What's up everyone? It's me again, here to make your eyes bleed after witnessing another awful story cranked out by yours truly! (Insert sexy wink)
In all seriousness though, for those of you who follow me for my other stories, I sincerely apologize for my absence. (I'm sure you all simply could't live without updates for The New Player and Fight the Good Fight) Unfortunately, writer's block is truly a heartless b*****. So those stories, while I absolutely refuse to discontinue them, will definitely not receive regular updates, although they will hopefully get updates of some kind. Hopefully you all enjoy this story, sidetracking from my usual gaming cross-overs, because at the moment, it has the majority of my attention due to the limitless possibilities of what I can do with the story. So sit back, relax, kick up your feet, and feel free to tear me a new one for putting in this ridiculously long message that the majority of readers are gonna skip over! (^_^)
[PS I don't own any of the titles or characters mentioned in this chapter, only the plot is mine. Or is it...?]
"Finn! We got skeleton bandits incoming, a whole horde of them! Right in the middle of my nap too!" Jake shouted groggily as a large crowd of well-armed, bloodthirsty skeletal highwaymen crested a distant hill. Bandit activity all across Ooo had nearly ceased, thanks to the dynamic duo, Finn the Human and Jake the Dog. This particular group, however, had taken the lack of competition as a chance to grow and expand its holdings. They had received a single warning from the Hero of Ooo, stating simply that if they did not cease their activities, he would kick their butts.
They didn't take the warning lightly; the 18-year old human and his dog were a force to be reckoned with. After days of debate, the leader of the bandits, a very large, middle-aged goblin that had been granted power by a crystal apple he consumed, announced that it was well worth the risk. He decided that the only way for them to succeed would be to attack the hero's home in force, overwhelm him, and kill him. The display of power would gain many followers, not to mention the loot that was rumored to simply lie around the Tree-Fort. They would all be rich, and then nobody in all of Ooo would stand against their might. And so they set the plan in motion.
"How many bro?" Finn shouted as he struggled to don his steel-plated armor, a prize from one of their more recent adventures.
"At least fifty, man, maybe more! What's the plan?" Jake called back to him. The group was still a ways away, but closing fast. "We got like five minutes before they start knockin' on our door, and I get the feeling they ain't here for no viola concierto. Think you could get a move on?" He continued, yelping in surprise as Finn plummeted from the second-story window and landed next to him. Jake whistled at the sight of his younger brother.
Decked out in a mixture of steel-plate and chain mail, a crossbow slung over his shoulder and the Family Sword in one hand, a kite-shield (found with the armor) in the other, he was a fearsome sight. His head, usually covered by his bear-cap, was replaced by a steel helm that had been reforged to also have two ear-like shapes rising from the top of the helm. He had always liked the ears.
"Where are they?" He asked, his field of vision slightly hampered by the full helm.
"Right over there, dude." Jake said, pointing in the indicated direction. "Hey, aren't those the same bandits you threatened to whoop if they didn't stop robbing people?"
Finn squinted at the banner flying above the charging foes: simply a large red rag on a pole. He nodded. "It sure is. Apparently they didn't like their options very much. We try to be civilized, so they attack us... Man, that's messed up! Do you know what time it is Jake?" Finn asked pleasantly, his smile hidden under the helmet's visor.
"Hmm. About half-past four." The dog stated, doing his best to keep a straight face.
"Well, yeah. But it's also bandit butt-kicking time!" His voice carried across the fields, straight to the ears of the charging horde. It carried farther; farther than it should have, and found its way into the ears of a violet-clad, hooded, ghostly child. As he listened to the words, his body changed to that of an old man. A smile graced his lips for the first time in over 1000 years.
"Right on schedule. The hero has finally begun his journey... Now my work can finally begin." A clock placed in his chest began ticking in his excitement. After hundreds of years of waiting, it was finally time. He chuckled at the thought of Time... It had always held a different meaning for him. As he began floating toward the source of the voice, his body changed again, this time to a man in his mid- to late- twenties.
He reached the top of a small hill and looked down at the sight unfolding before him. A large group - the bandits - was charging toward a large house set into the very trunk of a large tree. At the base of the tree-house stood a figure in steel armor, accompanied by a large yellow bulldog, standing upright on two legs.
'Ahh, the magical dog.' He thought to himself. He continued watching with renewed interest as the steel-armored warrior raised his visor, shouting at the charging horde to halt. A few golden locks of hair spilled out of the helmet and the ghost managed to see his face. His clock skipped a few ticks as he processed the image. "As it should be," He spoke to himself. "A living, breathing, human warrior." He smiled again, lowering himself to the ground and laying his clock-staff on the grass beside him. As was his duty, he would observe this battle, and interfere only if the flow of time demanded it.
The two figures charged into the oncoming crowd, which had ignored the order to halt. The dog grew slightly larger and now stood head-and-shoulders above the tallest skeletons in the group. His fists morphed into clubs, and he quickly sent two of the would-be attackers flying. Another swipe of his hands yielded the same results. The human unleashed a crossbow bolt into one skeleton's skull, ripping it off it's flimsy neck and sending it flying into another's chest, crushing the brittle ribs. Both of them disintegrated. He then unsheathed his sword and brought his shield onto his left arm, blocking a blow from a tall skeleton. He brought his sword in a horizontal swipe, cleaving off its leg at the knee. The large skeleton toppled over to the side, nearly crushing a smaller one. As the small one struggled to free itself, the human brought his sword down onto its neck, sending the skull bouncing. The large one managed to sit up and took another swipe at the human with his axe. The warrior parried the blow with his sword, which he then threw, sending it through one of its empty eye sockets. With the freakishly large skeleton dead (deader?) he yanked the sword from the skull and flourished it, cleaving another skeleton in half.
As this took place, the bulldog smashed another skeleton into the ground with his foot, leaving only its head above the ground. He sent another three skeleton warriors flying with a swish of his paws, and then turned to face another dozen. The human warrior fired another two bolts into the dozen, bringing the numbers down to ten.
"Y'all ready to surrender yet?" He called mockingly.
The leader of the now nearly obliterated horde stepped forward, his blue crystal body shimmering as he spoke.
The ghost, a child once more, frowned in disgust. 'Enter the arrogant fool...'
"Finn the Human... Do you really believe you can defeat us? I hold the power of the crystal apple, a rare and powerful artifact that even you cannot destroy! So what about you, are you ready to surrender?" He asked, cackling madly with power.
Finn paused, finally realizing what had been so familiar about the crystal covering the Bandit King's body. "Wow." He said quietly.
The goblin began laughing even more loudly. "Only now do you realize how futile your efforts are! You are no match for me! Surrender and I may spare your pitiful life... If you aid me in my quest for dominance over all Ooo." He said, giving an evil grin.
"Not happening dude." Was his only response.
"...What?" The Bandit King asked in surprise. He couldn't believe his ears. "You... You dare defy me? In all my power and glory, you're refusing my offer?!" He shrieked, letting off a burst of uncontrolled energy, unintentionally turning his remaining followers into crystallized dust. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy about this either. "I- I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" He shouted, launching a crystal shard as long as a sword from his wrist.
The ghost, old once more, watched, still expecting the hero to take the blow in his shield, but knowing he wouldn't. Instead, he watched impassively as the dog, knowing his brother would not bring his shield to bear in time, jumped in front of the projectile. The shard penetrated his unarmored body, barely poking through his back. The ghost narrowed his eyes in hatred. "A shame that such a noble creature would have to sacrifice himself for the greater good."
Jake the Dog slowly dropped to his knees, staring at the protruding object in a mixture of surprise and resignation as he slowly fell on his back at the feet of his brother.
All sound in the area around the tree-house ceased as Finn the Human stooped down and cradled his brother in his arms. "Jake..."
"I'm... sorry Finn, I couldn't- I couldn't let him kill you, bro."
"But this isn't right Jake." Finn said, tears filling his eyes. "Your croak dream..."
"Finn..." He choked out, managing a smile… a last smile. "I've died before now, you know that. Remember that time on Mars? My croak dream was a dud. I- I need you to be strong Finn. For me. Tell Lady and the kids... I'll be waiting." He slowly closed his eyes, and let out a breath that he had been holding his entire life, the breath of his soul.
Finn stared down at the stiff body of his brother, his best friend. Many things stirred within him, things not seen in millennia, things that would not be seen ever again.
"And so it begins." The middle-aged ghost said aloud, only for himself to hear.
Finn stood slowly and stared with blazing hatred at the monster responsible for his loss. The crystal goblin looked at him with surprise; this was not what it had intended.
He was far too stupid to fully grasp the concept of his mistake. He began to laugh. "Haha! At last, you see my power! What do you have to say now? Still too mighty to give up?" His next words sealed his fate. "Or perhaps your girlfriend needs to join him in-"
Something broke within Finn's very being while something else seemed to wake up, and a phrase danced before his eyes, filling his every thought. It would gain his vengeance, it would avenge his brother. It would protect his true love, when it could have protected Jake.
He drew in a deep breath, exhaled, then took an even deeper breath and shouted at the monster that had single-handedly ruined his life.
"Confringite!"
The shout contained so much power; it rang across all of Ooo. Farmers, shopkeepers, civilians, and royalty alike turned from their work and listened as the sound washed over them like a great wave. It contained so much anguish, the great Cosmic Owl itself let out a mournful cry. It contained so much hatred, so much rage, that the actual target of it all felt cracks run along his entire impervious crystal body. He screeched in agony as blood ran from his body like a waterfall, pooling at his feet. He could only watch in horror as the warrior, the boy he had caused so much pain, walked toward him slowly, a cold gleam flashing in his once kind blue eyes.
"Tell me, Crystal Bandit," The Human spoke, his voice filled with enough acid to burn the Lich alive. "Do you realize what you've done? You killed my brother and threatened my Princess. You celebrated your victory over me before Jake's body was even cold. Somehow, you awoke something inside me that I have never felt before. Not only that, but for the first time, you have forced me to kill out of pure hatred." His deep voice held something more in it, a darkness so deep and black that the crystallized goblin feared he would fall into it and never stop tumbling down.
"Who- who did I force you to kill?" He asked quietly as pain wracked his body, although he feared he already knew the answer.
Finn looked at him for a moment, a hidden emotion deep within his eyes. He extended his hand outward, towards the wretched creature and, using all his focus, lifted it into the air. He spoke one, single, solitary word before forcefully closing his hand into a fist.
"You."
The crystal beast shattered into millions of tiny shards, covering the ground in every direction. The warrior lowered his fist, allowing the power to recede back within himself. His deep blue eyes, once filled by nothing but love and compassion, were tinged with a sickly yellow, and a blue star burned behind his irises. He had felt the full brunt of what he was capable of and had taken the life of his brother's killer. He had protected his soul mate. He had permanently removed a great evil from the world. He had unknowingly taken the first ponderous steps down a path fringed with darkness and light, a path that would him lead to his true self.
He hated himself for almost every bit of it.
"I have been tainted by hate." He cried out in agony as he fell to his knees. "What have I become?!"
"Time Out." A voice, exuding a calm aura, called across the field. The whole world stood still, save for the ghost slowly floating to the hero. He placed an archaic amulet around the hero's neck, allowing him to step out of time. "You have unlocked the potential to become the hero we need you to be, Finn the Human."
Finn rose as he turned and came face-to-face with a ghost with glowing red eyes. He wore a purple hooded cloak, with a vest of a lighter purple underneath, and gray gauntlets on each hand, each with three wrist-watches. In the center of his chest, an old-fashioned clock was ticking rapidly. His handsome blue face was marred by a single scar that ran from his forehead, and through his left eye, making a jagged finish on his cheekbone. Instead of legs, a blue wisp wavered below his waist.
"Who- what are you?" Finn asked warily, still shocked by the whole situation. He nearly gasped in surprise when he realized the entire world had come to a stop.
The young ghost shifted to a child, and smiled reassuringly. "All in good time hero. Suffice it to say that I'm an... observer. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."
