ELI SHANE Ꮺ
CHARGING ALONG THE faded pathway as he had done many times before, Eli Shane leaned over the neck of his mechabeast, scanning the trail ahead of him with suspicion. The sound of the metal claws as it bounded along the ground was the only thing he could hear, though perhaps this was due to the thoughts circling through his head.
Earlier that day, the team broadcaster and slugslinger companion Trixie Sting had received a message from the King of Sling, protector of Gateway Cavern. It had not been a long message, just one detailing the arrival of a stranger who hailed from the wastelands east — where the land ended.
This concerned Eli for many reasons. Whoever this stranger was had somehow remained off the grid for all the years he had been down in Slugterra, and they now decided to show themselves. Not only that, but the King had mentioned the stranger asking a very peculiar question that raised suspicion.
The Elementals had been brought up.
Ever since the ShadowClan had brought the four guardian Elementals back to the Ninety-Nine Caverns, they'd been scattered in different places in order to keep them out of the wrong hands. Eli himself kept Doc, the Energy Elemental, in his own arsenal, but that was the extent of his knowledge. For the safety of the ancient slugs, the ShadowClan had not disclosed the location of the other four.
They were powerful weapons, only to be united in order to destroy the greatest of threats.
If a stranger from beyond Gateway Cavern had inquired of them, that could only mean he was after them, and as protector of the Ninety-Nine Caverns, Eli wouldn't let him get his hands on them.
Which meant driving off this threat before he could become too big of a problem.
Eli straightened up and slowed his mechabeast down enough as soon as the entryway to the caverns loomed before him, hearing his team do the same. He glanced over his shoulder with a determined glint in his blue eyes. "Alright, team. We don't know what kind of slinger we'll be facing. King didn't give many details. If it comes down to a fight, we fight, but only if challenged. We don't know what this person is after."
Kord nodded, sharing a glance with Trixie.
Pronto scoffed. "We are the heroes of these Caverns, Eli. Shouldn't we shoot first, as questions later?"
He shook his head. "Not unless the people of this town are under direct threat from the stranger."
"Eli's right," Kord butted in, slinging his blaster across his back. "We don't want to provoke someone who might not even be a threat."
"Still, it's pretty weird that someone came from the east. There's nothing beyond Gateway." Trixie added, passing through the entrance after Eli.
The small town was quiet — unusually so. No people wandering the streets, not even any slugs around. The last time they'd been here, Eli recalled people walking throughout the trails, and slugs hopping about happily. The barren landscape was now a cause for concern . . . where were the residents of Gateway Cavern?
Halting his mechabeast off to one side of the street, Eli dismounted and loaded Banger, his Armashelt, into his wrist blaster, just in case. His Infurnus, Burpy, perched loyally on his shoulder, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.
The rest of his team parked their mechas and got off, coming to stand around him as they observed the desolate town.
The team began to walk toward the center of the small village, keeping their blasters at the ready and keeping a listening ear out for any out-of-the-ordinary sounds. It was only when the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them reached their ears did they all turn around to face whoever was failing to sneak up on them.
They came face-to-face with the King of Sling.
Eli lowered his wrist and let out a sigh of relief. "Hey, King!" He called, approaching the protector of Gateway.
The King of Sling halted a few paces away, smiling in something close to relief. "Hey there, Shane Gang. Glad you could make it."
"Of course." Trixie let her blaster hang at her side. "If someone is causing trouble, we're here to take care of it."
"That's good to hear," King replied. "Because this fellow is stirring up a lot of chaos just by sitting around."
Eli stepped closer, shifting his weight as he glanced around. "What has he been doing?"
The other male shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Riled up the people of this town, made others uncomfortable, that mention of the Elementals, and his slugs aren't normal."
"Are they ghouls?" Kord asked him, raising his blaster as though he anticipated a fight. "We know they've been running around wild since Tad was defeated."
"No, they're regular slugs, but they're different." King glanced at his own slug, the Phosphoro which sat on his shoulder. "More powerful, I've noticed they're more aggressive. Scarred and battle-torn, I think. I've only gotten a good look at the Frightgeist, which seems to be the top slug, like your Infurnus."
Eli shared a look with Burpy, before nodding once. If this stranger had an organized hierarchy of slugs similar to the way he organized his own arsenal, then that meant that, whoever he was, he was trained and experienced. "King, you can go. Leave this to us."
The head of Gateway Cavern smiled slightly. "Thank you, Shane Gang." He began to head back the way he had come, toward the manor which he called his home.
"Alright, guys," Eli turned around to face his teammates. "Let's flush this stranger out of the diner and bring him outside, just in case this turns into a duel. We don't want anyone to get hurt in the crossfire if things turn ugly."
