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In a barren waste beyond the safety of New Eridu, the roar of a motorcycle sang along the old, dusty roads. The rider was a young woman with long, desaturated green hair in a braid-ponytail hybrid. She was dressed in black leather dress / armor design, dark shorts, black thigh high socks with matching knee pads, off white boots, and a one-sleeved leather jacket that doubled as a cape. The off sleeve side had a cybernetic forearm coupled with a detached sleeve up to her bicep. A nice splash of red was matched with a necklace reading [KING] over her upper chest. A pair of star-like horns were clipped in her hair and peaking over her head. Her amber eyes were locked on the old road and arid lands around her. But more importantly, on the town that was growing larger on the horizon. Her name was Caesar King, and she was finally home.
Caesar ran her bike over to her gang's garage with her usual flourish. “I'm home!” She hopped off her bike and tossed her keys to a bowl with her name on it.
“Welcome back,” a tired voice responded. A short, petite framed blonde woman was waiting off to the side. Her heavy mechanic's pants and gloves were accented against her black crop top and shorts. She yawned as she seemed like she'd fall asleep at a moment's notice.
Caesar smiled seeing her, “Hey, Piper. Good to be back.” Caesar was always happy to see her teammates, her closest friends! But business was business, “Another successful run. As an aside, any change with our new guest?”
A week prior, before Caesar was pulled away on an emergency escort, they found a weird blond guy unconscious in the desert. They brought him back to town, but he was out cold the whole time before she left. Admittedly, it was kind of worrying.
Piper nodded lazily, “Yep. He finally woke up yesterday.”
“Great! What's his story?” Caesar chuckled a little, “Hopefully it's better than our last guest's.”
“He says his name is Jaune Arc. And he's got one heck of a story alright. He claims he's from a place called Remnant. I got the basics, and it sounds nothing like anywhere in our world.”
That raised Caesar's eyebrow. “Another world? Do you believe him?”
Piper shrugged, “I wouldn't have, but he showed me this Scroll thing he brought with him. A hardlight phone, ID, and health tracker all in one. With other features he doesn't use. It's nothing like anything in New Eridu or anywhere I've heard of. Not to mention that weird purple powder he has.”
“Purple powder? What for?”
“He called it Dust. Says it powers something in his shield.”
“Shield?” Ceasar thought back to when they found him. He didn't have a shield. Maybe he lost it? Ceasar started to walk out from the garage with her teammate. “Where is he now?”
“Burnice stopped by asking for help unloading a shipment for her bar. Lighter went with them to keep things under control.”
“That's good.” Caesar led them around, intending to go to the bar to check on them.
“Caesar!” A voice rang out for them. A woman with tan skin and dark hair ran up to them. Her dark jacket and ripped jeans were dirty from the arid winds of Blazewood. Blazewood's mayor, Kasa, ran up to them, panting as she seemed troubled, “thank goodness.”
Caesar could tell something happened, and it likely wasn't good. “What's going on?”
“Lower area,” Kasa tried to get a breath in as she spoke, “a gang from the south drove in. They're calling a challenge for you.”
Caesar was excited for a moment, but had to be serious right now. She was the acting Overlord of the Outer Ring. “I'll deal with this.”
The trio made their way down the wooden elevator and found exactly what Kasa was talking about. A group of young bikers were parked in a row outside the lower road, blocking off access. They all looked pretty pleased with themselves. But the important thing here was that Caesar didn't recognize any of them.
Caesar marched toward the group, trying to appear imposing. “What's going on here?”
“Paying our respects to the Overlord,” the leader's smirk suggested otherwise.
“Well, you can do that off the road.” Caesar crossed her arms in annoyance.
“Sure, sure.” The leader's smirk turned into a toothy grin, “ if there was a real Overlord here.”
Caesar's eyes narrowed.
“See, we're from pretty far out in the sticks, even more than this dump. And our gang is pretty small. We're all here.” He gestured one hand from side to side over his bike to motion to his team. “And we don't get much from the past Overlords. So, we decided to take a cut the hard way.” The gang leader hopped off his bike and made his way around to face Caesar with his arms crossed in mockery of her, “We're calling a Challenge of Conquest.”
Caesar let out a huff. A Challenge of Conquest was a duel meant to try to take something from a more powerful faction without risking all out war. It was also meant to be enforced by the Overlord. “And what do you want then?”
“The Vilza Trail. We want that run if we win.”
