It was an early Sunday morning in Beach city, and most of its residents were either off starting their daily routines or simply taking a chance to sleep in before the week pulled in.

For two very unique teens, however, it was spent tirelessly hiking along a mountainside in the brisk morning hours.

"Steven, where exactly are we headed again?"

Connie asked her half-gem friend as the two made their way along the winding roadside, a severely oversized pack filled with essential hiking supplies, and one oversized pink sword, fastened to her back.

"A temple, or a cave, or a tomb? I don't really know, I couldn't get a good look at it."

Steven admitted, realizing that he might have been premature in calling Connie to aid him in a search for a place he wasn't even certain really existed.

Connie seemed somewhat more dubious after his explanation, but regardless, continued to follow him along the road as they conversed.

"Right, and you saw all this in your dream?"

She asked, hoping for perhaps a bit more clarification on what he'd supposedly seen in the middle of the night that warranted their action.

"Yes!"

He responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well actually, I think it might have been someone else's dream."

The young half-gem quickly amended, recalling the surprised figures he'd apparently intruded upon.

"Oh, right. dream power."

Connie replied somewhat dryly, fully accustomed to Steven's unusual powers, but still somewhat frustrated by the lack of clarity in their mission.

Not that she wasn't happy to be out exploring again, truth be told while she'd been taking the time to figure herself out a part of her did miss aiding Steven in the crazy, madcap ride he called day-to-day life.

"So, do you know who's dream it was?"

She asked as she pulled out the map she'd stored away and looked over the various mountainous ranges for any places that looked like they could house a large structure underneath.

Steven paused from his searching for a moment, recalling or perhaps rethinking what he saw last night.

"I...Think it might have been Jaspers."

He admitted, drawing a shocked gasp and a few errant beads of sweat from his companion.

"But I thought you said she was corrupted."

Connie argued, recalling Steven's somber story about Jasper's fate, how he wanted to help her, how she looked so confused and hurt by the end of it.

Had he found a way to reach out to her? was that what this trip was about? She wasn't sure, but either way, she suddenly felt far less confident, remembering just how dangerous Jasper was.

Steven seemed visibly forlorn, likely still feeling guilt at the Quartz soldier's suffering, even if she was a bitter enemy.

"That's the thing, it looked like there was someone else there. Someone offering to "fix" her."

Connie's eyes widened, as suddenly Steven's guilt seemed to make even more sense. He'd always been devoted to trying to save gems from corruption, to know that someone had found a way without his help must have made him feel helpless.

Still, another question dug at the back of her mind.

"Shouldn't we tell the Crystal Gems?"

She asked, concern evident in her voice as she looked to her partner for some explanation.

Steven could only stare back towards beach city, back towards the homes, and friends that they'd been getting further and further away from.

"When I overheard this person who was with Jasper, he said something about being right under our noses, how we wouldn't suspect a human to be a threat."

He said, not tearing his eyes away from the cityscape.

"A human? Steven that doesn't make any sense."

Connie argued, not understanding how a human could travel into a gem's dreamscape and claim to fix them of corruption. Especially considering most of the humans in Beach city didn't know anything about the gems, let alone corruption.

"I know it doesn't, but that's what he said."

He shot back, frustration pouring from his voice as he shook his head in confusion.

The human girl was taken aback by her friend's panicked response, but she could understand it, hearing these things second hand was enough to put her on edge, seeing them for himself must have made Steven feel that much more terrified.

"Do you think it was a gem? Maybe one that was shapeshifting into a human?"

She asked, to which he merely sighed and shrugged, probably just as lost and frustrated as she was.

"I don't know...It didn't look like a Gem. Actually, it didn't look much like a human either. He had, these big yellow eyes and horns and teeth too."

Connie paused to consider this, taking in the feathery sounds of the breeze rolling by as she tried to parse this riddle.

Her immediate response might have been corruption, it seemed like Gems only took on such bestial forms in response to its effects. Yet, this one seemed to possess intelligence, enough to deal and deceive from what Steven described.

"I don't know a lot about Gem stuff, but none of this seems to be adding up, do you think maybe it could have just been a normal dream?"

She cautioned, continuing down the path in the hopes that moving might busy her mind and calm her nerves. Steven, following her closely as she started to lead the way through mountains, merely nodded in response, indicating that he had indeed considered the idea at least.

"Well, that's sorta why we're going. I don't want to cause the gems to panic and start interrogating humans if it all just turns out to be a false alarm."

Connie rubbed her chin thoughtfully, something she'd seen in movies and shows when a character was being contemplative.

Steven did have a point, Pearl and the gems were lacking in tact and social grace at the best of times, and considering Steven had recently been taken prisoner, these were not the best of times. Even if this were real, it would be just as likely their investigation might tip off whoever this was to the fact that they were onto them.

The trek continued, mostly undaunted, as Connie tried to steer away from heavy topics for the rest of their hike through the mountain range, instead opting to talk about dogcopter, the spirit morph saga and everything else the two young adventurers were passionate about. As silly as it was, it felt nice to talk to him about all the little nonmagical things they both enjoyed.

