Chapter 61: Contact Point

Chapter 61: Contact Point

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.

Contact Point

I sat between my grandmother and Cynosarges, watching the proceedings in my periphery. A part of me, a pretty large part of me, wished my mom was here, too, but she still hadn't come home. At this point, I was edging into honest worry about her and could see my grandmother doing the same, but I remained on target. My grandmother had no doubt sent out feelers for her already and if her suspiciously long absence was, as I expected, because of her missionwell, then that was just another reason to keep going. If she was being held up by the White Fang oror whoever, then odds were good that this quest was my best chance of finding out what.

Smiling a bit grimly, I couldn't help be shake my head. Wasn't that the story of this whole quest? It was my best chance of figuring things out. From Raven and the White Fang to the mysterious forces at work in the city, somehow this seemed to be what tied all the pieces together. For what purpose, I hadn't the slightest idea, but somehow it did.

And so I watched the crowd. With my Clairvoyance, I scanned thousands of names and faces, noting anyone that stood out. Though the tournament wasn't as famous as the one held during the Vytal Festival, the Mistral Regional Tournament drew such a massive crowd that trying to keep track of anythingit made the pain in my head worsen until I was sure that anyone else's brain would be sizzling like bacon.

Thank God I'm me. It hurt but I was getting accustomed to it, somewhat. Well, at the very least it could be said that I managed to work through the pain. Still

The worst part was the wait, really. The marker, as it turned out, was meant for the Coliseum as a whole; once we'd gotten to our seats, Pathfinder essentially told us to wait and even provided a timer that was slowly ticking down. As such, wewell, we waited and watched the events. At least, Cynosarges watched them, if mainly just to laugh. My Grandmother just looked bored and alert as she waited for something to happen, not caring what else was going on, and I was busy actually working.

As the timer counted down to zero, though

My fingers curled, ready to take everything within my range into another dimension if something happened, but my senses gave no warning nor did I see any true shift. Staying alert for a moment as Cynosarges and my grandmother subtly shifted to prepare for the worst, I scanned the area quickly with my many senses and didn't see any evidence of explosive, chemical, or biological weaponry, nor did anyone pull out a gun and open fire on a crowd, nor didwell, none of the things we'd feared came to pass. If they had, I'd have either moved everyone to Naraka or moved everyone but the cause and my older allies. Either way, it would have been dealt with.

I wasn't sure whether to consider it a good or bad thing that that wasn't necessary. None the less, I slowly lowered my guard and refocused my far-flung senses on my immediate vicinity. The wait command had dulled as a new one appeared below it, map marker shifting as it did.

'Speak with Isaac Fallow.'

I nearly clicked my tongue at the vague command but tapped each of the older Hunters on the arm three times before putting my hands in my lap. Cynosarges went back to watching the games without missing a beat, but I could see my grandmother shift slightly, readying herself for whatever happened next. I gave her a small, reassuring smile, and then looked back into the crowd, scanning the air above heads once more. Beneath my Clairvoyance, Pathfinder's markers glowed with a subtle light and I searched for it quickly once I confirmed on my map that 'Isaac Fallow' was in the Coliseum.

I found him in the left half of the stadium opposite me, taking a seat in the seventh row of the fourth section.

The Taste in the Air

LV17

Isaac Fallow

I memorized his face carefully, Observing him. He was a Faunus, of course, though he kept his forked tongue mostly hidden. I saw his breath slightly and confirmed what his profile said when the tips of the muscle touch his teeth in two places as it sampled the air; a small thing that most wouldn't have noticed, butwell, I had good eyes. Emotional statehe wasn't particularly nervous, which could have been good or bad, but he was barely watching the Coliseum floor or the matches that were slowly beginning.

A slight shift in perspective and I saw the radio signals being drawn his way. He was receiving things from all around him, drawing them in through his Aura with what I confirmed to be his Semblance, but he didn't seem to be transmitting anything, at least not at the moment. A few more glances at his profile didn't tell me anything I couldn't have figured out on my own; loyal to the White Fang, he was an information broker who skimmed information in transit to gather things for the White Fang. I made a note to take that into account when it came to being paranoid and to warn my grandmother about the potential dangers. On the upside, the range didn't seem to be that great from what I could see of the ability, which probably made the ability a bit less useful than it might be otherwise.

Other than that, I didn't spot anything particularly dangerous. He didn't seem to be carrying any weapons and probably wouldn't have been a danger even without it. The power of information was not to be underestimated, but even from her I was pretty sure I could take him out easily enough.

But instead, I reached out to him. The sight of him had given me an idea andwell, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Hello, Mr. Fallow," I said in the voice of Jian Bing, though my body's lips didn't move. Levant was the one who gave the words breath in my steed, weaving the air into a quiet voice positioned right by Fallow's ear. I saw the man jump and turn reflexively, stiffening when he saw that there was nothing there. His Aura stretched out slightly, flaring into a hood or a dish, and I touched it deliberately with my own power. I gave that a second to sink in before continuing. "No need to look around, Mr. Fallow; I'm nowhere near you right now. I take it you know who I am? You can whisper back, if you like; I can hear you just fine from hereand I'll make sure no one else overhears."

He was silent and still for a moment, glancing around subtlynot looking for me, I don't think, but rather glancing at those around him. The seat to his left was empty for the moment, but he was surrounded on all other sides. Nonetheless, I saw his lips twitch slightly and smiled.

"Jian Bing," He said, voice quite enough that even if there hadn't been a cheering crowd, the person beside him likely wouldn't have heard. None of which mattered to Levant, of course; the Air Elemental could feel the vibration of air, however soft it was, and simply whispered it into my ear with a slight adjustment in volume. At the same time, the words died a short distance from his lips, fading into the air as they were consumed.

"Yes," I said, making my voice sound satisfied. "Good. Then you know why I'm here?"

He hesitated before shifting his head ever so slightly to either side.

"Oh?" I asked and had a fraction of a second to consider what to say. I chose strength and confidence, in the end, and replied back with a relaxed voice. "Well, let's correct that. After talking briefly, Jeanne Roma and Cynosarges Alexandria have expressed an interest in further supporting the White Fang. They also stated that they were confident that the other Families would follow suit, when the time came."

Fallow stopped breathing for a second and I was glad that the information was as valuable as I'd thought.

"Sir?" He answered slowly, a touch of amazement to his voice. I chuckled back warmly, as if amused by the reaction, and when I spoke again it was with a fond tone.

"Now, now," I said. "It's nothing to be too impressed over; they were quick to see reason once we got a chance to speak. I assume everything else is progressing according to plan?"

Fallow glanced around again and then took a deep breath as he seemed to force himself to be professional.

"Of course, sir," He replied immediately, though there was a slight undercurrent to the words. Nervousness, perhaps? "With your help, everything should be in order now."

"Are you concerned, Mr. Fallow?" I asked him. "If there is something you wish to say, I would be glad to listen."

He was silent for a long minute, shoulders shifting slightly in agitation until he blurted the words.

"Are we really going to work with these humans, sir?" He asked, surprising me with the vehemence in his voice. "Do you really think we can trust them? You know what they've"

Was he talking about the Families? Or could this be a clue about the mysterious third party at work in Vale? If it was

I played a long, heart beating faster.

"Trust them?" I asked, faint traces of amusement to my tone. It wasn't hard to fake given thatwell, maybe it was just me, but this conversation was going somewhere rather ironic. "MyI certainly wouldn't go that far. It would be somewhat foolish to extend such a valuable thing so easily, don't you agree?"

I had no idea who we were talking about, but Fallow nodded in agreement. I wondered if I might not end up causing trouble for myself later with my words butone thing at a time.

None of which changed the situation. She'd question me as Jaune Arc and demand proof and explanations, but while I'd be handicapped, she'd never be willing to leave with Jian Bing.

I considered that.

She doesn't need to leave willingly, I thought. If I got there before anyone else, I could grab her and run. If I really had to, I could even pull her into my little slice of hell here in Naraka. I had enough power to do that if I got there quick enough, but just in case

I crashed through the window and rolled smoothly to me feet inside the empty room. In mid-roll, I reached into my Inventory and switched my clothing out for my new equipment.

Status 'Thirty-Two Shattered Forms' has been granted by the item 'Ganesha.'

Status 'Six Blind Fools' has been granted by the item 'Ganesha.'

Status 'Three Murdered Brides' has been granted by the item 'Ganesha.'

Status 'The Broken Mask' has been granted by the item 'Ganesha.'

Status 'Seven Trunks, Five Faces, Four Tusks, and a God' has been granted by the item 'Airavata.'

Set bonus! Status 'Brother of the Sun' has been granted by the simultaneous use of the items 'Ganesha' and 'Airavata.'

Status 'Thirty-Two Shattered Forms' has been partially negated by the skill 'The Gamer's Mind.'

Status 'Six Blind Fools' has been partially negated by the skill 'The Gamer's Mind.'

Status 'Three Murdered Brides' has been partially negated by the skill 'The Gamer's Mind.'

Status 'The Broken Mask' has been partially negated by the skill 'The Gamer's Mind.'

As always, the rush of horrific fates I'd avoided was somewhat disconcerting, but I ignored it. I'd have felt more comfortable in Lenore and Dreary Midnight, especially since my recent increase in level had revealed several of the statuses that had been hidden before, butthis was better suited for this task. If it came to a fight, the Fire and Lightning Affinity boosts alone would give me an edge, to say nothing of the increases in Strength and Vitality. Regardless, I didn't have any more time to waste.

