[Status: Deceptive Stillness (Active)]
[HP: 148/150]
The Guardian was still sitting on me. He was complaining about the "low drop rates" in this dungeon while chewing on a piece of dried venison. The Archer was distracted with her bowstring, and the Swordsman was looking at a map.
The Healer, however, was the problem. She was staring at the floor—at the spot where the Mage's blood had been. I'd cleaned it, but I couldn't scrub the *scent* of death away from a holy woman's nose.
"Something is wrong," the Healer whispered, her eyes snapping to me. "Garrick, get up. Now!"
She was too fast. But I was faster.
[Skill Activated: Iron Lock (Deactivated)]
[Skill Activated: Heavy Slam (Reverse)]
Instead of slamming down, I exploded upward. I used my hinges like a high-tension catapult.
"WHA—!" The Guardian, four hundred pounds of steel and muscle, was launched into the air as my lid flew open with enough force to break a horse's back.
He didn't hit the ceiling, but he was off-balance. That was all the time I needed.
*THWIP!*
My *Tongue Lash* didn't go for the Tank. It shot out like a purple harpoon, wrapping around the Healer's waist. She let out a strangled gasp before she was yanked across the room, her small frame disappearing into the dark, acidic abyss of my gullet.
[SNAP!]
"NO! MINA!" the Swordsman screamed.
[Skill Activated: Iron Lock (Re-activated)]
I clamped my lid shut. I could feel her pounding on the inside of my black-oak ribs, her holy light burning my "stomach," but my *Iron Lock* was absolute. She wasn't getting out. And without her, they had no way to heal the damage I was about to deal.
"YOU MONSTER!" The Swordsman lunged, his blade glowing with a faint aura.
*CLANG!*
His sword struck my steel-plated side. In my old form, I would have splintered. Now? I just took a chip out of my lacquer.
[HP: 138/150]
I didn't just sit there. I used my weight. I *Hopped*—not a small jump, but a crushing leap.
[Skill Activated: Heavy Slam]
I landed on the Swordsman's legs. There was a sound like dry firewood snapping.
"AGHHH! MY LEGS!"
The Archer, Elara, finally found her nerves. She let loose three arrows in rapid succession. *Thwack-thwack-thwack.* They buried themselves in my lid, but they didn't hit anything vital. I didn't have a heart. I had a core, and it was protected by two inches of steel-reinforced wood.
The Guardian was back on his feet, roaring in rage. He swung his halberd in a massive arc. "SPIT HER OUT!"
I couldn't talk, but if I could, I would have laughed. I did the next best thing.
[Skill Activated: Digestive Acid (Internal Overflow)]
Inside me, the Healer stopped screaming. The holy light died out.
[Enemy Defeated: Human Healer (Lvl 6)]
[Experience Gained: 300 XP]
I felt a surge of pure, white Mana. My cracks began to heal instantly.
"Your turn, Big Guy," I thought.
I tilted my body forward, "vomiting" a cloud of acidic mist—a byproduct of the Healer's dissolving armor—directly at the Archer. She coughed, clutching her throat as the caustic gas burned her lungs.
The Guardian swung again. I didn't dodge. I opened my lid wide, revealing the half-dissolved remains of his friend and a row of serrated steel teeth.
[Skill Activated: Shield Bash (Passive Trigger)]
As his halberd struck my rim, I bit the blade. *CRUNCH.* The high-quality steel of his weapon snapped like a cracker. The recoil sent a shockwave up his arms, leaving him wide open.
I lunged. My lid didn't just snap; it *consumed*.
By the time the Archer stopped coughing, the room was silent. The Swordsman was crawling toward the door, leaving a trail of blood. The Guardian was gone—half of him, anyway. The rest was being dragged into the dark.
I looked at the Swordsman. He looked back, his eyes wide with a terror that only a Mimic can inspire.
"P-please..." he wheezed.
I didn't feel pity. I just felt the Level Up notification ticking in the corner of my vision.
*Crunch.*
[Party Wiped.]
[Calculating Massive Loot Bonus...]