A/N: How's it goin', everybody? It's Friday once again and you know what that means! Time for another new chapter! And lemme tell ya, it's time to get back to some story progression, because while we might be losing some characters for a little while here, we'll also be gaining another and seeing the return of a classic anti-villain. …Or it is Anti-hero? Hard to tell when it comes to this girl, but hey, we'll just have to see what her deal is, won't we? This is…
Chapter 36: A Charmed Arrival
…..
"C'mon, dad, you've got this!"
"Don't back down, general! You've got him right where you want him!"
It had been a rather… interesting few hours at the Daniels household since Cooper and the others had arrived. At first, it hadn't started out as anything too spectacular, just a lunch and casual conversation about what the young genius and Team CFVY had experienced while on vacation. …But then the topic of meeting three gods came up and Connor and Clara had been slack-jawed throughout the entire recounting. Ironwood and Goodwitch had sympathized with the astonished couple, but the team had assured them that it was all true, from beginning to end. Cooper had even shown them a few pictures he took of Quetzalcoatl's tail as proof.
Once the parents had regained themselves after that revelation, though, the conversation then moved on to that of Remnant and the various Huntsmen Academies. Glynda and James had been more than happy to share many details on that as well, going so far as to even shed some light on the more intricate details of what their jobs entailed. After a short while, though, Ironwood had divulged into the incident in where half of his body had been replaced with metal parts, which the Daniels' were astounded by. This, however, gave Connor an idea…
"You know, that fancy metal arm is pretty cool… betcha use it to win a lot of arm wrestling, eh?"
The question had taken James off guard. "Hah, um… I actually haven't arm wrestled in a long time. Not since my academy days, at least."
Connor raised a brow in response. "Really? Then I bet even your flesh and blood arm ain't up to the task…" He rested his elbow on the table, holding his right hand up. "That is, unless you wanna prove me wrong, Mr. Roboto."
"…Oh, you are on, sir." James took off his overcoat and rolled up the left sleave of his undershirt, revealing his flesh and blood arm. He leaned in and brought his hand up, making sure to flex it in a show of force. "I don't need mechanical ingenuity to prove my strength."
"Hope you're right about that." Connor rolled up his sleave, revealing a good amount of muscle on him as well. "Because I've got good leverage in this arm."
And with that, battle lines had been drawn, with several taking Connor's side while Ironwood had gotten his own following. Cooper, Coco and Clara were in the brunette's corner, while the general had Fox, Yatsu, and of course, Glynda. …And that left poor Velvet awkwardly sitting on the side of the table, wincing as a drop of sweat rolled down her face. "Erm, is this REALLY necessary?"
"Of course, Vel!" Coco pumped a fist as the two men started arm wrestling. "This is the ultimate test of dominance! C'mon, Mr. D!"
"Don't listen to her, general, you've got this!" Fox cheered.
"Hey! Who's your leader here?!" the fashionista fired back.
As both men struggled against one another, their hands clasped hard against each other and turning redder by the second, they couldn't help but smile at the support they were receiving. But of course, they'd be remiss if they weren't grateful the most to a certain pair of blonde women who were cheering them on, one in each of their corners. "You've got this, baby!" Clara clapped. "You haven't lost one of these in a long time, let's go!"
"James, stay focused and be sure to measure the amount of pressure you're putting into your arm." Glynda advised. "Too much and you'll tire yourself out before long." She sent him a supportive smile, which he saw out the corner of his eye. "You have this."
"…Thank you, Glynda." James' smiled increased, his gaze becoming more determined. "We have quite the backing here, Connor. But I have to ask… feeling tired yet?"
Connor chuckled at that. "Hah, you kidding me? I could do this all day!"
"Well, you may not have to." With that, the two kept going for a good few minutes, with one or the other occasionally losing their strength and having their arm pushed down closer and closer toward the table. However, through sheer perseverance, they always managed to bring their arms back up, both equally resolute in not wanting to lose. And, given how their respective corners cheered, it was hard NOT to stop.
At this point, both men had flushed a deep shade of red as sweat began to seep from their foreheads, their teeth grit firmly as they refused to give an inch. "Hah… had enough, Ironwood?"
"You kidding me, Daniels? I can do this all damn day! I—" But then, James' nose scrunched up a bit, as if an unpleasant smell had reached it. "Wait… is something burning?"
"AH! The bread!"
WHAM! And just like that, Ironwood slammed his hand down, with Connor's mind having shifted its focus away from the task at hand. "HA! I got you! Simple mind-trickery!" The general tapped the side of his head with a knowing wink while Connor stared on, flabbergasted. "Your wife took the bread out half an hour ago while you were in the bathroom!"
Connor blinked as Yatsu and Fox freaking out on Ironwood's side, shocked that he'd pull out a trick like that. But then, he smirked and shook his head, accepting his defeat. "Ah, my arm was starting to feel tingly anyway. I probably wouldn't have been able to last much longer." He extended his other hand to James for a handshake. "Good match, Jim."
"Thanks, Connor." Ironwood reciprocated with his metal arm. "Hope we can do it again someday." Smack! "Ach! Hey, what the—"
Much to his surprise, Glynda had slapped him on the shoulder, the headmistress very clearly not amused. "That was a very un-sportsman move on your part, James. Next time, I hope you'll play fairly."
"I-I… Glynda, it was just—"
"Not fair to Connor, even if he WAS starting to lose his footing." Glynda admonished. "I know that you commonly play this sort of misdirection on the battle field, James, but you probably would've still won if you'd held out." She quickly raised a hand to Connor. "No offense, Connor."
"None taken." Connor shrugged.
James wanted to argue back… but then decided against it. Last thing he wanted right now was to be on Glynda's bad side. 'Besides, I hate seeing when she's upset… makes ME feel down just thinking about it.' He sighed and gave Glynda a nod. "Yes, you're right, Glynda. It wasn't fair and I should know better. I'll do things fairly next time."
Glynda smiled and nodded in approval. "Good. Now, while I would love to keep things going… unfortunately, it's getting late." She glanced up to the clock on the wall, which read "5:00". "We need to get back to Remnant before the next day comes."
"Ah, right. I always forget about the time discrepancy between our universes." Ironwood stood up and took up his overcoat, his attention moving straight to Team CFVY and Cooper. "Well, team, it's time to pack up your things. We leave for Remnant in two hours."
"Hm, of course, general." Cooper nodded as they all gave him a salute before headed off to their respective rooms to go pack. The young genius turned to his parents and offered them his hand. "We've gotta head back to Bellwood to do this… so you guys wanna come see us off?"
Clara reached out, grasping her son's hand. "Of course, we will, sweetie."
"Yeah, that's a no-brainer." Connor agreed, putting an arm around his wife. "What kind of parents would we be if we DIDN'T come along?" Just then, an idea struck him and he started toward the kitchen. "Oh! That reminds me, I wanted you and your friends to take some special meats and cheeses along with you, just so you'd have a little… slice of home to bring with you."
Cooper deadpanned at the obvious dad joke while Coco cackled from the other room. "HAHA! Nice one, Mr. D!"
The blonde boy facepalmed as his mother, Glynda and Ironwood held back her own laughter as well. "I can already tell I won't miss ONE thing while I'm gone."
…..
