AN: I said this chapter would be up in two weeks, and it's been two weeks. Here you go!
Gotta say I was expecting a lot more pushback with my decision last chapter to have Sasuke 'open up' to Shyla and the twins. I am pleasantly surprised most of you seemed to think I did a decent enough job with that scene.
'thoughts'
Uchiha of Remnant
Chapter 12: Best-Laid Plans
"How drunk were you when you had this… encounter?"
"Well, I had a swig or two an hour befo- no more than usual!"
Impeccable blonde curls and harsh green eye framed by thin glasses judged him sternly, the woman's free hand resting on her hip as she slowly fingered her grip on her weapon. It wasn't the first time Qrow was on the receiving end of such a harsh stare from Glynda Goodwitch, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
Across his desk, Ozpin looked on as the well-practiced wheels in his head began turning. Even by their standards, Qrow's story was almost unbelievable. But then again, unbelievable events seemed to be occurring ever-more frequently lately.
"Really?" her eyes narrowed skeptically as she began to grip her riding crop with what looked to him like an increasingly itchy trigger finger (seriously, why did she have to carry her weapon in her hand everywhere she went instead of holstering it like a normal person?).
"Look, I know what I saw!"
"Forgive my bluntness, but even amongst the present company your story seems quite outlandish."
"Now Glynda," Ozpin interrupted, "I'm sure Qrow wouldn't travel halfway across Remnant to tell us his tale if he wasn't confident of its authenticity."
"And he isn't the first person to see this animal" he continued. "Several eyewitnesses from the town of Higanbana reported seeing a large bird of prey at least the size of a small truck crash into the local market before flying away several weeks ago. I had thought the claims had been exaggerated or mistaken, but I think we have enough evidence now to conclude the creature is real."
The one Branwen that remained loyal to Ozpin's cause had made an impromptu visit to deliver his report in person; a break from the usual method of CCT calls that could only mean that the Huntsman was delivering more serious news than a standard 'nothing found yet' update.
And what a tale it had been. Being alive for centuries on end meant that Ozpin had heard more than his fair share of ridiculous and impossible stories, but this one had certainly been original.
A Hawk, with a given name of Garuda, as large as a small building, killing two fully-grown Nevermores with brute force and an air blade attack that was powerful enough to level over an acre of forest, that was capable of rational thought and speech (if only with other birds), and that knew of creatures other than Grimm that were composed of energy rather than physical flesh.
What had Qrow said Garuda had called the creatures? Horned Beasts? Qrow had looked a bit unsure of himself when he got to that part, perhaps he hadn't remembered it completely.
And most stunning of all, Garuda had a master who by his own admission was more powerful than he was.
A human master. A male human master.
That should not have been possible.
"My apologies, Headmaster" said Glynda, "It's just… even with what we know, this is a lot to take in at once."
"You want proof, Miss I-don't-trust-drunk-people-even-if-they've-done-reconnaissance-in-the-field-for-years-and-have-saved-my-life-several-times?" Qrow snapped, having reached the end of his tether with his colleague's doubts. "How about if I fly back to Anima, fetch Garuda for you, bring him back here, and get him to drop beachball-sized shit on your car? Will he be real enough for you then?"
"Qrow-!"
"He was friendly enough with me, I'll bet I could get him to do it!"
"That's enough, you two."
He hadn't raised his voice, but Ozpin's tone was hard enough to get the two to stop their bickering and refocus on the issue at hand.
"If Salem hasn't found out about this new player yet, she will eventually. We need to address this now, and figure out what our next move will be."
"Sir," Glynda said cautiously, "do you think that this… person, is responsible for the Patch Anomaly changing location?"
Ozpin sighed deeply. There was no denying it any longer- despite the hopes of Patch's citizens that the Grimm-pacifying phenomenon that had protected their island for so long had only left them temporarily and would shortly return, they were left disappointed. A barrier wall was being constructed to protect Signal and the surrounding towns, but it was only a reminder to the people who lived there that they no longer lived in a safe haven.
Vale was the new center of the Anomaly, and barring some bombshell discovery most everyone had started to accept the reality of the new situation. And according to various reports, it was growing. Patrols routinely traveled up to over a hundred-mile radius outside of Vale's borders that either encountered Grimm that fled from them unless they were within less than a hundred yards of the creatures or encountered no Grimm at all.
But now Qrow had come back with word of a giant, sentient Hawk that had first been seen only a few days before the Patch Anomaly had shifted, and who served an even more powerful master that had no logical reason to exist.
It was too much to be a coincidence.
"It's very possible. We would have to find out who he is and where he comes from before we could confirm it, but this mystery fellow certainly does sound like a prime suspect."
"So how do we find him?" inquired the shape-shifter, "I told you, Garuda wouldn't tell me anything about his boss. We have no name, and we have no idea what he looks like. Not exactly a lot to go on."
"It will certainly be like looking for a needle in a haystack," admitted the Headmaster, "but at least we had a good idea of where the haystack is."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If this man somehow moved the Patch Anomaly hundreds of miles from its original position to the city of Vale, and the position hasn't changed since, it's reasonable to assume he is dwelling in this very city as we speak."
"You- you're kidding right?" Qrow stammered. "There's no way. Someone with that kind of power walking around would have an overwhelming aura or presence of some kind, no matter how well they tried to hide it!"
"Not necessarily…" Glynda countered, pondering with her finger on her chin, "the reason for the Patch Anomaly has never been discovered, even with modern-day technology. So, it's likely that anyone who could manipulate it would be able to do so with similar inconspicuousness."
"Oh, great! Just great!" Qrow said, throwing his arms up. "We have to search the entire city of Vale for one guy who looks completely normal! Oh, this won't be hard at all!"
"Will you stop being such a drama queen?" Glynda huffed. "We can search the records of all travelers from Patch to Vale at the same time the Anomaly moved, and check whom among them has not left the city on public transport since then. It won't account for anyone who snuck in, but it's a start."
