Scorch Marks
It used to be that the grasslands were a peaceful and cheery land, with wide open spaces and a gentle breeze that commonly graced its verdant blades of vegetation. For the most part, the peace had remained intact, but those traveling through it felt only solace. It was no longer simply another environment of Ooo, but served as a memorial site to the most famous, former, inhabitant of the widespread plains.
Upon a crested hill, left untouched and somber, lay the ashes of what Ooo believed to be Finn and Jake's loveable willow tree fort, reduced to nothing more than charcoal and cinders. The only out of place object was a plaque, bolted into the ground to prevent any chance of removal. Upon it lay a farewell message from the young man's friends and every princess in Ooo, along with a tiny fragment each of either their royal jewel or crown, donated in honorable memory of the land's greatest hero and friend.
It wasn't until today, after weeks of night and day, that an unnatural shadow cloaked the tearful script. It's owner stood over the plaque, carefully reading the words inscribed.
A friend who comforted
A brother who cared
A hero who fought
Many blessings,
Only one Finn the Human
Athena switched her vision to the ruined tree house, disregarding the heartfelt message. She slowly surveyed the area, seeing no sign of activity or recent evidence of it. Eventually, her companion came up behind her, casual and fairly unfocused. Noticing the woman's misguidance, Athena irritatingly turned around, scowling at her partner.
"Would you mind explaining why it took you so long to get here? We both started out at the same time."
Atremis gave a dismissive scoff.
"A hunter does not waste their energy on movement that doesn't involve pursuit of their prey, doing so is foolish. While you sprung ahead, I chose to take the old-fashioned way and walk."
She nonchalantly walked past Athena, now also observing the wreckage.
"We have time to spare. Zeus' hot head can wait a bit longer."
Angered by her partner's arrogance, but realizing argument wastes time, Athena sighed and returned her attention to the task at hand. Both fire elementals unimpededly stepped onto the blackened ground, crunching the carbon remains of wood and leaves beneath their feet. Gradually, the pair made it to the center of the mess, stopping to take a better look around. They split up, each searching half the pile. Athena knelt down by a large heap, reaching out and pulling a scarred coin out of the burned loot. It was a simple gold piece, barely recognizable. Tossing the item away, she stood back up, continuing on with the investigation. Meanwhile, Artemis was busy kicking aside several metal objects, apparently unenthusiastic about the assignment.
"Why did you even drag me out here?" she protested.
Athena contained her irritation and turned to face her companion.
"Your abilities are preferable to tracking down evidence of past events. It was only logical to bring you along."
She folded her arms.
"So how about you make yourself useful and put together what occurred here. It may provide the information we seek."
Groaning at the intellectual's demands, Artemis nevertheless got down on one knee and gently placed her palm against the ash covering the ground. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, then instantly spread her fingers apart, letting loose a weak and fiery pulse that briefly singed the already devastated surroundings. Athena watched with unannounced interest. She had truly admired her companion's powers ever since they met, simply being too proud to admit it.
Artemis' abilities included more than just the basic flames powers, like every other Olympian. An overly deep connection with the flames she created allowed her to metaphysically reach out and grasp the spiritual particles that remained after any event in time, telling her exactly who or what was there previously. This extended far beyond tracking, allowing the fiery woman to literally fingerprint the essence of those who had interacted with the area previously.
She referred to the power as simply an echo.
Finally, the minimal flames retracted, gathering back to Artemis as she opened her eyes and stood up. She noticed Athena had walked over to her. Holding up a cupped hand, the huntress revealed a gentle flame held in her grasp, flickering gracefully in the breeze. Surprisingly, her face showed seriousness.
"There's more here than meets the eye."
Curious, Athena reached out and placed her hand into the flame, instantly being struck with the essence it foretold. It only took a moment for her to retract her touch and process the information.
"Interesting," she said in a drawn out fashion.
Looking back at the burned surroundings, Athena gave a small nod to herself.
"No natural fire, but one caused by one of our own."
Artemis frowned.
"Yes, but, there's something different about this one."
Her partner turned to face her again.
"What do you mean?"
The huntress furrowed her brow.
"I'm not exactly sure. There is an enigma in this essence, a feeling of an ununiformed trait. Whoever this fire elemental was, it was… out of place, as if there was another aura embedded into it."
She looked straight into Athena's eyes.
"Or perhaps… the other way around."
Both women stared at each other for a moment, entranced by the odd find buried within the echo. Eventually though, Athena reached behind her and brought out a strange looking glass sphere. Holding it up, she allowed Artemis to nudge the flame towards it, whereupon the combustive force slipped right through the surface, now safely contained within the orb.
Having the habit of thinking far ahead and with every possibility in mind, Athena had brought along the enchanted device, a special object that could store a flame without having it suffocate and die. This way, she and the others could keep the echo for later, rather than forcing Artemis to constantly maintain it.
