*THERE IS A STORY BELOW THE DESCRIPTION*



This is the result of some brainstorming with Orcbrother .



He was looking for inspiration and I threw a bunch of ideas, with Rotty being a lamia as one of them. He immediately took to it and drew it like a man possessed and the results...well, it's pretty darn awesome. So I wanted to write a little something to accompany such a cool effort and here we are.



So how did she gain that tail? Read on and find out!



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



SLITHER, ROTTY, SLITHER!



Shantae had once again beaten her in a race.



It was a bit of nostalgia and part workout routine for the half-genie, but for Rottytops it had once been a part of pride that no one had ever beaten her. She had been most satisfied in the fact that none could run as fast as her even though she was a zombie, having somewhat kept in shape despite the whole undeath thing. They met first when Shantae challenged her and the rest was history, but still did Rotty want to at least defeat her hair-whipping, dance transforming opponent just once. One more time to keep her on her toes.



Alas, Shantae had herself become a pro at this, making any further race an exercise in frustration for the undead gal. The famous belly dancer from Scuttle Town did receive notable upgrades, new transformations during her adventures and excursions...so perhaps the answer laid there as it was time for Rottytops to upgrade, to move on to the next step and provide a proper challenge. Stagnation was not the answer here.



The castle in which she and her brothers lived, belonging to the Hypno Baron, was not just an eerie and perfect kind of environment for the likes of her, but it also provided many things besides a proper roof. One of these was a pile of cadavers that the baron kept, a rather weird thing to possess in a big castle, but Rotty could dig it. Sometimes when she lost a finger, an arm or anything she just went there and picked something new hoping it would fit. Same went for Poe and Abner, who were less picky than her. Perhaps within would she find what she sought, so she started rummaging.



Large thighs, some of those bizarre elven archers, piles of slime...not much would do in her search for new mobile accommodations for her own corpse, yet eventually did she find something most peculiar: lamias. Those snake ladies who bore cannons on their hips, firing up like wild whenever someone came too close. Shantae had defeated some on her journeys, so perhaps the Hypno Baron followed behind and grabbed the bodies left? A ghoulish thought which would be alarming to most, but Rotty certainly did not care. What she did care about was how her answer might be just there within her reach.



She started cutting, popping off some parts, a whole mess that anyone alive would find utterly disgusting. Good thing she was dead, she thought, the smell and the general decrepitude just normalcy to her. Eventually did she remove the precious appendage as she wanted to try it on for size: a lamia's tail. Perhaps with some practice it would make her go faster, provide better grips to climb, that sort of thing. She removed her legs as one would a pair of pants, putting the tacks keeping them in place on the side as she crawled towards the thick tail waiting for her.



The process of putting that lower body to use, the newest one that is, was not the most uncomfortable as she attached herself to it, employing tacks once more to provide stability while the muscles, nerves and everything else began to tangle and knot themselves for a moment before then fusing. It was a good thing magic existed, for in a world without healing potions, zombies and half-genies she wasn't quite sure how this would even be possible. Before she knew it did she have the tail to herself. She tried to budge but alas did she trip as this was very, very different from her usual footsies, thighs and ankles.



It had to be expected, of course, for slithering was a process as she tried to remember how those lamia ladies moved. Some kind of curves, s-shaped motions as the muscles pushed on the ground, maybe? Couldn't hurt to try as Rotty attempted it a few times, tripped the next two times before then awkwardly gaining ground on understanding the manner in which this functioned. A small coffee break for brain power, then she resumed as eventually did she get the hang of it. There were so many muscles in there, far far more than she ever expected as she could now understand why lamias and other snakes could coil around and crush their enemies so efficiently. Maybe she'd win against Shantae and do the former against her, if only to tease and have the half-genie at her mercy.



First, she needed to train. Climbing, coiling, whipping, going faster...the whole day was put out towards practicing and getting good, or at least good enough to not trip anymore. It proved to be a trial, a real challenge, but Rotty was determined as she was the stubborn type and she was self-aware enough to understand that. Coffee breaks, practice, then eventually was she confident enough to think of daring Shantae to a new kind of race, one where climbing would be a part of it. It would be better exercise, so a perfect excuse for perhaps gaining an advantage at the start.



She checked herself out, enjoying how it framed and embellished her hips and yet the red tail...no, it clashed with her style. So she, Abner and Poe went on to get paint and started styling it out. She wasn't sure how great of a job she'd be doing on her own and it needed to look splendid. Skulls, grey like her own pants for familiarity and then she was ready...ready to race once more against Shantae.



And this time she would win.