The Games We Play - Chapter 216: Last Call

Chapter 216: Last Call

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.

Last Call

Once arrangements had been made, I left my grandmother to her work—well, really, it’s more that I just dumped a lot of my work onto her shoulders, but the world was on the line and it was important to delegate. I didn’t tell her much, mostly because I didn’t know much, but she seemed to understand the basic idea. After that…

There wasn’t much to say that hadn’t already been said. She’d reacted much the way that pretty much everyone else I’d told my plan had and it was hard to really blame her. She didn’t know the specifics of my powers, not really, but it was pretty hard for her to miss the fact that pretty much every time I came to her for help, it was because there was something that hopelessly outclassed me on the horizon. First Raven, then the phantom menace of the Riders, then an actual Rider, and now this…it probably didn’t send the best impression that every time we spoke to one another, I was preoccupied doing my best to survive some mess I’d gotten wrapped up in. As my grandmother, it was probably hard for her not to feel a little concerned.

Granted, I was pretty concerned. So far, most of those things had worked out in the sense that Raven was now on my side and none of the Rider’s had killed me yet, but it didn’t take a genius to understand the odds I was facing. Cinder alone had casually proven that she could muster an amount of power that I couldn’t contest or withstand, and I’d barely survived when things had threatened to degenerate into violence. Even now, I really didn’t like my odds against her and simply staying alive had necessitated sacrifices on my part that insured she was both aware of and interested in my existence.

In a way, it was similar to when I’d first met Raven—there was a force watching me who could very easily wipe me from the face of Remnant should she happen to feel the need; the only thing stopping her was the fact that she didn’t want to. In the end, the only thing standing between me and a horrific fate at Cinder’s hands was a pretty good bluff, and if she ever realized that, then…well, it wasn’t as though I could stop her.

She knew who I was. She knew what I was. She knew where I was. If it came down to a fight, I couldn’t win—and she kept herself close, watching my every move. There was an old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, but in this case, it really felt more like I was strapping myself to a bomb and fervently hoping nothing set it off. Grandmother knew I was in a situation where I could very easily die any moment, should the slightest mistake give me away, and there was nothing either of us could do about it except hope we didn’t do anything stupid. Logically speaking, doing our best to stay out of Cinder’s way would be a good place to start on that front.

Sadly, I didn’t have much choice in the matter.

“Is it safe for you to be here?” Cinder asked, not even bothering to look up from her weaving as I appeared inside her room, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe.

Needless to say, I hadn’t visited her as Jaune Arc, but as Jian Bing. Or rather, as Jian Bing pretending to be Conquest; my mask over my mask. It occurred to me absently that, for various reasons, my life was a rather confusing mess from the outside looking in. Honestly, I was kind of thankful for that; it was fucking hard to live, it should be hard to understand.

Still, she’d asked me a question, and while I didn’t dare leap to her command, I couldn’t afford to risk offending her too much, either.

“More or less,” I replied. “He’s currently discussing the details with his Grandmother, far away from here. You should have someone watching him besides those children of yours, sister—even if they might be able to keep something of an eye on him within this school, we can hardly afford to let him wander around freely. Who knows where he might wind up? In trouble, probably.”

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” Cinder mused to herself.

“Do you think he’s the fool, the angel, or both?” I asked. “I vote for both.”

Her smile widened slightly at that.

“Regardless, I don’t need any spies to follow him around,” She said. “I have you for that, brother.”

I snorted under my breath and sent back a cocky smirk she probably couldn’t see—which was still no reason to take chances with someone as dangerous as Cinder.

“I’d be offended, really I would,” I answered. “But this seems fitting somehow; it’s like we’re doing a group project together, sis. I can just imagine what the credits page will look like when we turn it in—research by me, speech by my, presentation by me. Hope it doesn’t impact your grade.”

She huffed out a quiet laugh and turned to glance over her shoulder at me, expression amused.

“It doesn’t matter,” She said serenely. “We can follow him all around the world and still learn nothing—what matters is that we know where he’ll end up eventually and are ready for it.”

“Mm,” I hummed, the sound somewhere between acknowledgement and agreement. “I suppose that’s true, in a way. Do you think it’s time, then?”

She paused in her weaving, consideration touching her features.

“That’s a difficult question,” She replied. “It doesn’t necessarily matter—he could believe himself ready even if he was ill equipped. The better question is whether he’d chose to try or if he’s content to wait. Honestly, I’m not certain of that myself; it’s difficult to say I truly know him. He hides himself carefully, within systems and worlds and roles.”

“Unsurprising,” I answered. “Considering who he is, the fact that he wears masks should come as no surprise.”

“True,” She admitted. “What of you, Conquest? You’ve observed him longer than I have—what do you believe he will do?”

I considered my answer carefully, trying to decide what was best to say and what to simply imply.

“It seems obvious that he’s planning to leave early for a reason,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “Whether he set it all up from the beginning or simple decided to take advantage of the opportunity, I’m unsure, but the fact that he’s going along with it says everything. As for why, there are a number of reasons. It’s possible he’s caught on to what’s happening in Vale—it wouldn’t surprise me, really. While you were away, he took a trip to Beacon.”

Cinder stilled for a moment at that.

“Oh?” She asked. “Did he do anything of interest?”

“He spoke to Ozpin,” I said, pleased to note that she tensed slightly at the name. “Take of that what you will. However…while I was keeping an eye on him, I noticed several signs of that illusionist of yours; it’s possible that he did, too.”

“Perhaps,” She allowed. “You suspect it’s something in Vale that he’s after, then?”

I shook my head.

“Merely mentioning the possibility,” I replied. “It’s just as likely that he’s attempting to avoid us by moving to safety or that he has plans for Vale as well. Or it could all be just a diversion to hide what he’s really after.”

“So,” Cinder mused after a moment, slowly returning to her sewing. “You know nothing, essentially. All of those possibilities were plainly obvious from the very beginning.”

I scowled at her.

“I don’t know anything definitive,” I corrected. “Yet. It’s simply a matter of narrowing down the possibilities—hence why I’m actually watching him.”

“Then keep watching him,” Cinder said, tone almost dismissive. “Someone has to, after all—we wouldn’t want the poor dear to make a mistake and hurt himself now would we?”

“And what will you be doing?” I asked. “While I’m, you know, doing my fucking job.”

“Naturally, I’ll do mine,” She answered. “This is a good opportunity for us, as well—I’m not opposed to arriving in Vale a bit ahead of schedule myself. There are always matters that simply require a…personal touch.”

“Uh-huh,” I drew out. “This really is like a group project. And what should I do if something happens while your otherwise occupied?”

“Deal with it,” She stated bluntly. “I shouldn’t have to tell you how to do your job, brother.”

I scoffed, sending her a flat, irritated look.

“Fine,” I told her. “Be that way then. But just so you know, if he does something moronic and I have to interfere to save his life, I’ll never forgive you. I just want you to know that.”

“So noted,” She answered drily. “Now then. Is there something else you wanted or are you done?”

I withdrew from Cinder’s room in silence, at once nervous and reassured. I guess there was no helping that—she terrified me, after all. There wasn’t much I could do about that, honestly; I knew that she could brutally murder me on a whim and there was nothing I could do to stop her. Every meeting with her, as both Jaune Arc and Jian Bing, was an extraordinary risk. I was relying on the simple variability of Conquest’s nature to smooth over the wrinkles in my deception, but one wrong move, one wrong word, could give me away.

And if that happened…I was betting I wouldn’t like what followed. I was pretty sure she wouldn’t kill me, but that wasn’t particularly comforting when I knew she could still kill everyone I cared about if she found out the truth.

Assuming she hadn’t found out already. I didn’t think see had, based on what I could perceive of her body, soul, and emotions—but the Grimm were odd things and she was at least part Grimm. Sadly, Famine would probably be the one to notice any inconsistencies in the first place, so I couldn’t fully depend on her human reactions, even if they were deeply connected. It was fully possible that she was just toying with me or that she was playing along with my lie for some reason. As a way to manipulate me, perhaps, or to lower my guard for a sucker punch later. If so, my only real defense against that was that I had no intention of ever lowering my guard around Cinder.

Ever.

But if she did know, there was nothing I could do about it right now except hope that she hadn’t seen through me completely—and that I had enough time to prepare myself for whatever knife she was planning to stick in my back. To that end, I followed up my meeting with my—somewhat depressingly—not-greatest enemy by meeting with my closest friends. I left Haven quickly, watching Cinder all the while, and moved to our designated meeting point.

They were all waiting for me when I arrived.

“Did everything go well?” Raven asked from her seat, raising her eyes calmly as I entered.

“As well as could be expected,” I answered. “She may or may not know, I may or may not have given anything away, she may or may not be plotting my imminent demise, I may or may not have doomed us all.”

“So you had a normal talk with her then?” Adam noted.

Sadly, he wasn’t wrong.

“More or less,” I replied with a slight sigh, taking a seat of my own. Our current meeting place was an apartment building my grandmother…owned? I hadn’t asked, honestly; she could well just be extorting the owner. What mattered in this case was that whoever was in charge knew we valued our privacy, never checked in on us, had thoroughly soundproofed every wall in the entire building, and didn’t seem to find it odd that no one ever seemed to enter or exit our floors. We never entered except under illusion or through some form of dimensional travel, and if we’d ever given awy any sign of the fact that we existed, well, they wouldn’t tell anyone. I was pretty confident that if we brought someone in and brutally murdered someone and their screams happened to catch someone’s ear, it would still go without comment.

Mainly because a cursory glance of the premise revealed signs of several murders, but the places record was spotless. That was a bit worrying in its own way, but I put it aside for the sake of prioritizing. From time to time, even I needed a safe house in the real world.

For example…

“Father,” Autumn whispered quietly as she glided towards me. The latest cloak I’d woven for her was wrapped securely around her body, showing nothing but some of her hair and parts of her face. Even so, I didn’t need the breadth of my senses to tell that see wasn’t fully human underneath it—when I said she glided towards me, I meant it almost literally. She wasn’t taking steps, or at least none that could be accomplished with human legs and feet, and her clock shifted oddly.

That was fine. She’d gotten that more or less under control while in public, or so Raven had informed me, but it didn’t matter while she was among family and friends—I was fine with her taking whatever shapes made her most comfortable. Looking at her now, I could see more traces of Summer in her features, but there were also elements of me in there, and what I expected were traces of Raven.

In the end, however, what truly matter was what lay beneath the surface. Autumn, however terrifying or beautiful she chose to appear, was my daughter—and that was all that really mattered.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I said, reaching up to gently touch her face. “Whatever happens, Daddy will be fine. Okay?”

Her hair shifted slightly, shadowing more of her face, and I sensed that she was worried—which was only natural, given the circumstances. There wasn’t much of anything I could do about that, either, and if anything, I was more afraid for her than I was for myself. That was a big part of why I’d asked Grandmother for this place, after all; it was closer to Haven than Grandmother’s house, just within the range of my perceptions, which meant—hopefully—that I’d be able to notice in time, should anything happen to her.

She only spent her downtime here, when she wasn’t training with me or Raven and couldn’t come to Haven—and, truthfully, I had no intention of letting her near Haven so long as Cinder was in it. The fact that Emerald and Mercury knew she existed, even if only in a vague and distant sense, was enough that I honestly might have considered killing both of them if I thought it would help. Cinder already knew about Adam’s supposed weapon, though; I’d just have to do my utmost to make sure she never found out who she really was.

If something happened to my daughter…

The floor trembled slightly as Gou rose from his seat and moved gingerly to Autumn’s side, brushing his head against her side quietly in the hopes of reassuring her. We didn’t glance at one another, but we didn’t have to—we both understood. Gou was this apartment’s other main inhabitant, tasked with her protection; he’d tear apart this entire building before he let anyone hurt her, same as he’d slaughter the Grimm in her defense. He was my Familiar, after all.

Well…actually, I suppose he wasn’t just my Familiar any more, was he? No, both of them had grown to be far more than what they’d once been, both to me and in simple truth.

The Last Rose of Summer

LV 123

Autumn Rose

Heavenly Dog

LV 125

Tiangou

By raising Familiar to level 99, you have gained the skill ‘Tiryagyoni.’

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills ‘Natural Bond,’ ‘Green Thumb,’ ‘Floral Communion,’ and ‘Familiar’ have been combined successfully. The skill ‘Preta’ has been created.

I looked at them both and saw the markings on their soul, the signs of my touch and the strength they’d drawn from it. I just hoped it’d be enough.

“This is it then, huh?” Adam murmured, voice quiet as he drew a slow breath and glanced towards me.

“Yeah,” I replied, even though it was pointless. We all knew exactly what was to come—now it was just a matter of facing it.

Adam nod once, expression unchanging.

“About time,” He said, trying for confidence and mostly succeeding. As he spoke the words, even his emotions changed, rising to match the tone. He was worried, yes, and afraid—but at the same time, he was prepared. “Are we ready then?”

The question was layered and I took one final glance around, looking at my friends.

The Blood Prince

126

Adam Taurus

Memories of the World Tree

LV 175

Raven Branwen

“Of course,” I answered, smiling easily. “It’s us, after all.”

“Good,” He all but growled. “Stuff like this, it’s the waiting that gets to me.”

Raven hummed slightly, the noise somewhere between a chastisement and an agreement.

“You’ve finished your preparations, then?” She asked.

I nodded. Everything was in order now. I’d made my plans, I’d arranged our cover story, I’d—hopefully—put Cinder’s concerns to rest, and most importantly, I’d done all the grinding I could. My skills were sharp and I’d prepared for everything I could, brushing up on what needed it and restocking my Inventory for the fight. I felt stronger than ever, more powerful, and I knew my friends did to.

Looking at them, I felt…proud, I suppose. Or perhaps simply assured. It wasn’t something amazing or elaborate—in fact, it felt really simple.

This was my team.

We’d win.

“Everything’s in order,” I said. “We leave tomorrow. Make sure you’re ready—because we’re wiping Jericho Falls off the map.”