Hello to anyone who is still waiting on an update. I have been working on a new chapter, but I am having earlier chapters edited by Terakali. Enjoy an updated chapter 1 that is easier to read since my horrid spelling and grammar has been defeated.
Ch.1:
Finn laid in his bed, curled up tight, his body slightly convulsing with each quiet sob. Marceline looked over the young hero, keeping herself hidden in the shadows amidst the dimly lit room.
Slowly, so as not to wake him, she leaned over Finn's body to see his eyes clenched shut, big soggy tears collecting in the corners. Marceline didn't think twice as she slipped in behind, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace. It was a complete lapse in character for the Vampire Queen, but this situation was too real for bad jokes- not to mention how much she owed him, or how much Ooo owed him.
At first, Finn curled up on himself, but as he stirred from his slumber, his muscles tensed and his eyes shot open. There was an intensity there- a fury she knew and had felt many times in the past.
"It's okay, Finn. It's just me." Instantly, the hard look in his eyes vanished, and be started to blink away the visible grogginess. Unsaid was how the crying stopped, but he made no motion to wipe away the tears.
"M-Marcy," he stuttered in greeting. "Wha-What are you doing here?"
"I heard about your father."
"Oh," he said simply, looking away for a moment. "The whole 'choosing a higher plane of existence' thing."
It was said so casually that, if she didn't know better, she'd almost think he was fine. He wasn't, though, and so she pulled his head into the crook of her neck.
"Remember when my dad tricked me into becoming the ruler of the Nightosphere?" Finn nodded slowly, having been there only a year or so prior. "He forced control over me, and the second I was gone, he just abandoned all pretense of being my father- so I know how it feels and I am so sorry it had to happen to you." She pulled him in tighter. "Anything you need, I am here for you, Finn."
"Thanks Marceline," Finn said as he relaxed into the vampire's embrace and slowly fell back unconscious. It was restful this time- or at least more so- but Marceline laid like that for some time before she made to leave.
Even as she got up, letting him curl back up with his blankets, she deigned to leave him with a letter. By this point, it was the least she could do.
"Dear Finn, you clocked out fast last night- Jake wasn't kidding when he said you worked your buns off. I'm proud of you for saving the universe... we all are. If you want to unwind, come by my place at eight. Until then, take it easy breezy. Best wishes, Marceline."
The invite was tempting, but with a quick glance to the clock on his dresser, Finn noted that it was only ten o'clock. He would have to figure out something to do till then.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, Finn found himself standing over the trap door to downstairs. He was reluctant to go through- thoughts from the previous night returning to the front of his mind.
It was… difficult to tell how he really felt anymore. He had been depressed before, but this was different. It felt like there wasn't a point in adventuring anymore. All he ever wanted was to meet his real parents, and now that he had- and it was nothing like he'd longed for- he wasn't sure what to do. The idea of the days before this seemed to be dull and grey, all of it a pointless run to nowhere. Was he just supposed to live, protecting Ooo till the day he died? That wasn't what he wanted, but nothing really sprung to mind.
"Finn! Is that you up there?" a familiar voice called up from below. "I made breakfast!"
"Yeahh Jake- I'll be down in a minute," Finn called, quickly scrubbing at his eyes and hoping it was enough. Either Jake would notice, and try his best to cheer him up, or he'd be exactly the same without worrying for him.
Sparing only another second to adjust his hat, Finn flipped up the trapdoor and slid down into the kitchen.
The smell reached him immediately, and Jakes smile as he glanced his way was already working wonders to life his spirits. Then, being Jake, he did the best thing in the world.
"Some bacon and eggs?" he offered, holding out a pan. "You gotta be hungry after all that stuff yesterday."
"Thanks Jake," Finn said with a slight smile as he took a seat at the kitchen table. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the food was right in front of him. Like the giant vacuum those weird businessmen had built so long ago, he inhaled his food, and the unspoken request for seconds was put forth as he pushed the plate forward.
"So bro, what do you want to do today?" As Jake spoke, he was already finishing another batch of eggs which found their way onto Finns plate soon enough.
Finn paused at that, mulling it over in his head. It had been a while since they'd done a proper dungeon crawl... He'd been about to bring it up when Finn remembered that Princess Bubblegum had been impeached. "We should probably find PB and make sure she's okay."
