Chapter 4: Free Heap.

They walked easily through the worn road which led to Free Heap, the ground was flatter so it was much easier for Aloy and Erend to skirt around any Machines they spotted.

"So how does it work?" Aloy asked as she waved her hands, "Being more hands-on makes sense but surely merging the militaries, recruiting more and also apparently making sure it's all running smoothly is more work than what were you doing before?"

"More work and less stress." Erend muttered.

Aloy nodded, "Makes sense." She herself, needed to stay busy to remain sane. If she didn't have something to do or think about, that was when Aloy felt stressed and listless. "So… does this mean you're a General then? I think that's the Carja version of a War-Chief?"

"No! No, I'm not. I'm a Captain. I'll only ever be a Captain. I don't want to be –"

"Okay!" Aloy waved her hands between them with a laugh, "Tell Avad that, not me!"

Erend's shoulders sagged, "Sorry. I sorta did but didn't I – I just needed to get off the Council and do something more."

"How long did you last?" Aloy asked with a side eye.

"Three days." Erend admitted, with a smirk.

"I didn't even last three minutes with the Nora calling me their 'Anointed'" Aloy grimaced, " I had to pull people onto their feet and tell them they can't go from shunning me to worshipping me just because I walked through a metal door."

"They don't have doors in the Sacred Lands?" Erend quipped with a slow smile, "I'm sure I saw some last time I was there."

"They do." Aloy said, noting his sarcasm to the Nora's Savage ways, "Just the door I mean was the one where their Goddess lives, or lived. Not so sure on that one. Feels a bit too late to ask about that one." Aloy rambled, "They're worshipping a metal world facility. Not that they know that. I don't want to shake their beliefs more than I did when I asked them to fight in Meridian."

Erend paused beside her, Aloy had to turn to look at him. "They're worshipping something the Old ones made? That's-"

"Ionic. Yeah."

They had made it to Free Heap just before sundown and Aloy managed to squeeze in a few trades for Machine parts for Shards. At an armoury she managed to persuade a trader to do a partial exchange for an Oseram Sparkworker set. It was basic but was cooler than her furs from the Cut and it did the trick until she came to Meridian.

Moments later, Aloy reappeared from the small room behind the shop in her new armour. Aloy passed her old furs onto the shop-keeper to complete the exchange. As they left, Aloy saw in her peripheral as they raised the armour up to examine a rather large and quite bloody hole in the back.

"Soak it overnight in cold water and it will be fine to sew up once dry." Aloy said as she hurried away. She felt bad for fleecing him but she needed the shards to make new arrows and pay for more supplies.

"The Bandit-Queen strikes again." Erend muttered as they walked away, Aloy elbowed his side.

Suddenly something Petra had said earlier clicked, "You're the one who Petra called the 'Big-Shot Captain.' Now it makes sense."

Erend suddenly blushed, and pushed her back in the arm, "Call me that again and I'll-"

Aloy dodged him with a snigger, "What, you're doing well! I mean, you merged the Military. As an Oseram. You're arming the men with cannons and recruiting – why are you so uncomfortable talking to me about it?"

Classic Aloy, going straight for the jugular, "It just felt like I was going down and not up. I mean, I was on the council and I quit. If Ersa were here she'd do better at this and I still feel like that useless drunken –"

Whack!

Aloy hit him over the back of his head with her bedroll.

"How do you plan on avoiding stray arrows if all you're doing is shooting yourself in the foot?" Aloy hissed.

"Ow!" Erend complained, "What does –"

"Good arm!" Petra complimented Aloy's swing. Both of them turned to realise that Petra had been watching them walk down the track towards her forge for quite some time.

Aloy sighed and shook her head, "Got any cannons I can break down!"

Petra waved to the back of her shop and Aloy took Petra's heavy hammer as she went.

"Haven't seen sparks fly like that in a hot minute." Petra muttered to Erend. They went back many years, both left the Claim about the same time. She'd known him and Ersa long before Ersa cut her hair and Erend had taken his first drink.

Loud bangs came from the back of the workshop.

"What did I do?" Erend asked Petra

Petra appraised Erend for a moment as a few more bangs came from the other side of the shop, "You mean, what made her nearly blow a gasket, just then? Oh just something you've done for years and never learned how not to. Your sister was just the same."

