238: A Plague of Phantoms XXII

"Haws get ready to drain tank twenty-seven!" I yelled as I hurried down the rows of gestation tanks towards the one I mentioned.

A week and a half had passed since my birthday and only a week and a half was left until we'd have to leave for Evo-cution. Thankfully the large tanks that Madilyn ordered arrived at the beginning of the week and with Nate's Orkand squad they were installed and operational before the days end. We'd also made more than enough Ogarai since then that we can focus on making more of other evos.

"STANDING BY!" Haws bellowed down the corridors of gestation tanks. I quickly came to a-stop in front of the tank I was looking for and nodded as I saw the fully formed and conscious evo inside looking out at me.

"Drain it!" I ordered.

There was a loud siren that went off and the warning lights at the top of the tanks started flashing as the Haws flipped the switches to drain the tank. The gestation fluids that had kept the evo alive inside the tank slowly began to drain. This was the tenth tank draining we've done toady and it was nowhere near the last. All thirty-three tanks inside Moldworks were filled with evos, a couple from each of the seven remaining types we were making.

The evo inside the tank we were currently draining however was not a evo that we would be presenting at Evo-cution. Instead it was a personal experiment of mine. While it wasn't necessarily smart to be taking up valuable tanks and resources for personal stuff since we were on a deadline, this was essential.

"Chase! Where are your guards?!" Iris voice boomed from somewhere behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw her stomping towards me with Bo, my grandpa, and Colossus following close behind.

"Trust me, I guarded." I said and then pointed towards the ceiling. Iris stopped about thirty feet from me and looked up.

Situated in the support beams were Normal, Exotic, and Rubis. All three had blood axes held at the ready and their eyes trained on the gestation tank as well as the evo within. Cobalti and Jiggles were patrolling the area around the holding cages, which were nearly at full capacity with evos.

"At least you're taking security seriously now." Iris grumbled and then walked over to my side. Bo stopped slightly behind me and frowned as he looked up at the tank.

"This one is safe isn't it?" Bo asked. I nodded then reached back and patted the boy on the top of his head.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I said and flashed him a smile.

"Small little bugger, isn't it?" Grandpa Seamus said as he stepped around me and peered at evo. Colossus huffed at the evo in the tank , small embers spewing from his snout. He looked up at Grandpa and stomped his front hoof.

"Don't underestimate smaller evos! They can be dangerous in different ways!" Colossus warned Grandpa. Grandpa simply smiled at Colossus and then reached down and petted the little porker.

"Oh I know Col-Col." He replied.

"Well Colossus is definitely right about this guy being dangerous. Which is why I asked Iris to come." I said then looked over at her. Iris frowned and crossed her arms.

"Why didn't you call Sin if the evos is so dangerous." Iris asked. I smirked as the last of the gestation fluid drained from the tanks and a loud warning siren stated going off above the tank.

"Because it's for you…" I said then motioned to the tank.

The metal casing at the top of the tank let out a steaming hiss as gasses and other vapors were vented from the casing. The thick glass that made up the majority of the tanks detached from its top casings and descend into the floor. Releasing the evo inside.

"Wait what?!" Iris exclaimed then looked at me and then the evo laying on the floor of the tank. "You made that for me?"

"Yep…I know you lost your evos trying to protect Jane so…I made you a couple special ones." I said.

The evo in question was a unique one of a kind evo that I made based off the Grogark. One of the evos that my father made me try and evacuate once the thrads attacked the Spirit company warehouse. It was called a Scare-adorable; the combination of a koala and a skunk. It was only about a foot tall and looked almost exactly like a koala, except for the skunk coloring and large fluffy skunk tail.

Iris walked over to the tank where the sopping wet and weak evo laid curled in a tight little ball. It watches Iris with big, bright, and cautious eyes. Iris looked back at me, smiled and then turned back and flashed the evo a warm and comforting smile.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you…" Iris said softly.