"And let's say by some stroke of luck we do find him. What then?"
"Well that's the problem, isn't it" Ozpin admitted. "We know next to nothing about him, so we can't definitively say how we should best approach him when the time comes."
"I hate to be Johnny Raincloud here, but we do know something about his motives" Qrow countered. "Garuda told me very clearly that his boss doesn't have any beef with anyone on Remnant and wants to be left alone. If we try and drag him into our little club, it's only gonna piss him off! And after seeing what his subordinate can do, the last thing we need is to get on his bad side. I'd like to keep my body in one piece, thank you."
"Unfortunately, that isn't an option," said Ozpin. "This man's power and potential influence over the Patch Anomaly means that he's too big a player for us to not keep tabs on. And if Salem finds him before we do, she would do everything in her power to give him an unfavorable impression of us."
Ozpin had been fighting Salem for millennia now, and it wasn't her raw power or immortality that had proved to be her most formidable weapon. It was her silver tongue that whispered promises and half-truths that were just as effective as dividing empires and alliances as they were at convincing more malleable minds to join her cause.
If she worked that magic on Garuda's master they would be in big trouble.
"Qrow," the Headmaster started, "you will cease your search for the Spring Maiden until Garuda's master is found, and remain in Vale with Glynda to help search for him. It might be a risk to call off our search for her, but if she's avoided discovery by both us and Salem for years, then she can probably be trusted to avoid being found for another few months if need be. For now, this takes priority."
"Alright, Oz. But where exactly do we start? Vale isn't exactly a small town."
"You need to put your personal charm to work and ask around town and see if you can find any leads. Glynda, you will be working with the Vale police as backup for their forces. Try to see if you can find any event or pattern of interest that they've seen. I'm sure given their current situation they would be quite grateful for your assistance."
"Wait a minute, what situation? Did I miss something?" asked a confused Qrow.
"You didn't hear?" Glynda asked.
"Apparently not. Look, I flew straight here after getting to Vale, I didn't talk to anybody. What's going on?"
"The police had a massive sting operation three days ago to catch Roman Torchwick and stop his Dust robberies" Ozpin explained. "Unfortunately, he had two aura-capable mercenaries with him that handily defeated both Huntsmen who had been assigned to help with the operation and put over a hundred officers in the hospital. Not one of Roman's cohorts was arrested."
Qrow's eyes widened. With that many officers out of commission, the criminals of Vale were going to have a field day.
"Who were Roman's two lackeys? Anyone we know?"
"The police report could only identify Neopolitan," Glynda informed him, "a mercenary from Mistral who can create illusions with her semblance."
"And what about the other one?"
"His identity is unknown, he was wearing a black ski mask for the entire encounter. But according to every witness, he was almost the sole reason the police lost the shootout. He defeated one of the Huntsmen in minutes, and was the one responsible for almost all of the injured officers."
The alarm bells in Qrow's head started to blare. One guy had done this?
"How did he do it? Does he have a semblance of some kind?"
"We're not entirely sure" Ozpin admitted. "He wielded a short sword with no dust or gun attached, and according to the report stole several weapons from defeated officers that he fired with perfect accuracy."
"Wait, what do you mean by 'perfect accuracy'?"
"It's exactly how it sounds" Glynda clarified, her tone deathly serious. "Every shot he fired hit a location that would cause crippling injuries, but no lethal damage. It's the same story with those he wounded with his sword."
A heavy silence fell on the room. An enemy that chose not to kill was a welcome change to what they usually dealt with, but it also meant that this enemy, whoever he was, had gone easy on them.
The only reason the hospitalized officers continued to draw breath was because their opponent had allowed it.
"Ozpin," the sole Huntress in the room piped, "do you think this masked man might be Garuda's master?"
They were looking for a powerful man, and this new guy certainly fit the bill.
"No, I don't think so." Surprisingly it Qrow, not Ozpin, who answered. "Garuda said that his master had no interest in conflict with anyone in Remnant. Non-lethal or otherwise, working with a crime lord and getting into shootouts with Huntsmen and the cops doesn't exactly fit that M.O."
"I hope you're right, Qrow" admitted the Headmaster. "Regardless of whether this masked man is the one we are looking for or not, he is working with Torchwick and must be apprehended."
Qrow and Glynda shared a glance with each other- they were going to be very busy in the coming days.
"I suggest the two of you get started immediately. I'll inform the Vale Police Chief of your assignment, Glynda."
"Yes, sir."
"And Qrow," Ozpin added, "try to lay off the drinks a bit. I daresay we might need you more on the sober end for this one."
"Tch, alright" he grunted.
Their briefing complete, Ozpin's two most loyal Hunters left the office to begin their new assignments.
Ozpin, however, had one more thing to do before informing the Vale Police of Glynda's arrival. With a few taps of his keyboard he set up a video chat with the other three Headmasters of the Huntsmen Academies. They needed to be updated with this new development, and with luck maybe Leo had heard some rumors regarding Garuda's current whereabouts if their search for his master in Vale turned into a dead end.
Roman Torchwick smoked too much. He knew it was bad for him, but like so many others before him he had discovered at a young age that taking a drag from a quality cigar (NOT a cigarette; he wasn't fucking cheap) did wonders to calm his nerves. Sure, he might get cancer or something, but that was a problem for future Roman. The Roman of the present needed to stay calm, composed, and in control. Especially now, as he was being escorted alone by four henchmen who did not work for him, but another crime lord.
He could probably square a deal rather easily; his charisma could usually be counted on to keep him safe enough. Still, the fact remained that the man he was meeting could just as easily decide to be Roman's enemy as he could his partner, and the bowler-hat wearing man had no illusions what his chances were of winning a fight in the lion's den.
