The Way of the Maiden Chapter 38, a Star Wars + RWBY Crossover fanfic

Chapter 38: The Clones

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?!"

"We were all looking for the Chill in different places! But don't worry, I've sent all security to sweep the arena. We'll find Cinder."

"And her teammates! They're still in Vale, they never left!"

"Admiral Thrawn told me. His men have already been deployed."

"Just hurry! There's no way they wouldn't pick up where the Chill left off!"

Din Djarin couldn't think of another time when he was this scared. The cause of the unnatural fear was a terrible truth that he discovered from the landlord of the apartment complex. That three similar-looking girls had been coming and going from Honey Wine's apartment ever since she moved in. And based on what Admiral Thrawn hypothesized, that Flora Blair somehow passed the Chill onto Winter like Clan Saxon was doing, the truth of it all was as clear as crystal. The Blair sisters were the spies General Ironwood had guessed were at Beacon Academy.

The Mandalorian finally ended the call he made to Ironwood when he saw that he reached his destination; the Vale landing pad, where people from all over the Kingdoms would be taking their first steps from a crowded airship to the city of Vale. Djarin knew that if he was going to save Cinder from the danger he discovered, this would be the best place to get to Amity Colosseum without help from his Semblance. The Razor Crest wasn't here, but the next best thing certainly was.

And with Qrow Branwen at his side, acquiring another airship hopefully wouldn't be difficult.

"All of these are civilian transports," the Mandalorian said as he looked beyond the fence standing between him and the airfield. "There's no way these can get us to Amity fast enough."

Qrow turned away from the larger transports to a smaller airship in a hanger. It wasn't entirely visible in the dark that was falling onto Vale, but Qrow could tell it was a much better option than what the Mandalorian had his eyes on. "C'mon!" he shouted as he kicked open the metal gate. He quickly made his way to the hanger with Djarin, where they were immediately stopped by a Faunus in a mechanic's jumpsuit.

"Hey!" he yelled to the approaching humans. "What're you doing?! You can't be-!"

"Licensed Huntsman!" Qrow shouted as he reached into his pocket. "We're commandeering that... ship..." Qrow stopped running when he remembered that his Scroll had been stolen, along with his Huntsman identification. Djarin stopped running as well, also remembering that Qrow's identification was stolen. The Faunus mechanic didn't look entirely convinced, and he was prepared to tell both men to leave. But Djarin needed to get to Amity, even if he couldn't prove that Qrow was within his rights to commandeer the airship.

So he did the only sensible thing he could think of.

*BAM*

The mechanic unconsciously fell to the ground with a bloody nose after Djarin punched him and took off to the hanger. Qrow watched the scene unfold in surprise, but quickly rejoined his partner when he knew the man would be fine sooner or later. All he needed to concern himself was talking out of a potential lawsuit with the airport. Hopefully, the punch was strong enough to knock out some memory as well as consciousness.

Djarin, however, wasn't concerned with the mechanic. Instead, his focus was on the airship that Qrow found among the civilian transports. It was much smaller and less bulkier than other ships, it almost looked like an Atlesian Manta. However, the wings were more triangular and the outer shell was much smaller. Judging from the missiles on each side and the single seat in the cockpit, the airship appeared to be...

"A fighter," Qrow said as he looked at the ship. "Looks like some kinda prototype."

"What it looks like is our way to Amity," Djarin replied as he used his jetpack to jump to the pilot seat. "There's only one seat here, I don't think-"

*CAW*

The Mandalorian watched a small black bird fly from where Qrow was standing to the seat. One would have wondered where he had gone, but Dajrin had seen Qrow perform this feat before; he knew the bird was Qrow, who had used a piece of Ozpin's magic to transform into one. And now the bird had flown and landed close to the control panel, resting as far away from the buttons as possible.

"...That'll have to do," the Mandalorian said as he jumped inside the cockpit. The buttons and controls before him didn't appear too different from the Razor Crest, which allowed for the activation of the single engine to be relatively easy. Once the landing gear rolled the ship out of the hanger, Djarin took the airship off the ground and flew.

Djarin was no stranger to flying. The sound of air hitting the sides and the rising altitude all came naturally after years of experience. But the two aspects of flying this airship that was new to the Mandalorian were the speed and the lightness beneath him. Coming off the ground and feeing practically nothing beneath the airship were almost intimidating to the man in the cockpit. He never had a feeling like this in his previous ships. And the weapons before him, two guns and two missiles, would help make this prototype a force to be reckoned with.

He just hoped the speed would be enough to reach Beacon in time, which was far from the airfield. So without warning the unorthodox passenger in the cockpit, the Mandalorian increased the speed of his airship while Qrow unwittingly found himself forced behind his head.

*CAW*

The pained cries fell on deaf ears as Djarin charted a course for Amity.

Laughter travelled its way down the dark corridors of Amity Colosseum as the Blair sisters continued to unnaturally fly with their prey in tow. As each one reveled in their successful hunt, Cinder screamed in pain as the sickle in her leg stayed where it was and pulled on her flesh. She felt as if she had been dragged for hours and that she would do anything to make the torture stop.

The young Maiden finally got her wish when Merri and Fauna slammed a door open and stopped moving. Flora halted as well, but refused to let Cinder go. All three of the sisters began to change into a human form as the Botfiles disappeared, leaving Merri to walk forward and gesture her hand towards Cinder.

"Madam," she said with a smile. "We bring you fresh prey."

"Good timing, girls."

Cinder opened her eyes and moved her head towards the voice. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the feminine voice was familiar. And the source appeared to be another woman hovering over two bodies on the floor.

"Let's get a look at her," the woman said as she turned around. Cinder gasped when she saw the woman's dark complexion, Faunus ears, and the wide, sadistic smile on her lips. "Cinder, Cinder, Cinder. Look how you've grown."

"Aurora!" Cinder said, gritting her teeth as she tired to block out the pain in her leg.

"Wow," Aurora said while still smiling. "So after all these years, after getting to know you for just a day, you can still remember my name? I'm almost touched."

Cinder had only met the Faunus once when she was a child, but the experience never left her mind. After all, being hunted down with the intent to experiment on someone was traumatic enough to leave an imprint. "How did you-?"

"Find you?" Aurora finished as she walked over to Cinder. "You didn't make it hard, ya know. Her Grace has had her little eye on you for a long time, once she knew where to look. I mean, who else could have offed Nihilus like you did?"

"..."

Aurora remembered hearing about the death of Nihilus, and Salem had learned where it had occurred. She didn't mourn the man who took the prize of killing a Mandalorian away from her, but the Faunus was surprised that someone so powerful could die quickly. Once the steps were retraced and the truth was uncovered, Salem was pleased to hear that Cinder was growing stronger with her powers. And in time, the power would be strong enough to serve her desires.

And the Blair sisters, the Botfly swarms that made them what they were, had made obtaining this power even easier. They never failed in their task.

Especially when Aurora was introduced to the Botflies.

Years ago

Two red eyes opened to find themselves staring at a large meeting room. The eyes looked across the table before them, made of both stone and dark crystal, and saw multiple empty seats. The people at the end of the table weren't sitting, but kneeling. There were two in total, one human and one Faunus. The Faunus was recognized by the eyes as Aurora, someone who had proven herself to be both an ambitious and valuable asset. The human was also an asset, but not one as important as Aurora. Supposedly, he had something Aurora desperately wanted and would stop at nothing to claim it as her own. But the woman Aurora served wanted it more, and was far more ruthless than Aurora could ever be. And now the woman, Salem, was prepared to show her new guests how ruthless she was.

