Notes:
Again, I can only thank you all for being such awesome readers. You all make me want to work hard on making this story the best it could be. Thank you for your readership, Kudos, comments and all the other amazing things you've done. The HZD community on this site is amazing.
Lonski.
Chapter Seven: The Alight.
It was an unusual thing to attempt to haggle a lower price. In the end, Aloy had allowed herself to lose to Petra as they argued over Shards.
Instead, she donated the extra money to fund the city's coffers after Teb had mentioned the expense he had amassed by procuring the goods he had needed to help the refugees. Aloy corrected herself, they were being called settlers now, she had heard. Merging the people together still hadn't been without its problems but at least their immediate concerns had abated. Children shouldn't have to live without a roof over them or go to bed without food. Not even the Nora did that to Outcasts.
Aloy glanced at the Spire in the distance. The scaffold of the make-shift elevator had nearly reached the top. The gang Patra had amassed together had worked tirelessly night and day to accomplish the job before Solstice.
"Ow."
Aloy's attention turned to see a new-recruit fold herself forward in pain. She rushed over to see what had happened.
"Bloody blasted – Aloy!" The recruit gasped when she looked at the Huntress before her.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
She had volunteered herself to run drills with some new recruits with bows. The Carja relied mostly upon spears traditionally, They only seemed to use bows as an afterthought. Petra was not willing to allow anyone near one of her new cannons until the army was competent enough to shoot more than the ground.
The woman shook her head in embarrassment as she tried to not rub the area she had struck herself in, but her hand still hovered near her chest. Ah.
"Show me how you're holding your bow."
The woman did and Aloy praised, "Good posture, nice relaxed grip on the limb but you're doing something wrong."
"I am?"
"Did a man teach you to hold the bow like that?"
"Er… The only people qualified to teach us are men. Apart from you, Aloy."
"Right." Aloy nudged the woman's elbow further away from her side and she gestured to the target the woman had been working on, "Now loose!"
The arrow struck the hay target, it was a decent shot for a novice.
"Women have a few more… obstacles then man do when it comes to bows. Keep the bow away from your chest if you want to avoid hitting yourself during a fight."
The woman grinned and continued to practice at the range.
Before long, the change in the guard signaled the time for their afternoon meal and Aloy wondered whether she would find something to eat on one of the many stalls in the city or go home.
Her attention was taken when the woman waved at her, "Would you like to break bread with me?"
Aloy shrugged, "Sure. What's your name?"
"Gauga."
"Are you from the Claim?"
She nodded as they walked towards the mess, which was really just a bunch of wooden benches and tables scattered around a long table where food was served. "Thought I'd make my mark in Meridian. Then the Battle of the Alight happened the next day. I never thought I'd join an army but after the battle, I thought I'd try my hand."
They got a bowl of stew each and sat at a bench across from each other. Someone sidled up to Aloy before she had a chance to speak to Gauga.
It was Inatut.
"Hey!" He greeted Aloy and turned to the woman across from her, "I'm Inatut." He slid the communal plate of bread chunks towards himself and tore a piece on top of his bowl and started to scoop his stew up in large mouthfuls.
"I know- I mean I'm Gauga." The young woman went an interesting shade of red, Aloy noticed.
"Not many Carja women are joining the Army."
She shook her head, "I'm Oseram."
Aloy noted her long blonde ponytail and asked, "I thought Oseram women shaved their hair if they took up arms."
Gauga shrugged, "I don't plan on going back to Mainspring to ask him. I don't plan on going back at all."
Inatut paused his eating to look thoughtful. "I left the Cut because I didn't want to change my clothes. They said I was forgetting I was Banuk. I told them I wouldn't be Banuk if I forgot the things that had happened at Cloud-Sheer. Even if they had wanted to." He dug at his stew some more before setting his spoon down, "You're a good fighter. So long as you stop hitting yourself in the –"
Aloy kicked Inatut in the shin.
"So long as you keep practicing with your bow. You're a good shot." He added with a wince.
They finished their meals in a comfortable silence, though she saw her companions had been glancing at each other.
Soon Aloy stood and had decided that she was being silly. She knew she had been procrastinating going to the Palace to speak to Avad. She had been to the Palace a few times since her return. Mostly to offer updates on how the city was faring, Avad said he valued her opinion as an outsider after all. However, there were questions in his sharp eyes but he didn't seem to want to ask unless Aloy offered and Aloy hadn't. Every time.
"Bye." She said to her two companions who had started their own private conversation, they each offered a vague farewell as Aloy walked towards the exit of the training grounds.
This time, Aloy had stood in line with the petitioners at the Palace. After her scenic route to get into the Palace, her path had been well and truly patched up with brick and plaster.
She ignored the various Nobles in the line, Aloy had found that they wanted regular inspections of their property and wanted things done now and couldn't understand that their new tenants seemed to be as interested as they were to keep their homes liveable.
Marad glided down the stairs where they waited in a line at its foot. He smiled at Aloy and gestured for her to follow.
Aloy ignored the stares at her back as they walked up the stairs, it was nothing new for her.
"The Solstice ceremony will be in a few days' time. Are you prepared?"
The Huntress nodded, "I am I just need to speak to Avad before –"
They stopped at the door of the King's chambers. "Then speak. He will listen."
Aloy was never sure about the spy turned King's advisor. He always seemed to know more than he had let on.
She pushed the stone door open and let herself into the cool room. The door swung shut with a clunk. Avad looked up from his seat at the oval table.
"Aloy."
"Avad. I need to speak to you. To explain a few things."
"Have a seat."
She did as he bade and perched at the edge of her chair as she looked at the map between them. The red stones have migrated to within the city walls and into its many buildings throughout the Capital.
"It's going well, your proposal for the settlers. But let's not get distracted by that again like we have the last five times you've visited me." Avad said with a knowing smile.
"I-" Aloy wasn't used to people looking at her so shrewdly. Not unless they wanted something or carried a weapon. "You're the Sun-King."
"I am." Avad laughed.
"As the Sun-King, you represent the will of the Sun and speak on its behalf. Right?" Aloy paused as Avad mutely nodded to her, "But do you really believe that?" She blurted out before she had a chance to consider the implications of her question.
Avad narrowed his eyes as he considered her question, "I was never supposed to rule as King. My brother, Kadaman, was tutored in kinging as soon as he could talk. I was the spare so I spent my childhood reading books and learning things. I hoped to help him one day when he took the throne. Then it all went wrong. My brother thought our father would end the Red-Raids if he asked him to. He believed. Kadaman really believed the Sun's will shone through him as heir-apparent and our father had his judgment clouded. That he could shine the Sun's divine light on our father's actions and he would repent."
Aloy remained silent as his words washed over her.
"He believed in the will of the Sun right until he was thrown into the Sun-Ring. Our father continued to believe he was the Sun-incarnate and I… Never believed in it again. Not always. How can I believe a God wanted that much pointless bloodshed? Then I see the good that has happened since the Liberation and I wonder, maybe a storm needs to occur before the Sun can shine again, but brighter? It's a nice thought."
"And if I told you some things which would challenge your beliefs?"
Avad laughed and the tension which had built was broken. "Would I paint you a heretic? Aloy, since the day you came to Meridian, you have challenged the beliefs of all who have crossed your path. You helped Erend find Ersa, out-thought Dervahl's plot to kill me and convinced people from all tribes to come to Meridian to fight a Metal Devil together. Even the Nora came."
He made a good point.
"There was one thinking Machine – an AI – called GAIA. She was made of nine parts and they all had their roles. The old ones made GAIA to rebuild the world because they knew it was about to be destroyed. Something went horribly wrong. They called it the FARO plague, Machines destroyed everything, made what they didn't into food to power the Machines so they could continue to kill more people." Aloy took a breath but she couldn't yet manage to meet Avad's eyes. She settled for a space to the left just above his head.
"GAIA wasn't able to stop this from happening in anyone's lifetime. So instead they found a way to recreate the world, everything in it and everyone in it again. The plague stopped when they ran out of things to kill." Aloy gestured to the Spire though the window, "I told you this was a signal tower. They used the Spire and many others like it to stop the machines from ever coming back again."
Aloy lowered her hand so both could twist together as she spoke,
"But something went wrong. Just over twenty years ago."
"The Derangement?" Avad asked, softly.
Aloy nodded, "A signal disrupted GAIA. All nine parts of her were separated and they became their own thinking machines. Something which they weren't designed to be. HADES was made to destroy the world if something went wrong when they were rebuilding it. So GAIA could try again. Since she didn't make a mistake though… but it still did what it was created to do and tried to destroy the world." Aloy explained as best as she could but she was still unable to meet the King's eyes.
