Sinner Tower (RWBY TF Fic) (Patreon)

Hi folks! Another commission fic this week - this time the commissioner just asked me to write something for one of the runner up options on the monthly polls - so I thought I might as well add something to this old series as a change of pace.

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 (Contains inanimate Transformation)

The portal opened on the windswept cliffside, the untamed grass ruffling as unnatural winds began to blow. Through it, four women stepped, emerging from nowhere into the shadow of the Witch’s tower. One of them, the woman in the lead, wore a red dress, with one sleeve covering her entire arm, while the other was simply gloved. Her dark hair hid her scarred face, but it didn’t hide the way her one clear eye gazed up at the tower with an obvious hunger. She was Cinder Fall, and she was a woman on a mission.

Her companions were less eager. Emerald Sustrai mostly just wrapped her arms around her sides and bit her tongue to stop herself from complaining about the cold. Neopolitan folded her arms and tapped her foot, umbrella hanging from her wrist, her impatience obvious. And the final member of their group…

“I don’t care what you’re after, just get it done with quickly,” Raven Branwen muttered. Obviously, she was far from happy to be out here. “I’m only going to wait an hour – then I’m gone. You can make your own way home, understand?”

“You will wait,” Cinder answered, in her usual calm yet undeniable tone, “until we return. Unless you desire to be hunted by grimm relentlessly until your inevitable death.” She didn’t even spare the dark-haired bandit leader a look over her shoulder.

“…” Raven’s grip tightened around the hilt of her sword, but it remained in its sheathe. Instead she just glowered. “Whatever. Be quick about it.”

She turned her back to walk away, and thankfully didn’t see Cinder’s smirk.

Emerald waited until she’d gone before she spoke up. “Are you sure about this Cinder? The rumours about this place…”

“Are all the reason we need to go in,” her leader and idol interrupted, not a single doubt in her. “They speak of unknowable power hidden at the top of that tower – power no one else has ever been able to claim. Even Ozpin’s best students couldn’t get close. But we are far more powerful than them.” She held up a palm, flames burning brightly over her hand. “It will be ours.”

“… Of course…” Despite Cinder’s confidence, Emerald still didn’t sound sure. But she nodded and trailed after her mistress like a good little follower, only exchanging a quick, uncertain glance with Neo before vanishing into the tower.

Lightning crackled across the sky.

-

… It was two hours before Raven finally lost all patience.

“What is taking them so long?” She wondered, staring at the tower, illuminated against the night sky by the shattered moon. There hadn’t been a sight nor sound of the vile trio since they’d stepped through the darkened door – not a rumble, nor even a flash through the windows. It was eerie.

Perhaps they’d been defeated? Swallowed by the same power that had claimed so many already? Raven knew her own daughter had been defeated somewhere within the tower – it was the reason she could portal here, after all. The thought was… disappointing, and she tried not to dwell on it. But could she really be so lucky that the fire maiden had met the same fate?

… Could she really risk leaving early and inviting her wrath if she hadn’t?

Finally, the bandit couldn’t wait around any longer. And as much as she wanted to just leave, she didn’t dare court the danger of Salem – she knew all too well the doom that would come down on her if she left before Cinder was ready. Either she made sure that the other woman was gone, or she’d never be able to sleep easily ever again.

With a huff, she strode over to the tower entrance, and stepped inside.

The interior was surprisingly nice, she found. Rather than the decaying ruin she’d expected, instead it was a charmingly modern kitchen. Kitchen counter, kitchen table… all very kitcheny. Unexpected… But then, this was a strange place to begin with. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised. There was no sign of Cinder, Emerald, or Neo, though. Or anyone else, for that matter. She’d have to push in further.

Raven’s eyes darted from side to side, scanning the entire room, before she advanced, hand still resting on her blade. It wasn’t that she was nervous, she told herself. Just cautious. If there was something there that could delay Cinder then she didn’t want to get taken off guard.

A flash of movement! The bandit queen spun, the air ringing as her sword came around-

Oh. Just a mirror. Mph. She looked into her own wide-eyed reflection and winced at what she saw. How embarrassing. This place was really putting her off her game. Well, she could just pretend that hadn’t happened. No one had-

Ding.

She nearly jumped out of her skin. In an instant she’d spun around, blade held aloft once more – before forcing herself to relax. What was with her today? Was the mix of Cinder and this tower really bad enough to put her off her game this badly?

Grumbling, the former huntress re-sheathed her sword and looked at what had made the sound. A washer/dryer? Huh, it had been running silently… And the timer said it had been activated an hour ago, well after Cinder had entered. A strange curiosity seized the woman, and of course, being a bandit, she’d never been one to respect other people’s belongings. With one glance around she crossed the room and popped the machine’s door open, reaching in and pulling out… a dress?

It was an elegant thing, inlaid with glitter and glass. A white sleeveless dress with a lengthy skirt and refined patterns… No, wait. Raven squinted. The dress was pink, and the skirt was short, more a party outfit than an evening dress. This wasn’t ‘refined’, this was ‘good times’. Or… was… was it? The bandit queen’s brow wrinkled. Now she could swear she was looking at a chocolate brown set of underwear – a lacy bra and even lacier panties. The hell?

… Oh whatever. Not important. With a grunt she balled the garment – whatever shape or colour it was – and threw it onto the table, putting it from her mind. She had more important things to care about.

The dress didn’t make a sound as it landed and lay there, ready to be worn by whoever came along next.

