"Guardian. I finally found you." A flash of white light was my first sight from my eyes before looking around at the wastland around me.
Then I took my first breath of air. "Uuuugh!? What? Where am i?" I looked around and I saw various broken down cars on a dilapidated highway. The railings were covered in rust and the road was filled with a multitude of cracks and various shrubbery. But the state of the road wasn't as interesting as the ball of light in front of me.
"Guardian, you don't know how long I have been searching for you." It spoke again. I have a multitude of questions: Where am i? What are you? Who am I? But ultimately i asked "What do you mean by 'guardian'?" The ball of light flashed with excitement when I asked that. "You being a guardian means you have been accepted and seen by, 'The Traveler.'" Alright, now i have even more questions. But before I could ask them, there was a loud roar that came from the tunnel across the highway.
"We need to move guardian, this is fallen territory and we need to get to the last city for protection." Woah woah. Fallen? Last City? I watched as the ghost started flying towards me. "I hope you learn fast guardian, because you are going to need it, fallen are coming in fast. Run to the wall!" Before I can stop the ball of light he flashes and goes into my chest. I frantically start checking my chest. No wound or puncture location.
"RUN!" I listen and start to make my way to the huge wall that is infront of me. It has got to be at least 500 feet tall. I can't see where it extends to, but I trust the ball that it is safer in there than out here. As I run I hear something behind me. "Duck!" I move my head down and a spear nearly pierces my head, missing me by mear inches. I don't bother to look back at what just tried to skewer me. I see a door that could gain me access to the wall. I hear footsteps behind me getting louder and closer. Then even more joining them. I get to the door and slam it shut. I scramble to find something to lock it but the door's nob is long gone. I see a large metal cabinet. At least 100 pounds. I don't have any other options. I grab and try to pull it down to barricade the door. "Quick, the fallen are almost our doorstep." As I hear the chanting and footsteps outside. I feel a rush of energy coursing though me and I slam the cabinet in the door way to prevent the door from opening in. I hear thuds and screams from outside the door as it is being pummeled by whatever is outside trying to find its way in. Thankfully it's a push and not a pull door. I let out a sigh of relief, take a look at my surroundings. I seem to be in some sort of electrical room. There are various wires and computers strewn about. This place must have been abandoned for hundreds of years? Where are the people? I am finally taking everything in as i see a skeleton on one of the chairs by the computers. I see grass is growing everywhere and everything is collapsed.
"Okay, ball, where am I? What are you? And what were those things?" I spoke up hoping that I could get a response. "First off, I'm not a 'ball,' I'm a ghost. A creation of the traveler. You are in the Cosmodrone. What used to be Russia before the great Collapse. Thirdly those things are a alien species humanity calls the fallen." "A ghost? Also what is the traveler?" "I am not a literal ghost, that is just what humans call us. Also the traveler is a protector in the sky that protects the last city, or at least it used to. Now that responsibility is down to us ghosts. Ok no more time for questions we have to find a way out of here before they find a way in. Go check that map on the wall to your left, maybe there is an armory here." I make my way over and there happens to be a map. In Russian.
"Well Crap Ghost, I don't speak Russian." "Don't worry, I can translate wait a second." He reappears and starts to glow again, the. A beam of blue light covers the map. After five seconds he stops and speaks, "Go down the hallway to your left and take the second door on your right. It seems this used to be a military base that defended a satellite array."
I make my way down and find the door. It is extremely rusted and I kick it down. It opens up into a small room with a couple tables and shelves. I see what looks to be a gun on one of the shelves. I grab it and I immediately gain knowledge of all it's parts and condition. It's a piece of s***.
This gun is near death. I look around and find some bullets, they seem good enough. But that is all, this weapon and those bullets are all I got. Completely useless. I look straight to the ghost and say, "What are our chances for survival without weapons?" "I'd say you have a 10% chance of surviving here without dying." Ugh, great. "Well let's trust that ten percent for all we can." I am still confused about everything that is happening.
"Ghost, is there any form of transportation we could use to get out of here?" The ghost ponders before spinning towards a computer in the armor that still seems to be together. He flies into the computer and it comes back to life. The screen turns on and data is running across the screen too fast for me to read it. After a minute or two the ghost pops on out. Good news, this base has a hangar, bad news I checks the few cameras that were working and the ship is being used as an ornament for the fallen den here. A fallen den? That doesn't sound good, even more of those things are in here?
"Your chances of survival just went down to 1%." "Well is there any way we can sneak to the ship and get it before they even notice?" "No. Okay, usually one of the vanguard assigns a Justicar to teach new light about their powers, but you are just going to have to learn in real time." "Did you say powers?"
As soon as I said that my head started to throb and I saw a image in my head of blue lightning across my body. I kneel down and put my hands on my ground as my body starts to heat up. "AAAAAGH!" "Guardian?! What's wrong?!" The ghost was scanning me looking for anything wrong. "By the traveler, your paracausal levels are surging way above normal parameters." My eyes shoot open and a surge of blue light shoots out in all directions that cause the walls to be covered in scorch marks and smaller bursts can be seen traveling up and down my arm. The ghost gets flung away from the outburst, and looked at me. "Okay, maybe our chances are a bit higher than expected."
I look at my arms as the electricity is running up and down. I have never felt so alive. I look at the ghost, "Is this normal for a "guardian" to do with their powers?" I could tell the ghost was shocked, even though it had no eyes. "No, that isn't normal, most guardians have no outbursts like that. Your paracusal levels are also way above average. In fact, I've never seen anyone or hear about any guardia outputting ark consistently like that. These questions must be answered later. We have got to move. We can probably take those fallen by surprise." He floats back into my chest, "Okay ghost, which way." "Go out of the armory and take a right keep going down. The hangar entrance is at the end with the double doors."
I make my way down the hallway, even as five minutes pass the electricity doesn't calm down, it seems even more agitated. "Ghost are you sure I'm okay." "I have been analyzing your body since that outburst, if anything you are in peak condition. No it's something even further beyond that. I have seen my share of guardians, none have ever had this quality and quantity of light at their awakening. You seem to be absorbing the energy in your surroundings and letting out the excess. Interesting..." We approach the double doors, "Hey Ghost, maybe we cluld be lucky. Maybe they were out on patrol or grabbed a bite to eat." "No it is quiet too quiet, be prepared for this to be a trap. Also i scanned the area behind this door and i detect at least 7 life signs." Ugh, of course they wouldng leave their den undefended.
I put my hands on the doors, but the second I do the energy on my arms seems to pulse again. Almost like the energy itself was telling me to use it. I place my hands on the door and close my eyes. I focus on the felling of that first surge. I feel it. It's building up again, this time even stronger. I pull my hands back and put my hands together, palm on palm. "Guardian, what are you doing?" I don't hear him, I feel as though I'm in a trance. I open my eyes and the surge appears once again this time, I focus it into the door. It blasts a huge beam of blue energy into the door blasting it apart and then it continues into the room. There were dozens of Grey creatures with multiple arms inside, not like I could see them. They were all in the back in cover. The beam reached the cover within a second and it seemed to gain life as it split into the directions of each enemy and obliterated their cover. The majority of the fallen were hiding behind it. After that blast I put my arms down and my feel exhaustion hit me, I nearly pass out. I fall down to one knee.
"By the traveler, that looked like a arc blast, the largest one I have ever seen. Quick the ship is right there. Get there before they recover." I was shocked by my own power as well, but I can barely move. But even then, I know he is right I need to move to the ship. I push my self up and see the ship, it is right there, in the middle of the room. I move one foot at a time as I approach the ship the ghost comes out, "Ghost, work quick. We need to get out of here before...." A laser hits the hull right next to my head. I look to where it came from and I see a huge fallen wearing a cape with a symbol holding a large gun, that is still smoking from being shot. He is missing his left arm and seems to be near death. He must have somehow my blast. He starts to yell at me. "You have got to be serious how is he still alive." The ghost turns towards the fallen, "Riksis, he is a Fallen Archon, one of the leaders that serves the Prime Servitor. We need to leave. Now!" The ghost disappears into the ship, as soon as he does so. It ressurects and comes to life.
The Archon shoots another shot at means I duck, it barely misses me again, the Archon is still adjusting to shooting with one arm. "Guardian, prepare for transmat?" "What?" Before I know it I'm teleported into a cockpit of a ship. "GO!" I grab the controls and push it to go full speed and blast through the roof of this den. Just as I soar out I look behind me and notice the Archon observing. As soon as we are out of that location, an alarm goes off, "Crap they salvaged this ships warp drive, we need to get to find one if we ever want to get out of orbit." The chase, the threat of death, and the exhaustion all hit hit me at once. "Ghost. I... don't feel... so good." I close my eyes and pass out from exhaustion. "Guardian? Guardian!"