162A/N: I'm back! I'm so sorry about the long absence. The holidays were, frankly, insane and I didn't have much time to write. I also work in the medical industry and unfortunately caught something. I got very sick and needed a lot of time to rest. Still, I'm back and all is good! I'm 100% healthy and things are finally calm again! This is an important chapter too, so I hope you all like it!
Interestingly, the first part of this chapter is one that I wrote as a potential scene idea way back when I was working on chapter 7. I have a few others of those and other little scene ideas that I'm not sure if I'll use. Maybe I'll post them as omakes or something.
Anyway, please leave a comment or review on what you think and again, I am so sorry for the long absence!
A Digital Mother
Chapter 23
3038
Aloy
"I'll always try to reach for the stars." Aloy sang as she moved into the room, music blaring from the speakers in her lab. "To break my chains and fly-y-y, I-i-i, oh no. Followed by the ghosts from the past. Trying to reach me, I'm too fast." She walk-danced up to the workbench, placing the materials she'd been holding next to her bow.
She'd been experimenting with creating a collapsable bow that could be carried more easily while still having the same draw weight and power of her normal weapon. It was easy enough to build a bow that could fold in on itself once the string was removed, but that defeated the purpose. The idea was to have it unfold with the string still attached and therefore be usable in an instant but easier to carry. Plus, the draw weight was less than half of what she wanted. She bent over the bench, reaching out to fiddle with a wound coil of wire when her thoughts were interrupted by a mighty CRASH. Aloy's head jerked up, her hand flying to her focus.
With the music stopped she whirled around, long red hair flying and marched towards the lounge area of the underground facility. "Taka!" She shouted. "That better not have been you!" The seventeen-year-old huntress stormed into the room to see a collection of miscellaneous items strewn across the floor and an adolescent fox scampering down off of a counter.
"Ugh." Aloy groaned. She put her hands on her hips and stared at the mischievous animal. "Look, I agreed to watch you for Vala while she's gone, but that doesn't mean you can destroy the bunker!" Taka, the fox, just cocked its head at her before scurrying away to explore further. Aloy sighed, one hand flying up to smack against her forehead.
"Get back here, you stupid fox!" she shouted, chasing after the animal. Diving over one of the couches she'd built with her father, she just barely missed getting her hands around the animal. Landing hard on the metal floor, thankfully softened by mats woven of a mixture of plant fibers and stitched furs, Aloy chose to just lay there for a moment in a silent gesture of frustration and resignation while the red-furred animal scampered away.
"Aloy, dear?"
"Yes, mom?"
"You missed."
Aloy sighed, thudding her head into the carpet. Face down, she briefly inhaled the scent of dried leaves and fur that still clung to the carpet despite having been in the underground bunker for nearly a year. Pushing herself up, she stalked after the fox.
"Where did that little monster go?" She muttered under her breath.
"She's headed towards Vala's lab." Her mother's disembodied voice replied. Her mother, GAIA, had total control of the bunker's sensor systems so it was literally impossible for anything to move around inside it without her knowledge. Aloy nodded and moved through a doorway, headed after Vala's annoyingly cute pet.
The bunker had been changed rather wildly over the two years since she and Vala had taken ownership of it. The whole facility was now open, for one. Most of it was made up of workshops, storerooms, and other such things but the living areas had all been refurbished and made… well, livable again. The furniture that could be cleared of ice and stone buildup had been cleaned and refurbished as best they could. What couldn't be salvaged was used as spare parts or scrap and replaced with items crafted in the Nora style. All in all, it was a rather comfy place. Aloy and Vala both had taken to spending the night in the bunker on more than one occasion since its proximity to a few prime brave trails and hunting spots made it a wonderful staging ground for their training.
The decorations were all in the Nora style of course, but there were a few elements of Oseram, Utaru, and even old-world design in the mix thanks to the influence of the refugees in Mother's Song and the media files provided by GAIA.
