On Envoie! 1

On stage, everyone was nervous, wringing hands or otherwise trying to distract themselves. As she had been fussing, Reyna explained that the time dilation affected the gathering of results, too, and it would be close to instantaneous for them. That only made the waiting more nerve-wracking as Lucian paced on stage. Finally, a chorus of triumphant brass echoed through the auditorium and Lucian moved center stage.

Stretching his arms out wide he spoke loud in his thunderous baritone, “Audience, we have our results and truly some interesting picks to start off what is going to be a lively season. We’ll go in order of introduction, starting with our Master” Lucian glided over to Caleb, who audibly gulped at the demon’s approach.

Lucian ran his slapstick under Caleb’s chin “Now our master here had some nice options laid out for him including a nice little boon to give to the contestants, but our audience wasn’t interested in any of that and just wanted him to be hotter.” He whipped the stick away clipping Caleb and causing him to flinch as he smiled “That’s right with a whopping 55% of the vote, River of time beat out it’s competition handily…so master lets get you fit!”

Lucian’s slapstick flashed and Caleb felt a heat build in his body, it grew and grew until it became nigh unbearable causing him to keel over on his knees clutching his stomach as he felt his body move and rearrange itself. The sensation ended as swiftly as it had come on and Reyna hopped over and helped him up and then lifted her hand to the zipper of the tracksuit.

The assistant smiled “let’s give the audience a peek!” She tugged the zipper down revealing Caleb’s newly formed muscle mass as he weakly tried to avoid looking at the others even as Stella wolf whistled across the stage. He wasn’t bulky, but more akin to a swimmer’s build, lean and defined.

Caleb ran his hand across his chest, his fingers lightly grazing his skin. The Transformation had mentioned putting him back into the state he had been in in college but he doubted that was the case, he had never been this cut. He took a moment to look over at Lily and saw she wasn’t even looking at him, looking dead ahead like a deer caught in the headlights as Lucian floated in her direction.

“They’re no doubting it now, it’s actually magic, they changed him, they’re going to change me, they’re going to turn me into some pervert that gets off on one of the worst moments of my life oh god-” Lily’s thinking was cut off as the smiling Lucian approached her and she screamed “No!” and shoved him to the ground.

The auditorium was silent, Lucian was bent over on the ground and it looked like maybe he had been hurt, but in the shadows, Lily saw a smile creep across his downturned face and a shiver went down her spine. The demon got up and brushed himself off before wagging a finger at Lily, “Tsk tsk tsk, I was afraid of something like this…I didn’t want to have to discipline anyone this early- but I’m left with ****”

Lily- -3 VP - Assaulting the host

Lucian frowned, but his eyes were alight with glee as he continued “We’re also going to throw in an upgrade to your upcoming transformation as punishment…think of it as incentive to follow the rules and play the game.” He crossed around her and then slapped his stick against his palm causing the petite woman to flinch, “With that, it brings me great joy to announce that Reconciliation won with 51% of the votes. First the initial transformation!”

With a wave of the baton, Lily fell to the floor as her being was rewritten she watched as her skin changed color in front of her from very pale to a bright shade of green. She felt something change within her as well and as it settled looked up in a daze.

Lucian smiled “As for your upgrade…here it is”

Reconciliation Lvl 2. This transformation will make her more like her avatar by turning her into a plant. In addition, she will now give off aphrodisiac pollen when she becomes aroused. LVL 2. Lily’s proportions change to match her avatar and her pollen’s effects last until washed off. (flower girl)

Lily felt her skin tingle and burn as her hips and bust flared out straining her clothes. She blushed even more fervently now feeling totally exposed on stage,

“At least it’s not the cuck one…” She muttered observing her new form, It was her only solace as Lucian floated ahead and Reyna helped her to her feet.

Lucian smiled as he stopped in front of Mira, “Any thoughts on what the people chose for you my girl?”

Mira looked down and frowned and then looked up resolutely, “Probably the dominatrix one, I’m not a fool, this is some sex show, they want what’s sexy.”

Tutting Lucian leaned in, “You think too little of them my girl, I can reveal that in the largest swing of this poll, Siren song won with just over 80%!”

Tears welled up in Mira’s eyes, “So…I…can sing again?”

The demon’s grin only widened “My dear we encourage it.”

He swung the stick and a warmth flowed through Mira's throat and when she spoke next it wasn’t the gravelly tone Caleb was used to but a deep velvety mezzo-soprano, “I never dreamed…I-” she stopped and walked forward and started singing the opening lines of Carmen.

The beautiful notes flowed through the air and Caleb was left with his mouth hanging open. Then he felt a sensation bubbling within him, a subtle warmth that only grew as he listened. He looked to the face of the contestants to see it was having an effect on them as well. Mira also seemed to notice because as she looked at them all she stopped singing and looked out to the empty audience, “Thank you.”

