The Mimic in Monsterland

Len glided up the stairs of the guild house, completely noiseless. He hoped to get the drop on whoever was rummaging around the place. They had already made their way through most of the rooms in the east wing. And they were now checking out his office.

It’s most likely whoever took the plans from the crafter.

He was tempted to go straight to them, but he knew he needed to check the rooms. To make sure they didn’t leave anything unwanted behind in them. The first room was clear, no signs of chicanery. His aura flame still burned in the corner.

He checked every room in quick succession but didn’t find a single piece of vandalism or espionage among them. He was beginning to doubt his first assumption that this person was a spy. A spy would probably not have wasted time in extra rooms. Especially if they weren’t going to plant anything.

That left thief as the only option, and if that was true. Len grinned, it piqued his curiosity. He opened the door and slipped through. He looked at the far end of the room and saw his uninvited guest. His Sparkborne Sight activated. It let him see in the dark so long as a single flame was lit in it. Which, with his powers, meant all the time.

The thief hadn’t noticed his presence yet, so he took the opportunity to examine them a bit more. They wore a raggedy, torn, and baggy outfit, making it difficult to determine their gender. But the thief’s body was small, not small enough to be a dwarf or gnome, but definitely small.

They clearly didn’t have an ability that allowed them to see in the dark, a must for any good thief or spy. So not trained, which meant their great aura control was probably talent alone. And Len liked talent.

Talent, that ability baked into the very core of a person, was valuable, no matter its source. Whether it came from the offspring of a well-respected family or gutter trash. It was those talented people who made waves in the world. Who had the potential to change the very fabric of society. And that’s just what Len needed to achieve his goals.

He respected hard work. Many people who weren’t blessed with inherent skill did great things in the world. He had many friends who were that exact type of person. But the sad fact of reality was most of them had already passed on. Kniyas did not treat those who tried to change its ways kindly. Brutal, cruel, inhumane. Those were better descriptors.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard enough. Or however the phrase went, was boasted by many. But there was an implication in those words that teachers and mentors liked to ignore, as it would depress the majority of their flock. Hard work will get stomped into dust if talent works just as hard. He, himself, was a product of that very thought. He was on his way to create even more like himself.

So Len couldn’t help being a little giddy that such a talent fell in his lap this time around. He gestured his hand, making the aura flame brighten.

He heard the thief speak out in confusion. “Wha...” The thief had a young and feminine voice.

“There, that better?” He said while smirking. But before he gave her the chance to answer, he snapped his fingers. Every brazier and lantern in the room alighted in that same instant. The sudden brightness flooded the girl's eyes, forcing her to flinch and shut them. He shot over to his chair behind the desk while she was still recovering. He sat down and plopped his feet on top of the desk, resting his hands behind his head.

The girl rubbed her eyes for a moment. She squinted at the door, where Len had just been. Her eyes widened in panic as she pivoted around. Her eyes landed on Len. He smiled at her. Her eyes then looked beyond him, at the window just above him.

“Ooh, honey don’t do it. It won’t work out like you think it will.” He warned the little thief.

But alas, the girl made her move. Her legs started giving off a faint blue hue. Hmm. She has an enhancement ability. Len noted in his head. The girl bunched her legs up and hopped straight for the window.

And here we go. Len didn’t move from his spot the whole time the girl readied her escape. She flew over his head and balled up her body.

THUNK!

Her body hit the glass window but it didn’t so much as budge, just as Len expected. The girl fell to the ground with another thud and a slight groan.

“Tch. Tried to warn you.” He said, now in a mischievous tone. “That’s called glass, it's really popular in Vulug Town and Kailis. Made from superheating sand and cooling it in a special fashion. You won’t find it here in Laurel often though. It’s normally quite fragile and that makes it nearly impossible to transport by caravan.”

The girl groaned a little more but didn’t stay on the ground for very long. She got up immediately and shot for the office doors, most likely ignoring his words.

He removed one of his hands from his head and waved at the door. Flames engulfed them. Heat blast off the doors in waves, honestly hotter than he had intended. Who could blame him though; he was excited.
The girl recoiled from the flames, landing on her backside. He stayed in his chair and continued with his pointless explanation on glass.

“But I had them import the finest quality sand they could, along with a crafter specialized in its make. Choosing to make the material for myself and some friends. Because if there's one thing I’m good at,” He flared his powers once more, further increasing the temperature of the room. “It’s superheating stuff. And things I forge tend not to break.”

He rose from his chair and walked over to the girl who was still sitting on the floor. Oh, I might have overdone it this time. She’s probably scared half to death. He made his way in front of her, preparing an apology in his mind. Just as he got there, they made eye contact for a moment. There wasn’t even the faintest hint of fear in her eyes. Just fierce determination. Her eyes darted from side to side, her mind must have been working overtime on how to get out of this situation.

Len smirked and offered his hand to her. She, of course, smacked it away. She jumped off the floor and ran to a wall. One leading to the outside. Her feet glowed red this time. Hmm, interesting. Different boosts then. Her foot raised up behind her head, and in a blur, slammed into the wall. It shook the room, but the wall stayed strong. Good power, wind up is too long, but that can be trained around.

She raised her foot once more, but Len’s flames wrapped around her leg this time. He lifted her off the ground. She flung her body from side to side, trying to get away from his fiery grasp. Len walked back to his chair and sat down. He floated her over to one of the chairs in front of the desk, gently placing her in it.

His fingers entwined as he brought his hands together.

“Hello, I’m Leonard Ainsworth. So, what’s your name?”

