Risen

Chapter 18

   "So tell me again how you thought trying to stab an angry, magicked-up half-Ogre was a good idea?," Poppy inquired jokingly as she and Sienna did their best to relax in the Trickster's cave, each nursing their own wounds. "Or was it more of a spur-of-the-moment thing?"

   "The big guy said he needed a distraction, and that's what came to mind. Besides, it's not like I could strike up a conversation with the thing, I could barely stand to look at it," Sienna chuckled before wincing in pain. "Ah! Ooh, that smarts." She clutched her side and looked to Harrier. "Nothing you can do about that, little Light?" The Ghost shook his shell, a hint of guilt in his eye.

   The cave was silent for a moment, and the pair sat, each lost in their own thoughts. "Incoming message from Banshee. He says he's got something Narvuk might like, but he didn't get his feed earlier," Sonni piped up, snapping Poppy out of her daze.

   "Huh? Oh, thanks, Sonni. Tell him I'll be by to pick it up soon. Make sure he knows that it's me coming, not the big guy. Though maybe leave out the part about the Shore, yeah? We don't need him accidentally telling anyone about... y'know," she told her Ghost, who nodded and began composing the reply.

   "So what - nh! - what now?," Sienna asked as she sat up, looking around the cave like she was trying to memorize each and every crack. "Are we just gonna sit here and wait until Narvuk gets back here?"

"We don't have much choice, girl. He'll be back when he's done. Until then, we're kinda stuck here. I just hope no one shows up looking for trouble."

   "Too llate for that," a familiar growling voice sounded from the entrance. Narvuk leaned against the door as as though exhausted, a tiny smirk on his face. "Though the feeling iss appreciated, my friend," he said, walking down the steps to join his friends.

   They looked at him, puzzled and curious. "Your friend DeMarcus decided to stop by, some of his friends as wwell. Nothing to worry about." He shrugged as he seated himself at the base of the rock in the center of the cave, forming a triangle with the girls. "He and I had... words." Poppy and Sienna gaped for a full ten seconds, looking at each other and at Narvuk, before they launched a barrage of questions his way.

"What do you mean 'had words'?"

"How did he even find us?"

"He brought friends?!"

"Why didn't you call us?"

   The questions continued for several minutes before Narvuk threw up a hand. "Enough, please! My ears can only take sso much before I go mad!," he cried, silencing the others mid-sentence, their mouths, still open. "He found us through yyou, Sienna. You're the only one he got close enough to for it to make sense. I could not call ffor you because they threatened Zivath. Yes, he brought friends. The same ones from the hangar, before you ask."

   "Oh, cos that makes us feel so much better! You come back after almost two hours and tell us you were all but attacked, they threatened your Ghost, you won't explain what happened, and somehow they found you through me! And you're here just trying to brush it off?," Sienna exclaimed incredulously. "We haven't even been here for a day and we've already been discovered! We'll have to move you again, probably Nessus, Failsafe is good at keeping secrets..."

   Poppy laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Take it easy, girl. There's no guarantee anything will come of this. Hang on, what is" - she plucked something from Sienna's armor, a small red blinking light on it - "this... a bug. Of course. He had your coordinates the whole time." She crushed the device in her hand and let the pieces fall to the floor of the cave. Sienna balked at the pieces, confusion written all over her face.

   "Wha- how? I didn't even notice... guess I need to brush up on my counter-tracking skills. Wait, if he knows where we are, he could tell Zavala!," the Hunter realized, her head shooting up. "Hell, he could be telling him right now! Harrier, wipe the last travel data on the ship's warp drive, see if you can replace it somehow." Harrier nodded, and he turned away as he started working.

   "Sienna, there's no reason to think he'll tell anyone. If he does, he gets thrown to the Praxics for trying to kill another Guardian and all his friends are suddenly under direct Vanguard supervision," Poppy explained, gesturing for her friend to calm down. "Besides, the humiliation alone is enough reason for him to keep quiet. He'd never live it down." She turned to Narvuk, a question already on her lips. "Narvuk, you said Edal stopped DeMarcus, right? Or at the very least, he spoke up?," she asked, and the Knight nodded.

   "He also told me to call hhim if DeMarcus tried again. Perhaps we are still safe here. That is, I will be ffine for now. You two should get bback to the Tower, you'll be missed before too long. Besides I have much to think on after what we discovered," Narvuk explained, waving thegirls away.

   "I'll be back soon, Banshee said he had something for you. 'Til then, stay in here and try to stay out of any more trouble, yeah?," Poppy half-joked as she helped Sienna stand, pulling her to her feet. "I think there's been enough for a few days at least." Narvuk nodded, grinning. The girls left the cave, Sienna's limp not quite as noticeable as she went. After the sound of their footsteps had faded, Zivath materialized and turned to her Guardian.

   "Y'know, I had a thought when we were coming back here. If we can get ahead of the whole 'Great Disaster' situation, the reactions might be better than if we let others find out for themselves. It'll make a better impression, you'll come off as open about your past," she suggested, her shell shifting around her eye as she hovered. Narvuk's eyes flicked to his Ghost for a moment before going to his Cleaver. He was silent for a few long minutes, and Zivath was growing concerned. She was about to say something when he spoke.

   "On one hand, I think you're right about this. Openness is valued in Human culture, to a degree. Hhowever, we must consider consequences. To freely admit invvolvement in such a thing, one that, if Sienna is to be believed, left scars that have yet to heal..."

   "What're you getting at, Narvuk?"

   "Some might see it as a chance to avenge the lost, but my concern is for those like Eris. To take revenge is not her way, I think, but it might cause rifts between those who do not wish to fight," Narvuk thought out loud, the only visible sign of tension his fist clenching on his sword. "Perhaps it'd be better if we stayed out here."

   "What are you on about, big guy? The Vanguard need every Guardian they can get after the Red War, and it's not like you're completely without friends. Sure, some people might be angry. Let them! If even some can move on, the rest have no excuse. We've all lost people. Most of them weren't even alive for the Great Disaster! Shaxx and Zavala are probably the last Guardians who were, and they already made it clear that you're fine by them," Zivath half-lectured, her shell whirling in agitation. Narvuk huffed and waved her away, but it lacked any enthusiasm. "Look, I understand, I do. These last few days have been pretty hectic, and you haven't had a lot of time to process all the changes. Maybe... maybe we should stay here, at least until you can figure some stuff out. I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner, you've been all over the place--"

   "It's alright, little shell," Narvuk interrupted his Ghost's rambling apology. "We hhave time to learn from each other. Where shall we begin?" A small smile formed on his face as Zivath's shell slowed and stopped.

   "Wellll, let's start with the different political factions in the City..." 

A/N: So here it is, folks, chapter 18 of what will likely be between 20 and 30 chapters total! Thanks for your patience and continued support! The schedule will likely be a bit more spread out from now on, as I started a job that takes a lot of my free time, especially on the weekends.