Chapter Text
Prologue
Palida Cavern was asleep.
Its residents were enjoying their safety in their mushroom-treehouses. The slugs were all drifting to sleep in whatever bush or cover they found. All was silent, except for one couple in the easternmost part of the forest.
The two were in the largest room of a four-section treehouse. The house's lights were all off. The only source of light came from a small orange and yellow slug sitting on a table in the middle of the room. A small flame burned on top of his head, and he hopped around as directed by the couple to provide them visibility.
The two were observing a map of the Western realm. A red X was on a few of the caverns. After marking one more cavern, directly to the left of Palida, the tallest of the two sighed as she capped the marker.
"That's it. These are all the caverns he's been spotted in. They're also the same caverns that have given be reports of an increase in stolen slugs," Evanlyn Caelum said quietly. "I wish I had tracked him down when I first saw him in Veleris. At the time, I thought finding the lost cartographers was more important, but if I had known he'd been causing so much trouble, I would have made them wait."
Evanlyn's husband, Nathanael, rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself. There's no way you could have known what he was up to," he said. "What's important now is deciding what the best course of action is. If he was in Foxfire Grove yesterday, then he could be coming here next."
With a sigh, Evanlyn picked up a large bag off the floor. It hadn't been unpacked yet from her trip to Veleris, and now she was heading out again.
"If that's a possibility, then I need to go now. There's only two reasons to come here, and no matter what he wants in this cavern, I can't let him have it," she said determinedly. Nathanael began to respond, but was cut off when the two heard quiet footsteps.
Evanlyn immediately reached down and grabbed her blaster out of its holster, ready to go to defend herself and her husband if necessary. But when the Infurnus chirped happily from the table, she relaxed, figuring out what the noise was.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, a light flickered on as a little girl stumbled sleepily into the room. She had a blanket wrapped around her, and her short hair was tangled and sticking up in some spots.
"I know it's bedtime," Alana yawned as she walked over to her parents. "I wanted to say hi to Mom, though. How was your trip?"
Evanlyn smiled and picked up Alana, hugging her daughter tightly.
"It was great, sweetie. Did you have fun with Dad?" Evanlyn asked, nudging her bag away with her foot, trying to keep Alana from finding out she was leaving again so soon.
"Mhm. I tried to drive Ranger. I almost hit a tree," Alana giggled. Evanlyn laughed and looked over at her husband.
"Oh really?"
Nathanael's face flushed and he shrugged with a small laugh.
"What are you guys doing?" Alana asked, pointing at the map. "I wanna help."
Evanlyn sighed and shook her head.
"Sorry, little slinger, but you're not quite old enough to go out with me. Or to be driving Mechas like Ranger," she added, looking pointedly at Nathanael. "I have a little more work to do tonight, but I'll see you in the morning." She glanced at her husband. "You too, Nate. I'm going out- just for a bit- and then I'll be back for bed."
Evanlyn handed Alana off to Nathanael, who carried her back out the door and across the short bridge leading to the small mushroom-tree canopy that held up Alana's room.
Once the door shut behind the two, Evanlyn sighed and turned back to the map. She felt sick, and Evanlyn Caelum never felt sick. She always met challenges head-on, without hesitation. She never worried about putting herself in danger to get the job done. But if this person was who he looked like, and he was coming to Palida, then there were many people other than her involved. Whether it was only her family or an entire other realm that was in the way of harm, she had to keep moving forward and get rid of the threat.
"Come on, Ash," she said. The Infurnus hopped up on her shoulder as she walked over to the doorway and grabbed her goggles from a hook next to the door. "Let's go on a quick security run before bed."
Evanlyn strapped on her goggles, designed for slingers traveling the insanely different cavern climates that ranged from oceans to deserts (and in her case, just the dark). She flipped up her hood and left the house, quietly shutting the door behind her.
"I want to make sure our defenses are ready for whatever's coming our way."
~~~~~~~~
Chapter 1
Alana hadn't slept in her bed in three days.
She hadn't gotten to enjoy a decent meal since then, either.
She also hadn't gotten to shower.
Or train.
Or experience any of her usual comforts.
This would normally make anyone a little cranky, or at least displeased. But Alana's good mood hadn't flickered for a moment in the last few days. It was still burning brightly as she woke up in an old sleeping bag, curled up in a ball to keep warm during the cool night.
With a large yawn, she dragged her sleeping bag out of the small tent she'd set up on the forest canopy. Her slugs were already awake, walking around the top of the blue mushroom-tree, chirping and playing. They all turned to her as she stretched and began disassembling her tent (which was essentially a blanket on some sticks).
"Alright, guys. Today's the day, I can feel it," Alana said, rolling up her tent and tying it together. "I know there are slug hunters out here somewhere, and I'm gonna find out what Blakk is doing with the slugs he's taking. And once we figure this all out, we can finally go back home."
Two of the slugs hopped up on her shoulder - her Infurnus, Ash, and her Boon Doc, Mage.
"Good morning," Alana said to the two as she rolled up her sleeping bag. "Okay, everyone, head on down to Midnight and grab some breakfast. I'll be down in a sec."
The slugs began hopping down to the base of the mushroom-tree to where a black and blue MD-NT Mecha stood. The wolf had been operating on low power all night, just awake enough to keep watch over its rider. Now its eyes began to glow brighter as it powered fully on, tail wagging as the slugs hopped on its saddle and dug into a small bag of slug food tied to the seat.
After tossing the rolled up tent and sleeping bag down to the forest floor, Alana carefully made her way down the mushroom-tree, hopping down branch by branch before finally falling the last ten feet. She tied her camping gear on Midnight and grabbed her own small breakfast.
The mission was supposed to take a day. She'd heard that Blakk Industries workers were going through the Jungle Cavern stealing its exotic slugs, so Alana decided to gear up and try to stop it. But she hadn't anticipated the hunting group to be so difficult to find, even in the dense jungle. She was running out of food and water- she couldn't stay in the wild forever.
But that didn't dampen her drive. She ran a small brush through her hair as quickly as she could as she munched away at some fruit. Now all she had left were two protein bars.
Motivation to get this done, she thought as she put her hair up in a ponytail.
Once she got as tidy as she would get in such conditions, she unclipped her bandoleer from Midnight. Her slugs took the cue to start getting ready to move out. Ash and Mage hopped up on her shoulders, and her Aquabeek, Grenuke, and Negashade took their spots in the blue tubes on the bandoleer. The rest of her arsenal hopped into the pack on her back, and she climbed on Midnight's saddle. She grabbed her black and light blue blaster from a clip on her Mecha, setting it on her hip holster, and opened a map of the cavern on Midnight's screen.
"Okay, guys. We're gonna head... north," Alana confirmed, checking Midnight's compass as she revved the Mecha's engines. "And find the main river, then follow that east for a bit. That's the only part of the jungle we haven't combed through yet. Y'know, it's always the last place you check."
With coordinates to the river set, Midnight took off into the jungle. Alana grinned at the feeling of the wind hitting her face as she expertly maneuvered around mushroom-trees and rocks. She didn't pause to take in the scenery, but saw many wild slugs that would pause and watch her tear by. However, as she neared the main river that cut through the Jungle Cavern, she noticed there were fewer and fewer slugs.
"I think we're going to the right place," Alana said quietly. She slowed down Midnight so the Mecha's engine would be harder to hear as the river came into view. "There should be plenty more wild slugs here."
Over the years, she'd found that she had a natural knack of knowing where there were and were not slugs. Now, as Midnight silently crept through the bushes lining the river, Alana could practically physically feel the lack of life in the trees around her. But there was something else. Like a flicker of cold somewhere-
Snap!
Alana halted Midnight, frozen solid at the sound. The branch snapping hadn't been her. The noise had come from in front of her. She slowed down her breathing and listened. Sure enough, she could hear voices through the dense jungle. Anxious to see who it was, she slowly rode Midnight forward.
"I thought I heard another Mecha! You know what Blakk said would happen to us if we got caught!"
"Of course I do! After Bull's ghoul performance, people are on edge. Including me! So let's hurry up and get these slugs!"
