Chapter Nine: The War for Ooo
A/N: Well, I must say you guys are indeed awesome! Over 5,500 hits? Wow! Also, this chapter is what happens when an author finishes it a few months ago, comes back to it two days before publishing time and goes to town on it. What you are about to see is nearly double what it originally was. Enjoy what is by far my longest chapter yet!
The fields outside the monument of Finn's appearance were silent, save for the growing breeze rustling the grasses. The crater in the ground where the skeleton army had been demolished was a small pond, currently devoid of all forms of life. Given time and the right series of circumstances, it would soon bloom with life, with frogs nestling in its banks alongside families of ducks while the air was filled with the buzz of insects visiting the wildflowers that would soon sprout from the earth. But that was at some point in the future, a future many knew they would not see. Finn stood on top of the hill, hands clasped behind his back. The army of Free Ooo-ians was stretched out before him, collapsing the camp they had set up the day before. Marceline and Billy stood beside him, with the true Ice King walking up the hill to meet them.
"They're all ready," Ice King said, glancing up at the heavily clouded sky. His beard was a long as ever, but the insanity within him had been left behind in the Lemon King's dungeon. Marceline shook her head as she looked out over the forces amassed against the Lemon King. They seemed to spread to the horizon, but they all knew they had significantly fewer soldiers than the insane conqueror.
"We don't have enough," she said, picking at her axe bass. Billy looked at her, his eyes disapproving.
"It will have to do," he said as the true Ice King turned to Finn with uncertainty. A sudden gust of wind made Finn's hair flap all around his head, giving him the appearance of a majestic lion. "What are we to do?" he asked Finn.
Finn drew his sword with a great flourish. "We will lead from the front, destroying as many enemies as we can." He drew out the battle lines in the ground with his sword. "Ice King will lead from the left, using his ice powers to form soldiers and deflect any projectiles. Marceline," he drew another line on the opposite side, "will lead from the right, using the gladiator ghosts and vampire zombies as front troops."
He looked up at Billy, absentmindedly drawing another line behind the others. "As we advance, it is up to you to evacuate wounded and protect them from any straggling enemy soldiers." Of everyone gathered there, Billy was the quickest in battle and tall enough to carry injured troops out of harm's way.
Finn looked down at the map he had drawn, showing a bunch of marks among the soldiers. "The dogs and rainicorns will move around the battlefield, picking off the sides of the enemy's flanks. As they do that, the whywolves and the candy knights will close in and attack the flanks. All of our archers will continually provide cover while the main force advances." Finn stood up: that was the plan, now it just needed to be executed.
"Let's just hope all that tactical training pays off," Finn thought as he erased the drawings with his foot. "The only other thing that will help us is if my army shows up."
Turning back to the army, he drew his sword and thrust it into the air. "Move out!" he shouted, his voice carrying far and wide, even with the steadily-increasing wind. Several trumpets sound into the air, and the army moved out with a great rumble, headed towards the location of the Lemon King's crystal armies. As Finn led the march, a crow flew high over the army and watched the proceedings with great interest. With a squawk it flapped its wings hard enough to send it zooming off in the distance, ignoring the threatening storm clouds. Within a few minutes of losing sight of the army, it soared into the volcano fortress, the current location of the Lemon King.
Flying through the window, it reached the King as he was waited on by his servants. "What is this?" He reached out and quickly grabbed the crystal off of the back of the bird's head. Looking into them, his displeasure grew as rapidly as an explosion.
"Not only is that blasted Finn alive, but he has raised an army?" he shouted, tossing his goblet at the wall. The dink splashed everywhere but he simply did not care: if he had been still holding the goblet he would have crushed it with his fist. Turning to snarl at his quivering entourage, he menacingly dismissed the royal servants, telling them to "tend to the guards, and stay out of his way". They all knew the punishment if they happened to not follow this order: swift and sudden death.
One of the servants went to the three guards guarding the fortress' most valuable prisoner. The guards were all sitting at a table, playing cards while their armor and weapons lay to the side.
"Drinks?" the servant asked, holding out a tray. One of the guards looked up and folded his hand, frowning as another guard pulled all the winnings to his side.
"You know as well as we do that we're not interested in drinks," the first guard said, shuffling the deck and dealing out the cards. "What's the gossip for today?"
The servant set down the tray on a small table and sat down in a fourth chair. "Well, the king is angry with those free Ooo-ians. The one called Finn is leading an army of them here."
"Finn?" one of the other guards asked, drawing a card from the deck. "I thought he was dead."
"Not at all," said the servant. "Seems he not only survived the poison, but he is in good enough condition to fight."
As they talked, they had no idea just how much of their conversation the prisoner could hear. "Finn's alive?" the prisoner thought, almost jumping for joy. She could only hope he would be victorious on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, on the fields just outside of the Ice Kingdom...
