Chapter Text

"Hey, Eli?" Trixie approached the door. "Is everything ok? You’ve been in there for a long time."

"Yeah, Bro," Kord knocked on the door. "I mean, what's going on?" No response. "You know you can tell us anything, right?" There was still silence, and the sound of Pronto chewing with his mouth open.

"PRONTO," Trixie slammed a fist against the door. "Can you chew a little quieter?" The molenoid in question just looked at them, swallowed the tentacles of his meal, and chewed slightly more quietly. "Thank you," Trixie turned back to the door. "Eli, there's still dinner left. Get it before Pronto eats it all."

There was still nothing.

"Pronto didn't make it," Trixie added after a pause. "If that's what you're worried about."

Trixie turned to Kord, exchanging a worried look with her friend.

Eli had been stuck in his room for the entire day, since they found the box in the floor. Pronto knocked over the monitor, which smashed the floor into pieces. Kord and Trixie kicked up a fuss, but everyone piped down when they saw the flash of red. It was a small red box, with gold engravings. When they opened it, it was stuffed full with papers. Some were drawings, some were printed with dried cherries blossoms, others were covered with elaborate scripts.

To Eli, it looked like Chinese, but they always ended with Will Shane. Some were addressed to Will Shane, but many more were written by him. Eli looked at the first letter, and his face went white. He ran into his room, box in tow. Everyone agreed it was a good idea to give him some space, but skipping lunch and dinner, especially when they were home-cooked, seemed a bit out of character for him.

A couple of slugs hopped up, squeaking and waving at the door. Bluster, Trixie's Tormato slug, was squeaking the loudest. He was taking Eli's absence the hardest, but maybe because Burpy went with Eli and he didn't have his favorite playmate around.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Eli stood there, pale, with red-rimmed eyes, and a letter clutched tightly in his hand. Burpy perched on his shoulder, looking equally somber.

"Ah-ha!" Pronto popped up, food in hand. "There, you see! Eli has emerged, safe and sound. And now," he spooned some cream of wheat from his bowl, only to have them both confiscated by Kord. "Ah, wha— Hey!" Kord nodded at the Shane, which promptly shut Pronto up.

"Guys," Eli's fist loosened up. "There's something I need to tell you."

"A BROTHER?" Eli winced. This was the reaction he expected, but it was still jarring to see it.

"Yeah," Eli rubbed the back of his neck. His gaze drifted to the family portrait. Looks like we need to have it repainted.

"Eli, this is big!" Trixie broke the silence. "I mean, I know your dad had secrets, but..." She didn't finish her thoughts, but her erratic hand-waving was more than enough for him.

"Even the brilliant mind of Pronto the Magnificent couldn't fathom that!"

Kord saw the look on his friend's face. "Hey, Eli?" The boy was glazed, head bobbing in his hands. "You okay?"

He looked up, as if he just realized that his friends were there. "I think I need some time alone." Eli stood up, lumbering towards the door. Burpy gave them a worried look, after getting a nod from Trixie, followed his friend. He left the box of letters for them.

Pronto spoke first. "So," he twiddled his thumbs. "Any good news?" Kord and Trixie glared at him, which shut him up.

Trixie picked up the crumpled letter. "I can't imagine what Eli's going through," she picked at the dogeared edge. The paper was creamy, covered in bewildering letters and flowing drawings, which ended in the Shane star and a red stamp. There was another thing that stood out.

"Junjie," the other two gave her a weird look. "That's his name," Kord took the letter, while Pronto peeked over the edge.

The silence was deafening. Even the slugs didn't squeak.

Trixie's slug monitor sounded an alarm, sending Pronto sprawling with a yelp. It was a ghoul-reading.

She ran out the door, crying for Eli. Their family issue would have to wait.

They rode off, backing Eli and his Mecha. To any bystander, it looked like a team following the leader. But it was really just to keep an eye on Eli, to make sure he didn't tip over. He hadn't said anything since the letter, and when Trixie told him about the ghoul-reading, he only nodded and motioned for them to head out.

