Chapter 11: The Clans
"-are telling us to watch out for heavy rainstorms this weekend. Back to you, Wanda."
"Thanks, Tom. In other news, it's been one week since General James Ironwood of Atlas was hospitalized for injuries he sustained in a small town in the Kingdom of Vale. Although he made a rapid recovery, the events that led to his condition remained unknown until today. Just an hour ago, the General released a statement to all Kingdoms of Remnant, stating that his injuries were a result of an insurrection in the Atlas military. One side remains loyal to the General, and the insurrection is being led by one Major Gideon. The split began when Gideon attacked the General and disappeared. Current whereabouts of these disgraced soldiers are unknown, although it is speculated that they have spread themselves across the Kingdoms. Each Council has enlisted the aid of Huntsmen and Huntresses and urge citizens who know anything to call the-"
"Oliver!"
A pig-eared Faunus wearing jeans and an overcoat turned off his Scroll and looked to his partners, two other pig-eared Faunus who were standing next to three metal cases with the Mistralian symbol on each one. "Sorry, got distracted," said Oliver. He began walking over to the containers and turned to one of his partners. "Will, keep a lookout."
The one named "Will" picked up a rifle off one the cases and and walked over to where Oliver was a moment ago. He quickly looked back and asked a question. "This gonna take long?"
"I just need to see how much we have," Oliver replied. "I'll be less than a minute."
Will looked away to see trees of various heights. At the moment, the trio had travelled a half mile away from the city of Mistral. Their reason for traveling this far was to examine the Dust they had stolen from three Dust stores in the city. Oliver had just opened all three to see what kind of Dust they acquired.
"Alright, looks like most of it is raw crystal. We got Fire... Ice... Hey, we even got some of that new Wind Dust!" Oliver took out a long green crystal.
"Perfect," said his other partner with a laugh. "This'll have a handsome price underground. How many green crystals do you see?"
"Ah, looks like one in each crate," said Oliver. "Danny, how much Lien do you figure all of this will earn us?"
"I'd say a few hundred each," said Danny.
"Okay not bad." Oliver looked at each crate. "Alright, we should hide them somewhere safe. Will, give us a hand."
The trio grabbed one case each and Oliver began to walk deeper into the woods. He turned back to tell his partners about a hideout he made, only to find them burying their cases under straw and sticks.
"Guys... what the hell are you doing?" Oliver asked his partners.
Will looked up. "You said you wanted to hide these crates," he said. "I found some straw used to store the crystals, now I can use it to hide my crate."
"Straw sticks out, man," said Danny. "We can pile them in sticks and make them blend in better."
Oliver was dumbfounded by his partners' newly discovered stupidity. Straw and sticks? What the hell were they thinking?
"Or... we could hide them in the brick cabin," Oliver said with a facepalm. "Y'know, the one I built to lay low for days like this?"
Will and Danny looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. "Oh. Right." The duo began to dig out their cases as Oliver facepalmed himself again.
"Seriously... the hell's wrong with-?"
A metal arrow suddenly flew into Oliver's right leg, causing him to fall to the ground and scream.
"Oh, shit!"
Danny pulled out a pistol from behind his back and Will raised his rifle. They scanned the trees but didn't see anything.
"Where'd it come from?!" Will screamed.
"I didn't see!" yelled Danny. "I'm going to help Oliver, cover me!" Danny ran over to his partner as Will kept his eyes and weapon locked on the trees.
After a few seconds, Will turned around. "How's he-?" Will suddenly stopped talking as he felt something wrap around his leg. The wire suddenly pulled and Will fell to the ground, dropping his rifle in the process. He tried to grab it again, but he was pulled deeper in the woods.
As Danny lost sight of his partner, he fired three shots into the trees. "Come... Come on out!" he yelled as cold sweat began to roll down his head. He tried to keep calm, he needed to control the situation if he was going to leave alive.
But as soon as he saw a chrome Mandalorian walk out from behind a bush, he knew the situation was out of his control. But that didn't stop him from trying.
"Stay... Stay back!" Danny fired two more shots at the Mandalorian, but they merely bounced off his chest plate. As soon as they hit him, the Mandalorian drew his pistol and fired a red bolt at his target's arm. As soon as his pistol hit the ground, the Mandalorian knocked his enemy unconscious. He then turned to Oliver.
"You... You bastard!" Oliver yelled.
