The Bloodforged Kin

Zavier stared at the kids in turn, reviewing their data. "Sorry guys, you're too low level for me to see anything in particular that will help right now." He'd reviewed their current potential skills and there wasn't anything standing out.

"Cass, you've got some promising defensive seeds waiting to grow. And Luna," he glanced at her with a teasing smile, "well, you're a bit of a wild card right now," he chuckled. Luna's face fell slightly, but Zavier leaned forward, his tone earnest. "That doesn't mean you're not capable, it just means we've been holding you back. We've been too cautious with your training, and that ends today. You've got potential and it's time to unlock it."

He and Tess had talked about it before this and agreed that they'd been over-planning in an attempt to keep the kids safe. But it wasn't a safe world and all they were doing was holding them back at this point.

"So we're going into the woods?" Luna asked with excitement, her hand caressing the gauntlet.

"Ooooh, no," Zavier laughed, "you will soon enough, but we're going to stick to yard training for now. I'm just going to make sure it's as challenging as possible without you two getting killed straight off. I'm going to keep an eye on the skills you're practicing and becoming eligible for, and we will try to optimize your growth so that you get even stronger than us in the long run."

Tess had rejected all offers by Zavier to help review her potential paths and he would never violate her trust by looking without permission, but they'd agreed that when it came to the kids it was a sound strategy. Why have the advantage and not take it?

"So," Tess joined in, "you're going to suit up and we're going to the yard to train. The goal is for both of you to hit level five in the next couple days. If one of you hits it, don't accept until the other hits it too. The last thing we need is one of you blanking out for a second mid-fight."

"Can we go visit the Bouchards?" Luna asked.

"Maybe after," Tess said. "For now training is our top priority." She stood up and looked at them both. "Suit up. Let's go."

Ten minutes later the family was standing in the backyard, the party chat active and everyone in position. Cass and Luna were in the middle of the lawn, standing side-by-side, with Zavier about 10 feet away from them. Tess had her back to the house and was sweeping the woods, pistol in hand. Zavier glanced to the roof and saw Maisy looking down at them with interest in her eyes. She looked at him and flipped her tail dismissively before dropping her head on her paws. Zavier smiled and turned back to the kids.

"Here we go!" he said, then whistled. Rustling sounded and two Scamperers emerged from the woods, already charging the closest targets. Luna's first shot went wide, but her second clipped a Scamperer's ear. Cass was already moving, shield up, trying to angle himself between the creatures and Luna - only his sidestep put him right into her line of fire. The shot caught his shoulder and spun him, but he still managed to deflect one creature's leap before stumbling forward. The second Scamperer barreled into Luna, knocking her down hard.

"Shit!" Luna gasped, trying to bring the gauntlet to bear from the ground.

"I'm okay!" Cass called out, though his right arm hung useless and blood was seeping through his shirt.

Two quick gunshots rang out and both squirrels thumped to the ground before dissolving. Tess was already moving toward them, smoke still curling from her pistol. They rushed to Cass just as Luna scrambled to her feet, her face pale with shock.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"I shot you," she said, her voice trembling. "Cass, I'm so sorry!"

Zavier and Tess shouldered her aside and Tess tore his shirt open where the shot had gone through. There was an angry hole where the shot had hit but Zavier could see it had stopped when it hit his shoulder blade.

"Everyone inside!" Tess yelled but Zavier stopped her.

"No!" he said and flinched at the rage in Tess's face. "Tess, we can't heal this with anything in there. We need to get him leveled up. He has to fight through this."

Tess ignored him and pulled Cass to his feet but Zavier grabbed her wrist.

The patience that was normally omnipresent in his voice was gone and his voice was harsh. "Stop! Look at his health in the interface!"

She looked confused for a second then understanding dawned.

Cassian Torres Health: 76%
Impairments: Bleeding, right arm immobile

As they watched his health bar ticked down another percent.

"He is still mostly healthy, it just hurts like hell and is bleeding. We can't fix a hole that size, but leveling up will."

Her clenched jaw worked furiously and she was glaring at him.

"We have to make them stronger, Tess," the gentleness was back in his voice. "This won't be the last injury they get."

Her head jerked to the side as if she'd been struck and her eyes shone with unshed tears, but then she looked back at him. "Fine. But I need to get some gauze on this wound to stop the bleeding. He needs to rest until we can get him leveled up."

Zavier nodded then turned his head as he heard more rustling. "Okay, get him inside and patched up. I'm going to work with Luna."

Tess slung Cass's uninjured arm over her shoulder and helped him toward the house while Zavier ran to Luna. She was staring at the blood on the grass where Cass had been standing, her hands shaking.

"Luna! Luna! I need you to pay attention!" Her eyes focused on him but still looked dazed. "Cass will be okay. I need you to focus now."

"I shot him," she whispered. "I shot my own brother."

"You made a mistake," Zavier said firmly. "What did you learn from it?"

She was quiet for a moment, trying to process. "I... I need to watch where he is before I fire. I knew that, but when those things came charging out..." She shook her head. "My brain just froze for a second."

"That happens. What else?"

"I don't know!" Frustration and guilt warred in her voice. "I hit one of them, at least partially. But then everything went wrong."

He looked over her shoulder and could see a patch of brown that didn't quite match the forest behind it. "Behind me, about ninety feet. See it?"

Luna turned slowly, scanning until her eyes locked on the movement. "Yeah."

The Scamperer emerged from the woods, chittering as it spotted them. It began its charge.

Luna raised the gauntlet but her hands were still trembling. "I can't - what if I miss? What if I make it worse?"

"You won't," Zavier said. "You hit the last one even with Cass right there. Trust your aim."

She took a shaky breath and steadied the gauntlet. Her first shot went slightly wide, but she adjusted and the second caught the creature center mass, staggering it. A third shot dropped it completely.

"Better," Zavier said with approval. "What did you learn from this one?"

"That I can hit them," she said quietly, some of the confidence creeping back into her voice. "I just need to take the time to aim."

Both of their heads turned as they heard multiple sources of rustling. "What do you do now?" His voice was heavy with desperation as more creatures approached.

It only took her a split second to realize what he was asking. "Aim carefully. And pay attention to my surroundings." Her voice was still shaky, but there was determination there too.

"Good," he said, "you got this, chica."