"Yeahh, good point. Last I heard, that dirtbag King of Ooo got ran out of town. Think she's taken charge of the candy kingdom already?"
Finn didn't answer the question, instead polishing off the eggs and standing up. "Either way, it's as good a time as any to go for a visit."
"You're the boss" Jake replied, grabbing Finn by the shoulders and flinging him out the kitchen window. Taking a moment to take off his apron, Jake lept out after him, using his stretching abilities to move underneath Finn before rapidly becoming a giant. With no mention to the ridiculous exit, the duo made their way to the Kingdom.
As they approached the Candy Kingdom, the brothers were in awe at two more gumball guardians sitting on the castle's wall. These ones had a blue primary color and no ice cream cone hats, and they weren't even blowing bubbles like their red twins- both just sat staring off into the distance.
The increase in security seem to spill over into the rest of the kingdom. The walls had been reinforced with what looked like actual steel- not the sucrose based candy blocks everything else had been made of- the walls had ballista installations, and two rattleball soldiers stood guarding the door. That was also just what they could see, but there was definitely more with how paranoid PB got with unknowns.
Jake shrunk down to the gate and the boys walked right up to the metal guardians.
"Finn and Jake. Princess Bubblegum has been expecting you", one of the automatons stated in an emotionless robotic tone. The two then proceeded to push open the doors to the kingdom, allowing the heroes entrance.
Inside, the increase in security was equally blatant. Guard towers on top of buildings, rattleball patrols- even the banana guards had been upgraded. Their once yellow peels were blackened and each wielded new intimidating spears. Ones that could, presumably, actually cut through things. Despite that, the guards didn't seem to faze the kingdoms occupants.
Some greeted him as he passed, but most actually ignored him, rushing past onto whatever they were up to.
It wasn't really any of his business, so Finn let it go without comment, but it was something to look out for. Was everyone involved in the security overhaul?
"Hey Finn- check it out!" Jake shouted, suddenly racing through the street towards the main keep. It wasn't the doors he ran for, though.
Once Finn caught up to him, he saw the source of his brothers excitement. It was a garage of sorts, around which appeared to be a mech outfitted with a gatling gun and a rocket launcher.
Finn whistled. "PB really isn't messing around."
"Think she would let us take it for a joy ride?" Jake asked, giving him a mischievous grin. Before he could acce- deny, he totally meant deny the suggestion, the one and only Rattleballs himself stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
"If we are ever under attack, either of you can take control of any mech, security turret, or rattleball patrol." The metallic swordsman said. "However, the Princess has asked that you be responsible with it."
"Rattleballs!" both heroes shouted back. He looked pretty much the same as when he had trained Finn, except that now he had pink and white stripes around his waist.
"What's with the new paint job?" Jake snickered.
"They are to display, for all, my position as Commander." His words emotionless as ever, but they still carried a sense of pride at that. "Before we continue, I'm afraid the Princess must speak with Finn." Without another word, he spun and led them through the various corridors, and even a few secret passages, until eventually arriving at one of Peebs innumerable laboratories.
"Princess, Finn and Jake are here," Rattleballs announced, walking up to the desk PB was working at.
She looked up from a set of notes she was going over and immediately locked eyes with Finn. It was a little unnerving, particularly when she didn't break eye contact as she made her way around her desk.
"Thank you, Commander," she spoke without turning. "Report to your unit and check in with all the patrols." The machine gave her a brief salute before marching out of the room.
Only once he was gone did PB rush forward. "Oh Finn," she choked, tears forming in her eyes as she pulled her friend into a meaningful hug. "I am so sorry about what happened, but you have done me... you have done the universe a great favor. I could not imagine what would become of us if the Orgalorg wasn't stopped."
"Hey, don't mention it", he deflected, wrapping his arms around her back for the second it lasted before she pulled away. Not wishing to dwell on the past, with her in particular, he quickly moved onto another topic. "I see you took power back rather quickly."
"Yeahh, well... as you may know, the election was rigged, and since the King of Ooo bailed, the candy people didn't even bat an eyelash when I returned." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with a shake of her head. "Sometimes I think it might be better to have a kingdom of people as smart as I am..."