"My Queen," Aurora said as she kept two firm hands on the human she was forcing to kneel.

Salem moved off the chair she was sitting on and walked to her servant. "Welcome home, Aurora," she said with a smile. "I see unlike Spencer here, you never fail me."

The human quickly looked up at the sound of his name, fear written on his face. "Your Grace, all is not-!"

*BAM*

A strike to Spencer's back caused him to fall face first into the floor beneath him. "Shut. Up," Aurora ordered.

"Actually, Aurora... doing the opposite is exactly why I ordered you to find Spencer and return him to me," the witch declared. "I, for one, am more than interested to hear why our Maiden was not where he said she was." Salem looked down on the man, who had raised his head to look at his boss while staying silent. "Well?"

After for what felt like an eternity, Spencer finally spoke again. "My Queen, I swear to you, the Maiden was exactly where I said she was!" he claimed. "I saw her powers first-hand when I travelled to Vacuo! It was her!"

Aurora wanted to sarcastically challenge this claim, since she had gone to Vacuo with him and almost died in a sandstorm that swallowed a small village. But she had learned not to speak unless spoken to, so she kept her mouth shut during Salem's interrogation.

"If you are certain, Spencer, why did she do nothing to save that little village?" Salem asked. "Why weren't its citizens saved in a triumphant display that could be played off as a Semblance?"

"Perhaps she fled! Perhaps there was nothing she could have done!"

Salem gently stroked her chin as she considered the idea. "It is indeed possible," she said, giving the man before her a sense of relief. "And if it is true, you decided not to keep an eye on her. You could have used the Seer I gifted you, you could have hired lowlifes to watch over her."

"..."

Each word Salem spoke sent an invisible knife into Spencer's hopeful spirit. And she wasn't even finished yet. "But instead, you risked our soon-to-be Maiden to be swallowed by the sand," she said. "We can add this to the list of your seemingly never-ending failures, my friend."

"Bu-But, ma'am!" Spencer said as he moved to his knees. Aurora quickly put her hand back on his shoulder while taking out a knife. Salem simply raised her hand, successfully calling off her assassin and giving Spencer breathing room before speaking again. "Your Grace, I know I failed you today. But I-"

"Today?" Salem asked. "What about your recent projects?" Before he could answer, Spencer watched Salem stick her open palm towards him. "Scroll."

"..."

Aurora quickly reached into one of Spencer's pockets and fished out a small white device, one that Salem opened and looked through various pictures. "I would have thought your background as an Atlesian geneticist would have made creating my new Grimm soldiers easy." Salem pushed the Scroll close to Spencer's face. "But instead, you gave me this?"

Spencer knew what Salem was talking about. When he was living in Atlas, Oswald Spencer was a genetic scientist who studied mutations in both human and Faunus genes. These studies, however, soon led to experimentation that many saw as unethical and dangerous. His goal was to create a kind of mutation that would ultimately lead to a next step in human evolution. But not everyone saw the bigger picture like him, which led to him being disgraced and disbanded from the scientific community in Atlas.

When he conducted his experiments elsewhere, Spencer met Salem, who offered to teach him about the Grimm and their place of origin. Her goal was to see if Spencer's genius could create an ultimate Grimm, a tyrant that would rule over the lowly creatures that Salem had created herself. And while she upheld her end of the deal, Spencer had yet to produce anything other than failed experiments.

This truth was evident when Spencer said nothing while looking at each result he had on his Scroll. And if that wasn't enough, the fact that he tried to run when he failed Salem was the icing on the cake.

"Please, ma'am, I know I can do better this time!" the scientist implored. "So, I'm not meant to be out in the field! That doesn't mean I'm not useful!"

"If today has taught us anything, Spencer, it is that you have failed me," Salem argued as she looked closer at her incompetent servant. "Too. Many. Times."

Spencer was trying to figure out an excuse, or anything close enough to an excuse to prove his master wrong. He had done so before when Salem asked him about his experiments, mainly that he was learning more about the Grimm every day. But today was not a good day for that excuse, and both ladies in the room knew that.

He was doomed.

"However... there may be one way you can redeem yourself."

Both Spencer and Aurora shared a sense of surprise when Salem made this claim. Their reactions, however, were polar opposites. Spencer felt hope and happiness once again, but Aurora was far from pleased. "Your Grace, we can't possibly let someone like-!"

"You may release him, Aurora," Salem said sternly. She then stared at her servant, who had a wide jaw as she looked back at Spencer. When she looked up at Salem once more, who furrowed her brow at the Faunus, Aurora finally relented and released the prisoner. "Leave us." Aurora obeyed once more, but not before shooting a dirty glare at the prisoner. And once the wooden doors behind him closed, Spencer looked up at Salem with a smile.

"Yes!" he screamed as he looked at the ground. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you."

"..."

Quickly remembering where he was, Spencer looked up at Salem. "Um, I mean, thank you, your Grace," he said as he kneeled upright. "I promise, you won't regret this."

"No, I don't think I will," Salem agreed. She then walked back to the long table, specifically towards her seat. "Let me ask you something, Spencer... do you ever wonder why you're here?" She then moved her hand upwards, giving her disciple permission to rise.

"Um... that is one of life's great mysteries," Spencer replied as he stood up. "I mean... are we the product of-?"

"I mean you, specifically. Have you ever asked yourself why you are here? With me?"

"Oh!" Spencer cleared his throat. "Um... once or twice, ma'am. But I just remember how you said you believed in my work."

"Indeed I did." Salem stopped at her crystal throne and lowered herself to the ground behind it. "I must admit, your experiments in Atlas were an inspiration. The methods in which you attempted to give life to your abominations were very... encouraging, to a creator like myself."

"Thank you, ma'am." Spencer began to walk backwards. "I hope my next experiment will be just as inspiring, once I begin my-"

"That will be unnecessary, Spencer." Salem moved back upwards. "If you wish to redeem yourself in my eyes, you can stay exactly where you are."

Spencer stopped moving. "Oh. Um, very well." He then saw Salem turn back towards him, holding a small glass jar. "What's that?"

"A product of your inspiration," Salem said as she walked back to her servant. "A mutation of Grimm that serves the same purpose as the rest." Salem stopped walking when she was in front of Spencer, and then held the jar out. "Observe."

Spencer obeyed and extended his hands, feeing the cold glass in his palms. He then raised the jar to his eyes, leaving him to see a multitude of black insects flying about. "Flies?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, flies," Salem repeated in confirmation. "Though I believe the term 'Botfly' may be more appropriate here."

The middle-aged man looked closer at one particular fly, noticing red eyes along with white spots on its skin. "These are Grimm. How did you make them?"

"Through trial and error. And assistance from another follower of mine, one who wishes to remain anonymous."

"And they act like the rest of the Grimm?"

"Similar, but different. As to how much, I want you to determine this." Salem made her way to the doors, gently pushing past Spencer as they opened.

"I see," Spencer said as he stared at the jar. "What should I expect?"

