Thunderjaw Heart - Horizon Zero Dawn Fanfiction

Cupid

Aloy had lost track of time when they reached the valley in which they were supposed to run. They were now on the side of a mountain that had been equipped for the run : beams, bridges, ropes, ladders, machines and rocks had been brought in and arranged in a way to create two parallel paths. Every obstacle was covered in snow or ice, worrying the Seekers a bit.
The paths were crossing a canyon, at the bottom of which they could distinguish a wide and probably awfully cold stream. A single yellowish rope linked the two edges of the ravine.
The trail, after crossing the whole valley, led to the machine's area, where Aloy and Ivah would probably have to take down these Longlegs and Ravagers. 
The next step seemed to be some climbing on the mountain and Aloy could not see any ropes or ladders for this obstacle. She quickly rearranged her gloves and made sure they were not going to fall. 

This was going to be fun...

"Well, well, well. Here we are !", shouted Ivah after taking one last sip of the liquor that he handed to Tumach. "I think you understand what we'll have to do, don't you ?"

Aloy put her fists on her hips and scanned the paths, nodding slowly :

"Run, climb, kill machines, jump, run and climb again ?"

"I knew you looked like a smart girl ! It ends when the first of us reaches this plateforme there and puts a machine's blaze in the cup. Got it ?"

"Hm hm."

"Are you sure about it, Aloy ? These beams look really slippery...", Damarko asked, scratching the back of his head.

"I think I've seen worse."

She sneaked a look at Kïma. She was standing behind everyone, with a cold glare and a serious pose. Aloy decided to reassure her and walked next to her :

"I'm going to be okay, you know ? Rost taught me how to get through such trails."

"I know you're going to be okay, I never doubted it."

"Then why do I have the impression that you're mad ?"

"Mentally preparing to strangle someone requires energy.", admitted the collector.

"She maybe thought it was the best option, you know ? Don't be like that, she is just learning how to live outside the colony."

Kïma shrugged and cut the conversation short :

"She was just incredibly stupid to ask for this trail. Anyway, be careful, Aloy, please. I know Rost taught you this but, please, don't get too crazy. There will probably be another way to find the prick if you fail the run."

Aloy giggled before turning back and choosing which path she wanted to run in. She went to the one on the right and waited for Ivah to take place in his own. 
While Damarko and Kïma went on the sides to have a better view, Bast and Saavi stayed right behind the competitors. Tumach moved a few steps away so the runners could see him when he would announce the start of the run. 

He raised a hand and shouted :

"Alright, everyone's ready ? ... 3....2...1... GO !"

Aloy jumped forwards and ran as fast as she could to the first obstacle, which was a simple rock to climb. She succeeded to pass it in a few seconds only and started to run again to reach the other exercice. 
This one promised to be more complex. Several beams were planted right in the snow and Aloy noticed some handles carved in it. In a move, she grabbed the first and used her legs to climb to the top. 
It allowed her to see Ivah, at the exact same obstacle. She clenched her jaw and bounced to the next beam, her fingers barely missing their grip. She did not take any time to recover and jumped all the remaining wooden pillars. The last one was not as steady as she thought and she cursed when she understood it was actually falling right in the snow. 
Deciding she had no other choice, she waited for the beam to be in the right angle before rolling in the ground after another jump. This actually helped her to gain a meter or two.