"I really think you'd like the series Connie, it's a little less high fantasy than you're used to but tha-"

"Of all the blasted, small-minded, unambitious, brutes to be stuck with, of course, it had to be this one."

Came a rough, near-snarling voice from far off, interrupting the preteens in their conversation.

Realizing whoever it was hadn't heard them already the two quieted down as they approached, hoping the voice might have some connection to whatever was in this mountainside.

The two didn't need to wait long to find the source, as, after a short and careful walk down the cliff face, the pair was greeted with a rather out of place sight.

Walking down the path just beneath them was a figure, draped in what looked to be a fine velvety cape of a brilliant red. Upon his face sat a full black mask, depicting the side profile of two faces turned towards each other. Altogether a creepy visual, but a far cry from the monster Steven had described in his dream.

By the direction he was facing, the figure hadn't seen or heard them just yet. Though if his continued muttering was any indication he wasn't paying that much attention.

"Still, she's just another tool in the arsenal, no need to give her meager opinion any sway."

He tittered aloud to himself as if he were trying to talk himself down from his own anger as one would a friend.

Silently Connie turned to her companion, wondering if the figure drew some recognition from the half-gem. Steven's gaze seemed to harden, even as the beads of sweat trickled down his face.

"Is that him?"

Connie asked, though she made a herculean effort to keep her voice low, knowing fully well that this was the moment in most of her adventure books where the villain spotted the main characters and they were forced into a dramatic conflict.

And indeed, her prediction seemed to come to fruition when the figure's masked face whipped towards them in response, prompting the two to retreat back behind the rock they'd been using for cover, the young swordswoman just barely spotting the two yellow pinpricks burning faintly behind the mask.

Silently the two waited, Connie almost certain the figure would be arched over the rock, ready to sneak up on them and prompt their epic battle. Steven, for his part, seemed a bit more optimistic about their chances of being unseen and seemed inch out of their hiding spot, his ruffled hair sticking out very obviously even as he tried to take a subtle peek.

After a few moments of looking, Steven slid back and nodded towards her, indicating the coast seemed to be clear.

Letting out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding, Connie joined her friend from out behind the rock, confirming with her own eyes that the cloaked figure had indeed moved on.

"Where did he go?"

Connie dared to whisper, hoping that, at least if the figure heard her it would reveal itself to them.

But of course, that hadn't happened, the two children merely met with silence.

"C'mon let's take a look."

Steven said as he slid down to the area where the creature had been, not noticing Connie reaching for him briefly before following suit.

"Steven wait!"

She called out, the worry she'd experienced when he was in space captured by homeworld's forces bubbling back up to the surface.

Still, she was his knight and swore to herself not to fail to defend him a second time.

Immediately upon descending the cliffside, the two were able to see where the figure had disappeared to.

For before the Half-gem and his stalwart knight was a large, gaping entryway, it's expansive halls likened to the yawning jaws of some great beast. With interior walls far too smooth and symmetrical to be a simple cave.

The two stared for a few moments, both wondering the same thing, but neither being able to articulate it through their awe.

"How has no one seen this before?"

Steven finally asked, having lived in Beach City all his life and never having seen this strange cave simply sitting, undiscovered just outside city limits.

As if in response, a rough, rumbling sound came from the entrance, a small handful of pebbles and dust dropping from the ceiling as a thick chunk of carved, flat stone started descending from the top of the cave mouth.

"That's how!"

Connie yelled, realizing that the cave must have been some kind of secret passage.

Of course, just like the lair of the one-eyed man in the spirit morph saga

"He might know how to reverse corruption! We can't let him get away."

Steven shouted, quickly summoning his shield and tossing it into the crack between the floor and the rapidly closing door.

"Shouldn't we call in the rest of the gems."

Connie asked, recalling Jasper Ambushing them in the mountains and on the beach.

Steven grabbed her hands, his grip tight as if he were making a desperate plea.

"There's no time, I don't know how he opened this door and if we wait too long he might get away."

Connie hesitated, they didn't know anything about this mysterious being, save that it was allied to Jasper, and it was only now that Steven had gotten back from space, only just now had they made things right with each other, and now he wanted to dive into danger again, in pursuit of some cure for corruption that might have been a lie all along.

But he wasn't running off without her this time, this time he was appealing to her, asking for her to stand behind him while he searched for what might be the greatest discovery for the crystal gems.

With newfound resolve smiled and grabbed Steven's hand.

"Let's do it Jam Bud!"

Steven smiled back at her, ready to face the world now that he knew she was with him. Unfortunately, the moment was quickly interrupted by a grotesque rumbling, and as the two looked back towards the door, they quickly saw that it was already beginning to shudder against the makeshift stop.

Letting her training take over she quickly pulled Steven by the arm and began to run towards the opening before lowering herself into a slide under the massive stone door.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she pulled her companion through the threshold, the two quickly skidding past the door Which rapidly close as the pink shield that was braced against it dissipated, leaving the two to tumble blindly into the dim cavern.

