believes you, assists in finding your mother.

Roll bonus: Royal Demeanor +10

 

[Pipeman]

[X] It's fine, your mother can deal with this. You want to spend time on other things.

There is no way this can go wrong!

 

[Larekko12]

[x]Approach Mom ask her about what happened and what was suggested. Force yourself to tell her about your magic.

 

[Robotninja]

[X]Mom can handle it.

 

[ShadowAngelBeta]

[X] Spend time with your kitties.

Because I read AsukaQuest.

[X] Approach your mother. Try convincing her to let you help.
- [x] Tell her about the "letting them move freely is more dangerous" thoughts we had
- [x] If needed show her that we can heal ourselves, use a minor injury.

I don't know about showing her our Decay powers though... they are kinda freaky. I mean we are pretty cold-blooded about them but others... I don't know. I think a soldier could appreciate it for what it is, albeit we would probably never get within grabbing distance of them ever again, but our mom...

 

[Jiven]

[X] Spend time with your kitties.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Let mother handle this...
- - [X] Play with your kittens~
- - - - [X] Tell your mother later that night what you did... SHOW her if necessary.

 

[Inara Seraph]

BGM Set

[X] It's fine, your mother can deal with this. You want to spend time on other things.

You have faith in your mother's ability to protect you. You won't worry her by getting involved. Still, there's one thing you want to do before you lose your nerve. You're still upset that you lied to your mother about how you subdued your attacker. You shouldn't have secrets that big from the most important person in your life.

You find her in her study, poring over a large volume of text. You step across the threshold, filled with trepidation. "Mom..?"

She looks up as you call her, taking off her reading glasses and looking questioningly at you. You shuffle your feet nervously, gathering your courage. You blurt it out all at once, wishing to get it over with. "I wanted to tell you what really happened."

You stretch one of your arms forward, placing your opposite hand on your forearm. You channel your decay gently over that spot, and a nasty cut forms under where your hand is hovering. You cry out involuntarily in pain, and your mother moves to rise from her chair, but you raise a hand to forestall her. "Let me.. finish.." She listens to you tentatively, but she still looks worried.

You place your hand over the newly created wound and reverse it, breathing a sigh of relief when the pain goes away. The blood oozes back into the wound and it knits shut neatly, leaving not a trace behind. Your mother's expression turns astonished.

You look away nervously. That was enough explanation, right? She can put the pieces together.. right? You don't want to have to say anymore. You glance back at your mother, and find that she's looking gently at you. She gestures for you take a seat in her lap. You walk over and fit comfortably next to your mother's warmth, looking up at her earnest face.

"You didn't have to hide it, you know?" she says, smiling down at you.

You can't help but feel doubt. Isn't it obvious, with you two so close together? You look nothing alike. How can she be so sure that you're her daughter? How can she still love you? Your thoughts must have shown on your face, because she draws you closer, putting an arm around you and stroking your hair as she murmurs in your ear. "Your father told me, before he passed.. that it was fine. That you were alright. That you were still our Charlotte. Don't ever worry about it. I'll always love you, and I'll always be there for you."

A few tears trail down your face. "Shh.." she soothes you silently, brushing your tears away and rubbing your back rhythmically. After a time, your sniffles subside and she asks, "Why don't you show me everything you can do?"

You nod and hop out of her lap. You demonstrate your nerve control, decaying the affected spot without showing a hint of pain, and heal it back over quickly. You don't really like that power, even if it is useful. It's just too weird. You wish you had more animals to show her- she's properly thrilled by the pigeon you can create and parade around the room. You decide to up the ante, and create three more pigeons, having them fly around performing a miniature air show. When they finish, they land on your shoulder and on top of your head, and you look at your mother expectantly.

"Wow.." she breaths a sigh of amazement, smiling beatifically down at you. "They're pretty.." She reaches a hand out to one of the pigeons, but it expires- it was actually kind of tiring trying to do that much at once. You didn't know these powers had a limit. She looks wistfully at the dust falling through the air. "Thank you for showing me this, Charlotte." She gives you a hug, and shoos you out of her office, still having work to do.

A thrill runs through your chest. For the first time, you feel proud of your unique abilities. If they can make your mother smile like that, how could they ever be a bad thing? You leave her study with a wide smile.

You feel lighter, as if a burden you were previously unaware of has been lifted. You share the joy with your kittens. They're not quite so tiny anymore, but they're still very small. They spend most of their time in your room; you don't like letting them out all that often. You're afraid they'd get lost, or stepped on, or eaten, or.. something. You like having them where you can find them. It's not as if your room is small, so you don't think they're cramped.

