"Will you please get a hold of yourself, Tyrian?" It was no secret nor was it a surprise that Arthur Watts was frustrated with their faunus companion for his current display. "I get that it was our right being on the pedestrian lane but that is no excuse to warrant a fight with the cab driver doing his job." Odds are, the passengers there were simply in a hurry for some business. Few people ever went to the direction the cab went nowadays with the Vytal Festival ongoing. There was no threat either since they had already moved out; Watts personally made sure that there was no evidence that they could have left behind, not one that would make them conclude of their involvement anyway. At best, the conclusion that would have been made was that there were a bunch of troublemakers who decided to make it their little hangout place.
The same cannot be said about the attention that they were getting. Already, they were getting few strange eyes and while most of them would hardly be recognized by the common passerby, there was no telling if any wannabe online celebrities taking out their cameras would share it thinking that they would be the next viral hit or something. The concern there was the chance that it would reach their enemies, people who would recognize them, Watts especially.
"Heathens!" Tyrian continued to cry out. "With our goddess on our side, who do we have to fear? They who stand in the way of her salvation must be brought to heel!"
"Enough," Hazel said. His voice was low and he rarely ever spoke. "If you really want to serve her, you do her bidding as she instructed." Emphasizing his point, Hazel cracked his knuckles. Normally against the need for endless violence, the biggest man among them was certainly not above the use of disciplinary action.
"You would allow such sin to thrive?" Sadly, such threats and displays of intimidation never works against someone like the Tyrian.
"If you want to disappoint her." Hazel knew Tyrian well enough though. "Be my guest."
That had gotten Tyrian's attention and got him to calm down. Well, as calm as someone like the scorpion faunus could get anyway.
Oh thank the heavens for peace and quiet, Watts thought. To them, he said out loud, "Let us first find a more secluded place. Can't have any listeners after all."
They couldn't go to any of the shops there, far too small that they could still be overheard. The same could be said about the alleyways, too suspicious and with one young woman with them among a group of many men, gave terrible implications. Instead, they found one of those movie houses and found a private room there, an action film was chosen to mask their conversation with explosions.
Watts will admit that Cinder had a good eye on subordinates when she had picked up Emerald Sustrai. Her illusion-based semblance made it so that it seemed like a bunch of older professionals bringing in their young blood for a hangout. Huntsmen and huntresses were often a peculiar bunch that it didn't warrant much thinking about. The bonus was that one less person was needed for payment.
Waiting for the movie to begin, Watts then pulled out a scroll.
"I still think that Cinder should have come with us," Emerald spoke first.
"Miss Fall volunteered to stay behind," Watts replied. "For once, she knows her place and acknowledges that she could simply wait for the Fall Maiden to perish and take it herself." He was doubtful that the chosen candidate would even make it past the end of the awarding ceremony. There were also those two elixirs that she kept with her.
Given the information he had on Cinder's… interests, Watts had some inkling suspicion on what effect it might have with Cinder's condition. On one hand, he did warn her about the dangers of such a possibility. On the other, it was only possibility. Watts will admit a curiosity on his part on what it would do. Besides, if anything bad were to happen to her, it wasn't his concern.
"Now that that is out of the way," he continued. "With the Vytal Tournament nearing its end, it is time for us to make our move." He addressed each of them by name. "Firstly, mister Black will be assisting in the White Fang in their pursuit of the Schnees; it is only right that we give them our support for what they have done for us and there could be no better person than one who is trained to be an assassin."
Mercury Black nodded. He may not be like his father but the fact that the son survived? That should be evidence enough to them that he had something to offer.
"As for you three," Watts addressed them. "You will serve primarily as a team, though only temporary." He then turned to each of them. "Hazel, you will be tasked with handling our dear headmaster of Beacon Academy."
Hazel wasn't usually the type person to be elated. Though the result was merely a small smile, it was the most expressive that they had seen of the man which considering his apparent target, made a lot of sense.
"Though his body may be aging and shouldn't be capable of things that he normally would have had the host been in his prime," he explained. "Ozpin still has the experience that dwarfs all others. Do not even entertain the idea of him getting rusty."
Hazel grunted. "Ozpin will have others defending him. He would always send others to do his dirty work."
"That is why you will be assigned there. You can take it, can't you?"
"I can." The smallest hint of a pleased smile lasted only a second on Hazel's face.
"Good." Then, Watts turned to Emerald. "As for you, miss Sustrai, your task is to get Hazel and Tyrian to Beacon without much struggle. With most of the student body out there celebrating or attending the tournament, there shouldn't be too much struggle on your semblance."
"And what will I do after?" Emerald asked.
"I'll be sending a map of Beacon Academy. It wasn't just a virus that had been planted there but it also gave me access to many of the school's facilities. Your task is to find Amber and kill her. Best not to keep your mistress waiting, hmm?"
