A/N: I'm back! So soon too! Well, that is because today is the 1 year anniversary of A Digital Mother! It's hard to believe that I've been writing this story for a full year. Since it's the anniversary, I thought I'd do something a little special. I won't just be uploading this chapter today. There's another one coming! I'll put it out a little later today, but I just wanted to say thank you for all the support I've gotten from you over the course of the last year.

I honestly wasn't expecting this story to get such a positive response and I'm beyond grateful. As always, I have answered your comments and questions at the bottom and I encourage you to leave more on this chapter and the next!

A Digital Mother

Chapter 20

3035

Rost

Rost let out a weary sigh, leaning back against a rock. He and a contingent of Nora were arranged in an encampment that sat on the banks of the lake just south of The Gate. Altogether, there were twelve of them sitting and waiting for the newest batch of refugees to come down the slope from the narrow pass high up on the mountain to their west.

This was the usual protocol. Whenever the Seekers brought a batch of rescued Utaru, Nora, or occasionally young or injured Banuk and Oseram, they would be met by a team at the base of the mountain and escorted to Mother's Song. By doing this, they made sure the refugees were well defended and ensured that they didn't wander too much within Nora territory.

The group usually skirted around Mother's Vigil to the south and Mother's Crown to the north before making their way upriver towards the multicultural village. Rost had only been there a handful of times, but it always made him smile. To see the myriad tribal cultures coexisting in peace was a comfort to him. Living proof that the Nora had taken the words of the All-Mother to heart.

The Alphas, greatest servants of the goddess, were a collective of individuals from different tribes. That was how the All-Mother described them. In emulation of this, the Seekers and many regular Nora began to seek more open cooperation with other tribes. For the most part, this was collaboration against the Carja, but Rost had hope that the bonds of friendship formed between them would continue past the end of the war.

Speaking of, it seemed as though the war had ground to a halt. Aside from the usually unsuccessful raiding parties, the border between the Sundom and the Sacred Lands had been blissfully quiet since their sacking of Daytower three years ago. According to intel distributed by the Seeker network, this peace was largely due to the Tenakth, a western tribe, pressing the forces of the Carja back with extreme aggression. Combined with stiff resistance from the Oseram and Banuk in the north, and the Carja were hard pressed to care about the Nora.

Helis, the commander who'd led the assault on The Gate and been wounded by Rost at Daytower was apparently reprimanded sharply for his failure to defend the fortress. Though, word from the Sundom said he still held the favor of the Sun King thanks to his brutality. Rather than being directed back east, the butcher had been given command of the northern theatre of the war. Part of Rost lamented that he was unable to finish the monster off, but he would have to content himself with praying that an ingenious Oseram invention got lucky and killed the monster for him.

"Captain?" One of the nearby braves spoke up, catching his attention. "They're here."

Looking up, Rost spotted a collection of nineteen people making their way down the slope towards them. Two were Nora Seekers, the ones chosen to lead this band through the pass. The other seventeen were a collection of six Utaru, three Banuk and, rather interestingly, five Tenakth. The western tribe were unmistakable thanks to their bright face paint and colorful tattoos. It appeared that three of their number were injured, judging by the bandages and how two were being carried by others.

"Captain!" Ozea, the Seeker waved as she stumbled slightly down the slope. "It's good to see you!"

"You as well, Seeker." He reached up to grab her forearm both as a greeting and to help steady her. He glanced behind her at the group still stumbling down the mountainside. "I'm rather surprised though. I wasn't expecting to see Tenakth inside the Sacred Lands."

"Nor were we. They usually head north or west" Ozea shook her head, "but this time they insisted on accompanying the Utaru. It's weird, one of them has the same tattoos as a Tenakth, but he's dressed like an Utaru. There was no time to ask questions on the way here, but I have to admit I'm curious."

"Likely no more curious than we are of you, Nora." One uninjured Tenakth woman called out, walking up to them. Just behind, Rost could see his team helping the stragglers down the cliff while those who'd already hit the valley floor were pausing for a moment to rest.

All the gathered Tenakth were covered in tattoos and face paint. Mostly, it was a dark blue interspersed with white. A few had red around their mouths too. Their clothing and the remnants of their armor were made of white machine plates, leathers, and a few sported a kind of red feather design.

"Well met," Rost nodded, offering the Tenakth his hand. "My name is Rost. I am second to War-Chief Sona of the Nora tribe."

