The Games We Play - Chapter 204: Load Time

Chapter 204: Load Time

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryuugi. This has been pulled from his Spacebattles publishment at threads/rwby-the-gamer-the-games-we-play-disk-five.341621/. Anyway on with the show…err read.

Load Time

Ironwood wasn’t even trying to hide his gritted teeth now, the fingers of his human hand still twitching sporadically—but he stopped for a long moment to take a deep breath and nodded to himself. Slowly, he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, focusing on me as if trying to stare me down.

Needless to say, if that was what he was trying to do, it failed miserably.

“Does Ozpin know?” He demanded at last. “If so, there isn’t much point in keeping secrets. He’ll—”

“Ozpin doesn’t know,” I interrupted, doing my best to look bored. “At least not everything. Extreme circumstances or not, you can’t expect the Headmaster of Beacon and a wanted terrorist to have regular contact. We work towards the same ends and against a common enemy, so we share information when it would be convenient, but it’s an alliance of convenience and nothing more. I informed him of her movements a month or two ago and have been keeping an eye on her since, but we haven’t been in touch recently, as there are few ways he’d be able to assist me—as such, I’ll simply hold onto the precise details until it would give me an advantage to reveal it. Regardless, I hope you don’t actually believe Ozpin would tell you everything, even if he did know. That man keeps almost as many secrets as I do.”

Ironwood’s face twisted in reluctant, annoyed agreement and he looked like he wanted to swear and punch something in the face. Before he could continue his questioning, however, Polendina cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. He and Ironwood shared another look before the General exhaled and looked away.

“Assuming what you say is true,” The Professor began, looking at me cautiously. “Why do you care? While I could, perhaps, see why Ozpin would be willing to exchange information with you in the face of necessity, why are you willing to assist him? What do you stand to gain by doing so? I’d have thought you’d approve of tearing things down, given your…affiliations.”

By that, he must have meant the White Fang. The implications of his words also helped to assure me that we were talking about the same individual and not two different people; I wasn’t sure if they were aware of who that person was, but they’d likely picked up signs of Cinder’s actions, considering the bombings and thefts that had taken place in Atlas thus far. I’d briefly considered that they might have been talking about Raven, but even if Qrow had told Ozpin that she’d appeared and vanished…well, I doubted they’d be actively pursuing her. Given that they knew what her power was, they also probably know that if she didn’t want to be found, she wasn’t going to be.

Even so, I wasn’t entirely certain how to respond. This was important information to reveal…but also delicate information, as it bore the risk of splashing over onto my allies. Best to handle this with a light touch, but to say enough to lead them in the right direction and make them wary.

“I can understand your confusion, given that you are unaware of the full picture,” I replied calmly without missing a beat. “It’s quite simple, really—she has chosen to associate with the White Fang, which is why I have chosen to associate with you.”

There was a moment of stunned silence at that.

“What?” Ironwood asked, blurting out the words despite having apparently agreed to let Polendina talk. “Why?”

I made a show of considering that for a moment.

“She desires minions, I suppose,” I mused. “Grunt labor and sacrificial pawns.”

“I think what my friend meant,” Polendina interceded. “Was that if the White Fang is working with her, why are you here working against her?”

I gave him a lot as if I thought the question was bafflingly stupid.

“Why would I want to work with her?” I asked. “I feel I shouldn’t have to explain that she doesn’t have our best interests in mind—while the proposals she presented were arranged such to make it seem as though it would be in our best interests to associate her, she intends to use us and then throw us aside once we’ve fulfilled our purpose. Whatever advantages we are to garner from this alliance are bound to be short-lived and her true plans will almost certainly harm us as well. Even beyond that, being a sacrificial pawn tends to be its own downside; hence ‘sacrificial.'”

“Why work with her at all, then?” Polendina returned. “Why not simply break things off entirely?”

“You’re afraid of her,” Ironwood answered before I could, eyes widening very slightly as stared at me.

Yes. Yes I was. But please don’t say stuff like that out loud, at least not so bluntly. I have a reputation to maintain here.

“Am I?” I asked aloud, making it sound like I was honestly questioning myself. Frowning slightly, I turned my head to look out the windows of the airship as I visibly mulled it over. “I can’t say fear is something I’m much accustomed to—”

Lies and damn lies.

“But I will admit, I do not wish to fight her at present,” I continued. “Even in the best case scenario, I can’t say I find the odds favorable. While I am confident in my own survival, I suspect many of my subordinates would die if it came to a fight. I’ve done my best to apply pressure for Ozpin’s sake, but there’s only so far I can risk pushing her at present. As a General yourself, I’m certain you understand.”

Ironwood grunted in what might have been acknowledgement, dropping his eyes to the floor.

“How long have you and Ozpin been working together?” He asked at last. “Was the White Whale all a setup?”

“Not in the way you are imagining,” I replied, shaking my head. “We didn’t have formal contact until afterwards and the White Whale was something that served my own purposes in liberating that town. Nonetheless, it also served as a form of…advertising, shall we say? Under the circumstances, a certain amount of competence is a necessity, and I was proving myself both to him and to the White Fang. This is not a matter for the unskilled or unprepared.”

“And after you proved yourself,” Polendina took over. “What then?”

“We approached one another,” I said. “Despite our differences, in some matters we are in agreement, so we came to a deal of sorts.”

“What kind of deal?” He asked cautiously and I waved a hand in dismissal.

“Nothing to egregious,” I assured. “Rather, I thought it best that we simply establish the basics of where we stood. We agreed that certain matters took precedence and that other things should be put aside to deal with them—this matter perhaps foremost amongst them. To simplify things and smoothen our alliance, we also agreed to certain concessions. I, for instance, have agreed to try to restrain the White Fang for the time being and to avoid endangering innocents if at all possible. Similarly, he swore to avoid interfering with me and mine and not to interfere with my business. Exceptions were discussed and defined, of course, but all told it was quite simple; we agreed not to do anything that might make it harder to work with one another than it already is. As a sign of good faith, I’ve also done things such as this, preserving the lives of his allies and avoided harming his students.”

“A generous offer,” Polendina remarked. “I admit, I’m somewhat surprised you’d agree to such a thing.”

“You shouldn’t be,” I said. “Truthfully, none of the terms are particularly difficult for me to abide by; I don’t consider myself much of a killer, outside special circumstances. Perhaps my own experiences have biased me somewhat, but I don’t believe we can afford to kill one another needlessly at the moment—and generally, my power means there is little need.”

“And what circumstances do you consider ‘special?'” Ironwood asked.

I tilted my head and considered my answer, going over what I remembered carefully before replying. Only a few people knew the full story—and I could trust them all, more or less. And as far as credibility building went, well…

Still, it wasn’t a pleasant memory. I wondered if I should feel good or bad, seeing it put to use.

“Some months again, several of Ozpin’s hunters ran into issues involving a Pandora Shell,” I told him. “As a favor to him, I dealt with the infected Hunters before his cleaners arrived.”

“Dealt with?” Penny piped up for the first time in a while. “How does one ‘deal’ with such a thing?”

I looked at her and smiled a bit sadly. The General and the Professor both looked like they wanted to interfere and say something else, but neither spoke even when I gave them a moment’s pause to do so. Perhaps, even as they wanted to protect her, they were happy that they didn’t need to be the ones to give her this particular talk.

“I killed them, Penny,” I explained. “And put them out of their misery.”

Penny looked at me for a moment before blinking, understanding dawning in her eyes. After a moment, she closed them, hanging her head slightly.

“Oh,” She answered simply, tone soft. As she spoke, her creator’s closed their own eyes for a brief moment before reopening them and focusing on me quickly.

For my part, I simply sighed quietly, nodding my head in understanding of the words she left unsaid.

“It was unfortunate,” I said aloud, remembering it as clearly as I always would—one of the perks of having such high Intelligence. “None of those Hunters deserved the fate that befell them. But…it was for that same reason that I freed them from it. If possible, I’d have liked to have avoided the situation entirely, but such things are rarely so convenient.”

I sighed again and turned my eyes back to the General.

“Such as our current circumstances,” I continued. “For better or worse, it is not something that any of us can ignore.”

“I know,” Ironwood said, voice low but firm. “I’ve always known better than to thinking ignoring problems might make them go away. And yet, every time I try to face them, I am always told to turn a blind eye. Even now, you ask me to do nothing.”

“I’m not asking you to do nothing,” I disagreed just as firmly. “Merely that you don’t do anything that might get you killed.”

“My job might get me killed,” Ironwood replied, staring at my steadily. “I took it so others wouldn’t have to—and I’d die so others wouldn’t have to.”

I looked back at him, holding his gaze for a long minute.

“Admirable,” I mused without looking away. “But it would be a waste for you to do such a thing here. I know something of life and death—and if you’re to die for something, make sure it’s worth it. But…”

I pursued my lips, turning my head to the side as I frowned, making a show of my consideration.

“In several months, she will be attending the Vytal Festival,” I said at last. “That’s what she’s waiting for and that’s when she’ll make her move. If you wish to oppose her, that would be the time. She’ll have gathered her forces, but so will we—and our knowledge gives all of us time to prepare.”

Ironwood took a deep breath, eyes moving slowly from left to right as he thought that through. He must have been lining up his knowledge of the Vytal Festival, looking for weak points and opportunities, as well as considering the danger.

“What does she want at the Festival?” He asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “She’s admitted that she intends to target your machines though the CCT to aid on causing havoc—but that may just have been a lie for the White Fang. It’s something to keep an eye on, to be sure, but it’d be foolish to believe that’s what she’s really after or that she doesn’t have anything else in mind. If it turns out to be nothing but a diversion for her true schemes, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“It’s certainly possible,” Ironwood murmured, eyes dropping to the floor. “But to seize control of the androids, she’d have to get close. Would she actually be willing to strike so close to Beacon?”

“Yes,” I stated with surety. “She has the power, but more than that, take it from someone who knows—no matter how daunting it may seem, there are flaws in every system, whether it’s man or machine operated.”

“True,” Polendina admitted, frowning as well. “Flaws are hard to erase, because they can come from so many sources or else be created outright. Still, the hope is to minimize them and to conceal them. While a system may seem easily exploited to its creator, that’s a perspective built on familiarity and time. How would she be aware of those flaws well enough to build a plan around them?”

It was a good question and one I’d had myself. While invading Beacon would be fairly trivial for me, assuming Ozpin didn’t notice and choose to intervene, if he did…well, things were bound to get complicated fast. Was Cinder so powerful that she felt no concern over challenging Ozpin on his own ground? It was possible and it was hard for me to judge the difference between two unknowns—but if so, why both with such a roundabout scheme and act so carefully?

No, Cinder had worries of her own; of that much, I was sure.

Still…best to address a different problem.

“It seems she has allies within each of the Kingdoms feeding her information,” I replied. “Allies placed highly enough to know about your recent projects. Be careful what you say from now on, even among those you trust.”

“The Queen has Pawns,” Ironwood muttered with another grunt. “I’ve heard, but I hadn’t realized they’d reached this far. What does she plan to do with the Paladins?”

“They will be passed into the possession of certain members of the White Fang, who will be on standby awaiting the next stage of her plan,” I answered. “She’s explained that aspect of her scheme, but I can’t say what she truly intends to do—I will speak to Ozpin in time about how we might go about handling the matter. However, it seems a great deal of her plan depends on you, General.”

“Me?” Ironwood asked, looking abruptly surprised. “What does she want with me?”

I clicked my tongue once, mulling it over before answering.

“It might be best if you don’t know the exact details for the time being,” I replied. “Depending on how we choose to proceed, it may be for the best to keep your reaction as authentic as possible. Nonetheless, I can’t say I enjoy sending people blindly into danger and you do deserve to have some idea of what you are getting into. The intended result of her plan is to discredit Ozpin by causing chaos on his watch, at which time it shall fall upon you to take command of the Vytal Festival’s defense. She plans to exploit your reactions to further her following schemes.”

“My reactions…” Ironwood’s frown deepened. “Does she know me?”

“She seems to believe so,” I replied. “But perhaps when the time comes, it will turn out that she doesn’t know you quite as well as she thinks?”

“Perhaps,” Ironwood agreed, tone and expression fierce before he calmed himself. “I will keep that in mind, should it become relevant.”

“See that you do,” I said. “Now then, it is about time that we conclude our business here. I suppose I don’t need to tell you to be discrete in whatever you plan to do?”

“Of course not,” Ironwood replied, sighing. “I suppose that by the time we arrive, the Paladin’s will be gone?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” I answered. “I shall endeavor to keep an eye on their whereabouts—however, it is quite possible that they will all be destroyed when it comes time to interfere with her plans.”

“I figured as much,” He stated. “Where do we proceed from here?”

“We proceed as normal,” I told him. “She will be gathering her forces for the Vytal Festival and so shall we. Don’t act until you have enough support to do so safely.”

He grunted in acknowledgement and nodded once.

“And if I need to contact you?” He asked.

“If the situation calls for it, I gave Ozpin a way to contact me in an emergency,” I replied after giving it a moment’s thought. “It would be best to avoid doing so too often, to avoid complications on either end—but if it becomes necessary, I can travel quickly. I am also able to act in ways that might be seen as unbecoming of a General or a Headmaster, which allows me greater leeway in my actions. If need be, I can often acquire things that you might not be able to. Be careful, however; if you require something important, it’s likely to draw attention.”

“I understand.” He said.

“Good,” I said before checking on Cinder. With my Reach, I could assist her even from this distance and I’d done so, smoothing things over and assuring they progressed as quickly as possible. Quite frankly, even if Cinder hadn’t asked me to do so, I’d have made sure nobody got in her way—the guards who might respond to the alarms didn’t deserve what would probably happen to them. With my help, she’d made good time, and so long as I was careful, I was confident no one would cross her path. I’d need to continue to keep watch, but…it should be okay now, given the warnings I’d passed on. Ironwood would at least want to verify my claims with Ozpin before proceeding. “Then I shall withdraw for today. Gentlemen. Penny.”

“Valedictions!” Penny waved, though her spirits seemed a touch lower than before.

I smiled at her once and then snapped my fingers, returning power to the airship and vanishing back into Naraka.