Jaune Arc
Jaune walked into the silent club, aura and physical exhaustion hitting him hard. His aura may act like a shield and a power up, but at low levels, it was like a wet blanket draped over his shoulders.
He walked past Junior's stunned gaze up the staircase into the office and waited for Junior to come. He sank into the couch and tried not to vomit as his head spun. The fall after an adrenaline high hits hard, especially after the kind of fight Jaune just had.
He focused on his breathing, trying to ignore the room spinning around him. He managed to get his breathing and his heart rate under control when Junior finally got into the room.
Junior just went to his desk, and upended his drink into his mouth. They sat in silence for a while before Junior decided to break the silence. "So you aren't all talk. You really have the muscle to back it up."
Jaune didn't even bother to reply. He knew Junior was musing more to himself than talking to Jaune. He tuned Junior out as he focused on not throwing up from aura exhaustion. He would have to fight this feeling all the way into Beacon until this body was safe.
"So. Seems like you got hunter trained while with the Prometheans?" Junior finally addressed Jaune directly.
"I think I'm the one collecting info here. Not you." Jaune gave Junior an unamused look. "And as for the payment, I think deterring the blondie from destroying your gonads and this club is more than enough as a first installment."
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. According to everything I've heard about her, she's a real handful. Your fight proved that. For that, you can get all the information I have on anyone for doing that."
"The truth is the truth." He leaned in. "What can you tell me about Roman Torchwick?"
…
Jaune snuck back onto Beacon grounds using the same route he had used to leave. He unlocked his lab and lay the body down into the chamber as the sky started to lighten with the faintest hint of the Sun.
Closing his eyes, he focused on his actual body. His aura flowed from the clone to his real body like water. A cold breeze swept across his idea of self and he found himself lying on the floor in his real body.
All physical exhaustion was gone, leaving only the aural variety behind. He grabbed an Aura crystal from his desk and absorbed its stores, feeling better with each second.
Junior had been very talkative. He had told Jaune every single tiny detail about Torchwick's operation, from who he had been associating with, to what his men thought of him. Jaune had felt that the deal had been fair. It would be even easier to get Torchwick to not be an enemy.
The main problem with taking these trips daily would be the mental exhaustion. It wasn't very bothersome, but weeks of this routine would definitely take their toll on his mind. He set the matter aside; he could deal with it later. What was he supposed to do today? There was something that Ozpin had called him to the office for.
He set about setting up the day's experiments and procedures. After extensively experimenting with Shock Crystals, Jaune had a few rough sketches of a miniaturized version of a railgun. If he could get it right, he might be able to add it into his sword. He would become like the cool kids and have a swordgun. Only the biggest dreams for Jaune.
His scroll rang halfway through him machining a metal beam for the railgun. New Message: Appointment Timing from G. Goodwitch
Jaune opened it and saw that Ozpin had summoned him to his office at 9, which gave him around an hour and a half of productive work. Not bad. He continued work and finished with the structure of the railgun. He had ten minutes left before he had to go to Ozpin's.
He took ten minutes to refill the clone's Aura crystal before heading up to Ozpin's.
…
Jaune mulled over what was planned for Jaune's stay at Beacon as he walked through the hallways of the academic section of Beacon. The hallways were empty due to summer break and most students opted to either stay in their rooms or head to Vale.
Ozpin had reviewed his practice sessions and deemed him worthy of admission into Beacon directly. Jaune had negotiated with him to allow Jaune to skip the academic classes in order to spend time in his lab. Ozpin had agreed under the condition that Jaune took every test that the other students had to take. Any time his grades fell under excellent, his lab privileges would be revoked.
It was kinda nice not having parental figures to boss me around for a year. But what can you do?
He turned a corner and bumped into someone. He looked up to apologize and saw the blue eyes of Professor Oobleck staring down at him, amusement in his eyes. "Well, it seems like our resident genius is preoccupied." Oobleck grinned as he pulled Jaune to his feet.
Jaune looked at his feet. "Sorry pr…I mean Doctor ". Oobleck nodded at his correction. "I was just thinking about the news the headmaster just dumped on me."
"Is this about your 'acceptance' into Beacon? I had no doubt you would be accepted; you have proven yourself to be an excellent student." Oobleck took a sip of what Jaune would be willing to bet was pure liquid caffeine. "Ozpin also told me about your arrangement to opt out of academic classes. This sort of pass is not given lightly and I must stress upon you the importance of learning in class. I implore you to change your mind, but in case you do not, meet me on Friday at 3 o'clock for your first test."
Jaune took a second to process the torrent of words that had poured out of Oobleck's mouth. "Um, sure, that sounds good. What will it be on?"
"Splendid! I shall be contacting you on your scroll with the details. Until later Mr. Arc." Oobleck sped off in a blur.
Jaune shook his head at the eccentric professor. Small interactions over the couple of months that Jaune has spent at Beacon had warmed him up to Oobleck and Professor Port, getting used to both of their wildly different personalities. Underneath that, Jaune could see the passion and love both men had for their line of work, and Jaune respected that.
He almost smiled before realizing that Oobleck. hadn't answered his question. Time to cram the entire syllabus. At least I have until Friday. Goddamit Oobleck.
Days passed this way, with his dumb suit AI coming along nicely. He had worked on a self-loading mechanism in the clones' armor sets that would be controlled by the AI. It would load the dust crystal of the required size and type. All the user would have to do was input the decision.
He had put in different types of input systems into the different armor types. Stealth suits had a system that required specific eye movements as input. Some suits had voice recognition, while others had physical gloves that had buttons in the palm itself.
Jaune had labored over this process of upgrading the capabilities of each of the suits. The infiltrator models (Promethean I's) had a helmet with a multitude of sensors that would interact with the HUD projected onto their eyes to keep an eye (heh) on their surroundings.
His brawler and tank varieties (Promethean B's and T's respectively) had sensors dealing with detecting incoming attacks. His longer ranged fighter varieties had small computers that would calculate bullet trajectories before the bullet was launched.
Aura monitoring was included in all models by default. After some thought, he decided to add self-destruct mechanisms to all the suits in order to prevent any of the technology from falling into enemy hands.
All in all, Jaune had kept himself busy upgrading his fleet of clone bodies and veritable armory of weapons. His railgun idea had worked perfectly. The first version could spit small balls of iron with enough energy to pierce a solid wall of iron. The next step would be to improve the loading and firing mechanisms, which could be described as cumbersome at best.
As time was wont to do, it continued to move on. The last day of the school year came and went, with students celebrating in all corners of the campus. The only quiet place Jaune could find was in his lab, which suited him just fine.
All this work as Jaune did not mean that Jaune did not visit Vale during the month. He had gone out in a body with the Promethean I armor a couple of times, sneaking into gang hideouts and making off with the cash to create some commotion.
He had been stealing from every sort of criminal gang, always leaving the calling card of the Prometheans, a fiery P carved into a map of Remnant. He was never seen but he could tell by the continued complexity of security systems that sprung up in each little hideout they had.
His thefts had never been big enough to warrant focused attention, but they had been big enough to be a thorn in the side of every organization. He had also been stealing dust and weapons, causing inconveniences. He had some 'security' systems that he was developing to sell to these groups. These devices would break and malfunction, making it necessary to spend more to get higher quality.
It was basic business, create a demand and continue to increase it as you lag the supply slightly behind. He was going to bleed them dry in order to clean up the streets a little. It didn't hurt to make absolute bank on the side either.
After weeks of summer break, the realities of the inexorable movement of time set in. School was starting. Jaune knew that the rigor of school was a good thing, but he wasn't looking forwards to the social aspect of it. He liked to make friends and spend time in their company, but was terrible socially. It was a painful fact of his life.
Jaune waited at the front of Beacon, watching his new classmates approach the famous Academy. He smiled at the looks of wonder that were plastered on their faces as they walked through the Great Gates of Beacon and into the Main Hall.
He scanned the crowd for Yang, hoping to strike up a conversation. Based on what he had seen of her personality, she seemed the type to have a lot of friends. To be perfectly honest however, she was the only person he had any clue about.
He didn't dare to risk hacking into Ozpin's secured folders just to get a look at the new admissions. He was just going to familiarize himself with the names, not search them up or anything. Nope, nuh uh.
His eyes caught the sight of Yang's extraordinarily large and blonde hair as she walked through the crowd towards the front of the school. Someone walked alongside her, a petite girl in a red skirt with a red metallic rectangle at her hip. She seemed much too young to attend Beacon, but if Jaune could get in with just a year's training, anyone with enough drive and skill could too.
Before Jaune could even think of a way to approach them. Yang zipped off with a gaggle of people soon after. The girl with her called after her, to no avail. Sighing, she walked resolutely forward, eyes fixed on the building ahead of her, trying and failing to look at ease.
Her attempt got better as she continued taking steps, but it all fell apart when she tripped over a luggage cart and was sent sprawling amongst a barrage of white suitcases. Jaune quickened his pace, recognizing the label on the suitcases. Schnee Dust Corporation. He had heard on the news that the heiress was, in a surprising turn of events, moving to Vale to attend Beacon against her father's will.
She was short, about as short as the girl that Yang ditched from the looks of it. She had her white hair in a ponytail on the right side of her startlingly pale head. A fancy looking rapier dangled from her left side. Jaune's attention went to the dust chambers between the hilt and blade. They were round and set off from the rest of the weapon, which Jaune assumed to mean they rotated.
Jaune stopped near the now-arguing duo as a tall pale-skinned girl walked over to them, holding a dust vial that had gotten loose. She had a monochrome thing going on, with a black buttoned vest with a white undershirt that exposed her midriff. She had a large bow on her head that drew Jaune's eyes.
Is it…twitching? There doesn't seem to be much wind to move something of that size. Interesting.
The argument was now loud enough that Jaune could hear their shrill voices.
"I said I was sorry, princess." The girl in the red said, clearly frustrated.
"It's heiress actually." The newcomer's voice was soft and quiet. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of Dust in the world."
"Finally. Some recognition." Weiss's voice was haughty.
The newcomer wasn't done yet. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Her tone was quite dry as she said this sentence.
"Why…how dare…the nerve of…uh!" Weiss spluttered indignantly as she turned on her heel and marched off with her luggage cart being pushed along by black suited servants.
"I'll promise I'll make this up to you!" The girl in the red yelled at the retreating figure, which didn't turn around. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day." She mumbled. She turned to talk to the newcomer, but the tall girl was already walking off, deep in a book, her hair swaying behind her.
Jaune decided it was time to speak up. "Hey, don't feel so bad, I haven't talked to anyone all day."
She turned around and looked up at him. "Yeah, I guess it's too much to ask for everyone to like me on the first day. What's your name? I'm Ruby Rose, pleased to meet you." She stood straight and offered her hand with a smile on her face.
Jaune returned the smile and shook her hand. "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
…
"So Jaune, hearing about the wilderness is super cool and all, but what's your weapon?"
The two had been talking and getting to know each other for the past few minutes. Ruby had told him about her sister Yang and her home back on Patch. Jaune explained how he used to live outside the kingdom, to which she had pestered him to no end about.
He had noticed how Ruby's hands kept moving to the metal rectangle on her waist. He didn't see anything else that could be a weapon, which meant that rectangle was her weapon. The constant touching probably meant that she was quite attached to it.
Taking these observations into account, he had managed to draw her attention to his blade. He couldn't keep answering questions about his made up questions for long. The distraction thankfully had worked.
His sword was still dust infused, though this one was longer with a wider blade. It had a longer hilt, like a longsword. It was perfectly balanced to suit him, and was constantly being tweaked as Jaune's strength changed. The sheath turned into a shield, and was built on a skeleton of carbon fiber to keep things light. The surface was layered with a super strong, yet comparatively light, metal alloy. Both pieces were colored white and gold, watching the coloring of his armor.
"Here it is! Only the shield really changes shape, and it's quite simple, but it's mine!" Jaune swung the sword through the air, pretending to stab imaginary enemies.
Ruby ooh'ed at the crystals embedded in the sword's blade, hilt, and the shield. "Are those dust? Isn't it dangerous to risk them getting hit?"
"Nope, they are exposed for a reason, it helps me utilize them easier. I also have ways of preventing any accidents, though it's a trade secret." Jaune grinned at Ruby's pout. They continued to walk towards the Great Hall as Ruby showed him her weapon, which he was definitely not ready for.
A goddamn high caliber sniper rifle embedded in a scythe?! That is cra-a-a-a-zy!
Their conversation ended as they walked into the great hall, where Ruby looked around at the vast space in awe. It was one of the biggest rooms at Beacon and could hold nearly 5000 people at maximum capacity. A raised platform on the opposite side of the hall served as a stage whenever Beacon held an event.
"Hey! There's Yang! I'll see ya around Jaune!" Ruby dashed off to a waving Yang before Jaune could say anything. He sighed and moved to a wall, leaning on it as he waited for Ozpin to come to the stage and make his speech. Thankfully, the wait wasn't long.
The headmaster walked onto the stage, causing a hush to fall over the crowd. The middle aged man moved over to the microphone, leaning on his cane, and adjusted his glasses.
"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people.
But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
Ozpin walked off, and Glynda took his place at the mic. "You will gather at the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."
The crowd flowed into the ballroom, and Jaune turned away, heading to his own room. Tomorrow was a big day, and he intended to face the Grimm for the second time with more finesse than he had the first time. There would be no one but his fellow students and him in initiation. No Qrow to rescue him from the big bad Grimm.
He thought back at Ruby and Yang, to the monochrome stranger and Weiss. All such different personalities, all under the same roof here at Beacon. Just him and a bunch of teenagers with weapons and superpowers. Jaune could tell the next 4 years were going to be very, very interesting.
Obligatory AN: What'd you think of the chapter? Anything I can fix? Anything you especially liked? Please review and PM me with this stuff, I love to get them and it helps me write better. Thanks for reading!