Chapter Eleven: Little Miss Malachite Part One

The two White Fang members stood outside of the room designated for their Mistress, the mighty Grimm Cinder. They had their weapons drawn, prepared to slice down anyone who would dare enter the room.

"What does she look, you wonder?" One said to the other.

"I… I've never seen her face," The other said. "She always keeps the lights low and doesn't come out often."

"D-Do you think she's real?" The first asked.

"What are you saying? Lady Emerald and Sir Adam both went to retrieve her coffin from the depths. Do you think they would lie?"

"Well, no, but… I don't think that if the Mistress were here, she would need guards."

"Even the Mistress would take caution for the threat of an attack." The second looked at his companion. "The family that placed her at the bottom of the ocean is still a threat. Lady Emerald warned us about them.

"True, but the Mistress is more powerful than them, right? She shouldn't need us normal people to protect her if she's this all-powerful Grimm."

"I… I guess you're right, but it's like the first founder of the White Fang, Corsac said to the members that lived that long ago: 'We must make sure that the Mistress doesn't have to dirty her hands on something that we can handle'. Surely, if he said that, then it must mean we need to make sure no one gets in."

"You… You're right." The first nodded, looking down at her feet. "I guess I just can't believe the one Lady Emerald was talking about is real after all. She just seems so legendary, it's almost frightening."

Her companion nodded, watching as she looked into the large gaping doorway, beckoning like the maw of a terrible demon.

"Perhaps some people just do not understand without proof." Walking from the room was Emerald, her red eyes visibly angry. "You dare doubt the power of the Mistress!? I should kill you both right here and now."

"That won't be necessary, Emerald," A voice so soft and soothing came from the door behind Emerald, who gasped, jumping. Her jolt scared the two guards, who had never seen her so strikingly afraid. Were the lighting better, they may have even seen her skin pale a bit. So, even Emerald was afraid of Cinder.

"I will handle these two," Walking out behind Emerald was a tall, imposing figure, an orange eye glowing with hints of silver glowing behind her hair. Even this close, her face was obscured in shadow. The two guards felt two things simultaneously; the first was a strong desire to fulfil whatever desire this creature held and the second was pure, unbridled fear of this figure. Emerald bowed and left, the creature beckoning the two guards inside her room.

"Y-Yes Mistress," Were the only words that escaped Emerald's mouth.

"I suppose a creature like Emerald makes me out to be can seem a little frightening, can't it?" Cinder was suddenly behind the two, putting a hand on their shoulders. "But, let's not be too hasty on jumping to that conclusion. I suppose we could be friends. I am in fact the leader of the White Fang, the one who conscripted your original founder into my services."

They looked behind them, but the creature wasn't there. They looked in front of them to see the Grimm creature standing there. The two guards felt their feet frozen in place as Cinder walked up, those eyes never leaving them.

"Is it that you doubt what our goal is or is it that you doubt my power?" She asked.

"Wh-What?" The female asked.

"I do not like to repeat myself," The soft voice remained soft as something snaked up the female's body, coiling around her neck. It began to squeeze, a strange burning sensation trickling down her neck as she felt her breath be choked out.

"M-Mercy," The guard choked out; she could feel the smirk that crossed that monster's lips.

"Are you sure you truly understand your position?" Cinder asked. "But, I suppose I did keep my goals vague."

The female guard sighed as whatever was choking her ceased. Cinder stood over her now, almost towering over her. She looked at the male guard, a flick of her wrist and his head fell off of his shoulders. Cinder caught it before it hit the ground, the head seeming to shrivel up and dry out in her grip.

"What is your name?" She asked the female, who wanted to shriek, but had no air to shriek with.

Her body was frozen in fear now, looking at her companion's killer with real fear in her eyes.

"I asked a question," The voice was less soft and sweet, but still held that silk sound.

"M-Malachite." The female guard stammered, her breath hitching.

"Well, Little Miss Malachite," The cold, terrifying hand of the Grimm caressed her cheek. "I believe I have a proposition for you."

"Proposition?" Malachite asked, unable to move.

"Yes. I would like to see if something will happen if I attempt an experiment."

