Cave of dreams

After five days of no luck, I finally found it, the cave that would make my dreams come true. The old world ruins lay before my very eyes. I could hear my heart pounding like a drum. This would change everything for me, for the Nora, for the entire world. I would be a fool not to exploit my system and foreknowledge as much as I could. In my mind, several plans were beginning to take shape. But before any of that, I needed to explore and settle into my new base. Yes, this was not just a home, it was a base for all my immediate and future plans.

Gathering supplies and ropes had not been an easy task, but I had poured everything into this endeavor. Soon, I began climbing down into the very cave of dreams.

Nothing particularly surprising happened. The walls and metal seemed to blend into one another, with hard rock and water gaining more dominance over the years. In simple terms, the place was a mess, truly a very old-world ruin in disarray.

"This is it. It's happening."

As soon as I reached the bottom, I calmed myself. This was history in the making. An outcast kid would descend into this place, and a true king would emerge. In my mind, it was just a matter of time, dedication, and training. I would learn everything I could and use it to achieve all my goals in this world.

With a clear head, I began my very first treasure hunt. Soon, I found it: shining like the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings, smiling like a kitsune ready to devour you, singing like a mermaid. The One. The only. The Focus.

"Hehehe. Yes, yes, come to me, my precious Focus. Let's be one, let's merge together and dance on the graves of our enemies. Let's conquer this world."

Not going to lie, not talking to anyone in over a week was starting to get to me. Humans are social animals, after all. But at this point, it didn't matter. All I could see through my star shaped eyes and Gollum like grin was that amazing, ancient piece of tech.

I reached out to reverently pick up that holy artifact. It did exactly what I expected: I could see new colors, new paths opening before me. The code was still running after so much time and damage. Really, those old-world builders knew how to make things last. Their construction team deserved a five-star review. Too bad they're all dead now. I'd have loved for them to renovate this place.

I delved deeper into my base, collecting all the pieces of audio and data I could find. During the five days I spent searching for the cave, I'd also crafted a crude stone axe to break rocks, since I couldn't hunt machines yet to gather proper metal. I explored all the places Aloy couldn't access at the start of the game and scavenged every bit of information and loot. I turned over every stone three times, just to be sure. Another five days passed, and my persistence paid off. I found two more operational Focus. I didn't need more than one, but Aloy definitely did. She's the only one in the world who can open certain doors, and like Sylens, I wanted to explore every single one of them. So, my girl needs to fall into this cave and get her first ever "happy birthday."

With some time to myself, I made my first list using the Focus's writer app:

Keep training and hunting.

Keep learning Focus functions.

Find out if Aloy has been born.

Recruit an outcast or two to help with research.

Win the Proving so I can become a Seeker.

Create a secret organization dedicated to uncovering the true face of the world, learning its mysteries, and facing the enemy AIs HADES and Nemesis.

Be THE KING and change the world.

Have a sexy and badass maid.

For now, this seemed like a solid plan. Finding someone to join me would be hard or maybe impossible. I was still just a kid in their eyes, and trust doesn't come easy. I had six years until the Proving, so I needed to train like a madman on steroids to win and become the best Seeker possible. The easiest task would be finding out if Aloy was out there. I could probably check Rost's place tomorrow.

"Yeah, let's do that tomorrow. There's no time like the present… or tomorrow. Ahhh, I really need to talk to someone, or I'm going to lose my mind."