(And so, a new adventure begins)
New York was lost, long ago. What must have once been a bustling city is now just a creaking metal jungle, being torn at by the hoards of Fallen. They build their ships from the ancient scrap, in turn building their power, slowly but surely. The house I have been monitoring is the House of Constraint, long deserted by their former allies.
I was surrounded by old rusted metal, having taken the second floor of a small building as my vantage point. I was here to take out a Fallen Captain who had been terrorizing the nearby village of Metalhaven. They offered up what little glimmer they could, but I chose to refuse. I would not take from the weak what little they had.
"Eyes up, Winter." My ghost announced, warning me of a nearby enemy appearing on my HUD. I knew the enemy was there as soon as it appeared, but I'm glad to have my ghost watching out for me. If we didn't get along so well, we surely would have perished long ago, under an ocean of Dregs. We jokingly called them Dougs, if only for a slight chuckle. It helped a bit to laugh in the field, alone. Well, almost alone.
"Thanks Boreas, I'm on it." I replied into my helmet. I knew I could just think my response to him, but it felt good to actually talk once in awhile. I pulled my combat knife out of its sheath slowly, creeping my way towards the blip. For a titan, I was sneaky. But then again, for a titan, I was remarkably small. Most wondered why my ghost chose such a small, young girl, instead of the towering goliaths that stomped around the tower. Even I sometimes questioned why Boreas chose me, only to be answered with a roll of his core. "Well, little wall" he would always begin, reciting The Speaker's favorite nickname for me; "The Traveler works in strange ways, and so do I. Choosing you felt right, like It was meant to happen, and hey, we have gotten this far, haven't we?" I would always roll my eyes and smile. At least I had one friend in this world. The Speaker was a nice man, always speaking to me as his equal. He was more of a…father figure? It was hard to place it, seeing as I wouldn't know what that felt like. Like all guardians, I had no recollection of my past after being brought back from death. Nonetheless, I trusted both my ghost and The Speaker, and would never question their words.
"Winter, focus. You are letting your mind wander." Boreas chimed into my helmet as I peeked my head out of the window. A lone Vandal stood below me, fidgeting with his shock pistol. He was nervous, and must have been separated from the rest of his crew. They wouldn't be looking for him anytime soon though. I could drop on him, but I barely weighed enough in my armor to do much damage. I should have been a hunter.
I dropped on him like a silent owl on a mouse, slashing his throat quickly so he couldn't retaliate, but his arms flailed wildly, trying to throw me off. I smashed the back of his knee with my heavy boot, causing him to fall to a knee. I grunted quietly as I snapped his neck, silencing him forever. I pushed him to the ground roughly, quickly taking in my surroundings. A small team of Dregs stood about twenty feet down the road from me, their faces contorted with horror.
Inhale.
Exhale.
My first breath since the swift death of the Vandal. I stood straight, whipping my auto-rifle Shadow-Price off of my back, sending a hail of bullets into the small crowd. They scattered in all directions, and I lowered my weapon.
"Damn." Boreas announced "They got away." I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.
"Well, I wasn't exactly aiming to kill all of them." I rolled my eyes, reminding him of the mission. "We need to pull that Captain out of hiding somehow, and that should do it."
"True. Unless that little display simply scares him to the light." He joked, getting a small smirk from me. I wanted to kill more of these ruthless bastards, but I needed the Captain to show himself.
I would wear his head on my belt on the way back, and nothing would stop me.
I took a slow look into the sky, the towers of metal and rust clawing at the vast blue sky. I like being in this city, it had a certain peace to it.
"I agree." Boreas said happily "I'm glad we come here often."
I breathed a slow breath of recycled air, and exhaled a sigh. It was the peaceful moments like these that made me love being a guardian. Whether it be the low hum of chattering in the tower, or the singing of birds in the city, I loved it. The loneness was only a small issue, with Boreas to talk to. Many other guardians tried to protect me from combat, treating me as if I were a child. Well, as if I were a weak child. My ghost chose me at the ripe age of eighteen, and The Speaker stood by Boreas's choice the entire time. Eventually the other guardians left me be, grumbling to themselves as they walked away. The occasional titan would risk life and limb to keep me from harm, and while I appreciated the help, I didn't need to be watched over like a small child.
"Heads up Winter, I'm picking up a decent sized force heading our way." Boreas announced, sounding a bit worried.
"He's here" I said quietly, reloading my rifle. I was ready.
Inhale.
A large wave of energy bolts sizzled towards me at lightning speed, tracking me as the air around them crackled loudly. I wasn't scared. I was more than prepared. I had the tools at my disposal to eliminate each and every one of the targets before me, quickly and efficiently.
Exhale.
I extended my arms in a wide arc, sending an impenetrable sphere of void energy around me, dissipating the arc bolts as if they were nothing. I smirked. The power always felt good. My fists erupted with lightning as I charged out of my shield, slamming my fists into the face of each and every Fallen that stood before me. They simply disintegrated at my touch as I weaved my way through them, making my way to the Captain. Before long, it was only him standing before me, holding two shock blades in his massive arms. He squinted hard, throwing the second blade to me, wishing for a duel.
"Honor? I guess these Fallen are a bit different than those of the other houses." Boreas said curiously as I caught my blade. The Captain bowed, and I returned his gesture. From the corner of my eye I could see Dregs and Vandals gathering around us, forming a quiet, deadly circle. If they attacked, they would regret it.
"Let's hope his friends here share that honor." My ghost said worriedly.
The captain charged me quickly, and our blades slammed together in a fierce clash of energy. My arm nearly gave way at the strong blow, but it held firm. I pushed the blade away quickly, and jumped back, slashing at his torso. He blocked the blow easily, parrying my blade and pushing me away quickly. I regained my composure quickly, holding the blade beside me as I drove myself into a dead sprint at the large captain in front of me. I faked slashing high, and he fell for it. And for that, it would cost him his life.
I spun as fast as I could, ramming the blade into his chest as hard as I could, the ether spurting from his wound. He dropped his blade, and it clanged on the concrete under him. He quickly fell limp, and I tore my blade from his chest, and quickly picked up the second, ready to defend myself from the hoard surrounding me.
To my surprise, they holstered their weapons, and bowed to me. The crowd quickly dissipated, scurrying back to their dark, damp hideouts.
"Well. That was dramatic. Still, I'm glad they didn't attack. We would have been in a real tight spot there." The little light appeared at the Captains body, studying it. I made my way to the Captain's body, and stripped him of the shock blade's sheaths. I strapped them to myself, and sheathed the blades.
"Keeping them, are we?" Boreas said curiously, tilting himself.
"Yes. He seemed honorable enough, despite his race."
I began my journey back to the village, to tell them of the news. I was ready to get back to the tower after this long day.
(Chapter one of my Destiny story! Please review!)
