The Games We Play

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

Target Acquired

True to her word, my grandmother gave me some time to prepare before the hunt and I did so by meditating, as I was wont to do. Once we'd finished our business at Sanctum, we'd returned to my grandmother's house and I'd set up shop, erecting my barriers over the house. Sanctum Sanctorum went up first and then other three once I had the MP to spare, just to test what would happen and if I could do it. From the description, Sanctum Sanctorum seemed to improve both independently and based on its component techniques, so it seemed like a good thing to test out, just to see. It was also worth checking if the techniques improved more quickly by remaining active or by being activated, because that would greatly change how I went about training them, and whether or not their effects stacked was worth looking into, as well.

Beyond which, well, who knows? Maybe the individual skills would have something worthwhile to offer even separately; if nothing else, having less expensive options was always nice.

The home so defended, I allowed myself some time to regain my power and activated Sacrifice to the Wolf and Adamant Serpent's Skin. As I did, Cynosarges and my grandmother left me to go discuss their own business; mainly how the Families would respond to the new information they had about the White Fang. What I'd told them about Raven was already causing ripples on a huge scale, even if they were keeping the knowledge itself under wraps, and they probably had a lot to think about.

God knows I did and sitting there in meditation…well, I didn't have much left to me but my thoughts. So now that the initial, I admit, panic was gone, I thought about Raven.

Seeing how my grandmother had reacted to the name made me wonder who else I should tell. I didn't want to put my mother at risk, but this was probably the type of information she'd put her life on the line to obtain, implying that Ozpin would have really liked to know about it. Could I risk telling him instead?

It could be dangerous for him, but I doubted it would be too bad. From a logical standpoint, if Raven wanted to strike at Humanity or the Hunters, killing Ozpin and the other Headmasters would be a good place to start—though technically their only responsibilities were to run the schools, one didn't get put in charge of guarding and shaping the future protectors of Remnant by collecting bottle caps. They all had a lot of power and a lot of pull, and if even one were to suddenly die…to say nothing of all four…

If Raven wanted chaos or destruction or to strike at Mankind, that would be a good places to start. That she hadn't done so implied that she either had a different goal I didn't know about, or that she wasn't able to. Either way, it seemed unlikely that informing him would put him in any more or less danger from Raven. And if she really had a brother in Ozpin's circle of friends, the information would be valuable on many different levels, so he'd definitely want to know. An opportunistic part of me couldn't help but whisper that there'd probably be some kind of reward involved for me in that case, but I tried to ignore it.

So rather than could, the better question was should I tell him. And I…

I wasn't sure where I stood. With Raven, with Ozpin, with…anything, really. I didn't know much about either of them, really. I mean, ostensibly, Ozpin should be the good guy and Raven the bad one—teacher vs. terrorist and all that—but even if I hadn't been embroiled with so much of the White Fang's business since I'd gotten my powers, I knew full well that the world could be more complicated than that. Hell, the whole shades of grey thing gets hammered in so often in books and games that it sometimes got tedious to listen to. Without any information, did I really want to make such a large decision and reveal Raven's identity?

A part of me wanted to say yes. I couldn't lie to myself about this; I was scared of Raven. Not like with a jump scare or even like I was being chased by a monster; it wasn't a sudden or shocking fear that coiled in body and pushed me to run. That type of fear is energetic, even exhilarating, but even without powers like mine, it was something that could be worked through if you knew how or had time to think. Reason was the bane of that kind of fear.

It was the source of mine. It was akin to waiting for test results; thinking things through and considering the possibilities didn't erase my worries, it made them come in to stay. I wasn't necessarily scared of what Raven would do—I was scared of what she could do. That if she wanted to, she could appear in my home and murder everyone I loved simply because she wanted to; that if she learned about my secrets, learned the truth, she just might. I knew logically that she was strong and I, in comparison, was weak. I knew that her power was strong and that I had no grasp of its limits and that was frightening.

And she probably intended for me to think like that, in much the same way I had done so before. She and I hid the truth of our powers, leaving just enough hidden to make people wonder, make them think we could do—be—anything. You do that, you turn your opponents mind against them, you don't even truly need to do anything to be terrifying. It was a tactic, a trick, and I understood that.

So for all that I was frightened, I also had to be considering. Logical or illogical, I couldn't let fear drive my actions, so for all that a part of me wanted to draw in everything I could and unite it against this mysterious threat, I thought things out.

