Chapter 149: Master Davis
Hugo's eyes became slightly hopeful as he saw that Erebus Field was still there, safe and intact.
Due to the recent circumstances... He had expected the worst.
But still... Something was not right.
Hugo glanced at the seemingly prosperous city with a confused look on his face.
"Wait... I thought Erebus Field was located on top of a volcano, not at the bottom."
Indeed the city... It was not on top of the volcano, but instead at the very bottom, next to the volcano, hidden by mountain passes.
"Stupid brat! For a second you even had me fooled. Who would be foolish enough to build a city on top of a volcano?!" Bellicus's voice rang in his ears, berating him for his incompetence.
"...Right."
He must've misread the report about Erebus Field, which was only natural considering the stressful situation he had been in... But still, Hugo could not help but feel frustrated with himself at this failure.
Glancing at the city, Hugo recalled what he knew about the settlement.
Erebus Field was one of Antarctica's most prominent cities, a sprawling metropolis built atop geothermal vents that kept the land warm and fertile.
The city was well-known for its geothermal energy farms and warmth, with formidable fortifications long before being converted into a siege capital. The city was constructed in a way that could handle any possible contingency, including volcanic activity, with magma barriers, drain vents, and most safety measures in place.
Thanks to the city's unique location, nightmare creature raids were far less destructive then usual, making Erebus perfect for enduring the powers of the corrupted.
Its walls were strong, its defenses reinforced by a whole division of the First Army, and hundreds of Awakened—and more than a few Masters—called it home.
At its peak, Erebus Field was a thriving hub of life and industry, its streets bustling with civilians and soldiers alike, its geothermal farms feeding millions, and its warmth a rare comfort in the frozen continent. It was a symbol of human resilience, a mini NQSC carved into the heart of Antarctica, a city that seemed built to endure anything.
And yet... Even that endurance was shaking right now, as the numbers of refugees increased by the day which meant that there would be more mouths to feed...
The hordes of nightmare creatures were also getting stronger, making it almost impossible to fend off with their current numbers of awakeneds.
"Hey Bellicus, let's talk later for now."
The ancient entity scoffed and slowly disappeared into nothing.
"Brat..."
Hugo did not dwell on the scene and quickly informed his shadow to land the ship on the ground. At the same time, he twisted the Omnitrix dial on his chest, deactivating the Lifeform Lock and detransforming.
By now, his burn wounds had healed, but he was still far from his peak state, still unfit for serious combat.
Feeling exposed and unsafe in his current clothes, Hugo summoned the [Asura] mantle and shaped it into his familiar silver armor. The liquid metal flowed across his body, hugging him in a protective shell that also shielded him from the biting cold.
Leaping off, Hugo landed on the ground with a thud and walked towards the city.
Hugo had chosen to walk instead of flying to avoid being mistaken for a threat. After all, a flying ship wasn't exactly a common sight in this world, and the Awakened guarding the city might have assumed it was some kind of Nightmare Creature trick.
His shadow reformed the [Proto-Truck] into its truck form and Hugo walked beside it as the two carefully navigated the mountain pass and moved towards the gate.
Just then, an arrow streaked through the air like a bullet, moving far faster than any arrow had any right to and landed on the ground, near Hugo's feet, stopping him in his tracks.
There was something on the arrow, wrapped around its edge.
Bending over, Hugo picked up the note.
It read: [Summon a Memory to confirm you are a human.]
'They sure work fast...'
The person who had sent this was likely a Master, and currently another Awakened—or perhaps the same person who sent the message—was looking at him using a form of utility Aspect, waiting to confirm his identity as a human.
Nightmare creatures could not summon memories after all.
Raising his hand, Hugo summoned the [Emerald Spyglass] and waited for a few minutes.
As he waited Hugo removed the helmet part of his armor, making his face visible.
The gigantic gates of Erebus Field shook slightly, then opened, revealing the interior of the great city. On its step, three humans could be seen making their way out of the city and approaching him with tense expressions.
Hugo recognized one of them, despite the fact that he was wearing a dark leather armor Memory.
It was Master Davis, who was assigned to Erebus Field by the Evacuation Army, one of the irregulars company leaders..
The two beside him must be members of his cohort... The others either died or were inside the city.
Before long, Hugo was face to face with the cold-blooded Master.
Master Davis was not the talkative type, even back when Hugo had met him during the journey to Antarctica. He was always the silent type, preferring to remain quite in most situations.
Some would think he was unfit to be a leader because of that, however Hugo gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"I assume you recognized me, Captain Davis?"
The Master nodded, his eyes darting between the [Proto-Truck] and Hugo.
"There are none who can't recognize the Paragon of Purity these days, especially in Antarctica... Though I must say, you look terrible, young man."
"My appearance hasn't been a priority for a while, so excuse me for that. Anyway, there has been a change of plans. I'll be staying in Erebus Field for a while as refugees from other settlements make their way here. Lucky for us, I already brought you some." Hugo gestured toward the [Proto-Truck]. As he did, its doors opened, revealing the hundred or so people huddled inside.
They were all scared, cold, and tired from the journey.
The two Awakened beside Master Davis seemed to make a gesture of sorts towards the walls of Erebus Field, and shortly after a team of soldiers came out of the city to escort the people inside.
Master Davis looked at the scene with a calm expression, his cold eyes tired and exhausted.
"...It's not looking good for us."
Hugo unsummoned the [Proto-Truck], and at the same time his shadow became a regular shadow once again and flowed back into place.
Master Davis had seen this, but he did not seem to care at all.
"...It will be fine. I'm here now." Hugo said, turning to walk inside the city.
Master Davis looked at him with an aloof expression as he accompanied him inside.
"You did not strike me as the arrogant type when we met before, you know."
Hugo looked at his Omnitrix for a while as he crossed the gate and finally set foot on Erebus Field, looking at the myriad buildings rising high into the sky.
"... Arrogance is the armor of the dead, Captain and I don't intend on dying anytime soon, so no, this is not arrogance." He looked at the Master with a somber expression. "I might not be powerful enough to save the entire continent, but I can manage one city."
The gates closed seamlessly as the two Masters walked deeper into the city fully, feeling the cold air dim slightly.
Master Davis gave Hugo a judgmental look and sighed.
"Whatever you say, kid. Whatever you say..."
***
Moments after entering the city, Hugo and Davis wasted no time, getting straight into business as they headed towards one of the military strongholds within Erebus Field.
There, countless people were sleeping in rusted metallic pods. Those were Awakened, teleporting between different places in the Dream Realm to exchange messages between the first evacuation army.
This lack of communication made the situation far more dreadful as there was a fallen Titan walking around Antarctica, one that could appear near anys settlement.
Knowledge was the most powerful thing in the world and now, humanity was stripped from it as they faced the endless army of corruption...
This has made Hugo wonder if there was anything he could do about it, after all he had considered crafting communication artifacts once.
Sitting across a large table, Davis relaxed into his seat and looked at Hugo, who remained in the embrace of the [Asura] armor.
"So, what exactly can you do for the city right now? As you can see, we don't really have a plan aside from gathering refugees and sending them to Falcon Scott."
Hugo looked at the Master with a calm expression. At the same time, he summoned the [Crown of Falsehood] and activated its enchantment, taking control of his minions.
He nearly lost his balance, as he regained control of four different bodies, each belonging to the ascended generals he had assigned to the armies.
"I will call my minions here, but I'll have them escort any humans they encounter on their way. It might be difficult to communicate, but the humans should know by now that my minions aren't malicious entities. Once that's done, I'll use all the minions to fortify Erebus Field and fight alongside the Awakened here."
Making a battle formation that included humans and Noble Creatures was not easy, as the two were fundamentally different and could not coordinate together. At least not without some sort of mystical ability connecting them together.
Still, they could split them apart into different divisions.
There was also the fact that with the minions close to him, Hugo wouldn't need to use the [Crown of Falsehood] enchantment anymore, stopping the whisper of madness and allowing him to sustain his essence.
Not to mention, it would make his terror influence extremely effective in this area, which would scare the awakened abominations away.
"That's not a bad plan..." Master Davis rubbed his chin as he lost himself in thoughts. "Can your minions be used as a communication method between Erebus Field and Falcon Scott? Like a pigeon carrier."
Hugo was insulted by the comparison, yet he chose to let it go. As far as Davis was concerned, those minions were not actual creatures... And that was not far from the truth.
Thinking about his question, Hugo found that it was indeed possible for such a method to exist, however it would require an XLR8 or a Fasttrack minion.
"It can be done using a specific type of minion that possesses super speed, however that would not be efficient as the minion's essence reserves would be exhausted swiftly with each run. There's a large distance between Erebus Field and Falcon Scott, after all."
Davis nodded, accepting the grim reality.
"No matter... Your minions would be useful for other jobs around the city as well, especially those infamous dragons of yours..."
Hugo looked at the man for a moment, before falling into his own thoughts.
What exactly did they lack right now? Power? Yes but that could not be obtained easily...
What they truly lacked was communication.
"...I have an idea to fix our communication problem, actually."
Davis raised an eyebrow.
"A transformation of yours?"
"No, not exactly... I think I can build something that would allow us to communicate with Falcon Scott."
Indeed, it was time for Hugo to put his skills as a crafter and a sorcerer to work.