Chapter Three: The Indirect Approach
Once again it was a normal, sunny day in Beach City! The waves were gently lapping at the shore, the breeze gently blowing across the sand…
"Come on guys! I can walk to the Big Donut by myself!" exclaimed Steven exasperated, ruining the calm of the day. Not that he didn't have a legitimate reason: the Gems had apparently decided form a perimeter around Steven like the Secret Service did with the President!
"Sorry, Steven, but until we can be sure of your safety, it is important we stick close by you." said Pearl as she and the Gems moved in unison with their weapons drawn. While some might considered this safety measure a little…extreme, the Gems all agreed to it (though it was possible Amethyst agreed because she thought it was funny seeing Steven's reaction.) Unfortunately, sealing the passage as planned had reached a hitch because…no one really knew how Rose did it! Sure there were notes but it would take days to sort through and understand them! So until then, Steven was under heavy guard!
"Fine. Just…try to stay cool okay!" pleaded Steven, embarrassed by the new arrangement. Though Steven understood that they were only trying to protect him, the doughnut shop was within walking distance of the Temple! It's not like they couldn't rush over if he was in trouble! The protection circle and their charge quickly came up to the Big Doughnut.
"Okay, can we agree that you guys stay out here while I go inside!" pleaded Steven, hoping for some breathing room. The Gems looked at each other before nodding to show they agreed with the idea. Making room for Steven, the Gems stood at the sides of the entrance to allow Steven to enter. After he went through the door the Gems blocked the entrance, which caused Steven to sigh.
Walking up to the counter, Steven looked on to the faces of the only two employees at the Big Doughnut: Lars and Sadie! Lars had been stocking up the counter before seeing the commotion upfront, deciding to leave Sadie to do it while he walked up to Steven. "Well, well, well," said Lars in a snide tone, "what's all this about, huh? Your new babysitters not trust you on your own now?!"
Normally, Steven never noticed Lars' mean spirited comments, but today, with not being able to see Connie and having to be protected at all times, even Steven's temper could be frayed. "I just want a dozen bear claws, Lars. I am in no mood right now!" exclaimed Steven in a frustrated tone.
"Ooooh, hoping to drown your sorrows in sugar?! The girls might not hang out with ya if you get overweight!" jabbed Lars while laughing.
"Knock it off Lars!" exclaimed Sadie having finished stocking the shelves. She got together Steven's order, while Lars had a smug look on his face, absolutely loving the misery Steven seemed to be in. Steven walked out of the store without a backwards glance or a goodbye, showing just how bad a mood he was in. It seemed like Steven would just have a miserable, normal day…
BOOM! Just as Steven exited the Big Doughnut, a massive explosion and screams could be heard from further down the boardwalk! "That came from Funland!" declared Garnet as she made a running leap in the direction of the dangers, followed by Amethyst who had a confident smirk on her face!
Only Pearl stayed behind to say, "Steven! I need you to stay here!"
"WHAT?! I thought you were supposed to 'protect me'?!" argued Steven, only bringing up to use as an excuse for the Gems to take him with them.
"Steven, we need you to be close by incase this is another…diversion. They won't come after you if there are witnesses; they've been too subtle for that!" counter-argued Pearl, hoping Steven would see reason…like that would happen!
"I'm going and that's final!" exclaimed Steven, as if there was no room for argument. Pearl sighed, looking around to find…a rope! Quicker than an eye blink, Pearl wrapped the rope around Steven and a lamppost before he could even react, "HEY!"
"Sorry, Steven! I don't have time to talk you down!" yelled back Pearl as she raced towards Funland to help out the other Gems. Steven strained against the rope, only to find that Pearl had tied them too tightly! Falling over onto his side, Steven sighed in defeat…until an idea entered his mind, causing him to smirk!
STEVEN UNIVERSE
Pearl arrived at Funland, dodging between the people evacuating the scene! The sign above the entrance had what looked like huge bites taken out of it, hinting that this was a monster attack! Going deeper into the area, Pearl heard an explosion and headed off in that direction! Pearl eventually stopped in front of the Funland Arcade, which oddly seemed intact…
BOOM! Only to be blown back by an enormous explosion, completely leveling the building! Rising shakily to her feet, Pearl was shocked to see that she wasn't alone! Right next to her, slightly singed, was a giant purple-violet woman with four arms! She wore a violet sun visor and a purple tracksuit, similar to how Garnet usually dressed. The major difference, other than her height, was that her hair trailed down to her back, her boot's had heels, and she had an opal on her chest to go with the garnets in her upper hands. This was Sugilite(1); the fused form of Garnet and Amethyst!
