Shattered Past

Willow was the name in the back of their mind but it did not fit, it was like old shoes, a bit too small, a bit tattered, something to be fond of for sure as it had once served them well but it was no longer their name. So they sat, perched atop the cliff where the waterfall hid their home, and watched the sun rise over the massive trees of the Mirewood forest. It had really occurred to them that the place they had chosen as their home base was at the entrance of a large valley. Although that valley was still mostly covered in trees from the Mirewood forest. They eyed the valley below, with the river and lake forming from the same waterfall that hid their home. An old word for valley “vale” stuck in their mind. If this valley amongst the great forest and the waterfall above it was now home why not claim that name for themselves. Afterall names were meant to remind you of home. So Willow became Vale and suddenly it felt right. The word felt right when they said it, the weight of the word felt like their own name rather than something out of a past life, and as they repeated the name a few times it finally settled in properly. 

Vale stood, stretching and rolling their shoulders; even pausing to pop their neck as their entire body was tense from sitting still for so long. Vale sighed, turned and glanced down to find their little Aprico named Brus all curled up and asleep inside Vale’s RuneFrost Cloak. Vale gently stroked the Aprico’s back before scooping them up with one arm and gathering up the cloak. Vale tucked Brus onto their shoulder to which the little Aprico immediately curled up into the thick locks of hair. Vale then wrapped their cloak around themselves before fastening the clasp and then leaning down to grab the Everlit Candle that had been sitting beside it. Vale laughed as Brus made sleepy sounds and snuggled down into the hood of the cloak until she was satisfied with her comfort level. Vale smiled, fighting down a laugh, before turning to grab their bag beside the entrance to the caverns behind the waterfall. Vale closed up the door, made sure the camouflage was properly in place, and then turned towards the narrow ledge. Vale slid past the waterfall and waited for a few moments before starting down the narrow path towards the lower end of the cliffs. Vale made their way slowly as the path was steep and dangerously narrow with Brus still sleeping in the hood of their RuneFrost Cloak. Vale was thankful for the cold breeze that swirled within the cloak as they moved. It was after all spring and the area was getting warmer. Vale had thankfully learned though that the area was known for relatively cool summers and apparently there was a lot of fog and mist in the mornings. That would at least prevent Vale from being overwhelmed by summer heat and the risk of their ice covered body parts would at least not melt entirely now. Unfortunately they would probably still have to deal with some general melt issues which would be annoying but not as dire as Vale had feared. 

There was also of course Vale’s Frost Aspect, frost magic was useful when it was warmer than comfortable outside. Vale had already used their Frost Aspect to freeze large sections of the inner caverns near where they made their home base to keep the area cooler. So far that paired with the naturally cooler area within the caverns themselves made it a small haven for Vale. The main walls of the caverns were currently covered in ice and Vale had gone so far as to make a few ice sculptures and specialized lantern-poles with areas for small lanterns being placed about the edges. It had been a lot of trial and error but Vale had gotten the place to be truly lovely. Vale still needed a few things though from town. Extra supplies for one along with various other miscellaneous items that would help the caverns become more of a home. Vale had plans to purchase more lanterns to put onto ice pillars along with the hope to purchase rugs and bedding that weren’t just from woven grasses and moss. It would of course depend partially on what Vale was able to actually trade for in town as their supply of Stargold was low; only managing to scrape together some due to doing odd jobs around town now and then. It helped that most of Vale’s supplies came from the forest itself. 

Vale reached the end of the narrow, and rather steep, pathway before stepping down onto the grass of the valley below the waterfall. Vale glanced up and realized, not for the first time, how alarmingly tall the cliffs that hid their home were and shivered a bit at the thought of falling. Vale then whistled softly in a warbling note while looking around the lake edge. Vale made a mental note to check in on the various frogs, fish, and crayfish that would begin to become more plentiful in the coming spring and summer. As Vale was considering this their Sol Roc, Cealum, landed on the ground next to them and squawked a soft greeting. Vale patted the large bird’s shoulder before retrieving the harness and saddle from a hiding place along the edge of the cliffside. Once Caelum was all harnessed up and ready to go Vale climbed into the saddle, pausing long enough to double check that Brus was secure then urged the Sol Roc forward. They took their usual trail through the trees, opting to walk instead of fly until they all reached an area where the tree cover was not so dense. But Vale noticed something odd about the trail. Some of the trees appeared to be damaged and there were deep rivets in the ground as well. Usually Vale would have looked into this and it showed signs of a large predator in the area. One that was most likely dangerous and Vale was not usually one to let such a thing be so close to their home but today was a tight schedule. Vale frowned at this with a mix of concern and curiosity but shook their head and continued down the trail with the intention of finding out more about the damage at a later time. For now, Vale needed to get into town and gather up those supplies. 

