Allam and Aloy had been on the trail for four days, with Allam leading the way using his Focus.

The trip was calm and without many problems, the only confrontations that they had were with machines, and only when it was utterly necessary. To get to Yellowstone, they had to pass through almost the entire state of Wyoming. The former state was still decorated by mountains, but the old grasslands had turned into deep forests and messy swamps.

The environment was more inhospitable than Allam thought it was going to be, the forests were so deep that they would lose even the most experienced hunter and the swamps were full of natural trenches, which could make someone unsuspecting fall and meet their end. Although the natural landscape has recovered, the scars of the war against the Faro Plague remained. 

The corpesps of destroyed and rusting tanks, ancient outposts and old military convoys, along with Scarabs and Kopesh, decorated the landscape. During their trip, they found one of the craters of the nuclear bombs that were used against the war robots. The crater extended for 2 miles, inside it there was a small valley with flowers of various colors.

The terrain had changed so much that at first, Allam believed that no one inhabited the region, but his belief was disproved when he came across Oseram settlements and a tribe, who called themselves the Wuit. The Wuit were less civilized and developed than the tribes to the south, but they still had the ability to reason and trade. This tribe, as far as Allam could tell, were nomads, gatherers and hunters, plus they didn't speak English, they had their own language and everything. When it came to trading with them, it was based on showing them what you had and targeting what you wanted.

But finally, after 4 days and many distractions, our favorite couple were within an hour of reaching their destination. It was very early, around 5 in the morning, the sun had not yet risen to start the new day. The youngsters were climbing the mountain that would take them to the first Banuk settlement.

The pair's mounts were left further down the mountain, and each of them carrying a leather backpack, with essentials such as canteens, arrow-building parts/ammunition and sleeping bags.

Aloy was climbing the mountain gracefully, while Allam was having trouble climbing it, because of his armor, being tired and that fact that he wasn't so good at rock climbing. Aloy was in the lead, with Allam trying to keep up with her.

They came to a small ridge and Allam dropped into the snow, so he could catch his breath.

Aloy: Come on Al, we're about to get to the Cut -her excited girlfriend told him while she helped her boyfriend to get up.

Allam: Let me die here, please -said the tired soldier as he was lifted.

Both of them continued to climb the snowy mountain, avoiding falling or slipping in the process. After a few more minutes of climbing, the couple arrived at what it seemed the base of the top of the mountain, where it had some kind of small frozen lagoon.

Allam let a loud sigh, cursing under his breath the fact that the tunnels that led to Yellowstone were collapsed. Out of nowhere, both of them, heard a loud mechanical roar.

Allam and Aloy looked in the direction of the roar and saw a machine, one that they had never seen before. It was white, had four legs and armored "ears". It had a kind of cannon on its back and two canisters of blaze on its back.

You could feel and see the heat emanating from the machine, something they had never seen before, not even in the Bellowbacks. What was most striking was that the machine had purple wires surrounding it...just like corrupt machines.

Allam Pov

What the hell is that?! It looks like a lynx. And what about those purple veins? They look like the ones that HADES's machines had. Weird. 

The machine began to approach us quickly, a few meters from us a blow bathed in fire was shot, so fast that we narrowly avoided it. His speed surprised me and Aloy.

Loy' wasted no time and she began shooting arrows at the machine with her bow. I double jumped and grabbed my Gauss rifle, activating its electromagnetic field. I squeezed the trigger, and the small bullet exited the rifle at unholy speed, exploding on contact against the machine, knocking the machine down, with a few pieces of armor flying off of it.

Me: Holy shit, I just shot that bullet at mark Jesus -I said quite surprised and excited, this shit is about to be lit.

The machine stood up and lunged at me, I dodged it with a double jump and shot it several times while it was in the air.

When I was falling, I saw how the machine activated its cannon and a disc came out of it in the direction in which it was going to land. Out of nowhere the disk exploded, causing me to lose my balance and land in another direction.

Aloy: Allam! -My girlfriend cried in concern, as she avoided another attack from the machine.

I pulled myself together and continued to fire my rifle at the machine, knocking over its mine launcher in the process. I shot several times at the face of the machine until I had to reload, I switched from my rifle to my blade. I walked up to the machine and plunged my blade into it in an uppercut while trying to hold it still.

I felt the heat emanating from this machine, none of the machines back home emanated so much heat. It was too strange.

I began to feel how the temperature began to rise gradually and something inside my head was asking me to get away. The machine tried to bite me; I kept its head away from me. The machine burst in flames, burning everything that was nearby, I was close to it so I was burned.

Aloy: Allam! -the huntress cried out in concern, but her eyes held pure terror.

I pulled my blade from its head and walked away from the machine; my armor blackend and somewhat scorched from the flames. It's as if he wanted to burn me alive...it deserves the title of Scorcher.

