295 282: A Plague of Phantoms: Massacre at Sea IV

Chase

I frowned as I looked down at the small stone tablet that I got from Turak'Kahn as compensation for Hapi. It had text written on it in a combination of Torapos and the runic language, which by itself wasn't worth the price of the evo. The value came from what the Torapos text said.

'Lulu'zurkai, this is the last time I am going to rewrite the security codex because you lost your passkey! You are a star farm crystal bearer and should act like it instead of a spoiled curious brat that forgets everything else in the world once you see something new! Lose this key and you'll be locked out of all your labs, including that secret one on that island in Amaterasu's domain that you think I don't know about. I enchanted the spell on the tablet that'll deactivate security. Just use blood casting and talk to me once you get this.'

As I read the message on the tablet in my mind for the third time today, a few things stood out to me. The fact that the message was addressed to a Star Farm crystal bearer, the mention of a laboratory In Amaterasu's domain, and the name of the Star farm crystal bearer which sounded suspiciously close to my Grandmother's.

The mention of Amaterasu also indicated that this laboratory was on an island somewhere around the Japanese peninsula, since it didn't make sense for a western or Northern splicer to take the name of a Japanese God when they ascended to Paragon rank.

The spell that was enchanted on the tablet was something different too. Even with all the runes that I could understand now I could only understand a small fraction of them. Which pissed me off because I thought I had learned enough to be past that point.

'I wonder if this lab is somewhere on Tsushima…' I thought.

"…CHASE GAELBORG KINGSTON! PAY ATTENTION!" Iris bellowed in my ear.

"OW! FUCK!" I screamed and jumped out of my seat, accidentally channeling float attribute mana as I jumped and ended up shooting up to the ceiling and hitting my head again. "SHIT!"

I grabbed my head and stopped channeling mana from the shock then fell back down to my seat. I landed horizontally across the seat and let out a pained scream then rolled onto the floor. I groaned and rolled onto my side, reaching back to rub the spots where I landed on the chair's armrest.

"So dramatic…" Jane grumbled from above me. I looked up and saw her looking down at me from her chair with a disapproving frown.

"DRAMATIC MY HAIRY BROWN ASS! SHE JUST BLEW MY EAR DRUMS OUT!" I bellowed.

"Obviously not well considering you can still hear me." Jane replied.

"That still fucking hurt!" I snapped then stood up and quickly looked for the stone tablet I dropped.

"Well pay attention then! Bo and KC's round has started already!" Iris snapped. I waved her off and with one hand and grabbed the tablet with the other.

"They'll be fine…" I said absentmindedly. Iris snatched the tablet I was holding out of my hands then pointed to the window.

"Stop being an ass and cheer for them! They were all looking forward to this and you're the one that ultimately gave the okay for them to be proxies for the company, so you can at least watch the round!" Iris snapped. I wanted to reach for the tablet but the frosty glare I was getting from both Iris and Jane made me decided that it wouldn't be good for my health to try it.

"I hear you!" I relented then made my way over to the window.

Jade, Nate, Louie, Andy, and Sin were all standing in front of the window already, their eyes fixed intently on the field. Their eyes moving in a rhythm between looking at the chaos of the battlefield to checking on their respective children sitting on the raft with Haws and Bone-lasher.

While they kept an eye on them I watched the splicers in the rafts nearby and around the Lagoon. There was something off about them, very few actually seemed interested in the actual fight itself and more interested in Indy, Bo, and KC. On the one hand understandable since they were so young and controlling such strong evos but on the other hand there was a very fierce battle going on in the center of the lagoon and very few people were paying attention.

"USE YOUR ENCHANTED ITEMS!"

I frowned and looked down towards the source of that declaration and saw Bo and Indy pointing out to the center of the lagoon where the evos they were supposed to be controlling were. I looked out and saw the Mer-as-folk holding a spear up towards the sky. It took a couple seconds for my mind to recognize that spear. When it did, a well of fear opened up inside my chest.

"HOW THE FUCK DID IT GET THAT!" I bellowed then ran towards the stairs, heading down to the second level where there was no roof or glass. I immediately started channeling float attribute mana and jumped over the guardrail out onto the lagoon. Where the Mer-as-folk was already casting an axiom spell sigil. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN! NOW!"

I flew towards the center of the lagoon hoping I could get there before the spell activated but I knew I wouldn't. I was halfway there but the spell sigil was already complete. Instead I started channeling shadow attribute mana as well as float and held out my hand. A black mist flowed out of my hand and as the axiom spell sigil's effect started. A bright light shined at the tip of the spear then a explosion detonated at the spot. The Shockwave from the explosion met the black mist of my shadow attribute mana and was swallowed up, sucking up the entire explosion like soda through a straw.

Once the explosion was absorbed completely I stopped channeling shadow attribute mana and immediately felt a twinge of pain in my chest. I floated several inches above the water and let out a large sigh then looked towards the center of the lagoon. Any and all evos that bad been in the center of the explosion were utterly destroyed. Even the Lunar Liger shark and Mer-as-folk were destroyed, but not completely. Their Mana crystal cores floated on top of the water's surface along with the spear the Mer-as-folk used and a necklace that I had been missing.

"UTTER DEVESTATION! NO EVOS WERE LEFT STANDING!" Hideyoshi's voice boomed across the lagoon. "With intervention from Chase Kingston of Sho'lajah Artifact Company!"

"Be thankful I did or else everyone would be dead!" I yelled then floated over to the spear and necklace and picked them up.

As I picked up both items the Mer-as-folk and Lunar liger shark's mana crystal cores started shaking in the water moments before flesh and sinew started sprouting from the crystals as their bodies started regenerating. In a few moments both evos were fully regenerated and floating in the lagoon's water.

"THE EVOS FOR SHO'LAJAH ARTIFACT COMPANY SURVIVED!" Hideyoshi bellowed. "SHO'LAJAH ARTIFACT COMPANY IS THE WINMER BY DEFAULT!"

The arena erupted into a chorus of screaming and objections, drowning out Hideyoshi's voice despite the fact he was using a spell to increase the volume. I shook my head and looked towards the raft that Haws and the kids were on.

"BO KESTREL, INDARIQ WALLISASKIR, AND BONE-LASHER!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs.

Indy

"BO KESTREL, INDARIQ WALLISASKIR, AND BONE-LASHER!" Chase bellowed at the top of his lungs. I flinched at the harshness and volume of the voice which seemed to drown out the objections that everyone in the stands had.

"Why is Boss yelling at me…I'm a good boy…" Bone-lasher grumbled softly.

Chase flew across the lagoon and stopped just short of our raft and floated above us while crossing his arms. His anger was apparent with the way his jaw was clenched and that vein in his forehead throbbed.

"You look stressed Chase. Why don't you try taking deep breaths and channeled that stress into something productive." Bo said. Whether he meant to sound sarcastic and piss Chase off more or that was a accident I don't know. I wanted to slap him regardless.

"How about I channel that stress into strangling you!" Chase snapped as he landed on the raft then grabbed Bo by the scruff of his onesie before Bo could jump behind Haws for cover. "Care to explain how your evos came into possession of two enchanted items of mine that went missing recently?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about…?" Bo replied in a not so convincing innocent voice. It didn't help that Gadget jumped off Bo's shoulder and onto Haws then cowered on the big man's shoulder. Haws reached up and grabbed Bo's evo and held it out to Chase while it screeched and tried to get out of the man's grip.

"That massive explosion was because of those things?" Haws asked. Chase nodded and Haws groaned and slapped his forehead with his free hand. Chase held up the spear and glared at Bo and Gadget.

"This spear wasn't complete! You nearly blew apart the entire island!" Chase yelled.

"Whoops…" Bo said innocently. Chase slapped the back of his head then flicked Gadget on his nose. "OWWWW!"

"STOP STEALING MY SHIT!" Chase snapped then looked to Bone-lasher and frowned. "And you! You knew these items were mine and that none of them were completed and still let them use them! Bad boy!"

Bone-lasher's head drooped and he let out low and pain stricken yowl. It probably would have looked at Chase with puppy dog eyes if it actually had eyes.

"Sorry Boss…" Bone-lasher muttered. Chase groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Apologize to the two evos that literally were blown apart and had to regenerate their bodies!" Chase snapped then pointed out to the lagoon where the Mer-as-folk and Lunar liger shark were swimming back towards the raft.

"Whoops…" Bo muttered again, though he actually sounded remorseful this time. I sighed and shook my head.

"Got it, no more listening to Bo's plans." I said earning me a glare from Bo.

"Chase Kingston, could you please return to the viewing area." Hideyoshi's voice called out. Chase groaned then wacked Bo on the back of the head again then turned and floated away.

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to bite us in the butt later…" I said.

Chase

"Master Kingston...care to explain your interruption of the fight earlier?" Hideyoshi asked with his arms crossed and a amused look on his face.

I was standing in a room with Hideyoshi and a couple members of the Tech-9 committee. The room was actually a cave connected to the stands where Hideyoshi and the committee could watch the fight without influence and interruption. Once Hideyoshi called me back to the stands a couple members of the Japanese defense force escorted me to this room.

"My proxies gave their evos unstable enchanted items that I hadn't completed yet. If I had let them be and not interrupted the explosion you all saw earlier would have been much bigger and killed everyone on the island." I explained for the umpteenth time.

The members of Tech-9 were nobles and high ranking members of society from various countries. I didn't recognize any of them but knew that all of them were scheming and used their positions to garner more favor in their governments. Beaufort and the other company heads had to placate these men and woman to ensure that Evo-cution continued on but I didn't.

"I still find it strange that a child could get their hands on something so rare and valuable. You'd think someone with a royal moniker from the Pharaoh would be more cautious than that." A woman and Egyptian noble commented.

"That child is a classmate of mine as well as student of Baset Paragon. Plus enchanted items are only rare and valuable to those who are not a part of Sho'lajah Artifact Company. Most of the basic functions that my employees carry out require them to use enchanted items." I replied.

"Well by your own admission had you not intervened that explosion could have killed everyone in the stands! I feel some form of punishment for your lack of supervision is in order." A Spanish nobleman exclaimed.

"Punishment or bribe?" I asked cheekily. All the Tech-9 committee members bristled at the implication and the Egyptian woman pointed a finger at me.

"How dare you! Suggesting that this esteemed committee would be swayed by a bribe!" She yelled. I rolled my eyes and looked to Hideyoshi.

"Since we are in Japan and you are acting as the Shogun's proxy I'll defer to your judgement on what punishment my company should receive for my…carelessness." I said. Hideyoshi looked surprised by that move then looked to the other committee members who all looked unsatisfied with that alternative but turned back to me and nodded regardless.

"In that case…I have a idea…"