The Ghoul Kid!!

Chapter Four ~ Varian's Story

"My father was a good friend of Will Shane. Even came from his hometown. They worked together for a long time protecting Slugterra. Eventually, my father decided to remain...close to the Shane Hideout, constantly providing my Will Shane information about the criminal underworld of Slugterra.

Until the day when Dr Blakk's lackeys captured me and my father while we were spying on his citadel. We were brought before Dr Blakk and I saw Will Shane smiling as he stood next to Blakk. It was only years later I discovered that it was just a Smugglet slug casting an illusion over Diablos Nachos.

But by then it was too late. While me and my father were in Blakk's prison, we heard sirens and alarms. When everything had quietened down, Dr Blakk came to us and claimed that Will Shane had betrayed him and escaped.

My father was so furious at his childhood friend that he teamed up with Blakk to take Will Shane down. Dr Blakk forced me to Ghoul half of my slugs as 'insurance'. Then the news came that Will Shane had killed my father in a duel.

I spent the next six years working for Dr Blakk and providing him with intel on anyone who tried to stand up to Blakk Industries.

But last year I discovered the truth and escaped. I've been hiding and trying to bring down Dr Blakk ever since."

*************

Varian picked up a Greneater slug and gently stroked the corrupted critter. While Kord, Trixie, and Pronto were trying to digest Varian's story, Eli watched the Ghouls closely. Every other Ghouled slug he's seen had been vicious and dangerous. But Varian's Ghouls seemed...normal.

Eli gently picked up Bubbalash slug and held it up for his own slugs to see. His own Bubbaleone slug, named Suds, inched closer to the Ghoul and they had a small staring contest. Suds poked the Bubbalash in the stomach and the Ghoul poked Suds in return...a bit harder.

All of Eli's slugs then came over to meet the Ghoul, who seemed friendly enough if a bit scary looking. "These aren't like normal Ghouls, are they?" Eli asked.

"No," Varian shook his head. "I managed to mess with the Ghouling process so they were still the same, just Ghouled."

"I could get my Boon Doc to cure them?" Eli offered but Varian just shook his head.

"Not even my Boon Doc can cure them. I think it's my fault for tampering with the Ghouling process."

"But if you didn't then they'd be just like Blakk's Ghouls," Trixie told him.

Varian gave a small smile at that. "Thanks. I guess, for now, we'll just have to settle for illusions. Right, Demi? Lucifer?"

Demi was a Thugglet and Lucifer was the Ghouled Smugglet. Both hopped in a Slug Container that Varian loaded into his arm-blaster. He shot them both at his group of Ghouls. There was a burst of light that forced the Shane Gang to look away for a second. When they looked back, not a single slug looked like a Ghoul.

But it was still hard to shake the truth.