《Single Mother Cultivator: Determination to deny her naïve son a terrible destiny》Chapter 5: Hope for a Brighter Future
Advertisement
“And the guard just attacked you for simply asking for your son back?!” asked the archer affontedly.
He and Lucia sat in the forest with their backs to a pair of trees as they shared some dried fruit and a hollowed out gourd filled with water. The worst of the afternoon heat had just passed, leaving them both parched. Lucia waterfalled a long sip before handing the bottle over.
“Well, I might’ve threatened him with a few choice words… Hold on, that’s the first thing you ask about?” she asked between gulps. “And not the fact I’m from a whole ‘nother World?”
“There are legends of planes beyond this one, both above and below us, such as the underworld or the abode of the gods.”
“I’m not from this ‘abode of the gods’ or whatever, I’m from Earth! It’s pretty much like this place, minus all of the magic and monsters. Seriously, how can you be so calm about it?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he replied with a cocked eyebrow. “For someone from a World you describe as so… mundane, you don’t seem all too bothered with everything you’ve seen.”
“Touché,” Lucia smiled halfheartedly. “I guess it’s not the first time my entire life’s been turned upside down like this. So maybe I’m used to it?”
“What a life that must have been,” said the archer, looking at her with sad eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, I made it through alive. So you got a name? I’m Lucia, by the way.”
“My name is Jayaka,” he said, pronouncing it as ‘Jay-uh-cuh’ without any pauses in between. “I came here from my ashram in the South in search of that rakshasa, who had been terrorizing nearby villages.”
“Uh huh, I think I know some of those words,” Lucia mouthed off.
Advertisement
“Well you see, a village is a group of people who live close together-”
“Real funny, my guy,” Lucia said with a snort. “But what’s an ashram?”
“Oh! It’s a hermitage, a rather humble version of a village.”
“Now that makes more sense! So how’d you find me?”
“In my search, I noticed that all of the forest’s creatures avoided this area. At first I thought they were keeping clear of the nearby martial sect, but I soon realized it was that rakshasa that scared them away. After making my way inside, I just followed the screaming.”
Lucia nodded in response. The two of them sat in contemplative silence as the sounds of forest life began to grow closer. Birds chirping, monkeys howling, the creatures who made this place their home began to return. After several moments, Lucia jolted up and looked Jayaka in the eye.
“Speaking of that sect, I think you’re exactly what I need right now!”
“How so?”
“Those assholes who summoned me and kidnapped my son are pretty much monsters in their own right, and I think they could also use some culling. You can go in there and get my son back for me!”
“I cannot do that,” Jayaka said with remorse.
“Sure you can! I saw what you did to that tree and that raksh- demon, you can blow their front door wide open and kick the asses of anyone who gets in your way! Or just blow them up too!”
“I really cannot do that. I’ve sworn to Agni to only use my Astra against rakshasas. And without it, I am not strong enough to match against their warriors.”
“And there you go again throwing that jargon at me.”
“Apologies,” said Jayaka, lowering his head. “Agni, the god of fire, granted this Astra, the ability I applied to my arrow. I had to promise him to only use it on demons who would harm another.”
Advertisement
“And you’ll lose it if you use it on a real monster?” asked Lucia with a cocked eyebrow.
“Most likely, but either way I will not go back on my oath.”
“Sounds like you got the short end of the stick with a deal like that.”
“It was not some sort of business transaction!” Jayaka said loudly. “It was a gift to help others, not a tool of vengeance!”
The two looked at each other for several silent seconds. A monkey’s howl finally eked out a response.
“I am sorry for my outburst,” said Jayaka, lowering his head despondently.
“No, it’s alright,” replied Lucia with a sigh. “It’s obvious you’ve also been through some shit and I’m not going to ask what. But what am I going to do about Daniel?”
The two remained silent for a minute more.
“Well, you said they will be training him for an upcoming tournament,” said Jayaka.
“And they won’t kill him or anything, but I’ve seen the kinds of assholes the sect recruits as members. What do you think they’ll do to him if they’re not happy with his progress? Look at what they did to me for just asking him back!”
“You said you threatened them.”
“Yeah, but-”
“I’m somewhat familiar with these sects, and I know they truly do spoil their star pupils. If everything that guard told you is true, then he will be fine. At worst, he may be disciplined with a missed meal, or corporal punishment.”
“Missed meal? Corporal punishment?! He’s still a growing boy! That’ll stunt him for life!”
“A single missed meal will not do that,” slowly said Jayaka. “He will live, and likely come out of it a well-disciplined young man. Trust me, he will be fine.”
“Well, I’ll believe you. But am I just supposed to leave him to those assholes for the rest of his life? I’m his mother! I should be raising him, not some acrobatic kidnappers!”
“Of course! You should get him back as soon as you can! But it does not appear that time is now.”
“So back to plan A, then,” Lucia pouted. “Get strong enough to kick their asses and get him back myself.”
“Hold on, you said it was the snowy point tournament, correct? My ashram received an invitation for it this year. We were planning not to attend, but perhaps your presence would be a good excuse for us to go? You could come with us and meet with your son there.”
“For real? Hell yeah!” exclaimed Lucia as she jumped to her feet. “I was headed South to find a place to stay anyway, so this is perfect! Can I come along with you? And will the members of your ashram let me stay?”
“Of course!” smiled Jayaka. “Our ashram is a home for many wayward souls, you would fit right in. But as for coming with me, you might have to wait.”
“Huh, how come?”
“I actually came here in search of two rakshasas. The one I killed earlier, and his sister. The sibling is still on the loose, no doubt having gone into hiding when she learned of my presence in her hunting grounds.”
“So you gotta kill her first before you can go home?”
“Exactly.”
“So what are we waiting for? Let’s find and kick her ass!”
Advertisement
Half a God
For centuries, the Lord-Inquisitors of the Church of the Holy Ark have hunted Mindrippers with a single-mindedness that bordered on obsession. In an age of musket and cannon, the hunt leads them to the ancient city of Dilgan where women are being butchered by an unknown killer. Here, Enk Gueye, the young scion of a noble house, wakes from a nightmare to discover he can read—and control—other people’s minds. He thinks he’s a god, but the Lord-Inquisitors have another name for what he has become: Mindripper.
8 221Un-Familiar Sidequest 1: The Squad (A LitRPG isekai fantasy adventure)
When a burst of magical energy sweeps out of Canada and into Western New York, the president has no choice but to send in a squad of Army Rangers to sort the situation out. Five badasses... and Dane Frelser. Dane is a nobody, a drone operator with a very specific set of skills. RPG skills. See, the government knows they're all going to transform into an adventuring party of non-humans, and they know that Dane's knowledge will help his squad survive giant snakes, hordes of zombies, hedgehogtopuses and cave gibbons. Assuming he can get them to listen.
8 113Tera: Still Untitled
A story told from the point of view of an NPC that became sentient. With the help of a friendly player or two, they set about recovering her memories and finding out the cause of her awakening. Set in the MMORPG TERA(The Exiled Realm of Arborea). I got bored on the long commute to and from work(about 1.5 hours each way) and decided to flesh out some of the ideas I've had about my character in game. I write about a chapter a day on weekdays, maybe on weekends too depending on the stuff I have to do irl.
8 138Clairaudience / / F. Volturi
I wouldn't say I hear voices in my head, but rather I experience a series of auditory intuitions that never seem to be wrong
8 136The Coming of Nico di Angelo
Three demigods shall travel to the followers of Hecate,The monster inside lets the dark one blood see,On the brink of destruction, Poseidon and Athena unite,The father of blackness has a great insight,The friend is an enemy, the enemy a friend,Against a weak but powerful army, the child must reveal his true self in the end...A year after Gaea's Awakening, Nico di Angelo is chosen to lead a quest to Britain in order to find Tom Riddle, a man who has defied Hades and cheated death twice. With Percy and Annabeth accompanying him, Nico must find and destroy seven horcruxes, navigate through his fifth year at Hogwarts, and deal with his own problems back at Camp Half-Blood, all while hiding the fact that he's a demigod from all the wizards in England. Between a budding romance with a certain son of Apollo, a burning desire to make his father proud, and an old vow against killing mortals, the son of Hades is going to do whatever it takes to outwit the Fates and succeed... or die trying.
8 252Costiño Series 3: Ninong (HANDSOMELY COMPLETED)
Status: Under EditingPosted: March 1, 2019 - October 9, 2020He was at his right age but I was in my childhood days when I think I'm in love. He was the sweetest man but cold and stoic. He was everything I'm supposed to loved but fate never let us to be one. Ninong ninong ninong regalo ko? Hanggang ganito nalang ba ako? Isang hamak na inaanak nalang? Is my fate never be his? Or Am I just false hoping for us?
8 212