Hey guys. Here's the response to last chapter's comment:
-Fruggi: I appreciate that. Welcome aboard.
-Wishbit: It's fine. That's a valid point...transitions aren't quite my forte.
Chapter 6: Perceptions, Predicaments
The day Teersa and Lansra came to an agreement without any prattling would be the day that Jezza made love to a Sawtooth.
Indeed, keeping peace among her sister Matriarchs was one of Jezza's greatest burdens. Lansra was, of course, the instigator in many instances. While Jezza found her paranoid, Lansra often said things that no one else had the courage to point out. Teersa, on the other hand, showed grace and understanding that Jezza longed to have, but was too ready to forgive infractions: it is impossible for one to learn without mistakes. The two women were like twins wrestling in the womb: fighting for dominance, unaware of the pain they were causing.
"Have we not suffered enough without allowing killers and slavers into our-"
"They fought alongside us, they are enemies no longer!"
"Not until we're-"
"Sisters!" Jezza interrupted. "Teersa, I too am wary of this offer. However, we may not be in a position to refuse. I suggest we learn more about the nature of this offer before continuing."
Lansra grumbled, while Teersa blinked in shock. "If we are not in a position to refuse, does that not make this matter all the more urgent?"
"We should give the War Party time to heal. Venturing to the Sundom is an ordeal of its own. I'm sorry, Teersa, but this time I must put the well-being of my family first,"
The elder Matriarch nodded. "Very well."
"Now, what were you speaking of with Varl?" Jezza asked.
"For what was the need of such secrecy?" Lansra added.
"You," Teersa answered. "I prefer to speak without being accused of blasphemy,"
"Why you stubbo-"
"SISTERS!" Jezza snapped. "Must you constantly bicker like children? My patience with the two of you is dwindling by the second, so I suggest you two act like the adults you are and seal your lips!"
Her fellow Matriarchs wisely stopped their latest argument. Jezza exhaled sharply before allowing herself to continue.
"But to Lansra's point, Teersa, why did you feel the need to speak with Varl alone?"
Teersa hesitated. "I have my guesses as to what task Aloy gave him. If I am correct, the nature of this task is...a delicate matter, to say the least. Sharing it here would do more harm than good, particularly if I am wrong."
"What kind of matter?"
"Beyond that I cannot say. But I trust Varl's intentions, and I'm sure you would side with me on this matter, Jezza."
Jezza nodded. "In matters regarding the Anointed, you have yet to falter. I will place my faith in you once more. Now, we should speak to Sona about the matter in Devil's Thirst,"
Teersa and Lansra looked at each other in unease. Jezza sighed to herself: why was that the only thing they seemed to agree upon?
Yan hadn't noticed her. Perfect. Like Father had taught her, Nakoa crept behind without making a noise.
"Ya!"
Her brother jumped, spinning around in panic before recognizing her face.
"Nakoa?"
She let a small grin escape. "Hey, Ya-OOF!"
Without warning, she was pulled into a tight hug.
"All-Mother be praised..."
"Yeah, missed you too, Yan, but...can't...breathe,"
"Sorry," Yan said, releasing her. "I...can't believe you've returned..."
"Well, I heard that the Sacred Lands had been opened," she replied. "Besides, I missed you, runt,"
Yan grumbled at the nickname, but Nakoa could see a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"What were the Tainted Lands like?"
"Stom!"
Teb saw a mother pushing a small boy behind her. "He needs no reminding of-"
"Oh, it's no problem." Teb interrupted the scolding. "If...it's all the same for you,"
"Please?" the child pleaded. The mother sighed. "Very well."
Teb couldn't help but grin at the joy forming in the boy's eyes.
"Let's see...where to begin?"
"It's hot," a Brave chimed in. The dim room echoed with laughter.
"They call the trail to Meridian the Way of Broken Stones," a woman's voice added. Teb realized it was the woman he had let into the Lodge...did he ever get her name?
"On the path to Meridian, the ground is orange: almost all rock and sand," said a Brave, to murmurs of agreement. "Only a few trees here and there,"
"It teems with dangerous machines," said another. "A Thunderjaw rests along the path,"
"Let's not give the child nightmares," Teb interrupted. "Besides, it's not all bad,"
A number of Braves had gathered around at this point. They paused for a moment, murmuring among themselves.
