The battle raged on, neither side willing to back down from the challenge at hand, every 'soldier' determined to protect their territories at all costs. The vampirates were proving to be the better force though, their worst injuries being a gash in one of the crew mates' leg. The Ice King's men were quickly dwindling, a few wounded running back to their ship. "That's right, you spineless bilge rats! Run back to your ice-cube of a mother!" Marceline roared liked a wild woman, swinging her axe over her head as if it were a wrecking ball. "Victory belongs to the Lord of Evil and 'er crew!" "I wouldn't say that if I were you, Marceline." The vampirate snorted.
"And why is that-"
Her words caught in her throat as she turned, her onyx eyes igniting crimson as she saw none other than the Princess held captive in the Ice King's arms, the tyrant's icy blade pressed to her neck. "Look what I found sneaking around your ship, Marcy... The very thing I was looking for." the man sneered, grinning widely. "Let her go, you frost-bitten bast-" "Ah, none of that!" Once again Marceline was forced to cut off her words, the Ice King pressing the sub-zero blade closer to his captive's neck. Bubblegum whimpered at the freezing touch, jerking her head to try to avoid the cold. She locked eyes with Marceline, the vampire gritting her teeth as the pink haired girl fought back tears.
"Well, now that we have this all settled, the princess and I are leaving." Ice King smugly stated, turning around, and walking away with the royal. Something snapped as Marceline tool a step forward, the boards beneath her cracking like tooth picks. "Oh no you're not..." she hissed, her already sharpened canines extending into fangs. Ice King faced her, a small dose of fear setting into his system. "Now, Marcy, you really don't want to do that, do you? After all, you don't want Bonnibel to get hurt, hmm?" Marceline grinned madly as she continued to step forward, fur sprouting over her figure like wildfire.
"Funny you should say that, Permafrost... Because if she really means that much to you..."
The words trailed off as the captain removed her hat, tossing it to the side, an immediate trail of black smoke erupting from her now burning skin. She dropped to all fours, crouching low, and clawing at her already shredded jacket and revealing more skin that quickly began to smoke in the sun light. Her hair whipped around her like agitated snakes before growing into thick fur, darkness radiating from her body like a deranged geyser. "... You wouldn't dare hurt her." she finished as she charged forward.
Bubblegum only had a split second to realize that the vampire was in a dangerous situation, and even less to duck out of the Ice King's grip as the wolf came plowing into him. The ice blade jerked, slicing across the princess' face, and leaving a rigid looking cut of the monarch's cheek. Sugary red blood spilled to the deck in a flood, Bubblegum hissing. She bit back the pain as some of Marceline's crew came to her aid, pulling her to safety as their captain tore apart the once proud king of ice. Smoke still poured off of the beast, showing that even in her monstrous state, the sun was still taking its toll on her undead body.
"Boys, quickly, fetch her another coat and her hat! She must be covered before she turns back!" the princess urged, her rescuers springing into action. Ice King's own men came to his rescue, fighting off the raging Marceline, and dragging the nearly mauled to death captain back to their ship. The captain snarled as they sailed away before collapsing on the deck, her form trembling violently in the sunlight. Bubblegum rushed to her side, another crew mate joining her with the captain's coat.
Taking the article, she threw it over the smoking vampire, ordering the men that were able to stand to take her below deck. They complied, carrying their captain out of the sunlight, though to her own quarters. Bubblegum followed after them, once again at the captain's side as the crew mates set her on her bed. "Thank you all..." the royal said. "Please, find me some bandages, and cold water if you have it."
The few dispatched immediately, leaving the two women alone in the dimmly lit room. Thick curtains covered the windows to where no light could come in, the only source of light coming from the red candles that were already lit. The vampire was panting shallowly, her onyx eyes squeezed shut as new skin slowly began to form itself over the severe burns the vampire had received. "Marceline... What were you thinking?" Bubblegum asked, carefully unwrapping the captain out of the jacket that had been thrown over her. "Wasn't thinking, Gumdrop... I just acted." the black-haired girl replied, holding back a swear as she sat up.
Her skin was charred horribly, and some places had burned all the way to the bone. The new skin was still regenerating itself as the crew came backin, giving Bubblegum her requested items. After thanking them, she turned to Marceline with a stern look. "What-" "Don't you 'what' me." the princess interrupted, bandaging the worst of the vampire's wounds after cooling them with the water. "Hey, I just saved you life, Sugarplum! Even though you still got hurt." Turquoise met with onyx as the two locked eyes, Bubblegum sighing. "I'm fine. You however, are a different story."
"It was worth it..."
"Pray tell!" the pinkette fumed, glaring at the other with a slightly irritated look, Marceline making a face. "Someone's gotta watch out for you, right?" the vampirate asked with a smile, causing the other to blush dark maroon. "You looked out for me, so I returned the favor." "Speaking of favors..." Marceline found herself blushing a dark purple as the princess leaned forward, gently placing a delicate kiss on the vampire's cheek. "Thank you, Marcy..."
"No... I should be thanking you, Bonnibel."