Erend's face fell at her mention,

"I'll translate Aloy's words into Oseram for you. You feel like you're nothing more than a slag heap and never learned to appraise your actual worth. Ersa felt the same about herself."

Erend let that sink in for a moment and said, "Ersa was never-"

Petra raised an eyebrow and looked at him, askance, "Everything she did was for you, Erend. Escaping the Mad Sun-King, rallying the Freebooters at the Claim, the assault of Meridian to kill the old King, making the Vanguard and getting you to stay in Meridian. There I was, thinking I'd never meet a person again who second-guessed herself more than Ersa until you grew up and became more of a headache than she ever was. Doubt is natural but Ersa learned to be steady because you needed her. That flame-hair behind me will either burn you or snuff you out if you don't grow up."

The thumps stopped behind Petra and she added, "Aloy wrecked a perfectly good cannon back there because you can't appraise yourself for shit." Petra thumbed behind her, "So back to business. Do I need to replace the ones on the wall?"

Erend hesitated, Petra genuinely scared him but he knew he needed to be honest, "They need to be more powerful. The armour of the New-Breeds just won't shatter under fire currently. Aloy's new spike thing did okay getting through but I only saw her fire a few as I came to assist. She mentioned needing to rethink her arrows too."

As if on cue, Aloy appeared behind Petra as she placed the heavy hammer back on the work top. Petra took Aloy by the shoulders and moved her lips to her ear, Aloy froze for a moment.

"I'll be taking this back." Petra took the Spike-thrower off Aloy, "And this too," She took the whip clipped to Aloys belt. "And I also need your bow."

"Why?" Aloy asked as she stepped back from Petra.

"They need an upgrade, badly if Erend's report is anything to go by."

"This spike-thrower is a prototype and I will need it to arm the defences better. Don't worry, you'll get it back fresh from the forge tomorrow with the other things."

"How much will this put me back?" Aloy asked as she ran figures in her head, she needed to make more arrows. "I wasn't planning on paying for upgrades at the moment."

Petra turned around and gave a pointed look at Erend, and mouthed, 'You are'

Erend cleared his throat, "Don't worry, I'm sure the parts from the Machines you took down will cover it."

As they left the forge, Aloy rubbed her arm, feeling vulnerable, "The last time I didn't have my gear was at the Sun-Ring. At least I have my spear." Aloy muttered as she swung around to check her bandage on her back, she had re-packed it when she had changed but it needed a proper change soon.

"Come on, let's get you something to eat. You'll feel better on a full stomach with rest. My treat."

Aloy didn't disagree and soon they were sat in a booth inside an Inn with bowls full of minced meats, maze and grilled vegetables with flatbreads on a plate between them. Aloy tore off a piece and scooped at her meal, ignoring her spoon to Erend's amusement. Aloy looked up at him after a few bites to see him just watching her from across the booth.

"What?"

"Forgot the Nora don't really do the whole cutlery thing."

Aloy picked up her spoon and quipped, "What, too savage for you?" and shovelled her stew in, faster than before with barely a moment's pause to chew. "Wood can be used for weapons or firewood. It's a waste to use them for things you can just use your hands for. Especially when you're on the trail."

Erend took his gloves off and attempted to eat his food her way, after a few pointers from Aloy. She rolled her eyes at his poor attempt and she gave up on teaching him and shoved a large mouthful into his mouth and laughed. Erend returned to using his spoon. They finished their meals in a comfortable silence.

Erend stacked their plates to the edge of the table and he turned to the bar and called, "One large Wild Ember flower and two Oseram spirits."

"Erend – I don't want to drink."

"Good, more for me. Budge up." Erend stood from his seat opposite Aloy and shifted into the bench beside her as their drinks arrived and their plates were cleared. He suddenly seemed really serious. "Do you have any more bandages on you?"

Aloy took out her medicine pouch and placed it on the table, "I'm okay I-"

Erend dragged the spirits closer to him, "Drink your this, it will help with the pain. They make the flowers into a syrup and mix it into water. No booze." He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder to nudge her to turn away from him. He removed his neck scarf and used one of the spirits to soak it and thoroughly clean his hands while a wad of bandaged soaked in the other glass. Aloy watched him in the corner of her eye and realised he was waiting for her to lift her top up her midriff and loosen the old bandages. "Sorry 'bout this but it's gonna sting." He murmured to her.

"It's fine. Go ahead." Aloy winced as he removed the old poultice off her cut and scrubbed her wound clean with a freshly-soaked bandage. Aloy winced, it was always worse when someone else did it but she couldn't see it very well so as loath as she was to admit, it was for the best.

"Nearly done." Erend said as he discarded the used bandages on Aloy's empty bowl and took a fresh roll of bandages made a small pad with some and offered the rest for Aloy to wrap herself up as he moved back into his seat.

"Could have done with one of those if we were in the Claim. The feather-heads have made Free Heap soft." Erend said as he didn't meet her eye.

"Thank you, Erend. I'm sorry, I thought you were going to drink them." She admitted with a blush.

Erend smiled slowly, "That's the first time I've touched the stuff since the Ersa's funeral." He admitted as he regarded his scarf which was soaked with alcohol. He fidgeted awkwardly, he seemed to want to be anywhere but near the bar. "Definitely since I've drank any too." He joked, his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hey." Aloy said as she reached over from, "That's really good, you've done so well. Ersa would be proud. I mean – I'm so proud of you, Erend."

"Ahhh, I'd do whatever it takes to get a pretty girl like you to smile." Erend's voice was light and joking but his smile didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Erend." Aloy said quietly, "Do you need to be anywhere else tonight? See your men or do rounds?"

"No." Erend slowly said, he seemed unsure where this was going.

Aloy bit her lip, "I'm going to have to explain a few things and it might take a while… I'll book us a room for the night, okay?"

They rose from their table and came to the bar, as Aloy ordered them a twin room, she noticed Erend throw his scarf in the cook's fire and hesitate to put his gloves back on his hands.

The innkeeper passed a key to her and she led Erend upstairs.

Erend made a beeline for the sink in the small washroom in the back and filled the bowl with water from the jug and lathered his hands with lye soap and scrubbed at them furiously.

Aloy removed her spear and placed it between the beds, she chose hers furthest away from the door. She lit the lamp on the side table between them. "My – the man who raised me. Rost. I didn't know why, growing up. But one week every year he left the hut we shared and would come back smelling of alcohol. Now I guess it was because that was around the time he lost his family."

Erend moved to sit opposite Aloy, their knees grazed each other's as he threw his gloves on the night stand.

"He never told me about his past." Aloy admitted, "He got so angry if I ever asked him about it. Once I tried to follow him. I thought he was going to the village or something. He was a kind man but he had a temper." Aloy sighed, "Made me go out alone as a kid and could only come back once I got Machine parts or field-dressed kills. He always told me what to get, each time it changed. It had to be done perfectly or he'd send me back out. I'm thankful because it's how I got self-sufficient. And to keep a stash of Machine parts." Aloy smirked, "I always got into trouble for asking too many questions." Aloy smirked, "Still do."

Erend regarded her silently, he waited for her to continue.

"I now know he drank. I asked the Matriarch's after he – Anyway. He drank all of the time before I came into his life. He stopped as soon as I was brought to him to raise years later except one week each year he went to the woods and drank. His mate and daughter were kidnapped and killed. He followed the killers away from the Sacred Lands, Meridian and all the way to the Forbidden West and killed the murderers."

They both simply looked at each other in silence as Aloy carded her fingers through some hair.

"You were alone?" Erend asked with concern.

"What- oh no. Rost always left me with an old Outcast lady he looked out for until I was old enough to look after myself." Aloy waved her hands, "What I mean to say is I'm sorry I was so hard on you –"

Erend took her hand, "Don't be. I want to thank you. I don't think I'd have crawled out of the bottle without you nagging me." He let her hand go after a moment and asked, "So what's a pretty girl like you wanting to go back to Meridian?"

Aloy sighed, this might be one of the moments CYAN told her about to share more with people. She took her tingling hand and reached into her pouch and proffered a Focus. "For you."

Erend took it, mutely and stared at Aloy, "There's so much I need to tell you but I haven't. There was never time. I… Was afraid to." Aloy said sadly.

"Aloy, its fine." Erend said.

"I need to stop the Derangement."

"That's possible?" Erend asked, abruptly.

Aloy nodded slowly.

"That's – I mean that's amazing news. The world would be so much safer and the Machines, I doubt you remember what they were like before but…" Erend stopped, "Wait, why do you have to. I bet if we explain to Avad he could –"

"The Proving Massacre was because of me. I was seen by Olin's Focus and HADES told Helis to kill me. I was a threat to his plan. HADES recognised me. Or at least, thought he did. I looked like a woman who had the ability to shut him down. Helis cut my throat on the mountain so I'd no longer be a threat to their plan." Aloy said as she cupped the thin white scar on her neck, "HADES was the 'devil' who tried to take over the Spire. HADES would have destroyed the world if we hadn't stopped him."

"So they thought you were your Mother?"

Aloy shook her head. "They thought I was that woman. I thought it was my mother they were looking for. So I went looking for her also, thinking she might help me stop the Eclipse."

"So… That's why you left after the battle of the Spire?"

Aloy sighed, "I discovered just before the battle who she was when I went back to the Sacred Lands. And also… My role in all of this." Aloy ran her hands through her hair as she sighed, "I'm not explaining this well."

Erend paused. "I wish I understood. I want to understand. If this was anyone else telling me this I'd… but it's you and I believe you. So… instead I want to ask… What can I do to help?" He asked as he stared at the Focus in his hand.

Aloy, suddenly had an idea, "Can you wear the Focus?"

Erend nodded and placed the device just above his ear, just like Aloy did. Suddenly, his world became blue briefly as it loaded the interface.

"What the – is this how you see the world?" Erend asked as he saw only a blue outline of Aloy and he realised he could see several others in the street and below them at the Inn.

"Sort of. Let me see if I can link us." Aloy started to tap on her interface and her device recognised Erend's and she connected with him. "Tap the green shape and then we're linked."

Erend did that and nodded.

"Right, I'll send you some files, they're called holographs. It's best if I just show you." Aloy selected some recordings she had made; The Bad News and The Good News, GAIA's dying plea and the death of Elizabet Sobeck and the other Alphas by Ted's hands. She selected them and sent them to Erend.

They watched them in silence together, Erend had initially jumped when the images and voices appeared in her but sat in silence as he watched. He sank lower down as he watched and soon he lent heavily with his elbows on his knees.

"So?" Aloy asked nervously.

Erend stared at the empty space between them where the holographs were previously. "It's not right."

Aloy sighed, was this the reaction she feared? Did he not believe her?

"You should be worried about the next big thing in your life after the Proving. Maybe you'd travel to Meridian anyway, the world is too big and the Sacred Lands are too small. Especially for you. You should be riding off into the sunset, causing bandits and Machines alike to wish they'd never crossed your path. Not this!" He gestured wildly around himself, "If this is what the Delvers say happened and a Machine really made the world and jez… That sounds far too religious for you and me." Erend cringed in pain, "I know you." Erend looked at Aloy square in the eye, "You're gonna do it. I don't need some Machine, this GAIA to tell you or me that you can and will do it. So I'll ask again. What can I do to help?"

Aloy felt her eyes get warm and itchy, a lump formed in her throat, "I need to get to Meridian to put a key on top of the Spire to broadcast a signal. A thinking Machine called CYAN wants to help us. I need to track down the other eight components of GAIA and rebuild her. If I don't do this, things will get worse. I don't know the full extent but it could be really bad."

"So I guess riding off into the sunset with a ruggedly handsome Vanguardsman is off the table?"

Suddenly all tension broke from the room and they laughed together, perhaps harder than they normally would but they needed to. Aloy wiped her eyes as she shook her head, "Off the table."

Erend rubbed his chest in mock pain, "There I was thinking I'd have to bat you away with a stick, admit it. This trinket only makes me better-looking."

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Erend grinned and realised, "It's really late." Erend admitted as he glanced at the moon through the window. "I have a feeling we're both going to need the sleep."

Aloy nodded as she rolled onto her bed fully as she kicked her boots off.

"Thank you, Erend." Aloy said as she rolled away onto her side.

"Anytime."

Aloy woke and saw the sun had been up for a couple of hours, she rolled over to see Erend's bed was empty and nearly made. Aloy tried to ignore the cold drop of worry as it grew in her stomach.

She instead, went to find Petra shouting at smiths at her forge. She turned to see Aloy approach and waved her men away.

"Aloy! Come to get your gear?" Petra said with a wan smile as she wiped her hands on her overalls but only made them dirtier. "Been at it all night, getting my men to work double shifts, melting down those machines you took down plus our reserves. Though we couldn't do much with the new-breed Sawtooth, the metal won't melt no matter how hot the forge gets. Sorry, I'm rambling," Petra moved to reach for her worktop, "So I remade your bow, you've got a new grip and limbs and I even threw in a new string and cams."

Aloy took the bow and it felt lighter in her hands but stronger.

"And I had fun with this thing. I don't know what it was but it's now it's got a hell of a lick on it. Try it out." Petra gestured to a mannequin with Oseram armour on it.

Aloy took the bullwhip from her and moved closer as she uncoiled it, there seemed to be new wires threaded through it.

"Feel free to picture a face and take up any pent-up frustrations out on the dummy, you were both up a lot sooner than I imagined you'd be." Petra winked.

Aloy's head snapped to Petra's direction just in time to watch the older woman laughed heartedly. Aloy shook her head and raised her hand and after a few attempts, she managed to get the dummy with a satisfying crack.

"I didn't change much, just a power core and some wiring, press the switch when it connects again."

Aloy cracked the whip again and pressed the button when it connected, bolts of electricity coursed through and soon the helmet flew off as smoke billowed from it.

"Feel better?" Petra teased.

"Much better." Aloy smirked as she recoiled her whip.

"Lastly, I have this to give back to you." She passed the spike-thrower back to her, "I've made it lighter and it needs less powder. The shafts are made of Ridgewood still but the tips can be made with that new metal. Sometimes the best way to beat fire is with more fire and it seems pretty effective against the new metal, should give that red-head of yours a few ideas for more arrows. Tell Erend his men can expect a delivery of new arms soon. Perfection takes time. I need that cargo from the Caravan and things will be faster."

Aloy nodded and already ideas had begun to form for arrows and bombs with new ways to –

"Earth to Aloy?" Petra nudged her arm, "You have a message to send girl!"

Aloy didn't need telling twice, she already moved to leave before she turned, "Thanks Petra!"

She found Erend bellowing at his men within Daytower as some Soldiers were shooting in a range with cannons, others with bows. Others were performing drills with spears or Warhammers. Mostly they were Carja but there were some of the Vanguard were dotted throughout.

"Erend." Aloy greeted him.

Erend jumped as he turned around to look at Aloy, he gestured over to the side so they could speak in relative quiet.

"Sorry I shot off without saying. I felt like I had hot coals on my feet and I needed to get going." Erend said with unease, he looked tired.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, for sure. I got a week's worth of work done in a night and some of a day so we can head off soon.

"You didn't sleep?"

"Nah, I tried to but I – its fine. Just thinking though stuff and I didn't want to slow you down so." He shrugged, "I got a head start on some things."

"Petra said she is nearly done with the new arms soon, she just needs that cargo."

"Good, that's great." Erend said as he watched the soldiers working, distractedly.

"Do you wanna talk about what we talked about last night?"

"Nah! I mean – yeah but not right now. We could talk about it on the trail in a sec. I have to say this second sight is great. My men think I can see though walls!" He grinned, "Well I can but they don't know that. I caught a few on watch bunking off and –"

"You've used the Focus?" Aloy's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah well, I can't read the glyphs but it showed me some things to explain the words. I've looked at a few machines and I can see their weaknesses that go orange and how it shows you where they're going. I even followed a few guys around at a distance and learned how you know where things are headed now."

"I'm impressed!"

"Aww stop it, you're embarrassing me!"

"Well that puts you on par with the rest of the Eclipse now, at least!" Aloy joked.

"And there I was thinking you thought I was special. I'm just lumped in with those idiots."

"Well you're a lot smarter than they were. They're dead."

Erend laughed for a moment and suddenly stopped, "Hey! That's not a compliment!"

"I didn't say it was, Captain!"