Chương 36: Keys, Knives, and Kinship

Recap: You slammed the Mage to death. You have 2 Stamina left. Reinforcements are coming. You voted to FREE THE PRISONERS (ALLIES). Zero Stamina means death. But two Stamina means… hope. I slid over the mage's flattened corpse. My tongue extended, snatching the ring of iron keys from his belt. Clink. They tasted of sweat and old metal. The prisoners were watching me. Wide-eyed. Terrified.

"Keys…" the woman whispered. She held out a hand. I couldn't hand them over. I didn't have hands. I had a lid. I slid to the first cage. The lock was iron. Rusty. My Strength was 7. I didn't need the keys. I needed leverage. I wedged my lid into the hasp. I pushed. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Forceful Entry (Improvised) Cost: 1 Stamina Current SP: 1/22 Strength Check: 7 vs DC 6 Result: Success SNAP. The lock broke. The cage door swung open.

"One!" the man shouted. He scrambled out. He grabbed a sword from a dead cultist nearby. I moved to the second cage. Snap. 0 Stamina. I moved to the third. I had no Stamina left. I couldn't push. Come on, I thought. Regen is 1 per minute. I just need one point. I waited. Ten seconds. Twenty. The torchlight was at the tunnel entrance. Shadows lengthened. Ping. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Stamina Regenerated: +1 Current SP: 1/22 I slammed the third lock. Snap.

"Go!" I creaked. Literally creaked. My hinges groaned the word. The prisoners didn't question the talking chest. They were desperate. They armed themselves with scavenged steel. The woman took the mage's staff (the backup one, not the one I swallowed… wait, I didn't swallow it yet. It was on the ground).

"Cover the box!" the man yelled.

"It's on our side!" Stolen novel; please report. It? I'm a He. Or a They. Whatever. The cultists charged. Four of them. Leather armor. Curved blades. Level 2 Minions.

"Kill the prisoners! Smash the box!" their leader roared. Combat erupted. I was out of Stamina. I couldn't Slam. I couldn't run. I could only… exist. And bite. A cultist swung at the woman. She parried. Another swung at me. CLANG. His blade hit my iron band. Sparks flew. He stumbled back, wrist jarred. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 0 HP Defense Applied: -11 DR Status: Immune (Physical) He looked at his notched sword. Then at me.

"What is this thing?" I opened my lid. Just a crack. I didn't bite. I didn't have the SP. But the sight of yellowed teeth in the shadows made him hesitate. That hesitation was enough. The man with the sword drove his blade into the cultist's back. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONAssist XP Gained: 5 XPCurrent XP: 95/120 The fight was messy. Bloody. The prisoners were skilled—they weren't just miners. They were adventurers who'd been caught unaware. The woman slammed the staff down. A burst of force knocked two cultists back.

The man finished one. The third ran. The leader stayed. He fought the woman. She was tiring. He landed a cut on her arm. I had 1 Stamina. I could bite once. I waited for the opening. The leader raised his blade for a final strike. I lunged. 1 SP. All or nothing. SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONSkill Used: BiteCost: 1 Stamina (All In)Current SP: 0/22Damage Roll: 7 (Strength Bonus) My teeth caught his ankle. He screamed. He fell. The woman didn't waste the chance. She drove the staff through his chest.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Target Defeated: Cultist Leader (Level 3) XP Gained: 15 XP Current XP: 110/120 Assist XP (Minions): 10 XP Total XP: 120/120 LEVEL UP! Level: 3 Stat Points Available: +2 New Skill Unlocked: Taunt I collapsed. Literally. My muscles locked. 0 Stamina means immobility. I was a statue. A victorious, immobile statue. The prisoners stood over the bodies. Panting. Bleeding.

"We… we did it," the woman said. She looked at me.

"You… you leveled up?" She saw the glow. The mana surge from Level 3.

"You're… sentient," the man said. He lowered his sword.

"A mimic. But… good?" I couldn't answer. I couldn't move. I could only wait for stamina to regen. But the glow… it attracted attention. Not just cultists. My tremorsense (which cost MP, and I had MP) pinged. Thump. Thump. Thump. Heavy. Magical. Coming from the deepest part of the cavern. Behind the cages. There was a door there. I hadn't noticed it in the dark. But now… it was vibrating. The Dungeon Core Voice spoke again. Only to me.

"Level… Three… Taunt… Unlocked… Come… to… Me…" Current Stats (Level 3 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 10/17 (Unchanged) Mana: 6/12 (Undead Flesh Penalty Active) Stamina: 0/22 (DEPLETED) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Status: Immobile (0 SP), Level 3, Taunt Unlocked, Mysterious Door Detected. What do you do? A) DISTRIBUTE STATS (DEFENSE/HP) You're immobile anyway. Use the mental action to assign stat points. Boost survivability. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Stats. Risk: None.) B) USE TAUNT (AUDIO) You have 0 Stamina, but Taunt costs MP. Use it to scare the prisoners or the incoming threat. (Cost: 3 MP. Gain: Crowd Control. Risk: MP Low, Attracts Attention.) C) WAIT FOR REGEN (REST) Do nothing. Let Stamina tick up. Trust the prisoners to guard you until you can move. (Cost: 0 SP. Time Skip: 2 Mins. Gain: 2 SP. Risk: Vulnerable.) D) COMMUNICATE (CREAK) Try to tell the prisoners about the door. Warn them. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Intel Share. Risk: They might investigate without you.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 35! Option B (Free Prisoners) was a success! You reached Level 3 and unlocked Taunt! But you're at 0 Stamina and immobile!