Vale, astride Caelum, made it into town just as late afternoon was rolling around. Vale wandered past the local Inn with Caelum on a lead line and noticed the Innkeeper waving in greeting. Vale nearly slammed face-first into another person in the process of turning to look back in surprise. They were not used to being greeted by anyone in town; mainly because Vale rarely visited the town itself, let alone talked to anyone except those few who ran the shops that they went to occasionally. The person that Vale had nearly ran into glared and brushed themself off before pushing past Vale. Brus peered out from her place in Vale’s hood and snorted before curling back up within Vale’s hair. It was only then that Vale realized how long their hair was getting and briefly considered cutting it shorter while they reorientated themselves towards their previous task. Vale unfortunately forgot about the waving Innkeeper during all of this commotion, and left the friendly Painted Satyr standing awkwardly with one hand raised in front of the Inn. 

Vale made their way towards the main trading hub and walked into the entryway(pausing just long enough to tie their Sol Roc up to a post outside) to a small line of people chatting and talking about the morning. Vale could not help but overhear a few choice snatches of conversation about something odd lurking around the edge of town. Something big that was stealing livestock and destroying property. Vale, tugged their hood down a bit further on their RuneFrost Cloak while also casually making sure that their sword and bow were hidden underneath it as well. Vale did not particularly want to be recruited for any grand adventures today. But that did not stop Vale from listening to the stories that were being shared by the others in the trading hub. Vale had a sinking suspicion that the same signs of a predator near their home was what the people were talking about. Whatever it was that had started to harass the people of this town was not something that Vale wanted to run into on their way home. There was a sudden sense of urgency towards completing their errands before nightfall arrived and Vale shifted anxiously as the line seemed to never move. It took ages, at least from Vale's perspective, but eventually they got to the front of the line and handed over a thin sheet of paper with a list of requests. The person behind the desk was not the usual person Vale saw when they came to town; it appeared to be someone relatively young and new as they were rather flustered by the increased activity. Vale waited patiently for their items to be gathered up and placed into a paper bag. Vale could not shake the twinge of guilt at not offering to go searching for the creature the townsfolk were so worried about.

Vale dipped their head in thanks and then turned to leave before anyone could really get a good look at them for questions about their weapons. Vale groaned inwardly when a child noticed their sword and gasped while pointing and tugging on their mother’s sleeve; that guilt doubling down and causing their stomach to twist anxiously. But with a breath of relief Vale managed to slip back outside with their items and put it into the basket on Caelum’s harness before they were noticed. It was not that Vale was unwilling to help with the situation but rather that they were willing to help; in fact they planned to but they were just not willing to be forced into the choice. No one liked to have the entire future turned on end due to a possible life threatening mission (that was usually reserved for proper heroes) being thrust upon their own shoulders. With that Vale climbed up into Caelum’s saddle and turned the big Sol Roc towards home. Vale made the decision to fly due to the urgency of wanting to be home before dark. Only landing in the forest when the tree cover was too dense but it was night by then with only the Everlit Candle to light the way.

There was a scraping and snapping of branches causing Vale to turn away from the main trail and look into the forest itself. That itself was not a wise decision in this particular forest as all kinds of odd things lurked within the trees at night but Vale was suddenly aware of the urgency to look at whatever was making that sound. The beast in the depths of the forest stood stalk still, green eyes glinting in the dim light from the moon like something ancient and deadly. Vale stood very still and dared not to breathe as they watched that massive beast until it finally moved and walked deeper into the forest. Only then did Vale let out a half-strangled breath of relief. This must be what the villagers had been talking about. Something ancient lurking in the deepest parts of the Mirewood. Something dangerous and Vale had just landed directly in front of it. Neither the beast within the forest nor Vale moved for a span of  breaths. Caelum was tense, wings partially folded at his side, and not even Brus moved from her place in Vale’s hair. The snapping of branches and twigs were quickly followed by the glowing green eyes moving closer. Vale tightened their grip on Caelum’s leadlines but otherwise dared not move. 