Once he had gotten affirmation from Trixie, Kord, and Pronto, Eli headed into the diner, blaster raised with his Armashelt loaded.
When they entered the small building, he was surprised to find that the atmosphere was rather calm. A chef was making pizza behind the bar, laughing with a few of the customers who sat on stools around him. A few groups of people were scattered into different booths, talking and generally having a good time.
Not necessarily the chaos he had been expecting.
On his left, Trixie caught his eye, and then looked toward the bar. He followed her gaze toward a hooded figure sitting more by himself, though every couple of seconds the chef would exchange some words with him.
Of all the people here, that seemed to be the one they were looking for.
As Eli led the way through the bar toward the stranger, the cook glanced his way, then leaned down to mutter something to their target. His gaze shifted until a single blue eye met his own, causing him to stop once he'd gotten a few feet away.
"Can I help you?"
The male blinked, inhaling slightly as he recognized a female voice beneath the hood, rather than a male like the King of Sling mentioned.
He observed her cautiously, Banger still loaded into the blaster on his wrist. She appeared to have a Megamorph Frightgeist sitting on her shoulder, watching everything with surprisingly scarred eyes. The woman's gaze itself was sharp and cold, causing Eli to recoil at the intensity.
Taking his silence as a challenge, the hooded woman rose to her feet, turning her body all the way to face him. The male took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Are you the newcomer mentioned by the King of Sling?"
A flash of white teeth was revealed beneath the shadow of the hood. "Who's asking?"
"Eli Shane, protector of these caverns." He replied coldly, her tone putting him on edge.
The woman paused, then started laughing almost as if she couldn't believe it. "Eli Shane . . . in the flesh. I should have known." She grabbed a glass off the counter and finished her drink in one gulp, setting it down and looking him up and down, sizing him up. "What can I do for you, Shane?"
Eli narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling his slugs also go on edge at the tone of this stranger's voice. "You can start by stating your business with the people of this cavern."
"My business?" Her expression shifted slightly, and she eased back in her seat. "Can't a girl get a drink and some food when she needs it?"
"Not when you're making people uncomfortable."
The stranger's single eye widened in what Eli assumed to be a mock offense. "Oh, now you're just insulting me, Shane." Her words were like honey dripping from her lips. "No one here is uncomfortable." She glanced over her shoulder at the barkeep, lifting an eyebrow at him.
The male shrugged and continued to clean glasses which were coming from beneath the counter. He hadn't said a word the whole time, which led the leader of the Shane Gang to believe something was off about all of this.
His gaze drifted toward her slugs, which all were on the counter eating a slice of pizza. They were highly advanced, he realized, as they bore the upgraded markings of Megamorphs, and he noted some of the less common species — such as a Forgesmelter and an Xmitter — were among them.
She seemed to notice his interest in her slugs, and for a long moment looked to be lost in thought, before she leaned forward, folding her hands and resting her elbows on her knees.
"How about you duel me, Shane?" Her gaze flickered around at the rest of the slingers who decided to confront her. "How about you all duel me?"
Trixie scoffed from behind Eli, shifting her weight. "You want to go against all of us?"
"One at a time, of course," the stranger replied, smirking slightly. "Just to make it fair."
"What happens if we win?" Eli questioned suspiciously.
The woman inclined her head. "I'll tell you what you want to know, and leave this town."
He still didn't buy it. "What about if you win?"
"I'm not sure yet, I'll decide if we come to that bridge, I suppose." She rose to her feet lazily, holding out her arm to the slugs and allowing them to jump on.
The Shane Gang followed her cautiously outside, into the light of the small town. As his eyes adjusted, the stranger walked a few paces away, slowly unclasping the cloak fastened around her shoulders and letting it fall into a pile at her feet.
She lifted her chin, revealing a pale young woman with red hair and a brutally scarred face. She dominantly wore black, with her slug arsenal crossing at her chest as well as making up a belt at her hips. Each container held a different slug.
With a voice that remained deep and rasping, the woman announced. "Every slinger has one shot. Choose a slug and fire it as I fire my own." Her gaze shifted back onto Eli. "Except for you, Shane. I want your two best slugs against my two best slugs." A smirk grazed her lips once again. "To make it even easier for you, I'll refrain from using any slug more than once."
This is too easy, Eli told himself. She's setting herself up for failure this way . . . but why? "Alright, I accept your challenge." He replied, loading up his blaster.
"Good." She turned that piercing stare onto Pronto, making a motion with her head. "You first, Molenoid. Pick your slug."
Eli watched as Pronto took a step forward, brandishing his top slug — a Megamorph Flatulorhinkus he dubbed Stinky. He loaded the slug into his blaster, aiming toward the redheaded stranger with a glint of malice in his eyes.
