The Voidwalker's Tale: Chapter 7

Act On Instinct/Tin Cans

Axel followed the Titan to the Citadel quietly, building himself up a bit to regain his confidence. He wanted to be the Guardian he knew he could be; strong and powerful. Sam's colder disposition scared him a bit, but he could tell she knew what she was doing when it came to fighting for the Light. The Titan hopped off of her sparrow and looked around at the scattered body parts of the Vex.

"He's been through here… Hmmm…"

"Wh-what are these…?" Axel stopped and picked up a head of one of the machines, looking it over a bit shakily.

"Those are the Vex I was telling you about. Tin cans. See that white spot on that one's torso. That's their weak point. Shooting it can cripple and likely kill them. You need to aim carefully. Blowing off their heads only makes them more aggressive. The head you are holding is a Goblin head."

The Warlock knelt down and dipped his hand in the white core, feeling the slimy filling that protected the Vex's vital components. "Well… Guess we won't have t-" Sam cut him off by stepping in front of him and pushing him behind a rock.

"Shut up. There's a group coming…" She looked out at the spawn cloud and counted before taking out her sniper rifle and handing it to Axel with a small air of confidence. "Here. How many do you see?"

The Warlock took a knee and looked down the sight, counting out the Vex he saw. "There are five Goblins… And a sixth one… He looks similar in size, but with a different head and a tail…"

"Hobgoblin. Are you ready to fight them?" She took her rifle back, surprised when it was willingly handed over, and got out her old Cydonia. "Let's go."

Axel jumped up and hurled himself into the group, laughing happily as he landed in front of the group of Goblins. His joy came from the rush he got from attacking the minions of the darkness and feeling their energy leave their bodies. It was so much more thrilling than anything he had done in his life before. More swiftly than the Guardian ever thought he could, he took down one Goblin with a shotgun blast to the head and the next by shoving the shotgun into the white patch on its stomach and blowing it to pieces. A third tried to make a grab for him and, with what little fighting instinct he had, he used his Energy Drain to suck the life from it. The Warlock gave a huge grin when he stopped as Sam, almost casually, killed the other two Goblins.

"See? I can do this!" Axel had a stupid smile on his face as he struck a pose that stated victory was his own.

"Warlock. How many enemies where there?"

"Six. Five Goblins. One Hobgoblin."

"And how many are dead?"

He looked at the ground a bit, counting bodies and thinking. "Five. All Goblins."

"Alright, so where is the Hobgoblin?"

"He's ah… Hmmm…" The machine rose up behind the young Guardian, its Slap Rifle aimed at the back of his head.

"Move!"

"Hm?"

"Warlock! Move!" The Titan stepped forward, almost into action, but stopped herself from joining the tussle right away.

Axel tossed his Vortex Grenade into the Hobgoblin's chest before turning and running in another direction, or at least, he thought he had. However, the Vex's ability the teleport themselves gave an advantage over the Warlock who had no experience with them. The Hobgoblin appeared next to Axel again, this time, staring him dead in the eye.

What he saw in the red light, that stared seemingly into his very soul, was only a fire; burning rage and anger that beat in a mechanical heart. Tin cans they may have been, but there was more to them, and the idea of these living machines terrified Axel more than anything ever had. He could feel his heart beat in his own chest and, for only a moment, he thought he could hear the mechanical beatings of another heart almost in sync with his own.

"Move!" Sam's voice broke the steady rhythm and Axel turned again, kicking the Hobgoblin in the stomach to get a moment to escape. He bolted behind a pillar and covered his head in fear, gritting his teeth to prepare for death. Rather than feeling the Void consume him, he heard the scream of a mechanical voice box and felt a familiar presence in front of him. The Titan looked down at him with disappointment and a little rage.

"Do you want to die?"

"Well… We can revive… So I suppose it doesn't really matter…" The Warlock looked up to see her looming over him, feeling the frustration she exuded.

"That doesn't mean anything. You shouldn't just allow yourself to be killed. That was some stunt you pulled back there!"

Axel looked at the ground again and curled into a tighter ball. "I'm sorry, Sam…"

"Sorry?! Why are you telling me so-" She stopped when she noticed how miserable he seemed and sighed, both to cool off and in a bit of frustration. "Look. Even though we are Guardians, that doesn't mean we should take death lightly. You'll never be a good Guardian if you don't fight for your own life as well as the lives of others. So don't just let death come, Warlock. Fight for your life. Live."

He looked up at her as she offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet. Something about her words struck him deep. There had never been another person in his entire life, or in the past, that had told him to live. Many had told him to do just the opposite. He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before nodding and picking his shotgun back up. "Right… I'll do better next time…"

Sam sighed and started walking toward the Ember Caves, not looking at Axel any more. "Now come on. We have to go find Devin and then get these Ether Sups back to the Shipwright." The Warlock followed quietly, still deep in thought, almost in a daydream...