Slugterra Fanfic

Chapter 12: It's a win-win situation

I stopped in my tracks as I saw Eli standing with Smelter.

He had obviously come here to get Lucky patched up.

Huh, not happening. I do all the circuitry around here and I choose if I do it or not.

Buuuuuutttt…. They were customers.

That part annoyed me since Smelter needed the money.

Smelter could feel the tension in the air as me and Eli faced one another.

"Kaiya!," He tried to sound cheerful, "How was the race? I hear you…won!"

I smirked, my eyes not leaving Eli "Yeah I did. It was great! I had sooooo much fun and I bet the other racers did too, right Eli?"

He flinched when I addressed him but quickly regained his composure.

I. Win.

The other cave troll, Kord I think, interrupted.

"Fun? You call what you did FUN!? Did you even realize what you did? You nearly killed Vance Volt and another racer, ruined Elis' mecha and totally wrecked any others!"

"Yeah, I know. I was there." I was starting to get annoyed. I didn't need these amateurs to tell me what's right and wrong.

I dismissed them with a flick of my hand.

"Anyway, I've got to find some new homes for my slugs. I'll be going now."

"Woah, woah, woah. What do you mean, find new homes for your slugs? I didn't even know you had any. Where are they?" Eli stopped me before I could go anywhere.

"Pfff, I don't need slugs to sling since I have Black Skies so I'm going to sell them to get some money. Duh."

"What? Everyone needs slugs to sling!"

"Yeah, only if you can be stuffed to sling them. I have bigger issues than shooting slugs so I'm getting rid of them."

"But, you can't do that! You can't base your world around mechas'!"

"Vance Volt did."

"Yeah and look what happened!"

"Eli, I made that happen and besides my mecha is way better than his. No-one can beat me with this sweet ride."

I patted Skies on the neck and before Eli could complain I headed inside to gather my slugs.

As I headed up to my room I guessed I owed Eli an apology and I heard he was a really good slugslinger.

Maybe he'll want my slugs?

Reaching my room, I grabbed my slug carrier.

All my slugs had been locked inside.

"Cheer up guys, you'll have a new owner soon. Maybe."

I walked back down, grabbing my toolbox too.

I was just about to open the door when I heard Smelter talking.

I pressed my head against the door and listened hard.

"…Know she can be a bit wild but this was her first race so you can't blame her for getting a bit over excited."

"She took out most of the riders mercilessly! She's dangerous to Slugterra. You should destroy her mecha before she does something even more stupid!"

"Kord, Listen to yourself! You sound like Blakk. Just give her time she'll come to her senses sooner or later, and besides, she's got me to help her!"

I laugh in my head. What would Smelter know about me or my mecha?

Eventually I decide I've heard enough and I push the door open.

"Right," I announce, "I'll check the damage on Lucky and you can see if you want any of my slugs because I can't be bothered to find new homes for them."

Everyone looks at me wide-eyed.

"You'll fix Lucky?" Eli asks astonished.

"Maybe. Right now I just want to check the extent of the damage inflicted." I narrow my eyes, "I might fix it but it'll cost you something special. I don't do gold now that I have Black Skies."

"Like what?"

"Dunno, What do ya have?"

Eli gives me a blank look.

"Thought so."

I sigh and roll my eyes when a thought comes to mind.

"Sayyy…. How much info do you have on Doctor Blakk?" I ask, feigning nonchalance.

The whole group stiffens at the name.

"What in Slugterra would you want with Blakk?" Trixie asks, highly suspicious and surprised.

"That's my business, hothead. And by the sounds of it, you know some decent stuff about him."

Eli walks up to me and stares into my eyes.

"So, you want information about Doctor Blakk in exchange for fixing Lucky?"

"Yep. Oh, and you can take my- the slugs over there too. I'd say it's a win-win situation."

Eli takes a few steps back then looks at his gang.

Majority nod so Eli accepts the deal.

"Deal?" I put out my hand.

He eyes it warily but accepts it with a firm shake.

"Deal."

And with that I pull my hand away and get too work, a wicked smile playing on my lips.

Eli was true to his word.

