Graduation from apprenticeship

"Haah... Standing here gives me a nostalgic feeling, I can clearly remember the first time I stood here 4 years ago."

After finally arriving in Mistral and disembarking the airship, Jaune has directly made his way towards the dojo to inform his teacher of his imminent departure. Meanwhile, Neo has been sent to his apartment in order to collect all the remaining items before they can move to their last destination.

That led him to being currently in front of the dojo's front door, 4 years ago he entered this place as an completely inexperienced kid that was full of potential and desperate to become more powerful, today he enters as the current strongest member of the dojo excluding his own teacher and a much more mature person.

With a confident stride, Jaune pushes open the entrance's door and makes his way inside the main hall. At that moment he feels the gaze of all students that were practicing inside turn to him simultaneously and the hall that was filled with sounds of many students discussing and sparring becomes completely silent.

But such a scene could not intimidate him 4 years ago when he was the youngest person on the room by far, much less now. Without sparring a glance at anyone, Jaune continues walking through the room, his eyes scanning his surroundings trying to find any trace of Ryu-Bang.

In the gazes of those disciples, you could see wonder, respect and surprise at his presence. The disciples on this main hall are the younger ones and most of them only know him by rumors and weren't around when he joined the dojo. Coupled with the fact that he doesn't have much communication with other disciples have created a mysterious and unapproachable feeling towards him.

The other students seeing this indifference, quickly retracted their gazes and turned their attention back to their own matters. Some quickly bowed and did a fist and palm salute before doing so, but Jaune was never the kind to fuss over such formalities so he didn't mind either way.

After scanning the whole room and seeing no signs of his teacher, he decided to move on to the inner courtyard, where the senior disciples reside to look for him.

Going through a sliding door, he moves through some corridors until he reaches the inner courtyard of the dojo. Unlike at the entrance which was a completely closed training room, this place was very open and had a very refreshing air with many plants being present, including a small lake.

In this courtyard there were dozens of disciple that were doing their daily training. The difference from the previous training room's disciples being, aside from their higher age, also their discipline and focus, as no meaningless chatter could be heard like in the other room which helped keep the harmonious atmosphere of the room.

But Jaune wasn't very interested in any of that, he once again directly ignored all the other disciples there and started searching for his teacher.

The other disciples quickly realized his arrival and all showed respect and reverence when looking at him. Unlike the other disciples, they know him much better and some of them were even around as junior disciples when he firstly entered the dojo and were directly beaten by him. So naturally, they're much more familiar with his presence.

After a few moments, Jaune sports a frown as he wasn't able to find Ryu-Bang here either, other disciples seeing that try to brake eye contact and avoid him in fear of being singled out by him when he's apparently on a bad mood.

But one brave disciple decides to aproach him anyway to enquire his purpose there, as the only direct disciple of the dojo he rarely goes to the inner courtyard and prefers to train on his own.

He's Cole, the first disciple he has beaten after entering the dojo. In the last four years he has gone from an outer disciple to an inner disciple, but the biggest change in him is without a doubt his personality, before he was an arrogant and kinda lazy disciple that was widely considered the weakest in the dojo at the time but after being beaten by Jaune he has become a much more dedicated and humble disciple, allowing him to catch up with his peers.

And among the inner disciples he's surprisingly the one who has the best relationship with Jaune, after being defeated he not only didn't hold a grudge but also started to admire him and take him as a goal, so every now and then he would seek Jaune to ask for guidance or just start a chat.

"Greetings brother, what brings you here today?" Cole asks in a very humble tone while performing a simple bow.

"Where is master Odachi?" Jaune wastes no time with pleasantries and goes directly to the point.

"He has retired himself to his private quarters, he asked for us not to disturb him but I guess you're an exception." He seeing Jaune's unwillingness to waste any time also decided to answer his question directly.

But as Jaune was making his way out of the courtyard, Cole asked a question to him this time. "Where's your companion? Doesn't the two of you always come to the dojo together?" His tone was a bit weary and he would glance at his surroundings from time to time.

Having already understood who he's referring to, Jaune responded dryly "I have come alone today." Before leaving the place altogether.

