Chapter 97 - The Shadow That Eats Pt. 2

My body was overflowing with madness as my vision starting to tunnel vision solely on the creature. I felt bigger and stronger than ever before, even looking at the creature I noticed I was looking downwards towards it. It looked so small and weak.

I was going to intimidate it by saying I would eat it, but what came out was nothing but a beastial roar.

I charged at it and in the blink of an eye I was across the gap between us and grabbing its throat. My claws started to sink into the oozy darkness that made up its body. The ooze started to eat away at my claws once again, however with a flick of my new power, the ooze started to dissolve and little by little I was dissolving the neck until finally with an audible snap like a rubber band the neck snapped.

The whole while I was doing this, the rest of the creature was struggling against my grasp. It tried to claw at me and punch me. It even used it's arms to try and eat my last remaining arm away. I didn't care what it tried to do because nothing it did effected me, I was to absorbed in the task of killing it slowly. I felt powerful, I felt invincible.

Nothing in this world could make me feel this good. The power raged through my veins, pushing my muscles and veins to the limit in order to provide the power I needed to kill this thing.

After I snapped it's neck the head dropped and splatted onto the floor, However it's eyes were still trained upwards and directly at mine. It's mouth was still smiling widely and I could still see the glow of whatever infernal fire was within it.

"This. Cannot. Kill. Us." It said before the body melted away into shadows and dispersed towards the back of the cave. The head rolled but stopped near a pile of sludge that was in it's path.

"Oh. This. I. Cannot. Pass. Up. Thank. You. For. The. Treat." It spoke as a black tongue rolled out and lapped up the sludge. 

As I watched it lap up whatever it was that I started to come back to my senses, I then realized what that sludge was..... It was what was left of my hand that it originally melted. It was eating my hand as it tried to run away.

I couldn't stop it as the power was leaving my body. 

*I told you. It was only the first taste.*

I heard a loud bell ring in my head notifying me of a system message.

That damn voice spoke up in my head again. This time I could recognize it, It was the damn voice of Wrath. It gave me a taste of it's power and then just when I needed it, she took it away leaving me weak. Then all of a sudden a horrendous pain set in as every fiber in my body started to scream at me. Muscles cramped from being overworked as my body started to wither. The power that Wrath brought me came at a great cost as I was literally mummifying on the spot. My vision was hazy as a massive headache started to settle in. If I didn't know any better, I could have swore that this was a super version of dehydration.

I tried to use my Regeneration to heal myself.... Until I remembered that using Wrath's power had consumed all of my mana in exchange for whatever that was.

*It's called Aura. It's used by any I deem worthy. Mostly you would call them Berzerkers.*

"Is this going to be a normal occurence now? Gluttony doesnt' talk to me this much."

*That's because that bitch doesn't have the amount of power that I do. You think us gods can speak to you mortals so freely? It costs us power in order to form ourselves down to the point where our voices won't instantly kill your puny mortal mind. So just be happy that a godly being like myself speaks you.*

Ugh great, just what I need, another god in my head. I'd prefer just Gluttony, atleast with her I don't have the recurring nightmare of my balls exploding. I shook my head to try and clear up the haziness but it was still just as bad. Everything was blurry and nothing but darkness, it's like my power drain took away all of my powers even my night vision. I knew that nothing was going to help so I fumbled my way over to the wall of the cave and sat down in the hopes that with a bit of meditation my body would return to normal.

----hours pass by----

I was jerked out of meditation by a loud screech that came from deeper within the cave, I opened my eyes and now I was able to see atleast a little bit, it looks like my original powers are coming back..... however it was very slowly. I looked internally and I smiled as I saw a tiny creek of mana flowing throughout my body. I needed to leave this cave and go hunting for food. I needed nutrients if I was going to continue recovering.

I made my way slowly away from the screeching noise and before long I saw a light start to brighten things up. Before long I was finally outside and breathing in fresh air that wasn't clouded with the stench of terror.

I used a little bit of my mana to use detection and searched within a few hundred meters of my location. I was able to detect multiple lifeforms under the earth but nothing aboveground. I took another look at my surroundings and now that I'm actually observing and not in a rush, I found that there was no trees or anything but dirt in a radius around this cave. Even on top of the cave and up the small mountain it was made in had nothing but rocks and dirt. 

Just by this thing existing was decaying the life around it. Whatever this thing is, it has to die, it has to be destroyed. But right now I had no choice but to use the power of rage, I could experiment with some of my other abilities but I had a feeling that I would just end up losing more limbs to this monster. Nothing came to mind but than again I haven't exactly taken a look at what I have to work with in quite a long time. I've just been using what I knew and trying to add twists to it.

Before long I was finally able to meet up with some traders after making my way to the road and with a few scales as payment I was able to get a few slabs of dried.... meat? It was a dried purplish color and smelt like some kind of old world disinfectant. I wasn't going to purchase it at first but the traders swore to me that it was a delicacy, and with the way my body was at the moment, I was at the point where my body needed something as fuel. 

I took a huge bite as I waved goodbye to the traders and swallowed the mysterious meat. It was surprisingly filling as after one piece of whatever it is, I felt like I was completely full..... That was when I knew something was wrong, I barely fill full after a nightlong feast with near endless food. But this one piece was enough? No I don't believe it. 

That was when something happened.... My world started to twist and melt around me. My senses heightened as the colors became clearer and vibrant, I just sat there as I looked all around me and watched as everything became one giant oil painting.

I felt so happy just sitting there and staring at my surroundings. I felt the pressure and tension just melt off of me. I even forgot what it was that I was trying to do, I kept hearing something that maybe was a voice trying to talk, but it was so small and incoherent that I just didn't pay attention to it.

I laid down underneath a swirling pool of green that I hoped was a tree and closed my eyes as I let the happy and peaceful feeling lift me away to dreamland.

------Howy POV------

Me and Liosa had been sent out by the others to look for Vexsus because it has been over 2 days since he left. Sondar said he still felt the connection with him but we were still worried. We all were worried this was becoming another incident where he left us for another year. I know it's stupid but that was one of the collective fears of our party.

"What if we never find master, What if he is gone...." Liosa said as tears formed in her eyes. 

"Babe... We will find him, He may be a bastard who fails to care for his family, but he is still the strongest thing I have ever seen. All we need to do is find him and bring him back. I know this thing with Hannah sent him over the edge but to be gone this long?" 

I continued trying to console her but I was making little progress. I was getting angrier and angrier at Vexsus for the way he just did whatever he wanted. He did whatever and damn the consequences and the ones left behind. Even his so called minions are left behind, my love devoted herself to becoming stronger for him and all he does is make her scout with no thanks. I don't care if he is strong, I was having doubts if I wanted to keep following him or not. My main focus is now all about my love, not his goals. Be damned this whole Shadow Eaters war and whatever god Vexsus follows. They can all burn in hell if it means I can be with Liosa.

We came upon the supposed traders road and saw signs of Vexsus being there, The tracks led back towards the forest and before long opened up into a clearing with nothing but dirt and rocks circled around a cave opening. 

"Honey.... I feel master, he is in the cave up ahead... But something is there with him, Something is wrong." Liosa said as she crouched down and maintained a clear view of the cave. Something did feel wrong, something was blocking my scouting abilities to see any further inside. I didn't want to go in but leading inside was indeed Vexus' tracks. 

"Liosa... Run back to base, get the others and come back here. Once everyone is here then we will go inside and see what's going on."

She just glared at me but then sighed as she turned and disappeared with a flash.