Coin thrust his claws forward, unleashing a great gust of wind that nearly blew the campfire out. Vez responded quickly, light exploding from his heels and launching him back toward the tents. His companion threw himself to the ground, only barely avoiding being blown away.

The mimic advanced swiftly, racing toward the one-armed man. In his wild, adrenaline-fuelled panic, he clutched his axe and swung blindly. The edge thudded into Coin's chest, drawing blood, but did little to halt the mimic's jaws as he tore the man asunder from the waist up.

More biomass, more strength. And that flesh was quickly directed to close his dripping wounds.

The other bandit's hammer slammed into Coin's side with bone-shattering strength, making the mimic stumble aside. He hissed, blood oozing from his toothy maw as he glared at his prey. That made the armoured man stumble back, his hammer trembling in his hands.

It was nice being a human, Coin would admit. To walk in the sunlight, and relish in the freedom of a life outside the underground. He almost felt bad for his kin, who had no idea what they were missing out on. But it was also quit enjoyable to cut loose just a little, to give into his primordial instincts.

He just had to make sure he didn't make a habit of it.

More bolts of crimson light raced through the air, cleaving forward faster than a hail of arrows. Coin loped around, deftly dodging them, as each bolt tore a chunk from the ground. He countered, firing a whip of wind at Vez. The elf flung himself away with another burst of energy at his feet, the wind slicing a nearby tree trunk in twain.

Another hammer blow caught Coin in the side, but this time the mimic was able to swat his attacker aside. The bandit struck off the ground, rolling to a halt and gasping in pain. "Vez! Kill it!" he cried.

He swung harshly as Coin moved over him, the blow glancing off his arm. Coin scarcely noticed it, skewering the bandit with a swift stab of his tongue. He gagged and gargled, helpless as Coin flung his broken body aside.

A wall of pure force exploded into Coin's body at that exact moment, launching the mimic off his feet and smashing him into a nearby tree. It was torn from its moorings, digging up a portion of the grass and earth around it. Coin hissed in pain, a numb ache tingling down his entire left side. Nothing broken, that much quickly became apparent to him, but that bolt of magic still stung something fierce.

"You come into my camp, kill MY people?!" Vez hissed, his body aglow with flickering ruby flames. "I don't know what kind of monstrosity you are, but you die here and now!"

Coin lashed his right hand outward, electricity dancing along his clawed fingertips. A bolt of lightning shot from his outstretched digits, closing the gap in an instant and lighting up the surrounding blackness. A shimmering bubble of red light instantly formed in front of Vez, the lightning bolt exploding into a spray of white hot sparks against the wall of energy.

Another flurry of energy daggers launched toward Coin, who quickly scrambled away from them. But a few of them managed to graze Coin in passing, opening burning wounds along his hide. Coin snarled, nearly being bowled over from the sharp flashes of pain.

He was no stranger to being hit with melee weapons. He disliked them, of course, but it was a pain he was used to. Injuries born from magic, on the other hand, hurt significantly more. As if each blow sent a tide of fire racing through every nerve in his body.

Vez pressed the assault, sending a hail of glowing daggers into the tree line. Coin moved quickly, keeping low to the ground while the sharpened blades of energy sliced through the nearby trees and bushes.

Coin had a healthy backlog of biomass to call upon, using it to mend his injuries and dull the pain he felt, but he couldn't regenerate indefinitely. And each injury would just serve to slow him down more and more.

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The elf advanced into the brush, still alight with a halo of garnet energy. He scanned about with burning, hateful eyes, fashioning blades of magical light into both hands. "Don't know if you're a demon, or something worse, but it doesn't matter. Not to me. Cuz you're dead either way!"

A flash erupted from his eyes, firing blindly into the darkness that surrounded them. The bolt of concussive force from his eyes struck a few nearby trees, blasting them into clouds of burning splinters.

Coin scuttled silently behind him, sleek and graceful despite how monstrous his form was. He summoned a great gale with a thought, launching it toward Vez's back. The elf snarled and spun around, his barrier glowing with greater intensity to ward off the explosion of wind. It buffeted around him, the cyclone swirling against the shield and uprooting large tracts of the surrounding soil. He was pushed further and further back, grunting under the mounting strain.

A wave of force erupted from Vez's barrier, pushing through Coin's own spell and sweeping toward him. The mimic leapt aside, back into the shadows, and quickly slithered among the trees.

Vez huffed for breath, pale clouds emerging from his mouth. "What kind of damn monster knows how to use magic?" he asked himself in a low growl. He advanced into the darkness, his aura faintly flickering.

