Hunter X Hunter Esther

19) Begins To Walk

“Yay! I win,” Gon says. “What are you talking about? I was faster,” Killua says. “No way, I won,” I say. “I was faster,” Gon insists. “No, I was,” Killua insists. “No, I,” I insist. “But I was faster. Hey, Mr. Satotz, who was faster?” Gon asks. Satotz stares at us in amusement. “…I believe that you crossed the finish line simultaneously.”

“Oh…Then I'll buy Killua's dinner, Killua buys Esther’s dinner, and Esther will buy me dinner,” Gon says. Killua scratches his head, confused. “That doesn’t make any sense.” I shrug. If I can eat, I’ll eat as much as I can. We look around at the somewhat foggy forest. “Hey, Mr. Satotz, is this where the 2nd phase of the exam will take place?”

“No, we still have quite a way to go,” Satotz explains. Many applicants start to exit the corridor. I move near Gon so that we don’t get separated. We sit on the ground; the grass feels damp. We wait for some time before I hear familiar panting. Looking towards the corridor, I see Leorio fall in front of the exit. Kurapika soon exits as well.

“Hey, Kurapika! Leorio!” Gon waves at them. “Is this our destination?” Kurapika asks as he looks around. Gon shakes his head for a no, “No, it isn’t.” “I see…the fog is fading.” “Really?!” The area starts to clear, I see trees around us. Gon stands up, looking very excited. Before I also stood up, a shiver went down my spine. Glancing back, I see number 44 staring at me. He smiles.

Satotz claps his hands. “The Numere Wetlands is also known as the Swindlers Swap. We must cross these wetlands to reach phase 2 of the exam. This place is known to many bizarre animals. Many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who deceive humans and pray upon them. Be very careful. If you let them fool you, you're dead,” he says.

I hear something moving. Looking back to the corridor, it starts to close. “Wait! Wait for me-!” An applicant yells as the corridor is completely closed. Satotz continues. “These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey. An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit… Hence the name, Swindlers Swamp. Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived.”

“What a joke. How can they fool us when we’re expecting it?” Leorio says, crossing his arms. Although he is somewhat correct, it's not guaranteed. “Don't let him fool you!” Someone yells. “I just said that they can’t,” Leorio sighs. We turn to look and see a man coming out from the corner who is tired and hurt. That’s strange, I don’t smell blood coming from him. He drags something behind him.

“D-don't fall for it. He's lying to you! He's an impostor! He isn't the examiner, I am!” The man shouts, insisting. “An imposter?! What’s going on?” Leorio asks, surprised. “Look at this…!” The man drags out a creature resembling that of Satotz. Wow! That one has a mouth! “It looks just like Mr. Satotz!” Gon says.

“It's a man-faced ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands,” the man explains. “A man-faced ape?” Leorio asks. “Man-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them. He intends to trap every single applicant!”

Leorio glares at Satotz. “Bastard…,” I tilt my head in confusion. I tug Gon’s hand. He looks at me as I sign. “That doesn't make any sense.”  “What doesn’t make any sense?” Gon asks. Everyone looks towards me; I now regret signing anything. I continue to sign at Gon as he translates it out loud.

“How could Mr. Satotz be a man-faced ape if he is supposed to be physically weak? Didn’t that man say man-faced apes are physically weak?” People stop and think. I scoot behind Gon. That was way too much attention given to me. “You can do sign language?” Killua asks. Gon and I nod. “Esther doesn’t really talk much, so we communicate through sign language. Do you want to learn it?”

“Nah, I already know how,” Killua says. Well that’s a surprise. I rarely meet people who can understand me. Then again, I’ve only ever met people on Whale Island. Number 44 speaks. “Here’s a quicker solution,” he throws cards at both men. The man instantly dies but Satotz catches it. A deck of cards appears in his hands.

“I see I see…that settles that. You’re the real one,” number 44 smiles with his eyes closed. Everyone stares at him, shocked. The man-faced ape that was playing dead awakens and runs away. Seems about right, it didn’t smell dead to me. Number 44 continues to speak. “Examiners are hunters selected by the committee to do this job without pay. Any hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack,” he throws another card at the man-faced ape, killing it.

Satotz closes his eyes. I think he’s smiling. “I shall take that as a compliment. However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?” Number 44 smiles, “Sure.” Birds swoop down onto the fake man. As they eat him away, I see that he too was also a man-faced ape.

“Nature really can be brutal to watch…,” Leorio comments. “So, he was a man-faced ape as well,” Kurapika says. “He was attempting to confuse the applicants, to lure some of them away.” “We cannot relax our guard,” Killua says. “Yeah,” Gon and I nod. “We will be encountering such deception on a regular basis. I believe that a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity?” Satotz asks.

I look at Leorio. He was definitely fooled. He’s laughing it off nervously. “Do you understand? If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exams 2nd phase. Do bear that in mind. Then, let us be on our way. Please follow me,” Satotz begins to walk.