Author's Note: Not a lot of action this time either, but there is some stuff in there that might make up for it. I wanted to advance the plot a little, and hopefully this chapter gives a few hints as to where it's going from here. Sorry if it's a little slow. Rest assured, the pace will be picked up.
Chapter 15: Other Side
Cinder Fall paced around the room, slightly nervous. No matter how many times she did this, it didn't get less intimidating. There was something inherently frightening about being face to face with the very person in complete control of the beasts that preyed on humans. Being human herself, Cinder knew that she was older. Older than herself, older than anyone else still alive. She knew things, had seen things. And above all, she wasn't human. There was an eerie, dark aura to her. Cinder had done many things in the pursuit of power. She had hindered, fought, stolen from, and killed others, in order to gain it. Certainly, she was no stranger to violence or evil. Even so, there was no denying that she was afraid of her.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, calming her nerves. Feeling as ready as she would ever be, she opened her mind, reaching out telepathically, and knowing that the one she was trying to contact would sense it. Almost right away, a vast, alien presence touched her mentally.
This was Salem, ruler of the Grimm, and the one to whom Cinder had given her allegiance. If it were possible to say she was her ally, she would. But in truth, Salem had no allies. Only servants. And as reluctant as she was to admit it, the fact remained: the relationship between them was mistress and servant. Cinder pushed away the thought that she might even be closer to a slave.
Cinder. I assume you have something of importance to tell me?
An unusually direct opening from the witch, and one that caught Cinder slightly off-guard. Adjusting to it however, she answered.
Things here are proceeding. There is something of an issue that needs your attention.
Is there now?
Cinder was slightly taken aback by the difference in her tone. While Salem was condescending, it was mostly masked smoothly by a caring, almost motherly demeanour. In contrast to that, she sounded sarcastic now. Barely concerned about what Cinder might have to say. It worried her. The machinations at work all across Remnant were the results of Salem's planning. All of it. She was deeply and completely concerned with every detail and aspect of her plans, more so than any of the minions that served her. The operation to infiltrate Vale, break into Beacon, and steal the remainder of the Fall Maiden's power, while destroying the school for hunters and destabilizing the kingdom: it had been years in the making. Salem was deeply invested in it.
And yet, right now, she sounded as though it was at best a minor matter.
The dark-haired would-be Fall Maiden shook her head. She was probably imagining things. While Salem could (and did) read her mind and sense her emotions quite often, Cinder was not capable of using their telepathic link to do the same to her. She sensed nothing other than what the witch wanted her to. And thus, all she felt was a presence in her mind, and all she heard was what that presence spoke. She had probably misjudged the tone, that's all.
Pushing her doubts of her head, she pressed on.
We have found someone who might be able to assist in the infiltration of Beacon. He has been working with the White Fang teams for a while now, but also happens to be a teacher at the institute. I believe he is-
Cinder.
The dark witch's voice interrupted her. If Cinder felt she might have imagined it before, she now knew for sure that Salem had no patience for what she was telling her.
What have I told you about contacting me about matters that do not require my focus?
Cinder froze up slightly, fear spreading through her.
I- forgive me, I thought-
You thought? You think either too much, or too little.
The would-be Maiden was about to reply, when the witch cut her off again.
It matters not. I have sent you there with certain tasks. When you accepted those tasks, it was with the understanding that you were competent to handle them. Was I mistaken in giving you that responsibility?
The smooth threat underlying those words was impossible to miss.
Cinder felt her breath catch in her throat.
Not at all! It will be done, as you have asked. I merely saw a means to the end, an efficient one. I did it to serve you, nothing more, nothing less.
A brief moment of silence followed, before Salem spoke.
… Fine. What is it that you wished to say? You'll forgive me, I wasn't paying attention the first time.
Cinder felt a little of the tension in her chest slip away, as she sighed with relief.
There is a double agent who has been helping us in Vale. He has assisted with several of the Dust robberies, and has even on one occasion ensured that our agents evaded capture. Recently, we learned that he is also a teacher at Beacon. Knowing the ways he could help us with entering the school, I asked him to assist with it, but he refused. Money and threats do not work on him. What he desires is information. Needless to say, I will say nothing without your permission.
The reply came surprisingly quickly.
Is that all? Well, it is simple enough. Tell him nothing about our plans, but reveal my existence. He sounds like the kind of man who thinks, and chooses who he works for. Such agents can be useful. If his loyalty to Ozpin is uncertain, then we will sway him to our side, by revealing what that decrepit fool will not. Do I make myself clear?
Yes, mistress.
Good. Now, moving on to more important matters, there was something that I actually wanted to tell you.
I-indeed, mistress? I am listening eagerly.
