The Mimic in Monsterland

“Agh. I can’t believe that little twerp is getting so much.” Jaren complained. “Seriously, what did his squad do to entail this amount?” The giant bald man rubbed the back of his head while staring down at the paper in front of him. Len chuckled at seeing the distress in Jaren’s voice.

“What? Worried the kid will outshine you soon?” Len asked.

The two men were accompanied by one of Jaren’s top lieutenants, an elven woman by the name of Daila Underbrush. A Micen gene wielder. She had a small rodent-like nose on her face and white furred arms. She tied her white hair back in the most clean and perfect bun Len had ever seen. He wondered how long it was when let down. But he had a feeling that he wouldn’t see that any time soon. She was also carrying a few other papers.

The three were making their way back to Jaren’s home after a trip to the Capitol Building. The one where Liam was currently being held. They stopped in front of the tavern built in front of the capitol building. It was a popular venue in the evenings, but empty right around this time of day. Len and the others were going to grab something to eat and discuss some things.

“They were the only group to adequately defend their station on the east flank. His kill count is impressive as well.” Daila explained to Jaren.

“That’s just because he got credited for the kills others made while his ability was up. Lucky pup.” Jaren sighed. “Oh, Herman is going to be insufferable the next time I see him.”

“I think we should be glad we have such a useful and talented young man among our ranks. And he is present and attentive during meetings and training sessions. Something that took you ages to get down, Sir. I’m sure the boy will make a fine replacement for you. Probably rather soon too.” Daila said.

Len snickered. He knew those words would get under Jaren’s skin. Daila was the one person who could cut into Jaren better than anyone.

“Oi, don’t go writing me off yet. Len. Buddy. Back me up here.” Jaren said, trying to rope Len into the confrontation. But Len knew better than to get in between one of their little spats.

“What a gorgeous day, isn't it?” Len said, while staring off into the sky.

“Bah, you’re useless.” Jaren waved his papers toward Len. “What about yours? We getting close?” Jaren’s voice was now serious and hushed.

Len lifted his paper and showed the big half-elf. Jaren’s eyebrow raised before he slowly shook his head.

“Absolutely unreal. But taking down a tier eight boss like that probably warrants that kind of payout.”

“Helps to not have a legion to pay. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure your people get a cut. I have no real use for this money anyway. Aside from the obvious, of course.”

“Looks like the hall is about finished.”

Len nodded his head. He was hoping to finish it before bringing Liam to Laurelhaven, but the idiot just had to get himself captured.

“This will go to the last installment. Only a few weeks away now. As long as the crafter quits complaining about the designs.” Len answered.

“And what of your talent? Looks like Lirae took a particularly dark shine to the kid. From what Fenny boy said, she seemed… less than happy.”

“Captain Blines did give a worrying report about the situation,” Daila added.

Len shrugged. “I think he will be fine. I told him to break out. It shouldn’t be difficult with his abilities.”

“Yes, these crazy abilities of the boy from another…” Len shot a serious look at Jaren, one laced with threat. “Right, my bad,” Jaren said.

It’s not that Len was distrustful of the present company, but he was fully aware of how many ears were in Laurelhaven. He didn’t need any more suspicion surrounding Liam. He was fine with Lirae assuming he was a Feral. It made how she treated him predictable.

“So, when are you going to tell us about the mystery boy’s powers? Hell, even his gene would be nice to know. He didn’t look that impressive wrapped up in the weed’s vines.” Jaren said while handing his papers over to Daila.

“They’re something you’re going to want to see for yourself. I don’t know if I can do them justice. Did your connect get his room location yet?”

“Not quite. The guard posted on his room is kin to one of mine, Terl’s sister I think. But Lirae scared the wits out of the poor girl. And Terl’s not quite in the best of health to be pushing either.”

Len shook his head but didn’t say any more. He knew of the man’s injuries. Some of the money he made in the battle was going to his treatment expenses. A portion was allocated for all of those burned by his flames.

Daila spoke up this time. “Why didn’t you put another tracking sigil on the boy?”

Len shook his head. “Nah, Lirae would have sniffed that out in a heartbeat. Besides…”

Len was about to carry on and change the subject, but an alarm bell rang from the capitol. A wild grin appeared on his face and he turned toward Jaren.

“Looks like you might get to see those crazy powers pretty soon.”

——

You know, never in my life have I found a more suited time for one of those 90s freeze frame moments. The ones where the main character is in some ridiculous situation, one that is meant to boggle the minds of those watching. Then the character in question addresses the audience, saying something along the lines of “Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got here.”

