It was close to noon when Aloy, Seyka, and Beta set out from the Base and headed toward Bleeding Mark, where Sokorra said she would meet them, before continuing to Cauldron IOTA. The trip would take a few days, assuming they didn't run into any trouble, which Aloy was entirely prepared for but hoped they wouldn't find. Once again, Beta had requested to join them and rode on the back of Aloy's Charger, with Seyka riding her own. As happy as Aloy was to have another experienced Focus user with them, especially someone as intelligent as her sister, she admitted she was curious as to why Beta was insistent on helping a few Tenakth she had only just met. Guess we're more alike than I thought. She'd have to ask her later…maybe.
Jaxx had thanked them earlier in the morning before departing the Base to return to Plainsong, his injuries patched up well enough that he could travel. Aloy had promised to keep him updated about anything they discovered. She knew she couldn't guarantee that Korreh was even still alive, but she could tell Jaxx felt responsible for the kidnapping and tried to reassure him that if Korreh was taken alive then his abductors probably needed him for something.
What exactly that "something" was remained unclear.
As they rode down the trail from the mountain and toward the path that would take them to Bleeding Mark, Aloy had to smile at the sight of Seyka riding a Charger on her own. She knew from their battle with the Horus that Seyka was more than capable of controlling a machine, but the actual sight of her riding one with far greater skill and ease than before was impressive. She learns fast.
Seyka caught her staring and returned the smile with an eager, confident one of her own. The not-so-subtle competition they began in the Burning Shores was one of the things Aloy enjoyed most about their relationship. It also gave her a sense of security when they were outside the Base—and with Beta asking to go on missions that mattered now more than ever. Especially after the Zeniths and with Nemesis on the way.
She tried to focus on the dirt trail ahead. Nothing I can do about Nemesis for now.
Coming down the hill at high speed, they passed a herd of Bristlebacks. The machines paid them no mind, happy to just continue munching on the desert grass and the remnants of red blight. Watching them reminded Aloy of what needed to be done still to restore the biosphere. We'll get there. We have to.
They were making good time but after a few hours, the desert winds kicked up, resulting in a lot more sand and dirt being thrown about—something her eyes, face, and the Chargers did not appreciate. She squinted, peering through the dust at the path ahead where the mountains curved westward, and the sand and cacti transitioned into green fields and pine trees. They could stop there for the night.
"Okay, once more—but this time, try to push me back. There—good! Step into it just like I showed you. Left…your other left, Beta!"
Wood impacting against wood reverberated enough that Aloy was certain any wildlife would be spooked away, assuming their campsite hadn't already accomplished that. With only the orange glow from the campfire to aid her, she took care to pay attention to the rabbit cooking so that it wouldn't burn, though she had to admit she was rather hungry and just sitting there in front of the fire and smelling the food instead of eating it wasn't exactly fun.
Watching her sister learn to use a sword proved entertaining. Beta lacked the hand-eye coordination Aloy had honed since she was a child, but she was quick on her feet and seemed to be understanding the concepts Seyka was teaching her, even if she couldn't quite execute them physically yet.
The scent of cooked meat and burning wood wafted through the air, which had grown colder the instant the sun had set. She took another glance at the rabbit. Good enough. "Food's ready. You two want to take a break?"
But Seyka and Beta continued their "duel". "We're fighting to the death here, Aloy," Seyka declared with mocked annoyance. "Isn't it obvious?"
"I'm pretty hungry," Beta admitted. She took a tentative step back from Seyka as though she was afraid of being scolded for quitting, placed her branch on the ground, and joined Aloy by the fire.
"Fine, fine." Seyka pointed her branch at Aloy. "You're next, though."
Aloy smirked as she prepared a portion for Beta before working on one for Seyka. "Sounds like quite the challenge. I'm trembling, really."
Seyka dropped her branch as well and joined them both, nodding in thanks when Aloy handed her a plate of food. "For a complete beginner, Beta did pretty well." She took a bite before turning her attention to Beta, who was quietly focused on eating. "You need to get some muscle on you, though. It'll help when we get to the harder stuff."
