Chapter 44: Chapter 42: The Family Together Again

About an hour later, Lia was in the lobby of the dorm building with her mother when she got a pop-up telling her that Skarde had finished converting. And, with that message, came another, letting her know that she had reached the maximum level for her race, and was ready for an evolution.

She briefly debated evolving then and there, but decided to wait until her family had finished their conversions. She wanted to be there to greet them when they had finished, and there was no telling how long her evolution would take. So, she waited. Another hour or so later, her transformation’s time limit was hit, and she was forced back into her fox form, but…nothing else.

The time she spent waiting was quiet. Her mother had never exactly been the talkative type, and that didn’t seem to have changed with her reincarnation. That didn’t make it uncomfortable, though; there was a sort of…understanding between Lia and her mother. Mia clearly racking her brain and trying to remember as much as she possibly could, while Lia was just…relaxing in her presence.

It was nice, knowing that all six of them would be together again soon. It was something she had, on occasion, dreamed about, but it had always been just a fantasy. Yet…here she was, living that fantasy. Yes, it wasn’t anything like she had imagined it would be, but that didn’t matter. They were all here, and that was what was important.

And, after an agonizing period of time, the first of her family finished converting. Olivia emerged from her cocoon, blinking slightly as she stood up. “What…happened?” She asked. She paused, taking stock of her surroundings, face growing increasingly alarmed. “Where am I?”

Olivia, don’t freak out. Lia said. You’re in the dorms in the dungeon I was telling you about. You’re safe, don’t worry.

“My Queen? Wait, who is…I’m confused.” Olivia frowned, looking around, before locking her gaze onto Lia. “Is…is that you, Lia? I…my brain feels weird. I…I know it’s you, but I just keep thinking you’re my Queen, not my sister.”

I know, sorry. Lia said. Amelia’s gonna be by to fix that very soon. Until then…have you looked at yourself?

“No, I…” Olivia looked down, stopped in her tracks, then squealed in delight. “I look so cool!” While her body hadn’t changed much, her clothes had. The dress and armor that had been put into her cocoon had been combined, with the dress losing most of its frills and extraneous bits and becoming almost completely plated with armor, with only the occasional bit of blue showing. To complete the look, a sword in an ornate scabbard was tied to her waist.

Check your status. Lia prompted, smiling internally.

Olivia paused for a moment, then grinned. “I…I’m a princess knight! You really did do it!”

I told you I would. Lia said. How do you feel? Is your armor uncomfortable?

“Nope!” Olivia said happily. “It’s almost like I’m not wearing anything at all!” She drew her sword and began to wave it around experimentally, still smiling hugely.

“Careful, kitten.” Mia said. “You don’t want to accidentally hurt yourself or mess with the rest of the family. You can test it out later, out in the open.”

Olivia stopped in her tracks, then carefully sheathed her sword. “Are you…”

“Your mom?” Mia finished. “Yes. I look really different, I know, and I don’t remember everything yet, but I promise it’s still me in here.”

“Can…can I hug you?” Olivia asked.

“Of course.” Mia replied, spreading all four of her arms. “Come here.”

Olivia barreled into Mia’s arms, wrapping her up in a hug. With Mia being the size of a kobold, the two were the same size, making the two look less like mother and daughter and more like…not sisters, the race difference prevented that, but like friends of a similar age.

And so caught up was Lia in the reunion that she didn’t even notice her next family member finish their conversion until she started to speak. “Olivia, Maria!” Robin shouted, looking around wildly. “Where–” She cut off suddenly, eyes growing wide and hands flying to her throat as she took the sound of her voice in.

Hesitantly, she looked down. Broadly speaking, she looked similar to how she used to; her features were softer than they had been when she was a boy, and she had traded her stubbly facial hair for greatly lengthened hair and the beginnings of breasts, but she was undeniably the same person as she had been before.

She was kitted out in heavy armor with the mace strapped to her waist and the tower shield lying on the ground near her feet. She didn’t seem to care about the shield and mace, though, as she frantically ran her hands over her body. “W-what’s this armor?! Why am I a girl?!”

When I converted you to part of the swarm, I gave you armor so you could better protect the family like you always wanted. Lia explained. As for the girl part…well, the swarm only has girls in it, and there’s nothing I can do about that, sorry. I’m sure you’ll learn to deal with it, though. Oh, and Olivia and Maria are fine. Maria’s still converting, but Olivia’s over there with mom.

