Chapter 19: A Distant Shore

"The old stories tell of a distant shore, unreachable by any normal means. A world of strange magic and secret knowledge and riches beyond belief. A cavern ablaze with fire, walls stretching into the infinite. The Burning World, lit by the lantern at the Heart of Creation."

A man stood prophesizing an ancient legend of a cavern above Slugterra. "Despite what you have been told, these tales are not legends. The world above is real! And after years of searching, I, Gar Revelle, have found the way!" This Gar Revelle explained. The crowd started to murmur. Gar turned to a man standing behind him, who nodded. "If fame and fortune interest any of you, I shall lead you to it! We will assemble at the Monarch Inn. Tomorrow. 9:00 sharp! And then, we make HISTORY!" Gar finished. Gar stepped down as the crowd dispersed. Eli, Harley and Burpy were amongst the crowd. They knew what Gar was talking about. "He's talking about the surface!" Eli said in shock. "He's found the way to reach it!" Harley added. "This is can't be good!" Eli said. "I know!" Harley agreed. Burpy shook his head.


(Intro)


The next morning, Eli, Harley and Burpy crept downstairs, past the pen where Doc, Banger, Joules and Digger were sleeping. Eli shushed them. "Morning guys." Trixie said. Eli and Harley stopped in surprise. "Trix! We were just- we didn't expect you to be up." Eli said. "When did you get up anyway?" Harley asked. "Never went to bed." Trixie said as she ate an apple. "Why not?" Eli asked. "Your reign of terror is almost over, Trixie." Kord growled. "Kord and Trixie were playing that stupid video game non-stop all night." Vance said with a tired voice from the table. "Kord's been trying to get a win in all morning." Mario added, sitting down next to Vance. "And…finishing blow." Trixie said, pushing a button on her controller. Kord growled from losing. Again. "I HATE THIS GAME!" He shouted, throwing his controller at the TV. "Another round?" He then asked with puppy eyes. "You're on!" Trixie accepted, also noticing the Shane brothers sneaking off. "And where are you 2 heading on this fine morning?" She asked as she played. "Us? Oh, we just have an errand to run." Eli lied. "Yeah, a small errand. Nothing you guys should be concerned with." Harley added. "An errand, huh?" Trixie asked, noticing the folded flier in Eli's pocket. "Wouldn't have anything to do with this?" She asked, yanking it out of Eli's pocket. "Come on, Trixie. Give that back." Eli said, trying to get the flier back. "New world found. Gar Revelle promises fame and fortune with Burning World expedition." Trixie read as she played her game with Kord. "Finishing blow." The game beeped as Trixie beat Kord again. "WHAT?! Oh, come on!" Kord groaned. "She's good." Harley whispered. Mario and Vance nodded.

"This isn't where you guys are going, is it?" Trixie asked. "Maybe. Who cares?" Eli asked. "You should for one. The Burning World is just a myth. A dumb kid's story." Trixie said. "She has a point." Lash said, coming downstairs. "Think about it. If there really was a world above, why haven't we've seen any people from there?" He asked. "I'll admit, it does sound a little fishy." Eli said. "Yeah. It even smells fishy. Or that could just be me." Harley said, smelling his outfit. "So, don't waste your time. Revelle's been roping clueless slingers into these dead-end expeditions for years." Kord said, taking a spoon-full of his breakfast. Suddenly, there was a gasp upstairs. "Gar Revelle is launching a new expedition?!" Pronto's voice said as the toilet flushed. "Speaking of clueless slingers." Harley muttered as Pronto rushed out of the bathroom. "Has anyone seen this?!" He asked, holding out his own flier. He jumped down, bouncing off his hammock to the ground. "A whole world above Slugterra." He said as he recovered quickly. "Imagine: No slugs. No mecha beasts. No molenoids!" He gasped at the last thing. "Oh, I'm imagining it." Trixie said, trying to picture a world without Pronto's annoyance. "And the gold! Oh, there will be gold of course. We must go and hear this Revelle out. For exploration!" Pronto said. Eli and Harley struggled to think of a way out of this. "I don't know, Pronto. Me and Harley were gonna go alone." Eli said. "Yeah. If this guy is taking advantage of people, we should check him out." Harley said. "You know. For justice." As Eli and Harley headed for the door, someone started tugging on Harley's leg. "Oh please! Please, please, please, please!" Pronto pleaded. "Ugh! Can't take a hint, can you? So pathetic." Harley asked then muttered. "Well, if we're going on official Shane Gang business, East Ridge does have the best Chocolate Root Beer Floats this side of anywhere." Kord said. Eli was about to speak until Pronto interrupted. "Then it is decided. We will all gold. Uh, I mean go." He said. "Great. Glad to have the help." Eli said. "So much for keeping this on the downlow." He muttered. "I don't know, bro. I feel guilty keeping this a secret. Do you think we should tell them?" Harley asked. Eli looked to Burpy, who nodded. "I don't know. They might not believe us." Eli said. "And besides, that's only if there's no other choice." Harley sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He said.


