Chereads / Fate of Kings / Chapter 60 - CPR

Chapter 60 - CPR

Omniscient POV

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Coming down the avenue, Alexander and Ruby reached the air docks while Laurence left to go hunt more Grimm.

Alexander stopped.

Ruby arched an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"It's Schnee." He easily spotted the blob of white ahead. "I. . . I think it'd be best if she didn't. . ."

It quickly dawned on her what he meant. "Right. Leave it to me."

Passing on Red Fury and Yellow Fury and running off, she went ahead and froze at sight of Yang, passed out on the floor with her arm wrapped in a dripping red bandage, and Blake, a bawling wreck beside her.

Reynold watched over them with a downcast gaze, and Weiss and Zwei, who were on the verge of tears, comforted Blake while she held Yang's hand and sobbed a stream of apologies.

Even though Ruby was aware of what happened, actually seeing it in person was something else entirely.

Zwei finally noticed her arrival and happily barked.

Weiss barrelled over.

They embraced, and Ruby made a conscious effort to block her view of Alexander sneaking his way past them.

"I'm so glad to see you, Weiss!" She checked her up and down for any injuries. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay." The exhaustion stiffening her bones lifted slightly. "But, where have you—"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." An optimistic urge made her look around. "I just. . . Did Cooper pass by here by any chance?"

Weiss shook her head, eyes drooping.

Gloom rained over Ruby as her hopes further sank.

"Did you happen to see Alexander?" Weiss scanned the avenue for any sign of them. "He was supposed to find Stiofan."

A guilty knife stabbed Ruby in the heart.

Nearby, Sun broke away from some soldiers and joined them.

"Good news, guys!" He smiled from ear to ear. "They're getting a ship ready to take us all to Vale."

"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still in the tower!" Nora sat on the floor and held her ribs. "And Roderick's with them."

Reynold and Ruby's eyes went wide.

"Look guys." Sun pointed at the Wyvern. "That giant Grimm is circling the school. Even the White Fang pulled out! We have to go. Now!"

"We're not leaving." Ren grimaced and kneeled. "Ugh!"

The most simplest solution came to Ruby.

"I'll find them." A show of her scythe proved them how serious she was. "I'll bring them back."

"You shouldn't go alone." Reynold frowned at the defenseless and crestfallen crowd. "I'd join you, but—"

"Don't worry, Mister Hill. I'll keep an eye on her." Weiss stepped up. "Besides, I've rested long enough."

"If that's the case: be safe." Reynold nodded. "Don't worry about your teammates. I'll take care of them."

Thanking him, the two girls booked it out of there, and as soon as they were gone, Alexander exited a medical tent.

"Leon, you made it!" Velvet skipped over. "You alright?"

Teddy yipped and rubbed his leg.

Alexander scratched Teddy's chin. "Peachy."

A chorus of cheers erupted when a large airship descended upon them.

"Looks like it's time we left." Velvet exhaled relief and went to leave but paused when Alexander didn't follow. "Leon?"

Alexander turned his back to their salvation and faced the opposite direction, where the horrors plaguing the academy ran rampant.

The worst possible idea of what Alexander was going to do dropped an unsettling anchor to the bottom of Velvet's stomach.

"H-hey." She let out a nervous laugh. "Is something wrong?"

His draping locks curtained over his eyes.

Biting the inside of her cheek and casting him a wary look, she drew closer.

"What is it?" Velvet tugged his vest. "You can tell me."

Alexander peeked over his shoulder. "I'm not done here yet."

She sighed and hung her head. "Figured you'd say that."

Bouncing on her toes, Velvet drew a long wind of courage and steeled herself, prepared to tackle whatever dangers laid in wait next.

"Alright." She rolled her arms and did some quick stretches. "If you're staying, then I am too."

"You can." He locked eyes with her. "But you shouldn't."

Velvet flinched.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She knitted brow and crossed her arms. "Of course I should."

"Is that so?" Alexander grunted and lifted Teddy. "You know, sometimes I wonder if you're the same girl I met last semester."

The bear yipped.

A bead of sweat rolled from Velvet's cheek. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you don't need me anymore." A sliver of pride coated his words. "You're fine on your own."

Her heart thumped.

"You don't really mean that." Velvet trembled, chest tight and hands clenched. "What about our promise? You said you'd let me follow you anywhere so I could be more like you."

"I did, but after seeing you now, I changed my mind." Alexander softened his gaze. "Go be with your team. They need you just like my team needs me."

Velvet was thrown into a loop, sickening and dizzying, until she suddenly found herself at a crossroads.

One path led towards Alexander. Familiar and safe. She knew what to expect. Nothing would change. The other path led to a place unknown, cold and alone with no end in sight, yet the inkling of something greater beckoned her to the other side.

That same realization from when Velvet beat up Cardin bubbled within her, but instead of it overflowing into a fit of rage, it settled for a gentle simmer of acceptance.

She knew what had to be done.

All around, people passed by Alexander and Velvet, drunk on glee and in a hurry to flee, but for them, they were stuck in time, lost in an entirely different world of their own design.

Forcing down the lump caught in her throat, Velvet tried to say something, yet the longer she looked into his eyes, the easier it was to comprehend that any more talk would be pointless.

Maybe if things turned out differently. . .

Velvet let go of the fleeting notion and closed her heart to it, the same way she did earlier when they stayed behind to buy time for everyone else to escape.

Alexander had his own path to follow, and now it was time for Velvet to do the same.

"I-I see." Velvet lowered her rabbit ears, lips pressed into a thin line. "Should've guessed this would've happened sooner or later. Just never thought it'd be that quick."

Alexander plucked the forget-me-not from behind Velvet's human ear, surprising her.

"And you'll grow faster because of it." He twirled the flower between his fingers. "You'll out pace me at this rate."

Velvet laughed a little.

Alexander slipped the flower back behind her ear and patted her between the rabbit ears. "Time to go."

A sheen coated her eyes, but with all her might, she fought away the tears, held her head high, and showed him nothing except absolute love and joy.

"Yeah." She backed away. "Stay safe."

Nodding, he walked off, and they went their separate ways.

Further down the air docks, Coco boarded the airship but was hit by a sense that something was missing, so she searched the crowd and leapt at a pair of limp rabbit ears sticking out above them.

At the very back of the line, Velvet had her head down as she trudged closer to the airships.

"Velvet?" Coco shoved people out of her way and carved a path to her teammate. "Hey, Velvet!"

"Coco?" Velvet yelped when Coco latched onto her like a discount at her favourite clothing store. "Ah!"

"What's wrong?" She inspected every part of her. "Did something happen to you?"

"It's nothing." She sniffled and ran a sleeve across her face. "I just had a chat with Leon."

Flames spewed from behind Coco's shades.

"Alexander dumped you, didn't he?!" She snarled and balled her fists. "Do you have any idea how hard it was trying to hook you two up? I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!"

"What? No!" Velvet waved in plea. "And how many times do I have to tell you it's not like that?"

While Coco mumbled and grumbled to herself, promising that she'd fill Alexander full of holes with her minigun the next time they met, Velvet played with forget-me-not nestled in her palm.

"Thank you, Leon." She giggled. "For everything."

-----

Upon reaching the amphitheater, Ruby suddenly slowed down.

"Ruby?" Weiss gave her an odd look. "What are you doing? We have to hurry."

"I know, I know." She choked her scythe and hid behind her bangs. "Before we go, I just. . . There's something you need to know."

The mood dropped.

Whatever Ruby wanted to say, Weiss immediately understood how important it was, so she clamped her mouth shut and let her take her time.

Drawing a deep breath, Ruby pepped herself up and faced Weiss directly.

"It's about Stiofan," Ruby said.

Weiss' breath hitched.

"Before I got here, I actually ran into Alex." She moistened her drying mouth. "I helped him out, and, uh, you see, we found him. Alex and Stiofan are already at the air docks."

"What?!" She recoiled and made way back. "Why didn't you tell me? I'm going to see him!"

"Wait!" Ruby blocked her path. "I can't let you do that!"

Weiss sharpened her glare to a fine point. "And why's that?"

"Because, uh, well. . ." She looked at everything except her. "I think it'd be better if we left him alone. Stiofan will be alright. Now's just not the best time to bother him."

Obviously, she didn't buy it and dissected her for any hint or clue about what she was implying.

"I'm really sorry for not saying anything earlier." Ruby shrunk away. "Please don't be mad. I wasn't exactly sure how to tell you."

Weiss facepalmed. "I understand."

Ruby was taken aback. "Really?"

The Wyvern sailed past them, roaring and dropping goo directly on the path leading to Beacon Tower.

"Clearly something's up, but we can save it for later." Weiss drew her rapier and advanced. "We've wasted enough time dilly-dallying. Let's go."

Ruby nodded out of relief and readied her scythe.

They cut their way through, and in Weiss' case, she displayed an unusual amount of excess brutality when it came to dispatching the enemy.

-----

Ozpin's office was a wreck.

Sheets of paper were strewn about like patchy snow, furniture was turned over, a landslide of leather bound books scattered along the floor, and even gears up in the rafters found themselves being raided by a desperate intruder.

Cinder bared her teeth and slapped the Headmaster's desk.

"You're starting to make me regret putting you down, Ozpin." Her golden eyes targeted more sections of the circular room. "Where exactly did you hide it?"

The office shook.

Cinder steadied herself and met the burning eye of the Wyvern, clinging to the tower and peering in from outside the window.

Metal screeched.

Directly across the room, smoke and sparks spilled from between the gaps of the broken doors of the elevator until it banged to a stop.

Cinder drew closer and waited for what would happen next.

The doors ripped open, and Milo spiralled out.

Leaning out the way, Cinder smirked and conjured an Aura barrier in her hand to block the following gunfire. Pyrrha surfed through the air on Akouo and crashed into Cinder's arms. She jumped off, magnetizing her weapons to return, and Roderick dashed to her side.

Cinder's smirk fell, and she summoned a stream of fire that lifted her a little higher off the floor.

