Previously on the World of Vastel…

Angel: Y-you think they keep everything near the bottom for everyone to reach.

Nathan: You know, you could just ask someone for help. Seraph and I could have helped too.

Seraph: After the way she refused my help? Yeah, I'm not fighting that losing battle…

Nathan: Must be a short girl thing.

Angel: I am not short!

And now…back to Emblem Academy.

Nathan: …Wow, nothing?

Jurabi: It's been almost four months and I still have no skit for this! I've sat on this chapter long enough so let me do this Nathan!

Emblem Arc Chp 5: Pretest (Part 1)

~~Emblem Academy (Saturday, August 6)~~

Today was the day for the pretest for the class of B-8. Almost everyone was present at the classroom except for a certain Grimm.

Jack was lightly tapping his foot, trying his best not to show his annoyance at how late Nathan was.

Aoife had already called everyone on her roll call except for Nathan. The absence of the Grimm puzzled her as she looked around and asked, "Has anyone seen Nathan?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Is he still in his room, perhaps?" Acacia asked, "It's odd for him to not be here for roll call."

"Maybe he's sick?" Dourado asked.

"Dourado, have you ever met a Grimm that got a tummy ache?" Seraph asked.

"No, but I sure would like to see one!" Dourado said happily.

That response got a little snicker out of Seraph before he said, "Th-that's not—haha…Oh, I can't even be mad at you."

"I'm starting to get worried," Angel said, her gaze towards the door hoping Nathan would walk in at any second, "You don't think something bad happened, do you?"

"Knowing Nathan, he's probably still stuck in his room tinkering with something," Jack said, still tapping his foot.

"Sorry for the tardiness, everyone," Nathan said as he entered the room, "I needed just a few more minutes before I left my room."

"Good morning, Nate-Nate~!" Aoife greeted.

"Professor, I thought I told you not to call me that," Nathan groaned.

In response, Aoife lightly tapped Nathan's head with her wand, Dust Malika, "And I thought I made it clear that I do not tolerate tardiness. As punishment, I'm going to call you that nickname for the entirety of next week!"

"What?!" Nathan shouted in disbelief as he heard his fellow classmates holding in their laughter.

"Speaking of tardiness, what was it that caused you to be so late?" Aoife asked.

"I was working on a new and improved Grimm armor," Nathan said, "I wouldn't have been able to finish if it hadn't been for my body no longer needing sleep to regain its energy."

"What?! A new armor?!" Lynae asked, "You've been working on that?!"

"And you can't sleep either?" Acacia asked.

Nathan shook his head, "It's strange, I know, but it's true. In any case, I managed to finish the armor for the pretest, if I am allowed to use it, of course."

"I'll have to speak with the director about that," Aoife said, "I am impressed that you build an armor in 72 hours."

"So…are we going to take the pre-test now?" Dourado asked, "Nervousness is killing me…"

"Yes, about the pretest," Aoife began as she took out a stack of papers and passed them out, "Before the pretest, it is an academy standard to take a pre-pretest test beforehand."

"A what, now?" Jack asked, tilting his head.

"A pre-pretest test," Aoife said with a smile.

"Just call it a pre-test, Professor…" Nathan thought to himself, shaking his head at how hard it is to take his professor seriously, "Regardless of what this is, I think this will have an effect on the actual pretest coming up."

"You all have one hour to complete the pretest," Aoife said, "Don't rush, take your time, and do your best. Remember that this will not affect your grade in the slightest. You may begin."

The students began their pretest and scanned the questions asked on the test papers.

The pretest was divided into four sections: Hunter Tactics, Grimm Biology, Weapon Knowledge, and Vastel History.

"Wow…I didn't think a simple pretest would have this many questions," Seraph thought to himself as he looked at the detailed questions, "But I don't think I'll have too much trouble. I'm more worried about Lynae and Nathan."

Angel looked over the pretest and didn't find many issues with it because she studied about hunters with her father when she was young, "Hm…daddy must have taken this test. Most of these questions are the same ones he used for my study," She thought to herself, "Although, it seems Vastel History might not have been his strong suit…"

Lynae, however, wouldn't stop scratching her head as she looked further into the test, "Oh boy…I should have focused more on studying this kind of stuff. I was way too busy trying to get the Underground Queen title…"

Nathan let out a sigh as he looked at his questions, "Not surprised that everything except weapons are unknown to me. Well, I'll have to make the best with what I can do."

One hour has passed.

"Okay, pencils down and hands under your desk," Aoife said as she walked around and gathered all the test papers. Once she finished, she took a look at the different expressions of her students. Just from that alone, she was able to discern who passed with flying colors and who didn't. She gave them a smile, "Good job doing your absolute best regardless of prior knowledge. I know this test was unlike anything some of you have experienced, but my goal by the end of the year is to have all of you pass this test with confidence."

"Really?" Acacia asked, "The test didn't feel as difficult as the professor is saying.

"That's good," Dourado thought, breathing a sigh of relief, "Because I might not have done well."

"That test wasn't easy," Jack thought, "Especially the stuff on Grimm biology part."

Guendolen remained silent, both in speaking and in her thoughts.

"I'll be going to grade all of these in my office," Aoife said, "Please remain here and behave until I come back."

After Aoife left the class room, Angel immediately bolted to Nathan's desk so fast that it surprised the Grimm to see her run up to him like that.

"Nathan! How did you do?! Huh?! Tell me! Tell me!" Angel shouted in anticipation.

"Ah!" Nathan shouted as he fell off his chair and the back of his head hit the desk behind him, "Ow…"

"Oh no, are you alright?" Angel asked.

"Aside from my head getting split opened, I'm absolutely peachy…" Nathan said sarcastically as he rubbed his head.

"Geez, Angel, you could have at least walked towards Nathan," Seraph said, moving to pick Nathan up.

"S-s-s-sorry!" Angel shouted, bowing in Nathan's direction.

"It's fine, Angel," Nathan said, sitting back on his seat.

"Someone sounds excited to know other people's grades," Lynae said walking in on the conversation.

"Um…yes," Angel said, shyly looking down at the ground.

"I understand that you want to see how we all did," Lynae said, "This pretest has to have had some purpose, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten it."

"That's true," Seraph said, "That test alone might have determined our teams."

"Yeah, there's usually a written portion of an exam and then the physical exam that tests a person's capabilities as a hunter," Nathan said, "So there's a chance that the teams will be put together to take that very physical pretest."

"Oooh, if so then I really want to be with you guys," Angel said as her breathing became faster, "The idea of not being on the same team as all of you is…well…"

"Heartbreaking?" Lynae asked.

"Yes, that," Angel said.

"There's no need to be so hung up on teams, Angel," Seraph said, "Like the professor said a few days back. This entire class is one big team. We're only splitting into two for the sake of practice and competition."

"I know that, but still…" Angel said.

"Seraph's right," Lynae said, "No point in getting hung up on something you have no control over. Even if we get separated, we'll still be friends, right?"

"Yeah…you're right," Angel said with a smile.

"Friends…" Nathan muttered.

After almost an hour has passed, Aoife returned to the classroom with the graded papers in her hand.

"I'm back~!" Aoife shouted as certain students looked at her with anticipation, "I will say that I am not 100 percent surprised by the outcome and overall grades. This is a pretest after all, so don't lose hope if you get the grade you weren't hoping for, and for those who passed take time to help the people who didn't pass. That is the duty of a hunter: Helping others in need. Now here is the ranking from highest score to the lowest."

"Wait, she's going to announce the grades to everyone?!" Lynae thought in her mind as her eyes widened in fear.

"Oh no, I'm not ready for this!" Dourado thought in his head, panicking at the thought that he might be the lowest grade in the class.

"At number 1 with a perfect score…Guendolen Pretorius," Aoife said.

"A…perfect score?" Lynae asked.

"Wait, is that even possible?" Seraph asked.

"Wow…I thought I was going to get the highest score even though I was confused on like two questions," Angel said.

"Number 2…Angel Webber. 3…Acacia Woods, 4…Seraph Argyros, 5…Nathan Therion, 6…Jack Starfeld, 7…Lynae Kyanos, and 8…Dourado Ouro," Aoife announced as she saw panic in certain students while others hadn't changed their expressions in the slightest, "As I've said before, there's no need to panic. Your answers on this pre-test weren't the only things I was looking for."

"Th-they weren't?" Dourado asked.

"The four sections that we were tested on to show our strengths and weaknesses," Guendolen said.

"Ah, so one of you did notice it," Aoife said, "I'm impressed, Gueny~."

"Don't call me that," Guendolen said with a chill in her emotionless voice.

"Teehee," Aoife giggled before she continued, "So as Guendolen said, you were all tested to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie when it comes to your overall knowledge of subjects required to be a hunter. The four subjects were Hunter Tactics, Grimm Biology, Weapon Knowledge, and Vastel History. I calculated all the necessary points in each section and wrote on your papers your strengths and weaknesses at this stage, and it is in these strengths and weakness that will determine your teams for the pretest examination," Aoife said as she handed out the papers.

All of the students looked over their tests. Each of their papers had a strengths and weakness category, which is what Aoife told would be on them.

Nathan

Strength: Weapon Knowledge

Weakness: Vastel History

Seraph

Strength: Hunter Tactics

Weakness: Grimm Biology

Angel

Strength: Grimm Biology

Weakness: Weapon Knowledge

Lynae

Strength: Vastel History

Weakness: Hunter Tactics

Acacia

Strength: Hunter Tactics

Weakness: Weapon Knowledge

Jack

Strength: Weapon Knowledge

Weakness: Grimm Biology

Dourado

Strength: Grimm Biology

Weakness: Vastel History

"Ah, I knew it," Dourado said, letting out a sigh, "History really kicked my butt here."

"Look on the bright side," Jack said, "At least you don't suck at Grimm Biology like I did. I fail to see the point in understanding a Grimm's body if our purpose is to kill them."

"I am surprised the professor marked Grimm Biology as your strength, Dourado," Acacia said, "How did that happen?"

"Well, I remember this one question that talked about the plating you see on certain Grimm," Dourado said, "The question asked what the plating was made of. My granddad was a former Grimm biologist and taught me a bit about Grimm biology. Sadly, they don't ask the same questions here in Astea as they would in Morillia, so I still bombed that part. But that one plating question I think I got right since I answered it so confidently."

"Well that's good for you," Acacia said, "Maybe you should teach me and Jack some biology."