"Another part which I'm concerned about now is HEPHAESTUS. They were the component in charge of the Machines. After the Derangement, they started to see people as dangerous. Because we hunt them for parts and to keep them away from settlements. Now, HEPHAESTUS thinks everyone is a threat and they are making more dangerous Machines."
Aloy pulled herself together and looked Avad in the eyes, at last.
He didn't seem angry or scared like she was worried about. He seemed… thoughtful?
"Is this why you were born?"
"Yes. It was - wait, what?"
It was Avad's turn to not meet Aloy in the eye, "I had some of my spies… look into you." He confessed slowly, "After you left so suddenly, I was concerned. I waited weeks and there was no word from you. So I asked my envoys as they visited the Sacred Lands… inquire about you. I didn't find much other than the fact that you were a foundling. Found in Mother's Heart. If what you say is true about people being reborn after this… plague. Were you born the same way?"
Aloy's shocked face was all she could do in regards to a reply.
"I had six months of worrying for my friend to consider all the reasons as to why you left. I had thought my apology for my…. Indiscretions were not enough and you left Meridian partly for that." Avad looked down at his hands.
"It wasn't that, really. Just don't do it again and we're fine." Aloy tried to smile to break the tension but failed, she shook her head. "GAIA made me as a copy of the woman who designed her; Elizabet Sobeck. GAIA had to destroy herself to stop herself being overtaken by this signal. GAIA hoped I'll be able to rebuild her and stop the derangement. If I don't… things will get much worse. For everyone."
There wasn't much more to explain, Avad lent backwards in his seat and looked pensive into the middle distance for a while.
Aloy decided to break the silence,
"I want to give you a Focus. When I connect CYAN to the Spire, she can explain better than me about what this all means. What we're trying to do. Erend can show you how to use it. He's taken to it like a goose to water." She smiled wiry as she slid it across the table and towards Avad.
"I could… speak to this… AI?"
"Oh yes, she's quite friendly."
"Are we ever going to have a normal conversation, Aloy?" Avad asked with an exasperated look.
Aloy grinned.
Namman's voice drifted over the crowd as he greeted all assembled on a raised platform. The Spire loomed above; impossibly tall and its shadow cut a deep but small shadow in the high-noon sun.
Aloy took a shaking breath as she saw Erend and Talanah flank either side of Namman. It had been one of Aloy's requests, she didn't want to stand alone up there in front of all those people .
Teb had outdone himself. Once Aloy had spoken to him about what this ceremony was about, the Stitcher had been hard at work creating an outfit which represented every tribe of their known world. Petra had done the same and casted a large golden sphere which was carved by every Tribe's symbol. Petra had used the Corruptor's port to fit CYAN's key. The Forgewoman didn't necessarily care why she had to, aside from the fact that Aloy had asked.
Behind the stage was Petra's masterpiece; an elevation contraption that the workers had poured over night and day to complete. The concept had been simple, a large counterweight lifted the platform, the sphere and Aloy to the top of the Spire.
Aloy stood to the side of the stage behind a false wall, she definitely wasn't hiding.
Any moment now, she'd have to step out. Make her speech. Go up the lift. Insert the key and get out of there.
Aloy looked to the skies in the hope of any Glinthawks gliding on thermals. There wasn't even a cloud to be seen. Not that she was hoping there would be a Machine attack, but she'd be ready.
"And now, without further ado, I would like to invite to the stage to speak; Aloy of the Nora."
Aloy lifted her chin and walked towards Namman, the priest nodded to her and stepped aside for Aloy to take his spot.
Aloy cleared her throat and… nothing.
Erend nudged her arm with his and he tried to catch Aloy's eye.
Aloy couldn't even meet him in the eye, the crowd started to mutter amongst themselves.
'Can someone throw fruit at me? I'm used to people throwing things at me.' Aloy thought darkly as she struggled to even think of a thing to say.
Erend abruptly bent down and leapt off the stage, elbowing himself some space from the people around him. The Captain waved at Aloy to catch her attention.
"Just speak to me." Erend said quietly.
Aloy looked at Erend and cleared her throat again, "My name is Aloy." She began simply, "Six months ago I became aware of a threat to Meridian. The Eclipse who had massacred my Tribe at the Proving were planning an attack here, at the Spire. I came to warn the Sun-King Avad because I know how much he cares for the safety of his people and I am grateful he listened."
Aloy's voice became stronger, she continued to look only at Erend as he smiled back to her.
"But we didn't stop the Eclipse alone. When the danger became apparent, people from all Tribes came to Meridian's aid. The Nora left the Sacred Lands, The Banuk from the Cut, the Oseram from the Claim and of course, the Carja from Meridian. Even people with no tribe connection came to help because it was the right thing to do."
Aloy licked her lips and took a breath, "Today, Sun-King Avad has asked for us all to mark this day as the beginning of a new era. We have proven that together we can accomplish great things and the borders and cultures that once divided us can give us strength. We can all be better and stronger if we all work together. As one Tribe of this world."
Erend began to loudly clap his hands together, the original Vanguard also joined him with a whooping and rambunctious cheer. Soon, the rest of the crowd joined in and Aloy turned as Talanah patted her on the arm with an encouraging smile.
Aloy moved to step on the lift, she didn't have much more to say and thankfully the Sun-Priest had moved to speak to the crowd once more, to explain the next steps.
The counterweight was released above Aloy's head and the platform shuddered and began to lift her up. The wind caught Aloy's hair as she braced a hand on the low wall of the elevator compartment. The sphere was thankfully secure as it was set into a small hole, it only came to her waist in height and Petra had explained it was mostly hollow and light enough to roll.
Aloy looked out at Meridian in the distance and felt her stomach lurch at the height she had climbed already. The Nora looked up and instantly regretted it as she saw just how far she had left to go.
The counterweight whizzed past her in the parallel shaft. Halfway then.
The nerves, thankfully, abated now and Aloy just tried to focus on her next steps.
Soon she could speak to CYAN again, and soon CYAN could scan the region and its cauldrons. Soon Aloy can make her next moves towards tracking the rogue AI and rebuilding GAIA.
The lift stopped abruptly, the wind seemed to pick up more now she was at the top. Wooden railings circled the Spire and Aloy saw where Petra had wanted her to roll the sphere.
A claw had been set into the top of the Spire, similar to the setting of a jewel for a ring. Aloy pushed the sphere towards it and soon it settled with a satisfying click .
Aloy took the key from her pouch and set the key within. She paused, nothing seemed to happen. She wiggled it about a bit before suddenly–
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from the top of the Spire and a blue light shot right through the entirety of the Spire. Out to the sky in a bright blue column. It stretched away out towards the far distance. Over the plains, maizelands, the jungle and over the mountains.
Aloy stumbled backwards and clung onto the elevator's wall as the whole structure she stood on creaked in pain and trembled.
It felt like she had overridden the world's largest Tallneck.
As soon as Aloy couldn't see the light, it swept back towards her at break-neck speeds and imploded back into the Spire. Aloy's eyes blurred, her ears popped and her chest felt fit to burst from the pressure as it crushed into her.
The world spun beneath her feet and Aloy lost her footing. Beneath her knees, it felt like everything was shaking.
Aloy opened her eyes only to find the platform was moving. Not just down, to the side!
Screams and shouts drifted on the air as it whipped up and caught her hair as Aloy felt the platform begin to free-fall down. Down towards the ground. Ropes wound around the platform began to fray and snap, the counter-weight's shaft juddered and the mechanisms inside began to come loose and disintegrate as Aloy sped past them.
Aloy unbuckled the Oseram-style wide belt and wrapped it around the central line in a desperate act to slow down her descent. It wasn't enough to stop herself from falling but it was enough to come up with a plan.
The belt grew hot in her hands. The elevator didn't seem to be slowing at all.
She clicked her Focus and connected to Erend, "Get them out of the way, NOW Erend!"
Aloy didn't wait to hear his reply as she clicked the Focus off.
Interesting sounds were coming from the elevator pillar beneath her. Not good sounds.
Aloy steeled herself and looked over the side of the lift to see the crowd below clear away and far from the Spire. Closer than that, Aloy saw what was happening to the Elevator. Something crashed into the elevator section by section, tearing through the wooden pillars and trusses. The elevator was leaning dangerously away from the Spire now. The counterweight rose to meet Aloy. Fast.
If Aloy didn't move soon, that too would smash into her.
Aloy let go of the belt; that too whipped away from view. She scrambled to the edge of the platform and placed a foot on the barrier. Aloy leapt with it and off the side just as the counterweight smashed into everything behind her. Aloy free-fell for a moment, trying to get as much distance from the Spire as possible before she turned in the air and she shot her rope-caster at one of the last remaining stable pillars of the elevator.