"Arrota, of the Lowland Clan. I'm leader of this squad." The Tenakth who'd walked up to them nodded, grabbing his forearm. "I thank you for the actions of your people. It is unlikely that we would have escaped the Carja without their assistance." She peered closely at him. "We'd heard rumors of a group helping those captured escape the Carja, but I did not expect your tribe to be the ones behind it. None of ours who've returned home knew who was behind their escape."

Rost smirked. "That's why it's working so well. The whole world knows the Nora don't leave our lands and don't accept outsiders, so why bother looking for escaped prisoners amongst them?"

"Hah." She barked out a laugh. "A sound strategy. What is more, I've heard you are as fierce in battle as you are sneaky. A few of the Carja we captured over the last few years spoke of your tribe sacking one of their fortresses. Most impressive."

"The battle of Daytower." Rost nodded. "It was a risky plan, but our War-Chief led us true." Glancing up, he took a quick look at the sky. "Let's move!" He called out to the rest of the group. "The day is growing shorter. We need to make it past Mother's Vigil by nightfall if we are to stay on schedule!"

Together, the group set out, moving north around the lake and towards the well-worn path that led past the village. Rost's escort group, comprised of nine Nora, fell in beside the two Seekers and seventeen refugees, making a multitribal column of 28 people trekking through the wilderness.

Glancing around, Rost spotted the Utaru that Ozea spoke of. His face was older and covered in red, black, and yellow markings. The markings of the Desert Clan if he remembered rightly. But why was he dressed as an Utaru?

"Forgive my curiosity." He said, moving to walk beside the man, "but you wear the markings of the Tenakth. Desert Clan if I remember rightly, yet you are dressed as an Utaru."

"You are correct, Nora." The man nodded before introducing himself. "Gravvah, Veteran of the Utaru. Formerly, a soldier of the Tenakth Desert Clan. When I grew too old to fight, my Commander sent me to join the Utaru, to teach their young how to fight like real warriors." The old man looked around them with interest. "I have to say, I was most pleasantly surprised to learn that there are other Utaru living here in Nora territory. It was a great comfort to my peaceful companions." He gestured to the other Utaru.

Rost gave him a smile. "The Utaru are more than welcome amongst us. Without them and your tribe's knowledge of farming, we would likely be facing a food shortage. They've taken up residence in a new village that we call Mother's Song. When last I heard a count, there were a little over 200 Utaru living there."

"200?" The elderly man's eyebrows raised up in shock. "That is no small number. They are treated well?"

"Very." Rost nodded. "They've formed a hybrid government with the Nora and those few from other tribes that reside there. I believe the leader of the Utaru residing in the village is a young woman named Sial. She was one of the first of the Utaru to be rescued by our Seekers."

"Sial?!" A nearby Utaru gasped. She rushed over and grabbed at Rost's hands. She, like the Tenakth Veteran, was rather elderly. Perhaps in her late fifties or early sixties with dark skin and greying hair. "Is her skin the same tone as mine? Black hair, brown eyes?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." Rost shook his head. "Ozea!" He called to her. After a moment, the Seeker came jogging up from the back of the column.

"What is it, Captain?"

"What does Sial look like?" He asked her, gesturing. "This woman recognized her name."

"She…" Ozea stopped for a moment, taking a closer look at the woman. "Actually, she kind of looks like you. I haven't seen her in about a year though."

Tears pooled in the elderly woman's eyes. "Sial is my daughter's name." She wrung her hands anxiously. The elderly veteran reached up and put a hand on her shoulder. "She was taken in one of the first raids, six years ago. We thought she was dead…"

"Six years?" Ozea questioned. "Y'know, that tracks. It was around six years ago that I first met her. I was part of the team that rescued her and a few other Utaru who were being held at Morning's Watch."

Ozea gasped as the elderly Utaru pulled her into a hug. Rost watched her with a smile. He truly hoped that the Sial they spoke of was her daughter. It would be a spot of joy in these troubled times. Still, he would not be able to indulge his curiosity over much. They had a schedule to keep, and he needed to be back in Mother's Heart inside the week. There was a rather important event happening then, and his little girl would never forgive him if he missed it.

"So…" Ozea started, "how do you feel about the Nora so far? Cause if Sial really is your daughter, then you should know that she and Karst, the Seeker Captain are rather… close."

