After a thirty minute boring lecture on the Hunter License uses and perks, Sinbad followed a member of the Hunter Association to a separate room. He was instructed that this was a follow up interview from the Association and it was the last mandatory obligation until they were set free as rookie Hunters.
Sinbad had been walking for about five minutes now, traveling to a different wing of the hotel. He stepped through a carpeted lobby with old mosaic art hanging on the walls, similar high rising columns he'd seen previously, and statues of ancient creatures of folklore.
The unknown and unimportant member of the Hunter Association finally stopped in front of a black conference room door. He opened the door for Sinbad.
"He is waiting inside."
Unable to sense too much danger, Sinbad entered the conference room as the door quickly shut behind him.
Bright buzzing lights shone from above on a red oak table which seated twelve black chairs. At the far end of the table, a blonde man wearing a vertically striped suit sat with his elbows resting on the table and fingers interlocked. He had dark brown eyes and an alluring smile as it grew once Sinbad took his seat.
"Hello there! Congratulations on passing the Hunter Exams," the man said in a bright and cheerful manner. His hands became animated as he spoke, waving them around in a jolly and carefree manner. "Now that the hard part is over, you are free to operate as a true Hunter. How does that sound?"
Sinbad's eyes widened as his hands gripped the chair's leather armrest. His fingernails began tearing into the cushion.
"My, my, is everything alright?" The man leaned forward in genuine concern. His eyes sparkled and his lips and cheeks sunken in concern. "Are you injured somewhere? Should I get a nurse?"
Sinbad's hands shook, trying the best he could to remain in control. All his mental and physical training to remain in control of his emotions and body mannerisms were going out of control.
'No, this man in front of him was devouring them.,' Sinbad thought in confusion. 'What is this person?'
The carefree and clueless man tilted his hand in confusion, his dark brown eyes scanned Sinbad's body.
The reason for Sinbad's malfunctioning condition was due to his En and its ability to sense the threads of fate between the two. So far, Sinbad had only met two people who caused his En to react in extreme ways. The first was Gon Freeces, however Sinbad was cognizant enough to tell the chaotic signs of catastrophe or miracle. Since these two signs were common within his Nen, he was able to be intrigued and calmly decide on what to do.
The second person was Chairman Isaac Netero. They're Threads of Fate was tied significantly and Fate still doesn't know what It has in store for the two of them. Sinbad was also familiar with such sensations and foreboding type of prophecy, Judar's Thread was a bit similar.
The person's Thread of Fate in front of him was constantly drastically switching almost every time he opened his mouth. It was like sailing in the ocean in clear sunny skies, not a cloud in sight and the birds flying overhead but then in a blink of an eye, the seas became utter chaos. Roaring winds, blacked out skies, and literal death circled around him like a hurricane.
This paired with his charismatic, sympathetic, and alluring look, Sinbad saw a lot of himself in him. He didn't trust a single thing he said!
"Hello? Sinbad? I'm starting to feel a little hurt that you keep ignoring me," said the blonde sparkly man.
Accepting this knowledge and preparing his counter attack, Sinbad regained control of himself. He got up, removed his sheathed sword from his hip and set it down onto the table. Then, confidently he walked toward the sparkly man, taking the seat directly to the man's left.
"I'm sorry," Sinbad smiled, scratching the back of his head. The two were so close, their knees were practically touching underneath the desk. On closer inspection, Sinbad noticed something sinister in the man's eyes. "Is this better? And can I have the delight of knowing your name?"
The sparkly man leaned forward, resting his chin on his interlock fingers. "Ah, there you are. You are as good as they say."
Sinbad leaned onto his left palm as his elbow rested on the oak desk. "Oh I'm nervous, I sure hope they are saying good things about me."
The sparkly man's lips parted in a perfect radiating smile. "Yes, indeed. That is why I decided to come here in person to speak with you. I've heard all about your stunts and victories during the Exams."
"A big shot such as yourself, coming all this way to see me," Sinbad replied, waving his hand in feign embarrassment. "You must be a high ranking member of the Hunter Association."
The sparkly man nodded while keeping his chin on his fingers. "I am the current Vice-President of the Hunter Association. My name is Pariston Hill."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sinbad offered a handshake and the Vice-President of the Hunter Association, Pariston Hill reciprocated the gesture. "I can't wait to do business with you."
