Chapter 2: ExperiencingXtheXWorld
Disclaimer: Haku belongs to Hayao Miyazaki and the original characters of HunterxHunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Three days.
That was how long Haku had been flying across the ocean. And although Haku wouldn't admit it out loud, he was beginning to feel a bit irked at how long it was taking him to reach the island Knuckle had called Rule-Sen. Originally, Haku assumed it would have only taken him a day or so to reach the island based on Knuckle's estimate on the distance.
But this? This was taking far to long. It was all Knuckle's fault! That man couldn't read a map even if it had a big arrow saying 'you are here' on it.
Oh well, he would just have to manage. He only hoped he could make it to land before he ran out of magic.
Later that evening Haku was flying through an extremely powerful set of hurricane storms. He had just passed his sixth cyclone when he spotted it. It started off as a mere speck off in the distance and it eventually grew to become a very large, magnificent-looking ship. Unfortunately with the rate the storm was damaging it at, it probably wasn't going to be lasting for much longer.
But because of Haku's unfortunate soft spot for humans he was compelled into helping this sorry group of sailors. He changed his course to the half shipwrecked Skiff.
It was almost funny how this was suddenly making him remember Chahiro when she was a little girl. Even thinking back on it now, Haku did not know why he had decided to prevent her from drowning. There had been plenty others who had drowned and died in his river and he never helped them. But it seemed that ever since that day, he could not help but want to protect these weaker creatures.
Haku easily came up with a plan to prevent any further casualties and dived into the ocean. His contact with the water made Haku feel an immediate power surge through his core. Wielding this borrowed power, Haku commanded a new current to be born and used his serpent body to guide it towards the ship. The current gradually grew stronger as it followed Haku until its power was great enough to turn into whole other cyclone if Haku had so desired.
~On the ship~
Most of the sailors had given up. They decided to except their fate and the captain was one of them. Taking after his old man he was very much a traditional man and knew it was in his duty for the captain to go down with his ship. With a heightened resolve the captain proudly took the helm and glared out at the ocean as if to say, 'give me your worst.' Because of his decision, the captain became the first to realize that something was starting to pull at his ship. The wheel was suddenly pilling the boat to the left with incredible force. He tried to overpower it, but fighting against the ocean is nearly an impossible task.
Eventually the pull became to much for the captain and was thrown back against the back railing. He could only watch as the wheel spun uncontrollably and turned the ship further into the storm. Other sailors had also felt the lurch, some falling over because of the sudden additional speed. The few that were closest to their captain tried to help him grab onto the wheel again, but even together they were not strong enough. They were all beginning to realize that the ship was heading into even more dangerous waters and fell to the floor on their knees in defeat.
Being the captain of this ship, also meant being one of the more experienced sailors and he was just realizing where it was the ship was really going. He felt like such an idiot at not figuring it out sooner. Originally he had planed to do just this to survive the storm but knew they would never have made it there in time. But with this sudden added speed... it was possible.
The captain informed the rest of his crew and they soon began to see, off in the distance, a ray of sunlight beaming down onto the water like tears from heaven.
The eye! It was the eye of the storm! They were going to make it!
Some tears broke out among the sea goers as they cried out in joy. They cheered and screamed while tossing their hats into the air as the first piece of light touched the ship's bow.
They had made it to the eye of the storm. They were going to LIVE.
The celebration ended though when the boat suddenly began to rock violently and it didn't look like it was merely coming from the waves. There was another outcry from the sailors as they all panicked while tripping over each other.
Then there was a sound of something breaking through the surface of the water and a shadow passed over the deck.
"D-Dragon!" Someone screamed.
Everyone ran to the side of the ship trying to get a better view. But they all saw it. A serpent like dragon. But the dragon was rapidly flying away until you could only make out its white scales, long whiskers and turquoise mane.
The captain watched the dragon disappear into the storm. He smiled while removing his hat pressing it to his heart. "Thank you…Pearl Dragon."
~A few days later~
Haku could see land appearing off in the distance and he could only assume that this was supposed to be Rule-Sen. So to look less conspicuous, Haku shredded his dragon form to have his more human form take its place. He flew low so that it was less likely for someone to spot him and approached the forest part of land that was close to the port town.
The island's structure appeared to be consistent of mostly flat lands with plenty of beach space and palm trees. It would be the perfect spot for a beach resort.
