That's a big dude.

More coherent thoughts have gone through Frea's mind, but that one stuck out the most.

The trio pressed themselves against the wall after diving into the shadow of a nearby rock. The source of the screeching was a group of Wizards accompanying an Ogre. All of them were of the Ascendant class, making them tougher and more intimidating than normal Hive.

"How the hell did they not show up on the scans?" Dex asked in a hushed whisper.

"Could be the interference in here. The darkness is heavier than usual, even for a nest," Frea replied.

"Doesn't matter right now." Shaxx shifted into a fighting stance as he readied his rifle. "They're between us and the center of the nest. They need to go." Frea's gaze drifted over to the Titan, he met her eyes.

"I can distract the Ogre. You two take care of the Wizards." The huntress said, pulling the dusty Raze-lighter off the holster on her back. She could sense Shaxx stiffen beside her.

"Where did you get-"

She was gone before he could finish.

Frea speedily crept around the wall, keeping low to avoid making any sound. She counted four Wizards guarding their hulking pet. Hive were too unpredictable, once she got close to the Ogre, who knows if they'll attack her or go for her comrades. The huntress crouched for a few seconds and took a sharp breath. The calming sensation of the Traveler's light crawled over her skin and in the next moment, she vanished. The Bladedancer invisibility trick only lasted for a few short clicks, but that was long enough for an experienced Hunter. Frea immediately stood and sprinted toward the Ogre, her soft steps barely disrupted the dust as she crossed the room. She ran under one of the Wizards and leapt up, readying the sword in her hand.

She landed on top of the Ogre as her cloaking wore out, and suddenly she was staring right into its single eye. The creature released a gurgled yelp, surprised to find a Guardian in its midst. Before it could react, Frea plunged the Raze-lighter into its eye. The Ogre howled in pain and attempted to grab the small huntress off its face, but Frea quickly ducked and rolled out of its reach. A scream next to her signaled the downfall of one of the Wizards, turned to ashes by a rain of Guardian bullets.

Focusing back to the Ogre, Frea slashed at its legs, enraging it further. It was unable to shoot at anything with its eye gouged out, however a creature that size was still just as deadly even while blind. She had to make sure it wouldn't charge toward the sound of the gunfire coming from her fireteam's location.

Another pained screech from above sounded off as the second Wizard fell. Thankfully they had yet to notice the small huntress attacking their companion, their attention more directed on the Guardians shooting at them. Frea jumped back onto the shoulder of the Ogre and sank the blade deep into the thick muscle. Finally fed up with her antics, the creature spun in place, catching the huntress off guard and making her lose grip on the handle of her blade.

The sheer force from the maneuver sent her flying off the Ogre's back and crashing into a nearby lantern, breaking the glass and crushing many of the glowing insects inside. The sound reverberated throughout the room, making every Hive still alive aware of her presence, including the pissed off Ogre.

"Shit," Frea groaned.

The Ogre let out a monstrous roar and slammed the dirt with its fists, preparing for a charge. Frea attempted to free herself from the lantern, the glass shards cut into the unprotected openings of her armor. She was stuck. The ground shook as the Ogre ran at her, sickly yellow blood dripping from its eye and the Raze-lighter still embedded in its back.

Guardians were as immortal as long as their Ghosts were intact, but that didn't mean death was painless. Frea lost count of how many times she died, and every time was as agonizing as the last. The pain was always followed by a gripping darkness, and the shock of the resurrection often felt like she was being electrocuted. It wasn't a pleasant experience. There's a record of Guardians going mad from dying too often, she could understand why.

The huntress closed her eyes and forced her body to relax, bracing herself for the embrace of death. The Ogre's thundering footsteps grew louder as it approached, she couldn't hear anything else over the noise it made, but all of a sudden everything went quiet. A shockwave washed over Frea as her eyes blinked open again. In front of her stood Shaxx holding up a nova shield, blocking the Ogre from getting any closer. The creature furiously pounded against the light barrier. From her spot, she could see the Titan's shoulders shake from the exertion of holding his super up against the brutal attack. He shot a quick glance back at the huntress.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Y-yeah." Frea nodded, her chest pounded loudly in her ear.

"Good," he grunted. His shield was starting to crack. "How about finishing this guy off for me before we both end up pulverized?" Despite the harrowing situation, the Titan seemed to have a rather good attitude about an Ogre trying to kill them.

A smile crept to Frea's lips. "Gladly." With a huff she lifted herself out of the lantern, some of the shards were embedded in her flesh, but she didn't care. The warm light emitting from Shaxx's barrier made her wounds heal and boosted her own power. She stepped up just next to the Titan, his head turning slightly to look down at her. "Thank you," she whispered. His face may have been hidden, but she had a feeling he was smiling when he gave her a short nod in reply. Hopefully one day she'll get to actually see that smile in person.

Turning away, Frea leapt out of the shield. The Ogre could sense her movement and stepped back with a snarl. Flying high though the air, the huntress pulled her two favorite knives from her belt and summoned arc light into them. The air around her crackled with electricity as she fell back onto the Ogre with the matched fury of a thunderstorm. The creature screamed as her charged blades melted its flesh, its entire body being seared from the inside. And just like that, it was gone.

Frea's boots crunched over embers, the only remaining remnants of the Hive. She walked over to Shaxx, who was bent over the Raze-lighter that had fallen from the Ogre. His armored fingers glided across the metal blade, over the words she wasn't able to read. He twitched when he realized she was watching him.

"Is that important?" She asked.

The Titan was silent for a moment as he turned the sword in his hand. "In a way."

"Sorry, I didn't realize-" She cleared her throat, using her best formal voice in an attempt to clear the awkward tension that had settled between them. "I should not have taken it from your ship. My apologies, Lord Shaxx."

Shaxx tilted his head and peered down at her. Frea noticed his grip on the sword handle tighten ever so slightly. "It's fine. This is a relic now, I'm sure it was happy to see battle again."

He held the weapon out for her. The huntress hesitated for a moment, trying to study his body language to at least get some idea of what he was thinking about, but finally she carefully reached out to take it. When she grasped the hilt, he held onto the sword and her for far longer than was necessary. A quiet sigh escaped his helmet when he let go, his fingertips gently brushing over hers.

Frea had so many questions as she watched the Titan turn and walk away. Something was special about this sword and he wasn't willing to tell her about it. Was it because she was being formal? Dex pointing out her strange relationship with the Crucible handler made her more aware of the distance between herself and Shaxx. She was still considered a young Guardian, yes she's made a name for herself over the years, but compared to Shaxx and the other leaders of the Tower, she was still inexperienced. They have been here for centuries before the Last City was even built, her existence is only a measly sliver compared to that. With a long exhale, she sheathed the dusty Raze-lighter and joined her comrades.

"That was one hell of a show," Dex commented once she returned. He was the one to finish off the Wizards while her and Shaxx took out the Ogre.

"Hopefully that's the last of the surprises," Frea said as she rubbed her sore neck. Her wounds were finishing up healing, she could actually feel some of the glass being pushed out of her skin. It was uncomfortable.

"The center of the nest should be around the corner." Shaxx reloaded his rifle and clicked the mag into place. "We need to see what's in there."

The fireteam made it into the central point without encountering more resistance. Other than that group of stragglers they found, everywhere else was empty and dead.

"That group couldn't have been the only ones in this nest right?" Dex asked.

No one wanted to reply as they split up to inspect the large room. Normally, the middle of Hive nests were the most congested because the darkness was strongest there, an empty one meant it was abandoned. But why would they have left this nest in such a hurry? Frea ran her hands along the wall as a million questions streamed through her mind. Her foot kicked something metallic and she glanced down, it a Guardian's Ghost.

"Shaxx! Dex!" She called and bent down to pick up the Ghost. Its light was dead inside, whatever master it had belonged to was long gone, never to be revived again. The huntress felt a pang of sadness inside her chest. Guardians were already too few, they lose more than what could be replaced each year. Finding a dead Ghost was never a good sign.

Shaxx and Dex came up to her side.

"Damn." The Titan clicked his tongue. "Must have been one of the scouts."

"I'm amazed they had made it this far into the nest," Dex mumbled.

Frea gripped the Ghost tightly and called the Traveler's light into her fingers. The little bot hummed to life in her palm and wearily blinked up at her.

"You did good, my friend." She smiled. "Go rest now."

The Ghost lifted from her hand and vanished, returning home.