The Games We Play

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryuugi. This has been pulled from his Spacebattle publishment. Anyway on with the show...errr read.

Status Update

White light glowed around my sister's outstretched hand, surrounding the limb in a corona of her Aura that seemed to push inward, against her flesh. In moments, it had consumed the limb completely and in its place glowed what seemed to be solidified light in the shape of a hand. Her fingers twitched once and it seemed to be enough to disrupt the careful equilibrium and cause it to lose shape. Whereas before, it pushed inwards, now it expanded violently—

There was a flash of light and a sound I'd never heard the equal to. In an instant, a column of utter destruction was carved across the city, throwing up towers of steam from the coast and setting everything between here and there ablaze.

I whistled lowly, sharp eyes picking out the details. I'd known my oldest sister was strong, of course, but even I'd been a tad surprised to see that her level was higher than Mom's. Now though, seeing her really cut loose, I had to wonder how the hell she was only level ninety-two with destructive power like that?

Or was that itself the reason? I guess it was hard to use this much power in the real world, what with the sheer collateral damage. Did it take into account the purely mental restrictions she had to impose upon herself? Certainly, if I was going to go up against someone with this much destructive power, I'd make sure they were put in a situation where they couldn't draw upon most of it—which in this case would be anywhere even vaguely populated. It reminded me of the tactics I'd employed against Weiss and Penny, what seemed like so long ago.

In which case, should I be impressed that she was level ninety-two despite all that?

"How's that!?" Bianca laughed, rolling the wrist of her brightly shining arm. If burning a path of destruction across a major city had taken anything out of her, it didn't show beyond a light sweat on her face.

"Pretty impressive, sis," I answered. "You could probably take down a Goliath with a blast like that."

"That's why I spend so much time on the Wall," She replied, rolling her shoulders. "It's hard as hell to control, but if you don't care about anything in a general direction, I'm your girl."

"Can't say I have anything quite as destructive," I admitted. "I like to focus on ease of use, myself. Battles of attrition tend to go in my favor pretty quickly, you see. But I did practice this trick a little bit, recently."

I took a deep breath and both Bai Hu and I held out our arms, a Magic Missile appearing in each of our four hands. In a moment, all four of the glowing spears were sent sailing through the air, flashing through houses, trees, cars, and anything else that got in the way—and the moment they left our fingers, new ones took their place. Falling into a pattern in a moment's time, my four arms moved in a steady rhythm, hurling destruction at whatever my sister left standing. In seconds, the surrounding neighborhoods lay shattered. Within a minute, I'd broken much of the surrounding residential district with sheer, accumulated destructive power and showed no sign of slowing down. I'd kept a steady pace until I was at a tenth of my power and then my increased MP regeneration left it sustainable.

Bianca laughed again at the two minute mark, brushing aside a lock of hair.

"I see your point," She said, mirth coloring the words. "Do you ever get tired?"

"Sure," I said, pausing in my steady assault to shrug and smile back. "Just not for very long. If I exhaust my Aura, I can restore it completely in about half a minute and healing myself tends to any physical exhaustion. I spend a lot of days training around the clock."

"No wonder you've come such a long way," She said before the light of her arm began to crawl up her shoulder and replace parts of her suit. In seconds, she was completely gone—a faceless, featureless figure of pure light. She rose into the air without so much as a twitch and I followed her, the wind rising to carry me into the air. When she continued to speak, though, I was a tad surprised that her voice hadn't changed in the slightest. "Anything else?"

"Of course," I said, taking my place in the air beside her as she came to a halt. "It's only recently I've been able to seriously experiment in this direction, but you remember this, right?"

I flung a hand out and a ball of fire expanded out from the impact, swathing everything around it with the consuming heat of my Flare.

"From your fight with that girl?" She asked, to which I nodded back. "You've certainly gotten faster with it."

"Yup," I nodded with a smile. "I had to abandon a lot of that stuff because it was too slow to use in a fight, but I managed to figure out how to get past all that. Now I can do stuff like this easily."

"That was fire," She noted, tilting her featureless head to the side in consideration. "Have you tried any of your other elements?"

"Yeah," I answered, flicking a wrist to carve a vast furrow into the ground with Far Slayer. "That was wind and my Magic Missiles—the spear things—were Metal. Now that actually using them is viable, I'll start working on skills for the other Elements I have and focus on the ones I like best for a while."