The Mandalorian responded by kicking the Faunus in the face, knocking him unconscious in the process. "It's clear," the Mandalorian said as kneeled down to the Faunus.
A young girl stepped out of the woods with a bow and a quiver on her back. "Was that all of them?" she asked the Mandalorian.
"All three, just like they said," the Mandalorian replied. He had just pulled out the arrow from his target's leg and tied a bandana around the wound to keep it from bleeding. "Nice shot, you're getting better with that," he said as he handed her the arrow.
"Thanks," the girl said as she took her arrow back. "It's just like you taught me, only with a different weapon."
"I told you it would be fine if you remembered your training. So, what did you think?"
"Once you know what you're doing, bounty hunting isn't that difficult."
"It gets easier with experience. We should get back to the ship. It's time we get what we were promised."
It had been a week since Din Djarin and Cinder were quested to find the mysterious "Ozma." In that time, the clan of two had been working harder than they were before. Cinder began to learn how strong the Power of Old actually was. Once a day, she would try to expand her abilities, and had progressed to performing feats such as summoning small storm clouds and flying in the air. Djarin had taken his role as Cinder's caretaker more seriously, as he began training her to prepare for the real world. Her lesson today was bounty hunting, and she was Djarin's backup.
In regards to their quest, they had a decent plan. Their first step was an idea proposed by Djarin; they knew nothing about Ozma, but other Mandalorians might be able to guide them on their journey. Not having any other ideas where to start, Cinder quickly agreed.
They searched the Kingdom of Vale, but as far as the people were concerned, the only known Mandalorians were the Children of the Watch. So, the clan of two's search led them to the Kingdom of Mistral. And as luck would have it, the proper authorities knew of two clans that lived outside the city of Mistral. They were willing to tell the duo where they were, in exchange for their assistance.
Just that morning, three Faunus had robbed three Dust shops and escaped outside the city. The deal was simple; if the Mandalorian brought the thieves alive, they would tell him where his people were. Djarin saw this as a good opportunity for Cinder to train with her new weapon and for her to taste the experience of bounty hunting. Now, they were standing inside a police station with the thieves.
A police officer in a brown and white uniform looked up from the front desk to see the duo and the thieves. Djarin was holding two of them while Cinder had one of her swords against the third's back. "Wow, that was fast," he said.
"They weren't hard to find," said Cinder.
The police officer turned to two other officers. "Take them to the holding cells."
The thieves were immediately brought to a holding cell a few feet away from the front desk. The particular cell was occupied by a wolf Faunus, who was having a good look at his new cellmates. He clenched his fist as soon as the door closed.
The police officer turned to the duo. "You sure you don't want the reward?" he asked for reassurance. "The people these thieves stole from could pay you handsomely for returning that Dust."
"All I want is what we agreed to," Djarin replied.
"Alright, suit yourself." The police officer leaned closer to the bounty hunter. "If you really want to know, the people you're looking for are in the mountains west of the city."
"You've seen them?"
The officer looked at his computer and typed on the keyboard. He then turned the screen towards the duo, which had an image of three Mandalorians in black armor with orange accents. "This is from a surveillance video a few days back. We heard explosions from the mountain and we found them."
"Explosions?" Cinder asked.
"Yeah, that's another thing. It seemed they were... fighting each other. More accurately, there was another group in different armor fighting this one."
Cinder and Djarin looked at each other. Djarin had told Cinder that the clans were divided, but this was actually the first time he would see different clans fighting amongst each other. Going to see them was starting to sound like a bad idea. On the other hand... they didn't have much of a choice.
"Well... thank you," said Cinder. "We should be going now." Djarin nodded and they both made their way to the door.
"Mando, wait." Djarin turned back to the police officer. "Look, I don't wanna butt into your business, but I don't think you should be bringing a kid up there."
"Wherever I go, she goes," Djarin replied.
Cinder looked to the police officer and nodded.
"...Alright. Just be careful, kid."
Djarin had flown the Razor Crest to the base of the mountain. He and Cinder exited the ship and looked up to see a path that continued into a vast field of trees. The hike would be arduous, so they needed to be prepared.
Cinder looked up at Djarin. "What's the plan?" she asked calmly.
"We don't know who these clans are or why they're fighting each other," Djarin answered. "We should observe the first one we find and learn what we can."
"You think one of them could lead us to Ozma?"
"It's a long shot, but it's our only shot."
"After you." Cinder gestured to the woods. Djarin began walking, with Cinder following behind him.
