Light poked through the leaves of the trees that had sheltered Aloy and her partner from the night. The huntress woke, anxious before she even remembered why; when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the man who held her, his silver eyes already open and gleaming, his lips curled into a small smile. He always seemed to wake before her…and somehow, the fact that he would just watch her sleep and wait for her to wake up on her own made her feel warm and safe.

"Good morning, my love," Nil murmured, stroking her arm. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Aloy sighed, but she didn't move to get up just yet. Her idea from the previous night resurfaced in her mind, and now, fully awake, she saw all the flaws in it, how implausible it was…but maybe, with some adjustment, it could be possible.

A better world. A world where there would be no more wars, no more injustice and no more unneeded cruelty to the innocent. A world where she and Nil could be together and no one would get upset, where she might be able to feel more for him than trust and respect. Maybe.

But first…

For three more deep breaths, Aloy allowed herself to lounge in Nil's embrace. Then, she kissed him gently and pushed herself up, reaching for where her clothes had been tossed haphazardly in the undergrowth. Nil followed suit, and they dressed quickly. It was with some distaste that Aloy returned her Focus to her temple, but she needed it, now more than ever.

The walk back to the war camp was strangely calming. Even knowing she was heading into a battle, having Nil at her side again was a relief. She had a feeling he could tell, too, as every now and then, his fingers brushed against hers, though she resisted the urge to take his hand. The same sentry still stood guard where they passed back into the range of the waiting army, and though he gave them a knowing nod, they didn't exchange words. People were stirring, gathering at the fires in the chilly morning air, and what little chatter Aloy could hear was tense.

She ducked into her tent to grab her things, strapping her armor and weapons and packs on piece by piece, already braced for the coming battle. For her on-hand weapons, she chose her Blast Sling, as bombs tended to handily take out clusters of people, and her Forgefire for the same reason; her Sharpshot Bow was a must for precision arrows, and after some consideration, she chose her Stormslinger for her fourth weapon, mindful of how many Humanoids were going to be former Deima.

"Here," Aloy said to Nil tersely, handing over her shock arrows. "Frost arrows might not be helpful here, but we need something to counter their cloaking modules."

Nil nodded and took the ammunition, strapping it next to his own quiver. His eyes were gleaming, and she knew he was as eager as she was anxious. That was the difference between them, she reflected, but both attitudes had their merits in this situation.

"Do you want my Focus so you can talk to HADES before the fight?" Aloy asked, putting a hand to her temple.

"No, no," Nil replied, flashing his teeth at her, "we've had plenty of time to talk in the last month."

"How is he, anyway?" Aloy inquired as she double-checked her gear, realizing she hadn't asked about this in a long time.

"He's doing well!" Nil answered, surprisingly brightly, and when she looked at him again, he was grinning. "I told him what his sister's been up to, and he's eager to be reunited with her. In particular, he's interested in how she can apparently rebuild human bodies from the inside, individually - he might be able to kill on a more concentrated level if he learns how she does it, and that possibility has done wonders for his morale."

"A means to kill without enacting total extinction," Aloy mused. "Yeah, I can see why that would appeal to him."

"It's more than an appeal," Nil stated. "It's an outlet for his purpose in this world. He's a killer, Aloy, like me, but if he kills everything, he'll have nothing left to kill, and thus, no purpose; if he can choose who and what to kill, and do it himself rather than ordering old war bots to do it for him, he'll be a lot happier."

"Shame he can't help with this fight," Aloy remarked.

Nil chuckled. "He wishes he could," he informed her. "But, he accepts that he still can't be released, especially not through your Focus, considering he still isn't too fond of you."

"So he knows you're about to take part in a war," Aloy said, and it wasn't quite a question.

"Oh yes," Nil assured her, "he knows. He's fully aware that our last conversation yesterday may well turn out to be our last for all time, and he's accepted it. As I have."

Aloy swallowed, not wanting to think about the possibility that anyone on her side might die in the coming battle. "Well…about that," she managed. "What happens now?"

"We're to meet the Humanoids on the plains fairly soon," Nil replied. "I could go over everyone's positions one last time, but I think I'll leave them to it. For now, mostly, everyone's going to ready themselves as best they can, as should you." He flashed his teeth. "You'll be on the front lines, of course. The first into battle, even?"

"Yeah," Aloy nodded. "That's…probably where I belong."

He chuckled. "I think the Corsair brought that hologram projector from the last night of the festival, too, or something like it," he added. "In case you wanted to give a speech before we march out."

"A speech?" Aloy asked, barely managing not to make it a squeak.

"Both of the tribes here came at your call, Aloy," Nil reminded her. "You're a hero to both of them. It would probably boost their morale to hear from you directly about what they're here to fight for."

"Well, that's new," Aloy muttered. "I didn't have to make a speech in Meridian."

"I'll be there to help, if you like," Nil offered.

"I'd appreciate that," Aloy told him. "We're both heroes - they probably want to hear from you, too."

"Hmm." He flashed his teeth again. "I'm nothing next to you, my radiant one."

For a moment, Aloy wanted to grab him and drag him back to the forest, just leave the whole mess behind and stay with him and forget the rest of the world. In the same moment, she wanted to scoff at him and shake her head. Knowing her responsibility, she chose to act on the latter urge, then duck out of her tent into the sunlight, but she knew he knew. He didn't say anything as he followed her.

