It Started with Slime - Part 1

Chapter 79 - Potions and Sensations

The golden-brown liquid landed on his tongue first, a burst of flavours as incredible as the first sight of colours in this world, more vibrant than you could think possible and pulsing with life. He could taste the energy in the mixture as it hit his taste buds. His lips felt the smooth, refreshing texture of the fluid as it passed over his lips. Soothing and cooling as it went, aches and pains that he didn't know existed were smoothed away, and he was left feeling refreshed. He felt as if his very soul were mending. It was exhilarating and unbelievable, and satisfying at the same time.

The three liquids did not hit him as separate but rather as one luxuriant bath of healing. They all melded together until it worked on him as a seamless whole. Muscles he didn't have repairing, bones that didn't exist resealing and everything was a memory of what should be, reminding him of what he used to have and wished to have once again to feel whole. And then the fluid merged with his body's flesh, and he felt whole. Not in the way that having a human body again would feel whole but by no means less. With a feeling of completeness, Aarav opened up his menus and saw the red, green and blue bars rushing to fill. Within ten seconds, he was fully healed. The feeling was euphoric, overwhelmingly so. It was too much, like every single addict receiving their drug of choice all at the same time and sitting in the high.

Ten seconds stretched to twenty, and then the feeling began to ebb. In its place, a dull aching began to form. A hollowness, a gaping maw of darkness which light had once filled, twenty went to thirty, and the darkness ebbed as well, the hollowness gradually closing to leave him back on level ground, breathing deeply and shaken. The hint of the feeling stayed with him, though. A new type of awareness and with it fear was this a new type of drug from this world. This was something that could become addictive and very quickly. Already Aarav could feel himself aching for that euphoric feeling again. His eyes clouded, and he sat in the sensation for a few seconds longer, melancholy taking over for a moment.

The Way Forward is...Forward says the only drug that has meaningful and lasting effects is the endorphin rush of hard work. Keep pushing, and you will succeed in everything you desire! Do not fail yourself and fall into old habits. This behaviour will only lead you down a road already travelled.

Aarav took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. That was close. I almost lost myself to that. He shuddered again. Was that how it would feel every time he took a potion or three? If it was, he wasn't sure it was better to just leave him to die. Getting addicted to this substance seemed like a real possibility, not just probable but almost inevitable. He eyed the three vials that were now empty in Haemish's hands with apprehension, revulsion and naked desire. Oh god, no, no. NO! Come on, your better than this! That is not a rabbit hole you want to go down, not twice in two lives. There is no coming out after that. All that crap about replacing bad habits with good ones: you want your life to be that again!? Huh!

He knew that he was going off the deep end a little, but this little pep talk seemed to have done the trick. For now, his was okay. For good measure, he gave himself a couple of slaps that took off a couple of Health each. It also cleared his mind for what was to come next. His eyes cleared to see all of the people around him looking intently at him.

"Are you alright?" Haemish asked with concern. "Strictly speaking, we should not have done that. It was another test. We have never used these potions on anything that was not human, other species have different physiology, and so it could have had a detrimental effect. Are you experiencing anything unusual? Nausea, disorientation, pain or poisoning?" Thanks a lot, idiot professor. You're using me as a guinea pig already!

"No..." Aarav began shakily, voice growing steadier by the word. "I...I seem to be fine. Nothing untoward."

"Good to know!" Taler responded this time and jotted down a few words on a piece of paper he held in front of him. What is this therapy? Aarav couldn't suppress a sigh at this turn.