Cover Art by CHE3ZY.

Ok. Let me start by apologizing for not shooting an update with a reason for the delay. The last month has been a nightmare. I was drowning in both work and family issues. My mother was in the hospital which put my mentally ill sister on edge and I had to deal with all that. But the important thing is that we're getting the story back on track. As always, please be sure to leave your thoughts in the reviews section, be sure to like and share this fic, and please be sure to vote for your favorite OC in the poll on my profile. Without further delay here is chapter 27. Enjoy!

11 Years Before the Start of the Series:

"Good morning children," said the voice of Dr. Haze as she entered the classroom.

The children looked up and smiled as they saw the doctor enter. Seeing her brought smiles to most of their faces. Unlike their instructors or the general, she was always kind and caring towards them. She was the break they needed from their brutal training and her lessons were usually fun.

"Good morning, Doctor Haze," they replied in unison.

Cassandra smiled. The children had been here for just over seven months and their indoctrination was going well for the most part. Not all of the children adapted to the program the same, however. Some of the children were more rebellious than others, evidenced by their repeated escape attempts. Zero-Three-Eight was by far the most rebellious of them all. Cassandra recalled berating her on several occasions, but it seemed that no matter what she said the girl only became more eager to escape. Cassandra pushed the thought aside, though. It didn't matter. In the end, the children would shed their selfish desires and give themselves to the highest of purposes: to become Guardians, the swords and shields of humanity.

"Today's class will be a bit different," said Cassandra as she pulled up a chair and took a seat in front of the children who were likewise sitting in chairs.

"Tell me, children. What is your favorite fairytale?"

The children shared looks of slight confusion. Normally, the doctor had a very routine way of conducting the class. Their lessons covered reading and writing, history, math, and basic science among other subjects. They weren't expecting her to ask them such a question.

"Please," she said with a warm smile, "don't be shy."

A few moments of awkward silence passed before a tan-skinned fox faunus raised her hand.

"Zero-Two-Two," said Cassandra, "go ahead."

The faunus flinched at the mention of that number. She didn't like being called that. She had a name, or at least she thought she did. That's what she and the others told themselves constantly. Every day they were told that they were not individuals, they were not unique, and they were part of something greater. They were each the individual fingers of a hand. On their own, they were useless, nothing, but together they were everything. For them to become Guardians they had to rise above their basic humanity. They needed to shed what it meant to be human, and forgetting their names was the first step.

"I remember one about a girl in a tower," she said.

Cassandra internally grimaced at the mention of that fairytale; mainly because it centered around the witch that was actively trying to destroy them all.

"Very good," replied Dr. Haze, "who else would like to share?"

Another hand shot up.

"Yes, Zero-Nine-Nine," she said.

"The tale of the two brothers," said the human boy.

More children voiced their favorite fairytales. The tales included the Warrior in the Woods, the Hunter's Children, the Silver-Eyed Warriors, the Infinite Man, and even the White Witch in the Woods.

Dr. Haze merely smiled and nodded as she listened to them voice their favorite fairytales.

"Good, good," she said, "I'm happy that you're all familiar with these stories. I wanted to talk more about the tale of the Infinite Man. As you all know, the Infinite Man came to have many followers. Many of them banded together to form a group known as the Circle and its purpose was to protect the innocent from the Grimm. They mastered the use of semblances and aura to accomplish great feats of heroism."

The children listened carefully as she spoke.

"The Circle grew over the years, and despite their master being betrayed by one of their own, they continued to grow and flourish. One day, the Circle was all but destroyed. Its founding member was the only survivor. When the Infinite Man returned after being gone for many years, the woman had lost faith in him. She left and the Circle was no more."

Cassandra watched the children for a moment, noting their fascination with the story.

"Before I go any further, would you please recite the Guardian Creed?"

There were only a few seconds of hesitation before the children spoke in unison.

