The crackling campfire threw dancing shadows against their faces. The night air was chill. But the shared warmth of the flames and the hot drinks kept the conversation flowing.
Jeanne and Tomme had finished their tales of the New Continent. Leaving a collective sense of wonder and apprehension hanging in the air.
Jack had been mostly listening. His gaze occasionally drifted to the quiet Chloe Chase. She was his first human friend after all. Back when he was a specter. And, he needed her help for one thing.
"So, a land of ancient spirits and forgotten civilizations." Jack mused. "Sounds like a ghost-hunter's paradise."
He paused. Taking a sip of the strong tea Reina had brewed. Then, he turned his attention directly to Chloe. "Speaking of spirits, Ms. Chase. You said your name Chloe Chase, didn't you? Have you ever encountered a specter known as Jack Mystery?"
The question was abrupt. Catching everyone off guard. Chloe, who had been absently poking at a log with a stick, looked up. Her blue eyes widening slightly.
"Jack Mystery?" She repeated. The name was familiar to her. "I… Yeah. He saved me... He saved us twice in the previous expeditions. Why? Do you know him?" She returned the query. A hint of curiosity in her tone.
Jack gave a slow nod. "Yes. I know the specter. Quite well, actually. Strange guy, that one." He grinned. "And I also know that annoying speedster vigilante in Lonestone City, Racer Jack."
He paused. Letting the names hang in the air. Watching the archeologists' reactions. Dr. Crafton looked confused. And Leon Drake exchanged a bewildered glance with Tomme. Baroness Artheim merely raised an eyebrow.
Reina, sitting beside Jack, almost snorted into her cup. She quickly composed herself. Her lips were twitching upwards. Into a barely perceptible smile.
She knew full well that Jack Mystery, Racer Jack, and the man beside her were all basically the same person.
Jack continued. Oblivious or simply uncaring of their confusion. "They all belong to the Jack Circle, you see. It's a rather loose gathering of any transcendent beings who happen to share the name Jack. A sort of... fraternal order, if you will."
He delivered this with a straight face. Just a hint of a twinkle showed in his eye. One that only Reina seemed to catch.
"Jack Mystery, in particular, seems to have been looking for you, Ms. Chase." He gestured vaguely to one direction. "He mentioned something about a gift, or a debt. I don't really remember."
Chloe blinked. "He was looking for me?"
"Well, yeah." Jack responded smoothly. "If you don't mind, I could try to contact him. See if he can't make his way here tonight. It would save him a lot of trouble, and you, perhaps, some explanations down the line."
Chloe hesitated. Clearly pondering this. The specter had indeed helped her more than just one occasion. And he was not hostile. But the others might not think it was a good thing to interact with a specter.
"It… it would be fine." She finally said. "I suppose I do owe him thanks. Many thanks, actually, for saving me more than once."
"Excellent!" Jack affirmed. Pushing himself up from his seated position by the campfire. "I'll be back in a moment."
He walked towards the luxurious, dark tent he and Reina shared. Disappearing inside.
Reina watched him go. A knowing smile played on her lips. She waited a few moments. Then subtly shifted her focus. A wisp of dark fog escaped her hand and drifted towards the tent. Invisible in the night light.
Inside the tent, it swirled. Coalesced. And then, with an imperceptible shimmer, solidified.
A few seconds later, the tent flap opened. And Jack Night stepped out, looking exactly as he had before. He walked back to the campfire. Resuming his seat as if he'd merely gone to fetch something.
The illusion was perfect. Even down to the faint smell of pine and campfire smoke that clung to his clothes. The archeologists, too tired to notice the minuscule aura difference, simply accepted his return.
"He's a bit of an eccentric, that Jack Mystery." The illusion Jack Night said. Picking up a twig and poking it into the embers. "But ultimately harmless, for the most part. Just... keep your wits about you. He has a way of appearing and disappearing without warning."
As if on cue, a sudden chill swept through the encampment. Making the campfire flicker and dance erratically. The air grew heavy. Thick with a strange, subtle scent of floral fragrance.
From the direction of the lake, a faint, almost ethereal hum began to resonate. Steadily growing in intensity.
Then, a spectral figure coalesced from the night sky. Drifting downwards with an eerie grace.
It was undeniably a specter. A translucent form of a specter in a spectral stage magician's suit. Complete with a top hat and a mask that obscured its features. Its eyes, however, glowed with an unnerving light. This was Jack Mystery.
The archeologists immediately tensed. Dr. Crafton and Leon Drake could control themselves as they had seen it once.
But Jeanne fumbled for the grimoire she carried. Tomme swore under his breath. reaching for the burning branch from the campfire. Bell, Ned, and Moby scrambled back. Their faces were pale with fear.
