The Way of the Maiden Chapter 48, a Star Wars + RWBY Crossover fanfic

Chapter 48: The Exercise

"Once more. Left."

*BAM*

"Again."

*BAM*

"Right."

*BAM*

"Again."

*BAM*

"Again."

*CRACK*

"...Very good."

Din Djarin was currently watching a Beacon student breathing heavily as she shook her fist. He was in the middle of a lesson in combat, one that emphasized the use of hand-to-hand without the assistance of an Aura. Only now, instead of another opponent, Djarin was having students test their might on a wooden dummy.

The only obstacle was that the dummy was wearing Mandalorian armor.

Shade Academy had managed to acquire old suits of Beskar armor in the past, after the Great War ended. When he discovered this after he decided to help Ozpin teach at the academy, Djarin was insistent about it being returned to its proper owners. However, a reminder of the recent events at Beacon not only made Djarin forget about giving it back to the Mandalorians, but it also gave him an idea of putting it to good use.

After he uncovered a wooden dummy used for target and combat practice, the Mandalorian dressed it in the old Beskar armor and presented it to his students. He knew that encountering another Mandalorian in these dark times was likely for them all, so Djarin decided to show them all the weakest points in Mandalorian armor. And he was also teaching them how to exploit them all.

Right now, Lilith Gelb had just broken a piece of the dummy's arm with nothing but her bare hands. She once would have thought the task impossible, but Djarin's instructions provided her the means of doing so. Even with the Beskar, she had done it.

Djarin picked up the arm and gestured for Lilith to take a seat. As she did, the Mandalorian looked to see more Beacon students sitting and watching him. "As you are well aware, a left and right uppercut are powerful strikes," he began. "While normally reserved for strikes to an opponent's chin, they can be used anywhere above the waist. If used correctly, they have the ability to break bone as well as Aura. An uppercut with an Aura engaged is also powerful, but we'll get to that when you can do what Lilith just did. Any questions?"

"..."

The silence left Djarin content with the lesson. "Then practice now. I want to see your recordings by next class. Dismissed."

All of the students began to leave the area. They understood Djarin's assignment, and they were prepared to begin on their own. Since the Mandalorian rarely had any written assignments in his class, he settled for students making recordings of themselves fighting either against dummies or other opponents. In turn, Djarin would review these videos and present something that was done well and something that could have been improved. Today, he had improved on the uppercut punch.

But Lilith was still feeling unfulfilled with the lesson.

"Professor Djarin?" she asked as every began to leave. "Can I ask you something before I go?"

Djarin put down the dummy arm and gestured for Lilith to join him. "Yes?" he asked calmly.

"Well, first off, I hope it's okay that I broke the dummy."

"Shade has ten more of these stored away. It's no problem."

"Oh, that's good. But, I was a little concerned about the last few punches I threw."

Djarin turned towards the dummy and remembered how many times Lilith punched it. "I thought you would," he said as he looked back to his student. "I noticed you struggling with your right side."

"Yeah," Lilith confirmed. "I had that problem when I first started at Beacon, but it's back again. Am I doing something wrong?"

"With your arms? No. But with your feet? Yes."

Lilith looked down at her feet and began to have the same idea as her teacher. Instead of solid ground, she was standing on soft sand. The Mandalorian had decided to hold his class in a sand arena at Shade that was used for combat practice, and now he was seeing students struggle in it. Lilith wasn't the first to do so, and she wouldn't be the last.

"I've noticed this before," Djarin continued. "The rest of the class isn't very adjusted to fighting in an environment like this." He turned around and picked up the dummy arm again. "We'll be discussing this later in the week."

"I see," Lilith said as she remembered herself struggling to keep her feet firm on the ground. "If I can ask, is there any way I can practice right now?" she asked. "Do you have any suggestions or tricks that can help?"

"It's simple, Lilith; you have to adapt to your surroundings." Djarin put the wooden arm on the dummy's shoulder. "You have to work with the environment when you can't change it."

"I see." Lilith was wondering how she could best adapt to the sands of Vacuo. She had heard about the harshness of the desert before she made the decision to study at Shade, but the young woman refused to let that stop her from going. And now, she refused to let the desert get the best of her.

"Do you know how I can do that?" Lilith asked. "How to adapt to the environment?"

"It's not something you can learn on a whim," the Mandalorian answered. "One day it could be the desert. The next day it could be the tundra. Or the swamp. You have to be adaptable, to flow with change. This has to be instinct." Djarin knew this to be true, but he also knew that Lilith and the other students from Beacon would be here for a while. "Maybe you can ask some students from Shade how they fight here and see if they'll help you."

Lilith opened her mouth to share her thoughts on the idea, but a new voice spoke instead.

"Fat chance."

Djarin and Lilith turned around to see a new body of students were approaching the sand arena. Only they weren't from Beacon; these were students from Shade, and they were all staring at Lilith with skepticism and annoyance.

"Why are you two still here?" the first student, an able-bodied boy with brown hair asked. "Your time's up, and our professor is on his way."

"I'm leaving," Lilith assured the boy. "I was just talking to my teacher about something."

"And you're both taking up our time here, so move it."

"Alright, alright!" Lilith began to walk. "I'm leaving, jeez."

Djarin was starting to leave to, but he looked back to the boy. "Impatience will get you nowhere fast," he said. "You should remember that."

"Oh, yeah?" the student asked. "Well, it got you and her outta here."

"Yeah, and what was that about helping her?" a girl with jet-black hair asked. "Why bother? This isn't a place for softies like her and the rest of Beacon."

Lilith stopped walking and turned around. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked the girl.

"What do you think?"

More students began to join in on insulting Lilith, and she seemed to be powerless to stop it.

"This place isn't big enough for all of us."

"The way I see it, you haven't done much to prove you belong here."

"Clumsy and weak. Can't even fight in the desert."

This wasn't the first time Lilith had heard people from Shade talking about her and her friends behind their backs. Their welcome to the school wasn't the best, after all. Only now, the young girl had put up with it long enough.

"I'm not weak!" she said. "I'm not! And neither are any of my friends or anyone else from Beacon!"

The Shade students weren't impressed with the declaration, and one student brought this to light. "If that's true, then why are you short one teammate?" she asked rudely.

"..."

The student was referring to a young man named Garrett, who was a member of Lilith's team. Sadly, he died fighting the Mandalorians at Beacon Academy. Now she and her friends were an incomplete team, one that probably would never be whole again.

The loss had hit the rest of her team, Max Bolt and Andrea Gloss, very hardly. It was so hard that the simple mention of it was enough to make Lilith shed a tear.

Djarin was quick to put a stop to any more insults. "That's enough!" he said angrily. "One more word from anyone gets a week's detention."

"..."

Everyone had stopped talking, but Lilith still ran away so she could mourn her friend in private. Djarin was also saddened by the loss of students at Beacon, but he simply expressed this with a disappointed sigh as he teleported away.

Three more classes later, the school day at Shade Academy was over. Most of the teachers would have found themselves at the faculty dorms that Shade provided. They weren't exactly as stable as the ones at Beacon, but the teachers were able to make the best of it all. Other teachers found themselves living in the city of Vacuo, despite having to walk through a giant maze just to get home.

Djarin was one exception who refused to live at Shade or in Vacuo. Instead, he traveled via the Razor Crest to an inn for weary travelers of the Kingdom. This was not only owned by a friend of the Mandalorian's, but it was also where he could find his recuperating daughter.

When the Mandalorian entered one of the rooms, he was welcomed by the sounds of life-support technology. He had heard it many times, and he knew that Cinder, who was attached to the medical equipment, was in an unchanged state.

"Hi, Cinder," Djarin said as he removed his helmet. "Sorry I'm back late, things got... a little busy."

"..."

"But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere right now." He then walked over to the bedside. "How're you feeling?"

"..."

