The battle for the fire elementals started in a disaster. In the beginning, they charged together as an overwhelming force to ensure a swift victory. Instead, they found themselves on the battlefield scrambling for the craters, trenches, and foxholes as cover. The offensive had come to a drastic halt due to the drone fleet dispatched by Princess Bubblegum as well as the kingdom's fortifications. Hundreds of troops were easily lost in the first fifteen minutes of fighting and the Supreme General felt prompted to call for a retreat. However, his sister convinced him and the others to press forward regardless. They could start over, but by doing so they would give PB more time to send another technological force that could easily turn the tide of the war. None of the elementals wanted to give her that possibility, and the fiery army persevered.
It was just a matter of survival on the battlefield. Troops who charged forward towards the Candy Kingdom were instantly mowed down from the laser defense turrets. If that wasn't enough, the city itself was still encompassed with a force-field barrier that prevented anyone from entering through. Charging became pointless and soon the ground forces found themselves in a grueling stalemate. Those who were concealed from the drones' line of sight held fast to themselves and muttered prayers, while some cried and others sat idly with numb expressions. Dirt sprinkled the air periodically as the ground was struck with ordinance.
As for the men in combat, they were driven to fight out of pure instinct. The drones constantly flew by them with strafing runs delivering a storm of bullets and rockets. The only chance the elementals had in the long run was the fact their advanced artillery gradually repelled the drones with anti-aircraft targeting. Without them, the battle would have been quickly decided in Bubblegum's favor.
After nearly an agonizing hour of tenacious fighting, the attackers noticed a large distant explosion behind the kingdom's wall. Soon enough, the defense turrets on the wall ceased fire and morale improved. For the first time after a long while, the Fire Army felt hope the battle would end in a decisive victory. As a result, most of the troops who hid beneath cover joined the battle once more with renewed confidence and assisted on repelling the drone fleet. A concert of gunfire was directed towards the air and soon the skies became friendly like a passing storm. The drones dwindled from the combined effort at a rapid rate until the last one exploded midair with both wings dislodged.
Everyone was grateful for the fighting to have finally stopped. Despite taking heavy losses, the Fire Army secured its hold on the kingdom outskirts and gradually assembled around the candy civilization.
But the result proved more costly than others.
Inside the main trenchline, Phoebe had been notified recently about Cinnamon Bun's condition and immediately rushed towards his location. Her flames around her body were lit significantly to indicate her stress and anxiety. She had no idea about the extent of her knight's injuries, only to know generally that he was wounded. Tears were threatening to burst from her face, but she clung on to the hope that CB was ultimately fine. No one said a word as they cleared a path for her. They understood the dire situation she was going through and the pain that may soon follow.
When she finally arrived near CB's location, she was greeted by two guards who blocked the doorway to an underground bunker. "Let me through!" she ordered breathlessly.
The men reached out their arms to stop her but they were easily shoved aside a split second later. As Phoebe made her way inside, she began to hear a familiar voice crying out in agony. It tore her heart the moment her mind registered and even more when she finally saw her friend.
A semi-charred pastry being lied on a table before her as he was surrounded by medics. The scorch marks she noticed across his overall body had different shades of brown and black, with the latter being the most severe. When one of the doctors glanced at her, he frowned instantly and waved her away.
"Your majesty," he spoke audibly over CB's yelling. "You need to leave!"
"Ma'am," another spoke with a slightly lighter tone. "We need to concentrate. We're doing everything we can to save him. Just give us some time!"
Phoebe stood frozen in place with her lips quivering. Seeing her champion writhe in agony felt surreal. She had been exposed to the war's atrocities like her older brother, but her mind faltered when someone close to her became directly involved. Her eyes began to water as she lost her self-control, and it wasn't until a few moments later that she found herself being pulled away by the same guards she passed through earlier.
"CB!" she cried out repeatedly. The men struggled to restrain her halfway and it wasn't long until another person joined the group.
"Sis," the Supreme General said audibly as he held her. "Give them some space! They'll take care of him, I promise!"
Phoebe relented. And when the group finally reached outside the bunker, they released her and left her alone. Shortly afterward, she turned to her brother and hugged him tightly, letting all of her tears loose without shame. The soldiers nearby who witnessed the event glanced the opposite direction, not out of disgust but out of pity. They already had their own emotional struggles to deal with, and seeing another person, especially their leader made it all the more unbearable.
They stayed like that for a long minute until a nearby officer approached. "Sir," he said solemnly. "Artillery's in position, awaiting orders."
"I need to check back with the others," SG said quietly to Phoebe. He looked around and noticed a familiar canine lying in a curled position. "Jake 2 looks like he could use some company. Why don't you two rest up for a bit while I run things for a while?" He suggested while mustering a small reassuring smile.