He brought me the information I wanted and in return, he got my slugs and I fixed Lucky for him.

Perfect.

Two months have gone by and I built up a reputation for myself.

I participated in legal and illegal races, winning fame and fortune and crushing those that dared to challenge me.

My name was widely known, whispered from all mouths like a curse.

Jet was my right hand dog.

She guarded Black Skies and didn't fall for the slug-hound tricks people set to try and lure her away to get to my mecha.

She was there at every race I participated in and was always waiting at the finish.

She had become an omen as I never went anywhere without her.

If she was seen, people knew I would be near.

With the amount of money I had collected I left Smelters Forge and bought myself a secluded luxury apartment, embedded in a cliff side, overlooking a wild slug reserve.

There, I worked on my latest designs for my dragons wings and other things that may prove useful.

I was living like a god.

But even gods have problems.

I had been so caught up in my fame and glory I had turned a blind eye to Smelter and Sasha.

I hadn't seen either for two months and I had no idea what had happened.

I knew Smelter was safe as his advertisements were always on T.V

But one late night I was flipping through my photos when I came upon one of me and Sasha standing at the top of Healer Falls and I instantly knew I should go visit her.

The next day I headed out with Jet and Skies and sped to the Healing Springs Cavern.

As we travelled I thought of all the things I would say to her.

How happy I was to see her and I would thank her for looking after me and giving me a reason to call this place home.

I would tell her about all my races and rise to fame and she would sit and listen patiently.

Then I would offer her some gold, to help with things and then I'd take her for a ride on Skies, down to the river and we would just talk and chat until it got dark.

But as soon as I neared the caverns' entrance I could tell something was wrong.

The thick foliage around the entrance had wilted and was hanging lifelessly.

I slowed Black Skies down, now unsure about what was happening.

To add to the disquiet, Jets hackles rose slowly and the whites of her eyes showed.

She growled, the sound echoing in the unearthly silence.

I headed around the bend expecting to see the familiar lush green landscape of Healing Springs.

The Cavern had once been the one with the most Slug energy, thanks to all the Healer slugs that lived in this vibrant landscape.

Whenever you arrived, your mind cleared and you would feel fresh and full of life.

Now, all I could feel was horror creeping up my spine.

The green was gone, replaced with burnt patches of ground, huge craters and the wreckage of many simple dwellings.

All destroyed.

I gunned Skies Engine and raced down towards the disaster zone.

An icon appeared on the screen infront of me.

High Levels of Ghoul Energy detected.

Initiating Energy Exchange.

A raging fire built up inside me as I processed the information.

Ghouls.

Ghouls had done this.

Which meant Blakk, had done this.

I passed Healer Murphys' shack, only identifiable by the shattered mecha head lying on the ground.

I passed many places I recognized, all twisted, broken or burnt.

I didn't see many bodies but there were many dead slugs.

Too many.

Thank God I brought mine with me and gave them to someone I knew would treat them well.

Jet whined as I stopped outside Sashas' old clinic.

This one appeared to have taken the worst beating. It was just blackened rubble.

Blakk had remembered me.

And he had shown me what happened to people who annoyed him.

I had to do something to show I was here. That I saw.

I went and searched along the rivers edge.

It was once a glowing stream of deep blue, now it was sludgy and slow, painful to watch.

I found a few white HeepDrops and some blue and purple Garminds, then threaded them together into a tight wreath.

Jet had brought to straight white branches, which I tied together with some cord, into a shape of a cross then lay the wreath on it.

I set it against the rubble, propping it up with stones, then stepped back and the three of us stood there in silence while a breeze picked up.

I don't know how long we stood there but it felt like eternity.

Eventually I mounted Black Skies, and with a final glance back, I left the place of my origins.

'Goodbye' I whispered.

We left the Cavern in silence, the knowledge of what had happened, heavy on our shoulders.

Blakk had fucked up bad.

He thought he had hit home, but he was wrong.

My home didn't exist to him, if it even was a home anymore.

I had a house, yes.

But a home? No.

And that made me very hard to injury, let alone hit.

Which was a very bad thing. A very, very bad thing.

Considering he had just made a new enemy.

Who would do anything to kill.