Bab 226: 223: A Plague of Phantoms VII
"God's! So loud!" Grandpa Seamus yelled. I rushed over and grabbed Grandpa by the shoulders
"Grandpa, you were born in Sullivardic village! One of the three legendary villages?!" I exclaimed. Grandpa Seamus sighed and shrugged me off.
"Yes! Unfortunately…" Grandpa said with a sigh. "I was born in Sullivardic village, the village of the magic builders."
"Wait, wait, wait….so both of your grandparents are from legendary villages!" Iris exclaimed. She looked pissed for several moments but then sighed and shook her head. "No, why are I surprised. Of course, both your grandparents are from legendary villages. It's par for the course for Chase."
"Yeah…" Jane agreed. I ignored the girls and looked to Grandpa.
"Wait. Why have you never talked about growing up in a village like Grandma did?" I asked. Grandpa sighed and looked away from me.
"Leaving wasn't a happy story, laddie. It ends with a lota tears and heartbreak." Grandpa Seamus replied. I saw a look flash across his face that I hadn't seen since I told him that grandma Lulu was dead.
"I understand." I said softly. There was another moment of uneasy silence before Jane and Iris spoke up this time.
"Okay! Enough of that, you two!" Jane exclaimed, then walked over to Grandpa Seamus and locked her arm with his. Iris walked over to his other side and locked arms with him. The both of them looked like they were being escorted by Grandpa.
"Yes! There is plenty to be happy about today, namely your grandson's accomplishments. And since Chase is being so boorish and not offering to escort such beautiful young ladies as ourselves, we'll have to rely on you, Mr. MacClery." Iris added. Grandpa Seamus laughed at that.
"Well, a man my age isn't going to say no to walking round with two beauties on his arm. You lasses will have to forgive me grandson. All brain, no thoughts that one." Grandpa Seamus replied. Iris and Jane laughed with Grandpa and led him towards the shop door.
"Oh, trust us, we know." They replied in unison. I rolled my eyes at the exchange and then looked over at Angie.
"Before I forget, where is Chad?" I asked about my ward/prisoner. Before I left yesterday after the enchanting rush, I made sure to let everyone know that under no circumstances was Chad allowed to be alone, then gave the streamlined version of why he was with us.
"Sin took him with him when he went on patrol this morning." Angie replied.
"I made sure to set him up with an apartment, too. He's next to Sin." Nate spoke up.
"Great decision." I replied. Nate smiled and crossed his arms.
"If your grandfather is going to be staying a while, we have a few more apartments left that I can have the orkands start fixing up." Nate offered.
I arched a brow at that idea. I can't say that I hadn't thought about Grandpa Seamus staying here in Andromeda city for an extended period of time. Apart from my mother there wasn't anything left in America that he really had ties to, the house that he lived in with Grandma Lulu had been destroyed by the thrads so that wasn't an attachment anymore. However, I didn't want to pressure him into making a decision to come living here when u would be staying at the college still.
"We'll see what he wants. Make it up just in case. He needs somewhere to sleep tonight." I told him. Nate flashed me a soft smile and nodded.
"Got it, boss." Nate replied.
"Thanks, guys." I said, then turned to follow after the girls and my grandfather.
The girls had made it outside with Grandpa and led him over to King's Glaive. They were leading him inside the engine car. I rushed out the shop's door and hurried after them. When I made it into the engine car, Grandpa Seamus looked like he was in the middle of geeking out on the interior of the car. He was fluttering about from pedestal to pedestal gushing over the craftsmanship like the seasoned craftsman he was.
"My, my, my Starlight! Never thought I'd see a Cargohog series mana train again!" Grandpa Seamus gushed once he saw me.
"Cargohog?" I asked, then walked over to the basin at the center of the room. I quickly set the destination of the train to the front gates of Moldworks but hold off on confirming it so the train didn't ask for confirmation yet.
