Yellow Diamond could not believe it.
There, the giant dragon that had frozen three whole Gem battalions before it was captured…And it was allowing Pink to approach it and even touch it without harming her!
"How?" Was all Yellow could say.
"You just have to treat them with respect, Yellow." Pink simply said, smiling in awe and exhilaration. "The poor thing must have been frightened to death when it was brought here. Isn't that right, you amazing creature."
The creature seemingly purred from the gentle touch of Pink's hand.
"I believe the humans call this creature a Dragon." Pink said thoughtfully. "It can fly and even breathe fire…But not this one. It breathes ice and that is so amazing!"
This wasn't one of furry organics from Blue's Kyanite colony that were now part of the zone. This was a giant creature that could cause unending destruction if it was not tamed.
"Poor dragon. Dragged in here and having to put up with mean old Yellow. It's okay though. Yellow likes to act mean but when you get to know you'll see she's just a big softie." Pink giggled.
"I am not!" Yellow protested and turned away.
"Don't mind her, Dragon. She's also moody." Pink whispered to the dragon who seemingly understood.
Yellow grunted, closing her eyes as she tried to keep calm. Pink may have always known how to make her laugh but she sure knew how to push her buttons too.
"Yellow, c'mon!" Pink called out.
Yellow sighed and turned around. "What is it?"
"You still need to learn how to bond with Dragon here." Pink answered, coming over to Yellow and grabbing her hand.
"Bond? Pink, I'm supposed to train…Wait; you're calling this dragon…Dragon?" Yellow started but stopped when Pink's name for the dragon finally sank in.
"Sure. I'm a pink diamond so I am called Pink Diamond just you are a yellow diamond and your name is Yellow Diamond." Pink reasoned as if it was obvious.
Yellow wanted to respond but she had no argument for Pink's logic even if she felt she needed to have one.
"Come on." Pink started dragging Yellow over to Dragon who growled as the two approached.
"Pink, this might not be a good idea." Yellow said, seeing Dragon glaring at her and not wanting to admit she was slightly….
A Diamond did not get afraid.
A Diamond did not get nervous.
She was…cautious. Yes, that will do.
"This Dragon already tried freezing and eating me earlier." She continued, suddenly wondering why she letting Pink drag her over when she could easily halt the smaller diamond.
"You just need to get to know each other." Pink said encouragingly. "Go on, Yellow. Hold your hand."
Between the dangerous look in Dragon's eyes and the pleading look on Pink's face Yellow sighed and held out her hand…
Only for Dragon to try biting it.
Xxx
"Hey there, GrimmFall fans." TOM greeted. "If you have been keeping up with GrimmFall and its other stories you know that GrimmFall: The Golden Castle has ended and hopefully it ended with the kind of action you all enjoy but if you think it's over then guess again. We're here to show you a taste of what comes next." He pressed several buttons on his chair control and watched as the preview played.
Xxx
(The screen was pitch black as voices started to speak.)
"You have forgotten much, Hero of Ulster. Do you remember Crom Cruach?"
"Crom Cruach, death worm, you are still no more than that: a worm!"
"Rolf's papa would talk about one god from the Old Country whose heart was as black as blackest beets! A monster named Crom Cruach! He would be an evil god who would demand the sacrifice of one child from the village so he was able to raise crops, raise the sun, and allow fertility. But one day Rolf's ancestors would rise up and fight off the malevolent Crom!"
(A dark figure appeared through the mist, walking onto a beach.)
"But it was no use... But Crom would be stopped one day as a warrior with a golden spear of light would hunt down the evil god and BANISH HIM! He would be imprisoned within a large golden statue of his true monstrous form and be surrounded by twelve stone statues, all imprisoning him! Legend says if the gold statue and the twelve stone statues are removed, the dark god shall rise once more!"
(It appeared to be a muscular man, wearing a lantern necklace.)
"A DOG HAS RAISED ITS HIND LEG ON THE AGE ON NEVERMORE! HEED ROLF THAT DO-HICKY IS NOT ONLY A DECORATION OF WAR OR VIOLENCE FROM ROLF'S OLD COUNTRY BUT IT ALSO SYMBOLIZES THE RISE OF THE BLOODY HAND! BUT MOST KNOWN AS CROM CRUACH!"
"Who?"
(The muscular man face palmed.)
"Crom! The God of the Nature, Wealth, Sun and Fertility!"
"…Not ringing a bell."
"You know, Crom Cruach! The Bloody Hand!"
"…"
"Okay, Crom used to fight this warrior named Cu Chullain?"
"Oh him!"
"The Hero of Ulster!"
"Yeah, we know him!"
"Okay-" Crom tried to speak but was interrupted.
"Great guy. Heard he was reincarnated."
"WHAT?!"
(An armored warrior clashed a large sword against a pitchfork the muscular man wielded.)
