Chapter 178 - (178) Black Slime
*Squelch* *Squelch*
'...What?'
Geth forced the Mana to propel him forward again.
*Squelch* *Squelch*
'What the fuck?'
He controlled his Mana Sense and turned it on himself. Though it became blurry, he was able to see what he needed.
Just where he was sitting was the same small black Slime that he'd seen from the air. The Slime jiggled as the realization hit him.
'Is that me?!?'
Making sure that he was watching, he propelled his body onward once more. Sure enough, the little black Slime made another slight movement forward.
*Squelch* *Squelch*
'Well, that's confirmed, but what the hell is going on?'
Geth continued moving around, occasionally stopping as he ran out of Mana. Even though he still had immense control, this body severely lacked capacity.
When his Mana ran out the first time, he felt an insatiable hunger! He wanted to do nothing more than absorb everything around him.
As that feeling grew, he noticed the Mana in the atmosphere subtly pulling toward him. Even the Mana that made up the grass below him was absorbed until it withered into nothingness.
With his curiosity getting the better of him, Geth expended some Mana to expand his range of view.
He focused his senses on the areas that he'd traveled and where he'd stopped for a period of time.
'I wonder why I never noticed that before?'
A small trail of browned grass followed him to his current location. In the two areas he'd stopped, the ground was completely bare.
That wasn't what concerned him. It was the Mana's reaction to the areas that had him curious.
'Why isn't the Mana repairing the damage. Isn't one of its priorities to keep the world natural?'
Geth thought about it for some time, but he couldn't come up with an answer. Since no progress was being made, he decided to continue exploring.
He continued moving around until he came to the closest sleeping figure. Expanding his senses, he found Zolis' body lying peacefully beside him.
'I hadn't realized how much she'd changed.'
Looking at his wife, he found that her skin was smooth with minimal definition. She had slender arms and legs with a petite figure that he hadn't seen in a while.
The Zolis that he knew now was still just as beautiful, but she'd changed drastically. Now she looked more like an athlete, boasting strong, lean muscles with a few scars layering her previously flawless skin.
Geth found his hunger beginning to interrupt his thoughts. He forced himself to move far away from Zolis and find a fresh patch of grass to recover his Mana.
'This is exhaus- hmm?'
At the very edge of his senses, he saw a familiar tribal tattoo on an individual's shoulder. After consuming the ground below him, Geth propelled himself towards it.
He looked at his former body with a bit of pity. His past self was lying there, completely unaware of his presence.
Geth forced himself over and looked at his past self's face. He lay there, completely unaware that he could die at any moment.
'This was where it started.'
He thought about the decisions he'd made. Geth had no regrets about the path that he'd chosen.
It was evident that he was leagues above others in many ways. Even the team that he'd formed would likely rival any party that existed at the moment.
Hunger started to engulf him again. Before he could move, a light breeze caused his fluid surface to move.
He realized he'd been sitting too close to his former body as he lightly bumped against its skin.
A rush of exhilaration surged throughout him. Mana was pouring into him as the skin of his old body started to rot.
"Mmmmmmrrrrrrrrr"
He heard a muffled noise from behind him, but he couldn't pull himself away. The feeling was just too profound.
He continued to pull the Mana away from his old body. The endless hunger that he'd felt this entire time was temporarily assuaged.
"Mmmmsssssrrrrrrr"
The noise could be heard again, a bit less muffled, but he blocked it out. Geth didn't want anything coming between him and this feeling.
His Slime body was now partially against his old body's face. A feeling of euphoria overtook him as the skin further deteriorated.
"Mmmssttrrr!"
The sound was much closer this time. Geth could almost make it out.
A part of his conscious was pulled away from the glorious feeling as he forced his senses to spread out.
"Mmmsstrrr!"
"oooww"
Geth heard the voice clearer than before. He suddenly realized what he was doing and forced the Slime's body off of his own.
A feeling of disgust overcame him as he saw the damage he'd caused himself. His face was partially torn, the bones of his cheek and jaw wholly exposed.
Blood poured out from around the wound, staining the dirt below a deep red.
Even with the damage caused, the Slime's center still felt like an endless void. He couldn't help but feel a sense of yearning while staring at the body.
"Master!"
"Oowwooooo!"
Geth turned the Slime's body and found Bane standing tall behind him. The Skeleton's Mana-filled eyes were glowing brilliantly.
The Direwolf pup stood beside him, wagging its tail and looking at the Slime curiously. It pounced over and began to lick at him.
The more the pup licked him, the quicker the hunger disappeared. Geth found himself floating upward.
Suddenly, he was himself again, floating lazily above the body-filled plain. He could feel the distance between himself and the ground expanding rapidly.
Geth took one last look at the scene below before it faded from view. As his eyes fell on the little black Slime, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the little guy.
That hunger was something he would never be able to handle. His body continued rocketing into the clouds above.
Everything went dark. The feeling of gravity crashed down upon him as if he'd just slammed into a ceiling.
Geth felt that he was on the ground. He could feel the grass between his fingertips.
Something soft and wet constantly brushed against his cheeks. He could feel a liquid running down and around his head.
His eyes snapped open to see a small black Direwolf happily lapping at his face. His confusion grew as he realized that it was the pup he'd just tamed.
'Sigh.. Welcome back.'