Fantasy Instead of Hell, I Ended Up Reborn As Something I Hate

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Flame, having been following along behind the group and absently tending to their bloody nose. They primarily stayed quiet, looking around with a sense of idle curiosity. They were tired, but fine with sleeping in a tree. Their tail flicked as they plopped down, picking at the grains in the wood.

The waiter asked about their order, to which they gave a halfhearted reply of "Water and some sort of meat".

And, without any kind of context or warning, they slammed their head face-down on their side of the table with a slight snarl.

 

[Thanny]

Giltarn seemed amused by the decoration of the tavern, not quite expecting that it would pair well with his dwarven underground nature and give a feel that he enjoyed. Once a purveyor of excellent views in his previous life, he now appreciated the finer qualities of craftsmanship, of hewn stone and a well-placed hearth, and the delicate atmosphere of a well-established room. The clientele seemed rather lacking, though it perhaps had nothing to do with how the place seemed. Prices, maybe, or personality of the owner. Of course, he was certainly one to talk about personality.

"And I'll have a--" SLAM! That sound shook Giltarn into wondering what the heck happened, and looking around he found that Flame had dropped his head onto the table. Blinking, he replied further, "Are you all right, my reptilian fellow?" He again glanced toward the waitress in the dirndl. "Half a roast chicken and some fried greens, please, with a glass of water."

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"To eat. Hmm. I will have the pair of sausages with yam puree." Vaea said to the barmaid. Once the barmaid had taken all the orders, she left the table.

Flame seemed to be tired or so. Red didn't mind what the plan was but suggested a run down shack or a tent would be acceptable. Vaea looked down the list of vacant plots and found a relatively large plot on the outskirts of down. "This plot seems to be affordable enough and it is on the outskirts. So it is probably quiet enough of a neighborhood for Flame since they seem to be sensitive to noise. It doesn't have anything built on it, but a well and a couple of trees. Also there seems to be a creek running along the eastern side of the plot. If we can agree upon it, we can acquire the rights to it and go get tents or a yurt at the store. Personally I prefer the yurt though because it is more spacious." Vaea said. She pulled out the bag of coins. "That reminds me we should split up our earnings."

When Vaea was done dividing the coins into even amounts, everyone ended up with 21 small silver coins and 52 copper coins. "Maybe in future quests we can get large silver and eventually small gold. I doubt there are quests that pay in large gold coins though. Those kind of quests probably would require slaying mountain sized dragons or archdemons. Like the only people I have heard to have large gold coins are kings, heroes and national treasuries. One day, I will compete with that darned hero and steal his fame. I will make him submit to me like the scum he is." Vaea said gripping her fist.

The barmaid came back with the groups drinks and put them on the table.

 

[Noodle Time]

Ren watched the barmaid leave and turned to listen to Vaea speak, when they were done Ren spoke up "Maybe we should rob a treasury some time? I mean I think we could easily do it with out skills" they chuckled as the barmaid approached again, once their drink hit the table they picked it up and guzzled it down and grimaced for a second as the spirit burnt their throat "the only drawback to this regeneration thing is I eat and drink enough food and water to feed four people, even when I haven't had to regenerate big wounds I still eat enough for say three people it's a nightmare" Ren rubbed their face and sighed "One time I got caught by the guards because I was new to the whole thieving thing, they beat me half to death and all I remember afterwards was coming around with my head dipped in a feeding trough for some animals, I was eating animal feed and guzzling their water like I hadn't eaten or drank in weeks, it was awful"

 

[Thanny]

"A nearby stream is good for washing and fresh water, as long as monsters or rapscallions are not upstream polluting it. Overall, not a bad plot of land to build on," voiced Giltarn, scratching his chin with a finger before reaching for his water and swirling it. "Lofty ambitions, to contend with the hero of the land or to raid treasuries. Then again, I admire such ambition, as I harbour some ambitions of my own also regarding our dear hero."

He took a glance towards Ren and smiled at their commentary.