The scare-adorable narrowed it's eye's at her for several seconds. Regarding her with suspicion and then, once decoding to believe her uncoiled its tail from around itself and stood. It shook all the gestation fluid that had soaked its fur and onto Iris who was standing in front of it now. Bo, Grandpa Seamus and I all jumped back when we saw it stand.

"Ewwww…." Iris groaned and shook some of the fluids off her.

"Oops…Sorry Lady." The scare-adorable apologized. It's voice sounding deep and guttural despite it's tiny stature. Iris eyes widened as it spoke then turned to look at me and pointed at it.

"That's it's voice!?" She exclaimed, her eyes gleaming brightly. Iris turned back to the scare-adorable and…gushed. "OH MY GODS IT'S SO CUTE!"

Iris reached down and picked up the still slightly damp evo and hugged it tightly. I was dumbfounded to say the least. While I had seen Iris comment on things being cute before, I'd never seen her gush about how cute something was and she didn't even do that until after she heard the evo's voice and realized it sounded like bass singer with smoker's cough.

"Warm…nice lady…I like you." The scare-adorable said as Iris petted its head. It clung to her, letting his tail swing casually in the air.

"Um….Chase…what is that thing?" Bo asked as he tugged on my sleeve and pouted at the Scare-adorable.

"It's called a scare-adorable. It's the combination of a koala and a skunk. It's a psycho-chemical warfare type evo…" I said.

"A what now?" Bo interrupted, looking confused.

"…a psycho-chemical warfare type. Instead of a skunk's horrendous smelling spray this little guy releases a sweet smelling gas that has psychedelic properties. The gas of course is a altered version of a rare toxin found in flowers in the Amazon that the scare-adorable can create in the scent glands all over his body." I said. Iris paused and looked at me.

"Wait…I can release a mind altering gas from scent glands?" Iris asked. The scare-adorable climbed closer to Iris head and rubbed hos head against her chin in a affectionate way.

"I'd never use against you. I like you lady." The scare-adorable commented. I took a quick whiff of the air to be safe, I didn't detect any sweetness which meant he wasn't using it now.

"Well that's a good thing because she is your new splicer." I spoke up. The scare-adorable looked to me and cocked to head the side.

"Ah…the Star Shaper…my maker." The scare-adorable said slowly then looked back up at Iris. "…if it is as you say I will follow this kind lady. My sweet Lady."

Iris looked like she was about to explode from cuteness overload. She squealed and hugged the evo tightly again. It let put a soft sound akin to purring only much deeper, kind of like a mix between purring and a frog's croak.

"I'm going to call you Mawt Huwl." Iris said cradling the evo in her arms. I arched a brow at her when I heard the name. I knew she was no longer speaking universal standard when she said it since her Egyptian accent came out strongly. Bo suddenly laughed and slapped my outer thigh.

"She named it sweet death!" He chuckled. I arched a brow and looked at Grandpa Seamus who looked just as confused as I did.

"Mawt Huwl, it means sweet death in Arabic. Since he's a psycho-chemical warfare type evo and he's so cute I figured it would fit!" Iris explained.

"Ahhh…" Grandpa Seamus and I said in unison.

"Mawt Huwl….Mawt Huwl…I am Mawt Huwl. My Lady's sweet death." Mawt Huwl said as a crystalline structure started to form around his body. The structure shrunk and then was recalled into Iris farm crystal. Iris touched her farm crystal that sat just below her eye and smiled, turning to me.

"Thank you Chase." Iris said. I smirked and held a finger up at her.

"Don't thank me yet. We're not done just yet." I said then turned towards Haws and the control panel controlling all the gestation tanks at the far end of the warehouse. "Load specimen Xyx25A into tank twenty-eight!"

"On it!" Haws yelled back.

