Destcember Day 2: The Last City

Destcember Day 21: High Stakes

"Hey Ash."

"Yes?"

"I've been meaning to ask you. Where did you get that Fallen mantle that you're always wearing?"

"Oh, I got it from a high stakes on a Fallen Captain."

"Come on, you can't leave me with that. Tell me the whole story."

"Fine, but you have to promise not to tell anyone about this, alright?"

"I promise."

"So do you remember a while back when I helped an Eliksni Captain named Mithrax fight of a Hive Knight and he left me the reactor he was going after as thanks?"

"I do."

"I felt bad about taking the reactor that he needed so badly, so I search around and managed to find an alternative one. It wasn't nearly as good, but it was enough to get myself in his good graces. Since then, whenever I have fought any Eliksni and found extra either on them, I take it to Mithrax and his crew. I have managed to bring quite a lot. He has grown somewhat since we first met, probably from that extra either, and as thanks for my help, he gave me this mantle that he outgrew."

" ...You know that if the Vanguard found out about this, they would probably call it treason, right?"

"I do. That's why I said it is a gamble."

Destcember Day 16: Who Guards The Guardians?

A lone guardian falls to the ground, finally succumbing to their numerous wounds, inflicted by the Red Legion invaders. The ground around them is carpeted with the bodies of their fallen foes, having taken down dozens before falling to the endless tide. Though they still live, they are unable to so much as lift their head, weakened as they are from their wounds and the loss of their Light. A Cabal Gladiator approaches, flanked by several Legionnaires, moving confidently now that their prey is weak. The guardian can only watch as the Gladiator approaches, hoping that their resistance has bought the civilians they were protecting enough time to escape. The Gladiator chuckles as it saunters up to the guardian, raising its sword to strike the final blow. But before the sword can fall, the Gladiators helmet and head are crushed by a massive chunk of debris, thrown from above. As the body of their comrade crumples to the ground, the Legionairs look up in shock, only to suffer a similar fate. From the roofs, a number of citizens look on, satisfied with their grim work. From an alleyway, two more emerge, each gently slinging one of the Guardian's arms over their shoulders and carrying them away. Just as the Guardain had guarded them, now they would guard the Guardian.

I just read the new lore book, "For Every Rose, A Thorn", and I have to say, everyone needs to read it right now. Also, Shin Malphur gets a slot on the favorite characters list.

Destcember Day 8: Legacy of the Golden Age

In a way, I'm a relic of the Golden Age. A machine, once human, freed from their mortal coil by the technology of a better time. I don't have anything left from back then but myself. Luckily, my old self had the foresight to think about what would happen if their memory was ever wiped, as tends to happen to exos. Soon after I was revived, I found that I had name and a phrase ingraved into my arm, apparently in my own handwriting. It said "Keep your name and keep your tally" above which was written Adar-I. I've since added another line to my tally, because losing my memory to a death is just as bad as to a reset, I suppose. So, I have my true name and my count, Ash-2. It's not not much, but it's more than most other guardians have managed to hold on to from their past life and I'm thankful for it.

Destcember Day #8: Alternate Universe

Two friends sit talking on top of a skyscraper that just reaches well above the clouds. Below them sprawls a gleaming metropolis that extends as far as the eye can see. The sky is clear and bright, without a hint of smog or rain. Overall, it is a beautiful day on Venus.

"You ever feel like something is missing?"

"What do you you mean? We literally have everything. Ever since the Traveler showed up a few millennia ago, things have just gotten better and better. We colonized every planet in the system and a few beyond, we solved scarcity, and now no one has to work anymore if they don't want to. Hell, we even cured death a while back. I mean, there was that thing with those evil pyramid things a few decades ago, but we sorted them out pretty quickly, with all the warning the Traveler gave us and all the time we had to prepare. What could possibly be wrong?"

"I don't know. It all just feels anticlimactic, you know?"

...

Simulation #540608849333807 Results:

Processing Power Required For Simulation: High

Paracausal Interference: Extreme

Accuracy: Within Acceptable Range

Premise: Golden Age collapse averted via failure of Darkness to locate Traveler before overwhelming force was accumulated.

Outcome: Convergence rendered unobtainable before heat death of the universe due to excessive presence of Light based paracausal interference and high level of human technological progress.

Timeline Deemed Nonviable

Simulation #540608849333807 Terminated

Destcember Day #10: The Big Bag Theory

"What is taking so long? I just asked you to get me a gun out of my bag and it's been like five minutes" asks a warlock as he rounds to face his friend. The friend in question sits waist deep in a pile of guns, synths, and assorted items, looking both annoyed and confused as they begin to speak.

