Forge's Hammer

"Fire born of man. Fire of the Light. Ask yourself, what power do you seek from the forge, Guardian?"

Valeriya stood before the burning flame of the forge, feeling the heat radiate off of it even through her armor. Yet even though it blazed with all the power of the sun - it did not harm her. She had no doubt that were she an enemy, she would have been burned to ash. She had a feeling, though, that that could still happen. If she were here for the wrong reasons, at least. She wasn't though - or she thought that she had the right reason to be here, anyway.

So what power was she seeking from the forge? It was not that Zavala ordered her on this mission. Nor was it that they needed something more to fight against Oryx and his Taken horde. The Titan Vanguard merely wanted the power of the forge to return to the city to protect it. Perhaps Zavala even wanted to redeem himself for his past offenses to the Sunbreaker Clan. While those were certainly noble reasons - Valeriya felt they were still selfish.

It wasn't even the fact that the Lords of the Iron Banner suggested she seek the same forge that created their weapons and armor. Valeriya would always be grateful to the Lords of Iron for gifting her their armory. Because of that, part of her would always be more loyal to them than to the Vanguard. While the Lords of Iron never officially gave her this mission, she knew she had to seek out the forge. Was this just another one of their tests, then? Or did they know something that she didn't? Either way, it was irrelevant. She was not here because of them.

She was here because she wanted the power to protect others. Did that make it any better than Zavala's reasons for sending her here? Perhaps it did and perhaps it didn't. Nor did it truly matter if this was just another test from the Lords of Iron. She knew her strength, and she knew she could pass any of their tests. What she truly wanted - and the real reason she was here - was to be able to stand tall, and burn bright as a beacon of hope for the people of the Last City.

Valeriya reached into the burning forge, her hand curling around the handle of an unseen weapon. Pulling back, her arm dropped to her side at the sudden weight as the Hammer of Sol materialized. She stared down at it, feeling the Solar energy pulse through her entire being. Somehow this felt right, as if this was the power she was always meant to wield.

For the longest time, she had been a Striker - Arc energy coursing through her body and into her fists. While it served her well, and while it had fit her fighting style - it still never felt quite right. Being a Striker meant hitting hard and hitting fast and constantly charging at the waves of enemies. While she was always at the front lines - she didn't always find herself pushing forward. Yet she had never been a Defender either. She didn't know the power of the Void like some Titans, never able to summon their Ward of Dawn. It wasn't her style to simply stand in one spot, never retreating and being able to take hits that would kill any one else.

This, however, felt completely different yet familiar at the same time. It felt almost as if it was a blend of the two - all the raw power of the Striker with all the defense of the Defender.

"Can you bring Light to where only Darkness survives?"

Valeriya raised the Hammer of Sol high, pure Solar energy coating her body in flames. She would continue to do what she had always done, combat the Darkness at its heart and burn it to ashes. She would continue to protect those who were unable to protect themselves, she would stand as a beacon of hope to those same people. The innocent people of the Last City on Earth would look to her Light, and see it burning bright in the darkness.

Not much to say about this one, except that like "Storm's Trance", it was a lot of fun to write.

As always, I hope you enjoyed it! And feedback is always welcome!