Aloy woke up, just like the days before, looking around to find where he was, realizing she was alone. In his place, she found a note he had left to avoid waking her, explaining the reasons for his absence. "Good morning, oh Aloy, the machine tamer." she smiled as she read it; it seemed like he had written it with a solemn tone accompanied by a touch of humor. "I've gone out to do some work that will take me all morning, but if you're around the palace, I'll be happy to spend lunchtime with you. See you. Avad." She smiled. She truly enjoyed the time they spent together, even if it was while working.
"Until then, I'll go down to the village to see if anyone needs my help," she said to herself. When she dressed in her Nora attire, loud knocks on the door startled her. She scanned with her focus to see who it was. It was Marad the Unbroken, but... shouldn't he be with Avad? That didn't look good, considering how insistently he was calling. A shiver ran down her spine. "Come in, it's open," she said, inviting him in. He entered the room quickly, highly agitated.
"Aloy! They've kidnapped Avad!" he exclaimed, gripping her shoulders.
"What?! How could this happen?" she exclaimed, very surprised.
"We were caught off guard! By the Sun! Several of the palace defenses were sent to aid the village, and they took advantage of it!" he explained in a disorganized manner. "It's a catastrophe."
"Where did you last see him?" she asked, trying to appear calm.
"We didn't meet today, but we arranged to meet in his office early. As I was getting close, I heard noises, like someone was fighting. In fact, I could hear Avad shouting. I ran in the direction of the sounds, but they had placed something at the entrance, and I couldn't open it. When I managed to get in by breaking through the barricade, it was too late... everything was in disarray, and there was no one. I hope they don't harm him," he explained, very nervous.
"I'll do everything I can. Take me to where the fight happened," she said without wasting a second, and they ran through the corridors until they reached the office. "Do you know if anyone touched anything? If they haven't changed anything's position, any trail they may have left will be easier to find."
"No, nobody. When I saw that they had already left, I went out to look for you and ordered that no one enter, for the same reason," he responded, sounding concerned.
"Okay, let's see what happened," she said, sharpening her gaze. "There's nothing missing. Okay, as soon as you enter, there's a damaged chair... The table has a chip; they must have hit someone with it... Books on the floor, next to the bookshelf; they must have pushed someone against it. There are papers everywhere, probably on the table before the fight started. There are quite distinctive footprints on the carpet. If I'm not mistaken, there should be a rope or something by the window that helped them get down."
"And? What did they do to him?" Marad asked anxiously. "What happened? From how I heard Avad scream, it sounded like they hurt him…"
"Based on the clues I've found, I think I can imagine what happened: Avad entered the room, and they were already waiting for him. Otherwise, he would have taken out some writing tools on the table." she explained, pointing to the furniture. "There were four of them, and I would dare say they were Shadow Carja, as the marks on the carpet match the shape of their bootprints, but I prefer not to rule out any options, in case it leads us down the wrong path. When he realized he wasn't alone, they had already barricaded the door with the chair, which is now damaged because you broke it to get in. Avad tried to fight them because he had no other choice. He was unarmed, as there's no trace of blood, and he didn't manage to harm any of the intruders. I'm surprised they didn't kill him... They were wearing armor because the footprints on the carpet are deeply imprinted, unlike Avad's, which are less profound, so his resistance was in vain; his attacks were stopped by the metal of their protections. He pushed one of them into the table, causing the chip you see, but another one grabbed him and threw him into one of his accomplices, who was near the shelves. This one took Avad, but from the momentum, he fell backward. The impact against the furniture made him hit the shelves, knocking the books you see on the floor." she narrated, bending down to get a better look at the books. "Afterward, among several of them, they loaded him onto the table, scattering the papers, and there they must have done something to keep him from moving. I suppose they tied him up or something similar. Then, they left through the window." she concluded seriously. "It takes quite a bit of imagination, but it's the most logical scenario I can think of given the clues we've found."
"Wow... that makes a lot of sense. So, you're saying he's still alive?"
"I don't know... my hopes are that he is, because if they had wanted to, they could have killed him right here, but maybe they want to extort him or something like that," she said, recalling when he had told her a few days ago that there had already been several attempted attacks, one of which had ended with the wound she had to treat. "So, I wouldn't be too confident."
"Please." he begged, clasping his hands in a pleading gesture "Tell me you can do something... I have no idea where they've gone, but I know you'll be able to track them."
"I'm going to look for him right now, but I need my weapons." she said, rushing out to the royal chamber, followed by Marad.
"Should I call the Vanguard?" he suggested.
"No, I need complete discretion," she replied.
"But you can't go alone; you don't know what you'll encounter, and you might not have time to come back for reinforcements."
