Now the first chapter did say that there might be a bit of a wait between chapters but what ended up happening was that I ended up writing everything over a month or so and because I was expecting to take a while, I decided against posting until I have a few chapters ready to go, and then I rewrote parts. I wanted to triple check the grammar, I triple checked the spelling and since I don't have anyone to read it for me, I just wanted it to be as perfect as I could make it since my writing has been terrible in the past. let me know if I miss anything ok, I hope you enjoyed the story.
Chapter 4:
Now that the four had finished up with Ikora, and better yet, no one had gotten in trouble, everyone seemed happier and even the stairs seemed a little easier to climb now. as they reached the gunsmith the hunter stopped "hey, mind if go see Shaxx for a moment?" the hunter asked. the others nodded and turned to follow her as she walked into a little side path beside the gunsmith.
they had only taken a few steps when a loud shout echoed around the area. "YEAHHHHHHHHH, THEY CAN'T KILL YOU IF THEIR DEAD! HA HA", the guardians were unaffected by the sudden shout, but Mel jumped as she wasn't expecting it and continued trailing them a little anxiously. as the group rounded the corner, a huge titan stood there, hands on his hips, confidence and excitement bleeding out of him. he had fur around his shoulders and his armour looked not quite heavy duty, more of a lighter set and it was orange and white in colour mostly with what looked like a dragon or eagle symbols painted on bits a piece. his helmet stood out as there was a horn on one side of his helmet with only the stub of one on the other side. the man was watching the wall where there were a bunch of decent sized screens with images playing back scenes. he leaned forward and raised a Fist in anticipation "one final push and victory is yours!".
the guardians shifted so they could see the screens too and Mel squeezed in to see what they were looking at. the screens showed a bunch of different places but the one that seemed to have everyone's attention was a snowy mountain where guardians ran around, actively shooting other guardians. a siren sounded and the guardians stopped in their tracks and dropped their weapons to their side as the man spoke proudly "your victory gives the city hope guardians". at the end of the game, the guardians backed off and the man turned to face them with a chuckle "hello guardians, anything I can help with?" he chuckled cheerfully.
the hunter nodded "just came to see my favourite crucible handler".
Shaxx seemed to visibly radiate with happiness at that "oh you do know how to flatter a man" he mused before searching all the guardians, his gaze resting on Mel "you, you're a little pocket rocket aren't you".
Mel went to reply but she wasn't sure what she could say in return "uh...".
he barely gave her enough time before he continued "a warlock eh? you look good, dangerous even, I wonder how you go in the crucible" he said thoughtfully.
at this Mel was horrified but could barely get more than a few words out "but... I'm no...".
Shaxx cut her off with a light-hearted wave "of course you are, those robes, I know a warlock when I see one..." he chuckled "you ever seen what a warlock can do?". she was stunned into silence at this point and shook her head. at this, Shaxx pulled her over to him and pointed to one of the screens "just look at the power... the majesty" he continued. the camera was focused on one warlock and after ducking for cover for a moment the warlock sprinted out of cover and jumped up over three guardians on a flag. directly above them, the warlock seemed to stop in the air and their body glowed with purple energy which moved to their hands and as they threw their hands in the direction of the guardians, the energy exploded into a huge ball of energy that landed on top of the guardians before exploding again into many smaller balls of energy. the warlock landed on the flag and immediately started the next engagement.
Mel watched wide eyed and shocked "are they alright?" death was still weird to see.
Shaxx chuckled "of course, death only makes you stronger and weeds out the weak" he looked at Mel "warlock, enjoy your time, revel in it, for the time will end, make it a memory worth remembering, you look good, feel good, be what your dressed like, maybe one day I'll see you in the crucible too" he mused and patted her back firmly. it was clear, he didn't care who she was, whether she was a civilian or a guardian, he must not have wanted to know either as he seemed like he had no intention of asking. Mel looked at her armour and smiled proudly.
he turned back to the guardians and nodded to the hunter cheerfully "how can I help you guardian". the hunter started talking to him, but Mel didn't really pay attention as her eyes wandered back to the screens and she watched the guardians dying over and over, yet they never stopped pushing which amazed her. the precision in which they shot others was incredible and the displays of power moved her. she could see why the man had been watching so passionately.
after a few minutes, the hunter was done and patted Mel's shoulder "you ready to go?".
