Hey there everyone. Terribly sorry for the more noticeable time gap between last chapter's posting and this one. Had some school stuff to handle in addition to several other RL obligations that naturally required my attention. Also got all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled in one go, so that was another reason why this chapter took longer than usual to get out – was just too out of it after the operation to focus on much of anything.
With that said, I still couldn't help but squirm not being able to write until now given just how prevalent this fic has become in my mind. There's a lot of things I really wish to get to within this fic, but obviously I can't just go spilling the beans so easily – there always needs to be build-up, after all.
And that's what this chapter is – build-up. Granted, the same could be said of the previous chapter, of course, but it will be most noticeable with this particular one.
…Once again, Ozpin isn't going to have too much attention, for reasons already mentioned in the previous chapter's AN. But once more, I promise that he will be getting his time to shine soon enough. Sadly, being the headmaster of an academy really constrains his actions and he can only really act whenever he actually has information to act on… and information is quite the scarcity in a war of subterfuge. I ask for your understanding and patience, both of which will be rewarded in time.
Now then, with nothing else left to really say, onto the chapter.
Chapter 5 - Plan Off the Rails
Roman watched from the side as Eva was on the phone. She's been carrying out a fairly lengthy but quiet conversation, one that's lasted more than fifteen minutes already and seemed to show no signs of ending just yet.
If it were anyone else, he'd be annoyed by just how long it could take to finish up a phone call, but this was Eva. She clearly had a reason for it.
And so, he waited patiently… with perhaps a hint of eagerness as well. The same could be said of all the others around them too, consisting of Junior himself, the Malachite twins and some of his men.
And the White Fang as well.
Roman couldn't help but smirk at seeing those mangy humanoid animals standing by so dutifully, even pleasantly. It really was amazing how easily things could change…
…But then again, this was Eva Lambros they were talking about.
It's been a whole day since he'd had the luxury of encountering her at Junior's club. She'd asked so politely and graciously for all that he knew and he'd provided the info willingly – and then almost desperately when he'd seen just how much Eva seemed to be eating up all the dirty details.
His working with the White Fang along with the purpose of said 'partnership' – all orchestrated and maintained by that fiery bitch Cinder, whom he'd also spoken at length about to Eva.
The stealing of Dust from all over the kingdom, all to stock up on a train being prepped in Mount Glenn… and all so that they can then have the train use the abandoned tunnels to drive straight into the heart of Vale, with waves of Grimm to accompany it.
And this had merely been the first phase of Cinder's plan too.
As to what constituted the next phase, well, that had been where his info ended for the time being – Cinder had only entrusted him with this many details so far solely because it'd been necessary for him to be able to conduct the ground operations as smoothly as possible alongside these damned monkeys and dogs and who knows what else.
But then… as shameful as it had been, after he'd spilled the beans on the whole thing to Eva, he'd started to rant. To complain and whine about all the troubles and grief he's had ever since being 'recruited' by Cinder.
Her dismissive comments and heavily enforced demands.
The banter, sometimes playful sometimes not, with her two teenaged stooges.
The tight rope he walked just by being around these White Fang morons, all of whom hate his guts just because he was human. The sole consolation in this particular matter was that at least his hatred was mutual.
He'd been putting on a good show so far, bravado a skill in and of itself to him… but that didn't mean he was immune to fear and stress.
Roman knew that he'd do anything to survive and made sure Neo made it through as well… but that didn't mean even he didn't have a limit to what he'd be able to stomach.
Robbing Vale's citizens blind? Easy. Getting into the occasional scuffle with the law? All a part of life. The occasional killing? Dirty and ugly work, but sometimes it just had to be done.
But chaos on a scale like this? Different story entirely.
Piloting the Atlesian Paladin had been one thing, a case of a power high, but compared to Cinder's first phase of her master plan, it was little more than a child playing with a new toy.
…He'll do whatever it takes to survive, even if it means genocide on a kingdom-wide scale, but that doesn't mean he'll enjoy it. If anything, it made his stomach turn and twist.
And he spoke of all this to Eva throughout most of yesterday.
Eva… oh dear Eva, she'd listened patiently and sincerely. She'd patted him on the leg and even held his hand and spoke clearly and sincerely of how difficult it must have been for him.
