Chapter Twenty Two

Alert!

– 1 Health!

Bob surged awkwardly awake, feeling as though he’d mixed six shots of espresso with a comparable amount of sleeping pills. His mind lost in a long moment of shuttered awareness, groggily pushing aside a mess of notification windows as he searched around for what had woken him.

Only for his question to be swiftly – and painfully – answered.

Alert!

– 1 Health!

The sudden flash of pain in his back-right side cleared out what cloudy thoughts were still lingering. It also caused him to jerk forward, instinctively attempting to get away from the sensation.

Before anything else, Bob noticed the new, locked-in position his eye seemed to have taken. His attempts to flip it around and stare at his attacker amounting to nothing more than a five- or six-inch variance in perception. Something which nearly sent a spike of fear tearing though his body.

Until he was quickly assuaged by his newly discovered speed and turning radius.

In an instant, it felt like he was four feet away and already facing behind him. His movements facilitated by a strangely instinctive skittering sensation involving his bottom half.

One he would currently be far more focused on, if it weren’t for the murderous dinner platter beginning to march towards him. Its pinchers raised in obvious threat.

Trying to judge his attacker’s size made him realize that his own had most certainly increased. Each of the impervious blocks of stone making up the tower’s construction seeming far smaller than they had before.

The crab, to its misfortune, had also suffered during this shrinking process. Weighing in at only slightly larger than its real-world lookalikes, it might once have been a serious threat to Bob’s safety.

Now – gazing slightly down at it in a form which felt both solid and stable – instead of fear, Bob felt a sudden surge of bloodlust overtake him. The memory of being ripped in two by one of its bigger cousins still fresh and vivid in his mind.

In fact, as the crustacean continued its charge, Bob decided this was the perfect opportunity to test out the plan he had come up with for his new prehensile ‘tongue’.

Or, more precisely, his prehensile tongue and his sole evolved skill.

As Bob’s new jaw slowly creaked open for the first time, the crab seemed to finally second-guess its decision to attack. Its forward motion creeping to a halt before it attempted to reverse it entirely.

All of which was done far too late.

As the thick lashing of various bound and knotted cordage whipped out of his mouth, Bob found himself astounded by both its speed and size. His mind wondering how much more of the currently four-foot-long, one-inch-thick rope was still twisted up inside him.

Before then being far too occupied to care when that same rope impacted the top of the crustacean with impressive force; knocking it off its feet and almost instinctively beginning to wrap around the creature. Slowly pulling it towards its fate.

It tried to fight back, of course. Its oversized claws attempting to maneuver themselves around the cord entangling the rest of its body. But by the time they’d gotten themselves positioned correctly; it was too late. As Bob opened his mouth wide and, with one step forward and the slightest tug from his new limb, completely engulfed the crab. Claws and all.

Before then, with an unnatural flexing of what appeared to be wood and iron, compressing his form entirely around it. Holding it helplessly within himself.

Ding!

Toothless Grasp (E) has Leveled up!

2 – 3

What pitiful resistance it was putting up seemed to fade away altogether when his skill leveled. The increase also assisting in letting his limb move freely inside himself, relaxing his form when required for it to pass. It used that freedom in order to collect the now smaller lumps of silver resting there – the system seeming to have consumed an equal portion of both – and pulling them firmly into the sides of the crab.

Before beginning to squeeze.

Its struggles increased. Mounting one last desperate fight for freedom as it felt the pressure begin to build; its claws and legs straining against his wooden frame. These attempts abruptly ceasing when – with a wet, suppressed crunch – its shell finally gave way, collapsing in upon itself.

Ding!

You have destroyed a ‘LV: 2 Lesser Mad-Crab (F)’

(3) Experience gained for Class: ‘Treasure Hunter (B)’

Bob simply stood there for a moment as he stared at the notification in front of him. His mind trying to catch up with everything that had happened in the forty to fifty seconds he’d been awake. Not managing terribly well.

At least his plan to combat the crabs had been successful.

Though, as he disgorged the mess of crushed arthropod into the waters around him, he couldn’t say he’d really considered the unpleasantness factor.

Still, his skill combo had absolutely verified its usefulness. Plus, the brief combat had proven that the crabs were a source of experience points. Which boded very well for his survival.

Almost as well as whatever that Evolution had done to him.

Bob, as best he could, stared down at his new form. Taking in glimmers of varnished wood and blackened rivets of iron. The box-like shape not unexpected, given his species.

He was a chest. One which appeared a little over a foot tall and half again that wide. Probably. His eye, now firmly placed where one would expect a lock to be, unfortunately no longer capable of its previous exacting feats of self-description.

Though, now that he thought of it, still able to quickly peek behind him. At least if he opened his ‘lid’ far enough to do so.

After as much self-evaluation as he was able to do, Bob took a moment to glance around the tower for other intruders. Not wanting to be ambushed by another crab while he was distracted by glowing blue windows.

After finding nothing else in the general vicinity however, he finally turned his attention towards the notifications he had waiting for him.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

And boy were there a lot of them.

Ding!

You have Survived Evolving into a ‘Thousand-Foot Mimic (E)’

Congratulations!

Ding!

You have Acquired your first Unique Trait!

Unique Traits are Evolution-Specific Traits which act as the hallmark of a subspecies; each far outshining their similarly ranked counterparts.

These Traits are allowed to further Evolve into greater and more specialized versions of themselves at set species levels.

You have acquired the Unique Trait ‘Articulated Undercarriage (E)’, from the ‘Movement’ Path.

Articulated Undercarriage (E)

Transforms the Mimic’s ‘undercarriage’ into a sea of 1,000 ‘feet’ operated by a distributed control system.

+ 5 Dexterity + 5 Constitution

Passive Ability

Surefooted (E)

The Mimic is able to nimbly and securely navigate terrain which would be thought well outside its reach.

Trait Evolution: Level 20

Bob paused here, hesitating for a moment before moving on to the last window demanding his attention.

The description for his Unique Trait seemed very familiar. Even large swaths of the language used looked to have been pulled directly from the explanation he’d been given on his ‘Class Skill’. The text feeling awkward and recycled compared to ‘The System’s’ usual, seemingly custom tailored, commentary.