Prelude: A Shimmer of Hope
A lone figure, outfitted in an ornate, black robe with golden accents stumbles out the sliding door on the massive ship, gripping at the ground as he attempted to stand. He had already looked beaten, as if there was not a drop left of the courage he once held within him. The man soon staggered to his feet, clinging to the rifle alongside him by only the handle. He stood on the now blood-soaked, corpse-littered platform of the ship, staring up at the sky, towards the large orb that granted him his powers, now held captive by a machine. The man then fell to his knees at the edge of the ship, still looking upwards as he felt he large barrel of a rifle pressed against the back of his head, soon followed by five smaller dropships pointing their spotlights directly at the soldier. All he saw was the blinding lights of the foreign vessels that surrounded him, unable to see the monument that had brought him so far. In his last breath, he spoke to the creature that stood behind him.
"Do me.. No.. Do your captain a favor.. and drop me."
The creature behind him seemingly obliged as he was then knocked from the ship, the foot of the large, alien lifeform slamming into his back and sending him off the edge, deep into the heart of the city.. At least what remained of it. As the man hit the ground nearly five thousand feet below him, everything went black. Two days have passed as the man had miraculously woken up, armor in tatters as he began to slowly stand with frequent, painful grunts. He managed to get to his knees, prying off his helmet as he stared down at the broken piece of armor, a drop of blood falling onto the visor of it. The soldier reached up and touched his forehead, looking at his hand to discover he was bleeding heavily. He stood with another painful grunt as he began to limp along the streets of the war torn city, a small machine joining him by his side, outfitted in a now crushed, red and white armored exterior. As the miniscule object joined him, he only nodded, still moving through the once thriving city as he made his way to the outskirts, wandering into the wilderness beyond the town. Realizing he had no weapon with him, he accepted whatever may come to him, regardless if it was his assured death, or a possible savior.
A week of aimless walking had passed as the soldier and the smaller, floating machine travelled through the mountains, soon finding a perfect view of his previous home, in flames, invaded by the creatures that refer to themselves as, 'The Red Legion.' He stared for a few minutes as a command ship from the hostile military soared overhead, the ground rumbling as it passed by. He staggered to keep his balance as the massive aircraft's engines emitted their booming war cry, causing the large, metallic object to propel itself in a direct course to the large ball of light, the Traveller. The soldier stood there for a second, just watching before he continued on his way, in search of a new home. Without the light, he was reduced down to a mortal, finally fearing death for once in his life. Throughout his journey, he continued through the wilderness beyond the city, soon arriving at an area where other refugees fled for safety of the large scale invasion, a farm.
The soldier approached the small farm hesitantly, his wounds starting to get the best of him, slowing him down as he came closer. He soon succumbed to the immense pain of his new scars, falling forwards onto the grassy, dirt ground below him, passing out from blood loss. He blacked out once again the minute he made contact with the ground, for what seemed like an eternity to the man before suddenly waking up inside what seemed to be a small shack. It was nicely decorated, filled with a massive variety of colorful quilts, floor mats, and traditional-style ornaments. As he woke up, he was met by a few refugees of the farm who managed to escape the city as well, a group of three.
The one on the right was outfitted in what seemed to be a suit of very heavy suit of armor, not nearly as tattered as the other soldier's but still very beaten. He was massive, standing there at around six foot, four inches, his armor making him look even more muscular than what he would normally look like. The figure in the middle was draped in an ornate, black and white robe, with a skull-like helmet that looked as if it had been fashioned from protruding from the head of a beast. He was relatively slim, but certainly bulky enough to withstand combat against any enemy that came his way. Then there was the figure on the right, the only person to really catch the wounded man's eye as he woke up. A woman, one who he found more beautiful than the rest, but only stared, his pain too great for him to speak just yet. Although, this girl was not like the rest that the man had seen in his lifetime, her skin was blue. She was Awoken, which tended to be much more attractive than the humans. The girl was the first one to speak, her soft voice breaking the silence in the room as the woman knelt down to keep the wounded soldier from standing.
"No need to act so quickly. Your wounds are still healing, it may take a while longer."
She explained to him, then looking over to the other men in the room, both of which were standing idly by, the one in white speaking up as he removed his helmet. It was now clear the man in the radiant robes was also Awoken, his skin tone only a small bit darker than the other woman. His glowing orange irises seemingly peering right into the visor of the man on the ground as he looked over him.
"I see we share similar attire…" He began with a light tone of voice, a slight English accent with his voice. "I know what you are. You're practically just like me, a Warlock. Where else would you acquire such attire?"
