The trap-laden road of the snow forest nearly buried Derrick and Bradford under a pile of blackened snow as they dashed their ways to nearest cave to escape the icy wrath of a snowstorm.

Once they reached the cave they attempt to find some rest but are quickly interrupted by a host of territorial creatures in the cave which quickly drove them back out into the snowy hell raging outside.

With feelings of desperation and despair, Bradford and Derrick attempt to find some path within the hellish storm. As they began slowly freezing to death, animals took advantage of the snowstorm to attack them in their vulnerable state.

Bradford throws himself to the ravenous beasts to take their attacks in place of Derrick. Derrick attempts to aid him only to be driven away by him as Bradford promises to survive the attack on his own and that he should save himself first.

Trusting in his new friend's words, Derrick dashes away, blinded and damp-eyed through the snowstorm, in search of some means to save himself from immediate death, only to quickly fail when the freezing winds begin to chill their way through his skin and freeze his heart.

but before he turns into a human Popsicle. a long-lost friend finds him before hypothermia claims him.

While he was in his death-like sleep , Derrick enters into the void of black once again and converses with the strange being who calls itself Genesis, it informs Derrick of new facts about himself, his family lineage, the world he lives in and an enemy he must fight within it.

Genesis watches along with a grinning voyeur as Derrick returns the normal world to continue the Hunter Exam.

And so the adventure continues...!

Nice to see you back QM
Question
which hunter exam is this?

>>2448132
That will be talked about in this very thread. Just give me a minute to post some more.

>>2448132
I think in one of the first few threads he said it wss 292 which is 5 years afters Gon's. But it was really early on so I'm not sure if it's been retconned. I'll try to find it to confirm

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A dull light cracks between your eyelids as the soft yet sturdy feel of a spring couch holds your body steady from beneath you. The snug feeling of being wrapped with a thick set of wool sheets keeping your body warm and comfortable makes it hard for you not to go right back to bed, but you've slept enough now.

You open your eyes slowly, allowing them to adapt to the new lighting as you examine your surroundings.

The first thing you notice is that you have a roof over your head, that's something you feel like you haven't seen for weeks now, even though it's only been 2 days.

Recognizing this makes you slightly worried, as the last thing you remember was being knee-deep in snow and freezing your way through a snowstorm in the middle of a forest.

You wonder for a moment if the examiners have come to pick you up and tell you that you failed the exam. Wouldn't be surprising, your badge has a tracker after all, it really sucks to fail, but at least you get to live and try aga-

"No. The examiners wouldn't waste their time retrieving your body, especially not after it had been buried under several pounds of snow, far too much effort for someone like you. They would have just replicated the number on your badge and sent it to your family." A voice that's so cold yet sweet that you couldn't possibly forget it, belittles you from the distance.

You turn your head and see a face you missed more than you'd like to admit standing over you with two coffee cups in her hand.

"Finally, you're awake. Here, sit up and drink." She hands you one of the steaming hot cups as you pull yourself from the thick sheets and sit on the edge of the couch.

"What's this?" you ask tiredly.

"Decaffeinated coffee. It will taste terrible, but you need drink something hot to warm yourself up again." She answers.

"This is the best you could make on short notice?" You stare at the decaffeinated mug of black, unsweetened coffee with disgust and reluctance.

"If you really don't want it, then go ahead and toss it out the window. I'll listen your complaints while you freeze to death." She states, colder than the snowy winds outside as she takes a long sip of her cup, completely unfazed by the awful taste.

>>2448146
No need to check, in fact I'd rather you not mention my first run.

Just thinking back to the early days is enough to make me wanna sit down and contemplate suicide via large baseball bat.

Rea then walks over to the other side of the room and grabs an oil lamp which lights up the area. She brings it back over as she takes a seat next to you with the lamp nearby on the floor.

Rea stares into flickering light of the oil lamp with a bored face, you find yourself enraptured just staring at her apathetic face as it feels almost dream-like to finally have your lost friend so close to you and not trying to interrogate or stab you.

You simply can't tear your eyes off her, mainly because a number of questions that need answering start to build in your head.

Her outfit is a bit interesting too, instead of her typical business suit, she's wearing a midnight black snow jacket with thick hairs lining the hood. Her rough snow boots give off a rough militaristic design as the extra thick soles at the bottom make her every step sound like a stomp. The tight snow pants she wears show off her muscular yet feminine legs.

As cute as the outfit is, the fact that she has it on is quite terrifying. As it shows two things, first, she had enough insight and preparation to bring her own personal snow gear for an exam that was impossible to learn about in advance without some strong intuitive foresight.

And secondly, the colors and design of the outfit indicate that she chose an outfit suited for sneaking and fighting in the dark. Choosing such an outfit indicate a very assassin-like attitude towards fashion.

Unconsciously, your grip tightens around your cup as you decide to look away before she catches you staring and ask a very pressing question on your mind, "...How long was I out?" you ask.

"8 hours. Your heart stopped at one point, so I was worried you might have been a lost cause, which would be quite saddening, as we wouldn't get the chance to properly talk again."She explains.

"But first aid proved to be enough to revive you." She takes another long sip of coffee.

Your eyes widen for a moment before continuing, "8 hours? Hot damn. That's more sleep then I get on a day off back at the bar." you say as you rub your eyes.

Maxwell loved his early morning jogs and loved dragging you out of bed to join him just as much.

You asked him why he so insistent on jogging several miles every morning when all he does is stand around in a bar all day.

That's when he told you, "Jogging gives you the three most important things in living: 1. A good heart, 2. A healthy mind, 3. Strong legs." He started.

"You need strong legs so you can stand up every time you get knocked down, cuz the real test of life isn't how many times you push against adversity and stay standing, but how many times adversity pushes against you and you stand up to start pushing back."

"You need a healthy mind, so you look at the darker things in life without becoming a darker person yourself. Some things in life convince you the world is nothing but sadness and misery, but only a dumbass thinks the world is simple enough to be all gloom and doom and nothing good could ever get through. Of course things are gonna be dark all the damn time if you ignore all the light everywhere else." He continued.

"And the last one is obvious, you need a good heart to outlive the darkness and challenge to find the happiness right behind it all. That's why you can't ever stop running strong, thinking healthy and living happy Derrick. Do all that and you're bound to do something great with your life." he finished.

You told him about all the running was ruining your heart, mind and legs and that his words didn't make running every morning any less of a pain.

But even so, those words resonated with you, and you tried to live your life by them. Haven't found happiness yet, but he was damn right about that outliving part, can't even count the number of times that philosophy has saved your ass.

Not this time though, the one who did that was this cold lady sitting quietly next to you, "Sorry you had to watch me for 8 hours straight. Must have been stressful checking my pulse every 30 minutes to see if I dropped or not." you apologize.

"It's not a problem, if anything, you could have slept a little longer. You have a pleasant face, so you're actually quite likable when you don't speak." She compliments.

You feel a tinge of embarrassment from that, "Well sorry to ruin your view, but this creak in my neck tells me if I slept any longer my head would have fallen off. Besides, we both know we have somewhere to be right now. We can't sit around here for too long." You state.

"You're right. We have to continue the Hunter Exam, but you act as if you're in such a rush, there's still another week and a half of time remaining before the deadline. We've only just reunited and yet you're so eager to escape our reunion? I didn't realize you hated talking to me so much." She says

That statement illicits a small panic from you, "What? That ain't it at all. I was just reminding you we can't sit around and talk for too long. I've been dying to talk you again." you confess.

"Is that so? You've been just dying to see me again? Well you did nearly die several times to be able to reach this point, so that isn't a lie. But it Just shows how useless you are without me." she responds.

That response gets on your nerves a little, "Now don't get a big head, don't know where the hell you've been. But I've been getting by just fine without you covering my ass." you argue.

"Really? As I see it, dying of hypothermia in the middle of a forest and inconveniencing me by having to go out my way to drag your half-frozen body back to this cabin is only something a helpless idiot would do." She counters.

"...I won't deny that. But last I checked, you made this 'helpless idiot' your bodyguard. How have you been doing without me there to save your behind?" you question.

"Clearly better than you. I've made it through you this entire exam without receiving so much as a scratch. Probably because I haven't been purposely choosing the most dangerous options whenever I've had a chance to risk my life. How has that been working for you by the way?" She states.

"..." you attempt to come up with a counter argument, but fail when you realize you've been asking yourself the same question for a good while now.

She sighs, her breath visible from condensation as she speaks, "You may have good physical strength and a somewhat good head on your shoulders, but it's clear you start using them after you've gotten yourself in trouble. The fact you've so far without me is nothing short of a miracle." she states.

"I know I screwed up. But you don't gotta be that harsh...!" You sulk.

"Don't call me harsh, I'm only being honest. Maybe if you were of less of a suicidal idiot, then hearing the truth wouldn't be so harsh." She scolds.

You can't count the number of times you called Bradford that and now you're the one getting knocked off as a dumbass.

It feels terrible to be called out for all the dumb things you did, but at the same time, you can't help but feel happy when Rea is the one scolding you.

>>2448132
I'm curious anon Twitter says I'm the only follower so how did you know when this quest was starting. It's hurting my brain

>>2448155
I think everyone feels that way

>>2448176
Derrick's heart stop count = 2

So instead of getting angry, you begin laughing, "Hahahahahahahahahaha!" you can't help but let a happy laugh escape from your throat.

"What are you laughing for? Does being called an idiot excite you? Are you the kind of person who enjoys being hurt and insulted? It would explain many of your choices, so I wouldn't even be surprised." She questions.

"What? Nah, nah. That ain't it. I just can't help but laugh my ass off hearing you make fun of me again." you explain.

"Why is that funny?" she asks.

"Because I missed hearing you be a smartass and having you bust my balls over everything. I was half-worried you were gonna stab me again or get all awkward with me after what happened, so it's funny to have you worried about me!" you exclaim happily

Her eyes suddenly narrow and give you a scrutinizing look, "I attempted to stab you?" she questions.

Her question confuses you a little, "Yeah. Don't you remember? It was before and during the train ride. You tried to stab so much back there that I was beginning to think you might have actually wanted to kill me. But considering you saved me, there's no that's true right?" you ask.

"Back during the train ride...?" She trails off as she attempts to think about something.

"What is it? Do you not remember?"

Rea look of confusion, turns into a face of surprised realization as she starts looking around the room, "What's wrong? You feeling guilty about attacking me? No need to worry I-"

Rea suddenly gets up and heads into a dark corner of the room as she grabs something and comes back over to the seat, she places the object on the table and reveals it to be your journal, which you were keeping in your pocket before you fainted, as well as a pen.

She begins writing something down, "What? The hell are you doing?" you question.

"Don't tell me your eyes have frozen over along with your brain Derrick. I'm making more coffee" She states causally.

