Well, good day to you people out there! It's PK2, back with another chapter of Aura Cycle! First I would like to give thanks to the one reviewer, SSJ2BlazeSG! You won ¾ of the cookie promised! (The demon is not Bowser; the Koopas in this story just resemble him) Second, I forgot to mention that the previous chapter was the prologue, so here is where we meet our main character! And let's get into this!
Oh, disclaimer? I'm too lazy, so I kidnapped Luigi to do it for me.
Luigi: P…PK2 does not o…own Smash Bros or e…else Sceptile w…would be a newcomer for S…SSB4!
Ike knelt at the edge of the murky swamp, and then proceeded to check the hoofprints. From his experience, he knew that the unicorn herd had arrived in the swamp a little over an hour ago. His target, a blind, slightly smaller male unicorn, was still with its herd. Ike was surprised that the creature had managed to make it this far without a dragon or eagle hunting it down.
The sky was dark but cloudless, and a slight wind rustled the vines surrounding the swamp. A nearly invisible crescent moon passed by, adding futile light to the surroundings. A fog scuttled along the ground, a little thicker than a miniature marshmallow.
Ike was seventeen, just one year shy of manhood. Thick dark blue eyebrows perched above his equally blue eyes. His clothes were falling apart from his work. A small wooden dagger was cleverly sheathed in his pant pocket, and a leather skin protected his elm bow from the vicious fog.
The unicorns had led him into the Underworld, which despite its name, was a thick forest with swamps plastered throughout like ink stains that bordered the land of Smashville. Many times, the stories and people that came from it were signs of bad luck. Ike, however, didn't fear the Underworld, and he was the only hunter in Ylisse who would dare trek into its mazelike foresets.
His hunt had lasted for five days so far, and only a quarter of his food remained. He had to kill this unicorn today or he would have to return home empty-handed. His uncle and cousin (as well as himself) were in dire need of meat for winter and could not to purchase it in Ylisse.
Ike stood in the silhouette of the moon, then brushed past the vines and headed to a patch of rowan trees where he knew the herd would rest. The shadows of the leaves swayed, playing peek-a-boo with the sky. Having memorized the way, he did not care to check the tracks.
At the rowan patch, Ike pulled his bow out of its case, then nocked an arrow it with a lack of doubt. The shadows of the unicorns showed around the trees; about forty motionless bodies. The unicorn Ike wanted was at the edge of a tree; it kept on opening and closing its eyes from the confusion of blindness.
Ike slowly stepped forward, keeping the bow at ready. It had taken him five days to reach this point. Ike took a breath of preparation-and the night spilt apart with an explosion.
The herd leaped away at the speed of light. Ike lunged forward with them and unleashed his last-resort arrow. It missed by barely a centimeter and continued off with a screech. Ike swore in anger and spun around, nocking another arrow just in case.
The rowan patch had been turned into a smoking crater. The area burned with a stench of burnt garlic. Smack-dab in the center of the crater lay a round gemstone.
Ike cautiously checked for danger, but there was none. Cautiously, he put his bow down and wandered into the crater. The moon grew brighter as he meandered up to the gemstone. Ike poked it with his dagger, and then jumped back. The gemstone didn't move, so he warily picked it up.
Truth be told, the gemstone looked more like an egg. But it had the beauty and sheen of a gemstone. The flawless surface was mainly blue, with black stripes coursing throughout. At the base there was a small patch of tan. The stone was smoother than a heavily polished block of gold, and was about one foot tall and half a foot wide, though it felt a little heavy for its size.
As pretty as Ike found the stone, he also found it scary. Who sent this stone here? What is its purpose? Then a scarier thought occurred to him: Was I destined to find this stone, or was it just chance? If there was one thing that Ike knew, it was to treat magic and its users with respect.
But, what should I do with the stone? It was heavy, and it might be dangerous. He almost dropped it, but then Ike thought: It could probably pay for the winter's meat supply! He slipped the stone into his pack and headed back.
The rowan patch was too exposed, so Ike headed over to a sycamore clearing close to it. After having a measly dinner of stale bread and slightly rotten cheese, Ike dozed off, wondering about the day's events.
Ah, done! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you soon, everybody!