The Mimic in Monsterland

My nose twitched again while I sat waiting for Daila to finish hearing the guards’ side of the story. It’d probably be a good idea to listen as well, but my tired ass didn’t particularly care. I would probably get a cliff notes version later. Truthfully I was now focusing on the smell in the air. My stomach growled monstrously, nothing new really. This was a normal occurrence especially after a fight, and breakfast felt like days ago.

But the soldiers weren’t ready for it. Every weapon in the vicinity pointed in my direction upon the roar’s end. Daila only shook her head in disappointment before telling everyone to stand down.

“My bad.” I said sheepishly, a blush forming on my face. I stood up and walked away from the scene. I stopped a few paces away.

The majority of the monsters had been killed off now. The battlefield had a layer of dead monster carcasses covering it. And probably splicers too. Blood pooled and seeped into the ground. A sight that would turn the stomach of a normal person. But I was no longer that.

No such feelings of disgust filled me. The gruesome field covered in flesh looked like a five star buffet in my head. And that buffet was exactly where the scent was coming from. My stomach growled out as I shifted back into my base form. Saliva pooled in my mouth as I looked out into the field. I don’t know if it's the added stress and fatigue from the battle or what not, but my Mimic instincts were running wild. And they reminded me incessantly just how famished I was.

Nobody would say anything if I had a quick bite to eat right? We’re all part monster. I can’t be the only one having a snack. Besides, we eat their flesh anyway. So what if I have some a little early.

Daila was still speaking with the guards and soldiers from the building defense. I walked up to a few of the monster bodies that had been slain by the defenders. A boar laid on the ground next to a red wolf. Both of their stomachs had been sliced open. The flesh of the boar wafted into my nostrils. It was familiar, I’d eaten quite a few of these bad boys by now. And I could say they were probably my favorite so far. Bacon in any world is just as delicious.

But then a fresh new smell broke in. It was the wolf. A monster I had yet to indulge in. I could barely contain myself. My monstrous tongue rolled out of the side of my mouth.

“Move you stupid! UH! Come on!”

I looked up searching for the voice. It was a soldier I didn’t recognize. A human woman with large fangs protruding from her mouth in basic cloth padded armor tried to move the body of a boar. I watched as she struggled, and then another splicer joined her. Together, the two were able to move the beast corpse, revealing another person. The monster must have collapsed on the soldier in the thick of battle.

I looked away, I wasn’t prepared to see another dead body today. But a rough cough was thrown in the air. I turned back and saw that the person once trapped by the body was alive. A medic rushed over and with a green glow, began to work on the victim.

My eyes scanned over the entire field again. But I focused on other splicers this time. People ran around performing different tasks. Some moved the monster corpses into piles, some searched for other survivors, and then others walked around with weapons, stabbing the corpses of monsters. No one.

Absolutely no one was eating. I looked back down at the carcasses at my feet. And then the nausea hit. What the shit is wrong with me? I rubbed my face with both my hands.

“Liam!” Daila yelled out, breaking me out of that thought process.

I ran back to her and Jomi, thankful for the excuse to get out of my own head.

“Yeah Daila, what’s up?”

Jomi looked me up and down, her head tilting to the side. “Where the feck did you come from?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Umm. I just fought with you.” I grabbed the spear and dagger, showing them to her. “Look I know I wasn’t the best out there but…”

“What? No no no. You were a solid foot shorter, you had to look up to me and now we’re almost eye level. Oh and did I forget to mention green.”

“Right. Damn. Uhh.” I was coming up short for a decent answer. I forgot that the whole form changing thing wasn’t normal. I scrambled to find a suitable answer, until Daila spoke up.

“Shifting Trope. Now if you will excuse us, we must be off to the command center. Dismissed soldier.”

Jomi gave a salute, but the suspicious look didn’t leave her face. She walked away and went to check the rest of her team.

“Did you have to change back right then?” Daila whispered aggressively.

“Sorry, force of habit.” I whispered back.

“Which form did the people in the command tent see you in?”

“Base form. This one.” I said, gesturing to my body.

“Good. That’s one less headache.”

The creaking of wood resounded next to us. We both turned and saw that the door I’d been protecting was being opened. I figured they would wait a while, deal with the bodies first. Or at the very least make sure each monster was well and truly dead.

Can’t imagine all this death being good for the psyche of young minds. But then again, this world is brutal, maybe they try to acclimate them to it early. A sense of melancholy grew in me with that realization. This world wasn’t kind, even to kids.

People started to stream out of the door, kids mostly around the same age as the half elves from earlier. Early teens was my guess.

Daila didn’t slow down, so I had to catch up to her. I stopped at her side and matched her pace. I had some burning questions to ask her now that we were alone.

“What were all those potions and grenades you were chucking out there? They were awesome!”

Daila’s nose twitched. I saw a smile start forming on the side of her face before she cleared her throat. “Just alchemical mixtures I’ve mixed up throughout the years. I shouldn’t have used some of those at the start. That Azure Dragonflame grenade took weeks to brew properly.” Her nose twitched again. “But I’m glad to see the results were satisfactory.”

