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Could someone really befriend a machine?
Aloy kept asking herself that, squinting into the light as the Charger she had overridden lay next to her, observing the punishing sunlight on the vast beaches. There were red flowers everywhere, strung alongside the rising smell of the ocean. That had to be what this was, from the smell of salt that lingered in the air and the sand that was so much finer than any she’d seen in her homeland.
She’d tamed the Charger ages ago, when she was tired of running and her feet had become painfully calloused from use, her own heavy boots wearing thin in some places from travel. What she hadn’t expected was for the Charger to have a personality--normally machines functioned under a set of directives, like Elisabet had asked programmers to design, and what CYAN had talked about when she’d questioned the AI system. But this was much more individual, and developed; either it had developed over time with her or it had simply gleaned her own personality.
It was stubborn, loyal, and had no sense of self-preservation, favoring a head-on charge in lieu of something more subtle--and safe.
Sometimes it even brought her little gifts, if they could be called that. Purposely walking through a field of medicinal plants and nosing the snow from them, or stalking up the rocky crags of the mountaintops to find ruins she had yet to explore. Aloy swore she could see it moving around and dropping metal shards when she needed arrowheads the most, though it could have been a trick of the light and perhaps even just a lucky break on a former hunter’s kill. Regardless, she was close to the machine, even giving it a proper name.
“Thud.” The head movement was fluid, and she could feel the lenses staring at her with interest--or what she would call interest--and Aloy reached a hand over to press against the warm metal face. “I think we’re in need of a rest. We’ve outrun two tribes and found no clues yet as to why the red flowers are destroying the biosphere here. I want to go back to the Sundom, to see Meridian again.”
As if the machine could talk back to her, give her advice or an opinion on the matter. It looked like it was listening, though.
“I’m sure the grass is...tastier in Meridian too? Your Blaze looks...a bit odd.” It had changed color not that long ago, though she didn’t know if it was because of the higher consumption rate or perhaps even the type of vegetation Thud was consuming. They had been running for quite a distance, and the artificial hooves seemed to sink into the sand with little else to hold them up. “We can always come back, though. There’s probably something we need to fix, but we need supplies. And a saddle!”
Aloy’s legs had begun to chafe from the constant riding they did, and a saddle might help ease some of that pain. If they even made saddles for machines...although she could probably find one from the right person for a few shards in their palm. But how would she tool it, make it their own? Thud resembled one of the creatures from the bestiary Elisabet had left--she had called it a ‘ram’. The horns were similar enough, and the shape, but the face...not so much.
But Thud was warm, and while not always the most talkative companion, the machine had its own charms. It made things easier to talk about, like Rost’s passing or the way that the world had changed since she’d won the Proving. How much she had changed, and what it was like to see the world in her views.
Aloy lifted her head, staring at the skies for a moment more, before placing her hand on the metal snout. If Thud had possessed fur, or wool, perhaps it would have been soft; however, the idea of warm metal plates was more comforting. It was familiar, something that she knew intimately better than the coarse clothing she wore; perhaps Teb would have a better idea. It gave her hope for a saddle in the future, the thoughts permeating to the forefront of her mind.
The light flickered in response to her hand, the head coming up to scan her face. It was as if the machine knew that she was contemplating something, and it pushed against her gently, nearly knocking her over in the process. It was how she’d ended up meeting the machine--it had charged her in a fury, and she had overridden it in a hurry, though not without a few scars added to her skin. That night had ended with clearing blood away from her skin, bandaging her wounds, and Aloy learning how to maneuver Thud appropriately.
She pulled herself to her feet using the large horns as a counterbalance, before nodding towards the rest of the land. “Let’s go home, Thud. Home to Meridian, where Erend is. I’m sure you’d like to knock him over, too.” Her lips turned into a smile, climbing onto the machine’s back with a gentle pat, the loose fabric tied around the top of the machine sliding slightly. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one fond of the machine, though it had taken Erend a while to warm up to Thud--and the idea of Aloy riding far away from Meridian.
Her thoughts clouded as her knees knocked into Thud’s sides, urging it forward towards Meridian. The clues that they’d had, following the red flowers that seemed to choke the very life around them, had proved fruitless, and Aloy was tired of running from the various tribes trying to kill her, riding around on massive machines as warbeasts. She’d prefer Stormbirds and Thunderjaws, if it meant she didn’t have to fight an entire village’s worth of people on top of their machines.
The thick brush was heavy in her nose, foreign spice and humidity sinking into her clothing. Erend would surely tease her once they returned, and Thud shook its head, as if it could understand her thoughts. Something was amiss, and Aloy bit her lip, slouching down closer to the machine underneath her to provide cover. An arrow notched into her bow, Aloy nudged Thud forward with caution, hearing the screech of machines in the distance, and a person shouting, grunting as the jungle came alive around them.