Djarin looked at the machine's screen to see multiple lines and numbers. "Vitals look the same as before." He then turned his head towards an IV bag above. There was plenty of fluid inside, but there was something missing. "No Cobalt Dust." Djarin reached towards his belt and removed a single vial of the substance.

But he didn't administer it.

"This... is the last one, Cinder," Djarin said as he turned towards his daughter. "Should we save it? Or use it now?"

"..."

Djarin took a moment to think about it. "The doctor said your vitals are improving. And you haven't been experiencing anything negative in a while." Djarin turned towards Cinder's left arm, where a small Grimm was still resting. "Not to mention this damn thing."

"..."

The Mandalorian stood up and placed the vial in his belt once again. "Willow warned me that using too much at once could be dangerous," he said. "Better to be safe than sorry. Let's save it for later."

"..."

Djarin wasn't exactly expecting a response from Cinder, even though he was hoping for one. He couldn't explain it, but something about walking into the room while staying silent didn't feel right to him. He had tried it before, but the nagging feeling he had was difficult to ignore. And so, he made it a habit to talk to Cinder whenever he could.

And despite the situation, it was a comfortable experience. If things at Beacon were different... there may not have been anyone for Djarin to talk to. But still, he wished Cinder could respond to him.

After all, they had plenty of great conversations together.

*KNOCK*

Three knocks on the door easily caught the Mandalorian's attention. "Coming," he said calmly as he put his helmet back on. He then moved towards the door and saw a very unexpected visitor.

"Hello, Djarin," said Professor Ozpin, who looked more dead than alive at the moment. "Pardon my unannounced visit, I just happened to be in the area."

"...This inn is miles from the city," said Djarin. "It's not the best place to be wandering 'in the area.'" Nevertheless, the Mandalorian stepped aside and allowed Ozpin to enter.

"I suppose it wasn't the best cover-up. I simply didn't want to inconvenience you at this hour." Ozpin looked at the resting Maiden before him. "Both of you, I mean."

"I wouldn't call it an inconvenience." Djarin shut the door behind him and moved towards a chair. "I wasn't doing anything anyway. But if you wanted to see me and Cinder, you could have always asked."

Ozpin joined his colleague at another chair, one that was in perfect view of Cinder. "It does bring me good to see her, you're right. Especially after Revan's ungodly attempt on her life."

"Agreed. I never told you that your meditation helped me save her life. It seems I owe you a great debt."

"Seeing her alive is enough repayment, I assure you. But what of your efforts with the Cobalt Dust? I heard you paid Atlas a visit not too long ago."

"...Let's just say I probably shouldn't be going back there anytime soon."

"..."

Djarin could easily tell that Ozpin was curious as to what he meant by the statement. Since he wasn't exactly ready to discuss his smuggling misadventures with Lando and Chewie, the Mandalorian played the situation carefully.

"Ironwood may not like the fact that I took Cobalt Dust from the Kingdom after he allowed me to land," Djarin explained. He believed some truth of the matter would be enough for Ozpin to not probe any further.

"Agreed," said Ozpin. "Then again, I don't believe James would like anything taken from the Kingdom without his permission. Wouldn't you say so?"

"..."

Whether Ozpin knew about the smuggling or not, Djarin decided to change the subject. "Other than Ironwood's paranoia, he's keeping the Kingdom in one piece," he said. "I'm not sure how well Mistral is doing."

"Neither am I," Ozpin concurred. "However, did I tell you about Qrow's success in Vale?"

"You did. Glynda should be able to pick up where Qrow and Sun left off."

"She will. And that just leaves Vacuo. What exactly is your opinion of the situation?"

"...Wanting. At best."

"..."

Ozpin remained silent so as to hear Djarin's full explanation. "I may be teaching students solely from Beacon, but I'm not blind to their... relationship with the students of Shade. They're practically at each other's throats."

"Yes, I've noticed," Ozpin sadly admitted. "Shade has been extraordinarily unwelcoming of the Beacon students that came here."

"That's putting it lightly. I had to break up a fight before it could begin earlier today."

"Oh?"

"It happened after my class ended. One of my students was talking to me before the next class began, but some of the students were expecting her to leave. When I left with her, they were insulting her right to her face. How Beacon students are weak and taking up space."

"Yes, I've heard the same. I may have mentioned this before, but the people of Vacuo are... wary of outsiders."

"Indeed." Djarin sighed. "This may not have been the best idea, Ozpin."

"We don't have that many options, Djarin. Mistral hardly has anybody teaching and Atlas won't accept anyone else with the closed borders. All we can do is find a way to make both student bodies work together."

"We already tried merging some of the classes. It seems the only objections that stand are jointing together in combat."

"Which greatly concerns me. After Theodore and I confirmed how many students Shade now holds, we feel it may be necessary to recreate the teams. Many of the former teams are... incomplete."

"..."

Ozpin was referring to the fact that many students lost their lives at Beacon. Whether it was by Grimm or Mandalorian, dozens of students were killed that night. And now, many of the student teams were left in shambles. The only way to have proper teams of four again would be to create new ones.

But as Djarin and Ozpin noticed, nobody was willing to trust one another in a fight.

"That's true," Djarin finally said. "But we can't have new teams if nobody works together."

"I know," Ozpin admitted. "I've been trying to think of a way to show how much they need each other. On one hand, Shade doubts the capabilities of our students."

"I've noticed. Some of them even think their survival was dumb luck."

Ozpin nodded. "Which brings me to the other hand. Our students are strong, but they lack the experience to adapt to fighting in such a place. The students from Vacuo could teach them how to adapt, if only they could."

Djarin had to admit that was true. He noticed this when he chose days to spar outside rather than inside, at a sand arena on the school grounds. His students could hardly catch themselves from falling or hold their own in the sand and humid air.

Ozpin's idea could fix that, but it would only bring about more hostility among their ranks.

"The students from Beacon could teach everyone here something too," Djarin said calmly. "I've taught them how to fight like me, like Mandalorians. The students at Shade might find that useful, if they would be willing to learn."

"Like I said, we need to find a way to work together," said Ozpin. "I may have another idea, and your assistance would be helpful."

"What is it?"

"It seems out of all the remaining student teams at Shade, one is the most widely known and respected. They are, for lack of a better word, the Alpha of Shade. Every other student, from first year to fourth year, seems to take their word as law."

"Who are they?"

"A team of fourth years called Team IRON. Since their formation, they've risen in rank and expectations. I must admit, I was impressed by the accomplishments I've read about them."

"Which are?"

"They include encounters with a band of dangerous people called the Tuskens and aiding in the arrest of drug smugglers. Apparently, there is a substance in the sands of Vacuo that many people crave to have themselves. Not just as a drug, but also something that can substitute Dust for airship travel. I believe it's commonly known as... Spice."

Djarin was familiar with the substance, as well as the smugglers who used it as their main source of income. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that these students helped arrest members of the Pyke Syndicate? Ozpin, I've heard of those Faunus. They're ruthless."

Ozpin wasn't too familiar with this syndicate, but he trusted Djarin enough with knowledge such as this. And given what he had heard of Team IRON, their reputation was forged ferociously. "Hence their popularity and status here at Shade," Ozpin said. "If there is any chance of getting through to the student body, it seems to lie with Team IRON."

"Let's see what happens."

The next day, Ozpin and the Mandalorian found Team IRON during the day's final activity: team sparring. So it was easy to pull them aside and discuss how all four of them may be able to encourage their fellow Shade students to work more closely with the students from Beacon.

But changing their minds proved to be a more difficult challenge.

All four of them gave their reasons for their unwillingness to help in such a matter. The first one to do so was Randall Sepia, a tanned young man with light brown hair. He explained that such a matter would be a distraction to him and his team, given that they were very close to graduation. Not to mention that it was already impossible in his mind.