"A long and arduous devouring," Salem said as she stopped in the hallway. She turned back to the meeting room, where her disciple was standing. "That was the purpose I created them with, and the one I must determine. Here and now."

"I see." Spencer finally lowered the jar to his chest. "And you want me to carry out this experiment? On another person?"

Salem smiled as she moved one of her hands away from the door. "No, Spencer. On you."

*ZAP*

A small beam of light escaped from Salem's fingertip and made contact with the jar, which shattered into dangerously sharp shards. The newly freed Botflies began to fly around the room as quickly as they could, but found themselves trapped when the wooden doors were slammed closed.

Fear found its way from Spencer's brain into the rest of his body. Preferring flight to a fight, he rushed over to the doors and tried to open them. But all he managed to do was fail to move either of them.

"Thank you for your service, Oswald Spencer," Salem called out on the other side. "I'm sure you'll consider yourself redeemed... posthumously."

"What?!" Spencer screamed as he banged his fists on both doors. He then felt harsh biting all over his arms and legs. "No! Let me out! Let me-AAAUGH!" The biting became even more intense, as well as Spencer's screams of agony.

Salem sadistically reveled in the screams and sounds of flesh being bitten into. Aurora, who was standing outside the room, smiled as well. She, like her master, was no longer fond of the fool of a geneticist they employed.

"Aurora."

The young Faunus turned to her master, who was staring back at her. "I have made previous arrangements to replace dear Spencer," she said. "You are to meet him in two days time."

"Is he anything like the human in there?" Aurora asked.

"Certainly not. His arrogance and ego may blind him, but he is no mere inspiration like Spencer. He knows how to acquire results." Salem moved down the hall. "Come. Let us pass the time while our experiment is underway."

Present-day

Aurora smiled fondly of the memory Salem introducing her to the new Grimm. Their potential was far beyond anything she could have imagined, and she always enjoyed witnessing their destructive potential first hand. And now, she enjoyed the spoils of their most recent hunt.

"Why are you doing this?" Cinder finally asked. "Why did all of you come to Beacon? Just to try and steal my powers again?"

"That and then some," Aurora confessed. "Let's just say something big is gonna go down tonight. You're gonna love it."

Cinder glared at Aurora with seething anger as she felt fire come to her face. She knew her only chance of escape would come with pain, but it was a price she had to pay if she wanted to warn everyone of the true nature behind the Chill and the Blair sisters. "You stay away from everyone out there, or so help me-"

"Aaaand sleep."

Cinder's energy left her in an instant once Aurora pointed her glowing finger at her. The young Maiden involuntarily complied and fell to the ground, leaving the three sisters to look at their fallen prey.

"Oh, I will never get tired of that," said Flora, who leaned down to Cinder and ripped out her sickle.

"Aurora makes it too easy," said Fauna, who joined her sister's posture to examine Cinder.

"That's enough, girls," said Merri, who looked back to Aurora. "Are you ready to kill her now, ma'am?"

"Yes and no," Aurora replied as she twirled a knife in her hand. "Nothing would make me happier than to put this brat down for good. But it's not that easy." Aurora opened her palm and revealed a small black beetle resting in her hand. "Our little friend is still resting after I gave you the Aura of that other girl you brought me, and recharging that laser sword I got." Aurora patted a metal hilt on her waist. "If I tried to take the Maiden's power now, this bug'll die halfway through the process."

"Looks like she's staying for a while, then. What should we do?"

Aurora walked over to the side of the room, where a variety of boxes and bags were laying down. "This is the broadcast room of the arena, those TVs over there are capturing the fight." Aurora pointed to the second source of light in the room, showing Penny fighting against a student with a staff. "Which means, to keep everything running properly, emergency repairs would have to be done at the drop of a hat. Leaving supplies like... these." Aurora threw two large spools of wire onto the ground. "Tie her up. See if you can hang her too."

"Yes, ma'am."

Aurora looked back at the televisions in the room, which were still capturing the fight. Even though the technicians were dead, the broadcast wasn't interrupted by anything. The Faunus prided herself in slipping past the Kingdom's defenses, Atlesian and Valian, so easily. And the way her present company blended into Beacon and stuck to their plan was even better.

Of course, the flies were capable of much more than espionage.

Years ago

"Just... die!"

*GROWL*

Aurora was currently struggling to hold onto one of her knives, which was resting inside the abdomen of a large Ursa. She had been locked in combat with it, and more Grimm like it, for over a half hour. And to say the experience was torture would be an understatement.

Blood and sweat were both falling in her eyes, given that her Aura had broken over ten minutes ago. The sweat and Aurora's burning muscles had made grasping a single knife almost impossible, but she did the best she could to keep moving the steel blade deeper and deeper into the Grimm's body.

The Ursa, unfortunately, wasn't suffering the same pain and exhaustion as the Faunus before it. Which allowed it to easily knock its opponent off her feet with a single swipe of its claws. The broken Faunus had gotten up time and time again from attacks like these, but this time was different. Aurora tried to stand once more, but her legs weren't listening to her. They simply laid on the stone cold floor as the Ursa roared triumphantly and charged towards its victim.

*ZAP*

Multiple beams of multiple colors flew above Aurora's head, barely missing her flesh. Their target wasn't the Faunus, but the Ursa instead. The Ursa flew back and screamed in pain as the Magic turned the Creature of Grimm into nothing but ash.

"Enough."

Aurora looked to her right when she heard Salem's command, and then felt her blood freeze when she saw the disappointed look on the witch's face. The Faunus had seen the same deathly glare on her master's face before, when she heard news of Spencer's failure and attempted desertion. And now, Salem was disappointed yet again. Given that her one and only servant failed at what she considered "basic training," it would seem impossible for Salem to not be angry at her present situation.

"I thought you were the girl who wanted power," she said calmly to Aurora. "Did you lie to me?"

"..."

Aurora said nothing as she attempted to regain her breath, but shook her head to deny the claim. More than anything, she wanted the power her master promised her. And she thought Salem knew that as well, despite her failure at this exercise.

"Then stop holding back," the Queen ordered. "If you wish to master the power of the Maidens, you must master the art of combat. If you cannot, then how do you expect to fair against someone with the Power of Old?" Salem's eyes fell upon Aurora's ripped shirt, revealing fresh, bloody scars. Along with those, Aurora's exposed torso revealed an older scar, much older than the ones she just received. "How do you expect to gain the vengeance you desire?"

Aurora followed Salem's eyes to the deep scar and then quickly covered it. She knew what her master was speaking of, and it was something she hated to remember. And yet, the old Queen was correct; if she wanted to gain what she desired, Aurora needed to be stronger. She was no Huntress, and only learned how to fight the occasional small Grimm before coming to the Land of Darkness. This was something new, something much more than she could handle.

But Aurora promised to handle it. Or she would die trying.

Salem was pleased to see her minion so determined, just like she had seen in others for many years. "I can sense your anger, Aurora. Soon, this anger will lead to hate. And your hate will lead to power. Let your anger flow through you. Your hate will make you strong."

"Yes, your Grace," Aurora said as she stood up, twirling a knife in her hand.

"No. That is enough for now." Salem turned around and began to walk away. "Reflect on your failure here."

"..."

Aurora silently obeyed and watched her master leave the room. Salem didn't bother looking back on her furious disciple; instead, she kept moving forward. The time she spent instructing the Faunus had been more than enough for her experiment on the fool of a scientist to conclude. And now, Salem was ready to see what had become of her latest creation.

The banging and screaming from the room in front of the Grimm Queen had died long ago, when Oswald Spencer was in the process of being devoured by Botfiles. And Salem had just opened the doors to her meeting room, where a few small Grimm were continuing to fly around. Salem was confident that they wouldn't be satisfied with just one meal, but she didn't fear for her safety. After all, she was the last person on Remnant the Grimm would try to hurt.

The same, however, could not be said for the human remains that Salem was standing over. Laying at her feet were tattered cloth, puddles of blood, and small remains of bone and flesh on the ground. This immediately gained Salem's attention, rather than the fact that a majority of the flies were missing.

"I've only been gone for an hour," she noted. "And yet, this couldn't have taken longer than five minutes." Salem kneeled down and picked up a broken finger the flies had left behind, but was crawling with something other than Grimm.

"Could these be... larvae?" Salem wondered as she held the finger closer to her eyes. Indeed, the red flesh behind the finger was pulsing and displaying a few white larvae in the center. One such larva had just hatched and sprouted a small Botfly, which flew to Salem's finger.

"Grimm reproduction... without a pool," Salem said as she dropped the finger and examined the fly. "They could lie and hatch right under Ozma's nose." Salem pushed her finger and let the insect fly around the room. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Perhaps Aurora can bring me more-"

"Uhhh..."

A soft, audible moan travelled from the other side of the room and into Salem's ears. It could only be described as one of pain, which should be impossible after what happened. Intrigued, Salem turned around fast and saw the source of the moan.

At the edge of the table were two hands crawling upward, as if the body connected to them were having trouble standing up. And sure enough, a pale body that was missing chunks of its body was indeed trying to stand. Parts of its arms, torso, and legs were all missing, Botflies were instead filling the voids where flesh should be found. It's face, however, was complete and quite detailed. Despite the pale face, Salem recognized it in an instant.

"...Spencer," Salem whispered in shock. "It can't be."

"Uhhh..."

Salem tried to find any doubt that the broken man before her was indeed Oswald Spencer, her failed servant she condemned to death. The only thing that could help was if he spoke clearly instead of moaning in pain. But the fact that his mouth was pouring even more flies and was also missing a tongue made that impossible.

A million questions ran through Salem's mind as she stared upon the abomination before her. She would have almost felt proud of herself and her creation for causing this much pain and despair, but she was too busy trying to understand what exactly happened. The Queen knew for a fact that Spencer shouldn't be among the living, given what remained on the ground before her. So how was this possible? Did the Botflies fail to kill him? Or did it take longer than she initially expected?

*SWISH*

A small metal object flew through the air and became embedded into Spencer's arm. Salem quickly snapped out of her surprise and turned to see Aurora preparing to throw another knife.

"He still won't die?" Aurora asked angrily. "He can't do anything right! Just a moment, Your Grace, and I'll take care of this-!"

"Hold," Salem ordered with a raised palm. "Look here, Aurora." Salem raised her other hand to display the finger she picked up off the ground. "This was Spencer's. He must have lost in when the Botflies attacked."

Aurora quickly glanced at the finger before looking back to her master. "So?" she asked.

Salem pointed to Spencer. "How many fingers do you see on his hands?"

Aurora looked back to Spencer, specifically his hands. As she looked away from the knife she had thrown, the soon-to-be assassin could see there were five fingers on the human's left hand. When she looked at his right hand, which was extended towards both women, Aurora could see that Spencer had five fingers on his other hand.

This was when Aurora managed to realize that something wasn't adding up. Humans and Faunus were different in various ways, but they all had five fingers on their hands. The outlier in Salem's hand was impossible to exist.

Unless...

*ZAP*

Multiple beams of light exploded from an orb in Salem's hand and struck the body where it stood. As the energy hit its chest, the walking corpse began to fall and decay into multiple Botflies; more Botflies than what Salem had previously created and placed in her jar. The flesh and bone that made up the body all turned into Botflies, which began to fly towards Salem and Aurora.

"As I thought," Salem said when she stopped chuckling. "That was not Spencer." Salem could sense Aurora's fear and could hear her attempting to leave. "They are still my creations, Aurora. They will not harm you."

Aurora had seen many things since she came under Salem's tutelage. From the true origin of the Grimm to actual Magic, nothing really surprised Aurora anymore. But this... this was something else. "What was that?" she asked.

"A most intriguing side effect," Salem replied. "It seems that along with their fast reproduction, these Grimm are capable of taking the form of their prey."

"But... how?"

Salem turned to Aurora with a smile. "Good question."

Present-day

*BUZZ*

Aurora snapped out of her daydream when the buzzing of her Scroll reached all four of her ears. She quickly took it out of her back pocket and looked at a message.

"Five minutes away."

Aurora smiled once again as she looked back at the girls, who had just finished tying up Cinder in metal wire. "This'll hold her, but this wire looks too weak to hang her from the ceiling," said Merri.

"No worries," said Aurora. "Our friends are on their way now. Why don't you and Fauna greet them for me?"

"Gladly." Merri looked over to her sister and nodded before flying off the ground and into the hallway once more. Flora was left alone to watch over the sleeping Maiden while Aurora made sure all cameras were looking at the unfolding fight.

"My word, what an amazing performance from Ms. Polendina!" said Professor Port, who was impressed by Penny's mastery of each sword as they all blocked each of her opponent's attacks.

"Took the words right outta my mouth," said Aurora, who refused to take her eyes off the young girl. "Too bad Saxon wants that Beskar so bad. Speaking of which..." Aurora turned around to Flora, who was lustfully staring at Cinder. The Faunus snapped her fingers to get the girl's attention, who quickly looked away from the Maiden. "You're sure that kid's what you say she is?"

"A hundred percent," Flora replied with a raised finger. The finger soon spawned a Botfly, which flew over to Aurora. "I've been on Cinder's case ever since we met, and I haven't missed a thing. Especially her trying to get a magnet off that redhead."

"And it wasn't a metal plate? I know a Mando with one in his head."

Flora watched the fly return to her finger. "When this little thing bit that girl, all I tasted was Beskar. And she didn't even flinch when I tried a few more times."

Aurora chuckled as she looked back to the screen. "I'll be damned. And here I thought humans ran out of ways to surprise me."

Flora walked over to Aurora with a wide smile. "Trust me when I say this, ma'am... everyone is different." She then licked some blood off her fingers with a small laugh.

The trip out of the broadcast station and mechanical rooms was a short and easy one for both Merri and Fauna. Their return to the arena, however, was proven to be more difficult when Merri stopped right in front of the door.

"Stop," she ordered her sister. She then closed her eyes and smelled the air. "Do you feel that?"

Fauna repeated her sister's actions when she moved against the door. Something was indeed among the air, something that she and her sister could only feel. Every part of her body, human and Botfly, began to feel a sudden, faint attraction to an element not far from where they were. Fauna sensed this element hundreds of times over, and knew exactly what it was.

"Fear," she said calmly. "Someone's afraid."

"Not just someone," said Merri, who moved her hand outside the door, letting two small flies escape her palm. Their vision became shared with hers once she closed her eyes again, allowing her to see three civilians watch Atlesian soldiers run around certain areas. As they walked back to their seats, the civilians couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at the sudden increase of activity among the security guards. And Merri's Grimm nature detected this fear with ease, which caused her to summon the flies back to her palm and look back to her sister. "Everyone."

"Lemme guess," Fauna hummed as she twirled her sickle in hand. "Daddy noticed something was wrong when Cindy told him about our friend?"

"You forgot the part where he tells the friendly neighborhood Atlas soldiers," Merri sarcastically replied. "How do you wanna play this?"

"That depends." Fauna motioned towards the door. "Did you see any of them coming our way?"

"Nope. But they'll come, sooner or later."

"How about we give them a damsel in distress?"

Merri tightened her grip on her sickle as her legs transformed into Botflies and began to raise her in the air. "Only if you're the damsel."

"Then you better get ready."

Merri nodded and flew higher and higher, stopping when she reached the metal ceiling overhead. Fauna then placed the edge of her sickle on her cheek. Taking a deep breath, the girl cut her cheek and slightly winced at the pain. When she felt a warm liquid flow down the rest of her cheek, she stopped cutting and laid down on the floor. "Help!" she screamed. "Help!"

After yelling like this two more times, the door before her finally opened to reveal two of the Atlesian security guards that Merri had seen earlier. When they saw Fauna on the ground, the soldiers immediately ran over and helped her up. "What happened?" one of them asked.

"G-Grimm!" Fauna stuttered as she pointed down the hall, doing an impressive job of acting scared. "Down there! It has my sister!"

"Stay here," the second guard said as she began to move down the hall. When her partner followed her, Fauna looked up at her sister and pointed at the woman. Merri nodded and began to slowly count on her fingers. When she counted her third finger, her entire body transformed into a large mass of flies. The buzzing caught the attention of the soldiers, but they were too late to stop the Grimm from reaching their exposed mouths. Fauna repeated her sister's actions and flew at their mouths, which they used to enter their bodies and begin eating the Atlesians from the inside out.

The Atlesians soon felt life flee from their bodies when they were finally able to let out one combined scream of pain. After that, they were reduced to mere corpses that were left to bleed on the ground. One mass of flies finally escaped from the mouth once more and took Merri's form. The other, however, had yet to make its escape.

"Come on, Fauna," Merri said as she took off a soldier's helmet. "We can finish later."

As soon as she said that, the second mass of flies escaped the second soldier's mouth and took Fauna's form. "Ugh," she groaned. "Always when I'm eating."

"Relax, we'll have more soon." Merri put on the helmet and rubbed her index fingers on the sides, stopping when she felt something she could press down on. "Oh, here we go!" She then pressed the button she felt and cleared her throat. "Looks like this one was a Sergeant, so this should be easy enough." When she spoke again, the voice that escaped her throat wasn't hers; instead, it belonged to the Atlesian she had just partially devoured. "All units, be advised. Orders are to disperse from the landing pad to make room for incoming airships."

"Acknowledged," a voice on the other end replied.

Merri then ripped off the helmet and tossed it aside. She and Fauna then moved back to the door, where they could hear heavy footsteps from the other side. Merri peaked her head out and saw multiple soldiers leaving. Smiling and turning back to Fauna, she walked back towards the bodies and began to drag one into a closet. "Help me get rid of these things," she ordered.

"Come on, Merri," she said as she walked over to the second body. "We can't just leave unfinished business like this. The man-thing was especially delicious."

Merri dropped her body into the closet and gestured for her sister to follow. "Work and play don't mix, sis. Now, let's go."

"Fine." Fauna impulsively threw the body into the closet, where it easily fell on top of the other one. "All this better be worth it, though."

"Of course it is." Merri took her sister's hand and began to walk outside the mechanical area of Amity Colosseum. "Remember, we're doing this for Mother. If anyone deserves hard work like we're doing, it's her."

Fauna's frown slowly turned into a small smirk at Merri's words. "Yeah, you're right," she relented. "You think she'll be proud of us? Once she sees what we all did?"

"Absolutely," her sister replied. "I'm already proud of you and Flora. But not as proud as I'll be when we rip that bastard's head off."

"Took the words right outta my mouth."

Years ago

The lack of Grimm and her servant had left a quiet, empty castle for Salem one night. On nights like these, she couldn't help but think about all the other times she had been left alone. The first, and longest time, was her first sixteen years alive on Remnant. Cast away from the outside world, cast away from anything but a stone-cold room for companionship. The next time was when the Gods had left her alone and cursed to walk the surface of the world forever. The last, and most tragic one of all, was when she started her secret war with Ozma. All of those times were filled with nothing but hopelessness and despair, feelings that were no strangers to the Grimm Queen.

But tonight was going to be different.

Salem had made preparations for this evening when Aurora had left for Atlas, to meet with the Queen's newest servant. She wasn't expected to return until morning, which left Salem to do whatever she pleased. And tonight, she wanted nothing more than to conduct a second experiment with her latest creation; the Botflies.

True to her word, Salem had indeed created the new Grimm with another one of her servants. He was one of many who lived, or rather was forced to live, in the bowels of the crystal castle. Together, they used an old art of darkness to create a new form of Grimm. He was fairly rewarded, and Salem herself was rewarded for her efforts when she used her creation to kill the fool of a scientist.

The side effects, however, were even more rewarding to Salem. She was impressed by what she witnessed with Aurora, but slightly on edge at the same time. When they last spoke, he said that he possessed no explanation for the phenomenon. Skeptical of the claim and expecting betrayal at a moment's notice, Salem made sure to keep a close eye on the man who proclaimed himself as her equal. The time for paranoia, however, passed quickly when Salem discovered her hold on the Botflies was strong, just like her hold on every Creature of Grimm.

So instead of concerning herself with immediate betrayal, Salem found herself preoccupied with the miracle the small Grimm had performed; the reconstruction and "resurrection" of Oswald Spencer. The Queen was sure that if they were given enough time, the Botflies would have been able to transform themselves into a perfect copy of Spencer. If his tongue was formed before he was destroyed, Salem was sure the mass of flies would be able to sound like him too. And it was this way of thinking that eventually gave Salem an idea.

An awful idea.

The Botflies had given Salem a wonderful, awful idea.

After she spent enough time reassuring herself that her plan would work, Salem took every living Botfly and larvae she could find and placed them in another jar. She then carried that jar with her when she made a long trek throughout her castle. This journey was halted when Salem ascended a flight of stairs and stopped at a golden door. She had been to this door before, but she couldn't remember when the last time was. It was a room that was meant for Salem and Salem alone; Aurora and past servants learned that lesson well when they ventured throughout the castle. Of course, they lacked the ability to open the door; this was designed for only Salem to do when she simply pressed her palm on the metal.

The door soon began to shine a red light in various places. The gold surrounding these shining parts began to rise above the ground and disappear into the ceiling. Soon enough, the shining pieces followed as the unnatural door fully opened. Inside was a large room that contained four things.

The first was an old, decaying painting that showed a reflection of Salem with four little girls by her side.

The others were three stone coffins that had been untouched for centuries.

The night Ozma and Salem had begun their war against each other, the four young girls in the painting were caught in the middle. And just as he died for the second time in his life, the four girls tragically passed away before him. When Salem was once again alone with the dead, her heart ached at the atrocity Ozma had created before his passing. After spending what felt like an eternity crying and screaming at the loss of the girls, Salem did what she knew was right; she created three coffins from the rubble of her old home for each child. She would have made a fourth one as well, if only there had been anything left to bury.

When the small service she held passed, Salem decided to make a new home in the Land of Darkness and put the children to rest there. She had previously promised herself to never touch the coffins again and to never utter the names she had given them, for doing either of those things would only cause more pain and more suffering. One last promise she made was to never tell Ozma what happened to the bodies when he reincarnated; revenge would be all the better that way.

But now, Salem was ready to break one of the promises she made. With a heavy heart, Salem placed the jar of flies down and moved to the first casket. Her plan was to destroy the cover and let the Botflies take hold of the body inside. It was simplicity itself, but Salem found it extremely difficult to move her hands to perform the task. She didn't want to look inside, to be reminded of the loss she suffered long ago. But if there was going to be any kind of relief in the cruel world she lived in, Salem knew this would be the only way.

"Let the Gods have their own children," Salem cursed. "Let the Gods have all the wretched people they want and kill them all." She formed two fists and thrust her arms up as she felt tears fall down her face. "The girls are mine!"

*BAM*

The top of the first casket exploded and rubble filled the room. A horrible stench quickly filled the room and caused Salem to look away. She had successfully opened the casket, but didn't have the heart to look inside. Instead, she picked up her jar and threw it against the wall. As soon as she heard the glass shatter and the Grimm fly across the room, Salem quickly left and closed the door behind her.

Her crying ceased immediately after she left the room. With a heavy sigh, Salem dried her eyes and decided to wait outside the door. She could hear the flies eating... whatever remained in the coffin. If the product of this experiment was what she hoped, Salem decided that she would open the other coffins once she had enough Botfiles.

So she waited.

And waited.

"Uuuhhhh..."

The waiting was put to a halt when Salem heard the familiar moan. Her heart skipped a beat when the moan sounded, and it soon became filled with a feeling Salem hadn't felt in a long time: joy.

Salem quickly turned around and prepared to open the golden door once more, but stopped herself just as quickly. Logic triumphed over emotion when Salem remembered what she saw the last time she heard a moan like that. She recalled the holes in Spencer's body, the flies still trying to take form, and the lack of a tongue. Whatever laid beyond that door was no little girl. Not yet, at least.

So Salem waited again.

"Uuhhh..."

And waited.

"Uuuhh... er..."

And waited.

"Muhh... er..."

And waited.

"Mu... her..."

And then she heard it. As clear as day.

"Mo... ther..."

Present-day

Merri and Fauna quickly found themselves at the landing pad of Amity Colosseum. There, they simply avoided detection while waiting for the company Aurora promised was coming. While doing so, Fauna had her eyes on her Scroll, which was capturing Penny's fight against her combatant.

"Wow, she's good," she said as she watched Penny deflect multiple bullets with her swords. After watching her combatant's Aura approach closer to the red, she turned back to her sister. "We're still sticking with the plan, right? To get their attention?"

"That's right," Merri replied as she kept her eyes on the vast distance in front of her. "I know what you're thinking. And yes, I could make that thing serve us. But Saxon would throw a fit if he doesn't get what he wants. Again."

"Actually, I was thinking they better get here soon. Her opponent is almost in the red."

Merri turned around to see her sister holding her Scroll towards her, which showed that Penny was almost finished with her opponent. "Oh," she replied as she turned around. "No worries about that. Think that's them now."

Fauna walked over to her sister to see two airships approaching the landing pad. As they backed up, Fauna asked another question. "You really think you can change that tin-can?"

"It would take some time," Merri admitted. "But I didn't spend the majority of my life daydreaming when I worked with Watts on his projects. I mean, how did you think I figured out that Atlas helmet so fast?"

"That's true." Fauna looked at her Scroll and playfully sighed. "Mother would say that it would be wasted potential."

"Well, we can't always get what we want. But if we try hard enough, we sometimes find what we need. Like this." Merri pointed back to the airships, which had just landed in front of the two girls. The doors on them began to open and the sisters prepared to greet the company that had arrived.

"Wow, that was fast."

Merri and Fauna quickly turned around to see two more Atlas security guards approach the landing pad. "We could use some more people on the ground, but orders are orders," one of them said.

The second stopped walking when he got a good look at the two girls in front of the ships. "Hey, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

"..."

Merri and Fauna quickly looked at each other while trying to think of an answer. Before they could say anything, the first guard quickly recognized the two girls in front of them. "Hey, wait a minute," he said. "I've seen your faces!"

The second guard quickly followed his partner's lead. "You're those Blair sisters!" he said as he lifted his gun. "The General needs you to come with-!"

*BANG*

Two red blasts barely flew past the heads of Merri and Fauna and made their way directly towards the soldiers. One blast hit a helmet while the other hit a chest plate, but the result was the same; both guards lifelessly fell to the ground.

"Gotta react faster than that, girls."

Merri and Fauna turned around once more to see a familiar man walk out of the airship. He was in a suit of Mandalorian armor, painted in both red and white. In his arms was a large rifle, one with modified Dust rounds and imposing to the ordinary people of Remnant. Merri and Fauna, however, weren't afraid. They felt nothing but pleased to see their comrade once again.

"Thanks, Saxon," Merri bitterly replied, disappointed that she couldn't take care of the problem beforehand.

Gar Saxon simply walked past both girls while being followed by half a dozen of his Mandalorians. Fauna looked back at them and noticed something off. "Is that it?" she asked. "Where are the others? What went wrong?"

Saxon stopped walking and turned back to the young girl. "Heavier resistance than expected," he said. He then reached into his belt and took out a large black ring, something that could be worn on a finger. "But your tool here worked like a charm." He then threw the ring to Merri, who caught it quickly. "The security system was a joke with this."

"So it worked?" Merri asked. "You have them?"

Saxon pointed over to the next airship. "We may have lost some people on that island... but we gained far more than we could have dreamed."

Merri and Fauna turned around once again to see more Mandalorians exit the other airship. A majority of them were wearing gray armor with dark blue accents, while only a few wore silver-white armor with red accents. All the armor wasn't entirely made of Beskar, but it still served the purpose it struck to impose: fear.

One Mandalorian in particular, a man in gray and blue armor with a cape on his shoulder, was especially unhappy about the armor he was wearing. He longed for a full suit of Beskar, but had to make due after he and his allies escaped a maximum security prison off the coast of Vale. But in time, he would have what he desired. And it would make wearing a false suit worth it.

"Pre Vizsla," Merri addressed the Mandalorian with a curtsy. Fauna followed her sister's actions and remained silent. "It is an honor to finally meet you in person."

"So it was you?" Vizsla asked the girls. "The one who sent the bugs to me?"

Fauna stood up straight and held out her palm, which created multiple Botflies that flew around the Mandalorian. "We are," she replied calmly. "It's lucky you had a window in that cell of yours."

"Indeed."