A maid drops off food for the cats, and you grab the bowl and head back inside your room, placing it in the designated spot. You watch as the kitties fight for pole position. Saber is the victor, but Lily sneaks in a few bites as well. You intervene after it becomes clear Saber isn't going anywhere. "..Why are you such a glutton, Saber?" You gently admonish her, picking her up and moving her away from the food bowl so the other kitties can have a turn. She mews pathetically in your hands, looking at you plaintively. You look away in remorse. Wait, why do you even feel bad?! Stupid manipulative kitty.

You decide to play a game with your kittens once they've finished eating. "Catch the birdy, Saber.." You conjure up a wire pigeon for her to chase. You keep the pigeon low to the ground, zipping upward whenever a paw comes flying at it. Saber is having difficulties pinning it down. "Huhu.." you giggle at the kitten's unsuccessful attempts. "Hwah-?!"

Taking advantage of your distraction, your pigeon is blindsided by Alter. Where did she come from..? "No fair, no fair!" You glare at Alter, who is looking puzzled after your construct dissolved into dust. You create another pigeon, and Saber and Alter form a reluctant tag team. The game goes on for a bit, with Nero and Lily forming the cheering audience (in your head, anyway). You have fun with your kitties.



It's a new day, and you need new priorities. You have a great deal of free time, as your mother is busier and can't have as many lessons with you. What do you work on in the coming months?

[ ] Expand the Wire Menagerie.
- [ ] What do you design? (optional write-in)
[ ] Practice your body arts.
[ ] Research a particular topic at the library.
- [ ] What? (optional write-in)
[ ] Something else. (Write-in.)

Also, an additional event:

[ ] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.
[ ] Where are they keeping that squire that tried to kidnap you? Check the dungeons, pay him a visit.
[ ] Watch your Uncle hold court, chat with Sheffield afterward.
[ ] Check out the practice yard, observe the magical spars.

What is this?! Another update without an intervening week?! MADNESS.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Research a particular topic at the library.
- - [X] Magic such as was taught of Brimir Magic and the Fiendish Firstborn Magics of the Elves.
- - - - [X] What is this... Summon Familiar?

Also, an additional event:

[X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.
- - [X] Later on, watch your Uncle hold court, chat with Sheffield afterward.

 

[Vindictus]

[X] Mother likes your magic! You want to learn everything you can about it.
-->[X] Rack your mind for memories of near-forgotten dreams. There are so many things you half-remember, it doesn't seem really fair!
---->[X] Maybe start with something a bit basic... How the magic works?

[X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.

 

[ShadowAngelBeta]

... Wait does Saber-Kitty have an actual Charisma stat?

That would be friggin awesome.

 

[Robotninja]

[X] Mother likes your magic! You want to learn everything you can about it.
-->[X] Rack your mind for memories of near-forgotten dreams. There are so many things you half-remember, it doesn't seem really fair!
---->[X] Maybe start with something a bit basic... How the magic works?

[X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.

 

[Selias]

Do we know how to create familiars? Like, Type-Moon familiars? Because those cats are going to get killed someday, if we don't do something to increase their chances for survival.

 

[Inara Seraph]

Do we know how to create familiars? Like, Type-Moon familiars? Because those cats are going to get killed someday, if we don't do something to increase their chances for survival.

Click to shrink...

You don't. You can create wire-Saber, wire-Lily, etc. if you really want to immortalize them.

 

[Jiven]

[X] Expand the Wire Menagerie.
- [X] Tiger!
[X] Watch your Uncle hold court, chat with Sheffield afterward.

 

[Inara Seraph]

... Wait does Saber-Kitty have an actual Charisma stat?

That would be friggin awesome.

Click to shrink...

"The cat king must perch above her subjects, nya." -Saber, from on top of the bookshelf.

 

[Solaris]

[X] Expand the Wire Menagerie.
- [X] Tiger

I'm hoping we can make our own ride. Also, want to create props for little plays for our mom. Like the hero vs the dragon and such.

[X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.

 

[Inara Seraph]

Vote tally.

