As a warlock I have spent many a day studying the secrets and knowledge our world has to offer, but there are some lessons that can’t be learned from books. When I was young I always thought warlocks were the type to lock themselves away with their books like the Cryptarchs, I trained for months to become a hunter before I learned my place was elsewhere. Ikora taught me what it means to be a warlock, that we are not just lore seekers or reclusive, that we are warriors of the light and can be just as cunning as any hunter and as strong as any titan. I learned that true power lies in knowledge, understanding, that power is channeled, not controlled, and that each discovery offers new possibilities, something all guardians should know. I wasn’t like the others, I preferred to learn in the field rather than my readings, Ikora quickly took notices of this and when I thought she was going to scold me, she praised me saying “its not every day you see a student willing to break the rules in pursuit of further experience, you are part of the few who posses the core instinct to master the unknown. In your time outside the city’s walls you have learned that through true failure comes true understanding, but you must learn how to find that balance between godhood and madness…. Therefore, I am raising you to be my personal apprentice.” Ikora taught me well, how to charge a sword with solar and set the sky ablaze, how to find harmony within and channel the storm, to pull power from the void itself and unleash it on my enemies. However, there are some things that can’t be taught, and it wasn’t until I almost lost everything that I learned one of the most valuable lessons.

I had been planning an expedition to Venus to investigate rumors of Ahamkara, armed with my curiosity and pure determination I finally set out. I will admit I had not been to Venus in a while and had underestimated the large number of Fallen that had moved in after the destruction of the House of Devils back on Earth, the trek to reach my desired location took its toll on my ammo reserves. The location was beautiful, a cliff side that overlooked the valleys and volcanoes of the eastern fronts, it was the perfect spot to sit and take notes. However, I had not realized how much I had exhausted myself getting here, so when I heard the fallen scouting party approaching I was a bit concerned to say the least. I could barely stand let alone summon the energy for a nova bomb. Yes, my ghost could bring me back, but I was in no shape to keep the Fallen from destroying it. Regardless I mustered the strength to at least stand and load my gun. With only half a magazine, I was able to take out a few Fallen, but the last quickly surrounded me and with my back to the cliff I thought I was done for. As the back of my heel hung over the edge I closed my eyes and was preparing to use the last of my light to summon my void. My concentration was broken by the sound of solar flare. Before I opened my eyes, the loud crack of a revolver rang through my ears as I felt the heat from the Fallen bursting into flames. When I looked up a hunter stood before me, he approached holstering his gun.

“ya’know it’s not every day I find a warlock out here on her own, normally you travel in teams closer to the city. So, tell me what’s a lone lock like your self-doing wayyy out here?”  he smiled.

“I’m out on an expedition” I said still trying to catch my breath. He nodded and sat down on the edge of the cliff gesturing for me to join him. As I sat he looked out over the valley. “It is quite beautiful up here but what could be out this far worth you risking your light over?”

“I’m studying the Ahamkara and received reports that some may still be alive out here.”

“Akamkara! Weren’t they hunted to extinction years ago? Besides I heard they were nasty beasts who could influence your thoughts. Why would you try and hunt one alone?”

“Not hunt, just observe if possible.” There was a long pause before he turned to me.

“Didn’t the Vanguard specifically warn us to steer clear of them?”

“yes b-but I- “

“but I’ve never been one for fallowing rules.” he interrupted smiling and pulled a small cluster of Ahamkara bones from his pocket. I was speechless. Where did he find these, how could he have found these? I reached out to grab them, but he closed his hand and pulled back. “names’ Antarah. “he said.

“Mirra.” I replied.

“nice to meet you Mirra.”  He said shaking my hand but when he pulled away a small vertebra lay in my palm. I looked at him, and then back down at the bone. I had no words and just found myself laughing.

“something wrong?” he questioned.

“haha its funny I always find help in the most unexpected places I guess.”

Antarah, stayed with me the next several hours as we enjoyed the view. We exchanged stories and even had some fun wrecking the Fallen patrols before returning to our ships. It was that day I met my first fire team member who, despite us constantly giving the other one a hard time for being a “arrogant warlock” or a “pompous hunter”, quickly became a trusted friend of mine.

 

There is another, someone who I have grown to be very close to, I met him while patrolling in the European Dead Zone on earth. He was … observing me when our paths first crossed. I figured he was admiring my skills, it wasn’t until I did some digging in the archives latter on that I discovered the truth through an old scouting log.

