Monster Girls Book 1: A Tale of Tails!

Chapter 185: An Imitation

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!" 

Felix found himself panting loudly, jumping over large rocks and ducking under branches. He had lost sight of No'Vak and Sans soon after they began chasing that deer, but Spi'Reto would occasionally turn around and slow down for the human to keep up. The added weight of the dwarf hanging on his back didn't help either, in fact his shoulders were beginning to hurt. 

Nyitzcha noticed his loud breaths and looked down, doubting her insistence on joining their hunt. She made sure to pack lightly for the trip just in case, but the vine growth and mud paired with rocks and tall shrubs made it nearly impossible for her to navigate around. She was about to voice her concerns when Spi'Reto stopped abruptly, causing Felix to slow down. 

The young elf kept a firm grip on his bow and arrow in one hand, while leaning against a tree for shade. He tapped his bow against the bark impatiently until the pair joined him. 

"Where are the others?" Felix asked, kneeling down so that Nyitzcha could hop off. 

"Still running," The elf responded. 

"What? So why aren't we-"

"You're too slow." He voiced coldly, his eyes darting between him and the dwarf. "You could keep up with some practice, but the dwarf? Not so much." 

Felix frowned and looked to his friend, expecting her to pop off in anger like a kettle whistling with steam coming out her ears. But to his surprise, she hung her head and crossed her arms, choosing to plop down under the shade instead. 

"Bugger." She muttered in defeat, waving the pair off. "You two hurry. I'll... fuckin' play wit de grass er sum shit." 

"Wha- no." Felix looked back to face Spi'Reto. "We're not leaving her here all alone." 

"Oi dun speak fer me, I can handle me-self." 

Spi'Reto walked up to him until their faces were inches apart. "She's dead weight, Felix. She's short enough to compete with halflings in size. Better to leave her behind, maybe she can be better use as bait."

Felix's face twisted in disgust. "What the fuck-"

Spi'Reto snickered, cracking a smile before slapping his arm. "Calm yourselves, I'm just messing with you both. The group is over there, behind those trees." 

He pointed over his shoulder, laughing as Felix and Nyitzcha exchanged looks. Felix sighed and helped Nyitzcha on her feet before they stepped around the elf. 

"You pair need to lighten up." He smirked, locking eyes with Nyitzcha as she walked by him. "Hey, sorry about the size comment-UHNFF!"

Nyitzcha stomped on his foot, watching him fall on his knee to clutch his leg in pain. As he looked up, he found himself staring at her smirking face as she marveled at his pain. 

"Not so tall now, are ye?" The dwarf spoke with a light chuckle before skipping after the others. Felix hesitated, having seen the whole ordeal before choosing to help him up to his feet. 

"Don't- don't tease her height." He warned, keeping the elf's arm around his neck as he limped to keep up. 

"Oh really?" He groaned with his right eye closed. "N-Noted."

Sans spun around in time to see Nyitzcha and the others approaching them. She was hunched over, using bushes for cover and signaling for them to keep quiet. No'Vak was further ahead, keeping his back pressed behind the trunk of a large Bon-Bon tree. He had an arrow in position and ready to fire but kept his weapon low against his waist. 

Spi'Reto and Felix knelt down while Nyitzcha didn't have a reason to crouch. They could see the wounded deer moving with a limp on his front leg with an arrow lodged onto its side. It whined and whimpered, bowing its head before collapsing, its black eyes slowly closing as it's breathing stopped. 

Felix sighed, having tended to farm animals for nearly a year made him no stranger to seeing an animal take its last breath. But it didn't make the sight any easier for him. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and hung his head down, licking his lips believing that the hunt was over. But a tap on his arm from Spi'Reto brought his attention back on the deer. 

"Watch." He whispered, both of them staring as the deer raised its head and looked around, surveying its surroundings. Believing that it was alone, the deer stood back up, and the arrow slipped out. Amazingly, there were no signs of puncture marks noticeable on its brown coat of fur. 

Felix leaned in close, squinting his eyes to get a better view at the arrow missing its arrowhead. Glancing back at the deer, he gave Spi'Reto a puzzled look before the elf pointed at his friend No'Vak. 

No'Vak was busy igniting his arrow with some flint before catching a spark, Once the arrowhead began to burn, he spun around the tree to reveal himself before firing it at the deer. It struck directly into its belly, causing the deer to whine and thrash around. Felix jumped in shock by what he was seeing when Spi'Reto held him back. 

"It's not real." He warned him as No'Vak was hurriedly preparing another fire arrow.

"Real? The damn thing is on fire!" He cried out.

"Calm yourself!" Spi'Reto instructed before looking back. "It's no deer. It's an imitation."

On cue, the deer fell on all fours before its fur began to... dissolve. As the fire spread, its fur lost its color while the body melted into a gooey familiar green sludge. But what the elves weren't prepared for was that it would rip itself apart, abandoning the half that was burning while preserving itself. 

"Shit!" Spi'Reto hissed, drawing his own bow. 

Sans was quicker on the draw, sending a fire arrow in the arrow with its sights set on the slime. The monster shriveled and compiled itself into a large ball, the surface forming boils that began to erupt in small bursts. In the blink of an eye, it erupted and launched a large green slimeball in retaliation, catching the arrow in midair whilst on route toward the others. Sans rolled forward, evading the attack as it splashed several feet away from Nyitzcha's feet. The dwarf fell on her ass, staring as the mess hissed and sizzled as it dissolved the grass and rock that it coated. 