Aloy

"Go!" Tesona, a pale skinned Brave with blonde hair shouted.

Aloy watched as Thairn took off, bounding up the slopes and then leaping up onto the first hand-hold of the brave trail. This particular trail lay to the south of Mother's Heart and just north of the gate of the Embrace. Being one of the most challenging trails, it culminated in a high eastern point that looked out over the Embrace. In order to get down, a Nora had to trust in themselves, their equipment, and in the All-Mother by repelling down the sheer cliff from the overlook.

They'd been brought out this way by Tesona, one of the Braves who was on leave from the front lines to run the trail for the first time. It was a sort of test to see if they really had what it took to be a Brave. Twenty 14-year-old Nora standing in line waiting for the Brave to call their name. This wasn't the kind of trail that could be run by more than one person, so they each had to wait their turn. It was tradition for them to be timed, so the whole group was eager to see who'd be fastest.

"Heh. I bet you all Bast will have the best time here." Bast, an annoying boy, boasted from up ahead of her. Aloy grimaced.

"He's so annoying." She whispered to Vala.

"I know what you mean." Her fellow 14-year-old whispered back. "He's always been a pain, but ever since he started talking about himself in the third person, it's gotten so much worse."

"No kidding." Arana, one of the other hopefuls whispered. With pale skin and deep brown hair, she'd been standing with them near the center of the column, so it was easy for her to hear their whispered conversation. "The worst part is, if it weren't for you two, he'd probably be right. I can't imagine how much worse he'd be if he really was the best here."

Arana wasn't wrong. Bast was a consistent third place in nearly every competition, though he did have the occasional lucky break to score second or even first place. First and second usually went to either Aloy and Vala though they often traded off who got first and who came in second. A little healthy competition between friends.

"Then I guess we better make sure he doesn't get the best time." Aloy replied to the other girl, sharing a smirk with Vala.

"Please." Arana all but begged them. "I love seeing Bast get taken down a peg. It usually shuts him up for a few days."

"Bast! Go!" Tesona shouted from up front. The cocky boy gave them all a smirk before racing up the trail. From their south Therl, a dark-skinned boy came running up to them, panting. "Time?" the Brave barked.

"Nine minutes, and six." The boy gasped out.

One of the reasons Tesona was shouting was so that three other Braves, Brin, Esna, and Yilsai could hear her. They were waiting for them all at the other end of the trail. Once the group heard Tesona call out, one would start counting. They wouldn't stop till the hopeful reached them and then would give the runner their time. It was no use lying about it when you got back to the column either, since they were recording the times, and anybody could double check if they wanted to.

"Acceptable." Tesona nodded.

She wasn't wrong. Eight and a half minutes was the rough average from last year's batch. At least, that's what she'd told them while they were marching their way down here. The record, as far as had been recorded, was seven minutes and fifty-six seconds. Looking up, Aloy could see Bast still climbing. He was making good time.

"Vala, go!" The Brave shouted as Bast reached the halfway point. Vala gave them a wink and sped off.

"Is it too much to hope she passes him before he finishes?" Arana asked. Aloy laughed.

"I wish." She replied, "but the trail is just too short for that. And too narrow."

"I know." The other girl sighed, "but it's fun to hope."

They all watched as Vala continued her climb. When she was about a third of the way up, Bast finally reached the top and leapt from the rappel point. They kept watching as this time, Arana bolted up the trail. Aloy tried to keep the grimace off her face as the smug, pale boy jogged up to them a few minutes later.

"Time!" Tesona barked.

"Eight minutes and three." Bast smirked, looking directly at Aloy. She grimaced. That was a really good time. She'd just have to be faster. Moving up to the head of the column, she gave the Brave a nod and turned to face the trail. Arana was nearing the halfway point while Vala was nearly at the top.

"Aloy! Go!"

Without a word or a look, the redhead sprinted off the line like a startled Strider. Up the rocky slope and wooden stairs, she didn't even pause as she approached the first gap. Down below was a steep and narrow gorge leading to the valley floor. Spanning it were four planks of wood bound with yellow cables. A broken bridge still hung from the posts. One the Nora had no intention of fixing. Sprinting across the ones on her side without even a hint of slowing down, Aloy leapt across the gap.

