Searching for Andromeda 99 Faith created truth

"That's right," Jaxon said, waving his hook in a gesture that approves of Samuel. "This ship is my den that is maneuvered by magic,"

Samuel blinked. A ship maneuvered by magic? 

"Since you're a prized good, I want to talk to you. It's quite rare to talk to cattle before they're sold, so I very much consider it as a once in a lifetime type of an opportunity," Jaxon grinned. "And you, too. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to talk to your temporary owner!"

"Don't give me that bull!" Samuel yelled, which made the pirate captain's smile frozen on the spot. 

"Look, I'm not owned by YOU. And neither does anyone," Samuel said. "Ephraim is coming to save me, I'm sure of it. And have you heard that he's young enough to conquer a dungeon?"

Samuel smirked, putting on a calm façade, but still the same cockiness in his tone that wasn't rehearsed. "You should be the one grateful you're talking to me for a few minutes. Just wait before—"

The pirate laughed before Samuel could even finish his sentence. Jaxon squatted to the floor with an arm around his stomach as his shoulders trembled. He was giggling—taunting Samuel even farther. The children behind Samuel were in a state of fear, and it grew even stronger now. Samuel wanted to question why they are scared—or why they are cowering so much with this man?

But then again these children were on rags and tatters, yet they didn't look that malnourished. They looked dirty, but healthy otherwise.

"Haah, you're funnier than I expected," Jaxon said. "Points for humor. You'll fetch a higher price at this rate,"

Samuel gritted his teeth. 

"You might think you're a snarling beast, but you're just a puppy in my eyes," Jaxon exclaimed, licking his hook. "A puppy that is all bark and no bite."

"What the hell—"

"Don't," it was one of the children, the one who was clutching the hem of Samuel's shirt. "D-don't anger him . . ."

Samuel's scowl eased for a second, until—

"Ah. That was truly exhilarating," the pirate captain sighed. "And exhausting at the same time, as well."

Steps.

He took several steps away from them, and then—

"Eek!"

He opened one of the prison cells. 

The children behind Samuel shrieked in sheer fear—fear that is much stronger than before. Samuel stood up to the side of these children and then appeased them. Just what was wrong? The cell Jaxon had opened made the children wail and shriek loud in fear as they scoot into the corner, a shrewd attempt to hide themselves from the pirate. A girl, who was on the front of all the others, yelped in pain as Jaxon dragged her away from the cell. 

The cell behind Jaxon shut tight; he was holding the girl's hair by his hand, clutching it tight that the girl visibly showed agony as she cried. Samuel's electric-blue eyes fumed. 

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Jaxon Sparrows laughed. He pulled the little girl's hair up while still laughing. The girl winced in pain and sobbed silently as Jaxon pulls her grimy hair with her scalp being hauled as well. 

"It hurts . . . ah!" The girl cried.

"Yeah, it hurts." Jaxon mimicked as if to mock. "Of course it would. I'm pulling your hair, after all."

"Let her go!" Samuel exclaimed. "Why are you doing this?!"

"I'm doing this to relieve my exhaustion." Jaxon said, "my main purpose of coming here, after all. So if you'll just excuse me," Jaxon slapped the girl's face several times with dead eyes and wide smile unwavering. 

"LET HER GO, I SAID!!!"

Jaxon tilted his head, stopping short as he stared at Samuel whose breaths were rasped and body tremulous from anger.

"Alright."

Jaxon let go of the girl, who had now fallen onto the cobbled floor with a thud. The girl's small body shuddered in pain, fear, and the cold as she wept. Samuel felt an overwhelming rage he had never felt before. He reached for the iron cells—and as he tightened his grip to the cold metal, his electric-blue eyes fumed an unfathomable indignation to Jaxon.

"What are you doing to these kids?!" Samuel exclaimed. "Let them go!"

The pirate captain, Jaxon, registered Samuel's words for a moment before he broke again to another set of laughter. Jaxon smiled, walking back to Samuel, and knelt to level his face to his captive. 

"The thing is, I can't do that." Jaxon smiled. "You know; I have mouths to feed—and that is me my servant Miko, and my precious minions. I can't just free the cattle just because you tell me to. You're not a saint or a God, so why do I have to bother to listen to your words?"