About an hour and a half went by, and in that time, the gang had gathered all the things they needed and loaded it into Coco's car. After that, they went straight back to Bellwood, with Ironwood and Glynda following close behind along with Connor and Clara in the backseat of their rental car. And just as the clock struck "6:45", they made it outside the Max's Plumbing Store… where everyone else was already there to greet them. Not just the team along with Raven and Tai, of course, but Max, Six, Holiday, Cesar, Bobo, Qrow, and Winter were all present and patiently waiting for them.
Coco and her team disembarked, the fashionista raising her arms up to them all. "Hah, wow, now THIS is a send-off!"
Yang immediately smiled back and went over, giving her friend a hug. "Well, whaddya expect, girl? We couldn't just give ya a half-assed goodbye, could we?"
"Not a chance!" Ruby cheered, zipping over to give Velvet a hug as well. "Ooh, we'll miss you guys being here!"
"Aw, thank you so much, Ruby!" Velvet smiled. "That means so much to us! We'll always be thinking about you, though."
Fox rolled his eyes a bit. "Yeah, but we'll be back next weekend, so it's really not THAT big of a—oof!" He was quickly elbowed in the stomach by Yatsu, who shook his head at the redhead.
"Fox, just accept the good sentiment being spread." The swordsman advised before coming forward and offering Ben a handshake. "It's been quite a wild ride so far, Ben. And I think I can speak for all of us when I say we hope to see it through to the end."
Coco came up as the two shook hands. "Yeah, what Yatsu said. We're in this to win it, Tennyson." She lowered her sunglasses and gave him a good-natured wink. "And I promise, if we see anything fishy pop up in Remnant, we'll make sure to let you know."
Ben grinned and bowed his head gratefully. "Thanks, Coco, glad we can count on you." From the corner of his eye, though, he could see Cooper approaching him, Gwen and Kevin, the young blonde wearing a somewhat nervous smile. The Alien Trio faced him and Ben gave a shrug. "Well, guess this is it, man."
"Yeah, guess so." One by one, Cooper shook each of their hands, trying to put a bit more confidence on. "It's a bit scary, not gonna lie. Being in Remnant without you guys… it'll be pretty different."
"Ah, you'll be fine, dude." Kevin brushed off, nudging his head toward Team CFVY. "Ya got a great group of people to hang around with… and a pretty awesome girlfriend, of course."
Gwen echoed her boyfriend's thoughts. "Kevin's right, on both accounts. Cooper, you've grown so much since we first met you… and in Remnant, you've come SO far." She pointed over toward Cesar, who was standing right next to the Centurion MK. III. "You've even made your own power armor in the process. Trust me, with your team, General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch by your side, I'm sure you'll do just fine in Remnant."
"Hah, thanks Gwen, it means a lot, really." Cooper chuckled before seeing the two headmasters in question come walking up with his parents. He took a deep breath and turned to his mom and dad. "Well… this is it."
"It seems that way, yes." Clara said before moving her eyes over to the Alien Trio. "Ben, Gwen, Kevin, always nice to see all of you."
Ben bowed his head back. "Likewise, Mrs. Daniels. Sorry that we gotta drag Cooper all over the place. I know it's only been a short while since we got back, but—"
"It's alright, Ben." Connor assured with a raised hand. "We understand why Cooper has to go back. And while we are sad to see him go again…" He and his wife beamed to their son with happy eyes. "We couldn't be any prouder of what he's accomplished. I mean… look at this!" He went over to the Centurion armor, which was strapped down to a hovering, metal pallet. "Son, this has to be one of your best creations yet, and I haven't even SEEN it in action yet!"
Cooper rubbed his neck in slight embarrassment, only for Coco to nudge him in the side. "He's right, ya know. That suit's gone from a bunch of scrap to a metal masterpiece in only a month. Be proud of yourself, Tech Head, ya earned it."
"Ah, shucks." Cooper said before suddenly getting hugged by his mom and dad, which he returned instantly. "Well, I appreciate all the kind words. I'm still gonna miss you guys, though, even if we DO come back every now and again."
"And we'll miss you, honey." Clara reaffirmed, giving her son a peck on the cheek. "And we look forward to your visits… and hope one day you'll come back home on a more extended basis."
Coco reached out and put a hand to Clara's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mrs. D, I'll make sure he does. I've grown to like this world myself, remember."
"Thank you, Coco." Clara nodded to her and her team. "And we'll be sure that you and your friends are never wanting for a place to stay while on Earth." But then, she pointed up to her son with a stern finger. "And you remember to treat her right, you understand, mister? I won't take hearing any funny business that happens with her."
"A-Alright, alright, message received, mom!" Cooper asserted, waving his hands frantically. "Besides, I wouldn't even DREAM of doing anything bad to Coco, honest!"
Clara wore a sly grin as she gave him a wink. "I know, that was just a test. A mother always has to keep her son on his toes, after all. Haha!" Coco couldn't help but chuckle as well, though it was clear that Cooper didn't appreciate the little trick just by seeing his face.
"Gee, thanks mom." he mumbled sarcastically.
…..
Meanwhile, not too far from where the Daniels' were exchanging their goodbyes, a certain other family were saying their own fond farewells, at least for the time being. "Hah, so… you two're really headin' out, eh?" Qrow asked as he approached his sister and his old team partner, the couple standing side-by-side in solidarity. "Gotta admit, didn't think you'd go eloping BACK home, but what do I know?"
Tai just gave him a shrug. "Well, that's just the way the pieces fall, I guess." He glanced down to Raven, who returned the gesture knowingly. "Besides, we've got a… LOT of catching up to do."
"Hey, hey, I don't need ya to go into all the details, remember?" Qrow waved off, grimacing at the lovey-dovey moment. "Keep what happens back there to yourselves, got it?"
"Oh, relax, Qrow." Raven rolled her eyes. "Like we'd ever do that."
"Hmph, better not… but really, though, I'm actually pretty happy for the two o' ya." Qrow admitted, crossing his arms with a slight grin. "Honestly, never thought I'd see the day where you two were THIS happy ever again."
From behind the couple, a certain other voice piped up. "Yeah, what he said." At that moment, Yang came up and wrapped her arms around her mom and dad, bringing them in for a surprise hug. "You guys have NO idea how ecstatic I am about the two of you. These past couple of weeks may've been a rough start… but I think we can say it was worth it to get here."
Raven reached out, hugging her daughter back. "Hmhm, I couldn't agree more, Yang. And don't worry, when I come back, I'll be sure that WE get to do something together, too…" She set her sights over to a certain Hooded Huntress, who was still standing off to the side. "And that goes for you, too, Ruby!" She saw Ruby's eyes widen in surprise. "In fact, I have a specific idea for BOTH of you girls, so look forward to that."
Ruby was still a bit stunned, but at the same time, an excited feeling started bubbling inside her. "W-Wow, I… thanks, Raven." she felt her cheeks flush a little, flattered that Raven would want to do ANY activity with her. "That's really cool to hear, really."
"You're very welcome. Now, let's get this started, shall we?" Raven let loose a whistle and beckoned for the team to gather up. "Alright, everyone, listen up and listen good! As you already know, I'm going to be away for a couple days. Tai and I have some business to attend back in Remnant, and of course, Team CFVY, Cooper, General Ironwood and Glyndie will be coming back with us." After she was sure she heard Glynda's frustrated grumble, she continued. "But, of course, I expect you all to continue your training while we are away. Just because you're down one trainer doesn't give you the opportunity to put in less work."
