252: A Plague of Phantoms: Privileges of a Demon I

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Astrid bellowed as she slapped me across the back of the head. I winced and rubbed where she slapped me, not reacting much besides that.

Nate, Bo, Jane and I were back on King's glaive which was currently parked and on standby near a orchard of stark white weeping willow trees. The orchard was near the center of the island and near to all of the Expo spaces that we could get to them within a half hour by taking the mana train. The four of us returned to the mana train after my confrontation with the Scottish king where Jane quickly informed everyone what happened, which lead to the current situation where I was being slapped by Astrid. Jane and Iris, who would normally be doing the slapping were surprisingly calm.

I was currently inside the control room car with everyone from Sho'lajah Artifact Company as well a Turak'Kahn, and Viola. Their royal guard were waiting outside per the Pharaoh's orders. Iris parents hadn't resumed their roles as the Pharaoh's and Queens personal bodyguards and it was unknown when if ever they would.

"Hey before you get mad at me the king is the one who pushed my hand…kinda…" I said. Astrid and Damon groaned in unison.

"Yes and a good thing too…" Turak'Kahn spoke up. Everyone turned to the ruler and frowned, particularly Astrid, Damon, Alberto and Nate.

"How is that a good thing, your majesty?" Iris asked. Turak'Kahn smirked and crossed his arms.

"Chase has officially stepped into the realm of rulers and kings, especially after that grand entrance of his. He showed power and a silent threat to all in attendance when he jumped from that evo. King Peter tested him and tried to make Chase submit to his power, had Chase tried to placate him none of the nobles and royals in attendance would have taken him seriously." Turak'Kahn said.

"Plus it is well known that King Peter is a coward, had Chase backed down to him his entire reputation would be dragged though the mud." Viola added.

"But he didn't have to be so…" Astrid started and looked to her teammate for the right word.

"Sadistic?" Alberto offered.

"Psychotic?" Damon said.

"Totally unhinged?" Iris muttered. I frowned at all of them.

"None of you were even there?!" I barked.

"Didn't have to be to think that was crazy, especially after your explanation! You cut the arm off a royal guard and killed another, you then threatened the king and handed him the head of his guard!" Damon snapped.

"In my defense it was Bone-lasher who did the violence and killing." I replied.

"That doesn't make it better!" Alberto snapped. I shrugged and waved them off.

"It'll be fine." I said. Turak'Kahn nodded in agreement.

"It will be. The world of royals is a bloody one, the only thing that is respected is power and influence. The power bend others to your will and the influence to surround yourself with the talented and powerful." Turak'Kahn said.

"No wonder Jane didn't freak out when Chase and Bone-lasher did all that…" Bo said with a nod.

"It's par for the course for Royals…." Nate finished. The father and son both shared a look of apprehension before looking back at Turak'Kahn. "…so what can we all expect to deal with? I mean all of us that aren't Chase, your majesty?"

"Respect from anyone with common sense. They all just witnessed Chase maim and kill two members of a royal guard of a foreign leader over a slight threat and disrespect. Nobody would will want to test how deep his devotion to his employees is." Turak'Kahn said.

"The ones you all should probably be worried about are the Americans." Viola spoke up. "The president and your brother's men were all watching you, from the moment you jumped off your evo up until the moment you left. That President Justice is planning something."

"My grandfather is always planning something." Madilyn spoke up, a hint of disgust creeping into her voice. "If I know him then he probably was planning to have the owner of Sho'lajah Artifact Company and all of us killed before we left the island. He probably wasn't expecting it to be Chase, or for Chase for be surrounded by powerful evos."

"His evos are the least powerful thing about him!" Damon grumbled. "I mean they're monsters of course but his ability to channel attributes instead of spells is more powerful in combat situations because of speed."

"Someone who has a evo I created can't call them monsters." I griped and glared at Damon. He looked at me sheepishly then shared a look at Astrid and Alberto.

"They're monsters, but fun monsters." Turak'Kahn said. I frowned, still feeling insulted on behalf of my evos.

"Somehow that doesn't feel like a compliment." I said. Grandpa Seamus walked over and patted me on the back.

"Now Starlight, don't take it personally." Grandpa said. I let out a sigh and walked over to the navigation case to look at the map of the island.

"Jane, what's the itinerary for tomorrow?" I asked.

"The commencement ceremony is at ten in the Arosaka center in the island here." Jane said walking over to the map and then pointed to the spot on the map. "That is for the heads of companies and the representatives of the countries only. While that is going on the workers for the companies will be setting up here in Sadamas Center. Displaying evos that fit that days theme."