Speaking of her mother, Aloy's relationship with the AI that had created her had only become stronger in the year since she'd discovered that GAIA was her mother. Of course, she couldn't exactly start calling GAIA 'mom' or 'mama' whenever she wanted. That would cause a lot of questions if anyone overheard her. No. She only ever referred to GAIA by her familial title when they were alone or in the presence of Vala or her father.
Those two were the only ones she'd told about that particular revelation and even her father didn't know about GAIA being an AI. That was a topic she refused to ever bring up with him. Her father's faith was too important to him and the revelation that his goddess wasn't actually a goddess and just a highly advanced computer program would break him. Aloy refused to do that to her father. Though, she was not above a bit of subtle misdirection.
In getting to know more about her mother, she'd been fascinated to learn that Elisabet Sobeck, GAIA's creator, had named her after an ancient goddess once thought to be the embodiment of the very earth itself. This had led her down the rabbit hole as it were, researching what she could about the faiths of the old ones. There wasn't much in what she had access to but in doing so, she stumbled across a few files pertaining to the natives of the region once known as North America. A region she herself called home.
What she could find showcased a culture with a few interesting similarities to that of the Nora, but what'd drawn her attention were references to an 'Earth Mother.' The idea that the earth itself was a divine, nurturing being that gave life and watched over humanity. A concept that was apparently embraced by quite a few cultures in the distant past. While she had always been a bit skeptical about the existence of the divine, she'd found the concept of 'mother earth' to be an elegant one. One she could believe in, absent the divine aspect. The Nora ideal of living in harmony with and caring for the land combined with all GAIA's stories about Elisabet's passion for healing the planet meant Aloy possessed a deep, powerful respect and even love for nature. A feeling that drove her to be as conscious of the environment as possible when perfecting the inventions she used to benefit the tribe. If what she created had the potential to cause irreparable harm to nature, she refused to allow it to be used until those flaws were fixed.
After concluding her research, she'd even shared her findings with her father, Teersa, and the other High-Matriarchs. The idea being to show them proof, beyond the word of GAIA, that at least some of the old ones had respected nature. The High-Matriarchs had been ecstatic at what they took as more proof of a select few old ones worshipping the All-Mother and eagerly shared this revelation with other Matriarchs and members of the tribe. It wasn't totally widespread yet, but the young redhead had heard a few Nora begin to use 'All-Mother' and 'Mother of Earth' almost interchangeably.
Stepping into Vala's medical lab, Aloy spotted her quarry. The little red fox was now curled up on her owner's desk chair, snout tucked beneath her tail. Aloy sighed and walked slowly over to her. Reaching out a hand, the redhead gently petted the fur on the animal's head, giving her a scratch. Taming Taka hadn't been easy, but they were making good progress. Still, Vala was definitely the little animal's favorite person. Though, she'd also taken a surprising shine to Vala's mother, Sona. The animal had a bit of a mischievous streak too, but considering she was a wild animal it was to be expected that she didn't really follow orders well.
"She'll be back soon, Taka." Aloy muttered, still petting the animal. Vala was gone on a weeklong hunting expedition with a group of Braves of the same age. Aloy herself had only just returned from her own excursion the week before. The Brave trainers, after much discussion, decided that their age group was too large for a single trip and instead took them in batches to the hunting grounds just outside the Gate of the Embrace. She wasn't sure whose idea it'd been to have her and Vala go in separate batches, but Aloy knew she didn't like it. She did, however, like that the war had continued to wind down to a point where the Matriarchs, Captains, and War-Chief felt it was safe to hold such a trip, even if they weren't going far from the gates. The vast majority of the Nora were hoping that the growing quiet meant that the Red Raids and the war with the Carja tribe would continue to decline until it simply fizzled out and peace could be declared. Aloy herself chose to be hopeful, but skeptical.
Karst
Karst poked at his campfire with a stick, looking out over the open desert plains of the Sundom. To his left, he could hear the rhythmic stomping of a Tallneck. The one in question wandered its way in a never-ending circle within a kind of rocky enclosure. There was some evidence of the Carja having once built structures around it, but they were long abandoned. To the north, he could just make out a Thunderjaw wandering around in the fading light.
The Thunderjaw was perhaps the single most dangerous machine he'd ever seen or heard of. It towered over nearly every other machine and possessed weapons more powerful than anything even the most demented Oseram could think up. When it first appeared a little over 8 years ago, the Carja were thrown into a panic, leading to an increase in attacks and smaller scale raids for a few months.
Its appearance didn't really affect the Nora much until roughly two years ago when the Cauldron inside the Sacred Lands spat out its first Thunderjaw. So far, only two had ever emerged and both were still alive, having been herded into the long valley between Mother's Tears and the gate to the Sundom at Dawn's Sentinel.
He was too far away for the Thunderjaw to take any notice of him, but it was still a little nerve wracking to watch the colossal machine. Unfortunately, he wasn't the one who chose this little meeting place. Word had come through their information network that someone wanted to speak to 'the leader' of the underground road. The one in charge of the group actively smuggling people out of the Sundom.
Of course, given the state of the Sundom, they'd ensured that this intel and the person behind the request were thoroughly vetted and deemed not to be a Carja spy or a Carja ploy. Given the current state of the Sundom, you could never be too careful. While the Sacred Lands were almost peaceful, save for the smaller raiding parties they regularly rebuffed or hunted down, the situation within the Sundom had taken a turn for the worse.
A scant few months ago, the Mad Sun King had done the unthinkable. His son and heir, Prince Kadaman had reportedly confronted his father, demanding an end to the Red Raids following a full decade of slaughter. King Jiran, now being totally lost to insanity and delusion, had his son executed, causing the second prince, Avad, to flee the city. The next ruler of Meridian and the Sundom killed for daring to ask for peace. Karst had known the Sun King was mad, but to execute his own child? Coming from a culture where execution was never even remotely considered for their worst traitors, the very idea of killing your own child sickened Karst for a myriad of reasons. Not least of which because he was about to become a father himself.
With the blessing of Sial's mother, the council of Utaru established by the refugees, the Matriarchs, and his own family, Karst and Sial had become bonded mates. Joined in a ceremony that honored both the Utaru and Nora traditions, they were both ecstatic. He'd been given leave to return to the Sacred Lands to be with his mate, giving over his semi-permanent position inside Meridian's surrounding lands to his cousin and her mate. He still made his regular trips into the Sundom, but he was slowly making them shorter so that he could reasonably leave the Sundom to be with his mate and their child once he or she was born. Sial was only five moons pregnant at the moment, so he had a little time to get 'Merav's' affairs in order without arousing suspicion.
The Seeker was drawn from his thoughts by the sound of feet stomping on sand getting closer. Looking up, he spotted a large, muscular, but familiar woman stomping towards him in Carja clothing. It was Ersa. The Oseram woman he'd helped smuggle out of the city almost two years ago.
"Ersa." Karst nodded his head in greeting, hiding his surprise that she was the one he was supposed to be meeting with.
"Merav." Ersa grinned, her short dark hair flopping across her forehead as she inclined her head towards him. "Or, whoever you are. Still not sure what your real name is."
"Nor will I tell you." Karst replied with a smirk, gesturing for her to take a seat by the fire. "You may be an enemy of the Carja, but that does not mean my secrets or those of my agents are safe with you. The fewer who know, the better."
"Fair enough." She nodded with a smile, taking a seat next to him. "I won't begrudge you your secrets, but I do hope you'll tell me once the war is won."
Karst raised an eyebrow. "Do you anticipate it to be over soon? With the way things are going inside the Sundom these days, it looks more like the war is only going to get worse."
"You're right." She shrugged. "But that's why this is the perfect time to act. You heard about Prince Avad fleeing the city, right?"
Karst nodded. "Of course. One of my agents helped smuggle him out." He gave her a shrewd look. "He was headed north when last I heard anything of him."
"Sounds about right." The dark-haired woman grinned. "He's with us. We've gathered an army of Carja rebels and Oseram Freebooters. We're getting ready to attack Meridian. To take over and put Avad on the throne so we can stop the war once and for all."