The man then stood up as he looked over towards the other man in the heavily-plated armor, nodding as he then looked back to the injured Warlock, the Awoken girl also doing the same.
"An introduction is required, comrades…" The massive man spoke with a deep, raspy voice, removing his helmet to reveal the 'skin' underneath. He was not human at all, but a machine. The metallic man's appearance was a deep grey, his optics a very bright red, making him much more menacing than the other two. He began to speak once more, the inside of his mouth lighting up as the man spoke, again, the same red color.
"I am Monarch-9, an Exo manufactured primarily for New Monarchy operations. Of course, ever since the tower fell and the light was taken from us, I began to work for anyone around the farm in need of security. In case you are wondering, these are my allies, Lamnus, the Voidwalker, and Nolma, the Gunslinger."
The Exo introduced the two of his friends to the man, who was still laying on the ground, facing all of them as he then looked toward Nolma, the Awoken female, as she spoke.
"And what is your name? I would guess you have one."
The Warlock was completely silent for a moment, sitting up hesitantly as the girl helped him, seeing as his wounds were close to, but not quite yet, fully healed. He shook his head, sighing, looking over to the woman that knelt by his side.
"I am unsure…" He started, "I have been unconscious for god knows how long, I have forgotten everything."
As he said that, the others looked at each other, Monarch then speaking to the two Awoken, his tone of voice still bland, yet firm.
"Maybe we should give him a name to live by, if not, a code-name will be suitable. We will carry this out, that is…" Monarch turned to the man with a blank stare, blinking once as he gestures to the Warlock. "If you would allow us to present you with one."
The man only nodded to the Exo as the mechanical man and the Awoken man stepped out of the room, Nolma staying behind with the human man, now sitting beside him.
"Is there anything you remember? Do you at least remember how to fight?"
She asked the man, looking over to the Warlock as he removed his helmet, which was moderately shaped, only with two, metallic horns protruding upwards from the side of the dark helm. The man stared at the helmet for a second, trying to think of how he acquired the gear that he had woken from his coma with. Before he could answer the girl, the two others marched into the room, both of which looked right at the man, Lamnus saying only one thing before turning and leaving.
"We have decided. Welcome to Fireteam Sierra, Nezarec."
Once Lamnus stepped out of the room, Monarch tossed the new refugee a strange helmet, which he caught and examined. The Exo nodded to Nolma as his eyes flicked to the helmet, saying nothing else as he walked back outside with Lamnus. The woman thought for a minute where they got his name, and then realized the design that the helmet possessed, smiling a bit as she understood the reference. Nolma then stood as she noticed the man's wounds had healed, offering her hand to him, which he took with little to no hesitation. Nezarec stood up, grunting as the pain had not yet fully subsided, still finding it difficult to move at first. The Awoken woman helped him stand, slinging one of his arms over her shoulder as they stepped out of the house, revealing the bright, vegetative farm they called home.
"Well, I guess you'll be staying here with us. Welcome to your new home, Guardian."
'Guardian.'
That word echoed in his head as memories flooded back of who he once was, what he had done, and who he was now. The man looked down at the helmet in his hands, able to see a faint reflection of himself in the visor. He then strapped on the helmet once Nolma had let go of him, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, the darkness of his eyelids serving as a comfortable space to him.
"I am Nezarec. I am a Guardian… In a world without light."
Chapter 1: Beyond the Wall
Fireteam Sierra. The word 'fireteam' alone was enough to make Nezarec feel right at home, as if he actually belonged somewhere. The thought of now being alongside people who cared for him made him feel warm, tingly, safe for once in the life he has lived, which he knows nothing about. He had been daydreaming for around ten minutes before suddenly snapping back into reality, Monarch nudging him as he gestured over to the entrance of a large, dark tunnel. The area around them was dark, a light mist covering the ground as the moon shone beyond the clouds in the sky. Lamnus was scouting the area with a rifle he had, a Copperhead-4SN, peering down the scope of the weapon as he made sure the perimeter was clear. Nolma, on the other hand, was more focussed on searching the area around them for anything they could find useful.
Lamnus gave them the sign, saying it was all clear as he stood and proceeded to walk down the broken highway towards the large cave, soon stopping as the road dropped into a ditch, the asphalt stopping around half-way towards the tunnel. The Awoken man turned to the others, soon looking back at the large, underground passage, holstering the rifle on his back as he took a few steps back, gesturing for others to follow.
"We're going to have to jump. I know you guys can make it, especially you, Nolma. You're a hunter, your ability to move should be your top priority."
