Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation #4 — Anne Toole

This story is set during the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy’s search for answers led her to Meridian, where she helped Erend bring Dervahl to justice. Soon after, she learned that the Eclipse cult has a base in the northern ruins of Maker’s End. But just as she set out to find it, Erend requested her aid yet again. An Oseram trader had been murdered near Pitchcliff. And Korl, an old associate of Dervahl’s, was spotted near the scene. Together, our heroes set out to bring this dangerous fugitive to justice. While pursuing Korl across the mountains, Erend began to tell Aloy the epic story of his sister Ersa. When the two siblings fought against the Carja during the Red Raids, she was taken captive. After surviving trial by combat in the infamous Sun-Ring, she formed a clandestine alliance with Avad, youngest and kindest of the Sun-King’s heirs. He helped her escape bondage and gave her intel that could help her tribe win the war. Later, Avad himself met up with her band of rebel freebooters in the wilds. At that time, Dervahl was in charge of the group, but Ersa, Erend, and Avad quickly realized his hatred of the Carja would poison their alliance. Ersa dealt with the problem by imprisoning him, earning the enmity that would later cause him to kill her. Meanwhile, Avad gathered additional support, and soon the freebooters were ready to launch an attack on the Meridian to finally overthrow the Mad Sun-King. Erend’s tale paused as he and Aloy tracked Korl to a remote mountain trading post. After a long hunt, they were finally closing in on their target…