Uncontrolled: Season Two - Nick Venom (acx book reading txt) 📗

and face reminding Jake of cat beastkins. She seemed interested in Jake’s existence, tilting her head while watching him.

“First, let me introduce ourselves. I am your grandfather Berry. Next to me is your grandmother Hana. On the other side of me is your uncle Theo. Sitting by his side is his daughter Slyvia. That would make her your cousin.” Berry informed Jake. “We are your only family, I believe.”

“What about my… other grandparents?” Jake asked, his eyes producing a single tear. 

“Gone. They passed away because of old age. Any other family on your father’s side was killed off in a fire in their family home. Now,” he started, his lips slightly quivering “what happened to your parents?”

Jake sucked in a deep breath before laying his intertwined fingers on the table. “T-They pas-passed away. Soldiers from the War-something kingdom came in and ex-ex-ex… executed them. Samantha saved…” He stopped himself. He looked at the faces of his family, all filled with worry. He released his fingers before pressing one of them against his cheek. He picked up a sliver of a tear, more streaming down past him He wiped them away before continuing with his story. “I fled with Samantha, she saved me. We escaped and came to this kingdom. We’ve been on the road for a long time before we met up with Crow and the others.”

“The adventurers that you met up with, right?” Berry asked. Jake softly nodded his head.

“Wait, where’s Samantha? I want to meet her. Is she tall or strong?” Slyvia started. Theo shielded her mouth with his hand. She furrowed her brows, looking up at her dad. He shook his head at her. She then turned back around to face Jake. “Sorry,” she whispered. 

“I apologize, continue with your story,” Theo told him.

Jake nodded, getting back to his story. “She helped me and we were close to here, but… one of the Riders caught her off-guard. He got her.” 

His family nodded their heads. Hana was on the verge of tears at Jake’s story. Berry and Theo remained stoneface, trying to fight any tears that came their way. Slyvia sunk into her chair, looking away. Her face grew red as a person in her mind kicked at her for her comment. She acted insensitively about Jake’s situation, embarrassed by that thought. 

“She pa-passed away as well. Then we left the grave and came here.”

“Well, uh…” Berry started, standing up from his chair. “You made it through a dangerous journey to arrive here, but now you’re safe. Consider this as your safe haven, a place to find yourself. However, before I can introduce you to your new home, I must ask a question. Are you a Tanker?”

“Tanker?” Jake questioned. “I-I am.”

“I see,” Berry broke into a smile. “You really are like her. Oh, did you know that she was a Tanker?”

Jake shook his head. 

“Yeah, she was one of the strongest Tankers to live, aside from some other lass.”

“She was? Jake asked.

“She was a beautiful woman and an inspiring existence to many. Myself included.” Hana told him.  

“Yes, she was a sight to behold…” Berry’s voice trailed off. His mind ventured through his mind, visiting his memories. Meanwhile, Hana directed the conversation to a different topic. 

“The capital hires any Tanker they can find. I wouldn’t be surprised if the king himself accepted you.” Hana remarked. 

“You should try your luck out in the capital. Maybe you could find a good job there. It’s best to use your powers under proper supervision.” Theo chimed in. 

“Will the backlash decline if I use my powers?” Jake asked. 

Hana nodded her head. “You shouldn’t be restricting your power usage. By doing that, you increase the strength of the backlash. That’s how your mother did it. She was hired by a noble family for a short while, training her control over her powers until she fully mastered them. By then, the backlash would diminish to a small pinch.” Hana informed him, glancing up at Berry, absorbed in his thoughts. 

“Yeah, so getting hired by a noble family would be the best option,” Slyvia added. She sheepishly looked up at Jake. 

“You should aim to get hired by a wealthy noble family,” Theo told him.

“Y-You’re kicking me out?” Jake asked, his eyes wet. 

“No, no, no!” Hana exclaimed, waving her hands in front of you back and forth. “We’re not kicking you out!”

“We can’t have you train here, for the moment. We’re renting this land from a rather rude landlord. If you break anything while using your powers, then it’ll grant the landlord a chance to throw us off this land. For now, you’ll have to train in an environment where nothing important will be destroyed and your future could be prosperous. Going out and breaking a tree’s branch in this part of Quells can grant you trouble with the landlords and the law. There are multiple grouchy landlords everywhere, all of them ready to arrest you for breaking a weed on accident.” Theo explained. 

“Oh,” remarked Jake. He watched the reactions of his family, all sympathetic and caring. He then broke a smile, washing away their worries for a moment. Jake stood up and declared “I understand. I will go to the capital and get hired by a noble family, but, for now, I want to stay here.”

“Of course, you are family here. We care about your well-being.” Hana told him.

“We are family,” Theo said.

Berry escaped his thoughts and reentered reality. He sat back down, intertwining his fingers on the table. “Whatever you want, we’ll be by your side.”