Karst sat back, staring at her. It was certainly an ambitious plan. One he could support too. Avad, just like his deceased brother, had been a vocal supporter of peace. Though, he'd never been foolish enough to confront his father about it like his fallen brother.
"Ambitious." He said after a moment of thought. "Is that why you wanted to meet with members of the network?"
"Exactly." Ersa replied with a nod. "You can get in and out of the city without suspicion so if you were already inside when the army arrives then there's a good chance you might be able to…"
"Open the gates for your army from the inside." Karst cut her off once he understood her plan. He sighed. It was a dangerous plan, but it just might work. After all, hadn't he personally executed a very similar plan during the Nora sack of Daytower? Karst stood, brushing sand off his Carja pants. "Stay here. I need to think." With that, he wandered away from the fire and, once out of earshot and enshrouded by darkness, he tapped his Focus.
Teersa
"The baby is strong." Teersa said, one hand on Sial's growing belly. "The healers say things are going well?"
"Yes, High-Matriarch." The Utaru woman replied, placing her own hand on her stomach. Once Karst and Sial had bonded, she'd been given permission to enter the Embrace to seek care under the best healers of the tribe.
Namely, the ones trained by Vala who also had experience with childbirth. The young prodigy healer herself was avidly following the course of Sial's pregnancy to gain experience with such matters. Of course, they'd also taken the opportunity to invite a group of representatives from the Utaru refugees to Mother's Heart for a conference with the High-Matriarchs. If Karst's plan proved effective, then there was a real chance the war would be over soon.
"If I may ask." Teersa spoke up again, "what are your plans for after the war ends?"
"What do you mean?" The dark-skinned Utaru asked, confused.
"Do you wish to return to Plainsong once it's all over?" The elderly woman asked a little more bluntly.
"Oh." Sial's eyes went wide as she understood the query. Then she looked down, caressing her stomach. "Yes, I would like to go back. To show Karst and our child the lands of my people. The place where I grew up. I would like to escort my mother home, and I dearly hope that my father and brother will still be there to greet us. But I do not think I would stay there forever. If possible, I would like to be an ambassador between my people and yours. You've saved so many of us over the years and many of the refugees, myself included, have come to love our lives in Mother's Song. As much as I miss my homeland, Mother's Song is my true home now. I want to see that connection between our tribes continue."
"As do we." Teersa replied, touched and relieved by her words. "It is the wish of the High-Matriarchs that Mother's Song continue to be a village where all tribes are welcome. A place where Nora, Utaru, Banuk, Oseram, and perhaps even Tenakth or Carja can intermingle well into the future." Sial's eyes were wide.
"But… High-Matriarch. There was so much pushback when you first took us in. The Nora are famous for their isolation. Are you truly willing to invite other tribes to live within the Sacred Lands so easily?"
Teersa let out a small groan of discomfort, her old bones creaking as she leaned back in her chair. "It certainly won't be easy but… well, I'm sure Karst told you of the Goddess? That she spoke to us?"
"Yes, he has." She replied, her face neutral. The Utaru refugees had come to embrace many aspects of Nora culture, but none had converted to the worship of the goddess.
Teersa smiled. "She revealed to us a few secrets that have forced the tribe to reevaluate our position on other tribes. It is why we started to interact with the Banuk and it is why we were willing to accept your people living among us. I don't want the tribe to backslide into our old ways once the war is done. It's time for the Nora to be seen by the world. The Embrace, of course, will remain closed to all but trusted outsiders and the occasional envoy, but it is our hope that Mother's Song and perhaps the other villages beyond the walls will welcome people from other tribes with open arms."
"I see." Sial smiled. "I would like to help with that, High-Matriarch. I would love for my child to grow up in a world where all the tribes can coexist in peace. Even the Carja."
"The scars of this war will be slow to heal." Teersa commented, "but time heals all wounds. We must simply be patient."
Karst
"Move, move, move!" Karst shouted; his face obscured by the Carja soldier's helm he wore. He was shouting orders to real Carja soldiers who were all gathering at the Meridian Gate in preparation for the battle.
