I feel the warm air before I see the trees. The biting cold recedes, replaced by a perfect temperature. Behind me, the rest of the team remains silent, a tense atmosphere that has hung over us the entire day still in effect. It takes only a few more minutes before the first crimson-red trees appear. The trees in this new area are covered in white and brown bark, and a leaf as red as blood paints the sky. The ice gives way to a ground covered in these strange leaves, the perfect border remaining intact as not a single leaf crosses into the ice-filled land.

"Crampons off," Hearon says from the back of our convoy. After we store the metal soles, Hearon takes the bracelet from me, "I know where to go; you take the rear." I say nothing as I hand it to him. I can feel his gaze follow me as I walk to the rear.

We continue our solemn march, not a word being said nor a joke being cracked. I want to enjoy these fantastical-looking trees, but I'm devoid of all emotion. There's nothing to enjoy right now. Everything is in gray. I sigh. What a familiar feeling. I hear a loud clang, like metal on metal, and my head snaps up, my body tense and ready to move. However, instead, I'm greeted with a sight so bizarre I have to rub my eyes to make sure I'm not hallucinating.

It's a lake made of steel. As far as the eye can see, gray metal dominates the landscape. No trees, no waves, not even a break in the monotone flatness. Far in the distance, I can see red smoke billowing out.

I watch as Zack hops onto the MULE and lights a green smoke flare. A few seconds later, blue replaces what was once red smoke. We continued our trek, the MULE's feet creating a loud banging that echoed with every step, causing every fiber in my being to want to quiet it. Heat radiated off the metal, heating the air and causing sweat to accumulate at an alarming rate.

We reach the location of the smoke to find a group of four had made camp. Unlike us, they didn't have a MULE. Instead, they had a myriad of holograms scattered all over the place and a tent for each of them.

The eldest of the group, a short, pudgy man with a large white beard and deep brown eyes, approached Hearon, "It is good to see you, friend." They clasp hands as Zack and Azu greet the remaining three. Two men and a woman. Both of the men look exactly the same. Blond hair, freckles, and bright blue eyes with perfectly white teeth. The woman looks to be in her teens, and she has a very meek and quiet atmosphere to her, her long, curly brown hair covering much of her face, and her dark brown, almost black eyes pierce right through me.

I ignored them as I prepare to lower the MULE, but Hearon stops me, "No, Silen. We will not be staying." I nod and follow him to one of the large projector screens the rest of our groups had gathered around.

"As nice as it would be to sit around a campfire and swap stories, my recon team does not have the luxury." The aged man announces.

Hearon nods in agreement, "We understand. The temple must be taking most of the recon department's time."

"Aye. Shells are gathering there at an alarming rate. Don't expect to get much rest when you return. We received a message from Command to head straight to sector ten from the lake."

Azu sighs, "The timing could not be worse."

The twins grunt in agreement. This temple must be important. If Shells are gathering, that can only be a bad thing.

"Anyway, we are here to talk about your mission. Fabi?" The man looks at the girl, and she steps forward, manipulating the screens with flicks of her fingers.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"We were unable to explore the ruins; they are situated on and around these trees." An image pops up, showing a grainy image of what looks to be a massive tree, hundreds of feet wide and hundreds tall, with a structure of some kind on it. "You will require a way to scale the trees to access the ruins." The three divers nod in sync.

"We did not find any traces of Shells in the area, so ground level is safe to set up camp. Due to the large canopy the trees create, there is not much plant life on the ground, so if you do come across a Shell, there will be no running." I swallow hard, my mouth drying up. Hopefully, that doesn't happen.

"Are we looking at an apex and artifact?" Azu says, writing in her book as she talks.

One of the twins nods, "Yup, take a look." The girl named Fabi flicks her pointer finger up, and an extremely zoomed-in image pops up. I can't make much sense out of it. Just a white blob with...wings? Beside me, Zack groans.

"A Fairy. This will prove difficult." Hearon strokes his beard as he says this, his expression guarded. Azu furiously writes in her book, a tense look on her face.

The older man shuts off the holo screen, "That is all the information we have for you. The artifact signal was too weak to give us an estimation of its strength, but with a Fairy being there and this being an unknown, aboveground ruin, chances are it will be a significant find."

Hearon shakes the man's hand, "I agree. The lack of Shells in the area makes me think the Fairy cleared them out. If that is the case, then this relic could be huge. We appreciate the information, but I believe it is time for us to go. Hopefully, we can reach sector twelve before night falls."

The old man smiles, "It was a pleasure to see you again, Hearon. Also, we have already named the sector. The mossglow forest."

Hearon smiles back, and the two groups say their goodbyes. I remain near the MULE. I don't have much to say, nor is there time it would seem. Hearon waves me over, and I approach the three near the center of the MULE.

"Time to give our report to command." Azu brings out a camera with a small mic on it.

"I thought you said we couldn't send out communications?"

Hearon shakes his head, "Normally, you can not. But there are a few places in the forest where radio waves are not interrupted. Two, in fact, Steel Lake happens to be one such place."

Azu points the camera at us, "This is Squadron Three, Company Five, reporting. All members are alive and well. We have just reached the rendezvous location with our designated recon team. A fairy has been confirmed as the Apex, as well as weak signals from an artifact. No other confirmed anomalies. A Turt was encountered and slain at sector six."

Azu pauses and looks at the other two. They nod in response. She takes a deep breath and returns her gaze to the lens, "Turt kill has been confirmed, one mark for secondary Silen Stone. That is all." Azu taps a button on the camera and all three let out a sigh.

One mark? I ask what that means.

"It means that we have confirmed that kill as yours. All Shells must be identified, and the one who killed the Shell receives a mark. These marks act as competition for divers but also provide lucrative sponsor contracts. With this, Command cannot just let you die and fade into nothing. You have a legacy now."

I stare at Azu, dumbfounded. That sounds pretty important. Zack struts up to the MULE, hopping up top, "Even though I delivered the final blow if you hadn't done what you did, it would have taken longer to kill. Besides, I've got over a hundred marks. I don't really need this one." I feel my brow twitch. He just said that to piss me off.

Hearon claps me on the back, "Congratulations. There are tens of thousands of divers who never get a single mark to their name. And you've done it as a secondary. Your name will ring out over the entire city for some time."

I scratch my head in confusion, "If getting a mark is so sought after, how do you decide who gets it? Surely they won't take your guy's word for it without any proof?"

"Indeed. The beacon we left on the Shell has a video recording taken from the MULE. When the scavengers come to claim it, the video will be given to Command to verify our claim, and then it will be released to the public as entertainment. Of course, some things will have to be doctored, but the core of the battle will stay."

I hold up my hands, "Wait, so you're saying our life-and-death battles are used as entertainment?"

"Of course. How do you think we get the funds for these MULEs? Now that is enough talk about that, we must be on our way. Silen, you will continue at point. Just walk straight in the direction of the rising sun."

Hearon walks off to the back of the MULE as I stand there, stupified. There's a lot more to this diver thing than I thought.