Mimis Playground

As Ivette and I continued our journey, the terrain grew increasingly treacherous and challenging. The deep caverns seemed to stretch on endlessly as we ventured further into the unknown. The ambient glow of luminescent fungi provided the only source of light, casting eerie shadows on the rugged walls.

Despite the grueling walk, we kept our spirits high, engaging in light-hearted banter to distract ourselves from the fatigue. Though the realisation that I've gotten access to my abilities got me so excited that I'm not feeling as tired as I should feel.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally arrived at Urmkirkey, an underground town nestled deep within the caverns. The sight of it brought a sense of relief and excitement, knowing that we could rest and prepare for the upcoming challenge. The town's inhabitants greeted us warmly, and we quickly made our way to a café to replenish our energy.

The town was quite big, I'm guessing it had a few hundred people living in it. So it wasn't surprising it had a café, unlike Bamburgh. At the café, Ivette started talking about the Mimis, since she has fought them before according to her.

"Mimis…" She said.

"Mimis…" I replied.

"Mimis are. So cute!" She shouted with her eyes wide open.

"I feel so bad for having to kill them, but it's true, they're so cute!"

Considering her previous seriousness during meetings, I didn't expect this meeting to start like this.

"They're cute, soft, animals. They look like dogs, but with actual stylish hair. It's their crystallised nature considering they mainly live in the upper caverns which are full with fluorescent crystals. Due to their body being completely covered in fur, they're quite fragile, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem to defeat them. Still, they have a light blue emblem on their chest, if you can hit that, it should die instantly." She explained to me enthusiastically.

"So they're like adorable little crystal dogs," I remarked, trying to picture them in my mind.

"Exactly!" Ivette beamed.

"Do you know where we can find them? Or do we just roam around and hope for the best?" I asked, trying to prepare myself mentally for the encounter.

"They mostly eat grass and some green leaves, they also eat crystals to help with digesting food. So we have to look for places with lots of grass and crystals." She explained.

"I see, so we'll have to search for an area with grass and crystals." I said.

After finishing our drinks we went around town asking people if they knew any places fitting these requirements, or if they had seen any Mimis. Instead, we came across a board with a map on it. It was a map of Urmkirkey and its surroundings within a 5 km range. One of the locations was conveniently named "Mimis Playground". Not too surprising, there were many people looking for them, it only made sense that if such a location existed, it would be put on a map. It was located northeast of Urmkirkey and about 28 km deep.

Excited about the discovery of the "Mimis Playground," we eagerly made our way towards the northeastern outskirts of Urmkirkey. As we ventured deeper into the caverns, the glow of the luminescent fungi gradually gave way to a dimmer, bluish hue emanating from the crystals in the area. The terrain changed as well, transitioning from rocky passages to a landscape adorned with lush green grass and vibrant crystals. It was like stepping into a magical oasis deep within the earth. The sight was breathtaking, and for a moment, I almost forgot that we were on a mission to defeat the Mimis.

"They must love it here," I mused, observing the idyllic surroundings. "It's like their own little paradise."

Ivette nodded in agreement. "Indeed. This place provides them with everything they need—food, shelter, and a safe place to live. But we can't forget that we're here to complete the quest."

[That's very amusing hahaha 'a safe place to live'... Their hideout is literally marked on a map for people to kill them!] Nexus remarked as I actually agreed with it this time around.

"I wonder how safe it really is if its location is put on a map for people to kill them." I said to Ivette.

She didn't respond, but her face said it all, she felt like she said something dumb.

As we moved deeper into the "Mimis Playground," we began to notice subtle signs of their presence. Fresh tracks in the grass, scattered remnants of chewed crystals, and the occasional glimpse of blue-green fur disappearing behind the crystalline formations—all pointed to the fact that we were getting closer to our elusive targets.

"This place is huge and misty, I wonder if we're just not spotting them or if the population density is just really low." I thought out loud.

"Yeah, they're definitely here though." Ivette responded.

Suddenly, we heard a faint rustling sound in the distance. We shared a quick glance, both knowing that it could be the Mimis we were searching for. With bated breath, we approached the source of the sound, our steps slow and deliberate.

And there they were—two Mimis playfully frolicking among the crystals. They were even cuter up close, their fur shimmering with a subtle iridescence in the dim light.

Ivette motioned for me to follow her lead. Silently, she readied her straps, while I tightened my grip on my mace. We had to be careful not to startle them; otherwise, they might escape before we had a chance to strike.

"Alright, I'll target the one on the left," Ivette whispered. "You take the one on the right. Remember, aim for the emblem on their chests."

I nodded, my heart pounding with excitement. With a shared nod of readiness, we lunged forward.

