Deep within the Grimm Plane lied the ancient sanctuary of Salem. It was where she lived, where she schemed, and where she mourned. All who subscribed to her plans, even the most insane, knew better than to disturb her when she was in one of her moods. Of course, no one called it 'her moods' in her presence, lest they incur her fearsome wrath. Hell, they would never say it out loud within the plane itself, as she had eyes and ears everywhere. Her seers made sure of that.
While the rest of her minions waited in the meeting hall, Salem stood outside of her sanctuary, running the back of her hand gently across the cheek of her current creation. Four fascimiles of young women stood before her, their bodies crafted from the ooze that filled the planes she lived in. Unlike the rest of her monstrous creations, these weren't finished yet. There was more craftsmanship, more care put into them. "My darling daughters," she spoke, her words meant - and heard - for her alone. "I will bring each of you back, but you must be patient. Those other creatures, they are mindless killing machines. You won't be, though. I will make sure of it."
They would be ready, but not yet. For now, she had to make sure everything was going according to plan. For that, she headed back to her sanctuary, ascending the stairs until she reached the meeting room. The light chatter that was going on ceased immediately upon her entrance. A faint smile reached her face, a minor joy of knowing that her mere presence caused such fear in mortals. In a way, she missed feeling it herself. "Welcome. I trust everything is going according to plan." Her voice was deep, smooth, but with an air of danger that anyone who spoke to her would feel instantly.
"Of course," Cinder replied, a smile on her face. Emerald and Mercury stood behind her chair, neither of them looking particularly comfortable. It was always a source of maniacle enjoyment for Tyrian, sitting three chairs to their right. "The bombs are being loaded onto the train as we speak. Soon they will be heading towards Vale, where they will be causing quite the commotion." Hearing that, Tyrian burst into laughter, clapping his hands and rapidly tapping his fingertips together. Cinder's smile quickly faded, but she said nothing.
"I am not quite as confident in this plan as you are." Watts spoke from across the table, his elbows on the wood with his fingers tented. "We have put a lot of faith in the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. A group of crazy faunus rebels and a petty criminal. This is not the company I would keep."
"And you are not involved in this stage of the plan, so what company you would keep is irrelevant," Cinder responded cooly, though her shoulders were noticably tense. "The White Fang may seem chaotic and uncontrollable, but they are controlled by one man: Adam Taurus. We have already made arraignments with him, and his little band of murderers have been most helpful in making these bombs. As for Roman, he is an idiot, but he is a useful idiot. You will find that with the right price and with the right amount of fear, you can make anyone do anything." She smiled, baring her teeth at Watts. "Have faith, doctor. That little squad of huntsmen Ozpin has will be busy with that for hours."
"And it is merely a distraction. Our real target is Beacon Academy." Salem leaned forward in her chair, one of her seers skulking around her. "Cinder, you will take Emerald and Mercury to Beacon, and you will retrieve the relic. The maiden powers you took from the girl will give you entrance. All you need to do is find it." Cinder nodded, trying not to show any worry she may have about the task she had. According to Salem, the vaults that the relics were hidden in were never in plain sight. She would have to find it before Ozpin realized it was a distraction and had his little goon squad breathing down her neck.
"It will be done." Salem nodded, which meant the three of them were dismissed. Cinder stood up from her chair, pushing it in before turning away from the table. The less time she spent around the others there, the better. She passed by Hazel, who as usual had sat there saying nothing. He gave her a slight nod, and then he and the rest of them were gone. She pushed open the large double doors and strode forward, letting Emerald and Mercury scurry to grab the door and let themselves out as well.
"Well, this is going to be fun," Mercury said sarcastically, waiting until they had left the oppressive specter of the sanctuary before speaking. "We don't even know what this relic is, and we're supposed to search the entire school for it without being caught. Sounds like a plan. Better have those illusions ready, Em." He nudged Emerald, who shoved him back, huffing in annoyance.
"Shut up, Mercury. We're going to be fine. Right Cinder?" She looked to Cinder for reassurance, which had Mercury rolling his eyes. He also started making kissy faces mockingly until Emerald elbowed him hard.
"Of course. We will find the relic, and remove anyone who stands in our way. By the time they realize what's happened, we'll be long gone." Cinder removed the long black glove on her hand, getting a visible reaction out of Emerald. Unlike her other hand, this one was grotesque: more akin to a Grimm's arm than a human's. It allowed her powers the others could only dream of. She could steal the maidens' powers without the use of a beetle, and she was free to enter and leave the Grimm Plane at her leisure. Slashing her hand down, she sliced a hole through the air, which she then tore open. In front of them was Beacon Academy, silent and blanketed under the cover of night.
"Let's go." She stepped out onto the campus, no one around to notice the sudden appearance of three non-students appearing out of basically a black hole. Emerald and Mercury looked at each other, then stepped out after her. "Until the bombs go off, we will need to blend in with the other students. So we will need use of three uniforms. Emerald, if you please." Nodding, Emerald concentrated hard, and the three of them were suddenly gone, as if they had never existed. Everything was going quite swimmingly.
She could still feel the sting of the shock collar wrapped around her neck. Every failure would result in electricity running through her body. Any complaints or words against her mistress would result in the same. All she knew was loneliness, pain, and servitude. There was nothing else waiting for her, but she hoped, and she prayed that one day she would escape from the hell that was her life. When she finally did, it was because of her own power. She was strong. She didn't need anyone's help.
Wasn't she still weak, though? That was why she needed Salem's help. Without her, she wouldn't have the power she craved. It was a concession, but it was a necessary one. Without what Salem had, she would be weak. She would be nothing. After all she had gone through, she would never be nothing again.
Cinder awoke in a soft, unfamiliar bed, her senses automatically on high alert. She had sat up with her scimitars already forming in her hands by the time she realized that she was in a Beacon dorm room. They had commandeered it for their stay while waiting for the plan to begin. She let the scimitars fade into a memory, slowly lying back down in bed. It felt wasteful to be in bed sleeping when there was a relic to be found. Every day she had to wait for the power she deserved was another day of her being driven insane mentally. She had to find the relic and the girl who had the rest of the maiden's power, and she had to get both. It was the only way.
"Cinder? Are you alright?" She heard a whisper from the bed next to her: Emerald. Cinder gritted her teeth, annoyed that Emerald had seen her in a moment of weakness. Nobody should ever see that. Nobody ever would see her weak again.
"I'm fine," she responded tersely, making sure that her tone indicated that there would be no room for further debate. She could hear the sheets rustling as Emerald settled down, leaving Cinder alone with her thoughts. The maiden powers resting within her were being tugged towards their other half, faintly but noticeably. It made her wonder where that girl was, and if she was aware of the connection that now existed between them. Somehow she knew that they would meet again: she would guarantee it.
And when they did, Cinder would kill her.