After hearing his response, many of the male disciples in the surroundings showed immense relief including Cole and they all then returned to their practice. Despite Neo not being the stronger disciple in the inner courtyard by a large margin due to her late start, she's easily the person that male disciples avoid fighting the most out of all others thanks to her infamous reputation and 'methods' used while fighting.

But alas, today there would be peace and tranquility on the dojo.

...

Inside an rustic and very frugal room, there could be seen an old man sitting on a mat in a meditative position.

He is Odachi, formerly known as Ryu-Bang and owner of the dojo. He has been looking for a successor to his own techniques and it came in the form of a boy called Jaune Arc.

So he has been eagerly imparting all his techniques onto him for the last years, but now he has been meditating to find a solution to a problem he has run into recently.

'What should I teach him now?'

Jaune has always been a student that picks up things fast, so he already predicted that he would learn all the techniques of the crushing fist would be learned very early.

But just as he has hypothesized before, Jaune is a student that picks things up much faster in practice than in lecture, so ever since he started taking his disciple in Grimm hunting expeditions a year ago his learning rate has simply exploded.

Things that took most students months would be comprehended by him in a couple of weeks and if he went to the field to put it in practice on a real fight then this time could be reduced to just a few days. Not to mention that he has already adapted, created or fused many of the techniques he's been taught.

So now he has been spinning his head in order to find something to teach his aprentice, but aside from honing the techniques that he already has imparted on him witch is something that Jaune has shown being capable of doing on his own he has truly nothing else to teach aside from a few other techniques that are not a part of the crushing fist.

But as he was feeling depressed over the idea of becoming obsolete, his very sharp senses allow him to hear someone's footsteps approaching.

"Judging by the sound intervals and the weight of every step, there's only one student in this dojo who can aproach with such light and perfectly coordinated steps." Ryu-Bang quietly mutters as he awaits for the person who is responsible for his current inner turmoil to arrive.

And just as he predicted, the footsteps eventually reached the door to his room.

*Knock* *Knock*

"Master, are you inside?" Comes a very familiar voice, confirming his previous deduction.

"Yes my aprentice, you may enter."

With a 'click' the door opens and his student makes his way inside, now that he could see his aprentice, he can't help but feel nostalgic and remember the first time they met.

At that time, Jaune was just reaching his waist in height and his body was very slim, that in addition to his baggy clothes didn't give him a particularly imposing figure. His temperament was calm for someone his age but he lacked the sharpness of a warrior.

Now he was already reaching his upper torso, his body became much more developed and his muscles are now much more developed thanks to the intensified weight training he's been doing in the last year, his presence was like a sword, unassuming when not in use or 'in its sheath' but very sharp when in battle or 'drawn'. But most importantly he's gone from someone who had much potential but little actual skill to someone that greatly surpasses his fellow disciples and still has a lot of untapped potential.

Jaune then made a quick bow and proceeded to kneel on the ground that way coming face-to-face with his teacher. The two of them stood in silence until Ryu-Bang finally broke this atmosphere by speaking the first words.

"So... Why have you come to visit me today? If I'm not mistaken today you should still be spending time with your family in your hometown."

Taking a breath, Jaune responds in a calm manner "I've come to show my gratitude, to thank you for giving me guidance for all these years, I'm truly indebted to you."

Hearing this, Ryu-Bangs expression doesn't soften but instead it becomes more solemn.

"So you must have also noticed." The master says without giving further explanation.

"What do you mean Master?" Jaune asked genuinely confused as to what his teacher meant.

"You Jaune, have already mastered all the forms of the crushing fist style that I've created and your current strength has already far surpassed the graduating standards of this dojo. You certainly still have much to grow and learn but someone as talented as you won't need my teachings going forward, my presence might instead hinder your growth, so your apprenticeship with me is inevitably going to come to an end." Master says, trying his best to hide the melancholy that is threatening to spill out.

"..." Hearing this, Jaune lowers his head and also shows some sadness at the prospect of ending their relationship as master and disciple.

"So... Is there anything else you want to informed me of?" He questions, trying to change the topic.

"Actually, yes I do. I'll be shortly going on a voyage to expand my horizons and move to the next step of my training, I've come to inform you of my absence in advance, I should be away for anywhere between two and six months."