She looked like she wanted to say something further on that, but something stopped her. Like him, she rapidly changed the subject, but he gave her the same courtesy she had and didn't bring it up. "That doesn't matter though. As you can see, I have stepped up security after Orgalorg was able to just walk into my labs. I've since realized that this place isn't as safe as I once thought, and unfortunately I think it's only gonna get more screwy."
She pressed a button on her desk activating a holographic map in front of it. It showed the candy kingdom, but quickly began to scroll across the landscape till it stopped in the badlands over a large mass of red.
The heroes looked confused by what they saw, but Jake noticed something familiar. "Wait, PB, isn't that the ditch we got stuck in with James?"
"Yes, and- as you can see- it is more occupied than the last time we were there."
"Did you ever figure out what they were?" Finn asked, shivering at the memory of the event. "I always just thought of them as 'goo monster', but I figure you know more now, right?"
"I'm afraid I don't… I didn't exactly have time to take a sample then, and while a reconnaissance party was sent out this morning, they have yet to reach the pit. I won't know anything until then, and I'm not taking any chances." She paused, taking a quick breath to calm herself. "This isn't why I needed to talk to you two, though." PB looked directly at Finn. "You not only met and killed Orgalorg, but you spoke to the comet. Did either of them say something important?"
Finn wasn't sure how to answer that. The comet and Orgalorg could have easily been the smartest beings he had ever met, but they both were so wrong in so many ways. Orgalorg wanted nothing but control- he thought his strength was absolute and that having all creatures under his whim was the only logical course for the universe. The comet was no better, caring little for the everyday issues of the normal minded. Both were too big to understand what this life was all about, which made their 'wisdom' less useful than Ice Kings.
Princess Bubblegum must have felt differently, as she kept rapt attention on him the entire time he thought it over. "PB, I'll be honest... both of them were total wads. The only thing they taught me is to never lose the value of emotion, the good and the bad."
"Hmm... is that so?" He nodded. "Are you sure there wasn't more? You had two of the oldest and most intelligent beings in the galaxy with you for minutes, and they said nothing." It was phrased as a statement, but her tone and gaze made it more than clear that she was asking for confirmation.
"Yeah, Princess. They said a lot of stuff, but the majority of it was bull donk! If you want to talk to someone who gets it, find my father, because he surely must have understood something I didn't!"
Finn stopped, the Princess mirroring his shock at the outburst. He had… He'd shouted at her. Years had passed since the last time he had to do that...
The princess looked down at her desk. "I'm sorry, Finn... I didn't mean to push you." There was a lengthy pause, with not but awkward silence. Finn was about to up and leave, but then a crackling chatter came over the intercoms. The hologram flashed red, and the Princess hurried to push a button.
Above her desk, the display was replaced by the upper half of… Huntress Wizard?
"Hdub to Pbub; Pbub, do you copy?" The connection was staticy, but the hint of panic was obvious in her tone. She was running, though the hologram was too incomplete to tell why, and the whistling of the wind almost overpowered her voice.
"Huntress Wizard, I read you loud and clear. Was the mission a success?"
"Well, I found your pit, and guess what it was full of?" They all pretty much knew from the hologram, but this might as well have confirmed it.
"Where are you?" The princess asked, adding extra emphasis to the word.
"I don't know how, but they could see right through my cloak and are hot on my tail. Sorry Princess, just too many for me to handle- I'm gonna have to bring them your way, ETA two minutes." The communication ended, and the Princess was already in action. She pressed her finger down on a button, opening a channel to the kingdom.
"All occupants of the Candy Kingdom report to the castle! All troops prepare for battle- this is not a drill! I repeat not a drill!" She looked to the heroes, panic evident both in her tone, now that she was off the air, and in her eyes. "Would it be too much to ask for help?"
Finn was almost offended. Even if he wanted a little more from life, he was still dedicated to protecting Ooo. This was his home- his entire life- and no goo monsters were going to take that away from him.
"Jake, let's go." Finn ordered, already moving for the door. "And heck I could use a good fight about now."
As he left, the Princess smiled- taking some small joy in the childish bits of his personality still shining through. She had something to say, though, and interrupted him just as he was in the doorway.
"Finn," she shouted. "I'm sorry. All of this… This was kinda my fault. I just left the kingdom and let it get hijacked by a dumb wad. If I was here the Orgalorg wouldn't have even made it off planet."
Finn smiled back at her. "It's okay PB, really. If it never happened I may not have been able to get my grass sword back." He drew the blade from his thorn. "Now I can slice up twice as many bad guys." The weapon withdrew into his palm quickly. "Come on Jake, I think you got a mech to ride."
"Oh yeah, boy! The dynamic duo is right back to it."
"Uh huh. And what time is it?" Finn asked, a ridiculous grin growing on his face.
"IT'S ADVENTURE TIME!"
The boys moved so quickly that by the time Bonnie made it to the wall of the city, Finn and Jake were fully geared up for the battle ahead. Jake was stretched in order to cover what would normally be a four-pilot mech and Finn stood ready with his grass sword.
Bonnie used a set of binoculars to peer at the incoming horde of goo monsters. Ahead of them was Huntress Wizard- or, rather, her movement could be seen by the rustling grass as she traveled through the soil.
"Jake, once Huntress Wizard is clear, unload everything!" The 'head' of the mech nodded to acknowledge the order, though Jake remained inside.
As the threat grew closer, the Gumball Guardians looked up. Their loud robotic voices blared out 'threat detected' as all four began a laser salvo. It was effective, demolishing the first hundred or so, but that was little compared to the horde.
That did get their attention, though, allowing Huntress Wizard to leave.
Blood ran through Finns adrenaline stream as he waited with bated breath. Beside him, the cannons on each side of Jake's new toy began to take calculated him.
"Jake!" Jake actually poked his head out for a moment. "Blow them all the way to Prismo!"
"I'm 'bout to have these boys meeting their mamas, homie!" Jake shouted back, pulling his head inside the mech. It was hard to hear his laughing through the metal, but his excited words carried through regardless. "I know guns are bad, but this will feel soooo gooood~"
The order was given to fire, and it had barely finished before two massive BOOMs echoed through the battlefield. Two bullet shaped heaps of iron shot out, carving the enemy ranks apart.
Flaming arrows came over the walls, raining down from above, and a battlecry roared as the more personal fighters charged into the fray.
All except one, who was stopped about three seconds in by a certain wizard rising up from the ground before him.
"Hey, Finn," she greeted, casually throwing a hand back to blow apart a goober that was approaching from behind. "Couldn't help but notice that sword you got there."
"Yeah? I got it from a jerk grass wizard." She nodded along, but her eyes remained pinned on the blade itself, with an intensity that seemed impossible with how she was still reflexively battling anything that came close.
As it continued, Finn eventually snickered. "See something you like, Hdub?"
Huntress wizard cheeks flooded a dark green as she blushed, realizing how awkward her behavior was. Thankfully, she didn't even have to say anything as the princess specifically ordered them into the fray. "We'll talk later- let's knock some heads."
"That sounds like a challenge," Finn said, running towards the horde. "You're certainly aiming high, trying to contest me."
"A wager, then. If you win, I'll tell you what's so interesting about that sword, but if I win," the wizard paused for a moment, some actual time being taken up by a trio of blobs that lept for her. "-you help me with my own biz."
Finn was slightly worried by what that meant, but he didn't have time to think as the group had closed in and the first goo monster was in his range. The gumball guardians and all the long range fire power thinned the enemy out, but there was still at least a few hundred of the beasts.
The hero lept right into the fray, slicing the nearest monster down the center and pulverizing it on contact. By kicking off another, he jumped into the middle of a large group. He barely had to move to blow them apart, his grass sword moving with impeccable precision as he span in place.
More monsters quickly took their place, leaving Finn to his work. Gliding swiftly from enemy to enemy, his sword cleaved through them, completely unstoppable. Through the melee he saw Jake had leaving the now ammo-less mech to grow twenty times his normal size and crush the goo monsters the more mundane way- with massive fists.
A cry sounded through the crowd, only just barely audible through the sounds of combat. Finn heard regardless, and instantly aimed himself in that direction.
What he found was less than pleasant. Huntress Wizard had taken a ranged strike from one of the larger monsters- some kind of acidic spit that started to eat through her left leg. She still killed that one with a rapidly fired arrow, but more were racing for her.
