Reina pulled back slightly. "You're back now, Dear. That's all that matters." Her voice was soft. A stark contrast to the chaos around them.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. I'm here now."
Nick, limping slightly, approached Sir Shellarrow. "Sir Garath! Thank you. You arrived just in time."
"You fought bravely, Nick. All of you did." Sir Shellarrow replied. His gaze swept over the other tired transcendent individuals. "But this problem seems to be worse than what I expect. These creatures… they don't just appear out of thin air."
Lucca Rowmore, wiping a streak of black ichor from his brow, spoke up. "They didn't. I took a quick scout around. Found a cave. Not far from here. To the north-east, hidden behind that cluster of crags." He pointed with a blood-stained finger. "They were pouring out of it. Didn't go in, though. Too many of them crawling out of there then."
Sir Shellarrow's frown deepened. "A cave. As I suspected. This must be their lair, or at least a major entrance point for them."
He ran a hand through his hair. "However, a cave huh? As much as I wish to investigate, my arcane energies are severely in such kinds of space. My Thunderbird form, my lightning, my wind… they are simply not effective underground."
"Besides, our primary concern should be the safety of these survivors." He gestured to the huddled, traumatized passengers. "They need transport, medical attention. Mirebarrow's rescue teams will be here soon, but we must ensure no more creatures emerge until then."
His logic was sound. He was a powerful force, but not suited for caving. Jack understood the priority. The survivors came first. But the cave… a source of such an infestation could not be ignored. It was a cancer that needed to be cut out.
Jack's eyes flickered. Then he simply said. "Well, then... All of you should handle the safety here. I'll scout the cave."
Reina glanced at him. Showing no worry at all. She knew what he was about to do.
"You?" Sir Shellarrow's brow furrowed. "It could be teeming with them. And if there's an anomaly there. That could be beyond a simple scout mission."
"I have my methods." Jack stated easily. Not willing to elaborate. "I will be fine. I know how to do it without endangering myself. Information is critical here. Knowing what we're up against... Where they're spawning from... that can changes everything."
Sir Shellarrow considered it for a moment. Then nodded slowly. "Very well. But be swift. And if it's too much, you retreat immediately. Your life is more valuable than a hasty reconnaissance."
"Of course." Jack gave a curt nod. And turned to Lucca. "Alright Mr. Rowmore. Please, take me to it."
While the others tended to the wounded. Clearing the monsters' carcasses. And organizing the survivors for the impending arrival of the Mirebarrow rescue teams... Lucca led Jack swiftly through the uneven terrain.
They found the cave mouth easily enough. A jagged tear in the rock face. Partially obscured by thorny bushes. Dark and unwelcoming.
"This is it." Lucca said. Stopping short of the entrance. "The stench is worse in there. Like something rotten and alive. Be careful. I'll wait here."
He stayed outside. Using his telekinesis to shift a few stray rocks. Creating minor disturbances on the ground. Likely practicing for if any more creatures emerged.
"Alright!" Jack agreed. "Be prepared to run if I got out of there being chased by those creatures."
Without waiting for a reply, Jack stepped into the maw of the cave. The darkness was immediate. Absolute. The air grew colder, damp, and the earthy. Fungal smell of the rock mingled with the putrid scent Lucca had mentioned.
He walked in a straight line for a good twenty meters. Ensuring he was beyond any prying eyes or curious ears from the outside. The silence was heavy. Broken only by the drip of unseen water. Echoing slightly.
Then, with a familiar, chilling sensation, Jack activated his [Incarnation Shift]. His body shimmered. Dissolving into motes of shadowy energy. Before reforming, silent and ethereal.
A minute later, he was no longer Jack Night. He was now Jack Mystery. The mysterious specter. He immediately activated his preferred mode. Invisibility.
He was gone. Undetected by any sense. A silent observer in the dark.
Jack moved deeper into the cave. His spectral form was gliding effortlessly over the uneven ground.
The passage was indeed a long tunnel. Winding slightly but generally straight. The walls were rough. With unworked stone, dripping with moisture.
After what felt like a considerable distance, the tunnel abruptly opened up. Jack phased through the final stretch of rock. And found himself in an enormous cavern.
It was vast. Its ceiling was lost in the oppressive darkness. Only a faint, sickly green glow emanated from its center.
There, att the heart of the cavern... stood a roughly carved pedestal. About knee high. And hovering directly above it was... a shimmering, unstable crack. A spatial crack.
The air around it warped. Distorting the light. Making the faint glow pulse malevolently.
From within that raw, tearing wound between worlds, Jack felt it. A profound, crushing pressure. A primal sense of dread.
It wasn't just energy. It was the presence of something utterly alien. Something that radiated immense power and malice. This was not something he could handle. Not yet, at the moment.
Entering that crack would be suicide. Even in his spectral form. Even that intangible form had its limits. And this... this was beyond them.
He kept his distance. Staying deep in the shadows. Observing.
There were two creatures in the cavern. Guarding the pedestal. They weren't the small, scurrying cockroach-men. These were different. Larger. Humanoid, but distinctly insectoid.
They were tall. Perhaps over two meters. With hard, chitinous exoskeletons that gleamed sickly in the dim light.
Their heads were massive. Resembling the horned mandibles of a Stag Beetle. Complete with wicked, pinching jaws. And multifaceted eyes.
They stood motionless. Like statues. Their segmented arms were ending in razor-sharp claws. They were the sentinels of the portal.
Jack decided against a frontal assault. He was scouting. Gathering intel. But these creatures were a direct threat. Guards to whatever was going on. They needed to be dealt with quickly. And silently if possible.
He summoned his grimoire. A tome of spectral energy that materialized on air. Floating. Flipping through its pages itself.
He chose his spells. The newer ones...
First, [Forceful Frog-morph]. A swift, silent cast. A wave of shimmering, unseen energy shot out. Engulfing the first Stag Beetle man. There was a sickening pop. An abrupt, wet sound in the cavern's oppressive silence.
Where the formidable insectoid stood, now squatted a bewildered, grotesque frog. Its skin was mottled green. Its eyes bulging. It croaked. A sound utterly out of place in the grim chamber.
Before the second humanoid Stag Beetle could even register the impossible transformation of its comrade, Jack unleashed his next spell, [Void Cut].
A blade of pure, absolute nothingness appeared. A tear in existence itself. It flashed through the air. Slicing through the oversized frog. A silent, clean cut.
The two halves of the amphibian flopped wetly to the stone floor. Twitching once before going still. The croaking stopped. The bisected body regressed back to its original form. A bisected Beetleman.
The second humanoid Stag Beetle man finally reacted. Its head snapping towards the source of the disturbance. Its multifaceted eyes darted. Trying to discern the invisible threat.
It clicked its mandibles. A harsh, grating sound. And it started to move. Its heavy footsteps were echoing in the cavern.
Jack didn't hesitate. Another silent, swift cast of [Forceful Frog-morph]. The second creature was caught off guard mid-stride. Suffered the same fate.
Its imposing figure collapsed into a writhing, green mass of frog flesh. Before it could even croak, [Void Cut] followed. Two halves. Dead before they hit the ground. Reverting back to its original form after death.
Efficiency. Information. No unnecessary risks.
He approached the pedestal. His spectral form gliding over the mess. Around its base, several mangled corpses lay scattered. Not insectoids, but humans.
Their clothes were shredded. Their bodies were bearing horrific wounds. Some were gnawed upon. Others were simply twisted into unnatural shapes.
Jack knelt over one of the bodies. Ignoring the stench of blood and viscera. His gaze fixed on a necklace around the neck of a particularly dismembered corpse. An ankh-like pendant.
It was not exactly an ankh, the Egyptian symbol. But close enough. A stylized version. With a jagged, almost broken upper loop. And a single, sharp point at the bottom. The symbol of... the Sacred Destination Sect.
He recognized it from the many books he had read. The fanatical zealots obsessed with tearing open the veil between worlds. Driven by some twisted desire for ultimate knowledge or power. Utterly unconcerned with the devastation they left in their wake.
They had been rumored to be active in Waveront Kingdom. The neighboring country of the Elrush Kingdom here. In some of the more remote, forgotten places, always seeking unstable ley lines or arcane nexus points.
This cavern, with its raw spatial tear, was precisely the kind of place they'd be drawn to.
So... these weren't just random monsters. This was an orchestrated invasion. Or rather, a catastrophic accident caused by reckless occultists.
He plucked a few of the pendants from the necks of the dead cultists. Levitating them with his [Mysterious Anomaly]. Evidences.
Then, he turned away. The threat from the spatial crack still pulsed. A dark menace beating in the void. He wouldn't risk it. Not alone. Not without more information and backup.
The mission was reconnaissance, and he had what he needed.
He moved silently back through the long tunnel. Retracing his steps. He stopped once he was far enough from the cavern. And almost at the cave entrance.
With another shimmering burst of energy, he activated [Incarnation Shift] again. Reforming into his sturdy human body: Jack Night.
The Steamrune Shotgun appeared in his hand. Solid and familiar. He emerged into the fading daylight. Blinking against the sudden brightness.
Lucca was still waiting. Pacing nervously just outside the cave mouth. He startled when Jack appeared as if from thin air. "Night! You're back. What did you find? Are you alright?"
"Fine. Let's go." Jack's voice was gruff. "I'll explain when everyone gathers. No time to waste."
They quickly returned to the makeshift camp near the wrecked train. Sir Shellarrow and the others immediately converged on them.
Reina rushed forward. Her eyes were scanning his face. "Dear? What happened?"
"Problem." Jack stated. His voice was devoid of emotion. "Big one. The cave isn't just a hideout. It's a portal."
He held up one of the ankh-like pendants. "Any of you recognize this?"
Sir Shellarrow's eyes widened as he saw the pendant. His jaw tightened. "The Sacred Destination Sect? Damn it! I heard whispers they were active again, but… here?"
"They were." Jack confirmed. "Found their mangled operatives in the cavern. Around a pedestal. And above it? A spatial crack. A large one. That's where the cockroach-men are pouring out of. I killed two large, humanoid Stag Beetle creatures guarding it. They were protecting the portal."
A tense silence fell over the group. Nick, Olward, Amaranth, and Lucca exchanged grim glances.
Sir Shellarrow slammed his fist into his palm. The sound was echoing in the relative quiet. "That explains everything. The Sacred Destination Sect, trying to open a gateway to another realm. But they've opened a wrong one."
He took a deep breath. "A world infested with these demonic insectoids. They've connected their world to ours through that cave." He looked at the pendant again. A flicker of outrage in his eyes. "Reckless fools. They never learn."
"So, what now?" Olward asked. "We go in and seal it? Anyone know how to seal spatial crack?" He looked around with hopeful look.
All of the other transcendent individuals there shook their heads. Olward sighed. Obviously, it would not be that easy.
"So? Do we have to enter the spatial crack?
"Not yet." Sir Shellarrow said. Shaking his head. "We have survivors to protect, and the Mirebarrow teams are still on their way. We can't commit to a full assault on an unknown portal. Not without proper preparation, and certainly not with these people still exposed."
He looked at Jack. "How is the threat from the crack? Can you measure it?"
"Extremely dangerous. Whatever's on the other side, it's nothing like the cockroach-men. It wasn't something we can rush in and blast away. It was at least three times as powerful as all of us combined."
"Right." Sir Shellarrow's gaze became resolute. "First priority. Secure this area. Get the survivors out. Request more high level transcendent reinforcements. Then, we deal with the source."
He took a deep breath. "For now, we seal the cave entrance. Temporarily. I'll destroy it. Making it collapsed. But we still need to post a guard rotation. No more surprises."
"Agreed." Jack said grimly. The immediate danger to the survivors was over. For now.
But a far greater threat loomed beneath the earth. A consequence of some crazy people's reckless action. Now it was their problem to solve.