And we are back with chapter two of Blood Roses. When we ended back in the first chapter, Burudaku and eight Beacon initiates were starting to fight for their lives against a large horde of grimm. Time for the blood bath.

The sounds of gunfire, explosions, and grimm screams of pain and rage fill the air as the nine of us fight off the ever closing tide of darkness. Three loud caws draw my eyes to the sky. Ancient class nevermores. Of course this had to get harder. "Marksmen. Eyes in the sky, Ancient Nevermores in bound. Shoot them down, or if your feeling gutsy, cut them to ribbons." I call out focusing my attention back to the veritable tide in front of us. My gun overheats, forcing me to ditch it and switch to the shotgun. I see one of the Nevermores fall from the sky, bearing multiple cuts and bullet holes, crush a decent number of grimm under it.

Any ursa, beowulf, creep or tarantula that got to close was meet with 32 gauge to the face, coating myself in the erupting blood mist created. I hear the bull head drawing close as the second Nevermore falls to the ground dead. Backflip kicking the ursa in front of me away, I reload my gun and put a shell into the bear grimm. More explosions rock the ground as the bullhead fires its few missiles into the horde of grimm, followed by the dull roar of its twin mounted chain guns, punching inch wide holes into the last nevermore killing it as well.

The bullhead stops above us and opens the back hatch, deploying ropes for us to grab onto. "All Of You Get On That Bullhead Now!" I order, duplicating my shotgun and blowing away the head of two beowulfs at once. "What about you?!" the red cloak wearing initiates ask worriedly, as she puts a hole right between the eyes of an ursa. "I'll be fine. I'm rated as a grade five hunter, NOW MOVE!" I call/yell braining two creeps at once before dodging a pair of tarantulas that attacked from the side. I see her cast one last glance at me before scaling the rope to safety of the bullhead. As soon as the red headed spear fighter grabs ahold of the rope, my earpiece buzzes before a familiar voice comes through, "I'm removing that restriction. End them all." Emptying the remaining four shells in both shotguns, I toss them aside and pull two metal cylinders from my waist and ignite them. A blade of deep purple light erupts from the left, and from the right one a blade of vibrant crimson. Their low hum fills the air as they await their fill of death.

(Third person PoV, Bullhead)

The eight initiates watched as what they could only describe as a storm of purple, red and white over took the grimm that had threatened to over welm them only moments ago. Howls of pain and hatred filled the air as the grimm died in droves. A static fills the bay before the stranger's voice fhits their ears. "Sky Dragon, this is White Night, requesting That Thing. Over?"

"This is Sky Dragon, I read you loud and clear White Night. Deploying Project Midnight now. Give them Hell, Over." the pilot of the bullhead replies as a dull thum is heard from the outside of the bullhead. An long object falls to the ground and lands straight up, before discarding its upper half to reveal a four inch thick, eight foot long metal pole. The stranger dodges the grimm as he closes in on the pole, before grabbing it one handed. It springs to life as he flips away from the drop point, turning from a staff into a dual sided scythe that is black as night. From their spot above, they hear him yell, "COME AT ME YOU KRAUT BASTERDS!"

Then the carnage resumes and grimm limbs, blood, and bodies start flying through the air. In fifthteen minutes, the remaining grimm are fading from existence as their mutilated corpses evaporate, leaving the stranger alone amidst the field of blood and carnage. As the bullhead lands, the stranger slowly limps his way over, using the dual bladed scythe as a crutch. As Ruby gets ready to asks him questions, He stops her and says, "Questions later. I'm going to sleep."

(Back to Burudaku's PoV)

The Bullhead ride back to Beacon was uneventful and provided me a chance to take a much needed nap. The gentle jolt of the bullhead landing is what gets me moving around from my nap. Taking a quick glance at my hp bar shows that i'm at half health after my nap. It's better than being at mere hit points away from dying. Stepping out, me and the initiates are greeted by Ozpin and Glynda waiting for us. "Good work Mr. Daku. You have the rest of the day off." the headmaster says before dismissing me and talking to the initiates as I walk away.

I take my time crossing the quarter mile to the garage that Beacon had for students and staff. Since I'm technically staff, I'm allowed to keep my rig there. Pulling the keys from a secure pocket inside my coat, I climb into the driver seat and crank the ignition, causing the 'Warthog' as everyone seems to call it, to roar to life. Easing out of the garage, I'm stopped by Glynda, "Daku, your leaving already?" she asks. I nod my head and say, "Yep, can't do laundry or dishes if I stay around here. I also have another engagement to attend to over in Vauco." Glynda looks like she is thinking it over before coming to a decision. "Do you have room for one more?" she asks. "Yep, fair warning its a month and a half long trip." I reply already doing the mental calculations to figure out supplies needed. I gesture for her to climb, and she does so.

Finishing easing out of the parking lot, I pull up Ozpin's number and patch him into my ear piece. Going twenty five down the seven mile long road to Vale, Ozpin picks up, "Mr. Daku this is unexpected."