The path ended about ten minutes after they began walking, but the duo continued to move through the woods. The trees were thick and close together, they even blocked out most of the sunlight. They weren't worried about getting lost, they could always fly up a tree to survey the land or teleport back to the ship. Djarin's real concern was the possibility about someone hiding in the trees, waiting to ambush them. But his thermal sensor showed that each tree was vacant.
They stopped to rest after they found a small cave. Cinder made a fire using her powers while Djarin kept watch. It had been an hour since they started their journey, and Cinder was already bored out of her mind. If she knew it would take this long, she would have brought her book. She had already read most of it, but she liked re-reading it every once in a while. So, she decided to pass the time by talking to Djarin. "I'm almost done with the book you gave me."
Djarin turned around and walked to the fire. "What do you think?" he asked.
"I really like it. I've read about the claiming of Mandalore, the discovery of Beskar, and how the island was divided evenly between the clans. Thanks for letting me read it."
"You're welcome."
"But there's one thing I don't understand."
Djarin sat down. "Which is?"
"When I read about the clans, I couldn't find anything about our clan. You know, the Children of the Watch?"
Djarin shifted his position before he continued talking. "Well... most Mandalorians don't consider us a 'clan.'"
Cinder tilted her head, confused by this idea. "What do you mean?"
"...You've read about the Way of the Mandalore, haven't you?"
"Well... I glanced over it yesterday. I was too tired to read the whole thing."
"I was taught the Way of the Mandalore was a code that was founded around the same time as Mandalore. Our ancestors followed it to the letter, each day they fought and survived. But things changed. Apparently, each clan began to diverge from the Way. They changed their rules in various ways, but one thing they all changed was showing their faces."
Cinder looked into the fire when he said this. Out of all the things she learned about the Mandalorians, this was the one idea that unnerved her. Hiding your face from everyone you meet? It seemed like they were... ashamed of showing it. It's like they were isolating themselves from the world. At first, Cinder thought it was a small price to pay for having a home. But now... she wasn't so sure.
"Why do you do it?" she asked.
"Do what?" Djarin replied.
"Hide your face. Are you... ashamed to show it?"
"It's not a matter of shame, Cinder. It's a matter of loyalty." Cinder looked up at Djarin as he continued. "You know, there's one passage in that book that sticks out to me. It's that Mandalore was founded on the idea that we're not like the rest of the world. The ancient Mandalorians believed they didn't belong in each Kingdom, so they left to make themselves a new identity. This helmet shows that our loyalty is to our people and the Way. We give our allegiance to no Kingdom. But when other clans began to break more of the rules, and during the Great War, some of them broke away from Mandalorian society, to restore the ancient way. And they did."
"That... kind of makes sense," said Cinder. "Everything... except your name. Why do you call yourselves 'the Watch?'"
"The first Children of the Watch left Mandalore to spread a message. The Kingdoms could take our home, they could win the war. But one thing they couldn't do was break us, kill us all. The founders of our clan would move place to place, watching each Kingdom to spread this message. No matter where we are, we would always be watching."
"..."
Cinder was speechless. Djarin's description was very detailed, and it explained a lot. She respected why the Children of the Watch did what they did, and she respected Djarin's loyalty to the Mandalorians. But there was still one thing bothering her.
"Mando... that makes a lot of sense," said Cinder. "But I just have one question. If you take off your helmet, does that mean you'll be killed?"
"No," said Djarin. "It means I can't wear this armor again."
Cinder moved closer to him. "Even if one person sees your face?"
"Yes."
"You shouldn't need to do that." She slowly moved her hands. "You may not have been born on Mandalore, but you've done a lot to show that you'll always be one of their kind." She gently held his helmet. "Removing this won't change anything."
"..."
Djairn was listening, and he didn't stop her. She slowly began to lift the helmet.
"You're still you."
She lifted more. Just as she began to see his chin, Djarin gently grasped her hands. "...I can't," he said.
Cinder quickly lowered her arms. "I'm... I'm sorry," she apologized, afraid that she offended him.
Djarin put a hand on her shoulder. "...I'm sorry too."
The small fire died down, leaving nothing but ashes and glowing sticks. Djarin decided that their break was over and walked out of the cave. Cinder walked up behind him and spoke once again.
"I don't think we're making a lot of progress on foot," she said.
"I can take us back to the Crest," said Djarin. "Maybe we can spot them from-"
*BOOM*
An explosion knocked Cinder and Djarin to the ground. They quickly recovered and drew their weapons. But once they examined their surroundings, the duo couldn't see anything that could have caused the explosion.
"Where'd that come from?" Cinder asked.
Before Djarin could answer, the cracks of gunfire came from behind them, on top of a hill. They could see a group of black-armored Mandalorians shooting at a group of white-armored Mandalorians. The white-armored Mandalorians had narrow visors and two antennas on their helmets while the black-armored Mandalorians looked like members of the Children of the Watch and Clan Wren.
"It's them," said Cinder. She began to move up the hill to get a closer look at the battle.
"No, wait!" Djarin said as he quickly grabbed her arm. He explained his actions once she turned around. "We don't know why they're fighting. We shouldn't get involved yet."
Cinder looked to her left and saw a thick bush in between two large trees. "They won't see us in there," she whispered. Djarin nodded and they quickly ran behind the bush. They peeked their heads just above eye level to observe the battle.
The black-armored Mandalorians seemed to be the superior force as they were repelling the white-armored Mandalorians down the hill. One of them pressed his finger to his helmet and called for reinforcements, but it looked like they would be finished off before any arrived.
Cinder leaned closer to her guardian as they watched. "Have you ever seen anything like this?" she curiously asked.
"No, but I've heard about disputes among other clans," Djarin answered honestly. "This might be about territory."
"Are you sure? It shouldn't be too hard for them to find another place if this is taken."
"You'd be surprised. But this might be about something else. Either way, we shouldn't-"
"Reinforcements coming!"
Cinder and Djarin quickly shifted their attention to a group of soldiers coming behind the white-armored Mandalorians. A very familiar group of soldiers.
Djarin was the first to realize who they were. "Those are-"
"The rogue soldiers from Nevarro?" Cinder asked. "What are they doing here?"
The insurrectionists raised their rifles and fired at the black-armored Mandalorians. Each of their shots hit their chests and helmets, Wind Dust sending them flying to the ground and crashing into trees. As they fell, their bodies were being stripped of their armor by either the insurrectionists or the white-armored Mandalorians.
Cinder and Djarin looked at each other, both having the same realization that something was very wrong with this turn of events. And that now was the time to act.
"We found our side," said Cinder.
"For now," Djarin said as he took his rifle off his back. "Stay here and cover me. If you need to use your powers, use them."
Cinder pressed her swords together to form her bow and took out an arrow. Djarin stepped out with his rifle and fired at the first insurrectionist he saw.
Once he disintegrated, the others turned around to face their new enemy. A white-armored Mandalorian raised his rifle, but a Beskar arrow hit his throat before he could fire.
The black-armored Mandalorians saw what was happening and quickly decided to help Djarin. Their new focus was on the reinforcements so the enemy clan would be outnumbered. Besides, fighting enemies with Beskar would be difficult with their arsenal.
Djarin unleashed a swarm of whistling birds at the Mandalorians and they all twisted and turned in an effort to avoid the projectiles. Unfortunately this left them open to arrows and Djarin's rifle.
Cinder's aim was true with each shot, she was sure to aim at any exposed piece of flesh under the armor. Some of her shots deflected due to her targets having an Aura, but those who didn't met an unfortunate end. Most children her age would be shocked and perhaps traumatized at the sight of people dying. But after shooting Jacques Schnee and helping Djarin fight, the sight didn't scare her anymore. By travelling with him, this was the life she chose; kill or be killed.
"Fall back! Fall back!"
The white-armored Mandalorians began to flee and take to the air. The insurrectionists followed them, away from their enemies. As Cinder began to reclaim her arrows, Djarin spoke with his new allies. He helped an injured Mandalorian stand up and walk over to his allies. "Thank you, brother," he said.
"You're welcome," Djarin replied. "But... you have me mistaken."
The injured Mandalorian looked at Djarin and saw his signet. Djarin also got a look at a symbol on his helmet, it looked like a wolf of some kind. A Beowolf, from the looks of it.
A female Mandalorian looked to see Djarin carrying the wounded Mandalorian. "You're not one of us," she said to him.
"Not exactly," Djarin confirmed. "I'm Din Djarin, a Child of the Watch."
"Oh. One of them."
Cinder ran up to Djarin and the two Mandalorians. "What's the matter?" she asked, annoyed that someone was disrespecting Djarin. "Something wrong being like him?"
Before the female Mandalorian could reply, the injured Mandalorian put a hand on her shoulder. "Stop," he said. "They just saved our lives."
