[“Hmm, trying to find their scent in this place is difficult,”] Saori complained. [“I thought a canine’s nose should be better than this but tracking with scent alone is a real challenge.”]
[“Could it be because your monster form hasn’t matured yet, Miss Saori?”] Tasianna questioned. ["Lady Hestia's dragon wings are currently incapable of bringing her into the sky due to their lack of growth."]
[“Yeah, Tasianna might be right,”] I concurred. [“You’re only two months old. It’s not that bad. We’re still going somewhere.”]
Saori and I have transformed back into our original forms to travel through this place slightly faster, also, so I could carry the unconscious virigress mother with Rajah. Our destination, or our goal, was to find Rajah’s two siblings, having been abducted while they were staying with the mother.
After I deduced she was trying to rescue her babies, I made sure to ask her as much as I could. It was honestly quite hard as we couldn't communicate through words nor paper. As it was with Rajah, we had to rely on gestures alone.
As she didn’t need to speak and had [Starvation], we couldn’t just leave her hungry while I questioned her. Saori and Tasianna did their best to help her drink and eat the rations we had.
From what I learned, she had three cubs which included Rajah. During the stampede that happened a few days ago, she was separated by Rajah during the whole chaos. Virigress usually hunted and lived in trees but due to a flock of birds and other tree climbers, Rajah fell down into the wave of monsters.
She and her two remaining cubs searched for him for a whole day but were unable to do so. As she couldn't just waste days and days to find one of her cubs while her others starved, she had to abandon Rajah to make sure her other two could survive. The cubs were able to hunt but she couldn’t risk having them hunt by themselves, at least when they were this young.
It was very likely that our party was the reason why the mother couldn't find Rajah during this time, as we did wander away from the area with him. Although, as a daughter myself, I wanted to condemn her for leaving Rajah to die, however, I understood it was the more reasonable choice. I could imagine how difficult it was for her to do so.
After all, the moment she found Rajah again, she groomed and showered him with affection that only a distraught mother would give her lost child. If that wasn’t evidence enough for her love for him, then I didn’t know what was.
Maybe it was the same thing with my dragon parents? I thought as I heard this from the virigress mother.
Anyways, as the herd of animals was fleeing to the north, she was forced by the circumstance to follow them. Predators follow the prey, a simple logical decision that led the group into this swampy rainforest a day earlier before us.
She found a massive lake deeper in the swamp and thought it was a well-suited area to hunt in, considering it was a hotspot for animal activity. Unfortunately, that idea was quickly squashed as that was when she noticed the giant crocodile-like thing emerging from the lake’s depths, forcing her to run away.
At that point, fortune completely left her. She was ambushed at a moment of inattentiveness by a thrown spear which lodged into her leg, while her cubs were stolen away from her. She would have also perished at that moment were it not for the fact she managed to injure one of her attackers, which forced the group to flee with the poisoned attacker.
She tried to pursue them but accidentally triggered the ottha group, which brought her to the brink of death until we saved her.
Through some very specific questions, I was able to learn that the group was all wielding weapons like spears, shields, and swords. They had four limbs, stood upright, were covered in scales from head to tail, and had reptile-like heads.
From then on, any fantasy lover should be able to guess who those individuals were. After all, while using my [Humanization Lv. 5] form, I literally looked like a female humanoid lizard, seeing as how my whole body was covered in scales.
I was talking about lizardmen, of course. Tasianna informed me that like dragonewts, lizardmen were counted among the beastmen. While dragonewts were the descendants of dragons, lizardman was a general term for any beastmen possessing a reptilian monster's blood.
Tasianna also warned me I should make sure I wasn’t mistaking lizardmen for saurians. Of course, I had to ask what saurians were, seeing as that was a fantasy race I had expected. She explained they were humanoid reptilians like lizardmen, however, they weren’t classified as beastmen since they lack a monster lineage.
They are inhabitants from a continent in the far west and are pious followers of Plesia. Although they looked more monstrous than lizardmen, they were apparently quite reasonable due to their faith. Lizardmen, on the other hand, come from the far east but she didn’t know what their main faith is.
If our quarry were saurians, then Tasianna, as a follower of Plesia, could settle this diplomatically. They would see reason, she assured us, although I found that a bit too naive to believe in.
Honestly, it depended quite a bit on what they did to those cubs. I’ve only known Rajah for a bit, but his sadness was my sadness. If they had killed or maimed those cubs, then I would show them the full wrath of a pet owner. Diplomacy could kiss my scaly butt if it's the worst-case scenario.
However, I was still sane enough to not go “murder” some intelligent people. Honestly, living in this forest had made me get used to the whole killing stuff, but I still prefered if I had a semblance of humanity left. Being a dragon didn’t matter here. I wanted a little bit of the human me inside my soul.
As such, we needed to mount a rescue operation. Saori, Tasianna, and I agreed we had to go handle this smartly.
As mentioned before, our potential enemies were lizardmen, and after analysing the spear, Saori deduced we were going up against properly equipped opponents. It wasn’t crudely-made from sticks and stones from the forest, no, the spear’s wooden shaft was polished and a metal spearhead, evident of a blacksmith or metalworker in their midst. Also, it was worn down, so whoever used it must have had some experience with it.
These lizardmen weren’t like the kobolds and orcs I had met in this forest, they were people who came from the outside. Potentially, adventurers.
Regardless of the truth, I wanted to rescue Rajah’s siblings. Family was important to me, so I understood the mother’s desire to rescue her children well. Still, even in her burning focus to save them, she showed quite a reaction when we returned to our original forms. She was soooo shocked, she instinctively moved away from us, before I stopped her with [Telepathy].
Rajah, on the other hand, already knew about it and wasn’t really shocked. Frankly, he had no real reaction when we showed it to him the first time. Somehow… he just accepted it. Nothing else. He was nuzzling his head at me despite my larger size.
He was a true cutie. An undisciplined but adorable cutie.
Traveling through the swamp, the mother finally succumbed to her physical exhaustion and fell asleep. Tasianna decided to clean her from all the muck and blood as she found it disgusting how she was sitting on my back while being dirty.
Once cleaned, her rich green fur returned, resembling Rajah’s. I also noticed she didn’t look like a tiger at all, now that the mud was gone, which confused me ‘cause Rajah looked like a tiger’s cub.
The mother had the appearance of a jaguar so maybe male virigresses were more tiger-like while females were jaguar-like? Sexual dimorphism wasn’t anything to be surprised about. Or, maybe they turned into jaguar when they grew up.
[“I think they are close by… at least I hope my nose is correct.”] After a good deal of walking and tree hoping, Saori suddenly stopped. She was uncertain, but it was better than nothing.
[“Then, this is where we humanize,”] I said.
Tasianna insisted we resolved this situation peacefully, so I would at least try it. Being a dragon in this sorta situation… might help? It could also ruin everything, but I would hold a roar in reserve, in case.
You could call me hypocritical in this situation, as I have killed monsters for less, like those wyverns. Killing some “intelligent” lizardmen didn’t seem any different from fighting those trolls. Sure, it was self-defense in both cases, but I wasn’t dumb enough to not acknowledge what I did.
Still, this was my life, and killing had become a necessity for me. Sadly.
In any case, now humanized, I gave everybody a short briefing, [“Ok, first we’ll look for the cubs. If they are still alive then we will try diplomacy, otherwise…”]
I didn’t end my sentence as everybody here knew what I was about to say.
With Saori carrying the sleeping virigress mother, our group slowly prowled through the trees, all having [Stealth] and [Presence Killer] active. Rajah was especially motivated as his siblings' lives were at stake.
Once we were close enough, we then climbed up a tree and continued from there. The dense leaves of the trees helped cover the blue dresses Saori and I were wearing.
Looking down, a group of bipedal lizards came into sight. They had scales of various colors cover their bodies while wearing a layer of badly maintained clothes.
As I expected, considering they were lizardmen, they looked exactly that. All of them had lizard-like heads, making them look a bit intimidating and hard to gauge with all the scales on their faces. Some had bone spikes protruding from their backs, while others had frills and webbing growing from their heads, acting like hair.
