War Of The Grimm Forum Chapter 2: Red Like Roses

The map programmed into the scroll's GPS gave an image of Norman's village and the surrounding area, including the field that Ruby had supposedly fought in. "First the village, then the field" Ciar thought as he looked over the map. Jaune had explained that Ren had two teams near the area on a search-and-destroy mission, providing the four with potential back-up. Jaune had also included a report about some mysterious masked men seen in the area; seeking out the group and getting surveillance was a secondary objective. Ciar had been so focused on reading the scroll that he didn't hear the shrill whine of a projectile hurtling towards them. "S**t, INCOMING!" "Evade, evade!" The Bullhead's pilots tried desperately to dodge the round but to no avail. The right engine was obliterated in the explosion, loud sirens further reinforcing the loss. Ciar struggled to stay in the craft as the VTOL lurched and began rapidly descending into the forested area below them. "We're not gonna make it!" the co-pilot yelled, frantically flipping all manner of switches, trying to at least ease the crippled bird down. "Brace for impact!" the pilot yelled back, moments before the front end of the Bullhead slammed into the ground. 

"Just my luck, crashing in the middle of nowhere" Ciar thought to himself as he regained conscientiousness. Slowly lifting himself up and checking for any injuries (miraculously, there were none), he began dragging out his comrades away from the wreckage and out into the open air.  Bandaging any injuries and securing what was left of their supplies, Ciar moved to the cockpit to check the pilots. What he saw made his stomach churn. A branch the size of Ciar's arm (presumably from one of the trees they'd hit) had lodged itself in the pilot's chest while the co-pilot's head had been smashed against the instrument panel, his skull crushed. Ciar had seen some gruesome things, his last two team mates getting ripped to shreds by Grimm was one of them, but it never got easier seeing people die brutal deaths. Securing what little he could from their corpses, Ciar moved back to his companions. Eryn and Norman were already up, battered and bruised but up. Brenin was still unconscious, likely a result of being so close to the blown engine. As he began checking her over for any severe injuries, Ciar felt a gust of wind brush past him. Only this wind was not normal. On this wind came a message and the image of a red-and-black cloaked figure. "I'm waiting, Ciar. Can you find what so many have looked for?" The message carried a hint of sorrow and disappointment in its tone, but also something else. Anger. Ciar knew who the message was from and he swore to Dust that he'd take up the challenge.

Checking the GPS on his scroll, Ciar saw a small clearing with a pond in the centre. "Eryn, look after Brenin. Gonna go check something out" he said as he got up and walked off. What had caught his eye about this particular clearing was the fact that there appeared to be people in the clearing. He wouldn't have seen them if it wasnt for the constantly updating GPS. It took him around forty five minutes to reach the clearing; Ciar scrambled to cover as he heard voices. Peering over the log he'd hidden behind, he saw several men in strange uniforms. To his surprise, the looked almost identical to the old White Fang uniforms with the exception of them being pitch black. The masks fully covered the face, black with red vertical lines where the eyes were. Whoever these guys were, they definitely weren't White Fang. "Hurry up and grab what water you can. The lady is waiting" The order came from who Ciar presumed to be their leader; the others just responded with quiet nods. Ciar watched for several minutes longer as the men went about their business before departing. "Eryn, as soon as Brenin gets up lock onto my scroll and get to my position. I think I found the guys who shot us down" he said as he silently moved to follow. Whoever these guys were, they might lead Ciar to the answers he needed. Maybe even Ruby herself.

To say that the village had been hit by a Grimm attack was an understatement. The place had been levelled. Many houses and buildings were nothing more than shattered stone and wood, with those still standing looking like they were very close to falling over. What caught Ciar's eye, however, was the commotion in the village centre. Two jet-black Bullheads were surrounded by men wearing the same uniforms he'd seen earlier. Many of them had firearms; an assortment of both pistols and automatics combined with a few blades held by what Ciar assumed were officers. Focusing on the first Bullhead, Ciar's eyes widened as he saw several prisoners, who he presumed were Norman's fellow villagers, tied up and guarded by two burly looking men with what looked like pike-rifles. Near the other Bullhead, Ciar saw what looked like cases filled with large black canisters; filled with what he wasn't sure. 

Hearing a loud drone, Ciar looked above him and saw yet another dropship approach the area. To his surprise, the new arrival wasn't a Bullhead but a dropship, one of the models used by the Atlesian military. This one was also painted black, but on its fuselage was painted a symbol similar to that of the White Fang, only the image was blood red. "Gotta give them points for originality" Ciar thought sarcastically. He instantly focused once he saw the occupants exit the rear of the craft. The first two were dressed in black, similar to their comrades, but with light armour at various vulnerable points. Their masks looked high-tech, with the same black colouring but with four red lenses extended slightly from the front. Their weapons were the most interesting. They both had scythes, much in the same build as Ruby's only painted black to much their colours. The blades, however, were an eerie snow white that ended up making the weapons look like something out of a nightmare. Behind them, a woman walked out. She seemed to be young, not much older than Ciar. She wore a flowing black cloak with white Eastern floral patterns running down the right side. Her attire appeared to be much more lightweight, with her top exposing her midriff while also being covered by carbon-coloured plating. She wore sleek black pants that ended in hight-heeled boots. Her face was covered by a mask as well, only this one was half-white and half-black with three red slashes running diagonally across the front. She reached up to remove the mask, Ciar's breath held in anticipation. The face that met Ciar made his jaw drop. Long flowing black hair spilled down across the cloak. One eye was straight red while the other was hazel. Purple eye shadow gracefully spread out from under her eyes. Ciar couldn't believe what he was saying. He'd come to find Ruby Rose but instead he'd found another piece of the puzzle that was Team RWBY. Standing below him, commanding a group of darkly dressed figures, was Blake Belladonna herself.  

"Hello? Ciar, is that you?" Ren's voice crackled through the scroll much to Ciar's relief. "Yeah, its me. Listen, can you pick us up? Our Bullhead got shot down and we're stranded. We'll set up a signal at the crash site so you can meet us" Ciar heard Ren chuckle to himself on the other end. "Yeah, we have a spare Bullhead with us. We'll be there. Anything you want me to relay to Jaune?" Ciar had forgot that Ren's little forward base had direct line to Beacon, a godsend in this case. "Uh, yeah. Tell him we found Blake. Shes...uh...She's not on our side" Ciar was met with silence for several second before finally getting nothing more than an understood. Hanging up the scroll, Ciar turned to Norman and Eryn, who watched him expectantly. "Come on, lets get back to the crash. Ren's gonna meet us there and Brenin's probably waiting for us too"

Sure enough, it wasn't long until a Bullhead loaded with Ren and his men approached Ciar's position. Touching down, the squad of Atlesian soldiers spread out as Ren. "Good to see you Ren" Ciar said, reaching out for a handshake. "Good to see you too, my friend. I hope what happened with Blake didn't cause you too much trouble" Ren said, reciprocating the gesture. After helping grab what they could from the site (including the bodies of both pilots), the Bullhead flew back to Beacon Academy. As the craft lifted off, Ciar could have sworn he saw a shower of rose petals in the trees below them; both black and red. "So, you were looking after Brenin and watching us? Thanks" Ciar thought as he looked out the window. He smiled when he swore he heard what sounded like a childish giggle on the wind, along with a "You're welcome" As the craft flew back, Ciar went over everything he had to tell Jaune. He knew right than and there that it was going to be a long week.

(Continued in chapter 3. Reply below to tell me what you think so far and any recommendations or criticisms you guys might have)