[Chapter 9]
Raven Branwen did not know how her life ended up being like this. She was a bandit, born and raised. Then a huntress. Then a wife and a mother, for maybe a month or two, she wasn't too certain. Then she was back to being the most infamous Bandit Queen Anima had ever seen. And for a while, she was proud of that fact. Sure, most of their hits were slightly defenceless villages, but there was a reason no Huntsman had managed to shut them down. And that reason was her.
Now though. She was lying on her bed on a Saturday morning, one daughter attached to her side as she quietly snored, and the other sprawled across her and letting out noises that would put a bullhead to shame. And for once in her life, she could happily, and very easily, say that she was content. She didn't have to walk out of a tent and suddenly start barking orders to braindead bandits. She wasn't forced to go do any special missions for the bastard himself. She could just, lie here, with not a single worry. Besides maybe the amount of drool that Ruby was letting out.
But, if there was one thing, one tiny thing that Raven could change. It would be to get rid of the fool doing that INCESSANT KNOCKING!
Lightly moving the sprawled Yang off of her. She shot to her feet, Ruby somehow manoeuvring herself from Raven's side and now onto her back. If there was one thing the Rose-Xiaolong family had to come to terms with, it was the fact that Ruby had discovered she had a hell of a grip. If she wanted hold of something, she got it, and was not letting go. It did not help that she was suddenly a cuddler as well.
Charging down the stairs, she marched over to the still knocking door and swung it open. A fierce glare on her face as she stared at the green haired bespectacled soon to be corpse in front of her. A thermos in his hands and very obvious dishevelled clothing. The wild green hair and darting eyes did little to help his current case.
"What." She managed to growl out. "Raven?! My it has been a long time since we last saw each other! I was still under the impression that you were moseying around Anima with your little tribe! It's good to see you've decided for the better and have returned! Pleasantries aside I've come to take a look at the biological mystery that is your daughter?! Daughter in law?! Niece?! One of the three! Glynda informed me earlier this week and I've finally managed to spare a day off from my current studies! If you wouldn't mind and we get on with this I'm sure I can discover quite a bit!" The hyperactive man only needed a single breath, and to be honest she wasn't even sure he did breathe after the fact as all he did was take a long sip from his thermos.
Her enraged glare however slowly turned to one of mild annoyance as he continued to explain the reasons for his visit. "Bart… It's 08:30 in the morning." She growled out, but relented either way at his expectant stare and stepped aside. The man dashing into the house and looking around, going from corner to corner. "Wonderful! Now then, would you mind if we woke her up!?" He asked, dashing back and coming face to face with Raven right as she shut the door.
"No. I'm going to make breakfast, she'll wake up from that." She answered whilst readjusting the girl on her back and heading for the kitchen. "BREAKFAST! What a wonderful idea! It's important that our bodies are at top shape and are ready to take on the day! Why, that's precisely the reason I have my three coffees waiting for me when I wake up! Need that little kick in the morning to go and make the special wake up blend no!?" Bart exclaimed, dashing after and grabbing a carton of eggs before stashing it next to her. She stared down at it before levelling him with a raised brow. "What are you doing?" She managed to ask.
"I'm helping of course! The quicker food is prepared and eaten! The quicker we can begin our science! And eggs are a perfect way to start the day! Now, may I suggest you scramble the eggs?! Conversely, a nice omelette in the morning can never go wrong!" His suggestions heard, she continued to level him with a flat stare before sighing and getting on with life by grabbing an egg.
The first crack made the young girl on Raven's back stir before she let out a loud yawn. The green haired coffee addict quickly darted over and began to inspect her opened mouth, a serious look on his face before he nodded when she closed and rubbed her blurry eyes awake. "Fascinating. Truly fascinating! Her teeth seem to have converted to be able to tear at meats easier, seeming to be leaning more towards the carnivorous state rather than our base omnivore!" An open scroll appearing in his hands as he furiously typed away. "The molar teeth which are usually large and flat have gained a rather sharp look to them! I wonder why this has happened!? A change of teeth would usually indicate a change of dietary needs! Raven!? Anything different in that area?!" He asked, Raven in turn just sighing and accepting her fate.