Sexual dimorphism was apparent with them, too. The males had large, bulky bodies with rough scales which looked like the plating of a crocodile, while the females were taller and had leaner bodies with more smooth, vibrant-colored scales. Certainly shinier, similar to snakes.
The male lizardmen were armed while the females only had small knives as they carried berries, mushrooms, and firewood with their arms. From the lit campfire, I presumed they were about to make camp.
[“Some of them have armor but most of them… well, they are rags,”] Saori pointed out. ["Honestly, they look like cavemen. There was no style, creativity, or anything poured into their clothes at all. They were just made to cover their essentials and that was it. Are they really adventurers?”]
Due to the spear and how they were able to outsmart the virigress mum, I had a different image of the group in my mind. The armor didn’t look very expensive, but it didn’t have any holes like their clothes. If you disregarded their weapons and armor, then they seemed more like a group of impoverished people.
Still, what the hell were they doing so deep in the forest then?! Aside from a few people being equipped, they still didn’t have many tools; they weren’t even carrying around baskets or bags. This was beyond stupid, or was I not understanding some cultural trial or ritual here?
Identify.
Name: Caszcur Level: 11 Race: Krokus Lizardman
Age: 32 Years Job: Carpenter
Status: Health: 249/383 Mana: 35/35
Strength: 209 Intelligence: 45
Vitality: 109 Wisdom: 73
Agility: 94 Stamina: 198/311
Effects: None
Skill: Physical skills and related:
[Enhanced Claws Lv. 3] [Enhanced Fangs Lv. 3] [Spear Technique Lv. 2]
[Unarmed Technique Lv. 3]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 1] [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 2] [Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 2]
[Enhanced Vision Lv. 1] [Tracking Lv. 1] [Night Vision Lv. 3]
[Evasion Lv. 1] [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 1] [Swimming Lv. 4]
[Aquatic Fighter Lv. 1]
Resistances:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 3] [Pain Resistance Lv. 2] [Disease Resistance Lv. 3]
[Bleeding Resistance Lv. 3] [Poison Resistance Lv. 3]
[Paralyzation Resistance Lv. 2] [Torpor Resistance Lv. 1]
[Wind Resistance Lv. 1] [Water Resistance Lv. 2]
Stat growth and related:
[Health Recovery Lv. 3] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 2]
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 1]
Others:
[Cooking Lv. 2] [Dismantle Lv. 3] [Woodworking Lv. 5] [Craftsman Lv. 4]
[Blacksmith Lv. 1] [Metalwork Lv. 1] [Handiwork Lv. 2]
Ability List: Spear abilities:
[Pierce] [Flash Pierce]
Beastmen had higher parameters in all their stats except for Mana, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Still, despite their physical prowess, they were supposedly considered weaker than humans during the System-less era.
Sure enough, his stats were enough to take down every G and F rank monster in this place, but it wasn’t enough to fight against an E rank. This guy seemed like the leader of this group but in a solo fight, he would have had no chance against the virigress mother, who was an E rank.
Still, “Carpenter?” This guy's Job was a carpenter and he was supposed to be the leader? From observing the group, I saw him giving orders to everybody in the camp and both his stats and appearance screamed: "I'm the head honcho."
Which meant, these guys weren't hunters, poachers, nor "adventurers," they were simply normal people. Which meant, why were they so deep in this place? I couldn’t call this being stupid, otherwise they wouldn’t have reached this place. There had to be another reason why they were here.
I couldn’t even be mad. I was dumbfounded.
[“Hmm.”] And from the look of it, Saori seemed to share this though.
[“Either they’re looking down at our birthplace, or we have some reluctant intruders, Saori,”] I voiced my thoughts. [“The Belzac forest is not a forgiving place and these people are coming in here completely unprepared. Look at them as they continue preparing their camp, none the wiser that a cadejo and a dragon are spying on them.”]
Saori glanced at me, showing me a nod. [“True. Look, I found the cubs”]
Directing my eyes over at the direction Saori was pointing at, I could see the cubs trapped in a wooden cage, made with twigs and thatch holding them together. The cubs were dirty, their green fur lost the vibrancy that Rajah’s had, and they were shivering meekly, scared of what was about to happen to them. Besides being hungry and slightly bruised, they were in better shape than when we found their mother.
…!
I took a deep breath.
[“Chiiiill,”] Saori caressed my back. [“Try speaking with them first and if the negotiation turns bad, I will drop down and rescue the cubs. After that, you may do what you like, Hestia.”]
[“They don’t have [Telepathy] but most beastmen should know Common tongue,”] Tasianna said. [“I’ll translate your words so let us hope that they are rational enough to listen to us.”]
Ok… deep breathes …in … and out. Calm yourself, Hestia. Smother the flame.
[“Rajah,”] I turned my eyes to his. [“You stay up here and help Saori out, ok? Be a good boy and listen to her. I promise, whatever happens, I will save and bring back your siblings.”]
Rajah gave an affirming meow and nuzzled his head around my legs, probably telling me he believed in me. Now I really couldn’t mess it up.
[“Saori, I’ll leave Plan B to you. Take care of these two for me, ok?”] I told her.
[“Leave it to me. Go in and break a bone… uhh, not literally and please do not do it before everything derails,”] Saori awkwardly reassured me.
I giggled a bit, seeing as she used a showbiz idiom, before realizing I might take it seriously… Well, I wouldn’t if everything works out peacefully.
Tasianna and I dropped off the tree and slid back into the shadows of the trees. With our stealth skills deactivated, we walked over to the border of the camp.
If something were to happen, then their attention would be directed at me and their backs would face Saori. They might be weak, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious, especially when we didn’t know if they had a trick up their sleeves.
Now in their view, we confidently walked towards them, which agitated the guards.
“Saaaah! Lappsasha! Lappsasha! Hiiljka gu Caszcur!” one of them yelled out, before running into the camp while the rest readied their weapons.
[“I can confirm they speak Common, Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna announced. [“His accent was thick, but I will be able to understand them.”]
[“What did he say?”] I asked.
I managed to understand “Lappsasha,” which was “intruder,” and “Caszcur” but everything else was swallowed by the lizard-like hissing accent. Even if I wanted to prance around with my language skills, I would just embarrass myself right now. I was relatively still a novice and handling a volatile situation like this required perfect speaking and listening skills.
[“He said, ‘Saaaah! Intruder! Intruder! Send for Caszcur!’”] Tasianna translated. [“ ‘Saaah’ was just a war cry, or maybe it was more akin to ‘aaaah’?”]
As much as this discussion would be terribly interesting, my focus was reserved for the people pointing their weapons at me, essentially threatening me. That alone caused the survival instincts I had cultivated during these months to activate. I was already considering them enemies.
I couldn’t see how I was looking at them, but I was sure my [Terror Aura] was leaking. It felt like they were disrespecting me right now, and I could even smell their fear of me. It was clear these guys weren’t trained soldiers nor fighters as their quaking legs couldn’t handle my glare for more than five seconds. They collapsed onto the ground and soiled themselves.
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
This pitiful scene was enough to loosen the tension inside me.
How the ehell could grown adult lizardmen be terrorized by a small girl like me? I only went up to their stomachs and you were telling me they couldn’t even handle being stared at by me?! They were armored and armed too, while I was only wearing a one-piece and some socks.
OMG, this totally killed any sense of urgency I had. I felt bad! So lame…
Gosh, what am I doing scaring people like this? A dragon should act more dignified and not act like a feral beast. They can’t harm me. Getting angry at them for being terrified at my presence is just childish!
Urgh, calm down. Patience. Like what Saori said. Patience. Patience like a saint.
“Jaka-?! Jakaop sus buzta ki lire?!” Suddenly, the lizardman, Caszcur, arrived with the guard who called for him. “Wuh niji! Jukaop… haji sa kiljaja?”
[“…Urgh … he said, ‘Wha-? What is going on here?! You two! Who… wait, an insect?’”] Tasianna told me dejectedly, frowning deeply. [“I-I’ll… begin establishing communications at your command, Princess Hestia.”]
[“No ‘Princess Hestia,’ address me as usual, Tasianna,”] I told her before she started speaking with the lizardmen group’s leader. ["Do you actually believe they will take us seriously when you address me like a princess, hell, what are we supposed to do when they actually do take it seriously, huh? Please, don’t expose me."]
[“Yes, of course, Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna bowed to me, then turned to the lizardman named Caszcur. [“I would like to request that you turn your frown into a smile, my Lady. It would do us no good, otherwise.”]
True, true.
Obediently listening to Tasianna’s advice, I slouched my shoulders before readjusting my posture, displaying everything I learned from my etiquette lessons on Earth. Casting the frown away, I first let my face regain its default state for a second before moving my muscles to change my expression. Considering what just… uhh, happened, I didn’t think an extravagant smile would do.
Considering these people were practically “normal” working class and what my face just looked like, I thought a neutral expression with a slight smile would be more appropriate. Make them feel comfortable without overdoing it but still showing I meant business through my eye contact.
In the meantime, Tasianna also told me she would be translating everything to me through [Telepathy] in real-time as best as she could despite splitting concentration. I wish I were able to participate in the negotiation to alleviate Tasianna's need to translate everything, but a week and a few days were not enough to learn a completely foreign language with no similarity to English, German, or Japanese.
“May your wellspring of life be ever filled with joy by the Depth Goddess on this fine WaterDay,” still flapping her wings mid-air, Tasianna gave a polite curtsy as an introduction.
Tasianna wasn’t an extremely religious person but she still showed great piety towards the gods by counting each day, making sure she knew what day it was. As each day of a week, besides the seventh, was dedicated to the gods, she found it important to count them.
There were specific religious greetings for each day, and followers of that day’s god would mention them. We knew they were lizardmen at this point, maybe they were followers of the Church of Plesia, as Tasianna was.
Tasianna continued, “My name is Tasianna, a fairy, and I speak in the name of my mistress, Lady Hestia. May I ask for your name?”
“WaterDay?! I see…” the tall lizardman showed some surprise, not only ‘cause Tasianna spoke but was also focused on the name of the day. “My name is Caszcur, the leader of this group of lizardfolk. Why are you asking, huh? What do you and that scalekin want?”
Guess our attempt was a dud. They probably follow some other god.
As Caszcur regained his bearing, he responded to Tasianna with a powerful voice fitting for a man of his size. This gave the lizardmen guards who pissed their pants a chance to stand up. They then ran to their leader’s side, and once again pointed their weapons at us, although with shaking legs.
Feeling like a bully after what I did, I didn’t feel anything but pity for them. They clearly wanted to flee, but in this place, showing weakness could get you killed. Still showing such hostility wasn’t good. This Caszcur was clearly suspicious of us, to the point he wasn’t ordering them to lower their weapons. This diplomacy opportunity wasn’t going so well.
Still, don’t trust random people. I nearly made that terrible mistake with that slime once, almost getting touched by that eldritch horror.
“We would like to speak about the virigress cubs you have in your camp,” undeterred by his attitude, Tasianna stated our goals.
He frowned, looking confused. “What is a ‘virigress’ supposed to be?”
“Those are the green felines that you have captured. They are in your camp, no?” Tasianna explained.
Sharpening his eyes, Caszcur’s suspicion towards us did not waver, “And how in Marsven’s name do you know that, huh? Spying on us?! Were you sent by those damn green rats?! You two are not welcome here so stop slithering around our tails!”
Green rats?
[“This rude fellow doesn’t seem very willing to speak,”] Tasianna stated. [“Still, they seem to be followers of Marsven, the God of the Darkness, and through proxy, probably also Edna’s.”]
From Tasianna’s lectures, I learned that Marsven, the God ruling over the dark element, and Edna, the Goddess of Monsters and Fertility, were one of two god couples. Compared to Marsven, Edna was once a mortal who was given apotheosis by Marsven to become both his wife and Subordinate Goddess.
“We would like to request that you free them,” Tasianna demanded.
“Free? And why should we do that, huh?” Caszcur, finally losing his patience for us, unsheathed his sword. “I won’t say it again, leave us now, otherwise we will kill you two!”
“Huuuh???” I unwillingly let out ridiculing growl at his ultimatum.
“What was that?! You young scale, what do you think we are doing? We are threatening you!” The lizard jock, annoyed by my growl, pointed his sword at me. Distressed by the situation, he wasn’t thinking clearly it seemed.
Scalekin? Young scale? I guess those are terms lizardmen address others with scales? I see.
"Control yourself!" Tasianna shouted as she flew in front of me to stand in between me and the sword point. “We are here in peace, but you are showing us unneeded animosity. I suggest you correct your rude behavior and show Lady Hestia a bit more respect.”
While Tasianna showed no hostility when she was threatened, genuine anger surfaced when the lizardman leader directed his sword at me. Her stare, as cold as the freezing south pole, pierced through the lizardmen's body as an icy mist started to materialize around her hands, a sign her [Frost Body] was activating.
All the lizardmen flinched from this sight, instinctively knowing if they were to anger us any further, that a fight would happen. The guards who had to endure my early presence all looked at each other, already knowing how frightening I could become.
The group began talking with each other quietly, believing I wouldn’t be able to hear them. Eavesdropping might be considered rude, but they were rude to me first, so this was only fair. I told Tasianna what I heard, and she translated it for me.
“C-Caszcur, let us lower our weapons and hear them out,” a guard said.
“What?!” Caszcur spat out. “You idiot, what are you suggesting, huh?! These people are dangerous, and we don’t even know if they are headhunters sent by that army of monsters. We haven’t sacrificed everybody back then just to be caught here!”
“B-But, isn’t the girl a lizardfolk, also? She might have more human blood but scalekin is scalekin, right?" another guard responded, calling me a lizardman. Presumably, since I didn’t have my wings out — I couldn’t fly, so why inconvenience myself — he thought I was one of them.
Army of monsters? Human blood? Ignoring the former, it seemed like there was a misunderstanding about my race.
[“Tasianna, tell them I’m a dragonewt,”] I told my fairy friend.
Acknowledging my request, Tasianna spoke to the lizardmen, “Excuse me but there seems to be a misunderstanding. My Lady is not a lizardman, but a dragonewt of Loatryx.”
Loatryx? Oooh, right, the dragonewt country.
Realizing that we overheard them, everybody froze in surprise, only Caszcur was able to continue speaking, "Y-You eavesdropped on us. W-What the hell is wrong with you. Have you no… urgh, HEY, what are you doing?!"
Before he could continue speaking, a few of the guards threw their weapon on the ground and grabbed him, “Caszcur, you idiot, stop speaking and cool down your head, first!”
“By Marsven’s name, didn't she just tell us that she's a dragonewt? That means she's neither a slave nor a headhunter, r-right?" another guard said in a panic.
“Kargryxmor! She must be a follower of the dragon god! She might also have other companions!” another said energetically.
“We’re so close! We’re saved! D-Down on your knees! We need to apologize for threatening the young scale!”
With simultaneously nodding, every single guard threw Caszcur to the side like a ragdoll and then ran towards me before prostrating in front of me, while shouting “Ilsa lek gaznunt! Plersiz, ilsa histe!”.
[“… Uhhh, t-they are shouting ‘We are sorry! Please, help us!’… Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna translated, flabbergasted.
How in the hell did this happen! Weren’t we hating each other just a minute ago?!
I was obviously surprised by all of this. I mean, we threatened each other just a second ago and now these people were on their knees, begging me for help. If I had known this beforehand, I probably would have begun with the whole dragonewt thing!
All this uproar was loud enough that most of the other lizardmen from the camp came over to see what was happening. A whole crowd began forming before me, all curiously watching a group of adults begging a young dragon girl in an almost pitiful way.
While I would consider them idiots for doing this, I couldn’t help but feel extreme embarrassment from being apologized in such a way. Instead of a burning fire inside my chest, it seemed like it was eaten up by the soaring flames heating inside my head — cringe.
