Jake. Jake!" Finn snapped his fingers fingers in front of the yellow dog, trying to snap him back to reality after he told him his problem. Jake didn't looked disappointed nor disgusted but he didn't look proud or happy from the facts given to him, trying to figure out what experiences he himself went through to give Finn some sort of wisdom. The room was quiet except for the constant beeping of the heart monitor and the humming of the machine Finn was hooked up to.

"Hmmmmm" Jake rubbed his chin in thought, looking upward towards the ceiling. He had conflicting thoughts on this scenario, especially with not knowing how Huntress and this other lady friend of his would react if they found out. There are some practices around Ooo where there were multiple partners but usually as flings or a 'Adventure' to try. Not saying its wrong and couldn't work, but don't expect him to get someone else in on what he and Lady got going.

It simply wasn't practiced a whole lot when it comes to serious relationships in the more developed kingdom's and villages.

Finn just kept watching him, every little twitch his nose made, the way his eyes barely shifted from left to right between pauses, each time rubbing his fuzzy chin with a soft hum. 'Glad he's taking this seriously but can't he hurry it up and say something!' Finn thought, growing anxious for what ever answer his brother had as he continued to watch his brother intently. The beeping growing a little quicker as he continued to stare at the dog for an unknown amount of time.

There were surprisingly no clocks or other time keepers around and he has become so use to a never-ending night that his own internal clock was useless at guessing how long his brother was taking or what time it was. 'How long have I've been out' Finn randomly thought as he looked to the closed door.

Jake finally finished his musings as he looked at his brother, Finn just waiting to hear the advice of his older brother. He wasn't expecting a question to be asked.

"Was the Cosmic Owl there?" Jake asked.

Finn had to take a moment to process the question. The name ranged a bell in his mind as sudden flashes of Jake running towards his demise , trying to suffocate himself because he dreamed it with the Owl and another flash of a women made of fire looking at him with betrayal and sadness from something he doesn't recall. 'All because of that stupid Owl.' The venomous thought flooded his mind, 'something that loves to meddle simply because they can, Not worried in the least about retribution. '

The beeping suddenly picked up pace as Finn squeezes the edges of the table hard enough to leave imprints of each finger tip.

"If that is some sort of God or higher being you believe in than pray it doesn't cross my path. I'll pluck its damned fathers off it if I ever see it!" Finn snarled, his eyes giving off a quick flash before reverting.

Jake quickly shot up his up his hands in surrender, not understanding why his brother got set off when he brought up the Cosmic Owl . 'Sheesh. Note to self, don't bring up the Cosmic Owl near Finn again' he thought to himself before trying to get back on Finn's relationship question. Than he came up with another question to ask Finn, this one sure to get back on subject.

"How'd HW react? She's probably the type to go streaking in the woods because its 'Natural' and too hot" Jake made air quotes when he said the word natural as he saw Finn's faced flushed lightly, his eyes no longer glowing and filled with anger as the young hunter focused on that mental image, his mind easily invisioning how she'd look.

Finn could just Picture her running free and unencumbered by the clothes she'd cast aside like the free spirt of nature she was. Her green skin and leafy head blending in effortlessly with the forest as she dash about hunting her prey like a ghost in her domain. A random thought, a question,did come to mind as he tried to imagine what's down south of the wild forest nymph named Isabela.' Do leafs grow down there? Is it different from the pictures in Gehram's 'special' books?' He pondered.

" maybe she probably wouldn't even mind trying it out since, you know... your um... technically the last human species in Ooo with Susan. She might go for that?"

Finn was broken out of his hormone induced thoughts when Jake made his statement. Finn noticed that Jake seemed to handle that last remark like he was handling a live bomb of some sort. He came across plenty of humans back in Yharnham, granted the vast majority were mutating into beasts and monsters, raving mad with a unnaturaly large desire to see him die. There were people, surviors and Hunters alike that didn't outright attempt to kill him on sight but were actually helpful and were pretty cordial with him. During the moments of acute loneliness that place brought him, he greatly missed them and would lament about their deaths. The knowledge of him failing to save them brought upon an ache upon his being. Remembering that he put some out of their misery brought him little relief, but a little was better than nothing.

As much as that lesson was difficult to swallow, he learned he can't save everyone. Sometimes you can't save anyone at all and you'll be lucky just to save yourself. Sometimes you have to cross lines that you should never cross at the chance of returning home.

What ever happened to the other humans in Ooo? How was he born if there are no humans left besides him and this Susan character? Last Finn checked, it took a a mother and father to make a child so where were his birth parents? Where was his biological family?

'Dont tell me I came out of a test tube' Finn thought with a grimace, not liking the now very real possibility if what Jake said was true. He saw enough evidence of human experimentation done by both the Choir and The School of Mensis and what their endeavors to ascend realms created. He pitied every unfortunate creature he came across once he put together that they were once human, either forced to become nothing more than lab rats or just collateral damage. At least he gave them mercy and brought them to rest whenever he came across them.

There was no reason to let them suffer any longer, even if Djura disagreed.

The thought of parents brought a phantom ache to his right arm as if it was being pulled just under what was needed to rip it off. A tiny feeling of betrayal and anger flashed in his chest before quickly leaving, almost as if it wasn't even there. These sudden flashes of emotions were not what he wanted, he wanted memories!

"I take it I was found in a lab then?" Finn asked, not hiding the distaste in his words.

"A lab? Mom and Pops found you at the foot at Boom Boom mountain, remember?" Jake asked, quickly wincing when he asked his anmnesia suffering brother if he remembers. What's next, was he going to asked some blind guy what color he was?

Finn just gave him a dry look before sighing, his hand slowly going towards his satchel, hoping to find a drink for his aches and pains throughout his side where the machine was attached. He wanted to rip it off so bad and get off this table to find Isabela.

"Hey!" Jake exclaimed as he hopped off the table, Finn ceasing any movement and watching his brother with rapt attention " you might remember stuff if you see something familiar, so maybe if we go all over Ooo you'll start getting more and more memories back. Maybe this will remind you of something!"

Finn watched his brother with interest as Jake began to morph and shrink, his body taking shape of a decent sized pudgy baby, Jake's face being where the baby's would be. Ontop of the baby Jake's head was more skin and fat forming hat with two little round ear like protrusion on top like bear ears. Before Finn's eyes, Jake become a rough image of what he would looked like as a baby. Of course, a yellow, hairy baby with Jake's face on it.

Finn felt a slight discomfort when Jake shape shifted, his body moving about like pudy, the sight reminding him of slimy, bloby students he came across, sliding around like slugs with their own elastic bodies. 'As long as he doesn't start spewing acid' he thought. Finn was unaware that his fingers were making depressions on the metal table as he watched the spectacle.

Jake began to do a jig, moving side to side with bent knees and moving his arms up and down. "I'm a buff little baby and I'll beat up your buns!" Jake singed in a baby voice. Finn tried not to laugh, he tried his best to stop his growing smile, he tried to stifle any snickering as Jake continued to dance and sing.

" beat up buns son, beat up your buns! If you're an evil witch I'll beat you up for fun!" Jake finished with a quick but loud raspberry. Finn couldn't hold it in any longer. Loud rambunctious laughter emerged from the heroic hunter, genuine laughter after so much time living with despair and regret. This laughter seemed to make him feel.. lighter, not as sore or stiff as he usually was.

How long has it been since he felt this much genuine mirth, this much laughter? Don't get him wrong, Doll gave him the peace and rest he needed, that sense of security to stop him from completely going mad. It was just that Doll had trouble grasping some social skills, humor especially not her forte. Bless her then fake heart, she does tries her very best for him by using a joke book that was laying around for some reason.

"The hell was that Jake?" Finn asked, still laughing hard as his words were paused with laughter when he continued to watch Jake through tears, trying in vain to control his core muscles to not agitate his side. Jake smiled grew wider before doing the dance again with more 'Umph' than before. He got a little to into as he 'slipped' on the lab's smooth tile floor, still moving his arms up and down as he laid there with a smile on his face as he let out a boisterous "Whahoo!"

"Bringing back anything buddy?" Asked Jake, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he watch his brother laughing.

"Just that your more sillier than what I recalled!" Finn wheezed, whiping away tears brought by laughing to hard.

Jake morphed back into normal, moving back to where he was sitting next to Finn as his laughter began to slow. Finn would wince at times as he reached for the tape again, only to be stopped by Jake. "Just let me get this off already, I've fought with worse than anything this thing would leave." Again, Finn reached for his hip once more, " I got some bloo-"

The words died on his throat, all mirth and laughter gone like the wind as his hand only met with flesh and fabric when he reached for his satchel, its absence bringing about an acute panic. So use was he to always having the satchel close by that he just assumed it was by his side as always and not stolen from him non the wiser. He made a mistake of not realizing sooner, a mistake that would've killed him 10 times over if he were back in Yharnham. He became sloppy. Sloppiness kills, unawareness kills, distraction kills! 'Fucking idiot!' Finn admonished to himself as he quickly tried to peel the tape like material off, the pain from it starting to tare off was pushed from his mind as he sat up and twisted his legs so his feet were touching the cold tile floor. 'Gotta get it back!'

