Chapter 2: Learning the ropes
John vs Legion: A Halo Tribute by JT Music
Calvin vs Asmodeus: Jurassic by Daddyphatsnaps
Havi vs Belphegore: Battle Cry by Peyton Perrish
Review Replies
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-Near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Jujutsu Private Academy of America-
In the surrounding area, a cryptid was skulking about as it eyed the perimeter intently. Specifically, it was a Rake, or Pale Crawler.
The creature skulked around the outskirts of the academy, as if checking out the place, seemingly curious about it–but immediately regretted doing so when it heard the sound of clicking heels could be heard coming from its left side, followed by an icy mist–causing it to face its would-be attacker.
It was Elsa, who looked less than pleased by the Cryptid's presence.
"I'd stop right there if I were you, Rake." She tsked, gripping the handle of her saber in case it tried anything. 'This is the second time this month, what is it with these things and poking their pinched faces where they don't belong?' She hissed mentally.
Fortunately, it seemed the lanky humanoid knew it wouldn't win a fight with her, so it just turned and ran off into the surrounding wilds.
"Delphine, is the perimeter breach secured?" John asked via comm.
"It was just a curious Rake. It's gone now, you can lower your guard." The principal told him.
"Understood." The man acknowledged while Elsa made her way back to the fort.
(Timeskip)
The following morning, Joshua let out a groan as he woke up in his new room, which was decently spacious. It had a bed that was big enough for him, a desk, a window and a bathroom.
"Well, that was decently okay sleep wise, though this military cot definitely isn't the best in the world." He sighed. "Maybe I should ask if we can get better beds." He mused.
As he exited his room though, he soon took notice of a box that laid in front of his door–and saw that similar boxes were in front of Havi and Calvin's as well.
Taking the box into his room, Joshua opened it, and saw that it was the uniform he ordered–which apparently was customizable, so it had personal touches of his own.
The American Jujutsu uniform actually took inspiration from the standard version of the normal American soldier uniform (Shirt, jacket, cargo pants, combat boots and a hat). Joshua's was composed of darker shades of green in a camo "Lord's Flannel" pattern, and the jacket actually had a modified collar that covered his mouth.
"This works." He nodded, changing into said uniform.
After that he headed outside and saw Calvin and Havi exiting their rooms in their uniforms.
Calvin's looked like a similar rendition to his own, but his seemed more like the uniforms he saw that were used by the Japan branch, it also had knee pads in the pants, elbow pads in the sleeves of the jacket–the sleeves also looked removable–built in shoulder pads, a brown hood, the boots looked steel toe, and the camo pattern seemed to have been modified to have the appearance of dinosaurs.
Havi's looked like it had some Norse inspiration. His shirt had Nordic runes on it, a mjolnir hammer rune and his pants had single rows of said runes on the sides of the legs. Additionally, it also had fur lining the shoulders, cuffs and the hood on the neck. Lastly, he had a belt where two axes resided.
"Well, you guys certainly went all out." Josh noted.
"You don't look too bad." Havi nodded, seeing the modifications to Joshua's uniform.
"Thanks." Joshua smiled.
"I'm certainly proud of how mine turned out." Calvin commented with a grin as he looked himself over.
"So, what do you guys think they'll have first for us?" Havi wondered as they walked together.
"Breakfast." Joshua and Calvin answered simultaneously. "Jinx!" They exclaimed again.
"... Wait, if this place is like a military academy, does that mean we'll have to eat MREs and the chef's famous 'watery eggs'?" The shorter bespectacled teen questioned.
"... Ah shit." Joshua groaned when he thought about it.
He really hoped they were spared that horrible diet since they weren't actual soldiers.
(Later)
When they got to the cafeteria to see what's what in terms of food selection, they were relieved to see that they had a reserved selection for them made of actual food. Looks like their tenure at JPAA had a bit of mercy to it.
"Okay, they know we're not actually enlisted. We'll live." Joshua muttered, not even hesitating to latch onto this small mercy.
"Let's see…" Calvin hummed as he looked around. "Waffles, Pancakes, French toast, pastries, cinnamon rolls, scones, danishes, donuts, ect." He noted. "Then there's bacon, sausage, ham, steak, eggs, potatoes in several forms, grits, oatmeal, cereal, milk and juices." He listed. "Alright, I can work with this." He nodded.
"Same." Havi nodded as he got a tray, plate and some utensils before going to get his food, Joshua and Calvin following suit.
As they sat down, they soon took notice of a few other students entering right after them.
They looked to be a couple years older than them in terms of age, meaning they were likely second years, and had on similar uniforms as well.
One of them was a redhead with hair that reached her neck, blue eyes and a few scars on her face. She looked like she had an athletic build, given that there were some notable muscles on her arms that were slightly visible under her uniform.
She had a decent figure, too. Her rack looked like it was a D-cup, and she had a slim waist and an equally gorgeous ass that was heart shaped. Her other assets (legs, thighs, etc.) complimented these two, along with her seemingly perfect bone structure.
Second was an older teen guy who looked like could have passed for a 17 year old, likely meaning he was.
He was tall, had silverish blonde hair, Brandy red eyes, and an angular face with an almost fox-like expression, he was also well built and had a scar going down his left side of his neck from his jaw.
His uniform seemed to be studded as well, as it had metal studs all over it and his shoes also had metal casings on the toes, and he had a handcannon on his hip that they couldn't see clearly, and a knife.