"What? But-"

You start, but before you continue speaking, she finishes writing in your journal and presents the book to your face, "Play along. I'm trying to tell you something. Just move with the conversation while I write."

You're baffled for a second, but recover quickly enough to play along, "But- you know I can't take another cup of that mud water. Just make another cup for yourself."

"Don't be a child, if you don't drink something hot, you'll get hypothermia again. And I'm not in the mood to save you twice." She counters as she continues writing in the journal.

You look down into the book to see, "Can you describe what your attacker looked like?Did she have any distinct physical traits different to mine, any behavioral traits that seemed off? Answer by writing in the journal." she questions as she hands the pen off to you.

Despite your worry and confusion, you comply with her command and speak while you write, "Colder than the icicles hanging off the roof and with a tongue just as sharp. You never fail to disappoint, do ya?"

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>>2448201
Let's just say I have no social life

>>2448219
Fair enough

" you were quieter, shifty-eyed, hostile and ruthlessly cold, more so than usual . I kinda just thought you were going under deep cover or something, why are you making me do this?". you scribble back.

"Well you always succeed at disappointing me. So how about you be quiet for a moment and drink the your coffee."

"We can't talk out loudthey are listening. I'll explain more later, for now, continue describing the woman who attacked you, Was there anything else of note? Did her eye color seem different? What did her face look like? What kind of clothes was she wearing?" she inquires.

"Who the hell are 'they'? You can't pull this kind of shit and not answer my questions." you write back as you slowly drink your gritty, awful coffee.

She grabs the pen from your hand and writes with a hint of impatience and anger, "Just answer my question."

Her small show of emotion was enough to start setting red flags off in your head, you drop your curiosity and answer her questions,"No, your eyes, suit, and face were exactly the same as I see them now. The way you're talking about this makes it seem like you're talking about someone else."

"Because I am talking about someone else. Derrick, That person you who attacked you back then wasn't me." She answers

It takes you a second to process the information presented before you, "...Huh?" you blurt out without thinking.

"What is it Derrick? Did you hear something?" Rea asks to keep the conversation seeming natural.

"N-No, I just realized you've gone a whole 5 minutes without riding my back. I was just worried you might have started dying or something." you state.

"What are you saying? What do you mean by 'not me'? That makes no sense. You have the same face, voice, outfit, eye-color. Hell, the only real difference I could spot back then was the fact you had red hair." you argue.

"The only thing killing me is the fact that you thought that was a good joke. If you were to say that to the wrong person, you may find yourself short an ally."

"Even so, that wasn't me. And before you ask, she wasn't my twin, or my mother, or my doppelganger either. In fact, it would probably more clear to say I'm a doppelganger of her" She counters.

"Who said it was a joke? And I'd never work with someone so thin-skinned that they couldn't handle a little banter."

"What the hell does that mean? Doppelganger? So like a clone? wait a minute, you're not seriously saying she's your clone or something, right?" you write, hoping this is just one of Rea's terrible jokes.

"There's a distinct difference between good banter and trying to get on someone's nerves."

"Well, clone wouldn't be too far off I suppose, but saying she's a clone of me per say would be incorrect and vain. Both things I hate being." She answers.

"And what's that? One's funny and the other's annoying?"

"Okay, you've lost me outright now. So she's not a clone, but something close to a clone? Not only is that confusing, it's downright stupid."

"No, one requires skill and social appeal. The other takes stupidity and a lack of social awareness. I'd recommend you quiet down and think about which of these qualities you're exhibiting right now before I have to explain it to you."

"It must seem that way because I lack the ability to properly discuss what's really happening and who you need to truly be cautious of. Even if it seems stupid, surely the my doppelganger did something to you that I would never do."

"Well, excuse me." You conclude the false conversation as you start putting full focus on writing in the journal.

"Well, you did kiss me in front of a crowd back then. That was out of nowhere and very out of character for you." you answer

"She did what?" she writes with unusually fast hands.

"When I had just seen you again, you acted like you didn't know me and kept asking me weird questions, so I thought you wanted me to act like we didn't know each other. So I decided to get you to chase me away by acting like a shitty pick-artist. That's when you grabbed me by the back of the head and basically tongue-raped me in front a whole crowd." you explain.

"I-Is that so." Her face doesn't show it, but the jumpiness of her hand as she writes tells you she's physically dying of embarrassment on the inside.

"You don't remember? You really aren't joking than" you ask.

"As I informed you, that wasn't me. So it doesn't mean anything. And no, I held no knowledge of this event." Her hand moves steadily but the speed at which writes that answer makes you feel a great sense of self-satisfaction in getting under her skin.

But self-gratification aside "But then...what does that mean? Who the hell was that woman? You know who she is right? The way you described seems like you've got history."

You hand her back the pen, but her writing hand hesitates as she begins to stare off into her half-finished cup of coffee. The black puddle of coffee beans looks akin to a never-ending abyss in the dim light.

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"Yes. I do know who she is." She finally answers.

"However, you won't believe me even if I explained it to you. It's a truth so inane and fictional-sounding that I barely believe and I lived through it." She states.

"Try me. I've been through some pretty stupid stuff until now, I've learned to stomach it now." you counter.

"Your brazen confidence is admirable, I'm sure it's gotten you through many deadly situations alive." She compliments

"But brazen confidence is a double-edged sword, it removes your hesitation, but makes you incapable of recognizing when you're out of your depth." She counters

"Is that a threat?" you question.

"It's awarning. We've only just found each other again, so I'm sure you have many questions to ask me, how about we answer those first? Besides, it seems unnatural to have awkward silence for this long" She asks, Blatantly changing the subject.

Your eyes narrow in suspicion. That happens a lot whenever you're with Rea, but that's probably because Rea herself is simply far too suspicious, even when she's returned to you, a pronounced ally, you still can't tell whether you completely trust her or not.

But maybe you can l learn whether she's trustworthy or not by asking the right questions. You will ask her about that doppelganger thing, but since you want to ease her into that one and you're stuck in this cabin anyway, might as well make use of your time before you get to the real question.

What will you ask?

>Where are we?

>Where have you been until now?

>How did you find me?

>What were you doing before you met up with me?

>What happened in Barry's town?

>Why can't we talk normally?

[Ask any two questions]

>>2448276
>What were you doing before you met up with me?
>What happened in Barry's town?
Probably the most important ones

>>2448276
>What happened in Barry's town?
>Where have you been until now?
voting for these two

>>2448283
>>2448287

>What happened in Barry's town

Wins the first question. And to save time, might as well combine the last two.

>Where have you been and what have you been doing?

>Writing.

"So where have you been till now? What have you been doing?" you ask.

"You make it sound like I've been somewhere far away all this time. After we split up, I decided to press ahead and continue to the exam without you." She answers.

"So you've been on the same path I have? You were on the train? And you were there in Turnabolt?" you ask.

"Yes I was, my badge number is right here." She takes her badge from her coat pocket and shows it to you, number 436.

"But where have you been? How did I never manage to find you?"

"Hiding in a crowd and staying out of sight happen to specialties of mine. You never found me because I never wanted to be found." She confesses.

"Does that mean you've been avoiding me?" you ask.

She grabs the journal again and begins writing as she speaks,"Not avoiding you per say, I was avoiding all the attention you getting as it made you a known face to all the other contestants. Something I wanted to avoid."

"That and I've been avoiding the person who attacked you. If she were to find me, you would never see me or anyone associated with me ever again. That includes yourself."

"M-Makes sense, I've been trying to lose some of the attention myself." You stutter slightly upon reading the ominous answer in the book.

"Really, I'm beginning to think you enjoy being in the spotlight. The star of the show." she presumes.

"Not when that show's a horror movie, you wouldn't believe the stuff I've been through since you left." you counter.

"That's where you're wrong. I've learned during my short time with you that anything's possible, especially stupid and dangerous things. You don't need to tell me everything that happened though." She states.

"Huh? Why? Have you been following me this whole time?" you ask.

"No, it's just that your adventures have been shared and exaggerated by every contestant in the exam, things like Did you hear about that blonde haired guy who fought four guys on a train and kicked all their asses? and I heard he completely wrecked one of the train cars in a blind rage. Sheldon was bawling his eyes out about it. one even said there was this blonde dude who was carried by a maid to the train after he fought a giant monster. That blondie is an absolute madman!" She paraphrases.

A veins pops up on your forehead, "Do you remember those guys faces. I need to now who they are so I can show them what a real madman looks like." you ask.

"I was only listening in on their conversation, I didn't look at their faces." She answers.

>>2448422
The legend of "loud blondie" spreads

You suppress your rage for a moment as another, more important questions pops into you, "Well If I don't have to get you up to speed. How about you do it for me?" you ask.

"hm?" Rea hums.

"What happened back in Barry's town?" you ask.

That question gets Rea quiet down for a moment and think. After a moment of deep thought, she grabs the book and speaks, "I escaped after I handled the rest of the gang. I hoped you would follow after, but you seemed too busy with your own fight."

"I assume you saw the state of the bodies that were left behind. That must have been shocking sight to say the least, but unfortunately, I can't tell you yet. Not here, not now." she explains with the journal.

"Well yeah, I was in the middle of fighting that walking tank with a shotgun. I barely made out that fight alive, it's good to know you handled things on your end." you state as you grab the book.

"Why can't you tell me? Does it have something to do with your doppelganger? And what the hell did you do to those guys, they looked like they got squashed by a meat hammer after being run over by a bulldozer." you describe.

"I'm glad to see you were capable of handling military veteran, as I thought, you combat prowess is only good trait." she compliments while taking the book back.

"Yes, it does have something to do with her and why I'm hiding from her. But I can't tell you because it would take impossible to describe everything while we're being monitored and because you wouldn't understand until after you've passed this Exam. For now, It's best you save both those questions till then" She explains.

"The hell do you mean by my 'only' good trait. I have other talents besides swinging my fist you know. I can give one hell of a speech."

"Why after the Exams? And who's monitoring us?" you ask.

"That's good, because you're going need to need master level public speaking skills to dispel the rumors about you. If that's even possible anymore."

" After the exam, we will be free to go where ever we want. That's when I'll show you the Truth. As for who's monitoring us, that's a question you've already answered. You just need to think a little, what could be used to keep track of where we are what we're doing?" she leads.

"You're damn right. How did things even get this bad? Those rumor spreading bastards have painted me out to be some kind of loud, violent, womanizing psychopath." You say as you think it over and quickly figure it out.

"You mean my badge? Are you saying there's an audio device in this thing?" you questions.

"Exactly what part of that description isn't true?"

"How else do you suppose they'd know when you're in danger and in need of help? That's why we can't say any of this out loud"

"You really know how to get on my nerves, don't you?" you ask.