"And you can count on us NOT to, Raven." Jaune said with a salute. "Trust me, all of us will keep working super hard."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Jaune…" Raven sent a skeptical eye over to Kevin, Nora, Sun and Neptune in particular. "But there are some of you who I don't believe are up to the task of keeping themselves on the ball, and as such, I've decided to bring in someone who will make SURE to keep you all in tip-top shape."
The four teens rolled their eyes at Raven. "Ah, c'mon Raven!" Nora bemoaned. "We're not babies! We can spot ourselves!"
"Yeah, and besides, Nora and I ain't slackers." Kevin pointed to Team SN. "It's ONLY them that you should have your eye on."
"HEY!" the boys exclaimed in unison.
But Raven just pulled out Omen, slicing clean through the air at them to get all four teens to silence themselves. "Enough of that! This is ANOTHER reason why keeping on top of your training is important; to weed out team dysfunction." She sheathed her sword and shook her head. "Honestly, you kids and your squabbles. Thankfully, the person I've asked to watch your training has an eye for eliminating problems like these."
"Let me guess, it's Tetrax, right?" Weiss guessed.
"Nope, not him, though he WILL still be there for your training sessions." Raven assured before turning toward Cesar. "No, rather the person who'll be my substitute is someone who I'm sure you'll be very familiar with. On that note… Cesar, if you'd please?"
Cesar lifted up the Dimensional Doorway and pointed it down the street, ready to create a portal. "One gateway to Remnant coming right up!" He pulled the trigger and the Doorway blasted out a green beam of light, which exploded into a huge spherical portal within half a second. He set down the Doorway and then leaned against a nearby light post. "Now all we gotta do is wait."
This immediately made everyone a bit confused. "Huh? What do you mean "wait"?" Blake asked. "What're we waiting for?"
"You'll see, Blake, trust me." Raven replied with a slight grin.
"Uh, mom, I appreciate the whole "keeping us in suspense" thing, but could we cut the dramatic reveal and just—huh?" Before she could finish, though, Yang saw the portal start to shimmer out the corner of her eye, and before long, something began to emerge from its center.
"Hmhm, oh, but Yang… where's the fun in that?" Raven asked as the figure fell to the pavement below, landing in a crouch… and the second she stood, the team were left quite surprised, indeed.
Before them stood a young woman in her early twenties, with short, brown hair in a pixie cut, her skin tone a deep olive. Her eyes were a deep blue color and she had a choker around her neck along with several piercings in her ears. Her outfit itself consisted of a two-toned brown, sleeveless jacket with an off-white undershirt that had its sleeves ripped off. She wore a pair of maroon pants that had one pantleg torn while the other was rolled up her thigh, and she had a pair of black stockings as well. Her boots matched her top fairly well and had a tattoo on her upper arm in the shape of a bird. Finally, she had a belt with several pockets, and from it hung a pair of crescent-shaped bladed weapons with guns in the center.
As the others stared at her in silence, Coco pointed at her and said; "Oh, hey! It's the cool bandit girl!"
"Oh yeah!" Ilia recalled as well. "Your name was… Vernal, right?"
"Heh, well at least someone's not speechless." The young woman commented, shouldering the large travel pack she wore on her back. "Good to see someone remembered my name, too." Vernal scanned her eyes across the crowd, nodding her head to them in greeting. "Hey there, guys. You look like you're all doing—"
"AAAAH!" A pair of stereo screams cut her off, with Yang and Ruby being the source as they charged right for her. "BIG SIS!"
Vernal deadpanned at the somewhat unwanted nickname. "Oh, I should've seen this com—ING!" All at once, she was enveloped in what could only be described as a tackle-hug, with Ruby and Yang holding her up on high as they squeezed her in their arms.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH! You're here!" Ruby exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "You're finally here!"
"Erk, y-yes, Ruby, good to see you. I—"
But then, Yang's eyes widened. "Hold on, mom called YOU to be her sub while she's gone? HA! That's awesome! I can't wait for you to help us out with our training."
Vernal's complexion was starting to change to blue at this point. "Th-That's great, Yang, but could I PLEASE have my lungs back?!" The sisters quickly realized what they were doing and let go of her, allowing her to drop back to the sidewalk. "Hah… thank you." She brushed herself off as she gave the sisters a small smirk. "Okay, I can get behind your enthusiasm, but let's refrain from… the hugging, 'kay? Still not too comfortable with it."
Ruby frowned and her eyes began to glisten tearfully. "Aw, but hugs are so nice."
"I… uh…" Vernal really had no idea how to respond to that face. It was as if she was being stabbed in the heart by something… guilt? Was it guilt she was feeling for making the Hooded Huntress feel this way? Either way, she wasn't about to genuflect to whatever this expression was… though she at least felt the need to let her down easy. "…We'll see how things go in the future, okay? I just… value my personal space."
"Oh… okay!" Ruby's smile returned with gusto. "Still, it's awesome to see you here!"
Ren couldn't help but scratch the side of his head. "Though it IS a little perplexing. I didn't think you'd be here so soon. Weren't you house sitting for Tai?"
Vernal scoffed and gave him a shrug. "Taiyang's going back to his place, isn't he, ninja boy? Meaning I don't have to stick around there anymore. I get to choose where I get to go, and the moment I got a call from Raven saying she needed someone to watch over you and keep an eye on your training, I jumped at the chance." Her gaze trailed off to the world around her, wincing slightly as the sun hit her. "Hm, so this is Earth, huh? Not much different than Remnant from what I'm seeing… though it IS pretty bright."
"Yeah, we tend to hear that a lot." Ben affirmed. "For some reason, our sun just seems brighter than yours."
"Hell, it's bright enough to hurt Grimm, apparently." Rex pointed out. "That was something we learned recently."
Vernal's eyebrows furrowed at that. "Yeah, Raven told me all about your little experience with Cinder and her cronies just a little while ago. Sounds like you guys were caught with your pants down."
Gwen bobbed her head from side to side. "Well, kinda, but not really. I mean, we handled them fine, but we weren't expecting Salem and Eon to pull that trick." The redhead folded her arms with a serious expression. "Still, the fact that this happened at all is still worrying."
"Indeed, if Salem is capable of sending normal Grimm through during the night, then who knows when she'll send more?" Penny concurred. "We must be ready for when that happens."
"Heh, well, it's a good thing you got me, then." Vernal said with a somewhat boastful grin. "I'll be sure to help keep you guys on your toes. After all, not only am I a trained warrior and thief, but I'm an expert Grimm tracker." She turned to Raven, sharing a knowing look with her. "I've helped the Branwen Tribe both steer clear and hunt down Grimm, so me being here should definitely help give you an advantage." Vernal sent the group a wink. "And maybe I'll share a bit of my knowledge with ya, who knows?"
"EEEEEEE! This is gonna be so cool!" Ruby squeed. "Raven, you got us the BEST substitute ever!"
But the former tribe leader couldn't help but chortle a little, shaking her head as she stepped over to Vernal. "Hmhm, I wouldn't get too excited if I were you, Ruby. After all, training with Vernal may SOUND fun… but remember, training with the Branwen tribe isn't to be taken lightly."
Qrow rolled his eyes at that. "Ugh, don't I know that." He glanced over to Vernal with a raised brow. "By the way… any word on what exactly happened to the tribe yet? Any news on reforming or anything like that?"
