The Most Dangerous Game:
Jaune has been given a new chance at life, a former gladiator thrust into the world of a huntsman. Even though his soul still searches for freedom, it is undeniable that a piece of him was left in The Pit. Given a new team, and a new name, Jaune must make use of his skills in a line of work he never thought he'd find himself in.
0-0-0-0
"-And this will be your temporary room." Headmaster Lionheart said politely, gesturing towards a dorm-like room. It had all the necessary essentials, bathroom and shower included, and a nice overview of the main courtyard of Haven Academy.
"Looks nice." Jaune commented, the aura binds on his hands jingling slightly. "But, hasn't the school year started or something? Shouldn't this be an issue?"
"If the school year had started, yes, but I'm afraid you a good 2 weeks early young man. We still have plenty of time." the Mistral headmaster chuckled, tail swishing behind him slightly. "Speaking of which, this might be a good time to integrate you to the staff here."
It was spoken more to himself than to his charge, who stood there looking quite out of place, following the esteemed Leonardo Lionheart bound in reinforced handcuffs. Jaune had provided the authorities with as much as possible, which wasn't a whole lot considering there wasn't much need to tell the champion in the first place, and had been deemed fit for service after a short psychiatric evaluation.
"Ok, ugh, sounds dandy, but, ugh, there might be a slight problem." Jaune began, cocking his head.
"What? Your outfit? I've already picked a new one out? Your weapon that Taiyang broke?" Jaune gritted his teeth, if he ever got his hands on that asshole again he'd- "That is currently being replaced with something I've personally commissioned. Or, is it your name?"
That last part caused Jaune to falter in his steps behind the headmaster. "Wha-? My name, what about it?"
Truth be told he'd never given his name much thought. To him, it was always more of a title, a calling card, than an actual personal identification. That's not to say he wasn't open to some changes, his brand had died an ugly death along with The Warzone and he wasn't exactly partial to his surname either. Still, something about it just... bugged him, not in a bad way but it brought with it an unfamiliar emotion.
He didn't know how to feel about it.
"Well, the council wished to avoid anyone tracing you back to this whole fiasco, so instead I've been given permission to make an alteration." Leonardo waved his concerns away. "Besides, I've always kinda wanted a son. My duties prevented me from ever achieving as such, but with you-"
"Wait a moment," Jaune interrupted, raising his still caged hands. "You're making it sound like you're..."
"Adopting you?" the headmaster supplied before giving a light chuckle. "And, yes, in a way I am. Although, only in name if you feel uncomfortable about it. This will help cement yourself as a student of Haven, and I assure you that very few of the students here will cross you if they think you may be related to me."
"Well-I mean that I..." he paused, as if trying to find the correct words to say. "No, I don't mind being...adopted per se. But, are you sure this ok?"
"Hmm? Are you asking if I am ok with it?" Lionheart said with some amusement. "Yes, I am perfectly fine with this, Jaune Lionheart."
"Jaune Lionheart..." Jaune whispered the name, it felt a little clunky but more than doable. "Y-Yeah, sounds good pops."
"Pops?" the older man chuckled. "That's new."
"Well, if you're going to be my adoptive dad, might as well treat you as such." Jaune shrugged, and in that moment Lionheart paused his casual gait, turning to eye his now-adopted son fully.
There was a slight film of almost translucent water that covered the headmaster's eyes, but with a blink it dissipated. "Well, I suppose it is time to meet with your new professors. Ah, that reminds me, how good are you with a sword and shield...?"
...
"I am the Deputy Headmaster Turchino, it is a pleasure to greet you." the sunkist and aged man in front of him said, extending his hand. "I will be leading your combat studies for the duration of your stay here."
"Nice to meet you professor." Jaune said, just a tad awkwardly, as he took his hand.
"Hello! I am Professor Tavish!" a cheery woman butted in, her milk bottle glasses and tussled brown hair accentuating the disheveled lab coat. She bowled over Professor Turchino and shoved a hand in front of her. "I'm the chemistry and dust studies teacher here. Tell me young man, are you versed in dust-based combat?"
"Ugh- I mean yeah, I've had a lot of practice and I-" Jaune was cut off by the brunette woman.
"Wonderful! Oh splendid! This is quite the catch Headmaster, to think you got someone who is an expert- neigh, a master of dust!" seeing Jaune's overwhelmed look, Headmaster Lionheart got between them.
"He is not a "master of dust" Professor, he is proficient but in need of some teaching. Please, do not subject him to any experiments he is not prepared for." the old headmaster said a little tiredly.
"Hey, what experiments is she-"
"Oh yeah yeah," Jaune went ignored. "I wasn't going to make that mistake again. Anyways, I hope we can be a good duo, master and student and all that jazz, and if you ever need help with your weapon come see me. I had a hand in designing it."
"My weapon? It utilizies dust?" Jaune asked, cocking his head to the side.
"What? You haven't told him Leo? How irresponsible!" Professor Tavish, an aghast and almost offended look on her face, asked.
"It isn't done, I wanted it to be a surprise Tav." Leonardo sighed, rubbing his brow. "I will show him its current process after this."
With that, the duo left the faculty room, Headmaster Lionheart introducing him to a few other teachers he'd need to know, such as Professor Pontus Vasilias, the history teacher, and then taking him down to the school's armory. It was a grand place, a mix between something reminiscent of The Warzone's forge and something far more elaborate with tubing of dust and circuitry pervading the room, and in the center sat a mammoth of man hammering away at an incomplete sword.
"This is Professor Akihiko, the head of our armory and smithy, but most just call him Aki." Headmaster Lionheart explained calmly. The man, roused by the headmaster's voice, looked up and grunted a greeting to the boy. "He will be in charge of the development of your new weapon."
