Jack shed the specter's intangible form. The familiar density of flesh returned. In just one minute, he changed. Solid and mundane. Jack Night, Steamrune Engineer, was back.
His first action was to check his status panel. A mental command brought the familiar system panel into his vision.
[CHARACTER STATUS]
[Name: Jack Night]
[Incarnation Type: Human]
[Persona: Jack Night]
[Race: Transcendent Human]
[Class: Steamrune Engineer]
[Archetype: Mortal Creature]
[Power Source: Spirit of Judgement]
[Attributes: Physique (76) Mysticism (76) Passion (76) Essence (99)]
[Karma: Positive]
[System Sight Modes: Information Panel; Fear Detection; Aura Detection; Karma Detection]
[Supernatural Traits: Mysterious Dream; Mysterious Lullaby; Mysterious Control; Mysterious Mirror World; Mysterious Fragrance; Incarnation Shift; Grootslang's Gemstone Detection]
[Permanent Traits: Mysterious Survival Sense; Mysterious Nature; Devourer Physique]
[Status Effect: Mortality]
[Personal Artifacts: Nightmare Mace, Daydream Undersuit, Nine-Anchor Portal Ring, Artifact Seeds (2)]
[Steamrune Skills: Steamrune Fusion, Steamrune Enchantment, Steamrune Compression]
He scanned the list methodically. Not much changed.
The attributes did though. Physique, Mysticism, Passion. All listed at 76. He paused on that. They had been 71 just before the expedition. A five-point increase across three primary attributes wasn't insignificant.
He reviewed the recent events in the prehistoric realm. Combat, certainly, but nothing felt like it should push those specific numbers so uniformly.
The mini sun? That Eternal Flame thing? Probably.
What else had he been doing? Wait. Steamrune Engineering. The advancement of his Steamrune Engineer class under might be the reason. He had integrated a new steamrune into his soul after all. Good. More power was always good.
Nothing else chang... Wait! The Personal Artifacts. There were Nightmare Mace and Daydream Undersuit in the list. He remembered the notifications.
These were the result of the Grim Reaper Set's evolution. After absorbing the energy of the Eternal Flame. He focused his System Sight on the new entries. Requesting descriptions.
[Nightmare Mace. A legendary bludgeoning melee weapon. Its dark metal head carries dread impact ability, which can add Fear status effect to the attacked target. It also possesses judgement's weight which allow it to bypass a significant portion of physical and supernatural defenses (70%) of the target deemed 'Guilty'. Finally, it has a soul echo ability that allow the holder to regenerate his health and stamina with each kill.]
[Daydream Undersuit. A legendary inner armor. It is an inner garment that provides great protection against both physical and metaphysical threats while remaining virtually undetectable beneath outer clothing. It has high degree mental resistance, causing the wearer to be more resistant to fear, charm, illusion, and other control-based abilities. Other than that, it also possesses hyper recovery, allowing the wearer to recover the health, stamina, and mana at twelve-fold speed.]
Jack read the descriptions. A flicker of satisfaction crossing his face. Legendary was good. With Nightmare Mace, he didn't need to create melee weapon for this incarnation.
And the Daydream Undersuit offered additional protection. Very vital for his survival. Especially, because this form has Mortality status effect.
Jack immediately equipped the black undersuit. It fit perfectly. Conforming to his body like a second skin. He pulled his black adventurer outfit back on over it. The undersuit was completely invisible beneath the practical, layered clothing.
It added protection. With no visible change. Great!
He gathered his other gear. His Spatial Backpack was ready. His Steamrune Shotgun was slung over, between his back and the bag. The two spare handguns were holstered on his hips. Tool belt was secured.
He adjusted the Nine-Anchor Portal Ring on his finger. Then, he moved out of the Mirror Space. Jack made his way back towards Sapphire City. The journey was uneventful.
Some time later... He walked through the bustling streets of Sapphire City. The sounds of industry and commerce washing over him.
He made his way directly to the Mercenary Union Headquarters. He pushed open the heavy front doors and entered the main lobby.
It was a place of controlled chaos. Mercenaries checking mission boards. Arguing with clerks. Tending to minor injuries. Or simply waiting for their next contract.
He scanned the crowd. Taking in the atmosphere. The air felt slightly tense. More so than when he was here previously. The outcome of the recent expedition was clearly known.
As his eyes swept across the room, they landed on a small group heading to the exit. Old Sam was talking to O.J. and Will The latter two had been part of the ill-fated Mine #34 expedition. But, they hadn't entered the spatial crack.
Jack strode towards them. His entrance was unnoticed by most of the busy lobby.
"Old Sam! O.J! Will!" His voice was calm. Low. Yet cutting through the general din.
Three heads snapped up. Their tired expressions instantly morphed into masks of pure astonishment. Old Sam's jaw dropped. O.J.'s eyes went wide. And Will actually stumbled backward a step.
"Jack?" Old Sam breathed. The name came out like a question born of disbelief. "But… we thought… the realm… Bill said..."
"Yeah, that was quite the mess." Jack said, stopping a few feet away. He kept his tone level, matter-of-fact. No need for dramatics. "I managed to get out. Had a teleportation scroll saved for emergencies. Figured I'd check back here. To see if you guys made it back."
His explanation was simple. Direct. And contained just enough truth to be plausible in this world of strange artifacts and powers. He did have a teleportation ability. Albeit not a scroll.
Will stared at him as if he were the ghost Jack Mystery rather than the solid Jack Night. He, and O.J., hadn't gone into the other realm. So he hadn't endured the horrors of that place. But the number of the lost lives had clearly impacted him.
"We… we had waited outside the crack." Will stammered, finding his voice. "Not long after Old Sam's group were out, the crack disappeared. Then, when Lady Gemrose brought the rest of the survivors out with her gate… We didn't see you."
O.J. suddenly let out a short laugh. "You know. I've just told them you would return. But why don't you go together with the rest?"
Jack shrugged. "I didn't even meet anyone else there. After being chased by that damned T-Rex for... I don't know... hours, I just found a safe place and used my teleportation scroll."
He looked at Sam. "So, since you were safe, Bill, his brother, and that girl should also be safe, right?"
Sam rubbed the back of his head. A phantom pain perhaps. "Yeah. After I got knocked out, Big Bill hauled me out of there, apparently. Don't remember much after that until I woke up here."
"So they survive?" Jack asked. "He and his brother made it?"
"Yeah," Sam confirmed. A flicker of genuine relief on his face despite the grim subject. "Tough as nails, those two. They're still up in the infirmary. Banged up, but alive."
"Good." Jack said. A curt nod acknowledging the information.
Jack looked around the lobby again. Mercenaries were still milling about. But now he noticed subtle details.
Some had bandages peeking out from under their clothes. Others walked with limps or favored one side. The overall air felt subdued. Tempered by loss. The Mercenary Union had taken a significant hit.
"So," Jack said. Breaking the silence. "What's the official word? Are they blaming the cult?" He already knew the answer. But hearing it confirmed by someone who had been through it, even partially, added another layer of verification.
Old Sam hesitated. He glanced around quickly. "Officially? It was a 'catastrophic dimensional rift' which accidentally occurred almost the same time with 'fanatic cultist attack'."
He scoffed quietly. "Accidental bullshit." He swore. "It was definitely the Eternal Soul Cult's machination."
Will and O.J. nodded grimly in agreement. They suspected that way too.
"Right," Jack acknowledged. "Well, I guess I'm heading up to check on Big Bill." Jack continued. Motioning towards the stairs leading to the upper floors where the infirmary was located.
"Yeah." Old Sam said. "Good to see you back, Jack. And thank you. Bill said, withot you we wouldn't make it there."
"No problem." He simply giving them another short nod. "Glad you three made it back too."
He turned and walked towards the stairs. Leaving the three mercenaries standing in the lobby. Still looking somewhat dumbfounded.
Jack ascended the stairs and quickly reached the infirmary floor. The air here smelled of antiseptic. He looked around.
Big Bill wasn't hard to spot. He was a man whose size could compete with his after all. The big guy was sitting on a stool. His brother was either sleeping or unconscious in the bed next to him. Still looking fine despite his missing arm.
Jack approached them. "Yo, Bill." He greeted.
Bill's eyes, heavily lidded with exhaustion, snapped open. He blinked. Then squinted. Recognition dawned slowly. Followed by the same shocked disbelief Jack had seen downstairs.
"Jack? What the hell? They said… you either died. Or trapped there forever." Bill's voice was a low rumble. Rough with pain and fatigue.
"No way!" Jack replied dismissively. Pulling up a stool next to them. "I had my own way out. Just got back."
He kept his voice quiet. Respectful of the injured around them. "Sam said you pulled him out. Good work."
Bill managed a weak grin. Wincing slightly. "Old Sam? Yeah. You saw him go down? Couldn't just leave him there. Besides, you did harder thing. Luring that big thing."
Bill recounted the chaos after Jack lured the T-Rex away. He took the fainted Old Sam and brought his brother and the surviving girl back. To the space crack. They managed to get out easily.
But then, something seemed to happen and the space crack collapsed. His group was the last who came out from the space crack.
Jack chatted for a while with Bill. Then, he left the infirmary.