Author's Note: I'll try to make it short.

I have many OCs, main or minor, throughout the story. While I tried to stick to Monty's rule for character naming, it eventually became tedious for such a short story. So, I apologize for names with no relations to colors.

Although I enjoyed Rooster Teeth's complex weaponry and magic use, I felt it would interfere with the story-telling. So, instead, I will use simple weapons. And, the magic, fueled by Dust, is more similar to sorcerer magic.

Thank you to Rooster Teeth for their wonderful work, to my friends for inspiring many of the characters, and to the readers for taking the time to read.

The bus drove its riders to a large warehouse at the edge of town. Sora felt his stomach turn to knots. Although his employer promised him a large sum of money for this job, the situation was suspicious. The neighboring buildings were all run-down, and the only signs of life in the area were occasional buses, such as the one Sora was riding in. Meeting his employer in an office building or any less eerie place would have comforted him.

Sora had never met his employer, but rumors said Mr. Ozpin was an eccentric oddball with questionable methods. On the other hand, he always paid his employees a fair price. In fact, all the past employees that Sora tracked down gave positive reports. Other than word of mouth, there was little information about the man. Only a few days earlier, an envelope arrived at Sora's home with a letter in rich green ink and a phone number on a business card. The letter was brief. It praised Sora for his top marks in combat school, offered a fee for a big job, and requested his answer via phone.

Fortunately for Sora, he had enough jobs that he didn't need to take on every offer. Initially, he was going to call the number and politely refuse, but he wasn't the only one who had received the letter. His sister Celeste, who had just graduated from combat school at the top of her class, received a letter, too. She never had a job offer before and was eager to start. Despite Sora's pleas to decline, Celeste called the employer and accepted. After some hesitation, Sora picked up the phone as well.

In the bus, Celeste sat far from Sora. He knew she didn't want him there, but he had no choice. This was her first job, and it was so shady.

The bus finally parked, and the driver directed the riders to the door of the warehouse. As soon as everyone was out, the bus driver drove off. Sora frowned. Their means of leaving was gone. The knots in his stomach twisted. He looked around for Celeste. There were a dozen people heading to the warehouse. Celeste was in the front. Of course, she would be. Sighing, Sora hurried after her.

"It's so dark in here," someone said, as they filed in the dimly lit warehouse, "Where is the light switch?"

"I think I found it," someone else said. There was a loud click, and the room illuminated. Except for bits of trash, the room was empty.

"Ah," a voice said, "I see you have just arrived. Come in." A man at the opposite side of the room appeared. He had gray hair, a black suit, and glasses. An emerald green scarf draped around his neck. As the others made their way over, he introduced himself, "My name is Dr. Ozpin. I have invited you here today to help me with a job. As you read in your letter, it will take approximately three weeks to complete. So, I hope everyone is prepared." He glanced at everyone's faces before continuing. "We will begin in 20 minutes. You may leave your belongings in the locker rooms behind me, and the bathrooms are down the hall." He pointed with a cane. From the way he walked, Sora could tell Dr. Ozpin didn't need the cane at all and decided it was only to boost his image of wealth.

Sora went to the locker rooms, where either entrance was labelled by gender. The lockers were huge. Sora had enough space to step inside, which, he suddenly realized, could work against him. He threw his duffle bag in and closed it. The locker asked for a code. He dialed in a set of numbers he could remember. Then, he removed his coat to straighten his chain mail shirt, strapped his twin swords on his belt, and checked his pockets for adequate amounts of Dust.

A large man lumbered passed him. Sora did a double-take. He was in full body armor, and he filled up the whole doorway as he left. Sora had been so concentrated on Celeste that he didn't even look at the people around him. Across from his own locker, a man wore a mask on his face and on the back of his head. At a glance, Sora couldn't tell which way he was facing, because his clothes were identical front and back. A few lockers away, there was an older man with crazy hair and a black suit and bowtie. Surely, he wasn't here for combat. Another man in a long black cloak chose a locker in the corner. Sitting on a bench, he polished a gem at the end of a large conjuring staff. He must be an expert dust-user, but he glared at everyone who came within an arm's length of him. He also glared at Sora for staring. Then, someone else entered the locker room, and Sora's jaw dropped.

He rushed over, yelling, "Nikola!"

The boy turned, "Sora?"

Nikola Planck was an old classmate of Sora. They graduated from combat school in the same year. He was a good student, but his combat was only decent. Sora quickly reminded himself not to make any initial judgments. He hadn't seen Nikola for more than a year. The boy could have greatly improved since graduation.

"How are you?" Sora asked.

"So-so," Nikola replied, "It's been a while since I got a good job like this. When I got the letter, I called Dr. Ozpin right away. How about you? How is Sora Sasaki, the master of magic?"

Sora laughed. It was the reputation he earned while at his old school. He excelled at using minimal dust to conjure advanced magic. That ability alone put him in the top ten of his class. Of course, Celeste had surpassed him by excelling at every subject and even graduating early. The thought of her reminded him why he was here.

"I'm doing alright. I have enough jobs to survive," he said.

"Really?" Nikola said incredulously, "I thought you'd have more jobs than you know what to do with."

Sora waved it off, "No. I don't have that many jobs."

"Listen. Did you hear about Dr. Ozpin? I heard he is going to pair us up into partners for the job. Do you want to be partners?"

"Oh… um…" Sora stammered, "Actually, my sister is here, and it's her first job. So, if we do separate into pairs, I'd hope to be her partner."

"Oh," Nikola said with a note of disappointment.

"I'm sorry. I-"

"No. That makes sense. Good luck on the job." Nikola smiled weakly and went to pick a locker. Feeling a prick of guilt, Sora picked up his coat and left the locker room.

When everyone had returned to the main room in the warehouse, Dr. Ozpin spoke again, "Before you begin your job, I want everyone to find a partner." Immediately, people moved around. The large armored man rushed over to a tiny girl with leather vest and shin guards. She smiled and took his arm enthusiastically. "Hold on," Dr. Ozpin said, "That's not what I meant. As humans, we prefer familiarity, what we know is safe. However, in life, that's not always something in our control. So, your partner will be random, or so to speak."

He walked to the middle of the room and pointed with his cane, "There are four exits in this room. I will choose which door you'll exit. Your task is to go all the way to the temple on the other side of the forest and come back. To ensure you make it to the temple, you must pick a relic sitting on the temple table. The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner, so don't think you can wait at the edge of the forest for your friend to come by. Be warned. The forest is filled with creatures of the Grimm. So, don't waste too much time either." He randomly picked three people for each exit. Sora cursed under his breath, because Celeste was placed on a different exit.

"When you return, dinner will be served," Dr. Ozpin announced, as he heard a grumble in somebody's stomach. "Are there any questions?"

At first, Sora wanted to ask if he could switch exits, but he didn't think Ozpin would agree. Then, he thought of another question.

"Dr. Ozpin," he said, "We've been here for 20 minutes, but you haven't told us what the job is. What exactly are we-"

"Alright then," Dr. Ozpin said, "Go!" he motioned the first person to leave. The person took off, apparently not interested in Sora's question.

"Dr. Ozpin, I want to know what our job is."

The man was too busy studying his watch. Then, he motioned for the next person to leave. Like the last person, she leapt out the door and ran. Maybe Dr. Ozpin was older than he looked and had trouble hearing. As he strode over to Sora's exit, Sora waited until he was close enough.

"Dr. Oz-"

"Go!"

The floor beneath Sora snapped up and threw him out the door. He had been so far from the other exits that he didn't realize the first two people had been forced out. He stumbled but caught his balance. Then, a huge shadow blanketed his. A Nevermore, a giant avian creature of the Grimm, soared behind him. Did Ozpin know a Nevermore was circling the building? Was it on purpose? Was he crazy? Sora glanced at the warehouse, but the door shut in anticipation for the next group. He had nowhere else but the forest.

He bolted, but the Nevermore dove for him at the same time. It closed distance at incredible speed. Behind him, he heard someone grunt as he or she fell out of their exit. He hoped that second person would distract the Nevermore, but it didn't. Its beak sprang open, and the space could easily fit Sora. In the last second, Sora heard the Nevermore shriek. Its beak nipped at his coat. Then, out of nowhere a gust of wind blew Sora off his feet, tumbling into the forest. The same wind blew the Nevermore into the trees, where it collided into branches and let out an ear-shattering scream.

Sora jumped up. In the distance, he saw a lady with a long skirt and enormous sleeves. Her stance told him she had cast that gust of wind. The Nevermore landed on the ground, snapping at Sora. He jumped out of the way, unsheathed one of his swords, and stabbed the bird's head. He took a deep breath and dislodged his sword. It was over. Despite Ozpin's words, he could wait for Celeste.

When he looked up again, the lady with the enormous sleeves disappeared. He stepped out of the forest to search for and thank her, but another enormous shadow covered the ground. It was a second Nevermore. It was too much of a coincidence to be true. Somehow, he felt it was all Ozpin's plan. As much as he wanted to go against it, there was no telling how many Nevermores that crazy man had. He would have to rely on luck and find Celeste in the forest. He turned and ran into the trees.