A/N (2/28/2022): Updated Jaune's glow during Infernal scene.
A/N (12/26/2021): Er, to the reviewer who said I was punishing Jaune a bit too much, I think that's half the point, isn't it? The point is that it's not fair. This story is about Jaune navigating an unfair world. Like, let's not even talk about punishing too much, why does he deserve any punishment at all?
Beta: Path of a Writer. Thousands of thanks for him! He stayed up to help me through the chapter, even though it was so late.
…Wait, isn't that kind of my fault that it was so lat -
/-A Requiem for a Gamer-/
Jaune stared down the god in front of him as the pedestal lowered into the ground and up rose the dividing wall between them, signaling the start of the first round of the gods' rock-paper-scissors game.
Since the gods had mentioned multiple times that they didn't read his thoughts if they weren't directed towards them or if they weren't "surface thoughts", Jaune thought that he should have some privacy on this side of the wall for a little bit until Light chose an item, which then might make the god take a look at his thoughts to cheat.
The young adult stopped, before glancing at the wall between them with suspicion. Wasn't rock-paper-scissors an especially advantageous game for people who could read minds? Well, Light has always gone about that honor thing, and after that Salem challenge, he still gave me money even though he could have given me fake coins instead. There is a chance he's not cheating with his powers.
The reason Jaune wanted a bit of privacy was to consider a thing he hadn't yet. Currently, they were in a battle in order to determine the nature of reality, which, as Jaune now realized, is a huge question. But, wasn't there also something else that might be more important? Reality was made by the twin gods after all, so by knowing the creator he will gain greater insight into their creations. In the same way as people trusting a product due to the brand. In this case, isn't knowing the maker much more effective, and simpler even?
Well, Light was a dick, so that's why reality sucks. Dark is less of a dick, so that's why some parts of reality are good.
I'm a genius…
And that was… that was the end of that thought.
Time to get an answer to the game world's existence! He thought, pumped.
Three rocket lockers entered from the roof as he expected, blasting apart… whatever this multipurpose room was made of. Jaune picked up a piece that had rolled up to his feet, curious. It was translucent and broke apart a bit like glass, but without any sharp ridges.
Shrugging, he moved forward to his choices. Right. So from what I figured out last time, scissors were bladed weapons, rock… explosives? ...and paper, wearables. He picked the scissors. "I'm feeling like using lightsabers today."
He rubbed his hands together, a little excited, before pressing the button. The door opened… revealing a sword with fanciful engravings on the blue, polished, gem-like hilt. It was also planted straight into the bottom of the locker. Literally. Like, the bladed part… was in the metal.
"Eh?"
[System]: Choices made! Round starts in 3!
He glanced backwards at the divider between him and Light. Wuh? Huh?
[System]: 2!
Hurriedly, he grabbed the sword and pulled. The sound of grinding metal pierced his ears, but he still persisted.
[System]: 1!
He stomped a foot onto the edge of the locker. Then, now using his leg strength in addition to both his arms, he pulled using all his might.
[System]: Round start!
The sword burst free, sending him stumbling backwards, in the same moment as the divider wall fell away. He scrambled to his feet to face Light.
What kind of weapon did he have? He worried, having shown his back to the god for at least a split second, which would be more than enough for Light to shoot him with a gun or something. However, Jaune was fine. The god stood there, still transformed into the large muscular man.
In Light's hands was a book.
"...A paperback?"
"No, it's a hardcover."
Does… Does that matter? "Looks like I got luckier, then." Jaune held up his sword.
The god laughed. "Take a look." He lifted the book up to show the cover. From this far away, Jaune could barely make out the white title on a dark background.
"...O… Oea… Oeal… Deal!" That's the first word! "N - Mo… Mole! Deal Mole! Deal Mole?"
Light pointed at a letter that Jaune missed.
"Deal-huh? Dearth! Dearth Mole! Earth Mole!"
Light planted a hand on his face. "The 'D' disappeared."
"Dearth… Darth… Mol… M-owl… Maul! Darth Maul!"
"This has turned into a whole different game, Mortal… This isn't an 'l' in the second word, it's a 'T'."
"...Darth Maut? Wait, that 'M', that's actually an 'N'. Oh, I got it! It says 'Death Note'! Is that it?"
Light nodded.
Jaune cheered. "I win!"
A pause.
"Death Note?! You have a Death Note…" Jaune yelled. Wait, I've heard of that show. That's… that's the book that kills any person from any distance if you write the person's name and know the person's face, right?! Both of which Light knows - That's OP as - Why is this even in this game?! How does it count as an explosive, a bladed weapon, or a wearable?! "I lost!"
"Incredible, I haven't seen any other person change their mood that fast since the past 180 milli-seconds."
Shit, I need to stop him before he writes my name! Lifting up his sword, he charged straight at the god. "Take this!" He made a more calculated swing than the one he gave Salem, making sure to keep his balance and his grip tight.
Light calmly stepped aside and slammed the book into the blade, sacrificing its pages to the sharp edge, and twisted firmly with his arm.
"Uwah!" Jaune cried as the sword was removed from his grip in one expert motion.
"You are a few thousand years too young to match up to me, Mortal."
The sword clattered on the ground.
"...I don't think that's how that book is supposed to be used."
"What works, works. It also didn't come with a pen."
"Why?! Who thought of this?!"
"I swear I added a pen to the Death Note I added to the 'Rock' weapon pool…" Light stared at the cover of the book, still barely holding itself together in spite of it being almost split in half. "Oh."
Jaune glanced between the sword and the god. He reached down to pick it up.
Light threw the book at him.
"What a cheap shot!" Fumbling a bit, Jaune was able to catch it. "Wait…" The book opened itself to a page and the things written there were clearly not names.
/-/
Dear Diary,
Today, I went to the sweets shop near the metro, it was soooo good! XD The juicy strawberry paired really well with the ice cream, it was so fluffy and yummy! Just thinking about it is making my mouth water, and me... giddy! 3 3 I need to go back, teehee!
/-/
"...What's with these stereotypically girly diary notes?" Jaune flatly asked.
Light put a hand back on his face.
[Admin]: Hey Light, Jaune, have you two seen my journal?
"..."
"..."
[Admin]: I've been looking for it for a few days and there's no trace of it. I've only got one of them, and it's signed by the author, too… I haven't seen it since we made the rock-paper-scissors game… Where could it be?
Jaune decided to speak up. "You're… You're not looking at what we're doing?"
[Admin]: Oh, is there something you'd like me to see? I'm not at the control center and I don't feel like using my powers right now.
Light coughed.
[Admin]: …I didn't say anything about breaking any of your rules, Light. I was just mentioning that I could, not that I did. Or will. Anyways, if you two do not have a clue either, then I will keep looking. Tell me if you find it! Bye!
Light and Jaune stared at the ruined book.
"It's fine, Mortal, leave it at the side. I'll repair it."
Jaune nodded, placing it down gently beside him.
They both dove for the sword.
Jaune arrived first, wrapping his hand around the handle, only for Light to deck him across the face. He stumbled back, his grip on the sword tight this time once again. "Ow!" He held his face in pain. "This doesn't count as a game ending hit?"
"No, it has to be done using the provided weapons."
The throbbing pain quickly disappeared, leaving Jaune completely unharmed.
"Well, doesn't that mean I win? You have no weapon."
"That's fine. A weapon advantage can be overcome by a gap in physical and mental ability."
"Hey! That's uncalled for." Jaune approached carefully, seeing if he could spot those gaps in Light's defense that he had heard about in games and stories. He wasn't sure at all what they would look like.
The elderly god merely crouched, hands poised to strike.
Deciding to attack first, Jaune attempted a horizontal swing aimed at Light's neck, using his extra reach to his advantage. He wasn't sure what kind of cards the god had in hand, but there wasn't any point in waiting around.
In one quick movement, Light deflected it above his head. Suddenly, there was a pull, threatening to rip the sword out of Jaune's hands, as a finger from Light's other hand clamped on the top flat side of the blade.
What?! It was so fast that Jaune couldn't comprehend it, but in reflex, he held his sword steady and ripped it out of Light's two fingered grip, barely keeping his weapon.
Light reset his stance, setting his hands back to his side.
"R - ridiculous! That's ridiculous!" Jaune sputtered. "Your finger - You timed it such that your finger would catch the flat edge of the blade and then pushed it over your head?"
"Experience, Mortal. I am ancient."
"This isn't something that experience can do!" Jaune was starting to become really worried. Fighting Dark was one thing. The god of darkness knew his way around a gun and was quite into the game. Light, on the other hand… there was no way he could be a martial arts master, could he? No, he might just be! I can't face him head on, even with a sword. He concluded. That's total bullshit! Realizing he was becoming agitated, he took a breath. No, calm down. It's like the challenge with Salem, I need to find another way.
He glanced around the room. It was large and spacious with little else that he could see other than the six rocket lockers and rubble from the ceiling. He had nothing else. Eyeing his sword, he considered for a second if he should throw it, but it wasn't that light, and it wasn't like he could guarantee a hit. Ah! An idea came to him.
He grabbed pieces of the rubble and started chucking them at Light.
Light side stepped the projectiles without much effort.
Thank go - goats that I didn't throw my sword. Jaune had hoped that Light was being overconfident, but it looked like the boastful god actually had the skills to back up some of his claims.
Shit, now what am I going to do?
The god stayed there, expressionless and serious, watching, ignoring the rocks around him that he could throw back.
Why isn't he fighting back? He's looking down on me! Jaune's expression flattened. Actually, when hasn't he been looking down on me? There's got to be a way to wipe that grin off his face… It was a figure of speech. There was no grin on Light's face. Wipe the arrogance off his face? Is that a thing? Jaune shook his head to disperse the distracting thoughts. Focus.
Jaune took another look at his environment. It was just as he remembered it, with nothing else sticking out. Can I maybe use the lockers to my advantage? No, fighting in an enclosed space will make it more difficult for me. Can I… maybe open the lockers using my sword to get access to other equipment?! Jaune gasped. This could be it! He hopped backwards, seeking to approach the lockers without showing Light his back. The god didn't seem too worried. Either he hasn't thought of this, or this plan won't work.
Upon reaching the unopened 'rock' locker, he took his eyes off Light to swing at the locker. His blow pinged off the metal, the force almost twisting the sword out of his grip.
"The choice at the beginning of each round would be meaningless if you could use one to get all the others. Even a legendary blade like that will not be able to cut the choice lockers." The god explained. "Nice try, Mortal." He inched closer, taking the ground that Jaune left empty.
Damn. This got worse, now I have nowhere to retreat to. No, I can actually try circling around. - Wait, legendary? He glanced at his sword. He supposed that it was well decorated, but… His eyes widened. He had totally forgotten that all of the items had some sort of gimmick to them. At the beginning! In the locker, wasn't it planted into the steel? There's only one sword that is famous for being pulled out of something!
"It can't be, can it?" Am I the future king of Britain? Or does it have to be pulled from stone? Fuck it. He took a breath, before stepping forward and swinging it at the god with all his might. "Ex - Calibur!"
Nothing happened.
The god shook his head. "You really think you could do what Emily did without any materia?"
What? "You… You mean Shirou Emiya?"
"Yes, that Emile guy, with the skull helmet."
"That's a Halo Spartan!"
"Ah?" Light put a hand under his chin. "You mortals change names as fast the seasons come and go. Don't make me remember something so transient."
"Why did you even think of the Fate series, I expected you to be like 'Heh Mortal, I met the king of Britain back then cause I'm an old fart' or something?"
"...Right. In the tale… wasn't it Mordred who wielded it?"
"That's the name you recall?!"
"That doesn't seem right." Light looked serious. "I would have sworn in one of the series' multiple timelines, Emilia and Mordred fell in love, but had to separate because the plot device that was her sister became the incarnation of evil. However, magic didn't exist in that cycle…"
Wrong Emi-person and wrong fucking Pendragon! "There's so many things wrong with that sentence I don't even want to mention them."
"Enough!" The god roared. "Enough about Amy or whatever her name is! We are being distracted. Are you going to fight me or not?"
"Excalibur or not, it's just a sword! Without magic I can't do shit even if it has a Noble Phantasm!"
The god seemed to pause. He stared at the sword inquisitively.
"What?"
"Now that I take a longer look, I don't think that's Excalibur. It's not any of Excalibur's many variants across time and space."
Jaune twisted the sword from side to side. "It's just a pretty sword!"
"I think that might be Caliburn."
Jaune opened his mouth, before closing it. Wait, I think he's right. While Excalibur and Caliburn are used interchangeably in a lot of the Arthurian legends, Caliburn is usually the sword pulled from the stone, while Excalibur was from the lake.
"...Or maybe Clarent?"
The fuck's Clarent?!
"...Another option is the Master Sword."
"Goddamn it, I know it's not the Master Sword!"
The god looked at Jaune. "...Why are you so certain, Mortal?"
Jaune blinked. "Well, clearly, it doesn't look…" He paused. The Master Sword was usually also pulled from stone. Did all the versions of the Master Sword from Legend of Zelda have a blue hilt? This one also did, but the shade looked incorrect. The blade was also not cyan. Maybe? "I know it's not, because - " He raised it above his head.
The blade started glowing.
"It is the Skyward Sword version of the True Master Sword?!" Jaune cried out in disbelief.
"Is it?"
"There's only one sword that does this!"
"No there isn't." The god answered dismissively. "In addition, I sense the activation of your Aura… Perhaps it is acting as a replacement for the ether you need to activate this Noble Pheasant? The reaction could be only a coincidence."
He lowered it, expecting a laser to shoot out like in that one Zelda game. Nothing came out. Which means I didn't charge it long enough… Or it's not the True Master Sword. "Damn it, you tell me!" Jaune was getting absolutely exasperated. It was literally just the identity of a sword, how could it be this hard?
"If discovering the identity of something were so easy, then you wouldn't need passports and background checks."
"Wouldn't you know though?!"
The god crossed his fake huge arms. "Identifying the objects is part of the fun, Mortal. I am limiting my memory and physical abilities to your level." The god paused. "Apologies, 'your level' is inaccurate, an underestimation. I am stooping down to human levels."
"I am extremely, mildly offended."
"In fact, with such severely limited capabilities… I might say that determining reality is impossible for mankind."
…Is he…? I've always known he was talkative, but… "As if!" Jaune tried, an idea coming to him. "You're underestimating us again!"
"There is much you are capable of… But you are a long way till you get that far."
"Arrogance!" Jaune tried. He hoped he was acting realistically enough. "Get off your high horse, you… God!"
Light flatly stared. It was a bit intimidating with the large build he currently had. "I suppose this person wasn't ever the smartest of the bunch." He furrowed his huge eyebrows. "You are thinking too simply, Mortal. The problem you denote is one that has baffled thinking men every single cycle. And a problem that few even believe exists. Take your sword for example, Mortal.
"How can we tell what it is? Imagine we have all the resources humanity currently has."
If we have all the resources humanity has… I could carbon date it… Wait, no, it's clearly magical. Or… Is it? Jaune's eyes drifted down. There were no lights on it, right? Or maybe there are lights that -
A blur at the edge of his vision. He swore, bringing his sword halfway back to bear, only for a flying kick to send it flying out of his hands. The sword embedded itself into the wall behind him, the wall fracturing like glass.
This tricky god!
"The truth is, Mortal, that your search will take you forever."
Jaune back pedaled to the sword, giving it a pull. It wouldn't budge. The god approached him using audible, firm, menacing steps. There's no way I can fight him hand-to-hand! He has the skill, and the body type for it! Time to retreat. He ran off to the left, weaving behind the pillars. But to where? I won't be able to outrun him forever. I need to fight back!
The god yanked out the weapon from the wall in a single determined move. "If it is a fictional sword, then it has several different depictions over decades of media. Which is the 'real' one? None of them! The question is meaningless!"
"Then…" He glanced around. What do I do now?! "Then we better hope it's a real sword?"
"Think about the specifics, Mortal. Do you really think it being a real sword is going to help?"
Why wouldn't it? You wouldn't have the duplicates problem. All you'd need to do… is… Jaune realized. "…Is to take a look at historical records…"… But… Are there sword records? And there's no way they can be that detailed, right? Carbon date it, then check historical events that happened around that time… but I don't even know where this sword came from!
The god twirled his sword nonchalantly, before stopping himself and adopting a more composed posture. "You are so limited, Mortal. You perceive the thinnest of slices of the world, and through it, you become deceived. Deceived of your own certainty. I gave you a single task of identification, yet now I'm sure you realize your own failings. You meet and use thousands of people and objects, none of whom you can truly understand."
Jaune arrived at the middle of the room, glancing around for something - anything he could use. "I - What?! I don't need to know that deeply about everyday objects, like, a random apple I ate yesterday!"
"I believe Snow White would say otherwise." The god inched forwards.
"You have trust issues. Who hurt you?" Jaune inched backwards.
"An uncountable number of people."
"You probably deserved it."
"Hmm… Don't know how much you should be talking back to me while I'm armed." The god let the sword skim against the floor, the friction causing sparks to fly.
"Errr… Please have mercy on me, oh merciful god?"
"Have I ever been merciful?"
"You haven't?!"
"...Not often."
"Oh shit."
The god charged. The Jaune ran.
The two sprinted around the far end of Light's corner before dashing across the room again to Jaune's side. The lockers made for good cover, where the distance in between made it more difficult for the larger person to fit through.
Think, think, think! Jaune repeated to himself. Maybe I should give up… There's two more rounds, after all… His legs, at the thought, slowed a little bit.
Light's sword swung much too close for comfort.
Nope, nope, nope! I know there's no permanent damage, but I do not want to experience getting slashed by a sword! Suddenly, his legs had a burst of energy. Yes, thanks for finding the motivation now, legs, you morons!
We don't have brains, His legs told him. We can't think. Obviously we are morons. Wouldn't you be the bigger moron for making up voices for us while you are getting chased by a murderous god with Caliburn.
…
…Or Excalibur. Or a generic sword. Or a spatula, really, if identification is so hard, why does it have to be a sword?
Jaune weaved between the pillars for the third time, considering what he imagined his legs telling him. He was starting to get out of breath.
"Give up, Mortal!"
Or a crowbar, or a… Or… Or… A… Or-A.
Aura?
He gasped.
Do I have Aura right now?! No, I do! I do! I remember trying to use Sprint in the previous special event! If I play some music, then I can gain superhuman abilities! I just need to take out my phone… His pockets were full of chess pieces. Fuck! I can throw them away, but when I get back into the game, do they despawn?! Well, whatever, I know I can use Sprint. Can I get the sword back using a dash?
"Ha!"
Jaune felt the wind given off by the swing. He sweated. Fuck this. I'm running out of time, he's gaining! Reaching the middle of the room, he decided to bet it all on his last move.
He picked up Dark's journal and dove forwards. At the same time, he spun, turning in order to face Light who was right behind him, who had the sword raised high.
"Sprint!"
The mysterious force that happened in the forest came back, throwing Jaune forwards… and whacking the god across the face with the outstretched Death Note in a single instant.
[System]: Game!
[System]: Jaune: 0.5 | Light: 0.5
Aw, come on! Looks like Light got me anyway. And… He felt the top of his head. It doesn't hurt that much. The pain must be dulled. "Eh, good round, Light."
"Good… round." The god didn't seem too happy. The divider started rising between them again. "By the way, Dark made that fake Death Note into a real Death Note. He is a god of death, after all."
"What?!"
The divider reached the ceiling.
Jaune stared at his hands. I was holding a Death Note?! His hands started shaking. Holy shit! And so then Dark was writing his diary entries in a real Death Note?!
Anyways, a tie's a tie. That's better than a loss. He refocused on the situation at hand. No, actually, I believe I won that, in a whole different way. He smiled. I'm not sure if I entirely understand… But, heh, I'm becoming a real strategist. After all, he hadn't forgotten his true goal in this special event. Who said he had to win these battles to win the war?
He randomly picked rock. However, this time, before he pressed the button, he pulled out his phone from his overstuffed pockets, making sure not to drop anything, and flicked on the music. He watched his hands for the tell-tale glow.
There was none.
Right. I guess I'm not really into this music. The playlist he started was a random mix of 'Mistralian Backdoor Rock', which he honestly had no idea what that meant. Ah, just like a number of nonsensical music genre names. Hello, folktronica! ...Or pirate metal!…
He paused.
Pyrrha metal?
No, no, no, you're getting distracted again! Back to my playlist! I guess now it's pretty obvious why they didn't want us to use music as a crutch. Sure, there are times where you just aren't into the music, but listening to the same music over and over again will tire you out. Which means that in battles against the Grimm, the huntsmen could stop being able to use Aura when they listened to the same music for too long! Plus, let's not forget about that one song in your playlist that you keep in there, but never are in the mood to listen to.
Well, it's kind of an emergency. Let's go with the 'Excited' playlist again, let's see what other songs are in there! Putting his phone back into his pockets, he started humming along with the vocals and selected the rock locker. The locker opened.
[System]: Choices made! Round starts in 3!
"I'm honestly a bit… I don't even know."
[System]: 2!
He picked up the stick.
[System]: 1!
"Ready or not, here I come." He called with fake cheer.
[System]: Round start!
The dividing wall fell away, and the moment he had a clear view of Light, he pointed the stick at the god. "Leviosa!"
"...Even if it was a magic wand, I don't think you are a wizard, Jaune."
"I know! I know! Let me have my dreams, damn it!"
"Heh." The god smirked. "Muggle."
"Right, you say that, but all I see is a phone in your hands."
The god looked down at the device in his hands. Then, he looked back at Jaune. "It's connected to a death laser satellite."
"I'm… I'm sorry? I could have sworn you just said - "
"I said I picked 'rock' and got a military satellite that shoots death lasers from space."
Jaune put a hand over his face. "...How are you guys choosing these items?"
"Randomly. Now, Mortal, witness my power!"
Click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click.
Jaune watched him type.
Seriously? A Blackberry?
His eyes widened. No, wait, I can't let him finish! Jaune ran after the god. This time, it was his turn to chase Light. His phone played a kind of strange jazz, giving him little access to his Aura. Guy's good though. Cool solos.
"You're too late, Mortal! Now - " Click, click, click, click, "Now you will," Click, click, click, click, "There's another menu?!" The god circled around his opened rock rocket locker, juking Jaune.
"Know my pain, you shitty god!" Jaune yelled. With Light's distracted state, having to deal with the phone and the direction he was running in, Jaune easily caught up even with the extra distance and tried tackling the huge muscular man Light was right now.
The god just as easily threw him off, but found himself in the opposite corner.
"Curses, you made me type a wrong number! It's not enough though, the time of reckoning is now!" Click.
"No!" Jaune tried leaping for the phone, but it really was too late.
For a moment, nothing happened. Just as Jaune thought that Light's mistake had stopped the satellite, the side of the room across from them suddenly exploded in light as a torrent of ions bombarded the area, superheating it instantly into plasma and melting everything in a huge radius. In fact, it obliterated everything until about a few meters away from Jaune, leaving a distinct smell of ozone and burnt plastic.
"...That has a larger radius than I thought." Light rubbed his chin. Then, he made to sprint to the side, making Jaune think he was going that way. It turned out it was a fake out, as he turned last minute, juking Jaune once again. He ran past him.
He's trying to put distance between us! Jaune ran after him and into the outside of the gods' multipurpose room world.
Outside of the blank room, was… clouds? Dark, tumultuous clouds that writhed and groaned silently. They surrounded him from every direction, held at bay by transparent, invisible glass. It was as if he was in a nebula, in space, as the humongous shapes around him morphed and changed shape wildly, but not quickly. Jaune had expected the white expanse that Dark used, not whatever this was.
Jaune ran along the glass pathway, awe apparent on his face. He felt like this would be the closest he would ever get to being an astronaut. If he couldn't feel gravity pulling him down and the firmness of the floor, he would really have thought he was in outer space.
Wait, if I was surrounded by glass… Wouldn't the space laser have destroyed it? While he didn't know if the cloud things were toxic, or if there was actually a vacuum outside of this protected area, he did not wish to risk it.
"Shoo! Go away, Mortal! Bad Mortal!" The god actually turned around as he said that, waving him away with a hand.
"Fuck that, I'm not getting lasered to death!"
"You won't feel a thing!"
"As if! Leviosaaa! Leviosaaa!"
"It's leviosa, not leviosaaa, Mortal!"
"I don't give a shiteviosa!"
"That's - "
"Go fall through the glass and into the weird cloud things and explode!"
The god peaked over his shoulder at Jaune. "What glass?"
"Glass - The floor! Whatever the floor is made of!"
"There's no floor."
"What? I'm clearly stepping on the floor!" Every step Jaune took, he could clearly feel his feet make contact with a solid surface. How could there be no floor? Clearly, the god was playing tricks on him.
"Remember the sword?"
"Duh! It was just a few minutes ago, why are you mentioning…"
Jaune went quiet, thinking. He's talking about the limitations of being human? Then this… It must be some kind of philosophy thing, right? What is the floor that's not the floor? Because… If the floor is not the floor… Then floor is you. And you the floor. And you… Become floored.
"Mortal, why do I get the sense that you are completely missing the mark?"
So do I, Light, So do I…
"Your senses, Mortal. They fail you."
They fail… Me?
"The truth is, I'm holding you up right now. Every time your feet hit a certain elevation, I'm causing an opposing force to push your feet back up."
"Isn't that effectively the same thing?"
"No, because if you fall over, nothing will catch the rest of you and you will flip upside down. Hanging over this chaos."
"Why?!"
"Because your face is not your feet."
"But why?!" He repeated, exasperated.
"It's for fairness. I am currently doing the same thing for me, therefore I must do the same to you. I am, however, not obligated to do the same to the rest of your body."
At least he's trying to be fair.
"That's why, in truth, isn't it odd how trusting you are of your senses, if they can so easily be befuddled?"
Jaune eyed the distance between him and Light. As the conversation had continued, they had both slowed down into a comfortable jog. He should probably not mention that to Light. "Hmmm." He hummed, giving a non-answer, before his brain made the connection. "The game! That's what you are doing with your 'RWBY:Online'?! You are confusing my senses as I sleep?"
"Yes… You know, there was a man once who sat in a comfy armchair in his living room. He was quite relaxed, and his furniture of choice, well chosen for its luxurious texture. He was also stark naked."
Where is this story going? Well, it's Light, he must have a reason.
Jaune remembered every other time Light wasn't reasonable.
A chill went up his spine.
Oh fuck no, where the hell is this story going.
Light continued, perhaps unaware of Jaune's thoughts. "He watched the wax drip on his wallpaper, letting the world wash over him, filling all his senses with color. The white, translucent wax, losing its form and sliding over the red patterns of the decor. And so he pondered."
Pondered his sanity?
"This man wished to know the nature of human knowledge."
Light and Jaune jogged at a comfortable pace, the point of the chase seemingly forgotten.
"First, he asked himself. Where can I start? Out of all the lies and illusions that compose the world, is there anything at all that I can believe in?"
"...I think I've heard of this guy. He was one of the people who didn't believe that any truth could be found from our physical senses, right?"
"Yes! Hallucinogens, television, disease, insanity! There are so many ways to confuse your senses, such that truly, you can never be certain of any information you are given. This man we speak of, he said, 'Imagine there was an evil god. With his endless power, he manipulates your senses as he sees fit. You can not prove there isn't this evil god, and therefore, you can't prove your senses do not lie to you.'"
That… That seems very, very familiar.
"For example, does this space laser satellite really exist?"
"We all saw the laser!"
"You don't even know if it really was a laser or actually a bomb. Or if it came from space at all. Is there even space in this temporary world?" The god calmly retorted. "That's why he asked, 'If I can not trust my senses, then what can I trust? How can I determine reality without them?' The answer this intelligent man came to was - "
"'I think therefore I am'! I know this!"
"Cogito, ergo sum. Very good. You know who I am speaking of, then?"
"Yes!" Jaune remembered this famous person from the lectures he had taken. "You've met him?"
"No. But I had watched over him. Back then, I only wished to stand aside and restrain myself from meddling. So, that's how I came to understand this intellectual, wise, philosopher, by the name of… Desmond."
"That's not his name."
"This wonderful man thought that if you strip away all uncertainty, because he could think, it must mean that he, not his corporal body, but his thinking mind, must exist."
Jaune stared at the god's back. Name aside, that does make sense. I am currently thinking, then these thoughts can't come from nowhere, can they? "Rationalism." Jaune said. "He supported rationalism. He thought that in this world that we couldn't understand, there was one truth, and that was reason."
"Of course, for all his intellect, he was wrong. The very foundation of his ideals, his famous phrase. It's wrong."
Jaune blinked. "Eh?"
"If you have thoughts, Jaune, it doesn't mean that you exist."
Jaune put his hands on each side of his head. "What?"
"Mortal, the key is that they don't have to be your thoughts."
And… I'm lost again.
"Let's try this. What are you thinking about right now?"
"Honestly, I kind of want some chili."
"Let's use that thought. Why do you think you have ownership over that thought?"
"Because I thought so?"
"How do you know I didn't implant that thought?"
"..."
"How do you know that it's not someone else who is writing these thoughts for you?"
Jaune held his head in his hands. "Honestly, I think this is too much for one day."
"That's lucky for you, though, as - "
[System]: Game!
[System]: Jaune: 1 | Light: 1
The two of them reappeared in the multipurpose room, everything repaired back to the way it should be.
"I didn't even have to pull out the wax story." The god commented.
The dividing wall returned.
Jaune looked around, confused. My brain is complete mush. How did we tie? Ugh, I don't even want to think anymore… He had not thought that the answer to his question would be so complicated. No, they didn't even get close to an answer yet! They were literally just explaining the question itself and discussing some possible answers, and he swore he already had a headache coming.
I want to stop thinking about this…Ugh, should I just rush to the third fight? Jaune felt pretty exhausted mentally and a little physically. No! What are you thinking about Jaune? You are finally going to be getting some answers from this god and thirty dollars is at stake if you fail! This isn't the time to give up! I - I just need a moment.
While he didn't know how long exactly he had to make a rock-paper-scissors choice, his previous experience told him it wasn't extremely short. Therefore, there was no issue with him taking a quick breather. He sat down on the cool ground, placing his hands at the sides, and relaxed, letting his tense mind slow down and wander. He took out his phone and turned off the music, before laying down.
He rested for about five seconds.
Alright, that's enough. So, uh… Reality. Limitations of the human senses. Limitations of human rationality.
He sat up.
…Holy shit, those are some big questions. Does he really expect me to understand all of that in a short conversation? I guess if I win the bet, then I'll get a better explanation out of him.
I should start the next round. I feel like if I wait any longer, then I might run out of time to pick an option.
He took a look over the three options. Scissors again, I guess. If I can get Exca - No, wait, it was the Master - Whatever it was, then there's a whole bunch of nice things I can get! Personally, I'd say swords are pretty superior to guns. Much cooler. If only this was a strategic game, then these choices would matter a bit more.
Jaune's hand hovered over the locker's buttons.
Wait… Did Light pick rock twice? He lowered his hand, mind suddenly focused. He had gotten the Death Note the first round and I swear he had said that it was a 'rock' choice. Second round, he had picked a space laser satellite, which is ranged and deals damage in an area, so clearly an explosive - a 'rock' choice. Was that random, or is he the type of person who only chooses rock?
Jaune jogged over to the 'paper' locker.
Suddenly, an enormous boom came from Light's side, muffled by the divider, making him jump. Glancing back, he saw cracks along the wall. Alright, that's got to be a 'rock' choice! He narrowed his eyes. Or is it? Melee weapons with great strength can also create craters. Is this another trick?
He looked between the 'paper' and 'rock' choice. If he did pick 'rock' again, then 'paper' would be the right choice. However, if he is trying to trick me by making me think he'll be picking 'rock' again, then 'rock' would be my choice to counter his 'scissors'. Which is it?
The choices seemed equally likely to him. He felt like he was looking down two roads that diverged in some woods, both seemingly equal. Except for one thing. One of the paths was less traveled. He had picked 'scissors' and 'rock' today, after all.
…I'm honestly also curious about the pool of items in the 'paper' choice, and Robert Frost would be happy I took the path less traveled by too… though there is nothing here saying this was the path of most resistance… And conformity, what does this have to do with conformity…
He pressed on the 'paper' choice, deciding not to waste his time.
[System]: Choices made! Round starts in 3!
He picked up the jar from within the locker.
[System]: 2!
Inside was a bug with a dirty orange colored carapace. It was about the size of a ladybug, but Jaune couldn't recognize it. What… Wasn't 'paper' wearables? What the hell is this?!
[System]: 1!
[System]: Round start!
The dividing wall fell away, to reveal that Light's side of the room was in ruins once more.
For there was a two-story tall bi-petal mech that had landed inside.
"What. The. Fuck!" Jaune yelled. "This game is bullshit! Titanfall is in this loot pool?!"
It didn't look like an Evangelion style mech, nor Code Geass, for it had a wider build and both arms were heavily armored and armed. The torso where the cockpit was located was thicker. Oddly, it was also completely uncolored, a metallic gray all throughout. It doesn't seem like it would fit in any kind of show. Aren't they usually well colored? Maybe… Pacific Rim? He couldn't see if it had a head or not, as it was blocked by the ceiling on his side.
Gah, no time! He glanced between his jar and the mech. Should I throw this? I got it from 'wearables', so it makes no sense if it's an exploding, corrosive bug. Jaune paused.
And why isn't Light moving? The mech was completely still. A startup sequence? Perfect, let's take time to decide. The gods either made an error and put this in the wrong section, or somehow I can 'wear' this bug.
Pssshhhhhht. The mech's pneumatics activated, telling Jaune his time was running out.
Wearables… Bug. Wearables… Bug. Shit, what is this?! Not knowing what to do, he opened the bottle. There's no way I can throw that far anyways! Let's do this! Maybe it transforms into a suit of armor?
The bug crawled out onto his hand. Jaune watched in anticipation… before it bit him.
"Ow! Oh, it's a Spiderman thing, isn't it." But I don't think it's a spider…
A sudden burst of dizziness struck him as he fell to his knees. Alright, it's working. Hopefully I can get the powers before Light's mech finishes activating. He felt warmer and a bit of nausea. Raising a hand to his forehead, he realized that his forehead was burning hot. What… He lowered his arm, and as it passed in front of his eyes…
[?]: 10%
He saw that it was on fire.
That's when the pain hit.
Agonizing, blinding. An unbearable heat. Static ran across his vision. Am I… hallucinating? My arms… they look… fine? They were glowing with burning light, but not melting or turning black.
[?]: 30%
The flames grew everywhere, blocking his view. He couldn't see past the crimson inferno that surrounded and encaged his every sense. Stop… Hurting! Shouldn't my nerves be scorched by now?! He couldn't cry, for the heat turned any tears instantly to steam.
[?]: 60%
His vision blinked in and out. Stop! He cried. Everything burned, as his entire world became a conflagration.
[?]: 100%
/-/
Light sat in his mech, angry.
Dark sent him a message telepathically. "Well, it has rockets and chain guns… which we agreed was a 'rock' type."
"It also has armor, which protects the wielder. That's also clearly 'paper'! This option is banned! Dark, take this out of the 'rock' options."
"...But I reallyyy wanted to pilot a mech…"
"Do it." Light growled.
"...Fine…"
He could feel his brother slither away sadly, by just the voice.
[System]: Choices made! Round starts in 3!
[System]: 2!
[System]: 1!
[System]: Round start!
"What. The. Fuck!" Jaune yelled. "This game is bullshit! Titanfall is in this loot pool?!" Jaune called.
"Apologies, Mortal." Light responded from his seat, barely fitting in due to his size. The screens in front of him showed the camera feeds from the outside, where Jaune was standing with a bottle in hand. "This is quite unfair. I can reset the match, if you would like." Light took note of all the controls. "Or, I can remove the cockpit protections. That should count as removing the 'armor'." He didn't wait for an answer. "I will do that, less time wasted for both of us." He pulled a lever, which revealed a keyboard from the ceiling. The god typed in a few things. "Ah, it needs an override." He looked around for a passcode.
Inside the mech, there were an incredible number of different pamphlets, stickers, and markings. He took note of each of them and compared, seeing if they could match. "This code is all numeric… I am looking for an alphanumeric code. This, only four digits… Oh! These images, don't they match with the images over here? If I order them like this and take the first letter…"
It took a while, but he figured out the override and the keyboard retracted. This caused a panel in front of him to open up, revealing a large button inside covered by a transparent casing. He tried smashing the casing with his hand, but it was stronger.
"So, I need a tool… What does this button do?" Clicking on it, another panel opened up to reveal nine light gray buttons organized in a square shape. He pressed one. It turned blue, as another turned green. "Interesting." He pressed the green button. Nothing happened. He tried another button that wasn't lit up, and that one also turned blue, only for another green button to light up. The god rubbed his chin. "Intriguing. What is the pattern here?" He tried another. It lit up blue once more, but a button lit up green and the entire column of green buttons started flashing red, before all of the buttons turned off. "Ah! Tic-tac-toe!"
It took the god quite a few tries before he got a win, tying with the AI several times. The panel opened up to reveal a hammer with a sharp end. He used it to smash the casing.
"There we go, sorry about the wait, Mortal. I will fight with the cockpit open to make it fair."
"Oh, it's a Spiderman thing, isn't it."
"What?" He looked down on his controls. "Ah. I'm on mute." He pressed the big red button, and the cockpit window opened up. No point in unmuting now. "Mortal, let's…"
Light watched as the Mortal spontaneously combusted.
"Which item is this…? As expected of the mortal, it seems like he misused it."
The mortal screamed.
Light kept watching impassively. Yet… the match is not over. He was about to bring up his debug menu, when suddenly the flames swirled around the mortal. The screaming morphed, becoming more demonic, more distorted.
Light closed the menu.
"This scent…" His senses tingled. None of them physical ones. Light narrowed his eyes. "What is this?"
The fire grew, exploding into a pillar of flames that disintegrated the rest of the ceiling. Light could feel the heat from his side, but he did not flinch. All he did was watch the flames go out of control… Until they were stopped.
Invisible chains wrapped around the writhing beast of fire. Containing it. Focusing it. Before the god's eyes, the flames condensed until finally, they became a halo of blackened yellow fire so dense it blocked vision of the mortal entirely.
The mortal's form stood. Slowly, it raised his head to meet Light's gaze. The fire that was shaped into the mortal face was twisted in fury. It looked like Jaune, but the scars… Light recognized them. How could he not?
"Impossible." He whispered.
The white flame exploded towards him, screaming with pain and anger. It soared, using its concussive energy to send it into motion.
Light took hold of his mech and swiftly dodged. He fired his cannon in the opposing direction, using the recoil to give him extra distance as the flaming torpedo barely missed him. Flashing warnings on his status screens told him the ablative armor on the upper left arm was burned away.
As the mortal had flown past him, he had been able to see his face much clearer.
"Be it a million years, be it a billion cycles!" Words came back to Light for a split second before he banished the memory. He growled.
The mech and the mortal landed back onto the invisible ground with booms. They turned back to look at each other outside of the room, back in the larger, infinite battlefield.
Things that happened over the past few days came together for Light. "Salem. Your interference surpasses even death." He muttered. "Truly, an unruly mistake. That explains why he was able to clip through my map. My changes did not account for her."
The mortal roared at the sky, the clouds around them blown away as if hit by a shockwave. Then, he tore through the distance between them.
Light was ready this time. As the mortal leapt to strike at him once more, Light caught the mortal between both of his cannons with a clang. "Bad choice, Jaune." He taunted. The index fingers on both his hands squeezed their triggers.
He fired round after round, each exploding point blank into the writhing hot flames. The ear shattering sound caused his ears to ache, momentarily deafening him, but he did not relent. Whatever the fiery shell encasing the mortal was, it was hard, and Light continued his assault until the barrels of his cannons became red hot. Only then, did he fling him away, giving his weapon a moment of respite. His status panels gave him flashing warnings, but he could not hear any of it.
The mortal ragdolled on the ground. Taking the chance, Light fired off the missile pods on the mech's back. Each of the missiles hit, tearing the mortal apart.
Yet, before Light's incredulous eyes, the mortal reformed. There was no flesh to hurt beneath the flames.
The god finally made the connection. "This is from one of Dark's animi." He seriously stated to himself. "Each of the missiles must have missed the core."
The mortal, shakily, came at him again.
"Haven't we done this dance already? Are you mindless, like the Grimm?" Look for the core this time. Light caught him once more, and as the god fired his cannons into the mortal, his keen eyes watched for his real target. The mortal writhed and flailed, trying to get out of the hold. Every blast blew part of the hot white flames away, allowing Light to see within. "There! Now, how do I adjust my aim to hit such a precise target without getting blocked by the molten body?" Such was his focus at looking for the core, that he missed one thing.
A fiery arm, having just reformed, clamped itself around the protrusion of one of the cannons.
"Resourceful as always, Jaune" Light seethed.
With a lot of effort, the burning arm tried to twist the steel. For a second, it looked like even the protrusion was too thick to be pulled apart, until suddenly it gave. With a heave, the mortal sent the shard of metal flying towards the mech's cockpit.
[System]: Game!
/-/
Jaune found himself standing back on his side of the reconstructed room. He was pretty confused, only remembering himself becoming engulfed in fire right before this. He patted his arms and examined his legs, seeing himself unharmed. Noticing something at the corner of his eye, he glanced at the new system messages.
[System]: Game!
[System]: Jaune: 2 | Light: 1
"I won?" A berserker mode? "That's not very satisfying, but a win's a win."
The god opposing him did not look happy at all, having returned himself to his usual form. A cool, impassive anger was expressed on his face.
Yikes. Dark was right about him being a sore loser.
The god raised his arm and waved. A clipboard, much like the one Dark had in the other match, appeared in midair and the god caught it.
"...Er, so - "
"Quiet!" A pen appeared in the god's other hand and he began writing on the paper.
Jaune waited in silence till Light was done, unsure at what he should do meanwhile.
When Light was finished, he waved the clipboard away, turning his attention back onto Jaune. "A deal is a deal, Mortal. The answer is no. 'RWBY:Online' is but a game, even if it is more complex than any that you have ever played."
A hundred objections occurred to Jaune, and he opened his mouth. "But - "
"Do you wish to hear my explanation, or not!" The god stated with incredible finality, even though it should have been a question.
This god… Jaune, annoyed, stilled his tongue.
"You may ask questions when I am done." Light's voice was loud, almost growly. This time, he waved at their surroundings and they changed back to the scene from the game, where Jaune was before. The one with Ruby in the clearing where Jaune's sword had broken, frozen in a half-roll on the ground, and the tents behind them, followed by the forest. The god was near Ruby, while Jaune was back at his original spot.
The god walked around the girl. "You believe this to be like reality, just because your deluded senses appear to give you the truth. Yet given enough technological advancement, or might, there is no sense that you can't lie to. You believe you can rationalize your way out of your mortal prison, but soon you will find yourself tied down in circular, self-defining beliefs, imprisoned within your own little world. But these are all illusions, false truths, made to confuse you by a system beyond your understanding.
"This?" The god kneeled down to lift up a lock of Ruby's hair. "Nothing, but a puppet. A shell, an imitation, not even made out of flesh. Explanation, finished."
Jaune's hands gripped at his shorts, agitated. "Then, what? Are we all equally false?" He spoke up the moment he could. "The world is entirely governed by a complete uncertainty in anything? What is the point of progress, or doing anything, really?" He pulled an example out of nowhere. "If I saw one white goose, then two white geese, and all the while to nine white geese, the truth is that I will never know for sure if the tenth geese could be black?"
"Mortal, you could always adhere to probability theory. However, its failings… this mortal - rather, this being - here," The god pointed Ruby with his chin. "Would know that all too well."
To live in a world of uncertainty, in which your every belief could be invalidated at every moment… Jaune glared at the god. "This doesn't make any sense. Video game characters would have the exact same amount of importance to real people then!"
"Yes… if you assume nothing else, then that's what it would be."
"Which is, for the lack of better words, stupid! Movies would be like trapping people in a perpetual loop, and violent video games, a maniacal harvest of lesser beings' suffering as entertainment!"
The god put both hands behind his back. "I have thought of this long ago… But what kind of solutions do you believe exists?"
Jaune stilled. "W - Well, video game AI's not very smart…" He stopped himself. Did I really think of intelligence? Then what, people who aren't smart enough aren't people? A chill up his spine. Dangerous! "How about the graphics - " Looks? Beauty? Beauty determines personhood? Even worse! Maybe, flesh? But if one day we can imitate the brain with robotics, wouldn't that also be a person? And animals, wouldn't they also be people?
"The answer… is the soul."
Jaune stared incredulously at the god. Did… Did I hear that right? How… In any way, is that a solution?! Light looked back at him with full sincerity and seriousness.
"If we assume that any who have characteristics close enough to what we define as a person, then even the people who appear in your imagination would be real enough."
"Mine doesn't make things appear in reality though."
"Not in reality, but in your imagination, yes."
"Which makes it invalid."
"What makes your imagination, for those moments that you uphold your imaginary world, less real than reality?"
"Because it can be destroyed and rebuilt… super fast?"
The god raised an eyebrow. "Speed, that's your reasoning?"
Ack. "Then what about causality? The world is causal! Your imagination doesn't have to be!"
There was a moment of silence before Light spoke up. "I have tried my best to make it seem causal."
"It's not?!"
"I remind you that the world was birthed as chaos. A primordial soup without shape or form. It is I that bound this world to my rationality."
Jaune's eyes widened. "Alright, I can believe everything else but you made the world causal?! That's beyond ridicu - "
"You question my power?!" The god snarled dangerously.
"Well, your power, and uh, everything else about you - "
"MORTAL!"
The shout shook the world around Jaune, sending him sprawling to his side. Before Jaune's eyes, the god's form stretched violently heavenward. Elegant scales formed out of skin and golden fur sprouted from his back. He became an eastern dragon, tall as the very sky and majestic like an emperor.
"WHO DO YOU THINK I AM." The god boomed with a voice that did not speak to just Jaune's ears but to his mind. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENCE. I MAY NOT BE THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB, BUT I AM YOUR CREATOR."
The world around Jaune shattered as the weight of Light's presence flattened him against an invisible floor. The god's scales gleamed, giving him a halo of holy light, crowning the god. The dragon soared high above Jaune, leaving shockwaves in its passing.