The blood rushing up to my brain began making me dizzy as I wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. This wasn’t what we planned! It wasn’t even close to what I wanted to do here!
[“Tasianna! Tell them to stand up at once, please! They need to stop prostrating this instance!”] I shouted flustered.
However, despite her efforts, everything was drowned by the synchronized voices of the lizardmen guards shouting from the top of their lungs. Influenced by this, the whole crowd of lizardmen behind them also began speaking louder and louder. Could somebody please shut these idiots up!
… Somebody besides me, please!
“Shut up!” As if he heard my plea, the lizardman Caszcur stood up and ran at the prostrating guards, shouting at them, all while throwing them back on their feet. “You krill eaters, have you all forgotten about that giant monster that destroyed everything a few days ago?! Is everybody in this camp trying to kill themselves by telling it our location! Shut up already!”
Once he managed to calm everybody down, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh from this, silently thanking him.
“And you!” However, it didn’t take long for him to once again direct his anger at me, now pointing his sharp finger at me. “I don’t care if you’re a dragonewt or whatever, but I won’t endanger everybody here for somebody as suspicious as you. Leave now!”
“We will not leave without the virigress cubs,” Tasianna retorted adamantly from the side.
Turning his head to the side to give her a glance for a second, he suddenly grabbed my jaw with his hand and then continued shouting, close enough that his spit was touching the [Draconic Barrier] covering my face, “Why aren’t you speaking, huh?! Do you think you dragonewts are better than us? Or are you just unwilling to talk to a slave? You’re not an adventurer, not a soldier. Why are you here?!”
Oh, he had the same idea as I did. I did look rather out of place.
“Kosh saf obiero juc ils,” I said nonchalantly, feeling no threat from this overgrown lizard. (Get your hand off me,)
Hearing me say that seemed to have agitated him even further, “Now you’re talking, huh? Without you attendant flying in front of you, of course, you would have to speak for yourself, you spoiled skink— GAAAAAARGH!”
Screaming in pain, Caszcur released his hand from my jaw and began wailing on the ground, holding his hand that was pierced by an [Ice Spike].
[“Lady Hestia! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! I can’t believe that I let you get touched by that savage! I’m so sorry that I reacted too slowly,”] Tasianna exclaimed, tears in her eyes as she apologized to me. [“I’m still too slow, I’m so sorry. I should have protected you the moment, I felt ge—”]
[“Tasianna, everything is alright,”] I interrupted her. [“I never was in any threat at all. He only needed me to vent his stress out and I was willing to do so. I should be the one to say sorry for making you worry.”]
Caszcur’s power was merely below an E rank monster. He couldn’t even hurt me even if he actually wanted to. Physically, I might look feeble in comparison to him but the stat difference between us was unquestionable.
It was actually a mistake of him to come this close to me. He might have thought he could crush my head in case I resisted him, but my claws only needed a second to skewer his heart out of his body. Not to mention, my scale-dust exploding in his face.
“You beast!” Accepting my apology with a bow, Tasianna then turned her anger towards Caszcur. “How dare you sully Lady Hestia’s face! You deserved being hit by that ice spell!”
“Y-You did this to me?!” Caszcur said incredulously. “Y-You two tail polishers! Sakanta kroac kroks! I will… ARGHHH, KROAC, MY BACK!”
Krill eaters, skink, and now tail polishers? Are they insults? What are they supposed to mean?
While I was analyzing these weird idioms and words, Saori appeared out of nowhere, carrying the virigress mother on her back, Rajah with her left hand, and the cage with the cubs with the right. Hearing what Caszcur was saying to me, she stomped her feet onto his back, pushing his face into the mud.
[“Mission complete. Nice work attracting mostly everybody from the camp,”] Saori said, ignoring the cussing lizardman struggling under her feet.
[“Well, not like I planned that, but it was better than spilling blood,”] I said before realizing the frozen blood on Caszcur’s hand. [“Well, we didn’t spill much blood at least.”]
“Tail polishers!” Caszcur shouted out. “Everybody, look at them stealing our food! That skink lass is no savior, she’s just a filthy thief.”
His pained shouts were loud enough that most of the lizardmen were confused by that. A few began to hiss and yell at me, while others looked scared at the tense situation. Ignorant of our abilities, the angry mob was compelled to attack us for rescuing the cubs.
Haaaaa… I probably shouldn’t hurt them. Some of them are Kargryxmor’s followers. Better not anger that big lizard, I thought as I saw the guards prostrating, again. These people were just scared.
Which just reminded me of that painful memory of the kobolds. Of those kobold children trying to protect the bodies of their parents…
I am strong now. I don’t need to make a mistake, again.
“Thief? Me?” I responded in my defense, doing my best to sound clear with my Common. “Wrong. My friend’s family is not your food!”
I took a step forth while my [Terror Aura] was fully released, scaring all of the lizardmen who even tried to attack us. Saori grabbed my shoulder, looking at me with disapproval, probably thinking I was letting my rage out. Understandably, and I made sure I understood that part when I winked to her, telling her I was in full control of my emotions.
[“I’ll trust you,”] she handed me full reins to do a charisma check on these lizardmen.
Turning back around, Caszcur had already stood up, back to pointing his sword at while everybody else cowered away. [Terror (Major)] were all in their status boards, while the jock had [Terror (Moderate)]. He was really doing well, putting up a brave front to protect his people.
Smirking at his substantial performance, I drew closer to him. He began to tremble out of control, unable to even do anything when I shoved his sword away with my hand. His crocodile-like jaw hung loosely as his eyes watched in horror, believing this was it for him.
“The—”
“PLEARSIZ! PLEARSIZ, KTOPA!”
Before I could actually say what I wanted, another group of lizardmen started prostrating in front of me. It felt like déjà vu but that was ‘cause I recognized these people; they were the guards from before.
“PLEASIZ! ILLSA HAT OVLA BUMANTAMEND! PLEASIZ, OH KALMN LATHUE!” the guards shouted, weeping at the very same time.
As Tasianna wasn’t translating anymore, I was unable to understand them. Asking her, she told me they said, “Please! Please, stop! Please! We ask for forgiveness! Please, oh fair-scaled one!”
It seemed that every single one of these lizardman guards were talented in speaking out simultaneously, as their combined voices were even more powerful than before. They would make a great choir.
“Hiehie,” I giggled at what I heard, finding these guys even more interesting than before. Knowing I had their full attention, I deactivated my [Terror Aura] before pulling out a bowl full of veggies and meat.
“Then, how about you help us, we help you?” I suggested, shocking everybody in the vicinity at what I planned. Although, I went a bit overboard with it, I was sure I managed to show how powerful I was to them.
Powerful enough to protect them if need be.
[“Tell that one to stand up,”] I told Tasianna while pointing at the lizardman who spoke out first. [“Ask him if they are willing to make some friends. If he is, then ask for his name and that he will lead the negotiation from now onwards.”]
I might have handled this like a thug, but from how they all reacted, the only way I could stop them was with a big surprise. Either I could show my dragon form or show them I was so strong, I wouldn’t need to worry about them. But at the same time, ‘cause I was so strong, I could also help them if they needed.
Sure, they admitted to trying to turn Rajah’s sibling into a meal, but from what I learned during this discussion, these people were desperate. Even admitted to being slaves. A normal dragon would have killed them for disrespecting their friend, but I was an idol, too.
And allowing a chance to make some fans disappear was something I couldn’t allow, especially since some of them worshipped Kargryxmor so much, they respected me purely ‘cause I was a dragonewt.
Besides, making some potential new friends wouldn’t hurt. They don’t seem bad.
Completely intimidated, the new de facto lizardman leader introduced himself as Aksmias before bidding us to follow them into the camp. Knowing the lizardmen were staring at my bowl of food like hungry beggars, I shared our party’s food with them, earning me a defeated sigh from Saori.
At least, she praised what I did.
AbyssRaven First contact with a small tribe, and it's a bunch of lizardmen.
