Side-The Silver Mines Pt 1
-The ealderman of Ironwood asks Aloy and Vale to remove the machines that infest their mines…
Aloy and Vale sit in silence together in a room of the ealderman's building. A large round table was placed in the middle and bordered by chairs made of metal and wood, and were uncomfortable to sit in. A stone hearth is built into the corner and Aloy watches the fire to keep herself settled, mesmerized by the dancing flames. They were offered drinks, but they smell heavily of alcohol and it makes her nose wrinkle. Surprisingly, Vale doesn't take a sip of his beverage either.
"You strike me as someone who could chug that glass in a minute," she says, breaking the silence.
"I can," he replies, fingers laced together over his belly, and he's slouched back in the chair. "I choose not to."
She doesn't bother to ask why.
She's so desensitized that her senses go on the fritz when she hears footsteps come from behind the only door to the room. There's two of them, and heavy, as Oseram footsteps were. When the door opened, Olin was the first to appear.
"These are the two warriors who helped us," he speaks behind him. He's followed by a much burlier man wearing brown leather clothing. There's a fur hat on his head made out of a raccoon and his face is framed by a greyish beard. He comes to a stand at the edge of the table and takes a good long look at both of them.
"Well aren't you two the fiercest looking fighters I've ever seen in this town. You with all your metal armour and you with your blazing red hair! Why haven't I heard the miners sing songs about you two yet?" he says with a hearty smile.
"They… what?" Aloy deadpans.
"Ah, the boys like to chat up a storm when they're digging, and sometimes they break out into old nanny songs. Keeps their spirits up, ya know?" The man pulls up a chair and sits down at the table. So does Olin. "I'm Haverd, the town mayor. I understand that I owe you two a favour?"
"We're looking for Erend and his Vanguard," Aloy blurts out, and Haverd's face goes sour.
"You're looking for those Carja toe-kissers? Why? They're not here, as you can see," he sneers. Aloy's eyes narrow in his direction, but she does her best to remain calm.
"They went missing, and we're trying to find them," she says, a little more loudly than intended, but she figures it's more fitting when she was talking to an Oseram ealderman. Haverd stares at her more a few seconds in silence before she adds; "They were marching out to stop some machines."
The man's face softens a bit as he nods. "Aye, so they did. They came through town about a week ago. It seemed like a lot of men for one machine."
"It isn't just one machine, and from what I understand, it's the first of it's kind. These machines are a serious threat and it needs to be stopped."
Haverd's gaze swaps between her and Vale. "And you two plan to hunt this thing yourselves?"
"We're pretty good," Vale confirms.
"You really think you can do it? If Erend and his men are missing, it probably means they got killed! Gobbled up by whatever vicious killer is coming for us! What makes you think you can kill a machine like this?" Haverd exclaims. Aloy plants her hands flat on the table tries to look as serious and calm as possible because she's tired of people thinking that Erend could be dead.
"I don't care what you think. I care about finding Erend and the Vanguard, and the sooner you can tell me where he went, the sooner we can find him and bring him back. There are people in danger who need their steel for protection!"
Haverd raises his hands likes he's about to be engulfed in Aloy's rage. "Alright, girl. Fire and spit! Olin, why didn't you tell me she was so fierce and loud?"
The other man shrugs with a small mischievous grin. "I would answer her, Haverd. She'll gut you if she doesn't get what she wants. Believe me, I know firsthand."
The mayor grumbles something unintelligible before he sighs and runs his hand through his beard. "Alright, but you have to do me a favour before we send you off."
Aloy huffs in annoyance. "You asking me a favour after I already did you one?"
Olin cuts in. "Erend went north from here, which is where we're asking you to do this favour for us. The mines we regularly dig out got overrun by machines. Most of the miners won't risk their lives to fight them, and if you haven't noticed, this town has got no cannons we could use to drive them out with."
"I'm asking you two, as the two capable hunters that you proved yourselves to be, to clear out the mines so we can get our metal for the forges. We're trying to improve our defences for the machine threat, but we can't do that if our supply is cut off," Haverd adds.
Aloy leans back in her seat and looks at Vale. His arms are crossed and he sports the same plain face he had back when they were talking to Derrick, a face that makes him look like he's thinking, the gears in his head turning, which leads her to believe he's taking the matter seriously and not fighting to refuse their help. She was surprised when he didn't complain about accepting Avad's plea to find the Vanguard when they were so close to their then-current objective – finding the Master Override at the Spire – and diverting their quest. In fact it seemed no matter where she was going, he would follow without so much as a word.