It was unknown (at present) what this meant, assuming there was a meaning.
Then came the third that made Joshua blink.
It was basically a more military colored version of the Warframe Nekros (the normal version, not Nekros Prime), which made him wonder if it was one of those cursed corpses he'd read about.
"Who're those guys?" He wondered.
"They have our uniform. Second years, maybe?" Havi offered.
"Maybe." Joshua nodded.
It was then that the three sat down across from them, with their own plates, save the automaton, causing the boys to look at them while eating their food.
"So, I take it you guys are the new first years?" The blonde guy asked.
"Yeah. Just showed up yesterday." Joshua nodded in reply.
"Well I'm Ace Spade, second year. My cursed technique is Gunslinger." The second year nodded.
"Meghan Asher, second year. My Cursed Technique is Succubus, a genetic cursed technique that runs in my family." The redhead replied in a thick Scottish accent.
"Nico Black, Cursed Technique Tenno. I also have a Heavenly Restriction that limits me to a wheelchair, hence the automaton." The Nekros frame stated.
"Joshua Landbrecht, first year. "My Cursed Technique is Resonance Manipulation and a few things I haven't tested yet." Joshua nodded back as he introduced himself.
"Calvin Kestis, first year. Cursed Technique: Prehistoric. I can basically use any number of abilities of different prehistoric creatures, even early humans, as well as create small domains of different time periods and in the case of my Domain Expansion, Extinction Events." Calvin continued.
"Wait, you already have your Domain Expansion?" Nico asked with a blink that went unseen.
"It was this lucky bastard's first thing he did to discover he can use Cursed Energy." Havi told the three second years, much to their shock and disbelief. "Name's Havi Magnus, by the way. First year like these two. My Cursed Technique is Valhalla, which allows me to use the weapons wielded throughout Norse Mythology and add my own Cursed Energy to them." He explained.
"I see." Meghan nodded.
"Anything in particular we should be aware of around here?" Joshua asked as he ate some bacon.
"Well for one, if you're wondering why you guys are so low on classmates, it's because of the inherent rarity of those with cursed energy." Nico replied.
"Second, is that originally there were going to be four of you, the fourth being a girl named Morgan Solo. But she left the academy about a month ago and has since become a Rogue Jujutsu Sorcerer." Ace added.
"Why'd she go rogue?" The tallest first year wondered.
"Honestly, we don't have a clue." Meghan shrugged. "It just sorta happened outta nowhere." She added.
"What was her Cursed Technique?" Calvin asked.
"Fallen Angel." Nico replied. "It gave her a similar genetic Cursed Technique similar to Meghan, but with raven wings. She could also cancel out negative energy around her with her own to make it positive and empower herself." He explained further.
"Normally in other countries like Japan, Rogue Sorcerers are typically executed on site to keep them from causing havoc." Meghan explained. "But, Morgan was a girl we knew well, and she's been keeping her nose clean. So if we do cross paths, our aim is to restrain and possibly retrieve, not kill." She added.
"Hoping to get some answers as to why she went Rogue?" Joshua guessed.
"Among other things." Ace nodded.
"That seems kinda harsh." Calvin stated.
"Word." Josh nodded.
"Agreed." Havi nodded.
They basically went about their breakfast without incident.
(Later)
After breakfast was done, the first year trio went to find John since he was assigned to be their instructor.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Josh asked.
"Simple. You'll each be heading to a different location across the country where cursed spirits have been reported. This is done to help gauge your power and skill levels." The man replied. "But first, I want each of you to attack one of those targets with your cursed techniques, to show me how they work, and how well you know them." He added.
They were on the track field and on it were three mannequins with bullseyes on them.
Presumably, these were their targets.
Deciding to get this over with, Havi went first. Looking at his target, he summoned Mjolnir–which took on an appearance similar to that from the God of War version–in a flash of lightning and threw it at the target. It was no surprise that it was trashed on impact.
He then snapped his fingers and seconds later it returned to his hand.
"Does that help?" He asked.
"It does." John nodded as he looked at Calvin. "You're next." He prompted.
"Alright." The boy nodded. "Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus, Woolly Mammoth, Sabertooth, Neandrathal." He listed as cursed energy images of the called upon creatures that appeared and then formed an aura around him–before his muscles bulked up, followed by his hands gaining claws and his teeth growing fangs.
"Oh boy…" Joshua groaned.
"What?" John questioned.
"I think I know what this exact combo is based on." He sighed.
"What?" Havi asked.
"Pickle." The taller teen replied.
Then Calvin blitzed forward and threw a punch that reduced the dummy to splinters on contact before he dismissed the combination he just used, reverting to normal.
"That's how pros do it." The shorter bespectacled boy boasted with a grin as he walked back to the others.
"You were just copying Baki." Josh heckled.
"Up yours." The boy snapped, flipping him off.
"Yeah, yeah." The taller teen dismissed easily as he looked at his dummy. "Keep your eyes on the dummy, boys." He told his audience as he raised his right index finger and channeled some Cursed Energy in it before swiping it to the side… Causing the dummy to fall apart in several sliced pieces from the gesture. "Still trying to figure out what else I'm capable of." He mused.
"Well, you all seem capable of the general basics. So, I'm going to send you with some of the school staff to the spots where you'll need to Exorcise a few curses." John told them. "First off, Calvin, you'll be heading to your old stomping grounds in New Orleans." He told the teen.
