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.

Materials

The next two weeks passed in a blur of focused effort. I didn't need sleep and thus my mother's schedule left no time for me to rest. I trained in a cycle of focused mental and physical effort that never stopped, merely growing as my mother added to it, expanding to new skills as others grew.

I bore it all without complaint, even when my body felt like it had been broken. I never stopped, never gave up, but merely rose again to keep going, stronger than before. The world almost seemed to slip away in the midst of it all, stripped down to the need to improve, the need to continue, until things like the time or the date just didn't seem to matter—but in time, life intervened. When duty called my parents to the city, they brought me along to give me a reprieve, an hour or two off from work, and let me wander the city and relax; a reward for working so hard, perhaps.

Or maybe they were just worried about the strain they were putting upon me, afraid I might break. If so, I didn't share the fear, but taking a little time off didn't seem too bad, though it probably said something about me that I didn't waste it. After a quick trip to the market, I went to address something I'd been unable to until now.

"Jaune?" Tukson asked, seeming surprised when he came to the front desk and saw me perusing his wares.

"Hey, Tukson," I greeted, looking up from what I was Observing a book, a shopping bag in one hand. Looking up at my elder friend, I rested the bag carefully atop a bookshelf. "You been doing okay?"

"I was going to ask you that," He replied, shoulders sagging after a minute as he seemed to take in that I was really here. "With…everything that happened. Blake told me you got back okay, but…things got pretty bad, huh? I'm…well, I'm sorry. I didn't think…"

"Nah, don't worry about it," I cut him off with a smile. "It's no problem. Your books saved my life a few times, you know? And you got my messages through, too, so…thanks. I wanted to come tell you that earlier, but well…things have been busy."

"With your family, right?" He asked, seeming somewhat cheered by my reassurances, though his brow furrowed slightly. "Everything go okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Better then I'd hoped. My parents were really cool and understanding. I mean, I knew that before, but it's like…well, you know."

"I do," He nodded, going quiet as he looked down at something on his desk. "They're your family. You want to make them proud, even when…especially when it's hard, right?"

We were silent for a moment of semi-awkward mutual understanding before he lifted his head and gave me a smile.

"Must be difficult, huh?" He asked, brushing the moment aside. "I…that homecoming must have been something. I mean, when I first went to your house and realized who your parents were…Don't take this the wrong way, but after Ziz, I, uh, took a brief vacation to one of the White Fang's hideouts. Mostly because of the horrific monster, but, not gonna lie, there was a part of me worried about getting murdered when your parents made the connection. I came back to deliver your message and stayed to help the newcomers, but, well…it's still kind of nerve-wracking."

I hummed understandingly.

"I don't blame you," I told him, pretty sure it had been a good move. If he'd stayed…well, it probably wouldn't have ended well for him. "I tried leaving the stuff about you guys out when I explained things to them, but…"

"But I came over just awhile before you vanished," He finished, nodding. "Not the hardest connection to make, but I figured you'd smooth that over when you came back. And hey, no police here, right? That's pretty good, all things considered."

"Definitely," I agreed. "But I meant it when I said your books and such saved me. I'm…I'm sorry I couldn't do things as peacefully as we'd hoped, though. Things got…"

"Hectic?" He suggested, sighing as he rested his hands on the counter. "I…yeah, I know. I saw some of it. Between Torchwick and Adam getting surrounded…I get it. The people still got saved, though, right? That's the important thing. We wanted to give new beginnings and…well, all told, we had about a thousand successes. Compared to that…"

He trailed of, shrugging a shoulder. His words were reassuring, probably because I agreed with them, but I had to wonder if he did. In the end, we'd all had our own reasons. For me, it had always been about the people who needed my help and who didn't have anyone else to save them—but for Tukson and Blake, it had been about even more than that. They wanted to show the White Fang another way, show them that things didn't have to end in violence and bloodshed, and had recruited me to help them prove it.