Internally, he cursed Neo. He would have preferred to have her with him as capable backup that would at least be some kind of help if things went bad, but she had not responded to any of his calls. To be fair the meeting had been decided and arranged in only an hour, so perhaps she was in the middle of something else.
He took another long drag from his cigar, relaxing his grip on the handle of his cane.
Oh well. It was too late to go back now.
Roman took a brief moment to look around. He was being taken through an abandoned factory of some kind located on the outer edge of Vale, one that probably once made construction equipment and other heavy machinery based on what was still around. Several half and partially assembled tractors were scattered around, their tracks weighted and wrinkled past their prime. The smell of rust permeated the entire building so much that Roman was wondering if it was possible to get Tetanus from breathing in enough fumes. Every square inch of paint that had not peeled or fallen off was hard at work trying to do so, dry and flaking crumbs falling to the ground like slow-motion snow.
The factory's original purpose had been long abandoned, but it was now being used for a far more sinister design.
After climbing a flight of stairs, they reached a door to what was once one of the main offices of the factory before one of the henchmen gave a knock.
"Boss, Roman's here to see you."
"Send him in."
The room Roman walked into had only four men.
Two of them were burly thugs, standing silently at attention, who were only there as intimidation.
The third was a tall, wiry man with electric blue eyes that were so full of excitement and energy Roman could swear he could see the man's pupils vibrating. He wore a simple dark blue suit that Roman could tell was freshly pressed, and his hands were fidgeting in his pockets.
The fourth and final man sat in a rather luxurious chair that he had obviously brought with him. It wasn't the first time Roman had laid eyes on this man, and like before Roman couldn't help but think how unimpressive he looked.
Even sitting down it was obvious the man was not particularly tall, the shortest person in the room by at least six inches. Middle-aged, a thin wisp of hair slicked over his head in a futile attempt to cover his balding scalp, and a modest beer gut did not paint a particularly intimidating image. He looked like the kind of guy who did not age well when they hit their midlife crisis and whose son would be embarrassed to introduce to his girlfriend for fear of admitting he might share some of his looks down the road.
Roman knew better. Cinder may have been the most dangerous person he had ever personally met, but the seemingly unremarkable man in front of him held second place without a doubt.
This was Marko Cain, often referred to by his nickname 'Stonewall', and the fact that he was probably Roman's last chance of maintaining some kind of control of his empire was undeniable proof of how desperate he had become.
Beady eyes judged him with cold calculus, concerned only about getting as much of what he wanted out of his trip to Vale and not caring how far down the Road to Hell he had to go to get it.
"So glad you could make it, Roman! Please, take a seat."
"Why thank you, Mr. Cain, wonderful hospitality as always."
"Oh, not at all, you've more than earned that much. From what I've heard, it's thanks to you that the proud law enforcers of Vale have suffered such a loss of manpower that made this partnership of ours possible."
"Although I must admit, I am a bit confused" he continued, his tone taking a more suspicious note. "When a city loses a large chunk of its boys in blue, men like you and me jump on that opportunity for all its worth; not call in someone who will be competing for the spoils."
"Now, now, do you really think I would have invited you all the way to my town just to jerk you around?"
"The only reason I'm here, Roman, is because I know you wouldn't do that to me" the portly man said, giving Torchwick a glare that promised a painful death if he chose his words poorly. "You can cut the bullshit. You want something from me, so spill it."
Roman took another drag from his cigar. He had thought carefully how to present his deal to Marko, but that didn't mean that his nerves were under control.
"Have you ever taken in a young, bright-eyed protégé, who had talent in spades and showed a lot of promise, but wasn't quite willing to do what was necessary?"
"A greenhorn?"
"No, not a rookie or anything like that. More like, someone who doesn't quite have the… lack of ethics needed for our line of work."
"Oh, an idealist" Cain inferred. "And why do you need my assistance dealing with this? Surely cutting off one loose end isn't beyond your abilities?"
"This one is" Roman confessed. "He spars with Neo for fun and is the winner every time. He's the one responsible for putting most of the cops in the shootout in the hospital, and he did it almost all by himself."
Cain raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was familiar with Neo and her skills, and he knew beating her was no small feat.
At least he could now appreciate Roman's dilemma for what it was. Torchwick's problem, whoever he was, had gone out of his way to make sure he did not kill anyone even when facing a veritable army. And the fact that he had still won the encounter with a handicap meant that even Roman and Neo together weren't guaranteed to beat him.
"So, what's in it for me?"
If this guy was as powerful as Roman claimed, then Cain might have to deal with him personally. Not that he was averse to rolling up his sleeves when he needed to; he didn't get a reputation for being ruthless by sitting back in an easy chair and commanding his subordinates to do all of the dirty work for him.
Be that as it may, he wasn't about to do a favor for free.
"I'll give you a… favorable introduction to my boss."
Cain merely stared at him for a few moments. Whatever answer he had expected, it wasn't that.
"Since when do you work for someone else? And why do I give a damn what they think of me? You should know me well enough to understand what I do to people who try to twist my arm."
"You won't be able to do shit to someone who's stronger than you."
The moment those words left his lips he knew he had gone too far. Roman's mouth had a bad habit of sometimes saying things before his mind had properly filtered them. Usually he could joke it off, but as he saw Cain draw himself up in his chair, he saw the man's fingers change from their usual pale pink appearance to a dark-grey asphalt.
Roman held in a gulp of fear. He had seen plenty of murders in his life by himself and others, and he could say with no hesitation that a death by Cain's semblance resulted in more gore than anything else. Even a meatgrinder was less messy.
"Would you care to repeat that?"
Despite the pounding of his heart and the overwhelming urge to walk his words back, Roman forced himself to hold his ground. He couldn't afford to show weakness.
"I said, you can't do anything against someone stronger than you."
