The morning sun shone through my window. For a second, I thought it was all a dream; Becoming a Guardian and going through the first trials along with Ghost.
Seeing the room I woke up in brought me back to reality. That and the the feeling of having walked and ran so long that me legs feel like they're about to fall off reminded me of the adventures of yesterday.
I honestly did feel saddened that I was still in this place, but upon remembering that I had the companionship of Ghost lifted my spirits. Speaking of Ghost...
"Ghost? Where are ya, buddy?" I looked around the place with no signs of Ghost. I began to get worried until I saw Ghost floating around the kitchen area.
"Hey, Hana! Sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I know that we have important things to get to today, but seeing as how you just finished your first day as a Guardian, I thought it was best to give you some rest before we head out again." He zoomed over to the kitchen stove and hovered over a plate of eggs and bacon. "Plus, I wanted to make you breakfast. I felt that you were going to be hungry, so I decided to make something for you."
"Aww, Ghost! You shouldn't have!" I sat down at the table as Ghost laid down the plate for me. "Itadakimasu!"
I scooped up some of the eggs in my mouth and gave them a nice and savory chew before I came to realize, Ghost really cooked me eggs and bacon. JUST eggs and bacon.
The eggs were very flat in flavor and carried no sense of spices or seasoning. It was just... egg. I took a bite of the bacon and although it had a more pronounced flavor, it seemed as though that even the bacon tasted bland.
"I know I'm not the best cook, but this should give you some energy for the day ahead!" Ghost said in a cheerful tone.
It took almost everything in my power not to think how bland this food tasted, but instead thought hard of how grateful I am to have a caring partner like Ghost. And it was the truth. If not for him, I don't think I would have been able to make sense of this world for this long.
"Thank you, Ghost. Everything was great! Hmmm..."
"Oh, go on. You can say how bland it is."
"Okay, I'm sorry but it really was bland... Doesn't the tower have salt or anything like that? Maybe tobasco?"
"Tobasco?"
"... Please for the love of god tell me y'all have tobasco."
"..."
"... Ghost."
"Yes, Hana?"
"I want to go home."
Ending breakfast, Ghost and I headed towards the vanguard headquarters to receive our orders.
Upon entering the vanguard headquarters, we were greeted by Zavala and Ikora. Cayde was nowhere to be seen.
"Ikora. Commander." I said, giving a proper bow which Ghost followed suit with.
"Ah, Hana. Welcome. We've been expecting you." Zavala said. "We have been discussing the things that you found yesterday in the Cosmodrome and we have decided on your missions today."
Ikora brought up a tablet and showed me a debriefing of the status of Rasputin and the Sky Watch. "Dead Orbit sent a group of Guardians to find an array that could link us to other colonies out in the system."
Seeing the three Guardians on screen, I saw that they all looked completely decked out in some cool armor. I wont lie, I was a bit jealous of them. "Okay, so am I supposed to meet up with them?" I asked.
"No. They went dark out in the Cosmodrome. Your mission is to search for them, and if necessary, the codes that they have lost."
Handing back the tablet to Ikora, I nodded in agreement. "Understood. I'll try and find them before anything bad happens. Is there anything else I need to know?"
"Before you head out, talk to Cayde. He's with the Crucible handler right now and I think he has something for you."
Bowing a farewell to Ikora and Zavala, I turned around and, before I even got far, I realized that I hadn't asked Ikora or Zavala where this 'Crucible handler' was. "Hey, Ghost. Who's this Crucible handler? Follow up question, what is a 'Crucible'?"
Ghost was about to chime up, but before he could, a rather large Guardian with a horned helmet approached me lighting fast.
He startled me and as he came closer, I yelped in surprise. "I see... Rather small for a Guardian, aren't you? No matter. In the Crucible, even the smallest of opponents can become the greatest of legends!"