"That certainly does sound horrid. I cannot say there is much outer deficit for my own abilities, but it certainly does a number to me. With training and time, I have no doubt that they will develop better until I too can fell a mountainous creature.

"So," he continued, "you all know each other, or are you new acquaintances like myself?"

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Flame barely lifted their head at the arrival of food, picking idly at the meat as they listened. "The manipulation of energy requires energy in and of itself," they offered upon hearing the Thief give their abilities' drawbacks. Though, they decided that they wouldn't expose the rest of their set of powers. "Robbing a bank would bring scrutiny down upon us all, and I'd sooner rat you all out than have a guard poking around in my business."

They finally pushed themself upright, cleanly slicing off a piece of the assorted meat they were given and shoving it in their mouth. "I know none of these people," they said flatly in a sarcastic, bald-faced lie. "I went galivanting off with strangers for no good reason."

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"I am not going to partake in thievery. If you want to do it, leave me out of it." Vaea said to Ren. "I dont necessarily need that amount of money either. If we sometime manage to kill a demon lord, we would probably given land and a title though." Then after listening to Giltarn, Vaea said: "Well, we just need to continue training. I bet I can turn this Strength of a Bear skill into a Strength of a God skill by continuously working on my strength like uprooting trees and stuff."

"Anyways I met the other two in my hometown. They likely grew up there too." Vaea answered. "The funny part was that when the hero came to the village, he requested the most beautiful person in the village. The village pointed at me. Boy was it funny that he expected a woman. I was referred to as a boy most of my life and I found it weird that my parents dressed me up like a girl though. But later on, it turned out that I am neither really a man or woman. I guess it is part of a curse due to the sins I had committed in a past life. But damn that hero pissed me off. In the end, my master stopped me from decking that piece of crap."

"But I guess it's decided. We will acquire that plot on the outskirts and later get the supplies we need to live there." Right when she finished talking, the barmaid came with the rest of the food and Vaea began to eat.

 

[Noodle Time]

Ren listened to Vaea and when they finished speaking they blurted out "I had my head cut off in my previous life, now I'm a half elf...not going to lie though, the feminine traits help when I'm out pickpocketing so who am I to complain? Plus this regeneration ability is amazing besides the drawbacks" as if to prove their point Ren bit their finger until it bled and turned it around to show the wound was already gone "I mean...it still hurts especially when you're full of arrows but honestly I'd be dead already without this neat little trick" Ren looked around and sighed, their stomach audibly growled and they laughed "I hope food gets here soon, I'm starving!"

 

[Thanny]

Leaning his head on a supported arm, Giltarn smirked at what Flame had to say, quite catching the sarcasm. This one is going to be trouble from start to finish, he assessed. Mistrustful, perhaps, and with a scary ability too, if anything can be said about how he assisted in killing that bearcoon. Couple those with a blighted personality ((Giltarn's words, not mine)), and you have someone you really do not want to hang around. Perhaps the first thought was best to leave outright, and the second-best was to stay far away from the group as possible while sleeping arrangements were made, and trap all entrances to Giltarn.

He shifted his ears to Vaea, and from what the elf was saying he gathered that abilities changed over time. This sounded right, but he did not have the best background growing up in either life for schooling or learning of the world. He was there, confined to a small world, and made the best of it. Now he was out in the big world, and learning a little bit of everything was essential to mastering everything in his eyes.

But there it was again, irrefutable this time. These two had been reincarnated, much like himself, by that accursed goddess who gifted him with his hated traits. Flame he had no information on, but he might as well ask now before too much time went on.

"Ah!" Giltarn brought to voice, looking down at the two dishes before him. "This is yours, Ren. It was set in front of me by mistake, methinks." And with that, he shoved off the plate to the famished half-elf. "An impressive ability, to say the least, that regeneration. Over time you can probably outlast us all with regenerating so fast you do not age. The hero"--he said, shifting his gaze toward Vaea--"sounds like a scumbag through and through. When you can fully contest him, Vaea, I would be more than happy to put him in his place alongside you, coupling my punch with yours. But something has been bothering me, what seems to be a fated instance . . . you all say that you have been reincarnated and had circumstances happen to you in a previous life. Were you somehow awakened to thoughts of your previous life or did your two lives kind of . . . get coupled together like a mine cart train, for lack of a better word?"

