70

Chapter 70 - My Blake to Take

Ruby's heart clenched when she saw Yang appear, Blake held limply in her arms. The humanoid robot she'd been fighting against was severed in an instant, and she used her Semblance to rush over to her teammates in an explosion of rose petals. "Blake," she whispered and held her hands uselessly out over the girl, afraid to touch in case she made it worse. "Is she…?" She couldn't be... please, no.

"She's alive," Yang gasped, "But she needs medical attention – now!"

"That might be difficult," Weiss said as she appeared beside them, panting slightly. "There are Grimm and Paladins everywhere, and that doesn't look set to change anytime soon."

"I don't care! Blake needs help!"

"And she'll get it. But not before we cut a path through the enemies before us. Our best bet is to get her to the Atlas forces. They'll have medics that can treat her."

Ruby gnawed her lip as she looked between the two and then to Blake. A wound in her shoulder bled lazily, but it was how pale her face was that had Ruby's hands shaking. She'd been stabbed, and if the wound was any indication, it wasn't by a Grimm or huge robot. "What happened to her?" Ruby whispered.

"White Fang," Yang growled, "Some guy… way stronger than anyone I've seen before. He'd already stabbed her by the time I arrived and looked set to finish her off."

"How did you get away?"

Yang made to say something but stopped herself at the last second. "Someone came," she said, "I can't-… it's too hard to explain and I'm not even sure of what I saw. Look, let's just focus on getting her to safety, then we're good."

"I don't think it's that simple," Weiss sighed.

"Then I'll make it that simple. Even if you won't, I'll take her and break throu-"

"And Blake will die!"

Ruby recoiled, as did Yang – the two of them unable to speak as Weiss shook her head and sighed.

"You're forgetting something," Weiss growled – and it was impossible not to hear the concern in her voice. She was worried too… she was just as angry and upset. "Blake doesn't have her stupid bear with her. She said she left it in Beacon before the semi-finals. If we take her away from that…"

"Then she dies…" Ruby finished for her. It hadn't been an immediate or instant thing, not with how she'd broken down and been hospitalised. But then again, she was a lot more injured now and her aura was probably already low. What if this time it was enough to kill her outright?

"Then what do we do?" Yang asked. "What can we do?"

"Defend her… defend her and Beacon. If we can push them back, if we can win, then Ruby will be able to fetch that bear and we can treat Blake in the infirmary."

Ruby nodded, and after a second, Yang did too. If that was all they could do… then she would do it. Her fingers tightened about Crescent Rose and her silver eyes narrowed in uncharacteristic anger. This wasn't how Beacon was supposed to be. It wasn't how it was supposed to go.

But she wouldn't lose anyone else… not like she'd lost Summer.

A Beowolf rushed towards them. Yang cursed and knelt down, to slowly lay Blake on the soft grass.

Ruby met Weiss' eyes as they both instinctively stepped before the two, their weapons at the ready. Crescent Rose deployed as she prepared to cut the Grimm in two.

But someone else beat her to it.

The Grimm fell apart as a red blade split it down the middle. Blood flew through the air and splattered towards them. The porcelain white mask on the man's face made Ruby frown, and she didn't lower her weapon.

"No," Yang whispered, "He- she said she would keep you away!"

"Nothing can keep me away from my beloved," the man whispered – and Weiss and Ruby's shoulders slammed together as they cut him off from their wounded teammate. "A Schnee and a child?" he chuckled, "Is this truly what I have been replaced by?"

Ruby's teeth grit together as rage coursed through her. It burned and bubbled beneath the skin, and she felt her eyes sting in pain. "Did you…" she gasped, "Did you do this to Blake?"

"This?" he raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean the light injury she suffered? Believe me, it's nothing compared to the pain and misery she has heaped on others. The wounds she left could not be healed by needle and thread."

Ruby's fingers turned white. "And that makes it okay for you to hurt her like this!?"

"I wasn't aware I needed to answer to a child." He flicked his sword to one side, the action clearing it of blood. "Oh wait… I don't."

"Ruby!" Yang's shout was all the warning she received, but even then, it was enough. Her arms almost buckled as his sword crashed into the shaft of her weapon. "Ugh…" She pushed back against him, both hands gripped onto her weapon she fought to keep him at bay.

It was too much, he was too strong – and with a cruel smile he lifted his other hand to the back of his blade and pushed down. The red steel moved easily, as it cut towards her.

Only for another to knock it aside. "Ruby," Weiss snapped as she summoned a spike of ice beneath the man and pushed him back.

"I'm okay," she gasped in response. "He's strong."

"We've got other problems," Yang called from behind. The blonde was stood before Blake, but not defending her from the White Fang member. Instead, she looked uncertain as she stared down the barrels of a Paladin's main weapon. Lilac eyes flicked back to her downed partner, no doubt realising that if she moved – Blake would be killed.

The redheaded man chuckled and pointed his blade towards her. If she turned to help Yang, Ruby knew he would run her through.

"What will you do, little child?"

/-/

Cinder Fall breathed heavily beneath him, her chest rising and falling with each gasp, as tornados, thunderstorms and fireballs circled around them. All it would take was drawing them in and her threat would be extinguished once and for all.

As would his life.

There was no fear of that within him; he'd died once and although this might have been more permanent, he still wasn't afraid of it. Nor was it some sympathy or desire not to kill. She was a monster. She'd killed Penny and then Doctor Polendina. He despised every part of her and would have wrung her neck if he thought he could. No… as the elemental storms winked slowly out of existence around him, he knew exactly why he couldn't end it this way.

Because Blake would become the maiden.

He'd been the maiden for minutes only, but with Amber's memories it felt like decades. A life of loneliness and solitude, as criminals and Governments alike sought to control her – to control her powers. Her friends had mostly perished… taken as hostages, threatened by shadowy agents or pitted against her. In the end, she'd made the choice to abandon them all, just to protect them from becoming victims.

And it still didn't stop people like Cinder attacking her. It never did. Sometimes it was an ambush in the wilds, other times it might be poison in food or a friendly stranger who turned out to have murder in mind.

He could feel her loneliness, her pain and the soul-crushing despair that flowed through her as she travelled from Kingdom to Kingdom, doing good deeds and helping others out of some self-destructive desire to feel useful. The only person she could speak with, Ozpin – and even then, she knew how he used her too. It was just that she was too desperate to care.

Could he condemn Blake to that kind of life?

He knew he couldn't… and that hesitation proved costly. Cinder's hands locked onto her neck and squeezed as the woman flipped them over. She leaned down with all her weight, but as broken and exhausted as they both were, it was hardly enough.

Jaune broke her grip easily and summoned a blast of fire against her chest to launch her aside. What little aura he had dwindled even further. The time in the tube hadn't left Amber in a good state, and while he was confident fully rested he could have killed her, right now their fight was more comparable to a pair of drunks in a bar fight.

If said drunks had crazy elemental powers and could summon their weapons at will…

Ragged pants slipped from between his lips as he dashed forward and swung his stave towards her head.

She ducked under it and threw a hand against his chest. Fire erupted from it and clung to his clothing.

The heat burned his flesh but a brief gust of wind put it out. He gripped the woman's wrist before she could take it back and slammed his other hand into her face. Bone cracked beneath his fist, but he was forced to let go when a heel dug into his foot. He limped back, cursing the stupid outfit Ozpin had stuck Amber in.

Cinder backed away too, her black hair was slick with sweat and soot mixed with it to run down her face in angry trails. She staggered up and onto her feet, and even the act of materializing her bow looked slow and sluggish. She nocked an arrow and released it towards his chest.

It crashed against the wall behind him and exploded into a thousand pieces of dust. Amber's staff thudded into the ground as he leaned on it for support. The whole exchange felt half-hearted… exhausted. He didn't think either of them truly had the energy left to fight. Now, it would just be a case of limply burning off what was left, before one killed the other. With the powers granted to him by Amber, he was sure it would be himself who survived. Cinder seemed to realise it too, for she snarled at him.

