A/N: I should probably be working on other things but… eh, I'm gonna do this instead. This is way more entertaining.

Disclaimer: I, shocker, don't own either of them. Nope, not even one.

What's That Smell?

The Hunter had been startled to realize that their own name had escaped their grasp. Startled, but upon considering it… it was reasonable. Names meant little in the face of nightmares. They were so often called "The Good Hunter" or "Hunter" or "Plague Ridden Rat!" that their name had… slipped their mind. This… Nero character was intriguing. He freely admitted to not being entirely human and seemed to be of a fairly sound mind despite that. That wasn't something that many could attest to, even the Hunter found their thoughts spiralling out of sanity from time to time; it was just a product of the madness surrounding them. Nero's reaction upon seeing the blood vial had been… curious however.

"Are you certain? A shot to the head can be… debilitating." they said, hesitating before slipping the vial back into the pocket they'd retrieved it from. Nero's brow furrowed

"...yes… it's normally fatal. I just got a lucky draw in the gene pool. What is this place?" he asked. The Hunter did not have a moment to answer however as the loud footsteps of a troll echoed down the narrow alley. It lumbered toward them, anger apparent in its beady eyes as it raised the piece of cobblestone and the Hunter tensed, ready to leap out of the way… A shot rang out and the troll fell to a knee. The Hunter did not hesitate but instead stepped up to the troll, a trill surging through their veins as they jammed a hand through the beast's chest and yanking it back away, guts and viscera falling to the ground in deliciously wet 'plops'. The Hunter grinned beneath their mask as the body slowly fell backward, twitching in its death throes. They turned back to the strange beast behind them, breath coming slightly quicker, ready for the next chance to spill blood. The person behind them paused, looking at them with furrowed brows and a slightly raised hand. The Hunter took another breath, the beast in their own veins calming slowly and they shook some of the blood from their hand.

"Y'know I think the saw thing you've got would've done the trick." he said, putting his own sword behind his back. The Hunter laughed lightly, the moment seeming far funnier than it should have been. The stranger continued to look at them warily as the giggles died down.

"We should move, the beasts will be attracted to the smell of blood." they said, stepping into the alleyway, over the body of the troll.

"Where are we going?" Nero asked as the Hunter heard them following behind.

"Someplace safe." The Hunter responded, looking along the street, trying to figure the best way to Oedon Chapel. It had been a long time since they'd had to work their way along the streets rather than simply using the lantern and the Dream.

"Yeah, real specific." Nero muttered behind them and the Hunter chuckled under their breath. Perhaps having this stranger alongside them for the near future would be good for them. Help them keep a small grasp on their humanity.

-Devil's Hunt-

The Hunter learned along the way that Nero was quite the capable fighter; the Hunter had suspected this, seeing as they'd been taken down by this beast, but it was still nice to know that they hadn't been that off their game. The two of them arrived at the Chapel some time later, it was hard to keep track of time anymore… all the nights seemed to bleed together, if they changed to day at all. The Hunter struggled to remember the last time they'd seen the sun… They shook their head, collapsing the ribcage of the church doctor in front of them and heading their way into the Chapel beyond. Nero paused before walking in, his fingers twitching strangely.

"There's something here." he said, The Hunter raised a single brow at them.

"This is the only safe place in the Waking World that I know of. Perhaps it is what protects this place."

"...maybe…" he looked around as he entered, wrinkling his nose as he did. "What's that smell?" he asked, waving a hand in front of his nose. The Hunter paused, realizing what was bothering the man.

"It is the incense. It is meant to ward off beasts. If you're not entirely human…" the Hunter kept their voice low, trying to keep it from the others in the chapel. There were only a few of them, but the ornery man liked to gossip and the Hunter wasn't sure how they'd take to knowing that the man with them was a beast himself.

"Yeah but I'm part devil, not… whatever these things are. They're not demons are they?" he asked, settling down on the steps, far enough from most of the denizens that they couldn't hear unless they wanted to move closer. The Hunter settled next to him, realizing suddenly that he was taller than they were and surreptitiously moved up a step. Nero gave them a strange glance, but said nothing.

"They're beasts… but if you want to call them demons, they're near enough." something strange tickled at the back of their mind at the word, some long forgotten memory. "But that's not what you're thinking of, is it?"

"No, where I'm from they're different." he shook his head "They're monsters, just like here, for sure but they're… less human?" he sighed "That's not right either, they're different from these beasts, take my word for it."

"And you are partially one of these demons?" the Hunter asked, glancing over at Nero.

"Devil, but yeah, same difference. What about you, you seemed a bit more than human there with that big guy." he shot back gently, the Hunter sighed and looked at their gloved hands.

"I am… uncertain where I stand. And… I'm not so sure that I want to know."

A/N: Again, I'm having so much fun with this, though it's hard to slip into the Hunter's perspective, what with their slippery grasp on reality.

Till next time,

-Winged Element