I didn't feel sick. Maybe a little hungry. Nor was I disgusted. I mean they were just primitives… and oh wow that sounded racist as hell. I ran through various species I remembered from my past life and questioned myself on what I thought. Good news was I don't know if I could consider it racism. Just, uh, greater equality. I considered everything not Saiyan to be beneath me. was that racist? Probably. Or, was it just enlightened thinking? Questions…
Meh, it didn't help that I wasn't sure if this was real or not. It didn't really click, and no matter how I pushed myself it all felt too much like a fever dream.
The real issue is that I killed sentient beings, probably. Gladly. And I totally enjoyed it. Was I a sadist now? I mean… I think getting beat on would be kind of hot… wow… Was I a sadomasochist now? Maybe that's why female Saiyan's went extinct, totally not PG. Or maybe it was some Freudian thing?
Maybe that's how Saiyan mating went? Beat the shit out of each other until one side surrenders… NOPE! Not thinking about that. And why is this more concerning than literal MURDER!? I mean where did my polite manners go, my years of experience working dead end jobs as a yes man!? Where did it all go!? I terrorized a crystal deer of all things! Or, maybe this is just a dream and there is not point trying to justify this…
I frowned. I had to stop doing that. Dream or not, I shouldn't be so blasé about this. It was hard not to be though. I was giddy with power. I didn't need to work for my bread or listen to managers. Nobody to tell me what to do and only surrounded by aliens who knows how far from home.
Nobody would know. Nobody could know. Perhaps I should indulge, just a bit.
I wonder if it was still around… NO! BAD! I had better things to do.
I breathed slowly and carefully. Right… I was apparently a bad person now. Likely a monster too. I ran my mind through various simulations in my head, asking myself all the while what I would do… Soon enough it occurred to me that no, I wouldn't just murder hobo my way around. Not unless they provoked me like they had. Like, who throws a spear at somebody on sight? Pieces of shit, that's who. Not like it mattered now.
Right, self-justification done. I'll just follow the third fellow and see if I can't talk this out like reasonable folk. That's a plan. If anything, it was a test to see if I'd go full on PURGE THE XENO! Or something. Can I make fire with my ki? Why did I think that? And why did I also think I probably could!? Don't I already do something like that to cook my food!!!? Do I even need to cook my food!? Probably not… Huh…
Also, I felt kind of hungry maybe they'd offer food, and we could all laugh about it. Yes. That could work. Sounds wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I follow the path he took. Following a strange sensation of fear and panic bleeding off him as I get closer and closer. Through a series of tunnels, I come to a larger cavern blocked off with a primitive barricade.
Manning it was a grouping of squid people all wielding spears of varying quality. Their chief, whom I assume is chief due to his crystal ornaments and hat. Yells something out to me as the spears rise.
I assume it was something like.
"This must be a mistake… Let's be friends!"
Not… more likely.
"BACK CREATURE! BACK!"
Especially with how the spear wielding squids were poking forward aggressively. My stomach growled, they flinched at the sound. Why did I feel like eating squid suddenly? I give them my best friendly smile.
"Can we talk about this? It was just a misunderstanding, I swear!"
I said as calmly as I could. In retrospect I probably shouldn't have smiled. I had one hell of a resting bitch face. I did like how intimidating it made me, but when I smiled, well… yea. A spear was chucked at me and uselessly bounced off my armor.
That fucking BI-… I mean, ehehehe… My smile strained. They froze. The one squid who threw the spear stared at me, and I swear it shit itself.
"Right, Okay. SO… I'll let that pass if you put your spears down? Sound good?"
I take a step forward while gesturing for them to lower the spear. The step forward may have been a bad idea. They flinched and then charged me with a rather adorable war cry as one.
"ALL RIGHT FUCK IT!!!"
I grabbed one's spear and waved him around and splatted him against his fellow villagers. I wanted to let loose with my ki, but I didn't know if the tunnel would hold so I settled with sheer violence. I ripped arms off, heads and legs. Used them to beat each other up and used liberated limbs as bludgeoning tools of death. Instinctively I held back to prevent them from just being pasted. Letting them be torn piece by piece.
