Chapter 9: The Letters

Emma's Letter…

Dear Emma,

Hello. I am the first of the ones you call 'the Gifted'. My Enigmo companion glanced into the future once a year ago upon meditation, and has spent the time since then having me write them all down. Among them was a passage in which you confront your friend, Jacob, about the secret he cannot tell. After I write these letters, I will not be able to tell it either, but this war revolves around that secret, as it is the reason behind every Dark Bane invasion since our era.

So, I will tell you.

It is known by many names, but your generations refer to it as 'the Gift', the source of all our powers. It is a large crystal in the cavern that you will soon go to for protection. Only Shanai and Jacob know of its location now, but soon all of you will as well, because as you read this letter, the magic preventing Jacob from speaking of his secret is being unraveled. The Gift is old, perhaps older than all of Slugterra and the Deep Caverns. When Slugterra was created, a group of six slugs wandered upon the Gift. The Gift recognized them and realized their powerlessness, bestowing upon them the powers of Fire, Water, Air, Energy, Darkness, and Metal. Behold, for these were the first slugs, the Elemental Slugs as they are referred to. They recognized their powers and spread out, bestowing them on more and more slugs. The slug bestowed with Darkness, though, turned evil as he spread his power, creating the first ghoul slugs. The Elementals and their disciples realized this danger and fought against him. The Darkness Elemental recruited humans and other beasts to his cause. Slug hounds became the first Behemoths, and humans became the first Dark Bane. The Elementals reached out, teaching humans the art of slinging which, combined with their crude human weapons, helped them fight back. The Energy Elemental bestowed his own powers upon a group of humans. Unable to bear the power, their bodies twisted and changed as their minds grew and gained the first language, spoken by humans before they learned new languages. Because their bodies became so twisted, they hid in the shadows to prevent scaring their fellow comrades. Henceforth, the Shadow Clan was created. The Elementals began to grow weak, though, from the sheer power of the Dark Bane. Turning to two women, the ones that looked over them during their ventures, they invested all of their powers into the two of them, forming the Enchantresses. They helped during the great wars, but were still not enough. Unknown to them, five foolish humans had wandered upon the Gift, hoping it would help them win the war. The Gift listened to their pleas, bestowing upon them the powers of strength, speed, intelligence, and technology. Their power pushed them back even further, but was still not enough. The Darkness Elemental continued to grow in strength as he strived for the crystal, which would grant him even more power. He ghouled more and more slugs, which began to win against our warriors. He even managed to get his hands on the Gift. Its power flowed into him, but his body was too small to contain the power he was given, so he transformed into the incarnation of Darkness, the Dark Bane you know as Brimstone. The Elementals were startled by this transformation, but would not touch the Gift in case the power twisted their minds. Instead, they searched all over Slugterra with us, the Gifted, for a new power source. A single normal human accompanied us, as he was great and powerful. His name was Shane, as we did not have multiple names. He was the first of the Shanes, and every generation of Gifted has contained at least one Shane. They reached the Lightwell, and recognizing its great power, tried to use it for themselves, but could not, as it clashed with the Gift's energy. Unknown to them, though, a ghoul you call a 'Goon Doc' went with them under disguise, and attacked Shane. He was almost killed, but the Energy Elemental, whom you call 'Doc', told us to place him in the Lightwell. We did as he told us, and he was healed, gaining powers none of us could ever imagine. He became part Shadow Clan, and became our sixth Gifted. This was the push we needed, pushing them all the way back to the Portal and sealing it with all of our power. It has been thirty years since then, and we have hidden the Gift in the cavern with the strongest slugs, the ones you call rare, to guard it. It is also the place we worked from, the purity of the pond preventing any darkness from infiltrating. After the war was over, the Enchantresses powers became too much, clashing with each other unintentionally. We sent them to the opposite ends of the Caverns, splitting them midway between to form the 99 Caverns and the Eastern Caverns.

Now, the threat has returned, seeking the same weapon as he did before. Protect the Gift at all costs.

I also have one more thing to tell you. Jacob will try to destroy Brimstone by himself to protect all of you. Despite how much more powerful he is now, almost as strong as Brimstone himself, he cannot win. If he goes by himself, he will die, and all hope will be lost. Only by combining the power of the Gifted and Enchantresses will you be able to defeat him. You all see Jacob as your leader, but no matter what, do not let him go. Confiscate all Shadow Walkers and his Shadow Bringer Slug when he brings up the idea. Do not let him leave. Have him sleep in one of the caves in the wall, and have Yang guard the entrance. He will know what to do.

Fight well, and do not let Slugterra die.

"Amazing…" Emma gasped as she read it. "The Gift…"

Mark's Letter…

Dear Mark,

Gift.

History.

Those words have granted you the entire history of Slugterra, and the Gift. I ingrained them into the Intelligence Gifted's powers upon my friend's visions, so you understand. Now, you must hasten with your weapons. When you launch your final attack on Brimstone, you must work with Vinyl to place the bomb. Despite its sheer power, Brimstone will barely feel a thing. You have to strategize your companions and tell them what to do. Despite what you think, you are the most important part. You are the one who guides them in battle, and provides support to them when needed. Without you, their plans would be much more reckless and misguided, and would fall apart. Do not worry if you doubt yourself. Depend on others, ask your friends for help when you need it.

Jacob's plan.

Fight well.

Mark's eyes widened as he remembered the history and the Gift, and finally Jacob's plan to take on Brimstone and what to do when he brings it up. "Jake…you idiot," he muttered before he went back to work.

Luke's Letter…

Dear Luke,

Hello. I am the first of the ones you call 'the Gifted'. My Enigmo companion glanced into the future… (explaining the whole history and Brimstone and the Gift and Jake's plan) …

Now that the threat has returned, we need you to fight the war we did. I also offer another explanation as to why there are two of you with the power of strength. The truth is, we don't know. The best guess we can come up with is that having two Gifted with the power of strength would help to counteract the great strength of the Dark Bane. While Speed, Intelligence, and Technology are amazing gifts, what humanity needed was a warrior. While speed could help one in a fight, brute strength can also help more, as it can counteract the Dark Bane.

Never doubt your strength, no matter what you think of others. I know that, because Jacob has gained more power than you through other means, you are still strong. You all have a purpose in this world, and you will discover it, worry not.

Now, there is another thing I must tell you. After the fighting is done, your leader must leave you for his own adventures. In his absence, take his place as leader of the Gifted. This is another possibility of two with the power of Strength. When one leaves, the other must take his or her place. He will return after a year and retake his place as leader, but you must serve by his side, as his best friend and companion in battle.

Fight well.

"Amazing…" Luke gasped as he read the letter, tucking it into his jacket and going off to work on his Mecha.

Vinyl's Letter…

Dear Vinyl,

(Telling her the past and all that stuff. Sorry, but it helps you guys not have to deal with it over and over) …

Vinyl, I am truly sorry for all that you went through. The worst is yet to come, though. You believe yourself to be the weakest of the Gifted because you don't battle often, but the truth is, you are powerful. Your predecessors before you made great things, from the first blaster to the first accelerator. You, though, will be the greatest. Open your files and go to the one you have hidden away.

Build it.

Use it.

With it, you will make history, and change all of Slugterra, and even help win the war. Start with Angel, then Yang, Speedy, and everyone else. Those three slugs will need them the most for their battles.

Fight well.

"Well, that sucks," Vinyl muttered, opening up the file and starting work.

Leo's Letter…

Hello, Leo.

(Telling the past and all that) …

We know your past has been hard, but you have been given a gift. With it, you will help the Gifted save Slugterra, and the entire world with it. Do not be afraid of your powers. Do not hide them. Doing so will only hinder you and your companions. Do not let the Shane name down. Make your parents proud.

Fight well.

"Amazing…" Leo gasped.

Jake's Letter…

Jacob.

Go to the slug cavern.

Find Apollo.

Use him to save the world.

Go to the Surface.

Find your grandmother.

Tell her everything. Learn about the Surface, train there, and return to your friends and family.

Fight well.

"What in the world…" I gasped. "How am I supposed to get to the surface? Eli sealed it with Burpy."

"Unseal it, then," Speedy told me. "Besides, the first thing we need to do is worry about Apollo. I've heard about him when we were in the hidden slug cavern. Apparently he is one of the only members of an extremely rare slug species, the Ilios slug."

"Ilios? Never heard of it."

"Exactly. There are only two in existence," he added. "Apollo is the one who protects the cavern from intruders, and very powerful. Do you remember how to get there?"

I nodded, standing up. Everyone but Mark was still reading, so I walked over to him and we discussed our letters. It turned out that his told him the entire history of the Gifted and the origins of the Shanes.

"So, the Shanes have come full circle, from the first battle for Slugterra to now," I commented. "Before I can act on my own, we have to continue moving to Shanai's cavern. I'm taking the next group in ten minutes."

He nodded, so I left to take the next group. They all looked terrified, but when I reached them, my presence seemed to help them, though, as they calmed down and we left, working our way to the cavern. It was easy going, so when we arrived, I got them settled in and used the Shadow Walker to go back to the Hideout, where Mom led another group.

We continued like this for the entire day, finally finishing late that night. I camped out in one of the numerous huts made by Crystalyd and Diggrix slugs. They weren't much, just a roof over someone's head. I put up a hammock and got some sleep, out in seconds.

"What's the plan for today?" Mom asked us the next morning. "We need to continue training them."

We nodded. "Mark and I are going to move into our war room to keep an eye on everything," Vinyl told us. "I have something I need to work on."

I nodded, so they took off for the war room. "The rest of us need to train the recruits. I need to leave for a few days, though."

"Where to and why?" Mom demanded.

"I need to return to the cavern I stayed at while recovering from my amnesia to find a slug. I was told to in my letter," I explained. "I'm sorry, but I have to."

"It's okay, he already told me about it," Emma told Mom. I had explained it to her the previous night.

Mom didn't seem happy about it, but nodded. We all split up as I ran to Stryder, traveling through numerous caverns until I reached Bullseye Cavern.

"The entrance should be around here," I whispered to myself as I reached the spot I landed when the University was destroyed.

Yang nodded, pointed toward the edge of the cavern. "The slugs carried you to there, that giant boulder leaning against the wall. There is a Thugglet hiding the hole you were taken through."

"Thanks, bud," I thanked him, walking over to him. He and Speedy went to the Thugglet, having her undo the illusion as I slid the boulder out of the way, climbed through the hole, and pulled it back in place. "This is amazing," I gasped, looking down. It was just a long slide, spiraling down, down, down. "River, I need you to stay with Stryder. When I contact you, I need you to activate its auto-pilot to take it to the exit."

She nodded, hopping out of her slug tube and going to my Mecha before I jumped.

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed as I accelerated down the slide. Speedy seemed to enjoy it as Yang slept on my chest.

I wasn't even on the slide for a minute when it spat me out into the slug cavern. I instantly reacted, launching my Arachnet to create a rope for me to slide down to the ground.

"This way," Yang told me, having woke up upon my landing. He led me through the dense plants until I reached a river. He had me follow it upstream, and then right at a family of Aquabeeks, left at a group of Vinedrills, and right upon reaching a Forgesmelter. After that, I only encountered fire-element slugs as the air warmed up and plant life became sparser.

"This is where Apollo lives while there isn't a threat to the cavern. He should be here now," Yang explained when we reached a pit full of fire. He hopped towards it and called out Apollo's name until the fire died down, allowing him to hop into the hole, in which I heard him talk for a few minutes before a different voice replied, one much older and wiser.

"Alright, I will come," the voice said before Yang emerged with another slug next to him. "Hello. My name is Apollo."

A/N: Hello, everyone! This is your friendly neighborhood author, dicarten-ice! I'm sorry it's taking me so long for updates, but now that I am done with college for the summer and still busy with the job search, I'm able to submit a new chapter! Yay! As usual, reviews are appreciated but not required, I do not own SlugTerra or any of its characters, only my characters. The Enchantresses belong to JackieWinters, Leo belongs to Create-gunner1209, Kaiya belongs to Hills-to-Sky, and Karina belongs to Aist MoonSun.

Until next time, ciao!