She was like an angel of some kind, a higher being, more beautiful and radiant than the stars above.
So, when she'd asked ever so gently to take her back to his base, he'd been as pleased as punch to do so, desperately so, in fact.
Oh, her arrival had certainly made for a shocking turn of events for the dumbass White Fang cell, but just a few gentle words from her to show how great she was had made them complacent enough.
As they should be.
There, all around Eva, stood a handful of White Fang members. They stood by stoically… or so it would seem to those not in the know. In reality, they were just so entranced by Eva's presence that to be around her left them all in a state of perpetual awe, borderline robotic in mannerisms if only because they felt like doing anything else would somehow ruin the great woman's presence.
Only he and Junior were really all there mentally, he noted.
…A pity Neo wasn't back yet. Roman was sure his diminutive partner in crime would love Eva too. And vice versa, of course.
He was snapped from his reverie when Eva's phone snapped shut, signifying the end of the call.
"Apologies for the wait," she declared to everyone, her smile gentle. "It took quite some time to catch my friend up to speed and discuss what must come next exactly… but in the end, I suppose it's all really quite straightforward."
"Not a problem," Junior spoke gruffly from nearby. He adjusted his tie self-consciously as he took a step towards Eva. "It's always good to sort out the details as early as possible. Makes it less likely for things to go wrong as long as everyone is on the same page."
"You're absolutely right, dear Junior," Eva replied as she walked up to him and patted him softly on his arm. "And on that particular note… Roman? How has it gone?"
Roman smirked. "Pretty much as expected," he remarked with a huff.
A little while ago, he'd used his burner scroll to send Cinder a brief message. Said message was of him having caught the blond mercenary and having him awaiting her personal interrogation here in this shitty base of theirs. But had told her to hurry – a guy strong enough to fight Ozpin of all people wasn't exactly someone that these damned animals could be trusted to successfully contain for long.
A lie that he'd told as easily as he could breathe, at Eva's behest.
Needless to say, Cinder had been simultaneously pleased and displeased. On the one hand, her task for him had been fulfilled quickly enough, but on the other hand, her and the two stooges being required to potentially risk their cover as students from abroad to come here was irritating.
Depending on how things could go, Cinder's displeasure could outright turn to hostility.
And yet… Roman felt no fear at all. Not when Eva was around.
As long as she was here and he did as she said, he was absolutely positive that he truly could do anything.
Eva's smile all but literally brightened his whole world. "Well done." She stared at him approvingly. "You might not think it much, to tell a little white lie such as that, but you've saved me far more time than you could ever know, Roman."
Roman closed his eyes, basking in her praise. His grip on Melodic Cudgel tightened as a shiver ran up and down his spine, his heartrate spiking with every word that Eva had uttered. "Always glad to lend a helping hand for you."
Always for you, he wanted to say. Alas, he couldn't get the words out. Hell, just saying those words just now had been scarcely more than a whisper from him.
"Then I believe it is time to get ready," Eva said. She then clapped her hands a few times. "Places, everyone, just as we had discussed earlier today. Though the stage is a simple one, it's important to make sure everything is set."
Eva's smile took on a quality far greater than anything before. Dare Roman say it, she looked thrilled by something. He knew not what could possibly be thrilling about her, oh so grand and perfect, meeting someone so inferior like Cinder, but if that is what she was looking forward to, then he was looking forward to it as well.
"In due time, the events of today will set an even grander stage… and once it is made, I intend to shine as brilliantly as possible for everyone," she whispered.
At those words, everyone shivered. Her shining even more so than before? Was such a thing even possible?
Once again, Roman couldn't fathom such a thing. Improving upon perfection was supposed to be impossible, after all.
But if it's Eva… then surely, it was possible after all.
In which case, it really was time to do what he could to make that happen.
Yes… if it's for her, then he'll do anything. Without any regret.
"Tch, damn Roman," Emerald murmured for what had to be the dozenth time in just the past twenty minutes or so.
"He always knows how to step on our toes, doesn't he?" Mercury quipped.
Cinder, having tired of this repeating back-and-forth conversation, stepped in. "Enough," she declared.
