Under a Pale shattered moon

Chapter 2, finding ones worth

I do not own anything pertaining to RWBY nor Bloodborne. I will never claim to do so.

Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to read this story, it really warms my blackened heart!

[UPSM]

"Have you lost your mind, Ozpin? That... man, is clearly a trained killer. A skilled, trained killer who came this close," Glynda paused her scolding to hold her fingers just an inch apart, "From blowing us to kingdom come with his HAND CANNON."

Ozpin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose after removing his small spectacles that usually rested on the tip of his nose. "I am aware of how trained this young man is, I've watched him kill countless Ursa in the hunt of food these last few nights. Surely you noticed how weary he had become over the span of three days, with how much he works himself I'm surprised he hasn't started fainting from hunger by now."

"That is beside the point. He obviously grew up outside of civilization, shouldn't he know where to find wild game outside of Grimm?" Glenda questioned, giving the silver haired man a stern look while tapping away at her scroll without breaking her gaze.

"He is not from this world, could you not tell from his reaction to the moon?" Ozpin eventually answered, causing Glenda to give pause in her typing.

"And how, pray tell, have you come to this... conclusion?" The Goodwitch questioned, her anger temporarily forgotten.

"I have done much work around the world, within all four kingdoms and in every section of the wild, yet I have never heard an accent like his, nor have I heard of a city named Yharnam. Then there was the fact that a few of his weapons still used gunpowder for launching projectiles, something that hasn't been done since the advent of dust." Ozpin explained while bringing up a map of the world while running the name Yharnam through the search engines.

Despite his efforts, his quick search for the city brought up a blank, causing Glynda to take a small step away from the screen. "He was being completely honest when he spoke, but something about him did not sit right with me..."

"It was as if we were prey, and he was a predator. I felt much the same." Glynda eventually answered while staring at the map and the lack of results from the search. "Are you sure this is wise? Who is to say he won't kill us, or worse any students?"

Ozpin shrugged his shoulders before turning his head and looking out to the shattered moon, "Call it a gut feeling."

Glynda scoffed but eventually nodded her head, deciding to trust Ozpin's judgment. "If he does snap, if ANYTHING happens, it will be on you, Ozpin."

"I am well aware of the consequences, Glynda, do you honestly think so little of me?"

"Sometimes, I don't know what to think about you..."

[UPSM]

Abel grumbled to himself under his breath as he once again stalked the woods he found himself in, this time his destination being the waterfall nearby his location. With a small bar of what he hoped was soap and a clean bit of cloth, the silver haired teenager hoped that he could bathe and be left in peace with his thoughts for the next few moments, thus he left the Doll back at the workshop instead of bringing her along.

While she had no need to bathe, there were certain mineral oils that she needed to maintain her appearance now that she existed outside of the dream for the first time, thus requiring her privacy while Abel required his own.

Reaching his destination just moments after he lost himself in his thoughts, Abel proceeded to strip himself of his armor, leaving his body bare in the pale moonlight that filtered through the tree tops. Scars crisscrossed his back and torso from the many different encounters with Beasts, Kin, Great Ones and multiple different hunters throughout his time in Yharnam, yet he couldn't find himself to care much for the marred flesh.

Most men from the Hinterlands would have been proud of having such a wide variety of bragging right worthy scars, though Abel only saw them as a weakness. Each and every slash, gouge, bullet-wound and burn told an individual story, but to the Iscariot, they only spoke of his weakness. Of his mortality.

Something he had yet to come to grips with, he was sure. Waking up after being undying for the last few months without the link to the Dream was discerning, extremely so. Now, he couldn't afford little mistakes like he had made in the past that ended up with him having his head ripped from his shoulders or crushed.

He couldn't just pop back up after something happened to him now, if the wound was debilitating enough. The strange Caryll Runes running up the length of both arms and his torso broke him from his reverie, if only for a moment. Ever since he woke up, these runes had become more and more bold as time went on as did the eldritch thoughts writhing around in his skull.

The Doll claimed she had no idea what they represented, but he was more than sure he saw recognition in her eyes when she first laid eyes on the inhumane, written word of an unspeakable language.

Abel had his own suspicions on the runes and their meaning, though he chose to ignore them for the time being. Removing the yellowed bone from his neck, he gently set the relic from Gehrman's first apprentice within his pile of armored robes and proceeded into the large basin of water.

After nearly an hour of enjoying the cold water raining down on his head, Abel proceeded out of the water to dry and redress himself, though the crimson glow on the waters edge caused him to pause. Turning his attention to his reflection in the water, the silver haired teenager watched as yet another rune carved itself into his flesh before the crimson glow faded to black.

'That is the Hunter Rune... why would it be etched between my shoulder blades?' Abel questioned himself before turning his attention downwards, just below the newest addition to his runes. The Vileblood sigil lay proudly beneath the Hunter of Hunter rune, though it seemed to be older than the Hunter of Hunters rune.