"Oh? That sounds like a great idea, if not a bit reckless. Could you tell me the destination you've chosen?"

"I'll be heading for the deserts of Vacuo, there is where I've found while searching, rumors of a great swordmaster wandering the arid dunes that could serve as a way to improve my handling of weapons, that is currently inferior to my hand-to-hand skills." Jaune knows of a few people thanks to the show that could help him but unfortunately none of them are convenient for him to reach currently, so he had to find another person to help him.

"Hmmm..." Ryu-Bang starts humming in a thoughtful posture as he sees if he can identify who his disciple is speaking of solely based on the description.

And it doesn't take long before a certain figure pops up in his mind, that is at least the only person he knows that lives in Vacuo and is skilled enough to meet his disciple's criteria.

It's important to note that despite Jaune only having received the most basic sword form from his parents due to neither using swords and Ryu-Bang obviously not having any experience in the area as a dedicated barefisted fighter, Jaune is plenty skilled with a sword as demonstrated in his many Grimm hunting expeditions owning solely to his talent for copying other's forms and his own experience.

But to Jaune, who wants to acquire as much strength as possible, his current skill is far from being enough to satisfy himself. Not to mention that the person he's looking for might have many other skills that will be of use to him.

Noticing the change in his master's face, Jaune quickly realizes that his master might know the target, so he eagerly questions him to see if he can give any additional information, afterall the more he knows about his target the easier it will be to accomplish his objectives.

"Do you perhaps know of the person I'm looking for?"

"Yes, I've known a certain someone that fits that description on my time, but if I'm right then I have to warn you, becoming that person's disciple will not be easy."

"Why is that?" Jaune asked.

"I was already looking for a disciple when we first met, my sole purpose now is to pass on my techniques which I have done so successfully. But that person on the other hand has never shown any interest in taking an disciple and has been in hiding for much longer than me, it will be a great challenge to find that person and an even greater one to convince him to teach you anything."

Jaune remains silent and absorbs all the information that is being given to him, the comment of his teacher didn't really surprise him all that much as he already expected things to be more complicated based solely on the scarce information he had found.

First is that the 'wandering swordsman' is a complete loner as already hinted by its title, second is that he's even more recluse than master considering that he's been away from the public eye for much longer and thirdly is that he should be even stronger than master as Jaune was able to notice a faint respect and fear coming from master when he mentioned him despite his master's attempts to conceal it.

But that is far from enough to dissuade him, since he had an advantage over other people.

"It's not a big deal if I'm rejected by him, as long as I can observe him in action then I can copy and practice the exercises on my own, it will be significantly slower than being directly taught but it should be worth it."

Seeing that his disciple has already thought things through, Ryu-Bang no longer had doubts and he decided to just trust the arrangements of his pupil, Jaune is not someone that does things without putting thought so he can rest assured that he'll have no issues during this voyage.

"Is there anything else that you can tell me about him master?" Jaune asks, still looking to find out more about his target.

"Unfortunately no, that person is very mysterious and I didn't really have an in depth exchange with him, so aside from being able to confirm his skill with a sword and that he was indeed in Vacuo the last time I met him, I won't be able to provide you with more."

"No problem, that means I'll just have to inquire about it during the journey, what you told me is already good enough as before I didn't really have a way to confirm the information I found but now I'm much less worried."

"..."

"So... I guess this is an farewell for now, I will miss-"

"Hold there a second! I still have something to give you before you leave, open the first drawer on the cabinet to my right."

"-you..?" Jaune becomes momentarily surprised after being interrupted, but quickly does as he was told and swiftly gets up and walks to the cabinet mentioned.

Arriving in front of it, he notices a very old wooden cabinet that was completely covered in dust showing that it wasn't very much used, which is very weird considering that the rest of the room is spotlessly clean with this piece of furniture being the sole exception.

But he doesn't think too much and immediately opens the first drawer on the top before he curiously analyses what he finds within.

Inside this drawer was a few items as far as he could see: a robe that was neatly folded, long-sleeved undershirt, pants and a piece of inner wear that seemed to be made of metal scales were the first things he noticed, followed by a pair of thought leather boots and finally a pair of metal wrist protectors that extended to his fist.

