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apostrophetotheworld · 8 months

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Path to Elysium

Something big was happening, that was all she could be sure of. Pulled from her official duties and tasked with recovering targets from all corners of the world her team is pushed into something they'd be better off not knowing about. Forced to babysit (protect) those working to save the world from total extinction Eloise is thrust into an entirely new world. Dealing with mad scientists and deranged robots is one thing, but a completely different way of life?

Pairing(s) : Eventual Nill/OC (minor), Avad/OC (minor), eventual Kotallo/ OC

Warnings: Travis Tate being Travis Tate, some swearing, cannon-typical violence, more warnings to come? (first fic, does that count as a warning (: ?

Length: 3.1K

Read on AO3

[NEXT]

CH I:

Eloise stood at the window looking at the old building across the street. If their intel was right, their target would be in room 705. Some higher up wanted this to be done by people instead of bots and had them going to multiple countries fetching targets. They hadn’t been this busy in years.

Sergeant Mendoza sat next to her fiddling with his scope trying to get a visual on their target while Sergeant Collins and Corporal Lam chatted towards the back of the room.

Turning away from the window she studied the building layout projected above the table. Two stairwells on either side of the building and an elevator in the middle. They were doing this job old school, no bots, no Focus, just memorized floorplans and old communication radios. Their target was crafty with tendency of weaseling away before his pursuers got to him. She was counting on him detecting them for her plan to work, she just hoped they were in position by the time that happened.

“Collins, Lam, stop messing around and get ready to move out! Mendoza, let me know when you get a visual on the target and if any surprises pop up.”

Mendoza would be staying back, monitoring their progress through the patched in security feed and arranging their transport out of the area.

“Yes Lieutenant Arten!”

Heading down and out of their current building and into an alleyway they stopped and prepared to enter the building their target was in. Security cameras were to be avoided up until the last minute.

“Collins, I want you to cover the left stairwell, make sure he can’t weasel his way out,. Lam, you’re with me.”

“Lt. I’ve got a potential visual on the target,” Mendoza said through the comms.

“Copy, keep us updated.”

Carefully crossing the street to the entryway Lam overrode the entry door code and they made their way into the lobby. It was quiet, and it seemed like most of the building residents were asleep; the less civilian witnesses they had, the better. Collins branched out and headed towards the left stairwell and started heading up while Lam scanned the room for the control panel and sent the lift up to the upper floors.

Lam followed behind Eloise as they started heading up, careful to not run into any of the other inhabitants of the building. Eloise led the way up, pausing at every corner to scan the stairwell and avoiding the security cameras. Lam split from her one they reached the fith floor, beelining to the elevator control panel there. She between the sixth and seventh floor when the comms started to crackle.

“Lt., targets moving! They- *bzzzzt*- Collins’ poss-*bzzzzzzt*”

“Collins, report!” Barking into her comms Eloise sprinted up the remaining steps but received no answer, just a buzzing through the comms. It looked like their target had anticipated the use of older tech. A minor hitch in the plan.

As they burst through the stairwell doors, a man was heading straight towards her with Collins hot on his tail.

“Fuck!”

He redirected his escape as he saw her and turned towards the elevators while frantically messing with a device in his hand. The elevator doors slid open and promptly shut as Collins reached them.

He was trapped in the elevator for now.

Eloise and Collins jammed their knives into the elevator door seam to pry them open. With no way to contact Mendoza or Lam she could only trust her teammates to stick to the plan.

They managed to pry open the doors, only to be met with moving cables and a descending lift. It was meant to be stuck on this floor, at least until the target was apprehended. Lam wasn’t fast enough. Eloise mentally prepared herself for a jump down, she’d have to avoid the moving cables.

“Get a hold of Lam and Mendoza. I want the transfer pod ready as soon as those elevator doors open at the bottom.” Collins nodded and ran towards the stairs.

Eloise exhaled and jumped down into the elevator shaft, falling a few seconds before making contact with the top of the elevator, stumbling slightly as it shook from the impact and stopped moving. She could hear muffled expletives coming from the car as she bent down pulling open the latch on the emergency exit door. Swinging down she caught the man with a kick to the chest.

“What the-!” Eloise was on him before he could recover.

Flipping him over to press his chest against the wall, she cuffed him.

“Easy there sugar, if you wanted me against the wall you could have just said so, but I ain’t complainin’ if you want to get a little rough.” Wheezed the man.

Eloise huffed and knocked the back of his knees, making him kneel.

“Oof!”

“Travis Tate, you’re not an easy man to catch.”

“How much they paying you to bring me in?” He struggled in his bonds.

The buzzing was gone from her comms, pressing down on the button she turned her head to the side.

“Collins, Lam, how copy?”

“Loud and clear Lt” “I hear you” came through.

“Get this elevator moving and meet me in the lobby. Mendoza! Have the transport pod ready to go!”

“Yes Lt!”

She eyed their target and adjusted to make sure he couldn’t wiggle out of her grip. He turned his head to the side eyeing her and settled his eyes on the patch on the side of her arm.

“Well, I’ll be dammed. Didn’t think they’d send the military after me, are y'all running so low on funds you’ve resorted to bounty huntin’?”

Turning her head to face the elevator doors she hoped her team would be quick about getting the thing moving again. Eloise had the feeling that this target was going to be particularly annoying to deal with.

“You know, if you let me go, I can make it worth your time. Maybe transfer you some funds, make it so you don’t have to wear that stuffy uniform, get away from your overlords?”

