I lowered myself and giggled.
I could tell Solana wasn't used to this level of skinship. She was too tense. I let go before she freaked out. and moved to walk beside the prince.
While we and their entourage made our way back to their inn, I went shopping for Perks to cover some glaring deficiencies exposed in this brief altercation.
> You purchased the Perk: Stable Shape (rare): Add half your Ego score to resist effects that force you to change shapes.
>
> You purchased the Perk: Improved Swimming (rare): Double your swimming speed.
>
> You purchased the Perk: Water Jet (very rare): Spend (100 * X MP) / second to multiply your speed underwater by (X+1). Reduce the base multiplier from 100 to 20 if you are in your water elemental form.
>
> You purchased the Perk: Lucky Spotter (very rare): Whenever you test Mind to find something hidden, add a random bonus between minus ten and half your Luck score to the test.
>
> You purchased the Perk: Improved Snake Fortress (very rare): When in Snake Fortress, you are twice as difficult to move against your will and reduce 40% of the damage.
>
> You gained the perk: Champion's Valor (very rare): When you are fighting the target of your Champion's Duel, you can spend MP to deal triple damage to your target. You cannot use this perk rest of the combat if you attack another during your Champion's Duel.
>
> You gained the perk: Steel Scales (rare): Your scales are as strong as steel armor. Reduce all physical damage dealt with the parts of your body covered by scales by 25%. This protection cannot be reduced.
>
> You gained the perk: Disarm (uncommon): You can disarm a target if you win a contested Strength or Dexterity test, whichever is the highest Attribute of your target between these two.
>
> You gained the perk: Improved Disarm (rare): You can perform a disarm as part of an attack.
>
> You gained the perk: Powerful disarm (rare): Add half your Dexterity or Strength to the contested disarm test, whichever is the lowest Attribute of your target between these two.
>
> You gained the perk: Honorable Duel (very rare): While you are dueling your target and do not strike other targets, reduce all damage from other sources than your Duel's target by 40%.
Finally, a Perk I should've thought about earlier but the idea only came to me now.
> You purchased the Perk: Favored Enemy [Church of Bundeus] (very rare): Treat all your combat and furtivity Skills as one category above when fighting against creatures imbued with Bundeus' divine power.
The scent of burnt tallow and soot was a constant, along with the briny smell of the sea. The city felt gloomy, shrouded in the dark. I swear that if I found gypsies and an impassible wall of mist surrounding the city, I'd pledge myself to the imprisoned Count. I mean, I'm already a were-jaguar.
The almost eternal darkness had a deep impact on the people. The moods were not so good and I could hear at least two fights going on in different taverns.
I looked up and remembered this world was supposed to have three moons, none of them were visible in the sky because of the twenty-three-hour absence of the sun every day. But as I shifted my gaze to look at the sky, I saw the whiff of a tail flicking over a roof as its owner moved away, trying to avoid notice. I was being watched by this mysterious figure but they shunned contact.
We reached one of the most luxurious inns of Tijen's Cove. The Auvani had an entire inn floor for themselves.
"Here we are princess Lakerta," Albryan affectionately stretches his arms to show the inn. The inn stopped to stare at yours truly. The people's reactions were... not good but muted due to the company and my title.
"Pats, please see a room for our guest," Solana told the young lady innkeeper. Then she glanced at the stairs and frowned, "Is ground level okay, Lakerta?"
I laughed to dispel the tension and flicked my tail around, "I can deal with stairs better than you with those two straws you stand on, Solana. But yes, ground level works."
She blushed slightly and whispered under her breath, "Sorry."
I threw an arm around her as Albryan led us to their usual spot.
I sit with them in a corner table that's fancy, protected, has a good view and acoustics to watch the bard that's playing a sedated lute tune, and also reserved for the exclusive use of the princelings. When our drinks come, the knights take a sip before letting them drink.
"So, when are we getting out of here?" I asked Albryan.
"It is hard to tell. The wharfmaster told us there is no ship to Auvanini in the following months. The ocean currents are too bad and there are rumors of sea monsters," he had not much certainty in his voice. The prince probably suspected the wharfmaster of foul play but didn't have evidence, that's the feeling I got.
"Isn't there any captain to take you there? Can't we pool our gold and hire a ship?" I suggested.
"It is not like we don't have enough money to go back home," Solana scoffed.
"But no ship will take us. They say no amount of money pays for suicide," Albryan explained.
Absorbed in thought, we shift the subject to other things. Albryan seems interested in Lamia culture but I know nothing of that. I was stranded and grew among the undead.
Inside my room, I coiled myself and spent some time thinking. The whispers I heard placed me as a servant or even slave to the Auvani. That was bad. Once someone {Appraised} me, they changed their mind, but I wouldn't rely on that. After all, a custom was forming where using {Appraise} on someone without due cause was considered rude.