Finn took his place before her, acting in her defense as arrows rapidly fired from behind him. Even with her help, though, he was far less effective on defense than offense, and the pressure started to weight on them.
Jake saw Finn sizing up one particularly large beast and rushed to his side- not fast enough, though, for the monster slammed one colossal arm down atop him.
"Nooo!" Jake shouted, stretching own arm towards the abomination's face. As it turned out, he didn't have to.
As quickly as it had apparently crushed Finn, the beast exploded into gelatinous viscera, leaving behind the intact hero. Or… Something similar. The grass sword had spread itself around Finn's entire form, creating some sort of emerald armor that shimmered in the sun. It covered every inch of him, wrapping around his head and covering his face in a smooth second skin. It was like the Jake suit in many respect- and that was only proven further when he continued into battle.
Like this, he was both faster and stronger, and the grass sword itself seemed even more flexible as a result. It could move across his body at any angle and without grip, allowing him to cut apart enemies in any direction, while the armor itself was sharp enough to act as a weapon.
In only a few seconds, the remaining monster population had been cut in half.
The wizard quickly healed her leg, using her powers over nature to grow it from the grass she sat on. Leaving behind a patch of lifeless dirt, she joined back into the battle.
It was the best, mostly. She was in desperate need of his help, but didn't want to ask. Winning this bet was supposed to be a loophole, but that armor… It was rapidly evening what had been a winning score.
Far from the battle, watching from one of the castle walls, Princess Bubblegum watched the whole battle unfold. She also watched one unsettling thing of note- the enemy leader. He wasn't in the fight, and was actually retreating alone, but not towards the pit he'd come from.
He was running around the forest and out of sight, far too fast for anyone here to keep up with. The only one who came to mind who could outrace it was Goliad, but he wasn't an option for obvious reasons.
Hm...
Back in the candy forest, Finn stood triumphantly atop the last dead goo monster. The adrenaline rush was still present, but there was something more. A connection with the grass sword- something he hadn't had before. Its power seemed to flow through his veins, giving him a feeling of warmth and comfort. In some ways, it was similar to that comfort he took in Jake's presence throughout the years, but constant. Its fluids blended with Finn's blood, the armor coating that it spread intermingled with the heroes skin to create a barrier that could withstand powerful attacks. Their life energy mixed so well together that they were now in perfect unison.
No longer were they two separate beings, but rather one with a singular mind and body. He could feel the emotions it had- if only vaguely- and smiled as its own joy came through him.
"Dang Finn, love the new suit!" Jake ran up to him, wrapping one elongated arm around his shoulder. "Wait till the ladies get a look at you, bro!"
"Yeah, Finn, you're gonna be beating them off with a grass stick," Huntress Wizard teased. "I got sixty-five. How about you?"
"No fooling H dub? Same thing! Does that mean we both win?"
"Absolutely," she answered, smiling coyly. "Of course, I do believe there's one mo-"
Princess Bubblegum interrupted her. "Guys! We got a stray inside the city! Get in here now!"
Huntress Wizard's grin grew further. "See you inside, grass boy," she teased with a wink. Within a second, she crouched slightly and rocketed up and over the walls.
Finn didn't react right away, lingering on her words and actions. Many people had done similar things before- he was a famous hero, after all- but this felt… Different. He'd experienced butterflies before, with both Flame Princess and PB, but those were absent now, replaced with a more calm fondness. The interaction sparked something, though, which he could feel both in some confusing emotion and in the vibration of the grass sword.
Finn sighed, resigning himself to figuring all of that out later. The safety of the candy citizens came first.
Turning to his canine brother, Finn nodded. Without hesitation, the dog grabbed Finn with one paw and stretched them up over the wall. From the air, the heroes could see the Princess hiding behind a candy building near the castle gate. They could also see the stray- a well above average sized gelatinous mass in a vaguely human shape- standing right in front of it. Jake stretched the three down to Bonnie, who was watching the motionless giant with narrowed eyes.
"I don't know what it's deal is…" she said as they landed. "It could easily melt through the gate, but it's just standing there."
"Well ,we shouldn't wait to find out," Huntress Wizard said, drawing an arrow. "Let's take it down before it causes any damage." She made to leave cover, if not for a hand gripping her shoulder.