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[“Hmm, trying to find their scent in this place is difficult,”] Saori complained. [“I thought a canine’s nose should be better than this but tracking with scent alone is a real challenge.”]
[“Could it be because your monster form hasn’t matured yet, Miss Saori?”] Tasianna questioned. ["Lady Hestia's dragon wings are currently incapable of bringing her into the sky due to their lack of growth."]
[“Yeah, Tasianna might be right,”] I concurred. [“You’re only two months old. It’s not that bad. We’re still going somewhere.”]
Saori and I have transformed back into our original forms to travel through this place slightly faster, also, so I could carry the unconscious virigress mother with Rajah. Our destination, or our goal, was to find Rajah’s two siblings, having been abducted while they were staying with the mother.
After I deduced she was trying to rescue her babies, I made sure to ask her as much as I could. It was honestly quite hard as we couldn't communicate through words nor paper. As it was with Rajah, we had to rely on gestures alone.
As she didn’t need to speak and had [Starvation], we couldn’t just leave her hungry while I questioned her. Saori and Tasianna did their best to help her drink and eat the rations we had.
From what I learned, she had three cubs which included Rajah. During the stampede that happened a few days ago, she was separated by Rajah during the whole chaos. Virigress usually hunted and lived in trees but due to a flock of birds and other tree climbers, Rajah fell down into the wave of monsters.
She and her two remaining cubs searched for him for a whole day but were unable to do so. As she couldn't just waste days and days to find one of her cubs while her others starved, she had to abandon Rajah to make sure her other two could survive. The cubs were able to hunt but she couldn’t risk having them hunt by themselves, at least when they were this young.
It was very likely that our party was the reason why the mother couldn't find Rajah during this time, as we did wander away from the area with him. Although, as a daughter myself, I wanted to condemn her for leaving Rajah to die, however, I understood it was the more reasonable choice. I could imagine how difficult it was for her to do so.
After all, the moment she found Rajah again, she groomed and showered him with affection that only a distraught mother would give her lost child. If that wasn’t evidence enough for her love for him, then I didn’t know what was.
Maybe it was the same thing with my dragon parents? I thought as I heard this from the virigress mother.
Anyways, as the herd of animals was fleeing to the north, she was forced by the circumstance to follow them. Predators follow the prey, a simple logical decision that led the group into this swampy rainforest a day earlier before us.
She found a massive lake deeper in the swamp and thought it was a well-suited area to hunt in, considering it was a hotspot for animal activity. Unfortunately, that idea was quickly squashed as that was when she noticed the giant crocodile-like thing emerging from the lake’s depths, forcing her to run away.
At that point, fortune completely left her. She was ambushed at a moment of inattentiveness by a thrown spear which lodged into her leg, while her cubs were stolen away from her. She would have also perished at that moment were it not for the fact she managed to injure one of her attackers, which forced the group to flee with the poisoned attacker.
She tried to pursue them but accidentally triggered the ottha group, which brought her to the brink of death until we saved her.
Through some very specific questions, I was able to learn that the group was all wielding weapons like spears, shields, and swords. They had four limbs, stood upright, were covered in scales from head to tail, and had reptile-like heads.
From then on, any fantasy lover should be able to guess who those individuals were. After all, while using my [Humanization Lv. 5] form, I literally looked like a female humanoid lizard, seeing as how my whole body was covered in scales.
I was talking about lizardmen, of course. Tasianna informed me that like dragonewts, lizardmen were counted among the beastmen. While dragonewts were the descendants of dragons, lizardman was a general term for any beastmen possessing a reptilian monster's blood.
Tasianna also warned me I should make sure I wasn’t mistaking lizardmen for saurians. Of course, I had to ask what saurians were, seeing as that was a fantasy race I had expected. She explained they were humanoid reptilians like lizardmen, however, they weren’t classified as beastmen since they lack a monster lineage.
They are inhabitants from a continent in the far west and are pious followers of Plesia. Although they looked more monstrous than lizardmen, they were apparently quite reasonable due to their faith. Lizardmen, on the other hand, come from the far east but she didn’t know what their main faith is.
If our quarry were saurians, then Tasianna, as a follower of Plesia, could settle this diplomatically. They would see reason, she assured us, although I found that a bit too naive to believe in.
Honestly, it depended quite a bit on what they did to those cubs. I’ve only known Rajah for a bit, but his sadness was my sadness. If they had killed or maimed those cubs, then I would show them the full wrath of a pet owner. Diplomacy could kiss my scaly butt if it's the worst-case scenario.
However, I was still sane enough to not go “murder” some intelligent people. Honestly, living in this forest had made me get used to the whole killing stuff, but I still prefered if I had a semblance of humanity left. Being a dragon didn’t matter here. I wanted a little bit of the human me inside my soul.
As such, we needed to mount a rescue operation. Saori, Tasianna, and I agreed we had to go handle this smartly.
As mentioned before, our potential enemies were lizardmen, and after analysing the spear, Saori deduced we were going up against properly equipped opponents. It wasn’t crudely-made from sticks and stones from the forest, no, the spear’s wooden shaft was polished and a metal spearhead, evident of a blacksmith or metalworker in their midst. Also, it was worn down, so whoever used it must have had some experience with it.
These lizardmen weren’t like the kobolds and orcs I had met in this forest, they were people who came from the outside. Potentially, adventurers.
Regardless of the truth, I wanted to rescue Rajah’s siblings. Family was important to me, so I understood the mother’s desire to rescue her children well. Still, even in her burning focus to save them, she showed quite a reaction when we returned to our original forms. She was soooo shocked, she instinctively moved away from us, before I stopped her with [Telepathy].
Rajah, on the other hand, already knew about it and wasn’t really shocked. Frankly, he had no real reaction when we showed it to him the first time. Somehow… he just accepted it. Nothing else. He was nuzzling his head at me despite my larger size.
He was a true cutie. An undisciplined but adorable cutie.
Traveling through the swamp, the mother finally succumbed to her physical exhaustion and fell asleep. Tasianna decided to clean her from all the muck and blood as she found it disgusting how she was sitting on my back while being dirty.
Once cleaned, her rich green fur returned, resembling Rajah’s. I also noticed she didn’t look like a tiger at all, now that the mud was gone, which confused me ‘cause Rajah looked like a tiger’s cub.
The mother had the appearance of a jaguar so maybe male virigresses were more tiger-like while females were jaguar-like? Sexual dimorphism wasn’t anything to be surprised about. Or, maybe they turned into jaguar when they grew up.
[“I think they are close by… at least I hope my nose is correct.”] After a good deal of walking and tree hoping, Saori suddenly stopped. She was uncertain, but it was better than nothing.
[“Then, this is where we humanize,”] I said.
Tasianna insisted we resolved this situation peacefully, so I would at least try it. Being a dragon in this sorta situation… might help? It could also ruin everything, but I would hold a roar in reserve, in case.
You could call me hypocritical in this situation, as I have killed monsters for less, like those wyverns. Killing some “intelligent” lizardmen didn’t seem any different from fighting those trolls. Sure, it was self-defense in both cases, but I wasn’t dumb enough to not acknowledge what I did.
Still, this was my life, and killing had become a necessity for me. Sadly.
In any case, now humanized, I gave everybody a short briefing, [“Ok, first we’ll look for the cubs. If they are still alive then we will try diplomacy, otherwise…”]
I didn’t end my sentence as everybody here knew what I was about to say.
With Saori carrying the sleeping virigress mother, our group slowly prowled through the trees, all having [Stealth] and [Presence Killer] active. Rajah was especially motivated as his siblings' lives were at stake.
Once we were close enough, we then climbed up a tree and continued from there. The dense leaves of the trees helped cover the blue dresses Saori and I were wearing.
Looking down, a group of bipedal lizards came into sight. They had scales of various colors cover their bodies while wearing a layer of badly maintained clothes.
As I expected, considering they were lizardmen, they looked exactly that. All of them had lizard-like heads, making them look a bit intimidating and hard to gauge with all the scales on their faces. Some had bone spikes protruding from their backs, while others had frills and webbing growing from their heads, acting like hair.