Aloy snapped her feet together and forward and swung with all of her strength towards the side of the Spire and she managed a circuit around, and around again. Aloy kept turning and soon she saw what remained of the elevator was once more tethered to the Spire.
The counterweight smashed into the top of the elevator and after a moment of graceful weightlessness, it descended once more into the structure. Everything began to collapse down.
Aloy looked at the ground below and was reassured to see it was much closer than before. Not so relieved to realize just how fast she was still falling, however.
Dust rose and swirled in thick clouds around the ruined elevator. It reminded Erend of the Liberation, of the aftermath of the battle of the Spire.
"Aloy!" The Captain scrambled, in his peripheral he saw Talanah follow him and she started to try to lift the rubble to find their friend.
He clicked his Focus and tried to scan for her but his eyes struggled to see through the hazy dust.
Well if he couldn't see her, he might be able to hear her. He tried to connect with her Focus and yelled, "Aloy!"
" Erend ?" Aloy mumbled through the Focus after a pause.
Erend clicked his Focus again and saw Aloy beneath some of the rubble, she was moving, and that was a good thing, right?
Talanah must have seen Aloy the same way and managed to pull some of the beams off from the Nora. Erend snapped out of his stupor and helped shift the rubble away.
Aloy's hand suddenly appeared, then Erend saw her pull herself up and out and covered in dust.
"What is with things falling on me?" Aloy sighed as she rubbed her side with a wince. She looked down at her hands which Erend saw were blistered and burnt.
Petra ran towards the group and yelled, "What a hell of an exit! I'm not even mad you destroyed my elevator." She turned to Erend and Talanah and asked, "Is it like this every day in Meridian? I might move." The woman laughed as she helped brush Aloy off with some vigor, "You're alright though, right?" The Forgewoman asked in a much quieter voice.
Aloy nodded to Petra to assure the woman she was fine.
"It is with Aloy." Talanah grinned.
The group walked away from the debris.
Aloy froze mid-step.
"Hello Aloy." A kind voice rang in Aloy's ear.
"CYAN?"
"Is that who I think it is?" Talanah asked warily as she held her hand to her Focus.
Petra looked around at the three who seemed to be able to hear something she couldn't.
Aloy tapped at the thin air before her and a blue globe appeared which flashed and rotated at the center of the group. Was this CYAN? Erend wondered.
"Congratulations for accomplishing your task. As Anita would say, that was no mean feat. You completed it sooner than I anticipated." CYAN sounded happy but there was a hesitation as her hue shifted to yellow. "My creators taught me not to mince my words so I'll cut to the chase. I have some concerning news."
"What is it?" Aloy asked as she waved a hand at Petra's questioning look.
"My scans revealed further data which seems prevalent to the task at hand. There seems to be several strong signals originating from west of your location. They read similar to… HEPHAESTUS'."
"They?" Aloy deadpanned.
"Yes. I have also compiled information in regards to some concerning environmental changes. Supercell readings, seismic activity and fluctuating geothermal-"
"What does that mean?" Erend asked before Aloy could.
CYAN's color transitioned to lavender,"In plan terms. I can't confirm whether or not it is HEPHAESTUS or another AI like myself. However, my readings seem to indicate that these are not a natural phenomenon."
"So what do we do about it?" Talanah asks.
CYAN was blue once more, "I need more data in order to extrapolate various probability scenarios..." CYAN begins.
Erend looks blankly at Aloy for answers.
"Try that again, CYAN." Aloy asks for his (and her own) benefit.
"I need more information to understand what is doing this." CYAN added.
"I think I need some too." Petra said to no one in particular as she stared at the AI holograph before her.
Talanah looked at Aloy and then at Erend, "Coming from out west… Like the Forbidden West?"
"Yes. The Banuk also share that term for what was once called the states of Utah, California and Nevada." CYAN remarked.
Aloy let out a tired sigh. Somewhere deep down she expected this. She knew there were more answers out in the Forbidden West. Not just about the rogue AI's, but answers about herself too. There was no avoiding it. However, she thought to herself as she looked at all the confused, tense and determined faces of her friends. At least she won't be alone. For better or worse, she had a new family to help her. And where she was heading next, she would be in dire need of them.
END OF THE SPIRE ARC.
