AUTHORS NOTE. IMPORTANT
Due to work slowly picking back up, I need to take a bit of a hiatus to catch back up and finish this story. This is chapter 7, I only have up to chapter 9 written and chapter 9 is not yet finished. There will be about a month before the next chapter, maybe sooner if I catch back up quickly. I apologize in advance if this deters any readers from continuing to follow, but I work a full-time job and it makes writing nearly impossible at times.
Sleep did not come easy, but he had managed to catch a few hours after forcing his mind to go blank. His method involved only thinking of the words in, then out, to match his breathing. Pushing every other thought out of his mind to ensure that he would grow bored. It was almost like the method of counting sheep, just less thought process.
Khepri had woken him only hours later to get him out of bed and ready for their day out. The lack of a proper nights rest, coupled with the frustration of still being mentored in general, made for a slightly irritated Warlock. He was silent through most of the morning, dragging his feet around the home to the point that Jericho had made notice.
"Did you not sleep well or something?" The Titan asks lightly as they sit together to finish their breakfast.
"Something like that." Is muttered, hazel gaze shifting up to the Titan for only a moment before he focused back on his meal.
Mehki didn't have the heart to be cruel over a question, easily keeping his cool while burying himself under the sugary flavor of the cereal they ate. A light meal would keep them easily mobile, but would likely be exhausted within hours. They'd need to refuel at some point, and he only hoped that their session would not take up a large chunk of their day. He could easily settle for a nap already, and couldn't imagine how exhausted he would be after running around for a few hours.
"I'm sorry. Anything I can do to help?" Jericho finally asks, setting his spoon down in the already empty bowl.
"Nothing really seems like it will help, aside from catching a few more hours of sleep. Thank you for the offer though." Is the Warlock's low response, hand dragging the spoon across the last few pieces of cereal in order to group them together and finish off his own bowl.
"I can't help there, sadly. Lanna is likely already waiting for us in the Plaza. I swear that woman never sleeps." Jericho offers a small laugh with the words. It causes Mehki to at least smile slightly which is a win in his books. "We shouldn't keep her waiting. It's a good thing that your armor was fixed so quickly, I'd have hated to be in your shoes otherwise. The atmosphere on Venus is wretched."
"Khepri found a good tailor who was willing to do the work quickly. Wasn't exactly cheap though." The Warlock rolls his shoulders in a shrug, pushing himself back so that he can stand and reach across the table to snag Jericho's bowl from him. There's a brief smile offered before he turns and heads into the kitchen to deposit the dishes into the sink.
While it would be a little funny to see a fully armored Titan hovering the sink, he figured he would just get it out of the way so that they could carry on with their day. Fingers tug on the handle to make the faucet run, before shifting over the sponge so that he can quickly clean their items, and with the water running he doesn't hear the approach of Jericho. The foreign sensation of something touching him causes for his hands to drop whatever was within them. The clatter of the spoon causes him to panic even more as a gasp leaves him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The Titan's voice is coated with concern, his hand jerking away from Mehki's side.
"No, it's fine. I just didn't hear you." He murmurs, the hand that had dropped the spoon resting on his own chest to feel it race beneath his ribs. He didn't understand why he had such a panicked reaction and just chocked it up to having been startled in the first place.
"May I touch now?" Jericho asks, not wanting to panic the Warlock again and being mindful of Mehki's preferences.
"You may."
He can feel the foreign touch again, the Titan's fingers spreading over his side, and with the proper warning, it did not frighten him as much. Something about having his back turned to someone else so close did, however, cause the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Without hesitation, he quickly finishes up the dishes and stacks them in the strainer. The water is flicked off before he slowly turns around to face Jericho. It was much more comforting to be face to face, rather than have the man at his back. Even if they'd known each other for so long, it made him uneasy.
Hazel gaze bores into Jericho's momentarily before it flickers over the man's facial features. His chin tucks to his neck as Jericho leans in with an intent stare, his head leaning back with a rather weirded out look.
"Your eyes are dilated. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Pupil dilation is part of the fight or flight reaction to fear or panic. It's just the after-effects of the adrenaline from when you startled me." Mehki explains in a low tone, only letting his head rest back in its proper spot when Jericho leans back.
"I didn't know that, that's slightly interesting. You're extremely smart, I like that." There's a subtle grin on the Titan's lips as the words leave them.
