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.

Comprehension

I'm not going to lie and say I didn't consider blowing off school, whether for today or just in general. As much as I wanted to keep an eye on Cinder and her as of yet unknown plans, it was hard to really care after everything I'd just learned. Knowing, if only in part, what I was up against, I wanted to train—hell, I needed to train. I had to prepare myself to fight a guy that had been my match before he had a few thousand year head start on me, and God but his power was unfair. I mean, I didn't usually care about that sort of thing, but I also was usually the person with all the advantages. Now that I knew I had to face a guy who could literally bend the rules of reality and was an immortal mad scientist who'd played with forces that could destroy life on Remnant and who had a trillion loyal monsters at his beck and call…

Well, some complaining seemed in order. Sadly, complaining wouldn't do anything to help me survive the next…fuck, did I have a year? I'd always assumed I was on a schedule—that was why the whole Mistral and Haven thing was only going to last six months at most—but not that I could see how heavily the deck was stacked against me, I was frighteningly aware of the fact that I had no clue what that schedule actually was. If Malkuth acted before I was ready, I'd be drawn into a game I had no chance of winning, but I had no idea when he'd make a move. Worse, I had no way of actually stopping him if he chose to act. That kind of sucked.

All the more reason to get to work. I wanted to lock myself away in Naraka for a month or two, train around the clock, slaughter Grimm in the wilderness, and make myself as strong as I could, as quickly as I could. That was the one advantage I had, Keter had said—my Semblance was built for the world I now lived in, a world dominated by the Grimm. I could gain power at an extraordinary pace by slaying monsters, growing stronger at a pace even my past self couldn't, because he hadn't had this option. I could learn things fast, too, if I had the right books or the right number of points; I wasn't sure how that element of my Semblance measured up to my original self, but it was better suited for the world I lived in. The original Keter might have been able to learn things from a host of teachers, but I lived in a Remnant and being able to draw upon lost knowledge worked better for me.

I needed to take advantage of it. My new set of skills would allow me to grow more quickly and Tiferet gave me a new source of powerful skills. My priority now was to level up as many skills as I could, merge whichever ones I was able, kill the Grimm for levels and points for my mental stats, and grind my physical stats as high as I was able. It was very, very tempting to throw everything else to the wayside.

That did not, however, make such a decision wise. As much as part of me wanted to panic and rush things, the Gamer's mind helped my hold back and consider things carefully. Going to school didn't matter to me in the slightest, but it would have been foolish to ignore the threats nearby just because I'd learned of a bigger one on the horizon. From what I knew, Cinder could very well be infected by one of the Riders and therefore up to no good. I had the presence of two of them confirmed—Conquest was contained within the Pandora Shells and the Red Rider, who, from the MO illustrated by the Temple, might be War, was contained within Ruby. And possibly Summer Rose, if she was still alive, which I hoped, for her sake more than my own, she wasn't.

That left me with two Riders unaccounted for—Famine and Death. And as it just so happened, I currently had two suspects for hosts, in Cinder and Ozpin. I honestly wasn't sure if I'd rather be right or wrong about those two; I mean, on the one hand, I really didn't want to have unknowns running around and working against me. On the other hand, Cinder and Ozpin were, as far as I could tell, fucking monsters. I still couldn't see Cinder's level, meaning she must have been at least a hundred and forty-one.

Then again, even if it turned out Cinder was clean, I'm not sure leaving a criminal with that much power and unknown motives running around unwatched was a good idea, so either way, I couldn't leave until I was certain of what Cinder was up to. She may not have been as big a threat as Malkuth in the big picture, but that didn't mean she couldn't ruin everything while my back was turned. I'd have to settle things with here before too long, one way or another, but for now I had to stay put. And, honestly…it was probably for the best that I didn't run off. I needed some time to take stock of things because I honestly wasn't even sure where to start with this mess.

And that was how I found myself in class, meditating silently as the teacher droned on. I wasn't even bothering to pretend to be paying attention and neither was Adam, who was sleeping in his seat beside me, but after yesterday's show, no one was bothering us about it. If it went on for two long, someone might give us shit, but I sure as hell wasn't here because I gave a damn what the teachers had to say. Especially not when I had more important things to do.

