AN: so my schedule is something that exists…
Basically, a bunch of stuff either popped up or fell through… I had a Christmas special mostly written but I hated it and scrapped it. (the general idea was a non-cannon event where they gave gifts to each other and interacted) that was written a day or two before the holidays as I wanted to spend them with my family. As for today, I have a relative's birthday to celebrate alongside it being the New Year.(though the real-time sink is the various unpainted Warhammer plastic I have on my desk… I could not resist the battle force boxes when I found a listing for $170) So I do not have much time to write and I am an awfully slow writer. I mean why do you think I only do two 1000-word chapters a week? I honestly respect the people who can churn out chapters like that every day.
- - - - - End of Author Note - - - - -
Seated outside of a local restaurant at sundown a group of four consisting of Magenta, Leorio, Gon and Killua were dining at a leisurely pace. However, the opened laptop sitting on the table alongside the various bags and luggage sat at their feet separated them from the rest of the restaurant goers. Additionally, what many didn't notice as they ate and left the restaurant as was usual was the long period they had stayed at the table for. Not that the staff could complain about the numerous dishes and drinks that had been ordered and they were not unruly customers and the expected tip staved off any dissent.
"This auction is just a trainwreck that keeps going… what the hell kind of schedule is this? Everything got rescheduled and what items for auction got shuffled." pulling up the latest update I noticed the more frantic undertone in all the messaging. Everything from the lower quality in typesetting and graphic design to the frequent and often times contradictory postings. It all pointed towards them posturing to save face, and with Kurapika being called back and him mentioning the hiring on of extra mercenaries things are looking grim.
'To think a group of relatively strong Nen users can send the united front of the whole worlds underworld into a disarrayed frenzy…' sighing for the nth time this week alone I rubbed the bridge of my nose as I went on to scan the list of auction items tonight.
"So… while I double-check this again, the newest update on what's appearing tonight on the auction does not include greed island. And I am not seeing anything I am particularly interested in myself… though something to note is item number… there it is, number 13 tonight. A pair of scarlet eyes… or Kurta eyes, I don't have to tell you why that is significant no?" receiving nods in affirmation we continued our subdued dinner as a waitress brought another basket of bread and pitcher of water to the table.
"Before the auction starts I want us to get closer to the auction site… not too close as I fear an ambush or indiscriminate attack by the troupe. If things do get chaotic we will then move in towards the site, while we may not get the initiative or jump on them we don't risk the opposite happening." turning my attention to the digital clock on my computer display I proceeded to pull out a small container and taking out the small pills inside before swallowing them with a glass of water.
"I still don't see the reason for taking those, it's like throwing a drop of water on a bonfire." stashing away the pill container I paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Well… not everyone is raised in an environment where 'controlled electric shocks' are commonplace. I mean you usually do that stuff with the girl you like you know? And that's after a few dates at least if your into that kind of thing! Besides, while it does nothing for my hand it eases the various cuts, scrapes, or muscle exhaustion I have."
"Whatever." not deigning to look at me anymore he went back to sipping his glass of soda in silence.
…
*BOOM!*
"Fuck! There it is." leaping up from the park bench we were situated in we ran towards the auction site at a running pace. It was currently a few hours past sundown, and at this point and the city park was mostly deserted and lit by the various lamp posts scattered across the walkways.
"You sure we are doing this?" directing my questions towards Gon who was a few steps ahead of me as we booked it out of the park.
"Kurapika is going to be fighting, and if I have the option to help him then I will!" Hastening his approach he bolted ahead of me towards the cacophony of various explosions screams and gunshots that was emanating from the auction.
"Oi Killua, you go ahead with him, you two work well enough together and can hit a bit above your weight so to speak. Also, try to stay behind the human waves of mafia men with Guns… they are only able to attract and take attacks in these situations so take advantage of it." Not getting a response besides the swift departure of Killua I was left running alongside Leorio as we jostled or way through the mob of people fleeing in the opposite direction.
"Leorio I want you to stay at the edges of the conflict as a first responder. Try to save as many as you can… and prioritize either Nen users or civilians first." Rounding the corner we could begin to see the signs of conflict whether it was the distant some and flames or rubble strewn across the street and various bodies strewn across the pavement and sides of the street further down.
"Are you really telling me to disregard the lives of all the underworld people?!" slowing his pace a bit as his frustrated stare bored through the back of my head.
"They knew what they were getting involved with, the civilians don't and the Nen users are more valuable to get back on their feet… Would you rather be fighting the spiders? I thought you took the Hippocratic oath not the Hypocritic one…" ending off with a slight joke as we slowed down to stop at the nearest felled person as Leorio set down his suitcase to assess them.
"I haven't taken it yet as I am not a Doctor! Just an aspiring one…" Quickly looking at what I assumed was a victim of being trampled by the escaping mob of civilians I left Leorio behind with well wishes as I chased towards the chaos head first.
I don't remember what I called this…. Nen stats?... look I am going to use this bottom margin area to address a few errors or forgotten points. So…
- - - - - Hatsu Profile (I looked it up in my backlog of older chapters) - - - - -
So these are styled after JoJo's stand stat cards… and I was filling it in as abilities were displayed like JoJollion. However, my pet peeve with that part was it only revealed what was displayed so we still don't know everything about some stands even with the part finished. So I will put the full stats and stuff about Nobunaga's Hatsu.
Additionally, someone pointed out I forgot about the name condition I added to Magenta's Hatsu that I forgot. I forget a lot of stuff between chapters and need to get in the habit of writing things down more when it comes to plot points, ideas, or things to keep track of. I do this… sometimes. I have a dedicated notepad but I just don't use it because I am all over the place with these things.
If you see any of these small continuity errors point them out and I'll fix them moving forward. Also if you have any ideas for changes, tweaks or fixes write a comment. While writing is not a big passion of mine it is something I wanted to improve so let me know.
(finally, the thing that this is labeled as… I swear this is just a second author note!)
Name: Inner sanctum of the sword master
User: Nobunaga (Member of the Phantom Troupe)
Category: Emitter
Effect: One's disposition and temperament are vital in Japponese swordsmanship, and this Hatsu is no different. The user's Emotions, determination, and other similar factors can scale the power, range, and effects of the attacks produced. The area of effect can also be combined with En at a much higher aura cost to increase the area of effect of En. yet, the disparity between the requirements to use this Hatsu effectively and the often jumpy, or impulsive nature of Emitters act as a tradeoff for the powerful attacks, utility, and synergy it is able to produce. Although there are two conditions to the ability, that it must be channeled using a real blade and the user must stand still. The blade's quality and sharpness are also imparted to the flying slashes explaining the shattering of the buildings during the Yorktown fight as opposed to the clean cuts the user would be able to produce in ideal conditions.