The next morning...
The Sapphire City's harbor was bathed in the cool, salty air. Jack Night walked among the other mercenaries gathering for the Tideless Island mission.
They were a motley crew. Grizzled veterans with scarred faces. Fresh-faced recruits trying to look tough. Burly fighters. Nimble scouts. Eighteen of them in total. All transcendent mercenaries.
Fourteen of them were Steamrune Engineers. Jack knew almost all of those fifteen by name. But he wasn't that familiar with them. The others were two Mystic Scholars, a Supernatural Sorcerer, and a Divine Acolyte.
Learning for his previous experience, Jack activated his [Sight Mode: Karma Detection]. None of these mercenaries had dark karma. Thankfully.
The mission hadn't started though. Together with these mercenaries, Jack waited. Leaning against a stack of crates. His gaze swept over the three newcomers. All were Steamrune Engineers.
His eyes showed a flicker of recognition. A familiar cowboy hat. Mop of greying hair. A weathered face etched with countless battles. Buckler and revolver...
"Sam?" Jack greeted. Pushing off the crates. And walking towards the man.
The mercenary turned. His gaze was scanning Jack's face. Recognition dawned slowly. Then widened into a grin. Revealing a few missing teeth.
"Well, I'll be damned! Jack Night? Haven't seen you since... that mess with prehistoric space?"
"Something like that." Jack confirmed. Offering a nod. It was Old Sam, his past team-mate. A solid mercenary. Reliable in a fight. They were in the same team together during the incident in Mine #34. Good to see a familiar face.
And then... another group of people coming and joined them. They weren't mercenaries though. They were the expedition members themselves. The ones who needed protecting.
Researchers and non-researcher crew members like chefs, porters, and doctors. Their equipment piled neatly nearby. Jack scanned this group as well. And his internal surprise ratcheted up another notch as he recognized some familiar faces.
He saw Leon Drake. The treasure-hunting archaeologist who was expert in both Supernatural Sorcery and Mystic Arts.
He saw Dr. Crafton. The old archeology professor. A Mystic Scholar whose mind was a walking library of forgotten lore.
And standing beside Dr. Crafton, her familiar auburn hair pulled back, was Chloe. Chloe Chase. The teenage archaeology apprentice. His… only human friend. Back when he was just an invisible specter.
He'd even shown his spectral form to her. During the Webmother trial. And they were cooperating and interacting quite well afterward.
Last he had heard about them was before he went to Sapphire City. According to his reliable source, Drake, Crafton, and Chloe should be heading to Lonestone Capital City on the Elrush Mainland. For some kind of Archeological Conference.
Sapphire City was on Vestrose Island. Pretty far from Lonestone. Across the sea. What were they doing here? Why were they joining this expedition to Tideless Island again?
His questions went unanswered for now. As a figure stepped forward. The obvious leader of the entire undertaking.
A bald old man. His face was severe. His build was robust for his age. Radiating an aura of inherited authority and blunt command. This was Count Bellcroft.
The leader of the expedition this time was not Dr. Crafton. It was the Count. And it seemed this time it would be more well prepared. And more serious. Almost everyone in this expedition was transcendent.
The Count surveyed the assembled mercenaries and researchers with an imperious gaze.
"Gentlemen, and the esteemed scholars!" The Count's voice was deep. Resonant. "Welcome. Our mission is clear. We sail for Tideless Island to conduct vital research at the Mist Palace Site. Researchers, you have been briefed of your task. Gentlemen from Mercenary Union... Your role is to ensure our safety from any and all threats the island may hold. Understand this: failure is not an option. The knowledge contained there is of paramount importance."
He delivered a brief, clipped overview. The route. The estimated time. The chain of command, with him at the top, naturally. And the strict rules about disturbing the research work.
It was brief. To the point. And dismissive of questions. Classic noble attitude.
During the briefing, Jack activated his [Sight Mode: Karma Detection]. He quickly realized how big the problem this time was. There were five individuals with very dark karma. And one of them was... Count Bellcroft himself.
Jack silently swore. It seemed that there would be another tragedy. What a terrible luck. He could not back down from the mission though. The lives of many innocent mercenaries and researchers were in great danger. He had to help whenever possible.
With the briefing concluded, the Count turned and gestured towards the pier. "Follow me. The Rhythmic Oars awaits."
Jack felt another jolt of familiarity. The Rhythmic Oars. Captain Gullaw's sturdy Galeass.
