Chapter Fifty-Three: Need for Assistance

Boy did the Citadel appear large and imposing upon first viewing. And boy did the yard seem crowded with Skylanders. And...were there sheep wandering around here?

What was worse about all of this was that Hugo arrived here alone. Portal Master Eon was somewhere in that Citadel, likely in an office. All important officials had offices. And they had rooms where their assistants worked.

Well...Master Eon was supposed to be missing an assistant right now. That was to say...he was currently trying to bring one on. Perhaps the position had already been filled. Maybe he should just go home. It couldn't be worth it.

Hugo situated the bag on his back. No, he couldn't think like that. He was the best for the job, as far as he was concerned. He had to get in there!

He walked up with trembling legs to the front door of the Citadel, gazing upon its majesty. A leafy green dragon hopped along here, tossing a reddish-orange object around. This creature was quite playful, it seemed. Maybe he could be helpful.

"G-Greetings there, Mr. Leaf Dragon," Hugo stammered. "I-I'm Hugo, and I need to see-"

The leafy dragon paused in his playing, grabbing the object- which Hugo could now clearly see was a giant pepper- in his claws. He smirked at Hugo, his red eyes alight with playfulness.

"I've never gotten a Mr. before," the dragon beamed. "Of course, nothing quite beats Camo."

"Your name is Camo, then? Splendid, as I was saying-"

"Yeah, you need to see something. What is it, then? You need to see our shoreline? Our observatory? I should actually take you to see our gardens. I tend to them myself, you know, and I must say I'm quite good at it."

"I'm here to see Portal Master Eon. I'm here to inquire about his assistant position."

"Oh, he was serious about that. If he needs an assistant that badly, he should have just asked one of us. My claws aren't too good at filing papers, but I could give it a shot. If he just needs someone to hold stuff, I'm pretty good at that. See how well I'm holding this pepper?"

"Y-yes, it's quite nice. Could you-"

"You want to try it?"

"Oh no, spices make me gassy, and I really don't need that today. Could you direct me up to Master Eon's office?"

"I still want to play with my pepper. Buut, I can give you directions. And it's not up to his office so much as it is down. Yeah, it's in the basement. First hallway once you get in, and then the lower staircase on your left."

"I guess that helps, then. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Hugo stepped past Camo, opening the doors and walking into the building. The halls glistened in pearly whites and grays, wearing tapestries depicting great feats of heroism. He walked on with shaky legs, carrying himself down the hall. Hugo then paused for a moment, spotting a few entrances to hallways and staircases. Which lower staircase on the left? There appeared to be two of them.

Maybe he should try them both? A wrong guess was at least an attempt.

Hugo picked the first lower staircase at his entry position. Down and down he traveled, until he reached a door. It only took a slight push to get it open, and once he did, he found it to be filled with Portals of Power, each varying in size. No one was in here. He definitely had to make his way out of here quickly.

Hugo climbed back up the stairs, taking the second lower staircase next. This one led to a door that was firmly shut. He knocked on it, falling on his bottom once he heard an explosion on the other side. The door opened, and an elven sorceress with cyan skin hovered out.

"You started my spellmaking companion," the elven sorceress explained.

"Oh my, oh dear, I'm very sorry!" Hugo stammered, shakily picking himself up. "Wait, is this...Portal Master Eon's office?"

"No, this is the spell room. It's actually much larger than it appears from out here."

"I-I believe it was your friend Camo who told me-"

"Camo?"- the elven sorceress pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh- "Of course, he'd be the one to do it. I'm sure he's chuckling to himself right now."

Hugo's face turned bright red. "Y-You're saying I was tricked!?"

"Seems that way. He's one of our pranksters. Master Eon's office is on the very top floor. I can take you there if you-"

Their conversation was cut off by a frightened tiki mask poking its way through the door. "Ooga Booga ah!" it shouted in alarm.

The elven sorceress whipped her head around to it, stiffening up in shock. "Melting!? How is that possible!?" she gasped.

Perhaps it was best if he left them be now. Hugo scrambled back up the stairs, pausing in the hallway once he made it there. He couldn't help the incredible shame growing in his gut. Maybe it was best just to turn around and go home now. He couldn't even think about walking around the halls after such an embarrassing event occurred. Everyone would laugh at him if it got out.

Hugo picked himself back up. He couldn't let this bother him. He had to keep going.

Except now he didn't know which way to go to get to the top floor. Well...he'd just have to poke around until he found someone who could help him.

Hugo took the first staircase on his right, eventually walking up into a rather large room. Rows and rows of tables sat inside, stained with various food particles. He shivered at the sight. Someone really had to clean this up!