"I am a Guardian. I am a warrior. I have answered the call to serve.
I am a Guardian. My mission is to defend humanity, whatever the cost.
I am faithful to a proud heritage, a tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor.
I am a Guardian, defender against the forces of darkness, humanity's sword and shield, Its sentry and avenger. I will defend Remnant with my life.
I am a Guardian: Comrade, protector, soldier. I will never leave a fellow Guardian behind, I will never quit, And I will not fail."

Cassandra smiled again, clearly proud of her children.

"Excellent," she said, "I'm so proud of you all. Tell me, do any of you know where you can trace your proud heritage to? Or where your legacy of valor comes from?"

A hand shot up.

"Go ahead Zero-Zero-Six," she said.

"The soldiers of Atlas that came before us?" Asked the young boy.

Cassandra smiled at him, but she shook her head, indicating that he was incorrect.

"It's okay," she said, "it's time you learned from where you trace your heritage."

Many of the children leaned closer, eager to hear what she had to say. Without delay, Cassandra spoke.

"Have any of you heard of the tale of the Guardians?"

Present Day:

Beacon Academy:

A large and unnerving ship descended upon one of Beacon's landing pads. Two Bullheads sped over the students who were gathered outside to view the incoming ships. In the cloud-veiled center tower of Beacon, Ozpin and Glynda could be seen through the window of Ozpin's office. Glynda looked visibly irritated.

"James certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels."

"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man," Ozpin observed three more bullheads speed by the tower. "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore."

A chirping beep sounded repeatedly. The doors to the office slid open to reveal General James Ironwood as Professor Ozpin approached to greet him.

"Ozpin!"

"Hello, General."

"Please, drop the formalities." The two shook hands as Glynda also approached. "It's been too long."

James shifted his attention to Glynda. He shot her a confident smile even though internally his heart was racing. There she was. She was as beautiful as ever. It'd been a few years since he saw her. She made it a priority to avoid him whenever he and Ozpin met. It was clear she still held a grudge against him, and he couldn't blame her. He mentally took a breath before he addressed her.

"And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."

"Oh, James!" Glynda gave him a personable wave and then dropped all pleasantries. "I'll be outside." The beautiful assistant headmistress walked away.

James felt the sting of her words, but he forced himself to shake it off. He returned his attention to Ozpin.

"Well, she hasn't changed a bit," he said in a somber tone.

Ozpin moved to sit back down at his desk. "So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas so soon?" He picked up two mugs and a kettle, pouring as he spoke. "I wasn't expecting you for at least another month or so." He offered the cup to Ironwood, who took it gratefully.

The two clinked their mugs together.

"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year." Ironwood produced a canteen from his inside coat pocket and poured its contents into his mug. "Besides, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up."

"I can certainly appreciate the quality time between friends, however, a small fleet outside my window has me concerned."

James raised an eyebrow at that. He turned to look at the ships that came with him. The word 'fleet' was an exaggeration. His ship was escorted by only two cruisers and the supporting bullheads.

"I'd hardly call that a fleet," replied the general.

Ozpin took a drink and set down his mug. "We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this are just going to give off the wrong impression."

"This is not a show of power. My ship is always with an escort, but that's not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk about what my men found out about the White Fang. They're working with Salem, or at least her pawns. We know what Qrow said is true."

"And we will handle it tactfully, "replied Ozpin who emphasized his words as he held up an index finger. "It's the Vytal Festival. A time to celebrate unity and peace. So, I suggest that you not scare people by transporting soldiers halfway across the continent."

"I'm just being cautious."

"As am I. Which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can."

"Believe me, I am." Ironwood had four specific individuals in mind. The general turned and walked away. He stopped near the door and looked back at Ozpin. "But ask yourself this: Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?" He continued on his way to the exit.

"I hope they never have to."