Caesar couldn't help but growl to herself. Vilza was a very useful run for them and paid very well given its complexity, or lack thereof. There was just one problem that made it risky enough for higher pay. “You know Vilza goes through a Hollow, right?”
“We can handle that just fine.”
Piper yawned, “I say just give it to them. They look like they'll give it up in a week and we can claim it back.”
Caesar shook her head. “If I'm going to be Overlord, I'm taking it seriously and we'll do this right.” She turned back to the gang, “Alright! I've recognized your term.”
The leader smirked, “cool. One more thing. As the weaker team, we get to set a condition.”
Piper raised an eyebrow, “was that always a thing?”
Caesar shrugged, “makes sense. As long as it's not too ridiculous.”
The leader nodded, “don't worry. It's simple. Instead of using champions like normal, we'll pick each other's fighters. We pick who fights for you and you pick who fights for us. Sound good?”
“Accepted.” Caesar said without a second thought. “Send in your strongest!”
Causing Piper to facepalm.
The leader chuckled, “Alright! You heard her, Bruno! Get in there!”
A tall, muscular bull Beast Thiren with pointed white horns stepped off his bike with a chuckle. He was easily six-and-a-half feet tall and built like a brick house in leather biker gear against his brown and white hide. He pulled a sledgehammer from a strap on his back and spun it in his hands, “Who am I gonna knock around?”
Caesar was about to move closer, but Piper stopped her. “They get to pick, remember?”
Caesar paused a moment before she remembered. Dang it! No, it's okay. Even if they pick Piper, she can handle herself.
The sound of an explosion caught them all off guard. Looking back to the upper level of the town, they saw a black plume of smoke rise into the air to the manic laughter of a familiar pyromaniac. Then they noticed a chuck of… something flying down toward them. It hit the ground, thankfully not hitting anyone with it. Then they noticed it was a person.
“Ow.” The blond they picked up out of the desert was now picking himself up off the ground. His gear had changed, likely thanks to Burnice. He now wore a Sons of Calydon branded, white leather jacket with a pair of gold epaulets on the shoulders. He had dark jeans and boots and his hair no longer spiked up like a bird crest.
The leader looked like he just won the lottery. “Him.”
“What?” Jaune's head was still spinning.
“Hold on a second!” Caesar had to nip that idea now. “He's not part of our crew, so he can't be selected.”
“The jacket says otherwise.” The leader smirked, daring her to challenge him. “Unless you're selling your symbols, he runs with you.”
Caesar thought for a moment. That wasn't unreasonable. But she shook her head to push the thoughts in her head around. “We found him in the desert and he needed new clothes. It's what we could make up at short notice.”
“Sounds like excuses to me.”
“Sorry,” Jaune walked over to Piper, being the one he recognized and asked, “What's going on?”
Piper lazily yawned before responding, “Our boss accidentally agreed to let them pick who gets to fight their bruiser over there for control of a good route. And they picked you because they don't want to risk fighting her.”
“Oh.” Jaune turned back over to Caesar, who looked frustrated by the situation, seemingly trying to find a way to handle this without putting him at risk. But Jaune just nodded, “Alright.”
This caught Caesar off guard, “What?” She turned to him with a confused expression,, “what do you mean?”
“You guys helped me. It's only fair that I help you, too.”
“That's the spirit!" The opposing leader cheered with a clap, “let's take this to an arena. No need to ruin a perfectly good street.”
Caesar nodded. “Good. We have an arena nearby, down by the station a mile south. The match can begin in ten minutes.”
The leader hopped back onto his bike, “See you there~” With that, his gang drove off down the road toward the station.
Caesar sighed, turning to Jaune, “sorry for letting you get pulled into that.”
“It's fine.” Jaune smiled, “Like I said, I owe you guys. I can at least try to help you keep your route.”
“Think you can handle it?”
Jaune let out a nervous chuckle, “I'll certainly do my best.”
\/
The arena was a scrapyard colosseum with seating using an old gas station as a base. It was ramshackle, but it was solidly built overall. Caesar was sitting in the forward seating, waiting for the event to begin.
“Calm down, boss.” To her side was a twintailed blonde with gear resembling a cross between a biker and a cheerleader. She was drinking from what looked like a small gas canister. “Jaune'll be fine.”
“Burnice is right.” To the other side of Caesar was Lighter, their strongest fighter and the gang's Champion. He dressed in his usual dark biker gear with his golden gauntlet over his right arm. “Though whether he wins is a different issue.”