Self-improvement:

1 - [X] Research a particular topic at the library.
- - [X] Magic such as was taught of Brimir Magic and the Fiendish Firstborn Magics of the Elves.
- - - - [X] What is this... Summon Familiar?
-Biigoh

2 - [X] Mother likes your magic! You want to learn everything you can about it.
-->[X] Rack your mind for memories of near-forgotten dreams. There are so many things you half-remember, it doesn't seem really fair!
---->[X] Maybe start with something a bit basic... How the magic works?
-Vindictus, Robotninja

2 - [X] Expand the Wire Menagerie.
- [X] Tiger!
-Jiven, Solaris

Additional action(s):

1 - [X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.
- - [X] Later on, watch your Uncle hold court, chat with Sheffield afterward.
-Biigoh

1 - [X] Watch your Uncle hold court, chat with Sheffield afterward.
-Jiven

3 - [X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.
-Solaris, Robotninja, Vindictus

Click to shrink...

I am feeling (somewhat) inspired. There will probably not be an overly long delay until the next update.

Shit will get real at some point. Things will come to a head, and major changes will be made. I have a lot of directions in mind that the story could go, but I'm trying not to railroad the story into any particular direction. For now, you may grind XP in peace. :S

edit; and because it seems some folks are paranoid about this, I'm not gunning for your cats. The worst thing that might happen is you having to leave them behind/give them away. Unless you input 'use decay on kittens'. You monster.

 

[Pipeman]

[X] Mother likes your magic! You want to learn everything you can about it.
-->[X] Rack your mind for memories of near-forgotten dreams. There are so many things you half-remember, it doesn't seem really fair!
---->[X] Maybe start with something a bit basic... How the magic works?

[X] Watch your Uncle hold court, chat with Sheffield afterward.


Because the conceptual nature of nasuverse magecraft gives it lots of hax potential.
Not to mention that having two forms of magic is going to surprise the shit out of our enimies.
And how could hanging out with the king and Sheffield possibly go wrong?

 

[Biigoh]

Minion of joesph

 

[minuseven]

[X] Expand the Wire Menagerie.
- [X] Tiger!

[X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.

 

[Inara Seraph]

There's a tie between tiger-crafting and Nasu-magic research/remembrance. If there are no additional votes an hour from now, I'll just flip a coin.

 

[Dinya]

[X] Nasu-magic.

 

[Selias]

You don't. You can create wire-Saber, wire-Lily, etc. if you really want to immortalize them.

Click to shrink...

Is it possible for us to learn how to create Nasu familiars?

 

[Inara Seraph]

Votes are locked, writing.

Is it possible for us to learn how to create Nasu familiars?

Click to shrink...

You can only learn what Iri herself knew.

 

[Inara Seraph]

BGM Set

[X] Mother likes your magic! You want to learn everything you can about it.
-->[X] Rack your mind for memories of near-forgotten dreams. There are so many things you half-remember, it doesn't seem really fair!
---->[X] Maybe start with something a bit basic... How the magic works?
[X] You never did thank that maid. Find her and introduce her to your adorable kittens.

You try your hardest to remember your earliest years, the years you spent remembering your past life. You've taken for granted just how you've been able to accomplish what you have- but no longer. You'll research exactly what you're doing so that you can advance your skills more quickly. You can't remember everything all at once, but you note down everything you can remember in a notebook so that you can gather all of your thoughts in one place. You should perhaps get rid of this notebook later. You don't think anyone except for you could get any use out of this whatsoever, but you'd rather not be unpleasantly surprised.

After a few months, you have a wealth of information to peruse. The most important part is at the beginning. The magic word is prana: it is the force that fuels your mysteries, or spells. You're not sure, being unable to use Halkegenian magic just yet, but you think your willpower reserves are separate from your prana reserves. If true, that could be very useful.

Your large amount of enhanced magic circuits have all carried over to your life as Charlotte. Your former status as a homunculus has made it so you don't need any kind of start-up or visualization sequence. You can activate your circuits as easily as you breathe and manipulate your prana extremely precisely. It's only now that you realize how impossible that is for most magi.

You conjure up some bronze- the only kind of metal you can create right now. You can't make it stick around for too long. Creating your material from nothing is a blatant violation of nature. Even if this isn't Gaia, it still appears to function the same way- you have to keep infusing prana into it or the contradiction will erase it from existence. You twist your prana in a certain way, using your skill at Forging to make something completely new. A pigeon made of a beautiful lattice of wires stares back you. You can feel your prana still keeping the pigeon alive. If you cut it off, the pigeon will dissolve immediately.

It makes you remember an important point. Making a pigeon out of nothing is within your capabilities, but if you want to create a larger wire-animal, you're going to need some material to transmute. You might want to research what metals you have at your disposal here. You can requisition whatever you want, and people probably won't question you. Even a small amount to carry on your person would be fine- transmutation and multiplication of existing assets costs less prana to maintain than creating it out of nothing. You could also experiment with some samples to help you create new, more powerful metals.

