5 Diverging path
"Huff... Huff...." Yin panted as she ran around her backyard.
Yang and Ruby interpreted this as playing tag and decided who was it after a quick game of rock, paper, scissors before running with Yin. Which was good, as Yin would look strange if she was running laps by herself.
It had been two years since her awakening and a few things have changed. The most significant being that Summer was alive and well. How? Yin wasn't too sure but came up with a few theories, since she can't exactly go up to Summer and ask "Why are you still alive?"
One theory she came up with was a simple one. Summer couldn't get in contact with Raven and didn't come up with that plan to confront Salem. Not to mention the lack of a certain story book. But Yin figured Summer was special enough to not be ignored by Salem and the Mythic class Grimm, so she came up with another theory.
Summer was basically Ozpin's trump card against Mythic class Grimm. Sending her out on solo missions would be a brain dead move on his part. And even given her optimistic outlook on things, she wouldn't risk it all on a chance to stop Salem. Her eyes were just too valuable to. Though, looking at her stats, Yin wondered if she could solo any of the Mythic class if she put her all into it.
[Summer Rose
Lv: ? Age: 26
--------------
Titles: Silver Eyed Warrior, Cookie Monster, Cowgirl
HP: 20,000 MP: 0 Skills: Weapon Master: Lv 8, Cooking: Lv 9, Forging: Lvl 10, Power of the Silver eyes: Lvl 4.
Strength: ??? Vitality: ??? Agility ??? Perception: ??? Intelligence: ??? Aura: A Class Semblance: ?]
It took her multiple tries but the Observe skill was steadily leveled to the point where she could see a bit of Summer's stats.
'Holy hell she seems strong. If I were to make a guess, I'd estimate Summer to be able to easily bench press a full bus without much difficulty, given what I've seen of her exercises. Dad's not far behind her either.. Wait what is that last title..?' Yin thought before hearing a notification.
[Daily Quest completed! 0.5/0.5 Kilometers ran, 30/30 Pushups, 30/30 situps, 30/30 crunches]
'May not seem like much for a healthy adult but this shit is tiring as a seven year old' Yin thought, catching her breath before feeling a small hand tap her back.
"You it!" Ruby exclaimed before running away.
"Right.. tag." Yin muttered before letting Ruby get far enough away before she began to chase her and Yang.
While running after her sisters, Yin glanced at the Quest she recieved after her awakening. It looked a lot more intimidating, knowing not even Summer had killed one.
[Quest: Kill all Mythic Grimm. Difficulty: Godly. 0/30 killed]
Yin shook her head of forboding thoughts and brought her attention back to her sisters. The Grimm could wait a little while. Right now, she wanted to enjoy the moment. After an hour of play, Yang had a scheming look about her. The one where kids look around to see if there were any adults near by to stop what they were about to do. Yin, giving a tired Ruby a piggyback ride, narrowed her eyes at her twin.
"Yaaaang? What are you doing?" Yin asked, making her twin freeze as she made her way over to the shed and pulled out a little red wagon.
"Um.. Just pulling out a cart so Ruby can be carried easy?" Yang replied, avoiding eye contact.
"Lemme rephrase the question then. What do you plan to do?" Yin asked, eyeing the wagon carefully.
"Nothing.." Yang looked away and answered.
'She still wants to meet Raven? I thought Summer's presence here would have changed that. And where did she even hear about her?' Yin asked herself, sighing at Yang's answer.
"Tell me the truth, Yang. Or I'll have to wake Summer up from her nap. And you know how she gets.." Yin threatened.
"Woah woah! Okay okay! I was.. I wanted to look for the lady in the picture. I saw it! The one with Uncle Qrow, Mom, Dad and her." Yang replied, face paling at the threat.
"Ooh yeah dat one." Ruby interjected, nodding in response.
"And.. you wanted to go... where to look for this lady? Why even look for her?" Yin asked, seeing Yang's expression drop.
"Um... cos' you look like her a lot. Like.. a lot alot. Maybe she's your real Mom? WAIT.. Are we not really sisters then!?" Yang panicked as her train of thought derailed.
Ruby gasped in shock too, looking back and forth between them.
"Wh.. Kids.." Yin muttered while rubbing her temples.
