Chapter 88: To me? It’s majestic. It’s like looking at a really fancy rug that could strangle me to death

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: To me? It’s majestic. It’s like looking at a really fancy rug that could strangle me to death Isabella was about to tell him to leave when— [Ding! Random task: Save and claim snake beastman, convince the villagers he is with you. +669 points.] Isabella froze. Her eye twitched. Claim? Claim? Oh, Bubu, you dirty little— So wait she can’t tell him to leave? She was being forced into completing tasks again!!! Gosh she was in soup. Oh no what if the villagers already knew about him and were on their way to end him, wouldn’t that be bad for her? Her reputation, They will call her a threat if she were to claim him. She looked at him again, letting out a sigh she started. "Okay. Okay. So what I’m seeing here is not a huge terrifying snake about to eat me, but rather—a misunderstood supernatural fashion disaster." The man tilted his head, utterly baffled. "Right!" She clapped her hands together, instantly shifting into crisis-management mode. "You’ve got a lot going for you—stunning hair, a tall, mysterious presence, definite bad-boy energy—but also? You are, quite literally, half-naked. And let me tell you, sir, that is not the vibe we want to be sending out to the locals." The snake man narrowed his eyes. "Locals?" "Yes, the locals! The ones who will probably see you and go, ’Ah, terrifying monster, let’s throw rocks at it!’" She winced. " "And, you know, I’m obviously everyone’s favorite, but let’s be real—I like my face, and I’d rather not have it pelted with rocks. Sooooo—" She put her hands on her hips, nodding to herself. "I fix this, we fix this." Glimora, still slightly horrified but also intrigued, blinked up at her. The snake man... well, he just looked more confused by the second. "Step one," Isabella continued, pacing the tiny hut like a genius strategist. "We rebrand you. No more ’scary, man-eating snake dude.’ Now? You are..." She spun dramatically, pointing at him with exaggerated flair. "Cyrus! My long-lost brother, who’s returned from a soul-searching journey to reconnect with the earth and its energies!" There was a pause. The snake man—Cyrus, apparently—stared at her, blinking. There was something in his expression. Was it... appreciation? His pink eyes flickered over her face, taking in her dramatic gestures, the way she threw herself into the performance. She was far from scared now, and her energy was... strangely contagious. "Cyrus?" he repeated slowly, as if tasting the name. He couldn’t help but let a small smile tug at his lips. "I suppose... it fits." Isabella gave an overly enthusiastic nod. "See? I knew you’d like it! And you know what? You do look like a Cyrus. Very wise, very mysterious—perfect fit!" She continued, pacing again as her mind worked overtime. "Now, let’s figure out how to convince the village you’re—well, not a dangerous half-snake man who’s going to eat everyone. I’ve got some ideas, but they’re gonna take a little... finesse." Cyrus blinked again, leaning back slightly as he took in her confident tone. He had no idea what she was talking about. Finesse? What was she planning to do, tell the villagers he was just misunderstood? But the way she was talking... there was something compelling about it. She gave him a quick, sharp look. "So. If we happen to run into anyone, you will play along. Got it?" His brow furrowed slightly. "Play along?" "Yes! Act normal—like, I don’t know, maybe you’re just my brother who, uh, fell asleep in a tree and accidentally got a little snake-y for a while. Just... don’t mention the whole ’giant snake-man’ thing, alright?" He stared at her blankly. That didn’t make any sense, but... okay. "Look, the point is," she huffed, putting her hands on her hips, "if you don’t want to get chased out of the village like some mystical creature of destruction, you’ve got to tone it down a bit, okay? You’re gonna have to work with me here, Cyrus. You’re lucky I’m even helping you at all!" For a moment, he said nothing. The silence hung between them like a thick fog. Then, with a calm, almost serene expression, he nodded slowly. "Alright," he said softly, his tone as steady as a gentle river. "I’ll go along with whatever you say." Isabella paused mid-sentence, blinking at him. "Wait, what?" "You’re the one protecting me now," he continued, his eyes steady, as though he had no qualms about this sudden arrangement. "I’ll listen to you. Whatever you want." Isabella’s jaw dropped. She’d half-expected a fight, or at least some resistance. Instead, he was agreeing to it all, without any hesitation, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Well, uh... I mean..." she stammered for a second, trying to regain her footing. "That’s... um, good. That’s really good. You’re— You’re smart, huh?" Cyrus tilted his head slightly, unphased. "I’m only doing what seems right." Isabella blinked at him a few more times, trying to process what was happening. Then, she huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, look at you, just agreeing to play along like it’s nothing." He didn’t seem to mind her tone or the fact that she was practically talking to herself. "I’m... going along with it. For now." Isabella let out a shaky laugh, realizing the situation was somehow slipping out of her control. But, at least for the moment, this worked for her. She wasn’t going to question it—well, not yet. Isabella tilted her head and saw that, his huge and scary tail still lay behind him. "So, um, you can’t be seen with that huge tail behind you," Isabella said with a stiff smile, hands clenched together like she was trying very hard to be polite about this. The snake man—Cyrus until further notice—blinked slowly, his pink eyes unreadable. Then, his tail flicked slightly, the massive coils shifting against the floor. Honestly? Terrifying. "So you wish for me to... change?" His voice was smooth, but Isabella swore there was the tiniest waver in it. Oh no. Was he—was he sad? Well, crap. She cleared her throat, raising her hands like a professional damage-control expert. "No! No, no, no—okay, yes, but not because it’s bad! Your tail is amazing!" She gestured wildly. "Like, genuinely! You could crush people with that thing! Super cool, very powerful, 10/10 snake aesthetics—but, uh..." She winced. "To outsiders it might be a little... horrifying?" His lips pressed into a thin line. "Horrifying." "To other people!" she corrected quickly. "To me? It’s majestic. It’s like looking at a really fancy rug that could strangle me to death." He just stared. Oh, god, that was bad. "What I meant to say was—intimidating but in a cool way! Like, you own it! You are the moment!" She pointed at him firmly. "But! We need you to be a little less ’powerful death serpent’ and a little more ’totally normal guy who does totally normal things’ for, you know, survival reasons." A long pause. Then, finally, he sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Very well." And then—he transformed. That was her mistake. Because one second he was a half-man, half-giant-snake, and the next— Boom. Completely. Naked. Isabella made a sound. It was not human. Glimora squeaked, her tiny paws covering her wide, horrified eyes. Glimora, still peeking from under Isabella’s arm, took one look and shrieked, launching herself into the air like a traumatized missile. "OH, MY GOD—" Isabella slammed both hands over her eyes, whipping around so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet. Her entire face burst into flames. "WHY. WHY DID I NOT THINK ABOUT THIS."