"You're right... I would need someone stealthy; this is like a hunt..." Suddenly, a clear idea came to her mind. "Has Talanah returned to Meridian?" The Blameless nodded. "Well, notify her. She's the perfect candidate for this mission." Then she thought that Vanasha's help might be useful, but she quickly dismissed the idea. It would be best if she stayed to look after Itamen in case the palace was attacked again.
"Even if there are only two of you... at least you won't be alone. Where should I tell her to meet you?"
"In the Royal Maize Fields, next to the big bonfire there."
"Alright, should I tell her anything else?" he asked with a visibly agitated gesture.
"No, in case someone overhears it and it spreads, causing panic. The fewer people who know, the better. I'll explain it to her in person on the way." she replied, getting ready to leave.
"Oh, and reinforce the defenses, both at the city's entrances and exits and at the palace, but subtly, so the citizens don't start to suspect." The Intact nodded.
"You're right; panic in the city would only be another obstacle. Good luck, Aloy, may the Sun guide you."
"Thank you." she replied, climbing onto the window sill, ready to rappel down. "And to you too; I hope to see you soon, with good news." she added as a farewell. Then, she gracefully launched herself out of the window, performing a mid-air twist, turning her back to the ground to deploy her rope and catch herself to break the fall. When she landed at the spot where the kidnappers had been before, she activated her focus and began a thorough search for a trail to follow. Fortunately, the footprints from the armors had left marks in the dry earth, indicating the path the wrongdoers had taken. Satisfied with her find, she ran to the bonfire she had indicated to Marad, the meeting point with Talanah. There, she impatiently waited, crafting some ammunition for the journey and preparing healing potions in case any problems arose. Within minutes, the Sun Hawk arrived, armed and ready for a confrontation. As soon as she saw Aloy, she hurriedly asked what had happened. Aloy didn't respond. Instead, she said "Something very serious has happened. We must hurry; I'll explain on the way; it's the most sensible thing to do."
"But... what happened? Marad seemed extremely agitated... I've never seen him like that." Aloy began to run into the Royal Maize Fields, back to the spot where she had found the trail. When she found it again, she marked it with her focus not to lose it and followed the route that the captors had previously taken. "Aloy! Can you tell me what's going on?" Talanah asked, agitated, following her from behind at a run.
"Now that we're far enough from any civilians who might overhear, I'll tell you." Aloy said, entering the forest beneath Meridian's north entrance. "They... they've kidnapped Avad." she explained, hiding her concern. "It's a very serious matter, which is why I told Marad not to tell you anything, just in case someone overheard, and it spread panic in the city."
"What?!" Talanah exclaimed. "That's not serious; it's catastrophic! It could lead to a civil war or an invasion, who knows... nothing good! The kidnapping of the Sun King could be just the beginning... Do you suspect anyone?"
"I don't know; it could have been any enemy of the crown: Eclipse, Shadow Carja, Dervahl's fanatics... Based on the tracks I found, I would dare to rule out the latter, as they are Oseram, and their boots are much broader than the marks I found. They seemed like Shadow Carja, but I prefer not to rule out any suspects because that could cause us to overlook some clues."
"I can't believe it... How was this possible? Did no one see anything?" she asked, following the Nora.
"No, this morning Marad came to see me, very nervous. He told me he had an appointment with Avad in his office in the morning, but when he was going to meet Avad, he heard noises in the room. He tried to get in, but the door was blocked, and by the time he got through, they had already left with the Sun King, going out the window." she explained, keeping her eyes fixed on the trail.
"By the Sun... what a disaster..."
"That's why we need to find them as soon as possible; I'm worried about what they might do to him."
The two members of Meridian's hunting lodge ran along the trail that Aloy had found. It passed by the base of the Sun Palace and veered northwest, where the footprints led onto a path that passed by a lake and headed toward the Radiant Market, a city with a port.
"It would be strange if they took him to the city; it's a heavily used port, and a lot of people would see them carrying a suspicious shipment." Talanah pointed out.
"Exactly, I was thinking the same thing. If our assumptions are correct, at the fork near the lake, they should turn in the direction that doesn't lead to this city."
"Now that you mention it, there's a road that leads to a much smaller port. If they want to cross the lake, they'll probably do it there. That place is much less traveled. If I wanted to be seen by as few people as possible, I'd go that way."
Without further ado, the two continued their search, verifying what they had just supposed. The kidnappers were heading to the smaller port near some large desert mountains. They continued running as fast as they could until they reached a campfire along the way. There, Aloy lost the trail. She stopped, worried, saying she didn't see the tracks they had been following. Then she crouched down and searched the area around the campfire for any clues. Within a few minutes, she found the tracks of a cart that had been resting in the grass.