Ivette's straps flew with precision, homing in on the emblem of her chosen Mimi. Her aim was true, but the strap missed its mark by a hair, causing the Mimi to stumble back, visibly weakened, but it wasn't defeated.

In the meantime I charged forward towards my chosen Mimi with full speed. The Mimi looked very confused as I tried to attack it from its flank. It wasn't my attack that caused confusion, but rather my newest ability "Speed Shadow Cloning", which created clones of myself due to the speed I was running. This confused the Mimi as it didn't know who the real me was. Unfortunately, I'm not a very high level, and it didn't take long for the Mimi to realise who the real me was. So I swung my mace with agility, aiming for the emblem on the Mimi's chest.

"Aaaahh!" I screamed due to the intense pain I felt.

"Noff!" Ivette shouted.

I wasn't quick enough and the Mimi hit me with its paw smashing me right into the ground. Ivette, still occupied with her own Mimi, decided to use on of her straps to attack my Mimis paw. She got off a decent hit, inserting a deep cut into the Mimis paw, but that wasn't nearly enough. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I mustered the strength to push myself back up. The Mimi I was facing still stood strong, and it seemed even more determined to take me down after I had dared to strike at its emblem.

"Noff, be careful! Don't let your guard down!" Ivette warned, her voice tinged with concern as she expertly dodged the swipes of her Mimi.

I nodded, trying to shake off the pain and focus on the battle. I knew I had to be more cautious, especially since I was still getting used to my new Speed Shadow Cloning ability. As the Mimi lunged at me again, I decided to use the clones to my advantage. With a swift movement, I scattered the illusory shadows around me, confusing the Mimi momentarily. It hesitated for a split second, uncertain of which "me" to target.

Seizing the opportunity, I dashed forward and swung my mace with precision at the Mimi's emblem once more. This time, my attack connected, and the Mimi let out a pained howl. However, it was far from defeated, and in retaliation, it lunged at me with renewed ferocity.

"How can this be? I hit it right on the emblem? It should've been dead! Am I lacking this much strength?" I screamed in complete frustration.

Ivette, seeing the danger I was in, reacted instantly. She fired her straps like lightning, aiming directly at the Mimi's emblem. One of the straps struck true, but the Mimi managed to evade the other.

The wounded Mimi turned its attention towards Ivette, leaving me a brief respite. I knew I had to act quickly if we wanted to take down these creatures. But this was no time to take a break, both Mimis were targeting Ivette and she's undoubtedly more fragile than I am.

"Ivette, we need to attack together!" I called out, hoping she could hear me over the chaos of the battle.

"I'm on it!" she responded, her eyes locked on the Mimi before her.

With a burst of determination, I rushed towards my Mimi once more, this time coordinating my movements with Ivette's straps. As the Mimi dodged her first strap, it unknowingly moved right into the path of my mace. I swung with all my might, the force of the blow sending the Mimi stumbling back.

But the battle was far from over. The Mimi recovered quickly, and with a menacing growl, it lunged at both of us simultaneously. It was a coordinated attack, and we barely had time to react.

Ivette expertly deflected the Mimi's first strike with her straps, but I found myself in a tight spot. The Mimi's jaws snapped shut perilously close to me, and I had to twist my body with lightning speed to avoid being bitten.

"Noff, look out!" Ivette shouted.

I glanced back to see her struggling to keep the other Mimi at bay. We were both on the defensive, and it was clear that we needed to come up with a different strategy.

Drawing on the newfound connection with my abilities, I had an idea. "Ivette, let's try a combination attack!"

We retreated slightly, luring the Mimis into a false sense of security.

The Mimis seemed confused by the sudden change in the atmosphere, their aggression momentarily waning. It was the perfect opening.

"I'll distract them, you aim for their emblems." I ordered.

"But t-.."

"Just follow me." I said cutting her off mid sentence.

I ran towards the Mimis as Ivette stood back ready to strike. As soon as I got semi-close to them I started running in circles. The speed I ran at was high enough to create clones of myself, and as I was running in circles it was much harder for them to find the real me. Unfortunately this also caused them to spin a lot, making it difficult to hit their emblem, if not impossible.

"I cannot hit their emblems! I'll just attack as quickly as I can and make them bleed to death!" Ivette shouted.

The strap barrage was coming, hit after hit after hit. She was hitting them at an insane speed.

"FASTER!" She shouted.

"FASTER!"

It worked! The attacks weren't powerful, but they were cut so many times that they just couldn't stand anymore and they bled to death.

Breathing heavily, I feel down to the ground, still weak from the hit I received. Ivette immediately came running towards me.

"Noff! Are you okay? Are you hurt? You're bleeding!." She said all worried.

"I'm alright, it's only a minor injury." I replied feeling tired and somewhat overwhelmed.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Ivette said, relieved.