More people were out and about now, and the rasp of stone on metal marked where people were sharpening their blades. It crossed Aloy's mind to do the same, and she joined a cluster of Bacchan who were hard at work tending their weapons. Nil sat beside her and drew his own knife, sliding his whetstone along the blade with practiced ease.

"The fighters who are best with blades will be at the front, behind you and me," he told Aloy as they worked. "I set up the Bacchan with bows just behind them, while the gunners will spread out to either side."

"I see," Aloy responded.

"Do you?" Nil chuckled.

"Well enough," Aloy answered. "Arrows have an arc, so putting the bowmen behind the swordsmen keeps them safe while still letting them fight, but guns need a clear shot, so they have to be out of the way of the hand-to-hand fighters."

"That's right." Nil sighed. "I've been in enough organized armies to know the arrangement. Never wanted to be the one organizing it, but…"

"I'm sure it's fine," Aloy told him. "You're the only one here with this kind of experience, we needed your help. You did well."

"I'm just glad you're here to lead the charge now," Nil said. "I'm not a leader. But Charles Ronson said Elisabet was made of the stuff leaders are made of, and, well, you're made of the same stuff she was." His teeth flashed to soften the blow, but to Aloy's surprise, she didn't feel a need to flinch. It was true enough, after all - she was made of the same genetic material as Elisabet, that was a fact, and one that she realized she had accepted at some point. She felt confident that she wasn't the same person as Elisabet, but made of the same stuff? It was true.

Before she could find the words to respond, though, a sudden explosion sounded off in the distance. Aloy looked up, startled, and saw some colorful glints in the sky where the sound had come from.

"Fireworks?" she asked.

"Movement from the north," Nil growled, sheathing his knife.

"The Deima," Aloy breathed, and she lunged to her feet and started running in the direction of the alarm, Nil close at her side.

Plenty of people they passed had stopped to turn in the direction of the alert, but very few seemed to actually be responding, and there were no screams as Aloy reached the northern border of the camp. Still, she didn't let her guard down, not even when she came in sight of a cluster of maybe three dozen people dressed in tight-fitted, coarse blue fabric, who appeared to be standing back.

"Hail, outlanders!" called a woman's sharp voice, and Aloy recognized President Winoa at the front of the group as she reached the encroaching Deima. The tall woman's hands were raised, palms out, and she stepped forward once to meet Aloy. "We come in peace," she declared.

"On what business?" Aloy questioned guardedly.

"We're here to lend our aid in the coming battle," Winoa stated. "These are our best hunters, and all the remaining cloaking modules we had that the Perfect Ones…Humanoids, didn't take. Oh, and this one insisted on coming as well," she added somewhat distastefully, waving a hand at a young man who came up beside her: Sorren.

"You certainly took your time," Aloy remarked pointedly. "Why didn't you come sooner? I had to go halfway across the Forbidden West to bring the Bacchan to help us, and I got back a day ago."

"We had to debate the matter carefully," Winoa answered haughtily. "Diplomacy takes time, and you left us with much to discuss."

"Not really," Aloy responded coolly. "The future of humanity isn't that complicated. Or were you too hesitant to destroy the culmination of all your research?"

"As I said, there was much to discuss," Winoa bit out. "Regardless, we're here to lend you our blades."

"And why should we trust you?" Aloy demanded.

"Easy," Nil murmured. "The more blades, the better."

"Not if they're going to be pointed at us," Aloy retorted, barely tossing him a glance, focusing on glaring at the leader of the Deima tribe.

"We're not here to sabotage you," Sorren piped up. "Really, Aloy, we're here to help."

"I should think you would be grateful for our hunters' presence," Winoa said. "You've seen firsthand what we're capable of, especially with cloaking modules. You ought to be eager to accept our aid."

"Only if you're really here to help," Aloy responded, still cold. "The Humanoids are the result of all your experiments, and the fact that you even perform those experiments is enough reason not to trust you."

"This is why we don't parlay with outsiders," Winoa growled. "I don't expect you to understand my tribe's work. But we're offering our services right now, and that's all that matters in this moment."

"No, it's not," Aloy stated, thinking of Far Zenith. "Just offering your services isn't enough for you to earn my trust. If you want me to believe you're really here to help, you're going to have to tell me why you came, and why it took you so long. The truth, no politics, no excuses."

Winoa's eyes, which Aloy could now see were blue in the full light, and cold as ice, met Aloy's for a long minute, sharp and vicious. Aloy lifted her chin and glared right back, offering no weaknesses.

"The whole truth," Aloy said at last. "You can't buy me with promises. Give up a piece of yourself, President Winoa, or leave. Prove to me that you're ready to be a real human, and end the empty husks you helped ELEUTHIA make."

"You ask much," Winoa said. "But…" At last, her eyes broke away from Aloy's, conceding defeat. "Huntress Aloy, I was elected to lead my tribe just over fifteen years ago, shortly after we first discovered Mother," she explained. "When she declared that feelings were a flaw, I had to dedicate myself to overcoming what I believed were imperfections, all on the words of an entity I believed to be an infallible goddess." She looked at Aloy again, and this time her eyes were softer, almost sad. "Before that, I had dreams of how to lead my tribe," she said, her tone softening as well. "I gave them up, for Mother, for she declared my dreams were a flaw. For many years, I've struggled against something I could barely fight, on the word of a being I thought superior to myself. Now, that illusion is stripped from me, and I am left to wonder if all this time I spent devoting myself to Mother's word was in vain."

