The Other Huntress (Kotallo/OC)

Chapter Seventeen: The Might of the Bulwark

Here it is! Thank you guys so much for your patience! Also, just so you guys know, my next few updates might be a little more irregular than usual since I'll be adjusting to my college schedule and figuring out how everything's gonna work with all that. I'll try to keep my updates as regular as possible, and after a couples weeks they should be back to normal as I settle in. Thanks!

.          .          .

"More rebels, in the clearing ahead," Kotallo whispered, darting alongside Orea and Aloy into the cover of the tall grasses, while Roger hid behind a fallen tree trunk. The Marshall's observation back at Stone Crest had rung true; the valley leading to the Bulwark was teeming with rebels and their overridden mounts, the quartet having run into their fair share of patrols. Yet, there were more still.

"How many are there?" Aloy murmured, Orea activating her Focus to silently scan the clearing before them.

"I count eight total: five rebels, plus three overriden Chargers," she answered. "Divide and conquer?"

"Yeah, that'll work. I'll cause a distraction, while you guys take down the rest from behind."

"Very well," Kotallo nodded.

"We'll signal you when we're in position." Beckoning Roger to her side, Orea snuck around the modest rebel camp, Kotallo behind her.

"You take left, I take right?" the huntress offered as they crouched into position, unsheathing her spear. She received a nod from the Marshall in return. "Alright. Roger: can you stun them?" The Burrower softly squeaked an affirmative. "Aloy, we're ready for you," she signaled over her twin's Focus.

No sooner had the words left Orea's mouth and Aloy was leaping out of cover, launching her own spear straight through one of the rebels, in plain view of his comrades.

"Get her!" the rebels cried, charging forward like an angry herd of Tramplers, blind to all but Aloy and their burning desire for retribution. They were prey for the picking.

"Now!" Orea exclaimed, both Kotallo and she shielding their eyes as Roger unleashed a blinding beam of light, leaving the rebels and their machines dazed and unable to react. The four made quick work of their now-sightless foes, slashing and slicing until both blaze and blood soaked the snow crimson and gold.

"Onwards to the Bulwark," Kotallo breathed. The huntresses quickly looted the rebels' supplies, Orea's brows rising as she found a Corruptor component. So, Sylens didn't just teach Regalla's forces how to override machines; he told them which parts to look for. Great. Orea couldn't help-nor did she make any attempt to hold back-the grimace that overtook her face at the thought of the former shaman and his betrayal. Whether he had truly meant to kill them or not, he'd still willingly alerted the Zeniths to the sisters' location, a treachery Orea was not likely to forget.

"Those rebels were gathering machine parts, maybe to make more overrides," the huntress breathed. "Yet Tekotteh won't do anything?"

"Why would he, when he has the Bulwark?" Kotallo scoffed, shaking his head ruefully- consequently shaking off the snowflakes that had nested themselves in his hair. "I grew up behind the wall. It's easy to fall into a false sense of security behind its layers of rock and metal."

The group traveled until sunset, setting up camp for the night in a ring of trees. The foliage served as apt camouflage from any wandering machines or rebels-or both. Feasting on some of the squirrels Rogers had caught near Stone Crest, Kotallo remained silent throughout the whole of the meal, his eyes pointed squarely toward the Bulwark. As a matter of fact, the Marshall had grown more and more silent as the journey dragged closer and closer to the Sky Clan capital. Orea had no doubt he was not eager for their inevitable meeting with Tekotteh-the disgusted, jeering looks Kotallo had endured in Stone Crest would likely only multiply in his former home. There would be no joyous homecoming for him-only derision and disdain-and Orea's heart silently ached for the Marshall. He's coming all this way with us, knowing he'll be mocked and scorned, because he believes in his chieftain, in much the same way Aloy and I believe in GAIA.