She nodded meekly and made her way towards the wolf. Once she sat beside him, her knees were drawn to her chest with her arms burying her face. All Jake 2 could do for comfort was nudge his head against her side and share her grief.
"Artillery," SG radioed as he walked away from his sister. "Commence the bombardment."
"Copy, sir," an officer replied.
Trails of smoke lined the skies as the rockets were launched. Within seconds, the ordinance converged around the entrapped kingdom and left behind a fiery dome in its wake. Bright colors of yellow and orange lit the target with most of the troops averting their gaze from temporary blindness. SG kept his head down, letting his mind wander briefly until he suddenly ordered a cease fire. In time, the battlefield became silent.
Although the flames had faded, the targeted civilization was engulfed with a smoldering obscurity from all the spent ordinance. SG pulled out his binoculars and waited anxiously for a clear visual. To his dismay, the Candy Kingdom remained unscathed. His disappointment was further strengthened when he received notifications from several battery officers.
"No effect on target," one of them reported. "Enemy shield is still intact."
SG stared at the wretched city with a disheartened expression. After all the effort he made with the army, he still sent thousands of men to their deaths under tactics intended to minimize casualties.
Twenty minutes ago, the special forces unit led by Commander Erwin made progress behind enemy lines. Beyond the Candy Kingdom walls, a squad of five men were setting up demolition charges inside a fifty story complex building.
"That's the last one," announced a flame engineer as he wiped his brow. All the explosives were set on the supporting columns that served as the building's foundation.
"Good work," replied another. "Now make sure you double check the wires, then triple check them."
"Yes sir!"
After a few moments, the elementals grabbed their weapons and proceeded to follow the extension cord that lead to the parking garage exit. The run lasted for five minutes and soon the men were finally outside the overall structure. They continued to sprint as the trail led further down the nearby main street with cars crowding all of the lanes. After passing through four blocks, they reached a small ring of sandbags with the cord ending to a plunger-based detonator.
The third elemental asked the leader, "You sure this is going to work?"
"It's too risky if we used a timed or remote-based detonation," he replied. "The electronics may glitch out or be defected for all we know. At least with this," he picked up the plunger. "we'll have guaranteed results." The leader held the device considerably and asked, "Anyone want to do the honors?"
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter," the fourth member said hastily. "Let's just get this over with."
The leader nodded and twisted the handle clockwise twice with his right hand until it clicked in place. Then, he applied more pressure with the same hand until the handle was pushed all the way down. Nothing was heard at first, but after a few seconds a series of miniature explosions went off in the distance. The tall structure began to lean on one side gradually with chunks of debris falling from the roof and walls. An alarm blared loudly throughout the complex and soon the noise was replaced with a deafening screech.
As the building collapsed, the ground rumbled tremendously from the sheer weight of steel and glass. The smaller neighboring structures that were in its way were easily demolished without pause. A large cloud of debris formed moments later and everywhere within a one-mile radius was quickly covered in dust. Cars that were nearby the area had their alarms blaring nonstop.
The squad leader peeked over cover and anxiously waited for the dust to settle. After a few moments, the obscurity thinned out enough for him to see the smoldering ruins through his helmet. "Commander Erwin," he announced from his built-in headset. "The objective has been destroyed. I repeat, the objective has been destroyed!"
"Good work, lieutenant," Erwin commended. "The guys and I saw the whole thing from here. Now fall in with the rest of the unit and standby for further instructions."
"Solid copy, we'll see you soon."
The commander leaned backwards on his chair as the transmission ended. He stretched out his arms and back being pleased with the recent news. But after a split second, he quickly straightened his posture when his communicator went off to find it was his superior.
"I'm getting confirmed reports about a massive explosion near your position," SG began. "What is your status?"
"Shield generator-one has been successfully destroyed, general," Erwin replied. "Perimeter defenses have also been disabled and all remaining units are accounted for. So far we have completed our objectives with zero resistance."
SG frowned in thought, "Zero resistance? That's odd. Bubblegum can't be throwing in the towel already. It just doesn't seem right." He then shook his head and said, "Close artillery support is moping up the rest of the hostile drone fleet and will be in position shortly. Once they're in range, I want you and your men to pull out with the hostages asap."
"Actually," Erwin suggested. "I plan on destroying another generator just to be safe. The hostages will still be escorted right away, but my men will stay just a bit longer."
"You've already discussed this with them?" SG asked with raised eyebrows.
The subordinate nodded, "Everyone has already decided by majority vote. And I've already gathered a small portion of my unit to escort the hostages. Just make sure you have the ground forces ready for extraction."
"I can't guarantee your safety if you choose to go on with this," SG advised. "You've already fulfilled your mission."
