Dreams in Action

Subject: Dreams in Action Sat 15 Jul 2017, 01:16

The Hunter Association is responsible for the testing and licensing of "Hunters", individuals who have proven themselves through rigorous examination to be elite members of humanity. With the passing of the Hunter examination, an applicant is rewarded with a license to go almost anywhere in the world or do almost anything, thus declaring them Hunters.

Hunters pursue a number of specialized fields, each seeking to make their mark upon the world. What will be your legacy?

Subject: Re: Dreams in Action Mon 08 Apr 2019, 19:26

"The date was January 1st, 6 days before the Hunter Exam. Atop the mysterious Kukuroo Mountain, a meeting took place on the first day of the new year. One that would become the first step toward a young man finding a dream of his own."

Within the vast mansion home of the notorious Zoldyck Family.

Firyen Zoldyck sat at a tea table, across from the older of the two men to whom he was fiercely devoted. His ears laid flat atop his head, a shadow of bitterness on his face.

Zeno Zoldyck's legs were crossed as he sipped his piping hot tea, a single eye cracked open to observe the boy who was like family to him. "What's the matter, Fi?"

"Ah! Nothing, Zeno-sama!" Claimed Firyen immediately, his ears perking up as he grabbed his tea and began drinking as if it were cold.

"..." Opening both eyes, the elderly assassin couldn't help but smile at the sight. "I see the New Year hasn't led to any changes for you."

"?" The wolven boy's ears twitched as he tilted his head, much the way a domesticated dog would when its owner spoke to it.

Chuckling lightly, Zeno shook his head. "It's nothing, Fi~ Actually, speaking of the New Year. Just as the year has changed, we've come into quite the odd contract~"

"Odd? How so?" Wondered the secret prince, his tail seen waving about at his backside. A sign, obvious to all who knew him well, that he was curious.

Lowering his tea cup, Zeno remained with a smile. "The client designated his target, a young, up and coming politician who's quickly gaining ground. However, not in the way we're used to~"

He chuckled again, the boy leaning a bit closer, his blue eyes holding a clear shimmer of growing excitement. "Instead of killing the target this time, the client would like us to kill his guard detail~"

"...Really?" Firyen blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"I wouldn't know, I didn't get to speak with him. Milluki passed this contract to me this morning, but I was thinking I'd allow you to handle it." Replied Zeno calmly, continuing before the boy could respond. "Worry not, I haven't forgotten about your upcoming pursuit. The Hunter Exam this year, according to the invitation letter, it's 'upon a drifting land in the central current.' Have you given any thought to that vague description?"

Fi's lips stretched into a happy smile, "Of course, Zeno-sama! Lake Mobius- Er, the Known World's oceanic currents vary according to the sea section! The outer currents typically flow counterclockwise, with some exceptions, but the further inward you track, the tighter the current becomes. The central current can only refer to the general ocean region in the middle of the world! You see, at that point, the current flows to the center in all but a few directions! I hear that only skilled navigators can get through that strange current. Ria's contacting her old friends to see if any of them can put us in touch with someone that'll get us through. Drifting land, of course, refers to an island, of which there are a surprising number all about."

"Very good!" Zeno praised, reaching forward to ruffle his hair. "As expected of our Fi, I'm sure you'll be one of the first applicants to arrive~"

He continued as the boy's tail began wagging vigorously, "Which leads me to my point. This contract just so happens to be in Port Baroux-"

"Oh!" Leaning into the touch, Fi's eyes seemed to glow with passion. "Port Baroux's the big seaside city on the Yorbia Continent! It's probably the closest embarking point to aim for the center of Lake Mobius! I mean, the Known World!"

Rising to his feet, Zeno nodded. "Precisely, my boy~ You'll be able to handle the contract while finding your way out there, and I'm sure that you could also find any other number of things to do to kill time along the way~"

"Right!" Firyen stood swiftly, his smile fading somewhat. "But, Zeno-sama...that contract is a bit..."

"Hm, that's right." Stroking his chin, Zeno looked up in thought. "You dislike senseless killing and bloodshed, don't you Fi? I apologize, I hadn't given thought to your pref-"

"N-no!" Grabbing Zeno's shoulders firmly, Fi shook his head. "You only need to give the order, Zeno-sama! I'll handle the contract to the best of my ability, no matter how I feel about it!"

Blinking a few times, Zeno set a hand on the boy's cheek gently. "I see...well, considering this works out well for you, will you accept, Fi?"

"Of course~" Responded Firyen without hesitation.

Zeno smiled at him, "Thank you~ Ah, it seems that you should get creative with the ways you dispatch them. From what I can gather, this is for intimidation. You should try to scare the target. And the most important one to take out will be the target's head guard, apparently..."

An hour later, in the adopted Zoldyck's room.

"That really is a weird one..." Cheria Laraine whispered, after being filled in.

Annabel Noelle laid on the bed, watching the man get things together for the trip. "Really? If the client's trying to intimidate the target into doing something, that's pretty perfect. Before we joined the Troupe, my brother and I accepted some jobs for similar purposes. He was a lot better at it than I was, though."

Glancing at her, Cheria smiled subtly. "That's not at all surprising, it's probably too much to ask you to be creative about the way you kill someone~"

Annabel's eye twitched as she smiled back at the girl, "I don't think you can say that until I've killed you, Cheria, shall I give you some insight into how I work?"

"Can you girls not, right now?" Requested Firyen, as he sensed some bloodlust from both. "Can't you try to get along, at least until we pass the Hunter Exam?"

"Of course, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Rin-chaaaan~" Answered Annabel immediately, jumping off the bed to him.

Laughing as she hugged him, Fi lifted a hand to rub her head. "Thanks, Ann~"

Fists clenching, Cheria glared at the other woman, who flashed a taunting smirk at her. "R-right...! We'll get along for now...!"

"Thanks, Ria~" Fi turned to smile warmly at the girl, who instantly melted. "By the way, it works out for the best on your end too, right?"

"Yes~" Replied Cheria with blissful smile, her cheeks now rosy. "Lochlain Giolla, one of the men who used to work with my parents, runs a surprisingly lucrative business there~ I think I can convince him to ferry us himself, if it's in person~"

Ann tilted her head as she listened, "Surprisingly?"

"Ah, Loch-san is..." Cheria glanced away with a wry smile. "A notorious lecher. He was always chasing skirts whenever he had the opportunity."

"Pretty much the opposite of our adorable Rin-chan, huh." Remarked Ann with a slight smile.

Firyen tilted his head as the two ladies nodded to one another, "Well, either way, I'm sure things'll work out! Let's get a move on! We'll pick up a contract on the way!"

"And so the young and spirited team set out for their destination, Port Baroux on the Continent of Yorbia. From there, they would cast off toward a goal crucial to their future."

A day later, in Port Baroux. Inside the room of the hotel the trio had chosen.

Cracking open her 13th beer of the day, Annabel began drinking as if it were just water. Her eyes were on a surveillance screen which monitored a rundown motel. {So boring...}

"How's it going?" Cheria wondered, leaning over the girl, who flailed about and fell over in shock.

"D-dammit, I told you not to do that! You're not allowed to move around without making a sound! Not with me!" Annabel shouted, pointing at the girl angrily.

Cheria was smiling in amusement, having caught the bottle of beer that her friend had dropped. "You shouldn't let your guard down so easily, Annabel-san~ If I was an enemy, I could've easily slit your throat just now~"

She held her cheek as the other girl cursed at her in frustration, {She's so cute when she's scared~}

"-and how did it go!?" Demanded Ann, snatching the bottle back roughly.

