Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Poking the Nest

Chrys laid with her back flat to the wall, heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t sure why, but the bees were angry. She had been sneaking through the hive, making maps of important locations, estimating numbers, and avoiding patrols, when suddenly a large number of bees rushed towards one of the entrances, buzzing furiously.

They came back not long after, but they seemed…agitated. They began searching through the various rooms thoroughly, making Chrys’s job a lot harder. But…she wasn’t about to let that get in the way of her work. It just meant that she had to be more careful about it.

And now it was time for her to leave, and she decided to exit via the direction from where the disturbance had happened. There were more bees there than anywhere else in the hive, but Chrys could handle that. If worst came to worst, she would just break through the door and run away; she was faster than these bees by quite a bit.

She waited for the latest patrol to pass before slipping out behind them and into the hall that led to the entrance area. And, as she got closer and closer, she was able to see what all the commotion was about. There were two bee bodies lying on the floor, but…they weren’t bees. They looked identical, but something in Chrys’s bones told her that those bees were part of the swarm.

It appeared that Queenie had made some infiltrators, and they had been caught and executed. There were bees hovering over the corpses of the infiltrators, doing…Chrys couldn’t really tell what, they were sort of poking and prodding at them.

She ducked into a secluded alcove and took stock of the situation. There were…probably about ten bees around the corpses, and a further eight or so flying about the area. That was way too many for her to convert, even if she had a smoke ball.

Leaving via this exit was probably a bust, too. She didn’t want to just leave the corpses of the infiltrators there for the bees to dissect, but…well, she was just one person, and she didn’t have anywhere near enough firepower to fight her way through this many monsters.

So she made her way back into the halls and began looking through the classrooms until she found an empty one with an open window, then vaulted through and started running back towards the base.

Once there, she began to look for anyone enlightened, so she could give her report. And the first person she found happened to be Rose, which…wasn’t that much of a surprise; she was quite a bit bigger than everyone else, and was easier to spot as a result.

“Rose, I’ve got big news!” Chrys said, skidding to a halt in front of her. She stopped for a moment as she took in the large flowers that were surrounding the area. “Woah, what’s going on here?”

“I’m helping level up the bees you brought back.” Rose said. “But that can wait. What’s your news?”

“Two of the infiltrators that were sent out were discovered and executed!” Chrys said. “And the bees are in an uproar and I think they’re looking for more!”

“Well, they won’t find any.” Rose sighed. “We only sent the two. That is unfortunate, but it’s not going to impact our plans in the long run. Before we go break the news to Lia, though, the two of us need to have a serious talk.”

Chrys froze. “I’m…not in trouble, right?”

Rose gave her a little smile. “No, nothing of the sort.” She sat down and motioned to her lap. “Please, come sit.”

Hesitantly, Chrys sat on Rose’s lap. “What’s going on? You’re confusing me.”

“Have you thought about your life before this all?” Rose asked, ignoring Chrys’s question.

“Back when I was a goblin and a rat? A little, but it’s all pretty fuzzy so I didn’t bother too much.”

“No, before even that.” Rose said.

“I don’t…get it.” Chrys said. “What do you mean?”

“Surely you’ve noticed that you know things you couldn’t have learned while you were a goblin and a rat.” Rose prompted. “Have you thought about why that is?”

“I…guess I do know some stuff like that. Huh. So…you’re saying I used to be a person before all of this?”

“That’s correct. All of us that Lia enlightened are reincarnated like this. I don’t believe they’re all as…cognizant of it as I am, but we should give them some time. But…does the name “Ruby Emperor” sound familiar to you at all?”

It did, now that Chrys thought about it. “Really familiar.” Chrys confirmed. “I assume that means I knew him?”

“Yes.” Rose said. “You did. And…I was the Ruby Emperor in my past life. I think that…on an emotional level you knew that, and that’s why you were so instantly attached to me.”

“Oh.” Chrys replied. “Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Rose asked. “It’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“No, not that, I just…feel the need to apologize. I don’t know why, I just…feel bad.” Chrys said. “So, seriously, sorry.”

Rose stroked her head gently. “I accept.” She said. “You didn’t realize what was happening, and it was partially my fault, too. I should have been there for you more. If I was, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“What…happened?” Chrys asked hesitantly. “Or…you seem to know who I was. Can we start with that first?”

“Of course.” Rose said. “You were my daughter.”

Chrys sat up straighter, shocked. “I was…what?!”

“You were my beloved daughter. We…tried to get your mother back, too, but she was reincarnated a long time ago, and there was nothing we could do.”

“I…I…” Chrys’s head hurt, and she could feel things, memories on the edge of her awareness, yet still just far enough out of reach that she couldn’t exactly recall them. Yet, the more Rose talked, the stronger one feeling got – an intense, overpowering sense of guilt. She had done something bad, but she couldn’t remember what. “W-what did I do to you?” She asked. “It was really bad, wasn’t it?”

“You assassinated me.” Rose said. “A group of power-hungry people got to you and convinced you that I was bad for the world, and it would be better if someone new took control. I was…distant, more than I should have been, and if I had been closer to you, this never would have happened. It’s as much my fault as it is yours.”

“No, it’s not.” Chrys whispered, burying her head in Rose’s chest as tears began to leak from her eyes. “I don’t remember all the details, but I know that much. It’s…it’s all me.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Rose said, continuing to stroke Chrys’s head. “It’s not important right now. What’s important is that we’re here, together, and I can make it up to you. So…what do you say we start over, you and me?”

“I…would like that.” Chrys said. “Um…what should I call you?”

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“Big sis is fine, mom is fine, I’d even accept dad. Whatever you feel comfortable with.”

“Um…mom, then.” Chrys said. “I’ll…I’ll do my best to make it up to you.”

“It’s fine.” Rose said. “But if it makes you feel better, then I won’t stop you. If you really want to make it up to me, why don’t you start by remembering everything? I feel like it’s not good to try and make up for something you don’t even remember doing. I’m sure it won’t be pleasant, but…it’s something we’re both going to have to face.”

“We both will have to face? Do you not…remember everything yet?”

“No.” Rose said. “I mostly have feelings, few specifics. I’m putting things together more and more as time goes on, I admit I don’t even remember what your name was, I didn’t even know you killed me until Lia told me. The only thing I remember about you for sure is that I love you to bits, and that didn’t change, even after everything that happened.”

“I…thanks.” Chrys said. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Of course you do.” Rose said. “You were just a child, it was a failure of my parenting, if anything. Even if you’re confident you don’t deserve it, I believe everyone deserves a second chance, so…chin up. The past is in the past, let’s go do our best now, shall we?”

“Y-yes…mom.”

---

Lia stood on the path, looking at the biology building warily. You’re…sure about this? She asked, glancing at Rose.

“Positive.” Rose replied confidently. “We can do it. You showed me the magic we’re using, that should totally deal with the bees. If it doesn’t…well, that’s what the swarm’s for. We’re stronger than we ever have been, we can handle a hive of this size if we’re forced to duke it out.”

“Rose and I will protect you, my Queen.” Bella said, fingering her bow. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Alright, alright. Lia said. I’ll trust you on this. Poke the nest, if you will.

“Got it.” Bella replied, growing her bow to its full size. She reached into her quiver and an arrow materialized, which she deftly slotted into the bow. She used one hand to grip the outside, then her other three to draw the string back and let the arrow fly. It punched through the glass window she was aiming at, flew through the room beyond, and embedded itself halfway through the wall on the other end.

The response was immediate; the hive broke into a loud buzzing, and bees began to swarm out of the building. There they met with a group of foot soldiers who had formed up outside the door, wielding shields and lit torches. According to Rose, most bee monsters would prioritize people bearing torches to try and avoid their hive catching fire, making torchbearers ideal for drawing ire.

A few stragglers came towards Lia, Rose, and Bella, but Bella, using her bow as a longbow, sniped any of them before they got close. And the number of bees kept increasing and increasing, while the foot soldiers began to get more and more overwhelmed.

Eventually, Rose gave a nod. “It’s almost time, prepare your spell and give the order to withdraw. Fire into the densest point of the swarm when I say.”

Got it. Everyone, withdraw, now! Lia commanded, then began to focus her magic, concentrating on the image of an explosion. It wasn’t quite as easy as most magic she had been casting recently, being a higher…level of sorts, and she was barely able to keep her mental image in focus as she waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rose yelled for her to release the explosion, and she did. There was an earsplitting boom, a blinding flash of light, and she felt a great amount of Mana leave her, only for it to come right back as she leveled up. Her hearing and vision came roaring back with it, allowing her to see a huge amount of cooked bees falling to the ground, though a couple dozen had survived and had changed targets, rushing towards Lia instead.

She didn’t waste any time and cast another explosion, and was about to use her once again refilled Mana to go for a third when her body just…locked up, and her magic suddenly seemed…distant and unreachable.

Sorry, I gotta pull Lia out for a while. Amelia said. Don’t panic, I just need her to get some stuff done before her next evolution, and she’s getting really close after that stunt. I trust that you all can handle taking over this building yourselves. I’ll return her to you once she evolves, which shouldn’t be more than a day or so.

There was a lurching in Lia’s stomach, and then she was suddenly back in the room she had first woken up in after being reincarnated.

“Sorry for the rough extraction, I needed to get to you before you did something that would make this take even longer. Do you mind if I read your mind, just so this conversation is…actually a conversation? Nod yes, shake your head no.”

Hesitantly, Lia nodded.

“Good. I’m reading your mind now, so ask your questions, I’m sure you have a couple.”

What are we doing? Why take me now and not last time I evolved?

“I took you now because I didn’t have this ready last time you evolved. I’ve entirely retooled the second dungeon I was going to have you raid, and have turned it into something tailor made to both help the swarm and help with your specific desires.”

My specific desires?

“I basically made half the dungeon produce fox monsters in an attempt to get you back to being…foxy, and made a few challenges that should get you Titles that will make you closer to being humanoid. I’m hoping we can make your next evolution humanoid, so you’re not the only sapient member of the swarm that isn’t humanoid.”

You can…do that to a dungeon? Do I even want to know how?

“It was harder than making the dungeon originally because the dungeon was already established, but it’s totally within my capabilities. And I couldn’t tell you how, just like you can’t figure out how you enlighten people. It’s just sorta…instinctual, though I use my studies to help try and guide things. There’s a lot of trial and error involved.”

I kinda wish you had…I dunno, talked to me about this first so I could have prepared. Lia sighed. But this is fine, I guess.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Amelia replied, smiling. “Any other questions before I send you in there?”

What do I do there?

“Convert and kill the fox monsters, and the challenges all have little notes explaining them when you get there. There’s another half of the dungeon that’s separate, I’ve focused it on making rats, just ignore that for now.”

Of course you did. No more questions, I guess.

“Good. I’ll be sending you off now, have fun!”