Chapter Twenty: Cultists
She fell into a hole, jumping and pleading for help.
Peridot looked around and spotted bats with gemstones on their torsos. She crouched, hands over her head.
She could've sworn one of the bats smiled.
One of them, farther down the cave, glowed, revealing a tall, skinny Gem. He had a gray undershirt and a red jacket-like piece, the bottom half and sleeves ripped off.
The other bats glowed too, and in their place were the same Gem, but with a different appearance.
They were all Pyrope.
Despite being of the Garnet group, they were very different from the
Ruby/Sapphire fusions.
For one, they had a strongly developed bloodlust.
Cultists who worshipped Red Diamond, who was crushed thousands of years ago.
Pyrope grinned. "Welcome, trespasser. Have you come to let us have your blood, or to die?"
Steven dropped in, throwing his shield at him.
"Ow!" His eyes were replaced by red, blinding light.
"You? A human-Gem hybrid?! How is this possible?!"
A voice boomed throughout the cave.
"Keep your hands off him!"
A Gem dropped in, shaking the ground.
Peridot flinched. "Eep!" She scrambled into a small hole.
Steven backed up. "W-who are you?"
The Gem roared. "Olivine. Pretty sure you know us."
He looked at the gems.
Forehead, throat.
Malachite and Tiger's Eye?
Peridot peeked out of the hole. "Is that a weapon?"
Steven couldn't help but laugh. "No, it's a Gem like you. But I guess fusion is a weapon on Homeworld?"
Olivine summoned her weapon, which was a ring sword.
She threw it at a group of Pyrope, making them retreat, and since their gems hung in the air, the weapon made lacerations in them, enough to make them break when they fell.
Pyrope ran quickly, jumping off ledges onto other sections of the cave. He grabbed onto a stalactite and pushed off, using it as leverage to jump to another part.
Olivine threw two ring swords, both of them seeking him. She loaded an armor ball Malachite had made on her belt, covering her body in a magic, wavering barrier which emitted a soft light.
"When did you have time to make an armor ball?"
He smiled at her. "I have an armor ball for all of our fusions except for the ones we found last night. Those are higher-quality, the ones I made just reduce damage."
Pyrope got cut in half mid-jump.
His gem fell onto a stalagmite, breaking on impact with the spike.
And they got into this mess because of those stupid Homeworld warriors.