The mystery Exam: part 2

While Kurapika took a quick shower, Fen was on the bed reading a book she swiped from the tower challenge. Because of her knack for dialects, she quickly picked up the world's language. Kurapika exited the shower, Fen still immersed in her book. Leorio came in and the two said in unison, "Don't you ever knock?!"

"Hey, your previous roommate wanted to switch," Leorio explained.

"Even roommates need to respect each others privacy!" said Fen annoyed.

"Speaking of roommates, why are you here Fen?! I know for a fact that you didn't even come up there with any treasure!" said Leorio.

"She couldn't find anything good, so I offered to split my room with her instead. She said Heimdall wanted to share rooms with Gon and Killua tonight," Kurapika explained, his patience wearing thin.

"But that's cheating!" exclaimed Leorio.

"Out of all of the examinees, Fen is by far the youngest. Plus, I didn't want to leave her alone in a room with a stranger!" said Kurapika, angrily.

"But why Kurapika?" asked Leorio.

"Kurapika and Killua are the only people I trust in this exam. Killua's sharing a room with Gon who's too naïve for his own good, and Kurapika had more than enough space to share. So, I choose Kurapika!" said Fen annoyed.

"But…!" started Leorio before they cut him off.

"WILL YOU JUST DROP THE SUBJECT ALREADY!" they roared.

Kurapika left the room, Fen stayed where she was and went back to her book. Leorio went after him soon after, Fen in tow.

Gon, Killua and Heimdall went exploring the ship after they finished their meal. They went up to the main cabin and Killua touched a button which made them all wince two seconds later. It was the blow horn; it sounded off, which went eerily quiet after it faded into the night. The sound of the horn was ceremonially apt; as Kurapika was giving the crew of the ship he investigated a final burial.

The ship which he had discovered earlier belonged to the Kuruta clan, his clan! The pendant he found was an amulet of protection found only in the Kuruta legends. Fen waited outside and decided to go for a final swim before bed. When Kurapika threw the amulet into the ocean, he assumed it would rest in peace at the bottom forever. Instead it fell on Fen's head underwater. She held it in her hand and knew immediately how it got there.

She would have let it fall, but she was caught in a current and almost got swept away; the pendant was the only thing that saved her by snagging on a nearby rock. She went up and then held the amulet in her hand, admiring the craftsmanship. She debated on letting it go or keeping it when she realized that it really did have some protective magic about it. She placed it around her neck and tucked it under her shirt for safe keeping. She got out of the water and headed back to the room, where Kurapika and Leorio were waiting.

Everyone had settled down for the night, and Fen curled up next to Kurapika after she took a shower. That night the couple who owned the hotel flew away in the airship, leaving the examinees stranded alone! Everyone ran outside as it lifted off the ship and away. They stood there stunned until dawn finally arrived.

They were still trying to figure out why the old couple left; then they finally went to investigate the ship for some answers. They found several clues, but no hard answers until Gon and Killua found the old ship's log that the former captain had left.

By this time, at least 12 people were preparing to leave the ship completely and head towards Zebil Island. They did this against the advice of the others, and they would pay for it with their very lives. A natural phenomenon which occurred once every ten years had arrived. An ocean-storm and a typhoon had combined to create a ferocious storm in which attempting to navigate with a small boat was completely suicidal!

Out of the 37 people who survived the tower, only 25 remained alive when the storm passed. It would have been 13 lives if Gon hadn't swum to a small boat and saved the man inside it! When everyone was safely inside, no one spoke until the storm's fury had subsided for the night. Kurapika read another entry out of the logbook which filled everyone with dread. The first wave of the storm had passed, but the second wave would arrive exactly 24 hours after the first; this time, nothing would remain when it finally calmed. Everyone immediately went to work on freeing the floating battleship which had been turned into the hotel.