“Awe come on, Lighter~” Burnice giggled, “He's stronger than he looks. He can handle this.”
“At least someone thinks so.” A young blonde woman in the most stereotypical female biker gear she could muster complete with spiked helmet. She had an air of nobility to her compared to the others, as should be expected for Luciana de Montefio. Though everyone refers to her as Lucy, wanting to separate herself from her old family. She had her arms crossed as she scrutinized the fighters. “The bull Thiren is a full head taller and definitely looks stronger. We'll just have to see.”
Burnice leaned back to face the last member behind them, “What do you think, Pulchra?”
A cat type beast Thiren with golden fur. Her white top was torn to show her midriff with denim shorts, similar to the others. She wore a mask over the lower half of her face at most times. She was also the newest member of the Sons of Calydon before Jaune's arrival. “I think he's got a good shot. The way his eyes shift around says it all. He's observant. Watching.”
“Another piece of prey?” Lucy called back to her, almost challenging their former enemy.
Pulchra, instead, shook her head. “Not even close. He might not be a predator animal, but he has the instincts of one.”
In the arena, Jaune was stretching his arms before taking hold of the hilt of his sword. He seemed to hesitate before unhooking the scabbard from his belt. With a click, the scabbard unfolded into a white kite shield with twin, golden crescent at the center.
“So that's where his shield was.” Piper was kind of impressed. Shifting weapons weren't too wild a concept, but most of them could be found in richer areas like New Eridu. Most of their weapons had gimmicks, but didn't change form that often.
“He hasn't drawn his sword,” Lighter pointed out.
Before anyone could say anything else, Kasa's voice rang out from the speakers. “ alright! The rules are as follows. This will be a last man standing fight. The first person to get laid out loses. Alternatively! The fight ends as first blood! No one dies today!”
“Excuse me!” Jaune called out with his hand raised. “By Laid Out, do you mean just knocked down or is there a count?”
Kasa paused a moment before considering. “ You have a five count once knocked down. ”
“Okay! Just making sure.”
Lucy started to snicker, “He reminds me of Caesar.”
This confused the leader in question, “what do you mean?”
“I can see it.” Burnice responded, “Good heart but with a leader, big picture thinking style.”
Caesar felt flattered, of course, but also curious to see someone like her. And how he handled something like this.
Back in the arena, Jaune took in a breath. He raised up shield and prepared as Kasa counted down. Once she shouted to start, the Bull-man ran up to him very quickly. Jaune was taken off guard for a moment but raised his shield in time to block an uppercut from Bruno's hammer. Jaune was sent flying backward, but slid upright on the ground. He grit his teeth and swung his body around as Bruno charged again. Jaune swung his shield downward and knocked the hammer away before Jaune slammed his fist into the Bull's gut. Bruno seemed willing to let it happen until the actual hit came. Bruno found his lungs being forcibly evacuated of air as he stumbled backward. Jaune, for his part, wasn't unaffected as he shook his hand in pain.
Piper let out an impressed whistle. “Winding a Bull Thiren with one punch. Impressive.”
Bruno grit his teeth as he finally got some wind back in his lungs. “Not bad, kid.” He swung his hammer up again, “Let's see if you can handle this!” He charged forward, intent on a big, overhead swing.
Caesar watched the scene, almost as if in slow motion. A heavy swing like that would be a bad idea to block. Especially with a shield. Best move would be to dodge it and counter.
But Jaune raised his shield up again. Caesar was ready to flinch at the incoming strike, only to notice the crescents on the shield start to glow purple. After a moment, a burst of energy shot out from Jaune's shield and sent Bruno and his hammer flying backward. Bruno's shoulders hit the ground and he skipped across the dirt once before his body fell limp.
Caesar was taken aback. Right. His shield had something that could be powered. That must be what that Dust stuff was for.
Bruno groaned as he started to pick himself up off the ground, only for Jaune to stand himself over the Bull with his shield held forward at the man on his back. The crescents were glowing purple, ready to fire again. Bruno sighed and let his head fall back to the ground. A count to five followed as Jaune was named the winner.
Burnice had a giant grin on her face as she turned to the others, “Told ya~!”
Lucy sighed. “So you did.” She looked back into the arena as Jaune folded his shield back into its scabbard form. “I have to admit, that was a smart move.”
Bruno grumbled about losing, starting to get himself off the ground. However, he was caught off guard to find his blond opponent reaching down to help him up. Bruno blinked a moment before chuckling. He took the hand, expecting to end up pulling the blond down. But, to his surprise, the blond pulled him up instead.
