500th Time Reborn, A World Only Known By Women: The Karma System

We spent the rest of the day traveling across the land. We would stop every now and again to let everyone stretch their legs and eat a meal before continuing on. Eliza proved to be quite adept at finding the best places to stop, and Chili followed her lead like a puppy following its owner everywhere. I couldn't help but laugh whenever I saw them walking side by side, and I knew that Eliza was happy. It was nice to see her smiling and laughing. Her face was more relaxed, and there was a glow to her that reminded me of someone else.

I tried not to think of my Goddess too much because I knew that she was busy dealing with things in Brama, and things were going pretty good so far. Rexa had offered to drive since she didn't get tired, making things easier for everyone; she just had a certain amount of time that she could function, and then her body would go into rest mode.

Claire stayed close to Breya, but she kept her distance from me. I was kind of hoping to get to know her better, but Claire wasn't an original goddess like Nya or Elfinia, that had been part of my Harem up in Yaggisdral. Even knowing that didn't make me want to get to know her any less, but it was hard with everyone just sitting quietly. Breya was really quiet, which I found odd, considering she was the one that pushed to come along on this trip.

Eliza was talking with Chili, Skylar was reading a book, The Art Of Understanding Others, Velma and Daphne were passed out, and Elfinia was glaring out the window as if the countryside had done her some wrong. While it was nice being around the girls, this was kind of boring and a bit tedious, so I got up and headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Eliza asked, and I pointed to the front of the carriage.

"Going to spend some time with Rexa. I am sure that she is lonely, and I also would like to get a better look at our surroundings. This is all land that you grew up with, but for me, this is a brand new world," I said with a grin as I leaned over and kissed Eliza and Chili, who both laughed, but Elfinia clicked her tongue, so I turned around to her and narrowed my eyes.

"What is your problem? Are you jealous that I am now giving you some attention?" I asked, and Elfinia slapped me, but it was like a child slap, and I grinned. "I will make some time for you later, promise-"

I had to put a finger up to stop the next snap as Elfinia looked like she was starting to get worked up, but I was done pushing. Any harder, and I might bring some tears, but I was sure she needed that, just not like this.

"Fine, be a little shit and stare out the window," I said and opened the door to outside as the grassy countryside rolled by.

I grabbed the roof and flipped up onto the roof while closing the door in the same motion. Once I landed, I turned to the front, where Rexa was driving the four-rune-covered horse that the girls at the barracks had been using.

"How are things going?" I asked as I sat down, looking out at the beautiful countryside.

"Not bad, but not great either. The roads aren't in the greatest shape," Rexa said flatly, and I chuckled.

"Well, It is only like this out here, but if you want, you can go ride back with the others," I said with another chuckle before leaning back against the bench seat, so I could watch Rexa drive.

"I'm sorry," she said flatly after a moment, "I was just thinking about how different things are now compared to what they used to be like. I am still trying to think of what to tell you about my people. We are all like machines, so many of us don't really exhibit our emotions like the other races, but we still have them."

"You mean that you feel sadness or anger when something happens, right? Or do you just act like nothing happened?" I asked, and Rexa shrugged.

"Sometimes it's hard to say, but I think that makes sense to a degree. When you were acting strange earlier, I thought that you might be worried, but you weren't showing it physically. Just like I didn't show my anger at all until just now," she admitted, and I smiled.

"That's fine, but I bet you felt it deep inside. I did for most of my life, but I got used to suppressing them. I never even realized that I was doing it myself," I said, and Rexa nodded.

"Yeah, I remember seeing you suppress your emotions all the time, especially when you were helping me with the women that were stricken with Madness the first time the Undead Riftwalker attacked," she said, and I took hold of her hand to reassure her.

"And I hope that you realize that I am always there for you no matter what," I said, and Rexa leaned into me before letting go of my hand so she could reach for the reins.

"Thank you, but I need to focus on driving now," she said, and I looked away from her, out on the open plains, but I could see that we were going to be in the cold a lot faster than I had thought.

As we continued northward, the weather became worse and worse. The wind picked up, blowing icy blasts through the trees, and every now and again, small flakes of snow would start falling. By the end of the first day, the roads had become slick with ice and slush, and the horses looked to be getting tired.

Eliza called up to us, telling Rexa to turn up a side road, and then we went a bit farther till there was a clearing. Rexa pulled off to the side of the road, and we stopped to make camp.