The weeks after Blakk's escape were full of nonstop work.

Days were spent either training, preparing for missions, or actually going on missions. Antimony had been the first cavern Blakk had gone after, but definitely not the last. Every day at least one call would come in, either helping evacuate from an overwhelming full-scale invasion or attacking the first Blakk Industries footsoldiers anyone saw to prevent Doctor Blakk from taking another cavern.

The Shane Gang may only include one adult (although when the adult is Pronto, it couldn't exactly be called adult supervision), but they needed no prompting to stay focused. As tantalizing as it would have been to spend free time playing video games, everyone was finding ways to be productive.

Alana would have liked to spend that time training- she wanted to push the limits of her energy and slinging, do everything she could to be prepared for the inevitable final battle. But the usual exhaustion from so much slinging combined with the daily contact with ghouls and dark energy was taking its toll.

It wasn't as bad as when she'd been ill enough to need a visit to the Lightwell, but Alana knew she was behaving radically different than her usual chipper self. Every moment the gang as a whole wasn't training or on a mission, she was curled up in her bean bag chair, fast asleep. Facing the constant dark energy was almost as tiring as any duel itself, and she was desperate to get as much rest as possible.

After a morning spent doing recon, trying to figure out Blakk's next moves before he made them, the gang returned to the hideout to await another inevitable distress call. The second she walked through the door, Alana made a beeline for her chair. She paused for a split second to set her bandoleer, blaster, and backpack on the coffee table before collapsing on the bean bag chair, asleep almost instantly.

The good part about the quick rests was that Alana was never asleep long enough to dream. No nightmares plagued her, helping keep her mind a little clearer. But the rests were quick, often interrupted by distress calls.

Alana wasn't surprised when, after what seemed like mere minutes after she closed her eyes, the distress alarm began to blare through the hideout. She sprang to her feet, ignoring the head rush that came from the rapid movement. A thin blanket fell to the ground- she hadn't grabbed one before laying down, she realized. None of the other slingers could understand what it was like to have her energy struggles, but they did their best to have her back.

"Where are we headed?" Alana asked, blinking sleep from her eyes as she slid on her black backpack.

"Out near Undertow," Kord replied, rushing past Alana and into the garage to prepare the Mechas. "Real patched up message, dated a week ago."

"Why are we just now getting it?" Alana asked, clipping on her bandoleer and following Kord into the garage. Eli, Trixie, and Pronto followed behind.

"Blakk attacked the cavern a while back, and his workers have been scrambling any messages for help," Trixie explained as she hopped onto her Mecha. "But this one made it through. We're going to have to expect a big fight. They've had too much time to get ready for us."

"A big fight, Pronto's specialty!" Pronto exclaimed, leaping onto his Mecha. "Doctor Blakk's workers could never be ready for the wrath of Pronto the Magnificent!"

"Then let's head out, gang!" Eli said, leading the team out of the garage and through Wild Spores Cavern.

Alana rubbed at her head. It didn't hurt yet, but she had a feeling that facing the amount of ghouls Blakk was able to make in over a week would make her miss Mage even more.

"So, where exactly are we heading?" Alana asked, riding up alongside Eli.

"Uh, you already asked me that," Kord called up. Eli frowned, and Alana felt heat rush up to her face.

"Oh- right. I forgot. Near Undertow, right?" she asked. Eli nodded.

"Are you sure you're okay to keep coming on missions?" he asked, and Alana's shoulders dropped. "If you need to take a break, it's fine. You've been going up against dark energy nonstop-"

"I can't just take a break because I don't wanna deal with ghouls. Nobody wants to deal with ghouls," Alana said, pressing down her irritation. Eli asked her that question on a daily basis now. She knew he meant well, but she didn't want another reminder that she couldn't keep up with the onslaught of darkness forever.

"Sure, but nobody else gets affected by dark energy like you do," Trixie argued.

"I affect dark energy, too," Alana reminded. "Without Doc and Mage, I'm the only way we can cure ghouls."

With every victory the gang had, they were left with dozens of ghouls they couldn't handle. Alana would do her best to heal as many as she could, but she had to conserve her energy- she never knew when the next fight would be.

"Don't worry," Alana assured as the gang rode on. People gave them wary glances whenever they passed through a town, as if hoping the gang wouldn't stop close to them, which would mean another fight against Blakk's forces. "I get plenty of power naps-"

"A skill you picked up from me, no doubt!"