The Shane Gang arrived at the Monarch Inn and walked in. Their appearance caught the eyes of a lot of unfriendly faces. "This is definitely not worth the root beer." Trixie said as they took a seat. "Yeah. You see the kinda people Gar's stories attract, Eli?" Kord asked. Nearby, a man barked at them. "Charming." Trixie said with sarcasm. Lash recognized the 2 at the table. "Wait. I know those 2." He said. "You do?" Eli asked. "Those guys over there are Frost and Flame, man." Lash said. Eli took a look at them as they glared at the gang. "They're the guys me and Harley ran into at Hijinx Cavern." Lash explained.

Pronto and Harley walked up to the counter. "8 extra-large floaters please. And, uh, whatever our friends want." Pronto ordered. Harley smacked him in the side of the head. "Just the floaters please." Harley said. As the bartender walked off to get their drinks, Pronto turned and walked into someone's leg. "Watch yourself, molenoid." The man warned. Pronto chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that sir." Harley apologized, quickly pulling Pronto away.

Kord recognized the man as he sat back down. "Eli, that's André Geyser." He said. "Who?" Eli asked. "World-class adventurer. Pretty famous too." Kord explained. "Yeah. The guy's known to have explored half of the deadliest caverns in Slugterra." Mario said. "I wonder what a real explorer like that is doing here." Kord wondered. "Probably hired as the lead face for this flim-flam." Harley guessed as he sat down beside his brother.

Just then, Gar got everyone's attention by tapping his glass with a spoon. "Thank you all for coming." He picked up a book. "As many of you know, the Burning World has been my obsession since I was a boy, and I recognize many of my previous expeditions were seen as disappointments to those involved. This however will be different." He said, holding up the book. Eli and Harley took a good look at the book. "He hasn't taken his hands off that book since he came out." Eli whispered. "We need to get a look at it." Burpy nodded in agreement. "How? There's dozens of people here and we don't want to cause a riot." Harley whispered. "I'm working on it." Eli whispered. "The world above offers more than just fame and fortune." Gar continued. "Take their 'moon' for example. A planetary body of vast proportions, orbiting millions of miles above their heads." People started to murmur, scoff and snicker.

"Oh, come on. People can't be taking this seriously." Trixie said out loud. People started to stare and glare at the gang. "Now you've done it." Harley muttered. André got up and walked towards their table. "You got a problem, Girly?" He asked. "Nope! We're fine. Sorry." Eli said, trying to avoid a fight. "No problems here. Isn't that right, Trix?" "My only problem is that you're all buying this! He's taking advantage of you." Trixie said, getting in André's face. "Oh boy." Harley muttered, sinking into his seat. "Easy guys. There's no need for trouble here." Eli said, trying to subdue the fire brewing. "Only an idiot would be part of a bogus expedition. Are you calling me an idiot?!" André asked, feeling insulted. "No!" Eli said. "Sounds to me like you're calling yourself an idiot." Trixie insulted. Eli hung his head. "Trixie, stop helping!" He said, trying to shut her up. "Anybody have any tape for her mouth?" Harley asked in a whisper.

At that moment, Pronto was walking over with the floats he ordered. Frost and Flame noticed him coming. Flame stuck out his leg, tripping Pronto and spilling the floats. As Frost and Flame laughed, Pronto saw that he spilled the floats all over André. André pulled up his blaster and fired a Rammstone. Pronto ducked and the slug hit Frost and Flame's table. Eli, Harley and Burpy groaned, knowing that they were in trouble.