"It's been hard on all of us," Sorren spoke up, stepping forward. "To see Mother so confused…" He shook his head. "You haven't seen her since you left. We've tried to talk to her several times in the last month, but she's inconsolable, she can barely even tell us what she thinks and she's afraid to say anything with certainty anymore, she's too upset about this 'processing error' she keeps trying to identify."

"We've given much to see the Humanoids grow and spread," Winoa continued. "Now, all we've given seems to have been for naught. It took a long time for us to reach a consensus on what to do about the war the Perfect Ones…the Humanoids declared on our kind. But…in the end, we couldn't help but think we would be remiss if we didn't try to rectify our mistakes…I couldn't help but think that, and many others shared the sentiment. Even so, there was also doubt that we would be allowed to help. A doubt you are currently proving to be valid," she added pointedly.

"In other words, you're embarrassed to admit you were wrong, and ashamed to face your mistakes in helping ELEUTHIA make the Humanoids," Aloy stated flatly. "And you're also ashamed to face the tribes after everything you've done to the people you've taken from them."

"Your tongue is sharper than a blade, huntress," Winoa remarked. "But…there may be some truth, to some of your words. Regardless, we're here now. Will you allow us to join your ranks?"

Aloy met the President's eyes for a long, heavy minute. There was a sincerity there, Aloy thought, and legitimate help from the Deima would be welcome… "What do you think, Nil?" Aloy asked, turning to her partner at last.

"Where do you think you'll be most helpful to us?" Nil asked of Winoa. "Are you front line, gunner flanks, or bows in the rear?"

"We hoped to help against the Humanoids who took our cloaking modules," Winoa responded. "We'll use our illusions and trickery against theirs."

"We have a counter for the cloaking modules," Aloy stated, pulling out her Stormslinger. "I used this against your people many times. Electricity disrupts the devices."

"So it does," Winoa conceded, "but you have to hit them or their users first. The Humanoids don't feel pain, and so can ignore the sting of using the modules to stay invisible. We're familiar with the signs of invisibility, and we can multiply ourselves to confuse any of them who might try to go unseen in order to slaughter their way through your ranks. We'll stay on the outskirts and observe, and interfere with their coordination as we see fit."

"So you won't really be fighting with us," Aloy noted.

"We will," Winoa assured her. "We are on your side, huntress. But we have always been suited to fighting in the shadows, unseen and unheard; we won't fit well into whatever army formation you've built of the other tribes."

"She has a good plan," Nil said before Aloy could comment on this, and she turned to him in surprise. His head was tilted in consideration. "We could use some surprises on the side, especially if the Humanoids are going to fight the same way. Of course, there is the question of just how well they're going to work together - our messenger noticed Humanoids dressed in the clothes of many different tribes, plenty from the east as well as the three of the west, and maybe even some we've never heard of."

"It doesn't matter where they came from," Winoa declared; "they share one mind, they are not separate individuals. They will not need to communicate to coordinate, for they think and see as one. But they are still made of the same stuff as humans, and as such are just as susceptible to the illusions of the Old Ones as we are."

"I see," Nil mused. "In that case, we could use your help."

"What about herbs?" Aloy spoke up. "Will you share those with us?"

"We were not allowed to touch the land's herbs," Winoa answered. "The Perfect Ones - Humanoids had absolute control over the supply, and took all of them when they left our metropolis." She pursed her lips uncomfortably, then added, "If we had any left to our name, we would certainly share them with the army, but we do not."

Aloy eyed the President doubtfully.

"We really don't," Sorren added after an uncomfortable moment. "Really, Aloy, we only have extracts, same as you."

Shooting Winoa one last, distrustful glare, Aloy turned to Sorren. His blue eyes were wide and earnest, much easier to read than those of the leader of his tribe, and it was clear that he, at least, truly believed the Deima had no herbs to share. Conceding, Aloy nodded, though she kept the fact that she still had a fair amount of gray omen in her medicine pouch to herself.

"In a few minutes, we're going to make a speech using a projector module the Corsair brought with them," Nil said, addressing Winoa; "if you want to join us, then you'll have to make a speech of your own, assuring everyone else here that you're not our enemies in this fight."

"As you wish," Winoa nodded readily. "Where will the battle take place?"

"There are some plains just to the south of this camp, between us and the dead lands," Aloy answered. "We're going to march out and meet them…" She looked at Nil questioningly.

"Around high noon," he finished. Glancing at the sun ascending in the sky, he added, "which isn't far from now. We'll be making our speeches very soon."

"Then I will join you," Winoa stated. "My hunters will stay back for now."

"No," Aloy said, "they're going to come into camp and mingle with the other tribes. Right now, we're one army, fighting for one cause, and if you're going to fight with us, then you're going to act like it."

"That seems unwise," Winoa remarked, "but very well. If those are your terms, we shall mingle. Come, Deima, let us make ourselves known."

Aloy nodded and turned her back, a show of faith that she half expected one of the Deima hunters to break, but instead, their footsteps followed hers, while Nil matched her pace at her side. She still wasn't sure she trusted them, but something in Winoa's eyes had convinced her that they weren't as untrustworthy as Far Zenith, and that was enough considering what they were up against.