“My…Queen?” Robin said slowly. “What? I…you are Lia, for real?”

For real.

“Then, mom too…”

“I’m real.” Mia said. “I look different and don’t remember everything, but I’m real, and I’m working on the memories. C’mere, there’s plenty of room for you.” She took two of her arms away from hugging Olivia and opened them up invitingly.

Robin began to move towards Mia, slowly at first, but picking up speed until she, too, was in her mother’s arms. “How…how can you be back?” She asked. “And why are you so different?”

“I’ll explain everything when your sister and father wake up.” Mia said. “It’s a long story.”

Go ahead and check your status. Lia said. I did my best at guiding you into the sort of path I felt you would want, but if you don’t like it that’s fine. It’ll take a bit of extra work, but you can certainly branch off into something else.

Robin paused. “I think it’s fine.” She said. “I don’t have any issues with it.”

Good. Lia said. I’m glad to hear that.

“Where…am I?” Maria asked. “And what am I wearing?” Her outfit wasn’t that ridiculous, even if it was quite different to what she had worn before. The robe that had been put into her cocoon had changed so it fit Maria while only being a bit baggy, and a pointed hat had materialized out of nowhere. The staff and gems were nowhere to be seen, but, aside from that, Maria was the spitting image of a high level mage.

I made you into an archmage. Lia said. I know you said you didn’t want a change, but I figured you were just too scared to say anything.

Maria blinked. “You’re my…Queen? Then that makes you…Lia? You…weren’t lying?”

No. Lia said. I know it was hard to believe, but I’m real. And mom’s over there with Robin and Olivia.

Maria flicked her eyes over to Mia, then frowned. “Is that…Robin?” She asked. “Is he a girl now?”

Yes. Everyone in the swarm is, and no, I can’t do anything about it, it was built into the system when Amelia resurrected me.

“So…papa…”

Will be a girl too. It shouldn’t affect the family, though. My understanding is that Amelia made everyone in the swarm attracted to women, so mom and papa should still…well, love each other in that way.

“It’s true, I do find women attractive now.” Mia said. “It shouldn’t be an issue.”

“What?!” Maria said. “I…wait, I do too. I…this is weird.”

It’s not bad, though, is it? Lia asked. I’m finding myself rather enjoying it, to tell you the truth.

“I…suppose it’s not.” Maria admitted. “Just…different.”

“Lia, Maria, come here.” Mia said. “I want to do something.”

Lia and Maria obediently went to their mother’s side, and once they had she let go of her hugs, then placed a hand on each one of her children’s heads. “I have a hand for each of you, now.” She said, smiling and rubbing their heads affectionately. “A benefit of being like this.”

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They stayed like this for few moments more until, finally, they heard the sounds of their father waking up from her conversion.

“What…happened?” She groaned. “Where…am I?” She froze, looking down. “I’m…a woman?!” She looked perhaps the most “normal” of any of the four; she was dressed in the same tunic and trousers she had been before, though they had been adjusted to fit her new body, and she only had a sword in a simple sheath strapped to her waist. She looked just like a regular foxkin.

Papa, it’s me, Lia! Lia said. You were freaking out, so I had to put you to sleep with a spell. I can explain, so just don’t panic, okay?

“What? My Queen? Wait…you’re…you’re really Lia?!”                

Yes! And this here is mom. She’s different, but it’s her! We’re all together again!

“I…I…” Lia’s father stammered, several different emotions flickering across her face. She opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted as Amelia teleported in.

“I’ll be just a second, and then I’ll be out of your hair.” Amelia said. “I’m going to mess with that mental conditioning, so you don’t see Lia as your Queen anymore, just as your family member.”

She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “Done.” She said. “Better?”

“Lots!” Olivia said happily. “Thanks, Amelia!”

“No problem.” Amelia said. “Now, before I leave, may I suggest a new name for Gavin? I don’t think Gavin really…fits anymore. I suggest Gwinn myself, that should fit with your family’s naming scheme, but that’s not my call to make. Anyway, I’ve got work to do, so you all have fun!” She gave them a wave, and then vanished as quickly as she had appeared.

“What do you think about the name thing, dear?” Mia asked. “You really don’t have to change if you don’t want to.”

“No.” Lia’s father said. “I…find myself actually rather liking Gwinn. Let’s go with that.”