Log 12817: Hunter- EDZ

-Daily Report: Crow-

It was a normal day for me, my typical scouting and scavenging, seeing what new places or things I could find. Around midday I found myself in the Winding Cove perched in my normal spot, I liked the privacy away from it all. There would be the occasional fireteam that would ride by on their sparrows or a Cabal patrol just passing through, in which I would enjoy popping some of their heads with my sniper, but today was different. I was laid back enjoying a nice nap when I awoke to gun fire in the distance, I quickly picked up my rifle to have a look. A group of guardians were fighting the Cabal that pass through here, I adjusted my scope to see it wasn’t a team of guardians but a single warlock. I was impressed the way she conducted herself, fierce yet precise as she is destroying every Red Legion troop at her wake. I can only imagine that this is what Ikora was like in her Rebellious days.

With the Cabal dead she stopped to reload her weapons, but I was taken aback when I swear she looked in my direction, I lowered my scope and looked, there is no way she could have known where I was. The sound of her summoning her sparrow caused me to lift my scope again but I was only able to catch a glimpse of her as she moved on. I found myself fascinated, I leapt from my perch and started my pursuit. I’m not sure how much time had passed, I just kept ridding and soon enough found myself deep in Cabal territory. Hopping off my sparrow I decided to do some scouting, unfortunately there weren’t many good places to hide and I quickly found myself between a rock and hard place trying to not be seen. It wasn’t long before the Cable found me, no mind I was full on ammo and had plenty of light charge. I took them out one after another, unfortunately I wasn’t in the wilds anymore, I was now at the front door of a Cabal base. In the heat of the battle I take a moment to close my eyes, and breathe as I feel the electricity start to flow down my arm into my fist. I feel the staff start to form and with a crack of arc energy I summon my Arc Staff, thrusting off the ground weilding it like an extension on myself. I seem to kill off the remaining and have a moment to collect myself. As I begin to walk away I hear the door behind me open and the roar of a Colossal and his start to spin up. I turn ready to fight but my light has run out and my staff dissipates, my eyes widen as I realize the danger. The flash of the gun is interrupted by a large flash of purple light fallowed by the boom of a Nova bomb. When my eyes open the Cabal are gone and stands before me in their place, a warlock, the woman from earlier; she must have fallowed me? I stand up straight as she approaches but as she was about to speak the alarm sounds and more troops fallow. She quickly summons her sparrow and gestures for me to hop on, I don’t hesitate as I was exhausted but didn’t want to show it.

We narrowly escaped and after a long ride we come to a stop on the shores somewhere between the Outskirts and Winding Cove. We dismount and without hesitation I ask.

“who are you? How did you find me?”

She removes her helmet and to my surprise, a human woman, I was sure she was Awoken like myself. Her silky black hair dark as the void itself compliments her pale skin and deep gold eyes. She was.. she..

“What, you hunters not use to being the hunted huh?” she says with some sass.

“beautiful..” I say under my breath.

“..uh… excuse me? “

“wha! Oh uh.. no I mean what’s your name?”

“Mirra.” She smiles.

“Well Mirra, you are quite the capable warrr…” I stop my self as to not say warlock.

“warrr?” she asks knowing fully well what I was about to say.

“warrior!” I say with a stupid smile.

She pauses and just looks at me before patting me on the shoulder. “warlock… I am a very capable warlock.” She says with a smile. Probably looking like a complete idiot I just stair back at her. “Soo.. does my admirer have a name?”

“oh uhm yes, I do. You can call me Crow.”

“well Crow” she grins at me. “how good of a shot are you.” She asks pulling out a sniper

“oh, u don’t mean to..”

“oh but I do. And if your as good with your rifle as you are with your staff then you will have no problem. Unless your scared?” she says wish a bit of sass.

“oh that’s it your on!”

I showed her where I like to perch, and we spend the evening throwing small objects off while the other tries to shot them. I would say who won but it was so close we had to settle the score with a tie breaker, I had reach but she had… flexibility. 😉

:End Log:

I will never forget that day, I don’t think I ever told him I had been also watching him for a time, the one flaw in his position is when the sun hit just right it flashed off his snipers scope. 😊 Crow are I are still close and I am proud to have him on my fire team, among other things haha.

So here we are, A warlock and two hunters, hunters I am proud to call my friends and whom I trust with my life. I learned many things in my training, but Ikora was right, some things we just must learn on our own and if its anything I have learned. It’s that guardians are all different, hunter, titan, warlock, each unique in our own way. Most of all when we put our strength together is when we are truly unstoppable. I would fight and die for my fireteam, I respect these hunters and they respect me, … but they are still my idiots haha. 😊

Mirra Logging out.

 

just us guardians 🙂

 

left to right: koh17_ian (Titan), PaladinXGamer (Antarah, hunter), dragonfruit97 (Mirra , warlock), Megadrain (Crow, hunter).