"This will never end," she said. "No matter what happens, even if you kill me here, others will come for you."

"As you curse them to a life of solitude, pain and death." Amber's memories of that were clear, and had proved those prophetic words true. She had release now… as callous as that sounded. He could not… he would not put Blake through the same. People would hunt him. They would seek to take his power, they would seek to manipulate and control him… but better he than her. If he killed Cinder here and now, that would remove one such threat. And he could kill her… he was sure of it.

But it would take time.

And he could still somehow sense that Blake was in danger.

Did she have that time?

What was he to do?

Blake, I need you here... you would know what I'm meant to do. You'd have a plan, even if it was one of your stupid ones. He pulled the stave back, nearly fell over when he did, but managed to right himself. The tip pointed towards Cinder, though the distance between them felt like it was so long. "Surrender. If you give up, I promise I won't kill you."

"Kill me? That time asleep must have made you delirious." Cinder crossed her blades before her, but she made no move to attack. At such a point, the first to make a mistake would surely lose. And the stakes couldn't have been higher.

"You're spent," he called to the woman, "Your aura is low and it's only a matter of time before reinforcements arrive. Do you think you can kill both Ozpin and I together?"

"You're weakened too – not to mention injured. I think I will take my chances. With your power, I'll be more than capable of killing them."

Damn it, damn it... so she wasn't going to fall for his bluff, either? It might have been true and maybe they would win up there and come to help him, but how long was that going to take? Jaune's eyes drifted shut as he cursed himself. I'm sorry everyone... his eyes opened, but I'm not willing to risk Blake. He sighed and summoned another storm behind him. It drained at his already low reserves, but it was enough to make Cinder back up. "Even if you did kill me," he said, "I would just cause this to kill us both. Your goal would be lost, and right now I've got nothing to lose. Isn't it better to cut your losses and retreat?"

Cinder snarled but didn't attack. Instead, she sheathed her blades behind her back and considered him with golden eyes. It was strange how alike she and Blake were, in both complexion, hair and eyes. "You are… suggesting a ceasefire?"

He didn't answer. That term sounded too amicable, but he couldn't think of a better one.

The woman burst into laughter. "You are a fool. Do you think for a moment that I'll stop hunting you? Do you think this will somehow be the end of it? Even if I leave, it won't be with my tail between my legs, Amber. I will return… we shall re-enact that scene on the road once more, and this time Ozpin's lackey won't be there to help you."

He knew... it had been what happened to Amber, time and time again. He could only rest easy in the knowledge that it would not happen to Blake.

"And I will be stronger," Jaune said. "I will be rested, I will be recovered and I will not be alone."

"Neither will I." Cinder said as she backed away, eyes locked onto his in case he attacked. He let her go, despite every part of his body that plead for him to kill her. Once she reached a wall she summoned a blast of fire and cut through it in one great explosion. Before she stepped through, she called back. "Then we shall see how it ends, Fall Maiden."

"We shall..." Jaune sighed.

He watched her go. Watched as she vanished behind ruined stone and electrical systems. A bitter sigh escaped him as he limped over to the elevator shaft. If Ozpin could have seen what he'd done, he would probably be furious. Knowingly, wittingly, he had allowed the woman who had committed all this evil to escape - to live. Blake would have been annoyed beyond belief, and if Amber still lived, he had a feeling she would have screamed in fury. Amber was not alive, however.

Blake was, and it was her he had to think about.

It would have been perfect justice to fight til the end against Cinder. It would have been vengeance too. It might have meant something to Amber, to Ozpin and to everyone else... but it might also have meant sacrificing the woman he loved. That was not a choice he could accept. Instead, with a heavy heart, he pulled open the elevator doors and looked up the long, dark shaft. His eyes flared like golden fire as his feet began to hover off the ground.

Something shot through him, fear, panic – and an agonising pain deep in his heart. It caused his concentration to buckle and his knees to hit the ground as he dropped from the air.

No…

"NO!"