The music softly echoed in the air. Burpy and Eli were unwavering in their focus, as if a cipher hid in its notes. The volume slowly arose, the strings growing higher until they leaped upand quickly lowered so as not to disturb anyone.
That unintentionally caused the rate of information to double.
You did it, Eli! And you doubted me !~*
Never again, Burpy. Never again. Now what?*
They looked as one at the blackened skull of the courtier for Blakk Industries. The destroyed crispy claw print on his neck was the only evidence of what had happened.
Too bad we're on a time limit; about to have a two-faced visitor with a shot at redemption; and you'd look suspicious, otherwise our arsenal would clean that up flawlessly.*
The hungry look in Burpy's eyes and the equally hungry pleads in Eli's head made him shake it with a grin as he left, his claws re-hidden.
You guys, I already feed you fresh meat when I can. Tell you what: next time there's a dead bad guy and we're in a remote place, I'll try to secretly bring pieces of it along.*
"You're messed up, dude, you know that?"
He pretends to be surprised by the young man with a Smugglet slug, the group's faces neutral and friendly.
"Hi there! If by 'messed up', you mean 'in touch with my slugs', then yeah, I'm completely loco. What brings you to these parts?"
"The slug crowds secretly following the Eli Shane."
Looking around, they were shocked at the number of admiring slugs that had and were coming out of hiding as the trio walked to their mechas.
"Seems you two are something of celebrities among the slug population."
A number of braver ones slowly approached them, shyly squeaking before bowing. The rest of the crowd shook their heads and squeaked apologies, which Burpy humorously accepted. Directing them to his left, they joined the group of former pirate slugs of the same mindset.
"There's also that blackhead behind you, but we can talk about it later.
Where's the rest of your Gang?"
"Hitting a Blakk depot."
"And leaving no one alive, I presume."
He raised a hand to stop Eli's reply.
"However, even though no one has said it yet because of no evidence, thanks for dealing with the pirates."
He replied with a breathy laugh andthen, shaking his head, straddled Lucky while the "mysterious" kid called Twist straddled
"Those were life-threatening circumstances. And you're welcome."
As Twist and the Gang got to know each other, Kord paused while retelling everyone about the one-sided fight against the pirates.
"That reminds me, Eli. You never told us about the Cavern you're from. Come on — spill the beans, Bro."
As everyone refocused on him in curiosity and, in Kord's case, excitement, he schooled his expression. Burpy, not so much.
Thoughts, Burpy?*
With a definitive nod, *Mind-wipe them.*
BURPY.*
His expression was akin to a kid being denied a BB gun for Slugmas.
You've been practicing for a bit, my Slinger! Just remove a section here, rewrite a section there, and Bob's your uncle!*
He chuckles at his slug's dark sense of humor, as well as his pout.
Oh, Burpy… At any other time and in any other situation, sure.*
"Well, Eli? New member of the Shane Gang waiting."
Taking a deep breath, he holds out his hands, joining the whole Gang in a circle.
We live on a planet called Earth. For those living in Slugterra, we're all in the planet itself.*
"What's so special about Snowdance Cavern, Beatrice?"
Two voices spoke simultaneously.
"Ice Ogres."
"Two words, Twist: Ice. Ogres. Fortunately, there are only two seasons in Snowdance: Alive. And dead."
While Trixie rolled her eyes as Kord overacted their potentially gruesome demise and the slugs laughed their asses off, Pronto was content to solemnly swear he'll protect Twist.
"That goes for all of us, Twist. As the leader of the Shane Gang-."
He was interrupted by their shared Darkening slugs, which numbered 63.
"And Co-Emperor of these slugs…"
In actuality, and to the slight frustration of everyone, they all belong to Eli and Burpy and are a part of 'The Emperors' Core'. It means they're willing to take their admiration of them to the extreme.
"… I'm willing to do anything to keep you guys safe. Anyway, let's get going."
As the Shane Gang finished their popcorn and drinks as the movie ended, Trixie found a new super fan of Max Jackson in Twist as they discussed the differences and similarities between him and the James Bond character Eli showed them.
"THERE YOU ARE, YOU FUCKING BITCH!"
