Warning Shot
Even for the Fire Kingdom, the extreme heat of the underground magma chambers could entice a feeling of melting to anyone who spent a significant amount of time within. The rock that a person steps on is never more than a few days old, constantly being pushed to other areas of the environment only to be replaced by new sheets of hardening lava. No intelligent being would visit or explore such a hidden wasteland, which made it the perfect hideout.
Poseidon trudged through the weak ground, hearing it crunch beneath his feet as he made his way to the main chamber. Ahead of him was a waterfall of magma, seemingly meaningless and random. However, instead of turning to head in a different direction, the fire elemental held up his hand, suddenly causing the falls to split like a stage curtain. Once a small walkway was revealed, he proceeded.
He was momentarily stunned by the instantaneous rise in temperature, still not used to being in his leader's domain. Recovering, he pushed on, determined to have a word with the powerful fire elemental. Stopping a few feet away, Poseidon stared at his fellow flame being, whose back was to him and hands held behind it.
"Zeus."
The other man did not turn.
"What is it?"
Poseidon took another step forward.
"How long do you expect to be here, thinking about an event that was dealt with several days ago?"
Some of the magma in the pool in front of Zeus burst out, before falling back into the molten stew.
"Dealt with? We failed to push through to the palace; denied by that trio representing the weakened populous of our species."
Zeus finally turned around, a hard look upon his features.
"If anything, that encounter opened up a new issue."
Poseidon listened carefully.
"Even with the extraordinary powers we possess, our might is still outmatched by those who are experienced combatants."
The leader gazed straight into his fellow Olympian's eyes.
"We need more support; more members."
Poseidon was about to inquire further, but Zeus turned away before he could do so.
"Present yourself," he bellowed across the chamber.
For a few moments, there was only the sound of the bubbling molten rock. Then, a gush of fire-infused rattling echoed across the area. Poseidon was startled as a new fire elemental now stood by Zeus' side. The leader grew an excited grin.
"Meet our most recent recruit."
The fairly younger fiery being bowed respectfully to both of his seniors.
"It is an honor to serve your cause."
Zeus placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
"No, my friend. Our cause."
The young one nodded firmly, clearly wary of proper discipline. Zeus turned back to the magma pool.
"Your first task is at hand."
The newcomer stepped forward.
"I have already been briefed by Hades."
Zeus, apparently unphased by the response, simply nodded.
"Be on your way then."
The youngster acknowledged by shifting into flames and disappearing, surprising Poseidon yet again. In the meantime, Zeus' thoughts drifted back to that conflict days prior.
He's strong, and he'll only get stronger…
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Was that the best you had?"
Finn was practically paralyzed by the sight of his weapon being disintegrated before his eyes. Acting fast, he retracted the vine, rewrapping it around his arm and flame dashing further back. Zeus smirked, then charged another mass of superheated air.
"Time to die."
A bolt struck out at Finn, whose eyes went wide as the hazardous substance neared him. At that moment, instinct, and the strange influence of his sword, sharpened his senses. The lava vine reformed its restored blade, followed by Finn dashing forwards at extreme speed, blowing right past the bolt that would've caused him serious damage.
Zeus' face was stuck in astonishment when his foe was suddenly right in front of him. The vile elemental's own instincts kicked in soon after.
Finn reappeared behind his opponent, panting heavily and holding his sword out from him. Drops of lava fell from its edge, forming a messy puddle on the ground. He closed his eyes.
"The shadowless thrust has become your end."
For a moment, the flame human awaited the sound of Zeus falling to the volcanic earth. However, what he received instead was a growl, causing his eyes to flash open in surprise.
"How arrogant of you, to believe a single attack could bring me down."
Finn turned slowly, still shocked to hear the villain's voice. Sure enough, Zeus stood, rather firmly, behind him, holding a hand to his temple, which was the source of the leaking lava. Zeus flicked his hand away, causing hisses to escape from the splatter of molten fluids that hit the ground.
Not wanting to give him the chance at recovering, Finn raised his sword. After a moment of extreme focus, he charged again, aiming for the tendons in his foe's arms, in an attempt to disable him. Unfortunately, the second he came within a foot of the fire elemental, his flame enhanced speed disappeared.