Stepping back to allow the woman to return to her seat, Cheria went over to the fridge to take out a bottle of water. "It was...fine. It's been a long time since I've seen Loch-san, so...there was much to discuss..."

"..." Annabel looked over, scratching her head. "Are you like...depressed or something?"

"No, I...well, maybe a bit." Whispered Cheria with a deep sigh.

Groaning a bit, Ann kept glancing at her. "So...this guy hasn't left yet, he's still in his room. Doing god knows what."

"As expected, I suppose." Cheria replied while going to sit by her side. "I'll take over now, you can take a break and get some fresh air."

"Nah, I'll stick around." Decided Ann calmly, nudging her lightly.

Cheria blinked at the woman, before smiling. "Thanks. Ah, Loch-san did agree to take us, though~ He said that the invitations this time around were very strange. Apparently, it's extremely rare for the Hunter Exam to be in a place that's so difficult to access."

"Really? I wonder why." Leaning back in her seat to relax, Annabel looked out the window.

"As do I." Ria replied, her smile growing slightly. {Though I suspect it has to do with Fi taking part. I wouldn't put it past Netero-san to inconvenience others, just to mess with him a bit.}

The girls sat in silence for some time, until a phone went off.

Cheria quickly answered, putting the call on speaker. "Fi? How's it going?"

Atop a building with view of a tasteful villa.

Firyen sat on the edge, a number of seagulls gathered around and lightly pecking at him as he fed them small pieces of bread. "It's going. I think I get why the client set those terms. The target, Senator Aput, seems to be really friendly with his bodyguards."

He paused, looking to one of the seagulls and gently brushing it aside when it tried to steal a piece of meat he was eating slowly. "I feel so bad...from what I can tell, he's a very good person. One of his aides told me that he's trying to expose some corrupt colleagues...which is undoubtedly why the client wants this to happen. To send a message and force him to stop."

"Bad things happen to good people, all the time." Annabel remarked calmly. "Just distance yourself from it, don't think of him as a person. He's just a target."

"...What she said." Cheria agreed, though her voice carried hints of disdain.

Fi smiled slightly, "Yeah, I know. Well, this guy seems to get sick at the sight of blood, so at the very least, it won't be hard to terrify him. Judging by the guard activity, they're very well aware that they may have enemies after them. The head bodyguard has tried to convince Aput to skip town a few times, but that guy refuses to run."

"What an upstanding man, he's not long for this world~" Whistled Ann in amusement.

"Ahaha..." Scratching his head, Firyen nodded. "You're probably right, Ann. Oh, Ria! How did things go with Mr. Lochlain?"

"Ah...it was alright, Fi." Cheria answered hesitantly. "He's agreed to take us out himself tomorrow evening. He said it shouldn't be too hard to find the right island. And you can sniff it out when we're close enough, anyway."

"True," Fi confirmed, tilting his head. "Are you okay, though? It's been years, right? I'm sure he had a lot to say."

A pained laugh escaped the girl's throat, "Yeah...he said I look...a lot like Mom. And apparently, Dad visited him a few months ago..."

"I see..." Firyen frowned, his ears laying flat as he heard the sadness in her voice. "Well, try not to think too much about that guy. There's nothing he can do to you now, I'll never let him hurt you again."

"Oh, I know!" Ria quickly responded. "It's not like I'm scared, or something~ Should Annabel-san or me come over to you?"

Fi smiled, shaking his head. "Nah, I've got this. I'd rather not let you two get involved with this one~ Besides, Ria. Between the three of us, your abilities are by far the best suited to capturing targets alive. You girls just focus on that bounty, okay? Mr. Chang said that guy is really slippery, so you should both be on the job."

"True, coming from that guy, it probably means a lot more too." Annabel suggested with a chuckle.

"Mr. Chang referred to a man whom young Firyen and Cheria had met a few years ago. An enigmatic black market broker in information, jobs and many unsavory ventures. There were a number of rumors surrounding him. That he was a high ranking member of the Mafia, that he was a skilled ex-assassin, that he was the leader of a powerful shadow organization... When dealing with others, he was a known unknown, in that even those who met him directly, could never remember what he looked or sounded like. As Firyen realized, this was because of the man's Nen Ability, a Manipulation-type which altered the way his targets perceived him. Uncovering this secret after being subjected to it numerous times himself, Fi had succumbed to his sometimes fatal curiosity, against the urging of Cheria. Digging around on the man, he managed to find a lead to his true life and nature, even without a thread to follow. Upon being caught, Chang admitted that he intended to kill the young pair, however they had grown on him with their resourcefulness. As such, the mysterious broker often passed along jobs and info of great interest. The current bounty of the team, for example."

"Yeah, Mr. Chang is as slippery as one can possibly be, so the target must be trouble if he described him that way." Cheria pointed out.

Nodding, Firyen looked at the sky. "Yep, so you two handle things on that side. I'm gonna infiltrate tonight and make as much noise as I can. The target will probably get spooked, so you should be able to easily catch him off guard when he's relocating. Just-"

"Yes, yes, I got it~" Annabel interjected. "Mr. Chang's client wants that man alive, I won't break him~"

That night, under the starry sky.

When the villa was boldly breached from the front, all bodyguards moved to defend their employer.

Firyen stepped just out of a hallway, where bullets flew past freely. Closing his eyes, he used En to confirm the positions of all the remaining men, as well as the target. {The two most distant ones would be the head bodyguard and the Senator. The head bodyguard looked kinda tough, but these guys aren't a threat at all. I have to make sure it looks really bad.}

Entering a state of Zetsu, he stepped back out, his motion invoking the Rhythm Echo technique as dozens of afterimages filled the hallway. He walked forward as the guards opened fire in confusion, subtly shifting his motion just enough to avoid any bullets that reached him. Without warning, he kicked off the ground with explosive force, propelling himself with such speed that he seemed to teleport in their eyes.

Landing, as always without a sound, in the center of the men, he pushed the hand of one up, causing him to shoot himself in the head. As brains splattered against the ceiling, he lunged into the men furthest away first, pushing his palms against their chins and yanking their heads from their necks without resistance. Tossing the heads back toward the rest, he moved again as they turned. Lifting his foot, he used it to slam the head of one through a window, then down to jam his throat against some leftover glass, leaving him to choke on his own blood.

The men opened fire in a frenzy at that point, when their enemy seemed to vanish once more.

The assassin's tail swept out as he passed another man, pulling him off the ground with ease. He lifted his knee, slamming it into the man's back, snapping his spine like a chicken wing and launching him right through the ceiling, which exploded in a bloody mess. {Um...should I just...ah.}

Lunging into another, he thrust his fingers to pluck his eyes out so quickly he couldn't register it. Stepping around to his back, one of his claws lengthened slightly while radiating a black aura. [Cruel Memory]

Injecting his claw into the eyeless man's arm like a needle, his Aura flowed in, instantly driving him insane through Manipulation. Stepping back, he observed as the man flew into a primal rage, crashing into his allies. He lashed out without warning, terrifying them as he viciously bit into the throat of one and tore a big chunk out.

{Sorry...} Fi frowned deeply, as the other men started shooting at their friend, who ignored the bullets to attack another.

The berserk man gnashed out after mounting another, who managed to kill him with a bullet to the brain. The surviving man pushed him off, only for his last sight to be a dropping foot.

Stomping the head of the man into a pool of smushy brains, the assassin stopped and turned to the last four remaining, all frozen in place now and staring at him. "I really am sorry...I wish there was another way, but this is what I was hired to do... Do you, maybe, have a preference on how you die? I think this scene is messed up enough, so I'd like to at least kill you all painlessly."

