Diary Of - Entry 4: Blank Stare

I’ve been running around a rock for ten minutes. It’s a big rock.  According to the map, there’s a Skill Challenge here somewhere. I’m wondering whether it’s part of a jumping challenge and is at the top, or that I’ve stared at this immovable object for so long now that I can no longer think straight.

Having circled the hulking object for long enough, it suddenly dawns on me that the skill challenge is in fact underground and I suddenly feel incredibly stupid.  It also dawns on me that I am in fact next to where I fought Duke Barradin and that the Skill Challenge is no doubt where I killed him during my infancy.

Heading down into the crypt, a Charr Guardian is in trouble.

“You help?” he says to me while running away from pinkish blobs.

“I help” I reply. It felt appropriate to mimick him; don’t ask me why.

“What you do?” the Guardian asks me.  He’s still busily battling back pink blob-like creatures that are respawning quicker than he can kill them. 

“What do you mean?” I reply, deciding I should really start and help him.

“What you do? Engineer? What you do?” He stands still after slaying his current enemy and stares at me blankly.  He’s making me a little nervous and has a face only a mother could love.

“Turrets” It’s the first thing that pops into my head, which is made all the more stupid by the fact that I don’t yet have one.

“Where turret?” He responds. 

I’d like to reply back with; how did I know that was coming? But the Guardian is still staring at me intently, completely motionless, and I realise I’m on my own in the depths of a crypt with a strange person.  Who knows what could happen.

“I’ll unlock one soon, I don’t have one yet though”. I say feebly.

The Guardian was still staring at me.  At this point I began to wonder if he was in fact a Skill Challenge and navigating past his blank stares and broken English was all part of the fun.  Eventually the Guardian sprang to life, no more enlightened by what I do than several minutes earlier.

Fighting our way past some of the more dangerous pink blobs, my heart sinks every time the guardian stands still.  I'm having flashbacks of him turning to stare at me.  As we begin to finally reach the Skill Challenge, I level up and can finally unlock a skill.  Deciding it would be best to invest in a turret, simply to appease my new companion, I purchase a Rifle Turret.  As the cheapest option I can't wait to hear his reaction when it's deployed. 

As we reach the last pink blob, I use my new Rifle Turret.  Nothing.  Not a single reaction from the Guardian.  As he turns to look at me, he finally stares at the turret that is busily firing away. 

"Turret!" he exclaims.  

"Turret!" I reply, breaking into laughter.

"That what you do!" the Guardian says, leaving me with a silly grin as he runs towards the Skill Challenge. 

"Is that what I do?" ​I say to myself before joining him, no longer timid of my new friend.