"Tomorrow will be navel type evos." Madilyn piped up.

"So we'll be showing off the Mer-as-folk and Lunar Liger Sharks tomorrow." I said then looked at Haws, Louie, and Nate. "You guys going to be able to handle that?"

"Seriously? Who do you think you're talking to here!" Haws exclaimed and pounded his chest and smirked. "Please I taught you how to handle evos, I can handle a couple of overgrown fish."

"They're a little more than overgrown fish Haws…but they are very easy to handle." Louie said then looked to Jane and Madilyn. "How exactly are we going display them, we didn't really bring anything to make a giant fish tank?"

"We're not, we're going to keep them inside their containment space. Chase is just going to alter the enchantment on the cages to allow anyone to walk in and out of them." Madilyn replied.

"I'm going to what?" I exclaimed and turned to Madilyn.

"You heard Louie, we don't have anything to build a display for them so instead we'll just let potential buyers walk into their biomes and see them in their natural habitats." Madilyn said. I frowned and crossed my arms.

"The Mer-as-folk's and Lunar Liger Sharks natural habitat is the ocean. None of them will be able to breathe!" I exclaimed.

"Then create a spell that will allow them to breathe underwater." Iris said incredulously.

"It sounds like I'm going to all the hard work tonight while everyone else gets to sleep." I grumbled.

"But it shouldn't be a problem for the Revolutionary Paragon." Jane said with an amused smirk. Turak'Kahn chuckled and I shot him a glare.

"I'm really starting to hate that moniker." I grumbled and ran a hand through my locks. "What about the rest of the day or are we just showing off the evos all day?"

"We won't be showing off them until twelve. Usually after the showing there is a combat demonstration to show off the prowess of the evos." Madilyn said. "This is for lesser known companies usually. The bigger ones usually look on and kiss the military representatives assess to get them to buy their evos."

"So we'll find your Grandfather up the ass of some General during this time then?" I asked. Madilyn nodded and smiled deviously.

"Which makes this the perfect place to put my beloved grandfather on edge. Show him just how powerful your shaped evos are, by having a child command them…" Madilyn said and then looked towards the youngest of the company, Bo, Indy, and KC.

"WHAT! NO!" I exclaimed.

"But Chase…" Madilyn started but I cut her off.

"NOOOOOOOO! I am not putting children into a combat situation! Nope! No way! No how! Never going to happen!" I yelled.

"Hell no!" Nate and Jade exclaimed in unison.

"KC is two!" Angie growled and held her napping son tighter to her chest.

"And Bo is an idiot!" Iris exclaimed.

"HEY!" Bo exclaimed and shot Iris a nasty glare.

"He's not wrong…." Nate and Jade muttered, prompting Bo to shoot his glare at his parents.

"What? I mean don't get me wrong, I love you and you're incredibly talented and wonderful…you just don't have any common sense." Jade said, reaching down and patting Bo on his head.

"It goes without saying that Indy will not be doing that." Sin said softly.

"Hold on! Don't strike down my idea before you hear it!" Madilyn exclaimed.

"There is no reality in existence where I am agreeing to allow my child to fight against evos when anything can happen!" Nate said.

"They won't be doing any fighting! They'll just be on the field in boats giving instructions like other volunteers from various military outfits." Madilyn said then walked over to the navigation case and pointed for a section of the map about a mile out of sea. "Smaller companies pay military outfits to 'borrow' splicers and allow them to control evos during these combat demonstrations. Just imagine how bad it would make all the other companies look of their evos were defeated by evos controlled by children. One of them a toddler."

"That sounds awesome!" Bo exclaimed. Indy rushed to Bo's side and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Indy exclaimed.

"NO!" shouted every adult in the room.

"OH COME ON!" Bo bellowed and stomped his foot. "Indy, KC and I are the mascots of the company we should be the ones piloting the evos!"

"Yeah! Cool evos! Fighting like in comics!" Indy exclaimed. Sin arched a brow at that comment then looked down at his son.

"Like comics? What comics?" Sin asked. I froze and suddenly took extreme interest in a small spot on the floor.

"The ones that Chase let me read." Indy said. I felt the searing burn of Sin's gaze burn into the sides of my head.

"What comics did you give my son, Boss?" Sin asked, in a slightly threatening tone.

"Good ones…?" I replied hesitantly.

"Why did that sound like a question instead of a answer!" Sin snapped. Indy rushed over and tugged on his dad's pants leg.