"Is that hard?" She asked curiously. "Making new skills like that?"

I shrugged my shoulders and gathered my power. Instinctively, I split half of the gathered mass between each hand and shifted both in a way I felt sure corresponded with positive and negative. I let the power flow out as I brought my hands close and captured it a moment before the reaction occurred, holding them close yet also apart. The result was similar to Magic Missile on a basic level—it was very similar to one of my spears in its design, but with two 'caps' that sent currents of power occasionally streaming down its length in arc streams. I twirled it once, tossing it back into Bai Hu's hands, and he flung it hard into the distance.

Trails of lightning arced into the sky as thunder rumbled underfoot.

A skill has been created through a special action! Continuous manipulation of mana has created a skill with charged elemental power, 'Thunderbolt.'

"Not really," I said at last. "Not for me at least. I have a lot of skills to make this kind of thing easier—and my Elemental Affinities just went up besides."

"Oh?" She asked without a visible mouth. "Why's that?"

I tilted my head towards where my Elementals were slaughtering any Grimm that appeared, my smile becoming fond. Lightning fell from the sky and pillars of fire rose high into the air as my thoughts turned their way, wreaking havoc on the surrounding city. It was enough to make me think back to the dreams I'd had after each contract and wonder if they were glimpses into eventual possibility.

"You saw how they looked different, right?" I replied. "That's because I got my Summon Elemental skill to ninety-nine and it upgraded. They used to be Basic Elementals, now they're Lesser Elementals."

"I was wondering about that," She admitted, lifting a brightly shining hand to a just as shining face. "So they're more powerful now, I assume?"

"Yeah," I nodded again. "And they'll only get stronger. They got a pretty big power boost from the rank up and the skill's only at the first level. Give it some time and they'll get even stronger."

She hummed again, probably because it was hard to give facial cues in a form like hers.

"A group like that and you could pretty easily make a team of your own," She said. "Is there a reason they've never shown their faces? Or have they? I followed the news about Jian Bing, but not as closely as some."

"No, I've kept them secret," I said, frowning a bit at the thought. "I never wanted them to be associated with anything bad, I guess—they're my friends, after all. I didn't want the attention it would get me at the time, either, and I guess they're one of the biggest links between my different identities, so I've been careful not to reveal them, but…I don't know. It seems like every month, where I stand changes—I didn't want to be famous, then I didn't care, I kept my powers under wraps and then I showed them off. I'd say I was saving them for a trump card for either Jaune Arc or Jian Bing, but as is, I've sort of got a list of trump cards now. I guess there just wasn't a chance for it in all the fighting and training and the timing never felt right. I gave it a little thought when they…evolved, I guess, but still…"

"You feel like you have to look after them," She finished.

"Like they look after me," I agreed. "It sort of silly, since they're pretty hard to hurt in ways that actually matter, but…since everything they do, they do for my sake, I feel responsible for it and them."

"They're family, then?" She asked. "Like Autumn and Gou?"

I considered it for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "I guess they are. It's…hard to explain, but the contract between me and them was something special. We sort of swore to be together always—one of the lines of the contract is 'until our souls meet their ends, we will be forever one.' So…"

I shrugged again.

"You probably understand that stuff better than I do, but I get the idea," She told me. "They're yet another weird-ass part of our seriously messed up family."

I chucked at that.

"Yeah."

"Although," She tilted her head and if she'd had eyes, they'd likely have squinted at me. "Is that soul stuff literal?"

"You know, I honestly don't know," I considered before shrugging. "I've done some thinking about what the hell is up with souls lately, but honestly? I have no idea."

She nodded and was silent for a moment.

"Yours looks like an angel," She said suddenly, surprising me. I turned her way with furrowed brows and tilted my head. "I can see them or at least Azure thinks I can."

I Observed her for a moment and nodded.

"I see," I replied, thinking about that for a moment. "That's pretty cool. Supermodel angel or 'Be not afraid' angel?"

"The latter," She answered. "A huge giant with lots of eyes, lots of mouths, lots of wings, and a big book."

"Ah," I absorbed that, wondering what the hell that meant but nodding in acceptance. "That's kind of cool. Thanks for telling me."

"No problem," She said, sounding vaguely bemused. "I guess it's getting late. If you want, we can continue this later, with the others. I'm sure they wouldn't mind getting a chance to play. Moving back home on short notice, there's not a lot to do."

"Sure," I nodded. "Maybe tomorrow, then. But let's ditch the lightshows and head back for now. Tomorrow's gonna be another big day."

"Oh?"

I drew my scroll from my Inventory and gestured at her with a half-smile.

"I got a few messages when I exited the first time," I told her. "Ozpin might be coming over."

"Did he say why?"

"Yeah," I looked down at the scroll, brushing my thumb over the surface. "Dad's stuff made its way through inspection. He wanted to drop it off personally. I guess I'll talk to him about Mistral while he's here, too."

I returned us to our normal dimension without incident and bid goodnight to everyone that was still awake. With my sisters more or less informed of my capabilities, I felt no guilt in returning to Naraka for another night of training while they slept and so continued to grind my healing and test my new capabilities. Between my massive MP regeneration and the multitasking that the White Tiger of the West allowed, I was even able to do both at once; it was easy enough to have one pair of hands focused on firing attacks while the other busied itself with healing. With the sheer pace I was able to maintain, it was a simple enough matter to polish some of my long neglected skills and hone them to a razors edge.

But I was more interested in how my Elementals had changed. As I'd told Bianca, I'd finally raised Summon Elemental to level ninety-nine and graduated from Basic Elementals, but…it was a sudden change in a number of ways. It went beyond the physical changes to something more subtle, something that resonated between us. They weren't simply larger and more powerful—they were greater, deeper. It was enough of a change that I'd hesitated to unleash their full power, simply because I didn't know what to truly expect. However much they'd changed on the surface, the true differences lied beneath, and like I told my sister, I'd been hesitant to unleash it.

Which wasn't to say the physical changes weren't striking. In a moment, my Elementals had gone from appearing like preteens to young adults, carrying with it a host of physical changes that made me wonder if this truly was some kind of magical puberty. Levant had grown until her white hair reached my shoulder, ever-shifting patterns growing into place on the fabric of her now formal-looking gown. Suryasta had grown until he was of a height with me, the flames he'd worn shifting into something at once more and less solid, at once writhing flame and glowing armor as heat and light gathered just above bronze skin. Ereb grew what looked like royal gems and jewelry from his skin as he grew to almost match Suryasta's height, gaining a presence that made him seem both softer and more solid, while Vulturnus seemed to unravel even more, becoming an image that writhed and flickered between human and bestial shapes with something almost like disdain.

Perhaps the largest changes—or, at least, the ones most easily pinned down—had come to my Water Elemental. Xihai's amorphous legs had…solidified wasn't the term, but had taken shape, at least, growing into the long, scaled form of a snake up to her hips. Her blue gown had sunk into her skin and become something like armor, swathing her upper body in a fashion similar to her scales but gleaming blue and white. Even her hair had grown until it cascaded down her back like a waterfall to stir the waters at her waist, leaving only her gleaming black eyes unchanged. By contrast, Crocea Mors had barely changed at all, remaining a reflective image that merely seemed to have somehow gained more depth.

They'd all grown and so I let them stretch their legs in the hours before dawn, bringing disaster and ruin to a meaningless simulacrum of a city while I trained. It wasn't until a dim sun began to rise in the skies of Naraka that I called it a night—or a day or whatever the term was in this case—and returned to reality to make breakfast and await my guest.

I didn't have to wait long.

"Good morning, Jaune," The headmaster greeted as I opened the door. It was early enough that most of my sisters hadn't even gotten out of bed yet, but that didn't seem to bother the man—possibly because of the coffee he was already in the midst of drinking. He was carrying both his cane and a large black case in the hand not occupied by a coffee mug and he gestured towards me with them. Nodding once, I took the bag and stepped aside, letting the man into my house. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Nah," I said. "I just put on breakfast; most of my sisters are still asleep."

Which, I figured, was probably at least part of the point in his early arrival.

"As promised, I made sure everything was in order," Ozpin continued, smiling slightly. "That was everything we were able to recover."

"Thank you," I answered, bowing my head slightly his way. I really did appreciate it. That didn't mean I wasn't going to scan the ever-loving shit out of the thing to make sure it truly was safe, but it was a kind gesture even so. "Sir, there was something I wanted to speak to you about."

"I figured as much when you gave me that call yesterday," He replied, scooting a chair neatly out from under the table. "Though I'm sure the experience itself was amusing, you never struck me as one to do such a thing without reason."

I absently checked the air as he spoke, making sure sound didn't travel too far and risk being overheard before replying.

"No, sir," I nodded. "Though this is actually for something else. I mainly did that to…well, I'd say it was to prevent misunderstandings, but really, it was to create them in some ways while avoiding others. I told them my story in broad strokes but I had to phrase it right."

"I see," Ozpin mused, seeming to consider it for a moment before nodding. I believed him when he said he grasped the concept, though. "It's a marvelous thing, language. So many meanings can be ascribed to words simply by how they are spoken and they can change in an instant because of context."

"Mm," I agreed. "But sir, I wanted to speak to you about something else. Do you remember when we first met? Officially, I mean; after the White Whale incident, when I returned home."

"But of course," He gestured lazily towards me with his mug. "You made quite an impression even then, Jaune. I'd be rather hard pressed to forget it."

I smiled a little at that but stayed on course.

"You said something about whispers in Mistral at the time," I continued. "Do you remember that?"

Ozpin frowned down at his coffee and then nodded.

"I do," He said at last, lifting an eyebrow as he looked up at me. "I'm rather surprised you do, however, I must admit."

"You made an impression, too, sir," I assured him. "And I like to think I have a fairly good memory. Do you recall what those whispers were about?"

"Nothing substantial, sadly—hence why I called them whispers," He replied. "A few of my contacts have been noticing strange activity in the city for quite some time. Unfortunately, given what Mistral is, 'strange activity' is somewhat hopelessly vague and could mean any number of things. One of them claimed it might be something serious and it seemed like it would be wise to check. Of course, you know how that went—"

I nodded, remembering the trip my mother and I had taken.

"And when you returned with news of the White Fang, I'd considered the answer found, at least to some extent," He paused to look at me with piercing eyes. "Was I mistaken?"

Not for the first time, I mused that not much got past Ozpin. How I was going to get anything past him, then, remained something of a question, but I started by considering my words carefully and sticking as closely as I could to the truth.

"Perhaps," I hedged. "In Mistral, Grandmother and I came across some pretty solid evidence that a third party was making deals with the White Fang, but neither of us saw them. I left the matter in Grandmother's hands when it was time to head home, but she hasn't had any luck in the time since, either."

"She hasn't found anything?" He asked, eyebrows rising. "Your grandmother…whatever else might be said of her, she's always run a very tight ship in Mistral. I'm…I must admit, I'm quite surprised she hasn't found anything."

I shrugged a shoulder.

"So was I," I admitted. "But it seems to mainly be because Raven's running interference for them. She pretty much told Grandmother to back off, in fact."

"Curious," Ozpin said, his eyebrows lowering slowly only to furrow. "And concerning. Do we know anything of them?"

"They're human," I answered. "I got that from a White Fang agent. I get the feeling that the White Fang as a whole isn't super happy about working with them, given that, but it's rather telling that…well, they are anyway."

"Indeed," He nodded slowly. "It's something worth looking into."

"I was thinking the same thing," I agreed. "And it seems like I'll be well positioned for it."

He tilted his head to the side again, looking at me for a long moment before sighing and giving me a nod.

"I can't say I didn't expect it when your mother elected to call Jeanne," He told me. "Given your…family situation, it seemed like the most likely result. You'll be headed to Mistral, then?"

"It still depends on what my Mom needs," I hedged again. "But…it's looking that way."

"Well," He said after a moment's consideration, lifting a hand to his chin. "Under the circumstances, it seems like a good choice. This will give you a chance to investigate with our hidden third party, work more closely with the White Fang's assets, and train with the freedom being a Roma will grant you. We can always stay in touch via our scrolls, though it has its risks—and if need be, I'm sure you could just swim across the ocean or something. You've made arrangements?"

"I've spoken with Grandmother," I said. "I still need to hammer things out with Mom, though, and Jian Bing has a meeting planned with Raven that's coming up soon. I'll see what I can dig up on that front before I jump into things."

"Careful, Jaune," He warned and didn't need to specify to be understood.

"I know." I replied. "I will be."

I glanced over his shoulder a second before the timer in the kitchen went off and stood, stretching slightly. At the same time, I could feel my sisters begin to move upstairs, drawn back to the realm of the living by the smell of fresh food.

"Well," I smiled as I did. "Since you're already here, why don't you stay for breakfast? I made extra because I knew you'd be coming and I'm certain my sisters' will be pleased to see you again. We can continue this afterwards, if you'd like."

"Well," He smiled back. "If it won't be a bother."