My wish was to pick my Perks and go hunt more anglerfish monsters. However, people always had a second plan. The small fleet that approached the atoll sailed fast toward us. I transformed into a fast bird and flew straight at them.
As I gained altitude and flew closer to the fleet of five ships, I saw another one, larger and with bigger ships giving chase. The air felt strange. I could sense swirls and eddies characteristic of someone using Wind magic to move great amounts of air at once as the turbulence briefly created small sheets of air with different temperatures. Even outside the water, {See Thermoclines} was showing its worth.
Some of the fleeing vessels, for the fleet ahead, couldn't be anything but had ballistae bolts lodged in their hull. Cannons didn't exist as the black powder wasn't yet invented and metallurgical science wasn't as advanced. Ballista was the go-to mundane weapon for naval warfare.
The well-dressed passengers in the first fleet watched the pursuers from the rear deck while sailors swarmed up and down the ropes and main deck, moving the sails and tugging the ropes in a concerted effort to make the most out of any change in the wind. A man, clearly a spellcaster, held a staff with a brightly glowing cyan orb in the frontmost ship, focusing intensely.
It was a pitiful scene. The face of dread in the passengers and sailors almost swallowed that little sliver of hope that they might survive. There were just a few true combatants, a few people with armor and weapons. Now that I took a closer look, the passengers were nobles from someplace. Clearly not Ackerton, as the ruling King would ask Kazuyran to send me a {Messeneger Bird} first.
All that was left was to check the pursuing fleet. Already I could sense they had more mass but also more mages. A gut feeling told me to turn on my Wellspring, set to affect only friendlies. I marked the people on those five ships as such and moved past them.
Twelve warships. Such was the size of the pursuers. These ships carried hundreds of well-armed and bloodthirsty sailors and warriors, all ready to spring into action and board the fleeing ships. Even if the ones in front had a level advantage, unless they had a powerhouse well into the fourth-tier or several third-tiers, it would be a slaughter. I doubted they did or they wouldn't be so desperate to escape.
But I couldn't let either of them get any further or they would crash into the atoll. Combat near the heart of Atlantis would be catastrophic. We had too many innocent, low-leveled, fragile, and naive mermaids that would surely want to get a peek at the surfacers fighting. While I was me, I couldn't guarantee their safety.
I circled between the two fleets and selected some abilities for my profession.
> Musician[217 / 274]
>
> * Enrapturing Lyrics: Add (Proficiency/15) to all social attempts conveyed by your vocals.
> * Control Acoustics: Reflect (Proficiency/5)% of the sound you generate going to one side toward the other, enhancing the volume going to the other side by that much.
> * Phantom Instruments: You can summon (Proficiency/50) phantom instruments to accompany you at the cost of 50MP/s for each.
> * Touching Performance: Creatures listening to your performance are (Proficiency/5)% less likely to ever forget it.
> * Survey Audience: Add (Proficiency/5) to all perception tests to detect threats to your audience.
With that in place, I started to sing. When I thought about peace, the first song that came to mind was Beethoven's 9th symphony, the 4th movement. The ode might be to joy, but how can there be joy while there was violence? My German was terrible not to say inexistent and I knew I was butchering the lyrics. But aside from some deity watching right now, there wasn't a single mortal that could understand it anyway. I triggered every single ability I could think of, including the five new abilities.
> Song of Peace
>
> Song of Enrapture
>
> Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
>
> Diva's Presence
>
> Center Stage
>
> Project Sound
>
> Inspiring Song
>
> Subduing Song
>
> Captive Audience
I summoned two violins, one oboe, one trombone, and a clarinet. I added six voices, two of each type except soprano which I did myself. The magic of my song washed over both fleets as my Proficiency increased the distance they could hear me by more than thirty times.
A white circle sprung into existence around both fleets as Nenandil froze the ocean and anchored the resulting iceberg on the seabed, blocking both ships from moving any further. It caused the ships to rise and tilt slightly.
