Everything happened so fast.
As soon as Jaune landed on the platform ready to attack, Cinder had divided the trio with her power. Trying to preserve himself, Jaune backs away from the fire but soon listens to a loud scream.
Penny fell while in disbelief wondering what that strange new sensation in her chest was, she did not like it, but she sure knew what was happening. The young winter maiden knew what needed to be done even before she heard one of his friends coming for aid.
"Penny! Hold on, My Semblance-"
"No, there's not enough time to heal me. She cannot get the staff and the Power…"
Listening in disbelief while trying to follow his modus operandi as a healer, Jaune feels Penny's touch in a gesture of pleading.
"…But there is something you can do"
Jaune looks upon his sword knowing his duty but still unwilling to do it.
"No, I- I don't know where the others are, but Weiss will give us time"
On her last plead, she reaches for the pommel of his sword while looking him in the eye with all the strength she still has.
"Let me choose this one thing, trust me"
She looks so peaceful while looking so frail for a heavy decision like this, it gives him resolve to proceed. Jaune sheaths Crocea Mors and looks upon his own reflection, he has no more doubts now. Gently grabbing the nape of Penny's neck while she is on the floor for her own comfort, the knight points his blade at the maiden's heart and descends.
Only to feel a small resistance
He looks down and surprisingly sees Penny's left hand on his own trying to dispel the blade. Looking up to her face he is alarmed to see her quivering lips while a small stream of tears breaks free from her closed eyes.
"I'm s-scared" Penny said in the middle of her silent sobs.
He can hear Weiss own battle. This is bad, if he does not do this now, Cinder will win. The knight tries to be more forceful and hears the girls whimpering.
"Please stop, I don't want to do this anymore, it's h-hurting me"
Blood starts oozing from the superficial cut while Jaune begins to panic. 'What do I do !?' he thinks.
"J-Jaune, heal me please, maybe we ca *argh*"
If she is unconscious maybe she will not feel any pain, he thinks while strangling her neck. It becomes harder as her green eyes look at him scarred and pleading for mercy while her right hand tries to pry the fingers away, but she is slowly losing conscious. He must do it now
Plunging his sword deeper more blood and tears flow. Using her powers, she tries to freeze burn Jaune's fingers off her, quickly he retracts and lets his sword fall while she grasps for air and clutches her chest with her left hand where the wound was inflicted.
"*cough* I just *cough* want to see m-my father *cough* p-please stop" Penny says while moving away from the knight.
That was it, if he had done it quickly, he would not be feeling so guilty. Moving fast he grabs her by the legs and pushes back to him, in horror the girl tries to hold onto anything but only leaves a trail of blood with her left hand on the floor.
What once was sobbing now was an ugly cry of someone fighting for life as she sees the eyes of her assailant, troubled but still focused eyes. He tries out of guilt to knock her out with a punch but seeing her on that state only makes the blown strong enough to bruise her left cheek, too weak to make her fall unconscious. He tries again with more conviction, but she pushes her hands up on a pitiful attempt of defense, enough to soften the blow. She loses one molar tooth but is still aware of her surroundings.
The gravity of the situation sets in as Jaune sees her state, heavily bleeding on her chest and mouth while a big bruise is present on her face. The worst thing is the pure look of fear and the trembling hands while she tries to defend herself. What the hell did he do? what should he do now?!
"p-please *sob* stop. I don't want t-to die"
The guilt settles in, and he embraces her while whispering:
"Oh P-Penny, I'm so sorry. Why did you say that to me !?"
This swift mood swing startles Penny, but she accepts it without resistance, too weak to reciprocate.
"*hic* I'm sorry, I don't know *hic* what I was thinking. Get me home please."
He kisses the top of her head multiple times while holding her head, bobbing up and down thinking any amount of affection would make her feel safe, like he could defend her on his embrace. What a mess, this was not even his idea.
That's right!
It wasn't his idea.
Just like Pyrrha had decided her own fate.
He should respect Penny's last wish, she is just scarred, maybe that's how Pyrrha must have felt too at the top of Beacon, but she continued even then.
It must be done quickly otherwise it will be just cruel, 'alright just think about the initial plan' he thinks to himself.
He finds his sword again, strangely in a pool of urine. Looking at the source, it is penny trembling body.
Poor girl, it will soon be over.
The knight takes advantage of the maiden's somewhat relaxed position and stabs her on the stomach, fast and clean.
she screams in pure pain and horror, looking up to the one who inflicted this with a look of disbelief and hurt.
The sudden pain makes her agitated, and the cut grows too extensive, making her colon come out at the floor with a mixture of piss and blood. The scene and scream freaked him out, in panic he gets up.
The girl tries to bring her guts back in while clutching her stomach, she is in such pain that it almost feels like a fever dream.
At such deplorable scene Jaune in a strange lucid spark remembers his biology class way before beacon and forces his hand on her throat. He searches for her carotid, if her brain is out of oxygen she will fall unconscious, but the sheer pressure of the situation only makes him stab her on the wrong side. More blood starts flowing out of Penny's mouth.
"Goddammit!" Jaune yells while penny uses her free hand to touch Jaune's face in an attempt of remove him out of her but with such lack of strength it just comes out as caressing, blooding the knight's whole face.
He stabs her again on the other side of the neck and blood starts getting out in squirts. She tries to close with her hand but jaune holds her head firm making the wound the most open possible. She starts moving her legs at the floor in a pitiful attempt to get out and to alleviate the pain.
"J-just hold on Penny, everything will be alright, Shhhh"
Her eyes so wide in fear will haunt his days forever but it is finally done when the girl stops moving. Only silence remaining.
Silence?
He looks back and sees Weiss and Cinder looking at him in shock. Alarmed he comes up only to Weiss to fall on her knees and vomit.
"I-I can explain, she said to…" he moves forward and surprisingly Cinder flinches.
His sword still on the floor shows his reflection and it almost looks like he came out of a horror film with the blood and white of his armor in such contrast.
"Opsie?"