Take Back the Light

Chapter 10

So if you were some of the first readers of the last chapter, you probably saw a typo that was Sticker instead of Stocker... guess that's a meme now, mostly because of the creator of the lovely image in the media box, willjaymusic XD anyways, here's Chapter 10!

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Alana found herself avoiding the Enigmo's touch over the next few days. She couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenarios when she thought about the gang finding out about her powers. They would call her a freak, and wouldn't want her staying with them anymore, and then she'd be on her own again-

Stop it, she thought to herself, shaking her head as she crept forward through the mushroom-tree forest's underbrush. They would never think that. Now focus.

She was afraid that her constant worrying was playing with her nerves. She'd felt small chills throughout the last few days, like there were traces of dark energy right in front of her. But no matter how hard she looked, she found nothing. It had been putting her more and more on-edge since the Enigmo hunt, and even Pronto had noted how her once cheerful disposition seemed to be fading.

Back to what we're doing.

She scanned the area carefully, looking for the Hoverbug the gang was chasing after. He had been tearing through the forest outside the hideout like crazy, and Eli finally decided that they should try and add it to their arsenal.

There you are.

Alana watched as the Hoverbug carefully poked its head out from behind a leaf. Midnight continued crawling forward silently, then when Alana was only a foot away, it flew out from the bush. Alana gasped and lunched forward in attempt to grab it, but missed by only an inch.

"Here we go again!" Alana yelled, all motives of stealth gone. She revved Midnight's engine and sped forward, chasing after the Hoverbug. The rest of the gang materialized around her, jumping out from their cover to go after the speedster slug.

The gang followed the Hoverbug out of the forest and into a plains area. All around them, cracks in the ground varying from a foot to four feet wide spread out like cracked glass. The vegetation melted away, leaving only a few mushrooms and bioluminescent tulips sticking out from rock pillars.

Eli sped up, taking the lead. He leaned down and picked something up off a rock pillar as he sped by on Lucky- an Arachnet slug that chirped happily and hopped into one of the canisters on his bandoleer.

"We're never gonna catch this thing, Eli!" Kord exclaimed as he and Trixie sped up to flank the flying slug. "This is like a game to them!"

"Oh, so that explains why this is so much fun!" Eli laughed.

"That's the spirit," Alana laughed.

"Thanks. Trixie, Kord, cut him off!" Eli called. Pronto laughed from his spot behind Alana and Eli.

"Ah, yes! And Pronto will bravely bring up the rear!" Pronto exclaimed.

"Go for it!" Kord told Trixie. She nodded and quickly leaned forward, making a grab for the Hoverbug. The slug giggled and sped forward more, causing Trixie to lose her balance and almost fall off her Mecha.

"He's hard to catch now, just imagine when he transforms!" Eli exclaimed, him and Alana speeding up to tale the lead.

"Heads up!" Alana called, pointing to the path in front of them. A crack in the ground spread out forty feet, and Alana could make out the tips of stalagmites at the bottom.