Compared to the lush green valley we had left, climbing the mountain to Daytower, what greeted us at dawn the next morning as we began our descent was the absolute polar opposite. It wasn't quite a desert but to call it barren wouldn't be an understatement. But while it was rather barren of organic life, we certainly saw more machines than we'd seen on the other side of the mountain pass. And the concern was the larger machines that certainly had both of us gawping in amazement at the sheer size of more than one.

Aloy did eventually find machines for us to override and mount up, but they would not remain overridden for more than a few hours at most. In the end, we spent three nights on the road before making Meridian, spending most days on the back of a machine, at least, so if we'd been walking, it would easily have taken another two to three days minimum.

Making camp the third night, we hadn't actually talked all that much, taking in the scenery most of the time. Sitting side by side on a log as usual, it was bitterly cold. I remembered my father and I had camped in what would have been considered a desert, and been amazed at the drop in temperature during the evening. My father had warned me to pack warm clothing and I was forever thankful for his advice, amazed as I sat by a small fire in a thick jacket despite the temperature having been close to forty during the day.

"Did you know your mother, Shepard?" she asked. It was such an unexpected question, I could only look at her in surprise and silence for a few seconds. She noticed and immediately started to apologise. Resting my hand on hers for a moment, I assured her it was fine. "You speak of your father quite often, but never your mother. I didn't know mine so I just wondered…"

I took a deep breath. "She died when I was young."

"Oh…"

I patted her hand again in reassurance. "I guess you wouldn't know since I haven't said anything. It was a disease that attacked her entire body. Despite all the modern medicines we had, there were just some things that could be slowed, but a long life wasn't possible. So she made her peace with it, simply wanting to live without the pain until she passed. I was… I think eight, nine years old when she died. From then on, it was just my father and I. He spent the rest of his life grieving in a way."

"But you remember her, at least?"

"Vividly. It's hard to remember her in detail before she was sick, but she remained vibrant until the day she passed. She told me in her last days not to be scared that she was leaving, that she would always be with me as I was her son. Death was but another journey."

"Sounds rather spiritual, to believe there is more after this."

"In those last months, I like to believe it gave her comfort, to believe that this isn't it, that there is something more. Part of me is glad she wasn't there in those last few months, to see humanity on the brink." I couldn't help sigh. "I hope we find your mother, Aloy. Or at least the answers you want regarding who you are. More importantly, I hope it's what you want and leaves you… if not happy, at least satisfied."

For the first time, she took my hand in hers first, and the resting of her head against my shoulder certainly made me grin to myself. "I hope so too," she whispered, "But I learned long ago that life can be cruel, so… I live in hope but know there is a chance it will not be what I want to hear."

I'd learned she was a realist quite early on. I'm sure she had hopes and dreams, but she didn't let that cloud nor influence her judgement. The world she lived in was harsh. The world I'd ended up living was no paradise either, considering all the problems humanity had. Despite all our technical marvels and achievements, we had ended up destroying the world and ourselves, so it seemed.

Meridian came into sight by midday the fourth day of our ride, and even I couldn't help but marvel at what we could see in the distance. My mind went back to what I thought about, the people that had come before our modern world and what they had manged to construct from stone and marble. If the Carja had managed to build this city of stone over the centuries, then they were clearly as intelligent as we were, they simply lacked the technology for the time being. I gave myself an internal slap for thinking so poorly of anyone still alive. The fact they seemed backwards to the world I had left behind was due to our mistakes, not theirs.

At the top of the hill leading to the bridge across, we ditched our mounts, figuring people would freak out if we approached riding a pair of docile Striders. There was a large camp of what looks traders waiting to enter the city. Many of them seemed to have supplies ready to sell, but for whatever reason, they were not being allowed across the bridge. For some reason, the guards parted and allowed us to at least start crossing the bridge, though heard plenty of comments that we wouldn't be given access to the city proper.

The view from the bridge alone was spectacular, the city lying on what must have been a hill overlooking the surrounding valley. We stopped and peered over, and there were signs the Carja had agriculture, as there were signs they had farms and crops. When I mentioned that, Aloy returned a blank stare, clearly not knowing what I meant. I said I'd explain it all if or when we ended up down there.

The end of the bridge and entry to the city itself was blocked by at least two rows of guards. A few civilians had made their way across before us, and were waiting for entry. Aloy didn't understand waiting in line, pushing her way forward until she was face to face with one of the guards.

"Halt! Stop right there!" the guard demanded, "In light of the recent attack, no stranger passes into Meridian."

Aloy and I shared a glance. An attack on the Nora. Now an attack on the Carja? It didn't bode well. "What attack?" she asked.

"The murder of Captain Ersa and her Vanguards, of course! Ambushed by Shadow Carja, forces in Red Ridge Pass!"

We shared another glance. Shadow Carja? Who the fuck were they? And who was Captain Ersa? Of course, Aloy knew more than me as she asked, "Ersa? You mean Erend's sister is dead?"

Who the fuck was Ersa? And Erend? The Carja guard was now rather curious, if not suspicious. I noticed a few other guards were now paying rather close attention to our conversation. "How would you know his name?" the guard asked. I was getting ready to unsling my rifle to defend us if necessary. Their clothing didn't appear to be armoured, but their weapons were two handed pieces, a sharp blade at the end. It wasn't tense, but I guess the guards were on tenterhooks, even a little jumpy.

"I know Erend. Summon him. I need to speak to him."

Aloy didn't know what 'please' and 'thank you' were yet. Maybe manners were a civilised thing? Nah, again, it came back to her no bullshit attitude. I still didn't even know who the man was. The guard simply snorted. "I doubt that Erend, the new Captain of the Vanguard, a man in grief, is going to waste his time on a grimy outlander…"

"I am a Seeker of the Nora," she retorted.

The guard then glanced my way. "I'm an American."

I received the usual blank look, which suited me just fine, though I did wonder how people would react if I said I was an Old One. I had a feeling most wouldn't believe me. I think I'd give enough information by now that Aloy was completely convinced, at least. "Summon Erend immediately," Nora insisted, "We have travelled a great distance to get here and the answers we seek are within Meridian."

The guard stood up straight. "Unless I receive a direct order from Captain…"

"Aloy!" a deep voice boomed, a man with one hell of a moustache stepping through the guards to greet her. He was slightly shorter and stockier than myself, but the armour he was wearing looked impressive. Gripping her by the shoulder, he seemed rather pleased to see her. "I thought you were dead! Have you come all this way just to see me?" Then his eyes moved from her to me, and his grin faded slowly. "You are?"

"Shepard."

"He's an American," the guard added.

"American? You're not Nora?"

"No. It's a long story."

Aloy sniffed. "Have you been drinking, Erend?"

He grinned, a little cheekily. "Ah, not really." He paused and shrugged. "Okay, maybe just a little. But you're alive! This is a reason to celebrate! Drinks on me!"

Drinks? The Carja had alcohol? I hadn't touched a drop since before I was put on ice. "We need to talk, Erend," Aloy stated, the serious tone seeming to dry him out almost immediately.

Erend nodded, instructed his guard that we were to be allowed access to the city, and we followed him through the thick walls into the city itself. It was a remarkable feat of engineering as nothing like it existed in our times. I was trying to think of an ancient people it reminded me of, but nothing came to mind. It was certainly a bustling city though, full of people, certainly full of life, sounds, smells, rather chaotic, I'm sure a real reminder of the cramped cities of yesteryear.

Finding a table and benches we could sit on, we sat opposite Erend as I listened in as the pair talked. It was obvious the two already knew each other, and that she'd obviously heard of Ersa, offering her apologies at her loss, which Erend was grateful for. Aloy explained the attack at her Proving, Erend admitting he'd heard the explosions and naturally assumed everyone had been killed, so he was naturally pleased to see she was still alive.

"How did you survive?" he did wonder.

"How I survived is less important than how I was targeted."

I could see confusion on his face. I could understand why. Who would want to attack the Nora and specifically Aloy? Even she had told me that she'd spent her life an outcast, and while plenty of Nora didn't approve of her contesting the Proving, the attackers had been outsiders. It still made little sense.

"Why were you targeted?" he finally asked.

"I don't know. But they found me because of Olin. I need to find him. I need to know what he knows."

Erend leaned back, running a hand down his face. A natural reaction as I sensed it was a shock. "It doesn't make any sense, Aloy. The man is a friend, a trusted confidant."

"No, he's a traitor who led the cultists into Sacred Lands and massacred my people. We don't know who the killers are yet, or what exactly they want with me. We've learned a few details but nothing concrete. But what I am sure of is that Olin is involved. He helped them. Therefore, he's the one we need to find."

He looked at me. I simply shrugged. "And you?" he finally asked me.

"I'm helping her, because doing that will help me find the answers I seek."

Returning his attention to Aloy, he suddenly looked rather helpless. I guess it was a lot of new information to process and, if the man was a friend… "Look, I don't need you to understand, Erend. I just need you to take me to him."

"He's not here. I know that much. He headed back out not long after we returned. Never says where he is going, just that he'll be gone for a few days, at least."

"Does he have a place here?" I asked.

"Yeah, he has a house."

"Then take us there need to search it," she demanded. I would normally have winced back in the day, but I already knew what she was like.

Erend scratched his moustache and relented rather easily. "I guess. As long as I'm there to witness the search…"

"Don't care what you do, Erend. All I want is answers."

Rising to our feet, Erend led the way through the crowds. The noise. The smell. The sheer volume of people. After being rather isolated from civilisation for so long, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Aloy was immediately overwhelmed, and I couldn't help grin when her hand found its way into mine again. I glanced her way and I could see she was curious about everything, but she was a stranger in a different land. I guess I provided a little comfort. I was a known quantity compared to everything else.

"Were your cities like this?" she whispered.

"Yeah. But even bigger. Millions of people." The wide-eyed stared I received was amusing. "But many years before, before all our technology, I'm sure cities were like this."

She kept hold of my hand as a voice soon echoed over everyone else. I thought he was some sort of preacher to begin with until we got closer. Erend definitely knew who it was as he told him to shut up and piss off lest he find a boot up his arse and thrown into jail. Once it was a little quieter, she let go of my hand but thanked me quietly. I simply glanced her way and grinned. I could understand it would be rather overwhelming for someone who had spent most of their life with only one person for company.

Arriving at the door, Erend didn't stand on ceremony. I was thinking just shoot out the lock with my rifle, but no, he put his heavy foot into the door and practically kicked the door off its hinges.

"I guess you don't do subtle in Oseram," Aloy stated as we walked inside. I couldn't help whistle as it was nothing like the Nora lived in. It was… comfortable. Still nothing like the world I lived in, but it was certainly… well, I hate to use the word civilised, but it was the best word to describe it. "One person lives in this?"

I could have told Aloy about the type of places we had lived in before the rise of the robots, but that would give away who I was. I glanced at Erend, who shrugged. "It pays to have connections in the Sun King's court."

"What did he do for the Sun-King?" I wondered.

"I'm not exactly sure but it would be to do with his experience in delving ancient ruins. He's one of our foremost experts regarding the Old Ones and their technology."

I couldn't help glance at Aloy with eyebrows raised. That certainly perked my interest. Anyone with an interest into the technology we used would need to be approached with caution, particularly if they figured out how it worked. There was paper about that suggested the Carja had mastered writing at least. "Are you Carja, Erend?" I wondered.

The question made him snort. "I'm from the Claim. Oseram."

"Oh, that's right. That captain up in Daywatch mentioned you, I think."

"I've never heard of your tribe. American, you said?"

"Yeah."

"I know of a few tribes around us. Where are your lands?"

"Further east. As I said, it's a long story."

"That thing on your shoulder. That a weapon?"

"Called a rifle. Technology of the Old Ones. Found it in a ruin. Amazed it still works. Wasn't difficult to figure out how it worked."

"How does it work?"

"I've heard people mention something called a firespitter? They seem to think this weapon works like that. No idea if that's true or not."

"Found something," Aloy called. Walking over to where she was crouching, she pulled back a rug to reveal what looked like some sort of trap door. She banged her fist on it and there was no doubting how solid it was. Shooting at the lock wasn't going to do a damned thing. Erend crouched down and made a sound, shaking his head.

"That's a Vault Hatch of Oseram make! Nothing gets through, at least not without a key."

"I'll figure something out. If he has something to hide, it will be behind this door."

I figured trying to find the key would be best, so I was soon opening anything I could find, looking for any sort of object that looked like a key. Aloy disappeared upstairs. She was gone for a few minutes before she called out my name, looking up to see she was standing on a ledge. Asking me to join her, I ended up two floors up, in what had been a storage area. She was standing by a pallet of what looked like ingots. "Hmmm. Have the Carja or Oseram discovered metallurgy?"

"What are these?" Aloy asked.

"Called ingots. Looks like they're of iron. Incredibly heavy." She grinned at me as she gestured with her eyes. "You! I like you!" I stated. Leaning back against the stack, we slowly but surely managed to push the pallet back until it teetered over the edge before it just fell. I was fairly sure the crash would have drawn plenty of attention, Aloy simply turning to me, wiping her hands together, before she turned and headed back downstairs. I stood there a moment, shaking my head, chuckling to myself, before I followed her down.

"A little warning next time," Erend stated, "Sheesh."

