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

Chapter 61 - Family



"Why? I got the list done." I kept my hands to the side, not trying to grab a shield, but I wished I had one to hide behind for the rage coming off Beth.

"Did you reach out to your therapist?" She accused me, looking for a fight.

"Yes, and I finished my list." I had had my defense ready. "I got the sink fixed, too. Elaine did her report. Tristan helped with the laundry."

"And never his homework." Beth pulled up an email on her phone. "Look at this."

I didn't look. It was part of the past. We were moving forward and becoming better. It was also Saturday, which meant Beth had that message yesterday. She was trying to be part of the family in some way, but doing it in this anger tone was wrong.

Her phone buzzed, and I saw an email telling her the evidence was accepted and reminding her to check if her witnesses were ready for Tuesday's court.

"We are working on his homework. Only a few worksheets left," I answered her with the information I knew.

"Did you even go in their bags?" Beth took the phone back, reading the email, and sighed.

"I don't invade our kids' privacy like that. You know how I hate that. If you want to be part of their lives, you need to talk to them and be here." I stretched my hands out to indicate the whole house. "Then you don't need to tip-toe around them and you can respect their privacy like I respect your job's."

She squinted her eyes shut, pursed her lips, as she took two breaths to calm down. She was at least willing to listen.

"Gosh, the kids rile me up worse than any defense case. You're their parent. It's okay to know some of their stuff." She took a deep breath to center herself, ready to present evidence to me. "Like Elaine is struggling in math and history and maybe you should help before gaming. Tristan needs to do his homework and you have to sign off on it."

The high of earlier was gone. I walked over to the fridge and got a sticky note, a place where we could always talk and help each other without the thousand distractions of our phone. "Yeah, writing it down now. I'm also going to harass the school by emailing me this information too. But I want you to stop digging in their bags now. If they need us, they will let us know. Trust them, they're great kids."

Gentle hands wrapped around me as I wrote on the bright yellow note. Beth rested her head on my back. "Thank you. I'm sorry for losing my cool there. Its just we can't fail the kids, we've got to make sure they hit milestones and follow the correct steps in life. Such as learning and doing their promised homework, to learn responsibility along with having fun."

"Life's a little too short to not have fun."

"Are the kids still enjoying the game?" she asked. "Tristan is okay?"

The tension vanished from us as I turned around and hugged her back. "Yeah. Though we really could use a mage, like when you and I used to play."

"You know, I think I can ask for some paid time off once this case is done and get some gaming in with everyone."

I gently kissed her forehead. "We don't have to sell the systems?"

"Only if their grades keep dropping."

"Don't worry, I'll get them back to level for their class." I snorted at the connection. "Sorry, I mean, get them back on target."

She kissed me. "I know you can do it. Everyone needs to stay focused on their responsibilities."

I sighed and let her go. "Life's not just about responsibilities. You and I had an agreement about raising the kids. We got your career going once Tristan was born. But now, what's the end goal? You can't be treating the home like your recharge base. You have to actually say hi to your family."

Beth's deep green eyes looked away from me, something she would never do in a court case. "I just need to finish this one case and then…"

"Then it will be another? Your company is great at making us chase after a new quests over and over. Looks like they're just as good at it in reality."

"This is a big one. I'll get money if we win, and we will. Just we have to keep the media out." Her voice trailed off, hearing the same excuses I did.

I nodded toward the office and the capsules. I didn't want to sell them because of the fun the kids had in the game. On a separate sticky note, I wrote in large letters "FAMILY" as a top priority. It would be good to get rid of them, for me, but would it be good for the kids and Beth?

"Then is it a good idea for Seconds-Over lawyer to be selling her family's capsules right now? You know the media will hunt that story down."

"No, it would get me more in trouble than losing this case would," Beth sighed with defeat. "Just watch that you don't get stuck all the time. I'm still worried about how you fought against players earlier."

"It's getting taken care of."

"Keep the kids in the city. The guards will save them," Beth explained.

I shook my head. "No, the guards will listen to orders to look another way when a guild gains enough political reputation."

"What?" She rubbed her forehead, trying to think.

"Look at our logs for today. That will get you the information to talk to the developers."

"It's not my job to do that," she explained.

"Do it for the kids, not just ours, but all the other ones trying to play that are now at risk of getting hurt. Then please, come join us either in the game or on a camping trip."

