First fanfic! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Induction
"Hunters over here! Step right on up!"
Immediately, a group of humans, awoken, and exos, all apparently Hunters, moved forward, jostling each other for positions in the line. The exo Hunter who had called out was waving rather comically, trying to get the attention of any stragglers who hadn't formed themselves into a somewhat organized, albeit ununiform line.
"All right, Guardians. Congratulations on joining the best class in the Tower," he continued, as he led his new hunters to a room where he would give the hunters his speech.
He looks fun. I hope all of the Vanguards are like that, I thought. After a second of thought, I added, or, at least, the Titan Vanguard, too.
My name is Alexander, and I'm a newly revived human Titan. My Ghost, Lantern, found me lying in the Cosmodrome, a common place for Guardians to be resurrected for some reason.
(The Cosmodrome also seems to have the highest rate of safe returns to the Tower due to its proximity to the Tower compared to locations on other planets, the amount of Guardians roaming around it, mostly on their first missions, and the fact that it has a bunch of ships that still work.)
"…am Cayde-6. I will be your host, teacher, Vanguard, and, well, gambler and bettor. Although I personally don't mind a little bit of entertainment around here, because of certain Vanguard and Tower policies, I'm required to explain some rules…"
I noticed another Vanguard stepping up. She was a human, with dark skin and short black hair. She didn't look like a Titan. She gave a reproving look towards the Hunter Vanguard, most of whose enthusiastic Hunters were now outside of the Hall of Guardians.
Well, she's not a Hunter. And I'm pretty sure she's not a Titan, either. Titan… Hunter… what was the other class again?
The Vanguard answered my question for me: "Warlocks, follow me. I am Ikora Rey. We will be meeting in the Tower North."
A large number of robed Guardians stopped chatting and quietly formed a uniform line in front of the not very large but imposing Warlock Vanguard.
"Right, I probably should have told you the Vanguards' names," Lantern said. "That Hunter, as you might have overheard, is Cayde-6. The Warlock Vanguard, as you probably heard, is Ikora Rey. And your Titan Vanguard is-"
"Greetings, Titans. Welcome to the Tower. I am Commander Zavala."
"You definitely heard his name," Lantern whispered.
Zavala was a tall, war-hardened veteran Titan. His large stature and armor was an intimidating sight to behold. His white, luminescent eyes peered into each of ours carefully, as if inspecting some curious new specimen. He raised his hand, all remaining eyes in the room on it, and pointed it to a room adjacent to the Hall of Guardians.
"Titans, follow me. In here, we will train for battle."
Sounds like his speech won't be as funny as Cayde's. He still seems pretty cool, though, I thought quietly to myself.
"After you," Commander Zavala said in his gentle but carrying voice. The Titans spilled into the meeting room, and Zavala closed the door behind us. After everyone had found a seat at a desk, he walked to the front of the room. He stared into the map on the board (which was in fact a screen) for a few seconds and then turned around. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate you on qualifying to become a Guardian. It is an honorable duty and responsibility to defend the Tower, the Last City, and on its shoulders, humanity itself.
"The duty of a Guardian is to guard humanity and the Traveler from the forces of the Darkness. Hunters explore new lands and hunt for artifacts and intellect. Warlocks learn the ways of the opponent, and of our own Light. But, we. We are Titans. We are strong. But we also must be brave. We must be dignified but humble, commanding but reassuring, self-reliant but loyal and cooperative, fearless but strong of heart.
"We are courageous. We lead the charge. We are strategic. We take command on the battlefield. Titans are the first ones in and the last ones out. We are the first and last line of defense. We are the wall between the City and our people, and the Darkness. We are a blade that pierces the very heart of the Darkness.
"Today, you have all accepted these roles and responsibilities. Today, you pledge yourselves as warriors of Light, of the Traveler and of the City. Today… you become Titans."
The Titan Vanguard let his speech sink into his audience, his new pupils. After a moment of pause, he spoke again, smiling, and although the newly inducted Titans did not realize it, this was a rare occasion.
"Today, however, you will not begin your training. That will be for tomorrow. Now, I will explain to you all the rules of the Tower, the Vanguard, and, of course, Titans."
What do you think? Don't worry, if you thought this was short, the upcoming chapters will be longer.