Finn and Jake were running and laughing as they charged through on of the many forests that covered the Land of Ooo.
The day was still young and held the promise of yet another grand adventure for the two best friends.
The two had found another dark dungeon earlier that week and it was just begging to be explored.
The only problem, neither could remember where they had found it.
"Finn, are you sure it was this way?" Jake asked his adopted brother. "I don't remember it being out in this forest."
"Yeah, it was right next to a creepy gargoyle that said he would eat us if we tried to enter his dungeon," Finn responded as he ducked underneath a low hanging branch. "And I said I was gonna punch him in his face."
Jake slid to a stop and coiled his arms around Finn, effectively halting him.
"Finn, we already raided that dungeon," Jake stated with a disappointed tone.
"What, no way dude, this was a totally different dungeon!" Finn exclaimed defensively. "This dungeon's gargoyle had-"
"Two heads?" Jake interjected with an annoyed frown.
Finn was silent as he thought back to earlier that week. For some reason, he couldn't remember much.
"Yeah but...why don't I remember raiding that dungeon..."
"That's because you slipped on the stares on the way back out and bonked your noggin!" Jake responded as he morphed his hand into a miniature puppet of Finn falling down some stares. "The fall must have gotten your brains all jumbled up. You punched that gargoyle so hard his face turned inside out!"
"Really...darn, that sounds cool," Finn stated wistfully. "Wish I could remember it."
"Yeah...it was pretty cool..." Jake responded with a smile as he replayed the gargoyle fight in his head. "Whelp, lets head home. No point bumming around in the forest all day."
"Yeah, I guess you're right-"
Finn was cut short by a loud cawing crow that swooped down and perched itself on his head.
"If adventure is what you seek. Simply keep walking through this forest of dark and bleak," the crow spoke playfully.
Finn and Jake's jaws dropped as they stared at the bird. The crow ruffled it's feathers and let out a loud caw.
"Um...what's your name...crow?" Finn asked.
"Plot Point is my name," the crow cawed. "Keeping this story moving is my game."
"I don't trust him Finn, he speaks in rhymes," Jake stated uneasily. "He's probably gonna trick us in selling our souls or something."
Finn shushed his brother and poked the crow with his finger. He understood his bother's worries, but he had nothing planned for the rest of the day, and he needed a good adventure.
"What's beyond this forest?" Finn asked the bird inquisitively.
"A place where the nameless rest undisturbed. But do not let that fact leave you deterred." the crow cawed. "Further north you will reach a great salt-flat. There you will find ancient ruins, still guarded by those who walk the mat."
"Walk the what? Finn, this crazy bird ain't making no sense!" Jake exclaimed with a grimace.
"Further north?" Finn asked the crow, ignoring Jake's complaints. "Thanks Plot Point!"
The crow cawed and flew off through the tree line. Finn pulled out his compass and checked which direction he was facing.
"This way, come on Jake!" Finn shouted as he ran deeper into the forest. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Jake groaned bitterly as he ran after Finn, he wouldn't forgive himself if something happened to his homie.
"There better be something awesome in these ruins."
Finn and Jake walked for about ten minutes through the thick forest. North just like the crow had said.
Slowly the dense forest began to thin out and the mossy, lush forest ground gave way to dry, barren sands.
Finn's eyes stung as he broke through the treeline and out into the bright sunlight.
After his eyes adjusted, he looked with awe at what stood before him. Dunes of white sand stretched as far as his eyes could see in every direction.
The sunlight glimmered off the sand like diamonds.
"Yo, Finn, did you...whoa..."
Jake was as speechless as Finn was as he gazed over the barren salt-flat. He stretched his head into the air to look from a higher point.
"Hey, Finn, I see ruins further north!" Jake shouted as he stretched his arms and placed Finn on his back. "That crazy bird was right! Let's go check them out!"
"Yeah, lets go!" Finn shouted happily as Jake strode forward towards the ruins.
The salt-flat was littered with partially buried cars and buses, nothing too different from many of the locations of Ooo.
Finn made mental note of a half destroyed and rusted sign that was sticking out of the sand.
"AR-LING-TON," Finn spelled out aloud. "That name mean anything to you Jake?"
"No, probably something from before the Mushroom War," Jake responded as he stretched down to normal size. "PB might know, we should ask her later."
As the two continued their journey, they could make out the faint image of larger ruins on the horizon. One was easily over five hundred feet tall, while one of the ruins had a large partially collapsed dome and crumbling pillars supporting it. In fact, most of the ruins all had pillars and columns, something that wasn't common in Ooo.
"Whoa, hold up!" Finn said as he spotted something moving over one of the sand dunes. "I saw something move."
Jake morphed his hand into a telescope and looked past the dune Finn had pointed out.
"Oh Glob!" Jake exclaimed loudly. "You're not gonna believe this!"