And I'd held a girl hostage, threatened people, fired on my pursuers, drawn out the Grimm, accidentally awoke Ziz, and all around brutally crushed anyone who stood between me and rescuing the miners, even when it meant tearing someone limb from limb. There was more too it then that, I hadn't wanted or meant for it to happen, and I'd avoided hurting people as much as possible—but I'd also succeeded. At stealing a super ship out from under the nose of some of the most powerful men on Remnant, at the most high-profile theft and rescue in recent memory, in every fight, I'd succeeded. What message did that send?

And the worst part was…I wasn't sure how to feel about it. I regretted the necessity of the actions, yet I was proud of the result. I felt bad for failing Blake and Tukson, but…Adam had told me outright that he didn't think the peaceful methods Blake desired would work, that they hadn't worked, for social and political and economic reasons that were kind of depressing. Was he right? Or, more worryingly, did I think he was right?

I hoped he wasn't, I was sure of that much. I hoped Blake was correct and there was some peaceful way to deal with all of this. I didn't want it to come to violence and I couldn't support the things the White Fang did.

But with their situation so bad, with what I'd seen, with the countless other examples throughout the world, with all that happened to the Faunus…I couldn't condemn them, either. I couldn't hate them for fighting what was done to them, even if I could hate the bloodshed it led to. I couldn't loathe them for picking methods that seemed to work, even if I was saddened by the methods that had failed.

More than anything else, I wanted there to be a better way, but I couldn't think of one. I wanted to be able to do something, but I didn't know how. A part of me wondered if I'd know when my Wisdom reached a hundred, but an even larger part worried that there just wasn't an answer to be found. It was easy to say the world had problems that needed to be fixed, but evidence would seem to support the conclusion that no one had actually done it yet.

I sighed.

"You mentioned the newcomers were moving in. Is everything going okay? Any trouble with housing or jobs or…?" I tried to change the subject, attempting to pull myself from the thoughts.

"It's difficult getting that many people situated," He admitted. "But all things considered, it's going pretty well. Things are better for Faunus here in Vale."

Maybe it was because of what we'd just talked about, but a pessimistic part of me wondered if that was true and things really were better—or if they were just closer to people who'd firebomb your house for bigotry.

"Thanks to some help from locals, a lot of them have already found work," Tukson continued, oblivious to my thoughts. "There's always stuff to be done in the Agricultural District and it's a pretty good way to get by if you're new in town—speaking from experience. It's a lot of hard work, but it pays pretty well and after what they've all been through…well, I think they find that a pretty novel concept."

"Probably," I agreed, brightening a tad at the words. "I awakened their Auras so they should be okay. Actually, this sort of leads into why I'm here."

Tukson squinted at me for a moment.

"You looking for another part time job?" He asked. "Because with your track record, I don't know if the Agricultural District would survive employing you. Please, think of all the Faunus who need the work and all the people who need the food."

"Hah," I laughed tonelessly. "Very funny, but no. I'm just looking for some books on the subject; I'm working on something."

"Yeah?" He asked, coming around the desk and down a line of shelves. He paused for a moment, fingertips brushing spines, and frowned. "What kind of something? And do you want gardening or farming?"

"I honestly don't know the difference," I admitted. "Both, I guess, because why not? I'm gonna try awakening the Auras of plants."

Tukson paused, blinking as he turned to face me.

"What?" He asked. "Why?"

"To see what happens, I guess," I answered honestly. "And to train myself but, honestly, at this point I just really want to know what'll happen. A lot of people down in Ag have tried it and had a lot of trouble, so I kind of want to know how it'll work if I try. If I get a skill out of it, it should tell me exactly what it does—and even if it doesn't, Observe should show me the results. I had the idea weeks ago but was so busy…it's been bothering me, you know?"

He considered that for a minute before passing me the books.

"Now I'm curious," Tukson shook his head, taking the money I withdrew from my Inventory. "But also kind of hoping that future generations won't condemn me for whatever happens."

"We all worry about that sometimes," I assured, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No we don't," He denied. "Well, maybe you do, but I mainly just worry about my books and sales. Need anything else?"

