Chapter 3

Quest: Escort to Hidden Ember

Ok, I'll put this out there straight up, I'm zipping back in time just a little to retell part of the last chapter from Erends perspective. My excuse is I'm still getting a feel for writing his character. :D I regret nothing!

The caravan had been so close, only a handful of sand dunes between it and Hidden Ember when it had come under attack. Erend paused on the rise overlooking the scene, quickly surveying the situation. He scanned the road, taking in the long line of overturned carts and scattered supplies, before focussing on the ruins to his right where a Behemoth and Ravager were practically frothing at the mouth as they tried to dig out the people hiding within the dilapidated building. He gave a small, impressed nod, Darold's mercenaries had done well. He couldn't see a single body in the stretch of sand between the road and old building which meant the party had reacted quickly, stuck together and worked as a single unit to fight off their attackers. Meanwhile the machines were visibly worse for wear which meant the defensible position was paying off, it didn't look like his men would need to do much to help finish the fight.

"Half of you go around the rear and come up the other side, the rest follow me to take up a flanking position. All together we can hit them from three sides at once." Erend jerked his chin and immediately his men set off at a low run, not wanting to alert the machines until the archers were in position and the melee fighters were close enough to hit.

Erend himself had closed in on the fighting and was just beginning to raise his hammer when one of the people from the convoy hung his torso out of a window to begin yelling and pointing. He slowed to a stop and, for the second time that day, found himself squinting in concentration as he tried to decipher another's frantic gestures. "Are you mad? Get back behind cover!" He flapped his free hand at the idiot, motioning for him to get back behind cover before he got his head literally bitten off.

"Someone has to go help her!" The young man was insistent, pointing frantically back towards the destroyed convoy. Erend swung around, scanning the overturned carts again, and this time spotted the group of borrowers that seemed to be congregating around a particular area. Ok, so maybe not everyone had made it to cover after all. He shared a quick glance with Aldur who nodded in return, then hefted his hammer and took off in a sprint.

The burrowers were already on alert thanks to the fighting going on nearby, but they were too busy taking stock of the wreckage to notice him until he was almost upon them. The soft sand muffled his tread and the closest machine barely looked up in time to see him coming. He finally loosed the yell that had been pent up in his chest from the second he'd left the settlement, swinging his maul in a joyful arc and grinning as the machine literally exploded in an impressive shower of shards and wiring. It was hardly fair, the impact barely jolted his arm.

"C'mere you little spit." He darted towards the second machine, whumping his hammer down to crush its head into the sand before it had time to gather itself for an attack. It was almost disappointing how easily it had shattered, he was starting to wish he'd stayed to finish off the Behemoth and sent one of his men to do this instead. "Now it's your turn." He addressed the third and final machine, kicking the limp body of its companion out of the way then balancing on the balls of his feet while he waited to see what it would do.

As expected the Burrower dug into the sand with its long tail then whipped around to fling a keg sized boulder at him, fire and spit if he knew how they always managed to find one ready to go. He lifted his hammer like he'd seen the players do in the game the Old Ones called 'baseball' and swung across his body, relishing the shock that reverberated up his arm as he connected solidly with the rock and bashed it to the side. He used the remaining momentum to launch himself at the machine, swinging again with a yell and thoroughly enjoying the metallic crunch as he obliterated the little Burrower. One last blow to the canisters on its back and it was dead.

Erend grinned as he let his hammer thump to the ground then leaned on the handle, that had been fun, but he was a little chagrined that he was a bit short of breath. Riding back and forth to visit Oseram outposts was obviously not enough of a workout, he needed to start scheduling regular sparring matches with his men and get back to active patrols otherwise he was going to end up with a belly worthy of an old Ealderman.

Ugh. That thought was enough to wipe the smirk from his mug. He shook himself a little, straightening as he remembered what he was actually there to do. After looking around the wreckage and not seeing any sign of someone in need of rescue he finally remembered to use his focus. He tapped it gingerly, trying to recall how to activate the tracking feature Aloy had introduced him to, then letting out a triumphant "Ha!" when a tangle of glowing footprints appeared in the sand all around him. Next it was a simple matter of looking around and…there! A blue, person shaped blob was crouching beneath the overturned cart directly in front of him.

He took a few steps forward, holding one hand out placatingly when he noticed that the figure showing up on his feed was scared spitless judging from their cowering posture. "Hey, It's ok, I got these little ones and my men are helping to take care of the big guys right now. You can come out."

When he got no answer he carefully leaned his hammer against the side of the upturned cart before crouching down and peering into the inky darkness beneath. Thanks to his focus he could tell roughly where the person's face was and, even though it was currently a featureless blob, he smiled roughly where he guessed their eyes were as he extended his hand into the space. "Hi."

Moments ticked by before a small hand finally slipped into his and breathed a sigh of relief on behalf of his knees as he guided the person, a young woman, out into the late afternoon light. He tapped off his focus with his free hand as he stood and the real world snapped back into place. He found himself staring down into the warmest pair of brown eyes he'd ever seen, very wide, brown eyes that darted around his face with a hint of panic in them before black lashes dropped like curtains and she lowered her chin.

Erend, concerned that his looming bulk was making her nervous, dropped her hand and stepped back to give her room. "It's ok. You don't need to worry…unless you're hurt of course. Did you get hurt in the attack? Is that why you were under the cart and not with everyone else?" He took another step back to get a better look at her. Immediately she crossed her arms over her middle and shook her head. As she peeked at him from beneath the sweep of her scarf a flush stained her cheeks and his attention caught on the white, petal-like face paint decorating her cheekbones, immediately recognising the Utaru design. She opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it again and looked away again without responding.

