Chapter 67: Vent
It took Percy several more hours to cure the rest of the villagers. Not all of them advanced like the girl, but many did. Especially the older ones or those with the most poison accumulated in their cores.
By now, Percy was in a lot of pain, his host’s soul already beginning to crumble. He had to keep shifting his soul mana around the dying vessel to hold it together just a little longer. Despite the pain, a content grin tugged at his lips. He hadn't known these people for long, and his efforts hadn't permanently solved their problems, but even this small act of kindness brought him a sense of satisfaction.
“Kerez dim laat!! Kerez dim laat!!” they chanted over and over, their joy surpassing even his own.
Waving them farewell, Percy took off, determined to accomplish one more task before his body gave out. He doubted it would make much difference, but he wanted to help the locals one last time before returning home. Retracing his steps from two weeks prior, he flew along the river. Before long, his destination came into view – the giant vent spewing brown gas into the air.
Guessing this was the closest source of pollution to the village, Percy’s plan was to filter as much of the substance as possible before his host expired. As he approached the colossal geyser, he noticed more of his kin – this time including a few larger ones with Yellow cores. However, none had the distinctive grey fur of his host, indicating that the creature he was inhabiting was likely an elder, even among others of the same grade.
‘Hopefully we’re close to a promotion too.’
Drawing nearer, Percy’s vision was soon obscured by the dense cloud of gas, but he managed to orient himself toward the hole by tasting the concentration of the toxic substance around him. By now, he had to rely on Mana Sense to locate the other furballs, the population of which grew denser the closer he came to the source of the gas.
At least, that was the case at first. Past a certain point, the strawberry flavor in the air grew overwhelming, almost reminiscent of the syrupy sludge he’d extracted from the villagers’ cores. As he pressed on, the number of Orange cored beasts began to dwindle. Here, the fog was so thick it was beginning to hinder his movements, the current pushing him back. The sweetness in his mouth gave way to a spicy sensation as his core began to burn.
‘Wow, I guess even our species have their limits.’