Trixie checked her slug monitor. "I'm getting another reading," her eyes widened. "It... it's coming from the East!"

"What?!" The expression on Kord's face matched her own. "B-but, that's..."

"Eh, I believe the word you're looking for is," Pronto interjected. "Impossible. The Gateway is the Easternmost of the 99 Caverns. To the East of town are the Barren Wastes of the Outland Reach. And to the east of that is simply..." He paused for effect. "The end."

He wasn't wrong. There was a wall of lava and bedrock before them, with twisting paths of crumbling archways. The cavern walls were streaked with thick bands of gleaming ore, which seemed to flow and pulse at the same time. Even Eli was shaken out of his numbness.

"Behold!" Pronto swung his arms wide open. "The end of the 99 Caverns. The end of the known world!"

"Whoa," gaped Kord "How could anyone get through that.? Like Pronto said... it's..."

"Impossible!"

Trixie squinted at the distance. "Well then, I'm seeing the impossible!" She pointed at the furthest corner of the cavern. There was a large whole carved into the wall, which revealed a crumbling tunnel and pulsed with a mysterious energy. "There's an opening. That's where they must have gone!"

They shivered. Something about that tunnel was freaking them out. It gave off an energy, a feeling Eli couldn't describe, but it felt familiar, like hearing the voice of an old friend after you spend years of not talking to each other.

Kord picked up a pair of binoculars, aiming at the hole. "The amount of energy it must be taking to create that opening..." He shuddered. "I can't even imagine who could do something like that!"

"Eh," Pronto coughed nervously, pointing rapidly at the hole. "I'd put my money on that guy." A pale figure stepped out of the hole, followed by a group of slingers. HIs armor was black, matching those of his men. He pointed at them, waving his arms out as he barked out orders.

Eli squinted. "Is that...Dr. Blakk?"

Trixie used her camera to zoom in, gasping at the sight. "No! It's not!"

"Yeah, that's the good news." Kord gulped. "The bad news is... this guy looks like he might be even worse!" He tossed his binoculars to Eli.

Eli zoomed in on the figure. He was pale, bearing a similar look to Blakk with his veined skin and turbulent eyes, but there was something familiar about him. There was also a ghoul slug on his shoulder, which snapped its teeth at the men as his slinger ordered them about.

Eli frowned, holding the binoculars up for his Infurnus. "Ever seen a ghoul like that, Burpy?" The slug squinted, but shook his head. Eli took another peak, only to be met with the barrel end of the blaster.

"Looks like we're gonna find out what it can do!" Eli loaded Burpy in his blaster, and took aim. The slinger aimed and fired, sending his ghoul directly into the Infurnus. The two slugs tumbled together. Burpy squeaked, scared perhaps, as his body was warped mid-velocity.

"Burpy!" Eli watched helplessly as his friend was twisted. "No! He's being... ghouled!" The slugs separated with a burst of green fire, and the corrupted Infurnus flew up with a screech.

Pronto took aim, only to be pushed away by Eli. "No! Burpy's been ghouled before." The corrupted slug circled above, screeching incoherent. "He didn't attack us then!" Burpy screeched, stooping down.

"Yeah, well this is now!" Kord reeved up his Mecha, falling back. "Go!" Trixie and Pronto followed in suit, but Eli kept glancing back. Burpy chased after them, baring his teeth and screeching.

"Eli, move!" Trixie loaded her blaster and fired a Frostcrawler, creating an ice wall. Eli snapped out of his shock and ran with his team. Burpy blew a hole through the wall, bellowing as he charged after them.

"Whoa!" Eli stayed back, ducking a blast of fire. He loaded Doc, took aim, and fired. They collided, spinning rapidly as Burpy was healed. With a flash, both slugs hit the dirt. Burpy whimpered, dazed but healed.