"They've built their city on top of a cliff, out of reach of any machines," Teb started. "The city overlooks a forest unlike anything in the Sacred Lands,"
"They didn't call it a forest, they called it a...a..."
"Jungle,"
"Right, jungle,"
"I thought they called it a jewel,"
"They call it The Jewel, but they still call it a jungle."
And so the Braves began sharing their stories of the Sundom. The Jewel came to Meridian, which led to the Hunter's Lodge, which led to the Sun-Priests and the Carja army, which led to turkeys, and then back to Meridian again, and to the Sun-King, to the Oseram. The Nora mother was initially hesitant, trying to shoo her son behind her. As the stories continued, the crowd grew. Soon, even the mother was gathered around the Braves.
At first, all of the Braves had joined in recounting the tales of the Sacred Land. However, slowly but surely, the eyes and ears turned almost solely to the Stitcher Teb.
"Did you see any Banuk?"
"Maybe one or two," Sona was surprised to see it: normally the boy was too timid to argue. Now a spark of joy filled his eyes he shared his experiences. A spark that both intrigued and worried the War-Chief.
With nearby kindling, a spark grew quickly, and Sona found herself growing uneasy with the excitement in which Teb described the Carja land. The minds of people were like trees: hard and unmoving in age, but bending and pliable in youth. Sona was certain Teb would never mean any harm, but he was describing the Sundom as something beautiful and spectacular. The Tainted Lands were exactly that, and the Nora had no place being there.
"Would you ever go back to the Sundom?" a child asked.
"Well...if the Goddess so wills it," Teb replied. "But I doubt that will ever happen. Not much reason for a Stitcher like myself to leave the Sacred Lands, is there?" For a moment, Sona thought she noticed a hint of sadness in the boy's tone, but her thoughts were pushed aside by a sudden jolt of pain.
Damn, she grumbled internally, hoping she hadn't made any noise. Her ribs still had yet to heal, but a War-Chief's duty was never done. Hopefully no one would notice.
"When will the Anointed come back?"
Sona looked back at the crowd. A different pain distracted her thoughts, the pain of shame. She knew that it was wrong for her to hide the full story from the tribe, the High Matriarchs especially. What kind of daughter lied to her mother? And yet she couldn't bring herself to tell her: she had seen how hope had sustained the War Party in the Sundom, and how quickly they despaired when the Seeker left. Besides, it was too late to tell the full truth now. At least, that's what Sona told herself.
"When she's finished with what All-Mother tasked her with,"
"And how long will that take?"
Teb thought for a moment. "Only the Goddess knows the answer to that. For now, we must wait,"
"War-Chief,"
Sona turned to see the High Matriarchs standing beside her. "Yes?"
"That boy is blaspheming," Lansra grumbled.
"Seal your lips, Lansra," Teersa muttered.
"Sisters," Mother hissed. "Sona, there is a matter which we need to discuss. We have reports from Braves of an encampment in Devil's Thirst,"
As the four discussed the matter, none of them noticed a Brave leaving the Sacred Mountain.
Finally, Varl was alone.
This was something that could wait no longer. With a shaking hand, he pulled the Focus from his pouch. He started to raise his hand, only to retreat it.
Enough of this, Varl told himself. You fought a swarm of the Corrupted and helped bring down a Deathbringer.
But what if-
You're a Brave, not a turkey.
Varl shook his head. This was ridiculous: why was he so afraid of a tiny little triangle? At first glance, it was nothing more than a normal Shard. How could something so small as Aloy said it was?
Only one way to know.
Slowly, he raised the Focus to his ear, expecting that he would have to hold it in place. He did not expect it to clasp to his temple, as if pulled by an invisible force, or a strange noise afterward. With a yelp, he pulled it off his head.
"What in All-Mother's name..." he muttered, feeling like a Grazer startled by a careless hunter.
Let's try that again. He put the Focus to his ear, this time prepared for it. He heard the noise again, and then...lights?
Well, the good news is I can get back to my plan of one chapter a month, for now at least. This chapter is meant to be both the end of the first story arc and the beginning of the second.
Anyways, something for all you HZD fans. If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you check out the Random Side Quest channel on YouTube. The guy does incredibly detailed analysis of Horizon's lore and stories, and it's a lot of fun to watch. His video on the Nora was particularly helpful in revising my story.
As always, let me know what you thought of this.