"Business?" Pariston replied, keeping his smile and bubbly attitude. For a split second, the famous or to some the infamous Rat Zodiac was confused on Sinbad's assumption but then he pieced together the insinuation. The two continued their friendly and warm handshake, neither one of them refused to let go. "You truly are a diamond amongst your fellow peers."
"Stop inflating my already large head," Sinbad replied, shaking his hand harder. "And you? How do you fair amongst your fellow peers?"
"They love me of course!" Pariston laughed and his laughter only grew as he continued. "Except for one, no matter what I do, we tend to buttheads like married lovers. Can you sympathize with my situation?"
Sinbad joined in on Pariston's laughter. "I know exactly what you mean."
'I pissed off one of his buddies by killing Gon,' Sinbad analyzed. 'Time to find out how well I really pulled off my stunt.'
Sinbad released Pariston's hand. "I'm not married but I do have a nagging mother, every time I wash the dishes, there is an issue. So I make sure to clean every single plate but somehow there is always one undiscovered dirty spot."
"I understand," Pariston nodded, keeping his sparkly attitude. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he lifted a singular finger. He thought of an idea. "Your mother must be a great investigator to be able to find these dirty spots. Next time, you should have another pair of eyes to find and wipe away any dirty spots."
"Who could possibly see something that I couldn't?" Sinbad asked, leaning back into his chair.
Pariston pointed at himself. "Well I would love to help make sure the dishes were completely cleaned."
"What a kind soul," replied Sinbad. 'He was going to handle the blowback for assassinating Gon. This isn't something Pariston had complete control over and it wouldn't stay hidden forever. I pissed off a "great" Hunter. Now, let's see his price.'
Pariston's pointed hand then rested onto his chest. "I would only expect the same kindness from you because I have a particular situation myself."
"Oh really, what is that?" Sinbad asked.
"I have this stubborn old grandfather, right?" Pariston said, rising from his chair. He started walking around the wide red oak desk. "My siblings and I love him dearly but recently he has been renovating our dear home we all grew up in as kids. He has this huge house with lots of ancient but sentimental stuff but for some reason, my stubborn old grandfather wants to get rid of everything. Every so often, he randomly wakes up one morning and removes something from the house and throws it away. You see, my stubborn old grandfather used to be big and mighty so he had the vitality and energy to pick up and carry stuff but due to his old age, his progression has slowed down significantly."
Pariston continued his leisure stroll around the desk and Sinbad, his hands and arms flared dramatically. His smile and facial features never wavered as if his face was stuck in that bubbly and sparkly position.
Sinbad did nothing but listen closely to the man's story.
"All that was left in the house was heavy furniture and a large Guanyin statue. Whenever my siblings and I try to help out my stubborn old grandfather he gets angry and hits us if we dare help him. Most of us have given up on helping him but I…" Pariston paused as his sympathetic face burned brighter and his hand clutched at his heart, creasing his striped suit. He was dazzling as he truly wished to help his grandfather. "I still want to help my stubborn old grandfather move his things out of the house. If it is what he desires, then I want to help him discard and throw away his stuff. Do you have any solution to my dilemma?"
"Yes, this is troubling," Sinbad stroked his chin in thought. "Are your siblings worried about what happens to the house after your stubborn old grandfather moves out? Do they suspect someone's own self interest of owning the house after your grandfather's absence?"
Pariston's bright smile dimmed to a grin. "No."
In that moment for a split second, Sinbad saw the facade crack. Or was it intentional?
"I believe the next best course of action is to arrange for your stubborn old grandpa to leave the house to allow someone else that doesn't belong to the family to empty out the house," answered Sinbad.
"Fabulous suggestion," Pariston said as he clapped. "But who would be so kind to help?"
"Me, of course!" Sinbad exclaimed. "However, I'm sure the furniture and that Guanyin statue is truly heavy, so I will need time to prepare myself."
"Yes, indeed," Pariston acknowledged. After some thought, he lifted his right hand as only two fingers were raised. "Can you be ready in two years?"
'I have two years to get strong enough to kill Chairman Isaac Netero,' Sinbad thought as a smile stretched across his face. 'That is more than enough time.'
"It won't be a problem," replied Sinbad with the utmost confidence.
For the first time in their exchange, Pariston was at a loss for words because this Rat Zodiac wanted to squeeze as much as he could out of Sinbad.
"Lovely," Pariston replied after composing himself. "Speaking of siblings, do you have any?"
"He is in heaven," replied Sinbad.
"My condolences, I'm sure he was also a diamond," Pariston apologized with a warm smile.
Sinbad smirked as he shook his head. "I wouldn't describe him as luxurious or beautiful like a jewel. My brother was more like a cannon ball. I had a dream recently and it was so vivid, it was like he was right in front of me."
Casually, Pariston returned to his chair at the end of the red oak desk. "Is that so? It must have been a splendid dream."
Sinbad nodded.
Pariston's posture leaned forward, once again placing his chin resting on his interlocked fingers. "I believe dreams can give little hints of the future. Images in our dreams can be so symbolic and bring meaning to our current and future actions. What are your thoughts on dreams?"
Sinbad yawned, leaning back into his chair. "I don't find meaning in what isn't real."
"I do have one more question before we wrap up this interview," Pariston said in his usual bubbly tone. "In this dream was anyone wearing a royal crown?"
Sinbad pushed away from the desk and stood. "No."
He picked up his sword and left the conference room.
As he maneuvered out of the hotel wing he recalled the man that is Pariston Hill. Recalling the creepy sensation of being under the man's gaze. A persistent hunger for self satisfied pleasure.
Sinbad exited out onto the central courtyard, the perimeter was lined with trees and benches to rest on. It was a sunny and mild day as he stepped out from underneath the scaffold to join Killua, Kurapika, Yama, and Pokkle.
"Hey Sinbad," Yama said. "How did your interview go?"
"Aww, were you waiting for me to finish," teased Sinbad.
Yama struck Sinbad's shins with the blunt end of her spear and then stormed off. She was going to regroup at her hometown before setting out to sea.
Kurapika reached out with his hand. "Sinbad, I will be making my leave. I look forward to partnering with you one day."
Sinbad accepted the handshake. "You can count on me. We are friends."
Kurapika smiled and then took his leave to begin preparing for the Phantom Troupe, Hisoka's message still fresh on his mind.
Once Kurapika is out of sight, Killua puts his hands in his pockets and then kicks up dirt. "So, what's next?"
Pokkle shrugged his shoulders and then looked at Sinbad.
"We are going to get stronger," announced Sinbad.
Pokkle clenched his fists. "How?"
"We are going to Heaven's Arena," answered Sinbad.
…
It took Sinbad, Killua, and Pokkle three days to arrive inside of the towering Heavens Arena. A central hub for around four thousands fighters compete amongst each other to earn cash and build a legacy. As some strong enough to climb the tall tower through continuous victories will eventually reach the 200th floor.
And once a fighter reaches the 200th floor, they must win ten matches before losing their fourth match in order to challenge a current Floor Master to steal their floor, becoming a resident of an entire floor 3000 feet in the air.
As Sinbad and company entered the main lobby of the first floor of Heavens Arena, the lobby was crowded with rambunctious people cheering at the top of their lungs. As if they were hypnotized, their attention was glued to the dozens of flat screen televisions hanging on the walls.
Sinbad's attention landed on the largest flat screen television. Even he couldn't hold back his shock as the entire arena appeared like a war zone. Blood, pieces of flesh, and rubble circled around the lone golden victor. The first and closest section of the crowd was completely annihilated. Audience members clutched onto their heads in a futile attempt to ease the pain.
"Ladies and gentlemen, after three years, we finally have a new Floor Master!" The announcer lady screamed into the microphone which resounded throughout the whole 251 floored building. "Please give a warm welcome to our new Floor Master, Gilgamesh!"
On the screen, an uninjured Gilgamesh folded their arms proudly in front of the amazed audience. Those who remained standing stomped their feet and clapped for they were able to witness something special because this was Heaven's Arena. A place solely designed to worship the strong.
Chapter End...
A/N: Hello Readers!! This concludes the Hunter Exam Arc!
I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Sinbad!
Please continue to support me for the next arc: Heavens Arena.
Finally it is time to introduce you all to the glorious and magnificent Gilgamesh.
Can anyone guess what Sinbad's Nen Category will be?
Let me know your thoughts and even predictions for the next arc.