Looks like some kind of large weapon was pointed at the area with the weird impact pattern. And... It's not clear there was actually a fight; it looks like an ambush to her. There's also signs of a body dragged from elsewhere, and one dragged away from the area with the dropped weapons. 

The plot thickens... Though damned if she knows what it tastes like at this point.

"...It feels like there's three different things going on with this. One, someone trying to stir up trouble between Meridian and the Shadow Carja. Hence the staged battle down on the road. Two, someone testing a new weapon- see those odd blast patterns? Not sure if the machines also have anything to do with that, but they might. Third... I think your sister was targeted personally. Lured the squad to an ambush here, blasted them, then moved most of the bodies but swapped your sister's for another dressed up in her armor. Which might mean that she survived this ambush?"

" - Wait, what? Slow down and explain that last part."

"You said your sister's face was unrecognizable, right? It was just the armor that identified her. We know the bodies were unloaded down at the road, and there's more drag marks here, but see in this area, there was another body brought to instead of from. And... here, scrap leather. Like armor straps were cut."

She goes quiet, clearly thinking. " - I need to look at her body."

"Back to Meridian then?"

"Yeah."

"All right, let's go."

She moves even faster back to Meridian than she had on the way out, taking Aloy immediately to see the body - Eres steps up to it, checking over the skin, and - "Fuck. This isn't her - her scars aren't here. Fuck."

"Did she have any enemies?"

" - Several. But Oseram, twisty, and inclined to use weird inventions..." She shakes her head. "I need to take this to Sun-King Avad and her advisor - they need to know it was a setup, and the most likely suspect's supposed to be dead. Can you come to testify?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Then follow me." She turns to head out. 

Let's go meet a sun-king.

"Any, uh, etiquette I should be aware of?"

"Avad doesn't stand on formalities, and we'll be meeting away from all the prissy nobles."

"Cool, cool." Aloy tries to discreetly wipe off some of the stains on her face.

Eres isn't bothering, and she was messier than Aloy to start with. 

Though it's still Aloy that the nobles they pass - lined up to wait for an audience apparently - stare at. 

That's fine. This is fine. She's not nervous.

"Tell Marad we need her," she tells the door guards. "We'll be with High King Avad."

"Who's Marad?" Aloy asks.

"...Advisor. An actually competent one, too."

"High praise."

Heh. "Come on, let's keep moving."

Aloy will follow her lead.

Sun-King Avad is, despite the name, apparently a woman - a bare-chested one, wearing a rather impressive sun-disk headdress and heavy kohl around her eyes as part of her ceremonial robes. Her throne is under the open sun, overlooking Meridian, and she listens to Eres's report with a firm expression. 

To Aloy: "Are you sure about your information? How did you find it out?"