Earth. All that was left of humanity’s galaxy-spanning empire had been reduced to this small bastion merely reminiscent of mankind's former glory. Hanging above the planet in orbit, Rai looked upon the vast blue expanse of humanity's cradle and home. Today, she was placed onto a standard orbital patrol, keeping watch for any extraterrestrial threats, namely a Cabal fleet. However, these patrols never amounted to much aside from looking at far away solar systems and the swirling clouds beneath. It was a good time to sit and think in tranquil silence. At least, it usually was. Without any warning, Rai's ghost broke the silence. "Rai, inbound message from Ikora, I'm patching her through." Her Ghost's high-pitched, female tone lingered in her ears every time she spoke. The Warlock Vanguard's silky-smooth voice filled the cabin. "Rai...I need you down on the ground soon." Rai sat up straight, rigid in her seat, even though no one aside from Ghost could see her. "How can I assist you, ma'am? Don't you handle Warlocks?" "Yes, but this isn't a scholarly issue...I need someone more finessed in war than in academia." "I'd be glad to help in any way I can. Where am I going and what am I doing?" "One of my Warlocks has gone into unknown territory without any preparation or back-up. I'm afraid that she's in danger. Track her down and be sure that she returns to us safely. Here's where she was headed." Coordinates flashed on a nearby console, and a map zoned in on the Eastern coast of Asia. "Tokyo? As far as we know, the Fallen still hold Asia. What could possibly be there?" Ikora paused for a moment, and calmly replied,"It is not my place to say, Guardian. If my Warlock deems it acceptable to tell you, she shall. Hold fast to the light, Guardian." And with that, the line was cut. Rai, looked down, her lips pursed from deep thought. [i]Why would any Guardian head out to the Asian Dead Zone?[/i] Ghost materialized in front of Rai's face. Most Ghosts faded in and out of sight smoothly, as if stepping through a door to nowhere. Rai's ghost was not so elegant, bursting in and out of existence as conspicuously as a balloon popping. "So, what're we doing?" she chirped. "I guess we're headed to Old Tokyo."

Nat pulls out her ghost Cog "Any details on the trace signal she gave us? Clarrisa doesn't seem to be here" a sudden rip of sound as a jump ship flies overhead and lands about a hundred yards ahead. Before Cog could answer her question Nat jumps into a nearby alley. "Shit! Let's hope they didn't bring the fallen out on top of us" Her ghost chirps "Dearie, I believe it's too late for that. I'm picking up movement all around us now." "Ohhh god damnit!" "Please do calm down." "Yeah...you're right" the warlock draws her dagger and makes a small incision on her palm. "That should work for transference? Right?" "It's risky" her ghost replies to her question "you're sure you can't find another heat source?" "None that I can feel within my Alar." "If you're sure..."

Rai materialized beneath her jumpship, diving straight down for 10 meters. Before slamming into the ground, she performed a Lift, neatly angling her descent into a horizontal landing, like a heavily armored airplane rolling onto a runway. All around Rai, buildings towered, some with bright neon lights still working, lighting up the streets against a dark, cloudy night. Bright, ornate decorations and electronic billboards covered every surface of the skyscrapers. Humanity was not shy about their prosperity during the Golden Age. [i]If there's any Fallen around, they probably heard my ship. Better get to cover.[/i] Rai brandished her weapon, a red and black Scout Rifle, the Zero Point LOTP. It wasn't as flashy as the newer weapons the foundries were churning out nowadays, but it was just as reliable, just as accurate, and just as deadly. She jogged into the nearest building, carefully checking her surroundings for any signs of life, hostile or friendly. It looked like she was in a department store or fashion boutique of some kind. The walls and floors were some sort of white marble, greyed over from years of dust, tracking footprints wherever Rai stepped. Tall, slender mannequins draped themselves with clothes that were torn and riddled with holes, but still exuded their former beauty. Rai trained her sights over what she thought was a mannequin, but it burst to life in a flurry of fabric and electricity. A Fallen Vandal garbed with a red cloak drew out two shock blades, growling with raging aggression. The House of Devils' reach spread here as well.