His ally sighed before speaking again. "I'm sorry, this was just... unexpected," she said, still surprised that this wasn't her last day on Remnant after all. "Thank you for helping us." Cinder smiled and nodded.
Djarin laid the injured man on a tree and turned to the female Mandalorian. "What happened here?" he asked. "Who were those Mandalorians you were fighting?"
"The Saxon Clan," she replied. "They've been fighting us for days up here. But if we hurry, we might be able to relocate."
"How come they were fighting with the Atlas rogues?" Cinder asked. "We've met them before, and they don't seem to like Mandalorians."
"The Saxon Clan is a group of mercenaries now. The rogues are paying their leader to help them claim any Beskar they can find."
The injured Mandalorian spoke up. "You took a big risk helping us," he noted. "Why are you here?"
"We've been searching for more of our kind," Djarin replied. "We came for guidance."
"Guidance?" the female asked. "I'm not sure how we can help you there. But since you helped us... I guess the least we can do is let you talk to our leader."
The Mandalorians led Djarin and Cinder to a canyon in the mountain, where multiple tents and small huts were set up. More black-armored Mandalorians and a few dark green-armored ones were all minding their own business. Some of them were conducting target practice while others were talking among each other. The two things they had in common were the Beowolf signets and orange accents on their armor.
A few Mandalorians saw their approach and the woman explained their situation. They took the injured Mandalorian to have his wounds treated while the uninjured Mandalorians walked with him. This left the female to lead the duo to her leader, who was at a table with a large map. "Hey, Vad," she said.
The one called "Vad" turned around, a Mandalorian wearing gray armor with orange accents and a few scratches. His helmet and shoulders had the Beowolf signet on them. "I need to talk to you," the woman continued.
Vad turned to look at Djarin and Cinder, then looked back to the woman. She nodded, which told him that she wanted to talk about them. He walked away with her, leaving the duo to look at the settlement. This led to Cinder and Djarin making a startling realization.
Cinder looked up at Djarin. "Have you noticed-?"
"I did," said Djarin. "There's only a dozen Mandalorians here... at least."
"How can it be this bad?" Cinder asked. Djarin's village had three times this number.
Before he answered, Djarin noticed the Mandalorians from before returning. "Seems like we're about to find out."
The duo stopped in front of Djarin as their leader spoke. "Lash tells me you helped save her and our friends against the Saxon Clan," he said. "She also told me you're a Child of the Watch."
"We both are," said Djarin. Cinder held out her necklace to show that she was a Foundling. "And you are?"
"Vad of Clan Eldar," he introduced himself. "I'm more or less in charge here, our last leader passed when the Saxon Clan first attacked us."
"We heard the Saxon Clan is being paid to help the Atlas rogues exterminate your clan. Is that true?"
"Well, it's our best guess. They mercilessly attacked us and claimed the armor of our brothers and sisters. It seems they want any Beskar they can find, and the Saxon Clan agreed to help them."
"Doesn't sound like they'd sell out their own kind for free," said Cinder. "Or they're just trying to save themselves."
"Seems that way," said Djarin. He turned back to Vad Eldar. "How long have they been hunting you?"
"A week," said Vad. He looked over the Mandalorians of his clan. "But we'll survive. We always do."
"Given your numbers, that sounds easier said than done." Djarin looked around once more, observing the dozen Mandalorians Clan Eldar had been reduced to. "How did things get this bad?"
Vad sighed as he sat in a chair at his table. "You have Gar Saxon to thank for that. We've held our own with hunting parties three times the size of the one you helped today. But things changed once Gar Saxon stopped hiding."
The one called "Lash" pressed a button on her gauntlet and a video screen appeared. Playing the video, Djarin and Cinder saw Clan Eldar locked in combat with Clan Saxon and the Atlas rogues. As Vad described, Clan Eldar had a vastly superior force compared to both the rogues and Clan Saxon. They seemed to be falling back, heading back into the forest. But as they did, a Mandalorian in red and white armor walked towards the large militia. He was unarmed, and just stood in place while Clan Eldar approached them.
They all raised their rifles and pistols and prepared to fire while the Mandalorian simply raised his hands above his head. Just as they reached for the sky, a white orb appeared in between his hands. The orb began to fire multiple bolts of electricity, hitting each member of Clan Eldar in their chests. The attack forced them to remain mobile and let out bloodcurdling screams. Just when they thought the video couldn't get any worse, Cinder and Djarin saw the armor the Mandalorians wore slowly begin to disintegrate. Along with the armor, the warriors inside were turned to dust. The video stopped and the members of Clan Eldar looked back at their allies.
