"Stay put you little piss ant and get squashed!" James yelled out.
James and Arland had been locked in battle once they lost track of Evelyn in the mountains. After a heated exchange, they but heads until they took a deadly turn and started using their powers.
Arland had the power of air. He can fly and accelerate in the air and maneuver with great precision and throw out slicing air slashes. And, because of his great speed, he could connect with an object with such power and force that the air would shake and vibrate violently all around.
James had the power to summon creatures and beasts he had caught. Or he could summon the power of the specific monster that came with the power. which he was using now, the Iron Golem.
"It's awfully nice that Blake gave us money to buy a toy," 10-year-old Arland said.
"When are you going to stop calling him Blake and start calling him Dad? Or Captain at least?" 12-year-old James replied.
When Blake Black, became a Pirate Captain at the age of 22, he thought it would be nice to give his adopted sons, James and Arland, some money to go into town of the port they were staying at currently and find a place that sells toys and buy something nice for themselves. He gave them both about 100 coins each so they could buy as nice of a toy they could find. They were only kids, after all. He didn't think much of it. If he could have the treat of being a pirate captain, his family deserves it too. As for the rest of his crew at the time, booze sufficed.
"I feel like we're royalty with this much money in our coin satchels," Arland said.
"Then don't lost it," James said. They passed several toy shops in town, but they all seemed too busy with kids and afraid that the best toys would already be taken. But the toy shop that caught their eye was a white shop at the end of the shopping district. They went inside and there were no kids to be seen but a nice chubby man at the back behind the counter wearing a nice white suit and a white top hat, a white framed monocle, and a great big fancy curled up mustache.
"Well hello children!" He said walking around the counter and up to them. "What do we have here? Two little boys." The smile disappeared from his face as he said, "Oh my. You boys are awfully dirty. Do you honestly assume you could afford anything in my shop? Maybe you should leave."
"We have 100 coins each," James said. "You have toys, we have cash."
With dollar signs in his eyes, the man said, "Oh you do? With so much money, why did you choose my shop? Surely with that much money, at the other shops you could buy many toys. With that much money and the toys in my shop, you could only afford one each.'
"Do you think he's right?" Arland said to James. "I mean maybe we should-"
James looked back at Arland who stopped talking for a moment and noticed he was eyeing something across the shop.
"Sir," Arland said. "Fuck those shops!" And got lost among the shelves of toys.
"Quite the tongue that one has," The man laughed a little. He looked at James and said, "So you boys seem like you want one toy?"
James looked at the man and said, "I suppose that'll be what we're getting. We live on a ship, so a lot of toys isn't really an option for us. We chose your shop because it was the only one that wasn't full of kids running around. My dad says I'm smart and observant so if I want my brother and I to get the best toy for us, maybe a shop where the best thing might be taken isn't the best option."
The man was speechless. Thinking for a moment he asked, "How old are you?"
"12," James replied. "My brother over there is 10."
Smiling again, the man said, "Well, boy, your father is surely right. I do think you are quite observant in your observations. You see, not many children come here because my toys are simply not only the best, but they all fetch a high price. Not everyone can afford them so it would be pointless for anyone to come in. I know I'm asking for a lot but if you also want to add quality to the toys as well there only the best. And on top of that, every toy is one of a kind. What's the point of buying a toy from the other shops if everyone has the same one? Why not be the only one to have it and be cooler than everyone else?"
"Your sales pitch really isn't that great," James said. "I get it mister. You fancy. But we're only here for one thing."
"And I found it," Arland said coming from behind the shelves of toys with white orb floating in his hand. "You can't tell me this doesn't look cool James. Can you? Come on. Tell me this isn't neat!" Arland said excitedly.
"Should I ring you up then?" the man asked.
"What does it do?" James asked.
The man held his hand out the Arland and he put it in his hand and the man said, "It's a geometric transformer." And he tossed it in his hands as it transformed from a sphere to a cube to a cylinder to a diamond to a helix to a sphere again. He gave it back to Arland and said, "Neat, isn't it?"
