The Games We Play [RWBY] [The Gamer] (Ryuugi) {Complete}

[Murazor]

This is an authorized story-only repost of the fanfic written by Ryuugi.

For the original Spacebattles posting of the fic, go here, here, here, here and here.

For the FF.net archive of the fic, go here.

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
New Game​

"Hey, mom?" I said, joining my mother in the kitchen as she watched the sun set outside the window.

"Hm?" My mother, Isabella, turned towards me slightly, lifting an eyebrow as she made the sound in the back of her throat. "What is it, sweetie?"

"I, uh…" I scratched my cheek as I frowned slightly. "Well, I guess I'm just unsure about something and I figured you'd know?"

"Oh?"

"Is it…Mom, which would you say is more important, Intelligence or Wisdom?"

My mom put down the dish she'd been washing, turning to face me fully with her head tilted to the side.

"I'm not sure I understand the question?" She said questioningly. "Where'd this come from?"

"Well," I said, wondering about that a bit myself, if for different reasons. "I was playing a game, I guess. You know, an RPG, right? And it had the usual stats: Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck. And I never thought about it until a few days ago, but its like, all the others are obviously different, right? I wondered why Intelligence and Wisdom seem to be the exception and I started thinking about whether they were different in real life, too, and how."

Mom seemed to ponder that for a minute.

"Well, I'd say that it's ideal to have both intelligence and Wisdom," She said. "Just how it's better to be strong and fast and tough and lucky, rather than just one in particular, but that's very rarely possible, is it? If I had to say which was most important…I suppose I'd say Wisdom."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well…If I was to differentiate between Intelligence and Wisdom, I'd say that the former was power and the latter the awareness of how to use that power. I'd say that Wisdom was the ability to make good choices and Intelligence a way to give you more choices. If you're smart and have a thousand ideas, wisdom would tell you which was the best choice to make and what the long term effects would be."

I nodded at her seriously.

"Then it would be better for me to become wise then become smart, right?" I asked, just to double check.

Mom put a hand to my cheek and smiled.

"Oh, Jaune. You're still young," She said. "You have time enough to become whatever you want."

"Thanks, mom," I said, smiling honestly. "Then…I promise I'll become someone great. And, uh, why don't I handle the dishes?"

At that, her eyebrows went up again before she chuckled and nodded.

"I'll leave it to you then." She said, patting my cheek again as she turned away. I stared after her for a moment.

?

LV?

Isabella Arc

I sighed and turned to the dishes, washing them one by one.

A skill has been created through a special action! Continuously washing dishes has created the skill 'Dish Washing' to quickly clean dishes!

I just sort of…stared at the blue box that appeared before my eyes for a moment and then exhaled slowly, shaking my head.

So even stuff like this…

How do I explain this? I can't, honestly, which is my I don't. I didn't even tell my mom or dad. But if I had to, I guess I could describe this as my special ability. I haven't had it for very long—just a week, really—but…well, you see, the game I'd told my mom about, that made me wonder about all this? Well…

"Status," I muttered.

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV2

HP: 100/100

MP: 50/50

STR: 10

VIT: 10

DEX: 10

INT: 10

WIS: 10

LUK: 10

POINTS: 5

MONEY: 100 Lien

This window appeared in front of me at the sound of my voice. I'd confirmed I was the only one who could see it by opening it repeatedly in a crowd and not drawing any attention. Initially, I'd wondered if I was just seeing things, but…well, I had an Inventory, too, and I could literally store stuff inside of it and they'd, well, vanish until I could take them out. Hell, I could store more stuff in there then I could physically carry. I could even go on quests and stuff, though most of them were stuff like 'Set the table,' 'Take out the trash,' and 'Go get groceries.' Despite that, they gave me experience points and yesterday I'd even leveled up and gotten points. Given the circumstances, I was willing to operate under the assumption that would work like in a game, too.

Which had led me to the question I'd asked my mom. My stats were…average. Perfectly so—I wasn't good or bad at anything, for someone of my level, but I had figured out pretty quickly that I was low leveled. Most of the people in my class had levels like three or four, but I'd started at level one with completely normal stats. It had been kind of depressing to have that thrown in my face, especially since I'd gotten the ability something like a day after I'd failed to get into Signal. Again. And it had hurt. The knowledge, the reminder, the proof right before my eyes hammering in what I already knew—that I was a…

I'd gone to sleep, woken up, and I'd been like this, which had mainly enabled me to see for myself how weak I was.

But now, if I had this ability, if it worked how I thought it did, then maybe I could change that. I was sure of it, now—I could do things no one else could do. I had five points right now and I could put them anywhere I wanted. I could make myself stronger, faster, or anything else. Given the raw potential held in these little numbers on my, well, character sheet, it was only a matter of choosing properly to gain strength.

I had no idea how to do that. I'd considered all my options. I wasn't sure exactly how the numbers worked, but I could become the strongest in my class in a snap of my fingers by putting them in strength or the fastest by placing them in dexterity. But which was most important? Being strong? Fast? Tough? I'd considered it but after sleeping on it, I realized I just didn't know. What's the best choice? Where do I even start?

And then I realized, if I didn't know that, wouldn't making myself smarter and wiser be the best choice? And if Wisdom is the ability to make good choices, then…

I pressed the arrow beside Wisdom five times and raised it to fifteen. Taking a deep breath, I nodded and closed the window.

"I'm done with the dishes, mom!" I shouted. "I'm going out for a bit!"

XxXXxX​

I organized my thoughts, putting what I already knew in context. I was, essentially, a video game character. I could grow stronger by leveling up—whether that was my own, personal level or the levels of my skills. From what I'd seen, doing one didn't affect the other, so I had to improve them separately. I already knew how to do both, I'd just been uncertain as to how to go about it.

Improving my skills was as simple as using them. That in mind, I moved into the forest, took my sword out of my Inventory, and started whacking trees while I was busy thinking. I'd done this a little lately, once I'd developed my 'Sword Mastery' skill after practicing for a while. I'd figured out quickly that my skills could be either active or passive, but the method of improvement was the same. What I needed to do then was focus on two things: Leveling up important skills and finding new skills that would be useful.

I'd gotten 'Power Strike' around the same time I'd gotten 'Sword Mastery.' I could use the former about fifteen times before I ran out of mp, after which it took about an hour to regain it. It had taken me about two hours to increase it to level two and longer to raise it to level three, entirely because of how long it took to regain my mp. In comparison, I'd been able to raise my Sword Mastery to level five in a single day because I didn't need mp to use it. From that I could assume that passive abilities were easier to improve then active ones, as well as easier to use—but on the other hand, they were weaker individually and active skills got both stronger and cheaper as they grew more powerful. I needed to get many passive abilities that worked well together but also train my active abilities.

On the other hand, raising my own level was just as important, because it gave me points to improve my stats. Unfortunately, there were only a few ways to do that—doing quests was the only big one I'd done, though I could get a small bit of experience by studying and working out. But if I thought of the world as a game then presumably I could also do it by killing monsters and defeating enemies. Generally, quests gave more experience than individual monsters in return for taking more time and being more complicated. That all depended on the difficulty; I assumed that taking out the trash gave less experience then killing a Grimm would.

If I could do it, finding an area full of Grimm and killing them all would probably be the faster way to level up and places like that were easy to find. I could just leave the city boundaries and I'd find them eventually, though the forests close to the residential district were safe. But…I was still only level two and there was no way of knowing what I'd find. Getting stronger first was probably the wiser choice, as was sticking to quests for now.

Then…could I manufacture quests? If I could get five hundred experience from just doing things like doing chores for my mom, could I volunteer for tasks and do things around the neighborhood? Or did someone have to explicitly ask before I could do something? I'd have to find out. Even if I couldn't, there had to be a fair number of people who needed stuff done around town.

Then, that's where I should start, at least in terms of leveling myself up. For my skills…I should probably make a schedule.

Besides Power Strike and Sword Mastery, I didn't have many other skills. I'd gotten 'Observe' while watching the higher-level people I'd seen around town and the fights I occasionally saw. And, of course, I'd gotten 'Dish Washing' just a while ago, but I think I could exclude that from my list of 'Important skills to grind.'

Observe, however, seemed like the type of thing that could be extraordinarily useful. Even at level one, it showed me a lot about whatever I used it on. It was an active skill, but…it didn't seem to drain mp. Then, if I were to use it on every person I met—no, on everything I saw—I should be able to improve it at a decent rate, right? Did the level or value of the object matter? If it did, I could use it in stores and stuff, and places like that would also have lots of stuff to use it on. A library might be a good place to use it, too, if every single book counted. I could use that whenever I was in the city and I could spend a few hours wandering every day, maybe doing some quests in the process. My Sword Mastery and Power Strike I could train later one, like I was doing now. That would serve to level my existing abilities. As for acquiring new ones…

Dish Washing served as a reminder of how broad 'Skills' could be. If I could get a skill by doing chores, what else would count? Sword Mastery implied that I could get a similar ability with other weapons. It might be more efficient to stick with swords for now, at least in terms of melee, since I'd already put some work into it—but it might be smart to get a longer-range option at some point and maybe see if my hands counted as weapons, just in case. In fact, was there a Shield Mastery? I hadn't gotten one just by wearing a shield, but then I hadn't gotten Sword Mastery until I started using my sword. There wasn't anything nearby to attack me, but…would it count if I bashed something with my shield? I'd bring try it out in a bit.

Besides that, there were a bunch of things that probably counted. Sneaking around probably counted and if I wanted to reach the Grimm later, I'd need to get past the border guard, to say nothing of any of the other reasons I might need to hide. Something to help me run away, just in case. Ways to defend myself, though my shield might count if that worked, and I could try my armor. I'd focus on them for now and see what other skills I discovered and what came to me. I'd hopefully have some time before anything dangerous happened.

But what should I focus on, one I leveled up?

I closed my eyes and frowned. If I was right, then…it should get harder to level up as time went on, so early on I should focus on things I didn't want to wait for. My mom was completely right—I had time to become whatever I wanted. I could become strong and fast and tough and anything else. But while I could do it easily, I should focus on…

"Intelligence and Wisdom, huh?" I muttered before nodding to myself. If I was smart and wise, I could figure out how to get stronger or come up with solutions to things I couldn't face with strength alone. I could make up for weakness with intelligence, but could I make up for being stupid by being strong? Maybe, but it'd probably be harder and I might regret it.

"It's a plan, then," I said, smiling to myself as I drew my shield out of my inventory. "Just watch me—I'm gonna be great someday."

I then proceeded to start my path to greatness by repeatedly whacking a tree with a blunt object.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Tutorial Level​

I woke up at six and started working on my homework the moment I rolled out of bed. I'd thought about it last night and had decided for sure—school was going to cut into my time a lot. Not only did I need to spend seven hours a day there when I could be training instead, but there was also stuff like homework I had to do out of class. So, to avoid wasting more time than necessary, I should get this done with as quickly as possible. Hence, waking up early and spending an hour on this week's homework.

Diligent studying caused your INT to increase by 1!

I turned to stare flatly at the notification, wondering why I was even surprised.

I could increase my stats like that, too?

That changed things. If it wasn't just by leveling up—that is, if I could get more than five points per level—then my plans needed to be adjusted accordingly. I'd need to test exactly how it worked, experiment to see if and how it applied to my other stats and how I could improve each, though I imaged that working out would improve the physical ones. In which case…

From eight to three I was in school. Taking into account breakfast and the time it would take to reach class, I would have an hour of free time in the morning that I couldn't use effectively in any other way, so I could study and work out then. At school, I could study and get ahead and nobody should be able to complain. After school, I could stay out until supper, if I told mom I was going to the library—which I was, so it wasn't even really a lie. I could practice a number of my skills then and after supper I could go into the woods to practice the ones I couldn't use in town. Mom would want me back by dark, though, at which point I could study and work out some more in my room.

No matter how exhausted my body got, I would recover after thirty minutes of rest. My hp and mp returned more slowly, but even they would be fully restored simply by sleeping in my bed for six hours. As such, no matter how hard I pushed myself at night, it was fine. If I could gain additional stat points at a reasonable rate, it was more than worth it—if I could gain even just one INT per level then even assuming I couldn't think of any way to get additional Wisdom, I could focus on it and get it to level fifty by level nine and still have an INT of eighteen or higher. If I switched my focus to it afterwards, I could raise INT to fifty as well by the time I was level fifteen.

I resisted the urge to pump my fist in the air before realizing there was no one around to look at me strangely and doing it anyway.

Then I went downstairs to make breakfast before Mom woke up.

The Breakfast of Champions.

XxXXxX​

School was boring, as a rule, and it wasn't made particularly less so by the fact that I spent the whole time studying. My Int didn't go up again while I was there, which didn't particularly surprise me since even a week of school and homework hadn't raised it until this morning. After it let out for the day, I headed towards the library like I'd told mom, Observing everyone and everything that caught my eye on the way there. Most of them were just normal people, but practice was practice, right?

The library, however, turned out to be a treasure trove. Not just because it turned out that, yes, I could Observe every single book and not just because there were plenty of books there that I could use to study after I finished with my textbooks. Those were nice, but they paled in comparison to the true power of the library. I'm not remotely ashamed to admit that I made a beeline for the section about Hunters and such the moment I entered. I started from the top and went through it alphabetically, taking a book out, Observing it, and putting it back. Each use gave me what amounted to a summary of the book, which got more detailed as I leveled it up again. But as I was approaching the end of 'A'…

You obtained the skill book 'Aura: The Light of Our Souls.' Would you like to learn this skill?

It took me a minute to understand what I was look at. When I did…well, if I'd been holding a drink, I would have crushed it to powder right then and I proceeded to press 'Yes' about twenty times in the half a second it took for the message to vanish. The book proceeded to fill with a bright golden light before flaking apart into what seemed almost like glowing petals and vanishing completely. As it did, I could feel the knowledge flowing into me and I knew, knew, exactly what Aura was despite having never even heard of it before.

Aura (Passive & Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

The Manifestation of one's soul. Long ago, Man, who was born from dust, learned to wield the light of their being against the soulless Grimm. It's a power that allowed Mankind to reach past their human limits and drive back the darkness, letting them bear their burdens and shielding their hearts. Stat increases depend on the amount of Aura (MP).

Passively increases STR by 30%.

Passively increases DEX by 30%.

Passively increases VIT by 30%.

Passively increases INT by 30%.

Passively increases WIS by 30%.

Additional 30% increase to STR when activated.

Additional 30% increase to DEX when activated.

Additional 30% increase to VIT when activated.

HP regeneration speed increased by 100% when activated.

…Holy crap that's broken and it's only at level one. And all Hunters have this?

I looked at my hands as they—my entire body, really—started glowing bright white. After a few seconds passed, it began to die down, the power drawing closer to my skill. It was active already, I could feel it, and I had no objections to that whatsoever. This skill was one I wanted to level up as quickly as possible.

I tried to fight down the urge to start laughing and cheering like a madman and only succeed because I heard footsteps and they reminded me that I had no way of explaining what just happened and, also, I'd just destroyed one of the library's books which I really didn't want to explain either. Or, uh, pay for. Because my wallet was anemic.

Thinking quickly, I dove to the end of the row with my new found speed and turned around the corner, holding my breath in an instinctive attempt to go unnoticed. Someone—another library-goer or a librarian, I didn't know—stopped near where I'd just been and I silently crept past the thankfully empty row beside the Hunter section and turned down into the one two shelves down, where I spotted another person. I went back to looking at books in a way I hoped was casual, going back to Observing.

Seconds passed with nobody coming after me and I let out a slow breath.

A skill has been created through a special action! Continuous hiding has created the skill 'Stealth' to avoid notice!

I didn't react as the notice appeared, focusing on the books. Just in case, I should probably avoid looking at the Hunter section again today, though I could still browse through a few shelves of books. I needed to remember that using skill books came with a lightshow and vanishing books and do it somewhere out of the way.

Out of the way…

I spent a minute browsing the shelf I was on, just for show, before minding another empty row. After a few minutes of searching and Observing, as well as some basic thought, I found what I was looking for. A Driver's Manual—or rather, to me, a driving skill book. I could use this with the push of a button and instantly learn how to drive and all it would take is a destroyed book. And…it may have been selfish of me or said something about me, but the destruction of a book in return for skills like this just didn't bother me. If anything did, it was simply that I would be taking the book from the library permanently in doing so and maybe a minor fear of being caught. But…

I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Inventory," I said and the window appeared before me. I pushed the book into it and it disappeared into a ripple in space, stored neatly into one of the top slots. And then, I went back to the shelf and started looking for other skill books.

I'll pay you back someday, I promised the library as I left a few hours later. As I passed through the threshold, a notification appeared.

A skill has been created through a special action! Continuous theft has created the skill 'Theft' to take things that belong to others!

Mastery of the skill Theft increases! Theft's level goes up by one! Theft's level goes up by one! Theft's level goes up by one! Theft's level goes up by one! Theft's level goes up by one!

Ugh.

XxXXxX​

After I left the library, I went home and started sorting through the skill books I'd taken. A number were of…questionable utility, but several actually seemed pretty useful, if odd. I'd gotten a Craft skill, for instance…from an art book, but it seemed to apply to making stuff in general, since I'd been able to add blueprints using several cookbooks, art books, and a number of other things. When I had a chance—and the money and the materials—I'd try leveling it up. There were a few others in the small section of the library I'd cleared, but they were mainly stuff like how to drive specific vehicles—leading to my Drive skill—and stuff. It'd take a long time to clear the entire library, I knew, but I was also excited to see what I'd find in doing so.

My ability is so cheap…

Once I was done with supper and my training in the woods, I went to my room, put my textbook on the floor, and did pushups until I thought I would die. I did my best to read as I did, though only covered about a fifth of what I normally would have in that time and then I rolled over onto my back gasping for air. When I caught my breath enough, I picked up my book and read for a while. After thirty minutes passed, I was completely recovered, as always.

I proceeded to do squats until I thought I was gonna die, placing my book on the table in front of me. Afterwards, I read until I recovered and did crunches until I thought I was gonna die, read some more, and did lunges until I thought I was gonna die. Then I went to sleep and woke up six hours later, completely refreshed.

Repeated effort caused your STR to increase by 1!

Repeated struggles caused your VIT to increase by 1!

I smiled brightly. That was about a week of effort to get a level in STR, VIT, and INT, without focused effort? If I stuck to my schedule, I should be able to do it in half that time or less. Though it should get harder to level up as my stats improved…but the stronger I got, the more I could train and the smarter I got, the more complex the things I could study, so it should remain roughly even, at least early on. For now, I could probably aim for half a week to a week of heavy effort, per point—maybe faster for INT, given that I spent most of my time at school studying. I'd need to think of something for DEX, however. Acrobatics? Running? I could do the latter as I moved through the city, but I'd need to think of something to attempt the former. I might want to look into weights, too, though I could probably borrow my dad's.

I looked at my clock and nodded to myself in satisfaction. I still had an hour before I needed to get going. Should I work out here some more? Study? Train my skills?

It was both exhilarating and intimidating. Not just my power but even simply knowing that I had stats and skills, that they were numerical values I could watch increase. With a word, I could bring up proof that my every action, every choice, was defining my life. Choosing to spend my time one way was taking away from my time to train something else, but at the same time I could literally see any improvements. But what should I use this free hour in the morning for?

I could try working on my DEX, but it would take a while to bear fruit, even assuming I picked the right way to train it—and any time I wasted doing that was time I wasn't spending improving known qualities. The question, then, was if I valued DEX enough to bother, instead of one of the alternatives. And, if not, what did I value and what was most efficient? I spent about three hours working out and studying in the evening, though most of that was breaks to recover. Call it one hour of hard work to two hours of studying, though that was free time I could use for either. I spent seven hours at school and I spent all the time I could studying, so call it five to six hours accounting for various interruptions, but that was time I could only spent studying, because most of my teachers would probably object to me doing backflips in class. I had this one hour in the morning that I could also spend either way, studying or working out.

Except it wouldn't really be the same, would it? If I worked out, I would get at most half an hour in before I needed to rest, whereas I could spend the whole time studying. When my body was stronger, I'd probably be able to train for the whole hour—and I'd get that strong eventually, I knew that for sure—but right now…

I had the weekends off, I thought. I can literally train my body from dusk 'til dawn, then. And once I'd raised my Intelligence and Wisdom to fifty, I could decide how to handle everything else.

So I studied at home and I studied at school and by the time it let out I'd literally finished reading one of my textbooks and it was every bit as awful as it sounds. Maybe, hopefully, it would get easier once I'd gotten smarter—but I doubted it. It wasn't really the contents that were hard, since that had gotten easier to understand and I'd spent two days studying what felt like constantly. It was the fact that what I read was a text book and as dry as the paper it had been written on.

But once school let out, I finally had a break from studying, at least until tonight. I thought about heading back to the Library and searching for treasure; using Observe on even just one bookshelf took forever so I'd only gone through a small section of it. However…there was something I wanted to check out first. The library had been, would be, a treasure trove, but there were limits to what I could find there. I wanted to know I had options, other places to get skill books if needed—and, perhaps, books I couldn't get in a public library. I wasn't in a rush or anything, since I still had all the time in the world to get stronger, but it didn't hurt to look and I might even get lucky.

Which was how I found myself straying off my usual route home, towards a store I'd walked past a hundred times but never gone into.

I started thinking maybe it wasn't the greatest idea I'd ever had the moment I walked into the store and saw the shopkeeper. Or rather, saw what was floating above his head.

White Fang Book Trader

LV11

Tukson

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV2

HP: 100/100

MP: 50/50

STR: 11+3.3(30%)=14.3

VIT: 11+3.3(30%)=14.3

DEX: 10+3(30%)=13

INT: 11+3.3(30%)=14.3

WIS: 15+4.5(30%)=19.5

LUK: 10

POINTS: 0

MONEY: 100 Lien

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Faction Quests​

For a moment, my heart pounded. I knew about the White Fang, of course—everyone did. But I hadn't ever expected to run into them on the street or something. I mean, I don't know why I never thought about what they did in their free time, but—

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the Sun," Tukson greeted.

All at once, I calmed down and started thinking about this rationally. He's here. Running a shop. Meaning he's almost certainly not a known White Fang supporter and that he'd probably like to keep things that way. He wasn't going to grow claws and tear my throat out for not being a Faunus.

Furthermore, I knew he was a member of the White Fang because of his title but he didn't know that I knew; I was the only one who could see them. He didn't know anything about me and he probably wouldn't bother finding out so long as I didn't give him any reason too. What's more, I could find stuff out about him a lot more easily then he could about me.

Still calm as could be, I nodded to the owner and walked over to one of the nearest bookshelves and started browsing, casting a glance at Tukson out of the corner of my eye.

"Observe." I muttered and my new Observation window appeared before me. I scrolled past most of it, though it confirmed his race as a Faunus and gave him a title as 'Reluctant Gang Member.' At that, I skipped past his stats—I had no intention of fighting him, after all—and went to the new section at the bottom.

Background: A Faunus born in Vacuo, he joined the White Fang prior to its transformation into its current form. Uncomfortable with its new status as a radical organization yet not wanting to betray his friends, he finds himself on unsteady ground, afraid both to withdraw his support and participate. He seeks comfort in his peaceful life as a store owner.

Emotions: Anxiety, Uncertainty, Helplessness, Distraction.

Huh. That changed things. Hell, that threw my train of thought completely off the tracks.

I wondered what to do now. I was even less worried about Tukson now, but I should probably do something here, right? I mean, I was…wanted to be a hero. But I think I needed a higher Wisdom score to handle something like this. Tukson was a White Fang member, but I guess I couldn't blame him for that—even I knew the story of the White Fang. However, while I didn't blame him for it, I couldn't really help him with it, either. If I was in his shoes, would I want to betray my old friends? Would I want to run, knowing what might happen?

Then…should I just take control of the situation myself, ignore his wishes, and call the police? But that would just get Tukson himself wrapped up in this—and bad as what the White Fang did was, the fact was that a lot of people were biased against the Faunus. Who's to say they wouldn't just arrest and haul off everyone involved?

Then…

I sighed, raising the book in my hands and leaning it against my forehead.

Maybe I should just ask mom about it again. I bet her WIS score was huge.

"Is…something wrong?" Tukson's voice asked, sounding vaguely concerned.

"Ah," I said, lowering the book. "Sorry. A lot on my mind, is all. Sir."

"Heh," He answered. "I know something about that. Can I help you with anything?"

He nodded around his shop and I hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Do you have anything about Aura?" I asked.

"Third row on the left," He said immediately, his phone ringing as I followed his directions. I saw his expression shift slightly as whoever was on the other end of the phone answered before he moved into the backroom, out of my hearing. Even so, given what I knew about him, it wasn't hard to guess what the reason probably was. I hoped—

Holy.

Crap.

Tukson's Book Trade's catchphrase probably wasn't literally accurate but damn, Tukson evidently had access to the good stuff. I was looking at the Hunter section the Aura books fell under and I…I had to hold myself back from reaching out to them. I mean, I want to, like…to touch them. Just for a little while. I—

I took one of the books down and stroked its cover gently.

You obtained the skill book 'Meditation: The Soul of the World.' Would you like to learn this skill?

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say yes so bad it hurt. That blue screen and button hung in the air, taunting me, the bookshelf of skill books just behind it. I could just slip this into my Inventory, grab a few dozen of its friends to keep it company, and…

I sighed and put it back in its place. No. For one thing, stealing may have been stealing, but for some reason, stealing from a person I knew was in need felt worse than stealing from a library. Maybe it was just because Tukson had a face and a little square for his background, I don't know, but it did.

Second of all, stealing from a place like this would be different than stealing from a library. Hundreds of people went to the library every day, shifting in and out, talking, drawing attention—who would remember one blonde boy in all of that, especially when he left with, apparently, no books on him? This place was different. I was the only person in here now and Tukson seemed like he knew his shop. If I left and a bunch of books vanished from the section he'd directed me too, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out the likely culprit. Even if he didn't notice for a few days, I'd still probably only have a few competitors for the title of 'Most Suspicious' by the time he did. And he knew what I looked like.

Also, he was affiliated with a gang that I was guessing probably wouldn't take kindly to one of their members getting robbed.

Or a Human robbing a Faunus.

Or my face.

I noted the price tags with a small hint of longing and sighed, stepping away. I'd have to figure something out and come back some other—

A quest has been created!

I blinked and looked around at the empty front of the store. Here? Now?

Nonetheless, I pushed the button.

Quest Alert!

Tukson's Hope: Delivery Boy!

Tukson's been called to deliver a package to a member of the White Fang. Deliver it so he doesn't have to! Time Limit: Three Hours.

Um.

I shifted awkwardly. I wanted to help Tukson. I really did. I mean, I could only image how sucky his situation must be, with no real way to win. That sucks and it's unfair and he didn't deserve it—no one did. I also wanted to be helpful, a hero.

So why was it that I wanted to turn and walk away from this sign? Maybe it was my new Wisdom score. I'd like to blame it on that—see, this wasn't because I was scared, it was because I was smart. After all, it's a member of the gang Tukson's a part of; he'd be safe and I wouldn't. And, really, would this situation be improved if I, someone who had nothing to do with any of this, involved myself where I wasn't needed or wanted? Probably not. And, really, if it involves the White Fang, what are the odds it was on the level?

And see, all that was completely valid. Those were all good points. And, hey, if any of that had been what came to my mind, I might even feel reasonable about just turning away, if a bit sadly. Instead, what came to mind was more along the lines of 'Me? Talk to a member of the White Fang? Holy crap, I'm only level two! My hp score is almost as tiny as my STR, VIT, and DEX scores—and even that's larger then my life expectancy if I take this mission.'

I thought about refusing the quest because it was dangerous and I was scared and that was it. I considered leaving Tukson to do it alone to spare myself from having to get involved. And as I realized that, I wasn't sure if that made me want to take the quest in spite of all my reservations or run away even more.

But there was something I was learning lately. Every choice—the ones me make and the ones we avoid—defines who we are. That wasn't necessarily a good or bad thing, it was just a fact. I could walk away from this quest and nobody would ever know but me, but at the same time I would know. That's not to say I'd necessarily regret it, because hell, maybe I walk away and find out tomorrow that I was completely right to do so. Or maybe I would regret it forever. I don't know what the future holds. But there was a choice in front of me and it was mine to make, for better or worse. Yes or No, the choice was mine.

I took a deep breath and looked down, thinking.

And my brain waves abruptly flat-lined.

Completion Reward: Exp 60000, Skill Book 'Meditation: The Soul of the World.'

Sixty thousand experience points.

That was…that was a lot. More than all the experience points I'd gathered thus far combined, many times over. That was enough to level me up for sure. Probably a bunch of times, though I could only guess how many; I'm not entirely sure how much I'd need for each level. And a skill book on top of that. Now that's just unfair.

I told myself it didn't matter. Whether I did this or not, whether I chose to aid Tukson or leave him be, had to be decided based upon me and Tukson. That's how a hero would do it. That's how I should do it. Tukson was a man in need and I had to decide whether I would help him, could help him, based solely on that fact.

But sixty thousand experience points and a skill book.

The reward doesn't change the quest. If I couldn't bring myself to help a man in need who has nothing to offer, what would it say about me if I would suddenly change my mind if I found out he was rich? My dad would help him either way. So would my mom. If I'm only helping him because of what's in it for me, when I would have rejected it before, then what did that make me? Not much of a hero, that's for sure.

But, I thought, I hadn't made my decision before I saw the reward. Maybe I would have helped him anyway, despite the risk. Maybe I wouldn't have. Maybe any decision I made now was biased by what I'd seen, whether to accept or decline. And, really, the reward itself told me about the mission—if it was that great, there was more to this then there seemed. Probably something dangerous—really, really dangerous. And if I did nothing, then Tukson would be the one to face that. He was at a higher level than me, but…

I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I'd know the answers to all these questions if I had another ten or fifteen points of Wisdom.

Tukson returned from the backroom, features set in a severe frown.

"Sorry, something came up," He said, sounding honestly apologetic. "I'm going to have to close early—"

"Um," I interrupted, reaching out subtly to press the button. "It's okay, Mr. Tukson but, uh…actually…"

XxXXxX​

It was surprisingly easy to convince Tukson to let me face horrific danger in his place—well, not that surprising if you think about it that way, but it was still easier then I would have expected it to be given that he didn't know about that part. I'd basically just offered to do the job in return for the book, assured him I knew how to get there and was going in that direction, and tried to ease his concerns. Apparently the job was as simple as transporting a book to a building on the Industrial Side, handing it over at the front door, and coming back, so it wasn't like it was anything huge from Tukson's perspective. It was a simple delivery mission.

Yeah. Right.

I stayed on guard as I crossed the city, though I had to move it to make it in time to take the train to the Residential District and then another to the Industrial District. Even though I'd never been there before, I hadn't been lying when I told Tukson that I knew how to get there—I just said 'Map' and one of the City of Vale appeared before me with the position of both my objective and myself marked and the quickest route highlighted. I kept it open beside me and watched it with half an eye as I ran for my life and experience points.

I made it there with nearly an hour to spare and, strangely, wasn't attacked by the forces of darkness, angry Faunus, the police, or anything else on the way there. The most I got were a few odd looks from people as I rushed through the streets and I quickly found myself before a rather plain warehouse in the Industrial District. I was still early in the afternoon and the Sun was high in the blue sky. I could even hear birds chirping in the planted trees on the sides of the street.

I gave the other shoe a chance to drop, but it didn't oblige me. Odds were, it would spring until I'd gone too far to have a chance to escape—or, at least, that's probably how it'd work in a game. Could my power manipulate circumstance that way? Or was it just me it was manipulating, putting in the right place at the right time?

I looked around, looked at the clock nearby, and sighed before taking the last step forward and lifting a hand to knock on the door. I wasn't all that surprised when a blue window appeared before my eyes.

Destination reached! New objective: Survive long enough to deliver the package!

A quest has been created!

White Fang's Need: Rescue the Faunus trapped in the rubble!

Members of the White Fang are trapped in the rubble and need your help! Save them while Blake and Adam fight the Spider Droids! Time Limit: Ten minutes.

Completion Reward: Exp 3000 per Faunus saved, Increased closeness with the White Fang, quest item 'The Keys.'

The side of the building exploded outwards, three massive machines climbing out of the dust and smoke after a pair of blurs. Each of the machines had the same sign above their heads.

Schnee Security Droid

LV43

Spider Droid

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Mobs​

I think what surprised me the most was that I didn't panic. I wanted to run, of course, and I was well aware of what a horrible situation I'd found myself in, but despite this being the first real fight I'd ever been in—and despite knowing instantly that I was truly, horrifically outclassed—I didn't lose my cool. It was kind of weird, honestly.

As the wall broke and the last pieces of rubble fell, I called up my Inventory, reached into it to get my great-great grandfather's sword and shield, and activated my Aura. Stepping back, I cast my gaze across the building, the robots, the two blurs that had finally slowed to a stop, and then back before walking into the building.

Crazy as it sounded, there was a logic to it. There were three of those LV43 Spider Droids and once the twin blurs had come to a halt I'd been able to see them, too.

The Beauty

LV34

Blake Belladona

The Beast

LV41

Adam Taurus

Given the circumstances, it was easy enough to guess that a fight was about the break out and, again, I was only Level Two. I wasn't gonna survive participating in a fight like that and I didn't want to take my chances in terms of being caught out in the open since each of those Spider Droids had four arm cannons. If I was on the streets when all twelve of those cannons started going off and even one shot happened to hit me, odds were good I wouldn't survive it and I'd rather not take my chances. The level difference between us was such that even a glancing blow might well be enough to take me out—I was a faceless extra in an action movie out here. The obvious thing to do was take cover.

Of all my options, I chose the ruined building for several reasons. First and foremost, it was by far the closest and I could get inside easily. I didn't have to sprint to a nearby building and hope it was unlocked or anything—there was a giant hole in the wall right next to me even if the door hadn't been unlocked. Second of all, given the title of my new quest and what I'd already concluded from Tukson, it seemed safe to assume several things: This was a White Fang Base, 'Blake' and 'Adam' where White Fang Members, the Spider Droids were hunting the White Fang, and most or all of the Faunus inside had already been taken out. Adam and Blake seemed to be the priority targets in the Spider Droid's eyes as well, given how they were focused on them now, and it seemed logical to conclude that they wouldn't want the Spider Droids firing on the building containing their allies and would distract it. As such, it was the least likely place to be filled with bullets. Third…

Third, there were people trapped under the rubble. I accepted the quest and entered the building.

As I did, I had to amend my thoughts slightly, however.

Schnee Security Droid

LV10

AK-130 Android

So it wasn't completely safe in here. It wasn't my fault I couldn't see through walls—and at least they weren't twenty times my level. They didn't seem to notice me at first, which wasn't all that surprising. The sound of gunshots and explosions wiped away pretty much all other sound and even though it was still daylight and most of a wall was gone, the place wasn't exactly bright. Clouds of falling dust and rising smoke acted like curtains throughout much of the building, and half of the lights on the ceiling were broken, scattered by bullets or torn off completely. Several of the rest were flickering so quickly they made things, if anything, even harder to see. For people who couldn't see others by the signs above their heads, I could only imagine how they kept track of anything.

Another flickering glance told me everything I needed to know. There were five remaining Androids and the broken remains of about thirty or forty more. I spotted a number of Faunus by the signs floating about their heads and I saw several more above piles of rubble, which I assumed to be the trapped Faunus mentioned in the Quest. I counted three standing to the nearly ten down—not counting the corpses. The ones remaining were attacking the Androids, one with a gun and two with swords and none of them had a level above seven. Odds were they were going to lose and then die.

I should hide, a part of me whispered, or run.

I ignored that part; it was only a small part, thankfully, and it was crushed quickly beneath the merciless boots of logic. I could already hear the fighting beginning anew outside and however much I disliked being in a room with five killer robots, I liked it way better than being out there with three killer super robots. It was too late to run and if I hid, odds were the robots would just kill these guys, sweep the room for survivors, and find me. I could fight them alone or I could fight them with help.

Besides, what was the point of running if it meant leaving people behind to be slaughtered?

I took a deep, steadying breath. Even if they outnumbered me and were five times my level, I could do this, had to do this. I knew I was a lot more powerful then I should have been at level two, thanks to my skills, training, and Aura—I just had to be smart, hit hard, and hope it was enough. If it wasn't…well, I wouldn't have to worry about it for very long, would I?

Of the five robots, two had been engaged directly by the Faunus, their hands having turned into wicked-looking blades to hold back the curved weapons of the White Fang. The other three had turned them into guns instead, which seemed like a bigger concern—and was probably why the two Faunus had gotten up close and personal with the other two, forcing them to fight on their terms. Outnumbered as they were, it still wasn't enough, even with the remaining Faunus trying to distract the other robots with cover fire—he was outnumbered and outgunned, even if he seemed like a good shot.

I focused on them as the bigger concern, knowing I'd need to make the first hit count. No one seemed aware of me yet, so this was my best chance. I focused on the training I'd done, on my Aura, on the Skills I'd trained, and dashed forward. The sound of gunshots filled my ears and I could feel the ground tremble slightly with the footsteps of the massive creatures outside, but I blotted it out as I narrowed everything down to me and my targets. One of the robots seemed to turn as I got close and I broke my run off to leap at him, swinging my sword down with all my might.

"Power Strike!" I shouted, the edge of my blade biting deeply into the base of its neck. The sight sent a thrill through me—I could do this. Jerking my blade back, I bounced back a step and readied myself to swing again as the machine tried to complete its turn, motions shaky and halting. "Power Strike!"

This time, the head came clean off.

A skill has been created through a special action! Continued use of Aura has created the skill 'Aura Channeling' to empower equipment!

I ignored the screen, casting my gaze at the firearm-wielding Faunus. He looked surprised to see me, but his expression smoothed as I jerked my head at the robot to the left of me and then stepped right. The element of surprise was gone, but I still had to press the assault. The robot I was approaching had begun firing before it had even completed its turn and I felt impacts across the left side of my chest in an odd way, like the pounding notes of some strange rhythm rather than bullets.

Nonetheless, getting shot at was bad and I broke off my run to throw myself to the side, raising my shield as I went. I heard clicks and bangs, bullets passing close enough to seem like insects buzzing past my ear, but somehow I managed to stay ahead just enough to avoid being hit again—until I realized I was running in a circle and that the Faunus would soon be in the line of fire if I continued to do so. I had a split second to think about that before I was charging, shield out before me.

Bullets rattled against the ancient metal, the blows soft at first but then abruptly harder, jolts rising up my arm at the force even though the shield held—and then I tried to gasp and scream at the same time as a knife of pure fire passed through the side of my abdomen. I went down in a slide, more by chance then choice, but I swung my blade again any way, catching the machine in the ankle hard enough to knock its feet out from under it and send it pitching forward.

I rolled over and fell to one knee as I tried to rise, barely able to breath or think as I reached for what was no doubt a gunshot wound—and the pain abruptly faded. I expected my hand to come away wet with blood, but instead felt only cloth.

What…?

A skill has been created through a special action! Through the endurance of pain and damage, the skill 'Physical Endurance' has been created!

The sight of the windows, oddly, brought me back to the present and I rose to my feet, turning. The fallen machine was trying to rise mechanically, but I lifted my blade like an executioner's axe and brought it down, snarling Power Strike as I did. The usual glow did not appear—was I out of MP already?—but the blade bit into the back of its neck and forced it back down to its hands and knees before swinging the blade a second time and then a third. At that, the head came off and the body went limp and I nearly stumbled back with relief.

Your level has increased by one!

There was no time to catch my breath, so I rose back to my feet, turning towards the rest of the battle. As I'd thought, with the numbers evened—no, with the numbers in our favor, counting my defeated opponent—things were going a bit better. The gunman was pinning the robot I'd directed him towards from a distance, distracting it while the other two had apparently been rejuvenated by the turn in battle. I ran towards and past the first, knocking it off its feet as I went and pausing long enough to drive my sword point first straight down into its head before hurrying to join the others. I caught one of the robot's blades with my shield and held it high so the Faunus to my left could hack at its hip, and then crossed blades as the other swung at me, the robots apparently focusing on me as the greater threat.

I swore, suddenly stumbling back to see claws where I'd just been, one of them having suck a blade under my guard, leaving what felt like a gash in my side before the other Faunus could bring his sword down on its exposed wrist, biting into it and knocking it downward. I stepped forward quickly and avenged myself upon it gratuitously. The last machine fell quickly under our blades.

And then I stood, panting hard in exertion but bizarrely elated. At what, I wasn't certain—survival? Victory? Perhaps a mixture of both, our perhaps it was just an adrenaline.

"Shit, dude, are you okay?" The Faunus to my right—a grey-haired boy who couldn't have been more than a year or two my senior and who had curling ram horns—asked as the last robot went down. He paused as he turned to me, looking confused. "Huh. I thought he got you."

I reached down to touch the spot that had hurt terribly moments before and which now felt perfectly fine, my clothes not even torn. Even without my Aura, even when it felt like I'd been hurt, there wasn't even a mark left behind. And yet…I called up my Status Screen and confirmed what I suspected; about half of my HP bar was gone. A good chunk of my MP, however, was back, the increase from leveling up adding to it. I'd have to remember that—and also keep in mind that getting hit with my Aura on drained my MP. Which, you know, was way better than dying, but still would have nice to know about beforehand. I added 'get better defensive options' to the long list of things I needed to work on.

After a moment of deliberation, however, I turned my Aura on again anyway. Not getting splattered was way more important than any other use for it right now.

"So did I," I said aloud. "Guess not."

"Lucky," Ram Man said, several wounds bleeding. "Fuck this went horribly. Thanks for the assist, uh—"

"What's a human doing here," The one with the gun asked, scales gleaming through torn sleeves, and I couldn't help but notice the shift in the other two at the words. Their bodies shifted slightly away from me, eyes dancing over my arms and face as if trying to find something and failing, before smiles dimmed. I wasn't going to lie, fine as I felt I really didn't want to fight three more people, especially not the ones I'd gone through all this to save.

"Tukson sent me," I said, thinking quickly as I raised my hands. "Easy guys, I'm a friend. Just here to deliver a package and when things got messy, I figured you guys could use some help. Speaking of which, we're not out of the woods yet."

I nodded at…well, the huge hole in the side of the warehouse and let the sounds of explosions punctuate my statement.

"Let's grab the wounded and get out of here." I said and led by example by approaching one of the bodies that had a sign above their heads and lifting it onto my shoulders. "We got a way out of this place?"

Lizard Boy was still for a moment before jerking his head at a semi-truck near the back. Nearby were crates that looked like they'd been torn open from the inside and the Schnee symbol on the side. In fact, looking around, I saw that symbol all over the place. Was this a Schnee warehouse?

I imagined the White Fang breaking in to do White Fang-y things and suddenly a bunch of boxes explode and release giant robots, catching them by surprise. Nobody expects the robot police.

Moving quickly, we managed to move the rubble off of the survivors and gathered them into the back of the semi.

"Adam and Blake are still out there," Ram Man said.

"We'll pick them up on the way out," I said before pausing for a moment, remembering something. "Where are the keys?"

He hesitated for a second before tossing them to me.

"You can drive, right?" He said, rummaging around until he found a gun. Probably to provide cover fire, though I really couldn't see the point with those Spider Droids.

Even when he took out what looked like a rocket launcher.

"Yeah," I said, thinking of my Drive skill.

Quest complete!

Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!

A quest has been created!

White Fang's Need: Escape the Spider Droids and get to safety!

Escort the White Fang to safety with Blake and Adam's help! Time Limit: Twenty minutes.

Completion Reward: Exp 10000, Increased closeness with the White Fang.

Failure: Death.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Escort Mission​

The thing about doors is that they're for people who aren't running for their lives.

Me? I drove straight through the truck entrance.

"Get in!" I shouted out the window as I saw Adam and Blake fighting. I ended up driving right between them and one of the Spider Droids by pure chance and the machine thankfully halted its attack for a second, apparently uncertain whether it should be shooting at me. Or maybe it was the logo on the side of the truck that stalled it, I don't know. Either way, I didn't slow as I passed them—couldn't afford to, honestly—but the two Faunus thankfully recovered quickly and I saw them hop on top of the truck through my mirrors.

I also saw the trail of smoke left in the wake of a rocket fly out of the back of the truck, presumably the work of Ram Man. A second later, I had to look away as it exploded right in the face of one of the machines—and wow, I felt that explosion even as far away from ground zero as I was. And it was loud, too; the movies don't do explosions justice. I had no idea where the White Fang got their rocket launchers, but whoever made them obviously didn't mess around.

I thought I would have been deafened by the sound—which would have been bad, damn it, why hadn't I thought about that when I saw him with a rocket launcher—but after the last sounds of the explosions died away, my hearing was left untouched. I wasn't sure if that was a Gamer thing or an Aura thing, but either way I wasn't going to complain right now.

"Damn it, Billy!" I heard a female voice snarl, sounding more than a little irate.

"Blake!" Ram Man, or maybe Billy, shouted, though I couldn't see why; the downside of driving a semi.

"Map," I said, nearly sighing with relief as the grid of streets appeared before me. Almost as useful, there were a trio of red dots moving on the map, close behind the blue marker of the truck. My eyes danced across the map for a moment before I swung the truck wide onto Afzan Avenue, passing through a holographic streetlight in the process. I heard shots hitting the pavement as I did, flashes of light too fast to see clearly in my mirrors, but I was driving faster than the machines could move, at least for the moment. Butut given that one of them was clinging to the side of a building as I flew past…well, I was depressingly sure they weren't limited by roads for mobility.

I had to prioritize. Blake and Adam may have been able to combat those things directly, but I had a truck full of people who couldn't have even if they weren't wounded. If those things started firing on us, I couldn't trust the truck to standup under their fire. It wasn't enough to just stay ahead, I had to keep them from having a direct line of fire—and oh boy was that gonna be a fun trick to manage against people who could climb a building and bath me in fire at range. And given the size of this truck…

I had to stay on roads wide enough to maneuver on and connected to other roads I could switch onto before the machines caught up and keep track of the machines locations in three-dimensions and the size of the buildings around me so I could try to keep out of sight. But where was I even going? The bridges? No, I couldn't be certain they wouldn't be willing to follow us into the Commercial or Residential Districts, at which point who knows how many people could get hurt, even assuming we survived crossing it, which was unlikely if they caught us on the bridges. Unfortunately, there weren't all that many roads I could safely drive on, excluding those.

And there was the police to worry about, I was sure. The idea of just going to them and placing this mess in their laps was tempting but…no. I didn't know what the robots would do and if they were violent, a lot of good men and women could die. If they were Hunters, maybe…but they weren't. And even if the robots refused to fire on them, the police would almost certainly want to arrest the White Fang and I couldn't imagine them coming quietly. Given Adam and Blake's levels…no. I had to avoid the police, too. Which probably just meant avoiding the bridges, for now—it had been, what, five minutes since the Spider Droids had gotten loose? Ten? The police wouldn't move in until they could mobilize a response capable of addressing the problem.

But if I couldn't cross the bridges, I couldn't get to…to what? Safety? Where could I take a bunch of White Fang members without them standing out, even if I could cross the bridges? Hell, discounting them, a beaten up, dust-covered truck would stand out all on its own. Where could I—

I had to slam myself back into the seat as a shape swung into the cabin, through my open window. I glimpsed hands grabbing the top of it, a blur flipping over and in, a heart-stopping moment where my vision was covered in black, and suddenly the was a woman in the seat next to me. Pale skin, long black hair, yellow eyes, black bow—Blake Belladonna. Ignoring the dust that covered her clothes and the smears on her face, she would have been beautiful under normal circumstances.

As is, her most distinctive feature was the belt of ammunition across her chest and the rocket launcher Billy must have given her.

"What the hell was that!?" I snarled, the shock she'd induced fading after a flickering instant. "Can't you see me trying to drive here!?"

I nearly growled in frustration as Blake cast me a measuring glance, frowning slightly.

"You're a human," She observed.

"Not this again," I said, nearly swearing. I wanted to say something along the lines of 'This human's saving your skin right now; you got a problem with that!?' but the Level floating above her head reminded me that she could probably break me in half with one hand and that I should be diplomatic. "Tukson sent me, I saw you were in trouble, decided to help, and I'm too busy driving to deal with your suspicions. Unless you'd like to do it?"

She blinked calmly at me.

"I'm not suspicious," She said. "Just surprised. You're obviously on our side; if you weren't, all you would have had to do was walk away."

"Finally, someone gets it," I said, slightly chastised. I checked the map again, keeping an eye on the Map. "We can't cross the bridges."

"No," She agreed. "Even if it wouldn't put people in danger, we'd never make it across."

"You got another warehouse?" I asked.

"Off the side of Wilhelm, down by Elsie," She said and I checked the map. One of the Brothers, the Rivers on either side of the residential district, it flowed down to the very edge of Vale. I could follow it down into the Agricultural District, which wasn't my preferred place to hide from a bunch of robots—but thinking about it, I could see the appeal of a base near the river, if you suspected you might need to make a getaway. After a moment, a marker appeared on the map, showing the location, and I nearly sighed in relief.

"I know the place," I said. "Not gonna matter if we can't lose them, though."

Blake nodded and rolled down the window on her side.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked, trying to split my attention between the road, the map, and Blake. Focusing on the first suddenly got really hard when Blake lifted most of her body out the window, sitting on the edge before resting the rocket launcher on a shoulder and aiming behind us.

"Trying to shake our tail," Blake replied, frowning in concentration. "Can you get me a clear shot?

I wanted to swear. I wanted to ask her what she expected to do to one of those things when she must have known it wouldn't change a thing. I really wanted to close my eyes and hope I'd wake up and this would all be a dream.

Instead, I focused entirely on the map and the road, keeping track of where the dots seemed to be positioned. That amounted almost entirely too bad news—there was one on top of a building, or else climbing one as we worked. It was a little bit off from the river, where a lot of the factories were. If I assumed the worst, which seemed reasonable, it could probably shot at me from anywhere within several blocks of its location; I drew a wide circle around it in my head and told myself to keep far away from that. The other two were roaming the streets at a slower pace, probably coordinating to either drive us into their buddy up north. One was moving into position along Main Street and the other along Anderson, which was gonna suck one way or another since I was gonna need to be on one of those to get anywhere. We were going to have to get past at least one of them or we were sitting ducks.

Anderson was the one that led down to the Agricultural district but it had an intersection with Main I could use and save myself some time, though it might take my too close to the Circle of Death. Of course, Anderson itself was so straight it was gonna be like a firing range past a certain point, which wasn't much better. I licked my lips, trying to figure out a way out of this, a way to get past a ridiculously overpowered robot without getting myself or my passengers shot, but I couldn't—

Or maybe I could.

I brought up my status window, hissing a breath out through my teeth. I didn't have a lot of time, so I considered my options quickly. I'd gained three levels, meaning I had fifteen points to burn, I just had to figure out where to put them. Strength or Vitality were out—it was tempting, to try to respond to my weakness, my helplessness, by improving my body. But I also knew the truth; even if I put every point I had in strength, I wouldn't be strong enough to defeat even one of those machines. If I put them all in Vitality, it wouldn't let me survive such a battle. Dexterity, maybe? No, at most that would give me more control over the truck, but that wasn't really my problem right now, unless it would let me ignore physics and the limits of the vehicle.

It came down to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck. And unless twenty-five points of luck would be enough to make lightning fall from the sky and smite my enemies, I don't think that would get me out of this—and relying on my luck seemed risky, even ignoring that it didn't benefit from my Aura. No, it seemed like I've to continue on the course I'd already set. Which to focus on then? Or should I split it? And if so, in what way?

I could boost INT to twenty-six, which the bonus from my Aura would raise to nearly thirty-four. On the other hand, I could raise Wisdom to thirty and let my Aura raise it to thirty-nine. I could split it nearly half-and-half or into thirds or any way I wanted, but what did I need?

I had the Map before me. I knew all the options I had available. What I needed to do now was choose and choose well—pick the way out, pick the way to win, somehow save the people I'd chosen to protect. But would I see something new if I was smarter, notice something I'd missed? What if I didn't? What if I tried and wasted points to no end? Or what if I would have seen a way out and squandered it by spending my points on Wisdom? How did I decide when I didn't know the answer and my very life was on the line—and the lives of people I was trying to save? I couldn't.

So I did the only thing I could. Was it a wise thing? I don't know. Was it a smart thing? I didn't know that either. The only thing I knew for sure was that it was a very basic, very simple, very childish thing.

I didn't know what to do.

So I listened to my mother.

Dust, I hope I'm right.

I chose Wisdom and closed the window.

And then I twisted the wheel.

"Let's get out of this mess!" I shouted, turning the semi-truck in a maneuver that probably broke a dozen laws. "You really think that thing can take one of them out?"

"Adam can," She replied. "But only if we can get him a chance! You think you can?"

I merely smiled at her because, uh, no, I kind of wasn't. But I had an idea and this was our best shot.

I took Third West to Anderson and headed South, putting the pedal to the metal—I was going to need every bit of speed if I wanted this to have even a chance of working. The machine came into sight quickly, waiting in the middle of the street down the road—and it's really unfair that such a large machine could get into position so fast, even if I'd originally been heading North. But I didn't dwell on that thought for long, because I had more important concerns.

"Observe," I muttered, focusing intently. I ignored the stats, mainly to spare myself the knowledge of how bad things were, and focused on Weaknesses instead.

"That black spot in the center of its stomach—that's its main eye!" I said and had to take a hand off the wheel to grab Blake by her shorts to keep her steady as she took a moment to brace herself and then fired. It hit dead-center with the camera and I shifted the truck into the left lane to put space between me and the last place it'd seen me.

And I didn't slow down. Not even a little. That sudden boost in Wisdom hadn't provided any miracle solution, sadly, it had only…clarified things a bit, made the choice easier to make, the conclusions easier to draw, and maybe, just maybe, giving me a little idea. I'd chosen Anderson not because it kept me from the Circle but because of its long shape, perfect for picking up speed at a time like this. There was no way to safety except past one of these things and nothing we had—except maybe Adam—was going to really hurt them. If we wanted to have a chance, we were going to have to do this just right.

If the Droid wasn't blinded, at least temporarily, it wouldn't work. If it had a chance to figure out what I was planning, it wouldn't work. If I didn't have time to build as much momentum as possible, it wouldn't work. Even with all of that put together, I still wasn't sure it would be enough.

But I'd had a thought. I knew the basics of the new ability I'd gotten, that 'Aura Channeling.' Hunters channeled their Aura through their equipment—through weapons and armor alike—increasing their power to harm or defend. It was a simple technique, but a stunningly powerful one if properly honed, based on a very simple principle; Mankind had risen to power thanks to the usage of tools and it only made sense to express the power of their souls in a similar fashion.

And what was a vehicle—such as this truck—but another of those tools?

It wouldn't be enough to defeat the machine. It probably wouldn't even hurt it all that bad. But I didn't need to, for this—I just needed to get through.

I dragged Blake back into the cabin as best I could with one hand. With the one I had on the wheel, I focused my power—all of my power, as I would upon one of my weapons but to a greater extent.

And then I ran a glowing white truck straight into a giant robot.

Mastery of the skill Drive increases! Drive's level goes up by one! Drive's level goes up by one! Drive's level goes up by one! Drive's level goes up by one!

A skill has been created through a special action! Through the shattering power of your soul, the skill 'Aura Crash' has been created!

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV5

HP: 250/250

MP: 150/150

STR: 11+3.3 (30%) = 14.3

VIT: 11+3.3 (30%) = 14.3

DEX: 10+3 (30%) = 13

INT: 11+3.3 (30%) = 14.3

WIS: 30+9 (30%) = 39

LUK: 10

POINTS: 0

MONEY: 100 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Delivery​

Of everyone involved, I think I weathered the crash the best. I slammed forward against my seatbelt and then got knocked back into my seat by the airbags fast enough to probably give me whiplash. It hurt for a second and probably took a chunk out of my HP, but it didn't kill me and I felt more or less fine a few seconds later.

Blake, in comparison, nearly went through the window. Would have, really, if my hold on her hadn't delayed things long enough for her to be hit by the airbags, too.

When the pain faded, I realized I was laughing madly. I didn't mean to, it's just…I was alive. I'd survived the crash and nothing was filling me with bullets just this second either. The airbags quickly began to deflate, but I had started trying to move the truck the moment I could and we were in motion a second or so after the crash. Whatever Aura Crash had done, I'd successfully kept the truck in one piece even after running into something big and hard enough to bring us to a complete stop, which was pretty awesome. I felt bumps in the road that I assumed were the Spider Droids legs as I drove over and past it and a few seconds later I could see it in my mirrors, along with—

Shit.

"Adam, get back on board!" I shouted out the window at the Faunus who hadn't been inside and didn't have anything to hold onto. He must have gone flying when we crashed, but it said something about him that he immediately started getting up and brushing himself off, looking more annoyed than anything else as he placed a hand on his sword and took a ready stance. Or, well, I assumed he was annoyed. It was kind of hard to tell with most of his face covered by his mask. Behind him, the Spider Droid was beginning to recover, turning itself around on the ground with its splayed legs; I was gratified to actually see visible signs of damage and broken joints in several of its legs. I didn't think it'd be able to stand up on its own, much less give chase if we got away. If we could get Adam or if he could run and meet up with us later, then—

As if just to spite me, the machine's four cannons merged into one and began glowing with a bright blue light. It wasn't hard to guess that something big was coming.

"Some warning would be appreciated, next time," Blake said flatly, yellow eyes boring into me. "Or, preferably, never do that again."

"Let's aim for the latter," I said. "Sorry, but I didn't want you to worry about what would have happened if it hadn't worked. Adam! Get on!"

"If it hadn't worked!?" Blake asked, her eyes actually widening incredulously. It was the largest display of emotion I'd seen from her yet. "What do you mean if it hadn't worked!?"

"It's called improvisation," I told her without even looking her way. I was more focused on what was going on behind me—particularly the glow that machine was starting to emit. "Dammit, Adam!"

Blake checked her own mirror and exhaled slowly.

"Keep going," She said. "He'll catch up when he's done."

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Blake? Because it looks like that thing has a beam cannon the size of a car!"

"Just watch," She said.