"...His Semblance?" Djarin assumed.
"I'm afraid so," Vad replied. "Once he locks onto any kind of Beskar, Gar Saxon turns it to ash."
"And he calls himself 'Mandalorian,'" Lash included as she kicked the dirt under her heel.
Cinder was silent in all of this. She felt sick having to watch that. How can someone betray their own kind in such a way? Clan Saxon and Clan Eldar may be different clans, but an attack such as this... it goes against what a Mandalorian should believe in. After what felt like an eternity, Cinder spoke. "So what are you going to do now?"
"The only thing we can do," said Lash. "Try to get out of here while we can. Speaking of which..." Lash turned to Vad before continuing "I should tell everyone to pack up."
Vad nodded and she walked away. Now Cinder felt even more repulsed. This clan had been reduced to doing what she believed a Mandalorian rarely did; run away when the odds were stacked against them. In her book, Cinder learned the ancient Mandalorians refused to leave their home until after the Great War had been won. Now, without of any sign of victory, Clan Eldar was forced to flee.
Djarin didn't have time to share Cinder's sentiment, as a plan had formed in his head. "If you help us, we can increase your chances of survival," he confidently claimed.
"How so?" Vad asked, with a hint of skepticism in his voice.
"We came here hoping you can guide us to what we're looking for."
"Which is?"
Djarin looked down to Cinder. Understanding what he wanted her to do, Cinder closed her eyes and extended her hands. As soon as they opened again, she felt a familiar heat extend away from her eyes. The heat moved to her left hand and created a fire while her right hand began to generate small amounts of electricity.
Vad's eyes widened when he saw the miracle. Fortunately for the clan of two, it was a miracle he was familiar with. "You're a Maiden," he said.
"A what?" Djarin asked.
"I've seen this before. The girl who possessed it called it the 'Power of the Maidens.'"
Cinder's powers died down once she heard this. "So you know where we can find someone else like me?" she quickly asked.
"No, but I... Wait a minute. Are you planning to use this to fight Clan Saxon?"
"Not exactly," said Djarin. "The Atlas rogues want Cinder's powers, possibly more than your armor. If they see her, they won't pass up the chance to capture her."
"Leaving us with an opening to escape," Vad realized. Cinder understood the plan as well, but wasn't sure how she felt about being the bait. Djarin could see that this was bothering her, so he decided to explain his plan further.
"I have an idea on how we can all get out of here safely. But we need you to tell us where to go."
Vad saw that their was no other choice, so he decided to share his knowledge with Djarin. "As I was saying, I don't know where to find the other Maiden. But I know of another Mandalorian clan that does."
"Which clan?" Cinder asked. "Clan Wren?"
"No. Clan Kryze."
"Them?" Djarin asked, the word filled with disbelief and annoyance. He didn't seem to be on good terms with Clan Kryze. Cinder looked up at him, unsure why he felt this way. "I'll explain later," he said to her before speaking to Vad. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Vad. "They tried to recruit us for another one of their 'crusades' and showed us a girl with the same powers as your friend. After our leader refused, they struck off on their own."
Another Mandalorian in black armor ran up to Vad.
"They're coming!" he said. "We think Gar Saxon's with them!"
"Start your evacuation," said Djarin. "We'll distract them."
Vad nodded as he turned to join his clan.
"Wait!" Cinder said as she grabbed his arm. "We need to know where to go first."
"It's alright," said Djarin. Cinder looked up to him, still holding Vad's arm. "If he's telling the truth, I know exactly where we need to go."
"..."
Cinder looked back to Vad. After a few seconds, she let him go. "Before you go, fire a few shots at the rogues. We'll take it from there."
Vad nodded and looked back at Djarin. "...Thank you."
"How many do you see?"
"Hard to tell from where we are. I know that's where they are, I just can't see how many."
An Atlas rogue and a Mandalorian were hiding a considerable distance away from Clan Eldar's canyon. After the retreat, Clan Saxon and the rogues sent two scouts to track the remainder of Clan Eldar's forces. The scouts were now observing the canyon, one through the scope of a sniper rifle. They could see smoke and hear a faint sound of rifles firing, so they knew they were in the right spot.
"Alright. Call it in," said the one looking through the sniper rifle.