"Absolutely, Pronto- and I may not be at a hundred percent, but I'm still in fighting condition."

~~~~~~~~

Alana may have still had energy and life to spare, the cavern did not.

The remote area was near Undertow. Teal sea replaced solid ground, and citizens lived mainly on a large central island at the heart of the cavern, with small ones scattered around it. It was usually bright and lively, but as soon as the Shane Gang's Mechas took to the water, the slingers knew something was wrong.

The water resembled more of a gray than teal. The pale purple cavern ceiling was also desaturated, and any sand banks the gang passed had not lush, vivid flora, but withered grass and dead flowers. Alana shivered, even though the cavern was known for being warm.

"The cavern is dying," she said quietly. Ash chirped sadly from her shoulder, looking around at the dull surroundings. She rubbed at her arms, trying to drive away the chill even though she knew she couldn't. "I can barely even feel the Aquabeeks that should be in the sea. There's not a lot of light energy left in the cavern. It's a good thing we got the message when we did- I'm not sure how much longer it'll will last."

"If the cavern is this far gone, we'll be in for a tough fight," Eli said, tensing as the central island came into view. "I'm positive the call came from-"

"Incoming!" Alana suddenly yelled, swerving Midnight to the side, the Mecha's water skis kicking up saltwater. A ghoul sped by the gang, landing in the water behind them with a small explosion.

"The central island," Eli finished, loading his blaster as the bank of the island came into view. It was covered in golden brown sand, and Alana could briefly see slightly off-colored spots moving around, firing ghouls. Blakk's workers had gotten a camouflage upgrade.

Ghouls began to fly left and right. Alana wove Midnight through the assault, wincing at the wave of dark energy, but not hesitating to press forward.

"Getting a little choppy out here!" Kord called as he narrowed avoided a Harmashelt.

"It'll get worse once we're on the beach," Eli replied grimly. "Blakk's forces are dug in deep. Alana, any reads on their firepower?"

"Lots?" Alana replied helplessly, shrugging. "This cavern is so low on energy, trying to hone in on the beach is like having the Enigmo's double vision. I'm willing to bet there's a gattler."

Her guess was confirmed as the gang reached the beach and the ghoulfire increased. A small fortress was built into the sand, where a uniformed Blakk Industries worker was manning a gattler blaster.

Alana pressed a button on Midnight's control panel. The wolf shifted forms, contracting the water skiis and extending legs, sprinting up the beach.

"Keep moving!" Eli called as continuous waves of ghouls erupted all around the gang. "We need to get up as far as we can before we hunker down!"

Alana bit her lip as she avoided the ghouls, her head throbbing at the dark energy surrounding her. She fell back a bit, riding just behind Eli and forcing herself to just focus on following him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pronto get blasted off his Mecha, but quickly recover and burrow down into the sand.

Eli, Trixie, and Alana stopped their Mechas and dove down to the ground, skidding in the sand and staying low to hide behind a stretch of rocks. But the gattler immediately turned towards them, hammering the stone with explosive ghouls.

"We need better cover!" Alana called, firing her Frostcrawler, Kelvin. The slug created a wall of ice, temporarily shielding the slingers, but was almost immediately shattered by a Thrasher. Eli dove to the side to avoid a falling chunk of ice and turned back to Kord, who'd taken cover behind his large Mecha.

"Kord! A little help?" he yelled, laying almost flat on the sand to avoid a Pyringo.

"On it!" Kord replied, firing the Crystalyd that often made its rounds throughout the gang. The teal and red slug flew down close to the ground before diving into the sand and drilling a wide trench that the gang could take cover in.

Eli led the way, sprinting across an open patch of sand before diving into the trench. Alana followed next to Trixie, who kept a hand on Alana's elbow to help steady her with all the dark energy around them.

Alana slid into the trench, dusting sand out of her hair and taking deep breaths as the ghoulfire continued, shaking the beach around them.

"If we don't take out that gattler, we're gonna be buried in this thing," Kord said, wincing as a Hop Jack explosion temporarily filled the air with smoke.

"We're not taking it down with normal shooting," Alana said. "Now that we're closer, I can feel the energy it's packing. It won't run out of ammo anytime soon."

"Well, then, time for the double barrel," Eli said with a smile, clipping the double barrel mod to his blaster.

"No experimenting," Trixie pleaded, only half joking.

"Definitely not," Eli agreed. "Burpy and Joules!"

Alana loaded her Phosphoro, Lux, ready to create a distraction to clear the way for the fusion. Suddenly, one of the sides of the trench began to shake, and Pronto appeared, brushing sand from his arms.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked. Trixie lunged forward and yanked him out of his tunnel just before a Hop Jack crashed into it, exploding and spraying the gang with sand and dust.

"Just barely!" Trixie coughed. Alana smiled faintly at the ordeal before standing up, resting her arm on the top of the trench and firing her Phosphoro. The slug wove through the air, releasing several bright blue and green fireworks, catching the attention of the ghoulslingers.

Eli stood, taking a moment to relax and aim before firing Burpy and Joules. Especially in a cavern with dwindling energy, Alana relished in the energy released as the two slugs transformed in unison.

The fusion sent a ball of flames and lightning shooting down the beach, sending workers flying before it came into contact with the fort, demolishing it and the gattler. Any workers who weren't unconscious scrambled to their feet and ran off the beach and into the jungle that lined the edge of the shore.

"That might be my favorite fusion," Alana said with a smile as the gang climbed out of the trench, her headache already slightly fading. She looked around, scanning the sand and finding no fighters left standing. "Beach is clear."

"We did it," Eli said with a relieved laugh, holstering his blaster. "But something tells me that was the easy part. C'mon, let's head into town."

The gang retrieved their Mechas and picked their way through the debris-filled beach. Alana looked down at the ghouls that scattered whenever the gang approached, her heart sinking.

"You'll be able to help them after we take back the cavern," Eli said, glancing at her as she watched an Attacknet hiss and take off into the jungle. "I know you don't like leaving them, but we need you to stay on your feet as long as you can."

