1004. CALDERA INDUSTRIES’ DERMA LAYER FORTRESS

Four hundred Homunculi shuffled behind Frost.

They froze when she paused and closed their eyes when she turned. When she raised a hand, their necks would tug forward as though she were pulling on an invisible leash.

The Rogue Moons didn’t fare better.

No matter how many promises were made, how amicable Frost and her companions of the Nexus were, it was impossible to eliminate all traces of suspicion. Moons were lured into a false sense of duty and security by the Ateliers at every turn.

Furthermore, it was compounded by the effects of Serum G, which made them numb to their own suffering.

The Rogue Moons were not afflicted with this Serum to Frost’s understanding. They were able to express complex emotions compared to the old Moons of the Nexus. Blood Moons were a good baseline for them, since Blood Moons were among the few Moon types who did not consume intermittent doses of Serum G.

Their eyes did not stray from Frost’s back as she led them through Caldera Industries’ Dermal Layer fortress.

Dark blue walls spanning hundreds of meters from the cavern floor to the ceiling warped light, making them appear much smaller than they truly were.

Machinery of impossible scale were embedded into the stone. Behind the walls were several carved out caverns designed to serve as a moat. The fortress was a designed to withstand a significant Impuritas offensive, and this did not count additional outposts surrounding the fortress in every conceivable direction.

The stone turned into smooth steel carrying a damascus pattern. They transition into solid bricks closer to the wall. Once they were close, the bricks rearranged themselves into a grand staircase.

Each brick was individually imbued with a small Gravity Core. This gave the Builders control over the individual components of a Caldera Industries base, going as far as to enable them to restructure the fortress in the image of an Architect.

The very air seemed to bow in Frost’s presence. The walls split into a gaping archway. A loud buzz of electricity and the murmurs of fluctuating Quants of Gravity gushed through the smallest of openings. Were it not for Frost’s [Protection Ward], then the Homunculi would have been crushed into a paste so thin that they would begin evaporating.

“Tuning down the stray Quants of Gravity isn’t easy when Beholder Knalzark sits at the helm of the fortress.” Argon began as she led them into a grandeur hall.

It was hollow and spanned as far as the eye could see. A long, steel bridge with neon-blue pipes carrying refined Liquid Nex ran across the chasm. It was threaded through dozens of enormous rings that hummed with electrical power.

Plasma arcs pulsed across the rings, illuminating sections of the hall before looping back to the start. The wall shut behind them once they had all stepped foot into the bridge. The size alone could not be understated.

An army of tens of thousands could stand side by side and still not fill the width of the bridge. The scale of the rings and the chasm itself were a testament of the architectural cheat that was gravity manipulation.

“We’ll be leaving first. The Gigaforge should be inactive. It’ll be safe enough to emerge in the heart of Atlas.” Argon continued.

“My Stars will have transportation ready.” Frost stated. “This is not even their headquarters, and it’s this large. Spatial technology still surprises me to this day.”

“A given when you’re in the frontier of war. Its size doesn’t matter too much since the Builders shift the fortress around to make navigation as efficient as possible.” A Vermilion Moon added.

Caldera Industries’ bases, when viewed across a blueprint, appeared like a disjointed mess built by someone who did not understand basic architecture. But as per many things in Elysia, the function mattered more than the process or the underlaying principles of a concept.

Gravity manipulation allowed Caldera Industries to move entire sections of the base at will to accommodate their needs, processes and priorities. For example, the deployment rooms or exits did not need to always be open or close to the perimeter of the base.

When a Vermilion Moon needed to depart, only then would these modules be activated. If weapon processing was a priority, then the walking distance from the sleeping quarters to the forges would be shortened by placing both rooms together, or at times, integrating the two.

One can imagine a Caldera Industries’ base being a three-dimensional sliding puzzle. In the corner of her eye, Frost noticed an impossibly large rivet, only to realize that it was a mechanical worm.

“I can see where they got their inspiration from.” Jury hummed. “Didn’t the Dwarves lose a lot of their motherland to Infecta Rot?”