"With respect, general," Erwin argued. "The real mission ends when the barrier's gone for good. We didn't lie in the tunnels for weeks on end just to complete the bare minimum! Besides, what if it's not enough? We have a golden opportunity to weaken the Candy Kingdom from the inside out and I'll be darned if I never took it!"
"Very well," SG resolved. "I'll contact you once the extraction zone's clear. Those hostages must be rescued first and foremost before anything, and until then, good luck."
After the call was ended, the commander looked outside through the hotel window and noticed all the friendly troops hiding behind several sandbags, cars, and buildings as cover. The main streets that led towards the Candy Kingdom palace were empty except for the armored vehicles left behind in a state of ruin. While everything seemed convenient for Erwin and his men, he could not help but feel tense with uncertainty.
"Overwatch," Erwin radioed. "Check in."
"All clear, sir," the men from the church tower replied. "No signs of hostile activity."
The superior acknowledged and switched frequencies to contact the guards on the streets and rooftops. All of them gave him the same response. There were no enemy troops, vehicles, or drones within sight and the area was void of combat. He even radioed the engineer team again as a precaution and they assured him everything was fine.
"Just make sure you get back on the double," he advised. "I'm starting to get a bad feeling around here."
Right when he hung up, a sudden chill ran through his spine. He frowned in confusion since the window was closed already and the air conditioner for the office room was off. He cursed to himself at the feeling and decided to make one last call with his communications team.
"Any word on the scanner?" Erwin anxiously asked.
"Negative, sir. Bubblegum's gone dark. If she sent anyone her way, we'd be the first to hear it."
"Continue to scan for all frequencies," the commander ordered with a nod. "I don't want to be under the impression of having a false sense of security. And I'm sure neither would you."
"Understood."
Another person joined the transmission and asked, "What do we do in the meantime?"
"Hold position," Erwin answered. "We'll head for the next generator altogether once the hostages are secured."
Sometime later, SG called the commander and said, "The skies are clear! Friendly ground units are enroute to the extraction point."
"I read you, sir. We're about to escort the VIPs now."
As if on cue, three trucks parked in front of the hotel building with 30 fire troops surrounding the area. Several of them carried modern rifles salvaged from the enemy while others carried automatic crossbows. Four golems clad with heavy plated armor reinforced the perimeter shortly afterward with each one stationed at a corner wielding shields and chained maces. Additional guards were then seen walking outside the hotel, gathering in two separate lines to create a pathway between the convoy and building.
"Area's clear," one guard from the nearby rooftops announced. There were now over 60 of them gathered at the site.
As soon as the call was made, the entrance doors flung open for another large group of people. Three guards were walking beside each other in the front, while another two were seen covering the back. In between the group were nine candy citizens disguised as fire elementals with Peppermint Butler being in the center.
Having a mastery of dark magic, the mint was able to use an advanced illusion spell that was able to bypass an elemental's heat sense. Although the spell could last up to several hours, Peppermint was far more concerned about leaving the city. It didn't matter if he and his group were discovered anymore. He entertained himself with the idea that perhaps he could defect in exchange for his life being spared. It seemed cowardly, but in the end he would be safe. His thoughts were then brought back to reality as his eyes shifted constantly at the surrounding buildings until they finally reached the convoy.
"Freedom," the mint breathed in a whisper. He could see the vehicle interior as the door was propped open. "Just a few more steps and all of this will be over," he thought to himself.
But fate had other plans.
The middle truck turned into a fiery wreck from a sudden explosion, sending the other two airborne in opposite directions. Those who were within the blast were obliterated instantly, while the others were knocked back several feet.
Peppermint was dazed from the men who collided backwards with him. His vision was blurry and his ears rang. He struggled to pry his body free from a dead guard that laid on top of him, and gave up when his strength failed. As a few moments passed, he began to distinguish radio chatter being uttered in a sense of urgency. His vision slowly recovered and then he began to make out several guards charging towards the wreckage with their weapons drawn. The troops who lined the pathway from earlier were now scattered from the chaos. He stared absentmindedly in one direction until his gaze finally shifted towards the center from curiosity. Slowly but surely, the mint distinguished a shadowy figure hacking and slashing multiple troops. Bullets were cast in the assailant's direction but the mint couldn't tell if any of them met its target. When Peppermint's mind finally clicked in realization, he began to push the body aside from a sudden adrenaline rush. A trooper noticed his struggle and he quickly strafed from the left with his gun aimed at the explosion site. Once he was close enough, he dangled his weapon from the side and assisted Peppermint back on his feet.
"Get back inside NOW!" The guard shouted as two more joined them.
Peppermint darted his way back towards the hotel with the men following him. He ducked with his eyes shut momentarily from the deafening gunfire but his legs never stopped moving. There were sentries up ahead blocking the entrance with spears and shields, but parted as soon as the group came closer. Once they passed, the sentries assembled back into formation, closing the gap. The mint decided to look back at the scene to see if anything changed for the better, only to turn pale at that moment.