Landing on the other side, she took two running steps before jumping and kicking off the rocky wall in front of her. At the top of the platform was a protruding wall, while another rose up at a right angle. Bouncing off the wall in front of her, Aloy seized onto one of the handholds embedded into the cliff to her left.

With two huge leaps, she threw herself up to the top of the ledge before scurrying, one hand over the other across the side of the sheer cliff. Down below, the ground kept getting farther and farther away as she moved with only her grip strength to keep her from falling to a rather gruesome death. In a combination of recklessness and confidence, she threw herself across a gap before scrambling to the top of a ledge. In front of her now lay a tall cliff with wooden and metal hand holds embedded into the rock at intervals.

Sprinting again, she jumped to bypass the first grip and take hold of the second. Rather than climb, she began to throw herself up the cliff. The redhead could feel her shoulders burning and her lungs starting to hurt from the exertion, but she refused to back down.

Briefly stopping at yet another flat cliff, she continued her climb until she reached the top of the peak. There, on a small outcropping was a tall pole. Connected to it was a yellow rope stretched tight between the post next to her and one that stood on the overlook below them. Grabbing her hook from her waist, Aloy jumped without fear.

Reaching up, she grabbed onto the line with the hook and held her breath as she careened down the zipline. Near to the bottom, she took one hand off the hook and, throwing her weight, ripped the hook off the line. Hitting the top of the cliff hard, she rolled to preserve her momentum and protect herself from injury.

Here at the top of the overlook was a large signal fire, still unlit. Also, there was some camping equipment and a gate of a kind that served to mark the end of the trail. Off to the left was a pathway leading to the wall of the Embrace, and a Brave who was sitting on a stump, but Aloy paid him no mind. Sprinting through the gate and out onto a broken tree embedded into the cliff wall, she jumped into the open air.

As she ran, she pulled her hook and line from her belt. Just as she jumped, she dropped the hook into a spot on the broken tree. For a moment, she fell freely through the air before the rope went tight and she began to slide down it to the ground. Thankfully she was wearing gloves, or she'd have burned her hands on the rope. Landing on another rocky outcropping, she disconnected the rope from her belt and turned left, scrambling down the slope towards the road where Brin and the others stood, grinning.

Around them were the bodies of a few dead Striders. The clearing also held a few trees used as a smaller brave trail, but that was unimportant. The Striders had moved into the area a few months ago, so the younger Nora were often taken out to hunt them as practice for larger hunts. Aloy wasn't part of the group that'd hunted these though. That was a group a few years older than her who'd taken them out a few days ago.

"Time?" She panted, stopping next to Brin. The older Brave just grinned at her for a moment.

"Seven minutes, fifty-three seconds." He replied after a moment. "A new record."

Aloy grinned, filled with a sense of accomplishment. Still panting, she raised her hands in victory before giving him a nod and walking down the trail. She hadn't been expecting to beat the record, just to beat Bast! Rubbing at a stitch in her side, she grinned and jogged down the road towards the group still waiting at the base of the trail.

"Time!" Tesona barked, staring at her expectantly as the redhead approached the column.

"Seven minutes and fifty-three." Aloy replied, throwing a smirk at Arana and Vala. All as one, the group cheered, with Vala coming up and throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"A new record!" Tesona said with a smile. "Well done!"

"Good job, Aloy!" Vala congratulated her.

"Thanks!" Aloy replied, still panting slightly. "What'd you get?"

"Seven and fifty-eight." Vala grinned at her.

"You both spanked Bast pretty good." Arana told them, coming up on Aloy's other side.

Sure enough, the irritating boy was sulking at the back of the column. As their eyes met, he sent Aloy a glare. The redhead just ignored him, preferring to sit on a nearby boulder with her friends. They sat there for a while, talking and watching as the remainder of their group ran through the trail. Eventually, Yerl, the last of their group, came running back up the road with Brin and the other Braves behind him.

"Alright!" Tesona barked. "Normally I'd have you all run it again, but we don't have the time! I think we all know what's happening tonight, so let's get moving back to Mother's Heart!" Grinning, Aloy stood and reached out a hand to Vala. Giving her a look, she smirked.

"What do you wanna bet that Varl's wet himself by now?" She asked.

"Nah." Vala replied, taking her hand and letting Aloy drag her to her feet. "He's not gonna do that. Though, I do think he'll have paced a hole in our floor by now. He's just nervous."

"With good reason." Aloy replied, following along behind Tesona with the rest of the column.