Descending into the secret room, it was obviously some sort of workshop, though there was no sign Olin had visited it for a number of days. Where he knew Aloy was dead or not, we couldn't be sure, but it was possible he would have taken off simply to cover his arse. She had her Focus working quickly, looking for any evidence. I found some rather quickly as it was obvious the man kept a journal of his thoughts. When I started to read, Erend looked at me with wide eyes.

"You can read the glyphs?"

"It's written in the same language you're speaking. We call it English."

"There's something else," Aloy added, "A map of what might be dig sites, possibly ruins of the Old Ones. That would certainly make sense and link with what we've found so far. The people he's working for are up to something.

"He talks of the 'carcasses of ancient demons'. Is he talking about Corruptors or something a hell of a lot worse?" I wondered aloud, "Aloy, he admits you were the target though he seems to think it was simply about your Focus, and Erend… well, he admits his deceit and lying through his teeth to you and your sister."

Erend took a seat, running a hand over his short hair. "That bastard! I'll kill him!"

I kept reading the journal. It seemed to be the only way he could unload all his guilt. Then Aloy mentioned something that maybe, just maybe, gave the man an excuse for everything he'd done so far. "They have his wife and child," she explained, "And they're quite blunt in their threat. If he doesn't co-operate, they'll kill them."

"Who's they? I don't care about they. I care about Olin!" Erend retorted.

"The people responsible for the attack on my people, Erend. It seems they've forced him to work for them by holding his family hostage."

"Shit…" I muttered, "Aloy… I know this doesn't change things for you, but I can look at this objectively. If he's being coerced, and there's no better way to get a man to co-operate than threaten his family."

"I just want Olin, Shepard. And I do want him alive first. He will have the answers I need."

"Fair enough. We have his location, at least. Rockwreath."

"I know where that is," Erend stated, walking over to the map, pointing as he added, "This is where Meridian is. You got a compass?"

"Yeah, in our Focus," Aloy replied.

"Good. So you're look to head north-east of here. A day's walk."

Aloy looked at me. "We leave first thing in the morning, Shepard. Erend, is there somewhere we can rest our heads tonight?"

"Wait, before you go…" I knew what was coming before he said another word. "I need your help. The pair of you, if possible."

"I have my own problems, Erend," Aloy retorted.

She turned to leave, Erend grabbing her by the wrist. I worried she was going to turn and give him one hell of a slap. Thankfully, she made do with a glare that still made him let her go. "Please, I need to know who killed Ersa, and I know with that Focus you have… I need to know who did it, Aloy. Not just the fact it was the Shadow Carja, but the exact people."

"You want vengeance," I stated.

He looked at me. Not a glare. He was… broken by it. "Wouldn't you?" Two words, but the pain in them was enough for me to nod in understanding immediately. "You want justice for what happened at your Proving, Aloy. You're in possession of something that will help bring me justice too. All I'm asking is for your help."

Aloy looked at me. I met her eyes and made a gesture to suggest I thought we should help him. We had the technology that could help the man. "We could at least think about it," I suggested.

"Let me take you to an inn so you can sleep on it. I'll come meet you before you leave in the morning."

"We leave early, Erend," Aloy stated.

"I'll be there. Hungover, but I'll be there."

He led us to an inn where there was table service and also free rooms. There was one where there were two beds, Aloy the only one carrying shards so she paid, heading upstairs to dump our things. She walked to the door and closed it, walking back to where I was standing. I was surprised she stood a couple of steps before me and sighed. "Look, I want to help him. I really do. But any delay…"

I rested a hand on her upper arm. "We've got time to help him, Aloy. If anything, this is all a sign of larger conspiracy. Something is going on here. Attacking you was just one step. Murdering his sister is another. I have no idea what the objective is, we simply don't have the information, but maybe helping Erend will help fill in some blanks."

She met my eyes, almost judging me, before there was a slight grin. "You're a good man, Shepard. Thank you."

"Well, I think you've already proven yourself to me too, Aloy." The slight grin broadened for a moment. Yeah, that was a reason to find her... "Don't know about you, but I could do with a decent feed and maybe they have liquor!"

"I've never tried any before."

"I'm sure it'll be different to what I used to drink."

Heading downstairs, Erend was already at a table, a tankard in front of himself, and two others waiting for Aloy and myself. The first thing I did was sniff and the smell of alcohol was almost overpowering. I glanced at Aloy. "Sip it and drink it very slow," I warned.

"You get anything like this in your lands?" he wondered.

"Nothing this strong."