When his gaze meets hers, there's the slightest dip of his head and Aloy nods to his approval.
"Where are the mines located?" she asks.
"Down the mountain path beyond the bridge. There's a fork in the road that goes deeper into the mountains. That's where the mines are," Haverd tells them as Olin gets up and walks over to the only bookshelf in the room. It's scarcely stocked with books and small tools except for the top shelf, which is packed full of scrolls. Olin seems to know what he's looking for, because it doesn't take him long to yank one of the scrolls out and bring it to the table. He unties the red ribbon and lays out the parchment, which reveals a map of the area. Though they already had the schematics of the land from the Tallneck, she observes the map anyway. She can see the trial that Haverd mentioned marked on the map and memorized its location.
"Any reason the machines started attacking?" she asks.
"They're Silvermanes. They attack our mines all the time," Haverd answers, and she raises her head.
"What's a Silvermane?"
"They don't have them in the south, Haverd," Olin replies and answers for him, "They're like Scrappers, except they eat raw metal, like the ore veins found underground. The tunnels are man-made, but sometimes we come across other tunnels made by Rockbreakers and Silvermanes. Since the machines started getting more dangerous, it's become harder to drive them out of the tunnels, and we need that metal ore."
"So clear out the mines, for what in return?" Vale prompts.
"A good pay, rations and supplies that'll get you through the Claim. We don't have the temperatures like Ban-ur does – thank the forge, but the snow might make your trip difficult," Haverd answers.
"And we're expecting snowfall in the next few days here," Olin adds.
"Alright, we'll do it. And we'll be on our way when it's done," Aloy says and rises to her feet.
"Olin will take you to the merchants to get fitted for the cold. Don't worry about paying for it. I'm already asking you to risk your lives for us," the mayor says. With final regards, they follow Olin without much more discussion and leave the building.
It's dark out and most of the townspeople have retreated to their homes. Aloy figures it must be close to midnight, and the thought of it makes her realize that she's extremely tired. They can't go to the mines tonight, she decides immediately. There would be plenty of time to search in the morning.
Olin brings them back to the marketplace, where only a few merchants are still occupying their stalls, but most of them are packing up and locking down their shops for the night. Luckily they manage to stop one of them before they completely close, the merchant happy to earn a few extra shards before the night ends. Even though Haverd has explained that they would get their garments for free, Olin offers to pay the man anyways.
There's a variety of clothing to choose from. Aloy can recognize Carja-style blouses and vests and even Banuk furs. There's nothing from the Nora here, but she picks out a very Nora-stylish fur robe that comes with a metal collar around the back and a hood, as well as extra furs for her Nora skirt, since her thin leggings are poor protection from the cold.
Vale picks up a one-off robe to cover his right bare arm and leave the other one free. It's padded with thick leather like the Oseram often wear, and it hooks across his torso and across his shoulders. It almost looks like he's half man, half machine when he puts it on.
"You look ridiculous," she says with a teasing grin.
"And you look like you're shivering," he quips back. It's never a better time for a chill to run through her body gently.
"We should go. Where are the Striders?"
"Outside the gates where we left them. I set up camp figuring we would be here a while."
"Good. Let's go."
"Aloy, wait!" Olin interrupts. "Can I have a word?"
She stares at him to try to read his thoughts, but Olin's a stoic man who doesn't reveal much in his expression, reminding her a lot of the other man standing beside her. She nods to Vale and he gives them the space by leaving for the town gates.
"I heard about the attack on Meridian a few months ago. I figured you must have had something to do with it. They say Helis' body was found in the wreckage," the Oseram says.
"He won't be hurting anyone else," she replies in a low tone, but Olin's broad smile is infectious.
"Hah! Fire and spit, girl. You really are a force to be reckoned with! No one's seen or heard of any Eclipse since the attack, either. How did you do it?"
"It's a long story, Olin. Maybe another time when I'm not busy," she says, not wanting to put the effort into explaining that epidemic. The man nods in understanding.
"I noticed your friend was wearing a Focus, but not like one I've ever seen before. Where did he get it?"
Aloy thought about the question and realized that she didn't quite know the answer either. She knew that he had found it in some ruins, but he wasn't very elaborate about it, and the odd modification he had on it that allowed him to see so much more than she did made her all the more curious.
"I'm… not sure. There's still a lot I don't know about him," she admits. "But he's proved to be trustworthy so far, and he's a good hunter."
