Three years ago...
"These two look promising," Zavala remarked, handing Shaxx papers on the new Guardian recruits.
"That's what you say about every newcomer that crawls out of the cracks." The Titan took the reports in his free hand and quickly scanned them. They held details on a new Hunter and Warlock, the only aspect that really stuck out was how they entered the City together, most Guardians found the Tower alone.
"Perhaps." Zavala chuckled lightly. "But these two managed to bring down a Fallen Priest while escorting civilians on their first mission."
Shaxx nearly choked on the drink he was sipping. "What? Seriously?"
The Awoken man gave him a knowing smile and turned to leave. "Send them an invite to the Crucible and judge for yourself. See what they are capable of."
And then he was gone, leaving Shaxx alone in his office. He set down his drink and glanced at the papers again. Bringing down a Fallen of such high standing was no small feat, even for an experienced Guardian. And yet, these two did it.
Shaxx tossed the reports aside and called for his assistant. He had a feeling today was going to be interesting.
Frea checked her gear the best she could, her armor was hardly notable aside from the new cape the Speaker had just given her that morning, but it did the job. It had been two weeks since she first awoke in the snow just outside the Cosmodrome, and only a few days since her and Dex were sent on their first mission by the Vanguard. By some miracle they had taken down a major Fallen target and became a subject of conversation around the Tower. And now, that small amount of fame got them invited to the Crucible for a 'vigorous training session'. The exact words used by the handler, Lord Shaxx, in his message.
Dex didn't seem to mind being the center of gossip. Frea, however, hated it. The mission didn't feel like a success to her. She looked down at her gloved hand and made a fist, remembering the boy that died in her arms and the first time she felt the gripping darkness of death. What was the point of this power if she can't save everyone with it?
A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Dex staring down at her.
"You alright?" He asked.
"Yeah. Just gearing up." She holstered her pistol and strapped a knife to her leg. Guns still felt awkward in her hands, but she could land a throwing knife from over twenty yards.
"Uh-huh." He leaned against the armory door. "So, know anything about this Shaxx guy?"
"Just that he can be difficult to get along with...and loud," she replied.
Dex snorted. "You've must have only heard the good things then."
A lot of rumors circled the Tower about the leaders and older Guardians. Enough that Frea could probably write an entire book about each person if she wanted to. She passed by Shaxx in her trips to the Vanguard offices before. He was a Titan of almost ridiculous height, over a head taller than anyone else she's met, and an ex-Iron Lord if the rumors were true. No one she asked would tell her what exactly an Iron Lord was, just that they were around before the Guardians, fighting with the Traveler's light inside them. It sounded like the Crucible Handler was an eccentric man, the tough love sort. Frea wasn't sure if she could get along with somebody like that, but she decided to save judgement for when she actually met the guy.
"Hey, you two." A Warlock stepped into the armory. "Come up top when you're ready. Lord Shaxx isn't very patient."
Dex watched the other Warlock leave and then turned back to Frea. "Well, this should be exciting."
The huntress followed him up the stairs into the afternoon light. She had to shield her eyes from the brightness as she stepped out of the dark room. They were up high on the perimeter of the Last City's wall, the air felt bitterly cold in her lungs.
"Guardians!" Lord Shaxx greeted the group, hands at his hips and his voice booming off the nearby mountain rock. His heavy armor was painted a brilliant orange and white, and horns adorned his helmet, it was a flashy look for a Titan. "Welcome to Twilight Gap."
Frea glanced around. They were on the top level of the arena, open and perfect for sniping. The bottom level was packed with close corridors and vantage points for head to head fights.
"You two are the first new Guardians we've had in awhile." Shaxx continued. "I am Lord Shaxx, and you may only address me as such. Since it's just the two of you, I've decided that 1v1 close combat would be best suited for the situation." He motioned to the unfamiliar Warlock next to him. "Maku here with help train you, Warlock."
Maku gave a short nod toward Dex. "I hope you're ready to die a lot, buddy."
"I'll make you eat those words...buddy," Dex challenged.
The other Warlock laughed. "Oh, I like you already."
"Excellent. And you..." Shaxx looked over at Frea. "I don't have any available Hunters today, so it'll be you and me."
Her stomach clenched up nervously. "Aren't Titans more adept at melee than Hunters?"
"Usually, but from what I read in the report about your last mission." He shifted to clasp his hands behind his back. "You'll handle me just fine."
"Meaning...you're going to get wrecked." Maku next to the Titan winked at her.
Shaxx sighed. "Go on, Maku. We'll take this area. You can have the other end."
"Got it."
Dex shot a concerned look over to Frea before following Maku toward the other side of the arena. She absentmindedly stared at them as they disappeared around the corner, biting her lip. This wasn't going to go well for her.
It didn't.
Frea gasped for air as she lifted herself off the ground.
"With moves like that, you'll be dead a hundred times over before even getting one knife into your enemy," Shaxx said, his tone stern.
"Yeah, but my target isn't normally expecting me," she grumbled.
"I'm surprised they didn't. You're clumsy."
She shot him an annoyed look.
Her goal was to land one knife hit on the Titan. It seemed simple enough, but she had been going at it for what felt like hours. Shaxx had barely moved from his position, he never even made an attempt to fight back, and even so she had yet to breach his defenses. She leapt to the side without warning, her blade gripped tightly in her fist, and went for his flank. But once again, he took hold of her arm and flung her off to the side. He did so with such force that she toppled over a barrel.
"Frustration will only cause mistakes," he commented.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and straightened. This man was grinding down her patience very quickly. "You've been fighting for centuries! How can I not get frustrated when I stand no chance against you?!"
He didn't say anything then, just stared at her.
Something snapped in Frea's head and she charged forward without a thought. Shaxx stepped to the side to avoid her attack but she twisted and pounced on his back, swinging her weight to throw him off balance. He didn't budge. Instead he reached behind and grabbed a fistful of her cape. With a hard yank, he rolled her off his shoulder and slammed her face first into the pavement. She was pinned down underneath him, unable to move with his knee planted on her spine.
"Experience doesn't make a Guardian great." His voice dipped low. "Did you not see that when you took down the Fallen Priest?"
"W-what do you mean?"
His grip on her shoulder tightened. "What did you fight for? To save yourself?"
"Of course not!" She struggled in his grasp, ignoring the spikes of pain shooting down her back. "Those people we were escorting only had a chance to get inside the wall if the Fallen were taken out. I reacted according to what my instincts told me, and even then we weren't able to protect them all."
"So it's the regret that's holding you back?" He asked.
She froze. He was more perceptive than she gave him credit for, enough so that he was able to read her like a book.
"I don't regret anything," she lied.
"That isn't what I see. You regret not being strong enough. If you let the death of one person cloud your judgment then in the end even more will die because you question your every move. Your hesitation will hold you back." Shaxx released her and stood, holding out a hand. "You're passionate. I admire that. Learn to control your doubts and soon, you'll become a powerful Guardian capable of doing anything you put your heart into."
Frea stared up at him, almost memorized. "That's quite a pep talk." She took the hand he offered and he pulled her off the ground.
A chuckle echoed out from his helmet. "Sometimes, that's all it takes."
She took a deep breath, washing away all the anger and worry. He was right. Getting hung up on something she couldn't do anything about will only cause more pain. She had to move on, for the sake of the vow she took and for others who might need her help in the future.
The huntress looked back up at him with a newfound fire igniting in her gaze. "I'm ready to continue."