The ship's anchor was lowered as we neared the shore of the Island, and the gangway was put down. I stood up and stretched, feeling much better now that the medicine I requested from Khara kicked in. Although she was quite awkward to talk to at first, we soon realized we had spent the entire two hours chatting away about the Exam, among other things. It felt nice to talk to someone normal for once, and she had even helped me wrap my ankle, which luckily the swelling had gone down on. I was in a much better mood when she and I exited the cabin to call the applicants to attention, and I strolled to the front, eager to start this next phase.
"Thanks for your patience, everyone," Khara said, her mood once again bright and cherry as she stood before us all. "We've finally arrived at Zevil Island!"
From what I could see, the Island was covered in green, and a rush of excitement surged through me.
"Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase. After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next person's turn. You will stay on this island for exactly one week. During that time, you must amass your six points of ID tags and return here. All right then, the first person may start!"
Hisoka stepped up, the first one to go.
I kept my eyes forward; although I was itching to watch him leave just like all the other's whose eyes followed him as he stepped onto the gangway. Before Hisoka departed from the ship he turned, his golden eyes trailed directly on me, and I could feel the fire they set in my blood.
"A word of caution," he purred, "If even a hair is harmed on the wild card's head, you'll become the prey I hunt next."
His cold words sent shivers down my spine even standing in the warmth of the sun. But despite his warning, I already knew others would come after me. I had presented a challenge, and I was sure most of the applicants remaining were too prideful to turn it down, especially if defeating me assured them a solid victory in this phase.
Hisoka turned his back, and my aura surged out towards him, engulfing him as he walked off the ship. Our energies mingled together, and I made it clear that this time I wouldn't depend on him. Our connection broke as he disappeared into the trees and his presence was erased, and Khara started the two minute countdown.
"Two minutes have passed," Khara said, stopping her watch. "The second person may start!"
I stepped forward, giving Khara a sincere smile. She smiled back, and her eyes wished me luck as I stepped forward to depart from the ship. I took a deep breath as I stepped off the gangway, and my first footfall on the land resonated through the island. I felt the combined energy of every living thing seep into me, filling me until I was fit to burst. I could feel the great trees that had started from saplings and had for more than a hundred years grown to their towering height, the exotic and unusual plants which roots buried themselves in the earth. I could sense the animals that scampered around in the underbrush and swung through the trees, the ones that flew overhead and that lived buried beneath the surface, this island their home.
I was more excited then I let on, itching to run, to explore, but I stayed calm as I followed Hisoka's path into the woods.
While I did follow Hisoka's footsteps into the woods, I soon veered off to the right, know I had to stay off the beaten path. It wouldn't surprise me if those departing from the ship right now decided to come after me right away, and I wanted to evade them for as long as possible. I moved as quickly as I could with my injured ankle, but soon stopped to rest when I figured I had gotten far enough for my next move. Hidden away from the ship's sight and not detecting Hisoka's energy in the area, I called forth Jōki and was swept up in the cloud's soft folds. "You ready to do this? Don't worry, we're around plenty of water, so this will be a breeze," I grinned, my fingers running through my cloud lovingly.
I placed my palms on Jōki's center and closed my eyes, beginning to direct my aura. The air around us crackled with electricity, the power that seeped from my being almost palatable. A wind was stirred in the small area, and my clothes and hair began to flutter as my palms glowed with a white light. Jōki pulsed beneath me, it too beginning to glow with a bright light as I filled it with my power.
I opened my eyes as a small smile curved the corners of my mouth, and the wind around us blew even fiercer.
"Okay Jōki, take us up. Let's have a look at Zevil Island."
With an enormous burst of power, Jōki rose, and my fists closed tightly around its soft folds. The wind whipped my hair fiercely around my face as we soared heavenward, racing far past the ancient trees that grew hundreds of feet. We burst through the treetops and I gave a whoop of laughter, startling a flock of exotic bird that ascended with us with their cries of surprise.
I opened my arms wide as we flew over the island, embracing the overwhelming feeling of freedom that filled me.
"Jōki...I missed this!" I laughed, looking down at the landmass below. Whenever I was troubled back at home, Jōki and I always flew as high as we could and drifted over the land, circling our home from above. As far as my eyes could see, there was nothing but forest, the barrier between my home and the outside world. "Do you remember – why I wanted to become a Hunter in the first place?" I inquired, my fingers gently grazing over Jōki. "It was this – this sense of freedom I felt that day when I was mad at Gran and we flew far past the borders. We discovered an entirely new world! Do you remember Jōki? It was all so amazing – I had never witnessed anything like it before. Gran and the Elders always told me how dangerous the outside world was – but I saw nothing but amazing things to be discovered. And when I found out what a Hunter was, how different their lives were, how strong they were – I knew I found a reason to leave the village. Jōki – this isn't only for the village, but also for me."
Overlooking the island, I could see the ship that brought us over, as well as Trick Tower in the distance. The island itself was massive; it was covered in greenery, and an inland sea had formed in the middle of the two circular plateaus, separated from the larger source of water by a thin, tree covered sliver of land on one side and a barren, sand covered expanse on the other. I could see another island unconnected to the one we were on, although looking at its miniscule size from up above, one could hardly call it an island. We circled Zevil Island a few times from above, swooping down low enough to make out what the land below was like, and I was able to take it everything until I was satisfied.
"I can't fail Jōki. This is my freedom at stake. I need to show everyone I'm strong enough, not only to take care of them, but to look out for myself as well. Or else – I'll never escape that place. And I don't think I could live like that for the rest of my life," I whispered, resting my head.
We drifted above the island aimlessly now, and I turned on my back, looking up at the great expanse of sky that seemed to stretch forever above me. The gentle winds ruffled my hair and cooled my skin, and I felt my eyes grow heavy. I wondered where Hisoka was by now, but soon pushed the thought out of my head.
'I don't need to be worrying about him; he can take care of himself. What I should worry about is the fact that I haven't bathed in almost a week...'
"Let's go land on the east side of the island. For any of the applicants heading in the direction, it would take a good two to three days on foot. We'll settle there for now," I said, directing Jōki. I had taken quite the nap, and already the sun was high in the sky, the heat this high up virtually overwhelming. 'It's the perfect time for a bath,' I thought to myself as we descended, and I kept my eyes peeled for an ideal bathing spot.
"Hey Jōki, over there," I said, pointing to what looked like a rocky outcropping. We were closer to land now, yet still above the treetops, and I could make out the area perfectly. It was a secluded place, and the most ideal area to establish a base for a few days.
We raced down from above, and Jōki gently set me down at the base of the range. The outcrop was hardly large enough to be called a mountain; and yet if I had to call it something, surveying the surrounding area we had landed in, I'd call it a canyon. A mighty river flowed adjacent to where Jōki had set me down, coming from the top of the canyon above.
"Jōki, let's go back up. Only a little though," I said, and my cloud swept under me. We drifted upwards, and I could see a prominent rock with a fissure that leaked a steady stream of water. From there, it had carved two distinct paths; one flowed into a secluded little pool, while the rest rushed down the rocky hills, forming waterfalls and conclusively meeting with the river below. I had no doubt this river eventually flowed to the larger body of water on the island that was cut off from the ocean.
"We should scout the surrounding area, just in case. While this might be an ideal place to have a bath, I doubt I can sleep here," I muttered, and Jōki began to drift through the trees, this time staying below the foliage. I found a nice shallow cave not too far from the outcrop, and while it might be a nice place to stay for a few days, once other applicants reached this area I would have to move, unless I wanted to risk getting trapped.
"Well then, with that decided, it is most definitely time for a bath!"
I scampered up on to a flat rock on the bank, sighing in content. The sun had warmed the rock beneath me, and it was a most ideal place to sanction myself to dry off from my swim. My clothes hung from the branches of a tree nearby, drying out after their wash. While I only had a small bar of soap stored away in my bag, I had utilized it in its entirety to wash the grime and dirt and blood from my skin and hair, as well as my clothes. I had spent a good hour in the water afterwards, merely floating on the water's surface as Eitri sunbathed on a small rock nearby and Jōki drifted above to keep most of the sun's harsh rays off me.
I stretched my arms far above my head before I gave another sigh and lay back, a yawn escaping me. "I'm ready for another nap after that – really, a girl could get used to this," I spoke to no one in particular as I ran my hands through my wet hair, gently using my fingers to comb out the incessant tangles.
I glanced over to where Eitri had coiled herself, a soft smile on my face.
"I know you're comfy over there, but I'm going to need your help in hiding my tag. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll favor my plan," I said to her, and she merely replied with a soft hiss afore uncoiling herself and slithering over.
Even though no one would be in the vicinity for a while, I still kept my tag close at hand at all times just in case, having placed it in my bag after disembarking from the ship since I didn't want to drop it as I wandered the island. I sat up as Eitri slithered on to my rock, snatching up my bag and retrieving the tag, as well as a the only weapon that was ever kept in my village, besides the bows and arrows used for hunting in the surrounding forest. It was an ancient, breathtaking dagger which blade was crafted of mythril, and was short and slightly curved; its hilt was constructed of white jade, and embedded with precious stones and flecks of gold. The sheath for the blade was additionally crafted of precious metals, and had an inscription carved into it in a lost ancient tongue.
'I believe it is her designation, her true name in a tongue no mortal can comprehend.'
That was what Gran had always told me, and determined to find out what the inscription actually said, I had spent many long hours researching to find anything I could on the dagger and its mysterious origins. Of course, our small town library and the Elder's library full of ancient, dusty scrolls didn't provide me with anything of use, and I had given up on the quest.
I unsheathed the blade as Eitri coiled up by my side, her pale, beady red eyes fixated on the tip of the blade. I prehended the dagger in my left hand and raised my right, pressing the blade down against my palm. I applied only the slightest pressure and pierced through my skin, and blood began to well beneath the blade.
"Here," I said, offering my bleeding palm. Eitri slithered closer, her forked tongue snaking out to taste my blood. Once, twice, three times was enough, and I pulled my hand back. Eitri hissed as she drew back, her entire body tightly coiled and tense, like she was getting ready to strike.
I looked on in astonishment as she began to stretch herself out, her entire body expanding. By the time my blood had peregrinated throughout her body, she was no longer the size of a mere garden snake of two feet from nose to tail, but had grown to the size of a mighty serpent, which now coiled and raised to her full height, was twenty feet in length.
"Really, seeing you change never gets old," I laughed, reaching out my uninjured hand to her. She lowered her head and I was able to run my fingers along her shining scales, and she hissed pleasantly at my touch.
"Now then," I started, reaching down to grab my badge from where I had set it down, "I'll need you to carry this. Don't lose it or chuck it somewhere though, I'll need it back by the end of the week." I held out the badge to her, and her tongue flicked out to taste it. "It's tasteless, I know," I chuckled as she opened her mighty jaws. I placed the badge in her mouth, not even seeing her swallow it since she had grown so big. "This will make it a lot harder for anyone who wants to obtain it, plus I don't have to worry about losing it myself."
In all honesty, it was nice to not have to worry about hunting another applicant for a badge. I wouldn't have to go out of my way to search for anyone; on the contrary, they would all have to go out of their way to search for me. I needed a battle strategy; I needed time to think on those that might be hunting me, their strengths and weaknesses, and the best way to evade capture, and most importantly, death. I knew that when it came to physical strength I was about a three out of ten, and that in a close range fight my opponent would have the upper hand – and so my Nen would definitely come into play at this stage. Hisoka was aware of Nen, and as I witnessed so was his creepy ally Gittarackur, but I believe that the other applicants had no knowledge of it. I would have to be careful – attacking someone who has no defense against my Nen would be dangerous, and I would have to control my power if I wanted to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.
But besides all that – the most important task to be completed next would be to find something to eat.
A/N: Okay, some things regarding this chapter. I was editing it in the Doc Manager when my web page crashed, and my edits disappeared. I swear this chapter was a lot better, but considering I am beyond irritated right now, I'm just posting it like this because I don't have the energy to try my hand at it again. Also I felt like this chapter really didn't have any substance and consequently was not of the utmost importance.
Anyway, here's a little after-chapter fun fact regarding Eitri.
Eitri, Priya's pet snake is actually a creature from the Dark Continent. I'll explain this now since it's not likely to come up in the story. The story I crafted for her was that Eitri had come from the Dark Continent and ended up on the continent of Minbo, and eventually traveled to Kukanyu (the continent where the Hunter Exam takes place; refer to Chapter 38, pg 17), which Priya was traveling through on her way to the Hunter's Exam. Eitri was feral and dangerous, and many lives were lost to her insatiable and incessant gluttony. Her scales are hard enough to reflect blades and bullets, so she was virtually unstoppable. Eitri at this time was around was unbounded by Priya's power, and was around 50+ feet in length and quite sizeable in width. If you've ever seen the spine-chilling movie Anaconda, think about that. While Priya was passing through Kukanyu, she came upon Eitri who had already eaten her fill, and was enraptured by the creature. And once seeing the destruction she had wrought, she used her powers to bind the serpent, and to decrease her size so that she was less threatening. The only way for Eitri to go back to her natural size is by ingesting Priya's blood, but the snake has been tamed and quite enjoys traveling with the girl, and so refrains from attacking her like she very well could. Priya has used Eitri's formidable size and strength during many occasions when she finds it necessary, but during this time Eitri usually falls back into her old ways if she grows too big and usually ends up digesting a human or two if Priya doesn't watch her closely.