Meditation was an important part of my training regime and one I'd been neglecting somewhat recently. Soul of the World had an invaluable ability—it allowed me to train my MP as if it were one of my stats. The downside was that it took time to do that, and a lot of time at that; when my MP regeneration had risen high enough the boost from meditating was pretty much meaningless, I'd spent time doing other stuff instead.

But since I had a bunch of teachers to ignore now, a place had opened up in my schedule, especially when I'd figured out the trick to it and added Acceleration to the picture. While Acceleration didn't enhance my natural MP regen—which, from what Keter had said, probably had something to do with the 'Light' I drew on that existed above the Sephirot—Soul of the World drew from…well, the world and multiplied after I adjusted it properly. Granted, the per minute benefit of meditation was vastly outweighed by the per second cost of Acceleration, but the MP regen wasn't what I was after.

What I cared about was that it improved how quickly I could train my MP. For me, MP in general was the most valuable resource I had, and so two things were especially important to me—how much of it I had and how quickly I could regenerate it, and those two things plays off of each other. The way my Wisdom was now, I could go from zero to full in less than thirty seconds, and that was true regardless of how much MP I had because my MP regen worked off of percentages. My MP itself, however, was numerical and I'd refill it within that timeframe whether it meant regaining a hundred MP per second or a thousand.

Now that I'd successfully dropped my regen rate to half a minute, though, it would be difficult to improve in a significant way just by increasing my Wisdom—I'd need to double it to halve to time it took now. If I wanted to improve how much MP I had access to every second, I'd need to improve the amount I had access to overall. A few months of Accelerated meditation should do the trick—especially with the help of Chokhmah.

Chokhmah (Passive) LV1 EXP: 14.40%

The Wisdom that arises from nothingness—the first step away from that which cannot be grasped. The first moment of thought brings with it the first glimpse of the world and the first moment of Wisdom, and from that spark flows both Creativity and Terror. This ability represents the heightened presence of Chokhmah within the soul of the user and through its light, gives them wisdom.

100% increase to the effectiveness of all skills that calculate effectiveness based on Wisdom.

100% increase to the effectiveness of all skills that are used to create something new.

100% increase to experience gained by all such skills.

Besides which, meditation was the closest I ever came to relaxing nowadays. It was like sleeping, except without the loss of awareness, the amount of wasted time, and the general defenselessness. I was able to keep up all my skills and continue to improve them and though the expansion of my senses made it difficult to focus on any one thing, it allowed me to keep track of things in broad strokes. I'd checked to make sure Cinder was where she was supposed to be before starting and I was alert enough to make sure she didn't wander off anywhere. She probably wasn't going to start doing anything major while in class herself, anyway, so there wasn't much point in staring at her while she was sitting in class and not trying to look bored.

And while I was relaxing, I also had time to think and plan.

I started by taking stock of what I had. While I kept careful track of my own power, I had allies I knew would follow me to the end and I needed to look after them, too. Adam, who was sleeping in the chair next to me and ignoring the class entirely, was coming along fairly well as he leveled up. Putting most of his points into Strength and Dexterity, he could attack with a force and speed that most Hunters would find inhuman. He'd put a smattering of points in Wisdom to improve his own MP regeneration and it also served to help him other ways, from improving his control with his Semblance to help guide him through battle. While he said he was still getting used to it, he'd mentioned that he was considering putting a few points in Intelligence as well, to see how much it helped him.

Over all, though, he'd grown tremendously in the short time we'd been training and he was still working on melding his Semblance to his new found growth. He'd taken to favoring smaller, quicker attacks with a relatively minor charge, enhancing his blades ability to carve away at his foes, chop off limbs, or shred armor. It drained him more quickly, but so long as I was there to provide support it easily multiplied his offensive potential. He could still use his more powerful attacks, but the charge time made it difficult to pull off in battle and I was better suited to the bombardment role, anyway.