Alana nodded, wishing (not for the first time that day) that they still had Doc and Mage. "I know. Once we run Blakk's men out of the cavern, though, I'll have to cure more than usual," she said, glancing up at the desaturated mushroom trees that lined the path into town.

But if the island's flora looked bad, the town looked even worse. The streets were littered with debris. Shops had shattered windows and busted down doors. Slug and ghoul canisters clattered down the streets, pushed away by the Shane Gang's Mechas.

"Wow," Alana breathed. Ash chirped sadly from her shoulder, but pirked up when a whistle sounded down the street. People began to slowly appear from alleys and buildings, cheering at the sight of the Shane Gang. Alana's worry immediately melted away as she slid down off her Mecha and smiled at a trio of kids who ran up excitedly, gawking at the group of slingers.

"You saved us!" a woman cheered, rushing forward and resting a vibrant lei around Eli's neck. While Trixie laughed about how uncomfortable Eli looked, one of the kids, a little girl, ran up to Alana with her hands cupped around something. She held her hands out to Alana, who laughed nervously and held her hands out to receive whatever her gift was. With kids, it was impossible to tell- it could be a large bug, or a pretty rock. Luckily, it was nothing harmless- a bright blue island flower.

Alana smiled and tucked the stem of the flower into her belt, on the opposite side of her holster. "It's beautiful! Thank you so much," she said. The little girl giggled, giving a nearly incoherent "you're welcome," before falling silent when Trixie cleared her throat.

"What happened here?" she asked, looking around the crowd for an answer. The people's smiles and cheers faded into grim faces and quiet murmurs.

A voice sounded from above, where a building's second-floor wall had been completely knocked away. Alana looked up and saw a tall woman walk to the edge of the floor, looking down at the street. She was lean, with tan skin and medium-length white hair and pointed ears. She held a wooden walking staff in one hand, and certainly looked like she'd seen her fair share of fights.

"Blakk guards moved in a while ago. Built that beach head and took the town," the woman said, picking her way through the rubble and walking to the other edge of the building. "Overwhelming forces led by someone or something I've never seen before. And I've seen plenty."

She kicked aside a broken-down street sign, revealing a clear view of the hill rising up behind the town, covered in trees and heavy foliage. A tall fortress sat at the top of the hill, detailed with red and sporting Blakk's symbol.

"Most of the cavern's native slugs have been captured, and taken to that fortress at the center of the island. They're being turned into ghouls," the woman continued coldly. She jumped down to the street, walking up to Eli. "All of our attempts to stop them have failed. Indra," she introduced, holding out a hand.

Eli nodded and shook it. "Eli Shane," he said, although Alana knew he figured most people would know that by now.

"We need to take down that stronghold as soon as possible," Alana said, stepping forward. "Without slug energy, this cavern will die. It's already started to fade."

Eli nodded in agreement. "We need to get there and bust those slugs out, fast."

"I wish it was that easy," Indra said. She leaned her staff on her side and unclipped a holoscreen from her belt. She unfolded it, revealing a lime green 3D map of the island. "First you'll have to get past this blockade on the road out of town."

She gestured to a tall blockade just inside the jungle, flashing with Blakk's red V symbol.

"No sweat," Eli said, but Indra shook her head.

"This blockade makes what you just fought look like a walk on the beach," she said. "And it's the only way to the stronghold."

Eli looked over the map, and Alana could practically see the gears spinning in his head. She sighed and took a couple steps back, letting the rest of the gang crowd around the map while she leaned against Midnight, pressing one hand to her head. The joy from taking the beach was fading, and it was being replaced by a chill that was a constant reminder of how close this cavern was to fading.

"But once we get past the blockade, it looks like there's a back way to the stronghold, through the jungle," he said, pointing to a back road that snakes through the jungle.

"If we sneak back that way, we might be able to free the slugs without firing a shot!" Trixie said.

"But if we do fire a shot, we're gonna need every slug we've got," Kord said. "And then some."

One of the kids that had initially greeted Alana stepped forward. A young boy, with makeshift armor made of cardboard, with an orange star drawn at the center.

"Then take my slug," he said, holding up a hand. Alana leaned forward to watch as Eli knelt down to the boy's level. The slug was yellow and brown, and Alana knew she had seen it before, but with the coldness swarming in her head like a group of Hoverbugs, she couldn't think of what kind of slug it was. The slug hopped onto Eli's hand, chirping quietly.

"Thanks," Eli said. "What's his name?"

"Who names their slugs?" the kid asked, and Alana bit back a scoff. She and the rest of the gang glanced at Eli knowingly, knowing that if the situation were different, he'd probably give a good speech about slugs being teammates. Instead, Eli just shrugged.

"I do," he said simply. The boy smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Cool," he said. Eli thought for a moment.

"I'll call you... Rookie," he decided. He looked back over at the boy. "What's he do?"

"Beats me," the kid replied. "I don't have a blaster. Never seen him reach velocity."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Eli said, holding his hand up to his shoulder so Rookie could meet Burpy. Indra led the gang to an alleyway, where a small fire was lit. A group of slingers stood and sat around it, many bandaged or repairing broken gear.

"I'll assemble a group. We still have some decent slingers standing," Indra said.

Eli won't have that, Alana thought, and sure enough, the Shane shook his head.

"Thanks, but you and your team need to stay here to keep this side of the island protected," he said.

"Well, they certainly won't mind the rest," Indra admitted. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Eli insisted. "Meet us at the blockade after we have it secured."

Eli turned to the rest of the gang. "Ready to move out?" he asked. Everyone nodded except Alana, who was staring at the desaturated trees behind the town buildings. Worry gnawed at her- feeling the cavern so lifeless was daunting. "Alana, are you good to head out, or do you need to hang back?"

Alana blinked a few times, clearing her head before nodding. "I'm fine, yeah."

Indra eyed her warily. "Were you injured in the fight?"

"No," Alana said quickly. "I'm good, I promise. We should head out."

Eli nodded, jumping up on Lucky and glancing at Indra.

"We'll call you when the blockade's ours," he said. "Hopefully, it'll be soon."

