"Are you sure about what you're doing?" Pearl asked as we stared down at the hole below us, which was very clearly not natural.
...
"Eighty percent," I said while checking the surroundings and my scanner.
Sapphire raised her little hand. I looked at her—with the suit I made for her... she looked way too adorable, but that wasn't the point. Then she looked at the hole.
"There are two outcomes," she said calmly. "One... it falls on top of us."
She paused.
"Or it comes from that direction in five seconds."
She pointed.
Pearl and I reacted instantly, aiming while charging our weapons to maximum power.
"1... 2... 3... 4... 5..."
...
...
Nothing.
Silence.
"Well... then that only leaves one option," Sapphire said casually, turning back toward the hole like she hadn't just nearly given us heart attacks.
I let out a breath.
"...you're gonna kill me one day."
I looked at Pearl. Her hand was on her gem, tense, ready.
"Okay... simple plan."
I stepped forward.
"We go in."
"If that thing shows up—"
I activated my weapon.
"—we kill it."
I looked down into the hole.
Dark.
Deep.
"Ready?"
Pearl nodded.
Sapphire... smiled, and in one of her weird moments, she stared into the void before casually jumping in.
I stared at her.
"...this Sapphire is going to kill me."
I shook my head.
"...and somehow that's not even what worries me the most."
And without saying anything else—
I jumped.
We jumped, but it didn't matter as long as we kept falling, and thanks to the suits everything worked perfectly. I used to think gems naturally stabilized themselves with gravity, but the moment I tried flying, I basically moved like a normal human—well, normal-ish. The first time I jumped, I almost launched myself into the fifth dimension from pure panic. I literally freaked out when I lost control, so I shook my head at the memory because that was a problem right now.
So what did I do?
Well, something basic that I honestly don't know why I didn't think of sooner.
I made the suits I gave the gems.
Yeah, those same ones.
A suit that simulates the planet's gravity without actually being gravity—it adapts the body to a stable point based on the gem.
Though, of course...
There was one tiny issue.
A very beautiful issue that almost launched me into space the first time.
They had to come pick me up with the ship.
So yeah...
Haha.
Technical details, I guess.
Looking at the wall, I noticed some useful material, so naturally—the more the better. And that's exactly what I did. I started grabbing everything useful I saw without thinking twice, while Pearl and Sapphire stayed alert, keeping watch in case that thing decided to appear out of nowhere.
"So... what exactly are we looking for down here?" Pearl asked while looking around, clearly confused seeing me collect minerals like we were on a field trip.
"A slug," I said seriously while continuing to rip materials from the wall.
"A stupid damn slug."
Pearl blinked several times.
"...we came down here for a slug."
"Yep."
"And your first decision was to steal its minerals."
I looked at her like it was obvious.
"Pearl, if I'm risking my life, I'm at least taking something useful with me."
Sapphire let out a small laugh while touching one of the walls.
"That makes sense."
"Thank you. At least someone here appreciates entrepreneurship."
Pearl sighed while staring into the darkness of the tunnel.
"You still haven't explained why a giant slug lives this deep."
"No idea," I replied while storing another mineral.
"Maybe it hates paying rent."
Sapphire slightly raised her hand.
"It's watching us."
...
...
I slowly stopped moving.
"...what?"
"It has been for three minutes."
Pearl tensed up.
I slowly put the mineral away.
"Sapphire."
"Yes?"
"Why the hell didn't you say that sooner?"
She tilted her head.
"I thought you already knew."
...
"I'm going to lose years off my life because of you."
"You already lost fifty-four."
...
...
...
Out of nowhere, the ground started shaking and all of us pulled out our weapons almost at the same time. I summoned my gem weapons, which merged with my robotic parts.
The future is now, old man.
As for Sapphire and Pearl, both had weapons I made for them earlier. Sapphire's was loaded with laser shots, and Pearl's was lighter so she could move better.
We stayed still, listening.
The tunnel shook again—harder this time.
Chunks of rock started falling, and Pearl stepped back slightly while Sapphire looked downward like she was reading something we couldn't see.
I gripped my weapon tightly.
"...if that thing comes out ugly, I'm leaving."
There was an awkward, heavy silence.
Then the ground exploded.
A gigantic slug burst upward, destroying everything in its path. Its mouth opened wide, revealing those disgusting yellow teeth, and purely on instinct I screamed:
"RUN!"
I jumped to the side as that thing nearly swallowed me whole.
Pearl did the same.
And Sapphire somehow landed perfectly.
"HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!" I yelled.
"I don't know."
"I HATE YOU."
The slug slammed into a wall and kept charging like some giant living missile.
I fired.
Pearl fired.
Sapphire fired.
Nothing.
"That thing's way too durable."
"WE NOTICED!" Pearl shouted.
We ran through the tunnel while the slug destroyed everything behind us. Rocks exploded, dust covered us, and more tunnels collapsed around us.
"Any ideas?!" Pearl yelled.
