A/N Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 7: Raging hellfire
"Wake up Phoebe!" Fin said again. "Oh man! Oh jeez! Does anyone have any wood?! Any kind of fire?!" He said in a panic. He held her close in hopes his body heat would heal her It didn't, of course, but that didn't stop him from trying.
"Fin, be careful! She doesn't look too god and doesn't need to be jostled around so much!" Marceline said. Fin was about to retort, but the quiet groan from the girl in his arms stopped them.
"I... I'm alright... Guys..." She said slowly. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"No you're not FP. We need to get you somewhere. Now."
"But how? We're trapped in here and nothing can break those bars!" Jake replied.
"Hmm..." Mike grumbled as he stroked his chin. He twirled his scythe a bit before gripping it and slashing at the bars twice. A few moments passed before several segments of bars fell to the ground with a clatter, allowing them to escape. The others were speechless. "What?" He said with a cocked head and a grin.
"How did you... the bars... Even my sword couldn't scratch them." Fin said in awe. Mike looked at his scythe and poked the tip of it then shrugged.
"I suppose you could say its made of sterner stuff. But anyway, instead of looking a gift horse in the mouth, we should probably go before the guards get here." Fin nodded. His words were true, but as he glanced at Jake and Marceline, he knew they were all thinking the same thing: Just who exactly is he? Nevertheless, Fin collected FP and they all snuck out of their cage. Mike lead the way while Jake stood a few feet behind him, giving him directions and providing side support in case they get attacked from the sides while Marceline stayed back with Fin to help in case they get attacked from behind. It was a great strategy and they were doing great in terms of sneaking past the guards. However, they realized that in order to escape, they had to go through the main hall/throne room. They glanced around but surprisingly, they didn't see anyone.
"This doesn't feel right..." Jake mumbled.
"Yea... You guys stay back. Just in case." Mike slowly walked into the massive room and looked around. He took a few steps. then a few more. "Hmm... everything seems ok guys-" No sooner had the words left his lips, a giant glass dome dropped down and encased him. "Hmm..."
"Hahaha! You fools!" An evil laugh bellowed from the shadows. Fin and the others looked in horror as Flame king, as well as several guards came out from hiding. "I don't know how you escape your cell, but don't think I didn't anticipate it." Fin gently put FP down. Fin drew his sword but FK's next words stopped him. "Come one step closer and I'll incinerate your friend until he's nothing but ash and glass."
"Wha...?" Fin started. FK knew he had them in the ropes.
"Take a look child. Your friend is encased in the strongest known glass in Ooo. It was created by a special kind of lava by very skilled glassworkers." FK grinned and thunked his knuckle on the glass. "This glass has a special attribute that traps heat, causing it to get hotter and hotter until the very air itself becomes a flaming inferno." He smirked. "Shame it had to come to this, I half expected at least one of you to at least bruise someone. But I guess that-" Much to FK's surprise, he was interrupted by... laughter, of all things. He slowly looked in the direction of his dome and saw Mike in a laughing fit.
"Ahahaha! Oh that's rich! A real knee-slapper. Ah... But you see, if I wanted to hurt anyone..." Mike instantly composed himself and stared directly at FK with the most sinister smile anyone in the room had ever seen. It was enough to make even the Flame King himself feel a shiver down his spine. "I. Would. Have. Done. So. Already." FK stared at him for a few moments. After the shock wore off, he glared at him.
"Scorch him! Make sure that not even his ashes are left!" He commanded his men.
"No!" Fin yelled out, but he couldn't do anything if he tried. Oil was poured into the dome and was set alight by one of the guards. Flame instantly filled the dome and engulfed Mike, who quickly ignited and started screaming out. FK watched with a sickening grin as flames consumed the boy.
"You're insane!" Jake said as he watched in horror. Fin screamed and rushed to the glass, but was stopped by Marceline.
"LET GO OF ME!" He screamed. But Marceline had a sad look on her face and shook her head. The depth of the situation hit him like a tidal wave. Even if he could break the glass... there wouldn't be much to save if he did... "No... no... no..." He repeated those words over and over. The flames continued to rise and engulfed Mike more. He slammed his fists agaisnt the glass in a hopeless attempt to escape. But there was no hope. There was no escape. The last thing they saw of Mike was his hand sliding down the glass before it was consumed by the blaze.
"Good... excellent... Guards, get them and take them away. I think our friend here made a fine example for them.
"I'll kill you!" Fin threatened as he was grabbed by the guards.
"I'd like to see you try kid... I'd like to see you-" The flames, the talking, the crying, it was quickly drowned out by a low, deep grumbling. Everyone looked around but could not find it. The low grumbling slowly got louder and louder and its source was easier to pinpoint. Everyone slowly looked in its direction.
"No..." Fin said.
"Its not possible..." FK added. The noise was coming from the dome, still full to the brim with flame. The low grumbling got loud enough for them to realize... that it was chuckling. Deep... low... chuckling. A hand slowly appeared on the glass. The index finger of the hand tapped the glass, almost impatiently. Then, much to everyone's surprise, a face was seen in the flames. A grinning face. Mike's face.
"Now... You've really... pissed... me... off." Mike reared his fist back and drove it into the glass. Nothing happened at first. But then... the smallest of cracks began to form where the impact landed.
"No..." FK said as the small crack slowly grew. "It's not possible... its just not possible." But it was. It was happening before his very eyes. The cracks grew until the entire dome was filled with them. Mike then grinned again and reared his fist back once more and slammed it into the glass. The dome shattered into a million pieces all around the room and the encased flames burst out. Fin, Marceline, and Jake managed to survive by ducking behind a nearby tapestry that was flame retardant for obvious reasons. When the proverbial smoke cleared, all that stood in the center of the room was Flame King... and Mike, without even so much as a scratch on him. "What... are you?!" FK demanded as he readied his sword. Mike smirked and twirled his scythe around.
"I'm the stuff your nightmares are made of. But more importantly..." Mike said. "I'm a distraction." FK cocked his head
"A distraction? From what?" He asked. Mike pointed a finger to the corner of the room.
"From her." FK looked but as soon as he did, a powerful blast of flame knocked him off his feet and shredded his armor from his body. He groaned and looked at his attacker. It was Flame Princess. Fully restored, and very angry.
"You're lucky, father." She said with venom. "You wouldn't he alive right now if that armor wasn't on you." She added as she walked over to him. FK looked and saw his sword was just a few feet away. He crawled towards it and wrapped his hands around the hilt. But just as soon as he did, a blade pierced his hand, causing him to bellow in pain and release the weapon. He groaned and looked up to see Mike with his scythe buried deep into his hand and a grin on his face.
"Not so fast. I believe your daughter has some plans for you." Mike kicked the sword away and pulled his scythe out of his hand. He nodded to FP, who nodded back and descended upon her father. Mike walked over to Fin and the others and smiled. "I knew that flame blast would be enough to get her back on her feet. I'd say this all went according to plan, right?" Mike smiled at the others, who could only stare at him in complete and utter shock. "What?" Mike asked.
