Redacted

Run

I'm a day late but here's the second update as promised!

It was frustrating, hovering near the cavity of the hole while Hope watched Rener's dark violet shell repeatedly hover near Darrow's limp body, the Hunter's form swinging slightly as the rope creaked against his weight. The pair were out in the open, worried for their Guardian's well-being, and although Hope had promised that they would hide out of sight, they just couldn't leave their Guardians as they are. As such Rener had stuck to Darrow's side while Hope herself had glided downwards into the crevice in hopes of finding Angel's form, only to give in when she realizes how far she is away from the entrance. Unable to go any deeper without losing sight of the light and the darkness too convoluted to help Rener resurrect Darrow without the aid of her Guardian, all the pair can do is wait.

Beaming her light around the walls of the cavity, Hope heaved out a sigh as she turned her green optic towards Rener, "You know, you can just pick up Darrow's light and get out of here. No need to stay when you can get your Guardian to safety."

Watching her fellow Ghost turn their orange optics towards her, Hope couldn't help but reel back as Rener stated, "And leave a fellow Ghost 'and' their Guardian behind? Sorry, but I am not the cowardly type."

Blinking several times at the dark colored Ghost, Hope then let out a laugh, easily sensing the bewildered gaze she received from Rener moments later, "Are you laughing at me?"

Shaking her head to answer Rener's question and to shrug off the giddiness vibrating throughout her shell, Hope regained her composure just enough to answer, "I apologize for offendin' you but, it is not very common that a Ghost nor a Guardian 'outside' of our team would be willin' to stay behind with individuals such as us. It just came as a surprise that you were willin' to put yourself into danger just for the reason that you didn't want to leave Angel nor I alone."

"Us Ghost and Guardians are small in number as it is. We do not have the time to form our own factions or treat others as outsiders. If we are to beat back the Darkness, we have to work together." Hope blinked at his words, "This includes ensuring the safety of ourselves and 'others'. Our opinions should not dictate the lives of our fellow Ghosts and Guardians."

Momentarily silent, Hope turned her attention back down the cavity, her bright optic searching for Angel's form as she took in her fellow Ghost's words. The female Ghost couldn't help but completely agree with Rener; despite their denial, the number of Guardians have been shrinking as each year passed. The only occasion when their numbers actually 'grew' when those still alive or 'The Chosen' were selected amongst the denizens of the Last City and even then, majority of them were still children or inexperienced of the field. By the time they are ready to face the Darkness, those who were resurrected or 'The Restored' would be either too small of a number to be of any additional aid.

Hope then sighed as she recalls the first 'interaction' between a Chosen and a Restored; an altercation had started immediately when the Chosen boasted their superiority over their Restored brethren, mainly for the reason that since the Chosen had taken a rise in number and the number of fresh newborns have been at a stalemate. They had claimed that the time of the Restored Guardians are coming to an end and that the 'living' are to take the spots of the 'undead'. The insult sparked a drift between the two groups of Guardians, and made it that much harder to gain leeway against their enemies. Hope couldn't help but wonder if such a divide will be the downfall of the Solders of the Light.

Shaking her core side to side to rid herself of such thoughts, Hope suddenly perked up as the familiar crunch of footsteps against gravel and broken metal resounded around them; she immediately focused her attention back onto Rener, "Hive?"

The dark vermillion shell of her fellow Ghost shifted their parts up and down, prompting Hope to warily glance up at the top of the crevice; if it is truly the Hive then the female Ghost couldn't help but let a tinge of regret flow within her core for ignoring the Awoken Warlock's advice. She doesn't know what she and Rener can do by themselves if the beings of the Darkness were to find them. Hearing the footsteps gain ground, Hope couldn't help but press herself against the musty wall of the cavern, watching the vermillion shell of Rener do the same.

"Hope? Hope are you here?"

The panic that had grown in Hope's core settled and the female Ghost let out a breath of relief as she glided out of the cavity, her green optic tuning onto the familiar darken visor of Ianos, "Thank the Traveler it's you and not the Hive."

"Didn't I tell you and Rener to hide?"

Shifting her parts up and down sheepishly, Hope's relief soon turned into one of bewilderment as she caught sight of movement, her green optic flashing over the white clad armor of another Warlock; it didn't take long for the female Ghost to figure out who it was, "Is that Knight or Unit Eleven?"

Ianos let out a grunt in response, "Take a guess."