Did Elisabet feel the same about Far Zenith? whispered a treacherous voice in her mind. Did she suspect them, but decide that the coming extinction was too overwhelming to waste on petty feelings of distrust?

It doesn't matter, she told herself. If the Humanoids die, then they die, it doesn't matter what the Deima do. At the very least, I know I trust Sorren…and I don't think anyone from Far Zenith could have looked the way Winoa did just now…

Even so, it was a risk, and the leery expressions of the Corsair and Bacchan she walked past with the Deima at her heels reinforced her worries. The Deima were a tribe of monsters, even if some of them were decent individually, and it weighed on her. We'll see what she says in her speech, Aloy decided. We can always make them leave before we march out if it seems like they're up to something.

When Aloy slowed, Nil didn't, and suddenly he was leading, headed south with deliberation. Aloy didn't have to ask; she knew it was time. Charging into battle wasn't something she feared, but making a speech was something else entirely, and her pulse picked up, anxiety twisting her stomach. The stuff leaders are made of, she reminded herself, and she drew her necklace out from under her armor and clutched Elisabet's globe.

On the hills that stood between the camp and the plains, Aloy saw several figures standing tall: Sheriff Orns, Deputy Lanida, Volag, and a Bacchan Aloy only vaguely recognized from her journey, as well as a stout metal shape gleaming in the late morning sun. Nil walked up to join the leaders readily, and Aloy didn't hesitate to follow; behind her, she heard a slight falter in the footsteps of the only two Deima still walking with her, and she glanced back to shoot a challenging glare at President Winoa. The elder woman raised her eyebrows at Aloy in acknowledgement and followed her up the hill, with Sorren jogging behind. The young hunter gave Aloy a pleading look, and she didn't send him away, though she wasn't sure exactly what Sorren's position in his tribe might be at this point.

At the peak of the rise, Aloy turned back and looked out on everyone who had come at her summons. Corsair and Bacchan were emerging from their tents, and blue-gray shapes here and there marked where the Deima stood; in all cases, everyone seemed to be moving into position, organizing amongst themselves, light flashing off drawn blades as the front line assembled at the foot of the hill. After a minute, she noticed Lanida hand Nil her Focus out of the corner of her eye, and when she glanced at Winoa, she saw the Deima leader take a Focus out of her pocket and stick it to her temple.

"I thought you didn't have any Focuses," Aloy remarked to Winoa coldly.

"We have the one," she replied. "It's not fully functional, so there's no point in wearing it all the time, but it will interface with this projector just fine - we have one of these of our own in our metropolis as well, you know, one we keep in our metal ring, as it can just hold all of our numbers; that's how we hold tribal meetings."

"Well," Aloy said, "in that case, how about you go first?"

"As you wish," Winoa conceded, her face betraying no distress, and Aloy couldn't quite read her. The tall woman stepped forward, tapping the metal triangle at her ear that, Aloy noticed, did in fact looked rusted and battered on closer inspection - and, eyeing it, Aloy also couldn't help but notice that the few streaks of color still left in the President's graying hair appeared to be red, like her own. "Hail, tribes!" the Deima leader called, and her voice rang out across the camp.

A response rippled across all the gathered warriors, a tension that swept over the crowd like wind over a field of grass.

"I am President Winoa, leader of the Deima tribe," Winoa declared proudly. "Our people are largely to blame for the coming battle, for we aided our mother-goddess in the creation of our enemies. However, the best among our number have come to lend our aid in destroying these monstrosities. I am aware that there is no love lost between our tribes, but for today, at least, we are allies, a truce in the face of war. Tomorrow, the tensions between us will doubtless persist, and it's unlikely relations will change after the bloodshed ends, but you can trust us in this battle to lend our unique techniques in an effort to eliminate the Perfect Ones - the Humanoids. Why exactly we're here…" She glanced at Aloy. "I will let the one who summoned us to arms explain that, as she put it better than I ever could when she changed the mind of our mother-goddess a month ago. But we are fully committed to the cause. Our illusions will help counter those that the Humanoids from our tribe will cast, so do not fear us today. That is all."

With that unapologetic speech, the tall Deima stepped back, already removing her Focus and putting it away. Still, she seemed sincere enough, and Aloy decided to trust the vicious tribe, if only for the one day. Once the Humanoids were gone, though, she would see what she could do about the Deima tribe's horrible practices.

Nil stepped forward next, tapping the Focus he'd borrowed from Lanida to interface with the module. "Warriors and hunters," he said, "you came here at the call of one huntress. Some of you know more than others, but I leave it to her to explain why we're about to bare our blades to the inhuman creatures who threaten to replace us." He turned and flashed his teeth at Aloy. "Aloy, tell everyone what they're fighting for, won't you?"

Realizing it would look bad to protest, Aloy glowered at him but activated her Focus and scanned the projector module, quickly tapping the "Speaker" function before turning to face the gathered army. She gathered her thoughts quickly, then spoke.

"Today," she said, "we go to war against monsters with human faces. They believe, and have told all of you, that they're perfect, because they can't feel pain, and will never suffer. They want to replace us, and make it so that the only things that walk this Earth with human faces have no feelings. We're here to fight for our right, as humans, to feel, as they never can. They don't love, they don't want, they don't dream…They aren't even fighting this battle because they want to live, only to prove the singular belief they were made to preach. Their truth is a lie; they are not perfect. Humans might not be perfect, either, but it's better to feel, and suffer, and want, and love, and dream, than it is to be empty, as they are. We fight today, not just for ourselves, but for all future generations, for humanity itself, and our right to love, and want, and dream. Because that's worth it."

