"So there I was, in the middle of all the killing and the looting. We all fought the invaders, but I fought harder. They kept coming, and I kept blasting. Not gonna lie, I was magnificent.

But it didn't end well for all of us. They took our home, ravaged it, and we had to flee. They laid waste to our city, and captured the Traveler for themselves. I could've dealt with them, obviously, but the important thing comes first, and that was to save the innocents. At that moment, it seemed like all hope was lost...

But it wasn't over! Oh no, it did not..for I bravely led the remaining Hunters, and of course, I had my best pal along for the ride. In fact, he came to me first, asking for help, knowing that I could become a great asset in turning the tide of the war. We traveled across the solar system to reunite with our old buddies, and with the Vanguards united we gathered all the manpower we could by ourselves...with a little outside help- and we took the City back by storm!!!

I, of course, selflessly led the charge into the frontline, as there was no one else more suited for the job, Well sure, there were my buddies, Ikora and Zavala with me, but I got the most kills, that's for sure. Although technically my buddy was the one who put the final bullet into the skull of that asshole, Gary- I mean, Gill- no wait, uhh...Ghaul, yeah right, that guy- but that's not important. The important thing is, our bravery, our resolve, and my brilliant marksmanship and tenacity helped us reclaim our home, and before you know it, the City was ours once more!!!

The other Guardians were so impressed by my courage that they all followed my footsteps, and the Cabal, so struck with fear upon seeing my face, that they decided to fly away in their little ships and never mess with us, or me, again.

Of course, that wasn't the end of it. We won, but not without a cost. We mourned the losses of those who didn't live to see the day, but we also celebrated for days on end, and to top it all off, I finally had a sandwich for the first time in weeks! Everyone gets a happy ending...well, except for Ghaul. And the Cabal.

And that, fellas, is just one of many, many heroic deeds I've done in my past life, more so than you can count, actually. SO!! Any questions? Or do y'all need some time to sink in your heads about the sheer awesomeness of my tale?"

"...that, is the most bullshit backstory I've ever heard in my entire life."

"Yeah, do you seriously expect us to believe all that crap you just said?"

"It didn't sound like you actually did much there. Sounded like this Guardian friend you had did more work for you..."

Ren and Motoyasu were dumbfounded, no, apalled, at the sheer ego this robotic human in front of them possessed. Naofumi couldn't think of a more appropriate word to describe Cayde's story, other than "pretentious". He also thought Cayde's story wasn't all that impressive, but who's he to judge?

The aforementioned person, looked like his jaw dropped to the floor, despite not being physically capable of doing so.

Sure, he didn't technically tell the whole story, in fact most of what he said was littered with half-truths here and there, as well as a lot of overexaggeration, and alot of oversimplification. Maybe he made himself out sound a bit too cool to be true in his retelling, and that's why it sounded quite pretentious?

Hey, he was dead and in a different world. Who's to say he can't have his own fun?

"What? We're in a different world with magic and stuff! And I'm a walking, talking, robot! There's nothing here that makes sense! What part of my story is somehow not believable to you!?"

"I thought you said you're not really a robot?" Naofumi butted in.

"NO, I didn't-okay, I did-look it's kinda complicated, alright? Also, sure I didn't put the the big bad in the end, but I still got the most kills, lemme tell ya."

"Oh sure, and of course you're not a robot right? You're an 'Exo', right? Like that's supposed to be any different..." Motoyasu mocked.

"I bet you don't even know how to fight, much less lead an army of so-called 'Guardians' to fight these 'Cabal' things or something...such cliche names, at least think of something more original.." Ren added further.

That first sentence managed to get onto his nerves, his hand now twitching. "Oh, really? You wanna bet on that?"

Naofumi could feel the ongoing tension, and decided to put a stop to it. "Okay, calm down! We're Heroes! We're not supposed to fight each other!"

Motoyasu also tried to defuse the situation. "Naofumi's right, now's not the time to bicker with one another. I don't trust this tin can either, but we should all at least try to be civil to each other."

