thenameisel

My personal blog, for who knows what! Also on Insta @thenameisel_ And Twitter @thenameis_el

[pocketss]

mmm soob

[thenameisel]

Sooooooooouuuuup

[thenameisel]

Soup.

Sometimes you feel, sometimes you don't.

Sometimes you feel, when you'd rather you'd not.

Sometimes you don't, when you wish you did.

Sometimes you feel not enough, and yet too much.

And sometimes, sometimes you don't feel, and yet you do, and everything's soup.

[sylenth-l]

HAPPY #SAINT14DAY 🕊️💜

[local-cryptic-cottage-kid]

New Tumblr Merch Idea: a binder that has the "this image violates tumblr guidelines" on it

[wtfearth123]

Did you know that Feather Starfish can regenerate their arms if they lose them? They can also detach their arms voluntarily to escape predators. Some feather starfish even host symbiotic animals like shrimps and crabs. They are amazing creatures that can swim, feed, and breathe with their arms.

Feather starfish are fascinating marine animals that belong to the class Crinoidea, which also includes sea lilies. They are not actually starfish, but they are related to them as they are both echinoderms. Feather starfish have a central body with many arms that are used for swimming, feeding, and respiration. They are usually found in tropical and subtropical waters, where they attach themselves to rocks, corals, or other surfaces. Feather starfish are also known as crinoids or comatulids.

Feather starfish are one of the oldest & most primitive species on earth. Their origins date back to the Ordovician Period, which began more than 488 million years ago. They can have as many as 200 arms, which branch numerous times and result in feathery pinnules. These arms can be of various colors, such as green, red or yellow. They can regenerate their arms if they lose them due to injury or predation. They can also detach their arms voluntarily to escape predators or to reproduce asexually.

Feather starfish host symbiotic animals like shrimps and crabs, which live among their arms and provide protection and cleaning services. Some feather starfish even have specialized structures called cirri that act as claws to hold their symbionts. They feed on planktonic particles that they capture with their tube feet and mucus on their arms. They then move the food along their arms to their mouth, which is located on the upper side of their body.

Feather starfish are amazing creatures that add beauty and diversity to the coral reefs. They are also important indicators of the health of the marine ecosystem, as they are sensitive to environmental changes. I hope you enjoyed reading about this wonderful & beautiful creature. 😊🙏

[thenameisel]

Fluffy babies.

[plethodoncinereus]

when i say i’m masculine and feminine at the same time this is the kind of shit i mean:

[emmaklee]

Hannah Streefkerk

crocheted & embroidered lichen installation

[knithacker]

Knit An African Adventure Afghan, A Gorgeous Patchwork Quilt Designed By Horst Schulz: 👉 https://buff.ly/3A0KGsv 💜

[pocketss]

the world is a scary place when you are a small and edible thing

[thenameisel]

Origin Stories Part Five: Follow Me

My first impression is of the pain. Agonizing, prickling pain. Like a million tiny needles stitching me back together.

But it fades so quickly, was it even there in the first place? I’m not even exactly sure what hurt. My lungs? My ribs? My throat? Everywhere?

There's an ache in my side that's subsiding too.

What happened? Did anything happen? I feel lost. Adrift. But also weightless and uncaring like I’ve just come out of a drugged sleep.

I open my eyes.

My hands are resting in my lap. Lose, relaxed, forgotten. I’m sitting on something hard and cold. The same unyielding sensation is at my back. I find it comforting.

There's a glint of white and I jerk my head upwards to see a small flying drone less than a foot from my face. It’s star shaped, facets shifting back and forth. With something moving to focus on, the fog in my head starts to thin.

Somehow I just know it's studying me.

“Titan. Updating calculations.” The masculine voice is calm and factual. “Pleasure to meet you. I have a lot to discuss with you, but I’m going to need you to follow me. This area is not safe.”

I open my mouth to ask… and a dozen questions come to mind. But before I can decide on one a primal yell pierces the air. The ground tremors.

Any remaining shreds of apathy is chased away by a shot of cold adrenalin.

I look around quickly, absorbing my environment. I’m sitting on a wide sidewalk, concrete wall to my back. The four lane road is pitted and cracked. Rusted out cars line both sides, and various other debris litter the pavement. The buildings are tall and square. Uniform and utilitarian.

The ground tremors again. Stronger this time.

Whatever is making it, is coming this way.

The done gets even closer, filling my vision.

Somehow I can tell he's agitated.

“We need to go. Now. Whatever it is, by my figures, is approaching at a rate that would have it here in five minutes. There’s an outpost fourteen blocks from here. If we can make it there, we’ll be safe.”

“Allright.” I say, my voice sounds dry. Unused. I push myself upright, the drone bobbing impatiently. “Lets go.”

He takes off down the street, and I have to follow at a brisk jog to keep up. I manage, somehow, despite the weight of the leather and metal armor I'm wearing.

We continue for a few blocks, without seeing a soul. Each open space, intersection and break between buildings, the drone checks carefully before stepping out into the open.

Soon I pick up the habit too. I have no idea what we’re looking for, but this empty world looks abandoned and dead.

Suddenly I see movement in my peripheral vision. I stop in my tracks, absorbed with what I see.

In the cracked and pitted glass of a once reflective window, I see a man. He’s got a stern face with chiseled features. Wide square jaw. Piercing eyes set under a heavy brow. Large nose. An unkept mess of blond hair frames his face, complementing the light bronze skin. The figure fills the pane.

The drone realizes I’ve stopped and comes back to my side. He looks to the reflection and back to me and makes an odd beeping chirp.

“Yup. That’s you. That’s what you look like.” he seems slightly regretful. “I wish we had more time. But we need to keep moving.”

I tear my eyes away and we set off again. We can still feel whatever is making the ground shake, but we thankfully seem to be outpacing it. Good.

Around the halfway mark I see a figure down one of the side streets. I duck behind a vehicle and wave at the drone. But he's turned away, checking another area. I don't dare touch him, in fear of startling him into making noise.

I yearn for him to turn around.

Suddenly he does, and is beside me in a heartbeat, silent. His singular eye pulsing rapidly. A wave of worry and concern hits me like a gust of wind.

Something clicks. I understand.

I try my best to picture what I'd seen, and where. Add in a few hand gestures for good measure, hoping I can get the point across.

The drone bobs once, and I get a distinct impression of acknowledgment. Good! Not sure how he understood, but he did.

Suddenly the little drone spins as if deciding something, then zips towards my head. I throw my hands up instinctively, but before he impacts, he vanishes in a flurry of sparks!

'There. This will be easier. Don't make a sound! I'm still here. Just… not in the material 'here'. Only you can hear me. I can hear you too, if you concentrate like you just did. I'll explain more later. But just know we're linked.'

I nod. Then unsure if he could see the gesture, tried to think 'yes'.

'Good good. Just like that. And I can see what you see. And a little more. Now peek around the corner again.'

I do so and come face to face with a set of four blue glowing eyes. They blink one at a time in rapid succession.

It screams.

I punch it.

From fist to shoulder my arm is covered in arcing blue electricity. But it doesn't hurt, in fact it barely tickles.

The creature, it's certainly not human, collapses to the ground twitching. It's facial features, whatever they were, are a pulped mess of purple ichor and gore. Its neck is at an odd angle. Within moments it stops moving entirely.

I killed it. I didn't even know what it was. What it's motives were. And I killed it. I didn't even wait to see if it was a threat. Did it have a family? Friends? And I JUST KILLED IT. MAYBE IT WASN’T HOSTILE. AND I JUST-

'Stop! Please! It's ok. It's ok.' The drone says in my head. Trying to be soothing. He manages somewhat. 'That was a Fallen. An invader from another world. And trust me, if you hadn’t struck first it definitely would have attacked.'

I shudder. Try not to think about it. But I just killed-

'Let's go. There will be more on their way.'

Ok. We resume our jog, this time the drone pointing out directions from inside my head. We don't see anything else.

Three blocks from the outpost a wave of agitation envelopes me. I don't know why.

'RUN!'

The screams come from behind, hooting and hollering. A hissing bolt flies past my head. Cold fear grips my gut.

I muster as much speed I can, weaving to keep anything between myself and my pursuers.

'LEFT! The building! Inside!'

I follow the directions, ducking through a broken door. Inside, the building has seen better days. Most of the adjacent wall is gone. A good portion of the roof too.

What purpose it served I can't tell with the rubble, especially since I'm doing my best to not trip.

'OUT! Then left again.' the drone says 'I'm trying to contact the outpost.'

I hope he's successful.

We continue ducking through buildings, trying to lose the Fallen. Or at least get some distance. But we're unsuccessful, the gap is closing.

Damn they move fast.

'Ok. I got through! They know we're coming! Just right round the next corner, down the road, and the outpost is right ahead. You can't miss it!'

I dart round the corner onto a wide avenue. More of the boring boxy buildings line each side. Ahead on a slight incline is a traffic circle. Right in the middle is a newer looking concrete bunker.

That has to be it.

