Chapter 9
Flame Princess' eyes snapped open as the veil of unconsciousness was suddenly lifted. The last thing she remembered was the holding room separating into four separate parts before being dropped into a howling darkness. She couldn't remember much after the drop. What she did remember was the loud grinding of gears, the hissing of pistons, and pounding of machinery. She figured that she must have blacked out from the pure shock of the drop.
Flame Princess felt an ache in her neck. Much to her dismay, she found that she still had the cursed collar locked tightly around her neck.
Flame Princess looked down at her hands and saw that her flames were burning very low. Her normal radiant orange glow was a dull red. Such a red color meant that her internal and external temperatures were very low.
The collar is still working then. Flame Princess thought bitterly as she gave the collar one futile tug.
The princess took a moment to take in her surroundings. Wherever she was, it was almost pitch black. Despite her nature, she couldn't build up enough heat to strengthen her flames enough to brighten the room.
She jumped at the light trickling sound of water calmly flowing. She couldn't see where the water was, but she could tell that it was very close; too close.
"Hello, is anyone there?" Flame Princess asked nervously as she took a single step forward.
As she stepped forward, the princess felt a tile beneath her foot sink into the floor. Almost instantly, several dull red lights flooded the room with their eerily glow.
Flame Princess let out a startled gasp as the lights revealed that she was standing on a walkway that couldn't be more than three feet wide. Running along the parallel sides of the walkway were two large pools of black water. The pools themselves did not appear to be that deep, but that was hardly the issue. Water of any kind was potentially deadly to Flame Princess and her people. It wasn't a matter of drowning as it was a matter of her being extinguished.
Flame Princess tore her worried gaze from the pools of water and looked forward. Standing before her was a tall, thick metal wall. The wall divided the walkway in half, blocking the rest of the walkway from the princess. From what she could tell, the wall was also hiding something behind it. Whether it was hiding the exit, or a trap remained to be seen. It became clear to the princess that the pools of water were meant to keep her from trying to go around the wall. Painted on the metal wall in red paint were the words "Feel how they felt."
Suddenly, something sprang up from out of one of the pools of water with a loud splash. Flame Princess screamed as she reared back from the water that spilled out onto the walkway. As the initial panic faded, Flame Princess' eyes locked with the cause of the disturbance. It was a small white-faced dummy with red spirals on its cheeks. Water dripped down its black suit and hair as it stared back at Flame Princess with two piercing red eyes.
"Hello Princess, welcome to your first test." The dummy spoke, its slotted mouth moving up and down. "It is no hidden secret that you have quite a fiery temper. This temper of yours has led to a fair amount of grief for those around you. Had it not been for the actions of one of your fellow players, Finn, you would have destroyed an entire kingdom with your rage."
Flame Princess growled angrily and raised her hands towards the dummy. Her flames flickered but nothing came of it. The collar around her neck was doing its job all too well.
"What do you know?!" Flame Princess shouted viciously. "You know nothing about me!"
The dummy's mouth opened and closed as an eerie cackle rang out as if to mock the princess. The cackle cycled three more times before stopping.
"I know that your rage was caused by a betrayal. A betrayal from the one you once held closest to your heart. The one that you once loved."
Flame Princess' flames flickered out in shock before quickly reigniting.
How did he know that?! She asked herself in a panic. I never told anyone about what Finn did to me!
Ignoring the princess' silence, the dummy continued with its speech.
"This betrayal only worsened your distrustful nature and fueled your anger even further. This distrust has kept you alive on the throne of the Fire Kingdom, but it has slowly turned your heart cold and dark. Your anger and distrust have brought pain to those around you. It has cost you so much. Your happiness, your sleep, it has even cost you the life of your loyal lieutenant; Cinnamon bun."
Flame Princess felt her heart sink at the mention of her late lieutenant and close friend, Cinnamon bun. She could still see the image of his frozen form shattering as her poorly timed fireball smashed against him.
Hot tears of liquid fire ran down her cheeks as the loss of her friend bore down onto her. For the first time ever, Flame Princess felt completely alone and helpless. Her lieutenant was dead. Her kingdom was in ruins and was no doubt already scrambling to find her replacement. There was still Finn, Princess Bubblegum, and Marceline. But she didn't trust them enough to hope from their help.
"Please…let me go." Flame Princess whimpered, her hope gone. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."
The dummy was silent. Its red and black eyes stared hard at the princess.
"I could let you go." The dummy spoke. "But that wouldn't serve you."
