"Wait, what!?"
Tanya stood before the rest of Team VRTX, explaining what had transpired in the Forever Fall.
They were currently in their dorm room, discussing the questionable events that had been transpiring in the past few days. It started when Ross had reminded the other three of his encounter with the intruder in the beowulf suit, to which Tanya added her advent with the Deathstalker boy.
"Can you explain why you decided to tell us this now, Tanya?" Violet said, approaching Tanya with a worried look about her face.
"I apologize Violet, but I was, er... preoccupied..." Tanya replied, thinking back to her brother and Lilac.
"But you guys see it too, right?" Ross asked, looking around at his teammates, "These people aren't a small gang. That Deathstalker kid had orders to kill Tanya; he was instructed."
Xavier decided to speak up at this time, leaving his place on the wall. "They're definitely not the Fang. They would never directly pick a fight with Beacon." He suggested, "Besides, he was assigned to kill Tanya specifically." Xavier added, twitching one of his ears slightly as he thought. "Perhaps he was cutting down witnesses to another act."
"Another act?" Violet inquired, cocking her head curiously.
Ross perked up, "Yeah, that Beowulf guy was doing something, we caught him."
"So..." Violet thought with her hand rubbing her chin, "We're all targets for this guy, or these guys, as we've seen more than one of them."
The four of them became uneasy after this conclusion was reached.
"Well..." Ross placed his hands nervously behind his head, "Things just got interesting for us!"
Everyone gave the boy a surprised gasp.
"Why are you so cheerful about this!? We have some group of highly trained Grimm freaks that wanna kill us!" Violet practically screamed at him.
"Look Vi', now we got something big outside of our basic training." Ross said, his hands still behind his head, "We're not just 'normal' students anymore."
"Well who suggested that we'd wished to be different!?" Tanya demanded, "Personally, I was perfectly copacetic with being a regular student at this establishment."
"Face it, Tanya." Xavier butted in, "Whether we wanted it or not, we were gonna be forced into dire circumstances."
Tanya rose her finger to reply, but no words could come out.
"He's right..." Violet sighed, finally realizing the situation, "We signed on for this kind of thing, y'know." She walked between her three teammates and to the opposite end of the room, standing just before the large window that outlooked the Emerald Forest.
The sky was dark, almost night. The sun had already set, all that remained were the pink and orange clouds, swirling like paint thrown at the sky. The moon was already showing, though its face was obscured by the clouds that swirled around it.
"I'm not afraid, guys." Violet murmured.
The pink and orange fluff that decorated the sky slowly began to turn dark.
"I'm not gonna die." She added.
Soon enough, the sky became dark. Rain pattered down from the once vibrant clouds, now black in the night sky.
"I'm not gonna let any of you die, either." She concluded, turning slowly to her team.
Violet Storm, Ross Mayweather, Tanya Goldwin and Xavier Ray.
An awkward storm, an eager outsider, a self conscious know it all, and a proud reject.
Four teens attending an academy designed to train children to become expert warriors.
They were Team VRTX, and they weren't about to let a group of terrorists take them down.
"I'm gonna fight back." Announced Ross as he stood up and walked to Violet's side, "Besides, you're the first friends I've made since I stepped on this weird new continent. I'm not about to lose that."
Tanya made her way over to Violet and Ross as well, "You three are of the few individuals that tolerate my extensive knowledge and vocabulary. You three are also the only friends I've ever had." She gave a small smile before giving her teammates a thumbs up, "I'll defend you three with all I'm worth."
Xavier only rolled his eyes when the other three turned to him, "Do you really need some heart felt crap from me?" He asked, walking up to them, "I'll fight these guys for the fun of it, saving your butts is simply a bonus."
Violet gave the wolf boy a shrug, then turned to the rest of her team.
"We're gonna get to the bottom of this, you hear?" Violet said with a bit of authority, though most of her tone was assuring, "We'll kick these Grimm guys' butts, whether they expect it or not."
Her team nodded affirmatively.
"But first, we gotta get some sleep."
With that, the day ended.
Morning came sooner than Team VRTX expected, and they were almost late for their Combat Training.
Ross' hair was in a mess, Violet forgot her zip up hoodie, and Xavier dropped his breakfast burrito in the hallway. The only one that was ready was Tanya, who jotted down notes about each of her teammates failures in her scroll.
"Good morning, students." Professor Goodwitch said to her still sleepy classroom.
As the professor talked about the importance of combat training and why Hunters need to fight, Violet was hugging herself and trying to stay low.
"What are you doing, Vi'?" Ross asked, watching as Violet tried to sink down and hide in her seat.
"I forgot my jacket, everyone's staring at me!" She whimpered. Ross lifted his head and looked around, not noticing anyone particularly interested in Violet.
"What are you talking about? No one seems to care," Ross looked up at Xavier and gave the Faunus an annoyed shrug, "I don't get what you're nervous about."
