Sorry for the long wait. Here's the moment you've all been waiting for.
'…' Slug pov
Chapter 29: What Lies Beneath
The Shane Gang and Blakk's troops were blasting slugs and ghouls back-to-back. "They seem angry." Eli said. "Like they really want to hurt us." Trixie said. "I wonder what gave that away." Mario said. "It must've been something I said. This happens from time to time." Pronto said. "Gee, you think?" Harley asked sarcastically.
Kord fired his new Sand Angler, Quicksand, and Trixie slung Roller. Quicksand dug a tunnel and Roller dived in to follow. They tunneled their way towards a couple of goons. They tunneled under the hill. The goons were confused at first, until they were blasted from beneath their feet. Shimei sat down behind her cover and meditated as Lash readied another slug. "You good to go?" Lash asked. Shimei opened her eyes. "Like the bird ready to fly." She said mystically. She split her blaster to 2 and prepared to fire. She took a deep breath and slung her Hoverbug, Hei-Hei, into the sky. Then she fired Mong. Hei-Hei grabbed Mong and divebombed towards the targeted goons. Then Hei-Hei let go of Mong and sent the goons flying.
"How's it looking out there?" Eli asked. "Let me check. Cover me!" Kord said, pulling out his binoculars. Eli slung up Sparky. Kord watched through his binoculars as Sparky hit velocity and landed near some more goons. "I love Grenuke slugs." He said as Sparky exploded, sending the goons running. But then, Dr. Blakk came into view from the smoke, along with Twist, Jon Bull, Deagan and Shockwire. "Aw man. Here comes Dr. Blakk." Kord informed, tossing Eli the binoculars. Eli looked and saw Blakk and his 4 elites.
"Got em pinned down, boss." Bull said. "Keep moving forward. They have no place else to run." Blakk said. "You heard him. Let's go!" Twist called. The elites and the goons charged towards the gang. "Here they come!" Kord called. "We're pinned down here!" Dana said. "I don't see any way out!" Trixie said. "Then Pronto will fight to his last slug." Pronto said. Then he pulled Squeaky from his belt. "Unfortunately, that would be Squeaky." He said with disappointment. "Great! Now what?" Lash asked. "Eli, they're trying to push us backwards! Towards…that." Trixie said, pointing towards a gorge. "The Great Abyss!" Eli said. "Do I smell a plan in there, Eli?" Harley asked. Eli rolled over to Lucky. "Dr. Blakk thinks he's got this game figured out. Well, we're gonna bend the rules a little. Follow me!" He said, mounting Lucky.
Blakk chuckled as he and his goons continued to fire their ghouls while the gang rode their mechas towards the gorge. "Eli, this goes to the gorge! It's a dead end!" Trixie said. "Blakk wants us in that gorge. Let's give him exactly what he wants." Eli said. The others looked at each other with concern. Blakk smiled at what they were doing. Trixie and Pronto started to scream as the gang went over the edge, into the gorge.
(Intro)
Pronto continued to scream as they continued to fall into the Abyss. "Next time you feel like bending the rules like this, Eli, don't!" Trixie scolded. "If there ever is a next time!" Vance said. "We'll be fine! Just have to deploy our newest upgrade!" Kord called. "What new upgrade?" Eliza asked. "Pull the red doohickey NOW!" Kord pulled a red piece and opened up a pair of flaps from Wyatt's legs. The others did the same. Pronto continued to scream as they glided through the tunnel's exit and into the Dark Periphery. "Okay, get ready to land." Eli said. The gang gently landed their mechas onto the ground, but Pronto skidded and flew off Fernando, but Kord caught him by his underwear. "I'm fine! I'm fine. Let go of me!" Pronto said, wriggling out of Kord's grasp. "You act as if I am a bumbling fool." Pronto went to walk away, but fell off of Wyatt. Harley chuckled at the sight. "Bumbling? No. Fool? Very much." He said. "Well, don't just stand there! Help me up!" Pronto grumbled. Eli came and helped Pronto up.
Dana looked around their surroundings. "Are we where I think we are?" She asked. "The Dark Periphery. Never though I'd see this place again." Harley said. "Guys, check it out." Eli said, pointing to something. Everyone turned to see a chair of some kind. Like the one Eli and Harley used at the Drop.