The elf had power, but lacked stamina. A common weakness among those who didn't properly cultivate their magic.

There were two types of magic users in the world. There were those who took it seriously, devoting a good deal of time and effort into properly studying the power, mastering it until spellcraft came as easy to them as breathing. And there were those who saw magic as a cheap tool, something to be used and abused. It was a very convenient 'I win' button to criminals, who could near-instantly best any foe devoid of magic.

Until you were suddenly faced with someone who couldn't be killed with a single spell.

Vex stalked forward through the trees, gritting his teeth. "I know you're not just some wild animal, you freak," the bandit growled. "So what are you? A demon? A phantasm?"

He came to a sudden stop, a sense of dread washing over him and igniting every primordial fight or flight warning sign in the deepest recesses of his brain.

One of the fallen trees, camouflaged among the other collapsed trunks, unwound itself behind Vez, long clawed limbs opening outward. Finally, Vez swung around, eyes widening in horror. "... a mimic?" he murmured.

Coin's fist, wreathed in lightning, swung down through the air toward the elf. Vez's barrier flared to life, but the blow shattered it asunder with a roar like thunder. The elf was launched aside by the shock wave, desperately scrambling to his feet. But Coin was on him in an instant, jaws splaying wide. And, in one swift chomp, he gobbled Vez from the waist up.

The rush of blood and meat tingled through the entirety of his body, tenfold stronger than the rush Coin got from eating normal humans. He'd never had an elf before, the taste distinct from what he was used to. Pleasant, softer, and more subtle a flavour.

He lurched forward and let his tongue unfurl to reveal Vez's meteorite ring. His eyes widened. Magic... of course. If he absorbed magic from eating a human wizard, then had he also absorbed Vez's magic too.

Electricity briefly crackled around him, spurred by his command. He did not feel any different, in truth, but perhaps it would take some time for Vez's magic to manifest? A matter to contemplate another time. He'd just saved himself and his friends from danger, and now he'd need to quickly make his way back to camp before anyone noticed his absence.

But, first and foremost, he was owed some extra compensation.

Still in his monstrous visage, Coin scuttled back to the remains of the camp. An assortment of boxes were set about the campfire, and he set about popping each one open to see what they contained. Preserved foods, small weapons, alchemical potions devoid of labels... But not a single ducat in sight.

He pressed deeper into the camp, toward the tents, and soon stumbled upon a lockbox sporting a weighty steel lock. He tore the lid open with a single flex, and grinned at the stacks of golden coins that greeted him. He lifted the box and tipped it to his lips, spilling a steady stream of ducats into his mouth.

"M-muh... muh..."

The sound of a stranger's voice made the mimic freeze in place. His gaze shifted over to a wooden cage partially shrouded in the darkness, housing a woman who stood frozen and staring at him with horrified eyes. A short and slender human, only slightly taller than Essine, He initially mistook her flowing hair for black, but a few stray beams of moonlight highlighted a deep purple hue to her follicles. Faint bruises lined one side of her face, but there was still an aristocratic edge to the woman. A dignity that being held captive had not undone.

She was, after all, dressed in a rather fine blue brocade doublet, dark trousers, and expensive riding boots. A cut above the garb a normal commoner would wear. He spied a lute at the back of her cage. He'd seen adventurers carrying such instruments in the past. 'Bard' was the word for them, he believed.

"M-monster!" she eventually exclaimed, stumbling to the back of the cage and pressing her slim frame against it. So, this was the person the bandits had been talking about?

Coin sat on his haunches in idle thought, pondering his next course of action. He supposed he couldn't just leave her here. There was no telling if anyone else would come by to help her. But the last time the mimic had helped a stranger, he'd gotten smashed into a crater. So, now, he was left gripped with uncertainty.

But, then again, if the woman was a threat to anyone, she likely wouldn't be held back by a flimsy wooden cage. Slowly, hesitantly, he crept toward the cage. The woman watched him with horror, trembling with growing intensity as Coin's claw hooked against the lock. He split it in twain with a single twitch.

Then, as the door was creaking open, Coin turned and bounded away. He made a beeline for a nearby hill, illuminated by the moonlight. He turned to glance at the woman over his shoulder, who was still frozen in place but now sported a look of bewilderment on her face.

He said only one thing to her, in a low and guttural voice distinct from his usual human tone: "Go free."

With that he sprinted off into the darkness, making a beeline back to camp.