Bull? As in John Bull? Alana thought as she slowly made her way forward, checking that her gear was in place and she was ready for a fight. And what's a ghoul?
Finally, she caught sight of Blakk's workers. Alana halted Midnight and peered through the violet leaves that hid her.
There was a group of three slingers in a clearing by the river. They appeared to be packing up camp- they'd regret not getting an earlier start, Alana thought with a smirk. Their hyena Mechas stood in a perfect line behind the workers, each bearing the Blakk Industries logo.
Their contents caused sadness and fury to rise up in Alana.
Dozens of slugs were locked into carriers, chirping frightenedly. Vinedrills, Armashelts, Jellyish, Flaringoes, and more. Alana narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on Midnight's handles.
What are they doing with these slugs?
The workers finished tying up their sleeping bags and headed for the Mechas. The slugs are began chirping louder as the workers approached, their fear turning into anger.
"Shut up!" one of the workers snapped. Some of the slugs went silent with fear, but some of them only continued to chirp louder. The worker scowled and slammed his fist into the carrier, silencing all of the slugs. "I said shut up! You nasty little pests are gonna get us all in trouble-"
Alana sighed and sped Midnight forward, bursting through the bush and drawing her blaster, loaded with Ash.
"Okay, that's enough of that," Alana snapped, narrowing her eyes. The worker yelped and raised his hands. The other two raised their own blasters, aiming for Alana.
"Who are- wait, I know you!" the worker at blasterpoint exclaimed. "You're that girl who destroyed a depot a few years back! I was there!"
Alana winced. She had done that, almost two years ago. It had been her first big stand against Blakk Industries, and it had been frightening and didn't go quite as planned. Unfortunately, it had been her defining move against Blakk, and every time she tried to confront his workers, she was reminded of it.
"Then you know I'm not afraid of dealing with you people," Alana said, her finger hovering over her blaster's trigger. "So how about you make this a whole lot easier and just let the slugs go?"
The other two workers both began to move forward slowly.
"You're outnumbered," one of them said. "You're not in a position to be making demands."
Alana glanced at the two out of the corner of her eye. They both had Flaringoes loaded in their blasters. Other slingers rarely ever took Alana's Infurnus into account- Ash could beat a Flaringo any day.
With her excitement building up, Alana moved her arm forward, making it look like she was about to shoot the worker she had cornered. The other two shot their Flaringoes, but hit empty space as Alana slid off her Mecha and then shot Ash. The Infurnus transformed and belched out a burst of flames that knocked the two workers off their feet.
The lone worker, no longer at blasterpoint, drew his own weapon and fired a Rammstone.
"Nope!" Alana gasped as she dove out of the way, the Rammstone only grazing the side of her leg enough to make her fall on her back. Now she had one slinger behind her and two in front.
"Alright, guys, this should be a piece of cake, so we're gonna put in our rookies for now," Alana said to the top slugs that sat in her bandoleer. They all nodded excitedly. Alana's slinging style always depended on her enemies- if she was confident, she'd get her younger, less experienced slugs in the field before using her real firepower.
She quickly got to her feet as one of the workers fired an Aquabeek. Alana quickly loaded and fired her Frostcrawler. The Aquabeek fired a jet of water at the Frostcrawler, who froze it in midair and then quickly ducked out of the way. Smirking, Alana crouched down as the ice sped by her and slammed into the slinger behind her. Turning back to the two slingers still on her feet, she stood up and loaded a Flatulorhinkus.
"Last chance to quit," Alana offered. "Since I'm in a good mood today."
The two workers only responded by firing a pair of Armashelts. Alana fired at the ground in front of the slingers as they fired their slugs, then immediately fired her Geoshard. The Flatulorhinkus dug itself into the ground and emitted a nasty purple and green gas, making the workers run back a few feet, gagging, and giving Alana some smoke coverage, while the Geoshard created a wall between the Mechas and the two workers.
Alana winced as the Armashelts crashed into the Geoshard wall, cracks appearing in the lime green gemstone.