Salem's voice when she spoke had a quality to it that Cinder had never heard in it before.
The dark witch's intentions and emotions were impossible to fathom or comprehend. Cinder had accepted this as being the case simply because Salem was an entity beyond human. And so, she was always calm, always calculating, always many steps ahead. Nothing fazed her, nothing surprised her. She knew all the pieces on the board, and thus, she was never eager.
Yet, now, there was eagerness in her voice. Clear, unconcealed interest. Excitement even.
All feelings that Cinder had never dreamed of associating with the mysterious witch.
Now that she knew Salem was capable of them, she was even more frightened.
Certain… strange occurrences may happen. If you come across any, contact me immediately. Do you understand?
This was a direct command of the highest order from Salem.
The implicit threat on failing was death.
Cinder nodded profusely, even while answering with her thoughts.
Of course, mistress. I will do as you say.
Good. Proceed with your mission, and keep an eye open.
The alien presence receded and vanished, and Cinder collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily.
That had far and away been the most terrifying encounter she had had with the witch. In all the years she had known her, Salem had been focused on her plans, on many things. But never before had she been interested in anything.
What the hell kind of occurrence could occupy her mind like this?
Cinder was scared to even think about it.
So scared, in fact, that her thinking was impaired.
It completely evaded her that a strange occurrence was what she had reported in the first place.
Hunters with beyond top-class skill and power did not suddenly appear. And when they did, they did not have uncertain allegiances. They either worked for Ozpin, or Salem. For a free man with that kind of strength to exist in Remnant was a strange occurrence. After all, the lovers of old had carefully recruited anyone they thought might be useful.
Salem, focused only on her newfound interest, had tunnel vision, and so missed it.
Cinder, paralyzed with fear, didn't think of it.
Neither of the two realized.
The man they were trying to recruit, and the demon they were trying to find… were one and the same.
The would-be Maiden emerged from the dark room which she alone was allowed to enter. Even in this house they were using as a hideout, she would have her privacy. Well, whatever privacy one could have when their mind was open to an immortal witch anyway.
In the living room, her two proteges were passing the time in their own ways. Mercury was playing a new video game on a console he had stolen from somewhere, while Emerald was performing maintenance on her dual pistol/sickle shifter weapons. Both of them looked up when Cinder entered.
"Give Torchwick a call. We have a meeting to set up."
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Elsewhere in Vale:
Roman Torchwick was enjoying something. It was an extremely rare thing when you were a criminal and enemy of the kingdom. It was… a day off. It isn't easy being a master thief. But when you have a certain level of intelligence, and a way of making allies, it's not impossible. Roman, having both small and big time crooks in his debt, could easily procure a place to not only hide out, but do so in luxury. And so it was that at the moment, he was in a private room on the upper floor of a certain bar owned by a man named Junior. Also with him in this room was his partner and the only person in the world he was close to: Neo. Accompanying them were Junior's bodyguards/hostesses/proteges: the Malachite twins. And finally, the mysterious mercenary, Tony Redgrave, better known to us, of course, as Dante.
"Not bad," the man in red commented, as he took in the decor. Having grown up in various seedy districts, he had spent plenty of time in bars and clubs. In a strange way, he felt at home in places like those. Dante had seen enough of the world to know that there was very rarely any black or white to be found among people. No, individuals tended to be varying shades of grey. Very few were completely evil, and even fewer were completely good. There were dark impulses to be found even in those who appeared clean, and redeeming qualities to be found even in criminals. And thus, Dante, who belonged to both the light and the dark, felt at home in these places, were the good and the bad mingled as equals. If anything, it was those who carried themselves as holy, and wore the guise of purity, whom Dante distrusted. Such individuals used the appearance of divinity and goodness to serve their own selfish ends. Any day of the week, Dante would rather deal with the people who frequented the places of the night. In their own way, they were simply folks trying to live the best they could, same as he was.
"Right?" said Roman. In one hand, he held a glass of whiskey, his choice of drink. "It's only temporary though. When this is all done, the payday is going to be so big, it'll make this look no-star."
Dante took a sip of his own drink, also whiskey. Strangely, even with his demon physiology, he had retained the ability to get drunk, though poisons had no effect on him. This didn't quite make sense to him, but he had put it down to a mental thing. He wanted to get drunk, so he did. Of course, surrounded by criminals was not a situation in which he wanted to be tipsy, though the ones around him now weren't capable of hurting him. And so, he was still perfectly sober.
"Not bad," he repeated. "But like you said, it's temporary. Took you for a practical man, Roman."
Since his identity as a teacher at Beacon had come out, he had dropped the Vergil-esque persona he used as Tony Redgrave, preferring to simply be himself.