"Burpy!" Eli dismounted, running to his friend. "You OK?" The slug nodded, giving an "mm-hmm" before hopping into his slinger's palm. Eli got a closer look at the ghoul, then at Doc.

The slinger knelt down, offering the ghoul his hand. The ghoul hopped in his palm, and was placed on his shoulder.

Oh, floppers. "That one must be some kind of ghouled version of a Boon Doc!"

The slinger turned to face them, only to be met with four blasters, each loaded with angry slugs.

"Who are you?" Eli growled. "Do you work for Dr. Blakk?"

Some of his minions ran up, hands reaching for their blasters, but the slinger held up a hand, stopping them in their tracks. He gave them a few nods and grunts, and they fell back.

The slinger turned back to the Shane Gang. "You wield an Infurnus," the slinger ignored him, instead looking at his shoulder. Or more specifically, who was on his shoulder. "You are the protector of these caverns?"

"Well, perhaps, technically, yes," Pronto stepped out, striking a pose. "but truly it is Pronto who..."

"I am the Shane," Eli pushed Pronto behind him. "Which means you're gonna have to go through me to get to the 99 Caverns." He loaded his blaster, taking aim. "I'm asking you again. Who are you?"

The slinger laughed, a deep sound that sent a chill down the spine. "You mean, you don't recognize me?" At Eli's blank stare, he barked out another laugh. "Perhaps this should you," he took out a piece of twisted metal and tossed it to their feet. It spun across the floor, knocking against Eli's toe before coming to a stop.

Eli's heart sank. It was the Shane Star.

No, Eli looked up.

The slinger smiled. "Hello, brother." He took aim.

Chapter Text

"Eli," Trixie was pale, quivering, and beaded with sweat. "Is that..."

"I-it can't be," Kord's expression matched Eli's.

"You're Junjie?!" Eli backed away, hand falling near his blaster. "I-I don't understand."

His brother sneered, turning to his Marauders. "Eliminate the others," he focused on the Shane. "I will take care of my brother." He fired.

Eli leapt to the side, rolling across the gravel and keeping his head down. Junjie took aim again, only to be knocked off balance by a Hop Rock. His fingers brushed the angry scratch on his cheek, coming away with faint red drops.

"Once again, it falls on Pronto and the Shane Gang to—" Pronto didn't finish his speech, as one of the Marauders fired a ghoul, sending him shrieking into the rubble.

Junjie growled, firing at the other slingers instead of his brother. While he was slinging ghouls and berating his men for not covering him, Eli crawled to a good distance away. Once he was behind a rock, his Guardian Slug hopped up on his shoulder.

"Doc," the Boon Doc smiled excitedly. "Your job is to cure that Goon, got it?" He nodded, hopping into a barrel. Eli slid him in, leapt out of hiding, and took aim.

Junjie was gone, and his men were occupied with Kord, Trixie and Pronto. Eli didn't let that catch him off guard, instead backing away and slowly spinning around. Even if his brother was out of his line of sight, he could feel distinct burning on the back of his neck, no matter which direction he looked.

Burpy squeaked on his shoulder, waving his arms and pointing at the back. Eli didn't know what he was saying or pointing at, but he didn't want to stick around and find out. He ducked and rolled away, barely missing a ghoul to the head.

"Whoa!" He fell back, skidding across the ground. 

"Eli!" Kord shot a Rammstone, which knocked the slinger back, almost off the edge. But he stood, unfazed.

Kord winced. "That is one tough dude!" He ducked as a ghoul missed him by a hair, and he broke into a sprint. Another ghoul hit the spot where he was just a few seconds ago.

Eli took his chance. "Ok, Doc!" He took aim. "Ready?" The Healer nodded, squeaking in anticipation. He held up his blaster, only for a ghoul to knock it out of his hands.