The woman held up her arm blaster and allowed for an AquaBeek to jump into the loading capsule, maintaining eye contact with her opponent as they both took their stances.
The Molenoid fired first, his slug transforming almost immediately. The Flatulorhinkus bore down on the stranger, who waited until the enemy slug had reached the halfway point before firing her own slug.
Her AquaBeek transformed and shot toward the Flatulorhinkus, before it twisted and sent a powerful stream of water at the opposing slug. Clearly unprepared for an attack, Stinky was overcome by the water, forced back into his protoform as he hit the ground with a squeak.
The water-based slug flew over the defeated opponent and toward Pronto, who shrieked and ducked to avoid a direct attack. It roared and blasted another jet of water toward him, drenching him before it returned to protoform itself.
Eli observed his defeated teammate, surprised that the AquaBeek had managed to win in a fight out of the water. He knew there was only one attack they could use on land, and yet this individual had still managed to defeat a land-based slug.
The AquaBeek hopped over to its slinger and jumped onto her outstretched hand, bumping her fist with his head before he disappeared back into his slug container.
"I think it's your go," Eli told Trixie, who let an expression of determination cross her features. She loaded her Tormato slug — Bluster — into her blaster and aimed for their opponent.
The woman watched this with curiosity, and then glanced to the slug which hopped onto her shoulder — an Arachnet. She smiled, holding up her arm to allow it access to the capsule, which it entered with a chirp. Both women aimed at one another, this time firing at the same time.
Bluster transformed, immediately using his signature move, Slyphoon, to create a rampaging twister aimed toward the opponent.
The Arachnet reached velocity a moment later, growling as it shot straight toward the twister determinedly. At the very last second before the two collided, the spider-like beast spun a net made from the silk it produced naturally, flinging it with shocking accuracy into the windstorm.
Its attack snared the Tormato and threw him out of the twister, forcing him back into protoform while caught in the sticky trap. Now with no energy source, the tornado dispersed, allowing for the Arachnet to shoot forward, another web spun to throw Trixie to the ground.
When the slug finally returned to protoform, it landed on Trixie, giggled mischievously at her sticky situation, and then bounced victorious back toward his slinger.
Eli glanced at Pronto, who nodded and allowed for a Thresher slug to help free Trixie from her snares.
"We've already lost half the duel." The leader of the Shane Gang told his teammates. "Her slugs — they're no more powerful than ours and use the most basic attacks, and yet they manage to overthrow more dangerous moves."
Kord shook his head and lifted his shoulders, puffing out his chest. "We'll see how she does against Bludgeon." He replied, loading the Rammstone into his own blaster and turning toward his opponent.
Eli was silently relieved. Few slugs had the strength and sheer power to defeat a Rammstone, especially a Megamorph as advanced as Bludgeon. The feisty little slug was growling, anticipating the fight that was to come.
The stranger seemed to be deep in thought as she observed the chosen opponent, glancing at her own arsenal as if debating.
Then, a smirk came back onto her face, and she reached at the back of one hip to pull out a concealed barrel from her arsenal, loading it into her blaster. It was only when she and Kord fired moments apart did Eli catch sight of what kind of slug she had chosen.
His heart stopped.
In a burst of flame, the enemy slug transformed, revealing a very familiar creature which the boy never expected to see in a low-end fight.
Bludgeon's eyes widened moments after he transformed, and he tried to dodge the cyclone of golden fire aimed straight at him with no avail. He was engulfed by the flames, immediately reverting back to protoform and hitting the ground while smoking.
The fire-based slug roared, shooting like an arrow toward the Cave Troll, before it wrapped around him violently, leaving a trail of blaze behind it before it shot back toward its slinger and returned to protoform, landing on her shoulder with a look of pride in its eyes.
"Where in the world did she get an Infurnus?" Trixie spoke the words which Eli had been thinking, staring at the familiar creature with wide eyes.
"That's not just any Infurnus, guys." Eli added, running a hand through his hair. "That's Joojoo — Junjie's Infurnus."
Kord scooped up his defeated slug and set him on his shoulder. "Why does this stranger have him in her arsenal?"
"No idea." Eli loaded Burpy into his hand-held blaster, aiming right at the girl. "You need to tell us who you are, now."
The woman inclined her head. "That wasn't our agreement, Shane." She stroked Joojoo's head affectionately. "You need to defeat me in order to know anything — and you're the last contender."
"We've already lost." The teenage boy narrowed his eyes. "But the deal's off. You're not just a stranger anymore."
"That's just plain rude," the girl snorted, before loading a slug into her blaster. "I don't like when people go back on their word, Champion."
"Where did you get that slug?" Eli asked slowly, though his voice was sharp, dripping with rage.
