Honey, I've Leveled the Kids [Family-Focus, LitRPG - COMPLETE]

The flames were eating at the rest of the vines that wrapped around the pillars, making the enclosed area become more like a pyre. The hole was still too small for me to enter and get inside.

Naiad slipped through before me, her clothes catching and tearing on the thorns. She winced, but didn't stop going for her goal of looking for our quest item.

"Are you poisoned?" I asked. "You should've let me go in there and you keep watch. You can actually shoot at the birds while-"

"Stop watching me and actually keep an eye out for the mobs like you said!" She started coughing.

"Seriously, couldn't you've done something beside lighting it on fire?"

"Shut up! You were too focused about smashing tiny frogs. You could've at least thrown an axe at the branches."

I looked away from her, hiding my anguished face from how she had talked to me. The heat of the moment drove us to this point... and I was the one who pushed us toward this problem. I needed to be more grounded and support her in achieving her goal, just as she supported me.

I glanced around on the ground for any herbs, yanking part of the vine off and putting it into my inventory, praying it help her with her quest. I looked back into the pillar landscape. No creatures had showed up by us yet, but there were so many darn corners because of the pillars that I couldn't see far ahead. A storm rolled in the sky, the lighting danced in the distance and was coming closer. The thunder and roars of monsters rumbled in unison.

The wind came on us first. The stone rumbled around us and pebbles fell down. We had passed the calm before the storm. The smoke coming off the bramble acting as a beacon to our location.

I stuck my head in the burning ramble. The open roof that once allowed the dim sunlight to filter through was now a gaping chimney. Naiad dug at where all the vines and thorns gathered. In the middle of the woven structure, a flower bloomed with pink, purple, and white spiny petals. The petals curled up and withered before falling to the ground from the increasing heat.

Time was running short. I called to her. "Is that for your quest or mine?"

Naiad ignored me, looking around. "There had to be something else in here beside a single flower?"

To make the hole in the vines bigger, I chopped at the burning bush with my axe. My hands got occasionally singed and pricked by the plants until it was wide enough for me to get in to help her.

"You're supposed to be keeping watch!" she whined. "Or can't you even do that."

"I'm getting that flower and getting out of here. Move!" I hated it, but the anger and need for order from this chaos slipped into my voice. I didn't want both of our quests to fail, not when we were this close.

Naiad flinched at me, and scrambled out of the inferno, coughing, and avoided bumping into me. The confidence she had earlier when she told me to shut up was gone as I lifted an axe up above my head.

I recalled Leith's words, "Your family will suffer by your own doing."

With my anger powering it, I swung my axe down, slicing through the stem right below the ovary area. My actions caused to Naiad shriek and run out of the enclosed area. But the plants had different plans.

"Let go of me you, stupid plant." She snapped. Taking her own frustration out on the remaining bramble.

Her actions mirroring what I did with my anger toward the flower. Kids always picked up the worst habits from parents. I was to blame for this, for letting a game take over me and fail my kids.

I grabbed the withering flower, ash dusting its petals and my armor. The poor beautiful thing suffered from my blown up of emotions.

I had to talk to Naiad and Triangle. I had to listen and react to them.

It's not my game. I will be a dad and not... a monster out of control.

I turned and helped Naiad out of the bramble. Burns covered her arm, and she didn't even complain from the pain as she chugged a potion. Smoke rose off her singed clothes, her hair crisped, the braid coming loose. Her new look matched the rage boiling off her.

"Let's sprint back to the swamp." I didn't want to say much else as I moved the flower into my inventory for safe keeping.

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[Quest updated! The Root and the Seeds of the Problem, you've found a seed...]

>>><<<

We had to focus on staying alive, no other distractions. Now wasn't the time to ask for forgiveness like a cheesy epic battle scene. Time wouldn't freeze for us right now. But I swore I would fix this the moment we were safe.

Lightning struck a pillar hundred feet away, the thunder hitting us instantly. This was going to be our doom. The ground shook enough to rattle and caused the bramble area to collapse further. More ash and smoke flew around us as the wind forced it down. With the reappearance of fire and burning plants, it seemed we were back at the beginning of the Root and Seeds of the Problem.

The patterns of the wind constantly changed in the pillar valley. Each corner we stepped by caused Naiad to stagger as a gale threatened to knock her over. I used my arm to help keep upright, afraid to drop my axe and shield.

It was exhausting fighting against the wind. Naiad rested up against the pillar, catching her breath. I was at half my stamina because of the fights and flower chopping. I rested next to her too as I tried to find our way out.

"Do you see the root anywhere?" I had to raise my voice to be heard over another gale.

"No," she quickly replied. "Stupid frogs."

"Yeah, they ate it, I think. At least we have our maps."

"Mine's not saving our path," Naiad explained. "We're going the wrong way."

I tried loading up the rest of the map, but it only showed some of where we came from by a hundred feet. I knew the burning brambles were further back, and that part was gone from my map.

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A nasal sound echoed off the pillars. It was so deep that it triggered ringing in my ears for seconds after it stopped. Chirping frogs joined its chorus.

The pillars seemed to vibrate with the sound of hundreds of tiny frogs, their moist bodies glistening in the dull light. With all the noises and matching pillars, I couldn't tell which way we had come from, and the best way to go to avoid the oncoming legion.

"This way." I said with no confidence. We had to move and get out, find something that made the pillars different.

Monsters climbed down pillars, ranging from frogs to long-fingered creatures covered with patchy fur and split tails. Now, it was easy to tell the difference between the pillars and which direction to go.

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[Level 16 Monster: Imp (unique)

Description: Creatures designed to crawl and determined to make their way down on the ladder of hell.]

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"I only have a few arrows left." Naiad's fear dominated her voice.

Through deep, exhausted breaths, I said, "Don't worry. I'm here."

"You brought us here." She snapped and moved ahead of me.

I forced my legs to move more, but my muscles protested with the lack of stamina. Their protest was louder than her attitude. "I'm sorry. But please, follow me this way."

Naiad pointed to the right. "I see some tracks up ahead-"

The loud nasal sound echoed again, followed by something crashing down on the pillars above us. It rattled the stone structures and imps struggled to stay on as they crashed down by us. A blue and green glowing skeleton floated above our heads. It was the length of over a dozen pillars. Its ribs clacked on the top and creaked as it took in a deep breath, while its bony tail swished up above our heads, creating powerful gusts. The creature moaned and called out to us. It opened its mouth, the spiny teeth whistling a song.

My body felt lighter, but my feet moved faster, as if freed of the muscle burns and burdens.

The achievements filled my vision, filling more satisfying than normal. Multiple of them to recognize my greatness.

>>><<<

[The god of dead souls, Kujira, gathers you home for your final rest.]

[New Achievement! You are in the presence of a deity in their original form.

New Achievement! You're dead tired, to your bones…]

>>><<<

The notifications vanished as dirt smashed into my face. Naiad sported a new mud facial and forced one on me.

"Let's go, Dad!"

During the distractions, I received a new status buffs along with a debuff. I tried reading them while Naiad dragged me behind her.

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[Buff: The god Kujira has noticed your presence in his home.

Decreased stamina regeneration by 10%.

Duration: Paused.]

[Buff: On Holy Ground.

This buff removes all hell status effects.

Duration: 4 minutes and 58 seconds or until the dirt falls off.]

>>><<<

I hadn't moved since I heard the cry of the whale. What I felt earlier was my soul leaving my body. We had to move faster.

Through bits of holy dirt in my mouth, careful to not spit any of it out, I asked. "How did you know which way to go?"

"The tracks!" was all she said.

I was proud of her and how far her tracking skill had come from a few days ago.

An imp drew her attention as it dove at her with a sinister grin, tails snapping behind it. With her knife in hand, she sloppily slashed at the creature. Missing its core body, but taking some of its long fingers.

Behind her, I used my axe to finish up the attack on the imp. Its cry called on more fellow imps. I hit it again to slow it down, but couldn't kill it. My hits were too slow, and I was too weak. We had to keep moving to get out of here and the higher level monsters.

The whale's wail overwhelmed the imp's cries. Its moans caused a tingle across my face as dirt crumbled down.

"Oh no, no, no." I wanted to rub my face, to keep the dirt there. Whatever this was, it kept my soul grounded in my body.

The number of imps around us grew in number, a true legion. My shield blocked one side, swatting them away as they jumped. My axe sliced the other. Every few steps, I had to kick one that got too close. Naiad would slow her pace, only to pick it up and point in another direction.

"That way, I see your big boots." She panted, slowing down and pinching her side.

We must have passed more pillars than on our initial walk into hell at this point. I hated not know what was going on and didn't know if she actually saw the tracks or made it up as we went.

"Grr. Just pick a direction and go that way!" My shield squashed an imp that crawled low to ankle to bite us like a chihuahua.

The Kujira used its rib cage to creep across the top of the pillars, following us and blasting us with wind from its tail. Each time it touched a pillar, a fresh wave of imps came at us. Soon deep blue lights floated down near us.

I noticed Naiad slowed down and was looking up at the new threats. An imp landed on her and bit at her arm. Her arm twitched, but not enough to shake it off. Naiad's depleted stamina and her pride prevented her from asking for my help.

"Get off her!" I growled.

I yanked the imp off her and threw it at a collection of them. Ten imps flew up in the air as another set of achievement came in as lighting stroke the spot where the imps once stood.

The whistling sound of the whale came again to me. The dirt caked on my face burned, sizzling at the sound, but it didn't burn Naiad's. She folded over and crumbled to the ground. The mud on her face was gone, scrapped away by imp fingers.

"Wake up!" I cried to her. I put an arm under her body and heaved her up, putting my axe away and keeping my shield out. She needed the protection.

"Wake up, child." Leith's voice came to us from around a corner. The frogs chirping off in the distance.

It came from around a pillar. Thanks to the bowling strike to the imps, I had seconds to breathe and recharge. My stamina drained while I carried Naiad in the direction she had last pointed. Thanks to the dirt, it held steady for the next three minutes.

Naiad shook her head in my arms. Her mouth mumbling something I couldn't hear in the ruckus.

She didn't speak to me.

"You're right. Tell me more. Come here." Leith chirped, the sound bouncing from right and left.

I had to drag Naiad away from her. It was a blessing that her stamina was gone and she couldn't walk.

The whale above cried and replied in a nasally voice spoke, "This is my prey, Leith."

The drum sound came next, and more of the mud on my face burned. Leith replied, "You can have them. I'll collect what they carry."

"Naiad, listen to me!" I knelt down, lowering my shield as I touched her face, trying to move the dry mud around from her forehead. It wasn't working.

An imp took advantage of my exposed position. It landed on my back and chomped off a bit of my left ear. I cursed aloud at the pain, ignoring it and reminding myself it was only a percentage of my health. A minor loss compared to the greater risk of losing Naiad. A purple tint glazed her eyes. She was listening to someone else.

The chirping came again as a woman turned the corner, dressed in a deep black dress with brilliantly colorful spots, sauntered over to us barefoot. More stupid achievements told me who she was.

"Turn to me. I'll listen and save you." Leith offered. She flicked her wrist. The imps clawing onto my back took off flying. A bubble of protection appeared around us, pulsing in and out, pushing the monsters of hells away. "See. I keep my promises."

Naiad weakly pushed at my chest, trying to break free and to go to the siren call.

"Ignore the frog!" I begged her. No one would take my family.

I scraped my cheek clean, using the blood from my ear to moisten it. Then I transferred it to Naiad's forehead. My timer dropped to one minute left.

"Holy dirt work!" I cried out.

The dirt glowed a silver color as it repealed the attack that hit Naiad.

Leith harrumphed. Even in frustration, beauty rolled off her, her voice and body tempting. "Oh, that won't do. I need you to give me that seed."

The area filled with gurgling sounds as a fresh wave of monsters fell down from Kujira's rib cage again. The aulley appeared, circling and preparing to dive.

I turned and ran away from it all, taking Naiad as fast as I could. This wasn't a fight were supposed to do. Two gods? This was an impossible situation. There had to be something I was missing, something that could help us get out. Naiad wasn't moving in my arm and I was failing in protecting her and drove her to this state of exhaustion.

I would do anything to save her and get her home.

Even the drums and chirping frogs of Leith tempted me. It would cost the seed and make coming here and all the interactions with gods and their quests pointless.

I squeezed Naiad in my arm, catching my breath, and thinking in this bubble of protection. Quests with high rewards required great risks.

I looked at Leith, determined to make it through and out of hell with Naiad and back to Triangle.

"You can stop your family's unraveling." Leith offered me her smooth hand.