Just an idea that was sparked by watching a Youtube GMV for Destiny featuring "Feel Invincible" by Skillet.
This probably needs more work, but never the less I hope you enjoy.
A BIG THANK YOU to CheesusChrist15 for his feedback.
Hopefully with the rework of this chapter I have corrected some of the glaring issues.
The other chapters will receive similar treatments.
As always if you find something off with what I am presenting feel free to point it out.
"Mayday, this is Shadow Trespass broadcasting on all Guardian frequencies. We've suffered catastrophic NSL drive failure. Do you copy?"
"No response. You do realize we are most likely out of Vanguard comm range."
"Put it on a loop."
The figure turned his seat in the cockpit of the cramped ship, as his ghost set the transmission to repeat he moved into the central chamber. Flipping switches and looking at readouts he let out a ragged breath, and then slammed his hands against the console.
"Life support is minimal. Orbital thrust system is online."
Returning from the mid chamber he sat in the pilot's chair and spun it around, so he was now facing the flight controls and main viewing windows. Flipping some switches, he grabbed the controls and adjusted the pitch of the nose. Hitting some other switches and buttons he caused a HUD system to appear before his eyes.
"Its earth like. Pre-golden age. No indication they have orbital capabilities."
"Then it is highly unlikely we can find the required materials for our own repairs."
"There is still chance. Can we survive reentry?"
"Probability, but I wouldn't recommend it."
"Options?"
"Tran-mat is still online." replied his Ghost.
"Are we with in range?"
"At the limit, but you can reach the surface."
"Prepare for trans-mat." he commented as he spun his chair about once more and got up. Moving back into the central chamber he opened a series of lockers at the rear. Reaching into the locker he pulled out a colorful and smooth cased scout rifle, and hooked it across the back of his robe. He pulled several other weapons out as well. Each fading into nothing in his hand.
"I'm ready. Activate trans-mat." he spoke as he stepped on a small circular plate in the center of the small room, and pulled his hood on.
"Activating trans-mat."
Seconds later he found himself surrounded by large trees, the canopy casting deep shadows all around him. Pulling his scout rifle free of its connection to his back he scanned the surrounding landscape. His finger hovering on the trigger guard. Scanning with the sights of his rifle and occasionally looking up his HUD he noticed that nothing was close.
Closing his eyes for a brief second he felt the warmth of solar energy fill him. Once the feeling settled he took a step forward, Ghost vanishing from sight.
/=/
High above she appeared. A polygonal orb. She was pockmarked and charred from ages of travel through endless space. She drifted towards the green and blue planet. Something was calling to her. There was a bearer here. Her bearer. Descending from the blackness of space she entered orbit and the atmosphere. Far below he didn't see the small streak as it fell. He was on vigil for anything that could be a threat.
Smoking from her reentry the beaten and battered ghost drifted through the air. Slowly making her way to the top of a ruined tower. She hovered its pyramidal projections expanding and contracting as it scanned the ground before her, under the empty eyes of a gigantic black creature. She moved forward ever so slightly, and expanded again.
"Yes, there is light here." She remarked as it allowed a glow to slowly expand from her core to envelope the entire ruined room.
/=/
"I sense another ghost." Ghost announced as it reappeared just behind his left shoulder.
"In this place?"
"To the North." ghost paused for a second before continuing, "Yes I am sure, there is another ghost here. I can feel her."
"That means there is a guardian being resurrected. North?"
"Yes."
"Sparrow."
A moment later a battered and pack covered vehicle materialized before him. It floated a foot above the ground. Dipping only slightly as he mounted it. Hitting the throttle the engine kicked in and like a bullet he flew off. The wind snapped at his robes as he navigated the narrow spaces between the trees.
Reaching a great chasm and massive cliff, he pulled to a stop and hopped off. Running forward he jumped, floating through air he landed at the foot of the cliff. Jumping again he ascended. Various outcroppings giving him points to push off of. Behind him his sparrow faded.
/=/
"What?" she asked as she looked at her gauntlet covered hands.
"Guardian."
