Part four
Sympathy for the devil
AN. We are back boys, this time with a plot! Been delaying this chapter because I had no idea where the hell the story was going but now i got a general one and with my fancy brand new editing software we are in business.
ps. TFW your editing software REFUSES to recognize Jaune as a name...
"What are you talking about?!" Jaune yelled at Kage as the final sounds of the bullhead's roaring turbines died down. "I meant to welcome you to your new home," Kage said his light brown eye reflecting off the fires.
"This is not our home!" Jaune yelled at the youth as he simply looked confused to Jaune's anger. "We were promised to be taken home! And- "they got you with the whole do the mission and we let you go thing huh? Got me with that too!" Kage said sadly as his scarlet combat armor practically glowing in the torchlight, "but that doesn't matter much now does it?"
Jaune was about to respond before Kage waved his arm "come on!" He said and he began walking up the steps that led to the building. The giant rock faced edifice that he called Bastion "let's get going!" Kage said as he nonchalantly waved Jaune forward taking steps toward the mountain.
"Jaune?" Ruby asked as her silver eyes widened to the point of saucers and filled with fear. "What's going on? How come we aren't at Beacon yet?"
Her voice was trembling and she had refused to let his shirt go since the end of the mission. I don't know Ruby Jaune said in his calmest voice possible but instead to find out. He said before sighing and taking his first step in the large staircase towards bastion
"I don't know Ruby" Jaune said in his calmest voice possible. " But we're going to find out and go home I promise. He said before sighing and taking his first step in the large staircase towards bastion"
"Where are you headed now?" The tall woman who had been leading their mission asked Winter as the reached the top of the staircase. "I have to get going," Winter replied curtly and Jaune saw where Weiss got her manners from.
"See ya later!" The boss replied as Winter gave her a curtailed nod before adding a "we'll be in touch soon" as she walked away.
"Winter!" A sharp voice said as they both turned to see Ruby staring longingly at the woman. "Winter... Could you… could you tell Weiss that I'm alive? and that I'm ok?"
Ruby asked her voice was pleading and full of desperation and for the first time, he saw Winter look guilty.
"I'm sorry I can not." She said in the most sympathetic voice possible as Ruby deflated instantly as her mood evaporated like a popped balloon as she opened her mouth in shock.
"It's classified... I'm sorry…. For the record though... " Winter said as her piercing blue eyes observed her "you were an excellent leader," she said in what was perhaps the first kind gesture Jaune saw her take before she turned left and walked away towards the bullhead and into the night.
"Back home!" Mika said happily as they paused before they gigantic stone doors of Bastion entrance. Seeing this as his chance for some answers Jaune found his voice. "What's' going on here?!"
Jaune asked the woman in front of him. Who stared at him blankly as her purple eyes regarded him curiously. "What do you mean?" She replied in the same confused tone as Kage. "I mean why aren't we at Beacon!" Jaune almost slipped into a rant but caught himself just in time.
"You said you'd take us back to the Academy!" Jaune barked eating a frown as her purple eyes narrowed onto his.
"This is the academy though." She said confusedly as he eyed him, "we are back in Bastion."
"This isn't Beacon!" Ruby piped up from behind still holding onto Juanes side but equally infuriated at not being home with her loved ones.
"Ahh… I see" the leader said before sighing deeply "if you have any problems with your current... predicament you can ask than headmaster, which should be simple since we are on our way to meet him right now."
The boss said as she turned to press a button on the doors. "That's not good enough-" Jaune stopped as he saw the lady tapped her scroll quietly as the heavy weight of the collar weighed on his neck, he held his tongue as the doors opened slowly much better the woman said before they enter Bastion proper and Jaune got his first look inside the building.
Cold, Jaune's first impression of the school was cold. Beacon had been warm like an open flame welcoming and inviting you inside while Bastion was the polar opposite of that. Bastion was cold... As Jaune walked in he felt a cool breeze slither its way into his armor and cut into his flesh like a knife as he shivered involuntarily.
While Beacons halls were carved from masonry a filled with banners and other trinkets to make you feel warmed and at home Bastion's were not. They made the hallways of Bastion smooth, having no fanfare or baubles adorning them, they were clearly made with functionality built over aesthetics.
It was clear that the school was built into and from the mountain as the hallways were carved out chunks of said mountain. Each hallway was slick and smooth and shined a brilliant opaque clear color as they traveled throughout them.
Also unlike beacon, the entirety Bastion seemed to be lit using actual torches instead of lights. Jaune noticed the dozens upon dozens of torches lighting every hallway with zero cables running through them. Producing an eerie torchlight the gave the entirety of the build a certain off-kilter feeling that made him feel nauseous.
As they made their way deeper into the building alongside winding corridors and up spiral staircases. Was everything here built out of the mountain?
Jaune wondered as they finished climbing what the now counted as the fourth row of staircases except for the torches themselves everything he had seen had been made from the mountain from the doors, to the staircase hell even the torch holders!
Everything was made out of the hard unfeeling granite that made him feel like he wasn't even on Remnant anymore.