His voice resounded with confidence and had a Shakespearean cadence to it. If it weren't for the frightening volume of his voice, I would have expected him to be a stage actor. Actually, wouldn't a stage actor need a loud voice? Perhaps he is a sta-
"Cayde has told me a lot about you, new light! Although your stature is magnificently petite, I saw that you can conjure a mighty golden gun! With skills like that, I would love nothing more than to see you in the Crucible!"
He picked me up from under my arms, like a small kid being picked up by their parent. "H-hey! Put me down!" I said, squirming in his arms. No matter how much I flailed or kicked him, he stood steady as a rock.
"And quite the ferocity, too! You will definitely be a magnificent Guardian!" It seemed that this guy really didn't have any sort of limits to him...
"Umm, Lord Shaxx. Can you put my Guardian down? I think you're scaring her." Ghost said.
"Nonsense, Ghost. I'm not scared. I just don't like being picked up like some sort of small KITTEN!" I lunged a kick at this 'Shaxx' guy at his head. Needless to say, it was almost comical how hard my foot ached from the impact. "Ow... Ow... Ow..."
Shaxx put me down as I let Ghost heal my more than likely broken foot. "So sorry about the scare, new light. I just get so excited when a new Guardian comes to the Tower! The stories you'll weave. The legends you'll make! And the matches... OH THE MATCHES!"
"Okay, I'm completely lost. Ghost, please explain."
"This is Lord Shaxx. He is the Crucible handler and the Crucible is where Guardians go to compete against each other in live fire exercises."
"That sounds dangerous... I am kindly asking not to participate in the Crucible, Shaxx."
"It's LORD Shaxx, new light."
"Right. My mistake. I am kindly asking not to participate in the Crucible, Lord Shaxx."
"I am sorry, but I am afraid I will have to deny that request. All Guardians must have at least a taste of the Crucible."
"Even if they're a petite and small Guardian like me?" I took off my helmet to give my best puppy dog eyes. I couldn't see Shaxx's expression, but I feel as if he just simply raised a brow at me.
"No."
"Please?"
"I will see you when you have the time."
"Damn it." I sighed and felt dejected. "Oh, wait. Lord Shaxx, have you seen Cayde by any chance? Ikora told me that he was with you and he had something for me."
"Ah, Cayde. He's out in the watch deck. He does love that spot. It's just above the vanguard headquarters. Just take the stairs down the hall and you'll be up there in no time."
"Thank you! Also... Please don't make me partici-"
"NEVER!"
With a triumphant laugh, Shaxx left towards the vanguard headquarters, leaving me a bit flabbergasted. "Did that just happen...?"
"You get used to it. Come on, Hana. We have to go see Cayde."
"Right..."
I made my way up to the watch deck where the hunter vanguard was waiting for me and a golden chest next to him. "Ah! My brightest pupil has returned!"
"Wait, I'm your brightest pupil? But I just got to the Tower yesterday!"
"I know. Just goes to show you how highly I think of you."
"Am I just the only hunter who's stayed at the Tower long enough to keep talking to?"
"Pretty much."
With the pleasantries out of the way, Cayde showed me over to the golden chest. It looked like a normal loot chest Ghost and I found in the wall at the Cosmodrome. The only difference besides the color was the shape of it. It had more of a modern look to it, similar to that of the vanguard style.
"I'm sure you've seen some of these loot boxes out there in the wild, kid. Ever wondered who put them out there?" Cayde asked.
"Well, a few times. Ghost and I have only seen a few, but everytime it's filled with glimmer and either a gun or armor piece. Why do you ask?"
"Because, you ever come across any boxes that look like these and you'll know they're from your good pal Cayde." He said with a hint of a smirk on his face. "Well go on, then. Open her up!"
I slowly approached the chest. Ghost, giving me a nod, motioned towards the chest with me. I opened it up and inside there wasn't any glimmer to speak of, nor were there any guns. Instead, what awaited me was another set of blueprints for armor, but these were a different color. They were green in color.
"Thought you and your Ghost could do well with an upgrade. Consider it a gift from the Vanguard for getting us that info on Rasputin." Cayde said.
"These are definitely a big upgrade from what I had to scrounge up when I revived her for the first time!" Ghost said excitedly. "Now you can buff up your defense, Hana!"
"My defense?" I asked. I closed my eyes and imagined the new set of armor that I just acquired from Cayde onto myself. In a flash, all of my armor was replaced with a newer set of armor.
It wasn't shiny new or anything like that. In fact, it looked quite the opposite. It looked battle worn with camouflage on it. Quite honestly it looked like a hand me down, but the armor fit perfectly.
"You look like a real Guardian now, Hana!" Ghost said excitedly. "Very hunter-like!"
"Reminds me of my first days as a Guardian... Ah I do miss my time out there..." Cayde said stifling a tear. I don't even know if Exos can even cry, but if they could I'm sure they would look just as Cayde did now.
"Why doesn't the Vanguard ever go out on missions? I understand that being a commander of the Vanguard will keep Zavala tied here to the Tower, but does that also apply to Ikora and you, Cayde?"
"'Fraid not, kid. Ikora has her 'Hidden' to go out and scout for her and since she's in charge of that, she's got special permission to go out and about from time to time. Hell, even Zavala can leave the Tower when the time calls for it. As for me? I'm stuck here until the next Hunter who's crazy enough to take on the Vanguard dare."
"Vanguard dare? What the heck is that?" I asked.
"It's a way the Vanguard came up with to help solve the reluctance of Hunters wanting to be the Vanguard." Ghost said. "It got so bad at one point that it had to be implemented, otherwise there would be no Hunter Vanguard."
"Yup, and it was just my luck that I managed to lose the bet." Cayde said. "What I wouldn't give to have another Hunter take on the bet."
Cayde really did seem dejected. I don't doubt that he felt great pride in guiding Hunters into becoming better Guardians, but something in him longed to see the wilds again. It's something that reminded me of how much I longed to go back home, even if being in this world wasn't so bad so far.
"Well, maybe..." I said, beginning to form the words in my mouth. "After I find what I need, I could be the Vanguard... Maybe for a bit?" Both Ghost and Cayde looked at me as if I said something completely ridiculous.
"Hana, are you sure about that? Once you're a Vanguard, you can't give up the position until the next one takes over and it could be YEARS before that happens!" Ghost was circling around me when was talking.
"Well, it's just a thought, really. I mean, no one is crazy enough to take on the dare because all the Hunters would rather be out there, right? I'm kind of the opposite. I'd much rather be here in the cozy Tower. Out there is just... icky."
Ghost and Cayde stared at me in wonder. It was finally Cayde who broke the silence by laughing in a huge guffaw. "Oh man! That's a hoot, kid! I'll tell you what, you actually get me out of the Tower and I'll make sure to get you the best loot out there in the wilds!" He patted my back rather roughly, but it seems like a Guardian thing to do, so I'm getting more and more used to it.
"Thank you, Cayde. If there's anything out there you want back from the wilds, you can always ask, you know?"
"Well, now that you mention it, I want you to look into some stashes out there that I've left in the Cosmodrome. I can't exactly remember where the loot was, but if you find any loot boxes with my signature ace, feel free to grab what's inside. Just leave some of the glimmer for me." Cayde said.
"Understood. I think for now, though I have to get on these Vanguard missions. First place we have to hit up are those missing Guardians. Ghost, is our jump ship ready to fly?"
"It is and it is waiting for us in the hangar. We should leave now. Cayde, thank you for the armor for my Guardian." Ghost said.
I gave my bow to Cayde. "Thank you very much, Cayde. We'll be back, soon!" I said.
"Take care out there, kid!" Racing our way back to the hangar, Ghost and I prepared to continue our adventure.
Author's Note: Sorry this one is a rather short update. Unfortunately the original file got corrupted so I had to rewrite the chapter. I apologize in advance for posting so late as well. Thank you for reading and I hope you can review/follow for more!