She glanced down unamused.

“No catch? Nothing to tempt you into letting me go?”

“Huh, just another dutiful little drone ain’t ya? Thought they’d replaced all of you for actual drones by now, had y'all doing deskwork.”

His gaze shifted from the patch on her arm, to her face, and then a little lower.

“You know, those Sterling-Malkeet assholes are probably gonna lock me up forever for what I did to them, least you could do is give a guy something good to remember.”

Her jaw ticked and she turned her head to look at the screen on the side of the elevator. A bright blue four stayed unchanging on it. It would take Cpl. Lam a few minutes to get it moving again.

“I mean you’re a little too serious for my liking, but at this point I’m willing to take what I can get. That chest of yours looks mighty soft-”

“Mr. Tate, I suggest you stop-”

“You know, my momma, bless her, used to say-”

That’s it, she wasn’t going to suffer dealing with this man for longer than she had to. She whacked the back his neck, and he slumped back unconscious. It’d be more of a pain to move him as dead weight, but at least she wouldn’t have to hear him talk.

The elevator lurched back to life and began moving down. She heaved the unconscious man up and slung him over her shoulders, getting ready for the elevator doors to open. When they did, Lam and Collins were flanking the elevator and Mendoza was out front with the transport pod ready to go.

“Collins, help me with the target. Lam, make sure to wipe the camera feeds and get someone to collect his things from his apartment. Let’s go.”

The ride to the drop off point would take a few hours. Collins and Mendoza secured the target while Lam fiddled with a screen in the pod. Once the target was secured in a holding pod, the sergeants settled in their seats.

As their transport made its way across the city, Eloise leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes. This recovery mission had not gone as smoothly as she would have liked.

“You lucked out Jonny, Tate had us running up and down stairs, you just got to sit all comfy and watch all the action unfold.”

“Not my fault you’re so out of shape Tom, have you considered adding more cardio to your routine?”

“And Katlyn, weren’t you meant to disable the lift? What was that? Why’d it move?”

“Well, I didn’t think he would have time to override my code!”

“Maybe you should get better so that the Lt doesn’t have go jump down elevator shafts again!”

“Collins, stop your yammering. It’s my job to make sure the plan goes well. I should have anticipated him doing that.”

“Sorry Lt., just tired.”

She hummed at that, and the cab fell into silence, at least until Collins decided to speak again.

“Lt., do you know why they’ve got us kidnapping all these field experts and a criminal?”

Eloise kept her eyes shut for a breath before cracking one eye open. She’d been wondering about that herself. Why the sudden call to go fetch these people? Why the need for special forces to do it? Why not send the bots to do it, like they had been since the introduction of the Faro bots to the military. Her team and others like it had been pushed aside, moved to different areas, and only called upon when a higher up required something to be done off the records, or required a little bit of a more humane touch.

“That’s not something for us to know Sergeant, just follow the orders we’re given. Maybe the Captain will fill us in once we get back.” She finally replied and shut her eyes again.

“Do you think it’s got something to do with that Hartz-Timor swarm they say is out of control?” Lam asked. “I heard people talking about a superweapons program back on base.”

“I mean that would explain this guy,” Mendoza huffed, pointing towards the holding pod at the back of the transport pod, “but why the others?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Faro has that under control, the news is probably blowing it out of proportion like they always do.” Collins jumped in, ever the defender and fanboy of Faro.

“Maybe something big is about to happen.”

“Do you think they know something we don’t?”

“We brought back a bunch of internationals; they didn’t seem to know what was going on either.”

“What do you think Lt.?”

She opened her eyes to find all three of her subordinates looking at her. They’d all been anxious throughout this whole mission. It was one thing to be called to retrieve a single target, but multiple different ones who seemingly had nothing in common apart from being experts in their field? Something was going on. She was used to being given orders and complying with minimum questions, but this time something felt off. Nevertheless, it wasn’t their job to question the orders from their commanding officers, and all this speculation would do no good.

“I think, y'all should stop speculating and get to writing your reports. We’ve got a few hours left before we get to the drop off.”

“Yes Lt.” was chorused back at her.

Collins and Mendoza grumbled something before pulling out their paperwork and starting to fill it. Lam checked the coordinates set for the transport pod and began typing something into her tablet device. Turning towards the back of the pod, she saw Travis Tate begin to stir. He’d probably be unhappy that she’d knocked him out, but that wasn’t her problem.

Eloise turned and opened the case that held her Focus. Pressing it against her temple she opened the communication channel to her Captain.

It rang twice before her commanding officer came in through it.

“Lt. Arten, I trust the retrieval went well?”

“Yes Captain Lewis, target is in custody. Our ETA is two hours.”

“Copy, after drop off I want your team to hold off going back to base.”

“Yes Captain.”

The communication channel closed, and she turned to see Travis Tate glaring at her from the holding pod. His wrists had been freed of the bonds and he promptly flipped her off as soon as he saw her looking his way. Yup, he wasn’t happy. She turned away and began working on her own mission reports. There was plenty of time to kill and a never-ending stack of paperwork.

The team worked quietly on their own things as they moved towards their destination. Ten minutes before their scheduled arrival the Lieutenant broke the silence.

“Be ready for arrival, I expect our cargo won’t be very cooperative and will try and make a run for it. Be prepared.”

