Setting: Violet's Room
It was early in the morning and there was already loud, obnoxious noise resonating throughout Violet's hall. The sound was getting into Violet's room where the young girl was still sleeping until it woke her up abruptly.
"What the hell?" Violet said, waking up and looking at her scroll. "What the hell!? It's only seven in the morning."
Violet got out of bed and stormed out of her to see who or what was causing the commotion. She found that they were members of the castle guard, entering her training room and taking away all the weapons she stored. She had no idea why they were doing this and she wasn't going to allow it.
"Hey! Put that stuff back!" she shouted at the guards.
They halted when she yelled at them but resumed taking her weapons and gear away. Violet was about to yank her stuff out of their hands and fight the guards if they continued to resist her.
"Stop that Alyssa-" Linnaeus started.
"-You're not allowed to stop them," Linnaea finished.
Violet turned to see the Underland twins, most likely telling the guards what to do. She didn't want to cause a violent scene so she tried to discuss this with words.
"Why are you guys taking my stuff out of my room?" Violet asked though the irritation in her voice made it sound like a threat.
"Technically, this isn't your stuff and uncle Tarax-" Linnaea started.
"-ordered us to take it away. He's the head of the family," Linnaeus finished.
"Damn that old man," Violet thought to herself.
Violet watched as the guards took away all her weapons, leaving her training room completely empty. She stood before the doorway to see her vacant room with a contempt look. A few seconds later, Violet realized there was no door in her doorway and looked with a dumbfound face.
"Those idiots took my door," Violet said to herself.
Setting: Tarax's Study
Tarax sat at his desk with a tired look on his face. He glanced at Zinnia who was kneeling before her uncle. He looked at his niece then back at his laptop.
"I'm sorry, uncle. I shouldn't have allowed Alyssa to store those weapons in her room. I thought training with them as a hobby was under one of the few permissions she was allowed," Zinnia said apologetically and respectfully.
Tarax rolled his eyes at Zinnia's gesture. He didn't do this because he was arrogant, but because she has been apologizing like this for the past hour and it was getting tedious. He was glad this matter was taken care of, but very upset that it has been happening without his knowing and Marigold mockingly informed him about it was the true insult. Tarax didn't want his daughter hoarding weapons, fearing she would fight while armed with the mansion's training weapons. Even though those weapons weren't sturdy enough for actual combat.
"Forget about it, Zinnia. It was a misunderstanding and a moot point. What's important now is to maintain my hold on Alyssa."
"She's still in her rebellious phase. I need to break that spirit of hers first. Molding her into the ideal head of the Underland family will have to be postponed," he thought to himself then looked at Zinnia.
"Are you returning to the kingdom now?" Tarax asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry uncle, but I won't be able to come here as freely as I used to. I'm about to be inaugurated as an Atlas Specialist Operative and it'll come with more responsibilities," Zinnia explained.
"I understand. Though it isn't much, I'd like to say how proud I am of you for achieving this rank. You've made this family proud. There's no other Underland as impressive as you," Tarax complimented with a smile.
Zinnia smiled in return and bowed to her uncle with pride and happiness swelling. "Thank you, uncle. That means a lot to me."
Tarax nodded. He was glad for Zinnia's success because it also meant she truly had no desire to lead the family. He already knew this, but lingering doubts would sometimes flicker in his mind. Now those doubts were nonexistent.
"I guess I'll be going then," Zinnia said to her uncle before walking out his study.
"Best of wishes," Tarax said as farewell.
Zinnia left and Tarax continued to look at his email and noticed he received something new. He opened this new email and recognized it as a RSVP. It was an invitation to the Schnee Dust Company Charity Concert. An upcoming event hosted by Jacques Schnee with his daughter, Weiss Schnee, as the main singer of the concert. The event was in a few days.
The elderly Underland looked at this invitation as an opportunity to place Violet under his control as well as show her off to the other aristocrats as his daughter and his successor. But before Tarax got ahead of himself, he thought about the dinner they had where Violet threw her friend's son through a window. He needed a secure way of subjugating Violet so no outburst could occur in public. The old Underland still had some insanity within himself because he had an insane idea.