Vizsla watched the Botflies fly around him, unafraid of pain. When he and his allies were arrested long ago, he received special visits from insects that could speak in his ears. They told him that revenge could be accomplished with their help; not just for being arrested and having his armor taken from him, but also for every sin the Kingdoms committed against the Mandalorians. Eager to leave the island and even more eager to make the world pay, Vizsla took the offer in a heartbeat and patiently waited for the day his plan would begin.

And now that day had come.

"Is everything ready?" Vizsla asked the girls.

"We've done our part," Merri said as she began to walk towards the arena. "The rest depends on you. Just say the word and we'll begin."

"And everything else that follows?"

"Exactly as planned. They just need a spark."

Vizsla nodded and turned to his Mandalorians. "Get into position," he ordered. "If you're spotted, you know what to do." The Mandalorians of Death Watch immediately obeyed and moved closer to the arena. A majority of them didn't have jet packs, but the ones that did quickly took to the air.

"You heard him," Saxon said to his Mandalorians. "Get in position." His followers followed this order and dispersed. "That goes for you two, ladies."

"Consider it done," said Merri, who began to walk away. "Oh, by the way." She stopped and handed a small piece of metal to Saxon. "Mother made a promise to you."

Saxon quickly took the metal and ignited the blade. He nodded and watched the girls run away, oblivious to the fact that Vizsla was watching him hold the sword with envy.

But once Saxon deactivated the sword, he and Vizsla watched the plan begin to unfold with pride. "Clan Saxon and Clan Vizsla working together. How long has it been since someone witnessed this?"

"Too long," Vizsla answered as he waved at the airship he got off. It immediately took flight along with the other one. "Perhaps not since the Great War. And it's Death Watch now."

"A fitting name. Given what's going to happen tonight. And to think this will only the beginning."

Vizsla nodded as he continued his march into the arena. Everyone was so focused on the fight that the grounds both Mandalorians walked on was undisturbed. The only thing that disturbed the place was the broken silence.

"You said you know those girls," Vizsla stated. "Do you trust them?"

"Fighting?" Saxon asked. "No. But going through with this plan? Yes."

"What about their master?"

"When you meet her, you'll understand. But let me leave you with some advice; do not doubt her."

There were many things Vizsla doubted, but this plan wasn't one of them. He questioned the idea of Gar Saxon holding the Darksaber, something his ancestor once wielded. But he wouldn't let this small discomfort blind him from his mission.

In time, if he played his cards right, the Darksaber would belong to him and him alone.

"This is it, folks! One more strike, and it's anyone's game!"

The stakes were indeed this high for Penny Polendina and her opponent. Moments ago, she was successfully winning her singles round in the Vytal Festival tournament. Her opponent was almost out of Aura, but had used just a portion of his Semblance to get close enough and strike multiple blows to Penny's torso. Now, she was dangerously close to going into her Aura's red zone. But she was far from ready to give up.

"I can do this," she thought to herself. "The General believes in me. Cinder believes in me." After a few moments of concentration, Penny raised her blades behind her head and pointed the tips at the boy in front of her. The young man got into a running position and quickly charged. Penny immediately sent all of her swords flying at her opponent, who easily slid and dodged the blades.

However, Penny calculated a move like this. She even calculated how quickly she would need to send her swords back towards her for them to strike at the unsuspecting man. Her calculations proved to be nothing less than perfect when her swords quickly moved across the ground and struck the boy across his protected head and shoulder.

This protection, however, was brief when his Aura immediately broke.

"And Penny Polendina is the victor of the match!" Professor Port shouted through his microphone. Applause soon followed as Penny reveled in her victory. She felt true pride when she realized her inner thoughts were true. If the General and Cinder were watching, Penny knew they would be proud. Of course, she felt sorry that her opponent worked so hard to lose in the first singles round. Which was why she was ready to help him up off the ground.

"And that concludes the first duel in the singles round!" said Doctor Oobleck. "Please leave the Colosseum in a-!"

*BANG*

A collective gasp echoed throughout Amity Colosseum when the sound of a gunshot died down. Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck were also taken aback by the sound.

"Where did that come from?" Oobleck asked as he looked at the stands.

"I couldn't see!" Port answered. Both he and Oobleck were looking at the vast audience of Amity Colosseum when the fight ended. But both of them recognized the sound of a gun firing, and they were equally concerned. "Is anyone injured? I'll put the medics on-No!"

Both the moderators set their eyes on the lowering platform that Penny and her opponent were standing on. However, it was only Penny who was standing on it. The young student she was fighting was unnaturally lying on the ground. And if one looked closely enough, which was what all the spectators were doing, they could see blood pouring onto the metal.

Someone had just shot a defenseless child in front of hundreds of people.

Both the moderators began to scramble as they attempted to calm the situation. "Broadcast, what are you doing?!" Oobleck shouted as he placed two fingers on an earpiece he was wearing. "Kill the feed!"

"So sorry, gentlemen," a feminine voice responded on the other end. "But as you might have guessed, there's been a change in tonight's program."

"What?! Who is this?!"

"Our first order of business... firing the moderators."

Footsteps from behind caused both teachers to turn to the doorway behind them. Nothing could prepare them for the white and gray Mandalorians that stepped inside and grabbed them. The gray one drove his head towards Oobleck, knocking him out faster than the man could react. The white one, who was stronger than he appeared, grabbed Port's shirt and threw him out the window.

The professor's screams reached every ear in the stands, causing people to panic. Penny simply stood at a standstill when following the falling man caused her to lay eyes on the body at her feet. The spectators, however, were not in a state of shock that prevented them from trying to run. But as they ran to whatever exit they could find, teams of three Mandalorians blocked their path.

The white Mandalorian in the moderator room picked up the microphone before him and spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, you will stay exactly where you are if you value your lives," he said, brining a semblance of order amongst the crowd. "And every soldier will give their weapons to our comrades if they don't want innocent blood on their hands."

While the Mandalorian was talking and watching the civilians stop running, his partner was looking around through a range finder. He could see the sniper that successfully landed the shot at the student in the arena, and he also saw the multiple Atlesian soldiers standing their ground. As he looked at the rest of the soldiers and spectators, his range finder landed on a black haired man in a white uniform at the edge of the arena, speaking through an earpiece.

"New target," the Death Watch Mandalorian said as he raised his range finder and pressed the side of his helmet. "General Ironwood, running along the edge of the arena. Northeast of your position."

"I got him," a voice said on the other end.

*BANG*

A red blast fell from the top of the arena and flew like lightning to General Ironwood's chest. Once again, people were scared of the lack of the Hard-Light Shield, along with the man firing the gun. But the second shot from an apparent sniper caused most of the crowd to drop to the floor while the soldiers tried to see where the shot came from. One woman, a blonde in white with a cape, kneeled down to General Ironwood and looked at his chest.

"I got eyes on the woman," the sniper said through his radio.

"Hold your fire," said the gray Mandalorian. "Point's being made."

"Now you have your General's blood on your hands," said the white Mandalorian. "How much more do you want to see shed?"

"..."

After what felt like an eternity, and after seeing some Mandalorians begin to take hostages, the security guards finally relented and surrendered their weapons. They were then made to kneel against whatever wall was closest to them.

"What is it you people want?" one soldier asked as she was pushed against a wall.

"You'll find out soon enough," said her captor, a Death Watch Mandalorian. Like the rest of his comrades, their attention was on the soldiers and as many civilians they could see.

Their attention to detail, however, wasn't captured on the people closest to the arena, where Glynda Goodwitch was kneeling down to Ironwood.

"James!" she whispered as she lightly moved his face upwards. "Stay awake, James!" She looked down at the blast mark on his chest, where she could see both metal and flesh beneath the white uniform. A light in the center of the chest plate was flashing blue and red, which could only mean one thing for the General: nothing good.

*REEEE*

Electronic feedback travelled throughout the entire arena, causing everyone to quickly cover their ears. Once the sound died down, Glynda looked up to the moderator room. This room was being captured by every camera as well, displaying another gray and blue Mandalorian on the screen.

"People of Remnant, please attend carefully," the Mandalorian said in a voice that was vaguely familiar to Goodwitch. "This message is vital to the future of you all. I..." The Mandalorian removed his helmet, revealing a man with shaved blonde hair and a scar on his cheek. "Am Pre Vizsla. Leader of Death Watch."

"Vizsla?!" Glynda asked herself in shock. "But... he should be in prison!"

"And now... I am standing with the man who became leader of all Mandalorians," said Vizsla. Another Mandalorian walked in the room, carrying a dark black sword above his head. "For all Mandalorians who can hear me, do not deceive yourselves with doubt. This is indeed the Darksaber, and Gar Saxon has laid successful claim to it moments ago. Once again, I ask for your attention." Saxon lowered the blade and listens to Vizsla speak once again. "For almost seventy years ago, the people have celebrated the end of the Great War. A war that this Kingdom fought with our ancestors, a war your ancestors could not win without Mandalore. We sacrificed our children, our continent, our future. And I ask you all... for what?"

"..."

Everyone was silent and remained as still as statues when they watched and listened to Pre Vizsla. Not just in Vale, but people around the world sat in front of their televisions and watched the Mandalorian make his speech. Even Willow and Weiss did nothing but listen to him.

"My ancestor, Tarre Vizsla, agreed to fight with Vale and Vacuo, seeking no remuneration and no repayment," the Mandalorian said on the Schnee's television. "He chose to break neutrality in order to abolish past oppression and save 'individualism'. And how was his mercy rewarded? With a ruined civilization, the continued Atlesian efforts of stealing resources from our people, and the collective ignorance of each Kingdom when it came to Mandalore. I stand before you to proudly proclaim that this ignorance ends tonight."

Weiss finally looked up to her mother, who was shaking her Scroll in desperation. "Mother?" she asked. "What is he talking about?"

"Winter, pick up!" Willow shouted to her Scroll, ignoring her other daughter in the process. "Please!"

The ringing of the device fell onto deaf ears, as Winter was in an airship going back to Atlas. The trip, however, was delayed when she and the pilot were captivated by the gunfire and the continued speech.

"The ignorance and sins of each Kingdom will be ignored no longer!" Saxon screamed. "The first, and most unforgivable, will be punished now! Look there, in the arena!" The screen changed from the Mandalorians to Penny in the arena.

"The kid?" the pilot asked out loud. "What the hell are they talking about?" He didn't know it, but his passenger had the answer he was looking for.

"Do they know about Penny?" Winter thought to herself. "But that means... Oh, no."

The screen showed Penny trying to get out of the arena, but she was stopped by five Mandalorians who flew into the arena. When she prepared to send her swords out from behind her back, a blast from a pistol stopped her and broke her Aura. Multiple wires then wrapped around her arms, legs, and torso.

And then the Mandalorians pulled with all their might.

Penny screamed as she fought back against the wires. Her first thought was to summon her swords and cut the wires, but a second attempt was rewarded with a painful blast to her back from the sniper. More pressure was built on the wires, which were beginning to sink into Penny's skin. Her arms and legs began to give way as Penny screamed in desperation. Her eyes began to flash warnings to her, but there was nothing she could do.

She was doomed.

*SNAP*

*CRACK*

The audience gasped once again as multiple people turned away in horror. The ones who stared, however, were gifted with the truth about Penny's nature when wire and sparks escaped Penny's body.

"The Kingdom of Mantle stole enough Beskar to create their weapons, their ships, and now they use it to create a soldier disguised as a little girl," said Vizsla. "The Grimm can tell no difference, so what was Atlas trying to fight? The Mandalorians? The other Kingdoms?"

"Well, if it's a war they want... we are finally ready to grant their request," said Saxon. "From this moment on... none of you are safe."

A loud alarm began to ring out through every speaker in Amity Colosseum, saying one thing. "Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."

There was nothing calm and orderly to be seen in the crowd of people that began to run out of their seats. The Mandalorians, who had been prepared to let the Grimm finish them off, allowed the people to run towards the nearest exits. After all, the running would all be in vain. And both teams of Mandalorians had their eyes on a bigger prize for the start of their war.

Vizsla, though still adamant about claiming the Darksaber later, looked to Saxon and smiled under his helmet.

"It has begun."

Author's notes: Happy Star Wars Day everyone! Hope you're all doing great since I last published a chapter. I'm really sorry about that, I've just been so busy. Finals were a drag, but now I'm all done with school! You'll be seeing more of The Way of the Maiden, and that's a promise.

Thanks for all the support and comments you left, and I want to give a warm welcome to the new favorites and followers who checked out my story. Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying everything.

To ARC-5597, thank you. I'm glad you didn't expect it, I was hoping the twist would be good. Hope this chapter explains some things, and I hope you enjoyed it.

To The Avenging Titan, you're right on the money here. As soon as I met the three Dimistrescu daughters, I knew I had to include them in my story somehow. I think that'll be my last Resident Evil idea in this story though. But I put a few more for some fans who know a lot about the fandom. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading.

To Don Cheeto, I'm glad you liked my idea with Victor Embers. Thanks for letting me use this character as well as the others. I can't say too much about SCAR Squadron right now, but you'll see some surprises down the road. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To GojiraFan455516, hope that's not the same reaction you have for this chapter. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.

To Blueghast9000, glad you liked the reference. I think it'll be my last Resident Evil reference for this story, though. Hope you don't mind. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To CT7567Rules, they're all Grimm, yeah. Hope this chapter explains a few things, about their origins. If you have more, you will definitely see more answers next chapter. I think it may be a little early for Neo and Sienna at the moment, Cinder is still a teenager at the moment. But I was able to put in the Tigershark you mentioned, it's the ship Qrow and Djarin are in. I hope you like it. If you don't, feel free to tell me what I can do better in the comments, I'm open to any criticism. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading. As for Visions, I haven't had a chance to see that yet.

To 54godamora, I know we talked about this before, but I hope you consider giving this story a second chance. If not, thanks for reading all you've read so far.

To Maniacalharp747, nice little poem you got there. As for Cinder's survival, you'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To Servos New Head, sorry you had to wait so long for the title drop here. And I'm sorry you feel bad for Cinder, especially in this chapter. I'm glad you liked everything else, though. You're right about the sisters being made with Sith Alchemy, good on you. And you're also right about the kind of meat they're eating. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading.

To stevenpiskunov2, glad you liked the Resident Evil reference. I think it'll be the last one for this story, I don't want to go overboard. But I'm also glad you liked the part with the Darksaber. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I don't have much else to say, other than school's over for me and you should be getting more chapters soon. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, may the fourth be with you!