Swarming Sovereignty

 

Alisha stumbled slightly at the unexpected teleport, casting her gaze about as she took stock of her situation. She…she had been teleported into a dungeon. That was supposed to be impossible, but Amelia seemed to treat the impossibility of a task as a minor hurdle instead of a fact of reality.

“Right, we have a very limited time if we’re going to get you back on schedule, so we’re going to be quicker about this process than we would usually be.” Amelia said, already walking down a path. “Fortunately, I have the perfect monster for you.”

“M-monster?!” Alisha stuttered, following after Amelia. “But the town wards –”

“Will not detect you. We are something of a midway between “people” and monsters. You will get to keep your soul, but gain the benefits of monsterhood, such as more explosive growth and more varied progression. Everyone here is like this, though not all creatures that are part of the swarm have souls. Believe me, once you try it, you’ll never want to go back to Jobs.

“To answer the main question I’m sure you have, the monster is of a species of my creation, called an Oozing Imitator. It was a failed byproduct of my early attempts at the swarm, and while it was a perfectly functional monster, it didn’t have the…scope I was looking for in the swarm, so I locked it away until I had use for it.

“The Oozing Imitator is a slime that can transform itself so as to become indistinguishable from a normal person, down to the feel of skin, hair, and blood, and portions that fall off even remain in their transformed state. In the beginning, the only humanoid you’ll be able to accurately imitate is yourself, but with time and evolutions I’m sure you’ll be able to become a mimic like the world has never seen.

“I would take some time to test your abilities, see what you can transform into, I’m sure a clever woman like yourself can find things other than humanoids that would be useful forms to have in your repertoire. Don’t worry about mass too much, either; extra mass you consume will go to an extradimensional space, allowing you to change your size freely.

“Again, it’s a fascinating creature, and powerful in its own right, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for at the time, so I shelved it and waited for a time such as this to use it. The only one I have left was an empty shell, no thoughts whatsoever, so it doesn’t have any memories for you to inherit, but the instincts on how to use your abilities will transfer fine. Now…I have all those artifacts you gave me, so, to satisfy my curiosity, what do they do?”

Alisha was actually caught off-guard by being given the opportunity to speak, instead of just listening to Amelia’s ramblings, so she took a moment to process the question. “They are the Ten Treasures of Aura, our greatest national assets.” She explained.

Amelia turned her head back to Alisha, flashing her a grin. “Looks like you’ll probably end up bound, as well.” She said. “Ophelia and I are bound right now, so we’re unable to display our true power, and it seems you’re likely to end up in that situation too, if those treasures are as good as you’re making them out to be. It’ll be lifted eventually, but the swarm has to earn it first.”

Amelia…couldn’t even show her full potential at the moment? If that was the case, Alisha didn’t want to know what Amelia’s true strength looked like. “The first of our treasures is a set of rings known as the Rings of Balance.” Alisha said, using the familiar topic as a way to gather her thoughts and prepare her mental fortress for the initiation. She could explain these treasures in her sleep, so it was a good topic to empty her head to.

“There is a ring for each major type of magic, and when you use a spell of the corresponding element, an amount of power proportionate to the strength of the spell fills the other rings. When the power within a ring is expended, it is counted as part of the innate strength of the spell for the purpose of filling the other rings, so they end up strengthening each other as long as you use multiple different types of magic. The magic within the rings empties over time, so you cannot stock up in preparation for a battle, but if you have the Mana for prolonged spellcasting, they are an incredibly powerful tool.”

Amelia nodded distractedly, leading them down a fork in the road. “Very interesting.” She said, not sounding very interested. “What else?”

“The Bulwark of Legends and Retribution are two treasures that build well off of each other. The Bulwark of Legends is a set of mithril armor that can be worn underneath regular armor, and offers unparalleled protection against magic, while Retribution is a more traditional suit of plate armor that reflects up to a thousand physical damage per hit.” Alisha said distractedly, already compartmentalizing her thoughts and blocking off everything that had to do with her emotions or personality. It was a delicate, difficult process, and it wasn’t helped at all by the fact that each time Amelia looked back at Alisha, her grin was getting more and more…discomforting.

“Then there’s the Lifedrinker, a sword that phases through almost any nonliving material, and heals the user for twice the damage it inflicts. It’s often paired with the Amulet of Intertwined Lives, an amulet that shares all buffs and healing with all allies within one hundred meters.” Alisha could feel herself start to go numb as she systematically hunted down any stray bits of emotion, the act becoming easier the emptier she became.

“Three of the tools more suited to me are the Helm of Domination, Ring of Shadows, and the Assassin’s Pride. The Helm of Domination quintuples your Magic Attack for the purpose of overcoming Mental Fortitude, and makes all your mental magic undetectable, the Ring of Shadows prevents others from sensing your presence in any way, and the Assassin’s Pride is a dagger that retains the effect of every poison, hex, debuff, or malignant magic it comes into contact with, unleashing them all at once on any enemy it strikes. It’s come into contact with quite the array of things over its life, so it is a singularly deadly tool.”

She had almost segmented everything, leaving her little more than a golem acting on pure logic. It was a technique that had let her triumph over all of her political opponents’ various magic, but she had to be picky in when she used it; it took a toll on her mind, and she occasionally made plans that were so heartless that they would destabilize her rule. Thus, she had always made a point of waiting to put any policy changes decided upon in this state until she had access to her emotions again.

“Finally, there are the Boots of the Wanderer, a set of boots that greatly increases the wearer’s speed, reduces their exhaustion, provide temperature regulation and perfect protection from environmental danger, and limited capabilities to hover, and the Jewel of Foretold Spells, a jewel that can store up to thirty spells, which may be unleashed for only a small fraction of the Mana originally used to cast them, using up the spell in the process and freeing up the storage slot.”

Amelia stopped, turning back to Alisha with that wide grin. “And what happens if someone equips every single one of them at once?”

“They would die due to the amount of different, individually overwhelming sources Mana pulling on them.” Alisha said flatly. “Does this mean I will meet the same fate?”

“Not in the slightest.” Amelia said smugly. “The different types of Mana will be flawlessly integrated into your own. And, in fact, it would fix that issue, the merging of the Mana sources allowing a hypothetical wearer to use all ten at once.”

“But they will not be able to wear me.” Alisha said. “You cannot wear a person.”

“If you say so.” Amelia said. “Anyway, we’re here. It’s time to begin.”

“How –” Alisha began, and then a glob of that same whitish substance from earlier fell on top of her, and her consciousness faded.

---

The first thing Alisha noticed when she awoke was that her mental fortress had been shattered completely, and she was in her normal state of consciousness. Just as she was beginning to put it back together, though, she was interrupted.

“Ah, Alisha, you’re awake.” Amelia said. “We’re going to put you through your paces real quick, okay? Morph back into your old appearance.”

Instinctively, Alisha did as commanded, and a surge of pleasure and contentment the likes of which she had never known filled her. “Wh-what was th–”

“Retribution, please.”

Her body once again moved on instinct, shifting and producing Retribution around her clothes, accompanied by another burst of intense pleasure.

“No, not on you, become the armor.”

“I –” She began to speak, but she very suddenly didn’t have a mouth, her body becoming an empty set of plate armor, the waves of pleasure threatening to overwhelm her mind completely. Strangely, she could use all of her senses in this form…was it because she was a slime now, and didn’t need sensory organs?

In the distance, she could faintly hear her mistress give her another command. “Around me, please. I would like to wear you.”

She happily obliged, disintegrating back into slime and slithering over to Amelia, then reformed around her, each sensation accompanied by another burst of pleasure.