I chuckled a bit but checked the clock.

"Not today, I don't think," I said, shaking my head. "I'll need to get back to my parents in just a bit here and this should keep me busy enough for now. I don't suppose there's been any word from Adam and Blake?"

He shook his head.

"Not for a while now," He shook his head. "They volunteered to protect the refugees while they were moved around Vytal, so they're probably busy. It'll take some time to make sure everything's settled."

"Ah," I said, not surprised but a little disappointed nonetheless. It didn't make a lot of difference since it'd be quite some time before I had time enough to do anything—and I couldn't imagine life with the White Fang left them with idle hands, either—but… "Could you message me if anything comes up?"

"Will do," He promised, waving at me slightly. "Good luck with your plants. Try not to create anything that'll get me remembered as the cause of the end times."

"No worries; you'll be a minor footnote in Jaune Arc's Plant Apocalypse, tops," I grinned as I turned to go before pausing. "Though actually…if you're curious, do you want to watch?"

His eyebrows went up.

"What?"

I pulled down the sides of the bag to reveal a simple red rose, planted in a small cup of soil. I'd picked up several different packets of seeds at the market, which I'd test and grow over several weeks to compare to any grown flowers I awakened, but for my first attempt…

It was a little silly, but I wanted the first plant I ever awakened to be something beautiful.

"You interested?" I asked Tukson. "Actually being present would upgrade you to at least accomplice in the case of any foliage-based Doomsday scenario. Do you really want to just be tangentially related to the rise of the plant monsters?"

"Gee," He said woodenly, pun intended. "When you say it like that, how can I refuse?"

But despite his words, he was smiling as he leaned to rest his forearms on the counter top, and I returned it with a wide grin, locking the door before laying the tip of a finger on the rose's petals.

"For it is in passing," I began, closing my eyes and falling swiftly into a trance. "That we achieve immortality."

I barely paid attention to the words I was speaking as the world unraveled into patterns of light and darkness. I saw Tukson, a body of color contained within a dim mortal shell. I saw the store around us, left marked by traces of the many lives that had passed through its door, however briefly. Light and power bubbled up from the ground beneath us and streamed down from the skies above, immense patterns painted on the sky, remnants of God only knows what.

And I felt the rose beneath my touch. It was a small and simple thing, a slowly growing light. It wasn't large and seemed unlikely to ever become so on its own—no, it was a rose out of season, grown only for its beauty and doomed from the start. A morbid thought, yet already I could feel the growing touch of death upon it, from its roots to its crimson blossom.

I looked past that, beyond the traces left on its physical form into what lay beneath. It was alive, of course, but in a way the felt different from how Tukson was alive—only natural, I suppose, due to the differences between plants and animals. Still, it was alive and I could feel the light of it growing throughout its form, itself something strange yet familiar. I touched that light with my own, power flooding out of my and setting the structures of the rose alight with the bright color of my Aura, shining brightly even as it pooled somewhere deep within, filling it even as it burnt away what concealed its own light. In a sudden flood, red light flashed throughout its form, leaving it bright to senses and when I opened my eyes I saw that light sheathing its form for a moment before being draw back within.

Left Blooming Alone

LV. 1

?

"Oh," I said after a moment. "It has a level and a title now."

For a moment, we were silent, as if waiting for something to happen. With the red light of its Aura drawn back within its mortal frame, the rose was left looking…exactly the same as before. I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting, as simply awakening one's Aura didn't generally change who you are or what you looked like, but…

"Kind of anti-climactic," Tukson said, scratching an ear.

I was about to open my mouth to agree when I was distracted.

A skill has been created through a special action! By connecting deeply with the living creatures of the world, the skill 'Natural Bond' has been created!

A skill has been created through a special action! By promoting life within plants, the skill 'Green Thumb' has been created!

Natural Bond (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

By developing a connection with forms of life around you, a bond has been formed with the natural world. Only possible for those closely attuned to nature.

Increase the effectiveness of Survival and Stealth by 10% in natural surroundings.

Increase HP regeneration by 10 per minute in natural surroundings.

Increase MP regeneration by 10 per minute in natural surroundings.

Slightly increased closeness with natural life.

Slightly increased resistance to natural poisons and diseases.

Reduce all penalties from natural surroundings by 30%.

Green Thumb (Active & Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%

The ability to promote life within plants through the usage of Aura (MP). By converting Aura into a usable form, plants can be made to grow and thrive. Only possible for those closely attuned to nature.

Spend 1 MP to gift 1 Experience Point to target plant.

Enhanced plants regain an additional 10 HP regeneration per hour after use for a number of hours equal to the skill's level.

Increased closeness with plants.

Cannot enhance plants beyond user's level.

"—Oh," I mused, furrowing my brows.

"Something wrong?" Tukson asked as he noticed my expression.

"I…" I paused. "I have no idea. I got some new skills and…Give me a second."

Ignoring the fact that I still didn't really know how the Hell 'closeness' worked—much less with plants—the skills were pretty straightforward. Natural Bond seemed like a pretty damn good Passive technique, if one limited to, I assumed, places that weren't urbanized. Still, it wasn't hard to find places where the natural world reigned supreme in Remnant and as a Hunter especially, I was more than happy with the bonuses. As something that I didn't have to pay anything for, it was pretty great.

Green Thumb, however, left me a bit more confused. I mean, I guess it made a certain kind of sense? I'd never actually considered how magically causing a plant to grow would manifest in terms of my power, but if we considered experience the trait of growing up, I supposed maybe it wasn't that odd? Presumably, causing some form of permanent growth in an unnatural way would take the form of either stat boosts or else leveling and I wasn't sure how stat boosts would be represent, since it would depend a great deal on the plant. Leveling as one grew up made sense with what I knew as well, even if I'd never considered it in such a way before; it certainly seemed to be the case with, at least, small children.

Except…to be honest, I had no idea what leveling up meant for anyone who wasn't me or a member of my party. I gained five points every time I leveled up, in addition to a boost to my HP and MP, because I was a game character. I'd started at level one for presumably the same reason, even if that was 'usually' the level of babies and small children.

But other people didn't suddenly get points they could distribute however they wanted to improve themselves. No, more than that, they didn't truly have 'levels' to begin with; those were just markers that my power ascribed to them based on…what? Power? I wasn't sure. It might have had some relation to stats, but I didn't think that was all there was too it; if it did, and I assumed five stat points per level was the norm, then Adam should be far higher than the low forties. No, even beyond his stats, in the right situations Adam's power allowed him to hit far above his weight class, such as when he'd wiped out most of the Giant Nevermore's health in one hit. There was a charge time, but in terms of both stats and threat level, he was…

So I wouldn't say level was just because of stats, nor would I say it was solely because of how big a threat someone was—and the latter especially was something complex and situational, besides. Similarly, people besides me couldn't increase their levels solely by killing things and getting experience, so when they leveled up like Blake and Adam both had, what it meant was…

…I had no idea. The entire system was weird. It made a certain kind of sense when applied to me, but for other people? Adam, Blake, and even Penny all seemed stronger than their levels alone might indicate, but that could have just been because I had no idea what their levels indicated.

So what the hell would it mean for a plant? Would it just make it grow to adulthood? What if I kept using it? If it reached adulthood at level, say, two, what would happen if I raised it to level ten? Or even higher?

Beyond that, converting MP directly to experience sounded really amazing—and it was, to an extent. But at level thirty, I now required millions and millions of experience points to go up a level, which translated to…well, a lot of MP. The skill was only level one so the conversion ratio might change, but…

Well, even so, I was surprised by the existence of such a skill. Was it limited to plants? Balance-wise, I guess it would make sense if the use of such a skill was limited to things that were normally immobile and mindless, but…my power wasn't usually balanced. Still, I certainly hadn't found a way to use such a skill on myself…did that mean anything? Or…

I sighed and shook my head. I loved my power, truly I did, but sometimes I wished it came with an instruction manual or something.