Back up top, Blakk and his minions stared into the Abyss. "Well, that takes care of them, eh boss?" Bull asked. "Surely. Not even they could survive a fall like that." Deagan pointed out. "Don't be too sure. The Shane Gang always seem to pull their way out of jams like this." Twist said. "Even if they did survive the fall, there is no hope for them now." Blakk said. "We're moving out!" They all turned to leave.
The gang examined the chair. "That's not something I expected to find here." Kord said. "What do you think it is?" Trixie asked. "Don't know. Never seen something like this before." Shimei said. "We've seen one of these before. It looks just like the Drop." Eli said. "If the Shanes could build an elevator from the surface to Slugterra, they could also build one from Slugterra to come here." Pronto fiddled with the arm, until it broke off. Pronto hid the arm behind his back to avoid suspicion. "But why would a Shane wanna come here?" Kord asked. "Yeah. This is Shadow Clan territory after all." Mario pointed out. "I am so glad you asked. For has devised a most convincing theory." Pronto said. "This oughta be good for a laugh." Harley muttered as a boom suddenly echoed. "You see-" "Pronto! Shh!" Eli shushed Pronto. The gang listened. Another boom echoed. They readied their blasters as another boom echoed. "What do you think it is?" Kord asked. A light shined in a nearby cave as another boom echoed. "No idea." Eli said. He looked at his slugs. Joules, Doc and Banger were chittering with eagerness. "Whatever it is, they're pretty eager to get down there. Come on!"
The gang walked towards the cave with Burpy lighting the way. As they entered a tunnel, the slugs hopped out of their barrels. "Hey! Where are you guys going?" Eli asked as Burpy hopped out of his hand. The slugs led the gang into a chamber. "Where are we?" Kord asked. "And what is that?" Lash asked. There was some kind of gate. Circling it was the 12 slug elements. There were slugs perched in 12 different alters. There were glowing marks on their bodies and their elemental symbol was shining over their heads. Burpy and his friends chittered, knowing what this was. "Those are slugs." Trixie said. "Something's different about them." Eli pointed out. Just then, the whole chamber started to shake. "What was that?" Watts asked. "All I know is that's one heck of a forcefield. I don't think I wanna know what it's holding back." Kord said. "Whatever it is, it sounds very dangerous." Mario guessed.
"Eli? Shadow Clan." Trixie said, spotting a Shadow Clan scout approaching them. "Everyone, stay calm. Don't make any sudden moves." Eli said as he and Harley pulled out their Shadow Talkers. The scout stood up on its hind legs. "We're just gonna put these on so we can understand you." Eli said as the scout readied a Grenuke in its tail. Eli and Harley put on the Shadow Talkers, feeling the power surge into their heads. "Who are you? How have you come to possess the Shadow Talkers? Answer!" The scout demanded. "I'm Eli Shane. This is my brother, Harley. They belonged to our father." Eli explained.
Another boom caused the chamber to shake. "What is this place?" Eli asked. "The very edge of Slugterra. You have arrived at a crossing. And just in time." The scout said. "Crossing? To where exactly?" Harley asked as another boom hit. "The Deep Caverns. Home of the Darkbane. Our Guardian Slugs help keep their armies at bay." The scout explained. "Guardian Slugs?" Eli asked. "The most powerful slugs of all." The scout said. Another boom hit as the scout explained everything in its own language. "What's he saying?" Lash asked. "He says the constant attacks on the force wall is zapping their strength. More Guardians are on the way, but he's not sure how long they can keep this up. It could fall at any moment." Eli translated. "Can our slugs help?" He asked. "You have powerful slugs indeed." The scout said. Burpy and the others lined up as the scout held out his hand, allowing Burpy to hop on. "Very impressive. But they're not ready to be Guardians yet." The scout said. That made Burpy chirp with disappointment. "Then we're just gonna have to find a way to stop whatever's doing this until the calvary arrives." Eli said. "I know of no other way to reinforce this wall." The scout said. "I'm not talking about reinforcing. We have to fight back." Eli said. "You would risk your life for this?" The scout asked. "We're the Shane Gang. That's what we do." Eli said.
"We cannot risk opening the passage, but this Shadow Walker will transport you inside." The scout said, handing Eli a Shadow Walker. He then spoke something in his language. "Do you want the good news or the bad news?" Eli asked. "It's a one-way trip, isn't it?" Trixie asked, knowing where this was going. "He says this won't work once we're inside." Eli said. "So, that's bad news." Vance said. "What's the good news?" Kord asked. "We get to save Slugterra from an unspeakable evil. According to him, if the Darkbane army breaks through, we won't be able to stop them." Eli explained. "Sounds like a bigger hoot than anything else we've already." Dana said. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" Kord asked.
