Chapter 3: Daytower.
Daytower gate loomed into view as she crested the hill on the back of her Broadhead. She had little intention in stopping there and wanted to push onto Free Heap with hours of daylight left to spare.
Aloy looked up at the walls which spanned the main access point into the Sundom and noted various Carja guards patrolling the battlements. There were also mounted cannons at even intervals.
"Looks like Petra has been busy since the battle." Aloy remarked to herself.
Some shouts came from the walls and she could see some guards were attempting to hail her to slow but Aloy shook her head as she rode though the open gate. Soon, she passed through and entered a narrow corridor with guard barracks either side of it and she shot through the open gate on the other side.
"They certainly seemed more armed since I last passed through here." Aloy considered, not that I blame them. I did sort of bring a few problems to their door." She said as a pang of guilt shot in the pit of her stomach as she remembered the destruction the Battle of the Spire wrought.
Without Petra's cannons she couldn't see how they could have suppressed the Machines HADES brought to the Spire. Not without more casualties at the very least. It had certainly bought time Aloy time to fend off the Deathbringer which guarded HADES without being overwhelmed. Well, she thought, more overwhelmed.
With Free Heap now within sight, Aloy spurred her mount on and soon she was amongst the chaotic ramshackle buildings of the settlement. Acrid smoke from furnaces dotted within and charcoal piles around the limits of the settlement billowed. Hammers rang and men and women chattered around Aloy as she steered her Broadhead towards Petra's workshop.
"Aloy! Are you a sight for sore eyes." Petra called as Aloy climbed the steps to greet the woman, "Been wondering when I'd see your flame-hair again."
"Hi Petra, I can see you've been busy. I counted at least fifty of your cannons at the gate." Aloy thumbed behind herself.
Petra gave a chesty chuckle, "Yeah, Avad saw the metal we wrought here and wanted more than just the taste we gave those machines at the Spire. He commissioned me to make more of my girls to adorn his walls and towers," Petra gestured at the cannon on her worktable, "which we were happy to provide, for the right price."
"I'm glad."
"So what's a bright-spark like you doing in my 'shop then? I feel you need something since you haven't been though here in months?" Petra asked with a sharp look in her eye.
"I… Deserved that." Aloy admitted.
It's been about half a year since she left Meridian, immediately after the battle. Once HADES had been stopped, Varl, Erend and Petra had split up to check on their men and Aloy, well…
"Don't mistake me. That was one hell of a good fight you brought to our door. More injuries than deaths and more scars to show the girls. I can't complain." Petra gave Aloy a toothy grin. "But you left and it begs the question which made the Hero of the Spire leave so quick?"
Aloy flinched at the name.
"Ah." Petra said quietly, "I get it now. So, what can I do for you?"
"I'm headed to Meridian and I wanted to know if anything had happened that I needed to know?"
"Avad has been arming his guards to the teeth into something that resembles an army now. He's adamant the Sundom won't be caught on the back foot again. Same for anyone that allies with him, be it the Nora or even the shadow Carja. All it means for me is more work and good pay for my people which is good for business." Petra said as she turned to her worktop and grasped a heavy hammer. She brought it down onto the cannon there and smashed its components off one by one.
"What are you – "
"I can do better." Petra dismissed, "How about you?" Petra winked, "Anyway, some apparent big-shot Captain has taken over the Carja army now. More people are coming from the hills, the Claim and even the Cut to join. Avad has decreed anyone can join if their metal is good enough and if it's made by me – it is."
Aloy had so many questions, it must have shown on her face.
"Quench your steel, Machine Hunter, follow me." Petra gestured with a grin for Aloy to follow her further into her open workshop. The heat of the forge made Aloy genuinely concerned the ends of her hair would start to crisp.
"Bit hard to, in this heat." Aloy remarked as she whipped off her fur shawl, she made a note to get a change of clothes soon, the furs were good for the Cut, not so much in the mesa.
"If I knew my furnace was all it took for you to strip off, I would have had you smelting ore for me." Petra smirked as she wandered over to a weapons rack with various spears, iterations of her cannons and other metal work.
Aloy rose an eyebrow, "I haven't yet seen a moment when Oseram didn't flirt."
"It's when we don't flirt you need to take notice." Petra lifted a spear-looking weapon off a rack. "Then you know either a fight is going to start or we really mean what we say. Take this."
Aloy took the spear-like weapon into her hands. It was lighter than she had expected with button on the grip and a feathered javelin through it. "Is this a projectile weapon?" Aloy asked as she examined it, there was a Watcher lens for a sight and it used the same powder which powered Petra's cannons.
"Clever girl." Petra praised, "It shoots javelins to poke holes into your enemy but you need to rest her on your shoulder to aim. But if you press here," Petra grazed Aloy's hand, "you'll really make her scream; it starts a current which if you stick it with the pointy end, has a mean kick of power. Enough to stun your enemy or the ground they're on in the right conditions." Petra let go of the weapon and picked up some bombs from the side, "The grey one breathes smoke enough to blind Machines and men alike, it's pretty caustic too so make sure you're not gonna catch a lungful. The blue one shocks enough to stop a machine in its tracks so you can imagine what it does to a person." Petra grinned, "The red one burns man and metal alike to make sure you're a good distance away when you use this." Petra warned, "Last one," She handed a white bomb to Aloy, "White for a flashbang enough to rival the skies if they take their fancy." Petra passed a note, "And this is how to make more and ammo for your Spike-thrower. You're a bright spark so I bet you could make more kinds you need."
"Why are you-"
"You're owed." Petra said as she watched Aloy put the last bomb and instructions in her pouch. "You helped my settlement when we met by taking out the bandits. You never claimed your payment for that." Petra said firmly.
"Well you did come and fight at the Spire-"
"I did." Petra nodded, "Avad can owe me for that which is why I'm commissioned to arm his men and women. Besides, that fight was better than any lay I've had in ages so we're straight now. Well I'm not but we're even." Petra barked with laughter at Aloy as she rolled her eyes.
A siren cried from the distance behind Aloy, she turned to see red smoke billow from Daytower gate, soon sirens rang from within free heap and people started to clear the streets behind doors.
"Petra, what's that?"
"You're cue to leave, flame hair. Red for a new-breed machine spotted at the gate, go and show it some steel!"
Aloy didn't need telling twice as she ran back to the entrance of Petra's workshop and flung herself over the low wall onto her mount. The Broadhead was skittish for a moment as Aloy swing it around to face the gate in the distance and she dug her heels into its trunk and yelled "Ya!"
Free Heap was a blur as she galloped towards the tower and it felt like only minutes had passed when she reached the gate. Thankfully the western gate was still open but she could see they were closing the eastern.
"Call the retreat!" Captain Balahn's voice rang from the ramparts, "Get them back in before –"
"Enemy sighted, sir!" a soldier cried further down as he pointed to beyond the wall. "A heard of Lancehorns and one Sawtooth, it's one of the new ones, sir!"
"Call the retreat, damn it man!"
A white flare rose from the battlements as Aloy skidded her mount to a halt. "Hold the gate and keep it open enough for them and me to get through!"
"Aloy!" Captain Balahn's face which was tight with concern eased for a moment before he was all business, "A new breed of Sawtooth with a thrall of smaller Machines are coming. They attack without provocation. My men can defend the settlement but my men are still out there – "
Aloy could see the question in his eyes,
"On it!"
"Let Aloy though!" he cried as the gears jammed the door to a halt, Aloy managed to squeeze herself through on her Broadhead, just about.
"Just don't shoot at me!" Aloy hollered at the soldiers as she kicked off away towards the Machines.
Overhead, cannons fired off and she could see they had aimed directly at the Sawtooth as it galloped through a pack of Lancehorns. Its black armour seemed to simply brush off the volley. Not even any smaller components came off from the impact. Aloy raised a hand in a fist for the men behind her, as she tapped her Focus with her other hand quickly. Thankfully the guards understood Aloy's signal and they ceased fire.
The fleeing soldiers had a fairly good lead but the Sawtooth was closing the gap. Aloy selected a few Explosive arrows and took some pot shots at the Sawtooth which was enough for it to catch its attention.
"Great, now it's going for me." Aloy muttered as she veered away in the opposite direction of the group of guards, her Focus told her more information about its apparent weak spots which seemed a little more different to other Sawtooths she had fought.
The panicking Lancehorns caught her attention for a moment as they screamed and threatened to trample everyone as they scattered. A green web appeared suddenly between the heard of Lancehorns and connected with the handle of her spear.
She picked a tearblast arrow and shot at the freeze canister of the nearest Lancehorns, it exploded and staggered the machine. Long enough for Aloy to close in to it and override it. Suddenly the green web which connected all the acquisition-class machines became blue and they became docile. Aloy veered away again to get some distance from the charging Sawtooth. She shot three fire arrows at its chassis which only enraged it more. Suddenly all of the Lancehorns turned to the bigger machine and identified a threat to them.
Some charged it, others leaped at it with their powerful legs, Aloy turned around to watch the guards. They had made it to the gate. Great.
"Thank you, CYAN." Aloy muttered, this was one of the new features the AI had apparently added to the Focus. The cried of the Lancehorns caught her attention and she turned in time to see them be trampled one by one by the larger Machine.
"Sorry little guys." Aloy said as she swapped her bow for the spike-thrower, took aim and shot at its blaze canister. It exploded instantly and Aloy had to steady herself on her mount from the kickback.
"Nice!" Aloy said as the component became nothing but shrapnel.
Unfortunately, her luck had run dry as the Sawtooth took control and began to tear through the heard of smaller Machines with a roaring growl. It trampled some of them like they were nothing, others it had flung into the air.
"Shit!" Aloy said as she put away her spike-thrower and swerved away from a screaming Lancehorn but was too late as the sheer strength of the Sawtooth made it appear weightless.
The Lancehorn smashed into Aloy and her mount and clipped her back painfully. They fell as one onto the ground. Aloy tried to kick herself free from the tangle of Machines and once her Broadhead had found its feet again. Aloy pulled herself up onto its back and carved a wide circle around the Sawtooth, keen to get some distance between it and herself. She notched three more explosive arrows and it its components with some success but now she was its main focus since all of the Lancehorns had been destroyed. It maintained eye-contact with Aloy and it became difficult to get its weaker sides and back.
Aloy stood on the components on her mount to stand tall on its back. She used the spike-thrower to shoot at its eyes which had missed within inches. The kick back from the new weapon made her right leg slip and her aim was off. Aloy scrambled to get her balance and realised her right leg and foot were soaked with blood from a wound on her back. This distraction was more than enough time for the Sawtooth to lunge at Aloy.
With little choice but to flee, Aloy climbed and leaped off the back of her mount and she dived backwards. She landed in a messy roll just as the Sawtooth smashed into the Broadhead.
Aloy stood her ground and fired at the remaining blaze canister as the Sawtooth tore her mount apart. It exploded and Aloy used her ropecaster to pin the Machine down to the ground in an attempt to buy herself more time. She used the spike-thrower to tear holes in its chassis which did a good amount of damage but as she grasped for more ammo, Aloy realised she had used all Petra had given her.
"Aloy!" Captain Balahn's voice called from the wall, "Come back!"
Even if Aloy was the type to run from a fight, she knew she would never make it in time to reach the gate. It was too fast. Much faster than any she had seen before. All she could do was stand her ground. She notched more tearblast arrows and managed to sheer off some of its chassis.
Aloy used her ropecaster to pin it down again while it was momentarily staggered and she fired at its eyes but it kept shaking its head in an effort to free itself from its restraints. Aloy notched three more fire arrows and took aim and loosed them just as an arm hooked itself around her middle and dragged her away from the Machine.
Aloy kicked at the person who had grabbed her and they both tumbled to the ground just as he yelled, "Fire!" and another volley of cannon fire smashed into the Sawtooth. The sound was deafening this close and she watched as shrapnel flung off its back.
Aloy pushed herself away and threw a fire bomb at the Sawtooth which burned into the exposed insides just as she watched Erend swing his hammer overhead and smashed the Sawtooth's head into the ground. The Sawtooth ripped through the remaining ropes like they were cobwebs and it arched its back to roar.
Aloy ran to the side for a better angle and kept firing at its eyed until eventually sparks spluttered from them and the red light flickered out.
Aloy and Erend relaxed for a moment but that was a mistake. Sightlessly, the Sawtooth used its razor-sharp claws to swing around. It seemed to be able to hear Erend as he dodged away and it geared up for another launch. Aloy ran towards the Machine and leaped onto its back and stabbed into its wiring with her spear. Erend continued to smash into its head but soon it had shook Aloy off and knocked Erend off his feet with a wild lunge.
They scrambled onto their feet and Erend grabbed Aloy's elbow and waved at the gate as they tried to get some distance from the Machine. The cannons loosed another volley of fire at the Sawtooth and finally, it was down.
"If you wanted –" Erend wheezed as he rubbed his ribs, "to get my attention-" he gestured at the smoking remains around them, "you didn't have to bring this to my door!"
Aloy smirked as she tried to take stock of her surroundings and moved towards the Sawtooth.
"I've not seen a Sawtooth like this before." Aloy admitted, as she stripped its components, "Better armour, faster and stronger." She sighed.
"They've been hell for the trade routes. The more machines you kill, the more likely that these guys show up."
"Their armour doesn't get affected by my arrows, I have to get a direct hit on the exposed components or use something else. It makes me want to rethink my arrowheads." Aloy confessed with a sigh.
"Well that's a scary thought." Erend said as he wiped his brow, "A more deadly Aloy in the near-future. Makes me kind of glad you didn't suddenly decide to be a bandit-queen as a career. You'd make a killing. Literally."
They both laughed but there was a tension between them that hadn't been there before.
Aloy yanked the Sawtooth's heart out and out it in her pouch, "I have a feeling it would be less work. Maybe I should consider it as a career." She gestured at the smoking remains of machines around them."
"And I'll hand in my resignation to Avad and never sleep again." Erend joked, as he accepted the proffered potion from Aloy and they swigged down their drinks before Aloy moved to loot the Lancehorns. Aloy left the Broadhead, it hadn't seemed right to do anything to it other than pry her back from it. Her bedroll had a hole in it but her other gear seemed salvageable. She took out a ready-made poultice from her pack and unwound it.
Aloy moved towards Erend and asked, "Can you give me a hand?" and he held it to her back as she wound it around her middle.
"You gonna be alright, looks pretty deep?" Erend muttered quietly as he noted the bandage was already starting to soak through.
"I'll live." Aloy said brusquely as they made their way back to the gate. She picked some fresh flower heads to eat as they walked.
"Now I know what a busy afternoon looks like for you." Erend commented as he fell in step beside her, "That means all clear." He supplied as they both watched as a blue flare's smoke wafted across the battlements.
"I feel like I was the one being tracked by Machines today," Aloy said, "I came through here on my way to Free Heap earlier."
"Nah, those soldiers whose hides you saved before," Erend said, tersely, "they were supposed to protect a caravan which is due for Free Heap. Means now they will have to go back out and find the caravan and then bring it back at dawn."
"Don't be so hard on them, it took us and a lot of cannons to take it down." Aloy shrugged as they reached the gate finally.
"I can find the caravan, if you like?"
"Nah, it's okay, Aloy," Erend shook his head, "but those bung-heads think they're a good hiding from me so I'm gonna let them take an easy win and let them keep their chins up. Otherwise they're grovelling will become a pain in my as- my neck!"
"Good catch." Aloy grinned.
"She said I was a good catch!" Erend joked as Captain Balahn greeted them within the gates.
The quieter man saluted them both as they met and he broke stance to shake his head, "I don't like to contradict you, sir but I would warn you not to mess with the Nora. Our proximity to them over the years has given myself and my men a healthy dose of respect." He nodded to Aloy, "Especially you, after that display, Aloy."
"Can you tell me more about the 'new-breed' machines you've mentioned?" Aloy asked as she was led to the barracks and they sat to discuss. Aloy kept her posture poised because the cut on her back was throbbing.
"It's the same story I've told you before, sir-"
"-Erend."
"Erend," Captain Balahn corrected himself with a shrug, "These new machines come from the Cauldrons when the trade routes are cleared from other machines and then they make a mockery of our troops. I think we need to take a more defensive, protective tactic than what we had originally planned. We need to slow our hunting of the Machines and hope it slows the production of these new-breeds until we can come up with a long-term plan for them."
Erend nodded in agreement, "We could have been facing complete disaster if the Sawtooth had hit the walls. I'll make sure the other settlements know to stick to defence as opposed to continuing with more of the same as before."
"I'll let you relay that to Petra that her supply chain will be affected." Captain Balahn said with a slow smile.
Erend cursed under his breath.
Aloy looked at Erend properly for the first time since they'd reunited. His hair and beard looked the same, his armour was the same and his mannerisms hadn't changed but he looked heathier somehow. His eyes a bit more clear and focused somehow and he seemed a bit more present.
"What happened to the Caravan?" Aloy asked as she shook herself away from her own thoughts.
"Unharmed, they retreated back to Valleymeet at the first sign of danger. My men will regroup and head off at first light."
"Vallymeet?" Aloy asked with surprise,
"The Nora are trading with the Carja?"
Erend turned to look at her, "So you didn't come from there?"
Aloy shook her head, "No I was in the Cut."
Captain Balahn added, "We trade freely with the Nora now and in return, we provide them with weapons, supplies and protection though… I feel like I have more assurances to make." He sighed.
"Best of luck with that–" Erend quipped, "I'll happily talk to Petra in comparison- No offence, Aloy."
"None taken, I've met warmer glaciers than the Nora. I think they'd even take that as a compliment."
Both men laughed.
"I'm glad you said that and not him," Captain Balahn gestured at Erend, "Avad would have to find a new Captain for the Restoration military."
"And I thought you were on my side!" Erend muttered darkly.
They stood as one and moved out of the room.
"Can you tell the Nora I'm going to investigate the cauldrons, soon? These new machines can't remain unchecked." Aloy asked Captain Balahn.
The man bowed his head as they made it to the dirt track between the gates once more, "Your words will bring a great comfort to the Nora as they are to me, Aloy. The sun has shone greatly on you since you were but a young Brave." The man admitted, "Erend himself hasn't shut up about you in the months since the Spire." He broke into a smile as he dodged Erend's swipe easily.
Erend went red as they walked towards the western tower as he muttered about insubordination. "He didn't really mean –"
"It's fine." Aloy said quickly, "I need to head to Free Heap and then Meridian."
"Oh good, I hope you don't mind the company since I'm heading that way myself?" Erend asked as he scratched the back of his head.
"Sure. You can carry my pack since my Broadhead got destroyed," Aloy joked but paused as she saw Erend put his hand out to take her pack from her, "I was kidding, Erend." She shook his head with a smirk, "What's this about you being Captain of the Restoration military, was it?"
A bark of laughter came from behind them as thy both turned to see Captain Balahn by a group of his men, "You better answer her, Erend!"
"Get back to work, you bung-heads!"
Captain Balahn turned quickly away but Aloy could see his shoulders shaking in badly-suppressed laughter, Aloy returned her look back at Erend.
He sighed but didn't answer her immediately which Aloy found puzzling.
"Come on, tell me." She asked impatiently as she nudged his arm, "We have to walk back to Free Heap anyway so we need a trail story."
They passed through the Western gate and soon were in the open again with Free Heap in the distance.
"Even when I want to, I just can't seem to say no." Erend said thickly under his breath.