Her single eye slightly narrowed. "He was a gift." Without another word, she fired her armed slug, which turned out to be the Frightgeist he had seen earlier. Without any other choice, Eli fired back, his prized slug transforming moments after hers.
As the two slugs hurled toward each other, the air filled with tension, and Burpy made the first attack when he collided with the Frightgeist aggressively. Fire and pale energy spiraled together as the beasts battled it out at the center of the field, and in a burst of violent light, they came apart, returning to protoforms at the same time.
Both slugs were still conscious, snarling at one another.
"It's a draw." The stranger commented, kneeling down to pick up her Frightgeist and set it on her shoulder. Her single eye settled on the boy across the street, lips twitched into a slight frown. "The closest anyone has come to winning against me yet today."
"You really think this is a game?" Eli questioned coldly, Burpy hopping onto his shoulder with a growl. "You're playing with us."
The woman clicked her tongue, brandishing one more slug capsule and holding it out for them all to see. Within the container was a type of slug which the boy had never seen before. Silver in color, with swirls of lavender and pink marking the undertones.
"This is my final draw, Shane. If you can defeat her, you will have the answers you seek — but if you lose, then I will gain a prize you wish I wouldn't." Her single eye stared at him with challenge.
Eli pursed his lips in rage, but kept his face cold, void of any emotion. He looked at Burpy. "You're my best slug, pal. Think you can take it?"
Before his Infurnus could nod, Kors suddenly placed his hand on Eli's other shoulder. "Eli, wait. You need to think this through."
"There's nothing to think about, Kord." He replied.
The cave troll tightened his grip. "Remember what happened the last time you fired Burpy at an unknown slug?"
Eli's mind involuntarily went back to the moment he was introduced to the wretched Goon, forced to watch Burpy ghouled right in front of him. He lowered his blaster slightly. "We nearly lost him."
"We can't risk that happening again." Kord told him. "We need a slug more experienced than him this time."
His gaze shifted down toward his slugs, raking over them as they shuffled in their capsules until one caught his eye. "Like an Elemental." Bringing his hand down, he lifted up one of his slugs, a Boon Doc. "Doc's an Elemental. They're the most experienced slugs out there. We've only just learned he can do more than just heal."
Trixie placed her hands on her hips and nodded. "Let's give it a shot."
Eli smiled at Doc, loading him into his blaster and aiming at the girl, who had loaded her own slug and was waiting for him to make a choice.
This time, she fired first, her unfamiliar slug reaching velocity and transforming into a large, bird-like creature. It streaked toward him, beak gaped open in a ferocious roar.
He shot Doc at the oncoming slug, watching the Energy Elemental transform as well and fly forward.
Moments before they collided, he caught sight of the stranger letting a grin spread onto her face, and something in his stomach dropped. The two slugs clashed, releasing a burst of light so bright that Eli had to shield his eyes with his arm to avoid being blinded.
The light faded, and the unfamiliar slug landed on the ground with a squeak, standing tall.
Doc was nowhere to be seen.
Slight panic shot through his body like lightning, and he stepped closer, eyes scanning the ground for any sign of the Elemental. His gaze fell upon the strange slug, and he moved to make a grab for it, desperate.
The slug jumped out of reach and back toward its girl, squawking in alarm. Eli halted, fixing his gaze upon the woman. "Where is my slug?"
Her own expression was completely calm, but now that single eye was glimmering with malice. "He's safe, but I have decided that my prize will be possession of an Elemental."
"Give him back," he snarled, leveling Burpy with her chest as his team all loaded their own slugs, aiming right at her.
She seemed unconcerned, and was even smiling at this point. "Bad move, Shane. You're outnumbered."
As she spoke, the door to the restaurant she had been resting inside opened, and the people who had resided within filed out, some holding blasters aimed at the four of them.
Eli's gaze flickered around at them before fixing back onto the woman, and she inclined her head to reveal two slugs sitting near the base of her neck, slugs which immediately caused him to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
One of the slugs was a Hypnogrif, which set him on edge already, especially once he managed to figure out what the other slug was.
"One of those slugs that Pieper was," Trixie spoke the words out loud, her eyes fixed on the slug.
"If she tried a combo move using two slugs with mind-altering capabilities, that could have screwed with the people of this cavern." Eli realized.
"Oh, you're just as smart as they said you would be." The stranger had not yet loaded another slug — she didn't need to. The Shane Gang was surrounded. "But as fun as our little duel was, I really must go." She turned around, but not before she flashed her gaze toward the barkeeper, who aimed a Rammstone at Kord. "Keep them busy."
He gave a nod in response, and fired his slug.
The last thing Eli saw before all Hell broke loose was the girl climbing onto the back of a familiar mechabeast, and tearing off into the Ninety-Nine Caverns.