The Games We Play

Chapter 4

The Games We Play

Mobs

I think what surprised me the most was that I didn't panic. I wanted to run, of course, and I was well aware of what a horrible situation I'd found myself in, but despite this being the first real fight I'd ever been in—and despite knowing instantly that I was truly, horrifically outclassed—I didn't lose my cool. It was kind of weird, honestly.

As the wall broke and the last pieces of rubble fell, I called up my Inventory, reached into it to get my great-great grandfather's sword and shield, and activated my Aura. Stepping back, I cast my gaze across the building, the robots, the two blurs that had finally slowed to a stop, and then back before walking into the building.

Crazy as it sounded, there was a logic to it. There were three of those LV43 Spider Droids and once the twin blurs had come to a halt I'd been able to see them, too.

The Beauty

LV34

Blake Belladona

The Beast

LV41

Adam Taurus

Given the circumstances, it was easy enough to guess that a fight was about the break out and, again, I was only Level Two. I wasn't gonna survive participating in a fight like that and I didn't want to take my chances in terms of being caught out in the open since each of those Spider Droids had four arm cannons. If I was on the streets when all twelve of those cannons started going off and even one shot happened to hit me, odds were good I wouldn't survive it and I'd rather not take my chances. The level difference between us was such that even a glancing blow might well be enough to take me out—I was a faceless extra in an action movie out here. The obvious thing to do was take cover.

Of all my options, I chose the ruined building for several reasons. First and foremost, it was by far the closest and I could get inside easily. I didn't have to sprint to a nearby building and hope it was unlocked or anything—there was a giant hole in the wall right next to me even if the door hadn'tbeen unlocked. Second of all, given the title of my new quest and what I'd already concluded from Tukson, it seemed safe to assume several things: This was a White Fang Base, 'Blake' and 'Adam' where White Fang Members, the Spider Droids were hunting the White Fang, and most or all of the Faunus inside had already been taken out. Adam and Blake seemed to be the priority targets in the Spider Droid's eyes as well, given how they were focused on them now, and it seemed logical to conclude that they wouldn't want the Spider Droids firing on the building containing their allies and would distract it. As such, it was the least likely place to be filled with bullets. Third...

Third, there were people trapped under the rubble. I accepted the quest and entered the building.

As I did, I had to amend my thoughts slightly, however.

Schnee Security Droid

LV10

AK-130 Android

So it wasn't completely safe in here. It wasn't my fault I couldn't see through walls—and at least they weren't twenty times my level. They didn't seem to notice me at first, which wasn't all that surprising. The sound of gunshots and explosions wiped away pretty much all other sound and even though it was still daylight and most of a wall was gone, the place wasn't exactly bright. Clouds of falling dust and rising smoke acted like curtains throughout much of the building, and half of the lights on the ceiling were broken, scattered by bullets or torn off completely. Several of the rest were flickering so quickly they made things, if anything, even harder to see. For people who couldn't see others by the signs above their heads, I could only imagine how they kept track of anything.