Assassins and Thieves are the Same

Chapter 01

The day seemed bright as the sun shined shamelessly at the highest peak of the sky, despite the winter air. It must be roughly noon, considering the position of the burning star. The dock of the city seems bustling with life. Sailors and workers paced back and forth as they carried items to their destinations. Shouts and hollers were sounded as a ship slowly docked itself on an empty space. Slowly the ship came to a haul, and a large wooden board was thrown half on the ship and on the dock to create a fairly unstable ramp. No matter the slight danger of a wobbly plank, a handful of sluggish people had exited the ship.

A child had also walked out of the ship including twenty other adults. A child stepped foot on the ground first time since a week ago. The cold and stable ground was the single very thing she was looking forward ever since she entered the wooden transportation. The very child smiled at the sight of the new and unexplored town. It's been a while since she was able to venture on her own without her father. Her acquaintance next to her wanted to ask her about her next move; but instead of worrying about her, he hummed out "Chrome, I'll be going first."

"Huh, we're not going together?" she looked at her acquaintance quizzically. The man chuckled to himself and left without a word after. The child, Chrome, frowned a bit. "Hmm, where do I go first?" She said to herself. Conveniently, a sailor noticed the child standing alone at the dock. He approached the young child and kneeled in front of her to get to her eye level.

"Hey child, are you lost?" he dropped down the two wooden planks on the ground next to him. "Are you waiting for your parents?"

Startled by the man, she took a step back with caution. Sensing no hostility from him, she smiled nervously at him. "Uhh, I'm sorry, but do you know how to get to the Hunter Exam?" she asked, biting her lip to indicate nervousness.

"What? The hunter exam?" the sailor looked confused. "Why do you need to know that? Are you planning on being a hunter?"

Chrome exhaled softly, not prepared for the question. "No, you see, Papa left home to become a hunter," she started a false story. "I need to tell him to come back home. Mama and I are lonely."

"Oh, that's why." The sailor looked down, conflicted on what to say. "I've seen that happen a lot." He looked back up at Chrome who's fidgeting with her hands. "Look, I don't think you should be looking for your father. The road to becoming a hunter is a very dangerous one."

Chrome puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "I know. Everyone on the ship told me that" she whined, "but Mama will get very very sad. I, I don't want her to get sad. So please, can you tell me where the Hunter Exam is?"

The sailor sighed at the girl's stubbornness or her whininess. "Okay, but I don't know exactly where it is, but I've seen a lot of people headed north of the town. I think they're going to participate in the Hunter Exam, but I'm not too sure. You probably should ask around before following some stranger, okay?" He picked up his planks of wood and stood back up. "I'm sorry that I can't help you more than that. Good luck in finding your father. Be careful. Like I said, it's a very dangerous road."

"Thank you, mister. You are quite a help!" Chrome smiled and bowed slightly. Now left along on the pier, she at least knew where to start off to. She wondered about the man who left before she did. Why did he leave without her? She thought Papa had told him to look after her. Well, that doesn't seem to be the case now. With the first step, Chrome started her way deeper into the town. It seemed that her first move was to find more information instead of just heading "north of the town".

Finding herself to be standing in front of a bar, called Star Bar, Chrome looked at the two-story building. A bar is usually a perfect place to find information. The Hunter Exam is rumored to be a dangerous exam; meaning, many dangerous people would be taking it. Opening the door, Chrome found herself to be in such a rowdy room. However, a bell had chimed her entrance. Unfortunately, nearly everyone inside was staring at the child. After all, it is strange for a child to be entering a bar. However, there was an unsettling silence, something Chrome doesn't want. Even with many eyes on her, she didn't leave. Instead, she walked to the counter and sat down the high stool and ignored all those stares of strangers.

The bartender confronted her personally, offering her a drink. "Good afternoon," he smiled sweetly. "Would like anything to drink, perhaps milk?" and quickly followed a question, "Are you meeting your parents here?"

Chrome couldn't possibly tell him that she's looking to become a hunter. That will throw the whole room of angry men in chaos. A child trying to join the Hunter Exam that nearly impossible! Instead of telling the truth, she simply lied with the same false story that she told the sailor. "Actually," her eyes shifted around the room to see if the costumers returned back to their normal, rowdy self before she had entered the bar. Pleased with the volume of conversations raised, Chrome turned back to the bartender. "I need to know where the Hunter Exam is."

Again, the bartender is at disbelief. "W-what? Why would you need to know that for?"

Chrome's patience slowly diminished, but she still remained cool. It's understandable that the sailor and the bartender had asked the same question, but this meant that Chrome needs to repeat herself again. "I'm looking for Papa. He left to become a hunter, and I need to stop him. Mama thinks that Papa will die."

"Really?" the bartender still remained bewildered. "That's quite a task for a young girl such as yourself. How old are you anyways?"

Chrome wanted to click her tongue impatiently. He's just asking unnecessary question, but she complied. "I'm twelve years old. I know it's going to be dangerous, but Mama is very sad. She'll be even sadder if Papa doesn't return."

"Kid," the husky man jumped into the conversation, "If your papa does die, then it's his fault." He scoffed.

Chrome inhaled, pretending to be offended. "But, if Papa dies, Mama might do the same. I, I don't want—if Mama and Papa die, then I'll be alone. I'll have nowhere to go!" the child bit her lips, playing the part of a poor helpless girl. "I, I need to stop Papa, so please. If you know how to get to Hunter Exam, please tell me." Chrome nearly started to shout in false desperation.

