A long time ago I broke my leg. To be exact the fibula- the small bone in the lower leg. I had to use crutches to get around, and people kept telling me to slow down or I'd fall. Perhaps an odd thing to say to someone on crutches, but appropriate for me, because I was practically running on them; I'd lean my broken leg against my good one and alternate between my good foot and the two crutches, moving in a "tripod" fashion.

It might be because I get into a routine with repetitive motions, but this whole "inchworm" form of locomotion has taken on the same feeling, and I'm picking up speed in the process. "Speed" being relative, as I'm only moving about five feet per minute.

I'm not the only thing moving, I'm sad to say, as the noise I heard before has continued on and off. I figured whatever it is must have been attracted when the doors were broke off there hinges and came to investigate. It didn't take the source as long as I hoped and the creator of the offending noise finally entered my visual range: a roach.

A really BIG roach. And that's not even considering my size; this thing has to be three inches long- beating any of the roaches I saw in my past life by an inch, and looking MUCH more threatening than those ever did.

I know it's coming for me too.

Not directly perhaps; I've got the feeling it can easily catch up to me, but it's moving in a bit of a zigzag path behind me and every time it stops and waives its antennae in the air it eventually continues to move in my direction. I'm not sure if it's confused by how I'm moving or if it knows what I am and is being cautious, but it's slowly catching up to me.

I'm debating what to do about it. I mean, I probably look like a tasty dancing meatball to it, so I'm sure it'll eventually catch up to me. But when it does? Well, I feel like I'm planning for a Pokémon game with three attack options: Bite, Lick, or Spit. The last is the only one I'm truly considering because I don't want that thing to get close to me; it's roughly half my height but longer than I am and has actual legs to stand on.

'... well, might as well get it over with.' I finally decide and stop walking before twisting myself around on my tongue. I've seen it on and off since it got about 60 feet away and it's closed the distance to ten feet now, despite the fact I've been moving in the same direction.

It stops in its tracks, watching me turn as it wiggles its antennae in the air. I could almost humor myself into thinking it's just curious if it weren't for the sharp blade-like mandibles clashing together in front of its face– things I'm fairly certain aren't part of the type of roaches I'm familiar with.

Getting ready I summon one of the wads of Stomach Acid I stored in my Gluttonous Gut while walking, feeling it appear in the back of my mouth. I watch as the roach seems to recognize something is happening, its entire body stiffening up and freezing for one second.

'Shit!' I spit as hard as I can- a moment too late as the roach launches its body forward, easily dodging under the projectile as it closes the distance between us with blinding speed.

'OH FUC I-' My mind races as the absurdly large roach gets within an inch of my face– and passes me by.

Almost afraid to check I cautiously turn to look behind me, watching in confusion as it continues to run further down the hall.

It takes a moment before I hear it too: Footsteps.

Something is coming, and it's much bigger than a roach.

'CrapNoWhatNow!?' My mind begins to race again.

No, this… this isn't the same footsteps from earlier. It's not THAT thing again.

'Crap, no. OK.This? Skin! Stone skin!'

I quickly open the Mimic Modification Menu in a panic and verify I still should look like a rock before closing it. I attempt to "deflate" my body so I look less notably round, feeling confused as my vision shifts from facing forward to "mostly up", the difference providing a near 360 degree dome-like view of the hallway.

I hold my breath as something humanoid enters the edge of my sight, much larger than I, yet noticeably shorter than the dark being I met earlier. It quickly walks forward before stopping in front of the busted doors, looking up and down the hallway a moment before entering the room.

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I take the opportunity to move closer towards the wall, my strangely flattened form matching the inchworm movement my tongue did earlier.

Hearing the footsteps pick up I stop moving, attempting to close my eyelids only to find they not only don't respond– but don't seem to exist to do so.

'Oh shit, it's going to look over and see two eyeballs staring at it.' I think panicking as the creature exits the room in my direction.

Getting a good look as it approaches the only thing that comes to mind is "Goblin": gray skin, bald head, long pointed ears, big sharp nose, slightly hunched back, and sharp teeth fit in a slack jaw.

A hint of red enters my vision when the Goblin stops a few feet away from me, sniffs the air and looks back at the room once before continuing down the hall. It soon exits my field of view before the sound of its footsteps can no longer be heard.

It takes a few more minutes before I allow myself to relax a little and attempt to "feel out" my form. It would be easy enough to assume the Goblin was stupid and didn't see me, but nothing about "me" feels right.

For one thing, I can't move my eyes, as if they're locked in place. Add to that I can't feel my eyelids to close them, the "flat" feeling of my body from earlier, and finally- my mouth feels like its in the wrong place entirely. I move my body in the inchworm fashion again, but this time instead of doing so to walk I fold my body the opposite way, bringing part of my own body into view for the first time.

'It's… stone. It really does look like stone.' I think, then flex my body more to bring my eyes into view of each other before realizing: they already are. Rather I no longer have two eyes, but multiple eyes, eight of them- each a small black dot near the edge of my wafer shaped body.

I watch from all around it as my tongue extends out of my mouth in the center of my body and needle-like teeth- so many teeth- flex out around it as well.

'It's like a pit trap.' I think in morbid fascination. 'No- it. Me. My body…

' --I-- look like a pit trap. Is this a Mimic thing? Do Mimics do that? I can imagine catching small animals like this if I had a way to lure them in. Or just pretend to be a convenient hole for them to hide in when Goblins are near.

'Speaking of being near, what is this?' I question, bringing my attention to the red at the peripheral of my vision– the act summoning a pair of windows:

Notice: An attempt to use skills that do not exist has been made. Associated skills will be created at Level Zero:

Skill: Stealth [0]

Skill: Disguise [0]

Congratulations-You have survived an encounter with a stronger foe by avoiding observation!

Skill: Stealth [1]

Skill: Disguise [1]

'Well, at least they're not intrusive. I can only imagine being blinded by one at the worst possible time. But is everything you do a Skill here? I mean, am I going to get a Skill for eating?

' ... you know, after everything thats happened so far I wouldn't be surprised. But Stealth and Disguise Skills: shouldn't those be default for a Mimic?'

'Wait- no, that's not important right now.' I think, attempting to reign in my thoughts. 'Why does this seem so… normal? I mean yea, it's weird, but it doesn't feel weird. Shouldn't I be freaking out? Shouldn't I have freaked out before now?'

'I've been walking on my tongue- which is strong enough to pick my body up. My body is pretty much just a head, which apparently can change shape without using the Mimicry Trait.

'And it's like I've just accepted it.

'Is this normal, since it is my body? If I woke up as a Centaur or Merman, would I feel the same way? Do I want to freak out because I know it's so different?'

I waive my tongue around, watching it from all sides with my current spherical view.

'I think… as odd as everything is, that may be the case. Truth is, being able to change my body's shape is kind of exciting. It's like there are unlimited possibilities that I can achieve with my skin alone. Add to that being able to shape-shift into things? How far can I push it? What exactly can I do?'

I close my mouth and imagine my body inflating, my form quickly returning to its former shape, save for maintaining and repositioning the eight spider-like eyes which provide a panoramic view around me. I imagine growing spider legs, but nothing happens.

'Well, it was worth the shot.'

I begin Inchworming my way forward again. 'Yea, it's weird, it's scary. But it's also exciting. So let's be excited and see what I can do!'