Bruno's leader sighed, “damn it. Another time, I guess.”
“You know,” Caesar had moved up next to him while the scene played out in the arena, “if the issue is that you need better routes, you could have just asked. As Overlord, even only in name, it's my job to make sure everyone in the Outer Ring can work. We can work out another route for your team to get some extra Dennies.”
The enemy leader let out a sigh. “Worth a shot, I guess.”
Caesar nodded and turned back to the arena. She watched as Jaune helped Bruno back to his feet. A good sport, too. Not bad.
\/
Caesar finished stamping out the list of routes with a stretch. It had been a month since the Challenge and the new routes were holding pretty well. She sighed as she stood from her chair and made for the door. Grabbing her jacket, she went outside to walk around Blazewood.
She couldn't help but smile as she watched the citizens go about there day. Things were going well over all. And she had to admit that was partially thanks to their newest member.
“Heads up!” Burnice shouted.
Caesar was fast enough to catch a canister of Nitro Fuel flying at her. Based on the size, it was the drink version Burnice liked rather than the actual fuel for vehicles.
Burnice ran up with her usual grin. “You looked like you needed a pick-me-up~”
Caesar chuckled and took a sip. She was surprised for a moment before turning back to Burnice. “New flavor?”
“Yep! Jaune helped me as a taste tester. He's got an iron stomach, so I could try so many new things!”
Caesar almost felt bad for him. “Where is he, anyway?”
Burnice's grin seemed to widen, “Oh~? Looking for your man?”
“My…” Caesar's face turned red. “We're not like that!”
“You have to admit, he's cute.”
Caesar pouted for a moment, turning her head away from Burnice before she had to admit the truth. “Kind of…”
“Especially now that his hair grew out. That last look was awful.”
Caesar turned back to her, “I thought it was alright.”
“It was like a half-assed pompadour. Like he thought the characters with them were cool, but knew the haircut was lame.”
Caesar would forever curse Burnice for pointing that out. She couldn't un-see it now. Caesar sighed, “Look, you have a point there. But that doesn't mean…”
“Just admit it, boss.” Burnice hopped about a bit, “Your fire burns brighter every time you see him. Just think about him.”
Caesar didn't want to, if only to try to get out of this. But it was hard not to when she was being pestered to. She thought back over the last month. He is handsome, that was undeniable. He was always trying to help others. He was smart in a way most of them weren't. He was wise and had lots of ‘domestic’ talents. Then there was that time she accidentally walked up on him when he was shirtless, showing off a warrior's toned muscles. She felt her cheeks heat up rather quickly as that reentered her mind.
“See?” Caesar almost forgot Burnice was here. The pyromaniac poked Caesar with her usual grin, “You're totally into him.”
“M-maybe…”
“Then you better get to it, boss. Cause last time Piper, Jaune, and I went to New Eridu, he drew some eyes from the city girls.”
Caesar blinked once before she took in what was said. “Did he seem interested in any of them?”
Burnice smirked, “Nope~ But that won't last forever.”
Caesar paused for a moment. This is just like in Miracle of Zin. The girl that can't admit her crush is doomed to lose him. Caesar took a breath before speaking again, “You're right.”
“Cool! About which part, exactly?”
“I should make my move. Life's too short not to shoot my shot!”
“Yeah!”
Caesar paused for a moment, “where is he anyway?”
“Last I saw, he was helping Kasa move some stuff for Cheesetopia.”
“Great! I'll catch you later!” Caesar ran off toward the restaurant with a wave back to her teammate.
Caesar ran up toward the restaurant and dodged the couple leaving it by swinging around them. She walked in to find Kasa finishing helping a customer. Kasa looked up to see her friend, “Hey, Caesar. Did you need something?”
“Hey, Kasa. I was hoping I could talk to Jaune for a second.”
Kasa smiled, “of course. He's taking a break around the corner.”
“Appreciated!” Caesar moved quickly back outside, choosing not to run this time. She made her way around the building and found her target sitting on a cement barrier. “Hey, Jaune. Got a second?”
“Hmm?” Jaune had been drinking from a Nitro Fuel container. Once he finished his sip, he smiled back to her. “Hey Caesar. Did you need something?”
Caesar thought to be rather forward and say ‘ you’ but she chose to be more reasonable. “Not necessarily. I was hoping to talk to you for a second.”