Despite being crowded visually from a bunch of elementals, Finn took the chance to cast an ominous glare towards the fleeing mint. Even though the exchange lasted a brief second, it was more than enough to convey a sense of fear and intimidation. Through Finn's dull blue eyes, they promised nothing but prolonged suffering. Anything else the mint could imagine beyond that was inconceivable.
Once Peppermint disappeared in sight, Finn returned his gaze back at the men surrounding him. Even though they had advanced weapons, they still didn't pose a threat to Finn. The outcome resulted the same way like his battle at the outskirts. He deflected arrows and bullets all with ease and he slashed through dozens of troops with only a few strokes. As soon as the remaining infantrymen were dispatched, the four golems ran towards the warrior bellowing with their maces flailing in midair. Their footsteps rumbled the ground as they picked up speed, but Finn kept a stoic expression.
"Be advised," radioed overwatch. "Heavy units are engaging the enemy. Watch your fire!"
Finn holstered his sword onto his back and crouched forward as the golems drew near. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he kept track of their movements, poised for the counter attack. He remained motionless as they closed the distance within ten feet and then stomped the ground with one foot a split second later. The result sent a telekinetic shockwave that lifted all four golems with ease and soon they found themselves suspended five feet in midair. They roared to break themselves free of the warrior's grasp, but nothing was working. The situation then became worse as they suddenly spun around Finn and exchanged terrified expressions. The men stationed from the rooftops aimed their weapons in response, but hesitated to fire.
"I don't have a clear shot!" One of them cried out.
"Dang it!" Erwin barked. "Just shoot through them!"
The men complied and the streets rang obnoxiously from the hail of constant gunfire. Hundreds of projectiles were flung towards Finn in seconds, but unfortunately the golems absorbed them. There were moments that some reached past the make-shift barrier, but they missed all the same. For a long while, the troops kept firing, hoping their desperate efforts would wound the enemy at the very least.
Once the golems had become limp under Finn's telekinetic grasp, the human charged his energy until he launched all four of them into separate buildings. The men from above ceased fire as a result with many of them withdrawing from cover. Some of them died from the impact, while others fell off the edges. The most notable casualty was the church tower collapsing as it surveyed the whole field. With the lookouts eliminated, the elementals lost their advantage of tracking Finn's location.
Finn drew his sword back out and dashed towards the the next wave of enemy reinforcements. Like the others, none of them landed their shots as the human dodged and deflected them along with a series of jukes and spins. By the time he was within striking distance, the men were diced with a chain of strikes across the back, arms, and stomach. Pools of magma blood filled the candy streets as a result with one guard falling after another. The remaining forces began to waver in fear at the unfolding massacre that some were driven to retreat while others stayed and fought. Even though Finn had the advantage, he ultimately remained on the defensive by letting all the ground forces come to him. He always fought on the move to avoid incoming fire, but never strayed far enough to leave the hotel out of sight. Once he defeated several more waves of golems and infantrymen, the human unleashed a charged plasma blast from one hand and fired repeatedly at all the rooftops the elementals occupied. Chunks of buildings crumbled and smoke billowed from the destruction. When the fighting stopped at that moment, approximately 200 units were lost overall.
"Multiple units down!" A guard radioed in distress. "Ah, jeez it's a mess down here!"
Erwin trembled at the sight of the battlefield and quickly radioed his engineer team, "Lieutenant do you read?"
"We're enroute to provide immediate support," he replied. "Five minutes out."
"Belay that," Erwin snapped. "Regroup and rearm at the nearest stockpile and proceed to the nearest generator on the double!"
"Sir," the subordinate protested. "That's suicide! We won't stand a chance if we encounter enemy resistance."
Erwin clenched his teeth in frustration as he saw Finn's figure calmly approach the hotel with flames engulfing the buildings in the background. The Finn Sword in the warrior's hand was splotched in magma, sizzling the ground as it dripped consistently. Judging from his adversary's shrewd expression, Erwin knew his team was outmatched. The elemental's thoughts flooded with the idea of withdrawing, but he was also aware that it was too late. He breathed deeply before he radioed again, "I'm pretty sure you'll do just fine. The enemy's already engaged the main force for the counterattack and more than half our guys are gone. All I'm doing at this point is buying you some time."
The subordinate stammered, "B-But.. sir-"
Erwin interrupted, "None of us will make it alive at the end of the day! Now you can use this opportunity on one hand to complete the mission or you could run away with your tail between your legs. So what's it gonna be?" With that, he ended the transmission and prepared for the final fight.
"Commander," a grunt shouted. "He's coming within range!"
