Setting: Nexus Council Building
Today was the day. Team VRSZ were about to receive their first mission from the Nexus Council. Clair was escorting the team to the council building where they would meet with the person who requested this mission.
Nexus differs greatly from Fortuna. The settlement isn't ruled by a single person, but a group of people. The council consisted of five people. Four of them were representatives from the allied settlements that helped create Nexus. The fifth person was Clair, though she was called upon for different roles like settling ties or voicing her opinion. Despite not ruling Nexus, she was still seen as the founder and someone who should be consulted over things that affected her town.
One of the representatives was someone the team, specifically Violet, already knew. Her name was Carmine and she was from Virago. Violet may have remembered her from their first official mission as Freelancers, but she doubted Carmine would after only one brief moment together. And she wasn't the one who called them. The representative the team was going to meet was from Nova, one of the newest settlements to be erected in Vacuo. Nova came to be a month ago and Clair asked them to ally with Nexus so they could help one another survive.
The inside of the council building was quite practical. It wasn't as elaborate as Concordia, but it served its purpose as being the governmental body of Nexus. Clair took the team to the third floor where the offices of the representatives were found. They were in front of the door leading to the office of Nova's representative. Clair knocked on the door to let their client know they were here.
"Come in," a muffled, masculine voice answered.
Clair opened the door and walked in. Violet and the others followed after her. The office space was much more spacious than anyone on the team expected. It was large enough for eight people to stand inside without feeling cramped. The room was rather cozy which was odd for an office space. It had something all other rooms in Vacuo lacked; warmth. It was purposely warm thanks to a small pit filled with burning coal on the right side of the room. There were a few chairs surrounding the coal pit so people could enjoy the heat and around the room were several artistic items. Near the back wall of the room was the office desk which was very elaborate in design with an assortment of fire dust crystals on top. Sitting at the desk was the representative of Nova, writing on a document.
"Solis. Team VRSZ is here," Clair informed him, in a pleasant sing-song voice.
Solis looked up and everyone got a good look at him. He wasn't what they expected of a representative. He was younger than they thought. He appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. His skin was dark like Remus' but his eyes were the deep, rich brown. He had scruffy, dark brown hair that reached down to his chin. He was dressed in red robes with gold trims. He was very handsome and the smile he flashed seemed to brighten the room. Silver felt like he couldn't look at Solis directly.
"I'm glad I can finally meet you all in person," Solis said as he rose from his seat. He walked around his desk to the team and raised his hand to shake theirs. "Clair told us all about you guys. It's an honor to meet you all."
The first to shake his hand was Violet as the leader of the team. "Likewise. It's nice to finally meet."
Solis shook everyone on the team's hand and greeted them warmly. He was a surprisingly nice person. Solis' bright disposition made Zelts and Silver wonder what kind of mission he needed them to take. He returned to his office desk and sat down.
"I need your help… Rather, Nova needs your help," Solis said, a bit ashamed. "It's being raided by marauders."
Silver didn't understand the problem so he voiced his concern. "That sounds like something the guards can handle. Half of them are Clair's old task force and the other half are warriors from Virago. I doubt there's any real group who could give them trouble."
"Ordinarily, I'd agree with you, but the main problem is the organization of the raiding. They've been coming in droves. One group tries to attack, the guards fend them off, then another group comes several minutes later, and so on. It's become a battle of attrition and the guards are beginning to lose. And the constant attacks are taxing on our citizens and that negativity will eventually attract Grimm."
"…I don't know if that'll change if we join and help," Remus stated.
"I don't think he's asking us to fight with the guards," Zelts corrected his friend.
"That's right. Even if you fought beside them, it wouldn't stop the marauders from coming in droves," Solis said.
"A group of people operating like that has a stronghold somewhere. We take that down, the band of thieves will scurry away, right?" Violet summarized then looked to Solis for confirmation.
The man smiled at Violet, pleased with her intelligence, then nodded. "Yes. That's what I need to be done. Taking down their base will destroy them completely. I'm happy to learn Clair's praise for you wasn't just flattery."
Solis' compliment sounded like it could be for the team, but it was directed at Violet. He gazed at her with smitten, dark brown eyes. Clair noticed this and smothered her giggle.
"Can I count on you to accept this mission and free my home from these ruffians?" Solis asked, again, at the Violent Flower of VRSZ.