The second member was Olivia Rouge, a red haired girl with a temper. She said she would be willing to help if she received help in return. But the question of what she needed help with turned into a tirade of how she and her family were worked to the bone to make ends meet in their home, and how her father had died protecting her and her mother. And with her mother working two jobs on her own, Olivia said she didn't see any help from the outside Kingdoms when she needed it. She then stubbornly refused to listen to anything else the professors had to say.

The third member of the team was a tiger Faunus named Nero Slade, who had more of an obvious reason for not helping. His Faunus traits were never looked at fairly whenever he left the Kingdom. He and his team even completed in one of the Vytal Festival tournaments outside Vacuo. There, he received discrimination from just about every other group of students. Olivia and Randall backed him up on this, and they also questioned why he should help when he never received it. Inspired by his friends' words, he ended the conversation abruptly.

The fourth and most challenging member of Team IRON was their leader, Ivanna Vantablack. She was the tallest member of the team, possessed long black hair, and her ruthless nature made her status as team leader unquestionable. After their failures with the rest of the team, Ozpin and Djarin decided to go a less civil route and warn her that there could be consequences to refusing their request. They even threatened to refuse giving her and the rest of her team their licenses.

Unfortunately, the young woman was able to call out this bluff perfectly.

Not only did she list her victories with her team, but Ivanna reminded both Beacon teachers how many members of Shade's staff she had worked with and how they would refuse to hold off giving her license. She even went as far as reminding Djarin that she knew he was a Mandalorian; and one word from her to the right people would see him imprisoned or banished from the Kingdom. After all, Shade had more power than the Kingdom's Council.

With the discussion now over, Team IRON took their leave. Djarin and Ozpin took their defeat hardly, and they decided that some space would be good. The Mandalorian found himself walking around the whole campus before he went back to the inn. He was angry, tired, and growing impatient. The defeat even left him wondering why he was at Shade in the first place. Ozpin might need him, but Cinder needed him more. Djarin knew that he should be on the hunt rather than being confined at another school.

Above all else, Djarin wanted to find Aurora and make her return Cinder's power. Though he had no idea where she was, Djarin knew that the Saxon or Death Watch Mandalorians could tell him where to look. All he had to do was travel back to Mistral or Vale and use all of his skills as a Mandalorian to take a prisoner. As for how he could obtain the information he needed, the darker side of Djarin's imagination would take care of that.

However, leaving without changing anything at Shade would be a colossal failure. And not only was Djarin not allowed to leave a mission in failure, but he also couldn't break his word when Ozpin asked for his help. This is the Way.

Oddly, the new code of honor Djarin swore wasn't the only reminder he was given in this matter. For it was the strange sight of Mandalorian armor that helped as well.

Djarin's walk across the campus had led him to a classroom that was mainly used for teaching history. Shade Academy had an unusual habit of presenting old relics and artifacts for students to get a closer look at. One of these artifacts was a large and impressive collection of Mandalorian armor, which was what Djarin had just found. He had been here before, and now he was here again.

All of the armor was painted differently, but Djarin recognized the sigils painted on them. Based on said sigils, this armor belonged to a clan of Mandalorians believed to be extinct known as Clan Ordo. This particular group existed during the Great War, and they were arguably one of the more well-know. clans.

During the war, many attacks were made on Mandalore. Some Mandalorians were either ordered or chose to leave in order to survive. The would-be successor to the throne, Canderous Ordo, was tasked to find the departed Mandalorians and bring them home. Instead, he unified them as a single front and new clan, with the purpose of bringing the fight back to Mistral and Mantle. He was known as a preserver of the Mandalorian people and culture, and someone Tarre Vizsla trusted greatly.

Before their untimely disappearance, Clan Ordo had strategy on their side. Namely, their leader used a strategy that involved retreating when his forces were diminished. Only when the clan's enemies pursued them, they were lead into an overwhelming ambush and total defeat. In turn, the defensive positions the enemy once held would then belong to Clan Ordo.

The clan had many other strategies that allowed them to triumph over the forces of Mistral and Mantle, and they would certainly prove effective if they were used today.

It was bad enough that the students of Shade thought that the students of Beacon were weak. But they also refused to have Djarin teach them to fight like Mandalorians. He wished that the students would understand the dangers of this clan and any other clan. Despite their skills, the students at Shade weren't prepared to fight Mandalorians yet.

Djarin also wished that Shade would see the potential of the Beacon students who survived the Vytal Festival, and he wished these lessons could make them work together.

If only clans such as Clan Ordo existed today. Perhaps then they would learn.

The next day, Professor Theodore and Ozpin announced that there would be no classes held the following day. Instead, time would be taken to go on training missions with the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vacuo. The news was somewhat a surprise to everyone, but there were no objections to the executive decision.

Students from Shade were happy as long as they didn't have to partner with any people from Beacon.

And so, the necessary preparations were made for teams to take on a real mission. After classes, they all went to train on their own. There were a few arguments between Shade and Beacon as to who would get to train in designated areas, but these were stopped by teachers before they turned physical.

By the time the following morning arrived, all of the students were ready to carry out their missions. The main atrium in Shade was rather full, but a clear distinction was made by students who stood on the left and right sides. Shade students were expecting Professor Theodore to make a short speech regarding wishes for good luck to all.

But Ozpin spoke instead.

"I'll keep this brief," he said through a microphone as he stared at the two student bodies. "As you are all aware, much has changed at Shade Academy. I understand that not everyone here has accepted or understood recent events, but this has affected everyone in this room. Shade and Beacon students alike."

"..."

"That being said, I believe the best we can do at the moment is to flow with this change. And perhaps change ourselves as well. Your missions today, whatever you choose, may help you in this endeavor. You will learn more about the Kingdom of Vacuo, more about your team, and perhaps... more about yourselves. I hope whatever you learn, you take it close to heart."

"..."

After Ozpin's speech, all of the students set off on their training missions. Team IRON was the only team who couldn't choose their own mission, given the fact that one had been chosen for them. Under normal circumstances, they were allowed to choose their missions. But today, one such mission needed the kind of skill this team possessed.

The mission was known as a "Protect and Transfer," in which essential supplies such as water and clothes were transferred from Vacuo to the settlements outside the main city. Avian Grimm were seen on the airship's destination path, so protection was essential.

But not everyone was happy about that.

"Man, this sucks," said Olivia, who was walking with her team towards the airship they needed to protect. "I could do a mission like this on my own. And it still would be a complete waste of my time."

"Yeah, I'm with Olivia," said Randall, who was also unhappy with the mission. "I saw a few Search and Destroy missions on the board. Why couldn't we take those?"

"It doesn't matter," Ivanna said with an authoritative tone. "We have a mission, a job. We're doing it quickly and efficiently."

"..."

Both Olivia and Randall submitted to their leader's declaration. This wasn't the first time she made a sweeping declaration such as this, and they knew better than to make Ivanna change her terrible mind.

In turn, Ivanna knew when to boost her teammates moral and keep them in the right direction.

"At the very least, it'll get us away from the Beacon stench," she said with an intimidating smile.

"Finally, someone says it!" said Nero, who shared his leader's sentiments tenfold. "Can you believe the nerve of those professors? Saying we need to tell everyone to work with people like them? I'd sooner cut off all four of my ears."

"Same here," said Olivia. "Minus the other two ears. No offense."

"None taken."

"What would the point be anyway?" Randall asked sarcastically. "None of those city-lovers would last a day in the desert, even under our tutelage. They're too weak for their own good."

"Exactly," said Ivanna. "They want someone to help them? I say let them help themselves. Whoever survives here will learn. They always do."

"But you don't expect them to survive, do you?"

"Of course not. Like you said, they're as weak as they come." Another scary smile came to Ivanna's lips. "I wonder how many will make it back from their missions. And who knows? Maybe the terror they'll feel from a day in the desert will make them easy to control." She then turned to her team. "We can end our last few months here with a bang."

