Thinning Out the Herd

To the captain's word a few hours later the boat was in the middle of a storm, the boat bobbed and dipped with the waves as rain pelted the deck of the ship. Knuckle, Leon, and Machi were some of the few people who didn't go below deck. Knuckles wanted to but under the insistence of Leon, he agreed to stay.

Leon looked up at the clouds that occasionally glowed with hidden lightning, ' With my training and Nen I can withstand normal lightning but something in those clouds seems natural. ' Even using Gyo Leon and Machi weren't able to see anything unnatural.

Blinking the rain out of his eyes Leon was questioned whether his trepidation was unfounded when a tingling sensation spread throughout Leon's body. Familiar with the feeling Leon looked up to see that the cloud above them was glowing becoming brighter.

A second later a stark white lightning bolt split the clouds before striking the side of the ship, running over to the side of the ship Leon looked to see that a hull of the ship had been breached.

Leon, Machi, and Knuckle had already started to move when the captain's voice boomed over the loudspeakers.

" Listen, boys and girls, the test has just started. In less then ten minutes this ship will sink to the bottom of the ocean, please make your way to the lifeboats and remember we're watching. "

" Come on I spotted one of the rafts just make sure to jump where I jump. " Knuckle screamed as he vaulted over the side of the ship. Looking before he leaped Leon saw that Knuckle was standing up in a small wooden boat with oars and big enough to fit four people.

Once Leon and Machi were seated in the ship Knuckles pulled the lever dropping the raft into the ocean.

" We need to get away from the ship we don't want to be close when it sinks, the water it's going to displace is either going to push us out or suck us in. " Machi yelled over the sound of crashing waves.

Already moving Leon started to paddle moving the boat a safe distance away from the ship, they watched as the ship was swallowed by the ocean.

" What are we supposed to do now. We're stranded in the middle of the ocean with no food or water! " Knuckle screamed his fists clenched at his sides. Kneeling down Leon felt along the bottom of the boat before his fingers touched a long metal cylinder.

Grabbing it Leon looked at the chrome canister and twisting the top the cylinder opened with the hiss of compressed air.

Reaching inside Leon pulled out a piece of paper and unrolling it Leon saw that it was a map with their location and an Island circled in red marker.

" I bet that's where the Exam is, they did something like this last time I applied to thin out the competition," Knuckle said celebrated the fact that he still had a chance to become a hunter.

" Even though we know where to go, does anyone here know how to sail. " Machi said as she looked at the other lifeboats floating in the water. Knuckle looked to Leon but for once the assassin was of no use.

" So what do we do, just wing it. " Leon shook his head, " Too much risk, there has to be at least one person out there with some sort of sailing experience, we just wait until they start to move an follow them. "

Knuckle frowned as he crossed his arms, " They might not like that, killing is permitted in the hunter exams. "

Leon grinned as he patted his sword, " Don't worry about that we can handle ourselves, and I have a feeling you can too. "

Keeping an eye out after a few minutes Leon spotted a boat that started to move away from the rest heading east, " I think I have one, they're checking the map and pointing into the distance. "

Moving over to the oars Knuckles started to paddle following the boat Leon pointed out, the island on the map was over five hundred miles away nearly a three-day trip. Water and food were going to be a problem, while Leon could make them enter a state of hibernation with his Tempo Field it would only last for a day before he exhausted his Nen.

Taking turns all three of them paddled for an hour each their process slowed down considerably by the boat in front of them, it had been eight hours since they left the port so the sun had already set making the ocean air almost fridged.

The boat they were following had stopped for the night so they had no other choice to do so as well, " So where are you guys from. " Knuckle said as he shifted in his seat, " My family lives on a mountain other than that I can't say. "

Knuckle leaned forward his eyes gleaming " Really, do they own the entire mountain. Your parents must be loaded, are they part of the mob. "

Leon smiled and winked, " Sorry can't say. "

" What about you Machi. "

Shrugging Machi looked at the other boat floating along, " I grew up in a city, you probably never heard of it. What about you "

" Me? I grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other, I miss it so much but if I can become a hunter all its problems will be solved. "