The Mimic in Monsterland

A month had passed since my scuffle with the tanther. Winter had come full swing to The Forest, evidenced by the white blanket that overtook the forest floor. I never thought that the snow was going to be this crazy. It was at least solid nine inches. According to Len, a desert bordered the southern section of the woods. But here I am, trudging through a foot and a half of snow.

“Achoo! God, it's cold as balls out here.” I said, while catching the warm hair in my palms. “I don’t think they’re supposed to be like that.” Tutor spoke up.

“What?”

“Your balls. I don’t think they’re meant to be cold. You should get that checked.”

I paused my walk, stunned by the idiocy of her statement.

“Shut up. You know it's just a dumb expression. I swear it's like talking with an edgy middle schooler.” I rubbed my hands together and continued on my journey.

“Must be nice, you don't have to go through any of this. Just sitting in my head. Or an office in another dimension watching my every move?”

I continued my recent trend of hitting Tutor with these kinds of questions every couple days, trying to figure out where she is. Or what she is. She understood the majority of Earth references I made and I wanted to know why.

“He shoots. Oof. Air ball.”

“Come on. Give me something. Hidden Volcano Base? Underwater lair on the moon?”

“I'm not some Bond villain. And since when is there water on the moon?”

“A realm between realms? The fifth dimension?” I shrugged. “An intergalactic Dennys maybe.” She chuckled at the last comment. “Nope. Now quit trying. Even if you got it right, I’d be shitcanned if I told you. And where would you be if I wasn’t here guiding you.” Now was my turn to scoff. “Probably in a warm bed. God I miss those.”

A fresh gust of ice cold wind buffeted against my body causing me to shiver. “How the hell is there a desert even remotely close to this frozen hellscape.” As you can tell, I’ve never been a huge fan of the cold. Some might even say I have a slight distaste. Others have said a burning hatred.

“God I hate the cold.” I said.

“Couldn’t tell. Why? It's better than the heat.”

“No, it's objectively worse than the heat. More people die in the cold than in the heat.”

“Can you back that statement up with some facts?”

“I’ll show you some facts in a few seconds after I keel over from this FUCKING cold.”

“Why did you even leave the cave this morning?”

“You know why!”

 

The first snow fell about two weeks ago and has stayed ever since. And as a consequence of the constant cold weather, the edges of the river froze up. I could still get into the middle of the river and do my normal routine, but it was cold as hell. My rock form helped ease some of the chill the river had in the fall, but it did next to nothing in the freezing and rushing cold winter water. This meant I had to come up with another food gathering strategy.

Hunting. The eldest of professions. I had little experience hunting. Gramps forced the boys in the family to go on a few trips with him. It never went so well. Gramps was my mom’s dad. My father was a good man, made a decent living, but he wasn’t what you would call outdoorsy. My mother practically begged him to go on the small family camping trip.

He was a network security engineer or something working for a bank. He met my mom at one of the bank's locations where she worked as a loan officer. He and Gramps got along well enough but were never really close. Too many differences.

The hunting trips never lasted very long. Mom usually concocted some story to get us home sooner than planned. At the behest of my father, no doubt. Gramps usually made me stay. Never understood why.

But Gramps would not budge on the hunting trips. He said, “Every man worth his salt should be able to feed his family and himself no matter what.” He knew what he was talking about, he had two families to provide for after all. I chuckled. “The bastard.” I was a little sad I would never get to give him hell about that

The problem was, even with the experience, hunting on Kniyas was much different. I wouldn’t say harder or easier. Just different. On Earth we had rifles and traps. On Kniyas I had claws and a razor sharp magical feather. While the boost to my physical capabilities certainly helped, a bow would make a world of difference in hunting. How I wished those gremlins had bows and arrows instead of the crappy scrap metal daggers and spears. I wasn’t a crack shot with them, but if I’ve learned anything out here is that practice works.

Another thing my earthen education didn’t prep me for was what to hunt on Kniyas. I could find droves of gremlins and jackanapes just about anywhere. But I couldn’t bring myself to eat them. I understood that monsters didn’t have any sentience. Len told me plenty of times that they were nothing but walking beasts. Even if they happened to walk on two legs. But they resembled humans too much for me to even entertain the idea of using them as food. So I had to branch out and look for more animal-like monsters.

It was during this excursion that I got some news about my mimic gene. It was when I ran into a strange moose-like monster. What made it strange was that it was approximately the size of a donkey. Moose are huge animals, so seeing such a miniature one was pretty wild. And kind of cute. It also had motes of shifting blue light orbiting its antlers. Maybe that was the stranger part in hindsight. The blue lights turned into missiles when it got spooked. Source of this info: I spooked it. The missiles hurt.

