This is it

Chapter 3

Kotallo had left Plainsong before the sun had come up but taken his time. He'd only seldomly been in the farming region and had decided to look around, before heading into the mountains. Now as the sun was gradually being covered by dark clouds, Kotallo could make out the last bit of the path, another climb it seemed. He grunted, did a couple of right arm stretches and flexes, while hiking up the steep track towards the rockface leading to what he assumed was the entrance to the Base. A sudden snowstorm blew thick flakes all around him, which somehow triggered a memory of soft pink lips, she licked. Angrily he pushed the thought away, instead concentrating not to slip on the uneven terrain, but his mind kept going back to that night at Stone Crest, where they had stopped before moving on to the Bulwark to convince Tekotteh to join forces with them against Regalla's rebel army. She had pressed him with questions, annoyed the piss out of him, made him angry, had witnessed his pain, which had made him even angrier. He had thought her foolish, young and overly ambitious, arrogant even. She had proven him wrong. Very wrong and he'd been reluctantly deeply impressed. That was when he had really seen her for the first time. And he'd never seen anything more beautiful before.

He sucked in a sharp breath, balled his hand into a tight fist, knuckles white, made a grumpy sound and pushed on, up the slopes, his stump needing attention soon. Almost there. He was starting to get cold, too, the mountain having swallowed all direct sunlight.

Aloy had asked a friend to meet him in the foothills, which he'd been through, but hadn't seen anyone yet. He was pretty sure he'd find the way though.

"Kotallo!" a woman's voice called out, who had just emerged out of the snow swirls. "Forgive me, I lost track of time. So much to prepare..." she smiled, extending her hand as she reached him. "I'm Zo."

"Hi, you must be Aloy's friend," he returned the handshake jovially. "Kotallo," he said needlessly.

"Aloy said she wasn't quite sure when you'd arrive, and now the snow has completely obstructed our view, which is usually quite stunning, I must say." She smiled.

"No worries, I found the way."

"There's going to be a bit of a climb ahead of us..." her tone suggesting it might be near impossible for him to achieve.

"No problem," he simply said.

They hiked the remainder of the slope making easy small talk about the region, the different threats and she promised a deeper introduction to the mission once inside the Base.

He watched Zo make the climb effortlessly and she was half-way up, when he stepped up to the spot where they needed to ascent. It began somewhat unchallenging, and he had no trouble at first. As the climb became steeper, progress slowed, but he pushed on, his biceps and shoulders burning hot with exertion and then suddenly he was off his feet, in the air, let out a surprised yelp and felt himself being hurled up by his armor. Four strong arms lifted him with ease the last few feet and with a grunt he was unceremoniously set down.

"You must be Kotallo," a slim, but muscular young Nora Brave said cheerfully, while a bulky hairy Oseram grunted something like "heavy weight fighter, ey?"

Kotallo shook out the shock of being hurled up into the air, then extended his hand to the Nora first, "Yeah, I'm Kotallo. You must be Varl."

"That's me," Varl answered, "and this is Erend."

Kotallo shook Erend's hand, "good grip man. Appreciate the help!"

Erend patted his left shoulder hard and Kotallo winced slightly. Erend, completely oblivious, smiled broadly, "No problem! Come on in, we've got ale." As if that we as what Kotallo was here for.