"But so what? Why does it matter if the Hunter organization is listening? you question.

"I'm not trying to, you simply can't handle the banter is all." she counters.

"Because we can't trust the Hunter Organisation." she states.

"Man, I really did miss you, you know that?" you say, half-sarcastically.

Can't trust them? Why? What's the Hunter Organization done to you?

"I could say the same to you." she responds.

"Tell me Derrick. How much research did you put into the Hunter Organization itself? What exactly do you know about them?" she asks.

"I did a quick read through of their website and I heard of a lot of the stuff they've done. But I never thought to really dig deep on their background, I was focused on researching so I could pass it. Aren't they just a bunch of researchers and fighters anyway?" you write back.

"That's not surprising. That would be any normal person's appraisal of them, it's not wrong either. But the Hunter Organisation has changed significantly in the last 20 years. It's changed in a way that has made them more malicious than helpful." She explains.

"Malicious? Malicious how, are they corrupt or something" you question.

"In a way. It would easier to explain with words, I won't get in trouble if I explain this to you verbally, so just ask another question and I'll lead the conversation to explaining that." She writes.

What will you ask?

>Where are we?

>How did you find me?

>What are you doing in this forest?

I'm going to take a quick break to cook and eat something while this vote goes through. I'll be back in an hour, maybe a little longer.

>>2448599
>How did you find me?
>What are you doing in this forest?

>>2448611
Supporting

Done eating.

>Writing.

"What are you doing in this forest? And how did you find me in the middle of that snowstorm?"you ask.

"That's a very good question, as I didn't originally want to be in this forest in the first place." she answers.

"Really? Did you want to go through the caverns then? Or the mountain path?" you question.

"No. I wanted to follow the train tracks down to the bottom. But then I saw you go down the most dangerous path on the list so I decided to follow you and meet up." she answers.

"What, why would you want to go down the train tracks? That wasn't one of the listed options. There's no map for that path." you counter.

"So what? Those maps are useless anyway." she states.

"Huh?" you blurt out.

"Tell me Derrick. For what reason did you choose this path? Because it was the fastest way down? Well that's not true, the fastest way down would have been following those extravagant twins down the tracks and walking your way to the end goal." She explains.

"But they told me that this was the fastest route down. Why else would I have chosen to suffer through all this crap!" you exclaim.

"Because you're an idiot who doesn't know how to read between the lines. That's why." She counters.

"What?" you ask.

"The forest isn't the fastest way down this mountain, it's the fastest way of the three paths presented. Tell me Derrick, what exactly did you take away from Sheldon and Ami's explanation of this exam? Do you remember what the instructions were?" she asks.

"Yeah, climb down this mountain and reach the second area right? Then they gave us three maps and a badge and told us we had to use them to reach the bottom of the mountain." You explain.

"Wrong. They never told you that you had to use those maps. Their words were those maps will be your guides and our final gift.. You have to understand what he was trying to tell you, those maps aren't necessary for you to reach the bottom, they were merely a gift and a guide in case you needed them." She explains.

It takes you a minute of thinking to get what she means, "So you're trying to say that I went down this path because I assumed I had no choice but to follow them. And because of that assumption, I ended suffering unnecessarily?" you guess.

"Correct. The only instruction was reach the bottom not follow the map. I was originally going to follow the tracks because those train tracks were originally built to be the quickest way to the bottom. I would only need to follow the path of the train and I would have reached the bottom in just 3 days, maybe less. I was hoping you would realize the same." She explains.

"But I didn't, and chose a path that would get me killed, so you decided to follow me to save my ass. Is that also how you found me?" you ask.

"Well I wasn't actively looking for you, but you happened to run near this cabin while I was hiding away from the storm, so I decided to save you despite your idiocy."

"But damn. If the maps are useless, what am I supposed to do? I've done a lot, but I've never climbed a damn mountain before!" you exclaim.

"You see, this is why I say you're useless without me Derrick. There is a way down, there's the Hunter's way down." She states.

"The hunter's way? What do you mean by that?" you ask.

"You're way of thinking is too normal Derrick. You have a good brain, but your attitude towards life is too plain to be able to use it properly. If you want to pass the Hunter Exam, you need to think like a Hunter." She states.

"How do I do that? What other ways do I have left?" you ask.

"That's exactly the train of thought that a normal has that hinders them in this kind of situation and why you keep suffering Derrick. Listen, any normal person can find a way through a bad situation, it takes a Hunter to make a way through a bad situation." She explains.

"Make a way?" you question.

"Yes, Hunters are meant to be foragers and pathfinders before their gatherers. Following a badly detailed map was your first mistake, but not one I blame you for making. After all, it was those Twins intentions you fell for that trap." She explains.

"They intended to make people think that way? How?"

"Derrick. We've been dealing with those annoying twins since our time on the Airship. During that time, what have you learned about them?" she questions.

"They're terrible showmen, have garbage jokes, pull very dangerous pranks on people and try way too hard to be funny." you answer.

"Yes. Well you can say that this is one of their terrible shows and pranks. They've set up this entire test to trick everyone in it into following a set path that leads nothing but pain and suffering." She explains.

"The real test is how long you can put up with this terrible joke before you walk out of the room. Abandon the idea of following a map and make your own way through this mountain and you'll find that this test isn't even a challenge." She finishes

Now that she mentions it, Sheldon did say that from a Hunter's point of view, this first test isn't even a challenge. But at the same time, he and Ami kept emphasizing how dangerous and painful this test would be for any normal contestants.

So it was all a trick. It was a trick to plant a deep sense of fear into the hearts of all the normal participants back out and run away, or die by getting scared of walking off the beaten path and get killed due their closed minded way of looking at the world.

"Those bastards got me! Seriously!? How many times are they going to pull this kind of dangerous crap on people!? Do they enjoy watching people suffer because of a bad joke or something!?" You shout angrily upon realizing the truth.

"Well, the quality of their shows would indicate yes. Yes they most certainly do." Rea states.

Sorry to hold off on you guys again. But I need study for the next 2 hours. Major exams coming up for me soon, so I'll have to dip out the thread for a bit to make sure I don't fail.

Be back soon.

And I return.

>Writing.

File: Moon Medicines.jpg (38 KB, 817x606)

38 KB JPG

"Where the hell does the Hunter Organization find these kinds of people? Do they really just let anyone in without giving even the slightest thought to whether they might be dangerous to society or not?" you ask.

"Well, even before the merger. The Hunter Organization had a pension for recruiting less than savory individuals. But after Moon Medicines partnered with the company. Things have taken a turn for the worse." Rea states.

"Moon Medicines? What? Who are those guys?" You question.

Rea grabs the Journal and begins to write and speak again, "Haven't you heard? about 20 years ago, the Hunter organization partnered with a pharmaceutical company that had begun helping them their agents with missions requiring medical knowledge and supplies. It started small, but soon enough, both company shareholders agreed to make the 2 companies into one whole new company, but keep the same name as before as well as the same business idea." She explains.

"They also happen to be pursing me and anyone else who holds sensitive information about the true nature of the company. That's why I we can't speak out loud, because they're listening in, along with the Hunter Organization." She confesses on paper.

"And this merger happened 20 years ago? What does that have to do with influx of crazies joining the Hunter Organization?" you ask.

"Derrick. Which Hunter Exam is the one we're attending again?" She asks.

"the 288th right? So what?" you ask.

"Wrong. this is the 292th exam." She corrects.

"What? Isn't it the year 2000? That means last years was the 287th wasn't it? That was where that bunch of kids passed. I know this, I looked it up on their the hunter website." You counter.

"Officially, this is the 288th exam. However, if you look closely enough on the web, you'd you know that there was actually 4 other Hunter Exams, one's which weren't conducted by the examiner's committee. But instead, by 4 private individuals with a high amount of authority in the Organization." She explains.

"Other exams? Private individuals? Which private individuals? And how come I've never heard of these additional exams?" you ask.

"You've never heard of them because they aren't open to the general public like the regular Hunter Exam. Instead, the people who attend these 4 other exams are either scouted by examiners or people with special ties to Moon Medicines. Which means they are significantly less well known than the regular exams, however still public info. I'm sure if you researched the exam that much, that you saw the number 292 somewhere right?" Rea questions.

Now that she mentions it, you do remember reading up that this was the 292th Exam. It was back when you were looking for potential locations for the exams, you didn't really notice back then. But now...

"What does that mean though? Are you saying these Moon guys picked up Sheldon and Ami from some run-down Broadway theater or something?" you ask

"Maybe. I wouldn't know about them personally. But I do know that once the new system was put in place. A wave of new agents for the organization, being registered under the same title and holding the same privileges normal hunters do."

"Which basically makes them no different from Hunters that attend the real exam. So basically, since they get the join as hunters anyway, there might as well as be 4 different Hunter exams excluding this one. Making this the 292th Exam." You summarize.

"Correct. It also mean the Hunter organization itself has undergone some drastic changes in it's operation." she states.

"How so?" you ask.

"Most Hunter work before the merger was freelance. Work was never assigned to Hunters unless there was some kind of emergency and most hunters were encouraged to their jobs however they saw fit, as long as they did some form of Hunter work, they would keep their jobs and their titles." She starts.

"However, after the merger, the system was changed. The Hunter organization took on a more militaristic approach to working. While you can still choose the kind of Hunter you want to be, Hunters now work under certain departments, where they are given jobs to handle by the organization itself or outside requests." She continues.

"So what? They became more organized and strict?" you ask.

"Yes. Where most Hunter used to go adventures, where they personally choose where they could go and how they would handle things. The system is now more controlled and there's a more rigid organizational structure. With Hunters of greater strength and experience command newer and weaker ones." She explains.

"So Moon Medicine joining has changed the nature of the Hunter Organization and made the place more strict huh? That's..."

How do you feel?

>That's a good thing: A more organized meritocratic system is always better in your opinion, keeps things from being confusing or all over the place. What's so wrong about that?

>That's terrible: They've taken away the freedom and enjoyment of being a hunter and made it feel like working like a cold machine. I can't really agree with that

>That's not really important: How the damn place works is none of your business, your first aim is just getting the Hunter's license and going home alive. Is there a point to this?

>>2449396
>It sounds like they are making an army of some kind. organizing the Hunter association to maybe enforce their own order onto somewhere.

>>2449396
>That's terrible: They've taken away the freedom and enjoyment of being a hunter and made it feel like working like a cold machine. I can't really agree with that

And also mention this >>2449415

>>2449415
>>2449429

>Writing

"Makes it sound like they've turned the place into a machine and every hunter is a cog." You state

"I've always hated that kind of crap, taking away the freedom and enjoyment of someone's job and making them work like some of kind of robot only removes any sort of fulfillment and happiness that job had. Now it just sounds like Big Business. Something I had enough of back in Yorknew." You comment.

