Tormented

The Archon

Edited: 1/9/2017

"Ianos' Ghost's statements hold true, includin' us, he has been at least through twelve Fireteams." A few clicks passed through the Hunter's helmet, "The ones that are on record anyway."

Glancing at Ianos and Carina in front of him, Angel nodded his head behind his helmet, signaling to Hope to continue as he followed the Warlock and the Titan through the Cosmodrome. It has taken the female Ghost a few hours during Angel's watch during the night to access the database, to the point where by the time she had finally gone through, it was time to move on. Nonetheless, the few hours that it had taken them to traverse through the grassy terrain, Hope had found Ianos' file and both Ghost and Guardian were surprised to see a substantial amount of information, all of which traced back to when the Awoken Warlock first encountered the Vanguard. Although, at first, disappointed about not accessing information that goes back farther, the human Hunter was satisfied enough to at least access the older Guardian's data, especially when Hope found the information on the teams that Ianos had previously worked with.

"Many of the Fireteams only consisted of Ianos and two others." The Ghost continued, Angel hearing her let out a few clicks as she skimmed through information, "out of the twelve, includin' us, there were nine. The other three were teams of six."

"How many were in the Fireteam prior to us?"

"Uh, hold on," The human Hunter heard Hope let out small hum before she finally responded, "There were three, includin' Ianos, on the previous Fireteam." Not long after she answered her Guardian's question, she let out a few tuts, "However, they didn't last long. Apparently, they insulted Ianos somehow and he forced them off the Tower."

"He what?"

"Don't worry, they lived," Angel still couldn't help but let the sense of unease linger in the back of his mind, "although afterwards, they immediately disbanded. Didn't even get to pick out a name for themselves, let alone a single mission."

"How about the ones before that team?"

"There were six includin' Ianos," Angel heard Hope let out a hum once more, "Two Hunters, two Titans, and a Warlock."

"Anything on them?"

"H'mm, well." The Hunter heard her let out a few clicks as she remarked, "Let's start off with – oh god damn it."

"What's wrong?"

"Someone cut me off from the system." There was a pause as Angel heard beeps and white noise flow through his helmet, "and I can't seem to reconnect."

"And that would be because of me."

Silence permeated between the Guardian and Ghost, the former letting out a nervous smile as the familiar voice of the Exo Hunter echoed through Angel's helmet.

"Come on kid, don't act so shocked," Angel could hear the Vanguard Hunter chuckle through the coms, "I was the one who taught you to hack these systems. Think a trick like that would pass these eyes?"

"I – uh," The Human Hunter stumbled over his words, his green eyes glancing over at his teammates once more, ensuring their eyes were in front before the human responded, "I – I just…. I can explain."

"Yeah, explain why your Ghost is hacking Vanguard systems behind our backs. Again." Cayde snickered, "and looking up information on other Guardians. Again."

"Well… I…"

"Yeah, I thought so," Angel then heard Cayde heave out a quiet sigh, "Look kid, as much as I understand your curiosity on the guy, getting to know him 'this way' is not the right way to do it. Trust me."

"But I know nothing about him," Angel retorted, frowning behind his helmet as he whispered, "and he refuses to give anything besides his name."

"Well everyone keeps secrets, kid," The Exo Hunter stated, causing the human to go silent in his helmet, "especially someone as old as Ianos. If you live as long as he did, you will have plenty of secrets to keep."

"Wait." Angel paused "Just how old is Ianos?"

"Well, if you want an honest answer. I don't know."

Angel blinked, "You…don't know?"

"Hey kid, he's old to the point when I first met him, he was on his fourth Fireteam and hadn't even ventured out of Earth's system yet."

"Wait…what?"

"Just…Just don't look through the database anymore, alright, kid?" Angel could hear the Exo huff behind his coms, "especially on Ianos. If he figures out you were looking up his file, he would be furious. And he won't just Nova Bomb you off the Tower either if he figures it out."

"Wait, Nova bomb me-"

"Good luck kid, and try not to get on Ianos' bad side, alright?"

With that, a click echoed through Angel's helmet, causing the Human Hunter to pause, his eyebrows scrunched together in bewilderment.

"Uh, Hope? What does Cayde mean when he said that Ianos will Nova Bomb me off the Tower?"

Hope clicked in response, "Of course. Remember the team that I told you about, where he shoved them off the side of the Tower? Well, he didn't just 'shove' them off, he used his Nova Bomb to destroy the side of the Plaza to send them reelin' off the edge." She paused as she let out a thoughtful hum, "If I remember correctly, that wasn't enough for Ianos. No sooner did their Ghosts resurrect them at the bottom, Ianos was there, apparently ready to finish them off." Hearing the words echo from his Ghost, Angel took in a shaky gulp as the AI added, "If it wasn't for the Vanguard, he would have killed them outright."

"Wait, kill!?"

"Is everything alright, Angel?"

