HxH: 108 Stars of Destiny [IC]

[Andx]

 

Aduain had been too hurt to keep his head up long to see how the fight had ended. It certainly sounded intense at the very least. There didn't seem to be a muscle in his body that wasn't hurting from the various blows from Render. It wasn't too long before it sounded like someone was over by his side. As he attempted to turn his head to look he heard Ivory's voice. She sounded tired but mostly alright and was expressing concern for him so she must have been okay. He tried to play off how he was hurt a bit with a weak laugh.

 

"Heh, yeah they got me a little bit didn't they? Nothing too bad..." he said as he tried to do everything he could to get up off the ground. His arms extended putting him in a sort of push up position for a few seconds before the pain got to him and he collapsed back down. "Okay maybe they got me pretty good..." Certainly not the best start to the Hunter Exam but his team had made it through the fight. Being as independent as he was made what came next a little embarrassing and difficult.

 

"I uh, don't think I'm gonna be walking for a little bit... don't suppose you could..." he trailed off not wanting to finish the request for help. Ivory had already done a lot to win the fight and was probably tired herself.

 

Xiu was reentering her haze momentarily while the adrenaline in her system settled and the blood from the cuts continued to seep into her clothing. A fight had just happened hadn't it? She'd read a wonderful book about fighting and war once. Was that all this was? A review of that book? Well there was still the people she'd recently met. The cat boy Arash gave her a sort of compliment and asked her to stay in the ring. That's right this was the Hunter Exam. At least one of them needed to stay in until told otherwise to ensure they weren't disqualified on any technicalities.

 

She took the time to examine the room some more while she waited for official word. People everywhere, sounds from all directions. Two teams readying to fight after they were finished. And that's when he caught her eye. A small fish boy bouncing back and forth, perhaps in the next fight. He matched the descriptions she'd read. An Aquarian. Now her interest was focused. Somehow he'd been overlooked in her earlier indexing of the participants. She'd have to find him later in the exam. For now she hummed softly to herself as she twirled the ends of her hair, shifting her attention to the judges.

 

"There really is a little bit of everything here." She said, distinctly happy.

[Tesability Black]

Now, this was something Taikyu didn't understand. He saw Lettess raise a hand high into the air, though he knew not why. None of his own species did such. While keeping the heat to himself so that you'd have to be really close to suddenly be sweating, the large red beast pawed his way up to the chef before raising the tip of the orange whip-like appendage on his back to just over one of the person's shoulders. With a light 'tap tap tap' did it move up and down upon the fleshy shoulder, hoping to catch his attention.

"Um...what are you doing like that?"

[Love of Ghibli]

Lettess felt the tap on his shoulder and he immediately turned around. Judging by the voice it was the fire horse warrior Taikyu. He quickly turned around and laughed as he realize how foolish he must have looked and still looked because he still could not see. 

Yeah sorry about that guys. See normally when I'm in my "cooking mode" I can move around flawlessly when without the use of my eyes. Unfortunately its hard to be that "on" all the time. Soooo....yeeeah I'm going to need to probably need some help for a second. En put the boy on his shoulders and carried them like parents do with there infant children. Lettess was entertained as he held up the peace symbol twice to show their victory. As the team walked out of the caged area. This was a fun experience. Hopefully the rest of the Hunter's Exam will be like this. Minus the whole blinding thing and all. 

This was fun guys...and girl...and horse creature who's gender I cannot truly identify. What do you think the next phase is going to be like? He said to his teammates.

[Astolfo]

---

Nanika

---

Nanika watched on interestedly as her newfound axe-wielding partner clashed with his opponent. At first, it seemed as if the opponent had the upper hand, but as time passed, her ally quickly regained momentum. Within a few minutes, it was already over. ”Hm… Not bad.” Soon afterwards, Ninsar got into a fight with the feminine boy, which devolved into something more like pattycake. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Nanika groaned in exasperation. ”This is just getting silly now.” Brandishing her sword, she took a few steps before taking a massive leap towards Ninsar’s opponent, slamming her blade in a downwards arc. Shrieking in fright, he scampered away back to his own side. Turning around and patting Ninsar on the head, Nanika motioned for the girl to go and rejoin the rest of their group.

 

Facing the enemies once more, she beckoned at her previous opponent. The score still wasn’t over, and she was itching to get a good fight. Her opponent strided up to her, before instantly lashing out in a heavy-handed strike without pause. Twisting her body out of the way at the last moment, Nanika smashed her open palm into his chin, before slamming his head back down with a powerful elbow strike. He was far from finished though. Nanika was sent reeling backwards after a heavy fist slammed into her chest. Quickly stepping backwards to regain space, he shook his head a few times before growling loudly. ”What are you, a dog?” With her jab, the opponent grew visibly irritated. Jumping towards her, he began to barrage her with an endless flurry of attacks and bites, forcing her to sidestep and parry continually, being driven perilously close to the edge. Refusing to back any further, as that would mean losing the match, Nanika replied to each of her opponent’s strikes with one of her own, trading blows between the two. She needed to get some safety room soon though… or perhaps wait…?

 

As the man put his fists together and slammed them down towards her to try and end the battle, Nanika leapt off the ground as she flipped high into the air. Stepping off his arms and the top of his head, she landed on the other side. Without a moment’s pause, she swung her sword in a broad horizontal arc straight at his torso, causing him to instinctively leap forward to dodge the blow - and thereby eliminating himself from the contest. Dusting herself off, she re-sheathed her sword, waving to her teammates and giving a thumbs-up and a wide grin.

 

Smith’s fight ended soon thereafter. Surprisingly, he won, but the entire battle was him flailing around and having the luck of the devil with dodging blows as he returned some in kind. With 3 wins, the remaining Beaver boy or whatever his name was begged the judge officer for a forfeit, wailing and screaming like sort of kid throwing a tantrum. Well, that was that. The only thing that remained was to see what would come next.

[Aix]

It was hot. Really hot. Even though it was not yet eight in the morning and the sun had only risen for two hours, the brutal climate of Jipte made it already 35°C. Predictions by meteorological channels said the temperature would even peak at 50°C in the afternoon. Alexandre could only pray that whatever the next Phase of the Exam was, it would not take place outside, but he had low hopes of that as he gathered with the remaining 187 other examinees at the Bizarre Bazaar District. Right front of their meeting place was the endless dunes of the Screaming Desert, and Alexandre had an acute sense of foreboding.
 
As Alexandre looked around, he caught his team-mates from last night, Razia and Ryuuken, but he did not approach them. He respected their martial skill, however he felt no connection to them otherwise. He was more interested in the last of his team. Contrary to any expectations, the "oil prince" had competence as a fighter himself. He moved strangely, twisting his chubby body in all sorts of angles. By using extreme grasping strength had actually crushed his opponent's, the boxer's, throat before she had time to cry out. That gruesome scene had more than confirmed something for Alexandre. He recognized those movements, that signature choke kill. However, Alexandre was unable to have any contact with that man any further; after the judges confirmed their passing of the exam, he didn't stick around to watch the other fights.