Mendoza and Collins stood and made their way to the back to the pod, flanking the holding pod. Lam took manual control of the transport pod and began steering them to the entrance of the decommissioned Orbital Launch Base. Looking through the glass at the front of the pod Eloise saw Captain Lewis standing out front, talking to a red-headed woman dressed as a civilian who looked vaguely familiar. They stopped talking as their transport pod approached and the woman retreaded back into the building.

The transport pod stopped; Eloise stepped out. Lam disengaged the door for the holding pod and scuffling and protests were heard as Collins and Mendoza each grabbed one of Tate’s arms and hauled him out of the vehicle.

Turning away Eloise saluted her Captain.

“Travis Tate, the last on the list of targets sir.”

“Good job Lieutenant. Follow me.”

“Well wooo-eey, this ain’t Sterling-Malkeet, where’d y'all take me?” A sharp whistle cut through the air.

Travis Tate looked around them and tried to pull away from the sergeants currently holding him captive. It didn’t work.

Marching him up the steps at the front of the building they followed closely behind their captain as they headed in. Already familiar with the protocol, they patted him down, placed him in a room and locked it. Eloise stood next to her captain as she watched them work and Lam settled beside her.

She studied her captain through her peripheral; he looked tired, and his eye twitched every so often like it usually did when he was particularly stressed. The woman from before approached, she recognized her now, Elizabeth Sonders, or something… leading roboticist and someone who had worked for FAS.

Clearing his throat from next to her, the captain spoke.

“Good job on the mission, I know you must all be tired. Quarters have been set aside for you to freshen up.” A ding from her Focus indicated she received a new file.

“Please leave your personal belongings in the quarters and meet me in Meeting room 5 for a debrief. Dismissed.”

They all opened the new Focus file they’d received to find a map leading to their quarters and a marked meeting room. Her captain and the woman entered the room with Travis Tate.

Eloise began making her way towards her designated room, the rest of the team followed behind. Collins grumbling about wanting something to eat, Mendoza throwing his arm over his shoulder and saying something she couldn’t catch that caused Lam to elbow him in the ribs.

Her quarter doors closed behind her, it seemed someone had taken the liberty of moving her belongings from base to here. Too tired to think about the implications of her whole life being moved into here without her consent, she turned to the bathroom to freshen up. With 20 minutes left before she had to be in the meeting room, she settled with washing her face and changing into a clean set of clothes. Eloise paused part way through tightening the laces on her boots, she was used to being given orders with little notice, moving suddenly, but to have someone straight up move all her belongings without being informed? Never. Briefly she wondered if the same thing happened to the rest of her team as she resumed tying her laces.

The debrief would give her answers. Moving out of her room and into the hall, she began walking towards the meeting room. The halls were silent, and she figured the rest of her team was still freshening up. Too curious and a little nervous to know what was going on, she picked up her pace and made it to the room. A window at the side showed Captain Lewis setting up a holo projector and drumming his fingers against the table. She knocked twice before waiting a breath and heading in.

“Captain” She greeted as she took a seat at the table facing across from the window of the room. She opened her mouth to say something as she the rest of the team cross the window.

“Eloise, hold your questions for later.”

They entered quickly after knocking and settled themselves around the table.

Sensing she was about to say something Captain Lewis raised a hand to silence her.

“You’ll know everything soon enough, for all the good it’ll do.” He mumbled the last part out.

“Excellent, now that everyone is here, we can start the debrief.” Lewis stood to face them, planting both hands on the table.

“Now I know you’ve been wondering why we’ve had you run around the world picking up targets.” Looking pointedly at everyone he continued,

“It’s been decided that it might be beneficial to have you lot know whats going on.”

He didn’t look so happy about that.

“I’ll leave you to General Aaron Herres, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.” At this the holo projector powered up and the image of and older man appeared.

Standing to salute him Eloise tried to hide her shock. She had speculated who was behind the recent retrieval missions, but this was entirely unexpected.

“Thank you, Captain Lewis, that will be all.” The General turned and nodded to the captain.

“Please sit.” He said addressing the others in the room.

As they sat, Captain Lewis made his way to the door. Eloise watched him hesitate at the door before he left the room.

“Now, I believe you have many questions, but those will have to wait until later.”

She thought she heard the lock click after captain Lewis left the room, she turned to look at him through the window of the room, he avoided eye contact and disappeared down the hall.

The general cleared his throat. Eloise refocused her attention on him.

“For now, I’d like to welcome you to Project: Zero Dawn.”

#horizon fanfic #hzd #hfw #kotallo x oc #slow build #slow burn #my writing

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fantasy-girl974 · 8 months

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I'm beside you, our little bird

Treasure by @grexigone / Co-Creator: me

Grexi did her witchcraft again with a powerful Soft™️ fic about Kotaloy and their little girl named Neirra, go read this lovely fic people, because personnally I was already melting from drawing this Soft™️ but then she killed me again 💕

#It all started with us looking closely at his mechanical arm with the beads on it. same with his bow #and then DAD KOTALLO HAPPENED #Warning: the fic is very SOFT #hfw kotallo #kotallo #fanart #art #myart #my art #artists on tumblr #hfw #horizon forbidden west #horizon fanart #aloy x kotallo #kotallo x aloy #kotaloy #fanfic #horizon oc #fantasygirl974-art

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thefandomwritersblog · 1 year

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Ghost of the Ten

Horizon: Forbidden West

Hekarro x Fem! Old One OC

Action/Adventure/Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Chapter 9

Part 2: Ghost of the Ten

"It's not always just the heart. Sometimes your mind breaks as well." -R.H. Sin

It comes like a raging wildfire. Rapid, destructive, and all-consuming before he can even comprehend the emotion.

His vision blurred as his heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst out of it. He pressed himself against the wall, feeling nothing but the ghost of the violent weeping of the Old One - Victoria - in his arms. With each inhale, her grief was like blades slicing into his soul.

Regalla's screams shatter the silence, echoing through the night like a thousand shards of broken glass. Tears stream down her face as she holds a tiny body close, rocking back and forth with him in her arms. His heart is shatters too, pain coursing through his veins like molten lava. Everywhere he looks, there is nothing but emptiness, darkness, and sorrow. He can feel the weight of guilt slowly crushing him from the inside out; everything that matters is gone.

And it's all his fault.

Hekarro threw himself against the wall, his shoulder protesting with a shock of pain through his body. He welcomed the sensation, wrapping himself in it as he furiously struck the wall again and again until blood ran down his arm.

Not again, he told himself, shaking with visceral anger. The searing ache of his mistakes and failures burned in his mind like a never-ending inferno, no matter how hard he tried to forget. His fists clenched so tight they left bloodless indentations in his palms as the vehement rejection and hatred of his past bludgeoned his spirit.

He had to stay rooted in the present and not allow those memories to consume him again.

Never again.

Hekarro sank to the floor, leaning against the wall until he eventually landed with a heavy thud. As his adrenaline wore off, exhaustion began to take over, stealing away all of his rage and sorrow. His bedroom became clear again in his vision, but the feeling of familiarity was absent. He lay there in a trance, completely emotionless.

Time passed in a crawl. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, the world muffled and distant while he was lost in thought; but as the numbing fog began to lift, a calm melody drew him back to reality. He was surprised to see Dekka sat beside him, her hands busy weaving an intricate pattern in a rainbow of vibrant hues. He hadn't heard her enter; she had simply taken up residence at his side, content to let his grief run its course in time with her tune.

"Marshal Kotallo told me that the Old One was informed of what had happened," she said eventually. Hekarro simply grunted in reply, his head slumped against the wall, too tired to bother about the dried blood on his arm.

"Maybe we should think about what needs to be done with her," Dekka suggested quietly.

"She can't see," Hekarro murmured, "I think we should wait until she's no longer at a disadvantage before deciding her fate."

Dekka nodded, her face softening as she set down her weaving. She pulled herself up with a grunt and slowly made her way to his desk. With a soft murmur, she tugged out an aged chest and opened it, fishing out a well-worn medical kit that she carried back to him. Kneeling beside him, she gently nudged him forward so she could examine his shoulder.

"Superficial." She said after a moment of observation, taking a cloth so she could clean the wound. He was aware of the weighty regard of her eyes on his neck as she worked. He hated that she knew, yet it still brought him some modicum of comfort. How could it not? Through all his life's ebb and flow, their paths had been perfectly entwined. Every joy, every sorrow. Even in times most bleak, when death took away their dearest loved ones, there was still a shared understanding between them.

He couldn't ask for a better friend.

Hekarro winced as Dekka applied the medicinal herbs and bound his wound tight. Satisfied that it wouldn't come undone anytime soon, she then patted his arm and muttered, "You should really get some sleep."

He was too exhausted to even argue as she helped him stand up and guided him towards his bed. When he finally dropped onto the mattress, the darkness welcomed him with its embrace and pulled him into slumber in an instant.

The jungle is deathly still. Even the wind, which usually whispers through the trees, seems to be holding its breath. The only sounds left in the world are the echo of Hekarro's footsteps, crunching over old leaves and root-covered stone; and the whir of the insects: a thousand crickets singing their endless rhapsodies. His weapon feels heavy in his hands as he clears vines away with his machete.

Yet the acrid smell of burning lingers in the air, an ominous scent of smoke and death.

The jungle releases its grip on him, and his heart thunders in his ribcage. He trudges through the moonlit sands of the desert dunes. The sight before him is of utter devastation; the village burns and families cling to one another, their cries of grief so loud and powerful he feels it in his very bones.

Amongst the molten ruin, he sees her, her silhouette surrounded by licks of orange and crimson. She weeps over the lifeless body of a young boy cradled in her arms. His heart shatters into dust at his feet and he sinks to the ground with her, gently caressing the boy's face. Dark eyes that once beamed with innocent joy now stare blankly and despairingly at an unforgiving, starless sky.

"We all sacrifice something in the end, don't we?" The woman hisses, and she turns her glare up to him. Her eyes burn with hate, and he hesitates,

"Regalla, I-"

"Why did you sacrifice him?! Me?!"

He has no response, not even the beginnings of one when the boy turns his emotionless gaze upon him,

"Why are you still here and I'm not?"

Hekarro jolted awake, gasping and clawing at Dekka's wrist as she pinned his other arm to the mattress. Dekka watched him apprehensively, her chest rising and falling from the strain of restraining him. Her arms were tense and her feet rooted to the floor; it was evident that Hekarro had put up quite a fight in his sleep.

"I'm awake." He muttered, and he released her wrist as she let him go. He passed a hand over his face, his blood boiling and his thoughts muddled, and a glance through the broken wall revealed that it was well into the night. He leveled a tired, but inquisitive glance to Dekka; she wouldn't have woken him unless she thought it absolutely necessary.

"Machine attack? Rebels?"

"The Old One is missing."

Time dragged for the eternity it took Hekarro to stare up at Dekka in utter shock. In an instant, he was off the bed and sprinting out of the room. He could almost see it all playing out already - the chaos that would erupt if the guards discovered an intruder, the panic that an Old One was amongst them would cause. He had to track her down and find her before it was too late.

