ʜᴇ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ. ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʜɪs ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴠᴀɢᴇʀ sᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴇɴsᴇʀ sᴍᴀsʜɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜɪs sᴘɪɴᴇ ɪɴsᴛᴇᴀᴅ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇꜰʟᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʜɪᴍ. ᴡʜʏ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛᴡɪᴄᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʟɪɴɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ʜɪs sʜᴏᴛs ᴏʀ ʜɪs ᴋɴɪᴠᴇs ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴍᴀʀᴋs ᴏʀ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜɪs ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ɢᴜɴ ᴏʀ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʜᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜɪs ɢʜᴏsᴛ, ᴏɴʟʏ ꜰᴏʀ sᴜɴᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪꜰʟᴇᴍᴀɴ. ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ? ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ sɪᴅᴇ-ʙʏ-sɪᴅᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀʏᴅᴇ-6 ɪɴ ʜᴇʟʟ?
The deep, rumbling voice crawled up and down his circuits as if they were needles lightly prickling skin he no longer has, limbs freezing in place as he stood still in the chilling, damp chasm he somehow found himself in. More than chilling, freezing, he can feel the hidden clawed scars on his torso begin to sting and numb like frostbite.
The voice is teasing, he’s taunting him. For what reason, he cannot completely discern on tone and word alone, but it’s most definitely something that is malicious. Mind games, manipulation, gaslighting and doubt. He knew all of them oh so well and it’s something he hasn’t allowed himself to fall for easily.
The name of Cayde-6 sounded like an insult coming from the King’s words, he could feel himself sneer at the cold, gaping darkness that surrounded but a tiny electric candle that lit its own path. He would not allow the name of someone he ( LOVED? ) befriended be used in as much vain as the King was right now.
“... W-When--” His voice caught in his throat for a moment, the light in his mouth reflecting off the frigid floor and vapors that curled around his feet. He took a moment to recompose himself and start over, constricted green irises staring right at the void before him. He was terrified, anyone would be.
“When the day came that he left the Tower, well... There were some people who wanted to tag along with him.” A fair start, simple and to the point. Everyone knew that the trip to the Prison of Elders was going to be a dangerous one, and that Cayde was going to need all the help he could get.
“People kept asking him to let them come along and help out, me along with them, we all knew that trip was gonna be one hell of a firefight.” A small shake of his head, he could almost chuckle if he didn’t feel like he was being paralyzed. “But he kept telling everyone, ‘It’ll be fine!’ ‘None of you worry one bit.’ ‘I’ll only be gone for a day or two.’”
His head lowers, a weary but shaky sigh leaves him.
“That was my first mistake, letting him convince me or anyone else to stay back home. I wasn’t there with him, but I should have been. Maybe then, that slop of a sniper that calls himself the Rifleman wouldn’t have shot Sundance.” He speaks with venom in his voice now, a deep hatred for the Barons, and by extension the Darkness, boils in his throat once again as he lifts his head to the deep chasm’s shadows.
“At the end of it all, hearing that demon’s skull crack by my bullet was all the revenge I needed.”
