The Mercenary Union of Sapphire City was a sprawling, multi-story building. It was made of reinforced concrete and iron. Bristling with antennas and exhaust pipes.
Inside, the air hummed with activities. There were constant thrum of conversations. Clanking metal. And the hiss of steam-powered machinery.
Jack moved to the registration counter. Without any problem, he registered himself under the name 'Jack Night', a Steamrune Engineer.
When he explored the city previously, Jack had quickly realized one thing. Sapphire City was on a different level than Lotogear. Not just in size.
Lotogear felt like the minor leagues. With only a handful of transcendent individuals. Or even less. It didn't even have Mercenary Union. It only had Guard Association or Explorer Guild which only employed non-transcendent people.
Here, the Union Hall alone was packed. He saw dozens of others like him in his current incarnation. Transcendent humans.
Their forms subtly radiating power. Their gear bearing the marks of specialized classes. The bulky, cyber-punk like Steamrune Engineers. The civil and grimoire-holding Mystic Scholars. The grim-looking individuals who were likely Supernatural Sorcerer or Eldritch Warlocks. And some others that were hard to identify.
The receptionist mentioned membership numbered in the hundreds. Possibly thousands across the entire city. All transcendent beings. This was where the action was. Where power gathered.
However, despite the sheer numbers of transcendent individuals, Jack didn't feel the prickling unease.
Nothing felt like what he had felt around the higher-tier individuals in Highcliff Town. The ones who commanded auras of immense power.
Nor did he sense the specific brand of chilling, predatory darkness. The things that eerily clung to every single member of the Night Salvation he had encountered.
These mercenaries in Sapphire City felt... baseline. They were definitely competent, supernaturally powered individuals. But not in the world-shaking dangerous vibe things.
They were professionals. High powered individuals doing an honest job in a dangerous world. Most of the time.
Jack scanned the mission board. There were requests for monster hunting. Escort duty. Exploration. Resource retrieval. Even protection details for industrial magnates. The variety was extensive.
One mission caught his eye though. Simply due to its scale and description...
Urgent Mission! Clearing Mine #34! Currently overrun by Cave Ghouls.
Jack read on. The mission required a large contingent. It even specifically listed as needing around one hundred mercenaries.
Cave Ghouls. The information he'd gleaned described them as standard low-level monsters often appearing in Sapphire City's Mines. They were a zombie-goblin hybrid essentially.
They were child sized undead creatures. Vicious, numerous, but individually weak against a trained transcendent. Overwhelming targets with numbers were their specialty.
They were known for 'spawning' periodically in infested areas. Making mine clearance a recurring, profitable job. More importantly, they produced monster cores.
Monster cores. This was the key to power advancement. The true 'currency' of the transcendent humans.
Mystic Art Scholars used them to fuel complex enchantments. Inscribe more powerful magic spells into their grimoires. And brew potent alchemical concoctions.
Steamrune Engineers used them as concentrated power sources for advanced machinery. And to learn advanced steamrunes.
Druids and Acolytes used them in sacrifice ceremony. To gain advanced blessings from their source of faith.
Eldritch Witches and Warlocks needed them to create higher level contracts. So that they could contact higher level otherworldly beings.
Primal Sorcerers simply absorbed them to strengthen their supernatural talents.
Monster cores were the universal energy credit. Clearing monsters wasn't just a mission for monetary income. It was harvesting raw power.
The Mine #34 clearance mission was scheduled for the following morning. It paid well in monster cores. And more importantly, it was a large-scale operation.
It would be perfect for practicing his combat in human form. And observing the tactics and capabilities of other transcendent individuals. Without drawing too much personal attention.
He signed up.
...
The crowd of transcendent mercenaries gathered near the gaping maw of Mine #34. They numbered slightly more than a hundred souls. Each one bearing the distinctive aura of transcendent energy.
Jack, standing tall in his Jack Night form, noted the composition immediately. This wasn't a diverse group of spellcasters, warriors, and rogues. No.
This was practically an engineer's convention. One with killing as practical method of discussion.
Over eighty percent, maybe closer to ninety, of the people here were Steamrune Engineers. The myriad sounds of mechanical power could be heard everywhere. The scent of oil was mixed with metal and dust.
A man built like a brick furnace barked orders near the entrance. He was the mission leader. Noticeable as he was the only one draped in a heavy Mercenary Union cape.
Following his instructions, the mercenaries were sorted into teams of five or six. The assignments seemed random.
