With the heroic dire rat slowly digesting in my stomach, I felt satiated for the first time since my awakening in this underwhelming starter cave. I was confident I wouldn’t have to eat for at least a full day at this point. The larger the creature, the longer to digest.
Mammals are yummy! But the rat still lacked a certain… something I couldn’t quite put my tentacle on. Spiders, slimes, rats… clearly I was the apex predator here, or at least so far as I had discovered. What else was out there?
Anyway, I had some time on my pseudopods. I felt full and strong–perhaps a bit bloated and ready for a siesta.
What was it that had come to my awareness… [common mimic has leveled up]
Oh yes. Intriguing.
I decided to retreat to my, shall we say, ‘spawn point’ from several chambers ago. As the rat carcass dissolved within me, I allowed my consciousness to sink deep, deep down. I focused my mind on the true nature of my existence. Call it Mimic Meditation.
This is what floated up from the swirling darkness of my subconscious:
Creature: Mimic
Creature Type: Small Monstrosity (Shapeshifter)
So far so good...
Subtype: Common
Descriptor: Unremarkable
Title: None
Common? Unremarkable? Titleless? That is not how I identify!
Age: Juvenile
Diet: Carnivore
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Languages: Mimic (telepathy)
Huh. Apparently Mimic is a language. Deductive reasoning suggests that other mimics exist in the world, or once did.
Level: 2
Hit Points: 20
Size: Small
Speed: Slow
SMALL? I’m big where it counts!
Alignment: Evil
EVIL?!? Okay, of all the stats and statuses on this 'character sheet' I call bullSHEET on this one the most.
Is an anteater evil when it slurps up a colony of ants? Is a cave bear evil when it catches a juicy salmon swimming upstream? Is a Vampire Lord evil when he enslaves a harem of virgins and drinks their blood? No! They are simply acting according to their nature, and what is in accordance with natural order cannot be morally evil.
Stupid biased stats block.
Let me see what else is down here in my subconscious… Aha!
SKILLS
Undiscovered Skill
Undiscovered Skill
Master of Disguise (Objects) - 1
While stationary, a mimic is indistinguishable from the object it is mimicking to ordinary senses.
ATTRIBUTES
Darkvision - 60 feet
Immunity - Acid
Undiscovered Attribute
WEAKNESSES
Undiscovered Weakness
Undiscovered Weakness
ATTACKS
Undiscovered Attack
Bite - 1
The mimic’s fangs pierce its prey. Piercing damage.
I was not feeling great about having so many ‘undiscovered’ aspects of myself. You humans take a gap year backpacking through Thailand or go to college where you experiment with harmful substances like cannabis and Dave Matthews Band. How was a simple country mimic like me to follow the delphic maxim to ‘know thyself?’
Yet what was most disturbing of all was… I had no name. I mean, on one tendril that makes sense. Names are bestowed upon beings by their parents or creators, neither of which I was sure of even having. But… I feel like the kind of mimic who should have a name.
I vowed then and there, sitting in that dank little cave, that I would not remain an anonymous, common, unremarkable, titleless, small, slow, low-level mimic.
No. NO.
This tutorial cave would not be the end of my story.
Whatever was out there in the greater world would rue the day they dared not to know of my existence!
Future generations of my enemies would dissolve in the unrestrained flood of my stomach acid flowing upon the Earth!!!
Simply put, I would become the greatest mimic of all time.