Beast Soul

Inside Mr. Carrick's House.

A few minutes ago.

"We should probably head down the secret tunnel!" Alphonso said as he pointed in the direction of the bathroom. "And what on earth do we do after we head down the tunnel, you idiot? Don't tell me that you're planning on camping down there for all eternity?" Harold said with a snort as he yelled at Alphonso.

"Nobody's saying that we have to camp down there, alright? Don't misinterpret my words. I'm not that dumb!" Alphonso clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied expression on his face as he stared at Harold. "Well then, what is your plan, Phonzi?" Gerald asked Alphonso with a curious gaze, and Max shifted his gaze towards him. 

"Ehem! We all know that the secret tunnel leads to an underground cavern that is ridiculously large, right?" Alphonso let out a fake cough for dramatic purposes and spoke with a grin on his face, which only made Harold squint his eyebrows.

"We do know that. But how does that help us?" Gerald asked as he leaned forward in his couch, intrigued by Alphonso's words. "The cavern doesn't have an exit. It only has one way to go in and out." Gerald pointed his finger at the direction of the as he spoke. "And that's that hidden pathway over there!"

"You're right! There is only one way to go and out of the cavern! I agree. Except…" He had a sly grin on his face as he stretched out his hands to point at Max, who was surprised at what was happening and stared at Alphonso, tilting his head with a puzzled expression on his face. "We have Max over here!" Alphonso ignored the confused looks that he was getting and completed his words. 

"I still don't get what you're talking about.." Harold rolled his eyes and tapped his watch. "We don't have time to be theatrical! Get on with it!"

"Alright, alright! Geez.." Alphonso shook his head with a sigh and he continued, "Although the cavern has only a single pathway that is used to go in and out, it is still just a normal cavern. Meaning, the roof is still made out of mud and rocks." He then walked towards Max and sat down next to him, patting him on the shoulder as he spoke. "Max here can control and manipulate the destiny of nature, right? Why doesn't he make the roots of large trees head down under the dirt and burrow a hole through the mud until it reaches the roof of the cavern underneath?" 

"Wouldn't the roof simply collapse as a result?" Gerald asked, and Alphonso nodded his head. "It would. But not if we do something to prevent that from happening."

"Like what?" Harold scratched his chin and stared at Alphonso with narrowed eyes. He might be annoyed by Alphonso's behavior, but he definitely was intrigued by what he was saying. He actually did sound like he had a plan.

"Max can manipulate the roots to form a layer underneath the roof," Alphonso said as he used his hands to better demonstrate his plan. "Sort of like a fake roof, made up of roots and vines that'll hold the mud and rocks up and prevent them from collapsing and falling down." 

Harold's eyes widened, and so did the rest of the group's. They were all surprised by the plan that Alphonso had thought up. Perhaps this could really work?

Gerald turned his gaze towards Max. "Would you be able to do this, Max?" Gerald wanted to know what Max thought of Alphonso's plan. After all, he was the one who knew the most about his powers. "Can you handle such a task? Is it possible?"

"Hm…" Max bit his lips and tapped his fingers on his knees. His narrowed eyes indicated that he was thinking about Alphonso's plan. "I think it might be doable." He said in a hushed tone, and everyone's expression brightened up. "Of course, this will probably drain a lot of energy from my body, so I don't know how long I might be able to keep it up."

"I can help out with that." Alphonso immediately raised his hand up in the air, and everyone turned their attention towards him. "I could utilize my healing ability to continuously heal his core and reenergize him. It might be a difficult task, but it would definitely help in prolonging the process."

"Huh.." Harold clicked his tongue as he got up from the couch and looked around at the rest of the group. "I guess we are doing it, then?"

Gerald looked at Max and Alphonso, who both shrugged their shoulders in response. He then turned to look at Harold and nodded his head. "Alright then. Let's do this sh*t!"

"We should probably get moving!" Noah, who was lying on the couch, suddenly got up and pointed at the window. "They're moving closer to the building. We don't have much time."

"Let's move towards the secret pathway!" Gerald said as he leapt up from his seat and dashed to the bathroom, and the rest of the group immediately followed him close behind.

-----------------

Back in the present day.

"The stage is all yours, dude." Max nodded his head as he closed his eyes and waved his hands up in the air. The others tilted their heads up at the roof of the cavern, which they could see shaking violently. 

"Careful, we just want to move the boulders. Use the roots to block them from falling down." Alphonso spoke softly as he glanced back and forth at Max and the roof. "I know, I know!" Max said with a frustrated voice as he grit his teeth and began concentrating. 

"I'll help you out!" Alphonso said as he rubbed both his hands together and walked towards Max. He stood right behind him as he stretched out both his hands, lightly pressing on Max's shoulders, which soon began to glow brightly. The rest of the group watched as various roots began to sprout out from the roof of the cavern, forming a layer of roots underneath the roof, right after which the boulders and the dirt began to be displaced to the sides as bigger and bigger roots began to burrow through the roof, making a huge hole above.

WHAM!

The hole continued to grow larger and larger as more vines and roots began to enter through the opening, and the roots that exited the hole stuck itself close to the roof, stopping the boulders and dirt that were displaced from their original position from falling down onto the ground or onto one of the boys.

"I think this is enough!" Gerald said as he turned his gaze from the large opening that had been formed above them and onto Max and Alphonso, who both nodded their heads. "The hole is big enough for us to escape!"

"You guys go on ahead! We have to keep using our powers, or else the whole thing may collapse…" Alphonso said with a weak voice as he closed his eyes, and the bright light that was emitting from his palms turned even brighter.

Noah nodded his head and he then grabbed both Gerald and Harold by their waists from behind, making them gasp in surprise.

"I'll be back in a few seconds!" Noah said to Max and Alphonso, who both nodded their heads slightly before adjusting their focus back onto the task at hand.

WHAM!

Noah stomped his foot on the ground, and he was lifted into the air in an instant, carrying the two boys along with him as the group shot upwards, entering the large opening in their first try.

Noah could feel the speed slowing down, and so, as soon as the trio reached inside the giant tunnel up in the roof of the cavern, he turned his direction sideways, and he slammed his foot onto the sides of the cylindrical opening.

BAM!

He stomped hard on the walls once again and flung upwards with incredible speed. Gerald and Harold looked up and saw the sky right above them, although the opening on the other side seemed a bit too small for three people.

"Hold on!" Noah yelled out as they flew up, and both Gerald and Harold closed their eyes and ducked their heads down as Noah used his body to blast through the mud and the dirt that covered the opening with a loud noise!

WHAM!

Noah, who realized that they had already reached the outside, immediately controlled his speed, and he glided down onto the ground with ease, landing without making much noise.

"Hah… Holy sh*t! That was intense!" Gerald said as he began panting as soon as Noah let go of him and Harold. "You can say that again.. urgh!" Harold said as he coughed multiple times.

"I'm heading down the tunnel to grab the other two!" Noah said to the other two, who nodded their heads in response, and he turned around and stood right at the rim of the tunnel, looking down for a split second before leaping downwards with speed!

Two saved, two more to go!