"Yeah." Vala scoffed. "No kidding. I can't imagine how bad it'll be when it's our turn."

Varl

Varl, son of War-Chief Sona wandered through Mother's Heart, enjoying the sounds of music, cheers, and laughter. He was tall, dark-skinned, and strong. He just hoped it was enough, because today was the day. Seven months ago, Varl turned 19. Which, of course, meant he was old enough to run in the Proving. An event that was now upon him.

All around the young man were Nora faithful celebrating the passing of another year. The festival usually began around noon the day before the Proving and ran till late in the evening. The Proving itself began early in the morning the next day. Most participants spent the day enjoying the festival though, as Varl was discovering, they usually did so in order to distract themselves from their nerves.

"Varl!" A familiar voice shouted. Turning, he saw Aloy and Vala charging up the hill towards him. Smiling at him, his sister glomped him. The young man stumbled, wrapping his arms around her.

"We need you to settle a bet for us!" Aloy said, throwing him a sly grin.

"Aloy!" Vala protested with a laugh.

"What…?" Varl asked, suddenly nervous.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd wet yourself yet!" Aloy replied with complete nonchalance. Varl's mouth dropped open in shock. "But, Vala says you wouldn't do that. Just that you'd be pacing a hole in the floor of your hut."

"I haven't done either of those things!" The young Nora protested. "I'm just enjoying the festival!"

"Oh. Well, that's boring. I was hoping you'd do something really embarrassing like Yassa did last year." The redheaded gremlin smirked at him. Varl gulped down his nerves.

Yassa was a Brave who'd run the Proving the year before. She was a strong contender, but she tended to overthink things to an insane degree. The night before the Proving, she'd snapped and started running around the festival in a panic. She'd been causing such a ruckus that she'd pushed several Braves over and accidentally spilled cider all over High-Matriarch Lansra.

"I'm not going to do anything like that!" Varl protested, waving the two girls off. "I'm just going to enjoy the festival and do my best to win tomorrow. That's all!" He gave them a smile and ruffled Vala's hair. "Now, you two run off and have some fun. This party only happens once a year, so you'd best enjoy it."

"Good idea!" Vala agreed, extricating herself from his arms and grabbing Aloy by the hand. "Come on! Let's go find Thairn and Arana!"

"Woah!" Aloy shouted, startled by Vala suddenly pulling her away. "Hey, stop yanking on me!"

Varl watched them go with a smile before moving on. He stopped for a while, listening to the sounds of drums and flutes coming from somewhere deeper in the village before moving again. For the next two hours, he wandered around the festival, stopping occasionally to watch a performer, peruse a merchant's wares, eat some food, or to get a drink.

At one point, he had to stop and laugh as Aloy ran past him with Vala on her back, the two girls screaming with delight as they were chased through the festival grounds by another pair of younger Nora. Finally, he made his way up to the top of the village. Standing there, he looked out over the festival and further, towards All-Mother Mountain and the gate of the Embrace.

"It's hard to believe this day has come."

Turning, Varl saw his mother approaching him, a small smile on her face. Varl gave her one in return.

"I can believe it." He replied. "I've been waiting for so long."

"I wish you could still wait a little longer." She replied, moving to stand beside him at the edge. "I was hoping to have this war finished before you were old enough."

"Isn't it, though?" Varl asked, genuinely. "It's been three years since the last battle. Are we even at war anymore?"

His mother sighed. "If only it were that simple." She kicked lightly at a pebble by her feet. "The Carja still send smaller raiding parties against us, and they're slowly rebuilding the garrison at Daytower. If not for the western tribes pushing them, I don't doubt that the war would still be moving at the pace it was before." She turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Varl… it may be selfish of me to ask this, but I feel I must."

Varl looked at his mother, confused. He didn't understand what she was talking about. "What is it, mother?"

"I know that, should you win, you will ask to become a Seeker." She replied.

Varl nodded. That was his intention, yes. He fully intended to ask for the blessing if he won because he knew his sister would do the same and he refused to let her do it without him there to protect her.
"What I am asking is that you… not ask for the blessing." His mother admitted.

Varl looked at her, hurt. "Why?" he asked, a little heartbroken. Did she think he wasn't cut out for it?

His mother sighed and did something that shocked him. She pulled him into a hug. He couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged him. Sure, he didn't see her often but even when she came back from the front lines, she rarely hugged either him or Vala.