It was truly a wonder as to how someone as terrible as Ivanna was on the right side of the law. The same could be said about her underlings.

"I'm game," said Olivia. "Dammit, we should've placed a few bets on them."

"It's not too late," Nero chimed in. "I know a few of their names. And I know not all of them are gonna come back."

"Ain't no time like the present to have a good time," Randall suggested. "And speaking of a good time, the airship might be using Spice instead of Dust. We can have ourselves a party on that thing."

"..."

One cold glare from Ivanna made Randall remember that they were on a mission.

"I mean, after the mission's over."

Ivanna nodded. "Good boy," she said as she looked forward again. As she did, her eyes landed on the airship that she and her team would be protecting. Given that it was from Vacuo, it wasn't much to look at. It had a brown and dirty exterior, multiple wings that would move up and down to fly, and it appeared to have enough size to store supplies for three towns outside the city. The method of flight was similar to a passenger airship from Vale, but the overall design of the ship was unique in its own way.

After they met the pilot and the Huntsman who would be supervising Team IRON, the students moved inside to see what they would be protecting.

There appeared to be multiple jugs of water and multiple crates inside, which didn't appear to be unordinary for a supply run. Randall was looking at the crates closely; not to take inventory, but to see if there was one particular item on board.

"Let's see... Dust," he began after he opened and closed one metal crate. He then repeated the action with more small crates. "Dust. Dust. Dust." He approached one last crate and opened it. "Oh, look at that. Dust." He closed it and sighed. "Sorry, guys. No after-party for this team."

"Aw," Olivia said as she slumped against the wall. "Not even one bag of Spice?"

"Maybe the pilot's using it," said Nero. "I heard people like him use Spice while flying airships. Supposedly it makes them chart their course better or something."

"Is that even legal?"

"I don't know. You think us having some Spice is legal too?"

Ivanna moved in between her teammates. "Okay, that's enough," she said. "Let's review the inventory."

"On it," said Olivia. "Got a few jugs of water..." She then opened a few more crates. "Some clothes and blankets here. They look pretty worn."

"What do you expect from hand-me-downs?" Nero asked as he opened another box. "We got some food here. Not too much, though."

"Got some more here," said Randall. "But it looks like that's it."

"Alright then," Ivanna said calmly. "Let's get to work."

The airship took to the skies at approximately eight o'clock. As the academy and city grew smaller and smaller behind them, Team IRON and the Huntsman kept their eyes on what was ahead of them.

The one who was doing a good job of this was Nero, who was using his Semblance to look out for danger. His Semblance granted the young man the ability to see further than anyone else. His eyes were, in a way, like an adjustable scope on a sniper rifle. While he couldn't harm anyone with his ability, Nero was able to see multiple bat-like Grimm approaching from the west.

"Ravagers at nine o'clock!" Randall warned his teammates as he pointed in the distance.

Olivia opened the side of the airship and took out her weapon, which was a sniper rifle. The bullets inside were regular Dust rounds, given that she and many other students refused to be taught by the Mandalorian. But they were lethal nonetheless, as she saw Ravagers turning to black ash with each shot.

"Oh, yeah!" Olivia yelled with pride. "In your face!"

"Nero, Olivia's got this," Ivanna said to her Faunus teammate. "Keep an eye on the other side and let us know if there's trouble."

"On it!" Nero complied as he moved towards the other side of the ship.

"Randall, secure the supplies," Ivanna ordered. "We can't let them fall out with these doors open."

"Got it, boss," Randall said before he moved towards the back of the ship. There, he used a series of ropes and chains to tie the crates together and attach them to a series of hooks in the back. The crates would swerve from side to side, but they didn't move away from the back.

"More on the way!" Nero yelled.

Before anyone could respond, the Huntsman on board opened the next door and reached into his pockets. As he took them out, a pair of throwing stars emerged and escaped his hands when he threw them. As they came closer to the Grimm, the shurikens appeared to duplicate and create more than just two. And before they returned to their master, each one struck the Grimm in fatal positions. All of them returned, but the duplicates disappeared and left the Huntsman with the original two.

"Not bad," Nero said as he looked at the throwing stars in the man's hand.

"I can make the best out of what I have," the Huntsman replied as he put away his weapons. "With some help from my Semblance."

"Pretty impressive," said Ivanna, who joined the two as she looked out the door. "Looks like you missed some, though. I got them." She then reached towards her back, where a metal spear was resting. Once she removed it, Ivanna pointed the tip of her spear towards the incoming Grimm. But instead of throwing it, Ivanna watched the tip of the spear turn red. A whirlwind of flame emerged from the tip and engulfed all the Grimm as a result. But rather than simply letting them burn, Ivanna twisted the bottom half of her spear and watched electricity and wind emerge from it. The Grimm were blown away as they were electrocuted, where they turned to nothing but ash.

"Heh, heh," the Huntsman chuckled as he closed the door. "You kids are as good as everyone says."

"We never said we weren't," said Ivanna.

"Yeah," Olivia said as she began to clean her rifle. "You had doubts, buddy?"

The Huntsman shook his head. "Not really," he said calmly. "But I've heard what's been going on at Shade. I'm surprised you're not taking the chance to be better."

Now it was Nero's turn to laugh. "What, you mean those Beacon kids?" he asked as he stopped laughing. "You heard Oz's speech too, huh? How about you give us a good reason to work with them?"

The Huntsman took a drink from a canteen he was carrying. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not one for getting mixed in another Kingdom's business. But I was talking more about that Mandalorian back there. Djarin, I think?"

"What about him?" Ivanna asked.

"Well, from what I saw at the Vytal Festival, it's not everyday when a Mandalorian wants to help you out. You know, teach you something new. Sometimes the enemy of an enemy can be your friend."

Ivanna recollected the conversation she had with the Mandalorian. "Well, he wasn't looking so friendly the last time I saw him."

"Same here," said Randall. "Besides, I don't think this 'war' is gonna reach Vacuo any time soon. There's no possible way they can survive out here like us."

"Well, that's a little presumptuous, don't you think?" the Huntsman asked.

"Eh. Whatever happens, we'll be ready."

With that, the Huntsman and students got back to work. More Ravagers came in their way, but not as many as they initially expected. Weapons and Semblances were used accordingly, and the sky was clear of Grimm once again.

"Looks like that's the last of 'em," Nero said after he stopped using his Semblance. He and his team had just killed another group of Ravagers and a lone Nevermore. "How are we doing for time?"

"The pilot says we should touch down in about ten minutes," the Huntsman replied as he emerged from the cockpit. "Then it's just a matter of getting back in one piece."

"That shouldn't be hard," said Randall. "What was that, like our twentieth Grimm killed so far?"

"Eighteen by my count," said Olivia. "But you're right, it won't be hard."

"Too bad." Randall pulled out two handguns he had been using to kill Grimm. "I was just getting warmed-"

*BEEP*

Everyone looked above as a series of loud beeps rang out and red lights flashed all around the cabin. As a result, everyone was caught off guard.

"Uh, what's that?" Randall asked.

Olivia readied her gun as she watched the flashing light. "More Grimm?" she said. "I'm game!"

Ivanna raised her spear and twisted it again. "That makes two of us," she said as she prepared to open the door again.

"No, wait!" the Huntsman said as he moved his arm in front of Team IRON's leader. "This shouldn't happen with Grimm. Something's wrong." He then turned towards the cockpit and ran. "Vantablack, with me!"

"..."

Ivanna turned towards her teammates, who seemed to be just as confused as she was. All they could do was shrug and gesture for her to go forward. Ivanna found herself complying with their request and soon found herself in the cockpit of the ship. There she found the Huntsman with the pilot of the ship, a younger man dressed in a brown jumpsuit.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Something's come up on the radar!" the pilot said apprehensively. "Something big!"