"NO," his blaster spun out, slamming hard against a rock, almost falling into a series of cracks and ridges. Doc wasn't so lucky, as the impact pushed his barrel out of the Ammo Feed and into a hole

"Doc!" Eli ran over, with vain hopes of saving his friend, only to have a heavy weight push him to the ground. His head knocked against a rock, filling his vision with stars and spots.

"Don't worry," a black boot planted a hair away from his head. "This won't hurt a bit."

"Why are you doing this?" Eli crawled back, throwing an arm up to guard his face.

"You mean..." Junjie paused, eyes widened before tightening with rage. "Father never told you about me?"

"Well," Eli curled his legs under, pushing up on his toes. "Not exactly." He launched at his brother, making him misfire. The Tempesto ghoul kicked up a dust storm, which dragged both brothers into the wind. The wind tore at his face, burying bits of gravel in under his skin. Eli tried to hang on, while taking the blows from Junjie. He couldn't fight back without his brother throwing him off, and he couldn't hang on without being met with fists to the face.

The wind started to die down, and they started to descend. Once Junjie saw where they were headed, he grabbed his brother, planting his feet against his back and pushing off against him. Junjie landed against the cavern walls, digging the blades from his wrist blaster into the rock to slow his descend to the ground.

Eli was less lucky, slamming hard into the dirt. The earth and his bones cracked upon impact, drawing a scream from his lips. His skin was torn, and his muscles were screaming in pain. His eyes flitted around rapidly, catching an orange blaster shell close to his blindspot. He tried to crawl away, only for his arms to fail. He used his legs to propel his body forward, curling his legs under, then straightening them. He was making good progress, and he was starting to feel his left arm again. He reached out, fingers brushing against the barrel, only for it to skid out of reach.

"Pathetic," Eli had a blaster end shoved into his face. "To think that Father would waste anytime on you." The ghoul aimed at his face was the Goon Doc.

"So that's it," it clicked in his head. "You're jealous." His brother snarled at the word. "Is that what this is all about?"

"I was the greatest warrior of the Eastern Realms," his brother readied his aim. "I've spent twenty years preparing for my destiny. Training, meditating..." his face twisted with rage with every word. "And you're just a child!"

"East?" Eli obviously heard the important information. "You can't get more East than here. This is the end!"

"This is just the beginning," his brother gave another scraping laugh.

Eli gasped. "Junjie, wait." He went for a different approach. "I know what it's like. I lost Dad a long—" he was cut off with a boot on the chest.

"I don't want your pity," Eli gasped as his lungs and ribs were compressed. "I want your help."

"What?!"

"My dark energy attack doesn't just twist slugs into ghouls. It can bend a slinger to my will." The ghoul in the blaster growled at him.

Trixie rose to her knees, head pounding and eyes watering. The sudden fire of ghouls and slugs had filled the air with gravel and dirt, making her eyes water and her throat close up. There was something pounding against her skull, threatening to burst her eardrums and push her eyes out of their sockets. She called out for her friends and coughed, 

Through the blanket of debris, a small figure hopped out, squeaking with concern.

"Burpy," the said slug nodded. "W-where's Eli?" He shook his head, saddened at the mention of his closest friend. He looked up and gasped.

Trixie whirled around, readying her blaster, before—

"OW," Kord leapt back, bouncing on her leg. "Eeeeow," he winced, voice pitched with pain. "Dumb rock."

"Kord," Trixie almost cried in relief. "I almost blasted you," she picked up Burpy, setting him on her shoulder. "You seen Eli, or Pronto?"

"Can't see anything, but I hear..." There was the sound, similar to the a table saw on high speed. "SLUG," he grabbed Trixie, and fell back pulling them both to the ground. A Thresher spun overhead, ricocheting off the cavern wall and sawing the top off a boulder.

"Ah-HA!" Kord was met with the barrel end of a blaster, and, unfortunately, a familiar voice.

"PRONTO," Kord, shoved the blaster away, revealing his ashen face.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were one of those Marauders. Can't be too careful. After all, we would not want to lose Pronto, would we?"

