His foot stepped onto the other side. The ground creaked slightly, molding itself to the shape of the sole of his shoe. Avad lifted his foot, contemplating the imprint it left on the gleaming white floor. Then, he looked around, confirming that everything had this cold hue. The bare branches of the trees were covered with a frosty blanket, giving them a soft appearance. A cold gust of wind greeted them, freezing their faces. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the icy air, feeling at home again, and he huddled in his cloak. Aloy decided to give him a few minutes to get used to the weather before continuing their journey. Avad continued to look around, excited by everything surrounding them. The ground seemed so soft... he crouched down to touch it, surprised by how cold it was. He grabbed a handful of snow and squeezed it between his fingers, leaving the shape of his closed fist molded in it when he opened his hand.
"Is... Is it snow?" he asked in amazement, releasing what he had just grabbed because his fingers hurt. He rubbed his hands against his clothes to dry them and then between them.
"Yes." she responded, smiling. She was more than accustomed to the cold, and she had never stopped to think that there could be someone who had never seen something as simple and commonplace as snow.
"I never thought it would be so beautiful…" he continued to say as he crouched down to gather some more "Wow, it's so cold!" he laughed "It's incredible; I don't think I've ever touched anything so cold."
"Well, I can assure you that there's plenty of it here." the Nora laughed. Avad watched as the snow changed state and melted in his hands, dripping between his fingers and dripping onto the ground.
"Everything is... so beautiful... It's like you've transported me to another world." he felt that his face, his hands... his whole body in general was cooling, a sensation so different from everything in Meridian; even the smell was different from anything he had smelled before. She took his hand, almost as cold as ice from that first contact with the snow. He squeezed it tightly upon feeling her warm touch and turned to her "I love it." Aloy smiled cheerfully.
Minutes later, they resumed their journey. The hunter took a deep breath. She had missed the cold air of the Sacred Lands. They walked until they passed Two Teeth. Not far from there, there was a place with Broadheads, where they could easily get a mount to continue. Upon arrival, they hid in the undergrowth.
"If you want, you can wait here while I sabotage one." she suggested. He nodded. Agilely, Aloy crawled to one of the machines and, wielding her spear, tamed it. They rode for a long time at high speed along the paths, accompanied by the sunlight, until the night was beginning to set in. The temperature continued to drop with the diminishing light.
"Sorry, Aloy, is it much further?" the king asked, bewildered, realizing that it was getting darker and there seemed to be no place around to spend the night. Without light, he felt at the mercy of all the wild.
"To reach the Embrace, yes, but I know a place where we can spend the night without danger, I have everything under control."
"I thought we would have time to get there without problems... You didn't tell me anything." he expressed, confused.
"I know, and I'm sorry, but you seemed very nervous... In the place where we'll be, there will be no one, I didn't want you to get unnecessarily upset... Let's say it's not a very nice place, but it's safe, I promise."
"Where is it?"
"It's some ruins, the place is called Devil's Thirst."
"You're right; it sounds... cozy." he said ironically "Actually, it's better that you didn't tell me." he admitted, laughing.
"It's always empty. I once found a small group of hunters who were trapped, but I'm sure there won't be anyone. Thanks to the Focus, I can easily check, and I know of a place that no one ever accesses. There's nothing to worry about. We're close to Mother's Crown; we won't take too long to get there, so we can settle in and look for something to eat before it gets dark. It's better to arrive a little later tomorrow but have a good place to spend the night. We'll be safe there."
"Yes, my bones are freezing... Spending the night outdoors doesn't seem... pleasant. Aren't you cold?"
"No." she responded humorously "Although this place may be very strange to you, I've lived my whole life in these temperatures. And then, when I went north, to the Banuk territory, there... it was really cold; it was as if your breath froze before exhaling it."
"Ugh, I don't even want to think about it." he laughed, rubbing his arms to warm up.
They were galloping until Aloy suddenly stopped abruptly.
"What's happening?" the monarch asked, seeing that it was getting dark, and there didn't seem to be any place around to spend the night. The hunter quickly dismounted and crouched to analyze something on the ground "Isn't it here, right?" he asked, puzzled, looking around. They were in the middle of nowhere.
"Footprints." she replied, activating her Focus "There are footprints here, and they're not Nora's. They don't wear these wide boots. Those who made these footprints must have been wearing heavy armor because the marks are deep and large." with the device, she scanned the surroundings for possible enemies, while Avad slid down the mount until his feet fell into the snow. He approached to also look at the footprints.
"I can see footprints, but I couldn't get as much information as you say." he admitted "However, from the description you give, they are likely Oseram."
"That's the conclusion I've come to as well." she answered, looking around the area. She quickly stood up and ran a few steps ahead "Here is part of the mark a sled would leave when pulled through the snow... And here are remnants of blaze."