You'll never be able to permanently transmute or create matter, but if you improve your skill at Creation and Forging enough you should be able to make your creations last hundreds of years while costing miniscule amounts of prana to maintain. As you are now, you can't do anywhere near that much. It is something to aim for.

You turn your thoughts to your body arts. You know for a fact you didn't have the healing capabilities as Irisviel that you do as Charlotte. Her body was special, it's true- she was a construct made from ether and could do crazy things like regenerate limbs, but it's not exactly the same as what you can do now. You can only theorize that something about the way your new body interacts with Irisviel's prana gives it a special property when used on living things.

Theoretically, you should be able to focus prana from any part of your body, but you've gotten so used to channeling your healing and decay through your hands that it's become stuck that way. By focusing on positive things- kittens, happiness, and love, your prana reverses time itself to heal wounds. By focusing on negative things- death, depression, and anger, your prana becomes corrosive, killing whomever it touches with remembered wounds. Experimenting with that particular trigger was not a pleasant experience, but you're glad that you've discovered how it works. You should try not to become too angst-ridden.

The fine control over your body is more like what you remember. You should be able to manipulate every part as you wish- slowing or stopping your own heart-beat, exercising your muscles while sleeping or standing still, cutting off all sensation, enhancing sensation, raising or lowering your body temperature.. all of those things should be possible, but they aren't. You hope that you can rediscover at least some of that.



You make sure to track down the maid that helped you. Asking around reveals her to be cleaning a room in a part of the castle that is generally kept empty for visitors. You ask her politely to come back to your room with you. You don't really want to frame it as a master-servant exchange, but it's not like she'll refuse anything you ask, no matter how you word it.

She looks distinctly uncomfortable as you lead her into your living space. You turn to address her, taking a breath.

"I wanted to say thank you, for helping me. I don't think a lot of people would've. So, you have my gratitude." You curtsy in a particular fashion, with a certain flourish to indicate gratitude. The meaning may have flown over her head, but she's still very flustered.

"M-milady.." She's blushing in embarrassment, trying to look anywhere other than at you. It seems that royalty simply don't lower themselves to thank the help. Well, you think that's stupid. Good help is hard to find. You want her to feel appreciated, because she is.

"What's your name?"

She calms down a little bit, but she's still looking steadily at the floor. "It's Sarah.."

"Really? What a strange name." You tilt your head curiously, but dismiss the thought. You enact stage two of your friend acquisition plan, taking her hand and leading her over to the closet where your kitties are resting.

You couldn't have planned it more perfectly. They're all sleeping curled up next to each other in an enormous ball of fluffy cuteness. As you open the door to let some light in, they blink blearily and Nero yawns widely. You sneak a glance at Sarah to gauge her reaction.

Her smile is genuine now, and she's wearing a soft expression as she gazes at the sleeping felines. Your plan to wear away her trepidation with cute fluffy kittens is a runaway success. You feed and water the kittens with her, and bid her goodbye once you've finished. She's a lot more comfortable in your presence by the end, seemingly forgetting your relative stations, at least for a little bit. She'll probably remember on her way back to her duties, but that's fine. You've gained a friend amongst the servants.

Your tenth birthday comes and goes with another party. Your mother had to rush home to make it. She's been taking trips outside the castle occasionally. What she's doing, you're not sure, but it must be important. She has less and less time for lessons with you. You have even more free time. You're stricken with a problem that only royalty could possibly have- you're bored. There's nothing to do. Well, you'll find something.

What do you do in the coming months? (Choose two things to focus on. Don't feel limited to what is listed here, these are just some ideas.)

[ ] Expand the Wire Menagerie.
- [ ] What do you design? (optional write-in)
[ ] Practice your body arts.
[ ] Research a particular topic at the library.
- [ ] What? (optional write-in)
[ ] Something else. (Write-in.)

Is there anyone you want to spend time with?

[ ] What happened to that squire you healed?
[ ] Bonding with the maid over kittens.
[ ] Guilt your mother into spending time with you.
[ ] Nah, you're good.
[ ] Someone else. (Write-in.)

I apologize for the boring info-dump chapter.

 

[Vindictus]

[X] Refine the basic theory of Iri's style of magic, and begin experimenting with the basics to see what you can do with them- Reinforcement, Analysis, and Hypnosis seem to be fairly multipurpose, don't they?

[X] What happened to that squire you healed?

 

[Larekko12]

Wait a tick. Conjuration is Erased on Halk? Why? Mages Conjur their element from jack and shit all the time. And it Stays.