Frost and Flame fired their blasters, which led on to a full-on bar fight. The gang soon joined in. The bartender was unphased by the battle. "You just had to say something!" Eli scolded his own fiancé. "I thought we were here on official business. I just wanted to help these people!" Trixie said. "Yeah? Well, your big mouth sure isn't helping us!" Harley said, firing Shredder. Eli then got pounced by a guy taken out, sending Burpy flying into a wall. "Burpy!" Eli called. Burpy recovered, but was dizzy from hitting the wall with his head. "No! No! Stop it! You're ruining everything!" Gar shouted, trying to stop the fight.

Frost shoved one fighter aside and fired a Frostcrawler towards Trixie. Trixie blocked the Frostcrawler's attack with a table and fired her Vinedrill, Blossom, trapping Frost with Vinelash. Suddenly, a Flatulorhinkus was shot towards Trixie, but Kord blocked it with a table. Kord then slung his Lariat, Spitz, while his opponent slung a Rammstone. Spitz spat his Wrappler at the Rammstone's arm, but got whipped back at Kord, but Kord blocked him with the table. Vance, Mario and Lash were back-to-back, surrounded by slingers. "Guys, Triple Twister Special." Lash called. All 3 fired their Tormato slugs, creating 3 Slyphoons and taking the slingers for a little spin. Pronto crawled through the brawl, trying to escape. But as he crawled, he tripped someone. He turned to see and saw who he tripped. André! "You!" He growled. Pronto screamed and ran. Eli and Harley shoved their way through the skirmish and made it to Burpy, who chittered with pride. Eli picked up Burpy and placed him in his barrel. Meanwhile, André had Pronto cornered. "Nowhere to run now, molenoid!" André said.

"Everybody stop!" Eli shouted, firing Burpy into the air and getting everyone's attention with Flamespire. Gar peeked out from his hiding place. "An Infurnus slug?! Only 2 people have such a specimen." He said. Burpy died down and landed back in Eli's hand. Gar raced over to the brothers. "Don't you know who these are?" He asked. "Uh, hi. We're-" Eli tried to say. "Eli and Harley Shane. Of course, you are." Gar interrupted, shaking Eli's hand, then Harley's. "Oh, this is excellent. Just excellent! With the Shanes onboard, this expedition cannot fail!" He said with confidence. Eli, Harley and Burpy just looked at each other. "Um, news flash, Eli and Harley are not joining your expedition. None of us are!" Trixie made clear. "Listen guys, about that-" Eli started. "You can't be serious. These were the guys shooting at us!" Kord reminded. "It's not that simple." Harley said. "Actually, it is. Either you're with reason and common sense, or you're with this guy." Trixie said. Eli and Harley looked back and forth from Gar to their team. They then looked at Burpy and each other. They knew they were gonna regret their decision. "Then we're with Gar. Harley and I are joining the expedition." Eli decided. Harley nodded in agreement. The gang were surprised and shocked.


Kord walked up to the brothers. "I don't think I heard you, bro." He said. "He said we're staying, Kord." Harley said. "You guys head back to base. We'll be home soon." Eli said. Just then, Pronto got in Eli's face. "Oh. Trying to get rid of us so you can have a larger share of the riches, huh? Well, Pronto won't be falling for that trick. I'm in!" He said. "Sorry Pronto. You're leaving too. I'm afraid we have to insist." Eli said. Pronto gave a sad look. "I know you guys think we're crazy, but we have our reasons for this. You just need to trust us." Eli said. "We do trust you guys. We just wish you'd trust us." Kord said, walking out with Pronto. Vance just shook his head as he, Mario and Lash followed. Trixie just sighed with disappointment before she followed. Eli and Harley watched as they left. Burpy chittered sadly. "Burpy's right. I think we were a bit harsh." Harley said. "It had to be done guys. They can't find out about the surface, and we have to find out how Gar knows what he knows." Eli said. "They'll understand. Right?" Burpy just chittered. Eli and Harley were now starting to feel sorry.