"He must be, if he can keep up with you," Olin agrees. "I meant to ask earlier, about your mother…"
She debates heavily on this question and it's weight, because it was her relation to Elisabet that started this whole quest in the first place, and that in itself was a good enough reason to at least give Olin some closure.
"I did find her. She was already long dead, but she left me some final words and a… gift," Aloy says, and remembers exactly where she kept the little ornament globe: on a thin rope tied around her neck and tucked under her scarf.
"I see. I'm sorry you never got to meet her, but I think she would have been proud of what you did."
"I know." There's a moment of silence that follows and it seems appropriate. When she first found Elisabet at her final resting place, there had been a beautiful arrangement of flowers surrounding her, similar to the kind that would surround the metal flowers she had discovered on her previous journey. She never disturbed it or added to the scene except take the globe with her as a family heirloom. Somehow she didn't think Elisabet would mind. "Really, Olin, I should be thanking you. If you had never talked to me I never would have found her and the world she loved so much would have ended."
Olin nods. "Hard to believe that a little bad can cause so much good. I wish there had been another way, but…"
"We do what we can with what we got," Aloy adds. "I should go. Goodbye, Olin."
"Goodbye, Aloy, and may the world never rest on your shoulders alone."
She turns and leaves for the gates. It's such an odd saying but she doesn't think Olin realizes the significance of it, and the more she thinks about it, the more she sees the legitimacy of it, and it fills her with mixed emotions. Of course she's proud to have handled the survival of the world on her own; she had always done things herself with little to no help since she was a little girl.
But the ignorance of other people stopped her from making any real friends (Sylens hardly counted as a friend). Talanah, Olin, Varl, Nakoa. Of course she liked them all, but they just didn't share the same curiosity as she did. They didn't seek out the difficult questions nor wanted to learn about the world like she wanted to. No one did, and she hated it.
Her only ally in this was Vale.
It was time for more storytelling.
… … …
When she found Vale next, he was sitting at a small outcropping of rocks in the mountainside a few feet from the trail, a campfire already burning. His robe is pulled over his shoulders as he stares at the fire, sat on top of a smooth flat rock. Their Striders are standing behind the tents, facing forward and completely still because of the lack of grass in the area.
"The Striders won't move. I think they're running out of strength," he says as he watches her approach. She grimaces in annoyance.
"What wrong with them?"
"Don't know, exactly. Focus said 'internal energy conversation systems overheated' and 'power source depleted', whatever that means."
Aloy walks over to the pair of machines. Their usual metal clicks and chirps are silent. The blaze canisters on their backs are completely empty and the tubes that run along their backs are only filled with green bubbles and are hot to the touch. The bright blue light in their eyes has dimmed and the glow in their skin almost isn't there.
"These machines won't last much longer," she realizes. The machine's biomass conversion systems are worn down. They had been pushing these machines to their limits, draining their energy reserves faster than they could produce it, and up here in the cold mountains, there was hardly any grass or plant life for them to graze on. She doesn't see any wild clear green fields in the near future unless they went back down the path, but backtracking would cost them time.
Aloy dismounts her spear from her back and levels it towards the heart of the machine. "I'm sorry…" she whispers.
With a quick thrust, the machine twitches and collapses with a lack of sparks. The other machine jumps, but Aloy is quick and jabs it in the eye before it can get away. Vale watches in surprised silence as the machines fall victim to their master.
"Do you do that to all the machines you tame?" he asks after Aloy sits back down at the fire he's built.
"No, but there was no helping them out here. They were already dying, so it was only a matter of time. Really, it was just an act of mercy," she says, a little too plainly for her own liking.
"Hm, I didn't think you granted mercy to machines," he muses.
"It's no different than an injured animal."
"I suppose…"
They sit in relative silence as Aloy ponders over her thoughts from earlier, and how she should open up about her story of Elisabet, or anything about the rest of the story Vale didn't know yet. So far she only had time to tell him about what Hephaestus was and not much else, and he had never asked to know more since, which gave her a chance to think over her explanation and tell the story right.
"I guess I should tell you more about the truth," she offers, which brings the mercenary's gaze up to her.
"Guess so. What do you want to tell me about next?" he asks.
"I'm not sure. What do you want to hear about?"
She almost regrets it immediately because she's afraid she know knows exactly what he's about to ask.
"How about your mother? Who was she?"
Well crap.
"That's a difficult story, Vale."
"So? Tell me in the best way that you can," he replies. "Who was she? What did she do?"