He waited several minutes in his study until the door opened. Entering the room was Violet with an irritated look on her face and a few of the castle guards closing the door behind her. She stood before her father with arms crossed and a defiant air. Tarax was used to receiving this type of response from his daughter so he continued with his plan.
"Alyssa. Glad you could make it."
"More like having your servants manhandle me in here. What do you want this-"
Violet felt someone's hands on her aura disruption collar. She turned her head to see another of the castle guard install something into her device. She had no idea he entered the room after her. He left the second his work was done and Violet felt her collar but didn't feel anything different.
"What was that!?" Violet asked.
"A new installment in your disruption choker. Think of it as my insurance the next time you feel the need to disobey me," Tarax threatened. In his hand was a small remote with a light blue button. Violet didn't want to guess what purpose that button served.
"And brought this on?" Violet asked.
"The two of us will be attending a very important event in a few days. This will be the first time I'll be showing you off in public and I'd prefer if you were on your best behavior. Here's a quick example."
Tarax pressed the light blue button and a shock was felt on Violet's neck. It surged throughout her body, causing her pain. Violet reached for her neck in an attempt rip the device off her neck, but the pain ceased as quickly as it appeared. Her father pressed the button a second time to stop the shocking.
"Understand?" Tarax asked rhetorically.
Violet held onto the device on her neck and was breathing heavily. The pain was strong but it was brief. She couldn't believe her father installed something in her disruption collar to turn it into a shock collar like the ones owner give their pets. This was humiliating and devastating to Violet. She didn't have her aura to protect her so the pain was writhing throughout her body.
"Am I understood, Alyssa?" he asked seriously this time since she was silent. He gently placed his finger on the button to get his point across.
"Yes," she said through her teeth.
"Care to try again?" Tarax threatened, liking how he had more control over his daughter.
"Yes… F-father."
Addressing Tarax with that title was something Violet hated. The one thing she regretted her life was being born as Tarax's daughter. She considered it her greatest shame which was why she desperately tried to separate herself from her past life from the life she lived in Vacuo. Calling him father made her feel like vomiting.
"Good. You can leave," Tarax said, waving his daughter away.
Violet said nothing, not even a snarky or defiant remark. She silently and obediently left Tarax's study and walked back to her hall, feeling frustrated with how her day has gone.
Setting: Violet's Hall
Violet returned to her wing of the manor, walking down her hall in silence. She past her empty training room, noticing her door still hasn't been returned to her. It wasn't a problem she worried about for too long since her moment with her father was still fresh in her memory. Ignoring the question of the location of her door, Violet walked into her room.
"Hey, cousin," Bluebell said, sitting on Violet's bed as he huffed his hookah.
"Why are you here?" Violet asked sounding exasperated. Her time with her father already mentally drained her for the rest of the day.
"I'm celebrating… or I was celebrating before coming here. My new strain is hitting the market and I'll be rolling in money soon… technically more money since I'm already rich. Anyway, I was strolling around and found my way here. I thought about you and figured you could use this." Bluebell had a second hookah placed on Violet's dresser.
I know we're enemies, but I believe everyone needs to take their mind of things. Consider this a gift. Take a load off, Alyssa, you need it," Bluebell said as he got up. "Well, I'm gonna go. Let me know how you like it."
Bluebell took his hookah and left Violet's room. Violet looked at the hookah she was gifted with and was curious. She took it off her dresser, walked to her bed, then sat on her bed with her hookah in her lap. She lifted the pipe and sniffed it a little. Violet arched her eyebrow with suspicion.
In the hallway, Bluebell was walking away until he heard the sound of something fall on the floor. He turned to see the hookah he gifted Violet on the floor and broken with Violet at her doorway. She looked at him like he did something wrong and he smiled.
"Found me out that fast, huh?" he thought with his deranged smirk.
"Nice try. I know poison when I see it," Violet said before returning to her room and slamming the door.
"I used an untraceable one too… She's good," Bluebell thought before leaving.
