Allam and Aloy rode their Chargers through the frigid forest of the former Yellowstone National Park. Both of them had already crossed the river that Burgrend told them about, and were looking for Naltuk, Ourea's apprentice.

Aloy would ask Allam from time to time how his arm was. The latter had bandages around his right arm, as the Scorcher went through the thermal suit and cut him when he bit it.

The couple began to hear strange sounds and headed to the source of it. When it was heard louder, they reached a small cliff, where they found a young Banuk hidden behind some rocks, who was looking at a kind of metal tower that was a few meters away from him. Said tower gave off a kind of pulse of purple energy every so often, with machines surrounding the tower. Both travelers got off their mounts and went to talk to him.

Aloy: Are you Naltuk? - the redhead asked the young Banuk, giving him a little scare.

Naltuk: Who are you? How did you find me? -asked the young Banuk.

Naltuk was tan-skinned, with yellow paint on his face, forming a rectangle. He wore the typical Banuk garb of an apprentice shaman.

Allam: Burgrend told us how to find you -said the ancient soldier, causing the young man to become more defensive.

Naltuk: I-I already told that Oseram that I'm not going to buy anything from him -said the young apprentice somewhat intimidated by Allam, but he was not willing to show himself weak.

Aloy: And we're not here to sell to you. He told us that you are the only one who knows where to find Ourea -the redhead replied to the young man.

Naltuk: Do you guys want to talk to Ourea? Good luck with that. She is where the shamans go to look for answers from the Blue Light -said the young apprentice to Nora.

Aloy: Do you know where that place is and how we can get there? -the hunter Nora asked the young man, but he just snorted.

Naltuk: As if I were going to tell you, foreigners -the young man replied with some cheeky humor.

Aloy sighed and looked at her mate for emotional support.

Allam: Naltuk, right? Look I understand your mistrust of us and all that shit, I get it, but we need to find Ourea. She's the only one who knows about that "Daemon" you Banuk keep talking about. If that entity is what I think it is, then our help would be great for you guys -said the ancient soldier to the young Banuk, placing special emphasis on rudeness.

Naltuk was somewhat more intimidated by the ancient soldier's presence, thanks to the way he swore and the mask. Naltuk was uncomfortable not being able to see the eyes of the man in front of him, but he could feel as if the ancient soldier was staring right through him.

Naltuk: L-Look, I-I-I-I'm not going to tell you anything at all... Ourea gave me a-a task... -the young man said nervously, but he covered his mouth when he realized that I talked too much.

Allam: What task did she leave you, Naltuk? -the soldier spoke with a slow and deep voice, seeking to further intimidate the apprentice so that he spills the beans.

Aloy: Allam...please Naltuk, we just want to help. What task did Ourea leave you? -His girlfriend scolded the soldier, and then asked him the question in a calm voice and showed him a smile, but the apprentice just shook his head repeatedly.

Allam knew they couldn't waste time talking to the Banuk, it was a lost cause. Their faith and beliefs did not allow them to speak clearly with anyone. Allam was a patient man... today he was not.

Allam put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder and gently pulled her behind him. She looked at him with confusion and curiosity.

Allam Pov

No time to lose. If you're not going to speak with the good cop, you're going to speak with the bad cop.

I slowly approached the apprentice and put on my most serious and dead face. When I was a few meters from him, I took off my mask and swore I saw the boy shake like jelly. I unfolded my blade and he just looked at my right arm. I heard him swallow hard and sweat a little.

Me: Look, I'm fed up, I'm cold and this damn thing of not being clear has me fed up, so I recommend that you answer the question from the lady behind me, because if not, this is what's going to happen boah. I'm not afraid to throw you into that pile of bloodthirsty machines... your life won't cost me or hurt me at all. So, my young friend. What fucking task are you talking about? And if the task is not that big of a deal, then that shouldn't stop you from telling us where in the hell is Ourea. Don't make me repeat myself -I threatened him with a slow and serious voice.

Naltuk was silent and scared shitless in front of me. I moved away from his face and put the blade away. I turned to my girlfriend, and she didn't look happy at all.

Me: Oh, now she's angry -I said in a low voice while my girlfriend looked at me with an annoyed expression.

Now this scares me, I know she will scold me the moment we are alone...or worse...the silent death

Naltuk: W-W-W-Well...O-Ourea ordered me to m-monitor the d-daemon's activities. So far what I have seen are these metal towers; t-they appeared all over the Cut in about a week -explained the terrified young apprentice.

Allam: That's it little bird, sing -I said mentally while listening to the young apprentice.

Naltuk: T-These towers ma-make machines more aggressive and even... even repair them. As for where Ourea is, I really don't know. I know that she took the Path of the Shaman and continued north -the boy continued telling us.

Allam: So, this is the work of one of the Subordinate Functions. Will HEPHAESTUS be the one doing all this chaos? As I understand it, HEPHAESTEUS was in charge of creating the machines and the cauldrons. Could the madness of the machines be his work as well? That's an excellent question -I said in my mind, without paying attention to what Naltuk and Aloy were talking about.

I felt like someone started to move me and I came out of my trance, returning to real life. I saw my favorite redhead in front of me with a somewhat annoyed look.

Aloy: He already explained how to find Ourea Al, we have to destroy that tower first -she said while she pointed to the tower, which launched another pulse, I just nodded.

We both started down the small cliff towards where the tower was. As we walked, Aloy walked next to me.

Aloy: Was all that necessary Allam? -she asked me in a low voice with an annoyed tone and a glare.

She was upset...shit...fuck!

Me: Baby, it was...- I was going to explain, but she turned and looked at me annoyed.

Aloy: Don't try to sugar coat me with praise, Allam James Blake. You know very well what I think of threatening innocent people to get information -she told me annoyed while she pointed her finger at me.

I had never seen her so upset. It's a scary thing.

Me: I-I know love, b-but -I was trying to explain, but she interrupted me again.

Aloy: But nothing... you're a good man Allam, don't act like an idiot for looking for information. If he doesn't give it, we look for someone else to give us the information, as we always have. Apologize to Naltuk when we're done with the tower -she told me a less annoyed.

I began to feel some guilt for what I did...to tell the truth, the Banuk do make me desperate...but at the same time they have beliefs that govern them, like mine...as desperate as we are...we are civilized...in our own way...why does she get the best of me?

Me: Okay...you're right...sorry Loy' -I told her using the nickname I created for her.

Aloy: It's not me you have to apologize to, Allam, it's Naltuk -she said, still annoyed as she pointed at the young man.

I just nodded and we continued down. The machine gave another pulse and this one did get to us. I felt goosebumps on my skin, but Aloy froze momentarily and then she collapsed to the ground.

Me: Aloy! -I said in surprise as I threw myself next to her and rested her head on my legs.

Me: Hey pretty, you okay? What happened? -I asked worried about my partner.

I watched as the Ultrawave armor was pulsing with red colors. Could it be that the pulse affects her because she has an ancient armor or something like that? Why would that type of pulse affect her?

I grabbed my girlfriend and carried her back to the ridge and laid her down near Naltuk. I looked at the tower with determination in my eyes, I was going to find the Subfunction responsible and destroy it...or tame it, whatever happens first.

I saw Naltuk check Aloy for any injuries she has. If it was time to apologize, this was the best time.

Me: Hey Naltuk -I called him and he moved away from Aloy and tensed.

Me: Look...I want to apologize for what happened a while ago...and sorry for what I said...that's not who I was, back there...but I understand that you did it to protect your teacher from any intervention...and I should have been more humane with you, despite being different... it's just that the Banuk secrecy...it kind of drives me kind of crazy-I apologized to the young apprentice, the Banuk get on my nerves with their ambiguous conversations.

Naltuk: Cal-Calm down...just...be more patient -said the young man less tense by the apology.

I nodded and walked back to the tower. I opened the focus interface and saw the weak points of the Tower, which were fire containers. I reloaded my Gauss rifle and fire at them, blowing them up and drawing the attention of the machines.

Me: It's time to make the fucking chimichangas -I said, getting ready to bust metalic skills.

Moments later...

General pov

Aloy began to wake up and felt the wet snowflakes on her face. She got up slowly and looked around her. The same snowy environment that she has been seeing for the last few days. In front of her was a fire and a few meters from her were Allam and Naltuk talking about unimportant things. She looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was past noon.

Aloy opened her Focus interface and saw that it was 2:45 in the afternoon. She coughed a little to make her presence being noted.

The soldier and the apprentice turned in her presence and the soldier did not hesitate to run towards his girlfriend.