With their mission accomplished to the best of their judgment, the two prepare to set off for home. As they exited the boundaries of the destroyed tree house, Artemis suddenly stopped in her tracks, staying absolutely still. Alarmed, Athena did the same.
"What is it?" she questioned urgently.
Artemis appeared to be listening carefully, and continued doing so for a few more seconds. Then, she took a step back and intensified her fire. Instantly, a ring of flames exploded from her person, rapidly expanding and covering hundreds of feet in mere seconds, before finally dissipating in the distance. For obvious reasons, her heat sense had a radius far greater than any other elemental.
As the signals returned to her, the huntress seemed to increase her alertness.
"Something metal is heading towards this area, fast."
The pair quickly flame dashed into cover, deciding it was best to have the element of surprise. Leaning around a heap of burned coins, Artemis laid eyes on the approaching presence. An extremely quick figure dashed up to the plaque, skidding expertly to a halt and remaining absolutely still. It wore a tattered cloak, hiding all but its thin legs and a rapier tucked on its hip.
In a blur of motion, the figure pulled out its weapon, then drove it cleanly into the soil. Following this, it removed its hood, finally revealing the emotionless face of Sir Rattleballs. The gumball robot slowly sat down cross-legged, his sword being the only object between him and the tree house. He then assumed his meditation, letting out a breath. It may have been a lie scarred into the earth, but it was also the most serene place he could go besides the dump. Frankly, he preferred the whispering wind that his old home could not offer.
Behind their hideaway, the two fire ladies cursed to themselves.
"We can't make a run for it without being discovered. He's too fast to evade."
Athena nodded.
"We'll have to eliminate him."
Artemis nodded back, then held out her hands, instantly generating a flaming bow and arrow. She snuck out from behind the mound, silently aiming her weapon at Rattleballs' head. As the huntress pulled back the arrow, a spark was spit off of the friction between the string and her fingers, making a slight popping noise.
Rattleballs jerked slightly. In a flash, his sword was out of the ground and he was no longer anywhere near his original position. Also, there was no longer a pile of scorched coins next to the fire elementals. Athena backed away in a burst of flames as debris flew everywhere, while her partner rolled out of the way. Artemis immediately got back to her feet, darting her eyes all over in search of the robot.
A second later, her weapon fell apart after a blur passed by her. She gasped, but kept her composition and flame dashed several feet in a random direction, then formed another bow. Athena was back up, holding her guard as the blur zoomed around the area, attempting to disorient her. Her eyes followed the speeding knight quicker with each passing second, until finally, Rattleballs shifted directions and appeared directly behind her.
Shocked, Athena only managed to spin around and attempt to blast the robot, regrettably unable to do the latter. She cried out as a slash was delivered to her arm. Rattleballs retreated, sensing an arrow just in time to dodge it. Artemis cursed, but closely followed the robot with a barrage of additional flaming projectiles, creating a lighted trail behind the sprinting knight.
Ree-B-Z noticed that the huntress was inching ever closer to Athena, seemingly protecting her less-armed companion. The intellectual Olympian was holding a hand over her wound, waiting for her powers to heal it. Seeing the opportunity, he changed directions again, suddenly right next to the recovering fire elemental.
Athena smiled viciously.
After a very brief screeching sound, the fiery lady's outstretched hand was seen on the other side of Rattleballs' body, while her arm was run directly through his insides. The knight's mouth was hanging open, his sword shaking slightly in his unresponsive hand. The Olympian let out a quiet chuckle.
"Sloppy, for someone so skilled."
The gumball robot attempted to speak, but couldn't find the energy to do so.
"You fail to understand we are no ordinary fire elementals. We are above others."
She smoothly tilted her head to look her foe in the eyes. Hers were the usual amber tint that most had, but Ree-B-Z was stunned to see fiery flickers replaying over and over in them. It took another moment to realize that it was a replay of him, performing the shadowless thrust.
"This is my power. The moment I see and analyze your technique, I know exactly how to counter it. You can never use the same strategy on me twice."
She pulled her arm out of the robot, allowing him to fall to his knees, wobbling horribly for a second, before meeting the ground with his face. Several scrambled circuits were sparking from the hole in his body, struggling to function. Athena waited until the electrical sounds died out, then turned away and began walking towards the Fire Kingdom.
"Let's go," she simply said as she walked past Artemis.
The huntress gave no verbal reply, but dissipated her weapon and followed her partner, leaving behind the unmoving form of Rattleballs.
The sunset granted PB's lab a remarkably helpful angle of illumination, allowing the princess to perform her rigorous experiments in natural light. She held her breath as another beaker was being poured into a flask, mixing the two clear fluids that were contained inside them. Slowly, the beaker emptied, while Peebles quickly nudged her microscope over to examine the bottom of the flask, where the important portions of the mix were sinking to.
