Devil's Rise 8 The Beating

James was pitiful. After being cleaned up he was escorted to his family's home to visit his mother.

"Mother how have you been. I missed you so much." shouted James when he entered the home. He quickly wanted to be done with formalities with his mother.

"Oh James, dear you are back!" exclaimed a beautiful woman who walked into the foyer and grabbed James by the ear.

"Little James you can't be scaring poor mother. I went a whole month without any information concerning your well being. How has the Hudson clan been treating my son." nagged Diana.

"Mom it's been awful. Since I unlocked Soul Dao everyone is looking down on me!"

"Don't you go comparing yourself to others in the Hudson clan. They don't amount to much in the Xertzul Abyss anyway. Ever since your father took up that post as patriarch it is the Hudson clan this and the Hudson clan that. All I care about is my husband, my daughter, and my bratty son. The Hudson clan can kick rocks."

"Mother how could you say such a thing." said James with embarra.s.sment. Simply talking down about the Hudson clan his mothers mouth had no filter.

"Brat you think your father or anyone else in the Hudson clan dare complain to this princess about speaking ill about a Devil Count clan. Even your quote on quote "Devil Ancestor" would have to give me face when speaking to me." said his mother with a hint of mockery.

James laughed thinking how his mother was such a diva of a devil. His mother hailed from the Rossen King clan, much higher in social standing than the Hudson Count clan.

James wondered how his father could pull the wool over her eyes and snag such a high society beauty. His father simply was a toad who managed to kidnap a swan, though he would never tell him that to his face. I'll definitely have to ask father how he pulls the ladies when I get the chance.

"Enough about them. Hows your recovery coming. Rumors say you have difficulties with your vision. Even without sight you can still become a paramount devil. Sight isn't even required to be a good combatant."

"Your mother is also having her hands full with talks with the Mirage Duke clan. You do remember your marriage contract right? Her father already didn't think you were worthy to marry their daughter when we made the contract."

"He thought a Devil Count clan was too lowly for his outstanding Devil Duke clan daughter to marry into. What Hogwash, like a Devil Duke clan is anything within the Abyss. Now they are using the fact you practice Soul Dao as a probable cause to break the marriage contract."

"Obviously they have to give me face so they are using a combination of hard and soft tactics to approach to the situation. The marriage contract is supposed to execute before you two reach the age of 25."

"They do not want their daughter to remain unwed at 25. Waiting to the end of the contract would bring shame to their clan. It would make her look unappealing. The contract states if you unlock an unfavorable Dao you will have to at least become a Baron before the age of 20."

"Mom! That's a lot of information I don't want to hear. I don't even care about the marriage contract it was you and your best friend who arraigned it wanting your children to be together. I've only met the la.s.s once or twice when we were kids and she seemed like a spoiled little brat. She's not worthy of this young master."

James honestly had no thoughts pertaining to the marriage contract. It wasn't even his idea to get married in the first place! This young devil is an eligible bachelor, I should be doing eligible bachelor things. I definitely have to ask father how he got the beauties back in his day. He for sure would not voice his true thoughts to his mother as she was already on his case about the incident.

You may wonder if devils are so long lived why they would get married so quickly. Devil clans fostered blood descendants. All devils were expected to be married by age 25 and pop out a new generation of blood descendants for the clan. Only through this way could clans grow.

Children normally belonged to the father's clan, but some clans were so overbearing they required the children of their daughters to belong to their clan. That way their bloodline would ever leave the clan.

"My dear son, I see you have grown bold since becoming an Esquire. You dare think you can disregard the face of your poor old mother." said Diana with a wicked smile.

"Lets go to the training ground, I want to make sure my son is not useless."

"No mother I definitely need to get back to recovery. I still am hurting, and I can't even see! The training grounds are not for me." screamed James as he attempted to run. James did not want to be dragged to the training grounds by his mother. The best way to describe his mother would be utterly barbaric and thats putting it lightly.

He'd always hear his father complaining with a smile, his body filled with bruises, after being dragged off to the training grounds and beaten by his mother. She was not a useless princess of a Devil King clan.

Her combat prowess was well known through out the Xertzul Abyss. Whenever James tried to ask his mother about her n.o.ble t.i.tle he would always get a reply that it was impolite to ask a lady about her t.i.tle.

"My dear son, I'll definitely give you a good lesson at the training field." said Diana as she dragged the crying James away.

James proceeded to be beaten black and blue. Not even his mother would be able to recognize him anymore and his mother was the one who did the beating! His mother told him she had covered her own eyes. The worst part is his mother used strength comparable to the initial Esquire realm.

Her attacks and movements were fluid. This battle really stomped James. Most devils would usually have difficulty fighting at their full potential suppressing their strength and she even went further to become blind just like him. She brought her devilry realm and Devil Arts to be exactly equal to his and proceeded to beat him up in a domineering fas.h.i.+on.

You must understand, James wasn't a green horn when it came to combat! He had grew up training in martial combat. His number one goal was always to defeat Mikael, his sworn nemesis. If he didn't train diligently Mikael would easily capture him and subject him to all sort of youthful pranks.

He had difficulty acclimating to actually fighting with no vision, but his mother was simply amazing at it. He felt his world view had widen from this fight. Maybe I can become a blind master!

James was beaten to having his life hanging by a thread by his mother. This had him distraught since she did not use any skills or Devil Arts beyond initial Esquire realm. Anything she had done in the combat he technically should be able to do. He felt if he could execute techniques and skills as skillfully as his mother he would be a combat expert.

"My dear son, I see you have much to learn about combat. Honestly not bad for your first fight without your sight. But even if you could see you would need at least a century of training before you can barely not be thrashed by your mother at the same realm."

"Your mother was known to be undefeated at the same devilry realm when she first began strutting around this Abyss and that has not ever changed. You have to work harder at the fundamentals of combat to give this princess face."

"If I'm undefeated at the same devilry realm you must at least be better than the average devil or people will start to look down on me. Eat this pill and rest the night here. I will see you again tomorrow morning at sunrise."

James ate the pill his mother gave him and felt his wounds healing. Even his eyes felt a little better. I see why my father was always smiling after being thrashed by mother, fighting her is the best combat training anyone could ever hope for. Mother is a master of combat, all your flaws are an open book to her.

Mother just gave me a strong medical pill that can heal me over night. Oh no, if this becomes a cycle I'm doomed. The only way to not get thrashed is to actually improve my Combat Arts.

James spent the evening in his room sore and thinking about the combat training with his mother. He thought he had a good understanding of fighting. His whole world view changed with this one round of beatings from his mother. James suspected his mother was a true and blue Battle Devil.

Battle Devils were devils who strictly stuck to polis.h.i.+ng their combat skills to be the best of the best. At the same devilry realm Battle Devils were supposed to strive to be undefeated. They even had their own a.s.sociation like the Blacksmith a.s.sociation. All Battle Devils registered with Battle Devil a.s.sociation were true freaks of martial combat.

The future had become bleak for our poor devil hero. Over the next few weeks he was continually dragged by his dotting mother to be viciously beaten every single day. The only way he could lesson the beatings was improve himself!

But the worst thing was every time he had a slight improvement and thought the beatings would lessen his mother got better at beating him. It was a never ending cycle, when his father saw him he just smiled and told James that he should cherish such an opportunity. James cried!

One day his mother finally told him the beatings would come to an end. His mother told him she had important work to attend to. She however felt that he had actually learned how to properly fight while blind. Even though she did not teach him any special Devil Arts or Combat Arts she had taught him the basics of battle.

James now had a sixth sense in combat and his vision did not seem like such a burden. He could move out and about in the world. Here final worlds were the next time she sees him he better have good improvement. If not they will have another combat training boot camp!