Welcome, Guardians! Today is a change of pace, as this is not the House of Scar. This is going to be following the journey of a new Guardian who will seek out his foes to push back the Darkness, and along the way, learn the many secrets that our Solar System holds. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I will!
My bones and muscles ached when I felt my blood flowing for the first time in what felt like decades. I opened my eyes to see what looked like the light of an angel shining down upon me. Then I wonder to myself how I knew what an angel was, because at the moment none of my memory was jogging.
I heard a strange, somewhat mechanical voice. "Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian!"
My vision began to clear and I was surprised to see that the light was that of a small, white drone with a blue eye just inches away from my face.
I stand up, my legs wobbling mildly. "W-what... what happened? What the heck are you?!"
The little drone responds. "I am a Ghost, a machine of light created in the dying breath of the Traveler to bring you back to fight for the last of humanity."
I rub my eyes and cock my head at the little light. "What is the Traveler and why did you call me guardian?"
The Ghost rolled its eye at my question. "A Guardian is a soldier, a defender of humanity and the Last City. The Speaker can tell you about the Traveler when we get there."
"Wait, 'Last City'? As in, only one city left? Who is the Speaker, anyways?"
It sighed in annoyance. "Yes, and yes! The City is the last safe bastion of humanity! The rest will be explained once we find you a ship and get there!"
I twiddled my thumbs a little before asking my last questions. "Where are we, and what happened to humanity?"
The ghost sighed and drooped its shell in sorrow. "This is old Munich, of the European Dead Zone. Humanity was once in a prosperous Golden Age because of the Traveler. Colonies were and cities were built all across the Solar System, until the Darkness found us and took everything. Now, we count everyday we survive."
I took in our surroundings and realized we were in an old church, and once again, I do not know how I remember this. My ghost tapped me on the forehead with his shell.
"Hey, we got to get out of here! This is Fallen territory, a four-armed scavenger alien race who will kill you on sight! We have to find a ship. Luckily, I already found you a weapon before revival!"
A battered assault rifle appeared in my hand within seconds, and it felt oddly familiar. I looked down the cracked sights of the gun to test my aim.
I look at my Ghost and say, "I'm ready, but where would we find a ship?"
"There is an old Golden Age workshop just a few blocks away. There should be one I can reboot up there."
The little drone transmats a light armor over my body before disappearing. "Do not worry, I am in your armor matrix. Let's get moving."
I run out of the old church and into open street. My ghost shows me a projection radar from my helmet, and presents a waypoint to the workshop. I work my way through alleyways to avoid contact, and once I get into another open street, I see strange, four-armed creatures.
"Those are the Fallen," my Ghost says, "More specifically, the House of Devils, the most feared of the Fallen houses. They lead the charge at the Battle of Twilight Gap, and appear to be the most populous of them."
I take note of the red cloaks and the symbol on the back of them. Devils indeed. Some of them appear to have two arms, and my Ghost projects the word "Dreg" and a brief description on my helmet's enhanced screen. From what the description says, they are punished and dishonored for past actions, so their captains cut off their lower arms.
[i]That's a tad barbaric,[/i] I thought. The others that I see are vandals, and my Ghost shows me another description, and it tells me they are foot soldiers.
I try to sneak through the street, unseen, taking cover behind rusted cars when I can. I get behind another, but before I realize, a dreg is on the other side of the vehicle.
My ghost whispers, "You will have to silently take him out if we are to avoid further contact." I nod in agreement, despite him still being in my armor matrix.
I crawl stealthily around the trunk of the car. The dreg is turned around, and I have my opportunity, but all of a sudden I grow hesitant. These creatures are fighting for something that I have yet to be told about, so why should I kill him?
Ghost interrupts my thoughts and says, "What are you waiting for? Get him, before he turns around and tells the others!"
I let out a sorrowful sigh, and come out from behind my cover. I cover its mouth and wrap my other arm around its neck whilst dragging it behind the back of the car. It struggles with fear and panic, and desperately attempts to shriek out to his companions, but to no avail.
I can hardly bare the creature’s pain, so I punch the small being in the head, only hard enough to knock it unconscious. I hide the sleeping dreg under the car.
"What was that? Why didn't you kill him?" My ghost says to me in shock as I move to the alleyway.
I reply flatly, "If I am to give it death, it should be quickly and less painful. It wasn't entirely necessary to kill it, so until there is a time of full necessity, I will not kill them."
My ghost says to me furiously, "They are butchers! I know it was hard, but you should have killed it!"
I end the argument there with silence, and continue on to our destination. As I close in on the workshop, I finally get a visual on it.
"There it is!" I say excitedly. "I have my hopes on this place. Good thing we avoided trouble, huh?"
As I etch closer to the entrance a large, cloaked butcher steps out. A Captain, my Ghost tells me, leader of a crew and deadliest of the crew. The beast wails in defiance of my presence, an old hate behind the screech. His armor was thick, and his blades of fine craftsmanship.
I began firing on the captain, trying to bring down its shield, but I had to evade the creature as it kept getting closer. I quickly evaded a lunge attack, scurrying desperately to avoid the sharp point of the electric blades.
I grab the remnants of a street light, and use the thick, metal bar as a shield from his next stroke. I hold it up as he makes his next dash to me, but the bar did not help. My makeshift shield was cut in half, and the was cauterized where the monster had cut through. I run from the creature to figure out a plan.
[i]I have to think of something else,[/i] I thought. As I get behind a car, it hits me, and I take my chances on the short, but seemingly effective plan I have devised.
I stay crouched behind the car, watching vigorously, waiting for it to come closer. Finally, the captain begins searching around the car, and as he turns the corner, I punch him in the stomach with all my might and knock down his shield. As the beast stumbles, I grab my auto rifle and absolutely unload, pouring everything I have into the captain until it finally falls to the ground.
Ghost leaves my armor matrix and looks at me, then back to the captain, and back to me again.
"Looks like you know how to fight, Guardian. Let's get you to the Tower."
A little taken aback, I reply, "Why do you keep calling me that? Couldn't you call me by my name?"
The little Ghost sighs. "Do you remember your name yet, Guardian?"
I think on it for a second and realize my question was irrelevant. "No, but I thought I did."
"You'll remember it later." We walk into the workshop and see one ancient ship, in place on a hangar platform. "Good! Now I can show you the Last City! It truly is glorious, but no words can really do it justice."
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I have hopes for this series. ;)