CHAPTER 76: STAYING AT A MIMIC INN

After that terrible experience, Marron felt like she deserved a break.

The ruined rice ball felt like a lead ball in her stomach. Her throat still had bits of sticky rice, leftovers that hadn’t quite made it.

While she tried to regain her bearings, she noticed nearby mimics looking at her in awe. Their voices overlapped in tones that didn’t belong to them.

"How she so stable?"

"Not glitching! Eat fresh meat?"

Oh no.

Marron racked her brain for an excuse.

"Came from Whetvale."

Three mimics were impressed and immediately shape-shifted to some guild members she vaguely recognized.

"Us too! Help grab cart."

She smiled and looked shocked. "Really? Disguises so good!"

They immediately glitched out, their human limbs slightly bigger than their mimic bodies. "Thank. Mimic got killed yesterday. Retreated back to dungeon."

They had high and low voices that scraped Marron’s nerves raw. These mimics potentially saw her running around the marketplace, looking for her food cart.

"Bah! Too noisy!" said Mimic Marron, brandishing her tarnished soup ladle. "Eat or get out!"

Luckily, the three mimics left her alone and continued to eat, heads bowed low in embarrassment. "Sorry."

Marron blinked as the chatter in the diner quieted down. Soon, the only sounds in the room were slurping and banging clay bowls against the table, which the mimic chef interpreted as "more, please!"

Calm down. Blending in is the only way to survive without fighting. And there are definitely more than five mimics here.

Mimic Marron twitched behind the counter and ladled more overcooked rice into clay bowls.

Its face slid like wax, struggling to hold her features together, the left cheek sagging while the right pulled tight. It was like looking at a parody of her own smile. The name tag scrawled on the mimic’s chest was like a gut punch.

Every second Marron sat here, she risked unraveling. But the second she bolted or showed any disgust, they would notice.

I can’t run yet. Not until I know where my cart is.

She leaned back and let her shoulders slump, as if she were full. Then she patted it, mimicking satisfaction. "Hey," she said casually, keeping her tone tired but friendly. "where do we sleep? Been walking forever."

The mimic behind the bar glanced up. For a heartbeat its face blurred into something faceless before rearranging itself into a wobbly, kindly smile. Or, at least what the mimic believed was kind.

"Yes, inn! Two tunnels over. Five copper every night. Linens always washed. Safe from armored humans."

Washed linens in a dungeon? I wonder what they...consider washed.

Marron’s stomach turned, but she nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I’ll head there soon."

The mimic barkeep waved a clawed hand as if the transaction were settled. "Rest well. Tomorrow, Captain will move the cart deeper. Soon it will reach the Core. Then no more earthquakes."

Her blood chilled.

The Core.

She imagined her food cart dragged toward some sacrificial altar, where its power could be used to create a better dungeon.

If I don’t do something, Comfort & Crunch is gonna be part of this dungeon forever.

But...not tonight. She was already exhausted, and every muscle screamed, "Sleep now!"

+

There was no price list anywhere in the diner, so the mimics just left random amounts of copper coins on their tables.

Marron grabbed her money pouch and left 5 copper coins before looking for the right tunnel.

"Be back tomorrow," she called. The happy mimic replied, "Come again! Customer satisfied. Marron happy."

She tried to pretend that wasn’t creepy and kept walking.

+

The inn was just as strange as the diner. It had been carved from solid stone walls and reinforced with wooden beams. Even in the dim light, she could see dwarven runes pulsing weakly along the floorboards.

I wonder what made the dwarves leave this dungeon. I guess I can ask Borin...if I ever get out of here.

Marron shook her head a little, like she could dislodge negative thoughts like that. "No. I will see them, and I will get out of here. With my food cart."

With a deep breath, she pushed open the door.

+

The mimic at the inn’s counter looked like an elf, except her silver hair kept changing from short to long every few seconds. She accepted Marron’s coins and slid a key across the desk. Upon a closer look, Marron saw the mimic elf’s face was completely blank.

Huh. Like it couldn’t be bothered to...just pick a face. That’s...interesting.

It didn’t look like a ghost--just a blank-faced elf woman in adventurer’s clothes. Marron mumbled her thanks and found her room for the night.

To be honest, I’ve seen worse bed and breakfasts. This is fine.

Her room was completely made of stone. The stools, the couch, the tables, and even the item chest by the bed. On top of the stone slab was a mattress stuffed with...strangely soft material. After being cheered on by diners while eating a terrible dinner, this felt like mercy.

Marron locked the door behind her and sat on the bed.

"The dwarf who lived here must have had money," she mumbled. "this is the most luxurious thing here."

It kind of felt like sitting on feathers, and she could already tell she was going to sleep like a log.

Grrrr.

Well...if her stomach wasn’t complaining from the mimic food.

Okay. So...can I get some help here? I want to cook, but...I don’t have my food cart.

Ding! Her cooking system showed her a modern hot plate.

[Available in Shop]

Portable Hot Plate – 500 XP

Cook meals anywhere, anytime. Limited capacity. Heat stable.

The hot plate spun slowly in her vision, almost taunting. Marron stared at it, biting her lip.

Five hundred XP though? That’s super steep...

Almost all of her XP points.

But with one hot plate, she could cook a lot of different dishes. Her mind swirled with one-pot recipes, and she checked the stone cupboards.

Thank god. Marron found an old iron pot, and she was setter than set.

While hanging a pot on top of the stone hearth was a charming idea, she didn’t have the patience to wait. With a hot plate and the pot, she could have a simple broth with rice.

She could almost taste it--warm rice inside an iron pot, absorbing the flavors of a chicken bouillon cube. Marron had some shredded chicken left, and it would be seasoned with care.

Before she could fully process what was happening, her hunger made her act. She grabbed one of the surprisingly soft towels next to her bed and shoved it under the door for safety.

Then, quietly as she dared, Marron traded 500 XP for the portable hot plate.

She gasped as a pink gas-powered hot plate appeared on her nightstand, and a few cans of gas. Her stomach growled again, sharp and insistent.

All right, all right. When all the mimics are asleep.

She pressed a hand over it, whispering to herself.

"As long as I don’t make it bland. If they like their food this tasteless, then me making my regular dishes will only draw suspicion."

She needed her strength up, and cooking her own meals was one of the best ways to do it. Otherwise, she’d starve on mimic scraps until the right opportunity presented itself.

I want to get back at them for making me eat such awful food...so I guess there’s only one correct choice.

+

[Marron Louvel’s Status Update]

XP: 50

Gold: 1,310

Inventory: knives, tinderbox, oil cloths, ingredients (limited), mimic inn key