From a distance Nat herd a distinct [i][b]THWAP[/b][/i] and suspected that it was the guardian that must have have came from the jumpship. She rounds two corners to see the guardian on top of a vandal beating it's face in. What the guardian does not see is two more vandals using stealth sneaking up. Nat sees this and know that she must do something. She focuses in her mind and splits it into three pieces. With one she draws heat from her body. The second she focuses the heat into her cannon. And with the third she mutters a binding into the ether between existence. Her hand cannon glows with a mysterious magenta hue. Her hand cannon... A dangerous weapon that wishes nothing more than to eat and eat and eat. She fires a single round into one of the vandals and recombines her mind into one allowing her to transfer the energy of the destruction she caused and push it into the other vandal. It implodes. She unbinds her cannon and holsters it.

Rai feels a wave of Void energy wash over her back. She reels around, her Fist still clenched and pulsing with Arc light. Before her, a Vandal stumbles to the ground, a sinister purple Light enveloping it's body from the inside out. Another Fallen crumples inward, being crushed into a sickening mass of armor and flesh, ether hissing out between the cracks. Behind these two wretched souls, a Guardian stood clothed in a crimson robe and jet black armor, a handcannon smoking in their holster. Rai kept her stance, prepared to pounce if necessary. Arc energy continued to crackle along her entire body, as she regarded this being before her. At a glance, this is someone that you would not and could not stop once they wanted something. They had an air of deep knowledge and insight, and their posture spoke of confidence and hardened experience. The two dead Eliksni served to reinforce this first impression. Rai felt a certain kinship with this Guardian, dangerous as she probably was. Rai stared her down through her helmet, simply uttering, "Natylee."

Nat fought back a cringe at the mention of her name, she did not know this person but ikora must have sent her. The Titan stood with a ready posture that seemed all too mistrusting. Nat knew this type of combat prowess and preparedness in the form of the woman she was looking for in Old Tokyo. But in the end if anything happened she could always speak the name of a calm wind to give a placid feeling and make sure the Titan didn't cause too much harm. Nat was now scanning the Titan up and down with no attempt to hide it. She lets out a simple displeased sigh, and she approached the Titan. "So... Ikora sent you?"

The Guardian's response confirmed her Identity as the target, even if she didn't say yes or no. Natylee began to slowly approach her. Rai's muscles tensed up, unsure of how to respond to this. "That's close enough," Rai stated sternly. "I have to take you home. It's too dangerous to be out here." Behind Natylee, across the street in the ruins of a residential tower, a familiar, electric-blue glow began to form. It was a Wire Rifle charging up to fire. "Get down!" Rai barked out, diving onto Natylee to force her to the ground. A line of luminescent white and blue filled the air where Natylee was just standing, humming as it whizzed by. Rai propped herself up on one knee, whipping out her Scout Rifle, and firing at the source of the shot.

Natylee smacked her head very hard on the ground when the guardian pounced upon her. She did not hear the bullet. She did not find an excuse for why she was tackled. Nat speaks a binding onto the breeze touching her face "[i][b]Vi[/b][/i]" and she shoots away from the guardian with the speed of 1000 Cheetah's and she dug her feet into the ground to stop her a few feet from the Titan. "What the -blam!- was tha--" her speech was cut short by a round to the shoulder "AGGHHH." She is knocked forward a little before turning and opening her mind into two pieces. She attempts to draw energy from the scorch Marks all over her left shoulder. It works. She mutters a binding with her second [i][b]"perdere"[/b][/i], she focuses hard on the vandal but with the pain rising with every second she draws from the wound, she cannot seem to concentrate enough. She knows this and she jumps into cover. She scowls at the Titan.

