In the darkness of a forgotten chamber in Beacon, a lone boy with long blond hair stood in the center of the room with a scroll pressed against his ear. He stared ahead of him with hard eyes, his posture stiff.

"…No, she suspects nothing. Everything is going according to plan," he answered. "The girl is still clueless about herself."

He listened for a while, his gaze never leaving a tiny spot on the wall. "Right. Understood… No, the students are being assigned their first missions today. The school will be mostly empty… After Cinder's near-failure last night, I'll be in charge tonight. You know I won't fall short… Yes, thank you. I'll send an update when it's finished."

Magnus lowered his scroll when he heard the call end and relaxed his posture. He rolled his shoulders and put the device back in his pocket just in time to hear a set of heels clicking behind him. He turned around to see Cinder approaching with a fire in her eyes—literally.

"You told her?" she demanded.

Magnus's steely expression returned. "Of course. After last night, we can't afford any more mistakes."

Cinder set her jaw. "This is my operation."

"You're right," the green-eyed boy replied. "That's why I'm taking control just for tonight."

"The mission was a success," Cinder countered. "That girl couldn't have beaten me."

"Maybe, but that girl almost got you caught by Ironwood, and the whole mission would've been a failure. That stupid masquerade mask wouldn't have protected you from anything," he told her. "You're just lucky she didn't recognize you, so how about we stop approaching her like we have been?" Magnus walked past her, leaving the half-Fall Maiden alone in the chamber.

Cinder glared at the back of Magnus's head, a ball of fire appearing in her open palm. She considered throwing it at him, but after a moment, she extinguished the flame and marched after him.

. . .

Sera was standing in the crowd of Beacon students in the crowded ballroom when she suddenly sneezed.

"Whoa," Yang smirked. "You know what they say about sneezing—it means someone's talking about you."

"That's a load of crap," the amnesiac wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

Weiss leaned in closer to whisper sharply, "If you get sick on the assignment, I'll—"

"Calm down, Ice Queen," she rolled her eyes. She'd gone back to the dorm room after her meeting to get dressed for their assignment. Now, she was wearing her violet tank top under a white coat and her white pants with the cuffs only partly tucked into her laced boots. Her silver Omega-pendant necklace hung from her neck, and she wore black rings on her middle finger and pinky on her right hand.

"Shh, it's starting!" Ruby whispered.

Sera hadn't really noticed before, but their team leader was wearing a Beacon backpack that was suspiciously lumpy. But before she could question it, she heard someone tapping on a microphone.

Everyone looked to the stage to see Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch looking over them.

"Today, we stand together—united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, and Vale. On this day eighty years ago, the largest recorded war in Remnant's history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war much more than where borders fell or who traded with who, but the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons; one of which being the destruction of art and self-expression. And as you are all aware, that was something that many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the most core aspects of art itself—color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only did they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it is a trend that has held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort, which why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it," the headmaster said in his usual demeanor. Then several screens on the walls of the room lit up to display writing too small to see from far away. Ozpin continued, "As first year students, you'll be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others will work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best." Then Ozpin left the microphone just before students began to clap their hands for the headmaster.

"This is perfect!" Ruby said excitedly. "All we have to do is shadow a huntsman working in the southeast!"

"Yeah, we'll follow them around in the day and ditch 'em at night!" Yang added.

"We might not have to," Sera murmured loud enough for only Blake's hyper-sensitive hearing for detect. The Faunus glanced at her, and she only winked in response.

"Let's see if there is one," Weiss approached one of the many screens. After a few moments of searching, they found one.

"There!" Ruby announced. She tapped on the mission name and keyed in her team name. Unfortunately, an error message popped up saying that the mission wasn't available for first-year students.

"Well, crap," Sera said. Ozpin was supposed to let them go on that assignment. Did he lie, or forget to make it available to them?

"What now?" Blake asked.

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby stated.

