Refugees

The forest was pretty peaceful for the most part. There were no carnivorous animals, or aliens, and the forest was abundant in edible foods. Needless to say, I was having a great time enjoying the scenery while Sam was cursing at every leaf or branch I stepped on. It was beginning to get dark, so I stopped to find a suitable place to camp out for the night.

I soon found a large cave and, after confirming it was empty, I gathered dry wood and used Solar energy to light it, giving me a nice and cozy fire. I could most likely live without it, but it felt comfortable to have so, despite Sam's complaints, I decided to keep it.

I sat against the wall and lazily flipped a knife I had taken from the vault around in my palm, waiting for the night to pass. According to Sam, Guardians didn't have to sleep, eat, or drink like normal things do, for we were technically immortal so long as we had the Light.

I also had the sneaking suspicion that we were being followed, but I pinned it off as Sam's anxiousness rubbing off on me. So, with nothing better to do, I decided to practice my control over the Light and Darkness within my body.

I conjured a large mass of Light in my right hand, while I conjured a large mass of Darkness in the other. I began to try and mold the two energies into smaller forms, and then shapes, but all I had accomplished was making myself fatigued, however, I became persistent in getting these two energies to bend to my will.

I sat there for hours trying to get the energies to form into a basic sphere but, even with Sam giving me tips, I ultimately failed. Horribly. The sun began to rise, signaling my time to get going once more. I got up and immediately set out toward the little dot Sam had put on my map some few thousand kilometers away.

The forest was really beautiful during the morning as the dew covered ground reflected the early morning sun, giving the place a mystical sort of vibe. Even though the forest was relatively peaceful, that didn't stop me from being cautious and carrying a weapon out in the open. You could never be too careful.

I hiked up a winding trail and found myself on top of a large hill overlooking the forest canopy. I quickly moved on and slid down the side of the hill, landing easily on the ground below. 'You can go a lot faster than this leisurely pace, you know...' Sam said in a grumpy voice.

I shrugged and nodded my head in agreement before speeding past the trees, making my previous speed seem like a joke. I dodged trees, jumped over large holes, and cleared several ravines by the time the sun had fallen once more but, unlike last time, I decided to continue moving.

Sam and I conversed with each other as I sped through the dark forest. Sam mainly talked about the Crucible, a sort of competitive team based game that Guardians played for combat experience as well as for entertainment for the masses, and the various fireteams that were at the very top of the leaderboards.

In all honesty, I got a bad craving to just knock those people from their pedestals whenever Sam mentioned that they were the top dogs. There were various type of gamemodes as well, including a free-for-all, a three vs three last-team-standing type of mode, and a six vs six team based mode that included three zones that you had to capture and keep under your control in order to win.

The one thing that intrigued me the most was that you could actually kill the other Guardians without any repercussions, well so long as they're able to be revived that is. As I was about to ask Sam a question, a noise to my left caught my attention.

I spun and pointed my autorifle toward the noise and saw a little girl that looked to be no older than eight looking at me with wide eyes. I berated myself for pointing my gun at a child as I lowered my weapon and made my mask disappear to show that I was Human, not a monster.

The child had tears in her eyes as she stood frozen while shaking in fright. I stowed my gun and made the rest of my armor disappear as I raised my hands and said "It's alright, I'm a Guardian. You know, a Light Bearer!" in as soothing of a voice as I could muster.

The child's eyes darted around as she began to slowly back away from me. I had noticed that at least thirty yellow dots lit up my radar as a bunch of Humans clad in dirty and torn clothes, armed with various weapons, walked out from the trees. I was surrounded, although that really didn't mean anything, as I could kill these people without too much trouble.

A man in his late 40's stepped up with his handcannon aimed for my head and asked "If you claim to be a Guardian, then where is your Ghost, eh?" earning some approving nods from the others. I smiled as Sam materialized from my body and said "Hey! My name is Sam, and I hope my Chosen here didn't cause you any problems..." He then looked to me and formed a small hammer out of pure Light and hit me over the head with it before continuing "I'll make sure that he learns some manners in the future. Again I apologize for spooking you."

Sam disappeared back into my body and said 'Now, lets get the hell out of here, these people smell like fresh cow shit.' in a disgusted voice. The man smiled and lowered his weapon before dipping his head politely and saying "I'm sorry for pointing a gun at you Sir, but times are hard when you live outside of the City, and you can never be too cautious. If it wouldn't trouble you too much, may I make a request?"

'I don't like where this is going...' Sam mumbled as I said "Of course. What is your request?" The refugee's faces all lit up as the man asked "Y'see, we have more women and children back at our main camp so, if you don't mind, we would like to ask if you could escort us to the City..."

I looked around at all of the hopeful faces and I just couldn't refuse their offer. "Fine." I said while repressing a sigh and tuning Sam's loud voice out. The refugee's began to cheer and eagerly gesture for me to follow them, so I did.

I was walking alongside Mac, the man who had first spoke to me, as he explained how they came to be stranded in this forest with no contact to anyone at the City. Mac said that he was forced to flee the City alongside many other civilians when the Cabal initiated a large invasion. Mac led the citizens to a nearby forest to seek shelter, but ever since then they had been unable to find a way out of the forest.

We had soon neared the refugee's camp, which housed more than a hundred other people, all of which had tired and strained expression. Mac jumped on top of a nearby crate and yelled "Attention everyone! I have some very good news for you all to hear" The refugee's began to flock toward Mac as they mumbled to themselves before Mac continued "I'd like to announce that we have finally found our salvation! We have finally come in contact with a Guardian!"

The crowd turned silent as they all stared at Mac in confusion, astonishment, and bewilderment. A few people began to call Mac a senile old man, but they quickly turned silent when I walked out into the open, donned my armor, and had Sam appear next to me.

The crowd once again went silent before erupting into cries of joy as many women collapsed in tears as they thanked the Traveler for its benevolence. I removed my helmet and looked toward Mac, who looked at me with expectant eyes as he gestured toward the crowd. I looked and saw that everyone was eagerly awaiting for me to speak.

I cleared my throat and said "Well, I honestly don't know what to say in moments like these, but I do know one thing. I cannot watch people suffer while others enjoy a lavish life in the safety of their own homes. I'd rather risk my life to help those who have nothing than sit back and let the cries of the impoverished fall on deaf ears. I promise that I will put my life on the line to make sure that each and every last one of you get to the City safely. You have my word."

The crowd released a deafening cheer as Mac stepped down from his perch and clapped a hand on my shoulder, saying "You may not be good at speeches, but that was just what these people needed..." before smiling and yelling out "Let us feast tonight! Ahahaha!"

The crowd dispersed in a much better mood than before as the women walked into a large wooden cabin and began to prepare the food. Sam looked at me and said "You owe me big time for participating in your little Hero act..." in a low voice.

I looked him in the eye and said "It's not an act. I really do hate it when people suffer because of others who are unwilling to give up their own luxuries." Sam scoffed and muttered "Well you sure do seem like a dick when we're alone..." causing me to burst out laughing before saying "That's because you're usually the one being an ass!"

Sam looked at me with a gasp and said "How dare you! I'll have you know that I am always the victim when you're around!" I scoffed and said "Bullshit!" as a giggle came from behind me. A woman in her early 20's walked up and said "My, you two seem to be quite close to each other. I wonder, how did you two become partners?"

The woman had dirty blonde hair, deep, captivating green eyes, a seemingly flawless face, and a lithe body that had curves in all of the right places. I shrugged and said "Well, he's the one who decided to resurrect me, so it's more of his fault that we're stuck together." earning me a look from Sam that could kill even the most brutal animal.

The woman laughed in a pleasant manner before waving and walking away with her hips swaying hypnotically. Sam issued a low whistle and said "Damn, if I had a Human body I'd totally bang her..." I slapped Sam on his...head? You get the point. Causing him to crash into the ground with a thud.

Sam extricated himself from the pile of dirt he made and looked at me with an angry expression before asking "The hell was that for!?" I felt a wry smile form on my face as I said "Don't say something like that in public. It makes others uncomfortable and it also makes the atmosphere kind of awkward..."

Sam made a 'pssht' noise and replied "C'mon, you'd do her too and you know it! I saw you stareeeee!" I felt my face begin to heat up as I began to look around for anyone listening in on our conversation before whispering "Just between you and me, I'm somewhat glad that we have the same preferences..."

Sam nodded and said "Yeah, makes it easier to talk to each other when we've run out of other things to do." We both began to nod our heads in approval when Mac had yelled out "The food will be ready soon! Make sure you two come and join us before it gets cold!" before disappearing back into the large wooden cabin.

Sam and I glanced at each other before sighing and entering the cabin to join in on the festivities.