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darknessawaits28 · 27 days ago

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The Lost Daughter {Horizon Zero Dawn}

Hello my lovies! I wanted to give you a different type of story about Aloy from the video game Horizon Zero Dawn. Thank you lovies for taking the time to read this story and thank you for all your love and support! Stay awesome :3 The storyline was provided by @tim-ribbert-56, make sure to give them a follow! :3 {{The story is that Aloy is requested from a family to find their young daughter in the wilderness. The reason is that her father is a very boastful man who makes up tales about fighting giant creatures in order to teach their kids to be good people however their daughter ended believing the stories so much that she ended up going out alone so she could prove herself to be brave like her dad soon aloy has to save the little girl before the giant monster ends up killing her}}

After Aloy had left Mother’s Heart, she had never felt such freedom. Not only has becoming a seeker allowed her to venture farther than she could, but it allowed her to explore the outside world that she was never able to see.

“Okay, need to test this override first….those striders look good.”

Quickly and quietly as possible, she slid into some bushes, grabbing her spear that had the override module on and held it in her right hand. “Okay, here goes nothing” she whispered to herself and quickly crouch walked over to one potential candidate. Getting herself ready, she jabbed the override module against it, orange lights spiraling around the module and gradually turning blue, an indication that it was overriding the strider.

“It’s okay buddy, I’m almost done” Aloy cooed to it, until she was able to finally override the strider, the upper metal cords of its body turning completely blue. “Ha, it worked!” she laughed contently, putting her spear behind her back and then jumping on top of it.

“Okay how do I-ah, got it” Aloy smiled as she grabbed the blue metal cords (using it as if it were reins) and proceeded to slap it, the strider neighing loudly and galloping forward. “Woah you’re a fast one huh!” Aloy laughed as she tried to stabilize herself on the strider.

Once she got adjusted, she looked at the view before her, it was a sight that she never wanted to forget. Aloy breathed a sigh of relief and happiness at the sense of the cool winter breeze pushing through her locks of hair. Suddenly, she had reached the Main Embrace Gate, her eyes blinded by a sight of havoc and destruction. “What happened?” Aloy questioned in curiosity as she jumped off her strider to approach Varl who had just taken down a deranged machine.

Varl, quickly taking down the last remaining machines, turned around to see the outcast jump off of a machine. “Were you just riding that machine?” he questioned in shock.

“Yes, but that’s not what’s more important, are you all okay?”

“Yes, we are fine, we managed to take these corrupted machines down.” “But wait, aren’t you the outcast who won the Proving?” “So you survived your wounds.”

“Yes I am, High Matriarch Teersa said you might know the way to Meridian?”

“The capital of the Carja Sundom? You seek exile?”

“No, a traitor named Olin. The Matriarchs made me a Seeker so I could go after him.”

“Huh…then you should head north to Mother’s crown, if you make it talk to Marea, she’ll point the way.”

“If I make it?” Aloy repeated back to Varl, offended by his disbelief that she wouldn’t make it that far.

“The trail is dangerous, ever since the War Party massacre, our lands go unpatrolled, and our borders unguarded.” “We have no War-Chief to lead us.”

“Isn’t that Resh’s job?”

“Phleh, only because Sona went missing. I’d go after her myself, but she ordered me to hold this gate with my life, and so I have.”

“You said the War Party was massacred, how?” Aloy curiously asked.

“When word came of the attack at the Proving, War-Chief Sona assembled a War Party to give chase.” “But in their haste to get vengeance, some braves broke rank and raced ahead…straight into a trap.” “A pack of crazed machines, seething with corruption, fell upon the braves and….savaged them.” “War-Chief Sona led a counter charge and destroyed the machines…but by then, the killers were gone, And our losses were…extreme” Varl spoke lowly, still filled with anger and sadness at the passing of his sister.

“Yeah….I’m sorry about Vala…she was a great warrior….” Aloy spoke softly, hoping that her condolence could bring some form of peace to him.

“Thank you.”

“You also said War-Chief Sona is missing?”

“Even when the War Party was massacred, she wouldn’t give up the chase. She call for volunteers and went after the killers.”

“You didn’t volunteer?”

“OF course I did, but Sona…..denied me that. She ordered me to see the wounded back to the Embrace…..and to guard this gate---to guard the Embrace---with my life. That was days ago, and since then, there’s been no word from her.”

“So there’s no way to know if she’s alive or dead?”

“If anyone could survive out there, it would be her. Sona’s prowess is legend. An unbending spear to measure ourselves against.”

“Sounds like she sets a high standard.”

“Oh you have no idea. She’s my mother” Varl chuckled in anguish.

“You said the trail is dangerous. What sort of dangers?”

“Almost too many to name. The killers are still out there, and somehow they’ve corrupted the machines--spreading madness!”

“Yes, I’ve seen it myself.”

“Bandits, too. Cut-throats who snuck across the border to prey on us. Word is, there’s a camp in the metal ruins upriver.”

“Sounds like I need to craft more arrows.”

“I should be on my way” Aloy nodded to Varl, turning around to head over to her strider.

“Aloy…before you make the journey to Mother’s crown and beyond…is there any chance you could search for Sona?” “The Tribe needs her leadership. I’d go after her myself, if she hadn’t commanded me to hold this gate at all costs.”

“Where was she last seen?”

“The War Party massacre site. A wooded hollow across from Devil’s Thirst, on this side of the river.” “You might be able to pick up her trail there. She went after the killers who attacked the Proving, who killed those we love, who tried to kill you….”.

“I get it, Varl. I’ll see what I can do.”

Fully turning around once again, she sprinted towards her strider and jumped on it, her strider beginning to gallop past the gate and headed towards the area where Sona was last seen. Although, Aloy’s ears pricked up at two people who were by a tree, one wounded and the other pleading for help. Approaching them slowly, she pulled the reins on her strider and got off, “Hey, I heard you asking for help, everything alright?”

“Please, please you have to help my daughter!” “She went deep into the forest to hunt a demon and I’m afraid she won’t make it!” The woman spoke worriedly; most likely being the mother.

“Slow down, slow down, tell me exactly what happened” Aloy spoke softly to her, raising her hands up gently to calm her down.

“Yes, yes I’m sorry….I just…my husband over here kept telling her lies and making up stories of him fighting great beasts and…my poor Delia believed it!” “Now she wants to go prove herself as a great warrior just like my husband over here and she went after one of the machines that has been plaguing this area for a long time.”

“Honey argh….I only told her those stories…..to…argh….teach her how to be a good person” The man groaned softly as he held his wound.

“Don’t start with me, you filled our daughter’s head with your wild stories and now she has run off to prove herself!”

“Please both of you calm down!” Aloy shouted, causing them both to go quiet. “Are you going to be alright?” She asked the man who was on the ground bleeding.

“Yes, I just….I got attacked by one of those machines and…lost sight of my daughter…please can you find her…” The man pleaded with Aloy.

“Where was she last seen?”

“She went through those trees behind you….and probably went to the machine’s resting area” The mother told Aloy, pointing in the direction where she last saw her daughter enter.

“Okay, I’ll find her” Aloy reassured the two as she jumped up on her strider and headed towards the direction where Delia had gone. “Hmm let me use my focus to see if I can find tracks” she spoke to herself, pressing the side of her temple and then the view of tracks on the ground came into her view. “Got it” she said happily as she slapped the reins on her strider and followed the foot prints. Within a few minutes, she arrived at the end of the tracks, but Delia was nowhere to be found. “Odd, the tracks end here?” “But where-” Aloy went quiet at the sound of fighting in the distance. Quickly as possible, she grabbed her spear, quickly heading in that direction and gasped when she saw Delia fighting a corrupted Sawtooth.

“Argh, come on you demon!” Delia yelled, the sawtooth roaring at her and used its front legs to shove her back.

“Delia!” Aloy shouted as she saw her being thrown into some bushes. Quickly and as lowly as possible, she headed towards her.

“That….beast…” Delia groaned as she held her torso, quickly glancing up at a Nora girl with fiery red hair approaching her. “W-Who are you?” “W-What do you want?” she worriedly spoke.

“Delia, my name is Aloy, your mother and father sent me to look for you and bring you home.”

“Of course they did…they never let me…go out…and show my worth.”

“Deliah, I know how that feels, but-”

“No you don’t!” “You’re just a stranger.” “You don’t know what I have to go through everyday.” “My mother doesn’t let me hunt anything, not even foxes or boars.” “And there goes my father, telling me boastful stories of him hunting great beasts and taking trophies of them…”. “I have to take this sawtooth down…if I don’t….they won’t ever let me go out.”

“Delia…I understand completely…..I was born an outcast.” “I trained day and night to get my body into shape for that Proving.” “I fought hard to be where I am today.” “So….I know how it feels….to want to prove to them that you are someone and that you can be a great hunter.”

“So you know I have to do this” she winced as she sat up a bit from the floor.

“Okay, okay, I get it, but at least let me help you” Aloy pleaded with her.

Delia, slowly nodding at her request, grabbed her bow and arrows, and then stood up from the ground. “Okay, we’ll take it down together.”

Aloy nodded happily at her and then quickly charged towards the corrupted sawtooth who was distracted. “Come on!” she yelled, slashing it with her spear.

The sawtooth roared in anger when it felt something attacking it and then began to charge once again.

From behind, Delia began to shoot fire arrows at its canisters in the back, “Aloy I’m trying to shoot those canisters, make it turn for me!” She called to her.

