I need to hide. Why? I dunno, it’s my instinct as a mimic. A treasure chest sitting out in the middle of a hallway is a little conspicuous, okay?

 

Quickly, in a slight panic, I finish stacking the coins up with my tongue. Those footsteps could belong to anyone, maybe the adventurers, even! Finishing, I shuffle against the wall of the hallway and set myself with my back against it. I listen. Though, I can’t help but giggle in anticipation, my lid opening just a crack as I do so. I slam it shut again as fast as I can.

 

I hope somebody tries to open me, oh man I’m going to get them good!

 

As the footsteps draw closer, I realize that this would be very bad if it does happen to be the adventurers, how did they even get here so fast? I mean, I literally just respawned. No. No it can’t be them, the steps are coming from my right, from the direction of the sub-boss room. So that means…

 

I hear them coming closer.

 

The sounds of argumentation come together out of the noises releasing from their cracked, low pitched voices. Their garbled, goblin words echo around the treasury and down the hallway, intermingling with the thud of their steps. Goblins.

 

Goblins? Up here? Huh?

 

I wait in some confusion as the steps go past me. They are talking, arguing about something. Though I can’t understand their words now. My mimic brain is… limited and it doesn’t know the goblin language. I giggle.

 

I hope one of them wants to take a peek, though I blush at the idea of somebody seeing me undressed. I’m so embarrassed! I’m very shy, you know?

 

Another giggle escapes me and I do my best to control myself, before they get here.

 

A moment later I hear their heavy steps come past me and then go further down to the left, to the large room that I was just in. Apparently they aren’t interested in me? I feel a little relieved, but also a little insulted. I open my lid again and watch them disappear. They’re a group of heavily armored goblins. I only catch them for a second, but they look like royal-guards.

 

They are heavily dressed in dark plate-mail and carry real, non-dinky weapons. Okay, weird? How are there goblins up here? Goblins can’t leave the outpost. Well, except over the secret-stairs, but they came from the wrong direction. So did they use the real stairs? No. No that can’t be. Hmm. Strange. But time to keep going. I need to find that staircase befor-

 

My thought is interrupted by the sound of my tower of coins falling over. Prey. I stop and slam my lid tightly shut and wait again.

 

Why is there so much foot-traffic here today? The treasury was always quiet, except for the laughing mimics. I wait and listen for more steps. But none come. Huh?

 

But somebody knocked over my coins, I’m sure. Carefully, I take another peek and I see it. A single, solitary, tiny dark-fairy, floating around aimlessly. A dark-fairy? That’s… what? Goblins are two floors down from here, dark-fairies are one floor down from here. What in the dark-lord’s name is going on here? I gaze warily at the oddity, I am unsure how an undead dark-fairy will react to a mimic. I don’t want to get in a fight though, if I can help it. I watch as it lazily ambles by, flying down in the same direction after the goblins. Huh?

 

Something is up for sure. These mobs have never been able to reach this floor before, have they? That’s against the rules of the dungeon.

 

Once it is out of sight, I shuffle my chest down the hall. Traveling as a mimic is exhausting work. Imagine standing in a box and then lifting it up a corner at a time to ‘walk’. I’m sure it looks hilarious, the thought makes me smile. I am traveling with my lid open, which leaves me exposed and also cold. I wish I had someone to keep me warm in here. I blush, lowering my eyes. What an embarrassing thought!

 

On the way, I look for more coins to stack together, rocks to overturn. But everything seems to have been set up already by other mimics. Dang.

 

As I reach the middle of the large hallway, I find myself in the middle chamber between both main rooms of the grand-treasury. It’s a large room, about a quarter of the size of the large chamber that I have just come from. This place is usually just well… empty. It’s rather unexciting. Unless of course…

 

I open my lid and look into the room, wondering. Could it be? It could!

 

What’s going on with this life? Is she..? She is! She’s here.

 

In the middle of the room, that is usually just an empty chamber filled with trash-mobs, I see it. A pool of blue water. And I mean blue, like paint blue. For sure not meant for drinking, tell you what. This is a fantastic opportunity! I cackle mischievously.

 

Quickly, I hop into the room, losing all sense of carefulness now in my ambitions. Stopping on the way, I pick up a few coins with my tongue, they taste salty, and put them inside of my box. They feel cold against my soft, supple body. I giggle at the sensation. Approaching the water, I find a spot that looks good, right in front of a pile of coins and rocks. Okay. Okay. Breathe. Breathe. Calm down. You need to be calm.

 

I take a moment to prepare myself mentally, barely able to contain my grin. Lifting up a coin with my tongue, I open my lid and toss it into the middle of the pool. Immediately, I close my lid, leaving only a crack to peer out of.

 

As the coin splashes into the water, a ripple goes out in all directions, too strong to have just been from the impact of the little thing.