It wasn't a lie; as strong as 'Stonewall' Cain was, Cinder was stronger. Roman had hoped to avoid being the one to tell his rival crime lord that everyone in Vale's underworld, even the hardline White Fang, would be bending the knee to a new power. But Cain would certainly kill him if Roman baited him into this mess without telling him.
He just prayed Cain wasn't in the mood to shoot the messenger.
"…So, let's say I believe you" said the portly man, his hands changing back to their original state. "Why can't you just get your powerful boss to take care of him? Why did you need me to clean up your mess?"
"Well that's a bit… complicated. You see…"
Internally Roman was cursing even as he stammered a reply. This was the one question he had really hoped he wouldn't be asked. And he knew as he saw the man's eyes widen in realization and his lips curl into a Cheshire Cat smirk seconds later, Roman knew Cain had figured him out.
"My dear Roman, you're not afraid of your boss replacing you, are you?"
The cigar in Roman's hand was suddenly strained to the edge of its breaking point as the thief struggled to keep his fingers from snapping it even as he let out an almost inaudible growl of anger.
Much as he hated to admit it, Cain had hit the nail on the head. It was thanks to Sasuke and Sasuke alone, not Roman, that their operations had improved as much as they had. He had heard the snippets of conversations that whispered of how Sasuke had been the one to ask if everyone had made it back, and Roman had just snapped orders to unload the cargo without a second thought for the men under him.
If Sasuke rebelled now he would not only succeed, he would have the support of many if not most of his men.
Roman had thought that Neo would remain loyal to him, an ace in the hole who was worth a hundred common grunts. Mercenary or not she had worked with him many times in the past, and that meant that she would likely stick with the devil she knew. And Sasuke's refusal to kill was so antithetical to Neo's ruthlessness that he had been sure she would see him as nothing more than a ridiculously capable child prodigy playing with kid gloves just as he did.
Or so he had thought. He hadn't missed the looks of adoration she sent his way, the playful look on her face as she challenged him with whatever little contests she thought of. And Neo wasn't immune to the universal tendency of any female within eyeshot of the guy to entertain not-so-innocent thoughts; when she had offered the Uchiha her seat on the ride back and had promptly sat on his lap, well, Roman had seen more than enough in his life to know a discreet lap dance tease when he saw it.
When Neo had offered to take the Uchiha away to remove the bullets embedded in his body for him personally, instead of simply ordering a lackey to do it, Roman could deny it no longer. Sasuke had Neo's genuine interest and respect.
Torchwick was losing his influence, losing his power, losing his friends, and he was losing them fast.
It was beyond humiliating for Roman to be in this position, and giving Cain the leverage of knowing he could decide Roman's fate was the last thing he needed.
"I can't say I would blame them," Cain continued, twisting the knife still further. "You admitted yourself he's stronger than you. And if he was the one who did the heavy lifting during that shootout, I'll bet plenty of your subordinates saw him as the hero that led them to victory that night instead of you."
Melodic Cudgel was slammed into the floor as its owner's temper flared, though the thief had enough presence of mind to not rise from his seat.
"That bleeding heart is probably going to go turncoat on us any day now!" Roman practically roared. "What the hell does it matter if he's better than me if he's not even on our side!?"
"The only reason he's defying you this openly is because he knows he has little to nothing to fear from you" Cain calmly replied as he enjoyed Roman's manifested desperation.
Torchwick's nostrils flared and jaws clenched, but no words came from his mouth. There was nothing to say.
"Double."
"E-excuse me?"
"If you want my help, you're going to have to bring in double the quota you promised in the next shipments."
Roman grit his teeth, but held back the kneejerk reflex to negotiate a lower price. He was the one whose back was to the wall and they both knew it.
"Done."
"Excellent!" Cain exclaimed. "And don't worry so much about meeting your end of the bargain, that girl you kidnapped for me personally is quite a catch. Just for you, I'll count her as two items instead of one."
"About that," Torchwick interjected. "I didn't send that one to you just as part of the shipment; I need you to show her to our little rebel before you whisk her away to whatever rich pervert you sold her to."
"Why? Who is she?"
"Her name is Shyla," Torchwick explained, "and she knows our problem child a bit more closely than most. Nothing too serious from what I gather, but he knows her first name, and that's more than most people get."
"Again, why does this matter? I thought you wanted me to take care of your problem for you?"
"You will almost certainly have to; he's been adamant about his little moral code. But I want to give him one more chance to change his tune. The kid has ridiculous talent we could certainly use in the future when we expand our operations, it would be a shame to waste it if by some chance his mind can be changed."
It was a blatant lie- Roman was praying to the Gods that Sasuke was stupid enough to hold on to his moral code, it was the only way Cinder wouldn't turn him into a pile of ashes. But now that the woman knew about the Uchiha and his talents he knew that if he just killed the kid, subtly or not, Cinder would pick up on the foul play and kill him on the spot. No, he needed a real excuse, and if Cain was there to see him fail their little test he would have a convenient eyewitness to back up his actions.
"Ah," Cain's eyes lit up, "a litmus test?"
"Exactly! If he can see someone he knows personally be trafficked away without his conscience rearing its head, then he can stay on" said the thief before making a determined glare. "But if he disapproves then we cut him off."
Truthfully Roman wasn't sure if his test would be genuine. Sasuke kept to himself so much in all of his jobs that there wasn't really anyone who could say they were close to him. Roman would know; he had investigated every single location the kid frequented and kept tabs on everyone he talked to, which wasn't much. The kid had no family and no real friends; acquaintances at best.
The Malachite twins were potentially better choices for this little test, but Roman wanted to stay on Junior's good- well, not his good side, but his tolerable side at least, just in case he needed to hire a few of his henchmen in the future or needed some of his information.
With the twins not being a viable option, Shyla had been the only real alternative. It was a bonus that she was more than hot enough to qualify as a 'valuable item' for Cain. Not willing to just send his men in to do the kidnapping and risk them fucking it up, Roman had taken part in the abduction himself to ensure that nothing went wrong. In hindsight it was for the best. She was a real spitfire and had put up a decent fight, even managing to whip out her scroll to try and call for help before Roman knocked her out. He had destroyed the device easily enough, but if he hadn't been there she probably would have succeeded in letting someone know what had happened.
"Well that's fine with me" agreed Cain. "It would be a shame to waste such rare talent. Good help is so hard to come by."
"By the way," he continued, "you never mentioned his name. Who exactly is he?"
"Oh, how forgetful of me!" Roman exclaimed, his flippancy returning. "His name is Sasuke Uchiha. Dark and brooding type, but gets more attention from the ladies than you would think possible."
As he finished his sentence the fidgeting man standing next to Cain that had so far kept his mouth shut abruptly snapped his head up to look at Roman directly.
"…What?" questioned the thief, a little unnerved at how the man's pupils seemed to vibrate.
"This Sasuke Uchiha, does he by chance have black eyes?"
"Yes, he does" Roman answered. "Why? Do you know him?"
The man's lips quivered for a brief moment before his body was overtaken with unnatural trembles. He began to giggle, and then clutched his stomach as he began to laugh violently.
"Care to explain what's so funny, Shaves?" interrupted Cain.
"HAhaha, haha, Hehehe… HAha… s-sorry boss" the now identified Shaves apologized, still struggling to control his diaphragm. "Just, just the irony!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Cain as he turned toward his subordinate.
"You remember that Violet girl, the junkie that called me and said she would do anything to get out of Vale?"
"How could I forget that?" Cain huffed in amusement. "It's not often we find people willing to volunteer for us. I believe you said she was running away from someone?"
"Exactly! And who do you think that 'someone' is?" Shaves muttered excitedly, starting to giggle under his breath again.
There was a brief pause before Cain couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he realized what Shaves was saying.
"My, my, what are the odds?"
"Amazing what a small world this is" quipped Roman.
"Perhaps we should inform her that she will have to see the man of her nightmares one last time," Shaves pondered, his cruel smile betraying the dramatic flair of feigned empathy in his words. "The poor thing has been through so much; it would be downright wicked to force her to see him without warning!"
"Don't be a drama queen with your bullshit morality" snapped Cain, wearing a tyrannical smirk. "We run an international human trafficking business; if you're concerned about 'civility' then you're in the wrong profession."
It was close to midday, but one wouldn't know that if they looked outside. What would normally be a bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds and a shining sun was anything but.
Dark pink, magenta, and purple hues filled the air above, filtering out the vibrant green and blue light that would normally light up the life-covered surface below. Only the red and purple rays passed through, dankly illuminating a landscape so utterly devoid of life it may as well have been on the moon. Pools of jet-black liquid, every so often twitching and rippling with movement and subtle energy that no wind or breeze was responsible for, dotted the landscape. Every few seconds, like a corrupt mockery of creation, newborn creatures of Grimm crawled out of the pools that spawned them.
Normally they would wander, aimlessly searching for whatever traces of fear, anger, or apprehension they could find. Today, however, they stood at the base of a large castle made of pink and purple crystal, the army of creatures all gazing up toward where they knew their superior was. All Grimm, newborn or otherwise, were capable of recognizing their fellow creatures of destruction; of darkness. And all of them knew instinctively that the being they sensed inside the castle was not only one of them, but their leader. Their Master.
They embraced their primal instincts: obey the Master.
And right now, the Master wanted them to stay put.
Grimm did not communicate verbally; they sensed the primitive thoughts and feral instincts of their brethren as easily as they sensed negative emotions from humanity. So, the Grimm also sensed the mental state of their leader just as easily even if they couldn't understand what they represented.
Anger. Frustration. Anxiety. Uncertainty.
Neither humans nor Faunus could instinctively sense negative emotions at a distance like Grimm, but the five humans and single Faunus inside the castle could identify all of them and more coming from the woman at the head of the table they were seated at.
Salem was usually calm. Even when things didn't go her way, what did it matter if she had a literal eternity to achieve her goal?
One thing that centuries of experience had taught her was that excessive discipline and punishment of subordinates that failed a task was often not worth the drawback. People did not perform well nor did they take the risks needed to achieve their objectives if they believed they would be punished for the smallest of misjudgments or infractions.
Today, however, for the first time on years she had to manifest some effort to quash the urge to raise her voice. Her subordinates hadn't done anything wrong, so they didn't deserve a tongue-lashing. The source of her current troubles, however, were going to soon wish they had never been born.
For now, she had to collect herself and relax. Her underlings wouldn't be of much help to her in such a tense state, and based on the nigh catastrophe she was dealing with she would need their help more than ever.
Hazel sat with his arms crossed as usual, but his hands were clenching his arms a bit tighter than normal. Dr. Watts was wound up like a spring, so tense that he was almost holding his breath. Tyrion, usually so excited to share the same room with his Goddess, was subdued with his head down, daring not to lift it. He may not have been a Grimm, but his Faunus instincts combined with his natural bloodlust meant he could sense his Goddess' mental state almost as acutely as the Grimm.
Mercury and Emerald, Cinder's two subordinates, were smart enough to stand as motionless as statues and hoped to be ignored as such.
Cinder Fall, her beautiful new Fall Maiden, or at least half of one, was practically trembling with trepidation. It was a sharp and disturbing contrast to her usual calm and confident demeanor, but that was all the more reason for Salem to listen to what she had to say.
"Cinder," Salem began, "I understand if you are reluctant to share your answer with me if you know it will displease me. But given the current situation, I need you to answer my question."
The girl's lips tensed; so subtly Salem doubted anyone else in the room could see it. But she would have to get over her discomfort.
She didn't like repeating herself, but on this occasion, Salem repeated her question.
"Why are the Grimm surrounding Vale no longer under my command?"
As the Grimm's master, Salem could order them to do anything from mauling an object or person of her choice to doing a cartwheel if they were anywhere within thirty miles of her. Her ability to give Grimm precise directions decreased with distance, but even on the other side of the world any Grimm would be able to sense Salem's will.
She wanted the Grimm around Vale to start massing at the border to build up for the impending attack she planned for the Vytal Festival, and to exploit any breaches in security that happened to open up.
She had given the order. But for the first time since she had immersed herself in those black pools of darkness, the Grimm refused to listen to her. Most had fled the area surrounding the city. The few that remained were all young Grimm that weren't yet capable of completely comprehending their master's intentions from afar anyway, and even they would flee from humans on site unless they were attacked first or if the humans got within charging range.
It was absurd!
The Patch Anomaly that had puzzled scientists and had been nothing more than a curiosity to her before was now the center of her attention. Salem had been able to ignore its inconvenient existence in the past, but that had changed.
The attack on the Vytal Festival was doomed to fail if the Grimm refused to take part.
Calling back all of her subordinates from their respective missions for an emergency meeting regarding their next move regarding this new development put a serious damper on several ongoing plans, but it was called an emergency meeting for a reason. She needed answers and she needed them now.
"You should have a good idea, Cinder." Salem continued calmly, but there was a tension in her voice that made all who heard it aware of the mental turmoil hidden beneath. "The Beetle Grimm I implanted in you to steal and hold the Fall Maiden's power for you is still within your body as a symbiote, so it should be a simple matter to understand its instincts now that the two of you are so close."
"I-I…"
Cinder Fall paused, visibly collecting herself.
"…I felt the Beetle Grimm… change, the first day the Patch Anomaly moved" Cinder explained, having gathered the courage to use her tongue.
Across the table, Salem's blood-red eyes narrowed. She wasn't the only one; silent as they were the other occupants of the room were listening with rapt attention and curiosity.
"What kind of change?"
"It was… subdued, somehow. Before that the Grimm was energetic, trying to pull me toward any source of anger or sorrow it sensed in the city. I felt it's desire to attack any source of them it could find, and was eager to share the Fall Maiden's power it held with me when I called for it."
"The change was not gradual," Cinder continued, "I woke up one morning and the Grimm was… timid."
Salem stared into Cinder with eyes of blood-red embers.
"Explain."
"It still sensed the negative emotions of humans, and it still wanted to attack them. But it curled up, and refused to twitch for anyone or anything it sensed. It even refused to lend me the Maiden's power! I tried to force it to obey me as you instructed, Ma' me, and force it to submit, but it…"
Cinder clenched her fists in a rare show of frustration. She was one of Salem's best subordinates, the next Fall Maiden!
She had obtained the power she had craved her entire life through her own prodigious talent and cunning, only to have it locked away by the very creature that had literally been built specifically to steal it for her own use. She had possessed power unrivalled by all but her Master and the three remaining Maidens one day, and had been reduced to an average girl with nothing more than her own aura the next.
"Wait a minute, you can't use the Fall Maiden's power at all now?" Watts interrupted. "Are your new abilities too much for you to handle?"
A burst of red flame erupted from Cinder's palm, matched only by the sudden burning glow of her eyes as the Fall Maiden's power rushed to her fingertips.
"If you want a demonstration, Arthur, I would be happy to give it."
"It's nice to know you can still use your new power in the comfort of our base," Watts countered, refusing to bow to the little girl's intimidation. "But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you go back to Vale, your power will be locked away just as it was before. Am I wrong?"
The flame in Cinder's palm was smothered with a clench of her fist, the girl refusing to admit out loud that Watts was correct.
The Grimm had returned to its usual self as she and her two subordinates had left Vale behind them, but it was a hollow victory. As soon as she set foot near Vale her power would be put under metaphorical lock and key again. She was still going to be next to useless during the planned attack.
"If you can't wield your power where we know our attack will take place then what good are you? And for that matter if the Grimm around Vale don't get their killing instinct back then our invasion has no chance of succe-"
"That's enough."
Watts held the rest of his sentence back as Salem gave him a disapproving glare.
They had enough problems to deal with, Salem couldn't have her underlings' squabble over pointless personal friction they had with each other. She had to keep them on track.
"Cinder, did the Grimm tell you the reason it changed its behavior?"
Salem could tell the moment she uttered the question that the answer Cinder had for her would not please her. The girl stiffened like a board and gave an almost audible gulp.
"Yes, it did."
Cinder took a deep breath, steeling her nerves as she prepared to answer. Comprehending Grimm was a more difficult task than most would assume, being both simpler and more difficult than talking to it as one would to a human. People used words and phrases to communicate, translating the dialogue to thoughts and ideas others could translate and understand. Grimm communication was far more direct- they relayed their primitive thoughts between each other directly, cutting out the metaphorical middle man of speech and language entirely.
It was an odd concept, and it had taken Cinder weeks of practice to 'feel' the thoughts of the Grimm and translate them into the words she was familiar with rather than the other way around. It was incredibly difficult, especially since most Grimm had such primitive minds compared to the average human they could hardly be called compatible.
Still, the Grimm within her had managed to make its reasons for its change in attitude perfectly clear.
"The Grimm was… commanded, to hide out of sight and avoid attacking or fighting anyone unless provoked."
A terrifying silence reigned over the room. Everyone knew what the obvious follow-up question would be; and it did not bode well for any of them.
"Commanded, you say."
A low thrum of pulsing energy began to permeate the room. It wasn't bright or brilliant like Cinder's flame, but wisps and almost intangible waves of darkness that spread from the Dark Goddess like the fumes of a plague.
"By whom?"
Cinder did not want to answer. Salem usually didn't shoot messengers, but she was in a tumultuous enough state right now to at least consider it. Still, the alternative of not giving an answer was even worse.
"Th- the Grimm thought that… well… their Master gave the order."
For the first time in literally millennia, Salem's eyes widened like dinner plates. That was…
"Blasphemy!" the previously silent Tyrion shouted. "There is only one true Goddess! Do you doubt your own eyes, Cinder!"
"Well that's what all of the Grimm around Vale believe! You can deny it all you want, but that is the situation."
"Is Ozpin aware of the cause of this?" asked Watts. "This is happening in his city, perhaps he had something to do with it?"
"He does not" Salem answered, using every ounce of self-control to not shatter the glass of the castle with her seething rage. "I already questioned Leo when this incident began, and he informed me that Ozpin is as much in the dark as we are."
"So, is there a third party involved?" hypothesized Watts.
"Maybe there is no one behind this," speculated Hazel. "The Patch Anomaly has been around for centuries; far too long for someone with a regular lifespan to maintain. This change could just be a natural phenomenon of some kind."
"There was nothing natural about the phenomenon to begin with," said Salem. "And that would not account for why the Grimm believe that I am there giving them these ridiculous orders."
"…So, what is our next course of action?" Cinder questioned after a brief pause.
"No, no, Cinder, our next course of action. You are as useless as a newborn to us until we get this sorted out." Watts corrected her. "You can play house with your little playmates until the adults take care of things."
"How dare y-!"
"Silence."
The non-immortals at the table once again silenced their tongues at the Mistress' command. It was only after the room was no longer filled with their voices that they heard a series of eerie clicks approaching the door.
"It seems we may have some news," said Salem.
The doors gently opened to reveal a Seer Grimm, multiple tentacles dangling beneath its jellyfish like body that was capped with a bulbous head that held a pulsating yellow light like a dying sun. It floated to its Master in silence, save for unnerving clicking noises.
When the creature reached Salem, the yellow glow within turned into a misty red before revealing the timid face of Leonardo Lionheart.
"Greetings, Leo. I trust you have something to report?"
"Y-Yes Mistress. I would not have disturbed you otherwise. I- I'm not interrupting, am I?" he questioned, noticing Salem's company.
"Not at all, Leo. In fact, I daresay you might be able to contribute to our meeting. We were just discussing the Patch Anomaly now surrounding Vale. I do hope you can share something enlightening."
"I hope so, Ma 'me. You see, I just finished a call with Ozpin, and he has just learned about a potential lead regarding the phenomenon."
"Well Leo, I can say your timing could not have been better," Salem remarked, her previous irritation evaporating. "Report."
"Th- This may sound rather… fantastic, but earlier today Qrow Branwen returned to Beacon claiming that he had met a… well, a giant hawk the size of a small building in Anima that killed two Nevermores and leveled a substantial area of forest with an enormous Wind Blade. The bird could also speak to him when he was in his transformed state."
"Wh- what?" Watts couldn't help but utter, his scientific mind refusing to even entertain the possibility. "That's absurd! You seriously called us just to tell us this ridiculous story that the drunk moron clearly hallucinated?!"
"He was telling the truth."
All eyes turned toward the lone Faunus in the room who had just spoken. Tyrion's normal psychotic energy was returning in full as he began to laugh to himself.
"Tyrion," Salem interjected, "do you know something?"
"Yes, my Queen. I overheard several patrons talking about such a beast that crashed into a market stall at a tavern I visited while searching for the Spring Maiden the other week. I confess I had thought it was nothing but a silly rumor as well," the wild-eyed man giggled with a smile that would have made the Grinch proud. "But after hearing about Qrow's little encounter, well, I guess sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction."
"Oh, now that I recall the words I overheard," the Scorpion man continued, and excited smile growing, "I do remember them saying that the beast was sighted only a few days before the Patch Anomaly switched location. Now isn't that a fantastic coincidence?"
Salem's lips curled up ever so slightly into a small smirk. Finally, she had a real lead.
"I-Indeed," Leo cut in, eager to get his report over with. "But that is not the reason I called you. You see, when speaking to Qrow the hawk revealed that he works for a human Master, one who is more powerful than he is."
"Really? And just whom might that be?"
"The hawk refused to give away his Master's name or appearance. He only told Qrow that his Master wishes to be left alone and has no desire for hostility with anyone on Remnant. The hawk also stated quite clearly that his Master was… a man."
For the second time in minutes Salem's eyes widened in surprise. It appeared she was destined to hear all manner of impossible things today.
Cinder was of the same opinion.
"That's impossible! With the exception of Ozpin, no male on earth could wield power like what you are suggesting. Judging from your description of the Hawk's power, if his Master wields even more power than that, he would be at a similar level of power to a Maiden!"
"Qrow believes that he might be even stronger than that."
Smoke began rising from Cinder's hands. This- this had to be some sort of cosmic joke!
She had ascended the ladder of power to heights so unreachable that less than a dozen people in a century would ever reach. Then, her powers were locked away as easily as if she were a child who had her scroll confiscated by her parents for misbehaving. Now some nobody who wasn't supposed to be able to exist had waltzed in with power potentially greater than her own who was too cowardly to even bother with either Salem or Ozpin's factions!
It was infuriating!
"And based on the fact that the Patch Anomaly shifted to Vale mere days after the creature was first sighted, Ozpin believes that it's Master may potentially be responsible for the shift, and is likely residing somewhere in Vale as we speak."
"Excellent," Salem practically purred. This was just the information she needed.
"You have done well, Leonardo," she praised. She had to make sure to extend the carrot rather than the stick in these situations if she wanted a repeat performance from him in the future. Cowards were so easily terrified into keeping silent when they shouldn't be if they weren't praised every now and then. "Keep me informed."
"Yes, Ma 'me" he replied hastily before the connection was severed.
Sitting in complete silence, the occupants of the room watched their Mistress rest her chin on her interlocked fingers before closing her eyes. Beneath that immortal skull, a mind fine-tuned by centuries of experience, carved by countless successes and failures alike, began turning its wheels.