Unfortunately, there is very little cover.

'Don't think just run!' the drone urges.

I nod and push myself as fast as I can. Safety is within sight.

I notice the door to the bunker open and a figure emerges. It's a little far for details, especially since I'm running for my life, but I get the impression of a large figure, all dressed in white, and a bright splash of orange at its middle.

Pain bursts through my left arm and I stumble. Somehow I manage to catch myself and keep going.

'Don't look back!'

I look back. And immediately regret not listening to the drone. There's at least a dozen Fallen behind me. The insect-like creatures jump and dart unnaturally. A few of them take shots at me with long rifles.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a new voice. Female. "RUN YOU IDIOT."

I turn back just in time to see a white figure on top of a nearby truck. This one is much smaller than what came out of the bunker. She's wearing a white and pink cape and holding a graceful silver recurve bow.

She starts firing on the Fallen.

I stagger forward. Clutching my arm I do my best to keep moving. But I'm running out of energy.

The woman sees and chucks a grenade at me. I flinch and try to dodge. There's an odd noise and a flash. Recovering, I notice my body has developed an odd transparent shimmer.

"TRAVELER’S SAKE JUST RUN!"

I do my best. But all I can manage is a jog. With the cloaking, I hope it's enough.

We clear the halfway mark, then two thirds. The cloaking fails with a sputter. The woman with the bow a couple dozen paces behind, keeping the Fallen's attention. The sound of their rifles fills the air.

Then the ground rushes up to meet me.

I crash into the pavement. Hard.

I manage to push myself up enough to see the Fallen getting way too close. The woman is almost on top of me now.

I can hear another set of footfalls, these truly deafening, coming from the direction of the bunker.

"DOWN!" she screams as she dives towards me.

The air vibrates with a sound like a truly giant bell has been rung. One deafening peal.

Something very large and very purple flies over the two of us.

The sound of the Fallen's rifles is suddenly muffled. As if a wall was in the way.

The woman laughs and stands up. The bow is gone. In her hands is an ornate hand cannon. She turns towards the Fallen and starts firing.

I push myself up on my elbows again, and I am greeted with a hell of a sight.

Between the woman and the Fallen is a massive figure in heavy armor. The helmet has bull-like sweeping horns. Shoulder pauldrons that are almost comically large. Bright orange sash at the waist. The armor is white, but a purple aura shimmers back and forth overtop like turbulent waves at sea. The figure holds up a glittering purple shield, from which projects a large translucent wall.

Amazingly, the Fallen's shots bounce off the wall, but the caped woman's pass right through. Within moments she's killed half of our pursuers, and the rest scatter, terrified.

She waits a few moments to be sure, then leaps atop a car for a better view. She snaps off a few more shots before raising her arms and hollering in triumph.

The figure in the heavy white armor drops the shield, which dissolves into thin air, the purple aura with it.

Footsteps thunder as this behemoth turns, and walks to me. Crouches and offers me a hand.

"How ya doin, New Light?" The voice is female, and synthetic sounding. Powerful and space filling.

I take the offered hand. The armored giant pulls me up. Surprisingly she's about my height.

"You can come out now little Ghost." She booms. "It's safe. Come heal your Titan."

That's the second time I've heard that. 'Titan'.

And the first time I've heard 'Ghost'.

I want to ask who these people are, what she means, but the drone appears in a sudden burst of sparks.

He makes a humming noise and hits my bleeding arm with a blue light. A weird sensation like thousands of tiny needles prick at the wound. Before I can register the fact that not only my arm, but also the hole in the leather are being rapidly closed up, both are gone entirely, as is the pricking sensation.

I stare dumbfounded.

"You haven't been around long, eh?" The giant asks, removing her helm. Wide eyed I study her metallic, almost skull like, face. It's covered in orange and blue stripes. Her eyes glow.

"Look at that wonder!” she says, “This is why I love pulling outpost duty!"

She laughs, a full bodied laugh, and pats me on the shoulder.

"Let's go inside. We can sit and chat. I'm sure you have questions." Her hand is still on my shoulder, firmly pushing me towards the bunker.

The first woman appears suddenly beside us, flashes a thumbs up, and darts toward the bunker.

"That's Chiri Ra. She's a Hunter. Damned good one too."

Another figure appears in the bunker doorway. This one is robed like some kind of priest. His outfit is also white, but accented with sky blue. Chiri runs up to him and hugs him.

"That's Chiri's husband, Sig Ra. He's a Warlock."

The little drone keeping pace beside me is twitching. I can feel the anxiety.

"And I'm McKay. Titan and leader of this little band." McKay notices the drone and grins. Or, a close approximation of a grin on that metal face. "Go ahead little Ghost. I take it your introductions got interrupted?"

The drone bobs once.

McKay pats my shoulder again and nods.

"Go ahead. When you're done, join us inside, ok?"

With that, the giant robotic woman who called herself a Titan, went inside the bunker, ushering the other two ahead of her.

Once alone, the two of us just study each other for a few moments. His tiny body, made up of metal facets, rotates back and forth around a central sphere.

Eventually, he starts.

"I am so sorry. None of that went according to plan. At all. I tried to calculate for a stress free first day but when I found your spark… I just... I couldn't control myself. Couldn't think. I just had to…. It won't happen again."

The poor drone's voice is as twitchy as it's star-shaped form. It's clearly embarrassed by the whole thing. I can't quite grasp why though.

"Hey." I say, my voice firming as I finally use it, "It's ok. Why don't you start now? It's safe here, I think."

The drone holds position in the air, his outer shell moving in measured, clipped movements. I can tell he's thinking.

"Ok." He says, sounding more confident. More like the first time.

He does a little circle, darting a few paces away, then back. On his return he seems ready.

"Pleasure to meet you.” he does a little bob. ”You are a Titan. Strong, brave, reliable. And I am a Ghost. I brought you back, from the dead. To help protect what’s left of Humanity. I will always be there to support you however I can. I'm your Ghost, and you are my Titan. "

That helps some. But now that we have a moment to ourselves, my lack of knowledge is becoming hard to ignore. As for the complete lack of memories before today… that's disturbing. Especially the being dead part.

"Can I... ask some things? I feel a little lost."

"Of course! Anything! If I can answer it I will!"

Exhausted, I lower myself to the ground, bunker wall at my back. It's solidity makes me feel… safe.

I consider what to ask first.

On a whim I rest my hands, palm up, on my lap. The drone, no, Ghost, looks first to me, then my hands. After a moment he gracefully sinks and settles into my hands. I could close them entirely over his tiny body.

The sole eye watches me patiently, waiting for me to speak next.

Eventually I make my decision.

"What… is going on? What are you? What am I?"

The eye rotates slightly. Concern. Which dissipates to humor.

"Oh. Yes. We’ve… got a whole lot to go over don’t we?”

We talk for hours.

The sun sets.

The night sky becomes rife with stars.

Eventually my head sinks to my chest in exhaustion. He’s busily recounting some grand war, but I just can't stay awake any longer. My last thoughts before falling asleep is while I’m still rather lost, I’m glad I’ve got this little Ghost by my side. He seems to know what's what.

[thenameisel]

Origin Stories Part Four: Dangers in the Dark

A black garbed Hunter stood out against the off-white wall of the warehouse, pacing and judging the best way to scale it, as it was unfortunately much too high to jump. There was a rusted out fire escape that just might hold Boop's weight.

"Heard anything from them?"

"Nope!" Pip chirped.

"I'll admit I'm a little concerned. Caush usually doesn't go radio silent."

"Oh the two of them are probably busy inside. How long do you figure till we start hearing explosions?"

Boop laughed and started carefully climbing upwards. The fire escape thankfully held. Mostly. It helped that the Hunter didn't weigh very much. Pip kept pace, scanning rungs as they went, pointing out the ones that should be avoided. Even still there were a couple close calls as the old metal cracked unter the weight.

Halfway up Boop paused and turned to admire the buildings of the old world. Eyes narrowed momentarily at a disturbingly uniform set of potholes leading away from the warehouse. Pip noticed what his Hunter was looking at, and made a singular, slightly worried sounding beep.

“The pattern of those tracks seem to be headed away. Let’s be glad for that.” The Ghost said, and the two continued their climb.

Eventually they made it to the rooftop, which was a wide gravel covered expanse, warm from the day's sun. There was a large hole in the center where the roof had collapsed some point in the past.

"Oh that's… not good. Nope. Nope." Pip exclaimed as he vanished in a flurry of sparks. Boop shared a few choice curses. Running like some giant web across the surface of the roof was lines of ash and green fire.

“Boop. Caush still isn’t answering me. Now I’m worried.”

“C’mon.” Boop said, carefully picking a route across to the hole and staying well away from the lines of Hive magic. “Any idea what this does?”

“No, sorry. But I bet nothing good.”

The hundred meters or so to the gap was made painfully long with worry about Elliott. But eventually, Boop made it to the edge. Crouching down to reduce the chances of being seen, the last few meters were taken at a crouch, each step careful to not disturb any pebbles, least any drop over the edge. Readying the sniper, Boop peeked over into the warehouse below.

Surprisingly, the space was clear of debris, and a wood floor made it much more home like. At the edge of the sunlit area the wood gave way to a concrete floor and the maze of cubicle-like living spaces favored by the Eliksni. Carpets and fabric hangings softened the ramshackle walls.

“Oh.” Pip said excitedly. “So there is Fallen here! Or was! I was starting to worry that informat was lying. But why the Hive magic?”

“No idea." Boop scanned both light and dark areas, but couldn’t see anything moving. "Any sign of Elliott and Caush?”

“No. Nothing.” a pause. Boop could feel Pip thinking. “Wait. That’s it! The magic! It must be blocking my sensors!"

"Ok. So we're blind right now. Let's wait a bit. Elliott can take care of himself. We haven't heard any noises so it's likely he hasn't come across anything. He might be working his way through that maze down there."

And so they waited. Eyes scanning shadows for any sign of movement. Something about the whole thing didn't sit right with Boop though. And the longer they waited, the stronger the feeling got. Why was the Hive here? Why was the roof criss crossed in their weird magic fire? The whole thing didn't sit right.

"I think it's a trap."

"You do?" Pip said excitedly. "Oh we haven't encountered a good trap for years! Oh! Oh! What do you think this one does? Cave the roof in? Summon a Tomb Ship?"

"Seriously?" Boop shifted the sniper rifle anxiously, really wishing Pip was visible. That Ghost needed a good poke for that comment. "It's one thing when it's us! It's not right when it's Elliott in danger!"

"Oh he's fiiiiiine. Betcha Caush already figured it out. Besides, when was the last time Elliott went up against something he couldn't punch his way out of?"

"Quiet. I think I see movement. Ten o'clock."

"Oh you're right! I think that's them. Weird. It's like they aren't there."

Boop's shoulders stiffened in concern. The Titan was walking nonchalantly down the corridor towards the open space.

"Wait. More movement. Two, four, and nine." Pip's voice went up an octave. "Also not on sensors! But I think I see Hive eyes!"

Boop didn't hesitate. Cover didn't matter at this point. Standing up with a pebble in hand, the Hunter tossed it with the aim of years of marksmanship practice. Watched as it pinged off Elliott's helmet. His response was slow. Too slow. Waving madly Boop finally managed to catch his attention. Tried so hard with a chopping motion to encourage him to back away. But it was too late. The Titan was surrounded.

Below, Elliott engaged the hive with that ridiculous auto rifle, the paff paff paff-ing noise cutting through the chaotic screeching of the Hive. Anything that got too close for comfort got punched with an Arc covered fist.

Aiming the sniper rifle expertly, Boop started felling targets, Pip calling out locations of the most pressing ones. Hive Knights getting behind Elliott. Corrupted Thralls creeping too close. It almost looked like they could turn the tide.

Then the Ogre stepped out of the gloom.

For a split second Boop considered jumping down, but something about the way the Hive as a whole kept pushing Elliott back towards the center of the open space was concerning. The Knights never stepped more than a couple feet onto the wood floor. The Ogre did, but started backpedaling when Elliott gave ground. That sealed it. There was definitely a trap.

Boop watched in horror as the Titan jumped into the air, Arc energy flowing around him violently. Watched him plummet towards a knot of Thralls that looked like they had been herded out into the open as bait.

Boop screamed his name knowing full well it was too late as Elliott punched through the floor into the hidden pit below.

A wave of green fire erupted upwards before the depths sunk back into darkness.

"Oh no no no." Pip exclaimed "Now what? NOW WHAT?"

"Now we improvise. Keep trying to contact Caush."

"You can't be serious. I know what you're thinking! What if you fall too?"

"I'm a whole lot lighter than a hurtling Titan." Fire erupted along Boop's arm as a flaming gun appeared out of nowhere. "We'll be fine."

With that the Hunter hopped into the building, firing the flaming gun on the way down. Spent, it dissipated into ash and embers, but each shot had hit it's mark. The Ogre was dead, and so were a handful more Knights.

Using Light to break the fall, Boop landed gracefully at the edge of the open area, footsteps making a distinct hollow sound. Quickly slipping into the shadows the Hunter became a whirling dance of hidden death. Knives were thrown, shotgun was fired, and Hive fell not knowing where the onslaught came from. Boop kept moving, kept them guessing.

"I'VE GOT CAUSH!" Pip all but screamed in excitement.

"Thank the Light. Are they ok?" Another dodge, the Hive Thrall that had gotten to close lunging through the smoke like trail of Boop's passing. A shotgun blast dispatched it.

"Enough." Pip said relieved, between Boop's blasts. "But Caush says there isn't much Light down there. They have some time but…"

"So we better move faster." Boop said, resuming the dance.

--------------------

"...hear me? Hello? Elliott?" Caush's voice cut through the ringing and fog. "Look, I need you to wake up. Or specifically, you need you to wake up and get out of here so I can heal you."

"What happened?" Elliott groaned. Everything hurt. He tried to roll onto his back and failed. His legs were pinned under something heavy. He did manage to twist around enough to see a jagged outline above them. "How far did we fall?"

"It was a trap. False floor. Walls covered in Hive magic to conceal it. We are so far out of my calculations that for once, I've scraped my analysis entirely. We are now, officially, winging it."

"Ok. Let's have some light to see."

"No. Not happening. There is so much magic here I can't tell what it does. I can't justify that risk. But I can tell you that there is so little Light here that unless we move, and you die, I won't be able to do anything about it."

"So. You need me to free myself, and climb out, injured and blind."

"Yes."

The Titan groaned in frustration and tried to shift the mass again. Part of the floor no doubt. It moved slightly.

"You got this." Caush said encouragingly. "You're the strongest…"

Caush fell silent mid sentence. Elliott could feel excitement building through their connection to each other. He held his breath and listened. He could still hear the Hive shrieking above, no doubt in joy for him falling for their trap. Then he heard something different between the screams. Shotgun blasts. The shrieking was in frustration! Boop!

“Connection reestablished!” Caush proclaimed proudly. “Your fall must have disrupted enough magic to get a signal out. I’ve updated them on the situation, Pip says they will come as fast as they can.”

“Ok. I guess I better keep trying.”

Again Elliott tried to move the mass. But being pinned face down was not helping. Somehow he did manage to get enough leverage to extract himself down to his knees and flip mostly over. Elliott grit his teeth as fresh pain in his left leg assaulted him and he suddenly felt very faint. He knew immediately what was wrong. Being a Guardian let you experience death in so many ways.

"How bad is it, Caush?"

"Unless you can stop the flow, I figure you have about three minutes." This time there was concern in his Ghost's voice.

"Great." Elliott said, and tried again to free himself. He had a sliver of hope though, the time between shotgun blasts above was starting lengthen.

----------------------

Unfortunately Boop was quickly running out of ammo. Fortunately targets to shoot were starting to run thin too. A pull of the trigger took out one of the three remaining Knights, the second Knight got a knife in its head buying precious time to reload. Sliding through the last knot of Thralls, and firing at a choice few, Boop managed to get near enough to blow a hole through the last Knight. When it fell the remaining Thralls bunched up almost nervously. A single grenade finished them off.

Panting heavily Boop lifted a hand. Pip appeared, gave his Hunter a quick one over, patched up a few cuts and a nasty acid burn, and vanished again quick as can be.

“All right. Down?” Boop asked, carefully picking a path to the hole in the floor. Lighter by far than a Titan, the damaged floor held the Hunter’s weight. Mostly. But one misstep could cause another collapse risking Boop being in the same state as Elliott.

“Little more to your left, near that jumble of cables. Wow that hole is deeper than you’d think. Oh! Oh! Oh! I bet the Hive were digging a new nest right under the Fallen! Perhaps they thought it would be an easy food source?”

“Maybe. Can you patch me through to Elliott?”

“Done!” Pip said after a short pause.

“Elliott?”

“Hey.” His voice was weak but there.

“You ok?” Boop kept moving, listening to the creek of the floor.

“Nope.” a grunt of pain, and sharp intake of breath. “Look. Caush is gonna need your help with this one. Not enough... Light.”

Boop understood. They were playing a dangerous game. If Elliott died down there, Caush wouldn't be able to bring him back alone. Boop and Pip’s own Light could help, but if they got there after Elliott’s faded away completely… there would be no bringing him back.

Boop was getting close to the edge.

“Talk to me, Elliott.”

“About… what?” His voice was strained.

“Well. It’s your turn.”

“Now… is not... the time.”

“I heard McKay made the whole thing up. For the attention.” Boop said mischievously. Felt Pip’s amusement at the taunting.

“You take… you take that back!”

“Well.” Boop said, having reached a beam that jutted out over the hole. Carefully walking the length, the hunter peered over the edge, judging the distance. Pip helpfully highlighted Elliott’s form in the gloom and shifting dust below. “I guess you better survive to set me straight!”