"How did you do, Acacia?" Dourado asked.

"Me?" Acacia asked.

"Yeah, you," Dourado said.

"Well that…all depends on what Guendolen got," Acacia said, deflecting the question and changing the subject to Guendolen.

Guendolen turned to them after hearing her name mentioned, "You're really asking that?" She asked, "The professor said that I did perfectly."

"Yeah, we know, but we're still curious," Jack said.

"Don't professors usually leave notes or smiley faces if you do good on a test?" Dourado asked.

"That's in elementary school, Dourado," Acacia said.

"There's nothing of the sort on my paper," Guendolen said, "Just a paper with no marks on it whatsoever."

"Okay, if you say so," Dourado said.

Guendolen looked back at her paper containing her strengths and weaknesses.

Guendolen

Strength: Vastel History

Weakness: Hunter Tactics (Gueny, please speak to me after the pretest examination! :*P)

"Agh…damn, I know I did bad but this…" Lynae shouted, with her head buried under her arms.

"You did alright when it came to everything else, but tactics for you is a big yikes," Seraph said.

"Shut up!" Lynae shouted, "It's not my fault the test asked confusing questions about how to position yourself before a fight. What's the point of positioning when you're still going to kill them in the end?"

"And yet you managed to get Vastel History as your strength," Angel pointed out.

"Well, that's because Dilan taught me a bit about Ganvie's history a long time ago," Lynae said, "Though, that didn't do me much good."

"Let me guess: You were stuck on the ambush question, right?" Seraph asked as Lynae nodded, "Setting up an ambush requires good positioning before the battle begins, plus, you need a good place to hide to avoid detection. If all of these pieces are in place, you'll have a perfect ambush to catch a Grimm off guard—which is the best time to attack with everything you have."

"Wow…" Nathan said.

"Oh…so that's what that question was looking for," Lynae said.

"…That's…how I answered it at least," Seraph said, playing with his hair while looking away, "I'm not perfect by any means, as presented by my low score on Grimm biology."

"That's alright, Seraph," Angel said, "I'm more than willing to give you a tutoring session. Learning about Grimm is kind of similar to learning the human body—something that my clan is well known for."

"You mean the Snow Crescent Moon clan, right?" Lynae asked as Angel nodded in response, "I've heard about them in a book I read. Apparently, their healing techniques date back to the beginnings of Vastel 700 years ago and has improved ever since. The Webber family in particular came from a long line of clan chiefs that originally began with the founder and creator of the healing techniques, Tamiko Webber."

"Huh, you sure know the history of my clan, Lynae," Angel said, "It's no wonder your strength is in history."

"That's surprising," Seraph said, "You have such an…anti-history vibe."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Lynae shouted, "So what if I'm a little curious about a culture's history?! I still bombed this pre-test either way."

"At least we know where your strengths and weaknesses are," Nathan said, "Obviously, I aced the Weapon Knowledge, but everything else was not so great; especially history."

"Living the sheltered life has done a lot to you, huh?" Seraph asked.

"It has," Nathan replied.

Aoife clapped her hands together to gain back her students' attention, "Okay, I will now group you all into four groups of two. The partner you are placed with will be your academy partner for the remainder of your time at Emblem Academy."

"The remainder of our time?" Acacia asked.

"That's right," Aoife said, "About four years since all of you are freshmen. You and your partner will sometimes be tasked with assigned chores and requests that will help build the citizen's trust in your reliability as a hunter."

"We're seriously going to do chores?" Seraph asked with a small groan.

"They're more than just chores, Mr. Argyros," Aoife said, "The academy does not wish to leave the extra work for janitors, so we are to lend a hand if anything beyond their capabilities occur."

"But for four years?" Angel asked, "I don't think I have the mental stamina for that kind of stuff…"

"Now then, here are the groups," Aoife said taking out a sheet of paper, "Group A: Guendolen Pretorius and Dourado Ouro."

"Wait…what?!" Dourado asked, his face taking a full second to change into a shocked and horrified expression.

"The lowest grade with the highest grade," Acacia said, "Good luck with the Pretorius, Dourado."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to stop by your funeral," Jack said, placing a hand on Dourado's shoulder.

"You're not helping!" Dourado shouted.

Guendolen did not say a word, "Four years with the loudest person in the room? This is much different from how things are done in my family—too different for my liking."

"Group B will be Angel Webber and Lynae Kyanos," Aoife announced.

"Hell yeah!" Lynae shouted as she wrapped her arm around Angel's neck, "It's going to be a pleasure working with you for the next four years, Angel!"

Lynae's screaming, however, was causing Angel's ears to hurt, "Ow! Lynae…pl-please don't shout in my ear!"

"Oh, sorry," Lynae said, "I'm just so excited."

"Group C: Seraph Argyros and Nathan Therion," Aoife continued.

"Heh, well it looks like our team formation's going smoothly," Seraph said with a confident smile.

"Now the real challenge will be getting both C and B on the same team," Nathan said.

"And finally, Group D: Jack Starfeld and Acacia Woods," Aoife said.

"I'm partnered with a guy with a sketchy past?" Acacia asked.

"You're one to talk since you seem to avoid talking about yourself," Jack said before letting out a sigh, "I guess we'll just have to make it work."

"All of you come from different lands and cultures," Aoife said, "You also have different views and ideals, but here in this academy we are comrades and, more importantly, a family. Do not be so quick to push away your partner simply because they are different from you. If you do now, this pretest examination coming up will prove to be an impossible challenge. For now, head to the Hanger Bay. I'll be there soon, but first I need to stop by my office," She said, glancing at Guendolen for a moment before leaving the room.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~Drop Ship Hangar Bay~~

The class of B-8 arrived at the drop ship hanger bay. There, they saw a lot of hunters ranging from new students to veterans boarding specified drop ships.

The class was greeted by a familiar man, Nebula.

"Welcome to the Hangar Bay, Class B-8," Nebula said.

"Nebula?" Nathan asked, "I didn't know you worked here."

"There's quite a bit about me you don't know about, Mr. Therion," Nebula said, "I must say that I was a bit hurt that you blew that cover story I spent so much time making."

"That Nebula and I spent so much time making," Aoife corrected.

"It was mostly me doing all the work, Chanadani," Nebula said, giving Aoife a stern glare.

"Hehe," Aoife giggled as she backed off, "So, Nebs. You mind giving my class clearance to take the pretest? Everyone's present and accounted for."

"I thought I told you not to call me by that ridiculous nickname," Nebula growled as he began typing on his computer, "There. Class B-8 will take Transport 16. Be sure to have all of your equipment ready in 15 minutes."

"Thanks," Aoife said as she turned to her class, "Go and get your weapons. You all are going to be showing everything you have to offer out there."

"Yes, ma'am," The class said as they went to gather their belongings.

While Aoife waited for her class, she got bored and noticed Nebula silently typing away at his computer.

"Is silently typing on that thing all you do every day, Nebula?" Aoife asked, breaking the ice.

"Yes, it's a part of my job—a job that I am being paid to do to keep a roof over my head and dinner on the table," Nebula said sarcastically.

"It wouldn't hurt to chat with your own gal, Aoife," Aoife said, feeling a bit hurt.

"Talking breaks my concentration, which is about to happen if you don't stop talking, Miss Chanadani," Nebula said.

"Fine, be that way, Mr. Stoic," Aoife said, rolling her eyes with a pout.

That was when Elcrest arrived at the Hangar Bay, the first thing he sees being Aoife's pout, "Well that's a face I don't see on you often, Miss Chanadani."

"Oh, Director," Aoife said, "You're out of your office?"

"Yes, I wish to see your class in action personally," Elcrest replied, "After all, these eight students have much potential that even I am taking notice of. Plus, I wish to see this early semblance awakening first hand."

"Well I assure you that my students won't disappoint," Aoife said, "I don't just recommend people I like at first glance."

"Of course, you don't," Elcrest said, "I am looking forward to seeing what these students have to offer, especially with Nathan in the mix."

That was when Nathan walked over wanting to speak with Aoife, "Professor, I have a question about—" He then noticed Elcrest, "Oh, Director Altreve! I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hello, Nathan," Elcrest greeted with a smile and wave, "It's been a while. I trust you're getting used to the academy."

"Well…I won't lie," Nathan began, "It is a bit difficult."

"Hm…that's understandable," Elcrest said, "In fact, you're reminding me a lot of how your mother started out here."

"My mother?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, I remember how Eli was so well," Aoife said, "She was known as the class clown by a few key classes. One time, I remember this whoopie cushion prank she pulled on the director here. She ended up having to write on the chalkboard for weeks."

"Miss Chanadani…I would prefer you not reveal my embarrassing moments in front of Nathan so casually," Elcrest said, blushing.

"Hehe, sorry I couldn't resist," Aoife said, "So what was it you wanted to ask, Nathan?"

"Well I was about to ask about you talking with the director about my proposition, but since he's here, that makes this all the better," Nathan said turning to Elcrest, "Director, with your permission, may I use my prototype armor during the pretest?"

"Prototype armor?" Elcrest asked.

"Yes, during my sparring matches with my classmates, I've taken note of all the flaws in my way of fighting and built an armor that should prove both more suitable and more durable in a fight requiring versatility."

"Interesting," Elcrest said, "Although, it is standard that we not allow students to bring any special tools for any exam, not to mention the risks involved due to the implications of this creation of yours being in the prototype stage. Under normal circumstances, I would need to decline your offer."

"I see…" Nathan said.

"Director, I can vouch for Nathan," Aoife stepped in, "He's had a good reputation of pulling off a prototype on your first try and so far in his time here he has proven himself willing to not make any mistakes."

"It is when someone takes the mentality of not making any mistakes where said mistakes occur the most, Miss Chanadani," Elcrest said, "But…mistakes allow people to improve upon their skills. I will give you a pass Nathan, but you must use extreme caution. This is simply a pretest and any injury that occurs on your watch will not be taken likely."

"I understand, Director," Nathan said, "Thank you."

"Excellent," Elcrest said.

"Director, Miss Chanadani, Transport 16 is ready to go," Nebula announced.

"Now then, shall we?" Elcrest asked.

Once the class of B-8 was ready, they boarded their assigned drop ship headed for the Loyal Hills. On the way, Elcrest couldn't help but examine Nathan once again.

"I must say, Nathan, I'm amazed that you were able to control those powers of yours," Elcrest said.

