STRMSRGE

STRMSRGE (or storm surge) is the name of a special forces squad created after the merging of Team STRM and Team CRSE. They are the eight protagonists of Volume 4 of The Coming Storm, and lead Siren Academy's fight against the Cold Void group after their hostile takeover of Xervia.

Founding
In Volume 3 of The Coming Storm, extremist group Cold Void invaded the city. They planted Dust-fueled charges all along Xervia's outer wall, and during the final round of the Vytal Festival tournament—when everyone had their attention redirected to their screens due to the death of a certain android—they detonated the bombs, completely encasing the outermost buildings and exits in thick layers of ice, killing dozens of people in the process and taking control of the districts surrounding the academy. Teams STRM and CRSE worked with the rest of their fellow students to evacuate everyone who survived toward their school, where they set up camps and medical tents to train and care for the survivors.

It hadn't been more than a week when Team CRSE's leader, Canaan Vogel, treaded into enemy territory against his teammates' wishes, hoping to negotiate the release of their city and the surrender of Cold Void. His plan fell through, and the group took him hostage. They summoned Siren's population to a neutral territory the day after, and gave the staff and students an ultimatum. Either they relinquish control of the academy—which would lead to the collapse and complete take over of Xervia—or Canaan would be executed. Canaan exclaimed he was no longer afraid to die for a good cause, pouring out his feelings to his fellow teammates one last time. However, despite the headmaster's willingness to comply, Cold Void's second-in-command saw his true feelings as a sign of weakness, and promptly ran her blade through his black, killing him. Canaan's death made him a martyr and started a civil war between Siren Academy and Cold Void, leading to the events of Volume 4.

In the early days of The Fight for Xervia, Teams STRM and CRSE's morale was at an all-time low, now that they had lost their most valuable team player and friend. A long talk with Professor Wolfgang made them realize there was no point in dwelling on the past when their entire future was at stake. Thus, with their headmaster's supervision, the seven merged their teams and dubbed themselves STRMSRGE, as a warning to Cold Void that their voices would always be heard.

Members
Saige Cristallo - Previously she was the leading member of Team STRM and carried with her a calm demeanor in any stressful situation. After witnessing the fall of her home, and the death of one of her closest friends, she's taken a much more serious attitude and finds little to smile about these days. Now she leads STRMSRGE as their primary tactician and the head of the charge. Tara Rhys - She was the strength of Team STRM and discovered companionship through her teammates. Seeing one friend's death made her realize that the best people aren't around forever, motivating her to train harder than ever before for the fight against Cold Void. Tara's fiery temper, skill with a polearm, and steely determination make her a formidable opponent in battle, and not one to be trifled with lest they search for an early death. Raine Shiba - He was Team STRM's greatest point of motivation, someone who always looked on the bright side of things. Even in the dark times they live now, he still tries to be optimistic about the future and what may come. Raine knows to preserve his way of life that he'll have to fight harder than he ever has before, and as such has trained himself to become Siren Academy's most talented archer. Macy Anumati - Back when she first joined Team STRM, she had bright hopes for the future and looked at everything with sparkling eyes. That sparkle has since faded with the death of a teammate and close friend, and now she carries a calmer, wiser demeanor with her that can reassure anyone everything will be okay in the darkest of times. Her fighting style hasn't changed, but the way she uses her weapons has significantly improved. Shark Zabka - His intelligence was a defining factor in the way Team CRSE strategized and took down their enemies; his cool head kept him at ease with the world and helped him believe everything was attainable if he reached out far enough. Now that the city has become a battleground, Shark finds he has to keep cool and fight for his life at the same time which has proven to be no easy task. Least to say, his skill with a blade has become especially deadly. Ringo Alexander - Even before Siren became their base of operations, Ringo didn't open up to people, and found himself a lone wolf type who preferred to get things done by himself. Now that his partner is dead, he's learned to accept the people who are there for him, and fight alongside them against their new foes. He's spent the months since they formed STRMSRGE perfecting his ability to wield a scythe and has possibly become Cold Void's most dangerous opponent. Evelyn Scarborough - Evelyn always had an appreciation for the finer things in life and never expected anything less than the best. Now that Xervia's fallen and resources are limited, she learned to work with what she was given, and utilize it to the best of her ability. Her footwork has improved dramatically since Xervia's fall, and anyone who dares to challenge her on the battlefield will find themselves the recipient of a swift demise. Guadalupe Wolfgang - The Headmaster of Siren Academy never thought his job would be anything more than meetings with the city council, addressing students at the beginning of every semester, or disciplining delinquents who so much as even thought about causing trouble in his school. Once it set in that people were going to die on his watch, Professor Wolfgang put his focus into overdrive on training every student before him, and won't stop until they're on par if not better than the Atlesian military.

Relationships
Saige and Ringo - Tara and Shark - Raine and Macy -

Trivia

 * STRMSRGE was formed shortly after the Fall of Beacon.
 * The team's name is based on a storm surge, a tsunami-like event where the water rises far beyond what is expected. It has been pinpointed as the leading cause of death during disasters such as cyclones or hurricanes.
 * As storms are commonly associated with the color gray, the name continues to follow Monty Oum's CNR.