I'll be honest, when they first showed Kotallo, I wasn't sure what was gonna happen with him. It wasn't until Varl and Zo fought with you at TAU and remained at the base that I realized we were getting a team for Aloy. Even then, it surprised me when Kotallo joined after the Kulrut. He's such a badass that I can't help admiring him. In my AU, I see him being the kind of soldier who doesn't yell at his troops for attention; his very presence just commands it. He would speak low and gravely and terrify them by just being there. After his injury, he'd have a few doubt he could still fight with only one arm, only to find themselves flat on the ground. He's a tough old soldier, but he'd have his softer moments where you can see him happy.

(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.

~Kaden "Kotallo" Tallo~

Former: Soldier (Rank: Marshal)

Current: Military combat instructor

-Honorably reassigned by Director Hekarro after his left arm was maimed in the line of duty.

-Beta noticed him struggling with a few tasks that would be easier with a second hand, and made his prosthetic arm. It's a fully functional, tough and perfectly balanced, and even has some fine motor control and haptic feedback, but he doesn't like to wear it; he says he spent so long getting used to being one-handed that it feels "insincere" or like he's presenting a false image of himself to always wear it, like it undermines or negates all his progress. He appreciates it, though, and agreed to use the arm when he needs it.

~-His favorite thing to do with it is to wear it for his first session with a new class, then take it off and trounce anyone who thinks it's the only reason he could be an instructor. He's undefeated.

-Able to take up to three people one handed and alone; with his prosthetic equipped, he can easily beat five people. Give him a weapon, even something as simple as a knife, and he's practically unstoppable. When he was active duty, he was considered the most dangerous man in the service.

Joined the group's home as part of a military rehab program for former combatants going through civilian rehabilitation. He's since finished the program, but stays because he enjoys their company.

-He doesn't talk about it at first, since he was still bitter that it happened and how it prevents him from taking any missions with his distinctive shape and limitation. As he gets to know the rest of the house, he starts to loosen up and tells them how he was transporting a witness for the trial of the criminal Regalla when they were ambushed on their way to the car. The attackers dropped the building on them, killed the witness and pinning his arm under the rubble. The weight crushed the bones to powder, necessitating amputation. When he was finally recovered, he revealed he had a wire recording the attackers admitting they were acting on Regalla's orders and managed to put her away even without the witness. But his career in active duty was over; without his arm, he would stand out in a crowd, and the lose would affect his combat performance, whether he liked it or not. So he was benched until he could recover physically, then he would join a rehab program for veterans returning to civilian life.

~-At the beginning of his stay, he was surly and isolated himself. He constantly seemed like he was going to explode and lose himself. Surprisingly, it was Erend who helped him snap out of it. He goaded him into a two-way one-handed wrestling match and lost in thirty seconds flat. He kept egging him on, saying he bet couldn't do it any faster than that even if he used both hands, and lost in twenty-five seconds. Kotallo was still angry, but now he was intrigued and motivated. They kept at this for the next three weeks, before he finally could pin Erend in less than five seconds consistently. Erend then suggested he "inform Director Hekarro that he was still just as capable and he could shove his disability discharge in the crapper for all the shit is was made of". Kotallo declined his phrasing, but requested he be allowed to train the recruits and anyone who thought they could take him on. Hekarro was uncertain of the wisdom of this, but agreed to a trial run. If his recruits showed improvement at the end of that time, he'd allow Kotallo to remain a Marshal Combat Instructor. Needless to say, he did it.

Enjoys strategy games with the others (Beta and Zo give him the best challenge so far, Aloy is next, followed by Varl and Erend, then Alva, who is easily flustered and baffled by his moves), martial arts training with the other adults (aside from Beta, but he is teaching her simple techniques to defend herself), mountaineering (for the challenge of climbing one-handed), and skydiving (he enjoys the thrill of free fall).

He also trains Alva (at her request) to be more aware by randomly popping up and tapping her forehead (not her request). He secretly enjoys the faces she makes when he startles her.