“Hell of a lot more than satisfactory in my book. Down right overwhelmingly exceptional. And that acid you threw in the wolf’s mouth. Vicious.” I replied back to her.

“That’s just a simple concoction. It would have no effect on a higher tiered monster.”

“What tiers were in that battle? I’m still wrapping my head around that stuff.”

“That was mostly Tier 3s and 4s. No real threats, that's why we could put them down so rapidly.”

“Hmm. Neat. Oh by the way, what’s a shifting trope? It’s what you said to Jomi back there.”

“It’s what it sounds like. A trope that shifts. They are incredibly rare. You’ve seen Len’s, correct?. The flame mark on his shoulder.”

I nodded. It was a while ago, but I remember him showing it to me back on the river shore when we first met. It blazed like that of a real fire.

“Yeah, been a minute but I have.”

“He is an example of a shifting trope. They can come in a few different forms, but nothing nearly as drastic as your mimicry abilities. I have no clue what to classify them as, but for now shifting trope will have to do.”

She finished speaking just as we arrived back at the tent. There were a lot less wounded now. I looked around and caught a glimpse of another tent a couple hundred feet away. They must have moved a lot of the wounded over there.

We entered by the back half of the tent, where the war table was.

“Ghrond let me repeat myself in case there is a hint of misunderstanding and I swear on Denn’s holy taint I will break every bone in your left foot and left hand if I don’t get a coherent answer from you right this instant! WHY THE HELL WAS NO ONE MANNING THAT STATION? WHERE WAS THE ALARM?”

A man’s voice reverberated into the whole tent, every person working, injured or otherwise turned to the man. A short man with black hair and white streaks, two axes at his sides in black and white leather armor. With pointed wolf ears adorning his head. From his stocky build and stature I surmised he was dwarf. He kind of reminded me of Fennel too. But that’s probably due to the dog ears. Oh God was that racist?

The dwarf went on to give the poor sergeant the complete riot act. He threw out combinations of curse words and threats that made me flinch. They were just so…graphic and visual. The man was like Shakespeare if Shakespeare exclusively wrote for adult animation.

I have no idea who this guy is but even Daila stopped and didn’t move an inch while he ranted.

And I had to give it to Ghrond, he didn’t so much as wince a single time. The man stood in the salute pose the whole time, eyes forward. He spoke up once the dwarf relented.

“Captain Blines Sir, Sergeant Tolks was on duty for that station today. My team was in station 43 when we heard the explosion. We moved down here as quickly as possible. We haven’t seen a single guard from 43 either sir.”

The wolf ears on the dwarf twitched as he snarled at Ghrond.

“Then I suggest you find them.” He said in a low voice. A sensation grew in the air. One just like when Daila rescued me from the entrance of the big tree. It was Aura. Goosebumps popped up all over my body.

“DISMISSED!” The dwarf finished. Ghrond bowed and rocketed out of the tent.

“Give me a sec, Daila.”

I followed after Ghrond before he got too far away.

“Sergeant, hold up.” Ghrond stopped and looked at me.

“What is it? And who are you? I don’t have time for anything right now.”

Damn Gremlin form.

“Here, give this to Chu, he let me…my friend borrow it in the battle. He’s getting checked up on by the medics right now and wanted to make sure it got back to Chu.” I didn’t feel like dealing with questions about the form change.

“Ahh right the little guy. Glad to hear he made it. Good Day.” He nodded and sped off once more.

I ran back into the tent and to the war room. Terl was still there but no longer at the center of the table like he had when he took command. Daila filled that spot now. She was Jaren’s right hand so it made sense Terl would step down for her.

The people from the beginning were there. Teachers from the academy or something like that. The pissed off dwarf stood next to the table as well, still fuming from the looks of it. A few others surrounded the table that I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t sure if they were all a part of Jaren’s crew or not, but Daila doled out orders to each of them anyway.

“Whose with the burn squad?” An elf eared woman with red hair raised her hand. “Get ready to start in the next two hours.” She turned to the pissed off dwarf. “Guard Captain Blines, go check on the status of the wall. You know that wall better than anyone here, make sure it's safe.” He grunted and walked away. “Terl, get me an estimate on casualties.” Terl saluted and walked away, stopping once he saw me. He approached.

“You completed your mission. Good job.”

I scratched the back of my head. “Thanks.”

“Any injuries?”

“Nothing worrying. Few bumps and bruises but I will be fine after some food and sleep.”

“Good.” He looked around after he addressed me in a hushed voice. “Normally I’d say you’re dismissed, but seeing as you're not quite allowed to roam on your own you’re gonna have to sit tight.”

“Nothing new for me.”

He sighed. “If that were true my sister would still be working in the Capitol Building. Not stuck on the walls every night.”

What does that mean? I was about to ask him until I felt someone’s hand fall on my shoulder.

“Did somebody order a babysitter?”