Snapping out of his conversation with his Ghost, Angel glanced up at his team, seeing the Awoken and the Exo having paused and turned, their weapons still ready in their hands.

"You were muttering to yourself for a while now," The human Hunter watched Carina tilt her head, sensing the bewildered stare behind her visor as she added, "Is something the matter? Are you hurt?"

"I- uh, uhm, no," Angel felt heat rise to his cheeks, his fingers scrambling to keep his weapon steady in his hand, "I was just – uh…"

The human Hunter turned his green eyes to Ianos, sensing the narrowed stare behind the Warlock's Visor as he felt the latter's eyes on him. Moments later, Ianos' head shifted on his shoulders, as if rolling his eyes, "Oh great, I have a mad man following behind me."

Caught off guard from the Awoken's words, Angel's jaw went slack, his eyes wide as the Warlock turned and started walking, causing the female Exo to blink and glance back and forth between the two men. Seeing Carina pause her gaze on him, Angel waited, expecting her to say more to him, only to reel back as she turned and walked away as well but not before catching her murmurs.

"Is he suffering from what humans call insanity?"

Xxx

"Zavala said that a Fallen Archon is stationed here along the Forgotten Shore," Carina explained as the three peeked over rocks, only to duck behind as the familiar form of a Shank buzzed by, "apparently, he is gathering all the Fallen he can. For what reason is unknown, but the Vanguard didn't want to risk letting the Archon gather an army."

"So kill the Archon before he amasses an army?" Ianos heaved out a sigh, "Now I understand why Zavala and the others wanted me to tag along."

"Hey," Carina gave Ianos a look, "Zavala told us that the reason why he, Ikora, and Cayde assigned you to us was not to only teach us how to be a Guardian, but to keep an eye on us in case things go wrong."

"Great, so I'm a babysitter?"

"Hey!"

"Carina!" Angel warned, his voice lowered into a hushed tone, his green eyes warily glancing over his shoulder. Putting his finger on his helmet where his lips would be, the human Hunter then edged near the end of the boulder, and carefully peeked over the edge. Almost instantly, sparks of arc energy narrowly missed the Hunter's head, causing the human to quickly pull himself back into cover, his fingers now on the trigger of his hand cannon.

"Contact," Angel announced, causing Ianos to shake his head.

"Just keep up," Ianos loaded up his Pulse Rifle before jumping over the boulder, aiming his weapon and peeking through his scope.

"Wait! Ianos!" Calling out for the Warlock, Angel pulled himself out from cover, signaling to the Exo Titan to do the same, "There's too many-"

He was cut off as gunfire echoed through the canyon, the human's jaw going slack as the Warlock plowed through the squadron of Dreg, the sound of ether escaping through the air as the Awoken flawlessly shot the lower ranking Fallen with precision.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?" The Warlock Guardian called as he headshot another Dreg, the body falling short near his feet, "the Archon isn't going to kill itself."

"Pfeh," Carina scowled, readying her Auto Rifle in her hands as she jumped over the boulder and stood next to the Human Hunter, "I'll show you." With that she rushed into the fray as well, causing the Human to stare, wide eyed.

"By the Traveler," Angel breathed as he steadied his hand cannon and then started firing into the mass of Fallen, watching as he crippled a Dreg and then fired on the head of another.

"Ace, where is the Archon?" Ianos called out, taking out his fusion rifle barely in time to shoot a Vandal in the chest, watching the body fly into two others before dissipating into matter.

"Up top of that hill," The Awoken Warlock heard Ace let out a few clicks, "there are three Captains with it though, Reavers." There was a pause as Ianos' Ghost further scanned the enemy, "Will you be able to handle that?"

Reloading his fusion rifle, Ianos frowned behind his helmet, his glowing eyes glancing back at the Hunter and Titan not too far behind him, "You mean me or the other two?"

There was a pause, causing Ianos to frown even further behind his helmet as he switches to his Pulse Rifle, pumping bullets into the surrounding Dreg as he waited for a response.

"Look, just be careful," Ace finally responded, "and make sure that the two of them make it out alive with you."

"If they're good, they wouldn't die from a simple mission like this," Ianos retorted, shooting a Vandal in the head with his weapon, "they'll make it through this mission." He paused, glancing around at the bodies of the lower ranking Fallen around him, "They have to make it through the mission." Hearing his Guardian's voice lower into a whisper, Ace strained to listen and barely caught the last gist of his sentence, "I'll never forgive them."

Xxx

Glancing over the bodies of the Fallen surrounding them, Angel couldn't help but shift nervously on the side of his feet as he watched Carina glance up and wave her hand, keeping her weapon steady in her opposing grip as she announced, "That's all of them."

"I'll believe you only for the reason that nothing is firing at us," The human Hunter can sense the glare that Carina sent towards Ianos' way, the Awoken Warlock calmly reloading his pulse rifle as if he had just not subtly insulted her, "Ace reported that the Archon is up on that hill." Angel turned his gaze towards where the Veteran Guardian had nodded towards, his green hues immediately spotting remnants of a collapsed building, the rust and decay clear on its side.

