Russia - Yamnaya Cosmodrome: 1,015 Years after the Traveler's Arrival in Sol
The World is Grey. The World is Quiet. The World is Dead.
Scavengers from a far-flung Star arrive to pick apart the bones of our greatness. Alien militaries march along our dead colonies. Robotic menaces calculate in their Glass Fortresses. Ancient, dead Menaces bury themselves into our Moon.
Among the windswept European Plains, among the Ruins of a Dead Cosmodrome, surrounded by the remnants of a frantic escape, a small geometrically shaped being floats along, tired and desperate.
The Humans that survived would call her a Ghost, but do not be mistaken. She has no name. She has no purpose. All she has is a burning desire to find her One.
Ever since she was born, Four Centuries or so ago, she wandered this system, searching. Searching in destitute Lagrange Points for manned Satellite Debris, Broken Colonies on Sol's Worlds now inhabited by Hostile powers- hell, even this very Cosmodrome.
She had doubled back onto herself, desperately retracing steps, checking under every nook and cranny looking for her one.
Who is her One? The real question is who her One is going to be. What will they be like? What will they look like? How will they fight- they have to fight. Will they be courageous? Will they be Lucky?
She Thought of that marvelous conflict a mere Four Years ago, A Siege on the Last Safe City of Humanity. Six Fronts of Combat, Six Fronts of Victory. Heroes were forged in the Ghostly Blood of the Fallen Scavengers that had them entrenched.
She wondered if Her One will be like those during the Six Front Siege. Heroic, Steadfast, and absolutely Crazy.
Her thoughts are cut short as she hears the distant melody of Gunfire. The Fallen must have found something to steal. And their quarry must have had some fight in them no doubt. Though their terrified Screams and crackling noises sound very unfamiliar.
A Guardian? Maybe she can go to them for protection.
But then again… Out here in the Wilds there is nothing preventing her from being Broken, being so far from a dying God's Light. She thinks back to all of her previous encounters with Lonesome Lightbearers… The Ambition, the Horror… The wailing of the people who were unfortunate enough to seek their protection…
She decides to look the other way, continuing down that highway filled with rusted cars and broken concrete. There continues to be gunfire all the while. Day in and day out, the Gunfire Melody continues. The Crackling of… something is heard. It doesn't sound like Arc Bolts. It sounded to her more like Ice Breaking than the iconic Thunderbolts of a Striker Titan.
Nevertheless, she tries to ignore them.
Come Night, the Melody is at its peak. The Fallen Scream in what she thinks is Terror. The Melody comes closer and closer. She contemplates going out there, greeting whoever was killing her would-be belligerents but stops herself.
The Next Day, it's much quieter.
She sees the dead bodies of the Fallen around her. Six Limbed beings. Carapaced and segmented like Insects, covered in Armor and Tech. Their guns leak controlled Plasma and Molten Shrapnel. Their Swords, though deactivated, still buzzing in the power of Life, Electricity.
All of the bodies were covered in a Blood Red Cloak. The Symbol of the House 0f Devils emblazoned upon them.
Surrounding the bodies she discovered something truly peculiar. Distortions in Space. Similar in Nature to quickly healing Rifts the Lightbearers would leave behind when they blink across Space, but this…
The rifts were far more messy, less graceful, more hasteful. They didn't leave the same signature as Fallen Blinking Technology so she ruled them out.
As well as the leftover distortions, there were strange patterns in the Snow around them. They were faded because the previous night's snow had started building up around it, but she could still barely make it out. It looks geometric. Like Squares upon squares arranged in a diamond. Worst part. It was cold. Deadly Cold. The Patterns emanated Darkness. It freaked her out.
She pushed the battle that had happened here to the back of her mind and kept searching.
She floated about, scanning every piece of Human Remnant still around. She makes her way to an abandoned, broken Bridge leading to a Highway, which itself, leads to a massive wall. Beyond which is the main Cosmodrome Yard, complete with desperately loaded yet unlaunched Colony Ships.
"Here we go again…"
Who knows, maybe her One and Only is one one of those unlaunched vessels now. Exodus Blue maybe? Or maybe Exodus White? Maybe Exodus Red with its untimely fate, its massive hull collapsed into a bajillion pieces.
Or maybe-
The Ghost Stops herself. She felt something. As she hovered backwards and forwards determining the source of this… this feeling. A feeling of reconnection. Something drawing her. It's over the edge of the bridge. She traced Centuries Old skid marks over the side of the highway. Just under her lies a car, broken beyond all measure.
Inside the car was a Skeleton.
She floats down to the demolished car and with her Power over the Physical Universe she tears open broken pieces of Metal and Plastic, freeing the Skeleton from its Grave in a Flash of Cerulean Light. She drags the bones from the car out into the sandy banks of the River nearby.
Out came that Skeleton whose bones are shattered and broken in a Million places, Clothes still remaining latched on. In a flash, she scans it. If she had a heart, it would be beating faster than any motor. If she had a mouth it would be agape in happiness and nervousness. If she had a true face, she would be crying tears of joy.
She had found her One. Her Lightbearer.
The Distant roars of Fallen Scavengers takes her out of her Happy Stupor. The Happiness inside her makes way for a wave of Determination.
She felt the body's Spark. She grabs at it with a metaphorical hand. Her shell parts as blinding Light sears the dead grass, burning the Dead-Thing's clothes, melting the snow around her and that skeleton.
She looks at the Skeleton and sees its face complete.
From the Fires of Creation, skin and tendon form upon the once-calcified bone. Organs and Muscle and Blood are created from the Power she invokes, reforming that dead set of Bone to a true Corpse.
She gazes upon that Corpse, splits her shell open, and she does her job well.
—
You wake up.
You don't know what you woke up from. A dreamy sleep? A cold coma? It doesn't matter now.
You didn't feel it at first. You really didn't feel anything at all. That's how it has been for the past 4 Centuries since you died.
You died a scared man, traveling from white, sea washed shores to a frozen hell farther North. You feared death, running from fires you don't understand. Running from warships and collapsing skyscrapers.
You don't remember anything. As soon as the warmth of those memories could be sensed, they were dragged away into nothingness.
Everything changed when you began to feel, though you didn't know it at the time. All you knew was that you felt something warm upon your face and your body where there was once a hollowness indescribable.
Then the chill. A breeze of cold wind. And then the rustling. Sounds so familiar yet so unrecognizable to you. You hear a quiet voice whisper from directly above you,
"Eyes Up… please. Get up!… Lightbearer!"
Whatever the voice, it feels urgent. An order from an Angel on High, urging you to wake up from the Pit of Death you knowingly or unknowingly stumbled into. Your eyes attempt to function. You can see the Light from behind the lids you keep shut. You open your eyes.
You see nothing but a sea of White for the first few seconds. Your eyes adjust and you can finally make out colors. A bright White Light on a sea of Blue, streaked with White splotches.
"Lightbearer! You're awake!"
You crane your neck downwards, attempting to pinpoint the location of the Voice. Your eyes meet the Strangest Sight. An Orb, not even half the size of your own head, encircled by Triangular Shapes. The Orb at its Center with Blue Markings on a Sea of Black. It's an eye…
You couldn't take it in all at once. The shape of it… of everything… was blurry at first. You took a good minute to make out the world around you, and that thing continued to ramble as you did so. You groaned as you began to move your head. The Stimulus of every single perfectly working sense overwhelms you. The smell of dirt and iron. The Cold wind and concrete you lay upon. The sight of the bright Blue Sky and the even brighter White Star.
You sat up.
Your hands fall beside you, gripping the loose gravel.
You looked around.
There were trees and bushes, dead and brown, and areas caked in White. "Snow" you thought. To your Left, was a river. To your Right, a hill covered in snow. Straight ahead of you was a decaying bridge, split in twain by time. Roots of nearby trees hugged its concrete support.
Your attention once again fell on the Drone-Like thing in front of you.
"I... finally found you... Lightbearer... Mine..." It speaks with apparent admiration and enthusiasm.
You try to speak. A small pack of wind blows out your mouth as you try to speak. A groan and slight whistle is all that comes out. As you continue to try, language flows back into your mind in a rush of sudden intelligence.
"Wh-... Haa..."
"Shhh... It's ok... Don't strain yourself..." The Drone comforts you, floating near your face, its warm Blue Light caressing your face with its glow.
Questions begin to flow, spurred from your returning intelligence.
"It's all going to be okay... Lightbearer... We-" The Drone's voice is cut off as you hear a loud roar. It's far to your left, above you on that bridge.
"No... Can you..." It pauses. "Can you move?"
You lift one arm, tentatively. Your skin, the color of the dead branches, tanned to the color of the dirt below you. You looked down at your legs, exposed to snow and dirt and twigs. Your whole body sat naked to the biting cold.
You stand up. The Drone floats back as it witnesses your strength returning. You take your first step. Your feet find purchase on river banks. Smooth stones and crunching, silty dirt make your steps uneven.
A rush of cold wind flows by. Your skin pricks and sends shivers up and down your body. The Drone notices.
"Oh... right! Hold on..."
Out of its eye sparks a ray of Blue Light and the Twigs and Dirt surrounding you coalesce. The fibers of the dead are shaped to serve you as the rock, nearby concrete, dirt, sheet metal, and twigs all form over your body. The fibers of the dead things are woven into fabric, the metal and concrete turned into slabs covering various areas of your body, areas you somehow already knew were vital.
As the Drone finishes its work in forging protection for you, thousands upon thousands of questions race through your head. Your world spins in dizzying confusion. As the heat of the Drone's work ends, you collapse onto the ground. Your, now gloved, hands finding purchase on ash from burned and toasted twigs.
"What... am I... What are... you?" you look up at the Drone. It looks down on you. Its shell contorts in a friendly way.