"I am so proud of you." She whispered in his ear. Varl's eyes went wide. His mother leaned back, grabbing his shoulders. "There is no doubt in my mind that you will be an exceptional Brave and an even better Seeker." She gave him another smile. "But I cannot stand the idea of you heading into Carja territory. Not while the war rages." To Varl's shock, there was a hint of tears in her eyes.
"A mother's fear is equal to the joy she feels when her child succeeds. I know that I cannot keep you from becoming a Brave. Nor would I ever wish to. It's been your dream since you were a child." Varl nodded, softly. He had a feeling he understood why she was asking now. "I only ask that you wait to become a Seeker until after the war is over. I will still worry, but then at least you will be a little safer."

Varl sighed, looking into his mother's eyes. He wanted to say no. To tell her that he could handle it. The problem was… he just couldn't. He could never refuse his mother.

"Alright." He whispered to her. "I'll wait. But," the young man raised a finger, "I refuse to let Vala become one without me there to help. If the war lasts long enough for her to run, I will ask for the blessing." His mother laughed and smiled at him. Not the usually small one but a wide, open, proud one.

"Very well." She nodded, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'll just have to make sure the war is over before then. Now, come" she put her arm around him, "the ceremony is about to begin."

All around them, the sky was going dark. Giving his mother another hug, Varl swiftly made his way towards the ceremonial grounds. There, arranged in rows, were a series of prayer lanterns. He wasn't the first to arrive, either. Moving to his lantern, Varl knelt and waited. Perhaps ten minutes later, the sun had sunk below the horizon and all the hopefuls were gathered.

"Aspirants!" High-Matriarch Jezza called out, "before each of you sits a prayer lantern crafted by your mother. In her honor, light its flame!"

Reaching down, Varl lit the flame of the lantern. Gently raising it off the ground, he let it go, watching as it floated into the sky beside the others. All the while, the High-Matriarchs chanted a prayer to the All-Mother.

Once the ceremony concluded, Varl made his way to the bed-house. All aspirants spent the night before the Proving in the same lodge. Inside were his year-mates. His friends. Normally, they would talk and joke but not now. No, on this night, they were all quiet. Subdued and serious. Falling into one of the beds, Varl lay awake for a while before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, they were woken by a Brave before the sun had even risen. For nearly two hours, while the sun rose, they marched north away from the village to the start of the Proving Grounds. A high, sheer cliff. Gesturing, the Brave waved the group towards the cliff.

With grim determination, Varl went right at the head of the pack, beginning the ascent. It was a long and hard climb, but he and his fellows were used to such things thanks to their years of training on the brave trails. After nearly a half hour of climbing, they reached the top. There, standing before them, was Rost. Second to the War-Chief and Varl's honorary uncle. The only recognition he gave his honorary nephew was a solemn nod.

"Braves!" Rost shouted, addressing them with the title for the first time in their lives. Varl puffed out his chest, his fingers twitching towards his bow. "They are almost upon us! Draw your weapons!"

Varl yanked out his bow, nocked an arrow, and moved further across the open expanse at the top of the mountain. Snow blanketed the area and there was a moderate wind, but the air was clear. Soon enough, the sounds of machines filled the air as a pack of Grazers came running through the clearing.

Varl drew his bow, tracking his target. He'd hunted plenty of machines, Grazers included. And, since he had experience hunting with Vala's Focus, he knew where their weak spots were. With patience and a practiced hand, he took careful aim before letting the arrow fly. It sunk directly into the neck of one Grazer, causing it to stumble.

Charging, Varl used his spear to finish it off before quickly ripping the machine apart. Standing, he showed his trophy to Rost, who nodded in acknowledgement. Three others had already claimed their trophies, but Varl was hot on their tails. With his trophy in hand, the son of the War-Chief charged towards the trail.

He passed Azze on the climb up to where the proctor stood. Following the direction of the Brave, he charged down the trail, leaping across gaps as he went. Inside a cavern, he bypassed Brik on the right and then sprinted as hard as he could to overtake Vokoye just past the exit of the tunnel. Running as fast as he could, Varl kept up a small but desperate lead as the aspirants charged across the snowy field towards the altar.

Barely slowing down, Varl slammed his trophy into the snow atop the altar. Right at the feet of Matriarch Yanrea. Vokoye and Brik were a scant couple seconds behind him and the others not far behind them. All as one, they looked up to the matriarch, awaiting her word.

"Congratulations to you all!" The matriarch shouted above the wind. "You ascended as children," she gestured to the nearby zipline, "but you will descend as Braves. Yet," she took a step towards him. "it is Varl, son of Sona and Von, who is first among you. Congratulations, young man. Any boon the Matriarchs can grant is yours. You have but to ask."

"Thank you, Matriarch." Varl bowed his head.

"In honor of your victory and in line with tradition, the victor will be first to descend." She pointed at the zipline again.

Rising, Varl pulled the hook from his belt and walked towards the zipline, receiving the congratulations of his friends as he walked. Securing it, he pushed off the cliff and careened downwards. He could see the village down below where his family was waiting to celebrate his victory with him.

A/N: Done! So, we got our first look at the Tenakth, Aloy beating the pants off Bast and… Varl running the proving! What did you think? Please leave a review or a comment with your thoughts!

The next chapter will be released later today, so keep an eye out for it!

The brave trail they run is the one you have to follow to get Odd Grata's prayer beads during the beginning of Zero Dawn if you feel like checking it out!

Story prompt! I had this idea, but I do not have the time to write it so if somebody wants to, take it!

Basically, the prompt is for a family-oriented fic revolving around a ship I've never seen before. If it exists, somebody tell me! But basically, the idea is Rost x Elisabet and them raising Aloy. Elisabet wakes up with baby Aloy inside ELEUTHIA and either is taken in by the tribe or whatever other method you might want to run with. I just think a story of Rost and Elisabet raising Aloy together would be adorable!

Answers to Questions

On FFN

LunaShadowWolf: Thank you very much! I'm glad you agree with me about Karst and the other characters. I'll miss writing them, but it's fun to really focus on Aloy now that she's older.

Rios: Yeah, asthma sucks. Corruptors and all that will still be a thing. The Eclipse will still exist and they will still dig up old machines so no worries there. Helis is still alive too, so he could wind up being a pain.

Astravega: Thank you! I do try and stick to canon in places where I haven't done anything to alter it. I prefer to keep with the ripple effect where I can rather than making drastic changes out of nowhere.

Zaber999: Looks like you commented on FFN and Ao3 so that's awesome! Thank you so much for reading the story! I typically prefer the heavy armor in ZD cause I'm not so good at stealth gameplay, but it's a lot of fun when you can pull it off. As for the servitor, you're literally the first person to mention it. All I can say to that though is… spoilers. As for the NG+ idea, I've been tempted to write one. Especially since nobody I've seen has ever finished one, but I just don't have the time to write it. Maybe after I finish this one? We'll see.

Bargo: Thank you! Your comments are always really insightful, and I love it! I hate making characters suffer, but it wouldn't be very interesting if there was no conflict at all. That'd make no sense. As for Elizabet, we aren't likely to see her beyond recordings. She's definitely dead in my story. I love ones that bring her back, but I'm sticking with only changing things that could realistically be changed by GAIA surviving in canon. I may make up a few recordings of her, but she is definitely dead. As for the family thing, I definitely have some ideas there so we will get there eventually. About Beta, well I think this Aloy will be far more understanding of her than canon Aloy. I'm looking forward to getting to their relationship. Don't worry about long comments, I love them!

On AO3

Chiki270: Thank you!

Ryanlarsen84: Thank you so much! I hope you like the anniversary surprise! As for the ultraweave, don't worry. Aloy will get her shield armor eventually. I have ideas.

Xfel: It's going to be a while before it's revealed, but I do have a few fun ideas on whose reactions to show and how it'll be found out. We'll have to wait a while for that though.

ReviewerDWJ2: I figured that there had to be some rebels in existence before Avad ran or it would take him far longer to get any kind of support from his own tribe when it came to actually controlling Meridian in canon. He had to have had some support from the Carja and not just the Oseram.

SpiritDeNight: We got a little taste of Tenakth in this chapter! More will sadly have to wait till Aloy is grown up, but we got a little of it!

SteamGears: I like writing Aloy as a bit of a gremlin. It's fun. As for GAIA and Beta, well… let's just say the mothering instinct is strong.

TheLoveOfHorizon: Thank you!

LeeviBrokenColors: I'm glad you came back too! No worries about the pressure, either. I had this already written and good to go before you left the comment!