Lucian nodded at her and came to Eliza, who had watched everyone’s transformations with rapt attention and as the demon approached asked, “Where does the energy for this come from? How do you stimulate the arousal? Is it mental or physiological? How does the effect travel via soundwaves?” Her eyes were bright with curiosity

Chuckling Lucian waved a hand, “I thought you were a philosopher, not a scientist?”

Eliza’s cheeks puffed up and she stomped her foot, “There is less a difference than people suppose, Euclid was a philosopher, and modern mathematics is based on his philosophy!”

Lucian shrugged, “Whatever you say my dear, in my time alchemists were considered scientists so I don’t have much right to judge.”

Leaning forward on her toes Eliza was giddy, “Your time? When are you from? Were you human once? On earth? On our Earth?”

Lucian exchanged a glance with Reyna who only smiled and waved over at him as he answered, “We're getting distracted, you’ll be happy to find that the audience went along with your desires and Mind-Body Problem won with 55% of the vote, why we’re de-milfing our resident milf is anyone’s guess but here we are” He pointed his stick at Eliza and the end flashed.

Eliza felt her body shift, her skin tightened, and wrinkles faded as her face grew rounder. The marks of aging faded and she felt her clothes grow looser as they mismatched with her younger frame. She yelped, surprised to hear the higher tones of her younger voice. She looked down at her hands and despite the years of knowledge and experience in her mind saw her body of twenty-one years of age looking back at her.

Lucian nodded, “Happy with the results? This is what you wanted after all.”

Eliza looked around now recognizing that she went from being the oldest to the youngest individual here in a matter of seconds. She looked over at Caleb who was carefully observing her new body and blushed, “Well, if this is what I’m being **** to do then I’m going to do what I have to to stay in the competition…so yes”

“If only all contestants were so amenable,” Lucian let out wryly as he came to Amy who stared up at him defiantly.

The athletic woman stared at him and then said sourly, “Go ahead, turn me into fetish bait, at least it will help me win and get out of this place.”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed and his voice went bitter, “Acting pretty high and mighty aren’t you?”

Behind the demon, Reyna reached out, “Lucy…”

Ignoring her the host continued, “You come here acting like you’re better than all this, well I got news for you. The first thing you did coming here when faced with a girl whose life you upended was crack a joke. Villains like you…don’t deserve advantages. I’m sure a crafty girl like you could bend the gifts of being some bimbo, sure but how about being a monster?”

Reyna was tugging on his sleeve now, “Lucy! Come on now!”

Lucian flipped his wrist to get his assistant off him and then smiled down at the increasingly confused Amy, “The vote here is 49% for “It's not a look, it's a lifestyle” but I am using my power as Host to veto it. You don’t show mercy, well from now on any mercy you earn will be mercy for the devil as you receive “Don't Cry for Me””

His stick flashed and Amy fell to the floor as fiery pain coursed through her body. Her muscles became more pronounced, and the sound of her clothes straining to contain her new form echoed on stage. Her skin turned a pinkish red and two slightly curled horns rose from her head as her entire body enlarged. When the entire transformation was done she was easily a head taller than Lucian and looked down at him in disgust.

Lucian looked up back at her, a look of grim satisfaction on his face. The new Oni glared back, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll be able to crush you now?”

Snickering Lucian replied, “Take a swing dearie, you saw how well that worked out for Lily over there. Go ahead let’s see how ogreish we can make you by the end of the day. Come on, roll that die.”

Amy’s hands tensed into fists before letting out a long exhale. As humiliated as she was she knew that the host was taunting her and needed to keep a level head or she’d be giving him exactly what he wanted.

Lucian sneered at the horned woman and then turned on his heels and stared at Reyna, “My show, MY rules!” his assistant glowered at him before returning to her normal cheery expression and following him to Noemi.

The Chilean woman was shivering at this point. She had watched what happened to everyone with fear. None of her transformations were good, she knew being labeled as a bully couldn’t be good for her. She had watched enough reality TV to know how these shows cast a villain so she just tried to be silent as Lucian came over.

The demon leaned in, “Well Noemi, for awhile the audience didn’t know quite what to do with you but they all seem to agree that it’s time for you to make up for your sins against Caleb.” His mouth spread into a toothy grin and Noemi gasped, “And what better way to make it up to him than by bearing his children, that’s right, with 53% of the votes, Breeder wins!.”

Noemi whimpered, “Please no…I can’t…please!” She looked over at Caleb who was doing his best to look away.

With a flash of Lucian’s stick, Noemi felt something change. It wasn’t as obvious as the previous transformations but there was a resting warmth in her womb, a yearning to be filled. She unconsciously brought her hand to her abdomen and blushed trying to avoid eye contact with anyone.

