"Lapis…"
"Her wings… the water inside her gem…"
"But how… is that even possible?"
"I-I don't know… I can't even store things in my gem, I didn't know they could be forcibly extracted…"
"What do we do now?"
Chapter 8: Tigereye, Act 3
"And the last known survivor stalks her prey in the night
And she is watching us all, with the eye of the tiger"
Peridot was scared for real now. The severity of the situation had finally begun to sink in. Sure, seeing Connie hurt was scary, but Steven had healed her pretty fast, so it hadn't quite hit her the same way. When Lapis had told them to stay back, Peridot had done so. After all, Lapis was in full control, right? There was no way she could lose, she was a lapis lazuli for crying out loud! A terraformer, no way in a million years some human could overpower her. And surely, using the water inside her gemstone was impossible, right?
Then again… a lot of impossible things had happened on Earth. And maybe the water in Lapis' gem wasn't stored in a pocket space, but was actually kept inside small cavities on the gem's 'inside', and the water kept shrunk using hydrokinesis (similar to the PYM-space storing technique). If that was the case, then the enemy being able to use their power on the water made sense, because it was not kept in a separate dimension… unless the pocket space wasn't actually a real pocket space, but rather an IG bend, or curved space. With a lapis lazuli, generating the power necessary was easy enough, though Peridot wasn't sure about other gem types… she had seen Pearl store things in her gem, and it did seem like a real pocket dimension… maybe the lazuli was a special case? To make the process of summoning the wings quicker? But then, how come the rest of the water stored didn't discharge violently once Lazuli was poofed? If the storing of the water was done externally, then with the body poofed, then whatever force maintained the storage would have released its grip and…
Peridot tripped and fell over again. This time, it wasn't just over her own feet though. Steven had been tugging at her arm while she was distracted, and her foot had gotten caught on some metal scrap on the ground. Actually, it was the morp she had been working on an hour or so ago. Her ferrokinesis must have gone out of control for a moment, dragging her morp, tools and assorted scraps with her. The installation was a sad-looking thing. She hadn't even bothered to tie up all loose ends, or cut off the tape, so the roll of duct tape was still with it.
The fall did bring one positive effect with it, however; Peridot snapped back to reality. The specifics of how Lapis' gem worked may be fascinating, but hardly a fitting topic to ponder upon in the current situation.
"What do we do now?" That was the important question. This human enemy had proven themselves to be dangerous. They needed to deal with it, right now.
"I have to do something," Steven said. "Maybe if I…"
"No!" Connie interrupted him. She grabbed his shoulders as if to stop him from going even before he started to move. "You can't get close, it will kill you!"
"Connie is right," Peridot said. "Neither of you can get any closer to the field, or you risk getting killed. No, if anyone has to get close, it should be me." She made a pause. Yes… she was the only one that could get close to the enemy without being killed from the inside. She didn't have a drop of water in her body for the enemy to use. She was their only hope now…
Peridot's knees became weak as the realization settled with her. She was their only hope to beat this enemy. And she couldn't fail, or her friends would be… killed. Could she… could she do it? She wasn't like the other Crystal Gems… she had no weapon, no experience, and she could barely use her power right twenty percent of the time! There was no way she could do this by herself… she was not strong enough.
She looked at Lapis gem again. It was stuck to the end of the icicle that had burst through her chest. It was undamaged… some hope in the dark. Lapis was going to be okay… unless the enemy realized they hadn't finished the job, and decided to shatter it. After it was finished with them.
Gah! If only Peridot could see where the coward was hiding! Maybe she could have flung some metal at them, give them a taste of their own medicine. Peridot starred out in the fields, trying to make something out. A movement, a shadow, anything… Nothing. There was nothing. The sun had almost entirely set now, and it was getting darker by the minute. Soon, finding anything in the dried up rests of the corn would be impossible.
Stupid human. Destroying perfectly good crops like that. What now were they supposed to do, huh? Plowing the land, building the watering system, reassembling the tractor… so much work for nothing. Useless!
Wait a minute. Peridot's gaze darted back to the place where Lapis' gem was. There! At the edge of the field, the tractor stod. And next to it, another item…
"Steven…" Peridot said. "I need a shield."
"What?" he said. "I'm already holding one…" he said, and indeed he was. It was a good shield, big enough to protect all three of them at the same time. "What do you mean, you need an extra?"
"Yes, "Peridot said. She picked up the half-finished morp from the ground. She used a trick she had learned from the human Greg; cutting tape using your teeth and a careful sideways movement. "I have a plan. But I need a shield."
"A plan?" Connie said. "What plan, what are you going to do?"
"I don't have time to explain… just trust me," Peridot said. She put the roll of tape around her arm, like a bulky friendship bracelet. She scanned the ground for the tool she needed. It was about halfway between the field and the barn, but slightly off course. She made a few quick calculations to optimize her movement.
"Just trust me," she said again, perhaps more to herself than her friends.
Connie and Steven glanced at each other before Steven summoned another shield for Peridot.
"Just please… be careful," Steven told her.
"I will," she said and took it from him. It was surprisingly light. "Now, you two get inside the barn and wait for my signal. It's… you'll know when you see." She didn't wait for their response. She just began moving towards the dead field of corn crops. She didn't quite dare to run, she didn't want to risk tripping again. Still, she needed to move fast.
Peridot had realized what had happened to Lapis now. The human's ability seemed to have a range limit. When it attacked Connie, she had been just on the edge of that limit, which was why she was still alive. Now, based on the data she had, it was safe to assume that Lapis too had been just outside of range when she was poofed. Evidently, this was not the case. This could mean several things, but the most likely explanation was that human had repositioned themselves inside the field, to get closer to Lapis. The spikes they flung in the meantime was just a distraction.
Assuming this conclusion was correct (Peridot was about 43% sure it was), and adding in the fact that most of the crops, the enemy's source of ammunition had been destroyed, then it meant the enemy would try to reposition themselves again to find a new source of water. Such as the smaller than average lake outside the barn entrance… or the silo filled with water. With those sheer amounts of available water alone, it was no telling what kind of damage the enemy could cause. That's why she needed to move fast. She had to finish this before that happened. Before the enemy got another advantage over them.
She was halfway there when the first spike hit. It came flying out of the field without warning and slammed into the shield. It shattered against it without leaving a scratch. Peridot didn't even feel any pushback. What a marvelous weapon, capable of completely nullifying kinetic energy to such a capacity.
This behavior was exactly as predicted. The enemy would try with a direct attack to test her, before going for the killing blow. A killing blow Peridot would not let come.
Before the enemy could react again, she used her metal powers to lift all the metal scraps she had dragged out of the barn into the air. With a grunt, she flung them all into the field. All except one. A special tool she needed to complete her plan, which she grabbed from the ground.
With the metal pieces acting as a distraction, she continued to move quickly towards the tractor where the last component stood. She didn't expect her diversion to work for too long unless she actually had managed to hit the enemy…
The grass crunched under her feet. She looked down and saw that it had been dried up. A small spike, about the size of a pen, was launched directly at her chest. The force very nearly pushed her off her feet, but she managed to stay standing. The spike broke against her skin… though it did sting quite a bit.
There were only five meters left to the tractor.
More spots dried up around her, pen-spikes ready to launch at her from all directions. Peridot bit her lower lip. This was going to sting a lot.
Peridot hadn't been around for long enough to experience hail but imagine that. Except the hail is sharp spikes and falls from every direction directly at you. You'd die. But peridots are nothing if not tough little clods. She kept on pushing forwards.
Three meters… two meters… one meter… there!
She arrived at her destination, just as the hail stopped. How long until the enemy began a new attack? Not long enough for her to stand around and ponder on that! She took cover behind the tractor, which provided protection from attacks from the field. She put the shield on the ground, facing the direction she came from. She got to work, attaching the tool to the object with the tape. No need for it to look good… it just needed to keep together… less than a minute. Come on, just stick…
Why wasn't there a new attack? Peridot dared to take a peek into the field. No movements, no new spikes… had the enemy given up? No, that couldn't be it. It was probably just biding its time. Well, that time was now! Peridot had just finished her weapon. She turned on the tool and grabbed the object using her ferrokinesis. In one (not quite as swift as she had wished) motion, she stood up again, bringing the object with her. She lifted it above her head, above the field. One push, and…
The spike hit her with the force of a small car. Right in her upper back. Where Lapis had ger gem. The impact actually sent her flying, flipping Peridot over the tractor, where she landed on her butt.
Lapis' gem must 've still had some water left in it.
Several more spikes, seven maybe, came flying out of the field, all aimed for Peridot's chest and head. And they did a little more than sting. It wasn't enough to poof her, but the pain made her wish it did. It was worse than getting crushed under a boulder because then it's just blunt force. Now, pointed icicles bombarded her, piercing her skin if just so slightly. One of them hit her in the eye, destroying the delicate vision sphere, and making her other eye blurry with tears of pain.
She couldn't focus her ferrokinesis anymore, and the object she had held suspended in the air fell to the ground.
This was not a problem.
Just as the spike from behind hit her, she had pushed to object to where it needed to be. Above the cornfield.
She saw something white hit the red canister as it fell, clear liquid leaking from it.
Exactly as planned.
Whoosh!
The blowtorch did its job and ignited the fuel inside the gasoline canister. The fire caught on easily and began devouring the dried-up plants. In less than thirty seconds, half the field was burning, and the rest followed it soon after.
Plants are pretty fascinating. They live of off the immense power radiated by the sun and bound it as potential energy inside carbohydrate molecules. Now, all that stored power was released, all at once. For a little while, the sun's power would dance upon the Earth's surface.
"That's what you get…" Peridot wheezed. One of the spikes had hit her in the throat, making it hard for her to speak. "That's what you get for hurting my friends." She took a deep breath, gathering all her strength. "You clod!"
She heard Steven and Connie come running, shouting her name and stuff. So they understood the signal? Good…
Peridot felt tired… maybe she would just… take a minute to rest…
xxXXxx
Somewhere in the field, a small cat ran for her life, chased by an unstopping force of nature, the predator of the elements. The hunter was now the hunted.
xxXXxx
[One-eyed Cat]
A stray cat given strength, intelligence, and safety for her sisters, at the cost of her eye.
Stand: Tigereye
Appearance: N/A
Notable Powers and Abilities
•Hard Water Thorns-Tigereye can create sharp spikes (or thorns) from water, whether it be free water, or inside a living organism. Tigereye can also pull the water out of living organisms, and create spikes that can be 'thrown' at a target.
Stats
Destructive Power: B
Speed: N/A (bound type stand)
Range: B (ca. 15-20 meters)
Durability: N/A (bound type stand)
Precision: C
Development Potential: D
Status: Defeated
[Peridot]
A former Homeworld technician turned traitor. She now leads the Crystal Gems. Certified kindergartner. No, she is not from Mars.
Gem placement: Forehead
Weapon(s): None
Notable Powers and Abilities
•Intelligence-Smarter than the average peridot. Has shown great proficiency with all kinds of machines, and capable of constructing complex machines from inferior materials found on Earth. Observant and a quick learner.
•Durability-Peridots have above average durability, matching and even surpassing some quartz soldiers.
•Ferrokinesis-Despite being an Era 2 peridot, who shouldn't possess this power, Peridot posses ferrokinesis. She is able to move and control ferromagnetic metals.
Stats
Destructive Power: D (B with ferrokinesis)
Speed: D
Range: B
Durability: A
Skill: C
Rarity: E
Status: Retired
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Author's Note
Holy moly! I'm on a roll with this chapter! This act took me only like two days to finish!
Okay, so I was lying when I said I had written myself into a corner... I obviously knew full well how this fight would end from the start. I was just trying to hype Peridot's big moment. Finally, one of her Peri-plans worked!
Kudos to SaturdayLemon over on AO3. Your first guess was correct! The stand user was a cat! Specifically, it's Cat!Steven from Pool Hopping.
Kudos also to DiRunner for deducing that Tigereye was a reference to Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, which, of course, is the namesake of the stand in question. Tigereye also happens to be a type of gemstone and works as a pun on the cat only having one eye, so I thought I was real clever with this one.
Next update is going to be a sort of cooldown chapter, just to wrap up the aftermaths of the last couple of fights (Hot n' Cold, To Heaven, Tigereye) and maybe some set-up for the future. Basically, just a chance for both you and me to stop and breathe. A calm before the next storm.
I don't know yet if I'll manage the wrap up in just one act, or if it's going to be a multi-parter. Don't know when it'll be out either. But if I'm not finished in one week, I'll let you guys know.
So until then, take care of the planet Earth, and remember that anything can happen in space!