"That's definitely not going to work," Sera said.

"It totally could!" the team leader shot back. Sera rolled her eyes. Not at Ruby, just at the situation.

"Well, what do we have here?" Ozpin appeared at their side. "Unfortunately, we've decided that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first year students. It seems that particular region is popular," he eyed each of them, lingering on Sera for just a bit longer. "But I have a suspicion that you five will find yourselves there no matter what other mission you might choose. I still wonder how you happened to find yourselves at the docks last semester," he said with a hint of amusement.

"Uh…" Ruby trailed off, her eyes slowly drifting to the side.

Sera gave an expectant look at their headmaster, and he smirked back at her. "How about this? Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, we just bend them a little instead?" He tapped on the tablet in his hands, then the larger screen in front of them flashed with the word, "approved."

"We won't let you down," Ruby said. "Thanks, professor!"

The remaining girls of RWBY gave their thanks before heading towards the exit. Sera hung back, raising her eyebrow at Ozpin. "Couldn't resist putting on a show?"

Ozpin smirked. "You better hurry, your team is leaving without you."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, smirking to herself after she turned away from the headmaster.

"Sera," he said, and she stopped to look back. Ozpin seemed to have a worried expression on his face. "Do be careful out there, your friends might need to count on you."

She blinked. Count on her? Why? The others were stronger than she was. "Yes, sir," she said, then ran to catch up with RWBY.

They were outside by the time she reached them, with team JNPR talking to them in the courtyard. When they heard someone running up to them, the eight students turned around.

"Oh, hey Sera!" Nora waved.

The amnesiac came to a stop in front of them, panting slightly. "What's up, teams?"

"We were just talking about each of our assignments," Pyrrha answered. "You're doing yours with RWBY?"

"Oh," she said. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I meant to tell you guys sooner, but things got kind of crazy last night and I didn't get the chance. But I'll tell you everything later—promise."

"It's okay!" Jaune said. "Right, guys?"

"Of course!" Pyrrha said. Ren shrugged half-heartedly.

"Well, it is KIND disappointing. I mean, we all haven't gotten to go on any team exercises or missions!" Nora crossed her arms.

"Nora," Ren said.

The redhead turned to her crush and raised her arms into the air. "Still, though!"

Sera chuckled. "Guys, guys! I promise I'll make it up to you. We just have a thing we have to take care of."

"We'll hold you to that," Jaune grinned and held out his fist to the amnesiac, and she obliged to the fist bump.

"You better," the huntress said.

Then a familiar energetic voice rang out from the airship far behind them, "We're T-minus five minutes behind schedule, girls!" Ruby and the others flinched at the man's words.

Sera eyes widened. "Please tell me that wasn't fuckin' Oobleck."

"Six minutes, girls!" the professor called out.

"Oh, gods, we're shadowing Oobleck."

"It won't be that bad! We're going to save the world with Professor Oo-kay I realize how weird that sounds now," Ruby said.

"This is going to be… interesting," Blake muttered.

Weiss sighed. "Let's just get this over with." She turned and marched towards the airship.

"Uh, well bye!" Ruby told JNPR before running after Weiss. Yang and Blake waved their goodbyes, then left, too.

"Be careful out there!" Nora waved.

Sera exhaled sharply. "Well," she clapped her hands together. "Guess I'll be going, on this fun-packed mission to the depths of Grimm-infested lands with Doctor Oobleck leading the charge."

"Hm, hm," Nora put her finger to her chin. "Have fun!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "Just be safe and remember what you learned during our practice."

"Plus, this thing," Sera drew her shotgun.

"Yeah, whatever," the Spartan rolled her eyes again, making Sera grin. Pyrrha hated when she suggested she use the shotgun in place of a sword.

"I'll go now. Bye!" she waved, then took off to catch up with RWBY. Team JNPR watched her go, wishing they had a big adventure planned like they did. It was always like RWBY and Sera were at the center of all the action.