Mel nodded in reply and turned to wave at the man "thank you, see you later".
the man nodded "see you soon warlock, call me lord Shaxx".
the rest of the walk through the courtyard was uneventful and when they made it to the ship yard, the titan stopped "hey Mel, you want to see my ship?" she mused.
Mel looked surprised but jumped eagerly "that would be awesome!" she enthused.
the titan looked at the other two "I'll meet you in the city", the others nodded and both gave Mel a nod before turning and walking back to the elevator down, once they were gone, the titan started walking towards the huge open area behind all the buildings in the hangar. as they approached, Mel realised there was a soccer field there with lit up areas marking the goal zones and halfway mark, the word field was a bit too strong as it was made of metal but regardless. the titan stopped mid field and looked up, prompting Mel to do the same and she noticed a ship hovering above them, it then swing out of the hanger before turning around and flying back in to float to a stop beside them and leading gear appeared underneath it as it landed.
the ship was quite small compared to the transport ships and this ship looked quite different to anything she'd seen before. the ship was pointed at the front and was made up of a large metal shell for the body, there were large boosters attached to each side and the front of them was painted red. the titan stepped up to it and waved her over "come here, I'll show you something". Mel walked up to her curiously and the Elsie grabbed her, armour and all, and lifted her up onto the ship much to her surprise "this ship is called the Leonid MV, it's my favourite of my collection".
Mel stepped gently over the ship, looking at the decals on the top, a huge red lion adorned the roof "there's a lion up here".
"it's the symbol for the titans, I am very proud of my class you could say" she mused "what do you think?".
Mel walked back over to the titan and she helped Mel to the floor again "it's awesome!" she circled around the ship with a giggle "it looks fun".
"you want to take a look inside?" Elsie asked with a grin. Mel nodded eagerly in response and ran back to where the titan was "now normally I don't actually get in manually, usually I have my ghost transmat me inside..." she ducked under the ship and as if asked, a round hatch opened underneath it. "buuuut, it will be fun, I'll show you around" Mel followed the titan carefully. as Elsie reached the hatch she stood up before pulling herself up inside the ship and disappearing before offering her hands to help Mel up. Elsie had no problem lifting her and set her on the ground as the hatch closed behind them. they were in a small cabin with one chair at the controls and a long bench built into the back of the cabin.
Mel curiously walked up to the control pad which flashed almost every colour, there were buttons, levers and switches everywhere and she immediately felt overwhelmed "you can understand these?" she asked mystified.
Elsie nodded "of course, although I'd be lying if I said specs didn't do most of the work" she chuckled "you want to go for a flight?".
Mel looked at her in shock "really? yes! wait, am I allowed?". specs appeared in the cockpit and hovered over the control panel before resting down on a dock that was apparently made for her, the light inside her dimmed as the lights seemed to start flashing in a controlled fashion.
"what they don't know won't hurt "she mused "oh, you can take your helmet off now if you like, want me to show your how?" the thought hadn't even crossed her mind but the through sounded good when it was mentioned, she nodded in response "easy, now look up and feel along your neck, there's going to be a rim there with a small butterfly screw" she kneeled and showed Mel what she meant and unscrewed it, her helmet hissed as the seal was broken, she then watch Mel try. after a minute of fumbling around, she finally found the screw and she twisted it until she felt the air pressure change as it escaped her helmet, the titan seemed pleased and lifted her helmet off, prompting Mel to do the same. she was greeted by a burst as cool fresh air and she sighed in relief, the titan smiled "feels good right?".
Mel nodded and looked at the helmet in her hand, it's not like the air inside wasn't fresh but it was quite warm. she noticed her reflection on the glass and her hair looked extra fluffy now causing her to giggle "the helmets do a number on your hair".
else grinned "oh yeah, you want a comb?". she reached inside her helmet pulling out a strap and clipped the helmet onto a hook on the wall before opening a little door and pulling out a little comb. she ran it through her rather messy hair and in a moment, it was silky smooth, she then offered it to Mel "a girls always prepared" she mused. Mel took it gratefully.
the titan moved to the pilot's seat and pushed some buttons "specks, let's go somewhere private".