Jaune eyed all of this with shock. He had seen Light use his powers… but not like this.
"I AM THE GOD OF THE CHOSEN, DEITY OF THE EARTH, AND FATHER OF THE ANGELS. IN THIS CHAOTIC, MEANINGLESS UNIVERSE, BY MY LAWS DO YOU THRIVE."
The god charged towards the ground, right at Jaune. He slammed into the mortal, exploding in light, and Jaune recoiled in fright, before the scene dimmed to allow Jaune to see Light's human form standing before his own sprawled form.
"Time seems to always move forwards because I deem it so. Your flimsy walls stay where they are because I ordered them to stay. Rules that I have decided and never broken." The god kneeled so that he could stare straight into Jaune's frantic eyes. "And I will never break myself from these laws that I have bound myself with… for you to have a meaningful world to live in."
Somehow, even though Jaune should have been speechless, scared out of his wits by Light's display, his mouth opened still to question the god. "B - But you just destroyed everything here! If what you said is true, then the imagined world and the real world are the same!"
Light stood back up. "That would be correct if we did not factor in the soul. At the beginning of creation, in the first test cycle, I realized the same thing. Am I killing my creations whenever I fail? Do I fail them, time and again, giving them a world in which they must suffer? That is why I spent what felt like an eternity creating the soul. A concept so complex that I will never be able to copy, something that only what I deem as reality can own. A save state, if you wish to call it, across worlds. A soul that you have, Mortal." The god snapped his fingers and reconstructed the game world and pointed at the frozen black and red haired girl. "A soul that she does not possess." The god turned to face her. The sword that Jaune had gotten in the first round of their match appeared in the god's hand.
Jaune stared. "What are you doing?"
The god took a step, testing out his weapon against the open air.
"I said - What are you doing!"
"How much damage do you think 3% Aura can take, Mortal?" The god strolled towards her, casually.
Jaune's eyes widened. He scrambled to his feet.
Light walked around Ruby's frozen form, eyeing the dress. "It looks like I got some details in the texture wrong. Silly me." The god grinned. "Time to fix it." He reared back his blade and thrusted it decisively towards her unprotected back.
Jaune's hand clamped onto the blade. It ground against the metal, steel against steel, encased in flickering light. The material screeched, his hand engraving the sword as it bit him back. The edge drew a bit of blood due to the instability of his Aura. He didn't care, biting through the pain. "You've made your point." His voice came out strong, crushing the panic that rose within him seconds before.
Light dropped his evil grin. He chuckled lightly at the mortal who had rushed to the frozen girl's side. "You care far too much for this puppet. Nevertheless, it served its purpose. Remember this feeling in your heart, Mortal. Another hint, from your gracious, kind, and… merciful creator. Don't put off the important things in your life, or else the next time when you need them…" The god looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "You won't have them."
The god snapped his fingers, and Jaune was back where he was supposed to be, with the quest menu floating in front of him. The god was gone and everything was reset, as far as Jaune could see. He narrowed his eyes.
I never liked Light… and now I have more reasons to hate him. He sighed. Did I make the right choice to stick with this game? I don't know. It's already made though, so nothing I can do. Then, what about this choice right in front of me?
He eyed the quest menu in front of him with suspicion.
[Quest]: A Eulogy for a Hypocrite
[Accept][Reject]
There's only one answer, isn't there?
Jaune clicked 'Reject'.
[Reject]
Are you sure you wish to reject it? There is a $250 penalty fee for doing so in addition to missed special quest drops.
[Confirm][Cancel]
Jaune wasn't sure if his opinion of Light could drop any further. Isn't this forcing me to accept?! Well, technically not, it is just asking to trade $250 dollars for a person's life. He stilled. So that was his game.
If this Ruby was 'real', then her life would be priceless. $250 dollars was nothing in comparison to that.
If this Ruby wasn't, then $250 was way too much.
The realization came to Jaune, horrifying him.
Light is trying to make me double down on my decision.
He looked around himself. There had to be something else. But the problem was, he had never figured out a way to wrangle himself out of a system window. A minute of thinking later, still nothing came to him. I… Technically I can make that $150 dollar back for rent. If I work some extra shifts. But then I'll be dead exhausted. It's midterm season, so I'll get screwed there if I'm tired and lose time I could have used to study…
But on the other hand… The quest does not confirm who dies, or if anyone dies at all. If you accept it, it doesn't mean there is one set path. Not to mention the chance to break the game further, or maybe I can find a solution in the future.
He gulped. Am I trying to convince myself of the wrong thing?
Fuck. Slowly, he started making up his mind. Are you doing this, Jaune? Yes? Be a man and do it. His eyes hovered over the offending button. Are you sure? Yes! There's no turning back, you know? I know!
Do it!
"Click." He said, sealing his fate. "...Click."
[System]: Quest has been accepted.
As the world unfroze, he collapsed to his knees. He sat there letting it all sink in, before he raised a fist and punched the dirt. Again. And again. "Fuck this game! The status point allocation is stupid, the menus - " As he said that, the menu popped up, " - are impossible to manage, not to mention the uselessness of some of these menus." The menu closed. "You hear that, Gods? It's shit! The game world you made is shit!"
"...What's this about a game?"
Jaune's head snapped up at the voice. Slowly turning around, he saw Ruby, standing there, having approached him, with a face full of confusion.
"Oh… Fiddlesticks."
/-A Requiem for a Gamer-/
The alarm spat in Jaune's ears, waking him up from his nightmare. He yawned, feeling quite tired as if he hadn't slept a wink. Blearily, he pulled up the covers. Light was fucking wrong that the game didn't affect my sleep schedule. At least I get to think about how I want to explain all that to Ruby, though.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes. Why is it so dark? He glanced at the alarm clock. 12:02 AM. Seems right. Maybe Light forgot to raise the sun in the morning. Yawning once more, he laid back down, looking for more rest.
His eyes snapped open.
Wait, isn't…?
He leapt off his bed, rushing to his computer. Quickly, he typed in his question, and lo and behold…
Q: Is 12:00 a.m. night or noon?
A: night
Aw, come on! Damn it. Well, at least I can finish some of my Hearthstone quests. He found his phone on his night table. There were a number of messages.
[Nora Valkyrie][11:22 PM, Yesterday]: Hi Juane jst making sure you get Ren's txt, u usually rply txts fast. U there?
[Ren Lie][10:57 PM, Yesterday]: Hey Jaune, for tomorrow's test, make sure to check over chapter 5 again. I looked it over again and there were a number of things I even forgot.
Jaune opened his calendar with a sense of dread.
Ah… the econ test was moved to tomorrow… Which is now today.
"FUCK!"
/-A Requiem for a Gamer-/
A/N: What can I say, the 12:00 AM a chapter or so ago wasn't a mistake lol.
Next Chapter: 1/30/2022