Deciding to question the doll more thoroughly later, Abel proceeded to dry and dress himself without further adieu, despite his desire to stare into the strange Caryll Runes now etching themselves into his flesh without so much as an explanation.

"Just what is happening to me?" He asked no one in particular after feeling the hunter rune activate itself, restoring his energy to him quicker than he thought possible, even when the rune was firmly etched into the folds of his mind.

[UPSM]

The three days had come and gone, and before Abel knew it, he was slowly making his way towards the massive, metal monster that transported the 'Hunters of Beacon' within its bowels.

On his back was the shaft to his scythe while the blade itself hung deftly from his hips through his custom sheath while his Evelyn was firmly placed within its holster. More than twenty blood vials were placed within the confines of the large leather case on his lower back, though they nary made a noise as he walked calmly towards his next destination.

The Doll walked calmly beside him, a small smile on her face as she thought about seeing the world the many different hunters that visited her in the dream spoke so much about, but there was an emotion she was not familiar with brewing at the surface.

"Good Hunter, why does it feel as if there are... living creatures inside of my stomach area?" The Doll eventually questioned, her smooth voice easily breaking the silence between the two as they walked as if heading towards a funeral.

"That would be either nervousness, or anxiety, or both. Have you never felt that before?" Abel questioned, turning his gaze to the rather tall, and beautiful, creature walking beside him. Despite being the only comfort he had in this waking world, Abel could hardly say he knew what to think about the living doll. On one hand, he was eternally grateful for her and all she had done for him, but at the same time... she unnerved him more than he cared to admit. Something about her eyes and the way she looked at him since awakening from the dream had set him on edge.

Something was more... human about the Doll, and he did not know what to make of it. Deciding to dwell on it later, as he did most of his problems, Abel calmly stepped into the clearing where the foul metal beast waited patiently for him.

Within her own pack of supplies, their entire stash of tea leaves laid as well as the mineral oils needed to take care of her harder than porcelain skin, though Abel was unconcerned with such matters after laying eyes once more on the group of four teenagers from before.

Going with the same respectful bow he gave them the first time, Abel slowly rose from his greeting and moved forward with purpose. "Greetings, Madams. It seems my companion and I shall be in your care for the time being. Do treat us well, please."

"Ah, no need to be so formal about it!" Ruby tried to wave off the words of the teenager, but he was having none of it.

"Nonsense, you have obviously taken time out of your busy schedules to transport me to your Academy, thus requiring my to show appreciation when you could have just sent complete strangers to retrieve me. 'Tis the little things that count." Abel responded, his tone letting them know he was having none of their downplaying.

"Well, when you put it like that..." The female scythe wielder eventually replied, a small blush dusting her face, "Wanna join us on the Bullhead, then we can be underway?"

Abel nodded resolutely and steeled himself to walk deep within the strange metal creature, his body expression enough to tell the teens that he didn't quite trust the noisy contraption. "Just what form of beast is this, might I ask? I've never seen such a creature in my life." Abel eventually questioned after making his way up the ramp, the Doll following obediently behind the closest thing she had to a Master now that Gehrman had departed from the waking and dreaming world to take his final rest.

"Beast? This is a machine... surely you aren't so backwoods that you don't even know what that is?" Weiss questioned, her tone slightly incredulous at the questions being raised by the silver haired teenager.

"I... am not quite sure what you mean by that, but I assure you I have no idea what type of creature this is. Are you going to mock me, or answer the question, miss?" Abel evenly responded, though his tone was slightly more cold than before.

Weiss, realizing her slip up, back tracked quickly while holding her hands up to diffuse the situation before it could get ugly. "I apologize, it just surprises me that you don't even know what a Bullhead is. Do you at least know what machines are?" The white haired heiress of the Schnee Dust Company questioned after thinking on how to proceed.

Abel shook his head in the positive before shrugging his shoulders lightly. "I know what elevators and the likes are, but machinery from where I am from stopped as far as I can tell if it did not involve killing beasts and providing temporary transport upwards and downwards." Abel responded, his tone lessening back into its slight monotone.

Weiss let lose a sigh she didn't know she was holding before continuing her explanation. "Well this is a form of transport machinery, using large engines powered by dust to traverse distances that would usually take days in just minutes, depending on the acceleration of the machine and the fuel source used."

Understanding dawned on Abel before he thanked her for her explanation, having eased his mind on stepping forth into the bowels of the strange machine now that he knew that it wasn't a living creature out to devour him.

The Doll looked just as relieved, if for a different reason. She had come to like the four huntresses in their very short encounter as they displayed an innocence only seen in those who have yet to shed the blood of another, though the black haired female with a bow in her hair smelled faintly of blood, oil and fire, despite how much she attempted to cover up the lingering scent with a faint perfume.