"Where is Aloy?" Hekarro questioned as they dashed through the rear corridors and along the arena walls to the open floor below.

"Gone, as well as Marshall Kotallo and Beta. Aloy's sister required a special medicine for the Old One, and Kotallo went with her as protection. Your champion went hunting for machine parts for Beta. All three left a little more than an hour ago."

They paused before the tunnel entrance, "Where are the rest of the guard?"

"I dismissed them for the night," Dekka replied, "Many are getting a little too curious for their own good, so I thought it was best to just guard the entrance myself."

Hekarro’s heart grew heavy with dread as he realized that the problem was steadily getting worse. He knew that he would have to address it sooner rather than later, but for now he needed to focus on the task at hand.

"Has anything transpired since Aloy and the others departed?"

Careful eyes scanned the ground around them, but there were too many tracks to single out his quarry.

"All was quiet for a time," Dekka said, gesturing towards the crumbling battlements near her. "I did hear noises from the western wall, but when I went to investigate there was nothing more than loose rocks and evidence of birds nesting in the area."

"And the Old One? When did you notice her missing?"

"Just before I came to wake you. One of the night guard came to offer me food, and I requested an extra bowl to take to the Old One in case she was hungry. The bed was empty when I arrived."

Hekarro confirmed Dekka's story for himself in the stark silence of the underground facility. The blanket lay discarded, tossed aside haphazardly in Victoria's hasty escape. He picked his way around the tangle of plastic tubing, half broken, some parts torn. White medicine, sickly sweet in its scent, dribbled out over the floor.

"Did you check the rest of the facility?" He asked Dekka as she hovered in the doorway.

"Yes, Chief Hekarro," she replied, "It was the first thing I did before I came to wake you."

"Do a perimeter check." He ordered, "Tell no one, but keep an ear out for any reports of an intruder."

"As you say!"

Dekka left in a flurry, leaving Hekarro alone in the room. He stepped back to survey it one last time, for Victoria was blind and weak—if she had snuck past Dekka, then she couldn't have gone far. In the dim light, something glimmered on the floor—liquid medicine that had spilled out of its container in a stuttering trail. Hekarro followed the tiny droplets from the facility and back out into the entrance of the arena, taking care not to disturb any ground along his journey.

He lingered just inside the threshold and closed his eyes. Hekarro felt the delicate caress of the breeze as it drifted through the jungle. In the distance, he heard the hushed conversations of the evening patrols, and a faint aroma of food coming from the Maw. In his mind's eye, he saw Dekka on guard just a few feet from him, ever watchful as she scanned her surroundings. Unaware of the Old One at her back.

Hekarro let his mind wander at that thought and slowly opened his eyes; he lowered himself to a knee, attempted to imagine the world from the perspective of the injured Old One. Scared, alone, with no way to fend for himself. From where he knelt, he easily found the imprint of Dekka's post in the sand close by. His gaze rested on it for a considerable length of time, eyes squinting in contemplation. If Victoria was blind there was no way she could have seen Dekka standing guard. She would have surely given herself away.

Half-blind then, Hekarro mused, a few feet of blurry vision but still enough to give her a chance. He looked down at the sand, saw a few fist-sized rocks and stones among the grains. He grabbed one, feeling its heft in his palm as he calculated how far it was to the western wall. Without warning, he pulled his arm back and chucked it at the distant wall with all his strength. It smacked against the barrier with a loud thud, and he imagined Dekka running over to investigate. He had to give credit where it was due Victoria had certainly been clever in her attempt to escape.

Hekarro quickly rose to his feet, holding onto the wall as he slipped free from the stretch of tunnel. He took off in the opposite direction until he arrived at an entranceway carved into the wall—the machine pens, where the arena trainers kept the machines for drills. Empty now, but Victoria would have no way of knowing that.

Downward he descended, assured he now knew where Victoria had wandered off to. Every step set the shadows aflutter from the torchlight affixed to the old stone walls. The silence was occasionally punctured by the whisper of sand shifting beneath his feet and the strong rhythm of his own heart reverberating in his ears. Hekarro peered into the first enclosure when he came across it, and moved onto the next when he found it empty. A process he repeated until he finally spied the shadow of a figure huddled in a far off corner.

The pen was dim and he couldn't make out her features, but he didn't need to. He heard the quavering breath and knew she was weeping, and every shuddering exhale only further confirmed it. He lingered there in the dark, unsure of how to approach her. He didn't want to startle her, nor did he want to argue with her. However, before he could figure out what to do next, she lifted her head and gazed in his direction. The shadows cast across her face hardened and he could feel the sting of her glare.

"You know, for someone so big you sure are light on your feet."

Hekarro couldn't help but laugh. It must have been his exhaustion, or maybe it was just that he admired her candor; very few people talked to him the way she did. He welcomed the change from the constant groveling and extravagant compliments he was used to receiving.

"Experience is the best teacher," He replied as he slowly moved closer, stopping just out of arm's reach of her before settling down into a comfortable cross-legged position. "The marshlands devour the loud and the careless."

She stayed silent, and the tension between them grew heavy. He studied her in the dim light of the machine pens, wavering on the brink of what to do. He knew that if he decided to take her back to the underground facility he'd have to put her under extra guard to make sure she didn't try to escape again. It was unlikely that such action would endear her to them.