"What the-"
A dozen blades of viciously-heated air cut into Finn's skin, nearly causing him to scream out. Instead, he held his mouth shut and jumped away, hoping to avoid any further damage. His wounds were minimal thanks to his evasion, but the danger was still clear. Zeus formed his hands into fists, then instantly flame dashed in front of Finn, who was caught off guard.
Pummeled repeatedly by the powerful enemy, the flame human could do little as his senses gradually became blurry. Zeus kicked him back, then, using a short amount of time, formed a disk of his lethal substance and sent it on a downward slash right across Finn's chest. On instinct, the hero extended his lava vine, hoping to block the hit.
Sadly, the sword did little, effortlessly bisected by the hyper-heated disk, nearly burning it out of existence. Finn saw a large portion of his fluids spill out from the resulting strike to his front, which he remarkably went through while staying on his feet. That was quickly corrected by Zeus giving him another kick, sending him flying a good several feet before skidding to the ground and finally to a rest.
"Fen!"
Fen… Fen… Fen!
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Fen!"
Gasping, Finn sat up, eyes wide, breathing erratic, and body suddenly filled with an excessive pain that brought him back down, groaning from the aches. Restricted to a position of lying down, he scanned his surroundings, noticing he was in a room, rather than outside dying. Looking around a bit longer revealed Flame Princess just within his field of vision, a concerned look upon her face.
"FP… what happened?"
The fiery girl noticed him trying to sit up again, and so opted to help him out. Once Finn was resting his back against the pillow, he decided to examine himself. A large bandage was wrapped around his torso, encompassing the grievous wound he had received from Zeus. Flame Princess placed her hand gently on the covering.
"You passed out. The medic was able to stabilize you, then we brought you back to the palace so you could get some rest. I knew it was important for you to have peace and quiet, so I gave up my room."
Finn's eyes automatically darted around, confirming what she'd said.
"I- thanks. You shouldn't have gone through all the trouble though."
The young king smiled warmly.
"It's no trouble. Besides, this room is the quietest out of the entire palace; I'll only give the best to those I care about."
Finn studied her expression for a moment, then slowly shifted his eyes away, staring out the room's balcony at the enigmatic levitating spheres that fountained lava from their tops.
"You're… You're a great ruler."
Flame Princess was taken aback, not expecting such a worded response. Finn continued as his eyes were glued to the view outside.
"Sometimes… I really wish I'd understood that earlier."
The king frowned, scooting closer to the hero.
"What do you mean?"
Finn was too late in realizing the hole he had just dug. His face instantly dropped to a stressed expression.
"…I…"
Movement and shuffling were suddenly felt, as both of them noticed Jake 2 spring to his feet, having once again taken his new favorite nap spot at the foot of FP's bed. The wolf's ears twitched as if scanning the air, while his large yellow eyes remained motionless and wide. He turned around, staring in a different direction, then shifted again, appearing to be chasing the sight of an object only he could see.
Flame Princess stood up, giving the animal a concerned look.
"What is it, JT? What's wrong?"
The wolf bolted to the balcony without warning, placing his front paws up on the railing and letting out a long and deep howl, echoing the call across the landscape. Over on his bed, Finn tried to get up, gritting his teeth from the remaining pain. FP noticed and switched her worry back to the young man, by his side and helping support his torso.
"Stop moving! You need time to heal."
The flame human observed Jake 2's repeating howl, narrowing his eyes at its potential meaning.
"Forget about that. I think he's warning us."
The king gasped.
"Warning? About what?"
Finn tightened his fist, scrunching up the covers in his hand.
"An attack."
Average peace was all that was present at the front gate to the palace. That and a pair of vigilant flame guards. Staffs firmly planted on the ground, eyes forward, intimidating and ready for defensive action, the two were determined not to let down their king and lose the entrance to her seat of power.
A flicker was seen out of the corner of one's eye, causing him to disturb his stillness and turn to look closer. His partner noticed, doing the same.
"What is it?"
The other narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"I thought I saw something move."
Both guards focused on the spot, only a few dozen feet away, which was populated by a sparse array of stalagmites. After another minute, they ceased the investigation.
"Probably just a flambit scurrying around."
The first guard nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
The pair returned to their normal stances, remaining so for only a few seconds. The arrival of a resonating howl caught their attention, sadly leaving them wide open. A trail of flames shot out from behind one of the stalagmites at unbelievable speed, running up to one of the guards and not even giving him time to react before he was already falling to the ground unconscious.