She made it just in time for the airship to take off, and Doctor Oobleck perked up a bit when she stepped onboard.

"Miss Calypso! So glad you could join us," he announced. The others were already sitting with their gear ready to go.

Sera made a show of bending over to bow, her hair nearly touching the floor of the airship. "Happy to make an entrance, Professor."

"Doctor," Oobleck corrected.

She shrugged and took the seat next to Blake. As if on cue, the airship blasted through the sky towards a mountain looming in the distance. Sera checked her gear while the ship soared, making sure her stuff was up to standard. She started to idly clean her shotgun with gun oil while the others chatted among themselves.

"Doctor Oobleck, are you sure you're up for this mission? What, with all the Grimm, and all. No offense or anything," Yang spoke up.

"None taken, Miss Xiao Long. I'll admit, I do consider myself more of an intellectual than a warrior, but I have had my fair share of tussles," the Professor said.

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked.

"Those are truffles," Blake said.

"Like the sprout?"

"Those are brussels," Yang answered.

"Besides, given my field of expertise and the depth of my knowledge in regards to the history of Vale and Remnant, I feel that it was fitting that I be assigned to this… assignment," Oobleck said.

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

Oobleck turned to the heiress. "Well, what a preposterous question, you silly girl! History is the very backbone of our society!"

"And…?" Sera asked, still wiping the barrel of her Boomstick with a rag.

"The southeast quadrant is covered in vast forests and deep caves, which are filled with more Grimm than you'd ever believe. But it is also home to one the kingdom's biggest failures," the Professor continued.

"Mountain Glenn," Ruby answered.

"That's right! It was supposed to be an expansion of Vale… but it got overrun by Grimm, and they had to cut it off from the rest of the city," Yang said.

"Correct," Oobleck nodded. "And now it stands abandoned, covered in Grimm and dangerous to anyone who enters."

Blake and Sera traded glances. "And the perfect place for a hideout."

Oobleck pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a sly grin on his face. "Precisely."

The airship slowed to a hover and began to descend to the ground. Sera looked out the window to see the ruined city around them. Collapsed buildings and piles of broken concrete were all she could see, apart from the sky above her. She thought to herself, if anyone wanted to have a hideout that no one could find, this would be the place.

She put her body holster on and adjusted her weapons so that they were comfortable on her back, then got to her feet to join her team in leaving the airship. They leaped from the open door, landing on the ground just a few feet below them. The airship took off immediately, leaving them in the ruined city.

The place was empty. Wind howled through the streets. If a pin dropped from a mile away, she'd hear it. As if to signify just how completely empty the abandoned city was, a tumbleweed rolled across the ground in front of them.

Oobleck took a long sip from his thermos. "You all may be first-year students at Beacon but as of right now this is your first official assignment as huntresses. From this moment forward, you all need to do exactly as I say. Is that clear?" he said, directing that last question in Sera's direction. Then he turned on the leader of the team. "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave your bag at school!"

"Well, you didn't say that we had to listen to you yet… So, I didn't," she shrugged.

"…She's not wrong," the professor looked to the side. "Fine, then! Leave it here, and we'll pick it up upon leaving."

"Uh, but—"

"Young lady, what could possibly be in that bag that's so important as to-?" Oobleck raised his voice. Then the head of Zwei popped out of her backpack and barked in the professor's direction. Sera blinked at them.

"…Get back in the bag," Ruby whispered to her family's pet.

"We are on a highly dangerous mission in the middle of Grimm-infested ruins, miles away from any sort of civilization or outside help, and you brought… a dog?" Oobleck asked calmly, yet sternly.

"Uh… Well, you see—" Ruby started.

"Brilliant!" The professor picked up Zwei and lifted him into the air. "Dogs are known for their superior sense of smell and hearing and can track a scent for miles! They are literally the best companion a huntsman could ask for on an assignment such as this!"