"Took you long enough to get here."(2) declared Sugilite in a playful tone, sharing some of Amethyst's joking attitude.
"Sorry. Had to make sure that Steven stayed put!" exclaimed Pearl while assuming a battle position for the coming threat.
"What'd you have to do? Tie him to lamppost?" asked Sugilite sarcastically. Pearl grimaced at Sugilite inadvertently stumbling on the truth. Seeing Pearl's expression, Sugilite reassured Pearl, "He'll understand when he's older."
About to thank Sugilite, Pearl was interrupted by the sound of scuttling legs coming from the destroyed Arcade. Out of the smoke and debris loomed…a black enormous spider the size of a house! The eight legs puncture the ground like metal spears, yet despite its obvious weight, it dance at a leisurely pace across the ground towards the Gems! Its exoskeleton looking like armor more than anything natural, with a headdress shaped head filled with eight blood-red eyes and a mouth full of three foot-long teeth! This horrifying monstrosity was known by many names: the Armored Assassin, the Black Death, but its official name was…
"An Adamantine Arachnid!" exclaimed Pearl in shock and she had good reason to! This particular monster was hunted ruthlessly by Crystal Gems, because it was one of the Thirteen Terrors: specially bred monsters of the Forged Warriors! However, this particular creature was more infamous of them for how it hunts! It goes after novice Gems, as if it could sense their inexperience, and dragged them off to their doom! It could only be here for Steven…
"Now you see why I'm needed!" declared Sugilite before summoning her Crystal weapon, by combing Amethyst's whip and Garnet's gloves into…a Meteor Hammer!(3) Positioning herself to attack the Arachnid, the two opponents stared each other down! The Arachnid drooled and hissed, anxious to get the fight started! Sugilite waited patiently, much the same as Garnet would, while spinning the Meteor Hammer in readiness, never giving her opponent anything to go on!
Suddenly, the Arachnid leapt into the air, no doubt hoping to close the distance quickly! This would prove to be a mistake! "ALALALALALALALA-KIIIII-YAH!"(4) With that battle cry, Sugilite swung the Meteor Hammer in an arc, bringing it crashing down on the approaching Arachnid! The force of the blow sent the beast hurtling downward, smashing through the boardwalk and into the sand below with a mighty THUD!
Pearl stared open-mouth in amazement! She rarely got to see Sugilite fight, so it was stilling surprising to see the…power of the warrior up close. Unconsciously, Pearl began to walk towards the edge of the hole…only to be held back by Sugilite, who was shaking her head. Remembering that there was no sign of the beast death,(5) Pearl returned to her battle-ready stance! A silence hung over the battlefield once more…
The Arachnid had apparently grown tired of waiting and leapt out of the hole, hissing and snarling as it charged, serpentine towards its enemies! The Arachnid had no signs of damage on it, about what Pearl expected given the Beast's formidable reputation. The Arachnid spat an acidic black fluid at the Gems, forcing them to separate…just as the creature planned! Aiming its spinneret at Pearl, it shot a web which wrapped around the surprised Gem!
"Pearl!" exclaimed Sugilite, charging to Pearl's rescue…again according to the Beast's strategy! Whipping Pearl like a mace, the Gems were slammed into each other, while the web disconnected from the Arachnid. The momentum sent the Gems rolling into the Teacups Ride, which had recently been rebuilt. Slamming into the structure, the short-live ride was again destroyed, toppling debris down on the Gems, while the Arachnid made a hissing noise similar to laughter!
The dust cleared, revealing that Garnet and Amethyst were back, having lost the focus for fusion during the tumble. The Gems were now trapped under the debris as the Arachnid moved in for the kill! So focus was the Beast on its victory…that it didn't notice a pink discus fly over its head! The discus caused a still intact teacup to fall on the Arachnid, either trapping or crushing it, though certainly knocking it out! The Gems looked at where the discus came from to see…Steven Universe!6
"Hey guys!" shouted Steven excitedly. It was rare when Steven actually participated in an important role on a mission, so saving the Gems was…epic for Steven!
"Steven!" exclaimed Pearl excitedly, before taking the tone of a disapproving mother, "What in the world do you think you're doing?! I told you to stay back!"
"No…you tied me to a lamppost!" shouted Steven as he walked towards the Gems, "Luckily, I used my bubble shield to break the ropes! It took a couple of tries, but it worked! And now…I saved you guys!"
"The creature isn't dead!" warned Garnet, before the sounds of cracking came from behind Steven. You see, Steven had decided to stop in front of the teacup currently trapping the Arachnid…and the creature was busting out! With a hissing roar, the monster destroyed its prison leaving its prey stunned! Using this distraction, the spider shot web at Steven and then leapt away…dragging Steven with it!
"STEVEN!" exclaimed all of the Gems in horror! The Spider, apparently having what it wanted all along, began fleeing at great speeds down the beach! The Gems tried their best to pursue but between their injuries and Garnet and Amethyst's exhausting fusion, they were always one step behind! The Spider ran into a cave and the Gems stopped at the entrance.
"What are you doing?! We need to get Steven!" exclaimed Amethyst quietly. She thought they could sneak up on the Arachnid but…
"It's a trap." stated Garnet simply clenching her fists.
"Even if it is, you know that we have to get to Steven before that thing…" Pearl trailed off, having heard various horrible stories about the Arachnid. Nodding their heads in agreement, the Gems slowly made their way inside the cave. The inside was fairly typical of a cave: dark, with stalactites and stalagmites, water dripping from said formations. The only thing that didn't fit their expectations was the lack of spider-webs, meaning the creature hadn't made a home here.
The only indications of the Spider was a squirming cocoon on the ground which could only be Steven! The only problem was that this was a clear indication of a trap. The Gems slowly made their way to the cocoon, keeping their eyes on the shadows. When they reached Steven, Pearl and Amethyst stood guard while Garnet tore off the wrappings. Once his head was free, Steven gave a gasp of air and lightly coughed while Garnet held him in her arms.
"We need to move…now!" declared Garnet, and the Gems began to move towards the exit, when…
"I'm afraid it's already too late to leave. The party's about to begin!" came a snarky reply to Garnet's words from the shadows. Three blurs erupted from the shadows, leading to Ferrum, Electrum and Quicksilver blocking the entrance to the cave! Ferrum held his stoic expression, while Electrum and Quicksilver held confident smirks on their faces. The most alarming thing about their presences…they had their weapons drawn!
Ferrum wore reddish iron gauntlets that formed around his hands like a second skin, with rubies on the knuckles and pointed tips on the fingers. Ferrum held his gauntlets in a claw position, as if getting ready to strike! Electrum wielded a sabre: a gold-green curved single-edged blade with a golden hand-guard. Electrum was in the classic fencing ready position, with the sabre in his left hand. Quicksilver wielded a nine-sectioned chain whip, with nine chain links connected to the simple black handle with a small hook on the end. Quicksilver was just lazily swinging the whip in circles in front of him, as if he was bored of the whole affair.
"Let's get this over with. I have a mani-pedi in five." casually remarked Quicksilver, while looking at his fingernails. The other Warriors rolled their eyes with a smirk, used to Quicksilver's antics. The Gems, on the other hand, rushed forward to try and take the Warriors out quickly: Garnet match with Ferrum, Pearl with Electrum, and Amethyst with Quicksilver! Steven just laid back and watched, still having his arms and legs trapped in the cocoon.
Garnet was the first to reach her opponent, swing her fists forward, only to have them both caught by Ferrum! What followed was a battle of strength, the two opponents pushing against the other, trying to knock the over with sheer strength. It last for five seconds before Ferrum shifted his weight, to send Garnet over his shoulder in a Judo throw! Garnet tumbled forward, before righting herself and facing her opponent! Ferrum held a knowing smirk on his face, as his metal gauntlets reshaped themselves to form two sets of three blades(7) and charged at Garnet!
The other Gems battles were not going any better. Pearl tried to use the long reach of her spear to knock Electrum off balance. However, Electrum simply parried the spear with almost no effort! Pearl kept trying to stab Electrum with her spear, her thrust growing in speed and power until they were nearly invisible to the naked eye! But Electrum still continued to parry, leaving Pearl breathless and him in a confident stance!
"Ah, Pearl. My sweet oyster! Truly your skills with a spear have not dull in all our time apart!" declared Electrum as if speaking to a long lost love.
"I see you're still as sappy as ever!" snapped back Pearl, in between pants, "Still I could do this all day!"
"I'm sure you could Pearl. But you seem to have forgotten something." replied Electrum, hinting at some secret.
"And what pray tell is that?!" Pearl snapped again, too tired to think of anything.
"You forget that I am right-handed!" exclaimed Electrum, before switching sword hands and charging Pearl, who had a shocked look on her face!
Amethyst's fight was just as one-sided as the other Gems, if only more embarrassing. "YEEEE-HAW! Swing your partner round and round, where she stops, don't know how!" exclaimed Quicksilver as he swung Amethyst in a circle. During the start of the fight, Quicksilver simply dodged Amethyst's charge and snagged her…pants…with the hook at the end of hip chain whip. He then proceed to swing her, slamming Amethyst into stalagmites and stalactites. Finally, her pants tore from the chain, sending Amethyst flying into the cavern wall!
"Oops." stated Quicksilver simply, looking genuinely apologetic, "Sorry Amy. Though you should really learn not to rush into things!"
Pulling herself from the crumbling wall, Amethyst snarled before hurling her whip at Quicksilver! Never changing expressions, Quicksilver was struck by the whip…only for it to pass through him as if he wasn't there! Shocked, Amethyst did not see Quicksilver appear behind her to give her a heel-drop kick! Picking up the dazed Gem like she weighed nothing, Quicksilver hurled her forward…catching the other Gems and throwing them into a heap in front of Steven! The other Warriors gave Quicksilver an annoyed glare before they all began to approach the dazed Gems!
Steven sat there, shocked at how easily the Warriors had defeat the Gems! Thinking quickly, Steven burst out of the cocoon and leapt in front of the Warriors determined to stop them! The Warriors paused, adopting skeptically looks, unable to make sense of the boy's actions. He was clearly outmatched; what did he hop to achieve with this stunt?! To Steven's surprise the Warriors simply walked towards the entrance of the cave and turned around to face the Gems and Steven.
"While I do enjoy being reunited with you, my dear oyster, we truly must be heading off." explained Electrum, before giving a courteous bow.
"We hope that you will see reason during your…brief stay in this cavern." explained Ferrum, with the same neutral look on his face from the start of the fight.
"And now…it is my great honor to deliver unto you…the punchline!" exclaimed Quicksilver before swinging his chain whip upward towards the ceiling. With a mighty tug, Quicksilver pulled down a stalactite, causing a chain-reaction, burying the entrance to the cave! The Gems and Steven stared in shock…not panic because the Gems could easily clear the debris once they had their strength back! No, the shock came from how they were played again; all of this was a distraction! A deep dread filled the group as the same question crossed their minds: A distraction for what?!
STEVEN UNIVERSE
At Connie's house, a few miles away from Beach City, Connie was sitting on the sofa, reading a book on the Ancient Greeks. Specifically on the Peloponnesian War! It always fascinated Connie how the Athenian Navy could stand near equal ground to the unbeatable Spartans! She especially liked the pictures the book had on the Athenian ships! True the Athenians lost, but they had great ships!
"Honey, you need to get your nose out of that book. It time for bed!" stated Connie's mother, a near spitting older image of her daughter, except her hair was straight and she didn't wear glasses.
"I just wanted to see Daddy before I go to bed." pleaded Connie.
Her mother sighed, she knew that Connie's father would not be coming home until tomorrow morning. The new vacationer's catalogue just had to be done! She was about to insisted that her daughter go to bed, when a heavy knock came from the door. Now she recognized her husband's knock and this most certainly was not it; her husband had weak wrists! Connie, heedless of the danger, rushed to the door before her mother could stop her…and beheld a terrifying sight upon opening the door…
Standing at the threshold was a seven-foot man covered in armor! And not just any armor…the armor looks almost alive in spite of being metal! A giant warhammer was strapped to the back of this man, with a five-foot shaft and a two-foot, cylindrical head! Suddenly the man stared down at the little girl with cold-grey eyes, finally noting her presences!
"Constance?" asked Lord Titanium, with Connie nervously nodding at the stranger knowing her name. The man gave a glacial smile, as Connie's mother wrapped her hands around her daughter and said, "We have much to talk about."
Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe or any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Also, sorry for the delay. A big tree came down and did some fence damage, needed to get over the shock. Please read and review, I need your love!
1
In this story, I used supposition to describe Sugilite because she hasn't showed up and I couldn't afford to wait. I have no idea how much I wrote will be accurate, I am using images I found of her on Google along with what little I have found on the wiki for the show. I'll change what's necessary in future stories.
2
For Sugilite's voice actor, I think Lucy Lawless would be perfect. Again this probably with conflict with the show, but I stand by it! She's the strong but friendly female personality Sugilite should have with Amethyst and Garnet!
3
This is the closest I could come to naming Sugilite's supposed weapon. It's essential a Chinese weapon with a length of rope or chain tied to a heavy spherical weight. Bounded to knock the sense into anybody!
4
Again imagine the Xena: Warrior Princess battle-cry! I was a huge fan of the show, partly why I think Lucy Lawless would be perfect for Sugilite.
5
I am referring to, of course, the flash of light before the monster turns into a gem. Hope to learn the story behind that soon!
6
In case you're wondering, the discus was Steven's shield, like in the premiere episode, "Gem Glow." It was shown that the shield could be used as a projectile in that episode.
7
Similar to Wolverines Adamantium Blades