The Otonari's Last [Draft, Discontinued]

XIII - the Audition

"I forgot to mention one thing," he says. "The barest minimum requirement is that you be strong... Strong enough to leave this mansion alive."

The door suddenly bursts open, revealing six hooded figures with swords. I nod at Kurapika, who nods back, and I pull my dance ribbon from my bag and move my aura into it while he releases the chain attached to his ring finger. I stand with my back to his as three more figures move to stand in the doorway, but they hold guns instead of swords. As they begin to fire, Kurapika swings the chain quickly, catching each bullet fired in our direction.

When his chain stops moving, I jump out from behind him, whipping my hardened ribbon out. It slices through the swords of the enemies closest to us, rendering them useless. Kurapika points to the small second level, and I nod, turning back to our opponents. I lash out with my ribbon again as a figure armed with a gun approaches me, cutting the weapon in half. Planting my hand on the floor and swinging my body toward my opponent, I kick them directly in the side. My eyes widen as I set my foot back on the ground.

So they're made of Nen... But who's controlling them? I glance up at Kurapika, who jumped off the chandelier. Ah, looks like he's figured out who it is.

Kurapika lands behind the man with the swirly sideburns, holding a knife to his neck. "Stop them," he says simply. "I'll give you three seconds. One... Two..."

"Okay," the man says quickly. "I get it." The Nen figures drop to the floor, and I relax the hand that had my dance ribbon in it.

"What's going on?" the woman with pink hair asks.

"Then they really were made from Nen," the earlier man with brown hair notes. "I could tell when I landed a punch that I was hitting aura shaped like a human... However, I didn't realize it was his Nen."

"How did you know?" the culprit asks Kurapika.

"You were always careful to stand next to others for camouflage, but when I observed from above, everything was clear. You were the only person not under attack," Kurapika answers. "I realized something was wrong when assailants appeared on the second floor. After I jumped on the chandelier, they just stood there, swords swinging in a futile attempt to reach me. I assume they received the following order -"

"'Attack the nearest enemy,'" I interrupt. "The assailants were given simple instructions, so their attacks were simple, too. However, it would take a skilled Nen user to control eleven human-sized auras at the same time. A Manipulator, most likely. Given the size of the auras, the Manipulator had to be within a few meters. Which meant that the Nen user had to be in this room."

"You both nailed it," the culprit admits. "My name is Shachmono Tocino. I'm actually a Hunter. I work for the boss here, so I will have seniority over you. Now that everything's clear, could you drop the knife?" Kurapika does so, and Shachmono sits in a chair. "Judging by those chains and that ribbon, you must be Manipulators... Well, I hope you won't hold a grudge. I was just following orders from the boss. 'Test them by trying to kill them.' But I never expected you to pick up on me so fast. Well, the five of you together should be able to escape this mansion. Good luck."

"Five?" the short woman questions.

"Is there another plant in the room?" the brown-haired man asks.

"I'm assuming that was meant as a diversion," I guess, yawning. "But either way, it was a mistake."

"I shall determine if there are any other plants before we start becoming paranoid," Kurapika announces, dropping his dowsing chain. He points it at each person, including me, before stopping at the man wearing a pink shirt, where the chain swings slightly. "There. You are a plant."