 

——

 

A knock on my door caused my eyes to open. The unfamiliar dark room confused me for a moment. Where am I? Oh right, basement. The candles were out, but Dark Sight kicked in. I stretched my arms and sat up on the bed.

Last night's dreams filled my head with memories of my grandmother. She was the epitome of kindness. She had a good sense of humor and the wit to match Gramps. Something few had. But it was her kindness that my memories held on to. She was the only grandmother I had.

I never knew my father’s mother. She died when he was a child and Dad never really wanted to talk about her. Only every so often did he let certain things about her slip.

But Gran was a big part of my childhood. She practically lived with us when Gramps went out on one of his escapades. I could go on and on about the things I did with my Gran.

I rubbed my eyes and face. They were nice memories but I needed to focus on the present. I’d already come to terms with the fact that going back isn’t an option. But I’ll never forsake those memories and thoughts.

My back didn’t crack a single time as I got out of the wonderous bed. That had to be the single best night of sleep I've had my whole time on Kniyas. I wasn’t perturbed by thoughts of monsters sneaking up on me in the middle of the night. Or waking up to a toxic tusk in my face. Or freezing my ass off on some of those intensely cold winter nights.

I threw the comfortable clothes on and opened the door. To my surprise no one was around. I figured it was Mrs. Warbler who woke me up but she was nowhere to be seen. Some of the tools and implements had been scattered across the tables. A few half finished shirts too.

“She must have been working down here early this morning.” I tilted my head. “Is it morning?” No natural light came into the basement, so I was clueless as to what time of the day it was. Not like the cave.

Odd as it was, some part of me missed the cave. I learned and grew a lot in and around that camp. I don’t want to ever live there again, but I do need to go back. I left a lot of stuff. Now that everything was calm, it dawned on me that I didn’t have any of my things. Like my feather, or the gardenias, or… no that was about it. Didn’t really have a lot now that I think about it. Those trashy gremlin weapons don’t count.

An irritating itch surfaced in the back of my head when I thought about my mithril sword being taken from me. Need to consult with Len on that one. I want it back ASAP.

After the annoyance passed, I turned toward the stairs leading out of the basement. I walked up them and knocked on the door. I knew they told me to stay down here, but I just didn’t care right now. Curiosity was burning inside me. I wanted to explore this city, but that wasn’t really an option at the moment. However looking out the shop window, that would be enough for now.

“In a moment.“ Mrs. Warbler’s voice came through the door a bit muffled.

I heard a latch move and the door opened, natural light filled my eyes, making me blink a few times as Dark Sight turned off.

“Is it okay if I come up?”

“Sure, no one is here right now, aside from my assistant. She’s preparing the new stock in the backroom.” She answered with a smile.

I walked through the door. Sunlight flowed through the windows of the store. It wasn’t too bright, telling me it was probably early to mid morning. Mrs. Warbler sauntered by me and back to the show floor. Dusting different tables and making sure her wares were sorted properly. I saw an empty rack by the front door and window. I hadn’t noticed last night but the window actually had glass in it, unlike the windows that covered the big tree.

The other door behind the counter opened and a voice yelled out.

“Here Gran. Everything looks chipper.” Said a pretty woman who walked through the door. She had a smaller face and freckles dotting it, framed by a short brown haircut that had short pointed ears sticking out. Her ears were a lot shorter than that green devil woman’s, making me think this girl was a half-elf. She held an assortment of clothing items in her hands, hiding the rest of her body.

“Thanks, hun. Bring them to the rack I cleared by the door, Liam will help you. Oh, this is Liam by the way.”

“Hello,” I said, while definitely not giving a very awkward wave. It was a manly wave.

She responded with a cheerful hello and joined me by the empty rack. She put her hands out, gesturing to me to take the clothes from her. I extended my hands and she placed them on me. In the process revealing the fact that she was extremely pregnant. Curiously, I still hadn’t found a trope on her either. Is pregnant-looking a trope?

I shook my head and went on to diligently perform my task as a living coat rack.

“The name’s Loreli, Gran’s assistant. Yer the freeloader we got in the basement, right?”

I blushed at the accusation. I was having a hard time finding a good answer to the question, seeing as it was mostly true.

“Oh, hush child. You’re in much the same situation as the boy.”

The two just grinned at each other. And it gave me some time to think of a comeback.

“First of all. I’m not a freeloader, I’m doing a wonderful job right now as your personal and mobile coat rack.” I moved around dramatically to really sell it. “Secondly, she's the one who locked me down there. Told me I wasn't allowed to leave.” I said while pointing my clothed covered arms in Mrs. Warbler’s direction.

“Gran! How scandalous.” Loreli said in mock surprise.

We all chuckled together.

After Loreli finished hanging the clothes by the window, I looked out. I didn’t notice anything strange. “Hey Mrs. Warbler, is it alright if I’m right out in the open like this? Daila made it seem like it would be bad for me to be seen here.”

The elderly woman answered while looking through the clothes we just hung.

“Honey, that plant isn't going to do a single thing to me, my store, or my guests.” Her words were firm and filled with conviction. “Daila was being cautious. Oh speak of the woman.”

I turned toward the window and saw Daila walking to the shop’s entrance, hair tighter than ever. Her expression looked tense.

Before she entered, Mrs. Warbler said one last thing. “Oh I know those eyes. Hope you're ready for a busy day.” She giggled as she walked back to the counter.

Daila entered the door and immediately her eyes centered on me.

“Let’s go.” She said and turned around walking right back out the door.

“Umm.”

“Go on, you’d better not keep her waiting.” Loreli said.

Daila’s head popped back into the store. “Now.”

I rushed out the door, following after the scary little mouse woman.