The seemingly endless tunnel was a daunting trial. Quince enjoyed running - for the most part - and considered his endurance to be decent, but this... This was very boring. No change in scenery, no fresh air, no music to listen to, only the breathing of the other applicants.
And God, was it getting to him, only hearing the heavy breathing of gross, sweaty strangers. The way he couldn't tell if that warm flush on his neck was from someone else breathing on it, or just his own nervousness. He was breathing air others had breathed, he was stepping in time with the person in front of him.
It was suffocating. He had to do something before he ruined his breathing with needless panic. Should I push up to the front so I can get the fresh air and keep an eye on the examiner? Or fall to the back where it will be much less crowded? The front runners were bulky and determined... He didn't want to upset any of them by squeezing by. To the back we go.
Before long, he was able to relax, unfocus his eyes and concentrate on keeping a level head. Time passed in a blur, and though he considered checking his phone to ease his curiosity about the time, he thought better of it. It would be just like checking the clock every two minutes during a slow day at work... Except worse. Maybe we're almost done, maybe we've got hours to go. Don't stress. It doesn't matter. Keep running.
"Oi, kid! Why the hell are you using a skateboard, you little cheat?!" The first nearby and audible conversation since the beginning of the exam scared Quince so badly he tripped. He collided with the wall and had a brief tumble on the ground, then caught himself.
"Huh, how is it cheating?" Quince picked himself up, hoping no one had noticed the way he had absurdly smacked his forehead on the wall or grazed his knee.
"You're supposed to run, it's a test of endurance!" The shouting grated on his ears, exacerbating the headache that sprung forth from his bruising forehead. Mmm... No thank you. Quince thought to himself, and lagged further behind the uproar of argument between an overdressed moron and the really white kid from earlier.
There was only a handful of people behind him; this was the tail of the group. He wouldn't get a chance to rest, not even for a minute, if he wanted to keep the group in sight. Behind him happened to be another unfortunate conversation. Not due to its volume, but its contents.
"Wow, old man, I'm surprised your crooked legs haven't broken yet. Do your caretakers even know you're here?" A young male voice jeered, laughing along with two other men.
"Please, go away." Came a croaky voice.
"Hey, don't be so rude! We're just looking out for you. I mean, a poor thing like you all on his own is bound to get hurt." Came a deeper voice, and his tone was certainly not kind.
"Yeah, geezer, take a look around. You're at the end of the line here. Best if you give up before it gets dangerous."
A deep well of anger began to rise in Quince's gut. Don't get involved. It's none of your business. Despite his sense of self preservation, he couldn't help but glance back at the situation. Where he expected to see three brutes, he instead saw three teenagers with atrocious fashion sense, all bright colours, funky hats and… makeup? Not to be judgemental but they're literally dressed like half-baked clowns… Who do these idiots think they are?!
"Leave me be. I just want to take the exam, don't concern yourselves with me." The wrinkled and greying man begged between harsh breaths.
"What's not clicking, old man? You're dead weight here. Buzz off back to your retirement home before we deal to ya." The largest of them gave the man a shove that sent the him to the ground clumsily, and the dam within Quince broke.
Before he could formulate any plan, he was beside the three bullies, lined them up like dominos and tackled the nearest one into the others with all his might, fury pounding in his eardrums. The boys cried out in confusion and anger, but struggled to immediately untangle themselves from each other. Having taken one of their elbows to the cheekbone and scraping his bad knee yet again on the dirt floor, Quince pushed up off of his opponents and began sprinting like the devil was on his heels.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" He whispered under his panicked breath, dashing past other contestants as he sped towards the bulk of the crowd. Distant shouts and vague cursing about murder sounded behind him.
"Stupid, fucking, idiot!" He scolded himself as images of being beaten to a pulp by the three boys came to mind. There was nowhere to run or hide except for behind other people, and he was exhausted, and there was three of them! The hell am I gonna do?! I can't believe I thought I could punish them just because they look younger than me. Never again!