Until finally as I stepped and squished the final villager. I walked slowly to the village chief who had stood frozen the whole time. I towered over him and crossed my arms as I stared him down.
"KNEEL."
I declared. My intent clear as it slammed onto its knees and groveled at my feet. It slobbered my boots until I kicked it away with a dismissive glance. I had smashed through the barricade at some point. The fight spilled into the village proper as I had barged through. I stared as I had essentially massacred the whole village.
Well, shit.
My stomach grumbled again, reminding me I hadn't eaten in hours. I gathered the bodies of the villagers and began to cook them; the chief even dragged a pot forward for me to stew them all together. They tasted shockingly good. Before I knew it the whole village was in my stomach. well, save for the small bits I had fed the chief… he seemed happy strangely. Eh… primitives… ugh, I need to deal with this casual racism. Before long I kicked back and took the largest stone hut, likely the chiefs and fell asleep.
-A certain Chief.
A monster! A monster has come! Murdered my fellow villagers and ate them! Even forcing me to eat them! What did we do to deserve this calamity! Why would the great one send such a monster!? The thing took my home too!
I had considered trying to kill it in its sleep but remembering how the spears cracked and snapped on impact on it forced me to reconsider. When it woke many hours later, I tried my best not to be an eye sore as it sat in the middle of the village. It was strange but if it wasn't trying to kill me I wouldn't…
Then the air sung. The thing spoke in harsh guttural words, nothing like the song of our people. But this!!! This monster was no monster! No, not if it could tap into the chorus! The song of the deep! I stared in wonder.
I only remembered my position when I noticed it glaring at me. Was I to be next? I felt sick as I kneeled, I no longer had the strength to grovel. Not before a god. I felt the god step towards me slowly. I felt its hand atop my head. My transgressions were worthy of death.
I was ready to rejoin the great chorus. Minutes passed as I accepted my fate. My mind empty, and it was only because of that, that I heard it. The song. The chorus. I didn't even notice as the god left. I felt the chorus flow through my body filling me until it joined the greater song.
I exhaled my body more limber. I looked fiercely around. The god had left. I HAVE BEEN ANOINTED!
-Back to Rettas.
Squid chief was odd. Also, totally chill. When I woke and did my usual meditation, mostly to get the ki flowing and noticed it staring with the intensity of a sun, I had a strange idea. I had the notion to blow his head off for a moment, but that would be a dick move. I mean he did find a pot for me, and we shared a meal together. That makes us bro's, right? Surely.
That makes him alright in my book. So, I decided to give him a little gift, a little bit of ki into his body to help him awaken. Something told me he had the potential and well I was willful. So, I did it. It went into a trance then and well; I really didn't have any interest in standing around. As such I left back to my wandering.
The tunnels went deep. The deeper I went the heavier the air went. Probably an increase pressure form just how deep I was getting into the earth. It was also getting damn hot. My body was loving it. With every level down I spent some time adjusting to the new pressure and temperature while training my ki more and more. It was just enough to keep me from going stir crazy.
The adventure was exciting though, but caverns get boring when you keep seeing similar sights. I mean sure the first time was great, but after the umpteenth time seeing cute crystal critters you end up wondering if they're edible. Which they are, tasty too. That's totally normal. Totally…
I ignored the totally massacred village. I didn't feel guilty at murdering a village of prim- er, people. Or eating them. Damn were they delicious. Which should be a total red flag. I was more than strong enough to force my will upon them, and I did. Had we been about equal strength could we have been friends? Or would they have still tried to kill me?
I could have hopped back into my ball and left the planet, but honestly just the thought upset me. I had to deal with this now. The galaxy was likely a shit place. Just like earth had been in my previous life. People talk about how great society was but ignore the human trafficking trade that happened through the world. Or that slavery was in fact still in existence in some parts of the world. Or where people were tortured for having differing views.
For all our talk of being civilized folk, we still hadn't changed from the olden days. Our vices still controlled us, and I wasn't inclined to believe that there was a race of aliens out there that somehow pushed past it all. At least without lobotomizing themselves. I had to decide how I was going to act from here on though.
Randomly murdering people didn't sit right with me. It also didn't seem like a fair game to just blow-up planets left and right when I could. But I wasn't just going to let people walk over me. I can't go back to the days of minding the convenience store. In truth, with my strength what laws did I have to follow? Who could even force me to follow the rules?
At least eventually that would become the case. For now, though, and for the future I need a system, a code of sorts. Well, I could just stick to the Golden Rule. Do unto others, as you would have done unto you. Which means, you attack me? I attack you. You insult me? I insult you. Or give and take.
That should be fine. For now, anyway. My steps grew lighter as I now simply decided to ignore those nagging emotions. My little red line would guide me for the time being. The deeper I go I tend to find larger and more bodies of water. The water was always crystal clear and seemed to sparkle in the lighting. Except something tells me their deathtraps. Made more apparent when critters are dragged into the depths by large tentacles occasionally.
Was the core of the planet a giant body of water? An interesting prospect if true. Did that mean the giant tentacles might have been the great mother to these squid people? Likely… Deeper I go the more likely I might find a real fight. SO, I went deeper and deeper.
I made it a point to avoid small villages as I passed them. I did not want a repeat of that village massacre happening. Eventually I was forced to enter civilization as I went deeper. It was annoying, especially with them blocking off all the major tunnels and those not blocked were all submerged or had large lakes at the end of them.
I had to walk quite a way to find an entrance. A line of well, less-primitive squid people seemed to be waiting to enter. I went ahead and joined the line while humming along and listening to their burbling conversations. Eventually my scouter might be able to figure out the language! Eventually!
The line shuffles forward ever slowly. More squid people slowly join the line only to pause as they see me. Soon the whole line is looking at me like a monkey at the zoo. That comparison struck true thanks to my tail, something I feel like I should have mentioned ages ago, but it felt so natural. Prehensile and everything. I could wash my back with it! I could reach all those hard-to-reach places with it! I loved it.
I imagine their conversations went something like,
"Who's the freak?
"I don't know. I've never seen one of them before."
"Never?"
"Never!"
"Could it be! AN ALIEN!!!?"
They all seemed frozen at that comment. Or I think it was that comment. Might have been that extra loud burble from the gate as the line had stopped moving. They then parted, letting me step forward to a group of antsy guards.
"What are you!"
One said as it jabbed its spear at me.
"You sure jabbing at it is a smart idea?"
"Like I care! Its ugly!"
… oddly my own commentary was pissing me off. I gripped his spear as he uselessly tugged it.
"Fuck off."
I told him as I snapped tip off the spear. Then for further emphasis ground it to dust in my hands. The squid stared at me, then his dusted spear tip. He took a good minute to process the situation as his pals seemed to take a step back as one. He glurbled loudly as he decided to rush me, so I bitch slapped him. I may have hit him too hard as his head turns a bit too much and falls over twitching.
I look to the frozen guards.
"He should be totally fine."
I assure them with a smile. No, no, he was totally dead. As expected, they all screamed and ran. I looked behind me to the crowd that flinched under my gaze.
I almost imagined them yelling,
"MONSTER! MONSTER!"
As I walked into the largest cavern I've seen yet. It was massive and covered in crisscrossing bridges that stretched throughout and connected stone pillars that looked like buildings. In the center of the whole cavern was a sizeable lake where a distinctly appetizing sensation radiated from. Almost like a mini-giant squid. Was that an oxymoron? Eh, regardless. I imagine the squid would be one hell of a fight.
I made my way to the lake. Guards gathered in mass. I noticed they all wore armor made of crystal and spears of crystal. They also seemed to give off a faint sense of competence. They blocked off the passages into the city proper and hemmed me in. almost as if to guide me towards the center lake. I flared my aura to taunt out the squid in the lake as I got closer and closer.
Its own aura smashed into mine, the heavy air seemed to be super charged as our aura's clashed. The thing had ki, not much and seemed more instinctive than trained. It broke the surface as its large eyes met mine as I reached the edge of the lake. We entered a standoff as the world around us faded. Our auras pushed against each other like a game of tug of war.
Seconds turned to minutes as our clash continued. Both of us attempting to find any weakness in each other's defense. I felt my ki bubbling as I circulated it faster and faster as I prepared for the clash. The squid doing so in turn its body almost radiating with a scintillating light. It was like a giant squid disco ball!
My momentary distraction sparked the start of the fight. The squid's tentacles lancing out like a forest of spears as I rushed them.
"BUZZSAW!"
I screamed as I forced out a rotating disc of cutting goodness, it had an official name, but I can't for the life of me remember it. I shunted it as it carved through limbs before dissipating. The stumps quiver before spawning even more tentacles… TENTACLES!
The thick stumps split into countless smaller grasping, slimy tentacles. I do my best to blast them into oblivion with my,
"BARRAGE!"
And yes, I was yelling my skills like an anime protagonist. Somehow it made them easier to use and stronger to boot. Saiyan logic, I'm sure. Wait a second… what if...
"PUNCH!"
I scream as I circulate ki, it seems more robust as I hit a tentacle so hard it bursts apart... IT WORKS!? It also cost more than a normal punch. I fly through the tangle of limbs liberally launching exploding energy balls at the thing. Honestly, it's not doing much damage. Or rather it's like the machine gun in a tank battle. It does SOMETHING, just not a lot. From my guesstimates I imagine it was taking a smidge more out of the squid to heal the damage than it cost me to spam as I kept yelling the ability out.
I swerved through tentacles returning exploding ki blasts and punches as I chipped away at the thing's massive life force. The cavern shook! Squid people screamed! I laughed at finally fighting something entertaining! I was winning, even as the tentacles flailed and whipped around. What I couldn't dodge left a lasting stinging feeling that I would be feeling tomorrow.
The pressure between the two of us, squid versus Saiyan began to peak. I compressed my ki using the immense pressure the squid was giving off to finally hit the next level!!!
"KAIO-KEN!"
For a moment nothing happened as my aura and ki retracted into my core. The squid's aura smashing into me, almost crushing me. I felt it bubbling inside me. the ki threatening to burst out. I felt like I had a serious case of constipation as the technique just wouldn't work!!! Then I remember and instinctively I open my mouth again letting loose a piercing rising cry!
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
Then, as if a mystical ingredient had been added it worked. Like a spark to oil. My qi lit. It surged and boiled like boiling lava through my being. My heart raced, ki burned through my veins as my aura changed into a bloody red. My muscles twitched and bulged. The world slowed, and with the crack of thunder I moved through the forest of tentacles straight to the beast's face! I SMASHED IT! Then unleashed a series of powerful blows.
It reeled back as I pushed into, but this wasn't enough! I NEEDED A FINISHER! I tried to think what would be appropriate! APPROPRIATE! I felt like a boiler about to explode. A teapot well beyond capacity! Then it hit me like spicy taco night!
I focused the sensation into my chest. Giving me a serious case of heartburn as my chest began to glow. Breathing became harder, my chest constricted! Then as I continued to beat the shit out of the squid I LOOSED!
"BREAK CANNON!"
I SCREAMED, then opened my mouth. MY BODY IS THE FORGE! MY LUNGS THE BELLOW! MY MOUTH THE CHIMNEY! All my built-up ki launched out scorching my throat as it slammed into the squid. The beams force pushed it out of the water for the first time, beaching the damn beast as the beam struggles to pierce the beast. Then just as I feel the tail end, the last dregs of my ki flowing out, the squids defense gives. The beam pierces through. Blasting its head into pieces and blowing a chunk out of the cavern.
I huffed and puffed.
I landed, nearly botching it as I struggled to stand. My whole body ached and shook.
*Ding
My scouter dings at me to alert me it had finally decoded the squid people's language. I overlooked the squid people as they stared at me in silence.
"How do I say, "I come in peace?"
A string of strange letters appears.
I look to the people staring at me in awe.
"BURBLE GURBLE GIRBLE!"
I say as best as I could! They begin to scream. I take just a moment listening to them before I stop letting it feed me the translations of their lamentations.
"What did I say?"
I AM WAR!
Huh…
… alright then. Crazy language differences. Wonderful. I'm not even going to bother learning to speak their language at this point. I should leave… But first, I have a meal to eat.