"Control is a loose term to use, Director," Nathan said, "It's more that I found a way to keep my powers from consuming my soul, than I did control them. I have to rely on my Grimm armor not only to survive attacks but to also keep from turning into an Apathy mid fight."

"I see," Elcrest said, "And you managed to build such armor in a cave of all places."

"Indeed, he did," Aoife said, "My little Nate-Nate is a special one~!"

"And your nickname for me is a nuisance, Professor," Nathan remarked, which got a chuckle out of Elcrest, "Speaking of my armor, I was hoping to use my new prototype Grimm armor in the pretest, if that is okay with you," Nathan said.

"By all means, Nathan, I'd love to see what you have in store," Elcrest said, "After all, you have your mission Emperor Vizak entrusted you."

"About that mission…do you believe I'll be able to do it?" Nathan asked, "To kill the three Elder Grimm?"

"I won't lie to you," Elcrest began with a sigh, "I'm unsure about our chances of success either. Not only are your actual skills in combat lacking, but you do not possess many of the benefits of aura that other hunters do. I don't even know if you possess a semblance."

"Regardless if Nathan has aura and semblance or not, he still has potential," Aoife said, "That's why I took him as my student, because I believe he can beat the Elder Grimm. You have my word, Director. Nathan and the rest of my class will show excellent results by the end of the year."

"Professor…" Nathan said.

"Well, if you believe in him, Miss Chanadani, then I shouldn't have any room for doubt either," Elcrest said before turning to Nathan, "We all have high hopes for you, Nathan. Do not let us down."

Nathan nodded, "I won't."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~Kingdom of Astea: Loyal Hills~~

The drop ship arrived at the Loyal Hills, an expansive, grassy plateau full of hills that vary in size and shape with a large forest at its center.

"So, this is the Loyal Hills," Nathan said, examining the environment.

"It's so wide," Acacia said, "I wonder how far it goes."

"According to examinations, the Loyal Hills is about 20 miles long," Aoife said.

"20 miles?!" Dourado asked, "You could build a whole new city here!"

"I agree," Jack said, "Why is it that a city was never built here?"

"…It was out of respect of the people who died here," Nathan said as everyone looked at him with confused glances.

"People died here?" Angel asked.

"He's referring to the Loyal Hills Tragedy 40 years ago," Elcrest said, "This place once had peaceful villages and farms. It was bountiful with crops, food, and agriculture. But then…the tragedy. An army of Grimm appeared from nowhere and attacked the Loyal Hills, killing everyone."

"Everyone except one person, Nitorin Therion," Aoife said.

"My father…" Nathan said.

"A Grimm army that appeared out of nowhere?" Lynae asked, "How is that possible?"

"Yeah, Grimm are many things, but sneaky isn't one of them," Seraph said.

"I know the story sounds bizarre," Aoife said, "To this day, we don't know what caused the Grimm to suddenly become violent enough to want to engage in such a large-scale attack like that. Ever since that day, the Loyal Hills has been used as an area to gauge and test the strengths and weaknesses every new coming hunter possesses."

"But in any case, it is time to begin the Class of B-8's Hunter Pretest," Elcrest said as he took out a hologram that showed a detailed map of the Loyal Hills, "The instructions for this test are simple. Your four teams, which Miss Chanadani assigned in class, will each start at four selected points far away from each other. You will make your way to this forest at the center of the plateau called Nabenta Forest."

"With all due respect, Director, do we all truly need to pair up?" Guendolen asked, "The eight of us are already a class together."

"While it is true that you all technically do not require the pair up process other classes go through, I believe it would be best to do so in case we need to separate the class should an emergency situation arises," Elcrest said.

"So, like say…there's a duel Grimm attack in separate locations and our class is the only one available to respond," Jack said.

"Correct," Elcrest said, "There are eight crystals located at an altar. Each person's goal is to obtain one of those crystals and bring them to the drop ships back here. There may be a surprise or two waiting for you all, but what those surprises are is for me to know and for you all to work around. Any questions?"

Angel raised her hand, "Um, yes…what do these crystals look like?"

"Oh, don't worry," Elcrest reassured, "You'll know them when you see them."

"Sir, the drop ships are ready to depart," A technician said.

"Good, now make your way to your assigned dropships," Elcrest said, "They will take you to your starting points.

Four dropships, each carrying the assigned teams of two, flew off into four different directions.

After a few minutes of waiting, Elcrest turned to an operator and asked, "Have they arrived at their destination?"

"Yes, sir," The operator replied.

Elcrest moved to take a look at the map and saw eight beacons spread out on the plateau in different directions, "Excellent."

"They'll give nothing short of their best, Director," Aoife said, "I told them to do that much."

"We shall see," Elcrest said.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~Loyal Hills: West~~

The four groups of the class of B-8 were dropped off in several different directions throughout the Loyal Hills.

Acacia and Jack to the north, Lynae and Angel to the east, Nathan and Seraph to the west, and Guendolen and Dourado to the south.

With Nathan and Seraph, the first thing they noticed was how barren and gray the grass and soil looked throughout the region. There were some ruined remains of stone that appear to once be human-built houses once upon a time.

Seeing ruins like this reminded Nathan of Hellavese which made him feel something twisting inside him.

Seraph noticed this and looked at Nathan, "You alright?"

"Y-yes…" Nathan said, "Seeing ruins like this brings back bad memories."

Seraph then scanned the ruins before saying, "This is the world the Grimm will create if hunters like us don't stop them, Nathan. That must be what the professor and director want us to see first-hand."

"…Is that so?" Nathan asked, "How many people were killed here? How much life was taken without remorse…?"

"Who can say?" Seraph asked, "All we can do now is work up the courage to walk through this."

"You're right," Nathan said before he reached into his bag and took out a small, red capsule, "But first I need to get my new armor on."

Seraph turned to look at the small capsule in Nathan's hand, "Nathan, that's a capsule."

"Indeed, it is, but what's inside the capsule is the important question," Nathan said.

"What's inside?" Seraph asked.

"Better to just show you," Nathan then threw the capsule into the air. The capsule began to open up and to Seraph's absolute bewilderment, a long, mobile locker popped out of the small capsule, "Tadaaa…." Nathan chimed in the most monotone voice.

"…" Seraph's was completely at a loss for words, for his mind was too busy processing what he just saw.

"Yeah…. that face sums it all up," Nathan said, "This is my protype invention: A Transport Capsule. It's meant to fit any one item inside a small capsule for easy transport. Neat, isn't it?"

"I-I guess," Seraph said, scratching his head, "But, how did you get that locker to fit in that small thing."

"Now that part…wasn't easy," Nathan explained, "In fact, I'm still figuring out the easiest way to get large objects inside a small capsule. Thankfully I managed to get my armor locker in there for the pretest."

"You sure come up with the weirdest gadgets, Nathan," Seraph said.

Nathan pushed inputted a button sequence that allowed the locker to be opened.

Inside the locker was a new armor that looked much different from Nathan's first. The most obvious difference was in its dark red color as opposed to the last's black color. There was slightly less chest armor plating than from the original, but it appeared more light and easier to control.

Seraph let out an impressed whistle, "You made this in a week?"

"Exactly as I said," Nathan said as he allowed the armor to automatically place itself onto his body, "The real challenge now is seeing how this performs in a fight. The forest should be up ahead. The sooner we get there, the better."

After Nathan walked on ahead, Seraph continued to examine how he looked in that armor and raised his eyebrows in approval, "Now I'm starting to want one."

"Seraph, come on!" Nathan shouted, noticing Seraph had not moved.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Seraph said as he caught up to Nathan and the two make their way to Nabenta Forest.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~East~~

Meanwhile, Angel and Lynae were walking through a ruined town of their own in the east.

While Lynae wasn't affected by the eerie atmosphere the town gave off, Angel's legs shivered in fright.

"I-I don't like the look of this place," Angel stuttered out.

"It's okay, Angel," Lynae said, "You can stick behind me if it makes you feel better."

"Thanks, Lynae," Angel said, "I wonder if Nathan and Seraph will be okay."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Lynae said, "I know tough men when I see them. So, let's focus on joining up with them in Nabenta Forest."

"Yeah, Nathan and Seraph both look tough," Angel said, gaining her confidence, "Alright, no more being scared. I can't make my friends look bad, after all. Let's do—" Then a piece of rubble attached to a ruined building fell off and hit the ground, making a huge sound, "EEEEK! A GRIMM ATTACK!" Angel screamed as she leapt into the air and fell into Lynae's arms.

"Hehehe! Relax, Angel," Lynae said, "It's only a piece of rubble," She nudged her head in the direction of the rubble that fell.

Feeling a little calmer, Angel jumped out of Lynae's arms and bowed, "So sorry for doing that to you, Lynae."

"Ah it's no big deal," Lynae said, "I'm used to carrying people—both boys and girls alike. Now let's hurry to that forest, shall we?"

"Yes," Angel said as the two made their way to Nabenta Forest.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~North~~

To the north, Jack and Acacia walked through a ruined village of their own.

"This place has seen better days," Acacia said.

"…Yeah…" Jack said, staring at the rubble with an intense look.

"Why the look, Jack?" Acacia asked, "I didn't take you for a person sensitive to places like this."

"Well you know me about as much as I know you, Acacia," Jack said, "Let's just say that I'm used to seeing places like this."

"Aren't we all?" Acacia said, "There are two kinds of hunters in this life: Those who've seen plenty ruins such as this, and those who lived sheltered lives."

"Which kind are you?" Jack asked.

"Me? What a question to ask," Acacia said, placing a hand on her chin, "Perhaps the answers will be in the center of Nabenta Forest."

"I don't see how an answer to a simple question can lie in a dead forest," Jack said, tilting his head while wearing a confused expression.

"Come along, now," Acacia said, "We haven't got all day."

"Ugh…she diverted the topic again…" Jack groaned.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~South~~

At the southern parts of the Loyal Hills, Guendolen and Dourado were not at a ruined village like the others were, but were instead at lake.

Dourado was too busy checking out the lake while Guendolen looked around at the surroundings to figure out which way the Nabenta Forest is.

"Woooow….!" Dourado shouted in awe as he felt the lake water in his hands, "I've never seen water as clear and bright as this!"

"Mr. Ouro," Guendolen began, "It would be most beneficial to both of us if you spent your energy assisting me in finding Nabenta Forest instead of wasting it on frivolous activities."