"Now we just have to find Eli."

"Hey, look!" "There he is."

"He's okay. Wait," the dust cleared, and Eli wasn't the one standing.

"NO." They ran to aid their friend, but they knew that they would never make it. They were too far and too slow.

Junjie took aim and fired. Then he paused, stumbling back before falling forward.

The Goon Doc grabbed Eli, squeezing their bodies together. Eli repeatedly punched it, trying to get a hold on its slippery hide before he collided with the bedrock. Black light engulfed the boy's body, and he rose.

"Protect me," the Marauders obeyed, forming a circle around him and firing at the Shane Gang, forcing them back against the rocks.

"It will take time," Eli spoke, but not with his voice. "But until then," he rose, flexing his hand. "Hold your ground."

"Okaaayy, that there." Pronto pointed at the Shane with his blaster. "That is just creepy."

Trixie gave him a quick look over, and it hit her. "The Goon Doc," the boys gave her an incredulous looks. "Somehow, it must be doing this to Eli."

"We need DOC," exclaimed Kord. "He'd be able to cure that freaky ghoul and help Eli."

Burpy whimpered, but a faint screaming brought him out of his sulk. He remembered his friend's voice, echoing and growing fainter and fainter. He leapt down.

"Burpy!" Kord reached out, missing the Infurnus by a hair.

"Bah," Pronto sniffed. "Just like a slug, running from danger!"

Trixie remembered Doc's fading screams and his sudden disappearance. "No he's not!"  "He's going after Doc!"

Eli woke up, shivering. He called for Burpy, for his friends, anyone. But there was nothing.

"W-where," even his voice sounded cloudy. "Where am I?"

"Here is where we begin to have a little fun." That voice was back, raising goosebumps on his skin. "You see, right now, we're in your mind." It wasn't his brother. It was the Goon Doc.

Eli froze. "My mind?" He thought about the slinger, the Marauders, and the ghouls. "You parasite," he unholstered his blaster. "You used my brother, like a puppet!" He took aim. "You used him to invade and destroy our home!"

The Goon was taken aback. "Destroy?" He bared his fangs. "You upright fool! I am not here to destroy it, I am here to protect it." He hopped away, beckoning Eli to follow him.

Eli was cautious, but he had no where left to go. Besides, he had some slugs and a working blaster.

"Slugterra rightfully belongs to all slugs," the Goon hopped away, beckoning Eli over.

As Eli closed the distance, a heavy fog fell upon him. It was hot, clinging, weighing him down with each step. With each step, he felt his limbs fall numb, the fog slowly creeping in and clouding his eyes.

The land was green, and the water was clear. The slugs were populous and happy. He never saw any slugs like that, not even his own were that happy.

"You understand," the Goon brought him back. "I see you care for all slugs. You know how important they are."

The image rippled and shifted. It was Blakk, placing a Hop Rock in a chamber and filling it with Dark Water. Eli winced, even though he knew what was going on, it was still hard for him to watch.

"It is the humanoid beasts that have corrupted them," the image rippled again. There were no ghouls, but it was an even more painful sight. It was ordinary slugs, being yelled at and tossed aside. Shoved into barrels and squeezed into the chamber. What was really painful was how some people weren't trying to hurt the slugs; they were just kids playing too roughly. They just didn't know what they were doing.

"Bah," Pronto's voice echoed. "Just like a slug, running from danger!"

Eli couldn't explain it. He heard Pronto say things like this millions of times, so he learned to tune it out. But hearing him now...

"You are the Champion of the 99 Caverns," the Goon's voice was closer, a cold draft brushed his left ear. "Do you fight for the people, or will you fight for the slugs."

Eli loaded his blaster and fired.

Chapter Text

Blinded by red, Eli didn't stop slinging until he heard a voice from behind. He whirled around, aiming down. "I can see you have many questions."

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about him. He took his finger off the trigger. "Actually, I only have one: how do I kick your tiny butt out of my head!"

The Goon smiled around his fangs. "Ah, not true." Another illusion came up, the one of the cavern before he came. "You also want to know what drove me to come here," he hopped up on a boulder, "Through the wall."

Eli sneered. "And you're just gonna tell me?"

The Goon shrugged. "You should know whom you will work with," he lead the boy to another swirling vision on the floor. "Even through that wall, I sensed the presence of slug energy being corrupted."

"You mean the ghouls?" He said it so many times. Should he be worried that he was desensitized to it?

The ghoul shrugged. "I had to know who else but me had the power to make them. So with some Fandango slug energy and the Terra Portal drill, we bored through the wall to come here," his face tightened before falling. "But it seems like I was wrong, there are no ghouls here."

Eli shrugged it off. "You're too late, we cured them all and defeated the man responsible for making them."

The Goon's eye scowled. "Now I see him..." his one eye closed, before snapping open. "Thaddeus Blakk. He foolishly allied himself with the Dark Bane..."

Eli's face twisted. "How do you..."

"A barrier was broken between Slugterra," a strong look crossed the ghoul's face, "and the Deep Caverns."

"The Dark Bane would try to enter our world..." he could still see their pale faces, and Nacho beating him into a pulp. "They did enter... but we stopped them. They're gone for good." His wavered at the end.

"Ho ho ho! They're not gone," the slug smiled, almost reassuringly. "Neither is Blakk... and perhaps your father."

"What do you know about him?" Eli stepped forward, "Where is he?"

The slug shrugged, nodding to the side. "I'm just grabbing at your thoughts. You are the one keeping him alive in your heart and here in this mind."

"Get out of my head!" He took aim, only for a shout to draw his gaze to an approaching Hop Rock. "Floppers," he threw himself forward, only for the slug to knock against his shoulder and propel him forward. "Whoah!" His body hit the floor, skin tearing and blood vessels breaking. He gasping, reaching for the side of his head. "How can I be hurt? This isn't even real!" The bump felt real.

"Is it?" The Goon gave him an almost pitying look. "I assure you... the consequences of what happens here are very real." He could already feel the bruises rising. "Once you fall, you are gone. And when you are gone, the 99 caverns will be as well."

Eli opened his mouth, but all that came out was a cough. "N-no..." He was knocked back with another slug, leaving him unarmed. It had to be Pronto, trying to show off again.

"So what will it be?" The Goon kicked his blaster, sending it spinning back into his hand. "Will you fall? Or will you fight?"

When Eli stood up, the last thing that the Shane Gang expected was for him to fire a Hop Jack at them. They leapt back, slamming hard into the bedrock. More ghouls were fired overhead, forcing them to run back, paying that the shots didn't ring true.

Trixie clamped a hand over her mouth, trying not to retch. "What's the Goon doing to Eli?"

"Incoming!" They met the floor again, finding the dirt far more than the ghouls. Kord sat up and spat the dirt and gravel. "Eli, what's going on?"

"Don't act so innocent!" Another Hop Jack flew over them, bringing down a rain of boulders. They scrambled to escape the carnage, leaving some of the Marauders to be crushed. "I know what you really think, Kord."

What? Another ghoul forced them back, "Anybody got any ideas?" Another crash, another spray of gravel.

A familiar voice came up . "Pronto knows what to do!" The Molenoid crawled out "Whoop," he dodged, and continued. "Doot-doot-doot-doot," he ducked and slipped past another shower of gravel. "I am invisible, like a Molenoid ninja. Hut!" He was surprisingly graceful, slipping past fire and making his way to a Marauder without even a speck of dust. "Scup-scup-scup. Woot! Ha ha!"

He stood just behind the slinger, who was too focused on Kord to barely notice the tapping on his elbow. "Excuse me," the Marauder turned around, looked left and right, before glancing down. "I am sure that you are not aware of this, so let me tell you." Pronto cleared his throat, "Your leader... he is really a... slug!" At the slinger's blank stare, Pronto nodded excitedly.

Kord stood up, only to duck back down. "Pronto! What're you doing!?!"

"Relax," Pronto waved it off. "Once he realizes he serves a slug, I am sure he will abandon him."

"Am I right?" The Marauder lowered his blaster. "Ha-ha! You see? My plan worked!"

It did not work. The Marauder would have tazzered him, if it were not for the enraged cry of the Shane. "Hey, Pronto!" A ghoul hit the Marauder, burrowing itself into the boulder. "Still think slugs are useless?" There was a manic tilt in his voice, like a starved vagrant who just found a feast laid our for him.

"Eli, what are you doing?" Trixie was near tears, desperately trying to hold on to what little sanity was left.

"What do you think?" A Frostfang hit the boulder, encasing the makeshift barricades in ice. The ice reached for their feet, prompting them to retreat. The Marauders rushed forward, growling and screeching, firing more ghouls.

The screams, the cries, all of them were mixing into a din that echoed inside his skull. Another slug missed his ear, barely taking it off. He threw himself to the ground, coughing and rubbing at his eyes to clear the dust and tears. "Sure wish we had Burpy," Eli froze. "Uh, no offense." His slugs shrugged. They missed their friend too.

"You care so much about your Infurnus," the Goon sneered. "And yet you don't even know its significance."

"You're wrong," Eli slammed his fist against the ground. "I know how special Burpy is."

"Ah, but do you know that in each set of caverns," the ghoul's smile twisted around his teeth. "There is only one Infurnus... wielded by the protector of those caverns?"

"What? But the Dark Slinger, my brother..."

The heat was coming back, clawing at the edges of his mind.

"Yes, he had an Infurnus too..." A new illusion came up, a young man standing on top of a mountain, overlooking what resembled those Chinese landscape portraits. Pink blossoms and petals were wafting in the sky, and the water cut through the pastures in cobalt ribbons. "He was the Champion of the Eastern Realms. A highly gifted warrior with years of specialized training," he saw it, the splintered wood and broken bones, the meditations and lectures, and things he had no words for.

A new vision came up: scorched earth tactics and burning villages. People trying to escape the carnage, half eaten by flames, many succumbing to their wounds. Junjie stood there, holding a Goon Doc, entranced by what the ghoul was saying. "I used him to explore the caverns he once defended. He was unbeatable and he served me well."

"But now I need a slinger who knows these caverns and I choose you."

A Hoverbug snatched him up, throwing him into the far wall before letting him slide back to the ground. Eli's head spun. Something was clogging his throat. That's gonna hurt in the morning. "Wait. Everything here, it's all just... figments of my imagination, right?"

The Goon paused, then nodded.

"Well," he loaded Chiller. "Maybe I just need to start imagining things a little differently!" He fired at the shadows. They fired back. The slugs would have hit home if he ducked back, but he noted which ones left craters. He remembered which slingers fired them, and he fired back.

"Yes!" The Goon leapt up, fist clenched in victory. "This is the extent of your power. Go! Fulfill your destiny!"

Pronto was the one who surprisingly came out on top. He hopped onto a rock, cleared his throat, and straighten up. "I know not from whence you came," the Marauders paused. "But even there, surely they must tell tales of Pronto the Magnificent!" The responded with increased fire. "Uh!" He ducked back down. "Or maybe not."

They had been losing ground for a good hour. Morale for the Marauders had been high, if that was their motivator. They kept firing, overwhelming them with numbers, but Eli was the on who did the most damage. Thankfully, he stopped slinging randomly, and was now just aiming for them.

"Trix!" Kord pulled her away, just as a series of quills embedded themselves into the bedrock. "I've got you!"

Once again, Pronto recovered the quickest. "Oh-oh," he smoothed back the top of his head and planted the butt of his blaster against his heel. "Do not worry, they will only get to you if they get past me!" He struck what he thought was a heroic stance, puffing up his chest and tilting his head back.

Kord sighed, torn between laughing and crying. "I hate to tell ya, bro, but that's EXACTLY the kinda thing I'm worried about!"

Trixie stood up for another shot, only for something to catch her eyes. "Look! The portal's fading." The was sputtering at the edges, slowly withering away.

This prompted Eli to turn around and growl. "Hurry!" He pointed the Marauders, then at the reserved slugs they collected. "Bring them through to the other side." Three of the minions obeyed, grabbing the canisters and jumping through the portal, leaving the rest to continue pummeling the Shane Gang into dust.

Trixie ducked back down. "We've gotta stop them from getting those Fandangos to their friends or it's game over for the 99 caverns!" Another ghoul hit the bedrock, shaking the earth. It was starting to get repetitive.

Kord coughed. "We gotta stay alive first." A Dark Urchin was headed right for Kord's face, about to shoot out its quills, only to be swallowed by a Bubbaleone. It sailed back, engulfing some Marauders, only to explode as it hit the cavern wall, knocking out the remaining minions.

"Haha, there," Pronto posed once again. "You see, I told you Pronto would let no harm come to you!"

"Thanks, little dude, but..."

"Eh, minor quibble," Pronto harrumphed. "But do you really think that you should refer to the Molenoid who just saved the day as 'Little Dude'?"

"That's just it... the day, hasn't been saved." The portal was growing smaller, for now. "Not yet!"

Chapter Text

From the

History of Peach Blossom Spring by Ji Jeung

桃花源記

子张

When the Archer Yang first traveled to beyond the reach of Peach Blossom Spring Cavern, he presented himself before the Great Yuan clan that ruled Serenity Cavern.

Yang came to the palace, knelt before the Chieftain Yuan Xian, bowing so that his forehead touched the floor. The Patriarch let him stand and approach the throne.

"You have done a great service for our kingdom. Please, stay and rest. You will be treated well and kindly."

Yang did as he was told, and was allowed to stay in a great palace made of gold and red wood, filled with damask cushions and attended to by slaves that wore gold collars and finery. The walls were line with rubies and sapphires, and the ceiling was filled with diamond warriors overcoming diamond beasts. That night, at the great feast held in his honor, he was presented with the finest meats and wines immediately after the Chieftain had his taste, after which it would be given to the Chieftain's family. The Chieftain clapped his hands, and the dancers and musicians came into their tent.

Yang saw a young musician playing a small lute. When he asked, he was told that was the Chieftain's only daughter, Wei Heng, who volunteered to honor their hero's skill with her own. The morning after, she would give him a coat she fashioned from heavy, black sable.

After seven days and seven nights of Yang serving the Chieftain and feasting with the Wei Clan, the Chieftain summoned the Archer again to reward him with his daughter’s hand in marriage and a Midas slug to provide them income.  After a month of preparations, where Yang worked tirelessly for the family to pay his dowry, he eventually wed the beautiful Lady Wei. Soon, they traveled back to Peach Blossom Spring Cavern to start their new lives.

Even with the Midas slug, the couple chose to have a modest living. Living with the Champion of the Eastern Caverns, Lady Wei lived happily off her husband’s luxury. The Archer was enamored with his concubine, and they soon had a son, Yang Xi.  But, this happiness was not to last. Yang’s apprentice, Bengmeng, grew covetous of his master’s power and the beauty of his consort, he burgled the Archer’s house and attempted to take Lady Wei and the Midas slug for himself.

Lady Wei refused, taking her father’s dagger and holding it to her own throat, only relenting when Bengmeng did. When he demanded the slug, Lady Wei used it against him.

When Yang returned, he found his house made of gold, with his happy infant son playing with the Midas slug and two statues. In his grief, he had the Grand Temple built, with Lady Wei at the center of the great pagoda, standing tall and proud with her husband’s bow. Yang would raise his son in that temple, teaching the boy to honor his mother and her sacrifice.