The two fell silent as they made their way as a trio through Vale.
Roman's message this morning had been a genuine surprise. Cinder would have thought the mercenary to be tougher to find, but she supposed even one such as him was prone to the same lack of proper foresight that other mercenaries tended to be known for. However, Roman's commentary about the White Fang and he lacking the proper manpower and overall ability to hold the man in containment had been mildly displeasing. Understandable, of course, but displeasing nonetheless.
Thanks to the annoying thief's surprise success, she along with Emerald and Mercury had been left with little choice other than to skip Beacon's classes and sneak their way into Vale. Though she obviously couldn't care less for maintaining a stellar reputation as a student, playing hooky – so to speak – was something she didn't want either. Ozpin and his inner circle would become wary enough of her if given time to observe her, something that would in turn become more likely if she proved to be a problem student in the making, even if she was supposedly from Mistral. Problem students did, after all, require more attention from teachers.
…Well, 'playing hooky' this one time shouldn't be too big an issue, she supposed. So long as she could avoid this scenario repeating itself later down the line.
With that said, this surprise development better be worth her time coming out here.
Having cast aside their student uniforms upon entering Vale and putting on their usual outfits, the trio had made their way without issue to the base. Silence was thankfully in abundance now, Emerald and Mercury knowing better than to start up their bickering again after she'd told them to.
Reaching the warehouse that had been hastily modified inside to suit their needs, Cinder knocked on the warehouse's third side door. It had a small slit near the top of it and the plate that was used to cover it now slid back to reveal one of the many non-descript White Fang members glaring out.
Once said White Fang member, an older looking man with bear ears, recognized her, he slid the plate shut and immediately opened the door for her.
Cinder strutted in, the door hastily being closed once Emerald and Mercury entered behind her.
"Where is he?" she asked of the doorman.
He merely grunted and motioned deeper into the warehouse. Cinder presumed that to mean Roman was in his usual spot, the 'strategy room' for lack of a better term.
Progressing deeper into the structure, Cinder idly noted other White Fang members milling about. Some were being proactive, looking over their supplies and weapons while others appeared to just sit around bored. Given they were to all remain on standby in case she needed them for something, it made sense they'd have very little to do, save for whoever Roman had tasked in watching the mercenary.
Reaching the room in question, the room having once been a standard office space, Cinder cleared her throat to get the sole occupant's attention.
"Ah, boss lady," Roman drawled as he looked up from the maps placed upon the room's singular table. "Sure made it here in a jivy… and brought the brats along as usual, I see."
"What can I say?" Mercury began, smirking. "She knows better than to just leave it up to you to get things done right."
"You're looking rather upbeat despite having a dangerous man confined here," Cinder stated, cutting off the argument she knew had been coming before it could start. "Your poker face must have improved considerably since we've first met."
Roman huffed. Reaching for a cigar, he replied. "Yeah, well, no point in stressing out about things that I can't fully control. A lesson I learned the hard way, courtesy of you." As he lit the cigar, he took a quick puff and blew the smoke in Emerald's direction, eliciting a grimace from her. "But in all seriousness, it is good that you showed up – can only rely on these amateurs so much, you know?"
"Quite," Cinder tersely said. "Let's not beat around the bush then. I'm a busy woman, Roman, so just lead us to him so we can get this over and done with." Her single visible eye glowed with power, both as a way to further impress upon the thief her impatience and as a way of indicating what she may do to this mercenary once she meets him.
…She didn't have the slightest clue what she will hear once she makes the mercenary talk, but given it could rattle even Ozpin, the information must surely be of some use in the future.
Roman puffed his cigar once more then started to walk out of the room. As he had to pass by them to do so, he made a little show of trying to bump into Emerald.
"Hey, watch it, you creepy shit!" she growled out. Not normally one to cuss, it just went to show how badly Roman can grind her gears at times.
"Oh, my bad, didn't see you there, kid." He snickered as he left the room.
"That little-!" Emerald began.
"Leave it be," Cinder commanded.
The trio followed after Roman as he went down a nearby hallway and began to navigate a series of twists and turns that had once been the ruined hallways of the warehouse.
"Putting him in a small room would've been a suicide move given how good a fighter he is," Roman explained. "So we had no choice but to keep him nice and comfy within this joint's main area. Figured that worse comes to worst, we can just drop all the machinery and stuff on him to at least slow him down while we made a plan B."
"How many guards do you have on him?" Cinder asked.
"About two dozen. It's why the entryway you came through might have looked and felt a little too quiet despite all those animals wandering about."
As he finished speaking, they reached the main hub, or floor, if it could be deemed such. This warehouse had once been a distribution center, with lanes running all over the place to transport items from one end to another. Long abandoned pallets and power jacks sat all around, functional thanks to the White Fang fixing them up a bit to make work around here a little easier, but far from the efficiency they once boasted of.
There in the very center of the room was a large chair facing away from them, with a makeshift cell surrounding it that left the lighting rather poor. However, some light from the rest of the floor filtered in here and there to put an almost spotlight-like effect on the chair for observation. More for Roman's benefit than anything else since all Faunus have excellent night vision.
Stationed throughout the room were at least several White Fang members of varying ages and builds, rifles in hand and diligently watching the cell. Cinder presumed the rest of the supposed two dozen guards were hidden away within the room; a ruse meant to lull the mercenary into a false sense of security.
A few of the guards glanced her way as she approached the makeshift cell, Cinder strutting forth.
Now standing just a few feet away from it, Cinder spoke. "I must say," she began, putting on a confident expression. First impressions were critical. She had to make sure that the mercenary knew she was in charge here. "You proved far easier to track down than I'd expected. So much for a mercenary's ability to remain hidden when needed."
A voice – clearly belonging to a woman – responded, chuckling lightly. "Hiding away is one of the last thing I'd ever do."
Cinder's gaze sharpened, her posture shifting. From just beside her, Emerald went for her weapon while Mercury adopted a different stance, subtle in its differences, but ready to attack in an instant.
The chair within the cell gracefully spun about, revealing the speaker.
The very instant Cinder glimpsed the woman, beautiful in appearance with abundant curves shown off in a casual dress, she felt her heartrate speed up a little, her head grow a smidge fuzzy. But with a microscopic shake, the fuzziness faded and she was now even more on guard than before.
"You're…" Cinder began, recognizing the smiling woman.
"Eva Lambros, Vale's one and only," the woman, Eva, introduced with a coy wave of her hand and a twinkle in her lime green eyes. "And you're Cinder. Darling Roman has spoken much about you."
"Has he now?" Her gaze flickered to Roman nearby. Normally, said gaze would be enough to make him subconsciously brace for a punishment that may or may not come… but this time, he didn't even flinch. He merely gazed at Eva with clear longing.
"Now, now. No need to be upset with him," Eva said as she got up from her chair and pushed the part of the cell that functioned as a door of sorts open. Clearly, this had been a trap, the woman herself not being in any danger. "I was the one who asked him about everything going on. I just had to meet you, you see."
"And now we've met," Cinder dryly remarked. "So say your piece."
Eva's smile adopted an unnatural quality to it, one that Cinder couldn't name. But it made her feel odd, wary even. "First, let's all just stand down, shall we? Talking while we're all so worked up is just bad for the mood. Wouldn't you two agree?"
She spoke to both Emerald and Mercury… both of whom actually backed down.
Cinder's sole visible eye widened at such a sight. There was a degree of hesitation in her subordinates' action, but the fact remains they still obeyed her.
Sensing her gaze on them, Emerald blushed in embarrassment. "Uh… I mean…" She was having trouble getting words out, even rubbing the back of her neck due to nerves. "It's not as if she's threatening us or anything…"
"Yeah," Mercury agreed, equally flustered. "She's not gonna do us any harm… well, unless looks could kill that is…" He said that corny pickup line with an awkwardness only a teen could pull off.
Eva laughed at Mercury's comment, making the teen go ramrod straight. "Thank you kindly." Eva looked back to Cinder. "What about you?"
Cinder's first instinct was to unleash the portion of the Fall Maiden's power she has. To just roast this woman until only charcoal remained. Alarm bells were going off in the mind, the kind that she's only experienced a handful of times before.
Eva looked harmless, for she completely lacked the sort of countenance that an experienced fighter would possess. She was in good shape, as to be expected of such a high-profile actress that starred in various genres, but she still lacked the sort of muscle tone that a fighting profession built up in people.
Still, this sense of unease…
Cinder unclenched her fist, having initially been about to launch a wave of fire at her. "What precisely do you want?"
"An exchanging of information," Eva replied as she folded her arms beneath her bust, emphasizing their prodigious size. That clearly had to be intentional, something done to draw people's eyes. A pity such a thing wouldn't work on Cinder. "I will start first as a sign of trust – you're looking for Veratyr."
Cinder quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? So you've some connection to this mercenary?"
Eva let out a heavy sigh. "In a manner of speaking and not one I'm quite fond of. To be perfectly honest, he irritates me immensely."
"Is he a stalker of yours? A psychotic fan?" Cinder couldn't help but quip, hoping to unsettle Eva. "Or perhaps you tried coming onto him and he audaciously turned you, the greatest star there is, down?"
Her impromptu tactic actually worked to an extent. Eva's expression grew disgusted. "Hardly," she all but spat. "He's no stalker of mine and I'd sooner tear out my own throat than even attempt to seduce him for any reason."
She took a few seconds to regain her composure. "But we're digressing here. You want Veratyr. Why is that?"
"…He's aware of things that may be of great use to me," Cinder answered vaguely.
Eva barely repressed a snort at that. "Oh, he's aware of many things indeed. But whether or not it'd help you is impossible to say. In any case, I'd say that does for a start. So, let me ask you? What is your goal in all this?"
Cinder debated internally over what to say for a moment. "Would you believe me if I say I desire this kingdom's destruction?"
"I would have been surprised if you had tried claiming otherwise," Eva replied. "But this desire of yours… is it truly what you want to accomplish? Or is this just something Salem is ordering you to do?"
"-!" Cinder made a sound. The magical power she held within her began to respond to her now agitated state, flames flickering into existence from the side of her eye and slowly sparking around her right hand.
Even as she felt more than ever ready to attack, Eva looked unperturbed.
"I will take that as an admission towards the latter," Eva commented. "Now answer me truly – what do you want to accomplish in Vale?"
Cinder remained silent, perfectly content to glare at Eva instead. "I don't know how you envisioned this 'exchange' of yours going, but you're doing a bad job making it happen," she whispered dangerously.
Eva, still unafraid, hummed. "Is it really? Or perhaps I was just goading you on for the time being?"
Cinder was so focused on Eva that she just barely sensed the attack incoming, ducking in time to avoid the swing that Roman had taken at her with his cane. "Damn, really thought I could land that," Roman grumbled as he adjusted his bowl hat.
Cinder prepared to unleash the fire building up within her hand only to then have to fall back as the White Fang members within the room suddenly opened fire on her. She leapt back several feet initially, only to perform yet another jump back to open up some more distance. The few shooters that actually managed to keep a bead on her were rewarded with a wave of her hand that reduced the fired rounds to ashes.
"What are you two doing?!" Cinder demanded of Emerald and Mercury, both of whom remained in their previous spots and heavily uncertain on what they should be doing.
"H-Hey, is this really necessary?!" Emerald all but screamed at Eva, who was clearly responsible for this.
"Come now, Emerald dear," Eva began as she approached the young woman. "You know as well as I do that Cinder is being the difficult one here."
"I… That's…" Emerald mumbled, just barely audible over the continuing gunfire.
Mercury didn't say anything but continued to fidget, looking genuinely torn between obeying Eva and helping Cinder.
Growling, Cinder let out another wave of flames that rapidly spread out and caught two of the gunmen, their auras not strong enough to endure the hit and so they immediately caught on fire. Despite the pain they should clearly be in, however, made evident by their groans and howls, they still tried to hold onto their guns and fire at Cinder.
"For… Eva…" one of them said hoarsely.
Growling, Cinder tapped into her semblance, using it to create Midnight – her preferred weapons. As the twin blades formed, she once more felt something approach and rolled to the side in time to avoid a massive swing of a bat-like weapon.
For just a split second, Cinder internally gawked at seeing Hei Xiong, Junior himself, here. He must have been hiding somewhere. Rather impressive given his towering height, but she was in no mood to appreciate this fact.
She now dashed forward as Junior went for another attack, raising his bat and bringing it down in a powerful swing. However, Cinder used the flat side of her left blade to deflect it to the side while countering with the right blade, cutting Junior across his lower torso. If not for his aura, that single slice would have had his guts spilling out. With aura, however, it barely staggered him, forcing Cinder to unleash a few more slashes with her blades before backing off, using her superior swiftness to evade her much larger opponent.
She chose a good time to back off, for the White Fang members continued to fire, unmindful of Junior being somewhat caught in the crossfire, though he hastily backstepped to get out of the firing range.
But that was when Roman joined the fray, coming at her from the side with a twirl of Melodic Cudgel before going for a sweep at her legs. Cinder backflipped over the attack and struck Roman across his temple with a knee in mid-flip, rattling his skull something fierce. As he fell over, Cinder landed atop him feetfirst and used him as a springboard to launch herself forward.
Upon landing, she slammed an open hand upon the floor, this time relying on her semblance instead of her magical power. Her flames, while powerful and certainly fast, weren't so fast as to be unavoidable, especially given this distance. Instead, she used her semblance along with just a smidge of magic to essentially transmute some portion of the floor into sharp glass shards that launched themselves at several of the gunmen at ultra-high speeds.
Some of these glass shards found their mark, striking their hands and making them drop their assault rifles but the remainder were destroyed by the Malachite twins, who suddenly hopped out from some hidden corners to shatter the glass shards before impact. The gunmen targeted by these ones were thus free to open fire while those annoying twins now leapt from their previous spot towards Cinder.
Rather than try to engage them, however, Cinder dashed ahead-.
-Directly towards Eva.
The gunfire ceased as she rapidly closed the distance, the White Fang members presumably hesitant to shoot Eva by accident. Didn't stop them from crying out in horror for her well-being. Even Roman and Junior let out cries of indignation.
Cinder smirked viciously as Eva was too slow to react, her hands awkwardly reaching out as if to push her away. But Cinder suddenly pivoted at the last moment and got behind Eva, putting one of her blades to her throat.
As tempting as it would be to kill her here and now given her threat level, she clearly had information of great use as well. But first, time to have her get these fools to stand dow-.
Just before she could fully put the blade against Eva's throat, the woman suddenly put on a burst of speed, expertly grabbing Cinder's arm while simultaneously sweeping her right leg back to disrupt Cinder's balance. The next thing the partial Fall Maiden knew, she was on the receiving end of a surprisingly well-executed over the shoulder throw that sent her tumbling across the floor.
"Actress, remember?" Eva lambasted her with a haughty smirk. "I have had some physical training for the action flicks I've starred in."
Cinder growled as she immediately halted her roll. The bitch had pretended to act slow and untrained when in reality she was noticeably faster and more skilled than she'd let on. But even so, that level of speed and the surprising strength of her grip just now… while she was hardly the fastest or strongest person Cinder's met, it was definitely at a level well above the average civilian.
She didn't have time to dwell further on this, for the Malachite twins now tried to overwhelm her. The one in white, Melanie, came in with a graceful axe-kick as an opening move, forcing Cinder lean to the side and catch the offending leg. But just before she could throw the girl aside, Melanie twisted and lashed out with another kick that forced Cinder to let go and jump back, only for the woman to then have to swiftly turn and use both blades to deflect the rapid four stabs that the twin in red, Miltia, performed with her clawed weapons. Once the strikes were warded off, Cinder delivered a straight kick to her stomach that knocked her back into her sister.
With some distance now opened up, she spun around and let loose a powerful burst of flames just as Roman tried to join the fray again. This forced him to abort his incoming overhead strike and guard instead, not that it did him much good as the fire blast naturally blew him back across the whole room.
But it turned out, Junior had been right behind him, coming in with a massive spinning swing that would probably take her head off if a direct hit landed. Unfortunately for her, the White Fang members had opened fire again, keeping her from immediately trying to dodge.
That is, from dodging conventionally.
With a grunt, Cinder jumped straight up and flipped around so that she landed feetfirst against the ceiling. As Junior's attack missed its mark completely, she kicked off the ceiling and slammed into him from above, her blades stabbing into his shoulders. He let out a cry from the pain, once again his impressive aura saving him from debilitating injury. But then he reached up with both hands, letting go of his weapon in the process, and grabbed hold of Cinder. He then immediately fell back with her held tightly behind his head.
The two impacted against the floor hard enough to shake the whole room. Cinder had all the air knocked out of her thanks to Junior's head all but diving into her stomach from this hit, but she still had the will to slam a knee into the side of his head. And thanks to the fall hurting him as well, it had weakened his grip enough for her to now roll away.
By now, some of the White Fang members that had been in the other parts of the warehouse now came pouring into the room, thankfully with melee weapons in hand rather than more guns. Whether it was because there wasn't enough to go around or not was unknown to her.
In any case, she used a combination of her semblance and magic to morph her blades into a bow form. With this now in hand, she quickly nocked and let three arrows fly forward, finding their marks in the throats of three White Fang members that tried to charge her recklessly.
They must have been newbies, completely unseasoned and weak, for their auras didn't prove strong enough to shrug off the arrows. Throats were pierced and they lurched and gurgled… only to keep on stumbling Cinder's way in spite of this.
With widened eyes, Cinder prepared to fire again whilst jumping back-.
-Only for the violence to come to an abrupt halt.
"Wait! That's enough," Eva declared, raising a dainty hand. "Please see to the injured, if you would." She looked to some members of the White Fang, older and seasoned, nearby. They immediately nodded and rushed to the aid of the three who were struck while some of the gunmen from above now rushed over to the ones that had been burned by Cinder's flames.
"H-Hey, Cinder! Are you okay?!" Emerald asked as she now rushed over to her side. She paused in her steps when Cinder glared at her.
Mercury approached as well, albeit at a brisk pace. He looked rather lost.
"Roman? Junior? Are you both fine?" Eva asked as she approached as well, unafraid.
"I'll live!" Roman cried out from where he'd landed, the man quickly doing what he could to get back up.
"Same," Junior grunted, rubbing the side of his head where he'd been struck. "But more than that, are you fine?"
The Malachite twins silently moved close to Eva, their expressions filled with worry.
Eva, on her part, merely laughed. "I'm perfectly fine, not even a hair out of place." To emphasize this point, she even ran a hand through her blue hair to show off its luster. "It will take much more than an attempt like that to dull my shine."
Cinder's eyes narrowed. "How are you…?" She didn't finish her sentence but felt she didn't need to.
A vast majority of the people here, from the White Fang to the Malachite twins, were mostly silent and deferred to Eva completely. Roman and Junior appeared to be themselves for the most part, but it was clear they were taken in by whatever power Eva wielded.
A semblance of some kind? But if so, what could it be to accomplish this?
"Now, now. Why should I answer that when you've yet to answer my previous question?" Eva frowned as she took another step forward.
Cinder, now standing, merely glared. Hesitantly, she dismissed her blades but remained wary. This situation was vastly different from any other one she's been in. She had no power here, as much as it angered her to admit it, no control.
…It was infuriating beyond reason.
"Just why the interest in my business? Are you also planning to bring down Vale?" Cinder asked, ignoring Eva's comment.
Eva paused in her walking and hummed. "…Not necessarily. That is, destroying Vale in and of itself isn't necessarily the end goal… but if it gets us what we want, then I'll do just that."
"What 'we' want?" Cinder repeated.
Eva didn't answer for a moment. And thanks to her years of experience in the acting field, her expression was unreadable. If that was a slip up or not, Cinder had no way to tell.
"…Salem," she began. "She is of great importance to us all for one reason or another. But she isn't the only one either. There's one other that is of interest to us – the group I'm a part of – and we all so dearly hope they are the key."
"To what?" Cinder asked.
"…To finally being fulfilled," Eva muttered, a longing present in her tone that hadn't been there before. "…I want to shine. But I can't do that with them around. The others too… they feel they can't be true to themselves until they're dealt with."
At that, Cinder snorted.
Dealt with, she says… does she mean to have Salem and Ozpin – that is clearly who the 'other' she's referring to is, had to be – killed? The latter was one thing, but Salem? Eva and this group she's a part of were fools to think they could manage that, even if they all likely possessed esoteric abilities like Eva here.
"While your objective is one I don't share, seeing Vale fall is at least something we can agree on," Cinder then said, admitting to at least that much. "But by trying to get in my way – Salem's way – you've made yourself and your… group foolish beyond measure."
Eva stared. "Am I take to assume you don't want any part of this information trade?"
Cinder stared back. "Why not just charm all the information you want out of me?" she challenged.
Eva huffed in amusement. "Sadly, that is beyond my ability to do. Ones with exceptionally strong wills are more resistant to me. It helps as well that you've some magic in you. But I do believe that can change… once I truly shine." Her gaze turned cold. Obsessed. "And that will only happen once Salem and Ozpin are out of the picture entirely."
The partial Fall Maiden mulled over this information. While agreeing to a proper information trade and perhaps even a temporary alliance would be immensely beneficial, the fact is that Eva had a ridiculous advantage in the form of… whatever her power was. Whatever this charm of hers is, it's able to sway those with noticeably weak wills into obeying her, meaning by strutting out into public and utilizing it, she was guaranteed to have an army at her beck and call. And as confident as Cinder is in her combat prowess and other skills, that is not something she could easily deal with, not without the entirety of the Fall Maiden's power.
But the small desire to ally with Eva was tempered by the simple fact that Eva was a wild card. This obsession with shining seemed like it might come back to bite her. And she clearly held the advantage as well in terms of information, meaning Cinder would be at risk of being led by the nose. Who knows? She might even be conned into giving up information on Salem and the others to this woman if she was not on guard.
To be frank, her options weren't good, damned if she does and damned if she doesn't.
…
…For all the benefits an alliance would bring, the chance of her being made into Eva's little dog was too big to ignore.
And she's already long since tired of being a servant to others.
"As interesting as this all ultimately is," Cinder began, subtly bracing herself to make an escape if need be. "I'd much rather go my own way. Your information, as helpful as it might be, simply doesn't seem worth the price to me."
Eva quirked an eyebrow, utterly unphased by her rejection.
But then the woman smirked. "Ah well, that's fine. To be perfectly honest…" Her smirk adopted a sadistic quality to it. "This talk with you was little more than a whim anyways. Roman, if you would?"
Cinder turned to see Roman pull out his scroll and make a call. It connected immediately and he spoke. "It's go time, boys. Time for liftoff."
Cinder's eyes widened.
The train! No, it was too soon!
"You-!" Cinder outright snarled as she looked back at Eva.
"It may not have as much Dust as you likely had been hoping for, but what's already loaded on the train should still suffice," Eva replied without a care. "Besides, I've another way of adding to the chaos."
"You fool! It's too early!" Cinder snapped. Another method of adding to the chaos or not, this was still too soon. There was so much that was just barely put in place or has yet to be placed at all. The expediting of this phase of the plan could likely ruin it all!
"For you, perhaps. But for me? It's perfectly fine. After all…" Eva chuckled as she silently beckoned for everyone around her to prepare for attacking.
"I excel on grand stages."
Underneath Mount Glenn lied a train station that had once gone unused for time immemorial. At least, until recently.
All around, members of the White Fang had made a home here as part of some greater plan, concocted by their semi-recent 'partner.' It was only because Adam vouched for this Cinder woman that any of them really bothered to listen in the first place.
They will admit, however, that the plan itself was rather ingenious.
And now that they've received the go order, the excitement was palpable.
As several members of the White Fang outright whooped and cheered with everything in place, they set boarded the train and set it on its sole course:
Directly into the heart of Vale itself.
So how many of you saw this coming? Bet not a lot, ha ha.
From the start, I'd intended for the train to be involved much earlier on than in canon. Consider it my way of 'derailing' canon much earlier on than usual in my other RWBY fics, which took until around chapter 15 onwards to do the same. The next few chapters in particular will really see shifts occurring that will finally allow me to properly begin the plot of this fic now that the necessary set up has been laid out.
But don't think I'm done just yet. There are still plenty more surprises in store that will be popping up now that I've the freedom to really go wild.
Hope you will look forward to it.
Until next time, everyone. Take care.