One of Rai's shots finally makes contact with the Fallen's skull, their head erupting into a burst of silver ether. Still propped up on her knee, Rai reloads her red and white Scout Rifle. Natylee is no longer under her, but is scrambled off behind cover. Regarding her for a second, Rai is surprised by the Guardian's immediate reaction to seek cover, expecting her to be the kind of being to meet fire with fire. However, she notices a burning scorch mark on Natylee's shoulder. The wound still fizzled with faint electricity, a mark that Rai recognized as the work of a Wire Rifle. Rai gives a small nod to Natylee, then says plainly, "We have to get out of here now, before more Devils show up." It was too late for that, though. A flurry of crackling balls burst through the windows, moving spastically from side to side amid the hail of broken glass. A pack of Fallen evidently had their Shock Rifles trained on the two Guardians. Rai dove into cover next to Natylee, her thick armor glancing off a few of the Arc rounds. Relic iron plating was a good investment. She narrowly peered out across the street, looking for any advantages that she could gain on the prowling Fallen. The red-bathed building the Eliksni were firing from was already in heavy disrepair, and was barely standing on the infrastructure left intact. If she could take out one of the supporting pillars, it might topple the building, and the resulting dust could possibly give them cover to make a getaway. Or some rubble could fall on top of her... "I'm going to break for the building across the street. Once I'm halfway there, start running straight down the road, to our left." Without waiting to see if Natylee had any questions, Rai bolted from cover. She channeled her light into her thighs and calves, Arc energy jumping off of her legs. She hadn't noticed that one of the Fallen, a short, ambling Dreg, had ventured out into the road. The poor creature got bulldozed by Rai's elbow before getting off a single shot. Within 3 seconds of breaking cover, Rai had made it across. Without stopping, she channeled all of her momentum into her right shoulder, and leapt full force into the tower's main support pillar.

The Titan smashed into the main support and fallen surrounded her blocking her path. She could attempt to break through but either way that building would crush everything surrounding. Natylee had to act to save this Titan, regardless of first impressions. She took a shot at the neon sign above and it sparked downward. This blinded some of the fallen and the Titan made a break through the line of them with ease. But she needed more time. Nearby a gas tank exploded with fury. The Sparks must have ignited a gas line! She could work with this though. She broke her mind into 6 pieces. With one she harnessed the fires energy. With another she channeled it into her soul. A third she spoke the word [i][b]Vi[/b][/i] which propelled her at a speed as fast as a jump ship over to the building. A fourth fraction spoke to the universe [i]Wind[/i] and she caught the winds attention. Her fifth piece she Screamed at the wind and it obeyed pushing against the buildings collapse, while at the same time knocking the fallen on their backs. And with the sixth and final fraction of her mind she bonds the energy of her soul from the fire, into her dagger. A dagger that wishes nothing more than to fill the void. She stabs herself in the chest with it. In this flurry of events the Titan is given time to get away from the danger zone. And the building falls on the group of 20 or so Eliknsi. And of course in the centre of rubble stands a warlock, unscathed and with the glass dagger inscribed [i]Sanabit[/i] in her chest. She removes it with no pain and turns to the Titan who is standing a few feet away from where the last of the debris fell. Nat looks at her and speaks, "I envy your bravery, it's a virtue," she sheaths [i]Sanabit[/i]. "I guess we should make introductions then? As you know I am Natylee-0 but I haven't the slightest idea who you are."

Rai stood straight, facing Natylee, her shoulders rising and falling as she panted to catch her breath from the excitement. She just witnessed a fellow Guardian survive being crushed by a building. It wouldn't be the strangest thing Rai's ever seen, but her mind was still awash with questions, trying to make sense of the situation. Adding further to her already immense disbelief, Natylee casually removed a wicked looking knife from her chest. Being an Exo didn't make the feat any less impressive, the chest cavity was still filled with vital systems for an Exo. What the hell was this person? Rai slightly titled her head upward, so behind her helmet's visor, she was staring dowm at Natylee from her nose. Pointing, Rai responds to her with obvious disbelief,"We both know that building should have fallen earlier than it did. And we both know that no Guardian should have survived 5 tons of metal and concrete without a Ghost's resurrection." Rai started pacing slowly around Natylee, her right hand instinctively fidgeting, ready to grab the rifle from her back. She didn't think Natylee would attack her, but Rai wasn't going to take any chances either. "What are you?"

Natylee was taken quite off guard by the question. "Well... I'm many things." The Titan was still circling her with angst. "A Scholar, A Philosopher-" The Titan stops for a second and Nat can only assume she's scowling "-okay then a better... The better question would be 'what was that'" Nat says carefully, as not to upset the Titan more. The Titan slowly relaxes a bit more and continues her circling around Nat. "What I did was a little known way of fighting. No not fighting, more like a way of thinking that I can easily mix with fighting." The Titan still looks Unsatisfied with that answer. "I call it Alar, it's away of thinking that allows me to bind objects and influence them with each other. If I were to bind bark to the tree to cause a fire, than that would work with absolute results and vice versa." The Titan just looks more confused "It's uhh... Much more complicated than that, but a skilled Binder like me can bind Soap with Steel." She continues "And as for the dagger... Needless to say it only does that when I feed it energy off of something like that gas line I lit up. I could go into the workings of it but I don't have 17 years to teach you and that's ignoring my hand cannon. So then I've explained myself and I apologize for startling you, but I still don't know your name."

Rai had stopped walking by now. After pausing for a few moments to try and process everything, Rai simply let out a heavy sigh. [i]Warlocks...[/i] Rai slowly drew out her weapon in a non-threatening manner and responded, "I am Rai, of the Stoneborn Order. Ikora contacted me and requested that I get you home safely." Rai began to slowly walk around the ruined street, looking up at the colorfully lit buildings, imagining what secrets of the Golden Age these old towers held. She turned her gaze back to Natylee, "What were you doing out here anyway? This is unknown, hostile territory."

Rai... She savoured the taste of the name in her mind for a bit. She loved learning the names of things. It was like a drug. She loved even more learning the true names of things though, you could call an object a rock, but a truer name would encompass the density the dampness the shape and the sound it make when it's hit. These were the best names. Human names were similar to the latter, encompassing a lot of who the person is in most cases. "Hello [i]Rai[/i], the stone born order huh?" She pauses for a response but does not get one "I came here looking for a hunter, a highly esteemed vanguard hunter who has been missing for 3 months, perhaps you've heard of her? [i]Clarrisa Whiler?[/i]"

The name rung a bell. Rai's heard many things about Clarissa before, but has had only one actual encounter with her. When Lord Saladin first began holding the Iron Banner tournaments, Rai was placed on the opposite team from Clarissa. Rai was naturally gifted in warfare, consistently earning top marks each match, and holding an esteemed position in the top ranked combatants under the Banner. However, so was Clarissa. Rai could count on one hand all of her Guardian peers that she respected, perhaps even admired, for their prowess on the battlefield. Clarissa rightfully earned that spot by trading kills back and forth with Rai. For each time that Rai landed a well-placed shot or crushed her into electrical oblivion, Clarissa returned the favor with skill and finesse. She wasn't just another Guardian gone missing, this was quite literally a long lost legend. "Clarissa Whiler...yes, I know her. I've met her once," Rai fought back the urge to reminisce on their battles again. "Why? There's no way she can be here, she's been missing for a year."

"What did you say? '[i]This is hostile unknown territory' ,"[/i] Nat mimicked Rai's voice flawlessly and then let out a short laughing snort. "Clarrisa is a scout and a wonderful sneak. It's not unlikely that she's hiding out here and she broke radio silence for a VERY short while here recently. Simply put, it's our only lead." Nat paused taking into account the ever dimming sky around them. "It's getting quite late, whaddaya say we set up camp nearby? I can explain a bit more to you, and tell you exactly who we're looking for."

Beneath her helmet, Rai's face warmed, blushing from embarrassment. She tilted her head down and drew her shoulders inward, shrinking from the light mockery. Natylee's impression of her was, admittedly, spot on. [i]Is that really what I sound like?[/i] Rai quickly recovered. Puffing her shoulders back out and stepping forward to reassert her authority, Rai coolly stated,"I never said nor agreed to help you with anything. I'm supposed to take you home. We need at least a full Fireteam, maybe even a Raidteam, to safely maneuver around Old Tokyo." Using her chin to point, Rai gestured in the direction of their previous firefight. "I'll admit, most of the destruction was caused by me, but what if there's more Fallen next time? What if they have Walkers bunkered down somewhere?" Rai paced back and forth a few steps, shook her head lightly, then said, "Next time something happens could be the last time we run into the enemy. The Darkness...it's power is strong here. I can feel it...our Ghosts may not be able to produce enough Light to resurrect us if things turn badly. It's not safe here."

"May that happen..." Nat stops with a thoughtful look. "Then that just means I wasn't powerful enough." Rai starts to speak something "ah ba ba ba! No. Let me finish!" The Titan pauses and stares at Nat expectantly. "Claire is pretty much my daughter, I raised her and her best friend after they were risen... I found them! They were only 17 and 19 respectively, and although the light negates most aging they are still only 34 and 36 now. They still have so much to learn and I will not let Clarrisa waste her life in vain!" If Nat could have worked up a sweat she would have. She was near a panicked shout by the end of it. "That. Is why I NEED to find her. You can tell Ikora to screw off if she thinks she can stop me from finding my daughter." She is shaking now, it seems her systems are jarred, or in a frenzy currently, very unlike her. "I apologize, you can help me if you want but I'm not going back to that tower. Not withought finding her."

Natylee was shaking frenetically now, metal clanging together at the joints. It sounded like a giant was throttling a suit of plate armor. Rai still had a million questions to ask, but in Natylee's current state, that wouldn't be helpful for either of them. What really mattered now was making a decision. Rai had to get her back to the Tower, but Natylee seemed pretty intent on staying. It didn't seem like she would go back willingly, and trying to force her would likely start a fight. One of them would probably be dead by the end. [i]I've been through worse...[/i] Rai attempted to sound as calm as a lake on a windless day, "So, what's our first move?" She came off like a stern mother instead.

Nat was pleasantly surprised by Rai's response. She looked down and relaxed her shoulders and legs. Nat raises her head up again "Thank you. Like I said, it's getting dark and a small camp wouldn't be the worst idea." The two move away from the open and setup a small fire, Nat didn't need it but the feeling of fire is always nice and she assumed that Rai didn't disagree. The fire was a nice shade of orange and it glowed with a warmth that was unparalleled. The night grew dimmer and the chatter between the two continues late into the darkness of night.

Rai followed Natylee into the ground floor of an abandoned corporate office. The atrium was a giant, circular hall covered in peach-colored marble tiles. All around were black columns reaching up to the sky -high ceiling, converging at a row of elevators on the opposite end of the entrance. A Hive seeder could fit comfortably within this room. Rai gathered up some wood from nature's reclamation of the city, dumping the pile in the center of the room. Taking a particularly thick log, she channeled her Light in the form of Solar energy into the lumber. The log began to glow a warm red color before erupting into flames. Rai set the now flaming log under the pile, immediately burning the rest of it. The crackling heat gave off a feeling of a family hearth. Satisfied with her work, Rai sat down cross-legged on the fire. With both hands, she carefully removed her helmet and lay it on the floor standing up straight, finally revealing her face. Rai was an Awoken, her pale blue skin like a cloudless day, showing even in the ember glow of the campfire. Her hair was long and white, shaved on both sides. With minimal effort, she fashioned her hair up into a mohawk. At first, she sat there awkwardly, just staring into the fire, holding her hands together tightly. Then her Ghost suddenly popped out of the ether like a holiday bell, chiming,"Hi, so, ah, how were you born? Again, I mean, by your Ghost."