Finally, he neared the front of the group and forced himself past at least ten people before he felt even remotely better. When he heard their cursing again, he pushed up further, then breathed heavily in relief when an uptight voice yelled "Stop yelling and shoving, you fucking morons! Back off!" behind him. Their voices stopped and Quince's panic began to dissipate. Holy shit, thank you mystery woman! I owe you my life.
He ran solemnly in time with the group, uncaring of the uncomfortable nearness and breathing of others. He was just glad not to be in a fight. Time passed strangely once more.
Eventually the group as a whole began murmuring when something in the distance looked to be a different colour. Quince couldn't tell what it was, but he hoped to God it was the finish line. As they approached, a few voices start calling out.
"Oh my god, please no." Oh no.
"You've got to be kidding me." What is it?
"STAIRS?!" Screeched a bald man a few places in front of him, and Quince didn't even fault him for his loudness.
"I should have drowned myself when I had the chance." He groaned. Then, the group started to run even faster. Commotion arose again.
"He suddenly started jumping up the stairs!"
"How is he doing that?!"
"God damn it!" Quince yelled in agony.
The main group started to find the closeness didn't work as well with climbing stairs, so half the people slowed down somewhat in order to space out. Quince worried the three bullies would spot him through the gaps, but told himself sweet lies, like "they probably got over it" or "they got tired and gave up on running altogether".
His legs burned with every step and he wondered if it was possible to tear ligaments and muscle just from running. It sure as hell felt like it. Oh god, what if doing all this hard breathing in my binder is warping my ribcage? Fuck, am I even breathing properly? Quince scrambled for something, anything to take his mind off his bodily pain, and eventually decided to size up his competition properly.
So, there was at least three to five hundred examinees at this exam. He'd heard passing was like winning the lottery, but how true was that? If hundreds of thousands of people applied every year, and only four hundred-ish made it to the actual exam, then how many would pass? If it culls as many as the preliminaries, then – percentage wise – almost no one would pass. Is that even possible? For no one to pass? Tonpa mentioned that jester creep should have passed last year, so at least he'd probably pass this year. Tonpa probably didn't compete to try to pass, not if he'd done it that many times.
Gun girl seemed pretty capable, and supposedly most people at the front were at least fit. Anyone who was slowing down or taking a break was probably out for the count. It wasn't like they could get lost because there was only one path, but they'd probably get disqualified for not arriving in time or something.
Looking around, it was hard to tell how capable anyone was. Sure, there were some guys that looked heavy set, geared up to the teeth and ready to fight, but there were also people like… The cute girl with turquoise hair.
Oh god, her big yellow hat is so goofy and her eyes are so pretty. I hope nothing happens to her… Shit. Now is not the time for crushes!
Evaluating further, there were quite a few people around Quince's age. He figured most people would be thirties and upwards, properly experienced, you know? He never thought 24-year-olds were the main demographic for that sort of thing. Or maybe his judgement was bad.
The short haired blonde to his right was pretty cute too. A bit young though. Just as he was contemplating her interesting poncho-esque garb, the loud, well-dressed man from earlier made a reappearance.
Oh god. He's naked!
Well, not really, but why the hell was his shirt and blazer off and his tie still on? I'd understand if it were for his badge to clip onto but for some reason it's clipped to his nipple instead! I hope I don't end up that eccentric when I hit my thirties… You know, if I pass the exam and everything.
He decided to distance himself from the grunting, half naked man, and instead focus on his breathing and getting through the marathon. His lungs were reaching their limit, his lips dry and cracking, but there was no time to stop, no easy breathing, no drinking water.
Just as he was beginning to wonder if he'd make it out of the first phase alive, the group began cheering. Soft sunlight graced Quince's face and he stared into the exit to freedom. He wanted nothing more than to scream in victory, but his body rejected the opportunity.
Swift as arrows, two people zipped by his right side, dashing in front of the group proper to seemingly… steal first place? What the hell, it's both of the kids?! Shit, are they only going to take the first hundred that pass the line or something? Is there a prize for finishing first?! Fuck!