"Team VRSZ will make sure this mission is completed. You can count on us," Violet responded professionally.
She was already aware Solis liked her. Unfortunately for Solis, she had no desire to explore it any further. Despite how handsome and how nice he was, she didn't feel anything.
Solis sighed happily when she spoke. It was obvious to everyone that he grew enamored with Violet. Even Remus picked up on it. The boy has been doing better to understand the situations and social ques around him, like Solis liking Violet. He was not pleased. Remus didn't say or do anything at that moment, but he was fretting a little bit.
Clair coughed to get Solis' attention while also ushering the team out of his office. "I'll be sure to let them know where Nova is located. They'll get the job done."
"Oh, Clair. May I have a word with you alone?" Solis asked.
Clair closed the door to his office once everyone else left then asked, "Yes?"
"Is Violet…seeing someone?"
"…No," Clair replied playfully.
Solis' face beamed before he held his excitement back. "Do you believe she'd go to dinner with me if I asked?"
Clair already knew the answer. Violet wouldn't be interested. She knew Solis. He was a great guy but was not the type of person Violet would want as a partner.
"I think it's best if the relationship between VRSZ and the representatives of Nexus remained professional. It'd be bad if personal feelings created friction between the groups. We need them at their best," Clair stated.
"Hmm…you're right. Perhaps, someday, I can escort her on a lovely night and we can view the starry night sky," Solis said, imagining the date in his head.
"As long as it's in your head, dream all you want. I need to tell VRSZ where to go to get to Nova," Clair said before leaving Solis' office.
The man sighed once more, thinking about how pretty Violet was.
Setting: Desert
With Clair's guidance, Team VRSZ drove their hovercar, Fantasia, to Nova, which was west of Nexus and only an hour away. In the car was the team, but the person driving was the least likely to get behind the wheel. Remus Cobalt was driving the hovercar and he was doing so competently. Violet, Silver, Zelts, and even Clair tried to teach him how to drive a car, but every attempt ended in failure. In the few weeks, the team was in Nexus, he asked to try to drive their new vehicle, but no one wanted to go. To their great surprise, Remus was able to pilot the hovercar perfectly. No one understood why. Even now, none of them knew why.
"Was it the wheels?" Zelts asked Remus from the passenger's seat. "Were the wheels messing you up?"
Remus thought about it and wondered himself. "Maybe. It's easier than the old Fantasia."
Zelts just watched his friend drive, all while he kept asking himself 'how' in his head.
Silver and Violet were in the back, waiting to arrive in Solis. The gunslinger glanced at his female friend for some time. Every time he did, he had a goofy sneer that Violet couldn't ignore.
"What?" she asked roughly.
"That Solis guy has a thing for you." Silver's statement caught Remus' ear. He couldn't turn to see them, so he settled for listening with his eyes front.
"So, what?" Violet responded.
"No interest? He seems nice."
"None," Violet said, ending the conversation. Remus was relieved to know Violet didn't reciprocate Solis's feelings and continued driving.
Setting: Nova
Team VRSZ has finally arrived in Nova. The settlement was smaller than Nexus, which was to be expected, and the buildings weren't very grand either. Most of them were one-story at the most. They were small and made from scraps of metal. There were also buildings in the middle of construction, showing Nexus was helping Nova grow.
Besides the buildings, there was only one other thing that stood out and that was a massive red crystal placed in the center of the town. It was taller than all the other structures in Nova. The heat it radiated could be felt all over, meaning this was a fire dust crystal. Vacuo was known for having the largest amount of dust in Remnant, but a crystal to grow this large was unheard of. The team guessed this might be what drew the marauders here in the first place. It was definitely the rarest of rare items.
"So, where do we start?" Silver asked, which was followed by the sound of gunfire from a distance.
"There's your answer," Zelts replied.
"Let's go," Violet ordered the team and they drove the hovercar to the direction the gunshot was heard.
On the far outskirts of Nova, a battle was taking place. A large group of town's guards, consisting of Nexus' guards and female warriors from Virago, was fending off a band of brigands that were equipped with scrap metal armor and crude weapons.
The bandits had the numbers, but the guards were better equipped and better coordinated. However, the battle was evenly matched with the flow being in the bandits' favor. They were coming in waves, so the team couldn't tell how many have already arrived. The guards were beginning to wane, but they did their best to prevent the bandits from entering Nova. The bandits and the guards weren't the only parties participating in the fight. It was as Solis feared, the Grimm were here as well, attacking both the guards and the bandits. It was a three-way battle that was gradually approaching the settlement.
Remus parked the Fantasia on the outskirts of town with the battle a meter in front of them. Everyone had their weapons in hand and their minds clear. They were ready to go to work.
"What's the word, Vi," Zelts asked Violet. He lifted Heart of Gold in his right hand.
"Take out the Grimm, assist the guards, force the enemy to retreat. We'll follow them to their stronghold and take them all down."
"Perfect," Silver responded while twirling Fenrir around his fingers. "Been waiting to get back in the game."
"Ready when you are," Remus said to Violet, gripping the handle of his sword behind his back.
Violet reached into her waist bag full of Enigmas and pulled out several. It felt so good to be back in action. This feeling was shared between everyone in Team VRSZ. They've been practicing and training for two weeks, but it's been a long time since the team fought together as one. The opportunity to do it like the old days sent electricity running through their bodies. They were ready to fight together again.
"Remember boys; stronger together," Violet said then flashed two hand signals.
With her words and silent orders, the team dispatched and rushed into the fray of battle. They did as Violet instructed and moved to eliminate the Grimm first then attack the bandits.
Zelts ran towards a Deathstalker attacking a few guards. Silver followed behind and leaped onto his shoulders. He fired several rounds at the large scorpion, injuring it and drawing its attention away from the two guards it was fighting. The Grimm faced Silver after being hit by his barrage and was ready to skewer him once he got close. Zelts slowed his pace and Silver jumped off his shoulders and landed in front of him then grabbed Zelts' arm. Silver quickly activated Gravity to make Zelts lighter then quickly spun him around by his arm then hurled his friend at the Deathstalker.
The two performed Starfall at ground level. Zelts held his shield up as the soared straight to the Grimm and the Grimm tried to grab him out of the air. But Zelts' weapon blocked and broke through the monster's appendage, right into its bone covered face, breaking the bone plating and killing the Deathstalker in one shot. He landed on top of the dead Grimm's body then jumped off before it vanished in a cloud of darkness.
"That felt good," Zelts admitted aloud.
"Let's keep it going," Silver said as he ran past Zelts to continue fighting. Zelts followed after.
On the other side of the battle, Remus was rushing though the area with Delta in hand. He ran toward as many Grimm as he could find and cut them down with his sword. He aimed for the horde of smaller Grimm like the Creepers and Beowulfs so he could eliminate them with one swing. He ran through about a dozen in his area. While Remus took care of the Grimm, Violet threw her Cheshire's Enigmas at the marauders. Using the different types of throwing knives, Violet froze some, electrocuted others, and blew the rest away with small gales of wind.
The group of bandits wielding assault rifles began to give Violet their attention and they moved to her position. About nine came to overwhelm her, but Violet vanished from their sight in a cloak of tulip petals. The marauders stopped running, confused about their enemy disappearing until one of them was struck in the face by an invisible Violet. She kicked him in the gut then elbowed him in the neck until he was down. The other eight were a little frightened and were about to unleash a hailstorm of gunfire until Remus came sprinting down. He ran through them all, hitting them with enough force to knock them into the air before they landing on the ground.
Violet and Remus were performing Cloak and Dagger. Remus ran towards two enemies and kicked them both in the face at the same time. When he landed on the ground, he split Delta into two swords and started attacking any bandits in his way. While Remus did his job of fighting and drawing everyone's attention, Violet was still invisible and quickly taking down unexpected opponents with quick blows. They were able to work together with this variation of their team attack.
The fast assistance of Team VRSZ helped shift the tide of battle. The guards were able to fight off the marauders without worrying about Grimm. Zelts split Heart of Gold into wingblades and swung them to create a gust of wind that was strong enough to knock another Deathstalker off its feet and have it land near more bandits. The Grimm flailed around to get its bearings and his rampage scared the remaining bandits. They called for a retreat and they all ran away.
Violet threw six Enigmas with fire dust at the Deathstalker and they exploded on impact, killing the monster as it faded away. Remus was already by her side with his sword in hand, just in case, any bandits tried to fight again. Silver and Zelts joined them now that the battle was over.
"Looks like our plan was a success," Silver commented.