"Not that I've heard." Vernal shook her head. "And I've been keeping a close ear to things all week." She gave Raven a shrug. "My guess is that either the tribe's disbanded and everyone's went into business on their own… or a lot of them might've gotten killed. Either way, I think it's safe to say that the Branwen Tribe is no more."
Raven gave a small sigh, nodding as a reassured feeling came over here. "Thank you, Vernal. That's… good to hear." She closed her eyes, thinking back to her time with the tribe. "I will admit, it's somewhat disheartening to hear as well, but the Branwen Tribe is a part of my life that I've put behind me." The Spring Maiden wore a resolute expression as she opened her eyes to Vernal. "And as such, I hope you're ready to take the next big step as well."
Vernal bowed her head to the older woman. "Of course, Raven. But still, I have to admit…" The young woman set her sights onto the teens, all of whom were beaming to her with bright, happy faces. It was… off-putting, somewhat. "Being with a team of good guys definitely isn't what I expected to be doing."
"Ah, you'll get used to it, V!" Nora waved off as she zipped over and brought her right over to the team. "You're one of us, now! And trust me, you're gonna like being a good guy."
"Yeah, Nora's right!" Neptune supported, giving Vernal a thumbs up. "Besides, bein' on the winnin' team is a whole lot better than being with a bunch of losers like Cinder and her gang." He winked and pointed at her as he leaned in a bit. "Plus, ya get a bunch of perks, too. Like uh, heh… some good company, for one thing, if you catch my drift."
Vernal once again gave an eyeroll and gave him a light shove away. "Don't aim higher than your level there, kid."
Sun reached over and pulled his partner out of the line of fire… while still scolding him. "Yeah, dude, chill." He then whispered harshly; "Also, what the hell? I thought you were into Helen."
Neptune's eyes widened and he snapped back in a whisper; "Who told you that? I-I don't have a crush on Helen, we're just friends! The heck're you talking about, dude?!"
"…Oh, dude, you're so in denial." Sun sighed.
"Ahem." Six cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention to him. "While I'm very glad to see that everyone's on the same page about this young lady's arrival, we DO have others who need to get to Remnant." He gestured over to Cooper, Team CFVY, Ironwood and Goodwitch, who were standing off to the side. "If anyone wants to get in their goodbyes now, I suggest you do that soon."
"Si, the portal can't stay open forever, ya know!" Cesar advised as well, pointing toward the slowly shrinking sphere.
"Oh, crap, that's right!" Vernal bowed her head to Raven and stepped off to the side, extending her hand toward the door. "You guys had better hurry up. Sorry for wasting precious time."
Raven smiled and shook her head. "Oh, it's absolutely no trouble at all, Vernal. We get that you and everyone will want to catch up, so we'll leave you to it." And then, much to Vernal's surprise, Raven came up and gave her a short embrace. "I'll see you in a couple days, Vernal. I'm sure that you'll do wonders with the team in my absence."
It took a few seconds for the young woman to process what was happening, a light shade of red flushing over her cheeks. Raven had been her leader for a long time, but now that the Branwen Tribe was no more… there was certainly a clear shift in their relationship. It was a side of Raven that she had never seen before, and she had no clue what to make of it OR how different things were between them… but now wasn't the time to ponder such things. She made a promise and she'd stick to it. Vernal reached up and placed a hand to her mentor's arm, giving her a nod. "Of course, Raven. You can count on me."
"I know I can." Raven returned as Tai and the others started to gather around. Yatsu was pushing the floating pallet with the Centurion armor up to the portal while Coco drove up to it in her roadster, ready to go on through to the other side. But, before that, Raven faced her daughter and Ruby, pulling them both into a light embrace. "And I'll see you girls in a couple days. Behave for Vernal, okay?"
The sisters couldn't help but roll their eyes. "Mom, we're not five." Yang reminded.
"Yeah, Raven, we know how to behave ourselves." Ruby winked as she pointed over to her dad. "Now go on, I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on."
Raven glanced over to Tai knowingly. "Oh, you can bet on that. Bye for now, girls." She pulled away from the two as Yang and Ruby waved the happy couple off, and without hesitation, they stepped through the portal and out of sight.
"We'll catch you guys later, 'kay?!" Coco called back while driving through the portal after them.
Fox, Yatsu and Velvet followed, the latter waving both hands above her head. "It's been super fun, guys! We'll be seeing you!"
As Team CFVY went through, Ironwood, Goodwitch and Cooper hung back a bit, the genius giving his parents one last goodbye hug. "Take care, guys. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Of course, son." Connor gave his boy a pat on the back. "Now get a move on, or else you're gonna be left behind."
"We love you, honey." Clara kissed Cooper on the cheek before sending him off. "Now go, your friends are waiting!" The Daniels watched as Cooper smiled and wave them a parting salute as he stepped through the portal, leaving them to wistfully stare at where he once stood. Clara sniffled a little bit, holding back some tears at the sight of her son leaving. "…He's grown so much, Connor. He's not our little boy anymore."
Connor hummed in agreement. "He's become quite the man, hasn't he? I can't wait to see what he accomplishes next…"
Meanwhile the general was giving the team his own send-off salute, all while addressing the Omnitrix bearer. "It was good to see you again, everyone." Ironwood extended his hand and Ben took it with a firm shake. "My only regret is not being able to work with all of you while we were here."
"Hopefully next time we come over, we can make that happen." Glynda said as she shook Gwen's hand as well.
The two cousins nodded to the headmasters in approval. "Oh, I'm sure we can work something out." Ben assured. "We're never lacking anything to do here in Bellwood."
"Haha, I'm sure you don't. We'll be seeing you." Ironwood chuckled as he and Glynda moved away from them, stopping briefly to Connor and Clara before departing. "And of course, we promised you that we'd keep an eye on Cooper, so we'll be sure to send you updates should anything happen."
Connor raised a fist and the two men bumped them together. "Thanks, Jim. It was great meeting both of you."
"Yes, we hope you have a safe trip back…" Clara concurred before leaning toward Goodwitch. "Oh, and Glynda…" She motioned for the headmistress to come closer before whispering; "Make sure you do NOT let that man slip through your fingers. You two have such strong "power couple" energy that it almost hurts, hehe!"
Glynda paled slightly at that, fearing that James could've possibly heard that. Thankfully, the general was more confused than anything. "Hm? What did she say, Glynda?"
"O-Oh, nothing, really!" Glynda replied with a sheepish smile. "Just a bit of advice between ladies, that's ALL you have to know, hehe…" She saw James raise a brow skeptically, but thankfully he shrugged it off and began walking to the portal, inviting her to follow with an extended hand. She sighed and sent an evil eye to Clara, who wore a cheeky grin. "…I won't ignore your advice… but just PLEASE keep this between us."
Clara winked and jabbed a thumb toward James and the portal. "Gotcha. Now get outta here, you crazy woman." Glynda shook her head and went straight after James, the two going right into the portal mere moments before it was about to close. And just like that, the dimensional rift was gone, leaving the team and the Daniels standing in the middle of the street. "Hah, well, I suppose that's that."
Connor put his arm around his wife in support. "Yep, guess so. Hope they can accomplish what they set out to do."
Max came over to them, the old Plumber extending his hand. "I'm sure that they'll be fine. For now, though, why don't we get the two of you home?" He went over to the rental car, opening its rear passenger door. "Come on, I'll take you myself."
