Approach

The Games We Play

Approach​

The first seven bullets reached me almost simultaneously, each flying towards me at a different angle. With me this close, Tenne didn't try to get any of them past me, but instead tried to strike at me with all of them at the same time, coordinating the different shots to limit my ability to dodge. Even so, I knew he still wasn't trying to kill me and faced the bullets down without fear for myself.

But just because he wouldn't kill me didn't mean anyone else was safe, so I had to take this seriously. Besides Ren and Nora, there were still plenty of people in this town—people that Tenne may well have been systematically infecting the same way he'd gotten to me. Perhaps even more worryingly, there was the alarming possibility that he might turn those abilities upon my mother why she fought against my dad, stealing her life away in an instant or worse.

Assuming, of course, that he hadn't done so already.

I didn't allow such thoughts to slow me down, though; even with my new speed, I knew better than to underestimate someone like Tenne. Tracing the path of each shot with my eyes confirmed that he'd matched them to me even as I approached and with his eleven eyes on me, I felt sure they'd move in counter to anything I did. The shots were slower, which put him at a disadvantage—but on the other hand, I couldn't allow any of the shots to get by me for fear of the repercussions and he probably knew that. Had I been able to dodge freely, avoiding the shots would have been relatively simple at this range, but instead I needed to face them head on.

The bright side of it all was that I knew my opponent was a skilled Hunter. One of the—rather dubious, admittedly—advantages of fighting people of that level is that you could almost erase the possibility of human error. That is, between the training and his Semblance, I didn't really need to consider the possibility of Tenne missing on his own, because the guy had inhuman accuracy even before Conquest got to him and wasn't going to miss unless I did something to make him miss. Even at speeds like this, I felt pretty confident of that much, at least; I'd caught his first shot thanks to my new Empathy, an ability he'd had no way of knowing I'd possessed, and then caught the next three thanks to a combination of distracting him, running a course that led me to intercepting the bullets, and then changing my speed mid-motion.

All of which meant that while he thankfully wasn't perfect or all-knowing, he was very skilled—and that meant that if he was aiming at something, I knew exactly where it was going to hit. Judging from their directions, a pair of bullets were going to fly towards my knees and another towards my wrists, while the remaining three were each aimed straight for my center of mass, targeting organs within me. That thankfully didn't mean much to me, given the Gamer's Body, though I imagined each of them would probably still qualify as a critical hit if they connected, and he was holding the rest of his bullets in reserve, waiting to tailor the other shots to my reaction. They were still flying towards me, of course, but they were far enough behind that he'd be able to make them bob and weave to match whatever I did, just like he'd be free to do with the other bullets that seemed to hang suspended in the air at the speeds we were moving. He was thinking ahead, planning.

So was I.

I touched the ground and Lunged a step forward, into an apparent opening in the bullet's formation. A moment before I was even moving forward, the bullets curved in midair, rising to match the motion quickly—too quickly, in fact, as I slowed a fraction by adjusting my Acceleration and then sped it back up an instant later. The Tiger hovering around me before leaning its upper body forward as I was parallel to the ground, both hands reaching for the bullets that had been aimed at my knees. Because of my slight deceleration, the bullets meant for my wrists all but fell into my hands instead and the Tiger continued its motion, pulling its spectral form from mine as it continued its forward turn and then crawling over my body to stand upon my back. Its tail flicked out in the midst of the motion, bouncing another bullet away as I drew my hands back towards my chest and then it stood perched upon my back, teeth bared as its hands came together.

A crooked bolt of light leapt from its jaws as it suddenly freed, flashing towards the bullets Tenne held close at hand. The three he'd held in 'reserve' flew out of the way before the attack even fired, but the others…they were Dust rounds and they reacted to my Aura.

Which is to say, they exploded in his face.

Credit where it's due, Tenne had taken a step back a moment before and didn't even blink at the sudden eruption of energy, guiding the other rounds despite the distraction. The two shots near me slammed into my chest with enough force that I felt ribs break beneath my Adamant skin and then bounced away as well, but the Tiger fell back through my body, a hand reaching through my chest. As his claw grasped that pair of bullets, I caught the one his tail had deflected, and then we hit the ground, inhabiting the same space and already running.

