"Undeath Sect, Eternal Soul Cult, and... Purity Cult." Big Boss Lodegrey stiffened visibly at the mention of the names. His hand instinctively reached for the unlit cigar on the table. Twisting it in his fingers. "Those three together? Damn it!"

  Lady Gemrose chimed in. With a frustrated voice. "Each one of them was already a problem on its own. Now, combined... What precisely are they planning?"

  "Probably related to retaliation against the Royal Faction's recent operations." Jack replied. Not openly sharing the whole truth. "Or something connected to the ghost ship. One that has been appearing off the coast."

  "Whatever it is they are planning, it's likely bad." Big Bill said casually. "Just ambush them tonight and interrogate them afterward."

  "That's not a bad idea, actually." Lady Gemrose replied. "Simple and direct."

  Big Boss Lodegrey took a large, folded piece of thick paper. Unfolding it. Immediately, a detailed map of Sapphire City spread across his desk. His finger tapped the spot where the Gemstone Grinder factory would be.

  "Gemstone Grinder should be here." He said. "You're saying they will meet there tonight?"

  "Yes. At midnight." Jack repeated the information. "We accidentally encountered a pair of warlocks from Undeath Sect last night. I recognized them. We overheard that part of their conversation."

  "Oh, and they also said that the Gemstone Grinder was the hidden base for the Eternal Soul Cult." Jack added. "I've checked it this morning. There were quite large number of transcendent presence there. More than fifty... at least."

  The union president rubbed his chin. A thoughtful, dangerous expression was on his face. "I've suspected that the owner of the Gemstone Grinder was a crook. But, housing Eternal Soul Cult?"

  Lady Gemrose narrowed her eyes. "The owner of that factory... That's Baron Baggourd, isn't it? That ugly bastard!"

  "Yeah." Big Boss Lodegrey grunted and turned to Jack and Reina. His expression was a mix of suspicion and grudging respect. "You've given me vital information. Why trust the Mercenary Union with this, instead of the city guard or local authorities?"

  "I've moved to Lonestone for about a year now. But I'm still a registered member of the Union." Jack answered easily. "I know about both of you. I know nothing about the leaders of city guards or the city mayor."

  The Big Boss looked at them for a long moment. Assessing their sincerity. "Alright then. Midnight. Gemstone Grinder. This is too critical to ignore, and your intelligence seems solid."

  He turned to Big Bill. "Bill, go fetch Rainer, Yara, and Portman. Tell them to come here. Immediately. But don't tell them anything else yet."

  Big Bill nodded. "Sure. But Portman is out for a mission. The others should be available."

  "Fine. Get me Kingson then."

  "Got it, Boss!" Big Bill lumbered out. His massive frame moving with surprising speed.

  ...

  Within minutes, the heavy oak door opened again. Big Bill entered first. Followed by three battle-hardened mercenaries.

  Jack observed them. He knew them. Not personally, but by reputation.

  The first was Rainer Winter. A burly man with a scarred face and a no-nonsense attitude. He was a primal sorcerer with an ability to shapeshift into an armored werebear. A man famous for fighting alone against a huge pack of killer wolves in a mission.

  Next was Yara Noire. She was a lithe and sharp-eyed woman. A well-known master of stealth and reconnaissance. She was carrying a finely crafted revolver and a curved blade at her hips.

  And finally, Kingson Hogbane. A quiet, imposing figure who moved with the silent grace of a predator. A massive energy bazooka was strapped to his back.

  All three of them were definitely professional. They looked completely ready for a fight at a moment's notice.

  "Boss! What's wrong? You rarely use the urgent summons." Rainer Winter asked. His voice was cold and level. But with an underlying current of concern.

  Big Boss Lodegrey gestured to Jack and Reina. "These two have brought us critical intelligence. Undeath Sect, Eternal Soul Cult, and Purity Cult are conspiring. They're meeting tonight at the Gemstone Grinder. We need to make a plan."

  A ripple of tension went through the room. These three were names that brought them rage, frustration, and dread for so long. Hearing them allied was a chilling prospect.

  "A three-way alliance?" Yara Noire's brow furrowed in thought. "What is going on?"

  Jack repeated the story on how he and Reina acquired the information. The gravity of the situation settled heavily in the room.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "So, let's do a pre-emptive strike." Rainer rumbled. His right hand instantly transformed into furry, clawed one. "Find and destroy them right away. No sense waiting for them to meet."

  "The problem is..." Lady Gemrose sighed. "We don't know the exact number of people in each faction. We can attack Gemstone Grinder now and probably destroy all the Eternal Soul cultists within. But it will alert the other two groups."

  "So, the best thing we can do will be... attacking them tonight, when they are meeting each other." She concluded.

  "They are going to meet in the basement, right? It means limited entry and exit points." Yara Noire noted. Her eyes glazed as she tried to analyze an imaginary blueprint of the area. "Good to trap them inside. But it will be dangerous to enter. They have the positioning advantages inside."

  "Block the entrance. Smoke them out." Kingson Hogbane simply said. Giving a brief yet ruthless suggestion.

  The others looked at him. Speechless at his ruthlessness and practicality. Jack grinned as he truly appreciated his suggested method. Simple and sensible. The silent man was a treasure.

  Big Boss Lodegrey chuckled. "We'll do that if we have to. But, we need to try infiltrating the place first. Gaining information about what they are planning. Any suggestion?"

  "We can just use Scrier and Listener combo." Big Bill suggested. "They are in town I think."

  Jack knew who he meant. It was a pair of mercenaries. Both were primal sorcerers.

  Waltoe 'Scrier' Peech had a visual surveillance type of power. Able to convert water surface to show a vision of whatever was happening within his scrying range. About 20 km in radius.

  Harkelle 'Listener' Tentear had an audio surveillance type of power. Able to listen to whatever happened within similar range and then mimic the sound quite accurately.

  "They should work." Lady Gemrose looked at Big Boss Lodegrey. "They were definitely professional and trustworthy."

  The union president nodded. "Alright Bill. Contact them after this."

  He paused for a few seconds. Before continuing. "The first part of our approach is reconnaissance. Scrier and Listener will handle that. The next part is an ambush. Once we know the full scope of their plan and who is present, we strike with overwhelming force."

  "Smoke them out." Kingson Hogbane spoke again. Showing a unique ball-like object which Jack assumed was a smoke grenade. "Quick and safe."

  "Only if we know all of their exit points." Lady Gemrose pointed out. "If they have secret exit points we don't know, it will hinder us instead."

  Jack looked at the smoke grenade Hogbane was holding. And then at Lady Gemrose, who seemed worried about the logistics. Jack wasn't one for over-complicating things. He preferred direct, simple solutions like Hogbane's.

  "Smoke won't be a problem for us." Jack said. "I have an ability to filter air for breathing. And Reina's primal power is related to smoke. We can drop into that basement when the first smoke hits the ceiling. While your men are plugging the main exits, we can ensure no one slips out through the cracks."

  Reina nodded beside him. "My husband is right." She added softly. "The smoke plan is great. We'll be fine in a place full of smoke. If anything, the smoke will just give me more material to work with."

  Yara Noire chimed in. "My equipment includes high-grade filtration masks and thermal sensors. Smoke won't hinder my vision or my lungs. I can go with them."

  "It should be fine with the three of us inside, right?" Jack said. "But let's be real about the numbers. We're talking about three different factions. And the place is the base for Eternal Soul guys. We're facing over fifty transcendent cultists down there. We would be fine handling the stragglers. But the major bulk of them won't be ours to face."

  Big Boss Lodegrey grunted. "I can assign a hundred experienced mercenaries just in case. But the logistic will be a headache."

  He looked at Lady Gemrose. "We can't just march them through the streets of Sapphire City. The City Watch is already on edge. And if the cults' spies catch the movement, they'll scatter before we even get a block away."

  "We move in small groups." Lady Gemrose suggested. Her mind clearly already worked on the logistics. "Groups of five or fewer. Different routes. Different disguised missions. Let them come to 'Jade Jewelry' factory. It's only two blocks away from the 'Gemstone Grinder'."

  "Jade Jewelry? Your family's?"

  "Yeah." The union's vice president said. "I own it. I can just assign the night shift to a maintenance break for tonight. It's in the perfect blind spot."

  Big Boss Lodegrey grinned. "Done. Select a hundred of our most seasoned veterans. Bill, get Scrier and Listener to the factory now. Jack, Reina, get yourselves ready. Get there before midnight."

  ...

  At night, the city of Sapphire City was like a sprawling beast made of iron, steam, and stone. It breathed with the weaker, yet rhythmic chugging of heavy machinery. And the distant whistle of the harbor's steam ship arrivals.

  Jack and Reina walked through the narrow alleys. Their movements were fluid and silent. Rune floated just beside them. Glowing pale yellow in caution.

  Reina's illusion covered them. Projecting a disguise of a couple of tired laborers walking home from work.

  "This is going to be messy, Dear." Reina whispered as they approached the Jade Jewelry factory.

  "Messy is fine, Love." Jack replied. "The plan is solid. We just need to well... improvise if something unexpected happened."

  They reached the factory. A soot-stained brick building with high, arched windows. A side door creaked open before they could even knock.

  As Reina released the disguise illusion, they were detected immediately. A mercenary in blackened leather armor signaled them inside.

  The interior of the factory was a stark contrast to its drab exterior. Row upon row of steam-powered gem-cutting lathes sat idle. Their brass fittings were gleaming in the low light of flickering gas lamps.

  The air smelled of oil and abrasive dust. In the center of the main floor, the hundred mercenaries Big Boss Lodegrey had promised were gathered. They were a grim lot.

  In the middle of this crowd stood the mercenary leaders, Big Bill, Scrier, and Listener.

  Scrier was a gaunt man with eyes that seemed too large for his skull. His skin was the color of old parchment. In front of him sat a wide wooden basin filled with crystal-clear water.

  Listener was woman who looked equally frail. She stood with her eyes closed. Her head tilted as if she was catching a sound from a mile away.

  "They're settled." Scrier whispered in raspy voice. He waved a hand over the water. And the surface began to glow.

  Jack and Reina pushed through the crowd to get a look. The water's surface shimmered. And then resolved into a clear, bird's-eye view of a dimly lit basement.

  It was the Gemstone Grinder's lower level. The room was massive. Reinforced with heavy timber beams and lined with crates that likely held more than just grinding stones.

  "Look at that." Big Bill muttered.

  In the center of the room, a group of figures stood waiting. These were the members of the Eternal Soul Cult.

  They wore various attires. Some were wearing leather outfits. Others were wearing robes. Or common work clothes. However, all of them had their faces obscured by cowls and wooden masks that mimicked the expressions of weeping spirits.