Gracefully, Haku landed onto the warm sand of an empty beach with the nearby trees hovering just overhead. But Haku didn't have time to admire the elegant shore-line as the aftereffects of endless traveling for the past week was started to really affect him now. His whole body was beginning to shake uncontrollably and the was prickly numbness running down his spine.
'I need to find a lake or better yet a river, if they have one.'
Haku went straight into the forest wandering aimlessly and keeping an ear out for any sounds of water. Eventually, his hike lead him to a lightly graveled road. Opting on wether or not to take it Haku figured it would be best just to follow it and hope that it leads him to a town then he could ask someone for a map.
His slow pace made the walk extra long but he was rewarded with the sight of a single building at the end. By now the sun was beginning to set and he was glad he was able to make it to a civilization before night came. The building in front of him was rather large and resembled the old-styled Japanese lodges. A large tori gate was set up in front of the entrance with the words. "Oglay's Inn and Bath House" carved in at the top.
'A bath house? …How ironic, but it will suffice.' Haku thought. He walked forward and slid open the wooden door set in front.
"Welcome! Would you like to buy a room for the night or do you wish only to use the bath house. If you buy a room the Bath House will be free of charge!" A middle aged woman with a kindly face bowed to Haku in her traditional flowered kimono.
Reaching into his own simpler kimono Haku removed a small, black box. Taking off the lid he spread open the cloth that kept what was inside cushioned.
"How long of a stay will this get me?"
The woman cupped her hand and Haku dropped a pebble sized nugget of gold. "Eh…Eh! A-Are you sure you w-want to pay with this?!"
"Yes."
"Ehh… um… please wait a moment." The woman bowed before she left through a different sliding door that was set off to the side. Haku could hear someone yelling and the woman's quieter words trying to calm the other. Then it was quiet. The side door slowly opened and the woman returned with another much older and smaller woman behind her. The first woman let the older one pass her and Haku guessed this was the owner of this establishment.
The elderly woman immediately walked over to him at a surprising speed and the overbearing smile she presented him with caught him off guard.
"Oh-ho. My, what a handsome boy you are, please do tell me, do you happen to have a girlfriend yet? I have a granddaughter who is very lovely and-"
"Please excuse my interruption, but I wish to only stay here until the ship to the hunter exam arrives. Could you tell me when that might be?" Haku interrupted politely.
"Oh-ho. Taking that dreadful exam are you? Hmm… I believe the ship will arrive at East port in two days. At least that is what I heard from previous costumers. Oh-ho." The elderly woman said.
"Then I wish to buy out the Bath House until then. Will that be able to cover everything or do I need more?"
The other woman stepped forward. "U-Um, I d-don't think there is an option for tha-"
"Silence you fool!" The woman said angrily and then she turned to Haku happily again. "That will be fine dear. What you paid with will definitely be able to do just as you ask. Did you say you also wanted a room for your stay? We have an excellent selection, Oh-ho! Our finest room has a full view of our garden and-"
"That will be unnecessary." Haku said. "I only require the bath house and complete privacy."
"Oh-ho. Right this way then."
Haku fallowed the woman through a hallway stopping at the end.
"This is our Bath House. If you require anything from us there is a bell inside on the wall that you will only have to ring once and my daughter will be with you shortly." The old woman closed the door as soon as Haku stepped through.
The Bath House, all together, was quite plain. But that was how Haku liked it. Almost everything was stone and Haku was relieved to see that the Main tub was large enough to fit his dragon form and then some.
He removed his kimono, setting it into a basket before using their buckets of water to rinse off whatever sand, grime and salt was still on him.
Haku's first step into the tub water was an instant appeasement. It as nice and warm, he could not remember the last he had taken a bath were he could actually relax in it.
He barely registered that he had changed into his dragon form and curled in on himself while submerging his whole body into the water.
For two days Haku slept, building his strength back up to prepare for the exam as he was uncertain of the next time he would be able to sleep. Knuckle had actually warned him about.
"Take care dear! Good luck at the Hunter Exam! Be sure to return if you live oh-ho!"
Haku bowed slightly to the Inn owners. "Thank you for your service."
His strength fully restored Haku returned to stone covered path and followed it to town.
Once he made it in town he found the excessive number of people that were bustling about nonstop to be rather nostalgic to his days as Yubaba's apprentice. Haku slightly frowned, he certainty did not miss it. He slowed when he made it to the docks checking out every boat to find one that mentioned something about the Hunter Exam. He passed many stands along the way.
"Fresh fish! Just caught this morning!"
"Takoyaki! Get your Takoyaki here.!"
"We have beautiful umbrellas for the lovely ladies."
A group of men passed Haku.
"This exam's going to be a cinch! I trained nonstop for it!"
"You've got that right! Those other guys have nothing on us."
Haku stopped and turned looking at the laughing group of men walking in the other direction. 'They look like idiots, but it's my only lead.' So he followed them a few step behind.
The ship that they eventually came to was big. Haku paused to admire the handwork done on the big red Frigate.
"I call her Setting Sun. She's a beauty isn't she?" A voice spoke to the left of Haku.
Haku made no reply.
"So, I take it you're here for the Hunter's Exam too?"
"Yes and I would be correct to assume that this is the ship that takes people to the exam's location?" Haku turned around and looked up at the man standing next to him who was at least twice his size. The man had on a heavy black coat that made one think that he must be boiling in this kind of weather. An unruly mob of blond hair stuck out in unusual places that made it look like there was just a bundle of straw on top of his head. He also the tip of a fish bone hanging out of his mouth he was chewing on.
"That just so happens to be true." The man smirked at Haku. "And do you know what your getting yourself into kid?"
Haku walked passed the man, up the plank and onto the ship without another word.
"Heh. That little twerp. Ignoring your elders will get you put on their bad side." The man smirk did not let up as he walked up the plank as well.
On the ship there really wasn't much to see looking around and nobody there was of any interest to Haku.
"Alright! Raise up the sails! We're finally getting out of here!."
Several men who appeared to belong to this ship started running about. One rammed into his shoulder as they ran by him. "Get out of the way brat!" The sailor said.
'These humans are very rude, the least he could do is say sorry.' But Haku still stepped to the side so that the sailors could get on with their jobs. When he looked to the other hunter applicants he saw that they too were getting rammed into some of the sailors and some were even getting run over completely. They all got yelled at in a similar fashion to what Haku had previously received. Then he noticed one of them was not getting out of the way like the rest.
"You're the one bumping into to me! YOU BASTARD!" The guy swung a right hook at the sailor that had his back turned to him. But then the sailor disappeared. The guy who had tried to punch the sailor was falling forward from his momentum. "Wa-"
"You're going to want to be a lot faster than that for the exams." The sailor said to the man's right. Then he disappeared again when the applicant tried to punch him again. The sailor reappeared on the railing near the man. "If this is the best you can do, I would really be showing you mercy just by killing you now." He disappeared and the applicant felt a sharp object press up against his throat. "People die all the time in these exams after all."
"Eh. W-Wait. What are you doing. Y-You can't do this!" The man said desperately.
"Actually, he can." The guy chewing on the fish bone stepped in front of the applicant who still had a knife to his jugular. He looked absolutely serious as he continued. "I'm the captain of this ship and whatever I say goes. Kapeich!" The captain's face broke out into a huge grin. "So you're doing great Doran! Keep up the good work!"
"With pleasure captain."
The captain then addressed the rest of the applicants. "Listen here kids! For as long as you stay on this ship you are to listen to me. Here, I'm king and you're in my kingdom now! If you have a problem with that then by all means leave!" One of the sailors approached the captain carrying a wooden crate and the captain opened the lid and took out a water bottle. "Our water reserves are limited. So all you'll only get one water bottle. We should make it to Bokshen by sometime next week."
'I see… he's going to make us turn against each other.' It was a rather brilliant idea, Haku thought.
"But don't worry, you'll get rations too of course. Whatever you decide to do in the meantime is up to you." The captain then sauntered off after dropping the water bottle with the rest.
Haku watched the other examinees to gage their reactions. Some, he could tell, realized the same thing he did. It was likely that a few might even start targeting others early on to get more water for themselves.
The spirit boy for one was well aware of his frail like appearance and knew it made others believe he would be an easy target by assuming he wouldn't be able to defend himself and such. But he had an idea that would save him the trouble of dealing with that unnecessary hassle during the nights. Seeing as that was probably the time they would most likely try anything.
The man carrying the crate got to Haku and handed him a bottle then left for the next person.
Haku stared down at the bottle in his hand. '… How strange that I feel sympathetic towards this water.' He looked towards the sea, clenched teeth the only outward show of emotion. 'Now that I think about it, it's like I really am trapped.' Haku unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and emptied its contents into the ocean.
"Oi! If you're going to go and do something like that just give me your water!"
The spirit tossed the bottle aside and walked away. 'I'm tiered.'
"Hey! Don't ignore people talking to you!" The stranger aimed a punch at him but Haku stepped aside leaving a foot out and grabbed the man's arm to flip him over.
'I wonder if they'll serve us rice.'
Haku continued walking about the ship until he came to a secluded storage room in one of the lower decks. There he rested until a bell was rung to signal the give out of rations. Then returned with the meager meal of bread and cheese to eat in peace. That night though, Haku left again to return to the upper decks where only a few were still awake a milling about. But he didn't concern himself with them and immediately went over to the railing. Ignoring the few that cried out when he jumped over board Haku entered into the depths of the dark ocean. He didn't have to worry about keeping pace with the ship since they were anchored for the night but at least here he could have some real peace and quiet without the constant sounds of wood rubbing against wood and the obnoxious snoring on the ship to disturb him. And while it wasn't fresh water, as he could only sleep in fresh water, it still had a calming effect when being completely submerged in any body of water. So for the night, Haku stayed there, floating just beneath the surface watching the stars appear through the water's reflection.
The next day Haku was attacked several times by those that were already running low on water and thought that he still had some. In return for their assault Haku beat them unconscious and took theirs for his own. The same thing happened up until the fifth day and the captain presented the group with the option of quitting now and being locked in the cells located at the very bottom of the ship. If they did, they would receive just enough food and water to survive.
Two days into that following week only 5 examinees were left. Haku obviously of this group. The shoreline was just in sight and the five of them were ordered to stand before the captain.
"What a sorry lot we've got this year." The captain sighed and looked at the five annoyed by just there presence. "Well… usually were supposed to tell you were to go once you get off this ship… but I don't really feel like doing that. So I'll let your sorry asses figure it out on your own." He then walked back to his cabin muttering, "Kids these days. They need to figure out things for themselves otherwise they'll be getting lazy."
Haku joined the other applicants at the railing to get a better look at the approaching land. He could see off to the left a bit was a large port that was built on the rims around a large man-made gulf. It looked like this boat was heading in that direction.
When they got close enough Haku jumped the rest of the 20 yards to the edge of the cliff they were passing, not even bothering to look back towards the others who were waiting for the plank to be set up. He didn't really want to be stuck in that small crowed of idiots.
The clearing on top of the cliff that narrowed itself into a path that looked like it was veering towards the left down the path. Haku assumed that it lead towards the port town.
His assumptions were proven correct when he saw rooftops peeking out over the trees. The road turned from dirt into a layer of brick at the entrance of the village. But while the first appearances of the town were very friendly looking the townspeople looked anything but. Some gathered in groups and he could easily hear their conversations and how all were about him, non of which were anything nice while others were outright glaring at him. It was obvious these people didn't much like the company of an outsider and Haku's attire screamed 'stranger' to the rest of the folks. Haku still had to find his way to the exam sight though and unfortunately his best bet was to ask around.
He first started off with a couple sitting at a table in front of a café. At a glance they looked like the kind of people that would be the most cooperative but when they saw him deliberately walking towards them they stood up and left while making absolutely no eye contact.
The same thing happened with the second person he tried to talk to and same with the third. His fourth try led him to watching a man make obscene gestures with his hands as if to say they were mute, but then he heard the person whispering to another when he turned away. By Haku's 8th try he got the message that he would have to change his approach. So this time he went into a book store, that just happened to be close by, and pick out a novel at random. He took it to the counter where a clerk was sitting a reading a book. He waited patiently for the woman to give him her attention. Haku cleared his throat but she didn't even look him in the eye. "Excuse me." He tried.
She ignored him. (What a surprise)
But Haku continued anyway. "If you can tell me were I might find any information about the hunter exam I will gladly buy a book from your shop." Haku saw her finger twitch. He was on the right track. "Maybe I'll even buy a couple more..." When he still got no response he turned around leaving the book on the counter. "Oh well." He sighed. "Maybe that other book shop down the road can sell me some books." Haku walked to the exit.
"Wait!" The she called just as Haku was reaching for the door's handle. "Ah! I mean, … a-hem, would you like a bag with your purchases?"
"Only after you tell me what you know." Haku began to look through the books again as he waited for the cashier to begin explaining.
"Ah, well, I don't know about the Hunter's Exam but I have heard this particular rumor…"
Haku glanced at the cashier, silently prompting the man to continue.
"Some said that they've been seeing several different groups of travelers going into the Wild Swan but not coming back out. I'm afraid that's all I know that I can think of that might interest you." The woman smiled. "So about your payment."