Setting: Kingdom of Atlas
The sun was setting in the kingdom of Atlas. For all the denizens of the kingdom, it was an ordinary evening. The unrivaled Underland in the city was no exception to this peacefulness. Zinnia was walking through the city, returning to her apartment. Tomorrow was the day she'll be an official Specialist Operative along with her first assignment. During most of her day, Zinnia liked to keep a professional air around herself, but with her promotion in less than a day, she had butterflies in her stomach. She almost had to stop herself from humming her way home.
"It's here. It's finally happening," she thought to herself with a smile.
"My, my, what a coincidence," a familiar female voice said.
Zinnia turned around to see Ebony Vantablack and Ash Blood standing behind her. The two of them were walking through the city as well, though Zinnia could see they were probably coming back from shopping since Blood was carrying several shopping bags and two tuxedos.
"Ms. Vantablack, Ash, it's nice to see you," Zinnia stated formally.
"Neither of us are working or on duty. Just call me Ebony. We are you headed?" Ebony asked with a cool demeanor.
"Home. I have to be ready for a special occasion."
"We've heard. Congratulations on your recent promotion. Atlas is lucky to have someone like you as one of their Special Operatives," Ebony commended.
"You know?"
"Of course. I like to keep tabs on those who interest me, and you, Zinnia, certainly interest me. Very much so," Ebony said in a friendly manner.
Zinnia was rather surprised and flattered with Ebony's claim. Being acknowledged by someone like Ebony felt like an odd honor to her. She was actually interested in Ebony as a person, viewing her as an appealing enigma. Even when they first met, when Ebony arrived to the manor with Violet in tow, Zinnia wondered whether Ebony was a boy or a girl. Something pretty much everyone wondered when meeting the androgynous Vantablack. She was also enraptured with how the charming Vantablack spoke. How she held a conversation with her uncle and could tell she was the dominant speaker between the two. Even during Ebony's visits to the manor, Zinnia always thought the Vantablack left an impression especially when she was asked about why she wanted to join the Atlas Military, something no one else ever asked.
"Zinnia, I'm pleased you're being promoted. It'll bring you closer to your goal. You'll truly be a good force for Remnant with this new position," Ebony said.
Zinnia was pleased Ebony remembered her dream of helping Remnant. It showed Ebony was actually listening when she spoke. Ebony's praise meant more than Tarax's because there were real feelings in her words.
"Thank you, Ebony. I promise to make the most of my new position."
"So earnest! Just like my Ash. I love it. I just adore people who work hard. Oh! That reminds me. Ash, dear, I'd like to speak with Zinnia alone. Could you head back to the hotel and put those away, please?" Ebony asked in a charming way.
"Yes, my liege," Blood answered. She liked how respectful he was to her, but hoped her faunus retainer would address her in a more friendly and casual way.
He bent his legs, prepared to fly away, but stopped when he remembered where he was. Atlas wasn't fond of faunus and flying through the sky was good way for Blood to get shot out of the sky. He stopped himself from taking off, grumbling to himself in annoyance, and walked back to the hotel. Ebony's human guilt for her faunus retainer was skyrocketing these past few days. She made sure to get him something nice like ice cream to cheer him up, but right now, she wanted to speak with Zinnia about a special offer.
"Zinnia, I know you want to help those less fortunate than you. It's a side of you I admire, yet the closing of borders may put your desire on hiatus for who knows how long. Someone of your character and drive won't be satisfied being cooped in the kingdom, am I wrong?"
Zinnia didn't respond. She knew Ebony's claim was true but didn't want to speak ill of the kingdom's decisions. She felt the closing of borders was doing more harm to Remnant than good, but it wasn't her place to do or say anything about it. Zinnia had faith Atlas Council knew more about the situation than her. She wondered why Ebony was bringing this subject up.
"If you could bypass the closed border policy and fulfill your desire, would you do it?" Ebony asked with a knowing grin.
"…." Zinnia wasn't sure if she should answer her question because it meant she disagreed with her superiors and she didn't want to speak ill of them.
"It's okay. This is a conversation between us. No one will know and I want your honest answer."
"…Indeed. I would," Zinnia answered honestly and Ebony grinned.
"Good. Now, I have another question for you: if I could do just that, would you come with me?"
"…" Zinnia didn't know what to say and Ebony placed a supporting hand on the Underland's shoulder.
"Come with me. Let's talk while we walk." The charming Vantablack led the Underland known as the Paragon to her hotel.
Setting: Brennen
Evening turned to night. The citizens of Brennen were comfortably enjoying their time beneath the fractured moon's light. Some were outside doing different things while others were resting in their homes. No matter where they were or what they were doing, the heat within the settlement warmed them all. One of the activities some of the citizens were doing was underhanded.
Near the shipping area where Atlas shipment trucks come to trade Brennen's fire dust crystals for supplies, a different sort of trade was taking place. Three trucks came that weren't standard issue Atlesian shipment vehicles and the people driving them didn't look like Atlas officials. They parked their trucks in front of a group of shady people. The drivers got out to speak with the people waiting for them.
"You got the stuff?" one guy asked one of the drivers.
"Dreamer always delivers. You got the Lien?" one of the drivers asked with a smirk.
The man and his two colleagues each brought a briefcase filled with Lien. With both groups satisfied, they began to trade the money for Dreamer's new brand of cannabis. The trade went off without a snafu and both sides finished their work smoothly. Unknown to anyone there, Team VRSZ was lurking in the shadows, like a predator patiently waiting for the right time to strike its prey. They waited as group above one of the buildings in the shipping area. They planned to use Remus's Checkpoint to instantly board one of the trucks before it takes off and without anyone knowing. Then it would a smooth ride to the kingdom.
"They're almost done. You guys ready?" Azura asked.
Everyone nodded they were ready and Remus kept his eyes focused on one of the trucks. He needed to see the back of the trucks so he and the others could teleport there without being seen. Luckily using his semblance with others doesn't take up a lot of his aura.
"Hey! Remus! These are just about finished. You ready?" Silver asked.
"Yes," Remus answered seriously. He wanted this to succeed more than any of them. Accomplishing this meant they were that much closer to finding Violet and that has been driving Remus throughout this whole journey through Atlas.
The Brennen group left the area with their new purchase, leaving the smugglers to finish up and ship out. The first one closed the back of his truck and walked to the driver's seat, the second one did the same, then the third began to close the back of his truck too. As he was closing it, everyone placed a hand on Remus as he focused on the inside of the truck and how close the man was to closing its door. In one moment, the man closed the doors and the team vanished in blue smoke.
"Everybody ready? Let's roll out!" one of the drivers said and they drove away from the settlement of Brennen.
They traveled in a straight line on the road used to travel around Atlas for half an hour before going off road, using the smuggler's route to get into the kingdom undetected. Rather than driving through a cave in the mountains and through an Atlas checkpoint like other Atlas vehicles, the route the smugglers were taking winds around the mountainside to the backside of the kingdom. It was a dangerous road, but that's the price smugglers pay to make money.
Inside the third truck were the members of VRSZ. Their infiltration was a success. Remus was able to teleport everyone inside without being noticed. Everyone sat inside the back of the truck, waiting for the vehicle to stop, already prepared to fight and knock out the drug dealers when those doors opened. This was the plan the team was committed to follow.
With nothing else to do but wait, the team just sat in the back and waited. Remus sat in solitude, focusing his mind for the moment they enter the kingdom and Azura was sitting next to him and she was twirling her elemental staff in her hands. Silver checked Fenrir in its dual handgun form, making sure it was finely tuned. Lily sat with Zelts and they leaned against each other, close to falling asleep on the ride.
Nothing particular happened as the vehicles continued on their way to the kingdom until unusual sounds could be heard. No one on the team could see outside the truck so they didn't know what was going on outside. Following the pounding sounds were the screams of some creature, likely Grimm, the sound of metal being ripped apart, and the screeching of tires along with the sound of two cars crashing. The truck they were in began to turn out of nowhere, pulling a hard left and causing everyone inside to slam into the side of the truck. The vehicle was hitting the brakes hard and came to an ungraceful stop, knocking everyone to the floor before it toppled over, making them fall to one of the sides again.
"The hell's going on out there?" Silver asked while rubbing the bump on his wounded head.
"Only one way to find out, Remus, if you would," Azura said and Remus held Romulus in his hands.
