2024-09-26 19:04:00The 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?” “Yes, they would. However, I would not advise it.” “Why?” “They would let you kill them, truly, but you would be overreaching to do that. You should know that the Sand Demons are quite violent creatures, and will kill you without a thought when they think that you are doing too much.” I shook my head as if to dispel the thoughts. I wasn't even in favour of killing them in the first place. The Sand Demon bowed before me as I mounted the camel, and it started to lead me in a direction I would never have believed could lie the source of my nourishment. After all, deserts barely had landmarks, and everywhere looked the same — sands upon sands upon sands and dryness. The journey dragged on until the sun started to burn, and I covered myself with the hood, while the two Sand Demons walked before me and the camel. We continued for the rest of the day, and I was forced to ask Maia a few questions to keep myself engaged. “The Sand Demon told me that I was the first to kill one of them since Alexandros. Tell me about this.” “Sure. Alexandros, your forefather, was a descendant of Zeus. He was once leading his army through these plains as he moved past Pella, his birthplace, when he encountered the Sand Demons. They killed a number of his men, until he took them one on one and tried to fight them. He pulled out his sword, and very much like in your case, he could not get through them until Zeus stepped in, made the sword into a blade of water, and even told him where to cut and to hold the heart up. So in a way, Zeus was instrumental to Alexandros’ victory. Else, they would have killed him.” I mulled over the story in silence before recalling one important detail. “So we are going to Pella, my forefather's birthplace to find the sword?” “Indeed. The Sword of Pella is Alexandros’ sword, the one which he used to defeat the Sand Demon with Zeus's aid.” I said nothing after, and continued to think of the story until I slept off in the camel's saddle. I had had a busy night after all, running from, fighting, and killing Sand Demons, and had not slept a wink since my System Alert's rude awakening. I was flattered to wake up to the Sand Demon carrying me in its arms off the camel, and for the first time since I left the small box that I had gotten my metallic body in, my eyes settled on a green landscape — palm trees, grass on the floor, and a running spring with water that was so clear. However, it did not escape my notice that we were still a short distance away from the greens. “Maia?” I called, needing an explanation. “Please help me ask why the Sand Demon has only put us a distance away from the oasis.” I felt my system dashboard buzz with a new notification. *1. New Notification Alert.* Intelligence: 4/10 : - 3 for not figuring out why Sand Demon did not reach the Oasis. My mouth hung open, disappointed on seeing that my intelligence had returned to the level on which it had been when I set out from the box. I wanted to ask why, but the penalty of having my intelligence level go even lower than it was stopped me in my tracks. “Do you know why your intelligence points dropped?” Maia asked. “Because I asked a dumb question.” “Correct. Now can you give yourself an answer? Why the Sand Demon didn't reach the Oasis?” “Because the water in the oasis could kill it. The water vapours from the sun, and possible rains and water splashes too.” “Good.” Maia answered, and my system dashboard buzzed again. *1. New Notification Alert.* Intelligence: 7/10 : +3 for figuring out why Sand Demon did not reach the Oasis. I was happy to have the level go back to what it was, and was careful to not ask any questions I thought Maia would deem stupid after that.
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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
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE SWORD OF PELLA
Quietly, I moved back to the wall while they followed.I could feel all four pairs of eyes on me, and I sat, still waiting with my back to the wall for any of them to come close. However, they were just as wary of me as I was of them, and seemed to wait for me all the same.Overall, I wanted this over with. My broken shoulder hurt, but I held my katana tight in my left hand, deliberating on it. If I could wield enough force with my left hand to cut, then I would get one lion down and be left with three.I soon got up, and they watched, unsure of what I wanted to do. Without wasting another second, I ran forward and held my katana as tight as I could with my left hand, cut into the nearest lion. My weapon would've slipped, but not with my hand being made of metal, which proved to be my saviour.The moment I cut that one, I knew I had only succeeded in wounding it with how weak I cut, so I followed with a slash that put the tip of my katana through the lion's throat. Another lion, deci
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HALF A MAN
I decided not to ride the Pegasus on the way back.This decision was driven by a variety of factors. First, I did not want to rush back to the tent, most likely because I did not want to find Inar waiting for me, or anyone else who wanted to congratulate me on my participation in the war and claim the Pegasus. Second, I wanted to be alone, to reflect on my death and how far it was from me. Certainly, I wanted to be able to die, but seeing so many dead men who had been marching to kill only the day before had touched my heart. Third, I wanted to admire the Pegasus and bask in its splendor. There could have been more, but I ultimately walked back."Will you not allow me to take you back?"I jumped back in fear, looking around for the voice that spoke. I was certain that no one had been close, but I still could not see anyone."I am here, the Pegasus."My gaze returned to the animal by my side, which shook its head in response."Can you speak?" I inquired, unable to think of any other qu
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
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
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 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
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 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
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 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?