Finn was riding along Jake on one of the few large war carriages left from the fire caused by the assassin's attack. As Finn pondered what was going to happen, he felt a shadow pass over him. "Hey Marceline," he said, not even looking up when she sat beside him.
"Don't tell me this whole war thing has got you down," she said, giving him a slight punch to the shoulder. "I've been around for a thousand years: things like this always work out in the end."
"But what if they don't work out this time?" Finn asked, clenching his fists. "That crystal apple gave the Lemon King unheard-of power. Who knows how long he'll live if we lose?"
"Finn, let me tell you something," Marceline said, putting her axe bass on her back: her voice was dead serious and she had a determined look in her eye. "In all my time in Ooo, I can tell you one thing: there has never been a hero as truly as wonderful and unselfish as you. Sure, there may have been before my time, but for a thousand years the greatest hero ever had been Billy. You have surpassed him in all ways and are destined to become the greatest hero we have ever seen."
Finn grinned a bit at her words: greatest hero ever, huh? "Will I be remembered as a bringer of peace or as the hero who let Ooo fall into darkness?" he said, a tone of bitterness in his voice. The carriage bumped a little, sending Marceline into his outstretched arms. They sat in silence for a moment, either too embarrassed or nervous to do anything. After a while, Marceline spoke up again, albeit in a softer tone than before.
"I never could stay away from you, Finn the Human," she said, enjoying the blush creeping onto his face. "But from what I've seen, there's only been room in your heart for one gal, and I'm not it," she said a little sadly, floating up and giving him a peck on the cheek. "If you ever somehow find a way to live forever, you know where to find me." With that, she flew up into the air as the clouds overhead darkened considerably. Finn looked back down at his feet and closed his eyes, searching the inner recesses of his soul for some semblance of calm.
He looked out in the distance, his eyes not seeing what was there. In his mind, he saw the fortress as if he were standing on its very walls. In his mind's eye, he walked through the throne room, past bustling servants and soldiers, slowly making his way deeper and deeper into the stony prison. Then, rounding a corner, he slowly opened a door and found himself in the bottom-most cell. Walking inside, he could almost feel the chill in the stone beneath him and the smell of damp mildew. Turning one way, he walked over and crouched down next to a shuddering ink figure, the girl he had grown to love and the woman he would rescue, even if his life would be lost. Holding open his arms, he encircled her in his embrace, shielding her from the pain of the world. It was the least he could do for his Princess: his Bubblegum.
So enamored by his own vision, he did not even notice the passage of time. Soon enough, and too soon for many, the banners of the Lemon King soon came into view for Finn's army. Snapping out of his reverie and raising his hand, Finn watched as signal horns and banners signaled the army of Free Ooo-ians to stop. The two sides stared at each other across the fields. Finn knew those fields would soon be stained with blood, but the question was: whose blood?
Bidding his friends a possible farewell, Finn went out to meet the enemy commander. The crystal general rode out on his crystal horse, escorted by two knights. Their crystalline armor glinted in the light, even as a gust of wind made the grass beneath their feet swirl like the waves of an ocean. When they met in the middle, the general pulled a list out of a satchel and read it aloud.
"These are the terms of surrender: all forces are to lay down their arms, pledge loyalty to Lemon King, soon to be the Lemon Emperor, and after that, disband and return to their homes. Each kingdom will send it's royalty to King Lemon's borders to pledge their unending allegiance. Otherwise, all who stand and defy His Excellency shall be killed or tortured, and their lands and possessions declared forfeit." He rolled up the scroll and tucked it back in his satchel.
Finn planted the tip of his sword in the ground, his hands resting upon it. "None of us will surrender, general," he said, noticing the silent gaze from the general's escorts. He knew he could take them all on without any difficulty, but he would respect the rules of war: someone had to. "Furthermore, our terms are simply this: release all prisoners, have Lemon King abdicate his ill-gotten throne and reinstate the true Ice King. After that, he is to be put on trial for crimes against Ooo."
The crystal general sneered at Finn's words. "None of those terms will be met, Finn the Human. The pitiful army you have amassed here is but a pebble to the great boulder that is the forces under my command. Our army is vast and powerful, and no other army in Ooo could ever stand up to us. You and your army will die here today, and then all the rest of Ooo shall fall."
Fin nodded his head. "We will see about that, sir." Drawing his sword from the ground, he sheathed it in his scabbard and turned around, walking back to his lines. He heard the horses snort and trod back to the crystal army lines, the general beginning to shout orders to his lieutenants. Finn knew he would be sought ought by the general: his corpse and weapons would be great trophies for the crystal general's master.
Reaching his own lines, he turned to Jake. "How's Lady doing?" he asked, in a manner as if he was asking about the weather. In the midst of what was going to be the greatest battle fought in hundreds of years, Finn knew he had to appear calm and aloof, lest others became even more anxious.