Sexual dimorphism was apparent with them, too. The males had large, bulky bodies with rough scales which looked like the plating of a crocodile, while the females were taller and had leaner bodies with more smooth, vibrant-colored scales. Certainly shinier, similar to snakes.
The male lizardmen were armed while the females only had small knives as they carried berries, mushrooms, and firewood with their arms. From the lit campfire, I presumed they were about to make camp.
[“Some of them have armor but most of them… well, they are rags,”] Saori pointed out. ["Honestly, they look like cavemen. There was no style, creativity, or anything poured into their clothes at all. They were just made to cover their essentials and that was it. Are they really adventurers?”]
Due to the spear and how they were able to outsmart the virigress mum, I had a different image of the group in my mind. The armor didn’t look very expensive, but it didn’t have any holes like their clothes. If you disregarded their weapons and armor, then they seemed more like a group of impoverished people.
Still, what the hell were they doing so deep in the forest then?! Aside from a few people being equipped, they still didn’t have many tools; they weren’t even carrying around baskets or bags. This was beyond stupid, or was I not understanding some cultural trial or ritual here?
Identify.
Name: Caszcur Level: 11 Race: Krokus Lizardman
Age: 32 Years Job: Carpenter
Status: Health: 249/383 Mana: 35/35
Strength: 209 Intelligence: 45
Vitality: 109 Wisdom: 73
Agility: 94 Stamina: 198/311
Effects: None
Skill: Physical skills and related:
[Enhanced Claws Lv. 3] [Enhanced Fangs Lv. 3] [Spear Technique Lv. 2]
[Unarmed Technique Lv. 3]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 1] [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 2] [Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 2]
[Enhanced Vision Lv. 1] [Tracking Lv. 1] [Night Vision Lv. 3]
[Evasion Lv. 1] [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 1] [Swimming Lv. 4]
[Aquatic Fighter Lv. 1]
Resistances:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 3] [Pain Resistance Lv. 2] [Disease Resistance Lv. 3]
[Bleeding Resistance Lv. 3] [Poison Resistance Lv. 3]
[Paralyzation Resistance Lv. 2] [Torpor Resistance Lv. 1]
[Wind Resistance Lv. 1] [Water Resistance Lv. 2]
Stat growth and related:
[Health Recovery Lv. 3] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 2]
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 1]
Others:
[Cooking Lv. 2] [Dismantle Lv. 3] [Woodworking Lv. 5] [Craftsman Lv. 4]
[Blacksmith Lv. 1] [Metalwork Lv. 1] [Handiwork Lv. 2]
Ability List: Spear abilities:
[Pierce] [Flash Pierce]
Beastmen had higher parameters in all their stats except for Mana, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Still, despite their physical prowess, they were supposedly considered weaker than humans during the System-less era.
Sure enough, his stats were enough to take down every G and F rank monster in this place, but it wasn’t enough to fight against an E rank. This guy seemed like the leader of this group but in a solo fight, he would have had no chance against the virigress mother, who was an E rank.
Still, “Carpenter?” This guy's Job was a carpenter and he was supposed to be the leader? From observing the group, I saw him giving orders to everybody in the camp and both his stats and appearance screamed: "I'm the head honcho."
Which meant, these guys weren't hunters, poachers, nor "adventurers," they were simply normal people. Which meant, why were they so deep in this place? I couldn’t call this being stupid, otherwise they wouldn’t have reached this place. There had to be another reason why they were here.
I couldn’t even be mad. I was dumbfounded.
[“Hmm.”] And from the look of it, Saori seemed to share this though.
[“Either they’re looking down at our birthplace, or we have some reluctant intruders, Saori,”] I voiced my thoughts. [“The Belzac forest is not a forgiving place and these people are coming in here completely unprepared. Look at them as they continue preparing their camp, none the wiser that a cadejo and a dragon are spying on them.”]
Saori glanced at me, showing me a nod. [“True. Look, I found the cubs”]
Directing my eyes over at the direction Saori was pointing at, I could see the cubs trapped in a wooden cage, made with twigs and thatch holding them together. The cubs were dirty, their green fur lost the vibrancy that Rajah’s had, and they were shivering meekly, scared of what was about to happen to them. Besides being hungry and slightly bruised, they were in better shape than when we found their mother.
…!
I took a deep breath.
[“Chiiiill,”] Saori caressed my back. [“Try speaking with them first and if the negotiation turns bad, I will drop down and rescue the cubs. After that, you may do what you like, Hestia.”]
[“They don’t have [Telepathy] but most beastmen should know Common tongue,”] Tasianna said. [“I’ll translate your words so let us hope that they are rational enough to listen to us.”]
Ok… deep breathes …in … and out. Calm yourself, Hestia. Smother the flame.
[“Rajah,”] I turned my eyes to his. [“You stay up here and help Saori out, ok? Be a good boy and listen to her. I promise, whatever happens, I will save and bring back your siblings.”]
Rajah gave an affirming meow and nuzzled his head around my legs, probably telling me he believed in me. Now I really couldn’t mess it up.
[“Saori, I’ll leave Plan B to you. Take care of these two for me, ok?”] I told her.
[“Leave it to me. Go in and break a bone… uhh, not literally and please do not do it before everything derails,”] Saori awkwardly reassured me.
I giggled a bit, seeing as she used a showbiz idiom, before realizing I might take it seriously… Well, I wouldn’t if everything works out peacefully.
Tasianna and I dropped off the tree and slid back into the shadows of the trees. With our stealth skills deactivated, we walked over to the border of the camp.
If something were to happen, then their attention would be directed at me and their backs would face Saori. They might be weak, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious, especially when we didn’t know if they had a trick up their sleeves.
Now in their view, we confidently walked towards them, which agitated the guards.
“Saaaah! Lappsasha! Lappsasha! Hiiljka gu Caszcur!” one of them yelled out, before running into the camp while the rest readied their weapons.
[“I can confirm they speak Common, Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna announced. [“His accent was thick, but I will be able to understand them.”]
[“What did he say?”] I asked.
I managed to understand “Lappsasha,” which was “intruder,” and “Caszcur” but everything else was swallowed by the lizard-like hissing accent. Even if I wanted to prance around with my language skills, I would just embarrass myself right now. I was relatively still a novice and handling a volatile situation like this required perfect speaking and listening skills.
[“He said, ‘Saaaah! Intruder! Intruder! Send for Caszcur!’”] Tasianna translated. [“ ‘Saaah’ was just a war cry, or maybe it was more akin to ‘aaaah’?”]
As much as this discussion would be terribly interesting, my focus was reserved for the people pointing their weapons at me, essentially threatening me. That alone caused the survival instincts I had cultivated during these months to activate. I was already considering them enemies.
I couldn’t see how I was looking at them, but I was sure my [Terror Aura] was leaking. It felt like they were disrespecting me right now, and I could even smell their fear of me. It was clear these guys weren’t trained soldiers nor fighters as their quaking legs couldn’t handle my glare for more than five seconds. They collapsed onto the ground and soiled themselves.
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
This pitiful scene was enough to loosen the tension inside me.
How the ehell could grown adult lizardmen be terrorized by a small girl like me? I only went up to their stomachs and you were telling me they couldn’t even handle being stared at by me?! They were armored and armed too, while I was only wearing a one-piece and some socks.
OMG, this totally killed any sense of urgency I had. I felt bad! So lame…
Gosh, what am I doing scaring people like this? A dragon should act more dignified and not act like a feral beast. They can’t harm me. Getting angry at them for being terrified at my presence is just childish!
Urgh, calm down. Patience. Like what Saori said. Patience. Patience like a saint.
“Jaka-?! Jakaop sus buzta ki lire?!” Suddenly, the lizardman, Caszcur, arrived with the guard who called for him. “Wuh niji! Jukaop… haji sa kiljaja?”
[“…Urgh … he said, ‘Wha-? What is going on here?! You two! Who… wait, an insect?’”] Tasianna told me dejectedly, frowning deeply. [“I-I’ll… begin establishing communications at your command, Princess Hestia.”]
[“No ‘Princess Hestia,’ address me as usual, Tasianna,”] I told her before she started speaking with the lizardmen group’s leader. ["Do you actually believe they will take us seriously when you address me like a princess, hell, what are we supposed to do when they actually do take it seriously, huh? Please, don’t expose me."]
[“Yes, of course, Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna bowed to me, then turned to the lizardman named Caszcur. [“I would like to request that you turn your frown into a smile, my Lady. It would do us no good, otherwise.”]
True, true.
Obediently listening to Tasianna’s advice, I slouched my shoulders before readjusting my posture, displaying everything I learned from my etiquette lessons on Earth. Casting the frown away, I first let my face regain its default state for a second before moving my muscles to change my expression. Considering what just… uhh, happened, I didn’t think an extravagant smile would do.
Considering these people were practically “normal” working class and what my face just looked like, I thought a neutral expression with a slight smile would be more appropriate. Make them feel comfortable without overdoing it but still showing I meant business through my eye contact.
In the meantime, Tasianna also told me she would be translating everything to me through [Telepathy] in real-time as best as she could despite splitting concentration. I wish I were able to participate in the negotiation to alleviate Tasianna's need to translate everything, but a week and a few days were not enough to learn a completely foreign language with no similarity to English, German, or Japanese.
“May your wellspring of life be ever filled with joy by the Depth Goddess on this fine WaterDay,” still flapping her wings mid-air, Tasianna gave a polite curtsy as an introduction.
Tasianna wasn’t an extremely religious person but she still showed great piety towards the gods by counting each day, making sure she knew what day it was. As each day of a week, besides the seventh, was dedicated to the gods, she found it important to count them.
There were specific religious greetings for each day, and followers of that day’s god would mention them. We knew they were lizardmen at this point, maybe they were followers of the Church of Plesia, as Tasianna was.
Tasianna continued, “My name is Tasianna, a fairy, and I speak in the name of my mistress, Lady Hestia. May I ask for your name?”
“WaterDay?! I see…” the tall lizardman showed some surprise, not only ‘cause Tasianna spoke but was also focused on the name of the day. “My name is Caszcur, the leader of this group of lizardfolk. Why are you asking, huh? What do you and that scalekin want?”
Guess our attempt was a dud. They probably follow some other god.
As Caszcur regained his bearing, he responded to Tasianna with a powerful voice fitting for a man of his size. This gave the lizardmen guards who pissed their pants a chance to stand up. They then ran to their leader’s side, and once again pointed their weapons at us, although with shaking legs.
Feeling like a bully after what I did, I didn’t feel anything but pity for them. They clearly wanted to flee, but in this place, showing weakness could get you killed. Still showing such hostility wasn’t good. This Caszcur was clearly suspicious of us, to the point he wasn’t ordering them to lower their weapons. This diplomacy opportunity wasn’t going so well.
Still, don’t trust random people. I nearly made that terrible mistake with that slime once, almost getting touched by that eldritch horror.
“We would like to speak about the virigress cubs you have in your camp,” undeterred by his attitude, Tasianna stated our goals.
He frowned, looking confused. “What is a ‘virigress’ supposed to be?”
“Those are the green felines that you have captured. They are in your camp, no?” Tasianna explained.
Sharpening his eyes, Caszcur’s suspicion towards us did not waver, “And how in Marsven’s name do you know that, huh? Spying on us?! Were you sent by those damn green rats?! You two are not welcome here so stop slithering around our tails!”
Green rats?
[“This rude fellow doesn’t seem very willing to speak,”] Tasianna stated. [“Still, they seem to be followers of Marsven, the God of the Darkness, and through proxy, probably also Edna’s.”]
From Tasianna’s lectures, I learned that Marsven, the God ruling over the dark element, and Edna, the Goddess of Monsters and Fertility, were one of two god couples. Compared to Marsven, Edna was once a mortal who was given apotheosis by Marsven to become both his wife and Subordinate Goddess.
“We would like to request that you free them,” Tasianna demanded.
“Free? And why should we do that, huh?” Caszcur, finally losing his patience for us, unsheathed his sword. “I won’t say it again, leave us now, otherwise we will kill you two!”
“Huuuh???” I unwillingly let out ridiculing growl at his ultimatum.
“What was that?! You young scale, what do you think we are doing? We are threatening you!” The lizard jock, annoyed by my growl, pointed his sword at me. Distressed by the situation, he wasn’t thinking clearly it seemed.
Scalekin? Young scale? I guess those are terms lizardmen address others with scales? I see.
"Control yourself!" Tasianna shouted as she flew in front of me to stand in between me and the sword point. “We are here in peace, but you are showing us unneeded animosity. I suggest you correct your rude behavior and show Lady Hestia a bit more respect.”
While Tasianna showed no hostility when she was threatened, genuine anger surfaced when the lizardman leader directed his sword at me. Her stare, as cold as the freezing south pole, pierced through the lizardmen's body as an icy mist started to materialize around her hands, a sign her [Frost Body] was activating.
All the lizardmen flinched from this sight, instinctively knowing if they were to anger us any further, that a fight would happen. The guards who had to endure my early presence all looked at each other, already knowing how frightening I could become.
The group began talking with each other quietly, believing I wouldn’t be able to hear them. Eavesdropping might be considered rude, but they were rude to me first, so this was only fair. I told Tasianna what I heard, and she translated it for me.
“C-Caszcur, let us lower our weapons and hear them out,” a guard said.
“What?!” Caszcur spat out. “You idiot, what are you suggesting, huh?! These people are dangerous, and we don’t even know if they are headhunters sent by that army of monsters. We haven’t sacrificed everybody back then just to be caught here!”
“B-But, isn’t the girl a lizardfolk, also? She might have more human blood but scalekin is scalekin, right?" another guard responded, calling me a lizardman. Presumably, since I didn’t have my wings out — I couldn’t fly, so why inconvenience myself — he thought I was one of them.
Army of monsters? Human blood? Ignoring the former, it seemed like there was a misunderstanding about my race.
[“Tasianna, tell them I’m a dragonewt,”] I told my fairy friend.
Acknowledging my request, Tasianna spoke to the lizardmen, “Excuse me but there seems to be a misunderstanding. My Lady is not a lizardman, but a dragonewt of Loatryx.”
Loatryx? Oooh, right, the dragonewt country.
Realizing that we overheard them, everybody froze in surprise, only Caszcur was able to continue speaking, "Y-You eavesdropped on us. W-What the hell is wrong with you. Have you no… urgh, HEY, what are you doing?!"
Before he could continue speaking, a few of the guards threw their weapon on the ground and grabbed him, “Caszcur, you idiot, stop speaking and cool down your head, first!”
“By Marsven’s name, didn't she just tell us that she's a dragonewt? That means she's neither a slave nor a headhunter, r-right?" another guard said in a panic.
“Kargryxmor! She must be a follower of the dragon god! She might also have other companions!” another said energetically.
“We’re so close! We’re saved! D-Down on your knees! We need to apologize for threatening the young scale!”
With simultaneously nodding, every single guard threw Caszcur to the side like a ragdoll and then ran towards me before prostrating in front of me, while shouting “Ilsa lek gaznunt! Plersiz, ilsa histe!”.
[“… Uhhh, t-they are shouting ‘We are sorry! Please, help us!’… Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna translated, flabbergasted.
How in the hell did this happen! Weren’t we hating each other just a minute ago?!
I was obviously surprised by all of this. I mean, we threatened each other just a second ago and now these people were on their knees, begging me for help. If I had known this beforehand, I probably would have begun with the whole dragonewt thing!
All this uproar was loud enough that most of the other lizardmen from the camp came over to see what was happening. A whole crowd began forming before me, all curiously watching a group of adults begging a young dragon girl in an almost pitiful way.
While I would consider them idiots for doing this, I couldn’t help but feel extreme embarrassment from being apologized in such a way. Instead of a burning fire inside my chest, it seemed like it was eaten up by the soaring flames heating inside my head — cringe.