“Sure.” He shook his canister a bit before placing it next to him. “What's up?”
Take it slow.
…
No. I won't make the same mistake as those girls from the books.
Caesar took in a breath for a moment before locking her eyes on his. “I was wondering if you were free tonight.”
“Tonight?” Jaune thought for a moment, “I think I should be open.”
“Cool! Cool. So, follow up. I want to make it a date.”
That caused Jaune to pause, blinking once before responding. “Like… on a schedule or…”
“Romantic. I want to go on a date with you.”
“Oh.” Jaune seemed to take a minute to process before his cheeks turned red, “Really?”
“Really.” She suddenly realized what might be the issue and quickly added, “But we don't have to be in a relationship yet! I'm not saying you have to either! I'd like to date you but if you don't want to then it's okay!” She felt it best to explain this since she didn't want him to think she was abusing her power as Overlord or feel guilted into doing something he didn't want to.
Jaune nervously scratched his cheek, “I know. I know you well enough by now to know you wouldn't force something like that. I guess I'm just confused.”
That wasn't what she was expecting, “Confused?”
Jaune sighed before explaining, “I guess I just… don't think I'm…” or trying to. He let out an annoyed groan, “I don't know how to put it.”
“Does it have to do with your old home?”
Jaune looked down toward his feet, letting out a sigh, “yeah. It's a long story.”
Caesar sat next to him, “If you don't mind, I'd like to hear more about it.” They'd heard mostly basic details: locations, the Grimm, and some cultural stuff. But he hadn't spoken about himself or anyone close to him.
Jaune looked back to his container and quickly downed the rest of the Nitro Fuel. Once he was done, he let out a sigh, still not looking up from the container. “Okay.”
He let the floodgates open, speaking with a melancholy tone. He told his story. His desire to be a hero. Growing up in a family of heroes and feeling like he couldn't live up to them. His falsified transcripts to enter Beacon Academy, a school to train elite warriors called Huntsmen. His friends. Such a wonderful story.
Until it came crashing down. The Fall of Beacon. Losing his partner, who he learned loved him at the last second before she sacrificed herself. Their multi-continental march for answers. Learning how impossible their goals seemed in the face of magic and immortal, monster witches. His inability to save anyone around him long term. The shattering of his family's sword, a symbol of his hope to live up to their legacy. Having to end the suffering of one of his friends to keep that magic from the one who killed his partner, despite his want to save her.
Caesar couldn't hold it anymore. She quickly swung forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was shaking, his arms slowly wrapping in kind. His tears fell as she held him close, wanting nothing more than to help him. Her soul wept in kind for his suffering. “You're truly strong, to go through that and retain your good nature.”
Jaune let out a somber chuckle, “I don't feel strong.” He finally pulled away, wiping off the tears that remained.
“Well you are.” Caesar let her hand fall over his, pulling him to better look toward her. “Thank you for telling me. You're one of us, now. So if you ever need to vent or talk, we're here for you.”
Jaune let out a sigh with a light smile, “Thanks, Caesar. That means a lot.”
“Do you… wish you could go back?”
Jaune let out a sigh, “I don't know how I could. It's been a month, after all. I don't think there's a way back at this point.”
“That's not what I asked. If you could, would you?”
“I answered that.” Jaune looked back toward the town. “Obviously I miss Remnant and my friends. But I'm a Son of Calydon now. I don't know if I could go back and not feel the same way about you guys and Blazewood.”
A knocking sound pulled their attention to see Kasa standing at the corner, “Not to interrupt, but can I get some help? Lunch rush decided to roll in.”
“On my way.” Jaune stood up, pausing as he turned to Caesar, “Does 7 work for you?”
“What?” Caesar was confused for a moment before remembering why she sought him out in the first place. “Wait! You mean for a date? Right? Not the talking out thing?”
Jaune nodded, “yeah. I'd be an idiot not to accept a date from a beautiful girl like you.”
Caesar had been called many things. Beautiful wasn't usually one of them. Her cheeks turned red a bit as she smiled, standing up next to him. “I thought you said you were the dense type.”
“I had time to change. If you don't want to date me after all, just say so.” His smirk told her he was teasing her.
And her smile told him she knew it. “Not happening. Caesar King never backs down. I'll see you at 7 tonight.”
Both smiled before having to separate. Kasa needed help and Jaune was said help today. Caesar, meanwhile, celebrated successfully asking a guy out and, hopefully, the start of a new wonderful relationship.
Time will tell, she supposed.