Al least he gives her a direction to go. She gives it some thought and is surprised that she can come up with a explanation in her head fairly quickly.
"She… wasn't really my mother, more like a distance ancestor. She lived back in the time of the Old Ones," she starts. She could see Vale drawing his full attention to her; his legs folded neatly under him and his back is straight. He studies her quietly with a blank expression.
"Go on…" he urges. So she goes on.
"She was brilliant with technology. She could create any machine necessary to make everyone's lives easier, and so she was considered one of the smartest people of her time. When her generation was on the brink of destruction, she created a machine that would bring back life to the world after it was all destroyed. They called it artificial intelligence, or AI for short. It was a machine mind created by humans, fully capable of making its own decisions. Except when Elisabet made the AI, she didn't just teach it to make decisions. She taught it how to feel and think and care. She named it Gaia, and there were sub AI's built to help her, Hephaestus and Hades being some of them, but they couldn't think for themselves. They were incomplete as AIs."
"So what made them complete? That voice back in the Cauldron. It sounded like it could make decisions, like killing us," Vale points out.
"I'm not sure. I read a message from Gaia, once. It said that she received a signal from some unknown location, and it made all her subordinate functions self-aware and think chaotically."
Vale shrugs. "So why doesn't this Gaia get them under control?"
"Because she's dead… technically," she answers. "When Hades became self aware, he started carrying out his designated duty; bring the earth's habitability back to zero so Gaia could start over. But life was already restored, so Gaia sacrificed herself to stop Hades from immediately ending all life on earth. And so Hades began searching for other means to end the world."
There's a moment of silence as Vale thinks. Realization hits him when his eyes open up slightly.
"The battle for the Spire…"
"You said you knew that the Old Ones destroyed themselves."
He nods. "I never knew how it happened. The machines that rose from the ground, they were ancient. I fought one of them in front of the Spire in my homeland. Was that it?"
"There were hundreds of them, all around the world. The Spires were built to shut them down, but Hades reversed the process and almost activated them all. I managed to kill him before that happened. Those machines were the reason Elisabet created Gaia. You couldn't defeat an army of them because they could create more of themselves. There was no way to effectively kill them all."
"So Gaia is… a creator of life," Vale sums up, nodding his head ever so slightly. "And Elisabet made her before her generation died so that life would continue after them."
"Yes! Exactly." She smiles broadly, unable to keep her excitement from showing. Finally there was someone in the world who was understanding why they were here, why the world was the way it was. Vale nods again in a final understanding and looks at the fire again. He doesn't seem troubled by this information at all, and whatever beliefs he had before, they don't seem to be clashing with this new idea Aloy had brought forth.
"So if that's what an AI is…" he mumbles.
"There are more than just Gaia and her sub functions," Aloy says. "As soon as we have the Master Override, we're going to visit a friendly AI over in the Cut. Hephaestus tried to control her once. She might know what Hephaestus is doing exactly and what we can do to stop it."
"You're friends with an AI," Vale says. Aloy shrugs sheepishly and rubs the side of her neck.
"Yeah. I know it sounds odd but…"
"Wait. If that's the case, than I'm friends with an AI too!" he exclaims. Aloy's head snaps back in his direction and she's unable to form words at first.
"You… are?" she asks. Vale nods again.
"I believe so. I used to think that it was just some spirit, but with the way you explained it, I'm almost sure it's the same. At the ruins of the Spire, there was an AI there. She helped me with the modifications on my Focus!" he explains. Her curiosity immediately kicks in and about a hundred questions popped up in her head at the same time.
"Who is it? How did you find it? What does it do?" she says excitedly. "I have to talk to it, see what it knows."
"It's a long ways a way, and it's across the desert," he reminds her, and while the thought gives her some concern, she gives him a lopsided smile.
"Vale, I'm sure that between the two of us, we can make it. I'm more hardy than I look."
"I used to say that too, that's my point. And if time is a concern, I don't think you'd want to go the long way around."
"We'll find a way. I'm sure of it," she says. Vale dips his head and there's a tug on his lips. He had mentioned that he wasn't looking forward to the trip home, but it looked like he wasn't going to argue. "Vale, does the AI have a name?"
"Yeah it did," Vale says. He pauses for a moment, and Aloy gives him the chance to recall what the name is. What he says next nearly floors her.
"Minerva."
Surprise! Another sub function is revealed. Also this side quest has two parts because I wanted to a whole chapter to write about some new machines, but I didn't want to cram it all into just one chapter, so next week we'll finally see some new machines.