Satisfied, Lucian began to move towards Maddy who was close to having a breakdown even with the calming magic in effect. This was too much, too much all at once. She had been ****, and **** into a man she barely knew’s harem, the man said he liked her best, and now one by one the women were changing. Not to mention that one of her transformation choices would literally turn her into a pig.

If anything, she didn’t want that one the most. She already thought of herself as awful-looking as a pig, she didn’t need to actually be one.

Lucian had been waiting for her to settle to continue but when it became clear that wasn’t going to happen he cleared his throat causing the young woman to squeak, “Maddy, it is your turn and I do think you’ll be pleased with the results.

A glimmer of hope raised in her voice, “Really?”

Lucian nodded, “That’s right, it seems no one wanted to see you turned into a pig, it received a paltry 11% of the votes.”

That seemed to calm the chef down and she was finally able to catch her breath.

The host continued, “That said, it was down to the wire with the other two going back and forth until the end, with ultimately Sweet Treats pulling ahead just barely with 45% of the vote…lucky you.” a sinister grin crossed Lucian's face, “Still, enjoy your just desserts as it were!”

Lucian waved his wand and little sparkles formed around Maddy before collecting in her hands. With a sudden flash, the sparkles vanished and were replaced with a tray of three small colourful pastries. Maddy looked down at them evaluating what she was given.

With a flourish Lucian waved his slapstick and the tray and pastries vanished, “They’ll be waiting for you in your room my dear, with a full “menu”, to do with as you please.”

Maddy looked up at the demon her voice curious with a tinge of hope, “Who made the desserts? Do you have a kitchen here? And Chefs?”

Reyna clapped her hands together next to Maddy and nodded eagerly as the demon responded, “You will get to see our full facilities shortly, rest assured this Island has everything you could ever want or need and more.”

He came to Stella who was rubbing her hands together a spark in her eyes, “Is it my turn now?”

Lucian lifted his hand to hide his discomfort, he had expected Stella to be more enthusiastic, but her eagerness was offputting, “Yes my girl, it is your turn and I think you will be pleased to find the votes were relatively decisive. “Get a Rise” won pretty handily with 62% of the vote which means not only will you find yourself in some arousing situations but it comes with a new wardrobe, so without further ado…”

The host waved his slapstick and sparkles flowed over to Stella and Caleb and the other contestants watched as her outfit began to warp and change. First, it was her pants, they shrunk and tightened until tight little shorts and in short order, her legs were covered with mind mesh leggings. Her shirt and tie vanished underneath her vest, exposing her red lacy bra.

Taking in her new look she grinned mischievously and leaned in towards Caleb, “Like what you see?” She purred as she stuck out her tongue playfully.

The host rolled his eyes as Caleb blushed and looked away hurriedly, “Best get over that bashfulness Master.” He mumbled as he came to the last contestant who was looking forward and focused.

Lucian swung his stick around and landed it in his palm, “Last but certainly not least we have the lovely Maya, yours was also quite the close race as well, but alas “Need a Hug” won out over its competition with 43% of the vote.”

Crossing her arms, Maya looked sourly down at the floor, “I lost the bet then…fine, I can come back from this.”

“What a marvelous attitude from our resident lone wolf, trust from now on you’ll be needing a little more than self-coaching as a pick-me-up going forward,” The host pointed the slapstick and the enchant caused Maya to glow a faint pink colour before leaving her stuck looking at the ground.

Maya was trying to swallow her feelings and refocus but found they wouldn’t budge until to her surprise, Reyna came up behind her wrapped her arms around her, and held her briefly. She felt the negativity fade away but Reyna let her go.

“Oh god, I’m stuck in this hell hole like this?” the realization hit her how dependent she would be on these strangers.

Lucian grinned down at her as the assistant separated from the lottery winner, “Going forward only contact from other contestants or the Master will aid you, but we thought this would be a good…demonstration”

Lucian walked back centerstage and looked at the collected group, “That brings us to popularity polls, BP, and our initial groups…let’s take a look at the board!.” He swung his stick at the Screen which lit up with everyone’s names, their rank, voting percentage, and how many BP and VP each contestant was at.

1. Eliza Dawson – 16.42% – 25 BP – 0 VP

2. Mira Gayen – 16.28% – 25 BP – 0 VP

3. Madeline Purcell – 14.86% – 20 BP – 0 VP

4. Stella Vincent – 14.29% – 20 BP – 0 VP

5. Amy Tanaka – 12.00% – 20 BP – 0 VP

6. Lillian Wright - 10.43% - 15 BP – -3 VP

7. Maya Quinn - 8.43% - 10 BP – 0 VP

8 .Noemi Castro - 7.28% - 10 BP – 0 VP

The contestants' reactions to the screen were varied.