"M-m-monster!" One lifted his gun, pulling the trigger.

"Ah, okay." Firyen lifted his hand, catching the sole bullet that fired between his fingers. The sight caused the men to turn and flee for their lives. Looking at the bullet he caught, he lowered his hand while exiting Zetsu, Aura flowing through his fingers as he flicked it right through the brain of the one who had shot at him.

As his Ten activated as it normally was, he extended his other hand calmly. [Brutal Impulse]

His Aura flowed forth into the spirit energy he'd been relying on since birth, velvet black tails of energy Emitting from his fingertips and piercing through the brains of the other three, leaving clean holes in their skulls on both ends. With a light sigh, he turned and made his way to the final door as the last bodies fell.

He pushed the doors open without hesitation, blinking as he was met with a cascade of bullets. He looked down as he stepped into the room, a large office, taking note of the bullets that had flattened themselves against his body on impact. "I didn't bother dodging, just so you'd understand that firearms are useless against me."

The head bodyguard gaped at the boy in disbelief, dropping the gun in his hands.

"Ah," Fi looked past the last remaining man, to a metal frame on the far side of the office. "So he had a panic room? He was certainly prepared."

He motioned to the man, "I don't know if this'll make things any easier on you in the end, but I'm not going to lay a hand on his head. After I get rid of you, my job is officially over. I have a policy against doing anything more than what's requested, so everything's over the moment you die."

"Tch...how noble of you." The head bodyguard growled, looking past the enemy, to where his men lived their final moments. "What...are you?"

"That's a good question," Fi answered calmly, smiling bitterly. "I don't have a clear answer, unfortunately. I asked some of them, but they were too scared to converse with me. So...do you have a preference? I'd like to kill you painlessly, so tell me how to do it. Unfortunately, I have to do some horrible things to your corpse, though."

Gulping loudly, the bodyguard lowered his hand to his side, drawing a katana and holding it in both hands. "You think I'll just let that happen? Get real."

He tossed a second sheathed blade over, "We'll settle this is in the way of my homeland."

"Wow..." Firyen blinked, catching the sword and tossing it aside. "I don't believe in using weapons, sorry. But since I respect you, I'll grant you death on your terms."

He lifted his hands, entering Zetsu as his claws shifted, sharpening and extending a few inches past their usual form. "Whenever you're ready, Mr."

The bodyguard grit his teeth lightly, taking a deep breath as he slid his foot forward and took a stance with his blade raised above his head. {How strange...his eyes are so clear. He feels no hatred. He's...pure?}

He lunged forward swiftly, bringing the blade down in a heavy cleave.

"!" Firyen sidestepped instead of defending, then stepped back to avoid a follow up horizontal swing. {He's skilled. If he were a Nen User, this would be a truly challenging duel. His form suggests that he's followed the way of the blade diligently for many years. I really wish I didn't have to kill someone this honest.}

When the blade was loosed once more, he swiped his left hand out, catching the edge against his claws and parrying the sword down at an angle. He thrust his right hand forward, aiming to tear his throat out.

The man sidestepped this time, ignoring his neck when it was cut deeply and sliding his blade upward into a swift uppercut slash, aimed at his opponent's shoulder.

{He tried to cut off my arm.} Fi couldn't help but smile while evading, making a fist as the man advanced immediately. He stepped in, throwing a punch which landed upon the base of the katana when he guarded.

Gasping as he received the blow, the man was launched off his feet with greater force than he'd ever felt, managing to recover with an aerial twist. As he landed shakily, he felt his ankle twist but ignored the pain and returned to his feet, resuming his stance once more.

Blinking as he watched, the Velen Hybrid's mouth hung open slightly. {I have the burning desire to Initiate him right here... I'd love to have a proper fight to death with him as fellow Nen Users. But Zeno-sama would chastise me if I did something so selfish. After all, if he managed to awaken to an ability right off the bat, things might get out of control. Keep your cool, Fi...}

He took a deep breath, staring into the man's eyes. "What's your name? I'm Firyen Zoldyck."

"Zoldyck...!" The man grunted. "I see, so that's what's going on... My name is Liu Zan. Tell me, Zoldyck, were you hired by one of the men my master is seeking to expose?"

"...I don't know for sure, but yes, most likely." Fi replied with a nod. "I dislike jobs like this, but it was a request from one of the men I owe everything to. I don't have the right to deny his wishes for me."

Liu Zan chuckled, shaking his head. "I can see that. You don't match the rumors I've heard, of the fearsome family of assassins. You're an honest one, Zoldyck. Then you were serious, when you said this ends with my death?"

"100%." Answered Firyen sternly, ignoring the sirens that were blaring in the distance, signalling the arrival of the police.

"Zoldyck, until today, I was an undefeated swordsman. I thought I was unstoppable if it came down a real fight. But I was wrong, it seems the world was still a lot bigger than I had realized." Liu admitted, shifting his stance. "If I'd known guys like you existed out there, I'd never have stopped travelling."

Smiling at him, Fi nodded. "There's plenty of people out there, much stronger than I am. The world is bigger than you could imagine~"

He took a martial arts stance himself, "Do you have a family, Liu-san? If so, I'll send them your final regards."

"No, I lost the last of my family a long time ago." Liu admitted.

"That's unfortunate..." Firyen whispered, before speaking louder. "At the very least, I won't forget you."

"Thank you!" Shouted Liu as he shot forward, leading with a thrust and shifting his blade aside to continue into a wide swing.

Firyen pushed the thrust aside with the back of his hand, before pushing his other hand out to catch his opponent's hand mid-swing. Lifting his back leg slightly, he threw a blindingly fast kick to the torso, launching him back.

Liu nearly lost consciousness with the kick, but hung on as he stuck his sword in the ground to stop himself. Without pause he sprinted forward, dragging his blade through the ground as he let out a spirited battlecry.

Fi extended his fingers as the sword was ripped out the ground, his claws deflected the attack with an array of sparks. He stood his ground as the man threw a number of rapid and heavy swings, quickly moving his hands with crisp and accurate motions, deflecting each attack wit his claws, each one pushing the man off balance without moving him. He slid his foot forward to meet a final thrust, striking the center of the katana with such force it produced a small shockwave, shattering the blade. Sliding the same hand forward, he pushed it against the swordsman with a snake-like motion, cleanly pushing his claws through his chest and into his heart.

"Well...fought...!"

"Goodbye, Liu-san." Firyen whispered, removing his claws and catching the man to set him down gently with the other hand, while swiping his hand to deblood his claws.

He looked around the office a few times, eyes settling on the desk which was in front of the panic room entrance. He looked down at his last victim, letting out a light canine whine to express his distaste. "I'm so sorry!"

Grabbing the man's clothes from the back, he lifted him with one hand and hurled him toward the desk with full force. Liu's corpse struck and carried the desk into the panic room door. On impact, the desk exploded into splinters, his body breaking apart like a ragdoll, the door being heavily dented and sending cracks all around the surrounding wall.

Standing up straight with a frown, he took out his phone to take a number of pictures quickly. Glancing toward the hallway as he sensed the police finally approaching, he exited Zetsu one last time and fled through one of the office windows, escaping the villa.

Outside the rundown motel.

"Wow, Rin-chan must have really went wild over there." Annabel quipped, listening to the sirens in the distance.

Cheria was about to speak, but pointed away. "He's on the move! Let's split up and pinch him!"

Ann watched the girl run off swiftly, taking a breath. "Okay."