For a second, she had a sense of déjà vu. Taking cover behind a Geoshard wall, watching as cracks appeared in it- she felt like she'd lived this moment before.
"Tell me when we're in trouble, please," Alana told Mage, shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she began unhooking the slug carriers from the workers' Mechas. The slugs were chirping happily as Alana slammed her fist on the release button. Some took off, heading for the safety of the deep jungle, but a few seemed determined to stay and help Alana.
As Alana unhooked the last carrier from the Mechas, Mage cried out in alarm, jumping up and down on her slinger's shoulder. Alana spun around and covered her face as the Geoshard wall shattered. Green gemstone shards flew all over, some of them cutting into her arms and legs.
That's gonna sting later. Oops.
"Hands up!" one of the workers yelled. Alana groaned and rolled her eyes, but obeyed, putting her blaster in its holster. She glanced over her shoulder- the third worker was standing again, but still looks unsteady after having a huge block of ice rammed into him.
"Now put the carrier back or you'll get up close and personal with some Dirt Urchin spikes," one of the slingers snapped. Biting her lip, Alana set the carrier back on the Mecha, but instead of clipping it, she carefully pressed the release button, talking over the hiss of the release.
"So why would Doctor Blakk need a bunch of slugs? Getting bored with his trains?" Alana asked as the slugs silently hopped out of their canisters and waited on top of the carrier, understanding Alana's plan.
"There are plenty more ghouls to be made than just the one John Bull showed off at the tournament," a worker said as the three began to close in on her.
Seriously, what's a ghoul? Alana wondered, but didn't take the time to ask. Instead, she dropped to the ground and tried to hold in a laugh as all of the slugs from the final carrier leapt at the three workers, showering them in water, spider webs, fire, and smoke. Grinning, Alana loaded her Jellyish, Ali.
"Ready, bud?" Alana asked. The blue and green slug smiled and nodded. "Let's work on your Goo Bear attack."
Alana fired the Jellyish just as the newly freed slugs left the workers. She sprinted over to Midnight and jumped on the saddle and covered her face as Ali spun around in midair, spraying goo on the workers- and, unfortunately, Alana felt some splatter on one of her arms. She winced- when slingers tried to remove the goo, it gave off electric stings. Ali's biggest problem was her aim.
Even though she got some of her goo on her slinger, Ali's attack was successful- the workers were all trying desperately to escape the stinging slime, yelling and flailing around.
Trying not to move her left arm, Alana began to steer Midnight out of the clearing, Ali jumping up on the Mecha's head.
"Nice job, your aim is getting-" she began, but was cut off as she was tackled off her Mecha.
"You're not getting away that easily!" the worker yelled, pinning Alana on her stomach. He must have gotten the least amount of goo to be able to move as much as he was, but he was still squirming around as nearly every movement caused stinging all over his body. Alana winced from the electricity jolting up her arm. Blowing some grass away from her mouth, she laughed and shook her head.
"Actually, I am," she said as the worker was thrown off her. Alana got to her feet and patted Midnight's head as she remounted and sped away. "Thanks, girl. Let's get out of here. This is fun, but I'm a little too hungry for much more of a fight."
On cue, her stomach rumbled as Midnight vaulted a fallen mushroom-tree.
"Well, I'd say that was mission accomplished. Got some more experience. Saved the slugs, and got a couple more in the process," Alana commented, nodding toward an Arachnet, a Rammstone, and a Vinedrill that had decided to stay with her. "Welcome to the team, you three. This," she said, raising her right shoulder, "is Ash. And this is Mage-" she said, raising her left shoulder.
Which was empty.
"Mage?" Alana asked, frowning and looking around the Mecha. She quickly unhooked her backpack and set it on her lap, working frantically with only her right hand. "Mage, are you in there?"
Her Geoshard, Jade, popped out of the bag and shook her head.
"Mage..." Alana's voice trailed off. She groaned and leaned back, staring at the cavern ceiling. "Floppers."
With a deep sigh, Alana spun Midnight around, and the Mecha began tearing through the jungle back to the Blakk Industries workers, with Alana urging her to go faster, faster, faster.