Hey guys.
Surprised that I already got a favorite and a follow already. Thanks, TheShatteredKnight1995.
Chapter 1: Tainted Lands, Blessed Lands
"I can walk, Seeker,"
"So? I can drink twice my weight in scrappersap, but that doesn't mean I should," the Oseram interrupted. Aloy smirked at the comment, although Sona's scowl only deepened.
"Mother, save your strength. The tribe needs us as soon as possible," Varl pointed out. "It needs you."
"He's right, Sona. Right now, the best thing for you to do is rest." Aloy added. "And don't even think about saying that your health isn't my concern,"
Sona gritted her teeth, but nodded reluctantly. "Very well. As long as we leave this cursed land within the week,"
"You'll stay for as long as is necessary," Aloy said, ending the discussion. "Thanks again for doing this, Talanah,"
The Carja woman who had fought with them at the Spire gave a shrug. From what Varl had gathered, this "Talanah" was the leader of something called a "hunter's lodge" in Meridian. As the mountainside had been reduced to rubble during the battle, it was no longer feasible that the Nora would camp outside the city. Talanah had offered the lodge as a temporary refuge for the Nora to rest and heal before they returned to the Sacred Lands. Mother had been...less than enthusiastic about the idea, but given the situation, there wasn't really a better option.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" The Oseram yelled. He stormed towards another Vanguard, who was hauling bodies into a cart. At least, Varl thought they were bodies. Until he saw them move.
"By fire and spit, they're hurt enough already without you dumping them on top of each other! Take him out and get them to the infirmary first!"
"Yes sir," the man replied, grabbing the Carja soldier whom he had just thrown in the pile. The Oseram ran off, presumably to manage the rest of his soldiers.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Varl asked Aloy.
"Take Sona to the Lodge for now. Talanah can show you the way. I'll meet you there the first chance I can,"
The fires had died down, revealing how much of the village had been reduced to ash. The land was scorched, machines both ancient and corrupted littered the ground, squares of rubble and soot where houses had once been. The cheers of victory had long been replaced by cries of anguish, either from the wounded or families of those who had died in the fighting. The smell of ash and oil, the sounds of despair, the overwhelming destruction: it reminded Varl all too much of what had happened to the Embrace.
"Didn't get your name," Talanah said, knocking Varl out of his brooding.
"Varl,"
"Talanah," was the reply. "Now, let me show you to the Hunter's Lodge."
"Aloy!"
Much to his relief, she returned the grin. "Teb!"
"You did it!" he replied, sounding like a little boy and not caring a bit. "You saved us all! All-Mother be praised!"
Aloy's smile faded. "How are the others?"
He had been dreading that question, even though the damage was less than he feared. "We lost four Braves. Out of the others that I've seen, only about six have enough strength to stand."
"How many Nora total?"
Teb thought for a moment. He had counted the members of the Nora envoy who had come to the Carja lands before they left. To his surprise, another Nora had joined them in the fighting: while she looked familiar, he couldn't remember her name, and she certainly hadn't been part of the envoy. An exile, maybe?
"Counting you, twenty-three,"
Aloy's smile returned, although it was marred by the exhausted look in her eyes. "Thanks for taking care of the others, Teb,"
Teb smiled bashfully. "I just did what I could,"
"That's all I can ask of you, Teb," Aloy said. "Well...that, and not calling me Anointed."
"Why would I need to do that?" Teb replied. "I praise you enough already,"
Aloy laughed at that, but they both knew it was true. The only reason Teb was standing here was because of the little outcast girl who led him through the herd of Striders. And yet, in spite of everything he had done, he felt...a kinship. While Teb was never an outcast, he had never truly fit in his tribe. He was no warrior, no healer, and too timid to find a mate. Maybe that was why he didn't get down to his knees every time he saw Aloy, despite everything she had done. They both knew the feeling of rejection, and how much a simple act of kindness meant.
"Well, I think we've both work to do. See you around, Teb,"
He nodded. "You're right. Best of luck, Aloy,"
Judging by the look on the healer's face, Sona had been her usual impossible self.
"If your War-Chief tries to do anything more before she's healed, I'll tie her to the ground myself,"
"She's like that," Varl replied. "If you don't mind me asking...what's that underneath the machine carcass?"
The healer gave him an odd look. "That's the bar, son. Don't have anything like that in the Sav-Sacred Lands?"
"What were you saying before?"
"Nothing," the healer replied much too quickly.
"I just fought swarms of corrupted machines, and my mother is lying wounded on the floor. I am in no mood for your lies. What were you going to say?" Varl said, his voice rising.
"It's noth...look, it was a slip of the tongue,"
"Hey! We've got more infirm that need you, pal!" Talanah interrupted. "I don't give you Shards to stand around!"
"Sorry ma'am, this sav...Nora was distracting me," the healer stammered.
"What was that?" Varl asked incredulously. Whatever the healer was thinking about saying, he knew it was unpleasant.
"Considering that you just finished treating his mother, I'm sure he would feel the need to talk with you," Talanah replied evenly. "But I'll take him off your hands while you do your job,"
As the healer stormed off, Talanah turned to Varl. "Sorry about that,"
"What was he trying to say?"
"Savage." Talanah answered nonchalantly. "I think you know that most of the Carja aren't that fond of the Nora,"
"We aren't exactly fond of the Carja," Varl replied. "Uh, no offense,"
"No, some of us deserve it, trust me. You should have met the last Sunhawk: he treated everyone who wasn't a Carja man like scum." a smile suddenly crossed her face. "I'd love to see what the look on that bunghead's face if he saw the Nora sleeping on the floors of the Lodge,"
"Savage?" Varl asked. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Talanah's grin vanished as fast as it had appeared. "Well, it's better that you hear it from me than some of the others, but...I still hate it. Savage is a slang term for Nora. It means...wild, unrefined. Like an animal, violent and untamed,"
Varl felt his blood start to boil. "Like an animal?"