But before I took it out, I managed to get close to it and mimic it. Or at least I tried. A notification popped up as I attempted.

[Mimic Entry Limit Reached]

[Limit Increases with Level]

[Next Increase: Level 5]

 

While I took out the little magic moose with Ursa form, I pondered on the notification. The creature was nowhere near as strong as the tanther, light work for Ursa.

I had a limit to how many forms I could have. I was a bit torn on how to feel about it. On one hand, having the versatility of multiple forms was beneficial. Each form had its uses in and outside of combat. And they had cooldowns. This means that having more forms meant I could stay in combat longer with a wider variety of skills.

For instance, I not only killed the moose with Ursa, I also carried it back to the cave with ease thanks to its immense boost to strength. My base form probably could have handled it, but it would have taken much more effort and time. Having access to the moose’s long-range missiles would have been a boon. I was severely lacking in long-range abilities. Plus, it might have answered some questions I have about spells. The motes of light looked like a spell. I wonder if I would have grown antlers. Huh.

But on the other hand, having a lot of forms meant having to train in those forms. I received a basic understanding of the forms and their abilities naturally after acquiring them. But perfecting them meant practice, which meant training. Training the four forms was taxing enough. Having even more would be pushing it. I’d probably have to drop some forms down the line too.

I already dropped Gremlin’s training time down to twice a week. Its stat bonuses and abilities were lackluster to put it lightly. I also had to rely on weapons while in the form. If I lost those, the form didn’t do much but be fast, and that came at a detriment. [Exhaustion] is an awful condition. The headache that accompanied it was even more so. Tigris was faster and came with claws. Much more reliable in my opinion.

Not that I loved the form either. I didn’t care for how my thoughts changed while in Tigris form, but there was no denying how strong it was. Its bonuses also far outshined Gremlin’s. It also didn’t turn me green. Not that being green was a bad thing. Just not my thing.

 

The moose carcass did not last long back at the cave. I therefore had to go back out. Which brings us here, my second frigid quest for food. I was traveling back to the spot where I had first encountered the magic moose in the hopes that more would be there. Or at least close by.

The bit of experience Gramps thrust upon me that did actually help was tracking. When I got back to the spot, I combed around for some clues.

“Bingo.” I said under my breath. I found some fresh hoof tracks in the snow. The tracks went up and down the trail, which meant it was used quite a bit. I decided to follow them to see where they lead.

I walked along the moose-made trail for a while, probably fifteen minutes. “Maybe I should have picked the other direction.” I shrugged and continued on. Until I finally found something.

It wasn’t a nest of moose like I was hoping for. No, it was something a little more fantastical than that. At the end of the trail stood a small patch of brilliant blue and purple flowers. Flowers that gave off a faint indigo light.

“They look almost like roses, but more open, their petals, that is. Like that one plant. What was its name? Gramps grew some in his personal garden. He said there were gran’s favorites.”

Tutor ended up being the one with the answer, ”Gardenias.” I nodded. “That’s right, but I don’t remember them being this color. I think they were white.”

“It's a different world, Liam. They didn’t glow either.” There was something different about her words as she spoke. Or her tone at least. It wasn't the typical mocking or jovial that I was used to. They were calm, peaceful. Almost solemn. Maybe she likes flowers. I wondered.

I was taken aback once more as I thought about what she said. That might have been the first time Tutor addressed me by my name. I honestly didn’t know what to do with that. I’ll just focus on the magic flowers for now.

It amazed me that they grew through the covering of snow. There was no evidence of withering or frost on them. It was almost as if they thrived in the cold.

I felt a strange attraction to them, coming from deep in my body. I had a feeling these little guys were special. Deciding to take one back to camp, I bent down to pluck one. As I plucked one, its glow died out. I brought it up to my face, its smell wafted into my nostrils. It was heavenly. A gentle mixing of lavender and honey. Nothing like the ones back on Earth.

Oh yeah, I’m taking this. Gramps showed me some gardening techniques. I hope I can use them to grow a plot of these wonderful flowers back at the cave.

My thoughts went back to the trail. Why did the moose come to this patch? Sure they looked beautiful and smelled magnificent, but I never pegged monsters as caring about that. Well that only leaves one other use.

I plucked another flower. The first one was to dry out and collect some seeds, but this one was for experimenting. I plucked one of its petals and put it on my tongue. An amazingly sweet taste graced my tongue. But before I could enjoy the sensation, lightning coursed through my nervous system. Like a car battery was attached to my head and toes. The feeling ebbed quickly as I dropped the flower on the snow. “Jesus!” I had to take a few deep breaths.

The chill that had seeped into my limbs, streamed out of my body. My heartbeat quickened as blood rushed through every inch of my body. It felt like I just consumed no less than 10 pots of coffee, with a case of energy drinks as the chaser. I swear I could hear colors and taste sounds.

But I wasn’t jittery and my mind was clear. It just gave me mountains of energy. I looked up at my health bar and sure enough there was an icon.

 

[Energized 0:24]

 

It had a timer ticking down. Only another 20 seconds of this feeling I guess. I looked down at the flower in my hands. How long would it last if I downed the whole thing? I turned back to the patch. “What about the whole lot of them?” Something dripped onto the snow. It was saliva. My saliva. I was drooling.

There’s more of these flowers around right. I could just eat this whole lot and find more. Yeah, that's a good plan. My breath quickened as my tongue rolled out the side of my face. I was about the grab the whole lot.

The timer ran out just as I was inches from seizing them. Fatigue crashed into my body. My knees wobbled. But the feeling went away as quickly as it came. I was cautious moving myself around, worried there would be an aftereffect from the condition. Or at least a hangover.

A minute or two passed and I didn’t feel any different. No wicked headaches or weakness. Even that weird desire to consume all of the flowers subsided. I felt pretty normal all things considered. A bit sticky though, hate that. I wiped the excess drool off my face.

I knelt down next to the patch of flowers and looked around. There were three other trails that ended here. The footprints varied in size and shape. Two of the trails were made by monsters with canine paws and the last made by something I didn’t recognize. The footprints were long and slender, almost like gecko feet, but way bigger. They were the largest out of all the prints, even beating the moose.

These flowers are most likely sought after by all types of monsters. I wonder if it's the same with gene wielders, or splicers as they are known colloquially. Maybe they’re rare. Or better yet valuable.

Money hasn’t been even remotely close to my thoughts until recently; survival was my only priority. My current goal was leveling up enough that I could get into the city without raising too many alarms. But with civilization comes money. I realized I never asked Len about the monetary system on Kniyas. Was it gold like usual or was there another treasured material?

I looked back at the flowers, the status they granted must be valuable. Maybe if I can cultivate them, I would have a revenue stream for when I entered into society.

A horrific growl came from my stomach, reminding me why I followed this trail in the first place.

I collected a few more of the flowers and stuffed them in the pouch Len left me, making sure to leave plenty of flowers in the patch; they were my bait. I stood up and brushed the snow off my pants. After looking at the other trails once more, I chose to stick with hunting the moose.

Trying to hunt monsters I haven’t scouted seemed like a bad play. I knew how strong the moose were and what they could do. Plus, it was kind of tasty. I definitely wanted to come back and check out what other monsters there were but securing food was more important.

I walked back down the moose trail and formulated a plan.

 

Snow piled up on my shoulders, but it didn’t bother me. It must have been an hour since I climbed up this tree, but that wasn’t really on my mind. I was completely calm, one with nature even. My bright green eyes focused solely on the trail that lay under me. Waiting, yearning for my next target to come along. Eager to teach another lesser being its sole reason for existence.

I was in Tigris form. And even though I despised the thought processes the form brought, it was naturally stealthy. An integral part of hunting. It also wasn’t bothered by the cold very much, which was a nice perk.

Ursa was by far the best in the snow, I barely felt the chill. Only problem was I got sleepy easily in that form, especially in the cold. So staking out in that form would’ve led to me falling out of the tree whilst slumbering.

Apis form didn’t help much against the cold; its fur was really light. Gremlin was damn near worthless, my base form was better at handling the cold.

A crunching sound entered my ears. My body tensed in excitement, readying itself for the hunt. As predicted, a magical moose walked along the trail. I positioned myself on a branch not far from the ground. Moose weren’t known for having the best eyesight so I wasn’t worried about it seeing me. Not that inferior creatures could compare to my eyes in the first place. They were perfect.

Tension grew in the air as the unsuspecting creature meandered forward. Closer, just a little closer. THERE!

I pounced; landing on its back. The lights surrounding its antlers brightened as it readied to fight, but dulled just as soon. My magnificent claws had already opened its jugular. Blood painted the snow red before melting away. The pathetic thing mewled for a moment, trying to deny its death but failing. I licked my claws and smiled. “Lesson’s over vermin.”

I reverted into my base form and wiped my hands clean. The sun was coming down along with the temperature. I hugged myself and rubbed, trying to warm up a little while turning on Ursa mode. The increase in body mass and black fur did wonders against the wind.

The moose carcass probably weighed several hundred pounds, but felt like little more than a sack of potatoes to Ursa’s strength. Which made the two-hour trek back to the cave pretty negligible. Until the form shut down three quarters of the way there.

A small pack of gremlins ambushed me while I walked. A fight with them was a joke more than anything now, but one managed to score a hit; a decent sized gash along my leg. I probably could have made the trip back while in Ursa mode but I didn’t want to chance an infection. After a quick log form change, I continued on.

Now I felt every pound of the damn thing. This moose was a good bit larger than the first one I killed, probably a gender difference. The male counterpart most likely has more mass on it. A good change, all things considered. More food. It was also still warm and blocked some of the chill, so that was nice.

The wind picked up and blew fresh snow in my face. “Fuck the cold.”

 

After thirty more minutes passed, the cave came into view. But the gentle orange lights that I left this morning had died out. I was hoping the fire would last long enough, but the hunting trip took more time than I’d hoped. I sighed and continued towards it.

But something caught my eye. Above the cave entrance, maybe twenty feet, was a circle barren of snow. Not a single flake in the circle. I watched as snowflakes fell on the circle, only to immediately melt once they landed.

“How have I not noticed that?” I said, bewildered. But the answer came to me pretty quick. I’ve done most of my traveling through the snow in Ursa form. And I never turned it off until I was already in the cave.

It’s a great form, incredibly powerful in combat and useful outside of it. However, its brainpower is somewhat lacking, to say the least. Not in a bad way or anything, it just wasn’t very conducive to multitasking. It tends to be more… single-minded, like it has one track mind. Go out, hunt, bring back to the cave. In that order, with no disruptions.

Exact opposite of Apis, which makes it nearly impossible to focus on only one task. But its skills were needed to investigate this new development.

I dropped off the moose in the cave before checking out the new mystery. I patted the pelt of the nefarious Tanther I’d slain. I kept it as a trophy, my first hard fought victory on Kniyas. And it made for a really warm blanket. Cleaning it without devouring the body took way more willpower than it should have.

I shifted into Apis form and started climbing, shivering the entire time.

The sun was barely in the sky at this point and the temperature must have dropped another ten degrees, leading me to debate if it was even worth looking into it today or leave it for the morning. But my better judgment says it's probably best to check it now. If there is something nefarious behind the weird circle, then letting it fester would hurt in the long run.

With a few more grumbles and complaints, I made it to the circle. It was about three feet in diameter and warm to the touch. Which felt sublime on my frozen digits. I closed my eyes and indulged, focusing on warming my hands and tail. Even with the fur, my tail was irked by the cold. Heck, I was almost tempted to rub my face in its warmth, but I didn’t. That would be silly… right?

As I brought my face closer to the blessed heat, I noticed that the warmth felt familiar. Like I had felt this heat before. I looked at the circle once more and found something right in the center.

A flame. One so small and so dim, you had to be right next to it to even see. It was a white flame, no bigger than a match, hovering above a patch of grass that hadn’t died. And I immediately knew the origin of the fire. Len.

“Has he been here, or did he place the flame before he left?” I said. But what’s its purpose? Why did he leave this tiny fire?

Before putting much more thought into it, another gust of wind buffeted against my face, causing me to shiver and flick my tail. “Well whatever it is, I probably don’t need to worry about it if Len put it there.” I put my hands on the circle before heading back to the cave.

But the warmth was gone. “What?” I said.

The fire was gone, along with its heat. The snow began to cover the circle, until it disappeared. Lost in the white blanket that covered the rest of the forest. “But how?”

Tutor answered the mostly rhetorical question. “Your tail. It put the fire out during your last spasm.”

I palmed my face. “I hope it wasn’t important.”

 

—

 

Len walked through a side street in Laurelhaven, along with his new protégé, Fennel. It was a chilly evening, but he and the boy had run around most of the day and he was going to treat him to some grub.

As they sat down in front of a food cart, Len felt a slight prick on the back of his neck. His head popped up. He looked off in the distance. With a slight grin he said, “Looks like the fun is about to begin.”

Fennel turned towards him, cheeks filled with food. “What was that?”

Len shook his head. “Nothing, the food looks good.”