Second chapter. It took me quite a while to write it, mostly because of my own laziness and tendency to write several different stories at once, but here you go.
A day after her first meeting with Salem, Cinder was once again sitting at the table in a large, dim-lit room. There was no tea this time, so the woman was unable to focus her attention on a cup. She instead paid attention to the face of the people around her.
Watts. Tyrian. Hazel. Salem introduced Cinder to them and called her a new member of their faction. None of the three men questioned, let alone protested the Queen's decision, though it still seemed as if they didn't like Cinder very much. It wasn't hatred, just... disapproval. It was as if they didn't believe their new coworker would prove herself very useful.
Cinder would prove them wrong... in time. Right now, she was content to keep silent and passively listen to the conversations at the table.
"Welcome you all." Salem said in a ceremonial tone. "I am glad to see you all alive and well, doubly so for the two of you." She tilted her head towards the right side of the table, where Hazel and Tyrian sat.
"I do not think myself worthy of your concern, my goddess." Tyrian replied in a poetic tone Cinder already knew to be his usual way of speaking. Watts rolled his eyes, while Hazel didn't react in any visible way. That, too, seemed to be their typical behavior.
"Do not feign humility, Tyrian" Salem retorted. "You are a valuable asset to our cause and you know it very well. Speaking of which, can you tell us exactly how well your mission went?"
"I believe I have fulfilled my objectives to your satisfaction, my Queen." Tyrian responded. "Shiro Wan fought valiantly for a rat he was, but he fell to my blades in the end."
"It is good to hear." Pride washed all over Tyrian's face as Salem said that. "Now Watts, will you give us a summary, I repeat, a summary of your recent project?"
"Of course, ma'am. The Black Queen virus is already operational, but I wouldn't call it complete. It is far from perfection and if we were to try and infect our enemies' systems right now, they would likely detect and repel the attack quite easily."
"You said it is not complete yet. Does it mean that you expect it to be able to outgrow these flaws in the future?" Salem asked
"Yes." Watts nodded. "I will just need more time to work on it."
"Excellent indeed. But I will have to ask you to temporarily cease working on that project. Your talents will serve another purpose for the next several days. I will tell you the details shortly."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Now, Hazel," Salem turned towards the bulky man sitting opposite of Cinder. "Is Sienna Khan still willing to cooperate with us?"
"Yes, ma'am." Hazel responded in that deep voice of his. "She believes me to be a solitary, but experienced warrior and she values my insight. Even should she cease to follow my advice, it is very unlikely she will stop opposing Ozpin and his regime. Her resolve to liberate her kind is truly unflinching. The White Fang can be counted amidst our allies."
The White Fang. An underground organization created shortly after the Faunus Rebellions, when it became clear that the current world regime could not be toppled by sheer force alone. From what she has heard, they focused on freeing the slaves throughout the Kingdoms and damaging the regime through sabotage and 'terrorist' action. It made sense that Salem and her servants would like to ally with them, as both factions had largely the same enemies.
Yet, there was something Cinder could not quite understand. Slowly and somewhat nervously, she raised her hand as if she was in a classroom.
"I am relieved to hear that. The White Fang's support should prove invaluable to our..." Salem noticed Cinder's raised hand. "Yes, Cinder?"
"There is something I don't understand." the woman spoke, ignoring the looks she was getting from the other three people at the table. "Hazel said that he is posing as a lone figure. If we are working alongside the White Fang, why should we hide ourselves from them? Isn't that a bit counterproductive?"
Watts snickered after hearing that, though a stern look from Salem caused him to assume a stoic expression once again.
"While having allies is important and while the White Fang would likely work with us had they known the truth, secrecy is far more important in the end." Salem explained. "Ozpin and his lieutenants control most military forces in Remnant. The only way we can fight them is through stealth, subterfuge and subtlety."
Cinder nodded. She didn't necessarily agree with such a strategy - she though secrecy was something reserved for enemies, not for friends and allies - but she could certainly see its merits.
