The Shattered Isles had many dark corners, but none were darker than the Cage Market.
It was a sprawling bazaar of misery located inside a hollowed-out volcano. Here, pirates sold everything: stolen weapons, rare beasts, and people.
Kaelen walked through the crowd, his white porcelain mask glowing eerily in the torchlight. Bo followed close behind, clutching his "Hammer of Wealth" tightly, his face pale with disgust.
"Boss," Bo whispered, looking at a cage where a mermaid was weeping. "I hate this place. Can we just blow it up? I have three Thunder Balls left."
"Patience," Kaelen said, his voice low. "We need a shield. You are too soft, and I am too valuable to tank hits. We need someone who can walk through fire."
"A shield?" Bo blinked. "Like a turtle?"
"No. Like a mountain."
They reached the center stage. A slave trader, a man with a golden tooth and a whip, was shouting.
"Next item! A failed experiment from the Western Lands! He doesn't talk! He doesn't eat! He just takes up space!"
Two guards dragged—literally dragged—a massive figure onto the stage.
He was huge, standing at least seven feet tall. But he was emaciated. His skin was grey and covered in strange, rock-like scales. He wore heavy iron chains that looked like they belonged on a ship's anchor.
He didn't struggle. He didn't look up. He sat on the stage like a broken statue.
"He has Stone-Curse Disease!" someone in the crowd shouted. "If you touch him, you turn to stone! He's useless!"
"He's not cursed!" the trader lied desperately. "He's just... sturdy! Perfect for manual labor! Starting bid: 50 Spirit Stones!"
"5 stones!" a drunk pirate laughed. "I need a new anchor for my boat!"
The crowd laughed. They threw rotten fruit at the giant. The giant didn't flinch. He just stared at the ground, his eyes dead.
Kaelen stopped.
His Dragon Eyes activated.
He looked past the grey, rocky skin. He looked inside the giant's body.
What he saw made him pause.
Inside this "broken" man, there was no Spirit Ocean. There were no meridians. Instead, his bones were made of Living Metal. His blood was slow, heavy like mercury.
'This isn't a disease,' Kaelen realized, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes behind the mask. 'This is the Titan Bloodline. The more he is beaten, the harder his skin becomes. He isn't dying... he is evolving.'
This man was a natural-born tank. A warrior who could survive a cannonball to the face.
"Bo," Kaelen whispered. "Give me the money."
"For that rock?" Bo whispered back. "Boss, he looks like he's about to crumble!"
"Trust me."
Kaelen stepped forward. The crowd parted for the masked man who had destroyed The Butcher.
"100 stones," Kaelen said calmly.
The trader's eyes lit up. "Sold! To the gentleman in the mask!"
"Wait!"
A sharp voice cut through the air.
A young man with sleek blonde hair and a blue coat stepped forward. He was surrounded by four elite guards.
It was Vane, the second son of the Pirate King. Seraphina's brother.
Vane looked at Kaelen with a sneer. He had heard about Seraphina recruiting a "Masked Asura," and he wanted to sabotage her.
"I offer 200 stones," Vane announced, flicking a coin. "Not because I want this trash, but because I don't want you to have it."
The crowd gasped. A bidding war between the Pirate Prince and the Arena Champion!
Kaelen looked at Vane.
"300," Kaelen said.
"400," Vane yawned.
"500," Kaelen said without hesitation. It was half his remaining funds.
Vane laughed. "600. Keep going, pauper. I have the Treasury behind me."
Bo tugged Kaelen's sleeve. "Boss, stop! We can't afford this! Let him have the rock!"
Kaelen fell silent. He looked at the giant on the stage. The giant slowly lifted his head. His eyes met Kaelen's mask. There was no hope in them. Just infinite weariness.
Kaelen walked up to the stage. He ignored Vane. He stood in front of the giant.
"You are tired," Kaelen said softly.
The giant didn't respond.
