Bab 318: 314: A Plague of Phantoms: Old Dog, Older Tricks II

Chase

"The fucker stole my Grandmother's wedding ring!" I barked as I stomped back over to Jane and the others with Alberto and Damon following close behind.

"Did you have to drain all that mana from us though! It fucking hurts when you do that!" Damon growled.

As I approached everyone else in the group I saw that Jane, Bo, and Indy were all rubbing their farm crystals while Louie and Angie were trying to comfort a crying KC who was rubbing his farm crystal.

"Oh shit…sorry guys…" I said, feeling guilty about losing my cool when I saw my Grandma Lulu's ring on that woman's finger.

"We need a little more information about that mana stealing ability of yours because it really blows Chase." Bo groaned.

"I know, I used to have more control over my emotions as well as that power. Once I stopped caring about how most people thought of me I gradually lost control." I said with a sigh.

"Maybe your Grandpa knows more about that ability, I mean his grandma was the previous star Farm crystal bearer." Jane said. I frowned and scratched my chin.

"I know, I keep meaning to talk to him about it but I don't seem to have any time to." I said then frowned and looked at everyone in the group realizing we were short two. "Wait? Where are my Grandpa and Colossus?"

I looked to Bone-lasher, Empress, Fours, and Jiggles. The four evos all looked at each other then the latter three all looked to Bone-lasher, who seemed worried.

"I don't know…Boss…" Bone-lasher said. The moment the words left his mouth I felt a wave of terror wash over me.

"How can you not…?!" I started only to get startled by a hand on my shoulder. Jumping, I spun around and saw Grandpa Seamus and Colossus standing behind me. "…Grandpa!"

"What's got ya so worked up Starlight?" Grandpa Seamus asked. I frowned and pointed at him.

"You! Where did you go? Bone-lasher didn't even know where you were?" I griped. Grandpa Seamus held his hands up defensively and flashed me a soft smile.

"Sorry Starlight, needed a bit o' space after yer…chat wit that shite head Loki. So the little guy and I took a stroll." Grandpa replied. I frowned at him, even if he did step away Fours and Empress were supposed to be watching him. Plus Bone-lasher was watching over the entire area with his special vision. It should have been impossible for him to just step away without anyone noticing.

"Grandpa…" I started only for him to clap me on the back.

"Don't worry bout me Starlight. I'm fine. Yer the one with a new problem ain't ya?" Grandpa Seamus said then glanced over at corpse of the man-chicken. I frowned and crossed my arms.

"We're going to have a talk later Grandpa…about a more than just this." I said. Grandpa chuckled then patted my shoulder.

"Sure we will Starlight, plenty o' time to talk after all this shite is done…" Grandpa Seamus said then turned and headed towards the door to the observation tower. I groaned and looked at everyone else, more specifically Bo and Alberto.

"We're leaving! We got a evo to save!" I said then followed after Grandpa Seamus and Colossus. My eyes narrowed on the back of Grandpa's head, wishing I could read his mind at that moment.

'What the hell were you doing Grandpa…?'

Seamus

Thirty minutes earlier

"Old man, is it a good idea to leave the Star Shaper and the others behind?" Colossus asked as we snuck out of the observation tower.

"Knowing me Grandson's luck a fights bout ta happen. Rather not be around when the shite hits the windmill." I replied to the small little hell-hog. Colossus chuffed loudly and stomped.

"Then we should go up and help him!" Colossus exclaimed. I shook my head then motioned for Colossus to follow after me. Colossus stood firm until I started walking off and the little tyke realized that he'd be left behind.

The door we left out of wasn't the same door that we came in earlier that day. This one lead to a long, winding, and narrow pathway down the backside of the mountain.

"Starlight will be okay. He's got his evos with him." I said and picked up my pace a little as Colossus and I descended down the pathway.

"I know the named ones will protect the Star Shaper, I'm just shocked that you aren't worried about him. You are his grandsire after all. I thought you'd want to protect him." Colossus said. I chuckled and looked down at the little evo.

"There is more than one way ta protect someone." I replied.

Colossus looked up at me with a confused look in his eyes. He looked so innocent and trusting, it had a lot to learn about the world. Particularly when sensing someone's anger, hatred, bloodlust. Things I had sensed the moment our group walked out onto the observation deck. I knew to expect this based off of the events of yesterday however I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head. Like predatory eyes constantly following me. That feeling didn't go away just because Colossus and I snuck away.

After a few minutes of walking down the pathway Colossus and I reached a cave that I guessed led further down the mountain. The path to the cave seemed well maintained as well as man made so it made sense that it would lead to the bottom of the mountain.

As we entered the cave I took notice that the anger and bloodlust I had been sensing hadn't gone away yet. I spared a glance over my shoulder and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

'So the little buggers are good at hiding!' I thought.

The cave was spacious and carved out into the long, well lit tunnel with a slight incline heading downward. After a few more minutes of walking the hairs on the back of my neck started standing on edge. I stopped and sighed, glancing down at a now puzzled Colossus.

"Something wrong, old man?" Colossus asked.

"Ya could say that…" I said then turned back around and looked back up at the pathway we'd came down. "…ya can come out now. I noticed ya following me a while ago."

Colossus spun around and huffed loudly, grunting aggressively at the tunnel in front of us. My words were met with silence for several seconds before a man dressed in a military suit seemingly melded out of the shadows and walked out into the center of tunnel.

"For a old man, you're pretty sharp." The man said. I shrugged then glanced off in the direction I guessed the others he was with were hiding.

"Not really. Yer just bad at stalking a frail old man like meself." I said with a sigh. The man clicked his tongue in frustration then held a closed fist up in the air. On that signal eight more men slipped from the shadows and stood behind the leader of the group.

"Old man!" Colossus grunted and crouched defensively

"Calm down. This isn't much of a problem." I said casually. The leader of the group of soldiers frowned.

"It seems you don't understand the danger you're in you old fart so let me spell it out for you…" The leader said.

"Yer all soldiers. Probably from the Border Guard's infamous Dark veil unit. Yer here cause me grandson made a fool out of America's army. Yer want revenge but yer too scared shiteless ta try and attack Starlight so yer going after his defenseless old granddad." I said cutting the soldier off.

The soldier narrowed his eyes at me while the other men in his unit looked at each other with shocked expressions. The leader of the group pulled a handgun from the holster on his thigh and pointed it at me.

"You must have a death wish if you didn't run away when you noticed us or you're putting too much stock in that runt of a fire hog by your side." The soldier said. Colossus' flame mohawk flared up at being called a fire hog and he grunted with more vigor.

'Well this is a fine mess…better put those lessons Gran put me through ta good use.' I thought then closed me eyes and took a deep breath. I rolled my shoulders and felt my shoulders pop.

I tuned everything out except for the sound of my own heart beating. Letting the thundering sound resonate inside my head before focusing in the dull thud that always followed with each beat. Feeling a dull ache in my chest begin to rise and a familiar warmth spreading though my veins I let out the breath and opened my eyes.

"Deflect all that would pierce, contain all that would alarm, blend and conceal this universe within a well." I said, speaking a language I hadn't spoken in decades. As I spoke mana flowed from the core behind my heart, into my vocal cords and fusing with my words. An axiom spell sigil forming in front of my mouth. "Vocallian cast: Slaughter's playground…"

As I finished my incantation, the soldiers all looked shocked to see a spell sigil forming in front of who they probably suspected was a normie old man. My spell came into effect before they could get over their shock. A blue wave flowing from the spell sigil and traveling along the walls of the tunnel before disappearing into the distance.

"The fuck was that?!" One of the soldiers exclaimed.

"Who cares! KILL THE OLD FUCKER!" Another yelled at the leader. The nodded and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. Not even a click from the trigger or firing pin.

"What the…?!" The leader exclaimed and looked down at his gun.

"That was a spell me Gran taught me when I was a wee lad. Annoying little spell fer long range fighters. It's called slaughter's playground. I always wondered why me sweet little Gran knew a spell called that…but it's been useful over the decades." I said, switching back to Universal standard. "It prevents people from using ranged weapons. Bows, spears, slingshots…guns. It also prevents sound from escaping a predetermined space…ya lot also can't leave unless ya kill me or I undo the spell."

"You can cast spells…?" Colossus muttered, looking up at me with wonder and shock.

One of the soldiers growled and pulled a combat knife from a sheathe on hos thigh and ran at me.

"Well you fucked up old man! You're trapped in here with us!" The soldier growled.

I rolled my eyes and sidestepped a obvious slash at my throat. The soldiers spun on his heel, flipping the knife in his fingers to hold it in a reverse grip and slashed down from my neck to my waist. I spun on my heel as well and managed to get beside the boy while he was off balance and grabbed his wrist. Twisting it and hearing a loud crack. Before the man could fully let out his scream, I grabbed the knife that was falling in mid-air and stabbed it into his throat. Yanking it hard and nearly decapitated the soldier.

He fell to the ground gurgling loudly and gripping his throat before he quickly bled out. I sighed and looked up at the seven other young men that were dumbfounded and shocked to silence in seeing their squad mate killed by a defenseless old man.

"Well ya see laddies…I'm not trapped in here with you. All of you are trapped in here with me…" I said then looked down at Colossus. "…I'll deal with these poor buggers, we'll work together ta deal with the others at the end of the tunnel."