CH - 35 [ Fruits of labour ] 2

One by one, the group shrank as they each took their turn trying to get some sleep. Loyola and Jory took turns navigating. They were the least needed in combat - other than the crotchety old man who wouldn't give them his time - so they took the least of anything.

When finally the sun was almost fully overheard, the crew began to rise and shine with it. Halcen gathered them all out on the deck. They were staring at the north shore of the island. There was a small beach but then it jutted up into harsh rocky hillside. They were going to have to climb it to get to the lab.

"Alright, everybody," Halcen started. "We all know the plan. Grey and I will go up to the lab and the rest of you will prepare for our return. You all remember your parts?"

Bo nodded.

"Got it," Kazuki stated.

"Yeah, yeah," Bailu whined.

"We got this," Jory added.

"No worries on our side," Loyola told them. "You go in there and bring back Valentina."

"Will do."

The two men loaded up their packs, slung them on their backs, and ditched the ship. Their feet hit the sand and they took a moment to look up at the cliff they were about to climb. Most of the rocks at the bottom were stacked in a way that they could climb with minimal effort. But towards the top, it became much more smooth and steep.

Halcen gulped.

"Are you sure we have to do this?" Grey asked.

"Not scared of heights are you?"

"Well… I mean… not scared… just a healthy caution."

Halcen shook his head and chuckled. "Alright, let's go."

And so they began their ascent. At first, the climb was quite easy. They were able to jump from level to level without much strain. Their packs battered against their backs in discomfort the entire time, but it wasn't enough to throw them off, only an annoyance they were forced to deal with. They did their best to not look down for fear of falling, but wouldn't let that fear stop them from continuing. They were too focused. They had a mission. Rocks and heights wouldn't stop them.

They finally got to the top of the layer they were able to climb by their own labor. The rock suddenly got extremely steep. This was where they took out their packs. Inside, they had ropes and hooks. Among all the stuff they had taken from the encampment of the Kumashinja, they had been able to jerry-rig some grappling hooks. This was going to get dangerous.

Grey and Halcen took turns attempting to throw up their hooks. It was more difficult to gain a solid grip of them and they had to retry a couple times until they were sure they were going to hold steady. They didn't have any safety gear, but they were sure they'd be alright. They had been pretty lucky thus far. So they began to climb, up the steep slopes of the rocky hillside.

It was a ways up, and they were sweating and heavy with tire. This was Halcen's first time needing to climb in such a way. So he was unsteady, and he lost his footing suddenly. He let out a yell as his feet slipped off the rock face and the rope pulled tight around his upper body. It was tied around his waist and wrapped around his arms. Suddenly, all his weight was being supported by his arms. He held tight for dear life.

"Halcen!" Grey called out. "Are you okay?" he asked with worry.

"I'm… fine…" Halcen grunted, clearly straining himself.

"Do you need me to come down there?" Grey started to move slowly back down towards Halcen. But he wasn't in the best situation either.

"No! Stay there!" Halcen ground his teeth as he spoke, and then began to pull himself back up with his muscles barely maintaining their positions. "I… can… do it." His tightened his abs and lifted his legs up until they were in front of him. He dug them into the wall in front of him again and again until they finally found grip again. He put his weight back into them and sighed with relief. "See?" he huffed. "I got it."

Grey looked worriedly at Halcen. "You sure got this?"

Halcen looked up at Grey and they locked eyes. Fury and determination flared in his emerald eyes. There was no doubt. "Absolutely."

Grey just shook his head and returned to his climb. "Let's go then."

After much struggle, they finally found themselves at the top of the hill, where they were enshrouded in shrubbery and trees. There was so much green around them that they felt very comfortable in the idea of not being seen. Though, with it, they themselves could not see much.

But they had Haki, or at least, the best that they could do with it with their current physical and mental conditions. They had taken rest and eaten while on the ship, sure, but it was nowhere near enough to recover fully. The two of them had been through some seriously tough trials in only a matter of days.

They moved slowly, trying not to make any excessive noises or set off any possible traps. Not sensing anyone nearby, they pushed on through the shrubbery and found themselves standing at the top of a gorge. From there, they could see quite far. Around the side, maybe a mile down, was a cabin at the very top of a cliff. From there, it was easy to see the town it looked down on, cut wholly into the side of the mountain. That cabin was what they were after. This was supposed to be Domian's lab.

"Kinda rundown looking for a lab, don't you think?" Halcen asked.

Grey nodded. "Indeed."