Connie groaned against the dull pain in her back and shoulder, dimly wondering if there were a less painful, if somewhat less cool, way to enter a rapidly closing Doorway.

A low groan came from just above, and although the darkness obscured her vision, she could feel a considerable weight pressing down upon her which likely indicated Steven was accounted for.

"You alright Steven?"

"I might be...I'm not sure yet."

He admitted as she felt the shuffle of movement as Steven wiggled his various limbs, as if to make sure they were all still attached.

"Think everything's still there."

The young hybrid said cheerfully, earning a slightly exasperated, but still rather genuine laugh from Connie as she lifted herself up, lightly pushing Steven off as she did so.

"In that case, lets get going. Lots of ground to cover if we want to find our mystery villain."

"How do we know he's a villain?"

Steven asked as he re-summoned his shield, the glow of his gem lighting the air with a dim pink glow.

The first thing Connie noticed was how sickly the walls looked in the pale pink light, with rough walls that looked almost as if they suffered from pox. The Light from Stevens gem slowly turned putrid and greenish the further it stretched from him, though she could tell that was likely the light filtering over what was probably greenish-grey stone.

"Is this the place from your dream?"

Connie whispered, not certain why she'd felt the need to be silent once more. Perhaps feeling slightly more threatened by the sinister scenery than she'd anticipated.

"Maybe? I hadn't seen a whole lot of it but it was a lot bigger, with all sorts of weird stairs and statues, maybe this is just the entrance."

He admitted, not picking up on whatever compelled Connie to whisper and instead simply speaking casually.

After dusting themselves off the two began exploring the hallway, Steven taking the lead with his glowing gem and shield.

The scenery hardly got any lighter as the continued on, aside from the sickly green tint everpresent along the grimy walls, the halls were filled with monstrous faces carved into the stonework, cages wrought of jagged, dark iron hung from the ceiling and what looked to be the pieces of shattered statues were scattered about the room.

"Are these the statues you were talking about?"

Connie asked tentatively, eyeing what looked to be the broken-off head of one of the statues, it's appearance that of a large bull-like creature with long, curved horns.

"They could be, but the ones I saw looked whole"

The young Gem-Hybrid admitted shakily, the creepy ambiance of the cavern apparently getting to him.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she heard a strange metallic rattling overhead and turned his gaze upward in panic, hand already reaching for the sword in her bag.

"Connie?"

Steven asked, concern evident in his tone as he looked back at his companion.

"I thought I heard something."

She replied, hand still on the hilt of her sword as she scanned the darkness surrounding them.

Still, what little she could see of the grimy caverns didn't seem to yield any clear and obvious culprit for the sound she'd heard.

"Are you sure it wasn't just one of those cages?"

Steven asked, drawing a sigh from the young knight the tension of the moment began to release.

"You're probably right Steve-"

The young Swordswoman stopped mid-conversation, her gaze turned towards her sworn liege, as well as a pair of glowing yellow eyes, peering from the darkness behind him a single, barely noticeable glint, visible just above them.

"LOOK OUT!"

Connie cried, recognizing the attack for what it was and quickly springing off her heels towards Steven, her sword sliding gracefully from its scabbard as she prepared to meet the attacker.

Luckily Steven paid heed to her cry and turned around holding up his arm and summoning his shield almost reflexively just in time to hear a heavy "Clank" of metal crashing against it.

It was then that the two of them were finally able to see the twisted green, doglike features of their attacker, now clearly visible in the pale pink light, sneering at them behind the translucent shield, It's spindly fingers locked on a rusty battle-ax that was currently stuck in the shield, the creature hanging from it with its freakishly long, slender, limbs as it continued to sneer at the two teens.

"Waka Chaka!"

The creature snarled as it let go of the ax handle and began grappling the edges of the shield, shaking it violently in some attempt to likely remove it and maul the boy on the other side of it.

"Hey! Knock it off!"

Steven cried, making his own attempt to shake the creature off, though in his case his Gem strength seemed to give him the edge as he managed to swing the shield and creature, around with little problem.

"Steven! Hold still I'll get it."

Connie cried, her Sword held up in a fencer's stance as she tried to look for an opportunity to thrust at the creature without hitting Steven.

She didn't get the chance however as the young Gem-hybrid's flailing eventually led to his shield crashing against a nearby wall, a sickening "Splat" filling the air as the surface of the shield was quickly covered in a viscous green slime that was all that remained of the attacker.

"Oh no! I'm sorry!"

He cried, pulling the now slime-caked shield away from the wall and desperately trying to wave off the creatures remains.

"Huh, no Gem.."

Connie commented, analyzing the goop, from a respectable distance of course.

Was this thing simply an animal rather than any kind of corrupted gem creature? Connie couldn't recall any green subterranean beasts in any of her zoology studies.

"Do you think it's some kind of byproduct of the corrupted gems? Like the mini centipedes, you mentioned centipeedle spawned?"

"I-I don't think so, those still poofed."

Steven answered back, still horrified at the creature he'd apparently destroyed.

But the two had little time to dwell as rough, growling sound started echoing through the cave.

