Merve grunted dropping to his knees. The goblin used the daggers to hoist itself to his neck.
Toya slowly sucked in his tongue and sat up. He raised a hand, rubbing the top of his arched lid. "What's happening? Ugh," he groaned.
Sam glanced back with wavering, widened eyes. He switched his gaze upfront. His chest moved in pace with his quick breath. "Toya," Sam grunted.
"Huh." Toya moved his hand off of his lid.
"Eat me! I don't want to die by a goblin." Sam squeezed his eyes shut while turning away. "You will be quicker, right?"
Toya froze. He wants me to eat him. What in the world? I am a monster... I guess, but to eat another man.
"Please! I'm begging you! Don't act dumb, you monster! You planned this!" Sam raged, turning his attention back to Toya.
"Sam, we need spell work," Jack yelled as he swung his axe around. Two goblins made it under his battle axe handle.
"Heee heee," said one goblin.
Jack quickly changed the grip on his battle axe, handing it horizontally. He bent his arms back, rushing the bar toward him and the goblins.
Merve grunted as he shimmed his shoulders to the right and then to the left. He kept his eyes squeezed shut.
The goblin on Merve's back stuck its long, narrow tongue out, licking his neck.
Merve leaned his head away, exposing more of his neck. He shivered from the wet feeling. Before he could react, the goblin opened its mouth wide, sinking into Merve's tender flesh.
"Ahhhh," Merve screamed.
"Jack!" Tom screamed. He felt a sudden presence behind him. Tom's eyes widened as a small blade pierced his throat. Blood gushed from the wound.
Toya's mouth fell open. His bottom box half heaved. "What's happening? "No, no, not real." He reached up to his lid sides in between the black metal slots. "Grarrr!" Toya screamed as his tongue shot out, grabbing a goblin that was going around to the front of Tom.
"Aey!" The grabbed goblin's eyes widened. He dropped his blades, stretching out his small hands.
Everyone's attention once again was diverted to Toya.
The goblins behind Jack's axe pole raised their daggers. Their mouths wide, showing two rows of sharp teeth.
Jack slammed his pole against their backs. The goblin's eyes bulged as spit drops flew from their mouths. They hit Jack's chest with a resounding thud.
Once Toya's tongue fully retracted, his jaw slammed shut. He chewed and swallowed. His bottom half raising and dipping. Toya's front expanded as the goblin bits landed with a loud kur thunk.
A voice echoed in Toya's head.
"Level 1: Goblin's surprised terror. An action that you can use at any time.
Level 0: wobbly Goblin stance. The stance is weak, barely passable.
Level0.3 Dagger duel-wielding: Cannot use weapons made by human hands at this level. The daggers must be made of stone or copper.
What is this? Who is this voice in my head? What does any of this mean? Do other mimics have this too? The voice is gone… Why is the voice gone? He thought before speaking again. "Voice comes back," Toya jumped up. He glanced around the room once again. There was no one but the decimated party and the goblins.
Behind the bigger Goblin a mimic with a pink bow behind the lid was peeking out from a corner.
Toya noticed. He reached out his hand. "Yuri!"
The peeking chest gasped while darting away.
Toya ran his feet pitter-pattering against the stone. His arm was still stretched out.
A goblin snatched his arm. It grinned while applying pressure. The sound of a slow splittering echoed.
Toya opened his mouth. A low growl escaped him. That had to be Yuri. At least he hoped it was. His tongue sneaked out, wrapping around that goblin.
The goblin's eyes widened. His mouth fell into a perfect O shape.
"Yoink," said Toya. He pulled the goblin close.
The goblin struggled, pulling at the tongue
with its sharpened lime-green nails. "Eyye," the goblin yelped as Toya's tongue tightened.
Toya opened his lid wide, tossing a second goblin in.
Wobbly stance 1: A slightly firmer stance.
Small weapons handling level 0: You can now pick up small swords and various tools.
Goblin's surprised terror 2: increases emotional manipulation.
Goblin's happiness: level 3: To act out a moment of excitement on cue.
Dual-wielding 0.5. A slight increase.
"This makes no sense," Toya shouted.
Merve groaned, his eyes rolling back as the goblin raised away from his neck. "This is how I die." His body collapsed.
Toya opened his mouth. His tongue aimed at the goblin who bit Merve. The goblin screamed as it was yanked away.
Toya's lid closed after dragging that goblin into his gullet. His front and sides expanded as he chewed, swishing the Goblin around before swallowing.
Wobbly stance level 2: upgraded to firm stance level 3: you have to skip a few levels due to extra consumption.
Dual-wielding level 3: You may now use iron, steel, and gem-crafted daggers. Human-made Iron daggers are now usable.
Sam jumped up. His nostril flared. A fireball burned brightly in his hand. "This is your fault."
He made fire. In his hand. Toya's eyes widened, and his mouth formed an o at the crackling sound. His tongue shot out quickly, dragging the wizard to him. The fireball faded.
Sam screamed as Toya's lid slammed closed.
Jack's grip loosened on his axe. "What did you do!"
"Shut up, Jack," Tom rasped. "We aren't making it out of here alive."
"Shut up we are! And if we do not, I will bring your bodies home," he sobbed and then gasped. Two red spots developed on his chest. He crumpled to his knees.
The two goblins darted away from Jack toward Toya.
"Ate a human!" Toya shrieked. "I ate a human! Toya is bad!" He wailed.
Human speech level: fixed vocal cords.
Mana lvl 6: you. Can now cast spells.
Toya's eyes tracked the goblin's movements automatically. His tongue shot out, wrapping around one of them. The other goblin slashed at the pink spongy flesh. The tongue split, capturing that goblin. Toya dragged them both to him. "No, stop eating." He pulled at his tongue. It retracted inside, pulling the goblin in.
Tom stood; he staggered over to Toya. Once he reached the mimic. He knocked on the his head. "It's cool, he rasped. "Make sure to eat Merve too."
Toya went to pull away, but his mouth opened. Tom threw himself in. "No!" After he swallowed Tom. His tongue shot out wrapping around Merve.
Jack stretched out his hand. His jaw fell open. He watched as Toya cried.
Tears slid down Toya's lid rim to the black metal rim clasps and down his wooden panels. "I do not want to eat people. I do not want this. Why is this me? He looked at his wooden hands shaped like a humans the palms facing his face. "I am not the same."