"Meat, and spicy. No clue why on the second one but she's just like her dad." She answered, deciding to ignore his presence in favour of sitting Ruby at the table and going back to making the food. "Fascinating! Simply fascinating! I must thank Glynda for this opportunity some other time!" He spoke out, head still buried in his scroll as Ruby watched on with a confused head tilt.
"Who are you?" She asked him, Bart shooting up and pushing his glassed back to sit properly on his nose. "I am Doctor Bartholemew Oobleck my dear! My lovely friend Glynda brought up your situation to me not too long ago and requested that I take a look! You see, I am a man of science and discovery! So an opportunity like this is simply astounding to me! I wish to help find out all there is to know about your current condition so that you may have all the advantages you can get in life! And understanding oneself is the greatest of advantages anyone could ask for!" He introduced, a sparkle appearing in Ruby's eyes as he continued to talk.
"No way! So you're here cause Aunt Glynda told you about my super awesome transformation with Gore and we're gonna do some scienceing to find out why, how and what it does?!" She asked back, the same sparkle appearing in Oobleck's eyes as he furiously nodded in response. Neither seemed to be aware of the growing horror on the frozen Raven as she stared down at the pan distraught.
"Now then! Since you are awake and currently waiting on your breakfast that is being made! Would you mind if I gave you a quick look over!?" He asked her, Ruby nodding along in excitement before he darted over next to her, a calculating look on him as he for now, inspected her face after setting his scroll on the table and seemed to be recording.
"Interesting. Interesting! From the pictures I had received beforehand, the horns seemed to have receded into a flat state and are simply bumps on either side of her forehead. Scales around the upper portion of the head have receded to instead frame her face, precisely around her jawline and trailing to below the eyes." He listed off the visible features that could be seen with a quick glance, then all of a sudden, a small flashlight appeared in his hands as he aimed at Ruby's eye, her pupil contracting in size and making her blink. "Don't blink for me." He spoke up forcing Ruby to go wide eyed and stare ahead.
A sudden blow of air made her flinch and blink anyway. "Standard reaction to sudden light source and foreign feeling. Base reflexes of left eye seem to be standard." He added before moving over and doing the same for her right eye. "Perfectly normal on the right as well. Slight discolouration around the pupil area though, a crimson red seems to have started to invade the silver. Further tests required in that area, cannot currently be conducted." The sudden news to her eyes made Raven stop and dart over.
"Let me see." She told the girl, Ruby looking up with innocent confusion as Raven locked onto the small spots of red in her otherwise pure silver eyes. She turned her attention to the Doctor who just shrugged unsure. A grimace wormed its way onto her before she sighed in defeat. Tapping Ruby on the nose, she left the girl to giggle to herself before going back to the food.
"Now then, continuing. Open." He started before poking her chin. Ruby doing as asked and opening her mouth wide as he once more used the flashlight to get a better look than before. "Mhmm. A healthy set of teeth, good to see the younger generation taking care of themselves." His idle comment making Ruby beam in pride. "Thirty-two altogether, not all currently permanent, most have taken on carnivorous traits whilst still holding the shape of that of an omnivore. And… Mhmmm. Deep breath for me." Her tongue hitting the roof of her mouth as her chest puffed up. "And out through the mouth." Hot air escaped, and as he observed, small wisps of purple travelled with it. "Interesting."
Before anything further could be done, a plate was placed in front of Ruby making her expression light up. Oobleck pocketed his small flashlight and ended the recording on his scroll before taking his original seat at the table. "It's important to have a healthy breakfast every morning! So for now we will postpone until you are finished! Take your time and savour the meal! We have all day to continue!" He told the excited girl making her nod before she dug in. With a small smile, Raven kissed the top of Ruby's head and made way towards the front room. "I'm going to wake up your sister and the creatures." She told her getting a nod in response as Ruby continued to munch.
[~~~~]
Out in the garden of the house, Ruby and Doctor Oobleck were stood opposite each other whilst Gore and Raven were off to the side. "Now then! I have a few things I wish to test with you today Young Lady! These are going to include a physical exam, focusing more so on things such as your strength, stamina and speed! Then after that I wish to test things more biologically I suppose we could call it! To be precise, your sense of smell and trying to figure out your vision! Now! As a word of warning, this could take a while as I wish to not only check your base, but also see if we can activate that transformation then do a similar examination there! It won't be much given the lack of equipment! But I wish to be thorough!" He explained to the girl in front of him, his voice naturally loud enough for Raven to hear as well as she nodded approvingly.
"Since some of these tests can be difficult to properly assess, especially in an environment such as this, we are going to keep it all basic! First off, for your strength test, I simply want you to squeeze this!" He started, pulling a grip strength tester out of a bag he had on him, which he didn't earlier. Completely ignoring the new bag, Ruby reached forward and grabbed the small machine with her left hand before squeezing with all her might, a strained look appearing on her face before the machine in her hand beeped.
Taking the machine from her hands, he read the number before typing away at his Scroll, a furious nod along with it before he snapped it shut. "Marvelous! Marvelous! Now then, after requesting your father, a small strip has been measured to exactly One hundred meters! Triple checked it myself! I wish for you to run it, you will be timed, so go as fast as possible! On that thought though! Raven!? Any speed enhancements I may need to know about!?" He called out, turning to the woman who had started lounging at a chair and was now wearing sunglasses with a drink in hand.
"Semblance!" She called back making Oobleck go wide eyed. "Outstanding! For someone of your age to have a semblance! A speed one at that! And apparently enough control to where it would need to be factored for said speed test! Simply Outstanding! Now then! Modifying it a bit, we shall conduct two sperate sprints! One with! And one without! If you could stand over at that mark please, I will stand at the end and you just need to run to me! For now, let's choose without!" Dashing over to the end of the course, he stopped and turned to the ready Ruby, a stopwatch in hand and a calculating eye on every twitch of movement.
"Ready!?" He called, a determined nod in return from the girl making his thumb twitch in anticipation. "Go!" Barely any time at all and she was next to him. "Wonderful Miss Rose! If you wouldn't mind resetting and we can test your semblance!" He told her, typing up the results as Ruby happily skipped back to the start.
"One more time now!" Scroll away and stopwatch at the ready, he received a nod from her as well. "Go!" The instant his finger hit the start, he had to immediately stop. A flurry of rose petals appeared along the path as the young girl stood next to him. A beaming smile on her face as she jumped on the spot. "OUTSTANDING SPEED!" Oobleck shouted with a grin of his own. Instantly jotting down the results. "The acceleration didn't seem to be a problem at all, you went from zero to high at an instant! An absolutely wonderful semblance Miss Rose!" His praise managing to make Ruby bashfully kick at the ground.
"It's pretty cool I guess." She managed to say through her embarrassed grin. "Of course! Now then, let us get on with the final test! If I could have you lap the building let's say… seven times! Yes! Seven times if you would! Try to keep to a steady pace! You are not being timed for this one!" They both walked over to the still relaxing Raven. Gore to her side rising to a sit when he noticed them approaching.
"Now then! Whenever you are ready Miss Rose!" He told her, coming to a stop and sitting at the spare chair with his leg furiously bouncing and heel tapping the floor. "Gotcha Doc. Won't be long." And with that, she was off.
"What a wonderful daughter you have." Oobleck lightly spoke. Surprising Raven slightly as she looked over. "Hm?" She hummed confused. "She's excitable, energetic, dedicated and seems to hold little worries. All good traits for a child like her to have. I'm certain that whatever she chooses to dedicate her life to, she will go far." A proud smile forced its way onto Raven as they both watched Ruby wave to them after finishing her first lap. "She's gonna be a hell of a huntress. Better than all of us, no doubt about it. Both of them are. Yang's just the same, if a little free spirited." She spoke up with a laugh, a chuckle coming from the Doctor as well as he readjusted his glasses.
