Rise of A Guardian - A Character Origin Story

3. The Light Grows Brighter

Rory woke up to a light whirring sound. She sat up in her bed and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Her body felt a lot stronger and more alert than the day before. There was a slight tingle in her hands and feet.

"Good morning!" the ghost chipper's little voice greeted her "How are you feeling?"

The ghost looked her over and noticed her skin was glowing golden. She laughed within herself and knew she had made the best pick ever. This one was a Sunbreaker and the ghost shivered with excitement.

"I feel a lot better. I guess I needed a few hours of sleep." Rory swung her feet over the side of the small bed.

"A few hours?!" the ghost exclaimed," I think you meant a few days."

"Have I been asleep that long?" Rory stretched.

"We've got to get a move on. Cayde asked me to let him know as soon as you were awake." the ghost hurried about.

Rory got up and walked over to a small sink. She splashed water over her face and lightly patted her cheeks to wake up.

"I've got some armor for you over there." the ghost motioned to the far side of the small room.

Rory walked over to the silver and black plated set. She ran her fingers over the smoothness of its surface and marveled at its craftsmanship. Carefully she donned each piece careful not to scuff any of the pieces. Making her way outside she closed the door behind her and bumped into a guardian.

"Oh, excuse me." Rory apologized.

"No, pardon me." the handsome guardian smiled brightly.

Rory tucked a piece of her purple-dyed hair behind her ear and blushed.

"You must be new. I'm Pax Jaan." He introduced himself.

"I'm Rory, how do you know I'm new." She shook his hand nervously.

"Well, you've got newbie armor on." He grinned looking slightly down at her "They must be training you today."

She couldn't stop staring at him. His skin was a delicate blue and slightly glowing with a mesmerizing metallic sheen to it. Jet black hair was slicked back and lightly shaved on the side. She noticed the glowing purple arrows in the quiver on his thigh. Her cheeks flushed as she noticed how handsome he was.

"Guess I'll see you 'round." Pax playfully saluted her; his yellow eyes twinkled at her.

"Yeah sure, see ya." She managed to blurt out.

Rory quickly closed the door and rounded a corner making her way towards the Gunsmith.

"Who was that?" Rory asked looking back over her shoulder.

If her ghost could grin, she would. There was something cute about the way her guardian turned to mush all of sudden around Pax.

"Oh, Pax? He is a hero ya know. He is one of the few Awoken Guardians who left the Reef to align themselves with the Vanguard. We love Pax to death around here. He is amazing in the crucible, no one had even come close to beating his latest record."

Rory's thoughts lingered onPax and the impression he made on her mind. She silently hoped to see him againsoon.

"What will it be ladies?" Banshee-44 asked leaning against the desk.

The smell of gunpowder and glimmer lingered all around.

"Cayde says she'll have the Mananan SR-4, Curtain Call and Cuboid ARu." the ghost ordered.

"Coming up." Banshee turned around.

As he walked away, he paused and then turned around.

"What was the order again?" He asked scratching his metal head.

Annoyed the ghost repeated it over and over so it would stick in his mind.

"What's wrong with him?" Rory inquired.

"When Exos are reset they lose a piece of themselves so to speak. The higher the number the more times they have been reset and unfortunately for Banshee he's been reset too many times."

"Then why is he is still the Gunsmith?" Rory squinted.

"Because he is dang good at his job." the ghost chuckled" And he is one of Zavala's closest friends. Zavala won't let him retire just yet."

"Here are your guns." Banshee laid them on the table.

Rory picked up the sleek scout rifle and admired its design. She wondered what they would be using as target practice. Butterflies began to dance in her stomach as she wondered what could be the purpose of this Guardian business.

"What if I can't do this?" she rubbed her face.

"Don't worry Rory, you're going to be just fine." the ghost sounded cheerful.

"Hey, buddy!" Cayde-6 shouted as he jogged across the tower courtyard" I didn't think you'd wake up from your slumber. "

Rory grinned and slug her weapons over her shoulder. lastly, she grabbed the rocket launcher and strapped it to her back. It was so heavy it nearly caused her to fall over.

"We have to get those muscles working." Cayde-6 clapped his hands together.

Rory thudded over to meet him careful not to drop any of the heavy equipment.

"Nice day for some hunting eh Pax?" Cayde-6 called over her shoulder.

At hearing the name Pax, she almost stopped in her tracks.

"It's ok." her ghost whispered into her ear.

"Sure is! Where are we off to today?" Pax inquired as he smoothly made his way over to the group.

His cape heroically swayed in the wind as he walked. Confidence oozed from him.

He eyed Rory noticing she was a bit uncomfortable around him. There was something captivating about her though. The way she stood balancing her weapons in her nervousness made him chuckle. Her broad shoulders were pulled back as if to say she was ready for anything that we could throw at her, despite her eyes betraying her uneasiness. His gaze fell to her perfectly pouty lips.

"Pax? Pax buddy are you still with us?" Cayde-6 was waving at his face.

"Yeah" he cleared his throat.

Cayde-6 looked at Rory and back at Pax. He grinned as best as his metal mouth would let him.

"Ah, ok then well let's get to the wilds!" Cayde clapped his gloved hands together.

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