Blank Slate Ch.1: Boring Backstory

Table of Contents https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/225386550/0/0 All I remember from the instant before waking is darkness. Then there was a brilliant flash of light. As the afterimage of the light faded from my eyes, everything became dark again, but not as dark. I was on my hands and knees. There was a strong wind and the air reeked of sulfur. I recognized the sound of waves behind me. A small female voice spoke over the other sounds, "Hello, Guardian. Sorry it's so dark out here right now. It's night and overcast. Your eyes will adjust." I looked at my hands. I was wearing armor. I pushed myself up so that I sat on my knees, then flexed the fingers on my right hand and curled my left into a fist. "Sorry the armor is so pitiful," the voice said, "There's barely any material to work with here. Mostly just sand." My eyes were getting used to the darkness. I stood, wet sand squishing under my boots, and took in the silhouettes of skyscrapers a short distance away. I was at the edge of a city. Something lapped at the back of my feet and I turned around. A large body of water spread out before me. A small object floated into my view, shaped like a star, with one glowing blue eye. "You should move, Guardian," the voice said, clearly coming from the floating object, "That's a sea of sulfuric acid. After a couple minutes, it'll dissolve your armor." I stepped away from the waves. The floating object followed me and continued, "I am a Ghost. Your Ghost. You can give me a nickname later. You are a Guardian, and I brought you back to life." "Ghost..." I muttered. My voice was deep and gravelly. "Guardian... my name is not Guardian..." "No, it isn't," the Ghost agreed, "You will remember later. I'll explain everything." The Ghost's voice faded as I began to think about what was happening. [i]I'm supposed to be dead?[/i] I thought, [i]But now I'm awake, moving, thinking.[/i] Questions buzzed in my mind. What to ask. So many. Why were we on a beach? Why didn't I remember my name? Where did the Ghost come from? How did the Ghost bring me back? "Do I breathe?" I asked myself aloud. "What?" the Ghost asked, sounding hysterical, "You freeze and go non-responsive for fifty three seconds, then ask a question that makes no sense?! Are you alright?!" "I.... had a lot of questions," I said, "Did you really bring me back to life?" "Yes," the Ghost answered, beginning to calm down, "Okay. Here's the short version of what you need to know. Don't zone out again. A long time ago, the Traveler came to Earth. I'll tell you about the Traveler later. The Traveler created a Golden Age. New technologies were invented and everyone prospered. But something was chasing the Traveler: the Darkness. That sounds like a ridiculous name for something, I know, but it's actually quite fitting. I'm getting sidetracked. The Darkness crippled the Traveler and nearly destroyed everything. When that happened, the Traveler used the Light, don't ask because I can't explain it, to create the Ghosts. The Ghosts went out to find their Guardians, who can wield the Light to fight the Darkness. Then there was the Dark Age. The Last City was created under the Traveler, and is the last safe place. And that's where we need to get, but we are currently on Venus with no ship." I took a moment to absorb it all, then asked, "Can we find a ship?" "Probably not," the Ghost seemed to droop, then perked up, "But there's a tiny chance. And sometimes other Guardians explore Venus. If we leave a sign, we might be found." "Good," I said, turning and walking towards the city, "Lets start with that." The Ghost drifted over to my shoulder and said, "These skyscrapers will come in handy for that. But we have to be careful." "Why's that?" I asked. "As I said, the Last City is the only safe place," the Ghost replied, "There are agents of Darkness everywhere." I sighed, "Then we'll be careful." • • • I shoved the old solar panel into place, then looked at my reflection in one of the few spots not covered in filth. Ghost had taught me my armor reacted to my thoughts, and I willed it to disappear. My face, as I had seen earlier, was not a human face. I was made of hard, gray metal. My eyes were red lights, and when I spoke, there was red light in my mouth. There was a streak of gold paint under my left eye. Ghost said I was an Exo, a human's soul and mind in a machine's body, and somehow I had already known. I stepped back and inspected my handiwork. We had found a wide building with solar panels coating its roof. After over a day of work, I had used the panels to spell the words GUARDIAN STRANDED. Anyone flying by under the constant clouds would see it, but it wasn't too conspicuous to enemy eyes. "Now we wait," Ghost said, as my helmet reappeared. [i]Ghost,[/i] I thought, [i]She needs a real name.[/i] I frowned. [i]So do I.[/i] What was my name? "Guardian," Ghost said, "You blanked again." "Sorry," I mumbled. That kept happening. I'd have a thought and lose track of what was happening. "Let's go look for a ship. Tell me more." We'd made a system in our four days here. While we were looking for anything useful, Ghost would tell me everything that I needed to know, and answer my questions. Our first find was the solar panels. "Well," Ghost said, "You should practice using the Light while we look. There are three Classes: Hunter, Titan, and Warlock. Each Class uses the light in different ways. Hunters strike out to explore the universe, usually alone, looking for threats and taking them out quietly. Titans stand in defense of the City and their companions as an immovable wall, while others lead the charge against the Darkness. Warlocks pursue knowledge and the ways of the Light, and use that knowledge as power." "That all sounds dramatic," I scoffed, "Who came up with it?" Ghost rolled her eye and answered, "Some of the very first Vanguard members, I think. The Vanguard represents the three Classes and basically leads all Guardians. Now, I'm no Guardian, but you should practice using the Light." "How do I do that?" I inquired. Ghost looked around, then stopped and seemed to nod to herself. "Jump off the building," she said. "If that's a joke," I said flatly, "It's not funny. We're over thirty stories high." "I'm serious," Ghost said, "When you die, I can revive you by using our Light. That's a start, at least." "Fine," I mumbled. I trusted Ghost, so I'd try it. Without hesitation, I ran and leapt from the roof. The ground rushed towards me. Contact. My body hit the ground with a heavy thud, but when it happened, it was suddenly as if I was watching it happen. From third person. Then I felt an odd sensation. Something... warm and powerful... trickled through me, and suddenly I materialized back in my body, standing at the base of the building. [i]What was that?[/i] I thought, [i]That energy...[/i] I tried feeling for it, drawing it out like before, and latched onto something. I reached out my hand, palm up, and imagined the trickle again, but stronger. A stream of power surged through me. Nothing happened. "Guardian," Ghost called, "I revived you." I looked up to her and asked, "I blanked again?" "Blanked," she replied, "Can you use the Light?" "No," I growled. I looked at my still-raised hand, then swung it at the wall. Just before my palm hit, a pulse of energy blasted a small hole into the old wall. I stared at my hand. "Or yes," Ghost said joyfully. • • • My face hit a wall and I fell onto my back. Ghost drifted over me and I asked, "Another blank?" Ghost nodded, "Blank." It was day seven, and my abilities had improved. Ghost said I was definitely a Warlock. I was able to drain energy from the plants, something Ghost called Energy Drain. That was one way a Warlock used the Void, the power that the Traveler apparently came from. Warlocks who used the Void were called Voidwalkers. I could also blast a small hole through the old walls, or any door that got in our way, by acting as if I were about to hit them with my palm. Ghost said that Guardians called the strike 'Palm,' and that it could be paired with Energy Drain. She also said that she would never want to give me a high-five, but we had discovered previously that I wasn't good with jokes. I still couldn't comprehend how she had intended to high-five me without any hands... "Guardian!" Ghost yelled. I cut off my thoughts and stood up. "Blank," Ghost said. "Blank," I echoed.