He used his nails to lift up a corner of the tape, the sticky material pulling the skin along with it. Jake acted quickly, his arms growing longer like hoses as they began wrapping around Finn's midsection, pinning Finn's arms to his body which earned a low growl and look of agitation for his efforts.

"Let go Jake. I need to get my satchel back." Finn growled, his teeth clenched in a threatening manner, the sound of grinding teeth loud in the quite room, his canines began to grow as his arms slowly began to morph into the bestial claws that rended all matter of beasts, men, and monsterous creature.

Jake heard the panic hidden behind the feral growl, slowly loosening his hold around Finn but not enough where he could move his arms lest he injured himself. Finn was still bearing his fangs, his clawed hands sqeezing into fists.

"Easy Finn, easy" Jake calmly spoke, keeping his voice leveled and looking right into Finn's intense mismatched eyes, not looking away from him as he breathed in and out slowly.

"Just breath brother, breath in" Jake took a deep breath in through his nose, " breath out." Jake released the air in his lungs. He continued to do this all the while keeping a hold around Finn, watching his eyes for any tells of lashing out.

Finn grounded his teeth together, fighting the urge to pull his brothers limbs off of him least he cause him harm. He kept his eyes on his brother, watching him breathing in and out rythmaticly, before he himself began to fallow along. He closed his eyes, pushing the panic away like when he fights the more mentally scarring of creatures as he just focused Jake's breathing and his arms around him. Every breath he took calmed him, Jake's presence a reassurance in the foreign lab he was in as he heart rate began to slow, no longer beating like a jackhammer.

Jake watched as Finn's body began to gradually began to loosen up, the stiffness in his posture relaxing with each calming breath, his arms and shoulders no longer tense under his arms. The heart rate monitor would draw attention from one of the gals so he wanted Finn to be calm as can be when either Bubblegum or Marcilen came in. Huntress would be ok. He's pretty sure they both can hold him down if he were to go berserk again. To do that unscathed though... he very much having his limbs.

Jake gingerly unwound his arms from Finn, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Brother, you got'a take it easy after what that freak did. Huntress was with Bubblegum and Marcilen when I left." Jake told him as he kept an eye on the barely torn tape on Finn's side, noticing pale pinkish blood swelling on the corner. Jake fixed the loose part of tape as Finn kept his eyes close, still taking calming breaths, his teeth back to normal.

"Huntress decided to hold onto that satchel of yours too, so its in safe hands. You probably wouldn't have made it if she didn't force PB to transfer her blood." Jake remarked the last part quitely, not trying to dwell on the fact that he about lost his brother again.

Finn slowly opened his eyes at the mention of Isabela, looking down at the IVs in his arms as he recalled the soothing sensation running up his arm. He recalled the voices he heard when he was back at Hunter's workshop, he remembered Isabela threatening someone to transfer her blood. He'd have to thank her and Doll whenever he sees them again.

Finn looked to the machine and then the tape again. "Is there anyway I can leave this room? Or at least walk around?"

"I can get PB in here to check you out, bring the others along." Jake offered.

"If you would, the quicker I'm out of this place the better."

Jake gave one last comforting pat on Finn's shoulder before running out of the room, leaving the near naked blonde by himself. Finn listened to the footfalls Jake made, waiting till all was silent except for the monitor's constant beeping. Finn took out the IVs, blood quickly flowing down his arm and dripping onto the table. The band around his finger was next, the beeping of the monitor turning into a constant, high pitched whining before Finn roughly yanked it closer to him. The monitor shut off, loosing power as the room was engulfed in silence.

'Now for the fun one' Finn thought without joy, pinching the loose corner of tape stuck to his side, mentally bracing for the pain to come. 'Just like a band aid'.

RIP!

Finn clenched his teeth, wincing as the tape was quickly ripped off, specs of pale skin clinging to the the surface as blood dribbled off torn skin. His patched side was an angry red, with a large swirling of dark scar tissue being the only evidence that he has been impaled. The area itself was near pristine condition with only a few tiny pin pricks of torn flesh leaking his blood. Finn smiled at that. 'Definitely fought with worse than this.'

Sliding off the table, Finn braced himself for a moment, his legs seeming to lock up on him for a moment for some reason before loosening up enough where he can stretch and walk about. Finn slowly stood tall, releasing his hold on the table before taking one quiet step after another, the freedom of movement brought with it a sense of confidence. He was no longer trapped in place, he could move, he could fight if needed. He held out his right hand, mist finally forming into what he desires as a short sword materialized quickly within his grasp, the blade looking as if two khophes were fused together, the blades still sharp after all the beasts and hunters it cut through, the handle thicker than any average sword. The Blades of Mercy were one of his favorites in his arsenal with how light yet sturdy they were, just like that old raven who gifted them to him.

He dismissed them with just a thought, mist dispersing in every direction. 'Let's see if I can find anything about my surroundings.' Thought Finn as he stepped out of the doorway and into the pink hall, the smell of sweets and sugar invading his sense of smell. There were no windows in the castle's pink and yellow halls, the way being lit by overhead lights, casting small shadows from the yellow supports lined against the hall. There were only two ways to go, left or right, each way a fair distance out till they ended.

Jake should be back within reasonable time with the others and he can pace about if he gets board, maybe snoop around the lab and see if he can find anything of interest.

A new smell grabbed Finn's attention. He smelled Mint and something that he prayed it wasn't what he thought if was. If what he smelled was what it truly was, this kingdom of candy might end up like Yharnham. No, he's being overly optimistic here, this place WILL turn out like Yharnham if it isn't already beyond that point. He needs to to get his gear back asap and dig around, kill some people, and get Jake and Isabela out'a here. They don't need to see what that stuff does to people, the true cost for its many boons.

Finn ducked back into the lab, thankful that the hinges were oiled recently as he quietly closed the door, leaving just a slit to peek threw. The Blades of Mercy were right back into his hand, posed to stab the source of the foreign smell if it got close enough. Blood always told more truth than from the lips of liars. He heard little soft footfalls, not belonging to his brother or Isabela, as the smell of Mint and 'it' grew stronger. Imagin his surprise to see a Peppermint candy in a butler outfit walking by, humming a tune, unaware of a blue eye watching him through the tiny slit.

Finn kept still, his heart rate slowing to dangerous levels as he concealed his presence, his eye never leaving their mark as he began to feel a dark energy from the butler the closer they got. His eyes narrowed, his pupils forming to slits, glowing just slightly as he felt that this little Peppermint was more than meets the eye. 'A Scholar of the arcane?.' Finn mused, 'interesting power.'

As the butler moved passed the door, Finn creeped out, trailing behind as quite as ever. The buttler stopped at the turn, making Finn put his back to the wall behind a piller as its shadows completely engulfed him. The buttler took cautious glances this way and that, looking behind. His eyes lingered on the shadow Finn was in before facing the wall towards him once more, placing his small hand on a brick before the walls moved inward, reveling an elevator, sleek and simple. The buttler moved in, pressed a button and the door wall quickly moved back into place without a sound as it returned to normal, no sign of any change, just a regular wall. Finn wearily made his way to the wall, waiting a couple moments before pressing on the brick. The wall opened before him as he slid on in, seeing three buttons in a vertical line next to the entry way. He pressed the one in the middle as the wall closed off any chance to go back as the elevator slowly began to descend, unaware of a tiny red light coming to light in the top corner of the elevator.

With the Blades of Mercy in hand, he steeled himself for what he may find, his legs tingling from the adrenaline coursing through him as he waited to reach his destination and whatever may lay down below.

"I must be the biggest idiot doing this damn near naked" Finn remark dully with shrug, not the first time talking with himself to fill the void of silence as the elevator continues its descent.

"Wait, no." Finn recalled with a quite chuckle, "that one Hunter thought he found a barrel of aged liquor. I still don't regret not telling him it was beast piss after he he still took a couple more sips from it."

You sure I can't take a small sample to study, just a drop?"

Isabela was in the middle of drinking a glass of lemonade when Bubblegum asked her again for the third time. She asked two times already and quite frankly she was getting tired of it. She just wanted to drink her lemonade, replenish her strength, and check up on Finn with Jake once she recovered from the loss of blood. Here she thought that Marcilen was the vampire. "Finn does seem to have the teeth for it now' she thought humorously.

She almost couldn't make it to this room on her own without falling over from the sudden drop in her blood levels but she managed with her spear. She refused help from the others, especially from that machine Rattleballs that destroy her bow, only letting PB guide her to this room while Peppermint Butler brought her lemonade and a couple cookies. She doesn't like showing weakness to anybody, even more so with people she doesn't really know .

The room they were in was yet another lab stationed close to where Finn was recovering in the castle. It was bit cramped with all the equipment on shelves and doodads on tables. The room seemed made for more observational work with multiple glasses and imaging devices Isabela never bothered with with a small, almost tiny chemistry set next to the lone table in the center of the room.

Isabela held the half full glass of lemonade in her hands, her spear leaning against the wall next to her, taking small drinks from the overly sweetened refreshment. She leaned over on the simple folding chair Marcilen grabbed from somewhere and threw the princess a tired, withering gaze as the princess continued to look down into a microscope. "My answer isn't changing princess, now quit asking." She took a long sip from her lemonade as to punctuate her statement, the sound seeming to boom in the near quite lab. She began to feel a little stronger now, a sudden booste of energy coming upon her when she was less than a quarter way through her drink. A few more moments of rest and she'll make her way to the boys. She'll ask Pep for another glass with less sugar if he offers a refill. She always enjoyed a bit of a bite from lemonade.

She could understand Bubblegum's interest in her blood after what it seemed to do for Finn. She would be lying if she wasn't a little bit curious at Finn's rapid healing during the blood transfusion where as the healing tears yet again couldn't help. The transfusion only happened an hour ago, two tops, but the feeling of her blood moving into the hero felt more Ike feeding a starving beast. No, It felt more like it was being pulled from her, a piece of her being drawn to him. It was a strange sensation, one she couldn't quite describe.

She swirled the last bit of lemonade in her hand as she looked to the bandages on her right arm that covered the puncture from where the needle was placed. She could see a bit of her blood barely bleeding through, just a small dot of green on the white bandage. A sudden chill ran passed by her in the roo. temperature lab as she thought back to the fight that put Finn in a critical state. That random creature and its mind wrenching jiberous speech got under everyone's skin, but it lit a fuse to the normally kind and gentle hero. The thing only said one word again and again that she could understand as everything else was grating on the ears.

Devourerer.

It kept calling him Devourerer. It seemed giddy when it first saw Finn, and happier still when Finn attacked. Why was it interested in Finn? Was he connected to his disappearance, a man gone mad from magic, or something more sinister? She has some people she knows in Wizard City that she didn't out right push away that might give her some answers, she recalls a favor or two she was still owed.

Bubblegum stood up from the microscope she was at, stretching her arms over her head, a moan escaping from the throat. She was wearing a simple pink sweater and sweat pants, her Bubblegum hair tied into a tight bun. She immediately changed out of her bloody lab coat once Finn was stable enough, cleaning herself and the others of the blood covering them. She wasn't going to take any chances until Rattleballs brings back that corpse they left.

"I'm only asking because those Cyclop's Tears didn't do anything yet something you produced seemed to heal him. You got to admit your at least a little curious as to why that is?" Bubblegum tried to reason.

"All I need to know is that Finn is healing. I'm sure me and him can work something out from there." Calmly Stated Isabela as she finished off her drink, placing her empty class on the table next to her as she stood up. She stood strong like a red wood, hiding her recent fatigue.

Bubblegum was going to retort that she'd compensate her for blood, retort that she'd be helping Finn more if she would co-operate, but she was interupted.

Jake busted through the closed door, his face beaming with excitement. "Finn's awake!" He exclaims, " and he wants to get detached from that thing you hooked up to him."

Isabela felt a weight lifting off her shoulders and let a smile escape when she heard Jake as she picked herself off the chair with the aid of her spear. "Good to hear! Let's go and get him off that table then"

"Awesome, let me check on Fi-" Bubblegum cut herself off. She rolled back her selve, a watch like contraption flashing red and giving the slightest vibration to her arm. "Oh no."

Jake and Isabela noticed Bubblegum's sudden change in demeanor. They noticed the slight panic in her voice, the smallest amount of fear taking shape on her face.

"We got a problem that needs fixing now. Finn's going to have to wait."

"What going on princess?" Jake asked, all excitement gone now as Bubblegum moved past him, followed closely by Isabela with three arrows floating by with her spear in hand. The princess doesn't normally get shaken up by just anything so something big must be going on.

" I'll explain on the way. Its pass Finn's room so we'll check up on him then take care of the more urgent matter, but we need to move ASAP" Bubblegum said as she pulled a pink firearm like a pistol from a hidden space in the hallway's walls, a battery attached under the guns over body, the circuits glowing when her finger flipped the safety off as she moved quickly down the hall. 'Marcilen, you better be close.'