Rift Chronicles

Rift Chronicles Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Subversion

The jungle was so hot and humid. Token wiped away the sweat from his forehead. Out of all the Hunter's exams he had participated in, this had to be the most miserable. Why couldn't it be like the last one? That had been a mixed martial arts tournament, in a nice, air-conditioned building. What I wouldn't do for some air conditioning right now, he grumbled internally to himself. And to top it off, it had been too easy to con people out of the last exam. He had simply spiked a few drinks with a small amount of mild laxatives and offered them to anyone who would accept one. The vast majority had refused his offer but for the few unlucky ones who had drank it, the results were priceless. One even ran out before his match and thus forfeited. Just the thought of it made him snicker. As for Token, well, the first match he was in, he simply forfeited the moment it started. The look of frustration on his opponent's face was perfect, as clearly they had taken the exam far too seriously.

He was going to miss Narute being the head of the Hunters. The old codger had appreciated his craft and even seemed amused by it. The new head, on the other hand, Poppy, was such a stick in the mud. The nerve she had, threatening to take legal action against him if he ever drugged another person again! It wasn't like he hurt anyone or took advantage of anyone. He was simply weeding out the weak and naive. Really, Poppy should be thanking him for making the Hunters a more competent group overall. He laughed to himself, yeah, like that would ever happen. She was too full of her self-righteous principles.

Though he never had any intention of becoming a Hunter, he was going to miss the thrill it had brought into his life. Heck, maybe he would actually pass the test this year as opposed to dropping out like he always had done. It would make for a nice keepsake of the good old times. One thing was for sure: he wasn't going to be allowed in any upcoming exams.

He stopped to catch his breath. The air was so oppressive. He was pretty sure he had put enough distance between him and the last person he had taken an exam bracelet from. The dope never even noticed him taking it until it was too late. So far he had managed to swipe three. He seriously doubted anyone would recover theirs before time ran out. The thought of them searching hopelessly for a man whom they would never be able to catch was very entertaining to him.

All he needed was a few more bracelets and he would have set a new record for himself. Never had he tricked so many prospects before. What a gullible bunch! He took a drink of water as he sat under the shade of a large tree. He looked up to see if there were any branches that he might be able to find a place to rest on. Sadly, it offered no nooks for him to hide away in. It was like all the other trees, tall and without branches, with only large leaves on its top to offer shade. He muttered to himself, "Dang, just like every other tree on this island, useless."
The light breeze started to blow, giving slight relief. The huge palm leafs overhead swayed gently. There was the low humming of the island's many bugs that made up a constant buzzing chorus during the day. For a supposed dangerous island, it felt rather peaceful and cozy at the moment. Token could feel his eyes drooping. He let out a yawn. He was certain there was no one nearby. He was a light sleeper, he'd be able to hear anyone approaching long before they spotted him. He closed his eyes and started to drift asleep.

He wasn't sure how long he dozed off for but it didn't seem very long until he sprang awake at the sound of an unearthly scream echoing across the island. He had never heard something so creepy in his entire life. Every hair on his body stood up, rigid and tall. He was now fully awake and on high alert. And as the echo of the scream slowly faded away, it was replaced with an eerie silence. Not a single creature around made so much as a chirp.

He tried to figure out what direction it had come from. But with the way it reverberated throughout the jungle, it was impossible to tell. The silence was quickly broken by a scream of someone nearby along with a thud. It sounded as if it was only a few hundred feet away. Someone had managed to sneak up on Token without him realizing they were near. Or maybe the person had been hiding out in this area and was completely unaware of Token's presence. Either way, Token was on high alert. He looked around but didn't see or hear anyone approaching. Unknown to many of the participants of the Hunter's exam, he had developed a specialized Talent which rendered him undetectable. But there was a catch: he could only use it for as long as he could hold his breath. His mind raced; should he use it or not? The jungle remained eerily silent as he stood there.