Chapter 39: Chapter 38: Completing the Dungeon

“I suppose you can say that…school’s out.” Rose said, finishing covering the harpy with modeling wax.

Lia had to hold back a chuckle, bringing a hand to her mouth. She had gone back into her humanoid form since she wanted to train her Skill and didn’t need any of the extra stealthiness associated with the smaller size of her true form, and she was sort of wishing she hadn’t; it was easier to hide her emotions when she wasn’t humanoid.

“What?” Rose asked. “I thought it was cool.”

“It’s nothing.” Lia said, composing herself. “You’re cute.”

“What?!” Rose said, growing bright red. “Where’d that come from?!”

“It’s true, so I said it.” Lia said. “Simple as that.”

“Well, then you’re the cute one!” Rose shot back. “And you have all the fluff a girl could ever want!”

This time, it was Lia’s turn to blush, and she turned away so Rose couldn’t see her increasingly red face.

“Get a room, you two.” Chrys said. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to watch your mom flirt right in front of you?”

“We’re not flirting!” Rose said quickly. “It’s a sincere complement!”

“You were totally flirting.” Chrys argued. “Being a sincere complement doesn’t change that fact. Besides, you two are already in a relationship, so why even bother hiding it?”

“What?!” Rose and Lia said simultaneously.

“You…are you seriously trying to pretend you’re not?” Chrys said, wrinkling her brow. “Because you’re doing a pretty bad job of it.”

“We’re honestly not!” Lia said. “Where did you even get that idea?!”

“Let’s see here…” Chrys began, holding out her hand and beginning to count on her fingers. “You two hold hands without even thinking about it, are basically never separated, are constantly staring at the other when you think no one else is looking, flirt like this all the time, sleep together…look, I’m not the most experienced in this field but, even if you say you’re not dating, you act like it.”

“Don’t relationships need…more than that?” Rose asked.

“No?” Chrys said. “You were married, mom, you should know about this stuff.”

Rose sighed. “Look, my marriage didn’t exactly follow traditional lines. It was a political marriage first and foremost, and by the time I had come to know and love her, we had been married for over a year.”

“Oh. Um…Bella, help me out here.”

Bella paused, looking to Lia for confirmation before she said anything. “Go ahead.” Lia said. “Say what’s on your mind.”

“I was…also under the impression that you two were dating.” Bella admitted. “I feel like a relationship doesn’t need anything more than love, and from the outside it appears that your affections are mutual. Perhaps, when we finish, you two should talk with each other about this?”

“You’re…probably right.” Lia sighed. “Let’s do that when we’re done, then.”

“I…alright.” Rose said. “I’ll carry the cocoon back.”

“No, let the knights do that.” Bella said. “The way ahead should be fairly clear, and the three of us should be able to handle it ourselves.”

“Very well.” Rose said. “I see no issue with that.”

Bella motioned for the two knights they had brought with them to grab the cocoon, and they obediently moved forward and lifted it, one on each end.

The four of them made their way back to the building’s entrance, defeating the occasional sheep monster on the way. They passed many corpses on their way, and had purposefully decided against converting any at the moment, instead opting to rush the fourth boss.

They were going to have Chrys and a few foot soldiers take the cocoon back to camp, and the rest were going to march towards the headmaster’s office. Chrys was excluded from this strike team for the simple reason that she was just not suited for combat, and it was deemed far to risky to allow her to fight the single strongest opponent they were likely to face in this dungeon.

That did not mean they were taking a small group, however; aside from Lia, Bella, and Rose, they had the two knights that were not busy elsewhere, ten lightborns, two of the three kobold shamans she had made, and all eight of the archers. It might well have been overkill, and there was a real possibility they wouldn’t all fit in the headmaster’s office, but it was decided that it was better to bring too many and leave some behind than bring too little and run into trouble because of it.

And, soon enough, Lia found herself standing in front of the headmaster’s office. Four large symbols had been carved into the door, each clearly representing one of the bosses. All four of those symbols were glowing, as was the door’s handle; it was clear that the dungeon’s final boss was inside, and they were able to enter.

“Ready?” Lia asked.

“As I’ll ever be.” Rose said.

“I’m ready as well.” Bella confirmed.

“Let’s do this, then.” Lia said. “Rose, would you do the honors?”

Rose nodded, opening the door. Beyond was not the headmaster’s office, but a dusty sort of arena, complete with stands for spectators, not that there were any. There wasn’t…anything in the arena, actually. No enemies, nothing, not unless they were waiting up in the stands behind the door, where Lia couldn’t see.

The three sapient members of the swarm shared a look, and Lia wordlessly commanded the nonsapients to file into the arena. The moment the first passed the threshold, a magic formation appeared opposite them in the arena, and a spindly man was unceremoniously dumped onto the arena floor.

He warily got to his feet, dusting off his robes and drawing a wooden staff from some unseen compartment, eyeing the swarm but not making any overtly hostile movements. He let the rest of the nonsapients file in, frowning as he saw them simply…stand still and not attack.

“What’s the meaning of this?” He asked. “Which of you is the leader? I want to have a talk before we begin combat, we have much to discuss.” He paused, scanning the crowd, then his gaze locked onto the three who had yet to enter the room. “You, the foxkin, in particular. This is not a trap, Amelia would annihilate me if it was, so please, let us discuss things.”

Lia nodded, and stepped into the room, followed closely by Rose and Bella. “My name is Lia Mios, Queen of the swarm.” She said. “What do you wish to discuss?”

The man sighed, shaking his head sadly. “You do not know me, but my name is Skarde Thundercaller, and it was my spell that killed you in your first life.”

“What?” Lia asked, shocked. “Why are you here?”

“As penance for my sins, or so I am told.” Skarde said. “Shortly after your funeral, I was abducted by Amelia, and subjected to much…research, the results of which would be used to bring you back. I do not know if she has truly succeeded in this goal, or if you are merely a facsimile of the Lia who once lived, but my task remains unchanged.”

He planted his staff firmly in the ground, looking Lia squarely in the eyes. “I am your final test. I am to do my utmost to kill you once again, and if I succeed, I am to be granted my freedom. Should I fail, you are to decide my fate. Do you have any final questions before we begin our combat?”

“Do you really think Amelia will let you go if you win?” Rose asked. “While I do not know the woman, everything I have learned of her tells me she is a vengeful one, and winning here is more likely to anger her further than it is to set you free.”

“I am aware.” Skarde sighed. “But I do not have any other choice. I was told that if I went easy on you for any reason, that I would be subject to even harsher punishment than what I have already received. I have long since resigned myself to a life stuck in this place, my only freedom to come when, eventually, you grow powerful enough to best me in combat.”

“I have no further questions.” Lia said. “Let us begin.” She waved a hand, and the lightborns and knights rushed towards Skarde, and the lightborns and archers released their first volley of attacks. The shamans provided small buffs to the combatants, and Rose and Bella provided a small screen as Lia advanced to a range where her earth magic would be able to cover the man in modeling wax without consuming a prohibitive amount of her mana.

Skarde waved his staff, and a series of almost musical notes rang out as the arrows and lances of light were blocked by an invisible barrier, the arrows plinking harmlessly to the ground and the lances of light disappearing entirely. In response, he raised his staff high and began to chant a spell, but it was too little, too late; Lia was in range, and she quickly weaved a spell that would drop a glob of modeling wax on him and immediately end the fight, then activated it.

Skarde broke his chanting and frantically waved his staff, and then…Lia’s spell fizzled. Her Mana vanished and nothing whatsoever happened. “Do not think I will let you do what you please.” Skarde said, striking his staff against the ground. “I have been practicing magic for far longer than you.”

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A bolt of electricity came out of the sky, striking Lia and throwing her back several yards. But…she was alive, and had “only” taken a fourth of her health as damage. She was about as strong as she had been when she was previously alive, so that meant Skarde wasn’t able to recreate the power of the bolt that had killed her without some form of preparation. That made things simple; she just had to keep him from preparing, and perhaps dodge an attack or two, and she would be fine.

Rose and Bella, however, seemed to have different opinions. Upon seeing Lia get injured, Rose broke position, a flower appearing below her and launching her towards Skarde, a halberd appearing in her outstretched hands.

Skarde scrambled backwards, raising his staff and using it to block the halberd, causing a pure note to ring out like a bell had been struck. Rose morphed the halberd into a sword and began to hack away at Skarde, each strike met with that ringing that indicated his barrier was in use.

Then, the tip of his staff became sheathed in electricity, electricity which traveled through the sword Rose was holding and into her body, and Rose dropped the sword, retreating and manifesting yet another sword.

Bella, on the other hand…snapped. Lia couldn’t describe it in any other way. Pure fury was visible in her posture as she drew her greatbow, using only a single hand to nock an arrow and pull back the string, with another to steady the bow. Her other two hands drew her longbow and nocked an arrow, and both arrows burst into flame as she applied some sort of magic.

Before she let loose, however, she began to speak. “Touch another hair on my kitten’s head and I will flay the flesh from your bones and shove the strips down your rotten gullet! I will break every bone in your body one by stinking one, I will make you know pain the likes of which you never even imagined!”

She continued in that fashion, devolving nearly into nonsense as she began to fire her bows as fast as she could, her aim wild and unfocused. Most of the arrows plinked harmlessly against his barrier, but then there was a loud crack, and one of the shots from her greatbow pierced through, landing in the sand just shy of Skarde.

Skarde, seemingly realizing that this was a losing battle, changed tack. He barked out a quick spell and lightning enveloped his body, at which point he blitzed through the line at an incredible speed and headed directly towards Lia, already raising his staff for a blow.

But she was ready. While the others had been pressing the attack, time seemed to…slow, and Lia used that time to construct several spells. The first was a simple spell earth spell that destabilized the footing between her and him, causing him to falter as soon as he broke the line.

In response, he grit his teeth and leapt into the air, barreling ever closer to Lia. That too, she had expected, and she activated her second spell, one that would summon bolts of modeling wax from several directions, all headed directly for him.

He barked another word, dispelling her spell, but she had one final trick up her sleeve, one she activated the moment her spell was dispelled. This last spell was her ace in the hole, one she had learned about in her science classes.

It was a highly specialized wood spell, one that was difficult for her to focus, even with all of her additional processing centers helping take the load. As it activated, a sort of black liquid flowed out from her body, coating her entirely before setting. There was a squeaking as Lia moved, raising her arm in preparation to take the blow that was coming her way.

Realization dawned in Skarde’s eyes, but he was set in his motion, his staff coming down and impacting Lia’s arm, sending waves of pain coursing through her body. But…no shock; the material, rubber, it was called, had shielded her from that entirely.

She shifted her form, from that of a wiry girl to that of a bodybuilder, allowing her to better utilize her Strength as she grabbed Skarde’s head with her hand and threw him to the ground. She pressed her now-weighty knees into him and raised her injured, arm. She let the rubber coating on it evaporate, instead creating a ball of modeling wax from her physical reserves, then threw it down on him and watched as it began to coat him.

Four more balls impacted his side as Bella joined in, and Rose was quick to follow suit. In no time at all, he was half-covered, but, unlike every other creature Lia had seen, he continued to thrash and struggle until, eventually, it became clear that he was finished. He relaxed, and just before he was completely covered, managed to utter two words. “Well…fought.”

Lia let her rubber coating vanish, and, with a sigh of relief, changed back to her normal form. “It’s done.” She said. “We got him.”

Contrary to her expectations, the first one to her side was not Rose, but Bella. “Are you alright?!” She asked. “How much health do you have?!”

“I’m fine.” Lia said. “I’ve still got a little over half. But we need to talk, you and I.”

“Is it…because I went ballistic?” Bella asked. “I…do not know what came over me.”

“That’s fine, but…what did you call me?”

Bella flinched. “I believe I called you…my kitten. I really do apologize, it just…slipped out.”

“Why that?”

“What?”

“Why ‘my kitten’?”

Bella paused. “I don’t know. It just felt…right, somehow. And, in my rage, I…lost the self-control needed to stop myself from saying it.”

Lia nodded, stood up, and caught Bella in a hug, tears beginning to drip from her face.

“M-my Queen, what’s wrong?!”

“Bella…I…I think you’re my mom.” Lia whispered. “Everything fits.”

Bella stiffened. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Lia said. “My mom always called me that. I have three siblings and my dad, and mom died a couple of years before I did. And…well, a couple of times, when me or my siblings got really hurt because someone was bullying us or something, I saw her get mad like you just did. You have to be her, there are just too many coincidences for you not to be.”

Bella hesitantly returned the hug, one of her arms reaching up and beginning to scratch Lia’s back before, eventually, settling in one spot. In Lia’s favorite spot. “I…think you’re right.” Bella said. “I just got a Skill that makes me stronger when I protect family. I…I don’t know what to say.”

“I do.” Lia said. “I missed you. Welcome back.”

Bella nodded, leaning into Lia even more. “I…can’t believe it myself, but…I’m happy. Really happy. Thank you, my Queen.”

Lia let go of the hug, straightening up and drying her eyes with a sleeve. “We need to set ground rules.” She said. “First, none of this ‘my Queen’ business. You are to call me Lia, or kitten, or anything, just nothing like Queen. Second, I don’t want you to treat me like a queen, either. I want you to treat me like your daughter, like you always did. Can you handle that?”

“I…believe I can. It will take some adjusting, to fight my instincts like that, but I can do it.” Bella said.

“Third, well…this isn’t so much a rule as a question, but…can I call you mom again?”

“Of course you can…kitten.” Bella said. “Nothing would make me happier.”

“And, finally…do you want your old name back? It’s Mia.”

A spark of recognition flitted through Bella’s expression as she heard that, and she took a moment to process it. “I…yes, I think I do.” She said. “You’ll be bringing back the rest of the family, right? It would be…nice to welcome them back as Mia, their mom, and not Bella, the assassin.”

Lia gave her a huge smile. “Glad to hear it.” She moved to hug her mother again, but the time limit on her transformation, taxed by two rapid-fire transformations, ran out, and she was returned to her fox form.

It was only then that she remembered where she was, and what had happened. Um…sorry about that. She said, turning to Rose. I kind of…forgot you were there for a bit.

“I understand.” Rose said, smiling gently. “It’s perfectly reasonable, given the circumstances.”

Um…I don’t think I asked, but…do you want your old name back?

Rose shook her head. “No. That life is firmly behind me. Chrys and I discussed it, and we would rather start completely from scratch, without any of the baggage that came with our old identities.”

Oh. Um…I…well, I don’t really know what to say anymore. Thanks for your help out there, I don’t think I could have done it without you and the rest of the swarm distracting him.

“It’s what we’re here for.” Rose said. “Now, let’s get you back to base so we can patch you up, shall we?”