Ivanna didn't share the pilot's fear when she heard this news. "Um... okay? So what, there's a bigger Grimm?"

"No," the Huntsman replied as he tapped the radar screen Ivanna couldn't see it, so she let him explain. "This isn't a Grimm, this is... something else."

*WHOOSH*

All of a sudden, a new noise reached everyone's ears. They all looked to their left to see another airship, a chrome one that was roughly the same size as their own. The dirt on the windows made it hard to distinguish any other key details, but Ivanna could have sworn that there were two guns on the front of the ship.

This led her to make one idea about the identity of the ship's passengers.

"Pirates," she whispered.

The pilot appeared to have the same idea as her. "I don't have any weapons of my own," he said.

"That's why you got us," said the Huntsman. "Vantablack, get your team ready. Pirates out here like to board ships instead of making the crash."

"Looks like they'll be getting a surprise," she said as she moved back. "Pilot, if they come closer, don't make any attempt to fly away or fight."

"Yes, ma'am," the pilot said as Ivanna disappeared.

The rest of Team IRON heard and watched the alarm fade as their leader returned. Once she did, Ivanna relayed the situation and told them what to do.

"Nero, keep an eye on the door," she said to the Faunus. "If they move close, open it up. I'll blast them away with Divining Rod."

"Got it," Nero said as he moved to the door that was closest to the pirate ship.

"Olivia, Randall, you're my backup. Get behind me in case I can't blow them away." Olivia and Randall immediately moved behind their leader as she pointed the tip of her spear at the door. "Nero, let me know when they're coming."

The Faunus looked out the window and immediately saw the ship move towards them. "Okay, here they come!"

Ivanna pointed her spear at the door as she heard Olivia and Randall draw their weapons. As soon as she was ready, she gave her teammate another command through her scary smile. "This is gonna be good. Open it on 'three,' Nero."

"..."

"One..."

"..."

"Two..."

"..."

"Three!"

Nero opened the door and waited for his leader to blow them away with the Dust in her weapon. Instead, he received a deadly surprise.

*BANG*

A series of red and yellow blasts found their way inside they ship and struck the three members of Team IRON. Nero was out of the way, but all he could do was watch as the blasts hit his teammates.

"Holy shit!" he screamed as he immediately closed the door. As he did, everyone beside him had fallen to the floor and used their Auras to heal the blasts. "Guys, are you okay?!"

"Uhh..." Randall groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "Wh... What happened?"

"Is that what it feels like to be shot?" Olivia asked as she stood up. She then slammed her fist against the side of the ship. "Whoever did that is gonna pay!"

"How... How did that happen?" Ivanna asked. "What kind of pirates have weapons like that? One of them's gotta have a Semblance or something."

"Uh, guys?" Nero asked as he stared out the window. "I think it's worse than a Semblance. Look!"

Ivanna did as she was told and looked out the same window as Nero. There, she saw that the next ship had their door still open, and there were three people pointing guns at them and shooting again. The metal door protected them for now, but Ivanna was able to see exactly what she and her team was up against.

It caused her to run back to the cockpit and tell the two people in charge.

"The ship's full of Mandalorians!" Ivanna screamed.

"What?!" the pilot shouted as he nearly lost his grip on the steering controls.

"Oh, shit," the Huntsman said before he turned to the pilot. "Get us out of here!"

The pilot jerked the ship away from the other one and made it fly even faster than before. Ivanna struggled to get back to her team, but she was able to find them hanging on to something.

"They're still on our tail!" Nero yelled. "They're not letting up!"

Ivanna was expecting this to happen, and she was expecting the ship to start shooting at them soon. "We gotta buy the pilot some time!" Ivanna said as she moved to the door again. "Nero, get the door open!"

"But they'll just shoot at us again!"

Ivanna activated her Aura, which made a black light shine around her entire body. "I'll be ready this time." She then twisted her spear to make it shine blue. "Open it!"

Nero did as he was told and Ivanna came face-to-face with the front of the ship. There were indeed cannons at the front, but they still didn't fire on her. Ivanna took this opportunity and unleashed a storm of lightning and wind at the ship, which began to veer off course and fly away.

"Woo-hoo!" Randall yelled.

"Oh, that's right!" Olivia joined in. "Suck it, Mandos!"

"Nice work, Ivanna!" Nero said. "We are outta here!"

Team IRON was joined by their Huntsman, who heard how their leader blew the ship away. "Good work," he said calmly. "Now listen up; we're going back to Shade and warning them what's going on."

"But we're nowhere near Shade!" Randall protested. "And that ship won't be gone for long!"

"We might get close enough to get a warning out over the radio, even if we don't make it."

"..."

Team IRON had been through countless things together. Whether it was Grimm, drug smugglers, and even other students, they all survived together. Each of them knew the risks, each of them knew that there were no guarantees about coming back home.

But today may have been the first day where they truly felt their lives were on the line. And hearing that they may not be coming home sent a shiver down all their spines.

"They're back!" said Nero, who was looking out the window. "Looks like they're going for the side again!"

"They might be trying to board us," said Ivanna. "Nero, open the door again."

"Hold it," the Huntsman said as he moved in front of Ivanna. "Something tells me the same trick won't work twice on these guys."

"I know." Ivanna twisted her spear to make it have a red end this time. "But we don't have much of a choice."

"Maybe my Semblance can help!" Olivia suggested. Her Semblance was that her strength would increase tenfold whenever she became angry. One good punch or kick at a person would deplete a good portion of their Aura or leave a large dent in anything metal.

Ivanna recognized Olivia's potential, but saw one problem with it. "We'd need you to get closer first. Right now, you and Randall get ready to shoot at anything that moves." She then prepared to shoot fire from the tip of her spear. "How close are they, Nero?"

"Pretty close," the Faunus replied. "I think they're gonna fire again."

"I'm ready. Open the door... now!"

Nero obeyed and watched as a wave of fire escaped from Diving Rod. Ivanna moved closer to the door in the hopes that the Mandalorians would burn or break off once again.

While she couldn't see what was happening on the other side, Ivanna could hear everything. More blaster fire came through the door, but Olivia and Randall returned fire with their own weapons. Suddenly, a metal wire came out of nowhere and latched itself onto Ivanna's spear.

"What the-?"

Ivanna felt the string pull quickly, and she unfortunately lost her grip on the weapon. The fire from it died as it flew out of the ship, and Ivanna desperately tried to grab it. But Divining Rod made its way out of the ship and began to fall down to the ground.

"Fire!" one of the Mandalorians yelled as he pointed his rifle at the ship.

Ivanna was vulnerable at this point, as was everyone else. But the Huntsman was prepared to do his job. "Kids, get back!" he yelled as he grabbed Ivanna and got in the way of the blaster fire.

*BANG*

The Huntsman's Aura protected him from receiving any fatal wounds, but he couldn't stop himself from falling off the ship while screaming. Again, Ivanna tried to reach down. And again, she was too late to save him.

"Oh, shit!" Nero yelled as he closed the door again. No blaster fire hit the ship this time, but more metal wires were shot and attached to the side of the airship. The Mandalorians then tied the other ends of the wires around their own ship rather than holding it by their arms.

"Dammit!" Ivanna screamed in fury. "Goddammit!" She slammed her fist against the metal floor as she grew even angrier. "I'm gonna kill them all!"

"Ivanna, wait!" Randall said as he stopped her from getting to the door once again. "We can't fight them like this!"

Ivanna pushed her teammate aside. "You got any other ideas?!"

Randall had one idea, despite all the chaos. "We gotta fight them on our terms. Let's land the ship and fight them man-to-man!"

"You mean get up close and personal?" Olivia asked as she formed two fists. "Now you're talking my language!"

"But we can't land now!" Nero protested. "We have to get back to the academy! And there might be Grimm in the sand!"

