Many years ago, the four Kingdoms of Remnant were engaged in a global conflict. A conflict that was born from ignorance, greed, and oppression. The Great War.
Many historians don't know who fired the first shot. All they knew was that the Kingdoms of Mantle and Mistral had formed an alliance that sought to make the Kingdoms of Vale and Vacuo submit to their rule and way of life.
The war involved each Kingdom. Even control of small islands was fought over by the feuding nations. Their main goal was domination over the enemy forces. However, there was one particular continent that both sides knew would make an essential ally or a powerful foe: Mandalore.
The continent of Mandalore was home to two things: groups of nomadic, strong-willed warriors and the strongest metal known to Humans and Faunus: Beskar.
At the time, the Mandalorians were neutral in the war, unaffected by the events that sparked the war in the first place. They instead sought to govern themselves, just as they did when the continent was founded. Their involvement, however, began after a brazen attack from the Kingdom of Mantle. The ruler of Mandalore, Tarre Vizla, led his people to victory against the forces of Mantle and formed an alliance with the King of Vale.
The alliance, however, could not save the continent. Mistral and Mantle's constant fighting and invasions turned two-thirds of the continent into a desolate wasteland and killed the great Mand'alor. Forced to abandon the once great land, the Mandalorian clans continued to fight their common enemy. With the help of the King of Vale, the Mandalorians were victorious.
Victorious, but also homeless.
Some Mandalorians look for ways to bring glory back to their people and home; others chose to abandon any attempt to reclaim their once glorious land. They instead chose to live among each Kingdom as a sign they were everywhere, and always watching. Mandalore later became known as Menagerie and became a home to hundreds of Faunus.
The Mandalorian tribes continue to live among the people of Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and the renamed Kingdom of Atlas, inadvertently dividing the Mandalorians in custom and religion.
This is the story of one particular Mandalorian and his adventures across Remnant.
Chapter 1: The Mandalorian
"Please, we're only trying to pass through!"
"You animals passed through the wrong town!"
"There's no need for-!"
*BANG*
A bullet to the head prevented a young deer Faunus from attempting to reason with the attackers.
A group of Faunus refugees had been traveling across the Kingdom of Vale for three days, trying to get to a town by the ocean. Their goal was to make a new home for themselves in Menagerie. Their plans had just been changed by a human supremacist group hunting any Faunus that set foot near their home. With their leader gone, the rest of the refugees would need a new plan. Fortunately, that plan was put in motion the moment the deer Faunus hit the ground.
"Move up!" the lead human called to his allies. Moving towards the large truck, the humans prepared to exterminate the rest of the intruders. As two humans prepared to fire, a small metal sphere fell at their feet and exploded before they had any time to process what had happened.
A cloud of dirt and smoke resulted from the explosion, and the lead human could make out a figure standing in the middle of the cloud. His instincts kicked in as he fired his pistol, with his comrades following his lead. However, he stopped as he heard the sound of metal hitting metal. The cloud disappeared to reveal a man in scratched dark brown armor with a white pauldron on his right shoulder. The one detail that caught everyone's attention was the silver helmet with a black "T" visor.
"Is that a-?"
*BANG*
The woman was cut off as a red bolt exited the armored one's pistol and made contact with her face. Regaining his attention, the leader fired at the warrior but made contact with thin air. His new target had disappeared right before his eyes. "Where'd he go?" he asked the others.
A man opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a wire wrapping around his throat. He felt a force pull him backward, his back making contact with a pointed object. His fellow humans fired again, each shot hitting their friend, while the armored one disappeared again.
The group's leader knew this man would be a problem. So, he decided to fix it quickly. "Forget the Faunus! Find the Mandalorian!"
Their search was cut short as the Mandalorian reappeared in the middle of the humans. He immediately swung a knife at a short man, which made contact with his throat. Two more men sent fists at the Mandalorian, which he quickly blocked. The leader took cover behind a tree, watching the Mandalorian beat his friends with ease.
He began to panic, overwhelmed by the sudden turn in events. He and his group were used to killing defenseless Faunus, even Faunus with Auras. The Mandalorian was something completely different. Even if he didn't have an Aura, the Mandalorian could block any attack with his Beskar armor. The human didn't want to admit it, but it was true: this could be his last day on Remnant.
His attention shifted to a young girl with rabbit ears, who was too focused on the fight to notice the danger lurking behind the tree. Seeing a chance to fight for something he believed in, the leader charged towards the girl and yelled.
"Mando!" a Faunus yelled.
Turning around, the Mandalorian could see the Faunus tossing him a rifle and pointing to the girl and her attacker. Understanding the situation, the Mandalorian quickly aimed and fired the gun.
His target let out a scream as a burst of energy hit his chest and turned his body into dust.
The Faunus behind the truck leaned out of hiding to see the Mandalorian standing over the defeated humans. They began to cheer and thank the Mandalorian for his services.
"Impressive work, Mando," a girl with cat ears complimented the group's savior. "I don't know what we would have done without you."
"It wouldn't have turned out well," he bluntly replied. "Best not to dwell on it." His attention turned to the dead Faunus on the ground. "I'm sorry about your friend."
"He'll be missed," she replied while her ears flattened.
"Gabriella, look!"
The Faunus known as "Gabriella" turned to see a town with a port in the distance. "We made it," she said with a smile.
"Then this is where we part ways," the Mandalorian said with an extended hand. "Good luck in Menagerie."
Gabriella shook his hand and smiled. "Thanks. And sorry again about your weapon."
The young Faunus was referring to how the refugees had met the Mandalorian. One of the children had stolen one of his weapons while he was staying at an inn: a modified rifle with experimental Dust from Atlas. He had hoped to sell it once the group had reached Menagerie. It didn't take long for the Mandalorian to find the group and demand his weapon back. Gabriella offered to return it in exchange for an escort to the ocean town, which he agreed to.
As the Mandalorian watched the Faunus depart, a soft beep came from his gauntlet. Pressing a button, the Mandalorian could see a new message sent to him.
"I have a job for you, one that can be useful for the both of us. You know where to find me."
The Mandalorian disappeared once again.
"Alright, take your pick."
Two men were sitting in a bar, with the one on the left showing the other three pictures on his Scroll. The one on the right was looking at each one.
"Are these seriously all you have?" the first man asked. "These rewards are cheap."
"Take them or leave them," the second man said, taking a sip of his drink. "Or... you could try that special job I told you about."
"Yeah... no," he said. "I don't wanna give you any 'grief,' but I'm not interested."
The first man rolled his eyes and sighed, annoyed not only about how his hunter had turned down his special assignment but also the pun in his sentence. "Think about the reward!" he exclaimed, forgetting about the joke. "It'll make you a legend among these people!" Everyone in the bar turned around at the man, upset by what he said. "What are you lookin' at?" he asked. The patrons all went back to their business. He was about to continue his efforts to persuade the hunter, but he was cut short.
"Look, I know about the reward," the bounty hunter said. "But you don't go around offering that unless this is big. And I just joined the Guild, so I'll take my chances with... him." The hunter pointed to a man with a reward of a hundred Lien.
"Alright, fine," the man said with a sigh. The young hunter left the table but had one last thing to say.
"Come on, no need for 'grief,' man!" he remarked with a laugh.
"Good God, don't you ever get tired of those puns?" the man asked as he buried his face in his hands. After the bounty hunter had left, the man looked at his Scroll, realizing that he had made a point. The bounties he was offering weren't that good. Not just for the hunters but himself. Greef Karga knew he had to step up his game to earn a good finders fee, which is how he heard about his "special job." The man who just left was the third person who turned him down, so it wasn't going great. Fortunately, Karga knew someone who might be interested. He took out his Scroll and sent a quick message to another bounty hunter.
"I have a job for you, one that can be useful for the both of us. You know where to find me."
Karga sent the message and took another sip of his drink.
"You called?"
Karga spat out his drink and coughed, completely caught off guard by the armored warrior who literally came out of nowhere. "Son of a-!" he choked out. Catching his breath, he looked at his associate. "Jeez, Mando! I thought I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"
"And I thought I told you that's how I work," the Mandalorian replied as he took a seat. "What do you have?"
