Tales of the Hooded Figure- Serpent of the Vale Part 2
The Figure was brought back from its meditation by the sound of groaning. Looking over to the nearby bed they could see the covers shifting as the woman slowly forced herself to sit up. She looked pretty exhausted and beaten, but most of the damage from the previous day seemed to have healed over.
Now sure that she was fine, they curiously watched her for a moment, interested to see what her next action would be. She seemed confused as to how she arrived at her own bed and how her wounds had been treated, probably expecting to have died after a blast like that. She groaned again as she tried to get up from the bed, giving up completely and sitting back down. They hoped they hadn’t broken anything.
She turned on her side, eyes lazily scanning her own room before completely freezing in place. She seemed to have noticed them. Quickly she reached for where they assumed she kept her sword, but it was nowhere to be found.
“If you’re looking for your weapon it shattered during our fight last night” They explained. She did not seem pleased “If it makes you feel better I broke my arm doing that”
She seemed to study them for a moment, unsure of what to make of the figure before her. Without their cloak there was no hiding what they were. An automaton, a machine with a vaguely human shape, a metal puppet. They had gone through great effort to be more than simply that, but that would always be the first reaction of those who saw them.
“It does not” She replied. Not taking her eyes away from them “Why did you bring me here?”
“You were wounded” They answered, earning an unamused look from her. It had been their fault after all “I’m very sorry for that”
She sighed “I do believe I started it, so I cannot blame you for defending yourself” There was still annoyance in her voice, but it seemed they were only partially to blame for that “Why have you journeyed here in the first place? There is no treasure to be found and no secret to be uncovered in these woods”
“I came here for you” They admitted “I heard stories of the fiend that chased away all who dared enter these woods and decided to look into it”
“Have any of you adventurous types considered that the fiend just wants to be left alone?” She shot the figure a death glare. Her human eyes threatening to be replaced by the spirals of her monstrous form.
“I… I didn’t consider that” They suddenly felt very foolish in their decision
“Of course. You hear tale of a demon and you come kill it with no mercy, but as soon as that demon reveals itself to be a beautiful woman you must do what you can to protect her” Once more she hit the nail on the head and a pang of guilt echoed through their metal frame.
“I wanted to understand that actually” They replied “What happened to you?” ‘and what can I do to fix it?’ was implied in their tone, something that did not go unnoticed by the woman before them.
With a sigh she pushed herself out of the bed and made her way to her closet. She was a towering figure even in her human form and the tattoos that covered her body still gave her the menacing air of her fiendish counterpart.
“If you expect a tale of a poor maiden cursed into taking the form of a terrible demon, then you have come to the wrong place” She bluntly explained as she put on some actual clothes “I’m Amano. I’m a fiend born in the village of Ta Oshi and for three hundred years I rampaged through the Vale, driven by hunger, rage and greed”
That was not the most promising start to a story, but still they listened.
“Until one day an adventurer defeated me” her hand instinctively moved to cover the scar across her chest “Even though I caused nothing but chaos and destruction for centuries, the adventurer still believed there was good in me. So they lifted their magic sword aloft and with one final stroke they split the good and evil in me into two beings… except they failed”
Her fist clenched at the memory of the event. Disdain heavy in her voice.
“Now I live this split life. I cannot lead a human life without risking everyone around me, and if I simply embrace the demon inside me… I wouldn’t be able to speak or thing, I’d be consumed by that same hunger again” She had debated those options over and over again, fearful of both outcomes yet unable to find a third “So came here, to the city and the end of the world and hid away alone in its woods”
She turned around, looking them in the eyes as she spoke “And that’s how I intend to stay”
The same message from before blared in their mind ‘Immediate action: Eliminate threat’ and in that moment they felt nothing but sympathy for the fiend
“I… understand” They answered. Amano scoffed, but they continued “I know what it’s like to have a part of you that you’re afraid will hurt others. To constantly try to be better because you’re afraid of what will happen if you don’t. To have to isolate yourself and hide who you are”
Amano looked at them, stunned for a moment as she parsed what they just said “Who are you, stranger?”
The figure pondered that, unsure of how to answer
“I’m someone who wishes to help” Was all they could really share. Not much compared to the life story Amano had shared with them “I know you said you’d rather be alone, but I think we both could use the help with being better people, and we have both proven we can keep up with each other in case of an outburst”
She seemed to consider it for a moment, before letting out a hearty chuckle “I do like your proposition, but I would like to know the name of my new companion”
“I don’t have one” they admitted. Amano did not seem taken aback one bit.
“Then I shall call you Haia” She announced. ‘Haia: Old Vale word for ‘Nimble’’ the voice in their mind translated. They had never been given a name before. It felt so strange, but in a pleasant way.
“Haia” they repeated “I think I like that name”
“Very well, Haia. Get me a new sword and you’ll always be welcome in my home”
Haia smile as best as their metallic faceplate would allow