The pair looked up, and very quickly a multitude of bright, glowing eyes glaring out of the shadows indicated where the sound had come from.

"Uhh...Connie, I don't think they accepted my apology."

The young Gem hybrid admitted, steeling himself as they heard a few of the creatures scrabble down.

Eventually, one crawled into the light, sniffing towards the unrecognizable splatter leftover from its kin.

"WAKA CHAKA!"

The cavern echoed, a chorus of angry shouts as the sheer number of the strange creatures was made all the more clear to the two.

In an Instant the creature was lept at Steven, who was thankfully more than prepared for the assault and swung his hard-light shield at the monster, sending it flying away.

Another pounced from the darkness above, falling like a green rocket on a collision course with Stevens' head.

Stepping forward Connie began a brief run along the side of the wall, scaling the grimy walls to ascend above Steven's head and, in little more than a brief gleam of light, sliced the leaping creature in half in midair, it's body-parts bursting in a shower of green goop before it could even hit the ground.

As she landed on the other side of him, Steven gave her admittedly impressive gymnastic feat an enthusiastic cheer.

"Connie that was Awesome!"

The young swordswoman blushed at the compliment slightly, before remembering the task at hand.

"Thanks, but we're something tells me we're not done yet."

As if to punctuate her statement, two more of the creatures lept towards the pair, easily meeting the same fate as Connie bisected the first with an upward verticle swing before impaling the second, recoiling slightly as the two creatures once again burst into green slime, splattering all over her.

"Aw...gross!"

Connie groused, trying her hardest not to retch at the burning rubber smell.

Suddenly the sounds of gears and levers clicking into, or perhaps out of place, followed by a sinister cackle.

Before either tween could react a large dark iron pendulum began to swing down from the ceiling, Steven just barely raising his shield in time to block before being sent skidding across the floor.

"Steven!"

Connie cried out as the desperately followed after her Liege, A few of the creatures leaping from the darkness to assault her on the way only to be cut down by a few errant sword-swings from the dutiful champion.

Eventually, she reached her sworn charge, thankfully alive, though clearly hurt if his groaning and struggle to get up were any indication.

"Are you alright?"

She asked though Steven's gaze seemed fixed Down the Hall for whatever reason.

"Connie, I think this is the end."

"What? No, it can't be!"

Connie cried out in panic, desperately fumbling to argue with Steven about how he could still make it, how they would get out of this cave, how she'd just gotten him back and didn't want to lose him again already.

"No I mean I think we're at the end, Look!"

He cut her off, pointing at a massive opening further down the hall that clearly lead out into a much more vast underground cavern with raised walkways leading much lower down into the cave complex, a distant, but still bright, green pinprick of light visible in the distance beyond on some winding and far away walkway.

Unfortunately, a combination of vicious chattering, snarling, and nonsense words indicated the creatures were still in no mood to let bygones be bygones.

"Whatever those things are, you'd think they'd try to cut their losses."

The Swordswoman stated, turning to face the tidal wave of green that was headed their way.

"Wait, Connie, I've got an idea!"

Thinking quickly, Steven summoned his shield and tossed it on the ground. Gently offering Connie his hand.

"You know how you always wanted to go sledding."

Looking over at him and seeing his soft, reassuring smile, Connie knew that in spite of everything that had happened over the past few weeks, despite the dingy surroundings and despite the fact that they were currently being set upon by some form of monstrous vermin, she was glad she'd made up with Steven and came on this adventure with him.

Smiling back, Connie stepped forward, determination present in her features as she grabbed Steven's hand.

"Ready when you are Jam bud!"

Nodding, Steven Jumped onto the shield Connie quickly kicking off the ground and sending their makeshift sled off.

The next few moments were a blur of colors, sounds, and adrenaline as the two raced down the sloping walkway the g-forces of the trip reminding Connie of a few rides she'd been on at Funland.

Up ahead she saw a sharp left turn in the walkway the inky blackness around them assuring nothing but a lethal plummet should they fall off. Channeling her reflexes, honed from many days spent training for combat with Pearl, she leaned left at the exact moment, Steven following her lead and allowing their shield-sled to make a sharp turn.

Behind her she could just barely hear the creatures yelping in panic as their voices grew more and more distant, likely indicating they didn't make the turn nearly as smoothly.

The path twisted and turned, forcing the pair to lean from left to right in perfect synchronization, lest they be tossed unceremoniously from the side as well.

Places seemed to wiz by, barely confirmed to even exist by the brief glances Connie could spare as she saw them enter the pink light steven's gem produced.

Slowly the figure in the distance grew closer and closer, what looked to be a torch held in his hand, giving off the sickly green glow that illuminated him.

"There he is!"

Steven said, his voice stuttering through the extreme speeds they were going at. A simple glance, even in the darkness confirmed they were far away from the man in question, his position indicating he was across from them, away from where their walkway was headed and the points where the pair were blocked from his light indicating an assemblage of pillars between them.

"Hang on!"

Connie shouted, pulling up on the shield even as it continued racing forward, launching the two of them through the air.