Emerald nodded. But that didn't stop the grinding of her teeth. "Yes… sir."
"And of me?" Tyrian asked. He was absolutely giddy for his task to be.
Watts personally smiled. "As for you, my dear Tyrian, there can only be one task. Admittedly, it was more of a last minute addition but one that serves our interest nonetheless."
"Ooh." Tyrian practically sang. Judging from the expression of his face, the faunus could already guess his assigned task. "Is it…?"
Watts nodded. "It would seem that Ozpin has found another one of those silver-eyed warriors."
The faunus bounced in jubilation at the confirmation. "Oh, what fun! What fun, indeed! Another one? And one so young, I assume?"
"Too young," Watts replied. "Young miss Rose has been advanced by two years into the academy." There was no doubt in his mind that it was a strategy to get the young girl to trust that man. Assigning Tyrian to deal with this was the most elementary of decisions; the scorpion faunus often called them heathens. "Just make sure she is taken alive. Our mistress has designs for such people, after all."
"Oh." Tyrian sounded disappointed.
"The key word there Tyrian is that she is still alive," Watts assured him.
"You mean?" Hope returned to Tyrian.
"It matters little to me in what state she is brought, so long as she is brought alive." If the Queen did get disappointed, Watts will deny any involvement; it is Tyrian, after all.
"Goodie!" The faunus' smile brought chills on everyone in the room. Even Hazel felt uneasy of this development though that may have more to do with the fact that this involved children.
The movie went on in the background and Tyrian, after having his task assigned, actually went ahead and watched the movie. As for the others, they continued their little discussion in accordance of their plans. Watts laid out further details.
"And Cinder?" asked Emerald. "What is her part in all of this?"
"Quite simple, really," Watts replied. "Distraction. She is to serve as a distraction. Once the attack on Beacon begins, miss Fall will simply play the role of bait, making them think that the we have more Dust than we actually have."
That was the versatile thing about Remnant's magic, he supposed. With its capacity of recreating the effects of pretty much anything one could think of, it was only a matter of creativity. With Cinder? Such thing was sadly mostly limited to fire and glass. That woman had a strange interest in flame. Still, in this instance, it certainly aided in advancing their causes.
"And you?" Mercury asked. Cinder certainly has a knack of picking up good lackeys. "And what will be doing through all this?"
Watts rolled his eyes. As if he would simply sit back and let these simpletons do all the work. In order to ensure the success of their missions, one must always be willing to do the deed themselves.
"Who else do you think will give the signal?" Watts replied. "And what better to do that than through Amity itself?"
"You just stole that from Cinder!" Emerald accused.
"As if I would stoop so low as to steal from another." Watts scoffed at the notion. "That simply means that miss Fall actually has a functioning brain every once in a while."
Mercury held back an Emerald ready to pounce. Was this girl really that deprived of attention? Perhaps Watts would need to reevaluate Cinder's choice of companions. What had initially begun as something promising turned sad.
Having already said his piece, Watts sat back and simply let the movie play out. It wasn't to his taste. The heroes there were simply mindless jocks spewing one-liners while causing massive explosions everywhere that wouldn't have been possible with the explosives used. Looking back at the choices, Watts only then noticed the comedy that had been added along with it. It had been a parody of action films apparently. Fair enough, he supposed. Not like it mattered anyway, it served its purpose well-enough and one of them seemed to be enjoying his time at least.
Like an old man in a theater with his family, Watts leaned back into his chair and began to doze off. He didn't pay any attention to Emerald nor Mercury who were glaring at him. What? He had given them their roles and he even made sure that their precious Cinder is kept away from harm. If anything, they should be thanking him for looking after that foolish girl. Her plans barely even worked and all those times was because she failed to account for unexpected developments and made contingencies. That woman's plots also hinged on things going exactly as they should. Honestly, that is more his specialty; she should be focused on learning on how to plan on the spot.
Still, Watts would at least give Cinder a bit of respect. While misguided and entitled, that girl is devoted to her beliefs and causes. Her drive is admirable and one that he finds a bit of himself in. He would never say it to her face though. Watts would rather be actually dead than admit any of that.
Shame, he thought as sleep was slowly taking over. Would have been nice to have an assistant in those days. He certainly would have employed her better than that step-mother she always despised. Unlike some people, Watts could actually recognize talent and dedication and would actually reward such actions. He would never have picked some fat bastard over someone more deserving of that.
The movie's booming sound effects started to become background noise. All this thinking and planning over the past months, not to mention that little side project of analyzing the stolen elixirs, took a lot out of the scientist. Watts eventually slept and when he awoke, only Tyrian was kind enough to remain by his side.