Eventually, their trek ended as they stopped before the first door that was not made out of the mountain and appeared to be carved from rich mahogany that made the dull red door stand out in stark contrast to the opaque walls around it. "This is it." The lady said as she inhaled deeply "everybody ready?"
"Sure," kage said with a neutral tone like he truly didn't care one way or the other.
"Yep!" Mika as happily as usual waving her flamethrower in the air "I can't wait to see the old man again!"
"Don't let him hear you calling him that."
The boss said with a grin "he'll skin you alive." As she turned to Jaune and Ruby who had been deathly silent the entire journey, "you two?"
"Ready" as I can be. Jaune replied in a low voice as the boss sighed and open the doors of mahogany revealing an entirely different place.
The room was a stark contrast to the school. A roaring fire roared behind a wooden desk in a low domed room where two figures sat. One an older man with a curious expression on his face, with long silver hair and eyes wrapped in loose black cloaks with pale skin and a thin exposed neck, and a curious face that smiled enigmatically at them as he revealed two rows perfect teeth.
"Ah, you're back!" He said with a voice that was filled with youthful vigor and energy yet decisively faint...
"Yes, we are." The lady said as they stepped into the office and the doors shut themselves behind them.
"I take it that your mission was a success then?" The man asked raising a lone eye to their leader. Who straightened her back before nodding once.
"Yes, it was." She replied curtly before pulling out a scroll showing him a holographic display full of numbers and charts that made no sense to Jaune but meant something to the enigmatic man behind the desk as the man behind the desk grinned before he snarled harshly, "excellent!"
The man said clasping both hands together clapping them loudly "not only was our coordinator retrieved with the research in tow but! You also came back with four students out of sixteen!"
"That's a fifty percent increase in survivors from last time! Miss Heil! Please write that down on our next motivational pamphlets will you?" The headmaster? Jaune thought as he had no idea who the man was as of yet. Asked the woman smiling the same bright but cold smile as the man asked the woman in white now known as Miss Heil as she sighed deeply before grabbing a scroll and a pen of some type before tapping the information on it.
"I must hope that this recent increase in mission success will be just the kick in the proverbial pants that our students need to do better in life!" As he spoke to the other figure behind the desk a rather young looking woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties that looked dispassionately at him.
She was a gorgeous woman, tall with bright blonde hair deep red almost blood colored crimson eyes and a stare that made miss Goodwitch after Nora had spilled Syrup all over her clothes look positively cheerful. Dressed in a simple white blouse with a business dress underneath she looked like she wanted for all the world to be out of this office and to be anywhere but where she currently was.
"As you say," the woman said in a voice that if Jaune did not know any better he could have sworn her words had burned his face just by her talking.
"Now onto the brighter things!" The man said as he turned to look at Jaune for the first time since they arrived in the building his cold silver eyes stared into Jaune who in turn felt like there was something truly off and wholly ethereal all about those pure silver eyes. As he fought the urge to panic.
It was like there was a cold arm coming out of them and pulling him towards them with each second pulling him closer and closer to some type of bottomless chasm as he held the bottomless gaze. "Ah, you must be Mister Arc are you not?" The man asked as his silver eyes locked on Jaune's blue ones making him shiver.
Finding his courage Jaune swallowed then spoke, "yes sir that's me."Jaune said taking a deep breath before shooting out a hand towards the old man. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Jaune said as he held out his arm before realizing his mistake. A sudden intake of air was heard throughout the room as every other figure save for himself the headmaster and Ruby inhaled quickly and turned to face him with various looks on incredulity on their faces.
Instantly regretting his decision but refusing to back down Jaune watched as the headmaster regarded his hand like it was a foreign trespasser on sovereign territory and he looked like he was wondering if he should keep it. Jaune tensed nervously as sweat ran down his brow as the headmaster continued to stare at him as if he was some type of rare animal in a zoo.
Did I mess up!? The boy wondered as the seconds ticked on long grating seconds as the dimmed fire crackled in the background as the eyes of the room looked upon him.
He thought for sure he was going to die. The ethereal gaze from the man to the downright murderous glare from his assistant who looked ready to char the meat from his body.
All kicked in to make him want to yank back his hand and duct tape it to his side. Fortune, however, had different plans as the staredown between him and the headmaster ended with the man giving him a light chuckle then extending a hand of his own. " It's a pleasure to meet you as well mister Arc." the man said with a cold smile.
Jaune relaxed instantly as the man extended the arm, smiling at him the man returned the smile beatifically before taking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!" Jaune said as the man fingers touched his hand he fought the urge to scream.
It was as if all the heat in his body was suddenly and without hesitation yanked out of his body and replaced with searing ice. The boy had to suppress a horrified scream as he felt his body grew to what felt like sub-zero temperatures, as his entire body felt like it had been tossed didn't the middle of an Atlesian winter stark naked and covered in snow.
Jaune was yelling internally as all the warmth left his body. He felt like shouting at the top of his lungs before the man removed his hand from his and instantly it was gone.
