Fandom D2: The end of the world... Again.

[Grish]

Once in history, Europe was a thriving beacon of culture. It's own terrain and civilization covering every corner with sculptures and ornaments. The beauty of it immortal, in theory. The reality today is much different: A view of nothing but ruins and weeds covering whatever was left on the surface. The collapse robbed us of our standing pride of art into rubble and rust.

"'Ight- bet." Her ghost, filled the silence with his own sound. "I'm thinking we come across cabal- It's gotta be cabal."

"Firebase shields, weapon crates, you're just stating the obvious, Saturn."

"Ay- Lemme have some fun, 'ight? Sheesh."

He never once disliked anything about his guardian. Saturn admired Mia almost as much as he did the Traveler- if not even a little more: She's saved so many lives, contributed so much even if the way she did so included a lot of complaining. Maybe he also held her to high regard based on what the two know about her past life; once a soldier, forever a soldier- literally.

"Wanna throw pebbles off the shore in Winding Cove?" By that, Saturn always meant he wanted to watch Mia make a pebble skip. She's the one with arms. "Once we're done with this patrol... Sure."

The mission made them travel south, much more south than Devrim actually had control over: Austrian territory. The Eliksni reside by the canals in civilization ruins and made themselves quite a comfortable home, a home that they've sucked dry of any resources. As the barren land that it was, the Cabal saw it most fitting for a hiding spot. As her ship jetted over the waters, Saturn already shouted at the Red Legion insignia he immediately spotted out the window.

They landed in the ruins that matched the descriptions of Austria's capital, what could've remained a beautiful city center was mostly piles of cobblestone.

"Duuuude... Vienna, some bougie stuff." Saturn's speech patterns are heavily derived from very old music before the Traveler's time, Old-School Hip Hip. He loved it, and so he decided to mimic their demeanor. Saturn believes he's doing a pretty good job too,
"I heard this place was like- super famous."

"It was."


Ian Temero

 

[Ian Temero]

"Guardian."

Her lungs burned. Her legs ached. Shouting from behind her. She needed to run.

"Guardian?"

Shattering glass. Open air. Gunshots. Pain. So much pain.

"Guardian!"

The girl shot up straight from where she was laying, gasping for breath as sweat dripped down her brow. What was that dream? she wondered as she sat there panting, bubblegum pink hair hanging down in front of her face. But no matter how hard she tried to couldn't seem to recall. Deciding it probably wasn't important the girl looked around. She seemed to be on the floor of some ruined building but there were strange boxes and devices laying around. Just as she was starting to wonder where she was something moved into her view.

"Thank the Traveler you're awake!" The floating mechanical eyeball said and naturally the girl screamed at the unknown thing that had just popped up in front of her. "No no! No screaming! Bad time for screaming!" It panicked trying to shush her. And then the foot steps started. Loud. Heavy. Getting closer. The eye looked around them. "We need to hide. Quickly! Over here." It told her and dashed behind some of the boxes.

The girl only took a second to consider her option, figuring that she'd rather risk it with the strange baseball sized thing than whatever was making those sounds, and scrambled to hide with it. A moment later something huge entered the room. She couldn't see much of it from where she was but she did catch a glimpse of its leg, almost as thick as her torso. She held her breath as it wandered around the room, making guttural sounds as it did. After a while it turned and left the room and the two of them let out a collective sigh of relief. "That was a close one."

"W-what is going on?" She asked the floating eye. "What was that thing? What are you? Where am I? What is-"

"Woah woah, slow down there." It told her gently. "I'm a Ghost. Well, actually I'm your Ghost."

"My Ghost?"

"Yes I'll explain more later. Right now we are in a very bad place and we need to get out of here. Now I wasn't able to make you any equipment so we'll need to find you a gun or... Hang on. I'm picking up another guardian nearby. I'm going to send a distress beacon."

Very much confused, but choosing to trust the Ghost, the girl nodded her head and waited while it twirled around a bit.

"Mayday! Mayday! I have a newly awoken Guardian behind enemy lines in need of an evac! I repeat, I have a newly awoken Guardian in need of an evac! Please respond Guardian!"

 

[Grish]

"Mayday! Mayday! I have a newly awoken Guardian behind enemy lines in need of an evac! I repeat- I have a newly awoken Guardian in need of an evac! Please respond Guardian "

The transmission was so loud- had Mia had ears they would've bled. Even her ghost, Saturn, jittered in the air. "Found the Cabal!" Saturn perked up, "And a guardian-!"