Ivanna was still angry at just about everything right now, but she was able to see that there would be no chance at victory in the air. "We fight or we die," she said to Nero. "We gotta land." She immediately ran back to the cockpit to tell the pilot to land.

"Uh, I don't like this," Nero said as he took out his own weapons. They were a pair of chrome sais with a crystal of Dust in each one.

"Hey, man, this is nothing!" Randall said in an attempt to boost his friend's spirits. "We took down the Pykes! Did a number on the Tuskens too! We can handle a bunch of Mando clowns!"

"Damn right!" Olivia said as she transformed her sniper rifle into a club. "Especially ones in armor that looks like it hasn't been worn in centuries!" As she laughed at the joke, Olivia remembered what she saw through the window of the ship. While she couldn't put her finger on it, there was something about the Mandalorian armor that seemed familiar.

"We're landing!" Ivanna yelled to her teammates. "There's a canyon up ahead we can box ourselves in! Once we beat them, we'll take their ship and whatever's inside!"

"Got it!" said Nero. "I'll get the door open and you all run out!"

"We gotta be quick! The Mandos are gonna leave their own ship too!"

As soon as the ship landed, Nero swung the door open and watched his friends escape. Randall was covering Ivanna with his handguns since she had lost her weapon earlier, and they were followed by Olivia. Nero was ready to jump out too, but a voice from behind stopped him.

"Wait up!"

The Faunus turned around and saw the pilot running towards them. "Take me with you!" he said.

"No, stay here!" Nero argued. "This isn't a place for you to get involved!"

"But I'll just be a sitting duck here! Just take me-!"

*BANG*

A blast from the other side of the ship made its way through the window and struck the pilot in the back. He immediately fell forward and crashed limply on the ground. Nero watched in shock as the pilot didn't move from where he was; was he still alive?

"Nero, come on!"

The young Faunus snapped out his daze and took off running. He was just in time, as more blaster fire ripped through the ship. As he ran, more blasts flew past him and he could hear the Mandalorians gaining on him.

Ivanna and Randall were far ahead and making their way towards large rock. Olivia saw her teammate was having trouble keeping up, so she transformed her club back into a sniper rifle and aimed it towards the group behind her.

"Nero, drop!" she yelled. When the Faunus fell to the ground, Olivia opened fire on the Mandalorians.

The armored warriors had stopped running when the young redhead started shooting at them, but their armor was granting them protection from the bullets. They fired with their own weapons, but moved back towards the ship they originally came in.

Nero had used the opportunity his teammate had just given him to join the rest of Team IRON at the rock they were waiting at.

"Thanks, Olivia," Nero said as he caught his breath.

"No worries," Olivia said. "How are you holding up?"

"Not too good. Pilot's down. I don't know if he's gonna make it."

"Dammit!" Ivanna cursed as she punched the rock. "Then it looks like we're making our stand here. We'll go for help once these guys are out in their place."

"Think the home-field advantage will give us an edge?" Randall asked as he loaded his handguns.

"Let's hope so," Olivia replied. "These guys aren't like the Tuskens or the Pykes."

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage," Ivanna said as she looked around the canyon. "Olivia, think you can make an avalanche with your Semblance?"

"Just say the word."

Ivanna nodded and looked past the rock she was using as cover. "Seems like these nobodies like using their guns. Let's see how they can handle a fight when it's up close and personal. Nero, can you lend me a sai?"

"Take this one," Nero replied as he handed a sai. "It has some Fire Dust, but it won't be there forever."

Ivanna understood perfectly. "Okay, here's the plan; we're gonna charge straight at them to get close. They did a number on my Aura, but you guys look fine. Just engage it as you run, then let our fists do the talking. Got it?"

"Got it," everyone replied.

"They're coming," Nero said as he pointed towards the ship. "Looks like four of 'em."

"Let's do it," Ivanna said as she stood up. "Go!"

Team IRON leapt over the rock they were hiding under and charged directly at the Mandalorians. Blasters were fired, but they either missed or were blocked by the students' Auras. Randall and Olivia returned fire, but stopped when they saw their bullets weren't having much of an effect. Ivanna's Aura broke just as she met one Mandalorian, but she refused to yield.

Fists and blades met together in the canyon as the fight for survival truly began. Olivia had turned her sniper rifle into a club once again and was swinging it as hard as she could. While her strikes made contact with her Mandalorian, the armored foe easily got off the ground and delivered a set of fast punches and fire from one of the gauntlets.

Randall was using the blunt ends of his handguns to strike his foe, but the Beskar armor did nothing but block out the pain. However, the Mandalorian seemed to be having trouble keeping up while fighting in the sand. The kicks he was sending were slow, and they were leaving openings for Randall to strike. He had just pinned the Mandalorian to the ground, but he was forced to let go when hidden blades emerged from the gauntlet and struck him across the torso.

Nero managed to see that the Beskar armor had openings in between it, and they appeared to be the right size to stick his sai inside. Ivanna realized this too, but she chose to focus on the neck rather than the arms or legs; she had chosen to go in for the kill. However, the Mandalorians seemed to expect strikes like these. They knew where their weaknesses were, and they chose to go on the defensive.

Nero remained calm and patient with this, but Ivanna was mad. She was sure that the fight would be over if she still had Divining Rod, and she was mad that she lost it. The young leader swore she would make the Mandalorians pay for making her lose her weapon, and that they would pay with their lives.

But her opponent was proving to be rather stubborn. The Mandalorian was easily blocking the strikes, even though he was having trouble finding proper footing in the sand. He may have had to keep wiping his visor clean of the sand that was blowing in his face, but he appeared to be holding his own. Some of the punches he sent missed, but he was able to catch Ivanna off guard a few times.

Team IRON could see that this fight wouldn't be won easily. And so, after making a opportunity to break away from their foes, they met together while their backs were against the canyon wall.

"How are you all holding up?" Ivanna said as she caught her breath.

"I almost had my guy," Randall said furiously. "Lucky bastard got away from me."

"I can't land a hit on my guy!" Nero screamed. "It's like hand-to-hand is his second-language!"

"I think I got my Mando on the ropes," Olivia said confidently. She had been using her Semblance to wound her opponent, but she was running low on Aura. "I used up a lotta Aura. I can't keep this up forever."

Ivanna understood this and understood exactly where she was. When she looked upwards, she saw the rocky wall seemed to be the best place for an avalanche. "Then don't," she said to her teammate. "The word's given, Olivia. Make it rain."

The redhead turned around and saw the rocks overhead. With a smirk and a swift concentration of her anger, Olivia used her Semblance one last time and struck the natural wall with all her might.

The heavy strike may have been enough for Olivia's Aura to break, but it was also enough for multiple large rocks to come crashing down.

"Out of the way!" Ivanna screamed as she ran from the wall. Her teammates obeyed, and the Mandalorians also began to run away. One of them was unfortunate enough to get hit by a rock, but the armor and their Aura seemed to make the wound less fatal than it would have been. But either way, all of the Mandalorians began to run far away from the rocks and Team IRON.

"I don't believe it!" Randall yelled as he began to fire upon the enemy. "The Mandalorians are retreating!"

"We did it!" Olivia yelled as she joined her comrade in shooting the Mandalorians. "We got 'em on the run!"

"Don't let them get away!" Ivanna yelled as she began to give chase. "We can't let them fly outta here!"

Ivanna Vantablack was immediately followed by the rest of her team. Each of them began to envision themselves back at Shade and hailed as heroes. The Tuskens and Pykes were notable foes, but a defense against Mandalorians would secure their status as some of the strongest Huntsmen and Huntresses the Kingdom had ever known.

"They're headed for the other side of the canyon!" said Nero, who watched the Mandalorians ignore their ship and run back towards the rocks.

