Thanks to all of you wonderful people who took time out of their day to read my story. To reward your hard work, here is another chapter! Hope you like it and don't forget to drop a like, favorite or follow it if you want. Without further ado… here is chapter 2!
Learning the Ropes… and Rope burn
Guardian… guardian… wake up guardian… came a whisper from beyond her knowledge, or so she thought. Stretching and flexing her tired limbs, Hope slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the harsh light of the room she was currently in. It was some sort of medical wing by the looks of the machines and devices scattered around the room. Looking to her right she found the 'otherworldly' voice. Turns out Ghost had a dry sense of humor and enjoyed teasing his guardian.
As she finished putting on her robes, a doctor had entered. "Ah, I'm glad you're awake. I wasn't sure how long you would be out. Are you feeling alright?" Hope nodded in affirmation. "Good. Now do you remember what happened to you? From what I gathered from your ghost, it was quite the tale." So she told how she 'woke up' and the events that transpired thereafter. When she finished regaling her tale, the doctor had a look up shock on his face. "By the way, did you treat any other people besides me?" The doctor's face quickly switched to a more cheerful expression. "I did. There was nothing wrong with the young Huntress, besides a few cuts and bruises, which were mended easily enough. She had just passed out due to fright. Not like your injuries however."
She was about to open her mouth to ask, but the doctor gave her a 'its better if you don't ask' look, and she merely nodded. He then explained that she was waiting in the hall to thank Hope properly and that someone named The Speaker wanted to talk to her, and her Ghost already knew where to go. With a smile, she shook her hand and left without another word.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" a young, clearly female voice squealed as Hope's diaphragm was being crushed in the kind-hearted embrace. She had to punch the young girl's arm to get her to let go and step back, allowing Hope some breathing room. She got a good look at her fellow guardian. She stood about even with her, but her skin was a deep purple. She had bright green eyes and silver hair that flowed freely down to her upper back.
"Uh… your welcome?" Hope said awkwardly. She couldn't help but stare at the girl's skin tone, earning a giggle from her. "What, never seen an Awoken before?" Hope just shook her head. "So what is your name?" she asked. Shaken from her stare she stuttered out a response. "What? Uh… it's Hope. Who are you?" The girls smiled sweetly, as Hope thought she was fond of that.
"Clair. Clair Sov. Pleasure to finally meet my savior in person." She said sweetly.
"It isn't a big deal. You would have done the same for me." Hope responded.
"Not likely. I am not that great of a fighter and when I get really scared I have panic attacks." Clair said hopelessly.
"Not a good thing for a Guardian to have." Her ghost said in a flat tone, materializing out of thin air and startling both women. Clair scolded her ghost about timing as they walked to the Speaker's room in the North Hall of the Tower, making small talk as they went.
Clair knocked on the large door. "Come in." said a deep voice, obviously male. As the two guardians entered the saw four people standing around a large table. They looked up as they saw the two enter. "Greetings, guardians," a man in white robes said. "I am the Speaker. And who might you be, young ones?" He had an aura of experience, nobility even, but the young guardians were glad he didn't try to shove it down their throats.
"My name is Clair, and this is my savior, Hope." She said cheerily, with a warm, welcoming smile.
"Ah, yes the very same." He said, walking around the table. "Your ghost told me you killed Riksis all by yourself. Is that true?" He asked, looking her over, as if trying to read her.
"No that isn't. If Clair here didn't help me, I probably would not be here standing before you today." She answered coolly.
That earned her a small chuckle from the Speaker and the ones standing behind him, much to her confusion. "Modesty and humility are qualities few guardians possess these days. I am glad you are not boasting of your adventures in the halls. Ah, but where are my manners?" He said, pointing a finger in the air. "I have yet to introduce you to the fine Vanguards behind me." He gestured to the first one. "This is Commander Zavala. He is in charge of all the Titans in the Tower and beyond." The two guardians nodded in understanding.
"Ikora Ray. She is in charge of all those of the Warlock class. Hope, you will report to her for all your Warlock duties, unless otherwise instructed by her." Hope nodded.
"It will be a pleasure working with you, Miss Ray." Hope said, bowing politely.
"No need to be so formal, guardian." She said with another light chuckle. "We will be working together quite a bit in the future. Pushing back the Darkness is difficult work."