Jaune was panting. The boy was drenched in sweat as he struggled to lift his sword into a defensive position. Pyrrha stood opposite him, observing him with worried eyes. Jaune was covered in bruises, small cuts, and scrapes. His aura had long been depleted, and yet he continued. Ever since that night at the scrapyard, Jaune had been at it nonstop. No one walked away from that night unscathed; not even Pyrrha, who was easily the strongest. They'd been humbled beyond recognition. Getting accepted to Beacon meant that they were skilled, but that fateful night two weeks ago made it clear that Beacon was nothing compared to the real world. In this case, the real world manifested itself as a masked assailant who effortlessly handled nine opponents at once.

It'd been a heavy blow to their pride. Blake had been more terrified than anything while Weiss and Jaune were simply angry. Both had been incapacitated and it left them feeling helpless. They'd all stepped up their training, but Jaune went to the extreme in his efforts to improve.

Jaune sought out Pyrrha and Jai more frequently to continue his training. Pyrrha eagerly helped him, and Jai was there when he was able. Pyrrha made sure to not influence Jaune's movements with her semblance again, though. Pyrrha never got around to telling Jaune the truth about how she had helped him through her semblance before. She felt that it was wise to not bring Jaune's confidence any lower after he suffered such a painful defeat at the hands of that masked assailant. She did, however, make good on her promise to not do it again, and in all honesty, Jaune didn't need that extra push anymore. His skills had grown considerably in the last two weeks. It'd been such a long time since Pyrrha had seen such dedication.

"I…I'm…ready," said Jaune as he panted heavily. He looked as though he were about to pass out.

Pyrrha observed him for a moment before she sheathed her weapon.

"Jaune," she said, "I think we should take a break."

Jaune moved to reply, but Pyrrha glared at him.

"Now," she said. She was done asking.

Jaune didn't need to be told twice.

Team PGRT maneuvered through the crowds of awestruck students, who were gathered outside to gaze up at the airships and the speeding Bullheads. PGRT paid the displays of military airpower no mind, having grown used to such displays back in Atlas, as they continued towards their destination. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the landing pads, General Ironwood stood waiting outside his airship. PGRT approached the head of the Atlesian military, the general looked on with a smile.

"It's good to see you all again."

"Likewise, General Ironwood," replied Rahm.

"Let's talk in my office." He turned to head inside the airship with team PGRT followed close behind. Inside the airship soldiers and robots were walking about, working to keep the ship in order. As they followed the general to his office, soldiers and robots moved out of the way and saluted General Ironwood. A soldier was standing guard outside the general's office and upon seeing General Ironwood, he opened the door for them. Ironwood nodded in gratitude as he passed the soldier. Team PGRT followed General Ironwood into the office, the soldier closing the door behind them.

"Please," said Ironwood, "have a seat."

"Thank you, sir," replied Terre.

"So, how have things been?"

"It was amazing sir! We made so many friends!"

The general nodded with an amused smile. "That's good to hear Penny," he said but soon his expression became a bit more serious. "What do you have to report?"

Penny looked away in embarrassment. Ironwood looked over to his three super soldiers and took note of their silence until Terre spoke up.

"Both Torchwick's and Taurus' trails have gone cold."

The general didn't look happy.

"What happened?"

This time it was Jai who spoke.

"We nearly captured a White Fang member who could have led us to either Torchwick or Taurus, but the intervention of teams RWBY and JNPR complicated the situation."

"Elaborate," said the general.

Rahm proceeded to tell the general the whole story. How Penny's deductions led them to Faline and how they tracked her, eliminated her comrades, and very nearly captured her but the intervention of teams RWBY and JNPR led to Faline escaping. The White Fang and Torchwick hadn't made a single move since that time. They were hiding for good reason.

The general took it all in. He was angry, but he didn't show it. What pained him most was that this whole thing was his fault. He gave them specific orders. They were to keep a low profile and protect Rose, Schnee, and Nikos at all costs. Their intervention conflicted with the standing orders. The boys had been placed in an unwinnable situation.

The general let out a tired sigh.

"Double your efforts into finding Torchwick and Taurus. I want them found. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," they replied in unison.

"Good," he said. "Keep me informed. That will be all. You're dismissed."

The four stood up from their chairs and saluted the general, who saluted in return. In an orderly fashion, they exited the general's office and made their way back to the main academy grounds. The general, however, kept his composure and began to inhale deeply through his nose. He held his breath for a few moments before he exhaled through his mouth. He repeated this process for several minutes to calm the rage he felt inside. Ozpin was still complacent, and his Guardians lost a valuable lead because of the restrictions he placed on them. It didn't matter, though. Sooner or later Torchwick or Taurus would be found and then they would find Salem's little pawn. James couldn't wait for the day when the witch was finally buried beneath the blood-soaked earth.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and PGRT were all seated in the library at different tables. RWBY was currently engaged in a strategy card game. At JNPR's table, Ren was reading a book that Nora was using as a pillow while she napped, and Jaune was reading a comic book until Pyrrha took it away and gave him an actual book to read. The red-haired Mistralian champion grinned as she began to read the comic book for herself. At PGRT's table, Penny was eagerly observing the game RWBY was playing, Rahm was reading the latest issue of his aerospace magazine, Jai was watching another piano tutorial video on his scroll with headphones on, and Terre was playing a handheld videogame that Ruby had lent him. Speaking of Ruby, the very girl was waiting patiently for her big sister to make her move.

"Hmm..." Yang looked over the battle map laid out on the table between herself and her younger sister, carefully checking the status and locations of their respective forces. "I think it's time for the Entente to blast you to smithereens, Ruby Rose!"

The younger sister clenched her fists and performed what might be interpreted as a scowl. "Never!" she said in an elevated voice. "The Forces of Grimm will eat you up before you get the chance! Starting with all your Dispersion Tanks!"

Resting on the map was a combination of plastic miniatures and hexagonal frames for holding a card upright. Each card had a visual depiction of a certain unit facing forward with statistics on the opposite side, effectively serving as a placeholder for a model. In Ruby's case, her forces were numerous assorted types of Grimm and her army was especially abundant with card frames for it.

Yang's smirk gradually widened as she stared into Ruby's eyes until the entire table took notice that she was about to do something sinister. "Well, chew on this."

She abruptly raised her fist grasped around an ordinary tape measure and pulled the tape outward with her other hand. She placed the tape measure next to a painted model of a fighter craft and extended the tape further outward towards a single card holder on Ruby's side of the board. Only then did her red-haired sibling realize the blonde's plan.

"I send my fighter here," Yang gently moved the model fighter forward as though it was a delicate work of art - which it was. "Within firing range of your Geist Artillery!"

Penny meanwhile was confused by the decision, Ruby had multiple units that would shoot at the aircraft in reaction to it moving, potentially shooting it down before it came close.

"And using one General Point, I activate the Never Exceed Speed power, which allows me to bypass all attempts to hit before I complete my shooting phase!"

"You wouldn't," Ruby gasped. Her tone sounded rhetorical to the robot girl, as though she already knew Yang was going to proceed anyway. "Not when you need an eight or higher to not have your ship explode!"

The beautiful blonde held up a ten-sided die between her outstretched fingers. "High stakes, high reward." She threw the single die into a small wooden box. "Roll to not have my Piranha Mk. II explode!"

The mention of the Piranha attracted Rahm's brief attention, recognizing the name of a historical proposed air-to-ground strike craft that never made it past the design phase. No second generation of the vessel could exist. It was ironic that he was reading up on the latest Atlesian military aircraft that were scheduled to hit the line. One of the new airships he was reading about was intended to replace the fleet's aging Alpha class of main battle airships. The new one that was to be brought online would be the first in the Titan class of airships. Upgraded avionics, faster, more armament, and better living conditions for the crew.

"I wonder what it's like to be stationed on one of those airships?" Rahm asked aloud to no one in particular.