"This doesn't look good…" he muttered to himself, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, looking distrustfully in all directions. After analyzing all the clues, Aloy turned to the king.
"This wasn't part of my plans, but I need to go confirm or deny my suspicions." she explained, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"There's a possibility that they are bandits, right?" he asked very seriously.
"Yes. Also, the tracks from the cart are half-erased," she explained, sliding her hand through the snow "which implies that many people have walked here. Maybe more than ten. If they've set up camp or if they're approaching the Nora settlements, they could be a big threat to them. After the Eclipse attacked the Sacred Lands, they suffered many casualties, and they'll be rebuilding their walls; I don't think their defenses can withstand a well-planned attack.
"Oh, what a disaster…" he lamented, ready to take action.
"That's why I have to go check it out and eliminate any threat." she said, getting up from the ground, standing in front of Avad.
"What do you mean 'you' have to go?" he asked, frowning, not having overlooked that she had been talking in the singular the whole time.
"Yes, I must prevent them from attacking the Nora." she replied determined.
"I think you didn't understand what I meant by the question. Of course, we must prevent any possible threat to the tribe, but 'we' are going." he responded, emphasizing the difference between the two words.
"Avad... I think it's better if we find a place to hide you while I clear the area in case it's necessary." she said firmly. The Sun-King furrowed his brow. Sometimes she could be really stubborn.
"Aloy, don't push me away; I can help! This way, we'll finish faster, and we can find a safe place." he insisted.
"No, it's essential that nothing happens to you. You're the king of Meridian! You're very important to your people, and... to me." she said shyly "I don't want to lose you too."
"Hey, don't say that; nobody here is going to lose anyone." he expressed, taking her face in both hands "In the worst case, they're a handful of bandits; everything will be fine. Let me help you; I promise to follow your instructions." she lowered her gaze. Varl had helped her in the GEMINI Cauldron. At any cost. She couldn't bear for Avad to suffer the same fate as him and her father.
"It's just that if something happens to you... I... when that arrow pierced you in the Sun-Ring… I was terrified. You don't know the fear I had that something had happened to you... I couldn't bear another loss on my shoulders."
"And if something happens to you? The world would probably end…"
"There's also my sister." she replied, looking away.
"Aloy…" he insisted, taking her hands.
"Ah…" she sighed "But stay behind me…" he smiled, and both followed the trail of tracks until they reached what seemed like a camp. A poorly constructed wooden palisade protected the place, and several Oseram guarded the surroundings "It may be just a guarded camp to prevent bandits, but we must make sure. We need to get closer." she whispered, sharpening her senses. He nodded, and they stealthily slid through the bushes to a close enough distance to get an idea of what was happening there. Aloy activated the Focus to see how many people there were and scanned the area.
"Do you see anything?" he asked eagerly.
"Indeed... They're bandits." she confirmed, reaching for her bow.
What stood out the most were the loads of blaze, although being Oseram, they might be less suspicious if it weren't for the fact that there were several Nora prisoners in cages at one end of the settlement. Fortunately, they would soon be free. They remained hidden while scrutinizing the area. In a higher area, there was a lookout keeping an eye on the surroundings with a quite threatening Carja-made bow in his hands. The Oseram stood out for their inventions, especially if they were explosive; these wouldn't be an exception.
"There are many burned trees; I don't know how the Nora Sacred Lands are." commented a woman heading to the camp with a blaze backpack on her back, Aloy marked her with the Focus.
"Yes, it will be easy to loot them; the problem is that I don't know if it will be profitable." responded a man accompanying her loaded with many sticks, possibly to feed the forge.
"If not, we can take over their territory and settle a good base there. They say they have access to an Ancient's mountain, what better place than that to settle?" he laughed.
"I already have a plan." Aloy whispered when they had distanced themselves enough.
"I'm listening."
"When they enter the camp, I'll shoot a fire arrow at the woman with the backpack to create a big explosion. Next, we eliminate the watchtower guard. There are more inside, but for now, they don't bother us. After the explosion, they'll come out to see what's going on. If they come close to this bush, we'll try to get rid of them silently, and little by little, we'll sneak into the camp. The idea is that they don't find us. This way, it will be easier to eliminate everyone. I've seen that they have prisoners, so we'll free them later." she explained, glancing at the Sun-King without taking her eyes off the camp.
"By the Sun…" he whispered, impressed by the amount of information she had obtained in a few seconds.
"Please, Avad... be very careful." she pleaded, taking the king's hand.
"I assure you I will."
And so they executed the plan. Aloy grabbed a fire arrow and tensioned it on the bowstring, ready to be shot into the explosive backpack. She concentrated and relaxed her hand, sending the projectile to embed itself in its target. The woman screamed just before her cargo exploded, also igniting a nearby blaze supply, which burst with a loud noise, incinerating those nearby and alerting the whole camp. However, it wasn't what the huntress paid attention to. By the time Avad turned to her, he found a precise arrow placed in a Carja-made bow that looked familiar. The shot went The shot went straight to the head without deviating, making the guard fall from the tower.
"Now," she whispered, touching the triangular device with her fingertips "let's wait for them to approach, and we get rid of them quietly."
"Understood." he responded, grabbing his sword by the hilt. Several bandits went out to inspect the area to find the one responsible for the attack. Two of them headed for the bush where the couple was hidden.
"You go for the one on the right, and I'll go for the one on the left." she murmured "When we kill them, we put them in the bush so as not to alert the others." the Sun-King nodded.
"Who goes there?" one of the bandits asked. When the Oseram were close enough to the bush, the hidden pair pounced on them perfectly synchronized. Aloy jumped forward, brandishing the shining spear, stabbing it directly into the belly of one of them. Meanwhile, Avad unsheathed his weapon and, in the same motion, attacked the bandit, knocking him down with a single blow. That gesture revealed the mastery and elegance with which he could handle the sword.
"Great, come on, let's hide the bodies and try to move closer." Aloy said, grabbing the arms of the man she had defeated. The monarch imitated her, and when they finished hiding the bodies, they slipped to the next bush.
Seeing that those who had gone out to watch didn't return, three more bandits began to patrol the area. They couldn't kill them without alerting the whole camp, but they also didn't seem too many to handle. The explosion they had caused had already caused a few casualties. Before they were upon them, Aloy explained the next part of the plan— You go for the one on the right.
The monarch obeyed even though Aloy was keeping two for herself. In the blink of an eye, the Oseram he had been assigned was on the ground. Then, he turned to see that the Nora was holding one of them from behind, placing the spear on his neck, while the other was already lying on the ground. With a quick movement, Avad killed him. At that moment, the whole camp already knew their position, and a large number of men ran towards them ready to end the threat to their camp.
"I could handle them alone." she laughed, gaining momentum to then deliver a powerful blow to another man who approached.
"I don't doubt it, but this way, we'll move a little faster." he responded, dodging an attack while easily penetrating the armor of another bandit. She smiled at him.
"Thanks." she said afterward.
"I'll follow you wherever you go." he replied as he grabbed his sword with determination "And I don't just mean now." Aloy felt her cheeks blush slightly.
"Ohh…" she murmured, taking three acidic arrows from her quiver and throwing them at one of the assailants while striking another man with the glowing spear, charging his head with resonator energy "That was nice, but now is not the time!" then, she shot, causing the explosion of the resonator, taking down the attacker.
"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed with a strained voice while dodging a handful of arrows and blocking a blow from a huge hammer of another man.
"Don't apologize, just... be very careful, please." he asked, still not convinced that he should risk his life in that fight.
Loud shots broke the silence of the night.
"That sounds like the death-bringer's weapon!" he exclaimed. Those were bad news; Aloy didn't expect them to have machine-like weapons "We must get rid of him first." the huntress ran towards the fortress while placing some traps on the ground. Avad followed her, keeping his distance. Several Oseram were charging at him. The Nora dodged all the bullets, although many were close. Clinging to the grapple, she climbed the surface to the base from which the heavy gunner was firing. From below, she managed to unbalance him, making him fall from the height to the frozen stone floor. It was then that she turned to Avad to find him surrounded by four bandits "It can't be." she murmured, wielding her precise bow. Avad held the weapon with a serious expression on his face. He attacked the man in front of him first and then struck the one behind him. Only two remained. He turned to the one now on his right to knock him down with a clean and elegant sword strike. When he turned to his last opponent, he saw an arrow pierce him, making him fall to the ground.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, turning to Aloy "That one was mine!"
"I owed you that!" she laughed just before doing a somersault on the ground, dodging an arrow. 'How does she do it?' he wondered in his mind 'She wasn't even looking where the attack came from.' Immediately after, Avad ran to the palisade to help Aloy. When he reached the base of the wall, she leaned out.
"They're coming from behind you!" she warned. The last ones left had grouped together and were about to attack Avad. Now, a group of ten men armed to the teeth with explosives and hammers was going to charge at him. No matter how sharp his sword was, these were the ten toughest bandits "Take the weapon! Shoot them with the cannon!"
Avad didn't hesitate for a moment to do what she had instructed. He approached the corpse of the heavy gunner, and grabbing the Deathbringer's cannon, he ignited it, firing a burst of bullets. What he didn't expect was the power of the recoil and the lack of precision of the weapon. For a moment, he felt truly scared, thinking he wouldn't be able to control the cannon.