"I've got the perfect place" specs answered happily from the console and the ship powered up, vibrating under their feet. Mel fixed her hair quickly and settled on the bench in the back, putting the comb back where it was found quickly. the titan looked back "you want to see where we are going? come up here, it no fun sitting back there" she smiled. "
"oh, yeah..." Mel got up and walked to the front and the titan stood, letting her sit, Elsie reached over her and put the seat belt on her before settling beside Mel on one knee. looking out the window, Mel realised they had lifted from the ground and hovered above the soccer field and then they started moving forward out of the hanger. it was terrifying as the world dropped from underneath them and the mountainous land that surrounded the city stretched out on the horizon, Mel was speechless and as they left the safety of the tower, she was pushed back as the ship propelled itself forward faster. a laugh of joy escaped Mel's lips and she couldn't help but grin as the ship turned on its side and headed back towards the city. the tower stood high and proud in the distance, but the ship quickly closed the gap before sailing over it and the city. the ship then dived sharply and levelled out above the city, she could see the streets and houses.
after a few moments the ship shot upwards once more and flew over the walls and up into the cloud banks where Mel's mind was blown once again. finally, specs spoke from the console "going into manual mode".
Mel looked at the titan expectantly who looked back at girl "all you need to know is how to use this lever" she pointed to a joystick which moved in all directions "you push the stick in the direction you want to go, that's all" she smiled "go on, specs has you covered, nothing bad is going to happen" she put a hand on her shoulder supportively.
Mel gulped before grabbing the joystick with an anxious sigh, they were surrounded by cloud right now and Mel couldn't see anything. Mel was afraid to see if she could control it but suddenly she realised the ship had started to dive gently, with a gulp she pulled the stick back and the ship responded by flying up, she tried to level it out and once she was confident with that, she turned it right and the ship started turning in a wide circle. with each turn, her anxiety lessoned, and she felt more comfortable changing directions. after a few minutes she laughed as she dipped down and then went up in a large upwards roll, going all the way around and she pulled some sharper turns. it seemed like forever until the ship evened out and she could no longer control the turns. part of her was disappointed but the other half was grateful.
"nice work, you're a natural" Elsie grinned "we will head back now, but you can stay there if you like". Elsie stood and headed to the back of the ship and started going through some more hidden spaces built into the ship. Mel decided to watch as the ship flew itself back toward the city and as they flew over the protective wall, Mel quietly thought that it looked like a big cage from a distance away. the ship dipped low and after a few minutes slowed to a crawl before stopping on top of a roof, it didn't deactivate however and Elsie stood up, grabbing Mel's helmet before unbuckling her. Mel took the helmet and held it as she watched the titan pull out a few things before heading to the hatch on the floor and waving Mel over "you should be right to safely jump down; I will be right with you".
Mel glanced over the edge of the hole in the floor and indeed, the roof was quite close but she still felt like it was quite high up, she bit her lip anxiously and glanced at the titan who gave her a comforting smile, Mel nodded and sat on the ground before taking a deep breath and pushed herself off the edge, careful of hitting the hatch. she landed with a thud after a very short fall, she sighed with relief, moving to the side and waited for Elsie, meanwhile, she realised she was on quite a high roof and all around them were much smaller houses, she also didn't see a way down. there was another loud thud behind her, and she turned to see Elsie straighten up and slide something under her armour. Mel didn't think much of it and the ship closed before gliding away gracefully.
"so why are we on a roof?" Mel asked curiously.
Elsie smiled "you aren't allowed to land in the streets, only roofs if needed".
"oh... so where are we going now?" Mel continued.
"well I've got to carry you again, you alright with that?" she pointed to an open area in the distance "there is our destination".
Mel looked and upon seeing the target, she nodded "that's ok, what's that place?".
"a market" Elsie replied as she once more picked Mel up before walking backwards "you might want to hold on this time". Mel looked for somewhere to hold on too but didn't get a chance to grab on before Elsie started running and she kicked off the roof and glided up into the air, the titan's boosters stopped as they reach the peak of the arc and they started falling. it was then that the boosters propelled them forward even quicker than before as they glided down and using the momentum, the titan jumped off the next roof. it was scary as first, but Elsie held her in a tight princess hold so she felt quite safe after a moment and she discovered that it was quite thrilling once she'd gotten used to the ride. they stopped quite suddenly, and the titan slowed down and walked to the edge and this time jumped of the edge, gliding safely to the ground. they landed in an alley and Mel got put down.
"so how do you do that?" Mel asked breathlessly.
Elsie looked at her as if she had been thinking "hmm? do what".
"the glide thing... " Mel tried to do a hand gesture to help explain but it didn't really help.