Even Baroness Artheim flinched. Her usual composure momentarily shattered by the sudden, unnatural arrival.
"Easy, everyone." The illusion Jack Night said calmly. Holding up a reassuring hand. "He's not hostile. He's here on my invitation. And Ms. Chase's."
Chloe, while clearly startled, nodded. "It's alright." She confirmed. "He's... he has helped me before. He means no harm."
Jack Mystery drifted closer. His form was shimmering slightly. He made no sound. Yet, his presence was evident. A cold, silent authority. His glowing eyes settled first on the illusion Jack Night. And then moved to Chloe.
He gave an elegant bow. As if he had finished performing on stage.
"Jack Night." the specter's voice echoed in their minds. A low, resonant whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Yo, Chloe! Long time no see." He greeted Chloe afterward. In much familiar tone.
"Jack!" Chloe responded. "You survived against that demon?"
"Sure I did. I had died once, you know. And that wasn't fun. No way would I be willing to die again." Jack replied.
"Ah, anyway... We are friend right? I saved you, and those two that time, right?" He pointed at Dr. Crafton and Leon Drake. "Help me now, will you?"
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Don't tell me you want to borrow money. I'm broke." She bantered.
"Oh, come on! What do I need money for? If it is your soul..." He quickly raised his hand. "Joking! Joking! I'm specter. Not devil. Why do I need anyone's soul? Anyway, here..."
Jack Mystery extended a translucent hand. An object appeared. It was an old compass. Its brass casing had been dulled by time and wear. But it was also visibly broken. A jagged crack running across its brass body.
It was the Compass of Fortune. The one Jack gained in the Treasureland Junkyard. It was not as bad as it used to. Its glass face was pristine clear. Jack had used Mystic Glass to partially repair it.
"That..." The specter said as he used telekinesis to send it to Chloe. "... is the artifact I got. The one who gave me that said it requires a blessing of fortune."
He looked pointedly at Chloe. "You can do that right? Casting a blessing of fortune?"
Chloe stared at the broken compass. Then at Jack Mystery. "Me? Well, I do know the spell. Blessing of Fortune." She asked. "But why me? There are a lot of others who know that."
"Oh, come on. You are the inheritor of Webmother's Fortune. Your spell should be the most potent." Jack Mystery replied. His gaze was unwavering. "Go ahead. Bless it."
Hesitantly, Chloe reached out. Her delicate and slender fingers brushed against the cold brass of the compass.
She closed her eyes for a moment. Concentrating. Focusing on the compass. And casting her non-grimoire spell. [Blessing of Fortune].
A soft, golden glow flickered around the compass. It lasted for a moment. Like a suppressed breath of light.
Nothing dramatic happened afterward. No grand explosion of magic. No thunderous pronouncements. The glow simply faded. But when Chloe opened her eyes and looked down, the compass was different.
The jagged crack across the brass body face was gone. As if it had never existed. The previously dull needle now looked lively. Trembling gently before settling and pointing north with a newfound certainty.
It was fixed. Chloe was indeed a powerful nexus of fortune. A true inheritor of the Webmother's blessings. Her touch had great fortune power.
"It's... it's fixed." Chloe whispered. Genuinely amazed.
"Yep. It should be good now. Thank you, Chloe!" Jack's voice cut in. A hint of satisfaction in its tone. As he took the compass back from her.
"You should use your fortune spells often, Girl! And that Fate inheritor guy too." Jack said. "Come on! Practice hard. I've seen Amaranth and her uncle, Lucca. She had developed her Mist Inheritance incredibly well. And so did Lucca with his Hunt Inheritance. You two were far behind."
"You've seen them?" Chloe asked
"Yeah. About two months ago." Jack answered. "Anyway, I heard from Night you've just survived another expedition disaster."
Chloe groaned. "I don't want to talk about it."
Jack grinned behind his mask. "Use your Blessing of Fortune to expedition members often next time, Girl. You have the power. Use it. Alright..."
He waved to Chloe and the others in there. "Got to go now. Bye" He began to drift upwards. His spectral form starting to dissipate into the night air.
But then, Jack Mystery stopped. Just as he was about to vanish. His glowing eyes settled, briefly but intensely, on Baroness Artheim.
The Baroness had been watching the entire exchange with a mixture of suspicion and grudging fascination. She suddenly felt an icy tendril of apprehension around her heart. Jack Mystery's gaze was unreadable.
He seemed to be about to say something. His translucent lips seemed to part. But then, he seemed to reconsider. Whatever message he had intended remained unspoken.
Without another word, without a sound, Jack Mystery simply faded. Dissolving completely into the vast expanse of the Lake Trishade night sky. Leaving behind only the lingering chill. And the perplexed gazes of the archeologists.