Hey everyone. This is a critically short chapter because I'm just very, very ill. It's been there all week, but it's related to some fairly serious stuff I'd rather not talk about right now, so I won't. Needless to say, I couldn't get much more of this done. This is actually content written yesterday, with me intending to finish it today.
Sadly, I couldn't. Apologies for that. Hopefully things will even out next week.
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 52
Emerald stilled.
She considered her options.
The barrel against the back of her head.
The enclosed room.
No witnesses.
The perfect murder.
There was no way she was getting out of this alive; Emerald quickly realised. Maybe if she had information she could give – but he knew she wouldn't betray Cinder, so it wasn't even worth taking her alive. Whoever he worked for. Even letting her live this long was a risk, which raised the question of why he was letting her.
Surprisingly, she didn't feel afraid. Not because she thought he might spare her – he wouldn't – but because there was no uncertainty. No fear. Emerald's hand brushed against her waistband, touching her scroll. She felt it vibrate silently as the call went through. Cinder would hear everything. If that was the only thing she could do to pay Cinder back, so be it.
"You're not going to get away with betraying us, John," she said firmly. The word `betray` would make it clear for Cinder's sake. "I trusted you. Guess that makes me the fool."
"Heh. I guess it does."
Emerald turned, aware he might kill her in the doing so, but determined to see his face when she died. He allowed her, if only because there was no hope. More than anything, it would let Cinder catch a glimpse of him. It would let her understand. Emerald took pleasure in that, if nothing else. Even if she wouldn't be around to see it, she could revel in the thought of the smirk being wiped from his face.
"Cinder will find out, you know."
"Oh, I'm sure she will. But not soon enough to save you."
Emerald shrugged. "Probably not. Still, you're not nearly as clever as you think you are."
"And you're not as observant as you think you are, Emmy."
Her eyes narrowed. The tone was wrong, and John had never called her that. The only person who had was-
The door at the back slammed open. John – another John – appeared in it. He was bloody and bruised.
"Emerald! It's Roman. He-" John cut off in horror.
"Guess the cat's out of the bag," the John before her quipped, grinning widely. With a shatter of light, blue eyes morphed to green and blonde hair to bright orange.
"Torchwick…" Emerald gasped.
"Consider this my resignation, Cindy."
Roman pulled the trigger.
John – the real John – collided with his arm. The shot went high, pinging off the ceiling and slamming into a wooden crate.
Emerald was already moving.
She kicked out with one foot, catching Roman in the knee and dropping him with the help of John's weight. She scrabbled for Roman's gun when he dropped it, but the click of a heel warned her to roll away a second before Neo brought her rapier down. They were both here. Shit. They must have been watching them from the start, and they'd taken John out when she sent him ahead to scout the corridors, replacing him with Roman under an illusion.
Of all the times for Roman to try and turn on them, it had to be now.
"Damn brat!" Roman growled, grappling with John. "I should have killed you weeks ago!"
John didn't waste time with words. He managed to get on his knees and slam a fist down into Roman's face. Roman reached out and gripped a wrench off a shelf and slammed it into the side of John's head in recompense. He fell back with an agonised cry.
Still, it was a chance. There was a chance for her to get out of this alive. But only if they worked together.
"John, keep him busy. I'll deal with Neo!" Emerald snapped, already moving for Neo, by far the greater threat. If she could just get the girl trapped in her Semblance – preferably before Neo trapped her in her own – then the fight would be over.
First one to get caught died. Not odds she liked.
They traded quick kicks and punches. Neo was a whirlwind, and flexible in a way no person should be, but every moment she spent dodging and flipping was concentration not spent on weaving an illusion to trap her. Emerald penned her in against a wall and tried to wrap her Semblance around her, only to feel it drift off like oil on water.
It was the only warning she got – but it was enough to have her break off and hurl herself aside. Right as the blade slammed in from behind her, an almost certainly fatal blow.
Neo had her in an illusion before the fight even started.
