"I am a being of Light!"

"Light?"

"Yes, the power of the Traveler."

Kipo blinked again. "The Traveler? Who's that?"

"You're not going to get a straight answer to that, so don't even bother." The man returned, melting from the surrounding darkness with a bundle in his arms. "Get dry as fast as possible." He set the items down and threw some more logs onto the fire, then pulled the top things off the bundle, a very large shirt and a pair of baggy khaki pants. "I can leave if you want to change clothes."

"No, I think I'll be ok just drying off for now." She looked down at her ragged shirt. "I might need some later." She looked up again, meeting the man's yellow eyes. "Thank you."

He didn't reply, an odd expression on his face. If she didn't know any better, Kipo might have thought he was embarrassed. "Here." He closed his eyes and held out an empty hand. Suddenly, flames burst from his fingers, waving and crackling. He screwed up his face, dark brows lowering, and the fire consolidated into a hooked knife made from solid flame. The man moved around the fire, flipping it in his hand so that the handle was pointing out to her. "Take it, carefully. The handle won't hurt you, but the blade will kill you if you touch it."

Kipo's eyes widened. "Was that magic!? Also wait, I'd just die?"

"Yes. And no, not magic, Light." The man knelt next to her and wiggled it. "It will warm you faster than the fire."

Kipo hesitantly reached out and took it in her hand. The grip felt like warm metal, but the blade emanated heat that felt… purer, than the heat of the fire. She held it up, looking into its molten depths, and she could feel steam rising from her hair and shirt. Eyes the size of very large wide almonds, she held it reverently a little closer, and the heat began drying her clothing in earnest.

The guardian unfolded the last item in his pile, a white sheet-like blanket with shimmering patterns that reminded Kipo of the guardian's skin. He stepped closer to her and swung it around her shoulders, taking care to keep it clear of the burning knife in her hands. It was soft, airy, but somehow began insulating her immediately, and she felt the cold finally begin to recede from her chilled bones. He stepped back and before she could thank him he spoke again. "Are you hungry? I don't have a lot of choices."

"Oh, yes! I'll eat anything, thank you so much."

The man nodded and stood again. "Pork. Can we help her arm?"

"Not with our current equipment, guardian."

"And that bandage? Is infection a risk?"

"Always, but I did not detect any in her. Miss Kipo seems to be recovering well on her own, though proper medical attention at a settlement would not be out of the question."

He nodded, then turned to her. "I was going to go tomorrow anyway. Can you wait that long?"

"Yeah, it's not too bad now."

He turned, then paused. The fire crackled, and night sounds filled the silence. "I'll try to answer some of your questions." He fixed her gaze. "No promises."

Kipo smiled at him. "All right." He nodded and left, and she focused on holding the burning knife carefully. She savored the heat until it suddenly flared out of existence. She yelped and frantically put out the small fire that had made a home in her hair. Pork floated over at her sound of distress, but after a cursory inspection didn't say anything. She took a deep breath, snuggling the blanket around her shoulders. It had been a while since she'd caught her hair on fire. What? Two months ago, she recalled, when Wolf tried to teach her to make a basic campfire. It hadn't gone well. She forced herself to speak before the pain of missing Wolf came back in force.

"Pork, what's a guardian?"

"Users of the Light, chosen by the Traveler! They defend the Last Safe City of Earth."

Kipo nodded, taking in all that information. "There's only one city left on the entire planet?"

"No, there are others. The Last City is the oldest and most powerful, however, and it is protected by the Guardians."

"Ah, Guardians again. They seem important." She thought for a moment. This place seemed a lot bigger than the Los Vistas area, and as far as friends went, it seemed like this nameless guardian fellow might be a good place to start. He was a little prickly, but then again, so was Wolf. She smiled. They'd be friends, even if Kipo had to assign him a nickname. "So, they get magic from this Traveler fellow, and they have a job to guard people! From the ali- the Eliksni?"

"From anyone who harms them. There are many things who want to hurt humanity in this system."

"Like what?"

"The Eliksni -or Fallen as they are colloquially known- Houses were a large threat for many centuries, but they have recently been replaced by the Cabal of the Red Legion. The Hive and Taken armies of the Taken King Oryx were recently defeated, and the Vex of the Sol Divisive have long been a threat. With the loss of the Hunter Vanguard and the rise of the Scorn, there's been a lot of uncertainty recently. There is also trouble on the moon, I have heard, that the Hidden Swarm is waking once again."

"Woah. That's a lot of bad guys." Kipo changed the subject, to learn more about her new friend. "So this guardian, he's yours? What does that mean?"

"I chose him! Well, the Traveler chose him, but I got to be his ghost. It is a great privilege, to have a guardian?"

"Congratulations," Kipo said, curiosity rising. "What's his name?"

"I don't have one." The guardian returned, expression dark, a bowl of steaming something in his hands. "Here."