"Funny little nickname we had back in Sillivard." Grandpa Seamus replied as he brushed his palm over the tops of the pedestal he stood in front of. "This train looks incomplete, though. It's missing its sub control car and mana refinement car."
I frowned at that news and then looked at the girls who both looked shocked at my grandfather's quick assessment of the state of the train. I decided to select the Moldworks destination, which prompted the King's Glaive to respond.
"Destination selected, would you like to set off, Sho'lajah?" King's glaive asked.
"Yes, set off, but be mindful of pedestrians." I said.
"Setting off, please hold on. Estimated ravel time: forty-five minutes." King's Glaive announced. I held onto the basin as the King's Glaive started to move. It was much slower than usual setting off, but once it got going, it started moving pretty quickly.
"Ah! This thing's in good repair too." Grandpa Seamus said with a satisfied head nod as he listened to the train. He smiled fondly as he stared off into the wall, as if reliving a happy memory.
"Grandpa?" I called out, then stepped over to him. As if broken out of a trance, Grandpa blinked a couple of times and then looked to me and the girls.
"Oh, sorry, all. Lost down memory lane." Grandpa chuckled, then quickly changed the subject. "So what exactly is this Moldworks?"
"My evo making factory." I said with a broad and proud smile. When Grandpa arched a brow at me, I smiled a little smugly. "It's where I shape evos, similar to a techno-splicing factory. The main difference is that my shaped evos are a lot stronger than a spliced or techno-spliced evo."
"Only because you create monsters…" Jane said snidely.
"MY EVOS ARE NOT MONSTERS!" I snapped.
"The dozens of dead bodies that we had to remove from the royal palace over the last few days prove otherwise." Jane said calmly. Grandpa Seamus eyes widened, and his head snapped over to me.
"Bodies?!" He exclaimed.
"Don't worry, they were trying to kill Jane and her family. They all deserved it." I said quickly. Grandpa Seamus smacked me in the back of the head.
"I'm not worrying bout that ya silly idjit! I'm worried about ya getting hurt." Grandpa Seamus snapped.
"I was fine!" I said defensively, then looked to the girls to back me up. They tried and failed.
"Yeah…I mean he was shot a couple more times than normal…" Iris said hesitantly.
"Well, we were afraid he was going to die." Jane added.
"But we're always worried he's going to die. It's like Chase is a bullet magnet." Iris said.
"YOU ARE NOT HELPING!" I snapped. Grandpa Seamus was looking at me with a horror stricken face.
"Starlight, what sort of tomfoolery are ya getting into at this school?" Grandpa Seamus asked.
"Nothing much…." I said, glancing away from him.
"Literally, all of the tomfoolery." Jane said.
"This last bout was your fault LPP, so shut your trap!" I snapped. Jane simply smirked, then stuck her tongue out at me. Grandpa Seamus walked over and grabbed me by my shoulders and looked at me with a worried look on his face.
"Chase, please tell me that you are being safe? I already lost your Grandmother…I can't lose you too." He said, the hint of sadness and dread in his voice killed me.
"Of course I am. Those two are making it appear worse than it actually was." I said quickly. I then shot the girls a murderous glare to keep them from opening their mouths and saying anything else. They both flinched and shrieked a little, probably shocked at being the target of my glare. "Plus, I have my evos, and you've seen how strong they are."
Grandpa looked me in my eyes as if searching for something, then sighed and petted me on the arm. I got the feeling that he didn't quite believe me but wasn't going to push at that moment.
"Anyway, Starlight, if ya plan on keeping this train, then you'll need to find a good engineer." Grandpa said tjen walked over to the basin and looked it over. "Though that probably won't be easy. Probably need to head to Sullivard to find one."
"That would be nice if we could find it. Most people don't even know the Sullivardic village exists." Jane said.
"I'm guessing you know how to get back to the village, Grandpa?" I asked. Grandpa Seamus nodded and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Aye laddie, but I'm not in too much of a hurry ta go back." Grandpa Seamus replied.
"I figured based on what you said earlier." I said.
[Star Shaper!] Jiggles voice boomed inside my head. I winced and grabbed my head.
[Jiggles volume! You don't have to shout!] I chastised him through the link. I heard a low trumpet come through, followed by a whine.
[Sorry Star Shaper…I just heard from Empress that you were coming. Got excited…] Jiggles apologized. I shook my head and sighed.
[That's alright Jiggles just remember I get a headache when you yell like that.] I replied.
[Yes, Star shaper!] Jiggles exclaimed, already forgetting what I had just said.
[Stars above! Not much between the ears I see.] Bellial groaned through the mental link. I felt a wave of anger was over me, and indignation rose up.
[Shut up fresh blood!] Jiggles exclaimed.
[Yeah! Know your place!] Bone-lasher piped up. [A newcomer like you shouldn't mouth off to someone with seniority!]
[Seniority means little on the face of incompetence.] Alpa'nagia piped up.
[Incompetence!] Bone-lasher growled.
"Gods above! Stop yelling all of you before I get a headache!" I snapped out loud.
Everyone had already been looking at me weirdly because I had just been standing there staring off at the wall while conversing with my evos.
"Nobody was yelling Starlight." Grandpa Seamus said. He looked at me with deep concern in his eyes. Jane patted Grandpa Seamus on his shoulder and shook her head.
"His evos were arguing again. Chase can communicate with them in his head." Jane explained. Grandpa Seamus looked a little relieved to hear that and chuckled.
[Sorry Boss…] Bone-lasher apologized. I heard a couple of whimpers and hisses coming from the others in apology as well.
[Just actually listen this time…] I sighed and then turned my attention back to everyone else.
"Jiggles is excited to see me…to say the least." I told everyone.
"Jiggles?" Grandpa asked, arching a brow.
"The first evo that Chase created successfully by himself. It's a new type of his own design called an Ogrest." Iris explained. Grandpa Seamus eyes widened, and he looked at me with pride in his eyes.
"You created a new type of evo? Congratulations!" He exclaimed and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and hugged him back while resisting the urge to puff my chest out when he pulled away.
"Well, I've created several new types of evos..." I started only to be interrupted by Jane and Iris.
"But the vast majority of his evos were modified after he got them." They said in unison.
"Fuck off harpies." I griped.
***
"Destination reached! Disembark at your leisure." King's Glaive announced as it came to a stop in front of Moldworks front gate.
"We're here." I said with a sigh as I marched over to the door of the engine car that lead outside.
Grandpa and the girls stood close behind me as I opened the door and stepped off the train. I turned to my right and immediately saw Jiggles behind the gate with his whole squad of Ogarai underlings standing behind him in a line formation. I blinked a few times at the display as the others disembarked from the mana train and then saw what I saw.
"They're waiting for you…." Iris said in disbelief.
I took a few steps past the front of King's Glaive and Jiggles suddenly reared his head back and trusted loudly like the elephant that part of his genetics came from. The sound reverberated through the air and made everyone have to cover their ears.
"The Star Shaper has returned! The Star Shaper has returned!" Jiggles announced to his squad. The Ogarai all threw their heads back and bellowed in response.
"JIGGLES!" I bellowed, channeling reverb attribute mana into my throat to enhance the sound and make me louder than all their yelling. Jiggles and his squad all hushed up instantly with Jiggles looking at me like a startled puppy that's been called bad dog for the first tike.
"Fuck my ears!" Iris groaned as she rubbed them. Jane had a little more decorum and only winced while she held her hands over them and Grandpa Seamus had stuck his fingers in his ears.
"Loud bunch aren't they Starlight?" Grandpa asked once the noise had stopped.
"Extremely…" I grumbled then marched up to the gate. "…Jiggles…please explain why after I had just got on you about yelling inside my head you thought it would be a good idea to scream at the top of your lungs like a banshee!"
Jiggles shrunk at my harsh tone while his squad all lowered their heads. Jiggles started twiddling his fingers and avoided looking me in the eye.