"Although it is not alone," The young Hunter turned his gaze back towards Ianos, "It has three Reaver Captains by its side and considering how close we were when clearing out its 'army', it is more than likely they heard us. In other words, they're prepared."

"So catching them off guard is out of the equation then," Angel sighed, his shoulders slumped, "so what else does that leave us with?"

"Charging in of course," Carina chimed in, earning her a blank stare from the human Hunter.

"No," Angel couldn't help but heave out a sigh of relief from Ianos' rebuttal, although once again, he can sense the narrowed glance Carina sent towards the Warlock, "They have the higher ground and we're out in the open. We'll be fried from their arc weaponry before we can even reach them." Seeing the Veteran Guardian turn his gaze towards the hill, Angel followed his example only to see the familiar horned helm of a Reaver Captain duck back into the safety of the rusted debris, "Charging in is not an option."

Although relieved that charging in was out of the equation, Angel couldn't help but tap the side of his hand cannon nervously, keeping his grip tight on his weapon as his fingers tapped away. Mentally listing off his weaponry, an idea then sprang into the young Hunter's mind when he came to a pause on his secondary weapon. He had just picked it out recently but Angel liked the feel of it in his hands back in the shooting range, especially when the head of his target are blasted into shrapnel, leaving nothing but a torn neck of where it once had been. Absent-mindedly reaching up with one of his hands to finger the nozzle of his sniper, Angel then suggested, "How about drawing them out?"

Watching Ianos suddenly snap his gaze towards him, Angel couldn't help but jump, especially when he sensed the Warlock's gaze narrow behind his visor, "And how do you propose we do that?"

"Just need a distraction," Holstering his hand cannon to his waist, Angel continued, "if they could just peek their head over the hills, then I can pick them off with this." The human Hunter then removed his sniper from his back, hefting it in his hands before holding it out, as if presenting a trophy to his team.

It was then silence permeated between the three Guardians, Angel shifting nervously on his feet as he waited for a response, his hold on his weapon slacking as he slowly brought it closer to his chest. Moments later, Ianos tilted his head slightly, Angel hearing the Warlock let out a small hum as if contemplating on his plan, "It can work." The human Hunter then froze as Ianos then asked, "You do know how to use a sniper, right?"

Feeling his face heat up, Angel clutched the weapon close to his chest as he lowered his gaze towards the floor, "I, er, sort of?" Almost immediately, he can sense Ianos' gaze harden before a sigh escaped the Awoken Warlock; a sign of disapproval.

"Sort of? What is that supposed to mean?" Angel heard Ianos scoff, "Don't tell me you decided to pick up a Sniper Rifle with no idea how to use it?"

The human Hunter lifted his gaze off the dry hearth, shame quickly filling up within his chest, "Uhm..."

"Never mind," Angel's face fell at Ianos' words, "If you have no experience with the rifle, then we'll just –"

"I can do it."

Immediately, the human Hunter sensed the cold stare emit behind Ianos' visor, causing Angel to gulp as the Warlock took several slow steps closer. Despite Ianos being at least half a head shorter than him, the Awoken Guardian's stiff posture and the power of the void coming to life in his fingertips was enough to signal to Angel to lean away from the smaller Guardian, especially when he shoved his helmet into the Hunter's, causing Angel to stumble a bit before regaining his footing only to nervously shift on the back of his feet.

"You can do it?" The young Guardian heard Ianos growl, only to feel the older Guardian press his helmet even further against Angel's, causing him to lean back even further, "You can do it despite having no experience with the weapon? You can do it despite having just picked it up?"

"I- I- uh –"

"You do realize that that 'if' the Fallen somehow does peek over that hill, that it will take more than one shot to kill them? They have solar shields for Traveler's sake." Angel couldn't help but let guilt build up in the back of his mind as Ianos snapped, "Carina and I will have to be the ones to distract them. You do realize that if you miss, that it can endanger both of our lives?" Finally, Angel felt the pressure on his helmet leave, watching Ianos take several steps back as he finished, "If they manage to incapacitate both of us, there is no possible way that you can take all three Reavers and the Archon on your own."

"Don't you have any faith in us at all!?"

Jumping from the outburst, Angel snapped his gaze towards the copper clad Titan, sensing the icy glare that she was giving towards the male Awoken.

"Both Angel and I may not have been around as long as you but the two of us worked hard enough to get this far on our own!" Carina shouted, Angel watching her grip on her weapon tightening as she continued, "So what if we lack the same amount of experience as you! We worked just as hard!" The Exo then walked up to the Warlock, literately smashing her head into Ianos', much to Angel's surprise, their helmets touching as she added, "So stop brushing us to the side like we're nothing and have faith that we can accomplish this mission as a team!" Pressing her helmet even more onto Ianos', Carina finished, "We're not dead weight."