"Sweet." Calvin grinned.
"Second, Havi, you'll be heading to Minnesota." The man continued.
"Where in that state am I heading?" The Norse teen questioned.
"That'll be revealed on the way." John replied. "Josh, you'll be heading back to California." He told the taller teen.
"What kind of haunt am I crashing? Or will that be revealed on the way?" Joshua questioned.
"The latter." The man replied.
"Lovely." The tall teen grunted.
(Later)
After his students were sent on their way, John was now on the road to meet up with the head of JPAA's sister school the Jujutsu Private School of America or JPSA to discuss the setup for that year's exchange event.
"Jasper, stop here." The man told his driver as they reached an overpass.
"On it." Jasper nodded as he did exactly that.
As the car stopped, the former army ranger stepped out.
"Head on to our destination, I'll be there once I'm through." He told the man.
"Alright." The driver nodded as he drove off.
John stood there for a moment in silence, before he leapt to the side as a massive shape dropped from the sky and he nearly escaped getting cleaved in two by a large sword.
"I see." The man said as he skid on the ground. "Who are you, then?" He questioned, facing his attacker.
The attack in question was a Cursed Spirit, and judging by its power, it was Special Grade.
It was truly massive, eight, possibly ten feet tall at the shoulders, three feet taller than John, it had a head topped by two massive white horns, and was a hulking muscular figure–it's body clad in tattered, blood caked and rusting armor made of pieces of armors from every culture–and a helmet as black as pitch that seemed fused to its head. Lastly it had a long tail which seemed capable of knocking over the bridge they were on–and massive wings.
"I am Legion, Prince of Wrath. I am many, and I am mighty. Hear my words and despair." The curse snarled, pointing his crescent tipped sword at the man.
"I don't think I will." John retorted, channeling a bit of Cursed Energy. "Cursed Technique: Mjolnir Forge." He intoned as his cursed energy started shaping around him and started taking the form of an armor similar to Spartan Armor from Halo.
"Futile!" The Wrath-themed Curse snarled as he charged at the man, who met him halfway.
"Just who are you calling weak?" The man questioned as he caught the large blade and pushed it aside before decking the curse in the face–thus wrenching the blade from its claws–before tossing it aside and decking him again.
Legion tried to fight back with a swipe of his claws, but John just caught his hand and broke it, causing him to reel back while roaring in pain. After taking a moment to let his regeneration heal the damage, he charged at the Jujutsu Sorcerer with his horns poised to impale him, but the man caught him and flipped him in a 180-degree slam.
"Impossible." The beast growled before his body started heating up. "Wrathful Blaze!" He roared as fire erupted around them, engulfing John as well. "Burn and be turned to ash!" He snarled.
After a moment, the flames subsided, and Legion thought that was it so he turned and picked his sword up before he started walking off.
However…
"Did I say I was done yet?" John questioned rhetorically from the safety of a bubble shield, causing Legion to whirl around in shock.
"Impossible!" The Special Grade Curse yelled in disbelief.
"Do you even know what I'm capable of? Truly?" The American Jujutsu Sorcerer questioned as his bubble shield vanished.
"It matters not. I still have something to play." Legion snarled as he stabbed his blade into the ground and gripped the handle. "Domain Expansion." He intoned as a dome of visceral flesh, blood, carnage, mangled corpses and faces contorted in rage that was ablaze surrounded the man. "Bottomless Pit of the Wrathful Damned." He intoned.
John looked around at the hellish nightmare he was surrounded by, putting his iron will to the test. He had seen some pretty twisted Domain Expansions by Special Grade Curses before, but somehow, this one was one of the few to make the top twenty.
"Still feeling confident, mortal worm?" The beast snarled, taking his sword and getting ready to strike. "This is the domain of my making, my word here is law and sacrament. You will find no escape here." He added.
"Except I already know how to get out." John retorted as he pressed his fingertips against opposing hands. "Domain Expansion." He intoned, the hellish nightmare around him being replaced by a ring-like world. "Forge World." He finished as his Domain was laid out.
The two domains fought against each other as they pushed and prodded until the space was split down the middle with Legion's on one side and John's on the other.
"It's certainly been awhile." A female voice said as a green holographic woman with cricut patterns on her skin and purple hair styled in a bob cut appeared next to him. "How've you been John?" She asked.
"Got some new students of my own. Thanks for asking, Alice." The man replied.
Alice was a construct of his domain that was based on John's late wife, having her personality and memories but not being exactly the same. It was like a coping mechanism for him.
"I assume you'll want the usual?" She asked.
"You know it." The man nodded in reply.
"Construct firing." The woman nodded as several screens appeared, allowing John to pull out a gravity hammer, energy sword and an assault rifle, while above him a massive ship took shape.
"You will not win!" The demonic spirit exclaimed as he brandished his sword.
"Try me, bastard." John retorted as the ship finished forming before it took aim at the Wrathful Curse. The man charged forward, first attacking with his rifle, only to see that the bullets had no effect–prompting him to block a stream of hellfire–before he tossed his now scorched gun aside and started trading sword blows with the beast.
They darted all over the clashing Domains, John conjuring a grid platform everywhere he lept to. Legion was a formidable Curse, no buts about it, and it showed.
Swapping to his hammer he then leapt into the air as Legion took flight to meet him–and then brought the hammer down on his head, sending him crashing to the ground with a thud.
"Now!" He called as he landed on a platform.
The ship he had formed immediately fired one shot from its main gun at the Cursed being. It wasn't enough to kill him, but he was greatly wounded.
"Im…possible…" Legion groaned in pain, barely able to even speak as the domains dissipated.
"Seems pretty possible to me." John said as Alice conjured him a pistol. "Now hold still." He stated, taking aim…
Right before a giant maw opened from under the demon and swallowed him, causing him to disappear.
"Shit." The man cursed as he dispelled his armor and weapon. "Seems we've got a major problem." He sighed.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Calvin had just arrived in the Red Light district in between Bourbon Street and the French Quarter where he was informed that a Curse had set up shop.
"I don't know why, but I got a really bad feeling about this…" He muttered as he made his way through the district, provocative neon lights flashing amidst the rain and the sounds of music and erotic moaning.
"The Curse has set up shop primarily in a bar across from a brothel. No surprise given the proximity, honestly." The JPAA staff member that was with him stated.
"So, what? It's feeding off the pleasure around here? Seems counterproductive. Pleasure is positive, not negative." Cal mused.
"It could be some unknown factor we aren't seeing." The man mused as he stopped the car. "Here we are." He added as he turned off the engine.
"Well, time to work overtime." The boy sighed as he entered the building.
"Rise from darkness darker still, purify that which is impure." The staff member said as a dome surrounded the area in question.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, with Havi, he had just reached Minnesota and he already arrived where he was needed.
Specifically, the Minnesota Viking Stadium.
As he entered, he soon took notice of the fact that there was a miasma in the air, one that was heavy like lead and made him feel groggy just standing there.
"Ngh… What is this…?" He groaned, fighting the desire to just go to sleep for a few minutes… Maybe a couple of hours.
"Why do you try?" A tired sounding voice wondered, causing Havi to turn and see a large Cursed Spirit walking toward him.
He was hulking, and had some serious muscle on him with pale skin and black hair. As far as attire went, he had a harness on his torso, a pair of black pants and a bandana on his head. He also had a chain on his left wrist.
"So tired… Jujutsu Sorcerers are such a pain." He sighed, plopping down in a sitting position, seemingly not wanting to move.
"This guy is like laziness personified…" Havi muttered.
"Why bother moving? It is easier to rest." The Curse grunted.
"Who even are you?" The Norse teen questioned, swearing his eyelids were like lead.
"Belphegore… Prince of Sloth." The Curse said before letting out a loud yawn, falling to the ground on his back and snoring.
'I… gotta… beat him… but how… do I… stay… awake…?' Havi wondered, trying his hardest to stifle the outside force compelling him to sleep.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in Sacramento, Josh soon found himself at his destination: A local High School he'd pass by every so often–and it was now an absolute fucking warzone.
"Fuck, what kind of Curse caused this?" Joshua wondered as he surveyed the damage.
"I can give you a hint." A voice said, causing the boy to look up as he dodged a chair being hurled at him.
Up on the roof ledge was a girl around his age, who looked to be six four. She had fair skin, long black hair reaching her lower back, purple eyes, a voluptuous figure that was capped with a DD-cup rack, a peach shaped ass and a pair of gorgeous legs.
Attire wise, she wasn't wearing much of anything really–just a black, strap-like objects (resembling leather) around and under her breasts, a thong-like piece held around her hips by three thin straps, gloves that ran right up her arms with small lengths of chains hanging from them, shoulder guard-like objects on her shoulders with three large spikes sprouting from her right shoulder, and black thigh-high heeled boots.
Though what really caught the boy's attention was the wings she was sporting on her back–black wings.
"Morgan Solo, I presume?" Joshua questioned, narrowing his eyes at the Rogue Sorcerer.
"Wow, so the academy hasn't forgotten me, I'm touched." The girl scoffed, leaping down to meet him. "So, you know my name. You got one, handsome?" She asked, sashaying her way around him in a circle, as if sizing him up.
"Joshua Landbrecht." The boy replied, noticing a desk get thrown from the top floor of the school. "You said you knew what kind of Curse is in there?" He asked, trying to ignore that he was basically being checked out by this rogue girl.
"Her name is Leviathan, the Prince of Envy." She replied as she trailed her finger across his cheek to his chin. "She thrives on misery, so turning this school into a warzone is basically her favorite pastime." She added.
"A Cursed Spirit in the style of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Why am I not surprised…?" Joshua sighed. "Are you gonna try and kill me, or am I basically clear to try and drive her out?" He questioned as Morgan stopped in front of him.
"Fighting a Special Grade Curse alone? Fat chance of me letting you do that." She chuckled, looking into his eyes, which she absently thought could be compared to chocolate for some reason. "Even if I'm not with JPAA anymore, I can work with other Sorcerers to fight things on this level." She told him.
"Oh yeah? And what exactly do you propose as a mutual rate of exchange? Freelancers always have a price." The teen questioned, which caused the girl to chuckle, her breasts jiggling as she licked her lips at that.
"Maybe a date if you make it out of this alive." She purred rather seductively, causing Joshua to raise an eyebrow.
"A woman who doesn't waste time with that 'will I/won't I' bullshit. I respect that." He acknowledged with a nod. "I think I can squeeze in a bit of time with you after this." He nodded.
"Sounds good to me." Morgan purred before she kissed him on the cheek before strutting towards the school, conjuring a glaive out of feathers. "Follow me." She told him.
(Elsewhere)
Back in New Orleans, Cal was still trying to find the Cursed Spirit that he was supposed to go after, but was having more difficulty than he would've preferred.
"Man, I actually thought it would've been easy to find this Curse. Where the fuck is it?" He muttered to himself as he looked around the bar.
It was then that he heard the tell tale sounds of a girl struggling against someone–and that caused him to follow out of instinct.
He arrived in the backroom storage, where he saw a girl struggling against a man who's eyes were glowing a menacing red, while a figure watched from the corner–a figure that was what Calvin just knew had to be the Cursed Spirit he was looking for.
It was colored a mix of black, blue and pink. It had a thin neck topped with a serpent looking head with a thin tophat, the hair making it resemble a king cobra. It was wearing a dress suit with thigh high boots over purple pants and had three tails, one in black, pink and blue each.
Strangely enough, it looked like it jumped out of Hazbin Hotel.
The girl, meanwhile, looked to be around his height, with short red hair, freckles and seemed to be wearing a Navy inspired Jujutsu Academy uniform. She also had a petite figure, B-cup breasts with a lean frame contrasted with a pair of curvaceous legs and thighs with wide hips and a decent ass.
She reminded him of Meghan, oddly enough.
"Oi, fuckwit!" Calvin barked, getting the Curse's attention as the man it was seemingly influencing stopped assaulting the girl below him.
"And just who are you?" The Curse question.
"Pretty sure that's my line rooster face." The boy spat.
"Well, since you want to know…" The snake looking spirit hummed before bowing rather dramatically. "I am Amodeus, the Prince of Lust." He told him.
"... Now it makes sense." The teen groaned as he realized exactly why there was a curse in the Red Light district of all places.
With desire running rampant in this area, it was practically a metaphorical fertile garden for this obvious Special Grade Curse. Thriving here was so easy.
Deciding not to waste any time, Calvin tossed off his jacket, revealing the sleeveless hoodie underneath–and then started working his technique again.
"Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus, Woolly Mammoth, Sabertooth, Neandrathal." He intoned as his body changed again. "Cursed Technique: Prehistoric–Caveman Riot!" He roared as he charged at the Cursed Spirit.
"Oh dear!" Asmodeus yelped as he dodged the Caveman Sorcerer, who had left spiderweb cracks where he was standing a second ago.
Roaring, Cal turned on his heel and delivered a clawed punch to the demon's face with his entire body behind it–which sent the Prince of Lust crashing into the wall behind him, leaving him open to an overhead smash and barrage of attacks fueled by rage and primal instinct.
While this was happening, the girl that was being assailed managed to force the brainwashed man off of her and knock his lights out. She was ready to help Calvin, but when she saw how he was doing, she had a good feeling she wouldn't be needed.
Asmodeus was flung around like a rag doll by the boy as he sunk his teeth into the prince's arm–nearly ripping it clean off and instead tearing a large chunk of flesh and feathers from the creature's appendage, muscle and flesh that hung from the boy's mouth like meat in a predators maw as he growled at the curse.
"I know I'm losing a battle when I see it…! Exit stage left!" Asmodeus exclaimed as he vanished into a portal that appeared beneath him.
Calvin spat out the meat in his mouth and immediately started gagging as he finally regained his senses.
"Oh god, I went overboard, again." He shuddered.
"Well, eating cursed flesh will do that." The girl remarked. "Who are you, by the way?" She questioned.
"Calvin Kestis, Jujutsu Private Academy of America First Year." The boy replied, facing the girl. "And you are?" He asked.
"Lily O'Brien. Jujutsu Private School of America First Year." The girl replied, notably also with a Scottish accent that the boy somehow found very cute.
"W-Well, um, how'd you get caught up in all this? … I-If you're okay with answering, that is!" Calvin asked, amending himself at the end.
"Mission I was sent on led me here, I wasn't even aware it was a Special Grade I was trailing until the bastard was right on top of me." Lily huffed, before she winced and fell to the ground. "And what's worse, I think I twisted my ankle…" She whined.
Calvin, unable to ignore her plight due to being raised as a southern gentleman, picked her up bridal style.
"Don't worry. I got you." He told her as he carried her out of the bar.
"Oh!" Lily squeaked as he carried her away, her face burning a hot pink at this. "My hero~." She cooed, before she started peppering his face with kisses.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile in Minnesota, Havi was still struggling to stay awake against Belphegore, and it seemed as though that the harder he tried to stay awake, the stronger the miasma around him got—making him want to fall asleep even more.
Thinking that a burst of pain would help him, he conjured a spear and drove it through his abdomen—before he started to glow purple.
His hopes were founded when the pain was able to jolt him awake, but the miasma was still affecting him, so he needed to act quickly.
"Cursed Technique: Valhalla - Reversal: Pain of Odin." He intoned as he gained a surge of power and his wound healed itself seconds later as the spear changed shape into the spitting image of one from Mythology. "Cursed Technique Tool summon: Gungnir!" He added twirling his weapon.
"Why do you even bother?" The Sloth Curse groaned, yawning. "Why do you resist the desire to just sleep?" He questioned as he lumbered reluctantly to his feet.
"Because I have shit to do." The boy replied, charging at the curse with his spear in hand, before he swung and intentionally missed, allowing Belphegore to strike him in the left eye.
Roaring in pain—Havi then covered his eye with a patch before he glowed purple again.
"Technique Reversal: Pain of Odin. Earning of Sight!" He exclaimed as two ravens sprung from his jacket and started circling his opponent. "Find his weaknesses, Hunginn, Muninn." He told the two Shikigami.
The two ravens cawed in response as they flew around Belphegor, looking for anything that could be a weak spot.
That's when they found two: The small of his back and inside his mouth–where it seemed two access ways to his core or soul resided.
Then the two returned to their master with what they found.
"Hm… So that's it." Havi hummed, figuring out a strategy to deal with the Sloth Curse. "Then that's exactly where I'll strike!" The boy yelled as he charged forward, hurling his spear at the hulking figure, which was avoided with an arm raise–but allowed the teen to pole vault on his weapon to deliver a devastating Curse Energy imbued double kick to his ribs–causing Belphegor to stumble–leaving his back exposed.
Then he struck the small of the Cursed Spirit's back, dealing direct damage to his core. This made Belphegor gasp in pain when the damage registered, causing him to stagger forward.
"Pain…." The Sloth Prince groaned. "Retreat… For now…" He groaned before he disappeared into a pit of shadows.
"Tsk, coward." The viking teen spat as his stomach and eye healed completely, allowing him to get rid of his spear and familiars. "Better get back to the school…" He sighed, feeling the miasma disappear.
(Elsewhere)
Back in Sacramento, Joshua and Morgan were making their way through the high school, batting aside crazed students as they did. One even tried to grope the Fallen Angel themed Sorcerer… Joshua took exception to that and suplexed the dumbass.
"Well aren't you the chivalrous type." Morgan chuckled as she kept subduing students with the butt of her spear or simple close quarters attacks.
"I was raised to know how to treat a woman right. I know for a fact you wouldn't appreciate dumbasses trying to be forceful with you." Joshua grunted as he decked a jock in the face, knocking his lights out.
"Well, you're certainly right about that." Morgan hummed, swatting aside a cheer leader that tried to pounce on Joshua. "I can sense Leviathan's presence coming from the gym. We should head there." She told him.
"Alright, let's kick her ass." Joshua nodded as the two headed to the gym.
As they entered the school's gym, they didn't find any of the students, at least those fighting. However, they did find what looked to be a woman using several students who she hand stacked together as a makeshift throne.
She had paled blue skin, white hair, and a bone mask over her four eyed face. As far as attire went, she was wearing a purple dress and had nothing else aside from her mask.
"That's Leviathan, the Princess of Envy." Morgan told Joshua.
"She doesn't even look that hot." The boy remarked flatly. "She's like a four or five out of ten." He added, causing her to snicker in amusement.
"Kids, always with the pithy remarks." The woman scoffed in a French accent. "I envy you, you don't seem so cynical, unlike the rest of the kids I've met." She noted.
"That's because most of those kids are a bunch of little brats who think they know shit about the world." Joshua commented. "Then they find out there's more than what they're seeing, and it fucks up their heads." He added.
"Ain't that the truth." The raven winged girl hummed.
"Indeed." Leviathan agreed as she stood up from her throne of students, which collapsed in exhaustion. "However, all three of us know that you two did not come here for banter, so let's get straight to the point, shall we?" She offered.
"If you wanna die that badly, sure." Josh nodded as he swiped his finger to the side to cut her apart.
However, the most he was able to do is just leave gashes all over her body that went halfway, much to his surprise. After a moment or two, they all healed via regeneration.
"That usually kills anything I target." The boy comments.
"I can tell. You actually almost killed me with that." Leviathan told him with a groan as he popped her neck.
"Got any other tricks?" Morgan questioned.
"A few, I discovered them on the way over here." Josh nodded. "Think you can keep her busy while I figure out what to use?" He whispered.
"Easily." The freelance Sorcerer nodded before she flapped her wings and charged at Leviathan.
The Curse of Envy was quick to meet her, forming a sword and clashing with the feather glaive of her opponent. After a few seconds, they pushed away from each other, Envy going on the offensive while Morgan defended herself. Due to having a longer weapon, the raven winger freelancer was able to defend herself fairly well, but Leviathan was also fast and quick, which put a bit of pressure on her.
While they were fighting, Joshua was trying to figure out what attack to use next since his first one didn't quite go the way he hoped it would.
"Let's see, if my powers are based on the Witness and the powers of Darkness—what else can I do?" He muttered to himself, concentrating.
Then he began to trace his finger in an eight formation, causing shards of resonant energy to form around him.
"Hey, Leviathan!" Joshua called, causing the Envy Curse to pause her attack to look at him.
When she saw the shards orbiting the boy, her eyes went wide while Morgan took the chance to get out of the way.
"Sayonara!" The Resonance user barked as he waved his hand, sending the shards at the female curse and dealing severe damage to her as a result.
"Gah!" She gasped as she was shot back.
"And there's more!" He added before rushing at the female curse, grabbing a baton on the ground, and then whacking her with it a few times—before thrusting it forwards—causing geometric tendrils of black and yellow Resonance to shoot at her—slamming her into a wall.
"Ooh, that definitely hurt!" Morgan winced, but was still grinning at the damage the Curse had taken.
"Resonance Shard and Resonance Luster." The boy intoned as he got back into a fighting stance.
"Ugh… Okay, not bad for a mere child." Envy grunted as she got to her feet, her healing working on her wounds, but it looked slightly taxed. "Healing like this takes too much cursed energy. At this point, I'll run out." She muttered. "Let's continue this next time–if we're both still alive by then!" She called before performing a backflip dive and sinking into the floor as if it were water.