"Yeah."
"What?"
"NOT DYING."
"THAT'S NOT A PLAN!"
I jumped onto a rock while the slug destroyed the spot where I had been standing a second earlier.
Pearl almost fell, but I grabbed her arm before she dropped deeper down.
"You are not dying on me yet."
"Thanks... I think."
Sapphire looked ahead.
"Turn right in three seconds."
"WHAT?"
"Two."
"SAPPHIRE!"
"One."
All three of us turned sharply while the slug kept going straight and slammed into a much deeper section of the tunnel.
The impact shook everything.
We stopped, breathing heavily as we stared at the massive hole it had created.
...
...
"...I think we pissed it off."
...
...
"Do you think that mineral you grabbed was its favorite?" Pearl asked while watching me continue stuffing rocks into my gem even after we almost died.
...
"I'm not giving it back," I said while staring at the slug.
That thing was staring at us.
Well.
At me specifically.
And I really didn't like that.
The slug slightly opened its mouth and let out a horrible sound, like metal scraping against stone.
"...okay, I think it really was yours."
Pearl gave me a look that screamed I told you so.
Sapphire tilted her head.
"If you don't give it back... this will become very complicated."
"You think?" I said with fake calm while slowly storing even more minerals.
Sapphire just stared at me.
Pearl widened her eyes.
"Did you just take more?"
"Multitasking."
"Silica!"
The slug trembled.
Its body contracted.
And in less than a second, it launched itself—
directly at me.
"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!"
I jumped to the side while that thing destroyed the place where I had been standing less than a second ago.
Pearl fired.
Sapphire fired.
The slug didn't even flinch.
Then it turned again.
Looking at me.
Once again.
...
"No."
I slowly backed away.
"No no no."
The slug roared.
If that could even be called a roar.
And launched itself again.
At me.
"WHY DOES IT HATE ME SO MUCH?!"
"GIVE BACK THE MINERAL!" Pearl yelled while running after me.
"IT'S MINE NOW!"
"THAT'S NOT HOW THAT WORKS!"
The slug smashed through another wall just to keep chasing me.
Only me.
Completely ignoring Pearl and Sapphire.
I widened my eyes.
"...okay, now I'm actually concerned."
Sapphire appeared beside me, calmly running.
"Yeah, it's going to eat you."
"AND YOU SAY THAT SO CALMLY?!"
"I'm trying not to ruin the surprise," Sapphire said with a completely expressionless face—though somehow she still looked weirdly happy.
The slug suddenly stopped while staring down at me.
And when I say staring...
It looked at me like I had murdered its entire family while it was tied up.
Okay.
Way too specific.
I'm starting to sound like some space criminal.
I stared back while Pearl floated behind the slug trying to find an angle to attack, but for some reason that thing was absurdly durable.
The weapons I made were barely hurting it.
And that made me think.
I looked around.
The walls.
The minerals.
Then I remembered what I had stored inside my gem.
...
...
I slowly widened my eyes.
"...I think I stole an egg."
Sweat rolled down my face as I processed the fact that this thing probably wanted to kill me for a very valid reason.
"Ah... that explains a lot."
But clearly this wasn't the time for self-reflection because the slug launched itself at me again.
I barely dodged.
Way too barely, actually.
Because when I tried to react, I realized I was already pinned against a wall—with nowhere to move and no real escape.
"Shit."
The slug opened that horrifying mouth and lunged straight at me.
And for the first time in a long time—
I thought I was actually going to die.
Everything slowed down.
I saw the teeth getting closer.
The tunnel shaking.
Rocks falling.
And I saw Pearl.
I watched her throw herself toward me with a look of panic I had never seen on her face before.
She wanted to save me.
And that made something in my head click.
"...wait."
I had never tried it before.
Never.
Because of fear.
Because of doubt.
Because I had no idea what could go wrong.
But if there was ever a moment to try—
This was it.
And if I was going to do it...
I wanted to do it with someone I truly trusted.
And that person was Pearl.
I threw myself toward her while Pearl rushed toward me without understanding what the hell I was trying to do.
The slug's fangs were right behind us.
Without thinking any further, I hugged her tightly.
That completely caught her off guard.
I felt a violent pull from my gem, like something was dragging me from the inside.
And purely on instinct—
I tried to make Pearl feel it too.
The rhythm.
The pull.
That strange pounding sensation.
Pearl was completely in shock—
but she followed the movement purely on instinct.
And then we both started glowing.
A bright light covered everything right before the slug swallowed us whole.
The slug stuck out its tongue like it had tasted the worst thing in its life.
Meanwhile, the only gem left outside was Sapphire.
She watched everything with a smile far too calm for the situation.
The slug slowly turned toward her, staring intensely, clearly expecting her to run like normal prey would.
But Sapphire didn't run.
She just held her face with both hands.
Excited.
Watching the slug like she was seeing the greatest show of her life.
...
...
The slug stayed silent while staring at the gem in front of it, completely confused.