He frowned, ready to ask again if she was injured when a cheer went up from the direction of the convoy and his attention was dragged towards it. He turned just in time to see the Behemoth topple to the ground in a shower of sparks and snapping electricity. Not far away the Ravager also lay dead and he felt a sliver of disappointment flash through him at the sight. "Well, looks like the fun finished without us." He gave an exaggerated sigh of disappointment and turned a smile on her as he swept his arm out, indicating that she should lead the way. "After you."

The young woman practically leapt away from him and he followed in her wake, his long strides allowing him to stay fairly close behind her as she hurried back towards the caravan. He ran a critical eye over her, looking for any sign she had sustained an injury. Her clothing had a distinct Carja cut and design to it, made of brightly coloured silk perfect for a hot climate. Her low cut top left her arms and midriff bare, he thought he could see some reddened skin along her ribs on her right side but, as she still had her arms wrapped tightly around her middle, it was hard to tell. There didn't seem to be any blood on her clothing, just a lot of sand. His eyes trailed down over her loose, forest green pants that gathered in a cuff just below the knee then caught on her feet. He felt his eyebrows climb his forehead, were those Oseram boots?

"Bea!"

They had reached the site of the wreckage where a large number of people now milled around groaning and shaking their heads at the damage done by the machines. The woman, Bea, lifted her head in response to the call and he slowed to a stop when a group of them began to gather around her, a babble of voices exclaiming in relief that she was ok and apologising for leaving her behind. Erend quickly lost sight of her amongst the taller Oseram and craned his neck to try and catch one last glimpse of her before giving up with a shrug, instead turning his attention to finding Darold. He soon spotted the grizzled mercenary and strode over to join him on the raised slope that led to the ruin, clapping him on the back with a nod and a broad smile. "Always trying to make an entrance, huh old man."

Darold scowled at him in response, but the twitch of his lips softened the glower and he spat on the ground to cover it before grumbling. "Cheeky spark. Just make sure you tell your shard man that he's lucky I don't insist on hazard pay for me and my men. What the hell were those two monstrosities doing so close to your settlement? You forget how to set patrols already?"

"We've been busy, you know how it is." Erend slapped him on the back again, widening his grin before turning to the crowd and raising both arms along with his voice. "Brothers and sisters of the claim! Don't let the welcoming party fool you, we have been waiting for your arrival for many weeks now with much anticipation." He paused for the expected scoffs and derisive laughs before sweeping an arm out behind him, "Just beyond those dunes Hidden Ember awaits you with food, ale and a safe place to rest. My men will guard the convoy tonight and in the light of day we will do what Oseram do best, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, fix what needs fixing, and forge on!" A cheer rose, most likely at the promise of ale, and he let his arms drop with a satisfied grin. "Gather what you can and follow me!"

"There you are." Bea jumped when a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. Ebla's mouth lifted at one end in a crooked smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "By the forge, you shaved about ten years off my life, just standing there like a lump of slag while that Behemoth charged right at you. Then you just up and vanished, what happened?"

Bea turned from where she'd been watching Erend. As soon as he'd begun addressing the crowd she'd ducked behind the broadest Oseram she could find so she had a bit of cover while she peeked at him and chewed nervously on a thumbnail. He was so confident, exactly as she remembered him, his rich voice lifting over the crowd and commanding their attention in an instant. He'd even gotten some of them to laugh, laugh at their near death experience. She, however, had once again not been able to utter a single word, let alone string a sentence together. She'd just opened and closed her mouth like a grounded fish when he'd spoken to her, unable to even thank him for getting rid of the Burrowers. The second she'd laid eyes on him, recognised him, she'd felt herself begin to clam up with nerves. Then she'd placed her hand in his and the spark that had shot up her arm and through her body had rendered her utterly speechless. Bea winced, groaning internally at the memory of the concern that had creased Erend's brow as he'd run his gaze over her face. She had dropped her chin and looked away, unable to continue meeting his eye. He probably thought her to be rude and ungrateful after the way she'd just slipped into the crowd without a backwards glance. Embarrassment twisted through her belly and she grimaced again...

"Bea? Are you ok?"

She blinked, the flush that had never quite left her cheeks burning anew when she realised she'd just drifted off with Ebla staring at her expectantly, a puzzled expression creeping over his face.

"I'm fine, just a b-b-b…" Bea snapped her mouth shut the second her lips started the stutter, pressing them firmly together to stop their tremble. To cover the moment she unpeeled her arm from around her waist, exposing the spot that ached when she breathed. It had already begun to darken with a large purple bruise.

Ebla dropped his gaze to her side then whistled through his teeth. "That's where it got you?" He leaned in closer to get a better look, crouching a little. "Hurts huh?" She nodded and he shook his head as he straightened, "you got off lucky little lark, just a glancing blow. Hopefully there is a healer at Hidden Ember with some Salvebrush, that'll fix you right up." He looked around to where their fellow travellers were picking through the wreckage, gathering what they could in the growing darkness before trudging wearily in the direction in which she guessed the settlement lay. "I don't think Stepgald will be able to find his supplies in this mess tonight."

Bea nodded again, shoulders sagging as she thought of the walk ahead and fatigue hit her. Ebla clapped an encouraging hand between her shoulders as she began making her way towards where she guessed her bedroll could have landed, then gave a low chuckle, steadying her when she almost tripped in the soft sand. "Sorry." She shot him a look but didn't shake off his hand as he walked with her towards the carts. They passed the guards who had already begun setting up a watch post and begun picking their way through the mess of scattered belongings and supplies. By some miracle Ebla spotted a bedroll and, without bothering to check if it was hers, slung it across his back to rest alongside his own. Bea followed him wordlessly, too tired to even give thanks as they made their way towards the glow of Hidden Ember that beckoned just beyond the next rise.