Stumbling the last few steps, Quince quickly moved away from the entrance, found a nice patch of grass, and collapsed. His chest hit the ground so hard he winded himself, and it took a frustrating amount of effort to dismount his backpack.
He laid in the damp grass, eyes screwed shut and chest heaving. His legs were totally numb, might as well be amputated. His hands were swollen and his feet almost certainly had blisters. His entire body was slick with sweat, his hair practically dripping with it. Never in his life had he ever pushed himself so hard. Never. He'd rather do a twelve-hour shift without breaks than try that run again.
He breathed and breathed until he finally felt like he wasn't on the brink of death. The other examinees were scattered about and you could tell when how long they'd been finished by what they were doing; chatting, stretching or heaving. Close by, Quince noticed the two kids that had run by earlier, chatting it up alongside the pretty blonde and naked suit guy. He decided, hey, why not be social for a change?
"Hey, you two!" He called as he wandered over. They turned to face him, curiously.
"How the hell did you two get so- So insanely fit?! Like, I saw you guys practically skip past everyone near the end there!" He pointed accusingly, hoping his pathetic composure would be proof enough that he wasn't really angry.
"Eh? You think running is impressive? Jeez, try training for once." The pale one snipped. The other just smiled nervously.
Quince choked on a gasp and the burning in his lungs proved only to exacerbate the coughing fit that followed. He returned to the grass to splutter and die once more.
Fucking children.
Just when he thought he was catching his breath again, his heart stopped.
"There you are, you sneaky bastard." A male voice accused. Quince was up in an instant, knife drawn from his bag and wielding it accordingly towards the threat. They found him.
"Listen, lads," He addressed the trio of teens. Their menacing smiles and hateful eyes shook his confidence, but he didn't stop.
"I am really sorry about what happened. I honestly thought it was the right thing to do, but now I realise it was a stupid idea. Regardless, you three look to be in good shape, and I actually got smacked in the face - dunno if you can see the bruise here - so let's call it even." He announced with what must have been the fakest smile on Earth.
"Damn, you've got some balls trying that shit, dumbass!" The lean one laughed and nudged the other two. Hah, I wish.
"I'm afraid that's not gonna happen, small fry. You gotta learn what happens when you mess with the Amori brothers." The big one threatened, cracking his knuckles. Ah, so they're brothers. What a neat family bonding trip.
"We're gonna beat the crap out of you, so just stay still, yeah?" The youngest looking encouraged.
"Alright, but just know that I'm gonna take at least one of you to the grave. Is it really worth beating up some jackass if it costs your brother's life? Doesn't take much to hit a vital organ with this thing." He threatened, adjusting his grip and stance. They seemed to hesitate, the youngest fidgeting and looking between his brothers.
"Hey, guys, maybe we should do this later. The first phase ain't even over yet, so it'd be bad if one of us got-"
"Shut the hell up, Imori! Who the hell said you get to call the shots?!" Screamed one and the other socked him in the gut.
"S-sorry! Shit, I didn't- I was just thinking strategically is all!"
"Whatever." The lean one sniffed, before turning to Quince.
"Don't let your guard down. When you least expect it, you're dead. You got that?" He ground out, then took Imori by the arm, the big guy following after a final glare.
Quince watched as they sauntered off, the adrenaline coursing through him slowly petering out. Did he really have the guts to stab a bunch of stupid teenagers? He didn't want to know.
"Hey." A chipper voice called from behind him. He jumped slightly, whipped around and held his knife out. It was the little kid dressed in green.
"I saw you run away from them earlier. What did you do to make them chase you?"
"Oh, um, well I saw them bullying someone, so I tackled them." Quince admitted.
"That's about it. I don't really know why I did it." Seriously, I'm such an idiot.
"Because you wanted to help!" The boy pointed out.
"Right, yeah, but it didn't matter in the end." Quince said. It was then that he noticed the rest of the group behind the boy. The pale kid, the half-naked suit dude, and the pretty blonde.
"Mah, there's nothing wrong with trying to look out for innocent people." The suit guy declared, reassuringly.
