This world was still a barbaric one, where strength ruled. The powerful Kings and Queens, from atop the high horse built of a better Class rarity, Royalty perks, and the access to more Exp in the form of better hunting conditions and supporters, need not fear a revolution. What could a rabble of level thirty peasants - high-level peasants - could do against them?
There was little need for pleasantries. Why would someone that was as far apart from the common person as they were from the Gods even try to be polite to those beneath them? Even between equals they still sneered. Surely they respected power when they saw someone above them. I remember when the number 147 appeared in the minds of those that {Appraised} King Locksley. Even other Kings quickly capitulated.
It was still a long way away to put spiritual concepts in the minds of these people. When the very gods arrogantly threw hundreds of thousands to their deaths on a whim, why would these Royals do any less? Case in point, these two princelings. They come to attack me as if I was a rabid dog in need of being put down. I wasn't eager to see how it would unfold.
I stretched my arms. It felt good to finally be free of the charade, although I still had the fox-kin wig and tail sleeve attached to me. I slithered toward the guards coming my way with spears ready.
I fired {Appraise} at the guards. All in their thirties. Not even worthy of engaging. I wove a spell but the Princess interfered.
"{Counterspell}!" She shouted smugly.
"{Bastion}!" the prince used a perk that reinforced his allies.
Maybe another approach. I started to rattle my {Song of Peace}.
> Contested Charisma test partially successful.
The Royal brats and some of their knights won the dispute. But the rank-and-file guardsmen? They stopped in their tracks. I kept my rattle going while I talked.
"I don't want to fight," I told them. "Step aside."
They didn't move.
"Nice try, monster," The princess gloated. "You're dying here. Your siren's call won't be of any use. ATTACK! That's a {Royal Order}!"
While the fairy pouted, the guards broke free of the song's influence and advanced. I leaped in their middle and sent a telepathic order. The only ones in the range of my {Silent Voice} were them.
They moved and were ravaged by the pain of resisting the geas. Some attacked and I used my tail as a shield. The damage was negligible, less than a thousand HP per attack. I barely felt before my regeneration restored the scratches.
I didn't attack. As they fell down, I laid a contract on some of them and only on the humans. There were just too many and I needed to spare my SP. The Exp, however, was more than satisfying. The key to getting an {Assasssination Successful} was to not let the target take an action during the assassination. Which only counted from the moment the contract landed. Since they were unconscious anyway, they didn't act.
Nenandil and the Princess were still absorbed in their counterspell duel.
Less than a minute after it started, the mob of dead guards vanished into my item box as spoils. The only blood on the cobblestones was mine.
That's when lightning struck me. Then a firebolt. An ice shard. The girl was strong. Strong enough to almost beat my resistance. Which reminded me, I had to exclude them from the Wellspring. I wouldn't even try the Manastorm because I'd catch the civilians in the massive area. Arrows flew down from the rooftops.
The {Princess} was busy casting so I raised a Force wall. The arrows bounced against the spell and clattered on the street. I checked a curious notification.
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has reached level 15.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the True Sensations (very rare) Perk: You transmit sensations to your host as if you were the real thing you are mimicking.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the Leech Health (rare) Perk: Damage dealt with this item is transferred to the host.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the Enhance Hearing (uncommon) Perk: The host's sense of hearing is twice as sensitive to faint sounds and can hear ultrasounds.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the Host Bond (uncommon) Perk: You are bound to the host and cannot be forcibly removed.
That gave me an idea of how to cross the ocean.
"Stay back, Your Highness!" One of the knights said. He shouted as he walked forward, "{Summon Arms & Armor}!"
His backpack deflated as a suit of armor appeared over him, along with a really big sword. Cloud Strife levels of big. I checked his info.
> [Royal Champion]
>
> Level 77 human male.
This guy was trouble.
"Your fight is with me, vile monster! {Champion's Duel}!"
> Contested Willpower test failed. Champion's Duel is ineffective against Royalty.
His eyes went wide. "Impossible!" He jumped forward to strike me. I slapped him with my tail. His sword shifted and struck me.
> [Royal Champion] struck for 40,176 HP. Mana shield burned 13,392 MP (base 248 x3 Strength x5 Skill x2 Leap Strike x3 Champion's Valor x2 Master Sword Skill x2 Royal Ward x0.75 mana shield x0,6 Tough Scales [modified by Ignore Defenses] )
He cracked my scales and drew a bit of blood. I retaliated with a tail slap against his breastplate.
> Your Tail Slap hit [Royal Champion] for 278 HP of damage (base 89 x 2.08 Strength x2 Improved T.S. x0.75 Armored Defense).
>
> [Royal Champion] was pushed back 3 meters (base 3 x2.08 Strength x3 Improved T.S. x0,75 Armored Defense x0,5 Stand Your Ground x 0,4 Brace for Impact).
>
> This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
>
> You learned the Skill: Tail Slap (uncommon): You can strike with your tail. Add the Skill rank to the distance the target is pushed.