She took a breath. No one else made a sound, which she had to assume was a good sign.

"The Humanoids aren't really alive," she said, more softly now. "They aren't even capable of knowing what living means. Living is so much more than just breathing; living is the joy and pain, the meaning our lives hold for finding our reasons to walk this Earth."

"Our lives have purpose," Nil added, joining Aloy at her side. "We all have a reason to be here, to want to go on living. They don't. So pity them, but show no mercy. They don't want to exist, and so their existence means nothing."

"We're not killing them," Aloy agreed; "they're already dead. We're just setting them free. And in doing so, we'll prove to their mother what life - what humanity - is really worth."

"Let's end them," Nil called. "No sense waiting anymore!" He removed his borrowed Focus and handed it back to Lanida, and when Aloy glanced at him, his silver eyes were gleaming more brightly than his teeth.

"For humanity!" Aloy shouted, and she drew and lifted her bow, as she had upon purging HADES, what she had so foolishly thought to be the end of the struggle. She half expected to get little to no response, but to her surprise, what looked to be most if not all the soldiers who'd answered her call lifted their weapons into the air, as one.

"FOR HUMANITY!" came the resounding shout.

Aloy's breath was already coming hard, her blood burning in her veins, but she felt ready, almost giddy, uplifted by the support of the army at her back and the bloodthirsty lunatic at her side. She turned to face the plains - only for Nil to suddenly catch her by the arms, spin her around towards him, and press his mouth to hers.

"Mmf!" she exclaimed against his kiss, though her body reacted, and her brain took a moment to catch up and push him away. "Nil!" she gasped, desperately trying to ignore the scattered laughter from the army. "What are you doing?!"

"One last kiss, to say goodbye, in case we never get another chance," Nil told her. "And if we do get another chance, the next will be hello."

"Nil…" Aloy shook her head at him, still struggling not to glance at their audience. "No."

"You shouldn't walk into a battle leaving anything unfinished," he told her in a low voice.

"I thought you hated the word 'should'," she countered readily.

"I do," he admitted, flashing his teeth, "but I hate regrets more, and a battle's outcome is never certain. When you march forward, you have to leave everything behind, and nothing undone. Every warrior knows that."

"He's right, y'know," Orns spoke up from behind Aloy, and she jumped, glancing back at the Corsair Sheriff. He smirked at her, gesturing with his head for her to continue.

"You're not helping," Aloy growled at him, turning away. With nothing for it, she faced the south and took a step - only for Nil to catch her arm and stop her, turning her to face him again. "Nil…" she groaned exasperatedly.

"Aloy," he chuckled, "what are you so afraid of?"

The unexpected question cut right to the heart of her embarrassment, she hadn't even realized she was afraid until he asked. But he knew her, so thoroughly, so much better than she would ever know herself; that was why they were here, why this was even a question…

Three forbidden words rose in Aloy's throat as she met her partner's eyes, this time reaching the very tip of her tongue, her lips parted to speak them before she managed to bite them back, just in time. She couldn't let herself say them, not to Nil, not to a killer who cared nothing for their audience because he simply couldn't feel shame. Yet she couldn't scoff at him, either, no matter how hard she tried. A tiny niggle of doubt even tugged at the back of her mind - if she believed she could build a world in which she could say those words to him, why couldn't she say them now? But she shot down that thought before she could follow it; now was not the time to analyze the complexities of her relationship with her mate.

Even so, when he moved for her again, she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Despite all the eyes on them, despite the uncertainty of their future, Aloy's heart was pounding with his nearness, the bond they shared, and he flashed his teeth moments before their mouths met. This time, she let herself kiss him back, just for a few heartbeats, relishing the sweet-poison taste of him while she could.

Just in case.

When she ended it, the crowd was cheering. Her face burning, Aloy refused to look back at them, instead turning towards the southern horizon, where the Humanoids would soon meet them on the battlefield. Steeling herself, she started walking, Nil by her side, and the tribes of the Forbidden West followed her to war.

It wasn't long before a dark line in the distance marked where the Humanoids were approaching, all gathered to prove their 'only truth' that was anything but. What Nil had said about them came back to Aloy, and she did indeed find herself pitying them, for this cursed existence they'd been forced into for the sake of one AI's broken heart. Every drop of blood that was about to be spilled, be it human or Humanoid, was all for nothing - like the deaths incurred by the Derangement, there was no true villain on either side, only sorrow and loss. Indeed, even in the battle for the Spire, while Helis had certainly been evil, the being he'd served had only been lost, and all the death he'd been able to inflict with HADES's help had been needless, pointless. Perhaps all wars were pointless.

Still, like at the Spire, this was a battle worth fighting, a cause worth dying for, and Aloy was prepared to lay down her life to end the Humanoid agenda. The hundreds of fighters who marched behind her were too, she knew that now, they understood why they were here and they were willing to fight regardless.

At the front of the Humanoid line, Aloy was surprised to recognize the one who had spoken out against her in front of ELEUTHIA, the female-looking Humanoid that wasn't even alive enough to be called 'she'. When Aloy held out a hand to keep the leaders of the tribes she'd summoned back and walked forward alone, that Humanoid followed suit, and the two of them met across the thin stretch of remaining plains, where blood would soon drench the ground.

"You have come," the Humanoid observed tonelessly.

"We came to end you," Aloy stated. "To set you free. You're not alive, and we won't let you take our place."

"We are perfect," the Humanoid stated, as always, and Aloy had a feeling that empty voices and faces saying those meaningless words would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her days. "You are not perfect. Lie down and die, so that we may make mankind perfect."

"You're not perfect," Aloy told it. "You're broken. We won't let you destroy what it means to be alive."

"You will not change your stance on this?" inquired the Humanoid.

"Never!" Aloy shouted, drawing her spear.

"So be it, then."

This came, not from the one Humanoid, but from all of them, in perfect sync - one mind, one voice, one empty shell in many different vessels. They, too, drew their weapons, and Aloy quickly stepped forward and thrust her blade through the lead Humanoid's throat before it could react.

That one kill was the catalyst that began the battle; the humans roared, the Humanoids stepped forward, and within moments, all was suddenly lost in the heat and chaos of war.

It wasn't like the battle for the Spire, where Aloy had been alone against a small group of kestrels, or only needed to aim Petra's cannons at the oncoming Deathbringers and corrupted Machines; though the Humanoids weren't human, they looked similar enough in the frenzy of battle, and as the armies clashed and mixed, Aloy quickly found herself worrying about accidentally hitting an ally with an arrow or bomb. Though she at least felt confident firing at people dressed in garb she recognized from the eastern tribes, she had to hesitate against people dressed as Corsair, Bacchan, or Deima, just long enough to be sure that their faces and eyes were dead and blank. She suspected that most of the other fighters were having a harder time than her - she, at least, could be confident that anyone who moved to attack her was a Humanoid, as she was easily recognizable, but the natives of the Forbidden West might get confused amongst each other. Should've thought of some way of easily telling ourselves apart from them, Aloy thought, but there was no time to worry about that now.

Before the groups became too mixed, Aloy drew her Blast Sling, lobbing bombs at any clusters of oncoming Humanoids, trying to take out as many as possible before things got too hectic. The Humanoids were a lot more resilient than the bandits she'd killed, though, and soon, Aloy was setting her Blast Sling aside as mostly useless, choosing instead to draw her Forgefire and lob charges of blaze and metalburn into the crowd of empty husks. Arrows and bolts hit her armor, and she had very little room to dodge and give her shield a chance to recharge; a blade came for her as her armor flashed red, and she spun out of the way as she drew her spear, skewering the wielder from behind. When she kicked the dead monstrosity off her blade, she used the momentum to lunge and swing it at a Humanoid dressed in Banuk garb, knocking it to the ground before drawing her bow and firing at three Humanoids that looked to have been Utaru. Her heart skipped a beat when a blank-faced Nora came at her with a spear not unlike her own, but she knocked it aside with her own weapon and plunged the blade through the creature's heart.

There was no way she could safely use explosive weapons now, there was too much chaos surrounding her - all sound was the clash of weapons and the shouts of humans, some of bravado, others of pain, and Aloy tried to stay mindful of the people who'd charged into this battle with her, firing arrows at Humanoids who seemed to be about to overpower a human soldier.

Suddenly, a back was pressed to hers, and Aloy didn't have to look to know who was with her: Nil. Relief and strength flooded her being just from his presence, and they stepped around in perfect sync, firing arrows and dipping to the side with their blades whenever a Humanoid got too close for comfort, saving both themselves and each other. Aloy felt unstoppable, as one by one the Humanoids fell; she even felt confident enough to draw her Blast Sling again and lob a bomb at a cluster of people dressed in Carja red and what she could only guess was typical Tenakth attire. Nil's joy at the blood soaking the ground washed over her with his chuckles and grunts of satisfaction, she could almost share in his bloodlust as they slaughtered their enemies, and despite herself, she felt a grin stretching her lips.

Blue strips of cloth flashed in Aloy's vision, and she had an arrow nocked before she recognized Brin, a spear he must have brought from his time as a Banuk shaman flashing as he slew some people dressed as Bacchan. A split second's hesitation in confusion nearly cost her, an arrow flew out from a Nora bow and knocked out her armor, but in the seconds it took Nil to quickly retaliate and cover her, she realized that maybe the risk of confusion wasn't the only potential consequence of pitting the native tribes against people dressed like them - surely, every tribe knew their fellow tribesmen, and so could tell who was and was not one of them at a glance, meaning the tribes would be best suited to killing Humanoids dressed as being of their number.

A tiny shape in gray-blue fabric darted forward with a purple-stained knife, and Aloy barely managed to evade it. The Humanoid looked to be two, maybe three years old, smaller than she had been the day she'd found her Focus, yet it moved with speed and confidence, its face utterly blank like all of them. Aloy had never killed a child, and in the moment it took her to remind herself that the child wasn't human or even really alive, Nil's blade cleaved its soft head open, and the tiny figure fell. When she glanced up at him, his silver eyes were sparkling, his teeth flashing at her; he hadn't hesitated, and she knew in that moment that her dream wasn't absurd. Nil had a place in this world, killers had a purpose just as important as anyone else's, and she would fight until the whole world understood that.