"Certainly. And that's exactly why we're here. To guide them down the best path to better reach there. Why! It feels like just yesterday I myself accepted that helping hand! And yet here I am extending mine, time sure does become a fleeting thing for us." A snarky grin morphed onto Raven's face with amusement clear in her eyes. "I hope you're not calling me old." She told, a loud and short laugh escaping the Doctor as he shook his head. "I would never! Simply preposterous! I am merely stating that we are wise beyond our obviously very young ages!" Now both of them were lightly laughing to themselves earning weird looks from the Wyvern next to them
"DONE!" Ruby's voice shouted breaking them all away and towards her. Doctor Oobleck shot up in his seat and rushed over with an excited smile on his face. "Well done Miss Rose! Now let's get a base reading of how that affected you!" The two of them going off a little further before Raven turned to the now alert Wyvern.
"You ready for this?" She asked him, receiving a hesitant nod in return as Gore stretched himself. "You know how to do this?" She asked again, this time getting a sway of his head and a few unintelligible noises as an answer. "Great. Going in with your vision." She snarked, a smirk dancing her lips as she stood up and headed over to the two. "Make sure she doesn't over do it yeah." A new voice spoke up. She turned her head to see Tai leaning against the door with Yang stood next to him and holding on to his shirt.
"What do you take me for." She grumbled before continuing on. Coming to a stop in front of them both, she waited until they were looking to her. "Alright. We have a small idea on how this could work. So far it's our only one as well so we're just gonna wing it." She told them, deciding to ignore the two snorts of amusement from behind. "Gem. We're going to have Gore expel as much of that Frenzy stuff as he safely can. And you're going to sit in it. Is that okay?" The plan set out to her, Ruby seemed to think it over for around a second before bouncing back with a bright smile and rapidly nodding.
"WONDERFUL! Now let us commence with science!" Oobleck shouted before darting back to where Tai and Yang were. "Let us know if anything feels wrong." Raven told her before standing and moving to join the others.
Now there were just two. Ruby and Gore. Ruby plopping down to a sit and Gore copying after as they just looked at each other. Her excited smile quickly calmed down as she reached forward and pat his head. "Relax Gore. This will be fine. I promise." She told him, doing as much as she could to make it easier before she got an idea. Patting her lap, Gore understood the message as he walked forward and wrapped himself around her, one of his wings going up and draping over her before he laid his head on her lap, and commenced the pats.
His body relaxed as he basked in the attention before taking a deep breath, and letting it all go. A cloud of purple smoke exploding out from him and quickly encasing them both. Off to the side, both Raven and Tai had to fight the urge to instantly jump in, instead being forced to watch and wait.
Although, the waiting wasn't for long. After around thirty seconds in the smog, a fully transformed Ruby walked out. Both Yang and Oobleck looking giddy as they watched the girl approach with Gore in tow. Her clawed hands threating to drag across the floor as her newly formed tail in fact did. Her horns pulsing a neon pink every few seconds whilst she kept her head facing their direction.
"Are you still with us Miss Rose?" Oobleck asked, taking a sip from his thermos straight after and watching as she nodded her head. "Wonderful! Then we can get to the first test I wished to conduct! I have decided to make an assumption, that this new form of yours would enhance your base senses! From what I've been told by Glynda, your scaley friend over there can put bloodhounds to shame! So to test this! Your Father has said that he's hidden something you are familiar with inside the house! I wish for you to find it and bring it back here as quickly as possible whilst also being aware of your surroundings and not destroying the place! Tai! If you would!" Oobleck took a step back making Tai nod and get down to her level.
"Alright Rubes. Inside the house right now…" He seemed to take a deep breath to prepare himself for what was to come. "… Is an open cookie jar." She froze. Going ramrod straight with her general direction being trapped on the door. "You can only eat one, when you bring it out here. Do you understand?" He asked, a stiff nod in confirmation from her as he slowly stood up and off to the side.
"GO!" She darted off in a flurry of petals. A trail being left as it headed inside the house and out of their sight. Then a blast of wind hit them all followed by the sound of a loud munch from nearby. "Marvelous! Outstanding time and a single trail without any deviation in her path! Straight from A to B! She knew where it was before she even started! A truly Marvelous sense of smell and Wonderful tracking skills!" Oobleck listed off, furiously tapping at his scroll as he cackled slightly.
Ruby on the other hand, was now struggling to fit her enlarged claw into the jar whilst holding the original cookie in her mouth. With a pleading expression and a quivering lip, she pointed the jar to her family who all instantly caved. Raven headed off into the house whilst Yang and Tai sat next to her and fed her the cookies.
Footsteps in front of her made Ruby tilt her head up confused. The Doctor himself crouching in front of her with his Scroll in hand. "Now then little Researcher! I'm going to need you to describe exactly how your vision works for you! Even if you're not too sure just say what you think! Can you see us!? Can you hear where we stand?! Do we look funny if you can in fact see us?!" He questioned. Ruby tilting her head in thought before slowly munching another cookie.
"Dark." Was her first thought on the subject. "Purple dots. Not everywhere. Only places I've been. Outlines when making noises. But don't move. Not until new noise. And… And colours." Here head turned between her dad and sister. "Brown. Yellow." Then down to herself. "Red." Up to Oobleck. "Green." Then to Raven who had rejoined them with a bowl in hand. "Dark Red."
Oobleck could only stare wide eyed at the girl in front of him. "Fascinating. Your vision seems to be a mix of Echolocation, Aura sight, and an individual vision that is most likely connected to the Gore Magala species. Remarkably fascinating." He calmly spoke. Another sip from his thermos before he bolted upright and started to type away at his scroll.
Her gaze moved from the cookie jar in her hand, then slowly over to the resting yet still cautious Gore. His own horns sprouted and glowing at the crevices as he stared in her general direction. "Dad. Can we unlock Gore's Aura? I don't like not seeing his soul." Her question went unanswered for a few as Tai looked down at his daughter then over to the Wyvern. A tricky decision if he had ever heard one, and one that could go either way. For now though, he sighed and pat his daughter on the head. "I'll think about it Rubes."
"Come now Young Rose! We still have more tests to complete!" Oobleck called out. A giddy grin on his lips as Ruby nodded with a determined grin of her own.
(RUBY ROSE TEST RESULTS)
Base Inspection of Person:
Scales cover quite a fair area of the body, almost as some form of double layer of protection. If Raven's observations are to be believed, it so far covers the stomach area, upper back, arms, legs, back of the neck, and frames the face. The amount in each area varies and the durability is quite astounding. Two bumps were predominant on her forehead, at the time of inspection, I had assumed they were something akin to a retreated version of the horns in the original Images Glynda had sent my way, further testing proved this to be true. Ruby seems to be healthy, whatever changes that are occurring, thankfully don't seem to be affecting in a negative light.
Base Results:
Grip Strength – 112kg. Truly phenomenal for a child of her age. Seven years old with that amount of strength really goes to show the dedication she has put towards her own training. Whether or not the physical augmentations from her bond with the Gore Magala species has affected this is unknown. For a base comparison, Testing her sister and redoing the test in roughly two years could be the best course of action.
(Without Semblance) 100 Metre Dash – 4.23s. Even without any physical benefits from the bond, the child was built for speed. Being able to cross that distance at that speed and with that amount of control is brilliant. Perhaps when she is older she will be able to give even me a run for my money in a race.
(With Semblance) 100 Metre Dash – 0.56s. A Speed semblance is as basic of a description as it can get. But the speed it does in fact bring is out of this world. And this is with the young and inexperienced mind of the youth. With more practice and ingenuity, this could be taken to even greater heights.
7 House Lap – 02m 13s. Although stated it would not be timed, merely observing and taking note of what the current time was allowed for an estimated travel time. Stamina for such a young girl was impressive, most likely factored in by both the partial transformation and her unlocked Aura. Light catching of breath after finishing task, yet still raring to do more.
Transformed Inspection of Person:
Everything becomes more. The scales grow to an even further stage, covering her eyes and allowing for a different form of sight, mainly through the use of Echolocation, Aura Vision and some new form of sight that seems to be exclusive to the Gore Magala species. Her hands grow to a remarkable size that is slightly disproportionate to her own body, scales also taking over that part and turning the before mentioned regular hands into claw like appendages. The horns have sprouted, first going upwards before curving so that they follow the head. Interestingly enough, even though the horns seem to be made of a sturdy substance, they shift in what way they are directed under certain conditions. When the horns start to glow pink along the crevices, they instead begin to point directly upwards and losing their curve. Not too certain on the purpose just yet, but that's the point of experimentation. Most notable difference however, is the mindset. Most of the original Ruby Rose is there and very dominant. She's still excitable, energetic, and now has the strength to boot. However, during activities, she seems to have been brought down to a more primal level. No, more so instinctual. Some tests were completed in a more animalistic way than previously.
Transformed results:
Grip Strength – 486kg. It almost seems unreal. For something like this to have that much of a boost feels like a lie. Observation of the person during the test leads me to believe this was done without much strain as well. Although there was the initial problem of getting a grip on the machine, probably a sensory issue with such a big change to the hands, might be difficult later on to wield a weapon, so advised to build a backup fighting style around the claws.
(Without Semblance) 100 Metre Dash – 0.98s. Once more, the jump in results is astounding. The physical boost that comes with the transformation is something that I was sceptical about, but to see it in person. I truly need to thank Glynda for this opportunity. Readings show that at a base she is almost as fast as she was when she activated her semblance before the transformation.
(With Semblance) 100 Metre Dash - ?. I couldn't react fast enough. However fast Miss Rose may have been, I couldn't react to it quick enough. It's simply breathtaking. To know that there are others out there with speed that could rival mine is exhilarating. And she's currently Seven years of age. I can't wait for her to start her studies at Beacon Academy. By that point she may very well have the skills of a fully-fledged huntress. If not the experience, at the bare minimum, she will have the attributes and skills. One note of observation however, is the visual difference of her semblance. At base, Miss Rose breaks down into a flurry of rose petals and gains enhanced speed and perception because of it. However, when transformed, wisps of purple smoke as well as Pinkish Purple Rose petals are what is left behind. Mostly likely a biproduct of the transformation, but it was fun to note. Recommendations and observations of her semblance have been brought to the attention of two of her trainers.
7 House Laps – 28s. Back to the instinctual or animalistic senses. When brought up, two sides of her seemed to be fighting as she ran the laps. Some being done with a second, and others taking a few more. Fighting reason of this being a stamina test, and the need to show how fast she is capable of running. Quite amusing. Raven and Tai agreed. Other than the issue of treating it like a race, no physical affects were seen. It was as if she walked it and felt no difference.
Overall, not enough evidence. More tests need to be conducted, but due to the situation and materials on hand, satisfactory results were collected. If possible, setting up a time for testing sometime in the future would be optimal, especially in a place such as Beacon Academy where the equipment there is satisfactory enough to accurately conduct all the tests I want. That she is willing to follow along with. I feel the need to add that at the end.
Signed Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck. PHD.
[End Chapter]
Greetings people. How was it? The Doctor is in and we have a baseline for transformed Ruby Rose. However scuffed it may be. Won't even lie, this chapter was actually very easy to write to the word count I have for it. Was straight a natural 5k that didn't need any yapping or added content to reach that. Although in fairness I've had this chapter in my head for a while and ready to write up so that might be it. Meh, who could say.
Not really much else to say in this A/N to be honest. Ooh, actually. Do you know how weird it is to be writing then suddenly have a word appear in your head, have absolutely no fucking clue what said word means or how you know it, to then search up that word and find out it fits perfectly with what you were trying to write? Shit's creepy I tell you. Happened a few times in this chapter.
Thanks for all the feedback I've gotten though, it's good to know most of the pacing issues have all just been me being in my head. Also good to know that you all are enjoying this, would be a pretty weird read if you didn't.
I guess a few things that I can say are that regarding the word count of future chapters. 3k-3.5k is guaranteed. A chapter is never going to be shorter than that. Then a few chapters as shown here are going to be around the 4k-5k mark. It won't be every chapter, mainly because I can't force that out of myself, but it won't be a rare thing. Hopefully.
Either way, the original of this story which is currently on Wattpad won't be going anywhere. It's there to stay. I feel like taking down old works is stupid, it just shows how much I've grown as a writer. Sure it may physically pain me to read every now again because of the way that, in my opinion, things don't make sense or are rushed. But there are still others out there who don't think like that and in fact do like reading it. So yeah. That shit ain't ever leaving.
Thanks for the reviews, love reading them, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll talk in the next one.