Noticed (Cont.)

I barely held myself back from dashing to the window as fast as I could—because if I moved as fast as I could, if I reacted so quickly, it may well be enough to give me away, even if Weiss thoughts were probably focused elsewhere at the moment. Instead, I let her move first, following at a more normal pace to stand behind her, at which point I followed her gaze to the scene outside.

What I saw was as confusing as it was bizarre. It was…there wasn't any order to the scene that I could see, nothing I could focus on and make sense of. One of the nearby buildings had apparently been destroyed, crashing down in a massive pile that had already begun to do up in flames. I saw what looked like the robots I'd fought several weeks ago, including one of the Spider Droids, moving through the grounds, guns firing rapidly in the direction of the crowds already streaming from the presentation hall, muted screams mixing with distant gunfire to make a bizarre backdrop to the strange sight.

I saw what must have been Hunters blurring between the firing robots and the crowds, deflecting fire with weapons of all kinds and making it look easy—but that didn't change the fact that they were being forced to remain where they were or else expose the crowds to lethal fire. Worse, the robots were arranged in such a way that the crowds didn't have anywhere to run to and their terrified rush was halted by the Hunters themselves, keeping them where they were. I saw return fire from those who could spare the focus, saw robots collapse, but it scarcely seemed to matter as other machines merely stepped into place.

The Hunters could dodge the fire easily. Once they closed in, they'd slaughter the robots just as trivially. And yet, for all of that they had no choice but to stand their ground as bullet after bullet flashed through the air, because they couldn't risk the safety of those who couldn't. For all their power, they had to take everything the machine's dished out until they either ran out of bullets or something got through. And given the amount of robots, the number of people present, and how thinly the Hunters present needed to be spread to protect all of them…

I'd have bet on something getting through, if only because of the Spider Droid's charging beam cannon, but for one thing. A glimmer of hope that, strangely, came in the form of Adam. In a role I would not have expected from my older party member, he stood between the crowd and the hostile machines, cutting down all he could with flickering strikes that reached far further then his blade should have allowed. As the Spider Droid finished charging, I saw him move, bracing himself with gritted teeth as he interposed himself in front of the flashing streak of light.

I saw him get pushed back, grit his teeth, and withstand the rest of the attack before striking back in a flash of black and red, even as I heard another thunderous crash of fallen rubble as the burned pile abruptly shifted, the giant figure of another machine rising against the backdrop of the flames.

I'd like to say I understood what had happened at a glance, but that would have been a damn lie. The truth was that I had absolutely no clue what the hell was going on. Hell, if not for the Gamer's Mind, I would have stared at the scene before me in abject shock like Weiss was doing. Instead I remained calm and took things in as best I could and continued to observe the scene. It didn't suddenly start making sense, sadly, with Schnee or Atlasian or whatever robots attacking innocent people, Adam fighting to protect them, and so much stuff on fire, but that just meant I needed to think things through before getting involved with…this.

First things first, I had to find my friends. I saw Adam, but not Blake and since she had been the one to message me beforehand…

With a whisper, I brought up my Map, glancing at it to see the colored dots indicating my party members and noted Adam's position before turning towards the other. Through the window on top of the elevated White Whale, I could see the rooftops all around, which was the only reason I was able to spot Blake at all. Atop a blocky red building off to the side, I saw her fighting a man I didn't recognize and could barely see from here. If I could put on Lenore…but no. I tried to squint, catch some details, but all I could see was red hair, what might have been a black hat, and a white coat or suit. I couldn't make out any more details about him, except for the fact that Blake was fighting him as hard as I'd ever seen and not instantly winning, which told me a lot all its own.

There were other marks on my dots, scattered around the area, but now that I knew both of my teammates were alive I had more important things to do. Like…figuring out what to do.

Something had obviously gone horrible wrong somewhere, though I was beginning to suspect it had less to do with us and more to do with an unanticipated third party. I considered aborting as the mission had already gone half to hell, but…Knowing nothing else about them then that they were here, it seemed safe to assume that the White Whale was their goal and motive. The reason for their presence could have been anything from stealing it like we'd planned to destroying it to just trying to take advantage of the crowds it'd drawn. There was no way of knowing with the information I had right now, but whatever the case…

Whatever the case, this could easily ruin everything. Whatever their motivations, whether they were successful or not, it was unlikely I'd be able to get to the White Whale again after this, at least with anywhere near the same amount of ease. If they destroyed it, that was it. If they got away with it and managed to get it away from the people sent after it, that would probably be it, too. But if they were unsuccessful or if they were just trying to take advantage of the situation…either way, security would be increased tremendously, if this public demonstration wasn't called off entirely which seemed more likely. It might not be impossible, but it would be a lot harder and there was no way of knowing when there'd be another chance.

I had to decide, here and now, whether to back out or keep going.

We might be able to fight another day. If the White Whale wasn't destroyed, if it wasn't taken someplace we couldn't reach, if we were lucky, we could get another shot someday, maybe. It wouldn't be easy by any means, would be a lot harder than it was today, but the very nature of my power meant that time was on my side. Given another week, I could definitely gain a few more levels and learn the next skill in Bai Hu's lost art. Given a month to prepare, or two, or six, or a year, I didn't even know what I could do. I could get stronger, though, far stronger then I was now. I could grind my skills, prepare, struggle, and improve until I was up to the challenge. So could Adam and Blake, once I'd leveled up enough for us to really party.

Patience and time were on my side, whatever the situation. I could wait. I could always wait.

But could the people I was trying to save? If nothing changed, if nothing was done, could they wait? If it took me a year to get another chance to save them…what could happen to them in that time? How many would suffer in that time? How many innocent men and women and children would die in that time, if I backed out now?

I guess we'd never know.

I decided my next move before Weiss even spoke.

"They're after the ship!" She said, turning around in a flurry of white. "We have to tell the Captain to get this ship in the air!"

I nodded silently without even looking at her, having already come to the same conclusion—but it went without saying that I couldn't let her speak to the non-existent Captain. It wasn't an issue, though.

I closed my eyes, projecting an image to Crocea Mors—the cockpit as I'd last seen it. Then I changed the thought, giving basic instructions to go with it, and held on as the airship rattled and began to rise.

The White Whale, like most airships, could be flown by a single pilot, so long as he knew how. The second pilot was there for safety concerns and to split duties to make the flight easier, but either could manage the ship by themselves if needed. I intended to fly the White Whale that way, as the only member of my group who knew how to fly it—but I did have a co-pilot of sorts. Crocea Mors was in the metal of this ship, in the controls.

It wasn't the same as him being able to fly, sadly. If anything, it was like I was telling him how to play a video game, directing every button press and motion, and there was a limit to the range, too. But if it was just for something like this and with me this close…it was enough.

Weiss stumbled as the ship rose unevenly, falling back into my waiting arms while I braced myself on the window. She let out a little huff of expelled air as she rocked into me, but quickly steadied herself against my frame, waiting for the airship to stabilize.

But there was a problem with that, too. See, I was already thinking about the situation, where it was going, and how I could play into it. The people Adam and Blake were fighting…I knew nothing about them, but I could make educated guessed from their actions. Whatever they were doing, I assumed they must have put at least as much planning and preparation into it as we'd done for ours and I had to admit that as distractions went, a horde of reprogrammed robots was a pretty damn good one.

But that was all it was. A distraction and a way to buy time. So long as innocent lives were at stake, they could keep the Hunters preoccupied and pinned, but they couldn't beat them that way. If they shot enough bullets, some would get through and people would get hurt, even die, but the Hunters? When the bullets ran out, they'd just be angry at the guy behind it. He'd probably run, though, seeing as I'd ruined his plan and stolen his prize.

We'd won that battle, more or less.

But that didn't mean they'd be happy with us, once it was over. When the gunfire faded, Adam—whose actions I wasn't certain on, but who I trusted and called a friend—would be stuck in the middle of a group of people who would probably be thankful for the assist, but hardly enough so to let us walk away with an airship. Or walk away at all, really, given that when this was over, Adam would be a White Fang member standing in the middle of a bunch of Hunters. Blake was far enough from the scene to maybe get away but—

No. Blake wouldn't leave Adam to his fate like that. She'd get involved just like I would. The difference was, I could actually get us out of this mess. Probably. If I could pull it off. No, more than that, if I could actually do it.

I closed my eyes for a minute, thinking of why I was involved in this mess.

Yeah.

I could.

Weiss pushed away from me as the ship straightened at my command.

"Come on," She snapped impatiently, not even looking at me as she barked commands. "We still need to speak to the pilot. We'll need to—"

I'd already opened my Inventory, preparing myself.

I'm sorry, I thought and meant it. A part of me wanted to explain myself, regretting this already. But…for my friends, for the people I had to save…

I attacked.

XxXXxX