The east sky was dyed in shades of orange and red. The brief respite of daylight was upon Tijen's Cove.
Outside the inn, the whole town bustled like an ant's nest trying to make the most of the hour of sunlight slanted like in the Earth's Nordic winter we'd have before plummeting into a long, dark, and moonless night again. I stretched and took in my surroundings.
Town guards were manning the streets, stealing glances at me. Some strong sailors were carrying the last of the dead guardsmen bodies past a street corner. I rattled, excited to slither down these streets in my normal form, and do some shopping.
There was one thing about me that remained true throughout all lives. After I spent my infancy and grew up in a body, that was my body. Even the power to take on my previous forms was just a gimmick. I felt a subtle dissociation between the assumed form and my sense of identity.
The feeling of the cobblestones pressing against my scales as I pushed ahead felt real. Walking with shoes on two legs was like moving around on stilts. Slithering like this, towering a head's length over the passersby that parted for me, was real. I kept the end of my tail above the ground and twisted on itself forming a faux knot. No need to give people something to step on.
I soon found my way to the market. It was a cacophony of vendors hawking their wares, selling exotic goods from all over Pekothas. The gleam of gold might've been mesmerizing for them because they couldn't take their eyes from me. I felt the sting of {Appraise} attempts fired at me. I returned the stare at each one of them, letting them know I was aware and repaid in kind, using my {Appraise} back without the {Subtle Appraise} ability. These merchants quickly looked away. I bet a lot of the others also had the {Subtle Appraise} ability as well as me but it was a great opportunity to build up proficiency.
Surely enough, it gained the two points I needed.
> Your Proficiency as an Appraiser is 76 / 112. You can select a new special ability.
I was divided between {Sense Appraise}, that could counter {Subtle Appraise}, and the ability Solana used. Since I only displayed information I didn't mind people seeing. I went for the latter.
> You gained this Ability: Analyze Magic: You can appraise spells and magical effects, learning their composition and the strength of the effect.
I wove a simple illusion in front of me and used my new ability on that spell. I could see that it was an illusion, and a hunch of my Attributes, especially Magic and Willpower. It didn't give me the numbers, just the strength. The feeling for Willpower was "very strong", but the one for Magic was "overwhelming". Maybe that's what got the princess so shocked.
I also noticed the text for {Status Forgery} had changed:
> Status Forgery (very rare) You can display any Class, Level, and Status information you desire, up to Charisma levels above yours. This perk can be toggled on and off at will. If you display truthful information, abilities that pierce this forgery will register them as true.
While I was distracted, Nenandil flung a snowball at a street urchin that was approaching from behind. The kid quickly got on his feet and ran for an alley. The little pickpocket didn't get anything from me.
I found one place that sold maps. Those were a rarity as the requirement to unlock the [Cartographer] profession was still visiting all three continents. Not many would spend years and a small fortune traveling to get the profession. Anyone could make a map without it but a map by a true professional, with System assistance, was another beast.
"Good sir, I want to buy some maps," I told the shopkeeper.
He {Appraised} me. I didn't sense it but it was obvious.
"Your Highness, I have the finest maps. Here,"
H showed me several maps. I looked at them and set apart some to buy while I filled my eight slots of {Memorize Map} with the most expensive ones. Nautical charts of the continents with the currents and monster sightings were the most expensive ones. I also could pinpoint where the maps he had were wrong based on my own experience traveling around.
After a haggling session, I left five gold coins on the man's counter and left with a bundle of maps. From the one that depicted Pekothas' coast, I could understand more of this island. It was a trading hub, a resupply station for ships traveling the coast of Pekothas. It belonged to no country in particular and since several powers had an interest in keeping their trade lanes open, this was an independent city-state even though it didn't have the size or strength to be one. There was a route to Auvanini but the trip took from three to five months depending on the season. If I wanted to go to the Scorched Continent, I'd need to get around Pekothas and sail from the other side.
But one thing bugged me. The route between the two continents was well-documented. Seasonal currents, oceanic monster sightings. Talking to the shopkeeper, I even learned that several goods from one continent fetched a hefty price on the other.
It begged the question, why there were no ships?
I went back to the inn a few hours after sunset, satisfied with my purchases. I knew I had a tail, of the stealthy and furred kind. I wove an illusion of me going down the street and turned invisible before ducking into an alley. I sent all my jewelry to the item box. Someone jumped over the roof, following the illusion then stopped. Soon I saw a were-rat sniffing the alley.
"Well, hello there!" I beamed as I turned off my invisibility. "Who are you?"
"My name is not important, milady," He whispered.
I put an {Assassin's Contract} on him and watched him flinch. Then I removed it.
"Was it you that killed the priests of the Human God?"
He grinned, showing me his yellow incisors. "I thank the Lady for the opportunity of leveling up."
I had to do it.
> [Sailor]
>
> Level 23 rat-kin.
