4 - Power at the tips of your fingers

After Viktorian had crossed the mini chasm, he sat on the other side, lamenting his reality and partially his existence. But he didn't dawdle long, lest the crazed blobs below had half a mind to follow him up here and chew on him

He peered upwards.

From this vantage point, the sword was in clear view. The hilt stuck out of the tall grasses that led down a long slope, which looked very much like a death slide.

Could be a fun death slide.

He started bouncing up the steep 'walkway,' making his way to the top. He had to slow his trajectory regularly, as every third bounce, he felt his gelatinous glue sticking to rocks or being splattered in a way that caused him to slide down constantly.

As he reached the zenith of the floor, the tall grasses stared at him. They were quite haunting up close. From down below, they appeared to be nothing more than little bushes.

Perhaps it is because I am small. Perspective changes everything, I guess.

[Indeed.] the goddess echoed in his head. [Small in many places, you could never satisfy me.]

What a blow to his ego.

Was she just going to keep chiming in whenever she wanted? It was weird. He didn't want everyone to know his thoughts. Especially not his 'thoughts.'Was she even really a goddess? He could be speaking to a demon for all he knew.

[Keep doubting me, and perhaps I'll find a way to reincarnate you into a tardigrade.]

"I doubt you have the power to," he squelched.

[Cheeky boys get punishment.]

Oh, that he wouldn't mind. That sounded fun, but he needed to get his head out of the gutter. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

Viktorian pushed into the tall grasses, the sword looming in front of him. It towered over him—it would have taken four instances of him to meet it at its height.

[Finally. It took you forever to walk up here. Now get to business. Pick up the sword.]

Hell naw. It clearly was impossible. He couldn't hold a fork much less a massive blade.

"I can't. I have no hands, much less a stomach. I don't even know if I have a brain."

He summoned the little tendril he possessed, wrapping it around the blade and tried pulling it out.

[How disappointing. I've seen slimes do way more than you have. I've seen slimes master manipulation of their bodies—some turn into great devourers and put whole civilizations at risk. But you, Viktorian, with your human intellect, can't devise a way to pull it out? Just pull out.]

That's the problem. He tried. Tried pulling it out.

As the tendril stuck to the blade, his thoughts drifted. Little prickles changed along his gelatinous skin. The tendril started to shift form. He focused on the strange thought—he imagined the tendril becoming larger, thicker, and bigger. Then it calloused and formed a lump at the end. The lump extruded from five different points, and a thick, hammer-like hand developed.

Skill unlocked.Limbic Manipulation. Level 1

"Oh!"

He tried gripping the sword again, but it wouldn't budge, not even with the full weight of his hand-thingy. A thought came to mind—what was better than one limb? Two, of course.

Visualizing a second tendril spiking and extending before forming another hand, his Limbic Manipulation leveled up again.

Limbic Manipulation. Level 2

He ignored the pop-up

"It worked."

[Hardly impressive. Now pull it out.]

Viktorian gripped with both of his hands. His central mass was much smaller, as the gelatinous goo that made up his body was supporting and maintaining his artificial limbs. He kept squeezing and pulling, and his slime started heating and bubbling up as he focused.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!" he bubbled in rage.

He felt movement, motion, and then, he was in the air. He lost his grip on the sword as he accidentally catapulted himself into the air. He was heading headfirst for the cavern wall.

"Ohhh fuck!"

He splattered against the wall like thick syrup, then slid down.

Checking his health points, he realized he had just lost a fourth of the life that sustained him.

30/40 HP

[Hahahahahah,] she cackled in his head like a wild witch. He admittted it was sexy but... [I had expected this outcome, disappointing as it was.]

"You knew it was futile, then why did you bring me up here?"

[Of course I did. I once asked a warrior to pull out the sword, but not even he could with his 130 kg of muscle.]

"Nononono, you're totally lying. A human couldn't put on that much muscle without killing himself."

[Maybe, where you are from. And I never said he was human. Regardless, I was curious. You see, the truth is—]

And the voice disappeared from his head, then emanated from the blade.

"I'm stuck in this thing."

Viktorian pondered.

You'd only seal something like this away if it was incredibly dangerous—like a world-ending threat. Was this really a goddess he was speaking to?

"I can still read your thoughts. Of course, I am a world-ending threat. I ruled over stars and worlds alike. I was tricked by a witch of a goddess and trapped in this blade, hoping that one day I could be free."

"Then the goddess who sent me here—who exactly was she?"

[A trickster. That is all I will tell you until I've gained your trust. you're not really the trustworthy type, much less chivalrous.]

He wasn't sure he wanted her trust.

But he just bopped his little slime chassis forward, listening to her.

[The real reason I brought you up here is that I could sense you were different from the horde below, even more so than evolved slime variants. So with what little influence I have left, I have a little… present for you.]

Viktorian perked up.

Present.

Present.

The little child in him was excited, when was the last time he'd gotten a present.

It had better be worth the hike.

[Return to the blade.]

"Yes, mistress."

He did so, slowly slithering his way there.

[Now, move behind it, further inside. There should be a hidden chamber.]

Viktorian, curious, listened to her. He wobbled and weaved his way through the thick vegetation. Carefully. He wouldn't put it past a wild animal or monster to creep between the large grass. He wanted nothing to do with snakes.

As the bopping slime pushed his way through the jungle-like diorama, there, in the corner of an isolated cavernous room, a small chiseled and glowing stone lay in the center.

Viktorian bounced towards it, eager. To inspect its properties, of course. And yet, he was lured by something else. An allure, drawn towards it, compelled like magic.

He stood over it, peering down at the little thing. So small and yet so precious.

So small and so fickle.

[Eat it.]

"What."

[Eat the shiny little stone.]

Though the idea was strangely attractive, he didn't know if he wanted to do that.

"I can't eat rocks, are you stupid."

[EAT! IT! OR I WILL FIND A WAY TO TRAPPED YOU WITH ME IN THE BLADE FOR ETERNITY AND TORTURE THE EVER LIVING HELL OUT OF YOU!!!]

Her voice thundered like a storm in his ears. Viktorian jumped, landing on the stone, sitting and waiting.

Consume Goddess Fragment? There is no turning back after this.

Y/N

Goddess Fragment? what did that mean? Was this something that belonged to her or…

[Just eat it, man… you're so dense. Power under your fingertips. You want women, a new body, power and a harem, a power fantasy? Eat the fucking stone.]

She really was starting to sound like a demon.

Viktorian sighed. Then he complied.

"Yes."

Goddess Fragment consumed.

The thing vanished. Just gone. Left nothing behind.

He stood, confused.

Nothing happened.

And he just sat there, waiting.

Nothing happened.

Even the goddess shut up in his head.

And then he shook—

And the world started shaking.

[Evolution in progress]