Pearl and I stood outside the entrance of the dungeon. "If I'm not back in an hour, assume I need help." I said. She nodded, activating the warp pad. 'Deep breaths. I've got this' I reassured myself as I stepped on. I had trained for this. I was ready to finish what I started. It wasn't about beating the holo, I needed to prove to the gems that I could hold my own.
That I wasn't a mistake...
I snapped back to reality, surveying the dungeon. The hallway was still there, littered with the swords and bones of "challengers" who failed to escape. The thought of how many people have died to that monster causes me to tense as I find my way to the battleground. I reached the end of the hall, an there she was. Holo-Pearl. It stood motionless, staring at the wall in front of it. I drew my pistol, taking advantage of the situation. I clicked my hammer, snapping the hologram to attention. She charged, slashing it's blade at the gun. I swung at her, the pistol transforming mid swing. We clashed, both of us refusing to budge. The creepy image looked me in the eyes. "Challenger found! Prepare to duel!" she shouted in a robotic voice.
And so it began.
I slid my blade up her sword, knocking her off balance for a split second. I slashed upward, and she nimbly dodged out of the way, stabbing at me from above. I sidestepped and parried, thanking Pearl's boring training. The holo switched gears. She became completely focused on offense, quickly slashing and stabbing. I couldn't keep up, blocking some shots but taking most of them. Pretty soon, I was pinned against the wall. The hologram charged me, sword outstretched in front of her. I took a deep breath, hearing Pearl's voice in my head. 'Wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.' The holo stabbed me through the chest, pinning me to the wall. It struggled before pulling it free, the blade covered in my sparkling blood. It stabbed me deeper, this time in the shoulder.
'The perfect chance.'
I grabbed the blade, pulling it deeper into my shoulder and into the wall. The holo pulled as hard as it could, but the sword was stuck. Now was my chance! With all the strength I had left, I held up my sword, changing it halfway back into a gun. I aimed at the holo's chest and pulled the trigger. The blade shot off the barrel, impaling Holo-Pearl through the chest. She stood motionless, simply staring at me before exploding into a sparkling mist. I smiled as everything that had just happened registered.
I had won.
I slowly made my way out of the dungeon to the warp pad, where Pearl was waiting for me. She rushed over to me, hugging me tight. "You did it!" she said excitedly. I nodded and returned the hug. "Can you carry me home? I asked, weakly holding my hands up. She laughed. "I think you might be a bit heavy." she said. "Way ahead of you." I said.
*Poof*
Haha. I was a gem, I would just retreat and ask someone to carry me. Anyways, there it is. The first big battle of this book. These next chapters are going to be super laid back and adorable. Also, I just saw GARNET AND PEARL FUSE! WOOOO! Also the new extended THEME SONG YES! Oh, i'm so done. Until next time!