Boop stepped off the edge casually, dropping feet first. At the last moment a burst of Light propelled Boop upwards, breaking the fall. Landing gracefully, the Hunter quickly headed over to the Titans form. Elliott lay there limply amongst the debris of the false floor. Blood seeped from a poorly wrapped rent in the armor on his left leg, ran down the rubble, collecting in pools on the dirt floor. Way too much blood.

“Damned Hunters...” He managed faintly. “Always showing off… with that jump. Worried you’ll… miss… one day. Break… something.”

“Well I’m here an’t I? Besides, I’ve done that enough times to learn my lesson.”

Elliott didn't reply.

A chill ran down Boop's spine as the realization hit that the Titan was no longer breathing.

“Where you at Caush?” Boop lifted a palm for Pip in a bout of sudden panic. They had precious moments before Elliott's light would be gone forever.

“NO! Too much Hive magic! It’s not safe!”

Boop’s hand dropped instinctively.

"You serious?” Pip exclaimed, Boop was getting the distinct impression Pip thought Caush was being ridiculous. “Sure, it's a gamble, but we don't have time to find another solution!”

Caush was quiet at that.

Boop raised a hand again.

A flurry of sparks filled the air above it as Pip entered material space, his light illuminating the area.

There was utter silence for a few moments, as Pip’s facets rotated back and forth anxiously.

But nothing happened.

After a moment Pip made an angry sounding burble, his shell twitching in rage.

Caush appeared directly above his Titan, his eye shifting between various sickly hues of embarrassment. His shell span, splitting open, facets glittering pale gold in the low light. His own stores of Light were pitifully low. Certainly not enough to bring Elliott back.

Wordlessly Boop reached out towards the glow, eyes closed, shutting out Elliott's broken form and trying to focus on the flow of Light within and quickly found it. A sensation like a warm bubble, Pip's emotion filled consciousness pressing on the barriers of Boop's. The connection made, Light poured out from Pip, through Boop, and into Caush.

Boop's eyes opened just in time to see Caush, now glowing brightly with plenty of Light, start spinning faster and faster. Suddenly with a blinding flash his Light enveloped Elliott, settling on him like a mist. Boop watched breathless as Light mended the rent armor, the unneeded bandage dissolving into motes of light which reformed in their correct place as an unflawed Mark at Elliott’s waist.

With an audible snap Caush’s facets pulled back into place. The Ghost gave a little shake, and with sharp nervous movements floated over the Titan’s face.

A heartbeat stretched into an eternity.

Boop jumped as Elliott inhaled violently. With his fist exhalation he rolled and stumbled upright, instincts telling him to move. He took a few staggering steps, his breathing heavily and swaying like a drunk. Boop ducked under an arm to help Elliott stay upright as he got his balance back. He shook his head trying to clear the fog of resurrection.

“Thank you.” He said, his voice coming back to its usual room filling quality. “Now if you ever talk smack about McKay again...”

Boop laughed. “How about we get out of here, hmm?”

“Sounds good.” Elliott looked up wearily. “Better start climbing."

"You better be careful about it. Neither of us have enough Light left if you fall again."

"No promises" Elliott chuckled, then grew somber. "Too bad this place was overrun by Hive. No Fallen Captain in sight.”

“Not a total loss there. Pip? Caush?”

Both Ghosts did a deep bob in the air in acknowledgement.

“Oh! Yes! Caush and myself compared some notes, and we believe the Fallen vacated only a couple days ago, and it looks like they had a Spider Tank with them. Should be easy to track!”

“So?” Boop asked, elbowing Elliott in the ribs. “Wanna check it out? Take the sparrows and follow the tracks? You can tell me about your first day on the way!”

“Yea. Sounds good to me!”

[thenameisel]

Origin Stories Part Three: Stumble and Fall

"Thank you for sharing." Elliott said over coms. There was a pause. Then as if not wanting to accept that the story had ended, he continued. "Say. Did you find anything interesting at the Truck Stop?" 

Boop chuckled and leaned forward in the cockpit. A black gloved hand tapped a weird figure on the dash. Something Pip had decided was a 'Bobble Head'. Shaped like a moose, it's comically oversized head bounced back and forth. When they had found it, all those years ago, the plastic’s color had faded and spring rusted away. With a little care it looked almost good as new. Turns out Boop was halfway decent with a paintbrush. 

"I'll have to show you sometime. Old world figure. Think you'd like it."

"So, guess it's my turn?"

"Nah. Take a nap. I could use some quiet myself. We should be fresh for landing anyway." 

"Thats fair." There was mild disappointment in Elliott's voice. "Poke me if anything comes up."

"Will do." Boop muted the channel, and reached back into the thick black fur lined hood, causing Pip to release an angry sounding series of beeps. "Stop that. I want to recline. I can't do that with you there!" 

"Oh fine." Pip grumbled as he was removed from the hood, but the lights flowing across his eye was a slow content parade of color. He resettled in Boop's arms once the Hunter had leaned the seat back, and the two settled in for some nice reflective quiet. 

---------------------

"Arrival in fifteen minutes." 

Elliott jerked awake, the scraps of some dream involving Hive fading quickly from memory. He rubbed his face and shook his head, trying to remove the fog of sleep. Caush hovered steadily at his shoulder. 

"Pip's chosen landing zone is an estimated twelve minutes, twenty second sparrow ride from the target. Should give us an element of surprise. I would have picked a location further out, to reduce the chances of the ships being spotted, but calculations show the distance is… adequate." 

Caush was rambling again. Elliott squeezed his way out of the small cockpit and into the only slightly larger space behind the pilot’s seat. He had to stoop quite a bit. 

"It's an industrial area, lots of cover. Target is holed up in a shipping warehouse. We unfortunately don't have recent info on the area, but I've prepared multiple calculations on the most likely scenarios."

Their ship wasn't appointed great for long trips away from the tower, but the two of them wouldn't trade it for the shiniest exotic. It was a junker Caush had discovered many years ago, long before finding Elliott. Keeping the ship's location secret the Ghost had waited till his Titan's first Dawning to reveal its location. Together the two had worked many long hours fixing it up. To them it was worth the world. It could seat four between the cockpit and a wide bench behind in a space not big enough to call a cabin. However, there was plenty of storage hidden in the walls and floor. And while the ship did boast some decent communications and recon equipment, it completely lacked any form of living luxuries. But they made do. 

Fighting with a latch that probably should be replaced, Elliott opened one cabinet and stored his empty thermos, and retrieved a second one. He cracked it open, and smiled in relief at escaping steam. He always brought multiple. 

"Pip passed on that Boop said to be ready for a fight. In a confined area." Caush sounded miffed. "As if I hadn't already considered that possibility. What do they think I am? Some kind of Battle Frame?" 

"I'm sure it wasn't meant that way." Elliott opened another cabinet, this one was in much better shape. He started pulling out ammo packs, holding each one up for Caush to store in a flurry of sparks. "Now. What do you think we should take?"

Caush's solitary eye was a flurry of color as he ran calculations again. Potential threats, the target's location, all known data was sifted through till he was satisfied with the outcome. 

"Take that absurd auto rifle of yours. The spread will be useful in close quarters. That new scout we found might come in handy, If we need the range. And, of course, the machine gun."

"Sounds good to me."

Elliott pulled the suggested gear from various cabinets, giving Caush the machine gun to hold on to. The scout went across his back, the auto he'd keep at the ready. 

"Brace for landing." Caush said, and Elliott widened his stance. Not that he needed too, Caush was an impeccable pilot and there wasn't even the slightest bump as the ship was set down. 

The two disembarked just in time to see Boop summoning a black sparrow that was as sleek and silent as the Hunter's jumpship. Elliott did the same, his own being in better shape then his ship, as it was quite a bit newer. It had been gifted to him by the first Guardian he had ever met. A Titan by the name of McKay. 

Their Ghosts dematerialized and they took off In silence. Well, almost silence, as Caush gave regular updates to the both of them as they traveled. They had done countless ops together, they knew their roles. 

As they got close to the location, Boop picked up speed, and Elliott slowed, letting the distance widen between them. He watched as his friend took a hard left and vanished down a side street. Elliott did not follow. He’d approach the obvious way. Draw attention to himself, while the Hunter snuck in to cause chaos from behind. 

“Large building with blue trim. Up on the left.” Caush said, and while his voice was calm and steady, there was a slight hint of anticipation to it. “Adjusting calculations.”

“How close are your predictions so far?”

“Too soon to tell. Estimated thirty minutes of engagement remaining to make an accurate calculation. But 99.8 percent. Prior data suggested the building’s trim was green.”

Elliot laughed and shook his head, Caush loved his data. The Titan accepted the roles in their relationship. His Ghost did the thinking, he punched things.

Reaching the building Caush had pointed out, he cut the sparrow's engine and jumped off, letting it glide to a halt without him. He hit the ground running towards a gaping hole in the wall where an entrance might have once been. It looked suspiciously like something large had forced it's way in. He had to watch his footing as he went, for a series of evenly spaced potholes, like small impact craters, dotted the already heaved and cracked asphalt.