/-/
The Vytal Tournament was nearing its end. The first singles matches had concluded with the winners advancing onward to the finals. Celebration was had just as much as there was coping of losses.
Cinder had started this journey of hers alone. As far back to the time from before she had met her mistress, she had always been alone. Now, at the cusp of achieving someone else's goals, she must finish it alone. There had never been a choice for her. Time and again, something else had always come to stop her, denying her that freedom that she sought.
The earliest time that she had made that choice to defend herself, she had to kill the very man that had taught her how.
She took out her scroll again. Finding Watt's message, she read his warning again. It said the following:
I must warn you, Cinder. Should you decide to walk this path, I recommend taking samples. Never down the whole thing and most certainly not both at the same time.
Cinder rolled her eyes. She already heard this before. After further inquisition, Watts conjectured with the most long-winded explanation about the elixirs and its possible effects it would have on the person. Splitting the soul into two, he says. His warning had been the chance that it might return the Fall Maiden powers back to Amber. After all, if such an elixir truly did split an individual's soul, what would happen if the person had more than one?
If that had been the truth, then the headmaster of Beacon Academy should have been all on it. The mere prospect of finally splitting his selves from one another would have been quite the solution to that merging process. There was one thing about the headmaster that had been certain and that is the pity and sadness he has when it comes to his hosts. How many lives had he taken away now by simply being similar to them? How many of his hosts had families of their own that had to be abandoned for his pointless crusade?
No. The fact that the headmaster hasn't even made an attempt tells Cinder that it wouldn't be the case here. Watts had suggested that she at least use someone else as a test subject. There were two elixirs and one could have been used to see its effects. She refused it then, she'll refuse it even now.
"There is no longer a choice," Cinder said. "For this so-called experiment, I will use myself as the subject." Just as it had been many times before. She would have to take matters into her own hands.
Finding a secluded place, she made sure that no one would follow her. Even if they did, Cinder would have dealt with them easily enough.
With enough privacy, Cinder Fall took out the two elixirs. Her hands trembled.
"No." She shook her head. "I must put aside the fears I feel here." Images of Hyde came to her mind. That unnaturalness about him was unlike the cruelties she had endured. Even her step-mother would have treated her better than what Hyde could do. The thought of facing him again both angered and terrified her.
"So it comes to this," she continued. One last final chance that she had to take. Everything that would follow after this would be because of this moment. "I could be just like you, Hyde. If I will have to be the monster to have you kneel, then so be it."
She raised one of the elixirs into the air. Like a warning light, shimmering in red, the sunbeams pierced through the elixir's container as if begging her to reconsider. Now that she took the time to observe it, she found it beautiful and strange. The thought of bringing out one's truest nature at a mere drink had a curious appeal to her. The lights from that prism danced and sparkled like twinkling stars.
Popping off the cover, Cinder took a deep breath and consumed the elixir. She drank every last drop of it until it the container was nothing more than a clear glass. She took out the other and did the same.
When she had finished, the glass containers were subsequently thrown in the trash.
"Salty," she commented. "Bitter taste. It stings the tongue a little." She placed her fingers on stomach as she felt the warmth of the drink passed through her esophagus.
Cinder took out a handkerchief. There was a heat spreading across her veins and it wasn't the fires of the Fall Maiden. It had been from the elixir. She began to giggle and sway, a slight feeling of euphoria and being lightheaded.
"No noticeable behavioral differences," she said in a tonal mockery of what she envisioned Watts would do had he been doing this experiment. "I must be wise. I must try to analyze each chain in me?" She danced a waltz by her lonesome. The drink was akin to wine. It left her feelings of good times and the thought of what is to come was an eager curiosity of hers now.
If this works, she wondered. Will I see Remnant through different eyes? Will I finally see what he sees?
Cinder continued to focus on her breathing. Placing a hands on the wall next to her as she nearly stumbled from her drunken-like state, the high she was starting to get was getting stronger. She couldn't control the upward curving of her lips. She was feeling good. The elixir had a strange effect on her.
Then, she felt the slightest form of resistance. It was sudden, like a slight but sharp pain through her chest. She felt that heat as well but it was different than the one that came before. The Fall Maiden? That half of the power that she had taken was resisting? Cinder didn't do much and let whatever happens happen. Right now everything was feeling good, if a little uncomfortable.
It was a strange thing, feeling two different heats dance against one another. In the end, one side had to give in and serve the other. As an added measure, Cinder conjured a flame using the Fall Maiden's powers. She let the fire dance on her hand just as the heat inside of her continued their waltz.