"Move quickly. Go." The scout said. Burpy and the other slugs hopped back into their barrels as Eli held up the Shadow Walker. Everyone placed their hands on it and disappeared into the shadows. They reappeared on the other side of the passage. They were in awe as they looked around the place. "Welcome to the Deep Caverns, people." Kord said. Suddenly, a huge beast roared right in front of them. "That must be the Darkbane." Kord guessed as the beast charged towards them.
They jumped out of the way as the beast slammed its head into the portal. The impact caused a Frostcrawler Guardian to fall off its alter, losing its glow. The ice element symbol disappeared from the gate. The scout gently picked up the slug and looked on with worry.
The gang ran to a safe distance. "We're supposed to stop this thing?!" Trixie asked in disbelief. "And we left our Mega Mech and Rath at home." Harley said. "Start slinging on my mark." Eli said. Everyone took aim. "Ready? Fire!" They slung their slugs. Eli slung Banger. Harley slung Matchstick. Trixie sling Rocks. Kord slung Bludgeon. Pronto slung Freezie. Vance slung Crust. Mario slung Ricochet. Lash slung Goat. Shimei slung Yung, her Armashelt. Eliza slung Fitz. Watts slung Scourge. And Dana slung Webby. But for some reason, the slugs didn't transform as they reached velocity, bouncing their heads off the beast's claw and hitting the ground very dizzy. The Darkbane riding the beast laughed at their misfortune. "What the heck just happened there?!" Lash asked in shock. "What's wrong with our slugs? They didn't transform!" Eli said. "Did our blasters break or something?" Harley asked. "The dark energy here must be canceling out their powers!" Trixie guessed.
"Mid-landers!" A voice called. The gang turned and saw 3 Darkbane soldiers approaching. "Surrender or face oblivion!" The middle Darkbane said. Then, he created a lava ball in his hand and tossed it at the gang. The gang jumped back as the ball hit the ground. "These guys throw lava." Trixie said. "That's not good." Lash said. The Darkbane charged as the middle one threw more lava balls. "Run!" Eli called. The gang ran deeper into the Deep Caverns as the Darkbane chased them. The other 2 fired lava balls from their spears. The gang dodged them as best as they could. Pronto ran into a rock. Kord picked him up and carried him while he was in a dizzy state. The gang continued to run, but they stopped when they came to an entire Dark Water lake. "Dark Water!" Eli said. "A whole lake of it!" Harley said. The Darkbane walked up to them. "You will come with us." The middle one declared. "Doesn't seem like we have much of a choice." Eli said, raising his hands. The others raised their hands too.
The Darkbane brought the gang into their fortress. "Sorta makes you miss the ghouls." Kord said as they passed several Darkbane guards. Eli and Harley suddenly saw something that really caught their eyes. "Eli, look." Trixie said, seeing it too. "I see it." Eli said. "Is that what I think it is?" Harley asked. "Yes. That's the sun." Eli said. The sun was pictured on the top of a throne, where a big Darkbane with big horns sat. "We don't have many opportunities to accept visitors here. Your Guardian Slugs see to that." The big Darkbane said. Burpy growled at this monster. "Who are you?" Eli asked. "I am Brimstone, High Commander of the Darkbane." Brimstone introduced. "Why are you here, Mid-landers?" "You've been trying to knock down our forcefield. We came to stop you!" Eli said. "And how is that going?" Brimstone asked. "Could be better." Eli said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "But right now, an army of Guardian Slugs is on the way to defend the passage. They may already be there." Eli said, walking towards Brimstone, only to have his way blocked by crossed spears. "Then so be it! Even if our Behemoth fails, we have other ways to reach the realm above. And when Slugterra is laid waste, our path continues to take back what is rightfully ours! We will have EVERYTHING!" Brimstone said. The Darkbane cheered. "We'll stop you!" Eli said. "Yeah! All of Slugterra will stop you!" Harley said. "Strong words coming from a couple of boys. Your forcefield is at the breaking point. A legion of Darkbane are preparing for the final assault. There is very little you can do. Except watch." Brimstone said.
