Chapter Twenty Five: Ebony Chamber
After running through a maze, some fire traps, and a room full of water, Onyx was ready to regenerate.
His gem started glowing, shifting through his many changes.
This time, Onyx had a dark gray cloak and black boots.
His hair was silver instead of black, and his eyes were blue.
He looked at the others, who were astonished with his changes.
Malachite was definitely impressed.
"Wow. You look… amazing. I wish I had a cloak."
He muttered something under his breath.
"You look like someone I used to know…"
Andesine reported monsters across the hall.
Shadowlings?
Nope.
These creatures looked like actual Gems.
They were Morph Slimes.
Usually, they were these blobs with gems visible in their see-through bodies. These creatures were special, though.
They could take the form of any Gem whose remains they absorbed.
One was an Emerald, one was a Morganite, and another was a Zoisite, while the rest were…
Pearls.
They were Pearls.
But behind them was a larger one.
And Malachite recognized it.
The Gem he thought about earlier…
A red gem floated inside it, and that was how he knew.
Orthoclase.
Pearl started slashing at her own kind while Garnet and the others took the Morganite, who was the strongest of the three.
Malachite stayed back with Steven, shocked.
"So she… she did explore the Spire… I never should have left her come here alone… All of us should have helped her… But I doubted her, and now she's… dead."
After the Gems took care of the Pearls and the other three, Malachite told them to stop.
"Don't hurt her!"
The Gems looked at him, confused.
"Turquoise, look at its Gem. It's Orthoclase."
Her jaw dropped upon hearing her name.
"N-no! It… it can't be… Orthoclase, she's… gone?"
"…Yes…"
Onyx and the others started sobbing.
"Why… what did she do… she never deserved this."
Malachite and Turquoise fused to take care of this grim situation.
Coesite hugged the creature before poofing it.
They bubbled it before unfusing, tears streaming down their cheeks.
Turquoise hugged Malachite.
They both said their goodbyes to the gem, sending it away.
The two stopped crying and focused on the task at hand.
Andesine gave them the report.
"Black Diamond's up ahead. Let's get this over with so we can hurry back to the Temple and rest."
The Gems nodded.
After yet another maze, they ran into a pitch-black room.
The only light in the room was coming from Black Diamond's gem, who was sitting in the corner.
It seemed he was pinning daggers into some rag doll.
He'd sensed them.
"Welcome to your fate, Clods."
He laughed, floating.
"I am honored to serve as your gateway to your doom!"
Black Diamond tapped his gem, making a light in the room flicker.
"Prepare yourselves, for I will annihilate you!"
Suddenly, a myriad of daggers appeared, floating beside him.
Malachite decided.
"I'll do this for Orthoclase. WE WILL AVENGE HER!"
He aimed his sword at Black Diamond, throwing it at him.
"Missed."
Malachite smiled at Black Diamond's stupidity as the sword came falling down onto him.
Black Diamond screeched.
Onyx told the Gems to stay back.
"I'll handle this!"
He summoned his lance, which now had not one, not two, but three tips, crowned with black spikes.
He ran onto the wall, following Black Diamond.
Onyx look at Malachite while doing so, asking for permission.
After seeing him nod, Tiger's Eye ran on the wall as well, meeting Onyx behind Black Diamond, who was petrified.
Upon impact, the two fused into Rose Zircon.
After summoning the glove, she shot the harpoon into Black Diamond's back.
When he was down, she clawed at him.
Malachite took this to his advantage, putting his sword to Black Diamond's shoulder.
"Who's annihilated now?"
Before a sound could come from his mouth, Malachite poofed him.
He bubbled the gem, dissipating his sword into green dust.
"So I guess we have to fight the fusion now."
He sighed.
Two more, and they aren't looking forward to this.