Still staring at it in its sphere form and with stars in his eyes, Arland said, "Cool."
James averted his eyes around the shop and stopped at a certain toy, but then quickly looked away.
"I see," the man said. "I think I know what caught your eye."
"No. You're just seeing things," James said.
"Dear boy, I'm not all about the money," He said. "I believe it's not always the child who picks the toy, but sometimes the toy picks the child." The man walked over and picked up a toy that looked like a Golem made of Iron and handed it to James. He took it and just stared at it. "So?"
"Well I do like it," He said. He turned it around and started to say, "Wait a minute. It says-"
"You can have it for the hundred gold coins you have," The man said.
"Then why does it say a hundred thirty?" James asked.
"It's special," he smiled. "But you two have picked the most unique toys I have in my whole shop. I think you'll both love them!"
Arland and James exchanged looks and then they both smiled. As they were at the counter, they heard the door chime as someone entered and the man said, "Oh my. I don't think I've ever been this busy."
"Don't worry about me," The voice of a man said. "I ain't buying. Well not technically."
James peeked his head out from the counter to the man who walked in the door and said, "Dad?"
"Hey sport!" Blake smiled. He saw the price tag on a toy and then said, "I give you boys a hundred coins and out of every shop along the strip here, how the hell did you both pick the most expensive one?"
Handing James the receipt for both their toys, the man replied, "Because your sons seem to have exquisite taste." He then looks at Blake and then looks at the boys. Then back and forth again."
"Before you say anything, they're adopted," Blake said.
"Oh no. I was just-"
"You were just judging," Blake said.
The man sighed and said, "I'm sorry."
Blake smiled and put his hand on the mans shoulder and said, "It's fine. I love them like they're my own."
The man looked up, straightened his posture, and said, "So sir, could I also interest you in a toy?"
"Me?" Blake began to laugh. "Man, I'm 22. I think I may have outgrown that part of my life." Blakes laugh slowly trailed off as he took a good hard look of everything around the shop. And then in a serious tone said, "James, Arland, head back to the ship. I'll be there soon."
Noticing the tone in Blakes voice, the boys knew that was the tone he used when he was serious and bless the soul of the person who disobeyed him when he used it. They took their toys and left.
"So no toy?" The man smiled.
"Cut the shit," Blake said.
"I see," The man then said. "You see it, don't you?"
"I see all of them," Blake said. "So, tell me, where the hell does a black-market power dealer get off dressing in white and selling toys as a front for power stones?"
"At least I'm selling them for the price power stones go for," The man smiled.
"Tell me, what the hell did my sons just buy?" Blake demanded.
The black-market merchant smiled and said, "I think your sons may be prodigies of power," he said. "They both happened to pick the most valuable powers I have ever had."
"What shape are the stones?" Blake asked.
"Diamond," The man's smile looked sinister now.
With a slight irritation in his face, Blake said, "Why in the hell are you selling toys to kids?"
"I'm a black-market trader. I have to make a living somehow. Plus, how often do you see a child walk in here with a hundred gold coins? The answer is never. I really should have thanked your boys. I haven't had a single sale since I opened shop." The man said.
Blake charged forward pinning the man against the wall and said, "Are you out of your damn mind?" At that angle, Blake could see the backroom and noticed something.
Even with being pinned against the wall, the merchant smiled and said, "I see something caught your eye."
The Iron Golem was rampaging through ravines and cliffs crushing rocks and reshaping mountains as it chased after Arland at an incredible speed. "Are you actually trying to kill me this time?" Arland called out as the shots from the Golem began to be more precise and Arland actually was having a few close calls of being struck by the iron giant.
"How about we just find out!" James yelled with a murderous look on his face.
Arland flew up out of a cavern, shaking off the golem, and made a dash for James. James dodged a punch until he realized that wasn't Arland's intention. He grabbed the power dampening cuffs from his waste they had planned to use and Evelyn and cuffed James.
