Key To My Heart || Slugterra

48| Shadow Clan

2 days before war...

Junjie and I walked alongside each other on our mechas silently as Pronto led us to the Dark Periphery underground hideout.

Phoenix perched on my shoulder, setting herself ablaze to light up the gloomy hallway. The Dark Periphery underground hideout was where we keep the rest of the slugs that were going to be used with the gattlers. No one wanted to live under the Shadow Clan territory, hence it was dedicated to the slugs. The muffled conversations of the people slowly faded away as we approached our destination.

I had never encountered a Shadow Clan before, and I had a funny feeling that this encounter would not end well. Even Dalinda was nervous. She wasn't wagging her tail, her wings were positioned in a defensive pose.

"We're almost there," Pronto informed, his voice shaky. The slugs in my bandoleer, Hero, Strange and Burpy, exchanged glances with each other as the lift at the end of the hallway that leads to the surface came to view.

"Thanks Pronto," Junjie thanked him, and Pronto laughed awkwardly in response. "My pleasure, and I would assume that here is where I'll head back to the-"

Out of nowhere, between the lift at the end of the hallway and the three slingers, dark circles appeared with cyan sparks around them, before the Shadow Clan came through and the dark circles vanished to thin air behind them. Pronto took this as a sign and fled from the scene, screaming at the top of his lungs while his mecha took him away as fast as it possibly can.

The Shadow Clan were on their fours when they approached us, their tails wiggled teasingly with a slug loaded in it as they glared and growled.

A darker circle formed right before us, before a Shadow Clan teleported to us, which I assumed was their leader. He wore a weird-looking crown that distinct him from the others, and he was significantly taller than the rest.

On his rear legs, he looked down at us with furious eyes as his underlings surrounded us. Junjie and I exchanged glances. He didn't seem scared at all, while on the other hand I was almost freaking out. It took a lot of willpower to stay incredibly still in front of these creatures.

No wonder the people feared them.

I reached for my backpack and pulled out the Shadow Talker. The Shadow Clan gasped when they saw the device in my hand, before they growled more aggressively at us. I bit my lips nervously as I looked down at the device in my hand. It's black and green design totally resembles the Shadow Clan. I looked up at their leader, had the courage to look at him dead in the eyes, before I put on the headpiece.

A sharp pain tore through my brain and I groaned softly from the discomfort, but soon after, I was able to withstand the power.

"Who are you that you can withstand the power of the Shadow Talker so easily?" the leader drawled as he pointed a finger at me. "That belongs to Eli Shane. Where is he?"

"I'm Alessia, and this is Junjie," I introduced ourselves, my sweaty palms gripping on Dalinda's handles tightly. "Eli Shane is no longer with us."

A few gasps and whispers erupted around us. The Shadow Clan Leader narrowed his eyes as he crouched down to my level. He examined the slugs in my bandoleer, and his eyes widened when he saw Burpy.

"How did you know that we are searching for you?" Junjie asked. Their leader pulled away from me and diverted his attention to Junjie. He gave Junjie a cold look, not answering his question. He once again glared down at me.

"Who are you? Who do you think you are? We will only work alongside a Shane. Now get lost!" the leader screeched as his underlings growled at us, showing their aggression through their razor sharp teeth.