"Yes, as I mentioned last night. I read a lot in my spare time. Human physiology is an interesting read, it helps in medical instances as well." Lips flatten after that, not wanting to bore the man to death. "Anyways, we should probably get going. I bet Lanna is furious that we're not already there." The Warlock rocks onto the tips of his toes to give Jericho a brief kiss before sliding out of his grasp and making for the door.
A glance is passed over his shoulder, watching as the Titan stands there for a brief moment as if shocked by his action. There is a small grin that stretches over his features as he notes the Titan's behavior, and it remains there even after Jericho turns to begin following him for the door. Gaze falls to the front now, his hand gripping the doorknob and twisting it. A half step is taken back so that the door doesn't collide with him as he opens it, and the two make way for the Plaza through their usual route.
Lanna is, of course, waiting for them impatiently in the Plaza. Her stature immediately puts Mehki back into the depths of his foul mood, knowing that it was likely that today's training would be worse than normal as she expended some of her anger or whatever it is that she has going on. The Warlock's lips immediately press into a flat line as he and Jericho approach, hazel gaze immediately falling to the floor as to not make eye contact with the beast before them.
Jericho obviously takes note of this behavior in the Warlock and gives him a pat on the shoulder briefly before speaking. "I'm going to have a word with her before we get started today. Why don't you head to Xander 99-40 and see there are any bounties for Venus we can pick up for a little extra Glimmer?"
"Sure, I can do that." Is Mehki's muttered response.
A small glance is lifted up to Lanna, who has her gaze set on Jericho as if he were satan walking among men. Mehki was thankful that he was not in Jericho's shoes right then and there. Quickly, he makes for the small set of stairs that lead up to where Xander stood. The frame was casually uploading new bounties on the board for that day and turns just slightly as Mehki approaches.
"Checking for bounties, Guardian?"
"Yes, and a reason to escape the potential catfight behind me somewhere." He breaths, knowing very well that the frame would likely not acknowledge that last part. "These are the most recent correct?"
"Confirmed."
"Great, anything I can pick up for Venus today?"
"Closed bounty for Winter skiff, target unclaimed." The Frame responds in a matter of fact tone, metal fingers tapping the screen where the data lay.
"Fantastic. We'll take that one, and anything pertaining to the house Winter."
"Bounty claimed: Winter skiff with lightning scar. Eliminate the Fallen skiff and any enemies encountered."
"Thanks, Xander."
"Exchange complete."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Guardian."
Mehki watches as the frame turns back to its work before passing a glance over his shoulder to see where Jericho and Lanna had ended up. It takes him a moment to find them within the crowd of Guardians, but when he does he practically whips around to face them fully. Jericho had his hand directly in Lanna's face, and Lanna looked like she was going to blow a fuse or five.
Both of the Guardian's Ghost's were hovering nervously over their respected Guardian's shoulders, eying each other almost apologetically. His own Ghost appears over his shoulder seconds later, its pieces shifting nervously as if it had something to do with whatever was happening down there. A glance is passed to Khepri before the Warlock trots down the stairs and makes a bee-line directly to the pair. As he approaches, he catches the tail end of the conversation.
"-cant keep this from him forever! He has every right to know!" Are Jericho's furious words, his voice low but his tone was filled with venom.
"I can and will. Something like this will ruin him before he's even had a chance to be a true guardian." She hisses in response.
"You can't be fucking serious." Mehki can see Jericho's hands clench together as he tries to reign in the anger behind his words.
"I am. I don't care how nervous he is about his back being turned to anyone. It's better that way, he'll never let anyone sneak up on him."
"So let him live in fear for the rest of his years. You're sick, Lanna. Just because you can't live with it, doesn't mean he can't either. He's strong. Especially-" The words are faintly masked by the passing of an aircraft before they pick back up. "-running around now as one of us, he needs to know. He needs to be prepared in case 'he' remembers what happened."
"Jericho I swear to the traveler I will force feed you your own balls if you so much as-"
Mehki clears his throat loudly, which causes for Lanna to falter on her words when she notices that he'd been standing nearby and heard part of the conversation. Hazel gaze darts between Jericho and her a few times, lips remaining flat as he tries to process what the fuck was happening. It seemed like Jericho was trying to defend him, but over what. What was Lanna trying to keep from him?
"You just going to stare at me like a pair of children with their hand caught in the sweets jar?" He huffs at the pair of them, arms folding over his chest as he waits for their answer.
"You weren't supposed to hear that." Lanna breaths finally, obviously in a slight state of shock that she had been caught.
"Yes, you were. You need to hear it, and I'm sick of having to tiptoe around the subject." Jericho grunts, shooting Lanna a glare.
"You say I shouldn't hear it, he said I should hear it, but I still have yet to understand what 'it' is we're talking about here," Mehki grumbles.
"The circumstances of your first... death." Khepri offers some insight, seeing as neither of the two was going to spill it. "The death before you became a Guardian."
"Okay, what's so important about it that I need to know?" Mehki furrows his brows in confusion. Sure, it was a known fact that ever Guardian had been dead before being brought back. Some knew of their death with the help of their Ghost, others chose to not know, and others were waiting for the correct time to hear it. He had opted to wait until he was a bit more stable in his career before hearing it.
"The reason that you died has returned." Khepri offers, knowing very well that it was not very informative.
"For fucks sake just tell him then. Apparently, nothing I have to say is worth shit to you two. Don't blame me when you cant focus on your work because all you're thinking about is what happened to you." Lanna spits like a bristling cat before spinning away and marching directly to the Hall of Guardians. Osiris would need to hear about this.
Mehki lets his mouth flop open like a fish as he watches her march away, trying to formulate something in response but not a single word came to mind. He couldn't tell her that he would not lose focus on his work, especially when he didn't understand what exactly he would be hearing. Eyes immediately shift to Jericho, who is also watching her march away with a shake of his head.
"That's why she's been so unreasonably rough lately, on top of her Husband as I mentioned last night. She doesn't want you to know, but it's important that you know. Very important. I'm going to go ahead and say that today's session is canceled. Let's take a walk to the railing and take in the view while your Ghost explains everything to you in a way only it can." The Titan murmurs, waving his hand slightly toward the rail.
The pair makes their way over slowly, slipping past the many Guardians returning from their overnight missions. Hazel gaze lands upon the massive Machine God in the sky, wondering what it had been like before it sacrificed itself. Did it actually have a voice? Lips purse in thought briefly before he leans against the railing with a sigh.
"Well, let's get this over with then shall we?"
"I'll keep ahold of you. Your Ghost is going to flash you with images much like when you were first reborn, it can be disorientating and I'd rather you not go face first off the Tower." Jericho mutters, shifting his arm over the Warlock's shoulders and keeping a firm grip on the farthest from his own.
"Alright. Khepri. Show me."
Images slowly begin to form over his mind before picking up a rapid pace. Much like a flip-art book, the images eventually begin to move as one solid, almost movie-like state over his eyes. There was tons of sand, and two animals he had nearly forgotten that existed.
Camels? He was riding one, and there was a man that rode another beside him. The second his gaze lands on this man, the images zoom in and he immediately recognizes the face as someone who he had just recently encountered.
The images warp forward, forcing him to close his eyes to prevent motion sickness. He had just crawled into his cot after letting this man have his meal that he had cooked. He could feel the exhaustion all over again, and the excitement for whatever was to come the next day. There was also this feeling of dread the second his back was turned to this other man. The type of fear that damn near made you nauseous.
What comes next is utterly terrifying. The words 'No hard feelings, Sammy.' brush over his skin like sandpaper, and a sharp pain rocks him to his core. The images quickly skip forward a few steps, showing the flash of a gun and a figure collapse against the wall opposite of where he lay dying. The image zooms in again, showing the figure take their last breath. This was.. that Hunter!
Mehki tries to jerk away, but the images continue, replaying the encounter that happened just the day before with the abrasive hunter. Khepri had kept a close eye after recognizing the man, and it wasn't until Mehki looked again that he sees the spark of recognition within the Hunters gaze. Khepri had noticed it as well and further followed the Hunter to document what happened afterward.
As the Hunter departed the scene, Khepri caught the smirk that spread across the man's lips. The name 'Sammuel' is mouthed silently just seconds later. The way he had turned just slightly to keep Mehki in his eyesight at all time. He knew, this man remembered what he had done and he had purposely sparked the interaction between them yesterday.
A panicked breath is taken in as a gasp, forcing himself away from the railing as the images finally cease. Without Jericho's arm still in place, he would have likely toppled over onto his ass. He takes a second to gather himself before slipping easily away from the Titan's grasp.
A somewhat panicked and angered glance is passed Jericho's way before he wheels around and marches directly away from the Titan. From the corner of his gaze, he can see Osiris emerging from the stairs and trotting forward with a concerned look upon his features. That sight alone sends Mehki running further from the group.
"Khepri. Ship. Now." Are the only words that leave his lips for the moment. The Ghost complies immediately, pulling the Warlock into the ship mid-stride. His steps continue frantically as he moves to quickly plop himself into the pilot's seat. "Get me out of here before they try to follow me. Send them a 'do not follow' transmission. I need to be alone."
Fingers fly over the controls, and he's silently thankful that he had asked Khepri to teach him to pilot the ship on his own. The yoke is riped to the side and pushed forward to pull him away from the tower as quickly as possible. Seconds later, its pulled down roughly to shoot him straight up. Such an angle would have caused any normal craft to stall out, but with the new technology around now, it was a rare occurrence.
"Where are we going?" Khepri asks nervously, being cautious not to upset his Guardian any further.
"Where it all began."
"I do not mean to upset you further, but I think such an idea is unwise. That Hunter could have a trace on your ship and follow you there. Without your mentors-"
"Shut the fuck up about my mentors. Mentors this, mentors that. I don't need them, Khepri!" Is hissed through the Warlock's gritted teeth.
"I strongly advise against this. That Hunter excels in bringing down other guardians, and without a Crucible handler to keep a fight fair, he can snuff your light out before you can move."
"This Hunter. What is his name?"
"Micah. His name is Micah."
"If he is such a bad individual, why did a Ghost choose him to come back. The Traveler should have never made a decision like that."
"Not every Ghost is fully functional. They become damaged from the everyday enemies we encounter and it could have prevented it from detecting the evil within the man."
"You're telling me it was a mistake, yet he still walks free. Lanna wanted to keep all this from me! He could have killed me."
"That is why you still have your mentors. Osiris wants them to keep you in their sights at all times until they can decide the best way to approach the situation. I only just brought up the interaction you had yesterday with him after you had fallen asleep last night." The Ghost pauses, his eye shifting down slightly before meeting Mehki's hard stare seconds later. "Osiris has known longer than I that Micah has been around since you've been reborn. They thought he would remember nothing and be what the Tower needs, but they were sadly mistaken. When Micah started to run crucible, they began to notice his changes. He's no good Mehki. Please listen to me, and just turn the ship back."
"No chance in hell. I'm sorry Khepri, but I don't need their sympathetic stares and false words of confidence that everything will be alright. Nothing is alright, especially with Micah running around with the powers of the light. Who knows what he's doing under the Vanguard's nose." The Warlock shakes his head, stooping down to grasp the helmet he had left there the previous night and pull it over his head.
His ship roars fifty yards above the sands, thrusters displacing it easily as he searches for the run down buildings he had both died and been reborn within. He spots them not far off from where he had remembered them being and spins the ship in that direction without hesitation. As the ship approaches, he pulls it into a stop, using the bottom thrusters to keep it hovering in place.
"Drop me down, and keep the ship in orbit directly above this location. If this Hunter is tracking me, he'll find us easily."
"That's what I'm worried about." Is the Ghost's only commentary before dropping his Guardian down into the dunes below.
Boots sink into the sands just slightly, covering the tread along their bottoms. Visor pans around the area briefly before feet immediately begin to carry him toward the buildings. While it was true that Micah would likely have the upper hand in a fight, Mehki wanted to see if there was any way he could reason with him. Who was he to think that not everyone could have some sliver of good within them? Stupid, that's who he was.
"I knew I would find you here."
The voice crawls over his flesh like maggots, leaving an unsettling sensation over his body. He stops dead in his tracks, shoulders tensed with fear at the thought of leaving his back turned to this man. Visor slowly shifts to the left, catching a glance of the Hunter who was approaching slowly. The wind whipped around them, causing for Mehki's robes to flutter around his knees, as well as Micah's cloak to whip around his side.
"I'm not exactly hard to find," Mehki replies calmly, turning slowly so that he could face the Hunter. "Are you here to talk, or to fight?"
"No, you weren't hard to find at all. Very unwise of you to be caught without your fuckbuddy to watch your back." Micah shakes his head in disappointment, slowing to a stop a few yards from where Mehki stood. "I'm very disappointed in your lack of a brain. You were clueless the first time I killed you, and still today you are just the same."
"I was not clueless. I trusted you." Mehki corrects him. "You were selfish, and it cost you your life. It surprises me how well you walk among sheep, wolf."
"And I will continue to do so, even after today. Even after your blood soaks these sands and paints them red. I will forever be a wolf, and I will reap the rewards of walking among the sheep."
"Like hell, you will," Mehki growls, a threatening step being taken forward.
It's obvious that this is what the Hunter was waiting for, using his Blink ability to jump himself forward in a lunge at Mehki. A solid fist connects with the warlock's helmet, an electrical current running swiftly down his form. The negative energy freezes Mehki in place, the current ripping through him at lightning speed.
Its wrath releases his body just in time for him to block the incoming knife that was being wielded by Micah. The block obviously startles the Hunter, leaving Mehki with an easy opening. An open hand quickly slams into the Hunters helmet, flames scorching the metal and darkening the glass the Hunter used to see through. In a panicked flurry, Micah swings wide with the blade but misses his target completely with the extremely damaged visual he had of where Mehki last stood. The fire continued to scorch through the metal for several seconds, likely creating a very uncomfortable environment within the Hunter's armor.
Mehki wastes no time, swinging his body around to deliver a powerful kick to the Hunter's jaw. The momentum of the attack knocks the Hunter back several paces but gives away the Warlock's position to the partially blinded Hunter. A swift movement leaves the knife blade first in Micah's hand, and with a snarl, its hurtled toward Mehki. With the Warlock not really expecting that the blade easily makes its mark, sinking a full inch into the Warlock's shoulder, just below his collarbone. This distraction allows the Hunter to rip away his damaged helmet to better see where Mehki stood.
A startled yelp leaves him just seconds later, filled with the pain of such a wound. A hand flies to the blade, yanking it out easily. Warmth seeps from the wound, staining his armor red with his blood. A snarl rips through him as the pain floods his brain, but he's so focused on that task that he does not see Micah charging him until it's too late.
The thud of their bodies colliding bounces off the buildings behind them and the impact knocks the air right out of Mehki as they tumble into the sands. Luckily the Warlock had kept a tight hold on the knife and had swung his arm back to prevent sticking himself with the blade. He now could use that as a weapon if he so wished. A heavy fist immediately crashes into his visor, bringing him back to the reality that he was in a fight for his life. Without hesitation, the hand wielding the blade jabs inward, the blade coming into contact with the side of Micah.
It obviously made its mark from the way the Hunter screamed out in pain and thrashed slightly. An arm was brought back with such force that easily knocked Mehki's hand away from the blade. Without a weapon, the Warlock thrusts his hips up in an attempt to dislodge Micah from him, but his efforts were only rewarded with another fist to his helmet. The visor easily begins to shatter under the force of the Hunter's hits, cracks beginning to obstruct Mehki's view. In a panic, his hand shoots out again, flames this time connecting with Micah's flesh, but not before the Hunter managed to pull the blade from his side and plummet it down toward Mehki's chest.
While Micah wheels back from the sudden pain of the flames that sought to devour his flesh, Mehki lets out his own cry of agony as the blade sinks into his chest. The sharp edge of the blade immediately pierces into his heart, stopping it instantly. With Micah worrying about the flames that were slowly consuming him, Mehki draws his last breath as the world grows dark around him.
Fear settles in, his brain still functioning after his heart ceased to do so. If Micah was able to get ahold of Khepri, it was over. He'd never live to see another day, and Micah would win again. There was no chance in hell that he would let such a reality come to be.
A flicker of flame sparks in his dead gaze, that fire spreading over his entire being within a matter of seconds. As the fire rips over his body, it closes his wounds and repairs the internal damage that he had sustained. It breathed life back into him next, leaving a raspy breath of air to escape him. The light returns to his eyes, and he immediately refocuses on the task at hand, clearly ignoring the fact that he had just successfully pulled himself back from death with his first self-resurrection.
Micah is still shrieking in agony as the flames pick apart his facial features, which gives the Warlock another opening to heave with all his might and knock the Hunter away from him.
"You sonofabitch!" Micah shrieks, pushing his face into the sands to try and kill the flames. "I'll just kill you again! I'll kill you as many times as it takes!"
"Fat chance at that." Mehki spits, rising from the sands. His back immediately sets alight with his flames, free from the grasps of the sands. "I am reborn from flame, it's such a shame that you still bare your wounds."
The flames that coated the Hunter's face had all but died out now, leaving him with severe burns across his flesh in the pattern of a hand. That sight alone is gruesome, but as the Hunter staggers to his feet Mehki can see the blood that openly weeps from the Hunter's side. This fight was no longer fair, and Mehki didn't particularly care.
That is, until a flash of metal catches the suns light. Hazel gaze widens as the pistol is lifted up and pointed directly at his face. The odds had shifted once more, and the once smug look on the Warlock's face is masked by fear.
"I learned from my first mistake. This time it's me who has the gun." Micah pulls the trigger without another word, but the bullet never collides with Mehki. Instead, it ricochets off a flaming sword that crashes into the Earth between them. Micah immediately turns and attempts to bolt, another blade soaring his way, but it never made its mark. A ship roars overhead and pulls the Hunter into its depths, whisking him away to safety just as Osiris lands in the sands just feet from where he had just been.
The panic begins to ebb away with a sense of embarrassment filling its place. Fires still coat his body, lapping at him with their gentle tongues as he watches Osiris gaze into the distance. Exactly how much of that had the Warlock Vanguard seen, and just how much trouble was he going to be in.
The Vanguard immediately shifts his gaze to Mehki just seconds later, and Mehki can't help but cringe under his stare. The fear of forever being placed under Lanna and Jericho as an apprentice settles over his core, and he hangs his head in almost shame as Osiris heads toward him. So much for freedom, so much for having any viable relationship with Jericho.
"Are you alright?"
These three words obviously shock Mehki, the Warlock having expected something a bit more abrasive, or a heavy bout of questions about his intentions. Visor shifts up slightly, taking in what he could of the Warlock through the damaged screen of his visor. Words escape him momentarily, but they are forced out with uncertainty moments later.
"I'm fine now. Thanks to you." The flames that once coated his form begin to slowly die down, until they are no more.
"I could not let him succeed. Whether you were able to avoid the bullet or not, it was time for me to step in." The Warlock murmurs, his eyes shifting over the disturbed sands where the beads of blood could be seen scattered over the area. "You fought well, he fought dirty."
"You expected him to fight fairly?" Mehki asks disbelief weight heavy in his words. "We're talking about the guy who murdered me as I tried to sleep. A literal backstabber."
"You missed the context of my words." Osiris murmurs, gaze returning to Mehki briefly before lifting as two ships quickly approach overhead. Mehki recognizes them immediately as Jericho and Lanna. "He fought dirty, but you held your own. I'm impressed, not disappointed."
The sound of transmat fills the area, Jericho and Lanna dropping down side by side and armed to the teeth. They had come obviously expecting a fight, and if Osiris had not intervened they would have been too late to save him. Both of them run forward, weapons falling to the sands as they rush forward to check on Mehki.
"I'm fine." Mehki immediately holds both hands out, trying to stop them from trampling him as they approached quickly.
Lanna is obviously pissed because the first thing she does is connect her fist with Mehki's already shattered helmet the second she is in range. The impact whips his head to the side, glass shattering and cutting into his cheek. A hand shoots up to shield himself from any further blows as he groans in pain.
"Fuck! What the fuck?" He chokes out, the glass slicing into his cheek without mercy with each word.
"That's for running off, be lucky I don't do anything more." She hisses, turning to stalk away from the group.
Hands carefully lift, trying to pull the glass back so that he can relieve some of the pain. Thankfully, Khepri just removes the helmet out of the picture entirely. Fingers then move to pull a few shards out of his cheek, letting them fall into the sands at his feet. He isn't prepared for what comes next, a yelp leaving his lips as strong arms grip him tightly. Hazel gaze widens when he realizes that it's Jericho, clinging to him as if he had already died.
"I'm so sorry." The Titan murmurs, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here."
"Jericho I'm fine." Mehki lifts his gaze to Osiris, who eyes them carefully. "You can let go, I'm not going anywhere." A hand gently pushes against the Titan to snap him out of his panic.
"I should have been here."
"There was nothing you could have done. He wouldn't have shown himself if you were here. He's too much of a coward." Mehki mutters, carefully stepping out of the Titan's embrace under the watchful eye of Osiris.
"That doesn't account for the fact that I'm supposed to protect you at all costs." The Titan reluctantly releases his grip on the Warlock and takes a single step back.
"It does, actually." Mehki murmurs. "I didn't make it easy for you to do your job by running off like that. If it is anyone's fault, it is my own."
"Mehki is correct." Osiris cuts in, approaching the pair slowly. "Had he not run off, all of this could have been easily avoided. We could have gone about our days, pretending that there was no larger issue at hand. However, if he had not come here Micah would not have shown me his true colors. He fought well against someone who was better equipped than himself."
"I think it's time we return home and further discuss these matters. I also need to speak with the rest of the Vanguard about Micah's actions today. Andal Brask will send his best hunters after him to be sentenced for his crimes." There was a tone of dismissal within the Vanguards tone that told them to go without the words even leaving his lips.