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.

Defeat

The White Tiger of the West rose around me. I didn't have a lot of choice and this wasn't the time to worry about secrets regardless. If the Pandora Shell had been opened, if its contents had been unleashed…

I tried not to think about it. I knew what it meant and couldn't delude myself to the contrary no matter how hard I tried, but that didn't meant I wanted to accept it-and I had something more immediate to worry about, anyway. The physical manifestation of my soul rose around me, breaking through the layers of solidified air with careful motions and sloughing off the shattered pieces like it would have rain. Curling its arms around the frozen forms of my mother and I, it lifted us both and tried to find a safe place to set us down.

It was harder than it sounded. Through the eyes of my soul, I saw dark splotches on everything in sight, as if it had rained mud or oil—and I didn't dare let any of it touch either of us. But in the end, there was no way to truly be sure anywhere was safe, regardless of what may have seemed obvious. Against this threat…

My mother had tried to bury me in lava and freeze me beneath layers of solid air to try and keep me safe from the Pandora Shell's opening. It was a desperate thing, so much so that I could feel her dying in my arms. I felt the agonizing cold myself, but to someone without a body like mine, temperature extremes like this must have been…

The Gamer's Body kept my flesh from breaking down under damage, keeping my wounds from really building upon one another or worsening. I didn't need to worry about blood loss or not being able to use a broken limb or the effects of exposure; I took damage, possibly at regular intervals or as a continuous effect, and that was that. Even having been dipped in lava and frozen to far, far below zero, I'd be fine as soon as I was out, especially once I'd had a chance to heal myself—but my mother's entire body must have been at risk of shutting down, her organs failing in the wake of the absurd changes in temperature. And with the amount of Aura she must have spent doing it, to say nothing of the fight beforehand…

At the moment…it was probably only my hold on her that kept her alive. I healed us both in shifts, trying to mend the damage as it occurred, but I needed to be able to do something. At the same time, though, I couldn't risk discarding the protection my mother had nearly died to give us any more than I could let her actually die. But if there was nowhere safe…

No choice, I thought as the White Tiger lifted a hand, flames gather above us in the form of a massive Flare that it immediately dropped on the street in front of us. It covered the road with a sheet of flames and I called out to Suryasta to stoke them higher and hotter. Levant guided the winds, drawing all the air nearby through the hottest parts of the flames again and again, trying my utmost to purify it all. In the midst of it all, I kept especially tight control over a carefully corralled pocket of air, keeping it from shifting to carbon dioxide in the flames. After a minute of focus, I let the flames die out—and then combined my affinities for fire and lightning to bake the area again. Finally, as my lungs began to burn and I was all but forcing my mother's heart to beat, I combined water and air to cool the pocket I'd formed enough to be breathable and set us down inside.

God, please let this be enough, I prayed as I freed us both from our icy prison and held my mother tight. I looked down at her face as my vision cleared and just the sight of her hurt. Her skin had gone nearly blue, but it went far, far beyond that. Her skin…in places it had cracked open and begun to slowly ooze blood that itself froze in ugly looking clumps. Frozen so harshly, her hair and eyelashes had broken in uneven clumps as we came free, literally snapping off. Bits of her lips had flaked off, revealing cracked and frozen teeth, but her eyes…her eyes were the worst, enough that I wanted to avert my own.

But I didn't. Free of our prison and the source of harm, I focused all my efforts on healing her, restoring the lost HP with Soulforge Restoration, casting Regeneration on her, and even expending a blue Dust crystal to try to mend the horrific damage her own defense had wrought. Only when I was done and she had ceased to look like a frozen statue did I pay attention to anything else.

First things first, I checked her over carefully and then glanced down at myself, exhaling slowly in relief. At first glance, we didn't seem to have been effected, which was good.

On the other hand, we seemed to be alone, which was very, very bad. If the others were gone…

I closed my eyes and let the jolt of sickness and terror fade before looking around and trying to piece together what had happened while I'd been frozen. I could see the odd hole in the ground that the pillar of light had made, as well as the matching wound it had left in a nearby mountain—a casual testament to Crom Cruach's power, that it could sheer a hole so deep with such easy. Beyond the marks, though, it hadn't done much but wipe out a few buildings. If he'd attacked again in the time I'd been preoccupied, I didn't see any signs of it, though he could have just been waiting to screw us over again, the son of a bitch.