"I fear you will have to learn those principles soon enough." the Queen continued. "For I already have a task for you that will require such tactics."
Everyone at the table was visibly interested by the conversation, though in Hazel's case said interest was only shown by his eyebrows being raised. It looked like Salem was about to give Cinder her first task. It would probably be less of a real mission and more of a test of some sorts. Something that would let the new member of the group show off her skills, but nothing that would be too much for her to handle or would damage Salem's cause in case of failure...
"I want you to infiltrate Beacon Academy."
This statement was followed by a moment of silence. Salem might as well have said that... no, there was probably nothing she could have said that would make the people around her more surprised.
"Ma'am." Watts was clearly weighing his words carefully. "I fail to see any potential advantage to assigning such an important task to a novice like her. It feels like you are sending her to a certain..."
"I'll do it." Cinder interrupted. She was just a surprised as everyone else and there was a tinge of fear in her voice, but she wouldn't show any signs of hesitation. "I will infiltrate Beacon Academy, if that is my mission."
Another moment of silence.
"Oh, I understand now!" Tyrian exclaimed. "That was simply a test, to see how obedient the girl is. I admire your cunning, my dear Queen. I admit that..."
"No, Tyrian." Salem's voice wasn't loud or angry, but it was very firm. "Cinder has expressed a desire to combat Ozpin and his conspiracy, so I thought that task appropriate for her."
"Isn't that a little too big for her?" Hazel also voiced his doubts, though in a more subdued way.
"She does not seem to think so." Salem fixed her stare at Cinder. "Do you? It is not a test of any kind. I can give you a simpler task if you would prefer it that way."
"I will do it." Cinder replied, managing to keep her voice unflinching this time around.
"Then it is settled."
"Ma'am, I really do not wish to question your decisions and I will obey your orders." Watts said. "But I would like to know what is the plan behind that particular decision."
"Beacon is Ozpin's main base of operations and, for all intents and purposes, the centre of power for his entire regime." Salem explained, calmly and slowly, as though she was talking to a child. "While I doubt it can be destroyed by a singular agent, there is much knowledge to be gained by planting a mole in the Academy. And perhaps an opportunity will arise to eliminate some target of importance. Beacon's teachers are all experienced huntsmen, after all, and I am certain at least some of them have been let into Ozpin's conspiracy."
"No dispute there." Watts commented dryly. "My question is why is she supposed to be said mole? She has been with us since yesterday. We have no idea about how competent she is."
"And we never will." Salem replied, earning questioning looks from around the table. "There is no way to know how somebody will fair in such a task, because there is no suitable test to make. At the very least, Cinder appears to be the most suitable person around here. She is strong, intelligent and isn't much older than an average huntsmen initiate. Most importantly, however, she is an unknown to our enemies, the only one of us who can even think about carrying out that type of mission. Unless has she already done something that would make her recognizable. Have you?" Salem turned towards Cinder while asking the question.
Cinder simply shook her head in response. No, she hadn't had an opportunity to fight the regime on a large scale as of yet. She was a criminal, but it wasn't likely for anyone to recognize her.
"Exactly. While I'm not saying it is likely our new companion will surely succeed, she is the only person known to me who can succeed. That makes sending her a reasonable choice."
"But won't her failure compromise our future attempts at such an endeavor?" Hazel asked.
Won't. As if my failure was inevitable. Unlike the other two men, Hazel didn't sound as though he was trying to demean Cinder. He honestly didn't believe that she had any chance at completing this mission.
That wasn't very reassuring.
"I believe not." Salem responded. "All it would tell our enemies is that we seek to infiltrate their ranks, something they are well aware of already. The risk to our cause is fairly minimal."
"But the risk for her is death. An incredibly painful one, should she be caught alive." Hazel said, now looking directly at Cinder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
No.
"Yes. I will take any risk necessary." Cinder replied, managing to sound sort of confident.
"You heard her, Hazel." Salem said, looking over the people in the room. "Are there any other objections you would like to make?"
Everyone remained silent.
"Excellent. I will assign rest of you your missions in a few days. Until then, please help Cinder prepare for her task in what ways each one of you is able to."
All three men were now looking at Cinder with various blends of hostility and interest. She certainly did an impression on them, for better or worse.
First steps on my noble mission, I guess.
/-/
"First name?" Watts asked, not looking at Cinder. His eyes were stuck on sheet of paper on which he was about to write.
"I'll just go with Cinder." The woman also wasn't focused on her interlocutor, instead eyeing up the various items in Watt's study room. They ranged from rather normal, like microscopes or medical equipment, to downright bizarre, such as mechanical arms with tools instead of hands.
Now that she thought about it, what exactly was Watts doctor of? He seemed to be concerned with at least four areas of science. One person could not possibly fit so much knowledge into their head. It was just implausible.
Then again, so was the idea of Grimm having a Queen or Headmaster Ozpin being an immortal wizard.
"Are you sure about that?" The omnidisciplinary scientist asked. "The authorities won't be able to unmask you based on the first name alone, but it you won't be able to disguise yourself from someone who knew you beforehand."
"I will take that risk." Cinder doubted she would run into anyone she knew during her mission. Everyone who knew her personally was either unimportant or dead.
"As you wish." Watts replied dryly. "Last name?"
"I don't have any preference." Cinder shrugged. "Do you have an idea for a name that wouldn't stand out as strange?"
"You want me to find you a name? Do you even care about your mission?"
"I do. I'm just fairly bad with names." Cinder replied. "And didn't Salem say that you will do all the paperwork?"
"I suppose I can humor you..." Watts spent the next several seconds thinking silently. "How about Fall?"
"Fall? As in, falling or a season?"
"Does the symbolism even matter? This name has everything needed. It is very easy to remember, rolls of a tongue and has a color association."
Right. These days nearly everyone had a name that was also a color or made people think of a color in some way. The trend begun soon after the war - people protested the new anti-expression policies by naming their children after colors. After a while the governments responded to that by making any other names illegal to use, thus restricting citizen's freedom even more. Cinder found that fairly amusing, in a grim way that is.
"Cinder Fall does sound fairly good." She shrugged. "I'll take it. Is there anything else you want me to pick myself?"
"I will fill out the rest of the data, unless you have some preference over things like birth date. After I'm done, I will prepare some transcripts for Beacon and send you on your way. Unless..." Watts frowned as though he was thinking about something intensely.
"What's the matter?" Cinder asked.
"As you undoubtedly know, huntsmen are sorted into teams upon joining the academy. If you go there alone, you will be forced to spend most of your time with people who wouldn't know about your mission and if they found out, they wouldn't hesitate to rat you out."
"Right. So what do you suggest?"
"I am not as much suggesting, as offering something. I could try to gather several people to accompany you on your mission, so that you could try to form a team with them."
"Those were two 'could' in the same sentence." Cinder noticed. "You don't like the idea very much, do you?"
"No I don't. Do not get me wrong, it would be beneficial if we managed to assemble a loyal team around you, but 'if' is a keyword in that sentence. Few people are strong enough to survive Beacon training, and only a fraction of those would be willing to join a mission like that."
Survive. Not avoid getting expelled or something like this, that wasn't a regular school they were talking about. Once you got into a huntsmen academy, you either graduated or you died trying. Many did die during their training - some people said that for every huntsmen alive there was an unfortunate student ten feet below the ground. It was harsh, but many aspiring huntsmen and huntresses found the prize worth the risk.
"I have many contacts all over Remnant." Watts continued. "I know quite a few young fighters, some of them strong enough to stand a chance of surviving in Beacon. But only a chance. I cannot guarantee you that whoever I assign to you won't die during the initiation or shortly afterwards."
And that was why Cinder wouldn't accept this plan. To drag somebody into her fight only to watch them die in it? That was unacceptable. The woman slowly shook her head.
