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2024-10-29 19:42:56The water I poured the first time had destroyed one of the Sand Demons' arms so that when it stood, it had only one arm.
I sat on my bottom the entire time, now sure that they would kill me, as I'd run out of the water to use in fighting them, but nothing matched the confusion I felt when I saw them bow before me even as I sat in the sand. The one with an arm raised its head and spoke in a language that was strange to me. I found it imperative to call Maia. “Congratulations,” her voice intoned. “You have made your first kill.” I turned the stone heart of the Sand Demon in my hand, finding it almost unbelievable that I had killed such terrifying things with water. Only water. “I need you to tell me what the Sand Demon said. He said it in a language I don't understand.” “He speaks an ancient language, indeed. He said: I have terrified travellers across this distance for millions of years, but none has taken the heart of a Sand Demon since Alexandros the Great fought us on these plains. Even he did not fight us without the help of Zeus. But you have done it alone.” “Oh,” was all I could manage to say, before I could gather myself to say anything else. “But Maia helped me.” “No. You did it all on your own. All I gave you was a clue, to use what you had. Somehow, you realised that to kill the Sand Demons, you would need water. Anyway, the Sand Demons respect whoever takes one of their hearts, and for as long as you hold the heart with you, they will respect you. They now offer themselves to you, to serve you for the rest of your sojourn through this desert.” “They will do anything I ask?” “Anything. Even if you would have them kill themselves, they will do it, as long as you have the Sand Demon's stone heart. Note that you have to be careful, as losing it while you are with them can cause an instant mutiny. Do also realise that killing the Sand Demon has earned you bronze coins, and that you can add the stone heart to your System storage for safety.” I made a sign for the Sand Demons to rise, and was almost amused when they did. Without hesitation, I resolved to keep the stone heart safer than I would anything else, even my beating heart in a metal body. It brought me security in this dry, dreary, place. There could be no illusions about what I wanted. Attacking the Sand Demons with water had left me with an empty supply, and I could think of nothing else. “Can you take me to a water supply?” Maia translated the question in the strange language, which was returned appropriately. “Yes. They say there is an oasis a distance away, and will even get you a camel to take you there if you need a ride.” “Tell them that I would be honoured to go with them. Also, keep this stone heart in my storage.” I said, half fearing that the storage was a trick for Hades to turn the creatures against me at a point when I was weak by stealing the stone heart. It was not above the mischievous deity, to me. “Can Hades get to my storage?” I asked. “Even Zeus couldn't get into your storage. The only one who has access to it is you.” Satisfied, I asked Maia to keep the stone heart in the storage. She did as I said, and I lay back as the Sand Demons went into the distance, leaving me alone. The whole thing I'd just been through made me want to laugh, to cry, to even shout for joy. The moment was only ruined by the sound of the beeping alarm again, coming from my system dashboard. *Updates to System Dashboard* Name: [Alexander] Level: 1 Bronze Coins: 100/500 : +100 Bronze Coins for killing Sand Demon. 0 used. Experience Points (XP): 2,000/10,000 : + 2,000 XP for killing Sand Demon. Health Points (HP): 2,000/10,000 : + 2,000 HP for killing Sand Demon. Magic Points (MP): 2,000/10,000 : +2,000 MP for possessing the stone heart of Sand Demon. Strength: 1/10 : -5 for exhaustion. Intelligence: 7/10 : +3 for figuring out the trick to kill Sand Demon. Agility: 5/10 : +4 after fighting Sand Demon. *Skill Section* Active Skills: NONE Passive Skills: + Night Vision. Skill Cooldowns: 5 hours (Night Vision). *Quest and Mission Log* Current Quests: Find the Sword of Pella. Completed Quests: NONE *Statistics and Analytics* Kill Count: 1/10 : +1 after killing Sand Demon. Distance Travelled: 15.9/50 km Resources Gathered: 0/1 *Notifications and Alerts* System Messages: Congratulations on killing Sand Demon. New updates have been added. Warning Alerts: NONE Event Notifications: NONE *Equipment and Inventory* Equipment: NONE Inventory: 1x Bag, 1x Water Bottle, 1x Biscuit Box, 1x Night Goggles, 1x Dark Hood. Storage: 1x Sand Demon Heart. *Map and Minimap* Loading… I processed every update. A hundred bronze coins for killing the Sand Demon… If I killed the remaining sand demons, I would have three hundred in total, in addition to the two hundred I would get after I found the sword