"Hey look, I'm always trying to be the nice guy here, you guys are the ones who are ruining the whole vibe for the rest of us.

Also, I think I agree with you.. what's his name again? Oh yeah, Naofumi. Sure, we can put this all behind for now, I'm cool with that...and also, 'tin can'? Please, be original." Cayde responded, further annoying the former. He was quite offended by his insult, not because it was insulting, but because it was so pathetic to begin with. Even Ikora could think of better ones.

Ren sat down and let out a sigh. He simply couldn't believe everything Cayde said. Sure, his very appearance is proof enough that he's not actually human and he probably isn't even from Earth, or the same one as the rest of them, but aliens? Humans with superpowers? And this guy somehow is a competent leader, according to his own words? Yeah, not a chance.

"Why do you have a horn on your head?" Naofumi blatantly asked out loud, drawing the attention of the entire room. Cayde of course, came up with an answer nobody would have expected.

"Eh, makes me look cool."

It's also surprisingly efficient for headbutt kills, but he's not going to let them know his horn's actually a pretty deadly weapon.

Ren chose to just ignore Cayde's answer. "Alright, I guess Cayde has already told us his little fairy tale, now I suppose it's time the rest of us to tell our stories. Do we all come from the same Earth?"

"Well, we all speak Japanese, so I guess we all came from Japan, right? Except this guy of course." Motoyasu concluded, while pointing out to Cayde.

"Uh, I think you mean English?" Cayde responded.

"Huh? No, you're speaking Japanese right now." Ren answered.

"Yeah right, I'm hearing you guys talking in English right now, so how do you-wait...you're hearing me, speak Japanese? But I'm hearing English from you fellas. Is there some kind of invisible universal translator with us right now?"

Motoyasu raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking abou-"

"Hold on, I think Cayde's got a point. Think about it, the three of us, we all have Japanese names. But Cayde doesn't really sound Japanese, don't you think? It sounds more like a Western name, if anything." Ren surmised.

"Now that you said it, it makes sense. How come we didn't notice that before?" Naofumi added.

"Maybe the fact that we were all busy trying to figure out how the hell we got transported into another world filled with strange magic and suddenly forced to become heroes tasked with saving the world from total annihilation?" Cayde replied in a mocking tone.

The former were dumbstruck by the sudden splash of sarcasm. "...well, yeah there's that, but..."

"Look, does this really matter? Who cares if we can understand each other or not, I mean, it's obviously magic, case closed." Cayde didn't give Naofumi a chance. He was just too tired to wrap his head around all the new things and was just itching to get out of the room.

"As much as I hate to say it, Cayde's right. Obviously this world has a magic system we hadn't understood yet, so this could just be one of its properties." Ren acknowledged.

"You know, I've been thinking. The more I think about it, the more this feels like a game, you know? The Status screen, the fantasy setting, the sudden language translation between us, it's just like playing Emerald Online." Motoyasu spoke aloud.

'Emerald Online? Never heard of that game before.' Naofumi thought to himself.

"You're right, but I think you mean it's like a VRMMO. Just like Brave Star Online." Ren replied.

Ren's statement made Naofumi even more confused, since he was sure that kind of game doesn't even exist yet. "VRMMO? Is that even-"

"Yawwwwnnnn...you know what? Imma go back to my room and just, let you guys figure out your differences, pour your hearts out to one another, etcetera...anyway, see ya tomorrow." Cayde butted in while turning away from the group.

Great, not all of a sudden they were talking about video games. He doesn't have anything against them, don't get him wrong, but it was never his expertise. He would never admit it to anyone, but he kinda sucked at video games in general. Hell, even Lord Shaxx is better than him.

"Wait, we haven't even finished discussing everything yet!" Ren exclaimed.

"Oh I know... that's why I'm leaving." Cayde finished.

Was he acting too much like a jerk? After all, he did try to ignore them. Was he too harsh?

Nah. They didn't wanna listen to what he had to say, he's just returning the favor.

Besides, it's not like they were going to work together anyway. His Hunter instincts kept telling him that they're not gonna be worth counting on when shit hits the fan. Chances are, they might even become enemies, Heroes or not.

