The ceiling of the ancient rockmen ruin groaned. A terrible sound. Like the grinding teeth of a giant. One that vibrated through Jack's whole skin. Dust rained down in thick, suffocating clusters. Obscuring the carnage of the battle.
The spatial cracks that had transported the were-rats had finally gone. The spatial energy had been stabilized... However, the physical structure of the ruin was severely damaged. The structural integrity of the place had been sacrificed to the chaotic energies of the Duke's cursed artifacts.
Jack stood in the center of the debris. He gave signal to his crew mates to take the survivors and leave. They were close to the entrance anyway.
He didn't leave immediately though. His eyes, shimmering with the power of his [Eyes of Judgement], swept the hall.
The Ancient Guardian Rockleo lay a few distance away. The three-eyed metal lion was a wreck. Its metallic plates were gouged by the claws of the giant were-rats, and crushed by the demon. Its internal runic gears were unmoving. Powerless.
But it was still an incredible remnant of ancient engineering. A half-machine, half-magical construct. And not exactly steamrune powered. Jack wasn't about to let it be buried under a million tons of rock.
He reached into his [Spatial Bag] and pulled out a simple hand mirror. It looked like a mundane vanity item. And it was one. But for Jack, it was a perfectly suitable gate to his sanctuary.
He immediately activated his supernatural ability... [Mythical Mirror Realm]. The surface of the mirror rippled like a disturbed pond. Jack grabbed the massive, broken ancient golem and brought it into his Mirror Mansion.
A vacuum of shimmering energy erupted from the mirror's surface. The metal lion, weighing several tons, was pulled into the its vortex. Shrinking as it crossed the threshold of the glass until it vanished entirely.
Inside the mirror, the Rockleo was now resting in the main hall of Jack's Mirror Mansion. Kept in his safe, personal pocket dimension.
The ruin gave a final, violent lurch. A pillar the size of a redwood tree snapped several distance away.
"Time to go. Let's go, Rune!" Jack said.
Rune, his fairy guide, flared a bright, urgent orange. She zipped toward the now-jagged exit gate. The one that the crew had used to evacuate the survivors. Jack sprinted. He moved with the speed of an agile predator and the elegance of a parkour master.
He leaped over the remains of the dead and the fallen debris. Easily navigating the shifting floorboards of the ruin hall's interior.
He reached the outer threshold just as the entrance began to crumble. With a final surge of strength, Jack threw himself through the gap.
He tumbled onto the rocky slope of the canyon. His boots skidded on the loose stones.
Behind him, a roar like a hundred cannons filled the air. The canyon ridge collapsed. A massive cloud of grey dust and pulverized stone billowed out of the ruin's entrance. Followed by the series of deafening crashes as the ceilings of the internal chambers fallen one onto the other.
Within just seconds, the Barrentree ruin was gone. It was now a tomb for were-rats, undead, and the fallen, unlucky adventurers.
The survivors sat or lay on the ground a safe distance away. They were a pathetic sight. Bruised, bleeding, and staring at the collapsed mountain with hollow eyes.
Baroness Artheim stood near them. Her leather outfits were ruined. Soot smeared her noble features. Leon Drake was next to her. Still wearing his draconic armor. Watching the collapsed entrance with complicated look.
The rest of the crew members were also there. None seemed to be seriously injured. But it didn't mean that they were in their top condition. Most of them looked extremely tired, dirty, and bruised.
Reina saw Jack and exhaled a relieved breath. The tension left her shoulders.
"Dear!" She said. Stepping forward. "You're alright?"
"Yeah. But, the place is down for good." Jack replied with a mixed feeling. "Too bad. There were still many nice things in there."
He looked at the survivors. They were witnesses. They had seen what happened. He didn't like loose ends. But, obviously, he wouldn't kill them just because of that.
He didn't actually have any problem with them seeing what had happened. He didn't mind people associated the rakshasa form with his human form. But handling the aftermath and answering their endless questions later would be a nightmare.
He quickly glanced at Reina. She understood his look immediately. She had known him too well. She didn't need a command for this.
Reina raised her hands slightly. A pale, grey mist began to appear in the surrounding. It didn't look threatening. It wasn't particularly noticeable. Especially after such horrifying experience.
The mist rolled over the twenty survivors. One by one, their heads lolled. The trauma of the day, combined with Reina's illusion-laced fog, forced them into a deep, dreamless sleep. Just within seconds, the only people conscious on the mountainside were Jack's crew.
"What now, Captain?" Leon Drake asked. He looked exhausted. "We're quite far from the town, and these folks won't stay asleep forever."
"They're coming with us." Jack said. He drew up the hand mirror again. "It's just like the time in the Hungry Mist. I'll take all of you to the coast near the town. Make sure they stay unconscious."
"The Mirror Mansion?" Baroness Artheim asked.
"Yup." Jack nodded. "Alright ladies and gentlemen... Into the mansion. All of you."
The crew didn't argue. Other than Aella, the others had done this before. It was indeed the most practical way. And they were extremely tired. Resting for some time in the mansion sounded heavenly at the moment.
Jack activated the Mirror Realm portal. And one by one, the baroness, the healers, the cook, and the rest of the crew stepped into the silver surface of the mirror. Each of them assisted Jack in carrying the unconscious survivors and taking them into the Mirror Realm.
In the mansion, the survivors would be placed in a comfortable place. A location where Serene and Autumn could continue to treat their wounds, and keep them unconscious.
When the mountainside was empty of everyone but Jack, Rune and Reina, Reina turned to him. "The bike?"
Jack nodded. He reached into his system inventory and summoned out his heavy, metallic vehicle. One that looked like a cool fusion between a dark jet ski and a wheel-less motorbike.
This was the [Lightning Hoverbike]... a masterpiece of steam-rune technology that had been refined and fused with his system's power. It hummed with a low-frequency vibration. Its visible runes glowed faintly in the dimming light of the evening.
"Get in the back, Love." Jack said.
Reina immediately settled onto the seat behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Jack kicked the ignition rune. A crackle of steamrune power arched between the rear stabilizers. The bike lifted a few meters off the ground. Hovering on a cushion of repelling magnetic force.
He twisted the throttle. The bike zoomed forward in accelerating speed. Soon, they blurred down the landscape. Ignoring the terrible rocky areas below.
The hoverbike glided over rocks, and rare brown bushes. Jack pushed the machine to its limit of comfort. Navigating the dreary scenes of Barrentree Island with preternatural reflexes.
Rune flew next to them. Keeping up with the hoverbike's speed easily. A streak of glowing blue light that acted as a scout. Flagging obstacles and possible dangers before Jack's senses could even register them.
The journey that had taken them more than a day on foot before only took them less than three hours now. By the time the sun set, they had almost reached Copperbean Town.
Jack didn't move to the town though. He skirted to the outskirts where the smell of coal smoke and cheap ale lingered. Reina's illusion hid them from unnecessary attention.
They headed for a secluded stretch of the nearby coast. A place of jagged black cliffs and hidden coves that the local fishermen avoided. The one where smugglers would love to visit instead.
Jack brought the hoverbike to a smooth halt on a sandy beach. The sun had already set in the western horizon by then. The waves hissed against the shore. The salt spray felt cold on their face.
"I'll summon the ship first, Love." Jack told Reina as they stepped down from the hoverbike.
After storing the bike back to the system inventory, Jack started to do the summoning. A few moments later, the clear, starry sky seemed to dim. The air grew cold. And a thick, unnatural fog began to roll from the sea toward the shore. Moving ominously against the wind.
From the bottom of the sea, the Silent Mermaid emerged. The ghost ship was a terrifying sight. It was a ghostly sloop with rotten hull, skeletal mast, and tattered sails. Its silently wailing mermaid figurehead and blazing purple flames seemed to make the whole cove shudder with apprehension. She didn't displace the water so much as glide over it. Silent as a grave.
The ship dropped anchor next to the beach. Waiting for the crew to hopped back onto its deck.
"I'll open the gate to the mansion." Jack said.
He opened the Mirror Mansion again. The crew stepped out first. Breathing in the fresh sea air. Then, they began the grunt work of moving the twenty unconscious survivors from the Mirror Realm onto the beach.
They laid them out above the high-tide line, wrapped in their own cloaks. Other than being unconscious, these survivors were in much better conditions now. The healer sisters had taken care of them well.
"They'll wake up in a few hours." Reina said. Looking down at a young man whose broken arm had been set and magically mended by Serene. "They'll remember the battle. Do you want to try altering their memory, Dear? I can use some illusion for that."
"No need." Jack replied calmly. "Let them remember the truth."
He looked at the survivors one last time. They had saved them, which satisfied his sense of justice. But they owed them nothing more.
The crew quickly boarded the Silent Mermaid. As soon as Jack's boots hit the deck, he instantly felt the ship's eerie welcome. The masts creaked a greeting, and the ripped sails and ancient ropes moved slightly on their own.
Jack looked at the navigator. "Argust! We're heading to Grandmoon Island. How long will it take?"
The navigator, Argust Osprey, immediately replied. "Grandmoon Island, huh? The gateway to the Myriad Archipelago would normally be ten days voyage from here. With Silent Mermaid, we'll probably reach it in six days."
"Let's start moving then." Jack said.
"Understood, Captain!" Argust said, his eyes gleaming. "I'll go to the control cabin right away."
"I'll prepare some late supper, then." Don said as he followed him into the deck.
Baroness Artheim approached Jack as the anchor was hauled. She looked back at the receding shoreline of Barrentree Island.
"I'm about to complete the translation of the [Tome of Arcane Talisman Craft], Captain." She said. "At least tomorrow, or the day after that."
"Do you want to translate the Rockman's record plates next, Baroness?" Jack raised his eyebrows and asked. "Or do you want to try crafting the talisman?"
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