Boom.

Purposely using an explosive bullet, I created a barrier in front of my face and watched as the headless body slowly tilted back before falling to the ground.

It became silent.

One second. Two seconds. Three.

“Urahhhh!”

The students huddled in a corner began throwing up as they stared at me with eyes wide with fear as tears began streaming down their faces.

“Y-y-you killed her. Murderer!” One of the girls stuttered out before she began screaming.

As the others joined her, I aimed the gun upward and shot into the air.

Boom! Boom!

Giving them a calm smile, I warned them, “The next person who screams gets it to the head. All of you, turn around and face the wall. Hands in the air where I can see them.”

As they shivered, snot, tears, and vomit still streaming down their faces, I waved the gun at them.

“Hurry it up, I don’t have all day.”

The students glanced between Julius and me, then back to me before continuing to cry silently.

“You heard the kid. Turn around and shut up.” Julius’ calm voice could be heard over the sound of their tears and retching.

Seeing that they immediately obliged, I squatted in front of the boy snatching his glasses from his face and noticing how his eyes flickered like a moving shadow.

“Ready to talk?” I looked him up and down while pointing the gun at him. Although his face looked a bit green, his expression was just as fierce as before.

“… I have nothing to say to you. I won’t cave in the face of the tyranny of the 9 clans. I thought someone like you would understand the plight of the common folk but I guess you’re one of them after all.”

“That’s a long response when you could have just said no. Take a nap and reconsider. Crimson, knock him out.”

“Hold your breath and cover your ears,” Julius responded calmly before two small fireballs appeared by the boys’ ears and a large one appeared over his head. Even as I quickly covered my ears, I could hear sequential bangs and felt the air in the cave as well as my lungs being dragged out and I had to brace my body against the sudden wind pulling me forward.

As the students began taking rough breaths, one by one they began to fall over.

The boy was the first to fall unconscious, his ears bleeding profusely, followed by polka dots who’s ear was bleeding on one side. The rest of the students by the wall slumped over one after the other and the fireballs disappeared. Once I could breathe again, I glared at Julius in irritation.

“What?” he asked nonchalantly.

“You popped his fucking eardrums. How are we supposed to question him later?”

“Kid, you just said knock him out. You didn’t say how. Next time be more specific.” Julius shrugged, “We have bigger things to worry about anyway. Look at her body.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I turned to look at Rachel’s body. Instead of laying still considering the head was missing, the body was twitching while what looked like blank ink was slowly collecting in a pool by her neck. The ink-like substance pooled in a flat shadow-like puddle before congregating into a shapeless blob. Curious, I poked it with my gun and it wiggled around with a ‘blob blob blob’ sound before it squeaked indignantly at me while raising a section of shadow like a fist. Laughing, I poked it again, marveling at the springy texture and it rolled around in a ball before splatting on the floor like a puddle.

“Cute,” I commented.

With an angry squeak, it reformed its blob body and threw itself at me but a hand covered in flames reached out and grabbed it and squashed it. I watched as it seeped down between Julius’ fingers before reforming into a blob shape again.

After squeaking angrily, it rolled over and planted itself in front of me, its whole body wobbling like jelly.

“Move over kid. I have to incinerate it before it spreads to another body.”

“Wait. I want to analyze it to see if I can get any information before you kill it.”

“Don’t mess around kid.”

“I’m not. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Besides this one was only E rank. Besides, if anything crazy happens, you can handle it right?”

“…Do I look like a guard dog?”

“Yes. A very dependable one. Look, it’s moving around again.”

The little blob began shifting around, an eye popped up, then another mismatched one before a little mouth full of little teeth formed. As weird sounds began coming out of its mouth, I analyzed it.

[Shadow Mimic]

[Rank E]

[ Strength: E ]

[ Intelligence: C ]

[ Perception – E]

[ Speed: E ]

[ Magic power: C ]

[Abilities: ▷Spawn (E) ▷Devour (C) ▷Shapeshapeshift ▷Storage (E) ▷Disguise (E) ]

[A spawn offshoot from a main mimic body. As a mimic, it is able to replicate the abilities and physical traits of beings it has previously devoured. It is attracted to those with shadow-attributed mana.]

[Currently lacks a host]

[Bind as familiar?]

“No.” I poked it again with my gun as the sounds coming from its mouth kept increasing, and asked “Are you trying to speak?”

The blob continued growling and its mouth kept changing shape, from a dog-like snout to a bird beak, before settling on something like human lips.

“Can you understand me?” I asked it again.

“Yes.” The response sounded like a gravely voice mixed with high-pitched chirps and growls.

“Oh yeah? Let’s talk then.” I sat comfortably on the ground in front of it.

“Oi Crimson, restrain it for me but don’t kill it.”

“Are you trying to talk to it? No wait, they can talk? What the fuck is going on here?” Julius quietly grumbled. Even as he grumbled, multiple rings of fire obediently surrounded the blob, forcing it to shrink down into a small inky ball with just lips.

“Hot.” It complained while squeaking sadly.

“Too bad. You tried to attack me.” I told it, “If you do it again, you’re dead understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Where’s your main body?”

Squeak?

At the squeak of confusion, I poked it with my gun again.

“Use your words. Where’s your main body? You’re a spawn so where’s the big one?”

“Kill?”

“You? Maybe. Your main body. Definitely.”

A flurry of chirps and growls came out of its mouth before its form slowly changed into what looked like a tower with eyes and a mouth protruding from it.

“A lighthouse? By the water?” I clarified

Squeak!

“Words.”

“Yes.” The blend of voices came out again.

“Good job.”

“Alright Julius, any questions for it?” I turned to look at the blue-haired boy staring at me incredulously.

“I’m still stuck on the fact that it can talk.” He squatted down to look at the mimic closer.

Its eyes turned to look at him before its body scooted closer to me, before angrily squeaking at him.

Julius looked between the two of us suspiciously and I explained, “I’m not a mimic host. Animals like me.”

“…is that thing considered an animal?”

“I guess? You’re the expert here, not me.” I shrugged at him before staring at the little blob inching closer to me.

Julius: “…” fine. He would just suspend all belief in what he knew.

“Oi mimic, can you remove the…you inside of him? Without killing him?” he pointed to the unconscious boy.

The mimic completely ignored him.

At his pointed look, I sighed before repeating the question.

“Eat?”

“Not eat. Remove the other mimic.”

“Eat.”

“Not eat. Remove it.”

“…eat?” at the confused chirps, I sighed. Clearly, this was a pointless conversation.

“Never mind. I think we’ve gotten all we can out of it. Just kill it.” I told Julius.

As it began squeaking pitifully, I looked at it curiously. As I went to poke it again, it suddenly expanded, bursting out of the ring of flames. Its mouth suddenly grew large and it chomped on my hand, its teeth digging in as it began draining my mana and blood.

[Shadow Mimic would like to be your familiar.]

[Bind as familiar?]

“No.”

Feeling the rapid drain of mana, I began shaking my hand and slamming it into the ground, trying to throw it off but it held on tight and continued expanding its body over my arm and towards my face. As it quickly expanded, I could feel my body become weaker and my mana bottom out while messages continually showed up in my vision.

[Shadow Mimic would like to be your familiar.]

[Bind as familiar?]

[Shadow Mimic would like to be your familiar.]

[Bind as familiar?]

[Shadow Mimic would like to be your familiar.]

[Bind as familiar?]

“I said no!”

[Shadow Mimic is trying to devour you to become its host.]

[Bind as familiar?]

“No no dammit! Crimson burn this thing off without killing me!” I shouted before the mimic swallowed my head and cut off my air. Still struggling to pull it off, my vision went dark and I couldn’t see anything but darkness.

I couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, and could no longer control my body.

All I could feel was a suffocating sensation and the piercing pain of teeth digging in and sucking my blood.

As I began to lose consciousness, I saw a message that made my stomach turn.

[Shadow Mimic is now bound as your familiar]

Fuck.