He said to the woman, who simply smiled and shook her head, getting a running start and easily leaping across the gap to the other side. She let out a light giggle as she stood by the edge, waiting for the others to jump across as well. Even if they managed to miss the jump, they would still be fine, the drop wasn't that big, and there was a natural ramp leading up to the opposite end. Monarch was the second to make the jump, clearing it with ease, being mostly made of machinery, the ground tearing below his feet as he skidded to a stop, laughing as he began to brush off the boots to his heavy armor. Lamnus made it as well, almost equally as fast as Nolma, landing on the other side as he then gestured for Nezarec to follow along, calling back to him.
"Don't be shy, Nezarec! If I can make it, you can as well!"
The other Warlock was nervously pacing around the ground, thinking whether or not he should really try to make it across. Heights have always been an issue for him, ever since the day he lost his power and hit the ground five thousand feet below him. Nezarec then began at a full sprint towards the end of the road, as soon as he reached the edge, leaping towards the end adjacent to him. The Warlock landed right at the edge, smiling to himself before he began slowly losing balance as a fragment of the asphalt crumbled underneath his right foot. In an attempt to stabilize himself, he moved his arms in circular motions forwards, still falling backwards however. Nolma noticed this almost instantly and grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly as she then pulled him back, his feet now planted on the safe part of the broken street. The edge he had been standing on fell apart, falling into the ditch below, the entire fireteam watching, Lamnus being the one to take the initiative and lead the team forward.
"We don't have time to stand around, let's get going. There are plenty of things to do in this wasteland, watching asphalt crumble is not one of them." The man said to the group as he continued along, Monarch and Nolma following instantly, Nezarec taking a few seconds to make sure the road was still safe before catching up to the others.
Once the fireteam had regrouped once more, the four Guardians proceeded further into the tunnel, soon reaching an area where the ground had caved in, revealing a cave right below the highway. This time, almost with no hesitation, Monarch went first, proceeding into the much darker area as he drew a shotgun from his back, pumping it once as he made his way through. Lamnus was the first to have his Ghost act as a flashlight, illuminating the way before them as the team slowly marched through the damp cave. Nolma and Nezarec followed behind, making sure to keep their sides covered as they moved along, the Awoken woman carrying a Deathstalker-4AU Submachine Gun while the man gripped a Scathelocke Auto Rifle, one he had been given before leaving the farm. Suddenly, Monarch had signalled for them to stop, holding up a fist in the air next to his head as he looked around, scanning the area. Nolma did the same, her grip on her rifle tightening as she began to get nervous of what was in there with them.
"Please tell me everyone else is hearing this."
Lamnus said to the group as he then began looking around a bit more frantically, making sure specific areas of the cave remained illuminated. He heard something in the shadows, but he was unsure what it was until one landed directly in front of Monarch. Fallen Marauders, wearing no house symbols seen before, the one standing in front of the Exo slowly rising and letting out a screech as it reeled back a blade, held in one of its four hands. The guardian fired, the sound of his shotgun echoing through the cave as more Fallen began to reveal themselves, the others taking combat positions as the group of hostile aliens grew more. Everything was silent for a second before Monarch pumped his shotgun once more, the shell ejecting from the receiver and hitting the floor. That's when the fight began. Each of the lightless guardians split up, each covering a specific area as the Fallen Marauders approached quickly, regardless if they had no range, the guardians made sure to keep themselves covered. After all, without their light, they had one life, and losing it meant the end. During the fight, Monarch rushed from his cover, still firing away with his shotgun, shredding through the targets in front of him, occasionally using his fist itself to kill the alien soldiers.
"Behind you!" Nolma called to Monarch as she slid between him and a marauder that would have stabbed the Exo in the back.
The girl kicked the creature away, causing it to stumble as she quickly emptied eight shots of her Submachine Gun into it, killing the creature as the last shot struck right between the eyes of the Fallen. Lamnus joined in covering the Exo, tackling one of the marauders as he proceeded to send his fist into the creature's mask, breaking the light metal covering, and the alien's teeth, soon killing it with a quick snap of the neck. The warlock then quickly drew a hand cannon, a Headstrong, from a holster on the back of his waist, firing one round, which tore through the neck of another Fallen, killing it instantly. Nezarec, on the other hand, had been moving through the cave behind them, making sure some of the creatures were truly dead, approaching the situation like a trained marine. He kept himself hunched a bit, aimed down his sights as he spent around two to four bullets per target, firing in small bursts. One of the remaining Fallen went for him, Nezarec soon ducking under and slamming his shoulder into its legs and then upwards, sending the Fallen marauder over his shoulders and back first onto the ground. With the creature stunned, he didn't bother hesitating, reeling back his rifle as he dropped to one knee and delivered a killing blow with his rifle, most likely breaking the skull of the Fallen, since he had felt the head of the alien dent. Once everything was done, the group made sure no one was injured, everyone checking each other to make sure no one had sustained any damages.