The bartender frowned and leaned closer to the stranger. They started to whisper to each other. It really didn't matter that they are whispering. Chrome could hear them perfectly. Focusing solely on their voice, she was able to listen in.

"I know how to directly get to the Hunter Exam, but I'm not too sure if it's a good idea to just tell her." The man next to the child admitted. "However, it doesn't seem like she's going to give up looking for her father."

"This could all be a trap, a lie. This girl might be paid to ask, so she could tell someone what she had learned. I've seen that happened all the time."

"But, she looks like she's ready to look for the Hunter Exam. Her book bag is probably filled with her mother's cooking for the journey." The stranger seemed to believe in Chrome's tale, but the bartender isn't so gullible. Maybe just a little bit more push, he'll give in.

Chrome looked at her lap with a sad façade. "Papa, please be careful. I, I don't want to be alone." She said softly, but still loud enough for the two men to hear. Looking over to the two, she stood up from the stool. "I'm sorry for bothering you two." Taking a bow, she apologized. "I'll just look for Papa myself. I was just hoping to get just a little bit of a lead. Have a good day, and thank you." Chrome gave one last sad smile.

A long heavy sigh escaped from the husky man. Chrome sneaked a smirk. Good, he's giving up. "Okay, okay," he turned around to stop the girl from leaving. "Come with me to the back, I'll tell you where to go."

Chrome turned around with widened eyes. Her black eyes nearly startled to sparkle in gratitude. "You will, mister?"

"Yeah, but there're too many ears around here. Come." He stood up and went into the hallway where the bathrooms were located. Entering one of the unisex restrooms, he gestured Chrome to follow him. Of course, she complied. This does look quite strange in someone's eyes; to see a grown man entering a bathroom with a tiny child. Strange, indeed. However, it doesn't matter to Chrome. All she need was the information, and information was waiting for her in the bathroom.

Once they are both inside, the larger man kneeled down to the child's height and stared at her intensely. No matter how intense the stare got, it didn't phased Chrome. She just looked at him with curiosity as she tilted her head a bit. "Look child, I know the Hunter Exam is very dangerous, and you know it too. I will tell you how to get there. Once you do what I say, you'll be led into an underground room and wait until the exam starts. You will wait for your father in that room. If the exam started and your father didn't show up, you give up on finding him. He's probably dead then. You do not—I mean, do not follow the examiner or the group. You leave the room the same way you went in. Do you understand me?"

Chrome slowly nodded. Even though, she had no intention of leaving the exam. "I will not follow the people if the exam starts."

"Good," the man seemed satisfied with her reaction. "Now follow me. I'll lead you to the hunter exam." He smiled.

"Wait, what?" Chrome stepped back a bit shocked. Follow this stranger? "You know where the Hunter Exam is?" He nodded in response.

"You don't believe me?"

"N-no, no, I don't."

He smiled widely. "You're right, I don't know," the man stood up. "However, I'll tell you an advice. I've taken the Hunter Exam a few times already; failed all those time. Lucky for me, I haven't died yet. Every single time, the exam entrance locations have moved, so I don't know. I know where to start. Would you like to follow me?" Suddenly, this whole turn of event made it unclear for Chrome. What should she do? This man could just fairly be a murderer, leading a young girl into an alley and rob her dead. However, Chrome could easily take care of him, if it comes to that.

Chrome shook her head with unease. There's probably better luck if she asked another person. Earlier, this man clearly said he knows the direct entrance to the Hunter Exam, but now he lied. He's just there smiling widely at her. "Where do we start?" Chrome asked now with more caution than before.

"We head east of the town." The man simply answered. East? The sailor said north of the town. This half-naked man is either lying or heard false rumor. Chrome nodded slowly at him; though, there's little to no chance of trusting this man anymore. "So are you coming with me?" He asked once more.

With a smirk, the child replied with a simple no and left the restroom. The man attempted to grab for her, but she was already out the door before he could touch her. With a loud bang from the door, Chrome stumbled to the bar where the brute costumers were. "H-help!" she screamed defenselessly in hope for a large commotion. "That man—he, he tried to hurt me!" Every head turned towards the bathroom, waiting for the man to burst out. Once he did, the door slammed open with large amount of force.

"Where's that girl?" he snared. Chrome scurried to the exit in fear, but haven't break eye contact with her "assailant".

"Hey! What do you need the girl for?" one of the brute costumers stood up, confronting the half-naked man. The rest of the room disorderly yelled in encouragement. A few people sitting near the door tried to comfort the girl, while the rest of the people started to badger the lone man.

"He, he tried to hurt me. I don't know what I did wrong." Chrome choked in fear, pointing at the assailant. "Please, he's scaring me." Now the whole room started to stand and confront him even more aggressively. Now Chrome who stood alone at the door smirked at her chaos she had created. Without even a word, she opened the door with care, remembering that bell being hung at the top of the door. Skinny as she is, she slipped through the exit and ran away after her escape went perfectly.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading the first chapter of Assassins and Thieves. This story mainly revolves around Chrome. As you read along the chapters, you will find out her strengths and weaknesses. I hope you stay with me along this journey. As always, please review. I don't know if what you read is the same as what's going on in my head. I want to know how Chrome is being portrayed in your mind. Many more thanks for those who do review.