Stalagmite 17, the most escape proof prison in all of SlugTerra, which was exactly where Dr. Blakk was imprisoned after his capture. I was right there with Eli, staring at the mad scientist, who was locked up in a case with indestructible glass in a room, with only an air vent to ventilate the air from the outside.
I had to admit, I was pretty shocked to finally see him in prison. Nobody ever did that to him until now. The Shane Gang told me that Coop, one of Will Shane's old friends, found him in the desert, beaten, disorientated and unarmed. He had been gone for weeks after the Shadow Clans teleported him away when he attempted to destroy The Lightwell. The gang later transported Blakk to Stalagmite 17 for the safety of Slugterra.
Seeing Eli and I in this room, Dr. Blakk felt amused. He had the mood to talk to us. He told us about his past, going back many years to the time where his father, Dr. Harlan E. Blakk, took him to sell a "valuable" product to the people in Slag Rock Cavern. His father treated him merely as his assistant – he never treated him as his son.
His father claimed that his "extremely limited" product would tame a wild slug into one's sleaze best friend, which I found it, obviously, as a lie. There's no artificial ways to tame a slug – you need to make an effort to bond with them. Of course, his father was only a sweet talking businessman who taught his son how to attract customers and earn money.
Before he could leave the cavern with success, the lawkeeper of the cavern interrupted. He was "The Gangster" Viggo Dare. He recognized him as the gentleman who was denied permission to be in this cavern. The people listened to their lawkeeper, as he ruled the cavern out of fear and violence. The young Blakk suggested to leave, but his father refused to back down. He aimed his blaster at Viggo, saying that "no one tells him what to do."
So, they dueled. Viggo's Rammstone easily defeated Harlan's Armashelt with its horns, and then it punched Harlan, sending him to the ground, dropping his glasses and blaster.
"What makes us who we are? Is it pain? Suffering? Triumph in the face of unbeatable odds? Or is it something else?"
His father fell, telling his son to pass him his blaster. The young Blakk hesitated, while Viggo Dare loaded a Hop Rock, aiming at Harlan.
"In my case, a moment's hesitation revealed a much greater truth."
He took too long to make a decision, hence, Viggo attacked again. Harlan eventually surrendered. Viggo felt generous and allowed him to leave with something – his life.
He ran away. His son tried to follow him, but was held back by Viggo. He called to his father, not wanting to be abandoned. But Viggo only allowed him to leave with his life, and nothing else. Much to his disappointment, his father left him and never returned, or his life would be threatened again. He was then thrown into the mines, becoming a child labor.
"The truth is in this life, we only have ourselves."
His words made me think of my past. My father ran away, no longer loyal to my mother and my family. She then abandoned me, leaving me with my aunts and grandparents. My family always argue ever since then.
I went to school. I could not control my subconscious. I cried and cried, as I was unable to control my emotions. I did not understand my actions until I grew up. The pain inside me was beyond my control.
I was bullied by my classmates, because of my weakness. I was scared, always hesitated, and I ended up in the losing one. I tried to distract myself, immersed into my studies, and rose to be one of the best students in my school.
I did it. I had proven myself to be one of the best students. I was praised by teachers. I became the teacher's pet. I was their favorite student in my class that was filled with incapable students.
I received the right treatment from my teachers, but what about my classmates? They still continued to bully me – and even more than in the past! Those mean words they threw towards me were like knifes stabbing on my heart and back. They damaged my beloved books – tearing up the pages and drawing graffiti on the empty pages. They even stole an important book from me! They destroyed my lunch box, squashing it into pieces. I did not know who did it so I carried my bag at all times.
Due to lack of evidence and eyewitnesses, the teachers could not take action. Eventually, my family told me to leave school. I never went back as I was moving down to Slugterra – or more precisely, The Eastern Caverns. Right there, I was trained by Master Wu, one of the surviving Slug Fu Masters. I had a team that constantly foiled the plans of the Emperor and his Underlords. I grew stronger and more powerful, and I won in a lot of duels, but did that shape me to become who I am now?
Though, I had a lot of fears behind me. I feared of disappointing my people, my master and my friends. If I got defeated in one duel, I could be kicked out. And with my history of bitter betrayal, I did wonder whether the people around me were using me. And once I was no longer useful, they would throw me into the dumpster and I ended up fending for myself.
What about my family? They always told me to never trust the outsiders as the world was full of bad people – people who were dishonest, greedy and selfish. The only people I could trust were my family. But what if I could not trust them as well? Would they refuse to accept me if I failed them?
Suddenly, there was attack coming from the outside. Eli went to check it out while I stayed behind. It turned out that some of Dr. Blakk's henchmen: C.C., John Bull and Locke and Lode were trying to break him out, but their efforts were futile, so there was nothing to worry about their foolishness. Despite Stalagmite 17 being an escape proof prison, it was possible to break in, but with great difficulty, of course. Plus, the prison guards got some reinforcement – the Shane Gang and security guards from Caverna Mall that were coming forward.
Eli then returned moments later. Dr. Blakk was able to sense his presence, even though his back was facing us. "Let me guess, some of my associates are outside, attempting to rescue me?" he questioned with sheer amusement.
"They're wasting their time," Eli said.
Dr. Blakk chuckled. "Loyal to a fault," he blurted out. That caught the attention of Eli and Burpy. He faced Eli directly, with the glass as the only barrier. "Usually when we meet you're running away from my ghouls. Now we have a chance to talk, face-to-face."
"I'll pass," Eli immediately declined.
"Oh, come now," the scientist sighed as he crossed his arms, "you mean to tell me you have nothing to ask me?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah," Eli answered. "You could be anything you want. Why be evil? Why not use your power for good?"
"Hmm, not everyone can be the hero, Eli," he responded. "And if you want to know the answer to that question, to understand who I am, we need to go back to where it all started."
He started talking about himself, as a child, working in the mines until he grew up as a teenager. "Slag Rock Cavern, in its day you'd never find a more wretched place."
When he was a teenager, he learned how to survive with the jungle law after witnessing a man losing a duel with a yellow Amphibianoid. A Crimson KNG blaster model and a dazed Rammstone landed in front of his feet.
"We had our own brand of justice here: only the strong survive. And if you were quick and clever you do even better."
He picked them up, keeping the blaster for himself while using the slug to trade for an apple. A shot was heard and Bryce Estavan was thrown off. Viggo Dare and his members, André Geyser and Rubin Evern marched forward.
"Warding over door. 'The Gangster' Viggo Dare."
Viggo speedily pushed Bryce's Aquablaster away, as if he already knew he was going to pull it out. He aimed the poor man with his own blaster a second later, laughing evilly as he stole his pocket watch.
The young Blakk saw it as a valuable item and walked towards them, as he saw Viggo placing it on his belt. As he approached him close, he swung his arm, knocking him off his trail. Blakk pretended to cover in fear, but when the team left, he smirked as the pocket watch was in his palm now.
"I learned quickly how to take care of myself in more ways than one."
He showed the watch to the man he had traded for an apple. The man was concerned and he whistled, calling for attention. Blakk tried to retrieve the watch but was stopped. He saw André and Rubin coming towards him.
"To get ahead, you had to be a good slugslinger. And even as a young man, I was very good."
He defended himself by slinging slugs. He emerged victorious. He continued his doings, growing into a successful small-time thief, pick-pocketing other enslaved miners and even the gangsters. He also collected three more similar blaster models for himself.
One day, as he was examining his blaster, an explosion took down a wall. He quickly aimed one of his blasters at the intruders. They were Viggo, Rubin and Maurice. They had finally caught him.
"Yeah, it's him, boss," Rubin said to his boss Viggo.
"Relax, kid. You think I care about a watch? Yeah, you're working for me now. Any questions?" Viggo offered the young Blakk to work for him.
"What happens if I say no?" he questioned as he threatened to shoot.
Viggo chuckled lightly. "We got a comedian here, boys," he laughed it off and left.
Maurice stepped in. "He only picks the best, you know," he whispered to the young Blakk.
"I don't take orders from anyone," he defended, just like his father.
"You'll get used to it. I did," Maurice added. "You don't want to cross him."
Blakk hesitated and accepted to work for Viggo Dare.
"And so I began my employment for Viggo Dare, the same man that ran my worthless father out of town and pressed me into servitude."
He went along with other members, usually Rubin and André. They broke into shops, attacked the owners and stole their items.
"It wasn't entirely unpleasant. For the first time in my life, I never wanted for anything, materially speaking."
He was also tasked in buying slugs from smugglers. The slugs were locked in cages, and they looked unhappy. Blakk took some of the slugs for his arsenal.
"I learned the ways of commerce and how fear can be a tremendous motivator."
He knew how to use the slugs. He was a good slugslinger, able to defeat the pirates by himself. Viggo Dare was proud of him.
"No time I'd more than prove my worth."
One day, when Blakk was delivering an entire shipment full of smuggled slugs, his path was blocked by Jimmo Shane. He noticed it and was armed.
"I also learned a valuable lesson. No matter how loyal you are, no matter how hard you work, you're always expendable."
"Best move yourself, Jimmo Shane," Blakk told The Shane.
"You're one of Viggo's boys. Long way from Slag Rock, aren't ya?" Jimmo guessed.
Blakk fired his slugs towards Jimmo but he dodged them all. He slung his Rammstone and knocked Blakk off, defeating him. Jimmo later sent Blakk to jail.
His words once again reminded me of my past, during my training to be the best slugslinger in my team. My master and my fellow friends taught me about slugslinging, preparing me to be the one destined to defeat the Emperor.
I was indeed a great slugslinger, able to take down any opponents, except those that my teammates chose to retreat. I was eventually defeated by The Dark Slinger, forcing me to run away from my home, along with my people and my master. We ran into this world, rebuilt our home, and started a new life, away from the clutches and sight of the Emperor.
What happened to my other teammates? They left, retreated to somewhere else. I felt abandoned, once more, and feared that if I faced them again, would they ridicule me? What about my people? Would they do the same to me... in secrecy? What about my master and my family? Would they be disappointed? Would they all abandon me, no matter how loyal I am, no matter how hard I work to make it up to them?
"My mistake wasn't challenging a Shane. It was thinking that if I held my ground, it would show my loyalty. Six months and not a word, I was as you put it – left to rot, and upon my return..."
Blakk returned to Slag Rock Cavern after six months in jail. He faced Viggo Dare.
"I lost an entire shipment because of you," Viggo scolded him and fired his slugs, sending Blakk to run away for his life. "Step foot in this cavern again and you will suffer!"
"I had heard those words before. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. It set me on a journey that would end where I am today!"
"Back in jail?" Eli blurted out as he raised an eyebrow.
"I learned something from that two-bit gangster. Power is everything. To have power, you must be feared. And the best way for me to be feared was to become a better slugslinger than anyone else."
Dr. Blakk remembered how much he trained himself after he was kicked out of Slag Rock Cavern until he grew into a young adult.
"For years I trained in secret, preparing myself for a reawakening. Only one person would stand in the way of that – your father."
Eli became more interested when Blakk mentioned about his father, so the scientist continued his story.
"Slugs are power. The more you have, the stronger you are. But you have to know how to use them, know how to bend them to your will."
I heard that sentence all the time. Slugs are a slinger's asset. The more you have, the more power you have. And if you have a rare slug or an experienced slug, it becomes more valuable, giving you more power than ever. Though, my master always told me that the main factor to be a great slugslinger is to know how to use the slugs. Best to choose the right slug for the right job. Aside from that, I had to learn how to bend the slugs to my will, which could help me to use Slug Fu on them.
"I would duel anyone who would accept my challenge, and many who did not. I did lose, but increasingly less. Then, one day, the stranger walked out of the mist."
"The Unbeatable Master. I know how this part of the story goes. She told me herself," Eli said as I nodded.
Eli also told me about her story. 30 years ago, Shanai, The Unbeatable Master had winnowed two applicants to one: Will Shane and Thaddius Blakk. They were neither friends nor enemies. They were rivals, each showed a unique promise. Will was rough around the edges but a natural slinger. Thaddius lacked of slug acumen but he had sheer innovation.
In the end, Shanai chose Will, seeing him as the clear choice despite he's a reckless streak. Her reason to reject Thaddius was that he lacked connection and respect for slugs and their place in the universe. However, she sensed something happened to Thaddius that day – a spark that was the beginning of his journey down the darker path, and that she had helped to ignite.
She kept wondering whether she had chosen the right pupil that day. She said that Will was a great Shane and would have been without her help. But Blakk? She only said that perhaps she could have stopped him from taking the dark path that he chose.
"Surely you know there are two sides to every story, Eli," Blakk responded as he crossed his arms again.
In Dojang Grotto, roughly 30 years ago, Thaddius and Will dueled. Will was the winning one but he was modest. He offered his hand to Thaddius, wanting to help out his defeated opponent. But Thaddius rejected his kind gestures, and wanted to duel again, just so he could defeat him.
They dueled, again and again, until Blakk's Rammstone punched Will to a rock, causing him to lose grip of his blaster and arsenal. It was obvious that Blakk finally got the winning hand, but he was not done on Will Shane. He slung his Hop Rock at Will in close range, determined to finish his opponent, but was stopped by Shanai's Armashelt. She weakened him as he tried to fight her back.
"Both of us worthy, but she could only pick one."
"Evil is in your heart, Thaddius Blakk. There is no place for that in a slugslinger," she told him.
Blakk stood up and tried to punch her but missed. Shanai attacked him with her staff blaster, knocking him to his blaster on the ground. He picked up the blaster and shot his slugs at her, only for her to knock them off of her blaster. She did a combo move and finally defeated him.
"Forgive me, Thaddius," she apologized.
"I don't need you! I don't need anyone! I'm gonna be the best! And I will not be stopped!" he exclaimed and left.
"This one will be great trouble for you, Will Shane," she warned Will, who managed to stand up. They both saw Blakk leaving.
He went back to Slag Rock Cavern, even though he was not supposed to be there anymore. The residents were shocked to see him as they recognized him. He ignored their reactions and approached three of Viggo's men.
"What's your business here, mister?" Maurice demanded. He had changed a quite a lot these years.
"Payback," he simply replied. He quickly activated his loaded blaster and aimed at Maurice.
Two of Viggo's men noticed it and activated their blasters, but Blakk was quick and shot his Hop Rock at them, knocking them off. Maurice was about to take his blaster when Blakk aimed at him and shook his head, signaling him that his decision was a mistake. Maurice silently surrendered to Blakk.
"Well, well, the comedian returns," Viggo Dare blurted out in amusement. "Still got my watch?"
Blakk, filled with anger and spite, fired a Hop Rock to destroy a building nearby the gangster. Viggo slung his Thresher but Blakk dodged it as he loaded a Rammstone. He shot it and it punched Viggo to a shed door. Blakk loaded and fired an Armashelt, pushing Viggo forcefully into the shed. Then, he shot a Grenuke that clung near Viggo and exploded.
Blakk loaded his blaster and aimed at the damaged shed that was filled with smoke due to the Grenuke. "It's over. I surrender, I surrender," Viggo pleaded as he walked out of the smoke weakly.
Blakk was satisfied. "This cavern belongs to me now. Anyone still loyal to Viggo Dare will leave with him or suffer the same humiliation. Those of you willing to pledge loyalty to me will be rewarded," he announced.
Viggo walked away. Almost all of the people in Viggo's gang left, except Maurice, who was forced to join in the first place. Blakk picked up Viggo's blaster that was left behind, in front of his feet. He examined the blaster. It was in good condition.
"Huh, they'll be back working for me within a month," he blurted out and smirked. Maurice smirked too.
Back to the present, Dr. Blakk stared at the walls in his cell as we analyzed his backstory. "So you beat Viggo, captured his cavern, made yourself rich. You had everything you wanted. Why did you need to create ghouls?" Eli questioned in frustration.
"Not yet. Not even close," he corrected him after he turned to face us again. "My forces were growing and so was my ambition."
He began to talk about the process of building the Slugterran Express and the expansion of his power.
"I took a broken down cart line and turned it into the backbone of commerce in Slugterra."
To build the railways, he and Maurice went to caverns where they intended to build the railways. They forced them to sign the contracts or they would open fire. The people in these caverns were forced to pack up and leave, with their houses demolished for the building of the train. They had no power or ownership of their property and land. Blakk just robbed them all.
"Many were more than willing to provide me the right-of-way I needed. Others needed more convincing."
Jimmo Shane was still the Shane that time, but his declining health due to his age, his effort was little to stop Blakk, until Will Shane replaced him, and became the new Shane.
"Jimmo Shane had grown old, weak. Cause of little consequences. Until there was a changing of the guard. The new Shane was more of a complication."
Once, Will Shane came to stop Dr. Blakk and his henchmen Maurice, Locke and Lode from forcing another powerless citizen to sign an unfair contract. "It has to stop, Blakk. The intimidation, the dirty doing, stealing and cheating," he announced as he aimed his blaster at Dr. Blakk, causing the people to retreat.
Dr. Blakk chuckled. "You're in no position to dictate terms to me, Will Shane," he stated.
His henchmen aimed their blasters at Will, and later did Blakk. It was four against one. An Infurnus was inside Dr. Blakk's blaster. It pulled out a sad face. It suddenly rebelled its owner, pushing the slug barrel off its position and trying to squeeze out of the tube. Its action caught the attention of all of the slugs belonged to Dr. Blakk and his henchmen.
"Get it there, you worthless runt!" Dr. Blakk scolded and tried to push the barrel back in position but the rebellious slug was caught it between.
"You don't have to do this, you know," Will Shane said calmly.
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear," Dr. Blakk replied.
"Wasn't talking to you," Will corrected him. "It's okay. You'll be safe with me." His slugs gestured the opponents' slugs to come and join Will.
The Infurnus was the first to go, along with Blakk's slugs. The orange fire slug then called for the other slugs from Blakk's henchmen, and they all abandoned their owners, rooting for The Shane. The Infurnus was happy as it stood on Will's shoulders, and it would later be named "Burpy".
Dr. Blakk tried to catch the slugs but they all quickly escaped. "You'll never be a slugslinger, Thaddius. No slug will ever willingly work with you again," Will stated. All of the slugs nodded and growled in agreement.
"Then, I'll find a way – something better! And then Will Shane, you will know what it's like to lose everything!" he swore as he turned around and walked away.
"For years I studied, analyzed, tested and retested, I knew everything there was to know about slugs, except how to make them loyal to me."
I knew how to make slugs loyal to me. You had to treat them well. If you interact with them like talk to them, play with them, and feed them, they would be even more loyal to you. It was what my master taught me.
"And then I found something interesting. The ancient texts spoke of the primal forces that made the slugs. About good and evil and of darker forces beneath us, waiting to be unleashed."
I had read about the ancient texts. The Shadow Clans and Darkbanes had a war, in which involved the balance of yin and yang. The yin was the Dark Energy emitted from Dark Water; the yang was the Slug Energy emitted from the slugs. They had a war and the Shadow Clans emerged victorious, sealing the portal to The Deep Caverns with Guardian Slugs, preventing them from invading and wreaking havoc on Slugterra.
"And then I found it – the wellspring of Ghouling – Dark Water."
Dr. Blakk ventured to one of the deepest caverns in Slugterra and found red liquid seeping through the ground beneath. He collected a slug tube of it.
"But I would need more than what little seeped through the cracks. Much more. I began a series of Dark Water experiments. Through trial and error, I knew I was onto something never before seen."
He took the Dark Water back to his lab and began to experiment it. Until one day, a portal was opened on the floor.
"Then, it happened. A portal to The Deep Caverns opened and I was pulled in."
As he swirled around the unstable portal, his skin turned from tanned to pale white.
"The effects of this trip would wreak havoc on my body, but it was well worth it."
He then arrived in The Deep Caverns. He was faced with Brimstone, leader of the Darkbane. "You have something I need," he said to their leader.
"The Darkbane supplied me with Dark Water, and in exchange, I agreed to allow one of them to disguise itself and return with me."
He obtained a large barrel of Dark Water from the Darkbanes. Brimstone then sent El Diablos Nacho, who then disguised itself, to follow Dr. Blakk to Slugterra.
"You know how dangerous Dark Water is," Eli explained. "And the Darkbane? I've met them. They want to conquer Slugterra and then-" He and Burpy gasped, realizing that Dr. Blakk had allied with the "Dark Forces" beneath Slugterra.
Dr. Blakk laughed lightly. "They may be strong, but the Darkbane are backwards and naive. They'll agree to anything when the hint of escape is dangled in front of them," he told us as he walked towards us.
"You're being played, Blakk," Eli warned him.
"Huh, we'll see," Blakk said.
I had a feeling that Eli was right. I had encountered them before, and they were bad news. From what I heard from Eli, they called Slugterrans as "Midlanders" and Brimstone's throne had a sun painted on it, hinting that they might have knowledge of the Surface.
"Once I had the Dark Water, it was a matter of trial and error."
Dr. Blakk invented a machine that turned a tube of Dark Water into vapour, that would enter into a slug that was inside the machine. The Dark Water converted its slug energy, turning it into a Ghoul! Dr. Blakk smiled evilly.
"Success was mine. My first test subject was obvious."
He called Will Shane to meet him in a remote cavern. As he approached The Shane, Will Shane was shocked to see him.
"Huh? What's happened to you? You look like a ghost," Will asked.
"Huh, funny you should mention that," he replied and showed him a Tempesto.
"Is that a slug?" Will was terrified to see it. "Blakk, what have you done to it?!"
Dr. Blakk snickered. "I fixed it. Made it better. Good enough to finally beat you," he said and fired the ghoul. It transformed and created a big dark red portal.
"The power! I could have never imagined!" Dr. Blakk gasped.
"Corrupting slugs?! You can destroy all of Slugterra!" Will yelled.
Dr. Blakk ran away as he heard Will calling him to stop the uncontrollable portal. His call echoed as he got pulled into it until it disappeared.
"It took me some time to perfect the ghouls but the rest as they say is history," Dr. Blakk concluded his story.
Eli punched his fist onto the glass. "No! What happened to my father? You're the only one who knows! Where did he go?" he demanded answers but the mad scientist only stared at him blankly from the corner of his eye.
Burpy growled. "You're beyond twisted, you know that?! You tell me everything! Everything except the one thing I need to know most!" he yelled out of anger.
"Perhaps you might consider sharing a few stories of your own in exchange. The Shanes do have a few secrets," Dr. Blakk said. "This so-called... Burning World, for example?"
"Forget it. Shane secrets are gonna stay that way," Eli immediately responded and left.
"Hmm, pity," Dr. Blakk blurted out.
"You know, Blakk? After hearing your story, you reminded me of myself. I was abandoned by my parents, my family never loved me much, and everyone I knew bullied me... I trained myself to be the best slugslinger, so I could get revenge on those who had bullied me, betrayed me, and anyone who dared to challenge me. It was as if power and fear were in my mind... and the slugs are my key to success... if you know how to use them, you can win and be more powerful..." I told him.
"Hmm, it seems you and I have more similarities than the Shane. Perhaps you should consider joining me," the scientist suggested.
I hesitated for a while. "I'm sorry, Blakk. I can never join you. We may have the same past, but we make different decisions. You chose to be evil, but I chose to be good. Hence, we are not really the same anymore."
I walked away and I heard him chuckle. "How amusing," I heard him muttered. I did not turn back because I know it was not worth my time.
I left quickly in deep thought. My master was the one that changed me. He told me about a hero – brave, down to earth, calm and passionate – who then inspired me to be like him. I suddenly thought about Shanai. She wondered if she could have changed Blakk if she had chosen him as her student in the first place. But I felt that it's up to Blakk himself to decide his fate. He could choose to be a good or bad slugslinger.
"The decisions you make and the actions that follow are a reflection of who you are. You cannot hide from yourself."
Quotes from a wise man. I would always keep that in mind.
The last quote is from Samurai Jack Season 5. I really love it and how it reflects in this story.