"Waiting? Did you... Did you know this would happen?" Finn asked quietly. There was no accusation in eyes, only sadness.
The ghost's smile faltered and a great sadness entered his visage. "I'm sorry about what happened to your brother. If I could have intervened, I would have. I did know this would happen. But there will be time to mourn later. You have to leave this land, and travel to an alternate stream of time. There is much work to be done."
Finn was quiet for a moment before heaving a sigh of resignation. He could feel his new-found power coiling in him like a snake. He feared it would consume him. "Is there any way we could get his body to his family first? They deserve to know what happened to him."
The ghost appeared as an old man once more. "Leave that to me. You, young hero, have an appointment to keep." As he spoke, he raised his staff above his head, causing the gears inside to whir to life. The hand of a clock appeared out of nothingness and spun once before dissipating. In its wake stood a wavering, blue portal. The ghost then pointed to the amulet around Finn's neck. "Whatever you do, don't ever remove this. Once you cross this threshold, your journey will begin. You will learn to master your hidden abilities. However, you will not return until you have learned all you can, until you have received all that your teachers can give you. It's time for you to go; the first mentor is waiting for you." He clasped Finn's shoulder and began to ease him toward the portal.
As they began to draw closer Finn had a few final questions. "Why did this happen? What is so important that Jake had to die?"
The ghost shifted to his middle-aged form as he spoke. "A great evil is on the horizon. Only you can hope to defeat it, but not as you are. So the training is highly necessary."
The portal was even closer now. Still more questions. "What about my girlfriend and my friends? What will happen to them?"
"When you return, it will be at the exact moment you left. Nothing will have changed." As he finished speaking, he became a child once more, and then shifted to an adult almost immediately.
The portal now loomed ahead of them, so close that Finn could touch it. A million thoughts raced through his head, questions that he should ask. "You never told me your name." Was all he said.
The ghost smiled brightly. "Names hold much power hero, and I am known by many. You, however, may call me Clockwork." He then gently shoved the human into the portal, which closed and then re-opened with a bright flash.
Another form flew from the portal almost immediately, and a tall figure clad in a strange mixture of armor, clothes and weaponry rolled through it, rising to his full height in front of the ghost. The stranger's features were hidden by a hood that revealed only the base of a strange helmet as it scanned the area.
"Clockwork," The figure said, its voice rendered unrecognizable by the helmet's synthesizer. "It's been too long."
The ghost smiled, extending his hand toward the strange warrior.
"Welcome home, hero." He said as his outstretched hand was accepted. "It's time for your final test. Are you ready?"
Finn's smirk under his helmet widened slightly. "I've been ready for this since the moment I left."
Clockwork nodded solemnly, then gestured to Finn's final trial. "Then begin."
Finn slowly approached the body of his brother, removing his strange gauntlets and helmet as he kneeled next to him. His shadowed gaze roved Jake's broken body before shifting back to the ghost. "Clockwork. The Time, if you would?"
The ghost nodded, snapping his fingers to bring the world back to life.
Finn placed his hand on the large crystal protruding from Jake's chest, whispering something to himself as a bright light shone from where his hand and the shard met. The light spread, engulfing the entire crystal. It quickly grew brighter, to the point that Clockwork had to shield his eyes. As the light finally receded, Clockwork returned his eyes to the pair. The crystal was gone, but Finn's hand remained, causing the dog's wound to slowly knit back together before his eyes.
Once the wound was fully healed, Finn pulled a strange kit from his hip. After rummaging around for a few seconds, he pulled a small syringe from the kit, which he quickly injected into Jake's arm. Seeing Clockwork's look of confusion, he simply replied that the contents would give Jake a bit of a 'jolt', waking him up. A moment passed, and then Jake suddenly jumped up, eyes wide, fists at the ready, before he realized what was going on.
"Finn?" Jake nearly shouted in surprise. He could barely recognize his brother. "What happened? I- I thought I was dead! Again..."
"It's a long story. Let's get you inside, then all shall be revealed!" He said in his trademark, goofy way.
Confringite- (Latin) Shatter -Pronounced con-frin-gee-tay