A door sat in the back of this room, where shouting and slurping and clanking sounded off. Hugo knocked on this door, jumping out of the way as it swung open. A large blue grub (and it was large, like the size of a small dog) skittered across the floor, making its way over to him. An orc wearing a dragon skull on his head ran after the grub, picking it up and dragging it away from Hugo. The grub panted excitedly, its long tongue lolling out of its mouth and dripping with saliva.

"Bad grub! Bad!" the orc scolded.

"Wrecking Ball hungry!" the grub shouted. "Eat! Eat!"

"You're still hungry!?" a scratchy voice inside the room sounded.

Hugo adjusted his glasses. "Is that...Wrecking Ball...new here?" he asked.

"Fairly new," the orc nodded. "Voodood sorry about little grub."

Clanking sounded off near them, and a frightening looking ghoul floated out. A chain grabbed onto his ghostly tail, jingling and jangling everywhere he moved. It made his presence a bit more frightening, to be honest.

"He ate everything," the ghoul stuttered. "The meat, the eggs, the fish, the fruits and vegetables. He even ate the vinegar."

The orc scrunched up his nose. "Good riddance," he grumbled.

"Vinegar is actually more necessary than you think, buddy. Not that it matters now."

"Perhaps it's good thing that little grub has not found Great Plant Place."

The ghoul cocked his head, raising a brow. "Great Plant...Oh! I get you, I get you!" he suddenly realized. "The longer we keep him from there, the better. But we need to do something about his energy, first."

"Master Eon sort out little grub."

"Hmm, maybe. Where did he say he was going to be again?"

Hugo's stomach fluttered in excitement. They could just benefit each other! "He should be in his office right now," he piped up.

The ghoul looked over at him, suddenly acknowledging his presence. "Are you here for that 'assistant' position, then?" he wondered. "Maybe the four of us could walk up there together."

"That's a marvelous idea!"

Wrecking Ball sucked his tongue back into his mouth, suddenly shaking with excitement. He spun himself around, causing the orc to lose his grip on him and tumble to the ground in an attempt to regain it. The grub spun about the room, before making his way out the door. The orc and the ghoul quickly ran out of the room- much too quickly for Hugo to go after them.

Hugo let out a somber sigh. So much for that. Maybe there was someone else who could help him.

So he walked back down, minding the new scratch marks on the stone floor, and took the next staircase on his right. He walked up and up until he reached the top…

To find another long hallway with several entryways in it.

Oh this really was terrible! Well, might as well try them all.

Hugo turned right to the first entryway, finding it to have a door. He opened it up, coming across a sitting room. A few bookshelves sat along the wall, and several chairs sat beside a fireplace with a flickering fire within it. Dozens of blankets and pillows sat on the ground between the chairs, with light snoring heard underneath them. Aside from that, no one else was in this room.

He scratched his head, racking his brain for ideas. He didn't want to disturb the napping Skylander too much. Anything he did might startle them a great deal. Hugo tiptoed around the blanket mass, stepping near the fireplace. He grabbed the fire poker, then stepped back away from the flames. Carefully waving it around, Hugo grabbed the edge of the blanket mass with the fire poker, pulling the blanket away.

And underneath the blanket was not one, but three napping Skylanders. An ent with mallet-like hands lay flat on his back, undisturbed by the moving blanket. A blue yeti mumbled before turning on his side, but was promptly back asleep in another moment, likely not registering that there was any change. A four-legged bird-like creature shifted and murmured, moving its large red wings over its face, but unable to settle back down as easily as its other two napping companions. There couldn't be too much harm in asking the bird creature for help, right?

So Hugo stepped back, poking the bird creature with the fire poker. The bird creature sat up, its pupils dilating as it studied Hugo.

"Sorry, sorry," Hugo grimaced. "I was just wondering if I could-"

A spout of flame suddenly shot from the bird creature's beak, launching after Hugo. Hugo quickly leapt out of the way, racing out of the sitting room at breakneck speed. He veered down the adjacent hallway on the left, struggling to keep his bag on his back. In a flash, the bird creature appeared in front of him, squawking in defiance.

"P-p-please! I did-didn't mean-" Hugo stammered.

"Don't think me weak," the bird creature growled. "Your life is now forfeit, trespasser."

Forfeit!? No no no, that couldn't be! Not from such a silly misunderstanding!

Hugo dug into his bag, lobbing a scroll at the bird creature. The scroll unfurled upon hitting, wrapping the bird creature's head and disorienting it. Hugo scooted past him, running blindly down the hall. He opened the door at the end of it, rushing in and ducking underneath the nearest table. Catching his breath for a moment, Hugo glanced around. Rows upon rows of bookshelves surrounded him, holding large volumes of wonderful literature. He'd found the library! The great heavenly hiding place!

But it apparently wasn't the best hiding place, seeing as the bird creature ran in here anyway. How could it find him so easily!?

"Oi there, Sunburn! What's got into you!?"

