Shadow Of The Colossus- Taming The Beasts

Chapter 14-Basaran

Aiko clung onto Valus' fluffy head, patiently waiting for the minotaur to arrive at the next colossus. The light had already shot down once more, but even then, Valus seemed hesitant to proceed. Not scared, just reluctant. He had a bit of a slouch and moved slower than normal. Aiko would've guessed that he's tired if it weren't for the fact that she caught him bouncing off of cliff walls beforehand.

"Hey, who's the next guy?" Aiko asked, her bright eyes aflame with curiosity.

Valus let out a rather annoyed grunt, but not at Aiko's question.

"Basaran," Valus replied, forgetting that Aiko only heard bellows and not words. "He's a good fellow, don't get me wrong, but he's a piece of work to handle sometimes."

Valus stopped once Aiko reminded him that, despite her best efforts, she only heard grunts. Once they reached across the bridge, Valus walked over to the nearby sands and kneeled down. Tracing his finger across the earth, Aiko peered down from his head. He was doodling something. When he was done, Valus let out a giggle-like bellow, staring at his own sketch. He knew it wasn't great, but it got the message across. From what Aiko could make out, it was a doodle of a colossus with overly exaggerated angry eyebrows and eyelashes.

"Are they a she?" Aiko asked. Valus shook his head no. "He?" Valus approved. "What is he like?"

Valus thought of how he could reply. She couldn't understand him when he spoke, so he had to get creative. He got an idea. Carefully plucking up Aiko and setting her gently on the ground, he made sure she was out of reach. Then, he dramatically put the back of his hand on his head, arched his back, and fell to the ground with an exaggerated groan. Aiko couldn't help but laugh at the sight; a giant, intimidating creature acting like an overdramatic stage setting.

"So he's a drama queen?" Aiko guessed, pulling herself together. Valus approved with a nod. He gently scooped her up again and placed her on his head, resuming their walk to the tortoise. A couple of hawks swooped down from time to time, flying around the minotaur. Some even landed on him and curiously pecked around, only to be spooked off by sudden movements. Eventually, they arrived at the dried-up lakebed, obscured by clouds of steam. Aiko could barely see what was in front of her face, the nearby geysers spraying hot water into the already humid air. 

BAM!

Three fireballs whizzed past Valus and crashed into the sediment below, causing Valus to squeak and jump, nearly sending Aiko flying. Valus' spooked demeanor turned into grumpy as he swung his head towards the source of the flames. In front of them was a tortoise-like colossus, his shell reaching heights slightly taller than Valus. His legs were splayed on the sides of his body, and underneath each hoof was a glowing pad, much like Quadratus'. Basaran, despite not having a mobile mouth, appeared to be smirking smugly at the poor minotaur.

"Miss my pretty face?" Basaran snorted, his tail scraping across the ground.

"U-um...No," Valus replied playfully, although it was somewhat true. Basaran took offense to that.

"Oh-! You son of a bitch, how dare you!"

"Hey! I was joking!"

"This body? Right here? Gorgeous! Flawless!" Basaran whipped his head back flamboyantly. "And frankly, I'm quite insulted, genuine or joke!" He had a certain tone to him, it sounded like he was joking, especially on that last sentence. However, Valus was quite socially oblivious, so he didn't catch on, and uncomfortably looked to the side. Basaran laughed until he noticed his expression.

"Hah...sorry, Val." Basaran looked up at his head, noticing the human head popping up. He let out a dramatic scream and lifted a hoof to point. 

"VALUS! YOU HAVE A HUMAN! LOOK OUT!" 

Valus rolled his eyes and held Aiko in his gentle hands, showing the tortoise the tiny size of the girl and her lack of weapons.

"AHH- Oh. Ooooh. I see what's going on!" Basaran chuckled. He leaned towards the girl with a friendly gaze, his grill-like muzzle getting uncomfortably close. "You're a tiny one, ain'tcha?"

"B-Basaran, she can't understand us," Valus reminded, lifting his index finger. Basaran looked at Aiko and, surprisingly gently, pat her head with one of his front hooves. He seemed friendly enough, if not a bit attention-seeking. Although Valus did seem hesitant to let Basaran get close to her. 

Avion swooped in and interrupted the moment, perching upon Basaran's cave. The two other colossi looked at him to greet the bird but stopped after noticing the expression on his face. He was...nervous, uncomfortable. 

"Avi, what's wrong?" Basaran asked sweetly enough. Avion slowly lifted up a wing and pointed west.

"Dirge. She's back."

Silence fell upon the colossi, Basaran and Valus exchanging worried looks. Valus held Aiko close to his fluffy chest in a protective manner, a soft whimper escaping him. Aiko wanted to ask what's wrong, but decided against it. 

"We didn't hear anything, though," Basaran commented, tilting his head.

"Her cave must've absorbed most of the noise. There was a boom, but it was much quieter. Plus, you're next to some geysers.

Avion looked at Aiko.

"We have to visit Dirge to see if she's okay, and bringing Aiko might be beneficial. She can learn that the human isn't a threat."

"B-but what about-" Valus softly spoke, only to be interrupted by Basaran.

"Gaius?" Basaran said, continuing once a nod from Valus was seen, "I know those two abhor each other, but it wouldn't hurt to try. If something goes wrong, we can hold Dirge off together...Right?"

Valus and Avion looked at each other. Valus gave the bird a hesitant nod, trying to reassure his friend. After some seconds, Avion agreed.

The Hunter was waiting. Harena Tigris.