Jin spent hours looking through the city, his gaze sharp as he scanned for anything or anyone who might offer up a hint of useful knowledge. Eventually, he ducked into a dimly lit bar tucked away in a corner of Valor's Reach. The air inside was thick with smoke, laughter, and the occasional clash of mugs.
"Hey, kid," a deep, horse voice called from the back. An old man, hunched and grizzled, waved him over with a crooked finger. Jin raised an eyebrow but approached, sensing the man's keen eyes watching him.
"Lookin' for info, are ya?" the old man smirked, sizing him up. "I heard ya been askin' 'bout things down the cliff and some other things ye? Might know a thing or two 'bout that forest. They call it the Ki Beast Forest, y'know?"
Jin's interest was piqued. He pulled up a stool and leaned forward. "Ki beasts? I fought one a while back, a wolf that used ki. Tell me more about them."
The old man chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, that was nothin'. What you saw, that's barely scratchin' the surface. There's ranks to those beasts down there. Takes years for 'em to grow, develop, learn to wield ki like ya wouldn't believe. Here, let me lay it out for ya."
He took a long sip of his drink before continuing. "First up, ya got your Cub Beasts—little shits, barely know their tails from their noses. Newborns, harmless. But, even at that age, they're startin' to feel ki."
"Alright," Jin nodded. "And after that?"
The old man leaned back, tapping his finger on the table as he explained. "When they're just starting out, they're called Hover Cubs. Just dabblin' with ki, nothing to worry about. Then they hit Haven, where they try to mimic their mother's moves—like a toddler tryin' to throw a punch. By the time they reach Frowless, though, they're gettin' strong, like… kinda on par with humans at the Pentagon stage."
"Impressive for cubs," Jin muttered.
"Yeah, damn impressive. Dawnlit is the last stage for 'em before they grow up. These bastards can start usin' ki offensively, maybe even catch ya off guard if you're not careful. It's around five to eight years old they hit that, growin' their strength, their instinct. Hell, even some seasoned fighters gotta keep their eyes open around 'em."
The man paused, scratching his scruffy chin before leaning in closer. "Then, we get to Dawnbreak Beasts. This is where things get interestin'. You've got Dawnfigure beasts, kinda like teenagers in their rebellious phase. Strong as hell and cocky to boot. They're tricky bastards, tryin' to challenge anyone that crosses their path."
"Sounds rough," Jin said, smirking slightly.
"You ain't heard the half of it, kid. After Dawnfigure, they hit DawnLight. Now, these ones are unpredictable as hell. Each one's different, but they're all damn dangerous. They start navigatin' the forest like it's their damn playground, learnin' to track, to stalk. That's why you gotta watch your back."
Jin's eyes gleamed with interest as he absorbed the information. "And after Dawnbreak?"
"Predator Beasts," the old man said, his voice lowering. "These things are a nightmare. First stage's called Basics. That's when they get curious about humans, venturing out, sniffin' around. Then you've got Technical, where they learn to stalk prey… learn to wait. At that stage, they're as close as a beast gets to the breakthrough of the Heptagon stage for humans."
Jin's jaw tightened as he took it all in. "And after Technical?"
The old man's face darkened. "Rifts. When they hit Rifts, they're damn near unstoppable. They're smart, strong, hungry for a fight. They challenge other beasts, hell, even their mothers. Tryin' to replicate attacks, learnin' faster than any beast has a right to. That's when they're dangerous. They don't just fight—they think, they strategize. They're one of the real threats of that forest."
The old man sighed before taking another long sip and continued, "I hear thats a rank above them bastard, but ye I don't believe in all that."
Jin exhaled slowly, mulling over everything the old man had told him. "Guess I'll have to keep my wits about me then," he muttered, standing up.
"Damn right," the old man snickered. "Just remember, those beasts don't give a damn who ya are. Get careless, and you're just another meal."
Jin silently nodded before turning around and leaving the bar. After returning back to the Cliffside Lodge and returned to the room.
"Alright, well, I wasn't able to find out much but i do have some intel about the forest Valor's Reach is placed on." Jin said before sitting down and leaning back in one of the chairs before deciding to look around and only seeing Kade. "Where did the others go?"
"They all left for information gathering. I only got back a few minutes ago." Kade said looking out the window of the room. "Should we just wait on them before we explain anything to each other so we don't have to repeat twice?" After a few moments of silence and hearing the wind blow on the windows, "I say we just wait." Jin replied closing his eyes.
As the two waited, the room was filled with silence only broken by the rattling of air brushing against the window, and the faint sound of glasses clicking against each other. Jin kept his eyes closed for a while feeling the cold air rushing inside the room in bursts as Kade opened the window.
After around 40 minutes of waiting in silence, Kael walked through the door and threw his bag down onto the floor before reaching into it taking out a map, with 5 different clan quests. "I found information about the city, some history about it, and i found a few quests for a "ki beast forest" whatever that means. I assume it's nothing good though." Kael said before stretching.
"Well, I found intel about that forest actually." Jin spoke up opening his eyes some to see Kael.
After a few more minutes of silence, Riven came in before shutting the door and locking it behind her. "…I looked and looked, I didn't find anything at all. I'm sorry." She said sighing softly in disbelief of herself.
"Don't worry about it honestly." Jin said standing up. "Kael has a few quests for a "ki beast forest", and I found information about such a place. It's the forest below the cliff Valor's Reach was built on."
Around an hour had passed and Jin finished explaining everything.
Riven spoke up, "So they have ranks… just like us, huh?"
"From what I heard it's the way the people here scales them. They use the same system in a way. As I mentioned, they use terms like "hexagon", "heptagon", and "pentagon" for a few ranks. Other then that, they have a completely system of ranking ki and techniques." Jin said before walking over to the window and looking out towards the city.
Jin opened the window just a crack, letting a cold breeze sweep into the room. It stirred the papers on the table and sent a chill over them all.
Riven broke the silence. "So… if we actually run into one of these things, how are we supposed to handle it?"
Jin leaned against the windowsill, his gaze steady. "We'll just avoid it if possible. Even if we're confident we could kill it, there's no telling when its mother might show up, assuming she wasn't already nearby. We can't gauge her strength instantly. Even with my breakthroughs and Sevenfold Blaze, I'd rather not pick a fight in that forest unless we have no other choice."
Kael scratched his head and shrugged. "Well then, guess I'll go return the requests I took on. No point in hanging on to them if we're just going to avoid—"
Before Kael could turn, Jin held up a hand. "Hold on. I didn't mean it as a retreat. That's just how I feel about it for all of us, right now." He paused, looking each of them in the eye. "Let's prepare. We'll spend the next month training relentlessly. Break through if you can. Go to the libraries, study new footwork, techniques—whatever you think you're lacking. Let's be ready before we go in."
They all exchanged glances, a new determination setting in.
A week later, their progress was undeniable. Kael had broken through to the octagon stage, his ki flowing sharper than ever. Riven was close, pushing herself toward her own breakthrough into the octagon. And Kade could feel the edge of the nonagon stage within reach, though he wasn't quite there yet.
Meanwhile with Stella
Stella trained tirelessly, her every movement sharp and calculated, exuding a colder aura than before. Wrapped in all black, her presence was a shadow of her former self, darker and distant. The memories of Jin's battles, his relentless drive, and his unforgiving strength had seeped into her own fighting style. She no longer hesitated, her strikes now merciless and precise.
But even as she became more closed off, Jin was never far from her thoughts. Every night, as she lay in silence, she remembered him—his steady gaze, his fierce resolve. The memory of their shared moments, their fights side by side, and the quiet bond between them became her one source of warmth. The more she thought about him, the more her hardened expression softened. She found herself wondering where he was, if he was safe, and if he had made it to Valor's Reach. At the same time, she wasn't sure about meeting him after selfishly placing the blame on him about everything. Yet, with these thoughts and feelings she also knew that there's a chance of forgiveness.
Still, a part of her hesitated. She wanted to see him, to show him how much she'd changed, to see her newfound strength firsthand, and to feel the warmth she felt when he was nearby. But she knew she wasn't quite ready, there were still a few techniques to master, a few more obstacles to push through.
"I'll begin to head towards Valor's Reach as soon as I can to meet you again Jin." She said to herself softly with a smile on her lips forming before closing her eyes looking upon the stars.