Crossing her fingers, she watched the genetic components recombine, hoping for a result better than the last. After a minute or so however, nothing happened. Biting her lip, PB backed away and slumped into her chair, removing her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Glob damn it."
She sighed, feeling the weight of her failure. Progress had been slow for weeks, in the continuing endeavor to find the right chromosome sequence to safely recode Finn's DNA back to a human's. With each explosion, dud, or dissolved specimen, she lost more and more faith that her mind could even find the answer. Worst of all, she was running out of blood sample, and there would be no way to acquire more.
The monarch allowed her head to fall into her hands, massaging the aching muscles in her face, which were tired of squinting all day. For a while, she just sat there, blaming herself for even allowing Finn to talk her into his request.
Suddenly, a quirky alarm went off somewhere on her desk, catching the sullen ruler's attention. Confused, she got up from her defeated position and began sifting around the papers lying all over the counter. Finally, after a bit of digging, she found a circular device with the image of a coat of arms upon it. In that instant, her eyes went wide.
No…
Tossing the object aside, she rushed into the door, nearly breaking it down as she barged through. Several candy people cried out in surprise at the sudden noise and movement. PB ignored them, running down the corridor to the nearest exit. As soon as she emerged onto the landing that served as her castle's second tier, she cupped her hands.
"Morrow!"
Not even bothering to wait longer, she kept running all the way up to the edge of the landing, shocking all nearby citizens as their ruler blatantly jumped off the building and began falling. After a few stories, PB was snatched up by her loyal bird, which screeched in concern, likely of its master's sanity.
"I'm fine, just get to the tree house!"
Not questioning the command, Morrow flapped its powerful wings, rushing them both towards the grasslands.
Peebles didn't dare move her sight off the black spot in the distance, drawing ever closer on her royal transport. Her heartbeat refused to die down, beating like a drum in a rock concert. Finally, Morrow swept low to the ground, prompting the monarch to perform another risky move and jump down, which of course resulted in her violently tumbling several dozen feet in the grass. Luckily, her gummy composition received little harm, not that it would deter her to any extent.
Rushing to the site of the burned fake tree house, she threw her eyes in all directions, until they were set upon a still form lying on the ground. Barreling through ash and dust, the princess skidded to her knees upon reaching Rattleballs, the bottom of her dress now completely black. Uncontrolled breathing emerged as she desperately examined her noble knight's condition.
No activity could be found from the gumball robot, who lay still and silent. PB shook her head, mostly to deny her own fear.
"No, no, no…"
She quickly opened the main hatch on the automaton's back, hoping to find some sign of life in him. Miraculous, the injury he sustained didn't harm the central motherboard. Gaining a gleam of hope, the monarch worked fast, using her bare hands, teeth, and occasional piece of hair to rewire the breakers and conduits within Ree-B-Z's body.
Morrow had landed a good distance away, afraid to interrupt her ruler's process. By the time PB finally stopped her rapid technological surgery, the sun had almost dipped beneath the horizon, providing little light to examine Rattleballs status properly. Regardless, she cradled the fallen knight in her arms, waiting for some kind of reaction from his messily reworked insides.
Silence clouded the followed several minutes, each tick of the clock frightening Peebles more and more. She squeezed the robot's hand, wishing she'd been faster.
She felt a weak squeeze back.
Astonished, she waited. Again, the mechanical fingers tightened ever so slightly, giving the sign that this was no mere empty shell. Gleaming with thanks for the four-faced deity, PB groaned as she tried to lift up Rattleballs in her grasp. Gradually, her determination proved enough, and she carried the critically conditioned swordsman over towards Morrow.
"Take us back; please hurry."
The eagle gave a soft squawk, then took the princess by her shoulders, as she held on tightly to Ree-B-Z.
"Just hang on," she whispered.
As with every evening, the glowing embers of the Fire Kingdom provided all the light necessary for its inhabitants to freely go about their later day business, whether it be going home for the night or going out to hang with friends. For Flame Princess, it was a time to reflect on the day's events. She placed a hand against her neck, briefly receiving a memory flash of Hermes about to snap it.
A shiver was sent down her spine, but was shaken off soon after, seeing as Jake 2 began nuzzling the girl's leg, letting his warm fur remove he chills. FP smiled gently, reaching down to scratch behind the wolf's ears. The vet had done an excellent job with the damage to the beast's vertebra, ensuring there would be no back problems for the loyal hound.