Allam: Hey 'Loy. How are you feeling, pretty? -Asked the soldier to the redhead, she nodded to clarify that she was alright.

Allam kissed the side of her head and helped her up. She remembered the tower and when she turned around, she saw the tower destroyed and on fire. The corpses of the demonic machines were scattered around the Tower.

Aloy: What happened? What did I miss? -She asked while she pointed to the destruction behind her.

Naltuk: Your lover happened. I have never seen anyone fight with agility, aggressiveness and dexterity like that -explained the apprentice.

Aloy nodded, not too surprised at Naltuk's comment. She was used to people being surprised by Allam's combat abilities. Her boyfriend kept checking on her in case she had a fever or something like that.

Aloy: I'm fine Al -she said, giving the worried soldier a reassuring smile.

Allam returned her partner's smile and then gave her a small kiss on the cheek, making the redhead blush from the embarrassment of showing affection in front of others.

One hour later...

The young couple rode on their mounts and were approaching the mentioned "Shaman's Path". Aloy explained to her boyfriend what it was the path per se, it was a giant cavern that had many turns, and closed paths, making it easy to get lost.

The pair were less than 2 miles away from the top of the mountain. Arriving there, they saw a large concrete wall, which prevented the passage of water, that was the Jackson Dam.

Aloy: What is that, Al? Isn't that the place Laulai was talking about? -asked the redhead when she saw the dam.

Allam: That's a dam. This is the Jackson Dam. It produced electricity thanks to the movement of water that was stored behind it -explained her boyfriend to the redhead, who was even more curious.

Aloy: Did it produce electricity with the water? How did they do it? -she asked him.

Allam turned and saw that expression of innocence, curiosity and admiration that Aloy gave him every time he told her about the Ancient world. The soldier embodied a small smile when seeing her partner, he considered that aspect of her very adorable.

Allam: Well, the type of power that the dams created was called hydropower. This energy was created from the movement of water currents. In this case, for example, the water that is on the full side enters the dam and inside there are some generators with gears inside, which when moving produce energy, said energy is later transformed into electricity. The water comes out of the lower part of the dam and continues towards a river-explained the old soldier to which the redhead looked at him in amazement.

Aloy turns her gaze to the dam and Allam can see how she is analyzing what he just told her. The soldier found it very adorable on the part of the redhead.

Allam Pov

Me: To be someone so strong and independent, she has those moments of curiosity and wanting to learn... that's what I love about her -I thought to myself, but I couldn't help but a laugh escaped my lips.

Me: I wonder if our kid would be as curious as her -I thought with some humor, but then I realized what I just said, and the smile faded.

Me: Why am I thinking about that right now? I know it was Aloy who told me about it several months ago...but she just made it very clear to me that she misses going out on adventures with me...and being pregnant or worse, with a baby, would restrict her a lot...besides, we don't have that much time together...I mean, it's not that I care much about that, but...shit, I don't even know what to say -he murmured softly the ancient soldier, lost in his personal dilemma.

Me: Besides, who would she look more like? Me or her? I don't have the slightest idea. Will it have red or black hair, brown or green eyes, would it be a boy or a girl? -I said to myself with curiosity and thinking of the thousand and one possibilities, going through the branches slowly.

I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder and I saw my girlfriend smiling. She is she was giving me that look that asked me if I was "okay", to which I nodded with a smile.

We continue to advance on our mounts towards the mountain. Along the way, Aloy kept asking me questions about dams and how they worked. I loved science and fun facts, but this was Sarah's specialty...she asked me if we could fix a hydroelectric power plant...maybe bring something from the old world, like electricity, back to the present world wouldn't be such a bad idea.

We went up the mountain and came to the entrance of a large cavern, which had many of those blue glass lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the cave.

Aloy: This must be the Shaman's Path -said my girlfriend while looking at the entrance of the cave.

We both looked at each other and held hands, to reassure ourselves of what we were going to do. I looked into Aloy's green eyes and felt peace and security coming from them...you know...maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a mini Aloy around...so I would have two cute things in my life.

Half hour later...

general pov

The couple left the cave and began to climb the mountain. A snowstorm started at exactly the worst time for them. Both walked through the ridges and platforms. They came to a cliff where they had to take a good jump. Aloy went first and nearly fell over, scaring Allam.

