Chapter 788 - All eyes on me (Patreon)

When they arrived in their temporary hotel room, Hera almost instantly collapsed on the bed and slept, as did Neria. Both of them were much more tired than anyone else on the team. Unlike the others, they didn't have a full night of sleep, not to mention all the effort it took to deal with Nimbus' temporary death. Even if only the Empress felt it happening, the triton was still there for her and stayed up while Hera mulled things over.

For that same reason, and a small bonus from her [Ophidianite Regeneration], she was the first to wake up. It was still a good 5 hours before their shift, but she decided not to waste time. Taking a quick shower while using the soundproof bubble, the Empress geared up and left the hotel. The one thing she knew she had to do right now was to learn about the rampage and this place in general. But first, her stomach required attention. Just as she was leaving the hotel, it growled loud enough to make some of the people in the reception jerk, thinking there was a monster close by. Some people turned to the Empress, and their worry turned into confusion, seeing a bipedal snake-like being for the first time. Having an actual snake around her neck didn't seem to help it either.

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You have been observed X 27
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Hera thanked herself mentally for having set up repeated notifications to appear with a counter instead of having it show up for every single instance of a message. However, she quickly realized that it's been a long time since she saw that notification. Even when she was meeting people after becoming an Ophidianite, that message didn't pop up.

"This is weird," she mumbled to herself.

"What, mum?" Daskka turned to her.

"I'm getting a lot of notifications. All about how people are observing me. I know why they are doing it, but I don't get why I'm getting so many more notifications. That didn't happen before."

"Could it be a skill? Or something one of your blades have now?" Daskka suggested.

"I don't know. No one has any perception-based things. The only thing that may affect this would be a skill Viper has. Snake's Cunning."

"The one that increases what his intelligence does? Yeah, that one may have something related to this. Or maybe it's something else. Maybe the rampage makes the system show more of the smaller notifications. The ones you wouldn't see before."

"Could be. It just feels weird," Hera frowned and continued to wonder why this was happening.

As she was talking with the herald in the middle of the reception, a woman approached her. A human woman.

"Excuse me," the woman meekly said.

The Empress turned to the human, her eyebrow-raising as a reflex. At the same time, she gave a quick warning to her court, just so they would be ready for anything. Ever since the war started, the only humans she had seen were the ones who stayed in Zaxalam. Seeing another, especially if they were in the middle of a rampage, could spell trouble. At the same time, she knew that there were some humans helping the Alliance. Those who didn't agree with what the guild was doing. According to Typhera and the council, they would be a part of the support teams like the one Hera joined, but they wouldn't ever get any secret or vital missions. Things like delivering supplies to the front lines or helping the most key part of their infrastructures. But for smaller missions, like the ones she just did. Killing a wendigo or getting a specific drop from a dungeon. Those were all open for humans.

"Yes?" Hera replied, still ready for anything.

The human noticed that reaction and quickly tried to calm things down, "Oh. Sorry. I know seeing a human in this situation might be weird. The guild is filled with assholes, and what they are doing is just not right."

"I'm glad we are on the same page. And I hope you don't take this as an offense, but just words won't be enough to make me trust you. Not really," Hera replied.

The human nodded, "You would be too innocent if that was enough. I'm glad you aren't. I'm actually here with my team," she pointed to a table with about 10 people. A mix between the species and another human sitting on the opposite side of an empty chair. There was a lot of food on the table: bread, butter, cheese, and some cold cuts. Around the table were a few pitchers with juice, water, milk, and a small pile of fruits in the center, "I stopped you because I never saw someone like you, and we were wondering if we could talk to you for a bit. I mean everyone. Not just me and the other human."

Hera glanced at the other tables. None of the others had the same spread, but this was also the largest group currently eating, "Sure. I don't see a problem with that. My team is still sleeping," she started following the human, "Before I sit. How is the food situation here? Do they have a buffet set up or something?"

"Oh no. If you want something, you just go back there to the kitchen and order from the menu. They don't have anything fancy, but you can still get some spaghetti, fried rice, or a burger. Things like that. We know a few people who live here and managed to get this spread to talk since most of the people in our two teams know each other. I think it wouldn't be a problem for you to eat with us, but since I wasn't the one who brought this here, it's better to ask them."

The Ophidianite shook her head, "Don't worry. I'll get something from the kitchen later."

"Don't be like that. I'm sure they won't mind."

Hera didn't say anything and walked towards the table. The human, called Beatrice, was a healer. Their last mission was one of the permanent ones. Running dungeons to get mana stones to drop. Many tools, from cars to phones and even generators, required mana stones, and to keep up the demand, they needed a constant flow of them from various dungeons. It was also a job that, if known by a human spy, wouldn't bring any problems.

"Still. It's kind of hard to prove we are one of the good ones if they don't give us a chance to gain their trust. Getting this kind of mission feels kind of bad," Beatrice sighed.

"We are still doing some good. Each self-regenerating mana stone we get is part of a generator for a hospital. Or part of a power grid that lets a city continue operating when they have power problems," Zachary, a male triton on Beatrice's team, said.