Her heart soaring, Aloy took her position against Nil's back again, drawing her bow and firing the last of her precision arrows into the chaos. Humanoids began converging on them, perhaps realizing that the two outlanders were the greatest threat, and Aloy relished it, knowing that that meant they were focusing their attacks less on the people she'd called to arms on her behalf, even as the danger grew. She had hardly any time to craft more arrows - only when Nil spun around her, blade flashing, could she fashion even another single pack of them - but her spear was deadly enough as long as she used it right and kept her lame arm in mind, and that was all it took to kill these things that weren't even alive.

Suddenly, as a Banuk-dressed Humanoid came at her, a purple-stained blade pierced its throat from behind, and it fell to reveal a Deima with blond hair.

"Aloy," Sorren said, "the Humanoids are more clever than we thought. Please, follow me to the border, they're trying to take us from behind."

Something felt off about this, but the young Deima was already vanishing into the crowd, and Aloy didn't have time to think. Brandishing her spear, she charged after the sight of her friend, felling Humanoids as she went, and Nil was at her side, his own knife flashing crimson. Sorren, too, slew several Humanoids on the way through the screaming, scrabbling, bloodstained masses that thundered with the clash of metal on metal and the cries of the dying. Aloy did her best to help any of her fellow humans who seemed to be having a hard time of it as she passed, but Sorren's pace was almost impossibly quick, as though the Humanoids were deliberately moving out of his way…

After several minutes, the thick of it was behind them, there was more room to run, more room to breathe; Aloy could see the trees that bordered the plains, which Sorren appeared to be making a beeline for. With less chaos to assess, fewer Humanoids to fell, Aloy finally started to think, even as her legs kept running after the blond boy. By the time she was under the first few trees that marked the edge of the battlefield, she was already reaching for her Stormslinger.

Suddenly, Nil called out, "Hey, Sorren! Turn around!"

They were all but alone now, and the young Deima turned to face them even as he shuffled to a stop, a bit too smoothly. As soon as his chest was within sight, a shock arrow whizzed past Aloy from Nil's bow, striking the hunter where a cloaking module would be. Aloy shouldn't have been as surprised as she was to see an explosion of electricity, and the illusion flickered and disappeared, revealing an older man with dark hair and tan skin. Nil's expression was set in stone when Aloy glanced at her partner, and she drew her spear and stepped forward, kicking the liar onto its back. Its face was blank; it was a Humanoid.

"Too late," it said without emotion. "You seduced Mother away from the only truth; you must die."

That was all it got to say before Aloy stabbed it in the throat, then turned back to Nil. "It killed its own kind just to get us here," she said.

"They don't care," Nil shrugged, already nocking another shock arrow.

A rustling from behind drew Aloy's attention; when she looked around and saw nothing, she drew her Stormslinger and hurried to rejoin Nil. They met back to back, and Aloy downed a shock resist potion before unloading charges of electricity into the foliage around them, firing in a circle as she and Nil spun against each other, his arrows flying forward to strike the shapes revealed by the blasts of the Banuk weapon. It was an ambush, but in a way, Aloy welcomed it - away from any other fighters who might be on her side besides Nil, she didn't have to hold back for fear of accidentally killing an ally. Damage from the backflow of the enhanced Stormslinger knocked out her shield and burned her skin, and she downed an extract while she let it cool down, then fired some more, just in case the thirty or so figures bearing down on them weren't all they had left to worry about. When the last electric charge had been unloaded and she was confident she'd disrupted every cloaking module they stood against, she switched out for her Forgefire and started blasting the flamethrower at the oncoming husks, burning them away to oblivion, as Nil continued firing arrows behind her.

Evidently, the Humanoids had expected this, however, and more came to take the place of their fallen comrades. These didn't have cloaking modules, at least, but they seemed intent on overwhelming Aloy and Nil with sheer numbers, giving no opportunity to fashion more ammunition. When the last drop of blaze had burned its way out of her Forgefire, Aloy had to switch to sticky bombs and proximity bombs, which were difficult to use in this setting, and quickly ran out. After that, all she had left were tearblast arrows, and she grunted in frustration - the Humanoids weren't going down, they were eating herbs as she knocked them back, and nothing she had left to hand could kill them from peak health.

"I'm out!" she snarled, drawing her spear and stabbing a charging Humanoid.

"Make more!" Nil called to her. "I'll cover you!"

"How?" she demanded as she fired a tearblast arrow against a cluster of Humanoids bearing down on her in a desperate bid to knock them back; it worked, but they swallowed herbs and kept coming.

"Trust me!" Nil told her.

Nodding slightly, Aloy fired one last tearblast arrow to give herself a second of space, then reached into her packs for supplies. A moment later, white light exploded through the clearing, blinding Aloy as a ringing filled her ears, deadening the sounds of the battle. But she didn't need to see or hear to craft ammunition, and she worked with practiced efficiency, refilling the blaze sac in her Forgefire and pouring more into metal vessels to make bombs. Just as the flashbang's effect began to wear off, another one burst, reducing everything to white and a single, high-pitched sound, and Aloy kept working, faster, now crafting more arrows.

When the light faded a second time, there was no third explosion, and Aloy quickly put away the last pack of precision arrows she'd made and pressed her back to Nil's as the Humanoids rallied and charged, drawing her Forgefire and retaliating with clouds of flames. "How many more times can you do that?" she asked Nil as he fired his own arrows behind her.

