The first signs that the Naga's fears would co correct ca half an hour later, long before they had even reached the swamps, where he was concerned about the tribes.
Their way was barred by a pair of Lizardman warriors, each with a team behind them, stationed on both sides of the river, with a net stretched across the width.
Karl had the fish slow them to a stop, but waited in the middle of the river.
"Good morning, what seems to be the issue today?" He asked politely, while the Lizardn stared at him.
"There is a toll to pass. You have travelled through our territory without a permit." The Lizardman demanded, but Karl could hear the fear in his voice.
For amusent value, he let an aura leak using one of his less used Packmaster Skills.
[Dominating Power] The Pack Master's Aura gains a {ntal Domination} effect at will, requiring weaker minds to submit to his will. Hypnosis type ability.
He wasn't giving the Lizardn any sort of intimidating look, but he could see them begin to cower under the power of the oppressive aura.
The leaders of the two groups managed to stand firm, holding the net across the river, as Karl reached into his inventory and took out a handful of gold coins.
"How about I pay the fee in Gold? Two coins for each of us should be fine. That's three for each of you." He insisted.
The Lizardman bandits were about to remind him that this was a robbery, and that his way down the river was blockaded, but after careful consideration, both nodded.
It was better to let this one pass.
They caught the coins Karl threw at them and lowered the net as the Lizardn behind them complained.
It was only three people in a fast boat. Even with a pair of Totems, they weren't a threat to a whole Clan, so they should have been grabbed and forced to turn over their valuables before they were killed.
At least, that was the consensus of those too far away to feel Karl's aura.
But the boat was already past the net, and moving faster than they could run. Not that Karl would make it far. They weren't the only bandits along the river, and the next tribe wasn't welcoming to outsiders.
Karl found that out in person only an hour later.
This ti, the tribe had placed a raft in the middle of the river with a pair of Overlord Ranked warriors on it, waiting for them to arrive. If that was intended to fight them, it would be laughable. But Karl could feel that there were Totem Ranked warriors in the village nearby, and these were just the border guards.
So, again, he pulled to a stop, and wondered if there was a better way to deal with Lizardn.
"Good afternoon. We are headed east to Khathar, might we get passage through your territory? We have room for an escort if you want to send one with us." Karl called.
"Disembark. Our chief needs to speak to you. End any transformation spells, and lower your barriers." The border guard insisted.
The Naga team leader got worried when Karl smirked and Remi began to giggle, but there was nothing he could do when she transford back from her minimized Spirit Snake Form and Karl splashed into the river as an enormous dragon.
The Lizardn were utterly baffled.
"What do we do now?" One of them whispered.
"Well, they did it, so I guess we take them to the chief? I don't know. Nobody ever complied before." His partner whispered back.
Remi turned to their escort. {You know, this might be easier if we let you rest with the others until we're close. The Karl is superb at dealing with other species.}
The Naga rolled his eyes. {That remains to be seen.}
Karl pranced out of the river in a way that reminded Remi of Thor when he was happy. A bit too bouncy to be casual. But she turned the wind to blow the boat to shore so she could get out and put the boat in her space after everyone had disembarked.
No need to risk it getting damaged.
"Why the fuck is there a dragon on my lawn?" She heard soone yelling, then winked at the Naga beside her.
{See, all as planned.}
Karl's amused voice replied to the village Chief. {Your guards insisted I should co in this form instead of my travel disguise. I can change back, it's much more convenient for conversation, even though your grass is soft under the feet.}
By the ti that Remi got to the centre of town, Karl was back in Cat Demon form, and the Lizardman was looking tense.
"Now, you were here to request passage through our territory?" The Chieftain asked.
Karl nodded. "Yes, we are going east down the river, and my friend is afraid of heights. So, we decided to go down the river."
The Lizardn weren't sure what to make of that, but the embarrassed look that the Naga was giving made it clear who Karl was talking about.
The Lizardn of the tribe began to gather, in case this stranger was a threat.
They had their pride, and just letting strangers show up and move through their territory without so much as a formal request to the Chief made them territorial.
Karl couldn't have made an advance request, as he had no idea their territory existed. But telling them that would only make things worse.
The Lizardman chief didn't know how to respond. They couldn't stand the Naga, but that was a World Dragon. Lizardn worshipped the dragons nearly as much as the Drakes, though they didn't claim to be descended from Dragons themselves.
"I will grant you permission to pass through the territory one ti. Your boat is fast, so I request that you are gone by evening." The Chief decided.
That was enough to keep his people happy. Make the intruders leave by the end of the day, and don't let them linger and hunt the tribes resources.
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