Jack found himself in a five-person unit. All Steamrune Engineers. No surprises there.
His teammates introduced themselves. With the clipped efficiency common among their kind. Often more comfortable with machines than pleasantries.
"Billion Hill. People just call me Big Bill." One of them started. He was huge. Easily rivaled Jack's own bulk. "Nice to finally team up with someone of my size."
This man, Big Bill, had a booming voice. And a friendly grin. That didn't quite match the sheer destructive potential of his weapons. The enormous mechanical hammer slung across his back. And the hand-cannon sized handgun holstered at his hip.
A calm man with grey hair introduced himself next. "Samael Bronze. Or jus Old Sam is also fine."
He was quiet and seemed observant. Lines were etched deep around his eyes. Suggesting years spent staring into flickering gaslight. Or the glare of arcane forges.
He carried a plain black revolver. And equipped a heavy mechanical buckler on his left forearm. He didn't speak much. His gaze was sweeping the surroundings with an unsettling stillness.
"Oleander Jacobson." The cyborg in their team spoke up. His voice was a low, metallic rasp.
"Er.. Olee who?" Big Bill asked awkwardly.
The cyborg sighed. "Just call me O.J."
O.J. was a kind of guy with less flesh, more steel situation. His right arm, both legs, and even a small part of his torso were intricate clockwork and gleaming metal.
Only his left hand, head, and most part of his torso remained organic. He was heavily armed. At least three pairs of guns could be seen in his body. And plenty of ammos, placed in bandoliers, cartridge belts, and ammo pouches.
Jack looked at the last member. A teenager?
"Will!" He stammered. "I... I'm Will. William Archer."
Jack observed him. He looked barely old enough to shave. His faded leather gear hung slightly too large. And his movements were jumpy.
He clutched a mechanical crossbow. Its mechanism was complex but looking well-worn. His only visible ammunition was a slim quiver. Holding maybe twenty bolts.
Jack smiled and gave his standard nod. "Jack Night."
A brief exchange followed as they waited for their team assignment. Will's story spilled out in nervous bursts.
He was even newer than Jack a Steamrune Engineer. He condensed his steamrune barely two weeks ago. Out of desperation.
His father was gone a month ago. Accident in the mine. His mother was sick. And his family, other than her mother, was just his little sister. He desperately needed the money. The unspoken desperation hung heavy around him.
Jack just listened. The sarcasm he usually deployed against fools and the guilty was held in check. This kid was just trying to survive.
The others offered quiet nods or small, gruff expressions of sympathy. Decent people they were.
Big Bill clapped Will on the shoulder. A gesture that threatened to dislocate it. "Stick close, kid. We got you."
The mission leader finally called out their mission designation. It was Tunnel A-04. They were assigned an old vein. Medium difficulty. Known for consistent number of Cave Ghoul infestations.
They filed into the mine. The transition from the bright, sun-drenched surface to the cool, damp darkness was quite jarring.
The air grew heavy. Filled with the scent of wet earth, mineral dust, and something else... something rotten and organic.
"Alright!" Sam said as they were about to reach their designated location. His voice was a low rumble. It was not loud. But somehow it cut through the ambient noise of dripping water and distant scraping. "Eyes open. They like the dark."
For others, the deep darkness of the tunnels would be a crippling handicap. But it seemed not the case for this team.
Sam's eyes seemed to pierce the gloom. His movements were guided by something beyond sight.
Big Bill and O.J. flipped down bulky goggles that glowed faintly. A dark vision goggles. Ones that enabled the wearer to see in the dark. Bathing their immediate surroundings in a greenish, thermal-like glow in their vision.
Will fumbled in a pouch. Pulled out a small, corked vial filled with an iridescent liquid. He swallowed it in one gulp. Gagging slightly.
A moment later, his eyes began to reflect the scarce light like a cat's eyes. They were glowing with a faint, unnatural luminescence.
Jack didn't need gadgets or potions. He saw in the dark as easily as he saw in daylight. The side effect of his specter form perhaps.
He wouldn't complain. It was great that every shift in the air, every subtle tremor in the rock, registered in his perception.
More importantly... His [Aura Detection] sight mode painted glowing aura of any life forms in the darkness. Even through solid rock walls.
The tunnels ahead were teeming with auras. Small, irregular points of light pulsed deep within the earth. Cave Ghouls.
"Lots of them." Jack stated flatly. His voice was quiet. But carrying competent confidence. "Fifty steps ahead. And to the sides, right behind that rock."