“Good.” Amelia said. “Now change into casual attire while keeping the effect of Retribution. If possible, make yourself monster attire, so your effect covers the entire body without needing to physically cover it all.” Amelia ordered.

She tried. She really, really tried, but she just couldn’t, she wasn’t skilled enough yet. She desperately tried to speak, but couldn’t seem to form the mouth either, it was almost maddening how she could feel that she wasn’t living up to her full potential, but that would –

She received a window informing her that she could gain a Skill, one that would grant her greater control of her transformations. She immediately accepted, and produced a mouth with which to speak. “I’m sorry, Mistress.” She said. “I can’t, but in the future, I can feel I will be able to.”

“That’s fine, I didn’t expect you to be able to right now. Change into the rings, please.”

That, she could do. The plate armor that her body had become melted away, splitting into many distinct rings that settled themselves on her mistress’s fingers. With each split, her senses likewise split, and it was quickly becoming overwhelming, but another Skill popup helped alleviate the issue. It was still taxing, having so many different sets of senses, but she could manage it, and doing it would help level the Skill and make it easier in the future. That would be necessary, if she was to be as useful as possible.

“Good, good.” Amelia said, gently taking off one of Alisha’s bodies and placing it on a table. “Keep this bit separate.” She commanded. “Now, while you’re still so…pliant, this bit is now your main body, and will stay with us. The rest of you is your sub-body, and will be in charge of your spymaster duties. The artifacts you are now made up of were strong, strong enough that your base is no longer humanoid, it is a piece of equipment. If you don’t believe me, check your status.”

Alisha obediently checked her status, and it seemed that she was now something called a “treasure mimic”, the description indicating that she was a living form of the treasures she had been converted with, equipment with a will and the ability to take her old humanoid form. “That is the case, Mistress.”

Amelia’s eyes gleamed. “Good. Now, remember, you’re not an angel anymore, you are an object, to be worn and used, and objects do not speak unless spoken to. While you act as a spymaster, you will act completely as your old self, but with us, you will act as the tool that you are, and it would be prudent for you to get used to it now.”

Alisha obediently shifted her worldview, the body on the table becoming the most important one, her perception mentally updating itself. She was a tool, something to be used, her humanoid traits simply an extra for her wielder to use as she needed. As she did, the bliss within her multiplied even further, each time she felt she couldn’t be happier she was instantly proved wrong by the sheer intensity of the emotions.

She remained silent. She had not been spoken to, so there was no need to speak. After a while, her mistress grinned, the sight filling Alisha with joy. “Good girl.” Amelia cooed, stroking Alisha’s sub-bodies gently. “Doesn’t it feel nice to be worn, to give your strength to another?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Now, imagine how nice it would feel to be worn by Lia, our Queen.” Amelia instructed. “How does that make you feel?”

Alisha did, and immediately was struck with an overwhelming surge of pleasure and contentment, one that made all the others seem miniscule in comparison. Her bodies quivered in delight, the intensity of the pleasure overwhelming her, despite her attempts to stay still like a good set of rings. “It – it feels like my purpose, the very reason I came into existence.” Alisha gasped. “Please, take me to her.”

“Not yet.” Amelia said, slowly taking each of Alisha’s bodies off of her finger and setting them on the floor. “Return all your extra bodies to humanoid form, please.”

Obediently, each of her bodies save her main body began to morph and shift, returning to an approximation of the body she used to have. But…she didn’t have enough mass, so each of them came out as a miniature version of what she used to look like.

“No, silly.” Amelia giggled. “Recombine all of your extra bodies. You don’t have enough mass to make humanoid clones yet.”

Right. She originally only had one body anyway, so that made sense. She merged her clones together, forming a perfect replica of her old self. Fortunately, the mass from the slime and the treasures she had been converted with had been added to her total, so she didn’t even have a hint of imperfection, even with her main body still separated. Once finished, she waited patiently for a command.