"Let it play out. We might figure something out, like why these guys keep coming here." The princess agreed with Finn, making Huntress Wizard stand down. She didn't put away the arrow, though, keeping it floating above her and ready to strike on a moments notice.
And it didn't go unused. Moments after they'd agreed not to attack, it fell to the ground and started to dig into the dirt. PB made the order to take it out, and before she was even done saying it, the creature was smited.
"Was it trying to dig under the wall?" Huntress Wizard asked, peering at the hole it had been making.
"Naw- look at the angle. He was going straight down." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, I'm a dog, remember? I know a thing or two about holes."
"Hmmm." The princess pondered for a minute and could come to only one logical conclusion. "I need some time. I have an idea of what it was after, and it'll take days to properly protect it." She stepped to the edge of the wall and called out. "MORROW!"
Before anyone could react, her mighty eagle swooped her up and dropped her at the peak of the castle. It perched there too, looking out over the city with its inhumanly sharp vision.
Huntress Wizard watched the process with a look of indifference, having already been paid before she went out. Speaking of which… "Lunch is on me, boys."
Jake immediately saw the opportunity for Finn to get alone time with her and smiled. True, they'd agreed to remain distant after that spirit of the forest debacle, but he wasn't putting them up to anything here. "Not me H dub, I promised Lady I would take her and TV to lunch today." He hadn't, but the both would be more than happy to join him anyway.
After getting a quick nod from Finn, Jake stretched out of the city. They deserved a visit anyway.
"Guess it's just us Finn; you in?"
Finn was a tad apprehensive about the offer. He didn't exactly miss the goofy grin Jake had given him, or what it implied, and he wanted to keep things professional. Or, rather, he was willing to respect her desire to keep things professional, and that was a little hard with those thoughts running through his head.
It would be rude to decline, though…
"Where we going, Hdub?"
"I was originally just gonna take you guys to a place I know called Miner's Delight, since it's close, but if it's just you… let's hit wizard city- they have the best food around here."
With a curt nod, she sunk into the earth, using her magic to travel through the earth at high speed. Or, rather, she had been until she realized Finn wasn't following.
Popping her head up out of the ground, she looked up at him. "What's the hold up?"
"I, uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "-don't think I can do that."
"What are you talking about? You're a forest elemental now, dummy. Just focus your mind on the ground in front of you and become one." With that, she sunk back into the ground, but stayed still to wait for him.
Finn took a few breaths, pointedly ignoring how impossible that sounded. "Okay, I can do this." Looking first at his thorn, then to the candy grass, Finn shut his eyes. He could feel the energy of the grass sword, but he could also sense the grass itself below him, along with the flowers and trees. "Become one with them," Finn said to himself. "Sure, why not."
When he opened his 'eyes' again, he found that he'd actually caused something to happen.
At first, it felt like the energy from his grass sword was draining, followed by his own. His body had morphed into the soil. Closing his 'eyes' again, he pictured the path to wizard city, and he could actually feel himself moving.
As his new form moved under the earth's surface, a million small thoughts and feelings passed through his head- born from the life energies of all the beings he passed. Even things as simple as an ant felt like vibrations on his skin and made him see bright vivid colors in his mind.
As fast as it came, it was gone, and Finn stood before the mystical gate to Wizard City.
Huntress Wizard stood before him, smiling broadly.
"To be honest, I didn't know if you could do that. It's pretty amazing how much power that cursed sword has." Cursed how? He kept his question to himself as she turned to the mountain wall. "Wizards rule."
At her voice the wall faded revealing the hidden city.
"Come on Finn," she beckoned, walking inside, "let's get into some trouble." Finn eagerly followed the wizard through the gates, but paused just past them.
"Wait! Won't they know I'm a normy?" He remembered a few of the things Ice King had said about the place, such as non-magical people being turned into sticks by the guards.
"Finn, you just practically teleported. You're a wielder of magic now- it'll be fine."
Oh thank Glob. The grass sword could theoretically protect him from that, but it wasn't something he really wanted to test out.
"I think."
Thanks for the reassurance, Hdub…
This chapter has been edited by Draco Murdock- registered as Terakali on FF.