The Sweet Escape |Part 2| The Nora

Chapter 1 - Desert Flame

"Good morning, Commander."

"Hi, Kotallo. Long time no speak."

Aloy watched Erend intently as Kotallo's stern voice rumbled in her Focus. She had landed their Sunwing just outside the fields of the long-defunct solar panels encircling Scalding Spear, and the Oseram was standing in front of her, arms crossed on his chest, eyes creased in protection from the dust carried out by the strong desert wind.

It had been a short and seemingly peaceful flight from Hidden Ember to the Desert Clan capital, except for when Aloy took the opportunity to cheekily offer a few scares to Erend for his first time on a Sunwing. She had suddenly dived a couple of times without warning, just to hear him scream and hold on to her for dear life, and she must admit that she found this very entertaining. And each time she stabilized their flying mount, he seethed at her, but his temper smoothed immediately when he heard her laugh out loud. The way her body jerked as she cracked up wiped all resentment he could have had against her for making fun of him like that.

He never knew her to be that playful. Guess this new thing between them was working magic on her mood...? Sparks to steel, he just loved so much to make her laugh. She deserved a bit of distraction, and helping with that was making him the happiest man in the world.

Erend briefly glanced in the direction of the Tenakth settlement. He hadn't spent too much time in the Shining Wastes region and had never visited this place before, even if it was one of the living communities located the closest to Hidden Ember and the Base.

To be honest, he was very fine with that. The less he had to deal with the Tenakth, the better. In the back of his head, this tribe was still the most ruthless and aggressive in the known world. Until he met Kotallo, he firmly believed that they were barbarians drinking human blood...

He had been to Memorial Grove once... As the new person in charge of a major Oseram settlement in the fringe of Tenakth lands, Kotallo had invited him to introduce himself in person to Chief Hekarro. The visit was very insightful, and he had been able to learn enough about the Tenakth customs to avoid making a complete fool of himself when he would have to deal with the tribes' representatives in the future.

Hekarro had seemed like a decent fellow to Erend. He was a mountain of a man and could easily scare off any Oseram, even though they were themselves known for being naturally massive, but his imposing constitution wasn't what had impressed Erend the most. More importantly, he had the poise and sense of honour of an extraordinary leader.

Erend knew the story of Regalla. How he showed mercy to this woman who had betrayed him— twice. How he was seeking to bring peace with the Sundom. And also, how he unified all Tenakth tribes under one banner was in itself an immense achievement. Definitely, Erend could only express admiration and respect towards the Chief.

His trip ended on friendly farewells and promises of fruitful business. Hidden Ember would get food and timber, and Memorial Grove a good stack of shards.

But the approach to the Grove had been adorned with sheer curiosity and excitement, which surely had been fuelled by the keg of ale Kotallo and Erend had shared along the way. This time, as they flew closer, the Desert Clan capital and its striking architecture gradually emerged from the dust fog that had settled on that arid region, and Erend was getting nervous.

Scalding Spear really looked like a huge demonic flower from the skies above. Its central tower was like a threatening monstrous pistil that would have grown out of a giant thistle, encircled by dozens of rows of dried-out petals half-buried in the dust.

Now that they had landed, it did not get any better. The tall protective walls around the settlement were serrated and decorated with ominous designs, spiny peaks erected all around for defense.