"The current chairman of the Hunter Organization, Netero, said something to a similar effect. In fact, he was one of the first people to push against the merger in the first place. As he thought the more authoritarian and business like approach would destroy one of the core parts of being a Hunter. Their sense of freedom." She explains.

"But let me guess. He couldn't stop the merger anyway?" you state.

"Correct. Even with him being one of the highest powers in the Organization, the orders for change came straight from the shareholders who supply the Hunter Association with funding. He couldn't deny the change after they were convinced." She states.

"But his long history and accolades with the organization itself allowed him to prevent the organization from completely changing and keep his position as chairman." She continues as she grabs the journal once again.

"However, his position is more a show of good faith to the more old-fashioned Hunters who also protested the change as well. In reality, it's the 4 private individuals who conduct the additional exams who truly control organization."

"At least they were kind enough to let him keep his job, from what I hear, the old bastard has been working there for quite a bit of time." you comment as you take the journal.

"You keep mentioning those 4, who are they? you write.

"Yes. But he barely does anything with his position, as the new system requires a lot more paperwork and review, the higher up you move in the company, less real field action you actual do." She explains

"They are the a collection of the most powerful people the Hunter organization could find. 4 extremely skilled individuals who's strength is record-breaking, even by Hunter standards, and thus, they hold the most power in place, even if on paper they're considered second in command to Netero. They are known as the 4 Virtues and they are the people you have be the most careful of when you join the organization." She warns.

"Now I just feel bad for the old guy, he must be bored out of his mind." you state.

"You make it sound like they're building an army or something. What kind of company is Moon Medicine?

"It is truly unfortunate, but it's a show of the changing times I suppose." she states.

That's because they are building an army. I've been investigating them for a long time, but even now I don't know why they're doing so. Just that all these changes to the Hunter Organization have made to build an army to fight or control something.

It's getting quite late. I'm going to have to turn in now anons.

Hopefully this exposition dump isn't too boring for you all. It should be done after I return tomorrow.

>>2449396
From the sounds of it, the chimera arc isn't canon?
Either that or the chairman now is some kind of clone

>>2449597

This story is set in the Hunter X Hunter Universe and has many of the Canon characters but that doesn't mean it follows the canon story line.

And Even if it did follow the same storyline, I'm pretty sure the 288th Hunter Exam happened during the greed island arc which is just before the Chimera arc, so why would the Chimera ant arc not be canon from what I've written?

>Writing

>>2450646
My mistake, it's been a bit since I watched the original work and I got the timeline of events wrong

"That isn't change. Change is meant to make things better, not worse. Any change for the worse is just decay under some other name." You proclaim, knowing the bastards who messed with the Hunter Organization are listening to you.

"But even so, we're going to to join that decaying Organization, you said it yourself didn't you? Most of us here are fighting for something we're willing to risk our lives for, because most of us have something we're willing to die to accomplish. I don't suppose your resolve has begun to waver because the Hunter Organization isn't everything you'd hoped it be?" She asks as she writes.

"Of course not. I'm joining the Hunter because there's people I want to provide for and change I want to make." You state.

"Well then it's best you keep those thoughts to yourself moving forward. The new system favors discipline and order more than anything else. If we want to survive there, we're going to need to learn to comply to change, good or bad." she states as she finishes writing.

However, you don't have to comply forever. The reason I want to join the Hunter Organization is because I want to able tear down Moon Medicines and stop whatever it is they plan to do. I'm willing to give my life for that task. But it won't be easy, their iron grip on the Hunter Organization provides them basically infinite resources. She starts

If my intentions or my identity revealed to them, I would disappear. They would kill me, destroy any evidence I've found, kill anyone who I've ever told information about them or associated with my plans. Wipe any trace of my existence where ever they could find it. And of course they do the same to anyone who would follow in my lead. She writes.

Upon reading that, a thought strikes you, she sure is sharing a lot of facts with you easily, could it be she...

You grab the book and quickly write, Are you trying to get me to join you?

Only if you're willing to fight alongside me. You needn't be as extreme as me. But I'm going to need more allies if I'm going to fight against Moon Medicines. You can still walk away if you wish, I won't resent you for it. Your life and by extension the lives of those you hold most dear will put in danger. It's a selfish request, but Derrick. Will you fight with me?" She questions as she hands you back the book and pen.

What will you do?

>Write yes

>Write no

>Question why she's asking you.

>Question why she's so hostile towards Moon Medicines in the first place.

>>2450714
>Question why she's asking you.
>Aren't I basically already in danger anyways?

>>2450718
This +
>Question why she's so hostile towards Moon Medicines in the first place.

>>2450718
>>2450723

>Question, Question.
>Writing

Why are you asking me all of this? Why put your trust in me? you ask.

Because I feel like you won't betray me or get captured without me there to help you. Which makes you a vital ally. It's not as much that I trust you, as I need you to trust me, as I feel like we can be of mutual aid to one another. As nice as I seem Derrick, I don't make friendships simply because I enjoy someone's company, she writes.

Well I can understand that. But If you're going to go to war with these Moon guys, you're gonna have to explain why you hate them so much in the first place. you write back.

I won't answer that question without you agreeing to work with me. I trust you enough not to reveal anything of me. But what if I'm caught? If you were to learn why I hate Moon Medicines, I would be revealing a great amount of sensitive information that would make you liable to be hunted down and killed by them She answers.

Can't exactly deny that from everything she's explained. Which also means that if you choose not to work with her, you can probably forget about asking her about any deep personal details about her ever again.

You can ask as many question as you'd like, However, in end I'm going to need a concrete answer Derrick. Will you work with me? Or will you not? We have time, answer whenever you're ready

Easy for you to say...

What will you do?

>Write yes

>Write no

>Ask a question(Write-in)

>>2450780
>Write yes
Will this increase our relationship level

>>2450780
>>Write yes

>>2450784
>>2450792


You'll see
>Writing

Well, by this point, I'm already too deep in to pull out now. So I'll join you. My life is pretty much in constant danger anyway, so I doubt much will change. you write.

Are you absolutely sure about this. While your experiences until now have been dangerous. I don't think you understand the reach Moon Medicines has gained since joining the Hunter Organization.If you or me were to be found out It doesn't matter where or how we hide ourselves. We will be found and captured. And if you're captured, no amount of willpower or physical strength will be enough to withstand the torture they'll put you through. Even so, will you fight with me?

At this point you could tell me they're an army of magical super soldiers and I'd still fight them. I'm not backing down, believe it or not, I'm great keeping myself hidden and subtle. you respond.

I'll believe that after all the rumors of you destroying trains and breaking hearts die down. But for now, I'll accept that you're at least fully willing to work with me. I'm glad, I knew I wasn't wrong in choosing you to work with me. she writes.

>Relationship Advanced! Rea Springfield: 3/5 (Mutual Confidants)

>Bonus Earned: Information Gathering.

>Information Gathering: Rea's expert investigation and stealth abilities make her the perfect person to gather information on people without being traced back.

If you request, she'll investigate any number of people for you and learn their traits, abilities, personality quirks that you couldn't learn yourself. This will come in handy during the planning sections.

Okay, so what do you need me to do? Gather info on the Hunter Organization and tell you about them or something? you ask

I'll do that on my own. Right now, I'll need you to complete the Hunter Exam and then I can give you my plan in full detail. Until then, just act like you nothing's changed.

Got it you answer.

You put down the notebook and wait for her to start talking again, but instead, A memory comes to Rea and she begins to write again.

Do you still have the 'thing' lent you?

It takes you a moment to understand what she means, but then you quickly realize what she's referring to.

You stand up and look around the room and find your dufflebag placed near a table in the corner in the room, you scour through the various contents and find it.

The FN Seven pistol that Rea gave you back during the Barry's street fight, You haven't fired a single bullet from the thing, mainly cuz the gun has been modified to fire white-phosphorous infused bullets that could turn you into a pile of melting flesh if you misfired it.

You walk back over to the couch and hand it to her, She puts her hand up and pushes the gun back in your hand.

Keep it, I just wanted to confirm that you still had it. I'm going that you ask that you keep that for me and only use it when you find the woman who attacked you again.

Wait, she couldn't mean...

She recognizes the confused and horrified look on your face and begins to write again.

Yes Derrick. I'm asking that when you meet that woman again, that you kill her with this weapon. It's the only weapon that will work against her, any other weapon will be ineffective.

Only effective weapon? Could she be talking about that strange invulnerable body she had back during the Train fight? It was true that nothing really seemed to damage or even effect her most of the time.

You guess she's probably some agent of Moon Medicines from the way Rea describes her, but just because she's working for those guys doesn't mean she deserves to die...

Once again reading the hesitation on your face, she writes, I'm sure you're having second thoughts at the moment Derrick. Don't. You needn't feel bad about killing her. She isn't what you think she is. In fact, She isn't even human So you don't need to worry about ending her."

That gets starts out of you. Isn't human? When you search your memories of her, you certainly did feel a few times that she wasn't a normal person, that she might even be a monster. But even so, what the hell does that mean? And didn't Darby say something Similar about Rea himself?

In working with me Derrick. You'll come to know something about this world. There's something wrong with this world. And because of that problem in this world, there are a number of things that won't make any sense, things that will make this world seem fictional at times.

But even so, you'll have to come to accept them as they come. I can't exactly explain who that woman is and how she relates to me. Not yet, not until you learn a little more about this world. Until then, I ask that you trust me, and kill that woman, without hesitation. Because if you don't, she will surely kill me.

That's one tall fucking order to make without really explaining anything..! What are you supposed to do? Just blindly follow orders? And why is the only choice to kill her? Why is she even targeting Rea in the first place.

You reach towards the book and attempt to pull it from her hands.

SLAM

But before you can do so, a sound rings out. Rea looks over and clicks her tongue as she writes something down quickly.

I'm sorry that I can't explain everything yet. But I have to ask you put your trust in me. And never forget. Don't assume you understand anything, Don't forget what you've read today and most importantly. Don't trust anyone.

As she writes those final foreboding words, she grabs the journal and quickly runs over to your dufflebag, where she hides it at the very bottom of the bag.

>>2450873
When will we get to
>Relationship: Rea Springfield 6/5 ( Handold/kiss bf/gf )

>>2451007
Well fuck me for trying to use spoilers for the first time...

>>2451009
need to highlight then hit control+s

Like so

File: Spoiler Image (462 KB, 450x700)

462 KB PNG

You're worries and questions are uncountable. But even so, that noise came from around the entrance of this cabin. It sounded like something heavy slammed head first into the wooden frame.