"I'll explain everything... But we need to move!" It turns and looks at that broken bridge. "Follow me!"
You do as it says. The Drone floats up the hill on your right. You follow it, stumbling as you work your body, strong but unwieldy from decades of inactivity. You clamber over every stone as you follow that Drone. As you make your way up that hill you see a grand structure, an object of grandeur. A concrete and rusted metal Wall running for what seems like Forever.
You climb over the hill. You're now level with that bridge you were raised under. You run towards that Drone as it floats onto the concrete highway the bridge supports. You clamber over the concrete railings sluggishly. You clamber over the rusting cars the same way.
You run towards the wall. The highway ends in a large inlet on the Wall, the road swallowed up by a large door. Cars remain piled on the road.
You hear a roar.
"This Way!" The Drone floats to the Left of that massive door to a smaller, man-sized door.
The Drone, with a burst of light, tears the door from its hinges, sending it flying into an adjacent wall, allowing you to enter. Before you do so, in a need for answers, you turn around to see what is chasing you and that Drone.
The sight perplexes you. A humanoid thing, with a crested helmet. Four piercing Blue Eyes and a Dark Red Cloak. It has Four Arms, protected in Cream-Colored Armor. It brandishes something that appears to be a Rifle. Molten things drip from its barrels. Your eyes widen in fear as it raises its weapon at you.
"Lightbearer!" You hear that Drone call out to you to break you from your stupor.
You enter the Wall. The Drone, with a ray of Light, picks up the door slumped by the wall and places it back where it was previously, Its hinges now fixed.
"It won't hold them for long... Let's move." The Drone speaks, guiding you further.
The inside of the Wall is dank. Moisture drips from old steel supports. Light enters through Orange tinted windows. Signs litter the decaying walls. You can barely make out the words.
"осторожно"
"Be careful" The Drone says as you make our way up a flight of stairs. As you do, you hear a soft movement emanating through the complex.
The pitter-patter of feet, the clenching of steel. From a decayed opening in the Walls of the complex, you catch a glimpse of something climbing up inside. The Shadows made it hard to visualize but you swore It wore a Red Cloak and Cream Armor, just like the thing outside.
"What..." You stumble back as something crawls up the opening in front of you.
"Keep Moving..." The Drone speaks up in stern determination. "I'm not losing you so soon..."
You exit a claustrophobic hallway and enter a Dark opening, a gap inside the Wall. You decide to walk over a balcony overlooking the imposing gap in the magnificent structure. Railings and catwalks cross the sides in vast webs of logistics.
As you look over the edge, you notice... Things... in the wall. Creatures climbed the rusted scaffolding. You hear something sounding like speech as Bright Blue Eyes centered upon you and that Drone. The Drone in question floated about, not minding the eyes upon it. You hear a strange whirring sound.
Looking over the edge, you see flat headed Drones, much more... rudimentary... than the Drone that guides you. They whir past the balcony, their fronts glowing with Orange Light.
"Okay... Okay... Maybe... just like..."
"Can... you tell me... what is... all of this..." You formulate your first complex sentence as the Drone floats about, tearing open panels and fiddling with Technology using its own Light.
"Like I said... I will explain everything... but we really need to move..." It declares as it rips open another rusted panel with Light, this time fiddling with the ends of two wires.
"We're not... really moving, are we?" You say as you simply stare up at the Drone, trying to ignore the many Blue Eyes staring at you from the Darkness of the gash inside the Wall.
"You were just Dead a few minutes ago and now you're being all sassy with me?" It mumbles to itself.
"Look... Everything will be fine... we... I... just have to-" Lights suddenly blare on. The Wall is illuminated. "YES! Haha!"
You look across the Balcony. The Light illuminates the owners of those Bright Blue pinpricks, revealing more of those Things. Four armed and robed in Red. Some of them have two arms, their second pair reduced to strange stumps.
"Fallen!" The Drone Yells. "Run... Run!"
Several Drones with Orange eyes whir up from below the Balcony. On their underside, long rifles point themselves to me. You take heed of your Drone's advice and run, following it to a pathway to the right of the Balcony, skirting a side of the wall. Blue bolts strike at the concrete beside you, leaving scorch marks and the smell of Ozone in its wake.
"What... is Going ON!" You yell to no one in particular as you hide behind a small crate on another Balcony. The Drone floats into a room across from you. The wood of your crate catches fire as the vibrant shots of your assailants, these Fallen, scorch the wood. You run towards that Drone as it shatters a crate with its Blue Light, revealing something known to you.
You understand nothing. Instinct takes over. You run to it and dive. You grab the contents of the shattered crate. A Rifle, its scope cracked but functional. You pick up a Magazine. Its Bronze casings glint in bright floodlights. You insert the Magazine and charge the rifle. You point it at the closest Orange-Eyed Drone and Fire.
Your shots land True. The Drones fall into the Chasm as their hulls are damaged. In your rage and confusion you fire more shots at the Fallen climbing the rusted steel on the opposite end of the wall. They screech in apparent fear as a few of their numbers fall into the chasm.
"Nice Shot, Lightbearer!-" In your confusion you turn your rifle towards that Drone. "Hey!"
"What... is... going... on..." You say, sternly. Confusion and frustration boiling over into Rage.
"What am I...? What are you?.. What is all of this..? And how can I understand you...?"
The Drone makes a sound as though it is sighing.
"Come here..." It floats around a corner, its Blue Eye trained on you, beckoning you. "Hide and we'll talk..."
You follow the Drone into another Hallway, this time wider and illuminated in White Floodlights.
"This will all sound very strange... Don't question it... just accept it..." You nod your head in understanding, encouraging the Drone to speak more.
"Those things... We call them Fallen... They're not from here... they're not very friendly..."
"You... are a Lightbearer... You have..." You wait for an answer. The Drone looks around as though it were thinking.
"You have Powers! Special Powers! Yes!- You are blessed with special powers in order to Fight for the Survival of Humanity!"
"What...?" You say in blank confusion. The Drone's explanation only triggers more questions in you but you don't pressure it.
"Why do these Fallen... why are they not friendly to us?" You ask.
The Drone stares at you for a few seconds formulating an answer.
"You are a Human, chosen by a being so much more than you could ever hope to be..." The Drone starts.
"I... I am a Ghost... of what? I don't really know myself... But I do know this..." The Drone-no... Ghost, Continues.
"I resurrected you... You were dead. In that resurrection, you were Reborn... You have no memory because the thing that sent me to you wanted you Free from its burden..." The Ghost Finishes.
"Who... sent you..." You ask.
"It has many names in many different languages and cultures... But you Humans... call it The Traveler..."
"The Traveler..." You repeat its name. "But what do these Fallen have to do with this... Traveler?"
"The Fallen are in a state of Rage... A few ago... they came, en-masse, towards Earth in a deadly assault... These Fallen seek the Traveler because it's currently theorized they were once blessed with its Light before us..."
You catch The Ghost's specific wording. Theorized, assault, blessed. You form another question, hoping for a clear cut answer as to what happened. What happened to your world and maybe, even, what happened to you...
"Theorized? By whom?"
"By the People... of the Last Safe City on Earth..." The Ghost replies slowly.
You stand there, rifle in hand, analyzing the very name. Last implies there are no major Cities, no major hubs of civilization. Safe implies that nowhere on Earth is safe enough for bastions of Civilization to form. You ask another question, hoping to find purpose.
"Where is this City?"
"I'll take you to it... We're an Ocean away... We need to find a ride to take you there... In the meantime, grab some ammo and we'll be-" The creaking of metal surprises you and the Ghost.
"No... They're coming! Eyes up Lightearer!"
The Ghost Suddenly dissolves into the aether. You hear its voice ring out inside your own head.
"Move it, Lightbearer!"
You don't question it as you speed down the wide hallway. The Fallen break in through loose panels. Smaller Fallen with only Two formidable arms jump out at you with blades and guns. Their guns, smaller than the ones owned by Four arms, still unleash the same Blue shots as before.
You raise your rifle and gun them down.
As your bullets tear through the lightly armored fallen, Blue Gas spills from the bullet holes within their body. Their skin, gray and shell-like, shatters as their bodies fall. One catches you by surprise, raising a dagger, sparkling in Electricity, to kill you with.
You don't let that happen. You grab the creature's arm. It's lighter than you thought. With Age-Old Instinct, you glare at the thing with the confusion of a cornered animal and crush the creature's arm. It yelps through needle-like teeth. You push it to the ground. It wriggles in pain. You raise your rifle and place a bullet between its Four brilliant Blue eyes.
A Blue gaseous substance flows around the hallway.
"Don't breathe that in." The Ghost inside your head advises. Sadly, it's a moment too late. You breathe the substance in. It smelled like a mixture of Sulfur and Iron. You cough.
"That's... their blood..." The Ghost says in hidden disgust.
You groan in disgust, gently nudging a corpse with your legs. It's lighter and coarser. Its face is shriveled. You ignore it and speed on, running towards an opening leading once again to the gash in the Wall. This time, you spot a large bridge leading to the other side of the Wall.
Making sure that none of those creatures were following you, you sped across the bridge.
"Mind telling me what happened? What happened to my world... And what happened to my people... Humanity..?" You ask as you reach the opposite end of the wall.
"Humanity..." It began. It blasts a Cerulean Ray into an Alien looking crate, opening it up. Inside was another weapon surrounded by pieces of Blue Crystal-looking things.
"Fell... The Traveler is a being of Healing and Growth... It made Humanity Thrive for a Thousand Years... Then... its enemy found it... Humanity and the Traveler Fell... Collapsed..." It continued to explain as you walked up to the open Alien crate. You pick up the weapon. Rusted but functional. You look into the crate, seeing small Blue Cubes and Red Shells. Shotgun Shells.