"You shall prey for me, and beg for Crom's help, and in return Crom shall keep your world in check and allow you to live."
"Listen whoever you are-"
"'Whoever you are?!' Are you kidding-Did you hear a single word Crom said?!"
(Four figures surrounded the man, each of them covered completely in different colored armor: blood red, wood, midnight blue and gold.)
"Go to every corner of this world and spread Crom's name."
(Scotty Black, Major Glory and the Justice Friends fought against the armored warriors.)
"Crom's power is so great it's affecting the entire planet. If we do not stop him then soon enough everyone will either be bowing and praying or being sacrificed to him."
(An elderly Scotsman held up a blade resembling Scotty Blake's.)
"You were once a king and in a way you still are. If we do not band together against this evil now then there will be no left to stop it."
(An army of demons was being led by the four warriors of Crom. The scotsman stood alongside King Arthur, the Justice Friends, the Manhattan Gargoyle clan and many more warriors before leading the charge against the demons with a loud battle cry.)
Presenting:
GRIMMFALL: HAIL CROM
"Rolf has an idea, how about a challenge? And a bet He-who-must-never-be-named-Crom." Rolf proposed with a smile.
Crom smiled himself and scratched his chin. "Hmm... Interesting, what shall the stakes be?"
"Simple he-who's-heart-is-as-black-as-coal. If Rolf wins, you leave and never return." said Rolf.
"Very well then... what is the challenge of your choosing?" asked Crom.
"That's my horse!" Rolf answered and Crom grew a bigger smile on his face.
Coming Soon
Xxx
"AH!" Suddenly Dipper shot up screaming but calmed down a second later. "I just had a horrible dream that Gideon stole the deed to the Mystery Shack, and kicked us out, and... we all had to move in with Soos' grandma?"
"That was no dream, dude." Soos spoke up, causing Dipper to scream again and everyone woke up as a result.
"Shh. Por favor." Soos' grandmother, Abuelita asked nicely.
"Uh, sorry, Abuelita."
"Oh, Soos, your grandma is so adorable! And her skin is old lady soft. "Mabel touched the elderly woman's skin. "Haaaahhh!"
"Mabel, quit being creepy! The news is finally on." Stan cut in, watching the TV.
"In a movement that has all of Gravity Falls buzzing, child psychic Gideon Gleefu;," The screen showed a picture of a winking Gideon surrounded by a litter of playful puppies. "Has taken surprise ownership of the Mystery Shack, previously belonging to area shyster, Stanford Pines." It now showed a picture of Stan in a devil costume surrounded by fire.
"That picture's taken out of context." Stan stated.
"Now that you have the shack, what exactly are you planning to do with it?" The reporter asked Gideon.
"I have a big announcement to make today, and I'd like to cordially invite all the good people of Gravity Falls to join me. Free admission to anyone who wears their Gideon pins! It's my face!" Gideon winked at the camera.
"I just can't believe Gideon beat us. Normally I'm able to save the day. This is all my fault." Dipper sighed in disappointment.
"Don't worry, Dipper. Looks like Mabel's going to have to be the hero of the family now. I'll defeat Gideon with my grappling hook!" Mabel pulled out said grappling hook with a determined grin.
"Mabel, no offense, but that grappling hook has literally never helped us once." Dipper pointed out.
"Oh yeah? Jelly grab!" Mabel shot her grappling hook at a jar of jelly, causing it to break and splatter jelly on the walls.
"I vacuum the walls now." And just like that Abuelita started vacuuming the wall.
"So you lost the Shack. Look on the bright side, dudes! Now you get to live here with me, Soos! Hey, anyone want to play race cars? They're out of batteries but we can make pretend." Soos spat out two pieces of food. "Would that be a new low if I ate that? Haha I'm just kidding, I'm totally eating it!"
Stan only had one thing to say to that. "We gotta get the Shack back."
Xxx
"Are we not going to discuss it?"
Sammael was too busy eyeing the chess board in front of him to allow himself to be distracted. He simply moved a red bishop. "Discuss what exactly, Moloch?"
"You know what." Moloch snapped, moving a black queen. "I know you sensed it. Thor, the Asgardian God has risen again."
"His successor has risen, gaining his powers and possibly his memories." Sammael replied, moving a red piece and taking the queen. "He is a long way from being a credible threat."
"Even if he has the power to kill an immortal?" Moloch grunted, seeing his queen taken. "At full Thor could kill even us."
"At full power with the knowledge to use it." Sammael softly replied as Moloch finally moved a piece. "The reincarnation for him is different from the Elementals. It's doubtful Odin was concerned about any mortal considered worthy enough to pick up his son's hammer. He'd be more focused on reviving his son."
"All the more reason to be worried." Moloch said, gazing at the chessboard. "Check."