Aloy shot three arrows at the machine at exposed points, causing heavy damage to it. I moved my hand to my belt, opened one of the bags I had there, and took out a small vial of freezing fluid. I opened the compartment of the flamethrower, which made a loud "Ping" when it opened, I put the flask inside and closed the compartment.

I pressed the pad and an icy flare attacked the machine, freezing it slightly and making it weaker.

Allam: Who wants a Raspado? -I said comically, remembering the old sweetness of summer food.

Aloy fired her arrows once more, and the machine finally tumbled to the ground, dead. She let out an exhausted sigh, which didn't go unnoticed by me.

Me: Hey. Are you alright? -I asked the redhead as I approached her, she nodded, but put her hands to her mouth when she saw me.

Aloy: By the Mother. Are you okay? Are you hurt? -she asked me as she looked me up and down.

I just shook my head and took off my mask, leaving my face bare. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and gave her a smile.

Me: I'm fine Aloy, the armor protected me the best it could. It will take more than a few flames to kill the great Allam Blake -I told her in a deeper, playful voice. She laughed at it.

Aloy: You're a fool -said the hunter between laughs, giving me a slight punch on the ribs.

Allam: But I'm your fool -I told her with a playful smile.

Moments later...

General pov

Allam and Aloy were walking up a hill, reaching what appears to be the top.

Along the way, there were some kinds of lamps that gave off a kind of blue glow. Said crystal had never been seen by them; the pair were intrigued by the crystals, especially Allam, as he doesn't remember anything like it in his Age.

Aloy was walking when suddenly a mountain goat appeared out of nowhere and scared her. Aloy reflexively stood behind me and drawed her bow out.

Aloy: W-W-What is th-that thing? -she asked, while pointing at the animal, which was looking at them curiously.

Allam smiled playfully at his girlfriend's reaction. Which was a mixture of curiosity, surprise and wariness.

Allam: Aloy, that's a goat. They are harmless, unless you bother them -said the soldier bringing his girlfriend near the animal.

Aloy got down at its height and curiously extended her hand towards the animal, which he approached, not feeling malice coming from her. She felt the animal's soft fur on her fingers. She was so amazed and curious about the animal, and she started petting it more, due to how "strange" and "smelly" it was.

After the encounter with the goat, they both continued walking and saw a humanoid figure lean out of a cliff and sound a large horn. They saw that it was a man, who was wearing the clothes of the Banuk.

Banuk: Strangers on the mountain! -yelled the man, alerting of its companions.

Allam: Now they know we're here -said the soldier in a low voice, activating his Gauss rifle, in case things got ugly.

They both continued walking until the entrance of a cavern they continued towards its interior. On the walls were geometric symbols with the colors light blue, yellow and white. Allam was amazed at the symmetry and perfection of the polygonal figures. It was as if he was looking at art made by someone from his Age.

The further they went into the cavern, they saw what appeared to be a guard post. There were two people there, a man and a woman.

Banuk Man: Hey strangers, welcome to the Cut -said the man in a friendly manner.

Banuk Woman: Your boobs are going to freeze here, Nora -said the woman with mischief and mockery, Aloy replied back.

Aloy: It seems that's something you don't have to worry about up here then -replied the huntress with a confident smile, annoying the Banuk.

The Banuk guard was not prepared for that insult, and she tried to think of a comeback towards her, but only incoherencies came out of her mouth. Aloy's smile only grew when she saw her mission fulfilled. Allam laughed under his breath at the scene. The pair emerged from the cavern and saw red smoke and thunder billowing from a mountain in the distance.

Aloy: The Cut -she said as she looked around her with amazement and excitement.

Allam: The last time I came to Yellowstone, it wasn't this fucking cold -said the soldier, remembering the temperate climate that the park had in his time.

Aloy: There is fire coming from that mountain and from the village -the redhead commented to the old soldier.

Allam: It will be better to investigate -said the ancient soldier and his partner nodded. Both began to walk through the Banuk village of Song's Edge.

It was a village about the size of Mother's Cradle, perhaps a little smaller. There were several shacks here and there, with a few that seemed to be merchants, due to their open structure and products on display.

They noticed that the entire village was heading towards the smoke, when they reached the point where everyone was going, they saw that there was a crowd gathered on a cliff, at the border, there seem to be some type of statue.

Allam Pov

Whatever is going on must be important, there are too many people. Also, I stood out too much because of my armor, I felt everyone's gaze penetrating my back.

We both walked further into the crowd to see what was going on and stood next to a dark-haired man. The man was wearing winter clothes, precisely the ones Hermès brought, the difference was the brown color and the bronze plates that were around his neck and shoulders. A blue winter cap covered his head and ears from the cold. The man was dark skinned, had hazel eyes and a mustache of dark hair.

???: Get ready to see something strange -the man told us, we looked at him.

Burgrend: By the way, I'm Burgrend, provider of necessities -said the man with a smile, but with some malice typical of a businessman.

A merchant? I'm not surprised he wants to get our attention. We are strangers in a land we do not know.

Burgrend: The Banuk usually burn the bodies of their dead, but this situation is different- said the man as he watched people perform dances and rituals in front of a large kind of statue made of wood, metal and scrap.

From the looks of it, this trader knows quite a bit about the Banuk...perhaps we can get some information out of him.

Aloy: They couldn't recover the bodies? -asked my girlfriend, realizing the context the man was talking about.

Burgrend: Yes, a horrible tragedy. The best warriors: all of them dead... so, they receive a different farewell -answered the man, and then continued paying attention to the ceremony.

We saw the Banuk dance in ceremony, I had noticed that there were three of them, two men and one woman. The man in the middle had a kind of giant machine head, which reminded me of that of the Chinese dragons. Out of nowhere they let out a scream into the air, which echoed through the area. Then the man in the middle blew on his head and it made the same sound as the horn that warned of our arrival. The sound must have echoed throughout the whole valley, that was for sure.

We all fell silent, but the Banuk seemed expectant of something. I heard metallic roars in the sky, and I saw three Glinthawks approaching the cliff. Each one lowered and took a wooden stick, what caught my attention was that these sticks had some metal objects on them.

Just as that happened, the Banuk villagers silently raised their spears. Aloy and I watched the ceremony with mixed feelings. We heard footsteps approaching and saw a man step out of the crowd. He looked quite robust, with a lot of decorative trimmings from dead machines; his spear had part of a scavenger's jawbone on the end.

??: Grab your pain, my hunters...and kill it! Because our fallen comrades obtained the destiny that all the Banuk wish for... to fall with their spear hitting metal -the man preached with a deep voice, which demarcated authority.

??: Their fight is over. We saw their spirits ascend towards the blue sky... and towards the beyond, towards the blue light -the corpulent man spoke while he looked at the sky and pointed at it.

??: But our fight... has only just begun. Soon, we will resume our hunt against the Daemon that drives the machines mad against us -said the man turning to those present.

The Daemon that drives the machines mad against them? This is getting weirder and weirder...and my theory is making more sense.

??: So, I ask you...Will you draw strength from our fallen people? Will you fight...and die...as they did? -the man preached, receiving excited shouts from the Banuk present.

Young Banuk: My courage and my spear are ready Aratak! -shouted the young hunter raising his spear into the air.

Banuk Woman: Our blood is with you, Aratak! -a woman yelled as she raised her spear into the air.

Aratak? That must be his name.

Aratak raised his spear into the air and cried out in a loud voice.

Aratak: We are Banuk and our enemies are our prey! -the man shouted to the four winds with his spear raised to the heavens.

The man lowered his spear and began to walk back toward the crowd, followed by a few Banuk youths. The crowd began to talk among themselves and spread out a bit, but they all shared one feeling, the ecstasy of battle and the hunt.

Aloy: A daemon... that drives machines crazy -said my girlfriend as she looked at me, thinking about what Aratak had said.

Burgrend: Machines that killed their best warriors. And what do they want to do? Go back up the stupid mountain. Idiots -said the man with some annoyance.

Burbrend: A little advice, free of course...ehhh -said the man pointing towards us.

Aloy: Aloy -my girlfriend introduced herself.

Me: Allam Blake-I'll introduce myself too.

Burgrend: Aloy and Allam. I've been here for two long winters, this is going to be my third here, and I still can't figure out the Banuk. Look at this mess. It all started when one of the shamans, named Ourea, started babbling about demons and spirits in Thunder's Drum. So, they decided to take all of their Werak there and half of it got massacred by the machines -the man said while he pointed to the mountain surrounded by smoke and red lightnin.

We just nodded as he spoke, although I don't understand the concept of the Werak very well, not that Hermes explained it well either.

Burgrend: When Ourea disappeared, I though her madness had gone with her. But no, here comes the great Aratak, arming them all again to go and do the same stupid thing again -the man commented in disbelief.

Aloy and I looked at each other and I saw that detective look that she always has whenever she wants to know something.

Aloy: What do you not understand about the Banuk? -asked my girlfriend.

Burgrend: For them, everything is a test. Any adversity is a challenge to survive -the man replied.

Me: It shouldn't surprise you, given the place where they live -I told him, matter of factly, and he looked at me dirty.

Burgrend: A land icy enough to crack teeth and teeming with wild animals. The least they can do is accept a little help, for a small price of course. I tried to convince them, but for a Banuk with nothing to prove; death is a preferable option before any help -explained the merchant.

That sounds like they are very proud, like the members of the Hunter's Lodge, although they accept the help, they want to be the ones with all the glory.

Aloy: You mentioned a certain Ourea, a shaman. What do you know about her? -she asked the man.

Burgrend: Well, she was the one who told the Werak that the Daemon lived in Thunder's Drum, and they believed her. Now, I never believed in those lies that she was talking about -the man explained.

Burgrend: But I don't know what the hell Ourea saw up there, since shamans don't talk to foreigners. But if there is something that is certain, it is that the machines out here are becoming more aggressive and perhaps it is because of that Daemon they keep talking about or because the machines just feel like it, how will I know -explained the merchant.

Burgrend: Ourea is the only one who could explain all this, and she's not here  -said the man shrugging.

Me: Hey, by any chance, haven't you heard the name Sylens around? Tall, dark, serious as a plant, with cables on his body like a shaman and with a shiny bald head that can make you blind -I asked the merchant Oseram and he looked at me with some surprise.

Burgrend: I've heard that name once or twice, but only in whispers. It is as if it were the bogeyman, something that the Banuk want to forget. I don't know what happened...but it seems that whatever happened between him and the Conclave, it wasn't pretty at all -the man replied, but it made me curious.

Me: Why do I get the impression that the Conclave is something important? -I asked the man rhetorically, but at the same time he understood that I meant it.

Burgrend: And it is. All the important shamans gather in Ban-Ur from time to time to discuss the latest gossip. To be honest, I don't know how they all fit in a store with those giant helmets they wear on their heads. Ourea has been to those meetings, and I even asked her once, but she gave me the stink eye and didn't say anything. If you want to know more, you should find Ourea and make her like you...Ha, good luck with that -said the merchant remembering the conversation he had with the woman.

Me: And apparently, this Aratak is someone of renown around here, isn't he? -I said as I looked at the man talking to someone.

Burgrend: Oh yes, he is the chief of the Werak. When he and Ourea arrived here with their Werak, this area was filled with customers. Customers who were willing to pay, until they went to bust the mechanical balls of the machines and almost all of them ended up dead. I saw trade, granaries and profits here and everything went to hell, really quick -said the man with some sadness in his voice.

Aloy: Burgrend. What are these "Weraks" you talk so much about? We heard them before we came, but we don't know what they are. A kind of tribe within the tribe? -asked the redhead curiously.

Burgrend: Well, they're not like our clans. You are not born into a one, you join one. They have some auditions, where you have to show that you are the best in a certain activity or activities. Weraks come and go, some lasting as long as metal. The entire region of Ban-Ur is made up of the largest and oldest weraks -the man explained, but he did not satisfy Aloy's question.

Aloy: I'm not sure if I'm more confused or less confused -my girlfriend said moving her hands to her sides, which I thought was adorable of her.

The Oseram trader laughed at Aloy's response. Even I cracked a smile at the comment.

Burgrend: Look, what I'm sure of is that each Werak is led by a Chief and a Shaman. They are the highest authority of the werak. All very cool and beautiful, right? Hellno, the bosses are as hard-headed as a drunk Oseram, and the shamans have their heads in the clouds, so reaching a consensus...is always a problem -explained the trader.

It was something obvious, a political-military leader and a religious leader. Like in the monarchies of the past. A King who ruled the people and the Church who kept the kingdom in connection with the deity. I can learn about the Banuk culture later on in our adventure, but for now, we must know more about this Daemon.

Me: Burgrend, I want to know more about this Daemon -I told the merchant Oseram, but he was somewhat reclusive.

Me: Burgrend, there is a chance that this Daemon has something to do with the "Madness of the machines" and if it is what I think it is, I need to know as much as I can -I explained to the Oseram.

Burgrend: There's not much I can tell, besides what I already told you two, if you want more answers, then you must find Ourea. The only thing I know is that the last time she was seen was going in the direction of the mountains, the ones they call the Frozen Peaks. Only shamans know how to get through those icy peaks, but I know where her apprentice, Naltuk, is. He headed north past the river. Chasing some rumours -explained the man, but Aloy interrupted him.

Aloy: Rumors? What rumors? -asked the hunter.

Burgrend: Of the bad ones. Strange attacks in the snow, new structures that nobody has ever seen before and that there is a machine, that has been never seen before, prowling around the lands -the man said.

What he said caught my attention and, in turn, strengthened what Hermes said in Daytower.

Aloy: Now I'm interested, thanks for your time, Burgrend -my girlfriend thanked him, and we said goodbye to the man.

Me: We have to find Ourea's apprentice, Nesquick, to know where Ourea went -I told my girlfriend.

Aloy: It's called Naltuk, love, but before that, we could ask Aratak, to see if he knows anything else -my girlfriend said, and I simply nodded, theres's no hurt in trying.

She started walking toward Banuk Chief and I just looked out over the frozen wasteland that was once, the Yellowstone National Park.

Me: The last time we were in Yellowstone it wasn't this cold, old friends -I said with melancholy remembering my deceased friends.