A new, slightly foggy and humid morning had just dawned, the pine forests slowly emerging from their torpor. The air was cold, biting, snow and ice partially covering the undulating landscape of hills. But all these elements of nature, as fierce as they were, would not be enough to discourage Aloy. The young woman with long hair red as fire, after a relatively short night, took advantage of the sunrise to go hunting. Dressed in her Nora outfit displaying pieces of armor recovered from the ruins of a laboratory of the old world, offering her significant protection, Aloy advanced with cat's steps, very slowly, in the middle of the damp bushes, taking care not to step on the slightest thing that could betray her presence and scare away the animals. Her bow and arrow in hand, Aloy was more than focused, applying to perfection everything that Rost had taught her.

In the middle of a sparse space between trees, she had spotted her prey, a rabbit nervously scratching the snowy ground in search of food. Well hidden, controlling her breathing, Aloy fixed it with a sharp gaze, tightening the bowstring and... the arrow flew like a flash and struck the small animal head on before it had time to understand what was happening to it. Death was immediate and painless. Satisfied with her shot, Aloy came to pick up her catch and bring it back to her camp. This rabbit was not very big but it would make a perfect breakfast.

After a few minutes of walking, Aloy finally returned to where she had stopped to spend the night, on a small hill at the edge of this pine forest. Her mount, a Strider that she had hacked a few days ago to move faster, briefly raised its head to look at her, emitting these metallic sounds similar to neighing, before returning to its occupation and gently scratching the ground with its metal hooves. The advantage with a machine as a mount is that it does not need to be fed. Aloy rekindled the campfire that she had prepared the day before, making small flames rekindle from the still glowing embers. The modest warmth was welcome on this freezing morning. Aloy had never been this far north, but nothing would stop her in her quest to discover this vast world. It had been over a week now since she had encountered any other people, not a single village or merchant caravan. Aloy didn't worry about it any more, after all, she wasn't exactly known for her sociability, especially with other humans, except for Rost who was for her the only figure who really came close to a family. She did not forget of course others like Erend, Varl or even King Avad who had become close allies, even friends. Aloy had a thought for them, sincerely hoping that they were all well. But she had to move forward, find her way.

Kneeling by the fire, the young woman prepared her meal, first stripping the rabbit of its fur, then emptying it of its organs, which she threw into the flames, then finally skewering it on a wooden stick to cook it over the fire. While she was preparing all this, her attention was drawn to the sounds of machinery. On the other side of the river, a herd of Broadheads, accompanied by a few Watchers, were grazing peacefully in the hills. Aloy did not worry about it, they were far enough away not to pose a threat, but she still remained cautious, especially regarding the presence of a Snapmaw swimming slowly on the surface of the river before diving back down and disappearing into the opaque, cold waters.

Sitting on her "bed" of fur and animal skins, Aloy ate a piece of the rabbit, and took the opportunity to consult the map of the world that Erend had kindly given her before she left Meridian. However, the lands to the north were poorly known and therefore poorly mapped, Aloy no longer really knowing where she was anymore. Luckily, as Nora, she had learned to find her way using the movement of the sun and the stars, which ensured she wouldn't get lost. According to what she had learned from discovering archives in the ruins of an ancient laboratory from ancient times, there were other human scientific facilities hidden somewhere in the remote lands of the far north. Intrigued, Aloy had decided to go there and explore them, wanting to know more about humanity's past and also, she hoped, more information about the origins and functions of the machines.

Once her breakfast was finished, the fire covered with earth, her belongings packed and securely attached, Aloy climbed onto the back of her Strider and continued on her way along the beaten path along the great river, while staying at a good distance from the dangerous aquatic machines that might be hiding there. During the first hour that followed, a dead calm reigned and apart from the presence of a few machines in the distance, no sign of life showed itself to Aloy, who nevertheless kept all her senses on alert. But as she arrived at the edge of another wooded area, the young woman stopped her mount and listened carefully... Sounds, like voices, two exactly, talking and looking stressed... She even thought she heard another sound, non-organic this time, as if someone was trying to move something... Curious but also cautious, Aloy decided to go and see but ordered her Strider to wait for her here, which the machine did. In case of trouble, Aloy knew that she would only have to whistle to make it come.

Descending along the snowy slope and moving from the first trees without making the slightest noise, Aloy gradually approached the source of the noises, hearing them more and more distinctly. There was a young male voice and another female, sounding much older. Sneaking along with muffled steps and remaining hidden between the bushes, Aloy took a look. Only about ten meters from her were two people. An elderly man in his twenties, busy trying with difficulty to lift the wheel of a cart that was stuck in a muddy pool. The other person was an old woman with a face drowned in wrinkles, lying under a fur to warm herself in the back of the cart and unable to move, appearing very weak, even sick. They were both dressed modestly and warmly against the freezing temperatures. The young man did everything to remain calm and reassure the old woman who turned out to be his grandmother, who spoke weakly and coughed badly. The cart was filled with boxes and bags, perhaps provisions.

Aloy remained silent, watching them and frowning, perplexed. What were these two doing in the middle of nowhere? Visibly they were not explorers, hunters or adventurers. Seeing them in such a bad situation made her decide to go help them, but she nevertheless remained on her guard and ready to act accordingly, knowing that a bad surprise could arise from anywhere. Aloy then revealed herself, coming out of the cover of the trees. Immediately, the young man was surprised by this arrival and reacted by taking a knife from his pocket and interposed himself to protect his grandmother.

_"Who are you?! What do you want?! Don't come any closer!" he said, his hand trembling and unsure holding his knife, indicating that he was not a seasoned fighter.

_"Calm down, I'm not here to look for trouble." Aloy replied, gently showing her hands as a sign of good faith and wanting to calm the atmosphere. "I heard you and judging by your situation, you might still be stuck here at the end of the week if you don't get help."

_"I said do not come any closer!" the man retorted, awkwardly waving his knife. "You're with them, right?! I won't let myself be fooled and you won't touch my grandmother!"

Seeing him in the grip of a nervousness that made him predictable, Aloy decided to act, letting him take one step too far forward. In a quick and precise gesture, she grabbed his forearm, disarming him and swept his legs to make him fall into the snow, blocking him with an armlock. Quick and clean, like Rost had taught her to defend herself. Lying on his stomach in the snow, the man tried to struggle but Aloy managed to hold him down and threw the knife further away, out of reach.

_"Ouch! Stop, you're going to break my arm!" the man shouted in pain.

_"Stop moving, or you're going to do it yourself." Aloy replied. "You said I was with them... Who exactly are you talking about?"

_"The... the bandits... A whole group..." the man stammered, still nervous. "They attacked our village last night to make it their new base and they took all the inhabitants hostage. I managed to escape with my grandmother just in time and we were heading south to get help."

Bandits... Aloy should have guessed. Her blood only turned once in her veins. If there was one thing she couldn't tolerate it was injustice, and clearly, the bandits, these men and women without the slightest scruples, were among those she hated deeply. Knowing that men, women and children were now taken hostage by these bastards, she couldn't stand by and do nothing. In these very remote lands, no military aid would come in time, she was now the only hope for these people.

_"Okay, I'll let you go... But if you try to attack me again, I'll knock you out, understood?" Aloy warned him.

The young man nodded in understanding and as promised Aloy released him from his hold. He stood up, removing the snow from his face and seemed to calm down a little, making sure that his grandmother was okay and even coming to wipe her forehead a little.

_"She has a fever." Aloy said after observing.

_"She was already sick when the bandits attacked." the man admitted, worried. "I have medicine but with this weather she won't survive long. Without a shelter, she'll die in a few days."

Aloy listened to him and sincerely sympathized. The only way to save this old woman was to make sure the village was freed.

_"Where exactly is your village? You will stay here and I will go take care of these damned bandits." Aloy then asked without hesitation.

_"Well... follow the path south for about ten kilometers, or you'll see it right away, near a small lake." the man said. "But... don't go to the village, I beg you. They are numerous, armed and their leader is a real monster."

_"Oh don't worry... I have become a master in the art of killing monsters." Aloy replied.

With these words, she left, but promising to come back or send someone to get them once the village was liberated. Jumping on the back of the Strider, Aloy galloped off without wasting any more time heading south. She could have done without this kind of unforeseen event but innocent lives were at stake, she had to intervene, hoping that it would not be too late.

Later, after a long ride, Aloy had finally arrived in sight of the small lake in a valley surrounded by hills. Having left her robotic mount out of sight in the middle of a group of large rocks, Aloy approached, using the cover of the rocks and hills to get closer and, crawling on her belly, she arrived at the top of a ridge offering her a clear view of the village which was about a hundred meters away. There were about twenty modest houses made of wood, surrounded by palisades and further small docks with boats, indicating a fishing village. Aloy carefully scanned the place with her trained eye in order to assess the current situation, using an object called binoculars that she had recovered from ruins. The bandits had indeed taken possession of the place, the entrance to the village being solidly guarded by two of them, armed with spears. A third was in a small watchtower, armed with a bow and also a horn to sound the alarm.

In the central square of the village, other bandits were gathered around a large campfire, eating, drinking, laughing and clearly celebrating their success. She tried to make out if one of them was the leader, but there was no sign to tell. Looking further west into the village, she saw the villagers, all grouped together and locked in cages like animals. As Aloy had feared, there were families, very young children, and all were huddled together, shivering with cold and fear under the watchful eye of armed guards who enjoyed terrorizing them. Aloy also noticed a horrifying detail. The men, women and children prisoners all wore metal collars around their necks, linked together by chains... These bandits were much more than that... slave traders!

This revelation made Aloy tense with anger, but she remained calm. Suddenly, a voice expressing pain caught her attention and she took a look through the binoculars. The one she saw then gave her a shiver of horror... A little to one side, behind one of the houses, a stocky bandit had dragged one of the female prisoners with him, violently pulling her by the hair before throwing her to the ground, lying on top of her and shamelessly tearing off her pants, intending more than likely to rape her. But the woman, in tears, was not willing to let it happen and kicked him in the stomach, making him back away.

_"You little slut!" the man swore, breathless.

The woman, her hands tied behind her back, tried to crawl to escape, but the bandit caught her without a problem, and in the heat of anger, killed her coldly by stabbing her in the heart, letting her fall back and slowly bleed out. Aloy remained frozen behind her binoculars, horrified. For a moment, through the binoculars, the dying gaze of the tearful woman seemed to notice and look at her, then slowly faded away...

_"Fuck, what the hell did you do?!" another slaver then intervened, reprimanding his impulsive comrade. "Margit was clear though! We don't touch the merchandise!"

_"Oh shut up!" the other one replied, still very angry.

Margit... surely this monstrous leader she had heard about, but Aloy didn't worry about it for the moment. Still horrified by what had just happened to this poor woman, the Nora remained silent, but deep inside her, a deep desire for revenge was born. These bastards could laugh as long as they could, it wouldn't last. Aloy was tempted to attack now, but risking a frontal attack was too risky, there were far too many of them and it could put the villagers in danger. Aloy therefore decided to wait until nightfall to try a more discreet approach.

************

The night had been out for an hour now, but there was no moon or stars visible because of the sea of ​​gray clouds that had invaded the sky. Her weapons ready, Aloy, like a shadow, slipped between the rocks and hills, moving as quickly and discreetly as a cat. She was lucky because this night a mist had risen over the region, which would offer her additional cover ideal for approaching without being seen. Crouching in the tall wild grass, Aloy was no longer very far from the entrance to the village, still guarded. It was really very dark, visibility was very limited but Aloy had another asset: her Focus. Thanks to the small device attached to her ear and which never left her, Aloy could easily detect the infrared shapes of the bandits through the mist and even the walls. Most were gathered in the center of the village to eat and party again, while others patrolled between the houses. However, she first had to deal with the three guarding the entrance, and especially the one in the watchtower.

Aloy then assessed the possibilities with her Focus and then had an idea. Preparing an arrow in her bow, she waited for the right moment, hidden in the tall grass only about fifty meters from the entrance to the village. Fortunately, the night plus the thick fog offered her ideal cover to act without being seen. Taking advantage of the fact that the two bandits guarding the entrance seemed bored and on the verge of falling asleep, Aloy took advantage of the opportunity, drawing her bow, aiming precisely and using her Focus, fired an arrow. The bandit posted at the top of the watchtower barely had time to react when the lightning-fast projectile hit him full in the chest. Emitting a brief gasp of pain and too weak to be heard, the man died very quickly, falling into the void to crash heavily into the tall grass that lined the palisade on the east side.

_"Hey?! What was that?!" said one of the guards at the entrance, having heard the noise. "Garick, can you see something from up there?!"

No answer came, causing the other two to be confused.

_"Garick?! Hey, can you hear me?! Damn, I bet that bastard got drunk again and fell asleep! And I can't see a damn thing with this fog!" the same bandit then grumbled in palpable annoyance.

_"Come on, calm down, Segg. Stay there, I'll see." the other guard then told him.

Bingo, Aloy thought as she saw one of the two men start to move away and head towards the place where the tower watchman had fallen. Waiting until he was far enough away, Aloy notched another arrow and in a masterful aim shot down the bandit named Segg, who didn't even have time to understand what was happening to him. Quickly, Aloy hurried to come to him, constantly monitoring the movements of the other who fortunately hadn't heard anything and continued to go towards the source of the noise. Aloy retrieved her arrow lodged in Segg's neck and pulled his body into the tall grass to hide him.

Not suspecting what had happened to his comrade, the second bandit continued to search in the tall grass to find the origin of the suspicious noise heard earlier and finally found it in the presence of Garick's corpse, lying with an arrow planted in his chest.

_"What the...?!" the bandit gasped, surprised.

Fast footsteps and the movement of tall grass behind him made him turn around just in time to see the leaping form of Aloy arrive at him, slap a hand over his mouth and pierce him through and through with the blade of her spear. His scream muffled, the man froze, his eyes bulging with pain and staring at Aloy's who only showed a silent icy contempt for him. The man's agony was short-lived and he collapsed in turn at Aloy's feet who left him here, hidden in the grass.

Now rid of the guards at the entrance but not knowing how long it would take for others to come, Aloy accelerated her movement a little, remaining crouched as best she could and, after a discreet glance, entered the village walls. There was no turning back, these slavers were going to regret having crossed her path.