You and Rea both back away and take up a combat stances. Rea un-holstering her pistol from behind her jacket and taking aim at the door while you pull on Thunderstruck and take a defensive stance and wait a moment.

You wait an entire minute but nothing happens. It sounded heavy enough to be a beast. But then it stopped slamming the door all together after the first time.

You look over to Rea, she points her fingers toward the door and moves her hand like she's turning a doorknob and then she points at herself.

She must mean that you should go over and open the door and if anything happens, she'll cover you with her gun. You nod your head and walk over to the door and take hold of the doorknob.

You ready yourself for whatever sort of beast could come barging through the door. More banshees? Those strange gas wolves? A Breater? If you're really unlucky, it could that cave monster you ran from.

With a mix of caution and speed, you pull the door open and pull your fist up, and examine what lies beyond the doorway. A shadowy, but humanoid figure steps inside the cabin slowly as you back away.

You almost attack the strange figure as a figure but then your attack is halted when the dark figure steps its way into the light.

As the dim light begins to cover the figure, it is quickly revealed to be Bradford, who looks like a walking disaster.

His classy suit has been ripped to shreds, with pieces of cloth hanging off bare flesh that's been covered in deep bite marks.Whatever remains of his tattered suit is covered in so much blood that it's dyed his white suit a shade of crimson red.

He limps closer towards you and grabs you by the shoulders, his hands as cold as the freezing winds outside as he looks to you with woozy, barely conscious eyes.

Rea begins to take aim, but you put your hand up to stop her as you watch his mouth struggle to speak, "Guess who bitch..." he slurs before he drops head first into the hard wood floor.

Well nevermind. It wasn't a monster at all, just a monstrous dumbass.

>>2451007
>>2451009

Don't worry anon, mistakes happen. I know they certainly happened to me

Anyway, taking another 2 hour study break.

After explaining the situation to Rea, you and her put Bradford onto the couch and grab the back-up medical supplies you had in your dufflebag and have Rea patch him up.

You watch intently from a close distance as you see Rea remove Bradford's tattered clothing and examine his wounds.

As his suit falls off his body, the true terrible extent of his wounds fall into your sight and nearly cause to jerk back. The bite wounds reached further than you imagined, running all the around his upper chest with a few bites on his lower abdomen, some wounds look like they've bitten into bone.

Those bites will leave long-lasting scars, but even so, that seems the most fatal of his injuries.

The greatest extent of damage has been inflicted on his arms. While the bite marks are probably the most plentiful along his forearms and biceps the part that truly makes you horrified is his fingers, mainly, his lack of them.

His left hand is missing it's pinky and ring finger. Bitten off completely with only bones and viscera to indicate that they were ever there in the first place.

"Shit.." you blurt out of horror and shame, as realize those two fingers were lost in saving you.

"Your friend here is quite well built. His resilience is amazing, even without a deeper examination, I can see that he's broken quite a few bones and torn more muscles than he has working at the moment. But even so, his vitals and blood vessels are still intact. Once he gets over the hypothermia, he should be able to continue in the exam." Rea appraises.

You feel a sense of relief wash over you, "That's good. But what about his fingers? You don't think I can run out in the snow and dig those up so you can reattach them right?" you ask.

"That would only work if the fingers were separated more cleanly. His fingers appeared to have been ripped from their bones and torn to pieces. Besides, even if they were attachable, the fingers themselves must have been buried under a pile of snow in the storm or at the bottom of some beast stomach." She states.

"Fucking damn it...he lost those fingers for me, and I can't do a damn thing to help." you curse in frustration.

"I'm sure if he was willing to give them up to save you in the first place, than he would want you to be thankful for his sacrifice, rather than thinking of putting yourself in danger again to rectify it." She states.

"I fucking know that! I know...but knowing my weakness caused him to suffer makes me feel so helpless." you confess.

"if you feel helpless than you need to learn to help yourself so people don't have to do it for you. After I'm done tending to his wounds, we'll sleep till the morning comes. And then we'll reach the bottom of this mountain." Rea states.

"Do you know a way down from here?" you ask.

"No. But we can make one." She answers.

Sorry to drop this unannounced, but I'm rocking a terrible headache at the moment and at least wanted to post one more before I turn in for the night.

When I return tomorrow, the mountain journey continues, for now, goodnight anons.

>>2451450
Thanks for running!

>>2451441
HE LIVES!
I mean, I expected Bradford to live, but I also expected him to die. I also expected to see Rea again, but also expected to never see her again. So basically all I can say is GOOD JOB God o' Rock.

Also it may be because of Evangelion being one of my first animes that I have the desire for us to hug all of Rea's problems away. Dat Rei Ayanami can really do some damage to a man's expectations of a waifu. Just want to pat Rea on the head and teach her how to human and create a safe happy place for her.

But I guess Derrick is much less innocent than that. He has not only deep mouth kissed her twin but also immediately declared his love and motorboated her the moment they met each other after a seperation!

Derrick Holums is the ultimate accidental ladies man!

Oh man, just imagine how many birthdays and anniversaries he will have to remember.

>>2451876
Derrick's probably gonna befriend at least 5 borderline psychopaths every arc so he better get used to it now

I have returned.

>Writing

>6 Hours later
>9:28am,Third day.

Since Bradford took over the couch, You and Rea picked a corner in the room and slept with your weapons at the ready, there's no telling where and what could attack you in your sleep after all.

But fortunately enough, nothing happened, so the sun rises on another day, peacefully just as always and shines it's rays through the windows, promptly hitting your eyes, causing you to quickly rise to your feet.

You had already slept 8 hours before, so you were already plenty rested, you only went to bed to pass the time before moving out.

You check your surroundings to see Rea's already awakened and moved from your side and towards the entrance, where she rests her back against the wall.

"Too impatient to sleep huh? Weren't you the one saying we had tons of time, so we don't need to rush?" you ask as you walk over.

"I've trained myself to never sleep more than 5 hours at a time, saves much more time and gives me a few hours to think before I have to get moving." She answers.

"Well I'm no different, except I never trained cause I wanted to. So when are we moving out?" you ask as you stretch and ready yourself for a long trek.

"You should be asking your friend. He's the one we're waiting on." She answers as she looks over to the couch.

You follow her gaze and see what's she means. You see Bradford sitting upright on the couch, fully awake and looking towards the lantern on the floor.

The flame has long gone out, but you'd guess even the sight of objects that remind him of fire must be quite disturbing. Rea did good work on patching him up, his entire chest has been covered in thick bandages and he had a splint put on his right arm so his broken bones can heal.

However, the most striking part sill has to be the two missing fingers on his left hand, which cause a deep pang of guilt to hit you every time you stare at them.

"He woke up before either us, however he won't respond to anything I say to him. I was hoping you knew how to get him moving. We can't leave without him after all."

She's right, but you find it hard to look him in the eye knowing what happened. But if you want to get moving, you're going to have to deal with it somehow...

What will you do?

>Greet him normally

>Apologize to him

>>2452979
>Apologize to him
Bradford probably doesn't want us to apologize but it just doesn't feel right to continue normally... also when were done apologizing amd everything call him a dumbass for thinking that "guess who bitch" line was cool in classic Derrick fashion even though I personally thought it was really cool

>>2453016

>All Apologies
>Writing

You simply can't bring yourself to feel right around him if you don't say something. You know Rea said that he more than likely doesn't want it, but you're gonna say anyway.

You walk over and stand up next to Bradford, after a few moments of staring emptily into space, he notices your presence and looks over to you and dead face returns to his usual smile.

However, being smiled at only makes you feel worse, "Good to see you're alive you blonde motherfucker! I was half-worried when you went running through the storm that you'd just drop dead from cold and I'd never see ya again!" He speaks first as you struggle to find the words to say.

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly make it. I actually did fall over from the cold. The one you should be praising is her." you state as you point over to Rea who watches you both from the wall.

"Huh? Wait a fucking minute..."Bradford says as he finally notices her in the room.

"Ain't that the red-haired chick you macked it with!? What's she doing here!? And the fuck happened to your hair!?" He exclaims.

Those words cause an embarrassed crack in Rea's cold mask to form, but she recovers quickly before Bradford notices, "I-I have no idea what you're talking, I think you've mistaken me for someone else." she states.

"Really? I could sworn I saw your face during when those crazy-ass twins were arranging that show. Are you saying that chick I saw wasn't you?" he questions.

"Maybe your head's just foggy from all the blood loss. Because I certainly don't remember participating in any shows." she states.

"Well, I was seeing some crazy shit after those gas wolves jumped all over me, so I could be my head fucking with me. But I could've sworn I worked with you during the show." He says as he tries to recall.

"What was your name again? Christy? Christiana?" He guesses.

You decide to chime in, "Nah man, you're memory is messing with you. Her name is Re-"

"Regina." Rea cuts you off, surprising you.

"My name is Regina Meratal. I'm friend of Derrick's. Nice to meet you." she states.

Bradford confused face subsides a little "Regina huh? Well I've never heard that name until now. So I guess my head must just off right."

Sorry guys, I've got to take a second to deal with my dogs.

Be back.

Hopefully no more interruptions like that spring up. Back to it.

>Writing

File: Telfour Bradford10.jpg (67 KB, 500x500)

67 KB JPG

You pause momentarily before you gather she must not want him to know her real name, you'll ask her about that later, for now..."Bradford...your hand is..." you mumble out as you try and find the right words to say.

He looks back to you and speaks, "Huh? Oh! You mean my two missing digits?" he says nonchalantly.

"Yeah, while I was Blitzing those fucking mutts, one jumped in my blind-spot and bit'em right off. Hurt like a fucking bitch when it happened. Still kinda hurts now." He explains.

"But you should have seen me after that! The furry fucks thought they had me cornered, but then I blasted the bastard who bit'em off with my remaining fingers and stomped my way through the rest of them till they went running back to whatever hole they ran out of!" he shouts proudly.

"That's really cool. You really saved me doing that. That why I want to say I'm so-"

"Now now. Don't get it fucking twisted." He says in a serious voice.

"I didn't save you! I never planned on saving you, so don't thank me for what I didn't do. I just acted like the scummy bastard I am and decided to fight some strong-looking beasts while you ran away like a little bitch!" He states with a smile.

You look away from that smile, you can tell, he's trying to dodge your apology, but that only makes you want to say it more, "You can't be serious man. You don't need to make up crap to make me feel better." you get right to the point.

"I have to make this right, I have to say I'm sorr-"

"Derrick, do you remember? What I said to you back on the train ride?" he asks, cutting you off again.

"What? well, I think you said something about Money being your only reason for wanting to become a Hunter?" you state, trying to recall that conversation.

"I told you that legacies, family and friends were worthless. That none of that sentimental crap was worth anything. I haven't exactly changed my thoughts on all that, but after meeting you. I think I've come understand why other people think they're worth something." he explains.

