The Games We Play

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.

Mentality

I willed myself downwards and fell like a comet into the midst of the Grimm below. Even stopping a meter away from the ground the speed of my descent blew away the surrounding monsters, tossing them high into the air. With a smile and a thought, I triggered a Gravity Crash centered on myself and everything around me abruptly reversed direction and slammed into the ground with such force that it pounded them flat. As the cacophony of shattering pops rose around me, I merely fell a bit closer to the earth and then crossed my arms.

Knowing I had their attention now, I waited as monsters began to gather around me. The Beowolves and Ursa stood out thanks to their height, but I could see smaller creatures mixed in with the mass that slowly began to surround me. They were hesitant at first, seeing what I'd already done to their fellows, but their blood-thirst outweighed it by far.

Even so, they approached intelligently. Most gathered at my back, with those in front of me meant to serve more as distractions than anything else. The skies above us were clear, the Nevermore gathered on the surrounding rooftops to wait for a chance to strike. No one attacked at first, waiting for an opening.

But we'd be here all day before they found something like that on their own, so I provided one for them instead. Smile widening slightly, I allowed my eyes to pan slowly from the left to the right, gaze shifting from mask to mask. As my attention seemed to turn, the leftmost creature—a Beowolf likely chosen for the roll because of its own expendability—lunged forward with teeth bared. It jumped through the air, razor sharp teeth aimed for my throat, claws extended—

Only for its head to suddenly jerk back in midair, as if someone invisible had punched it in the face. No, more than that, much of its snout was smashed towards its face, teeth exploding from its open mouth with a series of cracking noises. The force of the blow was enough to reverse its momentum, turning its forward lunge into a backwards fall, only for another impact to hammer it towards the earth with enough force to leave a dent in its chest. It didn't even touch the ground before something slammed into its back, jerking it upwards even as it shattered whatever served as a spine in the creature. More impacts landed moments later, jerking the creature around in midair for several seconds before crushing its now almost-boneless body into a rough sphere and casting it aside.

I didn't so much as move a muscle, even as I shifted my gaze back to the left. For a moment, there was stillness and silence on the battlefield.

Then it was broken by several hundred furious roars and Grimm came swarming towards me from every direction, giving up on surprise tactics and trying to bury me under pure numbers. I snatched up the first to approach with a thought, lifting it into the air and reversing every joint in its body before snapping its neck. The next I grabbed by the face, crushing its head with a moments attention before smashing the third into the fourth. I caught the first wave of the Grimm and countered it with pure force, pushing them back into the creatures behind them and staggering the charge.

And I did it without so much as a twitch.

Psychokinesis (Active) LV1 EXP: 94.93%

A close relative of Telekinesis, Psychokinesis is the ability to move objects solely with one's mind and soul. Done by focusing one's Aura to such an extent that it has physical reality to exert upon the world, it is a skill limited only by the mind that gives it form.

20.1 kilograms of force per 1 MP spent.

Range: 201m.

Power, versatility, range, and control increase with INT and skill level.

This was the power my father had left me. Just by willing it, I could crush the monsters around me into paste, snap their bones, or tear them apart with pure force.

And I was just getting started.

By default, my Psychokinesis didn't truly have a shape—I wasn't generating invisible limbs or anything like that, it was just my Aura gathering to affect something. When I wished to strike something, it created a blunt surface to do so; when I chose to grab and tear, it surrounded the target completely and gripped it from every direction. Without my will to give it form, it was a fluid thing, more like a gas than anything else.

But with my will, it was given form.

Gathering the power I was letting out into the world, I began to shape it and narrow it. There wasn't any less of it, but it was focused into a smaller area, gathering the power behind it all into edges and points—into dozens upon dozens of Psychokinetic blades that instantly went to work. This time I didn't bother grabbing the Grimm or breaking; as I began to float forward, I simply tore apart everything in my path, scattering limbs with a thought.

