Author's Note: This Story Premiere is dedicated to Banjo Pearce on Facebook.
Weiss had been walking through the forest to relax herself before she got in a fight with that irritating faunus again. After she had found out that Blake had been part of several raids on Schnee Dust shipments, she doubted she would respect the sneak again. Suddenly, she stopped. Her combat knowledge felt that there were hostile forces nearby. As if on cue, three Beowolves leapt out from the shrubbery, causing Weiss to take an involuntary step back. She remembered her training, reciting the steps in her head. She got in her combat position, preparing to strike. That child Ruby couldn't show up now.
She launched herself into the fray, causing the Beowolves to pause in the execution of their ambush. They hadn't expected the puny girl to advance towards them. This was the last thought of the lead Beowolf, seeing that Weiss had sunken Myrtenaster deep inside its chest. The monster attempted to growl, filling its lungs with blood. Weiss withdrew Myrtenaster, causing blood to spill out of the gaping wound in the beast's chest. The two remaining Beowolves sat frozen, partly because of the shock of seeing their leader brought down so quickly, partly because of the light blue glyphs holding them in place. Weiss used Myrtenaster to change the form of the glyphs to blue, causing the Beowolves to launch high into the air, coming to the ground with a thump, their bodies still from the fall.
She heard the snarls of more Beowolves behind the bushes, causing her to turn around, seeing what definitely WASN'T a Beowolf. A massive Ursa was towering over her, causing her to, once more, take an involuntary step back. She readied her weapon, when suddenly the beast cocked its head to the right, as if listening to something. It then turned around and lumbered away into the forest.
Overcome with curiosity, Weiss trailed the creature back to a volcano deep in the forest, where she saw something she couldn't quite believe. Humans. Hundreds of them, combined with thousands and thousands of Grimm. She was so overcome with confusion and worry that she didn't even realize that all of them were facing her. They readied their weapons, preparing to annihilate the young girl that had stumbled across their fortress. Suddenly, a ridiculously loud female voice that had to be amplified erupted from a nearby cave. A young-ish looking woman with long black hair and a crimson dress walked out of the entrance. She stared, unfazed, at the white-clad girl at the end of the path. She signaled to somebody, who proceeded to knock Weiss unconscious. She fell to the ground, still confused about what she was seeing.
Ruby paced along the dorm room angrily, when Yang opened the door slowly. Ruby turned to her, eyes full of rage and annoyance.
"Would you happen to know where Weiss is, Sis?" Ruby inquired impatiently.
"No, I haven't seen her since… the thing," Yang replied. That was what they referred to it as. The thing.
"Well, could you help me look for her? Maybe we could get Blake?" Ruby asked.
"Sure, we can go look for her. She probably just went to the training room or the forest to let off some steam. We probably shouldn't take Blake, though. As much as I want my kitten with me, I doubt Weiss would come back with her there."
"Thanks, Sis."
Weiss woke with a start. Where was she? She examined her room of solitude. It wasn't much of a room. It was more of just a small cavern, set off from the main facility. She was seated in a rather fancy looking chair. It looked to be made of wood from the Sanctuary, deep in the southern parts of the forest. Students weren't allowed to go to the Sanctuary until their fourth year, to prevent destruction of the area. Not even Ozpin was allowed to harvest the wood from the endangered trees. To do so was a huge violation of the law. These were obviously major criminals, because the Sanctuary was heavily guarded. She realized that the chair was set with small Dust crystals, marked with a familiar label. Her father's Dust quarry! She got angry knowing that these criminals had to be in line with the White Fang. Suddenly the entrance to the cavern opened, revealing the mysterious woman that had ordered her capture.
"Hello, child. My name is Cinder. Perhaps you've heard of me? I had an encounter with a young girl a while back. I believe her name was Ruby Rose," Cinder said, her voice surprisingly soothing. Weiss thought back as far as she could. She remembered Ruby describing Cinder in vivid detail, especially noting how calmly she dealt with Glynda Goodwitch, despite Glynda's skill.
"What do you want from me, traitor?" Weiss replied angrily, still upset at the White Fang for the chair.
"Traitor? My, you are quite brave, young lady, having the nerve to call me a traitor, when your family has caused the deaths of thousands of people," Cinder replied coolly, which appalled Weiss.
"I had nothing to do with my father's company! He was a monster, a sick excuse for a human, but he's nothing as bad as the White Fang!"
Cinder chuckled. "I appreciate your attempt at an argument, but did you not leave your father alone against the White Fang to attend Beacon? Did you not ignore the reports of deaths caused by Schnee Dust products? I admire your anger, but you are wrong in the fact that we do not work directly with the White Fang. We merely… borrow their loot. I assume you are wondering why we are here, and why there's so many Grimm that aren't attacking?"
Cinder had read her mind. "Yes, I was wondering, before you drugged me and put me in this cell."
"Well, it's mostly because of our semblances. Most people here have a unique semblance that allows them to mind control any intelligent beings as long as we have eye contact. There is no tested maximum to the amount of creatures we can control, but it is harder to control an opponent with Aura, because they can resist it. My semblance, along with a few others here, is not to control opposition, but to completely stop it. For example, I have remarkable control over fire. I can also combine my Aura and an assortment of Dust to create powerful and durable effects. I believe you have knowledge we are looking for. Perhaps we could... make a deal.
Author's Secondary Note: Alright, this'll be a long one. Prepare for the waiting.