"Greetings, Ghost Hope of Hunter Angel." The female Ghost blinked at the white clad Exo's words, "I do hope my presence does not hinder your judgement against either Knight or I."

"It's Unit Eleven." Hope sighed as she turned her attention back onto the Awoken Warlock, "I thought he wasn't allowed out on the field."

"He's not allowed into the 'City'." The female Ghost's parts drooped at this, "and I'm here, so don't worry too much about him." She then saw Ianos' gaze shift around, "Where's Darrow?"

"Over here."

Jumping at the introduction of a new voice, Hope turned her focus back towards the entrance of the cavity, only to shake her shell in a fluster as Rener's dark vermillion form glided out of the cavern, his orange optic glancing over the two Warlocks, "Pull on this rope and you should be able to bring his body up for resurrection."

"Rope?" Seeing Ianos glance around the sight of the tether, Hope then watched the Warlock pause at the sight of the familiar yellow rope before he sheathed his pulse rifle onto his back, walked over to the line, picked it up, and started tugging. Although relieved now that aid was here, Hope couldn't help but snicker as Ianos seemingly struggled with pulling Darrow's body up over the edge, hearing him grunt and strain as she heard the slow swish of the tether rubbing against the hearth. It was then Hope noticed movement from the side of her vision and before she can glance over, the familiar white clad form of Unit Eleven slowly strode past her, walked over to Ianos' side, leaned over, grabbed the rope, and with one swift movement, pulled.

If it wasn't for the dire moment, the female Ghost would have laughed, but instead, she opted to shift her parts upward into a Ghost equivalent of a smile as Ianos stumbled back from the sudden help, the Warlock reeling with his arms to regain his balance as Unit Eleven easily dragged the Exo Hunter's body back onto solid ground. No sooner had he done this when Rener's form glided over to Darrow and expanded his parts, signaling to one of the Guardians to summon their Ghosts.

Seeing neither Warlock making a move, Hope blinked as Unit Eleven focused his blank optics towards Ianos, then motioned with a free hand for him to move forward. Sensing the glare emitting behind the Awoken's visor, the female Ghost couldn't help but snicker as Ianos trudged forward before the familiar black and orange form of Ace materialized into view, the Ghost quietly beaming their light into Rener's core. Moments later, a gasp then can be heard from the Exo Hunter followed by him abruptly sitting up, "Angel!"

Hearing the name of her Guardian, Hope's bright spirit quickly crumbled, the reminder of the missing Hunter wavering back into her mind as Darrow staggered onto his feet, and then made his way over to the entrance of the cavity. He was only stopped when Ianos reached out and grabbed him by the arm, "And where are you going?"

Immediately sensing the narrowed glance emitting behind the Exo Hunter's visor, Hope took it as a sign to glide in closer as Darrow responded, "Where else? Down that accursed hole to find Angel."

Seeing Ianos glance back and forth between the Exo Hunter and the cavity nearby, it was then Hope noticed the Awoken Warlock turn his attention towards her, "…You didn't tell me that you lost Angel 'underground'."

At first confused by the older Guardian's words, it took Hope only moments for it to settle into her core; Ianos' past experience with the Hive and his venture in the Catacombs. In response to this, the female Ghost enclosed her parts closer to her core as she muttered out, "I…I wasn't really thinkin'."

Hearing the male Guardian let out a sigh at this, Hope watched as the Awoken Guardian released his hold on Darrow's arm, "Head back to the Tower and tell the Vanguard what is going on, the two of us can handle this."

"What?" The Exo Hunter turned to fully face the Awoken, "Angel was my partner during this mission. I am not going to simply abandon him just because his team is here."

Sensing the frown behind Ianos' visor, Hope then watched the Warlock lean in, "Look, just head to the Tower and inform the Vanguard, 'and' then head to the Medical Wing. You need to get checked up with Matt."

Momentary silence from the Exo Hunter, "What are you implying?"

"Do you think that Guardians get corrupted for no reason?" Ianos hissed out, "You have been dead for several hours, during that duration your Light was exposed to the Darkness. So, if I were you, I would head over to the Tower to check over for signs of corruption before it's too late."

Witnessing Darrow cross his arms in contemplation, it was only when Rener bumped his core into the side of the Exo Hunter's helmet when Hope can easily read the lax in his shoulders, and a single nod was enough to confirm the female Ghost's suspicions, "I understand." She then watched him reach out and place a hand onto Ianos' shoulder, "Bring him back safely." Then without another word, the Exo Hunter made his way down the hall with Rener's vermillion form gliding after him.

Hope then heard Ianos take in a breath, "You are certain he fell down there?"

Hesitating at first, the female Ghost bobbed once only to immediately see the Warlock's shoulders slump and his gaze lock onto the entrance of the cavity, "Right." He then fixed his attention back towards Hope, "What stopped you from following?"

"Well, long story short there is a reason why Angel has a strong dislike for sticky grenades," Hope sensed the bewildered look behind Ianos' visor, "let's just say that a chargin' Knight caused the hearth around the entrance to collapse."

At first, receiving nothing but silence as a response, Hope couldn't help but let a tinge of amusement settle into her core as Ianos let out a quiet 'ah', the female Ghost easily sensing the waves of understanding emitting behind his visor, "So, there's a possibility he's buried alive. Terrific."

The female Ghost narrowed her gaze at his words, "He is 'not' buried."

She received a fixed stare from Ianos, "What makes you confident that he isn't?"

"Female intuition."

Hope sensed a blank stare permeate behind the Warlock's visor, easily reading the disbelief emanating from his shoulders. Expecting a retort, the female Ghost instead was surprised to hear a sigh escape from the Awoken, followed by a cross of the arms and a hard stare into the cavity, "Right then, have any more rope?"

Hope blinked at this, "Can't you just jump down?"

Ianos fixed his gaze back onto the white and red shell of the female Ghost, "When I don't even know what is at the bottom of this cavern? Not to mention that we don't even know if it even ends."

Giving the Warlock a narrowed glance, Hope parted her parts to let out a retort when she took in his words; they were true, the group have no idea if there are enemies waiting for them at the bottom, and even if there weren't, who knows how endless the pit is. Her shell drooped at this, her green optic glancing down towards the crusted hearth.

"We'll either have to slowly traverse down or find another way around, otherwise, I am not taking the risk- Unit Eleven? What are you doing? Unit Eleven!"

Confused by Ianos' outburst, Hope lifted her gaze in time to see the white clad Warlock jump into the cavity and seeing the Awoken Warlock's grasp narrowly miss the Exo's shoulders, causing him to let out a curse. Watching the male Guardian lean in and tilt his head slightly to tune into onto his fellow Warlock's falling form, Hope took it upon herself to glide above the cavity and shine her light downwards, her green optic searching for any sign of movement.

"Observation, approximate time to land: Fifteen seconds." Hope jumped as Unit Eleven's voice echoed upwards, "Requesting Ghost Sunny Day to illuminate the lowermost region to give you better gage of your jump."

"How in the fuck-" The sudden pause in Ianos' voice caused Hope to let out an amused snort, prompting the Awoken to turn and give her a narrowed glance, "Come here, you're sharing."

That's when her giddiness faded and Hope couldn't help but give the Warlock a wide-eyed look, "Pardon?"

Ianos let out a scoff, 'You think that I am going to let you leave yourself exposed out in an unknown area? Let alone if there any hostiles waiting for us."

"Now why would you think that-"

"We are in a 'darkness zone', Hope." The female Ghost paused at his words, "As such, there is something or 'someone' convoluting this place with the darkness. There is no doubt that there will be enemies down there waiting for us and I don't want to find Angel 'without' you."

Pondering on the words of the Warlock, the female Ghost let out a sigh of defeat, signaling Ianos to hold out his hand in invitation. Staring at his open palm momentarily, Hope then glided over before concentrating her light around her form, feeling herself disperse into the familiar light of binary code and weightlessness. It was then the sensation of becoming 'one' with Ianos' HUD and mind overcame her senses and the female Ghost couldn't help but fidget as she sensed Ace's mind materialize in with her.

"You are comfortable with this?" Hope earned a laugh for her question, "Ianos and I have been together for 'years', Hope. You think that we haven't done this before with another Ghost? It just takes a bit for Ianos to get use to the presence of two Ghosts instead of just one." She then heard them let out a hum, "I thought you would understand, especially since you shared Angel with Gaia at one point."

The female Ghost groaned at this, "Don't remind me. They maybe our friend now but back when they hated Akiva and Angel, you can feel the fury radiating from them. After that, I didn't want to 'share' Angel anymore."

Another laugh from Ace, "Well, for now, I'm 'sharing' Ianos with you. At least, until we can find your Guardian."

Letting out a hum of her own in confirmation, Hope heard Ianos take in a breath before he took a step over the edge, and their vision quickly filled with darkness.

Xxxxx

Angel woke with a gasp, his rapid breathing the only thing he can hear within his helmet as his green eyes frantically glanced around his surroundings, only to see the darkness in return. Feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest, the human Hunter pushed himself into a seated position, only to let out a yelp as pain emitted from his arm, causing him to latch out with his free arm as if to ease the ache. This in turn caused him to lose balance, instinct forcing him to turn onto his good arm to save him any further injury. Although the crack rocks and harden hearth did little to soften the landing, Angel letting out a grunt as a dull throb permeated up his side.

"Alright," He said through gritted teeth, "good start."

Waiting momentarily until the ache faded away, Angel then tucked his right arm close to his side while using his good arm to properly put himself into a seated position. Then slowly, he moved his right leg; no pain and it shifted close to his body. Then he moved his opposing leg, that too moved without injury or ache; Angel let out a breath of relief at this. Shifting both his legs to be sure, Angel then used his good arm to push himself to a standing position, slowly moving upright until he was certain that the area was of equal height or taller height then him. Then taking in another breath, Angel closed his eyes, counted silently to himself before snapping them open and immediately, his vision adjusted and his sight grasped the outlined shapes of broken rocks and debris around the human Hunter. This included the cracked visor of his helmet.

Grumbling under his breath, Angel reached the sealant under his chin, the familiar hiss of the helmet unhooking from his armor signaling him to latch his fingers under, and pried the headpiece off with one swift movement. Instead of immediately tossing it however, Angel twirled it in his hand until his green eyes glanced into the familiar darken visor, slowly assessing the damage before shaking his head; the armor piece was beyond saving, the cracked glass and the multiple indents around the sides showing just how lucky he was to escape any head injury. Not even Hope can help repair this.

Hope.

The name of the female Ghost permeating throughout his mind, worry immediately formed in the back of his head, his green eyes glancing around for any sign of the white and red form of his Ghost; how was she? Did she make it out of the quake safely?

Dropping the broken armor piece and pressing a hand onto his chest, a sigh of relief escaped his lips; although not as strongly as they were together, he can still feel the familiar beat, the familiar life of her light glowing softly within. The only question now is where is the Ghost?

Missing the familiar presence, the human Hunter opted to find a way out; if he can still sense her, then she is somewhere safe, at least, for now. With this still buzzing in the back of his mind, Angel assessed his situation, his green hues glancing back behind him only for his heart to fall. There, was the unmistakable sight of fresh rocks and hearth crumbled together to form a makeshift plug. In other words, where he had just fallen, he was unable to go back. Mentally grumbling at his luck, the human Hunter then scanned his surroundings once more before spotting another way out; a tunnel, conveniently placed just near the former entrance of his fall. In other words, there was a high chance that he wasn't alone down here.

Groaning at this, Angel reached down to his waist, only to scramble around when the absence of his hand cannon flooded his mind. Where is it? Scrambling around once more, it was only when the memory of the fall finally clicked, prompting Angel to mentally curse at his further misfortune before further patting around his belt, and his beating heart relaxed when his fingers grasped the familiar handle of his knife; at least he won't be completely defenseless. A tinge of hope forming in his chest, Angel then used his good hand to reach over his shoulder and his fingers grasping the familiar handle of his sniper rifle; although glad that he has a firearm on him, the realization of his injured arm then came into the Hunter's mind. At this point, the gun is nothing more than club if things turn for the worse. And considering the weapon was a finely crafted piece with the help of Banshee, Angel doesn't want that to come to fruition.

Fixating his gaze back down the dark corridor, Angel took in a breath before rolling his neck, "Okay, remember the stealth training that Cayde 'and' Pluto gave you when you were a fresh newborn. Stay relaxed, stay calm, and last of all, don't panic."

Repeating the mantra in the back of his mind, the words of Ianos' experience then sprang into his head, causing the younger Guardian to flinch; it doesn't help that he himself had injured his arm and is now currently wondering in the dark to find a way out. He just silently prays that he won't bump into any of the members of the Hive.

Reaching out with his left hand until he found the wall, Angel then slowly scooted his way forward, silently muttering prayers to the Traveler to keep himself safe.

