Just beyond the collective sight of Jaune, Ruby and Pyrrha but still within hearing range stood a panting Blake Belladonna. Despite her hyperventilation her heart was beating at a normal pace, despite her panic she was curiously calm, both her mind and body contradicted themselves in a truly bizarre way. She leaned over the corner to peek at the source of her current state, the boy who was introduced as 'Jaune'. It confused her to no end as despite his innocent face and that exaggerated bravado that she would expect from someone compensating or simply trying to 'act cool' he had somehow managed to terrify her.

His blond hair which seemed to shine like the sun had pulled her eyes to meet his gaze. His cold blue eyes seemed to lay siege to her very soul intent on pillaging and looting it for all it's secrets. His pale, smooth, almost transparent skin reminded her of the sweet cream based yogurt she would enjoy as a child, tempting her to come closer like a moth to a gentle flame. Also about him was an air of bewitching sensuality and an aura of easiness, almost as if he was your best friend and would come to help you solve all your problems. It was a sensation she had never felt from her closest friend and most trusted ally, yet this boy who wasn't even properly introduced to her had captivated her passively. When she heard him speak she noticed it had a bizarrely calming effect, like a serpent his words weaved their way past her guard and into her heart, calming it as if she were in a trace.

That alone terrified her but the worst part was something her survival instincts hinted at, his dangerously sweet voice, innocent face, calming aura and fake bravado hid something truly dark and dangerous. More dangerous than the White Fang, more dangerous than it's leader Adam, and dare she say it more dangerous than the Grimm themselves should they invade in force. Unlike her past which she could run from, the racist bigots who she could hide from and the Grimm that she could fight and kill, this terror suggested that should it act against her she would die instantly and nothing she would do would change that. Whatever it was warranted an investigation, something told her that she would never truly be safe unless she knew what it was and how to deal with it.

She retreated behind the corner as the trio made their way past her to the cliffs and began to follow them at a safe distance, focusing her analytical mind on what little she knew of him. If whatever it was that scared her was truly like what her instincts were hinting at then she could not just rush in and slice his throat open or run away should the worse come to pass, right now she needed to learn more, place the pieces of the puzzle into their rightful places and study the picture they would inevitably form. The first pieces given to her being his dangerously sweet voice, that bizarre charm that had no doubt ensnared and trapped the other 2 girls currently with him and the dark, foreboding feeling that frightened her so much. Hopefully then the puzzle was complete the true source of her fear would be revealed and with it methods that she could use to destroy it, or at the very least preserve herself in it's wake.

/-/

Jaune took his place on the last empty metal pad, looking down the line he spied his best friend who waved at him, he returned it and looked further down the line. Several more spots down was Pyrrha, a curious girl who he safely confirmed hadn't attacked him in the locker room. A few more spots after her was Yang and Weiss who were whispering something among themselves. He observed them with a neutral face while trying to look as though he wasn't. His paranoia was acting up again, it first appeared when he thought he was being followed only to find either nothing behind him or students that were just heading in the same direction without any of the hostility or 'intent' he would expect from a person stalking him.

To make sure he managed to separate himself from the girls claiming he needed to use the bathroom and took a detour. When he started feeling paranoid again he took a left turn at the earliest opportunity only to find it followed him as he went about his way. After his second left turn the paranoia vanished probably as his 'stalker' either figured out what he was trying to do or lost track of him, assuming of course that he was actually being followed by someone with ill-intent and is stand wasn't somehow responsible for the paranoia as well as the hallucinations.

In either case he would need to exert control over his stand as quickly as possible, if someone was actively working against him then not only would he be more vulnerable to their attacks, especially if his stand suddenly decided to work against him, but more bizarre traits and 'symptoms' could emerge to plague him. Fortunately for him initiation was coming up and should provide him with several chances in the next several hours alone, if they were going to be tested on their combat aptitude.

His hopes were confirmed as he looked over the green Emerald Forest while the headmaster and headmistress began what he assumed was a motivational speech telling the initiates that -like he suspected- they would be evaluated based on their performances fighting Grimm within the forest. They would be receiving their team-mates today and that the assignments would be permanent for the remainder of their time at Beacon. Along with this came the not so subtle advice that it was in their best interest to find someone they could work well with rather than someone who could potentially fight well. That made sense as the majority of their time would be with each other rather than on a battle field. He smiled at Ruby who shared a knowing smile with him, silently reaffirming their earlier arrangement to partner up together. The next thing the headmaster said however practically shattered it.

"The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next 4 years."

"What!" Ruby yelled echoing his thoughts and likely that of several other students.

That system was both highly inefficient but also curiously beneficial to people like him and Ruby who could seek each other out while the rest of the students could decide who they wanted to work with for the next four years. This meant that he could potentially prevent Yang from joining his team and claim Weiss in her place with the only thing stopping him being essentially a metaphorical roll of the dice swayed only slightly by how determined Yang would be to make his life miserable. However he realized that metaphorical dice roll could also potentially screw him over as the odds of getting both Ruby and Wiess were startlingly low after he made a quick and uneducated guess at the odds. In that regard he figured that he might as well go for Pyrrha as well, she seemed kind, modest, possibly shy and that killer body didn't hurt his opinion of her either. Most importantly she was a hot girl who hadn't 'friend-zoned' him yet, and despite his apparent 'relationship' with Yang their was still a real chance that she could become his first real girlfriend. She wasn't opposed to the idea of teaming up with him, and if they teamed up that would certainly provided way more than enough opportunities for him to interact with her hopefully to solidify a romantic relationship. He smiled as his focus returned to the headmaster and his assistant, first priority would be to meet up with Ruby and Weiss, second Pyrrha, failing either of those it would be anyone but Yang.

After giving them directives to find a temple, obtain the preset relics within, then return to the cliffs the headmaster asked if their were any questions, more as a formality or requirement rather than any actual intent to answer or provide help just before the first launch pad activated, sending it's occupant into the forest. Jaune turned and watched in horror as the first initiate sailed through the air, followed by another, then another.

"So uh, did you give out parachutes or something?" Jaune nervously asked, remembering that his best landing strategy was more akin to flailing through the air and praying that when he slammed face first into the dirt he would still be alive.

"No. You will be using your own landing strategy." Ozpin said with an almost unreadable expression but with a tone that suggested he was annoyed that people were asking questions rather than at him for asking what in the end was a stupid question.

"Oh, uh. So what would be a gooooooooooooooooooo-" he wailed as his pad activated prematurely, launching him ahead of at least 6 other initiates.

/-/

As he screamed and flailed in the air he tried to straighten himself to land on his feet. Realizing that landing would probably destroy his leg joints, he tried extending himself to latch onto a tree branch and pulled back after realizing that strategy would tear his arms out of their sockets if he actually caught a branch that wouldn't break under the force exerted by him. He drew his sword thinking he could maybe catch onto something, perhaps a thick tree until he realized he had no means of steering himself in mid air before the forest met him.

"MUDA!" he yelled as he swung his sword arm towards a nearby tree trunk but failing to catch onto it.

'Oh come on!' his mind screamed as he willed time to slow down so that he could get a better look at anything that might be used to help him at the very least slow his descent before he hit the ground.

He cursed and spat profanities as he slammed face first onto the forest floor then bounced several meters before colliding with a tree. A few moments later he pushed himself up with a groan trying to ignore the pain that came from his landing. After confirming that his body was still intact he started moving through the forest as fast as he could, hopping to find someone in the next few minutes before Yang or someone like her found him.

/-/

'This is far enough.' he thought as he came across a giant rock structure and looked up.

True to his expectations the earthen structure had little in the way of hand and footholds, and combined with a roughly 80 degree slope practically ensured that he would not be able to climb it without wasting a lot of time, time he was certain he did not have as people would start partnering up by now and would only worsen the odds of partnering up with the people he wanted. His only option was to go around it and hope that Ruby, Wiess or at the very least Pyrrha was on the other side.

After about 30 seconds he came upon a cave, while not exactly surprising it wasn't expected and he would have moved on if he hadn't felt a weak breeze brush his skin. Intrigued by this he focused his vision on the interior, to his delightful surprise he saw a tiny light somewhere deep in the cave. That combined with the breeze meant only one thing.

"Its a tunnel." he said to no one in particular as he found a shortcut thought the mountainous structure.

He smiled upon his perceived fortune, with the power to slow time he could potentially cross through in seconds. After turning on his cell phone's flashlight feature he walked into the tunnel, the darkness engulfing him as he moved deeper inside following the tiny light as it guided him to a promised goal. As he walked he couldn't deny the bizarre feeling that followed him as he traversed the tunnel, it seemed familiar and somehow he felt like he was missing something, something important.

'Do you feel that?' a familiar voice echoed from somewhere.

"Huh?" he barked and spun around looking for the source of the voice.

'Just the voices again.' he realized after a quick search turned up nobody behind or around him.

He put his foot on something and paused as a bizarre chest high rock appeared in his colorless vision. Above it the light source seemed to move, curious he paused to look at it, noticing it had seemed to be in a bizarre shape to it and floated midair. Feeling something was wrong he allowed color to return to the world around him so he could finish examining it in closer detail. It looked like a stinger of some kind, similar to those you might see on a scorpion but it was glowing a dull orange color. A moment later something under his feet lurched causing him to slip and fall on his back. With a clatter of plastic and a sound like thin glass cracking the world around him descended into darkness, looking down he froze in terror as red orbs and lines emerged to stare at him.

"Red lines." he gasped as he realized that he was currently in front of a giant Death stalker.

He screamed as he felt it grab him with it's front pincer and throw him into the ceiling before it's stinger lunged at him. With a grunt he managed to grab it with both his hands and those of his stand before the tip could connect with his breast plate, his teeth began to hurt from the pressure he had inadvertently put on them from the strain of holding the giant stinger back as it pinned him to the floor. With a half yell he pushed it upward throwing it over him as the Death stalker approached him, he pulled out his shield and expanded it catching the claw of the beast as it swung at him.

He grunted as he pushed the serrated claw off his shield. Seeing an opportunity he willed time to slow as he got up and drew his sword. "Muda!" he yelled as he swung his blade down upon where the claw would have been. His blade caught on the protective carapace of the claw, the vibration rippling through the blade and up his arm.

'Not here.' he realized and started striking at different points until he felt a softer carapace give way between his blade.

'GOT IT!' he internally yelled.

He willed time to come to a near halt as the Grimm started to recoil. He closed his eyes knowing that they would be useless in near perfect darkness now that the only source of light he had was the creatures natural glow since his phone now lay broken somewhere. With a deep breath he lifted his sword up and brought it down screaming "Muda!".

Bizarrely as he felt the impact ripple through his arm he also felt or more accurately 'saw' it ripple through the monster, not only showing him where the Grimm was as if he could see it with his own eyes, but where it was in relation to the cave. If anyone had ever asked about it the best way he could describe the bizarre event was as if he had dropped a pebble into a pool of still water shaped like a giant Death stalker with the resulting ripple revealing everything he needed to know about it. He couldn't help but smile as this new information registered in his mind.

"Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!"

He yelled as his barrage of sword strikes landed on the joint of the giant monster's claw. When he finally felt his sword cut through the claw and slam into the stone earth he let time resume at it's normal pace. He couldn't help but smile as the creature roared in pain, it made the mistake of trying to attacking him and it would pay for it dearly.

Reflexively he swung his shield out in front of him just in time to block the Death stalker's retaliation strike. The force of the blow knocked him off his feet and into the wall, as he bounced off the creature made a backhanded swing with it's remaining claw. Forcing time to slow down he curling up behind his shield he hopped it would both protect him from harm and make him a smaller target before the swing connected with him, the force generated by the swing sent him flying through the cave.

He landed face first with a pant and spat out grass as the sunlight stabbed his eyes. He groaned as he reached out for what he hopped was his sword or shield after having somehow dropped both mid flight.

"Huh?" he intoned as he gripped what in the end turned to be a metal plate on a high heeled boot.

Forcing his eyes to open even if it was a squint he was barely able to make out the bronze plating leading up to the black skirt, brown shirt and eventually the curiously surprised face of Pyrrha Nikos as she somehow balanced the pommel of her sword on her palm as it pointed straight at him.

"Oh, hello Jaune." she said.

"Hello?" he managed before the Death stalker burst from the cave with a hate filled roar.

'Oh crap!' his mind screamed as the stinger came down upon him.

Before it could connect he and Pyrrha jumped in opposite directions, he extended his arms and legs in preparation to land and distribute the force of the landing on all four limbs when he felt a bizarre force continue pulling him to the side until it and the force of his jump had lodged him in a tree.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha called.

Seeing the opportunity for what it was the Death stalker charged at him wanting to exact vengeance for its claw.

"Don't worry I'll help you!" Pyrrha called and made a pulling motion with her hand.

Jaune screamed as he was somehow yanked from the tree and towards the face of the angry Death stalker. He couldn't help but remark at the bizarre sensation that filled him as time slowed down and the monster appeared to be slowly reaching for him with it's claw. He gasped as it closed around his neck, and grunted as he tried to force his hands between his neck and the claw while the Death stalker tried to decapitate him and latch onto his feet with it's mandibles either to try and eat him or immobilize him for it's stinger to strike. He couldn't let this happen, he refused to die like this, with a roar he gripped the serrated edges around his neck and pushed with all his strength.

"MUDA!" he yelled as the arms of his stand emerged from him to help pry him free. The creature roared in pain as several ligaments in it's claw tore apart, rendering it useless.

"Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!"