There was a slight movement of Alexandre's eyebrows. It was 7:59 already, yet there were only 170 people here. He had gained an intuitive ability to estimate the number of people around, and when his estimate was lower than expected, he did a headcount confirming his suspicions. There were 17 people missing, including the oil prince.

At this point, what caught Alexandre's eye was a beautiful lady in a white robe, mounted sidesaddle atop a camel, riding into the scene. She had perfect unblemished skin despite her considerable exposure to the sun's blaze and behind her flowed a long mane of rose-colored hair. Alexandre smiled as he looked upon her doll-like features.

"Salutations, prospective Hunters," she said. Her voice was slightly deep for a woman and carried a tone of regality. She must be high-class. "I am your Proctor for the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam. My name is Mohammed Alfarsi."

Ah, so her name was Mohamm—what?! That wasn't a female name. Alexandre creased his eyebrows... it couldn't be...

"My test is very simple. You must make it to the new, unnamed ruins recently found in the Screaming Desert. You must gather information and supplies for the trip yourself. The time limit is four days to reach your destination and you are not allowed to use vehicles," said the Proctor. "That is all. I will not be answering any questions and go on ahead." With that she/he departed into the desert on her camel. Along with her was another camel carrying a large sack of supplies.

There was a bit of hesitation at first, but soon everyone started heading into the bazaar. There wasn't a moment to be losing. Alexandre sighed at the cruel trial ahead of him and followed everyone else.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"U-uh..." Bright light filled Miaris' vision as she opened her eyes. Her first thought was that she had passed away and now having her soul ascend to the afterlife. It didn't feel so bad, she thought. Dying didn't really feel so-

 

"Ah, finally awake? At first I am worried that you wouldn't be able to continue with the Exam, young mistress." Her elderly butler's voice snapped Mia back to reality. She opened her eyes fully to see him before her, and with herself being in a state of undress with a lot of her body being covered in bandages.

 

"...Where am...what happened?" Still somewhat dizzy, Mia asked. She tried to get up from her bed, but Stefan stopped her before he answered her question. Mia wanted to resist, but her muscles felt too sore to move now, and she thus relented.

 

"You passed out during the first round of the exam, and you didn't wake up until now. I have treated most of your wounds, but don't move too much for now. There are still some hours before the exam starts, after all.

 

Just rest, and I'll prepare your belongings in the meantime."

 

Miaris opened her mouth to ask another question, but she realized that she really didn't feel like asking anything else for now, and soon she returned to her slumber. Perhaps it's best just to trust him to care for her. He knew what's best for her, after all.

 

"My test is very simple. You must make it to the new, unnamed ruins recently found in the Screaming Desert. You must gather information and supplies for the trip yourself. The time limit is four days to reach your destination and you are not allowed to use vehicles,"

 

"...I'm really going to die for real this time, am I?"

 

She tried to sound like it was just a jest, but what came from Mia's lips was more the feeling of resignation to an inevitability ahead of her. Of course, pulling back wouldn't be an option, but this kind of arduous trial would be far from something she could handle. She nervously gripped the handle of her broom. She hadn't seen the ninja, Lettess, or Taikyu just yet. Going alone would just be plain suicidal. At least if she had some allies, she would have a slight chance of proceeding. She didn't want to die.

 

No, no way she would die from this.

 

"...R-right?"

 

"That is all. I will not be answering any questions and go on ahead."

 

The proctor left the scene on her camel, and following her was another camel full of supplies. And soon, the rest of the exam takers flooded the nearby bazaar. Miaris, not really seeing herself as being able to compete on the war on resources, walked to the place steadily instead after most of the others had gone there. At least Stefan had packed up a good amount of supplies for her earlier. But she would still need more, of course.

 

Perhaps she should also buy some burial sheets, just in case.

 

---

 

"Emui! Where are you, Emui?! I have a ball of yarn for you to play wiiiith!"

 

In the middle of the crowd, Sela yelled as she tried to call for the cute catgirl. Calling someone like this...or perhaps, being this intent on looking for someone like this felt odd. Her voice, while it was loud, still felt flat somehow, and Sela herself was still maintaining her deadpan expression. After the first round yesterday, she tried to track down the catgirl after she lost sight of the cutie, but she proved to be one agile or stealthy little fuzzball, as Sela was unable to locate her whereabouts the whole night. The fight of yesterday was disappointing, but Emui's capabilities somewhat piqued the woman's interest. She should find her and team up with her again so she could learn more about her and how to be a proper cat.

 

The fishes too...perhaps they could be together again. Since cats like fishes, wouldn't it mean that catgirls like fishpeople? Sela might be onto something here. She wasn't too concerned about supplies. She would just get what's left, and live with it. And fighting while dehydrated and famished could be quite a welcome challenge. But for now, she needed to find Emui first. Or the other catboy, but Emui would be Sela's priority.

 

---

 

[Love of Ghibli]

Letess laughed at the thought of wilderness survival training thing being the next phase of the exam. With his eyes clean and at the bazaar he immediately looked around to see what he would purchase in his need for survival. The whole thought of traveling through an ancient desert in search of some random site is pretty bad and taxing. Maybe that was something else that is supposed to test their metal as hunters. He was a chef though so he was pretty confident in his ability to survive on the lay of the land. Four days also seemed like an excessive challenge as well the last time he had to rough it on his own he at least had a week. This was clearly something for the big kids. 

Oh wait, I wonder if the team still wants to stay together. He looked around at his other teammates who were present during the announcement. He looked at them before they dispersed throughout the bazaar. So what do you think? Safety in numbers or should we go our separate ways? He said with puppy dog eyes hoping that they would choose to stick together.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Arash stretched luxuriously as the next part of the exam was being explained. Seemed they'd be going on a trip through the desert. He hated getting sand in his hair, but it seemed there was no helping it. He knew some things about the desert but it wasn't his area of expertise. He was glad for the ability to use weapons. Such terrain would give him a long line of sight to pick off anything that happened to attempt and stop him. Arash checked to make sure his sniper was safe in its case. The sand would be an annoyance, so he'd have to make sure to have something to keep it from getting jammed.

He'd also have to think about how to go about this. The obvious straight shot path would be dangerous, clearly. That's usually what happens. But it might be worth the risk to get there as fast as possible.

He briefly wondered at the idea of being sent to an unknown ruin. Wouldn't a test be better if the risks were all regulated? It felt odd. For all the proctor knew this ruin could be the safest place in the desert, right? Paranoia welled up inside him. He'd have to be careful.

 

Either way he had two things to do beforehand. The first was decide if he wanted to get some help. He honestly didn't think he needed it, and wasn't sure he could trust anyone not to stab him in the back, so it could be best to go solo. The cat that was still clinging to his shoulder meowed loudly in his ear, and he absently patted it. "Whatever. I'll get supplies first and decide from there." He headed out to look for what he'd need. Some food, though he didn't really need much, and as much water as he could get. His cloak should be able to keep the sun from baking his brain, but maybe something to create a shelter at night or at least keep him warm.