She broke the stillness with a question that echoed his own musings - "What now?" and he smiled slightly at her timing.

"I'm not sure," He answered honestly, "I had hoped to have a few more days to decide what to do with you."

The silence that filled the room was more oppressive than any machine he had ever faced. Then, so quietly he could barely make out her words, she asked-begged of him, defeated and sad-,

"Please tell me it's a lie."

His heart broke and he yearned to give her what she desired to hear, but--

"I have nothing to gain by lying to you."

Hekarro felt the shuddering anguish of Victoria's every breath, as if it were crushing his own fragile heart. He watched helplessly as her hunched figure fell into despair. He struggled against the guilt that overwhelmed him for refusing to lie to her.

"You'll see the truth of it yourself when you've recovered."

The air was heavy with the despair of her muffled, broken sobs. He watched helplessly as she wept in anguish, her despair a wound that bled raw and unhealed. Knowing there was nothing he could do to ease her suffering, all he could do was sit in the gloom with her -- bearing witness to her grief and sharing in its sorrows.

#horizon forbidden west #horizon zero dawn #hzd #hfw #hfw writing #hfw fanfic #hekarro #chief hekarro #ghost of the ten #my writing

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iamcayc · 1 year

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Writer's Game: First Sentences

The indomitable @pikapeppa tagged me in this, so I can't, in good conscience, ignore the challenge.

Rules: post the first sentence of your last ten fics. If you haven't written ten fics, share as many first-sentences as you have.

Since I only have 5 active fics, I'm expanding a smidge to the first few sentences 🙃 I'm also including my 2 original works that are currently collecting dust in my hard drive.

~*~*~*~

Sounds of Gojo // Jujutsu Kaisen // Satoru Gojo x OC/You // complete

You glance down at your phone, annoyed that only a handful of minutes had passed since the last time you checked the time. Punctuality is a concept that perpetually escapes your family’s grasp, but you thought that the lure of good food would at least keep Nanami on time.

2. Gemini Paradox // Mass Effect Trilogy // James Vega x OC // in progress

The pulse of Afterlife became her heartbeat within the first month back on the main stage. Rhythm flushed her senses as she remembered how to lose herself in the moment, in the movement. She didn’t need to drown her liver in liquor to become numb to the stares, the catcalls, the overwhelming depression dragging her back into bed every morning.

3. Written in the Stars // Horizon Forbidden West // Kotallo x OC // hiatus

Whispers of a breeze brushed through the foliage, deep within the Jewel. The moon hung full and heavy in the early summer sky, white light filtering through the canopy to shed light on my targets.

4. Death by Smut // Haikyuu!! // Bokuto x OC // hiatus

Last you remember, you had curled up in bed, eyes glued to your phone as you read the lastest chapter of your newest, smutty Haikyuu!! fanfiction obsession. It was a rare Akaashi-centric fic, which is probably why you liked it so much; you have an undying love for the level-headed, sarcastic half of Fukurodani's dream team.

5. The White Dragon // Haikyuu!! // Akaashi x OC // hiatus

You hate blind dates. They’re awkward—even moreso when the guy isn’t your type at all and doesn’t stop talking about himself for the first 30 minutes—and a waste of time.

6. Untitled Original (aka Lee Pace is the ML Love Story) // time-travel fantasy

How did I get here?

It’s a thought that’s thundered around my mind for weeks after Arden’s murder. The image of his lifeless body and unseeing eyes lingers in my nightmares, even as I waited for this day to arrive. Sometimes, I’d see him in my cell, his expression frozen on a haunting mix of disappointment and horror as the seconds, minutes, hours passed by. Most days, that hallucination was my only companion; if not him, then the occasional gawking courtier who managed to bribe the guards into showing me off like some kind of freakish exhibit.

7. Untitled Original #2 // high fantasy family drama

Silence fascinates me. The way a person behaves when surrounded by palpable silence tells you more than anything they might say to fill the silence.

#writerslife #fanfiction #jjk fanfic #hq smut #gojo saturo x reader #horizon forbidden west #mass effect #ao3

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simplynotaneggworks · 2 years

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Fandoms and Ships

Disney Ella x Henry Cinderella Lady x Tramp (Human AUs) Lady and the Tramp Mary x Bert Mary Poppins Duchess x Thomas O’Malley (Human AUs) The Aristocats Pete’s Dragon (no specific ships; both original and live-action) Ariel x Eric The Little Mermaid Belle x Adam Beauty and the Beast Nala x Simba (Human AUs) The Lion King Kiara x Kovu (Human AUs) The Lion King Bo Peep x Woody (Human AUs) Toy Story Jessie x Buzz (Human AUs) Toy Story Mulan x Shang Mulan Jane x Tarzan Tarzan Kida x Milo Atlantis: The Lost Empire Dory x Marlin (Human AUs) Finding Nemo Violet x Tony The Incredibles Janice x Jesse Bridge to Terebithia Clarion x Milori Tinkerbell Tinkerbell x Terence Tinkerbell Tiana x Naveen The Princess and the Frog Alice x Tarrant Alice in Wonderland Rapunzel x Eugene Tangled Brave (no specific ships) Elsa x Hans Frozen Anna x Kristoff Frozen Inside Out (no specific ships) Judy x Nick (Human AUs) Zootopia Coco (no specific ships) Izzy x Buzz Lightyear Miranda x Roland Sofia the First Sofia x Hugo Sofia the First Amber x Hildegard Sofia the First Elena x Mateo Elena of Avalor Isabel x Javier Elena of Avalor Cassandra x Varian Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

Dreamworks Miguel x Tulio The Road to El Dorado Fiona x Shrek Shrek Astrid x Hiccup How to Train Your Dragon Valka x Stoick How to Train Your Dragon Roxanne x Megamind Megamind Rise of the Guardians (no specific ship) Eep x Guy The Croods

Illumination Lucy x Gru Despicable Me The Lorax (no specific ship)

Sony Ericka x Dracula Hotel Transylvania

Blue Sky Linda x Tulio Rio

Harry Potter (in no particular order) Willow (OC) x George Draco x Harry Nymphadora x Remus Sirius x Remus Lily x James Narcissa x Lucius Emma (OC) x Charlie Merula x Rowan Penny x Ben Molly x Arthur Oliver x Percy Hermione x Ron Seamus x Dean Luna x Neville Luna x Rolf Tina x Newt Queenie x Jacob Albus x Scorpius Andromeda x Ted Victoire x Teddy Fleur x Bill

Other Jedidiah x Octavius Night at the Museum Norman x Ethan Heavy Rain Kara x Conner Detroit: Become Human Simon x Markus Detroit: Become Human North x Josh Detroit: Become Human Rose x Hank Detroit: Become Human Aloy x Erend Horizon Zo x Varl Horizon Beta x Drakka Horizon Elisabet x Sylens Horizon Alva x Kotallo Horizon Jane x Gunther Jane and the Dragon Jester x Smithy Jane and the Dragon Pepper x Rake Jane and the Dragon Gwendolyn x Caradoc Jane and the Dragon Nancy x Jonathan Stranger Things Steve x Dustin Stranger Things Will x Mike Stranger Things Joyce x Jim Stranger Things Fran x Maxwell The Nanny Katniss x Peeta The Hunger Games Effie x Haymitch The Hunger Games Lucy x Coriolanus The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Emma x George Emma Elizabeth x Fitzwilliam Pride and Prejudice Marianne x Christopher Sense and Sensibility Elinor x Edward Sense and Sensibility Daniel x Johnny Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Robby x Miguel Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Ali x Amanda Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Dutch x Bobby Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Demetri x Eli Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Kumiko x Chozen Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Ellie x Alec Broadchurch Beth x Paul Broadchurch Rose x Ten Doctor Who Yuuri x Viktor Yuri on Ice Yuri x Otabek Yuri on Ice Marinette x Adrien Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir Alya x Nino Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir Chloe x Luka Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir Luka x Adrien Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir Elizabeth (OC) x Ydris Star Stable Online Maya x Alex Star Stable Online Elizabeth (non-OC) x Avalon Star Stable Online Anne x Lisa Star Stable Online Novalee x Forney Where the Heart Is Claire x James Outlander Elizabeth (OC) x Fergus Outlander Brianna x Roger Outlander Aziraphale x Crowley Good Omens Anneliese x Julian Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper Erika x Dominick Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper Sophie x Nicholas Barbie: Princess Charm School Skipper x Jonas Barbie and Her Sisters In a Pony Tale Barbie x Ken Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures Barbie (Margot Robbie) x Ken (Ryan Gosling) Barbie

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antivanruffles · 1 year

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Fics 'n Such

Here's some general housekeeping for organization (it's still a mess LOL).

my AO3 & Spotify

Favorite ships to write:

Aloy x Kotallo (Horizon Forbidden West)

Anne x Phillip (The Greatest Showman)

B'Elanna x Tom (ST: Voyager)

Cassandra x Varric (Dragon Age)

Cullen x Fem!Inquisitor (Dragon Age)

Garrus x FemShep (Mass Effect)

Gon x Killua (Hunter x Hunter)

Josephine x Inquisitor (Dragon Age)

Kaidan x FemShep (Mass Effect)

Keyleth x Vax (Critical Role)

Kima x Allura (Critical Role)

Rei x Jadeite (Sailor Moon)

Fic tags:

Dragon Age

Carwheeler

Cassarric

Critical Role

General Fic Tag

Greatest Showman

Kotaloy

Killugon

Mass Effect

OC Fanfic

Prompt Fills

Sailor Moon

General fun tags:

Fanmixes

Parks and Voyager

Silly Screencaps

Twilight Drunkwatch

Kate liveblogs

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avrilscutecrap · 2 years

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PROJECT ENOCH - CHAPTER 6 Horizon: Forbidden West Kotallo x OC Beta-Readers: @tiredbutthrivingfaequeen @maelove21

“Your mother, what kind of person is she?” The Marshal eyes opened, he looked pensive for a moment, “...She was an artist,” he finally said. “Her paintings are still up on the walls inside The Bulwark.” He started walking, “If there’s one thing I miss about this place, it’s seeing them.” June hummed, “I look forward to viewing them then,” she said, smiling earnestly at Kotallo. The Marshal smiled slightly at the thought, “What about your mother?” he asked. The Siriusean gulped, “Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember her…” her shoulders sagged. “But… I know she liked singing. And she called me her honeybee.” “I’m sorry,” Kotallo said, a pang of sadness in his voice. “When did you…?” June took a breath, “two? Maybe three? Then I was placed in the Siriusean Army hands,” she motioned at herself, “So they could make a perfect little soldier out of me.” “I was raised by my squad,” The marshal said, “You and I, we’re not so different…” A flush crept up June’s face, “Maybe,” she said with a slight smile on her face and a warm and fuzzy feeling growing in her chest. “How strange.” She whispered, staring up at the snow drifting from the skies. “For us to grow galaxies apart and still have so much in common when it comes to pain.”

CONTINUE READING AO3

#hfw #horizon #horizon forbidden west #hzd #kotallo #hfw fanfic #kotallo x oc

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marmie-noir · 2 years

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The Trials of Loving a Tenakth - Kotallo x OC Fic - Chapter 0 (Character Intros and TW info)

I wanted to work on posting a bit about my character as well as information/background on her! She came to me when I was first playing the first game years ago, being super interested in the world that HZD made, and once I saw Kotallo I knew they would work. Her profile and info is under the cut! Heads up, I’ve done a lot of world building and did make a whole new clan for my character, so I apologize if it’s long winded!

Also as a warning, this will be an 18+ story with detailed smut. I’m pretty comfortable writing those situations so anyone without an age in bio pls do not follow/reblog or you risk being blocked!

TWs at this time include: Mentions of slavery, violence, explicit sexual scenes, size kink, breeding, edging, a LOT of sexual tension, game appropriate violence, casual nudity.

The main character of this story is Anara. Anara is from a tribe called the Vari from across the great Eastern Sea. She was born in the shadow of the Great Smoking Mountain. The Vari is a clan was known for a few specific traits. Physically most of the Vari clan has traditionally brown hair and bright eyes (either blue or a mix of greens). They mainly work with bo staffs or two swords while fighting, and also have a specialized style of hand to hand combat passed down through generations. Beyond the general up front battling they also had a cunning nature, knowing when to work from the shadows in secret against their enemies versus charging head on towards danger. The society is based upon honor, a warrior’s honor is their worth, so the Vari did not use trickery against one another but instead invaders to their sacred lands.

Women and men were treated the same as far as power and rights, like land ownership and courtships. Vari women are known for their beauty, normally longer legs, and having their long hair done in complex traditional braids that incorporate beads and/or feathers. Vari men are known for their intricate chest tattoo’s and equally long hair. The longer the hair the stronger the warrior as it was common for someone to cut their hair if they lost a battle. They do utilize makeup but more so as battle paint styles of bright colors and black versus using it as class markings like the Carja. The Vari’s use of war paint is commonly made of designs on their face around their eyes and mouth. Think red fangs on their cheeks or black face paint around their eyes. It was common for couples to do war paint for one another as a sign of great respect.

They were a tribe with a pretty basic social structure, more a mix of Tenakth and Utaru as far as being a war capable people but also thriving during peaceful times amongst the greenery of their homeland versus having casks or a royal leader beyond chiefs who was voted into place by each tribe. Their belief is strength has a place as well as kindness. When Anara was roughly 10/12 a raid happened to her small tribe of Vari, being one of many smaller clans, and most were killed including both of her parents. The remaining members enslaved by a Carja War party. She was brought over to the West past the Nora lands to Meridian where she was purchased by a brothel owner.

Her life from there was working hard daily to please her mistress. Cleaning rooms, cooking food, training in the arts of seduction as her mistress intended to have her soon start working as a Lady. When she was 15 her mistress went to have her take her first customer and Anara ended up brutally beating the man before throwing him from the room, having kept up her Vari training daily even when she was traded into slavery. Instead of being furious her mistress saw an opportunity and pulled Anara from the roster of the Ladies, instead having her be more of a bodyguard and apprentice mistress. Over time the Mistress became an almost motherly figure, the woman cheerful and kind outside of strict business dealings.

Her Mistress was the owner and operator of the main Brothel system in Meridian. With free reign Anara trained harder, working to master the bo staff and her people’s fighting styles from what she could remember. She often learned from people passing through the capital as well. With her reputation she became a draw to the brothel’s, the beautiful Vari with her long deep brown hair, bright eyes, and long legs. Men came to both challenge her to either a fight or a drinking game, as well as catch a glimpse of her. She had a smart mouth and a teasing smile, openly flirted with patrons, and ended up being an asset in both guarding the women and pulling others in.

This is how Anara first meets Erend. His brings his guard in for drinks and women, meeting the Vari as she stood outside of one of the finer Brothels. They became friendly fairly quickly, Erend’s easy going flirty nature a fun companion. Later through Erend Anara met Aloy, helping her through the trials and fighting Hades. (I honestly have a few drabbles about this time, and about Erend and Anara showing Varl to the Brothels for the first time).

Now, Hades defeated and the Forbidden West opening up with treaties with the blood thirsty Tenakth Anara’s mistress has sent her out into the unknown to see if there are business opportunities on the horizon. And of course, it is how she stumbles once more upon Aloy and her mission to save the world.

Anara’s general attitude is smart, snarky, and strong. Will shamelessly flirt but is useless when she actually likes someone genuinely. Is bad at feelings beyonf friendship honestly. Romance is easy, romantic feelings are not. Normally dons harem inspired clothing, smaller tops and loose bottoms. She is not specifically loyal to one specific style of clothing, so changes it up from time to time. She is pretty but because it was the reason her mistress even took her in, good genetics versus efforts. Her mistress did adopt her because she was looking for pretty girls for a brothel after all. Bright blue eyes, brown hair, smooth skin. Black band tattoos around each wrist show she was at one point a slave but she normally covers the marks with jewelry. Uses mostly a bo staff to fight, relies on speed and cunning during fights because she is not physically the strongest.

#Kotallo x OC #kotallo #horizon zero dawn #HZD #fanfic #erend #aloy #varl #zo #Alva #fanfiction #xreader #forbidden west

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