Cayde had spent enough lifetimes in the wild outside the confines of the City to know that trust is an expensive commodity. He had to play it safe. There's no one he could trust here, no other Guardians to back him up, and worst of all, he didn't have a Ghost anymore. And that's a big problem for any Guardian. Death is no longer a joke. It means he'll just have to rely on his own gut. Just like old times.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Quickly, he scanned his entire surrounding, looking for anything that seemed peculiar. He found nothing.

His "Hunter sense" was tingling. There was something, or someone, lurking within these corridors earlier. But whatever it was, it seems gone now.

Was there someone spying on the Heroes? He wasn't sure. But even if there was, why? Is there some kind of hidden operation against the Heroes? Is it about him? It wouldn't be too illogical to think of such.

Entering his room, he made sure to first lock the door, before closing the curtains to prevent anyone peeking. He ripped some of the fabrics on the bedsheets to block any small openings on the doors and windows, just to make sure no one could accidentally peek in. If there was really some spy hiding nearby, he wouldn't want to be caught with his pants down, literally or figuratively.

Sure, it seemed paranoid to do so, but you can never be too careful.

He finally took the time to examine the strange weapon he had been unconsciously carrying all this time. The bow was colored in white and gold, something that vaguely reminded him of the self-appointed Cabal Emperor Calus, and his obsession with gold. Can't really blame the guy. Who doesn't love gold?

Other than the fact that it was crafted from an unknown material and it was decorated with a brown crystal at the front of its arc, there wasn't anything special to it. At least, none that he had seen yet. He would've obviously preferred guns in combat, but he could make good use of a bow. He could make good use of anything given enough time and effort.

Opening his Status, he examined all the details he could see. On the top left corner of his eyesight, his name, along with three different colored bars were displayed. Beside his name, it showed his Level, which was still 1.

On the bottom right of his sight, he could see several icons with titles displayed on the bottom. Status, Item, Magic, Skill, Recipe, Party, Contract, Help.

Magic? That did raise a question in his head. Can he still use his Light?

Holding his palm forward, he tried to concentrate and summon his Golden Gun. He felt something tingly flowing through his arm, but it dissipated just as quickly as it appeared. He tried again, and again, and each time he could feel a spark much stronger than the last one, but it only lasted for mere seconds.

'Okay this is starting to get real frustrating.'

He knew that he still have his Light, albeit it was strange to think about in the first place. It wasn't unreasonable for Guardians to still have their Light even without their Ghosts. But most of the time they don't last very long afterwards anyway. Such is the life of a Guardian. But after death? Well, no one has been able to find that out, obviously. Until him.

Then why in Traveler's name can't he whip out his Golden Gun? He could feel his Solar Light, but he couldn't fully bring it out.

Then he realised something really strange. He could still feel the other two Light types that he rarely used, but he could feel Void much more than the other two. He had a bad feeling about it.

Changing his focus, he tried to draw Void instead, and to his surprise, his bow suddenly flared up in purple light, and was quickly devoured in a violet color, hiding its original white and gold surface, with the crystal gem turning bright amethyst. The signature weapon of a Void Hunter.

Wait, is he a Nightstalker now?

'Aw shucks, I'm gonna miss my Golden Gun.'

He never liked using the Void. It was too dangerous to control, and the power nearly drew him in bordering towards unhealthy addiction, which is why he stopped using it. He would've much preferred using Arc as an alternative, using a staff made of lightning is pretty fun, and it's hella dope too. But for now he'll have to learn to harness the power of the Void, as much as he hated it.

Glancing at the other icons, he noticed the Item icon lighting up brighter than usual. Focusing on it, he was met with a familiar collection of grids, and a very delightful surprise.

All of his weapons that he kept in his personal inventory when he was still alive, was still in his possession.

"Oh mama YES!!! My toys!!! Oh, how I missed you guys..."

From the outside perspective, it would seem as if a robotic human was shouting to himself for no reason while in a fully enclosed room like a creepy maniac.

But he didn't care.

And yes, contrary to what many other Guardians would think, Cayde does use weapons other than his Ace, just not as often.

Inspecting his inventory, he had several Legendary weapons, but no Exotic.

He could see why he didn't have it anymore. The Ace of Spades was his only Exotic, and the only one he thought he needed for his final mission. Too bad Uldren took it from him during his final moments. That greedy sonuva bitch.

At least he still had the Loaded Question, the Banshee's gift for him. There's also the Tarantula, the Bad Omens, and the Ikelos_SG_V1-uhh...the Ikelos "Boomstick", as he personally called it.

Not a lot of stuff, but it's enough. He was never a hoarder when it comes to weapons, unlike that one Guardian who just carries an entire arsenal around with himself. He noted that he didn't have any kinetic-based weapons, since he always relied on his Ace as his primary. Even his other weapons had probably been gathering dust already since he rarely used it.

But now comes another problem. Ammunition for energy and heavy weapons are rare to come by, and he wasn't sure ammunition would even exist in this world to begin with. The architecture and look of the buildings suggest that this civilization is quite primitive in comparison to modern day humanity. They're probably still using the old fashioned swords and shields for battle.

Well to be fair, even some Guardians still use swords and shields during battle. He was not a real fan of both. He preferred knives. And he likes to throw them instead.

Well, it appears he'll have to make do with what he had now. There's still some ammo left for all his weapons, but they're not gonna last long if he's gonna be staying in this world for a while.

He could feel himself getting drowsy. Strange. Insomnia is usually a bitch, but perhaps the Traveler from far away decided to give him a break this time, wherever the hell it would be right now, as well as the rest of the solar system.

'Yikes...this is awkward.'

The throne room was filled with murmurs, coming out of curious crowds filling up the upper floor, looking upon the Heroes with great interest. Two of them in particular, given more stares than the rest.

There were a lot of new faces in the king's throne room today. All of them seemed like what they would call "adventurers" in this world. And they're all staring at him.

Cayde knew why. The sight of a fully-functioning robotic being, or in their perspective, a "metal golem", acting like a human, might just be too much to bear for some. Especially if that being happened to be one of the four Cardinal Heroes, who were supposed to always be summoned as normal humans.

Still, it didn't help the fact that he's starting to feel like the center of attention in a freak show.

He also couldn't help but notice that some of the guests seemed to be staring at Naofumi with slight contempt. Weird. Only a single day and the guy's already got some negative publicity?

The king, sitting on the throne, spoke, "Greetings, Cardinal Heroes. As you can see, we have gathered many of the bravest warriors who will fight alongside you against the incoming Waves."

"Now, the adventurers will choose which Hero they would join. It is time to begin your journeys!"

There was a look of surprise on Naofumi, the Shield Hero. Cayde simply raised an eyebrow, or at least, the closest thing to count as that same gesture considering his robotic face.

The adventurers began walking towards the Heroes to choose the one they were willing to follow to fight alongside with.

Surprisingly, all of the adventurers decided to stand behind the Spear and Sword Hero, leaving both the Bow and Shield Hero alone with no party members, much to the displeasure of the latter two.

Naofumi was freaking out, because he was afraid that without any party members, he wouldn't be able to level up at all, much less fight against the Waves. Cayde was disturbed, because he simply couldn't comprehend the fact these adventurers were willing to pick those other two kids compared to him, an actual Guardian.

Of course, they didn't know about it, but still.

The king continued, "I must say, I didn't expect this." One of the advisors suddenly ran up to him and whispered something in his ear.

"Oh really? Hmm...so there have been rumors.

Word has been going around that the Shield Hero is rather ignorant compared to the rest of the Heroes. Legends have said that the Heroes have always been summoned with firm knowledge of this world, yet the Shield Hero do not seem fit with such a gift.

As for the Bow Hero, the fact that sir Cayde is a non-human, yet is claiming to be one, is quite antithetical to the legends, as the Cardinal Heroes have all been pure humans. Also, some had said that the Bow Hero is rather an untrustworthy person who enjoys committing acts of deception and slander." The king stated.

"Huh!?" Naofumi exclaimed.

"Whoa whoa whoa hold on there...what?" Cayde was not having a good time.

His second day in a different world, and people have already started calling him a con man? Well, technically they're not actually far from the truth, he had been doing some shady stuff back before his days in the Vanguard, but they shouldn't know about that! How could these people even think of something like that? Unless...

It suddenly clicked in his mind. There must've been someone listening into their conversation last night. And now they're spreading bad rumors about both himself and the shield guy.

He can't let his reputation be ruined this early! He hadn't even started becoming an adventurer yet!

"Ahem, excuse me, your Majesty? Listen, I don't know how or where these rumors started in the first place, but, in the end, they're just rumors, right? It's not something you can actually prove. There's no truth to this. You can't accuse me of anything. But, just in case you are, I should let you know I have the rights to demand a lawyer." Cayde was trying really hard to convince everyone here.

The king seemed quite convinced. "Hmm... maybe there is a truth to what sir Cayde said. But nevertheless, the fact remains that the Bow Hero is not fully human despite his claims, and in this country, demihumans are not looked upon lightly. But since you are a Cardinal Hero, I suppose you can be granted a special right-"

"-Yo, king!! This isn't fair! Hey, Ren! You have 5 members right? Why not give me some of them?" Naofumi rudely interrupted.

"I'm actually more of a loner. Speaking of which, if the rest of you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind." Ren just ignored Naofumi. His statement was quite a contradiction by itself. He called himself a loner, yet he was unwilling to give up any of his new members.

"Oh come on! Motoyasu, don't you have anything to say about this?" Naofumi turned towards the Spear Hero instead, hoping to get some good answer out of the latter.

"Well, honestly... I'm quite surprised my party is all girls, and I don't wanna force them or anything, so..." Motoyasu too, unfortunately wasn't willing to help Naofumi out.

"Wha...so what? You're all telling me to go alone!? Isn't that just unfair!!?" Naofumi was flabbergasted, and quite furious as well. He couldn't fight alone, after all, he was supposably the weakest class among the four Heroes, so what's he going to do?

Then, when all hope seems lost, one of the women in Motoyasu's party decided to hold up her hand.

"Sir Shield Hero? Would you allow me to join your party?"

She was beautiful to say the least. Long, crimson ponytail hair and hair strands along the sides of her face, emerald green eyes, and an overall youthful appearance. Any lesser man would kill to be her partner.

But there was something off about the woman. Her smile looked like a facade.

"Huh? Are you sure about this?" Motoyasu asked the woman.

"Yes, I'm sure!" She replied. For the first time, Naofumi seemed happy that someone was finally willing to go to his side. Especially if that someone is a very attractive young woman.

"Very well. Is there anyone else who wouldn't mind joining the Shield Hero or the Bow Hero?" The king asked the rest of the adventurers. A period of silence followed, indicating there was no one else.

"Actually, your Majesty, I don't think I'd need anyone here for my team." Cayde suddenly spoke out, prompting a question from everyone in the room.

"What do you mean, sir Cayde?" The king asked.

"Well, ya see.. I've always been a loner myself. Not really much of a team player. Though I do make a good leader when the situation calls for it.

Besides...no offense, but I don't see anyone here who's up to my own standards, so to speak."

Cayde's statement caused a lot of gasps coming from the adventurers, and even the crowds in the throne room. He was actively insulting the warriors, rather casually too.

"Are you saying none of these brave warriors are up to par with what you expected, sir Cayde?" The king further asked.

"Sorry, your Highness...but I think I could find better ones by myself." That wasn't a lie. Cayde could tell with a single glance that most of the adventurers in this room, are either here just for money and fame, or have other questionable motives. There's nothing wrong with seeking fame of course, it'd be hypocritical for him to say otherwise, but he became a Guardian because he was also a protector of humanity, and he tried to live up to that.

He couldn't see how most of these adventurers would fare in the face of real danger, where their own lives are at stake. The moment they face overwhelming odds they'd probably turn tail and run for the hills.

