Just the Maid

Chapter 25- Hunter Exam: Phase Three

After we left the ball game, Killua and I rested in a storage room, away from everyone else. We woke up to the announcement of our arrival of the Third Phase.

"I apologize for the long wait. The airship will soon arrive at its destination," said the loudspeaker.

"Looks like we're here..." I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Next to me, Killua stood. I tried to stand up, but sleeping on a hard floor all night gave me the wobbles. I heard Killua chuckle at my attempts to stand.

As soon as I was stable enough to walk, we headed out to the bottom deck where everyone else was. We joined up with the others there. Gon told us his accomplishments with Netero. Suddenly, we landed with a thud. The door opened and the little green guy, Bean, led us out onto a circular rooftop.

"Ahem!" coughed Bean. Everyone looked over at him. "Everyone, the exam's Third Phase will begin here, at the top of Trick Tower."

"Trick Tower?" asked the guy behind me.

"To pass this phase, you must reach the bottom of the tower alive. The time limit is 72 hours. With that, we will now begin the Third Phase. Good luck!" With that, he left in the airship. Everyone dispersed.

Gon and the others looked over the side. The ground was so far down! The only thing I could see were the treetops.

"Are we supposed to climb down?" Leorio wondered.

"That would be suicide," answered Kurapika.

"Maybe for a normal person!" commented someone behind us. We turned around to see a guy with green gloves and a gray tank top with a thick, brown tool belt holding up black pants. He was smiling smugly, arms crossed. He walked over to the edge and started climbing down.

"But a top-class rock climber can handle this, no problem!" he gloated.

"Wow, he's going down pretty fast," Gon said. The guy said something else, but the wind carried it away. Then, we heard flapping. We looked around rapidly to try and find where the noise was coming from. Next thing we knew, these huge monsters with wings flew by the guy. They swooped below him, then swerved upwards. The red one gobbled him up in one crunch. I gasped at the sight and hid behind Killua.

"G-Guess we can't climb down the side..." pointed out Leorio.

We spent more time walking around the top, trying to figure out another way down. People were tapping the tiles, but it looked like they weren't finding anything. Gon, Killua, and I walked along the edge, seeing if we could find something.

"Hey! Look! I think this is a hidden door!" Gon suddenly said. He put his foot on a tile and it opened downward.

"Nice job!" Killua congratulated.

"But... There's only four here... And there's five of us. And each may lead to a different room," I whispered.

"Well, I'm sure we're strong enough to get through any obstacle that's thrown our way, right?" Gon declared. I just nodded.

'I don't like being apart from Killua. But if I have to... I suppose I have no choice,' I said to myself. "You guys can use the doors here. I'll find another one."

"Really? That's super cool of you, Kat!" Gon exclaimed. He then called Leorio and Kurapika over.

"What is it, Gon?" Kurapika asked.

"Look! I found a hidden door!" He pushed on the tile again.

"I see now... So we can descend by flipping these stones."

"Alright! Good job, Gon!" Leorio said. "Let's go down!"

"But I'm confused," he said.

"About what?"

"There are also hidden doors here," he pointed, "there, over there, and over there too."

"That many?"

"Four hidden doors, located in the same area. Sounds suspicious to me. Some could be traps," pointed out Kurapika.

"And it looks as though each door can be used once," added Killua. He told them about us trying to open a door that someone else had fallen through.

"Well, judging by the doors' size, only one person can fit at a time," Kurapika observed. My eyes widened and I looked at Killua.

"In other words, only one person can go through each door. That means we'll have to split up," Killua acknowledged. "Us three already decided that we're each going to choose a door."

"No hard feelings if one of us springs a trap!" Gon said. "What about you guys?"

"I can live with that. Luck IS part of the game..." Leorio agreed. Kurapika agreed as well.

They all stood next to the platforms. I stood beside Killua to say a farewell.

"Hey," he whispered to me.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"I'm gonna look forward to seeing you at the bottom, so don't die. Promise me?" He looked at me and grinned his famous grin. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Okay. I promise. And just so you know, I never break my promises." I winked at him and gave his hand a quick squeeze before I backed away.

"Let's go in three," said Leorio.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," said Gon.

"We'll meet up again, at the tower's base," Kurapika added.

"Well then, let's go!" said Killua.

"One! Two! Three!" They shouted together. They all jumped on their doors and disappeared without a trace.

'I guess I should find a way down too...' I spent the next few minutes tapping around, feeling the stone and seeing if there was an opening or not beneath it.

Finally, I found one! I jumped on it, and was dropped onto a platform. It was pitch black except for a small torch next to a sign.

To continue down the path of memories,
one must face their greatest foes,
and ones greatest allies.

I picked up the torch and swept it around the platform. There was no one with me. It was a small platform so high, I couldn't see the bottom. There was no barrier surrounding it either. I went back to the sign. That's when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I stepped to the left of the sign and lowered the torch to reveal a metal slide.

"Must be my way down," I muttered. I sat on the edge. Suddenly, lights lit up on the sides of the slide. The slide twisted and turned as far as I could see. I smiled.

"Might be fun!" I ate the fire from the torch and threw it away. I inched forward and...

"WHOOOOOOHOOOOOO!" I yelled. I threw my hands up, my cloak flapping behind me. I felt like I didn't have a care in the world. I dipped and twirled and looped the loop on my one-man rollercoaster ride.