Jackson rounded a corner into an alleyway of the east side of the Sharsen port and then a few other quick turns.
"Are we for real right now? I'm being followed. Other than that, it seems like whoever it is, they're displaying a wide array of amateur hour out here. None of my Technicians I trained would slip up like this to be detectable. Even by me." Jackson thought as he rounded another corner and teleported onto the roof of the building before whoever was following him could see where he had gone.
Jackson watches as two people round the corner and he's shocked as he whispers to himself, "Harry and Dennis?"
They look around and the taller one, Harry, says to the smaller one, Dennis, "Where the hell did he go?"
"I- Shit. Boss is going to ring us if you lost him," Dennis said.
"If 'I' lost him? The hell you mean if 'I' lost him?" Harry said angrily.
"I don't know jolly bean giant. You should be able to see everything from up there," Dennis teased.
"You're really being an arsehole right now," Harry said.
"I don't think I can stand to watch this play out any longer," Jackson laughed at the thought as he teleported in front of them. "I'm currently ashamed. I thought I trained you both better than to let someone you're trailing be able to sense you so easily. Did I do you wrong at some point you literally threw all that training out the window?" Jackson lectured them the minute they saw him appear.
Wide eyed, Harry and Dennis exchanged looks and then Harry said, "Uhh… I don't know what to say."
"Admitting you're bad Technicians is a good start. Though I guess it's also an insult since I trained you," Jackson said.
"Bad Technicians?" Dennis laughed. "I'm sorry. You abandoned us on that damn island!"
"Yeah," Jackson said with no hesitation. "I chose love and an escape over you and everyone on that island." He paused and said, "So why are you following me? Who is this boss? And most of all, how did you survive the destruction of the island?"
"We don't owe you an explanation," Dennis said angrily.
"We were ordered to, our boss at this current time is the First and Second Mates of the Bloodstone Pirates, and we joined the Bloodstone Pirates to survive." Harry answered.
Dennis looks over at Harry and says, "Are you daft?"
"They never said we can't answer questions," Harry smiled.
"So," Jackson interjected, "You were on the two Bloodstone ships we passed on the way into Sharsen."
"Yeah," Dennis sighed.
"Well no reason to trail me now. Come with me. Let's catch up! I was only going to do some light shopping anyway," Jackson smiled.
Still hesitant and ashamed of being found out, Dennis sighed and nodded in agreement.
"Ha!" Harry let out. "Someone's a sore loser," he teased Dennis. "Of course we'll tag along. It was getting boring being tasked with tailing you anyway."
Jackson smiled and said, "That's what I thought. Come along," he signaled, "I scouted some weapon shops yesterday and want to look around today."
"Will you buy us something?" Harry asked politely.
"What do I look like to you? Your father?" Jackson chuckled. He saw the grin on Harry's face and caved, "Fuck. Shit. Fine. I'm putting a two-gold coin cap on it though. You're not even my men anymore so consider it a proper parting gift."
"Gold coins?" Dennis repeated. "That's awfully generous."
"Yeah, well I don't feel like breaking change for silver and copper. Gold coins are all I have," he admitted.
"Don't you think saying that out loud in a place like this is a little dangerous? Someone might try to mug ya," Harry said.
"You really think a lowly mugger can best me?" Jackson said sternly as they continued walking.
"Oh," Harry and Dennis said together.
Jackson led them into an alley, which is probably the darkest alley in Sharsen, and into a shop. All around are weapons of different types. There are knives, swords, axes, pole blades and replacement blades for them too. There are also clubs, maces, and hammers. There are also throwing knives and projectile weapons like bows, crossbows, handguns, and cannon shooters. They have assault rifles too but only kingdoms with armies use them. They're not recommended for pirates. They're too big, not a lot of mobility, and cost a fortune. Beast Hunting Nobles have them for the fact that they have laws they need to follow among hunting beasts that pirates don't follow. They let them subdue beasts without causing a lot of damage.
The rarity of the weapons was what Jackson was truly looking for and he sure found it; black weapons. Black weapons were among the rarest weapons in their part of the planet due to their durability and damage output. They're made from a peculiar metal ore found only in certain areas of Neptunes waters that deep sea miners are only brave enough to obtain. Barreling down to the bottom of the sea not knowing if or when a sea beast will attack is an experience Jackson never wants the pleasure of experiencing.
Due to the danger of obtaining the ore and the yearlong crafting process a weapon of any kind, their value makes the expensive assault rifles look like chump change. Fortunately for Jackson, his cut of the sea beast they sold was plentiful.
A technician with a black weapon combined with their mechromancing art is a force to be reckoned with. Technicians and their weapons increase weapon power by two but with a black weapon, that damage output multiplier is five. Not to mention that a weapons power is also in relation to the power of the technician. Their mechromancing art is a part of their body in themselves so the weapon is powered up in relation to the technician. In relation to how powerful Jackson is, the cheapest black throwing knife could take out the full leg of a brick building.
Dennis came up by Jackson as he was studying the craftmanship on a few black Katana's, "I didn't pick you of the sort who'd be a swordman of these types of blades," he said.
"I'm not," Jackson replied. "I realized the swordsman on my crew has had a hell of a time trying to sharpen his current sword recently since our last encounter with a sea beast. I'll get him a gift."
"Then what are you here for?" Dennis asked.
"To replace and upgrade my arsenal with black weapons," Jackson replied with a smile. He walked to the counter and casted a duffel bag and put it on the counter in front of the shop owner and said, "Will this be enough to get me at least one of almost everything of black weapons?"
The shop owner opened the bag and started grinning and replied, "Oh yes. Yes it is. Take your picks and I'll compile them for you. Will you need a bag?"
"A bag?" Jackson laughed. "Unless this bag has unlimited storage, I don't think that'll do."
"Merchant joke, good sir," The shop owner laughed.
Jackson began to go through the shop and taking his pick and struck up a conversation with the shop owner, "So how did you come into having such an array of black weapons? I have a good eye for these things, and they are certainly the real deal. Finer quality than one would expect too."
"I have my connections," he said with a smile. "Though those connections would be that I used to be a deep-sea miner myself. Me and my mining crew that be."
"And you're all retired?" Jackson asked noticing the age on the shopkeeper.
"Semi-retired," he said. "We struck gold! Well, not exactly gold but the motherload of ore for black weapons. We harvested this baby we found until there was nothing left. Now we live and provide for our families. A few of them started their own crafting and trading companies. I get the best of their merchandise as their trading agreements with other merchant companies get the rest."
"Ahh," Jackson said examining the hilt and blade of a double-edge axe before placing it on the counter, "That certainly is what I call connections."
"Yeah," he admitted. "Yer sure not from around these parts. Usually, only Barbarian Pirates come in for these black weapons."
Jackson stopped for a second and turned to him and with a smile but uneasy expression in his eyes said, "Barbarian Pirates? Really? You don't say?"
"Yeah," he said. "They killed the Sharsen king sometime back and now run the continent."
Jackson looked at Harry and Dennis and then back at the shop owner and asked, "Are they that big of a threat to the people? They give you a hard time?
"Well," the shop keeper sighed, "They usually leave us alone except to collect rents but lately they've been coming down here more than usual and with number of the kingdom soldiers now under their rule kidnapping children and killing all those who try to protect those kids from being taken. The neighborhood next to mine lays in ruin currently. They came to my neighborhood too but left soon with no fuss. See, I live in a child free community. The benefits of having money."
"So dodging my question in a way but technically that's a yes, they are a threat to the people," Jackson thought. "Why do I have the feeling if someone got a whiff of that, it'd turn into our problem."
The image of Evelyn popped into Jackson's mind of how she's always asking everyone on the shop what they're doing and getting totally invested. "Would she really get invested for someone as dangerous as taking on dangerous pirates?"
After a slight pause, Jackson whispered, "Neptunes Sack."
The bell rang at the door for two new people walking in and Jackson felt a powerful aura run up his spine as he also heard Harry and Dennis call out in unison, "Bosses!"
He looked over to see two dark skinned boys well into their 30's. "You guys don't look like you're trailing him very well," The taller one said.
"OH, he's not looking straight at us," the shorter one laughed.
"To play it off now isn't too convincing Dennis," Jackson said with a slight grin.
They walked straight up to Jackson, and both reached out their hands, "I'm James, First Mate of the Bloodstone Pirates." The taller one said.
"And I'm Arland, Second Mate!" The shorter one said.
"I sense they're surely powerful but no hostility," Jackson thought as he reached out to shake their hands and said, "Jackson Fleur de Liqueur. Techni-"
"Holy shit! That makes so much sense now!" Harry interrupted. "You're Commander Peter's son!"
Jackson froze as the word of his father's first name trailed off Harry's tongue. Wide eyed, he turned to him and said, "What the hell did you just say?"
"Please pardon Harry's outburst," James said. "I admit we did have them trail you for a specific reason because yes, your father is part of the Bloodstone Pirates. Commander Peter de Liqueur of the Bloodstone Technicians. All Bloodstone Pirate Technicians are under his command. Despite all the time away, your father did want to know more about you. We thought it was fitting your old Technicians be the ones to trail you. I didn't imagine they'd be unable to do their job."
Jackson composed himself slightly and replied, "I trained all my technicians to be as good as me. But not many have absorbed the fact that the most important thing about a technician is that every moment of your life, even in the moments of relaxation or a kill-or-be-killed situation, is a moment of training. I knew of their presence of trailing me the moment they began."
"Seriously?" Dennis said. "We followed you for a few hours and you knew we were there the whole damn time?"
"It was fun in the beginning," Jackson smiled. He looked at the First and Second Mate and asked, "So why reveal yourselves now?"
"Well," James paused, "Your crew are beast hunting pirates right? I might have fucked something up and will need beast hunters to fix what I did."
"Oh, I see. If You're asking me to do something as special as hunting," He looks back at the shop keeper and yells, "You have any gold weapons in your inventory?"
"Are you out of your mind?" The shopkeeper exclaimed. "If you think I had to luck to now only have a gold weapon but lay my eyes on one, you'd be able to afford it? Plus, they're a thing of legends! They can't be crafted!"
Jackson looked back at the Bloodstone pirates in front of him and said, "Worth a shop. Can I at least finish my shopping? Then we can head back to our ship and talk to my captain."
James and Arland nodding as they headed outside the shop.
"Why would you ask me a silly question like that?" The shop keeper asked.
With a smile, Jackson said, "Like you, I'd like to see one too."