Rise of A Guardian - A Character Origin Story

5. Worthy

Rory woke up with her head pounding. She opened her scratchy eyes to see her Ghost nervously floating as if pacing across the room.

"How long have I been out?" Rory sat up holding her head.

"Oh, thank the Traveler!" The Ghost let out an excited cry.

Rory swung her legs over the edge of the bed and blinked several times.

"My head is about to explode." She winced.

" I have something for that." The Ghost lit up and infused Rory with healing energy.

The door to her room opened and Pax walked into the room carrying a big bowl of ramen soup and Bubble tea. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he saw her sitting up in the bed. She had been asleep for four days and it began to worry him. His heart melted when she looked up at him and smiled. He wanted to kick himself for the way things went down in Scavenger's Den. But he was incredibly impressed with her fearlessness and courage.

"You're up! "Pax tried not to sound too excited.

"Yes, she is!" Her Ghost shook.

Rory watched Pax as he placed the food on a table. He ran his hands through his dark hair and took a deep breath. Nervously she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She did not want him to see her looking so disheveled.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Pax said turning towards her. His cloak swished behind him.

"What about?" Rory asked.

He paused and stared at her for a moment. She still had that newly rezzed innocent look on her face. A small scratch near her right eyebrow was healing. It would be the first of many battle wounds he knew she would acquire. All he wanted to do was to protect her, but he knew it was the will of the Traveler that all Guardians must forge their own paths.

"I didn't properly prepare you for the dangers that I knew we would encounter in Trostland. I figured what we would find was routine." Pax sat down in a chair facing her.

"You did tell me to stay behind." She said.

"Yes, I did." Pax sat down and leaned forward-looking into her eyes", but you showed me that I was wrong to ask that from you. You save Rev back there and the entire team is grateful for that."

"It was no big deal. We all saved Revan. It was a team effort." Rory stated.

"Hunters don't usually work in teams. I mean sure we group up from time to time, but we are lone wolves. Honestly, some Hunters fear working with a full fireteam."

"Why do you say that?" Rory crinkled her brow.

"I guess it goes back to the oldest of us. We learned to manipulate that Traveler's light and energy to suit our own best interest. In the early days, we had to survive, and we did what was needed to do so. Sometimes we don't always react well in situations where other's lives are on the line." Pax explained.

"So why does it scare you to work in fireteam?" Rory asked.

Pax hesitated to answer the question. He didn't want to come off as selfish, but she did need to understand it was just in his nature to work alone. He had seen many Guardians lose their ghosts and light forever working in a fireteam. Supposed camaraderie got many killed due to the negligence of others. Many fireteam leaders live with the guilt of losing Guardians and he did not want that on his conscience.

"It doesn't scare me. I just know I have a better handle on the situation when I trust my own gut and my own abilities." Pax stated a little too confidently "But enough about me...I want to know how you connected with the Sun breakers without doing the challenge."