Jaune screamed as he slammed his feet over and over onto the face of the giant Death stalker, until it nearly shattered it's bony face plate and pulverizing some of it's eyes. Stunned it recoiled a step and Jaune twisted and dropped to the ground landing in a kneeling position as color returned to the world around him. Curiously he had noticed for a brief second an additional leg merge into his. It appeared to resemble a very muscular humanoid leg, similar to his except it was yellow in color. On the knee was a green emblem he didn't fully see, however appeared vaguely circular in shape and seemed to be attached as if it were a knee pad like what you might wear when you were participating in certain sports or other similar activities. He smiled and stood up, the death stalker had by now regained it's senses and lunged at him with it's stinger, ignoring Pyrrha but flinching as she cut off one of it's hind legs at the joint throwing off it's aim a small but still easily exploitable amount.

"MUDA!" Jaune screamed as he and his stand punched at the stinger, causing it to fly back and lodge itself into one of the cracks in the Grinn's face plate.

It flailed in pain as Pyrrha cut at it's unprotected tail, severing some nerve connection and preventing it from removing the stinger from it's face. In response Jaune walked over with a blossoming swagger and confidence, recoiled his right fist in a standard punching pose and delivered a devastating punch to it's protective mask, his stand adding it's own power to the blow.

As it slid across the ground leaving miniature trenches in its wake pain burst through Jaune's right hand and he winced as he gripped it. Willing time to slow down he paused to examine it, gritting through the pain as he pulled his finger-less gloves off and found his knuckles purple from aggravating bruises he had not noticed before while the rest of his hand was red as if he aggravated some past injury. He paused to examine his other hand finding similar but comparatively mild injuries like bruises on his knuckles, no where as bad as those on his right hand but still visible. He stopped to wonder how he managed to hurt himself so badly, the only time it could have happened was when he had fought with Yang last night. A 'moment' later he mentally slapped himself as he remembered he used his stand to deflect one of Yang's punches and it had somehow hurt his right hand. That could not have happened, Dio told him that you needed to have a stand to damage another stand and it's master, Yang did not have a stand, if she did it would show itself in their duel.

'That OR it had not fully emerged yet.' the voice in the side of his head reminded him.

He grunted in annoyance as the realization struck him, his stand had started emerging in a similar way as well, first with a barely noticeable action, then making itself known when he was in life threatening danger. If Yang had a stand and it was truly emerging like his had, then the next time it appeared would be when she was in a life or death situation but unlike him she may not be able to slow time to escape or counter. If she couldn't do either then she might die and he had to wonder if it was truly a bad thing.

'Speculating can wait, now I have a giant Death Stalker to kill.' he thought as he let time resume to a normal pace.

Pyrrha leaped past him and slashed at it with a bizarre combo that involved shifting her weapons between their various forms and a seemingly complex set of acrobatics to deliver a fury of attacks while avoiding it's attempts to hit her with what was left of it's remaining claw. Not wanting to let her have all the fun he rushed at it and gripped one of it's mandibles with his bad hand. Ignoring the pain that shot though his hand he willed as much strength as he could muster into his other hand he punched down upon the stinger screaming "MUDA!" as he did.

The stinger broke through the face plate and shattered it revealing a grotesque image underneath it. It made Jaune sick to look at it, the revulsion he felt could be roughly equitable to the amount of pain he would feel if he tried punching it's mountainous home with his bad hand at full strength. Taking a quick glance at Pyrrha he knew she felt much the same, not wanting to punch it again he moved to pick up his sword and hold it with both hands and turned to smile at her.

"Shall we finish it?" he asked as the Death stalker struggled to keep it's balance and stay on it's remaining feet.

"Yes." she agreed, her gaze transforming into a focused one as she readied herself.

"Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!"

He yelled as he slashed at it with almost perfect precision while Pyrrha complemented him almost perfectly but remained curiously silent. With a final roar the monster fell and began disintegrating, satisfied with his work he turned to Pyrrha.

"I guess we are partners now." he said.

She in turn gave him a bright smile "Yes, yes we are."

'Ok. I secured the extra, now time to find Wiess and Ruby.' he thought.

/==========================================================================================================/

Stand name: ?

Destructive power; uncertain

Speed; uncertain

Range; uncertain

Durability/staying; ?

Precision; uncertain

Development potential/Learning; B

User: Jaune Arc

Abilities: Uncertain

/==========================================================================================================/

AN: Hello everyone, sorry for the wait. Sadly though I cannot continue publishing on a weekly basis and will need to instead publish new chapters on a bi or tri weekly basis in order to keep the fic going at a decent pace without compromising quality. You will still have new chapter's of Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure, but they will not come out as often as they did before.