"I'll take these other two along with the first book." Haku took out his pouch and removed some bills that he had previously exchanged for gold from the people at the in. "This should cover it. Where can I find this 'wild swan?'" He asked, storing the small books within the fold of his kimono.
"Oh! It's right on the edge of the west side of town."
Haku thanked the man and left. Outside of the bookstore Haku figured it would be harder to find this place with his shorter height and being surrounded by taller people. Swiftly jumping onto the top of the book store's he balanced himself at the edge of the tiles. 'If the sun sets the same way here then I should be going in this direction.' Going from rooftop to rooftop Haku made it to the west side of town and continuing to travel along the towns rim he tried to locate anything that could relate to a 'wild swan.' The building that he found looked very worn down though, but he could smell a lot of people inside. The building was definitely a tavern if the smell of beer and cigar smoke was anything to go by. A symbol of a fighting swan hung on a hinge above the entrance.
Then someone down below caught his eye. A man carrying a large wooden blow dart was walking directly into the tavern. He was definitely not a member of this community as he was receiving the same amount of distaste from the civilians as Haku had recived. 'Strange town.' But then again, these were strange people entering their village.
Instead of following the dark skinned man into the bar, Haku jumped over to the taverns roof and waited - wondering would happen next. Eventually there was the sound of a door opening coming from behind him. Haku looked behind him to see the same man with the blow dart exiting out a back door and walking along a thin, worn down path. 'That must be it.' Haku waited a few minutes before jumping on to the path as well. He didn't have to see the stranger up ahead to know he was going in the right direction because the man was still carrying that strong scent from the bar.
Following the man for what felt like hours Haku suffered from only minor boredom. But then suddenly the scent from the man was growing fainter at a surprising rate. Haku sped up to catch up with the man. He skid to a stop just before the drop of a cliff. He had come to a clearing that had a pit that was probably 5-7 kilometers in diameter and 40 meters deep. At the center was a plateau protruding straight out of the bottom of the pit directly in the center and resting on top of the plateau was a tall cement covered building with no windows except for an opening at the top with a wire going out of a window to the right deeper into the forest.
Haku easily spotted the man and turned his attention to watch what the man doing.
Standing atop a large, brown, 60 meter long centipede that looked to be petrified the dark skinned man leveled his blow dart with another centipede that was shooting up from the pit aiming for the man with the afro. The charging centipede suddenly froze in the middle of its charge and Haku could just make out the feathered pin that was stuck into its skin directly in the center of the bug's forehead. It had come from the man's blow dart. He watched as the man effortlessly jumped onto that centipede's elongated neck and ran down it and continued to shoot any other oncoming centipedes by doing the same to them making his own path to the plateau.
Haku found this new situation to be rather beneficial for him. Now he wouldn't have to show off his flying capabilities so soon into the exam and could cross the pit with the new path the afro man had provided. It wouldn't be that hard for him after all, it was just like stepping stones.
Haku made his first jump and was about to jump onto the next centipede when he suddenly felt the creature give way a bit under his feet and it was all the time he had to realized that whatever effect was supposed to be on these bugs was wearing off fast. He jumped away just as the centipede twisted around trying to bite off his legs and he didn't pause as he continued to leap from centipede to centipede as each newly revived bug jumped at the chance to get a piece of him.
It was easy for Haku to make it to the center without a scratch and turned his head to the man with the blow dart that he was now standing next to.
"I was beginning to wonder if I would ever come face to face with my hunter."
"I found no need to reveal myself to you. I thought it for the best to give other applicants their own space." Haku answered respectfully.
"Well I didn't sense any ill intent from you earlier so there's no problem."
The man then walked ahead into the building's entrance and Haku followed soon after.
Inside the building it was already filled with many different looking people. But for some reason everyone was just standing around and Haku wondered what it was they were waiting for. He decided to go on and ask one of the applicants. The first one that caught his attention was a short, round shaped man with a square nose.
"Excuse me, what is everyone standing around for?"
The short man turned to Haku eyed the boy with a curious gaze. "I've never seen you before. This is your first time taking the exam isn't it?" The man smiled at the end.
Haku remained silent.
"Well from what I've been hearing, there's a guide that's supposed to show up soon. They'll probably be the one to take us to the Hunter Exam. It's usually the same thing every year. If you can find the guide they'll either just tell you or take you to the first phase. You've probably also realized about the strange things they have you do in getting there. By the way, my name's Tonpa, this will be my 34th time taking the exam. So if you have any questions feel free to come to me and I will gladly help you any way I can."
There was something off about this man, of what though Haku was not sure. But free information was always useful, even if it turned out to be false in the end. "I shale keep that in mind. Are there different sections of the Hunter Exam?" Haku asked thinking about the 'first phase' Tonpa had mentioned.
"That's right, the Hunter Exam is usually separated into 4-to-5 phases. Each phase is constructed by an examiner that decides who passes and fails for their round. But I hear the last phase is almost always organized by the chairman of the Hunter's Committee." Tonpa supplied.
Haku gave Tonpa a small bow. "Thank you Tonpa." He turned to get away from Tonpa he didn't like the smell that was rubbing off of the man, it almost made him want to vomit. 'Does he ever bath?!'
"Hold up! Before you leave I think I should give you this to celebrate our new friendship." Tonpa handed Haku a granola bar. "I brought these with me in case of emergencies, but they have a special remedy in them that's great for replenishing any lost strength"
Haku took the offering and headed back towards the entrance. Passing by the man with the long wooden dart on the way.
"Don't go wondering too far kid, it should be starting soon." The man with the blow dart said.
Haku gave no indication that he had heard and continued outside. There he opened the wrapping around the food bar and tossed it into the pit. One of the centipedes jumped for it and easily swallowed it whole. He watched as it slit back to the bottom and crawl away. But then it suddenly started to spasm and a green fluid dribbled from its mouth and onto the ground. 'It would be best to keep my guard up during this exam.' A zipping sound caught his attention. He looked out towards were the cable line lead and saw something riding up it. It looked to be some sort of large cart. Haku went back inside and wait with the rest.
Soon a man came down the stairs while whistling horribly with no sort of rhythm. "Da~ang. There are more people waiting this time… Whatever… Those of you who want to get on to the Hunter Exam sight follow me.
Of course everyone followed, Haku stayed near the back. They all climbed up the staircase for 10 stories and gathered into the room Haku had seen earlier with the wide opening. All that the room had though was a single large hole in the wall where he saw the back of the cart he saw earlier poking through. "If you could enter through this door in an orderly fashion, that would be great." The guide said.
Everyone cramped within the cart's compartment and this left Haku squished between the humans and cart's glass windows. The guide jumped on top and the entire metal death trap lurched and the cart began to move along the wire. It took them up towards a mountain were the temperature dropped and snow was falling around them.
"Hey look! There's a lodge up ahead!"
Haku had to worm his way to where the voice came from in order to see it as well. After all it would be otherwise impossible to see past them with his height. At the front of the cart he could see the lodge. It was were their wire was leading them and as they got closer Haku could see even more people walking all about the large wooden lodge. There were some even going down the mountain on ski's and snow boards.
"Welcome to the Cozy Cozy Cozy Woods the ski resort." The guide said from above them.
"There's just one too many 'Cozys' in that name." Someone whispered next to Haku.
"This is where I drop you all off at. Now if everyone could be so kind as to listen closely to my last instructions… Once you are inside you need to head straight to the reception desk and tell them, 'We are here for our grandmother's 105th birthday party.' From there they will tell you where to go. It doesn't matter if you all go in at once or in separate groups or even by yourself." The cart came to a stop. "Alright this is the end of the line, everybody off!"
Haku and the rest shuffled off and went into the resort and followed the instructions of the guide. One examinee wearing a trench coat did the talking for everyone.
"This way please." The receptionist said and she led their group to some double doors. She stood to the side and gestured the group forward. "The rest of your party is right through here."
Going through the double doors led the group in to another small room. But then everyone figured out it was an elevator then the entire room shook from lowering them deeper into the mountain.
When the doors opened, they were greeted with the sight of a wide spaced cavern. Both the ceiling and floor were littered with thick 12ft tall spikes and many people were already roaming about. Most of the people seemed to blend together but there were a few that stuck out like sour thumbs for various reasons. But one thing they all had in common was the serous air they each had about them.
'So this is where the Hunter Exam's going to take place?' Haku could feel his heart beating a bit faster then usual and he couldn't control the twitch that had worked its way into the tips of his fingers. But he wasn't feeling even a little bit worried about it, it was strange. He had only ever felt this way when he had flown with Chahiro that one time.
(:end:)
I would like to thank you for reading this far and look forward to having you read my future chapters. I apologize for the grammar, I am still trying to figure out how to go about finding a beta reader that has an interest in this story.
I've also been figuring out what is the best amount of time I should have in-between the chapters but still having some leeway.
Please leave any thoughts you have on the story so far in the reviews and to please continue to follow my story.
