Just a little something I was inspired to write, hopefully it's enough to get me writing again! It'll be continued in due time I guess. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The start of a journey.
A dreary breeze blew over the dust covered floor. The air was cold, unforgiving. A single torch lit the room, the flicker of its flame illuminating the few features the room had.
A weapon rack was on the wall to the side, littered with crude looking blades. The rusty iron door looked beaten and worn, while the stone walls were crumbling, scarred by blades.
From beyond, cheers and jeers emanated from the arena ahead. The thundering roar of the voices grew steadily, followed by an ear-shattering roar. The crowd grew silent. The sound of gears began to grind slowly, the rusty door opening.
Daylight slowly seeped into the room, shining upon a pair of pale feet. They shifted uncomfortably, approaching the weapon rack. A shaking hand gripped the blood-stained hilt of a sword, the dented shield, damaged beyond being usable.
The door opened completely with a crunch. This was the last chance to turn tail and run. Gripping the sword in hand, the boy made his way forward into the arena. Steeling his nerves, he looked at the monster in front of him. Vicious eyes met his gaze, the scaly green skin of his reptilian adversary splattered with the blood of its previous victims.
A tattered bulb adorned the beast's back; the sharp teeth adorning its cruelly smiling mouth were chipped and yellowed. Chains held it back, captive, for the time being anyways.
A loud voice rang out above the crowd.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today, we present this year's hunter exam! Our first hunter has chosen to take on Bulbasaur! This vicious green demon can use the vines stored in its bulb as extra arms, its scaled hide deflects blades even from the skilled!"
The crowd cheered in awe.
"And now it is time for our first hunter of the day! This young hunter hails from none other than our very own village of Stil! He is armed with nothing but an iron blade, clothed with nothing but simple garments of cloth!"
Laughter rang out among the crowd, drowning the few cheers which existed.
The young hunter shifted his balance, shakily holding the blade in his right hand. His left swept dark brown hair out of his field of vision, only for it to fall messily back into place.
The Bulbasaur looked impatient, pulling against its restraints. Silence echoed throughout the arena.
"Let the test, begin!" the announcer yelled, raising his arms to the sky.
With the signal, the chains around the Bulbasaur's legs were released from the wall. The beast bounded forward, charging recklessly at the hunter, the rusted chains around its legs clanking heavily.
The hunter dodged to the side, breathing heavily. The Bulbasaur grew silent, confused as to why it had not hit its prey.
The hunter crept forward, raising the blade above his head. He brought the blade down upon the unsuspecting beast.
The rusty blade made contact, bouncing off the pale green scales. The impact caused the hunter to stumble backwards, inviting laughter and jeering from the crowd.
The Bulbasaur turned to face the hunter, eyes red with anger. The bulb on its back began shuffling, the leaves parting slightly to let vines fall from the gaps.
The hunter almost dropped his blade in fear. The fallen vines were crimson with the blood of past victims; some still had clothing and flesh stuck to them, the stench slowly encompassing the arena.
The hunter charged wildly, tears streaming down his face. The Bulbasaur screeched, and began to run towards the walls of the arena, the vines rooting themselves in the ground. The hunter slashed at the nearest vine, severing the weighted tip from the whip-like plant.
The Bulbasaur moaned. The hunter stopped to breathe, his hopeless running having drained his energy. He looked at the Bulbasaur and realised. The beast was already weakened. The heavy chains had damaged its legs, while its countless battles against participants of the exam had surely left lasting scars. The hunter stood with renewed courage, with only his blade in hand, he prepared to face the beast once more.
The Bulbasaur shifted its balance and fired a volley of razor sharp leaves at the hunter. He dodged, and began his assault. The Bulbasaur answered his challenge and charged towards him. The hunter ran to the side and targeted the only thing he could think of, the bulb.
The jagged weapon cut into the fleshy leaves to the roots of the bulb. The stench of death grew more potent has the hunter cut deeper, water running from the open leaves.
The Bulbasaur reared back in pain, the bulb fell off of its back, leaving softer scales exposed. The bulb hit the ground with a mighty thud, sprawling open to reveal the spoils of many years.
The Bulbasaur began to limp. It fled from the hunter, fearing that its end was near. The hunter approached the blood-stained innards of the bulb. Limbs and armour lay scattered within, but the hunter ignored it, ripping a bloody blade from the bulb.
The crowd roared, seeing the beast flee had changed their allegiance, choosing to support the hunter. The hunter gripped both blades in his hand and ran towards the fleeing Bulbasaur.
As he grew close, he jumped, raising both blades above his head, preparing to drive them into the soft scales of the Bulbasaur's back. He landed, the blades sinking into the Bulbasaur. Blood spurted out, dyeing the hunter's unarmoured body with a crimson hue.
The crowd cheered as the Bulbasaur took its last breaths and collapsed. The hunter breathed a sigh of relief, even though he knew his victory was not his alone. The two blades in his hands grew heavy, his head foggy with the smell of blood.
He stood cautiously and pointed his blades to the sky triumphantly.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, our young hunter has succeeded! Out of the three ongoing matches, this hunter is the only survivor!" The announcer yelled excitedly, his words emphasising the success of one hunter, rather than the loss of two lives.
The hunter sighed, and collapsed, still tightly gripping his blades.
The hunter awoke to find himself in a warm room, surrounded by weapons.
A small, aged man looked at him angrily.
"A weak brat like yourself managed to pass? Must have been a helluva weak monster" He grumbled. He picked up two blades and a sheath from the table and handed them to the hunter.
"Take 'em, you earned them after all that" He said, picking up a hammer from the floor.
The hunter took one blade in each hand, recognising them as the blades he had used. They had taken on a green hue, the patterning of the blade looking familiarly like a leaf.
The hunter nodded his thanks and sheathed the blade on his back. He stood, noticing the blood had been cleaned off of him. He walked towards the doorway, fist clenched with determination.
"Hold up brat, you forgot this" The man yelled, throwing a belt with a small blade sheathed within. "You better take it, Can't do nothing without a carving knife in hunts" he explained.
The hunter caught the belt and strapped it round his waist. With more confidence than before he exited the room, to find himself in a spacious hall, littered with benches and tables. He looked to his left, to see an unmanned desk.
Footsteps echoed behind him, which he turned to look at.
A powerful looking man wearing scaly blue armour and a giant blade walked past him. The blade was a greenish colour and had the appearance of a wing –like scythe. He turned to the hunter and looked at him with an amused expression.
"It's been a while since I've seen such a young hunter. No-one has passed for a few seasons now" He laughed, his helm obscuring his face.
"Welcome to the guild and welcome to the world of the hunters" he said seriously, offering his hand in friendship. "My name is Rados; I've been a hunter for a while now, so if you need some tips, let me know"
The hunter took his hand and shook it.
"My name is… "
A thunderous noise interrupted them.
Weapons Database
Type: Dual Blades
Name: Examinee blades
Element: None
A crude pair of rusty blades. Usually separate and paired with a shield, they can be upgraded to follow the Bulbasaur, Squirtle or Charmander path.
Type: Dual Blade
Name: Razor leaves
Element: Grass
Dual blades with the look of leaves. Imbued with a Bulbasaur's essence, they carry grass like properties.
Until next time!