"I know, I know. You've said it all before. But you can't say that we would be doing this mission if we didn't have a human on the team," the healer replied.

"You are right, I can't," the man replied bluntly.

While Beatrice was introducing everyone, Hera ended up accepting a cup of coffee and some pineapple slices. Before focusing the conversation on her, the group let her eat in peace. But now, she had just finished her small meal.

"Anyway," Lator, a dwarven fighter with thick rings around his biceps, turned to the Ophidianite, "What are you?"

"Lator! You can't just ask what people are!" Beatrice gasped.

"Why the fuck not? She is not something I've ever seen before, and it's not like there is a good way to ask what species someone is. Harold here already said that beastmen don't have scales," Lator said, gesturing to the tiger beastmen by his side.

"It's fine," Hera waved her hand, "I'm an Ophidianite. If you ever heard of the Naga, you could say I'm their descendant in a way."

"I remember reading about them. Someone found some ruins a few years ago, didn't they?" Valerie, an elf with long dark hair, asked.

"Yep. I've met the person who found those ruins, and we became friends," Hera continued between sips. Her eyes weren't focused on anyone in particular. Each of her answers had a bored monotone behind it. That wasn't intentional at first, but speaking about herself like that wasn't exactly fun. Especially when there was a lot she had to hide from people.

"Right, and what is your name? Sorry, I forgot to ask," Beatrice was putting some butter on a piece of bread.

"Hera Quetzaveth, but considering the number of people who used their Observe on me and the number of people who are here, I imagine some of you already know," the Empress glanced up from her cup with accusatory eyes. She was again leaning into a persona that wasn't exactly her, but she was starting to enjoy it.

"Sorry about that…" Beatrice looked away, and so did a few others at the table. But not all felt like they did something wrong. A tall Harpy with long feathers spoke up.

"Are you really an Ophidi… whatever, or are you that Hera? The one that started all of this."

Hera put her cup down and stared at the harpy, "Your name was Breakhut, correct?"

"Yes."

"You are the second person to ask me that. The other one was a human. One that, from what I understand, stole the home of a group of dwarves and was trying to steal their new home. The home they found after being chased away. And all of this happened before this war even started. So, I doubt one person started all of this. The guild was looking for an excuse and simply used that person for it. And it's not like I can be upset at her for having the same name as me. It is a great name," Hera smirked before looking at the harpy dead in the eye, "But I am not her. I am an Ophidianite, and she was a human."

"Could be a disguise," Breakhut replied, getting angry stares from the rest of the table.

"I have scales. My ears are like this. My eyes can become slits," Hera showed each of the attributes she mentioned as she spoke, "And I can also do this," she picked up an apple, unhinged her jaw, and swallowed it whole. It took a few moments for the fruit to get down to her stomach, and the Empress knew this would take a while to digest, but kept a stoic face, "If you still think this is not enough, I can knock you out with my tail. Only my tail. As a way to prove it's not just an illusion. Now, if, despite all that, you still believe that a human girl somehow died and was reborn as a member of a different species, please, just tell us how. I would love a laugh today."

'Mum, I think he's going to lay an egg,' Daskka said in her mind after watching the man's reaction.

'Don't make me laugh!' Hera protested, but a half smile curled up on her lips. That seemed to set off the harpy even more. He apologized and got up, leaving the table in a hurry.

"Sorry for ruining your meal. I should go," the Ophidianite tried to get up but was stopped by Beatrice.

"No, no. Don't worry. He was being a dick."

"Please, stay. I know it sounds rude, but we still have some questions," Valerie pleaded.

"I'll stay if I can make a sandwich," since they were curious, Hera might as well get something for her troubles.

"Sure, sure. Here!" Beatrice quickly passed the bread, butter, and everything one might need for a simple sandwich.

After a small pause, Lator was the first to ask, "Where are you from?"

Hera started making her sandwich, "That is a bit of a complicated and personal thing that I don't want to get into with a bunch of people I don't know. But I'll give you a simple answer by saying that I was able to escape something and that I am now trying to save my people. If it works, you should start seeing more of us in the future. If it doesn't. I might be the last of my kind," she wasn't lying. Not really, but it wasn't the truth either. Still, she continued making her meal while the table asked various questions. The Ophidianite didn't answer the ones about her past or her parents but was honest when it was something about her body and how it worked. Including the expected 'Why do you have boobs if you lay eggs?' Before even asking if she laid eggs or not.

A few minutes passed, and the questions stopped her from being able to eat. During that time, she had an idea and was multitasking by talking with Ember. Surprisingly, the sword not only accepted her idea but said that Helena, Bonnie, and even Blue had asked her the same before.

Eventually, Neria appeared at the reception and called her. The Empress thanked the table for the meal and the company and got up with the plate where her sandwich was. She summoned Ember and used a fire enchantment before using the sword to toast the bread. Just as she left, she heard a gasp from the table.

"What the hell is that?!" Beatrice, Lator, and Valerie asked at the same time.

Hera just smirked and glanced back at them, "A complicated and personal thing."