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Fighter Hunc — Description

There is no denying that the Alchemist arm of the Academy is responsible for the creation of the homunculi. Finding way to create artificial life from the fluids is one of their greatest achievements, yet the further evolution of these entities can not be attributed solely to them. Ever since they found ways to alter them, be it refining the process, adding different Humors or just sewing on new parts, nearly every arm of the Academy has had its turn working on the homunculi. That is why they are one of the faces of the Academy, and not just attributed to the Alchemists, for so many have worked on them and come up with different variations. Trying to make them more intelligent, more durable, more deadly. Refine them so that they can perform specialized jobs, or find ways to churn them out in even greater numbers to toss them on the battlefield. There has been so much work done with them, but that doesn't mean there isn't time for a little fun. Anyone should have seen it as an inevitability, that when you can create artificial juice bags that can be outfitted with all sorts of gadgets and weapons, folks are going to start pitting them against one another while tossing around bets.
The origins of it all can be traced back to the labs tasked with weaponizing the homunculi, finding ways to quickly, and efficiently, turn them into soldiers. They would graft on prosthetics, juice them with Humor cocktails and try to get them to understand things like "tactics" and "complex mechanisms." There was always a surplus of ideas and concepts, the researchers were giddy to try out new weapons or augmentations. But at the end of the day, whatever they achieved had to be measured against the strict bar of: is it cheaper, easier or more efficient than just handing a homunculus a sword? As silly a comparison as it may sound, it has wound up taking out countless ideas over the years. Plenty of concepts that sound cool in theory or show promising results in a handful of individuals, but wind up being too complex or expensive to properly integrate into the homunculus army as a whole. But that certainly doesn't stop them from trying!
While it may be a bit disappointing to continually be shot down, the researchers still lose themselves in the "what ifs" and "wouldn't this be cools?" And the best way to realize these random sketches and epiphanies is to toss a test hunc on the operating table and get to work. These individuals serve as tests of their ideas and a living proof of concept. One augmented model to show off, both to the approval board and other competing labs. This latter scenario is what wound up being built up more and more over time. Homunculus augmentation teams always loved to show up one another, busting out more complex and deadly designs to prove who is the best. Of course, when dealing with fleshy toys built for battle, eventually labs would demand one another to put their money where their mouth was and let their creations fight. These would be unofficial, after hours, brawls in the Academy's test pits, where the researchers set their test huncs loose on one another and bet on who would emerge victorious. While these were unsanctioned events that featured gambling, booze and very unprofessional behavior, there was something to be gained. A way to properly test their ideas in actual combat, to see if their augmentations stood up half as well as they believed. Huncs would do battle, ripping each other apart and spraying fluid everywhere, all while the drunken group of researchers cheered and booed from the side lines. And when all was done, the hungover teams would cart the remains back to their labs to try again.
Brutal and crude as these events were, they would quickly grow in popularity within the Academy. Other Alchemists would get word of these fights and come to watch the fun. And then other arms wound up getting themselves invited, which then amped up the competition. Other researchers would approach the various teams to offer their own ideas and handiwork, both to advance their own studies and to help ensure the hunc they bet on won the next brawl. These fighters started getting more complex and deadly, and the event itself would become bigger and more coordinated (just from the fact someone had to deal with the bigger crowds and fights). Word would eventually leak out into the outside world, resulting in potential investors wanting a seat and other curious folks wishing to buy a ticket. The second more money and interest started to pour in, the Archons had to get involved. The drunken pit fighting sure had an unsavory look to it, but only a fool wouldn't see the opportunity at hand. It would then be deemed necessary to bring these fights to the next level, to officially accept them and make the necessary adjustments to turn it into a proper event. The announcement would go out to all in the land, that the Academy was putting on a Battle of the Labs, an annual event of experimental carnage (the name was originally "Battle of the Huncs" but it wound up causing too much confusion and disappointment for certain crowds).
The Battle of the Labs would be held in an Academy owned arena, a huge test pit attached to a research hall that was used for trying out creations. For this event, it would be transformed into a gladiatorial arena, where spectators could come and watch test huncs from every lab duke it out to see who came out on top. It would be a proper tournament, with brackets drawn up every year to pit the different labs against one another. It originally started with just the homunculus augmentation labs, but soon other research halls and groups signed up with their own personalized huncs. These entities would be side projects through the year, each team designing and augmenting it in preparation for the coming tournament. Some would stick with tried and true methods, while others would swing big and test out experimental weaponry. Whenever the roster is revealed, one can see that no two huncs are alike, which makes for far more entertaining battles. This can be seen with how quickly the seats fill, making nearly every year a sold-out show. Its incredible rise in popularity has called for the event to grow bigger and bigger, now taking multiple days as more battles and shows are put on, as that means more opportunities for people to get tickets.
The tournament fights between the lab huncs are the stars of the show, but now there are events where experiments take on animals, constructs or even human fighters who signed up. More and more varied clashes have taken the stage, always switching things up to keep the audience thrilled. This spreading out of the tournament also helps out the labs with their huncs, giving them more time between rounds to patch up their fighter. In fact, such behind the scenes tinkering is built into the tournament, as the later rounds allow the labs a limited amount of time to fine tune or alter their designs in attempts to counter their next opponent. Of course, rules and limitations have slowly been put into place over the years, either to prevent boring fights or collateral damage. Obviously, pure Alkahest usage is out, and pretty much the other Godly Fluids are heavily restricted. The homunculi have to fight on their own, no controllers allowed or human intervention. Huncs have to be able to actually fight, you can't win just by making an indestructible block of bone that sits there the whole time. That has created the "Vote of the Voices" ruling, where battles rendered dull by cheap tactics and designs can be decided by the yells of the audience. In the event of such prolonged stalemates, the people choose the winner, and they typically go for the more entertaining combatant.
Such different tastes for combat has also led to extra awards being handed out during the tournament, where the people can vote for the most interesting designs, promising weapons and such. It should be noted that the "Hunk of Huncs" award (also known as the "Hear Me Out" award) is not an official award of the tournament and no one in the Academy is going to acknowledge that despite what the outsiders may whisper about behind the scenes. Someone else came up with that, and yes, it has unfortunately become quite the popular subject surrounding the tourney. This is all unofficial, the Academy does not sanction such....nonsense. Then again, they are called "huncs" so maybe the Academy is a little to blame for that.
Of course the main goal for any competing lab is to make it to the top, to have the last hunc standing. Those who can claim that prize get a trophy, a hefty cash reward and, most importantly, grants. Victory brings a nice boost to their research funds, and they typically gain a few investors along with it. Winning designs will be added to the Hall of Huncs (still a misleading name for some folk), with their visages immortalized through carving, painting and models. Some favorite designs of the past may even be made again by the tournament organization team to put into different shows, like where human warriors can pit themselves against the champs of old. People have gotten more involved in some of these fights, as it does offer good pay, which always brings in the desperate. This, of course, has greatly expanded into countless gambling rings and shady organizations that are interested in the action. While everything put on at the tournament is Academy run and cleared, that doesn't mean a few bribes haven't found their way into specific pockets, or that certain human entrants are always signing up with their own free will. Tis the nature of any such event, but thankfully, the Battle of the Labs remains a mostly solid and respectable show. Well, if you could call two augmented meat sacs pulverizing each other into paste "respectable."
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I mean, yeah, take a half and put it with another half and you get one, but I don't think that really applies to brains, doc. Well, you're the boss...HANS!