"Be careful, Rhodonite, this is your first mission.. You may be a bit rusty." Garnet advised as they began to walk into the cave.
"This creature has been wreaking havoc for farmers in the last few days, we don`t know what it looks like, but it is quick and sneaky, with spikes on its body like daggers that it can sling at will." Pearl said.
"So watch your back." Amethyst slammed her fist into her hand.
"Ready your weapons." Garnet said, forming her gauntlets. Amethyst summoned her whip, Pearl pulled out her spear, Rhodonite readied her tomahawk and Steven formed his shield. Five Crystal Gems were bound to be more effective than four, especially with two fusions, if Rhodonite could be called a fusion.
Steven sighed. "This is going to be intense."
They stepped deeper into the cave to find a big, white, scaly mound with black veining. It was sleeping, curled up like a serpent, still as a mountain, and large like one too. Garnet spotted the Gem of the beast, right on its side, and it actually had a crack running through it. All they had to do was poof the beast and they were all set. Garnet tiptoed over to the beast and raised her gauntlets, ready to slam the creature with them. She pulled down, nailing the animal in the side, but that only woke it up with a growl. A nine-headed serpent unraveled, the heads hissed and began to snap at Garnet, but she punched each one away.
The largest head had a hood like a cobra, and it had the biggest and sharpest fangs out of all of them. Garnet decided to take on the big head, whilst the other Gems went for the other eight heads that began to go after them.
Pearl kept jabbing her spear in two heads` faces, they hissed and one of them almost succeeded in grabbing her. One opened its jaws and aimed right for Pearl`s head, but Pearl stuck her spear into it`s mouth, causing it to fall on the ground, knocked out. The other head, she spun around, spinning her spear as well before stopping and stabbing the head, the spear end going through the top jaw and out the bottom jaw.
Amethyst got rid of her two heads rather quickly, she pulled out a second whip, tied each whip around each head and pulled the two into each other, causing them to knock their heads together and fall limp on the ground. However, a head that Steven lost came over and attacked her. The head growled and silver spikes rose out of its skin.
"Oooh, come on!" Amethyst shouted as she tried to dodge all the quills coming at her. "This thing is armed!" She called to the other Gems before slicing the head she was working with off its neck.
Steven and Rhodonite decided to work together, knowing that Steven`s weapon was strictly defensive and it was Rhodonite`s first time. Rhodonite clubbed the two heads they were supposed to work with with her tomahawk, it was actually a very clean kill, no grappling or spikes were needed, just a hit to the neck. She looked around for more work to do, and seeing that only two heads remained, but it looked like Garnet had it covered.
The main head was still grappling with Garnet, trying to hit her with spikes and snapping its jaws. Of course, it didn`t help that the second to last head tried to get her from behind, luckily, future vision saved the day as she punched the big head to get it out of her way as she charged the second head and knocked it out.
Rhodonite watched the way the big head moved, and studied its facial features, especially the jarring, steel grey eyes. She looked over at the Gem of the creature and contemplated, before finally reaching an idea.
"Steven... I think I recognize this Gem." Rhodonite whispered.
"What? How?" Steven asked, bewildered.
"I think...I`ve even fused with her. Cover me, I`m going to try to help her." Rhodonite sprung into action.
Rhodonite ran over to Garnet, weapon in hand. She tugged at her shoulder, capturing Garnet`s attention.
"What is it, Rhodonite? Can`t you see I`m busy?" Garnet said.
"Just...let me handle this head." Rhodonite said.
"I have it perfectly under control." Garnet replied, punching it away as it came back at her.
"Violence isn`t the answer, just trust me!" Rhodonite shouted.
Garnet nodded and left Rhodonite to face the serpent.
The creature came slowly, its head was up, hood flared, and its forked tongue flickered in and out sinisterly. Its grey eyes, like a mechanical storm, were squinted, and it was ready to pounce on this new prey.
"Howlite!" Rhodonite shouted.
The serpent`s eyes widened and it eased out of its frightening pose. It lowered its head so it made eye contact with Rhodonite, growling softly. Rhodonite quivered a little as she dropped her weapon on the ground.
"Howlite.." Steven whispered.
"It`s me, Sodalite, I may not look like it, but I`m here." Rhodonite grinned.
"Sodalite?" Garnet whisper-asked.
The serpent looked at the Gem, slightly confused and slightly with nostalgia and happiness, it was hard to tell what emotions were stirring in that creature`s head, but whatever it was, it brought back something powerful.
"How about you come back to me, Howlite?" Rhodonite held her hand out, as though Howlite was going to just come out of that form and seize it.
The corruption took over, and just before Rhodonite`s palm touched the serpent`s snout, the snake hissed and tried to snap at Rhodonite. It reared out its head and roared in fury, slithering with its whole body at Rhodonite, dragging its knocked out heads. However, the creature was backing Rhodonite into a corner, and it enjoyed the thought of swallowing the Gem that tried to weaken her. Rhodonite didn`t have enough room to summon her weapon, it was just her, face to face with her old friend, now the jaws of death were smiling at her, hissing, flicking its tongue so that the tip may wipe slobber on her face.
Steven ran to help his fellow Crystal Gem, ramming the snake away with his shield, allowing Rhodonite to escape. Garnet leaped over to the other side of Steven. The head was rammed straight into her, and Garnet raised her gauntlets with finality and cracked the serpent`s skull, causing it to poof into the limbless prism shaped Gem, which Garnet walked over to and bubbled.
The expositions are coming to a halt, and I have some awesome stuff in the works for after the holidays!
Speaking of which, Happy December, month of the Turquoise (And Tanzanite/Iolite)! (I may have a secret geology passion) And I may have a holiday special posted soon... ;) And by soon I mean next week...
I hope you like this sketch of Rhodonite`s first mission, which accidentally brought back some feels from her past...Oops...