A slew of Dark slugs forced the group to hide from the vengeful trio, while the Emperors' Core savagery swarmed the latter, biting, stabbing, shocking, webbing, and gassing them.
One of the slung slugs impacted the ice used as the screen.
The cracks were three feet long.
Then seven feet long.
Jumping to eleven feet as humans and slugs stared in paralyzed horror, the whole thing fell apart when a large fist punched its way out, quickly led by an equally large, hairy, pissed-off, and roaring creature. Before Kord could stop anyone, the entire fucking crowd fearfully fired their slugs.
The barrage, to his astonishment, knocked it back.
Before it promptly grew fifty times larger, getting back up and lunging for the dispersing Slingers. There were only two proper responses, in various ways, anyone could have.
The first was, confusedly, Gerhard Stocker's.
"Fuck this shit, I'm out."
However, he still focused on one thing, trying to aim through his continuous headache while struggling with which figure was the real Eli. His indecision allowed the Emperors' Core to tear out bloody chunks, including from an intimate part of his body.
The second response was Twist and Glasses. In short, "What do we need to do?"
At the end of it all, Eli gained a Slyren slug that shrunk and put the Ice Ogre to sleep.
Moaning in pain and lightheaded from blood-loss, SBD tried escaping, only to be surrounded by the Shane Gang and Twist. The other two fearfully promised to leave Eli and the Shane Gang alone forever, then left.
Stumbling backward to the ground, he tried raising his blaster, but his slugs fled in terror as the E.C continued to kill him with a thousand cuts.
"Let him go! Doc-!"
My Emperors, he'll eventually escape and try again! Let us finish him here and now!*
"We're not murderers, we're protectors!"
Read his mind, Your Highnesses! He will try again!*
Doing so, they discovered a deep-seated terror and hatred for them to the extent that yes, he'd try again. Silently communicating, the Shane Gang turns toward a silent and subtly nervous Twist.
"We want to ensure you are completely okay with all of this. If not, we'll let him go."
The Emperors' Core childishly voiced their frustration before shutting up, causing Burpy to giggle before shaking himself and refocusing on the task at hand.
"I… I wasn't expecting this. Any… of this."
Taking a deep breath, he relaxed and raised his blaster.
"In for a Fandango…"
Slumping in the chair she was webbed to while catching her breath, the girl with the hot pink colored hair successfully hid her terror at the up close and personal look she had with the Shane Gang. The head slug of the Gang hopped on a Hoverblade and stared into her eyes, his red pupils drowning in apathetic derision.
You think you can hide yourself from US, you little bitch?*
Despite the terror she felt at real-life telepathy, Dana Por kept her surface-level expression cool even as the other members and their slugs pitched in, attempting to overwhelm her.
"Enough, you guys."
Their leader slowly strode in front of her, his light green eyes blazing against his dull silver skin as he displayed his razor-sharp claws and fangs.
"I'm not looking for a dead body. Nor am I looking for a scrambled mind."
Kneeling in front of her, he lightly smiled, warm and welcoming.
"All we want to know is why you thought you could invade our home and steal from us without us figuring it out."
Her smile, on the other hand, was cocky and self-assured.
"I'm a thief, that's what I do. Now-."
Two of their slugs landed on her lap, screeching at her. Her slugs hopped before her in defense.
"H-HEY! G-get your sl-!"
OBEY THE EMPERORS!*
The thunderous shake that slammed into her mind was her connection with Thorax being inadvertently strengthened. For a split second, she felt intense loyalty towards Burpy and his Slinger while seeing through his eyes. Simultaneously, she felt it being imprinted into her struggling and screaming slugs as she shielded herself with her hands. In the next split second, Eli grabbed her temple, cutting her and Thorax off from Vex's and Vox's brainwashing, as well asfrom each other.
Before anyone could interject, the screeches and screaming were cut off, and silence reigned. Her Darkened slugs slowly breathed again, and when they stood, they bowed to Eli and Burpy. The latter stood there with fearful shock written on their faces.
"Burpy…?"
He shook his head before the smallest of grins appeared unnoticed to anyone but Eli, who returned it along with the smallest of nods.
"We're gonna figure this out, but first…"
He retook his place in front of a subdued and fully cooperative Dana who nervously rubbed her hands.