There's also the matter of trust. He didn't know these people. And considering what already happened earlier, there's a chance some of them might have hidden plots to ruin him or the other Heroes. He still couldn't figure out why exactly anyone would wanna do that, and it probably sounded a little far-fetched to begin with. But he's not taking any chances trusting what might be wolves in sheep clothing.

"Very well. In that case, the Shield Hero and the Bow Hero will have to receive compensation.

We will give all the Heroes additional funds every month as monetary aid, but sir Naofumi and sir Cayde will receive more than others. Sir Naofumi will receive 800 silver coins, and sir Cayde, 1000 silver coins. Sir Motoyasu and Ren will each receive 600 coins.

Use them to buy equipments and supplies that you may need. Good luck on your journeys."

If there's one appropriate word Cayde could think of the moment he took a step out of the confines of the castle and into the entire view of Castle Town, it would be "pure".

Bright blue sky, urban buildings and greens stretching as far as the eye can see. For someone of this world, it would be a fairly normal view, nothing to truly gawk at. For someone like him, who originated from a broken Earth? It was like going back in time. To a time before the Golden Age, a simpler time where man's only concerns stretched merely as far as the horizon, and not beyond it.

It was a beautiful sight, but the Last City was better in his opinion. But what he could say for sure, was that this place, and this world, was truly untouched by the Darkness and its armies, or any of humanity's other enemies.

Truly a pure world still at its prime. And it should stay that way.

But to be honest? He wasn't sure where to go from now. Should he just, go find some monsters and kill them to level up or something? Should he go buy supplies first like food and medicine and perhaps arm himself with whatever weapons exist in this world? Should he find some trusty adventurers first and recruit them into his party? After being in the Vanguard and serving the City's needs for so long, he forgot how it was like to truly be alone.

The other three Heroes basically treated this world like an RPG game, and he had almost no clue on how that would even work. After all, he rarely played RPG games, if at all. Part of it is because he rarely had time to even play games considering all the paperwork, and fighting in the Crucible is often way more fun for his spare time. Mostly because he just sucks at it.

Somehow, he could just hear Shaxx laughing at his back right now from several universes away.

But then again, this is a different world. A beautiful one, at that. One where he didn't have to worry about stumbling into a wandering Cabal squadron or Hive nest or Vex portal every 10 minutes outside the City. Here, humanity is not an endangered species. Yet.

Maybe this is a chance for him to enjoy whatever beauty lie within this world, and explore everything it has to offer. At least while there's still time to do so in the calm, before the storm arrives.

Come to think of it, there's one more thing he needed to makes sure. Call it passion, or addiction, but he'll use whatever time he had now for something other than being a hero.

All those monsters and leveling up? Supplies? Recruits? Saving the world and whatnot? They'll have to wait. There's something very important he needed to do first. He'd probably need to hit up the nearest farmer's market from here.

Wheat flour. Soy sauce. Meat. Some water. Pork slices. Dried seaweed. A little salt and pepper and the like. Yeah, this could work.

If this world truly has no ramen, then he'll have to invent one himself.

'Fine, I'll do it myself.'

Author's Note

So...I guess I'll be continuing this story after all. I honestly don't have much plans for this, where it's gonna go, how it'll end and all that. But let's just see where it goes.

Writing Cayde-6 is pretty challenging. I'm not used to writing funny characters, but damn he's just so fun to write. And that's probably the main reason why I'm still motivated to continue this story.

Will there be more Destiny characters involved? I dunno. Maybe. It's not out of the question, but for now I just wanna focus on our lovable Hunter and his shenanigans, building a reputation for himself, annoying all the other characters while also surviving in this world.

I don't know when's the next update going to be. I want to be able to update as soon as possible, but writing even 1-2k words takes alot out of my brain. Sorry, but you'll just have to be patient if the next chapter takes a while.

Man, even my other stories haven't been updated in a long while. I should probably get right back on that, if I had the time...

Anyway, thanks for reading, and until next time.