Hey guys! I just want to apologize for disappearing for a few months, the holidays were a bit crazy for me, and I've just had a bunch going on besides that. Anyway, here's the latest chapter of "The New Guardian" I hope you enjoy! Just know that it was a bit rushed, so let me know if changes need to be made ;)


Disaster May Be Upon Us.

Cayde was reclining lazily on the couch at his flat, his mind deep in thought as he pondered what had been discussed between himself and Ikora.

How do I get myself in situations like this? Life seems to enjoy dealing me joker hands.

He sighed.

I hope this plan of hers works, otherwise… I don't want to think about it.

The Exo rubbed the back of his neck with a hand.

Kya still hasn't returned from her kidnapping… Should I tell her?

He thought for a moment.

No, I don't want her to worry about it. Ikora's got it, I'm sure it will be fine.

Just then Cayde turned in surprise to the door being noisily pushed opened.

Yeesh, I need to oil those hinges.

"Cayde!" Kya growled as she stalked into the room, "You left me! And I've had to work for Holiday all evening!" She said, her voice reaching an ear piercing crescendo. The girl was covered in black oil and soot, her hair was messily entangled in a red bandana, and she had been dressed in jean overalls. If she hadn't spoken, he could have easily mistaken her for some street urchin.

"Ohhh, she gotcha didn't she? You know, you could've said no, or I can't sorry." Cayde replied, feeling a tinge of sympathy for the girl.

"It's not that easy." She walked into the kitchen, "You know how she is, when she asks, it's really a command."

He nodded in agreement, "I'll let you have that one, what'd she make you do?"

"I had to crawl inside of a ship's tailpipe, because I was, 'Just the right size.'" Kya replied as she rummaged through the fridge, selected a can of pop, and walked back into the living room.

"Ah, so that's why you look like you practiced your freestyle in a tank of oil."

She wrinkled her nose at him, "That bad huh?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but that's what showers are for." He waved his hand in the direction of the bathroom, "So why don't you start heading that way?"

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, but I'm still mad at you."

"I can live with that."

"And you owe me."

"Just take a bath!"


The Hunter Vanguard paced eagerly in front of the widow located within the Vanguard hall, his soft heeled boots sounding a dull beat as he walked back and forth. Kya was perched on a large crate adjacent to the anxious Hunter, eagerly gazing out at the world below, while Zavala stood in his usual place at the head of the war table, glancing over a small tablet in his hand. Ikora, however, was absent from this scene; her post opposite of Zavala was instead filled in with a male Warlock. Messy dark brown hair crowned the head of a handsome, and yet boyish young man; freckles dotted his tanned cheeks and nose, while smile lines hid at the corners of his lips and eyes. He was short, and lean, warm brown eyes flew over an ancient looking tome, lined with nearly illegible handwriting; his lips silently mouthed the words as he read.

He looked up suddenly when Kya let out a sharp gasp as a space vessel flew across the span of the window.

A faint grin appeared as he took in the girl's surprise. "Kya?" He asked softly, his voice was calm.

Kya's head perked up at his voice, and she turned to look at him, "Yes?!" She blurted.

His grin turned into an amused smile, "Aren't you supposed to be doing something? That Atlas isn't going to study itself."

Kya sighed, "I guess…" She sat with her back against the wall as she drew a large book into her lap that had been placed next to her, and began to read. A few minutes past and the Warlock returned to his book, soon re-enthralled with the worn scribbles.

Silence returned to the hall, the beeps and conversations of frames and various Tower workers were absent, it was The Dawning, after all, so they were with their families and friends, celebrating the end of a year and the beginning of a new time. But even now, at the time of this hallowed holiday, the Vanguard and Guardians still stood, fulfilling their duty of protecting the city. Even though this was the case, the people of the city always went out of their way to share the celebration with their protectors, by decorating the Tower. Brilliant banners of blue, purple, and white hung from the ramparts; colorful lights were strung over railings and through rafters, and many multi-colored lanterns floated through the air.

Cayde let out an exasperated sigh, "Alric!"

The Warlock looked up from his book, "Yes sir?" He inquired.

"When did Ikora say she would be ready again?"

Alric gave a slight shake of his head, "Soon, no different than the last dozen times you've asked." He replied with a slight grin.

The Exo grunted, "Soon… Warlocks… why do you guys always have to be so cryptic, is it a requirement? A law in the Warlock creed?"

Alric rolled his eyes and continued reading.

"No, I'm serious!" Cayde continued, "Do you get in as new blood and have to do this cultish swearing in or something? 'I hereby swear to always cause more questions than I answer, and to talk in a way that flabbergasts all other non-Warlocks.' Like that?"

Alric abruptly closed his book, and set it gently down on the table, before clasping his hands behind his back and gazing steadily at the Hunter.

"Yes, if you must know. Titans have their walls, Hunters have their wilds and solidarity, and Warlocks have their books and study. We speak 'cryptically' because we are privy to knowledge that many are not, as a result, many find our speech hard to understand. It's not that we think ourselves superior in the regard of knowledge, it's simply that as our heightened intellectual selves we find it hard to communicate with others. So while you find my speech vexing, know that you can cause similar feelings to persons of my order."