"Ah, thanks Max." Connor and Clara followed him, climbing into the car with grateful smiles. Though at the same time, the brunette was a bit ashamed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, honestly, though, I probably should've thought ahead and taken my OWN car…"
"Oh, don't worry about it." Max assured. "I'll get the two of you back before you know it." He shut the door and turned his head to Six, sharing a serious look with him. "Agent Six, I won't be back for a while, so if you could, please fill the team in on the mission. We gotta get this operation started before sundown."
Six nodded back to the older man. "Of course, Max. We'll see you soon." With that, Max gave a quick goodbye to the team and drove off with the Daniels in tow, leaving the Providence agent to give the orders. "Alright, you heard the man. Follow me, we have a vital situation to tend to."
All of this served to just make Ben and the others all the more curious. "Vital situation? Six, what're you talking about?"
"Just come down to the base." Six pressed further, eyeing Vernal as well. "That goes for you too, miss. You'd be a good asset in this case."
…..
Needless to say, Vernal was intrigued the moment that Six said that. Granted, she didn't know much about the man. In fact, she hadn't even met him before today… even without so much as a "Hi, how are ya?". The only small factoids she knew were that he was apparently a bit of a hard ass, he was engaged to Doctor Holiday, and Raven held a great amount of respect for him if her previous call was anything to go by. And given all that, she had no reason to say no to him when he said she'd be an asset here.
So, she followed the group down into the Plumber base… and immediately gagged the second she saw that the elevator was disguised as a gross bathroom. "UUGH! Yuck! Seriously?!" The former theif could feel her eyes water as she watched Team RWBY, JNPR, and the Alien Trio all file into the room without hesitation. "Has anyone ever heard of keeping a place hygienic?!"
Pyrrha eyed her skeptically. "Says the woman who's lived in the woods for god knows how long and probably had to use a bush?"
Vernal wanted so badly to retort to the "prodigal daughter" of Argos… but she couldn't, because it was very true. "…Touché, warrior princess." She grumbled before pointing a stern finger at her. "But I won't take that kinda lip during training, understand?"
"Oh, I understand quite clearly." Pyrrha replied with a small smirk. "…Bandit girl."
The two glared at one another as Ben pulled the flusher, sending all of them down into the Plumber base. Following the awkwardly silent ride down, everyone from the first trip filed out and went into the main hub, and immediately, Vernal was left slack-jawed at the sight before her. Creatures she'd never seen before hustled and bustled throughout the massive complex, with a main control computer sitting in the very center of the room where many of them worked. The place was so clean and futuristic, like something you'd see in Atlas. Or at least, what she imagined Atlas looked like.
"Damn!" Vernal's voice echoed through the whole place, causing several aliens and humans to draw their attention to her. "This place is freaking MASSIVE!"
"I know, right?!" Nora bounced up to her and thrust her arm up to the tall ceiling. "It's like we're inside a space station… IN THE GROUND!"
The team all got a chuckle out of the redhead's antics before the elevator came back down a few minutes after, carrying Rex, Six, Holiday, and the others. Six stepped off first, moving right over to the large computer with utmost importance. "Alright, now that we're all here, let me recap the situation from yesterday…" He entered a few commands into the console, bringing up pictures of Forever Knights and the stolen tablet. "Here's what we know; The Forever Knights attacked Bellwood yesterday to distract us from their true goal. That being stealing this ancient tablet from the museum so that they could find pieces of a cursed armor to try and take over the world." He scanned his eyes across the crowd, and for the most part, everyone seemed right on track. "Got that so far?"
"Uh, yeah, no." Vernal said, raising her hand. "I basically just got here so I have questions on pretty much EVERYTHING."
"Understandable." Six agreed. "Fortunately, our main concern right now isn't the Forever Knights, so we'll fill you in on everything as we go." He typed in another command, bringing down the picture of the Knights so that the tablet could take center stage. "Right now, our priority is with the museum that once held this tablet, and the fact that there was a new exhibit being set up during the break-in."
And it was at that point where everyone became quite confused. "Alright, Six, ya had me and then ya lost me." Rex piped up.
"Yeah, what exactly does a different exhibit have to do with the tablet?" Gwen asked.
"It doesn't. Rather, it has everything to do with a different case that we've been following for weeks." Six put in more commands and brought up several more imagines, these ones being of rather large stones that had runes carved into them. He faced the team again and saw Gwen's eyes narrow in intrigue. "Get the picture now?"
"Yes, now I remember." Gwen said with a solemn tone. "…Charmcaster."
The mention of the young sorceress immediately perked everyone up. "Hold on, Charmcaster? Isn't she that witch you said you were sort-of friends, sort-of rivals with?" Yang asked.
Ruby snapped her fingers as she recalled as well; "Oh yeah! She's the girl who Professor Paradox said was going around to random museums and just… looking at their runes for some reason." The realization dawned on Ruby in that moment. "Ohh… you're thinking she's going to be striking the Bellwood Museum next, don't you?"
"Precisely, Ruby." Holiday affirmed as she stood next to Six, pointing to the pictures of the runes. "These slabs were just found quite recently, a little under six months ago, and this will be the first time they've EVER been on display to the public."
"The exhibit opens tomorrow, and they'll be seen for the next week or so before they get moved to the local university for further study." Six explained further. "So if Charmcaster plans on breaking in to try and steal them—"
"IF she steals them." Gwen pointed out. "Remember, she hasn't taken anything. Breaking and entering may be a federal offense, but she hasn't made any moves to steal any of the runes."
Six furrowed his brow at her. "Not yet. And I'm not about to take that chance. If we want to find out what Charmcaster is up to and bring her in, now would be as good a time as any."
Sun tilted his head curiously. "What makes you so sure she'll strike tonight?"
"Call it a hunch." Six reached into his pocket and pulled something out before tossing it right to Gwen, who caught it without fail. "Seem familiar to you?"
The redhead opened her hand… and was stunned by what she saw. "You're kidding me." She lifted it up so that everyone could see what it was; a tiny rock that was carved into a somewhat humanoid shape. "Ben, Kevin, are you seeing this?"
The two boys were just as surprised as her. "That's one of Charmcaster's rock golems!"
"The ones she usually enchants before throwin' 'em out to beat the crap outta us?" Kevin crossed his arms skeptically.
"She usually never drops one of these." Gwen muttered before facing Six again. "Where did you find this, Six?"
"I didn't." Six held up his hand. "A Plumber agent found it while out on investigation. He was searching through an abandoned warehouse where a fight had reportedly broken out, and among the wreckage was that little thing." The agent raised a single brow. "Something tells me Charmcaster must've been jumped by someone… or something given the state of the place."
Behind him, another picture popped up, showing the interior of the warehouse, which appeared to be absolutely wrecked. There were slash marks all over the place, the floor scorched and burned, there were even some out of place vines and a half-melted spike of ice emerging from the ground. "Woah… did she get in a fight with a bunch of Batman villains or something?" Neptune quipped.
"We're not sure what to make of this ourselves." Holiday remarked. "We've been doing some testing on the vines and the soot from the burns to see if we can find out what did this, but so far, not much luck."
Ben placed his hands on his hips, giving Six an inquisitive stare. "I see… and when exactly DID you find all this?"
"Saturday, shortly after you left." Six explained.
Ilia pursed her lips frustratingly at that. "Of course, because all of the important stuff has to be saved for later, right?"