"Now the die is cast," Cinder said. "There is nothing left to do." Time alone will prove her ambitions true. "I'll show the world. I'll show the world that I—"
Cinder Fall paused. The conflicting heats had stopped fighting, rather the heat of the Fall Maiden was no longer felt by her. The only thing that remained was the heat of the elixirs. Gone was that feeling of jubilation and euphoria. Like a speeding car crash, the shift had been sudden and unexpected.
"My god," she groaned. "What's this?" She couldn't explain it. Fingers dug deep into her aura-protected skin, desperately clinging to that happier moment she had earlier.
Something indescribable was happening to her. Her breathing became heavier with each passing second.
"Where is it?" She conjured a flame from the Fall Maiden powers. There wasn't any. "Where is it? Where has it gone?" The Fall Maiden powers were not responding to her. Had it been split from her? Impossible. It was rightfully hers. She had rightfully taken it! No. She didn't it. She got something better!
Her dress felt tight and was getting tighter and tighter.
"It's like…" Cinder gasped for air. Her hands gripped and held nothing. "Something is eating me alive. It's devouring, consuming me, it's driving me insa—!" Throaty screams of agony and pain deafened many of passersby as all froze in their place, chilled by the anguish of a woman in unbearable pain. Concerned and at the sound of a woman in pain, many civilians came and checked to see what had become of Cinder Fall.
When one was brave enough to approach her, a trained emergency medical professional, their life had been forfeit.
"What is this?" Cinder begged for answers. The pain had become unbearable. Agony reigned as she felt her bones break and her muscles tore. "Is this death?" Tears fell from her eyes as she begged for the torment to keep going.
Like a creature trapped in a cage, Cinder Fall lunged at another civilian. Her nails grew and scratched the walls. Her bulging eyes looked at the window that had a terrified woman inside. She had become larger. The veins and arteries become visible as her skin melted as the red meat underneath took its place. Her muscles grew bulkier, racing against the breaking bones inside of her that was piercing through her flesh.
Anger. Hatred. Vengeance. Memories of that tortured life came to the front, fueling the monster as she took another step, crushing the third civilian that froze in fear.
Stepping out into the light and into the open, a car crashed into her. People began to panic; she could feel it; she was drawn to it. The Grimm? The sight of those puny and terrified creatures, their lifeless forms painting the ground red, what bliss. Kill. Was this what the creatures of Grimm felt? Kill.
Another life had been lost. Kill. Kill! It began to seize whichever was closest to it. Maim. Kill. Be Free! Run Free! Yes! Yes! Yes!
"Professor Peach?" A panicky voice called out. The monster turned to see a trembling girl in black and white. With her was a familiar looking faunus. "What is that?"
"Good question, miss Belladonna," the woman called Peach answered. She looked familiar. Had they met before? Had she been killed yet? Her voice wasn't as panicky as the first one. But she was still cautious, cautious enough to want to live. "And I regret to inform you that that is probably what happens when my partner is having a bad day."
"What?" The fresher meat looked so tender being this fearful.
"Forget the detail for now, just run!" Perfect! Just perfect!
Like a predator, she felt the need to chase them. There was a thrill in that. For the longest time in her life, she had been the prey, cowering in fear and bowing her head meekly, awaiting her inevitable slaughter. But now, it was she who gave chase. It was her who was the predator. A lust for their blood, a raging desire. Damned by the heavenly laws that had been laid down for them to follow, berserk and perverse, she could only drown herself in the renewed pleasures of this new experience.
Her two latest targets, running in fear with the older one giving covering for the younger. Yes! Run! Run for your lives! Cling to that hope! Cling to that life you hold dear! It is much, much more beautiful to see it taken from you!
Cinder paused when she found herself stopping by one of the smaller buildings windows. There was a window there that was reflective enough that she could see what she had become, at her current size.
"Who is this…" her large hands touched the glass. "…creature… that I see?"
Her fingers traced the unnatural face that had become hers. The bleeding red eyes were akin to Grimm and her visible veins now white as snow while her skin was as black as the Grimm. It wasn't like her mistress. For one, she was a hulking monster at about ten or eleven feet in height.
She breathed a breath of fresh air. She came to the only answer that she could for her current appearance. "Free. I am free." Her laughter roared and was heard even by those many blocks away. The two prey continued to run as they pleased. Her grin grew wider as she gave chase once more, letting her large feet carry her to her prey swifter than a stampede in this excellent sport.
It was quite the feeling that she felt. The feeling of being alive.
From a distance, she could hear the sirens ringing. The valiant protectors of civilization are coming. As an added measure, she tried to conjure the Fall Maiden powers. Still, they did not come.
"Like I need that to succeed," she roared. "So then... bring on the huntsmen." Let the fun begin.
AN: This time, taking influence from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (The movie. I've read... things about the later parts in the comic book series on the wiki page. They're not bad; I've heard worse. It's just... one of the comic book series of... a time)