"Pick those up too..." The Ghost says as you pick up the shotgun shells. "No! The Blue things!" It clarifies.
You look and see the small, glowing cubes. You pick them up. It hums in your hand
"It's Glimmer. Pure potential... Matter and Energy stored in a single, Crystalline Form..."
"Keep it... It's a fuel source and currency... we'll need it."
You question not. You look at your body and notice several small pockets woven into your leggings. You shove the crystals into them and move on. You load several shells into the Shotgun you picked up. You go to take your Rifle but find it gone.
"I have your rifle. Don't worry." Your Ghost chirps up. You do not question it as you continue speeding off.
As you sped on, winding through rusted hallways, gunning through the foes that stand in your way, more questions form in the back of your mind. You open a rusted door and finally see the Light of the Sun. You walk out. You've made it to the other side of the Wall. You look to the skyline, seeing rising towers. No... Rockets. Long shipping containers atop broken vehicles remain rusting. Vehicles of war rust the same way, barrels of long dead guns point up and sideways in all different directions. Confused, just as you are confused now.
"What is The Traveler's Enemy?" You ask as you hunker down in a rusty room, peering out at the glass ringing the room's perimeter.
"Well... these Fallen are certainly your enemy..."
"But what about the enemy of the Traveler? Why did the Traveler Fall?"
"I'm going to let you know, I don't know much. I know you are confused, but I'm not going to lie, I am too..."
"You're not very helpful, aren't you..."
"Are you really this sassy?"
"Can you at least tell me what you do know?"
"Sure... On the First Day, the Sky filled with Darkness... on the Second, the Traveler Fell..."
"Is that it?... Is that seriously all you know?"
"Alright... I'm going to explain something to you right now..." The Ghost materializes in front of you. in a flash of White Light.
"When the Traveler's Enemy fell onto it and onto Humanity... The Traveler fought it... struggling... It suffered injuries but it won..." The Ghost gently floats up, looking out at the Courtyard from the Window. You follow its sight, seeing Red Cloaked Fallen roaming about.
"The reason why I don't know much... was because the Traveler's Final Move... The Traveler's Sacrifice... was what birthed me..."
You stare at the Ghost. It stares back.
"I was born out in Space... I saw the Traveler... an orb of White Neutronium falling towards the Earth. I only knew one thing... I needed to find someone..."
"And that someone... is..." I ask, already piecing the answer in my head.
"You... I was looking for you..." The Ghost continues.
"There were Billions of us... We roamed throughout the System... scanning ancient debris and ruins... We were destroyed... fed upon... killed by all manners of weapons... We suffered... But ultimately all so we can find you..."
"And what did you do when you found me?"
"We brought you back... The Embrace of Death, you'll come to find, is nothing compared to the Powers at Play..."
"Why am I alive? Why did you bring me back? Was it because you had to?" you ask, gripping your rifle. "What is my purpose?"
"You want me to be really honest?" You nod in affirmation. "You were resurrected to fight..."
"To fight what? A war?"
"Yes... you were brought back with instinct and immense power... to fight for your species and your new God..."
"Which is the Traveler?"
"Yes... The Traveler's Enemy... an all consuming Darkness... seeks to wash over everything you know... to Drown you in the Deep and smile..."
"Are these Fallen... the Darkness?" You ask, looking up at the creatures, lounging about, waving their pistols at each other in a docile manner.
"No... but they are enemies..." The Ghost continues to explain. "After the Traveler fell, beings who've taken interest in it began arriving into the system... These Fallen are one of Four..."
"And what of these other four..."
"The Fallen are the most tame... there are the Cabal... the Scouts of an Ancient Empire whose tendrils have managed to find your Star... The Vex... who have apparently been known by your species for some time, have been arriving to your desolate worlds turning everything into clocks and glass..."
You stare at the Ghost in confusion.
"That is not a Metaphor... And lastly... the Hive..." The Ghost looks up into the Sky. "They claimed your Moon... Wherein they practice their Arcana with impunity, taunting us with the chants of their Gods..."
You and the Ghost remain there in silence before it speaks again, turning to you.
"I brought you back. I am Your Ghost... You are my Lightbearer... We need to find a way to the City... we're in an Old Russian Cosmodrome. Everything here hasn't been used in at least the Three Hundred Ninety-Something Years since the Collapse..."
You look around the Rusted building. You decide to open the dank cupboards and drawers hoping to find something useful.
"I found a Map..." You declare as you pull out a large swath of paper. Its quality is much newer than what its surroundings tell.
"It's New... It must be..." Your Ghost takes the piece of paper and analyzes it. It notices a small signature at the bottom left of the paper.
You analyze the Map. There is a clear Red Circle marking where the Map was placed.
"We are currently in a place known as the… Divide..?" you mention to your Ghost. You look over and see your Ghost analyzing a small ink line near the Bottom Left corner.
"Scouted and mapped by... Tallulah Fairwind... Who're they?" You ask.
"The Hunter Vanguard... They must've crawled around here sometime ago... We oughta thank them when we get to the City..."
"Hold on... what is a... 'Hunter Vanguard'?"
"Oh... right... Let's move... I'll explain it to you in the meantime... I have the Map analyzed. Let's head towards Dock Thirteen. There should be a ship there capable of making the Journey... Extra Glimmer wouldn't hurt too if you want to keep looking…" Your Ghost disappears. You feel its presence in the Back of your Mind.
You leave that rusty shack.
"Head across this field. The Docks should be through there…" Your Ghost guides you.
As you venture towards the Docks, walking through decaying, moist rooms, you feel the weight of your situation fall upon you. You are a Lightbearer, gifted with Supposed Power... You do not know what that power is, only that you have it.
"The Hunter Vanguard is one of Three Leaders within the Lightbearer Society within the Last City. The other two being the Warlock Vanguard and Titan Vanguard... They all represent the Martial Leaders of the Surviving Humanity... They are also the Highest Magistrates of each of the City's Lightbearers..."
You open a rusty door. You fire pellets into the unsuspecting Wretches. Their broken bodies slump onto the wet floor.
"They call themselves Guardians... Fitting I'd say. They make the defense of Humanity their Highest Priority. They usually keep to themselves and ever since the Six Front Battle a few years ago, they've done nothing but heal and repair. Commendable really... I wouldn't mind if you became a Guardian..."
You dig in your makeshift pocket, pulling out more shells with which to reload your shotgun.
"However, despite their Unity... There is an arbitrary split among the Population of the Lightbearers in the City... Depending on the Disciplines they choose to hone their power into, they either distinguish themselves as Titans, Warlocks, and hunters, each learning from the lessons of their own Magistrates, the Vanguard."
You tap a console, turning on Lights.
"Of course, The Vanguard is not the only source Government in the City... There is a City Consensus made up of various Lightless and Lightbearing people. There are Factions... Each Civilian, no matter the background, has a say, born from Human Recognition and the innate survival of Humanity at stake... Of course usually meaning the Consensus may take power from the people in key moments such as the Battle of Six Fronts a few years back-..."
You continue to listen to your Ghost's info dump as you make your way towards Dock Thirteen. You manage to find your way to an old terminal. You activate it. The Dusty screen shines awake into a panel of Orange. Your Ghost materializes and begins to manipulate devices, scanning through available vessels stored within the docks. Dock Thirteen contained Ten Docking Sites, all of which are labeled unoccupied barring one.
"That One! Our ticket Home!" Your Ghost cheers.
"Wonderful... Home..."
"You'll love the City..." Your Ghost encourages. "Its vibrancy... the Sentiment... The Culture? It's the Last Safe City on Earth! It's Humanity's Soul, through and through!"
"Maybe I will..." You declare.
You make your way to the last occupied docking site. It was befitting... about a dozen of the Fallen scuttle around a vessel, tied up in corded rope. You think of how to proceed. You think about the power you've been supposedly given... This... Light you have been assigned to Bear... How do you use it...
"Time to Learn..." Your Ghost says inside your head before materializing in front of you. It hovers into the open and yells out.
"What the-"
"HEY!"
This obviously attracts the Fallen to it. The Drone floats back towards you and disappears back into your head once more. The Fallen fall onto you.
"Damn you..." You mutter as you ready your shotgun.
These Fallen are larger. They all bore four arms and carried rifles or rifle-like armaments. They were cloaked in Red just like every other.
You fire your weapon thrice. Three Fall before you, spilling their gaseous blood over the landscape. You run towards cover, rotating about a pillar, hiding from Blue Dart-like things which weaved and flagellated around the room towards you. Several charged at you. Two armed Fallen with Spears and Glaives, tips buzzing with Electricity, stabbed and swiped at you with abandon. Several find its mark into your skin and armor. You feel the Electricity surge through you. In pain, you grit your teeth and throw them off, rushing away.
You turn your weapon back towards them, firing several shots, the pellets ripping through the least armored ones. You hear a crackle behind you. You instinctively duck. You smell Ozone as you luck up and see Four Blue Eyes peering from almost nothingness as the air shimmered. You thought of nothing as you tackled the invisible foe. You take your shotgun and, like a hammer, smash your shotgun's stock against the creature's mask. It shatters both its mask and its face.
Enraged, the largest Fallen fires several shots from its weapon, a clawed rifle dripping molten metal. You feel several of the shots bury themselves into your armor and into skin. You fall back in pain as the fiber and cloth of your armor catch on fire. You continue to push beyond the pain and fire. You turn and see the largest Fallen reload its rifle, its magazine falling to the floor. You take your chance.
You discard your Shotgun, letting it fall aside. You instinctively reach for your rifle by reaching to your back. Your hands find purchase as your rifle materializes behind you and your shotgun disappears into Blue Data.
You fire several shots into your opponent. A Blue Field of Energy encompasses the creature, absorbing all damage, giving the creature enough time to reload and send another flurry of Molten Lead at you. You close your eyes, fearing the pain.
You fall back to warmth caressing your face as expected. You open your eyes and expect to see your body broken but find only minor damages this time around.
"Wards up! Understand It!"
"Understand what?" You shout to your Ghost inside your head. You roll and run behind another pillar. Several Fallen approach you with Daggers and pistols. You gun them down with your rifle before taking cover once more.
"Where is my shotgun?" You shout out loud.
"I have it!" You hear your Ghost say, exasperated.
"Give it to me then!"
"Just think of yourself swapping weapons as though it's stowed where you think it is!" The Ghost explains to your confusion.
You do as it says as best you can. You drop the Rifle. You watch it dematerialize and your shotgun rematerialize in your hand.
"You have so much to explain..."
"I know... but we have more pressing matters! Remember what you did!"
"I thought of it?" You question as you dodged and wove through enemy fire, shooting what you can. You take some extra shots in your pocket and load them before firing off more.
"NO! You Willed it." Your Ghost clarifies.
Willed it. That's what it said, no?
"But how is my Will supposed to make a difference here?"
"That's how you use the power you've been Blessed with!"
You think of what your Ghost says. At least, until you were knocked off your feet with a tackle. The Fallen who tackled you raises a knife to finally put an end to you. You crane your neck aside so it misses. You overpower it, pushing it off you and rising to your feet. Several more Fallen charge you with Electrified Spears and Swords. You try your best to hold them off.
You weave past their blades, using your shotgun like a club, spilling their gaseous blood. The smell of the carnage makes itself more intoxicating. You yell out in pain as one of the Fallen manages to stab you in the stomach, the blade itself frying your insides. You feel your consciousness wane.
"Fight or Die... Which one is it..." You hear your Ghost mumble in the back of your mind.
You grit your teeth, grabbing your stabber's arm, pulling them closer. You punch them in the face. You turn to another attacker just as it tries to stab you. You grab its spear and send it to the side as you kick its knees out from under it and crush its head on the ground.
You pull out the sword with great effort. Your warm blood spilling onto the cold, pale grass inside the docking site. The sight of your own blood enrages you. You hear the largest of the Fallen bark out orders. The rest of them back off.
One of the creatures decides to flank you. With a dagger, it attempts to stab you from behind.
You hear the crackle of its dagger before it strikes. The rage and frustration you feel boil over.
You are bleeding. You are dying. Your organs are fried yet you still live. You declare you will continue to live within your mind. You hate these things simply because they hate you back. You hate them. You need to survive.
Survive
Survive
You need to survive.
You whirl around. With a glare, you grasp your attacker's wrist, bringing its spider-like arms down before sending your own wrist into a strike. The heel of your palm, wreathed in Fire, collides with your attacker's chin. It makes no noises as it collapses into Ash and Orange Sparkle.
"You did it..." your Ghost speaks up.
you turn around with a glare to your opponents. The largest of the Fallen, the Captain of the group, barks an order. Its entourage flees. It discards its Molten Lead Rifle and unsheathes two swords. They hum to life with Blue Sparks.
You clench your fists. you feel the warmth encompass your body and feel your rage propel yourself forward. As the Fallen Leader charges at you, you raise your arms up to defend yourself. The thing's blades catch your arms as expected, but the damage it does is minimal once more. It bounces off your rudimentary armor with minimal pain. You open your eyes to see your whole body covered in Fire. It's warm but it doesn't burn you. The Fallen Captain staggers back. You steel yourself for another attack.
You Hear nothing but the roar of flames inside your ears. You don't know what you're doing, but you do what's natural. As the Captain passes again with a flurry of slices, you weave and dodge, jabbing at the creature. Your punches land, scorching its cloak and armor.
You remember what your Ghost advised earlier. To Will. That's how to use this Power. And so you did. When the Captain swiped for your head, you ducked and Willed into being a ball of Fire. It nestled itself in your palm. You struck your palm towards the Captain's Chest. In one moment, it lived. The second, it died.
Its corpse fell back. Everything, including the armor and technology making it up, burns to ash. Flames spread from a hole in its chest. It doesn't scream as everything becomes Dust.
Your Rage subsides, if only for a moment.
"You did it... You used the Light..."
"You... need... to explain yourself..."
"Now... hold on..."
"Now…" You order, sternly. Frustrated at the Lack of answers.
"Okay! Okay! Just let me..." My Ghost appears in front of me. You glare at it.
"Just... hold still..." It orders. You grunt as you do its bidding.
It fires a Blue Beam into your grievous wound, still dripping with Blood. You stagger with pain. However, just as soon as it spiked, it soon fell away, replaced with a comforting warmth.
"There... All healed..."
"Why...
"Your Power comes from the Traveler... Comes from the Light..." It begins to explain.
"The Power to create something from simple Will, it defies all laws of physics... manifesting as simple Flame and Combustion... to Arcing Lightning and Magnetism... to the Energy of the very Vacuum itself..."