Grabbing Steven, the young swordswoman leaned towards the nearest pillar, carefully ensuring they struck it at just the right angle.

Her maneuver was thankfully rewarded with a satisfying "thunk" as the shield hit the side of the pillar

The make-shift vehicle quickly bounced into another pillar, sending it skipping across like a stone on a lake.

Two more pillars barred their way, this time not as surfaces to ricochet off of but as obstacles, sat perfectly next to each other, creating a frighteningly small space for the two to slip through.

As they grew closer and closer to the small gap, the two teens, almost reflexively began hugging one another in both a desperate bid to make their frame smaller and fit through the small space and as a way to draw comfort from one another in this dire situation.

There was a flash of light that overwhelmed Connie's vision and for a moment she wondered if she'd hit her head on something and lost her vision before it quickly returned, just in time to see a lanky figure in front of her rapidly growing closer.

As they approached, she idly realized she must have been shouting or making some kind of noise as the figure's head quickly spun around, two yellow dots that she presumed were his eyes, shining through the black mask, wide with panic for a split second as both of them realized they were on a collision course, some part of her urged her to try and stop but another was aware they were getting the drop on what could be a deadly foe.

The impact was sudden and concise, the shield vanishing in the panic as Connie felt her body, somewhat larger than she remembered, crashing into and landing upon.

"What on earth!"

She heard, before being pushed off of, what honestly felt like a smaller figure than she expected.

"Get off me!"

Came the slightly familiar, whiny voice.

Upon landing on her hands she noticed they were larger, and in the light, she could make out...

"Wait, these aren't my hands.."

She stated plainly, only to stop when another thought popped into her head.

"They're not mine either"

She blurted out, the wheels in her...their head-s spinning suddenly as they looked over their now adult body, long flowing brown hair brushing against the corner of their vision.

"Steven, Connie!?"

They said, flabbergasted! suddenly realizing what that flash of light was.

"We're...Stevonnie"

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Complained the voice across from them. A quick glance confirmed the lanky figure had recovered, his gloved hands scrabbling for the glowing green torch that laid upon the bridge, likely dropped after the crash he'd suffered.

bringing the torch up to his eye-level the figure recoiled at the sight of Stevonnie, Panic suddenly setting in his voice.

"A human? You can't b-I mean"

The creature shook it's masked head, coughing loudly as if to clear his throat before he continued in his attempt at a much more commanding voice.

"This is no place for your kind, Leave now, lest it becomes your tomb as well!"

He snarled, lifting his cape over his body in a dramatic, dracula-esc fashion.

"Tomb?"

Stevonnie responded, confused at the idea considering Gems didn't bury their dead. If shattering could even be called "Death".

The figure recoiled once again, likely realizing he'd had just revealed something else to the intrepid young tomb raider.

"Nevermind that, heed my warning human. There are forces at work here that have already wrapped their talons around our planet, do not mistake my concern for leniency. Leave me to my work and I shall leave you to your life."

He bellowed, bright yellow eyes once again eerily glowing through his black mask.

"I know about the Gems already, I know that they planned a colony here. Is that what this tomb is? A place for fallen homeworld soldiers?"

The creature blinked, not quite prepared for that answer as it once again seemed to lose its composure and slip into it's "Normal" voice.

"What, no! How do you even know about.."

Casually his gaze slipped down to the intruder's midsection where he quickly saw the source of the pink light his new friend was exuding, a pink gem situated right at their navel.

"You...you're.."

The fusion lowered their hands, realizing that their exposed gem might once again make someone mistake them for Rose Quartz. The young fusion wasn't sure about this figure or his allegiances, but both sides of Stevonnie agreed it was a bad idea to just show off Rose's gem.

Still, the figure hardly seemed deterred, simply giving a long, deep, throaty chuckle that seemed to get deeper and gravely as it continued on. Slowly he put his hand over his torch, and with a single smooth motion, the emerald green flame died with a light hiss.

"So it appears your kind were more perceptive then I'd realized. Perhaps Jasper has not been as cut off from her people as I'd anticipated."

Taunted the creature, his form briefly illuminated by crackling tendrils of green electricity, his form slowly growing, horns and claws extending from his head and fingers.

"Your masters have sent you to die, alien. In this cold, lifeless tomb, your scattered remains will rest next to the last unfortunate souls who attempted to delay Gunmar's arrival."

In a near instant, the creature surged towards them Stevonnie reacting, just as quick with a definitive lash from her sword.

A hideous scream sounded throughout the cave and for a split second, Stevonnie saw something, slavering and writhing in pain, just at the edge of the pink light.

"Whoever you are, I don't want to hurt you. Just tell me what you're doing here."

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Alien! This planet is my home and what I do upon it is my own business."

The monster snarled through the darkness and before they could offer any kind of rebuttal they heard a sharp, whistling sound, rapidly filling the air. Instinct immediately overtook them and they raised their shield up, a heavy, dark bolt pinging off the pink aegis before tumbling back into the darkness from whence it came.

"What are you talking about? You're an alien too aren't you?"