Rather than her power, who Raven was as a person would decide whether she was dangerous or not, but I didn't know anything about her. Now that I had a chance to consider it calmly and in relative safety, her actions during our first meeting didn't tell me much, they just gave me cause to worry. She'd probably intended that, too; I would have, in her shoes. A sudden figure begins to rise in power as part of my organization, but who, in truth, is a completely unknown variable…I'd wonder. I'd worry. I'd watch him carefully and, if forced into a confrontation as I'd done to her, would probably fall back on my tried and true tactics of reputation and fear.

She'd seemed certain and calm and in control, but so had I. I tried my best to look that way, after all, no matter the circumstances; if anything, the worse things got, the more unflappable I strove to be. For all that she'd implied and insinuated, she hadn't said a lot, hadn't given anything away—about me or herself. I'd told myself and my friends a long time ago that overestimating people was just as dangerous as underestimating them, and I had to remember that now. Rather than a bunch of all-powerful super genius who saw all and knew all, we were just people. We thought and we planned, but we also made mistakes and missed things; that was as true of her as it was of me.

So odds were good that Raven was as wary of Jian Bing—who knew her name and could sense her hidden presence, who's motives and intentions were unknown, who was rising swiftly in power within her own organization without her control—as I was of Raven, the mysterious and deadly portal maker. That knowledge didn't make me less scared of her, sadly, but I had to remember that we were both as frightened as we were frightening.

And so I considered her, not as a threat, but as a person. A Hunter, once, like I now strove to become, until something made her change. What had it been? What could make a person jump from hero to terrorist? What could have made her run away from her brother and her team—perhaps even her lover—and become who she was today? What was she fighting for? What was she struggling to obtain?

After a while, I began to feel something else—not erasing the fear, as such, but outlining it.

Curiosity. I wanted to know what had happened to her, to make her like this. Maybe it was because of who I'd been before all this happened, maybe it was because my power could let me become anything, but either way…I was curious about what made others become who they were.

Or maybe I just wondered if it would happen to me. If one day I would just be going about my life as a Hunter and just…see something that would change me. Was there just something there I didn't know? Or had it been a slow thing, like a river wearing away at her for years?

I didn't know, but maybe…maybe I wanted to find out.

Or was that stupid? Should I do something now instead of waiting? I was…I knew how large a scale I was operating on, how many lives each and every one of my decisions could effect, but that didn't mean I knew what to do. My loyalties were divided too many ways; with my friends in the White Fang, my parents and their cause, my grandmother and hers, my…

"Damn it," I muttered, eyes remaining closed even as I slowly drew myself from my meditation as I felt someone draw nearer.

Really, maybe it was for the best. Whenever I got to thinking like this, I just found myself struggling aimlessly and I didn't know why. I wasn't any closer to knowing what to do now than I had been in the beginning. Maybe I should just put the new points I had into Wisdom already, instead of waiting any longer. I doubted it would be enough to make things clear to me, but it had to help somehow, right? Yeah, I'd do that and maybe…

But I still had no idea what I was going to do next. Damn it.

I sighed.

"Time to go already, grandmother?" I asked, opening my eyes to glance her way as she entered the room.

"Just checking on you," She said, leaning against the doorway. "But if you're ready, so am I. I sent several of my men to find an appropriate target and keep tabs on it. We'll take a ship right over as soon as you're through."

I flexed my fingers, watching the power flowing beneath the surface in streams, twisting into knots at specific points. More power flowed through my skin itself, but in a different way—like a circuit in some ways, but covering me entirely until it gave the impression it wasn't moving at all.

Both were in order. So long as I kept a hold on how the energy flowed, I shouldn't need to worry. The barriers I'd set up around us remained strong as well, a constantly shifting and yet eternally stable pattern. At a guess, it had been several hours, which was still enough time for some progress to be made with all the skills. There was still a lot of work to be done, but…

"I'm ready, Grandmother," I said. "If you and Cynosarges are there, it should be fine. Where are we going?"

"Elephant hunting," She said. "We found a solitary Goliath about fifty kilometers out. It's rare to find them travelling alone and I figured that'd be a good place for you to start."