"And if the new host has any friends that wish him to remain as he is they will no doubt attempt to find a way to stop this." Sammael smirked as he moved a piece…and took Moloch's king. "Checkmate."
Moloch narrowed his eyes but remained calm.
"Either way, the new Thor is not the priority here. What matters now is that our candidates for Team CROW are in the process of assembling." Sammael changed the subject. "And we must be ready when they return with the Elementals."
"To take the Elementals."
"No, to eliminate the Grimm Slayer, better known as Omnimon." Sammael replied. "The Elementals are for another time."
"Eliminate the Grimm Slayer?" Moloch asked. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"First off, he will obviously be exhausted when he returns. The plan may a simple infiltration but we all know things rarely go completely according to plan. Second, you remember the weapon I made for that fool Delgado?" Sammael explained.
"You did. It was a waste of a good weapon."
"Was it?" Sammael held out his hand and in a flash of light, a gauntlet resembling the one he gave to Hoss Delgado appeared on the table. "Behold, Purgatory returned here from the pocket dimension that the Te Xuan Ze had placed it in."
Moloch gazed at the gauntlet. "And how will this help destroy the Grimm Slayer?"
"You know that Purgatory is simply one third of a set of weapons I have made for the new Exterminator. The purpose of the Exterminator is to eliminate powerful beings that might stand in our way, especially the kind that specialize in having and wielding large amounts of energy." Sammael said as the doors opened.
"My apologies if I am interrupting, sir." Gentle Jim said, bowing humbly.
"Not at all, Sir James." Sammael gestured for the gentleman to sit at the table. "Tell me, did you find Void to your liking?"
Sir James unsheathed a cutlass shaped sword, seemingly made of a glowing purple crystal. "It works perfectly, sir."
"I do not understand." Moloch stared at the sword.
"Purgatory is designed to absorb energy while Void negates energy." Sammael smirked. "It is made of the same material I made Purgatory from and has been enchanted to dispel and negate energy on contact, including Aura."
"And the Grimm Slayer has a special and powerful Semblance as noted by Katz and General Skarr." Sir James noted as he sheathed the sword. "This sword's ability can neutralize a Semblance's abilities."
"And now it has the perfect test subject." Sammael leaned back in his chair. "I used the same materials from my very own personal weapon to make Void and Purgatory."
Moloch looked at Sammael. "The very same material."
"Yes. This will be our answer to Omnimon and Thor if need be." Sammael nodded.
"So that's why you approached the Grimm Slayer. Not to simply rescue the Elementals but lure him into a trap." Moloch noted, sounding pleased. "With the perfect bait. The Grimm Slayer protected Ice and Candy from Skarr during their battle."
"Yes. When Van Kleiss ordered Skarr to attack them behind my back." Sammael's red eyes flashed in irritation. "That fool did not consider what could have happened if the Elementals had been killed or the fact that a battle of life and death was all the Grimm Slayer needed to awaken his powers. If he had simply waited it would have taken this Royal Knight longer to fully realize his potential."
"And yet you spared Van Kleiss, no matter how angry you were." Moloch noted. "Ordering the death of a potential enemy without authorization is one thing but ordering a fellow Fallen, newborn or not. I thought for sure Van Kleiss was a goner."
"I had considered getting rid of Van Kleiss at the moment…And then I decided this new creature would be worth keeping alive to test our Exterminator's new weapon." Sammael looked at the sheathed Void. "Sir James."
"Sir." Gentle Jim straightened up.
"You and Boris will be present when they return and you will attempt to strike the Grimm Slayer down with Void." Sammael instructed.
"Yes sir." Gentle Jim nodded. "What of the others?"
"If they return with the team Sebben has assembled Boris along with Gelorum's generals will be with you. And if they prove to be too much trouble…" Sammael smirked. "I will have a few more friends waiting with you."
Xxx
When she finally awoke she felt very, very strange. There was the strange feeling of something beating in her chest and when it caused her to worry it became more rapid to the point she shot up in bed with a frightened yelp.
"Lapis!" A very familiar voice said next to her.
"Steven?"
Sure enough, there he was, smiling very happily at her. "I am so glad you're awake and not fused with Jasper anymore."
"I'm…I'm not fused anymore." Lapis said slowly, looking down at herself and noticing something wrong. "Steven, what happened? Why do I look so strange?"
"Well, Lapis it's…" Steven awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "It's because you're…Human."
Lapis just stared at the boy. "What?"
"You're Human now." Steven answered a bit louder.
"That's…That's impossible." Lapis shook her head. "I am Gem. I can't be Human. I can…" Lapis' eyes widened in horror and realization. "BILL CIPHER!"
"WHAT?!" Steven jumped out of his chair. "You know Bill Cipher?!"
"Yes I-Wait, you know him too?" Lapis stopped mid-sentence and asked.