Looking at the items dropped by the Mimis, it was quite a lot. Two orbs each, making four in total, one fur and one fluorescent crystal. We decided to split the loot, we got two orbs each, I got the fur, she got the crystal.

Information <Noff>.

Name: Noff

Level: 5

Inventory Items:

Orange-Bladed Mace

15 Orbs

1 Teleportation Stone

50 Zuz

1 Mimi Fur

Abilities:

Attractionist

Speed Shadow Cloner

Relationship Levels:

Noff-Nexus: 1

Noff-Ivette: 3

"Oof… This was a tiring fight." I uttered.

After catching our breath and assessing our newfound loot, we decided it was time to head back to the tavern and celebrate our victory. Teleporting back to the familiar surroundings of the tavern, we were met with curious glances from other adventurers who had just arrived or were about to set out on their own quests.

Ivette and I found a quiet corner to sit, away from the prying eyes of others. "You know, Noff, I have to admit, you surprised me back there," Ivette said with a playful glint in her eye.

"Oh really? How so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I had no idea you had unlocked your abilities! You didn't even give me a warning," she teased.

"Oh yeah... I forgot to tell you." I said as I was completely embarrassed.

"I only realised it myself during our trip while we were eating. I became very focussed and started daydreaming about using it." I said trying to weave my way out like this.

Ivette smiled

"It's called the Speed Shadow Cloner. The name's a bit lame, but the ability itself is useful." I said.

"The faster I move, the more and better shadow clones I produce. So it'd be beneficial for me to increase my agility and dexterity."

Ivette laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, I have to say, your Speed Shadow Cloning is quite impressive. You had those Mimis so confused!"

"It did come in handy, didn't it?" I said with a grin, feeling a sense of pride in my new ability.

Our conversation was interrupted as Björn approached us with a friendly smile.

"Congratulations on your victory, young adventurers!" He said warmly.

"I'll mark the quest as complete. Here's your reward, 100 Zuz each." He said.

``Noff-Björn Relationship Level Up!

Current Level: 1``

As he left, we started to zone out for a bit. There was a dwarf performing on a banjo in front of everyone. It was typical medieval music, but it was enjoyable, it really helped with the atmosphere. While I was still daydreaming about the fight, Ivette ordered a bunch of drinks, well, mainly beer. This went on for a few more hours before people started to move to their rooms.

"You know, Noff, I had a really great time tonight," Ivette said, leaning against the wall for support.

"Me too," I replied, a warm feeling spreading through me.

As we reached our room, Ivette fumbled with the key and burst into giggles.

"I think we might have had a bit too much to drink," She said, trying to unlock the door.

"I think it's just you, hehe." I responded somewhat mockingly.

"Let me open it."

Finally managing to unlock the door, we stumbled inside and collapsed onto our beds. "Good night, Noff," Ivette said, her voice soft.

"Good night, Ivette," I replied, feeling a sense of contentment that I hadn't felt in a long time.

``Noff-Ivette Relationship Level Up!

Current Level: 4``

[My goodness! Now there's finally time for me to say something!]

Oh god.

[So I've had some time to think for a bit.]

I don't think you do a whole lot of thinking.

[That's so mean! In any case, I've come to the conclusion that I'm a baseball bat-]

Here we go again, I thought.

[Let me finish! I'm a baseball bat, and your brain is the piñata! A nice pink celebratory glue-like blob which I can smash with the power of my thoughts.] Nexus said, thinking it was genius.

I looked visibly annoyed, but I had to give Nexus this, its statement is actually quite true.

[The only problem is, the more I smash it, the less candy I feel]

"WHAT!" I shouted extremely loudly. Ivette was still completely asleep, thank god for being drunk.

[I thought this would be a nice analogy.]

... I stayed quiet.

[Look, you've been forgetting some basic things lately, but don't worry, I've got your back. Here is your Mimi information index.] Nexus said in a serious manner.

Name: Mimi

Appearance: Blue-greenish, fur, animal, 4 legs and paws, tail blue hair on head, light blue gem emblem.

Danger Level: 2

Abilities:

1. Bite

2. Paw attack

Size: 1.8m in height

Vulnerabilities:

-Everywhere, it has no armour, its skin is just fur.

-Their Emblem on their chest.

Living Environment:

In caves on earth between a depth of 25-300km.

Tame versions live on earth's surface.

Very common at Mimis Playground.

Drops:

Fur

Orbs

Crystals

Extras:

-They eat grass.

-The eat crystals to digest food.

[It'll get updated as soon as more info is available.]

Ah, Okay, thank you Nexus, this is quite useful.

[No Problem]

``Noff-Nexus Relationship Level Up!

Current Level: 2``

[Goodnight sweety] Nexus said.

Goodnight.

And so, this busy day came to an end.