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.

Team Battle

"Ozpin, you mind staying on the line?" I asked, glancing down to the scroll at my belt even though I knew he couldn't see me. "Might need some advice when the fighting starts."

"Of course, Jaune," The headmaster answered quietly, traces of worry slipping into his tone. He knew better than anyone what I was probably about to walk into, so that wasn't very encouraging, but I suppose I wouldn't have believed him if he told me it wasn't going to be dangerous. The other Hunters had apparently been quiet while I'd moved through the town, but whatever they were up to now…

"Onyx?" Levant carried the words down to his ears.

"Like I said, I got underground the moment I realized what was happening. I didn't get a chance to see who got taken, but…everyone on your mom and dad's teams were major badasses, kid. Proceed with extreme caution."

"Of course," I nodded. Really, that was just stating the obvious; even so, I appreciated the concern.

But Onyx wasn't done.

"Jaune," He said seriously. "There's no way of knowing who might be there or how many of them were…I don't know. And you're strong, kid. Hella strong. I don't know what your parents have been feeding you, but whatever it was, they obviously knew what they were doing raising you. But if it's against a whole team of Hunters…"

"I know," I said quietly. "But we can't very well just let them do whatever they want, can we?"

Onyx blew out a breath and I suspected he was shaking his head.

"No," He answered. "No, I guess we can't. Do you need me to come up?"

"Not yet," I replied. "No offense, but I think you're more useful to us in the ground right now—and there's too much risk in you rising, anyway. Are you below the area already?"

"Will be in a second or two," He said. "I can feel some people above me, but there's only so much I can tell from down here. You need something specific?"

"Not yet," I frowned as I ran, circling the outskirts of the area as I plotted my approach. "Gonna check things out first, see what's going on. Might need someone to evacuate people quickly, might need some help restructuring the battlefield; just be ready for whatever happens. I have Ozpin in my ear still, so I'm not completely alone in this and I'll tell you if there's anything you can do to help."

"Be careful up there, kid," Onyx sounded serious.

"I'll give it my best effort," I promised him. "Tell me when you're in position and I'll move in."

"Give me just a second, okay? My Aura takes a while to flow through the earth. Let me get this area under control now and I'll be able to do a lot more for you if anything…you know"

"Got it," I nodded and turned my focus to preparing myself for the fight ahead. "Just tell me when you're ready, Onyx."

I took stock of myself one last time. Though I'd turned off the White Tiger of the West so it didn't conceal anything while Ozpin checked me for signs of infection, I turned both it and the title of the same name on when Onyx submerged again. All my usual skills were already active and supported by my massive MP regen, so that wasn't a real concern right now either.

But there was one thing left to decide. Right now, thanks to the title I wore, I stood as Jian Bing. Though Crocea Mors was still in his sword form at my side, it would only take a matter of moments to shift it into the form of my gauntlets—but I hesitated, considering.

The title 'White Tiger of the West' gave me a one hundred percent increase to the damage and defense of all White Tiger skills and a fifty percent reduction in their cost. Furthermore, the White Tiger's Star altered my appearance to be more in line with—I assumed—that of the real Jian Bing, as well as conferring other bonuses like the prehensile tail, the night vision, claws, ability to move easily on all fours, and a few minor stat increases. More than the mechanical benefit, however, the change in appearance could be advantageous here; because Conquest didn't automatically share memories between his various host bodies, it was possible that none of them would see Jian Bing coming, which might give me an extra edge in surprise. Of course, it was also possible that Conquest had shared that information before sending his other selves into the village, but…it was still something to consider.

At the very least, I was sure Conquest's division was something I could exploit somehow. He knew a lot, but he didn't know everything—and his bodies could still be ignorant of things other parts of him were aware of. I had abilities they had no way of knowing about, Jian Bing being one of them, and if I played my cards right it was possible I could take several of Conquest's taken by surprise, hunting them down one by one.

