Trixie
As I reached the center of the White circle, it glowed and light burst from its core and made a pattern around me, similar to the Shadow Clan's written language but totally different at the same time.
As the light started to dim I saw small structures, they looked like the houses from my home cavern.
"Remember?" a voice asked. "Your home cavern?"
"Yes, I do…" I replied, "But why show it to me?" I asked.
"Just look." It replied. And I did watch, I watched how Blakk came closer by each second, ghouls in hand, henchmen behind him.
I flinched, I remember how he actually came, but when I saw him again, the time Eli came to Slugterra, I didn't recognize him. He wanted us to move away to create the tracks for his train… Will Shane was no longer there to actually stop him, so some of us slugslingers dueled with him. I was with them, I was part of that group, I wanted peace in my home cavern, which was why I wanted to become a slugslinger like Eli's dad, to be a hero.
"You fought against him to protect the people from your home cavern, right?" the voice asked.
I nodded, "Yes."
"NO!" many voices shouted out at me, "You did it because you wanted all of the glory a hero has! All the admiration and money!" I was so confused; I barely had that… well, except for the glory part, I think…
"I just wanted peace! I wanted nothing in return." I shouted. "I wanted to be like a Shane, a protector." It was true, I just wanted everything to be back to normal, before Blakk had created Ghouls, before Blakk actually rose.
"Don't lie to us Beatrice; everyone wants to be rich, but it is the people money…" the voice said as its body started to appear from the shadows.
"I don't want money, I barely have because of Pronto!" that mole wastes our money unwisely when we don't notice.
I felt the floor tremble beneath my feet, columns rose from the marble floor and dust fell on top of me. I ought to finish this…
Coughing, I looked up and saw the Shane insignia; there were so many replicas that I didn't know which one was real.
"Let me guess, I have to choose which one is real but none of them will be because the real one is in one your hands." I said laughing slightly.
"Oh, now that's funny. That was what we were going to do actually." The female figure told me smiling.
"For real?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"No. All of them are real, each made by one Shane. You have to find the newest one and the fake one." One of the older males said.
I gulp; now that was a bit difficult. I observe all insignias carefully; I remember every detail of it like the palm of my hand.
'A new one… the new one…' I thought.
"Oh, and you have to do it in 30 minutes." They said laughing. I rolled my eyes.
"The new one is on the ceiling and the old one is here on the floor, I'm stepping on it actually…" I said while looking up to the ceiling and grabbing the insignia with the tip of my foot.
"Are you ever so sure?" the figures asked smirking.
I won't let myself be intimidated by these fools! "Yes." I said nodding and crossing my arms across my chest. "Totally sure."
"If you're so sure about it…"
The floor shakes again and I fell to the ground with a thump. I grabbed the old Shane insignia from the ground and caught the one that fell from above.
Dust rose from the floor again and I coughed.
"You'll have to duel with this creature with just these five slugs and this ghoul." Said the same female figure who had talked with me before.
"A ghoul?! I am not using that!" I exclaimed, it was Eli's rule and it's also became my rule. "I don't sling evil creatures…" I trailed off while I saw what I had to duel… the High Plains Monster…
I had one Geoshard, a Tormato, a Diggrix, a Slicksilver and a Thugglet, plus the Neurotox ghoul. Let's see what I can do with this team.
The creature roars and the whole scenario changes; the floor changes to dirt and tall dry grass sprouts out from the ground. Trees pop out and the whole world dims.
I don't have a Phosphoro slug to try and get it away from me, but I do have a Neurotox that can probably stop it, but that means I'll have to use the ghoul, and I don't want to because I am from the good side, I don't use ghouls, (yeah, I used them once in the Deep Caverns, but still!) I can sling a few slugs that won't help me much, but that's cruel.
"Sorry…" I mumble to them. "Sorry if I just sling you to make the monster solid." I say. Surprisingly, my slugs nodded, as if they understood why I was doing it: it made me smile.
I fired the Diggrix first, because I didn't find any way it could help me, yet. The creature's tentacles quickly grabbed the slug when it velocimorphed, blue light surrounded it and the slug fell from the grip, unconscious and tired.
I fired the Geoshard towards the floor; it created a dome like crystal with a small opening so I could crawl inside later on. The slug hopped back to me fairly quickly and I fired it again towards the monster. Slowly, it became more solid.
I fired the Tormato,( thankfully it wasn't Bluster,) then everything changed: the High Plains creature grew much more bigger than before, it's tentacles were longer and its mouth bigger, all for just sucking the wind element slug energy.
But it's all solid.
I run as fast as my legs can carry me; I try to get far away from it but it doesn't work.
Slicksilver, Thugglet and Neurotox… Slicksilver, Thugglet and Neurotox… I think, I know what slugs/ghouls I have, I know I can make this creature fall to its knees.
Stopping, I turn around to face the creature as it moves towards me at top speed. I have to think fast…
Loading the Thugglet into my blaster, I get the Slicksilver ready to fire next. I pull the trigger and the slug flies out. The Thugglet creates various holograms of me, while they distract the monster I'll run to find a weak spot on it.
"You are doing everything wrong Beatrice." Says a voice from somewhere in the cavern. I ignore it; I have to because I'm sure of what I'm doing. So I just keep running in the tall grass, there are roots everywhere on the floor, I barely manage to avoid all of them. "BEATRICE!" the voice yells again, more stern this time.
I climb a mushroom and perch myself on top of it. The creature has just finished off with the fake me and it was coming towards me now. I fired the Slicksilver and it attacked with a few metal pieces. The creature was still moving though, so I decided to use the Neurotox ghoul; I hope it has the same effect on the monster though.
I'll have to aim quickly, and calculate… and try not to fall of the mushroom: the wind has started to blow harder, much harder. The creature is coming closer, the wind is blowing towards the east, I have to calculate well so the gas can go inside the creature's system. I raise my hand, it's gripping my blaster, the ghoul is loaded and I know where to fire… all I have to do is to pull the trigger–
"Don't fire Trixie!" that voice sounds so much like… like Eli's voice. I turn my head towards the sound and there he is, he looks sad, disappointed and hurt… but why? "Why did you?" he asked.
What's he talking about? Why did I do what?
Then, it comes to my mind; he's talking about the Neurotox ghoul. But it's impossible for him to be here, it's just not possible. I know these 'spirits' are trying to play with my mind.
Then, I aim again and fire. But it's too late, the creature all ready has my in its tentacles and it's gripping me hard. But the ghoul turns around in the air and it spits the gas out from its mouth towards both of us.
I hold my breath before the gas reaches me though, I saw how Eli was affected by it, and that was creepy.
The creature screeches and I tremble, its body stiffens and then just stays there. I can't keep holding my breath any longer; I need to get out of its tentacles. Now.
I twist and turn my body around, I know I can get out; but can I in time?
In Shadow Clan Territory...
"What do you know of the Well of Souls?" Eli asked frowning. He needed his answers, and he wanted them now.
The Shadow Clan leader stiffened slightly, but then relaxed somewhat. "The Well of Souls?" he asked.
Eli nodded.
Murmurs rose from those around him, the green light giving out an eerie glow. The young Shadow Clan members looked around, somewhat confuse at the word, but the elderly knew exactly what the Well of Souls was.
"They're back then…"
"Who did they take?"
"I've haven't heard from them in ages…"
"This is bad."
The Clan leader let out a growl and everyone stayed silent. "The Well of Souls, Eli Shane, is not what books say they are." He hissed, standing tall in front of the boy.
Eli held the book even tighter in his hands. "W-what do you mean?" he asked, but the Clan leader didn't answer.
"Who have they taken?" it asked.
"Trixie."
"Ah, the redhead. Since when?"
"Since much earlier today, we were passing by Jungle Cavern when Trixie fell sick." Eli answered, worried. "Tobias said she just had two days."
The Clan leader widened his eyes. "Sick, you say?" then again, Eli nodded. "Two days?" same reply.
The clan gasped and then crouched on all fours, humming.
"Follow me." Eli did as told, dropping the book along the way, not wanting to touch it again. Burpy chirped sadly, worried; the slug knew that whatever the Shadow Clan leader was going to tell them, it wasn't good.
They walked into a small dome like place, a door closed behind them once they were in.
"Where are we? Why are you asking if she was sick?" asked Eli scratching his head. "Is that bad? Does that bad thing affect Trixie's life?" his eyes were open wide, scared. He looked upon the Clan leader. "If that bad thing affects Trixie's life… that'll affect mine. And if it affects mine then it affects the Gang. If the bad thing that affects Trixie, that affects me, that affects the Gang that'll effect Slugterra; and if the bad thing that affects Trixie, that affects me, that affects the Gang, that affects Slugterra, then–"
"SILENCE!" The Shadow Clan leader ordered sharply. Burpy gulped and Eli froze, paled. "You're giving me this big headache young Shane. Please, calm down." Eli's eye twitched.
"How can I calm down in a situation like this? Trixie is one of my best friends and she's in danger! That is all what I've understood from you!" he yelled with his fists clenched tightly. He had this urge to jump on the leader and shake his head. But the Shadow Clan leader hissed and grabbed Eli with his tail.
"If you can't control yourself Eli, then I cannot help you. Understand?" the leader held Eli upside down, growling.
Eli frowned, but nodded. He just felt so troubled, only two days left to save Trixie, or she'll be gone forever. Trixie was his second in command and had an important role in the team, if she wasn't there; nothing would be the same ever again.
"Sorry…" he mumbled.
The clan leader sighed, relived. He put the boy down in the ground and put a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll go inside a meditating state now, and then, you'll understand the danger the Well of Souls is." The leader led Eli inside a much smaller, green glowing room. "You'll understand why the books tell you otherwise…"
Eli stepped inside the green glowing circle, then everything went black and he collapsed.