His choice of words didn't go unnoticed by the master thief, who frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
Once again a testament to how at ease Dante could make people feel around was how openly Torchwick spoke to him. The devil hunter did not trust Cinder (and didn't like her either), so she perceived him as fearsome and dangerous. On the other hand, he was fond of Torchwick and Neo, though they were thieves. And so, the two saw him as a strange but powerful ally.
Dante sighed.
"Come on, Roman. You're breaking my heart here. With your abilities, is this really all you're going to do? How long are you going to live from one heist to the next?"
Roman took a drink, gulping down the burning liquor faster than he normally would, ignoring how it felt going down his throat, as well as the sudden lightheadedness that followed.
He didn't want to be hearing this.
Not from Redgrave of all people.
It reminded him too much of a life that once was, and never could be again.
"It's a craft," he said aloud. "One I'm quite good at, and proud of."
"Not saying you shouldn't be," replied Dante smoothly. "Just saying, there are people who'd pay more for it. And you wouldn't need to be looking over your shoulder all the time working for them."
The meaning was obvious.
Dante was openly a double agent.
Torchwick knew him as a man who worked as both teacher and thief, because he could.
He had no reason to be loyal to Cinder.
Certainly, Torchwick himself couldn't stand the woman, and he was only working with her for money, nothing less or more.
He had some inkling that she was simply an agent of someone far worse, someone planning to destabilize Vale. But he had no idea who exactly that was, or indeed, how big their plans actually were.
But that didn't mean he would agree with Dante. Not when he didn't seem to know the full picture either.
"Ozpin?" he said aloud. "The man's notoriously tight-lipped. If you newly started working at Beacon, let me tell you this. Your employer is hiding plenty from you. So if I were you, I'd start looking over my shoulder a bit more."
Dante's eyes narrowed slightly.
Roman's words were only confirming suspicions he'd had from the start himself.
Ozpin was hiding things from him. Which was why he himself had not revealed all he knew.
"Then how about this," he said. "One professional to another. A little sharing of information is not a bad idea, wouldn't you say?"
While it might appear to be a bit of a risk to say this in front of the Malachite twins, Dante knew otherwise.
They were with Junior, and the man would choose to stay uninvolved with both Cinder and Ozpin. Especially if it meant remaining on good terms with a lucrative client and partner like Roman.
Roman looked at Dante sharply.
It was just like the silver-haired man, to casually throw out a massive offer like that.
It was true… though he barely knew Redgrave, he definitely trusted him more than Cinder.
But the risk of revealing anything, and having the woman find that out, was immense.
"You like living dangerously, don't you, Redgrave?"
"Far more dangerous to live in ignorance."
"Tch."
He made a good point.
Dante, seeing he was closer to making a breakthrough than he had been in months, decided to push forward here. It wasn't just about the information. He could see that Roman was just a hired man here. Which meant, when the real mastermind had no more use for him, they would dispose of him, along with his loyal ally, Neo.
In a strange way, the devil hunter had grown fond of the two.
And he wanted to prevent that fate from befalling them.
"Listen," he said, leaning forward slightly. "The offer is open, but you and I both know time matters. So let's cut to the chase, shall we? Cinder is using you. And when she's done, she'll drop you. Before that happens, make the right call."
Roman looked troubled now. He clenched his teeth, eyes tight, brain working a million miles an hour. Next to him, Neo had become alert. While she trusted Roman to make the business decisions, she was far and away the superior fighter of the two. Seeing him uncomfortable, she subtly prepared to do anything that might be necessary, in a flash if she had to.
The Malachite twins, who had watched the scene turn from a normal gathering to the prelude for a storm, became tense too. If a fight broke out here, the two didn't stand a chance. Neo was infamous in the underworld, and Tony Redgrave was rumoured to be all but unbeatable.
"Fine," said Torchwick, in a low voice. "I'll think about it."
"There we go," said Dante. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"
Having said what he needed to, he got up to leave, when Roman's Scroll rang.
The criminal answered the call.
"Yes, what is it? Oh… I see… fine, I'll tell him."
The call ended, and he looked up at Dante.
"Interesting coincidence," he said. "Cinder wants to see you."
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Half an hour later, at a certain location:
"Well, here I am. You think about my offer?"
Cinder looked at the man in red. It would not be wrong to say he was infuriating. But there was nothing she could do about it, for the moment. She would go with what Salem had said.
Nodding, she answered.
"I did. As you asked, so we shall do. You wanted information, yes? Here."
She held out a book in her hand. Curious, Dante reached out and took it.
"The Girl in the Tower," he read aloud its title. "Nice little fairy tale to read before I go to bed?"
"Indeed. During sleep, think on the story. Fairy tales oft have interesting messages in them."
Dante smirked.
"Hmph. Vergil would have a field day with you."
Cinder blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
"Never mind. Thanks for the gift."
The woman nodded.
"Read it well, and decide for yourself if you would assist us in our plans."
Dante waved as he walked away.
Outside, he transformed into his Devil state, taking to the skies.
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Beacon:
Dante came out of his Devil Trigger far above the school grounds, summoning his now signature Trickster circle staircase to descend.
He touched down lightly on the walkway, and made his way towards the residential section of the school, where both student and teacher rooms were located.
There were no classes, since it was the weekly off. Which meant, he had the rest of the day to do whatever he wanted. Normally, that would mean reading manga or playing games on his Scroll, or just taking the chance to have a nap in his room. But things had changed a little recently.
Entering the building, he made his way to a certain room he hadn't visited yet, but happened to know the location of. When he reached it, he paused and knocked on the door, then waited for an answer. As he did so, he looked around. Beacon was a very large school, and had plenty of unused rooms and dorms. Thus, it wasn't uncommon for teachers to have an entire corridor to themselves. Right here, for example, it was clear no one else was occupying any of the other rooms in this section. A few moments later, he heard quick, slightly rushed footsteps on the other side, along with the rustling of clothes. The person inside clearly hadn't been expecting a visitor.
"Yes, who is it?" called out a feminine voice that was trying, and failing, to maintain its normal strict tone.
"Special delivery," answered Dante. "It's your dose of good cheer for the day."
The door opened, revealing a stunned, and flustered, Glynda Goodwitch.
It was Dante's first time ever seeing her in clothes other than the formal attire she wore while on duty. In complete contrast to her disciplinarian image, the blonde was dressed in a simple round-necked white t-shirt, which curved outwards conspicuously over her chest, and a pair of shorts that left very little of her legs to the imagination. Glynda's hair was not tied up at the back as usual, instead free to frame her face in gold curtains as it hung all the way down to her lower back. She wasn't wearing her glasses either.
Dante, never one to back down from the good in life, looked her up and down, appreciating the view.
"Hello, beautiful," he said, picking out the cheesiest line he could find. Like many other things he did, he somehow made it work.
Glynda had definitely not been expecting to see the man in red on her day off, certainly not in front of her private room.
Her face was almost glowing red as she tried to stutter out a response.
"Y-you! What are you doing here?"
"Visiting you, of course."
"P-p-preposterous. Don't you have work?"
Dante smirked.
"It's our day off, remember?"
Glynda's face grew a few degrees brighter.
"T-that's no excuse! You can't just show up here out of the blue!"
"I'll call next time. But it's not that unusual for me to come here, you know? Now that we're- mmph!"
Dante was stopped from finishing that sentence by the witch's hand clamping onto his mouth.
"A-anyway! Now that you're here, you might as well come in."
Without waiting for an answer, she pulled him into the room, closing the door behind them and bolting it for good measure.
Dante's smirk grew.
"Oh, I love a woman who knows what she wants."
Glynda chose to ignore that remark. She had brought him in on impulse. To be certain, this wasn't her first time in a relationship. But it was so long since she had last been in one, it might as well be.
And all that aside, Dante was… special. Somehow, he made her feel like she was on her first date again.
So while she was shy and reserved, keeping as much distance from him as she could when they were both working, it was an entirely different matter in private. She hadn't been expecting him to show up, but she definitely wasn't going to let the chance slip by.
And so, almost immediately, Dante found himself against a wall, with the blonde witch pressed tightly against him.
"Thought you said there was an order to these things," he said teasingly.
"Silence."
As if to make her point, she claimed his lips with her own. She had been dreaming about this ever since the incident at the Forever Fall, and she was going to make good on that fantasy here.
Dante found himself with a healthy amount of respect for Aura-enhanced strength as the curvaceous blonde vigorously grinded against him, all kinds of soft parts squishing against him in the process. The devil hunter felt her tongue enter his mouth, and responded in kind. It was quite a while before the two came apart, panting for air.
"This answers a lot of questions about why librarian and teacher fantasies are so popular," he commented.
Glynda groaned. Partially because even at a time like this, he couldn't help being a dork. And partially because it wasn't enough to lessen her arousal even a little.
"Must you ruin the moment?" she asked reproachfully.
"Fine, my bad," Dante conceded.
She smiled slightly at his words, and kissed him again, before giving him some space.
"So? Did you have any plans in mind, or did you just decide to show up?" she asked.
"Hmm. Well, we could continue where we just stopped."
Glynda's cheeks grew slightly red once more, but her happy smile didn't go away.
"While I don't mind, I did say there's an order to these things."
"Fair point. First date it is then. How about we stay in, order pizza and watch bad movies together?"
"Acceptable."