Hey sorry for taking so long. Another chapter!.

The hunt

"So, Marcie" Finn asked

"Yeah Finn?" Marceline replied.

"Do you think these guys are still bad?" He asked.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't they be?" She asked.

"I dunno, I just think if I was dead for a thousand years I'd probably change." Finn stated.

"Meh, maybe you would but these guys… Yeah no, they're still evil and still gonna die." Marceline said.

The group had been walking through the forest. Marceline had her demon slaying battle-axe guitar resting on her shoulder; meanwhile the rest of the group had their own items as well. Finn carried the Finn sword alongside a pack that was full of items that he and Jake had collected over the years.

A lightning sword, a wand of webs, shields, gauntlets, and even a crown of fire. The two had also brought along a ring that they had named 'the blade ring'; a ring capable of splitting apart into ten different rings, each of those rings then being able to sprout small blades from themselves.

They could be worn on each finger, each having its own blade that would hang down. From there, the user could throw them at a target, the bladed ring would then go through the target and always return to the user. It was the user's job to catch the ring blade from that point.

This object had been given to and was now adorned by Marceline.

Princess Bubble gum and Peppermint butler had also come along. Princess Bubblegum carrying a blaster of some sort and Peppermint butler only sporting a cape.

The thick woods combined with the darkness of night to create an atmosphere of tension and dread. Everyone unsure of what they were seeing. Everyone but Marceline, who had been used to hunting alone in the dark.

"L-look, I don't care if they can change or not. Can someone please just tell me why we're hunting these guys at night!" Jake exclaimed, fear oozing out of his tone.

"Easy, Vamps come out at night. DUH! How could we catch em' and kill em' if they're all asleep?" Marceline asked.

"Wouldn't it be better to catch them off guard?" Jake asked.

"Look, being afraid isn't gonna do you any good dude. If you wanna help you can, if you wanna leave you can, but if we're gonna do this then we're doing it my way alright? Now see those orbs?" Marceline asked while pointing at a different path, the likes of which had been illuminated by large glowing balls of light.

"Those are made by The Moon. She's more of a hide-and-seek vampire but if you're sword can really stop regeneration then you two can go after her and take her out if you want. Test the waters a little bit, me and Peebs are gonna go this way." Marceline said.

"What about me?" Peppermint butler inquired.

"You go with the boys." Marceline said. The butler grumpily then joined Finn and Jake who took off and followed the trail of orbs.

"Is it really a good idea to be splitting up?" Princess bubblegum asked as they continued on their original path.

"Yeah. Cause if we didn't then we would startle him." Marceline said.

"Him?" Princess Bubblegum asked

"Yup. Him." Marceline said. She then pointed her axe ahead. A few dozen feet in front of them was a waterfall.

Resting peacefully on a tree, enjoying the breeze created by the water was a short man who'd been dressed with a beard and torn furry clothing. The hair on his head was short yet roamed wildly, covered up slightly by the horns on his forehead. What stood out about the man, aside from the animals which surrounded him and him alone, were the goat legs which sprouted from his upper half.

As Princess Bubblegum and Marceline approached him his odd appearance only became more apparent. He smiled at the two as he took another messy drink from a cup that had been fashioned from the skull of a rather large bird.

"Marceline." He stated with muted enthusiasm. "It's quite a treat to see you."'

He then began sniffing the air. Taking in deep long breaths with his nose; after which his smile widened even further.

"It's also quite a treat to know that you're still very much so human. Though I wonder how, after all it has been a few thousand years since we last spoke." The man stated.

"How would you know Hierophant? The last time we spoke I chopped you into bits." Marceline asked

CRUNCH!

As Marceline finished her sentence, Hierophant crushed his cup into tiny shards. The contents spilling into his hand.

"Ah yes… That is what you did to me isn't it?" He asked. His eyes shifting into a predatory stare.

"You wanna pick up where we left off?" She asked as she readied herself.

The two stared at each other for a while, however it was Hierophant that eventually took a breath and receded.

"Ah you know what? I really shouldn't… After killing the Vampire King recently, I feel more than enough joy in my life." Hierophant stated.

Marceline's eyes widened as his words touched her. She took a few steps back.

"Oh?" Hierophant leaned in and gazed at her like a predator. "You hadn't heard yet?" He asked.

"I call B.S! There's no way you guys could even think of wasting him, much less do it!" Marceline shouted.

"Ah yes of course, the proof is in the pudding. Well..." Hierophant then reached into the torn fur he'd been sporting. He pulled out a familiar green reptilian hand. "Is this enough proof for you?" He asked.

Marceline's blood ran cold at the sight of the bloody hand. Her eyes widened even further. She even struggled to breathe for a moment.

"Take it in Marceline… We're back, and this time we're here to change things." Hierophant said.

Marceline gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on her axe.

"You're not changing anything. You're gonna do exactly what you did last time; Die!" Marceline said as she prepared to move forwards.

Just as she did a bear turned towards her and growled. The other animals that surrounded him, from the mice to the lions, all did the same.

Princess Bubblegum readied her gun.

"You sure you wanna do this?" She asked.

"You got a better idea?" Marceline asked.

"I do actually." Hierophant added, lifting a hand to stop the upcoming violence. Marceline's eyes narrowed on him.

"Marceline, as much as I desire to kill you right now, I am finally free of the prison that you sent me to. Death has not been easy on any of us, and for once, I'd like to take in life once more. Besides even if you fight me and win, which you surely would not, The Empress is moving toward a city filled with blood." The Hierophant said.

"What are you talking about? There are no cities that have any…. The city of thieves?" Marceline asked.

Hierophant shrugged.

"Ok, change of plans." Marceline said as she faced toward Princess Bubblegum. "We need to go there."

"Are you sure? We've got a vamp right here; we can just waste him." Princess Bubblegum said.

Hierophant let out a hearty laugh as he then stood up.

"Marceline… Do you believe that you can just 'waste me' here and now?" The Hierophant asked as he stared her down. His eyes like that of a feline staring at the neck of its prey.

Marceline stared back at him. For a moment there was a silence between them.

"Pb. Let's go." Marceline said as she slowly began walking backwards, never breaking eye contact with Hierophant. Princess Bubblegum followed her and the two retracted from the forest. Deciding that it would be better to retreat before the battle had ever begun.