"I don't know your name, Boy. So I'll just call you a Youngling." Jaxon exclaimed. "These kids are the children I bought from that fallen country, Patriarge. That nation's long fallen, and is already harboring evil for a long time. They are a country that supplies so many slaves that you might mistake it for a massive empire for traders. Even normal citizens can be made slaves if desired," 

"I won't listen to whatever you're yapping, so if you shut up like these behaved kids, I might be nice to you too for the whole duration of the ride."

Samuel's brow furrowed. "Oh yeah? Then maybe THIS will make you listen!"

Before the captain could even muster to react or have his reflexes kick in, Samuel's fist handed to his right eye, punching him hard which sent him falling back to the floor. 

"Damn it. That shitty numbing potion you guys scraped me with made me not punch to my full potential." Samuel snarled a tremulous smirk. "But then just you wait. That 'dungeon conqueror' will surely deliver the half and final blow to your stupid face."

"What did you just say?" Jaxon darkly retorted as he covered the eye Samuel punched.

"And by the way, my name is Samuel. Samuel Albrecht," Samuel exclaimed. "Make sure you remember the name of someone who will free these kids!"

**

". . . are you an idiot?"

Jaxon, earlier, was so offended with Samuel's words that he sprung up to attack him despite being on a cell. But he was stopped by a call—

"Jax . . . a call for you,"

"HUH?! YOU answer it, Miko! I'm kind of busy right now!"

"It's THEM," a girl's soft, and silent voice uttered—and assuming that's 'Miko', Samuel listened. "They're looking for you . . . they want to ask how t-things went . . . and . . . um . . ."

"Argh, yeah. You should have started with that," Jaxon sighed. "You, idiotic cattle," Jaxon called to the girl, who flinched in response. "Go back to your cell."

The girl stood up, her stick – like ankles quivering as she walked back to the prison cell. She sat by the floor as the kids from behind began to swarm her.

Jaxon, afterward, turned his head towards Samuel and then flashed a dark gaze. "This is not over." He muttered darkly.

Samuel only replied with a clenched jaw.

Jaxon walked away from them, and Samuel caught a glimpse of Miko. It seemed that she had looked back to them, her eyes filled with sheer anxiety or perhaps . . . fear? Samuel didn't know, and he wasn't concerned about it. Instead . . .

"You—" Samuel called the girl who was now in the cell. "Are you okay?!"

The girl who was still trembling gave Samuel a slight nod. Her disheveled hair was covering half of her face, and even with a hair covering half of her cheeks, the bruises were perceptible still. Samuel felt a boiling rage upon seeing this. It had evoked a familiar feeling to him—nights in the basement where he and his father would study endlessly—and when he fails to obey him because of the desire to color, he would be hurt.

Hurt like that little girl.

". . . are you an idiot?"

Samuel turned to the children who said it. They were looking at him with sheer worry. These children were wearing clothes that were almost similar to each other and they were as worn as can be. Samuel narrowed his electric – blue eyes. They are all painfully young. Samuel doesn't consider himself as someone too kind, but this was just too much.

"I'm not an idiot. I'm really getting you all out of here." Samuel asserted. "My friend's the dungeon conqueror. He's got some powers. We're on a journey to save Patriarge, so you guys can rest assured."

Empty promises—Samuel was aware he was saying these to calm them all; and these promises were empty and Samuel was uncertain with his very own words. Nonetheless, Samuel remembered the guardian's words.

'Do not let the flame in your hearts die' or something like that.

Samuel turned to the girl. "I promise I'll save you all—" He grinned. "I promise we'll all get out of here safe and sound!"

It must be presumptuous of him to say this, but he had faith.

And faith will and always create truth.

BONUS:

"I have a joke to say," Ephraim appeared onto the stage, the mic centimeter away from his lips. "Why were the early days of history called the dark ages?"

The audience responded, "why?"

"Because there were so many knights! Haha! Right, get it? Knights? As in nights . . . yeah . . . ?"

". . ."

Next chapter features some action scenes! Stay tuned!

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