Next ability: pierce {Status Forgery}. Because even without any multipliers, that level sixty-one priest was worth at least three hundred thousand. And he killed all of them.
"Can you convince someone with that shitty fake Status?"
"You'd be surprised," he chuckled. "Although it increases the number of times I'm kicked for no reason."
"Why are you following me for the last few days?"
"He looked embarrassed. "I don't know. Somehow I'm lured toward you. I can't take you off my mind. Maybe I'm in love?" He joked.
It was my time to chuckle. "You're too young for me. Follow me, we're going elsewhere."
He deftly jumped down. I could see his fur was already whitening, "Too young," He groused.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"Respect your Matriarch, cub," I growled.
I slithered for a few meters and sensed he'd frozen.
"Matriarch?" He mumbled.
"Yes, cub. That's why you're attracted to me. Now, come."
I shifted into Apricot but used a mix of Allorala and Rosewise's faces as a disguise. I went with my new friend to a tavern near the docks where we sat to talk. He told me his name was Devan and his tail was bushy like the Canadian bush rat. He had a way to dress and walk that made him appear harmless. He was on the island in an attempt to rescue Talia, his granddaughter, captured along with some other kin while traveling.
"The auction will be tomorrow. They ship with the slaves arrived this morning. It sailed slower than usual," Devan said. "Your contracts gave me something to play with."
We talked a bit more to plan how we'd rescue them. Devan was worried how we'd extract the freed slaves from the island but I knew how.
----------------------------------------
The next day, I went around the market shopping for exotic fruit, some trinkets, and practicing my [Appraiser] proficiency. An hour of sunlight was too little and I found several merchants vacated their stalls as the night returned, leaving a back section of the market empty. I noticed there was a raised stage there that was hidden by the now taken-down awnings and carts.
Its purpose was soon revealed when rows of people bound in chains came from inside a building next to the stage. I fired the {Appraise} at a particular neck adornment all of them wore.
> Slave collar
>
> Enchantments: Master Bond, Obedience, Punishment, Reduced Willpower, Reduced Ego.
I narrowed my eyes.
I took a spot near a wall and watched with disgust as the "product" was brought up on the stage. Since {Appraise} was no longer a universally-available Skill, they had a sign hanging from their neck with their Status. Class, levels, professions, Attributes, and whatever Perks the trader thought relevant to put up on display.
They brought some goblins and humans first. As I observed, the lowest-level merchandise was sold first. The goblins were hunted in the wilds, they had even fewer rights than Lamias, it seemed. The poor guys were so numerous the System ranked them as Common. I was forced to remember that the balance between the different species was across the entire species, not by individual. That's why I got a bump in my racial rarity. Lamias were an endangered species.
I noticed I had the attention of some slave traders but I also had the attention of several people in the market. There was a bubble around me where people didn't dare approach or cross. Back to the slaves.
The humans were war prisoners. Most of them had fighting Classes, [Warrior], [Soldier], [Man-At-Arms], This first batch had a common Class rarity and low levels. These were sold to visiting nobles and merchants as guards.
Next came the criminal slaves. They still didn't have a jail for common crimes, the effort to support such facilities was considered a waste of food and guards. They were either executed or sold as slaves. Not even in Windemere, I was able to create such a system. There was no slavery while I was the King and the criminals were either banished with a geas or executed in private. I hosted no public executions during my rule. The elves also went with either exile or death.
These criminals were bought by some pirate... I mean, merchant ship captains. Yeah. They didn't have an eyepatch or a hook hand, who was I to judge the good privateers?
The next lot got my blood boiling. Were-kin and beast-kin. They were presented as war prisoners, but a quick {Appraise} dismissed that entirely. They didn't have combat Classes. The bidding started and I made my move.
"Nobody moves or talks! You may only sit down where you stand if you so wish." I shouted. "This is both a {Royal Order} and a {Royal Geas}!" I excluded the beast-kin and were-kin from my command.
I sent all my jewelry to the item box and replaced it with the brigandine. Those that succumbed to the {Royal Order} wouldn't be able to fight the Geas, lowering the potential for draining my SP. Most people sat but two tried to resist and fell down screaming in pain before they stopped and vanished into my item box. The loot auto-collection features didn't discriminate against species. A kill was loot, period. At least geas kills were clean. No blood and very few body fluids leaked.
I slithered toward the stage and jumped on it. The slave trader was giving me a deathly glare. I approached a wererat girl. She was in her hybrid form and completely naked but I knew that wasn't a problem for her. I reached for her collar and felt a murderous intent coming from the roofs.
"It is okay, Talia!" I soothed her. "I'm with Devan. I won't hurt you."
> [Peddler]
>
> Level 29 were-rat female
She blinked some tears as I bent down as if to kiss her furry neck. I bit the collar and devoured the magic coursing through it. It took a few minutes in which a couple people that broke the geas expired.
I projected my voice inside the slave pens, making Devan's job of finishing the slave traders a cakewalk. I kept getting tithes from his kills. I made myself busy using my {Magic Eater} perk to dispel the collars while Nenandil healed the freed kin.
I didn't need to assert my authority. The kin could sense my {Matriarch} perk even though they didn't understand it yet. That plus the fact I was removing their collars got them following me and helping each other, especially with moral support. More than one kin wept.
Soldiers came rushing up the street. I rattled, drawing the attention of the kin.
"Everyone, go inside the pens. Nenandil, help Devan. I'll deal with things here."
The lead slave trader was not moving but he was glaring daggers at me. I returned the favor.
> [Merchant Lord]
>
> Level 67 human male.
The guards were securing the perimeter when I approached him. "War prisoners? I think not, liar. For the heinous crime of enslaving my children, there's only one punishment possible. I'll make it painless."
> Assassination successful. Contract fulfilled.
>
> For killing level 67 [Merchant Lord], you gained 78,873,839,830 ( base 44,890 x 1,757,047 multipliers)
> You reached Elemental Lamia [Water] level 9.
>
> You gained 1 human perk.
>
> You reached Royal Lamia Champion level 10.
>
> You gained 1 perk.
>
> You gained 40 Skill Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap were redistributed.
>
> You reached Cartographer level 48. You gained 6 HP.
>
> You reached Appraiser level 48. You gained 3 HP and 3 MP.
The Skill Points went to increase {Teaching} to Journeyman 37. I adjusted my display to level 99 and forty million HP. As for the perks, [Champion] had a nice one for shielding others, and from the human shop, I bought an upgrade for my messenger.
> You purchased the perk: Returning Messenger Bird (ultra-rare): Your messenger birds will wait next to the recipient of your message for one day for a return missive, then bring it back. The recipient will understand the bird is waiting for an answer and can dismiss it at any time before the day passes.
>
> You gained the perk: Attract Projectiles (very rare): Select 1 creature for every four points of Dexterity you have. All projectile attacks that target one of these creatures has a nine in ten chance of hitting you instead.
The guards were approaching. I checked with my partner.
The guards were walking carefully around the crowd still sitting in place.
"What is happening here..." The lead officer demanded and I felt the tingle of an {Appraise}. He quickly changed gears, "Your HIghness."
"The slave merchants were smuggling innocent people. I'm releasing them and putting all under my protection. Is there a problem?"
He looked around. "I'm sorry, milady. But do you have proof?"
I narrowed my eyes and rattled menacingly. "Do you doubt my word?"
"Of course not--"
"Just kidding," I grinned. "I have proof."
The girl came upon the stage. I waved her to get closer. "Now tell me, lieutenant. In what country a level twenty-nine [Peddler] is considered a combatant? Talia, where were you captured? Speak the truth, that's a {Royal Order}."
The girl blinked her messages away, "We were traveling down the road to Bristleburg with our wagon when we were ambushed by bandits, sir. We were then sold to slave merchants. We were not part of an army supply train or anything like that."
Before the lieutenant could speak, I added, "Even if they were, I know for a fact that noncombatants cannot become war slaves. Did that change during the last century?"
He shook his head, "Not to my knowledge, milady."
"I already delivered punishment to the traders," I declared and raised my voice so everyone in the market could hear. "I'm releasing you. Attempt any act of violence, and you'll feel my wrath. Thanks for your time, lieutenant. I'll see to my people."
He was about to say something and I waved him, "You are dismissed."
With a sigh, the man turned around and ordered his men to guard the market while the slave auction patrons went away, clearly angry by my stunt but unwilling to pick a fight out in the open. I knew there would be repercussions but I had zero fucks to give.
After releasing and healing all the kinfolk, I handed them clothes from my item box and prepared to leave. With my detection Skills active, I guided all of them out of the market. We had forty people. I had no idea what to do with them so I approached Devan.
"What are you doing now?" I asked.
"I'm afraid I didn't plan that further," the were-rat confessed.
"Wanna take your people to Pekothas with me? I might have a place where you'll be welcome and safe."
"Matriarch," he said seriously, "We'll follow you to the depths of the abyss. Especially if following you deepens our pockets like so."
I giggled, "Let's not go there, okay? And why do you mean by deep pockets?"
"We looted the slave traders. They were... not poor by any measure," he wiggled his whiskers mischievously.
The people on the streets glared at us. The inns refused to host us and I didn't want to press. I led the group to the harbor and sent some ghosts to find an empty warehouse. Once we located one, I broke in and led everyone inside.
The place was completely filthy. No wonder the warehouse wasn't being used, there were crates of rotten fruit everywhere. Probably abandoned. I shoved everything in the infinite item box and used house magic to clean the place. Then I took beds from the mansions I raided for them.
"Devan," I called the were-rat. "I'm going to get us a boat to sail across the ocean, I'm leaving Nenandil here to keep you safe."
I had to pay the wharfmaster a visit.