Following his conversation with Ersa, and subsequent discussions with the High-Matriarchs, Karst and the other Seekers had agreed to go along with the plans of the Oseram woman and exiled Carja prince. Every single Seeker trained in infiltration joined in the attempt. They were spaced all around the city in points where they could act to sabotage the defense.
The group had, over the last few weeks intercepted, eliminated, and replaced a number of Carja platoons making their way towards the city. Karst himself had replaced a lower ranking officer and now, with the army of Avad and the Oseram quite literally just outside the gates to the city, it was time to act.
"Sir!" Karst gave a salute to the commander of the inner gate as he led his group towards the imposing structure. "I bring reinforcements sent by the palace."
"Excellent." The gruff Carja gate commander replied. "Get them down the bridge and then get back here. I'll need every officer I can get if they get through."
"Sir. My commander ordered me to return to the palace once I'd handed off your reinforcements." The commander growled in annoyance.
"Fine. Get them into position and hand them off to the outer gate commander. Then get your ass back to where you're supposed to be."
"Yes, sir!" Karst saluted again.
Meridian had only one true entrance with two gates. The first gate sat on a high platform and was connected to the inner gate by a long wooden bridge. A bridge which spanned the cavernous drop between the cliff face and the rising spire of the mesa that Meridian sat upon. The inner gate had no true 'gate' in that there was no physical barrier to entry. What it did have was a huge number of murder holes, archery positions, and the very narrow bridge leading up to it that meant any invading force would be under constant fire as they tried to cross the bridge. That is, if they managed to get past the outer gate.
Of course, they could not simply 'open the gate' as it were, like they'd done at Daytower. For one, this attack would be happening in broad daylight. For a second, this wasn't like pushing open a door. The Meridian Gate was in truth a solid metal portcullis that could be raised or lowered by winches housed inside the arch. Winches located directly behind the archery positions inside the walls. Meaning that anyone who tried to open the portcullis during a battle would be doing so while in the presence of a rather large contingent of Carja soldiers who would very likely object to such an action.
Their plan instead was to sabotage the structural integrity of the gate itself so that the Oseram canons could batter it down quickly. They'd already started this process by having two Seekers, Desh and Yorn, infiltrate the standard garrison at the gate well over three weeks ago. The two men were steadily weakening the metal of the gate at strategic points by soaking it in chillwater. By Freezing the metal repeatedly, especially at key structural points, they made it more brittle and easier to break. They had to be careful not to be too obvious, of course, but it was working.
Once he'd handed off the soldiers, Karst made a beeline back to the palace. He'd gotten very lucky and managed to secure a place guarding the palace gate along with Torst and Vorg. Once the Oseram and Carja rebels broke through to the palace itself, the three of them would be able to open the actual palace gate for their allies. It was a normal gate, rather than a portcullis like the one on the Meridian Gate, though one made of interlocking metal poles rather than any kind of solid material.
As he ran, Karst could hear explosions behind him followed by screams. The sounds of Oseram canon fire if he had to guess. Coming up to the inner palace gate, the hidden Seeker looked up to see the Sun King sitting on his throne. The palace of Meridian started just beyond the gate as a central courtyard. Two long staircases extended on either side of the courtyard, curving up towards another courtyard. The throne of the Sun King sat on this upper yard, looking out over the lower yard and the rest of the city. Just behind the upper courtyard lay the physical palace buildings and the living and lounge areas of the king and the royal family.
"The attack has begun." He reported with a grim voice as the other palace soldiers let him in, shutting the gate tight behind him.
"I can see that." The gate commander replied, looking out over the chasm on their left. Karst looked as well, just barely able to make out the edges of Avad's army.
They watched what they could of the battle with trepidation, but it wasn't long before they lost sight of the army. What they could see of it surged forward, towards the gate and then disappeared, which would only mean one thing.
"They've broken through." Karst said, his voice grim but his heart soaring.
"May the glorious sun damn their shadowed souls." One guard spat; the sentiment being echoed by the others.
"Do not worry, children of the sun." A voice said behind them. Karst turned and found himself face to face with a monster.