Now that they were alone, Joshua let out a sigh as he held his head.
"You alright?" Morgan asked as she dismissed her feather glaive.
"Yeah. Just not used to using Cursed Attacks in rapid succession like that." The boy groaned as he felt a headrush before it passed, allowing him to take a breath. "Okay, I'm good and Leviathan is gone. What now?" He wondered.
"Guess this is where we part ways." The Fallen angel girl replied.
"What, not gonna cash in on that date you wanted from me?" The Resonance user asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not now, no." Morgan replied. "Maybe another time." She mused as she walked off.
"Yeah, another time." The boy nodded, though he sounded disappointed.
(Timeskip)
"Four Special Grades appearing in rapid succession?" Elsa questioned as she read through the various reports she received. "This doesn't make any sense." She muttered.
"They were all named after four of the Seven Deadly Sins, to boot." John nodded, his students having returned two days ago and gave their reports on the incidents they dealt with. "Though Joshua running into Morgan on his end was unplanned, and he didn't do what he should've done when dealing with Rogue Sorcerers. In hindsight, this was probably better for him, since it increased his survival chances." He mused.
"She's still helping sorcerers rather than harming them. That's good at least." The woman nodded. "And what about Havi and Calvin? How are they holding up?" She asked.
"Havi's looking at beds like they're Cursed right now, something that likely has to do with his run-in with Belphegor." The soldier Sorcerer replied. "Calvin… He seems to be fine, for the most part. You'd think he'd have a bit of trauma from his first mission." He noted.
"The kid probably has a lot of coping mechanisms." The Principal shrugged. "The report says that Asmodeus was influencing a man to try and rape a student from our sister school–did he say anything about that off the record?" She asked. "Note that this is also off the record." She stated.
"He did say that the girl looked like a second year here. Meghan, I think it was." John replied, recalling Calvin mentioning something about that.
"That must mean he ran into her half sister, Lily." Elsa mused. "Alright. We can have Principal Ironwood send us her report to fill in any gaps." She nodded. "Though for now, best to leave it there." She added.
"Agreed." The blonde man nodded. "Also off the record, Joshua mentioned that Morgan wanting a date from him for her help in the fiasco in Sacramento." He added.
"Think he could convince her to come back to the academy?" She asked.
"Not sure if he'll have any luck, so let's cross our fingers and hope." John replied as he glanced out the window.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, back at the dorms…
"… Cal?" Joshua asked as he, Havi and Calvin were gathered in the common room with their Second Year friends, and the three boys were busy making Cayde-6's spicy ramen and gyoza.
Nico joined them in the flesh, revealing what he looked like.
He had caucasian skin, short black hair and blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. He was wearing a black button up shirt, a pair of black pants and black shoes.
"Yeah?" The bespectacled teen questioned as he worked on the gyoza.
"Why do you have lipstick all over your neck?" The taller teen asked, seeing a good number of pink lipstick markings all over the boy's neck and jawline that showed signs of being attempted to be covered up—which failed.
"Uh… Funny story about that." Calvin chuckled awkwardly, though he still focused on his work. "I ended up rescuing a girl I met on my mission and well… These and her phone number were the thanks I got." He admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Oh yeah? What was her name?" Havi questioned as he handled some gyoza related stuff.
"Uh… Lily." The teen replied, not mentioning a last name as he started putting the gyoza in a steamer basket.
"Her last name is…?" Joshua trailed off, expecting a bit more.
"She didn't say, and I wasn't about to pry after what happened." The Prehistoric Sorcerer responded.
"Okay, fair." The taller teen nodded in understanding. "Meanwhile, I had a run-in with Morgan when I was dealing with the Curse I was assigned." He added.
"Really? How was she?" Meghan called as the boys started working on the ramen in different stages.
"She threw a chair at me when we met, but other than that, she was willing to help out… In exchange for a date with me at a later time." Joshua called back with a blush.
"HA! Only did one mission and he's already got a girl asking him out!" Ace laughed.
"So did I, dumbass." Calvin called back as the ramen was nearing completion. "Alright, Gyozas are ready, eat these while they're streaming!" He called, setting the steam basket on the table with some sauce.
"Now that's what I like to hear!" Meghan grinned as she plucked one out of the basket and took a bite. "Mmm… Nice work, you three." She told the first years.
"Destiny official cookbook. Cayde-6's favorite recipes." Calvin grinned, holding up his copy. "And Havi's working on some S'mores bars and the Skyburner's Oath too." He added.
"Next time we'll probably do some stuff from the Halo cookbook and invite John." Josh nodded as he plated up the Ramen. "Order up!" He added.
"Wow, I never thought ramen could look as good as this!" Nico whistles as he looks at the ramen after Josh placed it in front of him.
"Heh. Just wait until you taste it." Cal nodded as he sat down and did a quick prayer—before proceeding to dig in.
When the second years did taste it, they swore their minds nearly had a meltdown from the flavor.
"... HOLY SHIT, THIS IS AMAZING!" Meghan yelled when her brain rebooted.
"Right? I swear, you can never go wrong with kimchi, gochujang and miso just in general—." Joshua nodded.
"But adding bacon to that in a ramen? That just adds to it!" Calvin nodded.
"I much prefer Nordic and Polish cuisine, but this is definitely not bad by any means." Havi nodded. "… Though it's a bit spicy for my taste." He admitted.