With that in mind, I needed to assert myself in the eyes of these people. And in this tourist city, only one thing spoke louder than the rest. Wealth.
And wealth was something I had in spades. My item box had three intact dragon corpses, one bigger than the next, along with the contents of entire noble estates from the demon invasion. I spent a few hours sifting through the inventory list. Jewelry, bracelets, gems, tiaras, rings, earrings, gold-thread clothing. I took it all and put myself to work.
I wove a silk shawl binding together some necklaces to drape over the rear section of my tail where a humanoid's buttocks would be. I thickened that region by compressing my muscles to give the appearance of hips. I extended the shawl around, weaving and binding more jewelry until I had a gilded skirt with glittering gems that could buy a small kingdom.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Queen Alloralla had a really fancy wardrobe. I took one of the elven jackets and found I needed nothing else to add to it. It was just perfect. I put my trusted - and high level - fae silk bodysuit underneath, using my {Molding Armor} perk to remove the legs. I adapted a bra to lift my breasts, chucking as the image in the mirror evoked the impression of jet turbines. Gaudy earrings with emeralds, a necklace to decorate my huge cleavage.
Finally, I put on gold and platinum bracelets covering my entire forearm and rings on each finger, including the thumbs. I did some modifications to a circlet and tiara to combine them and set the diamond-encrusted crown over my head.
Finally, I set Alloralla's enchanted daggers at my waist. It was better to have obvious weapons before people started wondering where the hidden ones were.
I had over twenty kilograms of jewelry on me. If it weren't for my pumped-up Strength score, I would strain to wear that much, but I was fine.
I examined the pieces, taking this or that one to make modifications to my workbench so they matched. It wasn't a jewelry display. It was the carefully picked and matching set to decorate a {Princess}.
Without the need for pauses, I worked for a day and a half, I think. A quick nap to recover my energies and I went out of my room in time to enjoy the lonely hour of sunlight we had. This hour of sunlight was affectionately called Galbarar's grace.
With Nenandil on my shoulder, I slithered into the common room, some of my jewels intentionally jingling and clinking like wind chimes as I drummed a happy tune with my rattle. All heads craned to look at me, including the two Auvani Royals.
"Now that my disguise is blown, I see no reason to deprive myself of my precious babies," I said haughtily as I joined them.
The fine-tuned jingling pieces of jewelry sparkled as they caught the light and jiggled musically, giving each movement I made its own soundtrack. I could see the shock and a bit of envy on Solana's eyes. Her gaze wandered, taking in all the pieces I wore. Then she focused on the breast of my jacket before glancing down at the daggers at my waist.
"That's elven!" She gasped. "This jacket's crest... and the daggers! They bear the crest of Queen Alloralla of Fulgen! How.... impossible."
Oh, dammit. I was wearing second-hand goods and it showed. The awkward moment was broken by the barmaid bringing a round of drinks for everyone including me. I saw the knights taking the mugs intended for the two princelings and sipping before returning it. I just took a swig of mine and smiled at the apprehensive princess.
"Impressive. You are correct," I said honestly. Any lie I told would be more believable than the truth but I needed to distort it only a bit. "These indeed are Queen Alloralla' articles."
"But they were lost when the Queen died fighting the dragons! Are you related to--"
I put all the pressure from my Soul Attribute into the scowl I gave her. "Do not bundle me with those overgrown chickens," I hissed. My rattle made the devil's tritone, one of the most unsettling chords. "And Alloralla killed two of them before the others cowardly bunched on her. And even they didn't kill her."
My clenched knuckles were discolored. "And these items were never lost. The High Queen Sariandi knows very well I have them. You won't find any elves searching for them," I glanced around. There were none in the tavern, although I saw several in the city.
The young princess had shrunk in her seat, "I see. I stand corrected, princess Lakerta."
I grinned. "In fact, I think I'll send her a missive."
I took a spot at the table after one of the knights removed a chair. I had no need for that particular piece of furniture. With a piece of fine parchment, I wrote a letter to Sariandi, telling her briefly of my whereabouts and wishing her and her daughters a happy healthy life. Once that was done, I sealed the letter with Alloralla's signet - which caused the princess to choke - and prepared.
"Go to Queen Sariandi in the central tree of Treeheart, Fulgen forest. {Summon Messenger}!"
"Bye birdie!" Nenandil chirped happily.
The letter vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving an arrow-tail swift behind. I guess the perk summons a bird according to my wishes, and that was the one I thought of. The bird wasted no time before zipping out of the inn through the door. I could sense it was already flying over the ocean toward the mainland. There was a tiny drain in my MP that barely slowed down my regeneration to sustain it. I would know when the bird arrived or if it was intercepted.