"Those were my last flashbangs," he answered; "I used up all the rest against the Leviathan."

"Make every arrow count, then!" Aloy said, refocusing on the attack.

Slowly, the dozens of blank-faced husks began to fall, their corpses blasted back into the trees by bombs and tearblast arrows as more of their fellows clambered over their remains. It seemed like they were out of herbs, and Aloy grinned viciously, even as she too used up most of her medicine, and the rest of her fresh ammunition was spent. Soon enough, Aloy had to depend on her blade, her armor, and her partner, she had nothing left but tearblast arrows once again. When even those ran out and she could only fight with her spear, the few remaining Humanoids began taunting their quarry, firing ranged weapons from either side, and Aloy had to leave Nil to strike with her weapon.

At last, only a few ambushers were left, about six that looked to be Corsair, and Aloy hurried to cut them down, as did Nil, she saw out of the corner of her eye. Several fell, but as she swung at another, her blade missed its trajectory by a finger's breadth - she'd swung with only her right arm, and spear fighting with her handicap wasn't something she'd practiced nearly as much as shooting arrows, the bend in her arm bone threw her off just enough; the blow glanced off the Humanoid's thick leather armor, and its blade sang out, disabling her shield. Though she was able to avoid damage, the slip had thrown her off balance, and she scrabbled for a moment to readjust and thrust her weapon through the abomination's neck; in the time it took her to do that, another came at her with a sword just a little too fast. The point of the blade came for her as she turned, and she didn't quite have time to react-

Suddenly, an armored shoulder knocked Aloy aside, and she stumbled back several paces as a tanned hand swept in and grabbed the incoming weapon, fingers cutting themselves on the edge as the sword came to a stop just short of where Nil had taken her place in front of the Humanoid, his own knife in his free hand, his bow hooked over his wrist. As she caught her balance, time slowed to a crawl. Nil liked to pause a moment when he caught an opponent's blade, to enjoy the look of surprise in their eyes that he would sacrifice his own body so readily, but of course, Humanoids couldn't feel surprise. In the split second Nil hesitated out of habit, the Humanoid, blank-faced and undeterred, wrenched its sword from Nil's grasp and plunged it into the center of Nil's torso, running him through.

Every moment of the strike burned itself into Aloy's mind, image by image: the shift of Nil's body as the blade pushed him before piercing his flesh; the slight downward angle at which the point entered his stomach so that it erupted from his back just below the edge of his vest; the crimson splash of blood as the weapon emerged from the tanned skin, shining with gore. Nil's cry of pain pierced Aloy like an arrow, and she screamed with him as he dropped to his knees. Purely on instinct, she hefted her spear and took a step forward, not thinking of anything but helping him.

Then, before Humanoid could retrieve its blade, Nil's hand came up and grasped the hilt protruding from his chest, keeping the monstrosity from removing the metal from his gut. Shocked, Aloy froze, staring at her fallen partner as, incredibly, she heard Nil give a gurgling chuckle, his head lifting to face the one who had struck him down. He began to rise, and now the Humanoid also appeared to be frozen, its head tilting.

"Lie down and die," it said flatly. "Your wound is fatal."

Nil only chuckled more, pushing his way to his feet, as though he wasn't bearing a sword through his chest.

"How are you standing?" asked the Humanoid. "Do you not feel pain?"

"Oh, I feel pain, all right," Nil answered, his voice strained. "I've never minded it. Pain means I'm alive…as you will never be."

"Illogical," the Humanoid said. "You won't live much longer. Why do you not lie down and die?"

"Because I don't really want to," Nil answered. His other hand came up to grasp the hilt of the monster's sword, his fingers gripping the metal tightly. "Look well, o perfect one," he said; "this is the strength of human will, a strength you'll never know. And it says I don't care what's logical, I'm not gonna lie down just because I'm already dead." With a roar of agony, he drew the blade out himself, releasing cascades of red liquid that poured down his body, yet he stayed on his feet. "I'm not going…without taking you with me," he hissed, and Aloy could hear his grin.

"Impossible," said the Humanoid, and Aloy thought she heard something like disbelief in its voice. A feeling, as Sorren had said Humanoids could be made to feel slightly given the right triggers…

"Oh, what's that in your eyes?" Nil asked, hefting the sword in his bloodstained hands. "Is that…a feeling? Are you…confused? Maybe even afraid?"

"Incomprehensible," the Humanoid said softly. "Inconceivable…"

"How fitting," Nil snickered wetly, bringing the sword up to the throat of the Humanoid that made no move to stop him. "I'm so glad I got to make you feel enough to be almost alive…just in time for me to truly kill you."

And with that, he plunged the blade through its former owner's throat, twisting it around until the Humanoid was thoroughly decapitated, its severed head thumping to the ground, followed by the sword and its lifeless body.

Nil's breath was coming hard, and he grunted as he turned around to face Aloy.

"Nil…?" she gasped, her veins filled with ice. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and his entire front was stained crimson with his own life gushing out of the gaping wound.

"That's the last of them," he said, baring scarlet-stained teeth. "You think she gets it now?"

"Nil…"

"Glad you're…okay…" His next step towards her was a stumble, his body wavering.

"NIL!" Aloy screamed, and she lunged forward just in time to catch him as he began to fall.