Finn looked down Jake's telescope hand (how does that work?) and spotted what Jake was freaking out about.
Over the sand dune sat a large flat-faced slab of white stone. It's corners and sides had old stylized pilasters.
But what caught Finn's attention was what was guarding the carved slab.
Three bleached skeletal figures, each about six feet tall where seen marching in a meticulous routine around the slab.
Each figure wore tattered and weathered uniforms, and over their shoulders they held what looked, to Finn, like large wooden staffs with a metal pipe sticking out of the end with a knife attached underneath the pipe.
At most, they would only be good as a makeshift spear. Despite how ineffective their weapons looked, the bones of countless monsters littered the area round them.
"What do you think they're doing?" Finn asked quietly.
"Dunno, probably guarding whatever that slab of rock is," Jake answered.
Finn crept closer towards the slab, making sure not make any noise as he did. Once he was close enough, Finn waved his hands in the air.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?!" he shouted loudly.
The skeletal sentinels responded with absolute silence as they continued their marching routine.
"Okay..." Finn said to himself. "What are you guarding?!"
Again, the sentinels were silent. Jake stood by Finn's side as the two managed to get a better look at what the skeletons were guarding.
On the white slabs North and South panels were lined with ancient and dried out wreaths. Each wreath had thirty-eight leaves and twelve berries.
The East panel faced the city of ruins on the horizon and had three robed figures, one had a bird in his hand, the second held an olive branch, and the third carried a sword.
On the western panel had inscribed words in bold font. Time had worn down the inscriptions, making it nearly impossible to read from a safe distance.
"Hey, Jake, what does it say?" Finn asked.
"I dunno...it's in the language people used before the Mushroom War," Jake responded, growing uneasy by the constant marching of the skeletons. "Let's take a picture and show it to Princess Bubble Gum. I bet she can read it."
Without hesitation, Finn pulled out a camera and cautiously approached the stone slab.
Once his foot stepped off the sand and onto the white stone floor, the skeletons stopped and all turned their heads towards Finn.
Even without eyes, he could feel them glaring a hole into the back of his head.
When he took another step, the sentinels all aimed their spears at him.
Each of the spears let out an loud metallic clicking sound.
Finn quickly line up a good shot of the engravings and snapped a photo.
The moment he did, Finn turned and ran back to Jake as fast as he could.
"Nope, nope, nope, nope!" Finn shouted as he ran away as fast as he could.
"Hey, don't leave me behind!" Jake shouted as he ran after Finn.
The two ran as fast as they could away from the ruins, they knew danger when they saw it, and knew when not to mess with it.
Whatever those skeletons were guarding, they could keep it.
Princess Bubble Gum was tinkering in her lab that night. With the kingdom asleep, she was free to work in peace and quiet.
A soft knocking on her door was followed by Peppermint Butler entering her lab.
"Sorry to disturb you, Princess, but Finn and Jake asked me to give this to you," he stated as he handed Princess Bubble Gum the photo the two had taken.
"What is it?" she asked as she looked over the photograph.
"Inscriptions from something the two found this morning in the salt-flats," the candy striped butler responded. "They hoped you could figure out what they say."
Princess Bubble Gum looked closely at the photograph, then stood up and grabbed a book from a nearby bookshelf.
"This language is old, far older than me..." PB said as she referenced the inscriptions on in the photo to the text in her book.
After flipping through a few pages, Princess Bubble Gum straightened her posture and slammed her book shut.
"You say they found this in the salt-flats?" she asked sternly.
"Correct."
"By royal decree, the northern salt-flats are now forbidden!" PB announced loudly as she glared down at the photograph. "The only thing anyone will find within those ruins is a quick death. Inform the Banana Guards as soon as possible."
"Right away your Majesty," Peppermint Butler responded with a bow before leaving the princess to her work.
Princess Bubble Gum slumped tiredly in her chair and let out a loud sigh.
"Those two bozos are lucky to be alive..." she stated tiredly as she looked at the photograph. "Many have tried to take what those ancient sentinels are guarding, and few have returned to tell the tale."
Those sand covered ruins were a silent yet constant reminder of the world that came before Ooo.
The old world was dead, but it's presence still haunted the world. It's voice still echoed silently around her kingdom.
She would not let the old world ruin the world she was trying to build.
With a loud yawn, Princess Bubble Gum placed the photo on her desk and decided to get some sleep. She would deal with the salt-flats in the morning.
As she retreated to the safe confines of her bedroom, the words inscribed on the stone echoed over and over in her mind.
HERE RESTS IN
HONORED GLORY
AN AMERICAN
SOLDIER
KNOWN BUT TO GOD
Something I wanted to do for a while.
My first Adventure Time fanfic.
Got the idea after replaying some Fallout 3.
Hope you liked it.