Swarming Sovereignty

As Rose had surmised, there was indeed a “Xylomancer”, and once enough blood had been gathered, Lia was able to confirm that a similar race existed for blood. Oddly enough, it was called “Blood Mage” instead of “Hemamancer” or something similar, but “blood mage” was the far more common term, so she supposed it wasn’t that weird.

And that bumped her total number of magic types up to seven. Not all of them had finished converting, so she wasn’t sure if that was enough, but hopefully it would be. She wasn’t quite sure where she would get other magic users, and there were only about three more rat cocoons, so if this didn’t do it, she was out of luck for a bit.

But there was no use worrying over that before it happened. So, while she waited, she took some time to survey the additions Rose had made while Lia was out. She had managed to obtain around twenty foot soldiers and around ten pricklers, and that wasn’t even accounting for the rats made into magic users and still in cocoons.

Lia sent a silent prayer of thanks to the gods for sending Rose to her. Rose was far and away the best thing that had happened to Lia since she was sent to the dungeon, outstripping even Lia’s bumbling into becoming a rat queen. She was just so…efficient, and having her around to help Lia multitask and, more importantly, have someone to talk to, was everything Lia could have asked for and more.

Lia, are you alright? Rose ask, worry evident in her tone. You’ve been standing there motionless for a while.

Sorry! Lia said, jumping to attention. I was just sending my thanks to the gods.

For the fact that we were able to achieve victory with so few casualties?

Lia paused, unsure what to say, before ultimately deciding to just say what she was thinking. For you, actually. I seriously don’t know what I would do without you, it’s only been a day and you’re already absolutely vital to all of my plans.

W-what?! Rose exclaimed. Lia was sure that, if Rose’s face was humanoid and not completely covered in fur, it would be completely red. Y-you’re exaggerating, my Queen.

Not in the slightest. Lia replied. You’re already much more efficient at this management thing than I ever was.

Rose cast her eyes about, embarrassment clearly mounting. Actually, speaking of the gods, should we really be drawing their attention to us? She asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

I was thinking the same thing after I granted you sapience, but the Goddess of Life herself gave me a message and told me that, so long as we encourage the people to keep worshipping as they are currently, they won’t intervene.

Rose gave her a shocked stare. A-are you sure? She asked. I don’t mean to doubt you or anything, it just…seems contrary to everything the gods stand for. I thought they were supposed to protect the sapient races, not let them be taken over by people like us.

Once again, I thought the same. But I got a Title called “Favored of the Gods” and, it was when I was questioning that title the Goddess of Life contacted me. When she did, I knew it was her. It was like…like, well, there isn’t really anything good to compare it to, but it was like my soul knew. I’ve never felt more certain of anything in my entire life.

Lia paused. I mean, I guess that could still be the result of something super strong trying to pull the wool over my eyes, but I feel like whatever was doing that would be more at risk of being smited than me. I think, if I really was someone the gods needed to deal with before things get out of hand, I would have been hit with the divine lightning after you were granted sapience.

I…suppose that makes sense. Rose admitted. But we should still be careful in the future.

Agreed. It’s why I’ve been careful about trying not to accidentally grant anything sapience after I found out that was a thing I can do. That and…well, I don’t want to be playing war with real people just yet. I don’t want their deaths on my conscience if I can help it.

We would gladly die for you. Rose said instantly. Do not worry about that, it would be our honor.

No. Lia replied. As much as you are fine with it, I’m not. It’s one thing when I’m sending near-mindless creatures out to fight, it’s another entirely when that creature has a soul. If I do accidently enlighten someone again, then they’re going to be taken off of active duty. I just don’t want to risk it.

You’re out there fighting. Rose argued. What makes that different?

One, I’m not doing it because someone told me to. Lia said. I’m doing it because I want to. Two, I’m the single strongest thing in this swarm right now, and three, Amelia has a way to bring me back if I die. I can’t say the same for you or anyone else.

Who’s Amelia?

Oh, right. She’s my best friend, she brought me back to life and turned me into…this after I died. She’s basically the only reason either of us are here right now.

I will be sure to thank her when I meet her, then. Rose replied

There was an awkward pause before Lia spoke up again. I’m…going to go check on the conversions, you just…keep up the good work, I guess?

As you wish, Lia.

Lia began to meander back towards where she had left the converting rats. Generally, conversions took anywhere from a minute all the way up to five minutes, and she wasn’t quite sure what dictated that. So, out of curiosity, she activated Analysis level three, to see if it had anything helpful to say.

That made sense. The mages she was making did seem to take longer than foot soldiers, but overall, she had thought that the time for conversion had seemed low. Now that she knew a bit more, though, she realized that was because the rats had particularly high affinity with the changes she was giving them, and because goblins were a highly adaptable species in the first place, so it was easy to change them.

 

That would have been really helpful back when she was struggling with Mana, but as things currently stood, that wasn’t really an issue. Well…an upgrade was an upgrade, so she wasn’t going to complain any more than she already had.

She reached the cocoons, choosing to sit down and wait until they all finished converting. The first one, the photomancer she had made, finished only about a minute later, and Lia took the opportunity to look it over, both in terms of stats and physical appearance.

To Lia’s surprise, it was not two rats with their tails tied together, but one singular rat, with a knotted tail much like Lia’s own, albeit with only one other ending instead of the nine Lia had. The rat’s fur was a brilliant yellow, and it was smaller than most rats, but there was no other indication that this rat was capable of using magic. The stats were…almost the same as the druid, but the photomancer had a bit more Magic.

She told it to go ask Rose for a task, then turned her attention back to the cocoon that contained the soon-to-be pyromancer. It finished a moment later, the modeling wax melting into nothingness as the pyromancer emerged. It looked near-identical to the photomancer, save for the color of its fur, which was a reddish-orange hue.

She sent it to follow the photomancer in getting a task, then checked her evolutions again. The information displayed about the unknown race had updated somewhat, giving her a little more understanding of what exactly she was looking at. The race title had changed from “???” to “Lesser Swarm Rat M???”, and the number of different types of magic needed had gone from “???” to “00?”.

That was good. It meant that, even if the remaining three magic types she had converting weren’t enough, she would need at most two more to get the evolution. And then, as she was looking at the window, the terramancer finished its conversion, a slate grey rat appearing from the cocoon. The words in front of her fuzzed, and then more information was displayed.

The name had gone to “Lesser Swarm Rat Mage-???” and the number of magic types needed was revealed to be seven, which was…appropriate. Seven was a very important number in magic theory, for a reason that Lia had never quite been able to grasp. Amelia had explained it to her once, but Lia hadn’t been able to understand most of the explanation, so she just had to be satisfied with “it’s important”.

Like the others, she sent the terramancer to Rose. She felt kind of bad just…dumping all of them on Rose, but Lia had no clue what to do with them, and she was certain Rose would. Just who had Rose been before she had been reincarnated? She mentioned feeling like she had been someone important, and Lia couldn’t help but think she was right. Most people didn’t have skills like that, something made even more impressive when Rose said she didn’t even consciously remember most of what she knew.

As Lia was contemplating that, the xylomancer and blood mage finished their conversions. She waved away the notification informing her that she had met the requirements for her evolution, choosing instead to look over the new converts before sending them on their way. The xylomancer was a deep brown and the blood mage was…well, blood red.

Once they had left, she turned her attention back to the new evolution.

Yeah, that wasn’t even a question. She absolutely was picking that evolution. She may not have been a huge fan of magic when she was a foxkin, but that was because she was bad at it. If she was just handed proficiency in it like this, then she wasn’t going to turn her nose up at it.

She really wanted to start the process of evolving right away, but, now that Rose was here, that wasn’t something she could just do willy-nilly. So, she made her way back over to Rose, who was rapidly becoming the centerpiece of a hub of activity. Once it looked like Rose had a free moment, Lia approached.

Lia, what can I do for you? Rose asked. Also, you really don’t need to wait for me to have an opening to approach me. Your wants are more important than whatever I’m doing, and all of my sisters feel the same way.

Sorry, it just feels weird barging into things like that. Lia said sheepishly. How are things, by the way?

Going excellently! Thanks for those mages, by the way, I have a few ideas they’re working on that I think will help make this place more secure. I kind of accidentally started implementing them without checking with you first, is that…alright? I sorta already told them to do it before I realized I hadn’t asked, and I haven’t had a moment to go find them and stop them.

No, that’s totally fine. Lia soothed. You have my express permission to do anything so long as you think it’ll be helpful. It’ll probably be way better than whatever I think up.

I wouldn’t go that far. Rose said. You have great ideas! I mean…it was your idea that got us this fort in the first place!

Uh…sure. Lia replied, unconvinced. Yeah, the raid was her idea, but anyone could have thought that up. That’s…not all of why I wanted to talk to you, though. I unlocked that evolution, and I want to go evolve now, but I just wanted to let you know first. I’m going to go camp out in one of the stalls, so don’t freak out if you can’t find me. I don’t know how long it’ll take, either, though I’m guessing it’ll be longer than the lesser foot soldiers evolving into normal foot soldiers or stuff like that.

Got it. Rose replied. If you…don’t mind, can you come see me when you finish? I really want to see how you look!

Of course I will! I’ll be back…whenever I’m back, so see you then!

See you then!

---

Rose felt a deep feeling of satisfaction as she sent the latest messenger back to the thick of things. Unlike her Q – unlike Lia, she wasn’t able to get even vague status reports from the sisters she was commanding if she couldn’t see them. So, she had to use messengers like that one to receive updates on the progress of things or relay orders.

Fortunately, she had received a Skill that helped her get more information from her non-enlightened sisters, so even though they couldn’t speak with her, she still had a pretty good grasp of what they were trying to tell her.

It was almost intoxicating, the feeling of everything just…going well. The swarm was unlike any workforce she’d ever handled; her sisters did everything the moment they were told to, no questions asked, no arguing or resentment, just a shared understanding that everything was for the good of the…for the good of Lia.

She was still trying to get used to calling Lia by her name. Her evolution had, oddly enough, helped to an extent in conversation, but trying to change her thought patterns had proved to be a bit more difficult. Still, she had been told to call Lia by name, and she was going to try her utmost to do so.

It had been almost half an hour since Lia had come to tell Rose about her evolution, and though Lia had said not to worry, Rose couldn’t help but get a little antsy. This was taking a fair bit longer than any of the evolutions Rose had seen, but that had to be expected, right? Going to a champion race was certainly going to be a lot more complicated than just going up a step in her current race.

And it was those thoughts that dominated her mind for the next while, until she was eventually interrupted by Lia’s voice in her head.

So…uh, how do I look? Lia asked. There’s not really any mirrors around here, do I still look…okay? My fur was looking a little weird, so I got worried.

Rose’s breath caught in her throat as she beheld her Queen. She was…captivating, there wasn’t any other word for it. Her fur was a dazzling white that seemed to change colors every time the light caught it from a different angle. While it always remained mostly white, there seemed to be hints of other colors creeping in. One moment is was the blood red of the blood mage’s fur, the next it was the grey of the terramancer’s, and then the deep brown of the xylomancer’s…

Rose?

Rose snapped back into attention. Sorry, my Queen. She replied, still slightly dazed. I was so captivated with you that I momentarily forgot what was happening.

In…a good way or a bad way? Lia asked nervously.

A very good way. Rose said firmly. It’s…well, enchanting. Your fur seems to be flashing the colors of my mage sisters. Everything else seems normal, you just look…elegant. It’s a good look, to be sure.

You really mean it? You’re not flattering me?

I would never! You asked for my opinion, and it would be shameful to be anything but completely honest!

Good. This one seems to take quite a bit to level up, so I’m gonna be stuck like this for a while. I’m glad it’s not hideous.

Far from it. I’d go so far as to say you even rival the creatures in the Hall of Beauties.

Wait, you’ve been in the Hall of Beauties?!

Rose paused, thinking that over. I…believe I have. More than once, it feels like a familiar place to me. I’m…afraid that I can’t even recall what exactly it is. You seem to know, though, would you mind telling me?

The Hall of Beauties was a collection of the rarest and most appealing monsters in the Ruby Emperor’s collection. Only the highest ranking people in the Empire were allowed in, and even then, it was only on rare occasions. It was a huge honor to be allowed in. Even the staff were only allowed to see the one monster they were tasked with caring for.

Was? May I take that to mean that this place no longer exists?

Lia shook her head. The Empire disbanded after the Ruby Emperor died. He was a brilliant man, a genius tactician, and by all accounts unreasonably charismatic. Without him at the center, there was no way something as expansive as the Empire could have survived. And, of course, as the Empire fell, so too did the Hall of Beauties.

A shame. Rose replied. I…don’t know why, but that just feels sad.

It is. Lia agreed. The fall of the Empire marked the end of a golden age. Once the Ruby Emperor defeated the Lord of Monsters, the world was at peace and science and the arts flourished. And then…well, he died and people started squabbling over pieces of the Empire, which devolved into war and…it was an ugly time.

You will have to tell me the full story later, when we have time. Rose said. I find myself drawn to it. Perhaps I was one of the Ruby Emperor’s aides in my previous life?

That seems plausible, given how competent you are. Lia agreed. And I’ll tell you the story once we clear this dungeon, if you haven’t remembered by then. We should have time for a break before we move to the next.

Of course. I will endeavor to reclaim my memories before then, but I’m afraid I have not made much progress since my first breakthrough. I have been racking my brain, but nothing has come of it. It…almost feels like these memories are something that cannot be forced back, that…well, they’ll be back when they come back.

Don’t worry about it. Lia said. I would be more surprised if they were something you could force back, I think. I imagine reincarnation like you’ve been through is not a particularly smooth process, especially since it’s probably been a few hundred years since you died.

Rose frowned internally. Has it really been that long?

The Empire disbanded almost five hundred years ago. Assuming you were one of the Ruby Emperor’s close aides, you most likely perished in the ensuing conflict. This is just a guess, but I would put your death at three hundred and fifty years ago at the earliest.

I…see. But, if that’s the case, why was I not reincarnated already?

Lia paused. Good question. I guess it’s hard to really say without knowing more about how reincarnation works. Maybe you were reincarnated already, and you are just getting memories from a life before your most recent. Maybe I was wrong and you lived past my estimates, there’s just…not enough information, I guess.

Lia paused once again. Tell me once you remember anything else that might help solve this mystery, especially if you can recall your old name. I’m a bit of a history buff, so I know the names of most of the Ruby Emperor’s close aides. A name should pretty definitively tell us if you were one of them.

Of course. Rose replied. I will let you know immediately.

Thanks. I’m gonna go poke around the items we got, maybe mess around with conversions or something. Just send someone for me if you need me, alright?

And with that, Lia left, leaving Rose to ponder the new information she had been given.