Taking out the robe from within and unfolding it, reveals it and its amazing workmanship. The tissue was smooth to the touch but that didn't fool him as he could feel how durable the material actually was, in terms of aesthetics it was similar to the sparing robes he always uses but outfitted for real combat, the colors were also very in line with his taste being black the main colors and having many details embroidered in gold including a drawing on the back of a tiger and a western dragon that seemed ready to pounce on each other.

"Master, this is!?"

"A gift from me, you can see it as a reward for having finished your apprenticeship. This was the robes that I used in my huntsman years as my combat outfit. I commissioned it to be repaired and adjusted to your size a few weeks ago, I can guarantee its effectiveness."

"I-I don't know what to say..."

"Are you going to just keep staring at it? Head to the locker rooms so you can try it on."

"Yes, Master." After bowing briefly, Jaune picked up the remaining items and made his way out of the room.

Walking through the corridors in a hurry, he quickly arrives at the changing room and then starts taking of his clothes.

As he takes of his pants and shirt, his body comes to view and the many changes that have come after years of exercise become very obvious.

A couple of years ago, his body wasn't very muscular at first glance though still much more developed than normal, as he avoided doing any heavy musculature training in fear of affecting his developing body. But after his teacher confirmed that his body was already developed enough a year ago and with aura there was no risk of negatively affecting him, he started going all out on strength training and his body became much more muscular as a result.

But the most curious thing that taking off the clothes has revealed are the weights that are positioned on his wrists, ankles and waist. Those are a part of the muscle training that he has subjected himself to for the last year.

His training has been divided into two parts: active training, which is the one most people know like lifting heavy weights and doing intense exercises to strain the muscles and passive training, where this weights come in, in it he simply attaches weights to his limb that become heavier over time and he remains with them during the whole day.

It might not sound very impressive but having 20 kilos on your body all the time is quite taxing on your stamina, especially when you're doing the two types of training simultaneously.

Huntsman and those with aura have already a great advantage over normal people in gaining muscle mass thanks to their innate healing capabilities that allow for muscle fibers to be repaired and strengthened quickly.

Now take someone who has more aura, faster aura recovery, much stronger healing and guidance from a retired huntsman, than you get the reason why Jaune despite only being 10 years old, already has the strength to surpass most adult civilians even without using aura reinforcement after doing strength training for only a year.

His semblance might be sounding really convenient by this point, but it must be kept in mind that his semblance only allows him to exercise more often. During exercise you can't use aura since that would lessen the muscle strain and that means a less effective exercise, so aura is relegated solely to recovery duty, meaning that it was up to him to endure every second of grueling exercise in order to earn the body he has now.

After reflecting on all the progress he made so far, Jaune went back to what he was doing and quickly started putting on the new clothes.

First being the inner garments: the long-sleeved shirt and the pants that both possessed a high degree of comfort, then he put on the scaled armor that protected his torso, shoulders and almost down to his knees, before wearing the robe over it all. Then all that was left were the boots and bracers, with that finally completing the outfit.

A brief glance at the mirror shows a figure of a martial artist that he has seen in novels on his previous life, the entire outfit being colored black with golden details which he quite liked, unfortunately it didn't mesh very well with the White and golden sheathe of his weapon.

But he isn't someone that worries too much about aesthetics, so he first started to analyse its functionality, the first feature he could identify is its superb temperature control as despite him wearing three layers of clothing in the middle of the day he felt a refreshing cold while in the outfit and the other one is its toughness, that is beyond what you would expect from something so light.

Exiting the room, he starts making his way back to Ryu-Bang's quarters but as he was passing the inner courtyard where the disciples were training, he saw that his master had made his way there and was overseeing the training there.

Ryu-Bang quickly notices his aprentice's presence and halts his lesson before making his way towards Jaune.

As he aproached, he observed him from top to bottom before he finally said once he had arrived "It suits you well."

"It is a very good piece of clothing."

"..."

"..."

As the two faced one another, they came to a mutual understanding and no more words were necessary to convey their meaning.

Master and student made a palm and fist salute to each other.

From that day onwards, Jaune would no longer be just a student.

He would take his first steps as a warrior.