Well, fuck that. Pushing him away just gave him room for jumping again. If he wanted to jump strike, he should wield a spear and stay one round in the air, leaving the back row unguarded. Time to spice up the fight. I waited for him to come into range with my tail coiled to strike while I delayed my turn.
> Contested Mind test passed. {Mind's Blank} active. Your next melee attack will be a critical hit.
Now take this. I struck from above so he wouldn't be pushed aside.
> Your Tail Slap hit [Royal Champion] for 55,089 HP of damage (base 95 x 2.08 Strength x2 Improved T.S. x1,98 Skill [Boosted by Favored Enemy] x2.98 Backstab x3 Critical x3 Mana Strike x3 Death Blow x0.87.5 Armord Defense [Modified by Mana Strike] ).
>
> {Stunning Ambush} stunned [Royal Champion] for 3 Seconds.
>
> Your Tail Slap Skill reached Novice 8.
The name of the game is "stack the multiplier or go home".
I fractured a few ribs with that strike. The amount of physical harm an attack did was in proportion to the total HP lost, so I dealt at least ten percent of his HP. I didn't push him away. Instead, I stretched my tail to six meters and wrapped myself around him. I had to fight the racial urge to take him and force myself upon this male. An urge that threatened to surpass even my distaste for male appendages. Lamias had a high sex drive.
The stun wore off and I started to use {Drain Longevity}.
"Sir Hector!" The {Princess} cried. She started to weave a spell but her brother held her arm.
"Monster!" The princeling shouted. "Let Sir Hector free and we'll agree to let you get out of the city free!"
> Contested Charisma test won. You resisted {Royal Negotiator}.
"I have a better offer! I let this knight go, do not murder the shit out of Your Royal Brattiness and you take the blame for the dead guards as well as committing your forces to escort me to Auvanini."
> Contested Charisma test failed. {Divine Negotiator} wasn't effective because your offer includes threats of violence.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, angry, "What dark God do you serve?"
I shook my head and groaned. "I have no master but myself."
"I don't believe you, monster! Release him at once! {Royal Order}!"
His eyes went wide when the notification warned him I'm considered royalty. He sicced the other knights on me.
"Fine, I didn't want to do this." I put a contract on this knightly asshole and bit his head off.
> Assassination Successful. Contract Fulfilled.
>
> You killed level 77 [Royal Champion]. You gained 103,627,029,390 (Base 59,290 x 1,747,800 modifiers).
I held the knight's ghost near me and applied my Exp.
> You reached Water Lamia level 20.
>
> You gained 3 human perks.
>
> You reached Royal Lamia Guard Captain level 20.
>
> You gained 2 perks.
>
> You gained 70 Skill Points.
> You became a Royal Lamia Champion (ultra-rare). You gain:
>
> 1 Attribute point every level.
>
> 1 Strength every even level.
>
> 1 Endurance every odd level.
>
> 1 Agility every four levels.
>
> 1 Ego every four levels.
>
> 1 Agility, Willpower, Charisma, Magic every four levels.
>
> 11 (+3) HP per level.
>
> 5 (+3) MP per level.
>
> 1 (+2) SP per level.
>
> 7 (+3) Skill Points per level.
>
> 1 perk every 2 levels.
>
> You gained the perk: Champion's Duel (very rare): Challenge a leader of the enemy forces for a one-on-one duel. If you win a contested Willpower dispute, the target can only attack you.
> You ranked up into an Elemental Lamia [Water] (ultra-rare).
>
> 1 Attribute point every level.
>
> 1 Dexterity every odd level.
>
> 1 Endurance every even level.
>
> 1 Magic every four levels.
>
> 1 Soul every four levels
>
> 1 Mind, Charisma, Strength, Willpower rotating every four levels.
>
> Attributes above the cap were redistributed.
>
> 7 (+3) HP per level.
>
> 7 (+3) MP per level.
>
> 3 (+2) SP per level.
>
> 7 (+3) Skill Points per level.
>
> 1 perk every 2 levels.
>
> You gained the Perk: Elemental Body [water] (very rare). You can transform into a Water elemental. While in this form, you have great mastery over your element and take 90% less damage from physical attacks but take 50% more damage from lightning, earth, and fire.
> You reached Elemental Lamia [Water] level 7.
>
> You gained 3 human perks.
>
> You reached Royal Lamia Champion level 8.
>
> You gained 4 perks.
>
> You gained 150 Skill Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap were redistributed.
>
> You reached Cartographer level 45. You gained 30 HP.
>
> You reached Appraiser level 45. You gained 15 HP and 15 MP.
I suppressed {Unskilled} and invested 106 Skill Points in Tail Slap to reach Journeyman 49. I also raised {Dodge}. Then I let my real Level show in my Status along with some other tidbits of information. {Status Forgery} had changed during this last System update and it allowed me to select more information to display. People would only glimpse that if they had enough levels and abilities in their {Appraise} profession. I added my HP to the display.
