Aloy wakes up in Meridian alongside the Sun-King Avad, not knowing how her got there. Together, they will experience adventures and emotions that will form strong bonds between these characters.
🧭 This story takes place after Horizon Forbidden West...
Avad descended the stairs, searching the crowd with his gaze for Aloy. He found her waiting for him, leaning against the metal door of the elevator, her gaze lost somewhere in the sky. She was wearing the typical Carja attire of Meridian that suited her so well. A smile automatically formed on his face upon seeing her. She also had a backpack hanging on her back. The king couldn't help but wonder what she might be carrying.
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"Hey, are you ready?" she greeted cheerfully, waving her hand and smiling back.
"I hope so..." he replied, blushing slightly as he thought about his conversation with Marad. "What are we going to do?" he asked, intrigued.
"It's a surprise." she responded with a smile. "I hope you'll like it. Let's go!"
They left Meridian through the area where they had gone to gather wood days before. Both were silent. Aloy looked determinedly ahead, as if searching for something in the forest, and he couldn't take his eyes off her or get his thoughts out of his head. When would be a good time to try to tell her how he felt? Suddenly, she came to a sudden stop, startling him. She grabbed Avad's wrist and pulled him towards a bush.
"Hide and listen carefully to what I'm about to say. Do you see those Grazers?" she said, pointing to a herd of machines grazing.
"Yes..." he replied, confused.
"I thought you might like to sabotage one. I can show you how. The day we came for firewood, you seemed quite impressed when I did it, so I thought of bringing you here to show you that it's not complicated."
"Ohhh..." he said. "Honestly, I would like to, but I'm a bit... well, quite afraid..."
"I'll be by your side the whole time." she said, handing him her Champion's Lance, the one he had given her himself. "We'll sabotage the machine together, and I won't let anything hurt you. If you're stealthy, everything will go smoothly." Hesitating, he took the weapon, lightweight yet sturdy."
"Alright, tell me how to do it." he finally responded.
"Great!" she exclaimed "You need to hold the lance with your right hand and bring it close to the Charger. The machine will stay still, and you won't be in any danger. When I tell you to stop, it means the machine is sabotaged, and... that's it!"
"Alright, I think I got it, but you'll come with me, right?"
"Of course, absolutely, let's go! You're going to love it." she said enthusiastically. Crouched down, they approached the herd stealthily. One of the machines had strayed a bit from the rest. That would be the one they would sabotage. Carefully, they closed the distance until they were only a few steps away "I'm going to hold your hands so you can see how it's done, okay?" he nodded, swallowing nervously, feeling his heart racing. Aloy's idea intrigued him as much as it made him uneasy, especially the latter. She circled around him from behind, making him blush, and placing her hands on top of his, she started counting down in a whisper in his ear "Three... two... one..." and with a strong push, she moved towards the animal, pressing their bodies together, urging the monarch forward. The tip of the lance lit up in an orange hue. Holding his hands, and slowly, the orange hues turned into blues. When it was done, Aloy pulled the lance away from the Charger and brought it back towards him.