"Who?" she gazed around herself, feeling the strange armor that was now adorning her body. Then she screamed and fell backwards on her ass as she sighted the massive Grimm dragon head hovering just above her.
"Guardian!" the floating object called to her.
"What? How? Why?"
"You've been dead." she replied in a matter of fact tone. "The Traveler's light has brought you back."
"Back? Dead?"
"You will understand in time. We must go, things are approaching."
She knew instantly what the strange floating object was speaking of. Getting to her feet she walked carefully towards the end of the tower and gazed upon the ruin remains of Beacon. She could remember something but only hazily. Far below she could see a mass of black creatures with glowing red eyes closing on her location.
"Grimm." she muttered.
"Grimm? I am unfamiliar with any such creature."
"Those are Grimm." she spoke as she pointed to the moving mass below her.
"We must go. You are not armed., but you'll need to fight."
"Go where? There is no way down. The stairs and elevator are ruined."
"Jump." was her Ghost's response.
"Jump?"
"Yes jump."
"Are you crazy? I'd never survive!"
"You will." and as if to prove her point she nudged Pyrrha's shoulder causing her foot to slip and her balance at the edge of the tower to falter.
"Wait!" she yelled as gravity took hold and pulled her the rest of the way off.
"They are close as is something else." his Ghost offered appearing over his shoulder and easily keeping pace with the sparrow.
"I think I see them" he replied as he gunned the engine causing the sparrow to jump forward at an even greater pace.
He saw the figure falling, and gritted his teeth hoping it was in fact the newly resurrected guardian and not some innocent. She creamed as she fell, the floating object keeping pace with her rapid descent.
/=/
"Put your feet underneath you." she instructed.
Doubting it would make any difference Pyrrha did as she was bid, and twisted her body to bring her feet below her. The ground rushed up to meet her. The impact shook her teeth, and she could swear, she heard something crack. Then she felt a warmth flow through her, and all the shock and pain vanished.
"I survived?"
"Of course you did."
"How?"
"You are a Guardian." the floating object replied as if that would explain everything.
Looking up at the ghost that was following her; she had no response. Then she heard it. A deep and bestial growl. Tearing her eyes from the object she whipped them around and saw the encroaching forms of dozens Beowulf. Fear gripped her. She was unarmed, there was no way out of this. She'd been torn apart.
/=/
"Titan! Smash!" Yelled a voice from a strangely adorned figure leaping towards her over the debris of Beacon.
Smash? Something inside her seemed to understand the shouted command. Before she could really think about it, she lifted both her arms above her head. Her legs bent ever so slightly and to her own surprise she jumped forward.
The ax handle blow crushed the ground beneath her feet sending out shock wave of dust, rock and blue energy vaporizing almost half the Grimm that had been closing on her. Her eyes grew wide behind the screen of her helmet. It was then she noticed the strange HUD floating before her eyes.
"Catch!" the approaching figure yelled as he launched himself from a pile of rubble and soared through the air throwing a colorful looking object towards her. She caught it as he burst into flame, an elegant set of wings spreading from behind him as a flaming sword formed in his hands.
Catching the object. She knew immediately what it was. Dropping to one knee she whipped it around and sighted, finger squeezing the trigger. A distinct and palatable thud sounded with each round fired.
As she emptied the weapon into the other Grimm appearing at the edges of her vision, she heard the whoosh of flames as the floating figure rained flaming arcs into the Grimm that threatened to surrounded her. They vanished in bursts of flame, and a moment later he landed next to her. His flaming garb gone.
As she continued to sight and fire, out of the corner she witnessed a twin barreled weapon materialize in the man's hands. Hefting it forward he grunted as the weapon roared to life.
Brass flew in a shower to his right as projectiles ripped into the black, red eyed creatures closing upon them. She knew there were too many as her weapon and his clicked dry. Dropping his weapon, it vanished into thin air as he grabbed a mag from his belt and tossed it to her. Then he walked forward. She knew what to do, and ejecting the spent mag, she slapped the new one in. Sighting down the barrel she prepared to start firing but paused.
The man threw out his right hand sending a short close knitted pattern of flaming orbs that incinerated four of the closing creatures. Then he pulled back his left hand and thrust it forward. A softball sized orb flew forward as he open his hand. It impacted the ground and suddenly burst; turning into what she could only describe as a miniature sun. Four more times he did this creating a slightly gaped barrier around them The blazing orbs melted all the Grimm that came within a couple of meters.
"Let's go!" he shouted.
"Where? We're just about surrounded!"
"Not for long. Sparrow!"
She didn't understand why he was calling out the name a small bird, until the vehicle appeared before him. Waving at her, he mounted it. She paused, and noticed the mini suns were starting to burn out. Getting to her feet she ran towards him.
A Beowulf jumped at her from the darkness and out of reflex she hunched and threw her shoulder into it. The blow had a devastating effect. In a burst of blue electrical like energy the creature vanished from existence. With nothing else in her way she reached the man. Climbing aboard behind him; the weapon he had tossed her vanished, and she grabbed the small frame of bars behind her as he leaned forward and pushed the controls forward.
The engine burst into action and they shot off. She could feel the wind blasting past her as the machine ripped through the air. He pushed the handles forward even further coaxing more speed out of the strange machine.
A Grimm leaped out before them, and she turned her head bracing for the impact. The sparrow ripped through the creature like it was made of paper. They continued their rapid flight, the pack of Grimm vanishing behind them; yet he didn't let up on the throttles.
The figure guided the sparrow around the larger piles of debris, and bounced it over the smaller ones. All around the Grimm attempted to close, but the rapid speed as the pair moved through the ruins of the once beautiful campus prevented it.
Twisting the machine in a tight turn around the last vestiges of rubble; he pushed the throttles forward even more. The drive engine kicked in full as the pair rushed northward from the devastated buildings.
As the Grimm fell further and further behind. The sparrow ripped across the land and into a forest of red trees.
If she thought they couldn't be moving any faster she was in for a surprise. His right thumb brushed a simple switch. She felt the kick in her gut as the engine roared, releasing a massive con trail. He zigzagged along, every so often gaining air as they popped off the top of rolls in the terrain. Pulling to the left he continued their rapid progress underneath the canopy of trees. This continued for at least an hour; until they hit what she knew was the ocean. Pulling back on the controls he slowed and eventually pulled to a stop on the beach. Dismounting he held out his hand a strange floating object like the one that had been following her appeared.
"Ghost?" he asked.
"I sense nothing of note nearby." he responded.
He reached up and pulled off his helmet, and shook out a shaggy mane of deep brown hair. Setting his helmet upon the front of the sparrow he turned his pale blue eyes upon her. Following his example she reached up and pulled her helm off; shaking free a rich mane of deep red hair.
"Name is Novan. What is yours Titan?"
"Titan?" she didn't understand the word, and then suddenly the strange object that had pushed her off the tower appeared beside her head.
"You are a titan." it informed her.
"What's a titan?" she asked.
"It's one type of Guardian." her Ghost responded
"Guardian? You keep calling me that."
"It's what you are."
"Can someone tell me what's going on? How did you do that? How did I?"
"I will, but first what's your name?" asked Novan.
"Pyrrha. I think?"
"You think?"
"It's all muddled."
"It'll come back in time. You are newly resurrected by the light after all."
"Resurrected?"
"You were dead." replied her Ghost. "You have the gift to wield the light, so I brought you back."
"Dead? Light?" Pyrrha's head swam.
"Enough ghost." Novan spoke as he pulled open one of the packs on the front of his sparrow.
"I'm not yours." the pockmarked entity responded before turning its attention back to Pyrrha.
"Ghost?"
"Yes, I am a Ghost. Your Ghost."
"My ghost?"
"All guardians have one. They are our link to the light." commented Novan.
"The light? You mean like in the Brothers?"
"Brothers? No I mean as in the Traveler."
"Traveler?"
"This place has not been touched." Novan's Ghost informed. "She will not know."
"Well let's get some rest, and we'll see if we can answer some of your questions in the morning." Nova commented as he pulled a pair of blankets from the pack; and tossed one to Pyrrha. "I'll get a fire started."
She woke up with the first rays of the sun, to find Novan already up stirring the ashes of the fire. Sitting up she smoothed the blanket she was on and under. Novan nodded to her and then tossed her a foil wrapped package from a pair that were laying on the sand beside him. His Ghost floated beside him, expanding and contracting in a rhythmic manner.
"Eat up." Catching the package she tore it open and ravenously too a bite into the compressed candy bar like offering. "Sleep good?"
"I did." she replied between bites.
"So I know you have questions. Ask away."
"What am I? I remember dying, but now I'm here?"
"You are a Guardian. A warrior gifted with the ability to use the light as a weapon."
"What about the dying part?"
"It happened. You were dead. You are dead, and your Ghost found you. She brought you back."
"I'm..." Pyrrha's ghost informed as she appeared in the air beside her.
"How is that possible?"
"That is a question I've been trying to answer for three hundred years."
"Three hundred years?" Pyrrha exclaimed.
"Give or take." Novan replied.
"I still don't understand."
"It'll take time, just know you are a warrior of the light. You are here to protect people from the darkness."
"You mean like the Grimm?"
"Grimm?"
"That was what those creatures we fought are called."
"I see."
"You called me a titan. Why?" she asked as she finished her meal.
"Because that is what you are." seeing that she wasn't following, he started to explain. "There are three, for the lack of a better term classes associated with Guardians. Titan, Hunter and Warlock. You are a Titan."
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"You are basically a what the stories of my world would call a knight."
"I still don't understand."
"It will come in time."
"If I'm a Titan, what are you?"
"A Warlock."
"And that is?"
"Again in the stories of my world I would be considered a mage."
"You just said the stories of your world. Where?"
"A long ways from here," Novan replied as he pointed up into the sky.
"Are you saying you're from another world?"
"I am." he replied.
"Then how do we understand each other?"
"It seems, our languages are the same. A coincidence of the evolution of our separate civilizations."
"So what now?"
"We need to teach you about your abilities; outfit you, and I need to find parts for my ship."
"Your gun!" Pyrrha remembering she had been using it during their engagement. "Where is it?"
"In the ether. Think and it'll appear."
Pyrrha paused and thought about the weapon; less than a second later the gun materialized in her hands. She began to hand it to him. He declined.
"Keep it. You need some weapons, the Jade Rabbit is one of the better you could have." He then held out his hand; and a second later a very compact tactical looking weapon appeared in his hands. He handed it to Pyrrha as well. Before completing the action on more time and handing her a massive two handed sword.
"Pick the one you want and hook it to your back, the other ones will fade into the ether. Try it".
Pyrrha did it. Hooking the mini-tool on her back as the Jade Rabbit and sword faded away. She did this a few times until she was sure she could do it at a moments notice, before settling on the mini-tool as her ready weapon. Once she had finished she watched as Novan was doing something similar.
Out of thin air he materialized a revolver looking handgun. Hooking it behind his back he stood. He made his way over to his sparrow. Digging into one of the saddlebags he pulled out white, green and purple blocks. "Ammo synths. Give them to your ghost, and She'll manufacture spare clips for you."
Nova offered as he handed the bricks to Pyrrha. A second later her belt was weighed down with several clips for the mini-tool.
"So what now?"
"Now that there are two of us, we'll need more supplies. This is your world. Where do we go?" Novan asked as he chewed on a chocolaty ration bar.
"We'll need more supplies, so we should head back to Vale. Though."
"Though what?"
"We have no lien to pay for anything."
"I'm sure there is something we can help them with in exchange." Novan commented.
"I guess." Pyrrha paused. Her mind reeled as she remembered something from before her resurrection. "Jaune!"
"Jaune?"
"I have to find him!"
"Whoa, whoa." Novan cautioned as Pyrrha started to climb aboard the sparrow. "Who is this Jaune, and why do you need to find him? More importantly how do we find him?"
"I confessed to him just before..."
"You died?"
"He's important to me. I need to find him, to show him I'm alright."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes okay. It's important to you, so it should be done, and seeing as you're still learning and I'm your teacher I'll come along. So back to my third question. Where do we find him?"
"I don't know."
"That sort of puts a big stop on your plan."
"Patch!" Pyrrha shouted as the thought of him and their friends being together jumped into her head. "We'll go to Patch. He'll be there with Ruby and my friends."
"What's Patch?"
"A small town that Ruby and Yang are from. It's on an island west of Vale. I'm sure he'll be there."
"Was Beacon where I found you?"
"Yes."
"So that way." he pointed to his left as he was facing south.
"That's over the water."
"So?"
"We'll need a boat."
"We have something better." he inclined his head towards the sparrow beside him. "But first we'll need to teach you to use a sparrow. Novan spoke as he picked up his blanket. Pyrrha scrambled to her own feet and after shaking off her blanket she handed it to him. A quick fold and roll later they were secured in the top pack on the front of his sparrow.
It took the better part of an hour before Pyrrha had grown comfortable with the power available in the sparrow beneath her. Novan had trans-matted his spare machine. An exact duplicate of the one he was using. Transferring some of his spare gear she was soon outfitted with the basics of a kit of her own.
Satisfied that she could handle her sparrow he clambered aboard his.
"So are you certain that Patch lies to the west?"
"It is west of Vale, but we're at the edge of the Forever Fall forest which is North of Beacon and Vale."
"So you're not sure then."
"If only I had my scroll."
"Scroll?"
"It's a handheld item that has access to all kinds of applications, including maps."
"And where can we find one?"
"Vale."
"Which should be to the south, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then we head to Vale first."
Turning his machine southward, Pyrrha followed. With a push of the controls they moved. The speed was slower than the previous night, but faster than any land vehicle Pyrrha knew of.
/=/
When the walls of Vale crested before them, they stopped. Clambering off their machines, they let them fade away. Pulling off his helmet Novan put it in the crook of his arm and surveyed the sight before him. They were still a good distance away, and the walk would take a good amount of time. Pyrrha followed his example.
"So that's Vale?"
"That's the north wall. The city lies just past it." answered Pyrrha.
"Then we should get going." Novan commented as he took a couple steps forward only stopping when he noticed Pyrrha was not following. "Problem?"
"I was sort of a celebrity, people will recognize me. I supposed to be dead."
"Wear you helm." was Novan's response.
Without responding Pyrrha tucked her hair up and seated her helm back over her head. Novan also put his helmet back on, and started down walking in the direction of the wall. It took the pair a good twenty minutes to reach the wall and another ten to find and entrance. A short series of questions from the attendants focused on what their business was, the pair were allowed to enter. They found themselves in the commercial district. Shops and people surrounded them.
"We're here, now what?" Novan asked using the comm system embedded with in their helmets.
"With no lien we have no way to purchase a scroll."
"How about just a map?"
"Well we might be able to get one from one of the information kiosks. At least one of the City."
Novan didn't reply but indicated for Pyrrha to lead the way. The pair wander for a good half an hour before they came across one. Always having had a scroll Pyrrha was unused to finding the seldom used contraptions. Looking at the city map the pair studied it, before Novan held out his hand and summoned his Ghost. In a blink it appeared scanned the map and vanished.
The crowd was uninterested in the two strangely adorned individuals so the whole process went unnoticed.
"You said Patch was an island correct."
"Yes, if I remember correctly."
"So then we should head to the docks."
Using his the map now displayed on his HUD, Novan lead the way. They walked for over an hour, but Pyrrha felt no fatigue. She wondered if this was another of the abilities her new life had granted her. Reaching the docks they discovered the ferry was just about to leave. Quickly climbing onboard the free to ride service, they settled in for the several hours needed for the crossing.
"A bullhead would have been quicker" Pyrrha commented as she leaned against the railing looking out over the blue expanse. "At least by a couple of hours."
"Use this time to think about what you'll say to your friends." Novan advised, "Remember to them you had died."
"You say like that isn't a big deal."
"It's not." he countered. "The only way to become a Guardian is to die and be resurrected in the light of the Traveler. So I know you died because you are here with me right now, as a Titan. So how do you plan to explain that to your friends?"
"I don't know."
"Again you might want to think on it."