Assuming, of course, that they didn't just try to rip me limb from limb, which could be a problem. I figured it was safe to assume that Conquest had told at least the other Hunters that he wanted me alive, for whatever reason, but I had no way of knowing what he might have told them beyond that. So while it was quite possible that none of them knew I was Jian Bing, that was a sword that could cut both ways—the upside, of course, was that they might not know know I was Jian Bing, wouldn't see me coming, and might even hesitate at a crucial moment or do something foolish. On the other hand, they wouldn't know I was Jaune Arc in that case and might not hesitate to kill me. If I appeared as Jian Bing, they may just access their hosts memories, see me as a terrorist, and try to feed me my own entrails.

Beyond which, while the change in appearance was certainly very useful, I would have been a fool to just ignore the mechanics behind the titles. The White Tiger of the West gave me several major advantages in the cost reduction and offense increase, along with a somewhat less useful doubling of all White Tiger defenses, which mainly amounted to improving the White Tiger's Hide. Which, while nothing to sneeze at, was far from my best defensive technique—and while I could rely on the White Tiger's offensive powers in battle, I didn't trust the White Tiger's Hide alone to keep me safe; that's why I layered my defenses in the first place, after all.

But the White Tiger of the West, while my most often used title, was not my only one, and I had other options to consider. Elementalist, though profoundly useful, I discarded out of hand because Grimm Slayer was a better choice at a time like this—and accomplished the same thing, at least against Grimm. The increase to beneficial status effects should improve my Elemental Affinities and it also boosted my offense and defense by sixty percent against the Grimm. All offense and defense. While I'd probably be relying on the White Tiger style as my main form of attack, it would boost everything I supplemented it with as well, while also improving my many defensive techniques. And when I remembered what my parents' teams had done to the Grimm just a short while ago…

Well, I felt pretty good about the whole improved defense idea. The lack of a cost reduction was a bit more of an issue, but…well, I was prepared to piss Dust if it meant getting through this alive. All told, it really seemed like my best bet. As long as I fought as myself, it meant I'd keep what I was pretty sure was my biggest advantage—that I was fighting an enemy who didn't want me dead—and considering who I was fighting, I'd say that was a pretty damn big advantage. Even for the benefits of the White Tiger style's strongest title and the comforting familiarity of my Jian Bing persona, I wasn't sure I wanted to throw that away. Everything they had to hold back was to my advantage here.

With a deep breath and slide of my finger, I watched white hair turn blonde. After a moment, I smiled ruefully and shook my head. Funny that it was only against other Hunters that I seemed to fight as Jaune Arc.

"Kid?"

"I'm here, Onyx," I answered promptly. "You ready?"

"Late as hell, kind of beaten up, and without a date," Onyx ticked off. "Sounds like most of the dances I went to at Beacon. Let's get this party started."

I smiled a bit at the attempt to interject some humor into the situation, despite his bleak tone.

"Roger that," I answered. "Starting party."

A moment later, I was gone, speeding across the rooftops with all the speed I could muster. When I drew close enough that buildings no longer blocked my sight, I saw who was fighting and noted their faces calmly.

On one side, Ren and Nora, both looking like a building had collapsed on them. Which, considering they were standing beside a collapsed building, was quite possible. Sweat dripped down Ren's face as he held his hands out in front of him, a transparent shield all that stood between him and the onslaught being directed his way. Nora stood several steps behind him, eyes wide and darting even as she fired her grenade launcher. She looked like a mixture of terrified, confused, and enraged and it was easy to see why.

In front of them, pounding on Ren's shield with blows that shattered the ground beneath them was a mostly-mutated Lie Hui. The humble clothes he'd worn before were gone, replaces by heavy looking plates of bone armor. Red marking painted hexagonal shapes across his chest and back, leading up to his mask—a plain, featureless white expanse, but for four eyeholes. He struck at his grandson again and again in complete silence, bearing the brunt of Nora's grenades without so much as a grunt of pain. Ren's grandfather had been taken and unlike my dad, he as trying to kill him.