"I guess, but it's definitely biting me in the ass now." Quince responded with a lopsided smile.
"I'm Gon!" The boy interjected suddenly. Quince blinked at him for a moment before responding.
"Oh, I'm Quince. Nice to meet you." He nodded to the rest of them.
"Did you guys all come to the exam as a group?"
"Nah, these two I met on the way here." Suit guy said, gesturing to Gon and the blonde.
"And we just picked up this kid." He nodded towards the pale boy, who seemed entirely uninterested in the conversation.
"I'm not with your group, and I'm just talking to Gon." The boy said. The group brushed off the slight insult.
"Whatever. I'm Leorio, by the way, and this is Kurapika."
"Don't care." The boy snipped.
"I wasn't talking to you, ya brat!" Leorio shouted, and Quince couldn't help but snicker at the childish exchange.
"Ne, Quince, why are you taking the Hunter Exam?" Gon asked.
Quince didn't think he'd be safe admitting the whole truth to these people. Even if they were trustworthy and accepting, they were still surrounded by everyone else. He didn't need to reveal anything that would make him look weak, or put a target on his back.
Despite that, Gon seemed innocent and curious in a way that gave Quince some comfort, so he decided to give a half truth.
"Oh, uh, that's a little personal, but for the most part I'm in need of money and a way to skip lines." He said, and with that, a sudden argument seemed to erupt. Leorio immediately burst into an enormous smile and poked at Kurapika, who seemed rather unhappy.
"You see! People are here for money!" Leorio declared.
"There must be more to it than that, just as you elaborated." Kurapika countered. Quince wasn't sure if he was invited to discuss whatever they were talking about, so he stayed silent.
"Hey, what do you mean by skip lines? Like in shops?" Gon asked.
"No, I mean waiting lists, as in for medical care, surgeries, applying for documents and money to afford it all."
Kurapika seemed to be pleased with that response, nodding to himself, whilst Leorio stiffened. Was Quince saying anything unusual? Why were they having these reactions?
"You need surgery? What for?" Gon asked yet another question. Quince sighed and decided this was the last answer he'd give.
"One that will save my life." He stated firmly.
"This exam is kinda a last-ditch effort for me." He accidentally mentioned. Shit, was that too revealing? Do I look pathetic now? Damn it!
"I'm sorry you're going through that." Leorio said, sombrely.
"It's not fair that governments don't fund properly. Medical care shouldn't be a privilege, it should be a human right."
Oh my god, I completely agree! What a cool guy, I thought he was a little strange, but now- Oh… seriously, this is not the time for crushes!
"Absolutely." Quince managed to say, wrestling newfound emotions.
Eventually, the area outside the tunnel became crowded, and the Examiner began to speak.
"These are the Numera Wetlands, also known as Swindler's Swamp. To reach the site of the Second Phase of the exam, we will be crossing these wetlands." The man explained, gesturing to the land in the clearing fog.
"This place is home to a variety of strange animals, many of whom are cunning and dangerous. They deceive humans and prey upon them. Take extreme care. If you allow yourself to be fooled, you're already dead." He announced in a dark tone.
Suddenly, a mechanical door began to seal off the tunnel's exit. Everyone watched as a man called for help, crawling up the last few stairs to reach the exit.
"Please! Wait for me!" He yelled between heavy breathing, and Quince's heart sank. He wanted to help, but thought better of it.
Even if there were enough time for him to reach the man and pull him through, he would be at a horrible disadvantage. He would be the least qualified of the remaining group, and would have the least amount of rest. If he couldn't get this far on his own, he'd be better off stopping while he's still alive.
"These creatures will do anything and everything to fool their prey." The examiner continued, completely ignoring the devastated man now trapped within the tunnel.
"Because this entire ecosystem obtains food through deceit, the name Swindler's Swamp is a worthy moniker. Don't lose sight of me, and you will remain safe from their deception."
"Well, now that we know, there's no way they'll be able to fool us! This'll be a piece of cake." Leorio declared, and thus returned Quince's previous opinion of him; weird and stupid. Nothing about it sounded easy.
"Do not be fooled!" Screamed a hoarse voice. A ragged man rounded the site of the tunnel exit, beaten and exhausted.
"Don't fall for this imposter's tricks!" He screeched, pointing angrily at the examiner. The crowd gasped as a whole, voicing their confusion.
"I'm the real examiner! That thing is... Look here!" He declared, and pulled a large creature within view. It had the body of a shrivelled ape, and a face exactly like Satotz's, but with a large, fanged mouth.
"What the fuck...?" Quince couldn't help but say.
Seriously, what is that?! Wait, that doesn't matter, only one of them will have the correct licence, right? Hunters get licences with their names on them. Shit, but he might have stolen it... but why wouldn't he have killed the real examiner then?
In his unending confusion and countless theories going through his mind, he missed some conversation and arguing, only realising he hadn't been paying attention when the ragged man suddenly fell over, dead.
Everyone was looking at the jester, Hisoka. The two examiners both held playing cards, Satotz in his hands, and the newcomer in his chest. The jester had thrown weapons that looked like cards and killed the ragged man.
"Holy crap." Quince murmured, just as stunned as the rest of them.
Things seemed to wrap up quickly after that. Hisoka had decided a real hunter was strong and that animals that relied of deception were weak, and thought to reveal the truth quickly.
It was smart, but terrifying. That man was absolutely someone to stay away from.
"This is but a single example of the kind of deception you will encounter within the wetlands. Some of you were fooled into doubting my identity just then, weren't you?" Satotz said as he glanced over the body of the fake examiner.
"Do you understand now? If you lose sight of me, you will die. Remember that. Now, let us go. Follow me."
It was difficult to simultaneously watch your step through the thick marsh, beware the creatures lurking in the fog, keep track of the examiner and not let your guard down around the other competitors.
Those that strayed too far to the left found themselves treading on mushrooms. They burst at the touch, yellow powder filling the air, thick and pungent. Disgustingly fast, fungi began to twist in their skin and sprout from their clothes.
Walking too near to the strangely pretty butterflies led contestants to drop dead. Or perhaps not, but it wouldn't be long before something else came along for its lunch.
Whispers of creatures that sounded either too alien or too human, cries of contestants that sounded too inhuman...
This was the atmosphere Quince had expected, and he hated it. I'm going to have nightmares for years. It was so strange to know it was barely midday, bright and sunny above the reach of the fog.
"How is the fog so damn thick? I can barely see the people in front of me!" Leorio complained.
"As long as we don't lose sight of them, we will be okay." Kurapika insisted.
Quince was grateful to have them by his side, though he was somewhat worried about Gon and Killua, who had already pulled ahead to catch up with the front of the group. How they had the strength, he didn't know.
He felt the last few hours weighing heavily on his legs and lungs. He was thoroughly exhausted, running on adrenaline and fumes, regretting packing more than was necessary as his backpack thumped against him with every step.
His pants were wet from the tall swampy grass, sticking uncomfortably to his legs. The only consolation was that the swamp was strangely warm, so he wouldn't be worrying about hypothermia at all.
He focused his sights on the blurry forms of the runners in front of him, no more than a few metres away, yet barely distinguishable. Then, their heads fell off.
"What the hell?!" Leorio's voice confirmed Quince had not been the only one to see it.
The group skidded to a halt as one, murmuring questions and starting to panic. When the enormous floating strawberries came through the fog, Quince began to freak out.
"Oh shit, I'm hallucinating, that's not good." Quince muttered to himself.
"I see them as well." Kurapika reassured, but it didn't help.
"Then we're in mass hysteria. We must have breathed something in, maybe the fog is poisoned. Fuck." Quince rambled, unable to think of any other reason for what he was seeing.
Then an applicant suddenly screamed, soaring into the air. The fog shifted and an enormous dinosaur like creature came into view, the man in agony within its jaws. The monster had a shell like a turtle, baring large strawberries on sticks, reminiscent of stick figures.