That horrifying clawing feeling of having his very life force sucked out of him disappeared instantly. Leaving him with the only shuddering feeling as his body warmed up with his own heat. Jaune's body shuddered gratefully that he was back to normal the only side effect of the handshake where the shaking of his legs and the feeling of a stain on his soul.
"The pleasure was all mine." The man said before as a bright smile broke his face. "The name is Ludo, Ludo Von Richthofen. But you may call me sir or headmaster as you so, please." He said before bowing slightly, "to my right is my assistant Liz Heil you may call her Miss though I doubt she wants you to call her anything right now he said with a light chuckle gesturing to his assistant."
Jaune suppressed a gulp as the assistant's blood red orbs burned a hole into his head.
Seeing the chance that luck had provided Jaune took chance at answers. "Sir there are some questions that I want, no I need to be answered!" For the second time, there was a sharp intake of breath in the room. As the occupants, Ruby included this time stared at him with shock and incredulity in equal measure at the young man. Jaune had messed up he didn't know how but no one inhales like that when it's something good.
His fears we proved justified as the woman's eyes literally exploded in flames. His heart almost stopped at the sight. Sure he had seen fiery eyes before, that was nothing strange.
Being the best male friend of a girl with an overprotective big sister made him no stranger to a girl with flaming eyes but this? The woman's eyes radiate pure disgust and disdain in such levels that he swore he felt his armors paint beginning to chip.
"How dare you"- the woman began before Ludo stopped her. "Calm down, Liz!"
The man said with a low slight chuckle that while sounding real enough was completely devoid of mirth or warmth, "the boy meant no harm!"
"But sir he"-
"But nothing!" He said with a laugh that took full advantage of his booming voice that was still completely devoid of any amount of warmth or love.
As the man turned his silver eyes to Jaune as he fought the urge to flinch as he rested his elbows on his desk and put his head in his hands. "State your case."
The man said simply as he gestured for Jaune to speak. "I want to return to Beacon, sir!" Before Jaune opened his mouth the man was grinning like a fool and now that he had spoken the grin only doubled. "Oh? So you want to go back to Beacon now do you?"
"More than anything in the world sir," Jaune stated showing his hands.
"I think I can arrange that..."
You can?!" Jaune asked almost not believing his words and causing the headmaster to laugh raucously again in that cold humorless laughter that resounded in the entire room. "Of course my boy! I am the headmaster of the academy as such I exist for my students after all!" He said earning an eye roll from the lady called Liz.
"You want to go home and I want you to go home as well! So let's make a deal!"
"A deal sir?" Jaune asked Ludo as he gave him a wolfish smile.
" Yes, a deal!" The headmaster said with a beatific smile. "You will do two things for me in return for a guaranteed transfer back to Beacon."
"Name them!" Jaune said quicker than he thought he could speak.
"Eager are we?" Ludo said with that wolfish grin he now wore like a mask, "I like that!" The man said with a happy grin.
"First off! You will complete one semester at my school!"
Jaune Nodded quickly not seeing anything wrong so far with his requests so far. "Second off! You will represent and participate in the upcoming Vytal tournament marking Bastion's worldwide debut! Cementing us a central player in the world!"
"You don't have to win the tournament, I am not unfair but!" The man said taking a dramatic pause and staring Jaune in the eyes."Although you need not win the tournament, the farther you go the more I will be pleased."
"And trust me, you want to keep me happy, just ask my assistant!" He said earning another eye roll from the other woman in their group.
"That's it?" Jaune asked still shocked at the simpleness of the deal. "You Just want me to represent the school?"
"Just!? This boy already is becoming overconfident! Do you see this Miss Heil? This is just the kind of thing we need in our school!" Ludo stared as he laughed heartily. "You must also complete one semester of education here!" He said with a grin, "don't forget the first part of our deal now!"
"I won't!" Jaune said nodding his head to the older man who grinned in response.
"Tell you what! Since you seem like a good lad I'll sweeten the pot! You do well here and I'll send you home two weeks in advance for the Vytal Tournament for good behavior what do you say? do we have an agreement?"
"Deal!" Jaune didn't think the words could leave his mouth so fast as he shook the man's hands. This deal was perfect! He just needed to do one semester which couldn't be that hard and compete! Not win but just compete in the Vytal tournament! He didn't think going home would be this easy!
"Excellent!" Ludo said gripping his hand tightly and once again Jaune felt the need to scream as the warmth rushed out of his hands, as he felt grasping frigid claws reached into his chest as he felt that every second he stood let alone touch the headmaster that his soul was in mortal danger.
"Why are you wearing those things around your neck? He asked pointing to the collars on their necks. Jaune blinked completely wrongfooted by the man's question.
"There were there to keep us in line during the mission sir." He added respectfully making sure to take note of the man's rank.
"Keep you in line? How could these collars keep anyone in line?" The man asked as a look of pure confusion on his face. As Jaune paused unsure if he was being tested by the man before responding with the best answer he could, with the truth. "Because they have explosive tips in them?"
"What!?" The headmaster looked shocked and worried. "Didn't we get rid of the last of the explosive collars last month?" He asked as his assistant sighed deeply.
"We got rid of all but one," she said looking the older man in the face.
Her blood red eyes eyeing him like a hawk might eye a worm. A look that perfectly straddled the line of vague disinterest mixed with mild pity. As she turned to their group, "it seems as if there was only one explosive collar was in your inventory during your foray into the city." Jaune froze the collars were a bluff!?
He felt white-hot rage boil into his body at the news, they could have escaped! They could have been free! With their neck's free both he and Ruby could go home!
As the man spoke up. "let me get that for you," he said before gesturing to their leader "Miss?"
"Yes, sir!" The boss said as she waved a hand over her scroll. Clink! A mechanical clinking sound filled the air as the collars detached themselves from their necks and dropped to the ground. As Jaune rubbed the sore skin on his neck grateful for the relief that he was now feeling as the threat of an instant and violent death was temporarily removed from his life.
As the collars fell to the floor the woman known as Liz eyed his collar suspiciously as she nodded her head, "interesting..." She muttered while staring at the collars and drawing the headmaster's attention. "See something you like Liz? Or perhaps someone? There are some fine gentlemen in this room If I do say so myself."
Ludo asked waggling his eyebrows at the lady, the look she gave him could have breached his armor as she gave him a look so writing it looked like the wood on the desk would start peeling backward.
"I was just noticing how the young man's collar was indeed armed with an explosive tip. In fact, they were all armed with explosive tips."
"What!?" Jaune was suddenly feeling much more grateful to get the piece of metal off of his neck.
"That doesn't make sense…" Liz said as she eyed him.
"It doesn't Liz," Ludo said as he turned to the group specifically at the girl with silver hair.
"Mika, didn't I specifically request that you get rid of all the explosive collars last month?"
"Yeah, but I kept some anyways!"The girl said her ever-present happy voice cherry and undeterred by the situation.
"You… You actually kept some of them? The headmaster asked flabbergasted by her decision trying to figure why she would make such a choice as to put herself and fellows in reckless danger, but… But... why?"
"Because!" She said in an offended tone" if you go on a mission without the chance of death and dying is no fun! If I knew there would be white fang on the mission I would have tossed them!"
As she spoke Jaune stared dumbfounded at her as Kage's mouth opened in shock. The headmaster blinked three times before shrugging his shoulders. "Fair point," he said before clapping his hands "now going on!"
"You mean to tell me those things were armed?!" Kage almost shouted to his friend? Although Jaune no longer knew how much he thought of her as a friend, for as of this moment he looked ready to tear her head off and use it for volleyball practice.
"Yup! Sure where!" Mika said happily as Kage looked ready to strangle the girl before the boss put a hand on his back and calmed him.
"Now onto business!" The headmaster said happily his silver eyes regarding them all with a steely look that unnerved Jaune. "Since you are all students at my school is there any questions that you would like answered?"
"What kind of school is this?" A timid voice called from behind Jaune as Ruby spoke up. "Ahh Miss Rose!" The headmaster said happily to her though not extending her a hand.
"Before you ask and just so you know the offer I extended to mister arc also extends to you as well miss Rose." Jaune nearly fainted realizing his potentially lethal mistake. If the headmaster had wanted to he could have tricked him using a loophole! Luckily he either didn't like trickery something Jaune doubted wholeheartedly.
Just Looking at Ludo made him feel like he was going to leave the room missing his scroll or something much more valuable. He still couldn't shake the feeling that by just by being in the same room as the headmaster his very soul was in some kind of looming mortal peril.
A factor did not help the headmasters glaring silver eyes and calm calculating face that unnerved Jaune to no end.
The more likely of the two was he simply didn't care as he smiled at Ruby.
"But to answer your question this is a school for last resorts. Where you can safely bet that no one who has ever walked through these halls myself included! Has ever wanted to be here."
'Imagine this!" The headmaster said taking a dramatic pause before he began to tell a story. "You know how you're all told that Hunters are these big strong and powerful Combatants. These perfect examples of humanity that defend us against the darkness?"
"Well you're right in the case that one's on tv are, but there are a lot of hunters who are just as responsible for keeping the Grimm at bay but lack that certain… pizazz to be public!"
Seeing the confusion on the child's face Ludo frowned before going blunt. "This is a school for those who have committed crimes too great to be forgiven such as yourselves!" He said pointing to the group. "But!"
"Also like yourselves it is a place for those who have talents that are too special to the point where it would be downright foolish if not outright criminal, to waste them even with a titillating execution. So instead you are all being offered a second shot at redemption through Bastion."
"Make no mistakes!" The headmaster spoke in a tone that for once held no amusement but was deathly in its severity. This is not Beacon, it is not a pristine jewel in the night made to gestate and safeguard the next generation of hunters!"
" This is a school for the worst of the worst! People while strong enough to carry the mantle of hunters but their actions have damned them! People whose crimes are so great that they can no longer be put into public society. These walls house all types, Murderers, thieves, arsonist, sociopaths we take all comers in these walls."
"But! These are also people whose talents are so unique that they can not be just killed. So they are given one chance. Reform and use yourself to the best of your abilities to help others, or die."
As the man let his words sink in that is only the first part of the school. "What's the other part?" Ruby asked not entirely sure she wanted to hear the rest. "Oh yes, miss Rose while we do cater to the ne'er do wells of society we also care to those who probably are a little more… unique and personal…"
The headmaster had long since lost his joviality and was now speaking in hard clipped tones. "Ask yourself this Miss Rose. Do you honestly think that all hunters were perfect?"
" That they were all some kind of shining knights that had no flaws and were filled with virtue and altruism?" Before she could answer the headmaster kept talking.
"Of course you didn't! You're a smart girl and you know that despite their qualities they are all still human and are prone to flaws and vices. Though to be fair some are literal shining knights but they are exceptionally few and far between."
"Here's a question for you. Did you ever wonder what the test you took before you registered for Beacon was for?" As he asked Ruby looked at him dumbly but Jaune knew.
Even if he had finessed his way into Beacon he still at least took the intro test. As the headmaster seemingly reading her mind slapped his head lightly.
"AHH! How could I forget! Your invitation to the school was rather arbitrary was it not?" Before she could reply he was already talking again.
"Well to enlighten you and possibly your fellows though I doubt they will need to hear, for it is not unbeknownst to them that all students are forced to take a written mental evaluation before applying to any hunter school."
"It is equal parts an intelligence test as well as a psychoanalysis of them to see if they have the right mental state to go into the academies. It highlights certain characteristics that hunters are supposed to idealize like selflessness, inspiration, leadership while also flagging negative traits especially looking for things like hatred, sociopathy, and belligerence."
"To those that pass and do well on both intelligence plus have the physical skills are then admitted into one of the four academies and life goes on as usual."
"Now did you ever consider what of those individuals who weren't so altruistic those who more than passed the test for being a huntsman but were at best mildly misanthropic and at worst downright psychopathic?"
"These are funnily enough the norm," the man said as his face broke into a cold smile as he spoke as he gave a chuckle drier than the Vacuoan dessert and without a hint of humor to it. "In actuality, the majority of huntsmen do not pass the mental evaluation to become huntsmen. Don't look so shocked!" The man said with false mirth as he grinned at the young reaper.
"Out of all people here, you should especially know what the stress of hunters job can do to man miss Rose. I mean look at you uncle! Do you really think he passed the mental exam for the academies?"
" Hardly! He was slated to be shipped here first chance he got! And if it wasn't for the intervention of the old man Ozpin himself he would have been a Bastion graduate through and through! Him and his sister!"
He spoke making the entire room freeze with what seemed to be little more than his pure presence. "To answer your question miss Rose, this school is built for them miss Rose the angry, the sociopathic the damned and the desperate the ones who simply can not get along with in normal human society so they must be brought here."
"With the war on the Grimm as it do you really think we can just throw away talented recruits just because they tend to not be able to be around crowds of people, or they just happen to make a flesh suit out of every tenth person they see?"
"Hardly! We bring them here in the hopes of redeeming themselves through actions or to curb the worse of their psychosis and help them work through worst of their Sociopathy".
"With the faint hope of getting them to turn whatever is left of their misanthropy against the Grimm instead of their fellow human beings!"
As he finished his speech and a chill settled over the room piercing its inhabitants to the core. Even the roaring fire could do little to soothe the chill that permeated the inhabitant's spines.
" Before you ask I will give you a brief preview of what will be expected of you in the day to day life here. Besides housing, the reforming criminal and criminally insane Bastion is also the official academy of the wilds!"
"Where any potential hunter that can not reach the kingdoms for whatever reasons can enroll here and be given guaranteed admission!"
" For you see Bastion has no entrance exams so any and all who apply are guaranteed entry. You will be amongst these regular students where you will coexist and learn with as comrades in arms!"
" In fact, the only difference the regular applicants of Bastion have versus the other ones are that they do not have their aura unlocked, besides that they are just the same as any other academy student."
"Now before I go on are either of you two familiar with the term hygiene cleanliness." The man asked as both teens shook their heads.
"Hygiene cleanliness is the act of doing actions that while they do not make you healthy the lack of them might make you sick. Take washing your hand for example. Washing your hand's does not make you healthy but not washing them might make you sick."
" You see the world as a whole does not trust Bastion, we are ignored at best or disdained at worst. Despite our vast contributions to Remnant, we are treated like leppers!"
"That being the case you will be required just like in Beacon to take on missions such as this. Your mission's here will not save the world but the failure of them might cause its destruction."
" That is why we have to do well in the Vytal tournament. We need to show the world that we are more than a place for the outcast of the work. And that we are more than capable of standing with the best, even if we have the worst."
"You see children, I have a dream, a goal a vision if you will, of Bastion's name being int he bright lights on the top of every billboard, car, and Holo-set in Remnant! I want our names to be comparable with the likes of Beacon and Haven!"
" For that to happen we need ot garner trust, in order to garner trust, we need to not only take whatever mission's the damned council says we are allowed to take but! To take on missions that none of the other academies and hell even grown hunters wouldn't even attempt! We are here to prove yourself to the world and that's just what you will be doing."
" I will not deceive you on this children, Bastion is not a rich school. We lack the proper funding, recourses, and talent that the other academies are provided with. In fact, anyone with real talent that enters our doors, like yourselves, is worth their weight in the dust!"
" We are often given the bottom of the barrel either total sociopaths that refuse to work with others, hardened criminals that we have to take increased measures to ensure obedience or children who have never had a hot meal and simply did not want to starve or be eaten in the wilds. Let alone how to properly handle a weapon!"
"That being the case what we do not have the sheer talent of other academies we more than make up for it in terms of manpower. We bost the single largest growing and the current population of potential hunters in the world."
" Unfortunately like I said we are not a rich school, and we simply can not afford to sustain our current or growing number of applications, and restrictions placed upon us make it impossible for us to turn down a students request of admission, so we are often forced to take measures to weed out... if you will the unworthy of the population, the weakest, the naive, those who past experience or trauma render them incapable of redemption. "
"To do this we have a simple sink or swim policy that the strong will survive and the weak will die. While you are here you will be tested daily in terms of survivability and longevity."
" To be clear we like to have an invitation for new students to see how well they will do. Congratulations on passing your initiation with flying colors, by the way, you all did excellently! And that mission is but a mere taste of what life will be like here so take the lesson you learned if any to heart!"
"When you embark on missions here expect to have little to no support like you would have at Beacon or any other academy, We simply can not afford to give you the luxuries of another school. Expect the only really support you will get will be guaranteed extractions and delivery to mission zones besides that we have little to offer."
"To off set this difference here we use our one advantage to win our battles, we have more students than all the other schools so we use them. You are one of many expect to be used like such"
"To be blunt we tend to throw our students into the enemy if they are strong enough or lucky enough they will live if not..."
"It frees up more room for other students! I know this is not the most civil of ways of weeding out weakness but it is our way, it is the Bastion way."
"Now! That we have that unpleasantness out of the way onto more important things!" The headmaster's tone had lost every ounce of severity and was once again bright and cheerful.
"You four are going to participate as a newly minted team for the remainder of the semester and the entirety of the vytal tournament, and since you are going to complete the remainder of the semester here you as real Bastion students before you will then go forth to represent Bastion in the tournament and prove our worth!"
"Speaking of the tournament you will be acting as a team in it and in the academy so you will be in need of a leader."
The headmaster paused musing though some holographic files on his scroll muttering under his breath briefly before coming to a conclusion. You will be led by… Jaune Arc! Congratulations young lad!"
"Me... A leader?" Jaune asked as he put a hand on his chest, he had not been expecting this as he already was a leader of a team back home, Ren, Nora, Phyrra...
His thoughts dragged him to his far-off teammates before a happy voice cut into his mind.
"Yay! We have a leader again!" Mika said happily as she turned to face him her bright green eyes sparkling happiness, "what do you say mister boss man!"
She Sang happily to him as her green eyes eyed him happily. "You... You'll accept me as a leader?" Jaune was still trying to cope with the idea of a school meant only for criminals and madmen and he barely had the brainpower to come to grips with being the leader again and was trying to get a grip on his situation.
"Sure thing Boss," Kage said calmly as he patted his shoulder "whatever you say goes, Bossman." He said calmly before letting go of his arm.
"Kage! Don't you want to be a leader? You did great in the last mission aren't you more qualified than me?" Jaune asked as Kage grew a somewhat tired expression on his face.
" I'm not cut out for the leadership role kid, tried it once not really my thing you take it. You look more suited to it than I am anyway."
" Oh, he's just being bashful! What he really meant to say was the last time he was the leader he got our entire team killed except for me and bears the soul-crushing weight of a guilty concise and has refused to take the role of a leader since!"
Mika added happily smiling cheerfully as she revealed what was perhaps a soul-shattering secret about Kage who's only response was to hit her up the back of the head with the but of one of his pistols.
" Stop that," Kage said plainly as he smacked Mika making her wince but smile in Pain.
"I also support this!" Ruby said for behind her bright eyes shining in the room.
"It's not like you have a choice!" Liz snapped at the kids causing them to instantly shudder and stop speaking.
"Now Liz!" Ludo said happily, "let them have their fun! Their children!" Liz glowered at him before turning away from them.
"Now let's see… a proper team needs the proper team name so..." Ludo hummed looking at the youth in from of him.
"Jaune Arc, Venke Kage, Ruby Rose, Mika Smith…."
"Arc, Ruby, Kage, Mika..."
"I got it!" The headmaster said before slamming a fist into his palm. "This team will be called ARKM! Arc, Ruby, Kage, Mika! That way there are two first names and two last names!"
"With this team, Arkham is born!" The headmaster said with a wry grin "now that you are full students you are entitled to the grand Bastion tour! Liz Show them around the place why don't you?"
"This here is the cafeteria where you will enjoy your meals during your stay. You will surely find your meals to only be nutritious but also delicious." The assistant said in a tone that spoke of countless speeches and unwanted repetitions.
As she leads the newly from team Arkham throughout the school. Jaune was still unsure about their name or why the hell the schools had such a fetish for naming the teams into acronyms, but he shrugged the thoughts off with far more pressing matters on his plate.
Mainly of how to not end up a black smudge on the ground courtesy of miss Heil who looked like she was ready to immolate them.
It was clear she had given this speech many times before and was in no mood to give it again. As she led the teens through the building.
"At least the cafeteria looks normal," Ruby said from behind the group still uncomfortable with the whole being forced to stay at an unknown location separated from their family and friends and potentially forced to fight concept.
"I hope the food's as good as Beacon's," she said before a snort was heard from Kage as he mumbled something indescribable as they followed the assistant.
As the tour progressed they traveled through our Bastion seeing several rooms and various important locations LIbrary, medical etc. before being led through several levels of spiral staircases downwards to find themselves in Bastions combat arena.
Unlike Beacon who had many combat arena's spread out across the school Bastion in its entirety only had one. But. It. Was. Huge.
Jaune had to physically stop his mouth from hanging as he nearly gasped at the size of the thing. Forget about sparing in the tournament this thing could house the vytal tournament on its own!
Dozens upon dozens of seats sat arranged around a deep circular pit that unlike Beacons arena that was filled with even stone, this one was not filled with stone but with sand. With several large monitors and stereo's hanging above the pit for the audience to see the fighting.
They were told by Liz that combat was one of two mandatory classes here in Bastion the other being history. The school did offer other classes and it was highly suggested though not mandatory that they enrolled in said classes.
"That's only if you want to stay alive," Liz said her uncaring voice like seared metal into Jaune's ear as she led them through the building. "And by voluntary, I do mean voluntary though, you do not have to take these classes by any means if you don't want to. Only if you want to remain breathing that is." She said with a clipped tone as they flowed the assistant.
They were also informed that like their old school there would be mandatory student versus student combat and missions outside of Bastion twice per week that they were expected to not only to complete but excel.
However, unlike Beacon, Bastion's arena fights went until one could no longer fight back and many fights often went to the death.
It was also said that you could attack another student in Bastion if you felt it justified enough, but if the fighting in any way interfered with school actives the aggressors would be punished severely for their actions.
Anything else was permitted long as it did not disrupt school activity or cause excess property damage anything was fair game including but not limited to murder, theft, assault, and harassment and anything else that you thought was reasonable was loo so long as it does not disrupt the school proper anything was perfectly acceptable... they just had to be careful.
After the tour, they were led to their room where Liz unlocked the door before giving the key to their leader as she turned to Jaune "Just so you know..."
She began before almost biting her tongue in annoyance. "I am technically the dean of this Academy so as is my job I am obligated to tell you that should you have any problems adjusting or acclimatizing to the school to please come and find me before you do anything rash."
Jaune was about to reply his thanks at her offer of assistance and the genuine sincerity he thought he heard from her. Then she spoke again.
"That being said!"
Her voice had suddenly reached demonic levels of intensity as a wave of sweat washed over Jaune's face as his clothes were instantly soaked with sweat as he spoke he swore with each line uttered the air temperature skyrocketed in degrees.
"If you ever come to my office with anything less than an absolutely vital situation, there will be severe consequences. If you come to me for help and someone is not currently dead or dying or on fire! I guarantee you by the end of it you will be."
She glared at them her hateful blood eyes regarded them each like they were slabs of meat on the rack. Jaunce flinched as her hateful stare hit him, Ruby trembled and whimpered under the gaze, Kage kept her glare but didn't make a move and Mika…
Mika just smiled and chirped not giving a damn about the tense atmosphere in front of her. "That said welcome to Bastion I do hope you enjoy your stay," Liz said before bidding them farewell and leaving them to their room.
The room was the polar opposite his back in Beacon. The walls were smooth windowless things were made out of that granite that the school was so fond of.
With four beds spread out evenly across the room, Jaune saw the room was lit by four torches hanging at even intervals across the room the low crackling of the light brought a strange sense of discomfort to the young man.
As he looked up the light did not seem natural, it almost seemed forced? Like the light was merely a passerby and the rooms pure rock insides seemed to want to return the room to the darkness it originated from before being mauled by the hands of humans.
The other factor and far more interesting one if he was, to be honest, was the nature of the room itself. From the door whose hinges were bolted from the inside that opened outwards to the sloped nature of the walls. That was perfectly smoothed down with a trace or blemish of the rough rock they had once been.
As he looked further he was the beds were arranged in such a way that they could each easily be used as cover to anyone behind them.
The very entrance to the room wreaked of defensive planning as it forced them into the room never really allowing more than four people the number of their team easy entry at any time.
