See, told you there would be something. This is really short, but it is setting up for the next arc. And what an arc it will be!

Cinder Fall's night was fine. She was working in one of the private offices of her warehouse, relishing the peace and quiet.

Then Arthur Watts called, and it quickly took a dive for the very worse. She glared at her Scroll for a long minute, for she could not very well bring a Seer in with the risk of some of her more uninformed minions finding the orb Grimm and asking questions that would make Cinder have to put them down.

She did not have an endless supply of grunt labor, after all. A decrease in the workforce would have spelled disaster for everything they have planned.

Finally, she answered the buzzing device with her words shoving past gritted teeth. "What do you want, Watts?"

"Oh, trust me, girl." The man's voice sneered. "I wouldn't have called unless this was a matter of utmost importance."

Cinder was glad it was not a video call, if it were, Watts might have seen the flash of surprise and confusion that flared across her face. The disgraced scientist's voice held the usual arrogance, but there was a shadow of fear tainting his ego. Something had happened to scare him, a feat that Cinder knew from experience was not an easy task.

"What happened?" She stabbed straight to the point, this was important and she was not wasting her time with beating around the bush.

"There has been another incursion."

The words froze Cinder into place. "But I thought…" She took a deep breath. "When? How far did they get?"

"It doesn't matter when!" There was his temper, finally off the leash as fear (Fear that Cinder now understood) took control. "That mutant swarm nearly reached the castle! The Queen herself had to drive them back! He is getting bolder!"

"Calm down!" She snapped. "Stop acting like a low-level thug and get ahold of yourself. You did not call me just so that you could whimper in fear! What is her will?"

"How dare-" It was his turn to take a deep breath and Cinder could almost see his mustache twitching with rage. When he started speaking again, his voice was cold. "The Queen was able to pluck something from the Alpha's mind before it died this time, apparently it remembers its rebirth…and where it happened."

Cinder sucked in a breath. "We know where he is."

"The details are hazy, but I have managed to find the rough location." The fear in Watts' voice drew back to be replaced with disdain and a hint of jealousy. "The madman is somewhere beneath Vale's catacombs; it is your task to destroy the usurper. Our Lady does not react well with failure, girl, as I'm sure you remember You have three days."

When Watts hung up, and Cinder was left in the artificial glow of the office's lights, she leaned back and let her eyelids flutter closed, a smirk of triumph coming across her face. No threat of failure and no reminder of punishment could stop it. And in the silence, Cinder murmured.

"Let's see your genius now, Merlot. Let's see your Lusus Naturae stand against fire and steel."

Who's ready for large amounts of pain, terror, and death? If not…well, my condolences.

Next update: 3/18/19