Max, now sitting on top of the ten defeated Braves, looked around with a smirk. "Any more?" he asked, his voice carrying through the silent training grounds.
The remaining Braves hesitated, avoiding his gaze. None dared to step forward.
"That will be enough," a familiar voice cut in.
Max turned to see Teersa entering the scene, her wise eyes scanning the battlefield. She glanced at the fallen warriors, some groaning in pain, others unconscious, all piled on top of one another beneath Max.
"Was that really necessary?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Max shrugged. "They are no Braves. They tried to overwhelm me with numbers instead of facing me in honorable one-on-one combat." His tone was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it.
Teersa sighed, shaking her head. "That may be true, but out there, metal devils and machines won't challenge you to a fair duel. They will ambush you in numbers, just as these Braves did." She paused, then nodded slightly. "Regardless, you have passed. From this moment on, you are not only a Brave—you are a Seeker as well."
Max smirked, standing up from the pile of defeated warriors and dusting himself off. "Good. That's all I needed."
Teersa studied him for a moment before speaking again. "Go forth, Max. Beyond the mountains lies the truth of the world. May the All-Mother guide you on your journey."
With a final glance at the village he was about to leave behind, Max turned toward the vast wilderness ahead. His real adventure was just beginning.
Max stepped forward, leaving behind the bruised and battered Braves as he followed Teersa toward the sacred gates. The great wooden doors loomed ahead, marking the boundary between the Nora lands and the vast, untamed world beyond.
As he walked, the villagers whispered among themselves, some looking at him with awe, others with suspicion. A Seeker was rare—someone given the right to travel beyond the sacred lands, to explore the ruins of the Old Ones without being cast out.
Reaching the gates, Teersa turned to face him. "You are now free to go wherever your path takes you, Max. But remember, the world beyond is not kind. Machines are growing more aggressive, and darker forces stir in the shadows."
Max crossed his arms. "That's exactly why I'm going out there. The machines, the mad machines, the old-world secrets—I'm taking them all."
Teersa studied him with an unreadable expression before nodding. "Then go, Seeker. And may you return with wisdom, not just power."
With that, the great gates creaked open, revealing the sprawling wilderness beyond. Towering mountains stood in the distance, shrouded in mist. Vast forests stretched across the land, their depths hiding secrets from a time long past. The remnants of human civilization lay scattered—ruined skyscrapers half-buried beneath overgrowth, metal husks of vehicles rusting under the open sky.
Max took a deep breath, a grin forming on his lips. "Time to get started."
As he stepped beyond the gates, his system chimed in.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the Hidden Quest!]
[Quest: Leave the Nora without being declared an Exile]
[Reward: One Rare Draw]
"Sweet," Max mumbled, a satisfied grin forming on his face.
The scenery before him was breathtaking. Despite the dangers lurking in the wild, it had a raw, untamed beauty. The wind rustled through the trees, and the crystal-clear waters of a nearby stream shimmered under the sunlight. Birds chirped in the distance, creating a deceptive sense of peace.
But Max knew better. This world was ruthless. Machines prowled the land, remnants of an ancient civilization gone wrong. His survival depended on obtaining the right tools, and he had a clear first objective.
"Alright, first things first—I need to get that Focus."
The Focus was an advanced device used by Aloy and a few others in Horizon Zero Dawn, capable of analyzing the environment, accessing old-world data, and even scanning enemies. If Max wanted to thrive in this world, securing one was a top priority.
He recalled that a ruin lay not too far from the mountains, a place where Aloy herself had once ventured as a child. If he was right, there should still be a functioning Focus inside.
Max moved swiftly through the dense wilderness, keeping his senses sharp. The Nora considered the ruins forbidden, haunted by the so-called "Metal Devils" of the past. But to Max, they were treasure troves of knowledge—littered with relics of a lost era, filled with forgotten technology.
After nearly an hour of trekking through uneven terrain, he reached a large rock formation covered in vines. Pushing past them, he found the entrance to the ruin—a rusted metal doorway, half-collapsed, leading into a dark abyss.
"This should be it," he muttered, stepping inside.
The air was damp, filled with the scent of old metal and moss. Faint blue lights flickered from the walls—remnants of an ancient power grid still struggling to function after centuries. He moved cautiously, his footsteps echoing through the hollow halls.
Then he saw them—skeletal remains of the Old Ones, slumped against the walls. The sight sent a shiver down his spine. These people had perished when the world fell, leaving behind only bones and ruined technology.
Brushing off the unease, Max focused on his goal. He navigated through the corridors until he reached a familiar spot—a small alcove where, in the game, young Aloy had found her Focus.
And there it was.
A small, triangular device lay in the dust, untouched by time. Max picked it up, brushing off the dirt. The moment his fingers made contact, the Focus flickered to life, a holographic interface appearing in front of his eyes.
[New Device Detected: Synchronizing…]
A slight buzz ran through his skull as the Focus interfaced with his system. Within seconds, streams of data flooded his vision—scanning functions, network connections, and analysis tools all coming online.
Max grinned. "Now we're talking."
"Now all I need is an authority of a higher level… hmm," Max thought as he recalled the highest clearance—Omega Access—which belonged to Ted Faro, the man responsible for the apocalypse of this world.
***
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