Just then, a Darkbane with a familiar face whispered something to Brimstone. "Ah, that explains things." Brimstone said. "What did he tell you?" Harley asked. "He says he knows you 2. He says you 2 are Shanes." Brimstone said. That shocked everyone. "It makes you useful to me. And that, young Shanes, just saved all your lives." Brimstone said. "Find them a room. They can keep their worthless slugs. It will remind our 'guests' how helpless they really are here."
The familiar Darkbane led the gang into the fortress' dungeons. "Hey! How do you know who we are? At least tell us your name. It's only fair." Eli said. The familiar Darkbane just kept silent. Harley stared at the Darkbane. 'This Darkbane almost reminds me of someone.' He thought. "We can't let them keep us here, Eli. That Behemoth could break through the forcefield any minute!" Trixie said. "I know." Eli said. "I hope at least they'll provide comfortable beds. My back can't handle another prison slab." Pronto said. "Neither can mine." Harley said. "Have we ever been that lucky?" Eli asked. "Nope." Harley said. "Then probably not." Eli said.
The familiar Darkbane led the gang to the provided cell. Eli looked the others, who nodded, knowing what to do. As the familiar Darkbane opened the cell door, Kord charged and rammed him into the cell. Eli tossed Pronto at one of the guards, grabbing his head. Pronto flipped off as the guard hit his own head with his spear, knocking himself out. Trixie dodged an incoming swing from the other guard and sweeped him under his feet. Then as he started to recover, Eli and Harley knocked him out with a double punch. The gang took off as the familiar Darkbane roared from in the cell.
The gang exited the fortress in no time. "What now, boss?" Watts asked. "We'll take cover up there." Eli said, pointing up to a mountainside. The gang hustled up the mountainside.
Kord watched through the binoculars as the Behemoth rammed the forcefield once again. "Well, Kord?" Harley asked. "It doesn't look good, boys." Kord said. "So, now what?" Vance asked. "There's gotta be a way to make our slugs work down here. Something to counteract the dark energy." Eli said. Burpy chittered something, pointing to something. Eli looked to where Burpy was pointing. A Dark Water lake behind Trixie and Pronto. "Dark Water?" Eli asked. He started putting the pieces together. "You can't be serious." He said, taking Burpy in his hands. "Wait. Burpy's not suggesting what I think he's suggesting, is he?" Harley asked. Burpy nodded. "Come on. If he has an idea, let's hear it." Kord said. "Please Eli." Eliza said. "We can take it." Lash said. "There maybe a way to use our slugs down here. We'd have to ghoul them." Eli revealed. That made everyone gasp. "That's actually a good idea." Trixie said. "Ghouls are fueled by the evil energy in Dark Water. The same energy that's keeping our slugs from transforming. As ghouls, they'd probably be immune." "The mechanics behind ghouling are pretty simple. I could mod our blasters to do it. They won't be as powerful as the ghouls Dr. Blakk uses, but they'd still pack a punch." Kord said. "And it would provide us with the firepower we need to take that Behemoth down." Lash said. Pronto was shocked at what he was hearing.
"I can't believe you guys would even consider this! It goes against everything we've been fighting for!" Eli said angrily. "Eli's right! We've always fought to prevent slugs from being ghouled!" Harley added. "And now we're fighting against that!" Kord said, pointing to the Behemoth. Eli looked on as the Behemoth rammed the forcefield again. "Sometimes you gotta bend the rules. And they don't seem conflicted." Kord said. "Doc can cure them as soon as we get home." Trixie said. Doc chirped in agreement. "They're right, Eli. Like the wind that changes the direction it blows in, even we must take the biggest of risks." Shimei said. "I get it! But there has to be a rule that even we won't bend! This seems pretty close!" Eli said. "Are you sure you guys are up for this?" Burpy and the others chittered, saying that they were sure. "I don't like it either, Eli, but we're pretty much out of options here." Harley said. "Okay. But we don't have much time." Eli said.
Trixie reluctantly gathered Dark Water in slug barrels hung by Spider's web. Kord modified their blasters so they can ghoul the slugs. Burpy gathered the rest of Eli's slug arsenal military style. 'Ladies and gentle-slugs, are you ready for ghouling?' He chirped. 'Sir, yes sir!' The slugs chittered. Eli loaded Burpy into his blaster and inserted the Dark Water barrel into the side. "Sorry about this, Burpy." Eli said. He slightly pulled the trigger, allowing the Dark Water to enter his blaster. A dark cloud formed around Burpy, ghouling him. Eli shut his eyes as he slung Burpy into the air. Burpy transformed and flew into the air. He was no longer an Infurnus. He was now a Darkfurnus.