"We felt that the Knight's situation took priority, which is why we're only informing you now." Six craned his neck around, looking at every team member head on. "But now, we can move on to THIS matter. Charmcaster probably has something tailing her, so she'll want to get this done as soon as possible. Her chance was possibly delayed yesterday due to the Forever Knights breaking in, but with things settling down again, she might just strike tonight."
Penny gave the agent a hearty salute. "Right! And that means that all of us will be there to intercept her, and possibly whatever it is that's chasing her, correct?"
Six quickly shook his head. "Not all of you. I feel it best if, at most, only half of the team goes on this mission."
"That way, you'll be less likely to be picked up on Charmcaster's radar, if ya catch my drift." Cesar elaborated. "Besides, either way, you'll all still have the numbers game on her."
"Hm… that actually makes a lot of sense, Cesar." Weiss agreed. "So, that leaves us with one last question… who's going to actually BE on this mission."
"That, I'll leave to Ben." Six nodded toward the Omnitrix bearer, passing the gauntlet onto him. "This IS your team at the end of the day, so you should get final say on who stays and who goes. Just keep the type of mission in mind and you'll make the right choices, I'm sure."
Ben smiled and returned the nod. "Right, thank you. Well, obviously I'll be going, and so will Gwen and Kevin. We've got the most experience dealing with Charmcaster, after all." He scanned his eyes across the group, taking note of how Ruby and Nora were desperately waving their hands so that he would pick them. "Hm… let's see… Blake, I heard you and Sun have a date tonight, so you guys can have the night off."
Sun gave a thumbs up while Blake bowed appreciatively. "Thanks Ben, glad to hear it."
The hero continued to weigh his options on who to bring, all while Ruby and Nora continued their frantic hand flapping. "Alright, well… Ren's good at being stealthy, and Ilia's one of THE best when it comes to camouflaging in the dark." Ben gave the two a smile and jerked his thumb toward him. "You guys would be pretty good in a dark, empty museum, I think."
"I would be honored to join in." Ren bowed in respect.
"And so would I." Ilia placed a hand over her chest. "Let's catch us a witch."
As Ruby and Nora forced their hands up with their other hands, Ben's eyes drifted over to his girlfriend with a knowing smile. "And of course, we'll need some muscle if things get rough in there. Those stone golems that Charmcaster keeps around are no joke." He winked to her and asked; "Whaddya say, Goldie Locks?"
Yang giggled and nudged her boyfriend in the side. "I'd be happy to, Green Boy. Though, uh… I think you've got some volunteers."
At this point, the two girls were trying to hold back irritated screams as Ben simply shrugged. "Really? Huh, I hadn't noticed." He spun around and shook his head with a smirk. "I was GOING to get to you guys, really. Haven't ya ever heard of patience—woah!"
"If ya hadn't noticed, PATIENCE AIN'T MY STRONG SUIT, BENNY BOY!" Nora shouted as she got right up in Ben's face, pulling out Magnhilde from god knows where. "I've been ready to BASH some heads since I got back, and I am NOT letting you deny me that!"
"Yeah, same here!" Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose, ready to do some damage. "Let's see what Charmcaster thinks of US, huh?!"
"Haha! Okay, okay, I get it." Ben laughed before giving the final word. "Alright, I think that just about—"
"Hold on there, buck-o." Vernal interrupted, setting her travel pack down before reaching down to take up her weapons, ready to throw down at a moment's notice. "If ya don't mind, I'd actually like to come with on this mission, too. After all, Six had a point when he said I'd be a big help to you guys here. Who better to CATCH a thief than someone who used to BE one, eh?"
Ben pondered on Vernal's words for a few seconds… only to then take notice of Yang and Ruby's super-excited smiles. He grinned at that before giving Vernal a nod of approval. "With an argument like that, I don't see why not! Alright, Vernal, you're on the squad." He sent a salute to the rest of his team. "You guys, take the night off and unwind a bit. We'll let you know if we need back-up."
Jaune gave the hero a two-fingered salute. "You got it, Ben. We'll keep the comms open."
And, like clockwork, the two half-sisters rushed right up to the former bandit, the duo jumping up and down happily. "Ooh, this is gonna be so much fun, V!" Yang cheered. "Our first official mission together! I am SO hyped!"
"I can't wait to see your weapons in action, Big Sis!" Ruby twittered in excitement.
"Heh… yeah… can't wait." Vernal mumbled.
"One more thing." Six pointed up to the screen as another image came up; a picture of something covered in a red tarp. The team couldn't tell what it was, but it was certainly quite big. "This rune in particular is set to be the centerpiece of the whole exhibit." the agent explained. "It's the largest of the entire set and it hasn't been unveiled to the public yet. We have a feeling that if Charmcaster has her eye on any rune, it'll be this one, so make sure it stays protected at all costs." He faced the team one final time. "You have your mission, so go about it as you see fit. Just remember that you have to be there by nightfall. You're all dismissed."
After that, the team dispersed, with one half headed back to the elevator, Ben had his selected teammates follow him to the meeting room. "C'mon guys, we've got at least two hours to plan this out… and I think I have an idea."
…..
The sun finally set and the waning moon rose into the sky over Bellwood, the town having nestled mostly into a peaceful slumber. The museum thankfully wasn't in the busier part of town, so for the most part, no one was around to see what was about to go down. From a building across the street, a flash of pinkish-purple light shined through the night, and a dark figure appeared. Their silhouetted form indicated a female figure, and she quickly peered over the side of the roof toward the museum itself. Its damaged doors had been replaced from where the Black Knight had broken in, and as such, the extra security was gone from the premises.
'Excellent…' She thought to herself before her hands began to glow pink, and from her lips, she cast a spell; "Ventus Levare!" Within only a second, a strong gust of wind kicked up around her, and she was blasted all the way across the street and onto the museum roof. As she was coming down, though, she noticed a security camera near the roof entrance. Without even saying a word, she blasted the camera with an ethereal energy that, while not destroying it, managed to disable it entirely.
The woman landed and went straight to the door, picking the lock with yet another spell. "Seorsium separabo." With a wave of her hand, the doorknob and lock both fell off the door entirely, allowing her to swing the door open without resistance. As she went down further into the museum, she kept disabling cameras one after another with tiny blasts, right up until she came to the floor she wanted.
She set her sights down from the balcony she was on, seeing the exhibit that she piqued her interest. The woman also took note of how there were cameras pretty much on every corner, so she knew she had to be more thorough with this room. 'Can't risk showing my face again like the first few times…' She gathered herself and took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her body being enveloped by a golden aura briefly.
And it was here where she finally became more visible in the darkness of the museum. She appeared to be in her early twenties, with long, silvery hair, and pointed ears. Her outfit consisted of a mostly purple dress with a black neckline that had a high collar, the inside of which was pink. There was a red jewel with a golden border in the center of her chest and she wore a pink sash around her waist, a pair of black leggings and boots adorning her lower half. She had long, black fingerless gloves on her hands with pink trim near her elbows, and on top of her head was a pointed headpiece that somewhat resembled a tiara.
Opening her deep violet eyes, Charmcaster spread her arms out before before casting her spell; "Debilito!" All at once, the gold aura went blasting out in all directions, practically washing over the entire room. The cameras all jolted briefly before falling limp, disabled just like the ones from before. The young sorceress smiled in satisfaction at her handiwork before levitating herself down into the room, lighting her hand up so she could see the runes that were lined up in the glass displays.