JT remained by her side for a few moments, then went over to begin the night's rest. Once the wolf was heard snoring, FP's smile faded, returning to a worried expression. It wasn't that she felt unsafe; CB and Finn were just outside her door, vigilantly standing by in the event of another attack. Rather, the experience of being a second from death was a shock to her system. Not only would the kingdom go into hysteria, but Zeus would have his goal, returning the fire elementals to who knows what kind of monstrosities.
Sighing, the king stepped out onto the balcony, staring into the lava.
"Nice night, isn't it?"
Flame Princess spun around, seeing a most dreadful sight. Hermes was casually leaning against the edge of the railing, grinning with somewhat amusement. The fiery girl's heart nearly stopped, as her flames suddenly died down to a near doused state. Surprisingly, Hermes held up his hands.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, your highness. I understand you're still shaken up, but trust me, that whole thing earlier was meant to scare your protectors, not so much you."
He hopped onto the railing, balancing effortlessly on the edge.
"Like before, I'm only here to deliver a message."
FP managed to recover from her fright, but was still hesitant to get anywhere near the Olympian.
"Wh-what is it then?" she half-demanded half-stuttered.
Hermes smirked, then reached behind his back and pulled out a strange looking orb.
"We did a little investigating on your old friend's grave."
Flame Princess was confused at first, but then, her temperature spiked, and her flames renewed themselves.
"You WHAT?!"
Hermes sighed.
"Seriously, temper. Oh, and sssh!"
He placed a finger over his lips, then tossed the orb at the ruler, who was distracted enough by having to catch it that her rage faltered. The Olympian shrugged.
"We just thought you'd like to know."
FP glared at the fiery man.
"Know what?"
This time, her demand was solid and void of fear.
Hermes snickered, irritating the monarch.
"Just that his death was no accident."
Flame Princess's fire vanished, leaving her in her natural state, not counting the blank face she'd just acquired.
"Y…you liar."
Her foe shook his head.
"Not at all, your grace."
He pointed to the orb.
"Just have your sages examine the essence of that flame. I guarantee, you'll find the signatures of both the human's tree fort…"
He paused for dramatic effect.
"…and a fire elemental."
Before any further confrontation could occur, the Olympian morphed into a stream of flames and was gone, leaving the ruler alone once again. FP remained still for a long time, holding the sphere in her hands. Eventually, she looked down at the bizarre object, noticing the fairly calm flame within. Obviously, she herself had no idea how to sense a fire's essence, and was frankly unwilling to believe a word Hermes said.
And yet, that curious spark still within her, combined with a burning worry of Finn's true demise, got the best of her. FP went back inside, carefully holding the glass-like orb. She settled the object on the table beside her bed, then proceeded to get into bed. As the princess lay there, waiting for her mind to grow tired enough to pass out, she pondered why Zeus would give the effort to investigate such a thing. After all, it hardly had anything to do with taking over the kingdom.
It hit her soon after. The power-mad elemental was clearly looking for any way to rattle her cage, get her angry and unfocused, so that her downfall would be a walk in the park. Huffing in frustration, Flame Princess set aside the furious burning within and lay on her side, her eyes facing the enigmatic orb. She stared at it up until her senses finally slipped away.
As they did, she could think only of what to do in the wake of Finn's potential murderer.
If it's true… I have to find the one who did it. I don't care how, I don't care who it is. And when I do I'll… I'll…
I'll show them what justice truly is.
Ok, so that junk I had to do is taken care of, back to (hopefully) more frequent updates. Thanks for baring with me.
Also, oddly enough, the most common comment I get about this story is that Finn should've been made a robot. Something about a more dramatic abandonment of his humanity. I'll admit, that's unique and sounds like a good story, but I had not thought of it at the time, nor do I have any idea how I would've written it. Oh well, I hope the way I did it is at least minimally satisfactory.
Ventus Uzumaki: Yep, and you know a war involving lots of fire can get nasty.
nrbuer: Oh how I wish it would be. Or at least ONE of the stories on this site. Anything's better than what they got, no offense.
Roberto: We'll see about that. Thanks.
TheMentalAdventurer: I started liking it after I played God of War. Heh, not the best place to pick it up I guess.
Guest: Thanks. I'll see what I can do about being more obscure with the plot.
Awolfx9: Thanks, I suppose I do type a lot, seeing as my fingers are sore after every chapter.
CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl: Glad to hear it.
Fundindar: I was hoping to get some reactions like that. I feel it enhances the reading experience.
StrikerXE: I like the complex reactions to reading, I get them myself. Isn't it just great that words can make you think so deeply?
Bio team2: Well, the chapter is your answer.
Broken In7: You sure will!
Fiery Crusader: Wow, quite the vibrant description there.
MUTO TOHO: That seems to happen a lot in my writing. I haven't even watched Dragonball, so I'm totally lost.
Guest: Hm, perhaps, honestly I even forget my own plot points. I should really write things down.
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!