"I thought…you deserved big welcome Star Shaper…." Jiggles offered. I groaned and shook my head.
"You need to be more mindful of humans around you. Our ears aren't that strong, noises over a certain volume can hurt or even deafen us. Also a lot of the equipment inside are very sensitive. Too loud a noise can damage them." I chastised him. Jiggles lowered his head and let out a sad trumpet noise
"Sorry Star Shaper…" Jiggles apologized.
"Don't say sorry unless you are actually going to learn this time. I've warned you several times about volume already." I said.
"Starlight cut him a break. He's a young'un!" Grandpa Seamus said as he walked over to me and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Youth is for making mistakes."
"He's also the leader of my security squad here. If he's not acting right how can I expect the others to?" I rebutted. Grandpa cocked a eyebrow at me and crossed his arms.
"Starlight…" He said in a disapproving tone. I groaned and slouched a little but gave into him.
"I'll let you off the hook but only because my grandpa is insistent." I grumbled. Juggles looked relieved and turned to Grandpa Seamus and lowered his head.
"Thank you!" He exclaimed, thought his volume was a lot lower than before.
"Open the gate please Jiggles." I said.
"Yes Star shaper." Jiggles replied then he and one other Ogarai walked over and opened the gate for everyone.
Once the gate was opened Jiggles and the squad of Ogarai all stood in a line beside the path to let us in. I motioned for my grandfather to follow as I walked down the path that lead to the warehouse's main entrance. I glanced at each Ogarai as I passed them, while the Ogarai that I gave the college were all uniform in looks, the ones that were in Jiggles' Squad were not.
The Average Ogarai looked like seven foot tall humanoid evos with grey skin, a broad and muscular body, a massive head that was a odd mix of a elephant and hippo head. They normally had two to four long elephant tusks that went down to their navels and were colored dark black.
The Ogarai in Jiggles' Squad were modified slightly. There were four of them and all just a little shorter than Jiggles at seven and half feet tall, they had vastly different skin colors; red, bluish grey, tan, and Midnight blue. Their bodies were mire like Jiggles: thick and chunky with a slight gut. Each Ogarai had two tusks that descended down to their pecs and curled upwards with the tips being made of crystal similar to mana crystal.
While the visual modifications weren't necessarily needed, as Jiggles and Pogs were the only two Ogrest in existence I wanted Jiggles to have some companions that at least looked similar to him beside Pogs as Both Elephant and Rhinos; which are Ogrest evo bases; are very social animals.
"Jiggles report." I said as I passed the last of the Ogarai. Jiggles rushed aroujd the back of hos squads line and walked beside me and my grandpa.
"Security is tight. Watch shifts made. Training done regularly." Jiggles announced.
"Any problems?" I asked coming to a stop to look over at him.
Jiggles shook his head but his eyes glanced over at the Ogarai in his squad. A look of pride in his eyes. The red one I had named Rubis, the bluish grey one was Cobalti, the tan one is Normal, and the midnight blue one is Exotic.
"From what I can tell they seem to be doing well Chase. It looks like they also set up some improved security measure to better suit them as well." Iris said as she walked over to my Grandpa and I.
"That's good to hear…let's head inside. Jiggles you and the others can return to your posts." I said glancing over at the Ogrest.
Jiggles nodded enthusiastically then turned to his squad and let out a deep trumpet that sent all of them scattering towards different ends of the grounds. I looked to Grandpa Seamus, who was standing with thee girls and watching the Ogarai walk off to do their duties. I clapped my hand to get everyone's attention and smiled.
"Let's get this tour started!" I exclaimed.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Hutexa_The_Djinn
Hutexa_The_Djinn Transcended Fact: Any evo can become a transcended evo with Chase's body modification magic. Chase believes that there might be a difference in total power level between shaped transcended evos and bod-mod altered transcended evos. With the latter being weaker than the former because they had mana crystals inplanted in their bodies after creation.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone