I step out of my tent, goosebumps running up my arms from the chilly air. Darkness still lingers, but I can see the wall of sunlight not to far away. The other three are already up, and Zack and Azu are in a heated argument.

"I'm telling you one of us should stay here; we need someone to watch our stuff," Azu jabs her finger in his chest, and he slaps it away.

"Why should it be me? If you encounter the fairy and I'm not there, you're fucked. Have the secondary do it. He's the weakest one. Staying here will make sure he is mostly out of harm's way."

I walk over to Hearon, a scowl forming. Hearon sighs as I approach, "Ignore Zack. He can be like that when he is angry."

"I don't get the reasoning. Thanks to the apex, I doubt anything would even come near this place."

Hearon shakes his head, "No, Azu has a point. It is more common than you would think for an apex to have a subordinate or two. If the MULE gets destroyed, we are going to be in some very hot water. However, I agree with you. Fairies are quite the mystery, but even non-apex variants seem to despise any living creature that is not food within its territory."

I help Hearon prepare breakfast and our lunch for the day as the two continue to argue for another ten minutes. Eventually, Hearon has enough and yells at them both, causing me to jump. I've never heard him raise his voice, but it's very commanding and intimidating.

"All four of us will go to the ruin. Fairies never have company, and there is nothing in this area that could severely damage the MULE besides our own stupidity. End of discussion." Azu and Zack go quiet. It takes me a minute to realize they are sulking. Wow, they act like children when they are together.

Half an hour goes by before Hearon calls a team meeting. "We need to figure out how to reach the ruins. Azu, any ideas?"

She shrugs, "I spent last night trying to workshop an idea, but it requires someone to already be at the top. These trees are really tall," We all glance up at the tree, our high-powered flashlights just barely managing to illuminate the bottom of the platform attached to it. It has to be at least a thousand feet up. "In terms of how to get up there, I am at a loss. The trees are too smooth to climb, and unfortunately, we did not bring any climbing gear, thanks to a certain someone." Azu glares at Zack.

He sighs and looks away. "Guity as charged. I forgot."

Climbing huh? Zack's pretty strong, and he can jump pretty high. "I have an idea." All three turn towards me with doubt on their faces. "Just hear me out." I walk over to the MULE and open one of the smaller compartments in its head. I pull out an armful of metal stakes a few feet long that are typically used to anchor things to the ground, like Shells or the MULE itself. "What if Zack used these to scale the tree?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Azu and Hearon look at me confused, but a smile creeps onto Zacks's face. He walks up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, "You might be an unbearable asshole, but you've got some fun ideas."

"Talk about calling the kettle black." He laughs and grabs the stakes.

"I'll see you guys in a few." Zack winks at us and grabs a long roll of rope. He squats down a few times when it dawns on Azu, but before she can say anything, Zack jumps, the ground crackling from the force. He sails a hundred or so feet up before slamming the stake into the tree. He hangs there before flipping onto it. It bends slightly but holds. With a slight bounce, he jumps another seventy feet before slamming another stake in.

Azu sighs and shakes her head, "I am surrounded by idiots."

I shrug, "I didn't see you guys coming up with anything. What's the problem?"

"It is just so... barbaric."

Hearon chuckles, "Sometimes barbaic is all you need." Zack falls back down with an audible boom as the ground collapses under his entrance, "More stakes." He runs over and grabs another dozen before jumping back up, using the stakes as springboards.

"He is pretty effective, huh?" I say, my neck craned up to watch the alarming speed at which he scales the tree.

Azu turns away, "I cannot watch this." Azu figets with her hair and bites her lower lip.

"Are-are you worried?" she says nothing, but her silence speaks volumes. They don't really look like a couple in the field, but things must be different when they're not on duty.

A few minutes later, a rope plops down near us. Zack effortlessly hops from stake to stake until he lands beside us. Before he can even utter a word, Azu stomps up to him and slaps her hand across his face. A new kind of silence enters the scene. A shocked silence. Even Zack's nonchalant look is gone, replaced by a look of surprise.

"Zack Zacarious, if you do that shit again, you will be on the couch, and I will not speak to you, look at you, or even acknowledge your existence for a week." Azu fumes, her eyebrows scrunched, and a deep scowl on her face.

He laughs nervously, "Come on, Az. that wasn't even the stupidest thing I've done in front of you before." She remains silent, her gaze locked on his. He eventually looks down and mumbles an apology.

Azu turns on her heel and moves to me. I involuntary flinch, but no slap comes for me, just disapproving silence. "What?" I tried to instill confidence in the word, but it comes out as more of a squeak.

"Silen, I am giving you a pass because you did not know, but once a living creature enters a Shell's domain, they are alerted to its presence. Not the precise location, but it becomes aware of an intruder. If Zack had been unlucky, he could have encountered the fairy with no backup and no way out."

I can't help but chuckle and wave in his direction, "Azu, he's like the strongest human alive. He could probably take the fairy on his own." By this point, neither Zack nor Hearon were paying any attention. Or, more accurately, they didn't want to incur her wrath any more than they already have.

Azu crosses her arms, "Silen, fairies feed off your fears and trauma. Zack has more baggage than anyone I know of. If he was to be influenced by the fairy and put under its spell, he might never be the same." Ah. I see why she is so angry. I thought what I suggested was genius, but the more I'm with these people, the more I understand the way I used to operate is not sustainable or very smart in the long run. On-the-fly thinking might have made me a name in Titan, but we are against monsters, not humans. I can't view this world as the same as my old one.

"Right, sorry." I cast my eyes to the ground, my own hubris pissing me off.

She gives me one of her rare smiles and pats me on the back, "As long as you understand. Discuss your ideas with us first if you can."

Zack and Hearon have already made plans to create a pully system for easy travel and transportation by the time we approach. The rest of the day consisted of Zack and Azu moving between the ground and the platform, setting up the pully, and Hearon and I preparing for tomorrow. Backpacks, research materials, cameras, and other various items were cleaned and tested. With everything set for tomorrow, we ate a light dinner and went to bed. Tomorrow will be my first ruin dive. Hopefully, it goes without a hitch.