The rest of the meal was eaten in relative silence. After a general plan was made for the remainder of the journey, Beta set her plate on the ground and announced she was tired. After a quiet "goodnight", she retreated to her bedroll on the edge of the campsite, leaving Aloy and Seyka alone.
Their meals finished, the two of them sat in comfortable silence for a while—staring at the flames as the fire slowly began to die from lack of fuel. Aloy couldn't help but steal the occasional glance at Seyka. Leaning forward, elbows on her knees, her expression seemed hardened with thought—as though some internal conflict prevented her from relaxing.
She decided to find out. "Something on your mind?"
After a few blinks, Seyka's eyes met hers and she straightened her back. She offered a forced smile, and Aloy could see there was something bothering her. "Look, Aloy…I know we haven't had a lot of time to catch up on everything but…" She trailed off and took a deep breath. "I talked to Diviner Alva in Legacy's Landfall and when we were on our way here. She told me, well…" She chuckled. "She told me a lot of things—about you, about Elisabet Sobeck, GAIA, Beta, the other Zeniths…everything really. And I'm not going to pretend that I completely understand everything about it all but…" She shook her head, her voice breaking as she looked away. "How?"
Her story—humanity's story—was a lot for anyone to take in, but Aloy wasn't sure what Seyka was getting at. "How what?" But when Seyka faced her to answer, there were visible tears in her eyes.
"How did you go through what you did…alone? I mean, even when the fleets were separated and my people went missing, I still had the other survivors—shitty company that they were," Seyka said. "I still had you."
Out of instinct, Aloy reached out and touched Seyka's knee. "Seyka, I wasn't alone for all of it. Yeah, I was an outcast and it kind of sucked, but I had Rost. And Sylens is not exactly what I'd call 'good company', but he helped me stop HADES. So did Varl and Erend, and a bunch of other people. And I was never alone when we fought the Zeniths. Varl and the others…" She paused, a heavy wave of sadness coming over her as the memory of Varl saving her after the HADES proving lab surfaced. "They taught me that I can't stop Nemesis alone. No one can."
"Yeah, that one sounds like it's going to take more than a couple of Waterwings to beat."
Aloy grinned. "Probably." She sighed. "The truth is that while I felt I was doing better on my own, I really wasn't. And it's taken me too long to realize that. But not anymore." She took Seyka's hand. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. But you're one of the strongest people I know."
"Of course I'll help you," Sekya finished for her. "I'll stab this Nemesis in the face myself if have to. Besides…" She nodded at Beta's sleeping form. "I promised Beta I'd give her some pointers on how to defend herself. You know, just in case."
She seems less upset. Obviously, a good thing. "Thanks for keeping her safe…and for everything."
"You did the same for Kina, so it's only fair," Seyka joked. "But seriously, your sister is great, and I can tell she's been through a lot. She's lucky to have you for a big sister."
Aloy still recalled how harsh she had been with Beta only months earlier. "I'm still learning in that area, too, I guess."
"So am I."
The fire had been reduced to glowing embers—the moon and scattered stars providing most of their light now. "So, what do you think is going on around this Cauldron?" Seyka asked.
"I wish I could say," Aloy said with a shrug. "None of it makes sense to me yet."
"I guess we'll find out more at this Bleeding Mark village. What a cheerful name."
"Yeah, well, that's the Desert Tenakth for you." Aloy stood up and put out the remainder of the fire. "We should probably get some rest. Long ride tomorrow and all."
Seyka stood up as well. "Yeah. And hey, I'm glad we got to talk about this. Like I said, I don't understand it all completely, but I'll do my best to help you."
"I know. I appreciate it." Aloy took the opportunity to kiss her on the cheek. She was caught off guard when Seyka pulled her in close, hands coming to rest on the small of her back.
"I wish we had more time." Seyka's whisper by her ear was barely audible, even in the quiet of the darkness.
"We will." Aloy had to struggle to catch her breath, despite not doing much other than standing next to Seyka. Apparently, that's all it takes these days. "After we finish this, we'll go back to the Base and maybe we can take a few days to just…"
"Yeah. I understand." With a sigh, Seyka released her. "Bedtime, then."
They went to their separate bedrolls, where sleep came for Aloy the moment she put her head down.