The sound of grinding metal on stone echoed out across the room as the metal wall was slowly raised. Behind the wall was a large metal rectangular tunnel that sat over the walkway. The inside of the tunnel was lined with metal hinges that held inward facing curved blades made of the coldest ice. Each side of the tunnel had eight blades, sixteen in total, spaced apart just enough that the blades interlocked like teeth. Behind the blades hung several metal chains that were dripping with ice cold water. On the opposite end of the tunnel was another set of blades, bringing the number of blades to a total of thirty-two. To make things even worse, the floor of the tunnel was covered in ice.
Flame Princess stared in awestruck silence at the terrifying design of the object that stood before her. Deep down, she knew that this had been made specifically for her and her alone.
"W-what is that?" she stammered in fear.
"It is your path to freedom." The dummy spoke. "Your anger has brought pain to those around you and has turned your heart into a cold and dark place. Today, we're bringing the cold and darkness of your heart out into the open. Now in order for you to stay alive, you have to match your body with the cold and darkness of your heart."
Several more lights shown to life to reveal the unseen terror that had been looming over Flame Princess' head since she awoken. The ceiling was made of glass, and behind that glass was a lake's worth of pitch-black water. Flame Princess spotted several teddy bears taped to glass jars filled with nails and black powder wired across the ceiling. With a snap of electricity, a large timer flashed to life on the opposite end of the walkway.
"The ceiling above you is holding back six hundred thousand gallons of water. More than enough to fill this room and extinguish you permanently. The timer on the opposite side of the room is connected to the explosives on the ceiling. In sixty seconds, the timer will trigger the explosives. The game is simple. Reach the timer before it runs down and stop the explosives. Or, do nothing and let the timer trigger the explosives and drown."
Flame Princess shook in fear and her flames flickered weakly. This was no idle threat. This had been made for her. To make her hurt, and to make her suffer.
"Live or die. Make your choice."
With that said, the dummy was quickly pulled back under the black pool of water.
Flame Princess' eyes darted in every direction as her mind raced. The loud ticking of the timer did nothing to ease her mind. If anything, it only made her panic even further. Tears of liquid fire ran down her face as she cried. She was terrified beyond words, beyond rational thought. This place was going to be her tomb and she knew it.
"No." She stated coldly. "No, no, no!"
Flame Princess drew her hand back and slapped herself across the face.
"I am not some scared child!" she exclaimed firmly. "I am the ruler of the Fire Kingdom! I will not let you win!"
Steeling herself, Flame Princess quickly approached the icy bladed tunnel. The air around the tunnel was so cold that it hurt. Her eyes quickly glanced over the blades of ice. Had it not been for the cursed collar on her neck, she would have easily been able to incinerate the device. Time was running out, and Flame Princess could waste any of it hesitating.
Flame Princess took a deep breath and placed her hands against the blades. It was now or never. There was no running away. It was live or die, and she wanted to live.
"For my kingdom!" Flame Princess shouted as she pressed her hands against the blades.
Steam hiss loudly as skin touched the ice blades. She bit down on her bottom lip as she applied more force against the blades.
The hinges that held the blades squeaked as they slowly moved. But just as soon as it looked like she had been making some progress, the blades sprang back against her and threw her to the floor.
Shivering and in pain, Flame Princess quickly pushed herself off the floor. After taking a second to rekindle her flames, the princess was ready to step up her game.
"I need more force." She stated as she took a few steps away from the tunnel.
Once she was far enough away, Flame Princess let out a loud war cry and charged at the bladed entrance of the tunnel. With a loud hiss of steam and the sound of twisting metal, Flame Princess shoved herself past the blades and into the tunnel. Liquid heat gushed from her body as the ice blades cut deeply into her. Her feet seared in pain as they met the ice on the floor. Losing her footing and momentum, Flame Princess fell to the floor. She screamed in agony as her body seared against the ice. Her body was covered in deep wounds that would not heal without something to rekindle her flames.
Freezing, and agonized, Flame Princess scrambled to her feet as best as she could. Reaching out blindly, she grabbed tightly onto one of the many water-soaked chains that hung from the ceiling of the tunnel. With another scream of pain, the princess yanked herself upright. Her legs were trembling from the cold and the sheer amount of pain that she was in. She could feel the heat bleeding out of her body as she forced herself to march forward.
"I'm sorry." She cried as she walked onward, wincing as several of the chains dragged against her back. "I'm so sorry."
Steam was filling the tunnel as the Flame Princess bled more and more heat out of her body. Each step she took sent waves of pain tearing through her body. The ever-present ticking of the timer filled her mind with dread. She was running out of time!
After what felt like an eternity, Flame Princess made it to the last set of blades. Behind the blades was the button that stopped the timer. Her mind was a storm of pain and emotions. She couldn't think straight anymore. She simply quickened her pace and prayed that she wouldn't lose her balance. A small whimper escaped her mouth that quickly grew into another loud war cry as she charged the last set of blades.
Liquid heat gushed out of her body as she forced herself through the blades. With only five seconds left on the timer, Flame Princess limped as fast as she could. She screamed and leaped forward and slammed her hand down onto the button. With only one second left on the timer, Flame Princess had stopped the timer from triggering the explosives.
She had survived.
She had won.
"I'm sorry…" she shivered as she stood uneasily, waiting for whatever was to come next.
The metal pedestal that the button sat on suddenly sank back into the floor. There was a hiss followed by a bright light as a door slide open on the wall in front of her. Clinging to her shoulders for warmth, Flame Princess limped into the light and out of the darkness.
The sound of a door sliding open startled Marceline and Princess Bubblegum. They both let out horrified gasps once they saw the low burning and badly wounded Flame Princess limp out of the darkness and collapse onto the floor of the holding room.
"Oh, my glob, Phoebe?!" Marceline exclaimed as she quickly flew over towards the smoldering princess.
"What did they do to you?!" Princess Bubblegum gasped in horror as she saw the deep wounds that covered Flame Princess' body.
Flame Princess' eyes were glassy, and her body was motionless. The heat that was bleeding out of Flame Princess' body filled the room with a thick steam, making it very hard for a certain adventurer to breathe.
With a startled gasp, Finn jolted awake and sprang to his feet. His legs wobbled before he fell onto his knee. Ignoring the pain that pulsed through his body, Finn quickly stood himself up and looked over towards the huddled group.
"PB, Marcy?" Finn asked as he shook the fog from his eyes. "What happened?"
Finn's question went unanswered. His eyes widened in horror as they fell upon the shredded and smoldering figure of Flame Princess.
He quickly rushed over to the group and keeled down beside Flame Princess. Ignoring the burns that he would receive, Finn slid his hands underneath the princess, and he held her upper body off of the floor.
"What happened to her?!" Finn shouted as his eyes darted between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline's equally as frightened faces.
Finn's blood started to boil. This wasn't part of the rules, or at least as he understood them.
"Is this part of your game?!" Finn shouted angrily. "She chose to live! She chose to live!"
Suddenly, a door slid open and out of the darkness lumbered one of the masked figures. Princess Bubblegum recognized the figure as the one that was responsible for kidnapping her. The rotting, maggot filled pig mask and giant stature made it stand out against the other figures.
The figure stomped its way into the center of the room and stopped. Without warning, three spindly metallic arms jutted out from the sleeve of the figure. Two of the arms snapped forward, and penned Finn and Princess Bubblegum to the wall by their necks with man-catcher like vices. The third arm only sprang forward once Marceline decided to attack. Attached to the end of the third arm was a silver crucifix. Marceline hissed as she pushed herself against the wall as she tried to get as far away from the crucifix as possible.
The figure snorted and approached the motionless Flame Princess. The figure cocked its head to the side as it curiously looked down at the princess. The figure then nudged her with its foot.
"Don't you touch her!" Finn snarled furiously as he struggled against the metal chokehold. "Don't you dare touch her!"
The figure ignored the adventurer's threats. With a snort, the figure withdrew a bottle of lighter fluid and poured it onto Flame Princess. With a flash of heat and fire, Flame Princess' body began to burn again. With a steady flame, her wounds could now heal on their own.
The figure snorted and retracted the metal arms back into its sleeve with a subtle clicking and whirring. Finn rushed over towards Flame Princess while Marceline and Princess Bubblegum stayed still.
"You-you saved her?" Princess Bubblegum asked, both confused and frightened. "But why?"
"Because they aren't done with us yet." Marceline hissed as she tried to gather herself. "Isn't that right, piggy?"
The figure didn't even acknowledge that Marceline had spoken as they stomped out of the room back into the darkness. With a familiar hiss, the door slid shut behind the figure, leaving the four alone to lick their wounds.
Flame Princess winched as her wounds slowly sealed shut. Her eyes opened as her strength gradually returned to her.
"Finn, PB, Marceline…you all survived?" she asked weakly as she tried to set herself upright. She felt the tingle of Finn's robotic arm on her back as he held her upright.
"I've got you, princess." Finn stated softly. "Don't worry."