Given the circumstances, though, I wasn't making him a priority—and good God did that say everything you needed to know about the current circumstances. But for the moment, he just wasn't the biggest problem and he seemed content to lie in wait, so I took a breath and moved on. The other Grimm had left the vicinity as well, though it was probably too much to hope that they'd run away or been defeated. Odds were better that they'd just continued their advance into the village and had started to slaughter innocent people.

Horrific as that was, it also wasn't my biggest problem. But since nothing appeared to be attacking me at the moment, I focused my attention on what was, spying a dark patch on the ground outside the limits of my safe zone, perhaps five meters away—which was about as close as I had any desire to get regardless.

Thankfully, I didn't need to draw nearer to accomplished what I desired. Focusing, I zeroed in on what I knew would be there, magnifying the dark splotch with my Clairvoyance and paying careful attention as it grew to consume my sight. I focused in until I could see the individual parts that made up the larger mass, magnifying it hundreds and hundreds of times over to see the truth within.

Most Grimm, for whatever reason, bore forms modelled after animals and other creatures. Some of them weren't based on a single creature, but you could often see traces even then. The terror released by the Pandora Shells was no different in that regard—it just modelled itself after something very, very small. Underneath the microscope of my vision, I saw the black forms and their white, protective shells. Flagella twisted and pili clung to one another, allowing the countless creatures to both stand still and move within the dark fluid they seemed to create. I saw several of the bacteria-like Grimm close in on a plant cell, penetrating the cell wall and then darkening it from within. In moments, the green color of the chlorophyll had faded.

Through my other set of eyes, I could see what that meant on a larger scale. The small flower that the Grimm cells had surrounded, a remnant from someone's garden that had miraculously survived the battle, quickly turned black as if rotting—but it didn't die. No, just the opposite; it grew, rising from a tiny blossom to a plant perhaps three feet tall. One by one, its bright yellow petals fell off and a new bud began to grow into place, colored bone white and blood red. In moments, the new flower blossomed, spreading petals of bone as if to remind the world that nothing on this planet was safe from the Grimm.

If that had been Autumn…

I pushed the thought aside with sheer force of will and continued to watch. With amazing speed, the new plant began its work, making what I assumed passed for 'pollen' in its eyes—in truth, densely packed clumps of the Grimm cells sent off to find more hosts. That was this plant's only purpose, I suppose; after all, everyone knew that the Grimm didn't really focus on plants or animals, even though they were living things that had Aura. These cells were probably just taking advantage of an opportunity.

In the end, what they were after was…

I destroyed the corrupted plant with a blast from the White Tiger, burning it and its spreading pollen away with a scorching blast. I watched under my microscope as the Grimm cells stood up to the blast for far longer than they should have been able to before finally beginning to burst and die. I held the blast until I was sure they were gone and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

I'd heard the stories like everyone else; heard what could happen when these things got going. Durable enough to survive an explosion and light enough to be flung vast distances by it and be carried in countless ways. They could travel on air currents and in water—even hitch a ride into the water table, if they had a chance. They could survive a heavy boiling, literally crawl through conventional filtration, and once they got inside you, they…

"Now why'd you do that, son?" A voice asked. Focused as I'd been on the small scale, I hadn't even noticed anything approaching—but the voice was instantly familiar and for all that I'd known this was coming, it still filled me with dread.

I turned to face my father.

Or, at least, I turned to face the thing that was wearing my father's face. He hadn't changed as fully as some of the pictures I'd seen, but spikes and armor plates rose from the darkening flesh of his arms. A mask had already begun to form on his face, though not enough to truly make out its shape yet—at the moment, it covered only his forehead, the right side of his face, and his right eye, nothing standing out about it except for the crown-like ridges that rose from the top. It didn't cover his mouth in the slightest, though, and his smile was still the same. But…

?

LV92

?

I cast a glance at my mother and rose in front of her protectively, staying within the confines of my safety zone as I met my father's eyes.

"Who are you?" I demanded, even though the words hurt to give voice and he put his hand over his heart as my father had done a million times, feigning hurt.

"How can you even say that, Jaune?" He asked before smirking and letting loose a rolling laugh. "Can't you recognize your old man?"

"I can," I whispered, swallowing slightly. "So I ask again—who are you?"

"Oh? Does it not say?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he waved a hand above his head. "That's interesting…"

I said nothing, watching him carefully.

"I wonder…" He mused aloud. "Is it because I'm still settling in? Well, I don't really get out much, either. I've been given lots and lots of names, but which one's mine? Now that's an interesting question…perhaps I simply don't have a name?"

He tapped a finger against his lips and then his smile widened.

"For a long, long time, I was called 'Pestilence,' but I never really liked that name. If I get to choose, there is one I'm a little more fond of," He said, staring at me with his mismatched eyes. "The first name I was ever given was 'Conquest'—because I take everything you have and I make it mine. Of course, you can always just call me 'Dad,' Jaune."

I took a slow breath, watched him for a moment, and then exhaled.

It was hard to look at this thing wearing my father's flesh, enough to make me want to rage and cry at once—but I calmed down quickly and considered the situation. I was in a dangerous position, I knew that much—my mother unconscious, my father taken, and no real way of knowing when reinforcements would arrive. Hell, if they weren't informed of what was happening, if they made any mistakes, said reinforcements could just make things worse; my mother hadn't known about them when she sent her message, so they'd be flying in blind. Maybe they'd notice what was wrong and react properly, maybe they wouldn't, but it was risky either way. To complicate things further, the others…I had no idea who'd been able to react to the explosion or how well. Until proven otherwise, I had no choice but to assume everyone else had been infected.

I was alone in perhaps the most dangerous position I'd ever been in. Given its failure, I couldn't rely on Naraka to escape and there didn't seem to be anyone around to save me, either. All told, things were looking pretty bleak.

But even so, there was an opportunity here. It sent a spike of nausea through me, but this thing that had infected my father, that was continuing to infect him before my very eyes…it could speak. It was a Grimm that could speak, the only one I'd ever even heard of who could do so. Even in the records of previous outbreaks, there'd never been note of something like this. It was…as horrifying and sickening as it was, this was a chance I couldn't pass up.

"What do you want?" I asked finally.

"Beg pardon?" Conquest asked, blinking my father's eyes.

"You haven't killed me yet," I noted, looking around. "Haven't tried to infect me, either. I assume you aren't just feeling chatty."

"Oho," His smile widened. "You are smart—that's good. It makes this easier for all of us."

I said nothing, watching him carefully.

"Yes," He said after I didn't respond. "I want something from you, Jaune—and it's rare indeed that I want something I can't just take. But with your power, it's likely I wouldn't be able to take you, son. The Gamer's Body and Mind…what do I count as, any? An illness? A status effect? Or just another being? Either way, I hope you realize this is troublesome for me, too."

I relaxed a bit, if not visibly. I'd figured my power would give me some defense from the infection, but it hadn't been something I'd been eager to test. Having a second opinion was nice, even if it came from something like this thing.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," I said with all the civility I could muster. "I take it you have something else in mind, then?"

"Polite, too," He noted. "Yes, I do."

"Then I ask again," I replied. "What do you want?"

He tilted his head, looking contemplative.

"Well if I told you, I somehow suspect that you would never do it," He mused. "The question becomes, then, how do I make you do it without telling you?"

He sighed.

"To be honest, I don't have much experience with this. It's rare that I engage in bargains or negotiations, you see," Conquest said. "I can usually do away with such measures and just kill everything—or I used to be able to, back in the old days. Nowadays, we have to hold back, you know."

He was baiting me, I could tell, trying to get my interest—and it was working. I needed to find out everything I could while I had the chance and if he was willing to talk I had to listen. The more I knew, the better my currently abysmal odds were, and besides…

"In the old days," I repeated. "What constitutes as 'the old days' in your eyes, if I might ask? Am I mistaken in assuming you mean Babel?"

He flexed his fingers as additional spikes grew into place, eying me for a moment before nodding sharply.