"Speaking of which," Jaune interrupted, the handcuffs, that were still attached, jingling. "what is my weapon?"
"Ah yes, well, it isn't quite done yet but allow me to show you some blueprints and designs." the headmaster said jovially, running off to gather said blueprints before returning in a moment. "Here you go."
Well, whatever could be said for it, it wasn't simple that was for sure. It wasn't a mecha-shifting weapon in truth, but more of an integration of two, or three depending on your take, weapons. It was a sword and shield combo, but the shield itself was the most complex part of it. The shield was in a heater design, but, in the center of it, there was a large gothic-style cross with holes on the top three spokes of it. Just behind the cross, however, was what truly caught Jaune's eye: a roulette-style dust wheel that seemed to be able to spin and produce different dust effects based on the situation.
"Impressive, no? I had it modeled after my own weapon, but at first I thought it may have been a bit much-"
"It's perfect." Jaune whispered, earning a proud smile from the older man.
"I'm glad you think so." Lionheart chuckled, Jaune's eyes roaming over the rest.
The sword itself was similar to his old one, but it seemed to be colored in hues of brown and red like his shield. The crossguard was a bronze-color which matched the base of the hilt, but the hilt itself seemed to be woven with a brown leather. His shield, barring the large grey cross, was much of the same with the trim of it being a bronze-gold color while the fill was more of a reddish-brown. Overall, the weapon looked stylish, strong, and deadly beyond a shadow of a doubt.
"It turns into a sheath too, for convenience." Headmaster Lionheart added on, smirking when Jaune's eyes widened slightly. "You kids today and your love of weaponry."
"I love pops, this is the best birthday gift you could've gotten me." Lionheart raised an eyebrow at that.
"It's your birthday?"
"No, that's still 8 months away but I think this counts." Lionheart laughed at that and clapped a hand on his son's shoulder.
"That's good to hear, saves me the trouble of actually getting you something!" the old man laughed again. "I was worried you were no good with a sword and shield, but some of the videos recovered, and your own outlandish stories, proved me wrong."
"This'll be no problem pops, but, ugh, do you mind?" Jaune asked, gesturing to the cuffs around his hands.
"Oh, of course silly me." Headmaster Lionheart withdrew a key and unlocked the heavy restraints letting Jaune rub his sore wrists.
"Not that I was going to, but you know I could've tried attacking you right?" Jaune asked cheekily, surprised to see the headmaster grin back at him.
"Well, son, I would've mopped the floor with you. The staff would've mopped the floor with you, and your emotions didn't give way to the fact you were planning a betrayal." a flicker of something flashed across his face before it disappeared.
"You can read me that well?" Jaune questioned, cocking his head.
"No, but I am an empath." the old headmaster winked, motioning for his protege to follow him back upstairs. "Now, about your enrollment..."
0-0-0-0
Two weeks later...
Haven's combat ring was aglow with the sounds of battle, steel clashing against steel as blades clashed. In the ring, a young man dressed in a tan jacket and with brone wrist guards battled fiercely against an older man wielding a guandao.
"Good, good. You need to cover you front more." the blue-haired man said, jabbing his spear into the shield of the younger man.
The dust wheel spun with a series of clicks, an 8-pointed star glyph appearing layered over it, before a fireball ignited from the burn dust within. The older warrior cleaved it in half and barely caught the sword swipe that followed, his opponent keeping low to the ground as he swung for his feet. The older man danced backwards, using the shaft of the spear as a pole vault to gain some distance.
The two caught their breath, the blue-haired man wiping some sweat from his brow as his younger opponent shifted his stance slightly. The dust wheel in the younger man's shield spun once, matching with the yellow dust, before spinning again and landing on the ice dust. Suddenly, a flurry of electrified icicles burst forth and whistled towards the man, aiming to turn him into a conductive swiss cheese.
The older man smirked and stomped hard onto the ground once, the gravity dust woven into his boots providing a shockwave that sent the flurry off course and stumbled the boy. Seeing an opening, the aged warrior leapt for it and cleaved a wide arc with his spear, his foe barely arching back in time. Even so, his footing was loose and the older man took advantage, swiping his legs out from under him and placing the tip of his spear onto the blonde boy's chest.
"Impressive work, Mr. Lionheart, you will have no issue qualifying." Professor Pontus Vasilias praised, helping the boy up. "Even so, as a teacher, I must recommend you remember to keep your footing squared, and do not wait for an opponent's attack to come to you. You must analyze these threats and react accordingly, lest you bust your ass again."
Jaune Lionheart chuckled, accepting a hand as he was lifted. "Still though, I'm getting better with my shield."
"That you are." a voice interrupted, the Headmaster of Haven Academy striding forth. "I am impressed with your competency with that weapon of yours."
"Hey pops, you got off work?" Jaune asked, flipping his shield back into its sheath form and dusting himself off.
The boy's adopted father smiled and snorted. "Not quite, but I thought it best that I come see you before tomorrow's events."
"You mean the Labyrinth?" Jaune asked, Haven's own form of deciding who was good enough to study at the academy.
"No, just in general lad." Lionheart patted his son's back, taking a moment to check on him. In the two weeks since coming here, the boy had adjusted quite well to his new life. There were still some issues regarding his... mentality towards approaching fights, but it didn't seem so bad compared to the alternative.
Forgoing his gladiator gear, Jaune had changed into a simple tan jacket with a grey hood, a black shirt and bandoleer, along with his jeans and boots. A pair of bronze wrist guards providing some extra armor just in case, and his weapon, which he had taken to calling "Auburn Flair", sheathed at his hip. Over all, the boy looked prepared for his first day of school, and it made Lionheart proud.
Of course, there'd been a slight fuss about naming the boy after his own family, but he had silenced those pesky naysayers soon enough. Headmaster Lionheart ruffled his boy's hair and began to return back to his office along with his deputy, before he left he did make one final remark.
"Oh yes, Jaune, please do not be upset if you aren't chosen as a leader." he asked with faux sincerity.
"Trust me, the less work the better!" Jaune gave a thumbs-up, before returning back to the locker room. Once inside, he quickly undressed and got into a much needed shower.
The soothing abilities of the hot water allowed Jaune to think for moment, truth be told he was nervous at the prospect of having to work with four people for almost the rest of his life. While it was true that most professional huntsman struck out on their own for most missions, teams tended to stick together for a long time, especially if they could build a family at some point.
The Warzone had never encouraged teamwork, or rather, it never encouraged teamwork in the usual sense. The Warzone favored shaky alliances that usually ended with a backstab than a group of people working towards something for each other's benefit. Gods, it must have been at least 3 or 4 years since Jaune had actually had to be a part of a real team.
Jaune sighed and pressed his head against the tiles, he supposed there was no use getting cold feet at this point. Finishing his shower he dried off and decided to loiter around the now-empty classrooms, walking around the school idly.
"Hey there, heard you got your ass kicked by my dad!" came a jeering voice from behind.
Jaune turned around and his lips flipped into a smirk. "Neptune, shouldn't you be getting rejected by some women?"
Despite the words, the two shared a fist bump with eachother. Neptune had been the first guy around his age to be introduced to him in the school, his dad, being a professor, helped get the two to talk and they soon became friends. Neptune liked to hit on girls in his spare time that had earned him no small share of punches and kicks to the groin, and yet he never seemed to learn his lesson.
"You excited for initiation tomorrow?" Neptune asked, strutting alongside his blonde friend. "Heard from my dad that it's usually a pretty intense affair."
"I hope so, wouldn't want it to be too easy for a master like me." Jaune boasted, stretching his arms behind his head. "Who knows, we might end up on a team where you'll be a slave to my every whim."
Neptune scoffed at the very thought. "Who says you would be the leader? My dad might just see the overflowing potential in me and choose me to lead the team."
Jaune shrugged and gave a hapless smile. "Eh, it doesn't matter if you're the leader or not, you're kinda beta y'know."
"Wha-? I-I am not a beta!" Neptune spluttered, outraged at his friend who gave another shrug. "Man, screw you. It's no wonder that no girls wanna get with you."
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Jaune snorted, causing Neptune to grumble to himself about blonde bastards.
"Oh whatever you giant edgelord, I'm going back to my room and playing some video games. Have fun being by yourself." Neptune waved at him, turning on his heel and into the courtyard.
"Oh yeah," Jaune called after him. "by the way, Aerith dies!"
"La La La! I can't hear you!" Neptune shouted back, fingers plugging his ears.
Jaune chuckled at his misfortune and continued his rounds, taking in the slowly setting sun as it filled the halls. Reaching the main hall, Jaune cast a look out of the massive glass window that seemed to fill the wall and admire the beauty of the coastal sea as the sun glimmered off of it. Mistral was a truly beautiful place when the denizens weren't out to murder you and the Grimm weren't trying to break down the door.
Gazing out the window, Jaune reminisced about times spent in The Warzone. The school therapist, Miss Rosemary, said it wasn't healthy to try and dredge up the past and, worse, linger on it. However, Jaune was inclined to disagree, he had plenty of fond memories from that pit of blood and glory. He had been raised there all his life, Chili, Bruno, Vulcan, even The Director to an extent were... friends if he thought on it.
They had raised him when his own family didn't want to, true he had to fight to the top but it had all been worth it. There was no gain without sacrifice, and the bigger the gain the larger the sacrifice. Jaune had spent every waking our either clawing his way to the top and staying there, or enjoying the perks of coming out top of the heap above all others.
I wonder how Chili and the others are doing he thought to himself, an elbow planted on the window sill. Knowing Chili, he was already in the middle of cooking up another back-alley scam or going back to playing at assassin again.
Jaune shook his head, dislodging the memories. This was his new life now, the better one where he wasn't forced to watch his back at every moment, constantly searching for anyone who might usurp his control. The feeling of manually letting his guard down at all hours, of not second guessing every look and glance, was both agonizingly uncomfortable and beyond freeing simultaneously.
"It'll be fine Jaune, you'll get a new team and a new chapter in your book." he whispered to himself. The Director often thought of life coming to one in chapters, where one story arc may end another inevitably begins, and with it development of both mind and body.
"No man can walk out of his own destiny." Jaune reminded himself, shrugging himself off the window sill and returning to his dorm. His father would be working almost all night and he needed some rest before tomorrow, lest he end up falling asleep in the middle of initiation.
Before reaching his room, Jaune stopped off at the locker room one more time to inspect his weapon. Auburn Flair stood quietly in his locker, the newly made blade waiting to be unsheathed once again by its owner. Running a hand along the wheel and spinning it slowly, Jaune thought about how, in a few years, this weapon would almost be like a second skin. A companion that had been through thick and thin alongside his teammates and friends, and he thought about how he may look back years from now on this precise moment.
At the cusp of becoming a hunter, of starting down a road that may kill him. The idea filled him with a sort of... nostalgia, almost, of memories that hadn't happened quite yet and experiences yet to come. In his mind, he could see himself standing alongside his friends as a professional huntsman, in it he was alongside a faceless woman and a pair of faceless kids. An admirable life by any means, and one he could still yet strive to achieve.
Closing the locker softly, Jaune finally returned to his room to hit the hay a little earlier. His reminiscing taking far longer than he thought, the sun had dipped below the golden sea and night had consumed the capital city. Getting changed and laying down into the soft bed, Jaune was quickly pulled away into the realm of sleep where memories flashed through his mind.
