The time was approaching. Aloy impatiently headed to the place where they would meet, with the mount waiting on the outskirts of the city. She expected that maybe he wouldn't be thrilled about the plan, but if he decided to give it a try, he'd enjoy it, perhaps even more than the galloper ride. But just in case, she had a Plan B.

"Hello." he greeted upon arriving, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, hi, I didn't see you coming." she responded in surprise. "Ready to go?"

"Yes." he nodded with determination. They left the city and mounted the strider.

"One last thing. Before we leave, I want you to know that we won't leave Sunfall, but we'll move away a bit from Meridian. I don't know if that's okay with you." she said, not starting the machine yet.

"No problem." he replied, growing more intrigued. "I've never left because I haven't had the chance, but it's not like I have an issue with getting away from the city."

"Okay, just in case, it's just that it surprised me a lot when you told me. I wanted to make sure. Also, with all the attacks on the palace, I thought maybe you wouldn't feel safe outside its walls." she said, urging the machine to start walking gradually to avoid startling him.

"After everything that's happened, I know that the place where I am safest is by your side." Avad responded, blushing as he wrapped his arms around the huntress' waist.

"Thank you." she blushed in response. "Though, in reality, don't think it's that strange that you haven't left. In the Embrace, we're not allowed to leave the Sacred Lands because it's considered outside the protection of the All-Mother. In fact, they consider those who leave as outcasts. I haven't heard much about the Nora, as they don't communicate much with other tribes. But I have heard of the outcasts. And you…" he began to ask, determined to find out. "How did you leave?"

"Mine is different. I was named a Seeker, so without being exiled, I had permission to explore other places in exchange for completing a task, which, in my case, was to eradicate the corruption... I had no idea what awaited me, neither the war nor the Forbidden West were in my plans. My intention... was to find my mother." she said. Upon hearing that, he felt relieved that she didn't stay in Meridian because she had nowhere to go, and he decided not to continue asking, sensing that this topic made her uncomfortable. "Have you ever been to Spearshafts?" Aloy quickly asked, changing the subject.

"No... I've actually never ventured so far from my city voluntarily," he said "but I've heard that there's a massive beast that lives there. I don't know if it's true. Do you know if it's real?"

"I've been there plenty of times, and you're not far off. In fact, it's to see that machine that I'm taking you." she responded.

"R-really?" he asked, getting a bit nervous as he unconsciously held her tighter.

"Don't worry, it's completely harmless. It walks in circles, and as long as you don't stand underneath it, there's no danger. The first time I saw one, I thought it was magnificent."

"So they're not legends." he said, pensively. He had missed out on a lot by barely stepping outside Meridian's territory, but he hadn't been free to choose.

Finally, they arrived at their destination and dismounted the strider.

"Come," she said "we need to be careful because, despite the fact that what we're going to see isn't dangerous, there are machines in the area that are, especially the longlegs. I'll set traps to make sure they don't follow us." The ground began to shake.

"What is that? Is it the machine?" he asked, somewhat scared, moving closer to Aloy.

"Yes, those are its footsteps." she replied. "Let's go to a higher point to see it better. Come." Taking Avad's hand, she ran toward a rock that ended in a peak. Once there, she set up a few explosive wires around them and then invited him to sit beside her. "This machine is incredible; you're going to love it. It's a tallneck. It's... one of my favorites."

"Look!" he exclaimed, marveled and fearful at the same time, pointing at the giant. "There it is!" The colossal flat head of the machine appeared between the trees, moving with deliberate steps. He stood up to get a better look. "Wow…" was all he could say. The ground shook more intensely as it approached.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, pleased to see the monarch's wonder-filled expression. The longneck had impressed her more than she thought, which would help with the rest of her plan. "It's fantastic. I've never seen a machine like that. I never thought there could be machines so large." A few minutes later, Aloy opened her backpack and pulled out a rope.

"Sunset is approaching, and... I had thought of a great place to watch it." she began to explain as the colossal Tallneck passed by on its monotonous route. "A place you can only access by climbing. If you don't think it's a good idea, don't worry. Considering you've never ventured far from Meridian, perhaps it's best to postpone it." she clarified.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"Well... the ascent is very steep, and it ends on a large circular metal platform," she explained, pointing at the Tallneck with her gaze. He understood instantly.

"Wait... you want to climb up there?" he stammered in disbelief.

"From there, the view will be incredible. I know it sounds crazy, but it's doable. I've climbed every Tallneck I've come across, and it's really worth it," she said, handing him the rope. "I brought this to secure it to different parts of the machine so you can climb up safely. If you slip, the rope I'll have tied won't let you fall, and if you don't like it, we'll wait for the Tallneck to complete its full circle and then we'll get down on this ledge, which is the easiest to access. I really don't want you to feel obligated to do something you don't want to do. What do you say?"

"Well…" Avad pondered. Climbing up there was insane! However, if it wasn't worthwhile, she wouldn't have brought him all the way here, but... the beast was so massive. "If the view is as good as you say, we should give it a try, right?"

"If you're not comfortable with it, that's perfectly fine. The view is also lovely from here. Don't feel pressured to do anything you don't want to do."

"No, no, I'll give it a try."

"Oh! Are you really going to climb?" She celebrated, jumping for joy. "Once the Tallneck passes, we'll jump together." she explained, securing the rope around the Sun-King's waist and then her own. "When we're on board, I'll go first, and you'll follow my steps, but you must wait for me to secure the rope to the different ledges on its neck. Remember, we can turn back at any moment, understood?"

"Understood." he replied, serious and still unable to believe what he was about to do. Would he really be able to climb onto that giant? The ground trembled beneath his feet in time with the Tallneck's steps. It was getting closer, and with it, the moment to jump. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat growing faster as he wondered if he could go through with it.

"Just trust yourself, and you'll make it." Aloy encouraged him, looking deeply into his hazel eyes. The moment to jump had arrived. Aloy signaled it with an "Now!" and she leaped. Without much thought, because if he had hesitated, he might have frozen in fear, Avad jumped, emitting a small scream. When he gathered his senses, he found himself clinging to a sort of fin protruding from the massive neck. They were already several meters away from the ledge.

"Great, Avad! You're doing great!" Aloy cheered. With a leap, she moved to the fin next to him. He chose to reach that point by circling the machine's neck, holding on tightly and being careful with his bandaged hand.

"How are you doing?"

"M-more or less, it's not as terrible as it seemed from the outside…"

"Great, to climb up, you need to grip the yellow ledges, but only do it when I tell you. I need to reach the top and secure the rope."

"I'll wait here…" he responded. Aloy agilely climbed to the head. Seconds later, she informed him that the rope was ready. He gathered his strength, muttering to himself "Come on, Avad, you survived a war, this shouldn't be any more challenging…" then began to climb "There were Deathbringers and all… This machine doesn't even have cannons." he mumbled to himself.


Author's note:

Hello! I know this chapter is shorter, but the next one will make up for it :D I also wanted to let you know that I was reviewing the previous chapter and realized that only half of it had been uploaded, so I've updated it by adding the second part. You might have only read the first half. Thank you for reading, and have a great day 3