~~~~~~~~

Alana hated the ride through the jungle.

She knew just by looking around that normally, it would be a vibrant and beautiful place. There should have been bright flowers and the chatter of wild slugs. But instead, it was dead silent except for the footsteps of the Shane Gang's rides. The plants were nearly colorless, all pale moss green or gray-purple. Alana could feel the void where the cavern's energy should have been, and it was discomforting to know that where there was usually energy pulsing beneath the ground, there was nothing.

She wished she could just summon a blast of energy and cure the cavern. But she had no way of actually bonding the energy to the cavern. If she summoned a burst of light energy, the plants would perk up a bit, maybe- but it was fade away. The cavern's only hope was to have its slugs returned to normal, so the energy would return naturally.

The slingers were silent as they crept through the jungle. Finally, when the stronghold came into view, Eli halted the gang, scoping the wall out with a pair of binoculars. Alana could feel the mass of dark energy created by the large amount of ghouls. She could see camouflaged workers pacing around the stronghold, all heavily armed.

"Well, here goes nothing," Eli said. "Get ready, guys, we're going live!"

He led the gang forward, charging toward the wall. Alana transformed Midnight into bike mode, focusing on the wind hitting her face instead of the iciness prickling at her head.

The revving engines quickly caught the attention of Blakk's workers, who began to open fire. Alana wove from side to side, avoiding as many ghouls as she could without having to use her slugs. Eli pressed forward and glanced back.

"I need a distraction!" he called.

"Consider it done!" both Trixie and Pronto responded in unison.

"Jinx! Double jinx!" they both said.

"You owe me a a smoothie!" Trixie called.

"You owe me a larvae vomit sandwich!" Pronto exclaimed. Alana winced and exchanged a disgusted glance with Kord

Trixie fired a Tormato while Pronto fired his Flatulorhinkus. Stinky made a cloud of foul purple and green gas that Bluster blew forward with a whirlwind. The tornado of stink picked three ghoulslingers up off their feet and sent them flying into the mushroom trees, gagging at the stench of the gas.

"Good job!" Eli called back. "Alana, you got enough speed?"

Alana glanced down at Midnight's screen. The blockade was approaching, and she was reaching one hundred miles per hour.

"Yep!" she called, riding forward so she was alongside Eli, loading Ash in her blaster.

"Three, two, one- fire!" Eli called. The two fired their Infurnus slugs, who were both glowing with an orange aura.

Burpy and Ash soared through the air, megamorphing with a flash, and Alana was able to temporarily forget about the dark energy plaguing her. She watched with wonder in her eyes as Ash and Burpy wove and spun through the air, sending ghouls crashing to the ground and spitting fireballs at ghoulslingers.

"Yes!" Eli cheered, and the gang began to open fire now that there was a break in ghoulfire, slowing down their Mechas. Alana fired her Tazerling, Watts, electrocuting two ghoulslingers. Eli rapid fired, slinging whatever slugs he could get to first, but stopped after one particular shot.

"Hey, that was Rookie!" he said. Alana normally would have been more interested in the new slug, but the ghoulslingers were opening fire again, and she had a feeling they'd been debriefed on her energy. She narrowing avoided two Vamparo ghouls, and while they didn't make contact, they definitely didn't help her headache.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rookie transform and drop bright blue spheres. Blakk's workers scattered, ready for some form of attack, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Alright then," Eli said, coming to a screeching halt on his Mecha and turning it to the side to create some cover. Kord and Pronto did the same next to him, while Alana and Trixie set up twenty feet over to split the ghoulfire.

"We need a plan to take those ghoulslingers down!" Trixie called, ducking as a Thrasher spun through the air above her and Alana. Eli fired a Sand Angler, causing the group of three ghoulslingers at the base of the stronghold to break out into uncontrollable laughter. Alana glanced down at her Frightgeist, Mare. She didn't use the slug often, but there was no time like the present to try.

"You got this, girl," Alana said encouragingly, trying to put on a cheerful smile despite the fact that the longer she stayed in this cavern, the longer she felt disconnected from the light. She fired Mare at the ghoulslingers. Their laughs quickly morphed into screams as Mare created phantoms and monsters that only they could see.

Kord fired a Vinedrill that grabbed the panicking workers, suspending them in midair by green tendrils, their blasters clattering to the ground. Alana sighed with relief, sitting down on the ground and resting while Eli called Indra and told her the blockade was secured.

Shortly after, Indra and a half dozen slingers arrived, cheerful and excited. One even had a flag with the Shane symbol painted on it, sticking it in the ground in front of the blockade. The Shane Gang mingled around with the slingers- all except for Alana. She sat on the ground, leaning against one of Midnight's legs. She had a smile on her face, but she could feel the cold prickling at her head and heart. The cavern was far from safe.

Finally, Eli got the gang gathered up and prepared to ride out to attack the fortress itself.

"We'll set up base here to protect your backside," Indra said as Eli climbed onto Lucky. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Alright, Shane Gang. If we wanna take the stronghold by surprise, we need to leave now," Eli called, leading the way back into the jungle.

Unfortunately, the gang quickly had to abandon their Mechas. Speed would have been nice, but especially without slugs to provide white noise in the jungle, the Mecha engines would give the gang away.

Alana had been a slinger for years, and had good stamina. But after a while of trekking through the jungle on foot while feeling like her own energy was fading away with the cavern's, she was beginning to wish she'd gotten to sleep more earlier that day.

Occasionally, there would be small breaks in the journey, but they were never good. There were patrols of ghoulslingers that periodically walked through the jungle with a slug hound. Whenever they were in sight, the gang would have to move for the nearest bush or tree and remain absolutely still and silent for what felt like hours (but was likely only a couple minutes).

During one such stop, Pronto opened the holoscreen, checking the map. "The back side of the stronghold is tantalizingly near!" he said. Then, for the third time in the last ten minutes, "I remind you all, stealth is our greatest strength right now!"

Trixie rolled her eyes at the unnecessary reminder before glancing at Alana, who'd had a visual on the latest slug hound patrol. Alana leaned forward, peering through the leaves of the bush she was hiding behind and feeling around the trees near them. She couldn't feel any dark energy, but it was difficult to pick up on when the cavern was deteriorating around her. Every once in a while, dust would crumble down from the cavern ceiling, or Alana would see a plant wither just a little more.

At one point, Alana was almost so focused on watching the plant life around her for any further signs of fading, she nearly crashed into Trixie, who had stopped in her tracks. Alana frowned and looked up at Eli, who was glaring over his shoulder at his backpack. His slugs were all chirping, and it was loud, echoing throughout the jungle.

"I cannot stress the importance of stealth!" Pronto hissed. But the slugs didn't stop. Suddenly, a pulsing bright blue sphere shout out of Eli's backpack, falling and landing on Pronto's face, detonating on impact with an explosion that sent the molenoid to the ground and rang out through the trees.

Alana gasped and looked around, already trying to sense where the inevitable ghoulslingers would approach from. Sure enough, even through the haze of the cavern's fading energy, she could feel their new enemies approaching.

"Twelve o'clock!" she called, loading her blaster as a Hop Jack suddenly sailed towards them, landing in front of Pronto and sending him toppling back. Three ghoulslingers and their slug hound appeared from the desaturated foliage.

Alana fired her Aquabeek to stop an oncoming Pyringo, but had to dive for cover when a Dark Urchin launched long spikes through the air. One cut her just above the ankle, and she hissed in pain as she landed behind a tree next to Kord, but she had bigger things to worry about as explosions shook the forest around them.

A ghoulslinger tried to run around the side of the tree, but Kord stuck out an arm, clotheslining him. Alana's Arachnet, Webs, hurriedly spat a spider web over the cut on her leg. As soon as he was done, she stepped out from around the tree and fired her Jellyish, Ali.

Ali spun in midair, sending bits of lime green goo flying at the ghoulslingers. Alana prepared to duck out of the way herself, but was pleasantly surprised when her slug kept the attack strictly to Blakk's workers, covering them in the stinging goo.

Alana couldn't help but smile as she briefly remembered the day when she'd been hit with the Thrasher in the forest, the first time she'd fought a ghoul, and had shortly after met the rest of the gang. Then, Ali had gotten some of the goo on her arm, but Alana had definitely gotten more practice since then.

Pronto took down the slug hound, while Eli and Trixie used Hoverbugs and Tazerlings to take down the remaining ghoulslingers. Once the coast was clear, the five regrouped at the very edge of the forest. Alana felt herself beginning to slow down, but she didn't dare say anything to make the others doubt whether or not she should continue.

"Well, so much for the element of surprise," Ei said, glancing up at the fortress, just up a small hill.

"Yeah. I bet everyone in the place is pointing a weapon at us," Trixie noted. Eli grabbed the pair of binoculars, scanning the outer walls of the fortress. His shoulders dropped.

"Well, if it isn't everyone, it might as well be. Look, right at our twelve- it's a Dark Bane," he said. Alana followed his gaze, and sure enough, she could see a Dark Bane patrolling on top of the fortress wall, weilding a gattler.

The Dark Bane paused his patrol, whipping his head around and scanning the area. Then he swung the gattler around and began to open fire, launching a wave of Hop Jacks and Harmashelts at the Shane Gang.

"Incoming!" Eli called,sprinted forward to where there were rocks and bushes acting as cover in front of the fortress. Alana ducked as a Harmashelt buzzed pst her head.

"You think?" she called as she ran alongside him, sliding to a halt behind a rock, the rest of the gang following behind.

"So, our cover has been blown, we are vastly outnumbered, and a vicious Dark Bane from the pits of the Deep Caverns is manning the largest gattler I have ever seen!" Pronto exclaimed, ducking as explosions shook the ground. "Ha! And they think they have a chance against Pronto!"

Alana couldn't help but laugh, popping up from behind the rock to fire her Rammstone before ducking back down. The Dark Bane hardly flinched, swinging his gattler up and knocking the Rammstone aside as if he was swatting a fly.

Then, all of a sudden, Alana felt a chill. She gasped and looked up at the fortress. There was a flash of red light from the windows, then a barely visible shockwave was emitted from the building. With a low rumble, the cavern around Alana turned even more desaturated, now almost completely devoid of color. Even the blue ceiling now looked dusty gray.

Alana slid down against the rock, gasping as spots danced in her vision.

I am not passing out, I am not passing out, she thought to herself, trying to control her breathing as she felt the cavern losing its battle with the dark energy.

"Alana! You okay? Those guys are ghouling slugs like there's no tomorrow!" Kord exclaimed. Alana pressed her hands on either side of her head, but nodded.

"The cavern's not gonna last much longer," Alana managed as the shock from the wave wore off. She still felt disoriented, but now at least it wasn't like she was spiraling into a void.