Within the hour, we were looking down at the tremendous shape far below. The trees around it barely scratched its massive shoulders as it trekked across the land. As my grandmother had said, the massive creature was shaped roughly like an elephant, but all in black except for the white bone plating customary to the Grimm. Its mask drew my attention quickly, for obvious reasons, and I memorized its features; arcs and slashes of red on white.

I imagined myself wearing it. Baring specific, valuable effects like Lycaon's ability to coordinate parties, I usually stuck to Lenore as it was my most broadly powerful mask—which fit, I suppose, as it came from the most powerful type of Grimm I'd ever slain. Until now, perhaps.

Whose Footsteps Shake the Earth

LV?

Goliath

Too strong for me to even view its level, it must have been in the mid-eighties at least—a minimum of thirty levels above the Giant Nevermore I'd slain. Fighting such a thing alone—fighting it at all—should have been insane, but…I had back up. Ludicrously high leveled backup, between my grandmother and Cynosarges, who had stuck around at my grandmother's request. With Hugo and Enzo here as well, watching things carefully, the two aged Hunters would know when and if I was in over my head, at least in theory. This was as close to a controlled setting as a fight with the Grimm could be. With backup like that ready to get involved…

I was willing to try my luck. And if I succeeded…I could only imagine. If I fought and won against a creature this far above me, what would it mean for me? Five levels? Ten? And the reward…with a difference this big, it seemed all but certain that any mask I got would be at least a match for Lenore. Given its structure…it'd probably be more of a full facial mask then Lenore's half, though the eyes—

Stop, I thought firmly.

I was getting dangerously ahead of myself. Controlled conditions or not, this was a Goliath, one of the intelligent species of Grimm who'd lived and learned for hundreds of years, growing in wisdom as well as power. These were creatures that wouldn't rush in thoughtlessly like a Beowolf or an Ursa, but which waited on the outskirts of civilization for an opportunity to do the most damage. They traveled in packs for safety, embodying such enormous power as a group that even large numbers of Hunters found it easier to let them be, despite the threat they posed. The casualties estimated in fighting a herd of Goliaths were…staggering, they were so dangerous and so capable of working together.

So why the hell was this one traveling alone? Some kind of conflict within the herd? It seemed unlikely; conflicts amongst the Grimm weren't unheard of, but they were exceptionally rare—assuming such divisions were even a result of conflict at all. Whatever else they were, the Grimm were good at uniting against Mankind, regardless of species or relative intelligence. While the smaller types tended to stay out of the way of the greater species, even they would rally to the call if so needed. For a Goliath, known for its intelligence and caution towards Humans, to break away and go it alone so close to Mistral at a time like this…well, what were the odds?

Pretty low, I figured. There must have been a reason for it. The actions of the White Fang, whatever they might be? Was it serving as a scout party of some kind, testing to see if it was a trap? But if that was the case, shouldn't it have been closer to the White Fang's base of operations? What was it doing all the way out here?

Or could…no, it couldn't be. I mean, how could it possibly even know…but perhaps…

I stared down at the enormous beast, frown slowly deepening, when it did something that made the last of my anticipation and greed vanish.

It stopped. The Goliath stopped in its tracks, massive head lifting to gaze up at us, yellow eyes gleaming in the morning light. It didn't attack or show any signs implying action; no, it was simply…

Waiting. Watching us.

More than anything else, that was what alarmed me.

"Something's wrong," I said, bracing myself even though none of my senses reacted. I saw my grandmother do the same thing, looking down at the mighty beast below.

"Yes," She said, tuning her head to look at Hugo and Enzo, who looked over everything in the area, from the Goliath to the people in the airship. They frown as one, a furrow forming in their brows, but then shook their heads.

"Orange," Hugo said.

"Yellow," Enzo added, nodding down at the Grimm far below.

Not a threat, they judged. Or, at least, not a major threat. My senses backed that up in their own way, not alerting me to any immediate dangers, but…even my senses could only see so much. I wonder how far into the future Hugo and Enzo's eyes could see; their power was a type of precognition, gauging danger, but out to when? I was somewhat doubtful they could look at babies and tell what they'd grow up to be or anything like that; they might have been able to see a lot further and more accurately then me, but it was still probably a relatively short term thing. That they could see us and the creature below and declare us fairly safe didn't mean nothing was at work here.