Elsie nodded with a chuckle "ah, well my boots and shins have boosters which I can control to adjust my speed and fall" she pointed out the compact boosters for Mel "they have limited charges that need to reset after every few bursts".
"all guardians have these?" Mel continued thoughtfully, she remembered the hunter and warlocks boosting looked a bit different.
"yeah" Elsie replied before biting her lip in thought "I'm not the greatest explainer, which is why Skye and Anne talk about fancy stuff, but depending on your class, you have a different type of booster which suits the weight and style you have better" the titan started leaving the alley and waved her along " speaking of, follow me, let's find the others" she smiled.
Mel nodded and followed eagerly, helmet under arm. the alley opened into a market made up of tents and buildings, Elsie seemed to know where she was going and led the way through the mess of shops and approached a big shed with a large fallen cloak hanging over the doorway as a curtain. they walked into the waiting room which was strange for a shop, there were no products or anything, it was just a bunch of benches in a waiting room, the hunter and warlock were standing in the middle of the room speaking to a shifty looking older human, it looked they had just finished up their business as the man turned and left through a door in the back of the room. the titan joined the guardians and playfully got up behind them and leaned on their shoulders. they responded by shrugging her off with a smile and the titan pulled her card out of her armour, giving it to the warlock before finding a bench to sit on with Mel.
Mel watched quietly and upon Elsie's return, Mel leaned over "so what are you guys dropping off here?".
"scarp that we found while out and about, it's the best way to earn glimmer" she smiled to the girl "it's not always glamourous to be a guardian" she mused. Mel nodded thoughtfully and continued to watch the guardians. the shifty man returned after a few minutes with a large trolley and he parked it in front of the two guardians who both pulled out two more cards, all three cards were then placed in the man's hand and he inspected them closely before placing the cards one by one into a box hanging off the trolley.
the base of the trolley started glowing as a bunch of stuff transmatted directly into the trolley. it went from empty to practically overflowing. Mel recognised a few bits a piece in the trolley like fallen cloth and gun parts as well as metal scraps she didn't recognise. the man looked pleased and returned the cards when they were empty. he said a few more things before a handshake signified the end. Elsie stood as her friends started leaving, followed by Mel.
"so that's that, I'm hungry, anyone joining me?" the warlock smiled.
the hunter looked to the sky with a quiet sigh "I hate to burst your bubble, but we should be heading back shortly...". the two guardians looked up in response and Mel's heart sunk as she realised the afternoon was starting to dim. the guardians seemed to look a bit disappointed at Mel, but they shrugged it off quickly.
"maybe next time..." the warlock smiled. the others agreed and they started walking quietly. Mel was starting to feel a sense of dread at the thought of returning to her mother, not to mention, the thought of potentially not seeing the guardians again, she sighed until she had an idea.
"I know a place if you want to pick something up on the way?" Mel added hopefully.
with a moment of thought, the titan nodded "if it's not too busy, sounds good".
they continued walking quietly for a while before Skye looked to Mel "well despite everything, did you have a good day?" the warlock asked hopefully.
Mel brightened up "of course, it was the best day of my life" she beamed "I don't regret anything!" she added.
the hunter chuckled "I am glad you had fun, I think I can speak for all us when I say, it was a pleasure to baby sit you" she mused.
"absolutely" Elsie agreed.
Mel remembered her armour and looked a bit disappointed before motioning to it "uh, what about this? how do I give it back?".
Sky looked at her armour for a moment before she shrugged "I don't really need it; I suppose you can keep it... plus you're a cute warlock" she giggled.
Mel looked surprised and beamed "thank you!". the rest of the trip they chattered happily, and Mel pointed out a small shop that sold roast chook and chips in small meals. the guardians each ended up getting a meal each as well as shouting Elsie a meal. they also got an extra few meals for later they said and after another ten minutes of walking, Mel led the way to her front door.
Mel stopped in front of the door and hesitated thinking about everything that happened today, and a small seed of anger spurred inside her, she wasn't sure if she could apologise. her hesitation was broken by the titan knocking on the door first and almost instantly the door burst open and her angry mother stood there expectantly "welcome home...". Mel avoided her eyes biting her lip, her mother still hadn't calmed down. her mother breathed angrily "don't ignore me... how dare you..." she continued in a low growl.
Mel clenched her fists as she tried not to bit back but she made the mistake of looking up and noticing her dad also looked furious behind her mother and she snapped "I wouldn't have done it if you guys didn't strangle me all the time, I'm a grown girl... I can look after myself and you know that... we are safe now... I just needed space..." her voice cracked as her desperation escaped her "I love you both but please...I'm not a baby...".
this seemed to make her parents pause and calm down, the air was heavy with awkwardness until her mother pulled her close and sniffed "I know, I'm sorry baby, I just don't want you hurt...", her dad nodded in agreement and then his gaze travelled to the guardians.
he seemed to hesitate for a moment "I'm assuming you are the guardians my daughter stayed with today...".
the titan nodded a bit awkwardly "uh, we brought this for you, I'm sure you were worried today" Elsie lifted the extra meals up to the father "we didn't want to buy your forgiveness or anything, we just know what's it's like to worry about someone... so this is our apology I suppose, I hope it is enough".
the father looked surprised and took it with hesitation "thank... thank you...".
the hunters gaze came to rest on Mel " we will leave you be, but there is just one thing we need...". Mel felt the gaze and she sighed and pulled away from her mum and kicked the ground awkwardly "mum, dad, I'm sorry for running away...".
the father stared at her before sighing "don't get us wrong, your still grounded..." he frowned before patting her head "but... its fine kiddo, just don't let it happen again...".
the mother whole heartedly agreed before her gaze awkwardly turned to the guardians as well. "uh... I am sorry for what I said about you guardians... it wasn't right on my part to say what I did..." it looked difficult for the woman to apologise but the guardians looked surprised and smiled in response.
"no worries" the warlock shrugged it off "we aren't perfect, that is true, but as long as you know we try our best, we can rest easy".
"hey, you want to come in and eat with us?" the man asked motioning inside, he then looked at Mel's armour "and uh...".
"she can keep it" the warlock added "it's my gift" she smiled before looking to the others for the next answer, the titan and hunter agreed "dinner sounds nice" the warlock continued.
"great" the man smiled and retreated into the house, Mel and her mother followed.
"I might take my armour off... it's probably a bit bulky..." the titan looked thoughtful; specs appeared beside her "what would you like to wear?" she asked quietly. the titan bit her lip, something nice but not too nice...". the ghost nodded and after a moment, scanned the titan, taking off her armour and replacing it with shorts, a tank top and jacket. the titan shivered as she hadn't been out of her armour for a few days and it was strange to be out in the open air.
"you know you have a point, I might do the same" the warlock spoke as her ghost changed her armour out for a long dress which was kind of like her armour anyway, but that was beside the point.
the hunter did the same and she changed into some jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, she however kept her cloak on which made the other two raise their eyebrows, this prompted the hunter to blush a bit "what... I feel naked without it...". the other two giggled before following the family inside politely.
as they all sat down to eat dinner, Mel's mother looked at her armour and hesitated before commenting almost shyly "do you need to wear that to dinner?".
Mel looked a bit surprised before looking shy "uh... I don't... I don't know how to take it off..." she blushed.
the warlock looked embarrassed before laughing "oh, I forgot about that, allow me to show you, it's easy once you've done it once... it won't take long..." she got up quickly, motioning for Mel to follow until she realised it wasn't her house "oh, you better lead actually...".
Mel giggled and led the way to her room before blushing "will I have to take it all off...".
the warlock looked confused before shaking her head "not until I'm out of the room, I ill just show you how to undo all the overcoat and you can figure out the rest" she smiled and crouched in front of Mel. kay pointed out the important parts of the armour and showed her how to take the top coat of the armour off, which was the heavy part. it turned out that it was basically just a big trench coat essentially, but it was belted in different places, so the armour didn't budge. once that was off, Mel pointed out the zip for the body suit and hesitated before leaving so she could give the girl Ikora gift.
after that, the warlock left, and Mel was alone with her new armour and she pondered over her day. it had been great, and she hoped that maybe she could see the guardians again. she got changed into something more comfortable and headed down for dinner. it was a bit awkward, but the guardians soon won over her parents completely and it was a great night.
hi, so if your reading this, you read my short story, I have another one that follows this line of events and I think I will post it too, however it's probably going to be another short story. I plan to post it after I'm completely satisfied with it and that may take a while, or not, depending on certain things, but, keep feel free to keep an eye out for the follow up, feel free to leave reviews and tell me what you think and of course if there's a big mistake than you noticed anywhere.
I really hope you have a great day/night, thanks again for reading.