"I heard it too, Saturn." Mia instinctively summoned the sparrow, darting her way to the distress beacon. Moments later, as though the universe loves assuming she's incompetent, Devrim reached Mia's comms. "Guardian, a distress beacon-"

"Yes- Yes I'm already heading to it, thank you Devrim."

"Let me finish." Devrim knew all too well how impatient and self-indulgent guardians can be, and so his tone wasn't of complete annoyance. "The distress signal is in an active drill zone. Expect trouble when you get there- and when you do, don't stay for longer than you need to."

"Y'mean a new guardian just appeared conveniently where we're headed for a mission?" Saturn inquired.

"The drill most likely exposed enough land for a corpse to be found by a ghost, you'd be surprised how many guardians rise in glimmer mines."

With as much as Mia would love to chip in to this fascinating conversation, the terrain of Vienna's ruins was too jagged to allow any smidge of attention not put into the path. Apart from that Mia still remained wary of any Eliksny mines hidden in corners to fight off Cabal platoons, though her sparrow was quick enough some habits remain firmly planted. "Devrim, we're in range of the drill." At that point Mia understood Devrim's instructions a little better; red beasts covered each corner of her field of view, and among them a glowing sore thumb that was the human guardian. There was no space for rest, no shelter, Mia needed a way to swoop in and out as quickly as possible. And so that was the agenda.

Like an arrow shooting through the air, but lower. A white sparrow with a narrow body cut through the sea of warbeasts, forming a wave of red reforming behind it in chase. The angular blur headed straight towards the guardian in unbelievable speed, a magnificent sight- and then terrifying quickly after. With no warning, no exclamation, a blur of a humanoid being reached its palm out and yanked the girl by her collar. The new guardian would find herself literally swooped, rocks and pebbles hitting her armor like bullets, watching as the sea of red wolves barked and chased right after the two.

Ian Temero

 

[Ian Temero]

"So?" The girl asked anxiously as the Ghost twirled about.

"Well there's been no response, but the Guardian's signal is getting closer." The Ghost answered "However they're approaching very quickly so we need to get ready to move." Turning towards the stack of boxes they were hiding behind a bright light scanned over them and the girl let out a quiet squeak when one of them fizzled out of existence. Taking the dematerialized components and rearranging them the Ghost then turned the light on the girl. "Hold still a sec..."

The girl clamped her eyes shut, and then everything felt a bit heavier. Risking a peek she found that she was now viewing the world through glass lens. "There we go! One suit of hunter armor!" The Ghost chirped happily. "I didn't have a lot to work with so it's nothing fancy, or even very durable, but it'll keep you safe from any stray bullets. And more importantly it'll let me do this!" The floating machine vanished and a second later she heard its voice in her ear. "There we go, nice and cozy."

"Where? How?"

"I'm in your armor. And transmaterialization."

"Trans-what?"

"I'll explain later. Right now we need to move. Let me set a nav-point." As it said this a blip popped up in the girl's vision leading out the door. Quietly she crept after it, surprised at how smoothly the armor moved. Stepping outside she froze as she saw the massive machine, stretching into the sky. "What in the world?"

"Cabal drill. I don't know what they're digging for but it can't be anything good. Now I suggest you clamp your jaw."

"What? Why?"

"Taxi!"

Hearing a high pitch whine approaching them the girl turned her head to see a blur zoom past and then shrieked as she was snagged by the collar and her feet were yanked off the ground.

"Boy are we glad to see you, Guardian!" The Ghost said to their rescuer as they zipped past surprised Cabal. It took a moment to notice that the girl was still screaming before adding "Well, I'm happy to see you."

Grish

 

[Grish]

"Hang on!"

The voice was metallic, almost robotic with a very present tone of genuine human emotion. As though someone spoke through a microphone- or through a mask. Mia mostly really responded to the new guardian's ghost while the guardian continued screaming. She swarved in a sea of psions and war beasts as they each wreaked havoc; bullets flying and beasts running on top of each other. Rows of trees on the horizon serve as the gates of shelter.

"'Ight- I know this is a bad first impression." Another ghost, speaking on a shared communication line, "But- wassup, I'm Saturn, this is Mia-2, we're the cavalry busting you out this joint. WOO!"