Dealing with blood for countless years in the void had taught all the Doll needed to know about its scent and how to spill it in the most vicious of ways, though she was physically weaker than needed to make use of any of her accrued knowledge.

Yang, the blond that Abel seemed the most weary about slinked up from behind and wrapped one of her arms around Abel's shoulder while shooting him a disarming grin, having felt him stiffen heavily under her unfamiliar touch.

The feeling of something pointy being withdrawn from her lower back caused her to look behind her, only to see Abel slowly putting away the dagger that was directly pointed at her kidney. "Sorry, a force of habit. Please don't sneak up on my, I might not catch myself before retaliating next time." Abel finally answered awkwardly, having felt bad for drawing a weapon on the promiscuous teenager for simply wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

Yang seemed to wave off the apology without a care, though she was sweating on the inside on just how close she was to losing her life over a misunderstanding.

"I'm sorry, you just looked like you could use a hug, ya know?" The blond responded with a chipper tone, causing Abel to nod his head slowly.

"I suppose it must look that way from the outside looking in."

Not sure what to make of that sentence, Yang refused to remove her arm from his shoulder as the four females guided him and his extremely tall companion to the areas they would be sitting in for the return trip to Beacon.

"You are in for a treat if this is your first time flying, Abel!" Ruby gushed, practically jumping up and down in her seat, "It's an awesome experience once you get over that little bit of fear!"

"...What does 'Awesome' mean, exactly?" Abel eventually questioned, turning his head to face the presumed team leader for the four females.

"...Are you being serious right now? It means its cool."

"And in what context is this trip going to be cold? It feels rather warm in here to me..." Abel trailed off, seeing the expression on all three of their faces.

"Did you live under a rock most of your life?" Weiss finally asked, seeing as she was the one with the least tact. Removing his helmet, Abel started the blue eyed, white haired rapier wielder directly in her eyes when he spoke.

"As enlightening as our conversation has been, truly, I would much appreciate it if you stopped with your thinly veiled insults, they are trying my patience already."

Weiss opened her mouth to hotly retort before snapping it shut upon seeing the look her three teammates were giving her. "I apologize, I just find it hard to believe you don't know what a Bullhead is, let alone what the word 'Awesome' means. Just where DID you come from, if I might ask?"

"Yharnam, a city far beyond the borders of anything you have heard I am sure, but before that I grew up in the wilderness, looking after myself since I was old enough to hunt my own game." Abel eventually relented, seeing the pleading look being sent his way by not just one cute girl, if he was honest with himself, but four.

Blake remained silent throughout the entire confrontation, though she was paying far more attention to the silver haired new comer than she let on. Peaking every once and a while from the pages of her favorite novel, Blake was trying her hardest to place the mans speech patterns, his accent and his choice of armor though she could honestly say, despite her years of working with the white fang, she had yet to come across someone her age quite as imposing as the crimson eyed, silver haired Hunter before her. His weapon designs, despite being effective for Grimm, were more designed for fleshy opponents, something that let her know this person before her hunted down his fellow man just as easily as he hunted Grimm and whatever other foul beast he had come across in his travels.

That thought was alone enough to send chills up her spine, but a voice in the back of her head was telling her to trust him, that he would not harm them unless first provoked. That thought seemed to cause her to release the tension being held in her shoulders while she relaxed even further into her seat, seemingly ignoring the world around her.

"You didn't have your mother or father to look after you?" Yang gasped, not being able to imagine what it would have been like for her and her little sister Ruby had their father not taken care of them after both of their mothers passed away rather suddenly.

"No, it was just myself and my weapon. I need nothing else, though I have come to find that companionship trounces solitude every time." Abel stated with a small smile making its way to his face, turning to look at the Doll resting by his side. The Doll, as if seeing his sidewards glance, shot him a heart warming smile before turning her attention back to the landscape below as the Bullhead finally began lift off.

The sudden sense of vertigo came and went within the blink of an eye for Abel, who was more than sure that the lack of motion sickness could be chalked up to one of the runes functions now etched onto his skin against his better wishes and desire.

"I am... I am sorry to hear that." Weiss answered after a few moments of silence, each of the girls looking downtrodden at the declaration.

"It has been that way since my birth, there is no need for you to apologize. It isn't as if you were the cause of my woes, after all." Abel responded in kind, causing the white haired teenager to give the crimson eyed Iscariot a small smile in return.

The rest of the rather short trip to Beacon was spent with the members of Team RWBY grilling Abel on as much of his past as he was willing to part with, which was surprisingly enough a large amount despite none of the girls having known Abel in the slightest.

"The way you carry yourself... you are running from your past, aren't you?" Blake finally questions, looking up from her book to latch her golden eyes unto his crimson orbs.

Abel looked determined to not answer the question, but the softened look Blake sent him soon after showed that his silence answered his question better than a verbal response ever could have.