"...Get up kid... You're no good to us dead..."
"...Come on Jaune... You think we got all day...?"
"...A disappointment... that's why we're doing this..."
"...Fight like you're about to die... and you want to be a pain in the ass before then..."
"...You're new Champion..."
"...Jaune Arc!"
0-0-0-0
Jaune awoke with a start, his alarm clock blaring its warning that he needed to wake up. Blearily smacking his hand to stop the incessant chirping, Jaune rolled over to check the time. He groaned when it was revealed that he had only 4 minutes before he needed to get dressed, the former gladiator rolled out of the comfy sheets and stumbled his way into the bathroom.
Splashing some water into his face, Jaune sighed at the prospect of the day. Getting dressed into his huntsman gear, Jaune reported down to the cafeteria where, already, bustling crowds of prospective students walked back and forth talking to eachother.
Jaune caught Neptune's eye and his blue-haired friend waved him over. Getting a plate of food and going to sit down, Jaune grabbed a seat next to a blonde monkey faunus who was currently decimating was appeared to be the school's entire stock of banana bread. Neptune gave one of those "cool guy nods" which was promptly undercut by the sounds of their third wheel so-to-speak scarfing down his breakfast.
"Right, ugh," Neptune began, scratching at his temple in annoyance with his cool guy persona be interrupted. "This is Sun Wukong, a faunus from Vacuo."
"Shup!" Sun mumbled, his mouth overflowing with half-chewed banana bread. "Em Shun!"
"Nice to meet ya dude." Jaune said, holding out a fist that Sun gladly bumped with a smile. "Y'all ready for this initiation?"
Sun swallowed his mouthful and sighed in satisfaction. "You know it dude, this'll be easy compared to wrestling baby deathstalkers in the desert!"
To anyone else it may have been an empty boast or a joke, but the way the blonde faunus smiled at some unmentioned memory said otherwise.. Who knows, Jaune thought with a shrug I guess things in Vacuo get weird.
"-Mind if we sit with you lads?" came a cheery, heavily accented voice to the right of them. A somewhat androgynous looking boy along with a green-haired and muscled companion stood at the end of their table.
Sun scooted over to allow the pale boy with red hair a seat while his larger friend slumped down next to Neptune that rattled the table. The bigger guy began to tuck in to his food while the pale one with the red hair seemed to search for some words to say.
"So," he began. "I'm Scarlet David, and the big stoic guy is Sage Ayana, we're first years!"
"Of course we are, we all are." Sage deadpanned, not looking up from his meal.
"R-Right." Scarlet said a tad nervously, he bowed his head and returned to his food.
Seeing the boy's downtrodden mood, Sun clapped a hand onto his shoulder with a bright smile. "Eh don't worry about it man, we're all gonna be hunters-in-training after today so we should all get along!"
"Y-Yeah, that works with me mates!" Scarlet bounced in his seat slightly, a new excitement in his eyes.
"Alright, sounds like a whole lotta fun." Neptune said coolly, leaning back and nearly falling.
"This'll be good, I'm sure of it." Jaune mumbled, catching Sage's eye and causing him to smirk slightly.
"Aye, I suppose it could do no wrong." Sage said, gobbling down a sausage patty.
Jaune chuckled and the five of them continued to talk to eachother while things in the Labyrinth were being prepared. Scarlet was originally from the northeastern parts of Mistral, near Wind Path. Sun and Sage came from Vacuo, although their regions differed with Sun being from central Vacuo, near Oasis, while Sage hailed from the southwest, near Ozymandias.
Neptune recounted tales of being raised in the Academy while Jaune scrambled to make a somewhat believable cover story. Mentally he was kicking himself for not coming up with an actual story besides the shoddy one he threw together that was so full of holes it would make for a better Grimm's fairy tale.
"So, you mean to tell me that you're actually the adopted son of Headmaster Lionheart?" Scarlet asked, leaning forward to study the boy more.
"Ugh... Yes?" Jaune answered, throwing on a smile that seemed painful.
"That's... So freaking cool man!" Scarlet near-shouted, pumping his hands into the air. "To think that Headmaster Lionheart would take you in after finding out you had no family. More than that, we get to sit here and talk with the actual son of the headmaster!"
"Yeah, that's pretty cool." Sun agreed, ignoring how Scarlet shook him in excitement.
"Yeah, that is pretty cool. Right, Jaune?" Neptune jerked his chin towards his friend with a stupid smirk on his face.
Jaune sent him a small look that could wither flowers before returning to the somewhat more natural smile. "Yeah, he's a cool dude when you get to know him. Has a thing for antique china though, got a whole collection in his office."
Suddenly, the school's intercom crackled to life. "Will all incoming students please report to the basement for partner selection. Thank you."
"Well, that's our cue." Neptune said, dusting himself off and getting up.
The others did the same and continued their talk while walking down to the basement, brushing past a few early upperclassmen and supervising teachers. At one point Jaune nearly tripped over his friend's heel and was shoved into a young tiger faunus girl who rounded on him with the fires of hell in her eyes.
"Watch it, pal!" she accentuated the "pal" with a finger jabbed hard into his chest. "Unless you want me to crush your head like a grape."
Jaune fought down a scowl and opted to laugh nervously, hands raised. "Yeah, sorry it was my bad."
She gave a small "hmph" and crossed her arms. "You're right, it was. Imagine what would happen if you stepped on my tail? You do know all faunus tails are connected to their spines right? What am I saying? Of course you don't."
"Hey!" Jaune said indignantly. "I did too."
And he truly did, it was a common weak point for faunus gladiators. In fact, he had almost never met a single faunus gladiator with a tail, or at least one still fully intact.
"Sure, have fun at initiation and try not to screw up. You'll make me look bad." she flicked her curly black hair back and melded away into the crowd.
"Pfft, bitch." Jaune muttered.
"Yeah, you're telling me." Sun's voice aparrated from behind him, causing the blonde champion to jolt. "Thought she was about to skin you there for a second. I was hoping I wouldn't have to jump in."
"Yeah, what's her problem anyway?" Jaune asked, scowling in the direction she disappeared into. "She acted like I insulted her lineage or something."
Sun gave a rather uncomfortable shrug. "I dunno man, I think maybe she thought you were doing it because she was a faunus? Like I said, I'm not too keen at picking up on chicks y'know?"
"Right." Jaune nodded, returning back to his group as they entered through the large gate-like doors to the atrium of the basement.
It was a large, near barren room surrounded on all sides by soulless concrete. Directly in front of them were arch-like entrances cut into the stone, offering a tunnel deeper inside and into the Labyrinth.
In the center, Deputy Headmaster Turchino awaited on a podium, flanked by Professor Vasilias and Professor Tavish. Jaune imagined his dad would probably handle whoever made it out after initiation.
Professor Turchino cleared his throat and the group of students settled.
"Young huntsman and huntresses in training, I welcome you to the most important day of your lives: initiation." There were some whoops at that, but the professor quieted them with a look. "As I was saying, today will prove your worth in the eyes of this academy. You must push yourself through whatever challenges await inside, and you must do so without hesitation. Any among you who is incapable of doing so is far too weak to study at this academy, and would be better suited elsewhere. I will not lie to you all, some of you may not make it out of here, and even more will not be allowed admittance into this academy. All you must remember is that you do not want to be these people, so don't be them."
Turchino finished his spiel before letting Professor Vasilias take over. The blue-haired huntsman explained that two people would be randomly selected to enter one of the 26 entrances at a time as a duo, they would then make their way through the labyrinth, fighting off any and all Grimm, before reaching the exit. The maze was designed to allow for two pairs of partners to meet up with eachother and become teammates. The first unpaired duo you met would be your teammates, no exceptions or complaints. After he was done explaining a large electronic billboard above his head listed the first pair.
Finn Mortimer and Lily Farkis
Gate #1
A pair of students broke off from the crowd and awaited by the door, and, when they were given a nod by Professor Turchino, both of them scurried off into the darkness and the next pair went up. On and on it went with Scarlet and Sage as well as Sun and Neptune being paired before Jaune's name was finally picked out among the students.
Jaune Lionheart and Dagon Arenas
Gate #18
Jaune broke into a run towards the gate, his new partner meeting him halfway, before both of them stood just outside. Turchino waited for a moment before giving them a nod and the two broke into a run into the depths of the maze.
"So," Dagon began, his eyes a deep, rich green, running alongside with Jaune. "I'm Dagon, but I guess you already know that, huh?"
Dagon wore a brown overcoat that stretched to his knees over top a black turtleneck. He wore a pair of jeans and boots quite similar to Jaune's, complete with belts and pouches, and he had a cutlass on his left hip and a revolver on his right. His short brown hair sat just barely visible above a bright red bandanna around his forehead that bobbed with his movements. His grin stretched the short amount of facial hair on his skin, a simple mustache and angular chin-strip that reminded Jaune of one of those Vacuan explorers, conquistadors he believed they were called.
"Jaune, pleasure is all mine." the blonde gladiator answered with a smile. Eventually, the two slowed down once they were a decent ways away from the atrium and took in their surroundings. The hallways were wide and tall enough to fight comfortably in, and every few meters were marked with a bright torch that lit a path all the down the hall, occasional breakages leading to other paths.
"Well, what say you?" Dagon asked, unsheathing his sword. "And, while I'm at it, may I ask what semblance you have?"
Jaune was a little caught off guard by the question, and initially hesitant to answer, before he told him. "I can buff myself for strength, speed, and toughness, I also get a small healing factor as well."
Dagon clapped a hand on his shoulder, his own blue aura lighting up slightly. "Thanks mate, I just wanted to know what I was going to be using."
"Using?" Jaune questioned to which his partner smiled cheekily.
"My semblance is called plunderer, it allows me to copy someone's semblance for 10 minutes at a time." Dagon rubbed his chin. "Before I copied yours I had one that allowed me to soften ground, but I think yours would be more useful here."
Jaune nodded and the two continued their treacherous walk, Jaune unsheathing Auburn Flair and unfolding the shield. About 10 minutes in, Jaune paused ahead of his partner bringing both of them to a sudden halt.
Jaune motioned for Dagon to be quiet and they both listened intently. On the drafty wind of the maze, a sort of chittering could be heard not to far away, perhaps around the corner, that seemed numerous in its amount. Dagon sucked in a small breath at what was most likely the source. Rat Kings, Jaune grimaced Of course something horrible is down here.
Jaune motioned for Dagon to move slowly as both of them peered around the corner where a small pack of the murderous rodents awaited. Each the size of a labrador retriever and about 30 in number, Jaune leaned back to whisper to his partner.
"Ok, I'm going to jump out and stun them. You use your pistol to pick some of them off and we'll both move in together." Jaune explained, Dagon nodding resolutely as they got into positions.
Jaune leaped from around the corner, shield raised in front of him, as the dust roulette spun into the lightning dust slot. The Grimm rats nary had the time to even fully face their attacker before a blinding flash of light seared through the hallway and blinded the monsters. Being so accustomed to the dark, the creatures could only chirp crazily as they rubbed their eyes in an attempt to view their attacker.
Dagon leapt out behind his partner and began to blast at the rats with murderous marksmanship. The revolver's righteous roar filled the cavern as both of the young huntsman moved to engage the survivors in close combat. By the time the rats had begun to shake off their blindness it was already too late, half their numbers cut down by the privateer and that number increasing as the two easily sliced their way through the enemies.