Raven stalked towards the stairs. Cinder must have gone up – there was no sign of flames or fire damage in here. But it was strange. The former huntress could swear she heard giggling… But there was no one else here, save for her reflection…

She crept upwards, her footsteps soft on the carpeted steps. She was no stranger to moving quietly, even – even if she was free to stomp around the place as she pleased! She was not scared, not one bit. It was just caution. That was all.

The room above was quiet as well, and just as finely furnished. A thick carpet, a few book cases, chairs, tables… It was a lounge, and a comfortable one at that. It was hard to imagine that someone lived alone out here with the constant threat of grimm, but the evidence was pretty clear. What really caught Raven’s eye, though, was the TV. It looked new, still not properly placed in with its surroundings on a half cleared wooden cabinet… But there was also something odd about it. It was a wide flatscreen with the latest in holotech – as modern as you could get, and admittedly one of the creature comforts Raven missed in her nomadic lifestyle. But the plastic frame was an odd colour that didn’t quite suit the décor – a familiar shade of green, one that reminded her of something she couldn’t quite place…

The TV flicked on, suddenly lighting up and showing some strange reality show. “And today on ‘In the Mistress’s Manor, we have a very special guest…”

Raven practically flew across the room, slamming the off button so hard she half thought she’d break the damn thing. But it was a hardy device, despite looking so fragile. The power cut out quickly, the voice fading away. “Whatever will the Mistress make of youuu…”

Silence returned. Raven waited, tense… But nothing happened. No strange power emerged to fight her, and Cinder didn’t appear from anywhere with that smug look upon her face, flanked by her two annoying toadies. It was becoming almost worrying – surely she should have seen at least one of them by now, but… nothing. Perhaps it was time to leave after all…

But… No. No, she wouldn’t be cowed. She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t leaving until she found answers. The bandit queen took a deep breath, and spared a second glare for the mysteriously self-activating TV, before heading for the stairs to climb up – only pausing as she crossed the room to stare at a red vase filled with roses on one of the tables. Huh. For some reason she was suddenly reminded of Summer… Strange thought.

Whatever. Pointless nostalgia. She had a mission to finish. The tower wasn’t that tall. There couldn’t be that many rooms left to search. She’d find her quarry soon, no doubt about it. That was the though that kept Raven going as she snuck up the stairs, leaving the emerald TV behind her. It simply waited, ready to be watched by whoever came through next.

Above the lounge were a series of rooms that seemed to be mostly used for storage. A quick peek told Raven that they hadn’t been used for a while – she pulled aside a pink bag filled with golf clubs hanging on a hook and peered around, but nothing stood out to her. Might as well keep heading up. She was nearly at the top of the tower now…

And indeed, it was the last room, the bedroom, where she finally found someone. Unfortunately – or fortunately? – it wasn’t Cinder. Instead it was just a woman in a dark dress and a dark pointed hat – in the traditional garb of a witch, in other words. She was sitting in an arm chair, casually reading a book, her legs raised and resting on a plush footrest, her back to the stairs from which Raven emerged. It didn’t seen like she’d been seen.

Well. That was it then. There was no sign of Cinder… anywhere. She was gone. At this point, the bandit queen was confident she couldn’t be blamed for not waiting any longer. She had no interest in threatening this oddly dressed woman, nor did she care about whatever power was supposedly hidden here. She was done.

And yet… As she turned to leave, her eye caught on something that again seemed out of place. The ‘witch’ was wearing pure black… Aside from her feet, which were clad in the reddest fluffy slippers that Raven had ever seen.

They stood out, the crimson colour once again reminding Raven of something that she just couldn’t place – she’d been feeling that a lot since she’d entered this place, hadn’t she? They looked rather comfortable – warm and snug, even – and were decorated with little flames on the sides. There was something so familiar about them, but…

“They’re rather cozy,” the witch spoke, without ever turning her head. “Perfect for a cold night like this one. I appreciate you delivering them.”

Raven froze. Shit. “I’m… sorry?” She tried, hand cautiously reaching for her sword. If this woman was a threat, she’d have to deal with her.

But the witch just waved a hand absently. “No no, don’t apologise, I mean it. Very kind of you to deliver so much to my home. My maid is out doing the shopping and I’ve been wanting for company, so it was a nice surprise.”

… Okay, so she was just a crazy person. “Great. I’ll just be going then…” The sooner she got out of here, the better.

“Oh, I’d love to let you, but I’m afraid my lamp has gotten a bit bright, and it needs a proper shade.” The witch licked her finger and turned a page of her book.

Raven blinked, her red eyes glancing towards the light. It was a little golden lamp, in the shape of a woman. Actually, there was something familiar about it, too. Something that called to her… “Wait, what-“

Poof.

A black lampshade, patterned with flying birds with ruby eyes and decorated with hanging black feathers, dropped onto the lamp, perfectly in place, fitting snugly around the golden head. The light in the room dimmed noticeably, dropping from bright to cosy. The witch smiled, reaching out to adjust the new shade a little, before leaning back and resuming her read, crossing her legs and wiggling her toes in her nice new warm slippers. Silence returned to the tower.

It might have amused Raven to know that she’d discovered what had happened to her daughter – just like it might have delighted Yang to know that she had found her mother, and she was unlikely to ever be parted from her again. But knowledge like that is the domain of living human beings, not inanimate objects, and so the lamp, and her lovely new lampshade, would simply content themselves with existing and serving as their new forms dictated. Which was fine – there was no higher calling than for an object to fulfill its purpose – whether that object be a dress, a TV, a pair of slippers, or indeed, a simple lamp shade.

All of them were just objects, mere items inside a witch’s ever-growing collection. And that was all they would ever be~