Hugo peered out from under the table. He spotted the bird creature standing in front of a strange green lizard. He couldn't quite identify what species the lizard was. It was definitely not a dragon, so it could've been a dinosaur. But Skylands' dinosaurs had much more distinguishing features than this creature possessed.

"You saw that trespasser run through here, didn't you!?" the bird creature yelled. "I need to kill him before he can kill anyone else!"

"He's not a trespasser. I doubt he could hurt a fly."

"You didn't see the weapon he was brandishing at me! He's dangerous!"

Hugo crawled out from his hiding place. "Please! It was a fire poker!" he begged them. "I didn't mean to frighten anyone!"

The bird creature's feathers started steaming, but the green lizard set a calming hand on his head. He then began chuckling, trying and failing to silence himself.

"A fire poker, Sunburn! Golly gee!" the green lizard gasped. "You're getting riled up over a fire poker!"

Sunburn's wings drooped, and a few feathers on his cheeks burnt to a crisp. "It looked like a weapon," he muttered. "And that guy's beady eyes looked rather foul."

"B-b-beady!?" Hugo wailed.

"Aw mate, you're safe here," the green lizard cooed. "We wouldn't let any blokes come here who wanted to hurt you. But you should really learn to ask questions. You don't need to fight every stranger who comes your way, alright?"

Sunburn nodded.

"I think Whirlwind said she was training Warnado on the training yard. Why don't you go see her, now? She'll calm you down."

Sunburn nodded, walking away. He paused before exiting the library, muttering a soft apology to Hugo before disappearing in a sudden flame. Hugo let out a breath- he hadn't realized he'd been holding it. Though he did feel quite sore from stiffening up.

"You alright, mate?" the green lizard asked. "Don't mind 'im too much. He's been through a lot, and he's still fairly new here. He's a mite shy."

Hugo adjusted his glasses again. "You seem to be getting a few newcomers here, huh?" he wondered.

"Always room for new blood. Would you happen to be interested in joining up?"

"W-well, I'm not really Skylander material. I'm here about Portal Master Eon's assistant position, you see."

"Oh right! He's been asking around for an assistant! You're pretty lost, huh? Can't believe none of those ankle biters have bothered to help you."

"They were preoccupied with other things. Well...except for Camo…"

"Don't worry about Camo none, either. I'll help you out, then. Name's Dino-Rang."

Hugo lightened up a bit. "I'm Hugo," he replied.

The two of them walked out of the library together. Dino-Rang led the way, taking them to the end of the hall where a staircase stood. They walked up it, heading toward a large floor dedicated solely to rooms. Unlike most of the other rooms, however, these ones were labeled with specific names.

"These are our quarters," Dino-Rang explained. "We have a lot of Skylanders to house, y'see."

"Indeed," Hugo nodded.

"Admittedly, sometimes there's not enough room, so we have to build on."

"How do you manage that?"

"Grit and elbow grease, mostly. We're not even at the top yet. There's even more rooms there- including Master Eon's room and office."

They continued onward, walking up the next flight of stairs to a similar floor. Here, they paused at a large red door, where four other figures stood. The orc and ghoul from before, as well as Wrecking Ball, who now sat on an elderly man. The man wore a horned helmet on his head, and a long blue robe that covered his body. He pulled his long white beard away from the grub's nipping mouth, though his lips curled into a smile all the same.

"He...he ate everything, Master Eon," the ghoul stammered. "There was nothing we could do."

"It's fine, accidents happen," the man insisted. "He's still in training. If we all work together, he can gain better control over his wants."

"Hungry. Eon! Feed! Feed!" Wrecking Ball yipped excitedly, jumping up and down on the man's stomach.

So that was Master Eon, right? Admittedly, Hugo was expecting someone more sterned and collected. Which, right now, did not look like this old man. He actually felt better learning this.

"Oi, Eon! You have someone here for an interview!" Dino-Rang announced.

Master Eon looked over at them, nodding in understanding. He set Wrecking Ball down, standing up and dusting himself off. "Yes yes, my assistant position!" he replied excitedly. "How may I address you, sir?"

Sir? He'd never gotten a sir. "My name is Hugo," he explained. "That's...what I prefer to go by."

"I am Master Eon. It is my job to groom and care for the Skylanders here. I'm glad to meet you. Shall we go into my office for your interview?"

"I'm ready at any time, Master Eon."

The orc knelt down slightly, calling for Wrecking Ball to come over to him. Wrecking Ball frowned, nibbling at the hem of Master Eon's robe. "Wrecking Ball stay!" he spat. "Stay with Eon!"

"Little grub want cuddles now!?" the orc sighed.

"At least we won't have to look after him for a while," the ghoul insisted. "Come on, Voodood, let's go somewhere else."