Charmcaster had to admit, they were all very beautiful and well-carved, many of them appearing to be kept in very good condition despite being centuries old. "The people who buried these must've found a good place to hide them…" she said to herself, though she couldn't help the disappointment that was etched onto her features. "Hmph, but none of you are the ones I need…"
She trailed off while moving toward the center of the room, where there were even more runes being displayed on pedestals in the open air. These ones were much bigger than the slabs in the glass cases, taking up entire stones worth of space. However, Charmcaster found herself drawn toward the one in the very center of the room, noting how big it was. What's more, it was being kept under a red cloak, which only piqued her interest more. "Ooh, and what about you?"
Charmaster reached her hand out and went to pull the sheet off… but she paused, feeling the air in the room suddenly change. A feeling of uneasiness came over her as a certain sensation crept up her back, putting her on high alert. …She wasn't alone. The sorceress' eyes snapped up as she whipped around, raising her lit hand up into the darkness. "Who's there?" She waited, but got no answer, her apprehension growing. And then… she saw it. A pair of eyes opening in the pitch black of the room, the whites of them contrasting against the grey irises… which slowly became a shade of bright red.
Charmcaster gasped and went to leap away and cast a spell… only to be suddenly hit in her back by something very hard. She was sent tumbling to the floor, but came rolling up onto her feet, ready to fight back. With a swipe of her hand, she shot out a whip of energy, which made contact with whatever hit her. "Gah!" she heard a male voice shout out.
"Agh, I don't know who you are, but you're going to regret that!" The sorceress warned, only to see something coming at her. As they entered the moonlight coming from the windows, she saw that they were a pair of crescent-shaped blades, so she lifted her hand and called out; "Repellito!" Just like that, an energy shield spring right up in front of her, making the two weapons go spinning back to their point of origin. "Whoever you people are, you've picked a fight with the wrong witch—ah!"
Charmcaster jumped back as bullets started peppering the ground near her feet, and from she quickly made out the silhouette of someone running along side her. And while she couldn't see who they were, she COULD see the fire from the bullets being shot, meaning she had a good target. "Cryosia!" Her hands started glowing blue and all around her, the air particles froze into spikes of ice, which shot out and bombarded the moving target.
But just then, Charmcaster saw a crackle of electricity suddenly light up from the opposite side of the room, and the pair of red eyes from before came charging at her. She was about to cast a grounding spell to dispel the lighting… but then the figure itself began to change color, revealing itself to be a girl. Her skin became red to match her eyes while her freckles and hair shifted to a bright yellow, making Charmcaster gasp once more.
The girl smirked as she closed in. "Gotcha. Now, girls!"
From out of nowhere, Charmcaster suddenly found herself surrounded by several falling figures from the ceiling, all of them carrying some sort of weapon. A big hammer, a massive scythe, and a pair of gauntlets… which the sorceress felt first as she was punched in the face. "AUGH!" Charmcaster sprawled back, only to be struck in the back by the hammer and then hit with the blunt end of the scythe's head, and before she knew it, she crashed onto the floor in a heap.
She made to get up… but something coiled around her waist before sending a powerful shock through her, making her scream. "AAAAAAUUGH!" Charmcaster felt her arms and legs give out, and the last thing she heard before falling into a daze was a meek;
"Sorry! Had to!"
…..
It felt like no timed passed as Charmcaster regained consciousness, though she could tell just by the feel of her surroundings that SOMETHING had changed. Her eyes snapped open and, much to her shock… she was inside of a mana bubble. A very familiar mana bubble. "…Damn it. I should've known."
"Yeah, you probably should've." The sorceress brought her eyes up at the sound of a certain voice, one that she knew all too well. And there, on the opposite side of the bubble, stood Gwen Tennyson herself, flanked by Ben and Kevin as usual. "Hello, Charmcaster."
"Gwenny." Charmcaster muttered with a dull expression, standing up in the bubble as she dusted off her dress. "How lovely to see you again."
Ben folded his arms, giving the silver-haired girl a serious gaze. "The sarcasm isn't appreciated, Charmcaster."
"Well, it's not really MEANT for you, now, is it, Benji?" Charmcaster smirked before returning her attention to Gwen. "I have to say, I'm quite surprised. This is probably the fasted you've ever captured me." She shrugged and bobbed her head off to the side. "I mean, I had a feeling word had gotten to you about my… late-night escapades, but I didn't think you'd catch up to me THIS fast."
"When you hit a museum in our hometown, ya kinda get our attention." Kevin explained.
"Hm, I suppose so." The sorceress admitted, her smile increasing a little. "But I can tell you weren't alone in this little operation. So, where IS the new Geek Squad that I've heard so much about on the news?"
"Hey! We aren't geeks!" From out of the shadows, Ruby, Yang, Nora, Ren, Ilia and Vernal all appeared, the Hooded Huntress pouting right at Charmcaster. "Just for that, I rescind my apology for knocking you out!"
Yang's eyes widened at that. "Ooh, you stepped in it there, girl. My sister doesn't usually take back her apologies."
Charmcaster deadpanned and raised an eyebrow at the two. "Does it LOOK like I care, blondie? Ugh, you three ALWAYS find the craziest people to hang out with, don't you?"
Nora suddenly started shaking her fist at her. "Hey! I resemble that remark! …Wait."
"Ha! Okay, at least SHE'S a little amusing."
Gwen closed in and sent a small glare at her magical rival. "Okay, that's enough, Charmcaster! I'm not about to let you insult my friends like this. Remember, you're the one caught here, so I hope you can at least be amicable while we ask you some questions about… er… whatever this string of heists you're on is."
"Hmph, as if I'd explain anything to you." Charmcaster huffed. "Besides, I'm still wondering how you all even knew I'd be here on THIS exact night."
"Oh, that's easy." The redheaded Anodite reached into her pocket and pulled out the rock golem that the sorceress had dropped, and just by the shift in her expression, Gwen could tell she'd just gotten the upper hand. "Yeah, look familiar to you? Maybe you shouldn't be so careless to leave these little guys lying around."
"W-Where did you get that?!"
"Not me, a Plumber." Ben elaborated. "They responded to a reported incident inside of an abandoned warehouse and all they found was that… and a bunch of random things, like ice, scorched earth, and unidentified vines and claw marks." He leaned in and started asking more questions. "So, I want answers. Who's after you? Why've you been sneaking into museums? And why the sudden interest in runes when you already HAVE the Alpha Rune?"
As Ben kept the questions coming, Gwen saw that Charmcaster was keeping her lips sealed and her eyes low, which she sighed at. "Charmcaster, listen, breaking and entering is one thing, but you haven't stolen anything yet. It's clear that you have some sort of motive and I want to know what it is. Maybe… we could help you."
Charmcaster scoffed, forcing her grin back on to try and seem confident. "Hmph, you help me? Gwen, I was desperate when asking for your help with freeing Ledgerdomain from Adwaitia, but if you think I'm gonna stoop to that level again, I—"
"Hope, PLEASE." And just like that, Charmcaster was given pause, her smile vanishing completely. Gwen used her real name. No, not just that, she REMEMBERED her real name. She didn't think the Anodite would care enough to keep her name in mind, but there it was, rolling off of her lips like she had been using it for years. It was evident that everyone else was pretty stunned, too, given that their sights were all now on Gwen. "Please, I don't want things to be like this. Deep down, I know you're not a bad person, so please, tell us what's going on and we CAN help."