I sang for ten minutes. As I watched, the System conducted contested tests for each person that attempted to resist. I won all of them with one exception. Someone had a huge string of bonuses to resist mental influence and was set free. {Survey Audience} pinpointed him to me. A man in black plate armor and a ridiculously large tower shield jumped from the pursuer's flagship toward the other fleet.
> Level 169 male Half-Elf [Dark Juggernaut]
That guy was Trouble with a capital T. He could make use of my performance to slaughter the entranced spectators even though he lost forty-one on all Skills and Attributes because he was being hostile. Ignoring me, he vaulted on the ice and started to run.
I dropped the song. {Lingering Performance} gave me twenty-one minutes before the others broke free of my influence. I also dropped from the sky as I targeted the [Dark Juggernaut]. I issued a challenge while throwing several of Bit's twenty-meter long ivory spikes in front of him to block his advance or at least make him pause.
> Champion's Duel.
>
> Contested Willpower check lost.
>
> Contested Ego check won.
That meant he could attack creatures other than me but could not flee from combat unless he defeated me. I set my title to the most ridiculous one I could. [God-Slayer Truesilver Heroine Princess]. I also set my base species and level to display. Finally, I triggered {Elder Elven Kinship} and assumed my true form with Apricot legs as I landed next to the fence of ivory. The gaps were large enough for any medium creature to pass through but they were there for dramatic purposes.
I nailed the landing and pointed a finger at him. "Stop, [Dark Juggernaut]. You infringe on our territory and are not welcome here. Drop your weapons and cease hostilities or I'll be forced to take your life."
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Cue in the Transformers G1 revolving emblem transition vignette [1]
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Cloy stared at the woman that descended from the sky, formerly the bird that was singing above them.
> [God-Slayer Truesilver Heroine Princess]
>
> Level 168 female dolphin-mermaid
>
> Status information blocked. Impossible to pierce. Target is not using forgery.
He double-checked the results of his {Appraisal}. That she foiled his {Pierce Forgery} was astonishing in itself. But the bits of information he gleaned, or that she left visible on purpose were all true. He felt as if he was once more in the Lierin forests of southern Auvanini. The presence she exuded was akin to one of the ancient elves.
Cloy wished he had studied more of his people Lore but he dedicated every waking moment of his life to perfecting his trade. Defending, hunting, and dealing death. The mermaid stood between him and his targets, the traitors of his liege. Heroine or not, he would get past her and strike true while they were still enraptured by her song. Readying his shield and sword, he struck.
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Without a word, the Juggernaut came. His sword shone as he triggered several offensive Perks. Attacking him would break several of my performance abilities, including the one stopping everyone else from doing so. Barehanded, I used {Aikido} to deflect his blow. The blade skid along the skin of my arm, leaving naught a scratch thanks to its Master rank ability.
The rascal tried to use the opportunity to bank to the side and make a beeline for the next gap between Bit's spikes. I circled around, trusting my Perk to stop him from escaping. He skidded on his heels and turned around, the posture of his shoulders showing that he was angry.
"I'm the [Champion] around these parts. You can only get past me once you defeat me, Juggernaut. Do you have a name to match the Class?"
He twirled the sword in his hand. Twenty minutes and everyone else could start to try and slaughter each other again.
"Who are you?" He hissed behind his closed helmet.
"I am one who walks through epochs. Never truly gone when killed yet still mortal. In the origins of the Auvani Empire, I was revered as the Great White Protector. In the forests of Fulgen, I was the Black Jaguar Calamity, then Queen Alloralla. In northern Pekothas I was the fairy that blessed the Werecat Princesses. In northern Auvanini I once rode a train of ice under the appellation of King Locksley of Windemere. And many others. I slew Bundeus and Nurha-Boenir along with the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Demon Lords. I am all that but right now I am Arista of Atlantis, [Princess] and [Champion] of the mermaid Kingdom and your opponent. Cease your aggression and let's talk, or face the consequences."
I knew my long introduction had its effects. Even if he spent the last century holed in a Dungeon leveling up, there was no way he hadn't heard of at least one of my incarnations. I heard his next whispered words. There was no reverence or hatred in them, only realization.
"Old Soul."