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.

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"Done," I said as I reappeared at Raven's side, exiting Naraka once more.

Raven frowned slightly, nothing but her eyes moving as she focused upon me. She'd been watching our entire conversation through a portal, naturally, but she couldn't track me with Naraka—which, I suppose, made me one of the few people she had a hard time keeping track of.

"So I saw," She replied nonetheless. "How much of that did you make up on the spot?"

I hummed for a moment, tilted my head to the side, and shrugged.

"Most of it," I admitted. "Though I prefer to call it improvising."

Raven snorted slightly at that, turning her face my way and shooting me a dry look.

"Call it what you will," She told me, but there was a touch of amusement coloring her voice so I knew she didn't mean anything by it. "Still, was it safe to tell him that much? Ironwood has always had a bit of a reckless streak."

"I don't think there will be any issues," I replied, nodding slightly. "From what I've seen of him, while he may be a touch quick to act, it is mainly because of his concerns for the safety of others. He seems to understand what is at stake and the importance of subtlety in our present situation—and, more than that, it's not just his own life at risk."

Raven considered me for a moment before blinking slowly.

"The girl?" She asked.

"He considers her his daughter," I confirmed. "And while he might gamble with his own life should the situation call for it, he won't put his child's life at risk. Trust me; that's something I know a fair bit about."

"I suppose so," She whispered, lifting a hand and looking down at it. Given how her emotions shifted, she was probably thinking of Yang.

"Besides which," I continued. "He won't do anything before at least contacting Ozpin."

She nodded in concession on that front, even as her eyebrows pinched.

"Probably not," She agreed. "But…what if Ozpin…?"

"If Ozpin chooses not to support my claims?" I answered delicately. "Then that's useful information in its own right. I'd be surprised if he chose not to support me, to be honest, but I suppose this would be as good a time to find out as any. I admit, I'm somewhat nervous about approaching Ozpin in person, but if it's someone else making a call, there shouldn't be any problems. Even if he could somehow detect me from the other side of the screen and the world, I'd be surprised if he could sense me while I was sorting through the airwaves."

I shrugged again and looked up at the sky, staring back in the direction of Ironwood's ship.

"But more than that…I think it's unlikely that Ozpin would choose now of all times to act against me, Rider or not," I continued. "It doesn't make sense from a logical or personal perspective. Logically speaking, Cinder is almost finished loading the Paladins and even if Ironwood tried to reach her now, it would be easy for us to extract her before he arrived; after the delays I caused Ironwood, there just wouldn't be any point. And if Ozpin wanted to turn upon me, I suspect that he'd prefer to do so at such a time when I wasn't on a different continent, easily alerted of his intentions, and able to quickly escape. But more personally…he's never acted against me in such a way, so there's little reason to fear he'd do so now. Ozpin's always helped me, even when it might not seem in his best interests to do so, such as when I stole the White Whale and he didn't interfere. Given the choice, I suspect he would choose to help me now, as well. There's little need to worry about him in that regard, I feel."

"But you've worried about it," Raven noted.

"I worry about everything," I stated dismissively. "Especially major potential threats. I spend most of my day within a field of highly accelerated time with nothing else to do but think about the many things that may or may not try and kill me or who I'll need to face to protect the world. Ozpin's suspicious in various ways and I'd rather be prepared for the worst and proven wrong than be caught off-guard. If it turns out that Ozpin isn't a Rider, then he's a fairly relaxed guy and will probably accept an apology for the misunderstanding; I'll spend a few minutes working in the fields and grow a couple tons of coffee beans to make it up to him. If he is a Rider, however, and I'm not ready for the possibility…well, then I suspect I would either regret it forever or regret it very briefly. Either way, though, I doubt it'll matter right now."

Raven hummed slightly in agreement, pursing her lips.

"What now, then?" She asked.

"Ironwood will call Ozpin and get my story confirmed," I answered. "That'll give us a way to meddle with Cinder's plans directly when the time comes, while not seeming to do so. It also gives us a potential ally when the time comes and another source of information. First the weapons, now the Paladins…in a way, even the Dust she's been stealing can be traced back here to Atlas. It may well just be that they're the best source for such a thing—but she's bound to have allies up here to facilitate that and she's likely left a trail behind her."

She nodded again.

"You mentioned my brother," She said after a moment.

"As I said, it seems Cinder hasn't gone unnoticed," I replied. "I don't know when or where it started—it might have been her actions in Mistral, her ties to Mountain Glenn, or something else—but it seems we aren't the only ones aware that she's up to something. I suppose that's not surprising."

"It isn't?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," I said, sighing slightly. "In fact, Ozpin was the one who first tipped me off that something might be happening in Mistral—and he did it a long time ago. When I questioned him later, he claimed he didn't know much about what was going on, but…"

"But that man never tells anyone anything," Raven finished, shaking her head. "We used to joke that he had a horrible disease that would cause him to spontaneously combust if he ever told anyone the full truth about anything. There's always more to things than he lets on or something at work behind the scenes or something he wants you to figure out for yourself. It's endlessly annoying."

Yeah, people who do stuff like that are assholes.

Also, please don't send me looks like that, Raven. I told you the truth in the end, didn't I?

"Good," I said after another minute of observation. "Ironwood's ship is staying away from Cinder's position; it looks like they're heading back the way they came. We'll make sure Cinder makes it out without killing anyone and then withdraw ourselves."

"Back to training?" Raven asked, still looking my way.

I considered it for a moment before shaking my head.

"There are several skills I'd like to merge," I told her. "Doing so will leave me fairly vulnerable, so I'd rather not do so in a hellhole full of super-monsters."

"That seems reasonable," Raven acknowledged but frowning slightly. "Do you need assistance?"

She sounded worried. Come to think of it, I'd never used Tiferet in front of her, had I? To be honest, it wasn't a huge deal now that I knew how it worked. Sure, it left me mostly powerless, but I could just lock the door and have Adam, Autumn, and Gou on guard duty just in case something did happen. It wasn't something that had come up more than a few times, either, so I'd just never thought to bother her about it. It wasn't like I didn't trust her to have my back, but she was a busy woman and it was just something that I didn't really want to draw attention to—it's hard to exploit a weakness nobody knew about and after a certain point, surrounding myself with guards would just become counterproductive.

But on the other hand, I suppose there wasn't any reason not to invite her along. Of all my friends, she was undoubtedly the best to have around in an emergency, simply because of her ability to put a few hundred miles between herself and said emergency if she needed to.

Besides, I did trust her.

"If you have the time," I replied. "I can't say it will be particularly interesting, but I'd feel better knowing you were there."

"Then I shall be," She answered. "Are we almost finished here?"

I waited for a long minute, staring across the snowy fields and city streets as I monitored Cinder's progress. With the locks and alarms and security systems disabled, it didn't seem like she was having much trouble; the only real issue was in loading the Paladins for transport and then actually transporting them. Raven and I could have resolved the matter in a few seconds, but I'd done enough of the work and it wasn't like this was for the sake of my plan. Ironwood was still following my advice to stay away and nothing else had started to approach, so…

"Yeah," I said with a slight nod. "We can eavesdrop from another continent. Let's go."

"About goddamn time," Adam murmured behind us, seated on top of Gou. "I fucking hate this place."

I looked a slow breath, feeling my power expand and contract alongside the motion. My heartbeat slowly, the sound and feel of it odd, as if the organ hadn't quite decided if it actually existed anymore and periodically forgot what it was doing. For importantly, I felt my Chakras activate slowly as the current of my power ran through them, imaginary lights flickering on in my head.

Sitting crossed legged on the floor, I let my power spread into the ground, invisible roots spreading into the earth from the base of my spine and feeding energy back into Muladhara. I felt it as power was draw up the center of my body, climbing slowly up to the crown of my head—and then perhaps just a bit higher, behind the confines of my physical form. If the power I was drawing into myself through Muladhara were 'roots', then Sahasrara was the blossom of the flower. Between those two points, that energy transformed again and again, cleansing and purifying as it went. It became a true part of my as it passed into Svadhishthana and was purified and 'digested' as it entered Manipura. I centered both that new power and myself around my true heart, Anahata, which pumped it carefully throughout my body, distributing the pieces where they were most need. Then, I drew in careful, cleansing breaths with Vishuddha, drawing in power from the air and then releasing it, each breath like a turn of the wheel. In Ajna, the flows of power became something visible and real, before continuing on above it and taking shape.

Once I was sure the process was working and wouldn't be disrupted, I took the next step and focused. I hadn't had a chance to use Tiferet with the change in perspective my new abilities had granted, and I was eager to try it now—and as I activated the powerful skill with a thought, I immediately felt the change. Energy flowed like blood back to my heart, returning to Anahata instead of distributing through it. More energy flowed up from the lower Chakras, feeding the flames with more power, but at the same time a steady stream passed upwards. I continued to breathe carefully, watching the fires rise and fall with each, and something slowly took shape in my mind, crystalizing within Ajna.

I saw a field of blinding white flames with a tall spear at the center. The fires began to turn and revolve around it like water being sucked into an invisible whirlpool, the spear growing brighter and brighter with each passing moment. Soon, there was nothing left beside it, the length glowing like a crack in the world, so blindingly bright that I was sure it must have been shining through my skull—and then it passed upwards, simply leaving my mind.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Gungnir' and 'Karna' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Brahmastra' has been created.

I could see the window without opening my eyes, so I simply left them closed, remaining focused because I wasn't finished. Pausing only for a few seconds, I activated Tiferet again, focusing in a different direction. This was something that would take time, I knew, but I was as safe now as I would ever be, so I might as well.

As I focused on the images in my mind, I abruptly knew I wasn't alone. I felt the presence of my Elementals draw nearer to my thoughts without taking shape inside of them—there was no need for something as crude as mental images where they were concerned, being parts of my soul. This concerned them and they knew it—and I was glad to have them here besides.

Choosing randomly, I felt Xihai draw closer still, even as I focused on the legacy now written into my body, as well as a skill I'd mastered only recently. In my head, I could see myself thanks to Sahasrara, and it was a simple matter to see my own Aura as well. Slowly, the world around me seemed to fade away until there was nothing left but me and my light. For a moment, I saw something take shape in it, the vague outline of a tiger around me—but it faded quickly, giving way to something harder to define. The white light around me seemed to clear, becoming at once more transparent and more solid, until I was sitting in what seemed like a bonfire made of rising water droplets.

Slowly, it receded and the image faded from my mind.

By raising Elemental Aura to level 99, you have gained the skill 'Elemental Soul.'

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Elemental Aura,' 'Summon Elemental,' and 'White Tiger of the West' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Varuna' has been created.

I took another breath, keeping myself from nodding at the screen that appeared. As I'd expected, the sensation that told me I could still combine skills didn't fade. Elemental Aura, like Summon Elemental, had been convenient because it didn't matter what Element was used—but I suppose I shouldn't have expected things to remain that easy forever. I knew without being told how my new skill worked and I was fairly confident I could guess about those that would follow.

Suryasta next, I thought as I felt Xihai return to her place. The same image came to mind, but this time my Aura burned instead of liquefying, flaring so brightly I almost thought it had consumed me before dying down abruptly.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Elemental Aura,' 'Summon Elemental,' and 'White Tiger of the West' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Agni' has been created.

Next, my Aura turned to a luminous tower, like a lightning bolt had struck me and then faded, taking my body with it.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Elemental Aura,' 'Summon Elemental,' and 'White Tiger of the West' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Indra' has been created.