Another deep, sinister chuckle resonated through the blackness. prompting the hairs on the back of the fusions neck to stand at attention, silent tension building up in their joints.

"There are a great many things lurking underneath the skin of this planet, infesting it's deep, festering wounds."

The voice taunted, it's pitch distant and echoing.

"Things that lurk just in the edge of mankind's vision."

It continued, suddenly sounding far closer, causing Stevonnie's grip on their sword to go white-knuckled as they readied themselves to swing again once it stepped into the light.

"You came from above to be conquerors, and paid no heed to those below who saught the same thing."

It whispered, now sounding startlingly close as if it were whispering directly into their ear.

In reflex, Stevonnie gave a swift diagonal slash to their side, though it was merely met with solid air and the now very distant chuckle of their adversary.

*Ventriliquism?*

A bright flash of green light seemed to roar to life and glancing at the spot, Stevonnie saw a monstrous shadow cast in a bright green light.

Tossing their shield at the shadow it bounced off the brightly lit wall and ricocheted around the cave, drawing a slight yelp that they presumed was from the creature, though he sounded more surprised than hurt.

The fusion smirked triumphantly, they knew the creature hadn't been where the shadow was cast, but bouncing the shield off things was giving enough coverage to limit the beasts options.

Unfortunately, it was a short reprieve as another bolt quickly whistled through the air.

Deprived of their shield Stevonnie quickly rolled forward, the projectile sailing just past their ear as they launched forward.

It was only for a brief second, but the Fused warrior briefly saw a shocked face with wide yellow eyes, illuminated by the light from their gem.

Thinking fast, they lashed out with a kick and were rewarded with the sound of the creature tripping and falling.

Quickly standing at their full height they gave a quick thrust towards the ground just in front of them. The dim light clearly spoiled their aim, however, as rather than sinking into the creature the fusion merely felt the blade slide and scrape along the side of its stony hide, still drawing a bloodcurdling animal screech that almost drowned out the stony scraping their misplaced thrust was making against the creature's skin.

Before they could correct themselves the sound of scrabbling claws and feet indicated the beast's retreat.

The fusion followed swiftly after it, hoping desperately to capture it and be rid of the niggling questions that plagued both their minds.

What was this creature if not a gem? What was this Gunmar creature they'd been hearing of? And how did he know about the Gems if he wasn't one?

These queries rattled around Stevonnie's shared headspace, even as they strafed and dodged against statues, broken and whole, of beasts, somewhat similar to the glimses they'd seen of the creature they were persuing, that littered the walkway.

Eventually, they reached an open doorway, grotesquely lit by more of the sinister green glow that the creature's torch had emitted.

Thankful for some sign of illumination the fusion strode forward through the ominous entryway, quickly scanning their surroundings for the monster that had evaded them.

However, as they glanced around the eerily lit, dark iron and stone cast room, the fusion found little evidence at all that it had been there.

Instead, the room held multiple statues, just like they'd seen in on the walkways, many of them clutching wicked-looking spears with jagged points and curved and twisted swords.

At the sides, they saw racks, covered in more weaponry of similar design, alongside tongs, hammers, and oddly shaped steel structures that had a passing resemblance to anvils.

Fissures like minuscule pools were carved into the floor, with dark iron, lipped cups held on chains and hinges hanging over them and dozens of barbed, cast iron cages hung from the ceiling.

At the center of the room, they saw a single raised platform with stairs leading up to it, held between two iron-cast pincers was a small, octogonal object.

Tentatively, Stevonnie stepped towards the platform, their eyes scanning for their opponent as they wondered if this was what he was after.

Was this some kind of lost Gem technology? They'd certainly seen things that would suggest it was possible to incorporate technology into something this small.

Yet, everything about this "Tomb" seemed contrary to how Gems designed and built things.

Gems were efficient, practical, but could also appreciate aesthetic pleasures. Their architecture reflected their obsession with perfection, combining old world masonry with technological efficiency.

This subterranean tomb seemed sinister, brutish, almost deliberately. Edges, spikes, and cold dark-sheened metalwork were common sights as was the sickly, ghoulish green that provided the only light in this dark and sinister place.

This place didn't seem like it was made by Gems, or at least, none that they knew of, and yet none of the creatures exploring it or represented in its statues seemed natural or earthly either.

There were so many questions, but maybe if they brought the device the creature seemed to be seeking to the Gems they'd get some answers.

Unlikely, given past experiences, but it was worth a try regardless.

At the base of the stairs, they gave one last look around, wondering where the creature could have gone before taking a deep breath in preparation.

"You don't even know what it is you're about to plunder, do you?"

Came a voice from behind, causing the fusion to swing around, fully prepared for a fight.

Now, much farther away from the entrance, Stevonnie saw the beast clinging to the top of the doorway, now fully visible in the bright room, his light blue skin dimly registering in the green torchlight, his sharp, jagged teeth formed into a toothy grin as he savored getting the drop on them. Hanging from one of its clawed hands, which seemed easily dug into the stonework he leveled a crossbow already loaded with a purple-crystal tipped bolt towards them.

