Chapter Eight: Unstoppable Force
Skeletor did more than simply draw his power from living things. When he drained them dry, it wasn't just their life energy he was sapping-it was their very death that empowered him. The last fleeting moments a living creature experienced, the last terrified thoughts that ran through their heads as their life was taken...this is what he fed on, what made him so unstoppable. And if Etheria was anything, it was full of life.
What had once been a regular forest, nowhere near as mysterious or dangerous as the Whispering Woods, but nearly as beautiful, had been reduced to a desolate wasteland by the undead monstrosity. Plants, animals, and it seemed the very land itself had been drained dry by his hand. From the tallest trees to the smallest bugs, all was soon silent.
Skeletor examined his handiwork, brimming with macabre satisfaction at his latest cataclysm. Soon enough, the rest of Etheria would look just like this. Where life existed, there would be only death. And where there was death...he reigned supreme. Skeletor brought his staff down to the ground, uttering only one word: "Rise."
The results of his massacre began to take their true shape. The drained husks of his victims began to glow with a purple energy as they rose up from the dirt. Zombies, skeletons, mummies-whatever one called them, Skeletor added more to his ever-growing army of the undead.
Strolling forward to examine his new thralls, the deathly conqueror noticed one creature hadn't risen. Too much of its body had rotted away. Skeletor reached down and picked up its skull-small and horned, most likely that of a small mammal or reptile. He placed the skull over the crystal on his staff, a trophy of his latest conquest. Light shone from the eye sockets. "Go," Skeletor commanded. His undead thralls ran off into the night, thinking only of spreading death and destruction in their master's name.
Etheria wasn't the only planet suffering from Skeletor's rampage. As Peridot and Lapis could attest to, alongside their newfound allies, Skeletor had also spread his wrath to many Gem territories as well. Thankfully, as Pyrope had just found out, Denebria was not one of them. Not recently, in any case.
As Pyrope walked through the halls of the ship, a tiny guest followed close behind. "So, how did the three of you meet?" asked the Ruby.
"Because we were all assigned Prisms," said the pink Garnet, clearly fatigued of the conversation. "And will you please stop following me?"
"But I don't have anywhere else to go!" the Ruby said. "You never showed me around the ship like you said you would!"
Pyrope grumbled, having given in to this unwanted companion. She reached the command bridge, both Gems entering. "Have either of you seen those two new arrivals I was supposed to send a ship to Denebria for?" She was surprised to see that on the bridge were not only Hessonite and Demantoid, but Lapis and Peridot as well. "What? Why are these civilians on the bridge?"
"These civilians happen to have first-hand contact with Skeletor, something that could prove invaluable," said Demantoid. "Besides, you brought one with you as well." She pointed out the Ruby at Pyrope's feet.
"That's different!" said Pyrope. "She followed me in here, I didn't ask her to follow me!"
"Girls, girls, please," said Hessonite. "Now, Pyrope, what was the result of the expedition?"
"I sent a ship to search Denebria for survivors, Gem or organic," Pyrope said. "They scanned the entire planet, and didn't find a single thing. Nothing but barren wastelands and defunct injectors as far as the eye can see."
"But that's impossible!" said Peridot. "Are you sure they checked the entire planet?"
"The whole thing," Pyrope repeated.
"They have to have missed something," said Lapis. "Maybe you were just too lazy to look for them!"
"As likely as the possibility of Pyrope being lazy is, it is unlikely she did not search the whole planet," said Demantoid. "Our scanners can detect a single Gem on a planet in a matter of minutes. That is how we have been locating survivors. If there were no Gems detected on Denebria, then there are no longer any Gems on Denebria."
Hessonite noticed the pair's distress, and tried to comfort them. "No need to worry. I'm sure they just found another way off the planet, is all. Besides, if Steven is with them, I'm quite certain they'll be fine!"
Peridot nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Still, it would be nice to know where they went."
"And why they left without telling us," added Lapis.
"I'm sure we'll run into them soon enough," said Hessonite. "In the meantime, I've just received word that Skeletor's forces are attacking a nearby colony."
"'Forces?'" said Peridot. "I thought he was working by himself. Now he has friends?"
"Hardly," Pyrope said. "You see, when Skeletor came to attack our colonies, he didn't come alone. He brought with him hordes of undead organics under his control. Even without their maker's presence, these beasts continue to tear through Gem forces."
"Thanks, in part, to these," said Hessonite. With the push of a button, a holographic image of a planet appeared above the table in the center of the room; assumably, the colony that was currently being attacked. Next to it hung a glowing purple orb about one-sixth the planet's size. "We aren't sure where Skeletor is at the moment, but his will is still being enforced by these creations."
"Units are not to scale," confirmed Demantoid.
"Right," said Hessonite. "These 'necro-orbs,' or 'necrorbs,' are only a few meters in diameter, but are no less dangerous."
"That is an objectively bad name," said Demantoid. "Why did you not run this by me first?"
"I don't need your approval for everything I do!" Hessonite said indignantly. "Anyways, these orbs give Skeletor a continuous supply of minions by resurrecting organics as undead monsters, as well as teleporting them in from other planets if none are readily available."
"So, are we going in to stop them?" said Lapis.
"Yes," said Hessonite. "This colony is Skeletor's last known location before he disappeared, meaning it's our best bet for tracking him down. Not only that, but it has not been completed yet, so there are quite a few monsters running around."
"Here is our plan," Demantoid said. "Step one: get to the planet's surface under Homeworld's radar. Avoid contact with Homeworld forces, and only engage with Skeletor's abominations if necessary. Step two: find and destroy the necro-sphere to disable his armies. We believe it to be located somewhere within a research facility. Step three: find Skeletor, and destroy him if possible."
"Necro-sphere," Hessonite muttered. "I like that. From now on, that's their official name. Now then, would you two like to join us?" she asked Lapis and Peridot. "We could really use your help!"
"Not like we're doing anything else," said Lapis. "I'd be glad to help."
"Yeah, me too!" said Peridot. "Plus, maybe this will give us a lead on where Steven and the others went to!"
"Then it's settled!" shouted Hessonite. "Come, we fly!"
The Ruby tugged on Pyrope's dress. "Can I come, too?"
Down on the soon-to-be colony's surface, battle raged. Zombified monsters appeared from out of nowhere, attacking the Gems out of the blue. Homeworld sent armies to fight back, but they were currently locked in a stalemate. Hessonite and the others were not interested in joining their fight, however, merely in stopping it. All six Gems flew in on a shuttle far away from the frontlines. Their destination was a research facility, abandoned once Skeletor's armies arrived.
Hessonite stepped out first, followed by the others. "Stay alert," she warned. "The fighting's not near us, but keep your eyes open for stragglers."
"No Gems are nearby," reported Demantoid.
"So, what exactly was the research here on?" asked Peridot.
"I haven't the foggiest idea," said Pyrope. She held her Ruby companion in her arms. "Well, that's not entirely true. I know the research was one something called the 'First Ones,' but as to what they are, I don't know."
Peridot stopped. "Did you say 'First Ones?'"
"I did," Pyrope said. "Have you heard of them?"
"Yeah, they're-" Before she could explain, Peridot was cut off by a growling sound coming from within the research center.
"Uh, Demantoid?" said Lapis. "Your scanner only finds Gems, doesn't it?"
"Indeed," said the green Garnet.
Out from the shadows crawled numerous rotting monsters of all shapes and sizes. Big and small, bulky and lithe, but one thing was shared, besides their decomposition: they were all focusing on the newcomers.
Hessonite summoned her sword. "Everyone, get ready!"