"We're almost there!" Ivanna yelled as she ran faster. She saw the Mandalorians turn a corner by the rocks, which made her believe that they had found an exit to the canyon. "Let's finish this!"

"Here we come!" Olivia yelled with a smile. "You hear that, Mandos! Ain't nothing you can do now!"

*CLICK*

As soon as Team IRON turned the corner, they were met face-to-face with the same Mandalorians as before; only this time, they were with far greater numbers.

About ten armed and ready Mandalorians were pointing blasters at the practically defenseless students, and they silently acknowledged the fact that their plan had worked. By simply feigning a retreat and uniting with greater numbers, the Mandalorians had the edge over Team IRON.

And before the students could run away, more Mandalorians jumped down from the rocky side of the canyon and landed behind Team IRON. They too were armed with blasters, and they were all pointed directly at the team.

With the reality of the situation now presented to them, Nero was the first one to speak for everyone else.

"Oh... shit."

After meeting almost twenty more Mandalorians without any more ammo or Aura, Team IRON knew that they had been beaten. And so, they found themselves kneeling in the middle of the canyon at the mercy of all the Mandalorians.

At the moment, they were all bound by their hands in metal wire and listening as one Mandalorian was talking to them.

"You fought well," she said calmly. "Almost like true Huntsmen and Huntresses. We, on the other hand..." The Mandalorian gestured to her allies. "Know forms of combat you could never understand. And almost isn't good enough."

"Spare us the dramatics," Ivanna said. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you want?" Randall asked.

"What do we want?" the Mandalorian asked with a laugh. Her comrades joined her in the laughter. "The same thing when Beacon was destroyed!" The Mandalorian pointed directly at Nero. "And guess what? You're next!"

Nero was the first of the team to show fear, as he began to panic and whisper to himself. "Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit."

"And you're just the beginning," the Mandalorian said as she snapped her fingers. Just then, three more Mandalorians approached the kneeling students. Two of them were wearing the old and deteriorated armor as everyone else, but one appeared to be a prisoner wearing chrome armor.

"You?" Ivanna asked as she watched the Mandalorians drop him to the ground. She recognized him instantly.

"Yes," Djarin replied as he watched the Mandalorians hover around him. "They found me before I could warn anyone." Djarin looked at the rest of the members of Team IRON. "I had hoped you and your team would do better. It seems I was wrong."

The Mandalorians laughed again. "Indeed you were," said the one closest to Team IRON. "But don't feel bad. We were going to catch up to you anyway." She then turned to the students. "But you could have done so much better." She laughed again as she reached for a pistol in her holster. "But we'll never know."

*CLICK*

The Mandalorian pointed the gun at Nero's head, who had stopped whispering and started screaming. Pleas for mercy reached everyone's ears, and now they were all as scared as him

"Stop!" Ivanna yelled. "Let's just talk about this!"

"No," the Mandalorian said. "I don't think so."

Nero's screams and pleas were becoming hard to endure. There may have been times when Ivanna heard this from the people she fought, but hearing it from someone close to her wasn't the best thing to hear. And so, she tried again to make it stop.

"You'll only catch Hell if you kill us!" she said. "And if you try to invade Shade! There are more Huntsmen and Huntresses there than I can count, people with more than enough experience to break all of you!"

"Yeah!" Randall said. "It took a lot of you just to beat four of us!"

"This won't end the way you think it will! It won't!"

"..."

The Mandalorian looked at her blaster, which was still pointed at the scared student. She then looked back towards the defiant one, who was scared to a lesser degree. After she looked back and forth between the two students, the Mandalorian made her decision.

"...No," she said. "I guess it won't."

"..."

Suddenly, Djarin stood up from where he was kneeling and approached the apparent leader. With a shared nod between them, the Mandalorian put away her blaster. Djarin then turned to one Mandalorian standing behind the four students. "That's enough," he said calmly. "Let them go."

"Yes, sir," the Mandalorian said as he moved towards the students. He then took out a small knife and cut the binds that were tied on each student.

All of the kneeling students felt the metal around their wrists fall to the coarse ground. The Mandalorian who had just cut them loose joined Djarin as they watched the students look at their hands. It seemed their newfound freedom had resulted in a collective confusion amongst the beaten students.

"Um... that worked?" their leader asked as she looked at her hands.

"Indeed it did."

The students and Mandalorians turned to see a new person had joined them in the canyon. Rather than another Mandalorian, it was none other than Professor Ozpin. And he was walking towards the students without any concern for his own safety.

"But it would not have worked against the true enemy," Ozpin said as he turned around. "Would it, Professor Djarin?"

"Absolutely not," the Mandalorian agreed. "This would be even worse than the Fall of Beacon."

"Wha... Wha... What?!" Olivia yelled. "What are you two doing?! Ozpin, aren't you gonna arrest him or something?!"

"On what charge?" Ozpin asked. "Teaching everyone here an important lesson?"

"...Huh?"

Ozpin nodded to Djarin, who in turn looked back to all of the other Mandalorians. "Okay, everyone," he said. "It's over. Take off the armor."

The armored warriors obeyed and revealed a shocking truth to the Shade students. Instead of scarred or battle-hardened adults, the Mandalorians revealed themselves to be children. Not just children, but teenagers who could pass as Huntsman and Huntress students. And as a matter of fact, Team IRON recognized them as students.

Beacon students.

"Finally!" said Max Bolt, who moved closer to Djarin. "It's hot in this thing!"

"Maybe so," said Lilith Gelb, who also moved closer to the real Mandalorian. "But it's also effective. Some of the equipment in mine still works."

"Same here," said Andrea Gloss, who was removing all of her armor from head to toe. "You would think the academy would remove weapons like these before putting them on display."

All of the students from Vacuo watched as every Mandalorian before them revealed themselves as students from Beacon. And yet they fought and acted just like Mandalorians. The defeated and kneeling students began to stand up and realize what exactly was going on, but their leader was the first to put it in words.

Or rather, attempt to put it in words.

"This was all a... a..."

"A training exercise," Ozpin confirmed. "One that could have gone better."

This was indeed all a training exercise. The Mandalorian had gotten the idea when he came across Clan Ordo's armor after talking to Team IRON. The group may not have existed anymore, but their lessons in strategy and battle still lived through each Mandalorian. When Djarin realized this, he knew that the students of Shade needed to see and feel what battling a Mandalorian was like. Ozpin believed the idea would be a lesson learned the hard way, so he agreed to Djarin's plan.

First, Djarin had to convince the staff of Shade to let him borrow the armor of Clan Ordo. It was enough for a small army, and exactly what he needed to show Team IRON how deadly real Mandalorians could be. Next, the Mandalorian approached multiple Beacon students and asked them for help in teaching the students of Shade a much-needed lesson. Many students agreed, and the ones who weren't wearing armor were recording the fight for everyone to see.

Djarin had planned everything perfectly, and now he saw that his efforts had paid off.

The beaten and humiliated members of Team IRON either groaned or remained silent as the truth sank in. Not only did they lose the fake battle, but they also lost to people who they initially believed to be weak and nothing more than a waste of space. Their embarrassment was as strong and unforgiving as the desert itself.

"So... you were all... and they were..." Ivanna was too surprised to form a complete sentence.

"Wait a minute!" Nero yelled. "You shot the pilot and killed our Huntsman! We saw it!"

"Ah, yes," said Ozpin. "It was a bit dramatic, I know. But they're both fine, I assure you." He then stepped aside to let two more people walk towards Team IRON. And sure enough, it was the same pilot and Huntsman who everyone previously assumed to be dead. The pilot then took out a piece of scorched metal out of his shirt; it had saved him from the blaster shot he received.

"Hey, kids," the Huntsman said. "What's new?"

Randall pointed at the team's supervisor in shock. "You... You were in on this too?" he asked.

"Yeah. Professor Djarin caught me after you shut the door again. Sorry for the lies, but this was for your own good."

Despite the truth being revealed, Ivanna wasn't completely won over. After she found her voice again, she stood up and looked at everyone. "No," she said. "No, this isn't possible! There's no way we fought all of you and lost! We were fighting Mandalorians, not students! You shouldn't have been able to do this!"

"Why not?" Lilith asked. "I tried to tell you and everyone else at Shade." She then moved close to the girl's face. "I'm. Not. Weak."

"..."

Djarin put a hand on Lilith's shoulder and gently pulled her away from the irate team leader. "No, you're not," he said before he looked back to Ivanna. "You were right about me, Ivanna; I'm a Mandalorian. Weapons and combat are a part of my religion. I have years of experience that helped me get where I am today. And you know what I did with it?"

"..."

"I passed it down to them." Djarin turned around to face the rest of the students. "All of them. And the students who came before me. They'd be willing to teach you as well, they can help you be better than today. But only if you let them."

The rest of the team was silent, but Nero regained his confidence and chose to be stubborn. "I don't need your help," he spat.

Djarin quickly turned around again and pointed the end of his blaster right in the young man's face. "That's not what you said a few minutes ago," he reminded the Faunus. "Don't you remember?"

"..."

Djarin lowered the gun and looked back to all his students. "You have a lot to learn here too," he said. "I watched your battle in this canyon. You remembered everything I taught you, but you failed to apply it all properly. Collectively, I counted eighteen missed strikes in this canyon. Obviously, the harshness of this place limits you."

"..."

All of the Beacon students listened carefully in silence as they recollected the fight with Team IRON. They may have won, but their fight was close. The sand beneath them made it hard to keep their balance and the brief avalanche was difficult to withstand. The Beskar served its purpose for protection, but they wouldn't be wearing it any time soon.

But there was one student who had a different idea.

"With all due respect, Professor Djarin, you're wrong," said Max, who took a few steps forward.

"..."

All eyes were on the young man as he said his piece.

"...We made nineteen."

The Mandalorian nodded slowly. "And you'll make many more if you're not prepared," he said as he looked back to Team IRON. "If you're still unwilling to help, don't worry. I made a recording of everything on the ship and in this canyon. Soon, the rest of Shade will know how to fight like a Mandalorian. But now that you know what it's like... are you willing to learn as well?"

"..."

In the days that followed Djarin's training exercise, everything changed at Shade. Those who didn't hear about Team IRON's defeat at the hands of Beacon students were shown it in class the next day. And just like the famous team, they were taken aback by how people such as Beacon students could do this to a team of their own.

Team IRON's shame weighed heavy on them after the battle. Ivanna took it the worst of all and decided to train herself and her team harder than before. They trained long and hard, but everyone knew that their training wouldn't amount to the Mandalorian training they could learn from Beacon.

Ivanna's pride told her to not resort to asking people from Beacon for help, but everyone else wasn't as foolish. An argument was the result, but the decision to watch and learn from Djarin and the Beacon students was made. Ivanna chose to work alone.

However, the rest of Team IRON and many more students from Shade found themselves in closer contact with the students from Beacon. More than anything, they wanted to learn how to fight like a Mandalorian. In exchange, the Beacon students wanted to learn how to adapt to the environment of Vacuo.

As a result of this arrangement, combat classes were combined with both student bodies. Each time a combat test occurred, one student would either learn how to fight like a Mandalorian or learn how to properly fight in the coarse and uneven sand.

Many people were happy about this change, especially Ozpin. He knew that a few students such as Ivanna weren't participating in this new unity, but he was confident that they would come around when they realized how they couldn't keep up with people who fought like Mandalorians. And given the amount of students working together, Ozpin easily took this as a victory.

One that he was eager to share with Djarin.

Ozpin found himself at the inn Djarin was staying at once again. He knocked on the door, but it opened by itself a few inches. Ozpin gently pushed the door open all the way and found the Mandalorian staring back at him.

And he seemed to have a strange surprise for Ozpin.

"You're packing," said Ozpin, who saw a bag being filled on the Mandalorian's bed.

"Yes," Djarin confirmed as he closed the bag. "That's what people do when they're leaving."

"Leaving? Were you going to tell me?"

"I was. I need someone to look after Cinder while I'm gone. Can you do that?"

"I... Of course." Ozpin invited himself into the room as he further interrogated Djarin. "But... where are you going?"

"Mistral. Or Vale. Anywhere I can find Death Watch or Clan Saxon."

Ozpin stopped walking when he received his second surprise from Djarin. "Death Watch? The Saxons? Djarin, you can't go after them."

"I can and I am." Djarin put his bag over his shoulder and picked up his new rifle. "I can't stay here anymore, Ozpin. I've done everything but join the fight since the war began. It's time to change that."

Ozpin took one step towards the doorframe to block Djarin's path. "Djarin, you can't leave now," he insisted. "You're needed here, with the students."

"No," Djarin disagreed. "I've taught our students everything I know. And now they're teaching everyone at Shade. It's time for me to move on, and to focus on the fight at hand." He walked to the door, but Ozpin stayed where he was. "Step aside."

"No, wait a minute. What do you hope to achieve with this? One man can't win a war alone."

"I know. But Death Watch and the Saxons know one thing that we don't; where I can find Aurora."

"Aurora? Djarin, that's too-"

"Too dangerous, I know. But I don't have a choice." The Mandalorian looked back towards Cinder. "She's still not waking up, and I just used my last vial of Cobalt Dust. If I don't do something now, nothing will change." Djarin used his Semblance to teleport himself behind Ozpin, into the hallway. "So I'm going. And I'll be back as soon as I hear anything."

Ozpin turned around and followed Djarin to the door. It seemed unwise to stay in the path of an unforgiving Mandalorian at the moment, but the professor had doubts about this mission. "Djarin, wait," he requested before Djarin left the inn.

"..."

"What happens if you can't find her? Or anything about her?"

The Mandalorian moved his head back towards Ozpin; not fully enough to face the man, but enough to answer the question while ready to close the door.

"...I won't."

*SLAM*

Author's notes: hey, everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for being patient, sorry this one took a while. And I want to give a special shout-out to Mrsauce906, who gave me the idea to use Clan Ordo in this chapter. Thanks for the help!

I hope you all enjoyed the season premiere of The Mandalorian, I definitely did. Now, I don't really plan to incorporate anything major from Season 3 since I wrote this story before its release. I do have an ending planned for this story, and I intend to follow it. But if I see anything cool in Season 3, I'll do my best to incorporate it here.

Also, I'm sorry this chapter's a little shorter. I didn't have anything major planned for this one, I wanted to explore the overall atmosphere of Shade Academy and Vacuo since we never got to see it in RWBY. But things will be big in the next chapter, I guarantee it.

To The Avenging Titan, glad you enjoyed my version of Chewie! You'll be seeing more Star Wars characters down the line later. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To GojiraRWBYSW18, glad you liked Lando and Chewie here! As for Han, you might wanna reread the chapter to see for yourself. And yes, Dexter is supposed to be Dex from Episode II. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To Dasgun, I hope that means you like what you read. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To Servos New Head, I know it must have been weird to see Chewie wearing clothes, but I don't think I can make him wear nothing at all in this. Glad you enjoyed Dexter, Lando, and Chewie here. And I'm glad you liked Din and Cinder interacting some more (even though there were some puns), and I'm glad you liked Willow here. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

To CT7567Rules, thanks again for the great ideas. And I'm really glad you liked Chewie here. Yeah, the Atlas borders closing are definitely gonna do more harm than good, but you'll see that later on. And yes, the rivet gun was inspired by Bioshock. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Don't forget to leave a comment before you go, I'd love to hear what you all think of this chapter. And if you haven't left any comments before, don't be shy. And pleas consider favoriting or following the story if you like it so far.

The Court of Talons is adjourned. See you next time!