The Mimic in Monsterland

My eyes opened in a flash, but closed just as quickly, sunlight burning my retinas only slightly. I rolled on to my side and opened them once more to see I was lying on the ground. Feeling the soft vibrant grass under my hands, I sat up. Looking around, I found I was in the middle of a clearing surrounded by trees and other greenery. I Imagined it must have been quite the picturesque scene, one ripped straight out of a fairytale.

While pinching myself a few times, a futile endeavor to make absolutely certain this wasn’t a dream, I noticed I was quite fit. I was getting out of shape back on earth with the mounting stress in my life. But all of that flab I accumulated was nowhere to be found. The rebirth process must have shed 50 pounds of fat and replaced it with an extra five pounds of muscle. This is probably the best shape I have ever been in.

I also found I was wearing new clothes. A plain white slightly baggy shirt and a notably comfy pair of black cotton pants under a suit of leather armor. I stood up and stretched. The armor was pretty easy to move which was a bit of a surprise. I always thought it looked stiff and hot in games but it wasn’t too bad, breathed well to boot. Which was a blessing considering the heat. Must be the middle of summer here. A far cry from the chilly spring morning before I—

“Died.”

I said, with no emotion, staring off into the woods. Pushing away the dark thoughts that crept up, I closed my eyes again listening to the sounds of the surrounding forest. Bugs buzzing around, a squirrel moving through the undergrowth and the sound of rushing water in the distance. I was thankful for all the white noise. I preferred it much more than the roaring silence of the Dark Room, as Terrence had called it.

“Stupid name.”

Just moments ago I was in that blank white world speaking with Terrence. Well, I guess moments ago, who knows how long I was really out.

Why was Terrence so rushed there at the end? He even broke character, losing the proper gentleman act, using contractions and even slang. Then I thought about his last words of advice: Check your Character Sheet.

“Just think about it, huh.” I said, recalling his words.

I gave it a try; I thought Character Sheet. And sure enough some parchment appeared, floating in front of me. I definitely didn’t jump back. I read the floating paper.

Name: Liam Foster

Level: 1

Race: Human

Monster Gene: Mimic

 

Stats:

Health Points: 100

Stamina: 250

Mana: 100

 

Strength: 15

Dexterity: 15

Agility: 15

Constitution: 15

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 15

Charisma: 16

 

Abilities:

Active:

Mimicry (Object) (lvl 1): Copy the likeness of one object. You gain the stats of the object while active. May be canceled at any time. [Recorded Entries]

Mimicry (Creature) (lvl 1): Mimic one creature of your choice. This may include stats, abilities, spells and other aspects. May be canceled at any time. [Recorded Entries]

 

Passive:

Learned Behavior: You may gain a portion of the stats and/ or abilities from a mimicked monster. Benefits given depend on the creature mimed and only given if you become adequately proficient in that form. With higher proficiency, benefits may increase.

Spells:

None

 

Looking over the sheet, questions started bubbling out of my mouth.

“What’s the difference between abilities and skills? Are these good stats? What is a Monster Gene? Why is mine a mimic?”

Images of creepy treasure chests that opened to reveal horrifying rows of teeth and a thin flicking tongue, covered in viscous saliva. The creatures that would grab your unsuspecting character and have a quick munch session. Or at least that's how most fantasy games I’ve played depicted the nasty little guys. An additional worry grew in my mind, which I voiced.

“God please tell me I don't look like that. Or crave human flesh for that matter.”

I felt my face, searching for any weird out-of-place features. I then opened my mouth and felt around. My tongue seemed normal enough but as I felt my teeth I noticed something weird. My teeth were rather sharp, especially my canines. I was pretty sure just poking them would lead to a bloody mess.

Now worried what would happen if I bit my tongue, I ran it along them. Nothing, no pain at all, I even bit down on my tongue and cheeks a few times. After confirming that my new teeth didn’t pose any immediate danger, I returned my attention to the sheet that still floated in front of me.