Unlike most other occasions, long-term planning was not going to be a part of the calculus. She was still immortal, but the Vytal festival was mere months away. It would be an incredible waste to throw away all of the preparations for the invasion they had labored for.
There were far more uncertainties as well. They didn't know for sure if this hawk's Master was in Vale at all, it was just a likely chance. If he was residing there, keeping her subordinates undiscovered while they were right under Ozpin's nose searching for him wasn't going to be easy. And even if they managed that, there was no guarantee that this man, whoever he was, would be easy to or even able to be captured or defeated.
Not to mention that neither Cinder nor Hazel could go to Vale to begin a search. Cinder's Maiden powers wouldn't work, and Hazel was too recognizable to Ozpin's inner circle.
It was unfortunate that the one subordinate she had that would be best able to locate a man that could command Grimm was currently unavailable, but he was busy in Mistral ensuring that the sitting members of the council, all friendly with Leonardo, were re-elected. It was a full-time job, and he wouldn't be able to return until after the election.
Salem still had plenty of questions. If anyone could answer them, it would be him.
Still, she was in a better position than when she had started the meeting.
And at least Ozpin was facing the same dilemma. It was a small comfort, but you had to treasure the little things.
"Tyrion."
"Yes, my Lady?" he snapped to attention, eager eyes brimming with desire to serve his Queen.
"You will cease your hunt for the Spring Maiden and go to Vale. Begin searching for our hidden mystery man."
"Consider it done, my Queen. I do so enjoy the thrill of the hunt!"
"And make sure to tell Hazel about where you left off your search for the Spring Maiden. He will be taking that over for you while you are gone."
"Of course, Mistress."
"Understood" Hazel clarified with a grunt.
"Arthur, you will begin a search for the hawk supposedly flying around Anima. If we can't locate its Master, then finding it would be our best alternative. I'm sure with your skills, setting up some kind of search using local news and scroll conversations would be a simple matter?"
"Hmph," the scientist snorted arrogantly, "child's play. I probably won't be able to get a fixed location, but if the creature nests like most avians then it should be a simple matter to narrow down its relative location with enough sightings."
"Cinder" addressed Salem, turning to the last member of her inner circle. "Painful as the truth may be, Arthur was correct when he said you are currently of no use inside the Kingdom of Vale. As such, you will remain here with me to train you to dominate the Grimm inside of you and take the power it holds for you rather than asking for it. We cannot have our Fall Maiden at the mercy of the keeper of her own power, now can we?"
Cinder resisted the furious urge to retort. As much as she hated being looked at like a powerless child, Salem's decision was final.
"What about my operations in Vale? The Dust robberies and preparations for the Vytal Festival invasion? The Vale branch of the White Fang has already agreed to join our cause, but someone will have to keep them in line along with Roman."
"Emerald and Mercury will take over operations in Vale for the time being." Salem stated, turning her gaze to the two youngest humans in the room.
They both snapped to attention, taken aback that they were even addressed. They were normally not important enough to warrant attention here.
"The two of you have been at Cinder's side for some time now. Can I assume that she has trained you well enough to perform her task in her absence?"
There was a moment of hesitation from both of them. Salem couldn't truly blame them- for all they had been through thus far, they were still relatively inexperienced. Still, that was no excuse for failing a trial by fire. Not in the big leagues.
"We can handle it" Mercury replied with just a bit too much confidence. A result of his victory over his infamous father giving him excess bravado, no doubt.
"We won't fail you, Ma 'me." Emerald had the opposite problem, struggling to keep eye contact. The girl lacked self-assurance, relying too much on Cinder for guidance.
In truth, Salem had little confidence that either of them were truly ready for the task she had assigned them. But searching for the hawk's boss was going to be a full-time job for Tyrion and he wouldn't have time to hold their hand every hour of the day. Still, Cinder's belief in their potential was not misplaced. Perhaps this on-the-job training would be just the experience they needed to continue their growth. Hopefully they would become truly capable in the future, but that was ultimately up to them.
"Cinder is a woman with high standards," said Salem. "I do not believe she would have chosen the two of you to be her personal subordinates if you were incapable of proving her trust in your abilities."
"All the same," she said switching to Tyrion, "Be ready to assist Emerald and Mercury if need be."
Mercury and Emerald both mentally cursed. Working with the Faunus psychopath was the last thing they needed.
"You are dismissed."
The meeting ended, the occupants rose to leave and prepare their new assignments.
"One more thing, Tyrion" added Salem.
"Yes, my Lady?"
Everyone present shrunk back in open fear when they turned around and laid eyes on their Dark Queen. The calm and relaxed leader that had handed them marching orders was gone and replaced by a picture of abject fury who wanted nothing but absolute destruction and incomprehensible suffering for the object of her ire.
"If the man you are looking for is responsible for the Patch Anomaly, then he is not only fouling my plans. He is attempting to usurp my title."
A dark mist began to cloak the Dark Queen, turning her into a living shadow. Her blood-red eyes pierced the veil, shining with dark passion.
"Bring him to me. Alive. I will show him personally who the Grimm's Master truly is."
AN: So, I'm not sure exactly how the Beetle Grimm that stole the Fall Maiden's powers for Cinder works exactly in the series. The wiki says that it emerged from the glove Cinder wore and when Qrow severed the connection the beetle and glove disappeared.
Well in this story at least, the Grimm that stole the Maiden's powers for Cinder is actually still inside her body, holding the power for her. Personally, I think this makes more sense anyway. If for some reason Cinder betrayed Salem, then all Salem would have to do is tell the Beetle Grimm to either jump ship or release the Fall Maiden's power uncontrollably to destroy Cinder's body from the inside out. Extra leverage, as it were.
This chapter was a bit on the short end, I know, so I think I'll put up the next one in one week instead of two.
Please review!