Note: Any references that this story makes aside from the universe that this takes place in belongs to their respective owners and should be as such.
Warning: Violence, Language, Sexual Themes
Ch.23: Nidhoggr part 2
"Plasma Vahalla: Thor."
Smashing her hammer against Steven's chin Bismuth's attack changed his body into plasma upon impact, sending him soaring upward into the clouds with a devastating uppercut. Yellow Diamond was released thanks to Bismuth's assistance, she fell down onto her back, cracking the pavement.
Bismuth landed next to Yellow while looking up at the sky.
"Bismuth."
"That's my name, don't wear it out."
"Is Steven...okay?"
"Don't talk, Steven is coming back down."
"How can you tell?"
"The crash down is going to occur in three, t-"
BOOM!
A foreign object likely to be Steven crashed down into the ocean, the powerful sound of thunder rang out for miles around. It was like Steven was the bolt of lightning that was brought down from the clouds.
"Finally, the conditions worked in my favor this time...Hope that didn't hurt Steven too much."
Bismuth squinted her eyes to see if there was going to be any sign of Steven resurfacing. Well she did know that a hit like that to a Diamond won't defeat them this easily. But there was going to be a problem that should be noted. The armor's true capabilities is to nullify a gem's primal energy used powers, Steven has shown before all this that gem based technology/powers has barely any effect on his body since he's human.
The comparison to that could be a gem or Diamond to be precise wearing an armor set made of meat sacks though that would be pretty mean. Steven's body is not made of light, but you knew that already right? His powers was never nullified even when he got hit by the armor's capabilities before now.
In other words Bismuth knew that Steven was not going to be easy to take down. Speaking of Steven he burst out from the water, looking down at the one who hit him.
"Steven, I know you're in there. Stop this so we can figure out how to help you, okay?"
Steven was clenching his fists while snarling angrily. Bismuth figured that he wouldn't listen easily in this state. If that was the case then he would've accepted the help without a fight. She kept her guard up just in case Steven was going to strike hard and fast in retaliation.
"Don't make me hurt you damnit! I reeeaaally don't want to."
Suddenly Steven relaxed his body and unclenched his hands. He was just staring intently at Bismuth which made her worry a bit. It was then he looked to his left, from the distance he was at, like a hawk he was able to see Connie's lifeless corpse.
Looking back at Bismuth his eyes widened when he recognised the green clothing, it may have looked different in appearance but the presence that was coming from it was the same. From the connection flashes of red images constructed from his memories showed the last moments of when Connie was alive. All that blood spraying, the screaming, and the last look she gave him was filled with despair.
"Gah ah...ahhhh."
"(What the hell? I got a bad feeling about this?)"
Steven was painfully holding his head, the memories kept flooding into him. It wasn't only that memory, there were others of the times he was intimate with her, he could still hear her soothing voice pounding within his skull along with the screaming, intensifying the pain.
"No grrgh ack get away!"
"(He must be resisting inside. Whatever he's resisting must hurt him alot.) Steven if you push the memories away you're only hurting yourself even more!"
"Graah! C-Connie...Connie?"
The pain subsided as Steven's eyes shifted from Bismuth to Connie and then back to Bismuth. But then he felt something above him so he looked up...at the moon. It was all coming together, all coming back to him. The screaming from his memory came from above.
"(THEN DIE WHERE YOU STAND!!)"
Those words echoed in Steven's mind...It was so clear now how these horrid memories connected. He was wrong this whole time, his targets were missed. The one he was after was the one who murdered Connie in cold blood.
"..."
"Steven?"
"...Chaos."
"(Shall we proceed?)"
That's right...They never really finished their fight. Steven remembered how close he was to ripping her apart. The face of the bastard became clear while it was still fresh before she ran away.
"CHAOS EMERALD!!"
Steven's aura exploded out of him as he let out an inhuman scream, causing the very ground and the ocean to shake.
"Woahohohoooly shit! What's happening?!"