Cayde stared at the Warlock for a moment, "What the hell did you just say?"

Alric nodded, "My point exactly."

"Alright!" Zavala interjected, "You two are giving me a headache, so please, shut up."

The three men exchanged glances.

"You know what, keeping quiet isn't really my thing, so I'm just gonna go check up on Ikora." Cayde strode toward the hall exit, "You're coming with me squirt!" He called over his shoulder, and Kya instantaneously bounded after him.

"Wait! You shouldn't disturb her! The experiment she is testing takes extreme concentration!" Alric cautioned after the two.

Cayde waved a hand, "It'll be fine, I mean, what are Hunters know for? She won't even know I'm there." He assured before disappearing down the hall.

"That's what worries me," Alric mumbled.

"Don't worry Alric! I'll make sure he behaves himself!" Kya called over her shoulder.

The Warlock's look of concern turned to one of amusement; he sighed, "Please do!" He called back, before watching her vanish behind a corner.


It's quiet…

Cayde glanced about the hallway.

It's never this quiet. No eggheads, frames, workers…

He turned to look at Kya jogging by his side, her eyes were nervously scanning the path before them. "What are you thinking small fry?"

Her mouth pinched at the side as she thought, "It's quiet… and there's no one here." She looked up at him, "I have a bad feeling."

The Exo studied her for a moment, "Yeah, me too."

The two walked on in silence. They were currently on a path leading to the Tower's basement, which the Warlocks had claimed as their experimentation quarters. The halls leading down to the various archives, chambers, and passages of the Tower's roots, were usually bustling with work enthralled Warlocks, busy frames, and head bowed Tower workers.

At first he had just stuck with the idea that some people were off due to the holiday; however, as they progressed, it became more and more apparent that something was off. Dawning or not, the roots were never, never, this empty.

Hunter and girl rounded a final corner, approaching their destination. A double door lay before them, and as they approached, Cayde began to feel a worm of suspicious fear creep into his thoughts.

BOOM!

Cayde stumbled forward and Kya toppled to the ground as the building shook beneath their feet.

BOOM!

Dust rained down from the concrete ceiling, coloring the pair a pale grey.

"What's happening!?" Kya shouted over the thundering boom.

"Hell if I know!" Cayde yelled back, quickly finding his feet. He roughly took Kya by the back of her tunic and hauled her to her feet. "Here ya go! Now, do me a favor and get me some backup!"

The girl stood unsteadily for a moment, "You're not going to go in there by yourself are you?" She asked.

"Well, yeah! Hunters scout ahead for the fireteam, you should remember that, ya know, for being a Hunter 101." He winked at her. She shook her head and went bounding back the way they had come.

With her out of the way, Cayde went serious, drawing his hand cannon, and cautiously moving forward.

Suspicion confirmed I guess, although, it could just be Ikora going nova bomb on a failed experiment.

He shuddered.

Terrifying thought that.

He moved forward, his feet set on a straight line, his hands held high by his head, gun in hand. Approaching the door, he slowly pushed it opened; it swung back silently on well-oiled hinges. Everything was dark, the light from beyond the door faded a few feet away, leaving nothing but deep inky shadows.

The Vanguards eyes scanned the narrow hall.

Nothing, and now it's dark… What in the name of the Traveler is going on?

He stepped into the hall, letting the door close behind him. Being fully enclosed in darkness, his vision faded, before switching over to a greenish night vision.

Ah, good it still works. Haven't had to use this in ages. Better get moving.

Night vision in action, Cayde began sprinting down the hall, on route to the Ghosts containment quarters.


"Alric! Zavala!?" Kya shouted as she skidded into the Vanguard hall, nearly running headlong into a startled Alric.

"Kya? Composure please." He said, closing his book and setting it aside.

"But! There's something-"

The Warlock raised his brow.

Kya's shoulders slumped and she took a deep breath.

"Cayde needs back up in the Tower roots. Something's happened down there." She said as calmly as she could manage.

"What?!" Zavala bellowed from across the table, "Is that what the shaking was from?"

Kya nodded, "Cayde went in by himself to, "scout ahead", something about it being his duty as a Hunter."

"Of course he did," Zavala mumbled to himself as he began striding out of the hall. "Alric, you're with me; and Kya." He paused to hold the girls gaze, "Get Shaxx for me, tell him to gather a few Guardians together, just don't let him go overboard."

Kya saluted and said, "Yes sir!" before wheeling around and out of the hall. Shaxx wasn't in his usual spot just outside the Vanguard hall, instead, he was speaking with Lakshmi-2 about something to do with the Crucible.

She reached the pair in a matter of minutes but slowed her pace to a cautious advance as she entered the Future War Cult residence.

Lord Shaxx was seated across from Lakshmi on a modern looking couch, and the two seemed to be engaged in some kind of heated discussion.

Kya could never get used to Lord Shaxx. He was enormous and had a voice to match his size. She held a healthy fear and respect for the man though, as one of the most powerful and influential Guardians of the Tower, it was his right.

She stood at attention a few feet from the pair and spoke clearly, the way Alric had taught her to speak to her seniors.

"Sorry for the intrusion, but I need Lord Shaxx's attention for a moment please."

Crucible master and Exo both went silent as their gazes turned to appraise the girl.

"Yes, what is girl? Speak quickly!" The Titan thundered irritably.

Kya took a step forward and continued, "There's an emergency down in the Tower roots, Cayde is currently on the scene while Commander Zavala and right hand Warlock Alric have gone to lend support. Zavala asked me to tell you to gather a team and follow them in." She held her breath as the last few rushed and jumbled words fell from her lips.

Shaxx immediately stood to his feet, startling Kya enough to retreat some paces.

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner?! I've got just the team for the job!" He turned to Lakshmi, "We will have to continue this conversation later."

The Exo stood, anger etched into her metallic features, "Now wait a moment! This is exactly what we were discussing, let me send my members down there! Let us prove ourselves!"

Shaxx, however, was deaf to her plea, already taking the stairs three at a time down and out of Lakshmi's den.

Kya stood in place, trying to decide if she should follow or not; she turned her head to glance at the now seething Faction leader.

"Just, leave child. Titans have the attention span of a gnat, my irritation is not of your doing."

Kya nodded uncertainty and offered an apologetic shrug, before rushing to catch up to the Titan, whose one stride was nearly four of her own.

"Lord Shaxx! You didn't let me deliver the full message!" She called after the Crucible master when he nearly disappeared behind a corner. He paused for a moment, his helmet covered head sweeping around to glance back at her.

"Well then hurry up and walk with me then!" He waited only until she was a few feet behind before continuing on his previous path. She caught up a moment later but was panting hard with the excursion of running about the Tower as some kind of messenger.

"So what was the rest of Zavala's orders?" Shaxx asked, his gaze never leaving the scene before him.

"Well, he told me to make sure you didn't go overboard, so it was more for me than you I guess. I really just said that to make you slow down." She said breathlessly, she was beginning to get irritated with this bull like man, she could understand that he was in a hurry, but he didn't have to act like a brute about it.

"Hmf! Overboard… glad to know the man holds so much faith in me."

He looked down at her, "Hm, now that you stand there, I realize you are the tiniest Guardian I have ever seen."

Kya nearly tripped at this comment, "Hey! I'm still growing! And I'm not a Guardian yet!"

"Really? That's a first for me, the Traveler's never delivered us strunkin Guardians before."

Kya stared at Shaxx for a long moment, before slowly closing her mouth and looking forward.

Now I know what Cayde meant when he told me to be careful what I say to Titans.

The two emerged on the Tower social center, it was late in the evening, and many Guardians lined the railings overlooking the city to get a glimpse of the rosy sky.

"Breagan! Aska! Dansari!" Shaxx boomed at the crowd of spectators. "Front and center!"

Three figures hastily separated themselves from the row and came to stand before their Titan superior. They were all men, a Warlock, Hunter, and Titan; their helmets held by their sides.

"Yes sir?" The Warlock asked. The man was an Awoken, with short, neat, midnight blue hair, and golden eyes; he was tall, and well built, with a warm and lively composure. His attire consisted of black-robe fringed with gold and marked with a golden phoenix resting above his heart. His companions were both wearing matching colors, and similar armor.

"Aska, I need you, and your fireteam for a situation downstairs." Shaxx began.

"What kind of situation?" The Hunter asked. This man was Human and considerably shorter and leaner than his two companions. His hair was wild and colored a fiery red, while his eyes were a muddy hazel.

"Well… I'm not exactly sure, the orders came to me by this little one from Commander Zavala." Shaxx replied, gesturing to Kya.

"Hey, aren't you the kid Cayde took under his wing?" The Titan asked, an Exo, with an extremely muscular model of bright cobalt blue and black steel.

Kya nodded, "Yes, but I think this conversation can wait for later, we need to get down there to help Cayde! When I left him, he seemed really worried, and he never gets like that."

They looked to the Hunter, who shrugged, "Girl's got the right of it."

"Well, the little lady isn't wasting any time so I don't see why we should!" Aska stated cheerily, "Lead the way uh.." He trailed off, looking at Kya expectantly.

"Kya." She stated bluntly, she didn't understand why grownups always spent so much time talking. Wouldn't it be easier if they just charged in to save the day?

"Kya." The Warlock said, testing her name, and nodding.

"Hold on, we're taking the kid?" The Hunter asked.

Kya huffed loudly, "I guess so! Follow me!" Without another word she spun around and shot in the direction she had left Cayde.

"I like the girl's spirit! No wasting time, go on then!" Shaxx said, giving the Titan a hearty shove forward.

This said the fireteam sprinted after the girl, leaving a chuckling Shaxx behind.


So what're your thoughts? I'd love to know so feel free to leave a comment! Or you can PM me if you have ideas or an opinion you'd like to share. Thanks for reading, and have a lovely rest of your day!