It had never seen prey so happy to be seconds away from dying.
And honestly—
it didn't know how to process that.
Then a sound echoed.
Then another.
And another.
Then more.
The sounds started coming from inside the slug.
Like drums.
One after another.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Ten.
Sapphire's smile widened as she watched the slug begin twisting in pain.
Out of nowhere—
an arm burst through the creature's body from the inside.
It was my arm.
Or well...
Partially mine.
The weapon was still there—
but it had visible upgrades.
Bigger.
Heavier.
More brutal.
But that wasn't the important part.
The arm pulled itself back inside the creature.
And one second later—
an absurd blast of light exploded from inside the slug.
The creature convulsed violently.
It crashed into trees.
Rocks.
Everything in its path.
Sapphire, who was far away, took advantage and started firing nonstop to weaken it even more.
The slug launched itself toward the surface while destroying everything around it.
And Sapphire followed.
She watched smoke rising from the hole that arm had created.
"She's firing from the inside... I guess she's trying to tear it apart from within."
She jumped onto a tree and began firing like a sniper at the massive creature.
And it was massive.
Ridiculously massive.
Maybe that was why it was still alive.
Then another arm burst out from the slug's body.
More smoke.
More light.
But this time the arm appeared near its head.
The creature let out a horrifying sound.
So horrifying that every nearby animal fled the area.
Sapphire stared at that arm.
That gauntlet.
And smiled.
"This is why I left Homeworld."
she murmured to herself while looking at the sky, as if trying to see Homeworld.
The slug started bleeding some kind of green blood as it staggered.
And finally—
it collapsed.
When it hit the ground, the impact was brutal.
Out of nowhere, a giant beam shot out through the slug's head.
Its head exploded.
Pieces of green flesh flew everywhere as a figure slowly emerged from inside.
A woman.
She stepped out covered in smoke and absolutely disgusting slug remains.
She stretched like she had just woken up from a nap.
"Gross."
she muttered while brushing slime off herself and coughing lightly.
Sapphire, who had been farther away, quickly approached and stared at her with a huge smile.
"Are you okay?"
The woman stood in front of Sapphire and looked her up and down.
"You're taller than I imagined,"
Sapphire said while observing her.
The woman blinked.
"Huh?"
She looked down at her body.
She was now easily around eight feet tall.
Her frame was more refined than before.
More powerful.
And clearly far more intimidating.
"Well... that was within my expectations,"
she muttered like it wasn't a big deal.
Then she looked behind her.
The dead slug.
And the ridiculous amount of minerals scattered everywhere.
Her eyes practically sparkled.
"Oof... I'm going to lose my mind with all that."
Both hands started moving instinctively like she wanted to start working immediately.
Sapphire simply watched her, amused.
"Who are you?"
...
The woman slowly turned toward Sapphire.
She placed a hand on her chin.
"I'm not Silica."
"Or Pearl."
"Though Pearl is pretty confused right now."
She paused.
"She's calm though... well, my part of her is."
She shrugged.
"Silica was scared too."
"But that's over now."
She said it with complete casual confidence.
Sapphire tilted her head.
"So... what's your name?"
The woman smiled.
"Opalite."
She smiled again.
"If you're asking what I'd call myself..."
She looked at her hands.
Then at Sapphire.
"Opalite."
And her smile grew wider.
"Want to see how Opalite works?" the fusion asked while staring at the slug's corpse like it was a gift from heaven.
"Gladly,"
Sapphire said as she sat down to watch.
Opalite wasted no time.
She jumped straight toward the slug and started working like an absolute machine.
Cutting parts.
Extracting minerals.
Separating strange organs.
Sorting materials while talking to herself using holograms projected from Pearl's gem.
She explained to herself what could be used for weapons.
What could be used for fuel.
What was useful for research.
What was trash.
And what could possibly explode.
Sapphire had a genuine smile for the first thirty minutes.
Then...
Her smile started looking a little forced.
She watched Opalite work nonstop.
And her thoughts drifted somewhere else.
"You know..."
she murmured while looking at the sky.
"I thought when I got out of there, I'd find you again."
Her gaze slowly lowered.
"But that didn't happen."
She sighed.
"Unfortunately... I never found you again."
She gently clenched her hands.
"I know they destroyed you."
"And even so..."
She shook her head.
"I don't know why I still think about you."
Her gaze returned to Opalite.
The fusion kept working excitedly while talking to herself and creating holograms.
The first time Sapphire fused with that other gem...
Her future visions completely shattered.
Everything became chaotic.
Unpredictable.
And that's why she could never forget her.
Sapphire slowly closed her eyes.
"But I guess it doesn't matter... right?"
She opened them again.
Looking at Opalite.
"Thanks to you... I escaped."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"And I hope I find someone like you again someday... Zafi."
Finally, she shook her head and stood up to start collecting materials while Opalite kept working like an underpaid laborer with zero worker rights.
End of Chapter 19.