"An… experiment, Mistress?" Malachite squeaked. "Wh-What sort?"

A wicked smirk licked across the Grimm's lips as she jabbed her index and middle fingers into Malachite's neck. A gurgled scream came from her lips as she felt something slither inside of her. Her mind seemed to fog up, becoming less clear by the second. Even her vision glazed over.

"Now, we'll see if I am able to use my cells to control a person's actions through suggestion," Cinder said. "I believe we'll become great friends, Little Miss Malachite."

A year later

Malachite was sitting next to the white haired woman; Schnee if she recalled along with the fiercest one, Ruby of the silver eyes, though only Weiss had given her name. It was nighttime out and they were waiting on Maria. Her mind was focused on her mission, her goal. But, if Lady Cinder wanted her to kill them, then that is what she needed to do.

But, what could she do? Her Semblance wasn't something necessarily powerful. But, there had to be something she could do to make sure this group never interfered with the Mistress. She would rather not come back with bad news. It would be better to not come back at all.

All she needed to do was get them to a certain place, where they would be destroyed. The Mistress had told her what she needed to do… but, how was she to do that?

She dropped to her knees, clutching her head. Something was pounding in her skull, like the driving of a nail to her temples. She knew this was likely part of whatever Lady Cinder had done to her, done to her to 'improve her loyalty'. Every time it happened, her memory became shorter, as if she was losing part of herself each time.

"Are you okay?" Ruby looked down at her, eyes narrowed.

"M-My head," She hissed through the pain. "I-It hurts."

"I see," Ruby turned around. "Well, close your eyes and focus on something else. What's your name anyway?"

"M-Malachite," She clutched her head as the pain went away. She knew what this pain would do.

But, as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. She stood up, looking around.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"You're on your way to the airport with us," Ruby said. Wait, how did she know her name was Ruby? "But, sit tight. We're waiting for our ride."

"Ride?" Malachite asked, looking to see an older woman named Maria driving up in a flashy car.

"Let's go, you three," She waved. "Daylight's burning!"

"You bought that shitty looking thing?" Ruby groaned. "We're supposed to be subtle as we go."

"Look, I want to experience riding in one of these babies, alright?" Maria said. "Now, get in and take the girl too. The airport isn't far."

"Whatever," Ruby rolled her eyes, getting in. Malachite carefully got in, watching. She could feel something… something watching her. But, where was it?

"Little Miss Malachite, we're friends aren't we?" The voice spoke in her head, like a ghost, a soft whisper in the wind. She gasped, looking for the source of the voice.

"A little jumpy, aren't we?" Weiss, asked, looking at her. "Are you worried we're going to hurt you?"

"N-No…" Malachite sighed. "I get these weird voices sometimes… I just… I can't place them. I recently lost my memories and Mercury was the one who helped me."

"Doesn't seem like something that snake would do," Weiss huffed.

"Well, he did." Malachite looked away. "I know it sounds odd, but it's true. He helped me and cared for me."

"Whatever you say," Weiss looked away from her, hand on her rapier.

"There's a town in five miles," Pyrrha pointed to a broken down sign that indicated a town nearby. "Sustrai Village? Odd name."

"Should be nice." Maria said. "Fog seems to be rolling in. We may have to stop there to wait it out."

As they got closer to the town, it seemed to become foggier and foggier. Within the last half mile, Malachite looked out the rearview mirror, screaming.

"What?!" Maria shouted, swerving and nearly going off the road. "What are you screaming about?!"

"Th-The rider!" Malachite shouted, pointing out behind her. The others turned to see what she was pointing at. Despite the night sky, the creature was clearly visible.

It was a flaming horseman, black horse with white bones protruding, burned off to reveal its hideous skeleton in places. The rider was a lumpy mass of black goop that was consistently melting and reshaping in that humanoid shape. Both the horse and rider had glowing orange eyes, staring straight at them. Their open maws were both rows of jagged teeth and a red void that opened into an abyss.

"What the hell is that?!" Weiss gasped.

"What do you see?" Ruby asked.

"It's a monster," Maria's eyes narrowed as Weiss spoke, but it was a confused narrowing. "Or, at least some creepy creature like one. What could it be?"

The horse and rider were keeping up with the car, both mouths opening to let out a shrill shriek that reverberated throughout the night air.

"I'll handle this." Weiss said, unbuckling her seat belt.

"Weiss, what are you doing?!" Maria shouted. "There's nothing out there!"

"We must fight," Weiss opened her door, stepping out onto a Black Glyph. She stood there as the creature came nearer. With a flick of her wrist, she sent forth an icicle with a Blue Glyph. The icicle seemed to pass through the creature, causing it to undulate and shift. It roared, stopping in front of Weiss. The former heiress brought out Myrtenaster, plunging it deep into the creature's chest. However, she found she couldn't pull it out of the creature's body. She activated a dozen Blue Glyphs, each shooting an icicle into the monster, but they all passed through it.

The creature seemed to envelop Weiss, entering her mouth and nostrils. She struggled as the creature moved into her, fully enveloping her. The entirety of the creature disappeared into Weiss, the Schnee choking and coughing. After about a minute, she vomited some sort of black substance onto the ground.

"Weiss, are you okay?!" Maria ran over, having parked the car and run over to help.

Weiss looked up at her, her eyes clouded, looking confused before drawing Myrtenaster and attacking Maria. Maria dodged, barely managing to keep away from Weiss' deadly blade.

"Weiss, what the hell are you doing?!" Maria shouted.

"You murdering bastard!" Weiss shouted. "I'll fucking kill you for what you did to my brother!"

"Weiss, the man who murdered your brother is dead," Maria tried to dodge, but found her foot caught in a Black Glyph. But, before Weiss could connect the blow, Maria grabbed her blade and breathed hard. "Aura Burst!"

Maria's Aura shot through the blade, which, while being her Semblance, was a part of her spirit. Weiss screamed and dropped to the ground, unconscious from Maria's attack.

"What the hell is going on with you?" Maria muttered, picking the unconscious Schnee up and carrying her to the car, thankful that Weiss hadn't regenerated her armor from the encounter with Mercury and the Lieutenant. If she had, this may have been different with Weiss' defenses up.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"Something happened to Weiss," Maria looked at her. "Make sure she stays asleep until we get to the next town. We need to see what happened exactly. This may have been the work of a Semblance, but I'm not exactly sure how it works."

Ruby glanced at Malachite, who was looking at Weiss in fear.

"But, it doesn't matter. We have to stop so we can figure out what happened to Weiss when she jumped out of the car. Sorry about the delay, Miss Malachite, but we have to help our friend."

"What do you know of this 'rider' that you mentioned?" Ruby asked, eyes narrowed, looking at Malachite.

"That's right," Maria snapped her fingers. "You're the one who mentioned it. What is it? Tell us everything you know."

"For the last year, that thing has been following me, chasing me like a nightmare. But, for some reason, it disappears as soon as anyone else looks at it. Only, this time, it didn't."

"It sounds like a Semblance," Maria narrowed her eyes as she looked at Malachite. "We'll have to be careful. Hopefully, nothing happens when we go to this town. I don't know what it's done to Weiss, but hopefully, it won't come after us again."

"Something seems off with Weiss," Ruby narrowed her eyes, looking down at the Schnee. "But, I can't quite place it outside of the thing she was talking about."

"Well, let's just go and we'll check on her when we have more room to work." Maria drove faster. "I've got this horrible feeling Cinder's watching us now."

By the time they actually reached it, the sun was almost completely blotted out by the fog. There was a horrible sinking feeling in their stomachs as they stopped at what looked like a hotel.

"Shouldn't we take her to a hospital?" Pyrrha asked.

"If that was the work of a Semblance, then a doctor won't know what to do." Maria looked back. "I'm just going to have to see if we can discover the user if it is a Semblance. Regardless, Weiss is definitely not acting like herself."

"Yes, can I help you?" The receptionist at the desk said with a sweet smile. She clasped her hands together. She looked at Weiss and Malachite in particular. "Is she alright?"

The receptionist was a little taller than Weiss, and had blood red hair with what looked like an old-fashioned maid dress, which had a nice contrast with her pale white complexion. Her mint green eyes looked at the group, flicking from member to member. She looked at Maria, likely picking her as the leader.

"Yes, we'd like a few rooms for tonight." Maria leaned on the counter. "Don't worry about her. She's just had too little sleep for the past few days."

"Oh, I understand that." The woman said. "Well, my name is Sustrai. Pleased to make your acquaintances."

"Isn't Sustrai the name of the village?" Pyrrha asked.

"Of course," Her smile widened. "It was named after my great grandfather, Jade Sustrai. But, he's been dead a long while now. I simply run the hotel here. How many rooms will you need?"

"Three rooms with double beds." Maria held up three fingers. "Is that doable?"

"Absolutely," Sustrai bowed politely and handed them three room keys. "Just be careful. While I like to keep the place nice and tidy, there have been people who have had their belongings taken. Sometimes it's unavoidable. It's the worst when it's foggy. Do your best to keep them with you."

"Uh, thank you," Maria nodded. "Let's go, guys. Malachite, you can have your old room. We'll split up. Pyrrha, you're with Weiss and I'll stay with my granddaughter."

"Right," Pyrrha nodded. Sustrai watched all except Malachite go up, Malachite's key for the bottom floor.

"I'll lead you to your room," Sustrai moved over to the blonde, wrapping her arms around her in a predatory manner. "I'm sure you're tired, aren't you, Little Miss Malachite?"

"P-Please let me go," Malachite begged as Sustrai's grip tightened, the dark skinned woman leaning in close to her ear.

"This Mistress expects results from you," Sustrai's tone was soft with a near seductive edge of threat. "You did an excellent job with getting them here, but I should not have to step in like that. If you don't give us better results with the deaths of the Rose clan, I'll have to make sure your daughters suffer just as Lieutenant did by that sniveling whelp, Weiss."

"P-Please, leave them out of this," Malachite begged, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I already gave my life to the Mistress so they wouldn't be harmed."

"As a White Fang member, such weakness is not allowed," Sustrai, Emerald, said. "Now, do as you were ordered. Do not forget the Mistress also has a little incentive inside of you as well."

Malachite looked down at her stomach in horror, knowing of the thing swimming inside of her bloodstream, guiding her actions.

"Do not fail or else I shall personally see to your suffering." Sustrai guided her to the room, taking her key from her. "I shall hold this for now."

Malachite looked at her, looking at the stairs where the Rose group had stepped up. They had been separated so that Sustrai would be able to divide and conquer. But, how would that work out?

With the Rose group

"Is she having a fever?" Maria asked. "She doesn't seem warm, but maybe taking her revenge affected her?"

"We have to assume it's a Semblance," Ruby looked around. "I don't like this place. It seems off somehow. I also don't like that maid at the desk."

"What about her?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Ruby glanced at the door. "But, I'll find out."

"How do you plan to do that?"

"Don't call me by my name," Ruby looked to the door. "Call me Crimson. That's what I signed in the guest book. Now, I'm going to do some investigating. If Weiss comes to, let me know."

With that, Ruby left the room, the two remaining able bodies standing over Weiss.

"How would we stop a Semblance like that?" Pyrrha asked. "If stopping the user will save Weiss, I mean."

"I know it's a Semblance that seems to be perceptive," Maria narrowed her eyes. "But, R—er, Crimson, will be the only one able to do anything about it."

"What makes you say that?" Pyrrha asked. "We're capable, aren't we?"

"There's something about her Semblance," Maria looked at Pyrrha. "Something about it seems different. It's like it's able to perceive things that even I, a skilled Aura wielder cannot sense. Perhaps that will be the key to uncovering this Semblance, and even Cinder's own."

"I hope you're right," Pyrrha nodded. "Otherwise, Weiss may be in trouble."

Ruby, for her part, walked down to the lobby, stopping in front of the desk. Sustrai was nowhere to be seen. The crimsonette walked through the doors at the back, looking around. Her endeavor seemed fruitless, the clerk having disappeared.

"Odd that a hotel this size only has one person working," She muttered. There was a clatter from the room up ahead. Ruby walked forward, kicking open the door.

The room was a storage closet, stuffed full of brooms and other cleaning supplies. They moved ever so slightly, as if something living was under them. Ruby moved the brooms, her eyes widening as she saw Malachite under them, a nasty gash on her head.

"What happened to you?" Ruby asked, picking her up and making sure the gash wasn't serious before bandaging it up.

"I got lost and stumbled in here," Malachite groaned in pain. "I got locked in and couldn't open the door again."

"That's not good." Ruby looked around. "This place seems off. You seen anything weird?"

"N-No. I-I haven't." Malachite said in a quiet tone. "I don't think it's a good idea to stay here though."

"Why not?" Ruby asked, looking down at her.

"This place is haunted," Malachite said. "I-I'm pretty sure I saw a ghost."

"A ghost?"

"Yeah, a ghost. Please, you have to leave."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," Her voice was a squeak now. "Just save yourself. Stop Cinder. Please. For my daughters."

"Daughters?" Ruby lowered her voice.

"No, please don't pry. Just leave and don't come back. The clerk isn't what you think. She's—"

But, before Malachite could continue her sentence, she began to vomit a black substance onto the ground, just like Weiss was. Ruby stepped back, catching her as she fell and looking down at the substance. She looked at Ruby with a horrified expression, covering her head with her hands.

"S-Stay away, please!" She begged. "I already swore my life to you! Please just don't hurt me any more!"

It was at this moment Ruby could see her neck clearly. Tattooed onto the back of her neck, just at the shoulder blade, was a red beast's head and three clawmarks. They seemed to resonate evil. The crimsonette began to feel pieces click together. She glanced around before dragging Malachite up to Weiss' room.

"Crimson, what's going on?!" Pyrrha asked. "Why is Malachite here?"

"She's got the same symptoms as Weiss." Ruby tossed her onto the bed next to Weiss. "But, let's make sure she doesn't hurt herself. There's also something else."

"Oh?" Maria asked. Ruby turned Malachite so her neck was visible. Pyrrha and Maria gasped, seeing the emblem on the back of her neck. "She's a Fang."

"Clearly she doesn't think we know. But, she seems to not be completely in sync with that."

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't seem like a White Fang trying to trick us. But, we should be on our guards anyway. She's infected with whatever this is that attacked Weiss."

"Which means that it likely isn't her Semblance, if she's got one. But, that only makes it more imperative that we be cautious. That means there could be another Semblance wielder here."

"Right," the other two nodded.

"I'm going into town," Ruby walked out. "There may be something there. I couldn't find anything in the hotel itself, so I'll need to see if the town has anything."

"Roger. Be safe."

Ruby said nothing and walked out. The two remaining Huntresses stood in the room, monitoring Weiss and Malachite for any differing signs.

Weiss began to groan, blinking her eyes as she woke up.

"Weiss?!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Are you alright?!"

"My head hurts," the Schnee rubbed it. "What happened, Pyrrha?"

"You jumped out of the car and then vomited black stuff."

"I remember that… there was some sort of apparition. Like a rider on a horse, but a monster. What could it have been?"

"It was a Semblance, no doubt," Maria looked to the door. "Are you going to freak out on me?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Weiss asked. "I wouldn't freak out on you. I'm revenge-driven, not senile."

"But, you attacked Mrs. Rose."

"She's standing right in front of me. I couldn't have attacked her. But, where's R—"

"Shh!" Maria shushed the Schnee. "She told us to only refer to her as Crimson for now."

"Right, but why?" Weiss asked.

"She doesn't trust the maid at the desk."

"Who's the maid at the desk?"

"Someone named Sustrai. But, that's not important at the moment. At least not until Ruby can confirm that she's a problem."

"How long will that take?"

"Hopefully, not long. But, as with all investigations, this takes time."

"Why don't we help her?" Weiss stood up shakily.

"That would be too risky," Pyrrha looked at the door. "If the clerk is suspicious, even suspicious that we know that Malachite is a Fang, then she may be more guarded. We'll just have to hope that Ruby manages to find something."


Well, it looks as if something is afoot here. I wonder what's going to happen.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was just having some things going on irl. But, I'm back and am ready to finish this. Hopefully, it'll be done this year.