"What in Grob's name-"
The second defender was unable to say much else, suddenly being struck in the back of the head after the flame trail whirled around to his backside in the blink of an eye. With both blockers neutralized, the flame surged, growing back into a humanoid form to reveal its true nature. A young fire elemental stood firm, grinning at his work.
"Too slow."
Turning to the entrance, the being proceeded to once again shift into a trail of flames, slipping through the microscopic crack in the doors.
Immediately upon entering the throne room, he headed for the nearest guard, quickly dispatching him, alerting the others, including Cinnamon Bun, who was watching over while FP stayed with Finn. He gazed in shock as a trail of ecstatically fast fire bared down on the throne's protectors one after the other, knocking them all out within seconds. Acting on urgency, he made a break for the corridor leading to Flame Princess's room.
Unfortunately, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't think so."
CB was spun around, only to receive a flaming fist to the face, forcing him to fall back painfully on his holstered lance. He opened his eyes just fast enough to hazily see the trail of flames disappear down the hall, out of sight. The knight struggled to stay conscious, shaking as he got first to his hands and knees, and finally upright. Almost falling again, he leaned against the nearby wall.
Soon, reinforcements arrived, a platoon of soldiers who were alerted by the ruckus of the intruder eliminating the opposition in the throne room. The captain ran up to CB, helping him stand.
"Sir, are you alright?"
The candy person pointed to the corridor entrance.
"Forget it, I'm fine, the king is in danger. Someone broke inside and is after her. Sound the alarm and go after them."
The soldier nodded.
"Understood."
He turned to his men and ordered them to go after the fire elemental, while he himself grabbed the horn attached to his belt and let out a long note on the object, signaling an emergency. CB grinded his teeth as he continued to fight his own dazed mental state.
Please… let them be safe.
Jake 2 ceased his bellowing once his acute hearing picked up on the horn, satisfied that the palace was on alert. In the meantime, Finn was on his feet, much to the objection of his companion. Flame Princess was practically shoving him back towards the bed.
"Fen, we can handle this, just get some rest!"
The hero shook his head, gaining some ground on the fiery girl.
"No, my duty is to the kingdom, nothing else matters! I'll even stand against you if I have to!"
FP looked into his eyes, instantly giving up her resistance and letting her mouth drop slightly open.
"You would… do that?"
Finn stared back into her amber gaze.
"I'll do whatever I have to to protect this land and you. My body and mind can be burned away, but it'll all be for the sake of the people."
Flame Princess backed away a few steps, shock on her face. Silence remained for a minute, filled eventually by Jake 2's quiet whining, having sensed the strength in Finn's statement. Finally, FP replied.
"You don't care about your life, do you?"
Although it was a rhetorical question, the flame human began thinking of an answer. Eventually, he lowered his head, hiding his eyes from the king's view.
"Why should I? I am a protector, my flesh is a shield, my will a barrier. What does the life of any guardian matter in the end? We are here to keep innocents safe, to preserve those in power that give themselves for their people. When you get to the heart of it all, we have only one function: to fight for others. We are the weapons, you are our wielders. We can be discarded at any moment, when we break, when we're old."
He felt a surge of heaviness in his chest.
"Or even replaced. Billy was a great hero of Ooo, but soon grew old and senile."
By now, he was unaware that he was spilling his guts to his own self-consciousness.
"And just like him, Finn the Human will be replaced, to continue the cycle of guardians of this land."
He tightened his fists.
"Maybe by someone who is less useless and ignorant."
Finn was finally pushed all the way back to the bed, not by a shove, but by the staggering shock of a hard slap to the face. Tripping on the furniture, he was forced to sit, stunned at what had just happened. Flame Princess lowered her hand, now hanging her head in much the same way Finn had been doing moments ago.
"Shut your mouth."
The hero flinched, and yet, somehow, the urge to fight back in the argument took over.
"He always thought himself a fool, those are his own words, I promise you that. After the Candy Kingdom went down in flames, he saw what truly needed to be done, and that was to give up everything of himself. Desires, dreams, anything that was personal. Nothing else mattered because he knew it didn't. He knew that no one would ever love a thoughtless and reckless kid like him!"