"I am sorry for asking... You just remind me of myself." The Belladonna spoke up before turning her attention back to her book, or as much attention as she could give the smut after seeing the heart wrenching emotions present just beneath those twin pools of bloody red.

The Iscariot shrugged his shoulders almost minutely before turning his attention to the rapidly passing landscape below him, a look of longing crossing his face as he watched the last sights of the Hunters Workshop disappear over the horizon.

"You mentioned a substance called Dust earlier... are you perhaps talking about bone marrow ash?" Abel inquired after an awkward silence dawned between the six of them, though Yang seemed to not care in the slightest.

Weiss, once more, had a look of disbelief on her face before she shook her head in the negative. "Bone marrow ash," The Schnee heiress began, "Sounds absolutely disgusting. Dust is a substance mined from the earth, capable of channeling the elements themselves such as fire, lightning, earth and more."

Abel cocked an eyebrow at the explination before removing a small dollop of powder from the leather pouch just above his vial case, showing it to the white haired female. "This is Bone marrow ash, a hyper-propellent used to launch projectiles much, much faster than gunpowder is capable of." Abel explained before removing a few of his quicksilver bullets from their resting places on the leather bandoleer on his hip.

"These bullets are made of solidified quicksilver and imbued with my blood, capable of shredding anything and everything I have come across to date. Do you mean to tell me you use neither?"

Weiss once again shook her head in the negative before removing her personal weapon from its holster. "This is Myrtenaster, my personal weapon. It uses these dust chambers here," She paused her explanation to point out the rotating chambers located below the blade of her weapon, "To make use of whichever element I find myself in need of."

"How queer..." Abel trailed off, analyzing the different colored crystaline dust vials as best as he could. "And what form of ammunition is common in these parts?"

Ruby, finally seeing her time to be in the spotlight quickly ejected her magazine from its resting place in her scythe before presenting the many bullets inside of it to the Iscariot. "These are custom rounds made for my weapon, Crescent Rose, each being much larger than standard sniper rounds while also having trace amounts of fire dust to increase their velocity!"

Abel looked incredibly impressed with the bullets presented to him, the mere size comparison leading to the quicksilver bullets easily being outstripped by the custom sniper rounds. "Is your scythe also a gun?"

Ruby nodded proudly before pointing to the small trigger present where she would normally hold the weapon. "Sure is!"

Abel attempted to wipe the flabbergasted look off of his face but failed spectacularly. "That is very impressive, truly! Such an ingenuitive piece of weaponry indeed!"

Ruby turned away to hide her small blush, causing Yang to tease her sister relentlessly. "Aww, wittle wuby has a cwushhh!"

A quick toss of one of her shoes shut Yang up quickly enough, but not fast enough for the rest of Team RWBY to get a good laugh at their leaders expense. The silver haired teenager tilted his head to the side in confusion but decided not to question the most recent development, if only to spare himself more embarrassment in seeming like a backwoods barbarian as Weiss called him earlier.

"These four are very strange." Abel murmured quietly to the Doll, who nodded her head in agreement.

"Indeed."

[UPSM]

"Greetings, and welcome to my Academy!" Ozpin greeted, having met the group of six when the Bullhead finally landed. Abel tried not to gawp at the scenery around him, though he failed just as spectacularly as earlier.

"Humanity has come a long way since the last time I step foot in civilization, that much is certain." Abel commented quietly to himself, unaware of the heightened sense of hearing Team RWBY's Faunus had.

Blakes' ears twitched at the comment, though she kept her musing to herself and filed the information away for later study. 'You said earlier that you came from a city called Yharnam...'

"Thank you kindly for having me, Professor. This is a wondrous Academy if the architecture is anything to go by." Abel responded in kind, giving the man a small bow of respect before turning his head left and right to get a good look at the people mulling about. Most, if not all, of the students were completely disarmed, though one or two of the older humans still had theirs hanging proudly from their frames.

The only person that gave Abel pause was the small brown haired girl walking about with three of her peers. Normally, such a common shade of brown wouldn't draw Abel's eyes as anything unique, but it was what rested upon her skull that gave him pause.

"Does... does that little girl have Rabbit ears upon her head?" Abel questioned, incredulity dripping from his voice. Never before had he seen a human being with animal parts before, outside of those consumed with the ashen blood that had swept across Loran and Yharnam.

"She does... will that be a problem, Mister Iscariot?" Ozpin finally answered after dismissing the rest of Team RWBY and congratulating them on a mission well accomplished. Before their departure, Blake was once again able to pick up on the last bit Abel said, causing a small from to appear on her face.

"Of course not, but is... that normal? Human's do not have such... appendages in Yharnam." The Iscariot relented, staring at the back of the small girls head as she disappeared into the school proper with what he assumed where her team mates.

"You don't have Faunus where you come from?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow, this time his voice incredulous instead of Abel's.

"No, we only have Humans... you mean to tell me she isn't Human?"

"Well, the only difference between Human's and Faunus are their additional animal features, but no." Ozpin relented while leading the silver haired teenager towards the school proper and eventually to his office to finish the teens registration for Beacon.

"...What a truly strange place I have found myself in, wouldn't you say, Doll?" Abel finally muttered out, gaining the attention of the silent being walking dutifully beside him.

"If something such as I can live and bleed, truly, then how strange could they be?" The Doll answered evenly, turning her pale gaze back to the only remaining Hunter of the Nightmare after ripping it from the halls around her.

"...Tis a good point. Forgive my ignorance on such matters, Professor." Abel responded to the Doll while making sure that Ozpin knew that such trivialities won't interfere with his interactions with the students around him.

Ozpin cracked a small grin while ushering the two into his office after sending for Glynda, descreetely of course, "It does not matter to me in the slightest, though it does speak well of your character for not holding a prejudice."

Abel shrugged his shoulders before nodding to his only remaining reminder of the Nightmare he once lived through. "She raised a valid point earlier. If she could indeed exist, and I treat her with the respect she deserves, why should having additional ears bother me?"

"Many here in Remnant do not feel the same, especially those of the higher class." Ozpin pointed out while making his way to his desk, pouring himself a fresh cup of tea from the steaming kettle not far from his hand. "Would you like a cup?"

"No, thank you though." Abel politely declined before responding to Ozpin's previous statement. "Those of the higher class do not look upon the Faunus well, I take it?"

A frown, a deep one at that, formed on Ozpin's face as he looked downwards before shaking his head morosely. "No, most Human's treat Faunus like they are worse than the dirt they all walk on. A shame, a true shame."

The silver haired Iscariot scoffed before shaking his head in a negative fashion as well. "Stupid creatures indeed, Humans are. Have those of 'Higher Class' never heard the phrase Noblesse Oblige?"

Ozpin allowed the two words to roll over his tongue before shaking his head in the negative. "That does not ring any bells. What does it mean?"

"Do as Nobles do. Those with innate privilege must act accordingly to their station, through chivalry and good deeds. If you are to claim Nobility, you must first act like Nobility, least you be nothing better than wealthy rabble." Abel stated, a slightly pompous tone taking over his voice, "Though that is what Queen Annalise would say in such a situation." He trailed off, his voice taking a melancholic tone towards the end.

"Those are incredibly wise words to live by. Were you close to this Queen Annalise you mentioned?" Ozpin questioned, wanting to learn more about the enigmatic teen before him.

Abel nodded his head morosely, trying not to think on his situation now that he found himself in this strange world. "Indeed I was, I was her only remaining faithful knight when the Nightmare finally came to an end. Our people befell a genocide, led by a madman and his horde of lunatics from the 'Healing Church'."

Ozpin filed the information away for later when there was a gentle rapping at his office door. After waiting two moments, the door opened to reveal Glynda Goodwitch, her ridding crop still present in her rather tight grip.

Abel nodded his head towards the additional being now entering the room, showing the mild-mannered woman as much respect as he could, seeing as her station was above his now that he was a 'student' at this school. Or, he assumed as much.

Glynda paused at the nod in her direction before she returned with one in kind, turning her attention back to the reason for her 'surprise' visit. "Good morning, Mister Iscariot. How was your trip?"

"As well as one could expect, I suppose." Abel responded, eying the rather large amount of paperwork held close to her bosom. "Am I to assume that I have... paperwork I must complete?"

A smirk crossed Ozpin's face before he nodded in the affirmative. "That would be correct, Abel. Tell me... just where was this Yharnam located? I can't seem to find it on any known map, nor is it one of the outter cities scattered throughout the wild..."

Abel tensed his shoulders before sending a look towards the Doll, who shrugged her dainty shoulders minutely.

"From what I have seen so far... I do not believe I am in the correct world, so to speak." Abel finally relented, his posture denoting that he was already in 'fight or flight' mode, though Ozpin tried to diffuse the tense situation.

"And what makes you think that?" Ozpin questioned with a curious tone, noting that Glynda looked smug for whatever reason.

"The moon. Simply put, it was not destroyed where I am from, nor was it as bright." Abel noted before reaching into his nap sack placed gently at his feet. After digging around and curing under his breath in more than one language, he finally withdrew a notebook. Holding it reverently, he almost looked torn before he finally handed it over to Ozpin, who took it with gentle hands after seeing how reverently Abel held the book.

"Bound within those pages is my story, from start to finish. I have... photographs to corroborate my word. While we were very far behind when it came to technology, Yharnam was technologically advanced enough to have created a device that could capture still images after a few minutes of preperation, though the blinding flash was a dead give-away for your position..." Abel trailed off, allowing the man to make his own assumptions and decisions after skimming the contents of his personal journal.