Allam: Aloy! -shouted the ancient soldier, he then did a double jump with the exo and help the redhead to climb.

The couple heard a mechanical roar, something they have never heard. They approached the cliff and saw a large machine, with a lot of freezing liquid coursing through its veins.

Allam: What the hell? -said the ancient soldier looking at the machine.

Aloy: I see neither Burgrend nor Hermes were exaggerating...there's something new lurking around here. And it's not friendly -said the redhead when she saw that the machine lost interest in the noise it had heard.

The couple continued to climb the mountain, until they heard the roar again and Aloy hid in the undergrowth, while Allam camouflaged himself with the frozen landscape. Both of them could see that the machine was big and robust, with a lot of freezing liquid inside its body. It looked like a bear in its form.

Allam: Is that a fucking bear? -said the soldier, not believing it.

Allam Pov

That looks like a bear. Shit, IT IS a fucking bear!  As if things couldn't get worse.

I noticed that mechanical bear was guarding a tower, I have to disable it or something before it damages Aloy.

Press my Focus and communicate with her.

Me: Aloy, I'm going to distract the big guy, try to destroy that control tower or hack it. In any case, do something to it, I don't want you to fall unconscious again, specially out here -I told her through the Focus.

Aloy: Well, I think I can hack them. Keep the fat one busy -she said, and I nodded.

I came out of hiding and checked his defenses and weaknesses. His weakness is fire, good thing I have a flamethrower on my left arm. I fired a bullet at him to get his attention, which I managed to get.

Me: Hey Yogi Bear, I'm going to have a picnic here and I ain't giving you jack shit, you fat fuck -I said to the machine, getting it attention, giving Aloy time to move quickly and start hacking the tower .

When finished, the tower sent a pulse of energy and electrocuted the machine. Aloy fell on top of the machine and rammed the spear into its back, doing a lot of damage, but it didn't look like he was going to go down with it. For my part, I used my flamethrower and began to burn the machine.

Aloy jumped off the back of the machine back to the ground and unfurled her bow and began shooting arrows at the machine. I switched from my flamethrower to my Gauss rifle and started shooting at the machine's weak points.

The machine roared and slammed its legs to the ground, launching a line of ice spikes at Aloy, but she dodged in time.

I managed to destroy one of the icy ports on his shoulders. The machine looked at me and out of nowhere took charge and lunged at me with its paw in the air. I double jumped and kept shooting while in the air.

I activated my flamethrower and continued burning the machine. The machine started throwing ice balls at me from its claws. Aloy fired three destroyer arrows at it, screwing up the machine's armor, making my shots more efficient.

After a while, Aloy killed the machine and it fell to the ground dead. We walked over to the big machine and scavenged what we could from it.

It was clear that, whatever we're up against, it clearly wants to kill humans.

General pov

Allam and Aloy continued to climb to the top of the mountain, where they found an old base. To Allam's knowledge, it appeared to be a military base, but he had never heard of a base in Yellowstone, it did not appear on his maps, records, or notes.

Both climbed until they could access the base. They walked down a few corridors, unlocking any doors as needed. The ones that couldn't be opened for good, Allam's exo did the rest of the job. The entire base was covered in snow, frost, and rusty metal. The musty, rusty smell that there usually was didn't exist here. It was just iron and snow, almost odorless.

The couple reached a large door, as if it were a vault. Said door was electronically locked, so they couldn't force the door.

Allam: And now what? -Said the soldier looking around the room to see if he could find something useful to open the door.

Aloy: We look for the way, as we always do -said the redheaded Nora with a determined look and voice.

A few minutes passed and the pair searched the room for some way to open the large door in front of them.

Aloy: Al, did you find anything? -Asked the redhead to her boyfriend.

Allam: Nope, nothing at all, but there is something about this door that catches my attention -said the ancient soldier while he carefully observed the door.

Aloy: What catches your attention? -asked the hunter to the soldier.

Allam: This door does not have or need power. From what I see it is more like a safe, it requires a certain combination to open, if only we could know what the combination is and how to enter it, it would be much easier -explained the old soldier.

Aloy listened to what her boyfriend said and nodded. She used her Focus to scan the door and the room. She watched as some sort of cable ran away from the door and into another room through an old vent. Aloy inspected the grille and noted that she would be small enough to fit in the grille.

The redhead entered the grate and followed the cable until she reached a large room where there was a kind of pad.

Aloy: And what is this? -Nora the hunter asked the air.

Aloy inspected the room and saw that she could hack the pad, plus she found a note in which she explained in detail how to operate the pad.

Aloy hacked the pad, and it came back to life. She saw the pieces that marked a kind of puzzle, which she soon learned how to decipher.

With Allam...

The Ancient soldier was still looking around the room for something to open the door with, but suddenly a clang echoed through the room, and he saw the door begin to open.

Allam: But how-? -said the soldier confused and surprised.

As the soldier watched the door, he did not notice that the orange-haired woman had come out of an old ventilation duct.

Aloy: Shall we continue? -asked the hunter to the man, surprising him and causing him to jump in fright.

The hunter looked into the eyes of her partner and saw how he blushed a little in embarrassment.

Aloy: Did I scare you? -asked the redhead with a playful smile, trying to refrain from laughing. The soldier shook his head.

Allam: N-Nah, you didn't scare me, you just...uh...surprised me and that's it -said the ancient soldier as he looked away.

Aloy: Something tells me I scared you -said the redhead with a playful smile on her face.

The ancient soldier rolled his eyes playfully at his girlfriend's words.

Allam: How did you open the door? -asked the ancient soldier curiously; and trying to change the theme step by step.

Aloy: I found some kind of giant pad on the floor. I hacked it and started to make a kind of giant puzzle, I heard metal moving and I saw the door open -explained the hunter to the soldier.

Allam: I understand...I've never heard of that type of lock in my life, how strange -commented the man, somewhat dismayed by what was said.

Aloy: Well, we shouldn't think too much about that right now. We have to find Ourea and quickly -the redhead told him and the ancient soldier nodded.

The couple continued to enter the facilities until they began to hear a female voice at the end of a corridor. The pair silently walked to the source of the voice, which came from a large room. The room had the walls decorated with various drawings and polygons, from drawings of Grazers and Begimos, plus the new Control Towers.

On the far wall of the room, a woman was talking to what appeared to be herself, as she finished a painting on said wall.

Allam Pov

There was a woman wearing a Banuk Shaman outfit, complete with a helmet made of machine parts. She also had blue wires embedded in her skin, just like Sylens had on his body. She must be Ourea... who the heck is she talking to?

Ourea: I ask you, again... like I've asked you a million times... talk to me again -said the woman as she walked from side to side.

Ourea: What else do you want me to do? Is there no prayer that you hear? Is there no offering that repairs our ties?... If you don't talk to me I can't help you! -she said, as if it were talking to someone.

Great, she went fucking nuts...

Ourea: A whisper is all I ask...for you to guide me -said the woman as if she was sorry for having raised her voice.

The woman threw her brush into the fire of the campfire and in doing so, she became aware of our presence.

Ourea: Who...? -Said the woman while she looked at us with uncertainty and hostility.

Aloy raised her hands and I imitated the gesture, showing that we come in peace.

Ourea: How did they get in here? The door was sealed by the Spirit itself -said the woman with confusion.

Aloy: I opened it using that- my girlfriend told her while she pointed to the pad that was on the floor.

Ourea: Let's see, show it then -said the shaman, challenging, and Aloy nodded.

I moved out of her way and I watched as Aloy activated the pad and started fiddling with it until she finally figured it out, unlocking whatever the pad did. A blue sphere made an appearance, this sphere reminded me of GAIA...it was an Artificial Intelligence.

AI: Auxiliary Channel recovered...weakness successfully exploited...bonds evaded -said the AI ​​in a female voice.

The Banuk shaman was more than surprised by what she was seeing. Judging from her expression, she would say that someone just gave her hope.

IA: Is there someone there? Ourea? -asked the voice, but before the called could answer, the sphere began to turn between purple and blue out of nowhere.

Daemon: Unauthorized transmission. Returning to normal tasks -said the male voice, which sounded somewhat...demonic.

AI: No, I won't...Ourea, the Daemon is forcing me to... -the AI's voice resounded again, fighting for control.

AI: Ourea please...help -begged the Artificial Intelligence to the shaman.

Daemon: Transmission finished -said the evil voice and the sphere disappeared.

What the hell just happened? Those were two Artificial Intelligences, completely different. One was subjugating the other and the subjugated was asking Ourea for help. So, my theory is correct, we are dealing with one of the possible sub-functions of GAIA, but it seems there are two this time. 

Ourea: You brought the voice of the Spirit back and got her to free herself from the bonds of the Daemon momentarily.... Who are you and what do you want?- said the woman as she looked at Aloy.

Aloy: I am Aloy, a huntress and this is Allam, a soldier. Naltuk sent us, said you may need help -he explained to the woman.

Ourea: You have been a revelation. Thanks to you, I now know that the Spirit persists. Perhaps, together we can find a way to release the Spirit -said the woman with hope.

Me: Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves ma'am. First of all, we need answers and only you can give them -I told the woman.

Ourea: There is not much I can tell you, but I will try to answer everything you want to know -said the shaman and we both agreed with what she said.

Aloy: Apparently this voice...this Spirit and you have a story -my girlfriend commented, there was no need to explain the question.

Ourea: She saved me years ago from the Carja. During the Red Raids, the Carja destroyed my old Werak, and I was left alone and lost. I tried to lose my pursuers in the mist, but they didn't give up. Out of nowhere I came across this place and met a voice...a lost traveler...a spirit of the Blue Light. She required my help, but I couldn't do anything with the Carja chasing me, so she helped me first, protecting me from my enemies by closing the door you opened -explained the woman with a melancholy smile.

Me: Interesting story. But I am interested in knowing more about the Daemon itself. What do you know about him? -I asked the Banuk shaman.

Ourea: I spoke with the Spirit several times in Thunder's Drum. The last time I spoke to her, she told me that there was an evil entity... that wanted to use her for its own evil ends. She baptized him as "The Daemon" -said the woman

Ourea: She begged me to help her... to destroy her so that the Daemon wouldn't use her power... that was 5 years ago, I haven't heard her voice until now -said the woman.

Aloy: What did you do when she asked you for help? -Asked the redhead.

Ourea: I tried to find my brother, Aratak, to protect her, but before I could reach him, the Krestels of the Mad Sun King Jiran ambushed me and took me to Meridian -Ourea explained with some pain, remembering the night in which the Carjas ambushed her.

Me: When did you return to the Cut? -I asked her, trying to make a timeline of the events.

Ourea: I didn't come back until long after the Liberation. When the ice of the glaciers melted a little to allow me to pass -the woman answered the ancient soldier.

Aloy: So, the funeral we saw was the failed expedition to Thunder's Drum? -asked my girlfriend curiously, to which the woman nodded with some sadness.

Ourea: Yes, when I came back, Aratak and I formed a Werak with the best hunters and tried to defeat the Daemon... you saw the result. After the battle, Aratak and I couldn't agree on what to do, so I came here hoping to listen to the spirit...and you gave me that hope -said the woman honestly.

Aloy and I looked at each other for a moment thinking of what else to ask her. Sylens' ball headed ass came to my mind...maybe she knows something.

Me: Ourea, what do you know about Sylens? -I asked and Aloy looked at me with an accusing look, as if I was doing something wrong.

Ourea: Whenever that name is mentioned, dark secrets are discovered...or somehow disappear. Why do you want to know? -asked the woman.

Aloy: He is someone who put us in danger, but at the same time he helped us a lot -the young woman explained to the woman.

Ourea: I can't deny that his help is quite beneficial and powerful, but that help always comes with a cost -said the woman with a cold voice as she looked at both of us.

I felt how Aloy's hand was intertwined with mine, remembering what happened months ago with my "death" and all that stuff...it still weights heavy on her.

Me: I know better than anyone the cost of his help... it almost cost me the life of the woman I love -I told the woman honestly.

Aloy: But isn't there anything you can tell us about him? -asked the redhead to the woman.

Ourea: There is not much to say about him, but I took an oath with the Conclave, and I will not speak of him -said the woman.

Aloy: But we're trying to help each other, maybe c -my girlfriend tried to negotiate, but the shaman interrupted her.

Ourea: No, I'm not going to talk about it anymore -the woman said and from what it seemed, she wasn't going to open her mouth.

Aloy sighed in defeat and continued asking the woman for information.

Aloy: All right, let me see if I understand. We hear two voices, one that you call the Spirit, which is captured; and the other is the Daemon. This Daemon and Spirit are in Thunder's Drum. This Daemon has something to do with the aggressiveness of the machines and I want to know how -my girlfriend said while she used the paintings on the walls to recount her summary.

Me: Well, if we know where they are, we just have to go there and that's it. We climb the mountain, kick some metal ass, release the Spirit and learn what's going on here. Very simple -I said as he shrugged me off.

The shaman shook her head at my proposal.

Ourea: Don't be silly, it's not as easy as you think it is, boy -said the woman calling my attention for what I said.

Ourea: Thunder's Drum is more dangerous than you think child, the Daemon has taken control of the place. Besides, even if we could go, Aratak wouldn't let us up. As Chief, he controls the passage to the mountain... and you can't reason with him -the woman explained to me.

Aloy: It seems that they need a new Chief -said my girlfriend sarcastically, to which the woman responded with a sarcastic laugh.

Ourea had a concentrated look for a few seconds, as if she was thinking about something.

Ourea: You're a hunter, aren't you? And I imagine not an ordinary one if you made it this far...Aratak won't refuse the challenge...plus it's not impossible for a foreigner...if you make yourself known in the Werak, maybe you could challenge Aratak and It'll turn you in the Chieftain -said the woman while looking at Aloy.

I just looked at the woman without being able to believe it.

Me: W-Wait a minute -I was going to talk, but the woman looked at me and scanned me from head to toe.

Ourea: Or maybe you. You are a soldier, right? You should be more than capable of defeating him and becoming Chief without any problems -said the woman with a smile plastered on her face as she thought.

Aloy: M-Me? Challenge Aratak? I don't want to be anyone's chief, much less a group of Banuks who don't want me here -my girlfriend told the woman with annoyance.

Ourea: Well, earn their affection. Don't you want to go to Thunder's Drum? If we release the Spirit, she may be able to give you the answers you are looking for -said the woman trying to convince my girlfriend.

Aloy let out a loud sigh and grabbed my arm.

Aloy: Can my boyfriend and I discuss this for a moment? -my girlfriend said with a fake smile and dragged me aside to talk.

Aloy POV

Allam: What do you propose that we do, love? -my boyfriend asked me with curiosity.

Me: I have no idea... I don't want to be a Chieftain of a group of people who don't love me... I don't want to fight with someone unnecessarily either -I commented, and he nodded.

Allam: Do you want me to do it? -asked my boyfriend and I looked him in the eye.

Me: Allam, do you want to be their Chief? -I asked the soldier.

Allam: Of course not, but we have no choice. What I'll do is, become the Chief for a while and then I'll return control to Aratak, after this mess is done -my boyfriend explained to me, and I looked at him not very sure.

I put a hand on his cheek, and he snuggled a little into my hand and gave me a loving smile.

Me: Are you sure? If you don't want to do it, I can do it -I told him to be sure that he wanted to do it.

Allam: Don't worry, my love, I will do it. The Banuk won't know what hit them -said the soldier with a smile as he gave me a kiss on the forehead, making me smile.

We both went back to where Ourea was.

Allam: Well Ourea, what do you want me to do? -my boyfriend asked the woman and she started to think.

Ourea: Make the Werak notice you. Beat them on the Hunting Grounds, put an end to the raiders that terrorize the Cut or help my friend Sekuli, she'll appreciate it -the woman explained.

Ourea: When it's time to claim your challenge, I'll be there to support you -said the woman with a smile.

Allam: Okay, do you have a map I can use? -The dark-haired man asked the woman and she nodded, going to look for something in a bag that was thrown to one side.

Ourea: This is a map of the Cut, it has everything you need to traverse the region -she said showing the map, but the couple just scanned it and their Focuses were updated.

Ourea: Hey Aloy, in that chest I have something for you, I think it could be useful to you -she told me while she pointed to a chest that was next to the bag.

I went to open the chest and found a kind of wooden cane with metal parts. I pressed a button, and the staff began to activate, giving off electricity from it.

Ourea: It's a little invention of mine, I call it Stormslinger, you can keep it -the woman told me, and I thanked her.

General pov

The couple said goodbye to Ourea and left the place through a back door, reaching the top of the mountain.

Allam: Well, it's time to start working -said the ancient soldier with a smile as he put on his gas mask.

Aloy: As always -said the hunter Nora with a smile as they began their descent from the mountain.