"Let's see…" she said, analyzing them.
"What do you see?"
"Apparently, they had an accomplice waiting here with a cart. It came from the port, and they must have arranged to meet here by the fire. The tracks of the four who left the palace are less deep, which implies they stopped carrying Avad and placed him in the cart. Now, instead of four sets of tracks, I can see five, plus the cart's. Maybe they did it to throw us off, but I don't see any other tracks to follow, so we'll have to trust that this is the right path. I hope it's not a trap."
"Actually, it looks like they did what you said. It's impossible for their tracks to change like this for no reason. They probably loaded him into the cart because it would be very difficult to carry a man all the way here. I'm already surprised they managed to get him here so quickly." With that said, the hunters continued on their way to the dock, where they could see that a boat had previously been beached. In addition to the cart tracks going in their direction, they ended at the water transport's mark.
"Looks like we're going to have to get wet." Aloy said "I hope you don't mind."
"No problem. Anything to prevent a disaster." Without hesitation, the members of the lodge plunged into the water and swam to the nearest island, where they stopped to rest.
"I have a new theory." Aloy said, breaking the silence that surrounded them "Maybe it was some Falcons, part of the Shadow Carja, fanatics of the previous king, Jiran. I know of a settlement nearby called Falcon's Perch. A while back, I had to go there to rescue a young man they had imprisoned, torturing him for making smoke signals... it's a long story. The point is, I had to get inside. Luckily, I have a Falcon disguise that will allow me to infiltrate without raising suspicion. The downside is that you'll have to stay outside. I don't know how many people will be in the building, but considering they have the Sun-King himself as a prisoner, I don't think it's a small number. I suppose they won't hesitate to kill him, so a confrontation with them would make things very complicated. On the other hand, if I sneak in and assess the situation, we can return together later, knowing their weaknesses, and rescue Avad without any problems."
"Are you sure they won't catch you?" Talanah asked, not very convinced that her friend would get involved in such a mess, especially without her.
"I promise I'll be careful. I'll pretend I'm coming from Dawn, and I'll blend in with them: find out what they plan to do with him, their weaknesses in defense, and then slip away to fill you in on everything. With luck, maybe we can attack the place at nightfall."
"I admit it's a very good idea. Let's hope we can get Avad out of there. Please don't take too long to return."
"I can't guarantee anything, I have to get in and out without raising suspicions. But if they catch me, I'll cause a big commotion so you'll know."
"Ah…" she sighed, still not very convinced about what she had just heard "Okay." after all, she had no other choice "But I'll swim with you to the other side of the lake and hide in the area to wait for news from you."
And without saying anything else, they plunged into the water and continued to the other shore. Since it was impossible to follow a trail in the water, they had to blindly trust their deductions and hope they were correct.
"Alright, then hide, and when I return, I'll fill you in. I'll try to come back as soon as possible." Aloy said, taking out her Falcon costume when they emerged from the water.
"For the Sun's sake, be very careful, Aloy." the Hawk urged as the Nora dressed.
"I promise." she assured, hiding her weapons under her armor so she could take them inside the building. Then, the hunter walked uphill toward the road that connected the mad Sun King's summer palace to Falcon's Perch. In the distance, she spotted someone approaching, pulling a cart. It was impossible for them to be Avad's kidnappers, but perhaps she could use them to her advantage. Quickly, and before anyone noticed her presence, Aloy hid behind some large rocks on the road and waited for her prey to arrive. When he passed, she crossed his path, startling him.
"Who are you, and where do you come from?" she interrogated in a male voice, grabbing him by the neck.
"I-I've come to deliver supplies to Falcon's Perch, I'm not an enemy, these are weapons I'm bringing to the settlement, nothing more." he answered, frightened.
"Alright." she replied, releasing him "I don't know if you're aware, but we're guarding an... important cargo here. I've been ordered to watch the road to prevent intruders from sneaking in." she mentioned this to confirm if the king was inside.
"Yes, I know what you're talking about." he responded with a malicious smile.
"Head back to the capital; I'll take care of the cart. They've restricted access to the fortress to prevent intrusions. Thank you for your service.
"Alright, perfect. Be careful when you're carrying the cargo. In the gray bag," he cautioned, pointing to a sack of that color "there's a shipment of explosives. You never know when they might come in handy; handle it with care, lest there be an accident."
"Thank you for the warning; I'll keep it in mind." she replied politely but kept her distance to maintain her cover. Then, she grabbed the cart with both hands and pulled it until it was very close to the settlement. Two men approached her and stopped her from going any further, but the hunter didn't let nerves get the best of her.
"I've brought a shipment from Sunfall, with various types of supplies, including explosives." Aloy announced.
"Ah, that's right. We've been waiting for it for hours. Go ahead and leave everything in the warehouse." she nodded and headed down some stairs underground. There, she took advantage of the absence of enemies to turn on her focus and see the exact number of people they would be facing sooner or later. She surveyed the entire area and saw, unfortunately, that there were more than thirty of them. But that wasn't the worst part. Avad wasn't among them.
"It can't be." she lamented "If he's not here, it means we've made a mistake, and we've followed the wrong trail... maybe... it's even too late to find him alive. "Aloy put her hands to her head. What if that man had meant something else that matched what he had told her? "No, I'm not giving up yet." she said to herself just as she heard someone calling everyone to gather in the courtyard. She slowly climbed the stairs, hoping to find some clue about the whereabouts of the Sun King. At the meeting point, almost everyone was already waiting in front of a tall wooden platform. Then, a robust man dressed in armor that looked superior to the others stepped forward on that small stage and began to speak.
"After two years in the shadows, we will finally return to the place that belongs to us. As you know, after many plans, we have achieved our goal thanks to a stroke of luck: the weakness in Meridian after the War." The gaze of the hunter brightened. For the moment, the speech was directed towards Avad "This morning, a group of our men managed to sneak into the Palace of the Sun, kidnapping the traitor, who will now "honor" us with his presence." he said with a touch of mockery, making air quotes with his fingers "He's just come from a walk with me and several of ours, who have had the privilege of enjoying his company. I present to you all, the false Sun King, Avad." he announced as two men dragged another forcibly onto the stage, his face covered with a sackcloth. Clearly, it was Avad. They pulled him down, forcing him to kneel abruptly. At this point, many in the crowd began to boo, while others threw fruits at him. The Sun King flinched every time something hit him. She felt furious at their behavior. There was even a moment when, growling, she reached for her hidden weapons, ready to intervene, but then she thought better of it. Such an action would only worsen the situation and might lead to the immediate death of the king. She sighed in resignation, remembering how as a child she had been rejected by the other Nora children when Bast threw a stone at her, and all the times she had tried unsuccessfully to fit in with them. As the cries died down, she turned her attention back to the monarch. She examined his appearance and noticed that they had uncovered his face. He was dressed in his work clothes, which were now heavily stained with fruit and looked tattered. He seemed to have been pushed or dragged somewhere, and he had numerous scrapes and scratches on his arms and knees. His wrists were firmly bound in front of him, and his feet were entangled with a rope, allowing him to take only small steps without tripping. He remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the ground. "His subjects say that this is a reasonable man." he said, taking his crown from a pocket and forcefully placing it on his head "We'll see how he negotiates with us, won't we, Avad?" he asked, shaking him. Avad didn't respond; he just sat there, humiliated, staring at the ground. "Return to your posts, I'll take care of this wretch." he ordered, grabbing Avad's shoulder with fury, as if he were about to tear his shirt. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse. "Now, you will have the honor of undergoing a Carja tradition, the Trial of the Sun." he said, dragging Avad toward a pillar. Then he threw his crown on the ground and, with a look of contempt, criticized the king's appearance. "Ugh, look at that hair of yours, it's no wonder you never take off that crown." he said, then untied Avad's wrists and tied them to the post. "Anyway, I'll let you enjoy this moment. Let's see if your Sun inspires you for the business we'll conduct later." he taunted as he finished tightening the rope. "You four," he exclaimed, looking at a group of men resting in the shade "keep watch to ensure that no one gets close to him, and if you see that he has a fever, call me. It's not time to kill him yet." It was time to go and inform Talanah. If it wasn't yet time to kill him, it meant they were waiting for a specific moment or someone. This would give them time to find out their plans. The Solar Hawk was hiding in some bushes, waiting impatiently.
"Aloy! Did you find him? How is he? Is he still... alive?" she exclaimed anxiously as she approached with a look of bad news.
"Yes, he's alive... a bit battered, but it seems they're not going to kill him, for now. I'll try to get close to him and find out everything I can about their plans, so it will take me some time to return. Don't worry, I haven't been captured... I just came to tell you that it will take me a bit longer, but that doesn't mean things are going wrong. Maybe I'll have to spend the night with them."
"Isn't there a faster way?" she asked, concerned. "We can go on a good hunt."
"I don't know what plans they have in store for him, but I don't think they'll hesitate to kill him if they feel that something isn't going their way. There are more than thirty of them; it's too risky to intervene directly," Aloy explained.
"The best hunters know how to wait for the right moment; you're right. It's just that... it really worries me that he's imprisoned there... it's a very serious matter."
"I won't hesitate to call you if I get into trouble, I promise. Now I have to go back."
"May the Sun help you, Aloy."