9 Family Friendly

After absorbing the rich new details of his destiny, self worth, and overall situation, Ren had taken in more than he had bargained for and couldn't help but sit down slowly, trying to catch his breath. He had already had a long day with the council, the farmers, the ridiculous way he had to sleep, and now this harsh life sentence, Ren just needed a moment to rest and reset. So, he moved towards the back of the house, near the supply closet and grabbed a small furred blanket to wrap himself with and finally rest against the wall with his eyes closed as the sun was beginning to fall in the sky.

Ren slept and had odd dreams filled with strange situations, whether he was leading an army or being killed like Ceasar in the middle of a forum. Even having his own harem. It was like an odd fever dream that just fluttered around his head and he couldn't find a stable place to think while he slept. Luckily, or unluckily for Ren, Prana managed to bring him down from his strange high with a sharp kick to his ass and a shout of his name.

Already on the floor and in another uncomfortable position, Ren just felt his body ache as he tried to look around and gather his bearings, all he saw was Prana standing over him rather imperiously with a hard glare.

"Father has told me we have been charged with your care. I don't see why we should bother, but he has made me promise to at least see you are taken care of." The smirk on her face rather obvious as she kicks his shin this time and says "So get up. You need to eat don't you?"

Having had her fun, Prana walked back further into the house towards it's center, where a small pit was lit with a fire and a large pot sizzled on top of it.

Ren hazily rubbed his now soar shin with a hiss of air before getting up and blearily walking towards to cooking fire. He was now soar, cranky, and hungry. A rather famous combination for not resulting in good things.

'Fucking bitch. Did you really need to enjoy yourself like that? Ugh....this is where those super powers would've really come in handy system.'

'Query: Does Host wish to make a purchase of "powers"? If so, Host should perform the assignments and earn enough units to make said purchases.'

Ren couldn't believe he was just told to work and stop being lazy by a fucking robot. Now feeling even more pathetic, he slumped to the floor by the fire and said. "I'm sorry for imposing, thank you for the food."

Prana looked him over and sneered once more, but her visage was at least less threatening as she scooped some of the gruel in the pot into a bowl and handed it over to Ren. The sloppy substance looked like mud and bubbled like toxic waste. It was anything but appetizing and reminded Ren of a haunted swamp. He nodded saying his thanks, even as he was unsure about actually eating it. Then, he saw Prana taking a quick sip from her spoon and then nibbling on a piece of jerky she had seemed to pull from the side. Figuring it at least was edible, Ren took a sip with his own spoon. Bottom line, it was edible, not good, but edible, and after nearly an entire day of not eating, it was nourishing enough to ignore the odd taste.

His belly filled with the gelatinous slop and finally lacking the pain in his rear he took a good look around the house for the first time. It was a simple earth and wood hut with the upper portion being a sturdy wood and the lower being a mixture of wooden platforms and packed dirt. There were only a few walls leading to separate areas that Ren assumed were Arne's and Prana's rooms respectively. Outside of that was a simple front room with the fire and at the back was the closet he woke up in. All in all, not a very large place and one that definitely was on the lower ends of luxury.

Setting aside his bowl he looked to Prana and said "So, is it just you and your father living here or is there more to your family?" He asked trying to see if he had to deal with more oddballs while living here. Unfortunately for him, Prana already didn't like him, and this was not a subject she enjoyed.

"No, it is just me and father living here, and you now as well, unfortunately." She glared daggers into him and her icy gaze made him feel like if he brought up the subject again, she would slit his throat regardless of Arne's or the elders' decisions.

"So, I suppose I'll just sleep in the closet then? Or Arne said something about a shed?" He looked at Prana for any answers and a little less hostility. Prana for her part just continued cleaning up their meal and said

"The shed is outside. It's mostly used for keeping hides and extra tools . You're free to sleep in the closet again as well, but don't expect any bedding. We have a tough enough time on our own without another body to take care of." With that she left him to his own devices and headed to her 'room'.

'Ugh, we're like oil and water after only a day. This will not be fun. Whatever, might as well get some sleep if I'm supposed to be up by sunrise tomorrow.' Ren headed back to the closet as there was no way he was going to sleep in a drafty shed, even if it was possibly larger. He huddled into the corner of the small closet and bundled in little makeshift blanket before rest back again and falling asleep.

*******************************************************************************************************

Elsewhere in the village, Arne was chatting with a few friends in the hall, enjoying a bit of dinner and relaxing before the end of the night. Liv chimed in with a large flask of ale after taking a large swig.

"I can't believe you're letting that little weirdo stay in your home, and now you have the balls to try and dump him into my farm? What are you doing Arne?"

"Shut it Liv. I'm just respecting the laws of the Gods, and I can't watch him at all hours of the day or leave him alone with Prana."

"Why? Worried the two kids might fall for one another and take things too far too fast?" He asked with a chuckled before chugging another swig.

"Ha, I wish that girl would find a man, but I'm more worried she'll end up killing him when I'm not around. You know the kids of the village haven't been the same since those terrible settlers came here and scammed us out of our hard earned things. You know many of the villagers can't trust strangers anymore." Arne looked solemn at this and just looked into his cup with a blank stare, lost in his own memories.

Liv for his part, just patted his good friend on the back and said "Well, he'll have plenty to do at the fields tomorrow. You just get ready for those woods out there. No telling what that weirdo might have attracted to the village. Can't have someone like you getting injured out there now can we?" Arne could only muster a light smile before clanking his cup with Liv's and taking a drink before heading home for the night

avataravatar
Next chapter