Sadly, that wasn't the worst part. Standing idly down the street, simply watching the proceedings, were two of the most mutated taken I'd seen so far. One stood over either feet tall, entire body encased in what seemed to be a mobile colossus of ice, limbs to thin for something its size but still massive. The only sign of the creature within was the masked face on its chest, with three eyes in a row on one side and two on the other with a space between them. Spikes ringed the mask, driving deeply into the ice around it, but the rest of its body was just a warped shadow in the ice.

Beside it, with one arm across its chest, was a much smaller figure. Completely covered in armor but for her hair, her right arm trailed down in dozens upon dozens of segmented pieces, each looking wickedly sharp and serrated. At the end of the limb were five things that could have been fingers or could have been knives, with a massive spike extruding from the palm of her 'hand.' The other arm seemed normal, human but for its boney carapace, and her armor was otherwise smooth. Her mask had only two holes and each was filled with solid red orbs, marked at the edges in such a way as to change the angle of her eyes.

Despite the drastic changes to each of them, I recognized Keppel and Carmine. The married couple watched in silence as a family tore itself apart and I had to wonder if Conquest was enjoying the sight—if he'd caused it intentionally. They weren't interfering, but it only took a glance to see they didn't need to, either; maybe they'd torn down the building to drive Ren and Nora into the open, but now…

Now it was party time, I guess.

I leapt into the air and came down in the midst of them all, crushing the earth beneath my hands and feet as I landed. The White Tiger of the West rose before I did, tail reaching behind me to curl around the ankle of Lei Hui and yank his feet out from under him with a sharp tug. With a mighty swing, I tossed the older man to the side, neither of my faces even looking at him. Only then did I rise to my feet, both sets of eyes trained on Keppel and Carmine, the latter of whom tilted her head at my arrival.

"Jaune," She greeted, still human hand rubbing her transformed arm. "We weren't expecting you."

"Ren," I said, ignoring the words even as I watched her carefully. "Are you two alright?"

"Jaune," Ren's voice sounded strained, enough so that the surprise in his voice came off as muted. "What the…?"

He trailed off, leaving me to wonder if he was asking about the situation or the giant glowing tiger around me. Probably both, I mused. Normally I'd have done everything in my power to conceal this technique, but…well, now really wasn't the time to be holding my best tricks in reserve. Any other time, I'd have worried about the repercussions to my family, my parents, but if I didn't do something here and now, I may well not have any parents when this was over, so I'd long since decided to do everything I could now and think of explanations later. Considering the situation, the remote location, and the fact that I had Ozpin on my side in all this, I figured I'd probably be able to wing something once this was over, however it went down.

As such, I didn't even glance back at him before repeating my question.

"Are you two alright?" I asked again, raising my voice to make him focus. The other boy was silent for a moment as he regained control of himself before I heard him nod.

"We're okay," He said at last, sounding tightly restrained. "More or less."

"What happened?" I turned one of my heads to focus on Lei Hui as he rose from the remains of the wall I'd tossed him through and brushed himself off absently. He didn't look hurt and a quick glance at his HP bar confirmed that he hadn't taken any meaningful damage. Not that I'd expected him to, of course, but it was a reminder of what I was dealing with. Hui stepped back through the hole and looked at me calmly before turning to look at Keppel and Carmine, the former of whom stopped him by raising a hand with far too long fingers. Hui nodded once and lowered himself into a stance I didn't recognize, waiting.

"We were with my grandfather when…when something happened," He answered and despite the situation I felt him rise and come to my side, moving to stand on my left facing Hui. He looked behind him for a moment and I heard Nora take a breath before moving to stand on my right, a far too serious looking expression on her face as her grenade launcher transformed into a hammer. "One minute, we were trying to get everyone into the shelters, the next…"

I saw Ren shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

"We was the light and what happened to the mountain. I think Grandfather saw something else, too," He continued. "He told us to stay with the others and keep them inside before leaving alone. He—"

"There are people in there?" I interrupted, jerking my head back at the demolished building.

