Waking Light

Fuel to the Fire

"The vex seemed quite focused on getting to you before you reached the forge." said Orous. Her armor still resplendent in the light of the sun. Idris looked over his hand remembering the feeling from wielding the light through the hammer.

"What were they after?" His voice was dry after the skirmish. Alexia stepped in with a response.

"The vex are a collective. Each one serves as part of a network. A network spanning space and time."

"We have reports of their efforts to stimulate all possible futures so they may change events to suit their end." Orous spoke with sober reflection. "However, the one thing they cannot stimulate is our light. We remain beyond their scope. In their simulations they must have seen you as a grave threat to their plans, unless you could be intercepted."

Idris looked back at where the constructs had been as the winds scattered their ashes among the sands.

"Let us not remain here. We have a new member in our order. He needs to be properly outfitted." Orous cheered to Alexia. She nodded back with the same smile she gave Idris earlier. A small transport shuttle arrived a moment later and all three stepped aboard.

The shuttle lowered itself down to a large stone jetty where several others were rested. The sat, impossibly, above a great chasm next to the Sunbreaker stronghold. The party were escorted inside by their pilot while a small army of drones shuffled about the platform refueling and maintaining the shuttles. The three were met with a grand room filled with other the sunbreakers. Each one had adorned their armor slightly differently but all stood at attention at the arrival of Orous and her company.

"At ease. We have a new member in our order." She took a step to the side and waved Idris forward. The room full of titans have a welcoming roar to him. Orous stepped close to him quickly before he could be consumed by the crowd of knightly beings.

"We will need to speak about the vex; but for now, enjoy yourself."

The crowd stole Idris away through a few hallways. Several other sunbreakers introduced themselves through the commotion. He made a desperate attempt to remember them all. Miro Asht. Devon Silvo. Sabre-4. Valentina...something. Eventually the busied group pushed him into a wide stone room with a grafted metal floor. Racks of metals, leathers, cloths, wires and more were on display.

"You gotta make your armor, kid." said a gruff woman's voice from beside him. Noble popped up in front of Idris, giving the entire room a quick scan then turned around to face him.

"Don't worry, guardian. We can do this."

With the ghost's help it took only a couple of hours for the pair to craft the full suit of armor. The armor was grey like iron, tempered to have a straw hue along the ends of the plates. The detailing was done with brilliantly polished copper and supported with ashy white paint, hammer marks still visible in the metal. His greaves were heavy; fashioned with large plates over the front side of the thighs, knees and shins; the pattern of a chain encircled the plates. The back was wrapped in leather over the glove. Idris's curias was angular with a large crested plate protruding from the front. Metal was folded over the breast going up the center of the chest piece then diverging to the shoulders. His pauldrons were domed but plain with chainmail under and folded metal plates strapped over the forearms. Idris had fashioned his helm to somewhat resemble that of a great boar, even using some ivory he found to be tusks. Idris turned back to face his company, Alexia standing forefront, holding his helmet under his arm. After a moment the crowd roared approval. Nobel popped in front of him and spun around to the legion of knights cheering.

"Congratulations, guardian. You're a sunbreaker."

After what Idris was told was a mandatory run through the mead hall, he made his way up to the throne room and to Magistrate Orous. Nobel floated alongside him as they pushed open the vaulted door.

"Welcome, new light." Her ghost closes a projection and both turn to Idris and Nobel.

"I told you earlier I had information for you. Scouts and Intel traded with the city being to light some activity on Venus regarding the vex. I will be deploying you to the Ishtar region. Bring back whatever you can on them."

"Yes, Magistrate."

"Yeah. We'll go there and figure out what those vex are up to!"

With a nod Idris turned and left for the shuttle platform. He lifted his helm and set it over his head.

O bearer mine...