 

A moment later, the water seems to bubble and ripple as something breaks free from the surface, rising up out of the pool. I’m basically snorting at this point, as I barely stop myself from laughing. A human-body, a woman dressed in white with golden hair rises out of the pool, floating like a fairy with her arms spread wide. A bright smile is painted on her face.

 

“Oh dear adventurer, did you drop this in my pool?” she asks, holding out a giant, blue stone, which is for sure not what I threw in there. She waits for a response. Realizing none is coming, she opens her eyes and looks around the empty room, somewhat puzzled. I’m holding my breath, doing my best not to laugh. Confused, she sinks back down into the water.

 

Once she is gone I let it out, my cackling voice ringing out through the chamber. Okay, breathe. Breathe. Taking another coin, I toss it into the water again, flipping it with my tongue. She pops out again, somewhat faster this time.
“Oh adventurer, did you drop this in my pool?” she asks again, holding the same large blue gem. This time her eyes are open and she is looking around, somewhat agitated. As she looks my way, I close the last inch of my lid. I don’t think she saw me. I’m doing my best not to lose it.

 

Okay, so you might be a little lost here, guy. That’s okay. Let me explain.
This is the fairy of the fountain. She’s a rare spawn. See, there are all sorts of different kinds of trash-mobs and sub-bosses. But mixed into the dungeon are also rare spawns. As the name implies, they’re rare. They only appear here every odd life. Some maybe every fifth or sixth and others maybe only every hundred, I remember that. Well, the good fairy of the fountain is one of the few non-combat rare spawns. See, what usually happens is that the adventurers come by and maybe one of them tosses a coin into the water, I guess to make a wish? It’s a human thing, apparently.

 

Anyways when they do, she comes out and asks them if the shiny rock is theirs.

 

If an adventurer is greedy and says yes, well then they get hit with some serious curse magic. Real mumbo-jumbo stuff, guaranteed bad day. But, that usually doesn’t happen, if I’m honest. The hero-party is too straight forward. If you’re honest with her and tell her no, she’ll usually give you some equipment or a buff or something. You know, fairy things.

 

I giggle as I peek through my lid. She is gone again. I toss my last coin into the fountain.

 

Nothing happens. Huh? I giggle. I guess she’s too annoyed to bother anymore. Oh well, I really should get to work thou-

 

Something knocks on my lid twice. “Who’s there?” I ask in mimic. Ah. She’s right behind me.

 

Looking at her annoyed face I can’t help but laugh, however, my lid bobbing up and down like a flapping mouth. She is standing there with crossed arms and the scariest face you’ll ever see on a human. Why is she a human? Dunno. She’s this weird kind of fairy-human thing, I guess. Don’t ask me, guy. I just work here.

 

“Do you mind?” she asks. I want to answer, but I can’t make words in this form, so I just giggle. I guess I can understand fairy-speak? Weird. Dungeon-logic is strange stuff, man. Technically, I should try to bite her for knocking on my lid, that’s pretty rude of her, really. But I guess I deserved it, so we’re even.

 

She seems annoyed. I guess I can understand that. Anyways, I need to go. Later fairy-lady! I turn to hobble away down towards the sub-boss room.

 

“Oh no you don’t!” she says. I feel hands touching me, grabbing my handles on the side of my body. Ah! No! It’s so embarrassing! I shut my lid down tightly, don’t look at me! She lifts me up into the air, holding me up from behind. Oh no! My handles are my one weakness. Why do I even have them?! Dungeon-master, why?! I rattle around inside the chest, trying to free myself from her grip, but I don’t seem to manage. I hear her grunting as she fights against my shifting weight, but she holds on tight to my chest. Literally.

 

I’m scared, please don’t touch me. I don’t want to be held. I was just trying to have some fun! I giggle at my predicament. It’s a giggle of fear. I have never really interacted with the fairy of the fountain before. I’ve only ever heard stories.

 

Please don’t eat me! I feel my weight shifting, she is turning me around to face her. I feel a hand on my lid. Nooooo! Don’t open me! I’m saving myself for marria - Ahhh!

 

Her hand opens my lid and I see a scornful face looking down at me. My instinct is to snap shut and to clamp down on her hand, but she is strong. My upper lid just barely budges against her palm, holding me open, as she looks at my naked squishy mimic insides. Stoooop, it’s so embarrassing!

 

I hide my eyes, pulling my stalks inside down low as I press my body flat down against the floor of the chest. I guess this is it. This was a short life. Note to self. Don’t mess with the fairy of the fountain.

 

I tremble as I prepare to be eaten. I don’t like being eaten. It hurts. I feel myself being lowered down to the ground again. She sets me down and still holds my lid open. Her other hand reaches inside of the box. This is it. This is the end! I want to let out a final giggle, but my body is shaking in a fear that I can’t control, the box basically vibrating.

 

Goodbye, guy! I’ll see you on the next run!

 

I feel a hand stroke the top of my head.

 

“You’re a lonely little thing, aren’t you?” she asks.

 

Huh? I cautiously open an eye to look up at the sad face looking down towards me.