"It's fuckin' acid!" She blurted out, kicking away from the stuff. 

"No'Vak!" Spi'Reto shouted, kneeling and struggling to set his arrow on fire. 

"On it!" His friend had readied another fire arrow, striking it directly onto the slime. The arrow embedded into its round body; the flames crept along its gelatinous mass and expanded in a fiery red blaze. With no mouth to scream, it shriveled and whipped its body around in a panic while bits of goo boiled and pooled down around it. In its last moments, it held its body back before spitting out another acid projectile, splattering along the tree bark just as No'Vak clung behind it for protection. A small drop landed on his armguard, burning through its wooden surface before expiring into a poof of steam. 

Felix looked up to watch as the slime lost its shape and melted into a puddle, the fire burning brightly over its surface and scorching a few low hanging branches above. He gagged as his stomach lurched once he noticed the disgusting smell that released from its death, causing him to nearly lose his breakfast. He coughed and covered his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut and struggling to breathe through it when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

Spi'Reto comforted him while his friends exchanged puzzled glances with him. "It's an awful smell for everyone, but er... I'm guessing the whole mated with a Nekomata thing gave you a better sense of smell. Sorry about that." 

He shook his head, composing himself before standing back on his feet and wiping his mouth. "Those aren't anything like the slimes I've seen."

"We call them Imitations." Spi'Reto explained, fasting his bow over his shoulder. "Those Slimes start out as green gooey things, but if they manage to eat enough to grow in mass, they begin to evolve. See they don't just eat; they absorb everything about their meals. Their characteristics, features-"

"Memories." No'Vak added, adjusting the arrows in his quiver. 

"Was it playing dead before?" 

"Appears so, wouldn't be the first time. And if we don't wipe them out soon, there won't be any animals inhabiting the forest here. Wouldn't be longer until they migrate elsewhere." He walked around as he explained, offering a hand to help Nyitzcha on her feet. She frowned but accepted it, patting her legs and staring at the melted mass left by the first acid blast nearby. All that was left was a pool of sunken dirt two inches deep with bits of green residue clinging on the edges. 

Sans cocked her head, spotting another deer staring at them not far off. She whistled for the others to notice as the deer raised its ears before scurrying off. 

"How long was that one watching us?" No'Vak asked as he approached her. 

"How often do you see deer stick close to a scuffle?" She answered back, readying her bow before running towards its direction. No'Vak didn't hesitate to follow, with Spi'Reto alerting Felix and Nyitzcha to keep up. 

"Stay quiet." He instructed while they ran behind him. "We don't want to alert anyone else of our whereabouts."

Felix nodded, understanding that exposing themselves would risk their safety in case other monsters. But this chase didn't last as they arrived at an uphill section beside the mountain where a mineshaft was exposed. The entrance had caved in with chunks of heavy rocks and logs compiled into a mass that prevented anything from going in or out. Sans and No'Vak kept their distance away from the entrance, not even bothering to look back to see the others join them. 

Felix looked around. "Where did it go?"

"I-" Sans hesitated, pointing at the caved in mineshaft. 

Nyitzcha scoffed. "Dun think a deer kin slip through dem cracks like dat." 

Spi'Reto inched closer, tracing his fingers around the wooden frame of the mine before spotting the hoof marks on the dirt below. The trail disappeared upon arriving at the entrance, causing the elf to step back out of caution. "No, they wouldn't. We should keep moving." 

"You're sure?" Felix asked. 

He nodded back, unraveling a small map and marking this spot before tucking it into his rear pocket. "An abandoned mine shrouded in darkness, possibly moisty surface and secluded from the outside? Perfect spot for slimes to hide in."

"I reckon I kin blow dat entrance up fer ye-"

"Absolutely not. We are too few and ill-equipped to venture through there." 

"I quite enjoy living to see tomorrow." No'Vak muttered in agreement. 

"We can return another time with the right equipment. Let's value our lives and keep moving." Spi'Reto ordered, adjusting his bow. "That makes two Imitations in a short time. These things are growing, so any animal should be treated with caution. Felix, Nyitzcha, you two stick with me in the front. Sans and No'Vak will guard the rear just in case. We've still got plenty of daylight to explore. Good? Okay, let's keep it moving."

Felix sighed and strolled alongside Nyitzcha as the group started moving downhill. 

"This hunt anything like you thought it would be?" 

She shrugged, offering no verbal feedback. 

"I never knew slimes could copy appearances." He explained. "Slimes are a very rare presence back at the farm." 

"Ain't no stranger t' de ooze." She snorted, weighing a few black pellets in her palm. "Count yer lucky stars fer bringin' me along. I may quick work o' dem."

"You were anything but quick when that slime spat at your feet." Sans spoke up from behind. "Frozen like some scared foe."

"Dun seem like yer needed my help." 

"Still don't." 

Spi'Reto frowned and spun around. "That's enough! Sans, behave yourself. If you haven't any kind words for each other than keep your mouths shut. I'd rather we walk in silence than to bicker amongst each other."

Sans rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Tch." 

Nyitzcha muttered under her breath before keeping up with Felix and Spi'Reto, leaving Sans behind. She spun around, staring at the mineshaft entrance whilst feeling like they were being watched. Such troubling thoughts led her to scanning around the forest as a bird began whistling nearby, startling her. No'Vak reached out and held her arm, motioning for her to keep up. She nodded in agreement, sticking close to him as the group descended downward before being out of view from the mines.