"Yang.. We're twins, okay? We couldn't be more related than we already are. Where are you planning to go to look for this lady?" Yin asked, seeing Yang calm down at her previous statement.
"Oh good.. Well there's this shack place not too far from our house. The picture's from there. So maybe if we go.... She'll be there!" Yang proudly declared as Ruby nodded her head.
[Story Quest! Protect Yang and Ruby while trekking through the forest! Or: Leave Yang and Ruby to trek through the forest alone!
Reward for Protection: Skill: ?'s Wrath
Reward for Leaving: Single child status!]
Yin's face darkened at the alternate option. She could temporarily stop Yang from going but when she took her eyes off her, she knew Yang would just go looking. The other option wasn't even a real option to her either. She grew pretty attached to her sisters, so leaving them to die in the woods just wouldn't feel right to her.
Yin dragged her hands down her face and let loose a big sigh before turning towards Ruby and Yang.
"Fine.. Just stick close to me though, okay? Traveling in the woods is dangerous. And you have to listen to me, okay? If I say run, you better run back here. I don't care how it looks.. Got it, Yang?" Yin stepped over to her sister and asked, arms folded.
"Ehh..? I guess.." Yang hesitantly agreed.
"I wanna hear you say it." Yin demanded.
"Aw fine. I got it." Yang relented, looking away from her sister's stern face.
"Good. Load Ruby up in the wagon. You'll pull her since this is your idea." Yin said, making Yang grumble as she put Ruby in the wagon with some pillows and a small blanket.
And thus, they started on their walk through the forest. Yin was vigilant, expecting any manner of Grimm to suddenly spring out of the trees and bushes. She quietly assessed herself and wondered how strong an average Beowolf could be.
[Status Yin Xiaolong Race: Human/? Hybrid Lv: 1 Age: 7
------------
HP: 15 MP: 0 Titles: None Skills: Observe- Lv: 5 Accelerate- Lv: 2
Strength: 19 Vitality: 15 Agility: 15 Perception: 12 Intelligence: 15 Aura: D class. Free points: 10]
The Daily Quests didn't give her an abundance of free stat points, as she had hoped. It seemed to increase her training gains, bit by bit though. She suspected more points would be earned as she grew and the daily quests became harder. Yin wondered how she stacked against the average Grimm. She had been saving a few points if she ever encountered one.
"Hey.. Yin? Does the forest seem.. scarier to you?" Yang asked meekly, keeping quiet as Ruby had fallen asleep.
"You know, we could still head back? You don't really need to meet the lady, right?" Yin asked.
"I do..! She's our real Mom, right? I'm not dumb.. We don't look like Mom.. and you look almost exactly like this lady. So I wanna know... Why she left.." Yang muttered.
'I honestly hadn't expected that from her. I guess I underestimate you too much, sis." Yin ruffled the top of Yang's hair with a smile.
"I get it. But I don't think she'll be here. Not that saying this will stop you anyway.." Yin sighed to herself.
"Ehe..." Sheepishly, Yang laughed.
"We're here." Yin called out softly, calling attention to the ruined shed in front of them.
"Gre-Oh.." Yang's excitement fizzled out once she saw the state of the shed.
It looked like it had been torn down by something big. Yin noticed claw marks on the wood. She knew Grimm actively destroyed people and their creations but this looked personal, almost. Yang stepped forward, trying to discern anything of note. But the only notable thing there was how ruined everything was.
"There's.. nothing..." Yang said dejectedly.
Yin nodded before feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The feeling of being watched crept up within her as Yin looked around at the thick woods all around them. But she saw nothing. Yin grabbed Yang's wrist and pulled her back from the ruined shed.
"Yang, we're going." Yin ordered, but felt Yang pull back.
"Not yet! There has to be something.." Yang replied, unwilling to give up.
"What did we agree on earlier? Listen to me, Yang. We are leaving. There's nothing here. Take the wagon handle and let's-" Yin felt a pit in her stomach and forcefully pushed Yang away.
A black blur suddenly barreled through where Yang used to be. Snarling in rage at the missed opportunity, it turned to face the two children. One looked more tempting, but the other's fear and confusion called to its instincts.
Yang looked up at the six and a half foot Beowolf with wide eyes. While Yin stood off to its side with a deep grimace. Yang felt her heart race with fear as it faced her, fangs opening to take a bite out of her.
"YANG! RUN! TAKE RUBY AND GO!" Yin yelled before her little fist hit the Beowolf right above its reverse joined knee, making its balance unstable.
"But... But.. what-" Yang was cut off by another yell from her sister.
"Go! Protect Ruby!" Yin called out, taking the Beowolf's attention.
"I-I'll get Mom!" Yang replied shakily as she hurriedly pulled the waking Ruby away.
[Observe- Beowolf Lv: 10 Age: 5
------------
HP: 98/100 MP: 0 Skills: Claw and Fang-Lv: 5, Howl of fear-Lv:3, Pack tactics-Lv8
Strength: 50 Vitality: 20 Agility: 30 Perception: 12 Intelligence: 5]
Yin cursed as she glimpsed at its stats. Though it was a quick look, the Grimm used the opportunity to attack, raking its claws against Yin's aura, knocking her into the shed with a heavy thud.
'Fuck! This is cannon fodder? It's a fucking Werewolf!' Yin cursed in her mind before hurriedly backing away from the Beowolf's next pounce, which had destroyed the rest of the ruined shed.
The Grimm's red eyes locked on Yin as its boney armored jaw lunged forward, biting onto her arm and shaking its head. Yin bit back a scream as she felt her aura tank another hit. The pain was mitigated but being bitten was still not a pleasant experience. Yin punched its unprotected lower jaw to try and rattle its head enough where it let go. But it was either too weak or Grimm simply lacked brain matter to begin with. With another shake of its head, it smashed Yin through the planks of wood left over from the shed. Her aura flared once before breaking, allowing the Beowolf's fangs to pierce her arm and draw blood.
"Aaagh! Fuckfuckfuck!" Yin cursed, feeling the Grimm press down on her, its jaw threatening to break her bones and rend her flesh.
Reaching out desperately for anything, Yin grabbed a small, broken piece of wood and stabbed it into the crimson eye glaring down at her, shocking the Grimm enough that it released Yin and shook its now bleeding head.
Yin scrambled to her feet and backed up, grabbing a flimsy piece of wood in her good hand and raised it in defense. Her other, bloody arm sagging uselessly as she bit her lip.
'Put all ten points into strength.. I'm not gonna outrun this thing with twenty-five agility and even if I do, it'll just switch targets to Yang..' Yin grimaced as she put ten points into strength, raising it to twenty-nine.
Still not equal to the Beowolf, but she was an arm down with a flimsy piece of wood, trying to kill a Werewolf. She internally made some comparison to starting with the worst class in a Soulsborne game.
'He's coming again..' Yin quickly dove away as the Beowolf lunged again, landing on her wounded arm with a hiss of pain before rising and smacking the Grimm's unprotected chin with the piece of wood.
"RAAAGH!" This seemed to only piss it off though, as it swung its large clawed hands and left four gashes across Yin's previously uninjured arm, splattering blood across the nearby trees.
Yin staggered back, wincing at the pain before ducking another swing and smacking the piece of wood against its jaw so hard, it broke in half. Though the effectiveness of her impromptu weapon was severely diminished, the Beowolf actually seemed injured by the strike. Its head snapping back from the force and making it snarl in anger.
[Beowolf HP: 75/100]
Yin glanced at its status and gnashed her teeth.
'All of that and this fuckface only has a boo-boo!?' Yin cursed before feeling the Beowolf's hand grab her and smash her into the nearest tree.
"Kh...!" Yin coughed as she felt something inside her rattle and crack.
[Yin Xiaolong HP: 3/15]
'So I'm gonna die... just like that?' Yin felt a surge of frustration as she tried to pry off fingers trapping her.
[Story Quest: Protect Yang and Ruby while trekking through the forest- Complete!]
Yin's thoughts slowed as the system's announcement had cut in.
[?'s wrath acquired]
Then a fiery feeling began to course through her veins. A haze of anger and violence settled in her mind as she looked at the lower lifeform that was about to kill her. Yin's hands pried the Beowolf's fingers away from her, snapping two of them in half before striking it in the sternum and making it fall backwards.
"Haaa... Ahaha..." A hoarse laugh escaped her lips as she cluthched her chest and glared at the Grimm.
"I'm not dead yet, Wolfy.." She whispered before lunging at the rising Grimm.
Ducking a fatal slash, Yin cocked her fist back and struck its chin, making its head reel back from the force. A knee then found its way onto its armored snout, breaking it and some of the armor before the Grimm felt another punch to its body smash it into the tree behind it. Unluckily for it, some branches had pieced its hide and it found itself impaled. Though that did not stop the onslaught of the human it had provoked. Yin rained down punch after punch, disregarding her bloody knuckles as she beat the downed and struggling Beowolf to death. Only stopping once it began to disintegrate.
'Haaah.... haaaaah...' Yin collapsed to her knees, supporting her weight with her hand against a tree.
"That was... One... Beowolf.." Yin said with a depreciative tone.
"What if there were two or more..? Yang and Ruby would be..." Yin furrowed her brow and struck the dirt in anger.
Then she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Blinking, she looked up to see a familiar face. Raven looked down at her. Her stoic expression betraying concern.
"You... were here.. weren't you?" Yin asked, laughing to herself.
"At the end of the fight, I was. You did well." Raven answered, helping her daughter stand.
"Not well enough.. I got lucky." Yin muttered in response.
"You did. You're still growing. But I suspect that reasoning isn't going to cut it with you, is it?" Raven asked, letting her daughter lean on her for stability.
"No.. I can be strong here, sure.. But not until they think I'm ready." Yin answered.
"Then.. come with me. I can teach you to be strong. It won't be easy. But nothing worth gaining ever is." Raven said, looking into Yin's red eyes.
"I know. Teach me. Teach me, so next time.. I don't need to rely on luck. Yang and Ruby could have died because I was too weak. Too cocky to put my foot down and deny her." Yin balled up her fist and admitted.
"I knew it.. You really are.... Come. They'll be here any second." Raven took her blade out and opened a red rift before looking to her daughter.
"Yin! Yin hold on!" Summer's voice called out as she ran over to the two.
"Raven..? What are you.." Summer stopped, seeing the heavy wounds on Yin and paling.
"I'll get her treated, Summer. She's coming with me." Raven stated, curtly.
"Sorry, Summer.. I almost....." Yin shook her head, not finishing her sentence as she noticed Yang run behind Summer.
"Next time I'll be strong enough." Yin stated, before turning her back on them and walking through the rift.
"Raven.. You can't.. That kind of life for a little girl-" Summer was cut off by a snort from Raven.
"You've lived with her for how long, and you still think her a 'little girl', Summer? She's been training her body for two years. She's leagues above other children in intelligence. And she even outstrips most adults in tenacity. She beat a Beowolf to death with her bare hands, Summer. You can only call her a little girl in body alone. Spending her days here doesn't benefit her anymore. I'll raise her to be strong." Raven declared, turning away and preparing to enter the rift.
"Wait! Don't... Don't take my sister away!" Yang cried out, feeling hot tears well up in her eyes.
"You... aren't ready. Grow up. Get strong. Maybe you'll see her again if you do." Raven then walked into the rift, leaving Mother and Daughter alone as it closed.
"YIN!!" Yang cried out before being hugged by Summer.
-Branwen camp-
As soon as Yin stepped through the rift, she saw a tanned, short haired girl doing push-ups in a large tent. Upon seeing her, the girl stood at attention.
"Boss! I was just- Oh fuck did you shrink!?" The girl asked with a panicked look in her eyes.
"I'm too tired and injured to answer retarded questions.." Yin replied before falling face first on the nearby bed.
"BOOOOOSS!!!" The girl cried out before recieving a smack to the back of her head, courtesy of Raven, who had just stepped out of her rift.
"Stop being an idiot and grab the medicine we raided earlier this week, Vernal. All of it." Raven demanded with a glower.
"O-Oh! Understood, Boss!" Vernal replied before hurrying out of her tent.
"...Damn.. now there's blood on my linen sheets." Raven sighed before setting Yin's head on her lap and stroking her hair.
"Uughn..." Yin groaned out in pain.
"Relax. You'll live. Just try to get some rest. We'll patch you up quick." Was the last thing Yin heard before passing out soon after.
