Fire. In the sky, on the ground, clinging to the trees around them. The smoke is so thick it's hard to see sometimes, but a stiff, heavy wind occasionally comes to clear the smog.
"Dude, Lady's gonna complain when my fur smells like a campfire."
Finn and huntress wizard are laying across the dogs back, which is stretched out large enough to accommodate them both as they watch the smoke drift away towards space.
"So, you're dating a vampire now. And you're SURE she didn't bite you?"
"Absolutely positive. She's the best. Totally not evil."
Huntress Wizard grins at this proclamation, reclining back onto her arms.
"I had this Tree Nymph ask me out in Grass kingdom."
"What did you say?"
"No, of course. It would distract me from my focus."
Finn frowns a little, remembering her one track mind; but that was how Huntress Wizard operated, in order not to get 'soft', in her own words.
Jake chimes in again, with a little more irritation this time.
"Can we talk about that later, guys?"
And he dumps them off his back onto the sooty ground; the scene before them is fairly... ominous. It's obvious where they are. The cave mouth stretching open into the clearing, surrounded by burning forest, with bones strewn around it... the monster's lair.
Finn and the wizard stand up, and she levitates no less than five arrows from her quiver.
"Why so many?"
Finn asks curiously, pulling his own sword from his backpack. It's a simple cavalry saber, made of old but well polished steel. The pommel has a cup guard, and a knuckle guard, embossed in a bright quicksilverish metal with magical runes.
"Normal weapons can't pierce the Gargoyle's hide. It has stoneskin."
Huntress wizard explains. Their quiet conversation has caused a rustling in the cave, and something peers out of the darkness at them. Then another pair of eyes appears, and Finn hesitates, lowering his weapon.
"That's not..."
The arrows still hover; Huntress wizard still waits to strike. The two somethings walk out of the cave, slowly entering the light and revealing themselves to be brown bears. A mother and her cub. Both were, of course, on fire, yet it seemed to be a part of them rather than a problem. Finn and Huntress wizard back off, putting their weapons away as Jake picks them up and casually walks away from the two bears.
"That wasn't a gargoyle."
As they're leaving the clearing, a huge thud is heard behind them as the earth shakes.
"No. But that is."
Huntress Wizard frowns at the huge, towering stone behemoth. At least 15 feet tall, the living statue has a grotesque piglike face with large, batlike wings growing from its back. A spine and tail of sharp, finely chiseled stone extends down its back. It roars at them, the bears fleeing back into their cave behind it. Jake is already growing himself to a more appropriate size to fight the beast, matching its height and build. Finn and Huntress wizard take up positions next to two burning oak trees, peering out into the clearing as Jake and the Gargoyle trade blows.
"I can't pierce it. These runes help me guard, I'd need them on the blade to..."
"I can do it. With magic arrows, encased in lightning, but I need to get closer and I need Jake out of the way."
"Let's get closer."
They move out into the clearing, running in from just outside the Gargoyle's perhiphrial vision. Still its tail swings out to meet them.
Finn leaps into the air to catch the stone tail on the handguard of his sword; it rings out sharply as they collide, a bright blue light flashing for a moment. The tail whips back, and Finn lands on the ground completely unharmed, smirking even. He could do this all day.
"Jake, Back off for a sec!"
The human shouts. Huntress Wizard already has her arrows primed, encased in deadly lightning. The dog is quick to obey as the gargoyle turns to face Finn and Huntress wizard. She lets her arrows fly as its fist crashes down towards them.
Finn holds up his sword pommel, again leaping a short distance up to meet the fist of the creature as they basically knuckle bump. Once more, the blue light flashes and once more the creature stumbles back, defeated by the magical guard as the arrows catch it in the chest. They pierce through the stone hide, and it screams as five gaping, soot black holes appear in its chest. It then poofs into magical dust, floating away on the smokey wind.
"Nice shot, Huntress Wiz!"
Finn proclaims, giving her a high five. She pumps her fist with a joyous grin.
"You just ran up to it and just held up that sword and blocked it like nothing! That's awesome!"
The human shrugs. He holds out his sword so she can see the quicksilver runes along the handguard.
"It's just a magic weapon, not me. I'm not that awesome."
Jake interrupts at this point.
"You are too, half the stuff you do is cause you train!"
Finn blushes a little, the compliment making him smile.
"I guess."
"Let's go home, dude, my feet are starting to feel warm."
"Yeah."
Once more he stretches into a mount for them, and the little hunting party is off towards the Candy kingdom. The bears watch them go, the mother waving her paw at them.