"Ah, yes," He said. "Forgive me; it takes a while to go through the brain cells, you see. Yes, you call it Babel. I wasn't always cages up in those shells, you see—I was one of the oldest of us, you see, and there was a time when I was free to run rampant. We all were, really."

"'We'?" I asked.

"The ones who sleep, unless we have reason to wake," H shrugged. "You've met several of us, now. What do you call them…Ah, I see. You've seen Ziz and Crom Cruach—and me, of course. But there are others as well; the one's I told you stories about. Remember that, son? We have to sleep now, but once upon a time…well, needless to say, I remember those days fondly."

I took a breath and ignored the barbs.

"I see," I said calmly. "Why do you sleep then?"

He wagged his finger, chuckling.

"Now that would be telling," He answered. "And you really need to know why, anyway—not for what we need of you. But how do we get what we need from someone like you…I can see why my brother woke me up. I do have more experience dealing with people."

There it was—the possibility I hadn't wanted to face, but hadn't been able to keep from considering.

"It was because of me, then?" I asked. "I'm why you were here?"

He surprised me by simply shrugging again.

"I'm not sure, though I assume it has something to do with it," He told me. "I didn't really have time to speak to Crom before he left, you see; all I know is what I've taken from this man's brain. I'm sure you've noticed by now that you were lured here, no?"

"A Grimm sighting, to draw in the Hunters," I voiced my thoughts. "Further investigation reveals to extent of the problem and reinforcements are called for—and they draw a reaction. It was a trap from the beginning."

"Seems that way," He agreed, looking amused. "I don't know if I'd have been brought in for any sufficiently large group of Hunters or if you're just that special, though. Either way, when my brother woke me up to a whole lot of nothing, I was a bit confused—but then I saw your barrier and got a bit interested. I haven't seen anyone use that old thing in a long, long time."

"You recognized it?" I felt my heart plummet for a moment.

"'Course I recognized it," He chuckled. "I helped destroy the civilization that invented it."

"Then you were the one who broke it," I said.

"Obviously," He cracked his neck. "Not to sound too arrogant, but I developed something of a knack for finding people who think they're safe and proving that they really aren't. A lot of people tried to escape my brothers and I. A lot of people failed."

"You infected someone who knew how to break the barrier," I guessed and then confirmed my worst fears with my Clairvoyance. "You can use Aura. But the Grimm…"

I fell silent for a moment and then made several thought connections that made my heart both rise and fall.

"My father," I asked and was amazed when my voice didn't shake. "Is he alive in there?"

"For several definitions of alive, yes," His smile widened and he stretched a bit. "I admit, I can be a bit hard on bodies, but they're so much more useful if you keep them running right. So many neat tricks. But it's all well and good, right? You gonna come over here and save me now or what?"

"How?" I asked, holding myself still until my heart stopped pounding even though I wanted to step forward. "How can you do that?"

"Sorry, kid—trade secret," He gestured flippantly. "But long story short, you'd be surprised what you can live through, especially if you're willing to be flexible with your definition of 'alive.' But you wouldn't know that anymore, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled again—and maybe it was a bit hypocritical of me, but God was I starting to hate that laugh.

"'Dust,'" He said after a moment. "'Aura,' 'Semblances'…you really don't know much about them anymore, do you? Partially my fault, I admit, but…you guys have fallen a long ways, haven't you? But that's why you call it Remnant, right? Because that's what you are, isn't it—what's left."

"But you know?" I asked. "You know how they work?"

"For a while, I was most of the guys who wrote the books on them," He smirked. "Of course I know. Funny, isn't it? How I'm pretty much the only one who knows anymore. I find it funny, at least—especially when I look at you, Jaune. When I saw you, I knew why I'd been woken up, but you still have no idea how your power even works. I'm going to have to put down breadcrumbs for you to follow, aren't I? Speaking of which, that's as good a lead in as any. I've got an idea!"

"Is that what you're going to offer me?" I asked, taking a step back at his words. Even so, I had to keep him talking while I could. "Knowledge? Power? Or are you going to say you'll give my father back to me?"

Conquest seemed to consider that for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nah," He said. "Really can't see you working for us out of gratitude, you know? Considering what we are and everything. And if I promised you safety and rewards, well, would you really believe me, anyway? No, I just don't see it working—and I'm really more of a taker then a giver. For what I have in mind, I think that works better anyway. So step aside, kid."

