Turns and Turnings | Glowfic Constellation

sparkly_thoughts

The next few weeks are blissful, with Terel having school and Sadde having Empire Imports and making lots and lots of money. They advance in computer design—they still can't really mass produce, and are mostly building everything they need to build from scratch where it won't be magical, and borrowing a lot from golemcraft where it will—and soon start reaching the limits of what Sadde has actually memorised. An actual prototype is still a long ways off.

Sadde obtains the materials the shadowy people need, and also painlessness amulets for Terel. Even without the Imperial Anaesthetist's aid, they should be covered. Hopefully.

And then it's the last day of school.

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go_forth_invent

He gasps. "Yesokaydoitdoit-" and he flops over, insensate.

sparkly_thoughts

She sits by his side.

go_forth_invent

He twitches occasionally, reacting to whatever the pain is being rendered as.

The Shadows switch after a few hours. And switch again after less hours than last time.

sparkly_thoughts

She's nervous each time that happens, but doesn't leave his side.

go_forth_invent

They warn her that... They aren't going to be able to keep this up for three days. Not consistently anyway.

sparkly_thoughts

"What? Why not?"

go_forth_invent

It's tiring. They'll keep it up to the point of exhaustion, as promised. If it would be better to drop the effect for a little while now rather than later they could do that.

sparkly_thoughts

...yes it's better to save it for the end. Er, can Terel be made sensate enough to talk?

go_forth_invent

...Sensate enough to scream in shock and surprise and of course pain despite the two pain suppressing amulets he's wearing is apparently doable.

sparkly_thoughts

No not that sensate less than that -

go_forth_invent

He's back to flopping on the ground, breathing hard, crying. He says something garbled.

"We do not have fine control!"

sparkly_thoughts

...shit.

Okay she has to make this choice, she knows it gets worse later, she hugs him and whispers, "Okay, how long can you keep it up?"

go_forth_invent

"I don't know. We've never attempted to hold someone under this long before. But we already are straining."

sparkly_thoughts

"How long will you need to rest, and how long will you then be able to hold?"

go_forth_invent

"-Perhaps five hours rest for an hour and a half more effect. Traded off."

sparkly_thoughts

"Oh my gods—would ten hours rest do three hours—?"

go_forth_invent

"Most likely. We maintained it for many hours at first, and the accumulated strain is what forces us to stop."

sparkly_thoughts

"...can you rest now for long enough to cover the end of his transformation?"

go_forth_invent

"I believe so."

sparkly_thoughts

"Okay. Please do."

go_forth_invent

"We're sorry. You were promised more."

sparkly_thoughts

"You'll do what you can do, I can't ask for more."

go_forth_invent

Oh, here it is again. "Gaaaaah put it baaaack -how long -"

sparkly_thoughts

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry—a few hours—they needed rest, but they'll come back before the end so they keep the worst off—but look you're already getting better and it's working—"

go_forth_invent