Tenne's other hand was rising and it didn't take a genius to guess it held more ammo, but it also didn't take one to know that it was moving too slowly to make it. At this distance, I'd reach him before he finished lifting his hand unless he distracted me—which made his attempt to do so pretty obvious.

The first of the four bullets remaining, flying just ahead of the other three, moved as if aimed for my skull. The Tiger placed his face over mine, but I knew it wasn't aimed for my head, not really—it was a Dust round. A red Dust round.

Centimeters from contact, it exploded in my face, and if not for the face that he must have chosen the bullet before this even began, I'd have thought the choice ironic. The idea, I assumed, was to make me close my eyes.

So I did. It's not like it mattered, after all, when I could see just fine with the Tiger's eyes, so I continued my approach through the cloud of flames and still kept an eye on the other bullets. One went high, one dipped low, and the other spiraled further to the side—and I moved to match without even opening my body's eyes. This time, my physical body leaned out of sync, reaching down to grasp the bullet curving under us while the Tiger reached up and out, grasping the other two. The Tiger continued forward before I rose and I allowed it to pull me into a flip that ended with me standing in front of Tenne as the Tiger leapt to all fours and turned fast enough to carve furrows in the building beneath us. Its tail whipped out as it completed the turn, winding tightly around Tenne's lifting arm and pulling it back down to his side even as the Tiger itself returned to its normal place around me.

As I landed, both sets of my hands came together, Tiger pair over human one, and then again with one of each. Finally, I grasped his right hand with my left, clasped his head between the Tiger's claws, and held my right fist out to the side. Meeting his eyes, I opened it with deliberate slowness, allowing the deformed mass I'd made out of the bullets to fall from my fingers and then explode. Only then did I allow the draining time alteration to finally fade.

Nearly five thousand MP in perhaps two seconds…it didn't matter right now.

"If you try anything," I said calmly and the Tiger tightened its grip slightly. "Your head will look a lot like that before I tear it off."

Tenne watched me for a moment before chuckling slightly, but otherwise held still.

"Well look at you, Jaune," He said. "You've been learning, I see."

I said nothing, holding him pinned. There were still two Hunters unaccounted for and if Conquest followed his pattern…

The Tiger looked around as I stayed focused on our captive. There was a good chance that if Tyrian and Castanea were around, they'd put their plans into the motion as soon as I dropped Tenne—before that happened, I wanted to know where they were and what they were doing. For that, if nothing else, it was worth it to prolong this. Conquest seemed to make allowances to give himself a chance to talk.

"You tried to shoot Nora," I began, though I was pretty sure I knew the answer. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tenne answered. "Because you wanted to save her. Isn't that reason enough?"

I didn't answer. Tenne had chosen a good vantage point, as I'd suspected, and I could see most of the town from up here. Focusing in on the lives I detected, I flickered through my perceptions swiftly. Not there, not there—perhaps on the rooftops? No, nor on the streets. I felt a few people huddled in basements, but…

Where are they?

"Besides which," Tenne continued. "It would have been funny. I mean, imagine; you would have been all 'Well, at least I managed to save these two.' And then bam—no, you didn't. Except you had to go and ruin that plan, huh?"

"Yes," I muttered, frowning slightly. I changed tracks, looking for major signs of Aura, anything that stood out, but still didn't find anything major. That…made me nervous. "And you infected me, instead."

I cast a brief glance down at myself as I spoke. Through the utter ruin of what had once been my clothes, it was easy to watch the spread of the disease up the length of both my arms and from the two impacts on my chest. Already, half of my right arm had turned black and my left hand had nearly followed suit, and the expanding circles on my chest had already connected with one another and were working their way up my neck. Soon, we'd see if my brain could hold up.

It was just as well that I find out now, I suppose. If I couldn't, I doubted I'd be able to even fight my father. Even my mother was probably…

"I didn't intend to infect you," Tenne mused after a moment and though his eyes didn't seem to move, I figured he was looking me over. "But it's interesting; the infection's spreading rather quickly. Or…oh, I see. Temporal adjustment, was it? It spread faster because it had more time than I thought. Interesting."

I didn't answer but he continued to look me over before humming.

"Yes, that explains quite a bit. It's been a long time since I've seen such a thing, but…four times as fast? Or did you reach five? Quite interesting, either way; I hadn't expected such a thing, but…well, no wonder I'm so interested in you."

I couldn't find them. As far as I could tell, Tyrian and Castanea were just…gone. Had they already escaped to carry the infection elsewhere? Had they hidden themselves somehow? Either way, I needed to find them. Perhaps Ozpin would know? I'd ask him next, but…should I ask Tenne? Or would that give something away? Not that I was dumb enough to believe he'd give me a straight answer, but…no.

Instead, the Tiger shifted his grip on Tenne's head, dragging a thumb down through five of his eyes. Conquest let out a hissing grown as his eyes burst and wept blood, jerking in my grasp, but I held him still and watched.

"Blinding me, huh?" He said after a moment, voice tense. "I know what you're thinking—that you might be able to get out of this by disabling me and tying me up. But you know better, Jaune; you know there's only one way this can go."

His ruined eyes seemed to pulse as if filled with maggots, the blood streaming from them darkening to black until new matter seemed to flow into the sockets to replace what was gone. After perhaps five seconds, the eyes were back.

"I grew these eyes in the first place," He snorted. "You think I can't regrow them? You're not getting out of this, kid—because you don't have the time, because you don't have a clue, and, most of all, because I won't let you. And even if you could do it, I'd kill them myself before I let you save them—this body, this village, and everyone you love."

I knew what he was implying and knew it was bait. A part of me wanted to rise up and deny his words, tell him he was wrong and that I'd find away—but most of me just didn't see any point in arguing with this smug asshole.

"Oh?" I asked instead. "Why?"

"Because I can," He shrugged, seeming unworried about the hands on him. "That's why I generally ruin people's lives—because I find I can."

I was still certain there was more to it than that, at least in regards to this, and just as certain he wouldn't tell me, the asshole. I wasn't even sure if this particular body knew why, but…

"I see," I said aloud, sighing. "Well, I'm pretty sure that this conversation has stopped being productive. I am sorry, Tenne. You were a brave Hunter and you served the people of Remnant well. You will be missed. Goodbye."

That said, I crushed his head between the Tiger's hands and tore it off, just to be sure. Then I drew my scroll from where I'd been forced to quickly stash it in my Inventory and lifted it to my face.

"You still there, Ozpin?" I asked. "Had to put you in my Inventory."

"Ah, is that what happened?" Ozpin said after a moment. "I…didn't quite lose you, but things were rather odd."

"Not sure how much of that you caught, then, but Keppel, Carmine, and Tenne are dead," I said. "However, I cannot find Tyrian and Castanea anywhere and I have been infected. I appear to have a moment so I'm going to relay everything I learn about the infection as it progresses, but I still need to find those two. Any ideas?"

Ozpin was silent for a moment before replying.

"I'm forced to wonder if you phrased it that way on purpose, just to get to me," He mused.

"It's possible." I answered, shrugging a shoulder as I glanced around. Rolling a wrist, I checked to see if Levant had done what I asked of her and then summoned on of her bodies to hold the scroll. Stepping back so Ozpin could see me, I cast a glance down at myself.

I didn't usually pay attention to what I wore and cared even less under the circumstances, but it was hard not to notice the present state of my wardrobe. My shirt was shredded, even beneath my Aura, with large chunks of it having broken off in the face of extreme cold and everything else having been chopped into neat strips that had either fallen off or now fell to my waist. What little had survived my fights with Keppel and Carmine—and my mother's attempts to save me before that—had burnt up at the speeds I'd needed to move. I didn't so much take it off as I slid about a fifth of a sleeve down my wrist and burnt it absently. There wasn't enough left of what had once been my breastplate to even mention it; I'd probably left the scraps behind somewhere.

Glancing down, my pants weren't in much better shape. What had once been jeans didn't even qualify as hot pants now and sure as hell didn't cover anything of value, so I finished burning the already scorched remains and slid down to take off my ruined shoes. Between the battle and my speed…well, they were goners; even the 'Left' and 'Right' I'd written on the bottoms were gone. Hell, the bottom of my left shoe wasn't even present to begin with. I discarded and burned them just in case before sitting down before Ozpin. Before speaking, I cast a glance up at the Tiger who'd finished looking around carefully while I'd brushed off the spider webs of my former clothing.

I didn't see anything around me which…well, the fact that I didn't see anything didn't necessarily mean nothing was there, but it came pretty damn close. I allowed the Tiger to fade momentarily so I could regain my power and focused on Ozpin, holding myself such that he could see the spread of the disease.

Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!

"So," I said. "I suppose we should get the obvious out of the way. Anything I say after this point will need to be confirmed again later. Assuming I retain control of myself, I should be able to sleep and brush all of this off. If not…I don't know. I might stop talking. I might start lying. I might just turn off my scroll. Either way, if it comes to that, you're going to need to put me down fast and hard as soon as you can because…honestly, I don't know what'll happen. But I just reached a whole new level of speed Ozpin. If I fall, I don't know how long it'll take me to reach the nearest town. Not very, though; I'll probably get there before your men get here. You're going to have to somehow figure out a way to stop me quickly if that happens, because if Conquest knows as much as I think and he takes me over, I can only imagine what type of skills I'll develop soon."

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"I'm sure you have something stashed away for emergencies," I continued. "Not to sound arrogant, but you might want to get them prepped. Note that everything I say from this point one should be taken with a grain of salt because you won't be able to trust me until this is over, even if I seem to be myself. Just…keep that in mind, okay?"

"I understand," He nodded quietly. "I've already noted the timestamp. If you don't make it back, we'll be careful with this information, for your sisters' sake if nothing else, but I'll…well, we both know. First things first, though; how do you feel?"

I considered that for a moment and dismissed the obvious answers before replying.

"Emotionally, I'm as calm as ever," I said. "I noted that the infection seemed to cause changes in the mental state of its hosts, but if so, that has not affected me thus far—it's probable I'm immune to that aspect, at least, though it may require the infection to progress further. Physically, I've noticed several differences in infected areas. First of all, they seem warmer compared to other parts of my body; I cannot confirm it at this time, but I believe my body temperature has increased by as much as five to ten degrees in those areas."

As the infection reached the shoulder of my right arm, I lifted it and flexed my fingers.

"It's strange and hard to describe, but it feels different, as well," I continued, keeping my voice calm, scientific. "I'm not sure I have the words to properly explain, but I'd say my body responds better. I suspect that the nerve cells in the changed areas have been modified to use something besides conventional nerve impulses. It's entirely conjecture, but it may be something closer to—or even be—actual electricity running through those cells. Still, it feels off at the moment and I suspect it is because my brain itself has not been changed yet; the infected cells may need to convert my biological impulses into whatever the afflicted areas use. I will test how that changes in a moment."

I banged my arm against the ground to test the response and frowned.

"Once again, I cannot be certain of the specifics, but my flesh has definitely changed," I drew Crocea Mors from my Inventory and tested the edge against my skin. "It's hard to say because, as I told you before, my skin is normally Adamant. It has definitely gotten harder but how this compares to the normal reaction, I cannot say. I do note that the current appearance and texture of my skin is very similar in many ways to that of the Grimm and may in fact be the same material. From this point, I will once again voicing my suspicions; I believe that Conquest is reprogramming my Aura to make it act on at least a molecular, and possibly an atomic, level to either make my body more in line with that of the Grimm or simply make it more viable for combat purposes. In either case, I feel the need to note that the results appear to be similar to that of hypothesized and fictional micro- and nanobots. Given what I told you about the Goliath's tar, it may require looking into."

"Evil, magical, sapient nanobots," Ozpin sighed. "God."

I proceeded as if he'd said nothing as the black spots on my arm reached those on my chest, joining them in their progress up my neck.

"I cannot presently test whether this material is carbon-based, although it may well be. I also cannot test at this time whether it functions through biological, mechanical, or through some unknown means, but I can confirm that it does seem to function even though only part of my body is infected," I noted, continuing to test my arm. "Whatever the nature of the infection is, it seems safe to assume it is designed to keep the host alive and relatively well, at least during this stage of infection. Moving onto muscle fibers, beyond the change in strength and durability, I mainly note that I seem to be able to hold my sword almost perfectly still and that I do not currently feel fatigued in the affect areas. Now please hold while the infection reaches my brain."