It was the worst kind of standoff. The one where your life was certainly at risk and Vale was well aware of the fact that they were still astride Caelum thus their options were limited. Even so Vale began to move their arm inch by inch towards their shoulder where their bow was strung. Vale kept hold of the leadlines with their other hand in something like a death grip. The last thing Vale needed at this moment was Caelum bolting towards home. Then the snapping of branches and twigs stopped. Vale’s attention snapped back towards the forest and a shiver rippled through their frame upon the realization that the glowing eyes were gone. There was a sinking feeling in Vale’s gut that made Vale anxious about wishing they had shot an arrow in the very least at the beast. Vale waited until bird song started up among the trees again and Caelum relaxed before daring to move. Vale moved with slow but deliberate motion to pull out their bow and a single arrow. Vale had it cocked and ready to be drawn back seconds later. Vale looked around while waiting a bit longer before finally urging Caelum to head towards home. Vale had the Sol Roc go in the lower entrance rather than leaving the large bird outside of the caverns for the night. It would be safer within the caverns for the Sol Roc rather than wandering the forest per usual. Vale took extra care to make sure that the secondary cavern entrance was well hidden and secure. Even so Vale did not fall asleep easily that night. Vale woke up frequently, plagued by concerns for those in the town of RookHaven and worried about the beast wandering the forest outside the caverns. It was a fitful and guilt filled sleep that finally took Vale into unconsciousness. But it did not last for long. 

Vale woke with a start that night due to sensing something wrong within the caverns that they called home. Brus was trembling and was hiding in Vale’s hair so tightly entwined with the locks that it almost hurt. Vale slowly sat up, eyes darting around the edges of their shelter while they fumbled around in search of their weapons. Something big moved outside of the shelter, like talon on stone, and a distant squawk of fear from Caelum followed by retreating wingbeats sent a clear message of danger. Vale’s fingers finally closed around the hilt of one of their small blades and with their heart hammering a frantic beat in their chest Vale slowly crawled out of the bed and towards the doorway. That was when Vale saw it. The beast from the Mirewood that they had seen several days prior. It had followed Vale home and it was ripping apart their stores of supplies. It blocked out the light from several of the lanterns around the perimeter of the campsite and Vale found themselves carefully prying Brus out of their hair and tucking her into a hiding place within the shelter. Vale needed to get to their bow but that was outside the shelter on a stand just out front. Vale slid the quiver of newly made arrows onto their back while continuing to inch towards a better angle in the doorway. There was no sign of Caelum in the dim light of the caverns but Vale could clearly see the beast against the light of the lanterns. They should have gone after the beast when they had the chance. Vale’s concern and guilt flared hot in their gut as they realized their failure to act when they had the advantage had led to this moment.

Vale’s hands did not shake even as they slipped out of their home, pausing only long enough to close the shelter door so that Brus would be safe inside the shelter. They were ready to defend this place even if they were not entirely sure how they knew to use the weapons that they had been carrying since they first were brought back. They were rusty of course as this new body did not have the same muscle structure even if they had the muscle memory. That was not to say that Vale was not strong enough to use the weapons, just that they were still adapting what muscle memory they had to different limbs. Even so Vale moved with a certainty of motion born from thousands of hours of combat experience; former life or not Vale knew how to fight. So fight Vale did, the first attack being a single arrow shot over the shoulder of the great beast. This served as the perfect distraction which prevented it from chasing the Sol Roc Caelum any further along the edge of the caverns. Unfortunately it also brought the massive beast’s attention squarely on Vale. 

“Oh that was stupid,” Vale muttered to themself before bolting towards higher ground.

The beast screeched so loud the ice pillars closest to it shattered, sending the precious lanterns inside them crashing to the ground in a jumble of broken glass and metal. Vale scrambled over several rocky outcroppings and snapped small bunches of mushrooms off of various stalagmites as they sought for better ground to attack the creature. 

“Shit shit shit shit SHIT,” Vale sputtered out in frantic, nearly breathless, curses while scrambling away from the beast that was still screeching.

It was moving fast too, slamming through the various storage sheds and ice pillars with lanterns in place. This unfortunately meant that the caverns were rapidly getting darker and Vale was stuck trying to figure out how to fight something that soon they would be unable to see. Vale found a clear spot near the underground lake and turned quickly, pulling the bow up and the drawstring back in one fluid motion. The first and second shots only grazed the creature, enraging it further and increasing its mad dash towards Vale, but the third shot slammed into the creature’s shoulder. The arrow snapped as suddenly the skin of the creature seemed to move. It was then that Vale realized that it was made up of several smaller creatures all intertwined and forming a larger mass. 

