Living Antiquity

~34~

Four days of riding, Gaia hovering along next to us as we plow through the pass, Raver and Aloy's mount struggling ti keep up with Piglet, who seemed happy to romp right along in the snow as the others stumbled.
Aloy and Drakka were more or less amused by this, stumbling along through the snow until we came out and passed through the Sundom, broaching the south border of The Claim, and continuing on through a little spoken of pass to the far north of Nora territory, easily brisking our way through the snow and ice, up through a camp where Aloy greeted several members of the Banuk settlement, allowing us to stay a night so that Drakka could get some armor better suited to the cold, before finding the ascent and beginning the climb.
To which he complained nonstop about the cold... I guess growing up in the desert heat makes one pretty susceptible to the cold.
"Is this what the Sky Clan deals with?! All their lives?" He groans, "How do they wear that armor without freezing?"
"They grew up in it! Watch there, the ice is melted. It'll be three times colder if you're wet," I laugh, hearing him whine.
Aloy chuckles, leading the way up through the passes, until we see a Scorcher, resting in what almost looked like a Sphinx position, watching as we passed.
"When I reacquired control of the machines around the world, I put machines that guarded herds and attacked humans on standby. I've been attempting to find a new purpose for them. Perhaps they can eventually serve as hunting partners to humans," Gaia pointed out.
I nod, letting her pass as she knelt her avatar in front of it and patted its head.
"I might think about making machines to act as pets... Small, companionable... Like cats, but able to help those bonded to them," she ponders, "The elderly would need such aid."
I laugh, "Fair. Some tribes might not like it, but it'd be helpful."
Aloy grins, "That's not a bad idea."
Drakka just mumbles something about his frozen feet, unamused as we climb ever higher, eventually reaching the pass, looking out over the Cut for the first time, seeing Song's Edge, and faces familiar from Aloy's data, as we pass into the village.
"Aloy...!" A man runs toward us, wearing the armor fitting of the Banuk Shaman- Naltuk.
"Naltuk! We're here to talk to Aratak, and anyone that can get us audience or spread information to the other Banuk shamans..." Aloy says, "Its urgent- entire planet level urgent."
"Ah..." Naltuk frowns, looking at her, then us, "Who're..."
"This is Y/n, and Drakka. They're with me, they helped me even get to this point- here." She holds out a Focus, "A way to communicate with us and learn what we have... You'll be able to see secrets like us, as well."
"A Focus..! It looks more intact than what we found. An Oseram that came through called it that..." Naltuk says, examining it, "He said he had a friend who wore a functional one..."
"You know about them?" Aloy tenses.
"Yes! The Oseram didn't say much about it, though. He didn't have one that worked and had never seen one that worked," he looked at us, before placing it to his left temple, "A-ah...!" He breathed, looking around, "Amazing..."
Aloy nods, smiling, "It can take some getting used to."
I smirk, "Well, that wasn't as difficult as we thought it'd be. But now for the really fun part... Activate it, but sit down first, please." i gesture to what looked like a bench, "Its a lot to take in. Gaia, can you guide the Focus' information dump based on his experience?"
"Yes..." She bobbed, hivering in front if him, activating her avatar, "Don't be afraid, this will show you why we are here... Everything you are about ti see and hear is truth."
"O-okay..."
It was an hour of the poor man's jaw dragging on the ground, but snapping shut the more he learned, listening to our modules on everything about the Zeniths, Gaia, Me, Aloy's travels, NEMESIS, and our goal.
"You were r-right to come here looking for help... I'd have to try to reach the Conclave..." he stands and paces, visibly shaken, "The Banuk would gladly accept the challenge, ready to overcome it and survive..."
"Any aid they can give us would guarantee the whole world survives as well," I point out.
"Exactly. The dream you mention in your modules... It sounds interesting. Knowledge and learning between all tribes... Everyone able to work together..." He takes a breath, "It sounds amazing. We need to get to Aratak and CYAN. He took me to visit CYAN last month after sue finally told him what she really was- an AI, like you, correct?" He looks to Gaia.
"Yes." She nods her head, "I look forward to meeting her and letting her know she will never experience danger or intrusion from HEPHAESTUS again. He is once again lacking of consciousness and a part of me..." she frowns, "I hope I don't scare her..."
"You won't! Your avatar is very calming," I smile, stretching.
Naltuk led the way through the settlement, occasionally greeting hunters, a woman stopping in front of us and grinning at Aloy.
"Sekuli!" Aloy grins, accepting her hug.
"Chief." She smirks, resting her hands on Aloy's shoulders, "Ti what do we owe the pleasure if this visit, hm?" She grins.
"Saving the world." I deadpan.
"Y/n...!" Aloy groans.
"Oh? Will we be making another painting on the mountain?" Sekuli tilts her head.
"You're a painter, rught? Aloy's focus recorded your painting on the mountainside," i gesture to my twmple, then the great red-haired painting on the mountainside above us, "You might also be who we need to help spread the word of this- here." I set a Focus in her hand, "Find a quiet place to sit and learn everything through this- then contact us. The Focus will show you how during everything..."
"Oh? Alright." Sekuli stared at the small object, before pocketing it, giving Aloy another shoulder pat, and heading for her seat high above the settlement.
"Just passing them out like candy on Halloween," I mutter, rubbing my head.
"You really are. But I guess that gets the job done," Aloy sighs, rubbing her face as we follow Naltuk further.
Out over the expanse of the Cut, following the trails up, through the old Shaman's path that used to be Ourea's.
The climb was bitter, my fingers almost freezing through my gloves as we climbed, having to cling to the rocks, the pathways and scaffolding. Even with all my natural liking for the cold, this was too much...
Eventually, we finally reached the ancient ruin where CYAN was now housed, Naltuk leading us inside and getting Aratak's attention, pulling him aside to speak to us.
"Aloy...!" Aratak slapped a hand on her shoulder, smiling, "CYAN told me about what she is, and the past... Her creators, and..." he took a breath, pacing, "But who..." he looks at me, and Drakka, tensing when he sees Gaia's avatar drone.
"Easy, Aratak. This is Y/n, Drakka, and Gaia. Its best if we brief you and CYAN together," Aloy points out.
"Right..."
I take a breath as we walk into the room, seeing the glowing orb-shaped avatar that was CYAN, shifting to anxious shades of purple as she sees Gaia's orb.
"Its okay, Cyan. Its me, Aloy. I know its been a while. I brought friends, and both good and bad news," Aloy smiled, "We brought Gaia back, and she has reabsorbed HEPHAESTUS, he can never hurt you again. Gaia has control of the Cauldron Network again," Aloy said with a smile as Drakka explored the room, admiring the paintings in the walls.
"Gone?... ah..." the orb settled to a happy yellow, before fading to calm blue, "Then this little orb is?"
"My way of offering contact- I understand your anxiety towards the network requests, so I felt a more face-to-face approach would be more appropriate," Gaia explains, "I can project my avatar, or show you both the briefing, if you wish."
"You two will want to see the briefing first..." Naltuk said, carefully sitting on a cushion and gripping his spear across his lap.
"Alright..." Aratak said, accepting a Focus from Aloy and sitting down as Gaia projects the full briefing for them, filling the room as she shows them everything that Naltuk had seen hours before.
Cyan's color faded through her rainbow of emotions, expressing sorrow to know what happened to her friends in the Time of Ashes, joy at Elisabet's idea for Zero Dawn, anger at Ted Faro's interference and further actions, rage at the Zeniths for what they did, and then a pure sickly green of absolute fear when we reached NEMESIS.
"They created that thing?" Aratak growled.
"And left it to stew until it broke containment and killed most of them," I folded my arms, "The only good things they did were make Beta, and not notice when Stanley defected to our side."
"Stanley seems like a kind man... Unchanged after a thousand years..." Cyan said softly, fading to a happy orange-yellow.
"I can offer you a channel to link to the APOLLO database for any further information you desire. The channel is open to you at any time," Gaia says, switching to her avatar and extending a hand ti CYAN, "And I'd be more than happy to help create a drone fir you as well, so that you can explore."
"That would be... wonderful." Cyan said, her form pulsing colors happily, "I wish I could generate that kind of an avatar, but I've been this for a thousand years. Ourea would have loved to see you... Would have loved to see Aratak understand what I am... I wish she could have understood as well." Cyan's colored shifted to a deep indigo... sadness.
I frowned, "You'll be alright, and we can protect you... I know you miss her. I... know how it feels. I miss my brother, Liz, hearing the team's voices..." I sigh and rub my head, "There's so much I never got to do back in the old era."
Aratak paced, flicking through his focus, "So we need to call a Conclave of the Shaman. Slread the word about this thing. We would need Focuses ti give them."
"We can provide them. Just give us a number," I smile.
"About... Ninety?" Naltuk paces, "There is an untold number of Weraks across Ban-Ur. I wish I could give a more definite number."
"Let's say a hundred and fifty, and there'll be extras for anyone else that shows up," I frown, "But I imagine they won't be happy to learn that we work with Silens."
"No, they won't, until they see what he achieved. Defeating the shields they used..! Amazing..." Naltuk says, looking over at us.
Aloy sits down, rubbing her head, "With what he did to them, I wouldn't be surprised if they never forgive him."
"They don't have to work with him, just us," I point out, "He's one genius out of the entire population. More people can learn the necessary skills to be at his level. Even if he wants to think they can't."
Aloy busts out laughing, "That'd knock him down a few pegs."
I smirk, "It'd be funny to watch. Maybe he'll even have a facial expression. Oh gosh!"
Aloy covers her mouth, gasping for air.
"If you two are quite through poking fun..." his voice echoed across the focuses.
"Spying again? How quaint," I sigh, navigating my menus, "Shaddup." I purge the spyware, annoyed, as Aloy laughs.
Drakka snorts, chuckling.
Aratak raises a brow.
"I think we hurt his feelings," I whine, seeing Aloy lose it and fall over, clutching her sides and struggling to breathe.
Drakka howls, "Wish I could see his face right now, shit!"
Aratak chuckles and shakes his head, "Well, Chief, whatever happens, my werak stands behind you." He looks to Aloy as she finally calms down and sits up, face still red from laughing, "Your allies are ours."

---
Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I got sick and couldn't think straight, nor could I remember what I'd wanted to do for this chapter.
I managed to remember by rereading the previous chapter, and hopefully we'll be able to continue from here!
I'm playing Burning Shores and looking forward to learning about the rest if the Quen- can already see who I hate.