The sun was shining really bright at noon. It was beating down on the ground in front of the village. The sun showed everything that people should not have to see. There were pools of blood, on the ground. The blood was soaking into the earth and spreading out slowly.
The village was quiet. It was not the stillness of a lazy afternoon but a tense held-breath silence of people who were still waiting to see if the danger was really over.
Ashzer stood at the edge of the carnage. His arms were hanging loosely by his sides. His shirt and forearms were dark, with dried blood. He stared at the mess with an expression, like a doctor looking at a patient.
Miya, who had never witnessed such visceral violence, was still reeling from the shock. Her hands trembled slightly, but when Ashzer's gaze landed on her, she steeled herself.
She agreed to go with him to the Village Heads house to change into some clothes.
Inside the wooden house Tia the servant and Osgar the Village Head were waiting nervously. Miya was helping Ashzer take off his shirt.
Ashzer said "this blood is really hard to get out". He was rubbing his arm with a cloth. "The water here is not good. We need to get more water coming in. If we do not do that the whole village will start to smell bad. It will be, like something is dead and rotting."
"My lord," Osgar began carefully, "what should we do with the bodies? The bandits, and their horses. We are not sure..."
"Gather them," Ashzer said, pulling on the clean shirt Tia held out to him. "Bring them all to one location. I will decide what to do with them."
The silence that followed was the particular kind that meant no one was about to move.
"Is there a problem?" Ashzer asked.
Nobody answered. Nobody moved. Osgar's hat completed another revolution between his fingers.
Ashzer exhaled through his nose, slow and steady, like a man choosing patience over instinct.
"Fine. We will bury them. That is acceptable." He looked around the room at every face in turn. "And please stop looking at me as though I am about to kill someone."
"Y-yes, my lord!"
The answer came from every person in the room at once, ragged and overlapping, and Ashzer turned away before any of them could see whatever expression crossed his face at that.
"Good," he said. "Now send word. I want every man in the village who's strong and able to work to meet at the center square in one hour."
A minutes later the villagers had all gathered. It was a sight to see. Out of all the people in the village twenty-seven men were strong enough to work. The rest were either old or very sick.
Ashzer stood in front of them explaining what they needed to do. They had to take the bandits things and bury the bodies. The villagers looked back clearly unhappy, at the thought of touching the bodies that were all mangled.
Ashzer didn't shout when he saw they were hesitant. He just walked over to the dead body grabbed its collar and started dragging it himself.
The point was clear: if Ashzer was doing it they had no reason not to.
Shamed and terrified, the men scrambled to help, motivated by a mix of fear
Watching from the sidelines, Miya narrowed her eyes. Something is wrong, she thought. The Ashzer in my memories was a piece of trash, yes, but he was a coward. He fainted at the sight of a papercut. There is no way the Ashzer could plan something bad like a massacre and then just clean it up like it was nothing.
She thought about her life. Before becoming Miya she was a known surgeon on Earth. She had saved lives but a single mistake involving a famous person had ruined her career. The publics criticism was overwhelming. She lost her job her reputation was. Her life ended in a tragic accident under a trucks wheels.
She was unaware that Ashzer was also someone who had reincarnated. As she saw Ashzer directing the villagers a growing suspicion, inside her started to become a certainty.
When they were done with the job of burying the dead Ashzer did not let them take a break. He quickly put together a team to go on a trip. Ashzer picked Sean, a man, Rikki, a tall young guy holding his spear really tight and Delbert, a blonde man who seemed really excited to go.
The scouting team returned quickly with each mounted on a horse.
"My Lord," Rikki reported, breathing hard. "The river is close. Only five hundred meters from the settlement."
Ashzer. Thought about it. We cannot dig a trench now because the ground is very hard and we do not have the right tools. Using pipes is the thing that makes sense. He looked at the people with him. "Is there any bamboo here?"
"Yes My Lord " Delbert said. "There are a lot of bamboo plants, near the river."
Ashzer said "Let us divide into teams". His voice was firm and in charge. "Team One, go get the bamboo. Team Two you are with me we will make them ready and hollow them out. Team Three you will put them together from the river to the village."
Miya watched him, stunned. Civil engineering? Since when does a spoiled noble know how to build an aqueduct?
Sean led the first team, utilizing the seven horses captured from the bandits to haul the raw timber.
Ashzer personally led the team that processed the timber. He sat on the ground with Tia and the village craftsmen showing them how to shape the ends of the bamboo so they fit together tightly. Ashzer showed them how to use a spear to make a hole through the nodes to make a clear pipe.
"Smooth out the edges " Ashzer said, handling the wood with ease. "If the seal is not tight we will lose pressure."
Team Three was led by Miya and Osgar. They used the grain carts to carry the finished pipes. Miya was, in charge of the source making sure the intake point was clean and free of mud or dirt.
By the time the sun began to set, the impossible had happened. Clear, fresh water gushed from the final bamboo pipe into the village square.
The villagers erupted into cheers. Some cried, cupping their hands to drink.
At that moment, a translucent blue screen materialized in front of Ashzer's eyes.
[System Notification]
You have generated Happiness Points.
Current Balance: -30p
Ashzer blinked. Minus thirty? He ignored the deficit.
"Can you see this?" he asked a nearby villager, pointing at the air.
The villager looked confused, then beamed. "See the water? Yes, My Lord! It is a miracle!"
"Right. You can't see it," Ashzer mumbled to himself.
The hologram shifted.
[Guide System Online]
Option A: Buy a Blueprint or a Book from Earth.(Cost: 20p)
Option B: Bring someone from Earth. (Cost: 100p)
The options were taunting him. Ashzer swiped the screen away and turned to the celebrating crowd.
"shut Up!" he shouted loudly.
The cheering died instantly.
"Stop celebrating. The job isn't done," Ashzer said sternly. "This is just a stream. We need a reserve for the dry season. There is a depression behind the village. Extend the line. We are building a reservoir."
The villagers, exhausted but now trusting his vision, nodded. They grabbed the remaining bamboo and went back to work.
Night had fallen.
Ashzer had been given a house that looked like it would fall down if the wind blew too hard. He was sitting on the edge of the bed thinking about building a proper mansion for Ashzer.
The door creaked open. It was Miya. She didn't knock.
She walked to the center of the room, her face illuminated by the flickering torchlight. She looked furious, terrified, and determined all at once.
She said to Ashzer her voice was shaking. She was being firm. She pointed her finger at Ashzer. "Tell me the truth " she said to Ashzer. "I know you aren't the Ashzer I know"
Ashzer did not look surprised all. Then Ashzer started to smile it was an nasty smile.
The room was pretty dark but Ashzers eyes started to glow they were a bright red color.
Ashzer laughed it was an scary sound.
"Heh," he chuckled, the sound low and dangerous.