Assassins and Thieves
Chapter 09
For the rest of the time, Killua and Chrome stayed together as they waited for the Hunter Exam to finally start. There were no clock, no sky, or anything to tell how long the two children been in the dark and damp basement. Once in a while a group of people, probably from the Hunter Committee, arrived from the elevator with carts full of food and water. Killua and Chrome could have been stuck underground for the past two days, or three. No one really knows. However, the endless waiting isn't the most annoying part of staying inside this room. It was the constant dinging of the elevator. So often the elevator dings and someone enters the room. Ding. Ding. Ding. Chrome tried not to think about it, but it always breaks her concentration whenever she hears it. And as always, all the heads turn towards the elevator. The shifting of clothes to the whispers between people annoyed her.
Unfortunately, there was nothing Chrome could do to stop the annoyance of the elevator. All she can do is ignore it and wait for the exam to finally start. In the meantime, Chrome decided to try out Killua's skateboard. In return, she gave him her game boy to play. It was her first time being on a skateboard, but she's pretty sure that she got the hang of it. Moving isn't a difficult task. She just had to kick off the ground to gain momentum, if lost. As for the turning, it's just tilting the board left or right. The hard part is just the balancing part, but Chrome got it down pretty easily. In most cases, she could start traveling on skateboard if she wishes. The only part Chrome have a hard time getting is the tricks Killua could do on it, kicking up the skateboard to catch, spin it and land on it, and tricks like those.
Unfortunately, Killua usually laughed at her for falling and tripping every attempt made. His laughter didn't cling onto Chrome's mind. Though, it did fuel her determination to succeed, and occasionally Killua did give her small advices and hints so she could accomplish her goal. However, she tried to shush him up whenever he did. Chrome was determined to figure it out herself. It shouldn't be too hard.
However, a ringing that sounded oddly like a choking duck was sounded in the room of whispers. Every head looked up and turned to locate the source of the ringing. Assuming that ringing is the start of the Hunter Exam, Chrome had one last chance to attempt to kick up the skateboard. Killua shook his head, doubting that she'll succeed this time. With a strong kick at the edge of the board, Chrome was able to make it go air born. All she needed to do is catch it. Unfortunately, it slipped out of her hand and landed ungracefully on the cement ground. The girl sighed at her failure, and the boy chucked to himself, knowing that she would fail.
Soon the whole room started to migrate towards the sound of a man talking. Perhaps he's the Hunter Exam examiner. Chrome and Killua were idly standing in the back unable to see due to their short heights. Chrome could barely make out any words from him. Everyone else around them seemed to be mumbling to each other.
Chrome picked up the skateboard and handed it back to its rightful owner. "Are you excited?" She smiled at him. To be honest, she is. A challenge to test herself, finally! She's quite tired of walking, running, and waiting. Chrome turned towards Killua with a genuine smile.
"Finally, I'm getting bored of waiting and watching you fall on my skateboard."
Chrome stuck her tongue at him for his unnecessary comment. "You've got my game. You shouldn't complain too much."
"Come on, the group is leaving without us." Killua pointed out that all the examinees are leaving the room and through a tunnel. According to the whispers, everyone was supposed to follow the examiner, Satotz, to Phase Two of the Hunter Exam. Chrome and Killua sighed simultaneously at the idea that they'll still be walking. No matter how mundane it is, endurance test is a good way to weed out the weaklings. Following in the back, Chrome and Killua realized that the pace quickened from walking to jogging, then running. However, Killua took the easier way out and decided to ride on his skateboard.
"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up with you." Chrome insisted. "Beside I like to take a stroll by myself."
Killua shrugged his shoulders and skate further in, leaving the girl behind.
For the next few hours, there was nothing going on except for small talks and loud panting. There were a handful people falling behind and literally falling down. Out of boredom, Chrome stayed at the back of the group and counted the amount of people falling. After those three hours, there was about twenty who fell behind, and there's no sign of stopping. Occasionally, Chrome could see Killua on his skateboard for a second or two, but soon lost in the crowd.
Another participant started to fall behind, a man carrying a suitcase. Desperately panting for air and energy, he nearly tried to hobble to catch up with the group. With his arms swinging like that, he would just waste more energy doing that. That'll be number Twenty One who got left behind. Looking ahead, Chrome saw Killua and another boy stopping, looking at him. She stopped running and stared at the man in the suit. For a few seconds, they just stared at the man panting his lungs out. Chrome thought about jogging to Killua, but the suited man just got up, screamed, and ran. Well, it's back to twenty people. She looked at Killua and the boy. The boy wearing green smiled brightly at the running man. He appeared to be friends with him. Chrome decided to pick up the suitcase that the suited man had left and jogged to Killua and the boy in green.
"So, you know him?" Chrome referred to the man who burst with energy. The boy in green nodded with a giant smile. "Do you want to hold his suitcase?" She asked as the suitcase was handed over to him.
"I'm Gon." The boy introduced himself.
"I'm Chrome."
"Come on. Let's go before we get left behind." Killua pointed out and started running. Gon and Chrome nodded together in agreement, and followed obediently behind the white haired boy.
For the rest of the run in the dimly lit tunnel, the three children held small talks about each other. Chrome didn't really learn anything new about Killua, but she'd learn quite a few things about the new boy, Gon. He is chasing after his father who dumped him with his aunt, Mito, and he wanted to become just like his father. To be honest, Chrome isn't so sure if it's a good idea to use his father as a role model due to the fact that Ging just abandoned the boy. However, Gon was persistent about how great his father is. Chrome shrugged off her idea, since Gon seems like a smart and very kind person. Whenever he smiled, Chrome can't help but to smile with him too. His eyes gleamed with determination, almost as if there're actual sparkles there.
Chrome shared the basic of herself and the same with Killua, why they're taking the exam, how they met, and tiny details about themselves. Killua suggested the idea of another race. A race that Chrome will win this time! Whoever arrives to the Second Phase first, the losers would have to treat the winner to dinner each. In another words, one winner with two separate dinners. Both Chrome and Gon agreed to the terms. Unfortunately to Chrome, she couldn't stay in the back of the group continuing to count all those who had fallen. She'll have to run next to or ahead of the group.
The three kids kept running at a moderate pace. There's no sign of the exit, so they could relax for now and keep a steady pace. In the meantime, they continued to have small talk over random topic; one of them being the introductions of the man in the suit, who is now half naked, and the blond boy next to him. Chrome and Killua learned their names are Leorio and Kurapika. However, Chrome had forgotten their names quickly. She has a habit of forgetting people's name, especially if they never had face-to-face interaction. To her, it's the tall man and the blond boy.
In another hour running up the stairs, Gon, Killua, and Chrome saw the exit of the tunnel. All of them smiled or smirked at each other. Three. Two. One! They jetted up the long flight of stairs, passing by Satotz. After passing the end of the staircase, all three of the children were bickering on who won the race.
"I won!" Gon's arms were shot up to the air with glee, while Killua folded his arm, claiming he won.
"What are you talking about? I got here first!"
"Pff, as if!" Chrome had both her hands on her hip, "I was clearly the winner!"
In unison, the three children turned towards the approaching examiner, "Who won?"
The lavender-haired man looked at all the three children and fixed his neck tie, "I do believe you three all reached the end simultaneously."
The cruel reality had them sighing together in frustration, but that didn't stop Gon from grinning cheerfully. "Then we all buy each other dinners!" Chrome and Killua tilted their heads, questioning on how that would work. "I will buy dinner for you two. Chrome will buy us dinner, and Killua will buy dinner for us!"
"What?" Killua continued to be confused. "That doesn't even make any sense!"
"No, it doesn't," Chrome smiled to herself with a tiny chuckle, "but I don't mind two dinners, really."
"Hey, hey, Mr. Satotz!" Gon called for the examiner's attention, "are we at the Second Phase yet?"
"No, we're just about halfway through." His mustache moved as if it's a replacement of his nonexistent mouth. "Now let's see how many people are here." The adult turned around to the staircase and silently counted the adults who exited the tunnel. Waiting for a couple of minutes, a large quantity of both men and women had completed the first half of the First Phase. Gon's smile lit when he saw his friends, Leorio and Kurapika, arrived together and he went to greet them. Killua and Chrome followed behind him as the enthusiastic boy officially introduced them to each other.
Soon, the whole platform was crowded with examinees, and Satotz decided that they waited long enough and should continue the second half of the phase. "This is Numere Wetland, or also known as Swindler's Swamp. Everything and anything will try everything to kill you. They will use all the tricks in the book so you will fall as prey into their hands. So, please do be careful. Follow me closely to the Second Phase. If you do lose me, there's a high possible chance that you will die in the Swindler's Swamp."
The atmosphere was tense. No one spoke a sound when Satotz was speaking, trying to absorb the very details of his speech. As if on cue, a man who appeared injured came from the side of the entrance. "D-don't listen to him! He's not the real examiner! I am!" an average looking man clutching to his side in fake pain. "That thing over there is the Half Human Ape that looks like a human!" He pulled out a monkey-like figure that strangely resembles Satotz, but Chrome wasn't even slightest convinced that the injured man is actually the Hunter Exam examiner. She scoffed at the idea that some human-ape creature could best the actual examiner. However, the group behind Chrome was filled with whispers of uncertainty. They were nearly convinced by the terrible acting by the imposter.
Thank goodness that someone had intervened with this dilemma. Cards were shot at both the imposter and Satotz. With great ease, the real one caught the cards and came out unharmed; while the fake one had fell to the floor dead. Hisoka, number 44, was the culprit for throwing those cards with intent to kill, but Satotz allowed him go this one time.
With that note, Satotz continued the run into the swamp. Many applicants laughed nervously at the incident with the fake examiner, or the idea of running through a swamp that's filled with those same sly creatures. Chrome followed the crowd, but would rather stay behind the examiner. Killua and Gon followed quietly behind her. Let's hope that all the three will stick together for the run.
Author's Note: Bleeh, I know this chapter is boring and so descriptive ( );; I had no idea how to make it more interesting, since they just run! JUST RUN! And you all should know the talking they do in the tunnel...not very fun writing all that down, so I made it very general. I just need to get this chapter out, so I can get to the next one, but it will be more interesting, I swear to that! If not... whoops. As always, please review and see you in Chapter 10.