The blood rushing up to my brain began making me dizzy as I wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. This wasn’t what we planned! It wasn’t even close to what I wanted to do here!
[“Tasianna! Tell them to stand up at once, please! They need to stop prostrating this instance!”] I shouted flustered.
However, despite her efforts, everything was drowned by the synchronized voices of the lizardmen guards shouting from the top of their lungs. Influenced by this, the whole crowd of lizardmen behind them also began speaking louder and louder. Could somebody please shut these idiots up!
… Somebody besides me, please!
“Shut up!” As if he heard my plea, the lizardman Caszcur stood up and ran at the prostrating guards, shouting at them, all while throwing them back on their feet. “You krill eaters, have you all forgotten about that giant monster that destroyed everything a few days ago?! Is everybody in this camp trying to kill themselves by telling it our location! Shut up already!”
Once he managed to calm everybody down, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh from this, silently thanking him.
“And you!” However, it didn’t take long for him to once again direct his anger at me, now pointing his sharp finger at me. “I don’t care if you’re a dragonewt or whatever, but I won’t endanger everybody here for somebody as suspicious as you. Leave now!”
“We will not leave without the virigress cubs,” Tasianna retorted adamantly from the side.
Turning his head to the side to give her a glance for a second, he suddenly grabbed my jaw with his hand and then continued shouting, close enough that his spit was touching the [Draconic Barrier] covering my face, “Why aren’t you speaking, huh?! Do you think you dragonewts are better than us? Or are you just unwilling to talk to a slave? You’re not an adventurer, not a soldier. Why are you here?!”
Oh, he had the same idea as I did. I did look rather out of place.
“Kosh saf obiero juc ils,” I said nonchalantly, feeling no threat from this overgrown lizard. (Get your hand off me,)
Hearing me say that seemed to have agitated him even further, “Now you’re talking, huh? Without you attendant flying in front of you, of course, you would have to speak for yourself, you spoiled skink— GAAAAAARGH!”
Screaming in pain, Caszcur released his hand from my jaw and began wailing on the ground, holding his hand that was pierced by an [Ice Spike].
[“Lady Hestia! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! I can’t believe that I let you get touched by that savage! I’m so sorry that I reacted too slowly,”] Tasianna exclaimed, tears in her eyes as she apologized to me. [“I’m still too slow, I’m so sorry. I should have protected you the moment, I felt ge—”]
[“Tasianna, everything is alright,”] I interrupted her. [“I never was in any threat at all. He only needed me to vent his stress out and I was willing to do so. I should be the one to say sorry for making you worry.”]
Caszcur’s power was merely below an E rank monster. He couldn’t even hurt me even if he actually wanted to. Physically, I might look feeble in comparison to him but the stat difference between us was unquestionable.
It was actually a mistake of him to come this close to me. He might have thought he could crush my head in case I resisted him, but my claws only needed a second to skewer his heart out of his body. Not to mention, my scale-dust exploding in his face.
“You beast!” Accepting my apology with a bow, Tasianna then turned her anger towards Caszcur. “How dare you sully Lady Hestia’s face! You deserved being hit by that ice spell!”
“Y-You did this to me?!” Caszcur said incredulously. “Y-You two tail polishers! Sakanta kroac kroks! I will… ARGHHH, KROAC, MY BACK!”
Krill eaters, skink, and now tail polishers? Are they insults? What are they supposed to mean?
While I was analyzing these weird idioms and words, Saori appeared out of nowhere, carrying the virigress mother on her back, Rajah with her left hand, and the cage with the cubs with the right. Hearing what Caszcur was saying to me, she stomped her feet onto his back, pushing his face into the mud.
[“Mission complete. Nice work attracting mostly everybody from the camp,”] Saori said, ignoring the cussing lizardman struggling under her feet.
[“Well, not like I planned that, but it was better than spilling blood,”] I said before realizing the frozen blood on Caszcur’s hand. [“Well, we didn’t spill much blood at least.”]
“Tail polishers!” Caszcur shouted out. “Everybody, look at them stealing our food! That skink lass is no savior, she’s just a filthy thief.”
His pained shouts were loud enough that most of the lizardmen were confused by that. A few began to hiss and yell at me, while others looked scared at the tense situation. Ignorant of our abilities, the angry mob was compelled to attack us for rescuing the cubs.
Haaaaa… I probably shouldn’t hurt them. Some of them are Kargryxmor’s followers. Better not anger that big lizard, I thought as I saw the guards prostrating, again. These people were just scared.
Which just reminded me of that painful memory of the kobolds. Of those kobold children trying to protect the bodies of their parents…
I am strong now. I don’t need to make a mistake, again.
“Thief? Me?” I responded in my defense, doing my best to sound clear with my Common. “Wrong. My friend’s family is not your food!”
I took a step forth while my [Terror Aura] was fully released, scaring all of the lizardmen who even tried to attack us. Saori grabbed my shoulder, looking at me with disapproval, probably thinking I was letting my rage out. Understandably, and I made sure I understood that part when I winked to her, telling her I was in full control of my emotions.
[“I’ll trust you,”] she handed me full reins to do a charisma check on these lizardmen.
Turning back around, Caszcur had already stood up, back to pointing his sword at while everybody else cowered away. [Terror (Major)] were all in their status boards, while the jock had [Terror (Moderate)]. He was really doing well, putting up a brave front to protect his people.
Smirking at his substantial performance, I drew closer to him. He began to tremble out of control, unable to even do anything when I shoved his sword away with my hand. His crocodile-like jaw hung loosely as his eyes watched in horror, believing this was it for him.
“The—”
“PLEARSIZ! PLEARSIZ, KTOPA!”
Before I could actually say what I wanted, another group of lizardmen started prostrating in front of me. It felt like déjà vu but that was ‘cause I recognized these people; they were the guards from before.
“PLEASIZ! ILLSA HAT OVLA BUMANTAMEND! PLEASIZ, OH KALMN LATHUE!” the guards shouted, weeping at the very same time.
As Tasianna wasn’t translating anymore, I was unable to understand them. Asking her, she told me they said, “Please! Please, stop! Please! We ask for forgiveness! Please, oh fair-scaled one!”
It seemed that every single one of these lizardman guards were talented in speaking out simultaneously, as their combined voices were even more powerful than before. They would make a great choir.
“Hiehie,” I giggled at what I heard, finding these guys even more interesting than before. Knowing I had their full attention, I deactivated my [Terror Aura] before pulling out a bowl full of veggies and meat.
“Then, how about you help us, we help you?” I suggested, shocking everybody in the vicinity at what I planned. Although, I went a bit overboard with it, I was sure I managed to show how powerful I was to them.
Powerful enough to protect them if need be.
[“Tell that one to stand up,”] I told Tasianna while pointing at the lizardman who spoke out first. [“Ask him if they are willing to make some friends. If he is, then ask for his name and that he will lead the negotiation from now onwards.”]
I might have handled this like a thug, but from how they all reacted, the only way I could stop them was with a big surprise. Either I could show my dragon form or show them I was so strong, I wouldn’t need to worry about them. But at the same time, ‘cause I was so strong, I could also help them if they needed.
Sure, they admitted to trying to turn Rajah’s sibling into a meal, but from what I learned during this discussion, these people were desperate. Even admitted to being slaves. A normal dragon would have killed them for disrespecting their friend, but I was an idol, too.
And allowing a chance to make some fans disappear was something I couldn’t allow, especially since some of them worshipped Kargryxmor so much, they respected me purely ‘cause I was a dragonewt.
Besides, making some potential new friends wouldn’t hurt. They don’t seem bad.
Completely intimidated, the new de facto lizardman leader introduced himself as Aksmias before bidding us to follow them into the camp. Knowing the lizardmen were staring at my bowl of food like hungry beggars, I shared our party’s food with them, earning me a defeated sigh from Saori.
At least, she praised what I did.
AbyssRaven First contact with a small tribe, and it's a bunch of lizardmen.
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