"How are you doing this? I have been shaking this bag for the last four minutes straight and it never stops spitting out garbage. Is it bottomless or something? Does it contain a portal to the guns and garbage dimension?"

"Oh yeah, it's that bag. Well I have two theories. The first I like to call the Big Bag Theory. I think that I have used so much magic around that bag that some has seeped into its very being over time. It just kept concentrating until it created a pocket dimension with everything I have ever put in contained. No matter how much you take out, there will always be more. Haven't you noticed that some of the things you have pulled out are duplicates of things that you already took out? It must be locked in a quantum state where everything inside both exists and doesn't until you take it out, making it technically limitless."

"Wow, really?"

"Alternatively, I could have told Yew to hide in there and keep transmatting random junk from my vault in as you emptied it out. You know, just to fuck with you. But isn't the magic bag theory more fun?"

The titan glowers at their friend as muffled laughter can be heard from the inside of the very much mundane bag.

The Last Word quest is like trying to run up a greased slide while a bungie cord holds you to the ground. I have been at this for two hours and have made no progress. I'd say to kill me, but then I'd just lose more progress.

Destcember Day 29: Curse

Honestly, I think that humanity is cursed. Not the kind of curse that the Dreaming City is facing, mind you. No, I am referring to something much more subtle and intangible. At least in the Dreaming City, we know its source and can eventually find a solution. The curse that I'm talking about is more of a string of bad luck. A sort of twisting of fate that has landed us all in an almost impossibly bad situation. Just think about it. In only a few centuries, we went from several billion to just a few million people. We went from fully covering our planet and beginning to extend outward to a single city. We are now fighting at least four wars, depending on how you count, and are at war with every single alien species that we have encountered. The only being that has not tried to kill us is the Traveler, and it is currently more or less in a coma and it was the one that attracted most of our problems. In addition to all of the perpetual wars that we are fighting, a new, potentially world ending catastrophe pops up every every few months. One of our enemies suddenly has a new, stronger, more ruthless leader; or gains a new source of power; or one of their previously unknown plans, years in the making, is about to come to fruition. It has happened at least half a dozen times just since I was revived a few years ago and I assume it will keep happening indefinitely. Despite everything, I am still hopeful. I believe that we will break the curse on the Dreaming City, and then we will break the curse on humanity. And if we fail, then at least we can die trying.

Proposal for a new type emote: Emotes that let your Ghost emote with you. The possibilities are endless, but include:

Your ghost flying around your head

Sitting with your ghost on your shoulder

Disco ball ghost

Ghost spinning on your finger like a basketball

Ghost scanning you and using their little laser on different spots

Multi-person emotes where you stand around and your ghosts talk

And many, many more.

Destcember Day #5: A Day Off

A concerned guardian stands in the doorway of their friend's study. Inside, a frazzled looking warlock is scrawling notes with handwriting almost as indecipherable as the Hive language they are studying. The glow of the runes cast a green light on the face of the exo, forming shadowy bags under his eyes. He looks up from his work as his friend begins to speak.

"Ash, you look terrible. When was the last time you took a day off? No, forget that, when was the last time you even slept?"

"Does dying count as sleeping?"

"No."

"In that case, I don't know. I think it was Thursday."

"Today is Wednesday."

From beneath a pile of scrolls, a muffled voice joins the conversation.

"First of all, it wasn't even a Thursday this month. Secondly, could someone please help me out here."

Surprised by the voice of his ghost, the warlock quickly unearths his buried ghost. Now freed, the bemused companion floats up to hover above her guardian's shoulder.

"Sorry Yew. I was wondering where you had gone. How did you end up under there anyway?"

"I fell asleep. Honestly, it's a miracle you haven't collapse yet. The only rest you have gotten in the past week was the time one of your expirements killed you and even that was only for the few seconds until I could resurrect you."

"Technically, exos don't have to sleep. Nor do we have to take days off."

Finally shaken out of their shocked stupor by that statement, the titan calmly walks into the room and proceeds to throw the warlock over their shoulder. They protest weakly as they are carted off before they fall silent. Ignoring their protestations, the titan explains what is going to happen to happen, making it clear that their cargo has no choice in the matter.

"That does it, you are taking a day off. No! You are taking a week off. You may not physically have to sleep, but it is terrible for you mentally. Not to mention the effect that prolonged exposure to all this Hive stuff must be having on you. Don't bother trying to argue, I won't take no for an...

Aaaannd he fell asleep."