The Butcher. The Terror of the Sun. Stacker of Corpses. Helis. Kestrel of the Carja stood directly behind him and it was only by the grace of the All-Mother keeping him calm that Karst didn't try to skewer him then and there. "Even if these heathens make it to the palace, we will fight them to the death and emerge victorious."
There was an evil grin on the man's face, made only more gruesome by the burn atop his bald head, the scar on his left cheek and the far more prominent one that led to his eerily empty and scarred eye socket. Tokens of his failed battles with Yore and Rost.
"As you say, Kestrel." The gate commander nodded.
"HELIS!" The voice of the mad king interrupted them all, drawing the attention of the Kestrel. Without acknowledging the rest of them, the monster turned away to answer the call of his insane king. Oddly, he did not return but Karst chose not to question it. They stood there for what felt like hours, listening to the sounds of the battle raging inside the city until at last, they caught a glimpse of a hulking, armored Oseram charging towards the palace bridge. Following behind him were even more Oseram and Carja rebels.
"Hold firm!" The gate commander shouted. Karst had other ideas. Looking over to his left, he saw his two compatriots. Meeting their eyes, they each gave a nod of respect. They knew there was a good chance they would die here, but it was a risk they were willing to take.
Pulling out a vial, Karst poured chillwater directly onto the locking mechanism before standing aside as Torst raised his halberd. With one mighty swing, the Seeker shattered the locking mechanism. Then, as one, Karst and Vorg pulled the gates open.
"What are you doing?!" The gate commander shouted. Other soldiers simply raised their weapons to strike at the seeming traitors in their midst. They never got the chance. The Seekers had timed their move too perfectly.
Before the betrayed Carja could cut them down, the charging Oseram Freebooters and Carja rebels poured through the gate. Karst, Torst, and Vorg each dropped their weapons and made themselves scarce so as not to be confused for true Carja and cut down by their own allies. They watched as the invading army poured into the palace, overwhelming the soldiers and forcing their way up to the inner palace gates. Those were guarded exclusively by Kestrels so there was no way Karst and the Seekers could have sabotaged them. Still, as Karst watched the unmistakable form of Ersa pass by him, joined by who could only be Prince Avad and his Oseram honor guard, he knew the defenders stood no chance.
Meridian had fallen and with luck, the war would truly be over. Once and for all. Turning to his fellow Seekers, he gestured to them and together they retreated from the palace. The High-Matriarchs had not given them permission to reveal their true allegiance. Not until they were sure that this Sun-King was sane and better than the last. A few of their number would stay to observe the change in the city caused by this invasion but the rest would quietly make their way out in the chaos. All with just a single destination in mind. Home. The war was over, and the Seekers were going home.
A/N: Dun Dun! The Red Raids are over! I did consider having Karst stay and actually meet Avad, but it felt better to do it like this. The Nora don't really know if Avad will be different to his father and make peace, so it makes more sense for them to be cautious at the moment. Still, please leave a comment or review with your thoughts and ideas for this chapter!
Oh, there will be a few chapters detailing the peace time before ZD starts but we're getting there soon! If my current outline works out, the ZD time should start with the Proving around chapter 27 or 28.
The song Aloy sings is My Justice, Your Pain by Ad Infinitum
The bunker is decorated very similarly to Aloy's base at the end of Forbidden West except that the decorations are almost entirely Nora in design with just a few hints of Oseram or Utaru culture thanks to bleed over from the refugee residents in Mother's Song.
What did you think of Taka the fox?
Karst's camp is at the campfire east of captured Tallneck at Sun-Steps and south of the Thunderjaw site near to it. The one just below the road.
I wandered around Meridian in HZD Remastered trying to figure out how Avad attacked it and I have to say… the city kind of sucks. I mean, it's both very defensible and not defensible at all. Like, why is there no gate on the inner side of the bridge? Look at it! There is literally no place for a portcullis or a gate to fit! Same goes for the arch outside the palace! Are you telling me that the only defenses for the Sun King's Palace is a couple gates that aren't even solid? In a world where everybody uses bows, you build a gate that's made of a bunch of bars instead of solid wood or metal?
Answers to Questions
On FFN
DracoAngelus17: Thank you! I'm so glad you liked the story and I hope you liked this chapter too!
Guest1138: I'm sorry it took so long and thank you for the comment!
Calvin Sload: Thank you! Sorry it took so long but I hope you like it!
Kitsune9512: Here is more! I hope you liked it!
Bargo: Loved the long review! I'm sorry you were disconnected from the site for a while but I hope you get to see this one right away!
ChuuniDude: I'm glad you liked the chapter! I don't know how I feel about having the fox be a full companion since I'm going for realistic but I liked the idea of Vala having a pet.
Jamerz06: I hope you liked it!
Dracofigher: Thank you!
Guest: Glad you liked it!
Primalbot22: Thank you! As for the old one, I don't think so. Since that's not in canon and I only change things that could be affected by the ripples of GAIA surviving, the only old ones she's going to meet are likely to be Tilda and the others. It would definitely be interesting though.
Rios: Thank you so much!
TheRuinsOfRl'yeh: Love the idea of the Seekers becoming teachers and if I'm honest, that is probably the role they'll take on once the war is over. They'll become a mixture of diplomats, teachers, and the occasional infiltrator. Aloy will be different, of course, but she'll probably wind up being given the task of acting as an envoy to other tribes. As for Aloy being a Genshin character… that's a crossover I want to read. Like, a full crossover, not just an omake.
CloudWalker2470: Thank you! Yeah, I had a real problem with Horizon fics being nothing but romance and little substance. Sometimes that's good but it wasn't what I wanted, which is why I wrote this!
LunaShadowWolf: Thank you!
Agusfedredhunter: She could possibly repair a drone like that, yeah. It might be better though for her to repurpose the drones she takes over in Forbidden West. I'll have to think on it!
Xymorm: I'm glad you like it! I'm sorry it took so long to post a new chapter though.
On AO3
Storyt3113r: I wish I could have a Focus. It would make life so much easier.
Sabbs123: Thank you!
Kasanra: I love Petra too and you do have a point. Maybe I'll give her a more prominent role? I'll think about it.
ChaosOmega98: Thank you!
ReviewerDWJ: Thank you! Sorry it took so long.
Scorpion6112: Glad you liked it!
DragonFang09: I always wondered about it too so I figured I'd write Varls Proving. It was fun!
THEEBlock: We shall see!
Sky1anders: Idk about Aloy becoming Hatsume Mei but… they would be friends.
Chiki270: Thank you!
Ryanlarsen84: Thank you! As to your concern about the religion thing, I did minorly address that in this chapter so I hope you get some sense of where I'm going with that. It won't be a major concern in the story though. Just something in the background on occasion.
SpiritDeNight: I love it when I can make a reader go from laughter to tears or vice versa! It means I did my writing well!
Ao3Prime: Thank you!
Underlust_Sins: No comment on the GAIA thing.
Cameth114: Sylens will be soon-ish. Still debating on whether or not to show him before I have Aloy meet him but we will see!
LanikeaCentari: Nora riding machines is a definite possibility, but I sadly could not justify it during the war. Maybe Aloy will discover it soon than in canon though? Who knows? I'm glad you like the story though!
Alohamorabanana: Thank you!
BlestJupiter: Thank you!
AppleDavidJeans: I'm so glad you enjoyed my story and I hope you liked this chapter too!
Depresen_t: I'm glad you liked it! As for Aloy and the truth, we will see when we get there!
Jgr08: No, not everybody will see her talking with GAIA but maybe a few.
XRedwolfxX1412: Thank you!
Renegon_Paragade: I'm glad you like the story! Thank you! I hope your writing is going well!
ThatGuy: Thank you so much! I hope you liked the update.
YoGo: I am considering writing such an omake but I want to handle it correctly.
LeeviBrokenColors: Not exactly a cliffhanger but I'm glad you liked it!
Ryanlarsen84: Taka will certainly be trained but I'm going for realistic so she's not likely to be used as a hunting dog any time soon. Sadly. It would take a few generations to fully domesticate foxes and they haven't really started yet.