He took a step forward, into my safety zone, drawing closer to me—and to my mother.

Levant, Suryasta, Vulturnus, and Xihai manifested, Crocea Mors filling my sword as I drew it and met his eyes.

"Stop," I said, standing protectively over my mother as Conquest eyed me and laughed again.

"Or what, son?" He asked. "What are you gonna do to stop me? You're gonna try to save me, aren't you? But you've got to be wondering 'what are you gonna do if you can't'? Are you gonna kill me? Can you?"

He lowered his head to take a better look at me and his smile widened as I stood my ground.

"Oh, maybe you can?" He wondered. "The Gamer's Mind keeps you calm and logical, doesn't it? So maybe, if you have to, you can do it. Does that frighten you, Jaune? That you might be able to kill me? That you wouldn't even cry afterwards? What kind of son wouldn't even cry over his father's death?"

He took another step forward and then another, ignoring my Elementals completely even as they gathered their power and the White Tiger of the West loomed over him.

"I'll tell you," He said. "My son. You're a chip off the old block, my boy; a monster just like your old man. And I'm so proud."

I took a steadying breath and then another before meeting his eyes steadily.

"I hope you don't think there's a chance in hell I'll give you what you want," I told him quietly.

He looked at me contemplatively and grinned.

"I think you already have, boy," His smile changed until it was no more than a bearing of teeth. "But let's make sure, eh? It'd be rude to leave your mother out of this."

In that moment, I knew I had to act. I couldn't put it off any longer, so I prepared myself and tried to ignore any doubts his words had planted in me. If I could hit him and hold on for a minute, maybe I'd be able to save him. If not…

I'd save my father then, too.

"You're right. So allow me to interrupt," I heard a voice say and the ground beneath my father's feet abruptly turned to lava. I saw him grimace and Lunged forward with all my speed—but even though there was only a few meters between us, he lifted his hammer with his mostly transformed arm and swung it hard enough to smash me through a house. I didn't care and was back on my feet in a fraction of a second, rushing towards him again—

"Stop, Jaune," My mother said, rising to her feet only a bit shakily. Even so, I stopped.

"Isabelle," Conquest said, smiling at her and seeming unbothered by the lava now that the initial surprise had faded. "My beautiful wife. We were just talking about you."

"I heard," She said coldly. "Jaune, can you do anything to keep me from getting infected?"

I glanced over at Levant who shimmed and then split in two. One moved quickly to hover my mother, gathering a pocket of clean air around her, but…

"I don't know if this will be enough," I admitted, whispering to her through Levant's mouth. "But it should keep the air around you clean, at least."

She nodded once, expression unchanging.

"Jaune, I'll handle this," She said and I masked the words reflexively. "Leave."

"What?" I demanded, startled. "Mom, if we work together, I might be able to—"

"The village, Jaune," She said in the same tone, silencing me. "While we're here, imagine what's happening there. I can stop him for now, but you're the only one who could possibly save them."

I hesitated, looking down.

"Mom," I whispered. "But he's…"

"Go," She said and gave me a slight smile. "I'll handle things here until you return, okay?"

I looked from her to my father and back.

"No matter what he says, Jaune, don't forget the truth," She continued. "You are your father's son, Jaune. So don't give up hope yet. We still aren't beaten."

Watching spikes grow in on my father's flesh and his mask continue to form, I wonder how she could say that—and if she honestly believed it or if she was just trying to get me to leave. Had she given up on my father already? Did she think I didn't have a chance? Or…

But whatever the case, I could hear screaming on the air and knew that the villagers were in danger. They might very well not last much longer without some help.

But…my father was still…if I could save him…

I knew it wasn't very heroic, but if I could just save him…

If, I thought. And I suppose that was the big question. I had to know, so…

I bowed my head and turned away.

"Leaving, son?" Conquest asked. "Are you gonna abandon us both?"

"No," I said. "I'll be back in just a minute."

He chuckled.

"Fine, then. I sent the others into town, anyway. Go play with them while Mommy and Daddy talk."

I swallowed hard, hands clenching into fists.

And then I ran away, leaving everything I cared about behind.