Now that I had the attention of an entire audience I finally realized that I may be a little shy. I can’t speak in front of large groups on most occasions but at this moment I felt that I wouldn’t be able to speak even in front of the like eight people standing there staring at me. This is rather embarrassing. I wonder if they would notice if I just slowly curled up in myself. Before I could finish contemplating if that would be an appropriate response or not, the little girl sputtered and blushed.

“H-how dare you. I managed to put out the fire. What did you do to help?” she grabbed the brim of her hat and hid her face. Holy shit she may be the most adorable child I have ever met. I’m not one of those creepy people who like kids like that but I have a soft spot for the precocious ones. Pretty sure I would be an awful father. They could wrap me around their little hands and I would do anything for them. Them trying to act like an adult was just so damn cute it almost physically hurt.

“I did not ask for sand anyway.” I heard her mutter but she kept her face hidden. I was content to sit here in my pile and enjoy the warm sand for the rest of the night but suddenly it seemed a few of the people here woke up from the freeze they had been under. The big man stepped forward and pushed the girl behind him.

“Identify yourself stranger. Someone get me a blasted light.” The first had been directed at me and I assumed the rest was directed at the people around him. Two of the people who had been chanting quickly pulled out stuff from a bag and started doing something but I didn’t really see what it was. I was honestly trying to think of how to respond to this situation. I really didn’t want to have to kill these people but there was no way in hell I was leaving this sand anytime soon. Freezing to death was not an option for me either. I guess I finally decided my life was worth something.

“Ah yes hello. I am a friend.” It wasn’t a total lie. The fact that I could understand the words these people were saying must mean something. As long as they just ignored the hissing it was totally believable too. Maybe they would just assume I had a bad lisp. The big man looked around a bit and I realized that he couldn’t really see me or where I was at. Maybe I can really see in the dark now.

“Not sure what kind of friend travels in the nights.” The big man frowned but he didn’t seem immediately hostile. I heard a sputter and light blossomed over to the side. One of the people quickly moved over and handed him a sputtering torch that he held up high. The light still didn’t quite reach me but I figured it would just make it seem even worse if I tried to hide in the dark. I resigned myself to be attacked as he took a step forward.

As the light moved with the man, it slowly washed over me as I sat in a pile. When I was mostly lit up the man came to a stop and looked me over. I gave him a friendly little hand wave. “I think you can see why I didn’t move closer earlier yes?’ I asked in what I hoped was a friendly tone as well as he continued to look me over. He scratched his chin and then nodded.

“Ya definitely not somethin I want sneakin up behind me. Good thing ya stopped out here.” He sounded a bit nervous and a slight accent popped into his voice. I could almost taste his fear, or maybe I could taste it as I had reflexively been tasting the air the whole time. I was really starting to love this snake tongue. Before I could respond though, the girl walked up beside him and peered at me.

“What kind of demon are you?” she asked me so innocently that it cut me to the soul. I’m not a demon. Hopefully. Shit what if I am a demon? It would make sense why the people attacked me so quickly. I didn’t feel like I demon though. What does a demon feel like? I had killed people. People kill people all the time too does that make them demons. They were still staring at me though so I had to give a response. Sadly I didn’t really have an answer for her but I could make one up.

“I am no demon. Would a demon walk up and start talking all civilized with you?” It made sense to me. By being all nice I was proving I’m not a demon. Demons would have jut attacked them right? The girl tilted her head and seemed to think for a long moment before she rubbed her hands together.

“I know of three types of demons who would prefer to talk before trying to kill someone. Out of those three I have personally only met one type but you do not look like how they did. It is possible that you are one of the other kinds but I have no personal proof.” She popped her tiny fist into her palm as she finished. She sounded like a baby scholar. I wanted to hug her.

I was interrupted before I could respond again but this time by a boy that had to be in his middle teen years maybe just hitting twenty. Tiny peach hair on his face and lanky body so I guessed teens but who knew in this place. He pointed a gloved finger at me with one hand as the other landed on the sword at his hip. “E’ looks like one of those thrice blasted Lamia! I’d know the look anywhere.” He glared at me hatefully as he finished and actually pulled his sword out.

It took me a lot longer to remember what a lamia was as I warily watched the boy. Well fuck I was almost positive lamia were like part snake people but then I frowned. The only lamia I could remember where the ones with human upper bodies. With huge tits. Something about them actually being demons who eat souls or something. My thoughts were echoed as the girl turned to look at the new guy.

“I am sorry Thomas but I am almost positive that the Lamia race is exclusively made of females. Also they exhibit very attractive human characteristics to lure in prey, as I am sure you are well aware of.” Damn she sounded so disapproving. It took me a moment but then I couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped when I realized she was saying he had fallen for the honeypot of some lamia demon. I guess he didn’t get eaten but damn a pair of nice tits shouldn’t hide a snake body at all. The guy must be missing something in his head to fall for that.

He didn’t seem to find it funny, nor did he approve of my laughter. His face turned a deeper shade of red than the torchlight could account for. He pulled his sword up and grit his teeth. “Fuckin demons I’ll kill every single one of em!” He growled out and then the little bastard charged at me. The two people behind him called his name but he ignored them as he ran directly at me with his sword raised. Well fuck me.

I caught his blade in the wood of my spear where it embedded itself. As he spent a few seconds trying to pull his sword out of the wood, I spun my lower body out and encircled him. Before he even had a chance to react he was covered by a writhing mass of snake muscle. I had to squeeze him tight to stop his thrashing but it seemed to only make his screams and yells worse. I pulled his sword out of my spear and winced as an especially loud scream of rage. I had to give it to him, he had a pair of lungs on him.

I looked back over to where the man and the little girl stood watching and shrugged helplessly. “So um what should I do with this?” I gestured back at the screaming head that was the only part visible of my would be assailant. We all watched as he reared his head back and bit down on one of my coils. “Ew no stop that! Get your mouth off of me.” I popped him over the head with the flat of his own sword but he just growled around the mouthful of me he had. I didn’t even feel it so I wasn’t worried he was going to injure me. It was just nasty.

“Are ya gonna kill em?” the big man asked after a moment. He actually didn’t sound too worried about that. This kid must not be well liked. I didn’t like him at the moment either so I could relate.

“I don’t really want to kill him. He attacked me.” I just shrugged and let out a hissing sigh. I actually didn’t want to kill anyone. I wasn’t even sure why he attacked me. I looked down at my chest to make sure I hadn’t magically grown a set of human breasts. I snickered at the thought. Poor kid done in by a set of tits. The little girl adjusted her hat as she looked between me and the kids head.

“Would you be willing to let Thomas go?” she asked finally as she stopped fidgeting. I thought about it for a moment and tilted my head.

“He is just going to attack me again if I do that isn’t he?” she frowned at the question but the big man snorted.

“O course he is. Dummer than most mules thatn. Jus pop em over the head with that stick there an put em to sleep for a bit.” He nodded and actually grinned. The kid, Thomas, stopped his growling and chewing on me and tilted his head so he could look back at the man.

“Wait what?” he gasped out but my spear was already falling towards his head. Goodnight sweet prince. His eyes rolled back in his head and he just went limp. I gave him a good squeeze to make sure he wasn’t up to something but when I got no response I uncoiled and he flopped to the ground. I poked him to make sure he was alive but I already knew he was. It’s like my tongue could taste his life. Creepy.

The man rubbed a hand over his face and jerked his head towards the boy as he looked over at the small crowd waiting behind them. “You lot. Grab the idiot and get him bundled in a wagon.” His accent died away rather quickly as did most of the nervous tension he had. I guess the quick release of the miscreant made me look a lot less hostile. Thomas was trundled up and moved over to the wagon train and out of sight. The man walked forward slowly and the girl followed him.

“So you are no demon?” he looked me over again now that I was uncoiled. I winced a bit internally because I probably looked super menacing. Well as menacing as someone can be completely naked. I winced again as I shifted a bit to the side.

“Uh yeah no demon here. Just a snake.” I tried to play it off like it was an everyday occurrence as I tried to hide my nudity. Super fucking awkward. He tilted his head from side to side but the little girl pushed her hat back and looked me over closer.

“Maybe one of the kin? I have never heard of a kin such as yourself but the magic slow around you shows no demonic presence. Though I have not felt all demonic auras so I cannot be sure.” She frowned and squinted as I shuffled sideways a bit more. “Is something wrong?” please girl don’t ask that. I winced again but I knew I had to answer the question.

“I’m rather… in an indelicate situation right now. All this scrutiny just reminded me of my uh… situation.” I tried to explain delicately to them. The little girl didn’t seem to understand but the man blinked a few times and then grinned from ear to ear. Apparently he found the situation humorous. What a dick. He clapped a large hand on the girls shoulder and turned her slightly towards himself.

“I think you better not look too closely magister. It would be a bit rude.” She still looked confused but she did turn to look up at my face instead of everything else. Still awkward but a whole lot less awkward. “So are you one of the kin then?” the man furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at my face as well. Everyone just felt so tiny now. Even this big brute of a man still had to look up to me. I wanted to hide again. I didn’t really have an answer to his question either. Was I one of this kin they were talking about?

I racked my brain over and over again as I looked around the area before it came to me. I remember in one of the books I had read that people referred to beast people as kin. Or maybe they referred to themselves like that? Whoever called them that first it didn’t matter because if it was the same here then it was an easy way out. I looked back over to the man and nodded. I didn’t want to say anything to show my lack of knowledge of whatever they were talking about but if they thought I was friendly or even just benign then I wouldn’t have to fight. Again.

The girl lifted her hat and scratched her head before slapping a hand to her chest. “Oh! This could have been settled so much more simply already.” She shook her head and looked up at the man beside her. “His access card would list his race. It is the obvious answer.” The man stared at her for a minute and them slapped his face.

“Yeah it is. Just forgot about it with all the stuff going on.” He turned and looked at me expectantly. I looked between both of them for a moment before I understood they were waiting on me. I didn’t have any kind of card they were asking for. It didn’t even sound like something that should exist here. Just what the fuck was I supposed to do now?