“That…that is so much worse than one giant creature,” Vale groaned, “How am I supposed to take down that?”

The beast screeched and rose up on what could only be called hind legs before opening a mouth that seemed impossibly full of teeth for something apparently composed of several smaller creatures. The thing was difficult to see in the darkened chamber of the caverns but it almost seemed like it was trying to shake off something while raging loudly. It was very clearly intending to attack and/or kill Vale. But it also seemed somewhat disoriented which was giving Vale some pause in their own retaliation. 

“Are the smaller creatures just swarming its surface?” Vale muttered while taking several steps back and restringing their bow, “is it seeking help? Or is that coverage some sort of personal defense system? Is there a way I can get you to just chase me out of the caverns?”

Vale waited a second too long considering these options before the beast launched at Vale with slashing claws. Just as Vale was trying to think up a plan to try and lure the creature away from the caverns that they called home, the creature charged again. So Vale shot off an arrow even as they stumbled directly into the underground lake plunging into the deep water. Vale sputtered, unable to find their footing and sank beneath the surface. Vale twisted and flailed, righting themself as they kept a good grip on their bow. The beast plunged into the water next to Vale, just missing the Painted Satyr with a mouthful of fangs and slashing claws. The water swirled and surged around the pair sending Vale spinning in the deep water. Without the lights of the lanterns above it became extremely difficult to find the surface. Vale managed to reorient themselves upward, kicking free of the claws that attempted to snatch onto their ankle and tail, all while clutching their Bow tightly in one hand. Vale fought to reach the surface, kicking off of rocks and grabbing at plant life, sending clouds of dirt and grit scattering around themself as they fought to reach the surface.

When Vale stumbled out of the water, the Serpent’s Scale that they had gotten all those months ago from the Great Serpent was glowing brightly from the chain that Vale had been wearing it on. Vale did not notice in the flurry of activity over the next few minutes what changes had occurred to themself but they were aware at least of the fact that suddenly their balance was vastly different. Vale struggled to get their footing properly and when they pulled back on their bow there was a sudden burst of new leaves along their arms. Vale blinked at this and then turned their attention back towards the water where the beast had dragged them both under. Vale finally got their footing secured just as the mass of twisting and writhing parts exploded back out of the water. It spilled out onto the ground of the cavern while Vale let loose an arrow towards the beast. It was definitely one massive creature with an odd sort of defense mechanism but Vale was not certain as to what exactly this creature even was let alone how to defeat it. This new arrow was laced with Ice from their Frost Aspect and the second it grazed off the beast’s back ice spread out in a spider webbing pattern preventing certain parts of the massive creature from moving properly. This only lasted a few moments unfortunately before the ice shattered and the creature began moving freely again. The twisting mass that covered the beast’s entire surface worked fast to remove any ice from Vale’s arrows.

“Well that would have been nice if it had actually worked” Vale muttered under their breath as they reached for another arrow.

It was at the very least a chance for Vale to get their footing again and rebrace for another attack. The creature surged upwards, its twisting parts rippling and twisting on itself, and the glowing green eyes at the head snapped towards Vale. Vale was ready this time and released the bow string letting an arrow slam home into the creature’s face. Vale’s tail lashed backwards in an arc, fins forming along the edge as the tail moved and grew thicker with the branches changing positions slightly. Vale was panting, fingers clenched along the bow and bow string as the changes continued, but they barely noticed in that brief moment before the changes finalized. The last changes were scales forming along Vale’s tail and body with the Serpent’s Scale fading into their chest along with Vale’s next breath out being filled with frost and icy vapor. Vale barely noticed their frost filled breath as they looked at the creature they had just shot. 

The arrow, armed with Wood and Frost Aspect bombs had slammed directly into the beast’s open mouth and had immediately begun to grow with a rapid succession of frost covered vines that wrapped the beast’s skull and jaws. The beast flailed as it twisted, thrashed, and struggled against the magic consuming it. There were muffled screeches that could be heard as Vale sent several more arrows with the same magic bombs attached into the beast’s shoulders, back, and hips until it was completely immobilized When the screeching finally stopped and the beast stopped moving Vale finally lowered their bow slightly. 

