The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 70: Snake Eater, Part One

The woman in the dark robe nearly dragged him through the thick jungles of Anima by the wrist, his feet stumbling along the uneven ground. When he nearly tripped over a root, she almost pulled his arm out of its socket.

"Move. I will not tolerate your exhaustion," she growled.

The First Vao shivered, nodding his head and jogging to catch up. "O-of course, Mistress-"

"Speak up when speaking to our Goddess."

Another cold shiver ran down his spine, an intense terror gripping his chest at the soft, yet deadly tone. He didn't respond to that man. The woman and the First Vao were not alone; they were accompanied by four others; Hazel Rainart, a massive, hulking beast of a man. Arthur Watts, a dishonored scientist that had an ego the First Vao was not fond of. Thirdly was Cinder Fall, one of the most important people there and one of the very few capable of using magic; also someone the First Vao didn't get along with. He saw her as a bit of a whiny bitch. And lastly, Tyrian Callows, his assigned 'partner', a Faunus he had not only grown to despise, but fear.

"Honestly!" Watts groaned. "Mistress, this child is not only incompetent, but dimwitted too. Surely he'd be better use dead than-"

"Silence, Doctor," the hooded woman hissed. "I assure you, he is fully capable of becoming an efficient weapon. Or perhaps you're suggesting you should be the one to undergo his training?"

The color drained from the genius's face, the scientist quickly shaking his head. "N-not at all, Mistress!"

Hazel didn't say much. He never did, but on the rare occasion that he chatted with him, the First Vao never saw much of a reason to hate the giant. If anything, he was the most pleasant of the bunch - calm, collected, and rarely got angry when he messed up. That last part was one of the reasons he wasn't involved as much with his training.

His training. It had been five years since the Vytal Festival Incident. Five years since he killed Summer, and five years since his Mistress took him in. The First Vao was twenty-three years old. The painful memories of that day five years prior made his chest ache, his one eye beginning to feel pressure, and then the warm wetness of a tear building up.

"Ugh, he's crying again," Cinder muttered. "Such a baby... We're seriously supposed to rely on him?"

Unlike Watts, Cinder had more leeway due to her magic. But she still wasn't safe from the sharp glare that warned her to stop talking. The hooded woman turned to the First Vao, her deathly pale face with the black veins and evil eyes staring straight into him, burning a permanent picture into the back of his mind.

"Wipe your face at once. You will not receive pity from me," she ordered. The First Vao nodded, dragging his sleeve across his face.

"Y... Y-yes, M-Mistress..."

She gave his arm another hard pull, making his shoulder ache. He didn't dare glare at the back of her head; she would know what he was doing immediately, and he'd be punished for defiance. His sole purpose was to be obedient, to obey every order he was given. Ultimately, he was what she said he was - a weapon.

Her name was Salem, someone he once considered a friend. But not anymore. After she had revealed what she was to him that day, five years ago, he realized just how badly he screwed up. He had trusted a stranger and paid the price. She was no longer his friend. She was his master. When she told him to kill, he was expected to do it without hesitation. He had already killed people as a result of his ongoing training, but only less than a dozen. He suspected there would be many more in the future, and he lived in fear of that day.

Salem stopped in the middle of the thick forest, her head on a swivel as she looked around curiously. "... Watts. GPS, where is the nearest settlement?"