"This is bad..." Kurapika murmured as the three of them pressed their backs together, as though having full view of their surroundings would help them.
Quince fetched his knife and held it tight as he watched shadows form in the fog, all shaped like more turtle monsters. People were screaming as running all around them, pushing people in their way and diving away from the pursuing mouths of the beasts.
Leorio snatched up a thick tree branch as his weapon, and Kurapika retrieved two strange, wooden short swords from her shoulder bag.
Suddenly a roar fell over them and a monster dove to snatch them up. Quince leaped away with all his might, barely ensuring he didn't stab himself with his own knife. When he spun around to see his companions, he saw Leorio being lifted into the air, the monster biting down on his weapon that barely kept his hands from being bitten off.
"No!" Quince shrieked in panic. What could he do to help? Leorio could probably let go, but if he fell badly, he could break his neck.
He sprinted wildly toward the beast, Kurapika doing the same. Preparing himself for death, he approached one of the monstrous legs that pressed into the marshy ground, and reared back to attack. With all his strength he swung the knife over his head and sunk it into the beast, like nothing more than a prickle to it.
The beast roared and lifted its foot to stomp on him, so Quince abandoned his weapon and ran for his life, turning back to see Kurapika atop the monster's head, forcing her weapons into its eye. He gaped as Leorio fell and Kurapika leapt off and landed in a roll.
As a group they gathered together and with a quick "let's go!" from Quince, they ran for a gap between the creatures and escaped the chaos. They didn't slow down until the roaring and screaming faded.
"Are you guys okay?" Quince asked, out of breath and heart pounding.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Leorio said, nodding his head as though to reassure himself.
"We've lost the examiner and the group." Kurapika muttered unhappily.
"Crap. Let's keep moving then." Quince encouraged. How the hell were they gonna catch up now?
So, they kept moving, but not even a minute later, they found a group of people. Quince was ready to celebrate when he suddenly froze. It was Hisoka, surrounded by those guys in the blue uniforms with their weapons out.
"Stop. Look there." Leorio whispered and they all ducked down for good measure.
The distance was barely enough to hear the conversation, but what Quince heard made his stomach churn.
"This fog is too thick, we've all failed. So, promise never to take the exam again and we'll spare you."
Are they mad? He's already killed two people so far; do they really think they can take him without risking casualties?
"Let's go. Those guys are as good as dead, and we don't want anything to do with this." Quince said, barely able to keep his voice steady. He didn't want to witness any more death.
His companions looked to each other briefly before nodding in agreement, and the group quietly made their way around the situation without drawing attention.
As they started putting distance between them and the ambush against Hisoka, Quince was attacked.
Something barrelled into his back, knocking him to the ground. Claws latched onto his shoulders and something slithered around his chest before pulling taut.
"Fuck!" Quince cursed.
Kurapika and Leorio cried out in alarm, and when Quince thought they were pulling him up, he realised they were both metres away from him. Something was lifting him and he screeched, blindly pulling at the lilac-coloured vine holding his weight.
Leorio unleashed a battle cry, procuring a large tree branch and lunging towards Quince as though to strike him on the head. He reflexively guarded his face, but the impact was only felt through the vine pulling suddenly, throwing him back.
He wrestled once more with the vine, looking desperately to his companions as he realised he was floating a metre above the ground.
"Help?!" He shrieked at them.
The two of them grabbed his arms and pulled him back to the ground, and when Leorio began to cut the constricting vine with his switchblade, Kurapika shouted suddenly.
"Wait!"
"What?! Why?!"
"Get it off!" Quince yelled, but Kurapika's scolding look calmed him immediately. Uh, am I not in danger right now?
"This could be our only chance of finding the main group." Kurapika announced, hand set at her chin as though in deep thought.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Leorio asks, and Quince agreed, with a few swears added.
"It looks like this creature has no defence mechanism, and it hasn't attacked besides attaching itself to you." The girl explained.
"It seems as though it selects a target, then inflates itself so as to levitate its prey. Likely to take them high enough that dropping them would cause their death."
