[Rise of a Multiversal Empire] 3 – The World of Horizon

Standing in the open field that was slowly transforming into rows and rows of future crops, I stared into the distant sky and a flock of metal birds that flew through the clouds, soaking up the light of the sun with their solar panels for wings.

That's right. I figured out what world I landed in, and I couldn't help but be slightly thankful for it.

Of all the worlds I could have ended up in, the world of Horizon Zero Dawn and Foribben West was far from the worst of my options. If anything, it was a great one, other than the rogue AIs, roaming machines, tribes, Far Zeneths, and the Nemesis. Most of these were problems that would become apparent in the future, as from the Quen and Carja, most tribes are apparently hostile. So, if we were in the homeland of the Quen, we would have to worry about not only an entire empire dedicated to Ted Faro, the man who caused the end of the modern world but also many dangerous and hostile tribes.

However, if I had time, I could handle all of those threats myself or simply allow Aloy, the main character and genetic clone of Dr. Elisabet Sobeck, and her ragtag group of friends to take care of the problem and get Gaia back up and running.

If I didn't involve myself, that is.

After all, I certainly was not going to leave the fate of the world to a small group of people, especially considering what they were up against.

However, I won't be any help until I find out exactly where we are. For all I knew, we could be on an entirely different continent and on the other side of the world from where the story would take place.

This is why the information our Scouts bring back is so important, because if they can bring back any clues as to where we are, then perhaps I can start preparing for any future...invasions of the Machines, though I was already preparing for that, as I had guards stationed around the fence and armed with the Survival Sidearms, which were sleek futuristic pistols that were clearly energy-based in appearance, as they had no visible magazine to feed bullets.

After some testing, it was revealed that these sidearms were self-recharging but had a limited shot count of ten before needing a minute to recharge.

How they recharged, I did not know, though I was tempted to have one taken apart to find out to see if it was replicable for any future ventures.

Other than the guards, the trappers, and hunters have begun bringing in fresh meat while the foragers brought home wild fruits and vegetables, the seeds collected having been sowed and planed into the ready fields.

If we're lucky, the crops will bear fruit in the future and supply us with future vegetables and fruits, though the fruit trees will likely take years before they reach maturity and start bearing any sort of fruit.

However, there was an incident while the foragers were gathering wild berries, a machine attack.

Specifically, the foragers drew far too close to some hidden Striders, Machine horses essentially, and ended up being attacked by the Watchers guarding the metal horses.

Watchers were bipedal machines that resembled a small theropod dinosaur, possibly an alvarezsauroid, due to their reduced forelimbs. Its chassis length is slightly greater than the height of an average adult human. Its most distinctive feature is its disproportionately large head, which houses a highly sensitive ocular sensor array, all mounted on a long, flexible neck composed of synthetic muscle that allows for a wide field of vision. The Watcher's body primarily connects the neck and a flexible tail of similar design. An offset hip bearing is attached on either side of the body, each leading into a thin springboard leg. The head, body, and hips are covered with white armor plating.

[spoiler]The above is straight from the wiki, as I honestly had no clue what the Watchers were based on, as most of Gaia's machines are based on known animals and dinosaurs[/spoiler]

Luckily, their assigned guards were nearby, and while I was not present to observe, according to them, the survival sidearms shot out an energy projectile, one that stunned the machines long enough for everyone to get away unscathed, though one of the gathered did get a sprained ankle.

Said Faunus was now resting in the colony and being taken care of by the doctors in one of the bunkhouses, which showed me that a clinic needed to be built soon so that we had a proper place to put the sick and injured.

So much needs to be done, and there are not nearly enough people or resources to do it.

Shaking my head, I walked away from the field and towards the bunkhouse.

It was already getting dark out, and the assigned cooks were preparing food for everyone at the center of the colony by the well.

That's right, the well had been fully constructed, and the colony was able to get fresh water, though we still had to be sparing with it as the well would not be able to produce enough water to provide for the whole colony's daily needs.

So, I had the guys who built the well begin trying to make water catchers with the spare animal skins we had from the carcasses the hunters brought back every day.

It was surprising how much game was available around the colony, though we had not encountered any kind of predator other than birds and snakes, which allowed the herbivores to flourish in number, which proved only to be a boon for our colony though if the population got out of control, we would have a lot more problems since the herbivores ate the wild vegetables and fruit we needed to survive.

Taking in a whiff of the growing delectable smell, I walked just a bit faster to the center of the colony, where everyone gathered and talked while eating the roasted meat, mushrooms, and vegetables our hunters and foragers gathered.

Everyone got their share of food, and while I walked over to grab a plate for myself, I gave a small smile to all of the Faunus, who waved and greeted me.

Greeting them back, I gladly accepted a plate of food from one of the female Fox Faunus, walked over to one of the random groups, and sat down before beginning to eat.

Noting that it was blank because of the lack of spices, I couldn't help but smile as I looked up to the beautiful star-lit sky.

With the lack of light pollution, this was the clearest I had ever seen the sky, and it was beautiful beyond words.

Looking back down, my gaze swept over the laughing men and women who happily enjoyed their meals and new lives, and I couldn't help but feel a bit happy knowing that they themselves were happy.

They were my responsibility, and by God, I would do my damndest to make sure that they stayed safe and happy, no matter what got in my way.

Content with eating my bland meal and listening to everyone talk, I smiled and dreamed of the future.

That night, I slept better than I could have ever imagined.

[Task completed!]

[Rewards: Crate of Pre-War food and +5 Faunus Pops]