I fell silent for a moment, taking slow, steady breathes as I waited to see if I'd lose control of my own body, be trapped as a prisoner in my own flesh, and used as a weapon to kill innocent people.

"Jaune," I heard Ozpin say and we both knew they might be the last words I ever heard as myself. "I'm sad to say that I can't make you any promises that this will be okay, but I do wish to thank you for all the work you've done thus far. The information you've gathered here today has been invaluable, as has your service this far. I want you to know that you have done very well."

As possible sendoffs went, I'd heard better in the games I'd played, but I suppose I'd take what I could get.

A moment later, I felt heat reach my brain and closed my eyes. In that first moment, it felt like someone had strum a chord, but the chord was inside my head and it just went on and on. Then I felt something that was not painful, per se, because I knew the brain had no pain receptors. But it did feel fairly unusual, like my brain was pulsating in my skull and…shifting. I felt my ears twitch and pop as they altered, felt pressure behind my eyes, and there was something akin to my spinal cord wiggling—and there was something almost like a click that made me open my eyes. The world had sharpened and even now continued to change as I felt that heat continue to spread through my head and body, steadily intensifying.

But more than that, I remained completely aware of myself. I twitched a finger once to test it, then a toe, and then I exhaled. At least for the moment, I thought I was myself and felt honestly relieved.

You have received the Status Effect 'On A White Horse He Rides [Intermediate].'

A skill has been created through a special action! By achieving a state closer to the creatures of Grimm, the skill 'Monstrosity' has been created.

Since no one was trying to kill me at this moment, I actually took the time to check the status effect, though I put the skill aside for the moment; I'd check it and the others soon enough.

On A White Horse He Rides [Intermediate]

Target has been infected by a Pandora Shell and contracted the physical and spiritual malady held within. At the Intermediate level, the disease has seized and altered major areas. Physical and mental changes will continue as the disease progresses.

Uninformative as expected, but…at least I tried.

"Thank you, sir," I said at last. I didn't say I was myself, because he couldn't confirm that, so instead I got back to work. "I believe the infection has reached my brain and that physiological changes are in progress. Areas of note seem to be my brain itself, but also my eyes, ears, and spinal cord. Changes to my eyes seem to be in progress or perhaps simply minor relative to the changes caused my Clairvoyance. What color are my eyes right now?"

"Blue," Ozpin answered, watching me carefully.

"Then they will continue to change; I will report any differences. I seem to be able to hear something, as well, but cannot make it out yet. I believe the changes to my brain and spinal cord may relate to the nerve issue I mentioned before, but I will test that now."

I lifted my arms again and flexed them carefully, gauging the speed of the reaction, remembering the odd sensation from before, but…nothing.

"Confirmed; the sensation has faded and reactions seem smoother," I nodded. "I have not yet noticed any other changes I believe are a result of the alterations to my brain, but will keep you briefed. How do you wish to play this one, sir?"

Ozpin was silent for a moment. I knew that he'd put off the issue of the missing Hunters until after the infection had mostly run its course and why he hesitated to mention them now—I was compromised and their status was still unconfirmed.

"I suspect I know what has become of Tyrian and Castanea," He said at last. "Whether they are infected or not, I do not believe it is an immediate concern and I will notify the team I'm sending on how to address the matter. Please trust me and continue as if the matter has been dealt with."

"Yes, sir," I nodded once.

"How long will it take you to regain your energy?" He asked.

"I can be completely restored in one minute and quite a bit less if needed," I answered confidently, noting the rate at which my MP was returning. A result of the infection or of my new skills?

He considered that.

"Can you find a vantage point from which to observe your mother's fight?" He asked.

"Yes," I rose, brushing some dust from my now black skin. I knew without asking that what happened next would depend on what I saw. If she was doing well, I'd have time to continue observing Conquest progression through my body and to prepare. If not…

But if not, it was likely things would end very, very badly and I'd have to prepare myself for that, too.

"But before that, give me a moment, sir," I said, turning slightly. "I need to pick up a few things—I suspect the others may have dropped a few things and I need all the help I can get."

XxXXxX​