"You're my friend and I can't see you dying on me, or betraying me anytime soon. And because of you, I've started to see why life's worth living. That to me, is worth more than two measly fucking fingers." He says as he points to his injured hand.

"Bradford...that's..." you struggle to find the words to express what you're feeling right now.

"Don't say you're sorry, don't say thank you. All I want to hear is what crazy shit you've got planned next. Alright?" He says with a smile that seems too kind for his face.

"...Damn straight. I've got one hell of an idea." you state as you throw on the best smile you can.

"Now that's what I want to fucking hear!" He exclaims as he jumps right off the couch as if none of his injuries even existed.

>50 points to Bradford (150 to next level)

"So. Where the fuck are my gun and shirt!" he states as he realizes his suit has been destroyed.

>A few minutes later...

Rea hands Bradford Maire-Anna back and you hand him the extra large brown snow jacket and a pair of pants you got from Sheldon and Ami's care package.

He slips right into the large jacket which fits almost perfectly on his large upper body as he grabs his shotgun and gives it a ceremonial pump as he examines it and takes aim with it.

"Even during all that chaos, I never let those mutts lay paw on her. She's just beautiful, isn't she!" He exclaims as he admires the weapon.

"Will you able to handle it properly with your injuries?" Rea asks.

"Well, I won't be able to do Ballroom Blitz since my right arm not's in peak form. But I only need one working hand to fire her normally. So don't worry!" He states as he holds the heavy shotgun with the three remaining fingers of his left hand.

"Ballroom Blitz?" Rea questions.

"It's just his stupid name for this attack where he rapid fires his shotgun. You don't need to call it by it's dumbass name and it really isn't that great loss that he can't you use, it was a waste of ammo anyway." you explain.

"What was that!? Did you just call my legendary move dumb!? I dare to say that again and see if you don't learn it's awesomeness personally asshole!" He exclaims as he points the shotgun at you.

"For the sake of my undying respect towards good music, I refuse to ever call that shitty attack by it's name ever again. Fill me with as many holes as you like, I ain't backing down on that." you state as you push his gun to the side with your palm.

He pulls the gun back and relaxes, "Well you get off lucky today. Cause I'm outta ammo anyway! The gas wolves used all that up!" He explains.

"What the hell? So in the end you end up being useless anyway! You see this? This is why I call you a dumbass." you state.

"The fuck was that!? Even if I ain't got no ammo, I can still bash more than a few skulls in with her. And if need be, I can just fight with my bare hands! Here! Want me to show ya!?" He brings up his fists and starts closing in on you.

"If you need shotgun ammo. I have small amount to spare." Rea states before Bradford can do something.

"Really, where you'd get that?" you ask.

"I happened to pick some off the thugs back on Barry's street. It's not much though, just 16 shells." She explains.

"Only enough for two full barrels huh? Well, better than fucking nothing. Thanks, uhhh, Regina, right?" Bradford says as Rea hands the ammo over to him.

"I hope your skills are as great Derrick described them to be.I dislike anyone who flap their lips better than they can swing their fists." She states.

"Ohhh, don't worry moody! I'm the kind of dog that bites as hard as bark!" He exclaims excitedly.

"I would hope so, because I'm not the kind of person who goes out of my way to save barking puppies, even if they yelp." She insults.

"So don't fall behind or complain because you're injured. Because I won't be listening." She states coldly as she walks through the door and heads outside.

Bradford whistles and looks at you, "Goddamn Derrick! You know how to pick'em! She's as sexy as she's frosty!"

"We ain't in that kind of relationship. And if she heard you say that, you better kiss the rest of your digits goodbye." you state.

"Oh don't worry Derrick! You're looking at a gentlemen of the highest class! Just ask any girl I've ever been with! I take'em out for a night on the town and they always come running back to have a taste of what little Brady's giving, if you catch my meaning." he states as he nudges your shoulder.

"The last thing I want to hear about is your sex life man. Can we just get moving?" you ask.

"Sure, but before we go? You got admit, she's pretty hot right?" Bradford asks.

"W-What?"

"Don't give me that 'W-What' bullshit man! She's got all the looks of an A-grade model with none of the bullshit bimbo personality! You can't tell me you haven't thought at least once about maybe becoming more than friends! You two seem awfully close..." he says while trying to read your expression.

What will you say?

>Well, she certainly is good looking...

>Knock it off man, we need to get moving!

>You're absolutely right, you've got me.

The anons can debate this while I study for the next two hours. Can't slack off.

Be back.

>>2453675
>Maybe in my daydreams, but ain't got the time for that I doubt she's interested. odds are one of us is going to bite it in the exams at least.

>>2453675
>Well, she certainly is good looking...
Yeah Rea's decently attractive nothing to crazy like an "11/10 would never stop fucking" or a "love at first sight" type of way but she's fine (and can be cute when she's embarrassed or drunk). No need to spill spaghetti all over the place or act like he don't have a dick.

>>2453702
Oh god this sounds really desperate and
pessimistic we should not do this at all

>>2453675
>Well, she certainly is good looking...

>>2453702
>>2453762
>>2453908


I'm back and looks a choice has been reached.

>Writing

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"Well, I can't deny I think she's pretty cute, especially when you get under her skin and make her panic." You state.

"Now that's what I like to hear! So when are you gonna stop getting under her skin and start getting under her sheets!?" He asks with the gleaming eyes of a young girl hearing some especially juicy gossip.

"Keep it in your pants, Horny Brady. Believe it or not, we have more important things to be dealing with then guessing how likely we're getting laid tonight. Get back to me on that when we're out of the death woods." You state as start walking towards the exit.

"Oh look at Derrick! Always the cool motherfucker! Well my cool friend, I'll let you off the hook till we get through this exam! But after we're done here, you're gonna want someone by your side that's more than a cute friend and you'll have no idea how to get'em" He proclaims.

"But don't worry, your pal Bradford's got you covered! When it comes to matters of the heart, I'm a fucking doctor! I'll be right there to tell you how to thaw that icy heart and warm her icy loins!" He exclaims from behind you.

"The only kind of doctor I need right now is a Neurologist. Cause I'm gonna need some real medical expertise to understand what's wrong with your brain. " you say as you walk through the door and enter the snowy wilds outside.

You see Rea has taken the lead and started heading into the forest in front of the cabin, you quickly catch up to her and speak, "So, Regina. Where exactly are we going if we can't follow the maps anymore? You can't expect us to hoof it in a random direction and hope things turn out well?" you ask.

"Of course not, only a fool with a deathwish would wander randomly in this place. If you have half a mind to pass this exam, I hope you did research into this mountain?" she asks.

"What do you take me for? Of course I did. I know every landmark and project on this mountain." you state.

"Good. Then you should know where we're going. We're going to take the quickest route down from this point. It should save us 3 It's a 2 hour walk from here." She states.

"A path that will save 3 days of walking?... In that case, I can only think of one path. But you can't seriously be considering we..." you trail off out of worry.

"Do you want to walk through a couple miles of snow and freeze to death again? Or do you want to pass the exam?" she asks.

As Rea finishes that question Bradford comes rushing out into the snow and greets you both, "Alright fuckers! Which way are we heading!?" He asks eagerly.

You and Rea look at each other, turn to him and speak, "Somewhere crazy." you say in unison.

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>2 hours later 11:45am.

As the earth below your feet slowly begins to rise as move forward and the sound of intense winds blow into your ears, your walking speed slows to a crawl, as to not risk falling into the cliff ahead of you.

"What.The.Fuck."Bradford says, astonished by what he sees below.

All three of you come right next to the edge and look to gaping wound within the earth below. The icy colds winds gather and rush from behind you to fill the large empty space below, to which you can see no bottom.

As your sense of vertigo kicks in and causes you to back away instinctively, Rea continues to look, undaunted, "Long Runner Canyon." she names.

"7 miles wide. 2 miles deep. It holds one of the quickest ways to the bottom of the mountains in it's depths." she states.

Bradford chimes on that, "You can't mean..we're going down there right?"

"Of course we're not going all the way down there. there's nothing but cold air and unfortunate travelers at the bottom." She explains.

"There's a cave on the other side of this massive hole that connects to a path on the other side of the mountain. It's effectively a shortcut that would turn a 48 hour walk into nothing more than an 8 hour walk." she explains.

"From there, it won't even take us a day to reach the bottom of this mountain. This area was never marked on the maps you received, so it's a place that those who would walk off the beaten road would take." She states.

"Yeah. Probably cause only fucking idiots would take this way! How the hell are we gonna reach that fucking cave!? You can't except me to climb down this deathtrap!?" Bradford questions.

"Of course not. That would be foolish, we couldn't cross a seven mile gap by climbing." she answers.

A look of relief takes over Bradford's face, but that's when you finally chime, "The people who built Turnabolt, discovered this dangerous little hole. And decided to make it one of their major attractions. They invited any and all tourist to visit Long Runner Canyon before descending down the mountain." you start.

"But, during what little time they had as functioning city. Whatever psychopath that led the town's ministry of tourism decided to give their special little hole a twisted spin."

"Cause many of the tourist of this mountain were thrill-seekers in the first place, they wanted to give them something truly dangerous to do on it." You continue as you approach the cliff again, this time prepared to look below.

"They found the cave that connected that connected to one of the quickest ways down the mountain and decided to build a gondola between here and the cliff and make the entire thing one giant marathon course for any athletes that were tired of their typical death courses and wanted to kick it up a notch" You finish.

Bradford looks dumbfounded by your story, "You can't be fucking serious? Even I wouldn't be that fucking eager to cross that death hole, especially suspended in an extra tight metal coffin!" he shouts.

"See. As I expected. The puppy ended complaining and yelping at the first sign of danger." Rea says with a small smile on her face.

"Derrick told me you were quite the thrill-seeker. Was he lying to me?" she asks.

"Did he also tell you that I have a crippling fear of heights!? Cause right now, I would rather fight an army of banshees backed up by that fucked up cave monster than take a ride down a bottomless pit!" he exclaims.

"I'm glad you said that. I was about to recommend you do the same if you're unwilling to follow this path. The gondola ride itself is only 6 miles long. Which means it will take roughly 2 hours to reach our destination. If you can't handle two hours on a gondola ride, I don't think you were fit to be a Hunter in the first place." Rea says bluntly.

"Real fucking easy for you to say it's just two hours on a fucking death trap! How safe even is this fucking ride!?" he asks.

You answer that question, "Well, there was about 3 marathons before the town shut down. The gondola only broke and fell into the depths once during 1 a races, which led to the attraction being shut down. But don't worry, I heard they were really shaking the damn thing to cause it, so it should be relatively safe as long as we be careful."

"Relatively safe!? You just told there's a 1 in 3 chance We'll go plummeting to the bottom! That's as relatively safe safe as telling me that only 1 out of 6 people shot themselves in a game of Russian Roulette! You only need careful!" He states.

"I thought I told you that if you were going to complain that I wasn't going to listen. Well now you're complaining and I stopped listening a good while ago. You either go with us, or you go on your own. Make your decision." Rea proclaims as she begins walking toward the gondola station on the side of the cliff nearby.

Bradford looks mortified, "Damn! I figured if you were with Derrick that you'd be a crazy bitch but this is next fucking level! How the fuck do you work with this chick Derrick!?" he asks you.

You just shrug your shoulders and start walking with her. If you knew what made you so compatible with psychopaths, you would have gone to a psychologist about it ages ago.

As Bradford realizes that he quickly getting left behind, he weighs his options, choosing between walking through the horrifying death forest alone, or taking a quick ride over bottomless pit over an old abandoned gondola.

You think it might have been your imagination, but you could swear you saw tears get blown past you by the wind as Bradford got up weakly and followed after as well.

[continued tomorrow]

>>2454662
Thanks for running

Sorry anons, I have to go out with my friends for the day. I probably won't be able to run today.



I'm slowly becoming more and more aware that it would have been a better idea to run during the summer. Once again, thank you to all anons who put up with my awful scheduling skills

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>>2456150
It's okay QM, enjoy your day!
NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

>>2456150
>Lifefag detected

Okay, no more random interference.

let's do this.

>Writing.

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After a few minutes of running along the steep cliff edge of the canyon, your group comes across a small structure in the distance with a series of long cables running deep into the canyon and attaching itself on the otherside of the canyon where another, very similar structure is situated.

You all slowly come up to the iron door, which has rust marks have covered parts of the door as well as the hinges that hold it up.

CREAKKKKKKKK

A long creaking sound can be heard as Rea struggles to open the door with the snow underneath it creating friction. After the door fully opens, you enter the small building and see a variety of plastic signs, most of which have been covered in thick snow and frost which have frozen off most of the characters.

Bradford scans the room to find one semi-legible sign. He approaches it slowly as he kicks aside much of the snow scattered across the floor.

" 'CAUTION. Please keep quiet at all times after entering the gondola. Flying Saw-nose nest below.' " He reads.

Bradford looks back to the two of you with an anxious expression, " Okay, give it to me straight, what the hell is a saw nose?" he asks.

"They're a species of large arctic reptile which posses wide wings and a distinct long, sharp, saw-like nose which they use for defense and digging. They like to make their nest in dark, underground areas while staying near the surface so they have direct access to the air whenever they wish to go hunting." She starts.

"Of course a large canyon would make the perfect area for such a species to nest, it gives them ample protection from invaders while also giving them easy access the surface whenever they wish. The ice is easily dug with their saw-noses and it makes a great place for the females to enter Brumation while the males defend and gather." She finishes.

"Oh, thanks for the biology lesson there professor Cunty Mcbitch. Mind also telling me why you didn't mention that shit a little earlier?" he asks.

"Because I expected you to have done some research on the fauna of this mountain. Especially if you purposely chose the most dangerous area to wander in." she answers.

"Well what can I say? I'm a man of action, thinking about shit before ya do it will make ya hesitant. Hesitation is the quickest way to get your ass iced in bad situation." He explains.

"So I never hesitate, it's as simple as that." he finshes.

"Well you're certainly simple. I'll give you that. Maybe too simple for your own good." Rea states.

>>2460610
>Well you're certainly simple. I'll give you that. Maybe too simple for your own good
Enhancer confirmed

You walk over to the gondolas suspended slightly in the air and speak, "So how are we gonna start these things up? There ain't any power running through this thing." you ask.

"No, but there should be a back up generator nearby, you need only need to look." she answers.

you and everyone else begin to scour the building for a generator, You head for a set of stairs leading into darkness below.

"You think it might be down here?" you ask the other as the look around.

"Probably. Why don't you head down there to find out?" Bradford asks.

"No one gonna follow me? There might be beast or something downstairs." you state as you pull a flashlight from your duffle bag.

"Fine, I'll follow you below." Rea states.

With that statement Rea quickly find her way to your side as you turn on the flashlight and head down.

As you descend down the stairs, you find a long hallway with a variety of empty rooms that look to be old offices with a large metal door at the end of the hallway.

Figuring that must be the generator door, you head straight towards it. However, Rea pulls at your sleeve and gestures to your duffle bag. She then makes a writing gesture with her hand and you figure she must mean that she wants you to give her your journal.

You comply and pull the book out. She quickly starts writing.

"Sorry leaving you that foreboding warning earlier. I can't exactly explain why you must be so cautious yet and we can't be down here for too long. So I'll make this quick." She writes.

"I'll need you to call me Regina until this exam is over and whenever we're around strangers. Also, you'll need to destroy this journal."

>>2460705
I think we all guessed that when we first saw him
Noell -Conjurer
Rea -Manipulator or Conjurer
Etheline - Transmuter
Florrette -honestly no idea

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"Got it. I only wrote a bunch of depressing stuff in this thing anyway." you comply as you move back to one of the empty rooms and grab some lighter oil and a match from your bag.

The book is up in flames in seconds as you toss it into one of the dark empty rooms, never to see the light of day ever again.

Afterwards you quickly find the generator after you enter a room with dark room which reeks of crude oil with the lasting taste of smoke in the air.

You see a large set of machines with wires running all around the room that takes up most of the space of the room, it's been covered in touches of frost, however the more vital pieces seem to have been lubricated with enough fluid to keep the worst of it off.

the instructions behind operating the large machine are impossible to read as they've been covered in thick frost however, you can basically guess the controls once you look around and see a big lever with a black handle near the machine, You pull the lever down and the machine quickly roars to life After you do so.

light is restored to dark area, making your passage back up the halls much quicker than your descent.

Once you return topside, you see Bradford staring at the single gondola in the station as its door opens automatically. All three of you walk inside the gondola and see the large, plush insides of the car.

you look to the front of the gondola to see a set of two levers and one button in the middle, one with the word 'start' and the other 'stop' while the button says 'door' above it.

"The controls for operation are inside the gondola itself. They've been made simple enough for infant to use them, so I imagine I won't have to explain what to do to either of you." Rea states.

"Yeah, they've retard-proofed these controls, plus the insides look sturdy as hell. How could anyone cause one of these things to fall?" Bradford asks.

"Well, the marathoners who fell didn't actually shake the gondola off it's hinges. Rather, the runners happened to have a loud argument and fight inside the car, which caught the attention of the saw-noses below. Saw-noses are extremely territorial creatures, once they spot a foreign creature anywhere near their nest, they will attack without reservation." Rea explains.

"That sounds fucking terrifying! Who in their right minds would choose to ride in this goddamn death-trap!?" Bradford questions.

"Who in their right minds would willingly walk into a death forest?" Rea questions.

"That's different! How are we even gonna deal with those saw fuckers!?" Bradford questions.

"It won't be as bad as it sounds. It's hibernation season for most creatures in the forest, which means it's also Brumation season for the saw-noses due to scarcity of food. We won't be fighting the entire nest, we'll only need to deal with the males who are defending nest deeper within the canyon." Rea explains.

>>2460748
We agree on about half of them. Here's my more expanded list:

Derrick - Emitter. But if we didn't choose I'd say Enhancer would be a possibility

Rea - Manipulator for sure. I can see why you'd say Conjurer but It think logical is a more prevalent personality trait

Etheline - Enhancer. I don't know why you'd think such a cutie is a Transmuter but I guess her theme song is "epitaph" (still can't believe that) so she may be hiding something

Noell - Definitely a Conjurer

Florette - I'd say enhancer. Before I had no clue but during the cops and robbers game we got to see her traits and from them she seems kind of like a simpleton

Bradford - Enhancer but there's always the chance of him being an Emitter. I know this is like the 3rd enhancer but I think all of them have traits that point to it

Vanilla - Transmuter. She's definitely hiding something and you could describe her as whimsical but I we don't know much about her hope we get a chance to see more of her in the next phase

Christina - Conjurer. I don't think I need to explain this one.

Augustus - 110% a Transmuter. If he isn't deceptive I don't know who is and literally the definition of whimsical. On a side note I'm not the only one whose getting some serious Hisoka vibes right? I'm not saying he is "Hisoka confirmed" but for God's sake he said he wss trained by a magician so he's probably at least related to him in someway. Can't wait for that drink we promised to have with him

"Even if you say that, I just can't stand the idea of having to ride down in a giant metal coffin. I don't give two shits how comfy it looks, can't we take another way?" Bradford asks.

"If you really don't want to get inside. You can always ride on top, would that be more to your preference?" Rea questions.

"What? Ride on top?" Bradford asks.

"Didn't you hear me? Even if it's significantly less, we'll still have to deal with the males patrolling the nest area. We'll need at least two people outside the gondola to defend from attackers while one person remains inside to operate the controls and control the door." She explains.

"If you don't want to ride on the inside, you can stand on top and fight outside." She states.

"Won't that mean I'll be open for those flying lizards to knock off the gondola? That's even worse than being inside the fucking coffin!" Bradford states.

"Than go ahead and operate the controls. I'd actually prefer that, as your weapon might be loud enough to awaken the whole nest and I doubt we'd survive an entire nest of those beasts attacking us." Rea recommends.

Bradford gets stunted upon hearing that. He tries to think of a comeback for a few moments before he clicks his tongue and speaks, "...Fine! I fucking get it! I'll get in the damn box! But you not blame me if shit gets real! Your driver gets real shaky fingers when the car is suspended over a fucking cliff!" Bradford states.

"Don't worry. I wasn't expecting much from you in the first place." Rea says as Bradford angrily stomps his way inside the gondola car.

Rea looks to you, "That means you'll be using your bow to assist me in defending this gondola. I trust you have no complaints?" She asks.

"None I'm willing to voice. Not that it would matter if I did, right?" you answer.

"Perfect answer. Come." She commands as she hops on top of the gondola car and you follow suit.

>>2460857
Rest in peace journal you've served us well. I'm gonna miss Derrick's (not) diary entries.

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>>2460886
I can't wait for us to get a crit fail
calling it

You wait for a minute while Bradford works up the courage to push the 'start' lever and soon enough the car starts to move.

You crouch down to adjust your balance as you drop your duffle bag and retrieve your composite bow and arrows from inside. Rea pulls out her CZ PO7 pistol and checks the clip to count her bullets.

"Are you sure your pistol isn't too loud?" you ask.

"It has a built-in silencer. As long as we don't too close to the nest itself, we should be fine." She answers.

You sigh deeply and watch as the condensed air of your breath drifts off into the dark, cold depths below, "I can only hope this is going to be fine..." You state, trying to shake off the anxiety.