Beth looked up with a small smile on her face. "I'll try my best for the family. Thanks for the fun pictures earlier. I like the one with screws."

I kissed her forehead as we walked back to bed. "One more smart thought: if you get a bonus, can we hire a cleaning service?"

"That sounds like a great idea. Less time cleaning and more time with the kids."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" I didn't hide the concern in my voice.

She opened her mouth to speak and paused, burying her head into my chest. "I'll try to do everything here at home."

I pulled her chin up. "If you get your list done, maybe you can game with us."

"That sounds perfect."

We went to bed, having avoided a war in our house again thanks to communication.

————

For once, I got up before everyone, energized and ready for Sunday. The whole family was going to be here and I wanted everyone fueled up for their goals. Pancakes, bacon, and eggs with a side of hash browns. People could pick and choose what they wanted.

More choice was the theme. I didn't complain when Beth grabbed a yogurt and piece of bacon as she made her way to the office to start clicking away. When Elaine grabbed pancakes and drizzled hot sauce and honey, I kept my mouth shut. Tristan and I ate everything else with joy.

When Elaine pulled out her phone, I took the chance to talk. "You mentioned the report was a make-up one. What happened?"

She focused on her fork as she cut up the rest of her breakfast up into bite-size pieces. "I didn't do the report that was due."

"When was it due originally?"

"The day after we stumbled into hell." She answered before stuffing her mouth.

"Ah jeez, I'm sorry. Anything I can do to help? I'll look it over for grammar."

"Thanks. And you already helped when you talked to mom last night. That means a lot."

I tilted my head, not sure what she was talking about. She turned around in her kitchen chair and pointed to her school backpack. Without another word, she went back to eating.

"I trust you two to talk to me."

"Duh, you're our dad!" Tristan chimed in through a mouth full of egg. "When can we game?"

"When you all finish your homework and study for any exams. And ALL the homework, any missed worksheet. I'm going to sit down with you on it."

"Aw man," he whined.

"Its training for a grand quest down the road," Elaine told her brother.

He rolled his eyes, a behavior he learned from her. "Yeah, yeah. I don't want to, I want to play games."

"Homework is just practice for the big world. Like how you train and practice in a game." I scrunched my eyebrows, thinking of a better way to explain it to him. "You practiced with fishing, which helped you capture Goldy. Together, the two of you trained. Each potion you create is a step toward making better ones, isn't it?"

Tristan paused, eating to respond. "Yeah, because if they are of poor quality, they don't sell as much." His eyebrows shot up with enlightenment. "Ooh, I need higher quality for tests?"

I must've rolled a critical success with my explanation, or at least got lucky. "Yes."

"Okay."

"We'll get through it together," I offered.

"I'll be a Master Class of homework when done!" Roared Tristan before going back to eating.

Elaine poked at her pancakes and her typed away on her laptop, working on her report, marking notes on what she needed to fix. She handed me her flashcards to help her study for Tuesday.

Tristan stepped up and wanted to try doing some worksheets on his own. While he did that, I took Ghost on a walk near lunch time. When I came back, Beth walked out of the office, preparing to grab another cup of water. "Sounds like gaming is helping them level up. Thank you. It's nice to hear the kids again. I'm going to hang out with them for a bit. Maybe I can join you guys tonight?"

"Keep up the great work. We'd love to have you," I said. "We can pick you up in town and thanks to Tristan and Elaine, you'll be safe."

"Not you?"

"There's friendly fire in the game. I need to make sure the kids are safe from you," I teased.

She stuck her tongue out at me and went to the living room to find the kids playing. Both were taking a break from studying.

I relaxed and sat around listening to the harmony of the kids and mom. I was afraid to step in and ruin it. To take the attention Beth finally needed after so long. Quietly, I brought snacks over as Beth read a book to Tristan.

Her phone buzzed, and she didn't even look at it as she handed it to me. "It's Sunday, I'll get to it later."

It wasn't perfect, but it was a step in the right direction. I put her phone on her desk and noticed a bright pink sticky note on the top of her monitor. "Family."

I smiled. It was so easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind that it's harder to get back to our goals. But we were both trying. The little reminders like that will help.

Elaine knocked on the door. "I'm ready for Tuesday. My report is done. Can we game?"

Even though in another room, Tristan shouted, "After mom finishes this chapter!"

I pointed to the hallway to answer Elaine. While I waited, I dusted and updated Beth's capsule. She wouldn't lose one minute of family time on something stupid, like an update. Elaine tapped her finger impatiently.

"Wow, you're excited." I couldn't blame her because yesterday was fun in the game.

"The sticky goop is about to wear off." Elaine helped Tristan into his gaming system the moment he showed up. "Mom, good luck on your work! Message us once you get in. Now let's go so I can get this class."

Beth walked over and waved to us three. "Thanks. Good luck to you too on the Legendary quest."

Tristan or Elaine must've told her about it. It be incredible if Beth could join us and she got the benefits of the quest before the end.

All three of us got into the game with no issues. We spawned around our campfire that kept us hidden and safe from monsters and players. Fog surrounded the area, and Naiad sighed near the edge. Her breath didn't stir the air in front of her. We were fine until we crossed over the safety permitter.

"I don't think we will have to go far. The ozo is nearby. Can either of you smell it or see signs of the goop?" I looked around, but we couldn't see much of anything.

"I still have the mark on me," Naiad complained. "I'll climb a tree and wait for Kerry to pick me up to run before the ozo senses me."

"Aaa!" screamed a man nearby, cutting into our conversation.

Snarls of the ozo followed it up, along with a loud wet crunching sound.

Triangle didn't run out, but walked near me and reached into his fanny pack.

"Looks like we can hear what's going on out there," I stated the obvious.

The golden fur of the bear dashed right next to our safety zone. Standing on four legs, the creature reached my chest and was far more muscular. "And we can still see…"

Naiad gagged. "And smell. The stinky bombs still work."

"Wohoo!" Triangle cheered, his confidence coming back instantly.

A powerful wind blew the fog away at the command of an old man in a long flowing gown and a beard that went to his waist. He shouted out, "Get out of there now!"

With the fog clear, we got a clear shot of the ozo dragging a younger man by his leg. The ozo ignored the small knife stabbing into its shoulder repeatedly.

"Dad! They're hurting it," Naiad cried, pulling out her bow.

"Wait," I grabbed her arm. "Remember, if you even threaten to attack, the protection goes down. We need to know situation and stay safe."

She grumbled. "We'll lose the quest."

"Stop it!" The old man brought a rain cloud over the ozo and a bolt of lighting struck it.

The ozo opened its mouth in pain, giving the chewed-up man a chance to run back on his damaged leg.

"Thanks Clarence." The man stood up, his leg mending as he tossed aside an empty healing bottle. He ran right past us and picked up his sword to stand next to his teammate.

His face alone made me loosen my grip on Naiad and tempted to tell her to shoot him immediately. Twice this man has shown up and only meant trouble.

"We will need to try later. The darn bear is too angry with what you did," the wizard Clarence complained.

"I only drugged it!" Michael whined with his annoying mustache soaking wet and look like a dead rat hanging on his face.

Another lightning bolt hit the ozo. Since we weren't attacking it, I had no way of knowing how much health it had left.

"Yeah, not everyone is you. Now we got to wait until this mark is gone. Alcender is going to be so mad at us. Toss a knock out bomb," Clarence complained. The leader of the two in the group.

"He's welcome to come back to Fanamel and deal with the Shrimp Guild on his own. Let's try this again with more food once the mark is gone."

"That's us," Triangle whispered. "Are they with that mean guild from earlier?"

"Yeah," I answered. "Keep quiet."

"Why do we have to wait?" Naiad asked. "Get it before they knock out the ozo so it's our friend."

"I'm ready to friend a bear. Roar." Triangle was still muddy and stood next to me, pulling out Goldy. "I don't have the mark,"

I was muddy, and I didn't have the Mark of Valiha either. Naiad was clean of mud. Before I could finish connecting the dots, I watched Michael light up a knock out bomb and toss it in the air.

"Shoot the bomb!" I told Naiad and grabbed Triangle, trusting my gut instinct.

Both kids listened to my command, and both blasted at it. Our protection vanished around us before they hit the target. I picked up Triangle and rotated him so Goldy pointed into the dirt below us. The water coming out of the archer fish was like a pressure hose, trying to drill into the ground. Dirt and mud flew up everywhere.

"Keep spraying." I ordered Triangle and Goldy.

I was going to protect my family and get dirty while doing it.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.