"In the basement. When we heard someone destroying everything, Nora and I came up to try and stop them, but…" Ren went silent again, looking into Hui's mask. "It's him, isn't it? I didn't want to believe it, but it's really…"

"There was a Pandora Shell," I said, even as I reached out with my senses. Yes, I could feel people down there, buried under the rubble—but there was no way of knowing how long they'd last down there without help. "After you left, a Deathstalker came up with several of them on its back, Crom Cruach blew them open, and...well, I suppose you can guess."

"Grandpa Hui," I heard Nora whisper but Ren just closed his eyes for a moment.

"I see," He said. "Can you…can you heal him? Cure him of…this?"

"I'll try," I promised. "I'm still searching for a way to…but I'll do everything in my power to find a way to help him, I swear. My father…well, let's just say I'm intimately aware of what you're feeling, Ren."

He nodded once, seeming to accept that.

"What do you need us to do?" He asked.

"Get out of here," I said. "Now."

"But the others," Nora protested. "They're still trapped down there—"

"Onyx," I whispered, reaching out to him with Levant. "That thing you felt was a collapsing building and there are people trapped in the basement. You mind running a rescue for me?"

"They clean?"

"I can't say for sure," I replied. "But this area looks clear, ignoring the infected up here. The building collapsed and trapped them under there, which should have given them a little protection, anyway. I can't confirm anything visually, but I don't sense anything going on down their right now, either. If you want to check it for me, I'll shield you from up here, just in case."

"I'm on it, kid."

"A friend of mine is on it," I lifted my voice and said to Nora. "If they're not infected, they'll be fine. You two should go wait on top of the building; I'll have him pick you two up, next. I'll deal with these guys."

"All three of them?" Nora asked, sounding surprised. "Can you fight all of them at the same time?"

I cracked my next once and nodded.

"It's only three of them," I replied. "Piece of cake."

Ren turned to look at me for a long, careful moment.

"That's a lie, isn't it?" He wondered quietly.

"Yes, it is," I answered truthfully. "Now do what I told you and go away."

Ren shook his head.

"My grandfather can get down there if he's not stopped," He said, sliding his feet slightly apart. "We have to keep at least him busy and the other two…"

"So you plan to make him go through you if he wants to try?" I lifted an eyebrow. "Because in case you haven't noticed, he doesn't seem to have a problem with that idea right now. Get out of here, Ren; I'll think of something. This is too dangerous for you."

He shook his head again.

"I know the risks, but I'm not afraid of them," Ren said, words calmly firm. "Not if it means protecting my home. Besides which, even if you can save him, my grandfather would never forgive himself if he hurts anyone while he's like this. I can hold him off, at least for a little while—give you time to focus on the others."

"I appreciate the thought," I told him honestly. "But it's still a stupid idea. You think he'd forgive himself for killing you instead? To say nothing of the risk of infection. All it takes is for one thing to go wrong, he infects you, and suddenly I have to worry about you as well, Ren. Get out of here."

"Do you think he hasn't tried?" Ren asked. "Your master must have taught you well, but so did my grandfather. Don't underestimate the students of Xuan Wu, White Tiger. I can protect myself for a while."

Recognizing the name, I glanced back at him, honestly surprised, but—

"How long?" I wondered, Observing him carefully.

"Long enough," He said as if the words meant more than they did. "Always long enough."

"This isn't a game," I said, perhaps a bit ironically. "You screw up once, you won't get a chance screw up again, and people will probably die. Are you that confident in your skill that you won't be taken?"

"Yes," He said quietly. "I know what's at stake—that's why I have to do everything I can, for him and the others. And you, Jaune? Are you sure you won't be infected fighting them?"

