Chapter 6

Pronto led the way as they continued their rushed quest.

They had sent Eli's mecha back home on auto pilot and the Shane now rode with Kord. He had not yet regained consciousness and the Cave Troll had him braced securely between his arms as they rode forward at top speed. There was no care given to avoid jostling the Shane now. They had to get to that cure and fast. Which is why it was good that they had left the magnificent Pronto in charge.

Going by his calculations, a few more daring detours had taken almost half an hour off their estimated remaining travel time. The annoying interventions by Locke, and Lode, and C-whatever had definitely cost them but Pronto had taken care of it quickly enough that they were still going to arrive within his originally promised 8 hour time-frame. The sun had set and the mushrooms lining their way as they neared their goal emitted a soft light only just bright enough to see the cavern around them.

Pronto squinted at his map. It should be around here somewhere…

"There!" he pointed triumphantly.

He puffed out his chest as Kord and Trixie shuffled on their mecha-beasts for a better look. He deflated somewhat when they both looked back at him sceptically.

"What?" they asked simultaneously.

Pronto sighed. Yet more proof that Molenoids owned the best eyesight amongst the creatures in the caverns.

"Over there!" he pointed again, more insistently this time, at the VERY OBVIOUS opening in the shadowy mountain ahead.

He drew himself up once more.

"I give you…Stratos Cavern!" he announced.

His comrades squinted in the direction of his finger.

"That's it?" Kord asked.

"I still can't see anything," Trixie said.

"It's pretty small," Kord told her. "You sure that's the place, Pronto?"

Pronto spluttered.

"Of course I am! Do you dare to doubt Pronto's magnificent tracking skills?!"

Kord held one hand up in surrender, the other staying on his handlebars to keep Eli in place.

"Sorry, bro," he said. "It's just a little smaller than I imagined."

"The entrance is said to be only big enough for one person at a time," Trixie explained, looking through some notes on the slugnet. "Apparently, they have to get deliveries 5 times a week because they can't fit more than a small cart of supplies through."

"Sounds claustrophobic," Kord said with a shiver.

"So long as Miss Ellow is in there," Trixie said with a glance to Eli. "I don't think we're going to have time to find another Healer."

"Of course she will be in there. No one ever leave Stratos Cavern!" Pronto exclaimed.

"And I don't think you will be leaving either," came a deep voice.

The gang swung around just as a ghoul slammed into Trixie's mecha-beast.

"Trix!" Kord yelled as the young lady flew from her mecha-beast.

She landed on her feet, blaster ready. Pronto, too, had his blaster prepared although he couldn't quite vouch for the sleepy slug he'd just loaded into the barrel.

"Dr Blakk," Trixie hissed.

Floppers. She was right. The man stood on one of the rocky cliffs above them, surrounded by at least 20 or 30 goons, all with blasters pointed their way.

"I hear Eli is sick," Dr Blakk told them, raising one hand to his chest. "I'm a doctor. Why don't you let me take a look?"

"No way, Blakk!" Trixie yelled back at him.

Dr Blakk's hand fell.

"A pity," he said.

Pronto doubted the man had such emotions and the speed with which he fired yet more ghouls at them seemed to support his belief. Blakk's slingers followed suit and soon enough the entire cavern was a battlefield. Pronto fought valiantly although, admittedly, he only needed a shot or two. Which had nothing to do with dodging wildly and hoping nothing hit him. Of course not.

Trixie had made it to the shelter of some boulders and Kord was racing towards her. Pronto followed suit. A ghoul blasted into Kord's mecha-beast before they could make it, throwing both the Cave Troll and Eli to the ground.

"Run!" shouted Trixie.

Kord did as asked and dived behind the boulders, Eli slung over his shoulder like a blanket.

Pronto made it to their temporary shelter with his mecha-beast still intact. He was the only one. Because of course he was.

"You won't be able to hide for long," said Blakk. "Why don't you come out and make it quick?"

"We need to get that antidote," said Kord, leaning Eli against one of the boulders. "He's really not looking good."

"We need to split up," said Trixie. "Pronto, you go get the cure. We'll stay here and distract Blakk."

"What about Eli?" Kord asked.

"We need to get the cure and get out of here as quickly as we can," Trixie said. "It'll be faster for Pronto to go alone."

"Leave it to Pronto!" Pronto exclaimed, glad to escape fighting Dr Blakk.

"Ok. We'll cover you. In five. Four. Three. Two. One."

Pronto burst from behind the rock and didn't look back. He may or may not have screamed when a ghoul or two struck a little too close but he made it to the cavern entrance without a scratch on his mecha-beast.

He tumbled through just as a ghoul smashed into the cave entrance. The place shook and Pronto let out a dignified squeal as a rockfall sealed the way he had come in.

Well. That wasn't good. At least it was a small rockfall. Pronto surely had something in his arsenal to deal with that later. But, for now, it might even keep enemies off of his tail. Off to find Miss Ellow and the cure first, then.

Pronto started forward confidently only to realise that the explosion had not only caused a rockfall but it had dislodged the bridge too! There was only one way through to the cavern and the one bridge was hanging from the other side of the cavern. It wasn't a particularly large gap but it was certainly too big for Pronto or his mecha-beast to clear with the available run up.

Well, this posed a problem. Uh Oh.