Natylee looks up at the awoken Titan that's sat before her. She hadn't looked before but Rai was most definitely a beautiful woman. But beside her was a quaint little ghost who asked, "Hi, so, ah, how were you born? Again, I mean, by your ghost." She was taken off guard by this question but not in a bad way. "Hold on, I forget sometimes just how stuffy this helmet is." She removes her own helmet, she was of course an Exo her metal skin was a charcoal grey. She had a teal stripe down her face and and another grey plate on her brow. She breaths a quick shallow breath and let's it out. "Hmm where to start?" Rai's ghost speaks "The beginning?" "Good a place as any I presume." ____________________________________ Well, I was risen 97 years ago, The first year was... Needless to say confusing. It got better over the years but still today I wonder why I'm here, such is the way a warlock thinks. I know not who my human counterpart was, but she was once alive... She must have been very important to be reserved an Exo conscience. I made it to the tower about 4 and a half years after being risen, but still I didn't do much for the vanguard. I was close to exile more times than I can count on two hands, why? Well as you have seen I can use bindings. I call it Sympathy, I make two things understand each other and I make them work with each other. I can draw fire to be sympathetic with a stone and then superheat that stone to help heat up some water, poor example I know. I can also draw runes as a sort of permanent sympathy. And the most powerful... I can call names. Names that define the true shape of the things that make up our world. I can call the fire in the world and make it rise I can call the wind and blow even the strongest wills down. All of these powers studied in excruciating patience. For 23 years i meddled with things most considered better left alone. I made my weapons [i]Sanabit[/i], a dagger that allows me to put the names of things into myself, as you already saw I named myself stone and survived that rubble. My hand cannon [i]Manducare[/i].. Well I can bind infinite energy to the weapon and it will push it outward into whatever it hits. I can theoretically destroy anything with output energy. And that is all 23 years of work and research and... Focus. A short month after I met my two greatest works. But... That's a story to tell for another day, as I'm sure you can guess one of them was Clarrisa. ___________________________________ Rai's ghost was not talking, perhaps speechless. Maybe expecting more. Either way Nat lowered her head a looked deep into the fire. She had a somber look in her optical receptors. And the green lights in them grew a bit dimmer.

Even Rai had a hard time keeping a blank face after hearing that. A normal person would have immediately branded Natylee as a Hive fanatic, following in the footsteps of Toland the Shattered. Rai had enough experience to know that this...Sympathy was not Hive magic, though. It didn't take a genius to know that it wasn't a gift of the Traveler, either. [i]Warlocks, why are they always tampering with powers beyond their control, let alone their understanding?[/i] She was itching to throw some accusatory questions Natylee's way, but Rai saw something on the Exo's face. Talking about her adopted daughters triggered some sort of emotional reaction...some sort of sadness. Over what, though? [i]A question for later. Now's probably not the best time.[/i] Rai straightened up her back, tilting her head straight at Natylee. "Why'd Clarrisa leave? I'm guessing there's a story behind her 'disappearance.'"

Nat's eyes sank into a dimmer green. "I..." She stops and raises her head "I think it was my fault. I don't even remember what I told her I was just so angry and she left the day after..." Natylee muttered a binding under her breath and she drew the coolness out of the air and eased her mind. She lets a long breath out, now of course she can't breath but she has developed subroutines that let her do it. It helps calm her. A sudden flash and fire lit up the alley behind their building, it flashed through windows. It was the fallen.

In one smooth movement, Rai grabbed her helmet with one arm, stood up from her cross-legged position, smashed the helmet over her skull, and reached into the fire with her free hand. Rai's entire body burst into flames. This wasn't the same friendly crackling of a fireplace, her entire being was encased in a furious inferno, blazing anger radiating off of her armor and into the rest of the room. Withdrawing her arm from within the campfire, Rai manifested a molten, silver warhammer. One end was sculpted to look like a vicious bear with its maw open. The other side, a perfectly flat surface, perfect for obliterating skulls. Rai wound up the hammer behind her, crouching low to the ground, then sprung forward, tossing the hammer with all of her might. With a metallic clang like an anvil dropping onto concrete, the hammer exploded into a supernova, annihilating the wall the Fallen were hiding behind. In its wake, a burning crater churned out smoke. Rai grabbed Natylee's shoulder,"Let's get going."