Warlocked

"Hey Magus."

"Yes?"

"Gotta ask you something. It's very important. Like, super-super important. So important that only you can answer it."

"Then ask it."

Magus kept his sights on the Fallen, something that Artemis should have been doing as well. But no, the Awoken kept yammering on, as if intent on living up to her namesake. As if being awake was synonymous with being a chatterbox.

"Okay, here it goes," the hunter said, clearing her throat. "How much war could a warlock lock if a warlock could lock war?"

Magus blinked behind his helmet.

"Well?" Artemis asked. "Could he? Could you?"

"I…what?!" he hissed.

The warlock ducked down behind the log as the Fallen passed by. So did Artemis. Report, reconnoitrer, and only engage if the situation made it favourable to do so. Those were their orders. It seemed like in recent times they were always their orders, the Guardians' job being related to reconnaissance rather than the task of taking back the Sol system from the alien SOBs that had waltzed in after the Fall.

"Like I said, how much war could a warlock-"

"I heard you," Magus snapped. "That isn't the problem."

"Then what is?"

"It's not a question, and if it was a question, it would be stupid. Actually, scratch that. It's stupid regardless."

"But it's a riddle," Artemis protested. "Don't you get it?"

Magus sighed. He peaked back over the log as the last of the Fallen passed by, a Cabal plodding along at the rear of their column. Taking on aliens seemed preferable to dealing with the hunter beside him, he reflected. Aliens had the benefit of not speaking English or any other language. They understood the universal truth that actions spoke louder than words.

"Alright, I'll put it this way," Artemis said. "You're a warlock. Blessed by the Traveller, endowed with magic we lesser mortals can only dream of."

"You're an Awoken. I don't think you can complain about mortality."

"And yet at the end of the day, you seem no more special than a titan or a hunter," the girl continued. "I mean, what's up with that? Don't you think the Traveller could do something a bit more spectacular?"

Magus scowled. He was quite proud of his abilities. He was a decent shot with a pistol, and he'd set many a foe alight – Vex, Fallen, even a Cabal once. But it was also because Artemis was right, in a sense. The Guardians could do so much more. To take back Earth, not just protect the Last City.

"Well?" Artemis asked. "What do you think?"

Magus remained silent. He looked at the column. Still stuck in this game of cat and mouse. Still fighting over the scraps of civilization. Still locked in stalemate.

In the end, they were all warlocked.

A/N

Taking a leaf from the mailbag for Destiny, namely the warlock-woodchuck line. Course I'd rather see what warlocks are actually capable of in the game (and, you know, see more of the game engine period), but hey, take what you can get I guess.