With a look of shock on his face, James said, "What did you just do?"
"Win," Arland laughed as he was catching his breath.
"No, no, no, no, no," James said. "I don't think you realize what you just did."
They heard a monstrous howl from the Golem in the cavern and then about seven dozen large portals, like the one the golem emerged from, appeared in the sky above them.
"TAKE OFF THE CUFFS RIGHT NOW!" James demanded.
"Wait, what's happening?" Arland says looking at the sky.
"My powers keep these monsters locked away and obey me," James said. "With my power cut off, they can leave at their own free will and among the destruction they will reign, I am also a target on the dinner menu. Once they leave portal, my control over them is severed."
Hearing this, Arland quickly went to unlock the cuffs but were too late witnessing around 20 monsters escaping their portals. Once the cuffs were off. James was able to close them before anything else got out.
"What about the Golem? He was already out," Arland asked.
"He's a direct connection to my power. That's the only good thing about it," James said. "But we have a little problem."
The sky, the mountains, and land were filled with large powerful monsters James had previously caught and were now free in a foreign land. A land that was also plentiful of their primary food source. Humans.
"We could easily hunt these, right?" Arland asked.
"No," James admitted. "It took at least 20 of our crew just to help me capture most of these." He pointed at a copper-tan six-legged monster with red symbols all over its body, burrowing into the ground and disappearing. "And then there are bastards like that which took 60 of us to capture."
"So we're going to be monster hunters for the time being?" Arland smiled as his air in his hands materialized to his floating ball that changed shapes and he turn it into a sword.
James turned to Arland and said, "Put it away. We'll die at the first chance we get. Let's just find Evelyn and leave this continent before these beasts destroy it."
Just then a massive hawk swooped down at James's head, but the Iron Golem was able to stop it in time.
"Shit! It's already started!" James yelled.
"You weren't kidding!" Arland yelled.
Iron Golem yelled a loud bellowing roar and the hawk circled around again. It came in again for another attack until it was impacted with what seemed like a cannon and burned a hole straight through the bird.
James and Arland's jawed dropped at the sight as the bird's life-less body nosedived to the ground. They slowly moved their eyes to the direction of where the cannonball came from and saw a band of pirate and an army behind them.
"What are two men like you doing trying to take on a beast like that?" The man the boys assumed who the leader was said. He stood 6 feet tall, had short brown hair and had a dark goatee. He had dark eyes and his captain's jack was sleeveless. He looked at the Iron Golem and grabbed another cannonball and tossed it in his hand up and down and said, "Is this another beast I need to put down?"
James summoned a portal and the Iron Golem climbed inside and he replied, "No." Once the Iron Golem was in, James asked, "So who are you supposed to be?"
The man smiled and said, "You must be new here. I'm Captain Bardrick of the Barbarian Pirates. Also, the conqueror of this continent. You seem to be some powerful foes. I don't like powerful people on my continent who don't serve under me. So, what you say?"
"We say nay," Arland replied.
"Oh?" Bardrick smiled.
"In comparison, your pirate crew is inferior," James said. He could see with those words, the look in the Captain's eyes revealed that he struck a nerve. James continued. "I am James Black, and this is my Brother Arland Black. We are first and second mates of the Bloodstone Pirates serving directly under Pirate King Captain Blackbeard and Pirate Queen Captain Bloodstone."
Captain Bardrick was snow smiling again, "I see."
A cannonball flew by them so fast they could hardly tell what had happened,
"Oh my. I'm surprised I missed," The Captain laughed.
Arland grabbed James' arm and said, "We'd be dead if I wasn't here. But I suggest we go." And he quickly took James and lifted off.
"They got away. Oh well," The Captain said laughing as his crew joined in. "Now then, back to the mission. Over these mountains are the neighboring homes to the ocean on this side of the continent. Raid the homes and take every child from the ages of 13 to 17. I'm going to get my power army whether these rascals like it or not."