Professor Arc

Chapter 61

The man with a plan. That was what Jaune chose to portray himself as. It worked more often than he dared admit, mostly because people saw his name and position and tended to overestimate him. They looked for explanations of their own, clutched onto them – made their own minds up. It was a rare moment when he actually had one, and this was no exception.

Kill the dragon by ramming a battleship into it. Check.

Save Pyrrha by jumping down in time to distract Cinder. Check.

Kill Cinder...?

Yeah, that was going to be a little more complicated. He knew it, Roman and Neo certainly knew it, but he could only hope his undeserved reputation preceded himself again when he turned to Velvet and Pyrrha. "Velvet," he snapped. "Take Pyrrha and get back down the tower. Meet up with Team RVNN and make your way out of Beacon."

Pyrrha didn't like the suggestion, "But Professor-"

"Cinder wants you, Pyrrha." His words silenced her. "So long as you're here, you put everyone at risk." He would have sent her a smile to show he didn't mean it so accusingly, but was afraid to take his eyes off the woman before him. "Trust me, Pyrrha. Trust in your professor."

"Trust in a traitor," Cinder chuckled. "Did he ever tell you how he allowed me into Beacon? How all of this was only possible because of him?"

His hand tightened on Crocea Mors. She wasn't wrong. There was no way to argue that point. Velvet and Pyrrha looked to him to deny it, but he didn't. Their stares were wide-eyed, even as he addressed them. "I've made mistakes," he said. "I'm trying to fix them. Please, go. Get to safety."

"Does that apply to me too? Should I go?"

"Roman... shut up."

"So cruel." The thief laughed and twirled his cane, but made no move to flee. He knew as well as Jaune that it had to end here. Cinder would come for him if she survived this. He was out of options. They all were. "Listen to the professor, kiddies. In case you didn't notice, schools out on account of maintenance, death of a headmaster, and the general inferno caused by poor Atlas battleship design. Go home and play with your dolls or something."

"Velvet," he hissed.

"I've got her," the faunus said, gripping Pyrrha below the shoulders and dragging her towards the stairs. The redhead looked like she wanted to fight, but was too weak for it. "You owe us an explanation, though!" Velvet called, right before she hoisted Pyrrha up onto her shoulder and fled.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one I own it too..."

"Jaune." Roman's voice was serious. Clipped. Not at all as it had been just a moment ago. "Eyes on the prize."

"Got it."

Cinder stood on the other edge of the rooftop. Her raven hair flicked back and forth in the wind, while the fire below cast orange shadows across the right side of her body. Those were accentuated by the fires that burned in her eyes, and it wasn't a metaphorical one either. There were actual flames in her eyes, golden and burning at the edges.

How were they supposed to beat her? She was stronger than any one of them normally, but he had to assume she'd become more powerful now. Pyrrha must have absorbed some of the maiden's powers, otherwise Cinder wouldn't have bothered to hunt her down. How much was unknown, as was whether it would make a difference. How strong was a maiden, anyway?

Well, he had a feeling they were about to find out.

"Here you are, yet again, causing me no end of trouble. It has to be a gift of yours... or a curse of mine. Either way, it seems fitting that you'd be here, Jaune." Cinder spared a glance for the other two. "And Roman and Neo, of course. I suppose I should have predicted where your loyalties would lay. Still, I'm surprised you'd place him above your own lives. You're normally more self-serving than that."