Terrence told me to learn about my abilities in this world but that was a struggle itself. How do I learn? Or rather, who do I even ask, I'm in the middle of the woods. I mean look at these stats. They look like the common TTRPG stats but agility is new and there aren’t any modifiers. They are also really even which isn’t very tabletop-esque like. So does that mean they act differently? Is it like JRPG rules where the stats are little more than arbitrary? And with a sigh I voiced my thoughts.

“What do these stats even mean?” As the question was leaving my lips, a chime ringed in my head, followed by a voice.

“Which stat is giving you trouble?”

Alarmed by the sudden speech, I wildly searched the vicinity looking for its source. While I searched, the robotic yet feminine voice gave me a rundown on the stat spread.

“It’s your basic RPG rules. Strength makes you strong, Dexterity makes you good with your hands, Agility makes you fast, and Constitution makes you tough. Intelligence gives you the smarticle particles while Wisdom helps you make decisions with them. And finally Charisma makes people like you. And you’re not gonna find me in the woods. Or anywhere for that matter.”

Stunned by the lackadaisical explanation, I stopped my search and asked,

“Then how are you talking to me? Who are you?”

“You could say I’m your tutor. I will try to aid you in figuring out the mess you landed yourself in.”

Why should I even be surprised anymore? This must be the her that Terrence referred to when he gave me his final nuggets of wisdom. At least this game has a tutorial. Most web novels I’ve read like this don’t give the main protagonist anything.

“So can I ask you anything about this world? Like, could you point me to the closest town or something?” I asked in the hopes I wouldn’t be stuck in the woods with zero direction.

“Nope, not at all.” She said flatly.

“Care to elaborate?”

“Not particularly.”

Rubbing my temples with one hand, I asked,

“Then can you at least explain what a Monster Gene is or where I got it?”

“Your monster gene gives you power in this world, without it you’d be shit out of luck. As a matter of fact, everyone in this world has one. Now enough with the 20 questions, how about you just use the damn powers already.” Tutor said in an increasingly frustrated tone.

I wracked my brain for a decent comeback and after coming up with nothing; I decided I probably should just do what she says. After another quick read through the abilities once more trying to make sense of them. The first version of Mimicry was easy to grasp. Mimics in some games were not just confined to treasure chests but several objects they could use to trap players. It was the second part that seemed weird, to my knowledge mimics don’t copy creatures.

“Well, no point in thinking too much about it.” I scanned the surroundings and found the first target of my new powers: a fallen tree. While walking up to the log I realized I was missing a crucial detail.

“Hey Tutor, how do I use my powers?”

“God, you ask so many questions. These powers are like a bodily function. Much like how you know how to urinate, you know how to mimic.”

“Kinda nasty but I think I get what you mean.” I lied, that advice wasn’t at all helpful. I kneeled down and touched the log and then closed my eyes, trying to look profound or something.

“You do that when you're peeing too?”

“Shut up.”

Something stirred in me when I touched the log. I unconsciously recorded every detail of the piece of wood, how it felt, how strong it was, its color. Every aspect of the log was lodged firmly in the forefront of my mind and once the feeling passed, I opened my eyes. I stood shocked as I examined myself. My skin had darkened to the exact shade of the log and it felt just as rough as its bark. Though the whole of my arm wasn’t completely wooden. There were gaps in the bark where my joints were and my legs were much the same. I felt my face wondering if everything about me changed to be wood like. But the round face of a human wasn’t there, it was larger and shaped like a tube, or I guess like a log.

Panic rose in my chest and just as it was about to boil over another instinct kicked in. An instinct that told me to calm down and lie down. As I followed that inclination I noticed as my body moved, there was almost no sound. I expected to hear loud creaking and the sound of wood breaking but there was nothing. Once I was on the ground, the instinct took over again, telling me to move my limbs in ways I didn’t think possible. One arm behind my back curled up, the other bent in front, my legs closed together completely.

The placement of my limbs hid all the parts of my body that weren’t covered in the bark. And then finally my head and neck twisted into my chest. With my transformation complete, I just sat there. Part of me wished someone could take a picture of what I looked like right now. But somehow I knew I matched the log perfectly. As I sat on the forest floor, my mind began to clear. All the thoughts, fears, regrets that were at the back of my mind slipped away. I was a fallen tree in the forest.

[Mimic Entry “LOG” Recorded]