Our flame-haired, warrior huntress! I originally wanted to make her a police officer, but then I realized how much that would restrain her compared to the game, so I changed it to a PI. She'll still get to help people, but more like the game: on her terms, her timetable, and her methods.

As with most of these characters, her AU personality will be slightly different since she isn't constantly engaged in life or death battles, trying to save the world from the apocalypse, or completely ostracized by society for circumstances beyond her control. She'll be a bit more socially developed, but still somewhat awkward interacting with people.

(Sorry for the format; this site doesn't like me doing this like a bullet list.)

I own nothing except my AU. The characters of Horizon Zero Dawn and the sequel game Horizon Forbidden West belong to Guerilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Mathijs de Jonge.

-Ashley "Aloy" Sobeck-

Private investigator

-Was trained to become a police officer at Rost's insistence and her own desire, but decides to change careers after his death to find the ones responsible.

~-She couldn't stand the amount of red tape the police were held back by and decided to go the route of a private detective for the greater freedom it offered.

~-She continues to honor Rost by maintaining a strong relationship with the police.

Fiercely independent, bullheaded, and intimidating. She once threw a fellow gym rat through a wall during her workout because he called her "dainty" and hit on her. Ever since then the other regulars are amazed and terrified of her.

-She felt like he was debasing her and equating her worth to her looks.

Didn't know Elisabet was her mom for most of her life, and had trouble connecting to Beta at first as she wasn't anything like she expected when she learned she had a sister. Eventually, she comes to love her little sister and acts as her pillar of quiet strength like Rost was to her.

-She was angry and hurt with Rost when Teersa finally told her they had known who her mother was all along. It wasn't until Gaia shared her mom's last message with her and Beta that she finally started to let it go and forgive them.

-Hates being called Ashley and usually goes by Rost's last name, so when her friends were suggesting nicknames, she was all for it. She chose "Aloy" because, like an alloy, she's a mix of two different people, and stronger for it.

She feels like she struggles to connect to others, but is actually quite charismatic due to her passion and drive.

-Growing up, her main friend was Varl's sister, Vala. She often stood up for her when the other kids picked on her for not knowing who her mom was and saying she must not have wanted her. At first, she would get upset and fight them, but Vala would reassure her that even if her mom hadn't wanted her, clearly Rost did since he adopted her. That helped her come to embrace the concept of "found family" and feel less sore about her supposed abandonment.

-She's learned to come talk to her friends instead of holding it in when she's troubled. She prefers talking to Zo.

-Not interested in romance with anyone at this time.

Hobbies include tinkering with Erend and Beta, learning about the world with Alva, hiking with Zo, mountaineering, bow hunting and martial arts with Varl and Kotallo, and parkour (she likes to be mobile).

-With Beta's help, she built a small, ear-mounted recording device with an earpiece for her investigations. It can take photos and video of whatever is in her line of sight with a finger tap, and it's connected to her phone to give her more control over the zoom and clarity functions. It even has a Bluetooth function to allow calls. She calls it her "Focus".

-Aloy has placed first in every hunting competition she's entered since she was fifteen in the state, and even some international ones, by consistently taking down the target prey the fastest of any competitor. She is considered a bowhunting and tracking prodigy, having even completed the Nora Proving Hunt at eighteen, and the Ban-Ur Hunt at nineteen, which are considered the most brutal, difficult hunts in the world; seasoned hunters train for decades before trying those. Both hunts were very significant for her, as the Nora Proving was her last major hunt before Rost died, and the Ban-Ur hunt was the first one she competed in since his death.

~-Her training with the bow would go on to translate well for skills as a police officer. She was more fit and accurate with a gun than any of her fellow cadets. Tracking skills helped her to notice details others would overlook, and she could do it reasonably well while in motion. Her mind and reflexes worked better to make snap decisions and keep calm while in high stress moments.

-Growing up, she had trouble connecting to others besides Vala, so Rost adopted a bloodhound puppy that she named Strider. Rost trained it as a hunting dog and took it on many hunts while training Aloy, and he has since been a beloved companion for her. Since his death, she's taken to caring for the aging dog with help from the rest of the house.

~-Beta has become especially close to Strider, and he's very helpful in calming her down during panic attacks.