The Dark Ones

The air in the hideout was heavy, and smelled of gunpowder and water. The stone walls, jagged and cracked from the result of overmining, seemed to stretch for miles under ground. Dozens of fluorescent lights buzzed annoyingly overhead as the woman walked. All these little things did little to bother her. But the pair of guards flanking her seemed to unnerved, even off put by the numerous flaws.

[Pathetic] The woman thought from beneath the hood of their cloak, as both of them shouldered their weapons to clamp gloved hands over their ears. Together the trio entered a spacious room, with a similar build as the halls they had been in previously. The only difference was the group of people crowded around a large holographic table, which displayed a holographic map of Remnant.

"The escort was unnecessary don't you think?" The hooded woman said coldly, to none of the people in particular. With a twirl of her fingers, a pen formed from shadow began to spin in her palm. Both guards quickly ran for the exit, fearing for their lives. "Had I wanted you all dead, all it would take is a snap of my fingers."

There was silence for a moment, then the woman at the head of the table crossed their arms over their chest. The golden patterns on her extravagant red dress seemed to glow gold, a trait that was shared by her sharp eyes. Her hair was a long tangle of black, combed over her left shoulder.

"Perhaps." The black-haired woman said confidently, "But even if we were to fall, I don't think you'd make it out in one piece."

"Ehh... Someone's feeling confident." The hooded woman replied. She turned her head to face a familiar man, with cooly styled orange hair and a bolo hat. "Do you share her sentiment Roman?"

"Who, Cinder? Hell no!" Roman spoke in a disgusted tone as he puffed on a cigar. "I make it a habit not to piss off any ladies that can tear me in half with a flick of their wrist. Especially you Herba."

"Hmph. Good eye." Herba lowered her hood, revealing her head of sharp verdant hair. "Besides, I'm not exactly alone at the moment."

With a graceful motion, Herba lifted her arm right as her cloak began to bulge and contort. Suddenly a smaller hooded figure burst out from the darkness, and jumped onto the center of the table. They twirled, and struck a cheekily cute pose as they landed.

"Hey hey, it's everyone's favorite Huntress Altera!" The smaller figure cheered, in a high-pitched feminine voice. "Did you all miss me?"

"God keep it down." Verdant-haired woman groaned, "I know you said seeing your "beloved" would raise your morale, but I didn't think it would to this extent. I liked it better when you were quiet and refined."

"Uhh. Anyone want to clue me in on the new girl?" Roman groaned with a tilt of his hat. "Last time a checked, we weren't exactly a day care."

"She's just an annoying pest who knows a little more than they should." Herba cast a sidelong glance at Altera, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "She and I are roughly equal in strength. So be careful how you address her, unless you suddenly decide you want to change-"

"BACK on topic." Cinder shouted in a commanding voice, shutting down the conversation. "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted. The situation in Vale has changed. Before they only had the Imperial Arms Labrys, Shiden, and ERICS active. But now they've awakened the Caligula."

At the mention of the new Imperial Arm, Altera jumped from the table and stood beside Herba.

"According to Herba, the new Legion an inexperienced fighter. His semblance isn't anything to write home about, but he could still be a valuable asset if he were to join our cause." Crossing her arms over her chest, the black-haired woman continued, "But, he could also be an annoying thorn in our side if he goes against us. We already have enough on our plate dealing with that red-caped girl."

"For once I agree with Cinder." Roman blurted, his hand rising to rub a tender spot on the back of his head. "She got a couple of my hired guns a while back. I've been meaning to pay her back ever since. But the new Legion won't be a problem, our resident Legion here nearly whacked him but-"

Herba lunged over the table to stop the man, but was too late. Less than a second had passed since he uttered those words, when the room quickly became unbearably cold. The walls began to crack and splinter, as the metal support beams screeched under an immense weight. Each breath grew harder and harder to suck in, until each of them were worried they'd pass out.

"Hey... What did you just say?" Altera floated over the table, hovering a few feet in front of Roman. Her frost covered fingertips extended forward, stopping centimeters from his eyes. "What did you all try to do with my love?"

"..." Gathering as much air into her lungs as possible, Herba was able to choke out an answer. "F-forgive me... I wanted to test their strength but got carried away..."

A single golden eye peeked out from under Altera's dark hood, as she contemplated Herba's response. Without uttering a word, she waved her hand, and the room returned to normal. The group greedily gulped down air, while the hooded girl descended back down onto the table.

"I'll only say this once. Raishun. Is. Mine. If any one of you so much as lays a finger on him, I will have your head served on a platter." As if to prove her point, she produced a large heavy sword from underneath her cloak. The blade was gnarled, and misshapen, almost looking as if someone had stuck the halves of two different swords together. "Do I make myself clear?"

Both Herba and Roman quickly nodded in affirmation, but Cinder stood her ground with an ugly scowl. Her eyes stared into Altera's, like a lion deciding whether a certain prey was worth hunting. For a moment, it seemed as if she would attack the hooded girl, only to relent and nod in agreement.

"Fine. The fledgling Legion will be yours to deal with. Kill him, marry him, do as you please." She scoffed. "Just make sure to keep him out of our sight."

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The talks lasted for hours, with each member debating the pros and cons of each action. By the time Herba finally left the room, her scrolls alarm buzzed incessantly to inform her it was past midnight. She stretched her aching neck, yearning for the ease a hot bath would bring her. Those hopes were quickly dashed, when the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps echoed behind her. The woman knew all to well who they belonged to.

"Oh dear... Isn't it past your bed time?" Turning on her heel, she came face to face with the leader of Vale's White Fang division. "What do you need Adam?"

Adam was a tall young man who looked to be in his early twenties. His eyes were hidden behind a porcelain mask that was eerily reminiscent of a Grimm. His hair was styled backwards, with streaks of brown and red hair neatly flowing backwards. His most notable feature however, was the pair of small black horns that protruded from just above his forehead.

"It's good to see you Teacher!" His voice was upbeat, despite his prickly appearance. "I wasn't aware you'd be back from your journey so soon."

"I would've let you know when I planned to return, but certain circumstances made me end it early." Herba shrugged, her lips curling upwards in a confident smile. "But because I returned so early, I was able to fight an interesting opponent."

"Even on vacation you strive to keep your skills sharp!" The Faunus boy noted in amazement. "It's impressive. I think such efforts should be rewarded, if I'm not being to forward that is."

Reaching into a bag hanging from his hip, Adam produced a moderately sized metal box, which he extended towards the woman.

"Consider it a gift, as thanks for everything you've done for me."

Herba popped open the lid to reveal the lined velvet inside, as well as a porcelain white mask. She plucked it from it's case, and examined it closely.

It was oval in shape, with a large blood red crack running diagonally across the masks entire length. Most striking, was the large orange orb that protruded from the masks center. For a replica, it mimicked the real thing eerily well.

"You had good taste modeling it after a Geist but... This is something that means a lot to the White Fang." She said, "Are you sure it's okay to give something like this to a human?"

"Yes. You can't join the White Fang because of your race. But your as much of a member as any of my comrades." The Faunus raised a hand to his own mask, a painful grimace appearing on his face as he did so. "You taught me how to fight, how to lead... If it weren't for you, I would still be a scared little whelp waiting on those Schnees like a mutt."

Herba remained still for a moment, her eyes flicking between the mask and her student in thought. With a sigh, she held the mask in her mouth as she tied her hair back in a messy ponytail before slipping the mask on. Darkness over took her vision.

"Adam, I can't see in this-"

A square of white light appeared inside the mask, then another. Dozens of small lights began to shine on her face, leaving Herba with no choice but to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she found that her vision was clear, even sharper than it was without the mask. She let out a breath, and grinned when it didn't fog up her vision.

"Forget I said anything, this is amazing." She chuckled, and turned to look at her student with pride-filled eyes. "It's amazing what kids like you can do with technology these days."

"It's nothing teacher, really." Adam replied in a somewhat bashful tone. "It's the least I can do, after everything you've done for me."

"Aww, someone has a crush~--Woah!" Altera appeared from out of nowhere, and was nearly decapitated by a swift strike from the Faunus boy. Lucky for for her, she was able to duck underneath the strike with relative ease.

"Be honest with yourself, it's okay to have puppy love." She cooed, wrapping her arms around her shoulders with a dreamy sigh. "You won't regret it."

Adam scowled with a mixture of hatred and disgust. Without lowering his weapon, he began to move back towards his teachers side.

"Must we work with this damn human?" He asked irritably, "I've only known her for a moment, and I already want to kill her more than any other human I've met before."

"I'm afraid so." Herba sighed, "Don't worry, she's not usually this irritating. It's only because she saw her "man", she'll be back to normal in a day or two."

"For our sake, I hope you're right." Adam murmured, watching in horror as the giggling girl began slowly floating away.

"It'll work itself out." The masked woman added, "We would get rid of her, but she can easily best me in a fight. Plus, she has knowledge that can help give us an edge on the invasion of Vale."

"She does?"

"Yes. It's about one of my older children, a boy I abandoned some years back because his semblance wasn't anything noteworthy. As fate would have it, he's not only compatible with an Imperial Arm, but he's already making the trip to Vale as we speak."