Chapter 244: Mabuhay
<span style="font-weight:400">“I just remembered I left something- someone outside, I’ll be right back,” Drake said shakily turning around for the door.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Where are you going Drake?” a man just as tall as him said, blocking the front door.
<span style="font-weight:400">“T-Travis! You little rat let me get out, you know what mom will do to me!” Drake shouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, I know, that''s why I brought the hanger,” Travis smiled raising a crooked and bent metal clothes hanger.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<i><span style="font-weight:400">Really</i><span style="font-weight:400">?! She hasn’t even asked for it yet, you dick!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Drake Wallen is that you?!” a voice from behind asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake’s head turned like it had rusted over instantly, creaking as it made to look at the person.
<span style="font-weight:400">“M-mom. Hi… I didn’t mean to yell,” Drake said nervously, “I was just so surprised…”
<span style="font-weight:400">His mother held out a hand, Drake’s brother, Travis, cing a metal hanger into its palm.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mom, please I’m 27 and I’m level-”
<span style="font-weight:400">“The fuck you say to me?! Sige, you could be one foot in the grave, but you are still my son!” she yelled, sending the hanger into his left thigh, “I raised you!” she yelled again, hitting him in the other side, “Sige! You don’t call! You don’t write! I learn that you are still alive from a system message! Sige!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake began running around the house, trying his best to guard his rear to no avail, his mother''s chan-fu too strong.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mom! I tried to get here! There are things I had to do!” Drake pleaded as he ran circles around the couch, the people and children on the couches watching with interest, “I’m a town Lord, I can’t just go where I want, there’s an order to things!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll show you order!” she yelled back, leaping over the couch, “Too busy for your mother?! Tga!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake scrambled for the door again, but Travis stood there smiling back at him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Travis I swear to god, just you wait!” Drake growled, then took off for the kitchen in a hurry.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mom, I just wanted to make sure the town was appropriate for you to live in! It’s safe now,” he said ducking behind the small kitchen ind.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Safe? What do I care about being safe dito. There are monsters everywhere loco!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Come on,” Drake pleaded once more, then an idea popped into his head, the one thing his mother always wanted, “Can’t you cut me a break I’ve been busy with my kids.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake’s mother froze, one hand with slipper stopping mid-throw, “I have grandbabies?! Why didn’t you say so?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah…” he said nervously, then whispered, “Kind of…”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Then, where are they? I want to make sure they are eating well. Just look at you, so skinny now! Ah!” she fumed, throwing her hands up.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I-i have to go get them, I left them with m-my wife…” Drake said trailing off as he gave a look to Bjorn.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, you and ire tied the knot? Congrats bro,” Bjorn whistled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not exactly… It’s a long story man.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well go get my grandbabies! And you had a wife without even introducing her to your mother? You should be ashamed! Is she a nice Filipino girl?” his mother asked expectantly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, she’s not human,” Drake said matter of fact, “I think you will like her though,” he added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Tga! First, a wife, then babies, and you tell me she isn’t even Filipino? You should have gotten together with that nice girl, what was her name, Travis?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, Stacy from down the road?” Travis said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Stacy yes! Very nice girl, she could cook, she could clean, and she was so nice to me. She brought me sweets every day. Every day Drake,” she smiled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mom, Stacy was never my type…” Drake frowned.
<span style="font-weight:400">“And why not?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Stacy Irving was 50 years old! That’s why!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“But Drake, she was my friend,” his mother said as if it made it alright, “it would have been very nice.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“She’s twice my age!” Drake shouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Punyeta! Why are you shouting at your mother!?” she shouted back, raising her slipper.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Because you’re shouting at me!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I am not shouting! This is my normal voice!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake raised his hands in defeat, “Fine! I’m going to get them… Where is Dillon anyway?” he asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Travis thumbed to the back room down the hall, “He’s in your old room, it’s like the tutorials never happened, he’s just mixing music still.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Good,” Drake smiled, “At least he doesn’t have to deal with everything for a little longer. And we should talk about what happened,” he sighed, “All of us.”
<b>[Travis Wallen Level 16]</b>
<b>[Maria Wallen Level 15]</b>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Should Ie with?” Bjorn asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Naw, you’re fine here. Keep cookin'', we all know you could use the practice,” Drake smiled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey, I’ve improved a lot since your mom started teaching me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake winced, “M-mom is teaching you…?” he asked, shuddering.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, why?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake nced at his mom then back to Bjorn, “No reason. I’m gonna go now.”
<span style="font-weight:400">And with that, Drake slipped past his brother and out the door.
<span style="font-weight:400">—-----
<span style="font-weight:400">Backtracking for a few minutes, Drake quickly found arguing teens and a very confused-looking Sah Ul’.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yo,” he said, raising a hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t ‘yo’ us, where the hell did you go?” Landin asked, “We’ve been trying to figure out which street you took when you sted off at the speed of light but we couldn’t agree on anything!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It was very sudden, Lord Drake. Was something the matter?” Atropos added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I-I just wanted to see that my family was safe. Not everyone here can keep up with my speed,” Drake said with a chuckle.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You mean no one can keep up with you. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Right now</i><span style="font-weight:400">,” Landin smiled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Right, let’s not start talking smack just yet. Still have a long way to go,” Drake smiled back.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Patriarch, will we be going now..?” Sah Ul’ asked, looking far more nervous than Drake had ever seen her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah? Are you alright Sarah?” he asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I-I am fine…” she answered, pulling her fur coat over her shoulders a little tighter.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake smiled, “There’s no need to be nervous. My mom is only mean to me. I already know you and she are going to get along great, there’s nothing to worry about, trust me Sah Ul’” he gave her one more beaming grin, taking her hand, “Let’s get going before I get cold feet myself.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Charlotte, Quetz, Kalik Tu’, and Atropos grumbled slightly behind them but didn’t say anything as they followed along.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sah Ul’ remained silent as well, her face a lighter shade of green as the blushing red bleeding through made her try to hide her face as best she could.
<span style="font-weight:400">After a bit of a stroll through the city, the streets surprisingly empty outside of the asional person walking in the direction of the main street, they made it back to Drake’s family home.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You got some decent digs here man,” Landin said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s not much but it’s home,” Drake smirked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Pretty tree!” Quetz chirped from the side, pointing.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s an apple tree, not a lot of them on this street. But it looks a lot better in the spring when the flowers are blooming, maybe we cane back and see it then,” he exined, “Well, shall we?” Drake said, motioning to the door.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sah Ul’ nodded the rest of the group following suit.
<span style="font-weight:400">Stepping up to the door, Drake ced his hand just above the knob before the door swung backward and opened, a furrow-browed Filipinody staring back at them.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Where are my grandbabies?!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drakeughed nervously, thumbing behind him.
<span style="font-weight:400">His mother arched her head over his shoulder, her frown deepening, “How are those my grandbabies they are far too old!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I might have… embellished the word kid a bit, Mom…” Drakeughed wryly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Grandbabies…? Does your mom think we’re your kids?” Charlotte asked incredulously.
<span style="font-weight:400">“She may or may not have been given that impression…” Drake muttered, “But I do think of you all as my kids in a sense, you’re all family,” he said evenly, not a hint of joking in his voice for once.
<span style="font-weight:400">Charlotte blushed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I didn’t want to be a family like that…” Charlotte muttered under her breath.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Grandma!” Landin shouted, spreading his arms.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Who is your grandma!” Drake’s mother shouted, throwing a chan at Landin, hitting him squarely in between his eyes.
<span style="font-weight:400">She turned to Drake, pointing a wagging admonishing finger at him, “You and I are going to talk about this Drake Wallen! Clean your feet before youe into my house, I won’t have you dirtying up my floor! Susmaryosep!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mom,” Drake said, stopping his mother, “Before we talk…” he said almost pausing but pushed on, “This is Sah Ul’ Rahk. She is my wife.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Mrs. Wallen turned around, giving Sah Ul’ the briefest of looks and taking in the nervous wreck of the great Rahk warrior.
<span style="font-weight:400">And then a secondter, put her arms around her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You must be cold dear,e in. My you are so skinny! Let’s get some food in you! You can’t have my wonderful grandbabies on an empty stomach!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake smiled, giving the confused Sah Ul’ a wink, “Told you, I might be her son but she barely likes me,” he said, ducking another slipper.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Punyeta! Don’t badmouth your mother to her new daughter! What would you do if she took you seriously!?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t know, be better prepared to dodge random household items…” Drake grumbled with a smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“And when did your hair get so long? Are you still doing that ‘cosyer’ thing?” his mother jabbed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You wanted to be a cosyer?” Landin scoffed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah? What about it?” Drake smiled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, nothing… Just seeing you in a new light is all,” Landin shrugged, a yiping from his arms, “By the way how does your mom feel about pets?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t let it dirty my floor and call me Nanai,” she said over her shoulder pulling Sah Ul’ into the house, making Sah Ul’ bend down slightly from their difference in height.
<span style="font-weight:400">The teens looked at Drake but he only shrugged, waving them into the rowdy house, “You heard her, in ya get.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake was thest one into the house, taking a moment to review a notification that kept shing in his peripheral since they entered the city.
<b>[Would you like to contest for Authority of Yundertown?]</b>
<b>[Yes/No]</b>
<span style="font-weight:400">He of course selected no, walking inside, closing the door behind him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Once inside he saw his brother, Travis. His jaw dropped, and following Sah Ul’.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake walked over with a smug expression, “What’s wrong kid, see something you like?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Travis lifted his chin off the ground giving a scoff, “As if, you weren’t the only one who found someone,” he said pointing with his chin to a woman on the couch.
<span style="font-weight:400">The woman was wearing a in white t-shirt, had blond hair, and milky white pointed ears poking out of it.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, got yourself an elf huh?” Drake said, putting his brother into a headlock, “I want to hear all about how my little brother did in his tutorial. Getting to level 16! You must have worked hard, huh?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Travis smiled wryly, feeling proud of himself as he rubbed his nose, “Yeah, we cleared it before the time limit ended. Wait- H-how are you so strong?!” Travis said suddenly trying to break from Drake’s grip.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Older brother strength,” he smirked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“As if! You’re level 11 I checked!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, dear brother! You didn’t talk to Bjorn, did you? And tsk tsk, you haven’t been paying attention to the world notifications? Your big brother took down a Cardinal Beast you little shit!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah okay,” Travisughed sarcastically.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake pulled up his status, turning it around for his brother to see, “Read it and weep loser.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Travis’s jaw dropped open again.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mooooooooommmmmmmm!” Travis yelled trying to struggle free again.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake let Travis go, his body shooting straight into the kitchen where their mother was, only to get kicked out, the imprint of a slipper on his face, as he rubbed his behind.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Your family is pretty funny bro. Now I know where you got it from,” Bjorn guffawed from his spot on the wall.
<span style="font-weight:400">His apron had been reced by a green shirt and jeans as he extended a hand out to Drake.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake smiled and bypassed the hand hugging the ginormous man, “Come on man, we’re way past handshakes! I’m so happy to see you again!” heughed lifting the giant.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Whoa there bro, put me down. I get it but I have an image to keep up,” Bjorn said, but didn’t hide his smirk.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake put him back down but could tell Bjorn wanted to say something else, “What’s up? Is something wrong?” Drake asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Bjorn looked over to the kitchen opening, “It might take a bit, are you sure you don’t want to talk to your family?” he asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake craned his head, hearing his momughing and Sah Ul’ struggling to keep conversation. Turning his head, he saw Landin showing Atropos, Clotho, and Quetz the TV putting game controllers in their hands.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think I have time, I know my family is here and safe now. I feel like I can finally take a breath. So yeah, I have a bit of time to kill for once,” Drake sighed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Bjorn gave a wry smile, rubbing the back of his neck, “Good, then I have a few favors I have to ask you for bro…”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake held up a hand, shaking his head, “No favors between us anymore. This isn’t the tutorial, just ask.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Bjorn straightened as if a weight had been slightly lifted from his shoulders, “Alright. Don’t get too worked up about how she talks though.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“The way who talks?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Bjorn gave a wave to someone down the hall that disappeared too quickly for Drake to make out a description, “They’ll meet us outside.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake gave a slight frown, not sure what the cloak-and-dagger atmosphere was about but nodded, opening the door for them to exit.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Okay so?” Drake asked finally after waiting outside for a few seconds.
<span style="font-weight:400">But the answer showed up behind them, a man and girl turning the corner.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Bjorn… That isn''t a real fallen angel is it…?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yup. I picked her up on the way to you, then I heard about your mom being here so we stopped and camped it out till you came. She is exactly what you think too.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake’s mouth opened and closed for a moment, unable to believe what he was seeing. A girl in a wheelchair pushed by a man in a clean suit.
<span style="font-weight:400">The girl had long waist waist-length hair that draped over her shoulders and sat in herp. She wore a gothic-type dress that gave her a feeling of upper-ss royalty. Her hair parted down the middle one side a bright blond, the other a dark ck. Even more striking, her right eye was a pale white, and her left a dark midnight ck, both containing a golden outline around the irises.
<span style="font-weight:400">But what made Drake take pause was what was extending out from her back.
<span style="font-weight:400">A single raven ck wing the size that could easily cover her entire body.
<b>[Mordred Pendragon Level 10]</b>