The Mandalorian pressed a finger on his helmet. "Saxon, this is Surge. Acknowledge."
A voice on the other end of the radio complied with this request. "Saxon here. Status?"
"We found their camp. Lock onto our position."
"Have you determined their numbers?"
"Negative. But they're all in one place. If we surround them now, they won't have anywhere to go."
"Copy. Standby for reinforcements."
A few minutes later, two Mantas and a group of Mandalorians in the air flew above the scouts. As they pointed towards the canyon, they continued to advance. A few Mandalorians and one Manta broke away from the group, hoping to surround the canyon. Before the scouts could join their comrades, a Mandalorian wearing red and white armor landed in front of them.
"That's it?" Gar Saxon asked calmly. "That's where they are?"
"Yes, sir," said Surge. "The one who helped them should be with them as well."
"Join our brothers and sisters. I will reconvene with you shortly."
The Mandalorian nodded and activated his jetpack. Saxon turned to the rogue as soon as his fellow Mandalorian was out of sight.
"Now, you're sure the Mandalorian who helped this clan wasn't a part of them?" he asked.
"All we know is that his armor was chrome, not the usual black and orange," the rogue replied. "Does it matter?"
"I'm not sure. Gideon informed me that-"
*BOOM*
The duo turned to see one of the Mantas flying out of control, one of the wings had been destroyed. It crashed into the ground and another explosion was created from the destruction. Before either of them could say anything, Gar Saxon could hear a voice inside his helmet.
"Sir, one of our airships has been destroyed! The Mandalorians are giving one last fight!"
Gar Saxon walked away from the rogue and was about to fly into the air. Before he took off, the second Manta was also destroyed. This time, Saxon could see what had caused both ships to suffer this damage.
"That didn't look like a missile," said the rogue who was looking through his scope. "It looked like... fire."
"Let me see your weapon," Saxon ordered. The trooper complied and Saxon decided to see where this fire was actually coming from. As he zoomed in closer, he could see his fellow Mandalorians pursue the remains of Clan Eldar in the air. But he could also see a few of them break away and give chase to another Mandalorian. Who was being followed by a young girl... flying by shooting fire through her hands.
Saxon lowered the rifle and handed it back to the rogue. He then pressed a button on his gauntlet, which displayed a blue screen. The screen then changed to a video call with Major Gideon. "What is it, Saxon?" Gideon asked.
"I think we may have found the people you're looking for," Saxon replied. "A Mandalorian accompanied by a young girl."
Gideon's eyes widened when he heard this. Not only was he about to secure more Beskar for Watts to use, but he had an opportunity to make up for his failure in Nevarro. "Have your men engaged the other clan?"
"Yes, it won't be long before they're dealt with."
"...How many are there?"
Saxon looked away and pressed a button on his helmet. He could see no more than a dozen of them flying away.
"I can see twelve," Saxon replied. "Can't be more than that."
"...Call off your major pursuit," said Gideon. "Send one of your men to scout for the clan's next hideout."
"And the other Mandalorian?"
"He is your primary target. Kill him and bring me the child."
"As you wish."
Saxon deactivated his gauntlet and pressed a finger to his helmet. "All forces, break off pursuit of Clan Eldar. Focus all efforts on the Mandalorian and the child. You have permission to shoot him down, but do not harm the child." The rest of Clan Saxon broke off their pursuit and turned to pursue Djarin and Cinder. Before turning off his radio, Saxon had one more order. "Surge, see if you can find out where the rest of Clan Eldar is going."
"Copy. I'll do a loose follow," said Surge.
Saxon observed the battle up above, but wasn't very pleased with what he was seeing. The Mandalorian and the child seemed to be a great distance from his forces, as they couldn't get a clear shot at the duo. So, he turned back to the rogue. "Trooper, can you get a shot at the Mandalorian?"
The solider raised his rifle and zoomed all the way in. "Negative," he replied. "He's too far. And this rifle is loaded with Ice Dust, I don't think it'll do good with that Beskar."
Saxon wasn't happy about this either. This may have been a waste of time, and he may need to refocus his efforts on Clan Eldar.
"Wait. Hold on," said the rogue trooper.
Saxon turned back. "What is it?" he asked.
"He's coming this way."
Saxon looked back to the sky to see that the Mandalorian was indeed flying close to where he was. He was carrying the girl at the moment, it seemed he was looking for somewhere to land. Right where Saxon was waiting.
"I have a clear shot," said the rogue. "I could try aiming for his jetpack, but-"
"Wait," said Saxon. He began to raise his arms and keep his hands a few inches away from each other. "I'll take care of this." A white orb suddenly appeared above his head. This was perfect. Just a few more feet and once the Mandalorian got hit with Saxon's Semblance, the girl would fall safely to the ground. Well, she would be alive, to say the least.
The orb began to crackle and grow brighter. Saxon held it steady for a few seconds longer, and saw the Mandalorian come closer and closer to where he was. The orb suddenly unleashed a bolt of electricity, and made its way up to the unsuspecting duo.
Saxon smiled under his helmet when he saw his plan had worked perfectly. "Smile, you son of a-"
The Mandalorian and the girl suddenly disappeared.
Saxon's smile vanished.
The bolt suddenly split into multiple beams, each one heading straight for the pursuing Mandalorians.
"...Oh, shit."
Djarin put the Razor Crest on autopilot, as he needed to do something else at the moment. He looked to see Cinder looking at her book and her necklace. She hardly spoke when they teleported back to the ship and flew away from the mountain. And from the look on her face, he could tell something was bothering her.
He walked over and kneeled down to her. Cinder looked up at his helmet. "Something wrong?" she asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," he replied. "You seemed a little... off... after the fight."
"Well... this wasn't the first time I saw a battle like that." Cinder was referring to her time in Nevarro and Djarin's village. "Back then, it was us against them. But today... seemed like it was a civil war. And other Mandalorians working with the rogues? Stealing and destroying Beskar?" Cinder stood up and looked out the window. "It's just that... it's the last thing I was expecting to see today."
"I wasn't expecting it either," said Djarin.
"I just don't understand how things got this bad."
"What do you mean?"
Cinder turned and pointed to her book. "I just don't understand how a civilization who lived and fought together could turn against each other like that. And what you said about Clan Kryze... How did things get like this?"
"..."
After taking a few seconds to comprehend what Cinder said, Djarin had an answer for her. But he wasn't so sure she would like it.
"I think... I think it's about what we believe in. I believe in the Way of the Mandalore, but as you saw today, other clans believe in different things. Especially who they consider their allies."
"And Clan Kryze?" Cinder asked.
"I'll have to show you," Djarin responded as he sat back in the cockpit. Taking the ship out of autopilot, he began to veer the ship to the right.
Cinder walked up to him. "So you know where to go?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"...Mandalore."
Author's notes: hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and sorry for the wait. School started back up, and I'm pretty swamped with a lot of stuff. So, I hope you understand if the waiting becomes long. But I'm not abandoning any of my stories, especially not this one.
To 23debal01, thanks! I'm glad you like my idea.
To Mandalorian00, another letter of wisdom. Hope you like the chapter.
To aklike95, thank you so much! Glad you like everything I wrote and I hope you like this one. As for Pyrrha, there will be great differences in canon here. Not just for her, but for RWBY as a whole.
To BabuPro, I'm glad you do. Thanks for the support.
To D.N Works, I'm glad you like my take on Cinder, Ironwood, and Penny. As I said, there will be great differences for RWBY as a whole here, but things from canon will be used. I'm glad you liked last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one.
To 54godamora, glad you liked the Dark Troopers.
To Marc-Ello-Re-Yes, you're right about Cinder's canon weapon. I thought it would work for her. She doesn't have any armor (yet) because of her status as a Foundling. And since they left, there wasn't a lot of time for tradition. As for Oz, you'll have to wait and see how it goes. As for Penny, I think you'll like what I Rider126, you'll have to wait and see.
To joeyginise, I'm glad you like my idea for Penny. As for Ironwood, thank you for the advice. Hope you like this chapter.
To The Avenging Titan, glad you like my idea about Beskar Midnight. Hope you'll like the search for Ozma and I'm glad you like my twist on Gideon betraying Atlas. As for Penny, I'm really glad you like it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
To E31174, hope you don't mind a long wait.
To Helljumper206, thanks for not spoiling. Hope you like the chapter.
To GojiraFan455515, glad you liked it. Hope you like this one.
To Rook435, Cinder is technically a Mandalorian (the Armorer said so). It's just that she can't stay with the Children of the Watch. As for Djarin and Ozpin, you'll have to wait and see. Glad you like my ideas with Gideon, Ironwood, and the Dark Troopers. No, Djarin didn't see another Mandalorian with a jetpack. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
That's all I have for now. Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review!