Burpy flew through the sky, embracing his new ghoul powers. Unfortunately, some Darkbane soldiers noticed Burpy's lightshow and hustled to investigate. Burpy flew back towards the gang. "Eli?" The gang all said, thinking that Burpy was gonna attack. Eli braced himself, but Burpy stopped. Burpy popped back into his protoform. Eli caught him and showed his new ghoul look to the gang. "Whoa! Never thought I'd see a ghouled Infurnus." Mario said. "He's actually kind of cute. In a 'possessed by evil' sort of way." Trixie said. Then Pronto pushed Trixie and Mario aside to look closer. Just then, Burpy blew his fire on Pronto's moustache. Pronto quickly patted his moustache to put out the fire. Harley chuckled at this. "Burpy!" Eli playfully scolded. "Some things never change." Pronto muttered.
The Behemoth landed another blow on the forcefield. The impact caused the Tormato and Negashade Guardians to fall off their alters, weakening the passage even more.
"Guys? Our little lightshow may have attracted some attention." Kord said, seeing the Darkbane soldiers coming their way. Eli and Harley looked and saw the entire Darkbane legion preparing for battle at the fortress. "What's the plan, bro?" Harley asked. "We'll fight our way straight to the forcefield, and use our ghouls to stop the Behemoth." Eli said. The gang readied their blasters. "Remember everyone. There's Dark Water in here. Be careful." Eli said. "We know. Touch that stuff and we end up like the miners in Deadweed did." Vance said. "Careful is Pronto's middle-" Pronto started to boast until he saw that his pants were on fire and jumped down the hill. The gang looked and saw Burpy with his head lit, chuckling. "You know, I'm starting to like Ghouled Burpy." Harley said.
Pronto rolled down the hill, bowling over the incoming Darkbane soldiers while the gang gave chase. Pronto finally reached the bottom and skidded to a stop, putting out the fire on his butt in the process. Then he saw more Darkbane soldiers charging towards him. He hopped to his feet and ran back to the others, dodging a few lava balls. When he reached the gang, they readied their blasters. "Mid-landers! Surrender or face oblivion!" The soldier up front said. "Yeah, we've heard that one before." Eli said. "Unfortunately, you're the ones about to face oblivion." Harley said. The gang fired their ghouls. Eli slung Joules. Harley slung Quill. Trixie slung Bluster. Kord slung Bludgeon. Pronto slung Planty, his Vinedrill turned Briardrill. Vance slung Hardcase. Mario slung Slide. Lash slung Webber. Shimei slung Jin and Kaz. Eliza slung Min. Watts slung Sinker, his Hop Rock turned Hop Jack. And Dana slung Tailwind, her Tormato turned Tempesto. The ghouls launched their attacks and sent the Darkbane tumbling to the ground.
Eli turned and saw the Darkbane legion crossing the bridge. "Head to the wall! Go!" He called. The gang ran for the wall while Eli headed for the bridge. The Behemoth charged for the forcefield while the Darkbane guards fired lava balls at the gang. Eli stopped at the front of the bridge and slung Chiller, creating an ice wall and stopping the Darkbane legion. "Nice work, Chiller." He said before going to rejoin the others.
The gang continued to head for the wall, dodging incoming lava balls. Kord knocked down a passing Darkbane and fired Bludgeon, knocking down another. Shimei spun her staff and clashed with another soldier. They appeared to be at a standstill. "You're out of your league, mid-lander." The soldier said. "You'd think that." Shimei quickly swooped to the ground and knocked the soldier off his feet, then swerved back up and knocked him out with a hit to the face. "But I'm not." Eliza ran in only to get her arm grabbed by another soldier. "Please, don't hurt me! I'm just an old lady!" She pleaded. The soldier smiled, but then he noticed her blaster pointing at his body. "Psyche." Eliza blasted the soldier with her Grenuke turned Greneater, Flick. The soldier got wedged between the ghoul and the ground. Then Flick's tail started to sizzle. "Uh oh." The soldier said. Then he was then blasted into the rocks. Trixie and Pronto fired Rocks and Blocky, knocking more soldiers down. Just then, Pronto's ghouls started fighting about who was gonna go next. "Stop it! Hey, wait your turn, Freezie!" Pronto said. Trixie ran ahead, dodged a lava ball and slung Spider, encasing the last soldier in a web cocoon. "That's the last of them." Trixie said.
The Behemoth slammed into the forcefield again, causing the electric and water element symbols to disappear from the passage. "Okay everyone, let's stop that Behemoth!" Eli called. Everyone took aim and fired their ghouls. They hit the Behemoth, but it didn't even feel a thing. "Aw man! We're not even making a dent on that beast!" Mario said. "It's just too big! Our ghouls are like gnats!" Trixie said. "So, how are we gonna bring that thing down?" Kord asked. The Darkbane charged the Behemoth into the forcefield once again. The impact caused the Vinedrill Guardian to lose its light. "If we can't take it down, aim for the rider!" Eli said.
Just then, a lava ball shot past their heads. Everyone turned to see Brimstone, the familiar Darkbane and 2 other soldiers. "You've made use of our Dark Water, I see. It's becoming very popular." Brimstone said. Eli slung Rammer, but Brimstone grabbed him by his horns and threw him back. "Oh, you're not the first of your kind to come here. I've dealt with humans before. Even the Shanes." Brimstone revealed. That shocked Eli and Harley. "Strike again! The forcefield is failing! The Guardian Slugs are weak!" Brimstone ordered. The Behemoth rammed the forcefield once more. The last few symbols disappeared quickly. The last Guardian Slug fell from its alter. The scout watched with horror as the last symbol disappeared. Then the forcefield blew up, creating an airwave that blew everybody in the Deep Caverns and the chamber back. The scout quickly recovered and was horrified at what he saw. The crossing from the chamber to the Deep Caverns was open.
The gang looked just as horrified. "At last!" Brimstone said as he got up. "Run for the crossing! We'll try to hold them back from the other side!" Eli called as he and the rest of the gang ran for the crossing. As they went through the portal, the scout noticed that Eli possessed ghouls. He started speaking angrily about them in his language. "I know! We'll fix them!" Eli assured. "Eli?" Kord called. Eli looked to see. Brimstone had just mounted the Behemoth and knocked down the ice wall, allowing his Darkbane legion to charge towards the crossing.
As the gang's ghouls crossed over, Doc heard the moaning of the Thresher Guardian. He hopped down and used his healing energy to help the Guardian get his energy back. The scout noticed this. When the Thresher was healed, he hopped back onto his alter, causing the metal element symbol to appear on the gate again.
Brimstone charged the Behemoth towards the crossing. "Fire everything you got! We can't let them through!" Eli called. As the gang fired their ghouls, Eli held up a barrel for Burpy. "Alright, Burpy, give him your worst!" He said, loading Burpy into his blaster and slinging him. Burpy transformed and flew towards the Behemoth. He fired a Darkpyre, knocking Brimstone off the Behemoth. Eli and Harley crossed over and fired Spinner and Webs, pulling themselves onto the Behemoth. "You ready, bro?" Eli asked. "Always, bro." Harley said. Eli turned the Behemoth to the Darkbane and charged it towards them. "Attack!" Brimstone shouted. He and his soldiers threw lava balls, hitting the Behemoth. Eli and Harley flipped off the Behemoth as Burpy hopped back to them. Brimstone leapt onto the Behemoth as it rammed down the entire Darkbane legion. Then Brimstone turned the Behemoth on Eli and Harley as they ran back for the crossing.
As Doc healed the Tazerling Guardian, the scout picked him up, held him high and started chanting something in his language. The chanting healed the Guardian Slugs and levitated them back onto their alters. Then they combined their energy into a beam and fired it at the crossing, causing the element symbols to restore around it. "What's going on?" Lash asked. "The shield's going back up!" Trixie said. "But how?" Dana asked. "Look! It's Doc!" Trixie said. Just then, the forcefield started to reform. "Eli! Harley! Book it or you're gonna be permenant residents!" Kord shouted.
Eli and Harley ran as fast as they could towards the crossing. But nearby, hiding behind some rocks, the familiar Darkbane pulled up a blowpipe and loaded a dart into it. He then blew the dart at the brothers, hitting Harley in the thigh. "Agh!" Harley screamed, stopping in his steps and grabbing his thigh. Eli stopped. "Harley!" He called, running over to help. "My thigh! I got hit by something!" Harley groaned in pain, pulling out the dart. Eli looked over to the crossing, about to close. "I won't make it. You better go on with out me, bro." Harley said. "No way! I'm not about to lose my brother after everything we've been through!" Eli said, putting Harley's front half over his shoulder and carrying him to the crossing as Brimstone and the Behemoth started gaining on them.
Eli and Harley finally leapt through the crossing. Brimstone leapt off the Behemoth as it stuck its head into the crossing, only for the forcefield to finally close itself and forcing the Behemoth out. "We'll meet soon enough, Shanes." Brimstone said.
Afterwards, the gang gathered up their ghouls. Eli loaded Doc and fired him at the ghouls, curing them with his Healswarm. "You really saved the day this time, Doc." Eli said. "He's right. You did great today." Harley said. Doc smiled. "You have done a terrible thing. Corrupting the essence of these slugs. Almost unforgivable." The scout scolded. "If it makes you feel any better, it was their idea." Eli said, holding up Burpy and Doc. Both slugs smiled and admitted it. The scout then spoke something in his language. "What'd he say, guys?" Dana asked. "He says that earlier, when he told us that our slugs weren't ready to be Guardians, he missed one." Eli said, holding out Doc. The scout held out his hand and Doc hopped into it. "There is no greater honor for a slug than to serve as a Guardian." The scout said. Joules, Chiller and Banger waved to Doc from in their barrels. "We're really proud of you, Doc. And we'll see you again. I promise." Eli said, giving his healer one last pat on the head.
The scout brought Doc over to an empty alter and set him on it. White marks started to glow on Doc and the mark of the light element shined over his head, thus making him an official Guardian. Doc waved goodbye to his friends and the gang waved back as they turned to leave. "Boss, you do realize that by leaving Doc here, we're down to one Boon Doc." Watts pointed out. "I know, Watts. But I know we can make due with Ping for now." Eli said. "Eli's right. And like he said, we'll see Doc again someday." Trixie said. Just then, Harley gripped his thigh in pain. "Harley!" Eliza cried, helping her son. "You okay, dude?" Kord asked. "Yeah. Just a nick. I'll be fine." Harley assured.
Little did they know. When they left, the familiar Darkbane, who had crossed over in secret, hopped down from the chamber roof. And just then, he changed his appearance, revealing him to be El Diablos Nacho!
Whew! I hope that was worth the wait for you guys. The Shane Gang come across the Guardian's Crossing, entered the Deep Caverns and fought Brimstone and the Darkbane for the first time. Doc stayed behind to be the Light Guardian Slug and El Diablos Nacho has returned. What other surprises await the 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), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor), Yang (Negashade), Beeker (AquaBeek), Mimkey (Mimikreas), Jaws (MakoBreaker), Gasser (Flatulorhinkus), Crystal (Geoshard), Foggy (Neotox), Jammer (Xmitter)
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), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin), Ping (White Boon Doc), Bubbles (Bubbaleone), Polo (Polero)
Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rocks), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper), Dunes (Sand Angler), Zaps (Tazerling), Roller (Armashelt), Scorcher (Lavalynx), Nighty (Slyren)
Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper), Pincer (Armashelt), Glint (Phosphoro), Throttle (Thresher), Quicksand (Sand Angler)
Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper), Blocky (Hop Rock), Freezie (Forstcrawler), Doozie (Slyren), Zappy (Tazerling), Stripey (Polero), Planty (Vinedrill)
Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper), Punch (Rammstone)
Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper), Porky (Dirt Urchin), Dunk (Rammstone), Crush (Armashelt)
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), Peep (Flopper), Melt (Lavalynx), Clash (Armashelt)
Shimei: Mong (Hop Rock), Jin (Rammstone), Zeng (Vinedrill), Leng (Polero), Kaz (Grenuke), Hindo (Flaringo), Huang (Phosphoro), Hei-Hei (Hoverbug), Yung (Armashelt)
Eliza Shane: Ellie (Flaringo), Min (Jellyish), Tink (Phosphoro), Pimpy (Bubbaleone), Jimbo (Hop Rock), Jason (Frightgeist), Fitz (Tazerling), Flick (Grenuke)
Watts: Scourge (MakoBreaker), Polly (Hoverbug), Rush (Rammstone)
Dana Por: Webby (Arachnet), Willy (Frostcrawler), Tailwind (Tormato)
The Universal Slug