“I don’t know too much about what we’re doing, but, in the end, we are related by blood. I heard blood is thicker than water.” Slyvia chimed in.

Jake nodded, covering his face with his arms. The floodgates were broken, his tears streaming down his cheek. “Thank you, everybody.”

 

TBC…

Episode Three "Landlord"

A week after Jake was dropped off at his grandparents’ home, he had settled in the best he could. He was familiarizing himself with the few acres of land that his family-owned. Luscious green grass nearly filled every inch of the land. Strong oak trees secured the perimeter while the wolves that his grandmother cared for, took on the mission of protecting the farm. 

Jake investigated the land’s contents; a small chicken coop, a medium-sized stable, and a small barn at the farthest corner away from the farmhouse. The mesh fence that made up the chicken coop allowed him to peer at the five chickens and two roosters that came out of their chicken house. The coop wasn’t pre-made or like the normal coops. It was made out of darkwood, wood infused with magic, and mesh fences. At the center of the strange coop was an oak tree, extending to twenty feet in height. The chicken house was put at the base of the oak tree. 

Fifteen feet from the chicken coop was a withered stable, housing two horses. The first horse was young and silver. A scar went down from its right eye to right cheek. It neighed as he entered. The other horse was chocolate-colored and seemed to have aged a bit, but was free of scars or wounds. The second horse looked up proudly as Jake’s eyes lingered on him, taking in the sight of the horse. The other horse looked away, slightly ashamed. 

His last destination was the small barn, furthest away from everything else. He went up to the barn and peered inside. The interior was well-kept and organized. Hay bales and farming tools were nicely organized, clearing a space for Jake to walk through the middle of the barn’s floor. He went through the middle and looked at every corner of the barn. Nicely stacked bundles of hay, bags of corn, and other farming necessities waited patiently in corners and atop each other. 

After going through the chicken coop, stables, and barn, Jake returned to the farmhouse. Waiting for him at the doorstop was his grandmother Hana. She waited like a newlywed waiting for her husband to return from the war. 

“Welcome, back. Did you enjoy your adventure?” She asked him as he neared her.

“Yes,” He responded. 

“Perfect, come inside and get some tea. Slyvia brewed it for you.” She told him. He nodded, taking up her offer and heading inside. Hana watched him as he sat down at the table, sipping Slyvia’s tea. Slyvia stood by his side, smiling while watching him. She was proud to have him drink her tea. 

While Jake chatted with Slyvia, Hana heard the clopping of a horse’s hooves nearing her. She turned around and recognized the carriage that was nearing her home. It belonged to the landlord, a rude and blunt man named Mr. Nats.

The carriage stopped in front of the house. Mr. Nats jumped out of the carriage and walked up the steps to Hana. He resembled a businessman with his slicked-back hair and black almost-tuxedo-like shirt and matching dress pants. He walked with confidence, his back straightened, and his eyes glued on Hana. 

“I’m here for this month’s rent. Where is it?” He asked bluntly. Two of his bodyguards stepped out of the carriage. They were muscular men at a towering seven feet height. Nats used them to intimidate his renters. 

“I-I-I’ll go g-get my hu-husband.” She fumbled over her words, closing the door behind her. She rushed to Berry and informed him of the situation. Berry nodded, grabbing a knife and hiding it in his waistband. He then went into the basement, which Jake had no knowledge about, and took out the money hidden in a shoebox. He handed the money to Hana who counted every bill. Once she finished, a tear fell from her eye. Berry understood what the tear meant. They didn’t have enough to pay this month’s rent. Not paying would cause a fuss and potentially get them kicked off the land.

Without much of a choice aside from kneeling and begging Nats to give them more time, Berry and Hana went back to the door and opened it, revealing Nats tapping his foot. He beckoned for the money. Becky reluctantly parted with the money before hovering his hand over the knife. Nats counted the money, glancing up at the couple to intimidate them. He finished counting the money, handing it off to one of his bodyguards. 

Nats turned to face the couple, rubbing his temples softly. “You’re short on money. Where is the remaining fourth?”

“We don’t have the money yet. Can you give us a few weeks to get the rest? We’re going to sell some stuff and get the money.” Berry told him. 

“Ha!” Nats exclaimed. “I need the money now. Every day I don’t have the money, I’ll double it.”

“What? That is tyranny!” Hana exclaimed. Her shout was heard by Jake and Slyvia, attracting them to the doorstep. 

“You can’t do that! We’re suffering already!” Berry exclaimed. 

“Too bad, I assigned a day to pick up a rent before you moved here. I need the money today or else.” He threatened. The bodyguards stepped forward, wielding baseball bats. 

Slyvia jumped out and stood in front of Hana and Berry. She extended her hands out to block them. The bodyguards stopped and scoffed at her. They pointed and laughed at her. Nats shook his head as he walked close to her, his breath wafting onto her.

“What are you going to do, pip-squeak?” He muttered into