“Someone’s in trouble...let’s go!” Aloy knocked her knees against Thud’s sides harder, spurning the machine to go faster towards the direction of chaos, small animals and birds fleeing from the noise. A glint of metal, something bright teal against the dark greens and browns, and a machine that Aloy recognized as a Clawstrider--something new in the outlands, and fierce as it was clever.
Her body was fluid as she slipped from Thud’s back, rolling into the grass, before trying to sneak up on the Clawstrider, eyes wary. It had someone backed into a corner--and Aloy could smell blood. Thankfully the Clawstrider was alone; a pack of machines would have been awful to deal with while trying to save someone. Or at least, that’s what Aloy thought, just before she snuck up towards the machine, spear in hand.
She was going to tame it; Thud had other ideas.
Not a minute had passed after Aloy had finished taming the Clawstrider before Thud came barrelling towards it, crashing into the other machine and sending sparks flying. Obviously Thud thought she was in danger, but it also seemed like it was being territorial--amusingly so, if it weren’t for the fact that Thud could blow them up if it was too aggressive.
“Hey!” Aloy frowned, nearly smacking her spear against Thud’s side as the Clawstrider got to its feet, looking around blankly. “Watch it, Thud. You almost ran me over!”
“I think I know that voice…” It came weakly from the corner, and Aloy squatted down to find none other than Talanah Khane Padish, current Sunhawk of the Hunter’s Lodge. “Looks like I found you after all. I was wondering when I’d find you, little sparrow.”
“Talanah!” Aloy went to pull the other woman into a hug, noting the way she winced. “It’s stupid to be out here hunting alone, especially for me. Did you bring enough ammo to survive for a day or two?” There was blood splattered across her side, and Aloy took some of the leather strips she carried, winding them into a binding. “Because you’re going to have to stick with us for a bit, and I know how much you love that.”
Talanah grimaced as Aloy’s arms went around her, staring at the Clawstrider in front of them while Aloy bandaged her up. “So you managed to figure out how to tame them?” Her eyes narrowed for a moment, deep in thought, before she whistled to the Clawstrider. “Might be nice to get around faster than on my own two legs…”
Aloy gritted her teeth, before tying off the binding. “It’s yours if you can figure out how to ride it. Can’t say that it’s the best ride--Thud’s a lot smoother in the back than a Clawstrider--but with a blanket or some sort of saddle it could work. Might want to get some reins though; I don’t think anyone at the lodge would take kindly to the Sunhawk’s mount biting their arm off.”
The two machines were eerily silent behind them, their lights flashing between each other in communication. Or, what Aloy assumed was communication, since machines didn’t make animal sounds or grunt between themselves. At least they weren’t drawing attention to the two women, with Aloy gently pulling Talanah to her feet, an arm wound behind her.
“There’s a ridge that Thud and I found that’s hidden, in a few of the ruins. It’s safe enough, and we won’t be bothered for a while if we rest there. I want to know why you came out here for me.” Aloy could feel Talanah grinning at her, though the other woman’s pride was wounded; hunting was a simple thing and yet she’d been injured in doing so, far more grievous than any other battle they’d done before--including Redmaw.
It took nearly a half hour of slowly trudging the foreboding jungles before they made it to the ruins--tall remnants of buildings, strung with vines after a thousand years of neglect. Aloy had managed to find a few of the strange vessels intact, carefully cleaning them to drink water from; she’d seen Elisabet do it all the time in the recordings. Once she had Talanah sitting against one of the sturdy walls, Aloy started a fire, the two machines resting just inside the building with them, near the door.
Talanah found herself staring at the two machines while Aloy pulled some dried meat from her supplies, ripping them into small shreds to share between the two women. “Erend sent me out here. Said I was the only one that could find you, and that he hadn’t heard from you in a while. I think he misses you, the big lug.” A grin spread across her face, and she rested her head against the wall. “Avad was ready to let him come looking for you, but you know how Erend is. Stubborn, and refuses to submit his post to anyone else.”
“That sounds like Erend, all right.” Aloy’s lips perked into a smile, and she handed Talanah some of the dried meat shreds, tearing into her own with gusto. “But it’s not safe here until I figure out what’s causing all of this. And there’s a lot more out here than we ever imagined...new machines, new tribes, new dangers…”
“Sounds like the perfect place to set up a few new lodge outposts.” A teasing tone filled Talanah’s voice, and she ripped into her own meat, chewing carefully. “The hunt is starting to get boring, although if that’s the case, I better do some hunting of my own. No need for some hot shot hunter to get lucky and overthrow me as Sunhawk.” That was the last thing they needed, really; Ahsis had done a number on the lodge before Talanah had taken his place and cleaned up their act. Now, it was a reputable lodge for all--and none too soon, if Aloy thought about it.
Thud stretched across the ground, something unusual for the machine, and its light flickered at the Clawstrider, before it turned towards Talanah. “You know, I’ll never get used to that. Tame machines, that is.” Talanah raised a brow, shifting in her spot. “It feels like sometimes they have a personality that’s all their own, at least when you tame them.”
Aloy could only shrug; there were things that Thud did that certainly weren’t machine like, and that was okay. It made for an interesting trip, and she’d become so close to the machine that it felt alive to her--like a living, breathing creature, rather than cold steel. “They seem to respond better with a name, if that helps at all. Thud’s kind of plain, and ornery, but it does the trick when I need him...it.” Machines didn’t have a gender, although Thud did look like one of the male sheep she’d seen in the holograms.
Talanah was silent, curious as the Clawstrider seemed to look over her. “A name, huh. Well, I guess I’ll have to think of something, then. I’d hate to be gored by my own mount.” The two women went silent afterwards, thinking on the next day and what it would bring for them both. Now there were extra hands in the loop of fate, twisting and turning as surely as the machines in a Cradle facility would, and Aloy knew she’d have to return home to Meridian.
“In the morning...I’ll head to Meridian. Maybe it’ll give Erend some peace of mind.” She lay back on the ground, pack bundled beneath her head as she looked up through the cracked concrete of the ceiling. “And we need to get you some help; that wound’s pretty serious.”
Talanah scoffed. “And miss out on the greatest hunt? Not on your life!” The lodge would do well where they were, and she could scope out a perfect spot for it all, figuring out just what needed to be done before she brought more people with her. “I can take care of myself, and I won’t act foolishly. But I want to stay, to see more. At least for a few days.”
“Then take this.” Aloy tossed a Focus towards Talanah, a sign that this place had been inhabited by the Old Ones long ago. “I found this earlier today, while I was exploring. Use it to find medicinal plants and food--and to watch out for machines.”
With a nod, Talanah took the tiny piece of metal, pocketing it for later. “Show me how to use it in the morning. Then off you go. I’ve got a Clawstrider now, and that’s extra protection.” Aloy could almost feel the gears turning in Talanah’s head, and she chuckled to herself as they slowly wound down to sleep, spurned on by the soft sounds of the ocean in the distance.
When morning broke, it was all too real, led on by the brightest red sunrise Aloy had seen. Something in her mind reminded her of a saying she’d found buried in the runs--something about taking warning if there was a red morning. It would soon pass, and she wasn’t worried about it--but she was worried for Talanah. Already the wound from the previous night was sticky, iron-tinged and soaked through the temporary bandages.
What surprised her, though, was when she came back from hunting breakfast, finding the Clawstrider curled up next to Talanah protectively. “I gave it a name, like you said. Called it Ripper, since it ripped me open.” A weak joke, darkly laced with Talanah’s particular brand of humor, and Aloy stared at the two. Maybe it could work, if the machine felt that close to Talanah already.
“Glad to see you’re making friends then. It shouldn’t turn even after I’ve left, since the upgrades I did to my spear made the process more permanent. Ripper’s a...good name, I guess?” And if nothing else, Talanah would have someone to talk to, even if it was her own machine. Aloy wondered how that relationship would turn out--would they become like her and Thud? Or would it be something else entirely?
Talanah used Ripper’s claws to pull herself upwards, wincing at the pain, and the machine stood next to her, steadying its new master. “You should get going. It’s at least three and a half days back to Meridian from here, maybe longer.” It had taken her almost two week to find Aloy, including her own travels, and the area was so vast that it had taken ages to track the other woman by her own natural senses. It was pure, dumb luck that she’d managed to find Aloy in the first place.
“I should. But first, let’s get you fixed up. I can’t go back knowing that you’re like this, and I need to tell you what I know about this place.” This began a conversation that lasted nearly three hours between them, discussing the various tribes and machines, as well as who and what to avoid, what could be eaten, what couldn’t be eaten, and the progress Aloy had made in figuring out the situation with the red vines growing everywhere. By the time they were finished, and Aloy had mounted Thud, Talanah looked as though she’d been through several hunts.
“Be careful out there, little sparrow. You know how to find me.”
“Keep in touch, Sunhawk. I want to know how your travels go.” Aloy nudged Thud’s sides with her knees before the conversation could get any more sentimental, and the two trudged into the thick jungle once more, leaving Talanah and Ripper behind.
They were ready to go home. And Aloy was glad that Thud was there to keep her company, even as silent as machines were; there was something between them that she couldn't explain beyond friendship, and no one would ever understand how or why.