"I'm immune," I said. I didn't add 'probably' or 'more or less', though I kind of wanted to. I did, however, nod in acceptance. "Fine. Distract your grandfather, then, and I'll help you when I can. And you, Nora? Are you the heir of some secret ancient martial art that'll keep you safe, too?"

"I'm just good at hitting things," She shook her head before pausing. "And shooting grenades at things. But if there's anything I can…"

I took a deep breath and weighed my options. There was a part of me, a large part of me, that wanted to insist they both go away. Even Ren, despite his words, was far weaker than his grandfather—I just didn't give the student great odds against the master, here. Nora, without even whatever defense Ren apparently had, was at even more risk. But…

But the honest truth was that we were screwed as all hell and I couldn't afford to be picky. I did need the help, because I really didn't give myself good odds against all three of these guys. I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to beat them one on one, even. So…

"Okay," I said. "Okay, fine. See the ice guy over there? Keep him busy for a while. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one of use that can even get near Carmine, so she's mine. You guys just…just make sure they're distracted and I'll…I'll do what I can to help."

I took a deep breath, reaching out to my Elementals.

"Levant," I said. "Suryasta, Vulturnus, Xihai. I need you."

My Elementals appeared before me, those who were busy elsewhere splitting themselves as necessary. Lightning and flames spilt from my hands to make bodies for their respective Elementals, whilst Xihai rose from the dirt, drawing water from the ground and moisture from the air. Levant simply appeared beside me, ready to fight. With a silent thought, the girls moved to stand beside Nora and the boys beside Ren, giving them silent support.

"They'll help you," I told the other two humans. "Just…"

Try not to die? Try not to worse-than-die? Don't mess up?

I really wasn't sure what to say so I just stopped and took a step forward.

"Have we decided who's fighting who, then?" Keppel asked, expressionless mask somehow still giving the impression of amusement.

"We have," I said. "Thank you for being patient."

Keppel's ice body shrugged.

"If you're here, I'm guessing that's your Mom fighting Jack back there," His ice colossus twitched a finger in the general direction I'd come from. "So it's not like we lose anything from waiting, right? Every second you waste here brings you a second closer to losing everything, so why rush?"

I didn't rise to the bait, but remained cautious and focused on my decided target.

Keppel just chuckled, clicking icicle fingers on his glacier of a body.

"You want to play with the missus first, eh?" He asked. "You're lucky I'm not the jealous type, Jaune. Still, you think you can handle an experienced woman, kiddo? Because I think she's gonna chew you up and spit you out."

"I'll take my chances," I said quietly, making him chuckle again.

"Ambitious," He sounded amused. "I like that. Don't be too hard on the poor boy, love."

"I'll be gentle," Carmine whispered, human hand letting go off her transformed arm as she strode forward. I braced myself, watching her closely as I edged forward in turn—

My senses cried out in warning and I was in the air as her long arm flashed out with speed that even I had a hard time tracking. Even jumping the moment I saw her move, it still caught me, passing through my right knee and left ankle with no more difficulty then it had the air on either side of them. I landed on the ground a few feet away, stumbling slightly at the searing pain and momentary absence I felt, before glancing down with one set of eyes to confirm I was still in one piece. I relaxed slightly.

Yes, as I'd thought, I was the only one of us with a chance of getting near Carmine.

"Jack said you could take a hit," Carmine said, arm retracting from its elongated form into a strange looking, segmented arm. As she did, her other hand drew her sword, twirling it deftly. It was hard to tell with solid red eyes, but I suspected she'd seen her blade hit me and was looking at the lack of wounds.

"That's me," I confirmed, healing myself before rising as if nothing had happened. "I take a licking and I keep on ticking."

"That's good," She mused. "Because he also said I could chop you to pieces as many times as I wanted, so long as I was careful to leave you alive."

"Good luck with that," I snorted. "I have it on good authority that cutting me up stops being fun really fast."

"No need to worry about me," She assured and I was pretty sure she was smiling behind her mask. "If it comes to that, I'll just have to make my own fun."