He took his double-bladed staff and pierced the metal doors. He slashed through it twice before kicking it down. Remus and Lily were the first ones out, seeing that the drug dealers were no where in sight. Surveying the area, Lily noticed that there were some Beowolf Grimm lurking around the other trucks, most likely attacking the other drivers, but she also noticed that some of them were slammed into the side of the mountain and gravely injured or disintegrating on the spot. The rest of the group got out of the truck and had a look at their surroundings as well.
"So much for the ride to the kingdom," Azura said a little annoyed by the Grimm detour.
"No time to complain. If we don't take out these Grimm, we won't be going much further," Zelts said as he got his wingblade in hand and ran to the Beowolves on the road.
Azura followed after him and so did Silver, providing covering fire. Tigress was about to join them until she took note of Remus. He didn't move from his spot since he got out of the truck. Usually, he'd be the first to jump into the fray and his inactive behavior concerned her.
"Remus? Are you-" Tigress stopped when she saw his face focused on what was further down the mountain. She followed his gaze and her eyes widened in shock.
Further down the mountain was a group of Beowolves, fighting for their lives as a larger, scarier threat was killing them. The monster tearing these Grimm apart and throwing them up towards the road was the same monster that attacked the team days ago, the Wendigo. It grabbed one of the Beowolves with its skeletal claws and tossed it up at the mountain where the road was then bit another Beowolf, puncturing the Grimm's chest with its sharp fangs.
"Oh no," Tigress thought when she recognized the Grimm.
She glanced at Remus but couldn't entirely make out his expression because of the cloth wrapped around the right side of his head obscured her view of his face. Tigress could only hope he'd stick to what he told her earlier.
"I just want another shot at taking it down. I lost and I learned, and I want to prove that if we run into it again,"
Those were his words, but Tigress looked at Remus, worried at the possibility he would lose his composure and jump head first into a dangerous battle. She really hoped he wouldn't do something reckless.
Remus walked toward the edge of the road then placed his hand on the railing. Tigress knew immediately what he was doing. "No… Don't do it,"
"Remus!" Tigress shouted as her friend jumped over the railing and slid down the mountainside.
Tigress couldn't see his face, but the expression he had right now was one of seriousness. He slid down, keeping himself balanced on his feet while splitting Romulus from a double-bladed staff to dual swords then allowed the dust energy to flow through them. He intended to fight all out from the start. He was ready for his rematch and he planned on coming out on top this time.
Zelts and the others were deeply involved in their battle with the large pack of Beowolves on the road, so they couldn't immediately assist Remus, leaving only one person to help him. Tigress refused to let her young friend fight such a powerful Grimm alone so she followed after him, sliding down the slope behind him.
The Wendigo looked up to see the two warriors coming down to it, actually remembering them from the first encounter. As a form of long-range attack, the Wendigo grabbed one of the Beowolves it was killing then hurled it directly at Remus who used his swords to slice the lesser Grimm in half with relative ease. Growling as a sign it was prepared for battle, the Wendigo began running up the mountain slope on all fours.
The young Cobalt, filled with the desire for battle, began to let out a battle cry as he leaped off the slope so he had the momentum to attack the massive Grimm. The Wendigo had its claws out to rip Remus to ribbons. Remus and the Wendigo, two beings harboring a vicious, merciless intent were ready to clash again.
Next Chapter: VRSZ the Wendigo
Because of the military might and security of the kingdom of Atlas, there aren't many criminals. In fact, the percentage of actual criminals in Atlas is less than 5%. The mercenaries and assassins Violet's cousins hired are some of the scarce individuals who also make up that percentage. Students who fail the rigid and strict Atlas Academy usually don't get to use their combat skills for anything else in life, so a few resort to travelling around Remnant, offering their skills as mercenaries. With the closing of borders, many of them don't have anywhere to go. Others who fail the academy return to their homes where they act as hometown heroes, protecting their settlements against wandering Grimm.
Ebony's plan is unfolding the way she wants it to and she is taking every step to make sure things go exactly as she want. There are times when she can take a load off and relax and what she does with her free time is playing app games on her scroll. Late at night, Blood would sometimes find her watching scary movies and laugh at the scary parts.