"So? It's not gonna fly us to the group." Quince said, increasingly bothered by the creature still digging itself into his shoulders.
"No, but it's possible it will raise you high enough to see over the fog, allowing you to see which direction we should take."
Huh. That's not that bad of an idea, except...
"I'm not doing that! I'll die if it drops me from that high!"
"Yeah, that sounds pretty dangerous..." Leorio agreed.
"We can find a lake for you to land in. It's either that, or we choose a random direction and hope for a miracle." She said, and it was suddenly all on Quince to decide their fate.
He felt the creature sitting just atop his backpack, its fleshy and likely round head pressing against his hair.
Can this thing really lift me that high? Will any lakes be deep enough? What if I don't see anything but marsh, and then hurt myself getting down, and then they leave me behind?
But there isn't any other way, is there? It's been over twenty minutes since we last saw the front of the group. The fog is thick, there's monsters everywhere... we're not getting out of here alive or in time unless I do this. Maybe not even then.
"Fuck. Okay, I'll do it. We're finding a lake first, a deep one."
"Of course." Kurapika nodded with a grateful smile and Leorio looked nervous.
When they tried to let go of him, he began to float again, so they end up agreeing that, in order to keep him grounded and have their hands free in case of another attack, Quince would have to piggyback on Leorio. Minorly uncomfortable and embarrassing, but it was to save his own life, so he did it.
They picked a direction at random and after ten minutes of searching, they discovered a large pond.
"That's not enough." Quince declared, but Kurapika approached it anyway.
She retrieved her wooden weapons, the ones attached by wrapping at the hilts, and plunged them into the pond to test its depth. Both submerged into the murky water, and her arm all the way up to the shoulder.
"It's very deep." She announced as she pulled out of it.
"This might be our best shot. It's your choice."
Fuck.
"If I die..." Quince started, readying some sort of threat to haunt them forever, but Leorio interrupted.
"We won't let that happen. I promise." He said, and his eyes were so serious.
God damn it, heart.
"Fine. Let's do this." Quince said and looked up at the foggy sky.
"The fog is still, so there shouldn't be any wind." Kurapika confirmed with a wet finger in the air.
"Take this. It if doesn't drop you then just stab it. It looks like it'll pop." Leorio advised, pushing his closed switchblade into Quince's hand.
"Gross." Quince said, picturing a balloon full of monster guts exploding onto his head.
"Okay. I'm gonna let go." I can do this.
"Good luck."
"Look for people, smoke, buildings, unfamiliar terrain. Anything we haven't seen yet."
"Okay. Here I go." He said, and released his iron grip on Leorio.
Instantly he began floating, all of his weight pulling at the vine across his chest and the claws deep in his shoulders. It hurt, horribly so, but he chewed his cheek and held it all in.
He stared at his companions as he passed the tree line, before the dense fog eventually blurred them away. He was alone, floating into the sky, nothing but fog to see. None of them would know if he was still over the pond until he hit the ground.
Slowly but surely the fog began to disappear, and when he finally reached above it, it was like the land wasn't even there. The fog covered the tree roofs in all directions, but at its edges the scenery changed.
He could barely see a small grey building in one direction. That had to be the tunnel exit. In another direction stood tall walls of some kind of fortress. A castle? Out here? He couldn't make out any people anywhere, no smoke, nothing colourful. Mostly just unending fog.
The castle, then. That's gotta be the way. He committed the direction and distance to memory, hoping he wouldn't get too turned around when he landed in the pond.
"Okay." He breathed shakily, and made to retrieve the knife from his pocket, when the creature suddenly released him.
Worse than a roller-coaster, his breath caught and his chest clenched with fear, but thankfully he didn't scream. He passed the barrier of fog too fast to know where he was going to land, then suddenly collided with the pond's surface with a mighty splash.
His legs bent at the force of hitting the pond's bottom, enough to hurt but not break. He pushed off and frantically swam upwards, not knowing how deep he was, when something brushed by him. Something big.
Fuck!
