Matt wakes up to the weirdest sensation. He is being pulled apart by something large and strong. He is too groggy to do much about it as proper sight, sound, and feeling return to him slowly. His bones ache with a dull pain that lulls him back to sleep. If skeletons could dream, Matt wished he could. But instead, he wakes up to the smell of an oozing maw of teeth, blood, and saliva. He awakens to the smell of rotting meat and death and the sound of one phrase being repeated over and over again-

“GIVE IT BACK!”

Matt realizes what is happening, but it is too late to fight. Tentacles, long and slim yet strong, grip the dungeon core in his chest while thicker tentacles pull at his limbs. It is so desperate to get to the core, to possess it in its safe hands, that the Boss Mimic is morphing flesh into smaller tendrils to pull and yank open Matt’s ribs. Is it only a matter of time before it realizes that merely bashing Matt’s head in will free the core? Or does he suspect, on an instinctual level, that Matt’s death was the core’s death? And the end of this dungeon.

So Matt can only watch in awe as the creature the System called Mimic tries to pull him apart and only has one thought while it does it—

“At least you look like a Mimic!”

And at that, the creature takes offense and roars! Pulling harder as it does so. Though Matt wasn’t wrong… there is a classic appearance to the Boss Mimic. A giant treasure box, with the outside skin mimicking the traditional painted hardwood hue, minus decoration and with muted colors, of course. While the inside, i.e., the mouth, is all large teeth oozing with salvia and pink throat muscles. It is, of course, covered in blood as well, but this story hasn’t been a classic fantasy for a while.

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With the core back in this plane, the Boss Mimic is getting stronger and bigger! Eventually, it will abandon its traditional look for something more imposing, more hulking, and not reliant on flesh and bone for nourishment. And with its intelligence restored, Matt knows that the simple monster will opt to devour him, pulverizing the rest of his bones to leave the skull for last.

And where is Doug?

When the Mimic sensed the Dungeon Core’s return, strength and conviction surged through the defeated Boss. Without warning, he leaped up into the air and crashed down on the skeletons trying to kill him below. Destroying all but one, who used his shield at the last moment before getting stomped…

Though being underneath the growing Boss Mimic means slowly getting his skull crushed as the weight bears down on him through his basic shield.

Doug is going to die.

And Matt sits there wondering if he really traded his soul for an opportunity to die a second time-

“RALLY CRY!” booms a voice from behind the Boss Mimic before a Kapa spear explodes through its open mouth. Blood and gurgled screams escape the beast’s throat as its appendages wave in protest! Because for a moment, the creature can’t decide between dealing with the threat behind him or retrieving the Dungeon Core.

But unfortunately for it, Greg makes that decision for him—

“FORWARD THRUST!” the spear goes in deeper—

“SHIELD BASH!”

With momentum and the defense bonus reinforcing his bones, Greg uses leverage and rage to spin the Boss Mimic around and toward the staircase entrance. A staircase everyone forgot was there, including the Boss Mimic, who, in his surprise, doesn’t adequately anchor himself against Greg as he is pulled away from his prey and suddenly out onto the staircase.

Then down. Then very down. In fact, he hits every step as he stumbles down the staircase—all 5,000 steps—

Boss Mimic has taken Minor Blunt Force Damage

Boss Mimic has taken Major Blunt Force Damage

Boss Mimic has taken Moderate Blunt Force Damage

Boss Mimic has taken Major-

—down, screaming and cursing as he went, while the party watches and listens in stunned silence.