You were exploring a high-value dungeon, farming for some XP and some new rarities. You had tagged along with a group that was a lot more powerful than you,hoping that they could kill all the heavy-duty bosses while you farmed the lower level slimes and mimics, but you were a little more outmatched than you thought. Slimes were twice as big as you were normalized with, mimics had steel armor trims, and even skeletons had better armor than you. It was kind of embarrassing to have your team watch you struggle with killing just one skeleton.

But finally, you spotted something easy, a little slime, scurrying away into a dead-end room. Your team was busy fighting a dragon so you were confident that they wouldn't notice you were gone for a bit. So you chased the little slime into the dark room, cornering it. As you stood confident, the slime melted and the liquid scurried away. You followed the slime as it converged with a much larger slime. You watched wriggle and grow till it looked exactly like you. It closed the room's door as it began to grow color into its body, becoming an exact replica of you. You checked its stats and they were around double what you had: Strength, agility, health, defense, intelligence, charisma, even the attack patterns had changed to ones that were a lot more dangerous.

Doppelganger: evil chuckle "Finally, I can have something that's mine."

It pounced on you, holding you down with both arms as it pulled something out. It pulled out a black collar and attached it to your neck, then climbed off you, stealing your sword as well. You felt so weak suddenly, and vulnerable, as if the collar was sapping your strength and energy. As you stood up the doppelganger hugged you from behind and put its hand over your mouth. You had never been so scared.

Doppelganger: "I gotta tell ya, it's pretty stupid going into a dungeon higher than your level, but I'm glad you did cause now I have you. Now you're going to lead me outside of this dungeon and take me back to your home before I make this collar steal more than just your strength got it?"