“On it!” Aloy called back, running in a new direction, the sawtooth turning its whole body to face her.

“Got it, keep it there!” Delia called as Aloy continued to distract it. Delia soon put a fire arrow in her bow, drew the string back, and then fired at one of the canisters. “Aloy, duck!”

With quickness Aloy ducked and rolled to the side, the sawtooth unaware its canister was on fire suddenly went ablaze. Another loud roar came from the belly of this beast as it quickly tried to shake the fire off, but to no avail.

“Good job Delia, try to hit the other one!”

“I got it” Delia nodded as she grabbed another fire arrow from her pack.

“Argh!” Aloy growled as she slashed the sawtooth again, causing a good amount of damage and was leaving it open for another attack by Delia.

Delia then breathed softly, pulling the string that contained her last fire arrow, and waited for the right moment. This was it, her moment to show her family that she wasn’t weak or frail, this was the exact moment where she would bring that corrupted sawtooth’s heart to her mother and father and tell them ‘I am not a little girl anymore and I can go out hunting by myself.’ “Phew, boom” she spoke to herself as she let go of the fire arrow and shot the last canister on that sawtooth’s back, it blowing up instantly, a beautiful sight of fire and metal showering Aloy’s and Delia’s eyes.

“Ha, nice job!” Aloy laughed as she quickly ran over to her and then put a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m more than okay, I took down a sawtooth” Delia laughed happily as she pulled her bow onto her back. “Um…do you know how I can harvest its parts?”

“Heh, I can show you how, come on” Aloy gestured for Delia to follow her.

“My love, do you think she’s hurt?!” “What if that…that beast tore her in two and that girl is going to….bring our daughter back in pieces?!!” The mother said worriedly as she paced back in froth in their cozy wooden cabin.

“Argh, I think she’s fine Solai, I know our daughter well….she’s a fighter that one.”

“How could you be so sure Avik?!” Solai shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that were already filling her eyes.

“Mother, father, I’m home!” Delia laughed as she opened the door to their cabin, allowing for Aloy to step inside.

Solai quickly rushed towards Delia, grabbing her face and checking to see if she had any scars, bruises, or cuts. “Oh my Delia, are you okay?” “Oh thank you, thank you for bringing our daughter home” Solai sniffled as she looked over at Aloy thankfully.

“No need to thank me, she’s a tough fighter” Aloy chuckled.

“Tough fighter?” Solai questioned curiously, pulling away from her daughter to see her blackened hands that contained the very same corrupted sawtooth heart that had been plaguing this area for a long time.

“You see mother, I can fight, you don’t need to keep me here locked up while our father goes out to hunt, I can go” Delia said proudly as she set the heart on the table beside her.

“That’s my girl!” Avik shouted from the other room, having heard the entire conversation, he was overjoyed and proud that his daughter was able to take down such an enormous beast.

Delia laughed as she pushed past her overly protective mother to tell her father the story of how she took down the sawtooth with Aloy.

“Uh, you should let her hunt, she’s a great warrior” Aloy tried to reason with Delia’s mother, hoping that she would open her eyes and be less overbearing.

“B-But what if…what if she gets hurt and…I can’t save her?”

“Well then you should go with her, hunt with her, or let her father hunt with her.” “She may be young, but with a little help, I assure you, she will be the best hunter you have ever seen.”

Solai, glancing back at her daughter laughing and retelling the story with her father, brought a happy smile to her face. Maybe this Nora was right, maybe it was time for her daughter to finally go out hunting. Even if her father over exaggerated most of the stories he told, they could still attempt to take down less dangerous machines, and maybe work up to the more dangerous ones. “Maybe you’re right, thank you, here take this as thanks for bringing my daughter home and….bringing us closer together.”

Aloy smiled as she accepted the gift, “Stay safe” she nodded and then exited the cabin, glad that she could bring a family closer together and help a growing warrior.

“Okay, now to Sona.”

#horizon forbidden west #horizon zero dawn #aloy #sawtooth #fight #bow and arrow #spear #overrides #varl #short story #fantasy #video games

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potted-dandelions · 2 years ago

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Imagine a greatly simplified universe containing just one lonely spiral galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center. The outer edge of the universe is constantly expanding outward while the black hole is constantly devouring the galaxy.

All known physical laws apply here. Importantly, the laws of thermodynamics apply so no matter or energy can be created. The black hole at the center will eventually consume all matter while the universal edge will eventually grow to surround the black hole with an infinite expanse of empty space. Then, heat death.

The black hole will eventually evaporate all of its mass away as Hawking radiation and, having successfully cooled all matter down into pure energy, it will blink out of being and the inner terminus of the universe will pop like a soap bubble, its once-massive energy fully spent.

But long before the heat death of the universe, the galaxy will swirl around for billions of years with its inner bulk imploding as though being consumed from within while its outer fringes are simultaneously compressed from without, the very space itself expanding around it. We actually observe something like this effect in other galaxies throughout our own universe. Most galaxies appear to rotate much faster than their apparent mass would allow, so they would seem to have some hidden mass we call dark matter because its existence can only be inferred.

At the same time, some inferred force is also causing the space in between galaxies to expand without actually stretching it, as though new threads are being woven into the fabric of spacetime itself, causing the distance between distant galaxies to naturally increase over time. Cosmologists estimate that this dark energy accounts for the bulk of all mass/energy in the universe, exceeding even dark matter which itself greatly exceeds all observable matter and energy.

But perhaps dark matter is merely a fictious force, an emergent property of dark energy. For although dark energy appears to act only upon empty space whilst dark matter affects gravitationally-bound matter, maybe the only reason dark matter is dark is because it's not matter at all, it's simply the observable effect of dark energy compressing galaxies from outside.

Ultimately, dark energy will expand the empty space between distant galaxies so rapidly that not even light will have enough time to span the gap, meaning distant galaxies will disappear from each other's perspectives and casual observers will see that their galaxy exists alone. So my original proposal isn't so far fetched. It is, in fact, the fate of our own galaxy—and all the other gravitationally-bound galaxies within the Local Group subsequent to their eventual merger with ours. Our distant ancestors may yet occupy a lonely galaxy in a dark void.

As the matter in our Local Group is gradually consumed by the supermassive black hole named Sagittarius A* (read eh-star), objects approaching the event horizon will undergo 'spaghettification' stretching. Even solid objects will be drawn down into threads of matter just one atom thick. Each thread will constitute a one-bit matter stream, yet each bit will preserve the information it carried with it from the farthest reaches of the galaxy. In a sense, the surface of the event horizon measures the state of incoming matter and records that data holographically.

Information, as it happens, is equivalent to energy, comparable to the way matter and energy are mutually exchangeable, so it is therefore bound by the laws of thermodynamics. Information can only be sorted and garbled, never created nor destroyed, not even by a black hole.

Eventually, the holographic information about all the matter that has fallen into a black hole will evaporate away from the event horizon, bit by random bit, as Hawking radiation. Each bit will carry a small amount of the black hole's mass away with it, causing it to shrink. The cosmic microwave background radiation, although too dim and too red-shifted to be seen by human eyes, is still bright and warm enough for now to counteract the paltry Hawking radiation emitted by even very small black holes, so no black hole will be evaporating away anytime soon.

But picture the universe from a singularity's point of view. The holographic image recorded upon the surface of the event horizon is a stained-glass window as seen from the other side, and the scenes it depicts are perfect memories of everything that ever happened in the galaxy. Those images are greatly distorted by the gravitational forces and spaghettification to which all matter succumbed as it plunged into the universal abyss, but with corrective lenses, even gravitational astigmatism may be undone and the holograph's finest details can be revealed.

If a mind could dance upon the surface of the event horizon, watching matter streams go by like a channel-surfer looking for something to watch on T.V., such a mind might be able to perceive the former goings and doings of individual creatures long dead on distant worlds. From the singularity's perspective, this black hole dweller aims the corrective scope at the precise azimuth and elevation to view life from anybody's perspective while turning the focus wheel to scrub through their timeline. The focus wheel would in fact be a time-focus wheel.

Only a godlike mind could conceivably correct such severe distortion, but for all we know, that mind sees the inside of the event horizon projected upon the outside of a globe like an interactive, rewindable recording of real-time satellite feeds in a Google Earth VR interface.

And for all we know, our own minds are peering through such scopes, only the azimuth and elevation is fixed and the focus wheel is motorized so that we experience everything through but one human's perspective along a fixed and finite timeline. What a depressing fate indeed.

The part of me that believes in the free agency of the the soul rejects the implications, but my mind is open to the idea that we're watching events unfold in reverse, that the focus wheel is rolling backwards, and that the black hole is really a white hole spewing information. In that case, we are perceiving the outcomes of our decisions before we make them, guiding us to make the choices that we must in order for our perceived selves to survive from the moment of our death to the moment of our inevitable birth when we will finally avert our gaze.

Thus are we able to predict the past while remembering the future, but with the focus wheel turning backwards, our perception of causality is reversed, making us think we are predicting the future while remembering the past. This part of the plan will be rather controversial.

The heat death of the universe is going to take a very, very long time to reach its conclusion, yet we only have until then to observe everything that has ever mattered throughout all of spacetime. When the soap bubble pops, we're out on our own with the information we collected.

#cosmos #galaxy #universe #black hole #Hawking radiation #heat death of the universe #comic microwave background #dark matter #dark energy #spacetime #spaghettification #event horizon #singularity #black hole information paradox #holographic principle #white hole #time's arrow #causality

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