[b]Chapter 16. The Devil’s Lair [/b] For the next few weeks, Cayde taught the basics of being a hunter. He taught Jack the 'super sweet double jump,' as he called it, as well as trip mines, throwing knives, and explosive grenades. Every day, they took a mile run and would work on Jack's stealth by sneaking around the wildlife. There was even one day when Cayde gave Jack the mission of following Shaxx around without being seen. Cayde would be in a meeting with the Vanguards, and out on the corner of his optic, he could see Jack; she peeked around the corner and stared at Shaxx the entire day. There were times when Cayde had to stifle himself from laughing as he watched her.   It was around two months after he told Jack about her past when Zavala approached him. While Zavala wasn't pleased Cayde showed Jack her files, there was nothing he could really do other than scold him as pure usual. He approached Cayde about a mission that could possibly help improve Jack's ability to fight as well as aid them in learning about the darkness. It was known as the Devil's Lair. Cayde winced at Jack fighting Hive and Fallen simultaneously, but she was a guardian; she needed to do it at some point.   When he told her about the strike, she was reasonably nervous.   "If you can sneak by, then do it; you're not a titan," Cayde said as she sat on her bed, "Hunters are known for their stealth, not their brute force."   "I thought they were known for getting into trouble?" She questioned with a grin.   "Because we're so sneaky!"   Jack just laughed, which caused Cayde to smile. He sat beside her and handed her a box, saying she wasn't a true hunter without the cloak. When she opened the box, she saw a short white cape with red trim.   "They get longer the better you get," Cayde said with a wink.   Jack smiled and threw her arms around him, this being the first time she gave someone a hug. Sure, she had awkwardly accepted Elizabeth’s hugs in the past, but this was the first time she initiated it, and she thought Cayde was the best person to try it out with; Sheldon even encouraged her to do it, "Thank you, Cayde, for everything."   Cayde let out a nervous chuckle as he patted her back; he wasn't used to physical affection.   When the day came, Cayde dropped her off in Old Russia, where the strike occurred. Jack was staring out the window the entire flight, her body shaking ever so slightly; Cayde noticed and reached over to hold her hand. She looked up at him and gave a nervous smile.   "It'll be alright, kid," Cayde said softly, "There will be two titans with you to back you up; I'll also be on the comm the whole time. Remember, don't start fights; only shoot when you need to."   She nodded, "Right, Cayde. And Sheldon-"   "Sheldon should be able to get you through any security lockouts. Don't die, and everything should be fine, no pressure."   She took a deep breath, "Yeah, no pressure."   Jack nodded before aiming her weapon at the door to the hallway. She turned the corner and was fazed with five Fallen and six Hive fighting one another. The Hive imminently noticed her and began to shoot, Jack aiming down the sight of her hand canon and not hesitating to shoot. Her shot rang out in the hallway, causing the other enemies to turn to face her. Two of the Fallen charged her, their blade's drawn. Jack pulled her knife from her belt and charged at them. Her blade sank into one and the other slicing their necks open. They fell to the floor, Jack hip firing the others that remained.     [b]"Don't hip fire."  [/b] Jack looked around in confusion, "Cayde?"   [b]"Commlink, remember?"  [/b] "Well, yeah, but how can you see me?"   [b]"Sundance was able to hack into the security feeds of the building; you're doing great, by the way!"  [/b] "Thanks," she looked up and noticed one of the security cameras, "Where are the titans?"   [b] "I'm not sure; they should be. Maybe they're up ahead?"  [/b] "Hopefully, so where to now?"    [b] "Just go down the hall; it's a straight path."  [/b] She nodded and continued down the hallway. She followed the path, occasionally running into a few enemies but nothing she couldn't handle. The Knight scared Jack at first, but hearing Cayde helped her calm down.   [b]"Just relax, kid," [/b]he spoke,[b] "Just aim for the head, and you'll be fine."  [/b] She did as he said, and the Knight went down within five shots. She emerged from the hallway and stepped into a large room with a caved-in ceiling. She looked up at the blue sky, the sun warming her skin as she passed the cave in.   [i]"J-Jack, enemies u-up ahead."  [/i]