Flame Princess let out a small gasp as her eyes fell on Finn's badly wounded arm. Her eyes slowly looked over Princess Bubblegum's cut and bruised mouth and Marceline's various puncture wounds. Fresh hot tears swelled in her eyes.
"It's my fault! "she sobbed as the full weight of the trauma came crashing down on her. "It's all my fault!"
Marceline took the distraught princess out of Finn's hands and held her.
"Shhh…don't say that." Marceline assured Flame Princess in a calming voice. "This isn't your fault."
Flame Princess cried even harder as she buried her head into Marceline shoulder.
"But…I killed him." She whimpered so quietly that it almost went unheard.
A look of concern spread across Marceline's face. Had she heard her correctly?
"You…you killed who?" Marceline asked as calmly as she could, shooting concerned and nervous glances at Finn and PB.
Flame Princess took a deep breath and tensed her body as if expecting a painful blow.
"Cinnamon bun." She whimpered weakly. "I killed Cinnamon bun."
Silence fell over the group. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Flame Princess stopped her sobbing and pushed herself away from Marceline.
"What do you mean you killed Cinnamon bun?" Princess Bubblegum asked with a hint of anger in her voice. "What happened? What did you do?!"
Flame Princess sighed and curled herself up on the floor as she recalled the events of the previous night.
"When the walking cloud or whatever it was attacked the Fire Kingdom, a magic user was sent to apprehend me." She explained as calmly as she could. "In the ensuing fight, Cinnamon bun and several of my guards rushed into my chambers to help me. They were frozen solid almost instantly."
Flame Princess began to tremble as the pain of what she had done began to rise to the surface again.
"I was just so angry." She rasped as she dug her fingers into the tattered remains of her nightgown. "I threw a fireball at the attacker and they dodged it. But Cinnamon bun…the fireball shattered him…"
The other three all gave each other worried glances. None were certain how to proceed. It was all too much to take in.
"Phoebe, that wasn't your fault." Finn stated in a calm tone. "If the magic user hadn't frozen him, Cinnamon bun wouldn't have-"
"Finn, please stop." Flame Princess begged. "I...I can't do this right now."
With nothing more that could be said, Finn slumped sadly to the floor.
Marceline was silent as she ran through what she knew about the situation over in her head. All four of them had been kidnapped by pig-masked assailants.
All four were being accused of something that, while not necessarily virtuous, were not worth the punishments they had received.
The creepy dummy with the red spiraled cheeks. Calling the traps and devices part of a "game," or test.
This was beginning to sound frighteningly familiar to her. But why was it familiar? What was the last piece of the puzzle that she was missing?
Puzzle…puzzle piece…pieces of a puzzle.
Marceline's face suddenly grew even paler as an old, almost forgotten memory burned in the front of her brain.
"Oh…my…glob…" she rasped in a shocked, shaky voice. "I know who is behind this."
Everyone in the group snapped to attention and circled around her.
"You do, really?" Finn asked. "Tell us!"
"Yes, please tell us." PB begged.
"Who is it?" Phoebe asked.
Marceline swallowed the lump in her throat and let out a hiss to calm herself.
"Long before the mushroom-war, there was a killer." She stated as she sat herself on the floor. "The killer would kidnap people that they thought didn't appreciate the life they had been given, or something like that. They would set up all these crazy torture devices and force their victims to math themselves up in order to free themselves. If they didn't, the traps would kill them."
Marceline laid her back against the floor. She couldn't believe what she was even saying. There was no way that she was right.
"So…what happened to them?" Finn asked, the suspense killing him.
Marceline shook her head and shut her eyes.
"They died…plain and simple." She stated. "But the killings continued up until the start of the mushroom-war. That is when they unofficially stopped, along with, you know, the rest of the world. But…now it looks like they might be back from the dead."
Princess Bubblegum took Marceline's hand and held it gently, calming her.
"Who was this killer?" she asked. "Perhaps I've read about them somewhere."
Marceline shook her head ran her fingers through her black hair.
"Doubt it, PB." She responded. "Most knowledge of their crimes would have been lost in the mushroom-war. Anything that survived is probably nothing but dust by now.
Marceline groaned as exhaustion weighted on her body.
"I don't remember the killer's real name anymore. But I do remember the name they were given."
Marceline couldn't believe what she was about to say. None of it made any sense. None of it should have been possible. But stranger things had happened before in Ooo.
"They called the killer, Jigsaw." Marceline hissed in a low whisper, as if the name was cursed.
The earsplitting crackle of the loud speaker blared to life, jarring the four terribly.
"Congratulations, you have survived your first round of tests." The familiar voice spoke darkly. "You have proven that you are willing and capable of continuing down the path towards your rehabilitation. You are all one step closer towards facing your sins and earning your freedom. It would be wise of you to use this time to rest while you can. The games have only just begun."
Suddenly, the lights in the room all shut off, leaving them all in darkness. Flame Princess' body gave off a warm glow, that the others quickly huddled around.
She was their only source of light in the howling darkness.
"Everyone, huddle together." Marceline ordered in a firm voice. "We can't let anyone get separated."
None of them wanted to sleep, not after what they had been through. Not after what Marceline had told them. Each one was afraid that should they close their eyes, that they might never wake again. But slowly and surely their exhaustion began to wear them down.
Flame Princess yawned and rested her head against Finn's shoulder, nodding off almost immediately. Finn fought to stay awake but slowly nodded off, resting his head against Phoebe's head, completely ignorant to the shocking detail that her body was somehow not burning him.
"Get some sleep, PB." Marceline stated quietly. "I'll take the first watch."
Princess Bubblegum couldn't even stay awake long enough to respond and she nestled her head against Marceline's shoulder.
Marceline smiled as she looked over the sleeping forms of her closest friends. They needed the rest more than she did.
"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bight." Whispered softly.
With that said, Marceline turned her keen eyes back out towards the darkness and watched for anything that might be lurking in the shadows.
The harsh light of a computer monitor filled the dark room with an eerie glow. On the screen, the four captives were seen all huddled together. Long, talon-like nails tapped against the keyboard, changing the video feed to that of an earlier recording. The recording was of Flame Princess' test. A cold, chilling smile spread across the viewer's face at the sight of the young princess' agony. The viewer's smile quickly turned into a scowl as the door slid open as two figures entered the room. The first figure was the one with the metal arm. The second figure was the giant with the rotten pig mask.
"I know you altered the device." The first figure stated accusingly. "You changed the tension level on the hinges to make it even harder to force them open."
The viewer spun around on the chair and faced the two unwanted visitors with a frown.
"Oh, please, Jigsaw saw me fit to oversee that little whelps' tests." The viewer spoke with a cold tone. "Besides, she needed to prove herself to us. The little whelp has been given everything she ever wanted. She had her own kingdom, and yet she didn't appreciate it. I needed to see what she was willing to do for her kingdom."
With the press of a button, the recording was replayed again, this time at a different angle, one that captured the moment Flame Princess threw herself through the ice blades perfectly.
A low growl rumbled from the third figure as it watched the recording.
"Yeah, you said it, big guy. She is twisted." The second figure stated bitterly.
"Let's get one thing clear, little bunny," the viewer hissed venomously as she rose out of her chair in a challenging manner. "I know you want to see them suffer just as much as I do. You simply lack the honesty!"
The crackle of an intercom speaker brought a sudden silence to the three figures.
"Do you like how brutality feels, Simone?"
The viewer swallowed nervously before responding.
"You know it's not like that, Jigsaw, sir." Simone responded quietly. "I just thought that-"
"Check with me next time you decide to make your last-minute changes." The voice spoke again, cutting Simone off.
"Yes, Jigsaw…I apologize." Simone responded quietly as she bowed her head.
"The rest of you, return to your posts. There is work to be done."
"Yes sir. Come on, big guy. Let's leave the queen in the cold." The second figure said with a smirk as they tapped the third figure's side.
With a snort, the third figure stomped out of the room, following the second figure. With a hiss, the door slid shut behind them.
Simone stood alone in the dark observation room. She was trembling with rage. She had been made a fool of in front of her master!
"How dare that little bitch!" Simone shrieked as she slammed her fists down onto the keyboard, encasing it in a thick block of ice. "Calling me twisted after the things she has done! After what I sacrificed to regain my life?!"
A small speaker on the computer chirped to life, startling Simone.
"We can never come from anger, or from vengeance. I trust that you will remember that."
Jigsaw's words felt calming this time rather than berating. He was speaking to her personally, with no one else listening. Simone uncurled her fists and dispersed her magic.
"Yes, Jigsaw." She responded, her voice calm and even. "I'll remember."
"Continue your work. The games have only just begun."
A wide smile spread across Simone's face as she pulled her pig mask over her head. Frost quickly spread across the floor and over the monitors as she let out a deep content sigh.
"With pleasure, Jigsaw."
And Jigsaw's first name drop!
This was a fun and challenging chapter to type.
How does one torture fire? With lots of ice, water and emotional trauma!
I hope you all are enjoying the ride so far. I know I am!