Jake smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. "She's doing great, man. In fact, she told me this morning I'm going to be a dad." Finn nodded at the good news, but was taken aback by his next words. "If you survive this and I don't, will you be the godfather?"
Finn nodded his head and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Of course bro, but you'll be the one bringing the news to Lady by the end of the day."
They both bumped fists as they turned to face the crystal hordes. The army was moving forward; intent on crushing all freedom in Ooo. Finn drew his sword and turned to face the army of Ooo. "We fight for all of Ooo! Do not forget that we fight not on for ourselves, but our families and friends! This is the day we defeat evil, once and for all!" A great cheer rose from the assembled army, reverberating throughout the landscape. Spears and swords were smashed against shields, hooves stamped the ground, and footsteps made the very earth tremble. Turning back to face the enemy, Finn gripped his sword in both hands, his armor glistening. "Charge!" he shouted, moving forward as everything seemed to happen at once.
His army lurched forward, spreading out along the lines. The thunder across the sky signified the battle had begun. Seconds later, both armies clashed in a resounding crash, and everything descended into chaos.
Blasting a chunk of the crystal cavalry, Finn charged forward into the lines of the crystal footmen. Ducking a spar thrust, Finn swung his sword through two soldiers, cutting them apart. Dodging another spear thrust, Finn fired his gauntlet into a phalanx of crystal soldiers, melting their weapons and sending them flying high into the air. All around him, the battle grew more and more fierce. The cries of the dying on both sides were barely suppressed by the clash of weapons. Finn saw Ice King forming ice soldier after ice soldier, sending them off to fill the ranks of soldiers wounded or killed. He would occasionally zap any soldier who got too close, either blasting them with ice shards or completely encasing them in an icy tomb.
Turning back to his own section of the fight, Finn slashed through another soldier's shield and kicked him hard enough to send him flying into the air. With another kick he beheaded a crystal captain and his swinging sword accidentally plunged into the chest of another crystal soldier. Jumping out of the way of a crystal war club and entering his own lines once again, Finn glanced over at Marceline. She had transformed into her giant bat-monster form and was tossing crystal soldiers left and right, while candy footmen and whywolves protected her legs from attack. The gladiator ghosts farther down the line were falling left and right, filled with so many wounds: they would soon cross over and be no more.
Finn turned back to another part of the battle, his mind swirling with strategies as his sword slashed through enemy after enemy. He saw Jake was engaged with a large contingent of crystal ax-wielders and was about to be overrun. "Jake! Duck!" he shouted. His dog brother ducked down as Finn pulled out an ancient automatic crossbow he had found during his journeys. Dropping to one knee and taking aim, Finn fired it with unerring accuracy as he filled dozens of enemy soldiers with bolts, stopping only when Jake rushed back to his side.
"Dude," said Jake, ducking a crystal arrow. "We're not doing so well." Behind him a crystal soldier was cut down by two candy swordsmen, who were then overwhelmed by crystal arrows and nine crystal knights.
Finn blocked a sword strike and returned the blow, cleaving into an enemy's head. "I know dude, but we need to fight on. This is what we have been dreading: the final battle for all of Ooo. We cannot lose!" Swinging his gauntlet up, Finn sent a massive uppercut directly into the chin of a heavy crystal soldier. He flew high into the sky, disappearing from sight within seconds. Then, as if he had caused the clouds to loosen, it started to rain. It poured and poured, with lightning flashing all around the battlefield. One strike landed on Finn's sword: with a twirl, he sent a bolt at the line of crystal archers and siege machines. It splintered in mid-air and struck several catapults and trebuchets, causing some to catch on fire and others to fragment into little pieces. Another splintering bolt struck the archers: many fried where they stood, falling soon after.
Marceline and Ice King were both battling their flanks with increased fervor, but there were too many enemy soldiers reaching past them. Billy was killing dozens of the enemy as he evacuated the wounded. The candy knights had sustained heavy losses after the fifth charge, when the crystal soldiers had brought up their lances. Finn looked over his shoulder after blasting a crystal captain. The gladiator ghosts were all but gone, and Ice King's ice soldiers were starting to melt from the warm rain. Bodies of why-wolves littered the battlefield, their blood oozing out of so many arrow wounds. Finn watched as a line of candy archers fired their arrows: seconds later, they rained down on the enemy lines far past where the fighting was occurring. Only a few did anything: most were being blocked by crystal shields.