"Well, I suppose you will have to go to beacon alone. It will make things simpler, at least." Watts said and then returned to the documents.
Cinder wondered if she made the right choice there. She would feel much safer if someone was with her to watch her back, but she wouldn't recruit anyone below Beacon's standards on the off chance they might survive. Going on her own was the best option. Unless...
"If you want, you can go train or do something else." Watts said, not looking at Cinder. He was still focused on the paperwork. "No need for you to stand here. I will fill out the rest and inform the Queen about your..."
"Wait." Cinder interrupted the scientist. "You said that you do not know anyone really strong who would be willing to help me, which is fair enough. But what if I found someone like that on my own? Would you provide some fake documents for them as well?"
"I prefer the term 'enhanced documents'. And how would you find someone like that when I am unable to?" Watts was clearly skeptical of Cinder's idea.
"Just look in places. I know that sound silly, but you don't go out very often, do you?" Watts' silence was essentially a confirmation in this case. "Being able to talk to someone in person gives me an advantage already. I have still over two months until the next semester begins in Beacon, so I might as well spend this time looking for suitable people. If I fail, I will just have to go alone as you think I should."
"You are correct. It sounds silly to say the least." Watts sighed. "But the Queen puts a good deal of faith in you, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt as well. I just hope you won't prove us both wrong."
Cinder hoped so as well.
/-/
Cinder eyed up the items in the armory. There was a multitude of them, ranging for simple sword and guns to some of the most intricate mecha-shift weapons she had ever seen. She wasn't really interested in the former - she has always found those kind of weapons to be needlessly overcomplicated. Why would you have a single weapon with two forms, when you could just carry two weapons with you? She would never understand what problem huntsmen had with practicality.
"As you know, you can pick whatever you like from here." Tyrian said, his voice expressing boredom. "If you have any questions as to how something works, please don't hesitate to ask."
"I think I will be alright." Cinder responded. She wasn't about to pick any of the more complex weapons anyway. Instead, she began looking for something that was both simple and suitable for her fighting style.
There were three or four bows hanging on the walls, but Cinder liked the one she had been using recently and didn't feel a need to acquire a new one. She did, however, took a few arrows that she thought looked interesting.
"You should really get a melee weapon." Tyrian said. "If it ever comes to close quarter fighting, you will be defenseless with just your fists to protect yourself."
Cinder, while somewhat irritated by the faunus' comment, had to admit he was right. She wasn't completely defenseless in close quarters, but some weapon would be very useful if she ever fought an intelligent opponent capable of shortening the distance effectively, as opposed to Grimm that just charged at her straight on.
Most melee weapons were hilariously impractical. Mecha-shifting aside, thing like scythes or sickles belonged in a farm, not in an armory. Others weren't that bad, but didn't suit Cinder personally. She preferred something lighter than a greataxe, though maybe larger than a dagger.
She focused on the swords. Being likely the most popular out of all close-quarter weapons, there were in plentiful supply and in multitude of different forms. One handed and two-handed. Single edged and double-edged ones. All sizes, from greatsword to foils. Analyzing how each one of these would fare in battle made Cinder's head hurt a little.
"Maybe just pick something that complements your semblance?" Tyrian advised, seeing his new coworker hesitate.
"I... never unlocked it." Cinder said, not without some embarrassment.
"Really? Well, just pick something that catches your eye." Tyrian shrugged. "It's not the weapon that makes a huntsman. Or a huntress for that matter."
Right. Cinder couldn't just stand there all day long, she had to pick something eventually. Her gaze wondered towards two twin blades. And that was the best way to describe them, as they bore little resemblance to any particular type of sword. Still, they seemed well-made and, from what she could see, didn't have any additional machinery packed into it. It meant that they were probably lighter than a mecha-shift weapon of this kind and definitely easier to maintain.
Cinder's suspicions were confirmed once she grabbed one of the blades. Aside from being relatively light, it was surprisingly well-balanced and fit her hand fairly well. She could probably dual-wield these swords into battle if she wanted to, though she obviously wouldn't do something as silly as that. Still, having a spare blade wouldn't hurt.
It was as good of a choice as any. Cinder turned back towards Tyrian and, upon seeing him giving her a questioning look, nodded her head.
"It's a good choice, I suppose." He said without much enthusiasm. "These two I brought with myself from one of my missions in Mistral. They are reliable weapons, if that's what you are looking for."
"Those two look good." Cinder admitted. "I think that's all I will take."
"Then it looks like we're done here." Tyrian clearly didn't bother to keep relief out of his voice. "Just out of curiosity though, what are you going to name them?"
Name them? Oh, right. Naming one's weapons was another weird tradition huntsmen subscribed to and it stood to reason that she should follow that tradition if she was going to pretend to be a huntress. Still, she had no idea what kind of names she should choose, as there was seemingly no rule for how those were chosen and she wasn't feeling very creative at the moment.
"I don't know. I'll figure something out later. I have a lot of time until Beacon starts anyway."
Procrastinating? How adult of you, Cinder.
Tyrian just shrugged, turned around and left the room. Cinder took another look at the swords she picked and then at the arrows she had put in her quiver by then.
Those were her weapons against evil. They were certainly well-made, good enough to kill Grimm, but would they be enough to deal with everything she would stand against? Against an entire world?
Only time would tell.
/-/
Cinder barely managed to dodge Hazel's fist by jumping back. Even then, she didn't get much time to breathe, as the bulky man immediately jumped at her again, seemingly trying to grab her the throat. this time she ducked underneath her hand and was prepared to slash with her sword... only to receive another punch, this one much more accurate than the previous one.
Air was driven out of Cinder's lungs and the force of the strike literally sent the woman flying. She landed several meters further, painfully falling on a rocky ground.
How is he so fast? With his size he should be slower than me, not faster than I can react to!
But apparently, Hazel was that fast. They had been training for about two hours now and Cinder only managed to score a couple of minor hits at her opponent, while he had been continuously knocking her around all the way throughout the exercise. He would occasionally give her some advice during the first hour regarding her bladework, but by now he was just silently beating her senseless.
"You appear exhausted." Hazel said, looking at Cinder with something approaching concern. "You should give it up for today, or at least rest for a while before starting again."
Those words could have been easily delivered as mockery, but they weren't. Unlike Watts or Tyrian, Hazel never bothered to demean Cinder in any way and appeared, in fact, dedicated to making her stronger. This man would be probably Cinder's favorite person in the caste, if not for all the pain and bruises he caused her.
"I can still stand." Cinder responded and proved her words by standing up, albeit on shaky legs. No matter how much she hated that kind of training, she needed to become stronger somehow, and human instructor was in every way better than the Grimm.
"Some people would find that attitude respectable." Hazel said, crossing his hands. "Even I do, to a degree. But you might yet find yourself in a situation where backing down is the most sensible thing to do. Then, it might become a problem."
"Don't be ridiculous." Cinder retorted. "I'm not an idiot, I will run if it lets me achieve my goal. But right now, my goal is to get stronger and so I will continue fighting you for as long as I can."
"Hm." Hazel expressed a level of interest in Cinder now. "Suppose you wanted to actually beat me. If I wasn't your instructor, but target. How would you approach the task?"
"I wouldn't try to take you head on." Cinder was caught off guard by that question, but she answered to the best of her ability. "But it really depends on why you happened to be my target. I would not go all out on an innocent person or someone who was just following orders."
"Suppose that I'm pure evil then. That the world will be a better place with me dead. What would you do then?"
"The most obvious option would be an arrow to the head." Cinder replied. "If that was impossible or impractical for some reason, I would probably resort to adding some toxic dust to you drink. If you gave me the details of that situation, I'm pretty sure I would figure out something else."
"I do not doubt that." Hazel was now giving her a judgmental, somewhat surprised look. "You exhibit some talent at killing people, based on that response alone."
"Maybe I do." Cinder blushed, and it wasn't because she considered that comment a compliment. "But as I said, I will not use that talent against innocent people."
"Even if it suited your goals?" Hazel asked, one of his eyebrows raised.
"Even then." Cinder affirmed. "I do not have a license to kill people who simply happened to stand in my way. If I justified that somehow, I would eventually find a way to justify anything. I know where that road leads and I will not walk it."
"I see." Hazel said, nodding his head. "I suppose I misjudged you. Our Queen is right to see potential in you, though only time will tell if it will be enough."
"Well, if I'm supposed to realize that potential, I should keep training, shouldn't I?" Cinder said, picking up the sword.
"I will humor you then." Hazel replied and launched another fist at Cinder.
Again, she wasn't quite fast enough to dodge.
/-/
Cinder looked over the desolate landscape, filled with Grimm of many different species. Beowolves, Ursai, Deathstalkers and many others were forming out of the black ooze and roaming the wasteland, seemingly seeking prey. After spending over a month in that place, Cinder got somewhat used to tat sight, but she still was glad to be leaving Salem's domain.
While walking down the steps from the fortress, she was once again trying to remember if there was something she had forgotten about, but it appeared as though she had everything she really needed. Her weapons, which meant both her old bow and a set of arrows as well as her new twin blades, were all there, ready to be equipped at any moment. She had several files of lien in the pockets of her pants and jacket, amounting to nearly fifty thousand in cash. Food rations and other mundane supplies have all been loaded onto the airship she was walking towards.
It was a weird thing. It had a small airscrew at the back as a propellant, but it was only kept afloat by a set of giant wings. And not the kind planes had - those were actual, leathery winds that moved without any visible mechanism.
As far as Cinder understood, the aircraft was operated by a Geist possessing the shell, which was sort of creepy, but it also meant that there was no need for a pilot, let alone a larger crew. Cinder could just order Grimm to fly her somewhere and wait until the voyage was over.
She had much more than when she came to this domain, yet it still seemed so little when she considered the scope of her task. Even her immediate mission - finding herself suitable companions - appeared quite hard when she tried to figure out the specifics of it. Where exactly she would go? Who exactly she would ask for help? And how would she judge who was trustworthy or not, in a world so filled with deceit?
Cinder shook these thoughts away. She would just have to trust destiny to guide her. It sounded incredibly stupid, but since there was no way she could predict everything that would be thrown her way, good or bad. She could as well trust her luck.
Cinder approached the airship and its open hatch. She was just about to enter when she heard a quiet rustle coming from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Salem walking, or rather floating towards her.
Cinder instinctively took a step back, almost falling into the ship. This caused Salem to stop and stare at her servant with what looked like a mixture of surprise and amusement.
"Are you surprised to see me?" Salem asked, approaching Cinder. "You surely seem so."
"Well, yes. I wasn't expecting to see you before taking off." Cinder responded. Salem already heard her plans and approved of them, so she didn't expect that the Queen would wish to talk with her any further.
"Is it so strange that I wanted to see my employee before she marches into unknown?" Salem said, not sounding all too serious. "It makes sense that I would want to wish you luck personally on your mission, considering how dangerous it is bound to be."
"I suppose so. But is it the only reason you came to see me?"
"Not exactly." Salem said with a small smile. "I also have something to give you."
With that, the Queen of the Grimm stretched out her arm and opened the palm. There were four small items in her hand - a golden ring and what looked like three small seeds.
"The seeds are some my most precise creations. If you bury one in the ground and wait for several minutes, a Seer Grimm will emerge. I believe you saw one of these in the fortress. It will allow you to communicate with me regardless of the distance and will most likely kill anyone who tries to eavesdrop on our conversation. You will probably have to kill it once you are done, so that the huntsmen do not find the Grimm in your quarters, so please do not use these three right away."
"I understand. What about the ring?" Right now, Cinder was more interested in jewelry rather than some seeds. Partially because the ring was pretty, but also because she doubted it was just a piece of golden metal.
"It is a trinket from the age of magic." Salem explained. "It has the power to create and manipulate the matter of glass. I wouldn't call it exceptionally powerful, but it does somewhat compensate for your lack of semblance."
While Cinder wished her mistress had been more tactful - the lack of an unlocked semblance was quite a big deal for her - she was grateful for that additional bit of help.
"Thank you." Cinder said taking the items and putting them into one of her pockets. "Mind if I ask, is there a reason you didn't give me those earlier?"
"There was no reason to give you the seeds earlier, as they do not require any practice to use." Salem replied. "As for the ring, I wanted you to focus on honing your sword-fighting skills, rather than experimenting with magic right away."
Cinder nodded her head in understanding. That made sense.
"Also, I figured it was more dramatic this way."
That didn't.
"Dramatic? You mean you want this to look like some sort of story?" Cinder asked. While Salem did have a dark throne and an imposing fortress, she usually didn't act too theatrically, unlike now.
"No. But you do." Salem's voice was perfectly neutral, as if she was making a simple, objective statement. "You want life to be a story with you as a hero. Isn't that right?"
"Perhaps." Cinder admitted reluctantly, only to immediately add an amendment. "But don't worry, I hold no delusions about life. I know that mission will not be any sort of a heroic tale. For all I know, I might get damasked and killed immediately upon entering Beacon."
"Do not be silly." Salem said dismissively. "If Ozpin found out you are a spy, he would have you tortured for information and then executed as to make an example out of you. You would not be allowed to die for a long time."
Well that wasn't very encouraging.
"On the other hand, you may succeed. It is perfectly possible that you will prove yourself a valuable agent for our cause and even that you will, in time, complete your self-imposed mission of reshaping the world to suit your ideals."
"Do you truly believe that?" Cinder asked. Asking such a direct question was foolish, as there was nothing to stop Salem from simply lying in response. Still, Cinder needed some reassurance right now.
"Yes." The Queen replied. "I believe that there are happy endings in life. And more importantly, I believe in you."
"But why?" Cinder kept asking. "I am not anyone truly special, you said as much back during our first meeting. Why would you put your faith in me specifically? Why would you believe in me when I haven't given you a reason to do so?"
"Because you believe in yourself. That is all it takes." Salem responded, staring into Cinder's eyes. "Now go. You have more important things to do than talking about abstract concepts like faith or destiny."
Cinder nodded and watched Salem turn back and walk... float... towards her castle. Once again, Cinder wondered what she has gotten into by making a deal with a being like that. What if she would end up having to compromise her ethics to maintain the cooperation with the Queen of the Grimm? Cinder already said that she wouldn't kill innocents or support tyranny, but there were many ways it could still go wrong. Salem wasn't a monster in the same way Ozpin appeared to be, but she wasn't exactly good either and there was no telling if their goals were mutually compatible in the end.
Still, Salem did help Cinder make her first steps on her journey. Hopefully she would end up doing Remnant a favor this way.
Cinder entered the airship and stepped into the pilot cabin. There was no pilot or even a seat for one there, just a one-eyed face of a Geist demanding directions. It was time for the flight to begin.
"To Vale." Cinder said, looking in the city's general direction. Naturally, all she saw were rocks, Grimm and pools of bumbling ooze.
But behind the horizon was her destination. And she would reach it shortly.
And that would be it. I couldn't find the resolve to write this particular story for a while, but I eventually managed to write this chapter as well as revise the first one so that it contains less errors.
I also considered rewriting it so that it is narrated using first-person perspective and keeping it this way for the rest of the story, but my 'beta-readers' advised me against it. You can voice your opinion regarding that in the reviews. Or your opinions regarding the story in general. I would appreciate it. I like reviews, even when they are not very positive. They help me recognize the strong and weak aspects of my writing so that I can strive to become a decent writer one day.
I would also welcome any suggestions as to how I should name Cinder's weapons, as your ideas would undoubtedly be better than those I'm considering right now. Those huntsmen and their weird traditions...