"I need more time for my blaster to recharge before I can use the double barrel again," Eli said.

"What about a megamorph?" Trixie asked, looking back and forth between Eli and Alana.

"Sure," Eli said, dodging as a Thrasher spun over his head. "But how do I get enough speed? I guess we'll just have to work with what we have."

Alana nodded, standing up over the rock and forcing herself to think past her headache. She fired her Bubbaleone, the pink slug swallowing up a Greneater just before it detonated. When she ducked back down behind the cover, Eli was holding Burpy, looking at the Infurnus with concern.

"You just want me to shoot you at the wall?" he asked. Burpy nodded, hopping in Eli's blaster.

That won't do much good, Alana couldn't help but think. But she knew Eli trusted his slug. Sure enough, the Shane didn't argue, firing the Infurnus straight into the wave of ghouls from the gattler.

Burpy sped through the air, blasting two ghouls with balls of flame before a Harmashelt knocked him to the ground. Alana's eyes widened as one of the workers on the wall quickly fired an Attacknet, yanking the Infurnus up into his grasp. He quickly disappeared, and Alana felt her heart sink when she realized Burpy would be taken to be ghouled.

"Burpy!" Eli called. Alana could see his grip tighten on his blaster, and his teal eyes narrowed as he turned toward the rest of the gang. "We've gotta take this hill and free those slugs!"

Alana winced as she felt another wave of iciness from the fortress. She slid down to the ground, holding her head and trying to block out her headache.

"And we've gotta do it fast," Eli added. Alana glanced up and saw his new slug, Rookie, eagerly jump into Eli's blaster.

"Are you sure?" Eli asked. Rookie nodded and chirped. "Alright, then. No time like the present to see what you can do," Eli said, standing up over the rock and firing Rookie.

The slug wove through the air, releasing several small blue spheres that stuck to the fortress wall. Some traveled over the wall, and Alana heard yells of alarm as the workers scrambled around. For a moment, they went silent. Then, one by one, the blue balls began to explode, each letting out a bright blue flash and cloud of smoke. Even though Alana could feel the cavern deteriorating, she couldn't help but laugh in wonder as Blakk's workers fell to each explosion.

"Yes!" Eli hollered, pumping his fist in the air. "Rookie did it! Let's move!"

The gang jumped over the rock, taking advantage of the lack of ghoulfire. The workers still standing tried to hold the five back, but even Alana, trailing a bit behind the group, was able to avoid the Grimmstones they sent her way.

"Save your best slugs for the real threat- the Dark Bane," Eli called as the Shane Gang stormed the fortress, firing at the few workers still standing at the wall. "Alana, can you get us an opening?"

Alana nodded, firing her Grenuke at the wall. The slug exploded and knocked down a portion of the wall. Eli led the way over the rubble. He and the rest of the gang opened fire on the ghoulslingers still left standing, but Alana hung back at the wall, taking deep breaths as another head rush struck her.

Her twin Fandango slugs, Spark and Pulse, jumped onto her shoulders. They each glowed teal for a moment, giving off a small bit of light energy. Alana's shoulders relaxed as she felt her headache fade. She knew it was a temporary fix, but it was better than nothing.

"Thanks, guys," she said, following after her teammates as they pressed forward to the inside of the fortress. "Now, rest up. Once we win this, I've got a lot of slugs to cure."

The slugs nodded and jumped back into her black backpack. Alana jogged into the fortress after Eli and the gang, her surroundings quickly turning from an open clearing to dark gray halls lined with scarlet. Eli came to a halt as the hall split into two directions, glancing back at Alana.

"Can you tell where the ghouls are?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah. Take a left," Alana said. She could feel the mass of dark energy growing near, and prayed that Burpy wasn't ghouled yet.

"Allow Pronto to lead the charge!" Pronto exclaimed, running forward ahead of the rest of the gang as they ran down the hall, taking another right.

Pronto suddenly slammed to a halt, shrieking and diving behind Kord. "Ah! Perhaps you all can go first!"

Kord held out his arms to stop Eli, Trixie, and Alana from running straight into the Dark Bane. The ghastly pale monster growled and raised his gattler, standing in the doorway of a red-tinted room, where Alana could feel dark water and dozens of ghouls.

"I don't care what order I shoot you in. I have enough ghouls for everyone!" the Dark Bane growled, opening fire. The gang scattered to each side of the hall, taking what little cover they could in the narrow beams that occasionally protruded from the walls.

"Hit him high!" Eli called to Kord, who fired a Rammstone that was quickly knocked away by an Amperling.

"I can't hit him at all!" Kord exclaimed.