 

He kept his eyes open for anyone who looked safe enough to approach. It'd be good to at least have someone to keep an eye open when he eventually had tor rest. Xiu and Cammie were the obvious choices, but he wasn't going to make such a decision hastily.

[Dad]

The desert?  The friggin' desert?  "I mean, I'm used to heat but sheesh," Warden said no longer tranced over the thought of the limp body of his opponent some time ago.  And no vehicles.  So this proctor claims as they ride off on a God damn camel.  funking pussy.  He scoffed to himself, trying to mentally picture what he would need to traverse miles of heat with three teammates and a giant axe.  After all of the survival television he had watched and the basic understanding of the wilderness, he knew what to look for.

 

Food.  Water.  Head coverings.  Blankets.  And basic first aid.  Any more than that was unnecessary.

 

"Nanika," he said turning to the minuscule one.  "Will you help me to gather the supplies?  We shouldn't need much, but if you all decide you want something more, we can adjust."

 

Warden turned his back as he began walking silently towards town.

[Yui]

---

The heat of this place was unbearable.  The sun had only been up for a couple hours and it was already this hot.  Even worse, it was only going to get hotter throughout the day.  How did people live out here?  To distract herself from the miserable heat of this awful desert, Emui had expended the last thirty minutes of her time clawing at a wicker basket she'd snatched from within the town's bazaar, hissing in frustration and watching the other examinees from the rooftops of the district.  By now, the basket was nearly unusable from how thoroughly and rapidly Emui had sunk her nails into it.  Even with the sweet relief of getting to scratch at something this freely, though, the heat was something that couldn't stay off her mind as the black hair on her head just kept eating up the sunlight.  The nekomimi was about to rip the lid off the basket and start furiously gnawing at it, when she heard a voice from down below.
 
"Emui! Where are you, Emui?! I have a ball of yarn for you to play wiiiith!"
 
That was Sela.  The human who acted like she was a cat.  Not that Emui had any objections to the human's weird self-identification; it was good to have somebody to talk to about nekomimi problems, and Sela - able to relate well to both human problems and cat problems - was the perfect candidate.  Plus, she was a good fighter; that was the kind of person Emui wanted as an ally for whatever mission was sending her out into that awful desert.  Picking up the scratched-up and stolen basket as she got to her feet, Emui leapt off the roof she stood on, landing softly on the shoulders of some other person she'd never met before before quickly hopping off of them as well, continuing her journey through the air before landing a second time, just in front of Sela.  Humans were supply sheds and springboards.  Who'd have thunk it?
 
"I could mewse a good ball of yarn in this nyasty place.  How do humans put up with this heat?" Emui asked her human cat companion, continuing her clawed assault on the basket she carried.  There was no point in wiping the sweat off her forehead; she knew this because she'd done it four times in the last twenty minutes and it just seemed to get worse every time.  And it was supposed to get hotter throughout the day too.  Already, Emui loathed this part of the exam.
 
It seemed to get all the worse when the lady on the camel rode in like she owned the place or something.  The nekomimi was already mad enough having to be out in this heat, so she only paid just enough attention to get the basic gist of this phase of the exam.  Find ruins, steal artifacts, Emui's specialty.  They'd need food and water - especially water - if they had to go through that bonfire called a desert.  As for food...well, Emui found a new use for the basket she had handy.  She also had a plan.
 
"Let's go shopping then," the nekomimi proposed once Lady High-Horse High-Camel rode off with another camel to carry her food and water.  "Mew keep the shopkeeps distracted, and I'll snag some food and water."
 
Ah yes, the good old Emui Valentine definition of "shopping".

This setting was a bit more akin to what Ninsar was used to.  A bazaar!  She grew up in one, and saw many others when living in the old empire.  The heat of the desert was also something she was familiar with.  It seemed like the desert was a bit hotter than she remembered, though.  There were still a lot of people here, even though so many had been removed from the exam during the previous phase.  That boy from yesterday named Beaver, he didn't take his team losing very well.  Ninsar half-expected him to be executed.  In her time, that was how cowardly warriors were dealt with.  It wasn't exactly a sweet truth, but that was that.

 

Ninsar much preferred the modern punishment for cowardice in battle, which seemed to be little more than people looking at the coward funny.

 

"Nanika, will you help me to gather the supplies?  We shouldn't need much, but if you all decide you want something more, we can adjust."

 

"I too shalt assist!" Ninsar exclaimed, raising her hand as she volunteered to help as well.  "I need not food nor water, for I do not die."  Then the girl's stomach rumbled.  That's what she got for skipping breakfast, it would seem.  "Hehe...I do, however, hunger.  But I shalt fast, and train mine body for future trials!"  One thing Ninsar understood that she heard others can sometimes forget if they're born and raised as nobles is that sometimes, there isn't always a ton of money to be had.  Ninsar's life so far with her legal guardian helped confirm it; the situations between an average police officer, wealthy nobles, and impoverished merchants were all very different.  And seeing as Ninsar wasn't sure where on the financial ladder her teammates were...better to be safe than sorry.

Up ahead lied the Screaming Desert.  Razia's home.  Her empire.  She didn't expect to return here so soon.  Especially without the ability to use Nen.  However, this part of the exam would be easy.  According to the proctor, passing simply meant finding ruins and retrieving artifacts.  That was something Razia already excelled in; she spent seven years in the desert to find the armor of the single most legendary figure in the Screaming Desert's history.  Spending another four days out there to find some old jars or spears would be child's play.

 

Glancing around at the people she could catch sight of, Razia spotted the one particular person she wanted a word with.  The man from her team yesterday, Ryuuken.  He knew how to fight.  That was something Razia wanted in an ally for this task; she expected at least a couple of fights within the days to come.  Approaching the man, Razia nodded toward the shops and said precisely what she meant to say.

 

"You're coming with me.  I could use a good ally for this part of the exam, and you don't look like you've ever been through this desert before.  You'll want my help.  Trust me."

[Kazooie]

 

After the... Interesting set of fights, Cammie found himself idly wandering around before the start of the second exam. The bird didn't seem concerned that his wing was bandaged a bit, if anything, he seemed to be in even higher spirits than he was before the first test! He flounced a bit as he made his way through the much thinner crowd, happily making it obvious that, somehow, a child had managed to last in the competition. Someone out there was probably upset over it, but Cammie didn't seem to dwell on it as he made his way back to where Arash was.through the crowd.

 

"Mister big kitty! I didn't get to ask if you wanted me to stick around with you or not! I know I technically didn't win my battle last round, but... I tried! Come on, gimme another shot! Pleaaaase?"

 

He called out into the crowd, hoping to attract Arash's attention somehow. Most just ignored the bird, a few looked over at him, but no one seemed to say anything.

 

"Salutations, prospective Hunters, I am your Proctor for the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam. My name is Mohammed Alfarsi."

 

Cammie blinked a little bit as he shook his head, looking over at the woman that had start to speak. He tilted his head slightly, humming a little bit as he sways back and forth.

 

"My test is very simple. You must make it to the new, unnamed ruins recently found in the Screaming Desert. You must gather information and supplies for the trip yourself. The time limit is four days to reach your destination and you are not allowed to use vehicles, that is all. I will not be answering any questions and go on ahead."

 

 

Cammie tapped his chin for a moment, humming gently as he shrugged. He could worry about getting the supplies in a minute, he could charm any shopkeeper into a discount! Right now, he needed to find his friend! So he continued to skip about the crowd, humming gently before he found Arash and grinned, "Mister big kitty, there you are! Come on, gimme another chance!"

 

He grinned up to the neko, his wings folded away from his back a bit. His breathing seemed a bit... Faster than it had been before, but otherwise he seemed normal. He was barely even showing a reaction to the heat as he plucked a small seed from a pocket on his shirt, popping it into his mouth.

 

---

 

Ivory frowned a little bit as she picked up Aduain, her gauntlets giving him a space to rest on as she nods quickly, "Of course, dear. Of course. Once the fight is fully finished, we'll get you some help..."

 

And so she did.

___

 

Urgh, Spinal, this heat is absolutely disgusting.

 

Amber, we just fought a lady who flung flames way hotter than this at us.

 

Shush. Nature sucks.

 

Amber had been complaining to Spinal for the majority of their time out in the desert, the heat seemingly driving her insane. Spinal was only handling it marginally better, but she was handling it better enough than Amber to have control over their body now. Spinal looked down at her smaller partner, kneeling down a little bit to get a bit closer to Aduain, "How are you holding up? Hopefully you aren't too tired from the fight..."

 

She smiled to him before perking up, hearing the voice of the proctor for this stage of the exam. She nods gently as she listens to... Her? Him? It was fairly hard to tell, but that didn't matter right now. They were being tasked with reaching some ruins... Not too horrible, though it wouldn't do for them to go in unprepared. The desert wouldn't be a walk in the park, that's for sure. She looked back towards the bazaar, humming a little bit as she tapped her chin, "We should prepare to get the supplies we'll need. It'll be easy for me to carry most of it... Maybe we'll run into the kitties again.~"

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 "Mister big kitty, there you are! Come on, gimme another chance!"

Arash turned around as soon as he heard the first few words. The voice, and what he was being called, could only be one person. "Hello again, Cammie." He said dryly. "Another chance? You realize that I'm not the one you're supposed to impress, right? You don't have to prove jack sheet to me." Why was this kid clinging to him so much? Was it the cat on Arash's shoulder?

That reminded him, he had to pick up cat food, and something to put the cat in so it didn't overheat, dammit...

 

The bird child's look was so energetic, so innocent, and so ignorant that Arash couldn't help himself. "Whatever, tag along if you want. I guess it can't hurt anything. But I'm not getting you any supplies, and if you pass out I'm leaving your ass where it falls, got it?" He couldn't allow himself to be soft, this was a hard life they were working towards, not some vacation award. If anyone somehow made it through the trials without being fully prepared for that kind of life, they were dead men walking.

A moment passed.

Arash thrust the cat towards the bird. "Find supplies for him, too."

[Andx]

 

Being held by Ivory, Aduain couldn't remember the last time he felt so embarrassed. He had wanted to come into this exam ready to show his stuff and first thing he got really battered instead. But still there was something strangely comforting about it too. While a little different her skin was much like his own and while Ivory took him off to get some help he couldn't help but remember his mother holding him when he was young. 

 

Under his breath in a sad tone he muttered, "Momma..." as Ivory began moving. Somewhere in the midst of things Emui returned his trident to him, apparently she'd put it to use to wrap up the fight. At least he'd been able to hold on that, one less thing to make Ivory have to do for him.

 

There were some medical staff handy around town anticipating the various severe injuries something like the Hunter Exam would inevitably bring about. Granted the sight of a shark woman holding another fish creature in her arms wasn't something most of them saw all that often. None of the doctors had seen an Aquarian in person so they weren't entirely sure how best to help him or treat him. But an examination confirmed that nothing appeared to be broken, just a lot of bruising and associated soreness. They gave him what medication they felt safe to not knowing his biology all that well and sent the two on their way.

 

As Aduain still had a respectable amount of money left to him from Heather he offered to pay for Ivory's room in town for the night as thanks for helping him out. She accepted it quickly and gratefully indicating she hadn't made arrangements for herself. The two checked into a modest motel, nothing on the scale of the locale of their fight. But it was nice enough. There was only one bed in the room which Aduain insisted Ivory take. He claimed he was feeling a bit better already and though still needing her to steady him he was starting to walk around again. He moved into the bathroom and was happy to find a bathtub instead of simply a shower.

 

"Perfect! I'll sleep here tonight. I'll be all fixed up in the morning for sure like this." he said happily as he started drawing a warm bath. The idea of being submerged in water after at least a whole day without doing so was exciting. With Ivory's help he made it into the tub and lied all the way down as he was short enough to do so in the space provided. He closed his eyes and relaxed as he began slowly floating higher as the water rose. Breathing through the water sent a surge of relief through his system starting at his gills on his sides. Aduain stopped the water when the tub was full enough he could be entirely submerged. Thanking Ivory again he assured her he'd be alright and had her turn the lights out as he settled at the bottom of the tub. It wasn't long before sleep took hold for the night.

 

~

 

Aduain awoke to a playful poke or two at his forehead. As he opened his eyes it took the water a second to settle enough for him to see Ivory standing over him. He sat up as a big burst of bubbles errupted from his sides into the water. A yawn of sorts. He excitedly greeted her with a good morning and hopped out of the tub. He was a little stiff but the pain was gone as he'd been counting on. Nothing like sleeping underwater. Beds were nice but Aduain had tried mixing them with water once and it hadn't gone over well. Ivory had woken him up to be sure they weren't late to the next stage of the exam. Aduain promptly exited the bathroom so Ivory could do whatever she needed. He found his bag and trident neatly stored nearby, the blades of the weapon clear of any signs of blood. Someone must have cleaned it for him.

 

Checking out was a quick procedure and the moment Aduain stepped outside he missed the bathtub. It was a hot one. Ivory didn't seem to be liking the heat much herself and was probably still worried about him as she checked up to see how he was doing.

 

"Me? Ha, I'm fine! I've been to hotter places than this... once... for like five minutes... But uhh, yeah I'm okay. A little stiff, nothing too bad." Aduain said excitedly. His enthusiasm didn't hold up as well once the next stage of the exam was explained. It was already super hot. But now they had to actually travel the desert.

 

"Please tell me that river close to town leads there..." he said with a bit of a whine. But Ivory was right, they needed to get going, getting supplies and information and all that. And meeting up with cats again might be nice. But how did one go about finding them in a crowd like this?

 

"Well first off, we're gonna need a lot of water. And I mean a lot. Two fish in the desert, that's just asking for trouble." Aduain said looking around the shops in town. Water was probably going to be expensive. As he continued looking around he actually did manage to catch sight of Emui. She seemed to be busy shopping.

 

"Hey look there's Emui, they've got the same idea. Let's go help her out!" He said to Ivory as he began making his way over calling her name, likely bringing some much unwanted attention with it.

 

As their fight had cleared out Xiu stayed behind to watch what was unfolding before her. Sure enough there was a young Aquarian boy taking the stage to fight. The others on the team didn't interest her. Some evolutionary off shoot of the Aquarians was there along with a human and another nekomimi. Nothing of interest. Though fresh with the various cuts from her fight Xiu stood by watching the boy's every move, determined to speak with him after his fight was over. To her dismay the child was rather roughly beaten out of the ring though his team had won so he'd still be advancing. His teammate was coming to help him meaning she'd have to find him in some other part of the exam. Still the lead she'd never thought she'd see was right in front of her. The thought was exhilarating. After the fight was over her interest was no longer held and she wandered off to dress her wounds and change her clothes. Now sporting a dark green version of her simply white outfit she ventured to the local library in search of any material on the Aquarian race to refresh herself before the fated encounter. Secluding herself into the dusty recesses of the building she eventually fell asleep reading.

 

~ 

 

She awoke to a security guard expressing alarm that she had spent the night there. The man began asking her if she was alright or if she was homeless. It was a funny way to start the day. Almost like the world was trying to lift her spirits, a sign that what she wanted was getting closer. The world was nice like that sometimes and when it was days were good. Laughing to herself about it all she made her way out of the building, the man still very suspicious.

 

The next stage of the exam was commencing and the day was quite hot. Or perhaps that was the world radiating it's confidence in her today. Another excellent sign. There weren't nearly so many participants left given the previous night's eliminations. And once again Xiu found herself indexing the people around her. Granted she spent very little time on anything that wasn't her target. She wasn't catching any sight of him. Thinking on it he was rather short wasn't he? Another thought crossed her mind. Where was Tinman? He hadn't given them any of his supposed insider information and Xiu had been wanting to hear it whatever it was.

 

The next part of the exam was announced as a four day journey across the desert to some newly found ruins. Of course they'd been newly found. Xiu had spent so much time learning about all the currently documented ruins in the area but new ones always turned up. One downside to books was waiting on new editions. Xiu might have taken the time to more closely exam the one giving the information as something seemed off but her mind was elsewhere.

 

Looking around now with two potential targets Xiu took note of several little gatherings. People were tending to stick close to their teams from the night before. It was almost cute. People pretending one night of violence together was enough to form bonds of friendship. Sure enough even Arash and Cammie had met up again. It was a back up plan to be sure. The two had proved to be more reliable than she had expected. But still there were more important things to do. As she turned she finally caught sight of him, the young Aquarian boy. But still he was closeby the larger fish woman. That wouldn't do. She needed to get him alone as no doubt her approach would put others on guard of her. They seemed to be moving into the various stores around the bazaar, no doubt to gather materials and supplies. She moved her way to the edges of the area, keeping an eye on the fish people. She wasn't particularly stealthy about this whole watching people thing though and likely stood out doing so. Her teammates of the night before weren't far away but everything else seemed to be in another world for the moment.

[Tesability Black]

"So what do you think? Safety in numbers or should we go our separate ways?"

 

Taikyu hadn't been facing Letess when he heard these words, which had caused his large ears to twitch in response. "That may be good idea," the large hound barked out before glancing around the village they were in. He couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion at the many people putting in display and grabbing ranges various things. "...are they not worried that others will steal from them," he asked in confusion as he walked through the area, looking for anything that caught his eyes. Sadly, he didn't see what he had hoped for.

 

He was running low on lava to drink after all.

 

Sad that he saw nothing of interest off the bat, he continued to look through the strange place to see why they were brought here in specific before moving on towards the ruins mentioned...

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

And...there she is!

 

If Sela was anyone else she would've jumped in joy like she had found her long lost cat when she saw Emui literally on top the crowds, coming at her direction. She went forward to approach her, and almost hugged her until she remembered about her allergy. Life is cruel. But either way, the catgirl was in heat apparently. She's been sweating profusely, and she clearly felt uncomfortable.

"I could mewse a good ball of yarn in this nyasty place.  How do humans put up with this heat?"

 

"We don't."

 

Sela immediately gave her the yarn she's holding, putting it just near the basket she's currently scratching at. Now, with the most important issue having been resolved, what was left was to-

 

"Let's go shopping then, Mew keep the shopkeeps distracted, and I'll snag some food and water."

 

"Ok."

 

The catgirl's demeanor reminded Sela of those kind of people who made a living on snatching others' stuffs. So that was her job, the cat thought. She didn't have any issue with it, although Emui did say she needed a distraction. How to distract someone in a place like this? Thinking about what the catgirl companion wanted, Sela followed the girl towards a shop. A middle aged man was there selling water, and other kind of supplies to the exam takers. However, there didn't seem like many people coming there, and from what she heard, the price was quite higher than the last time she bought supplies. That explains it.

 

"...Alright.

 

I'll distract him."

 

Having pondered about it for a bit, Sela finally figured out what kind of distraction would she give. Telling Emui that she would be going forward to do it now, she then walked towards the shopkeeper as he was talking with some of the other exam takers. Sela then meowed and purred near them to take their attention. it didn't work. She pulled a ball of yarn from her pocket and played with it while continuing to purr. it didn't work. She walked forward again, and then sent her fist flying at the shopkeeper's face while meowing.

 

The shopkeeper was sadly too unconscious to notice her.

 

"Well, I tried." Sela said to Emui without turning around.

 

 

"So what do you think? Safety in numbers or should we go our separate ways?"

 

"Well, going together would be nice. Would make us safe from all the desert creatures. Though, perhaps we also need to find more people too?"

 

Apparently Lettess was near her the whole time. Miaris sighed in relief at finally seeing a familiar face, and she also then saw the fire beast too. The beast said something before dashing off to look at the stores, although he returned without getting anything. What did he expect to buy anyway? Molten rocks or something? However...thinking about it, looking at his size and how fast he was at moving without tiring...just as Taikyu would leave again, Miaris shouted at him.

 

"H-hey, Taikyu!

 

C-can I ask a favor?

 

Uh...I don't know if you're fine with it but...may I ride you for this part of the exam? I'll do anything for you in exchange, I swear!"

 

Yeah. No matter how hot his back would be, at least it would hurt less than actually dying. The young girl hoped that the beast actually agreed with her favor.

 

---

[Love of Ghibli]

Lettess literally jumped for joy as he the majority of the team decided that it would be best to stick around. The only one left was En, the silent ninja from before. Now where to find the mysterious figure? As he looked around inquisitively he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see that once again the ninja was there the whole time. Seriously, he has to teach me how to do that? But upon looking at En he noticed that En had a thumbs up so En was down for the cause as well. It was nice to see that this team was still around the long hall.

Okay so I guess we should go shopping for supplies. I'll get the food and you all get the camping gear. Mainly because I kinda suck at living in the wild type stuff sans the food thing. So should we shop as a group or as individually? 

[Aix]

"With all due respect, madam, I'm not interested in fortunetelling." Alexandre creased his eyebrows at the old woman grasping his sleeve. Her hands were rather grimy and he honestly didn't appreciate her tugging on his suit. In an attempt to pull his sleeve back, he ended up pulling the old woman over her table, knocking it over. Ignoring the sudden looks in his direction, he quickly helped the woman back onto her feet.

 

As he was about to clean up the rest of the mess, the woman seized him by the shoulders. "You must know!! A new age beckons when 108 stars descend from the sky!"

 

Alexandre stopped. "The 108 stars. What are they?"

 

"You tell me! I see the star branded on your heart! Who are you?!" demanded the old woman. Her eyes were wide with fright. "I see ones like you everywhere today. Cats, birds, children, they all carry the star-brand. Where did you all come from?!"

 

Unnerved by this strange old woman, Alexandre quickly pulled back and stood up and the old woman fell over again. He felt the urge to leave, but against his better judgement crouched down again to help her up. This time however, she seemed to have burned out all her energy and merely murmured.

 

"The Star-Eater... he's hungry... it's been too long since he's hunted. He's waiting... waiting Outside..."

 

Alexandre hurried to put her table and belongings back in place. Figuring he had done enough, he quickly walked away.

 

At the same time, another one of the examinees approached the old fortuneteller's table. He looked a genial man, but his voice was deep and threatening. "Say, I heard you can see people with a star..."

 

Alexandre thought about the old woman's words. Part of that caught his attention. If he were to interpret them, he himself was one of the 108 stars? What was this about a star-brand?

 

He shook his head. She seemed like she was rambling nonsense. There was no point in thinking about it now.

 

Right now, he had to focus on his own mission and passing the next Phase of the Hunter Exam. He had found that the oil prince had deposited 50 million Jenny in his bank account after all, and so Alexandre was able to be loose with his money. He purchased a large backpack and water and survival kits. With a bit more coin, he was able to get the locals' tongues waggling for information on the desert. Looking over his stuff, he pondered what else he needed.

 

It was at this point, he heard a loud voice shout out.

 

"Desert Navigation Devices! Buy one of these and you'll never get lost in the desert! In addition, it will show you where to avoid monsters and dangers!"

 

That was certainly a treasure. The Screaming Desert was extremely dangerous and few guides were willing to make the trip for just anyone. It was worth looking at.

 

Walking over, he saw an extremely pale white-haired man sitting with a stack of boxes behind him. It seemed many of the other examinees had the same idea and started to gather.

 

"Usually I sell for 400 thousand Jenny, but today... Today, I will sell for half!" proclaimed the man.

 

"170 thousand!" said a man, walking up to the vendor. "These are very useful, but I will only pay 170 thousand for one."

 

"No, sir," said the merchant. "Any cheaper and I will not be making a profit. This is very new technology so naturally the price is high."

 

The man seemed deep in thought, before nodding his head and pulling out a stack of 10 thousand Jenny bills. At that time, a few more people came over to buy. Making a few more sales, the merchant suddenly yelled.

 

"I am changing the price. My stock is limited, so I must raise the price to 250 thousand Jenny!" he cried. "Buy quickly before I run out!"

[Tesability Black]

"H-hey, Taikyu!"

 

The firebeast's ears perked up at his name before turning his head towards the source, Miaris if he recalled correctly. "Yes?"

 

"C-can I ask a favor?"

 

To this, Taikyu tilted his head a little to one side out of curiosity. "That would be, Miarish?"

 

"Uh...I don't know if you're fine with it but...may I ride you for this part of the exam? I'll do anything for you in exchange, I swear!" A noticeable frown then appeared on his muzzle which he lowered slightly in thought as he recalled her suddenly jumping off him after unintentionally sitting down on his back earlier on.

 

"...would you not be harmed by such," he asked in mild confusion and uncertainty. He did not want to wind up harming a teammate by accident, and he's already wound up causing her pain at least once...though he did not know how.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

The guy didn't wake up.

 

Some of the people that were already near the place when Sela hit the merchant had silently walked off while some others came closer instead to watch what had just happened. Sela herself stood there, puzzled a bit. It seemed that she had failed to act as a distraction for Emui, with how a lot of people had their eyes upon her now. She shifted her gaze to the unconscious merchant, and since she saw him not moving, the young woman simply packed some of the stuffs sold there into her bag. Stealing is bad. But well, the merchant sold it for a ridiculous price anyway, so he's the one in the wrong here.

 

"Hm?"

 

Someone was yelling. Not sure about who, but Sela felt like something bad would happen. She looked around to find Emui, but couldn't really see her despite her trying her best. And then, what looked like the authorities had arrived on the screen. They looked somewhat displeased. Perhaps they would arrest the merchant for charging way too much? But their gaze was on her. Sela was puzzled for a bit, before letting out a soft oh from her mouth. Of course they wouldn't know about the merchant's shadiness. What they'd see now would just be a thug that had robbed the store. Pity, even though she's acting out of justice, they would probably not listen to her or Emui.

 

"Freeze! Stop what you're doing, and keep your hands up in the air!"

 

Sela didn't heed the warning, and nonchalantly finished packing her bag, but then she felt pain coming from her right shoulder. Apparently it had grazed a warning shot. Sela turned around, looking at the officer who had cocked his gun on her.

 

"That is a warning shot! Don't make us shoot you for real, young lady!"

 

"Emui, I think it's time for us to leave. It's unpleasant.

 

Officer, if you shoot, then I'll move. Ok?"

 

The young woman, having called out to Emui to immediately leave the scene, turned around to face the desert's general direction. As much as she wished to start the fight, the desert would be more important, and she couldn't waste her time here. One breath, two breath, and she thus ran. Bullets were fired from behind her, but none actually hit her thanks to her Ten bending their trajectory. She ran for a while, though as soon as she properly entered the desert, the sound of bullets stopped. It seemed the officers had stopped their pursuit, or maybe not. Either way, she decided to rest for a bit as she waited for the catgirl to follow her.

 

---

 

"...would you not be harmed by such,"

 

"Yes...it'll burn my bum for real, but..." Miaris pondered for a bit before continuing. "I....honestly had no other choices if I wanted to go through this desert. So please! Uh..."

 

She turned around as she felt a presence from behind her. It was that of the ninja, who had somehow appeared and spooked both her and Lettess, it seemed. Thinking about it for a bit, Miaris then voiced something to the group.

 

"Ah, I'll go pick up the supply for us! I have some spare savings left, and since you all have helped me a lot so far, it's probably what can I do to repay my debts."

 

She then waited for the group's reply on her offer, before going back and into the bazaar anyway. It seemed that there was a commotion going on there, perhaps a sale of sort? Would be fun it it sell some burn ointment...

 

 

Twenty Minutes later

 

"H-huff...Sorry to keep you all waiting..."

 

Carrying a large backpack, Miaris stopped once she arrived at her group once more, and dropped to the ground to catch her breath first. She had been buying all kind of stuffs that she might find to be useful for the group. Spent a lot more than what she expected since a lot of these merchants charged for an exorbitant amount of price, but at least she got everything. The commotion was apparently just someone causing a ruckus by knocking one of the merchant out in anger or something. There was also someone selling a desert navigation device of sort for a ridiculous price in the crowd, but with how much she had spent, she couldn't afford it. Sad, it would probably help them in crossing the desert.

 

"Well...since we have our supplies already, let's move on. No time to waste after all.

 

And Tai...you'll allow me to ride on you, right?" MIaris said as she moved to approach Taikyu's back.

 

A burnt bum would be better than a dry husk.

 

---

 

"

[Yui]

One hour ago, as per the instructions for this stage of the Hunter Exam, the aspiring examinees took off into the Screaming Desert. This trial had officially begun. The views of the Screaming Desert were truly beautiful and greatly varied, featuring such charming elements as sand, sand, and more sand. However, as those taking the Exam would soon find out, there was much more to be found in this desert than just sand. There was also far more to be worried about than just the desert's heat. One of those worries found itself now descending upon the would-be Hunters.

 

Bandits. They traveled in groups of five, all armed with scimitars and leather armor. This was clearly a coordinated attack on the examinees, judging by how quickly the attackers showed themselves in the paths of the groups of would-be Hunters, and the fact that they all had a distinct symbol etched into their armor that resembled a large bird made up of fire. Each group of five had a single bandit that carried two swords instead of one, and in each group's case, the dual-wielding bandit was the one that shouted his group's demands to their targets.

 

"Show's over, kiddies! Drop the valuables and leave 'em fer us, 'n' maybe we won't hurt ya. Sounds like a fair deal, yeah?"

 

Even that maybe - for how clearly fake it sounded - would probably do little to assure anyone these bandits would simply let their targets go unharmed. Each bandit drawing his weapon/s only sealed the message that these guys wanted some blood to go with their goods.

[Dad]

The Screaming Desert

 

"Show's over, kiddies! Drop the valuables and leave 'em fer us, 'n' maybe we won't hurt ya. Sounds like a fair deal, yeah?"

 

Bandits.  Some of the worst kind of scum.  Warden was not in the mood to deal with thieving cowards who got their way by preying on the victims of the desert.  And he was not about to become one of their victims.  He carefully examined the situation, thoughts racing in the back of his head.  

 

These men were clearly part of the exam, but that didn't mean they wouldn't want to hurt Nanika, Ninsar, and the other one.  They were using scimitars.  The curvature of the blade was not ideal to him personally, but it was a great dueling weapon.  One of the bandits brandish two scimitars at once.  Judging by the fact that this one was barking demands and making idle threats, it was likely their leader.  With the accompanying silence, there was a good chance the leader's goons were loyal, and ready to throw their meaningless lives on the edge of a blade if it meant a quick scraping of goods.

 

Food.  Water.

 

Everything was valuable in the desert.  These bandits were also properly outfitted to survive the desert climate, meaning they had experience in performing this rambo act.  Or did they?  Either way, Warden wasn't about to stand around and wait for them to act.

 

"You want something from me?" he said taking Harriet off of his back.  "Then stop pussyfooting around.  And come and get it."

[Love of Ghibli]

The team hadn't been traveling the desert for a long time and Lettess was just happy to be traveling with friends. Luckily it looked like everyone bought a bunch of useful stuff. To be fair Lettess brought a fair amount of food for the journey. With everything that happened during the first trial, it looked like this one would be a lot easier. He spent most of the hour talking non-sensical about whatever happened to come through his mind. In fact Lettess was so jolly that he started singing.

We're the four best friends that anybody can have. He sang out loud. Of course best friends is such a stretch seeing as he just met these people, but the friends that slay together stay together. Little did he know that would become true once again. 

At this moment the team would notice a group of five suspicious looking figures coming together and surrounding them. 

 

"Show's over, kiddies! Drop the valuables and leave 'em fer us, 'n' maybe we won't hurt ya. Sounds like a fair deal, yeah?"

 

Lettess put his hand over his mouth as these others bandits and he tried not to laugh. Oh seriously...mugging people out in the desert. Is this the best you got. I'm just going to assume this is some organized part of the exam. Lettess dropped his back pack and cracked his neck casually. And let out a mischievous smile. I just realized something. Desert bandits should have some knowledge of the desert right. Do you guys maybe know of some ruins around these parts. Lettess could see that there these men were not taking him seriously. Well I guess a 5 on 4 means you could afford to be silent. With that he looked towards his ninja friend.

En simply stepped forward just to simply scan his opponents. They looked pretty basic. In fact he surmised he could end this fight all by himself. Of course that would be a needlessly bloody affair and it would be smarter to temper morale by not coming off as a silent murderer. For now the thing EN decided that he should do is show a sign of intimidating force. Lettess showed surgical precision in his dealing with the buffalo, therefore combining his speed, Taikyu's fire tail and Miaris' marksmanship (especially now that she can use guns without getting disqualified) they should be able to capture one of these bandits and extract some information. En took a typical kung-fu stance and he unleashed a disturbing amount of Ren to hopefully scare these bandits away.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Dammit dammit dammit dammit. It was hot as hell, the sand getting in his face was annoying as hell, and his companion was way too chipper as hell. Arash would've made several snarky comments but whenever he did sand would find its way into his mouth. Like the desert was telling him to shut up. funk you too, desert.

Arash had made Cammie carry the portable shelter they had gotten for the cat, and Arash was carrying most of the rest of the supplies. Combined with the rifle across his back, he had quite the load.

 

So focused on the annoyances was he that the bandits managed to get dangerously close before he noticed them. As they approached he set the supplies down and slid the rifle's case off his shoulders.

They gave him the generic bandit line and brandished their weapons like idiots. Arash sighed. "So that's how it is, hmm? Sorry boys you caught me at a really, really, bad time."

 

The lead bandit pointed at Arash with the sword and proclaimed. "Listen kid just step away from the stuff and we'll take it, instead of your life. Wouldn't want us to hurt you and your little friend would you?"

 

"Oh no, I'm so scared." Arash said in a monotone. He glanced at Cammie. Hopefully the kid didn't do anything stupid. It was Arash's job to make rash decisions. "Hey kid, cover your ears"
The catboy ducked down quickly and expertly pulled his rifle free before the bandits could react. Seeing the weapon, they started forward. But Arash was able to bring the gun up and take aim. He didn't have time to focus too much, but at this range...He fired, aiming for the leader's stupidly exposed chest.

[Tesability Black]

"H-huff...Sorry to keep you all waiting..." Taikyu turned his muzzle towards the source, towards the young human girl of the group. Seeing the huge backpack she was carrying, the Armagnis rolled the staff further down the whiparm before looping the tip through the straps of the thing and gently pulled it off her back.

Hm, decent weight, he mentally noted to himself as he held it above himself, unbothered by the weight. He still had his two bags to his sides, after all.
 

"Well...since we have our supplies already, let's move on. No time to waste after all.

 

And Tai...you'll allow me to ride on you, right?"

 

Yes, he did agree to that, but before that, a thought crossed his mind upon seeing the lady riding the strange animal.

"The woman on the beast...wasn't there something between her and the beast that she sat on?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(This part assumes something was found for Miaris to sit on to at least delay the 'burnt rump' effect. Also, Taikyu hasn't set anything ablaze yet, so unless En somehow knows of the Armagnis race, he wouldn't know what the firebeast can really do.)

While in the desert, Taikyu had no need for the aura of heat he normally released around himself. So, for Miaris' sake, he had tried pulling it into himself as close as he could get away with, which still left him hot to the touch, but bearable to be near. The little girl was sitting between his neck and the whiparm, a thick blanket of sorts set between the pair to prevent at least an initial burn. The backpack she had was strapped over the general area of his rump while he still had his two bags to his sides. The quarterstaff he carried remained in the tip of the orange appendage.

And he was still more than capable of keeping up with the others.

"Show's over, kiddies! Drop the valuables and leave 'em fer us, 'n' maybe we won't hurt ya. Sounds like a fair deal, yeah?"

Taikyu was already positioned to fight upon seeing this, the beast poised like a scorpion with the whiparm aiming one of the pointed tips of his quarterstaff at one of the sudden hostiles. "Are you capable of striking from my back," he faintly barked to Miaris before raising his voice towards the newcomers. "I would suggest letting us pass unless you wish to become ashes," he declared, the quarterstaff above his head soon beginning to glow red from becoming super-heated.

Thankfully for Miaris, said staff was still a decent bit above her head to avoid the potential of getting whacked by it, but it still would be in her best interest to lean forward with some form of cloth between her skin and the red fur...

[Kazooie]

 

 "Whatever, tag along if you want. I guess it can't hurt anything. But I'm not getting you any supplies, and if you pass out I'm leaving your ass where it falls, got it? Find supplies for him, too."

 

"Yea! I'll make sure the kitty has plenty of stuff too!"

 

Cammie grins as he takes the cat from Cammie, his chest rumbling as he laughs a bit, nodding quickly. He hums softly as he starts to run through the bazaar, wasting no time as he flexes his wings. The young boy flew off the ground, quickly dashing around the bazaar as he began to gather his supplies. He seemed to skip food entirely, focusing instead on getting many, many sources of water. He wasn't sure what kind of food Arash would need, but he could get his own things! He had to help the little kitty first!

 

He hums and lands down in front of a small stand... With the perfect cat carrier! He grins and strolls over to it, humming to himself as he fishes around for the money to pay for it, which he had plenty of. The little star had brought plenty of money for this portion of the exam, he was prepared! The shopkeeper didn't take him seriously at first, and tried to shoo him away, but money talks! Apparently this stall was equipped with all kind of wares for pets, and he was able to secure some food for the cat as well as the carrier, so little!Arash was set for the trip. He dashed throughout the bazaar, catching sight of a large group...

 

"Desert Navigation Devices! Buy one of these and you'll never get lost in the desert! In addition, it will show you where to avoid monsters and dangers!"

 

Desert navigation! He could totally use that! He landed down in the crowd, in front of the people who were pushing themselves forward as he flapped his wings and looked right towards the salesman,  "Heya mister, I'll take one of the navigation devices!"

 

He finished up his purchases, swiping up the navigation device as he dumped the Jenny on the table. He jumped into the air again and made his way back to Arash, humming happily as he did, "I can't help it if I make a scene...~ Ah, mister big kitty! Ready to get going if you are!"

 

___

 

Cammie was happily humming as he made his way into the desert with Arash, seeming to not have a care in the world. His wings flutter around as he laughs a bit, his mood bright even as the sand whirled around him. His wings were fluttering, almost seeming to cause the sand to swirl around his body... Which may have been causing some of the sand flying into Arash's mouth without his knowledge. He was about to start singing to himself again, his wings held away from his body as he tilted his head a little bit, looking out into the distance as his eyes narrowed some, "We have company..."

 

"Show's over, kiddies! Drop the valuables and leave 'em fer us, 'n' maybe we won't hurt ya. Sounds like a fair deal, yeah?"

 

"Oh no, I'm so scared. Hey kid, cover your ears"

 

Cammie grinned as his eyes widened again, he had an audience once more! He carefully set down the cat carrier, looking back at the bandits as he hefted his cello up and held it towards them! Like Arash, he could fight from a distance too, they could pick off these bandits before they even got a chance to get close to them! He aimed at one of the non-leaders, firing a warning shot towards the man's leg as he piped up, "Heya, I recommend you all not come any closer!~"

 

---

 

Ivory smiled as the duo made their way through the bazaar, her smaller companion's eagerness to run over to the kitties catching them off guard...

 

What caught them even more off guard was the fact that one of the kitties was... Blatantly stealing. And poorly too. After knocking out the merchant at the stall. Yeah, his prices were insane, but she couldn't get away with that... Could she?

 

I like her style, Spinal. Can we do that now?

 

No Amber, that's a horrible plan.

 

You say that about all my ideas, I bet it'll work awesome!

 

Amber grinned as she started to dance her way through the crowd, occasionally brushing against someone as her body swayed. She squeezed through a few narrow gaps, and all the while, she swiped up various goods. Plenty of food for the trip, some containers to carry their goods in, sleeping bags, rope, a lantern and a bottle of oil, plenty of matches, along with some other miscellaneous supplies. She ended up her sneaky little dance by grabbing at least a dozen containers packed full of water for her and Aduain, after all, she couldn't let her new friend go without water, that would be unfortunate!

 

People at the various stalls were beginning to notice their missing wares, and that's when Amber made her way back to Aduain. She grinned down to him as she reached down and gave his shoulder a squeeze, "We need to go, I grabbed lots of stuff for us, if you got stuff, I can carry it for you too if you need. We'll try to meet up with the kitties in the desert."

 

___

 

"Show's over, kiddies! Drop the valuables and leave 'em fer us, 'n' maybe we won't hurt ya. Sounds like a fair deal, yeah?"

 

Ivory laughed as she brought her hands to the gems on her body, hands glowing for a moment as the gauntlets appeared on them once again. The shark glared towards the 'fearsome' bandits, clearly not that impressed as she punched her fists together and prepared a stance. "Oh darlings... You poor things."

 

Ivory watched and waited, her hands positioned in a way that they could easily move them to block a strike from the swords. The fact that most of the bandits only had a single blade made this much simpler on the duo as they swayed lightly, the sand blowing against them irritating her a little bit as she grumbled. She was sick of the heat, sick of the sand, and sick of bandits, and she hadn't even fought them yet! At least she'll get to take out some of her anger now.