They just needed to hold on. Shots had been fired. Someone had to have heard and raised the alarm. Between two teenagers in casual clothing and a wanted criminal and his accomplice, it was obvious who the huntsmen would go after. They could play around this. They could come out on top. She could get back to Cinder again.
Just had to buy time…
Something caught her on the cheek. Something metal. Aura flared, and Emerald fell, scrambling to recover. A foot stomped down on her ankle.
John tackled Roman off again. They crashed into a steel storage shelf and toppled it over. Wreckage and equipment scattered across the floor. Emerald grabbed something, a piece of rebar, and brought it up just in time to block Neo's thrust.
Come on. Why is no one hearing this?
Neo slipped under her guard, twisting her wrist to make her drop the rebar, and then slammed the pommel of her sword into Emerald's jaw. She barely had the presence of mind to duck afterwards, an inch or two before Neo took her head off, aura or not. Something caught her eye on the floor – Melodic Cudgel – knocked aside after John saved her from Roman.
Emerald dove for it, rolled and brought it up like one might a rifle. The scope popped up, but she ignored it, firing from the hip in the vague direction of Neo.
Something went wrong. Melodic Cudgel bulged and expanded, the shot misfiring. Metal warped and heated as the red dust ignited within the barrel, causing it to explode in her hands and fling her back. Emerald's back lit up as she struck the wall and slumped down.
John cried out in agony a second later, pinned to the floor by Neo's sword through his stomach.
Emerald barely heard the rush of feet approaching. About fucking time…
Or was it too late?
"Looks like we've got company," Roman said. "Clean up here and let's go." He chuckled as Neo drew her sword out of John, earning a whimper of pain from him. Emerald glared at them both, unable to move her hands as Roman knelt down and took the scroll from her hip. He saw it was active and cursed suddenly.
"Bad luck, Roman," Emerald wheezed. "She knows."
"Yeah, well it won't help her." Roman threw the scroll down and stomped on it. He ground his heel through the screen. Melodic Cudgel was wrecked, but he brought up a handgun to point directly at Emerald's face. Her aura was so low she knew she wouldn't survive the shot. "And it won't help you too much either, Emmy."
Roman smiled as he pulled the trigger.
"Goodbye."
/-/
Jaune gasped for breath as he slumped down against a wall, one hand held to the sword wound in his stomach. His other shook as he brought out his scroll, fighting against the nauseating feeling of his insides bleeding out. In a panic, he dialled the number, praying it would be answered.
In the background, he heard people running past his hiding spot, boots echoing as they shouted for guards, caution – and soon after, a medical team.
It wouldn't help Emerald.
The call was answered. Cinder's face appeared. She was angry. "John."
"R-Roman," Jaune gasped. "Roman turned-"
"I know. I heard everything." Cinder's voice was clipped, angry. Furious. "Where is Emerald?"
"D-Dead. I'm sorry."
"You escaped?"
"Not sure I did." Jaune brought the scroll away a little, showing his wound. "I can't go to a hospital with this. Do you know anyone…?"
"Go to the medical tent. I have a White Fang insider stationed there. He will see to you."
"What about the mission?" he asked. "What about Emerald?"
"Both are lost to us now, John. Roman has taken them away. But he will pay for that. He will pay for daring to betray me." She cut off with a snarl. "If you are questioned, deny everything. Claim that you and Emerald came across Torchwick planting explosives and challenged him. He killed her and tried to kill you."
"I understand, ma'am."
"I will have new orders for you soon, John. This changes nothing."
"I'm sorry, Cinder."
"There is nothing you or Emerald could have done differently. Roman will pay."
Jaune ended the call with a hoarse laugh, one that broke off with a wince as the pain came rushing back. Emerald was dead, but his cover was still intact. Maybe good things did happen to bad people.
When next the footsteps hurried by, Jaune groaned loudly.
They paused, and soon the door was being pulled open.