"Well, that's familiar eh?" He joked, not slowing his pace.

"Updating calculations. It was an unfortunate possibly."

"We'll handle it. Update Boop."

"Already done. Not answering me, but that's expected."

Suddenly he was through the gaping hole, sunblind in the dark interior. He ducked to the right, to put his back against a wall, auto rifle at the ready. Keeping the potholes in mind he threw his shoulder forward, forcing his Light into a glittering barricade in front of him. Elliott waited the breathless heartbeats as his eyes adjusted, listening expectantly for the sounds of wire rifles. 

But nothing came. All was silent. 

"Huh." 

"This is quite outside my calculations. I'm not detecting any lifeforms." 

"None?" 

"Nothing."

"Ok then. Let's take a look around." 

Elliott stepped forward through his barricade, auto rifle up. Still there was no movement. No sound. 

The interior of the warehouse had been modified into Eliksni style housing, a true maze of ramshackle walls and fabric. Elliott slowly worked his way through twisting halls, noting the signs of a hasty exit. Debris of all sorts strewn about the alcoves. Articles of clothing, household items, technology scraps and things he couldn't name. 

"Odd. Very much outside of expected parameters." Caush's observations were made from the safety of non material space. No way he would risk exposure in such an unknown situation. "Signs of quick vacation. Estimated time, three days ago."

Eventually Elliott came to a large open area that was roughly in the center of the building. Here the concrete floor gave way to wood and salvaged carpets, and a good chunk of the ceiling was gone, letting light in and illuminating the area. A central square? Gathering place?

Curious he stepped into the space, eyes sweeping left and right, looking for trouble. It was quiet.

Suddenly, something small pinged off his helmet. His auto rifle came up instinctively, looking for the source. A thumbnail sized pebble rolled to a stop in front of him. 

Scanning the environment again quickly, something caught his eye. Up. A silhouette was outlined against the sky waving hands in an almost frantic chopping motion. Boop.

“Caush?” He started, but he didn't need his Ghost to tell him this had most likely been a trap. Boop wouldn't have let him walk blind into something unless… suddenly he remembered the radio silence.

The darkness to his left shifted. Then his right. Far to many sets of sickly yellow-green eyes started appearing all around him as the forms lumbered forward from the dark. Elliott glanced back the way he came and saw more. Totally surrounded. A slightly manic grin came to his face. Of all the enemies of humanity, Hive was his favorite to fight. Why they were here and not Eliksni, he didn’t know or care.

Caush started rambling away inside his head, listing positions and numbers, possible cover locations and anything else he thought might benefit the Titan. Elliott leveled his auto rifle at the largest group, and pulled the trigger.

PAFF.PAFF.PAFF. The auto rifle chuffed, kicking back violently in Elliott's hands. PAFF.PAFF.PAFF. With each firing four barrels went off in unison, creating an unavoidable hail of death not unlike a shotgun scatter, but with the reach and predictability of an auto rifle. 

In the heartbeats between trigger pulls, he was dimly aware of the crack of Boop's sniper.  

Hive Thralls fell in droves from bullets and Elliott's Arc covered fist. Knights slowed their charge to a standstill at his onslaught. But when an Ogre lumbered out of the shadows it was Elliott who gave ground. He did so willingly, needing the space. If he didn't thin the masses soon he would be overwhelmed. Out in the center of the open area his mind touched Caush's. No words were exchanged, just impressions. They were ready. 

Elliott jumped, utilizing Light to gain extra height. His body exploded in a fury of Arc energy. Fists together, eyes blazing, he plummeted towards the Ogre, alight in a maelstrom of lightning. 

One good slam should clear out enough to turn the tide. 

Boop screamed his name, voice filled with panic.

As Elliott hit the ground and broke through the false wood floor he understood why. 

It had been a trap after all.

[thenameisel]

Origin Stories Part Two: Sunshine and Ghosts

I exist.

Hrm.

Weird.

The sky is such a lovely color of blue. There’s not a single cloud in sight. Something rings my peripheral vision. It shifts slightly.

Time passes.

Wait. How do I know what a cloud is? I’ve only seen this empty sky. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. But it is literally the only thing I have ever seen.

A soft breeze caresses my face. Or at least I know it does. Weird sensation. I feel it, but not the way I feel like I should feel it. Does that make sense?

That’s when I realize there is a whole host of sensations to be felt. Some feel right, others don't. I can feel the ground I’m lying on. Firm yet soft. I realize it’s old hard ground covered by deep grass. Huh. Wonder how I know that. There's a whisper of sound as the breeze moves through the grass. Or was it always there and I just noticed it now? Birds are chirping somewhere.

Wow there’s a lot going on. I close my eyes and notice another sensation. Warmth. From the sky. The sun baking everything it touches. It’s glorious. I revel in it.

More time passes. Just existing. Just feeling. Just listing.

Eventually I notice something else, a tickle in the back of my mind. Unlike anything I can describe. Love? Devotion? Joy? As I concentrate on it, it swells up to meet me, a depth of feeling so vast, so…

Something shifts on my chest. I hadn’t noticed anything was there. A weight, truly miniscule, lifts and I realize I’m capable of motion too! I lift my head. The scene shifts and there’s forest in the distance, and rocky outcrops like ridges cut through with a hot knife. Long snaking roads run either side of the meadow I’m in. They look unused for eons.

More things I don’t know how I know.

But all those thoughts are chased from my mind as the source of the weight floats front and center of my vision. I sit up all the way, stunned.

“HI!” it goes. Exuberant. Ecstatic.

“Um. Hello?” I didn’t know I was capable of speech either. My voice sounds weird. Synthetic.

I look at the little flying robotic… thing. It's white surface glitters slightly in the sunshine, its singular eye changing colors rapidly. Almost joyously.

Suddenly I realize this is the source of that indescribable sensation.

Scratch the sky. THIS is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

“You seemed to be enjoying lying there, so I thought I’d do it too. I’ve… been looking for you for a very long time, never stopped really, so when you were reveling in being alive I thought I’d try too for once. It was nice!”

It, no, he? He spun leisurely, the white facets rotating around his eye. Happy. Content.

“What are you? I… don't know you. I know the sky, the sun, the grass… somehow. But you. You’re new.”

“I’m your Ghost!”

Wait what? Ghosts aren’t real. And even if they were I don’t think they’re supposed to look like this stunning creature.

“You’re a Guardian. A Hunter, specifically. Let me tell you, I had so hoped you'd be a Hunter!”

“I have questions. Many, now that I think of it. How can you be a ghost if you’re a robot? How can you be my ghost? I’m not dead. I think.”

“Oh not that kind of ghost! I’m a Ghost,” that time he accentuated the ‘G’ “And I’m your Ghost cause we’re a pair now! I will always be by your side. Always. Also. Uh. You WERE dead.”

“WHAT?”

“Well that’s the thing. You died. A long, long time ago. Car accident I think.” he turned quickly, looking left and right, a beam of pale blue light jetting out towards a nearby heap of twisted metal. “Yup. Definitely car accident.”

“Again. What?”

“And I finally found you! And brought you back! And I’ll do it many more times as long as we’re together. And I'm never, ever, leaving your side.”

“Why… don’t I remember?”

“Oh. No one remembers their past life. Some say it's so you can be your best now, without a past weighing you down. I figure it’s because I didn’t know you then!”

I feel so confused. The answers don't make sense. Or maybe they do. I want to ask a thousand more questions. But the marvelous creature continues.

“Wait. You should remember your name at least! You’re an Exo. You have it hard coded into you.”

“My name?”

I think hard. Name. Name. Something lurks below in the depths of my mind. Like a forgotten memory. I reach for it. A name leaps to mind. It BURNS. Something about it is so horrifyingly WRONG to me and I don’t know why. I HATE it. Starts with a J and ends with a 4. I blurt it out. I feel sick. A weird shock sets in.

After a few minutes the beautiful miracle of a thing flies up real close and gently taps me in the middle of my face with one of his facets. It makes a metallic ‘clink’ sound. Pulls me back to reality.

“Boop.” It goes. “Hey, you ok?”

“Yea, I… Uh. Can I… Not go by that name?”

“Can’t see why not!”

“Thanks, that feels important somehow. Wait. What’s your name? And what’s an Exo?”

“Oh, well! My name, that’s up to you! But I had Pip last, and it felt right.”

“Did you like it?” I ask. One ought to like their name.

“Oh yes! Short for Pipsqueak apparently, might have been an insult. Also it was too long. I like Pip though! Pip! Pip! Pip! So cheery!”

I chuckle, the day gets brighter again.

“Oh and you, you’re an Exo. Remove your gloves and you’ll see.”

After a slight hesitation I do, unsure what to expect. I pull off grey leather gloves revealing metal fingers with dark rubbery musculature. Pip hits them with the blue light. It tingles.

“Yup yup.” He makes a weird but adorable burbling noise. Laughter? He proceeds to hit the rest of me with that light. It tingles still, but oddly comforting at the same time. “You’re an Exo all right! Older model, but not outdated or anything. You should have a decent number of ‘Humanisms’. Weird thing that. I can fill you in on those later. Height 147.5 cm. If I include your boots. Hrm, I see traces of a green paint job that was removed with acid. That’s not something I can fix but we might be able to see about getting a new coat back in the City. But still, quite pretty.”

Odd comment that. Paint job? Who paints their skin? Then I remember my metallic hands. Something occurs to me and I hesitantly reach up and touch my face. It's hard. Metallic. Solid. There are very few moving parts. Lower jaw, eyelids, that’s about it. I have no nose.

“I'm… a robot?"

"Kind of. It's a really long story but we have time! It's a long way back to the City. Especially since we have to walk! Or, well, float in my case. Anyway. Want to get going?"

I am not ready to get going. This place is beautiful and I don't feel I've spent enough time appreciating it. Need a delaying tactic.

"What's this City? Is it far? Why not just stay here?"

Pip burbles again and darts off. A heartbeat later he's back. I don't think my tactic is working. He repeats the motion two more times, as if wanting me to follow. I lay back in the grass stubbornly.

"C'mon! I'll answer anything on the way! But trust me. You'll get mighty hungry staying here! And there SO much to see. You'll love the Last City! Promise!"

I ignore the splendid creature. I feel bad about it. After a moment Pip settles back down onto my chest.

"Seriously! It's HUGE. Well. Not as big as old world cities of course. But it's safe! Oh and the Hunter Vanguard, that's what they call the leader of the Hunters, you'll like him! He's an Exo too!"

I don't care. I close my eyes and enjoy the sunshine.

"Ok. Fine. Five more minutes. But then we gotta goooooooo. There was a Golden Age facility about three hours walk from here. Might be a good spot to stay the night."

That piqued my interest. I have no idea what Pip is talking about.

"Golden Age?"

"Oh yes!" Elation. Oh no. He's realized I'm interested. "They referred to them as 'Truck Stops'. All kinds of weird Golden Age things in there."

"What kinds of weird?"

"Nick nacks. Odds and sods. Thing a ma jigs."

Alright. Time to cave.

"Ok. Ok fine. Fine."

"Woo! But first. You need a name. A new name!"

He lifts off my chest and I stand up, dust bits of grass and debris off my grey leather outfit. It's lightly armored. Plenty of mobility. A dark grey cape with an oversized hood over top everything. And while it's nothing special, it feels right.

Pip is looking quite intently at me. Excited. Expectant. But there's also joy there. Innocent childish joy. It's infectious. I chuckle again.

"What did you say earlier? When you tapped my face?"

Pip, this beautiful adorable miracle that I've known for less than a day and already I'd die for, flies up close again and taps a facet against the flat space where a nose should be.

"Boop!"

I can't help it and double over in hysterical laughter. He flies in dizzying circles around me. Burbling the whole time. After a few minutes I'm spent and force myself to take big gasps of air and try to collect myself. Weird, that. You wouldn’t think an Exo would need to breathe. One of those ‘Humanisms’?

"Allright. How about Boop? Can I go by Boop?"

"I like it!" Pip exclaims. I hear him from behind me. I spin around, but his voice stays behind me. "Boop! Boop! Boop!"

More burbling laughter. That's when I realize there's a weight in my hood. I reach back to feel his form through the fabric. He twitches and burbles.

"You going to stay there?"

"Can I? For a bit? Please?"

"Go nuts. Now. Which way to this 'Truck Stop'?"

Pip gives me directions, and off we go.

He was right. It was one hell of a long walk. Took a little over a month to reach the Last City. But he was also right on another thing. I loved it.

[thenameisel]

Origin Stories Part One: Your Aim is Sh--

(Sorry not Sorry. Expect more of these.)

Somewhere in the ruins of the old world, a Hunter was trying to teach a Titan how to use a sniper rifle.

"Stars! You are so bad at this!" The shadow exclaimed, voice having a slight synthetic tone to it. "Are you even trying? Do it again." 

The black garbed figure lay face up on the low wall, like some great cat basking in the morning sun. Folded arms pillowing head, one leg was bent at a right angle, other crossed it, foot twitching slightly to some unheard tune. Or perhaps in restlessness. There was a matte black Ghost resting on the Hunter’s chest, light dimmed to the absolute minimum. A couple paces away a Titan in tan and navy armor stood glaring at distant targets that had been set up earlier. Five Golden Age bottles sat in a row on a window sill, each one mostly whole and completely untouched by his efforts. 

He glanced at the Hunter. The wall he stood at, and his friend lay on, was barely wide enough to hold his oversized thermos, and he just couldn't grasp how the shadow kept from falling off. 

"Let's give it another go. Just remember to breathe slowly, and take your time aiming. Focus." 

He brought his attention back to the task at hand, and his golden Ghost at his shoulder trying to provide gentle pointers. He raised his friend's sniper rifle again. It felt impossibility long. Far too unwieldy to be used in combat. To…. fragile. 

Dutifully trying to calm his frustration he followed his Ghost's attempts at helpful advice and pulled the trigger. Once again a gunshot broke the quiet morning. And once again there was no accompanying sound of breaking glass. 

"Well that was slightly closer." his Ghost's calm, solemn voice attempting to both soothe and encourage.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, arc energy starting to spark along his forearms. "No Caush I'm done! I can't use this… this..."

"Don't you DARE singe that gun." A black garbed hand was raised in protest. "Look. I have an idea." 

The Titan stomped over to his friend and shoved the sniper at the figure as he passed. Barely four steps further a shot rang out. The sound of falling glass filled the air like a distorted echo. He turned to see his friend, still lying prone, the gun held at a right angle, head only slightly turned towards the targets. The Hunter sat up slowly. 

"How many did I get, Pip?"

"Let me check!" the matte black Ghost said before zooming off. Couple heartbeats later he returned, his cheerful youthful tone filled with pride. "Four! New record! One well placed shot and the shrapnel spray took out three others!"

“Thank you.” the Hunter slipped off the wall and slung the rifle over a shoulder in one fluid, graceful movement. “As I was saying. I have an idea.” 

The living shadow had a slight feminine feel to its movement and form, but the voice was neutral, not giving hints one way or another. Once the massive Titan had asked the smaller Hunter an awkward question about it. Once he had gotten a non answer that felt so rehearsed he felt there was more to that story. Later, Pip had sent a message to Caush attempting to explain something he himself didn't quite understand. In the end the Titan, in the usual way he did with things that went above his head, just shrugged and did his best to accept his friend the way they were. 

"Here's the thing." His friend was saying, having closed the gap and was standing directly in front of him, head tilted all the way back. He fought the urge to stoop down. "You're just so darn big! This is a precision weapon. Not a hammer. I think we need to find something more your size.”

“Oh?”

“Pip heard an interesting rumor a couple days back. A Fallen Captain with a good sized crew and some gear that definitely doesn't belong to them. And a weapon that might be just the thing. Only problem is, it's a good five hours from here by jumpship.”

They both turned towards the two jumpships sitting in an old world parking lot. One small and obviously designed for stealth. The other…. Not so much.

"And how is that a problem, Boop?" That was another facet of the enigma that was his friend. A refusal to give an actual name. Hunters. So frustrating sometimes. "Plenty time for a snack, a nap, perhaps a story or two?"

"Excuse me?"

"Hey, just saying, I've never heard how you two met."

"And I've never heard yours."

"Oh everyone knows mine."

"No, Elliott. Everyone knows how McKay tells it. I've never heard it from YOU."

Elliott didn't reply. 

The silence stretched out as the two reached the ships and stowed their gear while the Ghosts ran preflight checklists. Eventually it was Boop who broke the silence. 

"Besides. Mine's not that exciting."

"EXCUSE ME?" Pip's tiny voice went up a few octaves in anger, and he started flying around the Hunter's head like some angry insect. "WE DECIDED THAT WAS THE BEST DAY. EVER. OF ALL TIME."

"Oh no no no. Sorry Pip." Boop grabbed the angry ghost, holding him close for a moment. "No no. I meant…. I meant it's not exciting as in filled with action like others are. It's still the best day we've ever had."

Content with the apology, the little black Ghost returned to his checklist. Boop turned to see the Titan watching the pair. He was holding a paper wrapped package. 

"Hey, uh, I didn't… that is if you don't want to…" he didn't want to pry into something that for some Guardians was a special and personal event. It was the day a Ghost found their partner, and their purpose. And the first day back from the grave for their Guardian counterpart. 

His friend gave an exaggerated sigh and motion that might have been an eye roll, if there wasn't a helmet in the way. 

"Ok fine. Especially if those are those buns I like." His friend put out a hand. "But! Two other conditions. One. You don't tell anyone. And two, you tell me yours."

"Deal!" He handed the package over happily and turned back to his ship and waiting Ghost. "Ready to go?"

"Systems have been triple checked. I have a flight plan from Pip, and have linked our frequencies. I have also updated my calculations. I foresee no concerns with our route, weather is clear, and current threat levels in the area are within expected parameters."

"Good to hear." Elliott grinned, and was glad Caush couldn't see his face. His Ghost’s name fit perfectly, as he was cautious to a fault, always calculating and considering. But the two balanced each other out, as Elliott was not quite so careful at times. 

With one last glance towards Boop’s ship, he climbed aboard his own the old fashioned way. Elliott had never been comfortable with transmat. 

Elliott made himself comfortable as Caush took control of the ship and got them on their way. Ever since a spectacular crash early on, the Titan was no longer allowed to fly. He didn't mind, it gave him a chance to drink his tea. He removed his helmet and cracked open the thermos, doing his bet to be patient. His Hunter friend would start when they were ready, and not a moment before.

[thenameisel]

(It's been years since I wrote, but this game, well, gave the inspiration to do so again. So if it's a little long, and I tend to write on mobile... so forgive me. :) )

The Titan walked along the pebbled shoreline, an orange thermos in hand. It was a particularly large thermos, of the kind one uses to carry enough beverage of choice for multiple people. But in the Titan's hand it looked perfectly normal. An oversized thermos in an oversized hand.

A Ghost glittering golden floated sedately along side, occasionally pausing to scan a particularly interesting pebble.

The sun had not quite yet set, however thick clouds threatening rain obscured the little light remaining, making for quite a dreary evening. 

Ahead, a half dozen Fallen bickered over a collection of washed up junk, looking for anything salvageable. Each in turn looked up from their work, eyeing the newcomer warily. Their movements were fluid, but jumpy. A weird bobbing grace. Suddenly, all heads come up in unison, many hands reaching for almost as many weapons. 

The Titan snorted a short laugh as the Ghost vanished. "We're not interested in your junk. Just let us pass."

Either the Fallen didn't understand, or, more likely, had no reason to trust the statement. After all, what Guardian would walk past a group of humanity's foes without beating them to a pulp? One of them took a step forward, lifting a lance into an aggressive position. The Titan sighed, shrugged in mild disappointment and looked around for a flatish rock. Finding one, a hand came up in a classic 'one moment' gesture, and the thermos was placed on the rock with the utmost care.

As the Titan stood upright, the massive hands started to spark with Arc energy. 

"Allrighty. Let's do this." 

Further along, up in a nook on a bluff, a Hunter lay in wait for prey. There had been a tip off about a smuggling ring making a trade somewhere in this area, and a master of shadows had been sent to intercept it. Once in the area, a suspicious beacon had led to a particular stretch of beach, and an inlet hidden by tall rock walls, with plenty of nooks someone could hide in.

One such had proven particularly useful. It was a good perch, well up above the small sheltered area, just enough space to lay prone. Dressed all in dark colors, the figure was almost invisible in the fading light. A matte black Ghost rested beside, a single eye as intent on the empty beach below as the Hunter's two. Rifle in hand, the pair lay in wait for something to happen. When it did, it most certainly wasn't what they were expecting. 

"Those Fallen down the beach are making noise again." The Ghost whispered. "Something's got them mad."

"Think it's the smugglers?" 

"Maybe."

So they settled in to wait again, but the noise got loud enough that the two could pick out distinct words. "No, not the smugglers." The Ghost said disappointed. "Their clamering about killing someone."

The Hunter groaned, face in the dirt. "Ok. I guess we should go see what's going on. If someone needs help..." The statement remained unfinished. 

A soft glow emitted from the Ghost as it gained height, and the Hunter stretched muscles sore from laying in wait. Suddenly the noise from the Fallen was punctured by the crack of Arc energy, and the outline of the inlet's entrance was lit with blue light. The noise of Fallen gunfire returned the assault. 

"Damn it. That's going to warn off the smugglers." 

"Oh look on the bright side!" The Ghost chipped in cheerfully.

"And what would that be?" 

"I think I know who that is!"

Another groan and the Hunter, head shaking, jumped out of the nook to the beach below. The Ghost chirped happily and followed. There had been the beginnings of a smile on the Guardian's face after all. They may have lost their intended prey, but one of another kind had just blundered into their sights. 

The Titan continued down the shoreline, thermos in hand. Behind, a half dozen Fallen lay, a few barely clinging to life. The remains of the Arc onslaught sparked among the scrap. 

"There's an inlet up around the next bluff" the Ghost said, popping back into reality, "I'm picking up a faint beacon. It's not one of ours." 

"Oh?" The Titan said, "That sounds interesting. Shall we take a peek?" 

The Ghost made a simple affirmative sounding tone, then paused. After a moment a second, slightly more complex and happier sounding tone was emitted, before vanishing in a flurry of sparks. 

The Titan chuckled quietly. That Ghost tended to be a somber fellow, and that was practically joy. So something was definitely up. 

The bluff ahead jutted almost out into the water, only a narrow band of large rockfall skirted it with just enough pebble shore to pass. Good spot for an ambush. Not that something like an ambush was concerning to a Titan. But it wasn't to be, and the way was uneventful. However, there had been a distinct feeling of being watched. But that wasn't a bother either.

Round the corner, and into the deeper gloom of the inlet. A few strides in and visibility was getting very poor. The Titan methodically peered into the shadows, though there really wasn't much use, as the day was ending and the black of night was coming fast. An oversized hand was raised, palm up, requesting some additional light.

Before the Ghost could materialize however, a shadow detached itself from the bluff wall, launching itself at the hulking form. 

The shadow hit broadside full force, but the Titan's stance held. Bellowing, one hand desperately clinging to the thermos, the other pulling at the dark form, which had worked up to the wide shoulders. 

"WATCH MY TEA!" The voice thundered through the inlet, echoing across the walls, disturbing sleeping birds, loosing rocks and who knows what else. 

"Well stop thrashing about!" The Hunter said, now balanced in a squat. Dark gloved hands quickly worked around the edges of the Titan's helm, trying to find the latch.

There was a shout of triumph, which quickly became holler of shock as a massive hand came up, managed to grab a good fist full of cloak, and pull the Hunter from the perch. 

"Enough of that!" The Titan held the Hunter in the air at arm's length. Legs came up however and wrapped around the large arm. A wriggle, and the Hunter dropped free, but cloak-less.

With a grunt the Titan tossed the dark fabric towards the triumphant shadow. 

At some point their Ghosts had materialized, circling the pair. The golden one's eye rippled in humor as it surveyed the scene. The black one made cheerful burbling noises while circling what was apparently old friends. 

"Allright allright." The Hunter laughed "I'll get you next time. But seriously, what is with the tea? I have never seen you out of the Tower without your helmet. You refuse to take it off! And yet, you always bring tea!"

"It's for after." 

"Leave it in your jumpship!" 

The Titan thought for a moment, studying the thermos, as if looking for damage. "Perhaps." 

"You're ridiculous. You know that right? Ridiculous." 

"Am I?"

There was pause, then a moment of realization, and a large hand produced from a belt pouch a fist sized paper wrapped package and tossed it to the slender form.

The pair were illuminated solely now by their Ghosts. On odd match, one small, slender and graceful, the other large, hulking and intimidating. One in shades of black, the other tan and navy. The Hunter unwrapped the package partially. 

"OooOooH. Sweet! You know I love these things!" Inside was a popular street food from the Tower. A deep fried bun filled with herbs and cheese. It was a food that was cheap and traveled well. The fact they were high calorie helped too, what with the running around Guardians did. 

"So." The Hunter said, finding a low rock to sit on, and removing a blackened matte helmet. However the face stayed hidden in the shadow of the hood. "What you been up to lately?" 

The Titan looked around for a suitable seat, and finding none, shrugged and went to sit right on the ground. The movement wasn't the slightest bit graceful, especially not in all that armor. It was a little better than collapsing, complete with an expected curse. A suitable flat rock was found within reach for the thermos.

"Well. The usual mostly. But, oh boy, do I have a story for you!"

"Oh?" The word came out around chewing.

It had become tradition between the pair for the Titan to 'happen' to have the Hunter's favorite snack handy. It started a few years back, the then already veteran shadow had taken an odd liking to the hulking new light, and much enjoyed stealing parts of meals to get an outburst.

Sometimes, instead of outright theft the Hunter would swap out the contents of Titan's lunch for a box of crayons. That always got a good rise and threats in return. Eventually, the Titan's laid back nature won out, and instead there were often extra buns tucked away to keep the Hunter at bay. Turns out a well fed shadow causes less grief! 

"Well. I was in the Tower last week when we had that crazy snow storm. I was waiting on a scouting party to return. You know how it is sometimes. I was doing my part, guarding the walls, and bored out of my mind. So bored I would have happily run a Rumble. And you know I hate those." Massive hands idly stacked pebbles. "So bored that when we saw a notice for a new Crucible event we jumped on it." 

"A new one?" The Hunter leaned forward, interested. 

"Yea! This one was called 'Removal'"

"'Two four person teams compete for the fastest time.' it said." The golden Ghost chimed in. "'Why not?' we thought, 'might be fun? Might be a variation of Control?'"

The Hunter chuckled. The Titan took over the telling again. 

"So, we grabbed a couple more Titans, those two big Exos, I think you've met them, and somehow along the way we managed to gain a Warlock. Not really sure. I tried looking for you but I think you were off somewhere that day. Anyway, we march up to the main courtyard, and there's already a good collection of people who must have heard about the new event. Both Guardians and lightless. So we shouldered our way through the crowd."

"Of course you did."

"Well we were didn't want to be the last to try this 'Removal'! Anyway. We get through the crowd, somehow kept the Warlock with us too, and there we are the four of us in front of Lord Shaxx, and besides us another four, a Titan, two Hunters and a Warlock. Now Lord Shaxx is standing there, hands on hips pleased as punch."

The Titan paused for dramatic effect, "'GOOD TO SEE SO MANY TURN UP FOR THIS NEW TRIAL!'" The Titan boomed, imitating the Crucible handler's exuberant speech. "'ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE SOME ENTHUSIASM! AND I THINK WE HAVE OUR FIRST COMBATANTS!'"

The Hunter laughed again at the apt impression, dusted crumbs off and waited for the Titan to continue. 

"Lord Shaxx looks us over. 'REMOVAL IS ABOUT CLEARING AN AREA. WORKING AS A TEAM QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.' Then he hands me, no joke, a darkness damned SNOW SHOVEL. I think he's kidding. Maybe he's lost it. He proceeds to hand snow shovels out to the others. All the time going 'ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR YOU.' I'm just staring at mine, and at Lord Shaxx, confused out of my mind." 

"And you fell for it."

"...What?"

The Hunter's head shook back and forth. "You fell for it. He tried that a couple years back with another big storm. Back before your Ghost found you."

The Titan's shoulders sank in disappointment that the storey wasn't new. 

"Continue!" The Hunter urged, seeing the dejection. "How did it go? I still want to hear this!"

"Uh well…" another pause as the Titan gathered enthusiasm again.

"Well. Once we all had shovels, one of the Hunters threatened our Warlock with it. That was pretty funny. But I stepped between them and the Hunter stopped right quick.

Lord Shaxx sent us off to two of the larger jumpship landing terraces on the wall. You know the ones, big parking areas. Now I think ours was quite a bit bigger, but was higher then the other team's, which was right beside and below us, and I think they had more drifting. So I guess Lord Shaxx thought it fair. There were the usual extra Ghosts watching, no doubt streaming this…. Match." 

At this point the pebble stack had become a small wall.

"So?" The Hunter asked, leaning forward. "Who won?" 

"Neither." The Titan grumbled. "It started out well enough! We three Titans were clearing snow, quick as we can, just barreling through it. The Warlock helped here and there, but was mostly doing that thing where they heal you. Turns out it works just as good on sore muscles as bullet wounds. Unfortunately though the other team's Titan was a Sunbreaker. Apparently melting the snow was a viable tactic. And somehow is getting through the snow faster than we are!"

"Those Exos…." The Hunter asked, "They're big, but Sentinels right?"

"Yea. Totally useless in that situation. My Arc too. But we keep shoveling. But they keep out pacing us. Then the Warlock has a bright idea. Sounds good at first, so we go for it. Instead of piling the snow neatly we start chucking our snow onto their terrace. Oh boy that made them mad. Especially when the three of us heaved a large bank over and buried the same Hunter that threatened our Warlock earlier. That felt so good."

The pair laughed. "Unfortunately it went downhill from there. Lord Shaxx had already warned us a few times that we were… bending the rules. But as we stood there laughing at the Hunter, a flaming hand shot out of the snow bank and well…. I was the only one who never heard the gunshot."

"No… it came to that?" The Hunter asked, hanging on the Titan's words.

"It certainly did." The golden Ghost chirped. "I put my Titan's head back together just in time to witness it devolve into a fist fight."

"Lord Shaxx was so mad!" The Titan declared. "So mad. He's yelling at us over the loudspeaker, demanding we stop. Threatening to come in person. But, well, you know how it can be once the blood is pumping. I'm honestly not sure which of us jumped down first.

The Warlock pulls out a bow, starts firing on the opposing team, aiming for whoever's pointed a gun at us. I grab the Hunter who shot me, who's still stuck in the snow bank. I turn for a throw off the tower and my head slams right into the Sunbreaker's fist. That makes me drop the Hunter and we start pounding each other.

Pretty sure I broke a nose and who knows what else right through the helmet. Caved it in pretty bad. Still standing, still returning blows though. Suddenly hands that even I find big pull us apart.

'ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISHNESS!' Lord Shaxx is bellowing. 'THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AN EXERCISE IN COOPERATION!'

We're just standing there, Ghosts patching us up and he's lecturing us about not being so quick to blows, teamwork, and something and something else. I honestly can't recall a lot of the rant, my head was still swimming from first being brought back, then the fist fight. But I was maybe a little tiny bit sorry. The goal was to clear snow. Nothing else… but then again we weren't told fighting was off the table. I still say that Hunter started it by threatening our Warlock at the beginning."

"So then what?" The Hunter asked, putting the helmet back on. "Did he run any more 'Removal' matches?" 

"Oh no. No way. After a good 10 minutes of lecture Zavala himself arrived. Started lecturing Lord Shaxx about his ideas. Said if he ever made mundane labor a competition again, he'd take the Crucible away from him. You'd think that would shut him up. Oh boy an argument started and to be honest, we took our leave then and there. Didn't matter, we all got stuck with snow clearing duty for the rest of the week anyway." 

The Hunter chuckled, standing up. "That's kind of what happened last time. Zavala banned it, guess Lord Shaxx didn't take the order to heart."

"Where you headed next?" The shadow asked, playfully patting the massive forms helmet. Even sitting, the Titan's head came up to the smaller one's chest. "I've lost my prey for the night, you got any I can tag along for?"

"Oh definitely!" The Titan said happily, standing up and rolling shoulders before retrieving the thermos. "There's been reports of hive activity nearby. I was sent to scout it out. Maybe cause some damage. I bet with your help the two of us could clear it right out!" 

"That works for me! Lead on!" 

One large figure was seen leaving the inlet. The armor was tan and navy, holding a large orange thermos, barely visible in the small amount of light a glittering golden Ghost provided.

An odd matte black shadow, much smaller than it should be and sporting a cloak, flickered along the bluff wall not quite in time with the figure.

Every once and a while the golden Ghost would stop and sink to scan an interesting pebble. And every once and a while a Ghost shaped shadow that seemed to glow ever so slightly would dart ahead or lag behind, making the ever so quietest happy chirps. 

[threadbarecomic]

Happy Holidays!

Couple fun facts!

1) Most of the characters here you’ve seen, or have been mentioned. 

2) Out of the 15, 9 have been seen, 3 mentioned, and 3 we should meet rather soon.

3) The fourth most powerful being is present(He’d argue he’s at least the third, possibly second.). 

4) 4 people present are the “bad guys” (but that’s subjective, their motives are just different from most.)

5) Craig loves snow. Val hates it.

6) No, Craig doesn’t own Christmas decorations. It’s not a holiday he cares much about(he’d much like people to get out of his apartment)

7) Yes, those two from the prologue are attempting to magic up a tree. 

8) The Dwarf has no idea what Christmas is, its sorta like this one holiday they have but totally the wrong time of year.

9) Randy makes a mean Hot Chocolate. 

 10) Gibbs will drink anything. But prefers alcohol.

11) There’s no alcohol. 

12) One day the random items on the walls will be explained. Hopefully.

13) Boss is avoiding a World Council function he should be at. Pat is in on it.

Hope the close of the year finds you well, or at least hopeful of things getting better. 

Sorry about the lack of regular updates lately, I have to admit, I burned out. 

This year is nuts as you all well know, and this year of course I decided to launch this “little” project of mine. 

Without going into details lets say real life plus this big dive from not producing much art to trying to make a page each week got… a little overwhelming. 

BUT NO WORRIES! This doesn’t mean I’m done! No! Just….. Gonna take a break. 

All things good, I hope to see you all in the new year. Back to Friday mornings, fingers crossed. Maaaaaybe the first, but possibly the 8th. To be honest, the script for this chapter isn’t even finished. The overview is there, but not the details. So I want to get that finished, and back on track. Pages take me a while, as goodness I’m trying to learn the tricks but I’m still so slow. 

Well get there.

Well.

Happy Holidays and here’s to a much less exciting 2021!

[thenameisel]

Well. It’s been a year. And I’ll leave it at that. 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas and Joyous Celebrations of whatever tyoe you do this time of year!

[threadbarecomic]

HERE WE GO! Lets just say part of me wondered if I’d get this far but oh boy I made it and lets keep the ball rolling!!!

This chapter I’ve been experimenting with a different work flow for some scenes, mainly utilizing some different tools! We’ll see how it goes.

Potential trigger warnings for this chapter;  blood, violence 

[thenameisel]

Chapter ONE! So excited!