As I went, I began to practice and push, seeing how far I could go. When the Nevermore took flight, I clipped their wings with a mental image of scissors, before stopping the charge of a Boarbatusk with a thought of a guillotine. An Ursa roared as it barred down upon me, only to find itself caught within an invisible iron maiden, those around it dying even as it fell. For the most part, however, I stuck to the basics and chopped them to pieces as they came, cutting the legs out from under them or removing the heads from their shoulders.

In moments, the street was empty of anything but the dead or the dying—and already my power was turning upon the buildings around us. I tore open doors, shattered windows, peeling up tiles and floors even as I knocked down walls. I floated slowly down the street, making sure there wasn't so much as a brick atop another as I went, my mind always reaching and grasping and tearing on levels big and small alike. Anything with the misfortune of coming near me died horribly as I experimented and practiced, honing the skill I'd neglected.

In the distance, I could feel Adam going wild, too, cutting loose with his Semblance at a faster pace than he ever had before. He was experimenting as well, now that he was free to do so, each attack just slightly different from the last as he struck in quick succession, trying to gather as much power as he could in just a moment's time. I could see his efforts and the progress he was making now that he didn't need to worry about cost or exhaustion. At the same time, I felt the cost of it on my own Aura and erected a Temple and Sanctum Sanctorum to compensate, shattering and remaking it as I went.

Still, I had to smile at the sight, glad he was doing well. I guess he knew better than anyone how much of a limitation the charge time of his power was, so now that he could spend energy freely, he was focused on minimizing it. Given time to observe it, I might be able to give him some suggestions—that was part of why I was having him go nuts here, after all. He was also trying to make it more versatile, too, but I might already have had a few suggestions on that front. Dust was probably the simplest way, it was just a matter of how to best do it.

Which reminded me, I still needed to work on Adam's new weapon. Absently turning about a dozen of my blades into hands, I swung by a few nearby buildings, carefully tearing them to pieces. Today I'd just brainstorm, I suspected, but it should give me a good idea of what I was looking for. Gathering several pipes and bars, I let Crocea Mors flow into and melt them. Gathering the liquid steel in a bowl-shaped construct, I began scooping out the mass in spheres. Changing the shape with a thought, I had Crocea Mors solidify the sword, spear, hammer, and ax before looking them over. They were just prototypes and neither the steel nor the thought that went into them had been the best, but that was fine.

After a moment, I discarded everything but the sword, knowing Adam would prefer to stick with what he knew. Crocea Mors liquefied the other weapons while I mulled over the sword, which I'd made more similar to my own than Adam's. I reshaped it as well, giving it more the look of a chokuto like Wilt. Too much like it, really; even without the distinctive red blade, it was too similar. But perhaps something a bit different?

Adding more material to the mass, I lengthened the blade but kept it straight. Mulling it over, I made a long, curved blade like Raven's before shaking my head. Then I shortened it but left it curved, straightened it again, and began to adjust it. Each time, I'd pause and give it a few experimental swings with my mind, testing it. With several other hands, I worked on a replacement for Blush, going through several different models of guns and using Suryasta to imitate firing them.

A sudden cry drew my attention briefly to a Giant Nevermore that had manifested shortly before. I noted that it was flying towards me and then went back to pondering my work. After a moment, I frowned; several of these could work, but it would be easy for Adam to fall back into his usual style on accident. At the same time, creating a completely different weapon would hamper him. I needed to think about this differently.

I lifted the constantly shifting sword and gun before melting both and combining them into a single mass. It would be harder for Adam to use Iaido without some equivalent of Blush, but that was likely for the best, as it was one of the most distinctive aspects of his style. Perhaps it would be best to just make him a sword that was also a gun.

Or perhaps something else entirely, I thought as an idea struck. Reaching down towards the streets below, I tore open the top of a clothing store and began to seize several shirts, tearing them to shreds—or rather, threads—in seconds before gathering them into a bundle beside the mass I'd been using to make weapons. Using a few more hands to pull Dust crystals from my Inventory, I held them beside others in thought, looking between them absently. Perhaps it was just the fact that I'd been watching Cinder recently, but the idea of Dust clothing was sticking with me. I could fashion a needle easily enough and I was fast enough to sew things easily, so I could practice my Dust Weaver skill to make Adam equipment.