For the fourth, it rose around me in a sudden cyclone, hiding me completely from sight before vanishing like the wind and leaving nothing behind.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Elemental Aura,' 'Summon Elemental,' and 'White Tiger of the West' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Vayu' has been created.

In the fifth, it didn't rise around me, so much as surround my body in stone until even my eyes had been covered—or perhaps turned into—gemstones.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Elemental Aura,' 'Summon Elemental,' and 'White Tiger of the West' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Prithvi' has been created.

The sixth image was like the fifth, but instead of stone, it was metal that flowed over me. Iron covered my skin and liquid silver pooled in my eyes, while what seemed like solid gold flowed over my hair.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Elemental Aura,' 'Summon Elemental,' and 'White Tiger of the West' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Kubera' has been created.

And then, at last, the feeling faded, telling me that I was finished. I waited for a long moment just in case, but it didn't prompt me to try and merge any of my higher level Elementals, even when I began to merge them—in all likelihood, because of Summon Elemental. The Elementals I was merging with Tiferet were my completed 'Basic' Elementals, rather than my Lesser ones. The latter would max out soon at this rate and I could try again, though if that didn't suffice, I might just have to level up the skills I'd just gotten and then combine them again.

The good news was that Tiferet had leveled up several times from that process. As skills went, it was very quick to improve—probably because it was also very hard to use. As each level it gained lowered the required skill level of things to be combined, several new options had opened up and I quickly continued my work.

Again, I saw myself, but I quickly began to shimmer and shift, as if caught in a heat haze, before vanishing like a mirage.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Acceleration' and 'Shedding of the Serpent's Skin' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Flux' has been created.

One more, I thought—and looking over the sensation and the skills it was attached to, I hoped I'd saved the best for last. As I activated Tiferet for the ninth time, I saw myself.

Just myself.

And then the image was gone.

Sephirotic Synthesis Complete. The skills 'Adamant Serpent's Skin,' 'Armored Shell,' 'Cithaeron Hide,' 'Metamorphosis,' 'Physical Endurance,' and 'Unbroken Steel' have been combined successfully. The skill 'Kavacha' has been created.

At last, I opened my eyes.

"Done?" Raven asked, looking at me idly from her chair. We were in what I assumed was one of her safe houses, given how fortified it was—but then, given that it was Raven, it could just as easily be her normal house.

"Done," I confirmed, looking down at myself. I had started sweating at some point in the process, which wasn't particularly surprising seeing as I'd basically turned my body into a forge. Thankfully, even with as deep as I'd been in my meditation, Pericognition meant I had still been aware of my surroundings on some level so I rose from my focus feeling relaxed and at ease. If anything had been going to hell—more so then usual, I mean—I'd have noticed.

Even so, for the sake of standard human interactions, I glanced at Raven as I stood, cleaned myself with a brief application of Elemental Soul, and raised an eyebrow.

"Ironwood hasn't called him yet?" I asked.

Raven shook her head, looking at me distractedly.

"He seems to be waiting to return home," She said. "Presumably to make sure the area is secure before questioning his close friend on his deals with a wanted terrorist."

I smiled at that, evaporating the water on my skin with Kanju and drying myself.

"And Cinder?"

"Escaped," She replied. "She made it out without difficulty and without murdering anyone. It seems you were right about Ironwood."

"That's good," I mused, frowning slightly as I considered my options. Cinder would likely try to contact me again soon, which I'd need to account for, and I'd now added Ironwood to things. Given my tight schedule, I'd need to juggle things somewhat and insure everything was in place, as well as keep Cinder from becoming suspicious of either of my identities.

Well. From being more suspicious, at least. She knew that one of my selves was the reincarnation of her greatest enemy and thought the other was Conquest. There was only so much I could do.

"They've arrived," Raven said after another minute. "How far away should I make the portal?"

"A kilometer out should be fine," I replied. "But after Qrow…go for two or three, just to be safe. I'll hide it as soon as you make it."

She nodded and flicked her wrist once, opening a window back to Atlas.