PART ONE: NEW EARTH
Chapter Three
| EUROPE, NORTHERN FROST REGION |
She's asleep. That took much longer than expected. I don't quite understand her fear that amasses from the sight of a human skeleton. Perhaps it's because of the implications that are drawn from it; the reason for their deaths maybe. Or more likely, the simple shock of the new and unexpected, especially when in an unknown environment. An adrenaline release. Only a guardian knows what that truly feels like. The excitement, the rush. It's a little bit difficult for me to sympathise with her, especially since I've been looking at skeletons most of my life - searching for them, in fact. If I'm lucky, this is a sign of good reflexes and instinct. Maybe she's a hunter, I'd like that. Personally I enjoy the exploration that hunters get around to. Warlocks are more flexible in that regard but some are very strange and others become utter bookworms; I'm not really the type of ghost that wants to watch my guardian indulge themselves in study all day. What an exciting discovery to make.
The rhythm of her breathing gently oscillates me up and down on her abdomen. Her heart rate and breathing has slowed down significantly. Deep sleep has begun. It would be near impossible to detect my movement now. I rise up off of her and phase through the library's doors. The more time we spend here, the more likely it is for the fallen to track us down. And if she isn't ready to do any reconnaissance herself, then I'll have to. We cannot waste time. If I can find a way to get us out tonight then it will save us looking around in the morning.
This library was enormous. Most of the books had fallen or collapsed off of the shelves, possibly from the shockwave of nearby explosions. It's created this sea of paper and wood stretching around the perimeter of the top floor.
We need something that will fly. Scavenging for a functional sparrow or pike is useless if we'll have to drive through fallen territory to get to the city. A library isn't the place to look. But, it might have a map to the place that is.
I fly over to the shelves in the cartography and history section and begin scanning the books.
…
This one details our local area. Perfect.
Homes… churches… mines…. there's even the library we're in now. But nothing really says: "We have a ship". However it does describe how the citizens survived during a small civil war. The names of the groups involved have all been blacked out or unspecified. A clearing was built nearby for supplies to be dropped off and it was eventually converted into a series of hangars. I wonder if there's anything there now.
I hover up through a hole in the roof and begin flying over to the directed location. If there are some supplies that my guardian could grab on the way, that would really help her get on her feet faster. If only she could jump across the rooftops, that would make things much more efficient. I've seen other guardians do that, even those right out of the grave! Why can't she? Most guardians can use the traveller's light almost immediately, too. It's innate to them, why might it be difficult? My guardian couldn't even create a flame, let alone a spark…
I can't resurrect the wrong person, can I?
No, what a ridiculous thought.
I've heard many stories over the years. Some guardians are so powerful that they could strike down a Kell with their fist. I wonder what it was like for the ghosts who's guardians slayed Oryx. Or Crota. I hope my guardian does great things, too. Like the fabled Kingslayer.
Passing over one last rooftop revealed the clearing written about in the book. Aircraft were docked around the field, however most of them were overgrown and in pieces. Picked apart by the fallen, no doubt. Others were completely destroyed. We might still have some luck here, however. And if not, I should be able to contact the city and call for help if they have a communications array here. Which, by my scans, they don't. And, by those same scans I see the fallen are nearby. Not good. Testing any of these ships will be too loud, it would attract them like a magnet. For that, we'll wait until tomorrow. Hopefully they've cleared out by then.
These makeshift hangars had mostly collapsed, bar a few, which had been somewhat protected from the elements by an overhang. I transmit inside a hangar and light up the structure's interior. There were plenty of crates surrounding a somewhat structurally sound ship. Most of the supplies had been rummaged through and stolen. Some rifles had been left behind, a few still in working condition. Shredded and dusty uniforms laid around a metal locker. Better than nothing, I suppose.
From the distance, a captain's roar echoes throughout the clearing. I shut off my light.
Time to leave.
The Story Continues... 09/09/22