/-/
The news broke hard, even if most never even realised it had happened until after the fact. The noise from all the cheering, not to mention the fights themselves – which had gunshots aplenty – ensured that no one placed a murder for what it was until the body was found.
As always, the media got a handle on it before anyone else did, ensuring that the news was sent out long before the Council could try to put a spin on it.
He counted himself lucky that he was too injured to pay attention. He'd been found by the emergency responders after making enough noise to draw attention. His story was what Cinder demanded of him, and although he wasn't sure everyone there believed him, it ultimately didn't matter. Ozpin and Ironwood were the only real ones with the power to arrest him and they both came in on his side.
Ozpin gently asked the doctors to leave once he'd been stabilised. When they were alone, the headmaster let out a heavy sigh and sat down.
"I must apologise, Mr Arc. I didn't expect your being undercover to be so dangerous."
"It wasn't supposed to be. Roman…"
"I heard, Mr Arc. Does this mean he has turned on Cinder?"
"Looks like it, sir. Might be a good thing. Apart from this." Jaune gestured to his stomach with a weak smile.
"Apart from this, yes," Ozpin agreed. "The doctor tells me you shall make a quick recovery once your aura kicks in. The blade managed to avoid any important organs. A feat of luck on your part…" He trailed off, almost suspiciously.
"You think I arranged this on purpose?"
"I'm not sure what to think. You've proven you can be quite the resourceful young man."
"Killing Emerald would have been a waste," he said. "She had information. Not to mention if I wanted her dead, I'd have felt more comfortable doing it myself. N-Not because I like killing," he quickly assured Ozpin. He really didn't. "I just mean that I wouldn't have gotten myself stabbed just to do it. I could have just shot her when she wasn't ready, and her aura was down."
"That is true, I suppose. What of your cover? I'm not sure we should send you back to Cinder after this."
"We don't really have a choice, sir. She expects me back."
"It is dangerous. Perhaps too dangerous."
"It's always been dangerous," Jaune pointed out. "Like it or not, this is how things are. It's too late to say someone like me shouldn't be in a situation like this. Far too late."
Ozpin seemed to age before his eyes. "Yes. I wish it wasn't so…"
Jaune snorted. Yeah, he bet the old man did. But wishes didn't change anything, and this still had to be done. "How is my cover on this end? Did the authorities accept my excuse?"
"They did once I validated it. As far as anyone is concerned, this was a tragic encounter between two teens lost in the bleachers, and a criminal up to no good. Better still, this will let us act in some capacity without tipping off Cinder," Ozpin said, cheering up a little. "So long as we only react to Torchwick, it should not raise suspicions."
Glad to see there's a benefit to my being stabbed.
"I guess that's a good thing. Anyway, you probably shouldn't be here, sir. I think Cinder would have questions as to what we talked about in private."
"Then simply tell her I asked about Roman, and the nature of the explosives you witnessed him placing. I think it would be more suspicious if I didn't come to talk to you." Ozpin nodded towards the flaps leading out of the tent. "You have a police escort at the moment. There's nothing I can do to get rid of that, but it should be sorted out tomorrow. As for the media, I did manage to keep your name hidden. They are referring to you as John Doe."
"Kind of ironic."
"I thought so too. Either way, there should be no mention of Jaune Arc, which ought to keep your cover clear. Those who tended to you have been informed that they must keep your identity secret – in case Roman comes back to finish the job, of course."
Jaune nodded gratefully. That ought to be enough to keep Cinder's mole calm.
"I'll leave you to rest for now, Mr Arc."
"Thank you."
As Ozpin left the tent, Jaune let his head fall back onto the pillow.
"Check, or checkmate?" Jaune wondered aloud.
His eyes felt heavy.
He'd figure it out in the morning.
Criminally short, as I said. I just can't write any more to it as I need to go off and see a doctor. Not well is not well. Sort of a miracle I managed to force Relic out as it was. Sorry about this. It hopefully won't be a thing that repeats all that often.
Next Chapter: 12th August
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur
