Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 10.

The score was now even due to Gon's victory against the lanky prisoner. The convict walked back to their side when a voice spoke up from the shadows, berating the brunette. "Hmph, you fool. That's the result of reliance on tools and cheap tricks. If you want to fool someone, you have to sacrifice for a bit. Just watch," they said, shackles thudding to the brick ground. Approaching the edge of the cut-off hallway, the prisoner unmasked themselves to reveal a blue-skinned man with hearts tattooed on the right side of his chest. "I'm next!" they declared.

On the other side of the room, the examinees grimace at the sight of the convict, questioning the appearance of the person standing in front of them. Kurapika had volunteered to be the subsequent participant, leaving Lerio and the Zoldyck siblings left to win the remaining matches. Iris stared at the blue-skinned person for a second before her face scrunches up a second as they continued their rambling.

"Look here! I've killed 19 people, but it bugs me that 19 is such an uneven number," he explained, releasing a menacing chuckle. "I'm so glad I've gotten to meet number 20," he crackles.

"Now we have a serial killer?" Leorio asked out loud causing the magenta-haired female to roll her eyes at his obvious judgement, crossing her arms as she scrutinises the current challenger. The unnatural convict sets the conditions of the fight with Kurapika accepting each rule: A fight to the death or til one of them surrenders, without the use of any weapons which then caused the convict to curl into themselves, building up muscles. "Hey now, is Kurapika gonna be okay? This guy looks dangerous," the aspiring doctor says to his friends.

Iris settles herself on the ground by the edge of the cut-off hallway, resting her elbow on her thigh and cheek in the palm of her hand as she witnessed the uneventful match. 'He's not dangerous. He's just a show off' she thought, turning her attention to Gon who was assuring his worried friend, and how he knew the blonde would be safe. 'Huh, I don't think I've ever met a kid like you Gon. You'd make a good addition to the troupe, but our morals are worlds apart' she smiled to herself, turning back to the forum.

The prisoner uncurls himself, turning around to display a spider tattoo located on his lower back. "A tattoo of a spider with 12 legs...That's..," Leorio trailed off, sweating in fear at the sight of the familiar tattoo.

"Yeah, I recognise it," Tonpa comments from behind the taller male, drenched in fear. "Anyone aspiring to become a Hunter has heard of it. That's the symbol worn by members of that notorious band of evil thieves, the Phantom Troupe!" he finished, identifying the signature tattoo. Sitting in front of them, the troupe's beloved Web rolls her eyes at their comments, picking at her nails as she eavesdropped on their conversation before glaring at the imposter.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" he taunt the blonde. "I'm Majitani, one of the Phantom Troupe's four kings! Consider that first strike my way of saying hello. This is your last chance to surrender," he declared with confidence overflowing with every word that left their mouth. "I'm still willing to–"

Kurapika punches the prisoner into the ground, making an indent on the platform. Killua whistles at the impact, whereas the disguised woman smiled with appreciation to the blonde. She had wanted to kill the convict the moment he used the troupe as a method of leverage over his opponent however with the rules of the phase, she wasn't able to. "Consider this a warning...First, a real Phantom Troupe tattoo has the member's number on the spider. Second, they don't bother counting how many they've killed. Third, never mention the Troupe again. If you do, I'll kill you," the blonde warned, eyes glowing red.

Iris shifts in her spot, back straightening as she stared at the boy that returned to their side with caution. 'A survivor, how surprising. I'll keep tabs on you' The woman watched his figure waltz passed Leorio and Tonpa, slumping against the wall of the cubby. The next prisoner walked up to the square platform and informed the participants that the previous battle wasn't over since Majitani was simply knocked out, meaning he remained alive thus his and Kurapika's match never officially ended. And the remaining Kurta clan member refused to end the battle since he had no interest in fighting someone who had already lost.

"Hey, if you don't want to dirty your hands, I'll do it," Killua offered. "You haven't ever killed anyone before, right? Are you scared?" he asked.

"I have never considered whether murder is frightening. But this is a 1-on-1 battle. You aren't permitted to interfere," the blonde says. Leorio attempts to get his friend to finish the battle however received nothing in the end. As the others were attempting to get Kurapike to finish his fight, Gon and Illuki stared at the body of Majitani, observing.

"Hey! We want to check his body!" Leorio called out. "He could already be dead," he explained, yelling at the hooded figure.

"Then let's make a bet," the prisoner proposed, smirking underneath their hood. Questioning the person's intentions, the new challenger clarifies the rules of the next match. "We will settle our match through a betting game, a gamble. And we'll use time, rather than chips. Look at the monitor on the wall. We each have 50 hours, however, we can only wager multiples of 10. We continue placing bets until one of us has no hours left," they elaborated.

Taking the risk, the aspiring doctor takes on the gamble and approached the unconscious man and flips him over. Iris remained silent, witnessing the suit-wearing man drag Majitani to the edge, threatening to throw him off the edge to see if he had truly died or not, which he wasn't. As the match continued, the disguised woman busied herself with her thoughts, knowing the glass-wearing man would inevitably lose, causing great damage to the group of applicants and creating a draw between the prisoners and the examinees.