I whined softly as I looked back at my Grandfather from across the counter full of dirty dishes. His eyes were sharp and bore into mine with an uncompromising air of finality that punctuated his last statement. I knew better than to try and apologize to him right then. He didn't want a apology, he wanted a conversation and he wasn't accepting excuses or denials. I sat up and locked eyes with my Grandpa, letting him know I was ready.
"I love you Chase. You are my only grandson and I am proud of everything that you've accomplished in the last year…however your behavior the last six months while understandable is unacceptable. I told ya before that you are all I have left, you are Lulu'Nala's most perfect and precious treasure. My heart cannot take the idea of losing you nor can I stand by and watch ya destroy yourself again." Grandpa Seamus said sternly.
"I didn't know what else to do…" I said softly then looked down at my farm crystal. "…During the fight on Tsushima I had other things to worry about, I could just shut my brain off and not think about the fact he died. But once the dust settled all I had was time and memories. Of Fours, of Grandma…they both died because I was too weak…"
"You weren't weak…" Jane said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"I could have done so much more!" I snapped and started gripping my knees. "I had the power to control the ascended all along! I should have ran to meet the ascended instead of sitting back and waiting for it to come to me! I had been fused with Fours! I should have studied that fusion more then I would have known about mana overload shortening the fusion length!"
"Chase Gaelborg Kingston…" Grandpa Seamus said in the same tone of voice Grandma used when she was mad at me. It made me flinch as I looked up at my Grandpa. He reached across the counter and slapped me across the top of my head with a spatula, making me hiss in pain then grab my head.
"OWWWW!" I whined.
"…you are a Kingston, a MacClery and the grandson of a Star farm crystal bearer. Ya suffered fer eighteen years in a country that wanted ya dead. Dealt with pains and traumas that would make grown men weep. You are not weak!" Grandpa Seamus growled. He pointed the spatula at my chest and frowned. "Yer young, inexperienced, rash, quick to anger, flippant with yer mouth, hard headed, and a bit of a gobshite. But you are not weak."
"Thanks…" I muttered earning me another slap with the spatula.
"See, gobshite!" He said then tossed the spatula into the sink. He leveled me with a intense stare and pointed a finger at my nose. "What you put me an everyone else through will not happen again. Ever! Ya understand?"
"Yes sir…" I replied. Grandpa flicked my nose and frowned.
"I said! Do ya understand me Chase Gaelborg Kingston?!" He asked again, louder and much more sternly.
"Yes Sir! I understand! I will not shut myself away again!" I exclaimed sitting up straight. Grandpa nodded after a moment then his expression softened to his normal caring range.
"Good! Now go get changed, we have a meeting ta get to." Grandpa Seamus said pointing to the door. I blinked and frowned.
"Meeting?" I muttered.
"Company management meeting." Jane offered then got up from her chair and stretched. "We have been having one every month for the last five once the company started producing evos on a large scale. You've been…absent for all of them."
"Ah!" I huffed.
"Its fine! Jane has been standing in for you. Though honestly things are starting to get a little more…expansive in scope to what we thought so we really need you to attend this meeting!" Iris added.
I frowned at that but said nothing else. I knew there're had been some changes to the operations of the company since we were supplying evos and enchanted items to several countries at war right now but they way Iris said that made me think something was going to be very wrong.
***
"The fuck are those?!" I exclaimed as I stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the girl's and mine's dorm.
There were slightly raised rails sticking out of the street that looked like they were laid there and then the cobblestone street was placed back around it. The rails had a oddly familiar green sheen to them that caught my attention initially.
"Ah! Those are the manacite rails for Andromeda college's mana trolley." Jane replied as stood beside me.
"Mana trolley?"
"A commission from the college. Dean Baxter wanted a actual mana train for the colleges employees personal use. However your grandpa refused to make one." Jane explained further.
"Mana trains are the pride 'n joy of Sullivardic village. Just selling one off to someone not of the village is an insult ta my pride as an engineer!" Grandpa Seamus griped.
"So we compromised. Your grandpa made a smaller version of the manacite train that has to be manned at all times. It's a lot less advanced than King's glaive." Iris said.
"Your Grandpa outlined a circuit around the campus with multiple stops and stations scattered around the campus." Jane said.
"I see…" I muttered.
"Sho'lajah Artifact Company employees man the mana trolleys during operation hours, leased out to Andromeda college." Jane added.
'Employees leased out?' I thought with an arched brow.
"We'll come back to that later, right now we need to get to the main office." Jane said then pulled a whistle out from the pocket of her suit jacket and blew it.
At first I heard no audible noise but then my senses merged with Alpa'nagia's and a ungodly shrill whistle blared into my ears. I groaned and covered my ears, eliciting a look of confusion from everyone else.
"Heightened senses thanks to Alpa'nagia." I said, Jane winced and shot me a apologetic look as she mouth 'Sorry.'.
A few seconds later a loud roar echoed above the low clouds. I looked up and saw a void drake I didn't recognize descend below the clouds. It was slightly larger than Midnight or Twilight and had a saddle on its back that looked like a specialized one for carrying extra passengers, it was a two part saddle that had a traditional section of the saddle around the void drake neck and a more bench style section that spanned most of it's back. The void drake landed in the street in front of the dorms, lowering its head so it's splicer could hop off the saddle.
The splicer was a young woman I didn't recognize but she was dressed in a slightly modified version of the company's security uniform. She stood up straight beside the void drake and saluted Jane and Iris. The salute bringing the square shaped farm crystal just above her right brow.
"Chauffer Pangia[1]Awagoung[2], reporting! Lady Jane, lady Iris!" She exclaimed sharply.
"Thank you Pangia, but as I've told you before you don't have to be so formal. Calling us Ma'am is enough." Jane said stepping closer to the splicer. Pangia shook her head in response.
"As a former member of Egypt's Air force I cannot dishonor the position I once held by being so disrespectful to the future queen of our country!" Pangia replied.
"Heart an' dedication. I like this lass!" Grandpa Seamus said with a smirk. Pangia's eyes darted to Grandpa Seamus and then to me. It wasn't until she saw my farm crystal that her eyes widened with recognition.
"Revolutionary Paragon, Master Kingston!" Pangia exclaimed then jumped into a salute that her void drake also followed, lowering his head in a bow.
"Um…yeah nice to meet you. Please don't call me Revolutionary Paragon." I responded hesitantly.
"As you wish! It is an honor to carry you and her majesty to wherever you wish." Pangia replied.
"O-kay…" I muttered. Jane took my discomfort as a cue to cut in and take control of the conversation.
"Pangia we have a company management meeting at the main office that we need to get too." Jane explained. Pangia nodded and bowed respectfully
"Of course your majesty! Rouge[3]!" Pangia exclaimed and turned to the void drake.
"Right away Mistress!" The void drake exclaimed and lowered herself as low as possible to the ground to make it easier to climb onto her saddle. Iris climbed up onto the void drake first then helped Grandpa Seamus up then Jane and finally me.
The saddle was large enough that the four of us were able to sit comfortably and I recognized the spell it was enchanted with which prevented anyone that was sitting on it from falling off once the void drake was airborne. Once all of us were on the saddle Pangia climbed up onto the void drake's driver saddle and urged him to take flight.
The void drake quickly took to the skies, circling over the dorm building twice before heading off towards the direction of Moldworks. It had been a months since I actually flew of Andromeda college or rather its been that long since I paid attention. The college looked empty in comparison to six months ago, barely any students or researchers could be seen from above. It also looked like classes had stopped, though to be honest I haven't attended any of my own classes since we returned from Tsushima Island. The guilt of that heightened as we passed over Baset's tower.
"Classes have been suspended for the last six months." Iris said once she saw me looking down at our teacher's tower. "Immediately after Jane's parents heard about the attempt to kill you and Jane they declared war on England, China, Scotland, and France. The college did what it normally does when a war kicks off and sent students home to deal with national obligations, though they did offer students from those countries asylum and the option to keep studying while the war is going on."
"That sounds risky." I said.
"You would think so, however Andromeda college has done this through four world wars already. As an institution of higher learning they like to say that they hold neutrality in Egypt's political and military affairs." Iris commented.
"Also makes sense given a lot of the professors come from countries all over the world." Jane spoke up then sighed. "There has been a long standing agreement between the college and the Pharaohs, the college won't take sides in any wars the country wages but will conduct military research from time to time and the Pharaoh's won't touch any of the students or faculty regardless of country of origin."
"I see…" I said softly.
We quickly found ourselves flying over the Andromeda college gates and the gold city. I was surprised to see how busy everything was considering the fact the country was at war. Regardless of that fact I still saw the streets were packed with rich and noble splicers hustling from one place to another, shopping like they hadn't a care. My eyes scanned over the opulent towers and sky scrapper that were traditionally in the richer part of the city feeling annoyed by the lack restraint or modesty with their decorations or gilding.
Once we reached the edge of the gold city and border of the silver city I was surprised to see a wall separated the border between the two sections of Andromeda. What's more, any and all traffic between the two sections were being controlled between checkpoints.
"What the hell? The fuckers in the gold city built a wall to keep the silver and bronze city out?!" I snapped and nearly jumped out of my seat.
"Aaaaaaactually…." Jane started then turned her head to look away from me then whispered the next part.. "…Sho'lajah Artifact Company built the wall…"
I stared at her blankly for a second wondering if in my currently emaciated state if I had also had a stroke and was now hearing things. When my eyes fell on Iris she too avoided my gaze.
"BOW THE FUCK DID WE MANAGED TO BUILD A WALL AROUND THE RICHEST PART OF THE CITY?!" I bellowed, startling Pangia as well as her void drake. We swayed a bit as a result but they quickly corrected themselves.
"Well, you see…" Jane started, still avoiding eye contact and fidgeting with her hands. "…Egypt has a unique way of managing regions and cities. Basically the strongest and most renowned splicer in an area can claim governance over area as long as they prove their strength and can maintain order in that area. One of the main reasons the Red Dragons were able to do everything they did in the bronze and later silver city was because of their leader claiming governance…then you beat the red dragons and have been maintaining order in the silver and bronze city while also conducting business from there for over eight months…."
"Wait…are you saying I'm the mayor of the Silver and Bronze city now?!"
[1] pronounced: PAN•GEE•A
[2] Pronounced: OW•WAN•GA
[3] Pronounced: RUE•JAH