"Your power is the Power inherent to Nature given form by your will. The Light is your power's source. I am your power's conduit... So long as I live... these Miracles are yours to command..." Your Ghost speaks in a determined spirit. It turns and looks at the vessel corded in wire and rope, several panels torn off.
"This Will do..."
"Why hide all of this?" You ask, desperate for actual answers.
"I needed you to understand, by yourself, how it works. How to access it and what its effects can potentially be..."
"So I can just... Conjure Fire from the palm of my hand just like that?"
"And Electricity... and the Vacuum... Well... the proper names you Humans have given them are Solar, Arc, and Void respectively..."
Your mind spins in the possibilities.
"Hey! Understand this, Lightbearer Mine... You're special to me because you are Mine and I am yours... But don't think you're hot stuff just because of this..." My Ghost floats around me, speaking in a serious tone.
"Where's this coming from?" You ask, concerned.
"You're not the first Lightbearer I've seen... I've seen many... Many who've fallen to Avarice, Lust, and Wrath... You are in possession of Power beyond the Universe... but understand the use of that power..."
You nod in acceptance.
"You Will use it to defend Humanity."
"Yes... Why shouldn't I..?"
Satisfied, your Ghost floats near your face.
"No reason. Humanity is cowering behind meager walls. I'm not about to let those innocent people suffer because I was cursed with a Lightbearer with a specific Type of Ambition..."
You look at the vessel the Fallen had lashed up. You extend your palm towards a strand of rope. You Will your palms to light. Fire once again circles around your arm, coalescing into a ball, then firing at the rope, quickly burning it. You free the Ship from its confines. It crashes not-to-subtly into the concrete floor, thankfully not suffering too much damage. Your Ghost zaps a panel on the ship's hull, opening a door on its underside. You enter.
The Ship was really, really old. Nothing but Dust and Echoes remained. The inside was uneventful. Entering the Ship, to the left was a sleeping bag attached to the ship's inner hull. To the Right was a set of drawers. Set on top of the drawers was a picture of a Family of Three. Crouching over to the cockpit, you find a dusty Skeleton. You look over at the Picture, then back to the Skeleton.
"Sorry. But I'm going to need your ship…" You mumble as you grasp at the bones.
You remove the Picture and roll off all the bones from the cockpit. You flush out every item inside the Ship that isn't part of the ship itself. Everything that you would consider a belonging of the long-dead man, you set onto the Cosmodrome ground.
"Hey... Ghost... Can you... make a ditch?"
"For him?"
"Yes... Please..."
Your Ghost, using a ray of Blue Light, tears up the Dirt and Concrete in the docking site's floor. You drop every belonging and bone into the Ditch. Before ordering your Ghost to bury it all, you Will a fire onto your finger tips and set everything ablaze.
With everything reduced to ash, you and your Ghost bury him. The unknown Pilot of a Ship that is to be your Salvation...
You board the Ship. your Ghost analyzes the controls and instructs you appropriately. You open a compartment near the backside of the ship and dump in the Glimmer you have managed to collect. You return to the front of the Ship and start it.
Soon enough, You take to the skies. The Snowy landscape expands below as you take off into the Stratosphere. Your Ghost feeds Data into the Ship, pinning the coordinates to the Last Safe City... A whole Continent and Ocean away...
You fly in silence.
—
The Roaring of engines attracts many eyes. Many of them are Blue like the Scavengers who so devastatingly wound you. Many, Green in the Soulfire of foes unknown to you. But one pair eyes your ship in hope. In Hope and in Determination.
In her right arm, she slings over her shoulder, a Rifle, bristling in Causal Energy. In her Left, she clenches a fist. Cubes of Cosmic Crystalline fall onto rusting sheet metal, quickly disappearing.
In the rapidly fading light of the setting Sol, a Stranger utters these words:
"Interesting… A single Ghost… Leads to this… Curious…"
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This series of mine is a Narrative retelling of Existing Destiny Content. This chapter specifically is of the First Mission, "A Guardian Rises".
Several Changes have been made in dialogue and overall flow. Lore has not been changed (At least, too drastically… For now…)
One notable change is that my version of this mission specifically takes place hundreds of years before Destiny 1, only 4 Years after the Battle of Six Fronts.
This series is my rewrite of Destiny. My goal is to attempt to satisfy and remedy the various inconsistencies in writing and dialogue as well as Lore from the course of the Destiny Universe as well as including Lore from more recent Content. My other goal is also to make The Guardian (or in my rewrite's case, Guardians) a more significant factor in the story rather than letting us be a simply heavy-hitting plot device from which a player may interact with the world.
I wanted to give our Guardians more Character and that will show as I introduce more Lightbearer Characters into this series as I continue to write.
Also please point out Grammar Mistakes if you find any. I've been writing for 7 Straight hours because I got bored playing Competitive Crucible.
Criticism is Welcome! Have at thee!
