My stomach gurgled as a spasm of hunger pangs hit me. I had to find food.

But first, I needed to get my bearings.

I sat in the cave, my point of origin. It was dark, and yet I could see as if the area were dimly lit.

This is because I had [Darkvision], I realized after concentrating. Handy!

A tunnel in the cave twisted out of sight ahead of me, so I couldn’t tell just how far my range of vision was at the moment. Also, everything appeared colorless. Fifty shades of gray.

My sense of smell was unimpeded, however. Hints of moss. A strong bouquet of mold on the nose. Animal dung in the distance. Whatever deposited it might make an easy meal.

I tried to move but found my body to be immobile. This would not do. There had to be some way to… I grunted, bearing down hard and–pop! I felt something shift within my physiology and small tentacle-like appendages emerged from the base of my blocky form.

I was able to crawl, slowly and awkwardly, toward the tunnel. As I neared the cave wall I noticed a small puddle of water that had formed beneath a dripping stalactite. I peered into the water and saw a reflection on the surface.

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Damn I looked good!

My body was what you might call a rectangular cuboid made up of horizontal planks, with a semicylinder top affixed in the back by hinges. Okay, I looked like a wooden chest. A small, plain, average looking wooden chest of a light hue.

But this is where it gets good–a series of beady eyes dotted the front of the chest ‘lid’. I practiced closing several of the eyes, and when I did they were indistinguishable from the appearance of wood. When I opened my mouth, rows of sharp teeth on top and bottom framed a long, sticky tongue, not entirely dissimilar to my walking appendages.

With some practice, I found I could retract and extend my appendages. In fact, I could completely revert my appearance to that of a wooden chest, suppressing my more attractive features. So I had some shapeshifting ability. I wondered what else I could turn into, and if so, did I have a true form?

I grunted again, pressing down with all my strength until my hinges started to strain. Gooey appendages sprung and retracted until I could push no more. Alas, I was a wooden chest. For whatever reason I kept rubberbanding back into that default form.

Enough keyhole gazing. The existential questions could wait. I needed sustenance.

I dipped my tongue into the puddle of water on the cave floor. It was like clean, pure water from a mountain snowmelt with a strong mineral aftertaste. Unfortunately it tasted nothing like blood.

I sprouted my lovely little tentacles and began crawling forward into the tunnel. It was time to hunt.