A cold sweat formed on Frea's brow as she laid motionless against the shadow of the cavern wall. In her efforts to avoid the clusters of Hive patrolling the halls, she ended up going deeper into the interior of the nest. Each room she passed the darkness grew heavier, the sheer weight of it made her wounds ache. Somehow, the Hive had yet to sense her presence within their territory. All Guardians carried the Traveler's light within themselves, and the minions of darkness could normally detect it, but without her Ghost the light inside her was just a glimmer. Harder to notice, especially if they weren't expecting a single Hunter to be lurking close by.
Stifling a groan, she slid down to the floor behind a pillar to rest for a moment. Frea wasn't sure how much time she'd spent in the nest so far, maybe an hour at least. Walking was steadily becoming easier, but she still had to rely on using the sword like a cane. It would have been a comical sight if she wasn't in so much pain.
Kicked rocks behind her made her freeze, it was another guard coming down the hallway. She held her breath and peeked around the pillar. This group consisted of two Ascendant Knights and a Wizard, a rather powerful force for just a mere patrol. One of the Knights was dragging something heavy through the dust. Frea couldn't see well in the dark but she thought it resembled a coffin, much like the one that ended up being Crota's final resting place. The Hive were using this one like a cart, a dark cloth was draped over the top to cover whatever it held inside.
Frea knew something big was happening, she could feel it in the ground below her feet. The rock was trembling with unknown power. She had to see what it was. Mustering some energy, she waited for the patrol to pass her hiding spot and then silently leapt into the coffin.
Dex wasn't sure if he was angry or in shock. His mind kept reeling back to Frea and the way she sacrificed herself for him. He'd been so prepared to do the same for her and yet...he wasn't the one alone in a nest full of Hive right now. Hell, she probably didn't even survive the initial fall.
He paced back and forth at the edge of the crevice. It had stabilized and stopped growing over an hour ago. At times it looked like a sly grin plastered across the surface of the rock, mocking him with its eerie light.
"Dex." Kannon lightly touched his arm. "Lord Shaxx will be here any minute, you need to calm down."
He roughly pulled away. "I'm fine."
"Fine, my ass." Timus grabbed him by the collar and forced the Warlock to sit down with the rest of the fireteam.
Dex protested but he couldn't do much against the hulking Titan. "Why aren't the rest of you worried?" He spat.
"Don't mistake this calmness as indifference, Dex." Sain shot back. "We are just as concerned as you are. Freaking out now will not help Frea."
"We already tried and failed to get into the nest. Waiting for another Guardian is our best chance now." Kannon walked back over and sat down.
"Yeah, though I think Lord Shaxx technically counts as three people." Psyho dryly joked, trying to lighten the mood. Unsurprisingly, no one responded.
Dex sighed and rubbed his hands together, easing the tension out of his joints. The moment after Frea vanished into the abyss they made a run for the main entrance to the nest, only to be stopped by a massive wave of Thralls and Knights. They barely made it back out without any causalities. In his desperation, Dex called the one person he knew could help them.
"Anyone else find it strange that none of those Hive followed us out here?" Timus suddenly asked, breaking the long silence hanging in the air.
"Actually, yeah that was kinda weird," Psyho replied, tapping a finger to the mouthpiece of her helmet. "Aren't Hive normally attracted to our light like moths?"
"These seem to be different," Sain added. Another silence came over the group as they all considered what that could mean.
The distinct roar of a jumpship cut through the dark space above them, alerting the fireteam to the new arrival. In a flash of light, Shaxx materialized with a rifle already in his hand. All the Guardians jumped up and straightened in a show of respect for their superior. Dex was the slowest to get up.
"Fill me in," Shaxx said.
Everyone looked over to Dex. They hadn't asked yet as to why he summoned Shaxx and why the Titan actually came to join them, seeing one of the leaders of the Tower out on the battlefield was an odd sight. He knew they were going to bombard him with questions later, but he didn't care at the moment.
"We hit a trap and lost Frea." Dex motioned toward the chasm behind them. "The Hive here are acting weird, and we couldn't even get into the front gate."
Shaxx put his gun away and trudged past the Guardians. He stopped the the edge of the rock and peered in, of course seeing nothing but inky blackness.
"Do the scans show anything?" He asked.
"No, there's too much interference out here for our Ghosts to pick up anything," Sain replied.
Shaxx crossed his arms. His chest was clenched tight at the thought of Frea being down there alone.
"Going in blind will be a death wish..." He mumbled to the air.
"We can't just leave her in there to die," Dex said.
The Titan snapped his head to him, Dex could feel the glare behind his visor. Instinctively he felt the urge to bow and apologize, Shaxx was that daunting, but he fought against the feeling. He straightened and returned the glare.
Before anything more could be said, a blinking light caught the Guardians' attention. Something small and vibrant red shot out like a bullet from inside the chasm. They all recognized the shell immediately.
"It's Frea's Ghost!" Kannon cried.
Shaxx reached out and caught the little bot. It was shaking and the light in its eye flickered on and off. Whatever journey it had been through had exhausted it. A Ghost without its Guardian was a bad sign.
"What happened? Is Frea-" Dex started but Shaxx held up a hand to stop him.
The Titan gingerly cupped the Ghost and summoned the Traveler's light into his palms. His fingers glowed white and the bot inside them warmed, recharging its power. Finally he opened his hand, the Ghost's eye shined much brighter now. It repeatedly blinked for a few seconds while it got its bearings.
"Lord Shaxx," it beeped. "I have a full scan of the nest and Hive. I am here to guide you."
That wasn't the answer they wanted to hear.
Psyho pushed forward, nearly knocking into Shaxx. "What?! What about Frea?"
The Ghost looked over at her and blinked again. "She sent me away." Its reply was short and emotionless.
"Is she alive? Can you sense her?" Dex shouted.
"I-I don't know." The Ghost was shaking again, its calm demeanor now slipping away. It was clear it didn't like leaving its master behind, but it had no choice.
"Enough." Shaxx's voice rang loud, stilling all talk. He tucked away the Ghost in the fur around his neck and turned toward the fireteam. "We are here to finish a mission, no distractions. If you can't do that-" He cast a firm look at Dex. "Then leave."
"You son of a-" Dex stepped forward but Sain grabbed him, pulling him back.
"He's right. Frea would want us to finish the mission as well. Her sending the Ghost to us is proof of that." The Warlock squeezed his arm.
Dex shoulders shook with anger but he lowered his head and nodded. "Fine."
"Don't worry. This is Frea we're talking about, I'd bet my lunch she's still alive and kicking. Probably giving the Hive one hell of a headache." Psyho gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
Shaxx stood away from the group and observed, these were the Guardians Frea had been fighting alongside all these years. The ones that raided the Vault of Glass and took down Oryx. He recognized the bond they shared with each other, he once felt it too with his team back in his prime. They were a good bunch, but at the moment they were disorganized, wrecked by the loss of one of their own. He felt it too. It took every ounce of his willpower to not jump into that chasm after the huntress. The fireteam needed a strong arm to lead them right now, and he was determined to be it. He had a feeling Frea wouldn't forgive him otherwise.
He brought out his rifle and checked the Ghost sitting on his mantle. Its warm light peered up at him. "Let's get moving."