He kicked as hard as he could, his arms cutting through the water as he withheld a scream. The moment his hands broke the surface, they were grabbed and he was yanked out of the water and onto the thick grass of the marshland.
He scrambled to get his legs out lest he lost them to the monster, then backed up another metre for good measure.
"You did it!" Leorio cheered, smacking him on the back in praise.
"Did you see anything?" Kurapika asked.
"Yeah, castle walls or something." Quince responded, and went to point which direction when he realised he didn't know anymore.
"Shit. Which direction was I facing when I fell?"
"That way." Kurapika and Leorio said in sync, both pointing in the same direction.
"Thank god. It's that way." Quince said with a sigh. It wasn't all for nothing.
They allowed Quince a moment to wring himself out a bit and stretch, then they began making their way out. There was no time to waste. They'd already been in the swamp for a long time, they didn't want to miss the cut off.
Quince estimated it wasn't farther than a few kilometres, but his sense of distance wasn't the best. After fifteen minutes, the swamp became more forest like and the fog began to fade. Quince felt such great relief, he could have collapsed there and then.
The three of them smiled to each other, and within the minute, reached the forest's edge. A nearby path lead the way to the fortress gates, where at least a hundred people were gathered.
"We did it. We made it back." Leorio heaved in relief and joy.
"So we did." Kurapika said with a smile.
Quince almost couldn't believe it. Nothing short of a miracle had occurred. It should have been impossible to find their way here. If not for Kurapika's brilliant idea… He turned to her with an incredible sense of respect.
"You're a genius." He declared, and Kurapika bowed her head modestly to hide her pride.
"Without your bravery we'd all be doomed." She spoke.
"Yeah, good team effort." Leorio cheered.
"Strange, I don't remember you doing much." Kurapika snarked with a grin.
"Hey!" The man shouted.
"No, he did. He made a very good weight for me, like a big rock." Quince added playfully.
"I'm as useful as a rock?!" He screeched.
"Kurapika, Leorio, Quince! You all made it!" Gon approached with a big smile, Killua lagging behind him.
"Ah, good to see you both made it here safely as well." Kurapika nodded to them.
"Honestly that was worse than I was expecting." Leorio admitted as he stretched his legs.
"Oh, you've still got my briefcase!" He pointed at the case sitting against Gon's back, held up by his fishing rod slotted through the handle.
"Oh yeah, here you go." He happily passed it back.
"So, how did you guys find your way out?" The boy asked.
"Ah, we used a floating magical beast to look above the fog and saw the fortress from there." Kurapika explained.
"Seriously?" Killua seemed suspicious.
"Wow, that's so cool! Sounds like fun!" Gon said.
"It really wasn't." Quince said, rubbing at his still bleeding shoulders.
"Here, I'll help you clean that up. Don't want that getting infected." Leorio said, holding up his briefcase.
"I'm training to be a doctor, got a bunch of first aid stuff in here."
"Oh, okay. That's really cool." Quince said, inspecting his wounds a little further. Good, they're all in spots where I can roll up my sleeves instead taking my shirt off. No need to show off my binder.
"It's probably already infected. Damn monsters."
Thus, they all sat down to rest, Gon regaling his adventure with Killua of being swallowed whole by a giant frog, whilst Leorio tended to Quince's injuries. Quince enjoyed the conversation and wondered how it was possible to talk about such in things like they weren't near death experiences. It seemed he had entered a new world by joining the exam, somewhere where everything was dangerous and insane but that was normal.
No one back home would believe a word of what happened to him that day.
Perhaps a dozen or so more people arrived before the finely dressed examiner made an announcement.
"Well done, everyone." He began.
"Phase Two of the exam will take place here, in Biska Forest Park. So, I shall be taking my leave. I wish you all good luck."
With that, he bowed and made his way down the path, through the crowd and into the foggy forest once more. Quince thought to thank him, but decided against when no one else had. Then the large iron gates to the park began to slide open with a great rumble.
Okay, One Phase down, uh… Some to go. Let's go!
