Koral District
The Last City 12:34pm
July 19, 3498 Anno Domini
Koral District was a nice, gentrified neighborhood and those who lived there knew it. They took great pride in their brick roads and their intricate street lamps with fake vines running up and down their length shining warm light in the night. In their industrial styled coffee shops, and especially in their weekend markets along the freshwater canal that ran down the length of the district. In fact, one such market was taking place. It was Sunday, around noon. Church had ended and families were milling around, looking for something to eat or to make lunch with.
The warm midday sun beamed down unimpeded by clouds. There was a slight breeze, originating from the rushing water of the canal just outside the street where peddlers sold their wares. Vibrant clothing clashed against wares of all sorts of shapes and sizes. The clamor of people jostling, and calling, and arguing filled the air like a fog of ambiance.
The oily smells of fried food mixed with the earthy scent of fresh produce as the acrid tang of smoke and the sweet smell of perfume drifted in the air. A woman wearing a bright red shawl inspected vegetables at a stand while her two kids, dressed in their Sunday best, stood off to the side, sending longing glances at the skewers of shrimp and chicken spinning slowly over an open fire at the adjacent stall.
"I hate zucchini", the brother whispered to his sister.
Looking at their mother and the green poison in her hand, she nodded and sighed. The mother overhearing the two paused her inspection and looked down before smiling, pinching the cheek of her daughter and saying.
"Oh stop whining you two. Later on when you have perfect skin you'll thank me"
"Moooom! Stop it!" she whined.
Brushing her mother off, she pouted off to the side.
What a stupid name. Zucchini. It even looks ugly.
Voices filled the air, shoppers haggling prices, riverside captains advertising their services. Near one stall filled with colorful trinkets and clothing, a shout of fake anger singled itself out.
An apologetic counter offer immediately followed. An upset ultimatum. A counter ultimatum. Then, a grumbling acceptance and two men parted, one with a jersey of the local football team, the Riverside Raptors, and the other with a handful of low grade glimmer. Both looked back at the other before shifting their attention downwards admiring their trade with a sneer on their lips, thinking themselves to be the smarter one and the other an idiot.
Flowing water, clear as the sky, splashed against the walls of the canal, appearing to be just in reach of spilling over, kept in check only by the advanced canal dams . Crossing the water were bridges, wide and low, with brightly colored railings allowing people to cross the water. A couple stood in the middle of one sharing a chaste kiss, giggling and conversing in the way the love-stricken do.
I took all of this in as I walked through the market. In my arms was a grocery bag full of steak, butter, canned gravy, and mushrooms. I was planning on treating myself nice today.
I didn't really consider myself to be a prideful person, standing here, in the midst of people happily going about their day, I couldn't help but smile. My name is Pax, meaning peace in some long forgotten language, and I am a Guardian, humanity's sword to wield against her enemies, the light in the face of darkness, and the bulwark against the terror. If not for Guardians like me, the Last City would have fallen centuries ago.
Pushing past a gaggle of teenagers arguing over the price of a holo-phone, something stopped him. A laugh, quiet, like someone had just told themselves a funny joke yet didn't want anybody to hear. The hairs on my body raised, my skin broke out in goosebumps. Being a Hunter (I'm a Hunter by the way) gave me many abilities, one of which was something most called Hunter's sense, similar to the feeling one gets when someone is staring at them only ramped up to one thousand. Like many Hunter abilities it's strength improves with one's proficiency.
Someone who should not be present was here. Pulling my light within myself, I smothered my presence like an overcast sky does to the Sun. My being became like a black hole. Thoughts about me were deflected. People glancing in my direction found themselves overlooking me entirely. This was another standard Hunter ability, one we called Cloaking.
The source of the laugh was a man in a long brown cloak about 10 yards away from him. Male, about 5' 9", definitely a Hunter. I could tell by the way he walked. Heel to toe, light on his feet. A way to walk that minimized sound and would allow him to spring into combat at a moment's notice.
Getting closer to the man, I noticed metallic skin and lights where his eyes and mouth should be. He was an Exo, a race of sentient robots whose origins are shrouded in mystery. It was Cayde. My boss.
Cayde stopped his pace at a stall selling combs, I could tell what he was thinking.
"They won't find that funny, you know." I said, hoping to surprise and impress him.
"Nah, but I will," Cayde's voice came out in the tinny tone all Exos had. No jump. No change in heartbeat. He kept admiring the combs.
"What are you doing here?" Cayde asked.
I shrugged and said, "I was shopping."
"For what?"
"Does it matter?"
Cayde put his hands up in surrender, "I was just asking."
Feeling slightly guilty I replied, "Uh, ok. I was planning on making some steak, so I-"
Cayde cut me off and walked away, "Yeah, I just realized I don't really care."
I chewed my lip in frustration. That was the thing with Cayde. He was exhausted. No wonder Zavala and Ikora got fed up with him.
"I have another mission for you," he said over his shoulder.
So he was looking for me. What was the point of the whole… you know what, never mind. "Details?" I asked as I followed.
Cayde waved me off. "I'll send you the briefing. But if there's anyone who should deal with this, it should be you."
"Why?"
"As I said, I'll send you the briefing."
"Can't you just tell me now?"
"I could, but I don't wanna."
This fucking guy. Before I could deliver a scathing retort that would no doubt leave him crushed and despondent he replied,
"Oh and by the way, good job with that cloak. Nearly got me there."
I smiled. His praise felt good.