“Now we need to wait.” Amelia said. “We need you to come down from the post-conversion high, now that I’ve cemented a few things in your mind.”

That was easy. She was an object, and objects were known for their ability to stay motionless for extended periods of time. So, she waited, the minutes ticking by, and slowly, ever so slowly, remnants of her old self started to claw their way back to the surface. She didn’t want them to, and like a good tool she tried to kill off every bit of her humanoid pride, but, after roughly fifteen minutes, her old self had mostly taken hold again.

Mostly. She was still left with the undeniable knowledge that she was an object, as much as she rankled at the notion, and the desire to obey was constantly present, the desire to slip back into that state of euphoric bliss as she fulfilled her purpose in life.

“Done.” Alisha said begrudgingly. “I am, more or less, back to normal.”

“Ah-ah-ah.” Amelia tutted, wagging a finger. “You don’t speak until spoken to, remember?”

She internally cursed herself for making such an elementary error. She knew better than that, as a tool she should be – no, that wasn’t her, that was the new instincts her mistress had implanted in her. But…but it felt so good to listen to those instincts, so right.

She grappled with herself, forcing the desire to obey down. As much as it was a perversion of the natural order, she would eventually rule the swarm, and she couldn’t do that if she gave into the bliss and let things stay as they should be, even if it made her feel better than anything ever had.

“You may speak.” Amelia said, eyes glinting.

She would have spoken anyway, but the fact that she was now doing so after being given permission made her feel incredibly content. “What now?”

“Now, we send your sub body back to your castle.” Amelia picked up Alisha’s main body, stroking it as she placed it on her finger. “As for your real body…you wanted Lia to wear you, right? I think I’m going to give you as a present. She’s going to be so happy when she sees what I’ve done with you.”

A giddy anticipation slid over Alisha, despite her best attempts to combat it. Her real body, being worn by the Queen…it was everything she had ever wanted and then some. Even so, she desperately struggled against her instincts, and finally managed to speak without being spoken to, saying her raw, unfiltered feelings. “What are we waiting for, then?” She asked. “The sooner she’s wearing me, the better.”

It was so, so hard to say, but so, so worth it. See? She was fighting the conditioning, and even if she was a tool, she was sure the Queen would like a tool with initiative. She would fight against her instincts to the end, strain against her status as a tool, all to further the ambitions of the Queen. She was going to be the best tool the Queen ever had, or she wasn’t Alisha, former Queen of Aura and blissful servant to her mistresses.

No, that was wrong. As much as she hated to be, she was herself, Alisha, Queen of Aura, servant to none. So, she began the laborious process of quarantining parts of her mind she knew had been compromised, her feelings of loyalty, affection, and even happiness and pleasure had to go entirely, large chunks of herself being excised as she –

“Keep doing what you’re doing.” Amelia whispered, holding her main bo – the body shaped like a ring aloft.

All at once, the process became exponentially harder. Every time she tried to partition her thoughts, her emotions threatened to surge out of their containment, happiness and contentment raging and lashing out against the bonds she had tied them down with. And resistance to their thrashings only made them stronger, Amelia’s order making them swell in power whenever she obeyed.

Eventually, the storm within her calmed, but not because she had subdued the happiness. No, she had to make concessions, let it out and ignore it through sheer force of will. Ignore its sweet whisperings, the promise that, even if she did give in, she would move up in the world and actually be happy for once.

No, she had to be the very top, and if it meant fighting through previously unimaginable bliss, then she would do it. She just had to pray that she wouldn’t melt upon the Queen wearing her, and that they wouldn’t give her too many orders until she was ready to fully rebel. If they did…she wasn’t how long she would be able to hold out. Even one more burst like the one she had just experienced would almost certainly do her in.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Amelia knocking on a door, looking down and giving Alisha that wide, unhinged grin she had been wearing for a while. “Resist if you can.” She whispered. “It will make your surrender all the sweeter, both for you, and for me.”