After only a few days, I couldn't be sure of precisely where his training with his Semblance would lead. For the time being, he seemed mostly concerned with figuring out how to channel as much Aura into his strikes in as little time as possible, but after a few weeks or months…who knows? Still, given the Dust Weaving I'd been doing lately, I was considering ways to support his style; I'd need to make several versions and test their results, but with some practice, adding some new Elements to his swordsmanship could come in handy.

Speaking of Elements, though, my constant companions were another facet to consider, especially given what I now knew about them. Whether because of the fact that I'd created a Light Elemental or simply of what Keter had told me, I could literally feel the difference in them. Especially while meditating like this…I could feel them growing.

And it made me wonder. If it was shared fragments of my soul that had created them and given them the forms they now had, then precisely what was happening when I improved my skill? When I'd made the jump from Basic Elementals to Lesser Elementals, my various Affinities had grown, too, but that couldn't have been all. My Elementals had changed and grown in some pretty obvious ways, becoming more defined and distinct. I had a fair number of items that could increase my Affinities but none of them had brought about such a change, nor such a jump in power. What had happened, then?

After giving it some thought, one possibility seemed most likely. They had grown because the piece of my soul had also grown. It made sense, after all; if my 'Advanced' Elementals were created by merging fragments into larger pieces and a Light Elemental was to combine all the pieces into a reflection of the whole, then it didn't seem impossible. Even after speaking to my own, I was no expert on the subject of souls, but…it felt right.

I just had no idea what that could mean, long term. I didn't know enough to say for sure what any of them would grow up to become. Something like those giants I'd seen in my dreams after each summoning, perhaps? But how long would that take? They'd grown from Basic to Lesser, but I couldn't say for sure how much stronger they could still become. Some status effects seemed to follow the theme of Low, Intermediate, High, before finally maxing out, which could imply as many as three more stages of growth if it was applicable.

Whatever the case, I needed their help. If Malkuth's power gave him control over the physical world, then my Elementals—and my Elemental powers—were probably my best defense. If I maxed out my Affinities and my Elementals grew into the fullness of their power, it should protect me from at least some of his tricks.

Although, really, when it came to Malkuth, it was probably best to just be prepared for everything. I was already planning to start improving my Poison Resistance soon, using Venenum, but I'd need to test a few things first.

Still, there was another reason I was eager to see them grow and it boiled down to simple curiosity. If sharing parts of my soul gave them their bodies and more humanlike minds, I wonder how they'd change if those fragments grew. Would their selfhood also strengthen? It was a pleasant thought. My Elementals had minds of their own and could converse with me easily, but they didn't care about much else. If anything, they seemed vaguely distracted whenever they weren't helping me with something, as if their minds were usually someplace else—which they probably were, in fairness. Still, it struck me as a little sad that if I told them to have the day all to themselves, they'd probably just stand around, at least as far as their bodies were concerned. While I found that loyalty and focus invaluable, it struck me as a bit sad, especially since we didn't speak much anymore, simply sharing our thoughts and senses. Maybe that'd change later on.

Thinking about it, I wondered if our unusual soul relationship made us more like siblings or like a father and his children. I guess I'd just call them my friends and leave it at that.

At the thought of children, though, I couldn't help but think of Autumn, who even now clung tightly to my wrist.

Who Would Inhabit This Bleak World Alone?

LV 52

Autumn Rose

My little girl was growing up and the thought of it left me feeling a bit sad, because I knew what it meant. She'd already added a number of points to her Intelligence and Wisdom, had a higher level than most of my classmates right now, and she was growing and learning all the time. As she was now, she probably wouldn't have too much trouble creating a body of her own, if I talked her through it. Hell, all she really needed me to do was explain to her how the other senses worked and she'd probably be able to manage on her own from there. She wouldn't need to be carried around anymore, at that point; she'd be a big girl.

Which meant we needed to have a talk. Not the sex talk—though I honestly wasn't sure if, how, or when that would be necessary; given her botanic nature, the birds and the bees may involve actual birds and bees. No, I'd wait awhile to see how that particular possibility manifested. In the meanwhile, however, there was something even more important we needed to discuss.

I was going to ask her if she wanted to be a Hunter. I'd explain the nature of the world to her, tell her about the Grimm and what Hunters did, and give her the choice. I understood what my parents and sisters had been trying to do by leaving me out of the family business because I knew—perhaps better than anyone, now—how dangerous being a Hunter could be. On a level, knowing what I did now, I could even appreciate their efforts.

But the choice had been mine and I'd wanted, more than anything, to be a Hunter. I'd made my choice and, despite everything, I didn't regret. So I'd give her the choice, too, and if she said no, we'd go from there together.

If she said yes, though, then we needed to train. I'd bring her along next time we went outside the Kingdom; we'd stick to this side of the sea for a while longer and get her up to snuff at least stat-wise. Then we'd train with her Aura inside Naraka and make sure she could use her powers fully in battle. After that…we'd just have to see.

And then there was Gou. My Familiar that I'd never once taken into battle.

If I hadn't been meditating, I would have sighed.

Truthfully, I'd always planned for Gou to fight beside me someday, I'd just been putting it off. Even with the power granted to him as my Familiar, he was still barely more than a puppy—the puppy I'd found dying underneath a dumpster, not too long ago. And even if he was my familiar, there were a lot of things he just didn't have. He didn't have the Gamer's Body, which allowed me to endure the punishment my skills had put my though; stuff that could have crippled a normal man a million times over by now and then some. He didn't have any experience, at least not of the literal kind; we'd covered some stuff, but he'd never really fought. As far as I knew, he hadn't even spent any of his points yet, because we'd been saving them until he'd mastered the basics and could get the most out of them.

That was still a good idea, of course, but I hadn't done it just because it was wise. I was worried about him just like I was worried about Autumn. Hell, I was terrified, because I'd found out what was on its way and God but it wasn't pretty.

But I wasn't doing him any favors by leaving him unprepared. I'd give him a choice, too, because he deserved one no matter what my profile said; if he wanted to fight beside me, I'd make sure he was ready for it. If he didn't, Grandmother could keep him safe and I'd tried to look after him if anything happened.

Even saying that, though…I knew what his decision would be and that's why I sighed.

Maybe Vitality would be a good choice, I mused. With a few hundred points in that, he might be able to withstand what my skills would put him through. I hadn't seen him in a little while, but he had to be in his eighties by now, level-wise, which meant he'd have over four hundred points to spend. If he put all of them in Vitality…especially if I could finish grinding his basics…that might be enough. My skills could handle the rest; even if his natural strength and speed wasn't the best, I could give that to him no problem. What mattered was that he survive said help.

All that really left, at least right now, was Raven. But since I was probably still playing catchup in that relationship, she didn't need any particular help. If I managed to catch up enough to see her level, that might change, but for now I didn't need to worry about her wellbeing. If need be, she was probably the one I'd call for help.

As for myself, improving my skills took priority right now—as many skills as possible. Tiferet had opened up new doors and with the other Sephirot skills there to smooth things along…the possibilities were endless. I needed to cover our bases because God knows what we'd face soon, but with my skills…

I'd manage somehow, I thought. Because the only alternative was dying and I was one of the few people on Remnant who could say that had gotten old. I still didn't have all the answers about what had happened to me—I didn't even know what had started it all, though Keter and I had come up with a few possibilities. It could have been a soul thing; the Archangels had sworn not to experiment in that field, but then a thousand years had passed and maybe things had changed. From its description, Death in particular sounded like pure soulfuckery to me. Maybe Malkuth had done something and I'd tried to stop him or one of the others had broken things. Maybe I'd done something and he'd snapped. Maybe it was simple greed that had grown into an unwillingness to share power or we'd had a truly epic falling out. Maybe I'd stolen something; his girlfriend, the last slice of pizza, or some piece of research. Maybe he'd grown to hate humanity or us or both. Maybe he'd always been an asshole.

It could have been anything. I had no way of knowing for sure yet and I might never find out.

But in the end, it didn't matter. Whatever had happened, it didn't justify the Grimm and their millennia of predation. Whatever we had been, whatever we had done, here and now Malkuth needed to die.

And if we were the Brothers Grimm, I guess I was just going to have to commit fratricide.

Maybe we'd get along better in another life.