"I am ready to help in any way I can. And I believe one such as yourself deserves respect. All of you do." Hope added, raising her voice so all in the room could hear.
"Last but not least Cayde-6. He in in command of all the Hunters in the Tower. Guardian Clair, you will report to him." Clair merely smiled and waved, which Cayde returned. Hope however was another story. She was staring at the man under the cloak. Well, man was a bit of a stretch. He looked humanoid, but where a face should be, there was only metal and light. Cayde caught her staring and started laughing, causing her to break eye contact and look at the ground, clearly embarrassed.
"So I take it you have never seen and Exo before?" Hope shook her head without making eye contact. "Well, we are quite similar to you, other than not needing food or sleep, or other… basic functions. But that doesn't mean we don't enjoy ourselves or have fun. In fact I thi-" Cayde was cut off by a glare from Ikora.
"Anyway guardians, I believe a tour of the Tower is in order." Ikora said cheerily, her gaze not leaving Cayde for a second. "But I am afraid we are too busy with our duties. We can give your Ghosts the information you might need for getting used to the Tower, but then I am afraid we must return to work. But who can take the time to give them a tour. Most of the guardians are either on mission or already in a fire team."
"Um… excuse me but what is a fire team?" Clair asked sweetly.
"A fire team is a group of usually two to three guardians who work together to fight the Darkness. When young guardians such as yourself find the Tower, you are usually paired with a more experienced member, who can show you the ropes. Only the most experienced, or stupid…" throwing a glance at Cayde, "Venture out alone." Ikora continued. "But you situation is unusual. All of the available guardians are either already in a fire team or work solo. I can't think of anyone who would be able… or willing to show you around." Trying to think of any available members.
"Not everyone." A deep voice responded. They all looked at Zavala, waiting for him to continue. "ANGL-21 is available, and she is fairly new. A perfect tour guide." He said with a smile.
Smiling must be rare for him. Hope thought as the other Vanguards gave him a quizzical look.
"Are you sure?" Cayde asked, skepticism apparent in his voice.
"Quite. In fact he is on her way here as we speak." The Commander added.
The Vanguards quickly dismissed the two new guardians, saying that they would give their Ghosts all the details they would need. When the doors closed, Cayde shot a hurt look at Ikora. "You didn't have to say such mean things. My heart can't take these insults much longer." He announced in mock hurt.
"You can be an ass at times, but I still love you." She said, playfully punching him in the arm.
The Speaker cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "If we could move on to more pressing matters?" They all nodded in agreement while Cayde rubbed his arm. "Did anyone notice their light?" Cayde was the first one to speak up. "The Hunter's light was fairly standard, but that Warlock…" He trailed off, deep in thought.
Commander Zavala was next to speak up. "We have all seen the footage. She took down an Archon Priest single-handedly. Even some of my best Titans would be hard pressed to manage that. And no offence Ikora, but warlocks aren't the sturdiest in close quarters.
Ikora gave him a polite nod before she spoke. "Almost every new warlock I have seen come through here have been Voidwalkers. The last time I saw a Sunsinger was… was a long time ago." She said with a saddened tone.
"This is something we must keep an eye on. Not just her specifically, but those around her. See how they interact, how they feel, how their Light changes its flow. Now I know we could speak about this matter for hours, but I am sure we all have duties to perform. I will leave it to you to give the necessary instructions to their Ghosts. May you always walk in the Light." The Speaker said with a sense of finality, letting the vanguards know the meeting was adjourned. The Speaker and Zavala quickly left, but Ikora and Cayde stayed behind momentarily after tending to the new guardians' ghosts.
"Do you really think there is something different about that warlock?" She asked her husband.
"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "Besides you are the expert on warlocks. What is your opinion?"
"Her Light definitely strikes me as 'off' but not necessarily in a bad way. I just feel there is something else, hidden deep within her. Whether it harbors secrets of the Light or ushers of Darkness we may never know. But until we do, I say we follow the Speaker's recommendation and watch her and her teammates closely."
Cayde nodded seriously, but then perked up. "Well we have a few hours before we have to be here to receive our daily reports. Want to do something?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. It depends what you have in mind." She said playfully, a smile creeping onto her face.
"Oh, I can think of a few things." He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"You're so bad," She said smiling playfully, kissing him on the lips. "Here?"
"No. Remember what happened last time? I didn't think an Awoken could turn that white." He said chuckling.