"Pretty much. "Luckily, with Sun-King Avad, things are starting to change, but a sunburn will last in the shade. A lot of people here still think that the other tribes are inferior, even with all the Oseram that have come here."
Varl couldn't believe his ears. They saw the Nora as animals? As if the Nora were the heathens, and not them?
"Listen, don't take it personally: if there's one thing I've learned as a member of the lodge, it's that the best way to make them stop is to prove them wrong. A few weeks away, people laughed at the idea of a woman becoming Sunhawk,"
"Why would they? Women can fight just as well as men, if not better,"
Talanah grinned. "Well, some people are idiots. But now that I'm Sunhawk, things are going to change faster. Anyways, what do you think of Meridian?"
What did he think of Meridian? Varl didn't know how to put it into words. It jagged at him, but not out of wrongness like Mother said. When he thought of the Tainted Lands outside the Nora realm, he expected families starving in the roads and people walking in chains. While some of the Carja certainly seemed beaten down, Meridian was nothing like he had expected. The air alone felt foreign: he couldn't describe how, but it was just...different. Everything rose high, trapping everyone in the roads like animals in a cage. The music, the sounds, the clothing...everywhere he looked, nothing reminded him of home.
The Hunter's Lodge was unlike any house he had ever seen: it was slightly larger than the Matriarchs' Lodge. Varl found himself feeling the walls several times, amazed by their smoothness. With the exception of the markings from the entrance and on the support beams, everything in the lodge seemed smooth. The angles and curves of the archways were straight, to the point of being unnatural. The remains of a Thunderjaw hung from the ceiling, directly above the...bar, was it? It reminded him of a cart, but there was a smaller wall behind it, lined with ornate pottery of some kind. There seemed to be barrels of something as well, although of what he couldn't fathom.
But what scared him the most was that none of this disgusted him like he had expected it to. Instead, everything he saw confused him, conflicted with everything he knew. Before the wall at Mother's Heart had fallen, he thought that it was the mightiest thing that a tribe could possibly create. That belief had been shattered at the checkpoint, and once again at the mere sight of the walls surrounding Meridian. The more he saw, the smaller and more insignificant he felt.
"It's a...bit overwhelming, to be honest,"
"Meridian's always overwhelming the first time you come," Talanah answered. "Now, not that this isn't fun, but I have some other things to take care of."
Before Sona knew it, night had already fallen.
Aloy returned with the last of the Nora, looking exhausted as Sona felt. The casualties were lighter than Sona had expected, although any death was still devastating to the weakened Nora tribe.
The air was somber: two of the "Hawks" had fallen in battle, and the Nora were still licking their wounds. The lower level was littered with cots, both from the Braves and of the hunters. Medics were scrambling to take care of each infirm. Sona's chest still throbbed in pain, but she did her best to hide it. For her people's sake.
Suddenly the doors flung open, and a few Vanguard stormed in.
"Who's hungry? Feast's on me!"
"Beer too!"
"The first beer, you nut,"
The Sunhawk grinned. "If the feast's on you, then bring it in,"
"You heard the lady! Bring it in, boys!"
In a flash, the room was filled with more food than Sona had ever seen in her life. Whole roasted animals, massive pots of stew, things se had never seen before, and...barrels? Suddenly, Sona remembered that she hadn't eaten all day: her stomach growled out of a newly awakened desire. The aromas alone were intoxicating, even if some of them were unfamiliar.
"Wait!" Talanah called. "There's something we need to do first,"
"Oh, come on!"
"That's enough," the Oseram growled. "Sorry about that,"
"I ask that we all bow our heads in a moment of prayer," Talanah said, her voice more regal than Sona remembered it to be. From the cot, it was difficult for Sona to move her head much, but she settled for sitting upright.
"O Great Sun, make treaty with the moon to give our fallen quiet rest. Furnish them with the armor of your brazen heat. Give them shafts of sunlight for spears. Illuminate the path to the skies for each of them: Hawk Malesh Khane Ushi-"
Of course. It was obviously some Carja prayer, an oath to their fallen members.
"Hawk Bashad Khane Malei, Brave Dran of the Nora-"
Sona felt the air catch in her throat.
"-Brave Taim of the Nora, Brave Nela of the Nora, and Brave Orn of the Nora. Let their memory and sacrifice be a beacon for all people among all tribes to follow,"
There was a stunned moment of silence. The Carja, including the fallen Nora in their prayers?
"All of us here today-"
The Seeker.
"We all hail from different tribes. For years, we have fought each other endlessly, unable to find any similarity or kinship. But today, all of the tribes united as one with a common goal. Today, our hearts were one, and all tribes can now sleep easily because of these warriors' sacrifices. May they live on in all of our memories,"
For a moment, no one spoke.
"Now, who's hungry?"
The Lodge erupted in cheers.
I know I shouldn't be doing this when I have other fics that are in desperate need of finishing, but I can't help myself.
We know based on datapoints that the Sobeck ranch is nearby Carson City, Nevada. The game takes place in-between Utah and Colorado, which means that the Sobeck ranch is in the Forbidden West. Aloy would have to be gone from the region for a significant portion of time in order to make that journey, which means that the tribes would have to operate in her absence.
I figured that the Nora wouldn't know what "savage" meant, as there's no usage of it in their culture: sort of like how Harry didn't know what Mudblood meant until Malfoy used the term.
Anyways, I wanted a chapter to sort of get this path started. Let me know what you think.