Alternatively, I could do what Raven did and make the weapon out of Dust, or at least alloy it to the steel. That was a very expensive route, but it would mesh with Adam's style. With a crystal blade to color the power of his Semblance, he could make waves of fire, petrify opponents, crush them with gravity, or more. To make it truly versatile, however, he'd need something like Raven's weapon, with dozens of different blades, which would make an already expensive option even more so.

Perhaps something in-between, I considered as the Giant Nevermore came at me with its mouth wide open. Shedding a Skin to dodge, I carried myself and my supplies behind its head, letting it fly right past me. Reaching out with a horde of Psychokinetic blades, I paused for a moment as I thought of something else, looking down at the invisible hands I was using to do my work.

"Oh," I murmured to myself, switching tracks at once. "There's an idea."

Drawing back a bit, I converted the blades into more hands and waited for the massive creature to turn around again. As it did, I began to gather my power, shaping it again and again in the same way. I reached out with the dozens of hands I'd constructed, limbs that existed only to do my will—and yet I could feel them as if they were flesh and blood, thanks to the power of my Clairsentience. And if that was true.

As the Giant Nevermore faced me again, a circle of Magic Missiles appeared around it, held in place by my will. More appeared in a wall around me, each a construct of lethal power.

"Goodbye," I said with another smile.

As one, the attacks swept forward and the monster almost seemed to dissolve as they tore through it.

"Now then," I said as I glanced back at the items floating around me. "Where was I?"

"I take it that light show was you?" Adam asked about ten hours later.

"Who else would it be?" I answered, smiling as I looked down at him. He was standing atop the remains of Haven's ziggurat, having spent hours defending it from every direction. Though he'd cut down the Grimm like stalks of wheat, sheer attrition had allowed them to claim parts of the structure in bits and pieces—and Adam's own attempts to defend it had left their scars as well. I could see his efforts in the marks he'd left behind—attempts to control the power of his blows in the varied size of the strikes, the jagged ring of markings that surrounded the ziggurat a testament to his efforts to push back the Grimm. I suspected that he had challenged himself, consciously or not, to keep the structure safe and for a single man against an endless horde, he'd done remarkably well.

But not enough to be satisfied with himself. I was all but certain he'd continue this training regime until he was satisfied.

I supposed it wasn't a bad way to train.

For my part, well…where Adam had protected, I had destroyed. Though much of Haven had fallen, it was the only structure in Mistral that still stood, rising high above a vast sea of smoke and rubble. I'd shattered every building and slaughtered every Grimm I came across, annihilating anything that caught my attention. My time in Naraka had seen too it that I had the destruction of Vale down to an art form, having systematically mapped out the fastest and most effective ways to tear it down over the course of a number of dull afternoons. Mistral, however, I was still fairly new to and this was my first time really cutting loose. It gave me a chance to see the city and memorize the locations of everything important, too, which I felt would come in handy. By the time my training here was done, I'd no doubt know Mistral even better than I'd known Vale.

Adam hummed once, looking at me with a slight frown. I hovered in the air before him, feet hanging freely so as to make it obvious I wasn't standing on anything. Though Adam still had a few inches on me height-wise, I'd floated down from the sky above and stopped a bit above him so I could keep firing. All around me, light gathered into bright shapes and flew off in steady streams of destructive power.

"Trying a new look?" He asked.

"Yeah," I answered, several pieces of rubble floating up around me. "Psychokinesis. It was a…parting gift from my father."

"Ah," Adam said, nodding slowly as he looked down. "Are you going to use that as your Semblance, then?"

"I've considered it," I admitted. "I'll let them think what they want, but it'd make sense, given my father—and you can justify a lot of stuff with it. Add some Dust crystals and I can pretend to be a Pyrokinetic or a Hydrokinetic or whatever I feel like—at least, with a little bit of effort. It would make practicing and explaining stuff a bit easier, too. Why am I so durable? Psychokinetic shell. Why am I so strong? I supplement my body's power with Psychokinetic force. That type of thing."

