On The Road

My choice of naming actually led to a war against the merchant empire of the Pepsi company. Stealing their name and giving it to an ass parasite might not have been suitable for their brand. So nearly 400 years after the great teleportation, the galactic franchise war began.

Little things like that open wounds that never heal. They fester over generations until the option for war arrives. Although I didn't participate in that war, my descendants suffered for it.

I had bigger fish to fry than a jumped-up soda company. By the time I was free to act, hundreds of my grandsons, thousands of my great-grandsons, and tens of thousands of my great-great-grandsons were dead. The treaty ink was dry, and I couldn't have my vengeance. So we bloodied their nose and took a few worlds as payment.

…

After five days of traveling, we haven't found much but corpses and the occasional living mare. Most of the poor creatures had to be put down due to a broken leg or a need for meat. We were half a day from the valley stream, and someone was following us.

It was 2AM, and Kale had just woken up from her 4hrs of rest. She quickly devoured a rations bar as I extended my senses to pick up on our tails.

Oh, they were brilliant. I couldn't spot the tails, scent them out, or hear them over the canyon's high winds. I still felt their QI; even at a distance, pinpricks of QI stood out, which made them different than the Feds. No, they weren't Pepsi Cola infected either.

Those bastards felt like a swarm of different QI signatures. Yes, QI had signatures the same as mana but different. The untrained all felt the same if they're the same species. In contrast, mana all felt different, and the larger the source, the easier it was to differentiate them from others.

Getting back to our tails, they had little mana, and all had human QI. So I suspected users, but if they had any sense, they would leave me alone. Then again, they could be opportunists. Well, if I knew where they were, why didn't I kill them. That answer is actually straightforward. I wanted an early warning system.

The Feds needed us dead, or their complete conquest would be in danger. That made things very simple if the tails weren't going to attack, I'd use them as sentries. I doubted the Feds really cared if a few humans were involved with this or not. Yes, it was cold as hell, but I didn't like spies.

If they were assassins, then showing I was aware of them could make things even worse. While they don't know I can sense them, they're easy to spot. I wanted them as predictable as possible.

So under the full purple scared moon, I forced myself to relax and watch the crackling of our campfire. The flames kept the occasional lion or other large predators from getting too close. It was fortunate that this close to a city, there weren't many monsters. However, that would change in three days when we entered the borderlands between city-states where bandits, mad mages, and strange chimera roam the lands freely.

Fortunately, we'd only cross a narrow spot through those lands. Only the foolhardy seek refuge in those areas or mages practicing in illicit activities. An armed escort would have ensured our safe passage or at least dissuaded the worst elements.

Kale bumped up against me breaking me from my darker thoughts. "There is something that's bothered me since we left the city. Why did you take it upon yourself to kill King? You didn't even know him that your first time entering Flank Town was with me." Kale folded her arms under her breasts. "I want to understand you," Kale said.

I stared at Kale, memorizing her cut nose and her dark-furred ears poking out of her wide-brimmed hat. Tiny white dots covered each ear, contrasting with her ebony hair. Her soft cream-colored skin stood out against the ebony of her coat, and the slight edge of pink nipples exposed from her bra made me want to kiss them. The long braid of her hair hung down at her flank, its end a tuft of hair shaped like a flame. Burs and knots of dirt had covered her once-glorious black fur until even the tiny white dots in her coat were unrecognizable. Twigs had found their way to tangle the hair in her tail, and Kale's once well-maintained mane was twisted. She needed some care.

"Fine, but only if you let me brush you out," I said.

Kale sighed. "I'm only going to get dirty again; we have another week of this at least," Kale said.

A smile spread across my face. "Then I'll have to brush you every night," I said.

Kale pursed her lips before looking away. "Fine, but no peaking under my tail," Kale said.

From my inventory, I retrieved a horse brush I bought back in Flank Town. I placed a hand against her coat and felt my hand sink into her fur. Despite the dust from the road, her coat was as soft as ever. It must have been her genes.

I thought about what I was going to say for a moment. What could I say? This person wasn't really me; I was actually an Issekai reincarnate or, more accurately, an Issekai body snatcher. At the end of the day, that's what I became.

I took over the story of another taking their place and saving their city from a friend of mine. Wouldn't that make me more of a traitor?

"in a distant time, before we met and long before I was sold into slavery, I met King. You could say we had similar interests. Both of us were interested in the holy trinity and the stories around them." I said.

I brushed out a rather stubborn burr and cleared some of the dust-out, revealing the pure ebony coat beneath. Slowly her tiny white dots began to appear with the light of stars in the night sky. Dust flew off of her in great clouds while I toiled over her coat.

Kale shook and stretched her muscles at my attention. "I've never heard of a holy trinity. Does it have something to do with the angels?" Kale asked.

"The holy trinity consists of three legendary figures, Luffy, Naruto, and Ichigo. We don't worship them; they are just characters in some of the world's most popular stories." I said.

"Is that it? Why did you take responsibility for him if that's all you had in common?" Kale asked.