Xxxxx

"It seems this is a dead end."

Turning and narrowing his eyes at Unit Eleven's form, further illuminated by Sunny Day's light, Ianos then stated, "Oh, I guess this pile of rubble beneath our feet gives that away?"

"That also includes the half buried entrance that is-"

"I see it, Unit Eleven." The Warlock hefted his pulse rifle in his hands; he badly wants to use the butt of his gun to slam it into the head of the Exo. He understands his programming but Ianos couldn't help but grow impatient with his personality, "Now help me see if there is another way to get to Angel."

No sooner had his words left his lips when Unit Eleven suddenly knelt down onto his knees, prompting Ianos to give the Exo a bewildered look, "What are you doing?"

"Observation." Ianos couldn't help but groan at his word, "My scans indicate that there are no other entryways into the tunnel in front of us. The only way through is to unearth the entrance before us."

"…You're kidding."

"Observation, I do not understand what I am kidding about."

Giving the Exo Warlock a blank stare, Ianos opted to say nothing and instead cued in onto Ace's presence within his helmet, "Are there any truth in his words, Ace?"

"According to what I can tell, Unit Eleven is telling the truth." The Awoken Warlock frown at this, "I sent out scans to our surrounding area and he is right; the only entryway I see is the one that is buried before us."

"And you scanned beneath us as well, correct?"

"Of course, I did, you know me." A pause, "no body."

"Perfect," Grumbling under his breath, Ianos then walked over to Unit Eleven's side and placed a hand onto the soil, digging his fingers into the dirt as he hefted his pulse rifle in one hand.

Pain permeated throughout his fingers as he buried them as deep into the crusted earth as hard as he could, causing him to grit his teeth as the familiar scent of copper wafted into his nostrils. It has been weeks since their capture and after waiting for so long, he decided it was time for the pair to make their own escape; although he hated to admit it, the Vanguard wasn't going to come. No one was going to come and save them.

Ianos reeled back, taking in a hitch breath as the last bit of memory faded from his mind; in turn he heard the familiar hum of Ace ringing in his helmet, "Ianos? Ianos you alright? Your heart rate just accelerated."

"Nothing, it's nothing." Sensing the doubt emitting from his Ghost, Ianos opted to glance down at his free hand, flexing it several times as if to shrug off the remnants of his memory. The Warlock doesn't understand why his anxiety is building up as it is; perhaps knowing that they are in an area filled to the brim with the darkness followed by the presence of the Hive has something to do with it? He shook his head at the thought; it doesn't matter. His memories shouldn't cause him to delay on Angel's rescue.

"You seem preoccupied, Warlock Ianos." The Awoken turned his attention onto Unit Eleven's form, the front of the Exo's white chest piece already smothered in dirt and grime, "Is something the matter?"

Ianos scoffed at his question, "Well, at least you're breaking certain habits; you're asking questions more frequently." He earned a tilt of the head in response, "To answer your question, I'm fine. No need to worry about me."

"Observation."

"Will you stop that?"

"Your heart rate is beating at an accelerated rate and your breathing is abnormal, as if struggling to take in air. Are you having trouble taking in oxygen, Warlock Ianos? Is your breathing apparatus malfunctioning?"

"Traveler, you have no grasp on emotion." Annoyance itched at the back of Ianos' mind as he glowered at the Exo, "If you do not understand currently what is going on, then don't try to understand it."

"Shortness of breath. Flashes of past experiences. Rapid heartbeat. Signs of post-traumatic stress disorder." The Warlock reeled back at Unit Eleven's words, "or at least, signs of anxiety."

Blinking several times to regain his composure, Ianos gave the Exo another glare as the latter continued, "I am as you say, a machine. More specifically, a 'war machine'. I maybe have been programmed to fight but there had been human soldiers that fought in the Resource War alongside my fellow Phoenix units. I do recognize the symptoms of the trauma you are exhibiting currently."

"You seem confident you got my diagnoses down."

"The way you reeled back when you dug your fingers into the soil and pause, as if reminiscing. I can only deduce that anything that involves digging is to find a way out. Or more specifically, escape." Ianos froze at this, "You were once a prisoner of war, Warlock Ianos. And if I can guess from the environment around us, it has to be the Hive that took you captive."

"Stop it."

"It must have been quite traumatic. The last case of Hive captivity before Knight and I's was of Eris Morn, and even then, she was just hiding in the Catacombs of the Moon. And she had been hiding for 'years', decades. Your experience must have been before hers. I am curious on what the Hive had done to you, Warlock Ianos."

"Shut your mouth!"

Fury settling into the back of his mind, Ianos felt the tinge of arc light permeate throughout his arms as he grasped the front of the Exo Warlock's cloak, pulling him close to his helmet as he snarled, "I may have taken a vow to never kill another Guardian but that doesn't mean I won't break your limbs if you keep talking."

Shoving Unit Eleven away from his person, Ianos then focused his attention back onto the soil, although the sparks of arc light still flickered around his wrists as he dug his fingers into the dirt and started pulling it around him, piling it around his sides as silence permeated between the pair.

"You never spoke of the experience." Ianos gritted his teeth, "at least, not constantly."

"Didn't I just say for you to shut-"

"I am willing to risk my limbs to know more about you, Warlock Ianos."

The Awoken Guardian turned and glared at the Exo, "I am not an object to be observed, Unit Eleven."

"I am clearly aware of that." Ianos blinked, "As such I purposely avoided reading up your files to personally to get to know you."

Frowning at his words, the Awoken Warlock turned his gaze back towards the soil, however, as he dug his fingers into the dirt, he then asked, "You find me that interesting?"

"I personally find Fireteam Redacted interesting." Curiosity settled into the back of Ianos' mind, "I have read up files on many of the inhabitants of the Tower, however, when it came to Redacted, I instead looked through Shining Knight's memories to learn what I can."

"And for what reason?"

"You are not like other Guardians stationed at the Tower," the Awoken Warlock paused at this, "A Titan that is the father of three children. A Hunter raised by Eliksni Scavengers. And a Warlock whose light is corrupted by the Darkness. There aren't many individuals in the Tower such as yourselves."

Momentarily silent at the Exo's words, Ianos found his frustrations slowly subside, actually sensing sincere curiosity from Unit Eleven. Although annoyed at his robotic like personality, to actually sense a legitimate emotion emitting from the Exo Warlock pushed some of the Awoken's anger aside; some. Scooping several more handfuls of broken hearth to his side, Ianos then stated, "Just because you find us interesting doesn't earn you favor points."

"Observation, I do not understand."

Scoffing at Unit Eleven, Ianos said nothing and instead focused his attention back onto unearthing the entrance, slowly tuning out the blank stare of the Exo Warlock. Hearing nothing but the sound of gravel and soil grinding against each other, Ianos didn't even pause when he heard Unit Eleven mimic his movements, the familiar brush of fingers scraping through the dirt ringing in his ears.

Xxxxx

His arm started to ache but Angel soon figured out he can still flex it, although met with a sharp pain if he tried to close his hand completely. A fracture? A sprain? The human Hunter wasn't sure but he definitely knows that he has to avoid straining the limb otherwise, further harm can come to the appendage. Although he wants to know how he was able to escape the fall only with an injured arm let alone surviving it. Guess he has the Traveler's blessing to thank for that.

Letting out a quiet laugh to himself at the thought, the young Hunter quickly came to attention when he heard the familiar rumble of the Hive echoing through the corridor, prompting Angel to press his back against the musty wall as he edged his way forward. As the low growls of the Hive grew clearer, that's when Angel heard a tongue snarling through the air, a tongue that he had hope to hear and converse with again: Eliksni.

His green eyes growing wide in the darkness, Angel dared himself to press forward as he approached a corner, peering over the side to access to a better point of view. From there, he saw the familiar form of an Acolyte growling in frustration as they attempted to restrain an Eliksni in its arms, Angel clearly hearing the Fallen cursing in their tongue as they attempted to force their upper arms out of the Hive's soldiers grasp by using the lower arms as leverage.

"Do not just stand there! Help me!"

Jumping at the snapping tone in the Acolyte's voice, Angel took in a hitched breath as another seemingly appeared from the Darkness, the low rumbling emitting from the back of their throat a sign of them finding their fellow Hive soldier's predicament amsuing before promptly grabbing one of the Eliksni's lower arms, and with one swift movement, snapped it in their grasp. The human Hunter flinched as the 'crack' of the bone rang through the corridor followed by the screech of agony from the captive Eliksni.

"Resist any further, insect, and your other arms will follow." The second Acolyte released its hold on the Eliksni's lower arm, the latter of which cradled the broken appendage against their chest as a snarl escaped behind their mask. Nonetheless, they relented their struggling and instead, went limp in the arms of their captor, much to the latter's annoyance.

"I do not understand why the mistress wants us to bring these insects to the nest." The first Acolyte scoffed, "They provide nothing but the flesh on their bones and it does little to feed our brood."

"Something is better than nothing." The second retorted, "After King Oryx's fall, the heathens have grown confident and stronger. Our brood are slowly dying from starvation thanks to this, and as such, even the meat of these insects will have to make do."

Sliding back out of view, Angel contemplated on the situation, glancing down towards his injured arm and flexing his hand several times, only to flinch as he received pain in response. Old habits tugged at his instinct to come to the Eliksni's aid, however, he was unsure if he can take on the Acolyte's himself. Well, the human Hunter is confident he can but who else is underground with them? If he were to make any noise, who else would come running into the corridor?

Before he can further ponder on his situation, Angel jumped as the screeching cry of the Eliksni rang throughout the darkness, causing the human Hunter to snap his attention over the corner. From his position, he saw the second Acolyte shove the remaining lower arm of the Eliksni back into their chest, the Fallen clearly snapping and snarling in their direction, "Insect! Did I just not warn you not to resist!?"

Watching the first struggle to restrain their captive, Angel then heard them let out a snarl of frustration, "Enough of this!" They then shoved the injured Eliksni towards their Hive brethren, the latter of which immediately restrained the upper arms of their prize, "Hold it still! All we need is its flesh! We do not need to bring it in one piece!"

Seeing the Hive soldier then unsheathe a knife from its belt and then grab one of the upper arms of the Eliksni, Angel made his decision. Removing his own knife from his waist, the Hunter dashed out of cover and immediately aimed for the first Acolyte. Hearing the latter let out a startled rumble of surprise, Angel closed into the Hive soldier before digging his knife deep into its exposed neck, cutting its cry before gritting his teeth and tearing his weapon out of its throat. Hearing the roar of rage from the second, Angel twirled around, tossing his knife into his opposing hand before he charged. Using his shoulder as a battering ram, Angel heard the familiar startled cries of both Eliksni and Acolyte as he knocked them both to the ground.

Watching Eliksni tumble away in response, Angel then scrambled onto his knees, reached out with his free hand, and then shoved his knife into the Acolyte's throat, hearing them let out a gurgle in response. However, right as he was about to tear his weapon out of the Hive's soldier's neck, a clawed hand grabbed him by the wrist and a sickening 'crack' can be heard throughout the cavern. Letting out a scream of agony, Angel then scrambled back onto his knees, clenching his injured limb in his free hand as he let a string of curses leave his lips.

That's when he felt the familiar edge of a dagger press against his neck.

Immediately biting his tongue to stop himself, Angel followed the knife's edge to the wielder, only to pause as the familiar snarl of the Eliksni rang in his ears.

"I am not your enemy!" He spouted out the tongue without second thought and the snarling from the Eliksni stopped, only to be followed by a question, "How do you know my people's tongue, bandit?"

Hearing the familiar derogatory term used by the Eliksni towards the Guardians, that's when Angel felt disappointment settle into his chest; the darkness obscured the Eliksni's cape and as such, Angel had hoped that that they were a member of House Spirits, that they wore the familiar silver and white colors of his first family. But their words quickly shot that hope down.

Nonetheless, Angel parted his lips to answer the Eliksni's question, only to pause as the familiar roar of a Hive soldier echo throughout the corridor, and not just any cry of a Hive soldier; it was the rage of a Hive Knight. Taking in a breath at this realization, Angel noticed that he wasn't the only one who recognized the cry, the Eliksni having let out a snarl before pulling their knife away. This let the human Hunter have the opportunity to push himself onto his feet, grab the Eliksni's arm with his good hand and run.

Darrow-14 belongs to The Broken Sun

The Broken Sun - There we go, finally got the other half of Darrow's part in :D. Intended it for it all to be in one chapter but considering that the last chapter was 5k words and this one is 6k...yeah, would be way too long of a chapter lol. Hopefully I did your character justice!

Anyways, just a friendly reminder that Angel is an expert at differing tongues of other races, and as such the reason why he understands the Hive language. Although he can't exactly read it yet. Anyways enjoy!