With a sigh, I wrote another letter, this one for Lorna. I told her I was coming once I managed to book passage across the ocean. I wove an illusion to hide the most intimate parts of the missive. Finally, I sealed one of Rosewise's copper-and-quartz rings inside the letter, sealed it with King Locksley's signet, and summoned another bird. I whispered this one's destination and sent it on its way. My table mates didn't need to know.
"That's an impressive spell!" Solana gushed. "Where did you learn it?"
It was worth wasting my daily {Suppress Curse}: "Oh. That's not a spell. It was Mother Yznera's gift. It's a Perk."
It was the [Diplomat] Albryan's turn to choke.
I sensed several pings in my detection abilities. A lot of sentients, mostly humans were surrounding the inn.
"We got visitors," I announced nonchalantly.
The knights readied their stance, preparing for conflict. A man wearing a maille hauberk and coif underneath the town's guard tabard and insignia that denoted some position of importance entered.
"Your Highness. We received reports that a monster is..."
His gaze fell on me. I sipped my drink, ignoring him. Some deep Lamia instincts wanted to relish on the attention of a strong male specimen.
"Mons--" He never finished his shout.
"{Force Binding}!" I chanted needlessly. I didn't need that since I had {Force Magic Affinity} but it was good to hold back onto some trump cards.
"What is this brigand yapping about?" I asked.
"I'm going to check," Albryan volunteered and walked out of the inn with two plainclothes knights in tow.
The officer was struggling. I stared at him. "{Royal Order}: Stop struggling. I don't wish to stain this fine establishment's floor with your filthy peasant blood," I scoffed haughtily.
Solana's eyes gleamed as she used an ability. "{Analyze Magic}!" It was part of the appraiser profession. A tear ran down her face and she avoided looking at me. I didn't ask what was the matter.
Albryan returned with another officer. "Princess Lakerta, a moment of your time?" He asked politely.
"Yes, prince Albryan?" I answered.
"Allow me to introduce you to lieutenant Gaspar. He's part of the city garrison. There had been some misleading reports about a monster in the city and he's here to investigate."
"False ones prince Albryan. Of that, I assure you," I replied to him without even glancing at the lieutenant. "I would know if any monster was within a kilometer of us. There's none on the surface. A few weak ones in the waters but I don't think they are any threat to us on the surface or even the boats they are so close to.
"And unless it is an elder dragon king, I can deal with anything that comes to threaten us," I put emphasis on the word "threaten". Then I looked at the lieutenant. "Does that put your mind at ease, lieutenant?"
The officer should be in his twenties or something like that. He looked at me, then Albryan, then the older officer still restrained by the invisible bands of force magic.
"Lieutenant, if I may advise you," Nenandil chirped with a chuckle, "Get your men, this rude fellow over there, and vanish from our sight. My companion here abhors boorish matters with her drinks."
I poked the fairy with my index finger. She hugged it. "As my fairy friend said, I hope I won't be bothered again during my stay in your fair city. You don't want to see me angry."
"Princess Lakerta, there's the issue of the guardsmen that died 'defending you' from assailants. They have families," Albryan said, hinting at some cover-up story for the fucked up slaughter that happened a couple days ago.
"They want the bodies for the funeral rites," I heard a whisper from Solana. A wind magic cantrip.
"Of course. I was just safekeeping them from scavengers," I said.
I shifted my view a bit until I saw the street outside being lit up by the first rays of dawn. I pointed at an empty space and dumped all the bodies there. It was well within the current range of my item box, sixty meters. I heard the guardsmen cursing and shouting outside. I also released the other officer from my spell.
"Off you go. I hope I'm not disturbed any further," I said with finality.
"Your Highness, one question if I may. Do you have a personal guard?" The lieutenant offered. "We can--"
I cut him, "Unless the guard you are about to offer can fend off an elder dragon, they will just get on the way. I can assure you I'm perfectly able to defend me and my companion," I patted the giddy fairy. Nenandil was enjoying being outside very much.
The guardsmen went outside with the prince who returned alone a few minutes later. I downed my drink and flagged the barmaid.
"Miss, thanks for your hospitality. I'm going on a stroll now but I want fresh bedsheets and two tubs of clean water in my room for when I return."
"It shall be done, Your Highness," Pats, who was the head maid and not the innkeeper said without meeting my eyes.
I took her hand and turned it palm up. "Here, for your excellent service," I beamed and put a gold coin in her hand.
The poor [Maid] forgot how to breathe. I laughed and slithered out of the inn, my jewelry playing its wealthy music as I swayed.
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[1] - From Merriam-Webster: "Nibling is a gender-neutral term used to refer to a child of one's sibling as a replacement for "niece" or "nephew". The word is thought to have been coined in the early 1950s, but was relatively obscure for several decades before being revived in recent years."