For her part, Maddy had her face covered in shock, “I’m that high on the list?” she let out in awe. Maddy had been chronically picked last for most things in life, she always felt like she had to work hard for anything she achieved. Seeing her name up so high elicited a strange feeling deep within her and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

Eliza was genuinely shocked to see her name at the top. “Did they vote me that high knowing I’d be changed or was that before I changed? Have I shot myself in the foot?” She glanced around at all the other women and still couldn’t help but feel intimidated. She clenched her fists, she had been given a new chance at youth, she wasn’t going to waste it.

Meanwhile, Lily had her arms crossed over her new chest and was fuming at the fact that the woman who slept with her ex was ranked higher than her. She shouldn’t care so much about any of this, this madness. But she couldn’t help but be worried by what they had seen earlier what happened to those who did poorly in the competition

Stella raised an eyebrow, “Only number four? I’m out here flashing my goods and participating and only getting number four? Well no worries folks at home, clearly it’s not enough I’ll be sure to turn up the “entertainment” for you.” she leaned over and flashed Caleb a grin while waving coyly

Next to her, Maya clicked her tongue and bit on the nail of her thumb, “Odds are worse than I thought, but I already knew I was working from behind. There’s only one way out of this and it’s the game. These girls don’t know me, but if there’s one thing I can do it’s score the long shot.”

Amy was only half paying attention, spending time moving her new muscles and getting used to her new stature. It didn’t matter where she was to start anyway, she would be winning this and getting out of here, starting from behind only meant working harder to get the goal.

Noemi expected this, she knew people would write her off, dammit, not only was she stuck here but she was stuck here at the bottom. Everyone had already made up their mind about her. At least she wasn’t in the negatives like some people.

While everyone else was fretting Mira looked up and gently touched her neck. As far as she was concerned she was already coming out ahead. She had to get back, she had her work to get to but honestly, if time wasn’t moving? What was the rush? Obviously, she didn’t want to pursue Caleb, but the audience had been kind to her. Maybe she could use that…

Interrupting everyone’s thoughts, Lucian tapped his stick against the stage. “Now for the next part of our competition, we need to arrange you into your teams, these will last for the entirety of the round and will be your roommate. We will be arranging teams by converging popularity, first with last, and so on and so forth. So without any more gilding the lily or more ado, here are round one’s teams!” He pointed to the screen again.

TEAM SLOTH: Eliza Dawson and Noemi Castro

TEAM PRIDE: Mira Gayen and Maya Quinn

TEAM VANITY: Madeline Purcell and Lillian Wright

TEAM LUST: Stella Vincent and Amy Tanaka

“As for where you’ll be rooming, that will be up to our voters…Reyna?” Lucian glanced at the assistant.

Reyna gave the group the biggest grin and then leaped…through the fourth wall as the screen transitioned to show four luxurious rooms, all differing in color, each containing a pair of grand dressers, a bathroom a queen size bed, and a nightstand along with a small sitting area and bourdoir.

Reyna walked center screen “Alright everyone we got four rooms to choose from one for each team. Each room is colour coordinated but more than that each of our rooms has a special effect to add some spark to each round. While our contestants will know these effects exist only our voters will get to see their effects!” She winked at the screen.

She waved “Here are our lovely rooms with their associated polls! If a team is voted highest in two polls we will put them by the highest margin of victory taking precedence with 2nd place getting the other room in that case.”

Pierrot Suite: Coloured Black and White, The room highlights what the individuals in it view to be their weakest character trait and makes it harder to hide. For example, someone who is well put together but worries about being seen as clumsy will find themselves tripping or putting themselves in compromising situations

https://strawpoll.com/GPgVY80Qvna

Brighella Suite: Coloured White and Green, This room lowers the inhibitions of those who are in it, without necessarily lowering their capacity for judgment. A person sleeping in this room will just be more likely to go with their gut without doubting themselves.

https://strawpoll.com/XmZRQG0XWgd

Columbina Suite: Coloured Red and Pink, This room encourages gossip and makes it hard for those within it to keep any secret even their own. It doesn’t compel them to share, but it makes them likely to bring it up naturally.

https://strawpoll.com/7MZ0kaRG1go

Innamorti Suite: Coloured Gold and Purple, The room makes it difficult for those in it to suppress amorous thoughts. It does not conjure them, but it keeps any the contestant is already having at the front of their mind.

https://strawpoll.com/2ayLQV0Xvn4

After an image of each room went by Reyna waved, “You have until we finish our tour to get those results in so don’t wait!” She then jumped out of the screen back to the stage to the amazement of everyone except Lucian.

The demon merely cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention, “With that…shall we begin the tour?”