Minutes and then hours passed, but still the battle raged on. Thousands fell or were wounded on both sides, the ground slick with blood and sugar and crystal and mud. Spent arrows and weapons littered the fields, many without owners since they wouldn't need them anymore. Finn and Jake, along with the rest of the army, had been pushed back and after a break in the fighting both sides had withdrawn to tend to their injured and dead. Finn was burying a candy soldier when Jake came up to him. "Finn, we have a problem. The crystal armies are almost broken, but those spider-scorpions have reinforced them. We're totally outnumbered!" Finn looked out at the crystal lines, almost too shocked to even move. They had given it their all and nearly broken the crystal legions, but now they were too few, and the crystal legion's allies would destroy them without a second thought. Thousands upon thousands of multi-eyed freaks looked out at him as their stingers waved in the air.
Finn finished patting the ground and turned to Jake. "I'll have to go meet their terms." Jake looked at him in horror. How could Finn the hero give up?
"Why? Why would you give into their demands?" Finn shook his head, his shoulders sagging and defeat filling his voice.
"It's because I'm out of ideas, Jake. I did what I could but we are beaten! Nearly a third of our army is dead and another third is too injured to fight! There has been too much death and-,". A beeping noise emanated from his gauntlet, interrupting his rant with Jake. Finn looked down at it in surprise, not saying anything for a few seconds. Then, just as another flash of lightning lit up the sky, a small grin split his face.
Jake was confused and a little scared: he had never seen such a hungry look in Finn's face before. "Now what are you gonna do?" Finn looked at him, his smile becoming smug and knowing.
"I'm... going to give the terms of surrender," he said. Jake was about to protest when Finn gave him a wink. Jake's eyes widened in realization Finn was up to something. But just what was he going to do?
Finn walked out of the decimated army, signaling with a flag to the crystal commander he wished to discuss terms. As they met in the middle of the field, Finn noticed that the commander was smiling and, more frustrating, completely unharmed. The general cleared his throat. "My terms are the same, Finn." He leaned back in his saddle, waiting for Finn to speak. His armies had taken a beating, but his allies had arrived and would surely overrun the remnants of the Free Ooo-ians.
Finn nodded his head. "As are mine, general." The crystal soldier's smile quickly turned into an ugly frown.
"How can you continue to resist our might?" he asked. "You have lost much of your army, and many more are wounded." Finn simply smiled.
"Because I can," he replied. "Besides, by the time this is over, you will be dead and anything left of your army will be in retreat. I'll be seeing you on the battlefield, general."
The crystal leader was furious beyond words; he turned around and galloped back to his lines. Finn could tell the general wanted his head on a pike. He just wouldn't give him the chance: he had plenty of energy left for a fight. Finn remained where he stood, pressing several buttons on his gauntlet and aiming it at the advancing crystal army. Right before they were within firing distance of Finn, a massive blast of energy shot forth from the clouds. It struck the center of the enemy's army, sending troops and equipment flying everywhere. Bodies and a huge amount of dirt rained down like a torrent, leaving many dead and dying.
Jake ran up to Finn, his mouth agape. "What the math was that?" Finn turned and smiled at Jake, drawing his sword with a flourish.
"That would be my army, bro." They both looked into the sky to see an absolutely massive floating castle come through the clouds, surrounded by hundreds of other smaller floating castles. Another blast emanated from the top of the castle's spire, spraying the battlefield with shattered remains of crystal soldiers. The symphony of confusion and outright panic among the crystal soldiers was intense. "Charge!" shouts Finn, rushing the discordant enemy with his sword raised. The Ooo-ian army charged forward. The small floating castles land on the rear flank of the crystal armies and released their troops: thousands upon thousands of lizard-like soldiers. They absolutely swarmed the surprised enemy. What before was a close battle turned into an absolute slaughter. Crystal soldier and spider-scorpion fell in huge numbers time and time again. Finn beheaded the crystal general as he tried to flee the battlefield, his guards and subordinates all dead. In the end, barely a hundred crystal soldiers and a dozen spider-scorpions escaped, many of them simply dropping their weapons and heading for the hills.
Finn stood in the center of the field, his head heavy and his arms weak. He had never fought anything like this, and too many had paid the price for victory. Jake had taken a dying crystal soldier's dagger to his thigh, but he would easily recover. Ice King and Marceline were supporting Billy, who was covered in wounds and blood, though most of it wasn't his. But there were others that hadn't been so lucky. Tens of thousands had died in the fighting, and many more were injured. Finn turned to his right and saw one of the candy towers lying on its side; the lifeblood of sugar had leaked out of the large hole in its head. Finn kneeled on the ground, his sword before him. "From this day forth, this is hallowed ground. When all is finished, I swear that the fallen dead shall be forever remembered." He rested a hand upon one of the few clean patches of grass. "Be at peace," he said. Standing up, he looked to his fellows who were not gravely injured. "We need to free the Lemon King's prisoners and depose him," he said. They all raised their weapons and followed him away from the battlefield, moving slowly but surely towards the volcano fortress. Given the distance, it would not be long before Finn's army and the remaining Free Ooo-ians would reach it, and the madness within.