"Could work," He agreed. "You seemed to have fun playing with it, too."

My smile turned amused at that and I shifted in midair, as if leaning back.

"It's a fun power," I told him. "Especially since it gives me so many more hands to work with."

With a thought, my twin firing spheres shifted in place as if I were flexing my fingers. I was truly glad for this power—for the new strength my Psychokinesis had given me. Even more than its own power, the ability to generate attacks away from my body and fire them…it was limited by the power of my Clairaudience still, but it was a massive boon. It meant I didn't need to rely on two or four hands; I could create as many attacks as I could support and hurl. And with that…with that my firing rate had increased even more, to amazing results.

Adam paused for a moment, finally seeming to notice.

"What happened to your Magic Missiles?" He asked.

I shrugged and continued to smile.

"It ranked up," I answered. "So I traded up. These are Gungnir."

Lifting a hand, I created one with a thought. Seen in midflight, it looked a lot like a Magic Missile. It was still made of my Aura, after all, and thus composed entirely of pure, white light; anything more specific tended to blend away as it sped off into the distance. Seen like this, however, the differences were obvious. Where my Magic Missiles were smooth javelins of energy, the evolved Gungnir took on a more distinct shape. Expanding from an orb of light, it took on the shape of an actual weapon made of woven bands of light—a confluence of Magic Missiles that took on a nearly material form, energy packed so densely that it seemed more like a weapon that glowed then a weapon of light, patterns and symbols sometimes shining through to add to that impression. As I held onto it, light rose from its surface in twisting bands that snaked between my fingers and around me wrist, slowly spiraling up my arm as it wait to be set free.

It didn't feel like I was holding an energy weapon, not like Magic Missile had. Yet for all its solidity, holding it…I could feel the power inside it waiting to be set free and devastate.

Gungnir (Active) LV1 EXP: 99.46% MP: 800

The magical spear of an ancient Atlesian king, given form by its wielder's power. Originally a weapon of mere frozen steel, its wielder carved it repeatedly with patterns and formula designed to channel his Aura until the weapon itself did not matter, so engrained was its shape in its wielder's soul. Once cast, it is said to never miss, to pierce any defense, and to slay entire armies in a single throw. It was also said to return to its wielders hand whenever cast, but in truth its physical form shattered long ago and it may simply be created at will by those who know how. Power increases with INT, skill level, and Metal element affinity.

80% defense penetration.

8000% damage increase.

7 second charge time but can be charged for up to 21 seconds.

Attack damage increases with charge time.

Once fired, will change direction up to 1 time in order to follow the target.

Letting him get a good look at it, I twirled it once and hurled it into the distance where it fell like a meteor far from us. As it touched the ground, there was a flash of light followed by an explosion of released energy—the army slaying portion of its apparent myth. It had the same penetrative properties as its predecessor, but unlike Magic Missile, its complex form could unravel on command, releasing its full destructive power on anything nearby. At the same time, it would follow its target, presumably to a greater extent as its power increased, and from using it even just a few times, I could already guess how it was meant to be used; penetrate the defense of the desired target, pierce deep into their flesh, and then…boom.

"Hm," Adam hummed. "I was wondering why the fireworks stopped so abruptly. This thing is more expensive, I take it?"

"A bit," I answered with a shrug. "That's why I only have two hands firing it at the moment. Luckily, it's an Elemental technique and I have a fair amount of cost reducers for it, but…I'll have to grind it down until it's easier to use—but I ranked up a skill, so I'll call this a pretty good night. What about you?"

He tapped the hilt of his sword thoughtfully and then nodded.

"I think I made some progress," He answered, glow finally receding. "Thanks for the loan, Jaune."

"It's no problem," I assured him.

He nodded at me once before frowning in contemplation and shaking his head.

"I'd tell you about it, but since you're you, I'll just assume you already know everything I have to tell you," He said after a moment's thought.

"That would probably save time," I agreed, flashing another smile. "Yeah, I looked your way every now and then, when I wasn't preoccupied being awesome."