The orc and ghoul bid Master Eon farewell, scooting past Hugo and Dino-Rang and making their way downstairs. Master Eon picked up Wrecking Ball, carrying him into the office. Hugo fixed his green robe, adjusting his glasses once more. Suddenly he was nervous again. This interview was actually happening. Maybe it wasn't worth…

He'd gotten this far. He had to give it his best shot.

"Thanks for your help, Dino-Rang," Hugo concluded.

"No worries, mate," Dino-Rang nodded. "Break a leg."


Master Eon's office had its own set of lovely bookshelves, though these ones included strange knick knacks among the books. A large desk sat behind an even larger window, cluttered with various papers and pens and quills. A lilac-colored couch sat along the right wall, where Master Eon now sat. Wrecking Ball had settled into Master Eon's lap, quickly falling asleep. Hugo shut the door behind him as he walked in, looking at the couch and trying to determine what to do next.

"Hugo, who don't you come over next to us?" Master Eon asked. "It's really no matter."

An interview on the couch? It was rather informal, as far as interviews went. But if Master Eon wanted it that way, there was no reason not to comply. Hugo walked up to the couch, climbing up and settling down- though ensured that there was a space between him and Master Eon.

"This is because you're stuck right now, isn't it Master Eon?" Hugo wondered.

Master Eon chuckled, setting a hand on Wrecking Ball's head. "That is one reason, yes," he decided. "But I actually prefer interviews in this fashion. I'd rather everyone relax in order to get to know each other."

"...I don't...quite…"

"We're going to be working together, so we ought to be friends rather than co workers. That is the nature of bonds, and in turn, the nature of the Skylanders. Let's just ask each other questions, and see what we come up with."

That was going to be their interview? No "what are your interests" or "What are your skills and weaknesses"? What kind of interview was this supposed to be?

"Um...why don't you go first?" Hugo insisted. "I'm an open book, so ask me anything."

"Very well," Eon decided. He glanced at the ceiling for a moment, trying to come up with something. He then asked, "What do you think of other people? Are you eager to meet as many different faces and personalities as possible, or would you rather spend all of your time alone, uninterested in company."

Master Eon seemed worried about the answer, given the furrow in his brow. Hugo fought the urge to adjust his glasses, not wanting to come off as nervous, and replied, "I haven't thought about it too much. I do spent a lot of time alone, but it's just something that ends up happening. I don't seek out company or isolation, I just fall into each depending on the circumstances."

"So you go with the flow, then?"

He wouldn't quite put it like that. Depending on the situation, he either loved or dreaded each.

"I myself have never been comfortable alone, actually. Even when trying to sort myself out in solitude, I always gravitate toward others to help me find the pieces. And I'm always happiest amongst the crowds of Skylanders here."

"S-so - Ahem - So your Skylanders work best because they work together, is that it?"

"Each one has their various needs. It's about recognizing those needs, and coming to understandings. That way when they work together, they can accomplish anything they need to."

"And there are a lot of them. A lot of people who could...help you with...whatever you needed."

Master Eon cast his gaze on his hand, studying the jewelry on it. "Of course, sometimes I don't always get to meet my needs," he added. "I often feel isolated due to my status as a Portal Master. And...maybe a little weak as well."

"Weak how?"

"I share bonds with every single one of them. And if I'm unable to aid them somehow, it's on me. For a while, I've thought about a way to aid them when I'm unable to, and that led me to the idea of finding an assistant."

Wait, a communication assistant!? Rather than filing books and papers, or gathering resources, Hugo was expected to interact with every Skylander here? He'd have to put up with near burnings and bludgeonings and scratches and bumps and bruises and embarrassing pranks? There were plenty of other people perfect for that job! It wasn't worth it. He'd just have to…

"I'm not a Portal Master, you know," Hugo insisted.

"It doesn't have to be specific to a powerful individual," Master Eon explained. "But if they had another person to talk to, who had a fraction of my mindset, who knew what I might say and do, it would do wonders in the long run. Which is why I needed to know what you thought of people."

"And those are your only requirements for the job?"

"Are you not up to it? It's alright if you aren't. I realize that now that you're getting a bigger picture of it, that it's rather daunting."

"I'm thinking that it's a job that you have to learn as you do it. And-and I mean, throughout your life. Through meeting other people and learning how they think and act. I don't quite have that experience. Th-Theoretically, if I was your assistant, I'd have to learn while working. But-But I'd be willing to try."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

"Then we can start right away."

Hugo straightened up in shock. "You mean…"

"If you want the job, you've got it."

Hugo's stomach fluttered again. It was really happening! He was getting that assistant's job!

Where would they go from here? What kind of troubles would Hugo get into from taking it? Oh, but if he just ran from things that were too hard, he'd never know if they had something wonderful in store. How could he just give up his whole life?

"You can count on me, Master Eon," Hugo decided. "Just tell me everything you need me to know."