"You let them chain you because you think you deserve it," Kaelen continued. "You think you failed to protect someone in your past. So now, you punish yourself by becoming a stone."
The giant's fingers twitched. The stone skin cracked slightly, revealing a flash of human flesh underneath.
"Hey!" Vane shouted. "I'm talking to you! The bid is 600! Can you pay or not?"
Kaelen turned to Vane.
"I withdraw my bid," Kaelen said.
Vane laughed triumphantly. "Ha! I knew it! You are broke! Trader, wrap up this trash. I'll use him for target practice."
"However," Kaelen interrupted. He looked at the Trader. "The rules of the Pirate Market state that a slave can buy his own freedom if he defeats his master in single combat."
The Trader blinked. "Well... yes. But he is chained. And starving."
Kaelen turned back to the giant.
"Did you hear that?" Kaelen whispered. "I cannot buy you. I refuse to buy a warrior like a sack of potatoes. But I can give you a choice."
Kaelen reached out and placed his hand on the giant's massive iron collar.
Dragon Art: Vibration Breaker.
Hummmm.
Kaelen sent a high-frequency shockwave into the iron.
SNAP!
The collar shattered. The heavy chains fell to the floor with a deafening clang.
The crowd went silent.
"You are free," Kaelen said to the giant. "You can walk away. You can die here. Or..."
Kaelen pointed at Vane.
"...you can smash the man who called you trash."
The giant stood up.
As he stood, pieces of grey rock fell from his skin like a shedding snake. He was massive—a tower of muscle and rage.
He looked at his hands. Free.
Then he looked at Vane.
Vane's smile vanished. "Guard! Kill him!"
The four elite guards charged at the giant with swords.
The giant didn't dodge. He roared—a sound that shook dust from the ceiling.
ROAAAAR!
A sword struck the giant's shoulder.
CLANG.
It sounded like metal hitting an anvil. The sword broke.
The giant grabbed the guard by the head and threw him into the crowd.
He charged at Vane. He moved like a landslide. Unstoppable. Terrifying.
"Wait! I am the Prince!" Vane screamed, backing away.
The giant stopped inches from Vane. He raised a fist the size of a boulder.
Vane shrieked like a child and ran. He fled the market, leaving his dignity behind.
The giant didn't chase. He turned around slowly. He looked at Kaelen.
The rage in his eyes faded, replaced by a deep, confusing gratitude.
He knelt.
It wasn't a forced kneel. It was the kneel of a knight pledging allegiance to a king.
"Name," the giant rasped. His voice sounded like grinding stones. He hadn't spoken in years.
"I am Kaelen," the masked boy said.
"I... am... Magnus," the giant replied.
Kaelen extended his hand. "Stand up, Magnus. I don't need servants. I need brothers."
Magnus looked at the hand. He took it. His hand engulfed Kaelen's, but his grip was gentle.
Bo ran onto the stage, dancing around them. "We got him! We got the mountain! And we didn't pay a single coin! Boss, you are a genius businessman!"
Kaelen smiled behind his mask.
"Let's go," Kaelen said. "We have a tournament to prepare for. And Magnus... you look hungry."
Magnus nodded seriously. "I... could eat... a cow."
"Bo," Kaelen pointed to the fat thief. "You're paying for dinner."
"Why me?!" Bo cried.
As they walked out of the market, the pirates parted way in fear. A Masked Assassin, a Master Thief, and an Unkillable Titan.
The team was formed.
But outside, in the shadows, something watched them.
A pack of black, wolf-like creatures with red eyes melted out of the alleyways. Shadow Hounds.
They didn't attack. They howled silently, signaling the Eclipse.
The prey has been found.
Kaelen stopped. He sensed it.
He looked at Magnus. "Can you fight on a full stomach?"
Magnus cracked his knuckles. "I can fight... forever."
"Good," Kaelen drew his Black Sword. "Because dinner is going to be interrupted."