In a few minutes the corpses began to dissolve and the hallway around them began to shift. The passage behind them disappearing and a new one appearing before them, ushering them forward on a new path. Shrugging to his friend, Jaune entered down the path with his partner following closely behind him.
"So, you come from here?" Jaune asked, trying to make some conversation.
"Meh, my family's mostly privateers by nature." he shrugged. "I lived on the east coast, my parents and older brother worked for the navy as privateers, ah, that's a kind of pirate-type person if you didn't know."
Dagon said that with no small amount of pride in his voice, a victorious smirk on his face. "What about you Jaune, saw you shared a last name with the Headmaster. That a coincidence or...?"
He was treading lightly, how considerate of him Jaune thought. "Nah, he's my dad."
"W-What?" Dagon sputtered, a little unprepared for the bluntness. "So are you, like, a lion faunus then?"
"No, I'm adopted you see." Jaune hummed for a moment before asking. "If I was, would that be a problem?"
"Hmm? Oh my god, no!" Dagon shook his head frantically. "No, no. I have no issues with the faunus, just was curious."
Jaune smiled and looked back at his partner. "I like you man, you seem like a cool dude."
Dagon threw up a pair of finger guns. "Right back at you Jauney-boy."
Suddenly, once again, both of them stopped at a sudden intrusion of noise. They were at a fork in the path, their hallway leading further down into the darkness but another entry going right. Coming closer, there was the sound of a voice from their side.
"I'm just saying, we could have been much more cohesive when facing that bourbatusk. I would've been able to fight more effectively had we not been crammed in so tight." came a familiar, and grating, voice that grew closer.
"Oh great." Jaune muttered, his partner raising an eyebrow at him.
"Up ahead, a fork in the path. There appears to be people." another, much calmer, voice mentioned.
"Oh great, our new teammates no doubt." the same white tiger faunus quipped, emerging from the dim shadows along with her partner. She took one look at the two men standing there and let out a long suffering sigh.
"Great, not only do I get to be a on team of almost all boys but I also get stuck with Mr. Clumsy." she grumbled, raising a gauntleted hand to her forehead. The girl's white and black tail swished behind her, obviously anxious.
The faunus girl was wearing a simple black combat vest, a pair of jeans, and a pair of brown leather cowboy boots. On her hands were a pair of black gauntlets with a small dust wheel not unlike Auburn Flair's resting on the back of where her hand would be. The fingertips of the gauntlets seemed to be able to extend knife-like claws from the tips. Her curly black hair was slightly disheveled but it did nothing to hide the displeasure in her face.
"Oh thank goodness, I do not know how much more I could take. I am Ringo Nakamura." an oriental-esque boy bowed to them. He had a shock of dark hair done up in a small bun and he wore what appeared to be an modified karate gi with leather armor plates attached to it. At his hip rested a katana in its sheath and a quiver of arrows on his back.
"What does that mean Ringo?" the faunus snarled. "Whatever, I'm Chloe Belmonte, I guess its nice to meet you."
"Wonderful, we got a right good team here!" Dagon cheered, clapping a hand on Ringo's shoulder. "Let's get on, ay guys?"
Chloe grimaced. "We will, but not before we consider our options. I won't have us blindly rushing through the dark."
"We came from back this way." Jaune said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. "You all came from that way, so I guess all roads lead to Mistral."
Chloe's brow twitched but nonetheless she sighed in defeat. "Yeah, you're right I suppose. Come on then, I can lead the way with my faunus senses."
"Oh, that's right, speaking of abilities, may I ask what are your semblances?" Dagon questioned from behind Jaune.
"Hmm? Oh, my semblance allows me to shutdown one of my senses and in return I can sharpen the rest." Ringo answered, casting a curious look at the overcoated man. "Although I must ask why you need to know."
"Well, I mean, we're on a team right? It's always good to gauge our strengths and weaknesses-"
"He can copy other people's semblances." Jaune interrupted, eyes not straying from the path in front of him.
"I-I was getting to that!" Dagon stammered, shrinking away from a venomous glare from Chloe.
"Hmph, well my semblances allows me to drain the aura of anyone I touch." she responded curtly, head turning back to the path before them. "Now, let's keep our eyes on the prize and get out of here."
So Chloe lead on, the team of four occasionally plowing through any Grimm that came by. Honestly, Jaune was almost disappointed in the whole affair, there were nothing more than C-level or B-level Grimm at most. Occasionally they'd fight a beowolf in the makings of an alpha, but they cut its progress short without any real danger. The hard part were the traps, and the maze itself. The whole place was booby trapped with darts, pit falls, and never ending corridors that looped around almost seamlessly.
If it hadn't been for Ringo's idea to start marking the walls, they'd probably still being running in circles. After another hour of fighting and walking, the four of them found themselves in a large almost cavern-like antichamber. The ceiling stretched high above into the darkness where the barest hints of stalagmites waited, but other than that it was remarkably similar to the basement room.
"Watch above, darkness like that could mask any Grimm." Chloe warned, moving slowly forward and scanning the empty room for traps. "Hey, Ringo, mind optimizing your hearing for a sec?"
"No." Ringo answered, kneeling down and channeling his aura. Across his clothing and skin a light sheen of royal purple appeared. The Mistrali samurai was quiet for a moment, his eyes scrunched up in concentration before he slowly got up.
"There's definitely something above us." he whispered, causing Jaune and Dagon to shift their positions.
The tension in the air thickened before coming to a head, and with it a loud crash and victorious shrieking could be heard.
"-I told you guys we were going the right way!' Sun shouted, standing proudly upon the rubble of now-ruined wall.