And so I drew a final breath and then clawed my way through the walls of reality, emerging in the same roomsans the damages, of courseand landing on all fours on top of a sofa.

I wasn't alone, naturally. In an almost frozen moment, I took everything in and saw them; Weiss looking out the window at the stadium far below, three guards positioned around the room looking bored, one standing near the center looking absently at the hologram displaying the Coliseum

But more than any of that, positioned right at the edge of the room, was a discoloration in the air under several forms of my vision. Red and black with a flow of Aura so strange I was at a loss for what it could possibly be doingand yet, there was no question as to what it was.

Fuck you and your fucking portals, Raven, I thought angrily. If you want to get from point A to point B, then pass through all the fucking points in-between.

Externally, I just gave her a simple nodded of recognitionshe knew I could see her and she could see me, which blew the 'get away before anyone knew' plan straight to hell. If I just grabbed Weiss and left through Naraka, I knew there'd be questions, even of me. In the midst of everything happening, especially, with my mother missing and the situation soperhaps if I'd gotten her before Raven could set up shop, but if she was watching

Part of me wanted to just grab the girl and run anyway, but this was more complicated than that and getting more so by the second. If I was going to get anywhere in this mess, I needed to

The rest of the second finished passing and the guard's finally reacted. The guard in the middle of the room went for his gun, but I grabbed it and crushed it to scrap before he could even draw it from its holster. I pushed him to the ground and then strode across the room to shove a second guard into a wall. The third hit the floor as one of my tails pulled his feet out from under him and then the other hammered him into the realm of unconsciousness. I shoved the fourth and then caught him by the leg before he could crash through the window, swinging him around to throw him onto the couch.

I felt bad for treating them roughly, but the situation had gone far enough to hell that having them awake was just going to cause problems now; it was better that I dealt with them then give Raven any reason to. Guard's dealt with, I walked over to the window, scanning the area quickly. I noted the approaching White Fang members, counting them swiftly. With Raven effectively here already andthree, seven, nineeleven more members in the immediate vicinity, and counting, this was just getting better and better.

Damn it. Even if I removed her now, she was in Raven's crosshairs. I could get her somewhere else with my barrier, but it wouldn't make her safe. I could try to move all the White Fang members into Naraka, but I didn't believe that would accomplish much of anything, since it probably wouldn't touch Raven, leaving her alone with Weiss. Even if it did, though, odds were decent Raven and he fellows could just kill me and dissolve the barrier. No, I needed to do something else; I had to remove Weiss as their target.

I had a plan, of course. Sadly, it primarily consisted of 'figure out how to do that.'

I suppose buying time was a decent place to start, even if it was pretty obviously not going to improve the situation.

"Hello again, Ms. Schnee," I said politely, still gazing out the window to watch those approaching. She was behind me, now, and a little to the left; though she'd gone for her weapon the moment she noticed me, she hadn't attacked when the guards had fallen, drawing back defensively.

"Jian Bing," She returned coldly, not seeming to have any difficulty recognizing me, despite the physical and wardrobe changes since last we'd metbut then, I was standing inside of a giant glowing tiger man thing. Maybe it gave me away; who knows.

Even so, the fact that she didn't actI knew she was waiting, trying to buy time for the noise to draw the attention of the security force throughout the buildingbut of course, that wouldn't be happen. Levant had ensured no sound had left the room and it would be awhile until any alarm was raised, which both worried me and put me a little more at ease. Unfortunately, so long as Raven was watching, this room was a bloodbath waiting for a reason to happen and I had to keep as many people away from it as possible. If I could get a message to the guards through Levant and quiet tell them to send for help without making a fuss, thoughbut would Raven take action if she sensed Hunters approaching? Would the White Fang closing in on this building?

Good God but I needed a plan. Or more information. Or even just

Pathfinder finally updated, revealing the next objective. It was vague, flimsy even, but given the breadth of my options

"It's been awhile," I continued easily, still watching the window. I could see her reflection and the letters above her head were easy to reverse mentally. "It seems you've gotten a little stronger."

The Loneliest of All

LV36

Weiss Schnee

She didn't reply at first, but kept her sword raised to attack or defend as needed, her eyes sharp and cold and wary. I leaned my head forward as if chuckling, though, and they nearly flashed, her grip tightening on her weapon as she shifted and drew a deep breath.

"What do you want?"

"To correct a mistake, of sorts. We didn't get a chance to speak much last time, did we?" I mused aloud. "Such a shameI'd like to know a little more about you, Ms. Schnee. Or at leastabout that necklace you're wearing."