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Archer woke up to the sound of deep breathing. He opened his eyes to the small cell-like room he was bunking in with Vask, who was asleep underneath him on the too small cot they were sharing. The krogan's deep breaths slowly raising and lowering the human lying on his chest.

He tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but the heat he woke up to kept him from becoming comfortable enough to drift off. Sweat rolled down every part of him, and his mouth felt as if it were packed with cotton.

He peeled his face off the krogan's exposed chest, lifted off the arm draped over his lower back, and slumped off the slumbering krogan.

He walked a few shuffling steps towards the tiny sink set into the room's wall and turned on the faucet. Nothing came out at first but after a several seconds of rattling pipes, rust colured water started sputtering out.

He cringed at the colour of the water, watching it slowly turn clear. He cupped his hands under the sputtering flow of now clear water and drank from them.

He shuddered at the strong metallic taste and cupped his hands under the flow again, using the gathered water to awkwardly wash himself of the sweat, grime, and other things he had accrued over the day prior.

"You best put your armour back on," Vask said in a tired voice from the cot. "The temperature's only going to get worse."

Archer splashed his face with water and turned the faucet off. He walked over to where his armour was discarded on the floor and picked up his undersuit.

He put it on, bouncing around slightly to slide it over his damp skin. How much was still water and how much of it was already replaced with sweat, Archer didn't know.

He pulled up his omni-tool and checked the time.

"There's only a couple hours till morning," Archer said, dismissing the orange holographic interface. "You best get up and ready."

With a groan, Vask sat up in the cot, rubbing his face to wake himself up. He tucked himself back into his undersuit, and reached behind him for the rest of the undersuit hanging from his hips.

He pulled it on and stood up, walking over to Archer and helping the human put on the back pieces of his armour.

Having got them on, Archer picked up Vask's armour pieces and helped him put them on.

"Are you feeling alright?" Archer asked as he hefted up the large armour plate that belonged on top of Vask's hump.

"Yeah," said Vask as he put on his chest plate. "Feeling rested now."

"Not what I meant," Archer said, standing back and watching Vask check over his armour, adjusting pieces slightly. "You were proud to be a part of Weyrloc. What made you suddenly decide to join Urdnot?"

"We'll get into-"

"No," chided Archer, and grabbed Vask's head and made him look at him, making the krogan let out a surprised noise. "We won't get into it later. We're getting into it now."

Vask tried to pull his head away but Archer yanked it back, and said, "Now."

Vask let out a deep breath, and slouched. He pulled away, Archer let him go, and sat down in the cot.

Archer sat down next to him, the cot's small size making them sit hip to hip.

"Why did you decide to join?" Archer asked again.

The krogan was silent for several moments before he spoke up.

"I didn't intend to join when I first came here. I didn't even let the clan leader speak before I started yelling at him for taking over my clan. Saying the same things Dinak did, almost word for word. He didn't like what I had to say."

"Then he saw," Vask said before trailing off.

Archer laid a hand on Vask's shoulder, and gently rubbed it.

Vask continued, "I was ready to fight for the honour of clan Weyrloc. Then he saw how I only stood down when I looked at you."

He took in a deep, shuddering breath. "He saw what you were to me at that moment. That you were more than just my krantt. So he offered me, what do you humans call an act of peace?"

"Offering an olive branch?" asked Archer. "It means a gesture of goodwill."

The krogan nodded, "He offered me an olive branch in the chance of joining the clan."

"I feel like there's a bit more nuance here," said Archer. "You could've just turned it down and left."

"I," Vask said before cutting himself off, trying to find the words. His hands started to tremble. "My stubbornness in trying to defend my clan almost started a firefight. One that I was more than willing to, in the moment, die to protect my clan's honour."

"But then I saw you, ready to fight with me. A rifle pointed at your face but ready to fight. I was ready to die for my clan's honour and I saw that I would've dragged you down with me."

He turned to face Archer and lightly touched his headplate to Archer's forehead. Tears started to well in the krogan's green eyes.

"I came close to losing you before because of my stubbornness. Back in Omega. My stubbornness about not admitting that I'm," Vask stopped himself. Seeming to choke on the next word. "That I'm gay."

Archer brought his hands to Vask's face, wiping the tears from the krogan's face before they could fall.

"And I almost lost you yesterday," Vask said. He continued with a sob. "I can't lose you."

Archer remembered back to when Vask was sick in Omega. His fevered begging. He gave the krogan a small kiss on the lips and repeated to him, softly, "I'm not going to leave you."

The krogan's arms surrounded the human in a tight hug, and they sat there for several moments in silence in each other's embrace.

The silence was broken when Archer spoke up, "I'm not without blame either. I haven't been the best to you."

Vask broke the hug and looked down at the human, and asked, "How?"

"I could've just asked why you were acting so cold back in Omega when it first started," said Archer. "Not say anything about it and let it fester for two god damned years until I kicked you out of the apartment."

Vask didn't say anything but put a hand on Archer's shoulder and pulled the human into a side hug.

Archer continued, "And then there was the fire."

"Fire?" Vask asked, confused. "What fire?"

"When you were sick and I was taking us to the clinic. You kept stopping and refusing to move every time we were near the bonfires they had," explained Archer, leaning forward out of the hug and holding his head in his hands.

"I should've asked sooner what your deal was with fire. If I had, I could've dealt with your fever better and not have gotten shot."

"Hey," Vask said harshly, surprising Archer. "If you won't let me blame myself for that, I won't let you blame yourself for it."

"But I still should've asked you sooner," Archer said, looking back at the krogan. "But I can't stand thinking back to the attack on the Citadel. Where you froze up. I can't stand thinking…"

Archer trailed off, his hands starting to tremble and breathes becoming harsher. He could hear the screeching of the metal spikes as if he were still on the Citadel. The moaning screams of the mutilated humans shambling towards him. Their dried out, skeletal faces glowing with the ungodly tech the Geth forced on them.

"Those things…" trembled Archer.

"Hey," Vask said, but more gently. He pulled the human close to him, and slowly rubbed his back. "I don't blame you for not wanting to think about the attack. It was rough on the entire galaxy."

Vask said nothing more for several moments, only rubbing Archer's back to sooth the traumatised human.

"Klixen," Vask eventually said.

"What?" asked Archer, looking up at Vask.

"Klixen are the reason for the fire," said Vask.

"The animal that cracked your headplate?" asked Archer, looking at the large crack that ran down the right side of the krogan's green headplate.

A loud knocking interrupted them.

"Hurry up," said an Urdnot krogan from the other side of the door. "The shaman won't wait forever."

Vask stood and made his way to the sink. He turned it on and splashed his face with the water, not even waiting for the water to clear up before doing so.

Archer stood up also, checking himself over to make sure he had everything he needed.

"Armour, helmet, heat clips, gun. You got everything you needed?"

Vask wiped the water from his face, and pulled out his shotgun, checking over. The mechanics whirring slightly before a small green light flicked on.

He then grabbed Archer's gun and checked it over. A green light flicking on also.

He nodded, "Everything's in working order. No use standing around."

The krogan then walked to the door and unlocked it, opening it to reveal a brown krogan impatiently waiting for the pair. Vask pushed past him and Archer followed close after.

Archer saw the krogan look back into their room to the small cot and then back to the pair.

"Mind your own business," Archer snapped at the krogan.

"What?" Vask asked from in front of Archer.

"Not you," assured Archer. "And don't worry about it."

They made their way back to the main area of Urdnot's capital, passing by the varren pit and up a ramp to where the shaman was waiting by a large tank-like vehicle.

"You have everything you need for the rite?" asked the Shaman.

Both Vask and Archer nodded, and the Shaman responded, "Good. Let's get this over with."

All three, and the krogan who got them from their room climbed into the vehicle and set off for the rite.

***

"Fucking hell!" exclaimed Archer. "This is even worse."

Archer shielded his eyes from the intense glare of the sun, and did his best to ignore the sweat running down his skin underneath his armour.

"This armour does fuck all against the weather," he complained as he walked out if a large tunnel the Urdnot vehicle was parked further down in.

"It does," said Vask, coming out of the tunnel. "If it didn't, you'd already be suffering from heatstroke and intense sunburn."

"Sunburn?" asked Archer, "From the moment I stood outside?"

"It's over seventy five degrees at the moment, and I heard that you paler humans burn easier," said Vask.

Archer shook his head, trying to wipe away as much sweat as he could through the opening of his helmet. "What I'd give for that to be in Fahrenheit."

"You two bicker like an old mated couple," said the shaman as he walked past the pair.

"This," proclaimed the shaman, waving his arm around the large open arena-like area the three people stood in. "Will be where you conduct the rite."

He pointed to a large tower at the edge of the arena. "Activate the keystone and battle all the creatures that it summons to prove your worth to clan Urdnot."

"Sounds simple enough," said Archer. "What's the catch?"

"We'll be fighting Tuchanka's wildlife," said Vask.

The shaman spoke up, "If you survive, you'll be inducted into Clan Urdnot, leaving your old clan behind. So if you have any lingering qualms, speak up now so I don't waste anymore of my time."

Vask was silent, looking down at the ground in thought. He stole a glance towards Archer, shook his head and told the shaman, simply, "No."

"Good, then activate the keystone," said the shaman and walk back down the tunnel they arrived through, sealing it behind him and leaving the pair alone in the nuke blasted desert arena.

Archer looked around the arena, which was made of worn concrete and rusted metal. He spotted several krogan bodies scattered around the arena.

"Uh, what's the mortality rate of these rites?" he asked.

"About a third," Vask said as he walked up to the keystone's button.

"A third live or die?" asked Archer. Vask said nothing as he pressed the button.

"Live or die?" Archer asked again.

"Live," Vask said, pressing the button again after what he was hoping to happen didn't. "But we'll be fine. That's the children's mortality rate."

"Why bring up kids?" asked Archer.

"Because the shaman's having us do the same rite as children do as they come of age," Vask said, pulling his arm back and punched the button, finally starting up the keystone. A pre-recorded speech about krogan history playing as a large cylinder rose in the nearby tower. "I'm unproven to them. So, I may as well be a child to them."

The cylinder slammed down to ground and shook the ground, the sound of the impact reverberated throughout the arena and beyond.

Archer unholstered his pistol, "I know the shaman said it was just a formality. But it seems a bit insulting to have you do something a kid would do."

"We can still die if we don't watch ourselves," said Vask, pulling out his shotgun. "And children do this when they come of age, and are regarded as adults afterwards. So I don't think it's insulting."

A series of growls echoed throughout the arena.

"On your right," Vask called out.

Archer aimed his gun to his right and saw a small pack of four varren running straight for them. He fired a shot, nailing the lead Varren in the head and making it tumble to the ground mid-run.

"Damn, this thing's strong," Archer said, looking over the Phalanx in his hands. "Aren't varren able to take more of a beating than that?"

"Keep shooting!" Vask yelled.

Archer quickly obliged and shot two more Varren, with Vask taking out the last himself when it came into range of his shotgun.

"Well that was easy," said Archer. "I assume there's more?"

"Yeah, we have to use the keystone a few times," said Vask, slamming the keystone's button. Then slamming it a couple more times when it didn't respond.

"Ancient piece of shit," he grumbled.

Archer scanned the arena for anything else that may try to take them by surprise. When looking past the bounds of the arena, he noticed something large blending into the rubble of the surrounding area. It had a large serpentine body and two large, scythe-like forearms at its end.

A pit opened in Archer's stomach, and he slowly backed up until his back touched Vask's.

"Vask," Archer said in a harsh whisper, "Is that a thresher maw?"

Vask looked back to where Archer was looking and then returned his attention to the malfunctioning button. "Yeah."

"What do we do?" Archer asked, still in a whisper.

"Nothing, it's dead," Vask said, jabbing the button multiple times until the keystone's button finally started to rise again.

"Fucking finally," grumbled Vask.

"How do you know it's dead?" Archer asked, pointing his gun at it, ready for the slightest movement.

"Cause if it wasn't, we would be," answered Vask.

The keystone slammed back down again, sending its reverberating call into the barren wastes.

"What the hell managed to kill a fucking thresher maw?" Archer asked, shooting at some varren that ran that answered the keystone's call.

"I don't know," said Vask, shooting at a few remaining varren. "This is where the Urdnots conduct their rite of passage, so probably some kid and his krantts."

"God help whoever gets in their way if that's what happened," Archer said, ejecting a heat clip and inserting a fresh one.

Suddenly something large flew overhead, landing near the thresher maw's corpse.

"What the hell is that?" Yelled Archer, gawking at the massive house size creature, waving its serpentine head at them.

"Harvester," said Vask in a soft, fearful voice.

Archer looked back at Vask, surprised at the krogan's sudden change in attitude. "You alright?"

Vask said nothing, frozen in place where he stood, his shotgun trembling in his shaking hands.

"Shit," swore Archer, and grabbed the krogan's shoulder, shaking him. "Now's not the time."

He looked back towards the harvester who had flown off, leaving several large, red insectoid creatures immediately swarming towards the pair.

Archer knew what the creatures must've been by Vask's reaction alone, he raised his pistol and fired at the swarm.

As they started to get closer, one let out a stream of fire from its mouth. Vask stumbled back, panicking and hyperventilating, and Archer yelped in surprise.

He threw the klixen back with his biotics, the klixen exploding in a shower of guts and fire as it struck one of its fellows. It's flaming innards sticking to everything they hit.

"Jesus…" Archer said, paling, understanding now Vask's fear, seeing the flames stick to the other klixen and swarm towards the pair, unaffected.

He was thankful now, for the armour and new pistol. The armour protecting him from the klixen's flaming breath and splattering napalm-like guts.

The M-5 Phalanx power dealt with the klixen quickly, much faster than if he had stayed with his normal Predator.

But he remembered why he convinced Vask to let him get the Predator over the Phalanx when the pair moved to Omega two years prior, when he pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

Archer swore again, and threw a biotic blast towards the closest klixen, bowling it over.

He now cursed the Phalanx's smaller clip size, ejecting the heat clip. He inserted a new one, fumbling with it.

He took too long to insert the fresh clip that the few remaining klixen were able to get up close to him.

He fired at them in a panic, the closest klixen exploding from the wild firing. Archer stumbled back, bringing his arms up to shield himself as he was splattered with the klixen's flaming guts.

He let out a shriek of pain as a drop got past his arms, and through the small gap on his helmet, landing on his left cheek.

Archer forgot about the klixen at that moment, dropping to the ground and clawing at the gap in his helmet as the klixen's remains scorched the flesh of his face.

He felt the klixen pounce on him, their claws slashing at his armoured body, and the heat of their flames starting to overwhelm his armour.

A roar ripped through the air, and beating against him stopped, leaving only the burning on his face.

Getting nowhere clawing at his helmet, Archer started tugging it, eventually wrenching it from his head.

He started clawing at his cheek again, each passing motion intensifying the pain. But he couldn't keep himself from trying to scrape the guts from his face.

Something pried his hands away from his face and he struggled, trying to pull his hands free. He was roughly shaken as he thrashed to try and get his arms free.

"Stop!" yelled Vask, shaking the human again, "I said fucking stop! Clawing at it is just going to spread it."

Archer kept struggling in the Vask's grip, making the alien pin the human to the ground.

The human kicked wildly, his legs being the only thing he could move from underneath the krogan, as Vask pinned both arms behind Archer's back and put his knee against them to free his hands.

He grabbed the human's head to steady it and keep it still, and with shaking hands, grabbed the small piece of klixen innards.

Archer shrieked louder as the krogan pulled at the burning piece of flesh stuck to his face. Feeling it try to cling to his face as Vask ripped it off.

He let out a croaking gasp as the pain suddenly left his face. It still burned, but it no longer felt like his face was being scorched and melted.

He tried to breath in, but struggled under Vask's weight.

"Get off, please," he gasped.

"Are you going to stop clawing at your face?" asked Vask.

Archer nodded, as best he could from under Vask's hand pinning his head.

Vask let go of him and stood up, looking down at the human as he sat up.

Archer put a hand against his burnt cheek, and slapped away Vask's hand when he tried to grab it.

"I'm not going to claw it," he spat.

"By Kalros' spawn, you're pathetic, Vask," said a voice from a nearby ledge.

The pair looked up to the ledge and saw Dinak, glaring down at them.

"To have a krantt so weak that he's taken down by a small drop of their guts," spat Dinak.

"Ah, so you do think I'm his krantt now?" Archer said up to the krogan.

"It changes nothing," snarled Dinak. "You're still nothing more than a small pathetic human. Worth nothing more than to be used as varren bait."

"A human that battled several klixen and came out on top," said Vask, stepping in front of Archer, blocking him from the judgemental krogan's view.

"Only because you were too much of a coward to face them yourself," spat Dinak.

Vask growled and pointed his shotgun at Dinak, "You call me a coward, yet how long were you hiding behind rubble, watching me and my mate perform the rite?"

"Mate?" Dinak asked in shock, before his face twisted into a look of disgust. "You mated with a human?"

Vask said nothing, taking a step back as he realised what he said. Archer stood up and stepped up to Vask' side.

"So what if he mated with me," he said, pulling his hand away from his cheek. "Not like you'll ever have a mate."

He waved an arm around the arena, "Look around you. There's only two Weyrlocs left, and after the Urdnot's shaman returns there'll only be one."

"What female would want to mate with the last member of a clan who was wiped out by Commander Shepard? A 'small pathetic human'."

With a snarling roar, Dinak jumped down from his ledge and charged Archer.

Archer froze the charging krogan in place with a stasis field, immediately dropping to his knees with a pained yelp as pain shot into his brain from the strain of the power.

He was thrown to the side by Vask as the stasis field dropped and Dinak collided with Vask, sending the pair grappling to the ground.

Archer skidded along the ground, and he groaned. The pain from the headache feeling like a crack in the skull, running from his left brow and down behind his left eye.

He wiped away a tear of blood and looked for Vask, seeing him pinned on the ground by Dinak who was wrestling Vask's shotgun from his hands.

Archer surrounded the gun in dark energy and pulled it towards him, wrenching it from both the krogan's hands and towards himself, catching it.

Dinak launched off of Vask and charged Archer again. Archer dropped the gun and jumped up from the ground, he wound a fist back for a punch. He surrounded it in dark energy and, with a shout, punched the charging krogan directly on his headplate.

A loud crack resounded from both Dinak's headplate and Archer's arm. Both dropped to the ground, Dinak unmoving, and Archer to his knees cradling his arm.

"Son of a bitch!" hissed Archer.

"You alright?" Vask asked with a groan as he got up from the ground, wiping a trail of orange blood from his lip.

"No!" snapped Archer, holding his broken arm. "My face is burnt to shit, my head's killing me, and now my arm's broken. Again."

A metallic screech announced the return of the Urdnot's shaman as the tunnel he came out of was unsealed.

"I'm surprised it's just a broken arm," Vask said as he turned Dinak over, revealing a spider web of cracks on the krogan's headplate. "You knocked him out cold."

"What do we do with him?" Archer asked, standing up.

"Kill him," said the shaman as he walked up to the pair. "He tried to interfere with a rite."

Vask retrieved his shotgun from the ground where Archer discarded it. He looked it over before looking over at the unconscious Dinak. He holstered the gun and walked away towards the tunnel.

"He's not worth it," he said.

Archer retrieved his helmet from the ground and put it back on as best he could with one hand, then tried to jog up to Vask. He winced from his arm being jostled so reserved himself to a quick walk.

"Won't he be a problem in the future?" Archer asked.

"No," Vask said, matter of factly, "Unconscious and alone outside like that. He won't survive the night."

The shaman followed after the pair and down the tunnel, sealing it behind him and trapping the doomed Dinak outside.