"Sun, you've been smashing up the whole place for the last hour!" Neptune shouted, obviously exasperated by his partner.
"Aye, I'm not sure if they're going to be happy about that." Scarlet mentioned, surveying the damage to the wall.
"Will you all shut up, there's something above us!" Chloe harshly whispered, her serrated words causing Sun to flinch.
There was a roar above the 8 hunters that shook the very cavern and made Sun curl into himself, eyes screwed shut. He cracked one open and mouthed a "sorry" at the tiger faunus who looked caught between gutting Sun and fighting their new adversary. Above them, stalagmites shook perilously over head as the massive body descended from the shadows above them.
Whatever it was let go of it its supports and crashed down onto the stone floor, shattering it and causing a torrent of wind to overcome the assembled students. The twisted and engorged body of the Cretan cracked ominously as the beast rolled its muscled shoulders. Its face was an amalgam of a bull and something akin to a man, with a long snout and bull-like ears but a more human structure around the eyes. A pair of massive fangs hung down over its lips as its barbed tail flicked, eliciting a sharp crack! that caused even Jaune to flinch.
Its body seemed to also be a mesh of the two creatures, with a broad chest that was connected to a pair of arms as thick as tree trunks. The massive arms ended in a pair of claws each the size of Jaune's forearm and what appeared to be a pair of bull-like hooves and legs below its waist. The creature easily cleared 12 feet and was possibly almost three times the size of the blonde gladiator. It snorted harshly before roaring in a primal annoyance and beating its chest.
"Oh great, this is perfect." Dagon growled, backing up.
"Well, trial often exhibits truly wonderful results." Ringo attempted, although he was cut short by the wilting glares of both Dagon and Chloe.
"Alright, circle around it and make sure to avoid the tail!" Chloe began, beginning to form a loose perimeter around the creature. "Jaune, I need you to whip up a good dust spell capable of slowing it down. Sun, you and your team provide support and go for the legs."
Jaune danced back along with his partner, Ringo drawing his sword and shifting it into a longbow, and let the his shield's dust spin. Wracking his brain for a good combination, Jaune switched to his earth dust before wheeling it over to his water dust, the star-shaped glyph glowing brightly before firing its payload. A thick deluge of brown mud burst forth in an ensnaring web and coated the creature's legs and one of its arms.
The mud quickly solidified, turning the once gooey substance into some akin to solid concrete. The Cretan gave a few pulls at the substance and promptly began to roar and stomp as it realized that it would not be so easy to escape. Dagon and Scarlet ran forth, seeing an opening, and began to fire a barrage of shots that peppered the monster's torso, not even grabbing the hulking goliath's attention.
As the two got closer they swung wild arcs into the beast's black flesh, eliciting a guttural screech in the progress, as Ringo fired a barbed arrow into the Grimm's face. Behind it, Sun and Neptune bombarded the creature's hide with electrical bolts and buckshot that seemed to dig deeper into the monster. Jaune wheeled to his yellow dust before leaping towards the bull Grimm, a snarling snout raised to meet him, and releasing a blinding flash that consumed the creature point blank.
With its free hand, that had been swiping at the pests to its front, it covered its red eyes and shrieked in anger. Jaune gave a smirk that promptly died when he felt a pair of rough boots find landing on his shoulders. Chloe propelled her blonde teammates backwards, using him as a spring board, as she gave a triumphant battle cry and closed in on her enemy. She landed directly over its massive hand, razor claws digging into the demon's flesh, and skittered her way up onto its head.
The Cretan shrieked and tried to shake the faunus girl off, Jaune noticing that it was beginning to loosen its bonds in doing so, but she dug her claws in and thrashed around with it. She shouted something incoherent as she raked the gauntlets around the beast scalp, black sludge oozing down and splashing onto the cracked pavement.
"The Grimm's coming loose!" Jaune shouted, Ringo nodding and retrieving a strange-looking arrow from his quiver.
"I got it!" he shouted, firing an arrow that seemed to have a length of rope attached to it. It coiled around Chloe and the girl barely had time to utter a question before Ringo yanked her back to the relative safety of her team.
Just in time, as the Cretan freed its arm with a tremendous shattering noise and threw a wall of bladed nails where the huntress had previously stood. Chloe nodded her thanks to Ringo, breathing hard and face flushed. Jaune turned back to the fight, Scarlet and Dagon were doing some light damage but, now that the beast had freed its arm, they mostly continued to duck and roll out of the way.
Sage lifted his broadsword overhead and brought it down onto the Grimm's knee, blade sinking into the coiled flesh before it was pulled free from its owner's strength. Jaune noticed that Sun had switched to his gun-staff and was currently flipping over the swinging guillotines, blasting the large paws with dust-aided shockwaves. Meanwhile, Neptune continued to support the group with bolts of blue electricity.
"Sage! Get over here!" Jaune shouted, an idea formulating in his head as he gazed upwards.
"What's your plan?" Chloe asked, eyeing her teammate warily.
"See that ceiling, awfully high right?" Jaune asked, Sage nearing them, to which Chloe cocked an eyebrow in understanding.
"But we'd need something more to that, we need to get it low!" she half-whined to herself, looking at her teammates and their weapons. "Jaune, think you could help me bring it down?"
"Yeah, I think so." Jaune answered, Sage panting as he looked between them.
"What? You got a plan, man?" he breathed, sword dragging behind him. "Because this thing is tougher than a battleship."
"Yeah, I'll throw you towards the ceiling, and when we give the signal you jump down and kill the monster." Jaune summarized, sighing when Sage looked at him as if he was insane. "Look, it's not ideal but with your strength and that much speed you could easily pierce its skull, we just need to bring it down. Ok?"
Sage gazed up at the ceiling high over head and gulped, however he gave a resolute nod when he eyed the blonde warrior. "Alright, but I can't stay up there forever Jaune."
"Don't worry, this'll be quick." Chloe butted in, striding between the two. "Hey you guys we have a plan! We need to bring this thing down to the ground momentarily!"
Neptune and Sun exchanged looks but complied, each of them going for the legs as Scarlet fired his grappling hook onto the beast's neck. Dagon aided his red-haired ally in pulling the beast down, its legs still encased into the earthy cement. Chloe gave Jaune one more look before going to help the two pulling the monster down, leaving Jaune and Sage alone once more.
"You got this?" Jaune asked.
Sage shrugged. "Ehhh, I'm sure it'll be fine. Alright, throw me captain."
Jaune nodded and switched to his gravity dust, kneeling down and gesturing towards the top of his weapon. Sage hefted his weapon onto his shoulder and leapt onto his comrade's shield, swallowing thickly before giving a tap to signal he was ready. Jaune sucked in a breath and grunted, heaving the green-haired boy overhead and activating the dust.
With a crack and a boom, Sage Ayana soared through the air aided by the gravity dust. He peaked next to a stalagmite and one hand came to bite into the rock with all the force he could muster. The huntsman grunted in exertion but held firm to the rock nonetheless, it seemed to be supporting his weight for the moment and he gazed below where the creature had begun to stumble.
Sun gave a victorious roar as his staff cracked down onto the beast's snout and released a mighty blast of power. Jaune, huffing as he sprinted and clambered up the creature's overturned shoulder, brought down his shield onto the Cretan's neck and blasted it with gravity dust. The three hunters pulling roughly down with the grappling hook heaved in unison, further bringing the creature down. Finally, Ringo fired another grappling bolt onto the tip of the Grimm's snout and pulled with all his might to help aid the progress.
With a roar and a earth-trembling thud, the beast finally collapsed onto the floor. Chloe's head snapped wildly back up into the darkness, a crazed look of desperation in her eyes as she shouted a single word.
"SAGE!" she signaled, the Vacuan warrior shrieking maniacally as felt earthbound, his broadsword closing in on the beast's exposed head.
The Cretan bull Grimm had just begun to lumber back up before the massive sword's blade pierced the bone and flesh of its head. The Grimm was silent, and frozen for a moment before its eyes rolled back and, with a moan and a sigh, it fell to the ground one last time. Black smoke exuded from its flesh as the body began to dissolve, the 8 hunters shouting and whooping victoriously.
Jaune laughed happily as he was brought into a headlock with his partner. Dagon gave a barrel-chested laugh and rocked his friend back and forth in a celebration, the members of Neptune and Sun's team coming together for a round of high fives. Chloe wore a massive smirk that seemed to radiate pride and Ringo smiled serenely, patting his partner on her back.
Their attention was pulled away as a large gate-like opening in the wall down from them unlocked, revealing a group of teachers and upperclassmen. Professor Turchino met them halfway, clapping proudly and with a look of smug satisfaction on his face.
"Wonderful, excellent teamwork all around." he praised, clipboard in hand. "I am happy to note you have all passed your examinations and are free to head to the rec room for a break."
He turned on his heel but stopped, adding- "Oh, you aren't in first place either I'm afraid."
Neptune groaned and mentioned something about a bet with his dad, but the group followed the experienced huntsman. They all yearned for at least somewhat of a break, and Jaune personally felt he deserved at least a cup of water. Dagon shook his friend happily, boasting of his own contribution and laughing with Ringo as they recounted the fight.
0-0-0-0
"...Sun Wukong, Sage Ayana, Scarlet David, and Neptune Vasilias. For your contribution to eachother and your fellow teammates you are hereby named as Team SSSN, led by Sun Wukong!" Headmaster Lionheart, a chorus of somewhat confused clapping ensuing.
"S-S-S-N? Sun? Who came up with that one?" Dagon asked, scrunching up his nose. "I hope we don't get name something stupid like that."
"Eh, my dad probably came up with it in the staff room five minutes ago." Jaune shrugged, equally unimpressed.
"Will Jaune Lionheart, Chloe Belmonte, Ringo Nakamura, and Dagon Arenas please enter the stage?" Professor Tavish asked, her twitchy self clapping in excitement.
The four hunters entered the stage and stood proudly before the headmaster, Lionheart gazing at each of them proudly, his eyes lingering on his adoptive son a little longer. He cleared his throat and smiled sunnily at them.
"Jaune Lionheart, Chloe Belmonte, Ringo Nakamura, and Dagon Arenas. For your quick thinking and decisive teamwork, I hereby name you Team CAJN (Cajun), led by Chloe Belmonte!" Headmaster Lionheart exclaimed, bowing to the newly-promoted leader.
Chloe seemed at a lost for words, an almost sappy smile overtaking her features as the applause thundered in the room. Jaune tapped Dagon and pointed to their leader's tail that swished happily, like that of cat's. Both of them held down their laughter but giggled quietly, Ringo rolling his eyes but nonetheless patting his partner on her back.
In comparison to that, the rest of the naming ceremony went by quickly. And the assembled first years were quickly ushered out and shoved along by upperclassmen who deposited them at the dorms with a number and their access code. Wishing to get away from the chaos, the members of Team CAJN hustled their way through the crowd and took refuge in their room.
Steeling herself and drawing a long breath, Chloe marched in front of them and placed her hands on her hips. "As your newly appointed leader, I am going to lay down some ground rules as well as demand equal respect for any faunus you may meet on campus. You see, I am a 12th generation Belmonte family tiger faunus..."
"Oh boy, I can already tell this'll be a gas." Dagon whispered to his partner, who nodded unhappily.
Yep, it was going to be a long haul alright...