Terre didn't look up from his video game. "Probably boring. You're pretty much confined to the ship when you're not in port on shore leave." Terre raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Rahm shrugged his shoulders. "Just happened to be reading up on the new airship for the fleet when Yang mentioned the Piranha. Wondered if there would be more to see on an airship than an airbase somewhere."

While Rahm and Terre conversed, Penny looked on at the game with eagerness.

Back at the table, Ruby's only hope to preserve her artillery was in her hand, a small collection of six-sided dice that represented her armor save. She threw them into the same wooden box.

Insufficient.

"Noo!" Ruby wept as she removed the defeated Geist artillery card holder from the map setting it aside a considerable line of defeated units. She pointed across the table to her sister. "Vengeance will be mine, Xiao-Long!"

"So... what happened?" Weiss asked as her partner's exaggerated theatrics of despair continued.

"Ruby currently has enough forces remaining to overwhelm Yang, however, they are not currently in formation for her to effectively use the Grimm's primary strength: Overwhelming numbers. If she attempts to rush her now, Yang's formidable yet expensive and fragile Dispersion Tanks would quickly eviscerate her Beowolves at the squad level. Much like how the majority of your Brotherhood irregular troops were in the first turn."

Weiss looked away, refusing to fall back into the same trauma Ruby must have been feeling, not this soon. Penny herself was caught by surprise at how swiftly the heiress was eliminated from the four-way battle. So many dice were thrown as each unit was singled out, wounded, killed, or spared from the onslaught all by random chance.

"An army based on asymmetric warfare should never be standing out in the open," Blake looked up from the rulebook, more interested in the artwork within.

Weiss furrowed her brow at the faunus and shot back. "Says the Republican Guard player that thinks she can just sit in the corner and shoot everything because she has the biggest guns but not the brains to aim."

Blake was second to be eliminated, as Penny noticed static defense and overwhelming firepower was indeed a specialty for her army. But as she defended herself from Ruby's hordes, she failed to stop Yang's commando unit from making short work of her distracted armored gun emplacements just by... getting close enough to touch them.

Assessing the battlefield, Ruby deemed that while achieving victory was still possible, it would be the result of a grinding battle of attrition that would only make her teammates sitting on each side of her wait even longer, which just wasn't fun. "I surrender. Good game, guys."

"What do you guys say we make this double or nothing next game? Two on two," Yang asked her team.

"We'll show you the Entente's day is done!" Weiss declared moving up next to her team partner and now game partner. She stood tall and with zeal. "The Brotherhood shall trample all who stand in its way and purify Remnant with the unlimited potential of Malignant Dust!"

It was a logical decision; she couldn't take revenge on Yang if she and her were on the same team. Blake was out of the question. Meanwhile, Ruby was demonstrably experienced in this game and would be an effective ally.

Blake rolled her eyes and closed the book already knowing she would be teaming with Yang despite the fact she was directly responsible for undermining her in the previous game. The blonde was more than willing to forgive herself for blowing them up. "Looks like we're fighting the same enemy, comrade Blake?"

The four members of RWBY had already begun clearing the table of the remaining units and were in the process of starting a new session. Penny had observed the whole thing and was enamored by the activity. "I thought the four factions you were playing are all hostile to each other. Why would they be fighting together?"

"That's the best part, Penny. It doesn't need to make sense because we're all here to have fun." Ruby replied. "We could all play the exact same army with the same strengths and weaknesses, and it would still go crazy."

The robotic girl jittered in excitement, a truly unpredictable game of strategy and tactics. It would be a perfect activity for her own team to partake in.

Jaune had approached the table to observe the new game and took the opportunity to move up to Weiss. Being a game with four maximum players, Penny had no space at RWBY's table to play without one of them vacating and she politely offered any potential opening to the handsome blonde boy as she moved over to her own team in the middle of their recreational activities.

"Would any of you like to play the same game that Team RWBY is playing?"

"No," came their unanimous answer.

"Please! It looks so much fun!"

Jai spoke up. "Then go play with them, Penny."

Penny put on a sad face, making sure her expression was visible for all three to see. Team RWBY already had a full game and she wanted to play with her brothers. They ignored her. Rahm continued to read his magazine. Rahm spoke to himself quietly as he read.

"All this hype for a prototype jet that was canceled three months ago."

Terre didn't even look up from the video game. Although Terre did his best to stay silent, the quick, little adjustments in his demeanor gave away that he was having a hard time with the game with just the slightest hint of frustration peeling through.

Jai looked at her briefly before returning to his video tutorial. He was busy memorizing the keys and the different notes.

Knowing she was defeated; Penny frowned and crossed her arms in a slight huff.

The sound of approaching footsteps garnered the attention of the Bad Batch, who looked up at the new arrivals. Sun and Neptune approached team RWBY's table. Team PGRT paid them little mind except for Penny, who smiled and waved at them. Neptune winked at Penny and gave a flirtatious smirk. Penny merely tilted her head at the gesture with a smile, seeing nothing unusual from it.

The three super soldiers observed Neptune's actions with suspicion.

Sun held up two fingers in a peace sign. "Sup losers

Ruby looked up and waved. "Hey Sun!"

Sun returned the wave. "Ruby, Yang, Blake... Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

Sun ignored her. "I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend."

Neptune looked on at the game RWBY was playing. "Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?"

Ren threw his arms up. "Thank you!"

Nora popped her head up. "Pancakes!"

Sun looked at Neptune with a disapproving look. "Shut up. Don't be a nerd."

Neptune shook a finger at Sun. "Geh, geh, geh, geh! Intellectual, okay? Thank you." He waved at everyone. "I'm Neptune."

Weiss smirked.

"So, Neptune, where are you from?"

"Haven." Neptune approached Weiss with a sort of swagger in his step. "And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel."

"Um, I'm Weiss."

Jaune threw his hands up in outrage as he observed how easily Neptune got Weiss' attention.

"Are you kidding me!?"

Neptune ignored Jaune's outburst. "Pleasure to meet you, Weiss."

Rahm observed the exchange between Neptune and Weiss with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't explain it, but for some reason, I don't like this guy," he said in a soft, mumbled voice.

His teammates said nothing. They merely continued to observe the exchange.

Sun looked over at Blake. "I never took you as the board game playing type."

Blake shoved Sun aside as she stood up from the table. "Right, well, I think I'm done playing actually. I'll see you guys later."

Nora shrugged. "Women."

Blake sat with her knees folded to her chest on her bed while she looked out the window. She winced as she heard voices echoing in her head. She thought back to the night at the scrap yard two weeks ago. The sounds of battle including slashes, grunts, gunfire, and the screams of those White Fang members who were slaughtered resonated through her mind. She still had nightmares about the brutality she witnessed. For the past week, the mysterious stranger appeared in her dreams. She would be running away but the stranger would always catch up to her, and before it could kill her, she would wake up. When she witnessed the mysterious attacker go to work against the White Fang, she couldn't help but be reminded of the carnage that the Harvesters left behind so many times. She would have been lying to herself if she said she didn't suspect that the attacker was a Harvester. It matched almost everything she knew about them. Did she truly witness a Harvester and live to talk about it?

Blake felt her body shiver.

It was strange, though. That monster was so quick to slaughter everyone except for Faline. It wanted her for some reason. When she stepped in to save her, it could have easily killed her too but it didn't. It told her to leave. The same thing happened when Ruby, Sun, Yang, Weiss, and the others arrived to help. It made an effort not to hurt them.

It didn't make sense to her. It could have easily killed them, but it chose not to. Why would it show restraint? She didn't know. All she knew was that the monster was still out there somewhere and that alone terrified her.

Terre's bishop took Jai's knight, putting his king in check.