Xavier sighed, "Dude, look at what she's wearing." He said simply, pointing down at the girl.
Ross turned his attention back to his leader, now looking at her outfit. Where there would usually be a baggy and concealing black hoodie, was a very tight and formfitting purple tank top that exposed much of her midriff and a fair amount of cleavage as well. Ross quickly looked away, though he knew Xavier was still leering.
"Oh, uh, sorry..." Was all Ross could get out as he scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Interesting, Ross. You demonstrate very chivalrous and modest attitude towards your scantily clad friend, while Xavier shows no shame or apprehension towards staring at Violet."
The other three all blocked out Tanya's intellectual shpiel for their own reasons. Ross due to a lack of understanding, Violet due to embarrassment, and Xavier due to his fixated fascination with Violet's two baiting pale chest mounds
The fights began soon enough. Weiss fought Momo and defeated him with brutal elegance. Ren fought Forest in a close match, in which Forest barely came out the victor. Lawrence and Magenta had a short duel, ending in Lawrence's swift defeat.
Goodwitch eventually noticed Violet hiding behind a seat, trying not to be seen. Students these days, She grumbled to herself, So scared of being chosen to fight, so lazy. "Ms. Storm!" The professor called, catching the girl's attention, "Would you come down to the ring, please."
Violet poked her head out from behind the chair nervously, "Do I really have to?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, Violet, you need to come and fight. You haven't fought once this entire semester and it's time." Goodwitch ordered stubbornly.
Violet slowly rose from her hiding place, gaining many stares and such from the class.
"Guys," She whimpered to her teammates, "I have stage fright!"
The rest of her team groaned as she just stood there, still as a board. Eventually Ross stood up behind her and began to push her forward, her feet sliding rather comically across the floor like a statue being moved. Soon enough she stood in the center of the ring, everyone staring at her.
"Would anyone like to challenge Ms. Storm?" Asked the professor, turning to her class. None of the students seemed particularly eager to fight her, none except for one.
"I'll do it!" A voice sounded, a hand raising into the air just afterward, "I'll take her on."
The class's attention shifted from Violet to a shorter boy wearing sky blue attire and a sword on his hip, his hand raised high in the air.
"David Sky, you would like to fight Violet?" Asked the professor nervously. She hadn't given the boy any difficult opponents, as she didn't know if he could handle them.
"Yeah, I would. Do I need to say it again?" He threw back, earning a scowl from Goodwitch.
"Fine, David, I'll let you fight the girl." She said reluctantly, setting up the computer to display their two aura gauges.
David made his way to the bottom of the stairs, slowing as he passed by team RWBY, but quickening his pace with his head ducked down once they looked at him. He was in the ring, standing opposite to the still frozen Violet when a cheer rang out for him from his team's seats.
"Go David!" Shouted Rei rather loudly, "Teach that pale tramp who's boss!"
David looked over his shoulder at the girl and she quieted down, though she still smiled brightly.
More cheers sounded from team VRTX's seats as Ross pumped his fists in the air enthusiastically.
"Come on Violet!" He cried, "Tear that cripple a new o-"
Ross was promptly shut up by a bullet that landed two inches to the left of his head, creating a hole in the wall. On the other side of the room stood Caroline Snowbelle, her gun-qatar smoking.
"That's enough of that!" Professor Goodwitch shouted angrily, throwing deadly glares at the noisy students. "Are you two ready?" She asked, looking at the two of them.
In David's right hand was his sword; Excalibur, in his left was a pocket of lightning that released small arcs that licked at the floor and David. He stood poised; ready to strike. All he needed was the fight to start.
Violet had finally broken from her frozen state, holding her Spiral Songs loosely and looking around the room nervously, knowing that everyone was staring at her. She spun the blade ends forward, holding the handles loosely.
"Fight!"
David Sky took the initiative, throwing a bolt of blue lightning at Violet. She barely had time to react, crossing her blades in an 'x' formation to block the lightning. The electricity got stuck in the metal and she waved her blades forward, lashing two bolts off the blades back at the boy, who caught them back in his hand.
This girl's not gonna be a push over, but I know I can use her stage fright as an advantage. Though David as he charged forward, delivering a left diagonal strike.
Violet twitched quickly and caught his slash with her right Song, she quickly turned her left around to its gun end to fire when- "Nice shirt, Violet!" Violet cringed and neglected to fire when David threw out his taunt. David soon followed up by shoving his open palm on her abdomen and charging Violet full of electricity.
Violet shot back when the high voltage fried her, drastically lowering her aura. This guy's not playing around, is he? She told herself, spinning her tonfas forward to fire at the boy.
Bullets tore through the air, some hitting David, while most flew past him. "Gahk!" He grunted as a bullet struck him between the ribs and gut. Violet's eyes widened when she noticed a small red stain over her mark; she'd wounded him.
