1
-Lone Scholar-
Venus; Southern Forests
'What am I?' a hidden silhouette thought to itself, sitting casually beneath lush trees and undergrowth. The smell of fire clung heavily to the figure.
'A Guardian? Huh,' the shadowed man speculated, gazing at a coin that vibrated gently in his grasp. 'But why?'
'Why do I have these- these memories? Dreams?' he questioned, pocketing the strange object as he stood. 'I remember… I used to love. Have whispers of living, and being more but… Now?'
Red beams of light shined around before focusing on the hidden soldier's location. The Vex had found him finally; simple enough for a group of tireless machines. He had not been hidden but for a few minutes. The discovery did not alarm him.
In a moment brief and swift, the cloaked man twirled a gaudy revolver that lent each Vex Goblin a single munition; painting their metal husks in their own florescent fluids as they crumbled into the grassy underbrush.
'All I do is kill,' the being of Light summarized, sinuously reloading the exotic weapon before holstering it on his lower back.
Pushing through the verdant bush, the Guardian sauntered indifferently out into the sunlight. The forests of Venus echoed sounds of hidden wildlife as the man strolled out from the groves and onto a lightly traveled path.
"Why do I have this power…" the man's smooth yet faintly mechanical voice questioned aloud, staring into his open palms. He could feel the potent energy rushing within him. "What did I do to earn my undeath?"
"Nikolai..." a woman's voice tested gently.
The man sighed deeply within his helmet before looking up to question the air, "How did you find me? And why?" he recognized that voice anywhere.
With a dimly electrical noise the hooded Guardian revealed herself atop a tree branch. Squatting lowly, the Huntress rested her chin in her palms.
"That's what I'm built for, love," the woman answered smoothly. "It's because I care."
"Now is not the time Selah," the Exo said indignantly. "I did not leave Town to be hunted. I left to think. To be alone."
"Nikolai…" the armored woman spoke softly, her body language wilting at the man's brashness. "You're doing it again…"
Pain tore through the Warlock's heart. Hunters are notorious for being outsiders, commonly bonding with only a few close acquaintances. But Selah was an extreme case.
She was not bothersome, or pushy even. They shared an experience together, when they slayed the Hive demon above Saturn. The siege was treacherous and they almost lost their Light. They would have been nothing but a story if Nikolai had not been there to bring her back. They counted on her; no one could run the way Selah did.
He saved her. Which, in turn, saved them all. From amidst the encounter they clicked and consequently remained together.
His over calculating mind recognized this. That only having one true friend is tough enough. Having that friend constantly push you away? He was lucky she didn't leave him. They both knew it.
That was their relationship, however. They knew one another, better than they knew themselves. There was understanding and forgiveness between them. They accepted this.
The man sighed quietly, gazing up at the Huntress. Slowly the Warlock stretched out a compassionate hand as the midday Venus sun gradually receded behind heavy clouds, casting more shade beneath the canopy.
In a flurry of lightning the woman teleported into his embrace, wrapping both of her arms beneath his. It had been too long of a separation for her. The same went for the thoughtful scholar, even if he didn't admit it.
"I am sorry," Nikolai apologized, hugging the sturdy woman in his stiff arms.
"I know," the Huntress affirmed, nuzzling his chest. Their armor felt like an extension of their bodies.
"It was really long this time, wasn't it…?" he questioned cautiously, torrents of malefic emotions whirling within him.
"Mhm," she nodded into his chest. "Five weeks."
'Five weeks?' the man shook his head in disappointment and regret as he mentally scolded himself. 'I cannot keep this up.'
"Hey," Selah said, lifting her head to gaze at him visor to visor. "Let's not sulk around, okay? I've got some stuff to show you back in Town anyways."
"Stuff?" Nikolai questioned, fully intrigued and thankful for the change of subject. She was like that. Ever-flowing, never-dwelling. "Like what?"
"Liiike, you've missed out on Saladin. Plus the Disciple is back with his tournament," she said with a giggle, wholly knowing how to egg him on. Nikolai reveled in the Trials. "I won some cool stuff, found a couple powerful engrams that we can bring to your favorite blue bastard if you want? That's right, the purple ones hehe. Oh! And yeah, it's also the Festival."
"What!" he said excitedly, kicking himself for going on another hiatus of his and missing out on so much. "Well come on then, it has been too long. The Vex are closing in on us anyways. They seem to have brought Minotaurs with them."
"Yeah, because I'm worried about some Vex 'closing in on us,'" Selah teased him, laughing while the two Guardians phased away as a jumpship seemingly comprised of flesh and bone swooped overhead.
Last City; Guardian Tower
The Tower bustled emphatically with Guardians. There were Warlocks and Hunters blinking here and there, scaring their fireteam mates to death. Some Titans were engaged in private dance offs while other men and women had their hearts shattered by the unforgiving hammer of disappointment that the Cryptarch was known to wield.
Materializing out of thin air, two veteran Guardians joined the tower and the celebrations it had to offer.
Nikolai stood in awe next to his Huntress partner, eagerly removing his helmet to look upon the decorations with his own two ocular lenses (hidden behind a small blast plate between his black mouth and purple forehead horn; still able to see via the nervous network connecting eyes to blast plate that receives visual perception through hyper sensitive, microscopic light detecting panels).
"Ohhh man, it's even better than last year!" the black painted Exo exclaimed, his mouth lighting up in a bright cyan as he spoke. "I really enjoy the purple candles. The paper engrams are great too hahah."
"It gets better," Selah said with a smirk having removed her faceless black helmet, Void flames lapping out from it's maw before it dematerialized into her storage. "Eva is selling bags of goodies. There's paper heads of the slain Kells and Hive gods. They're my favorite." she summarized with a proud smile.
"Is there candy?" Nikolai asked briskly, quickly turning to the woman with concern written all over his mechanical visage.
"Hehe, yes," she giggled in amusement as they made their way to the Vanguard room. "Yes, there's candy."
"Sweet!" he exclaimed excitedly, drawing laughter from some guardians around them who overheard. "Wait, where are you leading us? Is the candy not that way?" he asked anxiously, motioning to the left with both of his thumbs.
"Yes, and we can get to that later," Selah reassured wryly, mischief lighting up her fair, human features. "But for now I want to have a different kind of fun…"
If Exo's could blush, Nikolai would have become a tomato. Luckily he had an expert poker face.
"Not that fun Nikolai!" she yelled as she could see his metaphorical gears turning, punching him in the shoulder with mock offence on her face. "Hmph. No silly, it's just that Shaxx has released Doubles Skirmish for one of the special events this week. I've really been wanting to bash some heads in, but…"
"I know," the Warlock confirmed, understanding her unwillingness to work that intimately with Guardians she isn't close with. Selah loves to win but hates when people she doesn't know or like hold her back from victory, so Nikolai understood her eagerness to get started now that she had him back. "Give me some time to gear up, I am definitely down. Oh, speaking of the Crucible- are Trials up? Shit, what day is it Selah…"
"Ugh, it's only Tuesday," she replied in equal disappointment. "Besides, we don't really have a third anymore…"
"Hey," Nikolai beckoned as he slowed to a stop on the stairs, putting his hand on her shoulder when she turned to him. "Don't think like that. Keir is out there Selah. I feel it, I just- I…"
"Shh, okay. I know, I'm sorry alright?" she whispered as she pulled him close, kicking herself for bringing up Nikolai's missing friend. "I believe you. He's fine- somewhere. I trust you, and your witty Warlock intuition stuff."
"Alright," the Warlock nodded, choking back the self-doubt that lurks among the demons that haunt him. "Let us just get geared and out there. I have yet to test my thunder against a Guardian's resolve." Nikolai finished, looking down at hands that crackled with Arc energy for a brief moment.
"Please, allow me first shot this round. I've learned a thing or two about the Void out there," Selah disclosed, meeting her partner's smile with a grin of her own as they approached the large, horned Crucible handler. "Let's kick some ass."
End
I love Destiny and its lore. I have been playing the game on Xbox One since the beta (then D2 on PC). I know the game has its faults, but I also know one should admit that it has a pretty fantastic 'expanded universe' story potential.
Pronunciation: Nikolai (nik-oh-lie), Selah (say-lah)
Good day, and thank you for reading.
-Kyzer-