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K-Lin sighed with frustration when her cloak caught on another rock as she hastily squeezed her way through a narrow crack in the cavern wall. It was getting quite tedious because every time it got caught K-Lin would be jerked to a halt.
“Maybe you should take it off?” chirped Nix from behind her. K-Lin was about to retort when Nix bumped his shell against her helmet with an amused beep. “I’m kidding! Come one we’re almost there.”
They finally emerged onto a ledge high above the main cavern. The smoke was thick up here and even though she had her helmet on, she felt like she was choking. Unease crept into her body and her chest closed in. “Something wrong, Nix, something’s terribly wrong.” She murmured softly. “We are in the right place, right?”
“Yes. These are the exact co-ordinates that Cayde told us to meet him at. And to be honest, this is Cayde we’re talking about. When he’s away from the tower something always goes wrong.”
“I can honestly not complain with you there.” K-Lin moved forward and looked over the edge. It was a long way to the bottom but even from this high up she could see the destruction and the death. A portal like structure illuminated the cavern floor, framing the dead bodies in a pale blue light from the one side while the yellow light of flames struck them from the other side. K-Lin looked at Nix. “Okay something’s wrong, I agree.” He confessed. K-Lin looked back down at the carnage. “Nix try to contact Cayde.” His shell spun around as he tried and failed to get to Cayde. “I’ve tried both his Ghost and his communicator, I’m not getting through to him.” Nix told her.
The feeling of anxiety grew stronger. Un-holstering her handcanon from her hip she leapt down, breaking her fall halfway down and then again just before she landed. Dust spiraled up all around her and didn’t settle down. “Nix please scan again.” As he was scanning K-Lin slowly moved around to a mutilated body. Headshot K-Lin thought. Another body a bit further was half burnt to a crisp. She stopped suddenly. This wasn’t dust she was walking through… It was ash. Ash created by the godly fire of a Golden Gun. “KAY!” She jumped at Nix’s call. “What? Did you find something?”
“It’s a faint distress signal. Barely traceable.” He paused for a moment. “Nix who’s is it?” K-Lin said, her heart now starting to hammer against her rib cage. “It’s Cayde’s Ghost’s”
Her eyes widened. “Where?”
“Over there, just by that portal thing.” K-Lin looked over towards it, trying to identify anything that looked remotely like Cayde. Slowly she weaved her way through the destruction, lightly kicking up ash as she glided over the ground. She neared the portal and was struck with a hand so cold it made every hair on her body stand on end. It surprised her, so much so that she skidded to a halt. “What?” Her Ghost said alarmed. “K-Lin what is it?” She didn’t answer him. Her eyes fell on a still figure about 10 meters ahead of her. Her insides went even colder cold.
She let out a gasp of anguish as she neared the body, frantically ripping off her helmet and flinging it to the side. K-Lin dropped next to the body of Cayde-6. She muttered his name over and over, madly trying to wake him up. “Please! Please come on! CAYDE WAKE UP! FOR THE LOVE OF THE TRAVELER! PLEASE!” She cried. A faint ringing rose up as his optics dimly lit up. “My treasur— queen… has finally showe— ” He said faintly, his words cutting out. K-Lin rushed to his face, tears stinging her eyes, her hands frantically but gently running over the damaged plates of his face. “Cayde—” She inhaled sharply, “I thought— I thought you were dead.” His optics flickered brighter, but he didn’t say anything.
Painfully he raised his hand up to her cheek. She placed her hand over his, lightly leaning into it but never, for one second, taking her eyes off of him. She took in how damaged he was and was about to ask him what happened when his body shuddered. He groaned and coughed out a painful laugh. Then it hit her. “Cayde where is your Ghost?”
“K-Lin…” Nix called to her. She glanced to him and saw that he was shaking his shell from side to side, confirming what she feared to be true. She slowly turned her head back to Cayde. No… No his Ghost is gone… She thought as dread wrapped around her mind. His fingers lightly brushed her cheek. “Sorry…”
“No don’t say that. Don’t— ” He cut her off. “No tim— I ne—d to tell—” His voice cut out again as another shudder shook his body. “Cayde!”
“Kay I’m sorry. It wasn— to end like th—” K-Lin shook her head. “No. This is not the end.” His optics flickered again. Panic finally seized her. “kay lis—en to me.” He gently griped her face. “Ul—n did this.”
“What…”
“It was Uldr—”
Uldren Sov. The awoken prince of The Reef. Cayde saw the realization in her eyes. “That’s m— girl. Kick t—at bastards ass fo— me.” He gasped suddenly and with every ounce of energy had left he spoke, “I love you.” And then his optics dimmed. His hand slipped from hers and fell onto his lifeless body. K-Lin stared. Tears ran down her cheeks, tracing wet, black paths through the soot that had accumulated on her face. She sat frozen, staring at the lifeless face of the man she loved.
“Cayde… Cayde?” She whimpered softly, hoping that his sky blue optics would once again flicker to life. But they remained dark. Despair flowed into her body as the realization struck her. She placed her head to his chest, shuddering as her breath caught on the ever growing lump in her throat. A sob finally escaped her body, a sob that turned into a wail of anguish. She arched her back, a scream from the depths of her soul erupted from her and echoed through the cavern. “I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE!” She wailed, “I COULD OF STOPPED THIS!” She leaned over Cayde, burying her face into his cloak and allowed the torment of shuddering sobs to shake her to her core.
She stayed like that for who know how long. When her sobs had lessened slightly, Nix nestled into her cloak, not saying a word until K-Lin had calmed. “We’re going to get that bastard K-Lin.“ Her Ghost said, anger dripping from his voice. "But we have to get out of here.”
“I’m no leaving him…”
“I didn’t say that. We were not, by the Traveler’s light, ever going to leave him here.” K-Lin stared at Nix for a moment and then numbly stood up. She took in a deep gulp of air and nodded. She carefully retrieved Cayde’s Ghost and placed it in his cloak. Mustering all the strength she had, she lifted Cayde into her arms and walked towards the light of the portal. “Time to take him home…” K-Lin said, stepping through the portal.