"The hot chocolate's good too. Spices and chocolate with toasted marshmallows. Really good." Ace nodded. "I have a copy of the cookbook myself but I just could never find the ingredients." He sighed.
"Let's see if we can find any for that." Joshua nodded, looking forward to some cooking time when he isn't exorcising Curses.
"If the food is this good, I think I'll want more from it." Meghan commented as she ate her ramen.
"There's more cookbooks out there too, so it's likely." Cal nodded, right as his phone rang. "Hang on." He said as he picked it up. "Hello? Oh hey Fate what's… Whaddya mean I'm in big trouble? You forget who's the big brother here?!" He snapped.
"Uh…" Nico said, feeling slightly awkward.
"It's his little brother Lafayette. My guess is they're arguing, again." Joshua sighed. "Oh, and he goes to our sister school." He added.
"Yeah, I saved a girl in New Orleans. What, am I supposed to call you every time I'm in town? I had to leave right after—WHAT?!" The bespectacled teen questioned before nearly dropping his phone. "She's whose little sister?!" He questioned.
"What's got him so startled now?" Joshua wondered.
"Sounds like this Lily girl was the little sister of someone they both know." Ace stated.
"Uh… Meghan? I got something you're gonna want to hear." Calvin told the second year with a gulp.
"What is it?" The girl questioned.
"I just got informed that the girl I saved—is apparently your sister." The boy replied.
"... As happy as I am that you saved my sister, I still need to do the usual big sister tradition." Meghan told him after a beat passed as she took a deep breath. "Start running." She ordered ominously
Calvin yelped and immediately booked it out of the room, and the second year redhead would have given chase had Joshua and Ace not held her back.
"Let's not make a scene, Meghan." Ace told her.
"Yeah." Nico nodded. "You know how Principal Delphine is about the whole "no fraternizing with the sister school" policy." He told her. "If both principals found out, they'd both be in some shit." He added.
"Why is that a thing?" Joshua questioned, not seeing the big deal.
"Dunno, but it only came into effect as of five years ago." The wheelchair bound boy replied.
"I have a theory that it has to do with when a third year intentionally threw a match at that year's exchange event because he didn't want to make his girlfriend's team lose, which led to our school losing that year." Ace stated.
"Seriously? This policy exists because of that?" Joshua groaned in exasperation. "I dunno who that was, but I have half a mind to cave their face in for stupidity. Now Cal's got a policy to worry about." He semi-ranted.
"What's the consequences of it anyway? I highly doubt they'd be dumb enough to expel the students involved?" Havi questioned.
"... We actually don't know." Meghan blinked when she paused to think it over. "There's been no occurrences of it, so we have no idea." She added.
"Ugh… This feels more like two people being bitter about what happened." The Resonance user deadpanned with a facepalm.
"Agreed." Havi nodded, a flat look on his face.
"Different topic. What about other schools? You guys do any exchange events with them?" Josh asked.
"We have tournaments and festivals." Ace replied as he and Josh let Meghan go. "We take turns hosting certain festivals every year, to increase variety." He added.
"I'm most excited about this year's international exchange event. It's going to take place in Tokyo at Jujutsu Tech." Nico nodded.
"I never really had much interest in what kind of festivals other countries have." Joshua mused. "Maybe I can let this spark some interest." He added.
"I have a friend there that I've been meaning to catch up with, I'm hoping to do that when we go there." Nico nodded.
"Oh yeah? Who?" Havi wondered.
"A guy named Mecha-Maru, he goes to the Kyoto school." He replied.
"He sounds like a robot, or cyborg, at best." Joshua noted, trying to envision what Nico's Japanese friend might look like.
"Actually he's a guy with a heavenly pact similar to mine." Nico corrected.
"Well, I better try and get a hold of my sister." Meghan sighed. "Night all." She told them.
"Night." The others nodded as they went their separate ways.
(Later)
After cleaning up dinner, Joshua was back in his room sitting at his desk. His mind kept drifting back to Morgan, the image of her purple eyes burned into his mind. He thought they were alluring,comparing them to polished gemstones. Then his mind wandered to her wings, and he found himself wanting to run his hands through the feathers.
'Oh fuck… I think I'm actually having a crush on her….' He thought, blushing as he put his face in his hands.
This was not good…
Dragon Emperor0: Hey guys. Second chapter is out now, why? Cuz we were bored and we were in the mood. Hopefully you guys like it.
ThermalsniperN7: Some of the main villains have shown up as well, and they are styled after the Seven Deadly Sins. There's more, but what's the fun of revealing them all here? Anyway, Joshua and Calvin have met the two girls who will be their significant others: Morgan Solo, a Fallen Angel themed Rogue/Freelance Sorcerer who will be shipped with Joshua (if you know who she's based on, then you know) and Lily, who is based on Lilith from Darkstalkers and will be shipped with Calvin.
Dragon Emperor0: Lilith was always adorable so I thought that since Meghan was here as a character inspired by Morrigan—we might as well bring in her sister. Additionally, you got small glimpses of what our characters can do, expect that to be the theme here until chapter 10, when we'll be having the exchange event between JPAA and JPSA, and then next is when they'll go to Japan—and boy is that gonna be a trip—literally.
ThermalsniperN7: I can only imagine Sukuna's reaction to the Domain Expansions of our boys. That'll be something. Anyway, see you guys next time.