"Check."

Penny and Rahm were observing the game from the side. Penny looked as though she was in intense concentration. Rahm noticed this and gently nudged her.

"Are you ok Penny?

"I am absolutely fine Rahm. Thank you. I am merely calculating the outcome of this match."

"Oh?" he asked, "What do your calculations say?"

"I calculate a 98.9 percent chance this match will end in a draw."

"That's a bold claim, Penny."

Penny merely smiled. Jai studied Terre's move in detail. He was formulating a strategy that thought a few steps ahead, but it was clear Terre was thinking the same thing. Jai moved his second knight in the path of Terre's bishop. Terre observed that taking the knight would put his bishop at risk of being taken by Jai's rook. Terre decided to move his queen back. Jai smiled at this. He moved his bishop across so that it blocked off the last remaining exit route for Terre's king. Terre blinked. He was out of legal moves. There was nothing he could do without putting his king into check. He looked up at Jai and nodded.

"Looks like we have a stalemate."

"It appears we do."

Rahm looked over at Penny with a raised eyebrow. "Lucky guess Penny."

Penny gave Rahm a cheeky smile before turning on her heel and skipping back to her bed. Rahm turned his attention to his two brothers.

"Remind me not to play with her."

Jai merely nodded.

Terre stood up from his seat and walked over to the window. He looked at the arriving students from the different academies. They had arrived for the lead-up to the Vytal Tournament.

"We need to be extra mindful of our surroundings now," he said as he continued to look out the window.

"You're referring to the new students. You think that if there are indeed undercover terrorist agents here, they'll be among the new students?" Rahm wasn't asking. He was stating it.

"Yes," Terre replied, "we all need to double our efforts and keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

Penny cocked her head to the side, clearly working out the numbers. "There will be more than one hundred students visiting for the tournament, Terre. The probability that we will be able to classify, let alone identify potential suspects among that group would be 0.3%, next to impossible."

Jai sat up as he picked up one of his rooks, twirling it in his fingers.

"Impossible's what we do, Penny. We have to make it happen."

Ruby ran out of her room and down the hallway.

"I'll be right back!" Ruby yelled as she made her way to the library. "Oo-oof! Oh, g-!" She had accidentally bumped into someone. She looked up. "Sorry. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." A dark-skinned girl with green hair offered her hand. "Just watch where you're going."

Ruby was slouched on the ground as she took Emerald's hand. Mercury stood beside her.

Ruby smiled sheepishly. "Oh, right, sorry. Um, I'm Ruby! Are you new?"

Emerald stepped aside to reveal a beautiful raven-haired, young woman. "Visiting from Haven, actually," said Cinder.

Emerald turned to look at her. Ruby stared for a moment and Cinder stared back.

"Ooh! You're here for the festival! But exchange students have their own dormitory."

Mercury spoke up. "I guess we just got turned around."

Ruby waved it off. "Hey, don't worry, it happens all the time."

Mercury and Emerald walked past Ruby. "Uh, your building is just east of here."

"Thanks," said Cinder. She walked past Ruby, gesturing in acknowledgment. "Maybe we'll see you around."

Ruby smiled. "Yeah, maybe! Oh, uh, and welcome to Beacon!"

Cinder grinned evilly and her eyes glowed menacingly as she walked away.

The Guardian Creed is a mix of both the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force creeds. It appears as though the Guardians have a legend/fairy tale to tie themselves to. Be sure to pay attention in future chapters as I'll drop hints here and there. Cinder has arrived at Beacon and has no idea that the boys are there. Some of you might catch the reference regarding the role playing strategy game that Team RWBY was playing. I won't say anything; I'll let you all figure it out. Jaune is stepping up his training; and not just him. Everyone is training harder after getting their asses handed to them by Terre. Looks like Pyrrha is still keeping the truth from Jaune. Will that have any unintended blowback? We'll have to see. See you all next time.

-Dude64