The titan shambled on towards the ruins. He glanced over to his right as his warlock companion sank to her knees. He took a difficult step in her direction and grunted at the difficulty of it. He quickly scanned himself over and pried off any red dirt that had caked around the joints and seams of his armor hindering movement. He looked back to the warlock and noted that her armor was showing just as much damage as his was. They had set out about fortnight ago, in search of a fabled piece of ancient Cabal technology. They weren't sure what it was or what it could do, but they were not willing to risk letting the Cabal get their hands on it. They had spent an uneventful first few days before they were ambushed by a raiding party of Cabal. They had managed to stave off the brunt of the attack and kill most of the raiders. But the attack had come at night, and the sounds and lights of the firefight had notified every Cabal within ear or eyesight of their location. The titan and the warlock had spent the rest of the time being attacked here and there, slowly whittling away their resources. They were no closer to their goal than they they had been when they set out and their supplies were running low. The titan tore his gaze from the ruins looming over them and looked down at the warlock. The warlock looked up and cocked her sideways. "What's that look for?", she asked. "What look?" replied the titan. "You can't even see my face." The warlock took off her helmet, and merely answered back, "I know that look. And I'm telling you I feel fine." The titan gazed upon his lover's face. Her fiery auburn hair was an extension of the red sand surrounding them. Her twinkling hazel eyes showed no sign of weariness, even though her body posture clearly indicated otherwise. She wrinkled her nose, bunching up her freckles. "What?" "You know, I was wondering." "What's that?" "Why do they call it the 'Buried City?'" The titan tilted his head down, to ponder her question. "What do you mean?, he answered shortly after. "It's called that because there used to be a city here and now it's under all this sand. You can see the remnants of the city right in front of us." "Right, yes I suppose so. But I had heard something more sinister before we set off, from a few locals. They said it's because many people keep dying here, seeking shelter, to the point where they think there may be enough dead for an entire city." The titan laughed. He looked back at the ruins. How could it be anything other than an old city being buried under the sand. And of all things, because people keep dying here as if making some sort of necropolis? The titan laughed and looked back down at the warlock, just in time to see her head explode sending up a pink mist and puffs of sand in the wind. He felt his head jerk sideways. --------------------------------- "Well?" An impatient Cabal officer rubbed his hands nervously. He didn't want to irritate the camouflaged hunter. He had hired out the services of the hunter just under a month ago and had kept him holed up here, taking out any travelers who happened to come upon the ruins. He had explained to the hunter that he and a few other Cabal officers and drawn up an imaginary grid on the maps of these ruins. Each officer had lay claim to a square. Any traveler caught near these ruins would be killed by the Cabal, but they had turned it into a game. They had bet money, women, and finer things. At the the end of the month, who's ever square held the most corpses would win. But this officer was going for that and something better. He was trying to get the most Guardians killed, not just travelers. He had been lucky enough to find a Guardian willing to kill other Guardians. Especially, one as seemingly powerful as this one. The Cabal officer looked upon the prone form of the hunter. Or rather the spot where he was. The hunter's armor had a special kind of camouflage that allowed to disappear completely when motionless. Any movement would cause him to be seen, in the same way that hot air rising from a stove can be 'seen.' "Well?" the Cabal officer dared to ask one more time. "It is done. They are dead." The officer failed miserably to contain his surprise at the sound of the hunter's voice coming from directly behind his ear. "Do you think--" "I care not, Cabal minion. I have completed my time here and everything you have required of me. I am through here. Stay and play with your beloved 'buried city' of the dead. I am done." The hunter left the Cabal officer to his thoughts. Yes, the officer thought. It is my beloved buried city. A slow smile crept along his withered face. The officer smiled and pondered the riches that waited in store when the score would be totaled. Not even the sounds of the buzzards loudly feeding in the distance could shake him from his thoughts.