"Uh…. frivolous?" Dourado asked, "Sorry, I'm not good with big words, Grendol…uh…Grenny…?"

"Guendolen," Guendolen corrected, "But you must address me by my last name, Pretorius."

"But why?" Dourado asked, "We're classmates."

"I do not remember giving anyone permission to use my first name in a casual manner," Guendolen explained, "Not even Professor Chanadani."

Dourado let out a sigh, "Fine…I'll address you properly. But you can call me Dourado if you'd like."

"I wouldn't like that," Guendolen said, "So I will address you by your last name."

"What?!" Dourado asked, "I just gave you—you know what? Forget it."

"If we have time to waste talking to each other, then we have time to look for Nabenta Forest," Guendolen said, "If I calculate the angle of the sun from this spot, I would say we are South or southwest from Nabenta Forest. Based on the positioning of the sun…" She began as she turned to her left where the sun was, and then pointed to her right, "Nabenta Forest is this way."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…." Dourado scratched his head, "What are you talking about?"

Guendolen's expression didn't change, but she shook her head and thought to herself, "I can't believe this faunus will be my partner for the remaining four years," She pointed to her right again, "I am saying that Nabenta Forest is this way."

"Wow, you managed to figure that out?" Dourado asked, "Great job. Looks like I have to start pulling my weight if I want to be as smart as you."

Guendolen didn't say a word as the two began to make their way to Nabenta Forest.

"Man…Guendolen's way too good," Dourado thought to himself, "I'm starting to wonder if this pair up we have is going to work out. I hope I don't end up slowing her down."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Aoife~~

Aoife and Elcrest both watched the four group of hunters make their way to Nabenta Forest via surveillance.

"So far so good," Elcrest said, "The new students seem to be taking in their surroundings well, despite the atmosphere this place brings."

"Indeed, that may be due to their upbringings in their lives," Aoife said.

Elcrest turned to one of the operators and said, "Activate the test robots. Set them to difficulty seven."

"Yes, Director," An operator replied as he and his team began activating several test bots scattered throughout Loyal Hills.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Nathan and Seraph~~

Nathan and Seraph managed to exit the ruined village and happened upon the mouth of Nabenta Forest, a wide area just outside the forest.

"No trouble so far," Nathan said.

"Yeah, but this is a hunter pretest," Seraph said, his right hand resting on the hilt of Kitsuki, "It's likely that we'll be fighting those test bots I've heard about."

"Test bots?" Nathan asked.

That was when they both heard loud, beeping sounds that belong to machines. Two human-sized robots rose from the ground in front of them. The robot with the callsign: T-84 carried an assault rifle and the other with the callsign: T-46 carried a katana.

"Those test bots," Seraph said, taking out Kitsuki and going into a battle stance.

Nathan scanned the two robots as he took out Fallen Angel and recognized the metal plating on their bodies, "That metal…"

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Angel and Lynae~~

Angel and Lynae were almost at the forest until they felt the ground shake. Then a medium-sized robot with a callsign: G-28 carrying a blue shield rose from the ground.

"Whoa, look at the size of that thing!" Lynae shouted, preparing her gauntlets, Chimera, "Must be part of the pretest!"

"A-are we expected to take that down?" Angel asked.

"If they are expecting us to do that, it'll boost our performance grade if we take it down," Lynae said as she rushed at the test robot, "Let's do it, Angel!"

"W-wait, Lynae!" Angel shouted, but her words didn't reach Lynae, "I can't let her fight that thing on her own," Angel then took out a green bow decorated in flowers that strangely had no strings that are usually seen on bows, "Hold on, Lynae. Toru and I will support you."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Jack and Acacia~~

Jack and Acacia were facing off against a test robot of their own. A dark red robot with the callsign: A-3 that had crescent-moon blades sticking out the sides of its arms.

"An assassin class robot," Jack said, "The tin metal on its blades isn't strong enough to cut through bodies."

"You surprise me, Jack," Acacia said, "I didn't know you had knowledge on what an assassin looks like."

Jack didn't respond and instead took out two kusarigamas (a Japanese style sickle) that are attached to a chain and a weight that are attached to his arms, each kusarigama has two blades on each handle, "Assassin or not, if they pose a threat, I'll simply have Wind Bracer eliminate it."

"Saying something like "eliminate" makes you sound like an assassin yourself," Acacia said, taking out a pair of iron grey tonfa's that had a rectangular build with two flat, lilac blades on the bottom sides pointing up and towards each other, "Don't go hogging all the glory. My Pressure Grove hasn't seen action in a while."

"As long as you don't get in my way, I'm fine with it," Jack said as they both prepared to face A-3.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Guendolen and Dourado~~

Guendolen and Dourado faced off against a robot more advanced than its three siblings. For one, it had no legs yet was hovering in the air. Second, its left arm was shaped like a bow and its body was covered in stronger armor plating than the rest. It's callsign was U-55.

"A test robot with a bow," Guendolen said, "Judging from the fact that it does not require legs to function, I can conclude that this particular robot with excel in maneuverability and accuracy. All of that in addition to the armor plating it possesses would make this a difficult fight."

"Who cares about all that mumbo-jumbo?" Dourado asked, readying a large, tan greatsword with a golden and black towershield attached to his forearm, "One swing from Gloria Eterna will shatter that armor to pieces."

"Relying too much on the strength of your weapon will lead to failure," Guendolen said, taking out a one-handed shortsword proficiently sharpened and completed with a sun-resembling emblem on the hilt. It had a blue tint due to the material making up the sword. The sword itself does not appear to have any sign of having a gun variation, "This test robot will out maneuver your attacks and defeat you with ease. My speed combined with precise strikes from Blue Hypergiant will make quick work of it."

"Wait, then what should I do?" Dourado asked.

"You stay back, Mr. Ouro. I fight better on my own," Guendolen said as she rushed off towards U-55 to fight it.

"Guendolen! Wait!" Dourado shouted.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Aoife~~

"Director, the specified test robots have been activated and are engaging the students," An operator said.

"Good, I trust that all of them are not set to kill," Elcrest said.

"Yes sir," The operator replied, "T-84's bullets are non-lethal as are T-46's and A-3's blades. G-28 is set only to counter only when attacked. And U-55 is fitted with dust arrows that will only affect the hunters' aura, but cannot deal any physical damage."

"Excellent. Continue to monitor the robots and ensure that no errors occur," Elcrest said before turning to the operator next to the one he spoke to, "Is the final test robot, G-8, ready?"

"Yes, sir," The operator replied, "All proper tests have been run and it is a confirmed go. We're just waiting on your orders to activate."

"Quite the pretest you've prepared, Director," Aoife said, "I don't recall you ever using test robots in any other pretest."

"There is a purpose in all of this, as you will see," Elcrest said, "I plan on setting the bar of expectations higher for future hunters. With the increase activity from the Elder Grimm…I'm afraid it's our only option."

"Then my students will have to increase their efforts in order to exceed those high expectations," Aoife said.

"You say that, but…" Elcrest said, looking over at the surveillance videos, "I am already seeing problems among all of your students."

"Ah, so you noticed too," Aoife said.

They first looked over at Jack and Acacia's fight against A-3.

Jack was on the offensive, attacking the robot with Wind Bracer, but the robot was dodging every attack he sent at it.

Acacia, on the other hand, had Pressure Grove in gun form with two hand guns. She was looking for a good shot at the robot, but because of how fast both fighters were going, it was difficult for her to keep up, let alone get a good shot on the robot without risk of hitting Jack.

A-3 jumped over one of Jack's attacks and dives straight towards Acacia without warning.

Her body moved before her body could think. Acacia changed Pressure Grove back to its weapon form to block the attack.

Jack then threw one of the Wind Bracer blades at the occupied robot, but A-3 again jumped out of the way of the same attack that hit Acacia, causing her to stumble a little.

"I can sense the distrust between those two," Elcrest said, "From Jack, it's amplified by Acacia's curiosity for even the darkest of stories. This is affecting their teamwork because Jack could have easily talked to Acacia of their plan since the robots are programmed to react to movement they see, not what they hear. And Grimm cannot understand human language, so why the silence? They both need a plan to fight A-3."

"It may have something to do with Jack's history as a bandit," Aoife explained, "He never wanted to talk about that life he had. Either way, Acacia needs to break this ice between them or they will never get past this opponent."

They then moved on to Angel and Lynae's fight against G-28.

Lynae is hitting the robot with everything she has, but her punches and kicks were all blocked by the robot's shield.

Admits the flurry of attacks from her, the robot parried one of Lynae's punches, making her lose balance. It took this opening to then land a powerful punch onto her, sending her crashing to the ground.

Angel, during all of this, was so hesitant to shoot her Nature Dust arrows at the robot, fearful that she will end up hitting Lynae in the process. But it was only after Lynae got sent flying that she started shooting.

"That right there," Elcrest pointed out, "Ms. Webber only began firing her shots after Kyanos took the blow and was sent out of her range. Hesitation is a hunter's greatest enemy. What if that hit Kyanos took was a killing blow that Webber could have prevented had she fired her shots?"

"Not to mention that Lynae is being too reckless and is wasting her stamina on all out attacks," Aoife said, "She is indeed strong, but what purpose does that strength have if a shield can block any attack she unleashes?"

They then looked over to Guendolen and Dourado's fight against U-55.

Guendolen had no trouble dodging the robot's dust arrows on her way to the target. She jumped up towards U-55 and thrusted Blue Hypergiant into its chest, but the attack didn't put a dent into the robot's strong armor plating. Guendolen continued her assault while the robot's armor was not showing any signs of wavering.

Dourado, however, couldn't find an opening to use to his advantage because of how fast both fighters were moving.

U-55 circled around Guendolen and shot a dust arrow at her.

Guendolen was forced to block the attack and was sent flying onto a tree.

"I've heard that members of the Pretorius family refuse help from outsiders, but seeing that habit in person saddens me," Elcrest said, "What a waste for Ms. Pretorius to not utilize Dourado to his full potential. No matter how skilled she may be, she will not be able to defeat U-55 on her own."

"Not to mention that Dourado seems overwhelmed as if Guendolen's skills as a hunter are outmatching his, but that is not the case," Aoife said, "Dourado excels in defense and his weapon is capable of crushing enemy defenses while Guendolen excels in speed and precise strikes. The two of them must learn to put aside their feelings and utilize their strengths and cover each other's weaknesses."

Finally, they took a look at Nathan and Seraph's battle against T-84 and T-46.

Out of the four teams, Nathan and Seraph's seem to be having the least trouble. The synchronization of their movement and attacks were near perfect and they showed barely any signs of slowing each other down.

However, a problem arises for the duo. Nathan was having a slightly harder time fighting T-84 due to a lack of experience in sword fighting, forcing Seraph to assist him in a 2v1. It's also more of an issue because throughout the fight, Seraph's semblance allowing him to slow time keeps activating at irregular moments, costing him a lot of his stamina. This causes both of them to be open to gun fire from T-46, keeping them locked both against one opponent.

"Not bad for a first test drive of the new armor for Nathan," Elcrest said, "But I'm sure he's realized long before now his main issue as a hunter. He's using his armor and Grimm powers as a crutch. If this is how he fights, he will not last long against an Elder Grimm, let alone a skilled hunter."

"And Seraph doesn't have full control of his semblance, thus it keeps activating at unnecessary times," Aoife said, "Even from here I can tell that he is getting worn out far too soon. If they both continue to put strain on their stamina, they will lose the fight."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Nathan and Seraph~~

"These bots…aren't playing around, Seraph," Nathan said, seeing that his attacks were barely doing damage to them.

"Yeah…" Seraph said, breathing heavily in and out.

"You okay?" Nathan asked, turning to Seraph.

"S-something's happening with my semblance," Seraph said, "It keeps activating when I don't want it to and it's making me lose stamina. We have to finish this quick or we'll be in trouble."

"Hm…" Nathan again scanned the robots and recognized their armor, "Magnesium!"

"Magwhat?" Seraph asked.

"Magnesium," Nathan repeated, "A mineral that is important for normal bone structure. Those robots are made from it."

"Okay, and this helps us how?" Seraph asked.

"The melting point of magnesium is approximately 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit," Nathan explained, "We just need something really hot to melt these things with."

"Ah, I see," Seraph said, "Well you called for the right person. The people of Morillia Kingdom, my family especially, use fire dust in combat. Give me an opening and I'll have those bots melted in an instant."

"I'm counting on you," Nathan said, "I'll try to draw their attention on me. Just make sure the one with the gun doesn't see your approach or it will warn the one with the sword."

"Easier said than done, but let's do it then," Seraph said.

Nathan sprouted his Grimm wings and took off into the air. He circled around the robots in an attempt to gain their attention.

It worked.

T-46 opened fire on Nathan in the sky, aiming for his wings.

Nathan maneuvered away from the bullets, managing to keep himself from being hit by them.

"Seems like me being a Grimm has agitated them," Nathan said, "Good."

Nathan saw that T-84 had ran up a tree and jumped high enough to reach him in a clash of swords. The strength of the robot was enough to bring Nathan back to ground level.

Now struggling to stand his ground and seeing that T-46 was about to fire upon him while he's pinned down, Nathan then gave the signal.

"Now, Seraph!" Nathan shouted.

Seraph had run behind T-46 with Kitsuki embedded in fire so hot that the heat wavers around it were visible. With one swift strike, he cut the robot in half with his fire attack, melting the remains into a liquidized magnesium, "One down."

Nathan took this chance to push him strength to the limit and gain the upper hand against T-84. He kicked the robot away and prepared his own attack against it, "Seraph, with me!"

"Got it!" Seraph shouted, preparing to launch another fire attack.

Nathan covered Fallen Angel with darkness dust and moved with Seraph to hit T-84 in a pincer attack.

Just as the two reached their target, the robot jumped high in the air to avoid the attack.

While Seraph was shocked by this maneuver, Nathan wasn't and jumped up in the air to meet the robot.

"Not getting away from us!" Nathan shouted as he plunged the sword into the robot's chest plate and then kicked it back down, "Your turn, Seraph!"

Seraph was ready to move into the target as he went to attack T-84 with a sword strike.

However, the robot rebounded and parried the attack.

As it moved to counter, Seraph's semblance then activated, giving him enough time to reposition his body and counter parry the parry. All of this happened within five seconds in his perspective when in reality it was one second.

"Got you now," Seraph shouted, activating the Argyros style for more strength into his attacks. He performed two, powerful horizontal slashes across the robot's body, then one vertical slash, and finally the finishing blow involving a strong stab to the robot's head.

The string of fire attacks caused the robot to melt down to its last bots.

Both Nathan and Seraph breathed a sigh of relief at the defeat of their enemies.

"Nice call on the magnesium, Nathan," Seraph said, "I never would have figured that out at first glance."

"All I did was make an observation," Nathan replied, "You did most of the work. Not to mention that if I didn't have you on my team for this particular matchup, who knows what would have happened."

"I will say that your battle experience is really lacking compared to me and my sister," Seraph pointed out, "Guess you're lucky you have that armor and those Grimm powers."

"Yeah, but these things I have won't be enough in the future," Nathan said, "If just two bots can put us through this trouble…"

"There's no need to think about that, Nathan," Seraph said, "When this is over, I'm more than willing to give you a few pointers on fighting."

"Really?" Nathan asked.

"I mean…if you want to, you know," Seraph said, turning away from Nathan, "You can refuse if that's not okay with you. I-I'll be fine if you do so."

"Seraph never was good at hiding his feelings. Especially his positive ones," Nathan thought to himself before he said to Seraph, "I'll accept your offer, Seraph. Thank you."

"Shit, I wasn't expecting him to accept!" Seraph thought to himself before taking in a deep breath, "Just stay calm and act normal, Seraph," He turned to Nathan with a smile that came across as cheeky as if he was hiding something, "I'm happy to hear that, Nathan. I look forward to it!"

"Uh…" Nathan found Seraph's smile odd, but he decided not to comment on it, "…Okay…well let's head on to Nabenta Forest."

"Y-yes, r-right," Seraph said, clearing his throat, "I am not smiling like that ever again."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Aoife~~

"What an interesting display those two showed," Elcrest said, "Near perfect synchronization and careful planning. It seems Therion's knowledge over all metals in the world will prove a great asset."

"Those two still have a lot to learn, but it makes me happy seeing them talk to one another like friends," Aoife said, "Their families went through enough already."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Angel and Lynae~~

"Gah!" Lynae screamed as she was knocked back again by G-28's counter punch.

"Lynae!" Angel shouted.

"Grr…I'm fine…" Lynae said, standing back up again, her body bruised from the times she was sent plummeting into the ground several times, "Haven't even made a dent into that thing."

"U-um…maybe we should…"

"Alright, sixth time's the charm!" Lynae shouted, moving to attack the robot again.

"Wait, Lynae!" Angel shouted loudly enough to make Lynae stop in her tracks.

"Huh?" Lynae asked, turning to Angel, "What's up, Angel? We don't have time for idle chit-chat."

"Yes, we do," Angel said, "Look at the robot."

Lynae turned her attention back to G-28, seeing that the robot still had its shield up but was not moving an inch from its spot.

"It's…not moving to attack," Lynae said.

"You were so focused on destroying it that you didn't notice," Angel said.

"Haha, yeah, sounds like me," Lynae said with a cheeky grin, "So what did you want to chit-chat about?"

Angel let out a sigh of frustration and pinched her forehead, "It's not "chit-chat"," She said, "I was wanting to form a plan to take that thing down properly. I had a good look at the robot's fighting pattern and noticed something."

"Which is?" Lynae asked.

"Its shield is always in its left hand, but it never switches to its right when you attack from that side," Angel said, "Perhaps we can use that to our advantage."

"Ah, so attacking it from two sides, maybe?" Lynae asked.

"Yes," Angel said, "What kind of dust do you use to fight?"

"I use lightning dust," Lynae said.

"What?!" Angel asked, her eyes widening in shock.

"I said lightning dust," Lynae said, "Is something wrong?"

"How did you get lightning dust?!" Angel asked, "That's one of the four rarest dust types in Vastel!"

"Ooooh! That," Lynae said, "I keep forgetting how rare the dust I use is."

There are eight elements of dust in Vastel separated into two groups of four.

The first group is known as the Common Dust Group: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. This group of dust are easy to find in the natural environments throughout Vastel. Humans are able to interact with these natural environments and found methods that allow quicker process of creating dust off this group. These methods are carried out by facilities associated with the elements such as watermills, wind generators, mining facilities, and steam workshops all of which contain dust converters used to turn water, wind, rocks, and coal into the needed dust.

The second group is known as the Rare Dust Group: Darkness, Light, Blood, and Lightning. This group of dust are difficult to come by because humans are unable to physically interact with the listed elements. Thus, time must pass naturally until the elements themselves to produce dust—a process that takes years. The only quick way to obtain rare dust is also the most dangerous: Through an Elder Grimm releasing a part of their energy. Each time an Elder Grimm performs their signature elemental attack (for example, Ragnarök's dark fire breath attack), small fragments of the rare dust are left behind and take crystalized form after a period of time. Some would call the dust "Elder Grimm Residue"."

"Well you see, it has something to do with where I trained and…" Lynae then stopped, realizing they were in the middle of an important pre-test, "Actually, we'll save that story for later. What you need to know now is that I can use lightning dust with Chimera to do all sorts of crazy things."

"Okay…" Angel said, still curious about how Lynae got such a rare dust type, "Since lightning is capable to disabling machinery with enough power, we have a better chance at taking this thing out more effectively."

"Wasn't that what I was doing a moment ago?" Lynae asked.

"No, you were just trying to ram your head against a brick wall," Angel said bluntly as she took out blue dust of her own, "I have water dust. When combined with lightning, water can become deadly to any in close proximity to it. What I need you to do is distract that robot for a few seconds while I set everything up."

"Wait, this plan of yours won't put me at risk, will it?" Lynae asked, worried at what the little faunus has planned.

"Oh, don't worry, Lynae. Your aura should keep you safe from what's about to happen for about…" Angel paused for a second and then said, "Seven seconds at the least."

"That…doesn't make me feel any better," Lynae said before she began stretching her arms, "But…it's not like I would come up with a plan any less dangerous so count me in. Besides, I have something other than aura that'll keep me safe from any danger. You owe me a sparring match after this, okay?"

"A sparing match?" Angel asked, thinking back to how Lynae's match against Nathan ended.

"Aha, right, the last match I did," Lynae said, quickly remembering that match as well, "Then how about a girl's night out. Just you and me."

"Sure," Angel agreed, "I look forward to it."