Stevonnie raised their shield, ready to deflect the creatures attack, However, in a split second, it raised its aim, high above their head and with a loud "Twang" loosed the bolt.

It didn't take long for the fused teens to guess the purpose as a loud "clink" quickly rang through the air, combined with the rhythmic noise of chains slowly falling downward.

Looking up only confirmed what had happened as they witnessed one of the cages held above descending on them rapidly descending upon them even before they had the chance to leap away.

Shutting their eyes, they braced themselves for impact, desperately trying to summon their shield around them to stop the heavy object from crushing them.

A loud "clang" rattled in Stevonnie's head, and for a moment, they didn't dare open their eyes, wondering if they'd died already.

Thankfully, when they DID open their eyes, they saw that they were relatively unharmed, though the cage did seem to have been caught in the cage, their shield raised up in the air to try to deflect what, as it turns out, was an open-floor cage.

They breathed a sigh of relief, glad they hadn't been smeared by the falling trap, though a very familiar laugh quickly reminded them of the danger they were still in.

Looking up from their situation, they saw their captor pulling a spear with twin prongs from a weapon rack, a deadly gleam in his glowing yellow eyes as he approached the cage.

"Within this tomb lies the end of this planet, or in the right hands...it's salvation."

With a low, crocodilian snarl the creature gripped the spear tightly, raising it high over his head and bringing it down in a deadly thrust through the bars of the cage.

Pulling their shield back down, Stevonnie managed to barely catch the blow, the prongs of the spear scraping and sparking against the surface of the shield with a shrill, ear-splitting screech of heavy metal against solid light.

The creature hardly seemed deterred, simply circling the cage hungrily, his smirk ever-present as he sized up the fusion.

They knew this wasn't an ideal position, in this confined a space they couldn't swing their sword or shield effectively enough to carve apart the bars, while their foe's weapon could stab at them with impunity.

They were vulnerable, for the moment, but from within the fusion Connie noted that the creature, in classic and overly theatric style, seemed to relish conversation, making no effort to hide the nature of the item he was seeking, and Steven, for his part, always preferred talking things out to resorting to violence.

"So...let's say you're not a Gem."

They admitted, leveling an icy glare at the monster as it continued to circle them.

"What are you then?"

The creature halted its circling momentarily, perhaps caught off guard by their question.

"You're stalling..."

The creature stated, his eyes narrowing and the grip on his spear tightening.

"Does it matter?"

They replied, sheathing their weapon and holding their hands up. A gamble, but without room to swing or even stab properly, roses sword wasn't immediately useful.

Fortunately, their gamble seemed to pay off, as the beast gave a sickly, dagger-toothed grin, clearly pleased at having effectively trapped them.

"True, I suppose if you are to die here you should at least know the nature of your executioner."

Pressing a clawed hand to his chest boastfully he introduced himself, making a great show of bringing his leathery cape over its shoulder clearly enjoying himself.

"I was born in the pits of this planet, a creature of human myths and nightmares made flesh. "

He boasted, wringing his fingers dramatically even as his other hand twirled his spear confidently all while Stevonnie tried to parse the meaning of his statement carefully.

"Now, perhaps you'll indulge my curiosity, alien...how did you find this place? who told you of it."

"I saw you when you were entering the tomb."

They replied quickly, tensing up and preparing to defend themselves as they saw their captors eyes narrow.

"I see, and who told you I'd be there?"

He growled, holding the spear and waist level. Stevonnie stayed, both not willing and not really sure how to explain the prophetic dream-walking experience Steven had.

"Fine then...keep your secrets, maybe they'll give you some comfort in the grave."

He snarled, jumping to the side and taking a stab at the gem-human warrior.

Shifting to the side quickly and slamming into the cage, they deftly dodged the clumsy thrust, the weapon sliding right past them, quietly severing a few strands of their long brown hair.

Without missing a beat, Stevonnie gripped the shaft of the spear as it passed them by, the creature's face visibly falling as it realized it's mistake.

With a quick yank, the fusion pulled the spear, and the creature directly towards them.

A loud "Slam" echoed through the tomb as the creature's face collided with the bars of the cage.

The beast snarled, dropping it's spear and clutching its large nose in pain and rage, backing away from the bars as it howled in fury.

Seeing the opportunity the pair made a snap decision, and, with a deep breath and a flash of light, the two unfused, Connie standing atop Steven's shoulders.

Now, with a smaller frame and far more space to move her arms, Connie gave the cage a pair of vicious horizontal slashes, which Steven then used his impressive gem-strength to push, twisting the bars outward and creating an opening through which the two could escape.

Meanwhile, the creature had managed to recover, his bulbous nose dripping with blood as he glared at the two, before his expression quickly shifted to shock.

"What!? you two? how did you?"

His confusion was cut short as Connie swiftly lept in with a kick to the midsection, knocking the wind out of the flabbergasted beast and allowing them to run past it.

Realizing the importance of the device at the top of the pedestal the two quickly B-lined for it, dashing up the stairs with renewed vigor before the two of them swiped it from off its pedestal.

"What is it?"