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

"The hero was, indeed, acting like a petulant child." Ariiasq drawled, momentarily baring their teeth in a sort-of strange grin. "For lack of a better word."

They still picked halfheartedly at their food, though, what they really needed was some time to just lay down and not do anything... including socialize. Thankfully, though, pulling suddenly usually left the resulting migraine to fade over less than an hour, and it was already becoming a little more tolerable, despite the loud environment.

Giltarn started speaking, and for the most part, they tuned him out, only catching the relevant things. A habit from working with a screamer of a boss.

"Seven's still there, alright. Screeching bloody-murder at everything and everyone. They like telling me what to do and why, but honestly, they're not hard to ignore and are decently helpful."

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

When Giltarn asked about the reincarnation stuff, Vaea answered: "I was a demon army general. A muscular man full of vanity who got sliced up by my previous worlds hero. I wasn't just fatally wounded but was literally diced midair. He even destroyed my soul crystal so I couldn't resurrect. Next I found myself in front of a goddess who thought it would be more amusing to make me a feminine looking elf who still had male parts than send me to the depths of the hellfires. I was born in this world knowing who I was. But due to the circumstances, I am at peace with my situation now and don't harbor the hate for elves I had in my past life."

"Anyways, when you are all done eating and drinking, we can go check out this plot and buy it and maybe get some rest after erecting our temporary shelters." Vaea said.

 

[Noodle Time]

Ren was too busy wolfing down their food to really pay much attention but upon hearing the talk about reincarnation they stopped to speak "I was an assassin, really proud of my pure human bloodline. I hated the idea of racial advantages provided to elves and dwarves and such. Anyways I went to do a job for a client and it all went south pretty fast, ended up with some local hero beheading me, next thing I know I'm talking to some goddess and I'm not a half elf" they took a bite out of a cut of meat and shrugged "it's kinda why I wanna slip my blade between the ribs of our current hero, kind of my cosmic revenge if you will" they swallowed their food and finished their drink

 

[Thanny]

Giltarn made a face of disturbance as he looked into his meal, though it was hard to discern as to what it was, the conversation or the chicken, that was disturbing him. The chicken was indeed halved, but some of the giblets were left on the plate alongside thickly diced and battered potatoes and a bit of greenery that was hard to look at, not that he did not have a discerning eye as much as it looked grotesque to him. Regardless, he kicked over the giblets and put fork and knife to the "more edible form of chicken than heart and liver" as he would put it, chewing the white and dark meat with savour. The potatoes at the very least were decent, while the greens he did not touch.

Honestly speaking, however, the main disturbance was that he was more unsure of the individuals around him than ever. It seemed to him that everyone here was reincarnated by that same goddess, probably for the same goal of coerced redemption. Even then, these people were like him, and as such it might be better to stick with someone who understood what he had been through more than fresh faces who only lived once. More . . . camaraderie, he guessed, and perhaps all the more chance to have them bend their knee to him once he is proclaimed hero-king. Hey, he can dream.

"Cosmic revenge?" he voiced with a grin before draining his glass of water. "That sounds fair. The fool seems like he would deserve it. My story is not that special, dealing with being killed by mook paid assassins more than heroes. Suffice it to say that I am in a similar boat. Nevertheless, setting up the tents would perhaps be the best course of business now that we are about to be done. Let me know if anyone needs a tent rolled out."

ScatheAriiasqDrayceon

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Flame snorted so hard they had to take a moment to make sure they didn't bust their nasal cavity. "Lemme get this straight; you were both killed by heroes and you—" they jutted a thumb at Giltarn—"were killed by assassins!" They barked out a laugh for something that was really only funny to them. "I was murdered by one of my own guild along with my father because they sought redemptions for our actions. I don't know where he is now—probably in one of the afterlives; he was a healer. So, in a way, I was murdered by both!"

They flashed a grin with far too many teeth in it to be friendly.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"Interesting backgrounds from everyone. Anyways, if we are to buy the plot, I require four silvers and fifty coppers from everyone each since the price is 18 small silvers." Vaea said. She then chugged her drink before asking the barmaid for the price of their food. Vaea then slammed 30 copper coins for her drink and food cost on the table. "Keep the rest. You've earned it." Vaea said. The tip was about 20%.

Vaea then stood up. "Everybody ready?" She said.

 

[Noodle Time]

Ren threw their money at Vaea and shrugged "small price to pay for a home I guess" Ren finished their food and looked at Giltarn's "you...gonna finish that?" before getting an answer they stole a small piece of meat and smiled "so then, off to buy our new dream home?"

 

[Thanny]

Giltarn looked down at his chicken regarding Ren's response and scoffed at the subsequent thievery of a portion of his precious meal. He knew how clean his fingers were; he did not know how dirty Ren's were. Did Ren even wash up after the raccoon incident? Giltarn had no idea!

"You know what? Take it," he said begrudgingly, scooping up the potatoes in a pocketing swoop and shoving the plate over to Ren. "I'll take the potatoes, though."

He next looked over to Vaea and opened what looked like a satchel for his coinage that strangely opened up like a pocketbook. Withdrawing some coins, he paid the barmaid the exact amount of the food, and told her a sugary compliment about how someone, while not him, was eyeing her with particular fancy in the establishment and that she should look forward to hearing from them soon. Giltarn did not believe in tips of a monetary standard, only of good life advice. Of the truth of this, he did not know, but truth was fluid and it may become true. He later thought about the instance of if she were married, but then it would just be a good compliment, right?

"And here is my part of the bargain," he later said to Vaea, sheathing the small silver and copper coins from his satchel and putting it carefully into Vaea's hand if available. "I'm at last ready."

ScatheAriiasqDrayceon

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Arii barely glanced up at Vaea, parting the needed coins from the rest and sliding them over with a click of their tongue, the last of their hysterics from the discovery of their acquaintances' backgrounds fading quickly.

They hummed in agreement to Vaea's observation before quickly finishing their meal and standing with a huff. "Off, indeed. I'd prefer to get some amount of sleep tonight.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

After everyone put in their share for the plot and said they were ready. Vaea put the coins into a separate pouch and led the way out. She followed the directions on the note and eventually ended up in front of the town hall. It was a large building possibly twice the size of the guild. There were different doors leading into different offices. Vaea went into the office marked "Land Registry". Behind the desk was an elf with glasses who had bureaucrat written all over him. "Erm, I would like to buy this plot." Vaea said. The elf bureaucrat then says: "Finally someone buys it. Price is 18 small silvers."

Vaea empties the coinpurse on the table counting the coins to make sure that everything is there. "Everything seems to be in order. Please sign the deed. Are there any others to be registered on the deed?" The elf asked. Vaea then answered: "Yes, the names on the deed should be Vaeafyn Appleturner, Ren Calithorne, Ariiasq Drayceon and Giltarn Valleycarver." The bureaucrat adds the names, Vaea signs the document and then a seal is added. The bureaucrat then gives Vaea a duplicate of the deed and a directions to the plot. "The plot is surrounded by a fieldstone wall." The bureaucrat says before Vaea leaves.

Returning to the group Vaea says: "So I got a duplicate deed and directions." They then head to a store that seems to sell equipment for camping and survival. Vaea buys a small yurt for three silver, some basic cooking utensils, basic tools, a small heating stove and a weeks supply of dried meat. "So I got the stuff I need." Vaea says.

 

[Noodle Time]

Ren followed Vaea and the others silently, making sure while they walked to make a mental map of the parts of town they passed through just in case they ever needed a quick escape or just got lost from time to time. After watching Vaea buy the deed and all the supplies they needed they finally spoke up "So we basically all live together now, if any of you snore make sure you sleep as far away from me as you can, a grumpy Ren isn't a Ren you want to be dealing with" they laughed for a second and then added "seriously. Don't snore near me"