Its chin is a rough-looking lilac skin that transitions to black scales before disappearing under a thick patch of fur.
Even though I know it just killed those slimes quickly and brutally, nothing about its features or demeanor suggest it's a threat. There is also a comforting rumbling sound, like a purr, coming from it.
Still, my instincts scream at me to get very far away as fast as possible.
A quick glance to my shoulder and legs and I see its black scaled hands, with far too many thumbs, are only resting lightly against me. Despite that, the lizard part of my brain wants me to get the hell out of here.
Luckily that part of my brain isn't in charge because everyone knows big predators chase anything that runs.
I realize my mouth has been hanging open when I gulp and shiver at that imagery.
Soon after that terrifying thought, I can feel my cursed nanites take over and while the sight of it is still strange and alarming, my pulse is now high for another reason altogether.
I feel a flush come over my cheeks and chest, then the slick heat building in my core.
The creature suddenly stops walking, takes a deep breath, and then raises its lilac lips.
This exposes a set of ebony teeth. My eyes widen at the sight of them and I'm thinking that maybe my lizard brain was the smarter one after all.
Thankfully, it doesn't use those teeth to tear out my throat.
The creature simply huffs out a breath, and the purring picks up in intensity until I can feel it resonating across my whole body. It suddenly occurs to me; it can smell that I'm aroused.
Does the purr mean it . . . likes it?
"Oh, shit . . ." I trail off, since nothing I could say beyond that really encapsulates how screwed up my life has become.
I startle when the rumble in its chest transitions to a harsh, coughing language.
Thanks to the slimes, I understand it.
"I don't know your language, small human, but something tells me that was a curse," it guesses
After one long blink, I realize what this means.
It's more than just intelligent, it's sapient. That means not an it. I glance at the puffy mane. A he?
I open my mouth to speak, then grab my throat as I feel a sharp stabbing pain in the back of it. Then, for lack of a better description, I feel a shift.
When I cough, it's in a much harsher tone than a human should ever be able to make.
"So they gave you translation nanites."
He makes a humming sound I assume from the context is commiserating or soothing. "Those things are rough, just give it a moment."
I feel gentle patting against my shoulder as the stabs of searing pain suddenly relent. I clear my throat experimentally and it sounds just as weird as before.
I don't filter what I'm going to say, it just spills out.
"What in the actual fuck was that!"
The harsh language that comes out of my mouth is one I have never spoken before and I sound very odd to my own ears.
I get a chuffing, gravelly sound in response. The increased sparkling in his eyes makes me suspect it's laughter.
I realize then that, unlike the slimes, while I find the way he looks strange, nothing about him is revolting. In fact, he's quite beautiful, with a certain allure that all apex predators have.
I was never one to beat around any bushes and have found that ever since I passed my thirtieth birthday, I've become more and more prone to simply speak my mind. Mostly it goes well, since I have a healthy dose of charisma and well-honed people skills.