It was the same ship that had carried them to Tideless Island on the previous expedition. Back when Jack was just a spectral stowaway. Observing the world from an unseen perspective.
He joined the flow of mercenaries and researchers heading towards the pier. Old Sam clapped him on the back as they walked.
"Tideless Island, eh?" He commented. "Heard that place is full of nasty things. Zombies. Ruins. And mist. Lots of static unnatural mist. Hopefully, the Anti-mist Goggle I created could be of much use."
Jack grunted noncommittally. Steam contraptions were every Steamrune Engineers' tools. Most of the mercenaries here had created tools to nullify mist.
They were not stupid. Nor reckless enough to risk their life for this mission. It was just a job for them.
Jack had also prepared some special gadgets. He didn't really need them as he could see through night and mist without tools. But he needed to maintain his persona. He was a Steamrune Engineer this time. He should fight like one.
Jack got on the familiar ship. Ready to g et back to Tideless island. He was pretty sure this journey wouldn't just be about protecting archaeologists.
It would be about uncovering buried secrets. Dangerous ones. And given who was on board... It might get complicated. Fast.
...
The Rhythmic Oars cast off from the Sapphire City pier. It was a familiar groan of timber and machinery echoing across the water.
Jack stood by the rail. The salt spray felt cool on his face. The city buildings receded as they sailed into the open sea. Under a cloudy morning sky.
The journey was uneventful. The ship cut through the waves with steady efficiency. As usual, Captain Gullaw was at the helm. His weathered face looked impassive.
On deck, the expedition members mingled. Or didn't. The mercenaries kept mostly to themselves. Clustered in groups. Checking gears. Muttering about their cut of the pay. And the rumored dangers of Tideless Island.
Jack chatted briefly with Old Sam. As he was meticulously polishing his mechanical buckler. A practiced hand wiping away phantom dust.
Sam's anti-mist goggles was a bulky contraption of brass and treated glass. It was already sat on his broad head, pushed up under his cowboy hat.
The researchers were a different crowd. The lean and intense Leon Drake occasionally spoke with the Supernatural Sorcerer among the mercenaries. Trading esoteric terms Jack didn't bother to follow.
Dr. Crafton, frail but sharp-eyed, pored over maps and ancient texts. Even on the rocking ship.
And Chloe... Jack watched her from a distance. She looked more mature. More serious than when he had last seen her. But the familiar flicker of intelligence and determination was still in her eyes. As she consulted with Dr. Crafton.
He didn't approach the,. Not yet. His current persona, Jack Night the Steamrune Engineer, wasn't someone who had history with them. Not the history they knew, anyway. He needed to maintain that separation. For their safety as much as his own.
Count Bellcroft remained aloof. Occupying a privileged spot on the main deck. Issuing curt instructions to his personal retinue.
Jack kept his [Karma Detection] active intermittently. A low surveillance behind his awareness. The Count's karma was dense, muddy black. It was a swirling vortex of past atrocities. It wasn't just dark. It was actively malevolent.
Worry gnawed at Jack. This was beyond simple greed or cruelty. This felt... planned. Working under such secretly dangerous person was... uncomfortable.
The other four dark karma energies he saw came from individuals with less potent malice. But they were still significant streaks of black in his sight. He marked their positions and faces in his memory.
A portly man in researcher's garb. A nervous-looking porter. One of the Count's personal servants. And surprisingly, one of the Steamrune Engineers joining them late. A burly fellow named Silas. Silas Boulder.
The name clicked. Boulder? Was he related to that butcher in Sapphire City? The one who killed street kids to be fed to his demonic dog? Was he also involved in those atrocities?
...
Six days later, the familiar, oppressive stillness settled over them. The wind died. The air grew heavy. The Rhythmic Oars entered the waters surrounding Tideless Island.
It loomed on the horizon, a dark mass of an island. Some parts were perpetually shrouded in a dull white, static mist. Things that defied the laws of nature.
That was the Tideless Island. No wind. No waves. The crew of the Rythmic Oars needed to use oar to come close to the eastern coastline. The ship found a suitable cove. Dropping anchor with minimal fuss.
Disembarking was efficient. The Count barked orders. His voice was cutting through the muted atmosphere. Equipment was lowered. Mercenaries formed a perimeter. And the researchers began organizing their supplies.
Jack's boots crunched on the strange, grey sand of the beach. The air tasted different here. Thick and ancient.
"Alright, point team moves out!" The Count's voice. "Scouts! Chart a course northwest. We make camp near the edge of the Mist Palace territory by nightfall. No delays."