But that is how I felt about my current situation. I was hanging from the bottom of a tree branch approximately, oh I don’t know, too-damn-many feet off the ground. With comically large buck teeth jutting out of my mouth and a really loud bell ringing out. Maybe not a perfect example, like a llama sitting in the rain complaining about his life, but it felt fitting all the same.

Just moments ago, when I freed myself from the stupid vines, I looked through the paneless window and found a breathtaking sight. I was much higher up than the second floor of the building. I was more like on the 38th floor… of a tree. I’m pretty sure I was in the humongous tree I noticed before the battle. And I must have been near the top of it. I could see miles of the forest. All the treetops blending into one another. And it wasn’t even spring yet. I would love to catch this view again in the height of summer.

I looked down, and after the initial feeling of motion sickness that comes with looking that far down, saw what I had been working toward the whole time I was in the woods. It was the city.

People, little dots right now, moved all around the city. It looked like the city was divided by the roots of the giant tree. One area, to my right, looked like it was mostly houses, a residential quarter if I had to bet. They looked like the most authentic and legit fantasy world homes, mostly made out of wood and stone, even a few made from large trees. Of which there was an abundance. Trees dotted the entire landscape of the Laurelhaven. The section itself looked split between really big nice houses, then small smaller ones. No matter where you go or what world you find yourself in, there will always be the haves and have-nots. The left side of the root had much larger buildings. An assortment of open fields interwoven between the structures. I wondered what they were for. Farming maybe.

I was only really seeing half the city from up here. My gaze moved on, to the outer edge of the city. The city was surrounded by a tall wooden wall. One that looked naturally formed rather than man-made. Like hundreds of trees grew together, right next to each other. I couldn’t gauge exactly how tall the walls were, but they were taller than every building around them.

A rush of emotion swelled in my chest. This was what I was working so hard for. The constant training, the life-threatening fights. All for a chance to see something this mythical. This otherworldly city. Sure, how I got here sucked. But just seeing this view made all of the pain and effort worth it. My imagination ran wild until I heard some commotion from the other side of the door. There was a shout and some voices as well.

I looked out the window, trying to think of a decent escape plan. There were a couple of large branches growing out of the trees. One grew right under the window about 10 feet down. It looked wide enough to cover my whole body. I heard somebody rap on the door.

With a shrug, I shifted into the one form I had that specialized in this type of maneuver. I had gotten used to the different sensations that happened in each form. My skin didn’t crawl or itch when fur grew on my body. Even growing the tail in Apis form felt normal. But teeth. I really and truly hoped not a single other form I find screws with my teeth. It felt so unnatural, especially in my skull. Like someone was pulling the teeth out of their sockets and stopping just before they popped out.

Not that I had the time to worry about that. I heard the door slam open just as I got out the window. I hope they didn't see me. I scrambled down to the target branch and got on the underside. Squirrel form did come with some tiny claws, which helped stabilize me. Especially with the wind that blew this high up. I felt the strain on my hands as each gust buffeted the side of my body.

A few voices came from the room I was in, angry voices. Along with some yelling. I hope that guard doesn’t get in too much trouble. She sounded like she was going through something. All the wind stopped me from being able to comprehend any of the words they were saying.

The yelling had stopped at some point. Replaced by an alarm going off. A loud clanging of a bell. I’m guessing they aren’t there anymore, maybe they thought I snuck by the guard.

I looked down, devising the next stage of my escape. The branches didn’t continue all the way to the bottom of the tree. They stopped around halfway. I had faith in this form’s speed to climb up a tree, but not its stamina. Getting down a tree of this size would take an incredible amount. The wind felt like it was picking up too. I’d prefer to be intact for my first trip to the city, as opposed to a splat on the ground. Which meant I was going to have to flee from inside the tree.

I climbed down further, arriving at the branches near the midway point. I looked around for another open window. I found one not too far from the branch I was on. I made my way over to it. Another big gust blew by, forcing me to hunker down on the side of the tree. My hands were getting tired. I started feeling the empty stomach. My strength was waning. Another gust blew and a piece of bark I was clinging to cracked. “SHIT!” I screamed. But before the piece fell off, the wind died down, and I scrambled to the window, practically flying through it.

I rolled on to the floor of the room, heaving huge breaths. I stood up and looked around, preparing myself for the worst. With my luck, I expected it to be a garrison bunkhouse or something. However, I wasn’t surrounded by people or weapons, almost the opposite. It was a room filled with clothes…and lab coats?