Not having much choice, I did. The machine's glow brightened even as Adam maintained the stance he'd adopted and then there was a torrent of bright blue light that I was briefly certain would eclipse Adam entirely—but it didn't. Instead, he caught the laser beam on his sword, slammed his blade back into its sheath, and started to laugh. And glow, but really, the laugh was creepier. Had I sounded like that?

And then, it was over in a flash of light, the machine literally disappearing even as Adam began to stumble and fall.

Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!

"Shit," I said, glancing at the map even as I stopped the truck, ignoring the notifications. The other two machines had instantly reacted to their fellow's destruction, but…

"I'll get him," Blake said, disappearing back out the window. Seconds ticked by almost painfully slowly even though I knew logically that Blake reached her partner's side with amazing swiftness. I heard the back of the truck open and then close and moments after, Blake was back in her seat beside me and I drove on.

I kept watching the map, waiting for something else to happen, but nothing did. We drove right past the border into the Agricultural District without even getting stopped by the police and I realized belatedly how little time had passed in all this chaos. From when I reached that warehouse to right now…it hadn't even taken half a damn hour. I'd gone up seven levels in half an hour and it wasn't over yet. Speaking of which…

As I pulled up to the place marked on the dot and got out of the car, I reached into my Inventory to retrieve the package I'd originally agreed to deliver. When Blake and I went around to the back to get the wounded, I tossed it too her.

"Here," I said. "This was what Tukson wanted me to deliver to you before…everything."

Blake looked down at the messily wrapped package and cracked a smile.

"Neither rain nor sleet nor giant robots, huh?"

"When I take a job, I finish it," I said tiredly, reaching up to open up the back. The White Fang members looked a fair bit more banged up then they had before they'd gotten into a car with me, but they were alive and they were somewhere safe.

Quest 'White Fang's Need' complete!

Your level has increased by one!

Package Delivered! Return to Tukson to receive your reward!

"We'll need to dispose of the truck to get rid of any evidence," Blake said, nodding towards it. "I have some red Dust—we'll take it somewhere away from here and burn it."

I nodded before looking back into the truck. Adam, down. The three White Fang members I'd met inside the warehouse had collapsed, too, probably banged around from the collision. Right now, it was just Blake and I. But then…

"What about the wounded?" I asked. "I'm guessing we can't take them to the hospital, huh?"

"No," She said. "Even ignoring what we are, the hospitals are required to tell the police about wounds like these, and then…"

She shook her head.

"I know first aid. I'll do what I can," She said. What she didn't say, however, was that it wouldn't be enough. Not for most of them. There were too many bullet wounds, too many injured, too much—

Some of them would die in a few hours, even with the care the three guys in back had managed to give them. Maybe even most of them.

"Is there…" I hesitated before giving up and sighing. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Not unless you know a way to heal the wounded," Blake said frankly, but not cruelly.

I looked down helplessly—and then glanced back up as a blue window appeared.

A quest has been created!

One after another…

But I guess I wouldn't complain. Just this once.

"Maybe," I said, eyes scrolling over the information as it appeared. "But we'll have to hurry."

XxXXxX​

Once we'd burned the truck, Blake and I took the White Fang's boat across Wilhelm before rushing to the train and riding it up to the Commercial District. It might have been quicker to steal a car—and it was an emergency—but Blake and I agreed that we couldn't risk someone noticing, calling it in, and getting us wrapped up in another fiasco, especially when we didn't have time to spare. Depending on how long things took, we might just have to risk it on the way back, but I didn't want to chance that until after we got what we needed.

Even so, we were going to be hard-pressed to make it within the time-limit of 'White Fang's Hope,' the new quest I'd gotten. I was running the moment the doors opened and pushed myself as hard as I could to get to Tukson's Book Trade. Blake kept pace with me easily, eyes sharp and alert just in case someone had somehow connected us to the mess that was now preoccupying most of the city—but no one seemed to notice a young boy and girl running, either going about their normal lives or focusing their attention on holographic screens that couldn't seem to decide whether to blame the incident on the Schnee Dust Company or on the White Fang. That wasn't my concern, though, so I just pushed my body as hard as I could, following the route on my map and barreling through the door to Tukson's place.

Repeated struggles caused your VIT to increase by 1!

"Tukson!" I shouted even as I struggled to breath, Blake slipping in quietly after me and shutting the door behind us.

I heard a sudden rattling sound from the back room before Tukson swept up front, the light of a hologram shining briefly before the veil fell back into place.

"Boy?" Tukson asked, expression seemingly unable to settle on a particular emotion. I could guess why, given he probably didn't know what had happened—he'd been worrying about his friends, worrying about me, wondering if he'd gotten me killed, wondering if I'd been the cause of all this. When his eyes settled on Blake, however, he took a deep breath and his features settled. He paused for a moment, before apparently deciding on something and nodding to himself. "It's good to see you both made it out okay. The others?"

I guess it wasn't too hard to figure out that I knew what was going on when a powerful White Fang member was looming in my shadow and following my lead. I wasn't sure what that must have looked like to Tukson, but I was happy to exploit it now.

"Alive but most of them are hurt pretty bad," I said, looking left and right with a frown. "I'm gonna need everything you have on medicine and healing."

I paused for an instant and when no windows appeared before me I spoke again.

"I delivered your package, by the way, so I'm taking my book, too," I said.

Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!

The skill book 'Meditation: The Soul of the World' is now yours for the taking!

Brushing past them, I went to the shelf and grabbed the book I could blame at least part of this mess on and then crouched down to glance over the others. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Blake moving quickly to one of the other shelves and gathering a few books herself.

"Hey, Tukson, is it possible to heal with Aura?" I asked, lifting my voice.

"It's possible, but it won't help you much," Tukson said. "There are a number of ways to do it, but they all take a lot of training. Up in Vacuo—where I'm from—there are a few monasteries and schools that train people to use their Aura to do stuff like that but it takes years to master it. It's a lot easier to heal yourself than others; something about the differences between souls."

"I'm a fast learner," I said. "Do you have any books on it?"

Tukson opened his mouth again before closing it and shaking his head, apparently deciding against whatever he'd been about to say.

"Yeah," He said. "In the back, just let me get it."

Tukson popped into to the back of the shop and just as quickly returned, carrying what looked more like a notebook than anything else. I looked down at the cover as he held it out to me and could honestly say I didn't understand a word of it. Hell, I didn't even recognize what language it was in, and though the book itself only seemed a tad worn, the script seemed old, somehow.

"This is an old, old Vacuo manuscript—or, well, it's a copy, at least. Back in the War, a few of the monasteries got raided and had their tablets and texts stolen. Afterwards, most of them got returned or put in museums, but a few ended up in some expensive collections. This is a transcription of one of the latter that my friend managed to get for me after the guy got raided himself."

As he spoke, he cast a sidelong glance at Blake before focusing back on me.

"I don't know how much help it'll be to you, though. The original tablet was something like three thousand years old and the monks kept the transcriptions under lock and key. It took me a month to hunt down enough books to even try translating it and it wasn't very helpful. It's the third tablet of a set of eight and it builds off principles in the first two, so I couldn't make any sense of it. I don't even know if I translated the name right…"

I took the book.

You obtained the skill book 'The Forge of Souls Creates Life.' Would you like to learn this skill?

"Did you translate it as 'The Forge of Souls Creates Life'?" I asked. "Because that's what I'm getting."

I saw both Blake and Tukson turn and just…stare at me. I made a show of flipping through the book quickly and nodding to myself as if I could actually understand it.

"It's not a problem," I said. "Blake, let's go. Sorry Tukson, but I might not be able to return your books. Thanks for the help."

I put my new skill books under one arm and turned to go before pausing.

"Actually…you have a car, right?"

XxXXxX​

Blake was gripping the armrests to either side of her as I sped through the streets. I was careful not to break the law where anyone was watching, but the moment I was out of sight I was going as fast as I could. The ride back the Agricultural District should have taken an hour.

At this rate, I'd get us there in under half that.

"You must like books a lot," Blake said through slightly gritted teeth as I drifted around a corner in place of actually slowing down.

I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"To go through all this trouble for one," She clarified. "You must like books a lot."

"I like learning things," I said, figuring she was trying to make conversation to distract herself. "I like knowing things. Books are good for that."

"You don't enjoy reading for its own sake?" She asked.

I mulled over that for a bit before answering.

"Enjoyment doesn't really factor into it. I spend most of my day studying to learn more and become smarter," I said, telling the truth. "It doesn't really matter if I enjoy it. But I've never enjoyed reading stories much, no."

She peered at me out of the corner of her eye, apparently forgetting about her aversion to my driving.

"Why?"

I considered remaining silent since it was something that actually mattered, if only to me—but then again, the White Fang had seen my face, as had Tukson, and I wasn't dumb enough to believe there weren't investigations and background checks in my future. If they didn't have a name and a profile to attach to my face by tomorrow, I'd be shocked. Most of my story would be in their hands before long and the rest…well, I couldn't see them guessing that stuff from anything but me flat-out telling them, though at this point I was probably going to have to let a few details slip loose.

The real question was what they could and would do with that information. Generally, the worst case scenario in a situation like this would be that they could try to threaten my family but, uh, even if they had reason to, I imagined they'd change their tunes when they saw my family. Instead, if they were trying to get to me, they'd probably try to blackmail me by threatening to tell my family what I'd done—but there were ways around that. If needed, I could just explain things to my mom, explain that I'd done it to try and save lives after getting wrapped up in a huge mess, and…well, honestly, that might not be so bad. Telling my mom, that is. A part of me had worried about it for a long time and I still did, kind of, because truthfully I'd always been weak and I didn't want to tell them until I wasn't anymore, but…a part of me wanted her and dad to know.

However, the point was, even if they could threaten to tell my parents or the authorities—and even if they'd gotten pictures to prove it or something—I hadn't done anything that bad, not really. I mean, about a million traffic violations, but mainly in an emergency and in the defense of life. A pretty tiny amount of property damage, too, all things considered. The worst I could be accused of was aiding the White Fang, which, yeah, could be pretty bad, but was largely circumstantial—namely, I wasn't doing it for the White Fang, I was trying to save lives. And hell, I was a minor; I could probably talk my way through it, given the giant robots that had suddenly attacked. There were a few other things they could do, but I thought I could deal with it if they tried to get at me that way.

And more than that…they didn't have much reason to want to do stuff like that, did they? Not yet, at least. I mean, hell, I'd sort of saved their skins, hadn't I? I couldn't say I really knew these people, much less trusted them, but Blake at least didn't seem like the type to ignore that. And by answering her question, I could create a rapport, become more of a person in her eyes, and maybe learn some things in return—and it might help gloss over what I was guessing would come up soon.

And maybe, just maybe, I wanted to finally say it out loud.

"Because the only stories that ever got told in my house were ones I couldn't live up to," I said honestly. "At least, not for a long, long time. And you? You like stories, I guess?"

She was silent for a long minute, staring out the window before looking away. Nonetheless, she seemed to be getting used to my driving—or maybe I was just getting better at it. I'd probably level up the stat some more soon.

"I like stories," She said. "I just know the difference between them and real life."

I hummed, wondering how to answer that, and silence lingered until we finally reached our destination and got out of Tukson's truck. I put my two skill books under an arm while Blake carried hers close to her chest. Just as I was about to go it, she stopped me with a hand.

"Why won't you be able to return the book?" She questioned, glancing at the notebook having apparently deciding to finally ask. "Tukson didn't ask because of…everything, but why wouldn't you be able to give them back?"

A part of me had kind of hoped that she wouldn't notice—but I wasn't actually surprised that she did. I considered staying cryptically silent until she gave up, but I was going to have to use the skill books soon and it was gonna be hard to do that without her noticing, what with the light show and the vanishing books and the instant skill in stuff. I could try getting out of sight, but that might just make it even more suspicious when I came back plus talent and minus books. Given that, she might well make the connections all by herself.

So I told her the truth.

"I'm going to devour them for the knowledge they contain within," I admitted, smiling at the look she shot me. "Hey, you asked. You can see for yourself, if you want."

I held out a hand and she gave me one of the books she'd taken from Tukson's.

You obtained the skill book 'Practical Medicine.' Would you like to learn this skill?

I tapped the yes option with a knuckle and watched the book shatter into light and vanish, feeling the knowledge flow into me as it did so. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, before opening them once more.

You've obtained the skill 'Medicine.'

I looked at Blake, whose eyes had widened slightly as my power took effect.

"I told you I learned fast," I said.

"Is that…your Semblance?" She asked.

"Pretty much," I said, figuring it was probably even partially true. "It's kind of complicated, though, so give me a second?"

I knelt down, lifting my real prizes.

You obtained the skill book 'The Forge of Souls Creates Life.' Would you like to learn this skill?

This time I pressed 'Yes' and blinked when a window I'd never seen before appeared.

You cannot learn this skill. Required: INT 25.

So some skills have prerequisites. That was…fairly unsurprising, honestly. There wasn't enough information to say if it was limited to just stats or if some skills required knowing others—but the latter seemed likely. This, thankfully, didn't seem to be one of them despite being the third in a set, and INT 25 wasn't an issue. I hadn't intended to put points into INT yet, but…actually, now might have been a good time for it. I had enough points to reach it and my chosen goal for Wisdom. First, though, I should check the other book as well, to see if it had something similar.

You obtained the skill book 'Meditation: The Soul of the World.' Would you like to learn this skill?

'Yes.'

You cannot learn this skill. Required: WIS 55.

I hummed to myself.

"Something wrong?" Blake asked.

"Not…really? It's hard to explain. It's not an issue though; just my power being finicky." I answered distractedly before turning her way and holding up the book. "Actually, you know Tukson pretty well, right? Do you know anything about this book?"

Blake frowned at it for a moment, expression considering.

"It's old," She said. "I glanced through it once about seven years ago, when Tukson first got it, but neither of us could make sense of it. Tukson said he'd gotten it from a private library, but whoever wrote it translated it strangely. It's a crude direct translation rather than a transcription and since most of its written in parables and metaphors. There are a lot of what we think might have been poems or rhymes but they don't make a lot of sense in another language. Tukson figured it might have been legible in the original language but…"

She shrugged.

"Tukson kept it in the back for a while, trying to figure it out, but put it up front after giving up and putting it on display. There are a few interesting things in there, like historical accounts that were used as references and even mentions of stuff before the original war with the Grimm, but its...hard to read. I guess that's not an issue for you, though, is it?"

She stared at me with interest.

"You can understand it, right? There were mentions of how it supposedly worked, which kept Tukson interested for quite a while, but…does it…?"

"I'll tell you in a second." I said, frowning at the book thoughtfully.

It was a significantly higher prerequisite, which implied a more powerful technique—for some definition of power, at least. I checked my Status Window to make sure and confirmed that I had forty points to spend, just enough to manage both. Did my bonuses from Aura count towards the requirement? I doubted it and it wouldn't matter one way or another but I should probably check.

Wisdom first. Partially because I really wanted the Skill Book I'd gone through all this trouble to get, especially now that I knew it was apparently something amazing, and partially because I'd originally planned to increase Wisdom to fifty, but mainly because, well, it was Wisdom and it had served me fairly well so far, in terms of staying alive. I'd go to fifty-five and then decide if it was worth investing in any more or if I should switch my focus elsewhere. If I considered ten to be average and thirty to be exceptional, then a fifty-five in Wisdom—or a seventy-one point five if, as I suspected, the bonuses didn't count—should serve me well for a long time. Once I was at that point, I could probably rely on the decisions I made in terms of my other abilities.

Nodding decisively, I raised my base Wisdom to forty-three and pressed 'Yes' again.

You cannot learn this skill. Required: WIS 55.

As expected but good to confirm. I added another twelve points to my Wisdom, taking the base score to fifty-five and giving me seventy-two after Aura's passive buff. The moment I finished, a new window appeared before my eyes.

The skill 'Nature Affinity' has been created through WIS rising above 50.

Nature Affinity (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

Long ago, Man, who was born from dust, realized the power of nature and the light that shines within all life and turned its wrath against the soulless Grimm, burning away the darkness. This skill increases the users sensitivity and control over those forces, improving their affinity with the elements.

25% Increase in Mana Recovery Rate.

10% Increase to Elemental Attack.

10% Increase to Elemental Defense.

50% Increase to Element related skill effects and Dust use.

I stared. I did that a lot with my power, but…but…

…Wow. That was…impressive. Not only the skill itself, but the implication contained within it—that there were similar benefits for raising other abilities above fifty. And was it just fifty? Would something similar happen if it was raised above another number, such as a hundred? Then…what skills would manifest where?

A part of me was eager to find out—but I stayed calm. I'd intended to raise my stats from the beginning by training my body hard, but I had to be careful about it. I needed to raise my INT to twenty-five now out of necessity, but I could improve my other stats relatively cheaply through normal means, which was more effective. Raising a stat became more difficult as the level increased—I could safely assume that simply from what I'd seen with my skills and Vitality, as well as how Strength and Intelligence hadn't improved a second time yet. The cost for raising a skill the mundane way became greater and greater over time.

The value of my points, however, was different. One point would increase the stat by one, no matter what its value, with no additional effort beyond what was needed to level up in the first place, though that itself increased over time. That is to say, raising my strength from ten to eleven via training required relatively little effort, but trying to raise it from fifty to fifty-one would likely be very difficult—and even more so to raise it above, say, a hundred. But the same point I could use to circumvent that small amount of effort could also be used to circumvent that massive effort. Baring special circumstances like this one—or stats like Wisdom that I didn't know how to improve easily—I should train my abilities the mundane way while they were low and gather points to raise them further once they were higher.

I nodded to myself, I drew up my Status Screen again and spent all but one of my points on INT, raising it to twenty-five before pressing the 'Yes' buttons again, this time watching as the books dissolved.

You've obtained the skill 'Soul of the World.'

Soul of the World (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

Since long ago, Man learned to harvest Nature's bounty and wrath alike, using it to forge hope and life from the hostile darkness. All living things possess Aura, the light of the soul, and Nature's power runs through the World, sometimes crystalizing as Dust. This technique enables the user to directly touch and take in power from the World, drawing strength from the world to survive within it using meditation.

Increase HP recovery per minute by WIS while meditating.

Increase MP recovery per minute by WIS while meditating.

Increase Stamina recovery per minute by WIS while meditating.

Aura (MP) can be trained through meditation.

You've obtained the skill 'Soulforge Restoration.'

Soulforge Restoration (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP:50

Within the darkness, Man learned the truth—that the soul is something infinite in distance and unbound by death. By releasing it, they found immortality even in their own passins.

Without Dust Crystal, 50 HP restored, low-ranking Illnesses removed.

With Dust Crystal, 50 HP restored, 50 MP restored, low-ranking Illnesses removed, variable effects dependent on type of dust.

God my ability is cheap.

Taking a deep breath as the knowledge filled me, I stood and faced Blake again.

"Let's finish this before it gets any later," I said, stretching.

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV13

HP: 600/600

MP: 725/725

STR: 11+3.3 (30%) = 14.3

VIT: 12+3.6 (30%) = 15.6

DEX: 10+3 (30%) = 13

INT: 25+3.3 (30%) = 32.5

WIS: 55+16.5 (30%) = 71.5

LUK: 10

POINTS: 1

MONEY: 100 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Downtime​

I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't stick around for the after party. I healed them, chatted a little bit with those that were comfortable enough around me to talk back, and then I got out of there before anyone decided to bring up the elephants in the room. I didn't hate the White Fang or anything—they hadn't done anything to me to get a reaction like that—but I was kind of scared of them and they were anti-human terrorists wanted by the law. I was glad I'd been able to see them but it seemed wise to go before anything else happened.

I took Tukson's car back to him and left it outside to avoid any questions before heading home. When I finally got back, the place was empty even though it was only just getting dark. My parents had left a note on the counter, saying they'd be out late tonight, probably because of what was happening in the Industrial District, and that there was food in the refrigerator.

I ate the food and turned on the news. It was about the chaos I'd been a part of all day, though, so I turned it back off and just…sat in the silence of my empty house, taking a deep breath and then exhaling slowly.

It was…strange, really. All that chaos and rushing to try and save lives—my own and those of others—and then…it was over. Things were calm and silent and just…finished. After I'd gotten what I'd needed from the skill books, healing the injured had been simple. I used Soulforge Restoration to heal them until I ran out of MP, used Soul of the World to restore myself, and then went back to healing.

Now I was just marveling at the day I'd had, letting it really sink in. This morning, I'd been level two. Now, I was level thirteen, simply because of a quest gone horribly wrong. Or maybe right. I still wasn't sure.

I felt…not tired, really, but strange. This morning had been so peaceful, then everything had been thrown into chaos, and just as quickly I was back to my normal life. A small part of me worried about the consequences—that someone would find something connecting me to this, about the White Fang in general, and so many other things—but the rest was just wondering 'What next?'

I guess the same things I'd planned to do this morning. Keep training, keep working, keep getting stronger, keep getting better. The Soul of the World was, despite everything that had happened, honestly worth all the trouble. Up 'til now, the thing that had been holding me back the most was…myself. I could only train so long before my body was exhausted and though I could completely recover in thirty minutes, it still took thirty minutes and I only had so much free time once you took out the seven hours from school, six hours of sleep, the time I had to spend at home, and everything else that got in the way. When I'd trained before bed, I'd spent more time trying to recover then I'd spent actually training.

My training in the woods went only a little better. I'd exhaust my MP quickly and it took a hundred minutes to recover it completely, leaving me to work on Sword Mastery until I exhausted my body too and then to rest until that recovered. I could try training harder, but that just meant I'd tire out more quickly and be forced to rest for a long time again.

I supposed I should count my blessings, since I could recover completely in just half-an-hour and I knew mentally I was improving at a rigorous pace, but…

Well, it didn't matter now. With the Soul of the World, I could restore myself in a fraction of the time, whether it was my body's stamina or my MP. I could train myself to exhaustion and then recover quickly to do it again. Because of that…

I needed to redo my schedule again. I'd given heavy precedence to training INT despite already training it throughout the school day, simply because I couldn't train my physical skills very efficiently in my limited amount of time. I'd intended to improve my INT first, slowly raising my physical abilities as I did until I could switch to training them later. I'd planned to give my mental stats precedence in the beginning anyway, simply so that the decisions I made during my training would be the right ones—and that was still true, in a way—but…

Wisdom was high enough for me to focus on other things, for now. I wanted to get Intelligence above fifty next, but I didn't want to spend any more of my points on it then I had to—especially since I had no idea when I would even be able to get another level. Despite that, I think I was giving Intelligence enough attention by spending most of my school day reading, though I could adjust that if needed. I could devote the early mornings and the time before bed entirely to training my body, instead of trying to split my attention—which, thinking about it, had probably be inefficient itself.

In fact…maybe it was my bloated WIS score or my newfound INT, but I was starting to wonder how efficient any of my exercises had been, studying included. I'd spent all day reading my textbooks, trying to figure things out, but even now I wasn't certain how much had truly sunken in. But with my INT at twenty-five and my Aura boosting it above thirty…I think I could train it a lot more easily too, now. My INT had been just like my other stats in that its low level had made raising it harder.

Now…now I felt like I'd be able to do better. That if I read the same book again, I could soak it up like a sponge. I'd have to try to make sure, but…I think that my INT would actually increase faster now that I could learn things more easily, just as being able to train longer would do for my physical stats. At least, up to a point; I'm sure there was a point where the economies of scale tampered off, but I couldn't be certain where without actual practice.

Then, I'd give the time in the morning and before bed to training my body and the time during school to my mind. But how should I spend the rest? Observe…Observe was an enormously useful ability, but I think it was high enough for the moment, though I'd train it whenever I got the chance. I was thinking that avoiding Tukson's place for a long, long time would probably be a good idea if I didn't want to get wrapped up in any more of the White Fang's business, but I could go back to the library and try to gather more skill books.

On the other hand…before it had really just been Power Strike, Sword Mastery, and Observe, so I'd trained the latter after school and the other two in the evening, but now…now I had a lot of useful skills to train and not much time to do it. But how should I prioritize them?

I frowned down at the table and organized my thoughts.

Aura, I felt, was the most important for several reasons. It was an enormously powerful ability with broad utility and, better yet, I could train it just by keeping it active, meaning I could do it while also doing other things. It would wear down my MP a lot more quickly, but when that happened, I could simply meditate for a few minutes. If I was careful, I should be able to do that even while I was at school, training Aura alongside my other stats. With the partial exception of Observe—which only increased when I learned new things about something and which I'd already used on most of the school—it was the only ability I could train any time. It also wouldn't interfere with the rest of my training, except possibly by exhausting me more quickly—which, really, was just a way of training the Spirits of the World.

Speaking of which…Spirits of the World allowed me to raise my MP independently of my INT, though I imagined it was similarly difficult and time consuming. The question was, then, how much time should I spend training that? Should I do it when I exhausted myself in-between the rest of my training or set days aside for it—or both?

Let me see. The most efficient way of training at first would be to train with my Aura on, using my sword and shield. I could raise Sword and Shield Mastery, Power Strike, Aura, and Aura Channeling at the same time that way, most likely, though I'd need to check the profiles off all my new abilities, since I'd been busy when I'd gotten them. I imagined I'd exhaust myself quickly if I fought that way in a real fight—which was one of the reasons I should probably focus on them for a while, as the cost of the skills went down as the levels rose. At the very least, I wanted to get Aura—or else my MP regeneration—high enough that I could keep it on constantly even without Soul of the World, since it was hard to deal with when it cost twenty-five MP a minute.

Of my other skills…Drive had proved itself surprisingly useful and was currently the only skill I had that could be used to escape danger—but I couldn't train it legally, yet, even if I could already drive masterfully. I'd need to go through official channels to be allowed to drive, one of my parents would have to accompany me and watch for weeks, questions might get raised about how good I was at this already—it could be problematic to train it further, currently, though I'd luckily already leveled it up quite a bit. Theft was the same in that it was illegal, though I was sadly aware I'd be leveling it up as well sooner or later. I'd need to improve Stealth eventually, but it wasn't a pressing need until after I'd grown strong enough. Dish Washing I figured I could safely set aside.

Then there were the abilities that would just be difficult to train. I'd need to check Aura Crash to figure out precisely what it did; if it required the use of a vehicle, I'd need to put training it on hold, too. Physical Endurance required me to get hurt and however useful the skill was, it would be hard to engineer situations where that was possible without drawing attention, though I might be able to try beating myself up.

The only other skills I needed to worry about then were 'Craft' and 'Nature Affinity' and I'd need to figure out precisely how to train both before deciding whether I would or not. I wasn't sure where to even start with Nature Affinity yet, though, and the main issue with Craft was the matter of materials. Given that I'd originally gotten it from an art book, I might be able to improve it some if I took up drawing and cooking in my free time, but I imagined those could only take me so far. Eventually, I'd need to actually build stuff.

I knew there was potential there. Even if it was mostly in books or on TV, I'd seen some of the weapons Hunters used and I'd seen my Mom and Dad's a few times. I'd also seen some of the things technology could produce—like, oh, super death bots that chased people around—and I could admit there was definite appeal to the whole Craft thing, but it was all dependent on my resources.

Should I steal stuff so I could practice? But if I stole anything really useful and valuable—weapons, Dust, etc.—it'd draw attention, especially since I'd likely have to make a lot of stuff to level it up. I did not need that kind of trouble right now, but without it there was only so much I could do and that rankled.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, calming myself. The thing that annoyed me the most was that I was too smart and wise to not know why I felt that way. Bringing up my Inventory, I withdrew my sword and shield.

Well, 'my' sword and shield. Originally, they belonged to my great-great-grandfather Julius, but my dad had given them to me several years ago, before I first applied to Signal—and before I first failed to gain entry. The idea was that I'd use them until it was time to get my own weapon. That's what my father had done when my grandfather had given it to him, just as my grandfather had done before him. It was a family heirloom, of sorts.

But…to be honest, I'd always thought of it as more of a hand-me-down. Maybe not at first, when I'd been honored to even hold it, but after I failed, after I proved again and again I wasn't good enough…

It wasn't an honor to me anymore. It was just a reminder, a weight, and maybe even a mark of shame. Jaune Arc, who carried his ancestor's blade because he wasn't worthy of having one of his own. There was a part of me, a fairly large part even, that wanted to level up Craft and was honestly considering theft to help do so despite the risks, simply so I could make my own weapon. Just to have my own weapon.

But…if I put that aside and thought about it logically…was that wise? Was it smart? Given the risks of grand theft and the costs of buying the materials legally, it was unlikely that I would be able to afford improving my Craft for quite some time—whereas my Sword Mastery, Shield Mastery, and the various skills I had to improve it could be leveled many times in that period.

If it took, say, a year until I could make my own weapon without drawing attention, then given my rate of growth and my Sword and Shield Masteries, I probably wouldn't benefit a whole lot from a new weapon. No, more than that, I probably wouldn't need one. If I did ten percent more damage with Sword Mastery at level one and thirty percent at level five, then following that trend I should do at least two hundred fifty-five percent more damage at level fifty before taking into account the bonuses from Power Strike, Aura Channeling, and the bonuses from my Aura. To say nothing of the increases to my stats from training and leaving aside the additional attack speed granted by Sword Mastery and how it would improve. Or the defensive benefits of Shield Mastery.

If I waited too long, I would have no logical reasons to stop using this weapon.

Was that really such a bad thing? It felt like it in my gut, but my brain disagreed. Crocea Mors, the Yellow Death. It was old and outdated technologically speaking, but it had been cutting edge back when it was first made and my great-great-grandfather had used it to great effect in the War to drive back the Grimm. He'd been truly legendary; you could crack open a history book of your choice and odds were you'd find his name in it somewhere. Even now, Crocea Mors was an amazing sword, made by the best smith Julius Arc had been able to find and seemingly untouched by the passage of time, even if it didn't have a lot of additional utility. Beyond the need to have ranged and unarmed options just in case, there wasn't a lot of need to put it aside, beyond my wounded pride. At best, I might want to modify or improve the blade itself, once I was able.

Goddamn Wisdom.

I reverted my shield into its smaller form and sheathed my blade, putting it on the table before crossing my arms on the edge and resting my head. I looked at the blade for a while before sighing deeply.

"What a day," I muttered. "But I guess you've probably seen loads worse, huh?"

It was a rhetorical question. I'd heard all the stories. Julius had fought armies and led them, driven back the Grimm, helped forge Kingdoms, and done things that others had believed impossible until he'd proved them wrong—and Crocea Mors had been beside him through it all.

And I guess it had been beside me through pretty much everything. However much its status weighed on me or what it reminded me of, whenever I'd needed a weapon, I'd drawn it. I could have gotten something else or taken one of the White Fangs guns, but I hadn't. And, in fairness, I was still here, despite the mess I'd thrown myself into. And I remembered, though it seemed like a long time ago, how fast my heart had beaten when my father first gave it to me

Sighing again in irritation, I picked it up and leaned back in my chair, drawing the blade just to look at it. I felt my aura wash over it, embracing it like an old friend—and I felt the blade, too, in a way I hadn't felt before, resonating with my Aura, tied to me strongly, but also independent. I could feel it and I, like music just out of synch, and felt my Aura reacting to that, shifting.

"You and me, huh…" I said at last as we became aligned, feeling as if I knew on some level what was happening. "I guess…that's okay."

New Status, "Metal Element Affinity" has been created.

XxXXxX​

I had the next day off from school, so I went into the woods to train for the day. My parents had returned by the time I'd woken up and though I hadn't really been worried about them because, well, they were terrifyingly powerful, it was good to see them safe. Breakfast had passed without incident, ignoring my dad's storytelling and my mom's sarcastic but smiling commentary. No one asked about my involvement, so I assumed I really had gotten away clean, and I left the house with little more than a promise to be back for lunch.

With two days off—and free to spend grinding however I pleased—I decided to start by experimenting with my new Status, 'Metal Element Affinity.' I was ninety-nine percent sure it was the result of my Nature Affinity skill, which had all sorts implications I'd need to experiment with, but first I needed to see what the effects of such a status were. I was more…aware of Crocea Mors, but I wasn't sure if that was because of my Metal Element Affinity, my Nature Affinity, or both.

Frowning, I sat down, crossed my legs, put my sheathed sword in my lap, and closed my eyes. I had no idea what Metal Element Affinity did. When I checked my Status Screen, it had said 'Gives the user an affinity with the element of Metal' which was both obvious and useless, so I'd need to figure it out some other way.

So I meditated on it. I'd learned how when I obtained Soul of the World, probably because you needed to meditate to use that skill, and I'd gotten some practice in between healing the White Fang members. Because of the way Soul of the World worked, though, it was always an interesting experience.

As I relaxed, I could feel—almost see, even, in a way that was hard to describe—the world around me. I could feel power in the air, the ground, the plants, in everything, and glimpse the massive shifting forces throughout the whole of Remnant. Compared to even the small fragment of that immensity I was capable of observing, I was a spark at the edge of a roaring forest fire, only barely separate from it, from being consumed by it. And then I shifted that boundary, touching that power directly and letting it flow up into me, through me, and then away; a tiny, tiny shift in a river's stream, like a child making a hole at the edge of the water with the tip of a finger, that nonetheless filled me to the bursting.

I guided that stream carefully and calmly, letting it in and out, again and again. I didn't lose myself in it and I didn't let it slip from my careful control, but I focused myself on it, on the spinning awareness of the rivers flow through my body and soul. It would have been easy to lose track of myself like this, especially without anyone else around for me to keep track of. When I'd been with the White Fang, it had been easy to keep track of time by the life draining slowly out of the wounded or by the power filling me when I was drained, but here I'd need to do it entirely on my own. I focused on the cycle of energy within me, on the beating of my own heart, counting the moments as they passed me by.

When I was sure I wouldn't lose track of time, I shifted my awareness, focusing it in around me and on my surroundings. I could feel the energy in the air as I breathed and took it into my body and the shifting earth beneath me and there was something there but…instead, I focused further yet, on what I felt most keenly. Crocea Mors sang to me, glowing with my Aura but also with the ancient power of the blade itself. Though my own Aura, I touched that musical power and altered my own tune to match. It was easier then I would have thought—perhaps because there were already traces of the tune within my soul—and after I resounded with the steely song I opened my eyes.

A skill has been created through a special action! Unification of world and soul has created the skill 'Elemental Aura' to shroud yourself with Nature's wrath!

I looked down at my hands, inhaling deeply. I didn't look any different—my skin hadn't turned to steel or anything like that—but I felt different. When I touched my chest, it—or my Aura, more likely—felt more…solid might have been a good way to describe it. When I put a hand on the ground to lift myself to the feet, my fingers left narrow gouges in the dirt. My aura was harder, now—and sharper.

Elemental Aura (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

The shifting of Aura in accordance with one's Elemental Affinity, empowering the user by drawing upon the element. Power changes as the caster's INT, skill level, and Elemental Affinity grow. Only possible for those attuned to the forces of nature.

Additional 25 MP used per minute.

Known Elemental Auras: Metal Aura.

Metal Aura: 15% increase in attack damage. 10% decrease in damage taken from physical attacks.

Elemental Aura, huh? Not bad. Maybe a little expensive, but training it wasn't a problem for me and I could probably reduce the cost. Once I did that, the benefit would be more than worth it, especially since that would probably increase, too. However…

When I used one of my skills it wasn't—or, at least, wasn't usually—just me saying the name and the effect happening. I mean, it was about that easy and that quick, but I could feel my MP or Aura or whatever you wanted to call it as it took effect. Like with Soul of the World, the effect happened as written in its profile and I regained however much HP, MP, and stamina per minute, but it wasn't just sitting there as they just came to me, even if it was essentially that simple.

With my Metal Aura, it was the same. I could feel my aura resounding with the song I'd heard before—not with my ears, but with my Aura, my soul. And the source of that song was the sword I held in my hand. But then…

I put Crocea Mors on the ground and stepped away from it, the song fading quickly as I did. As I'd thought, it really did require me to draw upon the element.

I considered that as I picked my sword back up. The profile had pretty much stated that there were other Elemental Auras—the classic Earth, Water, Fire and Air sprang quickly to mind—which would be useful and which I'd have to experiment with. If it required proximity to the element, however, there were limits to it. Or would that change as I leveled the ability up?

I'd need to test if it required a significant amount of the element to be present, if it required contact to initiate, the range, and what other limits there were to the ability. The amount would affect which ones were feasible; I could carry around a few water bottles in my Inventory for Water, if that worked, and stones for Earth. Assuming it didn't, the most reliable elements would be Air, Metal, and Earth—the former was essentially everywhere I was capable of surviving, after all, and I could always carry my sword and armor. Earth could be a bit more variable, depending on how it was affected by going inside, but…

As for Water, it could vary a fair bit, depending on what counted as a valid source of water. Fire…fire was the most uncertain. Depending on how the skill worked, I could call upon it easily or it would be nearly impossible to use effectively. It would need testing, but for the moment I could train with the Metal Aura on.

What else…?

I'd need to find a chance to test it with Dust. If 'Nature's Wrath' itself counted, then it would be simple, after all. I'd needed to figure out what each element did and how leveling up changed the limits. And, of course, I needed to figure out what else I could do with Nature Affinity. For now, though, I'd focus on leveling my skills up, including Elemental Aura, and then on my stats later.

"Time to get to work then," I muttered, drawing Crocea Mors and drawing the Metal Aura back around me. A glance at the sky told me I still had four or five hours until lunch, so I started practicing.

XxXXxX​

The next week passed quickly in a blur of constant effort. I woke up and worked out, studied during school hours, worked out for a while after school before going into the woods, ate supper, went back to the woods, and then came home, day after day. Whenever my body seemed ready to give out or I ran out of MP, I closed my eyes and meditated on the titanic power of the world beneath my feet, something no one else seemed able to feel, and then got back to work.

I never stopped unless I needed to and sometimes not even then. With the Soul of the World to restore my HP, MP, and Stamina on top of the odd way my body already worked, I didn't really need sleep, so when I thought I could get away with it without my parents noticing, I worked out through the night. When I thought that would draw attention, I studied or meditated instead, but either way I kept my Aura activated nearly twenty-four hours a day, only turning it off when I ran out of MP and needed to refuel.

Sleep is for the weak or at least non-game characters. I'd thought that eventually it'd start effecting me mental or give me hallucinations or something, but that didn't happen—and though it was weird to never sleep, it got me forty-two extra hours to work with a week instead of wasting on sleep. That was valuable time I could spend training instead and I knew I was making amazing progress. Sure, my rate of advancement was already slowing down as my stats climbed higher, but…even having just had this ability for a little over half a month, I was sure that I could have gotten accepted into Signal if I'd been like this before, even ignoring my skills. And if you included them and how they'd leveled up…

I was going to be a Huntsman. That wasn't a dream anymore, or a foolish, flickering hope, or anything like that. Someday, someday soon, I would become a Huntsmen. When the time came, I'd take Beacon's entry exam and by then I knew I'd pass, I'd be ready for whatever came my way, and—

"Welcome back, Jaune," My mother's voice interrupted my thoughts as I walked through, an odd expression on her face. "There's someone here to see you."

"Hi, mom," I nodded at her, frowning slightly as I jogged in place. "Here to see me?"

My mind quickly came up with a number of possibilities, none of them good. I didn't have a lot of friends, even before my power turned me into a workaholic. I mean, I was on fairly good terms with everyone in my class, but I wasn't best friends with anyone anymore. If something happened, I was usually invited, but I didn't hang out with a lot of people after school, because at school, there were three types of people: Hunter kids, Hunter fans, and everyone else.

Hunter kids were, well, kids like me, who had Hunter parents. My Mom and Dad had a lot of friends and when I was younger I'd hung out with them a lot and they'd been, I guess, my friends. But, the thing is, because they were Hunter kids, pretty much all of them went off to one combat school or another and we'd sort of fallen out of touch after I…hadn't. Hunter fans were the ones who thought Hunters were awesome, which was pretty much everyone, including me, but…there's just…there's just something uncomfortable when the hottest girl in school agrees to go out with you, but only because she wants to go to your house and see your parents.

And I got that. My parents were cool. Hell, my life goal was to become a Huntsman—I understood how they all felt. And I also got that underneath that desire to ogle my awesome, celebrity parents, there were probably a lot of nice people who could be really good friends. But…

Also, bringing people to my house was always an experience. There was a hallway covered in pictures of all the different types of monsters my parents had killed one-on-one; they'd been competing since pretty much forever, before they'd gotten together—apparently that was how they'd gotten together, actually. But the whole thing could substitute as an encyclopedia of the Grimm. Literally. Mom said that she and Dad had once gotten an actual encyclopedia and then gone on a trip around the world to make sure they'd gotten one of each, including the ones that lived underwater.

Did I mention I'm not afraid of people threatening my parents?

And as for the final category…it was my teachers, pretty much. Who I hadn't given any reason to make a house call, unless this was about my grades suddenly improving and they were suspecting me of cheating or something—which, surprisingly, was the best possibility I could think of. If they thought I was cheating, it'd be relatively easy to prove I was just smart.

But if it wasn't anyone from school…

It could be the police or someone like them, finally connecting me to my thefts or the White Fang thing, or…

I walked passed my mom and into the dining room, a dread filling my stomach as if I already knew what I would find.

"Oh," I said as I saw him, letting out an already exhausted sigh. "Hey Tukson."

"Hello Jaune," The bookkeeper replied, nodding at me from where he sat, drinking coffee with my dad.

"Tukson here was telling us about how you did some work for him?" My dad said with a smile. "Why didn't you tell us you got a part-time job?"

"It was only a one-time thing, really…" I said, dragging my eyes away from the Faunus to look at him. Now that I was here, facing him, I was kind of surprised at how calmly I was taking this. It had gotten to be something of a trend.

"There was a book he said he wanted to buy," Tukson explained. "I said I'd give it to him if he ran a delivery for me. Well, it's more like he talked me into it; you have a very convincing son, Mr. Arc."

"Jacques, please," My dad replied immediately before turning to my mother, teeth gleaming. "First time he does real work and he asks to be paid in books. His mother's son, eh?"

Mom rolled her eyes.

"What do you need, Tukson?" I asked politely.

Tukson scratched the back of his head, smiling at me apologetically. I wondered if it was fake and used Observe on him; he was actually sorry. Or, at least, sorry about something, it might not have anything to do with me.

"Blake asked me to invite you to the shop, if you wanted," He said. "She didn't know your number, so I guess now I'm running deliveries."

"Blake?" Mom wondered.

"My niece," Tukson answered, though I was pretty sure that part was a lie. "She's about Jaune's age; he helped her out while he was working for me."

"A part-time job and a girl—" Dad began before falling silent at a glance from mom.

"What's Blake need?"

"She wanted to ask if you'd be interested in helping her again."

Of course.

I was trying to think of how to reply when my dad was at my shoulder, rising from his chair and coming beside me so quickly I hadn't even been able to see him move. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Son, when a girl asks you if you want to come over and help her with something, the answer is yes," He told me seriously, before suddenly letting me go as mom placed a hand on his shoulder.

I looked at him and then back at Tukson, unsure. A part of me didn't want to get wrapped up in anything involving the White Fang, remembering what had happened last time—but the other was thinking of last time too, of how I'd gone from level two to thirteen in a few hours. I hadn't leveled up once since then, though I'd improved my stats a great deal; even though the quest to heal the White Fang had gotten me nearly seventy percent of the way to the next level, the experience I got on a day to day basis wasn't getting me anywhere fast. The difference between getting to level two and to level fourteen, I suppose. And whatever she was, I guess I…kind of trusted Blake? At the very least, I didn't think she would be here for no reason or to hurt me.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to stop by after school and see what she needs, right?" I wondered out loud as much as to Tukson.

The smart part of me told me to stop trying to lie to myself.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Mission Control​

As I'd promised, I went to Tukson's Book Trade after school. Blake, one of the most powerful people I'd ever met especially near my own age, stood alone among the fantasy novels, nose in a book. She looked up as I entered, nodding at me slightly.

"Hello, Blake," I said as politely as I could. I was a bit irritated to be drawn back into this, but one didn't mouth off to people more than twenty levels above oneself. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Not really," She answered, placing a bookmark in the novel and closing it before moving towards me. "I wasn't certain when you'd arrive, so I came early. Hello, Jaune."

We were silent then, both having apparently run through our lists of casual conversation topics. Blake walked passed me and pressed a button, making its color shift from green to red, before closing and locking the door and making the windows opaque.

Well. That wasn't ominous.

I glanced above her head as she worked, checking her sign.

The Beauty

LV36

Blake Belladonna

Two levels already? It'd only been a week. But then, I suppose she probably saw a lot of violence as a high-leveled terrorist. I figured fighting multiple super droids was probably out of the ordinary even for her, but what did I know?

"What did you need, Blake?" I finally asked, going right for the point after the silence continued to linger. I figured we'd both appreciate getting down to business.

In reply, she tossed me something. I caught it reflexively before looking at it. Glancing up at her curiously, I opened up the scroll and watched as images appeared and began to, well, scroll through the images even as the last remnants of my good day evaporated.

"Those are photos from a company town on Mantle," Blake stated evenly. "Do you know what a company town is?"

I nodded without saying a word but she continued anyway.

"All the businesses in the area are owned by the same company and they all accept company scrip, which is the only thing those employees are paid with."

"'Those employees,'" I repeated, though it was easy enough to guess.

"The Faunus," She said, mouth twisting. "Mantle's famous for its technology, but that's the type of thing that needs a lot of, preferably cheap, manpower, especially to mine dust. It's also not a place famous for its high opinion of Faunus. If you're known as one, there aren't a lot of places you can work, but the major companies will employ them…in a sense. In truth, it's more of a legalized form of slavery. They're given enough to get by, to survive and keep working, but they owe everything they have to the company and if they step out of line, they'll have it all taken away and find themselves out of the streets. What you're seeing is what a few of our people on Mantle have able to get about their living and working conditions and their general state of health."

I didn't reply until I'd finished flipping through the pictures, burnt all the images into my brain and made sure I would remember them. It was…

"Disgusting," I said. "Isn't this illegal?"

"Not on Mantle," Blake answered. "Or not enough that anyone truly cares. Even after the Faunus Right's Revolution…"

She shrugged.

"Things aren't perfect and are worse in some places then others. The White Fang has more traction on Vytal than Mantle and with travel between Kingdoms as it is…" She shook her head, exhaling through her nose. "My associates have been discussing how to take action against…this for several months and there's been a lot of talk about mobilizing a large response."

I closed the scroll and tossed it back to her.

"If you're waiting for me to try and defend that, you're gonna be waiting a long time," I told her. "What those people are doing is sick. But I hope you don't think that just burning the company to the ground is going to help anything."

"I know it won't," Blake said, shaking her head. "I've been one of the people arguing against it. Even if we destroy the entire town—something that would inevitably result in countless meaningless deaths on both sides—it wouldn't help the Faunus employed there. The root of their problem, and the reason they can be exploited in such a way, is that they can't find work elsewhere. Unless we can solve that problem first, destroying the only places they can work isn't going to make their lives better, even if those places are horrible. A lot of the leadership agrees with me, but there's a demand for action and if an alternative can't be found…"

She shrugged again.

They'll do something stupid instead of doing nothing, I understood and nodded. In the long run, it might even help—if they could cause enough fear, if they could show enough power, and if, in doing so, they didn't ignite a massive response and kick off a major conflict. But those were a lot of ifs and there would be a lot of deaths even if they managed it. In time, they might be able to scare people into employing the Faunus on reasonable terms, but that wasn't going to help the ones that would be left homeless and unemployed in the here and now.

Or maybe that was the idea? If there was a lot of anger and fear directed at the Faunus, it wouldn't take much for the Faunus to start giving some back. It could easily drive a lot of them into the arms of the White Fang, giving it the foothold it apparently lacked on Mantle and increasing their ranks majorly. That was a cold way of looking at it, but…if they took it far enough, there could be another war.

Then again, a coldly logical part of me said, if this was how the Faunus were treated even after the Rights Revolution, maybe they could use another war.

I hushed that part quickly.

"What do you want me to do about it?" I asked. It wasn't a rhetorical question; if she was here, she must have had an idea and I probably wasn't gonna like it.

"There…was one other idea proposed, a long time ago," Blake actually seemed hesitant, which sent off alarm bells in my head. "Mantle…I wouldn't say Faunus are treated great anywhere, but Mantle is by far the worst and the White Fang has enough assets on the other continents to assist newcomers in settling in. The issue is the transition, but if we could get them into Vytal—"

I stopped her right there, putting the pieces abruptly coming together. The bottom dropped out of my stomach and I was already regretting…so many things, coming here the first and foremost.

"You…you want me to fly an airship," I paused for a moment, contemplating what would be needed for something like this. "You want me to fly an airship across the ocean, past who knows how many Grimm, invade a continent known for its advanced technology, perform a mass rescue operation, and then get back out of there, cross the ocean again, and get back here? Is that about right?"

After a long, still moment, Blake nodded, actually looking a little embarrassed.

"The White Fang has attempted to create a system to move Faunus between the Kingdoms several times, but always had to abandon the plan as unfeasible on a large scale—even the possibility has been discarded now and isn't brought up as an alternative anymore. The Grimm are too dangerous and, because of them, boarder control is too tight. With that and peaceful protest abandoned…I really think the leaders are going to push things until there's another war. There are already plans being made for an attack and I…" She shook her head. "I want to avoid that. I think we can avoid that, but we'd need to prove a point here and now that other ways are possible. But it would require something big. Something like this."

"Assuming, of course, that this ludicrous plan is possible," I said. "I mean, what good would saving one town do when so many others are still kept in bondage?"

"It would show everyone that another way is possible," Blake said. "And it would show the Faunus of Mantle that there is a way out for them. It would give people hope, even if only a few hundred were saved."

I sighed and shook my head.

"And how would you suggest we pull this off? Do you even have an airship?"

"We'd need to steal the airship," She admitted. "The White Fang doesn't have any that are big or fast enough for something of this magnitude."

"Oh, right, sorry—that makes sense," I nodded and corrected myself. "You want me to do all of that with a stolen airship, ensuring people will be chasing from the very beginning, meaning I'll have to escape the country and get back into it, after committing a crime that would make me an enormously wanted criminal if I got caught. Anything else?"

"There are only a few airships that are big enough and fast enough to make such a trip and airships in general are equipped with a number of systems to prevent them from being stolen," She added. "Which means acquiring one will be…hard and the moment we have one, we'll need to go. And the chances to steal a major Airship before it's under heavy security are…limited. The only chance I can be sure we'll have before the White Fang takes action is in less than two weeks."

"And a time limit for preparation, because who doesn't love a challenge?" I muttered before lifting my voice. "I have just one question. Well, no, that's a horrible lie—I have about a million questions, but I'm gonna start with this one: Why me? Why am I the person you're going to about this? Ignoring everything wrong with the idea, of which there is a great deal, why do you want to recruit a human you met once to go along with this ludicrously dangerous idea? I mean, let's assume for just a second that I agree to this. You would be trusting me with your life and the lives of everyone involved with this mission. So, again, why me?"

Blake seemed to have been waiting for that question.

"Several reasons," She said, lifting a hand in preparation to tick off her fingers. "The first is simply necessity. If this mission is to have any chance of working, I need someone who can learn to fly a vehicle they've never encountered before, figure out its exact specifications with no experience beforehand, become skilled enough at programming to deal with any measures already on it, use it to outrun the military, and do all of that in a very short period of time. Otherwise, the plan won't work."

"That's because the majority of your plan is 'Hope a miracle happens,'" I informed her.

She ignored me.

"Secondly, your ability to heal others and to regain your own power quickly makes you invaluable for…pretty much any mission. In that particular regard, your own personal power is only a minor consideration—rather, your presence serves as an enormous force multiplier. Adam and I could not do such a task alone, but if we were restored to full power anytime we began to weaken…" She let that statement hang in the air. "But the third reason is the most important."

"Oh?"

"I'm asking you because I think you might say yes," Blake said solemnly. "I can't say I know you, but a week ago, you got involved and risked your lives to help people you didn't even know, simply because they were in danger and you could help them. I think you're good man—I'm not amazed by your sense of self-preservation, but I think you have a good heart. I need to save these people and I need to try and stop the White Fang from going any further down this path. Will you help me?"

I put a hand over my eyes and sighed loudly, turning away from her as I rubbed my face. When I looked up, I was unsurprised to find a blue screen hanging in the air, but I still glowered at it.

A quest has been created!

A Friend In Need: Help Blake with her insane mission!

Reach the Faunus on Mantle and then escort them to freedom! Time Limit: Two weeks.

Completion Reward: Exp 950000, Increased closeness with the Faunus of Mantle, Increased closeness with the Faunus of Vale, Increased closeness with the White Fang, Increased closeness with Blake.

Failure: Decreased closeness with Blake, Imprisonment, or Death*.

*Depending on time of failure.

Don't even try to tempt me with your sexy, sexy numbers, I thought, even as I counted all the shapely zeroes. I knew full well that if the reward was that high, getting it would mean terror and pain. I'd known that last time, too, granted, and it had turned out surprisingly well in the end, but the reward for this one was over fifteen times that one. If that said anything about the danger involved, well, I could only imagine. But this time—

I sighed deeply.

"There's too many ifs involved," I said. "Maybe we can get the ship and maybe I can fly it and maybe I can escape and maybe I get us there in one piece and maybe I can get us back—but those are all really big maybes."

"Believe it or not, I actually have a plan, though a lot of details need to be hammered out," Blake said dryly. "Though none of it matters without your help and I'm not going to hurt you if you want to back out. But we can do this. You might not even need to fight."

I thought there was pretty much no chance in hell of that being true, but maybe I was just getting cynical. Still, being in a party with people of Adam and Blake's levels was…

Still not enough to make this sound like a good idea.

"And stealing an airship…that's a major, major crime, especially on the type of scale you're talking about. Who would we even be stealing it from? The military? Because that would be an unspeakably bad idea without even getting into the amount of people we'd piss off afterwards. I mean—"

"Schnee," She interrupted me.

I looked over my shoulder at her in disbelief.

"You mean…"

"The airship is being produced by the Schnee Dust Company," Blake said. "The same company who owns the town on Mantle. They'll be showing off their newest model in Vale soon at a conference."

Wow, this plan was just getting better and better.

"Poetic justice aside, you…do realize we'd be pissing off one of the most powerful organizations in the world, right?"

"The Schnee Dust Company and the White Fang have been at each other's throats for years," She dismissed. "This won't make a difference on that front."

"Not for you, maybe," I said, turning to face her fully. "But what about me? Even if we succeed, if anyone sees my face…"

Blake reached down to grab the bag at her feet and threw it to me.

"What's this?" I questioned, looking down at it. It was heavier then it looked.

"I just told you, I'm not stupid," Blake said, giving me a flat look that made me think it was wise not to argue.

Hesitating for a moment, I opened the bag with a sigh. On top were a few small cases, a large box, and…

I took out the mask. It was a lot like Adam's, though the designs were a bit different and in black instead of red.

"Um…"

"It's one of Adam's old ones," She said. "But it should fit you, too."

"…Yeah," I said, drawing the word out. "No offense but I don't think hiding my upper face is going to protect me for long when I find myself on every TV station from here to Atlas."

She rolled her eyes and made a rolling gesture with one hand and I took the items out of the bag one by one. After I took out the box, I found myself looking at the back cover of a book and reached in to remove it—

You obtained the skill book 'Makeup for the Menagerie.' Would you like to learn this skill?

…Wait. What?

You obtained the skill book 'Making Faces: How to be a Makeup Artist.' Would you like to learn this skill?

You obtained the skill book 'Windows to the Soul: A Thousand Designs for Beautiful Eyes.' Would you like to learn this skill?

You obtained the skill book 'The Fairest of Them All.' Would you like to learn this skill?

You obtained the skill book 'Let Down Your Hair.' Would you like to learn this skill?

I looked up at Blake silently and then turned to the box. I opened it. Then I raised it, unfolded it, separated it, and stacked it. It was a makeup kit—a real, professional one which had so much stuff inside of it, the box must have contained a pocket dimension. There were about fifty million different pieces—for my skin, my eyes, my hair, my lips, my nails, and who knows what else. It featured about a thousand colors I hadn't known had names and implements which may have doubled for use in torture. The cases that came with it contained what looked almost like slides, with about four dozen colored contact lens in them. Looking at it all was both intimidating and terrifying.

I didn't touch it. It was complex enough that there may have been a self-destruct.

"This is the basic kit," Blake said, which made me look at her again. "I brought more, in case we need it. I only know the basics, but it should be fine with your power."

She stepped towards me and grabbed my chin with one hand, turning it one way and then the other, staring at me like I was a specimen on a slab.

"Didn't think so," She said, before elaborating. "No identifying marks. You're lucky; that makes this easier."

"Um," I started to say before her index finger and thumb forced my lips apart and she stared at my teeth analytically.

"You have good teeth, too. Alter the lines of your face with the mask, change your eyes, maybe shift your skin tone…we'll need to do something to your hair, of course, and we'll need to change your wardrobe, but…do you have any birthmarks?" She asked, freeing my lips.

"No, but—"

"Scars? Tattoos?" She continued.

"No!" I said, pushing myself to my feet. "But wait a second, will you? I haven't agreed to anything yet."

Blake looked me up and down even as her hands busied themselves putting away the makeup kit.

"You want to help," She stated. "You're scared, but you really, really do."

"Of course I want to help, but the odds of this plan working…" I shook my head in irritation. "We, you, aren't going to help anyone by getting killed. If I thought it could work, maybe it'd be different, but…this is…"

Blake nodded.

"I know. Adam said the same thing and I agree," She stated. "And until last week, I'd never have even considered the idea. But it is possible. Or haven't you realized…?"

She turned and began to walk towards the back of Tukson's shop. Before she passed through the curtain, she paused and looked over her shoulder at me.

"Oh, that's right; you've never seen Tukson's private collection before, have you?" She mused. "He keeps all his best books in the back."

I stared after her for a moment. This was the part where I should walk away. I hadn't agreed to anything yet and wasn't going to; I should just click no on the quest screen, walk out the door, and never turn back. This was insane and there was no point even discussing it further, much less in giving Blake a chance to try and make me go along with it. There was nothing but trouble behind that curtain, even if I knew Blake wouldn't force me into this. I should leave right now. That was the smart thing to do, the wise thing to do, and I knew it.

But…

I swore and followed after.

If only Greed wasn't my sin.

And if only she wasn't right about me wanting to help.

XxXXxX​

Tukson's backroom was like a dream come true. One of my dreams, specifically. There were boxes on the ground, some of them open, all of them filled with books. There were several rows of shelves, all of them taller than the ones up front but spaced far enough apart to move through comfortably, and the back wall had apparently been fake because it slide aside to reveal a hidden shelf in the hollow space behind it. There were books of every shape and size, scrawled with more languages and scripts then I could count, and ripe for the picking.

I whistled quietly.

"Impressive, huh?" Tukson asked, smiling at me even as he moved between the shelves, drawing out a book every now and then. "Not a lot of people appreciate a collection like this—but I guess if anyone would, it'd be you."

"I told Tukson about your Semblance, in case anything like this happened. He's been sorting through his collection lately, making copies." Blake said and I shrugged, not really surprised or upset or anything. "As for the others…there have been questions, but considering what you had to go through to help us, Adam and I have been deflecting attention as much as possible. I'll let you decide what to tell them later, but I'll probably have to explain things to Adam."

"If I even agree to help," I answered distractedly, moving in the direction of the shelves. Blake caught my hand before I could go and dragged me too one side, where a full length mirror was set on the wall beside a desk. Blake took a length of yellow measuring tape from atop the later and then positioned me in front of the mirror.

"Tukson's getting stuff for you now and you can look through the rest later," She said. "First things first. You can't very well run around in the same clothes you wear normally, can you?"

"Um," I asked awkwardly as she started measuring me. "Is this really necessary? I mean, if I did decide to go along with this, I could just grab a shirt anywhere."

"The clothes make the man," Blake answered. "You'd be amazed how different a change in wardrobe can make you look. You for instance…this is what you normally wear, correct?"

I glanced down at my hoodie and jeans and crossed my arms over them defensively.

"Yeah, so?" I replied, not mentioning that my mom had had them tailor made for me.

"Your shirt's a bit baggie," She answered, grabbing it with two fingers, seeming to talk more to herself then me. "The materials rather thick, too. That's good for us; it hides a lot of your build. We could hide even more of it and try to change the shape of your body, but that could make fighting harder if it comes to that. Then…perhaps the opposite? A change in style…something more formfitting, then?"

"If this is heading towards spandex, tell me now so I can leave. I'd rather wear a fake mustache and use an awful accent."

She rolled her eyes as she finished with the measurements and stepped back. She pondered me for a moment before nodding her head and speaking.

"Take your shirt off."

"Um," I answered her words with the razor edge of my wit. "What?"

Blake looked at me and exhaled impatiently.

After an awkward pause, I followed her commands and took my hoodie off before her eyes—and let me just say, though I've had fantasies which involved getting undressed in front of a beautiful woman, they generally involved her looking less…bored. A raised eyebrow was all I got out of Blake as she looked me up and down, frowned slightly, and then stepped close to me with a length of measuring tape. She checked me around the waist, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, and a few other places before nodding to herself and scrawling my measurements in a notebook.

"Something you need to remember about Hunters—and people like them, such as you and I—is that they tend to stand out, partially by design," She said, sounding like a teacher that was barely paying attention. "Unique outfits, unique weapons…there are many reasons for it, one of the most import being that we want to draw attention. People who are shooting at us aren't shooting at the people we're trying to protect and our allies can easily pick us out of a crowd. Whether we're fighting against each other or against the Grimm, both of those things are important. However, one of the other reasons is because it's so hard for us to blend in, especially if forced into combat. I can fade from sight in when I need to, but there are only so many people who use Variant Ballistic Chain Scythes. It kind of gives me away, even without getting into my Semblance—and if I refrain from using either, that costs me a lot."

I mouthed the words 'Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe' to myself, having not realized that was a thing until now, but nodded at the point.

"But you're different—or rather, your Semblance makes you different. The thing about disguises is that they come in many forms depending on what you seek to accomplish—but the best ones come in layers," She stated, already drawing in her notebook. "A wardrobe change, a mask, and some well applied makeup are all good places to start, but alone may not be enough. Those of us with Aura usually don't have to worry about most types of biological evidence, thankfully, but there are other things that can give you away. Your weapon, for one, but even how you fight and act, and those can be harder to change. Luckily, it shouldn't be much of a problem for you. You use a sword normally, right?"

"Sword and shield," I answered, wondering if I could put my shirt back on. "It's a family heirloom, but I've gotten used to it."

Tukson dropped a small stack of book on the desk while Blake hummed.

"I would recommend avoiding both of those, then. For people like us, suppressing instinctive reactions and ingrained training is the hardest part," Blake continued, still drawing. "Most people won't notice the specifics, but if another Hunter is nearby, they might recognize you by the way you fight if they see you again later. Do you have a preference for what type of weapon you'd like to learn to use? I'd recommend guns, of course, but you'll need to be careful; Dust residues can themselves give you away and you'd be amazed how much they can get from that stuff if you don't have time to go through the proper channels. Still, it's more than worth it to give you several books on the subject. You'll want a close range option, too, though. A spear, maybe? We don't have the time or resources to manufacture anything special, but that should be doable."

I shifted uncomfortably, enjoying this less and less by the second. I didn't like the idea of switching weapons, even if I understood the intent, both because I wasn't keen about abandoning the bonuses I got from Sword and Shield Mastery and also because I'd already come to terms with making my great-great-grandfathers weapon my own. I had decided to make Crocea Mors my own and I wanted to stick to that. But…

I remembered what I'd thought about before. Just in case, it would be good to have a ranged option and…

"Do you have anything about unarmed fighting?" I asked. "Martial arts or boxing or something I can use with my bare hands? I've been meaning to work on that, but…"

Blake paused in her drawing and looked up at me and then turned to meet eyes with Tukson. It felt as if I were being excluded from a conversation.

"You think he can do it?" Tukson wondered after a second.

"I've no doubt about he's ability to learn it," Blake stated. "I'd have questioned his ability to use it properly, but he's more muscular than I'd have thought."

"I've been working out," I told them, flexing one arm.

Everyone ignored me.

"If anyone did recognize it, it would help cement his image as a Faunus…" Tukson mused before sighing and nodding. I glanced at him as he shoved the stack of books over to make more room before going back to the shelves.

"So…mind filling me in?" I asked Blake.

"He's getting you what you wanted," She stated vaguely, frowning at me before raising a thumb center with my chest and closing one eyes. "If the clothes make then man then…"

She nodded, flipped a page in her notebook, and started drawing again, only pausing when Tukson returned.

"Tiger, you think?" She asked, nodding at me.

Tukson blinked before looking at me.

"Kind of cliché, but…fitting, I suppose," Tukson shrugged. "It could work, I guess. You said his Aura was white?"

Blake nodded.

"Jaune, how much time do you spend shirtless?" Blake asked me seriously, turning back to me.

"Uh," I replied. "What?"

"How much time do you spend shirtless?" She asked again, voice and expression both annoyed. It was nice to know I was the only one embarrassed about any of this. "In public, that is."

"I…none?" I tried. "Unless I'm swimming or something and I don't do that much anymore."

She narrowed her eyes again before nodding.

"It could work," She said. "Layers and padding are usually preferable, but it's something people wouldn't normally associate with or expect from you and it could allow for false identifying marks to help throw people off. Give you the mask, do something with your hair, lips, skin—something distinctive, to draw attention. Strips, perhaps, or a tattoo, so that if people do see you shirtless, they won't make the connection. If you fight with your hands instead of a sword and play to the martial arts stereotype instead of the knight…it could work."

I squinted at her.

"You…you want me to fight shirtless?" I asked incredulously.

"You say it as if the armor you wore before would have protected you from anything without your Aura," Blake said frankly, making me wince. "You can wear a shirt instead, if you want, but remember that we're trying to sell an image here. As long as you find something that fits, it's fine. You want to look the part of the martial artist and the Faunus. Play it up as much as possible and it'll be harder to connect it to you. A lot of the White Fang has embraced such stereotypes, regardless. I was thinking something relatively subtle; a stripe across each cheek, a few across the shoulders and arms, some altered lines on the chest, a meaningless trinket or two for people to remember. Yellow eyes like mine, perhaps. We'll focus on your hair, though, change the style, change the color—something to stand out. Multiple colors? We could continue the tiger theme and with Adam there, it wouldn't even look too strange. Or maybe just white?"

Blake hummed to herself, apparently dismissing me entirely to focus on her note book.

"I still haven't…" I shook my head and abandoned that ship, focusing instead on Tukson. "So! What do you have for me, Tukson?"

"A classic," He said with a sigh. Probably because I was gonna eat it. "From quite a ways before Menagerie. You've heard about the four Beast Kings, right?"

"Weren't there five?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

Tukson waggled a hand.

"Depends on who you listen too, but going by what few scripts remain, there were originally four and it's believed the fifth was someone's personal addition to the story—hence how he was actually the king of them all, the golden lord of Faunus-kind, a better fighter then any of the others, and also strong and wise. But on the other hand, we thought the same about Nicholas the Toymaker and it turned out he was real, so who knows, right? It's hard to tell when it comes to stuff that far before the War, because life before Dust was…"

Tukson shrugged one shoulder.

"Well, you can probably imagine. With the presence of the Grimm and without Dust, things were a lot harder—often times in ways a lot of people don't think about anymore. Without the convenience of energy propellant and with the Grimm everywhere, it was far more difficult to extract, smelt, and forge metals and we couldn't do it with metals as good as we use today; depending on the time and location, some places would be lucky if they could use iron and even they might not be able to extract it consistently when the Grimm could rampage through town any day. And we're talking just basic weapons, because we didn't have the technology to make everything with a gun built right into it. Or guns as we know them today, even. But while we didn't have Dust, we still had Aura and because of that, we could make our fists as strong as anything we could make."

I nodded getting it.

"And it was easier than making weapons," I guessed. "Lots of martial arts, then?"

"Quite a few," Tukson nodded. "If you ever wondered about all those martial arts films set before the War, they're partially rooted in fact, it was just…usually not as the movies depicted. Anyway, at the time there were lots of different groups and schools and such, but over time, several stood out among the rest as they grew and developed followings that could defend greater areas. Among the Faunus, these were the Beast Kings Meng Zhang, Ling Guang, Jian Bing, and Zhi Ming. Or…those might have been their names, at least; the best records we have are from Haven, so it might have just been the names they were known by there. It's also why Jian Bing's, better known as Bai Hu, martial art is the most complete of those that remain."

"What happened to the others?" I asked.

"There's a reason we call this world Remnant," Tukson answered simply. "And after the discovery of Dust and the resulting industrialization, we had better options—especially once we learnt how to fashion Dust into bullets and create better weaponry. As it became far easier to train people in other forms of combat and just as or more effective, Martial Arts faded from prominence during and after the War. There were the occasional upswings and there are always a few schools with popularity, but it takes less time to learn to use a gun then to learn to focus your Aura in specific ways…well, for everyone but you, I suppose. I spent some time in Haven researching it after the Rights Revolution, luckily, and these are the copies I made of the tablets in Bai Hu's temple. I never got around to translating it all and a lot of it was clear as mud, but…Blake tells me that won't be a problem for you."

I took the first in the stack from him, curious.

You obtained the skill book 'White Tiger's Tread.' Would you like to learn this skill?

I clicked yes and the book glowed brightly, fragmenting as knowledge filled me. I took a deep breath and then exhaled, looking at Tukson who stared at me in undisguised interest and then at the window that appeared before me.

You've obtained the skill 'White Tiger's Tread.'

White Tiger's Tread (Active & Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

The foot technique developed by the Beast King Bai Hu.

Passively increases movement speed by 10%.

Increases movement speed by 50% when active.

Additional 10 MP used per minute.

"Yeah," I said as Tukson put the books down on the table. "No problem. Maybe I should visit Haven someday myself, though."

I turned my attention to the two stacks of books. The taller one was composed of items Tukson had picked out after Blake asked—stuff he thought might be useful, mainly. I couldn't train all of them and I doubted all of them counted as skill books, but…well, I'd bear the burden of having many skills with the dignity of an Arc.

"Is this really okay?" I had to ask though, feeling a little bad about devouring the books when I still hadn't really agreed to this ridiculous plan, however certain Blake seemed of my involvement. The only reason I was still back here—besides, I admit it, my shameless lust for Tukson's books—was the fact that she said she wouldn't force anything on me.

That damn quest window was lingering ominously, though.

"It's worth it for the chance." Tukson said, putting down the books with a sigh. "Saving lives, giving second chances…I was around for the Rights Revolution—got taken from Vacuo—so that's the type of thing that means something to me. And even…maybe this could even be the start of something new for the White Fang. If we could prove it was possible, establish a precedent…if the people you saved could be accepted even somewhat here in Vale…"

"You really think that could change the White Fang?" I said, doing my best to keep my skepticism out of my voice.

"Maybe. Probably not," He admitted. "Too much has been said and done for any one thing to change the White Fang. But it could be a start, perhaps. Something to build off of. If it was big enough that neither the public nor the White Fang could ignore it, flashy enough to stick in their minds and stay around, if people told stories about it…it could start something. That's what I think."

He smiled at me.

"Besides, what's the point of books if not to learn something from them?" Tukson asked. "And if you really do understand whatever you eat, then I can just ask you about it later."

I wasn't sure what to say in the face of that, but…

I reached out to touch the first book in the stack and took it in.

You've obtained the skill 'Computer Mastery.'

"I guess…" I sighed, regretting this more and more by the minute. I don't even think they were necessarily trying to make me feel guilty.

Blake hummed, still drawing.

"Don't forget the books I gave you," She said absently and I rolled my eyes before reaching for one.

You've obtained the skill 'Disguise.'

"Hey," Tukson asked, peering over my shoulder. "Blake are these…?"

Blake raised her head and gave him a look that shut him up.

"Ah," He continued awkwardly, still looking at the books before shaking his head. "Actually, give me just a second. There's one more book I want to give you."

Tukson went back to the back wall shelf, index finger trailing over the spins. I glanced at Blake, opening my mouth to ask—

"Don't," She said softly.

I didn't.

"If I went along with it, I'd need the manual for the specific model of airship you'd need me to pilot," I said instead, even as I absorbed a book about Airships. All vehicles fell under broad skills like Drive, Sail, and Pilot but I could gain familiarity with or vehicles this way; the other books Blake had given me would probably do the same for Disguise and how Engineering books added Blueprints to Craft. "I could potentially get by with a normal book on the subject but I'd really rather not."

She nodded and I reached out for another book.

You've obtained the skill 'Firearms Mastery.'

"Found it!" Tukson said, coming back to my side just as I was about to reach for another, a short, well-worn book in his hands. "Have you ever read this one?"

I accepted it.

You obtained the skill book 'The Story of the Wind.' Would you like to learn this skill?

"The Story of the Wind?" I asked, shaking my head. "I've never heard of it."

Tukson clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"Really? I get not knowing about Bai Hu, but this one is an actual classic," He said. "One of the oldest stories in the world. Even I don't know how old it is."

My eyebrows went up at that and I looked at the book in a new light. It didn't look old, though staring at it, I realized the cover must have been torn and replaced at some point. This was probably just another copy, but…

"You sure about giving it to me, then?" I asked. "It must be pretty—"

"You can buy it in any bookstore in Vacuo," Blake said without looking up from her notebook. "And in a lot of bookstore down here. Or just read it online, honestly. It's a very famous children's story up north."

Oh. That was kind of a letdown. But hey, a skill book is a skill book…right? But what skill would a children's book give?

And why would Tukson give me one?

"What's it about?" I asked, hesitating before consuming it.

"Well…Blake's right, I suppose; it's a story about a boy who got lost in a storm—and, by the way, you have not seen a storm until you've been to Vacuo—but found and befriended the Wind, who guided him back home and kept him safe, through the night and the Grimm and the cold. Supposedly, the boy recorded it all in this book and passed it down." Tukson scratched behind one ear. "It sounds kind of silly saying it like that, but it's a good book and a lot of stuff in it does work. Some people think it was actually an accounting of very early Dust use, in fact, because during the war they managed to imitate a lot of the feats, exactly as written—even the designs. Everyone in Vacuo's read that book at least once, I guarantee it."

"They give everyone in the military a copy," Blake added in a quiet voice. "In case any soldiers get lost and need to find their way home."

I looked back at the book, understanding what she was saying.

"This…then this was yours?" I asked Tukson, who shrugged. "I…I can't take this."

"Didn't you hear Blake?" He asked. "You can get one of those anywhere. Really, look at that old thing. I should have gotten a new one a long time ago. Besides which—I know my way home. Besides, I'm not much of a fighter anymore."

I exhaled slowly.

Damn it, damn it, damn it, this was unfair.

"I have some things I need to do after this," I told them both. "And a few things I want to check out, too. But after that, I'll give you an answer, okay? One way or another. You gonna be here for a while, Blake?"

She tossed me the scroll from before again.

"All the important stuff is on there and you can use it to contact me. Keep it."

"Thanks," I said before pushing the button to accept the skill book.

And then I froze, staring for a long, quiet minute.

"Hey, Tukson," I said after I shook myself from my thoughts. "Thanks."

I could hear a new song, carried on the wind, something familiar and half-forgotten—and it made me want to call out to it, to raise the wind and ask it to join me and share the joy in that song, but…

But beneath the gentle song of the air, I heard the stead beat of iron drums, like of an army ready to march, and felt a comforting weight by my side. I knew the steps that had to follow now, to begin the dance.

However, there was something I had to do before anything else, so I could make my decision.

"I'm going to need to go for just a bit," I said, glancing at the clock as my hands gathered up the remaining books.

I had to speak to my father.

And then I had to speak to my sword.

You've obtained the skill 'Summon Elemental.'

New Status, 'Air Element Affinity' has been created.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Prerequisites​

"Dad?" I asked with a raised voice, stepping into my house. "Dad, are you still home?"

"One sec!" I heard sounds of motion and then saw my dad coming down the stairs a moment before his hand was on my head, ruffling my hair, dropping a bag by the door.

"There you are!" He said, grinning widely. "How'd the date go, lady killer?"

"It wasn't a…" I shook my head. "You know what? Whatever."

I looked down at the bag, nudging it with the toe of my shoe.

"Leaving again already?" I asked.

He smiled apologetically.

"Duty calls. Sorry kid; your mom already went ahead to get our rid prepped, but she'll swing by before we have to leave. You can take care of yourself, right?"

"I always do," I said. "Can I talk to you about something before you go?"

"Is it girls?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows. "Because you're right; we should talk about that now. I know I'm usually busy, but you're sixteen now and—"

"It's important, Dad," I said, not letting myself get distracted even as I felt traces of heat rise in my cheeks.

"Ah," My father said, face becoming serious. Pursing his lips for a moment, he jerked his head towards the dining room and I followed him. When we were both seated, he looked at me with a steady expression. "What's wrong, Jaune?"

I lifted a hand to my lips, wondering where to even start. The beginning, I decided.

"I've been training a lot recently," I said. "Since a bit less than two weeks ago. I didn't really mean to keep it a secret, I just wanted to get a bit stronger before I told you because…"

I could help but look down. We both knew why.

"You've never had anything to prove, Jaune," My Dad said seriously. "Not to me or your mother."

"Yeah, but…I had to prove stuff to myself, you know?" I continued, looking down at my hands on the table. "Ever since…I failed to get into Signal again and again and the others all went off to combat school, but no matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough. And after you gave me Crocea Mors…but I still couldn't…"

I shook my head.

"I tried. You and mom told me I could be anything I wanted, do whatever I wanted, but what I wanted was to be like you and mom, like grandpa and the others. Everyone expected me to become a Hunter, but more than that, I expected it, wanted it. But…I wasn't good at it. At anything I tried. Until two weeks ago."

I tried to gather my thoughts and put them into words.

"I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but…I guess I found my Semblance," I shrugged, honestly having no idea how or why it had happened. "I awakened the rest of my Aura a week or so later, after I figured out how to use it."

Dad's eyebrows went up at that, surprise on his face.

"After you found your Semblance?" He asked.

I nodded.

"After I went to the library, I found a book about it. I don't really know how to describe it without sounding strange but I can do stuff like that; I learn things fast, from books or otherwise, and I recover quickly when I get tired. Recently, I've been training or studying all through the night and I went out every day to train, and…"

I shrugged.

"I know," My father said after the silence lingered. At my look, he gave a half-smile. "Give me some credit, kid; I've known since…I guess it would be after you woke up the rest of your Aura. It's the type of thing that changes you and how you move and, well, you've been leaving it on all the time. Your mother and I have talked about it a few times, but we decided to let you come to us when you were ready. We were going to say something when we noticed you staying up all night, but you were always fine in the morning, so…"

He sighed, smile fading, and I had the feeling there had been more to these talks then he was letting on. Thinking about it, I wasn't even that surprised to hear that they knew, given who they were. I'd always just accepted that my mom knows all and sees all, but she usually didn't bring things up if I didn't want to talk about them unless she thinks she really has to or I do something bad. I hadn't even really been trying to hide it, I just didn't want to bother them about it.

"My Semblance has…well, it's just weird," I admitted. "But it's pretty awesome, too, and it can do all sorts of things. But…I'll tell you about that latter. What I wanted to do is ask you for some advice. About, well, I guess about what I should do about a problem I've been having."

Dad bobbed his head once.

"I, well, I have a friend," I said, before briefly debating with myself and just coming out with it. "Blake, the girl you heard about earlier—and please don't start, Dad, please—asked me for my help and I don't know if I should say yes or not. Because…Dad, have you ever had a friend who wanted to do something that was just stupid?"

He laughed in my face, like I'd just said something hilarious before suppressing it—only to lose control again when he saw my face. I stared at him oddly until he wound down, but even then there was a small smile on his face and mirth in his eyes.

"Sorry about that," He said. "You'll understand later, if you become a Huntsman. But I have some experience along those lines, yeah."

"I'll take your word for it," I said, figuring he was the one with experience—and if he and mom were anything to go by, well… "But Blake's idea, it's stupid. But…I think it may also be the right thing to do and I don't know if there are any better options. And if I don't help…she can't do this without me and other people will suffer if nothing is done."

Eyebrows furrowed, the Arc patriarch looked away, the beginnings of a frown on his lips. He stared at a few of the pictures on the walls, of his old team.

"I know a thing or two about that, too," He said, mirth gone. "Is it dangerous? Something you can go to a teacher or the police about?"

'Or me' went unsaid.

"I don't think the police could do much about this—or even the Hunters. And yeah, it's dangerous," I said. "That's why it's stupid. But I think…I can make it work, maybe. And if I do nothing, it won't stop being dangerous; it'll just be dangerous to other people instead of me. And the more I think about it…"

"The more the thought sickens you," He nodded. "You want to do something. Feel like you have to."

I thought about it and nodded firmly.

"Yeah," I said. "I want to help them. There's so much about it that scares me and makes me want to run away, but I want to help. And I keep thinking maybe, just maybe, I could actually do it, if I went all out in my training and try my hardest."

Dad took a deep breath and looked around as if expecting some horrible monster to pop out of the shadows.

"Your mother is going to kill us both…" He sighed before looking back at me with steel in his eyes. "Promise me that if you think you might get hurt, you'll back out. You'll call for help, delay, whatever—but you won't get hurt."

"I intended to do that anyway," I said, even if I was becoming less and less sure about that as time went on. "And Blake and her friends will be there, too. They're strong. Stronger than me. I think if we tested her, she could get into Beacon right now."

"I…God, I don't want to say this, but it'd be hypocritical not to. I made my own father go through this, once, though I was a little bit older…" He exhaled through his nose. "Jaune, listen to me. Sometimes, you have to fight even if it's dangerous because the alternative is worse or because you couldn't live with yourself if you didn't. I understand that, believe me—every Hunter understands that, accepts it the moment they really become one. It's a dangerous job but it's one we chose to do. So…I won't tell you not to, even if I want to. If you're doing this to help people, then put your all into it and help them. But there are three things you have to remember at all times, okay? The people who have your back, the home you have to come back to, and the things you need to stay alive to do. Promise me you won't forget those three things, no matter what."

I stared at my Dad's face for a long moment, noting how uncharacteristically solemn his expression was. He was taking this seriously.

So was I.

"I will," I said in the same tone. "I'm going to get everyone out safely and come home and then I'm going to become a Huntsman. I'll keep training hard and when the time comes I'll take the test and enter Beacon and I'm gonna graduate and I'm going to become the best Hunter in the whole world. I will."

"That's my boy," Jacques said, baring his teeth in a smile. "Do you need any help?"

I understood the offer for what it was and glanced back at the bag he'd left in the hall.

"Don't you need to be somewhere?" I asked.

"A murder of Giant Nevermore came in to roost near Mistral and they keep trying to abduct people to feed their young," He said with a shrug. "Your Mom and I are going in for a few weeks to serve as reinforcements, but…we can find someone else if you need."

It'd be a lie to say I wasn't tempted. Like, truly enormously tempted to just tell him 'Yes, Dad, please call off all your plans, including the ones to save countless lives and help me.' But…I hesitated. Part of it was because I knew that those people probably were in great danger and I knew my parents were some of the best equipped to save them. My dad made a flock of titanic Grimm sound like an everyday thing, but…

So part of it was the fact that, much as I wanted to, I couldn't place myself above others, even for something like this.

But, perhaps even more than that…I didn't want to bring my parents into this. If it was…if it was me getting into trouble or making sacrifices, that was one thing, but I couldn't ask that from them. I wasn't worried about them getting hurt, but there were other things that could be taken from them. If I asked them to come—and they would, if I asked them, I knew that much for sure—then if something went wrong, if someone noticed them or something about them…And they were famous, amazing Hunters, way better known than someone like me…

I could be asking them to give up the lives they had made for themselves, what they'd worked so hard to create, and the names they earned. I knew this was risky for me as well, but there were things I could do that others can't—and if I was caught, it would just be on me. I couldn't do that to them, even if I wanted their strength on my side. I didn't know if it was smart or wise or whatever, but I couldn't, I wouldn't.

"Ugh," I said. "You want me to bring my parents to a party? How old are you that you think that would be remotely cool?"

"Yeah, I guess I'd cramp your style, huh?" He smiled sadly. He lowered his head to look me in the eye. "I'll hurry home, okay?"

"Okay," I said. "But I'll be back before you."

I'd try to make sure it wasn't a lie.

"I have to get a few more bags," Dad said. "I'll leave you a few things while I'm up there, just in case."

"Thanks," I said, before stopping him as he turned away. "Dad. Just so you know…I'm gonna turn in my homework for the next few weeks tomorrow, because after that, I'll be missing school for a while. I just wanted you to know, so you didn't…"

He sighed.

"Your Mother is gonna kill us…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "But I'll handle it. When we both get back, will weather the storm together, okay? A man's gotta take responsibility for his actions."

"Deal," I answered. "Good hunting, Dad."

"You too, kiddo," He said. "And be good, okay?"

"I'll give it my best effort," I hedged, smiling as I watched him go.

When he was gone I let out a long, slow breath, closing my eyes for a minute before opening them once more. I'd decided and now I was resolved.

I accepted the quest and the window finally faded from my sight.

Just one more thing to do.

XxXXxX​

When I absorb a skill book, I understand what's written inside as if I've known it forever. After I devoured Tukson's gift, I understood it in its entirety—everything it was attempting to convey, hidden within the story, including the skill Summon Elemental. The moment I first received the skill, I realized something in short order—the skill was 'Summon Elemental' not 'Summon Air Elemental,' just as my Elemental Aura hadn't been restricted just to my Metal Affinity. If I followed that to its logical conclusion, assisted by the knowledge I'd gained, it should be possible to use the spell with other Elements, so long as I met all the conditions.

To summon an elemental, you need three things. The first, of course, is an affinity for the element in question, natural or otherwise. The second is a supply of the appropriate element with which to summon it from. My power supplied the former easily enough and both of my current affinities, Metal and Air, were easy enough to come by. However, the final thing was something that needed to be prepared in advanced—a contract.

After saying goodbye to my mom and dad, I sent a message to Blake telling her about my decision and then went out to what had more or less become my place in the woods to do what I needed. I drew a pair of concentric circles and then a five pointed star with its tips touching the outer circle. Then, I took Crocea Mors out of my Inventory and placed it at the center of the circle, shield over sword. I surveyed my work for a moment to make sure everything was in order and nodded to myself.

"What's that for?" Blake's quiet voice reached my ears, sending my poor heart vaulting up into my throat for half an instant before it calmed. As it had done that several times, I was pretty sure that was some aspect of my power, but I'd need to check on it later.

"I didn't expect you to come today," I said, deciding to pretend I'd known she was there all along. I wasn't sure if she'd snuck up on me on purpose, but if she had I wasn't gonna make it fun for her. "I didn't mean to make you rush over."

"I have my books," She answered. "I can read them anywhere. Besides that, there's not much I want to do in this city besides work."

I hummed in acknowledgement.

"This is a summoning circle," I said. "I'm going to summon an Elemental. I picked up the skill from Tukson's book; figured I'd put it to use."

"You…" I heard surprise in Blake's voice. "That's real? The boy and the Wind?"

"Looks that way," I said, look over my shoulder at her. "I don't know how many people could do it given it requires an Affinity with the Element in question, but it's possible, yeah. Tukson said the boy wrote down everything he learned; I think he was right."

Blake frowned at that, tilting her head to the side.

"I…suppose I shouldn't be too skeptical, given everything I've seen," She said. "If there's one thing I know for certain, it's that our world is a strange place. And there have always been stories in Vacuo."

"Oh?"

"Because of the nature of Vacuo, the winds and storms have always been popular in their legends…or, perhaps, in their history. For instance, in the Hall of Kings, the lives of the ancient rulers of Vacuo are transcribed. Four of them claimed to have married the daughters of the North Wind, the Four Winds that are believed to bless Vacuo," Blake said. "And it's often said that if one ventures far enough into the Frozen Desert, they will find Snow's Palace. It's generally accepted as just another myth and expeditions to the far North haven't noted anything of the sort, but…well, here we are."

"Here we are," I agreed.

"Are you going to summon the Wind?" She asked, eyes focusing on the circle interestedly. "Like in the story?"

"Yes," I said. "But later. I gained an Affinity for the Element of Wind from Tukson's book, but I already had an Affinity for Metal—and there's something I have to do."

She tilted her head to the side, looking past me at Crocea Mors, which lay within the circle. Her mouth opened slightly in understanding and she nodded, hand going to her hip.

"Would you like me to leave?" She offered.

I shrugged, a bit embarrassed despite myself.

"You don't have to," I told her. "If it works, it'll be something I'm proud of. Just…be quiet for a minute?"

As she nodded, I touched my hand to the circle and closed my eyes, taking one last deep breath.

"I, Jaune Arc, call upon the ancient contract of ages past to summon thee," I spoke, my voice low but clear. "I hope that you heed my call. Come, Metal Elemental!"

My sword and shield rattled against one another, shaking in place for a moment before going still. For a moment, I wondered if anything had even happened, until I saw my reflect shift in the surface of my shield. The man looking back at me was older then I was and he looked stronger. I'd only ever seen him in artwork, but he looked like my great-great-grandfather. Or, just maybe, like I might look someday.

I…Here. You…the Fifth. Why have you called upon me?

The words took form in my thoughts, but they weren't my own. They weren't loud by any means, but even sluggish as they were, as from some who'd just been woken, I wouldn't call them soft. I'd known that Elementals could communicate in such a way, but even so it surprised me to actually feel it.

But there were respects yet to pay.

"I'll begin in accordance to the ancient rituals," I continued. "My real name is Jaune Arc. You have heard my true name; please tell me yours."

This time, my sword didn't so much as move—but I found myself falling, my vision going black. I…remembered something, except I couldn't remember something that had never happened to me, could I? I don't know how long it was dark for, except that it was a long, long time until suddenly there was light and I was removed from the darkness. I remember there being heat, felt my body coming apart as I was bathed in that fire. I felt the pounding blows of steel, the chill depths of water, and I was changed. Flickering images flowed before my mind's eye alongside rushes of sensation. I felt the rushing touch of the wind, hot liquid washing over skin, soft things giving way before my hard form, the power of life and death in my edge, and knew this was my new purpose.

And then I saw myself, kneeling beside the circle, except I was different. My body, hair, and even clothes were made of smooth, shining steel, like the flawless work of a master artisan.

And then it was my turn to change. I felt myself melting and unlike before where it had been an odd sensation, this time I felt it, felt myself twisting and flowing away—and it hurt. But beneath my fingers, I suddenly felt the cool edge of my sword and all of that just…went away. The metallic coating I'd felt over my flesh chipped away, flaking off with tremendous speed and all that pain was replaced with a simple, beautiful feeling of completion.

For the first time in a long time, I was truly, completely happy with no conditions or reservations, as wholeheartedly as a child.

Crocea Mors. I am. The Yellow Death. You. The Fifth. Jaune Arc?

I opened my eyes and looked at the sword that had somehow traveled from the center of the circle to beneath my hand.

"Yes, I am Jaune Arc."

You and me. That is okay?

"It's better than okay," I said, remembering the words. "It's great. And so are we."

We are one, as the ancient contract decrees.

"Our souls are one."

I am Crocea Mors.

"I am Jaune Arc."

Until our souls meet their end—

"—We will be forever one."

Then know I will protect you always.

And as abruptly as it had come, I felt the presence fade and realized how exhausted I abruptly was. I tried to stay upright but it was a lost cause and I felt myself tipping over, falling—

Blake caught me before I hit the ground.

"Did it work?" She asked quietly and I smiled.

"Yeah," I said. "I'll tell you about it later, but…for now let me…"

I tried to fight it, tried to meditate instead, but I couldn't fight what was coming. For the first time in a week, I felt myself drifting off and away to sleep. But as I did, I thought I heard Blake speaking.

"Are you jealous, too? Gambol—"

I was gone.

I dreamt of battlefields, of dark creatures thick enough to turn a green plain black charging forward, towards what was behind me. But I didn't flinch. I had my blade in my hand and I met that charge with my own. I swept across that field, cutting down monsters like that were naught but grass in the summer. The sun gleamed down from above as the bodies fell and I…

XxXXxX​

I woke up and stared groggily at the ceiling for a minute before my brain started working, at which point I realized there were several things wrong with this picture. For one thing, I didn't sleep any more. For another, I'd been in the forest a minute ago—though I assumed it had been longer in the land of the living. And finally, Blake was at my desk, reading a book.

Groaning, I sat up.

"What a waste of time," I sighed, glancing at my alarm clock. Four hours gone that I could have spent doing things that actually matter. I saw Blake set her book down, looking at me calmly. "Sorry for making you waste your time on me, Blake."

"It's not a problem," She said. "Did you get what you needed?"

I glanced around until I found Crocea Mors, back in its sheathed form, leaning against the wall. Rolling out of bed, I walked on bare feet to pick it up.

"Let's find out," I said, closing my eyes. "Crocea Mors."

I am here.

I felt his presence before he spoke and though there was no change to the weapon itself, when I drew the blade and looked at what was reflected in the shining steel, it wasn't my face. Of course, I hadn't truly materialized him, yet. There were two ways to use summoning spells, at least for elementals. The first is simply by summoning the spirit form of the elemental and drawing upon it to manipulate its element—I would feed it my power and it would act as I commanded it. The second method was to truly materialize it, allowing it to act as it wished, though that was more expensive in terms of MP, generally.

But I had an idea I wanted to try. Or, at least, a wish. Because I'd already decided, that we'd…

"Crocea Mors, can you tell what I'm thinking?" I asked, sheathing. "Can you do it? Would it hurt you? And could you…fix it?"

I received no response but the hard metal beneath my fingers softened until it seemed, if anything, like syrup. I grabbed it with my other hand as rivets of liquid steel began to flow across its length—not necessarily downwards, though. They flowed towards my hands, over them, and then down towards my elbows. After a second, I wasn't holding a sheathed sword any more, but a shrinking ball of steel, connected by flowing strands to my fingers.

When it was done, my arms were coated in shining steel from fingertip to near my elbows. I flexed my fingers, rolled my wrists, and worked my elbows to make sure I still had the full range of motion in them as the metal settled and looked down to see Crocea's face in my arms reflection. My left arm, made from my shield, was more thickly armored, better equipped for blocking, but also more than hard enough to deliver a stunning punch. My right, as ever, was my sword, with metallic nails and a sleeker design. My own work, at least mentally, and it was a good first draft at least. Crocea Mors had used his own power to make thought into reality.

This was my desire—to fight with Crocea Mors, regardless of shape. Even if it meant sacrificing the weight of a sword and the bonuses of my power, I'd made a decision and I would stick to it. This way, at least, I'd still be somewhat armed as well and further equipped by the presence of an ally.

Still, I was breathing hard. That had cost a lot of MP, even if I hadn't materialized Crocea for it and I doubted it would have even been possible if it hadn't been his own body he was shifting. It'd take practice before I could do something that fine to something else, much less in combat even ignoring Aura. However…it was still pretty damn awesome.

Mastery of the skill Craft increases! Craft's level goes up by one! Craft's level goes up by one! Craft's level goes up by one!

"It worked," I told Blake, who had watched the entire process in fascination. I had to smile at that, especially as the blue windows appeared before my eyes. "You mind staying like this for a while, Crocea? Turning back won't be a problem, will it?"

No.

That was apparently all I'd get out of the Metal Elemental. I'd try manifesting him in a minute, but…

"Let's get to work Blake," I said. "There's a lot we're going to have to do and not a lot of time to do it, so I'll cut right to the chase. I'm going to need training and I'll need your help for what I have in mind, so let me tell you exactly how my power works…"

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Grinding​

"Your power is bullshit," Blake said as I finished my brief explanation. While we'd walked back into the woods, I'd told her about everything I thought would be important in the coming weeks—about my Inventory and how it could be used to transport things undetectably, about how Skills and leveling up worked, and about how I could see titles and levels in signs above people's heads. Things that we might need to plan around or which would come in handy, such as if Blake saw someone suspicious and needed to know if he was a Level 67 Destroyer of Fools or something.

"I know, right?" I agreed, nodding with a smile.

"It was bad enough when you could just devour books, but…" She shook her head. "Well…I suppose I shouldn't complain, since that's good for us."

She frowned in thought, the bow on her head twitching.

"But let's be careful about this. Because of your 'Inventory' you have what amounts to a pocket dimension that you can store and retrieve things from effortlessly. Did you test if the things you stored inside it could be detected by others?"

"Of course," I answered promptly. "I passed through metal detectors and it didn't react to my sword. When I stole stuff from the library and left with them, there was no reaction then, either. I can't say its undetectable because there was only so much I could feasibly test and I'm sure there's some power or another that could detect it, but nothing I've tried has been able to do it. And before you ask, there doesn't seem to be a weight limit in terms of how much I can carry, though I've only been able to store things I could lift, with a few other restrictions. If getting inside without anyone knowing about our equipment is an issue, I can handle it. And, for what it's worth, the food I've stored inside it hasn't gone bad yet, though the watch I put inside to test the passage of time has functioned normally. And no, I have no idea how that works."

She'd opened her mouth to ask a question, but I'd apparently answered it so she closed it and nodded thoughtfully.

"What you can take with you on a mission like this is always an issue, as is getting it past security," She stated. "We're generally forced to travel light by necessity, but if your…Inventory can really do what you say, we can go in with almost everything we could want. There may be some issues getting Adam through the front door, but he and I can manage. Once we're inside, you can identify everyone important by their…name tags, I suppose? What does mine say?"

"The Beauty, LV36, Blake Belladonna," I recited. "Last time I saw him, Adam's was The Beast, LV41, Adam Taurus."

Blake's lips twitched downwards in displeasure.

"And just to make sure, they said that before you knew who we were, correct?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "For people who are vastly more powerful than me, it doesn't give all that information, but even then I can usually tell something's up because I'm seeing question marks."

Blake muttered darkly under her breath before shaking her head again.

"And you?" She asked, elaborating as I tilted my head. "What level are you?"

"Ah…LV13, now, but I was LV2 about a week ago. That whole mess caused me to level up eleven times, but I haven't gone up again since. You went up two levels, though," I said.

"And your 'Stats'…when you level up and put points in the stat, it really makes you stronger? Faster?" She pressed.

"Yeah. So far, the only things I've given points to are Wisdom and Intelligence, but it seems to improve them," I answered, nodding again. "So does normal training, though. I managed to raise all of my physical stats to near thirty with about a week of effort. Ideally, I'd like to get them all to at least fifty by the time of the mission, but I don't know if that's possible through training alone; after they hit twenty, the rate of increase got slower and slower. Intelligence and Wisdom are my highest stats, currently."

"I struggle to see it," Blake said skeptically. "I can't say I've had much time to get to know you, but in that time you've done a fair amount of things which seemed enormously stupid. Agreeing to help me, for instance."

"I'm aware of the smart thing to do; that's not necessarily the same thing as doing it. Nor is 'wisdom' a synonym for 'heartless'," I shook my head before taking a deep breath. "Speaking of which, the answer is no."

"No?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "To what question?"

""Am I doing this just to gain levels?'" I said. ""Was that the only reason I helped them out?' I'm not going to lie and say I don't appreciate those benefits, just as I'm not going to claim I don't appreciate the skills I gain from the books I devour. I'll even admit that I have wondered for a long time whether I was being selfish or heroic a week ago. But this time, I can say for sure that it's not the reason."

Blake looked at me, silent and expressionless, for a long moment before slowly exhaling through her nose and giving me a nod of concession.

"So you claim, but how do I know that?" She asked.

"Because I'm telling you about my power instead of lying about it or changing the details—and I think we both know that I could, easily, and no one but me would ever know," I told her. "That's how you know I'm telling the truth about this. And I know, because I had chances to back out and didn't take them. I told my dad about my power and talked to him before I called you. If all I wanted was experience points, I had a better option in him then you, because I can gain that experience just as easily by defeating Grimm and with him there, it'd be a lot less dangerous to me than this mission. I could have spent a few more weeks working on my stats, asked him to take me out past the limits when he came back, and fought Grimm knowing he was there if anything went awry. And in case you didn't see the pictures, my dad has killed every monster in the book. Literally, every monster in the book. You can go check."

I took her wince as an 'I'd seen it.'

"I could have refused, walked away, and asked him to help me train and gotten the same reward as this mission; more, in the long term. My dad is gone a lot, but I'm sure he could make arrangements. I already intended to ask him and Mom for training when I was ready, in fact. If anything, I think that would be the fastest way to level up, and the method with the least amount of moral quandaries: kill the monsters, save lives, get stronger. But here I am, because you were right. I want to help those people and I want to help you. So I'm going to trust you and tell you the truth and hope you trust me, too."

I saw Blake's eyes move over my face, her gaze intense enough I thought I could feel it—and then I saw her nod.

"Maybe I can see it…just a bit," She said, looking at me considering. "I trust you, Jaune."

I smiled at her.

"Out of curiosity, would it have made a difference if I was just a greedy bastard?" I wondered.

"What do you think?" She asked, raising a questioning brow.

I laughed.

"Nah, I already know the answer," I said. "It wouldn't matter to me, at least, if I was in your shoes. As long as you did what I needed and helped people in need, would it really matter why? Just wanted to see what you'd say."

Blake rolled her eyes but smiled.

"What is it you need?" She asked, expression becoming serious again in seconds. "You'll want to fight the Grimm to…level up, I assume, and you need someone to watch over you while you do. I take it this entire spiel about trust is to convince me to take that role in place of your father?"

"Among other things; I just think this will go more smoothly if we're all on the same page and not worried about one another. I'll need to grind some of my skills, too," I said. "Disguise, computers, my new fighting style, stealth, and anything else that might be useful. We'll need to work on our plan whenever possible, though I have a few ideas I'd like to put into action. The fact remains that there's a lot to do and not much time to do it—but thankfully, I don't need to sleep."

"I do," Blake said flatly. "I can go without it, but only for so long, especially if I'm pushing myself. If you need me for any of this, you might want to build your schedule around that."

"I know," I assured her. "Which brings us to a rather large issue. You're bringing Adam into this, right? Now that you have me on board? I suppose it's about time he and I talked again."

Blake's hidden ears twitched again but she nodded.

"It'll take a day or two to arrange everything on that front. It's not just Adam and now that we have your Inventory, we'll want to bring in more resources, if possible. The White Fang moves fast and Adam's been lingering nearby, I'm sure, but you'll be on your own for a while," She said. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"Didn't we go over this?" I wondered aloud, stretching as I rose. "Tell him what you want. I trust you, Blake. Just send him to me when he gets here so we can talk."

"And you?" She asked. "What will you be doing until then?"

"Can't you guess?" I asked, smirking. "Training, of course."

I drew one of the books Tukson had given me about Bai Hu's martial art from my Inventory, holding it aloft.

You obtained the skill book 'Jaws of the White Tiger.' Would you like to learn this skill?

Clicking yes, I paused for a moment, expression softening as I drew in the knowledge—and the power, for wasn't that what knowledge was in the end?

And then I slammed my left hand up to the second knuckle in the trunk of a nearby tree, fingers flexing within its wooden confines and sending cracks trough the bark before I ripped a chunk straight from the tree. These were the 'Jaws of the White Tiger'—it was an active technique like Power Strike but with three parts, consisting of the initial attack, a crushing attack to gain a grip, and then a ripping attack to finish. From what I had learned from the book, it was intended to be used on spines or throats. However, as a three part attack, the total MP cost was high, especially when enhanced by Power Strike, as I'd just done.

I did it again before speaking.

"Most of my skills are good even at their baseline, but the Active ones are too expensive to use consistently. A week ago, I tested myself to see how long I could last fighting at full power, using my Aura Channeling, Power Strikes, and everything. In total, if I enhanced every attack, I could only last a minute or two. But the MP costs go down as I level the skills up—and that's in addition to the power increasing. I retested mid-week and I lasted five times as long. I haven't gotten a chance to check again yet, but…"

I shook my head, tearing another handful of the tree away.

"But now I have more skills and they each start at level one," I said. "I'll need to level them up until I can at least fight effectively in combat; if I train them constantly for a day or two, getting them to twenty or twenty-five should be possible. There might be a limit to how far the MP cost can be reduced—my Aura skills stopped at five MP a minute—but that should let me use them for real in battle. I was aiming to get all my skills to fifty before, but…"

"Which ones are you going to train?" Blake asked.

"All the ones I can. The martial arts techniques, Summon Elemental, everything I can train on my own out here. I can only train skills by using them properly, though, so Stealth, Disguise, and Computer Mastery and such will have to wait for now."

"You think we'll run into trouble no matter what we do," Blake said, understanding.

I looked at her oddly.

"Don't you?"

She chuckled before disappearing—but for just a moment, her voice lingered.

"At the very least, you're thinking like one of us."

I snorted and attacked the poor tree again. I'd need to heal it soon, no doubt—

A skill has been created through a special action! A skill that uses excessive strength, 'Rip,' has been created!

A skill has been created through a special action! A skill that uses excessive strength, 'Crush,' has been created!

Huh…?

XxXXxX​

After a few minutes, the combined MP cost of all the skills I was trying to train took their toll and I was back to meditating to recover. Even as I felt the shifting tides of the world around me, though, I couldn't help but think of the three skills I had just gained.

I was well aware of how little I truly knew about how my power worked, but it seemed to feel the need to hammer it in whenever possible. I knew logically that I had been focusing on improving what I'd already had and developing my stats which didn't leave me many chances to successfully experiment, but…it was kind of depressing how easily I'd gained skills to assist my martial arts when all I had for swordsmanship were Aura Channeling and Power Strike—which could also enhance martial arts, so.

I'd known that actions could become skills, of course, and even that specific forms of attack could—Power Strike had proven that, for example, as had Aura Crash—but in my practice in the forest, I hadn't gotten any new sword attacks just by wailing on trees. Granted, my sword practice was fairly basic, consisting mostly of practicing Power Strikes while boosted by all my Passive or persistent skills and I had intended to see if I could make my own sword skills once I'd grinded my stats a bit more, but…I'd already gotten two 'martial arts' skills even without counting the ones I'd gotten from the skill books and I'd probably get more; Martial Arts or Fist Mastery, at that very least.

Thinking about it logically, maybe there was a certain sense to it; Bai Hu's martial art was created in a time when weapons and Dust couldn't be relied on against the Grimm. It was a method of manipulating Aura to enhance human capabilities in specific, useful areas, so it wasn't that odd that it would itself grant me useful skills. But when this was over, I was going to learn how to really use a sword. Not just hitting a tree really hard, but all the minutia that didn't fall under Sword Mastery or Power Strike—maybe get to work on trying to create my own style, like I'd planned. Even if I knew that my focus on improving what I'd already had and developing my stats which didn't leave me many chance, this was just irksome. There had to be a long-lost magical sword style somewhere. Hell, I should have asked Tukson about it, even if it would have been useless for this mission. I'd need to do that when this was over.

Opening my eyes as I finished meditating, I reactivated my various persistent powers and let them begin to drain my MP and gain experience. Once that was done, I reached into my Inventory to extract another book and got back to work. Stupid as it left me feeling, I wanted to test this out right now.

You've obtained the skill 'Claws of the White Tiger.'

Claws of the White Tiger (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP:10

The most basic technique of Bai Hu's ancient martial arts style. Through the gathering, hardening, and sharpening of Aura around the hands and feet, it becomes possible to inflict terrible wounds even with one's bare hands.

30% increase to martial arts attack damage.

Additional 20 MP used per minute.

I took a deep breath and focused my power around my hands and feet, changing the feel of both. Really, it was a lot like my Metal Aura, though focused on a particular part of my body—in fact, so far this entire style went very well with the enhancements I received from my Metal Affinity. Given some of the things I learned from the book, it made me wonder if Bai Hu had been…

I shook away the thoughts and concentrated, drawing the power together.

A skill has been created through a special action! The skill to directly use aura, 'Energy Bolt,' has been created!

Energy Bolt (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP:5

A skill that attacks by emitting Aura.

Attack power increases with INT.

Range 10m.

I ignored the new pop up, despite how it made me twitch in irritation to learn I could have had a ranged attack a long time ago if I had just gathered Aura in my hands instead of my sword. In a moment, my gauntlets were glowing white with my Aura, part of which extended from my fingers like, well, claws before the glow faded. It was a persistent skill, meaning I should be able to improve it just by leaving it on, so…

"Energy Bolt," I said a little petulantly, holding my hand out at the tree I was thoroughly ruining. What looked like a sphere of white light shot out of the palm of my hand, flashing quickly across the distance to explode violently on impact.

I whistled softly as the smoke cleared, leaving behind a small crater in the tree's truck. Ten meters wasn't great, but it was a lot better than what I'd had. If I improved the skill, lowered the cost, and increased that range, it should be enough to at least let me close the distance. And perhaps…

I focused on my gauntlets, on the Metal Aura I had already surrounded myself with, and gathered my power again.

This time the Energy Bolt was a misty-grey in color and when it hit the tree it didn't explode—it crashed straight into the trunk like a cannonball, leaving a shattered imprint behind in the wood.

A skill has been created through a special action! The skill to directly use element-attuned aura, 'Elemental Bolt,' has been created!

I let out a surprised laugh before rushing over to the tree and using Soulforge Restoration to heal the damage I'd inflicted before it fell over. Backing up a few paces with a smile, I lifted my hand and closed it into a fist except for my index finger. Inhaling deeply, I frowned in concentration. The normal Energy Bolt exploded on impact while the Metal Elemental Bolt—I decided to call it Cannonball—turned my Aura into an almost solid projectile. But if I could focus all the energy I'd put into the Cannonball into a smaller area such as the tip of my finger…

I tried, focusing hard as I attempted to compress my aura into a smaller shape, turning it from a Cannonball into a bullet. But as I tried to force it to obey, it seemed to slip through my metaphorical fingers. I tried harder, attempting to crush it into the shape I desired, but—

"Damn it," I said after a minute of it constantly escaping my grasp. Try as I might, I couldn't compress it the way I wanted. I'd try again later, but every minute that passed was an enormous drain on my MP. For now…

I took out another of Bai Hu's books with a sigh.

You've obtained the skill 'White Tiger's Lunge.'

White Tiger's Lunge (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP:40

A technique central to Bai Hu's ancient martial arts style. A skill to move quickly between targets, striking them down.

100% increase to jumping distance.

50% increase to movement speed.

50% increase to attack damage.

As I felt the knowledge take hold, I frowned before my expression brightened in understanding as a picture in my head began to grow clearer. Or, rather, as I began putting the pieces of a puzzle together—and that's what Bai Hu's art was, a puzzle with many pieces to put together. The individual techniques could stand on their own, but…

I drew another book from my Inventory.

You've obtained the skill 'White Tiger's Hide.'

White Tiger's Hide (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP:30

The primary defensive technique of Bai Hu's ancient martial arts style. A skill to harden Aura into armor around oneself rather than use it as a passive defense.

Blocks up to a certain level of damage.

Armor's strength, density, and duration increase with level.

Armor's strength, density, and duration increase with INT.

Additional 50 MP used per minute with White Tiger's Hide is active.

As I thought. Then…

I drew out the remaining books I had on Bai Hu's art.

You obtained the skill book 'White Tiger's Roar.' Would you like to learn this skill?

You obtained the skill book 'White Tiger's Five Hundred Years.' Would you like to learn this skill?

You obtained the skill book 'White Tiger of the West.' Would you like to learn this skill?

You've obtained the skill 'White Tiger's Roar.'

You cannot learn this skill. Required: STR 50, VIT 50, DEX 50, INT 60, WIS 60.

You cannot learn this skill. Required: STR 70, VIT 70, DEX 70, INT 90, WIS 90.

I outright goggled at the prereqs on those skills. I mean…damn. No, more than that, if the skills existed then that meant that…

Wow. Bai Hu must have been hardcore. And there had been three—maybe four—guys as strong as him? That was…wow.

Should I make those my new goals? I mean, there was no chance of me getting up to the minimums of White Tiger of the West anytime soon and I had no idea if I'd be able to use these in public after this was over, but…well, I suppose they made as good a goal as any. It's not like I intended to stop training any time soon and logic dictated that I'd reach those prereqs eventually, even if it took years, at which point there was no reason not to take advantage of them, for the sake of completion, if nothing else.

But…even without ultimate and penultimate techniques…I could still see how this art was meant to be used. It wasn't complicated—okay, that was a lie; I mean, for anyone who couldn't just absorb the knowledge like I could, it was probably a bitch to learn. But the way it was designed to be used…I could see it now that I had all the basic pieces. No, more than that, the knowledge had been hidden in the text and now that I had the parts I could put it into action.

I crouched slightly, drawing a careful breath as I readied myself. White Tiger's Roar wouldn't work without a living target, but I activated White Tiger's Hide. I already had the Claws and Tread active, along with my Aura and Metal Aura. I had materialized Crocea, too, and channeled my Aura through him. Altogether, it cost me almost two hundred MP a minute even if I did nothing else. And that wasn't what I was going to do.

I used the White Tiger's Lunge to reach the nearest tree and sank my hands deep into it with the trunk, assisting the initial attack of Jaws with Power Strike and then following it up with Crush and Rip to enhance the next two phases. In that same moment, my feet touched the bark of the tree and I was Lunging away, leaping towards a second tree to do the same. I dragged away a broken chunk, touched the ground, and then was flying towards a third tree. As I savagely tore into a third tree, a window appeared before my eyes.

A skill has been created through a special action! Through repeated leaps and bounds the skill, 'Jump,' has been created!

I ignored the screen, already rushing at a fourth tree, moving upward in a straight line that took me further from the earth—and further still as I did the same to go even higher towards the fifth tree, and then the sixth, before falling like a meteor at the ground of the clearing, plowing a crater in the soft earth even as I prepared for an eighth jump—

And stumbled.

I was out of MP, I realized as the effect didn't take hold, my other powers unravelling and fading away even as I thought about it. Breathing hard, I looked around and saw gaping chunks torn out of the trees all around me, as if a massive beast had actually sank their teeth into them and torn pieces away. I tried to turn around and stumbled again, this time falling flat on my ass as I struggled to catch my breath and then falling onto my back, closing my eyes as I tried to recover.

It was amazing. The amount of damage I'd inflicted, the sheer, terrifying power and speed I'd been able to put behind each blow as I'd moved faster and hit harder than ever before. I'd been so fast, so strong, amazing—

For the three seconds it had lasted. Nearly twelve hundred MP gone in seconds—I'd burnt a lot already, in fairness, simply to activate and maintain my persistent powers, but…even if I'd been at full power, I doubted I'd have managed to attack more than ten times. I couldn't even fight at full power for five seconds.

But I'd keep training, keep trying, keep struggling until I could, until I could fight like that normally. I'd known, of course, that I wasn't strong—that I was weak compared to any Huntsman or Huntress or even the students training to become like them—but this…it had been a taste of strength. For a moment I'd reached higher then I'd ever come close to before and now I wanted to keep climbing, to feel that way more.

I thought about Bai Hu, the Tiger of the West—of how powerful he must have been at his height if he could use the whole style consistently, and of the fact that he had possessed equals. I thought of my parents and of the Hunters I knew were above even them and I wanted to join those ranks. I always had, really, but in an abstract sense. This…this was different. This was…

I opened my eyes and held my hand up towards the sky, looking at it Crocea Mors metal gauntlet, of the legend who'd once raised him high as a sword and carved out history.

"I want to be strong," I told him though his summon had faded, even as a new pair of windows appeared before me. "I…"

A skill has been created through a special action! A skill to utilize the power of your body, 'Martial Arts Mastery,' has been created!

A skill has been created through a special action! A skill to draw upon an ancient martial art, 'Bai Hu's White Tiger Technique,' has been created!

I stared at them both for a moment and then shut my eyes again, falling into a meditative state before I fainted from exhaustion. There was still work to me done.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Skill Tutor​

I used my shirt to wipe the sweat off my face, trying to slow my breathing. I'd been here for…around two days now, I think; I hadn't stopped practicing since I'd come out here and I'd lost track of time a few times because of my frequent meditation sessions.

At first, I hadn't even been able to practice my powers all at once; they were just too exhausting to make it feasible. I could only go full power for about five seconds and then I'd need to meditate for something like ten minutes to recover—the speed I exhausted myself undid the main benefit of using Soul of the World for training. I'd had to train myself piecemeal, starting with just using my persistent skills and then meditating with Soul of the World to lengthen the time I could keep them on.

I couldn't do much else while I was meditating, but for techniques I could train simply by leaving on it didn't matter—at least, not when I didn't have anything else to do. I hadn't done it much while training my Aura, partially because there had been so much else to do, but mainly because I had managed to get it to the point that I could keep it on all the time with just my passive MP regeneration and there wasn't much need. But for this…

The upkeep per minute for Summon Elemental and White Tiger's Hide, quite possibly my two most valuable skills regarding this mission, were ungodly at fifty MP per minute each—higher than that of Claws of the White Tiger and White Tiger's Tread combined. If I used all my persistent skills, I'd exhaust myself in a little over eleven minutes; less time than it took to regain all of my MP though Soul of the World. If I trained them while using Soul of the World, however, the addition to my MP regeneration was such that it greatly slowed the process; with that method, I could train the techniques for over an hour before running out of MP.

Furthermore, the math quickly proved to be in my favor as the cost of maintaining those skills dropped swiftly as they leveled up and were slowly overcome by my increased MP regeneration until I reached the point that they could be maintained indefinitely while I meditated. By the time day had come and gone and the moon had risen, I'd reduced the combined cost of all my persistent skills to around fifty-five MP per minute, discounting the MP I regenerated every minute, raising the amount of time I could fight with just them to close to over twenty-five minutes thanks to the MP I'd gained from Soul of the World—more than twice what I'd started with. At that point, I'd decided to practice my Active skills, leaving the persistent ones on as I did, because I could use Soul of the World whenever my MP got low and maintain them constantly.

I'd started with Jaws of the White Tiger and, honestly, had kind of felt like a cat with a scratching post. That's pretty much what training it had amounted to, to be honest; shoving my fingers into trees and tearing them apart. I added in Power Strike, Rip, and Crush once I got Jaws cost down some, as the former was already pretty cheap from my week of training beforehand and the latter weren't all that expensive to begin with, at least comparatively. I'd gotten a lot of training in for Soulforge Restoration, too, healing the trees I'd set about ruining, though it improved slowly.

I'd trained that from what I judged to be a little before midnight to around dawn before switching over to training Lunge. Once it got dark again, I put everything together and started bounding around the clearing, tearing the place up and putting it back together again and again and again. Blake hadn't called me yet, so I figured I'd keep practicing until dawn—it was cheap enough to actually use in combat as more than just an ace in the hole, but it still tired me out too quickly, reducing the amount of time I could fight to somewhere around thirty seconds. If Blake didn't come back by dawn, though, I'd probably have to call her instead.

I flexed my fingers, looking down at them. I'd need to meditate soon, but I could go a little bit longer. I'd leveled up Martial Arts Mastery with my earlier training, but improving Bai Hu's White Tiger Technique required using several of the techniques together and improving Jump was easiest to do while practicing Lunge; all told, now that I had the costs down some, this was the best way to grind all my skills. Taking a breath and crouching, I was preparing myself for another series of crushing attacks.

"So that's the famous technique of the White Tiger of the West," A voice interrupted me—and very nearly scared me out of my skin before I suddenly calmed again. I turned around to stare at Adam's red and white mask and the passive portion of his face that was visible below it. "Impressive. I've known of several Faunus who sought to recreate it from the tablets, but even after years of study and practice, I don't think any of them came as close to mastering it as you have in just two days."

I laughed a little at that.

"Thanks for the compliment," I said. "But this isn't mastery. It's not even close. There are still two techniques I'm not even strong enough to use yet and even these ones I've only just gotten good enough to use for real. If I had mastered this style, well…I don't even know what would happen, but I think there'd be a lot less trees in this forest."

"Even so," Adam said, reaching up to touch the broken surface of one of the trees. "Your power is amazing."

"Blake told you, then," I said, unsurprised.

"Did you think she wouldn't?" He answered evenly.

"I told her to tell you whatever she wanted. I trust Blake," I returned, not rising to what I figured was probably bait. "I'm glad she told you, actually, because that means she trusts you and it saves us some time. I take it she told you I wanted to speak to you? This is a pretty good opportunity, actually—I got most of my skills decently leveled. Now's as good a time as any to start moving on to the next step."

Adam said nothing, just staring at me steadily. Or I assumed he was staring at me—it was hard to tell with the mask, to be honest.

"Since you're here, I assume you'll be joining us on this mission," I filled the silence when it became evident that he wasn't going to. "To be honest, I feel better about this insane plan with you at my back."

"Because I'm strong?" He asked.

"Yes," I told the truth. "No offense, but you and I don't really know each other yet. We didn't really talk much after I healed you and I left shortly after. I only know a few things about you as a person: That you're here, so you must want to help those guys on Mantle as much as Blake and I, that Blake trusts you, and that you're strong as hell. The first two are enough to make me comfortable with working with you and the latter is enough to make me real glad you're here. What about you?"

"What about me?"

I scratched my head and sighed, musing—but no, enormous power or not, there was a reason I'd called him here. I settled my own gaze on him and was glad I was so calm, whatever aspect of my power was responsible for it.

"Well," I said. "I assume you don't like me much."

"Because I'm part of the White Fang," He said and it didn't sound like a question. It didn't sound particularly accusatory, either, thankfully; it was just a statement of something that was, to him, a fact.

"No," I shot down immediately, shaking my head. "I can think of loads of reasons for you not to like me—and any number of them could play into why you might be in the White Fang—but I don't think you'd hate me solely because you were a member. I mean, for one thing, Blake doesn't seem to mind me too much and she's part of the White Fang and most of the guys I healed seemed okay with me, though some of the others were a bit cold. They all at least tolerated me, though, because of what I did. And you seemed to as well, but…"

"If you're worried about me stabbing you in the back, you can relax," He said quietly. "It's true that I hate a lot of humans and I'm apathetic about many more, but I'm aware that there's more to groups than the group and specific individual people can be exceptions to any rule. I don't particularly dislike you, as these things go—and I wouldn't endanger this mission even if I did."

"I know," I nodded. "I got that feeling from you and I trust Blake enough to trust you. But what I'm saying is, though you don't hate me, you don't like me, either."

He shrugged.

"Like you said, I don't exactly know you, do I?" He answered. "If it makes you feel better, I don't like many people. I don't have to like them to work with them."

"Cool. But since we're going to throw ourselves into the fray together in an absurdly dangerous mission that could quite possibly get us all killed, I'd like to get to know you a bit," I said. "As such, I came up with a team building exercise."

"And that's my cue to leave," Adam said, turning around. "Blake said she'd be busy until around noon, but she'd come by then. See you later."

"Wait!" I stopped him quickly. "Stop, it was a joke. Sort of. I really do need your help with something, though!"

"Get to the point, then," He stopped and looked back at me with a trace of irritation.

"Blake told you about my skills and levels and such, right?"

"She did," He said. "I don't know how many games Blake's actually played, so I'm not sure how much of it she's clear on, but I understand how your power works, more or less. You've been training Bai Hu's style out here, I assume."

"Yeah; that and a few other things," I said. "Mostly my combat stuff, since that's easy to practice on my own and I kind of need to abandon my usual style for this mission. But there are a few other skills I think will be useful that are hard to train quickly, or at least safely, without help. I'm gonna have Blake help me with Stealth and Disguise, for example, because those seem to be her things, but there's another one that I think you could help me with."

"Oh?" Adam asked, slowly turning back around to face me.

"For this mission, I'm both the medic and the driver, which means staying active is my main priority—especially since I'm the only one who can fulfill either of those roles. I've been training my combat skills for the point when things inevitably go horribly wrong, but on the whole, my most important skills are my defensive and healing ones, which are what I'd like you to help me train. You've seen my healing skill; it improves based on how much HP I heal, so these trees aren't a great way to improve it anymore. I've also got a skill called 'Physical Endurance,'" I said, bring up its window as I did so. "I got it back in the warehouse, after a robot drained my aura and shot me. Long story short, it makes me more durable; even at level one I receive three percent less damage from anything that hits me. But as far as I can tell, the only way to improve it is to lose HP to physical attacks. Without my Aura on."

Adam tilted his head to the side and I was sure that if he hadn't been wearing a mask, I would have seen furrowed eyebrows.

"Wait, then….you want me to…"

"To beat the crap out of me, yeah," I said. "Many times. You beat me up for a while until I need to back off and heal and then I get back up and we go again, rinse and repeat until I grind both skills up some. I'll need to test how the reduction in damage interacts with my other defensive powers, too, so we'll test that as well."

"Why not just continue to improve your Aura-based defensive techniques?" He asked. "There's one like that in Bai Hu's style, isn't there?"

"White Tiger's Hide, yeah, and I've got my Aura and Metal Aura, too," I said, nodding. "But there's the issue of diminishing returns and we don't have a lot of time. Like…I can usually learn the first ten levels of a skill in about eight to ten hours if I train it right, but getting it to twenty takes around the clock training for several days. Going by my Aura and Metal Aura, getting them up to fifty…I think it'll take three weeks to a month, even if I focused on them. The effort I have to put in to see improvement grows fast, but the amount of improvement per level is usually fairly constant. And since Physical Endurance is passive…"

I shrugged.

"I get more out of ten levels of it then I would from one more level in White Tiger's Hide. So I need you to hurt me a lot."

Adam just shook his head—and then said something that surprised me.

"I guess that's fitting if you're a game character. It worked in Grimm Nights," He sighed.

I blinked at him. Once. Twice.

And then I smiled brightly.

"The lava cheat in Three?" I said.

"I played the first few a long time ago, when I was a kid," He said, looking away. "Before the Rights Revolution."

I assumed from his wording that he hadn't played any of the others. It was fairly easy to guess why.

"You should play at least six, seven, and ten, if you haven't," I said. "They're the best in the series."

"I don't have time for games anymore," He said, voice flat.

"Neither do I, since I'm busy living one. But since I don't sleep I'll be working around the clock, so there'll probably be some downtime for you and Blake when I don't need one of you to help me; you can play mine, if you want," I shrugged. "Or borrow it. My parents will be out of town for a while, so you two can crash at my place if you don't have anywhere to stay."

"Maybe," He said with the same voice as before. "Also, I know what you're trying to do."

"My mom always says that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet," I said, smiling as I gave him another shrug. "And since we'll be out here for a while, we might as well talk some. And hell, if you want me to shut up, you can just keep beating the crap out of me."

Adam was silent for a long moment.

"That seems fair," He mused at last.

XxXXxX​

For a moment, I was weightless. I saw the bright blue sky above me, white clouds drifting by in the slight breeze. Then I saw the earth below me—green grass and brown dirt partially obscured by the leaves and branches of trees. I saw the sky again, then the earth, sky, earth, sky—

And then I reached the apex of my arc and gravity seized me in its merciless hold once more. I came crashing down into the branch of a tree—I had begun to think of this entire exercise as the Tree's Revenge—but it wasn't sturdy enough to hold my weight so I quickly found it breaking under my weight, sending my plummeting head first back to earth.

It hurt.

A lot.

I lay there for a moment, stunned, before Adam appeared by my side, glanced around once, and shrugged before grabbing me by a leg. The next moment, he was swinging me through the air in an unmercifully short arc that ended with my back hitting a tree, before he let go of me.

Which, by the way, hurt even more then falling, at least for a few seconds—at which point it immediately and abruptly faded and I took Adam's offered hand, pulling myself up.

"So like I was saying, if we both survive this mess and see each other again, could you teach me some sword skills?" I asked, gasping for breath. It had felt like my ribs had broken, but only for a few seconds, and I had been forcibly inoculated against pain within the first hour or so. Or at least the way my body felt pain.

He shrugged. I'd learned a few things about the man through trial and error, mainly what subjects were safe. I mean, I didn't always stick to those subjects, because he was kind of going to beat the shit out of me one way or another, but it was still good to know. He was massively out of date in terms of games—like, fifteen years out of date or something—but he didn't really seem to mind me talking about them. He didn't get excited about it or anything, but he didn't mind the conversation. He also seemed to be fine with me asking for advice and I was getting the feeling that, oddly enough, the mentor role was not new to him.

Subjects that he didn't appreciate or which made him angry were many and included, but were not limited to, the Faunus War, his family, his life before and during the war, and why he wore a mask. I learned quickly which subjects would get me pain and answers and which would just get me pain, but mainly I learned that Adam didn't talk much unless you knew how to come at him.

Talking about swords was one way.

"You use a longsword normally, right?" He asked as I began healing myself. "I don't know if my style would work well with that, due to my focus on Iaido. You could try, though; if nothing else, perhaps you could develop a quick draw skill of some kind. I can find you a sword to practice with and we'll see if it translates over to different weapons."

"Maybe," I said thoughtfully, peering at my status screen while my HP refilled. "Mainly, I just really want to have some really cool sword skills, because now that I have all this stuff, well, I feel like I'm lagging behind there. Like, when this is over, what am I gonna do? I'll need to hide my martial arts stuff but those are now my best moves and stuff. A few of them are subtle enough to apply to both martial arts and swordsmanship and you gave me some ideas, but…"

This time, I shrugged.

"Keep in mind that Bai Hu spent years working on his style," Adam said passively. "That it's stronger then what you've managed to puzzle out in a week is unsurprising—especially since it's all about short burst of incredible power. Give it time and keep working. Ready?"

I nodded and a moment later his boot slammed into my knee and I was falling. He caught my right arm with both hands, heaved, and I was flipping over his head. A moment later my back collided with the unforgiving earth. My legs went into the air as I crashed limply into the ground and Adam grabbed one to swing me up and down, up and down, again and again, portions of my HP bar highlighting and vanishing with each hit. After about ten hits, Adam grunted, heaved, and smashed head first into another tree.

I tried to catch myself as I collapsed but couldn't support myself through the pain and slid weakly to the ground. Thankfully, the pain swiftly faded and I managed to lift myself are, shaking my head even as I half expected it to finally fall to pieces. A pair of windows appeared before me as I flopped over on my back.

Mastery of the skill Physical Endurance increases! Physical Endurance's level goes up by one!

"Oh, hey," I choked. "I got another one."

"Back to normal, I guess?" Adam mused, drawing his sword. He gave me a moment to recover and heal myself and then started stabbing me, pulling his sword free, and stabbing me again after a moment's pause—as he had been for most of the last eight or nine hours. It was simultaneously painful for me and painfully boring for Adam, hence him occasionally practicing his throws, hand to hand, marksmanship, and various other methods of inflicting harm.

"Ow," I intoned obligatorily, used to it by now. Chunks of my health bar faded with each stab and it hurt, but the pain both faded quickly and had steadily lessened as my Physical Endurance improved. I stared up at the sky, past Adam's shadowed, stabbing figure. The sun had steadily risen in the sky above us, but I wasn't certain what time it was—somewhere around noon. I could take my watch out of my Inventory and check, but I didn't care that much. "Ow."

Adam shook his head, sighing quietly.

"I'm deriving a lot less enjoyment from hurting you then I thought I would," He said. "It was fun for a while but now this is feeling like work. And you smell horrible."

"I haven't bathed for, like, three days, man," I said after a moment, frowning as I went over the math in my head. "And I've been training constantly that whole time. Sorry I don't smell so great right now. Also, I'm not sure how I should take that first bit. Ow."

"Take it as 'this is really boring,'" He said, still stabbing me. "I can't go all out and I'd tire out eventually even if I could, so instead I end up standing here doing the same thing over and over and over again."

I squinted up at him against the light.

"Boohoo; getting stabbed repeatedly isn't exactly fun for me, either," I said, laying my head back again. I kept an eye of my HP bar just in case, but after hours of this, Adam and I had a system. The next however long passed in a steady cycle of stabs and heals and if I'd been able to see Adam's eyes, I'm pretty they'd have been glazed over. He wasn't the one getting actual, tangible, permanent benefits from this endeavor, so that was understandable.

I saw clouds move to cover the sun, putting an end to my halfhearted attempts to guess the time, and shifted my attention. I took a moment to search through what topic to bring up next, discarded 'girls,' and went to the next option.

"Adam," I spoke, giving him a moment to return from his zoned out state. "New question."

He grunted which could have meant anything—but he did it a lot and I'd decided to interpret it as whatever was most convenient for me at the time.

"You said before that you were apathetic about more humans than you hated, right?" I mused aloud. "Why's that?"

He silently stabbed me a few more times. Just as I was about to accept he wasn't going to answer, though, he spoke.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, I guess. And Blake's taking her sweet time." I sighed. "We should be working on the next step of our plan but…"

Adam grunted and I was pretty sure this time it was in agreement. Of course, he stabbed me afterwards which kind of sent mixed messages, but still.

"The Faunus weren't imprisoned within Menagerie by the people who hated them, not really," He said after several minutes of literally pointed silence. "Or at least, I don't think so. The fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people who don't care—and that's the problem. You can see it anywhere; when a Faunus is getting bullied in school, does the whole class cheer? No; a lot of them might even disapprove. A lot of places discriminate against us, use us, do horrible things to us, but do I think everyone has this deep-seated hatred for us? No. But how many do anything to stop what happens? When they hear a news report about something happening to the Faunus or see them get hurt, they don't really care, not enough to get involved. Even the ones that could do something."

I thought about how many news reports I'd seen and let pass me by, about the kids in school I'd known were probably having a rough time, and felt guilty.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I can see that, I guess. 'You don't give a shit, I don't give a shit,' basically?"

"More or less," He agreed as I leaned back and sighed. I looked back at the sky, wishing the sun would come out again.

"I'm guilty of that, too," I admitted. "A lot of times. Little things I never really thought about and stuff I saw on the news that I always thought 'I can't do anything about that' or 'Someone else will do something.' But I guess if everyone thinks like that…"

"I figured," He said, shrugging as he shoved his sword into my stomach. "And I'm not stupid; I get it. But that doesn't make it right and it doesn't help the ones who suffer. I'm not going to curse you for not having a perfect record, if you're worried about it; the fact that you agreed to this mission speaks for itself. But there are things people need to understand."

I had to stare for a moment when I realized that Adam was reassuring me and then snorted.

"I'll work on it," I said. "After I get back to school, I'll sort some things out. Considering that you've given me enough punishment to make up for literally everything I've done wrong in my entire life, let's call it even, okay?"

Adam shrugged one shoulder before sheathing his sword.

"I'm bored again," He said when I gave him a questioning look. "I'm gonna go back to punching you."

I shrugged and he dragged me to my feet before his fist went across my face fast enough to make my head spin. I shook my head in an attempt to clear it but he just punched me again, kicked me in the gut to send me back into a tree, before jumping towards me, boot slamming into the side of my skull. I went down, barely catching myself with my hands, and saw Adam's legs before me. More specifically, I saw his right leg drawing back to kick my teeth in and braced myself.

"What the hell are you two doing!?" A voice—Blake I realized after a moment—startled us. Adam even paused in mid-kick for a moment.

Then he kicked me in the face anyway and turned towards Blake.

"Passing time," He said, sounding bored.

"I like to think of it as a bonding experience," I said after the feeling of a broken jaw faded and I had a moment to heal myself. "He punched me in the face, so now we're friends."

Blake looked at me like I was insane.

"You need a Y chromosome to understand," I explained. For an instant, I thought I saw an expression of Adam's face that—given time, water, sunlight, and tender care—might have one day grown into a smile if he hadn't cut it down young. Blake just stared harder, frowning at me, so I rolled my eyes and told the truth. "He was helping me train my Physical Endurance; don't worry about it. You took your time."

Blake's frown deepened and then she tilted her head, opening her mouth to say something, but for shutting it wordlessly, shaking her head.

"Some things came up," She said, evidently deciding to just keep going.

I cracked my neck once and nodded.

"Then now's as good a time as any to talk shop," I said. "You got everything, I take it?"

"Everything I thought you might need," She answered, nodding. "You said your skills were largely general, so I managed to pull a few strings and, thanks to Adam, I got us a Bullhead for you to practice with. A few of our local members agreed to chip in as well and volunteered eleven computers and some extra parts, as well as some Lien and what they could get about the area. Several of them are on rotation, watching the places we know about, and they'll be sending us pictures of everyone who enters and exits. Rodrick is watching the news, to see if anything important comes up."

I think that last part was directed at Adam, but I nodded anyway. I was smart and wise enough to know I couldn't have done that in her place; neither intelligence nor wisdom were replacements for connections. Or experience, I suppose.

"Way to go, Blake," I said. "Then there's a few things we're gonna need to do. Like I told Adam here, I can gain the first ten or so levels of a skill pretty quickly if I train them right, but after that it starts getting harder and harder to improve. Thanks to you, Tukson, and Adam, I got all the basic skills and I had a chance to prepare for the inevitable, but now we're gonna need to use the time we have left to the fullest—and I'm going to need you and Adam to help me on that front."

"I assume you'll be wanting me to assist you with Stealth and Disguise," Blake asked.

"Yup," I nodded. "I may also need some help getting something else; a suit of armor."

Blake frowned, brow furrowing.

"I thought we'd already decided on your disguise?" She said.

"It's not for my disguise," I shook my head. "It's for my training. Weight training, specifically."

"First games, now cartoons?" Adam shook his head, obviously getting the reference. "Well, it shouldn't be an issue with your body. Maybe it'll work."

"I know for sure it does," I answered, glad he understood. "I've been training for a week with my own armor, plus my sword and shield—but the whole thing only weighs about fifteen, twenty kilos. A well-made suit of the stuff can weigh anywhere from thirty to fifty; I was going to work my way up to that, but considering the circumstances…"

"How much is that going to cost?" Blake asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Not a penny, hopefully, since we'll just be taking the materials," I told her, flexing my gauntleted fingers. "I've been keeping Crocea here on constantly to get him leveled—I don't have a lot of faith in my Crafting skill, but with his help and some practice, it should be doable. I don't need it to be good as armor, yet, I just need it to do what I want which is mainly to be heavy. Once I have the armor, Adam and I will do some training at night."

"Grimm," He guessed. "Might as well gain some levels and grind your skills while you're at it."

I gave him a thumbs up.

"I'll fly us there and back in the Bullhead and get as much practice as possible on that front, but I'll wear the armor as long as I can, even in the day."

"The last time I left you drive me anywhere, I ended up flying into the middle of the road in front of a hostile giant robot," Adam noted evenly.

"Well, this time, wear a seatbelt," I advised. "When we're not doing that, I'll be working on my other stuff, like Computers. We still need to get the manual for the airship, right?"

Blake nodded.

"You're going to use a virus?" She asked and I shrugged, wondering how much experience she had at this type of thing. I was guessing not a lot.

"Well, I guess," I said. "Getting it that way would be pointlessly difficult, but I'll grind the skill as much as possible, since it'll help later—so we'll call that plan C or D, I guess."

Blake stared at me, tilting her head.

"And plan A?"

I smiled.

"There are a few things you need to know about hacking—it's not like in the movies," I told her. "First of all, and most importantly, never forget that people are stupid."

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Infiltration​

At times like this, I thought back to the question I first asked my mom, about the difference between Intelligence and Wisdom. To be honest, back then I'd mainly just trusted her and had taken her word for it—though even now, there were a lot of times I wasn't sure about the difference. Hell, there were times I even wondered if I was wise and how I could tell. What did that fifty-five on my character sheet mean, really? I could test how strong, fast, tough, and, though it was a bit more difficult, even how smart I was, but how could I do that for wisdom? It wasn't easy.

But then there were moments like these when I thought maybe, just maybe, I could see it.

Blake and Tukson had provided me with more than my fair share of books about computers—stuff about computer languages, how to build computers, how to network them properly, security, hacking, on and on trying to prepare me for this mission. By the time I'd devoured everything they'd given me, I…well, I wouldn't claim to be a master at any of the stuff, but I had options and skills. My Intelligence showed me all the ways I could use that information, put what I had to use. Within minutes, I had rough plans for half a dozen viruses that I could send through emails, downloads, and more. I had ideas to figure out who had access to what, to find system admins and project heads or perhaps even where the company's server farms were located. A few minutes of browsing on my scroll and the right phrasing led me to some web applications for several programs I could set up to try and brute force it after I got a good enough computer.

Wisdom, though, told me I shouldn't do any of that stuff. It said all those ways would be impractical at best, taking weeks of effort if they worked at all, which they probably wouldn't. In the movies, there would be a lot of skulls and geometric shapes and cool, flowing lines of code while I used my lightning fast reflexes to type on my keyboard, but in reality what probably would of happened is that I'd have spent at least several days planning and writing code and building the computers I'd need, set the program running, and then reloaded pages a lot to see what happened. Or just walked away and come back a few hours or days later, after it was done trying stuff.

And maybe I'd have found something, some weak point I could then exploit, possibly even a really useful one to do exactly what I wanted.

But I was kind of doubting I'd find anything major any time soon. I was sure the Schnee Dust Company spent some ungodly amount of money on all their security and had a bunch of people watching things and if they really had to, they'd probably just shut their computers off if they noticed something wrong. People always seem to forget about that in movies and stuff; the all-powerful off switch and reset button. Even if I'd had several more weeks or a few months to prepare and test, I wouldn't try that method. I might do it in my free time because it turns out they pay anywhere from five hundred to forty thousand lien if you do find something and report it—which also meant I'd need to find something that no one else had found and corrected—but as a way to accomplish my current goal? No.

Because Wisdom said I didn't need to. It said that those methods were needlessly difficult and I didn't need to bother hunting down weaknesses when the biggest one was already right before my eyes. Behind those defenses, behind the probably millions or billions of Lien the Schnee Dust Company had spent on cyber security, behind everything like that—I was facing people. A large group of people, perhaps, which greatly outnumbered me, but that was to my advantage in this case, not theirs. After all, I didn't have to outwit everybody in that group, I just had to outwit a person who had the information I needed.

And I figured a lot of people had that information, or at least could get to it. Sure, it wasn't public knowledge, but it was a top-of-the-line, cutting edge new airship. You can't build something like that secretly, not really. How many people need to be involved in the planning for something like that? The countless trials at every stage of the development? The programming? The shipping of materials, the budgeting, the planning, engineering, construction, error checking? People were going to have to go over it repeatedly to make sure everything meets the proper criteria and safety regulations and then there were the people outside the company who were going to go over it. Probably the advertising department had been involved extensively, designing the marketing campaign for after it was finished, plus who knows how many project directors, however many test pilots, on and on.

Did all those people have exactly the information I needed? No, probably not. But the point was, this 'secret airship' was secret only in the sense that we and the public didn't know anything about it. In even the most conservative estimate, hundreds of people were involved in the project; more realistically, there were probably tens of thousands with various levels of separation.

It's said there's an idiot in every crowd. How many were there in a crowd that size?

"Before we get started, let's get a few things straight," I said as I shifted through the trash the White Fang had provided me with, using Observe to sort things out quickly. "First off, passwords. People aren't very good at making them. There's a lot of reasons why that you can find out easily if you look online; general, people have a hard time memorizing something past seven or eight digits if there's no meaning attached to them, so they use things like words and dates and stuff instead—but things like that don't make very good passwords, especially not the words people tend to choose. I could get into how many combinations a computer can guess per second, but even ignoring that, you can look up a list of the most common passwords. Take a guess at what some of the most common are."

A dark-skinned man with folded dog ears set a box down in front of me, another bundle of uneven trash. I was mainly interested in the papers and had already begun sorting useful stuff into a pile, but it was easier to just have them bring me everything because you never know what you might find. And I meant that literally—it's kind of stunning what people just throw out.

The various Faunus in the room looked at me nervously. I was already in costume, practicing my disguise, and I don't think they knew what to make of me yet except that I was with Blake and Adam—who were obviously well respected and high-ranking—and that I was giving orders without either of those two complaining. These guys seemed a bit intimidated by me as a result, though it could also be Adam who was looming silently behind me for lack of anything else to do.

When none of them replied, however, he was the one to speak up.

"Stupid stuff," He guessed with a bored sounding tone.

"Stupid stuff," I agreed. "The most common password in the world is, perhaps inevitably, 'password.' The second most common is '123456.' From there, you get variations like '12345678' and '654321,' words like 'pussy' and 'penis,' the same character repeated some number of times like '111111' or seven sevens, easily recognizable patterns on keyboards like 'qwerty,' and common, popular words and phrases. A lot of people tend to make the password the name of the website or application they're accessing, so 'Schnee' itself is also a common one, and of course there's the enormous number of people who use their birthdays or some other meaningful date. I went through the trouble of printing off a list for you all; if your password is on this list, go change it."

I handed the list to the dog Faunus who retreated quickly, grimacing after a short glance at the long list.

"One in every nine people use a password on that list. One in fifty use one of the top twenty. Odds are good we could use that list to get what we need, given some time," I said. "That's our backup plan if our current strategy doesn't work and we'll likely need your help for that as it's relatively manpower extensive. However, thanks to your help thus far, I don't predict it will be necessary."

I saw several of them shift as if to ask, but then they seemed to think better of it. I just smiled cryptically at them.

"For now, this should be enough," I said, nodding my head at the pile of garbage I'd accumulated. "I—and the White Fang—thank you for your help. If you would be willing to give us a bit more of your time, we'll be proceeding to site be for a secondary mission, but I understand if you wish to go home now."

"That's it?" The dog-man asked after a minute, hands twitching towards the box he'd dropped off. "It's only been an hour…"

"I believe in working smarter, not harder," I replied calmly. "The secondary mission shouldn't take much longer than this one, though there will be a bit more heavy lifting involved. Nothing dangerous, I assure you, but I wouldn't mind your help. If you will excuse me, gentlemen."

I emptied on of the boxes and replaced its contents with my horde, arranging it so that the most important bits were on top, and then lifted it and left the room with Adam trailing behind me. I heard whispers as I left, the Faunus I'd left behind already talking about me, but my mind was on other things.

"So what's with the trash?" Adam asked after a minute and I was a bit surprised it'd taken him that long.

I smiled again but didn't look at him.

"Haven't you heard? One man's trash is another man's treasure, Adam."

"Ah," He said and was silent for a few steps. "So what's with the trashy treasure."

I snorted and looked down at the box—and really this was a great example of one man's trash being another man's treasure, purely because of whose trash it was. I'd enlisted the aid of the local White Fang to go through the Schnee Company's trash through Blake, scrounging up the things that hundreds of employees thoughtlessly threw away—which was a lot. There wasn't a master list of passwords or a folder stamped 'Top Secret' or anything, but there didn't need to be. There were reports, documents, print offs for presentations, and countless other things; tiny bits and pieces you could take as a whole to get a larger picture.

And I'd struck gold, if not in a way that might have been immediately obvious to most people. I'd been able to piece it together eventually even if I hadn't found a convenient graph, but it didn't even take that much effort because there'd been several.

I held up my greatest prize.

"This beauty is what's called an Organization Chart," I told him. "As its name implies, it's a chart of an Organization—of the local branch of the Schnee Dust Company, specifically. Its purpose is to tell people in the organization who's responsible for what. Note that beside their names are their email addresses. Also recall those 'Remember Me' checkboxes we use on most sites. In most cases, getting into someone's email is actually fairly simple, given access to, say, their work computer or something similar."

"Is that where Blake left to after you talked?" He asked. "Looking at other people's computers?"

"Pretty much," I shrugged. "I gave her one of the copies and she's running recon and stuff, too. I told her that if that wasn't enough, she should search the computer for any files labeled 'accounts' or 'info' or 'passwords,' too, and then move on. Once we have their email well…you'd be amazed. That's plan B, for 'Blake.' You and I will be working on something else."

Adam sighed tiredly but played along.

"Oh? And what's plan A?" He asked.

"We'll be using this copy of the chart for something a bit different," I said and allowed the suspense to build for a moment. "See these scroll numbers? We're going to call people…and ask for the passwords to things like the company server."

"Ask them?" Adam asked disbelievingly.

"Our boss needs us to do something," I said seriously. "It's very important, but we forgot the password."

Adam stared at me for a moment before shaking his head.

"When I dreamed of being a spy as a kid, it was a lot cooler than this," He stated flatly. "You're ruining the magic."

"Just wait until we go dumpster diving," I said, wagging my eyebrows.

XxXXxX​

True to my word, we were shifting through trash within the hour. The simple fact of the matter was that people threw out a lot of stuff without thinking about it. Company or not, you'd be amazed at what people put in the garbage—even ignoring the little stuff which can add up a lot if you put some work into it, there's the stuff they throw out just to get it out of the house. A few years pass and the family upgrades their scrolls or hologram projectors or whatever; what do they do with the old ones? All sorts of things. They can leave them somewhere to gather dust or give them to a friend or try to sell them or any number of other things.

But a lot of the time, people just throw them out.

Thanks to Crocea Mors' guidance and some long poles to poke around with, we had found a lot of stuff even before the others showed up. I checked my scroll and saw that Blake had forwarded me a fair number of emails which seemed promising, as well as a steadily growing list of usernames and passwords, which brightened my day somewhat. By the time the next car pulled up, Adam and I were carrying a large hologram generator that must have been relatively new, but had somehow been cracked. At the fourth place we checked, we found a set of scrolls that might have been a few years old at most—I assumed a family had gotten new ones and thrown the old ones out. With the White Fang working together and following my orders carefully, we soon had a small mountain of devices in various states of disrepair.

Those were half my interest in this, but that was for later. For now, I was more interested in the scrap metal we'd gathered en masse. It was easy enough to gather to get any number of forms. Aluminum, of course, was trivial to find in large quantities and iron and steel were pretty much everywhere, and in short order I had all the metal in the world to play with.

And after several days of grinding Crocea Mors, I was ready to play.

"Blake get what you wanted?" Adam asked as I got everything ready.

"More or less," I replied absently. "She got into plenty of email accounts, at least, and that's a goldmine on its own. I'll have to search through to see what I can find, though, and I'll make a few calls once it gets late enough to make people feel really bad for a put upon new guy. It shouldn't be an issue though and with any luck we won't even have to set foot on company property."

"And if we do?"

"We'll handle that as we come to it," I promised easily. "I'd prefer not having to actually go on site, but if it becomes necessary, it shouldn't be a problem. In all likelihood, though, someone emailed themselves a copy to work on at home or something and it's just a matter of patience. If we do have to, though, we'll run some reconnaissance, steal a scroll, and I'll walk into the building with a clipboard, a box of donuts, a coffee-holder, and a confident stride. If even that's not enough, we'll have to take a few chances. But for now, let's cross our fingers and hope that it won't be an issue; we don't want to risk anything if we don't have to."

He grunted

"What are we going to do now, then?"

"We'll prepare for what's ahead. Remember, Adam, that whatever happens, whatever difficulties arise, this is going to be the easy part. For now, we have the advantage of being proactive, because no one even knows they're supposed to be fighting us," I said. "As soon as they do, though, things are going to get hectic and that's what we need to be ready for, because our only advantage then is going to be the fact that we had time to prepare ourselves. So if you'll excuse me, Crocea Mors and I have something to do."

I knelt beside the pile of junk we'd gathered into the hideout, gauntleted hand touching the floor as I closed my eyes and focused on the image in my head. I imagined aluminum cans and metal parts liquefying into a wide, controlled puddle before beginning to move—and then felt my Aura flowing out of me as if through a sieve. When I opened my eyes at a crumbling, crunching sound, I saw cans being crushed and flattened, a broken toaster cracking along the edges, parts tearing free of old toys, and screws twisting free. As they did, as metal parts and pieces clattered to the floors, they all but jumped in place, several pieces hoping up and down. After a few seconds, gleaming droplets seemed to almost condense on their sides before flowing free, crawling across the floor towards me until they touched my armored hands and began to climb up them with increasing speed.

The flowing metal was surprisingly cold as it touched my skin and climbed up my arms. More drops of metal joined the stream with every second, leaving tracks of metal across my bare skin. I began my work just above my elbows, building my armor as the metal progressed. I flexed my arms as I did, making sure I knew exactly how wide each piece needed to be, and they constructed it based on that, the metal alternatively tight against my skin and giving it room. In places where solid armor wouldn't work and beneath it, I thought smaller, of links of chain so small they could barely be seen, fine enough to be almost like cloth. I guiding the metal over my feet, next, and up my legs, before four streams converged upon my chest, before it went up my neck and over my head. I built the helmet around the mask I wore now and covered my lower face as well with air holes built into the mask.

It wasn't fancy, even though my control over metal gave me a great advantage. Most of the materials I used weren't ideal, either. Ignoring the metallic cloth, it was nothing but smooth surfaces and hard, heavy plates. Maybe when this was over and my affinity for metal even greater, I'd work on something stronger and more detailed, but that wasn't the purpose of this. Even protecting me wasn't really the point, though the defense rating was decent and I was sure Crocea Mors would put it to good use. I was only after the training it would provide.

Even with the stat boost of my Aura, getting to my feet was a bit of an effort, as unused to the new weight I was carrying as I was. Counting Crocea Mors, I must have been carrying sixty kilos and it was weighing upon me in ways I'd never had to deal with be for, changing how I had to do even basic things like balance myself—and it was going to take time to get used to that.

I glanced at the windows that appeared before me, informing me of the levels I'd gained in Craft by making the armor and the new blueprint I'd created, and then turned to look at Adam who'd waited silently while I worked.

"What do you think?"

"I've seen worse," He said, looking me up and down. "But you don't seem to have any way to take it off."

"I'll have to melt it every time," I said, voice muffled slightly by the piece in front of my mouth. "Both to take it off and put it back on. Figured it'd be good Crafting experience. I'll change it once I grind that some, but making it hard to remove is fine for now, since I don't intend to remove it unless I have to."

Adam hummed in understanding, pushing himself off the wall and striding closer to me. He knocked on my chest plate with a fist and then nodded to himself about something.

"You sure you're gonna be able to fight in that?"

"Only one way to find out. Feel like going for a spin in the Bullhead?"

Adam grunted again.

"First you wanted me to help you move trash. Now you want to go play with monsters," He said. "No offense, but hanging out with you isn't much fun."

"Hey, if its fun you want, I'll be happy to oblige," I smiled. "I never got to fly an aircraft before. Let's see if we can find a Nevermore or something to practice on, yeah?"

Adam just sighed.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Flight Simulator​

"Do you think it's ironic that I'm being hunted by birds?" I asked, turning to look at Adam. Red dots blinked on my map, a reminder of the dark swarm behind us, ready to tear us apart if they caught us. "Since I'm pretending to be a feline Faunus, I mean?"

"Please keep your eyes on where you're going," Adam said through gritted teeth, fingers tight on the armrests. Credit where it was due, though; he was wearing a seatbelt this time. Given that we were spending a decent amount of our time upside down, I'm not sure he'd survive this if he wasn't.

I turned back forward and obeyed him without replying. Piloting was turning out to be a very different experience than Driving, but I thought I was getting the hang of it. At the very least, I was learning new things—for example, the improvement my Nature Affinity gave me towards Dust usage evidently improved the fuel efficiency of things I was driving. Since it was a percentage based increase, that was really good news because it would give a massive improvement when I was flying a vehicle that was meant to cross between continents. The issue of where, when, and how I was going to refuel remained, somewhat, but this gave me more breathing room.

But more than anything, I was glad I was getting a chance to get used to thinking three dimensionally in a fight. Sure, on the ground you could jump and such—and there were more than a few uses for that when you applied the leg strength of a Hunter, as I well knew—but it was still a big difference between that and actual flight. A lot of it is just really simple stuff that's hard to grasp until you experience it for yourself.

For example, keeping sight of the enemy in the big blue sky. I could already tell that one of the most dangerous aspects of this mission was going to be all the stuff I just could not see and that getting and maintaining sight would be vital. If an enemy ship or a Nevermore or a Fell Albatross saw me before I saw them, it might be over before I could regret it. I had an advantage thanks to my Map, but while it was invaluable, it was also two dimensional and when it told me there was something behind me, well, it could be referring to any point in several cubic kilometers of space. And I wasn't sure if it would alert me to targets I didn't know about, either.

Take right now, for instance, where a murder of Nevermore was on my proverbial heels as they followed the rising turn of my craft. There was a bit of a story there, but it can be summarized as 'the Universe hates me.' We'd run into the dark flock pretty much a minute after we left Vale's airspace and the Nevermore had been stalking us since. The Brightside was that they weren't the giant version, but even that wouldn't make a huge difference to me if I messed up; giant or not, they were creatures who could rend stone and steel alike with their feathers and talons. They could not, thankfully, shoot the former forward—something I'd learned on the job—but while this was proving to be a good way to train my Pilot skill, if I let them draw to close or get altitude on me…

I smiled fiercely, getting an idea.

I shifted the thrusters on either side of the Bullhead, turning sharply even as I shifted the aircraft from a horizontal to vertical position. I rolled, pushing the nose of the Bullhead low and then turning the motion into a steep slice turn, before pulling back to rise back to my previous altitude before they could shoot at me.

And then I was closing in on the murder of Nevermore from the side, speeding up.

"Oh, shit," Adam ground out, tightening his hold on his seat.

"Aura Crash," I replied, the light of my soul washing over the Bullhead right as we dove into the swarm. Relatively fragile bones broke across the surface of enhanced steel, rattling the aircraft with a chorus of shattering pops and cracks even as we jostled at the impacts. Savage claws and razor feature clawed at us, training to tear open the ship and bring us down with then, but the iron shell of my Aura protected us.

You used Pilot's Low Yo-Yo without the skill. Your Mastery improves by 10%.

Mastery of the skill Pilot increases! Pilot's level goes up by one!

Mastery of the skill Aura Crash increases! Aura Crash's level goes up by one!

Your level has increased by one!

I let out a laugh as I cleared the darkness of broken wings, the corpses and blood of Nevermore sliding free of the Bullhead's armor, unable to gain traction due to my Aura—but I wasn't done. I reduced the angle at which I banked during a turn and then pulled up, rising higher into the air in a wide arc that left us, for a moment, upside down.

The moment passed as I spotted the remainder of the murder, scattered slightly by my crash and trying to regroup. I could have just continued my turn and wound up behind them, but I tightened it instead, bringing myself down on the birds instead, plummeting towards them as fast as I could.

"Why the hell did I agree to this!?" Adam snarled. "We have guns on this thing, you know!"

"Aura Crash!" I answered again, smashing my way through the flock of birds again. They let loose high-pitched, warbling cries as they broke across my ship, flying in every direction before plummeting towards the earth. I followed them down for a moment before pulling up and into a turn, before rolling out of my flight path and spinning laterally, and then completing the turn after cutting what I could out of it. I focused on the few remaining Nevermore, got them in my sights, and starting firing. I shot wide at first, adjusted the angle to bring it closer, and at least a few of the shots must have hit because several of the birds fell limply out of the sky.

You used Pilot's High Yo-Yo without the skill. Your Mastery improves by 10%.

You used Pilot's Displacement Roll without the skill. Your Mastery improves by 10%.

Mastery of the skill Pilot increases! Pilot's level goes up by one! Pilot's level goes up by one!

Mastery of the skill Aura Crash increases! Aura Crash's level goes up by one!

A skill has been created through a special action! Battles in the air have created the skill 'Dogfighting Mastery' to help seize the sky!

"I know," I replied belatedly. "That we have guns, I mean. But there's a limit to our ammunition so we might not be able to rely on it during the mission, if the ship we steal is even armed. Leveling up Aura Crash is the way to go, I think, so I can just crash through whatever's in the way. You might want to get used to it now."

Adam just growled, still holding on. I continued talking as if he hadn't, though.

"There's good news, though. It seems like there are shortcuts to improving my abilities," I said. "Because I used a skill I didn't actually know, I got a lot more experience. If I grind this way constantly, I should be able to improve more quickly. No, more than that, if I can figure out how to do this with other skills…"

I frowned.

"Oh, but it didn't happen before…does it only work in combat?" I mused. "Hm…well, that's fine. Let's find some more Nevermore, okay? I need to get my flying skills as high as possible before the mission, right? So let's fly around for a bit longer before we land."

Adam swore under his breath.

"When we get on the ground, I'm doing to make you train until you feel like you're gonna die, I swear to God." He promised.

"Ah, please do," I said, smiling. "Since it's to get stronger, I'll happily endure it."

Adam growled something but I didn't hear it. It was as if there were suddenly a great distance between us, a vast empty space that swallowed the sound. I knew he was there but my senses just brushed over him, focused elsewhere.

Behind me…

A skill has been created through a special action! After repeated use of your sixth sense, you have obtained the ability 'Sense Danger' to detect impending misfortune!

Sense Danger (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

Survival Instinct augmented by Aura, this ability allows the user to sense when bad things are about to occur or when they are being watched by those with ill intent. The higher the skill's level, the sooner it can sense danger.

Okay, if the sudden feeling that there was something terrible behind me wasn't enough to set me on edge, abruptly getting an ability called 'Sense Danger' hammered it home. Without hesitating, I pulled into a sudden turn and swung up to get higher. I looked forward, above me, and all around, trying to see what had pulled my nerves so taunt, but there was nothing—

"Over there," Adam said, voice suddenly quiet as if worried he'd be overheard. "You sensed it, too, right?"

"Hard to miss," I answered, voice strained. I focused my eyes. In the direction he'd indicated and saw a black shape in the distance, far away but approaching swiftly. For a moment, I thought it was just another Nevermore until I realized just how far away it was, at which point I knew I was right.

It was another Nevermore.

Darkness There and Nothing More

LV53

Giant Nevermore

"You know," I told Adam. "I keep meaning to get around to training my luck, I just don't know how."

"As you gain strength by getting stronger and gain intelligence by becoming smarter, logic would dictate you could improve your luck by getting lucky," Adam mused, eyes on the titanic Grimm.

"So what you're saying is it's impossible for me?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "That's what I'm saying."

I cracked my neck once and nodded at that in acceptance. I licked my lips once, glanced nervously at the creature, and then went faster.

"I guess I'll just make my own luck, then," I stated as the Grimm flew towards me.

I matched its charge with my own.

"Do we have a plan?" Adam asked, growling again.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you we did?" I asked, eyes focused on what was in front of me. The dark shape grew with terrifying speed, letting out a cry so loud that I thought I could feel it. I just went faster, pushing the machine as far as it could go without losing altitude. I had to match it on that front, lest it get in position to attack me with its feathers—this was going to be bad enough without it being able to attack me at range. I licked my lips as we drew ever closer, until I sincerely had to wonder if the creature's opened maw could bite the entire Bullhead in half.

"Yes, I would feel a lot better if we had a plan."

I nodded at that and was silent for a moment. The Nevermore's colossal wings seemed to shake the entire sky with every flap, causing the Bullhead to shake like it was passing through turbulence. I looked into red eyes, saw the bone-white mask that covered part of its face, looked once more into the abyss of its throat—and banked hard. I flew just right of its head, close enough that feathers scraped against the Bullhead, and then was passed it. I swung the Bullhead into a turn that was barely wider then it was and starting firing at the back of the Nevermore the moment it was in sight, even as it flew through the space I'd inhabited moments before.

"Okay," I said. "We have a plan. Step one: Don't die."

"What's step two?"

"Working on it." I answered, frowned as it seemed to brush off the bullets as if they weren't even there. It was, somehow, even tougher then it looked—which was just my luck, really. I began contemplating my options.

"Shit," Adam snarled. "Can we get away?"

"Maybe," I said, shaking my head. I'd considered running away the moment we'd seen the creature, but as wonderful as it sounded, there were a few problems with that idea. "Not conventionally, though. That thing's faster than we are and I'm betting it's got really good eyes."

"We have anything unconventional?"

"Working on it."

"Shit," He said empathically. He looked at the Nevermore, face set in a snarl. "This plan seems kind of lacking on all fronts."

"Yes, well, that's why I'm working on it," I replied, glad for whatever part of my power was keeping me calm. "If you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them."

Adam was silent for a moment before muttering something to himself and nodding.

"I might be able to take it out if I get a clear shot," He said. "But it would take a while to charge—longer than normal."

I nodded in acceptance, trusting him, and began working on a plan. Even if he couldn't take out the Nevermore with one hit, it was almost certain to do more damage than anything else we could throw at it, and that was as good a place to start as any. If nothing else, it might give us an opportunity to escape.

"How long?" I asked as I watched the Nevermore swing around, readying itself for another pass.

"Thirty seconds?" He asked, sounding uncertain. "Maybe a bit longer if I want to be sure. Grimm can take a lot of punishment. I'll need to be fairly close, too."

I considered my options quickly. I could open the side of the Bullhead and give Adam a shot into the open air—but no, that wouldn't work. The Nevermore would hardly stand still long enough for him to finish charging and Adam didn't seem to have a lot of mobility while readying his attack. If I sent him to the back of the Bullhead and told him to start getting ready, he'd be thrown around by the evasive actions I'd have to take to survive, which probably wouldn't help much either.

I tried to think of a different way to make it work, a way to juggle our limitations, but there were too many of them. I was probably going to need to pull out every trick I could think of to stay ahead of the Nevermore who was itself extremely mobile. Adam would need both thirty seconds to charge in relative comfort and a clear shot, neither of which was going to be easy to manage while trying to survive aerial combat with an opponent as fast and strong as a Giant Nevermore.

"Give me a minute to think," I said, banking the Bullhead again. I pulled it into a small dive before coming up hard, spinning the Bullhead as I did before pulling out of the turn, flying a wide arc around the Nevermore to try to get behind it, in a position where it couldn't, for the moment, attack me.

And if the Nevermore hadn't suddenly tightened its own turn, maybe it would have worked, but instead I overshot my target and ended up with it behind me, slightly to the side, and completely out of my sight. Instinctively, my eyes went to my Map, indicating the Grimm's position—but that didn't tell me anything useful. I tried to curve around it, but it just followed me, staying close enough on my heels that I never caught more than a glimpse of it and slowly closing in. I had a brief mental image of it catching us and pecking its beak through the hull of the Bullhead to tear out the squishy worms inside, before growling to myself.

The hell I was gonna die before I even got to the suicidal mission.

I took a risk, sliding into a turn even as I climbed. I could hear the vibration caused by the nearby flapping of massive wings, could see it closing in on my Map, but I had to focus with the Nevermore on my tail. I climbed yet higher, banking smoothly at the top of my path before slipping right back down to a lower altitude, placing the Nevermore above me. I licked my lips and waited for a second, then two, then three—

And pulled hard to my left, diving suddenly. I heard massive shapes cutting through the air beside the Bullhead and as they rushed passed, they sounded bizarrely like insects flying by my head. I pulled up, turning the Bullhead at an angle as I rose and changed direction. The moment I spotted the Nevermore, momentarily in a more vertical position as it gave up the pursuit in order to attack, I started firing at its face—and it's vulnerable eyes.

It gave a deafening screech and flapped its wings to push it to the side, as I'd hoped. I rolled the Bullhead as I climbed higher, pulled hard to escape it, and shifted my thrusters to right myself behind the Nevermore before it could recover. I shot at it, short, steady bursts of fire that I knew wouldn't really hurt it, but which gave the illusion I was hunting it, if only momentarily—an illusion I could only hope some instinctual part of the Grimm bought into. Any moment, it would recover and come up with another method of attack.

But for a few seconds, it bought me some time.

I knew that I was doing well, but I also knew this was a momentary thing. The guns on the Bullhead weren't up to hurting such a creature, much less killing it, and even if I could keep dodging, I knew it would hit me eventually, at which point it was over. I could evade a dozen attacks, but the fact remained that I only had to screw up once.

I went over my choices as quickly as I could, trying to find a way out, an alternative—but no. There was only one way we were going to be able to get the time to charge Adam's attack and get a clear shot. But even then…

The Nevermore suddenly tucked its wings close and fell for a second, but that was all it needed because I immediately overshot it. A moment later, I heard the flapping of massive wings on the wind and—

I had a thought. I considered it for a moment, deemed it crazy, and decided to do it anyway.

"I have a plan," I told Adam as I felt the Nevermore drawing nearer. It wasn't trying to shoot at range this time, settling for simply overcoming me and tearing me apart, which it would do in short order unless I did something.

"Is it a good plan?"

"I don't know yet."

Adam nodded seriously.

"What is it?"

"Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to know," I said. "Just be ready to get out on my signal."

"Oh, shit," He replied eloquently. "What? I mean…what? What are you doing, Jaune?"

"Do you know how lift works?" I asked, before diving for a second and pulling back as hard as I could, keeping tight control of the thrusters as I did. I made the Bullhead rear back, nose pointing upwards—straight upwards until I was staring at the sky and then a little bit further until I almost thought I'd go plummeting backwards. I saw the Nevermore pass over me, great wings shielding me briefly from the sun.

And then I righted the aircraft, shifting the thrusters to push me back into position in a motion that felt more like falling then flying. A moment later, I was climbing again, even as the Nevermore curved around to find me. I looked into its red eyes and this time I didn't run, didn't turn, didn't try to escape.

I flew straight at it.

"Jaune, please don't tell me we're going to crash into it," Adam said tightly.

"Okay," I nodded. "I won't tell you. Aura Crash."

"Goddamn it!"

The Nevermore, apparently, had been expecting a trick, had been waiting for me to try to pull away so it could seize me. It had not expected me to collide full force with its chest—and it definitely didn't expect what I did next.

"Air Aura," I said for the first time, even as the Nevermore drew its wings around it—and me—reflexively.

And then we were falling.

I had no delusions of beating a monster that strong. My bullets did nothing and even my Aura Crash had barely hurt it. But at the end of the day, despite its size and the magic that must have gone into its very existence to allow something that big to fly, it was paying at least passing heed to aerodynamics—and now it was in Remnant's cruel grasp. I couldn't hurt it with my weapons or my spells, but that didn't matter, because I could take the wind out of its wings and leave it to fall.

The Nevermore tried to hold on to us at first, grasping the Bullhead in its talons as it spread its wings open wide, but as it flapped them, our descent did not slow. It tried harder, almost frantically, attempting to fly, before seeming to realize that we were taking the literal wind out of its proverbial sails and letting go, trying to escape.

I wasn't having any of that. As we came free, I thrust us close once more, staying parallel to the almost vertically falling Grimm, just out of reach of wing and claw. It flapped its wings, trying to shift itself, but always I stayed even, spiraling around it as it corkscrewed through the air towards the unforgiving earth.

"Jaune, pull up," Adam said as we got closer to the green tree tops.

"Not yet," I replied, staying in my turning path around the Nevermore, cutting off any attempt it made to fly.

"Jaune," Adam said again as our view of the world filled further and further with green. We were scarcely more than a hundred meters away now.

"Not yet," I answered. I had to be sure, had to make sure it would crash, or I wouldn't get another chance.

Fifty meters.

Forty.

Thirty.

"Jaune!"

I pulled away less than twenty meters from the treetops and watched as the Grimm crashed into and through them, carving a scar of destruction through once-unbroken green. I was already shifting the controls, lowering the vehicle the few meters that remained as fast as I could to land awkwardly on the debris—and then the door was open. For a moment, I was blinded by a sudden rush of blue screens, informing me of my improved mastery of Piloting and that I'd learned some odd number of skills in 'Aerial Combat Maneuvering', but I brushed them aside in annoyance, too busy to care.

"You worry too much," I told him, stripping off my seatbelt and standing quickly. "I told you I had a plan. I've never crashed into anything I didn't want to."

Adam muttered darkly as he and I jumped out of the Bullhead together, walking across broken wood towards the massive form of the Grimm, which was already beginning to stir clumsily, seemingly dazed by the fall—but I knew that wouldn't last.

Adam fell instantly into his stance, all signs of irritation and emotion falling from his face as he entered the battle, beginning the countdown.

"He won't stay down for thirty seconds," The Faunus noted quietly, but didn't shift from his position.

I cracked my neck and then my knuckles, stepping past Adam and across the broken ground.

"Yes," I said. "He will."

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV14

HP: 870/870

MP: 1250/1250

STR: 31+14.9 (48%) = 45.9

VIT: 33+15.8 (48%) = 48.8

DEX: 29+13.9 (48%) = 42.9

INT: 39+18.7 (48%) = 57.7

WIS: 55+26.4 (48%) = 81.4

LUK: 10

Status: Metal Element Affinity 10, Air Element Affinity 10.

POINTS: 6

MONEY: 100 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
First Boss​

I had no delusions about where I stood.

But I wasn't scared, either.

I knew that with the power difference between the Nevermore and I, there was a limit to how much I could do to it. Even with all my skills, I wasn't going to survive if that thing managed to get a solid hit on me and I had severe doubts about being able to even delay it long-term. I knew I wouldn't be able to kill it the normal way by myself—I probably wouldn't be able to wound its hide that badly even with my best attacks.

And yet, here it was. I'd dragged it out of the sky, sent it crashing painfully to the earth, and bit off a good-sized chunk of its HP—way more than my Aura Crash or bullets had done and probably more than I would be able to do now. I'd done far more damage then I should have been able to, given my level and stats. How?

Simple. My life was a game…but it was also real life. For instance, there was more to hitting the enemy then some formula hidden in the background, even if my power could make me better at hitting things. There were a lot of factors that wouldn't normally have applied in a game unless specifically designed to, including a lot of really basic stuff.

Like standing up, for instance.

I took a deep breath, gathering my Aura as I did and settling it in my lungs, the air within them, and in my vocal chords. It was a lot like the way Aura was used to enhance anything Hunters did, but getting it precisely right to create what I needed required a lot of practice and fine control—or else a bullshit power that let you bypass all that. In the time it took to inhale completely, it was ready and I met the Nevermore's eyes as it struggled to rise.

And then I roared.

Except…saying it like that doesn't really convey what happened, however accurate it was. The sound that came from my mouth was something that even I had a hard time believe came from a human. It didn't sound like anything something the size of a person could produce and it was far, far too loud—loud enough to shake the branches of trees slightly, loud enough that you could feel it as well as hear it. It echoed out from me, stretching God only knows how far in a wave of painful sound that gave even a Nevermore pause, if only for a moment.

But a moment was enough.

While it was stunned, I hit the ground and rushed over with all the speed I had, moving faster than I ever had before—a result of my Air Aura, most likely. I was inside its guard before it could respond, blurring under its massive body until I was standing between massive black legs, and then I put Bai Hu's ancient art to use. On each of its enormous feet were four massive claws that it had sunk deep into the ground to help support its weight.

I shoved my hands deep into the ground and pried them out of the earth one by one, ricocheting between them and the creature's body with Tiger's Lunge and tearing them loose with a combination of the Tiger's Claws and Jaws, Power Strike, Crush, and Rip. With the speed of the Tiger's Tread boosted even further by my Air Aura, I flickered between my targets faster than I would have believed I could move before today—and once all its claws were free of the earth, I toppled the Nevermore with what must have been half a hundred flickering attacks between its ankles, knees, and shins, rebounding back and forth again and again until its awkward footing and the weight upon it causing it to finally give out.

Each of my strikes removed only a tiny sliver of health. Even nearly a hundred strikes had stripped away what amounted to only a small portion, its hide standing up against my crushing blows. But gravity wasn't level specific and being over level fifty didn't make it weigh any more or less. When I knocked its feet out from under it, it fell.

You've received the title 'The Tiger's Child.'

The screen appeared before my eyes but I barely paid it attention. The Nevermore tried to catch itself as it fell using the fingers that extended from its outermost wing joint—but it was slow here on the ground and its size made it seem all the more so, even while falling. I lowered myself closer to the ground and the world shifted again as I hammered into the slowly falling limb with my whole body before bouncing back to the ground and up again, smashing into the other wing.

And the giant fell, seeming to shake the earth as it collapsed, already broken wood cracking underneath it as it settled. I bounded away, out from underneath it before I could be crushed, and looked at the fallen beast as my heart hammered in my chest.

The Giant Nevermore, for all its durability and terrifying power, had only two means of attack. It could launch its razor sharp feathers with great force and it could hit its target with its massive body; simple attacks made exceedingly deadly by its sheer size and power. But the former required aerial superiority and the latter required the ability to move effectively—which meant that it couldn't do either while prone on the ground.

It was nearly forty levels above me and had to power to kill me in one hit—and none of it meant a damn thing if it couldn't attack. I'd grounded it and as long as I kept it that way, there was nothing it could do.

Now it was just a matter of giving it bigger things to worry about.

I touched the ground just out of reach of the Nevermore and bounced backwards to land with my feet on the truck of the closest standing tree before kicking off towards the fallen Grimm's masked face, left hand outstretch, right reared back. My left hand touched the white of the Grimm's mask first, holding fast as I leveraged my body forward—and then sank my right hand deep into one of the monster's eyes.

Immediately, the Nevermore began to thrash, throwing its head back and forth as it struggled with frantic motions. I barely managed to keep myself from being flung away as it snapped it's head to the side, but I knew I wouldn't keep hold for long so I grasped what I could with the wicked claws of my right hand and completed the Jaws of the Tiger by tearing it free, pushing away with my left hand as I did and flipping backwards away from the still struggling monster.

As I landed, I danced a step back and waited, casting my glance at the creature's HP bar. If the crash had taken twenty percent of its health away, then everything I'd just done, including the critical hit to its weak point, had caused…about five percent more, despite all it had taken out of me. Now that I had stopped for a moment, I could feel my actions taking their toll on my stamina, worsened by my armor and the Aura Crashes I'd used beforehand. But…

It wasn't focused on rising at the moment. I crouched again, ready to spring into action again the moment it calmed—though I had to wonder how long I'd last—but every moment I could save counted. I acted only when it tried to rise, gripping massive fingers and pulling with all the power in my body before diving away. It kept its head trashing to make attacking its eyes harder, but its motions were slower that way, clumsier, but then so were mine. I couldn't keep this up for very long, even if I was stretching my time as much as I could.

Just as I was wondering how long thirty seconds could last, though, I heard it.

"Move," Adam said and though the words were not loud, there was a power in them that made them carry. I danced back several more steps and jumped back, flipping over Adam as he drew his sword, and I couldn't deny I felt relieved. For a moment, the sky went red and the world turned black as the Nevermore fell—and just as quickly, it was over with Adam sheathing his sword and nearly stumbling. I landed and dashed to his side, steadying him with one hand without looking at him.

My attention was still on the Nevermore—on its health bar. With a single attack, Adam had forced most of it to highlight and quickly drain away.

Most of it.

But not all.

The relief I'd felt withered and die, leaving a sinking hole behind. If the crash had taken twenty and nearly a hundred hits from me had done five more, Adam's attack had wiped away more than sixty percent. What was left was probably less than a tenth of its original HP—but it was still alive and both Adam and I had drained away a lot of our power just to get this far.

For a moment, the both of us were breathing hard as we watched the Nevermore twitch and then start to move.

"I don't suppose you can do another one of those?" I asked. "It doesn't have to be a big one; it's down to about ten percent now."

"Even assuming I could, could you distract it like you did before?" Adam retorted, taking slow steady breaths that made me think he was holding himself back from panting.

I chuckled a little at that and shook my head.

"Think we can run away?" Adam mused.

"Well maybe if you'd taken off a wing or something instead of just giving it a booboo," I speculated. "As is, I think it would catch up. I figure it's kind of pissed at us now—and I'm pretty sure that's your fault."

"I must be more tired than I thought because all I'm hearing is whining," He cut me off, one hand going to an ear as if to check it. "Think you can crash it again if it does?"

"Maybe," I muttered. "My luck's not doing so great today, though, and I doubt it'll fall for the same trick twice and if it gets us…"

I shook my head.

"I'm running out of MP fast and Aura Crash is a bitch. It's risky," I said. "So let's call that plan C."

"You got a plan B?" Adam asked and though I couldn't see it, I was sure an eyebrow was raised beneath his mask.

"What kind of question is that?" I replied, faking hurt. "Of course I have a plan B. You think I'd risk everything on one insane scheme?"

Adam snorted once before turning to look at me.

"Is it a good plan?" He asked again.

I winked at him.

"I don't know yet," I said honestly. "But it's your turn to play distraction, anyway."

I started running before he could ask what that meant, rushing towards the Nevermore. It had already struggled up enough to lift its head and it focused on me with its three red eyes. I knew it recognized me because it shifted its head so I could reach its eyes and then opened its beak wide and let out a shriek filled with pain and rage—but that was my chance.

I jumped as hard as I could, boosting it with one more Tiger's Lunge. I straightened my body as I all but flew through the air, hands stretched out before me, and with both hands I grabbed the very tip of its beak, using the force of the force of the impact to curl my body.

For an instant, I met its eyes.

Then I shoved myself down its abyss of a throat, feet first.

XxXXxX​

Now, as insane as this idea sounded, there was honestly a logic to it. Though I'd managed to keep it down, dozens of my best attacks had been water off the Nevermore's back and I had burnt through my power quickly to accomplish very little. If I wanted any hope of killing this thing, I'd need to do at least twice the damage I'd caused before, using less attacks.

There was only one way that was going to be possible—through critical hits. I'd need to make every hit count, striking a vulnerable place on the Nevermore's body like I had before with its eye, which had caused most of the damage I'd been able to inflict upon it before.

There were a few issues with that, though. For one thing, I wasn't going to be able to do anything unless I simultaneously kept the thing grounded the entire time, which would need to be in addition to hurting the creature itself. For another, I'd already used Observe on it and it just didn't have a lot of weak points and it already knew to defend its eyes.

Maybe we could have made it work. I could have continued what I'd been doing while Adam hit it as hard as he could, again and again and again. But…Adam was already exhausted and I was on my way there fast and if either—or, worse, both—of us ran dry before it died…

A prolonged tactic wasn't in our favor. This fight needed to be over now. But how was I going to consistently get critical hits when it was guarding its eyes?

The obvious choice was to hit it somewhere else, some place unprotected by its durable hide, some place it couldn't guard even after I'd hit it there—I had to find a place where it couldn't run or hide or even fight back, where I could hurt it. And there was only one place that fit those criteria.

Inside of it.

Inside, it had so many vulnerabilities—organs, veins, and countless other things. Inside, it had no real way of attacking me. And hell, so long as I was inside of it, it couldn't get away—now that's positive thinking at work. And really, when I thought about it that way, it was a brilliant idea.

Having said that, my first thought inside the Grimm was that I was kind of glad I couldn't see what I'd gotten myself into in the moments that followed, because from what little I could feel through my armor it must have been disgusting. I slipped down its throat on something slick and slimy that I didn't really want to think about until I reached out and sank my fingers hard into the sides of the beast's throat and plant my feet on its slick walls as best I could, preventing my fall into who knows what waited in its stomach.

I had a moment to dearly hope this worked and then I was in motion, rebounding of the sides of its throat to cause as much damage as possible. I grabbed, I crushed, and I tore pieces away, liquid flowing over and under my armor as I made a ruin of my surroundings. Once more, I was a little gladdened by the fact that the insides of the Grimm were almost unnaturally dark, sparring me the sight. I felt the Nevermore thrashing around out, it's throat working even harder to bring me down to its stomach, foul smelling air rushing over me.

Hard as it tried, though, I held on, bladed fingers sunk deep into soft flesh. I felt the creature's body being rocked by something—Adam doing his part, I was sure—but I focused on what I needed to do. With the Tiger's Jaws, I sank fingers deep and pulled again and again, until I'd made a large enough opening for what I intended. Fluid spilled over me, passing through the holes in my armor to cover my face and body. I had to hold my breath as I forced myself against that stream, reaching an arm through to loop around the edge, shoving against what felt like a massive tube. With my other hand I grasped the edge of the flap I'd made and heaved, as if I were lifting a tree, widening it even as the creature thrashed.

I felt Crocea Mors, the manifested spirit lending me its strength as I tried to force the hole open. I shoved until I could lift a foot to stand awkwardly on the broken edge and grab the top with both hands, putting my entire body into opening the monster's throat even as I resisted what felt like a flood of fluid and held my breath until my lungs burned. At last, I tore it wide enough to pass through and I could feel the Nevermore's struggling weaken.

But I didn't stop. I Lunged forward, bladed fingers sinking deep into the tube I'd felt earlier before ripping into it with Jaws, Power Attacks, Crushes, and Rips. Between each attack, I Lunged back into the Nevermore's throat, tearing at the other side, before throwing myself back like a saw, shredding everything in my path with the dwindling remains of my power. Even as my lungs and limbs began to burn, I didn't let up. I didn't stop as the thrashing slowed. I didn't stop when what seemed like my entire world shook as the Grimm finally fell. I didn't let up until—

Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!

The windows shone brightly without actually illuminating anything—probably because only I could see them. As the messages appeared, I had to smile, despite my exhaustion and how disgusting all the various things that must have been covering me made me feel.

Then I started as I heard a disturbingly pleasant jingle and felt a thrum through the whole of my body, followed by the appearance of another window.

You have defeated the boss monster Giant Nevermore! You've obtained the title 'Grimm Slayer'!

I didn't have time to ponder the meaning of that, though, because my lungs were still burning and I was still submerged in Grimm blood. I crawled back into the dead monster's throat and half climbed, half swam up it. Blood had flooded it from the wound I'd made, though, and it was only the surge of MP leveling up had given me that allowed we to escape, rushing up the passageway with another Tiger's Lunge. I had to crouch as I reached its beak, but it was thankfully mostly free of blood and I could see light through the cracks of the beak. I finally took a breath—

Only to gasp in what seemed like particularly foul smoke instead of air. I started coughing immediately, going to one knee, but there was still no air to draw in. I struggled to lift the Nevermore's beak—though that meant lifting its entire head, really—but I'd done too much, too quickly and my stamina was shot for the moment.

I pushed on anyway, even as I tried to cough up my own lungs, because I was not going to go through all this just to die on the way out.

Suddenly the beak's weight eased. I saw bright light, a shadowed figure, and then I was being hauled out. Adam dumped me on the ground even as the smoke signifying the Grimm's passing billowed out around us, and as close to the ground as I was, I could at last breath. So I laid there for a moment and did that. It was nice. So was having nothing trying to kill me. And having survived the various things that had. Being alive was kind of nice in general, really.

"It's about time you showed up," Adam said. "I was about to leave without you."

"The hell you were," I said after a moment. "Who'd drive you home?"

Adam snorted and sat down beside me, drawing one leg up to rest his chin on. For a moment, the two of us just sat there, resting in the aftermath.

"You look disgusting by the way," Adam noted, looking at the mixed black and red fluids that covered me from head to toe. "The other Grimm are probably avoiding this area because of the Nevermore, but that's going to draw them in like nothing else once they finally decide to check this place out."

"Man, screw them," I said and there was only a little bit of a cough in it. I was already mostly recovered, thanks to my power. "They'd be biting off more than they can chew."

I reached back and knocked on the Grimm's beak, just in case he didn't get it, and I was pretty sure Adam rolled his eyes beneath his mask.

"Seriously, though, just give me a chance to meditate and I'll take on all comers," I said. "That's why we're out here, after all."

"Oh? You still want to train?"

"You kidding?" I asked, turning my head to look at him. "I'd say today has been a pretty damn good day. My first time outside the boarders and I killed a Giant Nevermore. I already gained six levels man, and we've just gotten started. Why? You getting tired already?"

Adam actually chuckled at that, shaking his head before leaning back, keeping himself upright with his arms.

"I'll have to warn everyone who's working with us. 'He's a good pilot,' I'll say. 'But he's completely insane,'" He said before pausing. "God, it's just now sinking in that I'm going to fly across the ocean with you in the captain's seat. And I volunteered for this."

I laughed loudly at that.

"Hey, don't worry—I won't get you killed," I promised. "I need someone to drag me out of any Giant Nevermore we kill."

"Please don't tell me you're honestly thinking about hunting those things?" Adam sighed.

"Why not?" I asked, smiling brightly. "We know how to deal with them now and they have pretty easy attack patterns, too. If we ground them in the Bullhead, they basically can't fight back—I get inside and run amok, you charge your best attack, boom. I got five levels off this one guy and two titles…whatever those do-I'm a Grimm Slayer now, by the way, and the Tiger's Child. If we could farm these guys…"

"I don't think so," Adam said firmly. "They aren't that common around here anyway."

"Yeah, but in the wild…" I wagged my eyebrows at him. "You know we'll stumble across trouble on our way to Mantle. You know. And there are places where you can find flocks of Giant Nevermore."

"Ugh," Adam groaned, lip curling in disgust. "Well, maybe we can avoid that if you do the smart thing and put your points in Luck. You have thirty points to spare now, right?"

"Thirty-one," I said. "I could boost it up to forty-one right now. Although I have to wonder…if I got luckier, would the attacks stop or become more frequent?"

"What?" Adam asked flatly.

"Well, it all depends on how Luck works, doesn't it?" I argued cheerfully. "I mean, depending on how you look at it, I've been pretty lucky so far. Horrible danger aside, I got so much experience from that Spider Droid and those Quests and this thing, it's amazing. And I'm alive! But if I want to get stronger, I need to keep fighting powerful enemies and stuff, right? So would luck decrease how much trouble I got into or increase it? Would I meet rarer monsters? I mean, hell, what does luck even do for me? Jokes aside, my luck's pretty normal at ten, so…"

Adam winced, shaking his head.

"That's…" He shook his head. "Let's put luck on hold for a bit, maybe?"

"Until we can be sure it won't cause a bunch of rare Grimm to suddenly appear, just in case," I agreed, looking around carefully to make sure I hadn't given the Universe any ideas. "I mean, in normal games, I'd figure it would improve my chance of critical hits or getting item…"

I trailed off, noticing something beside the Nevermore that I hadn't seen before. Or…maybe it hadn't been there before. I stood up, feeling vaguely stunned, and walked over to it as if in a trance, while Adam frowned at me.

"Jaune? What is…what is that?" He asked, shifting his question midsentence as he noticed what I'd seen before.

"Adam…" I said, blinking. "I got loot."

"You're kidding me," He said, coming to my side. He looked down and was, for a moment, silent. "You're not kidding me."

Beside our fallen opponent, on a patch of unstained ground, was a folded black cloth. Atop it was a book whose cover I couldn't see because it was obscured by a mask much like the Nevermore's, except smaller, and beside it all was a thick stack of Lien.

"I…don't know why I'm surprised," I said. "This is what would happen in a game, after all, it's just…I guess I always thought my power applied only to me, because it was my Semblance. But, this…did it create these out of nothing?"

"I…suppose," Adam said hesitantly. "It's often said that the Grimm are manifestations of enmity, which is why they eventually fade after they're killed. But if they can be given form, it's obviously possible for stuff to be created that way, so it's not utterly impossible that a fallen Grimm could be turned into something else. But…I've never even heard of anything like this. What are these?"

I picked up the pile of goods, still staring at them in wonder before shaking myself and using Observe.

50000 Lien

Fifty thousand lien, obviously. Do you need an explanation on how money works?

Dreary Midnight—Rank: Rare

A cloak made of Nevermore hide and infused with their power. While worn, greatly improves the user's Air Element Affinity, giving the power to better control the air and potentially to even to glide upon wind currents. Try not to run into any trees.

Passive Skill: Tempest.

Skill Book: Far Strike—Rank: Rare

A skill that enables the user to strike opponents at a distance with a wave of cutting power. Though relatively weak at first, both power and range can be improved by raising the abilities level.

Lenore—Rank: Mythic

The Grimm Mask of the Nevermore, infused with their dark power. The Mask of Loss.

?

Frowning slightly, I relayed the information to Adam, who tilted his head with a frown and nodded.

"Seems like a pretty amazing haul, but…I just don't know what to make of your ability," He said, reaching out to flip through the skill book. "I mean…I suppose I can understand the mask and maybe the coat, but…this book for example. Did it steal it from somewhere or create it and fill it with knowledge? Because I know this technique and what's written here is accurate. And is this counterfeit Lien? And if not, how?"

"I have no idea," I shook my head. "I keep telling myself not to be surprised by my power anymore, but…"

I just shook my head some more.

"Well, whatever," I said, sighing in resigned acceptance. "How do you want to split it? The books useless to you and we don't know if the money works yet, so I'll take the former and check the later."

I hesitated for a moment, greed rising up in me again. This was the part where I should offer to give Adam the mask and keep the cloak for myself—he had, after all, done most of the damage to the Nevermore, so it was only fair he get the most valuable item and he wouldn't benefit from the book or cloak besides—but…I wanted both. Well, I mean, I was more than a little nervous about the Mask, because, one, it was a Grimm Mask and, two, I didn't know anything about it, but at the same time…it was a Mythic item. Sure, I hadn't know I could get items like this until a minute ago, but it was a level above rare.

Even if I was half-convinced it was probably cursed, I wanted it.

I took a moment to try and suck it up but Adam raised a hand, stopping me.

"Keep it all," He said.

"What?" I asked, starting slightly.

"I can see you salivating you want it so bad," Adam said, smirking. "The book and cloak are useless to me anyway and you can think of the mask as a gift; you might as well have one of your own instead of using a hand-me-down. Besides, if it decides to eat the face of whoever puts it on, better your face than mine, right?"

"Gee, thanks," I said, but I was smiling. That didn't keep me from looking down at it nervously, though. "I do want it, really. But…even beyond what it might do to me, wearing a Grimm Mask might send the wrong impression…"

"You're wearing one right now, idiot," Adam said and I was pretty sure he rolled his eyes again.

"What?" I asked, blinking at him. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think these are?" He replied, tapping his mask. "They're Grimm masks—or designed to look like them, at least."

I reached up to touch my own mask, the one Blake had given me.

"I thought they were for hiding our identities?"

"Most of us can't hide, even with masks," Adam said before pausing. "Us being Faunus, that is. Most of us have features that are too recognizable if anyone truly looks. If you're born with horns or a tail and someone sees them, they can generally trace it back to you, given time. Because Faunus can vary greatly in what animals they take after—and even in how a specific animals traits manifest—most of the time we can't even blend in around each other. The masks aren't about hiding, they're about showing; Humanity made us out to be monsters, hunted us, tried to cage us in. So we became monsters."

"Huh…" I said after a moment. I looked down at Lenore, toying with it in my hands. It was a beautifully crafted mask, if odd looking. Four eyeholes, the pair on each side connected by a smooth, red design with a short spear arcing out of the lower set of holes; the ones designed for a person's eyes. The other set would rest higher, near the temples, useless. Two more curved lines near the nose completed the mask, trailing down just enough to draw attention to the slight beak. "Still, I probably shouldn't wear it. Like you said, it might eat my face."

"I was joking about that; what kind of item would kill the wearer? It's more likely it'll just turn you into some kind of horrible monster," He said easily.

"Probably," I agreed. "I'll put it away for now."

I opened up my Status screen and put the Lien in my Money section, increasing it to fifty thousand one hundred. A push of an arrow took me to my Inventory and I stored the cloak and mask, before devouring the Far Strike book.

You've obtained the skill 'Far Strike.'

Smiling slightly as the knowledge flowed through me, I was about to close the window when I remembered the titles I'd gained earlier and pressed the arrow again. The next page was a list of my skills; I figured it'd be in here, I just didn't have much use for it since I could call up the abilities I wanted to look at directly. Why bother going through the menu when you could use shortcuts? And it's not like I ever forgot about any of the skills I learned. I obsessed over the things.

Except…there were two I didn't recognize.

"Hey, Adam, listen to this," I said, staring. "I was looking for my title page and I found something."

Gamer's Body (Passive) LV Max

Grants a body that allows the user to live life like a Game.

Gamer's Mind (Passive) LV Max

Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows a peaceful state of mind. Grants Immunity to psychological status effects.

"I knew about the former and I've been noticing the latter, too," I said after I finished reciting what I saw. "I was always calm, even when I probably should have been terrified. I guess that explains why, but…"

"I know," Adam said, apparently thinking the same thing. "If you're immune to status effects that touch your mind and you said you healed everything else every time you slept…"

I pressed the arrows again and found the title listing, made a mental note to come back to it, and then went on back to the Inventory, withdrawing the cloak and mask.

"Think I should try it?" I asked. "Doesn't really fit the martial arts look I've been working on, but what the hell, right?"

"Actually…" Adam mused. "I have an idea about that. Blake told me once that the best disguises come in layers."

I furrowed my eyebrows for a moment before understanding dawned and I had to sigh.

"Man," I complained. "At this rate, even I'm not gonna know who I am when this is over."

"Actually…" Adam said, and there was something like vengeance in his smile. "What was that 'title' you mentioned earlier?"

"Grimm Slayer," I replied, absently flipping back towards the title section.

"No," He shook his head. "The other one."

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV19

HP: 1020/1020

MP: 1500/1500

STR: 31+14.9 (48%) = 45.9

VIT: 33+15.8 (48%) = 48.8

DEX: 29+13.9 (48%) = 42.9

INT: 39+18.7 (48%) = 57.7

WIS: 55+26.4 (48%) = 81.4

LUK: 10

Status: Metal Element Affinity 10, Air Element Affinity 10.

POINTS: 31

MONEY: 50100 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Checkpoint​

"Do you really think this will work?" I asked skeptically as I cleaned myself off by the river. Getting rid of the gunk on my armor was pretty easy, as Crocea just pulled some Metal magic and made the stuff run off, but the rest of me…

Well, I was filthy on a level that was hard to describe. Grimm spelunking will do that to you, I guess. I wanted to clean up before trying on the new suit.

"Probably," Adam mused after a moment, there to make sure no Grimm appeared while I was cleaning up. "At the very least, it'll leave everyone confused."

"I believe that," I admitted.

At its most basic level, Adam's plan was fairly simple, merely building off the groundwork Blake had already laid. Blake's design for my disguise had included a few changes in clothing and one of Adam's old masks as part of the image she wanted me to adopt. Adam's plan, then, was simply for that mask to actually be a mask, a disguise over my disguise, guarding the secret that guarded my secret. Not merely the mask, but the entire role I was to play—that of the airship pilot and hacker and the White Fang member—would be another layer to the lie.

But…

"You want me to pretend to be the decedent of an ancient martial artist king—except you also want me to pretend I'm not?" I shook my head.

"Not necessarily a descendent," He replied. "We'll let them come up with their own explanations; most will probably go with that one, but I'm sure a few will wonder. Perhaps we should even call you Jian? It's similar enough to your real name that it might be easier to get used to and it will be amusing to watch people wonder."

"And what are you going to do when people ask you questions?"

Adam looked at me like I'd just said something unbelievably stupid.

"I'll say nothing," Adam said slowly, as if talking to a small child. "And stare at them until they go away."

"Oh," I said, remembering who I was talking to. "Right."

"Regardless, if you're concerned about questions, you risk them either way," He continued. "Ideally, no one will get close enough to see anything to wonder about—though I'm certain someone will question how someone learned to fly an experimental airship—but if you're forced to act…well, I'm certain you can think of a few issues that might draw attention, whether it's your martial arts or your ability to heal people. It's unlikely anyone will make a connection to Jaune Arc, but think of this as another layer of protection and a way of explaining away inconsistencies. It's not like you'll have to do much, either; we'll just put Bai Hu's symbol on your back, have you wear a cloak over it, and move on. If someone notices, give them a cryptic glance and say nothing."

He didn't say it out loud, but I heard the message beneath the words and nodded seriously. This wasn't just a measure against the Schnee or their soldiers, but also partially against the White Fang, if only by lessening questions.

"I still haven't mastered Bai Hu's technique, though," I reminded him, sighing. "I'm still grinding the lower stuff and there are two skills I don't even meet the prereqs for yet."

"And still you've come farther than anyone else who's tried to recreate the art," Adam reminded me. "You still have time to train your skills some more and your title helps too, right?"

The Tiger's Child

Obtained by using all of the basic techniques of an ancient martial art in conjunction during a battle. You have become a true student of Bai Hu! Train hard to improve your mastery!

20% increase the damage of White Tiger techniques.

20% increase to the defense granted by White Tiger techniques.

10% decrease in the cost of White Tiger techniques.

"Yeah," I nodded gesturing towards what to Adam was empty space. "Even ignoring the other benefits, the decrease in cost adds up fast, because of how much MP the skills use. It'll help a lot later, though I have Grimm Slayer equipped right now, since it'll probably be more helpful while fighting out here. I'll switch over for the mission or at least parts of it."

Grimm Slayer

Obtained by killing a major Grimm. You have slain a true beast of the darkness! Become a true hunter and continue to slay the enemies of Mankind!

60% increase in damage against Grimm.

60% increase in defense against Grimm.

+10 to beneficial status effects while fighting Grimm.

"Besides which, while you may know your art is incomplete, you're also the resident expert. No one else has truly seen Bai Hu's style in action since…a long time ago. Since the techniques seem to be designed to work together and build off one another, I doubt anyone will notice that you aren't a master." Adam continued after giving me an acknowledging nod. "And if they do, so what? You're still far closer than anyone else. The ruse would still hold together."

"I guess so," I nodded. "And I do intend to learn the rest of the style, when I can."

"How close are you on that front?" Adam asked, actually seeming interested.

"The penultimate technique requires STR 50, VIT 50, DEX 50, INT 60, and WIS 60. Currently, I have STR 31, VIT 33, DEX 29, INT 39, and WIS 55."

"But you also have…thirty-one points?" He asked and continued at my nod. "So you could raise Intelligence and Wisdom to sixty and still have fifteen points left over. You could get Vitality to forty-eight, perhaps, and then you'd just be nine levels from learning the technique."

I nodded but then shook my head.

"I could do it that way, but it'd be really wasteful," I explained. "No matter how high or low my stats are, I can always improve them by one with a stat point—but I only get five per level and leveling up gets harder and harder to do. Even if we assume that I only got an amount of experience equivalent to my contribution to the fight, that Nevermore was over level fifty and I only got about five levels off of him when I was level fourteen. At that rate…"

I shook my head again.

"Leveling up is going to get harder and harder. I'm going quickly now for the same reason it's easy with my skills early on—and because I keep running into enormously dangerous monsters—but I'll start slowing down soon, I'm sure. Since I can improve my stats without using points, I should do that as much as possible while I still can, unless something comes up."

"Makes sense," Adam shrugged. "But doesn't that get harder too, though?"

I sighed.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I mean…I had to increase my Intelligence to twenty-five to learn Soulforge Restoration—the healing thing—at which point I'd only just increase Vitality to twelve. But after a week of training, there's only about six points of difference between them, even when I was probably studying more than working out if you count the time I spent in the middle of the night. Eventually, it'll probably take weeks of effort to receive any improvement and using points might be more efficient again. But until then, every bit helps."

"How high do you think you can get them in the time we have left?"

"I honestly don't know," I admitted. "But I tripled the weight I'm using and we have about a week and a half left…if I train every chance I get, raising my physical stuff above forty should be possible, or maybe even…but I just don't know, really. Still, I don't want to spend any points on them until I get them as high as possible. Although…despite that, perhaps…"

I looked down at the water, sighing slightly as I debated with myself.

"Given how busy my schedule's going to be until the mission," I began slowly. "I don't think I'll have time to train my Intelligence as well. So…"

"You sure?" Adam asked slowly after the silence lingered. "The reasons you gave were good. Your points are a finite, valuable resource."

"God, do I know that," I said, nodding. "And…they are, but…there are lives at stake for this mission, so I won't hold back. I mean, I'm not gonna waste points or act stupidly; if it's just a matter of improving my Vitality by ten points, I can do that any time and I'll get more bang for my buck if I train it first. However, raising my states above fifty is different. If Wisdom is anything to go by, I should get a powerful new skill for doing so—and given that Intelligence seems to be the magic stat, how every point in Intelligence also raises my MP by ten points, and what I got for Wisdom, I think I can make some guesses about what I might get. Given that we don't know what lies ahead and what's at stake, I'd rather do this now and have time to practice then regret not doing it later. If I could raise my other stats about fifty as well, maybe I'd do that, too—but since I can't, it's smarter to wait, I think. We'll see where I am at the end of training."

After a moment, Adam nodded, seeming to understand what I was struggling with.

"Then do it," He said.

I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed deeply.

"Goodbye my points…" I said, honestly saddened as I called up my Status Screen. "Your sacrifices will not be in vain."

I was a little surprised when Adam didn't say anything about that, but I focused on what I was about to do. Carefully, I placed eleven points in Intelligence, raising it from thirty-nine to fifty as a fact check. I paused for a moment to make sure nothing happened and then added a twelfth point, boosting it above the marker. I hadn't known about it before so I hadn't been able to check, but…it seemed that it really had to be above fifty. Expected, given the message I'd gotten before, but still good to confirm.

Sure enough, a moment later a new screen appeared.

The skill Mana Affinity has been created through INT rising above 50.

Mana Affinity (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

Long ago, Man, who was born from dust, learned to draw upon the light of their souls to survive in an unforgiving world. This skill increases the user's sensitivity and control over that power, improving their affinity with Aura.

10% Increase in Mana Recovery Rate.

5% Increase in total MP.

5% Increase to Magic Attack.

5% Increase to Magic Defense.

30% Increase to MP related skill effects.

It's amazing how getting cool stuff can allay one's sadness, even if only temporarily.

"What is it?" Adam asked while I oh'd and ah'd over my new skill.

"The skill I got is called Mana Affinity. As I thought, it seems to make me better at using Aura and stuff and improves a lot of things," I said without looking at him, smiling to myself. "And if it's anything like what I got from Wisdom—no, actually, I bet this works well with Nature Affinity, too. In fact…"

Adam just stared at me as I continued to ramble, but I paid him no heed, turning slightly away to test an idea again. Gathering my power as I pointed at a tree, I focused the power I'd normally put into Energy Bolt compressing it carefully at the tip of my finger. It resisted and tried to come apart as it had before, but this time I managed to keep ahold of it, forcing it down into the shape I desired.

A skill has been created through a special action! Continuous manipulation of mana has created a skill with focused power, 'Mana Bullet.'

"Heh," I said, smile widening. "I'm not done yet."

I took the song that seemed to hum constantly from my gauntlets—Crocea Mors' song—and channeled it into the glowing white sphere at the tip of my finger, aligning my Aura with the element of metal and forming it into a rigid shell around the energy to keep it focused, controlled.

And then I fired. A flickering marble of bright white light flashed across the river we'd found and pierced a glowing path straight through the heart of a tree before I lost track of it, making my laugh and clap my hands.

A skill has been created through a special action! Continuous manipulation of mana has created a skill with focused elemental power, 'Magic Bullet.'

Magic Bullet (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP:10

An attack skill that compresses Metal-aspected mana into a small form and fires it with great force. Power increases with INT, skill level, and Metal element affinity. Only possible for those talented in manipulating both mana and the elements.

10% defense penetration.

"Hah!" I shouted. "You see that!?"

"Yes," Adam said, frowning slightly. "You compressed your Aura into the form of a bullet and fired it?"

"Yup," I said with a smirk. "I tried it before and it didn't work but now bam!"

"Impressive," Adam mused. "There were experiments along those lines a long time ago, but the act of compressing and controlling ones Aura throughout was too difficult for most people—and the results were rendered obsolete by the creation of Dust rounds. In your case, though…hm, it might still lean in Dust's favor, but if you train it…"

"I will," I promised, practically hopping in place. "I'll grind it up over the next few days—and hey, if power's the issue…"

I pointed at the same tree, drawing up the power with ease now that I had the skill—and then I kept drawing, pulling more and more power towards it. What started as a small marble grew quickly, spinning and lengthening as it was guiding by my hands and will until it was a lance of blazing white light floating between my fingers. I reared back and threw it with all my might at the tree.

Which it promptly tore in half. In fact, it carved a path of destruction through several more trees before disappearing from my sight as shattered trucks fell with the snapping of branched and thunderous impacts.

I turned both of my hands up, holding them out towards the destruction as I turned my head towards Adam, mouth open wide with smiling shock as I let out a choked, disbelieving laugh. Even he looked surprised at the scene.

"What was that?" He asked, mouth slightly—very slightly—open.

I was about to laugh and say I had no idea when a window I'd never seen before popped up.

You've thought of a new skill. Would you like to name it?

I paused for a moment, eyebrows furrowing, before smiling again.

"Magic Missile," I said.

Magic Missile (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% MP:80

A technique used to gather an immense amount of Metallic Mana in an elongated, spinning form which can be launched with great speed. Power increases with INT, skill level, and Metal element affinity. Only possible for those talented in manipulating both mana and the elements.

40% defense penetration.

400% damage increase.

6 second charge time but can be charged for up to 12 seconds.

There is an additional attack damage increase as charge time increases.

"Impressive," Adam agreed after I explained it to him. "But also very distinctive."

"So?" I asked.

"So you can't use them as Jaune Arc or people will make the connection," He said. "You won't be able to use it later, so…I'm not really sure how to say this, but don't work yourself into a corner and throw away all your best techniques. What you use on this mission, you'll probably have to leave behind."

I snorted.

"Oh, is that what you're talking about?" I said, shrugging with a smile. "You don't have to worry about me, Adam, because my power's amazing. I have another ranged attack thanks to Far Strike, so I can develop that as well and I can use a lot of Bai Hu's techniques without fighting the same way, if I needed. Lenore and Dreary Midnight kind of stand out so it'd draw attention if I wore them as, well, me. Thanks to Nature Affinity and Mana Affinity, I can make plenty of techniques, so it's just a matter of deciding which of myselves gets what."

I paused for a beat and went over that last sentence before nodding to myself and continuing.

"Like, I could use this on the mission," I said, gesturing towards the broken tree line. "Or I could work on Far Strike and make a more powerful version of it. Or I could do something else, maybe? I can probably make a fireball spell if I get a Fire Affinity or I can play with Air or any number of things. No matter what I choose to do, I think I can grow a lot, so…it's okay. I can deal."

I smiled at him with a cheer I wasn't entirely certain I felt. What I said was true, but…

There was going to be a lot of things I would have to leave behind, huh? A lot of techniques, a lot of people, a lot of…

But I'd known that from the beginning and had accepted it. There were things that were more important.

"If you're sure," Adam said and though I was half-certain he knew the truth, he dropped the subject. "Are you ready then?"

I drew a towel out of my Inventory to finish drying off and nodded, taking out Dreary Midnight and Lenore.

I had to smile a bit, looking down at them, even if it didn't fit.

"So I guess this makes me a knight pretending to be a martial artist pretending to be a pirate, huh?" I asked, throwing the cloak over my shoulders. "I can deal with that, too."

I put on Lenore.

XxXXxX​

For a moment, the world seemed to drop away. Light and sound faded, as did the gentle wind on my face and the small dampness that remained from my bath. I could see or hear anything and even the scent of the forest faded away. All that was left to me was the feeling of falling—or maybe flying. For a moment I was bizarrely unsure of where or even who I was. I was lost in the dark, uncertain of…everything. In that moment, all I wanted was to find something, anything, to cling to, to hold onto, to keep from slipping away, but all that was left was—

And then the moment passed and I was back where I was supposed to be, apparently having closed my eyes at some point. I opened them now and was surprised when four eyes opened, rather than two—a pair right where they were supposed to be and a set higher, on my temples. The other eyes on my mask.

I lifted a hand to touch my chin and felt human skin. Then I reached higher and made sure the mask had not somehow become a part of my face. That had been a serious concern, but it didn't seem to have some to pass.

But that brief moment in the dark had been…

"Everything alright?" Adam asked and I looked up to see him overlaid in light, bright red highlighting parts of him as I had only seen twice before, lights illuminating his hair and shining through the flesh of his chest to reveal a stead, beating core within. I could sense it, feel it, and for a brief moment before I regained myself completely, I wanted to find out what would happen if I took it out.

It wasn't just him, either—I could see light washing through the trees and grass, sparks in the air that I focused on quickly and saw to be insects. But I could also see patches and pools of…not quite light, but something that was nonetheless bright and clear. It took me a moment to recognize them because of how different they looked through my new eyes and even then I was only sure because of the pool growing from Adam's feet, casting his silhouette across the ground.

Shadows. Darkness. Except…it wasn't dark anymore, at least not to me.

I saw windows opening up before me, lots of them, but I looked down at myself before reading them, just to see what I looked like. And I was…burning, white fire shining through what my dark cloak didn't cover, bright and gentle and pure—and shot through with trails of cold, empty black that I thought I could almost feel. My Aura was marked and scarred with it like veins or stripes and even before I followed them back to it, I knew the source.

"Jaune," Adam said again, more pressingly. "Are you okay? You look…"

"Yeah," I answered, still looking around with too many wide eyes. "It's just…weird. I can see your Aura, Adam—I can see everything's Aura. Is this how the Grimm see the world?"

"But there were no side effects?" Adam asked.

"Uh…" I hesitated, finally looked at the windows before me, and winced.

Status 'Ghastly Grimm and Stately Raven' has been granted by the item 'Lenore.'

Status 'Dirges of Hope' has been granted by the item 'Lenore.'

Status 'Nameless Here Forevermore' has been granted by the item 'Lenore.'

Status 'Terrors Never Felt Before' has been granted by the item 'Lenore.'

Status 'Soul and Shadow Floating on the Floor' has been granted by the item 'Lenore.'

Status 'Into the Tempest' has been granted by the item 'Dreary Midnight.'

Set bonus! Status 'The Wind and Nothing More' has been granted by the simultaneous use of the items 'Dreary Midnight' and 'Lenore.'

Status 'Nameless Here Forevermore' has been partially negated by the skill 'Gamer's Mind.'

Status 'Terrors Never Felt Before' has been negated by the skill 'Gamer's Mind.'

Status 'Soul and Shadow Floating on the Floor' has been negated by the skill 'Gamer's Mind.'

Um.

I had no idea what…any of that meant, but I once more felt exceptional gratitude to the utter bullshit that was my power.

"Uh," I said. "Well, like we expected, my power seems to have blocked the bad stuff—of which there was a great deal, I mean damn—but I'm not sure what any of this stuff does. Give me a second…"

I called up my Status Window and immediately frowned. What seemed almost like a thin layer of smoke covered the entire screen, gathered particularly hard near the top. Wherever I focused seemed to clear, but the rest…

"That's weird…" I murmured, frowning at it. "My status screen is hard to see."

"You're hard to see," Adam said. "That's what I was trying to say before."

I blinked at him—and God, that was still weird with four eyes—and looked down at myself again.

"Am I?" I wondered. "I can see myself just fine."

"You're…" Adam frowned. "It's hard to describe, honestly. I can see your mask, I can see the cloak, but you are kind of hard to focus on…sort of? I can see you just fine, but if I didn't know it was you…"

He shook his head in irritation.

"Well…" I mused, touching Lenore. "It is a mask. Not sure which ability would do this, though?"

I frowned at my screen, eyes gazing over it searchingly. There was…something up with my stats, a marking beside them in the shape of my mask, but I had not idea what that meant. My Air Affinity had increased greatly as well. The upper part of my screen was especially covered with the smoke, such that I could only see a twisted blur of my name and stuff, but…

I shook my head and just selected one of the new statuses randomly.

Dirges of Hope: ?

"Goddamn it," I said, annoyed. "You're still not gonna tell me?"

I tried again.

Nameless Here Forevermore: The dark smoke of the Grimm rises around your soul and conceals it from the eyes of man. Beware, however, of wandering in the night. This status effect hides your true self from mortal eyes and minds—including your own. Greatly increases the difficulty of identification attempts made towards the user, regardless of source. Partially disabled by Gamer's Mind.

Um.

"Well, uh, I…dodged that bullet I guess," I stated before speaking to Adam. "It seems the mask has some powers I still can't see, so I'm not sure what they're doing. Or if they're working at all, really. Maybe I have to figure out what they are before I can use them or…maybe they require the negative effects to function properly."

"Could be," He shrugged. "It's really hard to draw upon examples in a case like this. But…you'd think that since it was your power that created it, it would be designed for your use in mind. Or at least your potential use. If the only way to use it was impossible for you, why would your power create it?"

"That makes sense, but I don't know," I shrugged, still browsing my statuses even though several windows were already open. "Honestly, I have no clue how or why my power does what it does. But yeah, you'd think that item drops would be for me. I guess I'll just have to level up Observe some more until I can see it or do this the hard way."

What I didn't say was that I'd had the same thought as Adam and that I had some support for it. I'd checked 'Into the Tempest' and then checked 'The Wind and Nothing More,' finding I could see both and that they served roughly the same purpose—increasing my Air Affinity—which was something that would undeniably come in handy in the mission ahead. In fact, it would be so useful that it made me wonder.

Was that luck or design? It wasn't uncommon in games to need to get some item in order to make it through a specific dungeon and it was quite possibly these two items would save me in the skies, but…then, had my power somehow organized this, drawing me into place just in time to be attacked by a Nevermore? Or had it made the Nevermore attack me? Or, perhaps, had it truly just been luck—or Luck?—that had led to me being attacked and getting what I needed when I won?

Or maybe…had I done this? Had my power led me to what I wanted, what I needed? If this was my Semblance, a representation of my soul, was I somehow…and if not me then…

I looked at my other statuses, for now hidden from my sight, and wondered what that might mean for them if any of my suspicions were true. I could even, perhaps, take that further and wonder what that meant for anything that had happened to me. I'd given some thought to it before, to what had happened and how I'd so suddenly been involved with the White Fang and in over my head—I'd bemoaned my luck. But was it luck? Had I just been in the right place at the right time and entered some enormous, sprawling side-quest that had gotten me into a quest chain?

Or, if this was a game, then was this the, or a, plotline? If I thought about it, I had always wanted to be a great warrior, a hero like my parents. Maybe that was even, in a way, why I had always loved games so much—apparently enough to get this power. But if so…had it led me to this?

It was a concern I'd never voiced—about my power and about Luck, about how things seemed to come together. I don't know when I'd started to wonder and I'd avoided giving it more than a passing thought, but if I was a game character, if my power could access information I had no way of knowing and provide items that couldn't otherwise exist, if there were quests, if I had a stat that could literally effect the probability of what happened to me…

If I truly was able to live life as if it were a game…

Then who programs my game? Was it me? Was this all truly the work of my Semblance? An expression of my soul and what I wanted most? Had it known I wanted to help people and manipulated me towards a place where I could?

Was I just over thinking this?

And, most importantly, did it matter? Even if couldn't be sure how far the 'game' went, did it change how I wanted—how I should—change my life? Regardless of how I'd gotten here, there were still people who needed my help and I still wanted to help them. Did it matter how or why I was able to, even if it meant letting my power guide me? Even, perhaps, pull my strings?

Yes, I thought. Why always matters. But if the reason why I could save people, why I could be a hero, why I could be here was because of my power or my wishes or whatever caused it…then I was grateful for the opportunity. Even if in the end it led me into danger—if, in the end, it maybe even resulted in my death—then still I was glad to be given an chance. If it was for this, for helping people…

Then I wasn't afraid. I was born to do this.

I smiled then and felt like a weight had been removed from my heart. I looked at the water, at my reflection in the shifting river, and saw my white mask and hood hiding my face and more. But even if it meant hiding things or leaving them behind, if it was for this…it was okay. If it was my loss, if I was the one who needed to lock things away, and if in return I could set others free…

I shifted within my new cloak, closing it over my chest as light gleamed upon Crocea Mors from both the sun and my soul. I saw Crocea Mors within it, even, a light submerged in my own and in my darkness. But those things were in everyone, weren't they? It was simply a matter of understanding what that meant. I wasn't sure, even as I felt it flowing down into my weapons, white claws growing further into dark talons to better arm me against…what?

I guess I'd have to figure that out for myself, one way or another.

Though he was rarely one for words, I heard my sword whisper a reminder at the edge of my thoughts.

Whatever should happen, I will always protect you.

I closed my four eyes and nodded as the world went dark around me. I felt it now, like a touch on my skin—slight here in the day, but forever there, if only in the shadow trailing at my heels. I drew power from it now, breathing it in, and relaxed.

"Jaune?" Adam asked.

"Hm?" I looked at him, blinking. "Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought, I guess. But…I'm fine."

I shrugged one shoulder and smiled at him honestly.

"By the way, I forgot to ask…" I held my arms out to my sides and stood tall. "…How do I look?"

He stared at me for a long moment, considering—and then waggled his hand.

"You look like you're trying to hard, but it's not terrible," He said. "Could be worse."

I snorted.

"Well, I was about to tell you something cool," I said, turning and walking away. "But since you can't appreciate how awesome I am, I'm gonna go do stuff. Since Observe is being finicky, I'll just have to try and figure out what my mask does the old fashioned way. And I'll try and combine my wind affinity with stuff and see what I can come up with, too…"

"Meh," Adam said, following me.

"Yeah, I'm going to start with Far Strike. I wonder what happens if I over charge it? Oh! I wonder if I'll get to name another technique. If I do, I'll call it, uh…" I mulled over that for a bit before smiling. "Far Slayer. Or should I make it one word? Or maybe—"

I'm pretty sure Adam rolled his eyes again.

"Oh, shut up and tell me already."

I smirked at him.

"Well, I was thinking…if my Semblance can apply to stuff besides me…do you want to see if we can make a party?" I asked. "I'm not supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings for you and find you a place on Team Jaune. What do you say?"

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV19

Title: Grimm Slayer

HP: 1020/1020*

MP: 1830/1830*

STR: 31+19.2 (62%) = 50.2*

VIT: 33+20.5 (62%) = 53.5*

DEX: 29+18.9 (62%) = 47*

INT: 51+31.6 (62%) = 82.6*

WIS: 55+34.1 (62%) = 89.1*

LUK: 10*

Status: Metal Element Affinity 10, Air Element Affinity 35(?).

POINTS: 19

MONEY: 50100 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Party System​

It turns out I could make parties—and, yes, I really did name it Team Jaune. I'm the only one who can name it, which means I get to name it whatever I wanted, and I wanted Team Jaune. Really, Adam's just lucky I didn't name it something embarrassing.

"Invite Adam," I said clearly, a blue window suddenly appearing before the Faunus. He stared at it hard for a long minute before looking up at me as if to say 'really?' He still accepted, though, and thus was my first party made.

"What exactly is this supposed to accomplish?" He asked afterwards.

"It's mainly just to check to see if it works and what it does," I replied. "Let's see, first…Observe."

I brought up Adam's Status Screen and…well…

The dude was a monster, even for level forty-two. I mean, holy crap, if you add in the passive and active effects of Aura, all of his physical stats were over three digits, and closer to two hundred then not. I guess that's the type of thing you get when you're over level forty. Even if it had taken a lot out of him and half a minute to charge, he had hit that Nevermore hard enough to do the equivalent of hundreds and hundreds of my own strikes in one attack.

I guess even now I still have a long way to go, huh?

"Can you see this?" I asked, gesturing at the screen and then called up my Status Screen. "Or this?"

"No," Adam said turning his head to look in that general direction, though he was off a few feet. "What are they?"

"I used my skill Observe to look at your status screen and pulled up my own," I explained. "But I guess you can't see it. Anything above my head?"

Adam glanced up and shook his head.

"Hm…" I said, frowning slightly. "Then…say 'Status Window.'"

"Status Window," He said, starting slightly when one appeared in front of him. "Huh. So this is really how you see the world, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much," I said. "When I want too, at least."

"All my stats are numbered and everything," He said, shaking his head slightly. I watched as he seemed to go down the list, occasionally nodding, titling his head to the side, or sighing. "I guess that makes sense. I'll keep these in mind while I'm training."

"Before that, though," I said. "Do you have an Inventory?"

He repeated the word but nothing appeared.

"Doesn't seem like it," He said, looking around.

"See if you can do anything with this, then," I reached into my own Inventory and drew out one of my spare skill books on driving. I tossed it to Adam, who caught it easy and appeared to wait for a second. I didn't see anything appear and it didn't seem like he did, either.

A part of me, an admittedly selfish and fairly large part, felt relieved at that, simply because if creating a party had given him those powers, then given his existing skills and his level, I would be…

But on the other hand, it would have made this mission a breeze. I couldn't say I was upset that I couldn't give away the, well, the one thing that made me special, but I was aware of the situation as well. But if none of this worked, then…

"Interesting as it was to see my own stats," Adam began. "Making a party really doesn't seem to do much."

"Hold on a second," I said, frowning as I considered the possibilities. No, not possibilities—what I wanted were… "Party Options."

A new window appeared, with Adam's name filling one of the empty slots, along with the basic stuff like his HP, MP, and level. Below the slots were buttons for 'Settings,' 'Kick,' and 'Promote to Leader;' I had no interest in either of the latter, so I went to Settings. A glance at the options listed found me what I wanted and I tried to turn on 'Equal Distribution.'

Equal Distribution is not possible if your level difference is greater than 10.

"Tch," I huffed. When I saw Adam, obviously with no clue what was going on, I explained. "I pulled up the option menu for our party and tried to turn on Equal Distribution so we'd each get half the experience from what we kill, but it says we can't do that if there's more than ten levels between us. I can't use it with Blake, either…stupid game balance."

I sighed.

"Well, there goes that plan."

"Plan?" Adam asked, tilting his head slightly before abruptly frowning. "Wait. Were you going to make me do all the work?"

"What?" I asked, scandalized. "No, no I would never—yes."

"And you were going to force me to fight a lot monsters while you…what? Stayed completely safe in the background and drank tea?"

"Are you kidding?" I asked. "I'd have provided emotional support. 'Go, Adam! Kill another thousand! You can do it!' That kind of thing."

"Oh, gee," He said. "So sad that plan got ruined."

I chuckled.

"Yeah, well, me too," I said. "I guess now we have to go back to the original plan—I'll get into a lot of fights and you make sure to keep me nice and safe."

Adam grunted with displeasure.

"Hey, look on the Brightside," I shrugged, smiling. "You can probably get experience; if equal distribution was an option, you should get the normal amount when you kill Grimm on your own, exception that proves the rule and all. Given how high-leveled you are, you probably won't get much out of it, though, so save them for me unless you have to step in."

Adam grunted with what could have been either more or less displeasure, but I ignored him this time.

"I have to wonder, though…if there's one for parties…" I pursed my lips. "Options."

I laughed loudly when a window appeared.

"Holy crap, I have an Options Menu, Adam," I chuckled. "Let's see…'Gameplay,' 'Video,' 'Sound'…oh God."

I kept laughing as I looked over Gameplay. There wasn't a difficulty setting or anything like that, which was a little sad, but I guess there were limits even to powers as crazy as mine. However…

"Adam, say something," I demanded suddenly.

"What?"

I turned away from him, laughing my head off.

"I have subtitles," I managed to get out through my cackles.

"Seriously?" Adam said, sighing again, but I was busy bobbing my head to something only I could hear.

"Music, too," I said. "I guess it was on mute. It's not bad, though. Hm, but…yeah, I think I'll get tired of hearing it constantly. You ever get tired of the music in a game after thirty hours or so? Like that, but for me it would never stop. Could be useful, though. Subtitles, too, if it works on whispers and stuff. I wonder if my controls are in here somewhere? Could I make myself left-handed or something? Oh, or is there a third person option, maybe?"

"Jaune," Adam interrupted me before I could get too wrapped up in playing with my power. "Focus please."

I frowned at him but fixed my settings and closed the windows.

"Fine, fine, ruin my fun," I said, stretching slightly to get more comfortable in my armor. "Anyway, it's more limited then I might have hoped, but the party system is still pretty useful. Once I get strong enough, Blake and I can train together until we're close to your level, and then we can all benefit from it. Despite what you said, once we're all that strong farming Nevermore shouldn't be too horrible, right? I'll make a contract with an Air Elemental soon, so I should be able to ground the Nevermore more easily. If Blake and I run interference, buying you time to charge shouldn't be a problem and if I get inside the Nevermore again, I should be able to just charge up a Magic Missile and poke a few holes in it. If Blake goes for the eyes and helps run it around, it shouldn't be too hard to take it three on one, even if it's higher leveled. If it had more attack variety, that'd be one thing, but this is what happens when you've only got a few options, I guess. The Bigger they are—"

"Jaune," Adam stopped my rambling again, what was visible of his expression looking a tad grim.

I looked away, a part of me wishing I hadn't let go of the jovial atmosphere from before. I already knew what he was getting at. These were all long-term plans; even if I could fight Grimm regularly and trained as much as I could, I knew it would take a long time before I was at a high enough level for such a thing to be feasible. Depending on precisely how much this mission went to hell, I might level up enough to partner with Blake, but getting up to level thirty-two was going to be a pain, I was sure. And this mission…it was getting closer all the time. Even accounting for the travel time and any delays that might occur, it would be over one way or another within two weeks.

And the sad part was that Adam and Blake were the closest things I'd had to friends since I'd been unable to follow anyone else to combat school. Not only that, but I'd told them both my secret and here they were making me as strong as they could. They had their own reasons for doing that, granted, and they were going to drag me into a world of danger now, but…it was also a fact that I wouldn't be this strong without them and I didn't regret helping them yet.

However, when this was over…

"What are you going to do after we save them?" I asked, looking up at the sky. The night sky, I realized after a second; it was hard to tell with my mask and I hadn't even noticed the world getting darker.

"A bit early to talk like our victory's sure."

"You're right," I said, nodding without looking at him. "What are you going to do after this is over, assuming we don't die horribly at any of the dozens of times when we could."

Adam let out a chuckle but it died young.

"The same as before, I suppose."

"You don't think this will change anything?" I guessed, sighing.

"I think it'll change a great deal," He said. "I think it will save or improve the lives of many Faunus. I believe it will give hope to countless more. And I believe that's enough, or else I wouldn't be here. But do I think that this will change how the entire world treats us? That it will change the way those companies treat us? No."

"Because they don't care?" I said, remembering what he'd told me before.

"Because they don't care," He nodded. "But more than that, because they care more about other things. I'm sure countless people would find the actions of the Schnee Company and others like them horrible if you shoved it in their faces. But it's all but a world away, out of sight and out of mind with no effect on their lives except in a positive sense. People will speak about how horrible the treatment of the Faunus is on TV and online and too each other, but what will they do? What can they do? In the end, I believe that, on the whole, people—and I mean people, whether Human or Faunus—will do whatever makes their lives easier and better, just as companies will do whatever makes them the most profit."

He sighed deeply and seemed tired.

"And that's the problem. I told you before that I don't think most people hate Faunus; I'll extend that now. I don't even think most of the Schnee Dust Company hates Faunus. I don't even know if I believe the people in charge of it hate Faunus. In fact, I think that if there was a way to make even more money that didn't involve the Faunus, the company would likely switch to that method in short order. Even on Atlas where the entire system seems set against the Faunus and where we're hated the most, I think that's mostly because the system was designed around it being profitable to businesses that supported Atlas in the aftermath of the Great War. They believe it's the best way to make more money. And the fact of the matter, the reasons why the peaceful protests and everything that was tried before didn't and won't work, is that they're right."

I listened quietly, a little surprised Adam was actually opening up about this. But I guess it must have been a sore subject for him—and maybe it was something he wanted to say while Blake wasn't around.

"Take the Schnee Company, for instance, since that's who we're up against. For so long, the White Fang attempted rallies and boycotts, but what did they hope to achieve? What did they believe a boycott could do? Sure, the Schnee Company has its fingers in every pie, but in the end, their main product is Dust. Did they expect people to stop using Dust? When their homes are powered by it? When the food they eat is planted, grown, harvested, and made with machines that use it? When they drive in cars fueled by it, on roads made with its aid? When they can only even have that because they live in a place where the Grimm were thrown back thanks to it? Even the White Fang uses Dust, we just steal it sometimes instead of buying it. How do you boycott their product when everything is made with their product? And if you could, would you want to?"

"No," I said, only because he paused long enough that I figured he expected a reply. "Life before Dust was…"

"Exactly. But then, what does it matter if you gather into crowds and hold up signs if, in the end, you're still giving them all your money? That's not going to stop anything, it's just going to be an annoying change in ambiance. That was the issue with the White Fang before—it didn't understand how things worked, not really. It tried it on a small scale and sometimes, yeah, sometimes it worked. But…restaurants that don't serve Faunus are a tiny symptom, at best, a product of larger factors, and such methods aren't going to work on groups that can ignore you out right. The fact of the matter is that the only way you're going to make people stop abusing Faunus is if you make it unprofitable, unacceptable, and inconvenient."

"That's why the White Fang turned to violence," I said, understanding. "As another way of increasing the cost of business. Places that didn't serve Faunus were faced with greater costs for rejecting them, so they let them in. Stealing and destroying the products of places that abused Faunus employees, raising costs. Because if the cost of doing business that way gets too high, people will find a cheaper method."

"Yes," Adam nodded. "All the protests in the world won't change companies like the Schnee, because you can say they're methods are horrible and immoral and heartless, but it doesn't matter unless you can say they don't work or that there's a way that'd work better. And you can say the White Fang's actions are awful and terrifying, but you can't say they haven't worked, either. People do treat Faunus better because of us."

"Because they fear you, not because they respect you," I said. "Wouldn't it be better if they changed because they wanted to? Because they believed you were truly their equals?"

"Yes," He said immediately. "But it's better than not being treated equally at all. People have treated us like animals for as long as anyone can remember. They tried to cast us out and lock us up in a place they even named 'Menagerie.' We fought a War until we were promised equality and still didn't get it. Being treated equally because people thought we should be would be ideal—but it hasn't happened yet and history suggests it won't happen any time soon. The White Fang…it's not a perfect solution, but it's the one we've got. What would you have done, if you'd been born a Faunus?"

I thought about it silently for several long seconds before closing my eyes with a sigh.

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "I'd like to think I'd be able to find another way, but nothing springs to mind right now. But…I'd probably fight, if I could. If it was my family being treated that way, my friends, my people…I'd fight, like my parents would fight."

Adam just nodded easily.

"Blake wants to help people and she wants to change the White Fang," Adam said easily, like he'd known all along—which he probably had, actually. "She wants to find another way, a peaceful way, to set an example for others to follow and believe in. Even if she hates what humans do, she doesn't want to hurt them, either. And I'm glad that despite everything, she can still hold onto that. I respect her for having beliefs and sticking to them and all the more so for those beliefs to be kind in a world that makes it so easy to be cruel. But I can't believe in what she does. I just don't think it will work. I think that the only way things will truly change is if we fight."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I just nodded.

"When this is over," I said. "I'll probably do the same thing as before, too. I want to get stronger. I'm going to become a Huntsman and protect people, Human and Faunus alike. That's why I'm here on this mission and…even if our paths diverge from here on, I'm glad I got to be friends with you, Blake, and Tukson—and I don't want to stop being friends just because we walk different paths. I'm glad that I could just talk about this with all of you, to have chance to understand. And I…while I can't refute what you said and I can't think of a solution yet, I want to. So I'll keep looking for a way, even if it's naïve. Even if it seems hopeless, I'll fight for it as well. With my power…I'll get smarter and wiser and even luckier, until I can find a way. Even if there's a fight or a war, I'll…"

Adam smiled at me, tilting his head slightly my way.

"You'll need to be a lot stronger then you are now if you want to do something like that, idiot," He said, ruining both my cool speech and the moment.

"That's why I'm training, dumbass," I replied, shaking my head and muttering under my breath.

"You're not training right now," Adam pointed out. "If you really want to get stronger, then get to work. I still owe you for that ride in the Bullhead."

XxXXxX​

The forests around Vale were home to a number of different types of monsters and I knew them all on sight. Being the son of two famous Hunters, I'd grown up hearing about the Grimm, even before I'd had to sit through lecture after lecture at school about it. I knew about the Beowolves and the Ursa, the Nevermore and the Boarbatusks, all of them—and I'd heard what must have been a thousand stories about how to fight them and kill them.

Nonetheless, my first day of fighting them myself proved to be a learning experience for me in a number of ways.

For instance, it was often wondered—in schoolyards, at least—which Grimm were the most dangerous. Kids would get together and talk about the Grimm and Hunters and the topic of who was strongest inevitably seemed to come up and I'd always been dragged into it because of my parents. And there were a lot of obvious answers for the former, mainly the greater creatures of Grimm far from civilization. But excluding the truly massive monsters that were thankfully rare this close to civilization as well as the uncommon monstrosities like the Giant Nevermore or the Deathstalekrs, who did you need to worry the most about while wandering the woods at night?

We'd never come to an agreement, but today I found out for myself. My usual luck had held true—leaving me to yet again wonder if it qualified as good or bad luck—and I'd stumbled across the Grimm shortly after Adam faded into the shadows, presumably to watch over me. The first creature I ran into was an Ursa, a powerfully built creature with a level in the upper-twenties and massive strength even for that level.

Yet there was another thing I'd realized about the Grimm. As creatures without souls, they had no Aura to protect them or give them strength—which was another way of saying that anything they did, they did with sheer strength, speed, and durability. That monstrous power was something to keep in mind when fighting them, especially when you're fighting them with your hands like I was.

But despite all that, I'd torn that Ursa to pieces. Literally, to pieces. It had taken a lot of punishment before going down and it could hit hard, but it didn't have any special powers or amazing speed or any real range. I could Lunge in and out of its reach or withdraw and shoot at it from a distance until it went down and there was nothing it could do about it. It was the same story as the fallen Nevermore, really; so what if you're bigger than me and stronger than me if I can just kite you to death? If I can hit you and you can't hit me back, that pretty much means I win by default if I can actually keep it up.

Furthermore, most of the local Grimm hunted alone, without others of their kind to compensate for such weaknesses, at least most of the time. Ursa were usually solitary creatures and only rarely seen in groups of more than two, although even that was a relatively uncommon thing to see. The same was true of the Boarbatusk I'd found later and even of the King Taijitu—which I'd thankfully avoided, nonetheless—though I supposed they kept themselves company. Although there were murders of the Giant Nevermore in the harsh wilds and the Nemeans to the West, they were kept from approaching civilization in such large groups, which meant that most of the Grimm within a stone's throw of Vale were Lone Wolves.

Except for, ironically, the wolves—which was why I'd say that the Beowolves were the most dangerous of the lesser Grimm around Vale. They weren't as strong as an Ursa. They weren't as durable as a Boarbatusk. They couldn't run as fast as the Nevermore could fly. On the whole, they were probably among the weakest creatures of Grimm in this part of the world.

But they traveled in packs of twenty to forty.

I ran through the woods, the wolves at my heels. I was pretty sure I wasn't truly in any danger with Adam watching over me, but that didn't necessarily mean I was enjoying the experience. Despite their relative weakness—if you could even call thirty-six creatures from level seventeen to twenty-three being led by an Alpha at twenty-nine weak—they moved like a well-oiled machine. If my mask hadn't made the night so clear, I wouldn't have even been able to see the creatures stalking me or even hear them. If not for my power and my training, I'd probably be dead by now, too. Individual 'weakness' aside, they had great strength in numbers.

I guess I admired that, a little bit. Now that I could create parties, I wanted one that could move that smoothly together—no, even more smoothly. But for now, I was being hunted by a group of monsters that moved swiftly, silently, and in eerie unison. I was pretty sure I was stronger than any one of them, including the Alpha, but I wasn't so sure it would matter if I let myself get caged in right.

I focused on what was ahead of me, relying on my other senses—and my skills—to keep track of my hunters. If nothing else, running for my life was a good way to train Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality, as well as develop my skills, old and new, such as Sense Danger and Detect Bloodthirst.

In response to sensing an overwhelming amount of bloodlust, you unlocked the skill 'Detect Bloodthirst.'

Detect Bloodthirst (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

An instinctive ability to sense bloodlust directed at the user. Detects bloodlust within 30 meters of the users location and alerts the user to its origin.

Detect Bloodthirst was one of the new ones—and one I was somewhat glad to develop, alongside Sense Danger. The abilities were similar and complimentary, though it had taken me awhile to truly get a feel for the distinction. Detect Danger told me when someone was attacking me; Detect Bloodthirst told me when someone wanted to, within a certain range. Better yet, it alerted me to the location of the source, and if I kept track of it mentally, I could almost make a map in my head of where they were, even without looking. With my INT above fifty now, it was easy enough, especially since they were following me. By tracking bloodlust and responding to impending danger as I sensed it, I could keep ahead of the pack and monitor them.

The original range of the ability had been about thirty meters, but it was a passive ability, meaning I could train it by simply using it—such as, oh, by detecting the horde of monsters hunting me—and I'd been doing so a lot. Sense Danger improved, similarly, by sensing attacks. With my armor putting a constant strain on my body and the boost my Aura, itself boosted by Mana Affinity, gave to all my physical stats, I could train the two enormously useful abilities and my stats this way, while also getting experience. Though, honestly, I thought I deserved some Crafting experience for manufacturing my own silver lining, too.

I felt something stir—a rise in bloodlust, a flash of impending danger—and twisted out of the way as a rush of black and white came towards me, teeth and claws flashing at my face, my throat. If I hadn't had prior warning, it probably would have hit me, but instead I danced back a step, even as I felt other surges rise, the pack responding as one. The original attack meant to slow me for a moment, one way or another, followed by the others surrounding me, hedging me in. The first attacker overstretched; a sacrifice for the sake of the pack.

Even knowing that, I accepted it. I reached out and grasped its throat, felt flesh break and burst beneath my enhanced strength and slick blood flowing over Crocea Mors. In that moment, I calmly observed the forest around me and accepted it as probably the best I was going to get. I wasn't afraid of this fight, but I'd have preferred it to be in a situation where it'd be easier to withdraw and still have a clear shot at a distance. Instead, I was in the part of the forest where the trees remained close together, roots breaking the ground and leaving footing treacherous; yet another thing to watch out for.

If not for my mask, I wouldn't be able to move so freely in the forest at all, but even though I could see clearly, it just meant I could better see the set up the Beowolves were running. Besides the one who had attacked me, six others were in sight and closing in—clear dangers meant to surround me or, failing that, draw my attention. The rest moved through what would have been the shadows, using trees and cover to break lines of sight and attack as they further surround me, a trap closing in.

I considered that carefully, but briefly, drawing a deep breath.

Then I roared again, probably catching the attention of everything within a mile. But the wave of terrifying sound fulfilled its purpose and I sensed bloodlust flicker for just an instant, clear and sharp in my head—

By repeatedly instilling fear in others, you unlocked the skill 'Intimidate.'

I ignored the window for now as the Beowolves, heartless creatures of Grimm, were only momentarily paused by the sound. I took advantage of it all the same, pointing a finger at the nearest.

"Magic Bullet," I said clearly and a white candle flame carved a hole in the fell creature's chest even as it tried to dodge. I followed behind it, Lunging into the creature as it attempted to flee the first attack, bladed fingers sinking deeply into the open wound. I slipped fingers between ribs, grabbed ahold, and tore a hole out of the front of the creature's chest with the Jaws of the Tiger. I sensed danger from three directions and turned towards the nearest, ducking low under a strike aimed for my head, grabbing the creature by the ankle and breaking it even as I pulled its leg out from under it, stepping away and dismissing it as an immediate threat.

The second attack came in the form of a charge, a blow aimed to knock me back and off balance rather than kill, which was to be left for another attacker. The Beowolves had reacted quickly to my counterattack, positions shifting at the edge of my thoughts, but I focused on the fight before me, right hand reaching out to touch the rushing creature's shoulder. I turned with the force spinning out of the way of the attack by using the creatures own power as a base, blades hissing against boney plates as the creature ended up rushing passed me. The third Grimm came on the heels of its brother, running upright. I sensed the attack before my eyes could even focus on it and jumped back from it, but the Beowolves weren't new to this and it jumped with me.

We met in midair and I felt claws slide up my armor and then across my face before catching it by its throat and tearing it out with the blunt fingers of my left hand. We hit the ground in a tangle of limbs as the Beowolf sought to hold me down even as its life's blood slipped away, dying to enable the rest of the pack. I fought against its death throes, throwing it free, but other Grimm were already upon me, claws and fangs coming down—

"Razor Wind," I snarled quickly, clawing at the air. There was a distortion, a shift, and the Grimm were flung. I came to my feet quickly, reaching out with my senses to find all the bloodlust being directed at me, checking it against my memory of the forest around me. A glance to the side showed me my MP bar, basic division told me how many attacks I had in me, and Wisdom and Intelligence together plotted a path.

I had to be careful both in situations like this and in what may be to come. Bai Hu's art gave me tremendous power—but only for a short time. The idea was to give yourself such power that you could destroy anything in your path in that time frame and maybe that had even been the case for Bai Hu, but for me…I had to make every blow count, stretch things out as much as possible, and use all of my advantages. With my power, I could make up for weaknesses with other strengths, like I was trying to do with Sense Danger and Detect Bloodthirst now and my other combat skills. Still using short bursts of power, but with precise application and between other attacks.

For now, this was the way I needed to fight, because it was the only method I could use to fight at this level. It should be enough as I shouldn't need to fight if things went well—which they almost certainly wouldn't, granted—and all I needed to do was make it through whatever I was faced with until Adam and Blake could assist, if it came to that.

But since my luck was so amazing, I was trying to extend my fighting ability as much as possible. All I needed to do was buy time or escape or, if neither of those were possible, make an opening.

Kind of like this one.

Thirty-four targets, I thought even as I moved in a Lunge, landing atop one of the downed Beowolves. I slid the clawed finger of my right hand in at an angle, driving it deep under its ribcage, up towards a heart I seized tightly in my hands and tore free as I moved away, flipping in the air to land behind another creature that had been charging at me, before landing a smashing blow to the back of its neck and bearing down hard to crush it.

Six more were reachable in a single bound and died swiftly, but then it got more complicated. In ideal conditions, I could have gone from one to another in Lunge after Lunge. With the power of the White Tiger, the boosts from other skills, the Grimm Slayer title, and Crocea Mors making my claws diamond hard despite being razor thin, I could take down a Beowolf with one good hit, but conserving energy was the issue. With Razor Wind and Magic Bullet as they were now, it wasn't yet possible to kill opponents of this level with one hit yet, either, so I couldn't use them to cheaply slay hard to reach opponents until I trained more. I had to make do with conventional jumps or, when they didn't work, expensive Lunges.

In this case I had to use the latter to get in position fast enough. I bounced off one tree to make a normal leap to another before falling hard in the midst of eleven more of them, just a slight ways away from the Alpha. I roar again and the sound caused the Beowolves to reflexively draw away—and then they died, fast and brutally. I crushed and tore out organs, throats, and whatever else I could get a hold of, flying between them with the speed of my Air Aura as I ripped them to pieces. I kept an eye on my steadily depleting MP bar all the while, flashing between trees, back across to the other side, hunting the Grimm down one by one until my MP was close to depleted and only the Alpha remained.

I'd done the math and taken some guesses and I wasn't going to be able to take the much large Alpha down in one shot the normal way, but I had the choice of either killing him and leaving a dozen little Beowolves around or taking out all the small fries with maybe just enough left over for this. I'd put all the distance between us that I could and now I took a deep breath and gathered what I had left.

My Magic Missile began forming in my hands and I counted the seconds, feeling the bloodlust of the Alpha rising to a boil in the wake of his pack's slaughter—but he didn't back off. The Grimm weren't ones to run from a fight, even when they were outmatched; I didn't know why. Maybe they were too feral to. Maybe they were fanatics to whatever strange cause motivated them. Maybe they knew something I didn't. But I felt it moving, circling me slowly in the dark before acting, buying me a second.

But then it charged me. Again, I wasn't sure if it somehow knew I needed time to prepare my attack or if it had gone completely feral, but it didn't matter; it charged and I held my ground. I could take one hit, I was pretty sure, I just had to stand my ground and make the shot, whether before or after it attacked.

I met its eyes, drew back a hand, and readied myself as it closed the distance with inhuman speed. It approached with enough force that I could feel its footsteps, but I didn't back down. I was at five seconds when it closed in upon me, swinging one massive arm at my head. I lifted my free arm to block reflexively and Crocea Mors held without a problem, but with the last of my Aura drawn into my next attack, I thought I felt my arm break down at the elbow, passed the covering material of my ancestral 'sword.'

I ignored that as unimportant and threw my attack, bolt of light tearing a hole larger then my head in the Grimm's chest right where its heart would be and then I threw myself back before it could hit me again in its death throes. It turned out there was no need, because it didn't so much as twitch, then, but looked at me with red eyes as I backed away, the bloodlust I'd been keeping track of all this time abruptly fading, even before it died. It watched me that way, in total, unreadable silence, as the last of its life fell away and I had no idea why.

But when it finally died, I exhaled and straightened, looking around.

Your level has increased by one!

You have defeated 50 enemies with the ancient arts of Bai Hu! You've obtained the title 'The Tiger'!

You have defeated 50 Grimm! You've obtained the title 'Amateur Huntsman'!

"That was close," Adam said, abruptly behind me. My heart tried to jump out of my mouth before the Gamer's Mind put it back in its proper place. "I thought I was going to have to step in there at the end."

"I thought so, too," I said, looking over his shoulder with a shrug. "But it was a good test for me, so I know what needs to be improved. The little guys aren't a problem individually anymore, though, and the big guys I can play dirty against and kill in transit. It's just groups that are an issue and the ones strong enough to wear me out."

"Human opponents are different," He stated. "We have more options than they do, thanks to Aura and Dust, and that's how we drove them back in the Great War. You won't be able to win just by staying a few steps ahead or climbing a tree."

I shrugged and smiled at the barb—hey, so what if it wasn't the most dignified approach? It had worked on that Boarbatusk.

"I know," I said aloud. "Ranged attacks, Semblances, Dust…dealing monsters is easy, but dealing with people is hard, whether you're fighting or not, huh? But that's why I'm training, isn't it?"

Adam snorted.

I glanced up at the sky and judged that it was probably getting brighter outside, because it seemed to be getting darker to me. Then I looked down at myself, drenched with sweat in exhaustion that I couldn't use my Aura to ignore anymore.

"Give me a bit to see if they dropped anything and meditate and I'll get back to work," I said, shoulders hunching slightly at the weight I was only now truly feeling. "Let's give it another hour and head on back, okay?"

Adam didn't reply, looking over my shoulder quietly. I followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow at what I saw, walking over to my opponent's corpse.

"I'm pretty lucky today…maybe?" I wondered aloud. "I figured there'd probably be more, but none of the others dropped them…"

You have obtained 6000 Lien!

You have obtained the item 'Lycaon.'

By collecting two Grimm Masks, you have begun a quest!

What Lies Beneath—What Is Hidden?

Slay might examples of the creatures of Grimm to receive their fell Masks. Bring together all of the Masks to proceed. No time limit.

Completion Reward: ?

Failure: ?

I frowned down at the Beowolf mask in my hands.

"Um," I said. "Maybe later."

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Checklist​

I landed the Bullhead in the same place we'd left from and it was only slightly worse for wear, which seemed kind of miraculous, all things considered. Blake was already there waiting for us, reading a book by the door to our acting headquarters on the docks.

"Welcome back," She said as we left the aircraft, closing and putting away the book. "I take it everything went well?"

"Can't complain," I said, walking passed her. She wrinkled her nose as I did, so I probably didn't smell so great. "Crashed the Bullhead into everything I could, got chased and eaten by a Giant Nevermore, fought some Grimm, was hunted by a pack of Beowolves, gained some levels. It was fun."

Blake stared at me, then at Adam.

"He's not joking," He said. "Except maybe about the fun part and even then I'm not sure. He's kind of insane."

Blake frowned, looking between the two of us. Adam didn't say anything more but I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

Blake paused for a long moment before gritting her teeth and shaking her head, moving on.

"And his training?" Blake asked Adam, looking away from me. Adam gave me what I guessed was a pondering glance, frowning slightly.

"He's gotten stronger quickly," He said after a moment. "At this rate, it should be enough if—"

"When," I corrected.

Adam thought about that for a moment before nodding agreeably.

"—When something goes wrong," He corrected. "There are still a few things that could use improvement, though. Pick up some books on boxing, dancing, sports, and any other martial arts books you can get. Anything that could create passive skills is worth the investment, even if it's not a huge improvement, and he could use more options for when he can't afford to use Bai Hu's techniques."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Blake.

"We don't have any other ancient magical martial arts if that's what you're wondering," She stated. "But it should be simple enough to get a hold of a few close combat books, though getting something you can absorb might take some looking. I'll handle it."

"Cool," I drew out the word and did some karate chops on the air while shifting my body as if to music, before stopping at the look Blake gave me and withdrawing my scroll from my Inventory. "I'll be lord of the battlefield and lord of the dance—though I assure you, my moves don't need much help in that regard. You get what we needed, Blake?"

She looked at me impassively as I checked over her results, whistling appreciatively.

"Guess we aren't the only ones who brought home some treasure," I said. "Emails and passwords…you have time to check through them yet?"

"I saw a few emails that looked promising, but I didn't want to accidentally do something that'd give us away," She answered evenly. "I figured you'd know best if you saw what we wanted, besides."

"Shifting through emails unnoticed isn't that hard, actually; I'll show you later. But yeah, I'll look through it. Since it's unlikely they'll change email accounts anytime soon, we can use these to monitor the company for a while, too, though only what passes through these public emails. Still, as you can see, that's more than a bit." I replied absently as I flicked through pages, opening new tabs as needed. "It wasn't hard to get any of this, was it?"

Blake shook her head.

"The email accounts were easy to get into, since they had their passwords saved, though figuring out what their passwords actually were took a bit more effort. But usually, it was just a matter of figuring out one password and most of those," She nodded at my scroll. "Had files on their computers or notes. I'll go back and look at the others, if I have to."

"I'll show you a few more tricks if needed, but this should be enough," I mused. "Oh, there's even a list here about who to contact for what on the airship project."

Blake sighed.

"It's almost depressing how easy it was," She said scornfully. "Even more so because it would probably work on the White Fang, too."

I chuckled at that, shrugging.

"Hey, it's good for us, right?"

"Yes," She looked at me silently and then raised an eyebrow. "You said you found something as well?"

I grinned, reaching into my Inventory to withdraw Dreary Midnight and Lenore. I pulled them out with a swirl of the former, just for the sake of looking cool, slipping on the mask while my face was hidden and then settling the cloak around my bare shoulders and clasping it at my throat swiftly. As the cloak settled, I crossed my arms and stared at Blake with my four eyes, an awaiting eyebrow raised beneath my mask.

Blake tilted her head at me and furrowed her eyebrows, look surprised and confused by the two item and turned to Adam, apparently untouched by my transformation sequence.

"Is that a Nevermore Mask?"

"Yes," Adam said. "An actual one, from the Giant Nevermore we killed and he has another from an Alpha Beowolf. His power can form items from defeated opponent, or at least Grimm—objects with magical powers and special effects. It's a game thing."

That last part was said in response to a confused, disbelieving look on Blake's face. She paused then, looking like she was about to say something, but then appeared to bit down upon it and shook her head.

"Money, too," I added, because she hadn't been impressed by my efforts. I drew the money out of nowhere and fanned Lien like playing cards so she could see. "We'll need to check if they're counterfeit, but I'm already pretty sure they're not."

Blake's bow twitched but Adam spoke before she could say anything.

"I suggested adding another layer to his disguise once we found out about it," He said. "And making some additions to your previous work."

Blake raised an eyebrow questioningly and Adam pointed a thumb at me.

"Jian," He said. "Symbol on the back."

She tilted her head, squinted at me, and then nodded.

"It could work," She agreed. "And if it did, it would make it that much harder to learn of his true identity, as well as divert attention from any inconsistencies that arise. If we stay silent on the matter, act right…but can he play the part?"

"I think so," Adam nodded. "He's been training all the related skills relentlessly and he's earned several titles recently as well, like 'The Tiger.' I'll explain that to you later, but effectively, it makes him better at using Bai Hu's style."

I nodded in agreement.

"'The Tiger' will help a lot," I said. "And I think there are further titles I can get, but they probably require mastering the other skills. I'm working towards the next one and I'll get there eventually, but I don't know if it'll be before or after this mess is over. Still, with the boosts I've gotten recently from my new skills and wardrobe, I think I can fake it pretty well. No one else knows the style as well as I do, after all, even if I'm far from mastering it."

The Tiger

Obtained by defeating fifty opponents with the techniques of an ancient martial art. You have at last become a warrior of Bai Hu! Train hard to further improve your mastery!

40% increase the damage of White Tiger techniques.

40% increase to the defense granted by White Tiger techniques.

20% decrease in the cost of White Tiger techniques.

"You mentioned your…" She gestured vaguely at me. "Items have powers, too? Are they infused with Dust?"

I shrugged.

"I don't think so?" I said. "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if we could get Dust drops from Grimm, but these things seem to be powered by…whatever powers the Grimm, maybe? I honestly have no idea how it works. But hey, it can still fit with the shirtless image thing, if I need it to. Look!"

I shifted how the cloak settled slightly and drew up the hood so that it and the mask hid most of my head but left it clear my upper body would have been bare, but for my armor.

"Since it doesn't have anything like sleeves, it's fairly easy to use it like a large cape," I said. "And I can also us my Inventory to do this—"

I took off the cloak and pushed it into to the equipment screen beside my Inventory, causing it to suddenly appear tied around my waist with a belt and falling down to brush my ankles and shins.

"For when I need to display my magnificent body," I finished gesturing at my chest, from which my armor had vanished. After the problems not being able to remove my armor on the fly had caused me, I'd realized a solution—it was equipment and I had an equipment screen. As such, it didn't matter if it would be practical to put on or take off my items, did it? I wasn't certain I could do it in battle, since some games didn't allow that, but shifting stuff to and from my Inventory or Equipment screens wasn't a problem.

Blake shifted her gaze from where it had faded into the air to where it now hung and stared.

"It should be longer than that," She stated, looking at the cloak that had covered my entire body moments before.

"One size fits all, Blake," I said, Adam nodding sagely. We could both see this irritated here. "In games, that is."

"And your armor…"

"Ah, Blake, game characters don't put on their pants," I said, shaking my head with a smile, Adam joining me. "They just equip them!"

I did just that, taking off my armored leggings by replacing them with my jeans.

"I can change my pants without even having to look down," I stated with proud superiority as she continued to stare. "Which makes me better then all of you, by the way."

Blake took a deep breath and held it for several seconds before opening her mouth, shutting it with a click, and then slowly exhaling.

"Don't worry Blake, He's wrong about that part," Adam chimed in. "He loses any of the points he gets for that by owning and wearing a bunny onesie."

"No, see, you're wrong—that makes me even more superior!"

Adam shrugged at Blake.

"I told you," He said evenly. "Insane."

Blake was silent for another second, blinking once, twice.

"It's been a long, long night," She said, turning away. "So I'm going to bed now. Goodbye."

"Wait, Blake," I said, becoming serious again. I gestured at her with the scroll when she looked back at me. "Thank you again for this. With this, we'll be able to move into the final stages of preparation. It's almost time so just hold on for a little longer and then we'll go save them. We'll win. I just need to handle a few more things, okay?"

One of Blake's hidden ears twitched and she nodded once before turning and continuing her walk. When she was gone, I took a deep breath and sighed, glancing up at the stars.

It wasn't a lie. The amount of time until the end of the mission hadn't changed, but from now on, it was just hard, repetitive work. We'd done what needed to be done, now we were just making last minute arrangements. The rest of my training would take some time and putting the finishing touches on our plan wouldn't be possible until we had all the information we needed, but really…this was it. We were going to do this and whether we would win or lose, return or die, I had no idea.

But we weren't going to turn back now. And I had no intention of losing. I'd stack the deck as far as I could in my favor and I'd keep my promises—to my father, to Blake, and to Adam. I'd make what we had be enough, do everything I could, and come back home.

There were only a few things left to do now.

"Hey, Adam."

"Hm?"

"You wanna play some minigames?"

XxXXxX​

Since Blake seemed to have had enough of us and probably did need the sleep, Adam and I swung by Tukson's place which had just opened. Tukson had evidently gotten a full night's rest and looked upbeat, which seemed to irritate Adam on general principle, but I did the talking and told him what we'd need and he said he'd ask around. He had a few books on hand that were worthwhile and gave them to me, though, so I absorbed them and headed into battle.

Well, that's what I'd like to say. Something that could get a bit jarring once you did away with sleep is the fact that everyone else in the world kept on doing it and steadfastly refused to conform their schedules to your connivance at all hours of the day or night. As such, we scoped out the field of battle and it was closed, so we sat in the parking lot awkwardly for a minute and then went to my place, where Adam himself went to sleep. For my part, I did what I always did when I found myself alone and with nothing to do and went back into the woods to train. I did my thing while the sun crawled through the sky, shifted through the email accounts Blake had gotten, sent a message to her scroll, went out to Tukson's sometime after noon when Tukson messaged my scroll and told me he'd found some, went back to training, and waited for it to be time.

But then, we rushed valiantly to the field of battle.

Which, admittedly, would have been more impressive if we hadn't done it in a kind of junky car the White Fang had supplied.

And if said field of battler hadn't been, well, a club.

"The Xiong family has a lot of power, here in Vale," Adam said calmly, for once without his mask. "The Mother and Father run the businesses—and the gang—but it's a family business of sorts and they've been providing their son with more and more responsibilities as of late."

"You know them?"

He shrugged.

"Somewhat, though mainly the parents," He elaborated. "But they get around and the family doesn't have any issues dealing with Faunus. Try and be polite and remember the rule."

"Which rule is that?" I asked. "There are a bunch of rules."

He pointed at me and spoke with a tone that was entirely serious, even as his lips twitched upwards.

"Sometimes the toes you step on today are connected to an ass you'll have to kiss tomorrow. The Xiong family has a lot of power and a lot of pull; if you find you need something, knowing how to ask could smooth things over. Give them cause to hate you, things could get more complicated in the future. Don't mess with them if you don't want to deal with it later and remember that there are three of them, each more dangerous than the last. They're like the Gruffs."

"Seriously?" I asked. "You're telling me that?"

Adam snorted.

"Just keep it in mind," He said. "It shouldn't be a problem for you one way or another given you're disguised, but it could cause the White Fang some trouble down the line."

I hummed my understanding, tugging at the collar of my borrowed shirt. Even beyond the theoretical risks of wearing my own clothes into such a place and possibly getting noticed somehow later, I just didn't really have a whole lot of dressy clothes. I'd given some money to Adam when it was my turn to take a shower, though, and he'd come back with a red shirt and black slacks pretty much exactly like his own—which I probably should have anticipated. They didn't fit right, either, but I shrugged and used my Equipment Screen to size them up and we'd headed out. More importantly then the clothing, it had confirmed the cash we'd gotten was, at the very least, not immediately recognizable as fake.

As for the rest of me, I was in a throw away disguise, with red hair and brown eyes. It was new, but easy to apply since I'd been grinding my Disguise skill constantly the last few days. Not only did it make my disguises better, but it reduced the time it took to apply them by a percentage—currently forty-seven percent—which was a godsend where using makeup and such was concerned. I had to wonder what would happen once, or if, the percentage reached one hundred, though.

"I got it. Anything else you want to tell me about before we go in there?" I asked.

"Drink responsibly," Adam replied immediately.

I snorted.

"I don't drink," I said. "I'm underage, remember? And driving."

"So?" Adam asked, opening the door and stepping outside before leaning down to look at me. "You could fake it easy enough and I'm a little doubtful Hei Xiong would care even if you couldn't. Besides, if we're talking about things you're not supposed to be doing, I think you have a few things you might want to worry about before you get down to 'drinking a year or two early,' not least of which being the fact that you're driving without a license. Besides, a week or two from now…"

I made a face at him as I followed him out of the car.

"I might be dead?" I asked. "To hell with that; I told you before that I wouldn't let that happen. We're all coming back fine—all of us—so I'm not going to start drinking out of some fear that this might be it or something. Don't start worrying about stupid stuff now, idiot."

He chuckled.

"It was just a joke," He replied, gesturing dismissively as he walked towards the club. "Or an excuse if you wanted. And maybe I just want to see you drunk as hell."

"You do realize that odds are good the first time I start drinking, I'll probably get some skill to resist the effects, right?" I pointed out sourly. "That's part of why I don't want to drink over something stupid."

"You'd rather celebrate?" He guessed.

I considered that before nodding slowly.

"Yeah," I said. "In fact, how about this—if you want to see me drunk, we'll come back after the mission to celebrate our victory. You, me, Blake, anyone who was involved and wants to come; we'll come here again to celebrate later, since this trip is for business."

"After we get back, we'll all need to lay low for a while," He said. "And it'll take time to integrate the…refugees into Vale."

"It doesn't have to be immediately," I shrugged. "But let's celebrate our victory at some point. It'll be fun; if you're lucky, maybe I'll let you bask in the brilliance of my killer dance moves."

"Another reason to stay alive, then," Adam snorted as we reached the club and entered. I felt the steady pulse of music almost before I heard it and saw lights flashing a moment later, and then we were walking down a staircase towards a tide of moving bodies and flashes. "I need to speak with Hei Xiong about a few things first so go do something."

"Like what?" I questioned skeptically, looking around.

"Even if you can't drink, you should at least be old enough to amuse yourself," He said, pushing me away. "Go work on your 'killer dance moves' or something."

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm an amazing dancer? My mom taught me," I shouted back over the music. It was hard to hear anything, but I'm pretty sure he laughed.

With my pride thusly wounded, I did go dancing just to show him, sliding deeper into the crowd until I found a place with some elbow room.

And then I started dancing and quickly felt eyes on me.

XxXXxX​

By the time Adam returned, the people on the dance floor had made a clearing around me and the poor fool who had decided to test me. By the time I noticed Adam's silent, expressionless presence at the edge of the circle, I was just wrapping things up. I slipped seamlessly from a series of windmills into one of flares, then air flares, before adding an extra hundred-eighty degrees to the turns to land on my shoulders instead of my hands, throwing myself back up into the air, before transitioning back into a normal air flare while using only one hand, before using it to throw myself fully into the air, spin, and land on my feet, just to be mean.

I walked away from my opponent without even looking back, staring hard at my friends.

"Hey," I said, nodding with a smile. "You finish what you needed?"

Adam frowned at me, seeming properly told as we followed one of Hei's men into the back of the club, but said nothing. I didn't look at him, but I was smiling smugly.

"I told you I could dance," I said, feeling superior. "I haven't had many chances to dance lately, but I could have gotten that skill any time. The books helped, I admit, as did the skill—and I probably couldn't have done that last bit without my improved stats—but I am an awesome dancer."

Adam shook his head before gesturing in concession.

"What was with the dance-off, though?" He asked.

"Uh…" I frowned and looked over my shoulder in the direction of the dance floor. "I honestly don't know. I think the guy was drunk and trying to impress a girl. Feel kind of bad for him, but if you step to an Arc on the dance floor, that's what you get. I will crush you and make you cry if you challenge me."

Because for a long time, it'd been the only thing I was good at, I left unsaid.

Adam let that statement wash over him, face expressionless as he gave me a flat look, and then shook his head.

"Yeah, okay," He said and kept walking. "I spoke to Hei Xiong and cleared everything for you. Do you think this will work?"

"Well," I hesitated. "Maybe? You figure if anything would, it'd be this. The real question is, 'if it does work, what will happen?'"

Adam grunted as we finally reached the back, passing through after the man we were following passed the guard something—and it was like walking into a completely different world. We crossed over the threshold and the music from the dance floor was shut out instantly the moment the door closed. The bright, flashing, multicolored lights of the front were gone and the room was well lit and easy on the eyes, with comfortable looking seats and a variety of tables, each with at least one of Hei Xiong's suited men at them.

There were cards on the tables and chips and wheels. Along one wall were set a series of slot machines, with several seats occupied and colored lights flashing. There was the presence of low chatter all throughout the room, though it wasn't anywhere near packed this early in the evening. I saw a few people glance our way, but then their eyes slide right over us and they went back to their games. Only the men who worked here seemed interested at all and even then it was only absently so.

"Blake said she needed a few hours to get what you needed," Adam said and I nodded silently. I'd found must of what I needed in the emails but there were, as ever, a few fiddly bits. I'd been able to call up several employees and ask about some basic stuff like the scheduling, but Blake was out getting a few other things. "After that, she said she'd meet us here."

"Good," I said. "When she arrives, we'll start sketching out the basics of our plan. We have almost everything we need. I just figured…well, maybe there was one last thing we could use if we're gonna pull this off, just in case."

"A shitload of luck?" Adam supplied.

I shrugged, a tad embarrassed.

"Yeah, I guess," I answered.

He nodded.

"Little luck never hurts, but…" He glanced around, musing. "This could turn out to be a pretty expensive way to improve it, from what you told me. Sure you don't want to spend it on something a little more tangible?"

"I'm sure," I said, cracking my next. "Because if I get desperate and really need it, luck's the only thing I couldn't steal and pay back later."

He hummed in the back of his throat, conceding the point.

"Did you decide how you were going to do it, then?"

I turned to face him completely, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. With my back shielding me from sight, I pulled up my status window.

I had nineteen points. If I set my current goal as the prerequisites for the White Tiger's Five Hundred Years, I still had a ways to go and there was a lot I needed to work on still, but…I could do this.

I put nine points in Intelligence, bring it up to sixty. I placed another five in Wisdom, raising it to match, fulfilling the requirements for both stats. I'd debated with myself at length about what, if anything, I should do with my points, and I'd decided on this early on. Not only had both stats served me well, both were also highly applicable and already high enough that it was unlikely I'd be able to improve them much any other way in the time I had left. With those two where I wanted them, I would be able to focus on getting my other stats high enough.

Which was why I put the five remaining points in Luck. My concerns remained—that luck, by its very nature, was unreliable. That I wouldn't be able to measure it the way I could most of my other stats, seeing a simple, obvious point-by-point improvement. That, in the context of my power, I couldn't be sure what Luck would even do. And, more than anything else, that if my power could, did, warp probability around me, then…

But…I had a chance here and all my concerns aside, it was a logical thing to invest in when I had a chance to do so. Hopefully a five point increase would give me a proper footing to work on improving it the hard way, as had been the case with Intelligence and my physical stats. Odd were it would set me back a level, in terms of reaching the White Tiger's Five Hundred Years, but I had to remember the basic rule of my power—that things were easier to improve at lower levels.

With the money I had and the foundation I'd just given myself to work upon, it was possible—probable, even—that I could raise Luck twenty levels in the next week and a half, though I'd spend that same time struggling to get my physical abilities to forty. An improvement to my luck on that scale…it might be worth the setback.

If, ironically, I was lucky.

Adam slide back as I nodded to him, waiting by the door after putting on a pair of red shades he must have gotten from one of Hei's men while I walked over to the owner.

Little Black Bear

LV31

Hei Xiong

"If it isn't the dancing machine. You're Jian?" The man who more commonly went by 'Junior' asked when I stood before him, looking me up and down. I nodded silently. "I've gotta ask—what are you? The White Fang's dance instructor?"

"Something like that," I nodded with a smile. "I prefer to be known as the Lord of the Dance, though."

Junior snorted and gave me a grin in return.

"It's rare that Adam Taurus does favors for people, so I had to admit I was interested. But I've gotta say I'm confused. Why gamble if you're just going to give the house back anything you win and everything you lose?"

"I just want to see if I'm lucky, I suppose," I said, scratching the side of my head. It felt odd to have Crocea Mors off after having it on my arms so long. "And if I win a lot, I wouldn't want you to throw me out, right?"

"Oh?" Junior asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you feel lucky?"

"No," I admitted. "Not yet."

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV20

Title: The Tiger

HP: 1100/1100

MP: 1980/1980

STR: 32+19.8 (62%) = 50.8

VIT: 34+21.8 (62%) = 55

DEX: 31+19.2 (62%) = 50.2

INT: 60+37.2 (62%) = 97.2

WIS: 60+37.2 (62%) = 97.2

LUK: 15

Status: Metal Element Affinity 10, Air Element Affinity 10.

POINTS: 5

MONEY: 57000 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Mission Start​

Luck's a funny thing.

So is poker.

And my life, I guess, considering how the former led me to the latter.

A few hours after I started gambling, I'd found myself at a table being dealt cards. All around the table were older men in suits that made me feel young and underdressed. And, given how they all seemed aware of those facts as well, outnumbered.

I didn't start the night at the poker table, of course. I didn't even intend to go there at first. I didn't know precisely how Luck was trained in the beginning, so I started with the options that depended solely—or almost solely—on luck. I played some baccarat, craps, and took a few turns on the roulette wheel. I won some, I lost a few more, but I kept the individual bets small and in the end I didn't lose too much money. Better yet, my Luck began leveling up gradually, improving as I won, which I did a lot more often than I thought I would, though that wasn't saying much.

But then, that's why I'd put five points into it, wasn't it? What had held true before held true again; if I needed to get lucky to improve Luck, I'd need some luck to build off of, first.

With that confirmation of how Luck improved, however, I'd started experimenting. I began with higher bets, going from a hundred lien to a thousand where I could and making the highest legal bet when the limit was lower. As I still lost the same number of times, that quickly dropped my cash from near sixty thousand to below forty in about an hour—more money than I had ever personally spent in my life before today, down the drain like nothing. And yet, in that same time, I earned several levels of Luck, which itself began to show in my favor, though it wasn't enough to make me win more then I lost or even breakeven.

Then I'd started playing blackjack and counting the cards. That was the next thing I wanted to check, after all—if there were things other than luck involved, could it still be improved? The answer turned out to be 'it depends.' It was possible so long as luck still played a major role; that is, being good and lucky was fine, but there came a point where it wasn't really luck anymore. I could use Observe to see the cards I was about to be dealt or even those inside of the deck. I could also use it to read the dealer's emotions and many other things, to a point where I knew exactly what to expect and could plan around it.

But at that point, it wasn't really a question of Luck anymore and the stat didn't seem to improve.

There was, however, a balance. If I simply kept a running count of all the cards that had been played, thus giving me a fair idea on whether the remaining deck leaned towards high or low value cards…that was something else, sort of. I was shifting the odds in my favor, but I didn't know the specifics of each card, of each move. As long as I restrained myself, I couldn't be certain of winning or losing, and luck had its place.

However, the degree that Luck improved varied—I figured it depended on how much a specific win had to do with knowledge and skill compared to how lucky I was—and it made luck slow to improve, even if I could win far more often that way. I found it worked better if I played high-stakes games around the rest of the casino until I had been chiseled down to about half my funds and then winning them back with blackjack, again and again. Though the dealers had gotten suspicious and had seemed ready to complain or ban me from the games after a while, Junior had stepped in and that had ended that, leaving me to buckle-down and grind tediously.

At least until Junior himself had interrupted me with an offer to try my luck at what he referred to as 'the big boy's table.' I was understandably suspicious and about a hundred percent certain he was pulling something over on someone, whether by trying to use me against the table or draw me in to get creamed.

I accepted anyway, simply because it had seemed like it might be a good opportunity and I was curious which had, in time, had led me to the side room, Adam following at my back. My first hour at the table had been…

Have you ever heard the saying that if you can't spot the sucker within the first half-hour, you are the sucker? Yeah, well, I was the sucker. In that time, I'd dropped from near seventy thousand to barely hanging onto the edge of twenty. It had been pretty brutal—but also a learning experience, in several very literal senses. I'd learned that Poker was great when it came to improving Luck, as well as several different skills—including, unsurprisingly, the Poker skill I developed while doing it.

I also learned that, though I had no real attachment to the money I was spending, being made a fool of brought out the competitive side of me and all pretenses of fairness and mercy had spontaneously evaporated. I Observed their emotions, I counted the cards—which wasn't as effective as in Blackjack but still useful—and Intimidated them as best I could, and all around was an unabashed cheating cheater, allowing me to make a comeback and improve my skills.

But even if I could read people easily and was scarier then I should have been, Poker was just weird sometimes, which was probably why it was so good for Luck—alongside, I suspected, the nature of human competition, how it was a zero-sum game, and the probabilities involved due to the higher number of variables. It wasn't the merely game itself that was weird, though it had its fair share of oddness, it was just…

I'd climbed my way up to ninety thousand over the course of another hour, was dropped down to thirty half an hour later, went on a winning streak back up to seventy, got dragged down to forty, rose to over a hundred in a fairly amazing section of the game if I do say so myself, and fought every step of the way when they pulled be back to seventy again. It was just all over the place and in strange ways. It sounded really exciting when I spread it all out like that and it was, in a way, but there were a lot of silences, a lot of waiting, holding, and folding, and a lot of watching and staring. Parts of the game were twist after twist and other were empty and tense.

I'd gotten pretty good at it. I think it's because most of that had grown a lot more applicable to my life lately; preparations and patience and numbers leading up to an attack, no way of knowing if you were about to be struck down, and getting by on masks and lies. Getting by on wits and sheer dumb luck, that was my new life in a nutshell. And slowly, as the night dragged on, the odds seemed to shift in my favor as my luck gradually improved.

And then it was over. People had spent the evening sliding in and out of the game, whether because they were cutting their losses or wanted to quit while they were ahead, but I hadn't truly noticed how much time had passed until Junior returned to close up. I waited for the others to leave, Adam leaning against the wall behind me.

"Pleasure doing business with you," I said to Junior, voice polite as I held out his due. I still wasn't certain if he'd seen some skill in me or just wanted to bring in a sucker, but he seemed pleased whatever the case.

The larger man snorted as he palmed the money.

"You're a weird kid, Jian," He said. "But if this is your idea of gambling, you're welcome back any time. And if you want a more permanent arrangement…come by again and we'll talk."

"I'll do that," I said, bowing my head slightly. "Have a nice day, Mr. Xiong. Adam?"

My higher-leveled friend pushed off the wall, adjusting the glasses that had slowly slipped down his nose as we left.

"You get what you needed?" He murmured as we walked out into the darkness.

"Hard to tell with Luck," I replied. "But I think so; I was doing better there, at the end. We'll have to test what it actually does, but…"

I was feeling lucky, I didn't say.

He nodded as if he understood anyway and then, somewhere between that step and the next, Blake was walking beside us, dropping down silently from above. Adam didn't react and, thanks to the Gamer's Mind, neither did I. She didn't question why we had been inside a casino or a club, though, so I assumed Adam had told her what we were doing when he informed her of our location. She passed me a pair of small booklets that I held onto until we were inside the car, at which point I promptly devoured it, closing my eyes as the knowledge flowed into me.

And then I flashed back to some superstitions about black cats as I suddenly stopped feeling lucky.

I felt my face twitch down into a frown as I stewed in the new information for a time. I glanced at Adam and then back at Blake, exhaling slowly. I think both of them noticed the sudden change in me and though they didn't visibly react, there was a sudden tension in the air.

One of the books had been the schematics for the airship, if relatively brief, but I didn't need written details when my power gave me full understanding of everything written within. The other had, of course, been the driver's manual. We'd found the former in one of the email account Blake had gotten, emailed there by an employee that wanted to go some work at home, and she'd gotten the latter from the computer of one of the pilots, once we'd had their names. There was some overlap between the two, but to give ourselves the best chance, I'd asked she get and print off both—and between both of them, I knew everything I needed. And it was…

"Give me a minute to think," I said, putting the car in gear and leaving the parking lot. Even this late, there were a fair number of people mulling about, but that's not why I was moving—as safe places to talk about stuff went, inside a locked car in a parking lot was actually fairly good. I just wanted to move and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have helped Adam and Blake's nerves if I spent a few minutes in brooding silence. I turned on the radio for the same reasons, shifting it absently until I found something tolerable.

I drove aimlessly for a little bit, though it may not have seemed that way since I'd memorized the streets, and simply mulled over the new information. Some of it was good, some of it was bad, but…

In time, I pulled over and finally sighed.

"It could be worse," I admitted, most because I didn't think they'd fall for a lie. "We can still do this, it'll just take a bit more work."

Reaching into my Inventory I drew out the schedule for the event and I took another glance over it to be sure I remembered it, filling in the blanks with the knowledge I now had. I pulled out my scroll next and placed it in my lap for the moment.

"Okay," I said, drawing out a pen and notepad as well and flipping the latter open to a blank page to start doodling. "The good news is, I can definitely fly the thing. I know everything it can do; I can put it through its paces. The bad news is that we're going to have a few things to deal with first, if we want to get it in the air."

I finished the drawing, sketching out a rough illustration of the airship's sleek design and marking out bits I thought were important, scrawling brief notes beside them.

"The first issue, we'd anticipated; there are several security measures on the airship itself. Most of them won't be an issue, because they'll need to be taken off for the presentation, but there are several that…" I shook my head. "There's software on the ship specifically for this show, to make sure nothing goes wrong, and it's both inside and outside the ship. The stuff inside won't be a problem since most of it was explained in the books, but…the outside controls will be a bit tougher."

I added another drawing off to the side, this one of a man in a room.

"This is the control station," I said, tapping the new picture. "It's mainly in case of emergencies and to avoid any incidents in the demonstration. Among other things, it can remotely lock and unlock the weapons systems on the Airship, largely to make sure no accidents happen within city limits, and if something happens, it can activate the emergency landing protocols even if the controls within the ship suffer damage, causing the ship to lower safely to the ground. Actually flying the ship requires both a confirmation from within the ship and one from outside it to unlock everything."

"So they can shut us down any time?" Adam asked, tilting his head to the side. "That's what you're saying?"

"Yes…and no," I said, raising a hand to forestall them. "There's a few ways around it. It's all password or scroll activated, but if things are unlocked from both sides, I think I might be able to change which passwords and scrolls. They've had to go through a number of pilots and technicians, so I know it's possible, we just need to figure out a few things first. This is primarily an issue of timing, since it'll be hard to do beforehand, but we can do it."

"How?" Blake asked, surprisingly calm. I guess she wasn't surprised that things had gotten a bit more difficult.

"I'll get inside the ship," I said. "You'll need to handle the control center, because it'll need to be done quickly and quietly. I'll need to know the specifics about the system they're using to be sure of anything, but I can sneak in and wait until at least the flight portion of the system is activated. You get into the control tower, we disable whoever we need to, we change everything we have to, and we're fine."

"You think you can do that?" Adam asked. "Get in and fix everything?"

"Probably," I said. "Maybe. Not enough information to say for sure, but it should be possible. If we walk in after they undo most of the defenses, it should let us by the rest just by being user friendly. Some of it depends on who controls what and how, admittedly. If they're paranoid enough, then no, it won't work—but people will do what's most convenient, right?"

He huffed out a tiny laugh, tilting his head my way.

"We still have the advantage, because for all these precautions, they aren't expecting something to happen," I said seriously. "These security measures are just to ensure they don't make fools of themselves at such a big event, not to defend against attackers, which was why they prepared three different pilots. They'll keep the security measures simple, I guarantee it, because anything they make us go through, they have to go through themselves. Remember that, however things seem. For example, I know I can get on the ship, because of the second issue, which simultaneously makes things easier and harder for us—the ship won't be armed until shortly after it makes its appearance."

"I'd hoped to steal it as soon as we knew its location…" Blake sighed. "Why are they doing it that way? Why not before hand?"

"Vanity, I think," I said, lifting the schedule. "Part of the pilot's manual was a schedule for flying and refueling it and if I compare it to the activity schedule, I can make some guesses. A hundred lien says that whoever's in charge will give some speech and the airship will fly into sight over a building or something and do some tricks in the sky or whatever—something to show it off early on before the presentation and the main event—but they don't want to take any chances, so they won't arm it until they start preparing for the flight along the Vytal trade route. It'll land and everyone will have a chance to marvel at it while the presenter hypes it up, and then it'll refuel, load, take off, and fly to Vacuo in record time for the other half of the demonstration, recording the flight."

Blake tilted her head to the side and her ears twitched.

"Ah," She said. "I see. That's when you'll sneak in."

I nodded.

"I should be able to sneak way and get on board, whether as cargo or one of the people refueling and loading. I'll lay low until it's time and we'll take things over from inside once they unlock things—which they should do about fifteen minutes to half an hour before they're scheduled to leave, to check things one last time. That gives me time to make sure they won't be able to shut us down with a push of a button and that should give you a chance to get back."

"Where is the command station?" Blake asked, to which I shrugged.

"I don't know yet," I said. "But I'll find out. I do know there's a range limit to the thing, though, and I can make some guesses."

"If I'm running late, don't wait up for me," She said, accepting that I would find it.

"You want me to be the distraction, then?" Adam asked.

"God, no," I said, drawing another piece of paper out of my Inventory and tossing it at him. "Have you seen the guest list? Let's try and avoid a fight if at all possible. No, I need your help with something else."

Adam glanced over the list and grimaced, nodding. There were a bunch of people on it I was sure even he didn'twant to deal with—like the current Headmaster of Beacon.

"Our main objective is to go unnoticed as long as possible," I said, opening up my scroll and bringing up a map of Vytal. Vale was already marked, but I used the draw function to create an arc to the east. "So long as we're proactive and they don't even know they're supposed to be reacting, we have the advantage. Even after that, we want to keep them on the defensive and guessing. Since they don't suspect anyone's going to steal the ship—much less successfully pilot it—it should take a while to form a real response; call it a five, ten minute delay on reinforcements once we get passed whoever's guarding the area. We have an advantage in that the airship we're going to steal is very fast for its size and designed to fly between the kingdoms, but there are smaller craft designed for speed that may be able to catch up to us around here—unless something happened to delay them, of course."

Adam hummed, drumming his fingers on Wilt and Blush.

"If we can safely get passed here," I drew two arcs, one further out then the other. "We should be beyond their reach. And if we get over here, it'll be too dangerous for them to risk following."

"That's not on the trade route," Adam noted, sighing.

I just grinned at him.

"You really think I'm making a detour for some stupid Grimm?" I asked. "Hell no—the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, whether a few monsters are two stupid to get out of the way or not. Besides, didn't I tell you? We want to keep them guessing. If we fly on the trade routes, yeah, we'll have to worry less about the Grimm, but they'll know which way we're going and we'll probably meet some resistance along the way. If we fly off and vanish though…well, who's to say where we're going? Where we'll appear? That we're even alive? And if a few tracking devices get shut off suddenly a while after we disappear…"

I shrugged.

"Here's the plan…"

XxXXxX​

The remaining week and a half was a blur of preparation and practice. I hadn't been kidding before when I said we had a massive advantage simply by virtue of being the ones planning the attack—because that meant we were planning for the situation. Not only were they not expecting an attack like this, but the counter measures that the Schnee Company was taking had to be spread out to cover everything, rather than focused on stopping the plan we were enacting. More than anything else, the fact that we could make decisions and focus our attack was our greatest advantage, followed closely by the time we had to prepare.

So we made plans and back up plans and contingencies. We examined the places we thought might be relevant while it was still mostly empty, checking out everything we could and making maps and marking short cuts and places good for disrupting pursuit. We found manuals and guides for me to eat and I used that knowledge to refine whatever I could. I practiced with Blake, sharpening my stealth and infiltration skills as much as possible, and I worked with Adam on my combat skills. I grinded my passive skills around the clock, now able to maintain them constantly thanks to the improved MP regeneration I gained from having more Aura and the improvement granted by Wisdom.

And, of course, we all trained, like we were doing now.

Adam and Blake flickered around the King Taijitu, blades cutting lightly into scales with each strike as they kept the beast distracted while I stood on the wayside wearing Lycaon. Both were members of the Party I'd made, partially for the passive benefits it offered and partially because the concept worked well with the Beowolf mask. We didn't say a word and we didn't have to, as used to this as we now were, so I simply stood back charging a Magic Missile as they kept both heads busy. Once I'd charged the attack fully, I slid into a throwing stance and paused for a beat.

Adam hit the white head with a sudden strike, knocking it into alignment while Blake shifted into a stream of images and flowing shadows that led the black head into my path and then was gone, my Magic Missile shooting through the space she'd inhabited mere moments before and driving deep into one of the dark creature's red eyes, through his head, out the back, and then into the skull of the other head. The creature's massive body convulsed for a moment before falling slack, black smoke slowly rising from it.

"Thanks," I said, rolling my wristed absently. Adam grunted while Blake just looked silently on at the smoking corpse. They'd been helping me this way for some time now, occasionally distracting larger targets while I charged my best attacks, allowing me to gain experience more quickly by relying on my much higher level party members. Most of the time it wasn't needed and I just fought any Grimm I encountered, but when one of the more massive creatures of Grimm lurked out of the shadows…well, it was better safe than sorry. I'd already gained three more levels this way, bringing myself up to level twenty-three—not bad given I'd been level thirteen less than two weeks ago. Adam and Blake were still at forty-two and thirty-six, though Blake might be getting close to thirty-seven.

Either way, though, the two were monstrously strong and I was glad to have them at my side.

"You get anything this time?" Adam asked after a minute.

"This is the first time I killed a King Taijitu," I said. "So there should be something; a mask at the very least."

"There," Blake murmured and I followed her gaze to see, unsurprisingly, a mask on the ground, with a book underneath it and some lien to the side. Walking over, I picked up the mask—

You have obtained the item 'Janus.'

—And placed it in my Inventory to experiment with later. Observation had turned up nothing but question marks, which didn't really surprise me, but considering that I could only wear one mask at a time, I'd stick to Lenore, as probably the strongest mask, and Lycaon, for its effect. Then I picked up the book and ate it.

You've obtained the skill 'Double Strike.'

Cool, though sadly there wasn't time to truly train it before the mission. The downside of random item drops. I picked up the twenty thousand lien and tossed it to Blake, since I didn't really need it and they had done most of the work anyway.

"What next?" Adam asked.

"Home," I said, which seemed to surprise him. "I'd…"

I sighed.

"Well, I'd hoped to get to twenty-four, but…I guess that's not going to be possible before the mission. My stats probably won't improve in the time we have left, either. We've done all we could out here so let's go home and put you two to bed."

Adam cast me what was probably an annoyed glare.

"Just because you don't have to—"

"Hey, it's not my fault you two aren't awesome enough to go without," I said, smiling even as I wrinkled my nose mockingly. "Such a waste of time. There's not supposed to be any rest for the wicked you know but there you guys are, whiling away the hours. Lame."

Blake sighed, storing Gambol Shroud behind her back as she started walking back to the ship. Knowing from experience how this would end if we didn't shut up, we followed her.

"But seriously, you two should get some rest before the mission," I said. "Everyone's clear on what needs to be done, right?"

Adam and Blake didn't even justify that question with a response, not even glancing at me. Over the week, we'd gone over the game plan something like fifty million times to the point that the two of them were probably going to have dreams about it. I lifted my hands placating at the utter lack of response.

"Once Blake does her thing, you two are gonna have ten, fifteen minutes to get to the ship before I finish reprograming everything. If you can't make it by then, I might have to leave without you," I said before pausing and looking at them both. "But seriously, make it there by then. I really, really don't want to have to do this alone. There's a little room for error, but if anything happens…"

"Prioritize the mission," Adam nodded. "Whatever happens, it'll be okay."

I shrugged at him, pretty sure that was a lie. If Adam and Blake didn't make it there in time, the only options I'd have were to abort the mission or go without them, at which point I'd be…well. I'd be flying solo. Which would be really bad, because a not insignificant part of the mission relied on them crushing anything that got in the way. If I didn't have my massively higher leveled friends along for the ride…

Well, I'd just have to hope it didn't come to that. We had a plan, we'd prepared for everything we could—hell, I'd leveled my luck up massively. I'd done everything in my power to make this plan go well, now all I could do was hope it would be enough.

And, of course, back hope up with everything I possibly could.

"Yeah," I said, nodding firmly as the Gamer's Mind kept me calm. "I'll wake you up when its time, okay? And hey, jokes aside, I'm thinking about catching a little sleep, too."

Adam gave me a slight frown but I saw understanding gleam in Blake's eyes as I sent the former a cryptic glance.

An hour and a half later, I stood in the woods by my house once more, black cloak around me, hood and mask covering my face. Dreary Midnight shifted slightly as a breeze rustled the branches and it felt fitting.

"I, Jaune Arc, call upon the ancient contract of ages past to summon thee," I said. In my disguise, my voice shifted to something calmly, firmer, assisted further by the confidence and power I'd found and clad myself in. "I hope that you heed my call. Come, Air Elemental!"

In Crocea Mores, there had been only a shift in my reflection and a slight rattle, so I wasn't certain what to expect from my second summon every. Not what I got, certainly. For a moment, the forest continued to rustle in the wind before the sound grew suddenly louder as the air rushed forth to spin within the circle as a miniature cyclone that sent my cloak flapping back in the wind. The air spun faster and faster until I had to brace myself against it and—

And then it was gone, leaving behind a pretty little girl with white hair and a light green dress, almost visible currents of air writing around her.

By the way, when I said 'little girl,' I meant she was maybe fifteen centimeters tall, tops. Yeah.

Still, as someone who'd spent so much time disguising myself, I knew that appearances could be deceiving—meaningless, really. As such, I knelt smoothly by the edge of the circle and saw her smile up at me.

I am here. She said and it actually took me a moment to realize she hadn't actually spoke, he voice seemed so real. More than that, she spoke easily and normally, more so then Crocea Mors had been able to before we'd made our contract. I figured the shift had had something to do with the rest of the ritual and had suspected something similar from other Elementals, but…

Then again, she was an Air Elemental and sound was a vibration through a medium such as, well, air, so perhaps it made sense.

I took a deep breath and felt something in that same moment, like something touching my lungs. It wasn't a physical sensation, thankfully, but it was still strange. I held the breath for a moment despite that and spoke.

"I'll begin in accordance to the ancient rituals. My real name is Jaune Arc. You have heard my true name; please tell me yours."

I came apart at the seams. I flew apart into a billion pieces—maybe a trillion pieces—each shifting and shaking wildly as I moved quickly. I rebound off of myself countless times in a dance that should have been, was, chaotic and yet came together as something else. I was gliding over mountains and hills, through the forests and across the seas, and it was…

It was amazing.

For a moment, I was flying and it was almost indescribable. Like anyone born on Remnant, I knew there were limits to where I could go, what I could do. So much of the world was hostile and cruel and so little of it was safe. Before my first trip beyond the limits with Adam, I'd never left the safety of Vale before and I knew plenty of people who hadn't left it in their entire lives. That was just how the world worked. The Grimm were a constant threat, an ever present danger, and if you wandered too far from the kingdoms…well, there were worse things than Nevermore and Deathstalkers. What would you do if you ran into a Nemean or a Leviathan?

Die, in all likelihood. Especially if you ran into a group of them.

We didn't let that stop us from living our lives. In the Great War, we had carved out civilization with Dust and Hunters and even now we could live in safety. With the trade routes and communication towers, we could reach out to other kingdoms, stand together against the darkness. Slowly but surely, we were growing, pushing the boundaries.

But…for now, we still had to stay within the kingdoms.

The wind, though, was free. Across skies beaten by massive dark wings, through fields stalked by beast like mountains that walked, and even in the Darklands to the North, the wind flew without a care for man or beast or the titans of Grimm. It feared nothing and went anywhere, everywhere.

For a moment, I was jealous but the feeling passed, because that freedom…it shared it with me.

I saw the circle, my body absent from its side. The trillion pieces of me began to drag slowly together, pulled back in by some terrifying gravity, and it hurt. Not so much the feeling of returning to freedom, though that was far from comfortable, but the loss that came with it was hard to describe. I felt like I'd been standing on top of the work and someone had decided to throw me off and see how far I'd fall. I fought against that pull, tried to resist it—

And then, there she was, standing on the back of my hand, forehead leaned against my arm. I was whole again, just like that, shrouded in the mask and hide of a Nevermore.

It's okay. She murmured and the feeling of simple, honest joy returned. I gasped for breath then, before my heart suddenly slowed. I am here. My name is Levant. You are Jaune Arc?

"Yes," I said, opening my eyes.

Let us fly together someday, Jaune Arc.

"Yeah. I'd like that." I told her. "Maybe even someday soon. You and me and Crocea Mors."

She looked up at me.

We are one, as the ancient contract dictates.

"Our souls are one."

I am Levant.

"I am Jaune Arc."

Until our souls meet their ends—

"We will be forever one," I swore for the second time.

Call me and I will fly for you. She said. Even if—

I don't remember what else she said, because I was already falling. I slept in the grass that night and dreamt of storms washing across the world. It stirred the seas in its passing and left forests uprooted in its wake. Mountains were ground down—not all at once, but by time, by a hundred years or a thousand or more, each storm fading only to be reborn. I felt power there in the heavens, power I'd never even dreamt of before, and marveled at it whilst I flew on dark wings.

But when I woke up a short while later, I was ready.

XxXXxX​

"Just one?" The woman at the front desk asked.

"Yup, just me," I said, adjusting my cap. I was in disguise which I think, technically speaking, meant I was disguising the disguise that disguised the disguise that was disguising me, which I found amusing. I slide the woman some lien over the counter and took the ticket she offered me, as well as the currently empty name tag and printed schedule. "My friends are just gonna watch the flight."

She nodded absently, probably tired and bored and trying to pretend not to be. I felt a little bad for her, both for the tedious job and what was going to happen soon.

"Can I help you with anything else, sir?" She asked as I glanced over the schedule and the map on its back. She glanced at the map pinned to her desk. "If you'd like, I can direct you towards wherever you'd like to go. There are several presentations scheduled to start soon."

I pretended to think about it for a moment before shaking my head slowly.

"Nah, that won't be necessary. To be honest…" I said, tilting my head to the side. "I'm only interested in the ship."

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV23

Title: The Tiger

HP: 1250/1250

MP: 2150/2150

STR: 41+26.7 (65%) = 67.7

VIT: 42+27.3 (65%) = 69.3

DEX: 41+26.7 (65%) = 67.7

INT: 60+39 (65%) = 99

WIS: 60+39 (65%) = 99

LUK: 33

Status: Metal Element Affinity 10, Air Element Affinity 10.

POINTS: 20

MONEY: 49800 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Objective​

I sat idly by the side of the room, doing my best to be unobtrusive. On the stage, a man was giving a speech about the airship, but I knew more about the thing then he did, so I only listened with half an ear until he got to the point.

"—We at the Schnee Dust Company are proud to present the next level of aerial transportation—the White Whale!" He said and it was the ship that dramatically broke through the clouds that drew my attention. And though I'd seen pictures of its constructions, diagrams…it was still a sight to behold. It was sleek, lacking any of the blocky, semi-rectangular look of most airships, and done largely in white but for the Schnee symbol on its belly. There was a massive viewing window at the front which I assumed was for VIP seating, letting them see the sky and stars. Along either upper side were three long rows of circular windows that looked tiny compared to the tremendous size of the rest of the construct, like dots poked on the sides with a needle. The lower half of the ship was blank and smooth, a massive compartment for anything and everything else it would be transporting. On the back end, beneath the stabilizers, was an enormous energy converter facing the jet at the curve of its belly.

With the retractable stand pulled in, it looked, more than anything, like a giant flying whale. It made people look like ants next to it due to its size and I could almost believe that one day, decades in the future, machines like this might enable regular contact between the Kingdoms. That someday you might be able to just buy a ticket whenever, get on a ship, and be in Atlas a few days later. Even a single ship like this could transport over a thousand and a half people and enormous amounts of materials. Given a few decades to refine the design…granted, this one had taken a long time to build, but…

I wondered if I'd be alive to see the world machines like these could one day make.

I wondered if what I was doing now was standing in the way of that future. What would happen to this project because of my actions today? Would my actions here put a halt to the project?

Probably not. If anything, once they saw what I could do—maybe even in response to it, depending on how things went down—they would probably invest in it even further.

"A miracle of innovation, made possible only by through the tireless work of Remnant's greatest minds, the White Whale is a symbol of unity and cooperation between the Kingdoms—and the first in a long line of new ties between the peoples of our world. A sign that though we live far from each other, we stand together!"

Which didn't mean I wasn't going to piss of a lot of people by doing this.

Making one last run through the sky above the courtyard, the White Whale withdrew slightly to hover slowly to the ground, a hatch opening to release the massive robotic leg it used for a stand. Landing vertically on the massive space that had been emptied for it, I saw an enormous set of hydraulic stairs approach the vehicle, along with trucks that had their backs also set on lifts. Despite that, they'd need to use the system built into its stand to assist in loading and unloading it was so massive.

I looked around the room for a moment, scanning faces and the information above their heads. I had to suppress a sigh at the sight but began to draw away regardless. If things went well, it'd never come to a real fight. And if it did…

Well, let's hope it didn't come to that. If it did, we'd just have to improvise.

"But before we proceed, a few words from our guests of honor," The presenter's voice made me pause and released the sigh I'd held back, not really surprised. We'd discussed it in the planning after the possibility of their presence had come up. There hadn't been anything official, of course, because they couldn't very well advertise their presence at a given location in advanced, now could they? Not when there was the very real possibility of an assassination attempt or something to that effect being prepared if given time.

But we'd considered it and had eventually agreed that there was a pretty good chance of them making an appearance—after all, despite the risks, both of them had a great deal of investment in this project and even more to benefit from it if all went well. And even with the potential dangers…

Well, even if I had a history like President Schnee's, I'd feel pretty safe standing between Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood. He stood between them, his usual guards absent, as if daring someone to try something—which, in fairness, no one in their right mind would. Even Adam hadn't suggested picking that fight.

Still…it was unfortunate. I didn't know if the CEO himself would participate in the test flight—given the potential risks, I assumed not—but this was going to make things harder. I still doubted anyone was prepared for what I was going to do, but I was sure there were measures in place to keep the company president safe. Given what he had to go through, I'm sure paranoia got to be a way of life.

For better or worse, I empathized, which was why I wasn't caught off-guard by this situation—and had measures in place.

"Thank you, Kai," Schnee said as he took his place on stage with the general by his side, leaving Ozpin on the ground. I opened my scroll and snapped a picture of them before sending a message to Adam and Blake with it attached. Schnee gave a cool, easy smile as he brushed white hair back, looking calm. "But truly, without James and the brilliant minds of Remnant, none of this would have been possible. In the end, what am I but—"

And then I walked away, not waiting to listen to the rest. I saw several other people with scrolls open as well as several news reporters; if I wanted, I could probably catch the rest online later. In fact, I'd probably be able to catch my theft online later, too. People would probably be talking about me for weeks, months, maybe even years, especially on the forums and stuff.

I wondered what they would say. I guess I'd find out.

I slipped inside and headed towards the changing rooms, drawing a bag out of my Inventory and switching my hat for a company version. There were two others inside, older men who paused in putting on their uniforms to look at me oddly. I just nodded back confidently, though.

"Cornelius, Lionel," I nodded, dropping the bag on a bench and unzipping it to withdraw my own uniform, a spare stolen several days. I paid no attention to the men as I stripped off my shirt and pants and got dressed. I saw them go back to changing as well and stretched slightly.

The thing about companies—groups, really—is that they tend to be big. A lot of the time in movies or shows, a guard will see a character, disguised or not, and instantly know he doesn't belong. But I'd be shocked if there was anyone in any company who could remember everyone employed by it off the top of their heads. At school, I have several different classes of twenty to forty students and I bet most of them wouldn't know the names of more than five or ten others if you put them on the spot, tops.

And why would they? Most of them never talk to each other, don't hang out, and have little reason to interact. Nobody remembers everyone in their group because they have no real reason to do so and I couldn't imagine companies being any different. And for a project like this where the Schnee had to draw upon over a hundred people for the loading and preparations alone, memorizing everyone you work with is just unfeasible.

So if someone comes into the changing room confidently, looking completely unworried, and takes out your uniform, who are you to say he doesn't belong there? Especially when he's wearing a Schnee Company hat and uses your name.

That last part's especially important. Names are powerful things. I'm not talking about anything to do with Aura or whatever; I'm just talking about basic social interaction. Have you ever had someone come up to you and use your name when you had no idea who they were? Whether they were classmates or whatever else, that's awkward. It means they know you, that they remembered your name, but you didn't bother doing the same. It's weird to find yourself in that position and its like, hey, you could ask, but that's the same as admitting you forgot them completely.

Most people don't want to do that. They'll just avoid the subject entirely or else subtly try to steer you into mentioning it yourself. Cornelius and Lionel, named such by the signs above their heads, didn't break that trend.

"You gonna watch the trip after?" I said, finishing my stretch.

"Yeah," Lionel said after a beat. "Me and the Mrs. You?"

"Thinking about it," I replied. "Probably gonna turn in early and catch the end, you know? Maybe watch the highlights later."

"You think it will make it okay?" Cornelius said. "Lot of Grimm in that part of Vytal. Especially in the mountains and the desert…"

"Probably won't even go near them," I said honestly and then clarified. "You figure it's basically a straight line to Vacuo if you go over the sea, right? I figured that's what they'd probably do; stay high enough to avoid the squids and fishes, fly fast enough to avoid the birds."

"Could be," He mused. "Yeah, probably. I might try to catch the end too, then. Probably be pretty boring over the water, huh?"

"Hey, let's hope for boring, right?" I smiled. "It's gonna be a passenger ship someday. And if I was in that thing, well, I wouldn't mind a boring trip, you know?"

Lionel snort.

"Have a good one, guys," I finished, picking up my bag and heading out first. No one gave me a second glance as I headed out towards the trucks around the White Whale and I alternatively nodded or waved as I passed my fellows by. I went straight towards the truck who's back was slowly rising, peered up at it, and then tapped one of the metal parts with a finger.

"Summon Elemental," I said and saw a flash of Crocea Mors in my reflection before he was gone, rising up quickly. There wasn't much he could do in the forest except enhance my gauntlets, but here in the city…

I saw the raised truck connect with the lift system the White Whale used, creating a bridge for the Yellow Death, and then jerk slightly. I walked over to the truck's open window.

"Hey, Carlo, I think something's wrong," I said to the man frowning at his control. "I'm gonna head up and check, okay?"

Carlo grunted, tapping a few buttons.

I walked into the ship I was planning to steal through the front entrance and nobody so much as twitched.

XxXXxX​

Once I fixed the 'problem,' the unloading continued. Kind, generous person I was, I offered to chip in and help in the process and ended up rolling a carefully arranged cart of boxes down to one of the more distant storage compartments. After that was finished, though, I took a wrong turn down one of the ship many corridors and got lost.

A shame, that.

I walked through the White Whale's labyrinth of passageways, confidently pushing my cart of now empty boxes along as if I already knew where everything was—which I did. Crocea Mors moved silently beside me, an occasional shift in my reflection and nothing more, spreading and vanishing through the White Whale with silent ease. He'd changed in the last few weeks, his reflection body shifting to add more of me to it, or more of the person I was getting used to pretending to be. Levant walked by my side with a hand on my wrist while she looked around with curiosity in her eyes. I hadn't manifested her yet, so she was invisible to all but me, but she was bigger now, too, having grown to the size of a child with the creation of our contract.

The past two weeks had given me plenty of time to train Summon Elemental and the spell had grown mighty in that time, as had the spirits. Even manifesting both and keeping them that way constantly wasn't a problem for me anymore; a big change from when I'd first learn the skill. Between the two of them, I could keep track of everything going on within the ship, keeping an eye on the locations of everyone within a decent range through the metal of the ship and the very air they breathed. It was a vague feeling, taken secondhand, but it was still pretty cool.

There were a number of people on board still, mostly loading crews moving on and off periodically and putting everything in place, but I avoided all of them easily and made my way towards the front. Once I was close enough to the cockpit I stopped, leaned against a wall, fired off another message with my scroll, and tapped an ear lightly. Tugging on my wrist again, Levant floated easily into the air, coming up to rest on my shoulder. Placing one hand on my head and cupping her mouth with the other, she leaned down as if to whisper in my ear.

"Any changes?" I heard a man ask.

"Uh…nope, skies seem to be staying clear." Another voice replied, sounding a bit different, further away. I guessed that the first voice was the pilot and the second a man on the radio—probably the person in the control station. "A storm heading this way, but you'll probably be gone before it gets here. Sea looks fine and…yeah, Vacuo's forecasting good weather for the next we days. I was worried when I heard about the Grimm stuff, but apparently they shipped out some big name Hunters to clear out the area."

"And that was your last chance of getting rid of me before I became famous," The pilot said and I could hear the grin in his voice.

"It's sad on many levels, but I guess if I've put up with you this long…" The other mused.

"And if I got myself killed, you'd have to explain it to Ulku, right?"

"Let's add that to the list of reasons why you should do what I say, Kuffert," The second man said. "Can't have you going down in flames again, can we?"

Kuffert chuckled.

"It'll be fine," He said. "The weather's good, my flight path's clear, and I'll have escorts as soon as I reach land—not to mention the fact that I could probably fly into Grimm in this thing and not notice. My only real concern is that huge-ass window for the ones flying first class; I keep worrying that I'm gonna splatter Grimm all over it and get complaints as soon as I land."

I heard snorting laughter and then a ping.

"Oh, there we go," The unnamed man said. "Let's see…good, good, as expected, green, good, good, and…we're good. Need any help on your end?"

"Because I haven't done this fifty million times this week?" Kuffert asked. "Check, check, full, check, people running around in my beautiful ship wearing dirty shoes, check, I'm evidentially still in Vale, I got my coffee, I got my mask…yep, hasn't stopped working in the last five minutes. Does my bell still go ding?"

There was a small sound like, well, a bell.

"It dings. And—oh, shit!"

"What!?" The second voice asked immediately.

"Nothing, I'm just making sure you still work. Man, I still can't believe we're paying for a beaten up, outdated model like you." Kuffert sighed.

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny. Right back at you, you relic; I can't believe their letting an oh-four-seven fly the White Whale. Why don't you go back to your flying box?"

"Ouch," Kuffert said, snorting. "That hurts, really. Anyway, all clear on this end. All fueled up and everything; just need to wait for everyone to finish loading up and—oh, well, there you go. Wanna finish up?"

"Mm," The other hummed.

The button at the center of my scroll flashed once and I put my hands back on the cart, but didn't act yet. I heard clicks and the occasional beep through Levant, but the two men were mostly silent. I didn't have a visual, so I just waited patiently. After a minute, it flashed again and I pushed the cart over to rest beside the door and then knocked loudly.

"Hey, uh…" I paused for a moment as if trying to recall his name. "Mr., er, Captain Kuffert! You in here? Sir?"

"One sec!" I heard footfalls before the door opened to reveal a tan, brown-haired man. "Something wrong?"

"Nah, my boss just wanted me to tell you that we're finishing up," I nodded at the cart as if to demonstrate. "Just gonna take the garbage out and organize some stuff and we're done."

"Yeah, I got the message," He said and I frowned.

"Then why'd he…?" I sighed. "Oh, whatever. Do you have anything you need me to take out?"

"Um," He tilted his head and then looked behind him. "No, I don't think so. Thanks, though."

"What about your….co-pilot?" I asked, peering passed him. I saw a screen in the center of a mess of controls, with the face of a dark-skinned man—though I was more interested in the shadow behind him, myself. I saw the captain frown, his back to the image, and glanced pasted me.

"He's not here yet," Kuffert murmured, more to himself then me it seemed. "Well, he still has some time but if he's not here soon, I'll have to switch him…"

I nodded understandingly, smiling at the words as if I'd had nothing to do with it.

"Well, sorry to take your time, sir," I apologized. "Good luck on flight. I need to get a few more things to take outside."

"Thanks," He said, turning away and pausing as he saw the now empty screen. "What—"

I came up behind him and silently put him in a chokehold. He was still for a moment, probably caught off guard, and then started struggling.

But only briefly. That's the thing about a chokehold; if you did it right, you can put someone in a few seconds. I did it right and I'd taken the man by complete surprise—even ignoring our level difference, he didn't have a chance. I watched him quietly as he went down and then calmly knelt beside him to administer the drugs the White Fang had provided me with, using my Medicine skill to make sure everything went well. Afterwards, I simply picked him up and placed him in the box on my cart before covering it, but for the holes I'd put in it to let him breath.

"Sorry," I said, sighing as I looked down at him. Double-checking to make sure no one was near, I walked into the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat, glancing at the screen that now showed Blake's focused face. I connected my scroll to the ship's computer and waited until Blake finished and gave me the nod.

Then I opened two pre-prepared files and set it down as a loading bar appeared.

"I handled the cameras on this end," Blake said. "And hid the technician. No one should notice until he doesn't show up in the main room for the show."

Call it ten, fifteen minutes, then.

"When you're done, break the computer the way I showed you," I replied. "And then leave a sticky note on the screen saying you had to move to the backup. Everyone loves sticky notes. Anyway, I'm downloading stuff over here. Pretty quickly, too. Uh…okay, let me just get these up and running in the background and…cool. I'll be right back."

I shut off the camera, left the room, and locked the door—it didn't really matter to me, since Crocea Mors could just open it for me, but it should keep any one from wandering in there if on the off chance they happened to come this way. I grabbed the cart and swung around to the pile I'd noticed the movers making before, loading mine up with a few more things from the now tiny pile. Sure enough, the airship was slowly emptying and I only saw one other person on my way out. I gave him a nod and took the trash and empty boxes out back, hiding Kuffert in the process. With only a few other things to carry out, I doubted anyone would spot him here one way or another, but I made an effort to conceal him well regardless. Then I swung into the building, poured a quick cup of coffee, and walked back towards the ship.

"What are you doing?" One of the other moving men asked as he spotted me.

"Practicing to be an errand boy, apparently," I said. "Ran into the pilot, he asked me to get him some more coffee, and…"

I shrugged and the man, Jered, sighed.

"Seriously?" He asked. "I swear, it's like they see us moving shit and something in their head goes 'Oh, hey, I'm sure they'd be happy to do whatever the hell I need right now while they're at it.'"

"Tell me about it," I said, shaking my head. "But, well, you know—he's gonna be a big name pilot when this is done."

"Probably shouldn't piss him off now," Jered agreed. "See you later, men."

I nodded and went back into the ship. Once I was inside the cockpit, I went about doing what I needed—mainly removing things entirely or replacing them with my own versions. None of the stuff involved in actually flying the thing, of course, but the security stuff? Yeah, I didn't need that.

And all the while I watched the clock. I knew Blake would be rushing this way and Adam had to be finishing up by now himself, but every second seemed like an eternity. Levant and Crocea Mors kept me silent company as I checked the ship, made sure everything was clear, and waited for things to finish. I'd checked before and the presentation had already gone inside; by the schedule, it'd be half an hour to an hour before passengers started getting on, but now that things were loaded, the rest of the flight crew would start funneling in soon enough, as well as people who'd probably want to get on early to get better seats for the maiden voyage. Realistically, I could probably keep it empty for another five or ten before I had to move.

That should be enough time for Adam and Blake to get here. They had their outfits if they needed them, had the plans and back up plans and everything. There was no real reason to be worried yet, especially with everything going so well, but…that was just it.

This was going too well.

Could this be the result of my improved luck? Of good planning? Of something else? Maybe. But I couldn't shake the feeling of anticipation, like something was coming, and—

Oh, that was real.

I paused as Crocea Mors and Levant turned as one, feeling their thoughts in my head. Someone had just entered the ship. I could feel them—her?—distantly through the alien senses my spirits shared with me. A steady clicking vibrated through the floor as she walked, a displacement of air that was her body. Someone small, female, but to blurry to sense more than that.

For a moment, I entertained the possibility of fortune smiling upon me and it being Blake.

I opened my scroll and asked.

The reply was almost instant.

'No.' It said and was followed a moment later by. 'There's a problem.'

Perfect.

XxXXxX​

Name: Jaune Arc

Class: The Gamer

Level: LV23

Title: The Tiger

HP: 1250/1250

MP: 2150/2150

STR: 41+26.7 (65%) = 67.7

VIT: 42+27.3 (65%) = 69.3

DEX: 41+26.7 (65%) = 67.7

INT: 60+39 (65%) = 99

WIS: 60+39 (65%) = 99

LUK: 33

Status: Metal Element Affinity 10, Air Element Affinity 10.

POINTS: 20

MONEY: 49800 Lien

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Noticed​

The simple fact of the matter was that you couldn't predict everything. You couldn't plan for everything. This is especially true for when you're planning against someone else, because then you're dealing with the fact that a good chunk of whatever you come up with is dependent on someone who most likely wants you to fail and, possibly, to die in a fire. Of course, there are many ways to help deal with that because another fact is that we often do go against one another, on many, many different scales and for countless reasons.

Personally, I'd been kind of hoping good old surprise would see me through. Surprise was a wonderful thing in any plan; sure, the other guy would try and stop you…if he knew what you were doing, that is. As he does not, his ability to react to, and thus disrupt, your plan is comparatively limited. That's the easiest way to deal with opposition, if you can manage it—don't.

Sadly, many times, even often times, that just wasn't possible. The same thing that made surprise a wonderful asset made it a dire threat if used against you, so people worked hard to keep it from happening to them. Maybe that was what happened here; there'd been a layer of security we hadn't noticed before, a lie that didn't add up, and maybe even just bad luck. Whatever the case, a problem had occurred.

The bright side is that occurring in plans is what problems did and people had been dealing with that for years, too. A lot of times, we try to plan ahead—the best way to never be caught off-guard is to simply be prepared for everything, after all. Rarely possible, unfortunately, but a nice thought and we do our best. Adam, Blake, and I had made a number of plans, though, and back up plans and more and while I wasn't arrogant enough to believe they covered everything, we'd covered what we could.

For that reason, I paused for a moment. With some unknown figure approaching, with Blake telling me we had a problem, with no idea what to expect, I calmly remained seated and thought things through.

A big part of planning ahead is, naturally, preparation—that being the very point of making a plan, after all. The same is true of contingencies and backups and, really, training of any kind. You make a lot of plans so you know what to do and how to react, if something happens, or to give yourself more options. A lot of the time, these are done in broad strokes out of necessity, because you just don't know what will happen, but that same thing can reduce a plan's effectiveness because it's not built for a specific problem. At times like that, you need something better.

Which is why the hilarious truth about planning is that often times, you practice and prepare and think over and spend lots of time on it—and then some step gets really blurry all of a sudden and you just have to think on your feet since step three suddenly became 'figure out how to make it to step four.' You hear a lot of comparisons of battles and life and whatever to games like…well, like chess. Chess is a common one, used in all sorts of metaphors about wars and combats and strategy.

I didn't see it. I wasn't a veteran of battles by any means but I'd gotten some experience in the last three weeks or so and I honestly didn't see it. I mean, I guess if you tilted your head at it and squinted, chess might be like a battle. If you couldn't always see the pieces. And if there were more pieces. And if the pieces could move however they wanted, move themselves, leave the game, come back in, switch sides, and had thoughts, feelings, and opinions. So, yeah, not really like chess at all.

But that didn't necessarily mean you couldn't play the game.

'I'll handle my side, you handle yours,' I sent back to Blake as I stood. 'This isn't over yet.'

'Okay,' She replied a moment later.

This wasn't chess and Blake and Adam weren't my pieces. They were people, they're own people, and each probably had vastly more experience than I did in terms of things going wrong. I trusted them and I knew they could handle themselves in a situation; I didn't need to hold their hands in a fight. If anything, it was the other way around on that particular battlefield, so I banished that side of the problem from my mind completely and focused instead on my own. I had the most important job now—the ship—so I gave it my full attention.

First things first, I opened my Inventory. I was still in the uniform I'd used to sneak onboard the ship and now I needed a change. I looked at Crocea Mors, at Dreary Midnight and my masks, and they were tempting, so very tempting.

But no. See, everyone always hears about the dangers of underestimating an opponent—and that was true and you shouldn't. But something you hear about less often that's just as important? Don't overestimate them, either.

It was easy to hear about the problem, to see that someone had entered the ship, and assume the worse. That my cover had been blown, that they knew everything, that they were coming for me. It's dangerously simple to see a problem and make connections that weren't there, to blame everything on someone else, to give in to sudden desperation and fear. Something goes wrong while you're plotting against someone; it's easy to assume they were responsible, that you underestimated them, that beneath it all everyone was some super genius.

But was that the case? Probably not. It was common enough to hear things like 'I don't believe in coincidences,' but then what do you believe in when something random or unlikely happens. I had more reason to think that way than most, since I had a stat that might well be able to manipulate probability, but even then, I'd seen a fair amount of stuff I'd attribute to chance and had seen a fair number of plots in movies and games and stuff that made me go 'sorry, no; you'd have to be God to plan all that.'

Did I believe then, that we'd just fallen into an elaborate trap, that someone had known all along or else found out in time to set us up? That they'd allowed me to get this far just to catch me here and now? A part of me wanted to, wanted to point out that Adam and Blake had recently suffered difficulties and now I was too, and wonder how they could have done it, but that didn't add up.

I wasn't certain what kind of trouble Adam and Blake had run into—I didn't hear any explosions yet, which I figured was a good sign—but whatever it was, if it had given me away, why send just one person? Maybe she was an expert Huntress like my mother, but if I was the one in charge of something this big and I suspected someone was attempting anything like I was attempting, there would be more than a small, subtle response.

Furthermore, thinking about it with the calm granted by the Gamer's Mind, how would they know it was me? Ignoring the things I know I'd done out of sight, what could have given me away? Again, I could have given into the urge to believe I was dealing with super geniuses who could spot the slightest inconsistency, but I knew that wasn't true. Most of my plan had been built on that not being true. Getting the information about the ship, getting onto the ship, and more, all proof of that people were people. I had gotten past some of the best security money could buy and then onto a cutting edge airship purely on that fact. So then, what had given me away?

Maybe, just maybe, nothing. In which case going out in a Grimm mask and a black cloak would blow my cover needlessly.

With one last glance at my items, I shifted my attention downwards and equipped the flight attendant suit I'd stolen beforehand and left the cockpit.

I followed the woman I sensed through the ship, careful to take a different route so we wouldn't meet until I wanted us to. To my relief, she hadn't even gone in the direction of the cockpit, but instead towards the passenger section. A passenger coming onboard even earlier than expected? I began thinking of explanations for why I'd need to remove her from the ship—

Which all went down the drain the moment I saw her.

She stood by one of the many windows, face expressionless and cold as she traced the glass with her fingernails. She was dressed in light blues and whites—dress, boots, and jacket all made to match in what must have been a custom design. A flash of red, stark against the rest of her ensemble, stood out brightly in her raised collar and drew attention from the pale colors, but even then, between light blue eyes, white hair, and pale skin, I looked at her and thought of snow.

Fitting, given the words written above her head.

The Loneliest of All

LV31

Weiss Schnee

Wonderful. Just…wonderful.

I recovered quickly as I saw her turn my way with a start, adopting a smile.

"Ah," I said, thinking fast. "I hadn't realized we'd begun boarding yet. May I…"

I tilted my head to the side, trailing off.

"Oh! Ms. Schnee!" I said as if only just now recognizing her. "I apologize. I hadn't known you'd be flying with us today. Will your father be joining us as well?"

Please say no.

Weiss Schnee smiled at me for a moment, but something about it seemed just a bit off.

"No, no, neither of us will be flying today," She said pleasantly, but when I Observed her, I saw that she was anxious behind her fake smile. "I simply wanted to take a look at this beautiful ship before it departed."

Something about how she said that struck me as false, even without using Observe again. Maybe it was just the tip off of her title, but…

I bowed slightly at her, nodding minutely.

"Would you like me to escort you then, Ms. Schnee?" I asked. "I have finished with my duties for the moment and the ship is easy to get lost in."

I saw her expression become ever so slightly more strained and her emotions shifted slightly. As she nodded, I could see a bit of displeasure, but more resignation.

"That would be lovely, Mr.…"

"Hamelin," I said, drawing upon one of the fake names I'd made up as I gestured down the hallway with one arm. "This way, please."

She walked by without another look at me and I stood just a step behind, where I could move into her blind spot quickly if I had to.

I was hoping I wouldn't. Given her level—and the implied training she must have received—it was unlikely a quick takedown would be possible with here, to say nothing of her Aura. And if it came to a fight inside the ship…well, it would be dangerous, but more than that, it was likely to be noticeable and could cause damage to the ship. I needed time to think of a strategy, a way of getting her off the ship peacefully, if at all possible.

I looked her over again, Observing her closely. Her stats were biased in the direction of Intelligence and she possessed an impressive amount of MP. A similar glance at the sword by her side—and how did she get away with bringing that in here?—labeled it as 'Myrtenaster' and a 'Multi Action Dust Rapier.' I noted white, yellow, blue, red, light blue, and purple Dust set into what looked like a revolver chamber inside the rapier's guard, and between that and her family name, it seemed safe to assume she was a Dust user, though what that truly meant depended on how she chose to use it.

It was still good to know. Just in case.

"I apologize," I said, both to buy time think things through and to satisfy my curiosity.

"For what?" Weiss asked in return, but there was a type of tension in her voice. I considered my words carefully for a moment before answering.

"I got the impression that I may have interrupted something," I said truthfully. "And you seemed somewhat upset by my appearance—resigned, perhaps. And for that I apologize."

I saw her fingers twitch, but she said nothing. I was sure that if I'd been able to see her face, though, she would have been frowning.

I didn't speak again until I'd led her to the first class area and viewing deck. Here, the sun shined upon the opulence within through one of the largest windows I'd ever seen, displaying a room that looked like it was out of a movie, with plenty of open space, comfortable looking seats, personal screens for each, and much more.

More importantly to me, however, there was an easy pathway from here to one of the exits. If I was lucky, I'd be able to convince her to leave by the time I led her there. If not…well, I'd have to improvise. Either way, though, I needed to do this quickly, before other people started showing up. Or even before Blake and Adam got here, because I honestly wasn't sure how they'd react to the company heiress.

I wasn't even sure how I was supposed to react to the company heiress. Should I take her hostage now? I really didn't want to do that and even if I didn't find it uncomfortable morally, every way I could see that course of action ending looked bad, just some less than others. What I really wanted was to get her off the ship without complicating this any further, but…

"It's not really my place," I began again after a minute of admiring the view, trying a different approach. "But does your father know you're here?"

"You're right," She said after a moment of silence. "It's not your place."

I fell silent at that, feeling a little bad even as I started thinking of ways to use it to get her off the ship. I was pretty sure I could, was the good news, but I kept thinking of her title, wondering what you had to do to get something like that pasted above your head. I wondered about titles for other people in general, honestly—like, what did they mean? What did they even do? Could they change? I assumed they could, since I couldn't see Adam being born 'The Beast', but if they changed…

I repressed a sigh, forcing myself to focus. I glanced around, thinking about my next words, but she spoke before I could.

"I wasn't going to run away." Weiss said firmly after several seconds of awkward silence. I stared at her quietly for a moment and then nodded, even though she couldn't see it.

"I believe you," I said and when silence fell again, added. "You don't really seem like the type who'd run away. But it's interesting to consider sometimes, isn't it? Running away and leaving behind the expectations and…everything."

I thought I could almost hear her teeth grinding and for just a moment I wondered if she'd start yelling at me. But when she answered, her voice was soft.

"Only a coward runs away from their problems."

"Perhaps," I agreed. "That doesn't mean the brave don't consider it, though. I like to think that by having the option and choosing not to, we become brave."

She slowly stopped walking and looked down, hair covering her eyes. I stopped behind her and let her consider that for a moment before continuing.

"I don't have any right to talk about your problems, but…I used to think about it too, sometimes. When I was alone for weeks and…" I let myself trail off again, trying to strike the balance between making a connection and not telling her anything about myself. "And that's always what I thought, after. I don't know if it's really true and sometimes I wondered if it was just another way of being scared, but…it helped, I think. And I knew that my parents were…"

Weiss turned her head and looked back at me with irritation shining in her eyes.

"You don't know anything," She almost snarled. "I—"

She visibly cut herself off and turned away again.

I looked at her quietly and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder after some deliberation.

"I won't tell my boss I saw you," I said gently. "Or your father or anyone. So let's go, okay?"

I had her now, I thought. I had no idea how I felt about how easily I could manipulate someone's emotions, besides a little sick, but I did. I was pretty sure she'd let me lead her out if I asked. I wondered what she'd think we she figured out why I was actually here or if she'd think I was just another casualty of the White Fang, but for now, I could remove her from this ship before anything else went wrong—

I had to struggle to contain a scream of frustration when I heard explosions.

XxXXxX​

I barely held myself back from dashing to the window as fast as I could—because if I moved as fast as I could, if I reacted so quickly, it may well be enough to give me away, even if Weiss thoughts were probably focused elsewhere at the moment. Instead, I let her move first, following at a more normal pace to stand behind her, at which point I followed her gaze to the scene outside.

What I saw was as confusing as it was bizarre. It was…there wasn't any order to the scene that I could see, nothing I could focus on and make sense of. One of the nearby buildings had apparently been destroyed, crashing down in a massive pile that had already begun to do up in flames. I saw what looked like the robots I'd fought several weeks ago, including one of the Spider Droids, moving through the grounds, guns firing rapidly in the direction of the crowds already streaming from the presentation hall, muted screams mixing with distant gunfire to make a bizarre backdrop to the strange sight.

I saw what must have been Hunters blurring between the firing robots and the crowds, deflecting fire with weapons of all kinds and making it look easy—but that didn't change the fact that they were being forced to remain where they were or else expose the crowds to lethal fire. Worse, the robots were arranged in such a way that the crowds didn't have anywhere to run to and their terrified rush was halted by the Hunters themselves, keeping them where they were. I saw return fire from those who could spare the focus, saw robots collapse, but it scarcely seemed to matter as other machines merely stepped into place.

The Hunters could dodge the fire easily. Once they closed in, they'd slaughter the robots just as trivially. And yet, for all of that they had no choice but to stand their ground as bullet after bullet flashed through the air, because they couldn't risk the safety of those who couldn't. For all their power, they had to take everything the machine's dished out until they either ran out of bullets or something got through. And given the amount of robots, the number of people present, and how thinly the Hunters present needed to be spread to protect all of them…

I'd have bet on something getting through, if only because of the Spider Droid's charging beam cannon, but for one thing. A glimmer of hope that, strangely, came in the form of Adam. In a role I would not have expected from my older party member, he stood between the crowd and the hostile machines, cutting down all he could with flickering strikes that reached far further then his blade should have allowed. As the Spider Droid finished charging, I saw him move, bracing himself with gritted teeth as he interposed himself in front of the flashing streak of light.

I saw him get pushed back, grit his teeth, and withstand the rest of the attack before striking back in a flash of black and red, even as I heard another thunderous crash of fallen rubble as the burned pile abruptly shifted, the giant figure of another machine rising against the backdrop of the flames.

I'd like to say I understood what had happened at a glance, but that would have been a damn lie. The truth was that I had absolutely no clue what the hell was going on. Hell, if not for the Gamer's Mind, I would have stared at the scene before me in abject shock like Weiss was doing. Instead I remained calm and took things in as best I could and continued to observe the scene. It didn't suddenly start making sense, sadly, with Schnee or Atlasian or whatever robots attacking innocent people, Adam fighting to protect them, and so much stuff on fire, but that just meant I needed to think things through before getting involved with…this.

First things first, I had to find my friends. I saw Adam, but not Blake and since she had been the one to message me beforehand…

With a whisper, I brought up my Map, glancing at it to see the colored dots indicating my party members and noted Adam's position before turning towards the other. Through the window on top of the elevated White Whale, I could see the rooftops all around, which was the only reason I was able to spot Blake at all. Atop a blocky red building off to the side, I saw her fighting a man I didn't recognize and could barely see from here. If I could put on Lenore…but no. I tried to squint, catch some details, but all I could see was red hair, what might have been a black hat, and a white coat or suit. I couldn't make out any more details about him, except for the fact that Blake was fighting him as hard as I'd ever seen and not instantly winning, which told me a lot all on its own.

There were other marks on my Map, scattered around the area, but now that I knew both of my teammates were alive I had more important things to do. Like…figuring out what to do.

Something had obviously gone horrible wrong somewhere, though I was beginning to suspect it had less to do with us and more to do with an unanticipated third party. I considered aborting as the mission had already gone half to hell, but…Knowing nothing else about them then that they were here, it seemed safe to assume that the White Whale was their goal and motive. The reason for their presence could have been anything from stealing it like we'd planned to destroying it to just trying to take advantage of the crowds it'd drawn. There was no way of knowing with the information I had right now, but whatever the case…

Whatever the case, this could easily ruin everything. Whatever their motivations, whether they were successful or not, it was unlikely I'd be able to get to the White Whale again after this, at least with anywhere near the same amount of ease. If they destroyed it, that was it. If they got away with it and managed to get it away from the people sent after it, that would probably be it, too. But if they were unsuccessful or if they were just trying to take advantage of the situation…either way, security would be increased tremendously, if this public demonstration wasn't called off entirely which seemed more likely. It might not be impossible to try again, but it would be a lot harder and there was no way of knowing when there'd be another chance.

I had to decide, here and now, whether to back out or keep going.

We might be able to fight another day. If the White Whale wasn't destroyed, if it wasn't taken someplace we couldn't reach, if we were lucky, we could get another shot someday, maybe. It wouldn't be easy by any means, would be a lot harder than it was today, but the very nature of my power meant that time was on my side. Given another week, I could definitely gain a few more levels and learn the next skill in Bai Hu's lost art. Given a month to prepare, or two, or six, or a year, I didn't even know what I could do. I could get stronger, though, far stronger then I was now. I could grind my skills, prepare, struggle, and improve until I was up to the challenge. So could Adam and Blake, once I'd leveled up enough for us to really party.

Patience and time were on my side, whatever the situation. I could wait. I could always wait.

But could the people I was trying to save? If nothing changed, if nothing was done, could they wait? If it took me a year to get another chance to save them…what could happen to them in that time? How many would suffer in that time? How many innocent men and women and children would die in that time, if I backed out now?

I guess we'd never know.

I decided my next move before Weiss even spoke.

"They're after the ship!" She said, turning around in a flurry of white. "We have to tell the Captain to get this ship in the air!"

I nodded silently without even looking at her, having already come to the same conclusion—but it went without saying that I couldn't let her speak to the non-existent Captain. It wasn't an issue, though.

I closed my eyes, projecting an image to Crocea Mors—the cockpit as I'd last seen it. Then I changed the thought, giving basic instructions to go with it, and held on as the airship rattled and began to rise.

The White Whale, like most airships, could be flown by a single pilot, so long as he knew how. The second pilot was there for safety concerns and to split duties to make the flight easier, but either could manage the ship by themselves if needed. I intended to fly the White Whale that way, as the only member of my group who knew how to fly it—but I did have a co-pilot of sorts. Crocea Mors was in the metal of this ship, in the controls.

It wasn't the same as him being able to fly, sadly. If anything, it was like I was telling him how to play a video game, directing every button press and motion, and there was a limit to the range, too. But if it was just for something like this and with me this close…it was enough.

Weiss stumbled as the ship rose unevenly, falling back into my waiting arms while I braced myself on the window. She let out a little huff of expelled air as she rocked into me, but quickly steadied herself against my frame, waiting for the airship to stabilize.

But there was a problem with that, too. See, I was already thinking about the situation, where it was going, and how I could play into it. The people Adam and Blake were fighting…I knew nothing about them, but I could make educated guessed from their actions. Whatever they were doing, I assumed they must have put at least as much planning and preparation into it as we'd done for ours and I had to admit that as distractions went, a horde of reprogrammed robots was a pretty damn good one.

But that was all it was. A distraction and a way to buy time. So long as innocent lives were at stake, they could keep the Hunters preoccupied and pinned, but they couldn't beat them that way. If they shot enough bullets, some would get through and people would get hurt or even die, but the Hunters? When the bullets ran out, they'd just be angry at the guy behind it. He'd probably run, though, seeing as I'd ruined his plan and stolen his prize.

We'd already won that battle, more or less.

But that didn't mean they'd be happy with us, once it was over. When the gunfire faded, Adam—whose actions I wasn't certain on, but who I trusted and called a friend—would be stuck in the middle of a group of people who would probably be thankful for the assist, but hardly enough so to let us walk away with an airship. Or walk away at all, really, given that when this was over, Adam would be a White Fang member standing in the middle of a bunch of Hunters. Blake was far enough from the scene to maybe get away but—

No. Blake wouldn't leave Adam to his fate like that. She'd get involved just like I would. The difference was, I could actually get us out of this mess. Probably. If I could pull it off. No, more than that, if I could actually do it.

I closed my eyes for a minute, thinking of why I was involved in this mess.

Yeah.

I could.

Weiss pushed away from me as the ship straightened at my command.

"Come on," She snapped impatiently, not even looking at me as she barked commands. "We still need to speak to the pilot. We'll need to—"

I'd already opened my Inventory, preparing myself.

I'm sorry, I thought and meant it. A part of me wanted to explain myself, regretting this already. But…for my friends, for the people I had to save…

I attacked.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
High-Value Target​

I'm not going to lie and say I fought even remotely fairly. In fact, it probably went without saying, but the moment I attacked, I stacked the deck as far as physically possible in my favor. Yeah, part of it was because of the level difference, but I admit it—even if we'd been on equal footing or if she'd been weaker than me, I wouldn't have pulled any punches. I felt kind of bad about that on one level, but not enough to actually, you know, not do it. I had advantages and I exploited them ruthlessly, because I couldn't afford to lose.

The biggest one, of course, was Crocea Mors. Out in the woods, there were a lot of limits to what he could do as a Metal Elemental. Restricted to what he had available, I mainly used him to strengthen my own weapons, making even the fragile-looking blades on my fingers diamond hard. If we'd been fighting human opponents instead of Grimm, he might have been able to sense them by their weaponry and help guide my blows—perhaps even affect their weapons directly, to some extent—but he was still severely limited compared to, say, Levant.

But inside a ship that was made of metal…well, that gave us a few more options. I mean, we didn't want to risk causing damage to the ship itself so we both had to restrain ourselves somewhat, but we still had loads of different ways to act, including ones that were arguably more effective than more overt uses, especially combined with my other assets.

For example, a relative simple act killed the lights. Like pretty much all modern windows, the viewing deck could be turned opaque pretty simply. The switch was in the control room to prevent people from abusing it, but it was still there, as were similar controls for the internal lighting throughout the ship. It took barely a twitch of effort to push a few buttons and plunge the entire airship into darkness.

Or, in my case, 'darkness.' With Lenore, there was hardly a flicker as the world got, if anything, brighter. More than that, I could see Weiss, bright white light glowing within her frame, flowing beneath her skin. As I crouched and time seemed to slow, my focus sharpened upon her. I saw muscles twitch beneath her skin, hair shift as she began to react—but unlike her, I wasn't reacting. I was already moving as the lights cut out, clawed gauntlets reaching, grabbing, crushing.

To her credit, the only delay between me taking ahold of her and her reacting was a single jerk. She didn't waste time, didn't say a word, she just drew her blade. I watched as the white light of her soul sheathed the blade, splitting into different colors as it reached the Dust in its guard. She reacted quickly and struck well—but also blindly. I saw the attack coming and shifted slightly out of the way. Had she been able to see me in the darkness, she could have compensated for that easily, but she couldn't and I completed the attack using Rip. I watched her HP bar decrease as her Aura withstood the attack and instead of tearing out a part of her, I dragged her by her right arm and threw her with all the force I could muster.

A skill has been created through a special action! Through the hurling of projectile weapons, the skill 'Throw' has been created!

She twisted blindly in the air, settling against it suddenly in a crouch as a snowflake symbol appeared beneath her feet and halted her momentum. The symbol sent a flash of dim light through the area, nowhere near enough to truly illuminate things for her but enough to send shadows crawling and showing outlines in a way that I could see if I focused, overlaid with the bright world I now stalked. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, but in this case it was probably worth it to know what she could see.

I saw her eyes focus on me, widening at whatever she saw, but then the symbol turned black and I saw her angle her blade towards me, flying forward an instant later with blinding speed and power. But at the same time, her light faded and I moved to adjust to the attack. Speed is important, of course, but it's not the only factor, and though Weiss moved with tremendous speed, she had to cover over ten meters to reach me, whereas I had to take a step out of the way to avoid the attack. She was fast, but she wasn't that fast.

But I didn't stop there. I don't know if I could have done it alone, but I wasn't alone. I had Crocea Mors and Levant beside me and the power within Dreary Midnight and Lenore bolstered my own. I felt my Air Aura surrounding me, granting me the speed of the wind as I moved, lifting hands guided as much by Crocea Mors as my own will—and together, we closed my fingers around the guard of Weiss sword and her left arm.

I bore down with crush and tried to tear away at her grip with Rip, but her momentum remained and I had to work with it. Bracing my feet, turned with the sudden force, dragging, straining, and then flinging her back up in the opposite direction. She held onto her rapier, but I didn't let up on her, slashing quickly at the air to send a Razor Wind in her direction, throwing her back as she tried to stop in midair again and shattering her Glyph with a flash of light as I smashed her through it.

She let out a cry as her flight continued, but I was already upon her, using the White Tiger's Lunge to close the distance in an instant and smash her the rest of the way up to the ceiling, closing my right hand around her throat and my left around her wrist as my feet planted on the ceiling and I flung us both back down to the floor. I smashed her straight into the ground as hard as I could, leaving it to Crocea Mors to protect the ship as I clamped down as hard as I could.

Weiss didn't let go, probably understanding how this would go if I took both her sight and her only weapon. Her free hand wrapped around my right arm, trying to pull it from her throat as her legs kicked, but through Crocea Mors' protective shell it did nothing. Abruptly, she stopped struggling and another of her Glyphs appeared beneath her, illuminating us both. For a moment, our eyes met and she looked at me—or at my mask. I saw her eyes widen further, a gasp dying at my grip, but then I was bounding away as ice shot towards the ceiling in the dying light.

I paused for a moment, watching her as she quickly forced herself to her feet, looking around rapidly with unseeing eyes. It was strange, watching her move blindly when I could see so well, even if it was the point. This was how the battle of Fort Castle had been won, a single weakness that sealed an entire army's fate. I took a step to the side, air gathering around my feet to silence the footfall as I circled her quietly, waiting.

After a moment, she snarled something unladylike, glaring into the darkness.

"Show yourself, you coward!" She spat, gesturing with her blade and sending a blast of blue light in a random direction. It was a candle flame in the cavernous darkness, but it brought back grasping shadows and vague outlines. I saw Weiss focus on me as the first light faded, attacking again in the same way—but I was already gone, leaping away. I was a shifting shadow against the profiles of high seats as she attacked, a shape that was never in the same place twice, moving around her and drawing closer with each dodged attack even as I let her waste her energy and grow frightened.

"What do you want?" She demanded. "Why are you here? Are you with the White Fang?"

I remained silent. Speaking would just give away my location and, perhaps even more importantly, I knew she was scared. I was glad for it, in fact, and I wanted her to stay that way, to start to panic and continue to strike out in fear. The more frightened she was, the better it was for me—at least, if done right. A part of me felt sick to the stomach at that fact, at the realization of what I was doing, but it was the truth. Fear and anger had their place in battle, but if you let them rule your thoughts, you'd pay for it as she was, MP slowly draining away.

So I said nothing, not giving her anything to attach to me, any knowledge of what she was facing in the dark. I moved quickly, staying close enough for her to see me, to react to my approach. I think…it might have been arrogant, especially given all the unfair advantages I had on my side, but I was pretty sure I had the edge in this fight. Weiss seemed powerful, but I got the impression that she didn't have as much experience as I did when it came to fighting and put in a situation where power alone didn't matter, I had her on the ropes.

It was just a matter of pushing her out of the ring.

I danced back a few rows and crouched down behind one of the chairs. I heard her move and wondered if she would try to escape or attempt to break the reinforced window, but it didn't matter. With a whisper, Levant began to appear, form twisting out of the air. She smiled at me and nudged my mask playfully before I drew away, dashing between cover as Weiss continued to attack futilely. From her perspective, she'd lost track of me in the darkness and now she was attacking wildly to try and find me again.

"How did you turn the lights off!?" She snarled and I could see droplets of sweat forming on her skin. "Where is Hamelin!? What did you do to the pilot!?"

The question gave me pause as a thought struck me. I debated whether or not to answer, to let her hear my voice and actually know what her enemy sounded like. After all, what was more frightening then the unknown, the unseen, something dreaded but approaching?

I thought about it and knew there was something. Part of it maybe have been personal bias, but…I could think of one thing that was more frightening when you knew about it and something made me think she would share the feeling. I managed to find it in myself to hate what I was doing a little bit more, even as I looked over and met Levant's eyes in the darkness, sending a thought her way.

She giggled and it was a sound that didn't come from her mouth, from a direction or a source. It was delicate sounding, joyous, and completely unfitting for the situation—and it came from all around us. I saw Weiss jerk, twist around once, twice, three times as if expect an attack from every direction but when she attacked again, nothing appeared.

And then I spoke. But though my mouth moved, the sound did not come from me.

"Have you not realized?" I said, my voice clam and clear and as polite as I could make it—and coming from right behind her. "You are alone."

She struck behind her with a jerk, hitting nothing but air, and jumped away with her guard raised. She was breathing hard already, blind eyes flickering rapidly as if to somehow see, but when I didn't attack, her mouth twisted and she spoke.

"You're lying!" She snarled fiercely—and yet, for all of that, I don't believe even she could believe that. "You really expect me to believe—"

"Take us higher," I ordered Crocea Mors and the airship began to rise again, silencing the heiress. "This ship is under my command now."

I saw her take a breath, swallowing slightly.

"What did you do to the pilot?" She asked. "To Hamelin?"

I considered remaining silent, letting her wonder. There were several ways I could take things from here and that was one, but…

I took a bracing breath and spoke.

"We are the only ones left on this ship," I said truthfully after a moment of silence, giving her imagination fuel and letting her fill in the blanks as she saw fit. Except…I knew what she would see, could guess her reaction easily. I was aware of exactly what I was doing to her.

It hurt. Nowhere near as much as I was hurting her—I wasn't that presumptuous—but it was hard to do this knowingly, even for a good cause, even knowing why.

"You monster," She said through gritted teeth. I could see the disgust on her face and when I Observed her, I could see deeper still, into the growing fear, the dawning panic. I could see very clearly what I was doing to her and I wanted nothing more to stop, to kick myself, to beg for forgiveness. But I remembered why I was doing this.

I knew the situation that was about to develop, if it hadn't done so already. The conflict outside would come to an end and when it did we, my team, would be put at a disadvantage. Adam would fight and so would Blake, but…it wouldn't be enough. Not nearly. Adam and Blake were strong even for their level, but against the opposition they'd have to face, they'd fail unless I did something.

That was part of why I was doing this. I needed Weiss for what I had in mind next, but I would need other things, too, and it was impossible to truly predict what, though I had some guesses. My MP was a valuable resource I had to use carefully, because I had no idea what was coming next but I was sure, absolutely sure, that I probably wasn't going to get a break to meditate for a while. I needed to defeat Weiss, a higher leveled and well trained opponent, but more than that I needed to be able to beat everything that came after her as well.

This was a battle of resources now, of how far I'd be able to get while spending the least amount of energy. And to do that, I had to be efficient before all else—and, more importantly, make Weiss be as inefficient as I could. It was the same as any other fight I'd been in, a matter of twisting the situation to my advantage, to find and exploit weak points to defeat an enemy that might otherwise crush me.

But I didn't see the pain within Grimm. I didn't see the fear within machines. This…this was different.

And the worst part was…it was still easy. However disgusting the idea seemed, it was easy to come up with this plan, it was easy to execute it. I looked at the young woman I was pushing into a corner and calmly considered the ways to fence her in further. I could see her looking for a way out, a way off the ship, but also hesitation.

"Why?" The question came at last, simple and complex at the same time. It was spoken quietly, but it carried in the silence of the room and for a moment I closed my eyes.

"For the ship, of course," I said, building the lie I was preparing on a truth. "No one else suspects a thing, yet. I'm sure you can imagine what we could do with a ship like this. Why, if it were to crash right now…"

I let my voice fade as Levant giggled again, the air in the room carrying a slight, musical tune.

"I'll stop you," Weiss said, lifting her voice and sword alike. A single sentence and all thoughts of escape had fled. If she'd had time to think, she might have tried to find a way out, turning this into a chase through darkened corridors. With my Elementals at my side, it was next to impossible that she'd succeed at losing me, but as her panic grew, she could cause damage to the ship, forcing me to drain my Aura to protect it—and if she figured out I was protecting it, she could attack the ship instead of me. Maybe she'd even escape, unlikely as it was, but whatever the case, it could easily turn this battle into the kind of fight I wished to avoid.

But now, because of what she felt was at risk, she wanted to protect the ship as much as I did. In fact, she wanted to protect it from me, reversing our positions in her mind. And with the threat of what she thought could happen if I succeeded…

I could see was still scared, but she was also resolved now. Determined to stay here, among the monsters in the dark, and face them. The hero fighting my villain.

However, that resolve was rooted in something deeper and it was just another type of fear. Fear was something that I knew from experience, both from games and real life, and there were many different kinds. There are flashing lights and sudden motions, jump scares and screams, and done right they can be terrifying, but there were many kinds of fear. There's the quiet wait at night, wondering if your parents are alive, the quiet expectation and dread outside a hospital for family friends who were wounded in battle, a quiet atmosphere of anticipation, fear of the unknown, and countless others. There was one in particular, though, that I knew better than any other—and I thought, just maybe, that Weiss knew it just as well, if perhaps in a different way.

The fear of failure. The dread that you might not succeed, that you might let others down, the constant wondering if you were good enough and, beneath it, a quiet voice whispering that you weren't. It was a quiet fear that walked into your mind and set up show in the back of your thoughts, growing with each reminder.

I knew what that was like. I knew what that uncertainty could do to you. And with the stakes as high as they were, I thought I knew what it could do to Weiss.

She crouched down after I didn't reply, another Glyph appearing beneath her feet even as her sword was encompassed with dim light. With a momentary shift of color, she was in the air, flipping to crouch upside-down in empty space. A slash of her sword sent half a dozen small blue snowflakes that fell in curving arcs before firing bright blue beams of light. They flew through the air blindly looking for me, but the moment Weiss moved, so had I. I Lunged straight up and landed silently on the ceiling, air swirling around me to literally push me up against the surface. I only stayed there for an instant, aiming, and then was off again.

I slammed feet first into Weiss Glyph, landing in a crouch again my feet almost touching Weiss's own. I saw her look down in sudden shock, seeing me standing there opposite her as if she were walking on some twisted mirror—and then the light faded as I broke through the already cracked Glyph with a fist, sending us both back into gravity's grasp.

Of course, we both had our tricks. After a moment of falling, another Glyph unfurled beneath Weiss' feet and she immediately turned her head to look for me—but Levant had already reached out to me. Air gripped me, spinning me upright and throwing me forward as I reached out for Weiss' throat. I saw her eyes widen before the Glyph's color changed and we were both went flying into the darkness by a rush of force. I don't think it was aimed except with the intent of putting distance between us—but she landed on another Glyph a second later, even as a rush of wind hurled me to the ground, back amongst silhouettes and shadows.

Weiss Glyph remained for a second before she jumped away, shifting position to another spot in the air. I timed another Lunge to cut across her vision in the dim light, a sudden rush of shadow that she sent flashes of light after without any true aim before leaping down to put her back to a wall. Her blade was sheathed in crimson light as she began to edge around the wall, guiding herself with one hand, but the sword only cast enough light to illuminate her immediate surroundings.

And it's amazing how hard it can be to remember to look up.

I hung on the ceiling, pressed up against it by Levant, and crawled after her on all fours. Levant and Crocea Mors made noise, sending doors shuttering open and closed, chairs creaking slightly, a breeze. Weiss reacted to the sounds, twisting this way and that in response, but I waited above her, timed my approach—and struck. I came down upon her with all the force I could muster, striking hard with grasping, curling claws. She went down with a scream, red light fading, and what came next was a scramble. I went for her weapon, her last line of defense, and this time tore it away and hurled it into the darkness.

There was an almost musical chatter as the blade skittered to a halt and Levant sent it echoing strangely so as to not reveal its location. I danced back out of her reach even before another Glyph appeared beneath her and flashed as it flung us both away again. I watched Weiss react, saw Glyphs flash in and out of existence as she moved, searching frantically for her weapon even as I retreated into the shadows and waited.

I didn't even have to do anything now, not really. I could see her MP bar draining swiftly as she wasted it looking, trying to stay a step ahead of a non-existent attacker. She was driven by a need to succeed, weighed down by the growing fear of failure, harried by my actions, and slowly but surely growing exhausted. All I had to do was wait and occasionally let her hear Myrtenaster shifting in the dark, sound directionless but keeping her fighting hard until her strength faded away.

I closed my eyes as she tried to call up another Glyph, tried to reach for light in the darkness, and failed.

She screamed once as I ended the chase and then fell silent.

I looked down at her silently for a moment, feeling horrible. Blue windows appeared before me, Intimidate leveling up rapidly along with a few new skills to remind me I was a horrible person.

"I'm sorry," I said meaninglessly her crumbled, words that changed nothing to a girl who couldn't hear them. It was a good plan, an efficient plan, and it had worked—but none of that justified what I'd done, not even what I was doing it for. I picked her up gently in the dark and carried her as the light returned. "I'll make it up to you someday."

The words tasted bitter as I spoke them, maybe because of how often I seemed to say them. But…no, more than that…I wasn't done with her yet. A glance out the window confirmed my fears.

I guess it was inevitable.

The villain always stole away the princess to use her against the king.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Exchange​

I made it in the nick of time. When I looked out the window at the scene far below me, I saw the battle winding down as more and more Hunters began to go on the offensive and the machine's numbers dwindled. Adam was still there in the thick of it, but a glance at my Party Menu showed that his MP was running dangerously low and once others began taking over, he started using Wilt and Blush to keep himself upright instead of to fight.

Further away, the man Blake had been fighting seemed to be escaping on a Bullhead I hadn't noticed until now, Blake standing on the rooftop below him, watching him go while looking tense and ready. I put Weiss down, leaning her against the wall so I'd have my hands free to fetch my scroll from my Inventory, open it and send her a message.

'Dealt with my problem. Can see you. What happened?' I typed quickly, though she didn't react until the Bullhead had retreated far enough. After finally relaxing, she glanced up at my ship, looked around, and quickly got out of sight.

'Third party interfered. Things got bad. Adam intervened.' She messaged back a moment later.

I nodded to myself having figured it had been something along those lines. It didn't exactly tell me much about what had sent our whole plan straight to hell, but there'd be time to discuss the details later. For now, we had bigger concerns.

'I can see everything from my position,' I sent. 'Fight's dying down, but Adam's exhausted and surrounded. Good chance the Hunters will turn on him once they realize what he is.'

'Can you make a distraction?' Blake asked. 'If you buy us some time, I may be able to rescue him.'

'Too risky,' I said and meant it. There were too many unknowns; so many high level Hunters, each with unknown training, unknown Semblances, unknown weapons, and world famous Huntsmen like Ozpin and Ironwood nearby on top of that…it was a horrible idea. There was a reason pretty much my entire plan up to this point had been to go around the enemy instead of through them.

Maybe it could have worked—for all their power, Huntsmen were people, too. They weren't infallible or all-knowing; today had been pretty solid proof of that. Not one but two different attempts on the White Whale had caught them off guard and though I didn't want to count my chickens before they hatched, one of them seemed to be going okay thus far. More than that, no one was good at everything. That was pretty much the sole reason I'd gotten this far; I hit my opponents where they were weak and I was strong. I'd fought the Nevermore on the ground and Weiss in the dark, using my skills and abilities to get every advantage I could and exploit their weaknesses. Everyone had things they were good at and bad at and that held true of people as much as it did of monsters. Hunters were an elite but diverse group; not every member was an espionage or intelligence expert and only a small fraction of even the local Hunter community would be attending an event like this in person. On top of all that, there was plenty of chaos all around us and I was getting pretty good at creating more on demand.

Given all that, I'd acknowledge that it was possible to succeed in such a way. Blake and I could have charged head first into a large group of higher level opponents that were already on guard with absolutely no information and we might have succeeded in saving and escaping with Adam. And after we saved him, we might be able to get back to the ship unnoticed, take off, and make good on our plan without getting caught. It was possible.

But it was also possible that I'd win the lottery—and honestly, that seemed more likely at the moment. Already I could see people keeping an eye on Adam, gesturing and whispering subtly to one another as they finished the cleanup. They had him in their grasps for all intents and purposes, and I could recognize something in their movements as the combat slowly died down. They were wary of the unknown, slowly fencing him further in. If we did something obvious, if Adam tried to just run away now…he wasn't getting out of there. I don't think he'd die, but he wasn't escaping that way. If it came down to it, I'd rather risk a rescue operation from whatever hole they threw him into than charge into that fray, because it probably had a better chance of working.

We couldn't fight them. Not all of them. Facing down the fullness of their power and overwhelming it had never been an option. The only thing we could do…was the same thing we'd been doing. We had to find a battlefield where they couldn't exert that power.

'I have a plan,' I told her. 'Will use it if I have to. Need you to monitor what they're saying. Can you get close enough without getting caught?'

'Yes,' She said simply and I clipped my scroll to my waist, gathering Weiss up again as I got into position. Feeling a little guilty, I nabbed her fallen weapon as well as I walked passed it on my way into the hallway. If she was anything like I was with Crocea Mors, she would hate to lose it, but I couldn't risk her waking up at an inopportune time and stabbing me so I stowed it in my Inventory as moved through the ship towards the exit. Shifting Weiss so I could carry her over a shoulder, I checked my scroll as it beeped again.

'Thanking him, asking who he is. People suspicious of his power. Noting Faunus traits. Some people familiar? White Fang mentioned, accusations of involvement.' Blake said succinctly in a pair of messages, probably jolting down what stood out while listening carefully to the conversation. Other messages followed, with short pauses in between. 'Schnee robots used in the attack, confusion over who did what. Arguing over Adam's involvement. Saying there would have been casualties without him. Raising more questions. Accusing Adam, defending him. Wanting to know his intentions. Focus shifting to White Whale. Having trouble contacting the pilot. Schnee heiress missing, causing suspicion.'

'Is there any chance they'll let Adam go?' I typed back, scanning the messages. There was only so much she could write down while listening to what were probably dozens of confused, arguing people, but I trusted Blake to get everything important and I'd have to do my best to extrapolate the rest. I glanced over my shoulder where Levant followed silently and considered trying to boost the sound. I wasn't sure she could guide that many different voices that far, especially without giving something away, but…

I sighed. I knew the truth. Despite everything I'd done to Weiss, I hoped on one level that it was all for nothing. Maybe that was strange, to want to have made a mistake, but I didn't really believe in the whole sunk cost thing. If I could stop now and not need to go any further, if I was wrong, that would be…not good, considering what I'd done, but better then what would happen otherwise.

And yet, as much as I wanted it, I…

'Demands. The civilians are scared, panicking. Bigots making accusations, people trying to intervene causing more accusations. Adam waiting, saying nothing, getting ready. For us? Things getting bad, people trying to reach a compromise, talk of arrest pending investigation. Whatever you're doing, hurry.'

I already knew what would happen. That was probably the best result we could hope for—and yet, it was still a horrible result. Nothing was set in stone, but even assuming that they found nothing in Adam's background, which I rather doubted, Adam would probably take the fall for this, one way or another. Some of it could depend on who he got prosecuting him, on the judge and jury and biases towards Faunus, but just by being a member of the White Fang, he was probably doomed on that front even if the Schnee Dust Company didn't decide to take a hand in the proceedings. With the utter fiasco today, he'd be hung out to dry.

The worst part was, given the situation and the unknowns and everything that was going wrong, he'd probably take the heat for this even without a background if nothing was done. With the damage caused and the other party escaped, with what I'd done and would do…

But I'd known all that, too—and I wouldn't let it happen. I could make plenty of logical arguments, of how Adam's arrest under these circumstances could incite the White Fang, of the risk to innocent people when he struggled against what I'm sure he knew would lead towards imprisonment, and many other things. But in the end, something came before all that.

He was my friend.

I wasn't a fool. I knew that despite his reasons, despite his intentions and the logic within his beliefs, Adam had probably done his fair share of bad stuff. But he was my friend and I don't think that he was a bad person, truly.

Besides. I had just learned firsthand how easy it could be to do the wrong thing for what you felt were the right reasons. Could I have done what Adam did if I'd been in his shoes? I'd wondered and now I felt pretty sure the answer was yes. If it was for innocent people or for my friends…

So I opened the door and stepped onto the edge, leaning out into the wind that gentled into a slight breeze as it reached me. Far below me, Adam was surrounded, the crowd of people around him like ants from this far away, but just seeing them…I took a deep breath, partially to brace myself. I'd known this was coming, even before I'd first struck at Weiss. Again, I was faced with the question of if I could do it—and again, I knew the answer was yes.

I threw my head back and roared, then, the sound louder than any I'd ever made. Levant stepped up behind me, grabbing fistfuls of my cloak—and the sound got louder and louder still, rising into the roar of a beast that could have shaken the pillars of the earth. Weiss woke with a start, blood beginning to trickle from her ears, but I'd already heaved her forward, leaning her out of the ship into the open air. She struggled at first and may have screamed, but if so it was a whisper drowned out by my voice and she froze in the face of that sound, in the face of the new nightmare she'd awoken into. She stood, powerless above over two hundred meters of empty space as the sound went on for a moment and finally died. I felt Weiss gripping my arm as tightly as she could, knuckles white and fingers shaking and wondered when I'd stop antagonizing this poor girl.

Not yet, evidently.

As my air ran out, I sucked in another breath and looked down, my vision impossibly sharp through Lenore's eyes. I saw people looking up at the sound, saw expressions of shock and fear and, on a rare few people, simple, focused attention. Whatever the case, all eyes were on me—and it was that, if anything, that made me speak again, Levant's power carrying my voice upon the winds.

"Schnee," I said, my voice calm, even casual. "I have your ship. I have your daughter. Let's talk."

If I hadn't had their attention before, I'd have had it now. For better or worse, there was no going back, no way out except to push forward. I didn't like it, I knew it would come back to bite me in the ass someday, and yet despite that…I did it. Because I couldn't see another way, not while staying true to what I'd promised myself.

But God, I never saw myself holding a girl out of an airship in any of my dreams of being a hero. Never expected I'd be able to find it in myself to do something like this, much less as easily as I was doing now. And, I…soon, this would circulate, be seen by everyone. The entire world would see me like this—my parents would see me like this, even if they didn't recognize me. The mere thought of what that meant filled me with shame.

Yet even knowing that, I still didn't back down. I looked down upon them all and held firm, my heartbeat steady, stable. With one hand on the doorframe and the other holding Weiss into the sky, I kept going, unafraid.

This was the right move. Horrible, but the right move. I wasn't aiming for a hostage situation—at least, not a traditional one—for something drawn out wouldn't be in my favor. I just needed to make an opening, give myself options, and keep this from turning into a battle I couldn't win. I'd considered my choices and in the end this was what they'd all boiled down to.

I could lie, of course, and try to misdirect them. Attempt to frame the situation as Adam trying to work against me like in the movies—my sworn enemy or whatever. I could have tried to convince people he wasn't involved at all. I could have attempted to get Adam out of this situation with words and avoided terror tactics.

I didn't do that, simply because I didn't think it would work. I'd have been extraordinarily surprised if they bought that and outright shocked if they honestly let him go even if they did. If nothing else, Adam was a very suspicious man at the scene of an even more suspicious crime. Even if I could somehow convince them all he was blameless and unconnected to the White Fang, they'd still want to bring him in for questioning, if nothing else—and questions were the last thing we wanted, because then something would come up.

None of which mattered because I really, really doubted I could sell the lie; the situation was too incriminating for suspicions to be allayed that easily, especially with a plan I'm sure half the crowd had probably seen in a million different moves. Starting from the assumption that your enemies were stupid—not human and flawed and fallible but stupid—was a really foolish thing to build a plan off of. Within their area of expertise, while alerted to a situation, people could be very smart, very skilled, and very dangerous. I was looking down at a bunch of Hunters ready for a fight and I was kind of doubting I'd pull one over on them unless I could make the lie really convincing.

Making a distraction had more potential, but short of actually attacking them with the ship I couldn't think of anything that would distract them enough get Adam out of there. Good as he was, I couldn't see him escaping on his own while exhausted and any attempts on Blake's part would not only have to get past a horde of Hunters, but get back out and then away with Adam weighing her down. If I could have gotten closer somehow, restored his MP…but that wasn't possible, so it didn't matter. It would be a handicapped Blake against who knows what. It was too risky.

I was pretty confident they'd see through anything but a really solid lie and while I liked to think I was good and I believed in my teammates, operating from the assumption that we were better than a large group of experienced experts we had no information on seemed foolhardy at best. That left me with negotiations—and threats.

I'd taken stock of what I'd had and in the end there were only two things that mattered here and now. I had Weiss and the White Whale and I couldn't give up the latter. That was okay, in theory—at first glance it seemed simple enough to trade one prisoner for another. The reality was more complicated, however, as one could see in the prisoner exchanges during the Revolution. There was the issue of relative value, the dangers of setting precedents, attempts to get as much as possible, lies and tricks, political showmanship, and much, much more.

Worse, there was the matter of power.

If I wanted to have any chance of this working, I needed to negotiate from a position of strength. I had to force my demands to be heard and obeyed—which was complicated somewhat by the fact that all I had was a good bluff. I could threaten Weiss or maybe threaten them with the White Whale, but I couldn't kill innocent people. Or, rather, I wouldn't, however easy the Gamer's Mind could make it. The fact of the matter was, if they pushed this hard enough, there was only so far I could go.

So the only way this bluff was going to hold water was if I kept them from pushing. Right now, they held all the cards. If you had all the facts and looked at it from a simple, logical standpoint, they had the Hunters and the government of Atlas and the Schnee Dust Company and who knows what else on their side. In truth, what they could bring to bear far exceeded what I was willing and able to.

But they didn't have all the facts. They didn't know how far I was willing to go. And, in theory, I thought I could keep them from trying to test it.

A good lie was all about circumstance. In the end, it was about painting a picture that held up and in the right lighting, you could make just about anything seem believable. I couldn't convince them that Adam was uninvolved or unsuspicious because he was obviously involved and extremely suspicious, deserving of at least identification and some investigation. That lie wouldn't hold up any better than telling them the sky was green; it would fall apart at a glance.

So I began to paint an image that wouldn't. I started with what I wanted and figured out how to achieve them, taking into account likely responses as I would in any plan. The goal was simple; free Adam. The method was to trade Weiss for him. There were several issues with this.

The first was timing. I couldn't allow this to become prolonged transaction because time was definitely on their side—which was the same reason they would want to buy as much time as possible, once they realized what I was doing. I needed to instead put them on a time limit, forcing them to act quickly and, more importantly, the way I wanted them to. How could I achieve such a thing? Threats. I had two things to threaten them with; the ship and Weiss life.

I chose Weiss' life for two reasons, each cold as a glacier. The first was simply to save the best for last. That is, it gave me room to escalate if I needed, an ace in the hole. The second was to deal with the first—and possibly largest—issue with this trade. By its very nature, if I attempt to trade Weiss for Adam, I must consider them to be of equal value. This put us on even footing as a result, wherein I wanted something they had as much as they wanted what I had.

I couldn't let them believe that. I needed to have control of the situation, and I began by leaning Weiss out the door as if I didn't care if she lived or died.

And the worst part? That was just the beginning.

"James," I heard President Schnee whisper far below me, the sound distorted somewhat by Levant's power but still clear enough to hear. "Who is that?"

"Don't talk to him," I interrupted, Levant angling my voice to appear right behind them, as if I were whispering into their ears. I saw a few twitches from faces and hands, so I assumed it was as creepy as I imagined. "Talk to me. And yes, I can hear you."

Schnee and Ironwood looked at one another silently for a moment before the latter nodded very slightly and moved back a step, eyes alert. Off to the side, Professor Ozpin—the man who's school I'd dreamed of going to since I was a child and I had no idea if that'd even be possible now—looked calmly up at me, sipping slowly from a cup he held idly in one hand. He didn't even look off put by the situation, seeming content to observe.

At last, Mr. Schnee took a look, slow breath and exhaled, lifting his eyes to my ship. Credit where it was due, his expression never faltered and he didn't break a sweat. If I hadn't known any better, I'd have thought him unaffected.

But I did know better. I could see the emotions beneath the surface with Observe even if much of his profile was obscured—literally read the anger, fear, consideration off of him like he was a book. I couldn't read his mind, I didn't know him, but I had an advantage because of that and I'd play it as well as I could.

"Very well then," He spoke evenly. "I suppose you have some way of proving your claim?"

He was buying time, I saw. I was pretty sure he believed what I said, but he must have already had a plan. If I wanted to make this work, I was going to have to outthink him.

Thank God my power was bullshit.

I used Observe on General Ironwood and thought from what little I could see that, first of all, I really didn't want to fight him. Scanning his profile quickly, though, I found what I needed. Another, more focused Observe told me everything.

"I know about the AM-320 implant you have, General Ironwood," I said casually. "Rude as it may be, I must insist on having your full attention. Tell Marci you'll call back later."

I saw the two of them pause at me words, the General suddenly looking hesitant, before his status shifted.

"Thank you," I said politely before reaching around the edge of the doorway to withdraw Myrtenaster from my Inventory. "As for your question, I'd say this situation rather proves I have the ship and if you can see it, I'm holding your daughter's weapon. I'd throw it down to you, but…so many things break if dropped from a height like this. You understand."

Schnee glanced at Ironwood again, who squinted up at me before nodding minutely.

"It seems we're at an impasse," Schnee said. "Have you found anything yet, James?"

General Ironwood took out his scroll and opening it. I don't think he'd even touched it before now, but it lit up with a picture of Adam's face as he was now and compared it to several other pictures—images from security cameras, maybe, or phones or who knows what else.

"I make a point of knowing who my enemies are," He said.

"Oh?" I asked. "Then who am I?"

He paused for a moment at that, which I used to check him and Ironwood again, monitoring their emotions and making sure Ironwood didn't try to make any more calls. I needed to handle this right.

"This Faunus is in our records," He said, apparently deciding to ignore my question. "I take he's your subordinate?"

I'd figured there was no real chance of them believing that Adam and I were unrelated, but it was good to have it confirmed. I just smiled at the words, unsure how many of them could see me but not willing to risk giving away the lie.

"Something like that."

"Then I assume you wish to trade?"

I made myself chuckle.

"Hm," I hummed amusedly, removing my hand from the doorframe again to put a finger to my lips and smiled wide. "Sure, why not? That seems interesting. But…"

I saw anticipation growing on Schnee's screen, saw him waiting for something. I looked at the crowd around him for a moment and chuckled again.

"Are you waiting for someone to activate the failsafe?" I asked. "I'm afraid you'll be waiting a rather long time. I dealt with your security already—this ship is mine."

I saw disbelief, stubbornness, and flexed the fingers of my free hand.

"It was embarrassing, how easy it was," I said. "It seems some things never change. But while I was busy, so much happened. I put work before pleasure, of course, but you…"

I directed that last part at Adam, sound of my voice shifting in his direction as I clicked my tongue.

"Something came up," He answered and I gestured dismissively.

"It doesn't really matter, I suppose," I said. "Did you have fun?"

He waggled a hand.

"That's too bad," I said empathically. "Well, it seems things will get a bit interesting now, so be patient, okay? Let's see…I missed all the fun, so I suppose I'll just have to make my own. You mentioned a trade, Schnee; my subordinate for your daughter. Hm…well, that's one option. Good help is so hard to find, after all, wouldn't you agree? And I do dislike the idea of leaving one of my men behind. But…"

I hummed to myself again for a moment, looking around. The skies were still clear, but who knows how long they'd stay that way. I had to move quickly but I couldn't rush, which was both tricky and aggravating.

"I already have what I came for," I mused aloud. "And I shouldn't waste too much time here. Ah, perhaps I should just leave and take you with me, Ms. Schnee? We could continue this conversation at a later date. Would you like to fly with me?"

If I hadn't been holding her over empty air, I'm pretty sure she would have kicked me in the balls. I'm pretty sure I deserved it.

But I kept up my act and chuckled again at the look on her face.

"No? I suppose it's just as well. I'm afraid my associates don't like your family much; you probably wouldn't make it back in one piece. Then…what do you think?" I asked Adam. "I suppose you should help decide, considering. Would you like me to save you?"

"As opposed to leaving me here?" He wondered confusedly after a long pause.

"Well, that's one option," I nodded. "But since I've taken full control of the ship, I could just open fire."

I snapped my fingers and had Crocea Mors flip several switches in the cockpit, activating lights on the underbelly of the White Whale, weapons arming. I saw the shift in Schnee and Ironwood immediately, parts of it even making it to their faces.

"Oh," I drew the word out. "You didn't believe me? Well, I suppose you do now. Yes. This ship is mine. And there you are Mr. Schnee, right in the line of fire. It'd be rather ironic if you were to die to this ship, wouldn't it? I'd be lying if I said there wasn't any appeal to the thought. I can't say it was part of the plan, but now that I see the chance…my. Don't move now, Ironwood—if the pilot is as excited as I am, he might shoot if you make any sudden movements."

And at once, my casually spoken words brought silence, stillness—except from Adam. He looked around quietly, pondering, thinking my words over. For just a moment, I saw him look tempted. The President of the Schnee Dust Company, the General of Atlas, several dozen Hunters, and more. I could understand what he was thinking.

But Adam wasn't stupid. He was as cold and sharp as the blade he wielded. He knew I wouldn't be willing to fire, I was sure, but he must have also known what would have followed if I could have. On the ashes and destruction, the next Faunus War would have started the moment I pulled the trigger. Innocent people would have died and children—like Adam had once been—would have been swept away in the war.

I saw him consider it and then exhale.

"I do not fear death," He said dispassionately, looking relaxed and apathetic as he played along. "The decision is yours."

I laughed and shook my head again.

"Yes," I said. "Good help really is…so hard to find. Very well, Schnee; your daughter for my subordinate. I will trade with you, then."

In another situation, there may have been debate, argument, semantics—but I was pretty sure I'd played my part well enough. They looked tense, but they were still, two hundred people and no one said a word until Schnee nodded.

"Where and when?" He asked.

"Here and now," I said.

Now's where things get tricky.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
Transfer​

With the deal established, there were still a few problems to be dealt with. The biggest issue in any trade like this—and in this case especially—was the exchange itself. There's an enormous risk in the simple process of handing things over, for several reasons.

The most obvious, of course, was that no one involved trusted one another. They didn't like each other, either. Indeed, one might go so far as to say they might wish to see the other die horribly. I didn't have any particularly strong feelings towards Schnee, except in that I hated what his business did to innocent people, but I was pretty sure he was starting to hate me, admittedly with good reason. Given that, it would have been pretty foolish of me not to expect treachery, should I give him the chance. As he had several dozen Hunters backing him up, any number of whom could likely have taken me in a fight, that was more than a bit problematic.

Luckily, I was aware of that and, hopefully, ready for it.

"Very well," Schnee said. "Come down."

"I think this conversation will go more smoothly if you don't assume that I'm an idiot," I said, sounding amused. "I don't think so."

He gestured to the people around him, a stalling motion.

"As you've said, you have us at a disadvantage," He said. "We aren't going to do anything, I swear on my life."

"But I don't care about your life," I replied. "I do, however, care about making it more difficult. No."

If he'd been less experienced, less professional, I'm pretty sure Schnee would have been grinding his teeth. Instead, he simply nodded, looking cool and collected once more.

"Then shall we arrange a location for the trade?" He asked. "We can each release our prisoners into the grasps of a representative, if you wish."

I hummed, smiling as I shook my head.

"Why waste time?" I asked, sending a message to Levant as I braced myself. "We're both busy men, after all. Let's make this quick and simple. You let him go…and I'll let her go."

I released Weiss and she fell with a sudden shriek.

"Weiss!" He shouted, jerking forward a step uselessly. I saw several Hunters tense, preparing for something—but all of a sudden, Weiss fall slowed and began to reverse, rising back up to eye level with me. Weiss stared at me with wide eyes, looking down at the enormous distance between her and the earth. Her scream continued for a moment before she seemed to remember to cut it short, but the sound off pure, honest terror in it made me feel nauseous. She was gasping now, horrified as she danged helplessly in the air, but she didn't say a word, didn't beg.

Despite how I felt, I looked at her with a smile, fingers gently splayed in her direction as I made it look easy. Behind me, hidden by my body and cloak, Levant leaned into me, resting her forehead against my back as she did all the work. Her small hands grasped fistfuls of my cloak at the effort and I sent her a mental apology.

"I'm sorry," I said truthfully, to Weiss and Levant both, and then elaborated on it with a lie. "That was ungentlemanly of me. I just wanted to see how you'd react, Mr. Schnee."

I dropped my gaze, scanning his face and status screen, and then lifted my eyes to Weiss' own.

"Your father must love you a great deal," I said, knowing the words would mean something to her. "If you could see his face…but there's still things to do before that, no? I'll send your daughter down to you now, Mr. Schnee, so keep your end of the bargain and send him on his way."

The white-haired man snarled something unintelligible, gesturing sharply at the gathered Hunters. When Adam began to move, none of them reacted and Levant began to lower Weiss, slowing her descent rather than stopping it so that she seemed to be sinking through water. At my mental command, the White Whale began to slowly rise again.

"I'll withdraw somewhat to ease your worries," I told the people down below as I watched Weiss. She shook slightly as she dropped, but remained silent as she grit her teeth. "I'll even allow you to send someone up here to fetch her, though I encourage you not to try anything funny while your daughter's in the sky. No weapons, no Hunters, no Dust."

Without a word, I saw someone break free of the crowd, rushing towards a nearby Bullhead. I checked their level absently and didn't say a word as I went back to carefully watching Weiss.

The truth was, I needed someone to come up and get her. Levant didn't have the power or range to get her all the way to the ground, but I couldn't very well admit that, allow them to see weaknesses, limits—which meant I couldn't force them to do what I wanted. I could, however, make them want what I wanted, and since I wanted Weiss somewhere safe, it wasn't even hard.

It just left me feeling sick. I didn't want to do this—not that that meant anything since I had done it—but the truth was…

I took a step back, into the cover of the ship, and withdrew my scroll again.

'Can you get Adam to safety?' I asked Blake.

'Yes,' She replied simply.

I hesitated for a minute before writing a longer, more personal message.

'I'm sorry,' I said. 'I guess I failed, huh? I was supposed to help you prove that methods like this weren't needed, but…I couldn't let them take one of my friends or stop us now. I guess I really am…"

I sent the message without finishing it and there was a long pause before she replied.

'Where are you going to pick us up?'

'I'm sorry,' I sent again. 'But at the very least, I will save them.'

I closed my scroll and didn't open it even when it started flashing again. I went back to my vigil, looking at Weiss as we moved further and further apart, watching the people far below her to make sure nothing happened, and carefully monitoring the approach of the Bullhead, adjusting my speed accordingly to make sure he'd reach us in time.

The truth was…

I couldn't go down there. It was too dangerous; the moment I was on the ground and Weiss out of my clutches, they'd take action and put me down. That had been the real trap behind his words—they all involved me coming down.

And I just couldn't do that. The entire point of holding Weiss hostage and being up here was that it rendered the Hunter's tremendous offensive power meaningless. They couldn't strike at me from this range, wouldn't. So long as that was true, it didn't matter that half of them could bend me into a pretzel in a fight, but it should go without saying that the benefits of a hostage faded the moment you let that hostage go. Once the girl was safe and I was close enough for them to bring their full power to bear, none of Mr. Schnee's promises would mean anything.

Though, really, I was pretty sure they didn't mean anything to begin with, especially not to him, which was the only reason he'd made them. But the point was, if I landed the White Whale, there wasn't a chance in hell of me getting it back off the ground.

His second suggestion had a bit more merit on the surface, which just meant there were more dangers in it. If I landed on the ground at a place of my choice and met with a representative, I could check that person's level to make sure they were safe to approach, minimizing the danger.

From that one person, at least. The fact remained that I would be on the ground and I felt certain that a bunch of Hunters would be just outside whatever they decided was a safe range, ready to rush me the moment the girl was safe. Perhaps even more dangerously, it would give them time to field plenty of other airships to intercept me even if I did get off the ground—and, more likely, to just bomb the White Whale to keep it from ever getting that far. It would also give them time, which I couldn't allow, because every minute they had gave them more time to plan, to prepare, to call in more reinforcements.

If I dragged this out, if I went along with their plans, it would do nothing but hurt me. And I absolutely, positively could not touch the ground. I couldn't even get near it, really, keeping in mind the powers Hunters had. If I did, I'd probably have a few of them jumping up and carving their way inside my ship and I'd be worse off than before.

Which begged the question; if I couldn't afford go near the ground, how could I get Adam and Blake onboard?

Simple. I couldn't. The same thing that kept any Hunters from reaching me would stop them as well. Levant couldn't lift someone that far, especially someone at the edge of her power instead of the center. The problem with picking them up here were obvious and I couldn't get them somewhere else because I knew that enemy aircraft would be on me to moment I was away from here. If I stopped and gave them time to organize and attack…

Worse, since this ship could fly faster than Blake and Adam could run, if I wanted to pick them up somewhere else, I'd need to slow down or wait—and since the White Whale was so big, there was basically no chance of losing pursuit unless I stuck to the original plan.

I was leaving them behind.

God.

I hadn't been kidding when I said I knew how terrifying it could be to be on your own. It's easiest to exploit fears that you yourself knew well and this was one I was more than familiar with. I'd thought I'd gotten over it, stopped being the kid waiting at home for mom and dad, but the thought of this, of being by myself while surrounded by enemies, of facing danger with no help or backup or safety net, without my most powerful allies…

It was scary, frightening even from a calm, logical standpoint. I wanted to run away.

But I'd meant the other thing I told Weiss, too—everyone wants to run away at some point. It's those who have the option and refuse to take it that are brave. There were people who needed me and I was going to save them. And…

I watched the Bullhead reach Weiss and closed the doors, turning away. A rush of windows appeared before my eyes, skills improving and being created—Bluff, Intimidate, that type of thing. In the midst of it all appeared a larger window, however, and I focused upon it.

A quest has been created!

Atlesian Skies: Flying Solo.

Escape from Vale alone in the stolen White Whale to continue your quest!

Completion Reward: Exp 1000000.

Failure: Capture or Death.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," I muttered, accepting the sub-Quest. "Stupid quest, telling me stuff I already know. But you're wrong. I'm not alone."

Levant touched my hand and gave me a reassuring smile, even as a low, almost-inaudible tone rang through the ship. My Elemental spirits were always with me—but it was more than that. Even though I left them behind, I knew Blake and Adam would be waiting for me to return. And I still remembered—would never forget.

The people who had my back, the home I had to come back to, and the things I needed to stay alive to do.

I wouldn't give up any of those things.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm getting sick of this place too, guys. Let's fly."

XxXXxX​

We took off before I even reached the control room, Crocea Mors moving on ahead of me to get things started. The situation was far from ideal, sure, but I wasn't completely unprepared for it—taking off alone had been the last resort, but it was something that had been on the table form the beginning. It made a few, or a lot, of things harder, but I'd always been the one in charge of getting us to and from Mantle so this part didn't change all that much.

It was going to be more dangerous than I expected, granted, but that was starting to become the story of my life. By the time this was all over, I'd probably be able to write a book about it, or maybe an autobiography; 'Jaune Arc: It Was Worse than I Expected.' Originally, it was supposed to be a little more subtle, or as subtle as you could make the theft of a giant airship.

Which is probably more than you might think, again because of human nature. I'm sure the empty space where a colossal airship used to be would be noticed in short order, if not immediately, but there'd have been confusion, with most people probably wondering what the hell was going on and complaining or wandering off or whatever but generally deciding it wasn't their problem. Once it reached someone whose problem it was, questions would arise that needed answering; what was the pilot doing? Can you contact him? No? Then what about the other pilots? The command center? Can someone force the ship to lower safely?

When all that failed, the reality of the situation would probably have settled in and they'd have contacted the right people, but at that point there were still infrastructural concerns. Whoever's at the desk needed to take the message, figure out what was going on from who was calling—and odds were there would be a lot of people calling—and then pass that up the line to whoever was going to get their day ruined handling the job. Odds were that they weren't already strapped into their aircraft, so they'd need to suit up, get in, and take off.

All in all, between time wasted and time needed, confusion and disbelief, I'd have given myself…at least three, maybe five minutes before anyone knew what was happening and maybe up to twice that long before anyone mobilized a response. If everything had gone according to plan, I could have had a ten minute head start—maybe fifteen. Even against fighter-craft, that's a hard difference to make up; I'd have been out of town by the time anyone figured out what I'd done and getting dangerously close to the danger zone by the time anyone caught up.

Under the circumstances, however, it seemed safe to assume that would not be the case here. In fact, I felt pretty sure that word of my actions had been circulating even before Weiss was safe, and that there were probably several pilots and ships on standby, which meant I'd have company a lot earlier than expected. Hell, if Ironwood wasn't calling in reinforcements right now, I'd be stunned.

I'd like to say I had a plan for how I was going to deal with that, but the truth was that it was a bit of a work in progress. The basics remained—I still needed to get out of the city, over the mountains, and into Grimm territory. I just needed to do it under fire against much smaller, more mobile ships.

Easy-peasy.

I pushed the White Whale as hard as I could and felt gratified at its immediate response. I used Crocea Mors, still deep within the metal of the ship, to monitor it and was glad that everything seemed to be functioning as expected. Nature Affinity's passive boost to Dust effects seemed to be functioning as expected, improving the fuel efficiency, speed, and maneuverability of the ship to give me a much needed advantage. I still had a few of those to rely upon, thankfully—my Elementals, my skills, my location, and the situation.

The latter two were, initially, the most important. What I was doing now…it wasn't something anyone could have been prepared for, not really. Airborne enemies were hardly new to Remnant, but the cities defenses had been largely designed to keep them from getting to the most populated areas of the city, but the White Whale had been stationed in the richer part of the Commercial District. I was now flying along its length with buildings far below me, Forever Fall some ways to my left and the Residential District some ways to my right. I had a little breathing room here because so long as I didn't attack—which I wouldn't—I could be relatively sure that they wouldn't try to start a fight, much less bring down the White Whale, over a populated area. They'd try to get people in position to watch me, monitor me, guide my path towards a place I could be safely disabled if they could, and even try to bring in specialized ships or even transport Hunters if possible—but they wouldn't want to start a fight where innocent people would get involved if they could avoid it.

Normally, that wouldn't be an issue because if, say, a murder of Giant Nevermore flocked to the area, they'd be seen far off and civilians would be sent into the shelters, but I'd effectively spawned inside the enemy base and while they were probably moving people as quickly as they could, you can't evacuate such a large area that quickly. Initially, at least, they'd want me out of the city—it's just, they'd want me dead moments after that.

And yet…I still had the edge. Or I thought I might have it, at least, but the logic made sense. Again, I was pretty sure this was a new one for everyone involved and it wasn't a simple issue to deal with. If it's shooting the enemy down, that's one thing. If it's shooting the enemy down before they reach some location, that's harder but still doable.

But forcing a much larger ship to fly the way you wanted? Without attacking or even touching it?

That's something completely different. It's a tactic that doesn't lend itself well to three-dimensional movement, because of basic geometry. If you imagined the volume of space above Vale as a sphere for the sake of simplicity, and you considered the White Whale as the center of that sphere, then my path to escape was the sphere's radius—a line from the center to any point outside of the city. I needed to take one of those paths to get out of the city, but I could choose almost any path, ignoring the ones heading in a direction I didn't want.

But they had no idea which one I would pick—how could they, when even I wasn't sure now? To them, I could travel any route within that space, forcing them to guard the spheres area, its circumference. They had a much larger amount of manpower then I did, but they also had a far more difficult job. They'd want to guide we towards a specific location, but the added dimensions of up and down meant that methods that worked on the ground tended to be completely ineffectual in the air, especially against an opponent as large and fast as me. They could try to predict me or spread out enough that at least some of them would be able to get to me, but in this first move, I had the advantage.

For a while. Once they could get Hunters aboard crafts that moved fast enough, they could literally just drop them on top of the White Whale and let them claw their ways in through the hull to get to me. Or sabotage the ship. Or both; it didn't really matter, because I'd be pretty screwed either way at that point.

I twitched once and then sighed.

Speak of the devil…

Crocea Mors continued to hum a warning, spotting something through his eyes in the ship's hull and alerting me of incoming ships. I closed my eyes for a moment, suppressed the urge to swear, and decided on my path, turning my behemoth of a ship a bit further South.

There was no way of telling if my pursuers had Hunters aboard, but the way my day, week, and life was headed lately, it seemed like a safe assumption to make. Given that and seeing as they were the greatest danger to me—at least until I left the bounds of the city—there was only one this I could really do.

What they didn't expect—and what they feared.

Levant placed a hand over mine and felt Crocea Mors hum beneath my fingers. The former gave me a reassuring smile as I closed my eyes and drew in a breath. I felt that same air in my lungs, felt more on my skin and beyond it, beyond the ship itself. I felt the ship humming beneath my feet, felt the parts and pieces that caused that feeling deeper yet, engines and tubes and more bright to my senses. My Aura, my soul, flowed through that immensity, guided along certain paths towards my decided purpose.

It'd tried this before, several times. Hadn't been able to make it work the way I wanted to, but…necessity was the mother of innovation. The design was different and so was the purpose, but it was easier to gather because I wasn't focused on making it small or focused or deadly. In fact, it wasn't anywhere close to what I'd been trying to make, but…

"Close enough," I muttered as the seconds passed.

And then I pulled back hard, bringing the White Whale up into a turn that must have shocked anyone watching. I didn't have the time or patience for a larger turn, so I made it narrow, barely wider than the ship was long, pushing it beyond what its makers probably intended. As I reached the top of the circle I couldn't help but absently note that I could literally see my house from here.

The moment passed and I pulled the trigger.

"Fragarach," I named it as I unleashed the incomplete attack, a rush of air and steel combined clumsily into an attack that flashed across the sky, a mostly unsuccessful attempt to combine two affinities in one spell. A single bullet from the White Whale lashed out, curving in midair in a burring arc that lashed past—and just above—the wings of a ship before continuing its turn to approach another before puttering out. The first ship wobbled roughing and began going down, while the second shook for a second, as if facing turbulence, before steadying.

I watched the falling struggle for a moment, spinning, before recovering enough to hover in place for a moment, apparently a close save. I glanced at its fellows as I completed my turn, shifting my gaze to my Map to keep track of them.

"Prototype," I added with a sigh.

XxXXxX​

 

[Murazor]

The Games We Play
First Interlude – James Ironwood​

"What weapon was that?" He demanded at once, eyes focused on the feed they'd brought up. One of his assistants quickly flicked through a scroll, but he'd already crosschecked it himself as the White Whale flew on.

"It's not one of ours, sir," Pike said hesitantly. "Perhaps they modified the weapons?"

Ironwood didn't even bother pointing out the flaws with that statement—that they wouldn't have, or at least shouldn't have, had the time to do such a thing, much less unnoticed—and simply focused on his flying target. One of his more experienced aids brought up a copy of the unknown weapon being fired without needing to be prompted and he shifted his gaze to scan over it.

It was a normal round—well, 'normal' may have been a more accurate description, given the enormous weapons the White Whale used. However, it was standard fair for the ship itself, but for the whirlwind that seemed to follow in its wake and cloak it. A gesture changed the screen to display another image, this one of the round's effects on the pursuing craft. The ship's hull had been damaged by mere proximity, yet not enough to explain its sudden fall. It was almost like…

"What do you think?" Ozpin asked, returning. He'd broken away to direct evacuation and security, as well as to make sure the two VIPs were seen to safety. Coming back however, Ironwood couldn't help but find his demeanor…grating. He didn't expect the man to be shaken, really, for rare were the times when he'd seen the Head of Beacon less than unflappable. Indeed, he and countless others had drawn strength from that, over the years; however strange things got, however dire, Ozpin would all ways be the center that held.

And yet, sometimes he wished the man would react, at least a little. With an investment of countless Lien stolen, with one of the heads of the White Fang humiliating them with his escape, with a very important child having just been held hostage, even still did Ozpin stand, casually drinking his coffee.

With the amount of caffeine the man consumed on a daily basis, you'd think he'd be a tad more excitable.

Still, situational irritation aside, he trusted and respected the man, so he answered the question even if it gave him the bizarre feeling of a child being called upon in class.

"It's a Monachus round," He said. "Somehow bolstered with a wind-based enhancement. When it hit the FM, the damage had nothing to do with its sudden descent—it'd hard to tell with just a glance, but I believe it must have altered the wind speeds above and below the craft's wings, directly interfering with its ability to fly. Generally, I'd assume it was making use of some kind of green Dust, but…"

"They shouldn't have had access to the ship long enough to make any major adjustments," Ozpin stated the obvious, peering at the screen. "And yet the ship itself seems rather more…agile than I anticipated."

Ironwood grimaced, unable to argue the point. The AS-WW was the first of its class, a cutting edge ship meant to introduce a whole new world of aerial travel. Despite its tremendous size, it was capable of speeds matching Vacuo's FCs, could carry hundreds of passengers from Vale to Vacuo in less than a day, and was armed enough that it should have been the safest way to travel between the kingdoms.

But there were things it wasn't equipped for, things that should have been impossible for it from a pure mechanical standpoint, and yet also things that it was doing regardless. Before his very eyes, it was far surpassing even the top speeds it had achieved testing and when the pursuing ships managed to approach close enough despite that, they were attacked with weaponry the ship shouldn't have had. More alarming than that, however, was the maneuverability of the ship itself. Revolutionary technology or not, the White Whale was a gigantic monstrosity ill-equipped for the stunts it was now performing.

As one of the men who'd had a direct hand in its development, if you'd told him yesterday that the AS-WW could perform a Bell Tailslide at high-speed to cause it's pursuers to overshoot, he'd have said it was impossible. And then maybe shown them the math for why it was literally, physically impossible.

But he also couldn't argue with what he saw—and he'd seen it, followed by another loop and a wingover and far too many other things that should have torn the ship apart. It left him uncertain whether the Hunter-bearing ships following it were honestly unable to approach or if they were just wondering what the hell they were looking at. It was hard to imagine something with the size and shape of the White Whale to be so…graceful, yet here it saw, flying through the sky as easily as a Leviathan claimed the seas.

And it worried him. As a general and a huntsman, he knew the worth of knowledge, which is why he'd participated in the wonder's construction, had seen it pushed to its limits. He'd wanted the machine to be as good as they could possibly make it—and it had been. To push the machine past that until it could do this…

He didn't even know how it could be done. Literally didn't know. They, the best minds in Atlas and from around the world, hadn't found a way, had thought it impossible with the technology currently at their disposal, but it was obvious someone had disagreed. And yet, to do this…

Bare minimum, it would have taken massive adjustment to the engines, jet, and converter. Extensive internal adjustment to the ship's structure to withstand the strain on such a scale or perhaps additional Dust converters situated throughout the design to aid in maintaining the ship—something to shield it from the G-forces involved, at the very least. It's most likely need a better computer to assist with the calculations that would no doubt be required, too, and much of the storage space might need to be requisitioned or removed entirely and—

It was all guesswork, theoretical. He couldn't say anything for sure what would be needed because he couldn't be sure what would be needed—no one could. They couldn't build anything like that yet—not without an even more exurban amount of money, at least.

But obviously someone could. Someone had. Worse, they'd done it without them knowing, to a ship they owned, in a timeframe they could only speculate on. It should have been impossible. He wanted to say it was impossible, but the evidence was all but laughing in his face.

How big of an operation was this, if this was the result? How could such a thing happen without them knowing? He'd checked the ship himself just this morning to make sure everything was in order and everything had been normal. How…?

It didn't matter. In the end, no matter how much it bothered him, it didn't matter. He knew that sometimes he got hung up on the technology side of things, on the desire to learn, know, improve, but there was a time and a place. Here, now, his concern wasn't how the ship was flying, but how to make it stop. He could look through the wreckage later, if so needed.

"Do we have anything like a positive ID on that man yet?" He asked his more experienced assistant.

Pine shifted the scroll in his hands and shook his head.

"Nothing yet, sir," He said. "He must have been laying low until now; we've never seen him before. Or if we have, we can't tell through his disguise."

He hated unknowns. Hated them. But that also wasn't his concern right now; if he could be captured alive, they'd figure things out. If that wasn't possible…well, he'd live without knowing, he supposed. In this case, all he needed to know was that there was a powerful member of the White Fang involved with what must have been a major operation. Unknown powers, unknown goals, unknown man—it didn't matter, because what they did know was that he had to be stopped.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ozpin murmured as he raised his cup to his lips once more. At a sharp glance, the Headmaster of Beacon gestured vaguely at a screen with his cane. "Who's flying the ship? And, perhaps more importantly, how?"

It was a good question, he acknowledged, and one he'd skimmed over. The trained pilots and backup pilots were all accounted for, though they'd found their pilot of choice thrown out with the trash. Whoever was now flying the ship was an unknown, someone they hadn't trained. No mean feat because the sheer size and complexity of the ship was such that they'd had to build a specialized cockpit for it. Later models were intended to have a more streamlined design, but it was difficult because of the simple amount of things the pilot needed to be able to control and the number of situations he had to be able to address—they'd barely managed to keep it flyable with one pilot and strongly recommended two. Even what controls were the same were still commanding something very new and very large.

It wasn't something just anyone could hop into and expect to fly this well. That hadn't really stood out to him, though—still didn't, really—because it was a minor impossibility, relatively speaking. If they could rebuild the entire White Whale, then it wasn't hard to believe they could figure out how to fly the thing. Although…

"They'd need to know a lot about the ship," He mused aloud. "Both how to fly it and modify it—and to disable the security on it, of course. To do that…"

He didn't bother finishing, instead sending a message to the Schnee Company Headquarters and the Science division in Atlas, looking for any thefts, any leaks. Ozpin waited silently as he worked, watching the skies.

In the end, he snarled in annoyance.

"Nothing?" Ozpin asked, probably guessing what he'd done.

"Nothing," He confirmed, annoyed. "No reported thefts of anything related to the White Whale, here or abroad."

He wasn't surprised, honestly; if something big had happened, he'd have been informed, after all. But…

"Not knowing you've been robbed isn't the same as not having had anything stolen," Ozpin noted.

"I know, but they covered their tracks well, whatever they did," He replied. "We'll conduct a more thorough investigation later. For now, though, it's a dead end. Still…"

He frowned, watching the ship on screen again. Several ships were arranging themselves around it—or at least, were trying to in-between more of those air shots. One tagged a nearby ship, causing it to fall suddenly behind, creating an opening for the White Whale. Before anyone could do anything, it rolled to the side, spiraled in the air for a moment before turning so that its belly faced the direction it had formerly been traveling. The aerial behemoth banked, flying downward as it turned hard to go a completely different direction. The whole maneuver had barely taken a breath and the mechanics of it made his head hurt.

"The Faunus boy we let go seemed to be the muscle," He said aloud. "And there was evidence he sabotaged some of our ships. Then there's that man with the Nevermore mask, who we assume is the leader. There must be a pilot and a programmer and maybe someone to steal the information about the ship, though that could have been one of the other ones. And an engineer, even if I still don't understand how they could have done this."

Ozpin said nothing, causing him to frown.

"Don't agree with me all at once now," He said. "Anything you'd like to add?"

"You always get wrapped up in your work, James," Ozpin said, though not really chidingly. Because it was Ozpin saying it, he wasn't sure if it was even connected to what he said next. "They're flying towards my cliff."

"…What?"

He focused on the screen again to see the White Whale flying on a collision course with the cliff Beacon was built upon. It sped towards it fearlessly, angling down sharply as it crossed over the river towards the towering cliff walls. Outside the limits of the city proper, its pursuers had already begun their attack, rounds hammering against its surface, and for an instant he wondered if they'd hit something, if the White Whale was falling—but no, the rounds didn't seem to do any meaningful damage.

The FMs in pursuit seemed as confused as he was, but continued the chase as the airship drew closer and closer to the cliff, most likely expecting a trick. But when the White Whale didn't pull up…

For a moment, he wondered if this was their goal, to cause damage to Beacon's foundations, to topple the Academy. With everything else they'd done, they couldn't assume anything. It was heavily reinforced in the case of natural or unnatural disaster, but maybe they knew something he didn't, had figured out a weakness they'd missed.

And yet, for all his concerns, Ozpin didn't so much as flinch, calmly watching the proceedings. As they drew closer, the pursuing ships ceased their fire and pulled up, evidentially realizing the White Whale wasn't going to stop. Was this an attempt to drag them down with him? Had they given up hope on escaping? Or, no, was this a—

At the very last second, the White Whale spun on its axis, momentarily exposing its belly to the sky as it pulled down so close to the cliff wall that for a moment Ironwood thought they were touching. Instead, however, the ship pulled away into a wide loop facing the direction opposite the way it came and then up wide until it hung upside-down just barely above the cliff. It spun smoothly on its axis again, righting itself as it rose up behind the ships that had formerly been on its tail.

Now, however, they were in front of it, having chosen to go over the cliff instead of following to the rocks. The glow of its weapon systems was ominous, a reminder that the Hunters had become the hunted.

—A trick, he completed the thought, staring at the maneuver. Even if the ship had been capable of withstanding the forces of the act itself, to fly that close to the wall…

"The students will be disappointed," Ozpin almost seemed to sigh. "Had he hit the cliff, I could have canceled tomorrow's classes."

He would have turned to stare at his friend if the White Whale had not opened fire, more of the strange rounds flashing out, even hitting ships. He saw shapes leap away, Hunters carrying pilots as the ships lost control and span down to earth. One smashed into the courtyard of the school and another into the grass, but a pair of ships smashed into one of the school buildings.

"Ah," He said, taking another sip of his drink. "Never mind, then."

Not for the first time, he wondered who had put his friend in charge of a school and what the hell they had been thinking at the time. Sure, his record of producing skilled Hunters was undeniable, but…

"How far out are reinforcements?" He demanded from his assistant instead of progressing further down that train of thought. Pine tapped quickly at his scroll, moving to a map like screen with a number of glowing dots.

"The group positioned at Forever Fall began to move in as soon as we confirmed the White Whale's trajectory," He said before hesitating for a moment. "They'll be in range shortly, but…none of them have any Hunters aboard, sir."

He knew what his assistant was saying, however much it grated—with the maneuvering capabilities the White Whale was displaying, with its unknown weaponry, and with the serious possibility that it had more tricks waiting up its sleeves, it was quite possible that aircraft alone would not be enough to take it down, even beyond the city limits. Their best chance, as before, was to get Hunters in position to infiltrate the White Whale and take it down from the inside once doing so wouldn't endanger lives. He could bring up the schematics, pick out all the places to target, and though he couldn't be certain of anything given the likely changes to the ship itself, he was pretty sure that he could tell them how to bring it down once they got into position.

But he didn't want to send them out there.

He didn't hate Hunters, not even remotely. Hell, he was a Hunter, had fought in countless battles to protect people and happily sacrificed parts of his own body for the sake of his duty. He respected everyone who shared that same courage, that will to put everything on the line for the sake of their people, their world. Anybody who went through the training and stood against the terrors that faced humanity was a hero.

But heroes tend to die. He'd seen it countless times in the line of duty—men, women, and even children at times, draw into the conflict when things got bad. He'd seen some of the greatest Hunters he'd ever known disappear without a trace, just leaving one day and never coming back. Sometimes, they'd been sent out on his order, dying to try and obey his commands. Sometimes he'd sent them out in full knowledge that they wouldn't return. He'd seen what he'd thought were the most brilliant lights in the world fade, one by one.

He'd watched as each year, the numbers of his former students dwindled. Class Reunions were rare among Hunter Academies for good reason; all they really did was show how many people had fallen. If he somehow got his own class back together, a group that would have once filled a lecture hall would now leave it all but empty.

That's the secret of being a Hunter—you swear to protect people even if it kills you and eventually it does. That's why he'd dedicated his life to removing soldiers from the battlefield as much as possible, equipping them as best he could when that wasn't possible. Yet it seemed that no matter what he did, he always had to send people into the fight, to risk their lives.

Hunters were their best bet for taking down the White Whale, but there was no way of knowing what they'd find in there. They had no way of knowing who or what was inside that ship, but based on how the Schnee Heiress had seemingly been easily defeated and based on the skill the Faunus they'd let go had displayed…there was a chance, as ever, that whoever went in there would not come back out.

And, as ever, there was someone who had to make the decision.

"With your permission, I would like to request the aid of Beacon's faculty," He asked his friend, polite but tired. Ozpin tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"It will delay your ships somewhat," He warned.

He didn't reply, busy writing and sending off a message to the soldiers and teachers in question. They'd be ready, he knew, turning to keep watching the screen as the White Whale flew on, rising easily above the Beacon that was the academy's namesake and flying into the forests beyond. For a moment, it flew unmolested as its followers stopped briefly at Beacon, several small figures leaping up into the ships before they continued their pursuit, approaching the AS-WW at a steady pace as the minutes passed.

And then the stolen ship surprised him again by opening fire. Not with the strange wind-rounds it had used before, nor even at the ships closing it, but upon the forest below, carving paths of destruction with anti-Grimm weaponry.

Perhaps fittingly, the Grimm responded. They rose in a sudden, startled cloud, countless black shapes rising from the trees at the destruction and noise. Nevermore, Terror Birds, and other types of flying Grimm took to the skies as they were disturbed.

The White Whale simply flew right passed, moving quickly through the skies above. Some of the figures gave chase anyway, the largest and fastest species, but most turned their sights on the prey that was approaching, rather that which sought to run away, and moved as one to intercept the approaching aircraft.

The response was thankfully immediate, dust rounds firing from the ships, Hunters moving into position as best they could. Storm clouds even seemed to gather above the ships, growing as they flew into the dark mass and spitting thunder and hail upon the monsters. Black shapes fell from the sky, slain quickly by the spells and arms of Hunters. It was a testament to the power of Humanity's defenders that monsters fell by the dozens in seconds.

And it was utterly pointless. As the ships were distracted, the White Whale sailed on and by the time they dealt with the hindrance, it had gained precious ground. As they approached, the massive ship merely tore more Grim from the forest below, forcing those on its tail to waste time putting down the demons it had called up. When they got too close despite that, they drew the attention of the larger fell creatures of Grimm, such as the Giant Nevermore that had given chase. And each time, it got that much further away.

"Where is it going?" He demanded, gritting his teeth. "It must have a destination, but the way it's going—"

"It's flying over the mountains," Ozpin said easily, stating the obvious. The White Whale showed no sign of shifting its course away from the mountain peaks.

Except…

"But if it does that, it will—"

"If it does that, it will be beyond our grasp," Ozpin cut off. "Or at least beyond those chasing it. As escape routes go, it's rather unorthodox, but the effectiveness in that regard would be undeniable. An interesting choice, I must admit."

The man sounded bizarrely like he was grading one of his student's tests. He could acknowledge the truth in the words, that beyond a certain point he would have to withdraw his men because it wouldn't be worth the risk, but…

"That's…that's like charging into a Deathstalker's den so the Beowolves will give up the chase," He replied. "You'd have to be desperate or insane to try that. What are they planning…?"

XxXXxX​