Flames danced on Cinder's palms; she pitched them like balls. Roderick and Pyrrha broke apart, rolling, spinning, and doing whatever possible to evade her volley.

Flipping Ozpin's desk, Roderick took cover and popped shots, earning Cinder's full attention, and from near the elevator, Pyrrha carefully aimed her rifle from around a column. Cinder shielded herself with an Aura barrier in one hand, and without sparing a glance, unleashed a beam of fire with her other hand at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha gasped and lurched behind the column, flames forking on either side of her, and Cinder swiped the beam towards Roderick. He dove right before the blade of fire cleaved the desk in half, instantly reducing it to a molten mess.

Changing Milo to a javelin, Pyrrha flung and bullet boosted it. Cinder snatched it out of the air. Rex whipped around her ankle and yanked her down to a knee in the middle of the room.

Pyrrha rushed in and punted Cinder's jaw, knocking her back up on her feet. Metal fist cocked, Roderick slugged Cinder's spine. She arched back, gasping. Pyrrha's heel spiked Cinder's gut, and Roderick followed up with a knee to the nose as she doubled over, causing her to fall flat on her back.

Roderick and Pyrrha stomped on her arms, guns pointed at Cinder's face.

Shoot. Reload. Repeat.

In an eruption of fire, Cinder swirled to the rafters, clamping Roderick and Pyrrha's wrists. Her hands glowed red hot. The students yelped and dropped their weapons as they scratched and clawed, but nothing could break her hold. Letting Pyrrha go, Cinder spun and hurled Roderick at Pyrrha. They collided. Cinder propelled herself and tackled them straight down, spraying the office in a cloud of dust and debris.

The Wyvern let go of the tower and flew away.

Cinder strolled out from the crater she made and wiped her shoulder.

A gunshot rang.

Milo javelined out the dust, and like before, Cinder caught it. She sighed, but her eyes shot wide open at Rex wrapped to the end.

Roderick reeled himself over with Tyrannus drawn, and he blasted Cinder off her feet. However, she used the momentum to flip back, conjuring an obsidian bow and firing two arrows mid-air. They struck the floor where he landed, and a fiery circle under each arrow appeared. From inside the crater, Pyrrha magnetically pulled Roderick to safety by the arm before the circles detonated in a boom of fire.

Several more arrows sailed and embedded the ground around Pyrrha.

She gasped.

All at once, the same fiery circles flashed and exploded, completely swallowing her whole.

The Wyvern returned and crashed into the roof of the office, decapitating it clean off, and the CCT transmitter fell and shattered to pieces in the plaza below.

Concrete and gears rained into the office, and once it ended, Cinder stood tall, relishing in the open moonlight air, while Roderick sat against a broken column, pinned by a large gear.

Pyrrha was nowhere to be seen.

Cinder flicked a fireball, smacking Rex out of Roderick's hand. He aimed Tyrannus. She threw another fireball that blew it from his grasp.

"Damn it!" Roderick's prosthetic whirred as he strained to lift gear off of him. "Come on!"

The gear slowly rose.

Cinder stepped on the gear, and Roderick cried out, both hands trapped between the gear and his body.

"If you agree to join me," Cinder chuckled and sat legs crossed on the gear, "I'll let you out."

Roderick seethed. "Screw you!"

"Ugh, again with this?" She released a disappointed moan and brushed her sleeves. "You're not allowed to say no, you know, and since you did so well against my tests, I definitely must have you."

"Tests?" He flinched in confusion and disgust. "What tests?!"

"The tournament." She pointed her knowing smile at Amity Colosseum. "I hand picked your opponents myself."

Roderick's jaw fell. "You rigged the matches?"

"I only did what I had to." Cinder played with the blue feathers hanging off her hip. "You have so much potential, Little Eagle. Just imagine how powerful we'd be if we worked together."

He broke into a bad sweat, utterly lost for words.

"That reminds me." Her eyes literally glowed hot, and excitement lifted her smile. "Isn't it your birthday next month?"

"Wait," he choked, "how do you know that?"

"How could I not know?" She showed him the blue feathers. "There are seventeen feathers on here; I always make sure to add one on your birthday."

It suddenly became difficult for Roderick to breathe.

"Takes forever to find the right feathers, though." She gently ran her fingers through his hair. "That's why I'm looking forward to you helping me out this year."

"What do you want from me?!" He wrenched his head away. "Leave me alone, already!"

Cinder scowled.

"To think Reynold actually cut me out." She complained to the sky as if he could hear her. "That bastard really never bothered to mention me, did he?"

A dawning shadow of understanding fell over him. "Who—who exactly are you?"

"I tried to make it as obvious as I could. Shame on you for not figuring it out." Cinder cooed and pinched his cheek. "That's alright, though. Because in the end, all that matters is that we can be a family again."

Roderick's world shattered. "No. . ."

"Yes!" Cinder pressed a hand against her chest and expressed nothing except absolute delight. "I've waited so long for this moment, and now, after all these years, we're finally reunited. . . little brother."