“Okay, now that you can’t try to eat me, maybe we can come to some sort of an agreement? How about that?” Vale said softly, “If you live through those arrows anyway.”

A low, obviously infuriated, growl was the only response from the bound creature. The eyes had started to dim and Vale realized, a bit sadly, that the arrow to its mouth had actually struck more true than they had initially realized. Vale lowered their bow, paused, then put both the bow and quiver on the ground before walking forward towards the beast. Vale knelt, at a cautious distance at first, and then finally inched close enough to place a hand on the squirming mass of what appeared to be liquid filled tubes, vines, tentacles perhaps, or something similar to any of those structures. Vale was not sure but they resisted the urge to pull away while sitting next to the great beast until it became still. Vale sat there, hand on the creature’s injured shoulder until the glow from its eyes faded completely. Whatever this creature had been it was in pain now and Vale had caused that much to their regret.

“For what it is worth…I am sorry,” Vale sighed then slowly stood up to look around their broken home, “I wish I would not have had to do that.”

Most of the ice pillars that had once held up special lanterns were broken, this unfortunately included several of the lanterns themselves, and the shed was a scattered mess of supplies. Vale looked around in sudden alarm as they remembered that their Sol Roc, Caelum, had been attempting to escape from the beast before Vale left the shelter. Just as Vale was frantically looking about in the dim light from the few remaining lanterns the sound of wing beats caught their attention. Vale let out a breath of relief. 

“Oh good, you are safe,” Vale greeted as Caelum approached, a bit skittishly, to where Vale was standing.

Vale stroked the Sol Roc’s beak until the large bird stopped trembling. Vale then glanced again at the fallen beast and sighed a bit sadly. It was still a mystery as to what had brought it into the area let alone why it had been attacking the local farms and homes of the nearby town. But for now, Vale needed to figure out a way to get the beast’s body out of their home. Vale shuddered at the sight of the creature beneath all of those deflated tentacle-like appendages and then eyed the frost covered vines that had wrapped around the beast. It almost looked like a harness. Vale cocked their head while considering an option or two. The ceiling of the cavern had been damaged by the beast’s rampage and Vale could just barely see moonlight coming through from above.

“That is an idea,” Vale murmured before glancing upward at the ceiling of the caverns thoughtfully then back at the vine tangled beast. 

Vale winced, rolling their shoulders and hissing out painfully when they saw the scrapes and cuts from the short battle. Vale simply froze and blinked in complete bewilderment at the sight of the changes to their body. Vale turned their hands around and spun to look at their back and tail with wide eyes of bewilderment. But it was not until they touched their face to seek out changes there that they realized they had suddenly gained fangs and small tusks. Vale gasped and yanked their hands away in bewildered amazement then as if suddenly remembering it they grabbed at the loop of leather around their neck that had once held the Serpent’s Scale. It was gone but in its place there was a smooth scale-like texture.

“This…is a lot to take in,” Vale mumbled and then shook their head, “I will have to think on all of this tomorrow. Now, right now,I need to get this poor beast out of my home.”

So Vale went to work, pausing to poke their head into their shelter so that they could check on Brus who was hiding under several blankets but was unharmed much to Vale’s relief. Finally the Painted Satyr began looking around their cavern home. Vale cleared several damaged ice pillars out of the way before using a combination of Frost and Wood Aspect to create a series of stairs and platforms all the way up to the ceiling of the caverns. There were in fact several large chunks of stone missing, forming a large gap. Vale examined it best they could while wrapped up in their RuneFrost Cloak and holding up their Everlit Candle. Vale was able to widen and then stabilize the openings into a single opening with a trapdoor of living vines covered with a layer of frost on the side facing the cavern.  Vale then went back down the staircase and began to rework the vines that had helped them defeat the beast into a more structurally sound harness before tying off ropes and making longer vines to begin dragging the creature towards the staircase. It took a long while and several uncomfortable adjustments before Vale got the entire body of the beast hoisted up and out of the caverns. 

Once the creature was on the surface of the caverns and out under the setting moon above Vale worked hard to drag it a safe distance away before finding a resting place for the creature. Vale had to yank, drag, and strain for several hours before they found an appropriate place to bury the creature but eventually they got it put to rest. Then and only then did Vale turn to return to their home with the shock setting in at the changes they had endured while battling the creature.