2024-11-15 18:10:04
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The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE WOMAN
I removed my hand from my eyes to see who it was, and when I did, I fell to my knees before this woman, my head bowed low.“Stand up, mortal, and look at me.” I heard her say.I raised my head to look, and her very appearance made me want to remain at her feet forever, simply kneeling and taking in the beauty that was hers. There are hardly words for me to describe this surreal beauty, as even subjecting such beauty to something as shallow as words feels like a grave sin to me.Her white skin shone like light, and her golden hair was like a crown upon her head. Her eyes were the same colour as her hair and seemed to show that she was one of exceeding wisdom, and her lips were redder than cherry. She wore a garment made of snow white fur, knotted at the joint of her smooth white shoulder, and which fell down to her knees. In her hand was a bow and an arrow, the both of them, golden and tastefully designed.Bowing before her brought the last two lines of the riddle to my memory:‘Know t
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General VICTORY
Now left on my own, I followed the path I had come through, walking barefoot. My instincts — most probably the one the woman spoke of — made me walk on tiptoe and crouch low in the grass, carefully watching for the animal. I also tried to look at the grass for anything it could have left behind. Dung. A footprint.I came upon a bit of its dung and followed the footprints, hard as they were to track because of the grass. I soon found myself wishing for a hunting dog that could help me track the animal, and then went straight to wondering why I wished for a dog. I wasn't a big fan of dogs, finding them more aggressive than my preferred cats, and could only bear to tolerate them around me.Without one, however, I continued to seek.Hours passed without me finding it, and again, I relied on my instinct — which made me miss Maia's guiding voice for the first time since I found myself here — to think of hiding near the spring. Deer were not like my camel who could go without a drink for da
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General MAKING THE BOW
I ran to the white-furred, two-headed deer, where it lay dead.Its mouth was open, allowing for a limb tongue to fall outside, and the eyes, despite their stillness, appeared to look at me in a final act of surrender. I ran my fingers through the fur, feeling the body, and it was still warm to my touch. It did not move when I pulled the arrow out and wiped the tip on its body, which I was doing very immersively, not stopping even when the arrow was wiped clean.I lost myself doing it, somehow unable to draw my concentration from it, and it took a black shadow passing above me to draw my already lost attention.My eyes checked the sky above me, and I saw the owl come directly at me, gliding so smoothly through the air that it could have been a missile. With a graceful turn, it came and fluttered its wings a distance above the ground, and suddenly, it was no longer the owl but the woman, her golden hair shining in the sun.“You are quite the shooter, Mortal.” She said, coming towards me
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General IN A FEW SECONDS
My mind hung between joy and sorrow over this victory.I had come to the end of Level 2, with victory, and it would all be complete the moment I looted this tomb and stripped it of its treasures. I had fought against all odds, travelled 310 km through the desert, moved with Sand Demons as travelling companions, defeated an Invincible Soldier, and been kissed by a goddess.That last part was where my sorrow lay.In the time when I was snatched up from the tomb and taken to that garden where there was only joy, I found no reason to feel anything that would hurt me. My body had gone back to being human and able to feel the breeze that swept the earth, and my face needed no mask to hide the burns that turned half of it into a twisted, scarred mass. I could run and feel like me, and live. Until now, where I found myself snatched back to my new reality, the man Hades’s tricks forced me to be.The human, animate hands that had made the bow and arrow were gone, like in a dream, as what held
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General LEVEL THREE
With the sunrise came one of my lowest lows.My mind was weighed down by thoughts of all I didn't have, all that used to be mine that I had lost. I thought of my current struggles, of how I had been played first by Debbie and by Hades, of how I found a glimpse of peace in that garden before killing the Invincible Soldier, of how many levels I still had to pass and how many tasks and missions to finish before getting my body back. There was a wind blowing that morning to top it all up, throwing up sand that went into my nose and eyes, caused me to sneeze incessantly, and made me very miserable.With a morning like that, I had no desire to do anything.Anything that would not require too much effort.First, I watered my camel and munched on some of the biscuits in the biscuit box, having hardly any need to touch them since the beginning of my journey. It was the only benefit of a metallic body and Hades curse. The metal body did not need nutrients, and with the human part using so litt
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE KERES
The path to Corynthe was surprisingly smooth, at first.For a large part of the two days I spent travelling on the road, I kept thinking about which was the hardest through my experiences so far, and that position had to be reserved for my passage through Odesso — that evil, god forsaken, abandoned place that it was. Without the Sand Demons, who I was much tempted to call to my side once again, I spoke to Maia when I needed to talk, as being quiet without anyone to talk to while I travelled made everything far more burdensome and stressful. However, for the whole of the first twenty-four hours and the ones I spent sleeping, I was at peace. I fought no strange beasts, fell victim to no traps, and faced no riddles. It would take the evening of the second day of my departure to spring up the first surprise.I had travelled for hours that day, when in the distance and for the second time during all my travels in this desert, I saw green — in a thick dense forest whose trees were closely
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE SHADOW WARRIORS ARE ATTACKING YOU
It made me jump backwards in terror.“The Shadow Warriors are attacking you.” Maia announced.Surely enough, my eyes could pick out a dark shadow on the ground in the clear form of a man holding a sword. Confused, and without knowing what to do, I stood there, wondering how to fight them.“Shadow Warriors cannot come close to you if you have a light surrounding you, the same way real shadows cannot come close to a light. Find a way to be above the glow of your torch.”This proved to be a spark of enlightenment for me. Without wasting any more time, I ran to the nearest tree, climbed up to a branch that looked sturdy enough to hold me, and sat on it. At the same time, I held my torch upside down and waited, while more of the Shadow Warriors gathered until I could count twenty of them. Their forms moved on the ground, clearly frustrated, while the Keres who hung in the air on their clouds fixed angry glares upon me. They were clearly not happy about my escape.From my safe place, I wat
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General CORYNTHE
There was light at the end of the tunnel.(Not an expression… There was light at the end of a tunnel before me, a tunnel I was unaware that I'd passed after walking for kilometres after defeating the Shadow Warriors.)Passing through it felt eerily like being born, even if I had zero memory of the original event, and nothing would surprise me as much as the sunlight that was all about. I put my arm over my eyes for them to adjust to the new lighting conditions, and saw in the distance, a wide range of tents, clearly a settlement or a camp or something of the sort, given the makeshift walls standing guard around the perimeter of the area, sealing it off from the rest of the sandy environment that spread around like an endless carpet.The walls did little to stop me from seeing what sat within, and I was amazed by how many the tents were, as many as three hundred if I could count them all. Small forms weaving in, out, and between them suggested a flurry of human activity — the first nor
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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?
