The slime noticed the message disappeared, however it did not make the connection between its body touching the message and the message disappearing. After all, its thought processes were still in their newborn stage and would take time and experience to develop.

The slime immediately forgot about the message. It was a very simple creature and so it continued with its important business.

Namely the business of cutting down swathes of insects with no remorse.

And so, year after year passed with little change to the slime. How could it experience much in this safe cage nestled in the mountains? Winters came and went, and if one were to look closely, one would see trails in the snow. These trails marked the passing of a certain slime. Although the slime's body was composed of water particles and mana, mana is not so easily frozen. The slime was not affected much by the snow and it would take a chill many times colder than the winter air to damage a mana creature.

It should be said that the snow contained mana far more dense than the ambient mana in the air, though still much less than what was contained in the body of any living creature. Still, combined with the air it was enough for our sime to easily survive the icy winters.

During these long years, the orb within the slimes body continued to grow, taking mana from the slimes body to continue its cycle of reinforcement. After 36 years it had grown to the size of a man's thumb, and it seemed to be pulsing less frequently.

During this time the slime started to be able to make out fuzzy things in its senses. Over time, as the core grew bigger, these fuzzy objects became clearer to the slime and eventually it was able to percieve the world around it.

And the slime felt another new feeling.

How would it feel if you had been born blind, aimlessly bumping into and falling off of things, and yet one day your vision started to develop? One day, finally, able to see the things you could only feel before, the rough stone, the soft grass and the rustling leaves.

What the slime was feeling, was awe. This is a very different thing from the surprise it felt before. Even the simplest creature will be startled, however awe is the emotion of a being that can understand concepts that no simple animal will understand.

The slime saw the grass, and the leaves, and the trees, the boulders and the insects, but what truly shocked the slime was something it had never quite been able to make out until now.

Before, it had been surrounded on all sides by the fuzzy grey things that felt like the boulders, but on this day with its sight grown stronger than ever, it was finally able to percieve the majesty that towered before it. A boulder like no other, and pointed at the top. It saw the mountains, and it was in awe.

Autumn came and the slime was crunching through leaves, when it came a upon a boulder. at the base of the boulder, the slime saw a pile of the crunching things that the big skinny boulders dropped when it got cold. It stared and stared at the pile of leaves, though with 360 degree vision it was really just focusing supremely hard on what was before it. eventually, after long hours of focus, the thought that had been trying to worm its way into the slimes mind had finally borne fruit.

The slime wanted to fall off the boulder into the leaves.

Why did it want to do this? The slime did not know, but true to it's nature, it climbed to the top of the boulder. Looking down at the pile of leaves it did not hesitate to throw itself into the crunchy mass.

Crunch

Leaves scattered everywhere, displaced by the impact. Some were taken by the wind, blown into corners of the world, never again to be seen by a sentient creature as they slowly decomposed and returned their mana to the earth where it would nourish new life.

And the slime felt happiness for the first time.

Excited, the slime raced back to the top of the boulder

Crunch

Crunch Crunch Crunch

Again and again the slime joyously threw itself into the pile of leaves, eventually flattening it and emerging with bits of leaf detritus strewn about on top of its body. Again it threw itself off of the boulder, but this time there was barely any crunch. No leaves were flung about, playing with the wind.

And the slime felt sadness for the first time. And the sadness scared the slime. What was this nasty feeling welling up from within? It had never felt such a sickening thing before. It hopped away in a frenzy, trying to outrun this nasty feeling, crunching through the leaves. Eventually, its mad dash brought it before a familiar sight.

A boulder. And lo and behold, a pile of leaves rested peacefully at the bottom of the boulder, and this one was even larger than the last! Immediately the icky feeling was chased away, and the slime joyously threw itself off the boulder into the giant pile of leaves.

Crunch

And the leaves fluttered about, like playful sprites, and the slime was happy. And the last leaf gently fluttered down and kissed the forest floor, and the world snapped into focus.

ding

Core formation complete. Accrued stats may now be assigned.

Creature: Slime

Life force: 10/10

Mana: 19/19

Name:

Unassigned: 1

Strength: 2

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 1

Regeneration: 4

Luck: 82