Death Comes In Many Forms 6 (1/2)

Having been disarmed by its own stupidity, the Mimic was left in an unquestionably weaker position. It was barely able to fend off two spears with its three swords, so the idea of facing three spears with only two blades was not a pleasant one. It made a few unsteady steps backward, unsure of what to do. Should it run away and live to fight another day? Was that really an option? Even if it ran away, would it find food? Would these people let it escape in the first place? Why was there a stone that looked a little bit like a rat’s head on the ground? Come to think of it why were there no other monsters around? And why was it suddenly asking itself these various questions in the first place? None of that pondering was getting it any closer to not being dead.

There was still some distance between it and the guards, but they seemed wary of approaching it. They were obviously waiting for their buddy to get back in the fight, and by the looks of things that moment would be here soon. The Mimic needed to fight back, but to do that it needed a new weapon. Luckily, there were two armed corpses under its feet. And the dead were extremely generous with their belongings. It reached down its free tentacle and coiled it around one of the spears. Actually, there was another one, so it was fine if it tried its ‘Killer Move’ again, right? That first attempt was probably a fluke! Besides, it looked like an oversized arrow. And arrows flew really really well, something this monster had learned with its own body when it failed to properly ambush that Ranger about a month ago.

And so, about a second after obtaining its new acquisition, the Mimic threw it forward with all its might. The spear, unlike the sword, was indeed a weapon that could be thrown. It cut through the air at a speed that was hard for the human eye to track, especially in these dim conditions. But, much like the first attempt, it missed both guards, flying between them without leaving so much as a scratch.

“HUCK!” the monster yelled.

But rather than the sound of metal uselessly hitting on stone, what was heard next was a piercing yell.

“Aaargh! Ah hahaaaaaah! AAAAH!” screamed the third living guard on the scene. His two comrades unwittingly turned their heads around. The wounded man was still struggling to his feet when the errant spear had managed to hit him. It impaled him squarely in the groin, just below the edge of his steel cuirass. He was screaming and thrashing around on the ground in a pain that seemed to resonate with every male in that tunnel.

A special action has been performed. LCK +1.

Ignoring that seemingly random Attribute increase, the Mimic quickly lunged at the two guards. Their attention had shifted and their hands had stopped - if there was ever a chance to turn things around, it would be now. It dashed in between their outstretched spears and thrust both of its swords forward. The dumbfounded guards turned their heads around just in time to get stabbed in the face.

You have dealt a Critical Strike! Target HP -78.

You have dealt a devastating blow. Target stunned for 5 seconds.

You have dealt a Critical Strike! Target HP -79.

You have dealt a devastating blow. Target stunned for 5 seconds.

Proficiency level increased. Sword Mastery is now Level 5. STR +2. DEX +2.

It was checkmate. Or rather, it would be if there were any strategy or planning involved. It was a miracle that the two men did not die on the spot after having the backs of their throats pierced clean through. The Mimic promptly withdrew his blades and slashed at their faces, achieving what is colloquially known as a ‘double kill.’ It then methodically moved in on the final guard and finished him off while he was still writing on the ground.

“SKEEEEEEEEEEEEeeee…!”

A triumphant screech resounded through the dungeon. The Mimic was overcome with the thrill of winning a hard battle for the first time in its life. While it did sometimes fail to ambush its prey, the ensuing scuffle would be little more than an annoyance for the over-leveled monster. If there was ever a time for it to express its joy of victory through the language of dance, it was now.

Although, it wasn’t skill or strategy that won the day. It was its own idiocy. The unpredictable and erratic behavior it displayed completely caught its enemy by surprise on more than one occasion. The creature simply had to recognize its opportunity to act and seize it. It may not be very good at thinking things through, but the Mimic’s mind was already a steel trap when it came to taking advantage of a moment of weakness.

Trickery? Cowardice? Honor? It knew not of such things. It knew of very few things, to be honest. Even if it did know about such trivialities it would still ignore them since they would not fill its belly. And filling its belly is exactly what it needed to do right now. So without further ado, it proceeded to chow down on the five corpses in front of it.

It started with the last one to die - the one it had impaled in the groin through sheer luck. It pulled out the spear and began eating the corpse feet-first. It bit off its legs and, after spitting out the troublesome metal greaves, swallowed gleefully. It repeated the process with the arms and head, discarding the inedible armor along the way. But the torso was difficult. It was still encased in that solid steel cuirass, so getting at it was impossible. Its teeth still could not penetrate steel, after all. It left the still-armored and blood-covered torso alone and moved onto the other corpses, focusing on their limbs and heads in a similar fashion.

Your hunger has been sated. Automatic HP and MP recovery will return to normal.

When it was in the middle of devouring the fifth set of body parts, it finally got confirmation it was no longer starving. It felt relief wash over it. It wasn’t sure how much it actually needed to eat before the hunger went away completely.

Still, leaving behind those succulent torsos would be a terrible waste. While it wasn’t particularly picky about its food, the Mimic still had preferences. It found the intestines to be the tastiest part of the human body. The head was a close runner up. The brain felt kind of bland, but the skull made pleasurable crunching noises when its teeth sank into it. It was simply fun to chew. The heart was third on its list just because of how wonderfully squishy it was. The succulent rump and thigh meat were also good, but those seemed to vary quite a bit between people. Some were stringy and tough while others were far more tender.

The point was, two of its three favorite bits were in the torso. It really wanted to get at them, so now that it was no longer in a rush, it set about trying to eat them.First, it retrieved the sword it had sent flying earlier. It then approached one of the dismembered torsos and used the blade to poke and prod at the armor. After stabbing at it from several angles, it found it could cut apart some leather straps on the side, under where the arms used to be. When it did that, the front and back plates of the armor seemed to come apart. The Mimic then lifted the steel plating to reveal the succulent meat and crunchy bones it longed for. It was almost like opening up a steamed clam.

*CRUNCH MUNCH MUNCH*

Only many times more gruesome. Within the horrible gnashing and crunching noises, there was the barely audible sound of glass breaking and a mysterious liquid poured out and onto the monster’s sensitive tongue.

You have used a Healing Potion. HP +40.