Ch.5
"Um… now what?" Ocena asked looking at the crowd.
"I suggest we find somewhere elevated and relatively private," Thane said in his usual hushed tones as Victor and Atom joined him.
Ocena followed her friends as best she could but she getting pushed a bit by the crowd. Victor fixed that problem by holding her shoulder and bringing her close so she didn't get parted from them. She noted they were headed to some shops and smiled. She could get some things for her rooms!
Ocena skipped a bit as she followed the other Guardians to a small outpost on the wall. She had everything she wanted for her rooms but she wanted to learn more about the situation she was in, so here they were.
They stopped and Ocena waited for the three to start.
It was Victor who broke the silence as he leaned over a rail and gazed at the distant Traveler. "Ocena, you recall what I said about humanity learning many things and discovering new technology by studying the Traveler, right?"
Ocena nodded. "Yes."
"We call the period of prosperity that resulted from this 'the Golden Age.' It was a period of time when we colonized every planet and moon in our solar system and did great things."
"But what we didn't realize," Thane added grimly, "was that the Traveler came to our solar system because it was fleeing from its ancient enemy: the Darkness."
"We still don't really know what it is," Victor said before Ocena could ask. "We only know that it is the opposite of everything that the Traveler and its Light stands for. With the arrival of the Darkness, our Golden Age came crashing to a halt, and an age of horrific strife began, a period of time that is referred to as 'the Collapse,' for that is when the vast empire we had created did just that: it fell all around us, and our planet spanning legacy has been reduced to this last city. In the final battle of the Collapse, the Traveler is said to have sacrificed itself to prevent the Darkness from completely covering Earth. This is what damaged it and left it in the state you see it in now." Victor paused to catch his breath, and to allow Ocena to take in his words.
Ocena thought about this for a moment. "Nothing against the Traveler or anything, but… it was fleeing right? It shouldn't have come to a place with life when it knew what the Darkness would do. It pretty much doomed everyone."
Atom bristled a little, but Thane set a hand on his shoulder before he could speak. "I understand how you might think that way. Consider: the Traveler had been fleeing the Darkness and battling it for a very, very long time. It is likely that it was backed into a corner when it came to our solar system."
"The more optimistic of our order also believe the Traveler saw great potential within our species," Victor added. "Trust me: we would never have learned anything from the Traveler if it had not allowed it. Now it is wounded and dormant, sleeping as it attempts to recover, yet even in its dormant state it continues to protect us. It's very faint, but all Guardians can feel some of its Light covering the City and Tower in a protective embrace."
Ocena frowned, angered by her own thoughts. "I didn't think of that… sorry."
Atom visibly calmed down. "S'alright kid, this is all new to ya. Takes a while to make sense of any of it. Anyways, before it went and took a nap, the Traveler used the last of its strength to make the Ghosts, and they all went out and started makin' Guardians. So basically, we're the Traveler's way of fighting the Darkness while it tries to get its second wind for round two. We're the first and last line of defense. All those people you saw down there in the City, didja notice how they looked at us when they saw Victor's Ghost? Guardians are their last hope: they're countin' on us."
"Oh…" She grinned. "Must be cool having that… people looking up to you-" She cut off recalling the twins and felt a bit sad. No use thinking on it now.
Thane titled his head a little in curiosity. "That is one way to look at it. Others are frightened of the responsibility of having the hopes of an entire people placed upon one's shoulders. To be a Guardian, you will be expected to go back out there," he gestured vaguely beyond the walls, "and bring the fight to the Darkness and its minions, namely the alien species that have arrived in the Darknesses wake to loot the ruins of our empire."
Ocena got a little paler. "Okay..." She didn't like the thought of fighting but it didn't seem like she had a choice. No. The people in the City needed to be protected. She could do that; she would.
"That is, if we ever get cleared to leave," Atom grumbled. "For the past decade or so, all flights to locations beyond Earth have been restricted to Guardians assigned on long-term recon missions or Crucible business…"
"Cru- what?" Ocena asked tilting her head.
Thane winced slightly, but was too late to stop Atom from launching into an explanation.
"Well the official story's sumthin' like this: centuries ago, back when we were first buldin' the City walls-" 'Wait,' Ocena thought, 'why'd he say "we?" Was Atom actually there?' "-the different Houses, or groups of the Fallen actually banded together and attacked the City as one." He paused, and his faceplates shifted in a way that suggested he was angry. "The Fallen are a buncha' barbaric scavengers that claim to have nobility, which is why they're divided into different clans called Houses. The differences and feuds between em' are long and deep, so for them all to come together and attack us as one, it was pretty rare. The worst of the fighting took place at a defense battery here on the wall called Twilight Gap." Atom pointed to a spot much further along the wall towards a battery of artillery guns. Ocena wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear explosions and gunfire coming from it. "The fighting was brutal: we lost so many Guardians just to retake the place and drive the Fallen off. Anyway, one of the survivors was a Titan named Shaxx. Shaxx proposed to the Council that we needed a new way to train up Guardians and toughen em' up in case another major battle like the one at Twilight Gap went down. The Council agreed, and the now 'Lord' Shaxx created the Crucible: war games where Guardians fight each other to the death to toughen each other up. Since everyone who fights in the Crucible has a Ghost with em', everyone's Ghosts synch up their Light so that anyone who dies automatically gets revived after a little. That way, Guardians can have real life-or-death training without death being permanent."
Thane watched Ocena nervously, worried that what Atom had just described might make her uneasy.
Ocena's reaction was highly reasonable for her after hearing that. If she wasn't so pale before, she certainly was now. She completely froze up, then the sparks started.
Victor's eyes widened. "Oh dear: Atom… just tell me why? What made you think she'd be okay hearing about such things?"
"Hey, she's gotta learn about it sometime, it's all we get to do these days!" Atom retorted, violet light similar to the sparks Ocena was giving off beginning to gather around him.
"Ocena, calm down." Thane urged, not shouting but raising his voice so that it cut through the noise. "We're not taking you to the Crucible: you never have to set foot in it if you don't want to, we were planning to train you ourselves."
Ocena calmed, but only slightly. "I don't… have to go…?"
"Thane was against it," Victor put in. "And so was I once I stopped to think. It's clear that what we need to work on most is your confidence: getting shot at and continuously killed by the people who are supposed to be your allies didn't sound like the way to go about this."
The sparks went out slowly but went nonetheless.
"I… I never had good confidence…" She hunched down a bit ducking her head.
"Then let's start buldin' it up." Atom said suddenly. Violet light gathered around him, hugging his body like a second skin. Ocena could feel that something familiar was gathering around him, but what was it? Then Atom snapped both of his hands out to the side, and a huge dome of light appeared around him!
"...I will be able to that? Or is it just you?"
"Fraid' so," Atom answered from within the dome. "I'm what's known as a Defender Titan: you Warlocks use Voidlight to make things go bang, while we use it ta' make ourselves armor or shields to soak up bullets. This is what's called a 'Super,' when the Light inside ya' builds up to a certain point, you can do some crazy stuff like this depending on your sub-classification. Every class has two sub-classes that have different specializations." He nodded to Victor. "Vic here's gonna show you how much punishment my Ward of Dawn here can take, and also what a Voidwalker like you can do with a little trainin'. Alright Vic, lemme' have it!"
"Better stand back," Victor warned with a feral grin. "This little demonstration will be very… enthusiastic."
Ocena stepped back a bit behind Thane and watched.
Victor leapt straight up into the air… and started floating back down! He should have been falling much faster than that! But what happened next put all thoughts of Victor defying gravity to shame. Victor glowed with Voidlight and drew his right arm back like he was getting ready to hurl a ball. A sphere of violet light appeared in his hand, and he thrust it forward towards Atom's shield. Halfway to the shield it split into three orbs, and each one went off with a spectacular explosion, the force causing the very air to vibrate and nearly knocking Ocena off her feet. Once the smoke cleared she was amazed to see that Atom's shield was still holding! But barely: it winked out a few seconds later.
Victor landed and turned to Ocena with a smile. "And like Atom said: you can do that too!"
Ocena lit up. "That'll be cool! Am I learning that right now?"
Victor's face lit up as well, while Thane smiled. 'At last, some rays of hope and confidence,' he thought to himself.
"We were planning to start your training tomorrow to give you more time to get your bearings," Victor said enthusiastically. "But we can begin the minute you're ready! I will, of course, be tutoring you in the finer arts of controlling the abilities that only we Warlocks are capable of, while Thane trains you in advanced movement techniques and Atom oversees your weapons training." Victor was positively glowing with excitement.
"Hmm… do Guardians just use guns or can we also use swords?"
Atom gave Thane an amused look, whom blushed slightly and shifted on his feet. "We Hunters are known for our skills with combat knives, but we do not use actual swords. Although… my sub-class of Hunter is called 'Bladedancer' for a reason: we charge our knives with Arc energy, or electricity if you will, and…" he broke off in search of an appropriate word. "We flow across the battlefield, and we carve apart our foes. Words are inadequate to describe it."
"Okay. What are the sub-classes for Warlocks?"
Victor stepped forward to answer. "All Warlocks begin by using the Voidwalker discipline: we mimic the Traveler by using a science based around empty space, vacuum, and a unique form of quantum-physics to create Voidlight explosives and even, well, teleport," he finished proudly. "The second, more advanced discipline, and the one I favor the most, is the Sunsinger: we harness the raw power of sunlight itself to incinerate the Traveler's adversaries. Rather than using a projectile like the Voidwalker Novabomb, the Sunsinger super puts us into a state called 'Radiance,' which…like Thane's Bladedancing, is VERY difficult to describe with words," Victor trailed off uncertainly.
Ocena was all but beaming now. "Could I become a Sunsinger?"
"With time and enough training, yes," Victor replied warmly, thrilled that she was so enthusiastic.
"It all really sounds like... like… um…"
"Like something out of a dream or a story?" Thane suggested.
"Yeah. Like that but this feels all too real to be a dream." She mused.
"So uh, shall we head back? I kinda wanna work on my rooms. I have big plans." She said grinning.
"Sure thing; I'm sure we have our own duties to attend to," Victor replied. "When you are ready to begin training, ask Luden to send us a message, and we'll come to find you."
"Alright… um I don't think I recall the way back there… bad sense of direction."
*"I can take care of that,"* Luden spoke up, and Ocena looked up to see her jumpship flying itself over for a pick-up.
"Ah, okay. Well see you guys later." Ocena waved to her friends as they each started on their own way.
Victor waved goodbye with a cheerful smile as his own jumpship flew in and he trans-matted into the cockpit, while Atom just nodded and began to walk in the direction of Twilight Gap while taking out an assault rifle and checking it over. Thane turned to Ocena and gave her a small smile before sweeping into a waist-length bow. Ocena blushed a little at this when a gust of wind suddenly swept a bit of her hair into her face. When she looked again, Thane was gone.