Both fiery beings remained motionless, each waiting for the other to act further. After a minute, FP took the first move, stepping forward in order to grab the collar of Finn's shirt and pull him up. Another moment of waiting, and she looked up at him, shocking the young man with the pent up drops of lava hanging on the bottom of her eyes.
"I did."
With only the soft bubbling of molten rock in the background, the next interval of time went by at an immensely slow pace. Finn just stared into the girl's eyes, captivated by the storm of emotions they held.
"People change as they grow up. I realized a short time ago that he was my greatest friend in the world. After all…"
She let go of Finn, then turned away.
"That's what the person you love is, a best friend who you can always turn to."
The ruler walked over to her balcony, setting sights upon the same hovering orbs her knight had been watching earlier.
"It didn't matter that we were kids, that we were both emotionally immature and unable to process our own mistakes and decisions. We had a connection, heart to heart."
She lowered her head.
"I would give anything to see him one last time; even my rule. It was through him that I took hold of it in the first place, so I'd be more than willing to part with it in exchange."
Finn tried to put together something in his mind, something that he could then shove up his throat and out as words. Sadly, no such luck came to the hero. He simply stood there, observing the majestic presence of FP as her dress slightly blew in the wind.
"Well, that's some interesting info I can bring back."
Both swung their heads to the door, seeing it untouched, and yet, there in front of it, stood a fire elemental, arms folded and a smirk upon his face. Jake 2 barked and growled, then immediately charged at the intruder. Unfortunately, the newcomer dissipated into flames before he could even get halfway across the room. The wolf skidded to a halt, darting his sharp eyes around in an attempt to keep track of the moving flare that was his target.
The elemental reformed directly above JT, striking him in the back with an ax kick. The wolf howled I pain, then fell flat on his stomach, whimpering from the injury. The intruder grinned victoriously, reveling in the takedown. However, before long, he was grabbed by the shoulder and swung around, receiving a punch to the face, sending him flying into the wall.
Once reorienting his vision, the young elemental set his sights on Flame Princess, who was in a defensive stance between herself and Finn. The hero was already trying to prepare for combat himself, despite the stinging pain from his yet to be healed wound. Limping over beside FP, he eyed the foe carefully.
"Who are you?!" he demanded.
The fiery enemy smirked again and seemed to relax.
"I am the fastest fire elemental you'll ever meet. My designation, given to me by Lord Zeus, is Hermes."
The intruder shifted back into flames, then reappeared next to Flame princess, with his hands already positioned around her neck as if about to snap it. The ruler froze, afraid of his next move. Finn did the same, although wore an expression of absolute hatred.
"Back away from her, NOW!"
Hermes just chuckled.
"I wasn't sent here to kill anyone. I am only a messenger."
He motioned to the captive FP.
"This is how easy it is for us to get to the king, this is the threat you face. Heed these words and think carefully. Zeus would prefer not to have a messy conflict when he takes his rightful place as ruler of this land."
With that, he dissipated once again, relieving Flame Princess of her anxiety and allowing Finn to embrace her for comfort. She was shaking a fair amount, but seemed alright. In the meantime, Hermes reappeared by the balcony, giving a farewell salute.
"Until next time."
He turned, about to shift again into flames. However, before taking one step, a gust shot past him as if it were a blade of wind. On instinct, he redirected his fiery morphing to avoid whatever came next. Reforming a second later, he found Finn blocking his escape, sword drawn. Hermes placed a finger to his shoulder, feeling a tiny cut that leaked drops of his magma-like fluids. The elemental looked curiously at his opposition.
"That was pretty good. But not quite fast enough."
He rapidly shifted into flames, darting right next to Finn and briefly reforming, only to whisper a single sentence.
"We'll settle this later. Until then, watch your back."
With that, he was gone, escaping before the flame human could even flex the muscles needed to swing his blade. A minute or two passed, before he finally regained the composure to dash over to the king's side, helping her steady herself as he walked her to the bed. Once she began to calm, Finn quickly came to Jake 2's side, hoping the wolf wasn't hurt too badly.
In the meantime, the door to the room suddenly burst open, pouring in a squad of fire soldiers armed and ready for a fight. Naturally, they were surprised to see the calmed scene before them. Several took to attending their leader, while others helped Finn with JT. Eventually, Cinnamon Bun himself emerged from the corridor, supported by a pair of troops. The three companions were brought together, sitting silently while the palace security continued to rebuild itself.
Finn stared at the floor, as Flame Princess and CB sat on either side of him.
"I couldn't protect anyone."
The other two briefly caught eyes, both wearing a concerned look for the disheartened young man. Then, they each placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping it would help him to know that they were unharmed and there to support him.
Deeper and deeper into the earth the flame dug, traveling through narrow, hollowed lava tubes and crevices in the rock to reach its destination. The journey was harsh and full of twists, but soon enough delivered the entity to its target. Hermes reconfigured his humanoid form, cracking his neck and proceeding towards the elevated mound of hardened lava that served as his leader's seat of power.
The young elemental bowed to Zeus, who was patiently sitting around, awaiting his subordinate's return. To either side of him were Poseidon and an unknown female fire elemental, who had her arms folded and eyes set analytically on the new arrival.
"Were you successful?" Zeus inquired calmly.
Hermes stood up straight, nodding.
"Yes, sir. The message was delivered."
The group's leader sat forward, interlocking his fingers and placing his chin upon them.
"Do you have any observations that may be beneficial to the cause?"
The young one nodded once more.
"The king seems to remain deeply affected by the death of a recent individual. Someone known as Finn."
The woman next to Zeus looked to him, awaiting his reply. The leader thought for a moment, then turned to her as well.
"What do you know of this person, Athena?"
Turning to completely face her superior, the lady kept a solid composure as she spoke.
"Finn the Human was Ooo's greatest defender of justice and order, up until several weeks ago, when he seemingly perished in the combustive destruction of his own home."
Zeus took a moment, then revealed a hint of intrigue.
"What else?"
Athena dug into her mind for the information.
"He was once in a romantic relationship with Flame Princess, then split up, whereupon she overthrew the former king and took his place."
Zeus sat back, processing what he had heard.
"So, she still cared for him it seems."
Athena stepped forward.
"If we were to investigate further, I believe finding an emotional weapon against her will be worth the effort in the future."
The woman's leader considered her words, then, nodded slowly.
"Agreed."
He stood up, drawing full attention to his presence.
"Athena, go to the remains of the hero's dwelling, find anything you deem an aid to weakening the king, and bring it back."
He took a step down the rough mound serving as his throne. Athena nodded.
"Understood. I request that Artemis join me on this task."
Zeus stopped, gazed at his subordinate for a few seconds, then continued walking.
"Very well."
Hermes frowned, confused as to who she was referring to. Scanning the chamber, he finally spotted another feminine figure leaning against a nearby stalagmite. She proceeded to stand up straight after Athena requested her, beginning to follow her fellow elemental to the exit while the others watched silently. Zeus made it to the bottom of the mound, watching the pair of ladies leave. A vile grin came to his face.
Piece by piece, I'll pick you apart, Flame King.
So sorry about how ridiculously late this is. My work schedule was completely changed and it messed up my writing time. Anyway, since I'm tired of feeling bad for missing so many updates, I'm spending the next week or so to catch up on every story/chapter I've neglected to read and review. Until the next chapter of Yin-Yang, hang in there.
nrbuer: I feel like my fight writing is still developing, thanks for the feedback and praise.
Fundindar: Finn is only referred to as Fen when others directly speak to/of him or if they are thinking about him. (Those that don't know he's actually Finn of course). The story itself is entirely in third-person view.
Ventus Uzumaki: Sounds intense.
Mayojar77: Yep, I'm mashing together an awful lot of mythology stuff here. Sometimes I even feel bad about it.
Roberto: Thank you.
Rick Bang: So many questions, only one me to type it all up. I wish I could multiply myself.
Writingsterner: I certainly like how much tension is being built with this.
Fleightfire: The mystery shall go on... for now.
Don'tMessWithFire: Well, I guess there wasn't really much to worry about.
Bio Team2: I think so too.
Awolfx9: Good to hear, although sometimes I push it.
TheOneAndOnly1993: We'll see about that.
Theonewhodidnotdoit: I appreciate your support and feedback.
CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl: Thanks!
TheMentalAdventurer: I think of every fight as me getting better at writing fights.
Riset36: I believe that answers that.
Fiery Crusader: LOL, God of War.
Luciana Light: Wow, thanks for all those uplifting comments. I'll be sure to keep up the quality.
Posiden666: I will, thanks.
Guest: Sure thing.
Broken In7: I think you should absolutely go for it.
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!