The room also had some type of indentation on the floor that wasn't large enough to use as cover but made anyone running inside an unaware of the room very likely to trip and fall.
Besides this, there was also the scattering of furniture around the room making it glaringly obvious that it was poised to give the inhabitants a clear line of sight of any intruders as the door would be forcing anyone who came into the room into a wide open vantage point where they would be wide open and exposed to the defenders.
The room was a defender's wet dream. Perfectly designed for prolonged defense and lengthy attack. Jaune took note of this and dismissed it as food for thought we'll deal with that aspect of the room once I figure out a way out of here.
"Home sweet home," Kage said as they walked in their dorm room Were home! Mika said happily as she walked into their room before sprinting to a bed at the far corner I'll take this one! She said before Kage chuckled and took the one next to her.
"This isn't our home," Ruby said dejectedly as she crawled to the bed where Jaune had both his shield and sword. "I know Ruby it's not Jaune said as he comforted his friend.
" But we will go back to Beacon after this me and you will both go back home together!"
"And an Arc never goes back on their word." Ruby finished before flashing him a smile as she did. It can't get that much worse, can it? I mean we're stuck in a school full of murderers and sociopaths how can our day get any worse!?
"Cigarette?" Kage suddenly appeared in form of Jaune holding a white carton full of pale sticks up to him.
"Yes, please!" Mika said from the far side of the room before he tossed her a stick. She jumped from her bed as she deftly caught it shouting "Thanks!" Before returning to her bed. Kage smiled before he turned his brown eyes to Jaune.
"Want one? They're' Vacuoan slims." Kage asked enticingly holding up the box to his leader's pale face.
"No thanks, I'm good..." Jaune said never once being good at dealing with peer pressure but cigarettes were a road he did not want to go down.
As he politely refused his newest team member "suit yourself." Kage shrugged not put off in the slightest by Jaune's rejection of tobacco.
"What about you little red? You want to taste the dessert?"
"What?!" Ruby's face nearly turned the color of her cloak as she stared at the boy. "Little Red?! Do you mean me?" She asked tucking into Jaune's side.
"No, I, meant the other socially awkward girl in a red cape." He said with a slight grin making Ruby glare at him. " Seriously. Do you want a smoke?"
He asked again hold the carton to her. "I'll never take one of those"! Ruby said with stalwart defiance. "They taste disgusting!"
Kage laughed at this eating another of Ruby's infamous glares in the process. "Whatever you say, kid! But trust me after your first mission or pit fight you'll be begging me for some!"
"He's right you know! You should just take some now and get it over with! That way your body will get used to them when it's healthy and not when it's bleeding!" Mika added happily form her own bed in the far corner of the room
"And Just so you know! I will provide and of course give!" He said giving an exaggerated bow, "for I am a generous God!"
He said chuckling briefly before walking over to where Mika was sitting on her bed. Jaune watched in morbid curiosity as they huddled together before lighting their cigarettes using her flamers pilot light.
As the tow realized on the bad as two orange lights filled the room, the two leaned back as they blew puffs of some into the room.
"I won't smoke ever!" Ruby said adorably as Jaune rolled his eyes before sitting down on his bed he was exhausted.
The stress of the mission was still fresh in his bones, His body felt like w wave of cement was pushed into his body and his limbs felt like pools of jello.
He had definitely overexerted himself and would need hours of sleep before-"Jaune?"
Ruby asked from his side. As the girl sat on his bed.
"Ruby?" Jaune replied dumbly as the small girl clung to his body. Her small hands once again digging into his side like they did on the bullhead. He had forgotten she was even here! As the small girl clung tightly to him.
"What's wrong Ruby?" He asked in his most comforting voice possible. "Can I… Can I sleep with you tonight?"
Normally this request form the girl would have made his mind stop and his heart burst.
An amalgamation of emotions would have well up inside him, ranging from happiness that she trusted him so much as to let him share her bed.
Fear from what Yang would do when she figures out Ruby had actually slept with a boy. Concern as to why his friend would make such an offer.
And finally, if he was to be perfectly honest a small minuscule but still exists a trace of desire. Ruby was a cute girl and he was despite his good manners and respect for others a teenager with hormones and needs.
But in this situation, he only felt calm as he nodded his head, "that's ok Ruby." He said with a smile as he laid down in his bed before scooting over making room for the smaller girl.
"You can stay here for tonight."
"Thank you..."
She said in her tiny shy voice before climbing into the bed and tucking her small body into his squirming for a few moments as she tried to get herself comfy. Luckily these beds were probably the sole improvement over Beacon.
The bed's in Bastion where infinitely softer and fluffier than the ones back home and despite their situation, Jaune had to fight the notion to nod off into slumber.
As Ruby finally got situated she mumbled an incoherent string of noises that Jaune took for her saying "good night."
Jaune said smiling at the small amount of normalcy in this otherwise chaotic day he replied to her in kind. "Same to you Ruby," he said before rubbing her head gently "good night…."