""I know, but I figured I better call you before I become unavailable for awhile. I'm headed down to Vauco and Glynda coming with me." I reply casting a quick glance at my passenger.

"I see. Any reason why she decided to come along?" he asks, curiosity slipping into his voice.

I let out a short laugh before replying, "Ozpin, we both know I can't answer that one without getting thrown from my own car."

He sighs over the call before saying, "Very well, anything else I can do for you?"

"Yeah, send me the entirety of Ruby Rose's file. There's something I want to check."
I can hear the suspicion in his voice as he says, "Of course Mr. Daku. I hope you and Glynda have a good trip." The line then goes dead as Ozpin hangs up. Slowing down, I open the center console and pull out a book of tapes and hand it to Glynda, saying, "Here, feel free to put whatever in." As she accepts it, I speed back up to thirty five this time. After a few minutes of silence I hear her put one of the tapes in followed by 'Take Me Home Country Roads' by John Denver come on. As the first few bars of the song play,I start to sing along to the song.

"Almost Heaven, West Virginia,"

"Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River,"

"Life is old there, older than the trees" as I finish the third line, I notice Glynda looking at me sideways, but pay it no mind.

"Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze"

"Country roads, take me home"

"To the place I belong"

"West Virginia, mountain mama"

"Take me home, country roads"

"All my memories gather round her"

"Miner's lady, stranger to blue water"

"Dark and dusty, painted on the sky"

"Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye"

"Country roads, take me home"

"To the place I belong"

"West Virginia, mountain mama"

"Take me home, country roads", finishing the line, I notice that Glynda is still looking at me in disbelief. I file it away to ask her when the song is over.

"I hear her voice, in the morning hour she calls me"

"The radio reminds me of my home far away"

"And driving down the road I get a feeling"

"That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday"

"Country roads, take me home"

"To the place I belong"

"West Virginia, mountain mama"

"Take me home, country roads"

"Country roads, take me home"

"To the place I belong"

"West Virginia, mountain mama"

"Take me home, country roads"

"Take me home, down country roads

"Take me home, down country roads" As the song ends, I ask Glynda, "What? First time hearing me sing along to a song?" She shakes her head and says, "First time I've heard you sing since you started doing work around Beacon. And I thought Peter was playing you up when he said you could sing." I laugh heartily at that, before saying, "If you think that was good, put in the one labeled 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' Now there's one I can do better." She smiles saying, "Oh I'll be the judge of that." The tape is ejected and in goes Bohemian Rhapsody. The moment Freddie Mercury starts to sing, I'm right there with him for every note and line. As the song ends, we roll into Vale and Glynda is staring in disbelief at the amazing performance I put on. I give her a shit eating grin as we pull into the apartment complex parking lot.

""Welcome to where I've been staying for the past few years," I say leading Glynda to my apartment. Opening the door reveals everything just as I left it. Books and papers covering three different tables all on history, myths, and things of such nature. The papers are things from earth concerning a multitude of government level leaked science secrets and conspiracy theories. I gather those up in to a bundle and stash it in my inventory as Glynda looks around the place. Leaving her to look about, I head into the kitchen and get any dishes in the sink into the washer and start it. Moving into the bedroom to get some stuff, I open my menu, pull half a million lien from storage, and toss it onto the bed before opening the closet. From the closet I pull out a large olive green steamer trunk and drag it into the main room, before going and grabbing the stack of lien of the bed where I tossed it.

Glynda cocks her head at the trunk as I walk back into the room. "If there's one thing I've learned traveling, its bring the green trunk. Now there's one thing left to do before we go stop by your place so you can grab essentials. Pay some bills." I say picking the trunk up and heading out the door to put the trunk in back of the rig. Trunk loaded, I head into the main office as Glynda leaves my apartment. Within forty five minutes of leaving the apartment complex where I live, me and Glynda are finally leaving Vale and out into the wilds, on our way to Vauco. Instead of her usual dress cape thing, whatever its called, glynda is wearing a pair of gray jeans, brown boots, and a purple t-shirt with a darkish white half sleeve jacket with her hair done in a braid similar to what I do. "Hey Glynda, can you take the wheel for a bit? I got to do something in back." I ask.

"It would be rude of me not to take the wheel after joining you." Glynda replies as I pull to the side of the dirt road and climb in to the back of the rig while Glynda takes the driver seat. The gentle acceleration up to around forty five is all I need to get started. Opening the trunk, I pull the parts of a massive rifle from their layered foam slots and begin assembling the one hundred twenty pound gun, starting with its vehicle mount parts. The sound of weapons parts sliding together and being bolted down draws Glynda's gaze to the rear view mirror to see what I'm doing. She focuses back on the road as I remove the muzzle brake from the trunk and attach it to the barrel. One last thing is needed to finish putting the .950 JDJ together, a box of ammo. Closing the trunk and securing it once more, I turn around and open a container with ten 36 round drum mags of HE rounds for it, alongside a ten round mag of standard lead.. Sliding the ten round mag home, I pull back the charging lever with a satisfying. Sla-chak. "Ahhhh, nothing gives satisfaction quite like that sound." I say out loud, handing a pair of earmuffs to Glynda, and wait for her to slip them on before I sight in a nevermore just a few miles out and gently squeeze the trigger.

With a mighty thump and a sla-chak, the nevermore fall from the sky and into the forest, no longer with head or most of its neck. Removing the mag, I tap Glynda's shoulder indicating she can remove the earmuffs. The first thing she says as the earmuffs fall around her neck is, "What in the Brother's name is that?" Storing the partly used mag away, locking down the gun, and climbing into the passenger seat I reply, "It's a .950 caliber semi automatic sniper rifle with a confirmed accuracy range of four miles and a hitting distance of five. The one I use is optimized for a max of four miles altogether. Guaranteed to rip through monsterius class Grimm armor in five rounds. The shells I use do it in two." she doesn't respond to that and instead focuses on navigating the dirt road as it starts to turn bumpy.

During the first two weeks of travel through the forest, me and Glynda make small talk and exchange a few jokes, fending of the occasional grimm attack. As we pull into a small town on the outskirts of the mountain border between Vale and Vauco, I pull a lightweight durable tan duster from behind my seat and hand it to Glynda saying, "The folks around here are a bit strange and dislike huntsmen. Put this on and don't say that your a huntress or use you semblance. There's a wide brimmed cowboy hat in the back, put it on as well and load the rifle. Stay alert." Pulling up to a fuel station, I turn off the car and hope out, donning my own tan duster. Glynda climbs into the back and does as I said to, putting on the hat and loading the rifle.

I signal for her to stay with the Rig while I head inside. "Blue! My good man! How you been?" the large boisterous, tanned, well built man named Dave asks, as I step inside. I give him a shrug and smile, saying, "I'm doing good. Hit a big score few weeks back and now I'm doing my yearly Vauco run. How are the Howlers this time around?" Dave just scowls and says, "Damned grimm are more active than ever. Bagged a big one just last night as it tried to get Mary." A look of surprise crosses my face before I say, "Damn Really? Their getting ballsy now days then cause me and my partner killed a pack of five, two days ago back in the forest." His eyes go wide before he composes himself, "I take it your here for the usual then?" I nod my head and say, "Yep. Fire and lighting dust, and some extra water before we cross the desert."

He claps a hand on my shoulder saying, "Gotcha, and take care of your partner out there. She's quite the looker if I do say so." We both give a hearty laugh and settle down before I pull out a thousand lien and hand it over. He reaches behind the counter and sets a 3 by 3 by 3 crate of fire and lightning dust on the counter alongside two cases of water bottles. I put the water bottles on top of the dust and say, "Take care Dave, and tell the rest of the folks to take care." As I leave the station interior. Setting the Dust into the back of my rig, I notice Glynda seems less than happy. Moving the water off to the side I grab four vials each of both dust types as well as two vials of Ice dust I keep in the back. Popping open the hood of our ride, I remove the old almost fully spent fire and lightning dust vials and pop the new ones in. I then open the cap to the Ice dust chamber and carefully pour it in so that I don't overfill the specialized tank. Closing the hood, I hope into the driver seat, start the engine and drive out of town.

About a quarter of a mile after leaving town, I ask Glynda, "Hey, grumpy pants. What's wrong?" I can hear her sigh dejectedly before answering, "I'm wondering why I chose to join you on this trip. All the other teachers said that when ever you went somewhere with them, it was like reliving their younger days as hunters in training. Yet I've barely felt that spark."

"Glynda, let me tell you something. I've been here for seven years. Seven long years of searching. In that time I've meet a lot of people, and I've never seen someone dedicated to their job as you are. The fact is, you've grown so dedicated to your job that you've forgotten how to slow down and enjoy the ride. You get what I'm saying?" I say, hitting a series of turns and a jump, that elicits a squeal from Glynda as we fly through the air and crush a howler as we land and speed off. She doesn't respond for a while, thinking on what I've just told her. Only when we camp for the first night in the desert, does she finally answer. "I have come to terms with what you said and realize. Your right. It's just…...Sigh...I can't talk about it."

I let out a chuckle saying, "Get some rest, I'll take the first watch."

As Glynda Lays down in front of our modest little campfire, I wait till she's asleep then pull out a photo from seven years ago. It shows a wide open plain with a ruined city in the distance. In the center is a massive dead mutated wasp with me on its head and Kuriha, Afra-sys, and Yukki off on either side of its head. Letting out a small quiet sigh, I put the picture back where I pulled it from and whisper to myself, "One day guys, I'll be back."

And there you have it guys, chapter two. Yes I used 'Country Roads' because I thought it fit the drive down to Vale. No, I don't own the song of course. I know that Burudaku and Glynda's relationship is really weird, and I will be expanding on it in later chapters so bear with me on it for now. And when we come back, expect a mad race to Vauco.