Goodwitch was about to shut the match down when David raised his hand, "Stop! I can do this!" He shouted, "I can do this!"
It was then that Violet caught a glimpse of what David had to go through. The nonstop pity everyone through his way; the constant need to prove that you're not weak. It must be horrible... Violet thought, watching David grunt in pain.
"Don't stop the match." Violet said to Goodwitch, who threw her a surprised stare, "He can still fight, he's still worth something."
David looked up at his opponent with a confused stare, but it soon became an understanding smile.
"I guess the match will continue." Announced the professor reluctantly.
David and Violet stood opposite each other, completely forgetting the audience surrounding them. Violet was going to give David a good fight and actually try to win, as she had full confidence that he would and could do the same.
Violet took initiative this time around, sprinting forward and using the kickback from her pistol shots to enhance her speed. She delivered a quick sweeping kick to David's legs, which he jumped over. While airborne, David attempted to strike downward, which Violet avoided by rolling back from.
They came to their feet once more and began to trade strikes, both blocking and dodging each attack thrown their way.
Violet and David eventually came to a clash of strength, David's sword pushing hard against Violet's tonfa blades. David had an advantage in physical strength while Violet had two blades to evenly distribute pressure.
"You're pretty good, David!" Violet remarked through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, so are you!" David grunted back, his free hand pressed against the wound given earlier. "Why don't you stop holding back, Violet?"
A smirk etched itself onto Violet's strained face, "I'm not."
Violet triggered her semblance in a split second, breaking from her struggle with David and spinning at blurring speeds. Her Spiral Songs banged quickly against David's weapon like a chainsaw hits a steel beam, dragging at it and eventually whacking it away. She then stopped abruptly, reversing her semblance and taking the boy into the air.
"Good fighting with you, David!" She called, just before launching David out of the ring.
"The winner is Ms. Violet Storm!" Announced Professor Goodwitch, making her way onto the ring. "Thank you for your effort, Mr. Sky. I'm sure your father would be proud."
As Violet quickly got off the stage, happy to finally be away from the center of attention, she was stopped by four familiar faces.
"You're a good fighter, Violet." David commented, his three teammates standing closely behind him, "Rei would like to apologize for calling you a 'pale tramp'." He said, looking over his shoulder at his bashful teammate.
"Well, goodness, I don't know what came over me back there. I hope you can let it go." She said, a bit of red on her face, "I'm sorry."
"Meh, it's fine." Violet shrugged, getting ready to walk off.
"Violet."
She turned around one more time to see David smiling at her.
"Thanks for not going easy on me."
Violet couldn't help but smile back at the boy.
"Don't mention it, shorty."
With that, she began to climb up the stairs to see her team once more, David getting rabid over her little 'short' comment.
As soon as she reached her team, they all had different expressions. Ross was still trying to avert his gaze from Violet's chest, Tanya had a confused glare on her face, and Xavier had a proud smile on his own.
"So, what's up guys?" Violet asked, returning to her embarrassed slouch from before. Tanya was the first to perk up, "Through what medium did it take you such an elongated amount of time to defeat him?" She questioned. Xavier gave an annoyed sigh, "Please translate, Violet. I don't speak Tanyanese!"
Tanya gave the faunas a scowl, Violet chuckling before replying, "I wanted to give the guy a good fight." The four of them stood in silence for a moment, before Xavier broke it, "I know, Vi, I think you did the right thing." The three other members of VRTX looked at Xavier curiously as he placed his hands coolly behind his head. "I didn't see you go easy on the guy either, you gave it your all." Their gazes switched from the wolf boy to Violet, who was shrugging modestly, "Well... He kinda gave it his all too..."
"That was the final duel of the day, class dismissed."
With Goodwitch's dismissal, team VRTX left the subject, as well as the classroom. The day was coming to a close and the four of them needed rest. God knows what dangers the world would throw their way now...
So, I finally got around to uploading another chapter! I know most of you who have been reading to this point are happy about it. If not, then tell me where I can improve.
By popular demand, I cut down on the effing exclamation marks! Yay!
ALSO! It may seem immature, but I thought of songs that apply to each member of VRTX...
Violet: "Not enough" by Mustard Plug
Ross: "Gone and faded" by Mustard Plug
Tanya: "What you say" by Mustard Plug
Xavier: "Real rat bastard" by Mustard Plug
I know that all the songs are from Mustard Plug... But the reason is because all of team RWBY's character songs are by Casey Lee Williams, so I thought I'd have a genre and artist that binds the characters from VRTX. Each song's lyrics also reflect the characters' personality and/or turmoil.
The theme for the Team itself is "Away from here" by... You guessed it: Mustard Plug!
The next chapter may catch some of (If not all of) you off guard...
So hold on to you butts!
Next up: "You're not even a pawn..."