Connie asked, trying her best to be mindful of what the strange device they now held.

Suddenly blue, gnarled, and clawed fingers wrapped around the items, viciously yanking the item from their grip. Clearly the creature hadn't been as off-balance from the kick as they'd first assumed.

"If you don't know what it is then you shouldn't be taking it!"

The monster snarled, doing his best to pull the octagonal device from the children using considerable, monstrous strength that Steven found he could barely match.

Luckily a swift swipe from Connie's sword forced the monster back, the pink blade just missing it's stony, blue flesh by mere inches as it lept back from the swipe, hissing furiously at the pair.

Putting the item in his pack, Steven summoned his shield and launched it just past the creature, the projectile shield bouncing off of multiple pillars before it collided with the back of the creature's skull, flooring him with a surprised grunt.

"Lets move!"

Steven shouted, scanning the crumbling ruins for any kind of exit.

Luckily an answer seemed to come in the form of a small opening higher up on the wall, some kind of vent for steam by the looks of it.

Holding his breath and holding his arm out for Connie to grab, Steven began to slowly levitate, desperately trying to focus on his rather erratic floating powers as he and Connie gradually lifted up into the air.

Looking down the pair saw their opponent shaking off the dizziness from the previous blow and already beginning to sink his claws deep into the stone, his long spindly limbs climbing along the sheer rock wall.

"Run as far and as fast as you can, you'll never be beyond my grasp."

He snarled as he drew closer and closer to the floating pre-teens.

Luckily another swift kick from Connie halted the fiend, striking him squarely upon his already injured nose and slowing him down as the pair finally ascended to the opening, Steven managing to grip the edge, desperately drag both himself and Connie into the opening before deactivating his floating powers, and rather embarrassingly falling on top of each other.

"Connie are you alright?"

Steven asked, only to be met with a mildly annoyed groan from his friend.

"I'd be better if you got off me."

Connie grumbled, to which her friend awkwardly obliged and got up, still somewhat rattled from the frightening near-death experience.

Idly he lifted the strange octagonal device in his hand to eye level, wondering how to use it, before the thought occurred that perhaps he shouldn't try to, Recalling the creature's speech about it being the key to the planet's destruction.

As per usual, looking for answers only seemed to leave him with more questions, questions about those creatures, about how much of his words were true and how much was lies, and about what he had to do with Jasper.

"Steven, C'mon, I think I see a light up ahead."

Announced his human friend, snapping him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"Coming!"

The Gem Hybrid replied as he ran after her, his curiosity put on hold as he realized they weren't truly out of the woods just yet.

...

::Beach City, The Lighthouse::

"And as you can see, these are all the photos taken that prove, Beyond a doubt, that the Diamond authority are coming to exert their control over the planet."

Ronaldo explained to his two, "Guests" Toby and Claire. The two had come to the young conspiracy theorist (Though he preferred the term "Conspiracy Investigator) for knowledge on the various rumors and mythology surrounding beach city claiming to be students from Arcadia Oaks working on a project on modern folklore and mythology, and while he scoffed at his findings being referred to as "Myth" or "Folklore" he'd take any chance he could get to bring his truth to a wider audience.

"Now, If you'll come this way, I'd like to show you the evidence i've been collecting to confirm the existence of alien royalty on earth."

The fry-haired man stated cheerfully, earning a halfhearted smile and chuckle from his audience.

"Uhh, sounds great, but uh I think we need some time to go over our notes, can you give us a minute?"

Toby asked nervously.

"Hmm...alright, but try not to take too long. I still need to blow your mind with my theory about the elemental forces and reincarnation."

Nodding to their host as he walked off, Toby turned to his fellow trollhunter, Claire, currently looking through her phone.

"You got the info? Or are we stuck here for the grand tour?"

As Toby spoke, Claire swiped through the locations depicted on her phone, Some were standard photography, some seemed to be old renaissance era sketchings, while others were blurry snapshots of almost unintelligible quality, however, all snapped from pictures Ronaldo hung proudly on his wall and all seemed to feature similar subject matter, Richly detailed, grandiose temples depicting feminine statues and clean, and bright, if somewhat weathered architecture.

"I've never seen any troll buildings like this."

Claire stated breathlessly, barely noticing Toby attempting to squeeze past her for a closer look at her phone.

"I've never seen buildings like this, Period. You sure they're all real?"

"Well Blinky confirmed that the big lady statue is in town. As for the others, It's the best lead we have to go on at least."

She said wearily as she sent the pics to Jim's phone, frustrated at how, in spite of the openness of the town about strange phenomena nobody ever seemed to look into it at all, save for this one strange man in his lighthouse.

"Alright then, I suppose we should get started searching then."

The shorter trollhunter exclaimed, more than ready to get out of the building and escape its overpowering seaspray and stale chip smell, to which Claire simply raised an eyebrow in concern.

"Are you really okay with ditching this guy? I mean he did give us all our info."

"Oh I almost forgot, I have to show you this sweet replica Katana I bought."

"Alright...time to go."

Claire confirmed, quickly sprinting out the door with her teammate to report their findings to the other.