Silence once more filled the air around the three Guardians, Angel idling standing by as he glanced between the Titan and the Warlock, their helmets still pressed together in confrontation. Finally, much to Angel's relief, a sigh escaped from the Warlock, causing the smaller Titan to take a step back, the gaze behind her helmet fixated on the Awoken.

"What's your plan, Angel?"

Feeling the Warlock's attention now on him, Angel fumbled, his eyes wide with surprise as the Awoken Guardian tilted his head slightly, waiting for a response.

"I-I just stay at the bottom of the hill," The Human finally stuttered, "and, if you two do not mind, somehow get the three Captains' attention so that I have clear view of them, preferably their head. And, maybe the Archon…if-if we're lucky."

Feeling the judging eyes of Ianos, Angel diverted his eyes to the ground, "I, er, I know it's not much but-"

"We'll give it a try."

Snapping his gaze back towards the Awoken Warlock, Angel's green eyes blinked once behind his helmet as Ianos raised his hand, letting his Ghost materialize in his palm, "Ace, in case things go awry, standby for resurrection."

"Wait. What?" The Ghost blinked, "Resurrection? But that's -"

"Just. In. Case."

Watching the Ghost pause, Angel remained silent as Ace twirled their back fins once before shifting up and down in a motion of a nod, "Alright, I will be on standby." Seeing the black and orange Ghost turned their orange optic towards him and Carina, Angel couldn't help but blink when Ace gave the two a nod before materializing back into the safety of Ianos' armor.

"Tell your Ghosts to do the same," Ianos warned as he flexed the hand that just held his Ghost, "you'll never know when things may go wrong."

"Personal experience?" Carina asked.

"Personal Experience." Angel couldn't help but let out a sheepish smile before he sensed Ianos' gaze then shifted towards him. Pausing, the human Hunter waited, watching Ianos stay silent until another sigh escaped his lips, "Keep us safe Angel."

Nodding his head once, Angel readied his sniper in his hands, silently watching Ianos and Carina slowly make their way up the hill. Peeking through the scope, Angel immediately spotted the familiar head of a Captain peeking over the hill, most likely leaning over to take a shot at his team. Almost instantly, panic set into his chest and before he could realize what he had done, the Hunter felt his fingers pull the trigger. Silently screaming at himself for pulling an amateur move, the panic inside the human's chest immediately halted when the bullet shattered the solar shield, causing the Fallen Captain to stumble back. Almost immediately, a shot rang through the air and Angel blinked as the Captain's head shattered, the familiar white mist sprouting out from the remains of its head before the body fell forward and slid down the hill, just stopping dead middle. Glancing over at the Warlock, Angel barely caught Ianos lowering his pulse rifle, and tapping his helmet once.

"Wasn't expecting you to break the shield on the first shot. Nice job." Hearing the Awoken Guardian giving him praise through the coms through his helmet, Angel felt his face heat up before aiming his gun once more, his scope aiming carefully at the top of the hill. He fired another shot as the second Captain's head popped out in view and once again, the solar shield shattered, the clear energy bursting and causing the Fallen Captain to stumble. Another shot was then fired but almost immediately, a roar of pain followed. Feeling his body jump, Angel's eyes went wide as he focused through his scope, his view on the Reaver Captain as it had one of its four hands on its shoulder, the familiar violet liquid seeping through his fingers. Then almost immediately, its helm exploded, releasing precious Ether into the air before falling backwards out of view. Blinking several times, Angel then tapped his coms once, tuning in on his two Fireteam members chat.

"You missed." It was Ianos' voice.

"The first time." Carina piped in, a low growl could be heard behind her words, "I killed it on my second try, didn't I?"

"Accuracy is everything."

"I know! Will you shut up you pompous b-"

Angel tapped his helmet once more, temporarily cutting his line as he blinked. Almost immediately, a laugh nearly escaped his breath but he then bit his lip. He may have turned off his side of the coms, but that doesn't mean that his Fireteam members can turn theirs on and tune in on him. Taking in a deep breath, Angel leaned in and peeked through his scope, halting his breath when he saw his Fireteam members nearly at the top.

'Can't fail this now', he thought to himself as he tighten his fingers on his weapon, taking deeps breaths as he waited.

"Angel, somethin' isn't right."

Snapping out of his revere, the human Hunter blurted, "Hope, is this really the time?"

"No, I'm serious Angel, look up at the radar."

Heaving out a sigh, the Human Hunter scanned the screen within his helmet, only for him to pause, "Wait, we killed two of them, right?"

"That's what I counted."

"Then shouldn't there only two red marks, not three?"

Small beeps and clicks could be heard within Angel's helmet, "That's what I want to ask you." More clicks followed, "Are you certain that there are just one Archon and three Reaver Captains with it? Usually there's a Servitor nearby whenever an Archon is around. I mean..." The Ghost paused within her Guardian's helmet, hesitating, "What if the Archon isn't just gatherin' an army? What if he's gatherin' an army – "

"To strengthen them, give them more ether." The realization dawning upon the Guardian, Angel tapped his helmet once more, two clicks signifying that he had connected to his team.

"Let's jump into the Crucible then! I'll show you who's a 'rookie'!"

"I don't do Crucible Matches."

"You're a coward then!"

Blinking behind his helmet, Angel jumped in, "Uh, guys?"

Ianos sighed, "Yes Angel, what's the matter?"

"There might be a Servitor nearby."

There was a pause.

"A Servitor?" Carina piped in, "What do you mean?"

"Just think about it," Angel started, "Archons are like priests to the Fallen thanks to their affiliation with their Prime Servitor. In turn, they are the ones interacting with the rest of the Servitors to help distribute Ether to the rest of their kind. So if an Archon is nearby…"

"So is a Servitor," Ianos muttered, "that would explain why this Archon is gathering more of its kind. Give them Ether to make them strong enough to crash through the walls and overtake the City." Angel heard Ianos heave out another sigh, "Even it's not a Prime, a Servitor still can distribute enough ether to cause damage. How troublesome. Angel, watch our backs. Carina, with me. We're charging up this hill."

"Woo! Now we're talking!"

Letting a nervous smile form on his olive features, Angel quickly reloaded his rifle before peeking through his scope once more, his fingers uneasily wrapping around the trigger. The Hunter quickly fired a shot once a head appeared over the hill, the solar shields quickly shattering upon the bullets impact. Almost immediately, bullets impaled through the Captain's armor, the body shaking from the impact before the fires cease, causing the Fallen's body to slowly fall backwards and out of Angel's view.

"Now it's only the only Servitor and the Archon." Angel muttered.

A giggle emanated through the human's helmet, "I bet it must be pissed off as hell."

Letting a chuckle escape his lips, Angel shook his head at his Ghost's comment before focusing back onto Ianos and Carina as they continued to charge up the hill and it was then he noticed the familiar elongated helm of the Archon finally peaking over the top. Taking in a sharp breath, Angel fired, the sound of the shot resonating through the air as the Hunter tensed. As he had hoped, the shot connected, the Archon releasing a surprised cry as the bullet connected with his solar shields. However, Angel felt his heart stop when the shields stayed, his shot only causing a ripple on the Archon's protection. Taking a few seconds to realize that he was still unscathed, the Archon released a cry of rage as he aimed its Shrapnel Launcher down at the hill, towards the Warlock and Titan Guardians.

"No!" Angel screamed as he aimed once more, firing another shot into the Archon's shields, the bullet once again causing a ripple to fluctuate against the fiery surface. Panic now setting in as the shields still stayed, the Hunter attempted to fire once more, only to hear a small 'click' in placement of the usually loud shot. Swearing under his breath, Angel lowered his weapon as he frantically attempted to reload his gun, cursing at himself for not keeping an eye on the screen of his helmet. His eyes glancing over the blinking red zero on the screen as his fingers fumbled to reload, Angel watched as Carina lifted up her auto rifle and fired, the rounds penetrating the Archon's shields in an attempt to finish the Hunter's job. Ianos must have realized the situation, for Angel saw the Awoken Warlock also raise his pulse rifle and fire as well.

Ignoring the pellets hitting his shields, the Archon fired his weapon, fiery rounds launching from the barrel and downhill towards the Guardians. Almost immediately, Carina came to a sudden halt, the familiar sound of arc shields shattering as some of the shrapnel made contact. Hearing Carina take in a gasp of shock through his coms, Angel finally pulled the lever on his weapon, completing his reload and then aimed his weapon at the Archon.

"Say goodbye to your shields, bastard!" Angel roared as he fired, the bullet finally penetrating the Archon's shields and shattering the solar energy in shards before dissipating.

Letting a smirk form on his olive features, the human Hunter's smile quickly dissipated when the Archon turned his attention towards him. Hearing the Archon let out a cry of rage, Angel couldn't help but freeze, his green hues wide as the giant Eliksni turned his scorch cannon his way. Taking in a deep breath, Angel attempted to lift his sniper and blindly aimed, hearing the familiar fire of his sniper going off. Sadly, his aim was completely off as the round instead kicked up dirt near the Archon's feet, just enough to startle it but doing nothing to do it harm. Even from this distance, Angel can hear the Archon let out a snarl. It was then the Hunter saw Ianos make his way to the top of the hill.

"Pay attention to what's in front of you," He heard Ianos hiss out through the coms before he watched the male Guardian raise back his hand, the familiar mist of void light forming in his palm before he thrusted it forward. Veins of voice magic then spread throughout the large Fallen, Angel watching the latter stumble as he lost his grip on his weapon, the cannon falling to the ground with a dull 'thunk'.

"I got you now," Watching the Awoken Warlock aim his weapon at the Archon's head, Angel couldn't help but let a silent cheer, waiting for the moment where the larger Eliksni's head would split apart and release its ether into the air. That was before the human Hunter spotted a glint of violet glimmer underneath the light.

His heart stopping, Angel parted his lips to warn the male Guardian, only to see the Servitor to part its eye and the familiar burst of violet energy streaked towards Ianos. Immediately, the sound of the Awoken's arc shields echoed through the air followed by his screams, Angel reaching up with his hands and placing them over where his ears would be in a vain attempt to silence the Veteran Guardian's cries. Flinching, the human Hunter glanced up in time to see the Archon scoop up its weapon and smashed the blunt end of it into Ianos' helmet, shattering his visor before kicking the Warlock in the chest, sending the Guardian tumbling down the hill.

His jaw hanging open at the sight, Angel couldn't help but freeze once more as Ianos came to a slow halt mid-way of the hill, unable to move to check in on the injured Awoken. Hearing a war cry then echo through the air, the human Hunter snapped his attention towards Carina, only for his eyes to widen as the female Titan rushed towards the Archon, firing her auto-rifle at the large Fallen. Seeing her bullets pelt against the Archon's armor, Angel couldn't help but let rage over take him, raising his sniper and without even bothering to aim, fired. A cry from the Archon then rang through the air, the human Hunter watching with morbid satisfaction as it raised its arm towards its shoulder, vermillion blood seeping through its fingers.

"Don't you forget that I'm still here," Angel growled as he aimed his weapon once more, this time however, aiming his sniper rifle at the Servitor, having recognized the signs of its moving parts that it was charging up another attack, "and don't you think I forgot about you."

Pulling the trigger, Angel watched in satisfaction as the Servitor's shell cracked, the large unit releasing groans with its brightening eye fading as the result from the shot. Not waiting another second, Angel released another shot, the Hunter letting out a smile as the bullet penetrated the Servitor's central eye, causing the machine to fall apart completely. Hearing the Archon roar in rage, Angel shifted his scope in time to witness the larger Fallen aim its weapon at the Titan who had quickly closed the distance between the two. However, if the Archon had been paying attention instead of tending to its wound, the Fallen would have noticed the familiar two-barrel weapon now in her hands. Watching Carina aim her weapon at the chest of the Archon, Angel couldn't help but flinch as the sound of the fired shotgun echoed through the air, followed by the cry of pain from the giant Fallen, the latter of which had staggered back from the impact.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Hearing Carina cry out, Angel once again shifted his scope only to take in a deep breath as the Archon placed one of is free hands on its chest, its heavy breathing signifying that the weapon had indeed hurt, but it was still standing. This was further proven when it lifted his head and let out a roar of rage, prompting the female Exo to shout back, "Why don't you die already!?"

Watching Carina fire her weapon at the Archon followed by hearing her curse through the coms, Angel aimed his weapon and fired, only to hear the familiar 'click' of an empty clip. Cursing under his breath, Angel ripped the empty magazine from his sniper before reaching over to his side for another clip, only for his fingers to grab air. His heart dropped, "Don't tell me…"

"We're out!" Hope cried in his helmet, causing Angel to let out a line of curses as he dashed up the hill, taking out his hand cannon and firing it towards the Archon, the bullets bouncing off the Archon's armor.

"I'm out!" He heard Carina shout, watching the female Titan toss her weapon and opted for her auto rifle, hearing her repeatedly curse as the bullets pelted the giant Fallen's armor to no avail. Gritting his teeth, Angel let out a war cry as he removed his blade from its sheathe and lunged towards the Archon. No sooner had he done this when he watched the larger Fallen twirl around with his cannon and immediately, the young Guardian felt an impact slam into his chest, causing him to let out a wheeze before he found himself flying through the air. Sliding across the earth moments later, Angel let out a few coughs, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to take in air before pushing himself into a sitting position. However, not long after this, he once again felt an impact into his chest, this one sending him tumbling through the dry earth once more. Hearing a groan once he came to a pause, Angel's vision cleared just enough to recognize the familiar copper clad form of Carina, the female Titan untangling herself from the human Hunter before collapsing nearby.

Dazed and confused, Angel once again propped himself up, only to hear the familiar rumble of Fallen laughter echo through the air, causing the young Guardian to snap his gaze upwards. It was then, he felt his heart stop as the familiar form of the Fallen Priest came into view, his scorch cannon aimed at the two young Guardians.

Xxxx

"...os!?"

"Ian…s!?"

"Ianos!"

The edges of his vision hazy, Ianos blinked once, narrowing his eyes as the cracked screen of his visor filled half his vision while the other half stared into the clear sky. Almost immediately, Ace popped into view, their black and orange parts scrunched in around their orange optics to show concern, "Thank the Traveler you're alive. When I couldn't revive you I thought-"

"The others" Ianos mumbled, "What about-"

That's when he felt it. The crawling sensation up his chest and throat before pain overtook his senses, causing the Warlock to take in a sharp breath as his hand reached up and clenched his chest, as if in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Oh no," Ace glided in closer, their light spreading out and forming into a beam, spreading the scanner on the Guardian, "Your equipment, it's been damaged. The Darkness its – "

"The-The others…" Ianos rasped as he turned onto his side, pushing himself onto his knees as he continued, "The… others, where…are… the others?"

"They're up on that hill over there," Ace turned their body as if to point, "but it's not good, the Archon, it's-"

"Good enough," Ianos wheezed as he pushed himself onto his feet, turning his gaze up towards the hill, only for him to halt in movement, his luminescent eyes growing wide as he sighted the Archon towering over the Hunter and Titan.

"Ianos?" Hearing his Ghost tentatively call him, Ianos instead ignored their cries and opted to dash up the hill, hearing the latter let out a yelp in response, "Ianos! Stop! Your gear!"

Ignoring his Ghost once more, Ianos instead reached down to his to waist and removed his sidearm from its holster, and without even bothering to aim, starting firing up the hill, watching his shots bounce off of the Archon's new shields. Although unharmed, this was enough for Ianos to gain the larger Fallen's attention, the Warlock watching the latter turn, let out a snarl, and aiming its scorch cannon towards him. Before he can react, the familiar sound of the cannon firing through the air reached his ears and then the sound of his shields shattering rang through the air. The absence of his shields caused Ianos to let out a gasp, nearly stumbling over his feet as his body protested, his joints screaming and his chest heaving in an attempt to gain air. Gritting his teeth together in an attempt to assuage the pain, Ianos instead felt something sharp penetrate his shoulder, causing him to let out a scream.

"Ianos!" Buckling onto his knees, Ianos then heard the familiar grinding parts of his Ghost hover near above his shoulder, the frantic tone in their voice obvious as they continued, "Get up! It is going to fire again! Hurry! It's going to –"

Letting Ace's words fade into the background, Ianos instead opted to raise one of his hands and focused his light into his palm, and then curling his fingers around the particles of void light once he felt the grenade form. Then without another word, the Warlock tossed the void grenade at the Archon, the object immediately exploding into a display of violet light as it landed at the larger Fallen's feet. Immediately, the Archon was engulfed in violet light, the vortex of the void latching itself onto the Fallen as the latter released screams of agony. Dazed from the small amount of light he had just used, Ianos absent – mindedly watched the void light greedily eat away at the Fallen's armor, revealing the vulnerable flesh underneath before latching itself onto its skin, easily breaking down the flesh, and further causing the Archon agony. Watching the Fallen squirm in the small vortex of light, the Warlock then brought his hands close together and focused his light into his palms, recognizing the violet streaks of light gather in his grasp.

"Ianos, what are you doing?" The Warlock didn't have to glance over at Ace to hear the frantic tone in their voice, "Ianos, you better not be – Ianos!"

The Awoken Guardian had jumped up and started running mid-sentence, once again ignoring the protests of his Ghost as he leaped up, bringing his hand back and tossing the gathered void light straight at the Archon. The orb of light flew through the air, leaving streaks of violet behind before slamming into the larger Eliksni's chest, exploding into a vortex just like its smaller counterpart. However, unlike the grenade, the elite skill, Nova Bomb, was more merciful, immediately breaking down the Archon's basic matter and causing the latter to disperse into streaks of violet, leaving no physical evidence behind, even the scorch cannon. The only sign of its existence, were the two now bewildered younger Guardians pushing themselves onto their feet and tentatively touching the air, as if the Archon was still there, just intangible to the eye.

Seeing the younger Guardians standing, bruised up and beaten but unharmed, Ianos couldn't help but let a sense of relief flood his senses, collapsing onto his knees as he heard Ace glide up from behind. Recognizing his Ghost's voice, Ianos slowly tuned out Ace, the black and orange Ghost's words deaf to his ears as he watched Angel and Carina finally turn their gaze towards him. It was only then, seeing the two younger Guardians safe, that he let the pain finally overtake him, letting out a scream as he fell to his side, the frantic call of his Ghost now clear in his ears.

"Ianos!"

Feeling the warmth of Ace's light slowly spreading throughout his body, Ianos only writhed in agony as the small amount of relief was quickly replaced with pain, feeling the sensation within his chest spread as he continued to scream.

Xxxxx

Carina didn't know what to say as both she and Angel had turned to thank the Veteran Guardian for saving their lives when he suddenly collapsed onto his side, screaming. Caught off guard and in shock the female Titan can do nothing but gawk as she watched Angel slide down the hill towards the incapacitated Warlock, watching the Hunter press one hand on the writhing Guardian's shoulder.

"Carina! I need help!"

Snapping out of her revere, Carina let out a nod as she ran down the hill as well, sliding down onto her knees as she closed the distance. The first thing she noticed was Ianos' damaged visor, the once darken glass now shattered and exposing one side of the Warlock's face. Although curious, she quickly ignored his looks as she instead leaned down and pressed a hand onto the Warlock's shoulder. Instead of calming him down as she had expected, Ianos instead only seemed to cry out, startling the young Guardian to the point where she reeled back, quickly snatching back her hand.

"Call your ship!" The female Titan snapped her gaze towards the familiar black and orange form of Ace, the Ghost's light repeatedly scanning the Warlock's body, "Call your ship so we can get his gear fixed!"

At first, puzzled by the Ghost's words, it was only when Carina glance back at the incapacitated Warlock that she understood. The tubes that she saw intertwined with his helmet had been broken loose, the sides where they're normally place near the mouthpiece having been broken by the impact from the Archon's weapon.

"Can you not fix it here?" It was Angel who asked the question, "I mean, Ghosts are able to repair equipment, correct?"

That's when Carina sensed the blank look that Ace gave the human Hunter, "That is 'if' we have the materials and blueprints we need to do so and right now, I do 'not' have the proper material 'and' blueprint to repair his gear!"

"Why not?"

"Just stop asking questions and call your ship please!"

Hearing the desperation in the black and orange's Ghost's voice, Carina couldn't help but give the small AI a bewildered stare. She maybe young but the small amount of patrols she had gone through was experience enough for the female Titan to know that gear gets damaged all the time. Carina remembers the days when she would bump into Fallen and would regularly have to polish her armor with the aid of her Ghost. What was so important about this damaged gear on Ianos that it caused Ace to panic?

"If you two aren't going to call your ships! Fine! I'll call Ianos' over!"

Carina couldn't help but give the Ghost a blank stare, "Couldn't you have just done that earlier?"

The female Titan then watched with mild amusement as Ace spun their back fins in a huff, but the Ghost gave no response; a sign that she was correct in her statement.

"Why are you in a panic, Ace?" Angel once again asked a question, "I understand your Guardian is in agony but why –"

"Because if we do not repair his gear, he is going to die!"

That is when the world paused between the two younger Guardians, their gaze turning wide as the Ghost's statement finally settled into their mind.

"What?" Carina couldn't help but voice her shock, "But why-"

"Our ship will be here momentarily," The female Titan couldn't help but narrow her optics at the Ghost, "get him up for transmat." The Ghost then paused, hesitating, "Please."

At first annoyed by the forceful tone Ace had been using, when Carina heard them say please, she had to pause. She had heard of relationships between Ghosts and Guardians, especially when they have been around for 'years'. Hardly a year old, Carina knows she only has a hint of understanding of the relationship between the pair and as such, hearing the sincerity in the Ghost's words, she couldn't help but let her rage be assuaged, heaving out a sigh as slowly nodded. Despite her annoyance with the Awoken, she will help.

Waiting until Angel leaned over and lift Ianos into a sitting position, Carina then took one of his arms and wrapped it around her shoulders, once again waiting for the human Hunter to do the same before heaving herself and the incapacitated Guardian onto their feet.

"Is… everyone alright?"

Immediately, Carina jumped, not from hearing the Awoken speak suddenly but mainly the way he spoke. From the moment they had met, he spoke with a condescending tone and seemed apathetic to their emotions, much to the female Titan's chagrin. But currently, she can hear sincere concern laced in his words, causing Carina to pause as she hesitated to answer.

"Uh," She started, "If you do not include yourself, then, yes?"

No sooner had she responded when a chuckle then emanated from the Warlock, further startling the female Titan as he stated, "You always take everything literately, Lynn. No need to be so serious."

"Wait, what?" Carina blinked several times at the Awoken Warlock, hearing him let out a groan as he attempted to stand on his own feet only for them to slip out underneath him, nearly taking both Carina and Angel to the ground.

"Did you just call Carina, 'Lynn', Ianos?" It was Angel who asked the question, the latter letting out a grunt as he hefted Ianos in his grasp in an attempt to gain a better grip.

"That's her name, Kaye."

"I…what?"

"I will explain later," Both Titan and Hunter snapped their gaze towards the black and orange shell of Ace, the latter of which spun their back fins several times in agitation, "Let's just keep him stable, alright? Or at least make sure he stays awake long enough to reach the Tower?"

Hearing this, Carina couldn't help but give a doubtful look at the Ghost, questions flashing in her mind as the black and orange Ghost glided over to Ianos, sending in more of their light into their Guardian. At first, tempted to question the small AI, the female Titan shrugged it off when Ianos' breathing turned ragged, feeling him tremble as she kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders, watching Ace whisper words of comfort, as if to help ease the pain the Veteran Guardian was in.

"Can't we just shoot him in the head and you can resurrect him?" Carina blurted out, watching Ace's parts go rigid in response, "It would be easier instead of watching him be in pain, correct?"

That was when the female Titan watched Ace turn their orange optic towards the female Guardian, the blank look in their gaze was all Carina need to know that she had said something wrong. At first puzzled at the Ghost's reaction, the female Titan opened her mouth to as why when a gust of wind interrupted her, startling the female Exo as the sand spiraled around them.

"I wish it was simple as that."

That was the last thing Carina heard before the familiar weightlessness of transmat overtook her senses.