of Pella, getting me all the coins I wanted in that instant. They would let me kill them too, as I still had the stone heart of the one I killed. In the end, my conscience got the better of me, and I decided to let them be. There would still be many bronze coins to gain over the journey. The Experience, Health and Magic Points seemed sufficient enough to me, and I was satisfied with them. I could also not agree less with the Strength level, as I was weak. The increase in my Intelligence and Agility levels also brought me joy that evaporated when I saw that the only skill I gained was Night Vision. “But I have the goggles,” I complained to Maia. “Well… you can see in the night, and won't have to wear them. But only for a maximum of five hours.” I will not deny that the thought of killing the Sand Demons came to me again when I saw that I could use them to raise my kill count, but the idea did not take hold. Something was missing to me, however. In the equipment. It came to me at once. “Help me find the katana, Maia.” She loaded the map, and my weapon lay a certain distance away. I rushed to it, put my hand in the sand, and got it out, half amused by the trick now that all was over. Hades had given me a weapon, knowing fully well that water was all I would need.
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The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE WAY TO THE OASIS
The sun was rising when I returned with the katana to where I'd been, and there I found the Sand Demons were waiting for me with a camel. I thought it was odd, seeing creatures made of sand standing with one that had blood running through it. I was quick to ask Maia where they found one as my curiosity was riled up. “The Sand Demons are lords of the desert. There is scarcely anything here that they do not know of, as they have roamed here for thousands of years, killing any desert traveller who they come across and who has not killed them.” Once again, I thought of killing the two Sand Demons to raise my points so that I would reach the bronze coins I need. Certainly, I had the stone heart, and they would let me kill them, since I had no reason to feel pity for them myself. They seem to be evil beings to travellers, after all. “Can they allow me to kill them if I have the stone heart?” I asked, slowly convincing myself to do the deed. “You said they'll let me do anything, right?”
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General ODESSO
I was so pleased by the Oasis that I planned to sleep there.It was a beautiful place, a welcome change from the dryness that filled everywhere else in that desert, and I spread my hood and sat there after finding the camel a comfortable place to graze, simply absorbing the pleasantness of the place. The camel was like a gift from the Sand Demons, and the oasis was a place I would hate to leave, but I had to, if I wanted a body and not some cursed half-metal being unable to die..“Maia?” I called, looking over the oasis.“Yes.”“How far are we from the Sword of Pella?“You have covered 24.6 kilometres, which means you have 25.4 kilometres to cover.”I bit my lip in agony, seeing that I still had not reached up to half my journey. Getting up to my feet, I went and took the camel, speaking softly to it as my hands touched against the brown fur. When I felt I had spoken enough, I climbed it and looked at the night sky above me, killing all plans to sleep.The night was serene and gentle
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General AGAIN AND AGAIN
A small altar that was almost negligible gave it away.It stood close to a broken wall that was roughly triangular, with the jagged, chipped edges.I looked at the altar as my camel rode past, and then looked away, going forward till I looked again, and saw another altar like it, just as small and near a roughly triangular wall with jagged, chipped edges. Then I rode forward again, and saw another altar like it, just as small, and near another roughly triangular wall with the same jagged, chipped edges. All similar.At first, I thought this was something the king who destroyed the city had done, but it was all too similar. The same cracks and chips in the same places.Swallowing, I held up my hand and watched the shadow of me on my camel by my right side. From the map on my system dashboard, I could clearly recall that I had been heading north all along, and even now, it was proof that I was still heading north. Then, urging my camel so that it went in the straightest line that it cou
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General MOVING BRICKS
For the second time, my system alarm woke me up.I opened my eyes and jumped to my feet, my heart beating within my metallic chest as I checked my dashboard.*1. New Notification Alert*Warning Alerts: 173,789,537x bricks of Odesso moving. 0.0 km away.Swallowing to get something down my dried throat, I quickly wore my night goggles before looking around me, and not one of the bricks that I had studied so cautiously when I first came here was in sight. All had disappeared into emptiness, and it was simply sand all around.“Oh no.” I gasped. What was I to do? How would I know what challenge the bricks were going to pose for me?“Maia? What are the bricks about?”“They move.”If I had been angry before, I was right about to spiral into madness now. I knew the bricks could move, as that was clear in the notification alert. It told me that the bricks were moving.“And how do I fight them?”“Use what you have.”It was almost the same as the first time when I asked what to do against the S
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General RUNNING THROUGH
There had to be some way for me to both dodge the bricks as they fell, and simultaneously cover the distance before the gate got too small for me to pass through it. I didn't even want to know what could happen if I didn't pass — I had spent too long in Odesso to want to spend any more time in this cursed, abandoned, dry place.Between me and the gate was a distance I mentally calculated to be two kilometres, and I started to run even faster, trying to be just as careful with dodging the bricks, but the gate was not waiting and I panicked, my fear and sense of urgency getting the better of me. I started to run, jumping over the bricks until one hit me and made me fall. Refusing to stop, I jumped to my feet and continued, only to get another brick to my face, stunning me with the force it used. I still do not know where the spirit came from — maybe from the sight of the gate becoming smaller, but I started to crawl when one of the bricks going through the sand hit my metallic hand and
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General CLOSER TO PELLA
My system immediately brought the updates as I lay outside the hole I just got out of, tired but alive. I couldn't die, anyway.Updates to System Dashboard*Name: [Alexander]Level: 1Bronze Coins: 400/500 : +300 Bronze Coins for passing through the lost way of the ancient city of Odesso. 0 used.Experience Points (XP): 7,000/10,000 : + 5,000 XP for passing through the lost way of the ancient city of Odesso. 0 used.Health Points (HP): 7,000/10,000 : + 5,000 HP for passing through the lost way of the ancient city of Odesso. Magic Points (MP): 7,000/10,000 : +5,000 MP for passing through the Narrow Gate of Odesso.Strength: 5/10 : +4 for resilience.Intelligence: 9/10 : +2 for figuring out the way out of Odesso.Agility: 10/10 : +3 after dodging 173,789,537 bricks successfully.*Skill Section*Active Skills: +NEW Fire Breathing. Passive Skills: Night Vision. Skill Cooldowns: 5 hours (Night Vision). 3 hours (Fire Breathing).*Quest and Mission Log*Current Quests: Find the Sword of P
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE TEMPLE OF THE UNKNOWN LORD
With a gasp, I jumped to my feet.Somehow, it felt as though I was only 3.8km away from coming to the end of Level 1, as though all I had to do was to reach Pella. Excitement spread through my bones, and I got up with determination, even when the hot wind blew in my face.“In what direction does Pella lie?”“North east. Keep your direction straight and you will come to the great city of Pella.”I checked my map, noted the direction, and started to walk without stopping. The feel of the hot wind blew in my face, threatening to scald me as I covered my face with my hood, still travelling. At least, Odesso had one blessing — it had kept me so distracted with its falling bricks that I never realised I was moving.Now I had moved so far that I covered all the distance without knowing. All I wished for now was my camel. I liked the beast while I still had it, as it was sturdy and strong, but now I did not know where it was, and could only hope that it was still alive.The distance to Pella
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE BEASTS FROM THE DARKNESS
With my katana in my hand, I jumped and stood on the altar, trying to listen.I could hear it. No… I could hear THEM. Their feet tapped gently on the stone floor, and the growls were low, and predatory. For the first time, I remembered my fire breathing power. Trying to do it just the way Maia had taught me to, I exhaled in the air, and was met with disappointment when all I did was huff into empty space.They felt even closer now, and I gave off two more huffs, before a final one set off a flame that illuminated the whole temple and showed me what I was locked in here with.Lions.Nine lions.For the first time, I got to understand how truly terrifying those animals were. From a distance, it appears majestic, even reminiscent of a cat, but when it comes so close that you can feel its predatory breath close to you, all you think of is how it can kill.Even then, my katana felt like a trivial thing to fight a lion with.One lurched forward, and before I knew what was happening, a might
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- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
A CURSE
I felt much better when I washed all the blood off.With enough water in the pot, I watered both my Camel and my Pegasus, before settling to cook my own meat. It was an already dried and salted piece, and all I had to do was heat it up.As I cooked, some soldiers moved past with ragged, unsteady steps, and I waved them all, wishing them a good morning. They were quick to hail me, and some even stopped to give me their narratives of my action in the past day's battle in drunken tones. Others walked by with loot — horses and Eagle men's armour for the most part, and sometimes women. They, who I had not seen since I stepped foot in this camp, now appeared to have crawled out of their holes.When I was done cooking, I went back in to eat, and after that, set out to go bury my Pegasus' previous owner. He had been good while he lived, and might have been interesting if he wasn't fighting on the other side.The time to go came and I mounted the Pegasus, following the animal as it flew me to
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
BLOOD ON MY SKIN
The sky was lighting up when I woke up again.Nevertheless, I was groggy, and then went into the tent, forgetting that I had allowed myself a roommate, until I went in and saw her lying on the floor, clad in her armour. It cleared my eyes at once and I felt sympathetic, praying for the sun to rise so that she would meet Bruma. I was quite sure that he would take her in and still permit her the freedom she wanted without any sexual demands as well. He had Seni, and did not appear to be interested in women.With this in mind, I went back outside. There, I felt regret that I did not ask for any of the wells. I still carried the blood from the previous day’s battle, and now I needed a wash to keep me clean.I moved around, admiring the sight of my Pegasus and Camel together, both of them gifts to me. I did not have any plans on what to do with them, but I loved the beasts too much to let go.Once again, I looked down at myself and could still see the bloodstains. It amazed me that I had c
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
A CAMEL AND A PEGASUS
I did not turn until I reached my tent.Once there, I stopped the Pegasus and stepped back, in awe of the animal. Its magnificent white fur showed even in the dark, and I took off my armour — which had discomforted me so much that my body adjusted itself to the discomfort, and then threw it in the tent. I then returned to the animal and threw my arms around it.“Tomorrow, we'll bury your old master, and I'll take care of you.” I said to the beast.It huffed, and I laughed at the sound. It made me think of my camel as well, long forgotten in my inventory, and I asked Maia to bring it to me. This she did, and I had both of them with me, a Camel and a Pegasus. I tied both to the same anchor knocked in the sands, and sat on the ground not far from them, watching when something caught my eye from the side — a shadow.I took the pains to sit still and watch, curious about the spy. Whoever it was had their sights on me so hard that they did not even move while watching me, which allowed me t
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
THE PARTY BEGINS
My Pegasus had come with a saddle, a parting gift from its previous owner.Gently, I mounted it to even louder cheers, almost falling off as it rose. The wing caught me just in time, and I held even tighter to the bridle, giving the Pegasus a gentle rub when I maintained my balance, shifting my helmet to one hand to enjoy my ride.They started to call for me to fly, and I gave it another gentle pat, which sent it into a trot. An even harder one set it running, and a pat on the wings sent it off the ground, and the body stopped swinging from side to side, giving way for a smooth, gentle motion through the air as we went even higher and higher. Our men and their torches were now reduced to tiny, candle-sized lights, while the Pegasus flew in a circle, going round and round without stopping.I was soon weary of flying, and we slowly descended to the ground, settling on a patch of clear ground the men vacated for us. More applause followed, and when I got down from the Pegasus, I was lift
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
ANDREAS
Andreas was a man I thought had gone mad.Certainly, I knew I was the one who killed the man. I pulled the arrow that killed him. I did it for the Warlock. How was he then going to feel if the Pegasus refused him in front of everyone else?“Which of you will go first?”I did not want to. So Andreas stepped forward amidst rounds of cheers and applause from the men, especially those who claimed to have seen him shoot at the Pegasus. Funny enough, I found that my mind started to play tricks on me too, and I even began to wonder if I had truly killed the man or if I had imagined myself doing it. Even now, the events of the battle were surreal as I thought of them, like things that had happened in a dream while I slept. The darkness was coming over, and a few men were holding torches to offer light. Andreas went closer to the Pegasus under their watchful glares, backed away when it snorted, and stood, as if uncertain of what he started to do. It made me roll my eyes.Still, he refused to
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
THE PEGASUS
All eyes were on me as I lowered my hand, including pairs from my fellow men and those from the enemy. It was as though they were waiting for an instruction, waiting for something to be said, and I felt the need to say it just as much.“VICTORY IS YOURS. TAKE UP YOUR SHIELDS AND ATTACK!” I boomed.With these words, I picked up a shield, grabbed my sword, and ran towards the enemy, starting to feel the now familiar thump-thump of their arrows upon my shield and armour. Not long after, I had the eerie feeling that I was attacking alone and surrendering myself to the enemy on a platter of gold, until I heard men yelling behind me. Together, we rammed into the ranks of the Eagle men and their horses, and I cut into the first man of them I saw on foot, dividing his face into two horizontal halves. He was not the first to die by my hand, and neither would he be the last, as they turned and started to run, ignoring those of them who stood and tried to call them to fight.“Don't stop.” I crie
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
FIGHTING THE EAGLE MEN
The closer we drew to them, the louder and more frequent the thumps.I looked through the ‘Y’ in my helmet and a gap in the shield and saw how they stood like statues, their bodies standing still, their arms working in an impressive mechanism as they shot at us while sitting on horses. They were doing it at exactly the same time, and firing at the same angle, following the orders of the man on the Pegasus, who flew all over the battlefield with his flying horse. I could also hear the sound of the whistles Bruma told me about when he first told me about them, with the sound very similar to the one an eagle makes.That was when I fully understood what Bruma meant by order. They were far more ordered, more arranged, and more composed, as though they could read one another's minds. I would still have pondered on this if an arrow did not pass through some opening in the shield and lodge itself in the neck of the commander next to me. I watched in horror as he stopped, his eyes surprised, a
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
THE MARCH
The commander of the Eagle men was a quick man, and that was what saved his life. His Pegasus took him up into the sky just as rocks and swords found their way to the exact spot he had been, allowing him to escape unscathed. It caused a ruckus in our ranks, while the commanders took pains to call for order.“He has done what he set out to do.” Bruma spoke coldly beside me, while his very presence beside me burned into my skin because of the amulet I was wearing. “To rattle our ranks, annoy the strong and arrogant, and shake up the weak and feeble. We might be fighting an already lost war at this point.”“No, Bruma.” I declared, suddenly incensed by the prospect of losing. All the anxiety that had filled me when I opened my eyes to the day was gone, leaving the blood pulsing through my veins so hard that I felt it flow through me. Pulling my sword out of its scabbard, I felt ready to kill all the enemy if need be, and ready to die.“I did want to ask you about your sword. Whose is it?
- The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General
THE ART OF DISRESPECT
War is a strange combination of many things.It is fighting another man on another side in a bid to keep yourself and the men on your side alive. It is a real performance that has to be carefully put out by the actors, as the smallest slip can leave you dead and forgotten. It is a scenario where having your blood shed can erase you from memory, and shedding the blood of other men more often can bring you glory, power and fame, and scars that you tell the world boastful tales of, to prove yourself a warrior..When I woke up on the morning of the war, something weighed on my mind, and I lay in a spot and stared at the roof of my tent, trying hard to recall what it was. It came with a jolt.THE WAR IS TODAY!I jumped up to my feet, feeling my heart pulse in my chest as my throat instantly dried. What was left of my skin felt hot and sweaty, and as time passed, I even started to think I would throw up. However, that did little to stop me. It only slowed me.It took some time, but in an h