He nodded once and didn't ask, trying to annoy me. Unfortunately for him, I knew exactly what he was doing and had significantly more patience. As I floated there in pleasant silence, I could feel that dawn on him, just as I could feel him come to the realization that being stubborn and getting frustrated would just amuse me. Trying to minimize improvements to my moral, he switched tracks and raised an eyebrow.

"Gee," He began in a tone that made it obvious he hadn't quite managed to muster up an actual fuck to give. "And what did you do, Jaune."

"How kind of you to ask," I answered with a smile. "Oh, just the usual. Made a Magic Missile Machinegun, weaponized my brain even further, leveled the city of Mistral, carved my name into a mountain, killed an ungodly number of Grimm who didn't even have the decency to be worth leveling up over—"

"Useless fucks," Adam said, agreeing wholeheartedly on that point at least. "If they're going to run up and die on our swords, they could at least give us something—because I swear, I was murdering those assholes like it was my job."

"It is our job," I reminded him. "Literally, now that we're students here."

"Yeah, but…aren't they supposed to drop money every now and then?" He asked.

"The little ones are kind of stingy," I shook my head even as I withdrew the money I'd collected. "You got to kill the big ones if you want to get paid. It can be easy to miss the drops, too, because you have to collect it the old fashioned way. Here, though; fifty-fifty alright?"

"Sure," He replied with a snort, taking the Lien. "You probably did a lot more of the work, but I'll take this as payment for listening to you talk."

I rolled my eyes a little at that and then lowered to the ground to stand beside them.

"But like I said, mainly just the usual," I finished. "I wanted to get my new skills leveled up a bit so they're easier to use. The first forty or fifty levels come pretty easily nowadays, thanks to my Acceleration and experience boosters. I didn't get to do as much physical training as I'd have liked, but I guess that's the cost you pay when you fly with your brain instead of your body. After today, it'll be easier and I'll leave Vimana to train during the day so I can workout more at night. Thanks to my Psychokinesis, I was able to grind Magic Missile up to ninety-nine which I'm pleased with. I've got a few other skills heading that way, too."

"Oh?" Adam asked, actually looking a bit interested at that. "Which ones?"

"My personal stuff, mainly," I answered with another shrug. "The stuff that's easy to boost with Acceleration. These last two weeks or so, well…with the effective time I've been putting in and the experience boosts I've been getting, they've risen quickly. Magic Missile sort of skyrocketed past a few of them because I could shoot it a million times a day if I really felt like it, but they've all come along nicely. Most of the White Tiger stuff and my buffs are all getting close to ranking up and a few more days of physical training should net me a few skills on that end, too. My Clairvoyance is the one I'm most interesting in seeing improve, though."

"To better see my utter lack of surprise?" Adam asked. "It can be easy to miss, I admit—I'm a subtle bastard."

"Bastard, I'll give you," I replied. "But subtle? Be reasonable."

He snorted.

"By the way," I said. "I managed to pry myself way from my busy schedule of awesomeness long enough to spare some thought for the little people—little people being you, in case it wasn't obvious."

"Now that you're not floating, I'd like to remind you that I'm, like, five inches taller than you," He stated, straightening in an attempt to tower above me.

"Bitch, please," I chuckled, because he was only three. "Anyway, like I was saying, I came up with some ideas for that new weapon of yours I wanted to take to you about. I'll have to work on my crafting a bit to see if anything pans out, but…I think you might appreciate it."

"As long as I can stab people in the face with it, I'm good," He answered, tapping the sword at his side again. "Wilt and Blush are my only real weapons, anyway."

"I figured you'd say that," I said, rolling my eyes. "Thankfully, because I'm a good friend and just general amazing, I've been working on something special."

"Tell me it's a giant robot," Adam replied. "With an equally giant sword."

"Sorry," I shook my head. "I'm not that good a friend—and, really, if I had one, it would be mine."

"Aw."

"But," I smirked, lifting a finger. "I might be able to manage power armor, if my skills get high enough. We need some way to keep losers like you from getting infected by Riders anyway."

"Power armor," Adam repeated before pausing. "I…can live with power armor."