“A terrible understatement.” Morgause uttered. “A large portion of Dwarhelven remains entombed in crystals. I do not know the specifics, but Beholder Knalzark has lost much as a High Dwarf. The surface-dwelling Dwarves were annihilated by crystal entities. Later, as Caldera Industries developed, they shifted to a mechanized version.”

It was fitting to learn about Caldera Industries’ past shorty after defeating the Avatar of Kratt. They now knew the hierarchy, structure and philosophy of Infecta Rot from top to bottom. It was information that Knalzark severely lacked, and one that he would certainly appreciate.

That said, there were some developments to ponder on since the walk was long, and the walls were still changing. She tapped the side of her hip where three heads resided: the Fallen Beholder, Rhyme and the core of the Complex Heart.

The bodies of the Fallen Beholder and Rhyme were kept in a permanent storage. That storage being, of course, her stomach.

Flavor-wise, the Fallen Beholder tasted like a cross between a blueberry and chicken. Rhyme tasted like she was gargling with metal coins. Not as bad as one might have thought. She would rather have a mouthful of iron than putrid Corrupted meat.

But there was also the flavor of their blood, which she hadn’t considered till now.

She chalked it up to her being the Progenitor. Besides, she would rather be a connoisseur of blood and human flesh one hundred out of a hundred times than being one of memories.

That said, within her draping mantle, lined along the red veins were exactly five hearts belonging to the Desolate Stars.

As a Healer at heart, none of them could ever dream to perish, even when kept to a single organ.

She could have easily kept a small chunk of their brain and still keep them alive, but this wouldn’t have subjected them to any meaningful amount of suffering.

Furthermore, these organs – including the heads – ran on her own blood. Even if they were to regain their body, they would be slaves to Frost’s commandments.

They were her slaves now.

And why stop there?

Why not assimilate them into the Repent Cycle to ensure that escape was impossible? Make them dependent on her blood more than air.

It made her giddy knowing that she had managed to pacify a Beholder, be it they were a substantially less powerful one.

“Headhunter Frost is gonna be your new name.” Cer poked the face of the Fallen Beholder. “Level 245 vs 250. But I got a good five levels out of it, thanks to you~ Heh. Got my new title revoked and everything.”

Cer was right.

She was now level 250.

Frost had also gained some levels too, but not enough to reach a new Milestone Level. Faces who understood the implications of Cer reaching this level were torn between disbelief and reverence. Frost even felt the hearts of the Stars quivers in despair.

“2-250…? That isn’t a mistake?” Horus couldn’t hide her shock. It was frankly the most unbelievable thing she had heard in a long time. “Nevermind. Fuck. I thought Moons capped out at level 200?”

“The Fang of the Head stopped being a regular Moon for some time now.” Morgause explained with a reverent tone. “But I must ask. If I may, Fang of the Head?”

“I got the title while we were down there.” Cer knew what Morgause wanted to ask.

Frost, Jury and the Moons did as well. In fact, Frost’s had been making a perplexed face the moment Cer notified them of the title change.

“Outside of the Nexus’ line of sight? Is it your doing?” Frost softly asked the Fragment.

“I don’t know what that is.” She admitted.

Strange.

The Fragment was the only one who seemed to be able to influence Light, aside from Frost. Or at least have a connection to the Nexus given her ability to control the Genesis Stones.

A black, opaque stone was carried in Icara’s hands. It was the shrunken form of the Genesis Stone. It had deactivated shortly after Rhyme’s resonance was terminated, turning it into a compact egg that could be safely handled within the next one hundred hours.

Cer drilled her eyes into Frost’s back. She wandered closely and nudged her with her waist with her tail.

“If it ain’t her, then it’s gotta be thanks to you Frost.”

“It can’t be. I didn’t do anything.” Frost raised a brow.

Admittedly, it was hard to believe that her presence acted as a mobile Nexus of sorts.

Then again, she was the owner of the Nexus. Had she accumulated enough Light where she could procure Skills upon people?

Not quite. You are closer to a router than the modem

Ergo, I believe you are granting a connection to the Nexus through your Light

Ah. I’ve found something worth noting!

You have lost one Light. It shall return in due time

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