A big thank you to everyone who has liked, commented and followed the story. This chapter took a while, My biggest battle was introducing Jamie to Aloy, thought of at least 20 different scenarios and finally was able to settle on one and go with it even if it might not be the best one. I may even re write this in the future, just see how it goes.
Explosions, darkness, gun fire, screams, condemnation, Death... that's all that Jamie's dreams contained, he always felt trapped by them, he couldn't run or scream, he couldn't fight either, all could do was stand there as it all closed in around him. Then it suddenly stopped and vanished without a trace, replaced with peace and massive relief as he woke up.
Light finally began to return to the burly young man's eyes, in what seemed like the first time in an eternity, how long he had been asleep for he does not know. But suddenly His eyes ache painfully all of a sudden and vision was blurry at best, the rest of his body also ached with his hands felt the worst, they stung really badly though they felt like they were wrapped in some kind of fabric, but he couldn't make out what was on his hands, all he could make out light and a bit colour but that's about it.
Another thing that struck him was the cold, at least what he could feel, it was like being buried in the snow and ice, and yet there was none of it around, at least from what he could barely see.
'Ahh man!! I'm freezing!'. Quietly saying to no one, at least he thought no one, sat up a bit on his arms, and drag himself, leaning against something hard that felt like a log, he attempted to try and stand up, just wanting to move a bit as he felt like he had been stuck in one position for so long.
'Your awake'. He jumped a bit, as he could not see clearly, the voice was clearly that of a woman, sounded curious and a bit surprised, but Jamie couldn't make the person being blind at the moment. Jamie tried to stand get up quickly on to fall over, his legs simply did not have the strength and were incredibly numb for some reason.
He noticed he had what felt and looked thick blanket around him based on his blurry vision, which he great fully huddled in as he felt unbelievably cold, He felt terrible at the moment.
'Woah woah easy!'. The voice called out with concern. He remembered to keep calm even though he couldn't see.
'Who's there?!'. Where am I?!. He said aloud. Aloy approached him eagerly but cautiously. Kneeling down in front of him.
'It's alright, Your ok now.' The person whose voice belonged to approached him at a steady before kneeling down in front of him.
'Who are you?'. He asked quietly, not being able to make out the individual as of yet with his vision still returning. He also had no idea if this person is a threat or not.
'I'm Aloy'. She said promptly, just getting straight to the point. Her voice sounded serious yet surprisingly soft.
'Umm... your name?'. Aloy asked gently and straight forward. The young man was silent for a few seconds, like he was lost in deep thought.
'Jamie.' Straight forward like Aloy did, Jamie really wasn't in the mood to answer that many questions, for reasons he couldn't think to answer, he felt like absolute crap, he could barely see, his hands felt messed up and and he couldn't stand up. Why was he like this in the first place?
Still struggling to see properly with his vision blurry, his look was all over the place and dazed, Aloy noticed his ocean blue eyes darting all over the place, like he was lost, this confused Aloy, why is this person doing that like he couldn't see or something, there was nothing wrong with his eyes from what she could see.
'Im right here not over there'. That jump out at Jamie, that was just upfront and out of nowhere.
'Ah... of course your right there, I can hear you, but I can't really see where we are'. With a blunt and uncertain voice. Aloy tilted her head a little bit, she waved her hand in front of him suddenly, she knew a thing or two on spotting out lying people, but what she got was the same dazed lost look with no reaction, guess he's telling to truth Aloy thought to herself.
'You can't see anything? Your eyes look fine to me'. The young woman sounded unconvinced and apologetic in her approach.
'I.. I'm sorry but I can't really see much at the moment.' Jamie replied, feeling kinda stupid as both his eyes were open and none the wiser would think otherwise, but it was true.
'Ok, I believe you'. Jamie had some relief there, at least she wont press on about his eyes for now.
'Look I know you've just woken up and I'm sorry if I scared you... but when I found you, you were unconscious and your hands were cut up really badly'.
That now made sense to why his hands stung bad and were wrapped up, did she clean them up and put this blanket on him? Jamies look was one of a lost one, but why was he here?.
'Aloy right?'. Aloy gave a simple nod.
'Where did you find me?'. Aloy gave him a somewhat serious look to him, he didn't know if he should worried or not.
'Well, I found a single with my focus, I followed it until I found patchy trail of blood with drag marks on the ground, the trail lead to you.' Jamie looked confused however.
'When I found you, you were unconscious and shivering quite a bit, your hands looked like they were in bad shape.' Aloy paused for a bit.
'Thinking you were liking going to freeze to death feeling your skin was as cold as snow, I got you wrapped in that thick blanket and this fire going to try warm you up, that thankfully worked. And I got your hands cleaned up and covered, they should be ok soon'.
This person saved his life Jamie just realised, he honestly didn't know what to say right now. But he had no idea what occurred to him to end up in that situation Aloy found him in.
'What happened to you?'. This Aloy just gets straight to her point with her questions, that's nice at least, no messing around with them.
Jamie tried to remember how he ended up where he was, his face then slowly fell. He couldn't remember much for some reason, he was becoming timid by this as he tried to remember.
'I remember... smashing some glass and stone that was in my road... panicking, freezing, trying to crawl... blind, then following some breeze, finding a opening into what felt like grass land on a hill going into a forest.' the images in his head were here and there, cut in and cut out like a bad single.
'That place I think you crawled out of, it had a large crack in the earth, but That's it?'. Aloy looked very curious and yet very baffled herself, like what he was saying didn't make much sense, like why was he down there to begin with?. Her people stayed away from those old places, he was clearly not of sacred land.
'Aloy... I'm really sorry but I can't remember much right now...' Jamie didn't know why he couldn't remember much, he knew his name and so on and yet can't remember everything that transpired the few hours before when crawled out from wherever, he couldn't remember why his was even there at this place he crawled out of in the first place.
'It's alright, just rest for a bit.' Expecting him to potential object to, Jamie simply nodded, with a hint of uncertainty clearly on his face.
Although Aloy wanted to ask a lot of questions, She realises she will have to wait with questions, the young man with a odd accent named Jamie had only just woken up, he apparently can't see very well or stand up or remember well at the moment. She would just have to be patient, she didn't know what he had gone through yet.
Aloy decided to cook something up for herself and the person with an odd accent named Jamie. Every now and then she would look to see Jamie laying down, he didn't utter a single word since after there talk earlier.
After cooking for a little bit the meat was ready, she had her back turned to him kneeling by a fire with what was meat cooking over it.
When she turned around, Jamie's face had the same rather lost expression on it, his eyes gazing over the horizon, still can't see well, perhaps a bit of food might help him out a bit as a comfort.
'Hey umm, would you like something to eat?'. In a somewhat uncertain tone, not knowing if she should or not. Jamie looked to the direction of her voice, though obviously still not exact.
'Sure.. yes please.' He sat up In a thankful and sounded somewhat excited mood. Aloy figured he still couldn't see that well yet, so she picked up some skewered boar and bought it over to Jamie, kneeling down infront of him, his ocean blue eyes were still the same lost look,
'Wait hold up... what is that sorry?'. Jamie asked with hesitation as he could not make out what the food was.
'It's boar I managed to hunt down earlier, Here'. She offered the skewered meat to Jamie, He had just enough vision to know where the food is. To which he gently and gratefully grabbed from Aloy.
'Ah thanks Aloy'. He said with great appreciation, Jamie could not remember the last time he was that hungry, but he ate steady to avoid being rude and making a pig of himself. Aloy wondered how long Jamie hadn't eaten anything, he didn't look like he was really starved, based on his body structure still being well toned and broad.
'Ahh that is awesome Aloy, how did you cook that?'. While his meal tasted somewhat bland but how could one argue when they are incredibly hungry, feeling like that hasn't eaten in a long time.
Aloy was a bit confused by that 'Awesome', what did that word mean? Maybe something to with his accent, maybe from a different tribe she didn't know about.
'Uh just... over the fire for a while, how I usually do it.' Aloy's response was somewhat surprised, line she didn't expect that, this person hadn't seen anyone cooks with fire or something?.
Jamie went back to eating, but then his eyes started to hurt, then his eye ache badly, so much so Jamie drop what was left of his meal and covered them with his hands, he grunted in pain, Aloy quickly came over to him very concerned for Jamie.
'Jamie, are you ok?'.
'It's just my damn eyes!'.
'Alright, I don't know if these will work, here take a few of these,.' She handed some medicinal berries Something Rost taught her whenever she hurt herself growing up, they can be a big help sometimes. Maybe it could help here. Jamie took them in his hand and he could tell they were berries.
'What is that supposed do Aloy?!'. He almost yelled, Jamie was getting very irritated, like what was taking some deep breaths supposed to do?
'Just listen to me please!'. With a bit more an authority in her voice this time, Jamie wanted this pain to go away so took them and ate them.
'Now just take some deep breaths for a bit'. Jamie listened and after what felt like an eternity, the pain started to go away at last, what Aloy gave him worked.
'Aloy I don't what berries those were... but I think they worked. At least it doesn't feel like something stabbing me in the eyes. Aloy gave a sigh of relief.
'How are your eyes now?'. Aloy asked with a soft voice. While she didn't know this person , she still wanted to help him. Understanding the rough state Aloy found this person, she was going to be gentle in this situation.
So Jamie opened his eyes at last steadily his vision finally began to clear, eventually Jamie could finally see the person who has helped him, a young woman of around his age with a somewhat stocky yet slander build, dressed in strange but apparently well made clothing that looked like animal skin and leather and a quiver of arrows on her right hip.
She had incredible dark ginger coloured, almost back length red hair in a odd hairstyle, consisting of multiple braids and hair beads adorned the ends of her braids, never seen anything like that before though Jamie had seen odd styles before, this one stuck out him.
Her eyes were as green as a lush rainforest, her quiet fare tone skin and cheeks had freckles adorned on them.
'Thank you Aloy'. With a thankful tone and smile.
'uhh... Your welcomed'. Aloy gave with a small smile in return but with a reserved voice. With the exception of Teb and a few Nora she has help after the attack after the proving It wasn't often anyone actually thanked Aloy for anything as she grew up an outcast. She wasn't used to people thanking her, and Jamie certainly wasn't the first person she has helped.
'Just rest for a bit, we'll talk more a bit later'. It did annoy Aloy a bit, it was like things kept jumping out to prevent answers, but something told her she couldn't get mad at Jamie for that.
'I won't complain there.' Then he laid back down.
She also began to think, if what he has said is true of what he could remember, Jamie obviously didn't have a great experience recently, to not be able to walk, see properly and have badly cut up hands, whatever occurred, Aloy would need to change her approach a bit to him.
While standing she looked away from Jamie and decided to activate her focus just in case she might have missed something and decided to have a quick look around the area as her focus detected something in the bushes, might hold some more clues to who this man is.
'Um, Jamie I'm just going to have a look around area, I won't be long'.
'Sure thing Aloy'. Casual response from Jamie. After giving a nod to Jamie she walked properly about twenty meters away just out of sight.
Aloy turned her focus back on and revealed the blood trail from before but then a shiny object caught her eye as she walked over to it.
'Ah ha, what do do we have here?'. Aloy kelt down a picked up the object, it was a silver necklace with quite thick chain and also had what appeared to be a cross of some kind.
'Never seen a necklace like this, some kind of cross? Wonder if it means something?'. Aloy pondered, noticing the blood on it it had to have come from the man she just found.
'Judging by the by blood, this must belong him, I better hold onto to this for now'. After quickly clearing the blood of it, Aloy put it in one of her pockets.
Then she turned her sights back to the camp spot where Jamie was, she hoped this time she will be more answers, there was still a big task ahead of her, to find the cultist group that attacked the proving, murdered Rost and wanted her dead, to find Olin, the person who had a focus which the cultist used to see Aloy. Justice will come and hopefully answers about the woman who look so similar to her only a lot older then Aloy.
But she also needed to figure out what to do with or who this Jamie is? Why he's here? Where did he come from? Things were only getting more complicated, and the burden was only going to increase.
However Aloy knew this will not stop her in her pursuit for answers about herself and justice. Something told her the path was not going to be easy.
I finally got that chapter out for you guys, I know I've said this before but there's one more chapter before getting back into the main story.