"But Dad those comics are awesome and I want to fight in a comic tournament arc!" Indy exclaimed. "Tournament arc! Tournament archives! Tournament arc!"

"Tournament arc! Tournament arc! Tournament arc!" Bo and Indy chanted in unison. Their chanting woke up KC from his nap, but instead of crying he noticed that the other boys were chanting and joined in. Only with a slightly mush-mouthed.

"Tournly arc! Tournly arc!" KC chanted.

"You're just going with what those two are saying!" I griped. That only made the little toddler cry louder.

"TOURNLY ARC! TOURNLY ARC!" He screamed and kicked in his mother's arms.

"We're not letting you three act as controllers! This isn't a game! You're little kids!" I said sternly.

"I'm the heir of the Solidarium! I've been raised in the league's teachings since birth! There is nothing that can happen that would hurt me." Indy said, displaying a maturity that seemed far beyond the young boy's six years. I frowned at this and looked at Sin. He had a similarly concerned look on his face.

"Indy…" Sin started then froze and regarded his son again. "…why do you want to do this…honestly?"

Indy grew silent as did Bo and KC seeing their friend contemplating his answer. It didn't take him long. He looked up at his father with a determined look.

"Because it'll be fun! Like a team of trainers battling, like pocket beasters!" Indy exclaimed. I watched as Indy's eyes glowed with joy from his own response.

"This is real life! Not some fucking comic book!" Sin snapped.

"Then have Bone-lasher watch us!" Bo exclaimed. He rushed to Indy's side and then pointed to me. "After the stunt that Chase pulled tonight nobody would dare try anything with Bone-lasher in the boat with us!"

"Plus all of us have evos of our own!" Indy added. I paused at the comment and looked at Indy. Bo had Gadget, Midnight and, Gargesh; KC had Zazzy, but I didn't know that Indy had a evo.

"Wait…what evo do you have exactly." Iris asked, probably following the same train of thought I was.

"Bizarro! My invisible assassin!" Indy exclaimed proudly.

'Bizarro…?' I thought. I looked to Sin and this time he looked really sheepish and avoided eye contact.

"Sinner?" I asked expectantly. He let out a guilty groan and finally looked at me.

"Bizarro's the other evo I borrowed from Moldworks when I went to get Indy with Yafier." Sin said.

"The strange meow! I've been meaning to ask what happened to that…I assumed you kept it like you did Vodoo." I said then narrowed my eyes at my security head. "I'm seriously going to need you to tell me everything that day and soon."

"Yes Boss…" Sin replied.

"But back to you three…" I said looking towards all three kids.

"Bo can do it…if Bone-lasher is with him." Jade suddenly said. I looked over at Jade and Nate, expecting to see Nate looking exasperated or shocked but he was calm and not at all surprised. Bo whirled around and looked at his parents.

"Really?!" Bo exclaimed.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I know that Bone-lasher will do anything to protect someone you say. Bo will be as safe with Bone-lasher as he would be with you." Jade said. Sin groaned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well now I can't say no…especially since my son has assassin training…" Sin grumbled. "Fine! Indy can be in that as well but only if Bone-lasher is there."

"Well I'm not letting KC do anything!" Angie growled.

"That's kind of moot since KC is so young." Iris said. "It's illegal for a child under the age of five to learn how to control evos in Japan so he can't be one of the controllers."

"He can still be a mascot right?" Haws asked suddenly. "To cheer on Indy and Bo while they control their evos. I'd imagine the image of the little guy cheering would capture a lot of hearts."

"You cannot be serious?!" Louie exclaimed.

"I am but hear me out. We have Nate, you, and I in the boat as well for security reasons. Three kids and three normies? Who's going to take that seriously? Even with Bone-lasher acting as a guard?" Haws asked. Louie frowned and started to say something but KC started fussing in his mom's arms.

"I cheer! I cheer! CHEER! CHEER!" KC exclaimed.

Louie and Angie shared a long look, silently arguing with each other. Angie spoke first and to me directly.

"If Bone-lasher let's anything happen to my baby, I will gut him from mouth hole to asshole, then you next." Angie said.

"I'd let you." I replied.

"Wait? Does that mean…?" Bo asked. Louie and Angie nodded in unison.

"We'll let you have your tournament arc." Louie said.

Bo and Indy both cheered and jumped up and down while KC cheered along, not entirely sure what was going on but happy his friends were happy. I smiled at their happiness, after everything that has happened in the last few months I knew to enjoy the happy moments no matter how small while they lasted.

"Well now that we have a rough idea about tomorrow it's time to get to work!" I said.