The glass of the tank rose up from the ground and sealed itself closed with the metalcm casing at the top. Another alarm sounded as new gestation fluid started to fill the tank. Once it was full a small port opened up on the bottom of the gestation tank and a mana crystal core was shot into the tank. It floated in the center for several seconds before cells started to cover the crystal before becoming a floating mass of flesh.

"Incubation successful! Drain tank number eleven!" I yelled to Haws.

"Draining!" Haws yelled back. I turned back to everyone and motioned for them to follow me.

Getting to tank eleven was a little more difficult than getting to tank twenty-eight. Twenty-eight was more towards the back of the warehouse while eleven was towards the front, near where Haws and the control panel was.

"Oh Starlight, figured I'd let ya know, we finished making the engine car for yer King's glaive. The other cars as well. All we need ta do is synch 'em to the rest of the train." Grandpa said. I arched a brow and looked back over my shoulder at him.

"I thought you said two weeks! You still have three days!" I exclaimed.

"It'll take about that much time ta finish synching all of 'em." Grandpa Seamus replied with a shrug.

"I'm so glad we're done with making those things!" Bo groaned loudly up at the ceiling. "Those Chemicals smell like shit!"

"No cursing!" Iris and I snapped and then reached back and slapped him on his head.

"OW! I'm going to have brain damage if you guys keep doing that!" Bo grumbled.

"You're brain was damaged at birth Brat!" I grumbled, Bo stuck his tongue out at me in response.

"Like you could talk, Star Child." Iris teased. I rolled my eyes at her while Grandpa Seamus chuckled.

"Not Damaged. All Star farm crystal bearers are like that." Grandpa Seamus said. Iris looked back at him and frowned.

"How would you know? Did you know the last one when you lived in Sullivardic village?" Iris asked.

"Ya bet I did. She was me Gran!" Grandpa replied. Iris and Bo both stopped mid-step and looked at Grandpa Seamusn while he and I kept walking.

"WHAT?!!" Iris and Bo both bellowed.

"Yeah! My Gran, Siobhan MacClery, was the last star farm crystal bearer." Grandpa said with a proud smile.

I already knew this, a couple days after my birthday party and subsequent blow out with Maria I went to Grandpa and asked what he meant when he said his grandma's farm crystal was like mine during our argument and he told me. My Great-great grandma was just like me. I of course probed him for questions but he said he didn't really know much or rather pretended he didn't know much.

"Wait how is that possible? Both your Grandmother and Grandson were both Star farm crystal bearers?" Iris demanded as she and Bo rushed to catch up with us.

"Probably because Lulu'nala was from Tolapo village. That's usually the next village in the cycle." Grandpa Seamus said casually. I frowned and slowed my pace a little.

"Wait you know the order of the cycle? They didn't know anything in Tolapo village." I said. This time it was Grandpa Seamus turn to frown. He stopped and leveled me with a look.

"You've been ta Tolapo village?" He asked. I froze, now realizing that I hadn't told him that I had been to Tolapo village yet. I smiled meekly and turned slowly to looked at him.

"Yeah…a few months ago…" I said sheepishly. Grandpa suddenly rushed me and grabbed my arms.

"You've been to yer Grandma's village?" He asked again. I nodded and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Lady Baset took the entire class." Iris butted in. She rushed around grandpa and stood beside me. "The captain of the guards there came to Baset asking for help and she took all of us. We didn't learn about Chase's grandmother being from there until we meet Luna'lana…her twin sister."

Grandpa stayed silent for a little bit before a small smile tugged at his lips and he nodded.

"Was she happy to see you?" Grandpa Seamus asked. I nodded.

"She made me feel like family the instant she saw me." I replied.

"Good. I hope ya didn't meet her old betrothed Bwarboo-boo or whatever." Grandpa said. Iris and I shared a look and then laughed.

"Oh we ran into him alright…I'll tell you the whole story later." I said. Grandpa looked amused.

"That tone suggests it was an interesting meeting." Grandpa said.

"Interesting doesn't even cover it." Iris said.