"First, thank you Nolma. I wouldn't be standing without that help you gave me. Second, I think this team is operative at peak efficiency compared to many others without light. We are already a good-" Before he could finish, Lamnus looked over at Nezarec with a raised eyebrow, holstering his hand cannon behind him once more.
"Nezarec, I'm impressed. Where did you receive this kind of combat training?" The Awoken man inquired, the other Warlock shrugging as he strapped the auto rifle to his back.
"I am not sure, it just felt like second nature, in all honesty." The man explained as he looked towards Nolma, who only smiled and nodded to him.
"You certainly contributed quite a bit during the firefight, thank you." She said to him, the man humbly dismissing it as he offered to lead the way in case they ran into any more Fallen.
They walked further through the cave, soon coming across what seemed to be the entrance of a mining facility. Nezarec gave the order silently for everyone to duck, waving his hand up and down slightly. They lurked along the shadows of the facility, taking cover behind a few rocks as they looked over, more Fallen ahead, many more of them, and all armed with ranged weapons. The warlock then sat down as he looked at the group, giving them hand gestures that explained two things, 'move around,' and, 'distract,' unfortunately the team did not know any of the commands. He rolled his eyes and whispered to them instead.
"Lamnus, Monarch, move around the metal catwalk up to the left and begin firing, get their attention. Nolma and I will go around the right side and take them out. Got it?"
The rest of the group nodded as they slowly snuck around to fill in their positions, Nolma staying close to Nezarec, both on a rocky ledge overlooking most of the facility. They took aim at some of the nearby Fallen, not opening fire just yet as Lamnus and Monarch had arrived at their cover. The fight kicked off in an instant, as one of Lamnus' stray rounds ricocheted off the rocks and slapped into a red barrel, which are notorious for exploding. The barrel hissed for a second before erupting, metal shards of the canister flying through the flames emitted from the detonation. Two Dregs died in the initial eruption, the flames burning them alive, three others dying from the shrapnel of the barrel. Nezarec and Nolma took this as their time to begin firing, peeking over the rocks as they fired individual bursts of rounds at the Fallen, Monarch and Lamnus taking cover as they had the idea to aim for more barrels, which really sparked a commotion. It was hard to tell what was going on at the moment with the explosions, rumbling, Fallen screeches, and gunfire from all directions.
"Nezarec, cover me!" Nolma suddenly called out as she stopped firing and began to fall back a bit, soon sprinting forwards to another point of cover, drawing the enemy's' fire.
The minute Nezarec noticed this, he called to Monarch and Lamnus, ceasing his fire for just a second as he yelled over the gunfire and explosions.
"Take them out! She's got their attention!"
That's when the gunfire really picked up, each bullet shredding through the Fallen as they approached the Awoken girl who had curled up behind the light metallic cover. The only time most of them let go of the trigger was to reload, shells flying everywhere as the last of the explosions went off, the room now echoing with the fire of automatic rifles, shotguns, and hand cannons. As the last Vandal was gunned down, Nezarec was the first out of his cover, sprinting over to the girl as Lamnus and Monarch followed behind closely. The Warlock slid into cover with her, taking a knee on the ground as he inspected for any injuries she sustained. The woman had only one injury, one of the Fallen Dreg's shock pistols had barely scraped her thigh on the first shot. The second shot landed, burning her shoulder severely, creating a scorch mark on not only her armor, but underneath as well, which was not counting the stinging sensation of electricity in the body.
"Nolma, don't move your arm so much. Monarch, help her walk, one shot skimmed by her leg. The arc power of the shot alone can hurt you if it gets close." Lamnus said to the group as he took point, making sure to keep them covered from the front.
Nezarec didn't hesitate, helping the woman to stand while Monarch handed the Warlock his shotgun, 'Good Bone Structure.' With that, the man took the weapon and helped Nolma lean on Monarch, the Exo making sure she could stand properly, since he was the toughest of all of them. Inspecting the weapon, Nezarec knew the design and faded colors from anywhere, a Suros weapon, practically a pump-action Scout Rifle. He pumped it once, which ejected the most used shell as he then asked Monarch for some more ammunition, which the Exo gladly gave to him. Once fully reloaded, Nezarec gave the weapon another pump, loading in the other shells as he proceeded to cover them from the back. Once everything was good, they moved along through the massive mine, clearing out any more Fallen they came across. Anything from Shanks to Servitors in the way of the fireteam were gunned down by primarily the two warlocks, soon reaching an elevator shaft that took them up and out of the mining facility, soon coming along to look over the forests of their new home. Somewhere out there was the farm, but the team, especially Nezarec, noticed something much more important than just a place to live, something they never expected to see.
"Please tell me you guys are also seeing this." Nolma said in amazement, now standing as he wounds had slowly healed, but still holding her arm tightly.
Monarch was completely silently, just awestruck as he realized what the large, white, mountain-like structure was. Even Nezarec had been only staring at the object, soon taking a seat on the rocky ground below him as he began thinking of what to do now. Lamnus was the only one to speak after Nolma had asked them that one question, a confident grin slowly spreading along his face. The Awoken man stood at the edge of the steep drop, right next to Nezarec and Monarch, beholding in the sight of the object.
"I see it.. Better yet, I can feel it."
The group was staring at a perfect view of a shard of the Traveller, a very big one too. This shard still had plenty of light in it, enough energy to power an entire country for a few millennia, just in view of them.
"Can you believe it?" Nolma started, taking a seat on the rocky edge, similar to what Nezarec was doing. "The Traveller left this for us. It's giving us a second chance! We can finally-"
"It's not giving us a second chance, Nolma." Nezarec corrected the woman as he then stood from his seat, handing Monarch back his shotgun as he stared at the giant, white shard of pure energy, also feeling just how powerful it is from this distance. "Do you guys remember how ghosts were created?"
The group all stared at him for a second, everyone gathering around to listen to him.
"Remember what the Speaker said? In its dying breath, the Traveller created the ghosts.. Ghosts are made from the Traveller to seek out the guardians who can use its light for good, to save Earth! To save this galaxy!"
"What are you getting at, Nezarec?" Monarch cut in, sitting in front of the man as he stood and began to pace the ground.
"The Traveller left that there for us, it wants us.. Now.. in its dying breath.. The Traveller gives pure light to the guardians to avenge it. To save it. This isn't a chance at redemption, this isn't a chance at life once more.. This is a call to war! It needs us more than ever now, so it left us a shard and expects us to fulfill that call."
Before he could walk off, Nolma stopped him, turning him back around with a worried look on her face as she spoke to him.
"But, how do you know this? The Speaker is gone, we have no idea what the Traveller is really doing."
The minute he heard that, Nezarec shook his head, sighing as he looked back towards the giant shard left by the large, white orb.
"I've never trusted him from the start.. The Traveller never speaks, it acts, and it leaves the guardians to interpret what it means. Ninety percent of the time, we're right.."
"And if we are wrong?" Lamnus asked, taking one step forwards as Nezarec looked towards him. The other warlock responded bluntly to the Awoken.
"Then we won't be alive to tell the others we were wrong. Now, let's get back to the farm, rest for a while, and then see if we can find a way to that shard." Nezarec said to them as he began march off, taking a trail down the mountain they stood on, gesturing for the others to follow, Nolma being the first to trail behind the man, then Lamnus.
Monarch took another minute to think over what the man had said, wondering if he was right about the traveller, about what it was trying to tell them. That's when the Exo also began to doubt the Speaker but also wondering how this one, lone warlock knew exactly what it was telling them. Monarch soon shook his head as he jogged to catch up to the group, which was already on their way back to the farm, Lamnus now leading the way as Nezarec spoke to Nolma, but from the Exo's distance from them currently, it was impossible to tell what he was talking about. Once he caught up, their conversation seemed to stop, Nezarec acting as if he had not been speaking at all, just looking over to Nolma, who seemed a bit more nervous than usual. Something was not right about the Warlock, Lamnus and Monarch both knew that much.
"So, what were you two talking about back here?" Monarch asked the two of them, Nezarec staying silent as Nolma turned to the Exo and explained in very few details.
"O-oh, we're just talking about.. You know, our lives before all this.." She said, avoiding eye contact while trying to be as cheerful and upbeat as possible.
"I see. Well, we will be able to share once we get to the farm, right? We can go in a circle on who did what before the Red Legion invaded." Monarch suggested with a friendly tone, walking along beside them as they all stayed completely silent through their trip back to the farm before Nezarec spoke up.
"I'll warn you ahead of time.. What I did then, I regret so much now." He softly said before Monarch and Lamnus looked at him, Nolma just holding onto his arm to comfort the guardian as they continued walking.
"He'll explain it later." The Awoken woman said to the group as the Exo hesitantly nodded, the other warlock scoffing as he turned around, still walking, muttering something under his breath.
The group continued down their trail, each of the four of them occasionally trying to spark up a conversation, but unfortunately to no avail. They entered the forest once more as the moon rose over the horizon, crickets chirping as the group proceeded down their path back home.