She let out a small laugh at the memory of Commander Zavala catching them doing the dirty deed on the main table. He had apparently forgotten something and had gone back to get it. The two lovebirds had forgotten to lock the doors and when the commander came in, well… things just went south. Shaking the memory from their thoughts, the two vanguards ran off to find the nearest private spot.
ANGL-21 was grumbling to herself and was quite pissed off. I was enjoying my drink in my favorite bar, enjoying myself, when I get a call from Commander Zavala to come down and give some noobies the grand tour. Now, while I would never ignore an order from him, I'm still fucking pissed that he had to call me right then. He could have waited 10 minutes, but nooooo, I had to give them the tour now. Fucking new bloods, doubt they will even last a week. People and other guardians scrambled out of her way as she stomped down the halls, her armored feet resounding off the metal flooring. Titans were known to have short tempers and she was no exception. A hunter dived to the floor as she punched a wall in anger, her fist going right through it. I'll give them a 'grand tour' alright! I'll shove my foot so far up their asses that they will be able to taste every fucking aspect of it!
Clair and Hope waited down the hall from the main meeting hall. They had been standing around for about 10 minutes now, idly chatting with each other and their Ghosts. They had found out not only were there three types of guardians, but there were different roles each one could fill, called subclasses. Titans could be either a Defender or a Striker. Hunters were known to be either Bladedancers or Gunslingers. Finally, Warlocks either followed the path of the Voidwalker or of the Sunsinger. But there had not been a Sunsinger for a long, long time. Their Ghosts had also heard rumors of ancient tomes and arcane arts that held secrets to long lost abilities of the Light. But they were only rumors, and far-fetched ones at that. They stopped chatting when they heard heavy footfalls around the corner.
"Are you the two guardians I was supposed to tour?" asked a female voice, barely containing her anger.
"I suppose so. Who are you?" Hope asked, cocking her head.
"ANGL-21." She responded flatly.
"A-N-What?" Clair asked innocently.
The titan turned towards the smaller hunter. She stood over her by nearly a foot. "A.N.G.L.-21. But if you two are unable to grasp even that simple concept, you may call me Angel." She said, almost as a snarl.
"Alright! Nice to meet you Angel." The hunter replied giddily, as if the previous hateful comment hadn't even registered in her brain.
The titan frowned inside her helmet. This girl's cheeriness is revolting. I give her a day before she is at the end of a Fallen blade. She turned her head to the warlock next to her. She was mildly surprised when she saw the angered look in her eyes. She looked Hope up and down, examining every detail of her stature. Warlocks are quite clever. And there is a fire in her eyes. But she is still inexperienced. I give her four days, max. A voice broke her out of her train of thought.
"My name is Clair. Clair Sov. I am a Hunter. Bladesinger subclass, if you couldn't guess already." She smiled and let out a small laugh, and Angel was sorely tempted to punch her in the face. She held off, but barely.
Angel introduced herself next. "Not that it matters to any of you, but my name is ANGL-21, or Angel as you already know. I am a Titan, Defender subclass." She looked to the warlock next.
She cleared her throat before speaking. "My name is Hope. I am a warlock, but I don't know my subclass. And I am guessing by your name that you are one of these Exos, correct?"
Angel scoffed and looked down at the warlock. Pathetic. She doesn't even know what kind of subclass she is. I change my mind. I give less than a day out in the field. But she must be one of those 'Reborn' guardians. Only way she wouldn't know exactly what an Exo was. She sighed and removed her helmet.
Her face was angular, made of the reflective metal all Exos were made of, just hers was a light grey. The top of her head was more rounded, leading to her pink eyes and mouth. "The sooner I get this done. The sooner I can ditch you two and get back to my drink." She snapped, making no attempt to cover her anger and frustration. Clair skipped happily next to her tour guide as Hope fell into step behind, glaring angrily at the back of the exo's head.
She showed them the Merchants Wing filled with vendors selling their goods, from food to rocket launchers, they had everything a guardian could ever need. As the hunter and warlock walked along in awe, the titan scoffed and continued on undeterred. As they reached the medical wing, Clair made a comment that they already were somewhat familiar with it already. Angel just scoffed again and muttered something about weakness under her breath. They passed through meeting halls, cafeterias, libraries, and even gyms, and community pools, to which she surprised the two new guardians by wading through one of the pools. She laughed at them when Hope thought she wouldn't function as well in water.
They had finally reached their final destination: the Life Wing, otherwise known as the living quarters, where all guardians resided when not on a mission. Angel asked if their ghosts had their rooms in their databanks, the nodded. She let out a huge sigh of relief. "Finally some good news! Tour is over. Now get out of the way. I need to talk to someone." She said angrily as she pushed passed them, walking the other way. As the titan angrily walked off, Clair waved and said a cheery goodbye while Hope just glared at her, mumbling obscenities under her breath.
When she was out of sight Clair turned to her friend. "Where is your room?" Clair asked her ghost to bring up her room assignment on her visor. "Block 10, Floor 7, Room 22. You?" After a moment of silence, Clair squealed with joy. "We have rooms right next to each other. How cool is that?" Removing her helmet, she flashed Clair a sincere smile. "Very cool. Let's walk there together." Clair smiled before grabbing her hand and dashing for the nearest elevator.
Commander Zavala was roaming the halls. He had just received his daily report, and while it wasn't as good as he hoped, it wasn't all bad. His titans had managed to claim a few key victories against the Darkness, both on Earth and the Moon. Plus it was a bonus that he had not come across his vanguard friends doing that again on the table. The memory made him shudder. He shook his head clear as a voice angrily called out to him. Turning around, he spotted the familiar titan, who looked quite angry.
"Commander, what the hell was that! Forcing me to tour some fresh blood. I don't understand! They won't last a week out there! The hunter was nervous to even pick up a weapon." She laughed at Clair's hesitancy to pick up a simple knife. "And don't even get me started on that warlock. For Traveler's sake, she doesn't even know what her subclass is! Her fucking subclass! Saying that they are guardians is like comparing the Traveler to a child's ball!" She screamed, hands clenched, seething in anger.
Commander Zavala just sighed. He had faced her angry side many times, and was one of the few who wasn't scared shitless. A pissed off titan is the last thing you want to encounter on a dark night. He remained calm as she tried to stare him down.
"Are you done yet?" He asked calmly.
She let out a loud sigh and nodded. "Good, because I am only going to say this once. All guardians have a duty to protect not only their fellow guardians, but the people of this city from the forces of Darkness. And don't tell me you haven't noticed our numbers have been slowly dwindling recently. There is something out there. Something that is killing guardians. That is why every guardian needs the best chance against the Darkness as they can get. Do you understand?" The exo merely nodded and sighed.
"Excellent. That is why starting tomorrow, you will be part of their fire team, led by the warlock. Hope was it? And since they won't have ships of their own, you will be ferrying them to Earth for their first mission. And I expect you to follow orders. Is that clear?" He questioned in a stern tone.
Angel visibly twitched, her anger boiling under the surface, ready to be unleashed. Then she opened the floodgates. "What the fuck! This is fucking bullshit! I can't go on a mission and babysit those weaklings at the same time! They are so weak; it's a pitiful fucking excuse! I don't know what the Traveler was fucking thinking! The warlock is so fucking clueless! And don't even get me started on the fucking hunter!" She spat, seething with unbridled rage. "She is such a big fucking pussy! She was too Traveler damned scared to pick up a knife! A fucking knife! I don't know what the fu-"
"Guardian!" Commander Zavala boomed, cutting Angel off mid-rant. "I don't know why you have such a big problem with those two and frankly, I'm tired of your constant complaining. Let's not forget whose fault it was that caused you last fire team to die." Although he looked quite calm, he was actually quite angry. Angel had only seen this side of him and it scared her completely. It was not a reassuring calm, but a hard coldness that came with being what he had been through. After seeing her recoil a bit, he continued.
"You are now part of another fire team. Don't lose them too. Go get some sleep. Traveler knows you will need it." With that, the turned away without another word. Angel was about to say something else, but the word were caught in her throat. She concentrated on her Void Light to calm down. However, her ghost interrupted her. "You should get to bed, titan. Tomorrow will be another day against the Darkness and you need to be well rested." It said flatly. Angel mumbled something under her breath and walked towards the Life Wing.
Sorry that chapter wasn't as action packed as some of you may have wanted. It was also probably filled with too much dialogue as well, I don't know guys and gals. I was just trying to give my characters some depth. I promise that the next one with have more action as our most beloved fire team takes on their first mission together. Till then, peace out!