The drill slowly distanced, they've made their escape. Unfortunately, that must be an issue handled another day: Common protocol puts an obvious priority on newly-risen guardians, especially in fields of danger. The sparrow began to wobble slightly; it only has capacity for a single guardian, let alone an extra one on a single side, disrupting the weight balance. Mia attempted her best to stay on her vehicle, only to have it collapse and send both guardians flying and spinning into the woods.

Her armor chafed badly, removing a layer of the brand new paint job, but not at all a harsh crash. Mia rushed to help the fresh hunter on her feet. "Are you injured?"

Ian Temero

 

[Ian Temero]

Everything was going by in a blur. The trees, the ground, the strange voice introducing itself. And then everything tuned topsy turvy and the girl found herself tumbling on the ground and smashing into a tree. Which hurt. A lot. "Ooo, broken rib. Give me a sec..." There was a warmth that spread across her body and then she wasn't in pain anymore.

Before she could ask the Ghost what it did her rescuer rushed forward, asking if she was injured as they helped her to her feet. "No?" She answered unsure. I mean she was injured, but now she wasn't? And why did this woman's voice sound so strange? And what were those things that had been chasing them? She had so many questions she didn't know where to begin. Clutching her arms, the girl looked about nervously, though it wasn't obvious through the helmet. "I-I'm s-sorry but... what... what is going on?" She pleaded.

"I'm sorry Mia-2, Saturn. I haven't got a chance to give her the talk yet so she's still confused about... well, everything." The Ghost pipped in.

Grish

 

[Grish]

The masked and hooded female figure took priority to check the girl's wound as her little light regenerated the injury. A little invasive, but once the context is given she'd surely understand why Mia took such worry. Her rescuer seemed spotless, as though nothing could pierce her.

"Ayo no worries- Given the circumstances, I ain't think you would've had the time anyway." Saturn chatted up the new guardian's ghost.

"You're a guardian." Mia elaborated as she backed off to sit by a tree, breathing heavily- or sounding as though she did. "You're a vessel of the light that's meant to defend this world-"

"And system!"

"And system... from enemies of the Traveler." Enemies of the Traveler... Mia herself struggled to believe her own words. She wasn't one to appreciate the great machine as most would. She hated selling this automated gospel for someone who couldn't know better, but she knew the Vanguard was listening one way or another. "We're safe now... So whatever question burns most; now's the time to ask."

Ian Temero

 

[Ian Temero]

The girl cocked her head at Mia, struggling to understand anything these two were saying. It wasn't like she thought they were talking crazy, it was just that she had nothing to reference on. What was a guardian? What was the light? What was the Traveler? There was so much to ask she didn't know where to start. So she just started pouring questions out. "Guardian? Light? Traveler? Enemies? W-what are you talking about? Who are you? Where are we?" She pulled her knees in and hugged them. "What is going on?"

"That's a lot of questions..." The Ghost chimed in. "...and a lot of complicated answerers. Let's start with something simpler. Do you remember your name?"

"M-my n-name?" She stammered. "It's...It's..." She closed her eyes and tried to think. There was nothing. She couldn't remember anything. But then a word popped into her head. "Erinyes?" She answered, unsure, but hearing it out loud sounded right. "Yes i-it's Erinyes. Um... Who are you... people?" She wasn't sure if that word belonged to the little machine, but for now she had no reason to think it didn't.

Grish

 

[Grish]

"Mm- that's a point- Y'think we should do the tower tour thingy? Y'know, the full presentation." Saturn suggested between Mia and Erinyes' ghost.

"Okay." She wasn't often one to guide new guardians; if anything, Mia would always patrol the wastelands of the Tangled Shore, or Mars, places that are either so long abandoned or occupied by different life forms. "My name is Mia-2. Don't mind the number, we'll get to that later" She didn't want to explain Exos on top of everything as well. "We're on planet Earth right now, humanity's home- that's what you are." In the meantime, Saturn worked on bringing Mia's ship to their location. It resembled a giant butterfly, and was often propped up as a sheltering ceiling when Mia camped out in the open. A beautifully practical ship that blended with the terrains with it's colorful, warm paint.

"'Ight! Ride's here. It ain't gonna be very... spacious, but it's a short distance anyway!"

"Good. Erinyes, we're gonna take you somewhere safe. A base of operations for guardians like us, it'll be easier to explain everything there." As soon as Mia finished, Saturn turned to Erinyes' ghost. "Okay! Transmitting now. You with me buddy, yeah?" Saturn asked, but hasn't quite given the time for an answer, as both he and Mia already evaporated into the large ship that awaited above them.

Ian Temero