I looked at my grandmother and saw the same thoughts in her eyes. But she watched the Grimm for a minute, scanned the horizon, and then pursed her lips. I could see her weighing her options carefully, going through the possibilities. She was probably considering the same things I was—on one hand, a rare chance for me to fight a Goliath and gain tremendous power very quickly. On the other hand, the quiet certainty that whatever was happening was…strange. Wrong.

"Should we go?" I murmured and watched her exhale slowly.

"It's your decision," She said at last. "Pros and cons either way. I'll support you whatever happens, just remember the risks. Do you think you can beat it?"

I looked down at the creature, shifting a little bit in place.

"Yes," I answered. "Maybe. Probably? I think I can win, with the skills I've gained and the training I've done. I still have a fair amount of Dust, too, so…yes, I can probably win eventually. With you two here as well, I don't think I'm in…that much danger? It's just, this feels…"

I shrugged, uncertain. I didn't have to complete the sentence for anyone in this ship.

"But I guess it's dangerous either way, right?" I mused. "Raven or the Goliath…I have to get stronger somehow, I suppose, and if I had to choose…"

I scanned the area again, carefully making sure. I was worried, nervous even, but…

"I don't see any traps," I said, which was my humble way of say that there weren't any traps there, period. "And Hugo and Enzo gave the okay. Whatever's going on…at the very least, I don't think it's an immediate threat. Raven is. The White Fang and whatever is going on in Mistral…it's all happening right now. So…"

I took a step closer to the ships open door, drawing a reassuring breath. Whatever was making me nervous, I'd deal with it when the time came. For now, I'd fight and grow stronger, so that I could deal with those threats.

After a moment, my grandmother nodded, slight frown still on her face. She glanced up at Cynosarges, who said nothing, face completely focused as he gazed down at the Goliath.

"Okay," She said. "Be careful. We'll interfere if Hugo and Enzo see any sign of trouble. But take this, just in case."

She withdrew a cartridge of dust crystals from her waist, handing them to me quietly. I glanced them over once—about ten small crystals, which wouldn't last me very long, but I saw more colors then the basic types I was largely restricted to. Which reminded me that I needed to buy more Dust, but at the rate I could go through the stuff…God, I'd probably used at least a million Lien worth against Penny alone.

Still, small addition as it was, every little bit helped.

"Thank you, Grandmother," I said, storing the cartridge in my Inventory before taking a deep breath.

First things first, I finished preparing myself. I hesitated before deciding against using my new barriers just yet. The cost wasn't an issue, in and of itself, since I still had a fair bit of Dust in store, but…there was still the issue of range. A few thousand cubic meters wasn't a lot of room to fight a monster that size and I wasn't sure if anything I made would be strong enough to contain such a monster. If I had more time to train, some way of expanding the limits…

It was a pity, truly. The effects stacked, after all, and if I directed Sanctum Sanctorum and Safe Haven against the Grimm, it would shave off a large chunk of its power. I wasn't skilled enough with Temple yet to apply its effects selectively, but my HP and MP regeneration was so much higher than anyone else's, I still came out far ahead from the bonus. If the barriers had been strong enough, they could have kept it contained and at least given me time to react if it called for aid. All the cards would have been in my favor and even in the worst case scenario, I could've always given it the runaround for a bit until I regained enough power to act, what with a vast boosted HP and MP regeneration.

One day, I hoped. If I trained enough, reduced the costs enough…

But not yet.

Instead, I fell back on what I knew worked. I reached into my inventory and withdrew Lenore and Dreary Midnight, equipping both even as Crocea Mors promptly liquefied, flowing up to cover my hands. I relaxed slightly as it all settled into place, nerves easing slightly under the comforting weight of my gear. Maybe it was silly, but I honestly felt reassured by it.

Did that mean something? That I felt more confident and powerful when I dressed as Jian Bing? I mean, I was more powerful, of course; the equipment carried bonuses, Crocea Mors reshaped to best use Bai Hu's power, etc. But did it mean something, that I drew upon it so often? That I felt so comfortable falling back on the guise of the powerful Jian Bing?

Probably just that I overanalyze things. It was just more efficient to wear the cloak and mask and draw on the skills I'd trained the most. I left the Heir of the White Tiger off for now, though, focusing on a different tactic instead. Given how tough the Goliath looked…well, my Air Affinity may have been higher, but steel was probably the way to go here. Defense penetration rather than broad damage.

"Magic Missile," I said, assume a throwing stance. The spear of white light gathered above my hand, filling the interior of the ship with stark light. Since it was my opening move and I had plenty of range, I charged it for the full twelve seconds, letting it brighten and grow—and then I threw it with all my might, straight at the head of the beast. The flash of white light leapt across the sky like a shooting star, crashing into the beast like a meteor.

It braced itself and pretty much shrugged it off. Full charged and backed by a huge amount of my power, the attack could have passed through a Giant Nevermore like they were made of air, yet it only took…a twentieth of the Goliath's health bar? A thirtieth? Maybe even less; it was hard to tell from here.

The Goliath lifted its trunk and trumpeted at us, but stood its ground.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance even as I popped a Dust crystal to regain my strength. If that much power and that long of a charge time had accomplished so little, then chances are I was better off going down there and fighting with my hands. With all the boosts I had on top of the White Tiger's Five Hundred Years and Sacrifice to the Wolf…and Adamant Serpent's Skin should protect me…

But…

"Hugo, Enzo?" I asked.

"Same as before," Hugo said, glancing at me. Did it not matter or did his power know from the beginning what I'd do.

"I'm going down," I told my grandmother. "Please make sure it doesn't kill me."

"I will," She said. "Be careful, Jaune. Don't do anything stupid."

"I'll…" I considered it and sighed as I changed my title, tail growing into place as my hair turned white. "I'll give it my best effort."

Levant formed around me, catching me as I leapt from the ship and brought my powers to bear. I flew down at the Goliath as fast as if I'd jumped, my Elemental quickening my descent instead of abating it, and I slammed my fist full force into its masked face. I drove the creature back—just a meter, perhaps, nothing compared to its enormous size, but still back—and grabbed ahold of it to deal another series of blows. I grasped at its hide, clawed fingers searching even as I scratched at it, pulling up slivers of flesh as I tried to grab for handholds.

It shook its head, an enormous motion that made it seem like some massive hand was trying to tear me into the sky. Levant eased the wind pressure, but as I was snapped back and forth, again and again, I could barely hold on—and then suddenly I was in the air. It was hard to describe it beyond that, it happened so quickly; one second I had a grip and the next I just…was flying loose. I gestured and Levant shifted the air to catch me gently, though Feather Fall should have kept me safe regardless. I righted myself quickly, trying to keep my eyes on the Goliath at all times, catching a glimpse of sudden motion—

It hit me with its trunk. I saw it coming at the last second and tried to dodge, but with what should have been impossible speed for something of its size, it hit me anyway and smacked me into a nearby cliff face.

Just to clarify, when I say it smacked me into a cliff face, I meant it smacked me into a cliff face. I pounded into the stone shelf with enough force that even Feather Fall couldn't stop it completely and drove perhaps ten meters into the rock. Tons of stone broke and fell around me and I had to sink a hand into the rock beneath me to remain up right and see my opponent.

Its trunk lifted, dark shades of light gathering in its open mouth, and I was abruptly burning even as I was forced deeper into the stone. I called out to Suryasta and Levant even as I tried to stand, but I sank into molten rock as the crater my body had made melted around me. It rained down on me from above, showering me with fluid, and felt my skin glowing, trying to melt. My Elementals came to me call, forming a shield against the heat, ferrying the air to my lungs, but it was all I could do to heal myself repeatedly in the face of the onslaught.

And then, as quickly as it had begun, the attack came to a halt, leaving me half buried in molten stone. One of my arms was still raised in defense against the raining stone, shielding my eyes and mouth, but I had to bury the other up to the shoulder in the slowly flowing rock around me to grasp something solid and keep from sliding off the cliff.

I panted hard for a second or two, trying to keep my head above the stone, and then grit my teeth. That attack had hurt and I'd felt what it could have done to me—a week ago, I'd have died to that attack.

But that was a week ago.

"So it's like that, is it?" I snarled, pushing myself to my feet and nearly falling in the tide. My skin still glowed with the heat and perhaps two-thirds of my health was gone, but I wasn't dead so it was just a temporary discomfort. I knew my grandmother would have intervened had Hugo and Enzo deemed it unsafe for me to keep fighting, but she hadn't. And as long as that was true…

There was no reason for me to ever back down.

So as the Goliath trumpeted mockingly, I leapt from the cliff, shaking molten stone loose like a dog would water, and flew at the beast on wings of wind.