"Yeah, he tricked and fused with me and almost made me kill all my friends!" Steven cried at the mention of that not so pleasant memory.
"He fused with you?!" Lapis exclaimed. "But he's not a Gem!"
"And he made you a Human!" Steven pointed back at Lapis.
Lapis did indeed look fully human now. She got up and walked to a mirror, seeing her reflection for the first time. She had light tanned skin, almost as tanned as Steven's with her dress a mix of grey and black now with her hair completely black while her eyes thankfully remained blue.
She placed her hand on the glass, staring in complete shock at herself before she turned around and gasped. "My gemstone…"
It wasn't there.
She wasn't a Gem anymore.
She was a Human.
"Lapis, I know you are scared but I need you to tell me about Bill." Steven grasped Lapis' hand softly.
Just the mere touch of Steven's hand seemed to calm Lapis down as he led her back to the bed and sat down. "We…He showed up and offered to free us from each other. Me, Jasper and that other thing…I think his name was Vlad."
"Vlad?" Steven questioned.
Lapis nodded, the memories coming back. "He was…something else. He tried to take over Malachite but Jasper and I fought back and then…We latched onto him and somehow he fused with us, gaining all of his powers. It was too much to handle, they both started fighting for control and pushed me down. I couldn't hold Malachite back anymore."
"So that's why Malachite was so powerful when it attacked Beach City. It was this Vlad guy." Steven realized and continued questioning. "What did Bill do?"
"He just offered a way for all of us to be free of each other. I said no because I didn't trust him but Vlad and Jasper, they said yes." Lapis shivered as a sudden cold air swept over her. "Then when Malachite defused I saw him again and then…I don't remember anything else."
Steven softly padded Lapis on the back. "Hey, we'll find out what happened. We're with the Justice Friends so they might know what happened."
"The who?"
Xxx
Meanwhile Major Glory had led Amethyst, Pops, Carl, Erika and Johnny to the door leading to Valhallen's room.
"Brace yourselves everyone for we are about to enter the sanctuary of," Major Glory opened the door as he declared dramatically. "The Rock God."
To say that Valhallen's room was big was an understatement. It was so large it seemed as if it was another entire dimension, which it likely was.
"Wow! This is so much bigger than my room at the temple!" Amethyst exclaimed in excitement.
"Sweet!" Johnny said so loudly his voice carried an echo.
"Amazing!" Carl gushed as he looked around in awe.
"Yes. This is why Valhallen pays extra." Major Glory said dryly. "This entire room exists on the same dimensional plane as Asgard."
The room mostly consisted of a large marble platform rising from a blazing pit of fire. On the platform were four large amps which held up a bed made of solid marble that had four snake statues with chains in their mouths as bed posts. Around the bed are six marble statues depicting Vikings of rock.
"I don't remember this is in the old legends." Erika admitted as they entered, looking at the statues.
"It's pretty much Valhallen's little corner of the Asgardian realm. Unlike their ancient counterparts, these Asgardians are rock 'n roll-loving party goers that love to throw parties. Oh, and before I forget if anyone sees a tree with golden apples don't eat the apples." Major Glory warned sternly.
"What happens if we eat the apples?" Amethyst asked.
"You fall into a deep sleep from which you can never awaken." Major Glory answered, thinking of that one time Valhallen ushered in some Ragnarok n' Roll and the huge mess that was made. "For Asgardians, it's pretty much their version of a hangover."
Erika sighed but remained focus on the task at hand. "So, how do we contact Asgard?"
"I believe through him." Major Glory pointed forward.
Everyone looked to see a white furred goat eating a plant near Valhallen's bed.
"The goat?" Amethyst asked.
"Not just any goat. William Goat is Valhallen's pet and personal steed who takes him to and from Asgard here in his room." Major Glory explained.
"Wow!" Carl slowly walked over to the goat, holding out his hand and softly petting the goat. "This is so amazing."
"Amazing, yes but remain focused Mr. Carl. I believe William Goat is our best chance at making contact with Odin." Major Glory reminded.
"How so?" Amethyst asked.
"Someone will have to ride William Goat all the way to Asgard." Glory explained. "If Valhallen was here he could take your friend up to Asgard and speak with Odin. But since he is not here someone will have to go with Mr. Bravo so he does not cause any trouble."
"And this is where I come in." Erika stepped forward and approached the goat. "Since I am a descendent of Vikings I think I can convince the Asgardians to at least hear out an explanation regarding the return of their long lost prince."
"That will not be necessary!" A voice boomed from above.
Everyone looked up and watched as a woman with long blond hair in braid and was dressed in Valkyrie armor rode down from the sky on a white horse with wings.
"Oooh, myth-icy" Johnny said with a dumb smile.
Erika's eyes widened in disbelief, recognizing the woman from the legends of her people. "Brunnhilde, the strongest Valkyrie in Asgard."