Take Back the Light

Chapter 38

"Slugterra's magic is already weakening. We can't let more slugs lose their energy," Eli said. "We need to stop this thing as soon as possible."

~~~~~~~~

Brodie led the Shane Gang to the town hall, at the very heart of the High Plains town most affected by the slug draining. Dozens of Mechas were parked out front, and when she opened the door, the slingers were met with a chaotic scene. Rows of chairs filled the room, with a blackboard up front. But few of the civilians were actually sitting- they were standing in groups, yelling and arguing, while a tired-looking man stood at the front and tried to keep everyone controlled.

"Wow," Alana breathed, looking out around the townspeople. "And everyone here thinks it's a monster doing this?"

"You don't?" Brodie asked, not sounding irritated, but definitely guarded. Alana shrugged.

"I've never heard of a creature that steals energy like this, but... yeah. We just ran into a guy with technology who could kind of do the same thing," she said, frowning when she remembered the Game Master. "But this definitely isn't the same."

Finally, the man at the front of the room seemed to regain control of the meeting. On behalf of the town council, he announced that there would be a two thousand gold bounty, to be rewarded to whoever took down the High Plains monster.

Alana's eyes widened, and she watched as Brodie groaned in frustration and stepped forward.

"We don't need a bounty! I called in the Shane Gang!" she announced, drawing the crowd's attention to the five slingers at the back of the room.

"Hey," Eli said quietly, giving a half wave.

"They can have a shot at it, too," the man said with a shrug. "At this point, Brodie, we need all the help we can get."

"This doesn't sound good, Eli," Trixie said worriedly. Eli nodded.

"This much money, with this much desperation?" he replied as the crowd began to argue again. "People could get hurt."

Brodie scowled and looked like she was about to keep arguing with the man, but the door to the building suddenly slammed open. Alana, closest to the door, was pushed aside by the tall, muscular man who walked in.

He had tattoos- or perhaps scars, Alana could never tell- up and down his arms, dark orange hair, and a wicked crossbow blaster hooked onto his right arm. The Shane Gang hadn't seen him since the hunt for the Enigmo.

"Stocker," Eli said, narrowing his eyes as he looked up at the hunter. Stocker glanced down at him, then turned to the front of the room.

"I'll bag your creature. But it's gonna cost you five thousand gold. Not two. Five," he said coldly. "For that, you get my services, the monster, and your peace of mind."

The man up front hardly hesitated before nodding. "Mister, if you can get it, we'll find the money."

Alana sighed and rolled her eyes. Money like this would just bring out the worst in people. And while the sound of so much gold was tempting, she knew it would bring more trouble than it was worth.

The town meeting ended, and by the time everyone had flooded outside, the last of High Plains' Lumino glow was fading. The Shane Gang stood with Brodie, watching as groups of slingers and hunters gathered at the center of the town, gearing up for the hunt.

"Fire and Ice, the Power Trips, and Stocker," Eli noted, looking around at the people who had flocked to High Plains in hope of snagging the bounty. "Brodie, the town council is making a big mistake. I know these guys. They're bad news, especially Stocker."