Plate of meat quickly arrived in front of us, roast boar that came with an accompanying sauce, which surprised me. Erend knocked back his tankard far quicker than either Aloy or myself, and practically licked his plate clean, immediately asking for a second plate. Aloy kept making a face with every sip of the tankard she took until she'd drunk about half of it, then I guess it just didn't taste of anything. It was certainly like no alcohol I'd ever had. Strange taste, but if it gave me the usual buzz, I wouldn't complain. I didn't want a hangover though.

He was on his third when Aloy and I finished our first. She asked for water after that, while I figured a second one couldn't harm, though insisted it would be my last. As I sipped at it, the light outside faded as night time descended upon Meridian. Erend finished one more tankard before he stood up and swayed, suggesting he'd better go home otherwise he'd never leave. He understood a handshake, at least, wishing him a good night.

Heading upstairs to our bedroom, Aloy admitted she had hated the taste and wouldn't be drinking that again. I figured she hadn't enjoyed it and she did wonder why I had a second one. I told her I hadn't had a drink in a long time, and sometimes, any alcohol would do just to get that light buzz. "I'm feeling rather relaxed right now," I added.

Our room wasn't large, a single bed against a wall to either side, a small chest of drawers in middle against the far wall, and what looked like lamps dotted around to provide light. Leaning back against the wall on my bed, Aloy looked at hers before she climbed onto mine, resting back against the wall, though sitting close enough that we were touching.

"Ever heard music?" I wondered.

"Not really, apart from what I heard our tribe sing."

Our two Focus were still linked, so she would hear what I could. Flicking through the menu, I figured anything completely modern would just be noise to her, but I had kept an enormous library of music as I was a fan of anything. Yes, even things like classical and opera. I still remember the pieces they would use in adverts that would leave me wondering what it was.

"Close your eyes," I said.

"Why?"

"Trust me. Just close your eyes and take it in."

She did, clicking play for the music to start. I made sure it wasn't too loud, making sure the first piece was just instrumental. Within a few seconds, a slight smile appeared on her face as she had probably never heard anything like it before. The entire orchestra was performing. The next part was when the soprano started to sing. Hearing Aloy gasp with my free ear made me smile as she kept her eyes close.

I'd chosen a piece to have that emotional impact it had on millions before, and wondered if it would have the same impact with someone new. Once the piece finished, she opened her eyes and looked at me, nothing but a smile on her face. And a shimmer in her eyes. She'd felt it.

"Is that music of the Old Ones?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Proof that we did have our moments. We had some incredibly creative people going back centuries."

"What sort of music is that?"

"The first part, by the time I was born, was called classical or orchestral, and the second part was called opera."

"Her voice was… I've never heard anything like it. It was beautiful."

"I'll admit it wasn't the type of music I would normally listen to but I figured it was something you could understand better."

"I didn't understand the language. In what language was she singing?"

"Italian. They were a… tribe a long way away."

"Do you have more?"

"One thing I made sure I kept was music. Whenever I wasn't fighting, I would lie back, relax, and just listen to music, chill out and read a book at the same time."

"Do you have more?"

"I'll put on a longer piece with both orchestra and singing."

I eventually made a playlist, Aloy smiling away as she enjoyed a new sensation. Her head eventually ended up resting on my upper arm again, and I heard her sigh to herself more than once. I relaxed and closed my eyes at the same time, remembering times when my father and I would sit back with a beer, no need to converse as we listened to music. His tastes were different to mine, but I ended up liking plenty of the same music as he did.

It was definitely early morning when I woke up. I was certainly surprised, glancing to see Aloy was fast asleep against me. I managed to move without waking her, gently lying her down on the bed and covering her with the fur blanket, taking a moment just to gaze at her in the flickering candlelight. Despite the fact I didn't want to be distracted, I couldn't help admit to myself that I was attracted to her. Not just because it was obvious she was gorgeous. It was her intelligence and curiosity that sometimes had me just gazing at her in awe. It was what had attracted me to my girlfriend at school. Far smarter than me, always full of questions, just a genuinely decent human being.

We'd joined up at the same time, though we knew the chances of remaining together was slim as she knew I wanted to go into the mechanised ranks. That last night we shared was the worst night of my life… but also the best, as we knew what was likely going to happen to both of us, so there were no false promises. We parted having confessed our love, and made love, but knew the chances of being together afterwards was slim. I'd thrown myself into the job after that and tried not to think about her too often.

Heading to my own bed, well it had been hers but she was now on mine, I quickly fell asleep again, hoping I wouldn't be shaken awake too soon. We'd been on the go for days on end and I was hoping that I wasn't the only one starting to feel the strain. But I had a feeling this was going to be my life for the time being.