Glad that’s all settled! Lia said. Now, why don’t I start from the beginning and explain everything?

---

Rose was helping pack things up in preparation for the move to the dorm when she was interrupted by Pager informing her that someone was looking for her. She turned around and found…well, someone she didn’t know

She was about a foot shorter than Rose, with long blonde hair, pointed ears, and red eyes. Her clothes were of obviously fine make, and her smile revealed two long fangs. A vampire, then. And most likely Amelia, too; No one fitting that description was part of the swarm, and if she was hostile, then Pager wouldn’t have gone off.

“My name is Amelia.” She said. “You would be Rose, correct?”

“Yes. What do you need from me?”

“Oh, I just wanted to talk.” Amelia said. Though her tone was casual, her expression was steely. “I know who you are.”

“The Ruby Emperor?” Rose said. “Yeah.”

“Not that.” Amelia said dismissively. “That’s not the most important thing. I know you’re Lia’s girlfriend.”

Ah, that. Lia did say that Amelia had been in love with her. Rose had to play this carefully, since there was no telling what Amelia would do if Rose angered her. “Yes, I am. We talked it out, and we decided it was something we both wanted.”

Amelia smiled, a cold, ruthless smile. “And that’s fine. However, I’m not about to let you go that easy.”

Rose frowned. “Okay. What should I do, then?”

“You were a Hero, yes?” Amelia said. “Surely you felt the Urge.”

“The Urge?” Rose paused, looked around, then nodded. “If you mean that compulsion, yes.”

“And I’m assuming you figured out a way around it, just like me.”

“I…did.” Rose said. “Though I wasn’t able to fully remove it, not like you seem to have done.”

“What makes you think that I was able to remove it?”

“You made a bioweapon that can take over the world.” Rose said. “I can’t imagine that, if I was capable of doing such a thing, that the Urge would let me do something that would harm people like that.”

Amelia shrugged. “You’re half right. In my messing with the system, I found ways to…alleviate some of the more intense components of the Urge. But that’s not the point. The point is that you figured out how to work around mental conditioning, and that I can’t trust you. I know you’ve already done something similar in the time since your reincarnation. I was watching when you did.”

Rose sighed. “I’m sincere in my affections, but I suppose words alone won’t convince you.”

“No. No they won’t.” Amelia said.

A pain hit Rose’s mind, a sort of deep ache that let her know that her mind was being messed with.

“Relax, I’m not changing anything about you.” Amelia said. “If I did, Lia would be very upset when she found out, and I don’t want that. I’m simply reading your mind on a very deep level, and until you’ve proved trustworthy, I don’t care for your comfort. Now, answer my questions honestly, and we can be on our way, alright?”

Not waiting for Rose to respond, she continued. “Good. First question, do you have any hostile intentions of any sort towards Lia?”

Rose shook her head. “No. Not in the slightest. I would only ever hurt her if she asked me to, like if we were training or something.”

“Second question, do you truly love Lia?”

Rose paused. “I don’t know, but I think so. I’m still coming to grips with how normal people feel, without the Urge dampening everything, but I believe it is love, yes.”

Amelia bit one of her knuckles, thinking on that for a moment. “Fine. Last question, do you have any issues with what we’re trying to do here?”

“My only issue is that, eventually, this will devolve into war, and many lives will be lost. Still, I think it’s for the greater good. In the end, this will end up saving more lives by providing a permanent end to war, and will likely vastly improve the lives of many. So, no, I cannot honestly say I have no reservations, but I can say that my reservation will not get in the way of things, nor will it cause me to change my mind in the middle of our conquest, no matter how extreme the war may get.”

There was a long silence, and the pain in Rose’s head intensified for some time, then eventually faded altogether. “Very well.” Amelia said. “I will allow this for now. Just know that if you ever break Lia’s heart, I will make you wish you had never been born, understand?”

“I understand.” Rose said. “Is there anything else you wish to talk about, or may I get back to packing up for the move into the dorms?”

“I will be setting up the portal to the place where you will be expanding into after this dungeon. I will be leaving it in the center of this camp, and will be an hour or two while I’m setting up. After that, I will be marching to Lia and getting myself converted. Just ignore my presence and carry on with your work.”

“I’ll do that, then.” Rose said, turning back and continuing her work.

Amelia didn’t respond, instead choosing to walk off, leaving Rose alone with her thoughts.