The five girls gaped at Oobleck while he ranted to the air. Then Ruby hooked a thumb at her own chest, extremely pleased with herself. "I'm a genius." The others facepalmed.

"Whatever, what's the plan here, Professor?" Sera asked.

"Doctor," Oobleck corrected, dropping Zwei to the ground. Fortunately, the corgi landed nimbly and barked. "Straight to the point! As you all know, the southeast has been marked with high Grimm activity, and we are tasked with clearing it out and finding out why they're here. There are many possibilities as to why so many Grimm could be here, one of which being… Grimm."

"Wait, what?" Weiss asked.

"Grimm. Or rather a creature of Grimm approximately fifty yards from our location," the professor replied.

"Wait, what?" Yang whirled around. Oobleck wasn't wrong—not too far away, a lone Beowolf was wandering through the ruined streets.

"Wait," Oobleck said before Ruby could fire a sniper round at the creature. "There could be any number of reasons a lone Beowolf would be roaming around. It could be scavenging for its pack or following any feelings of negativity that could be in this area."

"And where's the rest of the pack then?" Sera twisted one of the rings on her right hand.

"Who knows? There have been reports of lone Grimm staying days or weeks away from its pack to—and there's the whole pack," Oobleck said, then she turned back to see that a dozen more Beowolves had appeared in the street with that first Grimm. Then one of them sniffed in their direction, baring its fangs at the huntsman and huntresses. "And now they've seen us."

"What?" Weiss asked.

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" he repeated louder. The pack of Grimm ran at them, their large paws pounding the concrete while they bared their fangs and growled.

"What now?" Yang asked, her gauntlets transforming into their weapon form. The five students looked to their mentor expectantly, ready to leap into action.

Oobleck took a sip from his thermos. "Show me what you can do."

Sera grinned and drew Igni, twirling her sword in one hand while the others prepared their own weapons. "I've been itching for another fight," she said to no one in particular.

"Isn't existence alone enough of a battle for you?" Weiss said sarcastically.

"Ice Queen, I will—"

"Enough arguing, fight time!" Yang threw her arms forward to cock her gauntlets, then dashed forward to punch a Beowolf across the snout and sent it rocketing back at the speed of light. Blake leapt into action as well, throwing Gambol Shroud in a deadly arc while she held onto the end of its ribbon.

Ruby pulled the bolt on her sniper. "Cover your ears, Zwei!" The corgi puts his head down and covered his ears with his paws. Weiss rolled her eyes and raised Myrtenaster, its cylinder spinning to prepare Dust to launch. Ruby fired round after round at the incoming Grimm while Weiss launched herself at a group of them, dispelling a round of ice Dust from her sword.

Sera cracked her neck with one hand and jumped into the air, a grin on her face while she raised her large sword above her head. The huntress slammed into the ground, bringing Igneous Amethyst onto the skull of a Beowolf and killing it instantly. Then she kicked another to the side before cleaving it in two with ease. She had to admit, really the only Beowolves she'd actually fought were in Professor Port's class. Apart from that, the only Grimm she'd fought were during initiation in the Emerald Forest. During her time in Beacon, she's only gotten to spar against other students for fight criminals here and there.

She smacked another Beowolf to the side before decapitating it smoothly. Another one tried to pounce her from behind, but she heard it coming. Sera spun around, drawing her shotgun and blasting the Grimm's head off at point-blank range. A bit of black Grimm matter splattered her cheek, and she frowned.

"Ew," she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

She heard a growl from directly beside her and her eyes darted towards it. She tried to raise her weapon, but she knew she'd be too late—the Beowolf's claws were inches away. Then the creature was suddenly blown away, a fireball hitting it in the side with enough force and power to burn a hole in the beast.

"Keep your eyes open!" Weiss berated, an empty Dust cylinder ejecting from her rapier.

"Yeah, yeah!" the amnesiac replied, cursing herself for being careless. "Thanks, though!"

The heiress rolled her eyes, then sidestepped a Beowolf's attack before bringing the tip of her sword under its ribcage.

Sera holstered her shotgun and swung Igni into another Grimm, her frustration growing. There didn't seem to be too many of the creatures left in the clearing. She and the others were taking them out pretty quickly.

The purple-eyed girl cut another Beowolf down with relative ease, slicing it through its hindlegs before stabbing it in the chest. She flicked its black blood from the tip of her sword.

"Very good, ladies!" Oobleck said before taking a sip from his thermos.

Ruby shrugged. "Piece of cake."

"I wouldn't celebrate yet," the professor said. "There's still much to do in these ruins."

Sera sheathed her weapon and joined the others, earning a pointed look from Weiss. "What now?" she asked.

"Now, we explore. You five will guard me while I examine the ruins for any signs of irregularity," Oobleck replied.

"Uh, what?" Ruby scratched her head.

"We get to fight monsters while he searches for clues," Sera translated.

"Oh. Cool!"

"Very well put, Miss Calypso," the professor nodded. He strolled away from them and down the street, leaving the team of huntresses to follow. They shrugged at each other and went after the professor. Zwei barked excitedly and ran after them all.

Sera must've been looking pretty sour, because Ruby went to her side while they all walked.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked in a quieter tone than she usually took.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, why do you ask?" she looked over to the team leader. The others took notice of them talking but said nothing. Either they didn't care, or they were just curious as to what the two would talk about.

"It's just that I saw what happened back there with that Beowolf. I was about to shoot it, but Weiss got it faster. You've looked kinda upset since then," Ruby spoke carefully, as if she thought she might anger her friend.

"No, I'm okay," Sera said, her eyes on Oobleck's hat. "I just let my guard down and almost took a hit because of it. Guess I still have stuff to learn, you know?"

Ruby nodded in understanding. She opened her mouth to speak, but their senior huntsman spoke up instead.

"Fret not, Sera. Even the most senior huntsmen and huntresses make mistakes now and then. It's up to you to own up to those mistakes to ensure that they don't happen again. Isn't that right, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss nearly flinched upon hearing her name. She quickly recovered her wits and straightened her posture. "Absolutely. Only then can huntsmen truly become great and worthy of the title."

"Very good," the professor nodded.

Weiss lifted her chin slightly, clearly pleased with herself. Sera rolled her eyes. Even though the two of them came together to perform at the school's dance, they still butted heads. She was hoping that they'd overcome that. Wishful thinking, she thought to herself.

"Don't worry about it," Ruby told her purple-eyed friend. "We haven't fought Grimm in forever. You're probably just rusty."

"You're rusty," Sera grinned, then Ruby smirked back at her.

"Now, then," Oobleck said. They'd arrived at a particularly interesting, ruined building. "Here we are, ladies. I'll examine the inside of this building while you all keep watch and slay any nefarious Grimm that may come your way. Sound good? Excellent!" Then he zipped inside the building and left a trail of dust.

"I hope the whole mission isn't going to be like this," Yang crossed her arms.

"Like what?" Ruby asked.

"Boring," the blond replied,

"Oh, come on. We're just getting started!" Ruby said. Zwei barked as if to agree with the silver-eyed girl.

"She has a point," Blake said. "We're supposed to be looking for the White Fang, and instead we're following Oobleck around while he looks at rocks."

Sera was certain that the professor had the same goal as they did. He'd said as much on the airship the first time Blake mentioned a hideout in the area. "Precisely," he'd said.

"I think we should hear him out," Ruby said. "Doctor Oobleck knows what he's doing. He's a licensed huntsman!"

"I dunno," Weiss said. "He is a bit… eccentric."

"So?" Sera asked. "Ozpin put him in charge of this mission for a reason, so why not just do what Oobleck wants? Besides, we could use the experience anyway. We might learn something," she rolled her hand to try and emphasize her point.

"Yeah!" Ruby pointed at her. "We're on a big-girl mission, so let's start acting like it!"

"My gods, you're a child," Weiss exhaled.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Ruby shrieked, turning her pointing finger to Weiss.

Sera stifled a laugh. Ruby's antics never ceased to amuse her. Unfortunately, the sudden shouting drew the attention of more Grimm. Beowolves crawled out of several ruined buildings and howled, their red eyes glowing menacingly.

"Greaaat," Yang rolled her eyes.

"Come, on. We get to fight more stuff!" Ruby drew Crescent Rose, expanding into its full size.

"Beowolves get boring," Weiss agreed. The Grimm were closing in on them.

"I'd get ready, ladies. More are upon us," Oobleck said while nonchalantly picking through various pieces of debris. Then the huntresses leapt into action, lunging in five directions to destroy the Grimm.

Less than ten minutes later, a few dozen piles of smoking Beowolf carcasses surrounded them. Sera exhaled, sheathing her sword after cutting down the last Grimm. "Have you found anything, Doctor Oobleck?"

"Hmm," the professor examined a rock that seemed particularly interesting. Then he chucked it aside. "No, I think not. Come along!" Oobleck walked merrily down the street again, swinging his arms with thermos in hand.

"Ugh," Yang groaned, then followed after the huntsman. It went on like that for hours. They'd wander the ruined city until Professor Oobleck found something to look at while the others fought off the Grimm. It was always Beowolves, too. The city was crawling with the wolf-like Grimm. But the more they fought and followed Oobleck, the more tired they all got.

Sera sliced, kicked, fired her gun, and brought down Grimm after Grimm to the best of her ability. The five huntresses worked as a unit to bring them down, but eventually they started slowing down. Ruby didn't zip around with her semblance as often. Weiss's glyphs seemed to become less effective the more she used them. Blake's clone semblance barely even manifested, and the Faunus resorted to primarily using her gun. The only ones who didn't seem too affected were Yang and Sera. Sure, they were getting tired, but neither of them was slowing down too much.

At some point while they were fending off yet another wave of Beowolves, Professor Oobleck appeared at the sides of each huntress to ask them why they wanted to go into this profession. Weiss wanted to fix her family's legacy, Blake wanted to solve the same issues she's been aiming for since she was a child, and Yang was simply a thrill-seeker looking for the newest adventure.

Sera smoothly decapitated a lunging Beowolf when it was her turn. She flicked her sword to the ground to throw black blood from it.

"Tell me, Miss Calypso—" Oobleck said.

Sera jumped. "Jeez! Don't do that!" She turned around to look at the hyperactive man.

"Apologies," he stated. "Tell me, why do you want to become a huntress?"

"Uh…" she straightened herself. She had to think for a moment. The first thing that came to mind was that she wanted to know who she was, and that she was only at Beacon because that was her only option. "Well, to save people and—"

"Before you answer, I want you to know that I'm aware of your predicament and why you're at Beacon. Professor Ozpin saw fit to tell me after you requested to take on this assignment," Oobleck said.

She stiffened at his words. "Oh. Then… Apart from wanting to know my identity, I've come to truly want to be a huntress. I want to get stronger to protect the people I care about, and I want to help those who need it."

"I see," Oobleck nodded. "Very well." Then he zipped off towards Ruby, and Sera could only assume she was about to be asked the same question. However, that wasn't the case. Instead, he spoke a few words to her, then turned to the rest of them. "All right, I want you four to set up camp in that building while your team leader and I secure the area. Come along, Ruby." He pointed at a tall, mostly intact building to the right, then he and Ruby went in the opposite direction.

"Awesome," Sera sheathed her sword and clapped her hands together. She noticed that it was darker than she remembered, then looked to the sky to see the sun getting low. When did it get so late? "So, anyone up for telling scary stories?"