The first image was the still form of the Doll resting gently besides the steps leading up into the Hunters Workshop with the page to its right filled out completely with articulate lettering, a testament to Abel's prowess with a quill.

'After making my way to the city of Yharnam, in search of the Paleblood needed to cure my sickness, I came across the most curious beast of a creature after undergoing the procedure. The Blood Minister from before had been devoured almost whole by the creature, who was still gnawing on the man's skull before I drew its attention. Despite having just undergone a transfusion, I gave the creature my best effort, though it was for naught.

Waking up in this endless white void was certainly not what I expected when I died. Maybe someone here can explain my situation a bit better. There was a note beside by bedside when I awoke, though I admit to paying it little attention when the sound of the beast devouring my Minister reached my ears.

"Seek Paleblood to Transcend the Hunt". '

Turning the page, Ozpin came across the image of Abel, dressed in Victorian styled clothing much like the Doll, standing next to an elderly man in his wheelchair. A faint smile was present on Abel's face, but the elderly man looked as if he had been sucking on lemons for days.

'Gehrman, the man in the wheelchair, claims this place to be a dream. Certainly he jests, but in poor taste in my opinion. My illness seems to have been completely cured, but now I must complete a contract of sorts to free myself from this 'Dream'. Personally, I think the man is a few coins shy of a stone, especially so thanks to his lewd comments, but I shall refrain from saying such things to his face. He seems nice, for a mental patient. After wandering the workshop, I have found a note that seems to be directed to me...

"To escape this dreadful Hunter's Dream, halt the source of the spreading scourge of beasts, lest the night carry on forever."'

The third page showed the image of many cathedral styled buildings rising in the distance with a victorious looking Abel standing over a rather large pile of people, blood pouring out across the ground. A bladed cane was present in his right hand while an ancient looking flintlock pistol rested in his left.

'If this is the sort of welcome I can expect from the rest of the Yharnamites, I can already say I loath this city. Upon waking up in the clinic once more, this time armed, I faced the same beast from before and slew it before it could reciprocate the same. Stepping out of the clinic seemed to be a good idea at the time, at least until more than a dozen armed... people beset after me with their make-shift weapons. Never before have I been more thankful for having a weapon in my hands. I showed them no mercy, because they surely did not show me any.'

"You... killed them all?" Ozpin questioned, looking up with slight disgust evident on his face. Abel shrugged his shoulders before responding to the off-handed question. "You seem to be under the impression that they were human in the least. While I am cold hearted in every sense of the word, I would not take the lives of those not deserving of it. Each and every one of those individuals succumbed to the illness that plagued Yharnam, turning them into little more than beasts, quite literally."

Ozpin nodded his head slightly and turned the page once more, resting his eyes upon the next image in Abel's journal. A massive beast, easily as large as any Alpha Grimm, laid still at Abel's feet, who now bore the three large gashes over his left eye with an even more victorious look on his face than before.

'When I heard the whispers of Yharnam being cursed, I merely thought them as jealous rumors... something tells me the rumors have much truth to them. Two more of the wolf-human creatures stood in my path before I slew them like their predecessor at Iosefka's clinic, bless that woman, as well as another unsightly man, a giant wielding an upheavaled brick and ravens that bark like dogs. I died thrice to this damned creature before finally trouncing it soundly. Maybe Gehrman was right, maybe this all really is a bad dream...'

The silver haired professor rose his brow at the admittance of dying three times, looking to Abel for confirmation. "What is it?" Abel questioned, noticing the strange look being sent to him by Ozpin, once again.

"It says here you... died, three different times to this same creature. How does something like that happen?" The cane wielder questioned, his tone more disbelieving than anything Abel has heard from the man to date.

"When you enter the Paleblood Contract, you become undying until the scourge of the beasts is purged." The Doll spoke up, having rested quietly in the rather comfortable chair across from Ozpin's desk once offered to her.

"And what is this Paleblood I have heard you mention?" Glynda questioned, for once speaking up after her initial greeting. Abel looked conflicted on how to answer, though he was saved by the Doll coming to his rescue like a knightess in porcelain armor.

"When one accepts Pale Blood into their veins, they agree to seek out and purge the beastly scourge that has descended upon Yharnam thanks to the Church and their ilk. The Pale Blood connects them to the Hunters Workshop, which was once afloat in and endless white void." The porcelain woman with white blood spoke, her accent and manner of speech just as peaceful as always, though you could hear a hint of sadness in her soothing voice.

"That... makes no sense, whatsoever." Glynda spoke, tapping her riding crop gently across her right thigh, denoting her impatience.

"To you, it might not, but 'twas the life we lived." The doll acquiesced, her pale eyes turning to stare at the buxom combat teacher. "Do not belittle us with your naivety on the subject, it is as if a slap upon the face to us."

'That was the meanest thing the Doll has ever said, I am sure of it.' Abel thought to himself humorously while watching Ozpin slowly flip through the journal, drinking deeply from each page as if it were the draught of life itself.

The only sign of discomfort on the mans face was when he cringed every now and again, most likely from his first sights upon the Old Ones and their many deformed offspring, though Abel could think of a few larger enemies within the Labyrinth beneath Yharnam that could bring about such expressions.

After hearing the man mutter. 'but why is it naked... its wearing boots!' under his breath, Abel let loose a deep chuckle, causing the man to look up from the journal of Abel's time in the nightmare.

"I thought much the same thing when I faced that foul creature the first time. You would not believe how fast that... thing could roll." Abel noted, humor clearly ringing through his deep voice. Ozpin cracked a small smile, imagining the pale, gray skinned freak of nature rolling like a bolder towards an unsuspecting crypt diver.

"I think I have seen enough. I believe you, completely. There is no way to forge pictures of this quality, especially so considering that we have not used the same time of still pictographs in more than a century." Ozpin admitted, leaning back in his chair while grabbing up his forgotten about tea. "Just how have you remained sane, despite all of... this?"

Abel paused in thought before shrugging his shoulders, another small smile playing on his lips. "When fighting monsters, one must take care lest you become a monster thyself; For when you gaze upon the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back unto you."

"That does not put my mind at rest, not in the slightest." Ozpin admitted before gently shutting the Journal of the Nightmare before handing it back to its writer, who looked thankful to have such a thing back in his possession.

"Be as that may, we have paperwork to finish... do we not?"

[UPSM]

"Today, we will be having a new student joining us. Please, come in and introduce yourself." Glynda called out once the bell for class began, causing a few murmurs to break out amongst the students.

'A new student, this late in the term?'

'He must have family in the higher ups if they are allowing such a late starter...'

'Maybe it's a cute girl!'

'Shut up, Rick, that's all you think about! Your going to get yourself killed one day!'

The sound of Glynda Goodwitch clearing her throat silenced the class soon after before the door to the classroom opened rather suddenly. Without waiting for any sort of cue, Abel strode into the room and onto the stage that Glynda was standing on, his Cainhurst helmet missing from his usual ensemble at the behest of Ozpin, who stated that wearing his helmet should only be reserved for combat situations while he was a student at the school.

"My name is Abel Iscariot, a pleasure to meet you all." The silver haired teen greeted smoothly, his voice a rich baritone that carried easily over the silence auditorium.

Standing a good head taller than Glynda, Abel proved to be an imposing figure to those who looked upon his visage. The black shawl and cloak covering his back was tattered, though it seemed to add a bit of flair to his clothing instead of detracting from it.

Silverish mesh decorated his chest and arms, running underneath the heavier bone ash plating created by the Keepers of the Old Lords. Four leather belts crossed his hips, keeping most of his weapon pouches firmly in place while strips of mesh and armored plating made up the skirting falling just down to his knees. From beneath the mesh skirting, many different leathery strips that looked as if they were plucked from a nevermore hung, barely covering the wickedly pointed silver greaves he wore.

Silver hair rested upon his head the same shade as the moon while his skin was paler than even Ruby Rose, thus making his crimson scars stick out even further than before.

With a proper bow of respect, Abel took Glynda's cue and left the stage, proceeding to set himself down towards the back of the class with his back to the wall. Sparing a sidewards glance at Team RWBY, Abel nodded to the quartet during his brief walk to the back, each of which responded in kind though Ruby and Yang far more enthusiastically than Blake or Weiss.

During his brief introduction, and even during his walk, Blake was barely able to make out the two small fangs poking out from his upper lip, causing her to blink and narrow her eyes once she was sure he wasn't looking. 'Is he a Faunus of some sort? He doesn't even smell like one, only blood...'

More whispers had broken out after Abel introduced himself, though he seemed to pay them no mind, at least to the untrained eye. Glynda could tell he was taking his peers reactions to his appearance as well as one could when they have had to kill every person they have grown close to through his time in the nightmare.

"Today, class, we will be doing something a little different. Abel, here, comes from a far away kingdom that has yet to discover the usage of Dust and Aura, instead using materials that mimic their function closely. Despite that, this young man has proven himself the... best Hunter within his kingdom, and was sent here to Beacon to train further in the ways of huntsmanship. Would any of you be kind enough to step forward for a small spar, not only for me to evaluate your progress, but to show us where Mister Iscariot stands?"

An arrogant, brown haired brute of a teen was the first to raise his hands, enthusiastically volunteering himself against the new comer. Abel eyed him wearily before shrugging his shoulders at the look Glynda sent his way. The silver haired teenager rose from his temporary seat at the back and strode once more towards the center of the room for the second time within just a few minutes, though he didn't seem to mind the wasted trip.

"The rules of confrontation?" Abel questioned when he finally came to a halt, just five feet from where the brute of a teen stood.

Glynda hummed to herself under her breath before stating the obvious. "No killing blows, and stop when I say stop. Easy enough?"

Abel shrugged his shoulders demurely before drawing the Burial Blade from his hip, having refused to part with any of his weaponry when offered the usage of a 'rocket-propelled locker' by Ozpin earlier that day. The shaft to the wicked blade rested calmly upon his back once more, the teenager having taken it and his vial case off to sit both in the classroom and in Ozpin's office. "Easy enough. Are we able to use any... extra skills we might have acquired?" The teenager questioned while eying the massive mace wielded by the brown haired teenager before him.

Glynda nodded her head before stepping back to start the match. "Cardin Winchester versus Abel Iscariot, are you two ready? Begin."

Abel wasted no time with fighting banter like the brute before him was attempting to do, instead launching himself forward at a speed that would have even surprised Gehrman should he have lived to see it. Despite being at only half the speed he was capable of running and attacking at, Abel proved it to be more than enough when he was able to move completely within Cardin's guard and release a devastating headbutt that left his new classmate clutching at his now bloodied nose.

Following the attack up with a quick slug to the face with a good left hook, Abel ghosted around the mighty swing released by Cardin after hefting his mace to his shoulder and using his body as a fulcrum point to put more momentum behind the serrated weapon. Seeing that his first blow missed by a long shot, Cardin twisted his hips and threw his entire body weight behind the second blow, threatening to crush Abel's face in should it connect.

The mace seemed to move in slow motion as Abel casually brushed the blow aside as if swatting away a fly before delivering a forward kick directly into Cardin's stomach, almost causing the brown haired teenager to slump in on himself. Twisting on his heel, Abel followed up his first kick by spinning his body in a complete rotation before nailing Cardin directly in the face with his extended heel, which proved enough to almost knock the boy out cold. The mere fact that he was able to raise his leg high enough to nail Cardin directly in the face, despite wearing what most would consider restrictive armor spoke testaments to the silver haired youths flexibility.

"Even elderly women dealing in promiscuous business are more of a threat to me than you are. Take a seat, troglodyte, you are out matched." Abel groused out while lowering the Burial Blade to Cardin's throat, causing the match to be called in his favor easily.

"Like Hell I will!" Cardin roared, slapping the Burial Blade away with one hand while attempting to kick Abel's feet out from beneath him. A calm step backwards took the Iscariot out of kicking range, a small smile on his face while he watched his opponent struggle to catch his breath and stand. "You got lucky, that's all!"

"Oh, so it was luck that has landed four clean blows on you already and not myself?" Abel questioned with amusement in his tone, clearly humoring the brute before him. "Than come, let luck continue this fight, for surely I can allow such a tremendous force continue to work through mine vessel of flesh and blood."

Cardin sneered at the insult before slamming his mace into the ground, causing it to alight itself in pale blue sparks. "You won't be mocking me once they are finished wiping your flesh and blood from the floor, Iscariot!"

Abel didn't bother responding to the poorly worded threat, instead beckoning the Winchester forward with his left hand while his right held the Burial Blade aloft.

The second exchange of blows proved to be better than the first as a flame lit itself in Cardin's eyes, his blows becoming heavier and even more sloppy than before as he did everything in his power to land a decisive blow against the crimson eyed Iscariot.

An overhead swing of the electrified mace was brushed aside by the Burial Blade while the second was simply side-stepped. The third blow almost broke through Abel's guard, but the teen proved skilled enough with his curved weapon to stab the blade through the openings in Cardin's mace and twist it viciously, disarming the brute teen completely and putting him at Abel's mercy.

With a great amount of dexterity on his part, Abel slammed the blade into its wooden shaft on his back and extended his weapon to its full range as a scythe instead of wielding it as a blade in one smooth motion. Placing the blade quickly behind Cardin's feet, the scythe wielder gave a gentle tug that proved enough to completely rip Cardin from his upright position, causing him to meet the paneling of the floor abruptly once more.

Instead of allowing his opponent to get up once more, Abel slowly dragged his scythe along the floor with very little force, showing that his weapon was sharp enough to completely cut through stone without any effort. He followed making this example by putting the double sided blade to Cardin's throat, this time a cold expression on his face.

"You have lost, yield before you force me to render you unconscious."

The refusal to admit defeat didn't come as Glynda quickly called the match soon after Abel finished speaking. "That will be enough, Mister Iscariot. Cardin Winchester is unable to continue, you win this match."

With a shrug, Abel removed his blade from its wooden shaft, returning it to its sword form before he gently set it within its sheathe. "As you wish, Professor."

Instead of immediately returning to his seat, Abel extended a hand to help Cardin to his feet, only for his hand to be slapped away viciously. "Get away from me, you freak! I don't need help from your kind!"

The only ones who noticed the downtrodden look on his face as he returned to his seat was Team RWBY, who had already seen his face enough to get the general gist of his facial expressions throughout their trip back to Beacon.