"He snapped, that's what happened! I think in his rage his memory was not his own but Pink Diamonds, throwing his wrath in a loop. Now...oh screw me in the ass he looked at the armor I was wearing and remembered who he should be taking it out on and when he did...hate...pure unfiltered hatred."
"THIS IS HIS HATRED?! IT FEELS LIKE THE ENTIRE EARTH IS SHAKING APART!!"
"Uh I still can't move, help you moldy dorito chip."
"Okay seriously what kind of stick was rammed up your ass?!"
Unconciously Steven's final formed geometric bubble formed around him, slowly expanding outward. In a couple of seconds it became the size of a mountain and was able to touch to the sea floor, for some reason it was shaped like an egg? At that time Steven was frozen in place until the bubbled shield lost it's transluscent element and became a solid pink. The trembling stopped afterward.
A few seconds more went by, nothing but the sound of the ocean's waves and some passing seagulls. Bismuth used this opportunity to run to Peridot.
"We gotta get out of here."
Peridot was shaking like a leaf.
"G-G-Gee it's like we have a psychic connection or something?"
"Yeah, a weird coincidence. We're going to need all the help we can get so yoink."
Bismuth snatched the still poofed gems in one fell swoop before Peridot could even notice her hand move.
"You could've just asked like a regular person would."
"Heheh too bad I'm Bismuth right?
"Sigh true...But wait, what are you doing? Your armor nullifies gem powers, especially regeneration."
"Uh huh it does, what you don't know is that I can reverse the flow and re-energize the stolen light atoms."
"Soooo that's the secret? It steals light?"
"Don't worry Tiny, it was confusing for me at first since I didn't know how I was able to put in a feature like that until it hit me."
Peridot just crossed her arms with full intent on listening.
"Oh please do tell how your armor of destruction is able to do that in the first place?"
"I like the sarcasm, it's totally fits you."
"Screw you."
"Anyway the thing that makes the ability possible is...the material."
"Excuse me?"
"I know you heard me Tiny. It's the material that makes it's capabilities possible."
For once in her life Peridot was inflicted with a brainfart, her comprehension to the sheer stupidity was pushed to the limit.
"Correct. Oooo I always wanted to do this!"
SPECIAL LESSON MINUTE WITH BISMUTH
(In this short explanation the atmosphere has been how do you say, chibified and disgustingly colorful in the background.)
"What's going on?"
"Watch out Tiny!"
"Wh-"
Peridot was violently pushed out of the way by a rolling whiteboard, Bismuth uncapped her green marker and started drawing at a rapid pace. She drew a model of Emerald's form of the Jade Emperor armor with a couple of arrows pointing at it.
"The base ingredient for the armor is the substance that I was able to mold from the planet I was stuck on."
Peridot was able to drag herself back on screen with a sore back.
"Oww we already established that and where did you get the whiteboard?"
"Stay with me here. Now the substance that I would like to call Grubber (Green Rubber) had the properties (as its namesake presents) of rubber."
"Again we know that already except for that made up name on the spot. Where are you going with this?"
"Stay with me! So Peridot what does rubber do with electricity?"
"Rubber is an insulator, it has high resistance to electricity so it won't pass through since it goes after the least resistance. Again where are you going with th- (!)"
Noticing Peridot's shock face Bismuth jabbed out her finger.
"I knew you would catch up."
"But that makes no sense. Electricity nullification I get but gem powers in general? We're not made of electricity!"
"Ahhh and that's when I remembered from that time. The Grubber is like rubber 2.0, it not only completely nullifies electricity but it also feeds on light on objects that produces and takes it in."
"...I never would've figured that if you told us that shit in the first place! How does that explain the lightning?"
Bismuth wrapped her arm around Peridot's shoulder, pulling her close to her side in front of the whiteboard.
"Simple my friend, the lightning carries the Glubber molecules and when it hits the object-"
"It acts like a virus, once in contact it eats the objects ability to gather light internally and externally. Er the second part seemed too far fetched."
"Nope you got that right, internally and externally."
"Wow...Did I mention that you're one of the most scariest gems I've ever met besides the Diamonds?"
"Many times."
(The atmosphere went back to normal after that.)
"So how do we help them?"
"Hm since I have the armor I can absorb the flow, removing the particles and giving Pearl and the others back their ability to regenerate. Juust give me a few seconds."
With the gems in hand Bismuth hovered her other hand an inch over them, tiny crackles of electricity touching each.
"Wait...if you can help the gems then maybe you can do the same to Connie."
Bismuth's determined smile faded upon hearing Peridot's idea.
"Tiny, even if I did do the same thing with Connie...it's not going to bring her back...I'm not Pink Diamond you know."
"Oh...right."
"Annnnnd done."
"Well that was fast."
"Hey let me remind of who knows every aspect and capabilities that this armor has to offer? This ge- Woah!"
Another ground shaking started to happen, except it felt different this time. This quake was strongly bumping evry few seconds and in a strange rhythm. Keeping their balance Bismuth quickly got onto her knees and placed the side of her head on the sand as the bumping continued.
"Whoa ah shit ah shit again?! What's the deal with this, aren't we already going through crap as it is?"
"...Oh no."
"What does "oh no" mean?"
"This bumping in the ground...it's not a normal shaking. A heart beat?"
Bismuth was right, the rhythm she was feeling from the pulsing ground did resemble a heartbeat. The giant bubble shield let out a loud crack as if it was an egg shell.
"Did...did Steven's shield just crack?...Bismuth?"
For some reason Bismuth was at literal loss of words, even when she tried to force it out, nothing but tightened, constrained heaving. It didn't take long for Peridot to start feeling the same just as more cracks appeared on the shield.
"Haah haah my chest is haah haah tightening. But we don't need oxygen heheh haah haah."
That may be true but beings from all across the universe, whatever their species is all have certain similarities to eachother. Though they handle it in different there is one emotion that is universal and that is fear. Whatever was going to come out of that shield inflicted that fear and anxiety within those that are witnessing it.
"(Bismuth damnit move! If you stop it everything is going tto be destroyed...Why did I just say it?)"
Why did Bismuth thought of the word it? She knows that inside that bubble was Steven yet she just called him an it. Whatever the reason the word just popped into her thoughts and that scared her even more.
"...Hold these, they should be better in a few minutes."
"Bismuth you're not planning t- BISMUTH!!"
Just as Bismuth gave the poofed gems back to Peridot she jumped towards the bubble shield, flaring determination and willpower fueling her to stop this madness. At that time the top of the bubble shield it already had a hole.
"(I'll have to go all out with this. Steven was already powerful in his semi corrupted form who knows how powerful he can get?!)"
Grabbing her wrist tightly the energy that was flowing before when Bismuth used her technique the first time intensified and grew. Being afraid was not an option at this point, Steven needed to be stopped and that was what Bismuth is going to do.
Landing on top of the bubble shield Bismuth wasted no time as she swung her mallet arm down into the dark opening.
"Plasma Vahalla: Thor's Mjölnir!"
Two glints of white shaped like rhombuses shot open from within the darkness. They were soon blinded by an Earth shattering crack of what one may describe as a big ass thunder bolt that shattered the shield apart.
The few seconds that went by Bismuth was by the ocean on her knees, breathing heavily and weakened by her powerful attack. She definetely got it before it could come out, the destruction of the shield was evidence of that and whatever was inside.
"Haah haah I'm sorry Steven, I hope you understood why I had to do this. (Shit my arm, it's kinda busted. Despite this being my armor I've never really tested it's limitations on myself.) Peridot? Are you okay?"
Looking over to Peridot she had a face of pure terror, staring out to the ocean.
"No...That can't be."
Slowly turning her head, following Peridot's to see what she was looking at that was so terrifying. It couldn't be right? Bismuth knew that everything that was inside was obliterated...boy was she wrong. Now she was the one wearing a deathly shocked expression. The last thought she had was how impossible it was for impossible for something so big to be able to dodge that attack.
Staring right at Bismuth was a giant monster, a giant dark purple long bodied monster resembling a worm with pink crystal like spikes running down its back and made up the lower jaw as if they were tusks. It's blank, expressionless stare made Bismuth's body feel ice cold. She has never felt this kind of presence before, so powerful and intimidating.
"(I-I-I can't move.)"
The creature hasn't moved, just blankly at the two frozen gems. It didn't even bother to pay much attention to Yellow who was still lying flat on her back with no arm and White who just sat there on her knees, shaking with fear. How come it wasn't attacking? The monster wasn't doing anything except heave it's massive tail end up to the surface of the water.
Finally after a few moments of hellish anticipation for it to do something the giant moved it's head up to the sky, specifically at the full moon. Even when Steven transformed into that monster he hasn't forgotten who he was after, Chaos Emerald.
"(No...No if he goes?) Ste...Ste...Ste."
Shit now the words that Bismuth was going to utter jumped back into her throat replaced by wheezing and slight breathless chocking. She managed to drive her slightly messed up fist into the sand as a last ditched effort to snap herself out of it. Yellow was big and intimidating as well so she should have no feeling of fear just from looking at this monster in the eye and that's what she's going to do.
Through the pain Bismuth gained the however many seconds she needed to push past the fear and stop him with truly everything she had. Even if it meant shattering one half of her body if she can just knock him out!
"Steven!"
The creature who was originally Steven didn't acknowledge Bismuth's presence, just staring up at the moon. As annoying as that was this was the perfect opportunity to strike him while he's occupied.
"Fine don't listen but know this."
The back of Bismuth's legs changed to that of rocket boosters. With a single click they activated, propelling her off the beach side and right towards it. Still, the beast has noticed Bismuth's presence at all.
"Whatever you have become we won't give up on you. So-"
Bismuth felt that her right arm reached its limit. Hopefully the shattering of her arm won't be as painful as she would expect it to be.
"-LET US HELP YOU DAMNIT!!...Huh?"
For the moment Bismuth shut her eyes while swinging her arm directly at the target...except all she felt was air. Opening them there was nothing in front of her, even when she looked all around her it was as if Steven vanished into thin air. That giant body, vanished?! That's literally impossible.
"(No fucking way, he couldn't have moved that fast, he was right in front of me!)"
Still searching in disbelief Bismuth stopped herself before she crashed into some boulder or something. There was also no sign that he went into the water either. Again there's no way that big body could move that fast...unless she wasn't looking up. So she did, only to be presented with a surprise.
"How...just how the fuck is this even real right now?"
Up in the sky, wrapped around the moon the monster Steven was on it. How he got up there was a mystery that could boggle even the greatest of minds.
"Uh hello?...I still can't move. Hey squirt is anything going on?"
"What the fuck am I doing here?"
"Hey squirt, I need a goddamn update here!"
While still on the beach Peridot was the only one that witnessed what exactly happened. A few seconds ago when Bismuth tried to hit the monster Steven with everything she had his body in a mere instant warped in a purple light. "Warped" was the only logical explanation Peridot could come up with so she wouldn't be driven mad.
"Peridot!...Shit she's lost it, of all bullcrap scenarios to be trapped in I get the one where I'm literally paralyzed next to a useless pebble. I swear when I get my oversized hands around Steven's throat, I'm gonna...uh strangle him for now I guess?"
Spinel just realised that maybe laying here will benefit her. In all honesty the only thing that she could think of was seeing the life drain out of his eyes but didn't think about the ways to do it?
"(You know what? I think I'll think this over. Maybe I can think of more ways to beat the shit out of Steven.)"
"Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Lapis...If only you were here, you would know what to do."
Peridot pressed the poof gems against her body, gently hugging thwm so she doesn't accidently crack them. She was already told the story of what Amethyst was like when her gem cracked and lord knows what would happen to her psyche if she had to deal that nonsense.
"We can't do this by ourselves."
Suddenly a warm, pulsating light jolted Peridot in a surprising manner. She looked down at the gems and saw each of them glowing white. It was miracle, the rest of the Crystal Gems are going to come back!
Seeing as how they were going to regenerate soon Peridot put them down gently on the sand, backing up so they could do their thing. The first to rise off the ground was Sapphire and Ruby's gems, their light bodies shifting to regain the form they had before. A few seconds was all they needed until both Ruby and Sapphire were finally reformed.
"Garnet!"
Peridot pulled in the two gems into a tight hug.
"Oh wait right now you're just Sapphire and Ruby but still I'm so glad I'm not alone anymore!"
"I'm right here you prick!"
Peridot released them from the hug, the two couple gems seemed disoriented for a second there but they both regained stability.
"Ugh Peridot? What happened?"
"Rrgh damn I can barely remember what happened. Last thing I remembered was that Sapphire and I were surrounded by electricity, unable to move at all, the blaring static buzzing in our ears. But we heard your voice and then just broke out."
"(Oh how I wish that the power of friendship actually worked in this situation...too bad it's scientifically impossible.) Long story, you s-"
"Actually I think Ruby and I can catch up when we fuse."
"Right ahem Sapphire?"
Ruby extended out her hand, Sapphire intertwined it with hers.
"Yes."
Their bodies changed into light, two becoming one entity once more. To bring back their missing identity, to bring back Garnet.
"Hoooh...I see, so that's what happened? Steven."
Following suit Pearl, Lapis, and Amethyst simultaneously shone into their regenerative process. In that order they all reformed back. Out of all the gems that came back Peridot was the most excited that Lapis came back. So much in fact she tackled Lapis to the ground, ugly crying hysterically.
"I never thought I would ever see you again!"
"Wow how long was I poofed for...and what's that smell?"
"(Ah shit, here we go again.)"
Peridot completely forgot that the miasma was still all around the area. Then again the helmet she was wearing made it seem like she wasn't wearing one at all thank goodness. But Lapis's head was not being enveloped by her water, a bad sign since Peridot saw that her eyes were now pink with hearts in them.
"Lapis? Are you okay?"
The moment Lapis heard her lover Peri Weri's syrupy dew of a voice she tilted her eyes down. That studdly butt chin of a face Peridot was rocking (from Lapis's point of view) instantly got her nipples erect underneath that fabric.
"Peri...Oh Peri Weri."
"(I don't like that look in her eyes.) Lapis...Lapis calm down."
"Why do you have a helmet for? Here, let me take it off for you."
"Wait wait wait! This is for protection! P-R-O-T-E-C-T-I-O-N! Sto-"
Lapis removed Peridot's helmet without much of a struggle. Taking in the whiff of cotten candy she started to feel funny...and itchy all over. She felt her body heat up, the moment of eye contact between the two led to a pretty ferally intense makeout session. Meanwhile Amethyst couldn't help but laugh at their misfortune.
"Ahahahahahahahaha! Huuuu oh shit hahahahahaha!"
"Amethyst! Don't laugh at Peridot and Lapis's misfortune."
"Woooo sorry Garnet haah but seriously looks like those two are occupied at the moment."
Pearl stretched out her limbs due to how long she was dormant for.
"Yellow...White...and even Blue. No way did Green Pearl do this, all three diamonds would've taken her down in mere momen-"
"It was Steven."
Interrupting Pearl's sentence Garnet just blurted out those words. What a massive assumption that was! How could Steven single handedly do that to all three of the Diamonds, the nerve.
"How can you say that?! Steven would never do something like this and you know it! Maybe Steven and Green fought so hard that the Diamonds got themselves into th-"
"Before you give yourself an aneurysm I've been feeling a very high sense of danger for a while now. A presence that is more of a threat than most of the enemies, even more than Green Pearl when we fought her. I didn't want to make the conclusion but it is Steven."
"Well what would make you think that when he's not even here?!"
"Look up."
"Look up? This must be a joke right?...What..is..that?"
Pearl was definetely looking at the same direction Garnet was and seeing the same thing along with Amethyst, a giant worm like creature wrapped around the moon.
End of Ch.23
Answer: The meaning of the word Nid.