Still, instead of wondering pointlessly, why not just see for myself? First off…

"Observe," I said focusing on the plant.

Race: Rose

Sex: N/A

Level: 1 Next LV: 00.0

Age: 1

STR: 0 DEX: 0

VIT: 2 INT: 0

WIS: 1 LUCK: 15

Specials: Animasynthesis (Passive).

Points: 0

Not really surprising for a rose, I guessed, except for the Luck. The only thing that stood out about it was…

I tapped its special ability.

Animasynthesis (Passive)

The absorption of shed Aura (MP) as a form of sustenance. For every point of Aura spent nearby, gain one experience point.

Range: 1 meter.

"Huh…" I mused, frowning. "But is that a Semblance or just something normal for awakened plants…"

Either way…would that mean it'd get double experience for each point I gave it? Already, I was thinking of ways to make use of such an ability—because I certainly spent enough MP to make such an ability useful. A meter wasn't that great range-wise, but there were ways around that. If I perhaps wore the plant…I'd need to set it up carefully, but I could heal and sustain it, so there should be a way…perhaps if I attached it to my armor? If it absorbed the MP I burnt on a daily basis, it'd grow very quickly indeed. I had no idea what growing would do for it, but it was a tempting idea. In a normal game, I'd assume there'd be some benefit, like some hidden bonus reward to getting it high enough or some special power. Here…I had no way of knowing and the skill itself didn't give an ability to actually control plants, but I could make use of this somehow, I was sure. An Elemental, perhaps, or maybe…

I was getting ahead of myself. I shook my head again, focusing as I reached out to touch it and feed it my power—and then hesitated once more.

"No," I murmured. "If I'm going to do this, then why not…"

Why not go all the way? Or at least try to? I could test the alternative later, but why not see how ridiculous this ability could be?

"Create Party," I said, continuing once the window had appeared. "Invite Rose."

I was sure if 'Rose' would be enough, but a window appeared in front of the plant, fading an instant later as the rose entered my party. I guess creatures that couldn't make the choice for themselves automatically consented to party invites?

And with it in my party…

"Green Thumb," I said, pouring most of my remaining MP into the rose. It shook for a moment before suddenly sprouting, twisting, and growing larger and larger. Roots speared through the plastic cup around it and shifted the bag as flowers blossomed and spread. Thorny stems fell to hang from the shelf, reaching—almost grasping—but finding little else to cling to.

Left Blooming Alone

LV. 2

?

I looked at its profile again and smiled in satisfaction.

"Okay," Tukson mused. "Mildly less anticlimactic. Still kind of disappointing, though."

"Just wait," I said, smiling as I pulled the bag up around the plant's sides. It was far too big to fit completely inside of it anymore, but it made carrying it a bit easier even though I had to channel aura to keep it from punching holes through it. "I'm interested, now. I've got no idea what this means, much less what it could do, and I want to find out."

Tukson sighed.

"Just…tell me if it starts eating people so I have a chance to run away, okay?" He asked.

"Bah," I said. "You'd never escape. Before long, it'll be a higher level then you are."

"Wait, what?" Tukson asked, suddenly frowning. "No. What? You're joking, right?"

I chuckled and picked up my new project before turning to go.

"We'll get you to level twelve in no time, baby," I told it, smiling down at it. "See you later, Tukson."

The book trader sighed loudly, shaking his head, but he waved goodbye as I unlocked the door and left.

"I'll call you if I hear anything from our friends," He said, lifting his voice as I went.

"Thanks!" I shouted back, closing the door with a foot. My hands were full of the thorny plant, but looking down at it, I couldn't keep my smile from widening. "Left blooming alone, huh?"

My voice was softer now, gentle even though it probably couldn't understand anything I said.

"That's a pretty sad title for such a beautiful flower," I continued. "But I guess it's not the season for you, is it? Still, instead of being alone…why not spend some time with me? And maybe…let's see if we can find some more friends, okay?"

The rose shifted slightly, even though there was no wind.