𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖀𝖓𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖓

The Judge

"So you didn't bother trying to make contact?"

"Oh trust me. I've tried being friendly with a few people, but they'd sooner cut me open and string me up like a filthy animal than be friendly with me." Dante remembered the blood-crazed Yharnamites, and his tone switched to one of anger.

"Next question?" Dante asked, eager to get past that specific subject.

"What do you hunt?" Weiss sent the next question his way.

"Glad you asked. I'm sure I've already told you lot about the Scourge of the Beast, correct? The creatures I hunt were men that were overtaken by the Scourge, turned into flesh-hungry beasts that kill and feast upon anything." Dante flashed back to the Scourge Beasts, giant werewolves that were surprisingly fast for their size. He shivered.

"This is a disease, correct? Then surely there must have been a cure."

"If there were a cure, I wouldn't be here telling you any of this. In fact, the thing that was suppose to 'cure' this disease worsened it." Dante shook his head at the failure and corruption of the Healing Church. "Researchers began an inquiry into the Old Blood when tomb prospectors first discovered it in the old labyrinth, and—"

The bell rang. Recess was over.

"Welp. That's enough for now. Goodbye, miss Ruby. Miss Weiss. Miss Blake. Miss Yang." He bowed to the table and went back to his room. Ruby and company looked at each other, and they seemed to agree something. 

After recess, they moved to classes.

—

"He is dangerous!" Yang shouted, when they had gone back to their dorms. Forget what that agreement was during recess. It's gone.

"To some extent, Yang." Ruby spoke.

"He killed those Faunus in the forest. Even if they WERE part of the White Fang—" Blake said.

"That only means he KNEW those guys were part of the group!" Weiss shot at Blake.

The discussion was a Team RW vs Team BY. Ruby and Weiss had somewhat warmed up to him, while Yang and Blake still held a form of hatred against him.

Little did they know, something was up.

—

He may or may not have gotten lost on the way, and he spotted...

"...Impossible." Leaned against the wall, smug, with a weapon in his hand, was Brador, the Beasthide Hunter. "Hello, Good Hunter." He placed his weapon against the wall and pulled him close, too close for comfort. "Did you miss me?"

"You... you should be—"

"Dead?" Brador let go of Dante, and he stumbled back. "Oh ho ho, Good Hunter. You killed my phantoms, but not my true self. Therefore, Here. I. Am." Brador spoke, emphasizing the last syllables.

Dante could not fight him. He killed him numerous times, until he got caught once. "You remember, don't you?" Dante's mind couldn't handle the pain he felt then, and his mind blanked, all for Brador's picking. "No no no..."

"You wouldn't want to anger the Beast, do you?" Brador stepped closer. He was certainly not a tall Hunter, or a buff one at that. But Dante shivered and whimpered in his presence.

"No... no no... please..." Dante dropped to a knee, begging. "I beg you... not again..."

—

Ruby left the dorm out of frustration directed at Yang. Maybe she was naive for thinking a man like him could change, but such was how she saw most, until...

"No... no no... please... I beg you... not again..." She heard begging coming from one of the hallways, and found Dante, on his knees, in front of another man. "Brador... Brador, no no... please... I'm..."

This was Brador? He certainly acted like a bad guy, but he didn't look it. For Dante to be begging mercy from him... what did he do to him?

"You're what, hm?"

"I'm, I'm..."

"Hands off, Brador." Ruby held Crescent Rose's scythe form in a threatening manner. Brador just laughed at this

"Oh, you brought friends." Dante turned to look at her, and told her to run. "She's not leaving alive." Dante steeled himself and stood  in the man's way. "What, you're gonna stand in the way of the Beast, Dante?" Brador picked up the Bloodletter.

"As much as I enjoyed breaking you..." Brador impaled himself with the mace, transforming it into a bleeding mass of flesh that has killed Dante numerous times. Dante flinched, but he drew the Burial Blade nonetheless. "You draw your weapon on ME?"

Brador laughed a cold laugh. "I'll enjoy breaking you again."

"I don't think so." Brador smiled at his plaything's rebellion, but not today. Brador pulled out a Bold Hunter's Mark, and he began to vanish. Dante's eyes widened, and he reacted a second too late. Brador had already disappeared when Dante finished a Charge Attack with his Blade. "Brador!"

"See you soon, Good Hunter..."

Dante slammed the hilt of the transformed Burial Blade on the ground out of frustration. He let him escape again.

Ruby had tapped him on the shoulder, and Dante turned to look at her. A moment of weakness, again. "I let him escape."

"That was Brador?"

"Yes. The Beasthide Hunter. The Church Assassin. He guards the Nightmare for the Church. Anyway... I'll head to classes tomorrow, after my initiation. See you soon, miss Ruby." Dante bowed, and ran past her, back to his room.

Ruby was definitely going to find Brador and make him apologize, forcefully.