"I see you really haven't changed. You still let the fear of death get to your nerves before battle. You'll be a lot more efficient if you let that go." Rea states.

"That'll never happen. Say whatever you want about me, but I still get frayed nerves every-time I get into a fight. Not because I fear death, but because I fear what'll lose when I die. I fear because I care too much about living. And I care too much about living to die." you proclaim.

Rea seems to think on your words a little before speaking again, "Let me amend my earlier statement. Don't be nervous, because I won't let you die. You have me beside you, so don't let fear make you feel desperate. It will mess with your aim." She states.

"Was that concern I just heard?" you say with a smile.

"Wouldn't you be concerned if a valuable asset of yours was in danger?" she asks.

"Hpmh. Not wrong there." you answer.

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>1 hour later, 1:34pm.

The cold winds get thicker and harder the deeper into the chasm you go. When you began your descent, the light above you made seeing the area around you easy. However, the closer you get to the bottom, the more the light around you fades and the dark sets in.

You and Rea made small talk for a while, but the deeper you went down, the more anxious you became and thus the more silent the trip became. As of now, you can't hear anything, because their isn't a sound around you.

Bradford sits near the controls below, his face is calm but the nervous twitch in his legs tell you that even the smallest sign of danger will make him explode.

You want to say it's kinda entertaining to see Bradford actually show a sign of caution for once, but that only makes you more fearful, as it means even Bradford can't laugh the gravity of your situation off.

But despite the heavy atmosphere, even now, Rea remains perfectly calm and level-headed. Scanning her surroundings with her pistol at the ready. You seriously what kind of life she's lived to keep so cool during these kind of situations. is it bravery? Or just a lack of love for life?

You don't know and don't have time to care right now.

Krahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

You raise your bow on reflex and draw back the string. However, Rea holds her hand in-front of you and causes to pull back.

"Not yet. That was just signaling call for one of the saw-noses ending it's patrol and for another to take it's place. We're still in the green." She whispers.

You relax slightly, your nerves are on fire at the moment, but you keep your breath steady regardless. The attack is inevitable, but you can't fire wildly into the dark, you have to wait until the moment you can clearly see the beast.

Because even one missed shot could mean death in your position.

>Roll 2D100+15 (+5 from weapons, +10 from ally)
>DC:80

Rolled 66 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>2461066

Rolled 64 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>2461069
Cool barely made it forgot the 2nd roll so here you go

Rolled 3, 20 + 15 = 38 (2d100 + 15)

>>2461066

>>2461133
Damn dude those are some shit rolls. Not sure if that counts as a crit fail or not becuase the bonus makes it an 18 or if it's still a fail. I would like clarification before I have a panic attack

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>>2461181

the first roll(Derrick's roll) is a crit fail, the boost isn't mean't to save you from bad rolling, just boost the score enough to pass the DC. And both of Rea's rolls have failed.

So needless to say, things are looking a bit bad right now. Let's hope the third roll is better.

>>2461210
[Panic attack initiated]

Rolled 76, 10 + 15 = 101 (2d100 + 15)

Rerolling becuase I'm desperate

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>>2461303
Oh no.

That isn't enough for Rea to pass the DC, nor is it enough for Derrick escape the Crit fail. Unless one more person wants to roll, I'll have to take this one in 10 minutes.

Rolled 58, 31 + 15 = 104 (2d100 + 15)

>>2461356

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>>2461369


.....Dice Gods save us.
>Writing.

>>2461356
Well Derrick is fucked but shouldn't Rea get a +5 becuase she did research on Kilimanjaro

>Rolled 3/84

It all happened in an instant. It was so fast that you simply couldn't process. One moment you were tensely waiting for the attack to come from anywhere, the next, you saw Rea's head turn with fear in her eyes as you felt something long and sharp rip into the side of your abdomen and something heavy smash into your back as you go flying off the gondola car.

The rushing winds hit you with torrential force as you fly forward, the only thing preventing you from falling to your death is the small spiky bone protruding from the Saw-nose wing piercing into your back.

KRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

A triumphant shriek rings from the beasts mouth at the successful sneak attack.

Rea was right, fear clouded your mind, had your nerves not been so on edge, you might have noticed the beasts winds flapping from behind you.

"Derrick!!" Rea shouts out as she pulls herself up and aims in your direction, however her shot is stopped as a second Saw-nose dives in from her blind-spot.

Fortunately, she was prepared and dodges nimbly under the strike as she fires two shots into the beasts under-belly, crippling it mid-flight and causing it to fall into the depths.

You can't even begin to describe the intense fear and pain you're feeling. There's nothing below your feet, you would be free-falling into the darkness below if wasn't for Saw-nose parading your body around like a shiny new hood ornament.

You have to recover now! if he shakes you off that's it! there's no way in hell you'll survive that fall! And you can't die here!

>Roll1d100+15(+5 from warrior of will, +5 from equipment, +5 from Kil-Aman-Jaro research)

>>2461384

You got me there Anon. I actually forget about that bonus, I'll add it to the rolls now, we can only hope that 5 more points will be enough to save us from the dice god's wrath.

Rolled 35 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>2461443

Damn, forgot DC.

>DC:60

Rolled 73 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>2461443

>>2461476
>>2461499
Well looks like no else is rolling.

>Rolled 84
>Writing

>>2461583
>84
wat

https://youtu.be/tWxYnyT4sLA

You push your fear down and start to move your body, using the bone stabbed in your back like an anchor, you throw your arrow into your right hand as you hang the bow on your shoulders.

You twist your upper body far enough that your left hand grabs unto the far side of the Saw-noses wing.

The pain as your body slips off the horned wing and the sight of your blood falling from your back and into your suit is truly mind-bending. But you refuse to give up! You will not die here!

Once you make it far enough to get a proper grip on the reptile's wing, you squeeze your fingers into it with crushing force as you pull it's wing down.

kraaAHHHHHHHHHHH

The beast let's out a small cry of pain as you force it's tense muscles and solid bones down from the inside. You use it's slightly bended wing as a foothold to pull yourself up onto the beast's upper body.

You completely pull yourself from the bone in your back and feel a sting of pain from the sudden movement, but you grit your teeth and bare through it as you bring the arrow in your right hand down into Saw-nose's back.

The arrow allows you to perch yourself upon the beast's back as you bring your free arm around it's neck and choke with all the force you can muster.

The beast quickly fights back, shaking it's body rapidly, trying to throw you into the bottomless depths below. On reflex you bring the arrow in your hand up again, this time you bring the sharp metal tip of the arrow down into the beast's eye.

KRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

A deep, bellowing cry of pain echoes from the beast's throat as you twirl the arrow within it's eye-socket around until the pain overwhelms its sense of control.

Once it gives up on shaking you off, you use your choke-hold on it to guide it's neck to change it's flight pattern back towards the gondola.

The feeling of wind blowing into your eyes momentarily blinds you from the sheer strength of it's gust as your speed picks up from falling. But even so, you try and direct the crashing beast towards the top of the gondola, so you can roll off it on and back with Rea.

But the windforce is simply too much for you gain that level of control! You drive the falling beast head-first into the glass of the gondola, its head burst through the glass and it's long, saw horn acts like hook as it stabs it way into the car and nearly pierces Bradford's foot.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!" He shouts as he brings his feet up onto the seat.

You pull yourself with the arrow and grab onto the top of the gondola with your free hand, "Sorry about that! Couldn't exactly control it, promise it won't happen again. hope you don't mind the extra passenger. He seems to love giving people rides, so i thought I would return the favor!" you shout as you climb on top.

"I WANT OFF THIS FUCKING RIDE!! I HATE ALL OF YOU!!" He shouts with a face that looks to be on the verge of tears.

>>2461606

Math was never my strong suit.

>Still writing

You hop back on top of the gondola to see Rea, crouched and firing at multiple Saw-noses in the distance.

There's at least 6 of the beasts flying straight at the gondola with bloodlust in their eyes. But that doesn't deter her in the slightest, every shot she fires hits the mark. Targeting the beast's softer regions: the eyes, neck, wings. Anything that will causes them to lose balance and fall.

By the time you've got both feet on the gondola, she's already shot down 4 out of the 6 beasts with only 4 bullets. Efficient and effective, she truly never misses a beat with that pistol of hers.

However, her true skill manifests with her next shot. The beasts try to defend from her bullets by flying far apart from one another, to make her pick which enemy to attack.

However, instead of panicking, she immediately realizes a solution by calculating the distance between the two beasts. Once the beasts have closed in enough to try diving into the car, Rea fires a single shot into the left beasts' right eye.

The pain in it's right eye reflexively moves it to the left. It's large body crashes into it's diving ally and smashes them both into the cliff-side.

Rea takes the a moment to remove her clip and check her ammo count, "5 bullets down, 9 remaining." She confirms to herself.

"Do you always do such dangerous crap so causally? If that shot missed, than one of those things could have knocked this car off its cable." you state.

"If I hadn't taken the risk, one of them was sure to break into the car itself. And I'm sure Our driver would have detested that." She explains, unfazed from your sudden return.

"Aren't you gonna ask how I got back?" you ask, still feeling bit of adrenaline from surviving that insane situation.

"I don't need to. The blood all over your suit is more than enough for me to guess what happened." she explains as she puts the magazine back into the magazine well and pulls back the slide.

You look down to see what's she talking about and see that the entire front of your suit has been splattered thick sheet of blood that soaks right through vest and hits your undershirt.

"Damn it. I thought the Banshee brains were bad. There's no way in hell I can clean this now. This is the only suit I have left. The rest got destroyed." you complain.

"The state of your dress is the least of our concerns. Look." She states as she points out to the distance, where another flock of Saw-noses is fast approaching.

"We've got another 30 minutes before arrival and plenty of work to do until then. We can worry about your dry-cleaning bill after that." She says as she takes aim.

"Easy for you to say when you're not the one paying for it or my medical bills!" You say as you prepare yourself.

"We'll all have our fair share of debts to pay after this is over. So don't fail now." She requests.

"Have I ever failed you? You have no faith in me." you state.

"Well then why don't you make me a believer?" she asks.

"Gladly." you say with a smile.

[To be continued]

Sorry to end things here. But I have major test coming very soon and I need to devote all my time to studying. Which also means I probably won't be back for a month or two.

I'll announce the exact date of my return on twitter. Hopefully you all don't hate me too much for the cliff-hanger. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this episode of Hunter x Hunter quest.

I'll stick around for the rest of the night for questions before I archive the thread.

>>2461895
>Another Hiatus
I-it's fine. J-just don't forget about us o-ok.

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>>2461895
It's okay QM, I hope you do well!
>won't be back for a month or two.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO