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

Triangle meant well, and he did great saving me, but it hurt a lot more than hell did as steam burned at my exposed skin. Boils busted out on my skin as I crumbled down.

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[Warning! Critical health. Current debuffs: Bleed x2, Boils, and burns]

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I didn't need a system to tell me what was wrong, and it was extremely wrong if the system stacked the negative status. The fireball would've shot me to a new continent if Triangle didn't step in. The timer on my health potion was twenty more seconds. How could such a short time have passed during this fight? We were outclassed and out skilled.

We were unpredictable.

"Stupid paper tear!" Triangle whimpered next to me.

A corner of the healing scroll in his hand tore, but not enough to trigger the spell. Again, he tried, and another confetti piece came off. His little hands shook as he paused, as accepting defeat and took a deep breath. Goldy was gasping by his feet, his scales burned off on one side. Goldy was the reason why we survived.

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[Level 10 Goldy, the Acherfish, Ranger, (rare)

Description: This fish has evolved past the constraints waters and now controls water for protecting his master, Triangle.]

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The fish was almost on level with Triangle. It's powerful water blast attack pushed the flame attacks back, creating a massive steam area of effect that hurt Triangle, Goldy, and I.

"In a fire situation, keep calm and focus," Triangle told himself.

Even with all the pain and hanging onto my last bit of health, I was pretty proud of him for centering himself and learning to focus and take his time. The paper tore in his hands down the center, allowing for the spell to sparkle around us.

My health jumped up to seventy percent and all the debuffs remained on. Triangle crawled on his knees closer to me.

"What's the negatives?" he dug into his fanny pack and pulled out an ice pack.

"I have a double bleed, boils, and burns." I gasped out. "Who taught you to calm down like that?"

"Ma'am Q." He answered. "Have this, it will fix the bleeding. I don't have anything for the boils."

In his shaking hands was a lemon-yellow potion, labeled "Stop Leaky Skin."

"That's fine. You're amazing. I'm proud of you. Before I take it, do you have one for Goldy?" I pointed to his pet, who gasped on the ground.

Triangle swiftly pulled out a healing potion and poured it into the open fish's mouth. The second the vial was empty, he put Goldy away. Knowing the fish was safe, I took the Stop the Leaky Skin potion and the bleed effects vanished. The burn and boil status effects would only flair up damage effects, something I could ignore.

"Help!" Naiad screamed from above us, the same direction the fireball came.

Naiad fought off their archer, while the Carrion of Life flapped about in Alcender's face. His left face was mostly covered in blood, mirroring the angry flush on his face.

I ran further into the street to get a better view of Naiad, away from the red building that was now crumbling because of Triangle's bomb. Fire filled the air and still no guards showed up. Everything that Alcender said was true about this city being his, and people had to play by his rules.

I hated those rules. This wasn't his game. He was harming my family and disrupting our ability to play.

It was time to hunt him and defend my kids.

I pulled out the Chains of the Past and latched the hook on to my shield, and put the bracelet around my arm. The entire bronze chain vanished while the bracelet remained on my arm, and a tiny charm shaped in an arrow hung on the handle in the back, something to remember the chain by.

Curling by body up tight, with all the rage of the past few days against Alcender, I bundled up the power to launch the shield at him. My frustration at real life because I lost focus on what mattered powered my will. All of my experiences of being a football player and video gamer prepared me for this.

[Team Chat]

[Boulder: Naiad, get down now.]

Naiad pivoted to the side mid fight and stepped off the roof to escape. She whistled as she plummeted to the ground. The move surprised me, but I trusted her like she did me with my command. Kerry dove and nabbed her long before she hit the ground.

My attack was ready, and my target was right in front of me. I hurled the shield right at Alcender, staring as the designs of Mrs. Crockery spun around to create a high-sounding whistle. The thrown shield arced up and over to the roof of the red building to knock right into Alcender's head and force him down.

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[System Notification: You have slain a player! You can sport the new title Player Killer. This is only for those who want to find and challenge people who think similarly. If you're brave enough. You don't need to do quests, you just rob people of their rewards!]

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I ignored the notification, and pulled the chain back on my bracelet, twisting my wrist the way Bearita told me to. I could hear the shield slide off the ground, then it rose in the air, and flew back at me with a reverse motion of before, spinning fast.

"Jeez!" I panicked.

I backed up as the high-speed shield came at me, but it stopped instead, floating in the air right where my fingers had last touched it in the throw. I failed to grab it in time before it crashed down on top of the road.

Bending down to pick it up was not my brightest move as an arrow landed in my shoulder, and another again in my back.

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[System Notification: You're Bleeding again! New Achievement: You're twice holey, do it four times and you will be Swiss cheese!]

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The ranger's arrows hurt, but I was going to fight through the pain to tank for my family. I gripped my shield, and prepared for another throw, ignoring the fresh bleed effect taking away my health, from the boils tearing my skin, and the burns making my shield feel like hot coals.

"She's mine." I heard Naiad say, right next to me.

Already she pulled back her arrow, tangling plants growing along its shaft, and the moment they touched her fingers, she fired into the building. "She's not sneaking away anymore."

The arrow struck the near the roof, at the foot of the archer, and vined all over the top like ivy. The archer of the Pantheon couldn't get away, stuck on the edge, looking down at us.

"Nice shot Naiad. I'm going to take it from here," I kept my voice level.

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"No, you're not!" Naiad argued and prepared another shot. "I did all the work and she's mine!"

"Yes, you did, but I don't want you to get a player kill." I calmy explained to her, but my body was anything but calm.

These adults wanted to hurt the kids and ruin the game for their own selfish reasons. Taking the fun out of living in this Seconds-Over world. I had to take a deep breath and to slow down my racing heart, the rage fueling me to go faster, to attack instead of reacting.

Naiad watched me for a second before sighing. "Fine… I get it. Kinda," she mumbled, lowering her bow.

"No!" the woman snapped at me with rage. "Do this and we will only come after you! We have portals and we'll be back in a few days."

The woman pulled out a knife and hacked at the vines around her body, but couldn't move.

"Throwing your axe?" Naiad joked.

"No, something better," I replied. "No cookies for this."

With a deep breath, but with less rage than I had with Alcender, I threw the shield and stopped the woman's constant threats.

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[Player Killer Count: 2.]

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It was better for me to do this experience than the kids. Triangle came running through the remaining bubbles, giggling and laughing, oblivious to everything that was going on. The way his mood should stay under my watch. There were monsters he and Naiad could face and slay, and then there would be ones I had to for them. Starting today, I will take the brunt of that force for them. I recalled my shield back, waiting for the moment it would stop to grab it in midair.

The shield still hit the ground. It was going to take a few more practice throws to get the hang of it. I would get the practice just the same with stepping back and letting the kids shine and have their time in the game. I would be in the front line, seeing it all at least.

"Dad! This street is so clean now!" Triangle beamed up at me, his priorities at the top. "Why aren't you taking your medicine?!"

Without asking my permission, Naiad yanked the arrow in my back out first and quickly removed the other one. "Yeah, drink that Leaky Skin Potion."

Triangle passed me another potion. The kids moved on unphased, happy to be back in the game. We were going to have to handle these players versus player problems. There was still one more player to take care of, and I didn't have it in me to do it again. It felt like I was only accepting the cycle the Pantheon guild did. A risk of slipping back to my old ways.

This time, I'd stay focused on my kids.

I chugged the potion and handed the empty glass back to Triangle. I pointed past the burning building, toward our guild. "Do you mind getting that vision potion for me? I'll catch up."

Naiad looked toward the alleyway toward the city wall, where Michael tried ambushing us, then back up on the roof where the bodies were. We always looted after fights.

"But what about…" her voice trailed off.

"Triangle already cleaned up the street, remember? I'm just confirming." I didn't want her to involve Triangle. "Can you keep your brother focused?"

I didn't dare say safe in fear of getting Triangle scared again. With Alcender and two others of the Pantheon guild being here, plus the guards off in the distance, there was a good chance

The older child realized it and moved on with her brother. They laughed as they acted out the fight and I wanted to join in on them. What Naiad did with the fighting and positioning was incredible. She showed the advantages of using the spells over rune bleed base attacks. Using her new pet class for field advantage and scouting information. She was everywhere. Triangle saved us with his bombs and water attacks. Facing a fearsome foe down with courage.

Because of their creative ideas, we won against the Pantheon guild.

My grip tightened on my shield, and my hand pulled out my axe, preparing for the last kill against the remaining member. I turned around the alleyway, and Michael was gone. There was nothing to loot on the ground. Either the fireball burned everything or he got away.

[Private Message to Naiad]

[Boulder: Keep an alert. One's missing.]

[Naiad: Nothing yet, but will do.]

Sirens in the city went off in the distance, finally alerting people of the fire happening. I wanted to get up on the roofs and loot the gear of Alcender and his teammate. I would have to do it fast before the guards showed up, especially if the guards worked with the Pantheon guild.

Even with Alcender gone from this continent, there was still one Pantheon guild member around, which meant the guard could still work for them. I ran over to the green building where the archer died. The front door was locked, and the vines were too far out of my reach and withering away. If I couldn't get up there, we would lose out on some good gear.

An enormous shadow covered me as the Carrion of Life slowly flapped its way down, talons reaching out to me.

"Miss Naiad said you would need a lift." It harrumphed at me. "So, what is it you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" I joked back in my own vulture voice.

"If you don't know what to do, why would I know?" He didn't appreciate my joke.

I stretched my arms out to my side so he could grab me. "Do what you do best. Take me to the bodies so I can loot them. Avoid going to high, I'm trying to avoid getting spotted by the guards.."

The fowl grumbled, looking away from me as his long talons wrapped around my arms near my shoulders. As he lifted me up, I said, "Thanks for doing this."

The Carrion of Life stopped its grumbling. "The Miss asked me to. I recommend you plant the demonic seed in my forest."

"How does that help you?" I had to know everyone's end game that would be around my kids.

"I get to see what comes from the naught seed. A jungle or a swamp that doesn't belong here, but keeping to a forest would be stable and predictable. The chaotic seed of life is anything but that. Would it survive or be chaotic enough to thrive and take over? If it grows that large, it would need a guardian of the forest, one who will deal with death and living, a carryover."

"Like yourself." I said as we he gently put me down on the roof.

"Oh no. Like Naiad, she could gain great power for transforming more lands, and she adapts to threats and the unknown, quiet well. Flexibility and chaos are two sides of the same coin." The bird landed next to me, hopping over to rogue's body. He pecked at her foot. "I'm curious what she could create from the power of the dead, especially with her brother so eager for herbs."

He looked at me, beak turning red from his meal. "The world is changing, and it started with your guild."

A guild with children partaking in a legendary quest caused the chaos, and it was going to be an adventure I didn't want to miss as I followed Naiad and Triangle. They each had their own goals in the game, out of the city with vultures and forests, or in town with crafting quests.

"It's going to be a grand adventure for the Shrimp Guild," I answered Kerry.

With a tilt of his head, Kerry went back to eating and looked no different from any other enormous vulture poking away at road kill.

Before he ate everything away, I got into the ranger's inventory items, looting anything else I could.

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[Gloves of Bullseye! (rare): These gloves help you feel the wind and correct for the changes. Increase accuracy of your shots by 5%.]

[Quiver of Red Cross (rare): This quiver gives all arrows placed inside it a barbing effect. If hit in a critical spot, it will cause a bleed. If it hits a bone heavy area or shell, it will do reduce damage.]

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That explained why a high level member wasn't taking direct head shots. The bleed effect did more damage. Magic buffs boosted the defensive capabilities of the leather chest and leggings. The boots might've been too, but Kerry already destroyed the set.

The sound of clanking metal filled the streets below me. Carefully, I glanced over to see a civic mage worker dressed in the brown and red of the city colors casting a rain spell on the building across the street. Another mage ran over and summoned a water spray. Thanks to magic, they made quick work of the fire. It wouldn't take them long to get up to the roof I was on.

Without bothering to sort, I grabbed everything I could and moved over to Alcender, having Kerry quickly fly me over to the neighboring roof to loot the body. The guy was rich, like he really should've put some of it into a bank rich. Even with it divided up evenly between Naiad, Triangle, and I, I could still pay the kids back for earlier and keep two thousand coins for myself.

"Why is he carrying so many potions?" I whispered to the bird.

"Maybe he was part crow and liked shiny things?" Kerry offered.

I laughed, "Don't insult crows."

"Check the roofs for any clues." I heard a guard call out. "Blasted. They broke their promise of not harming the city. Find those from the Pantheon Guild and bring them to the king. They owe us for this damage."

I peaked over the edge, looking for a chance the guards to be distracted so Kerry could carry me away and back to the guild base.

[Team Chat]

[Boulder: I'm about to come back. The guards are investigating.]

[Triangle: You can't see.]

[Naiad: My bird is carrying him. Don't worry about it.]

"Sir!" a woman in a richly embroidery clothes sauntered over, picking her skirts up to avoid the dirty puddles. A servant walked behind her, holding up an umbrella to keep her safe from the magical rain.

Based on the scowl on the guard's face, these two people didn't get along. "What is the Ministry of Architecture doing here?" The guard grumbled, talking like this woman wasn't here.

"Confirming the state of our walls," she lectured back. She shook her head and I could hear the scowl from where I hid. "We need to repair this immediately. Mages, I need three layers of stone added in here and there if we don't want another explosion that destroys everything. An attack on this scale was too risky for our defenses."

"Let it. It will only hit the guild center for the revivers and their shops," the captain of the guard spat back. "They're the ones who caused this."

I've never heard of the word 'revivers'. I guessed it was a term used for gamers in this world, given his dislike of the Pantheon guild using it in that fight.

The Ministry of Architecture waved her servant over. He pulled out a napkin and dried her face of the spit. "Captain, you know they are the blood and money of this city."

"And look at what they did!" He pointed to the crumbled red building, blackened with burn marks.

"Yes, remember your oath. For Fanamel, or for no one." The woman kissed two of her fingers and put it over her heart.

The guard straightened up, and all of them repeated the words and action. "For Fanamel or for no one."

The rain was letting up with the fire being out, and I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

Without asking for my permission, the Carrion of Life grabbed my arms, and took off, staying low and went toward the marketplace, flying lower into an alley the moment we cleared another building.

He squawked on the ground, "I told you, change is coming and you were the delta point."