"We were the same if I had chosen differently, I could have become a flesh mage just like him. In some ways, King's better than me; even trapped in that class, he found a way to transmute it into something else. If he had let go of his former power, he might have freed himself. And now he's dead, and King will never have another chance to change." I said.

Ding!

1st Epic Quest

Return Of The King

Part 1

Find King's ring

Reward: Golden Parameter Die x 1, Part 2

I didn't know where to begin to look for King's ring. The vampires had it as far as I could tell. More than likely, I'd hear about the aftermath of wherever it popped up. I specialized in fighting King, but King's focus wasn't on me; he became a spiritual being. Raising my parameters and another fight like that wouldn't be too difficult if I took on an event. With my current power, it would be easy.

After getting the highest score in the zombie event, I could really boost my strength. However, I wondered if there was even an upper limit to parameters. For example, what would happen when I gained the power to shatter planets with my fists?

Kale's tail slapped me out of my darker thoughts.

"Ok, so you decided to take responsibility that doesn't drive someone to fight to the death. Duty can only drive a man so far. Was Silent's clit that good, or did the council originally promise you a bunch of freshly flowered virgins?" Kale said.

I began grooming Kale's tail while I thought about my answer. My hand wrapped around a particularly thorny collection of briars, but against my bulletproof flesh, they weren't a problem. Once they were gone, Kale flexed her tail, inspecting the area with a pleased look on her face. Then, she twisted her body, grabbed her own tail, and brushed her hands through it. After a few strokes, she beamed at me.

Her soft lips pressed against mine for a moment before I opened my mouth and slipped my tongue into hers. Kale's eyes widened at the sudden intrusion before narrowing her eyes. I felt Kale's massive tongue snake its way in and fill every corner of my mouth. My own tongue curled around the side of hers, and I enjoyed mixing our saliva together. Even if her teeth tasted like grass. I grabbed her ass, feeling her powerful muscles but stayed away from the underside of her tail like a gentleman.

Ding!

+1 RP with Kale

Kale 36/100 – Kale feels closer to you than before but isn't ready to get too serious yet. While you have proven yourself powerful and reliable, she questions whether you can satisfy her. She doesn't want to know if you can't and doesn't want to take the chance of damaging your relationship by finding that out.

Was my fight with King really about sex? I couldn't say for sure maybe if I talked to my past self, I'd know for sure. Most of my war with King had been reactionary at best. Half the time, I didn't think I could kill him at all. It was only when he gained a soul form that I had any confidence.

I pulled back, slurping on her tongue before easing off of it. Kale leaned on me, pushing her breasts against my chest. For some reason, this felt more erotic than having sex with the council of four. Knowing Kale had changed everything, she wasn't just a pair of tits to me.

"Sorry, Kale, but I don't know where my determination to kill King came from. He was lost, and I didn't think he could be saved. King was better than me, he had everything, but he still felt like a betrayal of everything I believed. He had everything I wanted, but he still turned out to be a piece of shit. Maybe that's it, but I can't say for sure." I said.

"I think when Silent offered me the silver, I should have told her to shove it up her ass. You won't be rented out in Bridle, not for anything other than a fief in the rolling hills of my herd, of course." Kale said and winked at me. "What would you like to do when we return to my homeland? My father is the leader of our herd and won't abide weak blood to join ours." She gave me a vicious smile. "That won't be a problem for you no matter what suiter he tries to throw on me; I'm sure you can take them," Kale said.

"I would like to start a business selling weapons if possible. Well, first, I'd like to spend a few years working on runes, improving my craft, and taking commissions if possible. With a war underway, weapons will sell like hotcakes." I said.

She turned her head to the side. "My herd was once very wealthy until my father became addicted to gambling and has lost all of our treasures. No one will longer loan my people credit, nor will any treasures you amass remain hidden for long. The possessions of everyone belongs to the herd. That is the law passed on by my grandfather to the herd. My father has his own way of interpreting it." Kale said. I made a quick mental note to keep everything in my inventory.

"We will deal with that when we return. But, for now, let's focus on getting to Bridle." Soon the sun would rise on their sixth day of travel. The borderlands awaited them. "By the way, Kale, do you have any vices we should stay away from."

Kale pursed her lips and looked away for a moment. "I don't have any problems. Sometimes I play cards, but I win as much as I lose, so it's ok. Dad just loses." Kale said lamely.

"Is that why you took a chance on me?" I asked.

"Well, we better get moving; the sun will be up before you know it," Kale said.

I shook my head. "People and their addictions," I muttered and pulled a cold beer from my inventory and downed it. For half a second, I felt buzzed before the feeling vanished. The can be crumpled in my hand before disappearing into the red, black swirl of my inventory portal. Someday I'd find something that could get me good and drunk. But, unfortunately, the lack of a ding from my system told me I'd have to search for a long time.

My eyes darted to the side when I sensed the QI signatures gaining ground. I pushed the carriage forward, hell-bent on keeping my lead.