She started into a nearby alley, where she quickly laid eyes on the target and pursued. She noticed him glance back just before he exited at the other side. Upon exiting, she stopped in surprise. {Where...did he go?}

She looked around in surprise, seeing a few people but nothing out of the ordinary. {No way, I was only a few seconds behind him!}

{Shit, Cheria's gonna be sooo condescending if I lose him so easily!}

The man being pursued, one Lipin Misha, waited until the stunning woman ran off before stepping out from his spot against the wall right next to the alley. {That was close...}

He smirked, holding a Conjured sheet over himself. It was his Hatsu, which allowed him to conceal his presence against any background he chose, with few exceptions.

He walked off in the opposite direction, looking around before going to an intersection and waiting to cross the street with some others.

"Hey! Bastard!"

Lipin gasped as he turned to spot the woman running over, {She's stupidly fast!}

Pushing all the people out of the way, he bolted across the street as fast as he could, numerous cars slamming on the breaks around him and honking as he crossed.

He stopped for a moment, looking back to see the same woman beautifully flipping across the street, car to car. {You've gotta be shitting me!}

He took off down another street, pushing everyone he reached out of the way. Noticing another alley, he dipped into it stealthily. "Whew..."

He continued through, freezing as he exited, quickly using Ken. "!"

"Gotcha now, asshole!" Shouted Annabel, after slugging him in the face and launching him down the sidewalk as some people screamed.

She blinked as he scrambled to his feet and took off again. {Tch, his defense is pretty good. To think he was a Nen User.}

She pursued him around a corner, gasping as she once against lost sight of him. "Bullshit! No way in hell!" {There's no way he's as fast as Rin-chan!}

Lipin sat up a few seconds after she ran past him, having hid himself on the ground after tripping. {She's scary...I can't believe that punch hurt so much through Ken. She wasn't even using any Aura herself.}

Atop the roofs in the area.

Cheria stopped at an edge, looking down and around. {Where is that man? I thought for sure he'd come this way if Annabel chased him.}

Meanwhile, a heated chase was taking place elsewhere.

Lipin had ducked his pursuer a number of times, but she always ended up finding him again. Of course, every time he'd outwit and lose her temporarily.

He was now hiding inside a cafe, under a table with the other customers watching him and whispering about him. {I don't care! Fuck you guys! What's that chick's deal? Every time it seems like I've lost her, she comes back! It's probably not En, otherwise she'd have caught on to how I keep dodging her. Is it just dumb luck? Does she have some crazy instincts as a hunter? Either way, I've gotta find a way to-}

Annabel opened the door to the cafe, looking around. "Has anyone seen a sketchy sleazebag?"

"Uh..." The customers all pointed together, to the one under the table.

"Wha- Fuck you guys!" Yelled Lipin as he bolted toward the door to the kitchen.

"Stop running, you tool!" Demanded Ann as she kicked the door down while chasing, quickly spotting him as he pushed his way to the exit. "God damn it, not this time!"

She extended her hand as all the chefs hit the deck. [Ruby Riot]

A beautiful scarlet Aura covered her hand, Emitting a number of ruby red, gem-like spheres which tore through the door and part of the wall behind him. "Tch!"

Exiting swiftly, she looked down to see a drop of blood. {Hmph, I tagged him. Where's that bastard hiding now?}

Lipin was pressed up against the wall of the cafe, just beneath where the Nen projectiles had launched through. He held his breath, staring at the girl who was just a few meters away. {Man, that hurts...she's definitely an Enhancer. No wonder she's so damn animalistic. How should I escape her? Should I try to kill her now, before she notices me? No, she might be using En. I have to wait. I won't stand a chance head on.}

Minutes passed and the girl left the area, the man peeking out from his spot with a sigh. "This time-"

"Oh? So that's what's been going on~" Annabel called out from above, waving at the man as he looked up to see her standing atop the building.

"No way!" Shouted Lipin, who fell over and crawled backwards from her.

Ann dropped back down to the ground, smirking. "Every time I lost you, I was sure that I could still catch you. Yet you vanished, somehow. I'm very confident in my intuition, you know? So it didn't make sense that I kept losing track when you should've been mine. So this time, I decided to try pretending to leave the area, just to see what would happen. Clearly, that was the right move~"

She cracked her knuckles as she walked over to him, "I had no way of knowing that your Nen could so easily hide you that way. Maybe that's what Mr. Chang meant, when he said you were a slippery one~"

"C-chang sent you?!" Lipin backed up into a wall, holding a hand out. "P-please wait! Whatever he's paying you...I'll double- no, triple it! Please!"

"Triple, you say?" Annabel blinked at him in surprise.

"Yes!" Lipin nodded quickly. "Up front! I'm good for it!"

Ann smiled at him, responding with a lyrical tone. "If you'd led with that, I might've listened. But right now, I won't relax unless I can break that ugly face of yours~ Clench your teeth, rat~"

"You...leave me no choice!" Lipin threw out his Conjured sheet as she advanced to punch him.

"What the..." Annabel had slammed into the wall face first without warning, wincing as she looked aside to see the rat fleeing again. "Okay...you're dead."

She ran after him, stopping as she found her friend. "Huh?"

"Nice work, Annabel-san." Cheria called out, standing over Lipin, whose head was covered by a mass of water as he struggled. "With all the commotion you two made, it was easy to keep track~"

Ann gaped at her in disbelief for a few moments, noticing a smile on her face. "Hey, Cheria...were you watching all of that?"

Cheria sweat slightly, trying not to laugh. "Y-yes~ Well, since 10 minutes ago. I trailed you two with Zetsu so I could find out what he was doing to keep slipping away from you. I'm surprised it took you so long to catch on, Annabel-san~ I thought you were much sharper than that~ How's your face feeling?"

"Ah," She looked down, releasing her Hatsu as the water fell. "I almost drowned him..."

"Well, that's that~" She smiled at her ally, though the smile faded when she saw her fist raised. "W-wait a second, I-!"

Back in the hotel.

Firyen was in the bathroom, washing the blood from his hands with a sigh. {I hope I never have to do a job like that again...}

He dried his hands, walking out just as the door opened. "Welcome ba...what happened?"

Annabel was dragging Lipin by the foot, carrying Cheria over her shoulder. "Nothing worth talking about, Rin-chan~ How'd things go on your end~?"

"Well...okay I guess." Fi's ears laid flat as he walked over. "Did he hurt her?"

"No, I d-" Ann bit her tongue to stop herself, before laughing a bit. "Yeah, he must've gotten the drop on her. He had a strange Hatsu, after all~"

Sighing, Firyen took Cheria and went to set her on the bed. "Well...as long as she's okay."

"Oh she's fine, no worries." Claimed Annabel, while tying up the man and throwing him into the closet, before locking it. She turned around, blinking as the man was suddenly in her face. "W-what?"

"Why are you so nervous, Ann?" Wondered Fi, rubbing her cheek now. "Did he get you too?"

"O-oh, this?" Ann blushed as she touched his cheek. "It's nothing to worry about, just a little accident~"

She leaned in, closing her eyes as she tried to kiss him, feeling a bit of air. "?"

Firyen had just caught a knife between his fingers, smiling a bit. "Ria?"

"Sorry, I must've had a bad dream~" Claimed Cheria, rubbing her head with a dark smile.

"Ugh..." Annabel hid behind Firyen as she saw the smile.

{Fi would be annoyed with me if he found out that I just watched...} Cheria sighed deeply. "Well, both sides are done now, yes?"

"Yep, all handled and wrapped up." Firyen responded, going to sit in a chair. "You're both really okay, though?"

Annabel and Cheria exchanged looks for a few moments, before nodding.

"That's good~" Fi's tail wagged a bit as he held up a bottle of irish cream. "I could use a drink, you?"

"Do you even need to ask~?" Annabel sang in response, quickly sitting by him.

Cheria couldn't help but smile, "Fi, you shouldn't spoil her like that."

"It's fine, it's fine, come drink with us~" Fi held his hand out to her.

"Every once in a while...I guess it's alright." Cheria decided, blushing as she went to take his hand.

Firyen leaned in, rubbing his face against hers affectionately. "I feel so much better now~"

Annabel gasped as she looked, "Feel free to cuddle me too, Rin-chan!"

"Hm?" Fi tilted his head as Cheria quickly pulled his head to her chest.

Cheria smirked at Ann, "He's happiest when it's me, sorry~"

"As if!" Growled Annabel, before she jumped on him.

The next morning.

Firyen sat on the roof of the hotel, staring out across the town.

"You didn't sleep up here, did you Rin-chan?" Annabel wondered as she emerged from the door and walked over.

"Oh, Ann." Fi glanced over his shoulder, smiling at her. "Nah, I handed Lipin over to Mr. Chang's guys and came up here so I could call Zeno-sama in peace. He wishes us luck on the exam~"

Annabel looked away for a few moments, "I see. Well, at the very least, I prefer Zeno to Silva, so I'll accept that wish."

Firyen's ears laid flat as he stared at her, "Ann..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine! I don't mean to antagonize you, either!" Claimed Annabel, who skipped over to sit by his side. "In case you were wondering, Cheria's still asleep. She can't handle liquor like you and I can~"

"Well, Ria IS still a minor~" Fi pointed out, smiling. "She's got a lot of growing to do before she can drink like us."

"I don't think she NEEDS to be growing any more, though." Ann quipped blankly.

She looked at him when he tilted his head, "Don't worry about it, it's just a girl thing~"

"If you say so," Firyen responded with a smile. "Anyway, I'm so excited to meet Mr. Lochlain~ I can't wait to see what kind of people there'll be taking the exam with us~"

Annabel laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. "I just wonder how many will make it~ This Lochlain guy is a Hunter himself, isn't he? Cheria said he told her that this year's exam location is even more difficult than usual. I wonder if the Hunter Association really wants to test its applicants this time. When Shalnark took it, he said it was pretty easy to find given the clues."

Tail wagging a bit, Fi rubbed his head against hers affectionately. "Yeah, I wonder if this exam is gonna be special~ I really can't wait~ I hope it's even harder than the rumors suggest~"

Laughing a bit as he rubbed up on her, Ann opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a tone going off. "Someone's calling you?"

"Yeah!" Firyen lifted his phone, tilting his head when he saw an icon he hadn't seen before. "What's this?"

He accepted the call, blinking as he saw who was on the other end. "Whoa, Pyon-chan?! Why can I see you!?"

"It's video chat, duh. Why'd you think I sent you that new phone?" Answered the woman called Pyon with a smile. "I only just recently had enough time to check in, though. I really wanted to see my Fi-kun's face~"
Dreams in Action Pyon

"I see!" Firyen's tail was wagging vigorously now. "This is pretty cool! I'm happy to see you~"

Pyon's smile faded as she noticed the woman by the man's side, "Hey...that doesn't look like Cher-chan. Who's that hussy?"

"Hussy?" Firyen tilted his head in confusion. "Um, this is-"

Clearing her throat loudly, Annabel roughly pushed her head against his. "I'm Annabel, his partner~ Who are you supposed to be, hm~?"

"P-partner?" Pyon covered her mouth. "Fi-kun, what happened to Cher-chan?!"

"Nothing! She's asleep right now!" Fi answered quickly, sweating a bit. "Pyon-chan, Ann here is the one I wrote about in the last letter I sent!"

Pyon blinked once, "Oh, that's right. The chick that left the Phantom Troupe for you. I see...you failed to mention the finer details."

"Finer details?" Fi's eyebrows furrowed a bit, further highlighting his confusion.

Clearing her throat again, Ann pulled on his arm. "Rin-chan, who is this girl? Why are you sharing information about me with her?"

"O-oh, don't worry, Pyon-chan is one of my close friends~" Claimed Firyen confidently. "Actually, she's one of the Zodiacs~ The 12 elite Hunters that the Chairman personally elects to help them within the Association! She may look cute and all, but Pyon-chan's actually totally strong! The Zodiacs are also sparring partners of Uncle Isaac, after all!"

Annabel stared at the girl in question in surprise, her being all smiles after being called cute. "Rin-chan? How is it that you're acquainted with someone of such a position? And Uncle Isaac...?"

Firyen grinned at her, "Did I never tell you? Ria and I were trained by Isaac Netero and the Zodiacs for about a month, some time ago~"

"S-seriously...?" Ann twitched as the other two both nodded. "How? Why...?"

"Ah..." Fi's cheeks puffed up a bit, turning red as he looked away nervously. "That's a long story...s-sorry, maybe I'll tell you some other time?"

{Why is he so freaking cute~~~?} Pyon and Annabel both thought, staring at the boy's face giddily.

Scratching at his ears, Fi started sweating lightly. "S-so Pyon-chan? What's up!? You said you've been really busy this last month, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I did." Pyon confirmed with a nod. "Actually, it's related to why I'm calling, really. Are you ready for the Hunter Exam? Are you doing okay on that front? Think you'll make it? If not, I'd happily give you an insider's tip~"

"No need, we'll be fine. I don't want any preferential treatment, anyway." Replied Firyen. "There's no meaning if you help me along~"

The response caused the Zodiac to smile, "You're still the same as always, I'm glad~"

Annabel held in a sigh as the two smiled at one another, one longingly. "Is that really all you called for?"

"...No, I was gonna share something." Pyon gave the other girl a sharp look for a second. "Fi-kun, I actually wanted to let you know that I'll see you at the exam site. Cheadle and I are both gonna be Examiners this year~"

"Really?!" Fi's tail started wagging again, heard as it loudly smacked the roof behind him. "Both you and Cheadle-nee?"

Pyon smirked at him, "Yep! I only volunteered because you'll be here~ That's probably the heart of it for her, too."

"Wow! What about the others!? Will Ging-nii be there?!" Wondered the Velen with elated excitement.

Shaking her head, Pyon laughed a bit. "As if, that guy's only ever moving for his own stuff. There's no way he'd ever show up, even if the Chairman ordered him to."

"I see..." Fi frowned a bit. "I haven't been able to get in touch with him in a while. I was really hoping I might see him..."

Holding in a sigh, Pyon motioned to him. "Well, once you're a Hunter too, who knows? If you work hard enough to distinguish yourself, that idiot might be the one seeking you out."

"I see! I'll have to work really hard then!" Fi decided with a bright smile.

Annabel had stayed quiet, listening. "Rin-chan, don't get ahead of yourself. We still have to get there and pass, right~?"

"Ah, yeah! I've got a good feeling about it, though!" Admitted Firyen. "Oh, Pyon-chan. Will it be rough? Is this exam gonna be really hard~?"

"Hard?" Pyon looked up in thought. "I guess so. Some of the stages this year will be pretty interesting to watch over. From my perspective, only one of them will be truly difficult. But I have my strengths and you've got yours."

"True, but if you say so, that one must be really crazy!" Firyen's tail went right back to wagging. "I can't wait~"

"Well, I guess I'll let you go for the time being." Pyon decided, blowing a kiss to him. "See you soon, Fi-kun~ Annabel."

Fi smiled as Ann smirked a bit, "Yeah, see you soon, Pyon-chan!"

He waved as she hung up, "Man, now I'm more pumped than ever! I wonder if I'll have the chance to spar with them again~"

Annabel looked up at him, "I don't quite know how to feel, knowing you've trained with Isaac Netero himself. Even I know all about that man's legends... In his prime, he was the most powerful Nen User in the Known World. Practically a god of warfare. The Elders of Meteor City told me that they were especially cautious where he was involved, because there was no chance of victory if he became their enemy."

Firyen smiled at her, "Uncle Isaac is really incredible! When he was younger, he was the first and only person to ever survive a battle with Grandpa Maha! I already had a good idea from the first time we'd met, but actually training with him put everything in perspective! Honestly, even compared to some of the ones from my home-"

"Your home...I've actually been wondering about that." Ann admitted, staring at him curiously. "What's your deal, Rin-chan? I always knew you were special, but I had no idea you were... Are you some kind of important big shot? Even as a Zoldyck, it's unbelievable that you would be in a position where you could be trained by some of the most powerful Nen Users out there."

"Ah..." Fi scratched at his cheek nervously. {That's right, I still haven't really told her about myself... What should I-}

"Oh, there you are." Cheria called out, walking over to them. "What were you two doing up here?"

Turning around quickly, Firyen ran over, licking her cheek a few times as his tail wagged. "We were just talking~ How did you sleep, Ria?"

"I...s-slept well..." The girl replied nervously, blushing brightly as she reached up to pat him on the head.

Annabel shrugged, turning to look at them. "While we were talking Rin-chan got called by a Zodiac. What's her name again?"

"It was Pyon-chan~" Firyen answered happily. "She and Cheadle-nee are gonna be Examiners, so we'll see them at the exam site!"

"Really?!" Cheria looked up at him in surprise. "That's going to be interesting~"

"Ah, what happened with that guy?" She wondered.

Firyen clung to her a bit, smiling. "I handed him over to Mr. Chang's people earlier, Zeno-sama also said that we should give our all, and that he's rooting for us~"

"We'll have to work really hard, then~" Cheria decided, smiling at him.

Annabel walked over to them, "Yeah, but how about we start with brunch? I'm starving here."

"Yeah, so am I." Fi admitted, smiling at her. "Let's go eat, then we can head over to Mr. Lochlain's place!"

"Ah, that would work, he really wants to meet you, Fi~" Cheria held his arm as they walked back inside.

"I want to meet him too~" Firyen noted.

Annabel pushed the two along from behind, "Right, right, let's get a move on then~"

"With less than 4 days until the Hunter Exam, the trio set out to meet the one who would bring them to the exam site. Little did they know, that the success of the voyage would end up being the first step in the test. Nor did they have any way of knowing, that the ones they would soon cross paths with would end up becoming integral parts of their future."

Subject: Re: Dreams in Action Wed 24 Apr 2019, 06:07

Fated encounters between individuals are often unexpected and unexplained but always unavoidable. When such an occurrence happens the individuals involved can either see it as a sign or just disregard the encounter. On the side of whimsy one usually pursues the unknown but on the side of caution most stick to what safe keeping to the norm.

I glance around the University Courtyard of a place unfamiliar to me, I’ve been to libraries and to some schools but this place was huge, I hope I don’t get lost. For this particular job I was able to fill in for a janitor that fell ill or so that was what he said, he was actually my client. My name is Wilhelm Owlin and I work for the Handyman’s guild and my client Arnold Kempe hired me for a collection job. It was on the urgent side for he thought the culprit was planning to skip town soon so even though I have to find a way to the Hunter’s Exam that will take place in six days a Handyman can never neglect his or her duty for at the Handyman’s Guild we don’t discriminate. Anyway having the janitor façade gives me a good chance to get to know the area, plus if I’m lucky I can maybe use the library to reference the Exam sight if only I knew this year’s clue.

Last week’s graduation was great and I shall be heading home soon to figure out what to do for the rest of my life now that I’m done with school. I’m Amelya Eidola 19 years’ old done with school and about to enter the real world, I should be excited but though I know I want to become a writer I have the life experience I need be a worthwhile one. Though I have had great adventure through reading others books but that would be plagiarism. I guess I’ll have one last reading in my favorite spot on campus before I head home tomorrow.

Amelya opened her book, started reading and soon she disappeared, if she was a bit more aware she may have noticed prying eyes upon her, another to graduate from her class, Stanley Upkiss. He has had his eye on her for a while he planned on heading to take the Hunter’s Exam but has a debt still to pay, he heard that the janitor Arnold Kempe hired a collector and if he is to get away he’ll use her to distract them. In Stanley’s time here at the University studying Nen for the Hunter’s exam and she is what is called a dormant user unaware that she uses nen to enter the books she reads. She is also an amateur writer and he has been using her to write his escape plan while teamed up in Creative Writing, tomorrow he’ll put his plan in action which is good cause the Collector was getting close.

Wilhelm has found his pray, Stanley Upkiss, watching him in the shadows spying on a book and backpack? No, looking closer he notices the book has a glow to it, {Is that Nen} Wil thinks {I’ve just recently learned of Nen though I’ve been using it for some time unaware. Somehow I am certain that that is Nen.} Stanley starts to head to his dorm. {Damn, I’ll have to deal with him tomorrow as a janitor that area is off limit. I guess I’ll keep an eye on the book and bag for now it could be his exit strategy.} With that notices that some sweeping needs to be done over by the book and bag {Handyman’s job is never done.} Wil heads there to fulfill his janitorial duty Emitting a broom. About an hour or so later Amelya returned, “That was amazingly well written” She exclaims. “Good book was it?” says a voice behind her, it somber and warm and made her feel as if she were wrapped in a quilt, then she realized that last she remembered she was alone. Amelya jumped up and turned, “Who are you and how long have you been there?” She asked panicked. “Sorry to scare you, I’m Wilhelm, janitor filling in for Arnold, I haven’t been here too long.” He lied. Wilhelm’s voice instantly calmed her causing that warming effect once more. “No, it was my fault for getting so absorbed in my book. Forgive me for my reaction, my name is Amelya, nice to meet you.” She says with a curtsy. {Why am I introducing myself to a strange janitor.}” No worries, I probably gave you quite the start just speaking out of the blue while you leave your meditative state.” {She must not realize she went into the book}” Well it is getting late, you should head to your dorm, goodnight.” Wil responds as he turns to walk away. “Yeah thanks, goodnight!” Amelya expresses as she jogs to her dorm as she feels he cheeks redden.

The next day Amelya woke with last night’s happening fresh in her mind {Why’d I have that warm feeling when he first spoke, is there a such a thing as love at first listen? No, it was most likely me coming down from the high the book gave me.} ”Well it’s time to leave this place and head home.” She says as she looks over her dorm one last time retrieving her suit case and leaves. Amelya heads to the bus stop on the side of the campus and sits to wait for the bus, while sitting there she notices someone coming her why recognizing them as a fellow student from her Creative Writing class, Stanley Upkiss. “Hey, I know you….. Amelya right, Amelya Eidola, you headed home after graduation too?” Stanley asked his voice had a coldness almost devious feel to it. {I’m probably just imagining things} “Yeah, not sure how I feel about it excited, nervous, or both.” Amelya response with a half-smile. “Both for me though to be honest I feel the timing is perfect that new janitor kind of freaks me out, I just get a weird vibe from him, he’s kind of like the bad guy from the short story we worked on in Creative Writing together.” Stanley exclaims, as he speaks that feeling nags at her but he somehow makes sense that bad guy did give people a warm feeling, right? “Do you happen to have that story? I believe you said the it was quote ‘this one’s good enough to make it in my book’ end quote. That way we can verify the bad guy” he confers doing air quotes when he said quote and end quote. “Your right!” Amelya replies as she excitedly grabs her book, as she does he brushes her hair which makes her cringe and quiver. “Look, he’s coming this way.” Stanley points out, as she looks up he slips something in the binding of Amelya’s book of stories.

Wilhelm was walking the campus grounds searching for Stanley when Nightshade spots the pray at the bus stop with Amelya. “I hope this doesn’t complicate things, they could just be a couple?” He decides though in truth he feel it an exit plan. Once Wilhelm spots them he emits an ancestor to take over his janitorial duties for a good Handyman doesn’t neglect their job then Stanley motions his way as Amelya glances his way Stanley slip something with nen into her book’s binding then the world started spinning and once it stopped well, “We’re not in Kansas anymore Nightshade.” Wilhelm exclaimed though their connection seemed severed.

The area’s scenery has completely changed from busy University courtyard to medieval castle courtyard yet all the people who were there then are here now, almost like a cast on a movie did a costume and scene change, Wilhelm now in black Villain attire. “So I guess this makes me the villain, just great.” Aside from the scenery and costume change not much else changed thought it seemed everyone on campus got pulled here yet Nightshade and the ancestor weren’t, they were still somewhere because we didn’t become one. {This area must cut off nen for those within it} Wilhelm thought so he just made his way over to Stanley and Amelya. Stanley spoke first “At a bit of a loss are we let me catch you up. Amelya here is what is called a Nen genius but I identified her ability and with my own ability I amplified hers’ to pull you here, granite I miscalculated her strength making me stuck here as well and unable to use my Nen.” A smug smile on his face. “Wait what do you mean genius, Nen was it?” Amelya questions. “Yes, you’re a Nen genius meaning you use Nen unaware for example this place was made by you or more you expanded it from you book and now everyone is trapped here till you release them but not being aware of how you did so the only other way to free them would be to finishing the story.” Stanley explains. Amelya takes it all is surprisingly able to follow it come to the conclusion knowing what she has to do and her shoulders slump. “Oh my, did you just put the pieces together well you were top in our class, the big question is can you do it to free everyone? What scars will it leave?” Stanley chuckles. “I know one thing, from the look of my attire I’m the Villain which is perfect because I’m here to collect a debt from you so pay up so things don’t get messes.” Wilhelm proclaims with a glint in his eye {I felt that glint, this girl pays quite the attention to detail} “Embracing the Villain persona I see that might make it easier for Amelya being the hero!” Stanley says as he laughs. Understanding the que and seeing her hesitation Wilhelm then acts unsheathing his dagger part of his ensemble and holds it to Stanley’s throat. “Your debt or your life!” Wil shouts, Stanley taken aback fear in his eyes. With that Amelya reacts on instinct with a steeled gaze that all heroes have toward bad guys, drawing her sword and sticking it through Wilhelm’s back piecing is heart. Stanley smiles as Amelya’s mind catches up with her actions, her eyes go from steeled to panicked s she releases the sword hilt tears welling up in her eyes. {I just killed someone!} Wilhelm pulls out the blade which speeds up the blood loss as he turns to Amelya smiling with warm eye “You’re a great Hero, Amelya, hope I did alright as a Villain.” Wilhelm says falling in front of her as the life leaves his eyes and the tears fall from hers, the world returning to normal.

As soon as Stanley is freed from the book realm he runs glad for the costume change because he might have shat himself. {I would have never thought the janitor would react like he did, was the story taking effect on the him? No, because Amelya and I were not though we did write the story? No, that doesn’t make since, I remember the hesitation Amelya was having, did the janitor see the laps in her resolve so he purposely took the role to the extreme, so Amelya would react on instinct or storyline. Doesn’t matter the janitor is dead and he was able to get away without paying his debt}.

Amelya’s world returned to normal but the gruesome scene remains {I killed Wilhelm, he was just doing his job but because of me he is dead, he seemed like such a nice guy} she thinks as tears pour from her eye, she leans forward a kisses him on the forehead. Suddenly a burst of energy erupts from Wilhelm exuding a strong feeling of anger, his eyes open as he is turn to an owl man stands up stretches out his arms and takes flight toward Stanley. “My Kiss Brought Him Back to Life!” Amelya decides the tear finally stopping wander in her eye.

Everything goes dark for Wilhelm as the world returns to normal he starts becoming cold the warmth leaving him, his life is waning. Nightshade spots him rage filling her due to his condition. She dive-bombs Wilhelm noticing the woman who one of the ones responsible for stealing him from her having the gal to kiss his forehead adding to her anger. Nightshade collides with Wilhelm becoming one with him, the fusion puts Wilhelm in hybrid owl form busting his healing yanking him from deaths grasp. Wilhelm gets up his Ren going crazy exuding anger, he stretches his arms and takes flight using Gyo to locate Stanley shooting toward him pouncing cawing in his face as Wilhelm returns to human form Nightshade on his shoulder, “Now time to pay your debt! Twenty Jenny, please!” he says eyes a blaze. Stanley hands him the Jenny now in need of some fresh pants, Wilhelm takes it his face back to the cheery calm and exclaims, “All is well now no hard feelings I hope.” Right then the phone on his hip lights up projecting the top half of a young female in a pale blue wearing a dark tank top. She gives him a hug, which also scans vitals as well as short term memory, “I thought we might have lost you, just disappear then reappear on deaths door step, and Nightshade” she sees the anger in Nightshade’s eyes changing her response “good job bringing him back he’d be lost without us.” She exclaims. “Omen, get dressed others can see you.” Wilhelm proclaims motioning toward Stanley “Pervert!” Omen shouts grabbing the GameCube and whacking Stanley in the head knocking him out. “Oh by the way I have another job for you at Port Baroux one for your particular talents.” Omen explains as the projection returns to the phone. Wilhelm grabs the phone putting it to his ear, “Thanks, wish I could have gotten a clue to where the hunter exam is being held but whatever time to finish my job and head to the next.” As Wilhelm turned Amelya ran toward him.

Amelya sat there at a loss for an unknown amount of time sorting through everything that just happened. When she finally snapped out of it she noticed a scrap of paper on the ground, she grabbed it and saw it read 'upon a drifting land in the central current the Hunters exam will commence.' Thinking it may have some significance she pockets it and decides to follow Wilhelm, when he gets in view Amelya is confronted with a strange scene, the top half of a girl was hugging him and assaulted Stanley, which he deserved, then she returned to the phone. Amelya approaches Wil as he puts the phone the girl came out of to his ear overhearing the end of the conversation perking when she heard mention of the Hunter exam and then Wilhelm turn and met her eyes causing her to blush.

Amelya explained that she overheard the conversation he had with ghost girl who Wil told was a friend of his not a ghost. She noticed Nightshade for the first time so Wil told her she must have awakened her Nen abilities raising several more questions which Wil answered to the best of his ability as they made their way to Albert Kempe’s room on campus. Kempe answered “Mr. Kempe I have your Twenty Jenny.” Wil says. “thank you, I hope it wasn’t too much trouble, what do I owe you?” Albert asks as Amelya and Wil exchange a glance at the ‘too much trouble comment’, Wil answering “That’ll be two Jenny” Amelya’s eyes widening knowing what he went through Albert pays and closes his door. “Well Amelya my dear, this is where part ways best of luck to you.” Wil entails, “I want to go with you, I mean I brought you back to life with a kiss, there is so much I don’t know about Nen and my abilities you could teach me as we travel.”
Amelya exasperates. “Wait hold on there, first, I’m what is called a Lycanthrope, to be specific I’m a wereowl and when it seemed I was brought back Nightshade here [he points a thumb to Nightshade on his shoulder] merged with me to accelerate my healing by putting me in hybrid form, which I can only do briefly unless there is a full moon. Second, I just know a limited amount about Nen which a majority of I already told you so I wouldn’t be a good teacher. Third, being around me is dangerous, as you know I almost got killed over twenty Jenny, my luck is horrible and I don’t want it rubbing to you.” Wilhelm laid it out. “I don’t care, from what you told me earlier you’re the reason my Nen has awoken so you need to take responsibility for what you’ve done and I have the clue you need to get to the Hunters exam and won’t give it to you unless you give me your word that you’ll take me with you.” Amelya declares turning her back to him so he won’t see her tears. With a sigh and a quick conversation with Nightshade, Wilhelm answers “Fine if you get the okay from your parents whom I’m sure were looking forward to seeing you I’ll take you with me. From what Stanley said in your book realm you’re pretty intelligent and I have had no schooling, first we’ll have to head to Port Broux I have a job there, best hurry we only have five days left till the deadline to be at the exam sight.” Amelya turns around and hugs him “Thank you, I won’t let you down.” Then she calls her parent get the ok and they head off to Port Broux.

As our duo in Port Broux quite the unfolds.

The streets were full of people apparently someone massacred all the bodyguards of a senator that night the exact senator that Wilhelm is supposed to help transfer. “Alright now that we’re here you remember the plan?” Wilhelm ask Amelya. “Yes, I find transport to the island while you do your job but are you sure you don’t want me to come along?” she pouts. “the client is the one who ‘s bodyguards were Massacred! I doubt they were able clean up yet do you think you can handle the scene?” Wil emphasized “Good point, call me when you’re out and I’ll give you an update” she says with a wave as she heads to her destination. “Glad you know where you’re going this Port is all new to me and all these people are disorienting” Wil murmurs to himself as he walks by an exit to a hotel with three people leaving. He wasn’t paying attention and runs in to fiery red hair female who wasn’t happy in the least about it, “You better watch it Four-eyes or I’ll knock your lights out!” She exclaims. “I am very sorry I wasn’t paying attention and am not use to these surrounding.” Wil deflects seeing the rage still in her eyes though it is not directed toward him, he flicks an emitted coin with calm imbued in it which she catches. “Please calm thyself and we can both be on our ways.” Wil steps around her noticing a wild smell from her dog eared companion. The red head suddenly felt calm after catching the coin, “Very well I’ll let you slide this time” she exclaims as Wil passes them walking out of sight as the coin vanishes and her anger returns. “What the….” Is all she can muster as her companions urge her to continue.

With the help of Nightshade Wil soon finds the building the senator was in and enters, looking around the gruesome scene was unnerving but he wasn’t to fazed after what he saw coming into this world, though he was glad Amelya didn’t come. Making his way to the panic room Wil went to the senator who was in shambles {what should I grant him bravery or courage, courage I think will be the safest route} he slips something into the senator’s pocket that gave the senator the courage to leave the panic room and get to a car, Amelya was at the car waiting t Wil’s surprise “Nightshade lead me here as for the info a boat is leaving today for the island.” She explains. “no good, I have to stay with the senator tell we get him home but if you….” Wil started. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy we’ll just have to figure out a new plan when we get there.” She replies and they get in the car and head to the next town. As they get close Amelya does a search on her phone finding a random link that mention transport to the exam site via zeppelin so after they get to the senator home they make their way to the zeppelin’s location.

With their destination on their minds they begin to wander what’s in store for them. Little do they know that the next step is the true beginning of the Hunter’s Exam.

Subject: Re: Dreams in Action Mon 26 Aug 2019, 07:51

We now turn our gaze to yet another Handyman in his marathon of jobs before he too enters the Hunter exam.

Roharu Desesrt

A frigid white orb of En crawls across the surface of near molten sand. Protecting a man covered in grocery satchels from the deadly heat that pounds against it.

Beads of sweat roll down his face as he silently counts the seconds trying to push his limits as far as they will go. And with the time it would take to snap his En breaks forcing him to coat the satchels in Shu.

He acknowledges the failure with a short sigh before returning his focus back to the Job’s at hand. A smile creasing his lips as he breaks into a sprint upon the sand, his penalty round for failing already decided the second before his En collapsed.

It isn’t long before her reaches the clients house, giving the door a quick Rap-a-tap-tap. In less than a minute the door is opened by the stunning Mrs. Mizzy. A gorgeous singer that has long since retired from the spotlight.

She greets him with her grocery melody that helps to guide him to her underground pantry. She goes from melody to cadence as Ryu moves about placing the groceries on their respective shelves.

Mizzy then hands him a cup of tea and motions for him to join her upstairs, never one to upset a customer he makes his way up and joins her at the table she has set.

“How are the rest of my Musketeers Kiryuu,”? she asked fondly

“Well Wilhelm is still as much a trouble magnet as he was before, he’s just got better at turning it back around. And Amine(Omen) is still Amine”. He replies with a smile before taking a good long swig of his glass of winter tea.

“Seems like just yesterday that you all left to chase your dreams” she says as her eyes becoming glossy as tears of happiness formed along the edges.

“We wouldn’t have been able to make the Handyman guild without you Mizzy” he replies with a warm and comforting tone.

The conversation lasts as long as the cup of tea, and then it is back out to the desert for Ryu. Where he makes the long trek back to the nearest village all to get a bus pass and be on his way to the next job.

Early the next day he arrives at the bus stop and with the assistance of one of Omen’s hatsu he has his trusty old bike to take him to the home of Edgar Bullion. He knocks the jingle for the Handyman and is greeted by the dashing Mr. Edgar.

“Nice to meet you mister Handyman, my name is Edgar” he states cordially

“No needs for titles Edgar, names Ryoba. Now how can the Handyman guild help you today”? chimes Ryu

At this Edgar’s cheeks flush red as he looks a little worried before replying “Let’s continue this conversation inside please” he answers as he motions for Ryu to enter the house. He leads him to the living room where both sit on opposing couches.

With a face as red as a balloon Edgar states his request “I am a fan of a particular author, who has a very specific genre that she writes about. Normally I would just get the book myself but she is unveiling her new book at an all-girl academy in town”.

“You’ll be wanting a signed copy right”? asks Ryu completely unfazed by his request.

“Yes please” he answers with a bow

“Ok, well I better be off then”. Continues Ryu giving a bow the Edgar before leaving the estate.

“Omen” Ryu states to the open air causing a hologram like version of her to appear coming from his wrist device.

“Is there a problem with the request Ryoba”? she replies trying to stifle her chuckle.

“Well I would be lying if I didn’t tell you to ready some bail money *Chuckles* I do however need something from your end. You know that black duffel bag that we use to prop up the couch I need it”. He answers

“O---Kay” she answers before tossing him the bag. ‘What exactly is in it”?

“Wouldn’t you like to know” Ryu says with a smile before emitting ice over his wrist device blocking her connection to him. “Sorry O, you don’t get tickets to this show”.

He cycles until he finds a hotel near the all-girl academy and rents a room for only 2 hours. Where he gets to work on the transformation for the job, it doesn’t take the full 2 hours but disguises can’t be rushed.

Female Ryu then makes her way to the school library where she finds the author is completely surrounded by women and students alike.