If I could lean back I would have fallen as the mass of error and warning windows filled my view.
'A God's notice? Did it not mean to bring me here? Or for me to become a Mimic? Or is this a different God entirely?'
My eyes dart between the multiple screens, trying to fill in the gaps of information provided. Whatever the case may be, my current situation has clearly offended them, and it's undoubtedly an ill fate to be on the bad side of anything calling itself a God.
For whatever happened to bring me here, its probably safe to assume there are many gods in this world and whatever the "Heavenly Accord" is, their interference in this dungeon isn't permitted.
And after seeing the error messages, that might be my saving grace.
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to calm down I begin dismissing the windows, leaving the Menu and final "error Trait" description:
Consume and Devour
Thanks to [ERROR], your natural ability to absorb other forms has been enhanced: you can now choose to absorb a skill or ability instead!
That… still seems pretty good? I'm not sure why it made a God angry, or if they know what they tried to do worked (kinda?), but it seems I may be able to do a little more than just look like the things I imitate. If I can improve my "weak" attack damage I'll be thankful… unless that means I'll have to eat acid to make "Acid Spit" stronger. That seems like a rather risky assumption, but I'll have to figure it out if the opportunity arrives.
I dismiss the two windows and look across the large empty room, the only notable feature being the giant double door on the other side.
I don't really have a reason to head towards the door, but I don't want to just sit here doing nothing, because sitting still just ain't my thing; I'm always fidgeting. Wiggling my leg, bouncing my foot, tapping my fingers, all little things I normally do to distract myself and keep busy, and now i can't do a single one.
With a sigh I begin the slow, methodical task of using my tongue to drag myself forward, each motion leaving a clear path in the thin layer of dust and dirt on the floor. It doesn't look like anyone has been in this room in a while, the dust undisturbed save for small lines every so often.
—
'What I wouldn't give for a set of legs right now.' I think while pausing to wet my now dirty tongue. In my pasing i noticed the thin clean lines on the floor aren't as random as I initially thought, and closer inspection shows there's a lot more of them, all following the same way, or ways; whatever made them has been through here a lot but is currently nowhere in sight.
I continue on, roughly a third the way across the room after roughly two hours. It's not fast, but faster than I would have expected, thanks in part to hitting my stride early on. If you ignored the small timing difference you'd swear you could hear my motion leaving footsteps!
Wait…
I pause, listening as actual footsteps echoing in the room. They're faint, but rushed?
Attempting to focus on the sound is difficult as the steps seem to echo from all directions. 'Which is odd, as they should only come from beyond the doors.'
I strain my ears, eyes narrowing as I watch for the movement of feet under the door as the sound of footsteps gets closer and closer, louder and louder until each step sounds like thunder in my ears.
I freeze as a pillar as deep as the abyss lands a hairs width in front of my eyes, filling my vision as my heart leaps into my throat in sync with the earth shaking beneath me.
Another dark piller lands a few feet in past the first, the set carrying the form of a giant, its body made of darkness and shadows.
The being walks over and past me, slamming its hands against the double doors as they break open under its weight, both top hinges broken and doors splintered. It walks into a hallway on the other side of the doors, checking both directions before walking back while shouting in some infernal language.
The giant, though human in shape, looks like a mass of black ink with the only visible detail its perfect white teeth locked in anger. It shouts into the either more before moving its hand to its forehead as it hangs its head down.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Then the weight of the world falls upon me.
The creature moves its hand and slightly turns it's head towards me, a wicked smile spreading across its face. Unknown words escape its lips before it throws its head back in a vile laugh.
Thunderous footsteps echo in my ears as it approaches, the thought of attempting to flee an impossible conception.
It speaks Arcane words as it sneers, momentarily looking down at me in disgust before bending down.
I wince and close my eyes, afraid my life is about to come to a second end, waiting to inevitably be crushed by this monolithic being.
After a moment of fear I risk looking up at the sound of its disgruntled voice, seeing it standing above me while holding a blue window that's similar to the one that opened before me.
It seems to consider the windows contents for a moment before laughing and swiping its finger over part of the screen before dismissing it.
The weight of its gaze falls on me once more as it sneers, then passively comments in a mysterious language before walking past me and it's footsteps slowly fade behind me into silence.
—
It takes a few minutes to calm down, my heart both feeling like it stopped beating while also attempting to burst from pressure.
A pressure I felt with my entire being.
With my current size its not hard to believe that "giant" was a normal size human being, but whatever that was, wasn't human.
'Oh God, that…
'Was that a god? An actual, G.O.D. God? Was that the one that 'noticed' my existence? Did it come here to kill me? What did it-'
My thoughts pause as I remember one of "The Heavenly Accord" popups said they can't affect things in this dungeon, but the shattered doors before me lay in contradiction to it.
Eyes darting around the room as I look on in consideration and debate, I remember the familiar blue window he was angrily looking at, and summon my Menu.
MENU°
Name: @#$%=÷
Species: Mimic [ ]
Level: Juvenile
Size: Tiny
Weight: 0.4 ounces [ ]
Title:
Health: 04/04
Strength: 01 [01]
Dexterity: 01 [01]
Constitution:01 [01]
Wisdom: 14
Intelligence: 16
Charisma: 00 [00]
Languages Known: None
Class: None
Skills: none
Attack methods: Bite, Acid Spit, Tongue Lashing
Species Traits: Darkvision, Gluttonous Gut, Mimicry
$%^&* Trait: Consume and Devour
Expecting something disastrous it takes a moment to recognize what's different: the Hero title is now missing.
'... that's it?'
I reread the Menu, opening up all the submenu options several times, just to be sure as my fear persists. It's almost laughable to think some being of Infinite power would waste its time just to say "You're not a Hero."
'But if thats really it, does that mean they'll leave me alone?' I mean, it DID leave, and I'm still alive. I may now be a meatball with a mouth, but I'm alive nonetheless.
And the truth finally catches up with me: I'm alive.
I'm actually, truly, alive.
Again.
I died. My life, as simple as it was, came to an end. It's over. I died. But, I'm here?
I use my tongue to turn around, looking back at the cave- now clearly a small crack at the base of the wall. Everything started out so calm and casual, slowly waking up in a way that everything till now seemed strange yet normal, like in a dream; you just accept things as they are.
'But this isn't a dream. A God brought me here and made me a Hero, then I wake up as this thing and another God decided i'm not a hero. And instead of fixing this and making me human again they left me here.'
My heart hurts. It's a different kind of pressure than what I felt before; not overwhelming, but empty instead.
I was abandoned by a God.
'No, not just abandoned' I think, remembering his sneering, pompous attitude. 'I was thrown away. Discarded. Not even worth being disposed of.
'... Yea, that's right. That bastard should have been able to do something to help me, even if it was just telling me whats going on. He didn't. He sneered, he laughed, and he left.
"Well, screw you!" I shout in gibberish, mentally giving the finger. There's some old saying about living just to spite someone, and if my existence is offensive to that god, then I'll make them regret abandoning me.