The gang rode away on their mechas. "You made the right choice, my boys. The very right choice." Gar assured. "The Shane brand is just what this expedition needs to bring it some legitimacy." Some of the other slingers started to whisper among themselves. Eli and Harley noticed them whispering. "Believe it or not, the promise of fame and fortune can sometimes attract a less than savory element." Gar whispered. "Really? We hadn't noticed." Eli said. Just then, André stopped them in their tracks. "I need to speak to Gar. In private." He said. "Excuse me a moment, won't you boys?" Gar asked.

Gar and André walked over to the bar. "Shanes?! I was supposed to be the face of the expedition, remember?!" André asked with a growl. "Don't worry. You'll still get your payday, André. In the meantime, a little class isn't going to kill us!" Gar assured before walking back to the Shane brothers. "Eli, Harley, let's have a chat." He said, bringing the brothers to his office.


Back at the hideout, the gang were depressed that Eli and Harley chose to join Gar over them. "I just don't get it. Why would Eli and Harley join Gar's expedition?" Kord asked. "Obviously for the vast riches that await them." Pronto guessed. "Nah. We all know that Eli and Harley never really cared about money." Vance said. "He's right. There's something else going on here." Mario said. Lash noticed Trixie with a very sad and more depressed look while she was bouncing Bluster in her hand. "You alright, Trixie?" He asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wish they'd confide in us. Eli and Harley have kept secrets before, but they've never let them stop us from being a team." Trixie said, looking at her ring across her neck. 'And from Eli being the man I want to spend my life with.' She thought.


In Gar's office, Gar poured a very nasty looking beverage. "Moss extract. My own concoction. From my time among the Null Tribes of Xanadu Basin." He explained, handing Eli and Harley a couple of glasses. Eli sniffed his cup, getting disgusted from the smell. Burpy shuddered with disgust. Even Harley felt like throwing up as Gar drank down his cup. "I'm no fool, boys. I know what others think of me. Right now, if my name appeared in the history books, it would be as a failure." Gar said. "This is my last chance. It can't fail! And with you 2 onboard, I'm certain it won't." "And what makes you think we can help?" Eli asked. "I believe it was fate that brought you and Harley to me, Eli." Gar said, walking over to one of his posters. "The truth is for all my work, I'm still a piece or 2 away from knowing how to reach the above world. With the Shanes onboard, I can secure the funding I need to get that final piece." Burpy chittered an insult. "Easy Burpy. We just need to keep him talking." Eli whispered. "Did you say something, Eli?" Gar asked. "He asked how did you learn about the above world?" Harley asked. "I've been obsessed for years. And I'm not alone. The legend of the Burning World is believed by many. And even in those who don't. Most of us wonder what else might be out there. Clues are all over if you know where to look." Gar explained. "For instance?" Eli asked. "Stories passed down from one generation to the next. All too many include a mention of the Burning World." Gar explained. Eli and Harley stared in surprise. "And then there is this. My greatest clue." Gar handed Eli the book. "You won't be able to read it, I'm sure. It's written in code."

Eli and Harley looked through the pages of the book. 'We can read this! It's our cipher! This is the Shane code! Maps, log entries. This tells how to use The Drop!' Eli thought as they flipped through the pages, until they found a familiar initial. 'JS.' "Uncle Jimmo!" Eli and Harley said together in realization. "Jimmo? The Shane before your father?" Gar asked, taking the book back. "But that means- Yes, of course! It's a Shane journal!" Eli and Harley now started to get worried. "That's the missing piece!" Gar activated his holo-screen computer. "The word Shane is a cipher! A keystone to the whole book! Boys, this is amazing! It changes everything! I've cracked the code! I can find the way up!" "Gar, no!" Eli said, shutting down the computer. "What's in that book is secret for a reason." "Yeah, so that no one in Slugterra can know about the above world." Harley said. "Then it's true!" Gar said. "What's true is that you need to give us that diary." Eli demanded.

Gar just slyly smiled. "Your coming to me was fate, Shanes. I'm sure of that now." He said, walking to a drawer. "I will not be a failure!" He tossed a vial at the brothers. They both dodged as it broke, releasing a cloud of gas. They took aim at the madman. "Help! I need help in here!" He called. André, Frost and Flame rushed in. "The Shanes! Stop them!" Eli fired Joules and Harley fired Matchstick. Joules fired her Tazerbolt and Matchstick fired his Blastburst. The 3 dodged the attacks as Frost fired one of his Frostcrawlers. The brothers dodged. André stepped forth and grabbed Eli. "Gotcha!" He said. Frost and Flame grabbed Harley. "How you boys doing?" Harley asked rhetorically. "Gar, listen to me! Don't do this!" Eli pleaded. "I owe you and Harley a debt, Eli. Every instruction, the precise method to reach the above world, is all right here in this book, along with the glory I deserve." Gar said. Burpy, who sneaked onto Eli's shoulder, hopped onto André's arm and lit himself, burning André enough for him to let go of Eli and crash into Frost. Harley saw the opportunity and headbutted Flame in the nose. Eli then loaded Glimmer into his blaster. "Cover your eyes." He muttered to Harley. They both did so as Eli fired Glimmer into the air, blinding Gar, André, Frost and Flame with Flashbang. The brothers grabbed the book and ran for the exit.

"After them! All my research is in that book!" Gar shouted. André, Frost and Flame fired their loaded slugs as they gave chase. Eli and Harley mounted on Lucky and Delta and rode off. "Tell the men to grab whatever equipment they need! After we get that book back, we leave for the Burning World!" Gar ordered.


Eli and Harley rode on back to the hideout. They walked in as Trixie and Kord were still playing their game. "Finishing blow." Trixie said, beating Kord once again. "Eli, Harley, what's going on?" She asked. "Nothing. Go back to your game." Eli said as he and Harley packed slug barrels. "Wait. You guys are still playing that?" Harley asked in disbelief. "I refuse to let her beat me! I gotta win at least one game." Kord said, until he noticed what the brothers were doing. "That's a heck of an arsenal for nothing, bros." Eli and Harley were carrying a few extra belts of slug barrels. "I told you, me and Harley will handle it. We don't want you involved. It's Shane business." Eli said. "Yeah. And we're the Shane Gang." Trixie reminded. "We don't want you guys getting hurt, alright? You just stay here." Eli said. "Yeah. There's still time for me and Eli to ride out and lead them away." Harley said. "I'm not certain what you 2 are talking about exactly, but perhaps it's too late to leave us out of it." Pronto said, looking out the window. Gar and his exploration group had just arrived at the hideout!

André was furious. "Gar! You drag us out here to chase A COUPLE OF BOYS?! You promised us treasure and fame!" He shouted. "I am not a man to be trifled with, André!" Gar said, firing a Rammstone, knocking André to the ground. "Not today." He then turned to the crowd. "Listen to me. All of you! You want fame and fortune? Well, the Shane boys are the key! First man who brings them to me gets a triple share!" He said. The crowd cheered.

"I think there's even more of them then before!" Pronto said with worry. "What do we do?" Lash asked. "Burpy, man the auto-blasters!" Eli said. Burpy nodded and hopped to a secret door in the tree in the room. The door opened to reveal 2 sets of tubes. The slugs Burpy directed hopped into the tubes as the auto-blasters on the hideout roof booted up. "Wormy, Rath, defensive positions!" Eli called to the big pets. Wormy and Rath huddled over to their big pet doors in the back. "Lava bats, into the air!" The bats flew into their ceiling tubes. "We need to get you out of here." Eli said to his team. "Eli-" Trixie tried to say. "Our dad once told us about an escape tunnel into town. If we hurry, we can get through before they reach us." Eli continued. "Eli! We're not leaving you! I'm not leaving you!" Trixie said. "But you don't even know what you're fighting for!" Eli objected. "It doesn't matter! We're a team! We don't need to know." Trixie said. The others nodded in agreement. Eli now started to feel butterflies in his stomach. Harley placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's time, Eli" He muttered. Burpy hopped onto Eli's shoulder and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you do." Eli said, giving in.

Gar's slingers charged towards the hideout. The auto-blasters fired slug after slug. From Rammer, to Rocky, to Chiller. Rammer and Rocky knocked a few slingers off their feet, while Chiller froze 2 of them with Deepfreeze. Wormy and Rath charged in, roaring in the process, scaring half the slingers. The lava bats swooped down, smacking the slingers with their feet. "Any other ideas?" André asked. Gar just glared at what was happening.

"This isn't gonna be easy to hear. All of you are gonna have questions. Unfortunately, now's not the time to answer them. So, we'll just be quick." Eli said, standing up. "Remember all that stuff Gar was saying about a world above Slugterra?" "Yeah. You mean that made-up yarn he was spinning?" Kord chuckled. "Yeah. Well, it's not made up. The world above is real! And it's our number 1 job as Shanes to keep it a secret." Eli revealed. "No way!" "You're joking, bro!" "I don't believe it!" "What?!" Everyone reacted. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not a joke. We're asking you to take a lot on faith here. But you needed to know the truth." Eli said. "I don't buy it." Trixie said. "It's a lot to take in, I know." Eli said. "Eli, when I was a little girl, my mom used to tell me stories about the Burning World, every night before she tucked me in. You have to grow up. You can't keep believing in fairytales!" Trixie said. "In this case, the fairytale is real." Eli said. Trixie took a good look in her fiancé's eyes. "You're not lying, are you?" She asked.

Outside, the slingers prepared slug launchers as the auto-blasters kept firing and the pets kept roaring and attacking.

"This isn't just about Slugterra! If Gar reaches the surface, both worlds will pay the price!" Eli continued. "Say you're right, how does Gar know all this?" Kord asked. "From this." Harley said, putting the book on the table. "It was our great uncle's." "Your uncle? You mean Jimmo Shane?" Mario asked. "Yeah, the same." Harley answered. The gang looked through the book. "Based on the tiny look we got, every question we ever had, every puzzle about our father and what came before us, the answer could be in here, including how to get topside." Eli explained. "If Gar ever got his hands back on it-" "It will be all-out destruction between our 2 worlds." Harley finished. The gang all stood up. "What do you need us to do?" Trixie asked.

By then, the slingers launched a Grenuke slug from the launcher, destroying the auto-blaster. The loaded slugs toppled back out of the tubes. The incoming explosions even frightened the pets back inside. Eli and Harley were now worried. They then got an idea from looking at the book. "Take your time, Eli and Harley! We can do this all day!" Gar called. Eli and Harley then came out of the hideout. "Is this what you want, Gar?" Eli asked, holding up the book. "No! Cease fire! Cease fire! You might hit the book!" Gar ordered. "Why take the diary when you can have us?" Harley bargained. "Hmm. An intriguing proposition. I think I'll take both!" Gar said, aiming his blaster at the brothers. "Fine! We'll come along. One condition: Leave our friends out of it! They aren't involved." Eli bargained. "There. Now you're both being sensible. You don't need friends. At the end of the day, you Shanes are all alone." Gar gloated. "No. We told them we didn't want them involved." Eli said. "But then again-" Suddenly, slugs were being fired from above. The gang were firing their slugs from the mushrooms atop of the hideout. "-they never seem to listen to us." Everyone started to scatter.

Pronto fired Slimey, catching 2 slingers in his Loogi. "Ha-ha! One in a million shots!" Pronto said, until he slipped off his mushroom and fell to the ground. André walked up and tried to grab Pronto, but Pronto scampered away. André tried to give chase, but Lash jumped down, nailing the man with Phlegm to the face. Lash gave Pronto a thumbs up. Frost and Flame were firing at Kord. Frost fired a Frostcrawler, freezing the mushroom with Deepfreeze, and Flame fired a Rammstone, destroying the mushroom. Kord fell to the ground and got held at blaster point by Gar. Trixie jumped down and leaped between Frost and Flame, making them fire on each other. "Suckers." Trixie gloated. Vance slung Legs at a few other slingers, trapping them in her webs.

"Come on out, Gar! You wanted us, now you got us!" Eli called. "It's over, Shanes." Gar said, walking over with Kord as a hostage. "Get out of here, bros. I can handle myself." Kord advised. "With a Lavalynx at point blank range? I don't think so." Harley said. "Let him go Gar. You can have the book." Eli said. "No!" Kord shouted. "Give it to me!" Gar ordered. Eli and Harley looked sadly at the book. They looked to each other and nodded. "Forgive us, Uncle Jimmo." Harley whispered, tossing the book into the air. Gar shoved past Kord to get it. Eli loaded Burpy into his blaster and looked away sadly as he fired Burpy, destroying the book. "NO!" Gar cried and fell on his knees. "Why?! It's not fair! I was so close!" He cried as the gang and the slingers walked up to him. "Nothing personal, young Shanes. This was strictly business." André said, putting a hand on Eli's shoulder. "Hopefully next time, we meet as friends instead of enemies." Eli hoped. André nodded.

"Wait! It's not over! This is just a setback!" Gar protested. "They were right. This was nothing but a sham!" André said. "It wasn't! I'll find another way." Gar assured. "Go away, Gar. It's over." André said, walking away. "Wait! Wait! Where are you going? You just need to give me more time!" Gar said, following them.

The gang watched as they left. "I have a feeling Revelle won't be a problem anymore." Kord said. "Yeah. Best we report him to the authorities afterwards." Mario added. "Listen guys, about what happened-" Eli started to say. "It's cool, Eli honey." Trixie said. "No apologies are necessary, kid." Vance added. "Yeah. Shane secrets, right?" Kord asked. Eli and Harley looked to each other and nodded. "We wanna show you guys something." Eli said, walking away with Harley.


Eli and Harley led the gang to where they dropped in. "When we first met you, we said we came from a secret cavern far away from here." Eli explained. "Well, that wasn't entirely true." "It was far away, but it wasn't a cavern." Harley said. "Then where did you guys grow up?" Trixie asked. "Up there." Eli pointed up to The Drop. "In a hole?" Pronto asked confused. "It's not just a hole, you silly little dolt." Harley said. "He's right. That hole is called The Drop. It's how me and Harley got here. It leads up to the place Gar wanted to reach." Eli explained. "The Burning World?" Kord guessed. "You mean, the place does exist?" Lash asked. "We call it the Surface, but yeah." Harley said. "Why- I don't understand." Trixie said. "It's gonna be hard to wrap your head around this." Eli said. "Yeah. Your entire universe pretty much exploded." Harley added. "Yeah. So did my brain." Kord said, grabbing his head. "I knew the Shanes kept secrets, but this one- Wow!" Trixie said. "There is a reason why we kept this secret." Harley said. "All the magic that exists here, the slugs, they would be lost forever if the surface world ever found out about Slugterra." Eli explained as Pronto continued to stare at The Drop. "And if that happens, all the evil below us would have nothing to stop it. Slugterra is the first and last line of defense. That's why our 2 worlds can never mix." "You shouldn't have told us this, Eli. It's too big a secret." Trixie said. "She's right. You 2 should've kept it in the family." Mario added. "As far as we're concerned, you guys are our family." Harley said. "Harley's right. And from now on, no more secrets. We'll tell you everything we know." Eli said. "Though, as far as being a Shane is concerned, that's not a whole lot." "And you 2 just torched the book that could've changed all that." Kord pointed out. "Oh, come on! There was nothing in that book we can't figure out for ourselves. Including how to get back up there." Harley said. "Yeah, that's the other thing. For now, at least, it was a one-way trip for us." Eli said. "So, I guess we're stuck with you 2 then." Kord guessed. "Pretty much." Eli said. "Yeah, I'm okay with that." Kord said as they started to walk back.

"Gotta say, you guys are taking this news pretty well." Eli pointed out. "Are you kidding me? I got about a million questions." Kord said excitedly. "Now, this sky thing, does it really go on forever?" He asked. "And are there molenoids in this place? And if so, are they respected as superior lifeforms or just slightly superior?" Pronto asked. "And what's up with this moon thing? What keeps it from falling down on top of us?" Trixie asked. "And what about this Halloween tradition you mentioned back at Deadweed? Why does it happen only once a year? And why do people dress up in costumes? And what does getting candy have to do with it?" Vance asked. "And without mecha beasts, what kind of modes of transportation do you have up there? And what kind of power do they run on?" Mario asked. "What about this lantern? This Heart of Creation. How exactly does it light up everything?" Lash asked. "Why don't we start from the beginning? We live on a planet called Earth." Eli started to explain. "Earth?" "Planet?" "What's a planet?" "Equally superior?"

Well, that's finished. The secret of the surface was nearly exposed and Eli and Harley told the truth of where they were truly from. What sort of new secrets await our beloved Shane Gang? Leave a review if you want.

Slug Arsenal:

Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogrif), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmelter)

Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet)

Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill)

Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcralwer), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat)

Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat)

Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimmy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato)

Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato)

Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat)