"Why in the Darkness are you still following that Dreg?"
"And why in the Light are you still following us?" Orion hissed out, looking over his shoulder and giving a glare to the Revenants at the rear, "If you are that annoyed, then just leave." Then he turned his optics back to Varathis, the latter of whom let out a few clicks but continued to lead, "it is not like as though your 'Preceptor' would mind our absence for a few more hours."
"We are just concerned that you are putting your trust into a Fallen that may be leading us into a trap." Orion heard the Warlock of the pair snap, "What is going to happen when all of its words are lies, and we turn into fodder for these House of Kings?"
"That won't happen." Orion retorted, frowning, "If you know anything about Eliksni, then you would know that if you show any sign of kindness, they will repay it back in full."
A scoff can be heard. It is from the Revenant Titan, "Are you implying that a single cannister of Ether is enough to guarantee our safety?"
Orion glanced over his shoulder once more and gave the Revenant a blank look behind his helmet, "And are you admitting that you have already forgotten that Ether is literately the Eliksni's lifeline?"
"Good one."
Trikxas' words sent waves of mirth throughout Orion, especially so when the Revenant Titan jerked back before his head tilted towards the hearth. If Orion didn't know any better, he would have though the Revenant is embarrassed. A smile forming on his face, Orion then turned his attention back to Varathis, just in time to hear the Dreg let out a few humming clicks; he recognizes a chuckle when he hears one.
"This way." Orion heard Varathis say before the Dreg disappeared behind a thicker underbrush, prompting him to follow, brushing aside any stray leaves and branches that threatened to hit him in the face.
It didn't take long for him to see a cave, coming to a stop as the sudden shift in green to a dreary gray fell into his vision. It also didn't take long for him to raise his hands when the familiar muzzle of a Shock pistol pointed his way.
"Wait, stop."
Hearing Akiva hiss out behind him, Orion wouldn't be surprised if the two Revenants had gone to draw their weapons. Although wanting nothing more to look over and give them the same warning, Orion instead kept his attention forward and followed the barrel of the weapon. His optics settled upon two Vandals, taking note of the way their armor is worn and battered; even the golden cloaks – something that Angel had told him that all Eliksni take pride in no matter what the House – are tattered and dirtied as well.
"Well then." Orion heard shuffling behind him before – from the corner of his optics – he saw Akiva come to a slow halt next to him, hands raised. "This is a nice welcoming party."
If it wasn't for the fact that Eliksni hold little regard for humor when it comes to 'trespassers', Orion would have certainly chuckled. But he held his composure when the two Vandals kept their pistols up, their glowing eyes narrowed.
"Varathis!" One of them snarled, "You try and betray us!?"
To Orion, it was apparent that they were trying to act tough, but thanks to Angel's and Trikxas' teaching, he could easily see the way their weapons trembled, shoulders deflated, and their lower arms loose near their sides. It is obvious that, unlike Varathis, their bodies aren't stable enough to sustain themselves with little to no Ether. Orion can only imagine how the Captains and the Barons are doing.
"I did not betray you!" Orion heard Varathis shout back, watching as the Dreg took a step forward. The latter paused when one of the Vandals shifted their pistol at him, "These Light-Bearers are here to help."
Orion wasn't all too surprised when he heard one of the Vandals scoff.
"Help?" One of them said, "You are more Ether-starved than we had originally thought, Varathis." Orion tensed when the one speaking took a step closer, closing the distance of the pistol pointed at his chest, "Who in their right mind would believe the words of these bandits?"
Chitters of frustration can be heard permeating from Varathis, "Because they are friends to Pure One."
That is when Orion felt the shift in the air, the way the two Vandals' eyes grew wide before they gave him and the rest of the group suspicious looks. Nonetheless, either they trusted Varathis or out of desperation, Orion looked on as the pair lowered their weapons, holstering them back around their waist.
"You better not be lying to us, Varathis." One of the Vandals warned.
There is a huff from the Dreg, the latter crossing his arms before Orion saw him turn his glowing eyes at him.
"Do you believe that I am lying, friend?" He asked.
At first, Orion couldn't help but lean back in surprise, optics wide before he smiled, "No, I do not believe you are lying, friend."
That is when Orion heard Trikxas laugh loudly in his head when he saw the looks upon the two Vandal's faces.
Xxxxx
"Did you find the files yet?"
"Not quite." Akiva couldn't help but eye Lex impatiently as the latter's optic beat steadily, "It has been a couple of years since we last needed to translate Eliksni."
"Normally I would say, 'take your time', but." Akiva turned his eyes towards the front, looking on as Varathis and Orion quietly chattered with each other; from what he could catch, they were speaking in Eliskni, "Considering that we are soon going to meet with several Eliskni from House of Kings, I would like to understand what they are saying."
Lex let out a groan, "This makes me regret not taking up on Angel's offer to learn the language." The Ghost then muttered to himself, "Why can't we be more like Ianos for once and actually take interest in learning something new?"
"Because we like to punch stuff?" Akiva added in sheepishly, only to chuckle as Lex turned and gave him a blank stare, "Fine, after all this blows over, we'll talk to Angel to give us some lessons." He paused momentarily, "At least, enough so that we can understand what they are trying to say."
No sooner had he finished speaking when Akiva sensed a look of disapproval from behind, prompting him to turn and lock onto one of the Revenants – the Titan.
"What?" He muttered, "Not liking what you hear?"
Although directed at the Titan, it was the Warlock of the pair who gave Akiva a glare, "Despite the claims of your friends stating that these 'Eliksni' will do us no harm, I do not understand why you trust what they say."
"Because, like us, they are trying to scrounge up of what was left of their former glory." Akiva couldn't suppress a snort at Orion's words, "so behave yourself. According to Varathis, they have at least one Baron amongst their ranks."
Immediately, Akiva's smile vanished, and he looked back at Orion before turning and looking over the two Revenants' shoulders. There, he spotted the two Vandals from before.
"Is that why those two are following us like the plague?" He asked.
"Can you blame them?" Akiva looked back to see Orion shake his head, "Betrayed by one of their own, House in near ruins, survivors scattered, and their Kell is dead." He flinched; his knowledge on Eliksni maybe sub-par, but even Akiva knows a Kell-less House is a House at risk of falling, "And from what I can gather, most of those who fled were unable to grab a single servitor." Then, he watched as Orion nodded his head back to the two Vandals trailing behind them, "Without Ether to sustain them, they're all weak, especially for anyone that is a rank of Captain or higher."
"And they have a Baron." Akiva added in, his thoughts lingering over the two Vandals.
To him, he can tell that their steps were sluggish, arms too loose near their sides and the glow in their eyes are dimmer than usual. If those two are not faring well, he can only imagine a Baron.
"Think we should contact Angel when we talk to the poor – guy, girl, whatever they identify as?" Akiva added in.
There is a short squeak from Varathis.
"Male." Orion clarified, "And considering that they were given orders by Angel's mate to look for him, I say that's the best idea."
"Right." From above his shoulder, Akiva saw Lex bob once; the Ghost had materialized out to help with some light. They had started to dwell deeper into the caves, "Just let me find his frequency and – "
There was a flash of movement in the corner of his eyes and Akiva found his body moving on its own, hand reaching out and snatching Lex's yellow and white shape out of the air. Moments later, the hand of the Revenant Titan swung near his shoulder – right where Lex had been hovering – and Akiva can feel his fingers brush against the back of his hand as he pulled Lex away out of his grasp.
"What?" Akiva started, eyes narrowed, teeth bared, "Are you trying to do to my Ghost?"
It was satisfying to see the Revenant Titan's shoulders tense, head subtly moving so that their eyes would lock.
"I thought the two of you were ill of mind until you tried contacting this, Angel." The Titan finally spoke, "and now the dangers of you working with these Scavengers have come to the surface."
That is when Akiva heard Orion's footsteps come to a sudden halt followed by a confused chitter from Varathis, signaling to the group come to a pause.
"And this is why I do not understand Pluto's insistence on working with people like you." Orion said.
If they were in any other situation, the offended look that Akiva sensed from the Titan would have made Akiva laugh. Instead, he opted to cough into his fist, feeling Lex wiggle uncomfortably in his other hand.
"Now that does – "
"Simple-minded, ignorant, fucking idiots."
Akiva was hoping that Lex was recording all this. Pluto no doubt would be pleased. And proud.
"Hundred years of war and conflict and it never crossed your mind that peace between us and the Eliksni is possible?" Orion continued with a scoff, "The Eliksni were once the Traveler's Chosen and if it were not for the Darkness chasing it away, it would have remained so. In other words." Orion then jabbed a finger at the two Revenant's direction, "They are our fellow brothers and sisters in arms, whether you like it or not."
Although able to keep his laughter contained, Akiva could not stop the broad smile that settled upon his face, and he couldn't help but feel smug.
"I am taking pictures."
How his Ghost is going to take proper photos of offended expressions hidden behind helmets, Akiva wasn't sure, but nonetheless, he was grateful for it. Nice to see that the more arrogant and simple-minded members of the Revenants were finally being put in their place.
Wanting to take more of the scene before him, Akiva was met with disappointment as frustrated chitters can be heard from the Vandals and it wasn't long before a low rumble can be heard from Varathis.
"We have to get going." Orion translated, "Varathis said he's not sure how long the Baron will stay conscious for."
That. That was a worrying sign.
His mood turning more somber, Akiva finally turned his focus away from the two Revenants and back towards Orion, and he can easily sense the look of worry behind his helmet. However, before he could reach out a hand and hand out comforting words, Akiva then felt Lex struggle strongly in grip, prompting him to release his hold on his Ghost.
"Phew." Lex shook his shell before turning his optic not at Akiva but at the two Revenants. There is a blank look in his optic, "Now may I continue?"
Unable to snort at the dirty looks that the Revenants gave his Ghost, Akiva then looked on as Lex waited and then bobbed once. It was then followed by the familiar clicks and static of tracking a frequency. A click soon signifies a connection.
"Hope?" Lex called out.
There was a brush of static followed by a quiet 'huh?' and then a hum. Another beat of silence.
"Sorry." Lex broke it, "were you and Angel taking a nap?"
"Tryin' to." Hope retorted and then there was a yawn, "I am surprised though that you contacted us. Angel and I thought that, you know, being in Revenant territory that givin' us a call is…"
Despite the distance, Akiva can practically see Hope gesture vaguely with her shell.
"Had to force it a bit but we manage." Lex said; this earned the Ghost another look from the Revenant pair, "How is Angel faring?"
There was another pause, a click of a shell, and Akiva couldn't help but look on with worry. The knowledge of what the Blossoms have done to the young Hunter is still fresh in his mind.
"He needs a distraction." Hope finally said, "I am going to take a guess that that is the reason you all are givin' us a call?"
Akiva flinched at her answer; he has known the young Hunter long enough to know that Angel's mind tends to wander. He can only imagine what his thoughts are with him doing nothing.
"Yes." Akiva found himself answering before his Ghost, "We have a situation here with the House of Kings."
"The Kings?" Angel's voice rang through the frequency, "Did something happen?"
It is obvious that he is still clueless.
Akiva hesitated.
"Angel." He decided to start, "When was the last time that you contacted the House of Kings?"
There was a pause, and Akiva could practically sense the narrowed look from Angel.
"Not long before we left on the excursion for Jora." A little over a month ago then, "What happened?"
That is when Akiva hesitated, and he found his eyes wandering over to Orion. He can feel his fellow Titan's optics lock onto his.
Should he let Angel know and place a responsibility upon his shoulders when he is still recovering from his encounter with the Blossoms?
A quiet chitter pulled Akiva out of his thoughts and he turned his attention onto Varathis; the Dreg was looking at him, glowing blue eyes wide and curious. And filled with worry.
Akiva knows that Angel wouldn't leave such a weakened pack of Eliksni alone like this.
"We're not sure." He admitted, "But we found a handful of Kings who seemed to have survived a coup on their House. And they're not looking so good."
"What?" Angel said.
"One of their Dregs, Varathis, alongside two Vandals is currently escorting us to their hiding place." Akiva decided to continue, "from what we could gather, there's Baron amongst their number and they haven't had Ether in a while."
"A Baron? No Ether?" Angel repeated back and then Akiva then heard the young Hunter mutter in Eliksni. And then, a short pause.
"That's why you called." He said, "You need Ether."
Despite the lack of visual, Akiva sheepishly shrugged, "It was either that or ask the Revenants for help and well…" He then looked back at the two Revenants. The Titan crossed his arms while the Warlock scoffed.
"Let us just say that they aren't very receptive to helping us." Akiva finished.
There is another pause and then a huff.
"Are you able to show me the condition of the Eliksni?" Angel asked, "I need to assess how much Ether I need to bring."
"Everyone?" Akiva asked.
"Yes, especially the Baron." Angel confirmed.
Turning his eyes back to Lex, Akiva simply nodded at his Ghost, prompting the latter to glide over to Varathis. The Dreg subtly tilted his head, chittering quietly.
"This is Varathis." Lex introduced before gliding over to the two Vandals. The latter two immediately jerked back, hands reaching down to their waists, "And these are the Vandals that we mentioned."
There is a brief muttering from Angel.
"They're not doing well." The young Hunter announced, "I'm amazed that they're able to move like this." Then, a pause, "I need to see the Baron. If Varathis and the Vandals are in this bad of a condition, it maybe too late for the Baron."
Akiva blinked, and then sputtered, "Excuse me?"
"Hurry." Angel hissed out.
That is when, from the corner of his eyes, Akiva saw Orion turn to Varathis and stutter out in Eliksni. It wasn't long until the Dreg perked up, glowing eyes wide before he suddenly bolted, prompting sharp cries from the two Vandals. There were shouts of Eliksni – mostly filled with surprise – before the two stumbled after him, and it wasn't long when Akiva saw Orion do the same. This signaled Akiva to run after the Exo Titan and behind him, he can hear the Titan Revenant let out a curse before two pairs of steps soon followed.
Although curious as to why the Revenants are still following them – he guesses because they are concerned that Akiva and the others will eventually 'betray' them – Akiva kept his focus on forward, reaching out to Lex to keep the Ghost steady in his grip as he sprinted.
Akiva just hopes that they aren't too far from where the surviving Eliksni are currently housed.