There was a long, drawn-out silence where no one said a word, though Vernal eventually broke that when she leaned over to Ren and whispered; "Anyone else feel like they're missing a lot of context here?"
"Sort of, but I'm pretty sure that Gwen's mentioned her… complicated history with Charmcaster to us before." Ren replied. "We'll have to see how this plays out."
Charmcaster pursed her lips and sank down in her bubble, crisscrossing her legs and heaving out a dejected breath. "Gwen, I've tried… I've tried to play the cold shoulder act with you here, but… listen, I just can't tell you what this is all about." Gwen knelt down so she was eye-to-eye with Charmcaster, taking in every word that she said. "This search I'm on, it's something so important that it could break the balance of the whole world if I don't succeed. The last thing I need is for all of you to get caught up in this with everything YOU'VE got going on."
"All the more reason we SHOULD get in on it, then." Ben pressed further. "Charmcaster, if this search you're on is THAT important, then it's something that I need to know about."
The sorceress sent a soft glare to him. "Tennyson, unless you're a crazy person, you do NOT want to get involved with the forces that I've been dealing with." The silver-haired girl stood up, making sure to stress the severity of the situation. "The forces at play here are bigger than you can ever know."
"Wanna bet?" Kevin countered before making his way over to the large rune under the red sheet. "Why don't we just cut the chit-chat and find out ourselves? You WERE pretty interested in this one. Maybe it'll give us some answers?"
Charmcaster's eyes widened and she thrust a hand out desperately. "Levin, don't you dare! You don't know if—"
"Bored now, gonna do it." And just like that, Kevin did so, yanking off the sheet with gusto.
…And the moment the moonlight hit the exposed rune, Ben, Gwen and Kevin all felt their jaws drop at the same time. The rune stone was as big as they thought it'd be, about the size of a human torso. However, it was what was carved on all four sides of the massive stone that REALLY got their attention. It was of an upside-down war hammer, its head angular and its handle short. The Remnant natives were left confused while the Alien Trio were nearly at a loss for words. "…You've gotta be shitting me." Kevin muttered.
"I don't believe it." Gwen whispered.
"Uh… what IS it?" Ilia asked. "A hammer?"
"Not just any hammer." Ben answered. "But the hammer belonging to the one and only God of Thunder himself. Son of Odin, the Prince of Asgard…" He craned his head over to Nora, who met his eyes as the realization dawned upon them both. "The Mighty Thor."
Nora felt a chill go through her as the name resonated through everyone else as well. Thor. They had heard about him from Ben before while he explained how everyone from Remnant could be analogous to certain fairy tale characters from his world. Only in Nora's case, she shared a lot of similarities to the thunder god himself. Red hair, wielded a hammer, had lightning powers. Lined up pretty well, and Nora was hyped up for it. …And considering the fact that she had just MET three very REAL gods, there was only one conclusion she could make…
"AAAAAAAHHH!" Nora's ear-splitting scream carried out through the whole museum as she rushed up to the bubble excitedly, startling Charmcaster enough to make her jump. "Oh my GODS, are you seriously telling me that THE Thor is connected to what you're doing?! That's so cool!"
But Charmcaster was quick to shake her head. "W-Wait, what? No! I-I mean, I don't know IF he's connected to all of this! That rune is just a coincidence, honestly!" She snapped her head away from the others. "Besides… it's not even one of the runes I'm searching for, so this place is a bust, too."
Ben narrowed his eyes at her as he approached her bubble again, still wanting to ask more questions. "Alright, then what ARE the kind of rune's you're searching for, Charmcaster? If this situation you're in is as dire as you claim, then it's important for us to know the full story."
Charmcaster was about to tell him off, but Gwen quickly stepped in once again. "Charmcaster, please… we want to help."
The young woman was given momentary pause… but then noticed a shadow moving across the floor. Her eyes trailed upward toward the skylight far above their heads… and she saw several figures looming over them. Her eyebrows snapped up in a panic and she uttered; "Uh… please tell me that's just your backup up there."
"What? It's just us, what do you—" But then, after turning and craning his head up… Ben saw them, as did the rest of the team, too. Standing high above were six hulking figures, their appearances obscured by shadow but backlit by the moon. Then, as soon as they saw them… the six leapt up and then CRASHED through the skylight, sending glass falling as they came careening toward the ground. "Oh crap, SCATTER!"
The team did so and jumped off in different directions, all while the massive beings slammed down to the floor, feet-first. What's more, now they were in a clearer light, so they could be fully seen… though the team weren't exactly too pleased to see them. They were huge, green creatures that had monstrous appearances, their jaws open and full of sharp teeth while claws sprouted from their exposed hand and feet. Around their eyes were patches of pitch-black skin that resembled glaring eyes, with a row of spines down their back adding even to their intimidating forms.
"Friends of yours?!" Charmcaster exclaimed.
The team felt their jaws hit the floor. They couldn't believe what had just fell through the ceiling. "No… you're joking." Yang stood up and balled her fists, still in disbelief, but ready for a fight. "Creepers?! Here?!"
"That can only mean one thing." Ren noted as he, Nora, Ilia and Ruby all readied their own weapons as well. "The Collective must be nearby."
"I'm sorry, the WHO now?" Vernal asked, keeping on her guard, too.
"Scary cult people who somehow transform their followers into these things." Ilia explained quickly. "They've been recruiting people for months."
Vernal stared at the team incredulously. "Okay, first Knights, now a cult. You guys are REAL interesting to hang around."
Ben, Gwen and Kevin came up, the latter absorbing the laminated floor beneath him while Ben prepared the Omnitrix for use. "Trust me, Vernal, you'll get used to it. Now focus up, people, things just took a sharp turn here. It's Hero Time!"
…..
A/N: Uh oh… what a way to leave things for now, eh? We saw the Collective getting ready to make their move at the end of last season, and now they seem to be making it right here and right now! We got more Creepers, and you know what that means! Time for a big fight to ensue! Let's just hope that none of those runes gets busted up…
But indeed, Team CFVY, Tai and Raven have left with Ironwood and Goodwitch and gone back to Remnant. It's certainly sad to see them go, but in exchange, we have the return of Vernal and the official story debut of Charmcaster! I had hinted in the previous volume that the former Branwen Tribe member would be coming over to Earth back at the end of the first Volume and now, she's here as Raven's temp! Of course, she'll probably be sticking around even AFTER Raven comes back, so hey, Yang and Ruby have their new "big sis" on the scene!
And as for Charmcaster, well it seems that her little quest to find certain runes seems to not be going well at this juncture. First, she's attacked by who knows what at that warehouse, and now she gets caught by the Omni-Hunters… only for the Creepers to crash the party. But why IS she going after all these runes… and DOES the God of Thunder have anything to do with this? Or is that just one big coincidence? We'll have to find out as the story continues, but I promise you… things are gonna be WILD.
Starting with NEXT CHAPTER! An all-out brawl ensues between the Omni-Hunters and the Creepers, with things being taken outside rather quickly. However, realizing that they could use all the help they can get, Gwen asks Charmcaster to give them a hand. Will the sorceress except… or will she leave the heroes to deal with the bruisers by themselves? Only time will tell, so make sure to tune in NEXT TIME to find out! Thanks for reading guys, and as always, stay safe out there!
