Night had fallen again before Jarek even noticed, and in all that time he hadn't found a single thing. He didn't see animals, edible plants, not even after digging a little into the deep snow. It seemed like the entire forest was either dead or in a deep slumber that affected both animals and plants alike. A part of him felt relieved not to encounter a classic goblin or any fantastic creature with a midnight craving.
After all, if his existence as a slime was possible, nothing prevented there from being an endless number of unknown beings wandering around with a filthy loincloth and an incredible urge to "expand the species."
There was still the possibility that he hadn't crossed into another world like in certain novels he had seen, and that he was still on planet Earth. But this was more of an empty, meaningless hope. And truthfully, he hoped that wasn't the case. In his world, there would be no way he could live a normal life being what he was now.
His current situation wasn't much better, and the body he now inhabited seemed to come from space, but that wouldn't stop him from trying to blend in with the local ecosystem.
With his spirits almost gone, he was about to give up and return to the meteorite, but just as he had backed away, he could see in the distance what looked like a concrete wall hidden among the trees.
—¡Yes, intelligent life! — he thought excitedly. Crawling through the snow covered bushes, as stealthily as his body allowed, he slowly approached the wall. If it was a human village, he hoped its residents were asleep so he could steal part of their crops. At this point, he was willing to eat anything.
To his unpleasant surprise, what awaited him was only more disappointment.
It was indeed a village, but one that was completely destroyed and no doubt abandoned by its former residents. There were several houses, each built of concrete with collapsed walls, broken doors, and more than one without a roof. The scene before him revealed the sad history of a place that had once been a home and community, now reduced to miserable ruins.
The remains of the houses were not clear enough for Jarek to guess exactly the era he was in based solely on the architecture, although he wholeheartedly wished he was not in some kind of medieval period complete with the stench of shit in the streets of every existing city.
A ghostly chill ran through him at the thought.
And speaking of chills, the temperature had dropped again, so Jarek sought refuge in the house that seemed the safest and with fewer holes compared to the others.
Thanks to his semi-liquid state, he managed to slip through one of the many holes in the wall until he successfully entered.
— If there were a piece of ham waiting for me, this place would be 5 stars…
Apparently, Jarek was not the only one to choose this house as a temporary shelter.
Before him, a huge furry creature was peacefully resting, snoring softly. Jarek was stunned. That thing resembled a dog, though only if dogs were the size of a hippo and had six legs with dangerous red spines on their sides.
—¡D-demon! — he thought. This was the ultimate proof that he was no longer in his original world. The enormous furry abomination, with foul smelling foam dripping from its yellowed fangs bent in unnatural ways, emanated a heat that melted the nearby snow.
— Nope, no no, nah, forget it
He wanted to go back the way he came. However, his actions didn't match his thoughts and his intense urge to piss his nonexistent pants. —¿B-but what? — Something was calling him strongly, maybe it was a voice, or maybe a feeling that forced him to approach the monster despite his useless attempts to crawl away like a little girl. He really had no way to describe it.
As Jarek got closer, fear and disgust turned into… ¿Desire?
The monster, still asleep and with no signs of waking, so defenseless and dangerous at the same time, had no idea what was about to happen.
Jarek's consciousness grew confused, all his thoughts focused solely on the demonic dog; there was no trace of fear when he was right in front of the creature. — Maybe, just a little is fine — He formed a tentacle and placed it on the dog's forehead, which remained asleep. The tentacle fused gently and quickly with the blue skin beneath all the black fur. Soon, the rest of Jarek's body followed until he disappeared completely inside the creature.
Jarek didn't even have time to think about what he had just done when a wave of energy engulfed him completely.
Tons of memories battered Jarek mercilessly.
None of these memories belonged to him, but to his victim. The moment it was born, the countless deadly fights it had with its seventy siblings, all the rage, fear, and hunger the poor beast had experienced throughout its life ran through Jarek's heart in just fractions of a second.
At that moment, the demonic dog awoke with bloodshot eyes, writhing as it experienced feelings that until now had been nonexistent for it. The wounds it had suffered in its last territorial battle soon vanished as if they had never been there in the first place. The inexplicable hunger that tormented it was enough to drive it insane.
Both, overwhelmed by the presence of the other, gave in to the almost endless energy engulfing their minds. —This is bad. I have to... I have to get out— Jarek's last coherent thoughts fell silent. —¿Leave? ¿But why would we? This is our territory— Images of a dog, similar to the one he had possessed but larger, lashed at them mercilessly, projecting into their minds. The dog Jarek had fused with growled in response.
—Yes, this place is ours! Only we are worthy!
The blue biomass oozed from the pores of the demonic dog, slowly covering them completely. Its already impressive size grew greatly; if before it looked like a lion, now it was as big as an adult bear. The sharp spines on its front legs became even sharper and more expansive, while its muscles swelled to the point they seemed about to burst.
¡¡Only us!!
The alpha Garm rested comfortably in the middle of all the females of his clan. The territorial battle that took place after each haunt change had left him exhausted and with multiple wounds, but the energy spent was completely worth it.
Now that he had killed the previous clan leader and defeated the rest of the challengers, he had earned the right to reign over his group for the next 40 years. 40 years he would spend enjoying the pleasures of power and the privileges that the title allowed him to indulge in to the fullest.
One of those privileges was the "treatment" his pack could give him. The toxin in their tongues was deadly to almost all living beings, but when used among their own kind, it served to soothe pain and bleeding from wounds at a surprising speed.
His companions gently licked his scratches and bruises, letting the toxins relieve the pain and eliminating the possibility of any infection developing. The alpha Garm felt powerful and indestructible at the sight of his brothers' corpses on the ground, some being devoured by the more developed pups while others were buried by the snowstorm. He didn't feel sad at all. After all, they would have killed him if they could.
But that was in the past.
Now he only had to lie back and enjoy the spectacle that was about to unfold. He reclined his enormous body, ready to sleep while still being treated, dreaming of his bright future full of food and endless pleasures. After all, he could give only a small portion to the others and devour the rest.
He let out a contented growl before closing his eyes.
But he couldn't continue enjoying his dream when one of the concrete walls exploded, scattering fragments of stone that injured several pups and some of the females. The Garm barely opened his eyes when he felt an overwhelming blow that sent him to the other end of the ruined house.
—¡We've arrived, bitches!
The Garm, stunned, saw something much, much bigger than him, roaring uncontrollably in front of his newly acquired throne. For a moment he mistook it for one of his brothers who had been spared, and it confused him even more when it used its sensors on its front legs. That thing emitted a frequency quite similar, if not identical, to his own. But that stopped mattering instantly. Whatever it was, it was standing in his home without invitation or permission, which was exactly the same as wishing death upon him, the leader.
¡A completely unforgivable attitude!
The enraged Garm ran straight into the fight with not the slightest hesitation, as fast as his aching chest allowed. He rammed the enormous intruder with a force that would normally destroy anyone who received the impact, and the blast of air from the blow made him believe that he had already won.
But he never saw the blood flying.
He couldn't even move the intruder an inch. It was no different than crashing into a massive rock. The Garms that hadn't been injured when the blue beast entered quickly moved away from the scene, each understanding that a duel to the death had just begun.
Few truly cared about their deep wounds, the nearly 200 members of the pack gradually arrived to witness the fight as they heard all the noise their current leader made with each attempt to take down the blue giant. The leader's breathing became heavy, his muscles painfully tensed using all the strength they could muster, but it seemed to have no effect on his rival. The charge he had always relied on felt more like a massage than a deadly attack against that strange being.
With a strike to his back, the alpha Garm fell to the ground almost instantly, a horrible pain shooting from his back to his stomach so fast that it clouded his consciousness for a few seconds. Many bones were shattered with a single blow. A guttural, distorted laugh echoed throughout the abandoned village, and the rest of the pack, a mix of fear and respect, howled in response to such a roar.
But the blue giant didn't stop there. He lifted the nearly dying leader by the neck before grabbing his abdomen with both arms and then jumped.
Both were launched from the roof so high that they pierced through the trees in a matter of seconds, only to crash forcefully into the snow, which could do nothing to soften the impact.
The leader, staggering and almost powerless, refused to lose everything he had worked so hard for. He growled threateningly to show his rival. Even with three of his legs broken and dangling, he launched himself again with his claws forward.
From one moment to the next, the entire world of the former leader went dark.
—¿Did you see that, idiots?! — he shouted hysterically.
The euphoric Garms, who had witnessed the fight from start to finish, surrounded Jarek, shouting just as loudly—or even louder—at the sight of their new leader's strength.
All, drooling with excitement, bowed submissively at Jarek's feet.
—HA HA HA HA HA HA!