> {Princess}
>
> [Royal Lamia Champion]
>
> Level 95 lamia female.
>
> HP 38,183,456
With that done and the corpse of Sir Hector in storage, I coiled my tail forming a {Snake Fortress}, activated my Manastorm set to aid or harm nobody, hunkered down in {Shelter in the Eye of the Storm}, and boasted, "I recommend you {Appraise} me before committing suicide, princelings."
They quivered with fear. The princess was looking around, probably sensing the Manastorm. She signaled her brother,
She wasn't wrong.
They probably forgot I knew their "secret" sign language. Meanwhile, I picked a chain of perks for my ridiculously high-level fox-kin disguise.
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the perk: Beast-Kin Disguises (very rare): You can disguise the wearer as any kind of beast-kin.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the perk: Were-Kin Disguises (very rare): You can disguise the wearer as any kind of were-kin. Some physical features cannot be emulated if they do not exist in the wearer's body.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the perk: Animal Disguises (very rare): You can disguise the wearer as any animal. Some physical features cannot be emulated if they do not exist in the wearer's body.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the perk: Chameleon Fur (rare): You can change the color of your fur, feathers, and hair. If used for camouflage, reduce odds of visual detection by at least 60% if you are standing still.
>
> Fox-Kin Disguise Set has obtained the perk: Resize (uncommon): You can resize yourself to fit your wearer.
I willed the Fox-Kin Disguise Set to become a shoulder-length wig of black hair.
Some guards shot arrows at me but soon figured out it was an exercise in futility. With all the damage reduction the fortress and shelter gave me, it would take them months to whittle down my HP if I didn't regenerate. And from the vitality I'd drained from Sir Hector, I was nourished for decades.
I had little time to act. I made my offer to the royal siblings. With a bit of drama to cause an impression.
"Beware, scions of the Auvani," I shouted, using my abilities and wind magic to project my voice. "It was you who ambushed me. Your arrogance and hubris sent your champion to his doom. His death is upon you. What venomous prejudice drove you to strike me? What have I done to deserve such animosity besides being born what I am?
"Know this, princelings! You are the ones at fault here. I hereby make you an offer. Recognize the wrong in your ways and accept to escort me to Auvanini. In exchange, I'll give you your knight back."
Only if he didn't have more than two million HP. I didn't think so. The slap did real damage to him with less than forty thousand HP of damage.
Contested Charisma test won. {Divine Negotiator} was successful.
"What you offer is impossible. If you can bring the dead back, we'll accept your terms," the prince said and his sister nodded.
I brought Hector's body from storage and quickly sutured his neck back in place, mending and rejoining nerves, blood vessels, and other structures. While he might be dead, his cells were still alive. At the last moment of my window of opportunity, I took his ghost and shoved it back in the body.
Last Chance used almost a million SP, since he had a bit less than half a million HP. Killing, resuscitating, and killing again might be a good way to farm Exp. But my name wasn't Kang Han Soo [1]. So I wouldn't.
But all I needed was it to become alive again. I shifted into my elemental form, noticing my gear also shifted with me.
We used the same Perk at once. "{Healing Waters}!" Nenandil knew how important was to restore the health of the revived person as fast as possible. We spared no MP, pouring dozens of thousands into the spell.
Sir Hector gasped and coughed a blot of congealed blood and phlegm.
"Arise, champion," I told him with an ominous voice. "Your service is still required."
The knight stared at me with wide eyes. "I died."
"No longer," I grinned and splashed. "Go. Your prince and princess yearn for your return."
I returned to my fleshy form. Sir Hector picked his sword, gave me a slight bow, and walked toward his wards.
"He's alive!" The princess gasped.
The prince approached. He bowed, "Well met, Your Highness. I'm prince Albryan of Auvani."
"I'm Lakerta, {Princess} and [Champion] of the Lamia that lived in the northwestern part of this island. Replay this day's events in your mind and see the foolishness of your ways, princeling."
I sighed. Now, after the lives of the guards were spent, they are willing to comply. If their bloodline didn't evoke long-forgotten feelings of nostalgia, I'd have murdered all of them. I didn't even need to use a boat to cross the ocean with my newly-upgraded piece of living silk.
"I'm sorry for my sister's impulsiveness," He replied.
"Keep the slivers of your shattered pride, prince of the Auvani. If your origins are true, I bled on the arena of combat to ensure your nation would survive. I'd hate to see you've become some subversion of what I fought for."
The princess approached. "I'm Solana of the Auvani, princess Lakerta," she introduced herself sheepishly with a brief curtsy. I just nodded.
"I'd like to say 'well met'," I shot back looking at her from above. "The circumstances, however, are less than desirable."
Whey you had four meters of powerful snake tail, it was easy to be as tall as you wanted.
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[1] - Protagonist of the "FFF-Class Trash Hero" Korean novel. If you want an Isekai where every single trope is subverted, look no further.