He and the others watched as the guards cheered in victory. This win was needed. It would boost not just their morale, but the citizens of Nova as well. It would keep the Grimm away.
"We can't celebrate yet. We still got a job to do. Head back to the Fantasia. We'll tail them from a distance and end it there," Violet told her team.
Setting: Desert
The bandits were returning to base after their failed assault on Nova while Team VRSZ were following them from a far distance. None of the bandits would be able to see them or the hovercar, but it wasn't for the team. Remus' bionic eye zoomed in on the group and he made sure not to lose sight of them. Silver drove the Fantasia while Violet and Zelts were in the back.
"Did they stop yet?" Zelts asked.
"Hmm… I think they're about to," Remus answered.
"Where?" Violet asked.
"It looks like some kind of cavern or something. There's a small spring next to it and there seem to be more people around."
"That's the place," Silver remarked.
"Let's get closer before we stop. We'll move in and take them all out," Violet told them.
Silver stopped the hovercar and everyone got out. Violet pulled out a few of her throwing knives and handed them to Zelts. Her plan was for her and Zelts to enter the building undetected using her Invisibility. After sneaking in, Zelts would use all his strength to create a tornado within the stronghold, destroying the base and scattering the enemy. The knives she gave him were for him to absorb the dust out of them with Conversion to increase his destructive force. Once that was done, everyone would take out all remaining bandits.
"Come on, Zelts. Let's-" Violet stopped when she and the others felt the ground rumble followed by the sound of an explosion.
"Um, what was that?" Silver asked.
Remus looked in the direction it came from and noticed something wrong with the bandit stronghold; it was no more. The large cave den was gone or perhaps 'destroyed' was the better word. For some reason, a large, spire of stone stood were the cavern was and the remains of the cavern were scattered around it, including the bandits inside.
"Something happened. The bandits' base is destroyed and there's a…small mountain and… Uh. I'm not sure what's going on." Remus tried to explain the situation but he didn't know how.
The earth spire was seen by everyone but nothing else.
"We're moving in," Violet told the others. They needed to see what was going on.
Team VRSZ ran towards the destroyed stronghold where a lot of the bandits were fleeing in different directions. This was the result the team wanted for their mission to be a success, and it was, but they also want to know what caused it. Some of the bandits remained where their base once stood and they seemed to be fighting.
Stone and earth erupted and moved across the desert. Metal cables were extended and whipping bandits. Metal, bee drones were flying around and bombs were exploding were the bandits stood. The adversaries demolishing the bandits were a familiar group to VRSZ.
Cerise Sanguine, Loden Take, Sapphire Velum, and Hazel Vespid; the former juniors of VRSZ and official students of Shade Academy. Team CLSH wiped out the enemy.
Solis is a Spanish name meaning sun. The sun also defines his personality. Solis is a bright and warm person who always sees the best of any situation. He is a truly nice guy.
Nova is Latin for new, fitting its role as a new settlement. In astronomy, a nova is a star releasing energy and shining brightly. The large dust crystal is the bright light of the town.
The stronghold the bandits were stationed in was actually Grayson's old base before taking over Fortuna and calling it the City of Thieves.
As the youngest member of the team, Remus has grown physically and mentally in the series. He grew from an emotionless boy to a young man full of emotions and thoughts he likes to share with others. He was very battle-oriented when the story first started, but that changed when he learned about Remnant and started learning new things. Remus isn't obsessed with battle anymore, but he still enjoys it. His dynamic with the team hasn't changed much but he has matured with them. Remus has grown to really like Violet and he is somewhat wiser to Silver's pranks and tricks. His relationship with Zelts hasn't changed a lot on his side, but Zelts views Remus as someone who can finally stand on his own and he doesn't need to protect him like he used to.
Zelts' character has been mature throughout the series. He's the oldest and has been through a lot of hardships in his backstory. He learns to open up about those times with the team and rely on them. He was the first to see VRSZ as a family. Violet was the first person he spoke to about his past and the two are each other's, emotional confidants. Zelts and Violet compliment each other well. He appreciates her smarts and she appreciates his wisdom. Silver is like a younger brother to Zelts and he helped Zelts learn to let loose everyone once in a while. Zelts was the strongest member of the team when the story started and he knew this. Now, Zelts can see the others stand on equal footing with him so he doesn't have to keep an eye on them in battle. Zelts has watched Remus grow and sees him as a young adult instead of a kid.