As Lynae approached G-28, she let out a smirk as sparks of lightning ignited on her fingers, "Alright, tin can. This time I'll turn you into scrap!"

Lynae rushed at the robot from its far-right side, drawing its attention as planned. She moved to land a powerful kick to its legs.

G-28 responded with a block from its impenetrable shield.

It was at that moment that Angel prepared her own attack. She embedded three arrows with water dust, forming three water arrows with a stream of water connecting the bow to allow her to prepare her strike. She carefully aimed at the back of G-28, paused for a brief moment, and then moved her bow slightly to the left and opened fire.

When the arrows connected, a stream of water began to pour into the robot, causing its body to short circuit. Electrical sparks began to come off of its body in all directions.

Lynae saw this and smirked, "Ah yeah! Lightning for me to use!" She shouted as she pointed her gauntlets at the robot.

The electricity shot out onto Lynae's gauntlets, treating them as a metal conductor. Once she had gathered enough on her gauntlets, Lynae ran towards G-28 with her fists embedded in electricity.

The robot moved to activate its shield.

"No, you don't!" Angel shouted, shooting another water arrow, hitting the robot's shield arm. The excess of water coursing through its circuits caused the shield to no longer be working.

Lynae was in range and smashed the robot with a strong, lightning punch. The force of the attack sent every bolt and wire inside the robot flying out of its body as it crashed into the ground with a huge thud.

Once the robot shut down, Lynae wiped the dirt off her nose with her thumb and smiled, "Water and lightning, the most dangerous combination of dust imaginable. I like that."

"Great work, Lynae," Angel said, "You really are strong."

"Heh, did I impress you?" Lynae asked, "They don't call me the Underground Queen of Ganvie for nothing. But still…I wouldn't have beaten that thing without your quick-thinking skills, Angel."

Angel's cheeks heated up, "O-oh my strategy wasn't that great. I still have a lot to learn."

"Maybe so, but you've impressed this gal," Lynae said, "You even figured out the robot's weak point and made use of that. I was expecting something like that from Nathan."

"Well, I'm more so a person who understand living organisms' body structures than a machine, but for robots like that one I don't see much of a difference when it comes to structure," Angel said, "That's how I figured that hitting its arm with water would short circuit the shield and that hitting the back would impede it's reaction time."

"So basically, you kicked ass," Lynae said, not understanding a word Angel just said.

"Uuuuh, yeah…" Angel said, giggling a little before she went along with Lynae's unrelated explanation, "So there shouldn't be anything else standing in our way. Let's head on into the forest."

"Sure thing," Lynae said as the two continued on to Nabenta Forest.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Aoife~~

"Feels like I'm looking at the same person…" Elcrest said.

"What was that, Director?" Aoife asked.

"…I was commenting on how unexpected Ms. Webber's sudden change in personality was," Elcrest replied, "Beneath that all that shyness, there's a wise hunter who can pinpoint weaknesses at a single glance. A powerful skill that only one from the Snow Crescent Moon Clan can possess."

"Indeed, though there is a lot about Ms. Webber that worries me," Aoife said, remembering that time when Angel jumped away from her in fear, "Director, do you have any idea why the daughter of the deceased leader of the Snow Crescent Moon clan is here in Astea?"

"I'm more concerned with the how than the why, Ms. Chanadani," Elcrest said, "After all, it is strange for the daughter of a renown hunter like Kane Webber to just disappear from the face of Vastel and then pop out of nowhere like nothing happened."

"…And what of Kyanos?" Aoife asked.

"Not anyone can just win the title "Underground Queen" and not live up to the expectations set by such a title," Elcrest commented, "It is such a shame that the Kingdom of Ganvie still has that caste system. Because of that system, people like Kyanos are overlooked despite their promising potential. Although, Kyanos's narrow approach to certain situations can prove fatal, but that's nothing you can't teach, Ms. Chanadani."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Jack and Acacia~~

"Damnit…" Jack cursed as he felt a bruise on his left arm he received from A-3. He watched as Acacia keep the robot at bay while Jack recovered from the attack, but the robot was evading every attack Acacia sent at it, "I can't land a hit on that thing. It keeps dodging my attacks and keeping a distance from me, but keeps closing in on Acacia."

Acacia was then hit in the abdomen and sent skidding back against a tree.

A-3 then followed up with an overhead attack.

Jack managed to ignore the pain from his left arm and threw Wind Bracer at the robot, but the attack didn't connect as the robot moved back from the trajectory path away from Acacia.

"Thanks, Jack," Acacia said.

"Perhaps I should use my dust," Jack thought to himself.

"Are you not even going to respond?" Acacia asked.

"I'm in the middle of something, right now," Jack said as he saw A-3 rush at him again, but this time he was prepared. He took out a small, white ball and threw it on the ground. The ball turned out to be a smoke bomb that covered the area in a thick smoke. Taking this chance, Jack quickly ran to a coughing Acacia, took her hand, retreated into the bushes.

"Whoa! What was that—"

"Shh!" Jack let out as the smoke died out and the robot was left alone.

"One way or another I will land a hit on this thing," Jack said, "I just need to make sure my strategy will work."

"Really?" Acacia asked, "You made a plan without me?"

"I did," Jack said.

"Do you not trust me?" Acacia asked, "We're in this together, you know."

"…No, I don't trust any of you anymore than I trust Therion," Jack said bluntly, "I've lived most of my life that way."

"Ah, you were born into the life of a bandit, right?" Acacia asked.

"H-how did you know that?!" Jack asked.

"Hehe, Professor Chanadani spilt the beans while she was venting to me while drunk," Acacia said, remembering how red Aoife's face was.

"Damnit Professor…" Jack muttered.

"I understand if you don't want to talk more about your history, but you can't let that secretive nature of yours effect the battlefield," Acacia said, "We need to talk with each other about our plans because we are a team."

"A team…" Jack said before he turned away, "I would prefer not to call our group that."

"Then how about a friend then?" Acacia asked, "Help out one friend as that friend helps you out."

"You're persistent. I'll give you that," Jack said with a sigh before he replied, "I specialize in wind dust. I'll need to know what dust element you specialize in so I can form a plan."

Acacia stopped for a moment after hearing Jack's request. She gazed towards the ground.

Jack noticed this and said, "If you're not willing to be as open about your abilities, then you shouldn't have—"

"No, it's…it's fine," Acacia said as she closed her eyes. Then her tonfa's began to have a red liquid begin to envelope on the lilac blades at the end of it.

Jack looked towards her weapons bewildered, "What the—?!" He took a closer look at the red liquid and his eyes widen in complete shock, "Is this…blood?!"

Acacia opened her eyes but said nothing as she picked up her Pressured Grove, which confirmed that it was blood as it remained on the weapon, "Yes, it's blood…my blood."

"You have…Blood Dust?" Jack asked as he saw Acacia nod in response, "If you have blood dust, that means the rumors were true. There are people who can utilize that rare dust. But if that's the case, then Acacia…you…"

"Never mind me," Acacia said, "Now that we've told each other our abilities, can we make a plan to beat that robot?"

"Yes, of course," Jack said, "With your blood dust, we have a chance of beating that robot."

"That's good to hear," Acacia said, "So here's what I've come up with. Do you know what blood is made of?"

"Liquids and solids," Jack answered, "Specifically protein…and water and salt. So that's why it was dodging all of your attacks. Taking in water and salt can shut down a machine easily."

"Right you are," Acacia said, "I was trying to find an opening to use my blood attacks, but sadly that robot is too agile for me to fight one-on-one."

"Then that's where I come in," Jack said, "I'll keep him distracted, while you find the opening to strike," Jack said.

"Leave it to me," Acacia said.

Jack nodded before he gripped his Wind Bracer and rushed out of the books to distract A-3. As he fought toe-to-toe, he couldn't help but think about what Acacia being a blood dust user entails, given how little about herself Acacia isn't willing to enclose.

"The rumor about blood dust…I've heard that of the four rare dust types, blood dust is the hardest to possess and the most dangerous to use," He thought, "Not only that, but the cost of obtaining blood dust to begin with…" He stopped his line of thinking as he found a chance to use his wind dust.

Jack embedded Wind Bracer with wind dust and created a tornado like wind stream that caused A-3 to lose a little of its footing. This allowed Jack the chance to launch a quick slash that was quickly blocked by the robot…something he wanted it to do.

The impact from the blades connected with each other pushed A-3 further off the ground eventually causing it to be caught up in Jack's wind tornado.

"There's your opening, Woods," Jack called out.

"With pleasure," Acacia said, standing on a long tree branch. She jumped down but gripped onto the branch, causing it to build up momentum before it flung her into the air high enough for her to be above A-3, "Come my blood," She whispered as her blood embedded itself on the blades of Pressured Grove. She then performs an aerial spinning as she descended onto the robot and landed a clean hit on it.

Not only did she slice A-3 in half, she also got most of the blood inside the machine's circuits, causing it to no longer function properly.

After Acacia landed, she let out a deep breath before stopping the blood flow to the weapons, "That's a major nuisance taken care of."

Jack stood in silence as he sheathed his Wind Bracer and crossed his arms.

Acacia noticed Jack's silence and approached him, "Hello? Is Jack in there?"

"I am," Jack said, backing away after seeing Acacia approach him, "But you don't have to get so close to me."

"Oh? You're backing away?" Acacia asked, "Does my control of my blood frighten you?"

"Far from it," Jack replied.

"Well if you say so," Acacia said sheathing Pressured Grove, "Now…which way do you think Nabenta Forest is?"

"If my memory's right, we should be north of Nabenta Forest," Jack said, "How inconvenient that they decided to drop us in the middle of another forest far away from the objective."

"That's fine with me," Acacia said, "It gives the two of us time to get to know each other. Doesn't that sound nice to you, Jack?"

"No thanks," Jack said as he turned around, but before he could make the full turn, he stopped as if he was contemplating something, "But there is something I want to know."

"Which is?" Acacia asked.

"You have blood dust, a very dangerous and rare dust type. I know about the…complications that come with being born with that kind of affinity," Jack said, "So why did you decide to tell me something so private? I know I asked because I told you what my dust affinity is, but you…"

"…I'm not one to tell people much about myself," Acacia said, "I'm more interested in learning about others and understanding them. That doesn't mean that I don't tell people under any circumstance. We needed a plan, we told each other our strengths, and worked as a team. Isn't that enough?"

"If that's what you say, then I suppose…but—" Jack was interrupted when Acacia pointed her finger close to his face.

"However, you're not getting any more out of me than that," Acacia said, "Because you need to provide the same."

"The same?" Jack asked before he realized right there and then the true motive for Acacia telling him about her dust affinity. He let out a sigh, "Very sneaky of you. Telling me such an important secret to get me to do the same."

Acacia let out a smug giggle.

"Well, I'll think about that one day," Jack said, "For now, let's be done with this pretest."

"Indeed," Acacia said as the two of them make their way to Nabenta Forest.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Aoife~~

"Blood Dust…" Elcrest said after they both saw Acacia's attack, "It's been years since I last saw a person with that affinity. Did you know about this, Ms. Chanadani?"

"No, I wasn't, Director," Aoife said, "From what I've read of Ms. Woods's bio, the only thing that stood out was the lack of a named dust affinity. I was curious and kept a close eye on her in particular, but I haven't found anything until now."

"So now we have our darkness, fire, water, lightning, wind, light, earth, and now blood," Elcrest said, "I am curious about something, Ms. Chanadani."

"Curious about what?" Aoife asked.

"Why did you choose this group of students?" Elcrest asked, "Everyone else besides Therion. Not all of them had the best grades in the entrance exams and the ones who do have the best grades have no relation or prior meeting with Therion."

"…"

"And looking over their personalities and studying how they blend together…" Elcrest said, but he then shook his head and went silent.

"Were you about to say something, Director?" Aoife asked.

"Ah, what am I saying?" Elcrest asked, "Perhaps it's only a coincidence."

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Guendolen and Dourado~~

Of the four groups, Guendolen and Dourado have been having the hardest time against their opponent. Not only is their teamwork non-existent, but Guendolen is leaving Dourado with nothing to do and continues to go on the offensive against U-55.

U-55 had been firing small but fast dust arrows at Guendolen.

Being skilled at deflecting small projectiles, Guendolen was able to deflect every dust arrow with ease; however, this has gone on for ten minutes with no progress.

Finally, tired of being in the sidelines, Dourado began shouted, "GUENDOLEN! WILL YOU LET ME HELP YOU ALREADY!"

Guendolen didn't say anything and pretended she didn't hear Dourado's shouts. She focused on the opponent in front of her, "The outer shell is difficult to penetrate. How am I supposed to do this?"

"HEY! GUENDONLEN!" Dourado shouted again.

Guendolen's eyebrow twitched a little as she continued ignoring the distracting screams, "Remain focused. Every enemy has a weakness. I just need to find it."

"DON'T PRETEND YOU CAN'T HEAR ME!" Dourado shouted again, "I KNOW YOU CAN!"

"This robot uses dust arrows from a long range," Guendolen continued, "Getting close is the obvious course of action, but how when it is so mobile? Perhaps if I use something to immobilize it…"

"GUENDOLEN!" Dourado shouted in her ear.

Guendolen didn't flinch even a little, but she rubbed her ear in pain, "I am in the middle of something important, Mr. Ouro. And I believe I told you not to address me so casually."

"Finally, you've noticed that I exist," Dourado said, breathing a sigh of exhaustion, "I was wanting to tell you that maybe we should pull back to come up with a plan."

"I've already come up with a plan," Guendolen said, "This robot won't be in our way for much longer."

"You're just going to do the same thing you've been doing for the past ten minutes, aren't you?" Dourado asked with an unamused expression.

"I have no time for your senseless japes," Guendolen said.

"You know you can use my help," Dourado said, "It seems like I can break through that thing with ease if I can get close."

"If I were to accept help from you, it would be a disgrace to my bloodline," Guendolen said, "I can handle this opponent by myself."

Dourado was about to object to that statement but U-55 flew high into the air began firing upon them again, causing Guendolen to jump to the side to avoid it.

"Grr, it's rude to interrupt a conversation!" Dourado shouted as he used Gloria Eterna to block the dust arrows.

While U-55 was distracted, Guendolen took the chance to flank it by jumping up in the air while performing one of her family's special attacks.

One of Guendolen's light dust attacks involves coating her Blue Hypergiant with light dust and slashing a target 84 times within the blink of an eye—84-Pretorious Dance.

Because of light dust, Guendolen is able to attack at tremendous speed, but this sacrifices tremendous strength. However, this style of fighting is akin to the Death by a Thousand Cuts, a fighting style used by the Pretorius family.

Unfortunately, Guendolen's attack did not make a dent into U-55.

"It can't be," Guendolen said as she began falling back to the ground.

That was when U-55 put both of its hands together to form a massive bow that started charging up energy and aimed at Guendolen.

"Guendolen!" Dourado shouted before thinking to himself, "It's no good. She won't be able to dodge in the air."

Guendolen was in the air and couldn't shift her momentum to dodge the attack. Another weakness of the Pretorius style of fighting with speed alone.

"If that hits me, I'll lose all of my aura!" Guendolen thought as she prepared to block the attack.

U-55 fired a huge dust arrow at Guendolen that moved slow but was fast enough to close the distance.

"Guendolen!" Dourado shouted as he jumped up in the air with his Gloria Eterna still in shield form and he grabbed a tight hold of Guendolen as he blocked the attack.

When the attack hit his shield, they were both sent crashing into the ground.

When the dust cleared, Guendolen was unharmed while Dourado sustained minor damages to his back.

"Ah…that's going to hurt in the morning," Dourado grunted as he looked at Guendolen, who was huddled close to his chest, "You okay, Guen."

Guendolen let out an annoyed sigh, "How many times do I have to tell you not to refer to me in such a manner? And I told you that I don't need your help, so let go of me."

"Not yet!" Dourado said while keeping her from leaving the protection of his shield, "If you leave my shield, that thing will aim for you. My shield's strong enough to take any attack forever, so let's take this time to make some kind of plan. One that involves me, please?"

Guendolen didn't say a word.

"Guen—I mean—Miss Pretorius, I don't know you as much as a teammate should, I'll admit that. But it hurts to think that you might not want my help because you don't like me. I'm not as smart, fast, or perfect like you, but I can tell that you need my help just as I need yours, and people help each other out through tough situations. We don't have to be friends, but we do have to be teammates in this battle and in the battles to come."

"…" Guendolen looked into Dourado's eyes and said, "I am a Pretorius. Our family motto is to always share the responsibility and principle of the Guardian of Light: Be Vastel's one and only sword. Be Vastel's one and only shield…and be Vastel's one and only sacrifice for a brighter world."

"You really believe that?" Dourado asked.

"…I would have unconditionally, if it weren't for my mentor," Guendolen said, "What do you believe, Mr. Ouro?"

"I believe that life is a precious treasure that should not be thrown away without a second thought," Dourado said without hesitation, "That includes your life! You came to this academy for a reason, right?! If so, then please! Let me help you achieve that goal!"

"…" Guendolen nodded, "Very well. I will allow for your help, but you mustn't tell anyone, understand? If my family hears of what I'm about to do…"

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Dourado said.

"Then let us form the plan, then," Guendolen said, "How much damage can your shield take?"

"Well, it's able to stop something as powerful as a stampede of 200 bulls," Dourado explained.

"And your sword? How powerful is it?" Guendolen asked.

"Gloria Eterna used to belong to my dad," Dourado said, "Back when he used it, people said he could crush one of those scorpion Grimm with one swing."

"A Death Stalker?" Guendolen asked.

"Yes, though I'm not sure if I can do the same, and the stories may be exaggerated," Dourado said with an awkward smile, "But, I have faith in Gloria's strength."

"That's fine," Guendolen said, "Anything else?"

"Oh yeah, I can use earth dust, but the most I can do is chuck rocks."

"You can throw rocks…" Guendolen said before she nodded, "Okay, here's the plan. I will rush off to my left side, drawing the robot's attention. That robot will react if we approach directly so we'll approach in a more subtle way."

"Subtle way?" Dourado asked.

"After I break off, you'll throw dust rocks at it to draw it's attention. We'll circle around it and take turns with it's attention," Guendolen said, "It may be a robot but it can only calculate so much data at a time."

"Ah, I see," Dourado said, "We're going to confuse it by making it focus on it's front and back side!"

"…" Guendolen didn't want to point out the fact that she just explained that to him, "Once we get close enough to it, I'll attack it from the air. I won't do much damage but I'll do just enough to knock it towards you.

"Then I'll land the blow," Dourado said.

"Are you ready?" Guendolen said.

"Ready," Dourado said.

"On three then. One. Two. Three!" Guendolen shouted as she separated from Dourado, drawing U-55's attention.

When U-55 aimed it's bow towards Guendolen, it was hit from behind by a medium sized rock.

"HEY! PAY ATTENTION TO ME, YOU BIG PILES OF BOLTS!" Dourado shouted as he used earth dust to form another medium sized rock in his hand and chucked it at the robot.

U-55 dodged the attack and shot more dust arrows at Dourado.

"Whoops, guess I made him angry," Dourado said with a smirk as he began running in the same circle as Guendolen while staying on her opposite side.

Seeing a chance to draw attention again, Guendolen embedded her sword with light dust and performed a Pretorius attack that involved a slash projectile made of light to cut through the target—Bright Rangeki.

The attack hit U-55's backside, drawing it's attention towards Guendolen.

"It's working!" Guendolen shouted as she jumped up high in the air, "Get ready, Mr. Ouro!" She shouted as she descended onto U-55 with another Pretorius special, an aerial attack that involves a pierce attack that requires pinpoint accuracy and speed—Piercing Flash.

As predicted, U-55 dodged Guendolen's attack, but it went below her to dodge which is just what she wanted.

"Now, Mr. Ouro!" Guendolen shouted.

Dourado wasted no time and jumped up towards U-55, "You're history!" He embedded Gloria Eterna, which is now in its great sword form, with Quartz.

Quartz, according to the Mohs scale, is the fourth hardest rock in the world. People who possess earth dust affinity coat their weapons in rocks to perform crushing attacks on enemies that are immune to slash attacks. What rocks are coated onto the weapon is dependent on the skill level of the earth dust user with Quartz being the lowest while Diamond is the highest.

With his quartz-coated sword, Dourado hit the robot in the eye with a downward slash, bringing it crashing onto the ground with his sword, smashing it into pieces in a single attack that created a small crater—Quartz Quake.

Dourado smiled at their success and threw his arms in the air, "We did it!"

Guendolen landed safely on the ground and examined the remains of U-55, "All of that with just a single attack…"

"We make a great team, don't we, Miss Pretorius?" Dourado asked raising his hand towards her. After a few seconds of silence, Dourado then said awkwardly, "Uh…you're suppose to give me a high-five."

"A high five?" Guendolen asked.

"You don't know what a high five is?" Dourado asked, "Okay I'll show you."

"No thanks, I don't think it is necessary," Guendolen asked.

"Don't worry, you'll enjoy it," Dourado said, taking Guendolen's hand, "Okay, so all you have to do is quickly collide your hand with mine like this," He then used Guendolen's hand to perform the high five as an example and then let go of her hand, "Now give it a try."

Guendolen stared at her hand for a brief moment before putting it down, "It's really not the best time for that. We need to get to Nabenta Forest quickly."

"Aw…no high five? Seriously?" Dourado asked.

"Let's get moving," Guendolen said, "I am afraid we are far behind given the difficulty we had against a test robot."

As Guendolen moved to leave the area, she stopped and noticed Dourado wasn't moving.

"Something wrong, Mr. Ouro?" Guendolen asked.

"Oh…it's fine," Dourado said, with a smile, "I just…" He let out a sigh, "It's nothing."

"…" Guendolen could tell something was wrong and took a guess as to why and said, "I don't dislike you."

Dourado's eyes lit up after hearing her say that, "Y-You don't?"

"No," Guendolen explained, "In fact, I simply must compliment you on your strength and confidence. I never would have beaten that robot without you."

"Hehehe, stop, you'll make me blush," Dourado said, gushing over the compliment he just received.

"…Dourado," Guendolen said, snapping Dourado out of his trance.

This surprised Dourado because Guendolen was adamant about referring to each other in a formal manner.

"This will color your opinion of me, but I only agreed to receive your help in this fight and the fights to come because I objectively cannot defeat every enemy on my own," Guendolen said, turning to him, "But you can't help me fulfill my goal."

"What?!" Dourado asked in shock.

"The reason I came to this academy is not the same as yours or the others," Guendolen explained, "You all came here for selfless reasons: to protect your loved ones, the Vastel, and maybe even the world. I however…am here for my own reasons and nothing else."

"What do you mean?" Dourado asked.

"Let me tell you what I told Professor Chanadani before we arrived here," Guendolen said.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~With Aoife~~

Aoife and Elcrest both watched Dourado and Guendolen successfully defeat U-55.

"It took them thirty minutes total," Elcrest said, "Disappointed, though it's expected. Those two have a lot of work to do."

"I had a feeling this would happen," Aoife said, "Those two do respect each other's capabilities, but their ideals are polar opposites to each other."

"But there's a bigger problem than that, Miss Chanadani," Elcrest said, "Guendolen is a Pretorius, a family that has cut ties will the outside world for generations after the disappearance of the Therion family line. Is it not odd that the moment Nathan, a boy who somehow has the Therion name, announced himself to the world, a Pretorius attends our academy with him?"

"What do you mean by "somehow"?" Aoife asked, "Nathan obviously got his name from his father."

Elcrest did not answer this question and continued, "Not only that, but I find this particular combination of personalities to be quite familiar," He then turned to Aoife, "Nathan's stoic nature, Guendolen's by-the-book diligence, Seraph's good sense of right and wrong, Dourado's pacifistic nature, Angel's shyness, Jack's quiet nature, Lynae's blunt attitude, and finally, Acacia's curiosity. You didn't happen to choose those kids to be in your class because they had the same personalities as the Vastel Guardians, did you?"

"Yes," Aoife answered, "I remember when Eli used to show me her book on the Vastel Guardians to me all the time. It may not have been an official historian book, but to us, that children's book told the story of a family that blessed this world once upon a time—a family that was torn apart and gave rise to this despair humanity is forced to endure."

"But that is just an imaginary interpretation of the story, written for children to enjoy before they learn the dreadful truth of Vastel," Elcrest said, "I won't stop you from trying to recreate a fictional story like that, but it is your responsibility to see that these students grow into Astea's finest hunters."

"You have my word. By the time of the final exam, they will be ready. Nathan and Guendolen especially," Aoife said, paying close attention to Nathan and Guendolen as she remembered the discussion she had with Guendolen.

XxxxxxxxxX

~~Emblem Academy: Aoife's Office: (Two Hours Ago)~~

"Thank you for coming by, Guendolen," Aoife said as she sat with Guendolen.

"With all due respect, Professor, I would prefer you not speak to me so casually," Guendolen said, "Now is there something you wish to discuss in regards to my pretest answers?"

"Yes, you noticed the part where I asked you to come speak with me," Aoife said, "You're wondering why I put Hunter Tactics as your weakness, right?"

"I am curious. Even though you said I had perfect scores, you still wrote a weakness of mine," Guendolen said.

"It mostly has to do with your answers to the questions about teamwork specifically," Aoife said as she read out one of the questions, "You and two teammates are surrounded by a pack of Beowolves. Your medic teammate is wounded and needs time to apply first aid to themselves and your sniper teammate is useless as you are surrounded at close range. How will you, a hunter specialized in close combat, get out of this situation with you and your teammates alive? Now I want to be absolutely sure if you believe, wholeheartedly, what you wrote on the paper, Miss Pretorius. Do you?"

Guendolen remained silent before she opened her mouth and said, "I believe my answer was this: Order my sniper teammate to carry the medic and follow me closely as I carve a path forward and find a way out. Once that is done, I stay behind to fend off the Beowolves, dying in the process. Despite this question asking for a way for all three individuals' survival be explained, it is objectively impossible for all three to survive no matter what answer given the context."

Aoife's eyes widen in horror and her mouth dropped, "Guendolen…you…"

"Professor…" Guendolen said, reminding her about what she just told her.

"…Miss Pretorius, you really believe that it would be impossible to save everyone including yourself?" Aoife asked.

"Yes," Guendolen answered, "Is there a problem with my answer?"

"Not objectively, no," Aoife asked, "It is true that many variables are to be considered and that the context the question provides is broad, but…I have never had a single one of my students give such a…realistic answer like that."

"I apologize if I have disappointed you," Guendolen said.

"No, you haven't," Aoife said as she looked into Guendolen's eyes, "What if this same scenario happens with you and the others?"

"I would need context, but it is highly likely that I would sacrifice myself," Guendolen answered.

"Why, if I may ask?" Aoife asked.

"Because…I am a Pretorius," Guendolen said, "Be Vastel's one and only sword. Be Vastel's one and only shield…and be Vastel's one and only sacrifice for a brighter world. That is the teachings of my family."

"Guendolen…" Aoife muttered to herself low enough so that Guendolen doesn't hear her.

"I know this is something a student of me shouldn't tell you, but please, Professor, for yours and everyone else's sake," Guendolen said, "Do not think of me as your student, fellow hunter, or friend. My family and I are devout followers of the Guardian of Light. And as such, we are people who believe…"

…

…

…

…

"…that the Grimm should remain in this world as humanity's eternal punishment."

Jurabi: Heeeeeeeellooooooooooooo~! This is Jurabi Therion, finally back after such a sudden, long, hiatus! I am so, so, SO, sorry, guys! I did not intend for me to take this long with the chapter. I just didn't.

I have several reasons as to why I took so long.

I had difficulty with the Jack and Acacia section.

This is mostly because I was trying to figure out how to utilize gravity dust in battle without making it overpowered and I tried establishing rules and limitations for the dust but the rules ended up being so easy to break and just silly. So, to get around this finally, I decided to just replace the whole thing with Blood Dust. Most of these dusts will be explained after the pretest, but I'm definitely going to go more in depth with this at some point.

I was busy trying to properly construct the world of Vastel, how it all connects, and future arcs in my head to make them all make sense.

This might not seem like it could take time, but it really took time. Which leads me to something I need to say. I think the worldbuilding of this story is not good and it's kind of throwing me off a lot. It seems simple on paper, but something about the world I built does not seem right at all and it makes sense because I ended up building the world after the introduction chapter only AFTER so many people were confused trying to make their OC's with little knowledge of the worldbuilding. TLDR: When you're starting a story, build the world FIRST!

I have been busy on my youtube channel.

So, this is going to be a bit difficult to explain. I got a new and better PC for Christmas and the reason why I got a better PC is because I wanted to do Let's Plays on Youtube. I know, it sounds so out of left field, but I've wanted to find a way to prevent myself from getting burnt out when it comes to writing. I do love this story, but I started noticing that I've been putting in the same exact excitement as my One Piece story and I ended up just leaving that story entirely to try and start something fresh and interesting. I don't want that to happen with this story. I really don't. So yeah, I started a Let's Play Youtube channel where I just play games and comment on them and all that. It seems like a good way for me to just put down my writing brain and have fun with something else. Now that doesn't mean I'm abandoning this story, far from it. I just need something to go to if I'm ever feeling like I'm putting way too much energy into writing this story.

I'm truly sorry for how long this chapter took, and I have a feeling chapters will come out a little slower because of this Let's Play stuff I'm doing. But it's not really like I had a writing schedule to begin with since I just write when I feel the urge to. I'll put the link to my youtube channel in my profile so check it out if you want to. That's basically the explanation.

So, there's something else I want to mention, the next chapter is going to take some more time to get out. The reason being, as I've said before, the world building is not good in this story and I want to fix that. I'm going to be making a lot of changes to the world, how things are set up, and some characters here and there as well. The submitted OC's won't be touched at all, so don't worry, they'll still be the same. So, I'll be really focused on the previous chapters, giving them some polish, better world building, and a consistent way of doing fights. One of the major changes that will happen is with Nathan. I've pondered on this for a long time, but I'm going to do a redesign and renaming. The character will mostly stay the same in terms of him being unable to convey positive emotions due to being a Grimm. But he'll still be the MC but with a different name. And I will have to, once again, redo the Elder Grimm as well. At least some of them.

I'm not entirely sure what the changes will be aside from the ones I just mentioned, but they will LIKELY happen. Emphasize on "likely". But if you guys aren't okay with that idea, I'm willing to try and press on, but I personally don't like the idea of keeping the beginning with so many fumbles, leaving a bad impression. Because I want a lot of people to enjoy reading this story.

Anyways, guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter! If you did, please let me know in the reviews and leave a favorite and a follow and also join me on my own discord server to have a nice chat. Thank you very much for reading. See you next chapter~!

Discord: (h) (t) (t) (p) (s) : / / discord . gg / yds39Vc