Karga cleared his throat as he pulled out his Scroll. "Unfortunately, nothing much," he replied as he showed pictures of the bounties he had. The Mandalorian didn't like what he saw.
"These will barely afford new Dust," he pointed out.
"I know, Mando," Karga agreed. "Which is why I have a special job for you."
"Let's see it," the Mandalorian demanded.
"Uh, actually, I don't have any details on the target. The client wants to meet with you in person. He'll have all the details on your target, desired status, and reward."
"...Where am I meeting him?"
Karga pulled up a picture of a large building. The Glass Unicorn, a hotel located in Atlas.
"You'll also need this." Karga slid a card with a bar code to the Mandalorian. Taking it, the bounty hunter took a moment to consider going. He didn't want to go to Atlas of all places, but Karga seemed interested in this job. Especially with the reward. And it seemed to be the best option out of the other jobs.
"I'll go," the Mandalorian said.
"Good luck," Karga said as he looked at his Scroll. "How soon can you-?" He looked up to see the Mandalorian was gone. "Alright then."
The Mandalorian was standing outside the Glass Unicorn. He heard the gasps of people shocked by his sudden appearance and saw all of them look in awe at his armor. He paid no attention to them as he pressed a button on his left gauntlet. A blue screen with a picture of him popped up. Next to the picture was a white bar, with part of it showing orange. The Mandalorian's Aura levels were low.
"Have to use it sparingly," he thought to himself. The bounty hunter's Semblance was a powerful one; the ability to teleport to any place he laid his eyes on, which was no easy feat. However, it exhausted a lot of Aura. Fortunately, his armor would give him plenty of protection for the time being. Deactivating the picture, he went inside the hotel.
As he walked to the front desk, the Mandalorian could see that this place was like any other in Atlas. People getting drunk, expensive furniture and dishes. The only things that stood out to him were the glass statues of Grimm and a brown-haired woman with circles under her green eyes at the front desk. Her face had a stoic look on it, as if she didn't seem to care about anything going on around her. Not about the patrons, the Huntsman talking to a few people, and certainly not the Mandalorian who had captured everyone's attention.
"Can I help you?" she asked the bounty hunter. His only response was showing her the card that Karga gave to him. Using her Scroll to scan the bar code, the Scroll gave off a soft beep. "Room 467," she said. "He's waiting for-"
*BOOM*
A soft explosion caught both of them off guard, and the pair quickly turned their eyes to a cloud of steam on one of the walkways. The Mandalorian drew his pistol and activated a thermal sensor in his helmet. He could make out two people shielding their eyes from the steam and another standing across from them. It seemed that person had created the cloud and caused the other two to become disoriented.
"Put it down," the woman said to the Mandalorian. "I'll take care of it."
Lowering his pistol, the Mandalorian saw the steam cloud disappear. In its place was a black-haired girl in white clothes standing across from two other girls. She was panting and had a look of anger on her face. This look suddenly changed to fear as the woman grabbed her arm and dragged her downstairs, behind the front desk, and into a separate room.
Normally, the bounty hunter would pay attention to the task at hand, forgetting about the outburst. However, a scream of pain from the child made him stay in place. His helmet not only had visual enhancements but audio ones as well. He could see and hear everything going on in the separate room. And what he observed wasn't very pleasant.
"Now, that wasn't very ladylike, was it?" the woman sarcastically asked the girl, who was screaming in pain. The Mandalorian could see the woman pressing a button in her hand while the girl was screaming. "I suggest you remember your place," she said, taking her hand off the button. However, she quickly pressed it again with another cold remark. "Say it!"
This time, the girl spoke. "...Without you... I am nothing."
The Mandalorian slowly walked to the door and prepared to open it. But he stopped himself, remembering the mission at hand. So he instead walked to an elevator as his thoughts drifted to a similar situation.
Years ago
"Mom!"
A dark-haired woman looked up from a set of dishes to a young boy wearing a red hood on the stairs.
"Yes, dear?"
"Is Ikki home yet?"
"Not yet, but she should be here any-"
The sound of a door opening caught the attention of the woman and her son. On the other side was a teenage girl with dark black hair and amber eyes. One of which had a large black circle around it, along with a bloody nose.
"Oh, not again!" the woman yelled as she rushed over to the teenager. "Honey, sit down. Din, get some Ice Dust from the counter."
The boy quickly did as he was told, rushing to the counter and grabbing the Dust just as the teenager sat down. She placed the crystal over her eye and smiled at the little boy.
"Thanks, buddy." Ikki patted her little helper on the head. The woman got a paper towel and rubbed her daughter's face over and over again. "Mom, it's not as bad as it looks," she said.
"A black eye says otherwise," she replied. "What happened this time?"
"Let's just say the old prick finally got smart."
"Language," her mother said as she pointed to Ikki's younger brother.
"Sorry," Ikki said. "Could I have some more ice?"
"Of course, sweetheart." The woman ran upstairs to find more Dust for her daughter. While she was gone, the boy started to cry.
"Hey, it's okay," she said as she hugged her brother.
"I'm sorry, Ikki. I was just trying to help."
Young Din Djarin was referring to a problem his sister had with a certain piece of "jewelry" around her neck. Ikki worked as a maid under a wealthy family who believed in strict discipline for any mistake she made. So, Ikki was forced to wear a shock collar disguised as jewelry. Last week, Din suggested she turn it off. Ikki laughed at her brother's blissful ignorance at first, but she took a closer look at the collar. There was indeed a way to make it look like the collar worked but not shock the wearer. And thanks to her aptitude and curiosity in mechanics, she was able to do so in only a few hours. But now, her superiors learned the truth.
"It's not your fault, buddy. And you did help me," she said with a smile. "Now listen. Tomorrow, when I go back to Atlas, the Marigolds are going to give me something similar to my collar. And then, we can outsmart them together. And sooner or later, it'll be 'Goodbye, Mantle' and 'Hello, Vale.' Just a little more time and money," she promised with a big smile. Her brother had dried his tears and smiled back at his older sister. Despite the hand she was given in life, Ikki never lost her optimism.
And Din Djarin loved her for that.
Present-day
The Mandalorian quickly regained his focus as the elevator came to the fourth floor. Walking down the hall, he stopped at room 467 and knocked on the door.
"Enter," a male voice ordered.
The bounty hunter opened the door and was greeted by four Atlesian Knight-130s, whose robotic visors were glued on their new guest.
"Ah, there you are," the voice said. The Mandalorian turned to see a man with black hair and a mustache sitting at a table. He was wearing a yellow sweater under a lab coat. It seems this was the client. "Greef Karga told me you were coming. And in impressive time, I have to admit." The man was looking at a pocket-watch.
"...What else did he say?" the Mandalorian asked.
"That you were one of the best in the business. That you always get your man, and so on. He also said-"
A loud screech cut the client off as a computer next to him activated. The Mandalorian quickly pulled out his pistol and rifle and pointed one at the client and the other at the robots. Who, in turn, activated turrets on their arms.
"FREEZE!"
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"
The Mandalorian didn't comply. The client was unfazed by the weapon in his face.
"I apologize," the client said. "My partner has to make an... unorthodox appearance. He can see and hear us, but don't worry. Nobody else is listening. Please, lower your weapons."
"Tell your droids to stand down," the bounty hunter ordered.
"YOU ARE OUTNUMBERED," one robot said.
The Mandalorian looked at the number of droids, then back at the weapons he had. "I like these odds."
The client chuckled hearing this and leaned forward. "Karga also told me you were expensive. Very expensive," he said as he turned to the robots and waved his hand. A ring on his finger gave off a faint blue light, and the knights deactivated their weapons. "Have a seat."
The Mandalorian slowly lowered his weapons and sat down. As he did, the client took out a briefcase and opened it, with the top blocking the Mandalorian's view of the contents. The client moved his hand towards the Mandalorian and lifted it, revealing an ingot of metal. A very particular metal.
"Beskar?" the Mandalorian assumed, its presence catching him by surprise.
"Pure Beskar," the client responded. "It's real, I assure you."
The Mandalorian picked up the metal. Taking off one of his gloves, he felt every detail of it. He once had the honor to hold a piece of Beskar, and he knew the metal in his hand was the real deal. The one thing that stood out was the Atlas symbol, branded into the side.
"Atlas said they used it all for weapons and ships," the Mandalorian pointed out, remembering a story of how Beskar could only be found in certain Huntsman and Huntress weapons like a spear or arrow.
"That's what the public believes right now," the client claimed. "Atlas has been saving Beskar like this for... special projects. And as you can see..." He moved the briefcase to reveal more ingots like the one the bounty hunter was holding. "I have quite the amount of Beskar waiting upon delivery of the asset."
"Alive," a modulated voice from the computer said.
"Yes, alive," the client confirmed. "Understand that bringing her in dead will result in no reward."
"Her?"
The computer suddenly produced an image of a woman in her early thirties with two lines of text at the bottom.
Name: Lila Birch
Last Known Location: Vale
"I understand bounty hunters usually work with just the face, name, and location," the client continued. "However, the asset has proven rather elusive, which is why you'll need this." He handed the Mandalorian a small device with an antenna. Djarin recognized it immediately: a tracking fob. "One last thing." The client slid a card to the Mandalorian. The black card had a gold "W" with a phone number. "Contact me once you have the asset."
Djarin stood up and held out the metal to the client. "Keep it," he said. "The rest will be here when you return."
The Mandalorian left the room, looking over the piece of metal in his hand, amazed at how there was still Beskar like this on Remnant. Activating his gauntlet again, Djarin saw that his Aura had recharged long enough to reach the yellow zone.
"I can make a trip back to-"
He abandoned his thoughts as he could make out a figure on the other side of the holographic screen. Deactivating it caused the Mandalorian to see the young girl from before, the servant who was punished for the explosion. She was scrubbing the floor, oblivious to the bounty hunter's presence.
Djarin walked closer to the elevator but didn't keep his eyes off the girl. The fact that the young girl looked so much like his sister unnerved the Mandalorian, but he continued to walk. He finally stopped moving when he saw a tear fall to the ground.
The child continued to scrub until her brush hit his foot. "You're in the way," she said, the feet not moving. She looked up to tell him again, but her jaw dropped seeing the Mandalorian. He was having a good look at her jewelry.
Djarin knelt to her level and looked at the yellow stone. Turning it around, he began to examine the circuitry. After about a minute, he let it go. "It won't hurt you anymore," he said. "Fake a reaction when she turns it on again." With that, he went into the elevator and left the girl to look at her jewel.
The Mandalorian was walking on a dirt path holding his ingot. He stopped in front of a wall with two other Mandalorians standing guard, a red armored male, and one blue armored female. Nodding at their fellow Mandalorian, the guards let him pass. The bounty hunter made his way into the small village, watching masked children run and play while older Mandalorians were standing and talking to each other. He made his way into a certain house with a skull on it. The skull was the signet of this Mandalorian tribe, the Children of the Watch. When they created their village, the Mandalorian settlers faced a legendary Grimm with distorted arms fused to a horse. Many Huntsman and Huntresses had tried to slay the beast and failed. However, a team of Mandalorians managed to kill it and took the horse and humanoid skulls as a trophy. The people of Mistral called the Grimm the "Nucklelavee." The Mandalorians identified it as the "Mythosaur."
The bounty hunter entered the house to see a female Mandalorian hammering a piece of metal at a furnace. She left her work when she saw a Mandalorian kneeling in front of her.
Djarin placed the ingot on the table. She removed her glove and examined the metal. "This was gathered in the Great War," the Armorer observed. "It is good it is back with the tribe."
"Yes," the Mandalorian replied.
"A pauldron would be in order. Has your signet been revealed?"
"Not yet."
"...Soon."
The Children of the Watch were a unique tribe among other Mandalorian clans. They chose to wear a symbol of notable Grimm kills on their armor rather than a shared symbol. This was the ancient Way of the Mandalore, one that the Children of the Watch followed to their last dying breath.
The Armorer forged the pauldron for Djarin. His Aura had recharged significantly. Once he left the village, he was ready. His hunt had officially begun.
Author's notes: this is a project I've wanted to do for a while. Like my first story, this is a Mandalorian x RWBY crossover. The first few chapters will be very similar to the first few episodes of the Mandalorian, but the rest of the story will be different. Please let me know what you think.