"But you distracted him," Eli said, firing his Arachnet at the Dark Bane's legs, tying them in spider silk.

But instead of even looking mildly annoyed, the Dark Bane just shook his head and laughed, taking a step forward and snapping the web with ease.

"Little Shane," he jeered, raising his gattler. "If you're the best this world has to offer, Slugterra is doomed!"

He fired another wave of ghouls. Alana pressed herself up against the wall, avoiding an Amperling, but a Hop Jack was speeding toward her. She raised her hands, forcing herself to work past the overwhelming void emanated from the dying cavern and summoning a burst of light energy. Her hands glowed blue, and in a flash, the ghoul reverted back to protoform, now a Hop Rock.

"Ah, and the little Caelum as well!" the Dark Bane called as Alana ducked back behind a pillar. "Your predecessor fell to the darkness, and you will, as well!"

Alana narrowed her eyes in fury, stepping forward and firing Ash. The Infurnus slammed into the Dark Bane's chest, sending him to the ground. With a scowl, the creature fired at the ceiling, causing part of it to cave in and sealing himself off from the Shane Gang with the debris.

The gang all stepped out from behind their cover, taking a moment to breathe before Eli loaded an Armashelt to get rid of the debris. Alana frowned when she heard yells and crashes coming from the other side- what was the Dark Bane fighting?

Eli's Armashelt blasted away the rubble and the gang pressed forward. Alana's eyes widened when she saw Rookie sitting on a control panel, the glass container holding back the slugs to be ghouled now shattered. The Dark Bane was swinging his gattler at Rookie.

"I'll crush you, slug, like a maggot!" the monster yelled. Eli fired his Rammstone, knocking aside the Dark Bane's gattler.

"You won't do squat, Dark Bane!" Eli retorted as he led the way into the room. Alana wanted to join the fight, but forced herself to stay back, eyeing the two tall cylinders of dark water warily. For a moment, she thought back to being trapped in a similar tube, dark water gas descending upon her.

Yeah, let's not get too close, she thought, staying at the room's exit and watching as the Shane Gang opened fire on the Dark Bane. The gattler was much more suited for ranged fights. With so little space to maneuver, the Dark Bane was quickly finding himself outmatched.

Trixie fired an Armashelt at the creature, who ducked at the last second. The slug knocked a gaping hole in the wall that led to the outside of the fortress. The Dark Bane scowled and eyed each of the slingers furiously.

"This is far from over. It's only just begun," he warned, before tilting his blaster over the edge of the hole and firing a single shot, jumping down out of the fortress.

The rest of the gang rushed forward to the hole, and Alana stepped forward just enough to see a swirling red and black terraportal fade away. The Dark Bane was gone.

"That was easy," Pronto noted.

~~~~~~~~

An hour later, the Shane Gang returned to the town. Alana was held up between Trixie and Eli, having insisted she was able to walk and then promptly biting it after curing as many ghouls as she could get her hands on.

The process had drained her, but Alana knew it was worth it when she saw the cavern's colors slowly begin to return. She could feel the flickers of energy pulsing in the ground again, like a faint heartbeat.

The townspeople celebrated, taking turns thanking the Shane Gang for their help and congratulating them for their victory. Alana sat down on the ground, leaning against a shop while the rest of the gang stood nearby, talking to Indra.

"The cavern is brightening. Given time, it will heal. I know that wasn't easy for you," Indra said, glancing down at Alana. "But thank you for healing so many ghouls. We'll search for a solid Boon Doc to cure the rest as soon as we can."

"No problem," Alana said weakly, giving a thumbs-up.

"Well, looks like another win for the Shane Gang," Kord said, stretching out his arms. But Trixie shook her head, stepping forward.

"No, it's not," she said grimly.

She held a small holoscreen in her hands, opened up on a map of Slugterra. Even from the ground, Alana could see several red V's appearing throughout the caverns. Blakk.

"Distress calls," Trixie said, handing the holoscreen to Eli. "Multiple. Blakk is on the move."

"It wasn't just this cavern," Eli gasped, his eyes widening as two more red marks appear. "He's taking all of Slugterra!"

For a moment, the group was silent. Then he sighed and clicked the holoscreen shut.

"Well, he's in for a fight," Eli said. "We'll confront him and the Dark Bane head-on, like we've just done, and show that his ghouls are no match for the Shane Gang. Slugterra will not fall."

He and Trixie both held out a hand for Alana. She took them, getting to her feet and stretching out her back. Her two Fandango slugs hopped onto her hand.

"Well, someone slug me," Alana said, holding out the slugs. "And let's get going!"