Eruption
Finn remained still, staring at a small point in the ground before his knees. A second pair was just ahead, belonging to the fiery girl he was accompanying to the Candy Kingdom. He could feel a bizarre increase in heat, as if a harsh tone of summer had blown through the land. The wave was shrugged off soon after he remembered what he was, unconsciously absorbing the drifting air.
The more he did so, the more he shook, the less calm he felt. Yet, his vision only solidified, revealing finer details in the candy soil he never thought possible to examine. Eventually however, he felt a shake that wasn't his own, originating at his shoulders.
"Look at me," a rather stern tone called.
The flame human followed the command, raising his head to meet the gaze of his companion and target of his protection. He expected to see a concerned expression upon her face, amber eyes staring into his own, endlessly trying to hide his true nature. Unfortunately, it was far from the case.
Flame Princess's glare burned into Finn's startled pupils, studying the knight with a mixture of pity and distain. When he failed to respond in any way, she continued.
"Well? Are you going to get up and do something useful for a change?"
Finn's already slightly hung open mouth attempted to form words, only to stutter endlessly. FP's eyes narrowed further with each failed syllable, losing patience. Finally, when the hero no longer made a sound, she huffed.
"Typical. Yet another failure by the weak-willed and laughable 'hero' of Ooo…"
The shock caused Finn to jerk out of Flame Princess's grasp, falling over and grunting as his already sore body was impacting on the ground. Landing on his back, he quickly placed his eyes back on the Fire Kingdom's ruler. She had swiftly gotten to her feet, and began approaching him. A second later, she folded her arms, still glaring as she walked forward.
"Just get out. You haven't done anyone any good. You decimated an entire city, just for a pathetic chance at winning my attention. Honestly, how dense are you? You're a stupid human, and I'm the ruler of an entire kingdom."
Finn's heart both beat and burned heavily with each word, eyes trembling.
"I still remember how awful of a boyfriend you were. Delusional, manipulative, childish. It's no wonder even Bubblegum ditched you. You don't deserve any girl with that kind of mentality."
While his ears were busy taking in the numerous strikes to his heart, Finn's body temperature continued to rise, now relentlessly soaking in the unnatural heatwave that encompassed the city. The more he took in, the more his mind began to shift. Rather than feeling pain from the girl standing in front of him, his confusion turned to disbelief.
Disbelief to frustration…
Frustration to irritation…
Irritation to anger…
Finn's stunned expression faded away, replaced with a glare of his own, which he steadied upon FP, who stopped walking towards him and simply stared the young man down. Gradually, the flame human made his way to his feet, never breaking eye contact. Once at the same level as Flame Princess, he balled up his fists and ever so slightly bared his teeth at her.
"Who do you think you are…?"
FP seemed to recoil, but held her spiteful gaze.
"Someone much more dependable than you."
Snapping, Finn sprung forward, scooping FP up by her neck in an instant and extending his lava vine sword, holding the fiery ruler up in the air. Flashes of the elemental's deeds ran through the knight's mind.
"Shut up! Shut up, you arrogant-!"
Any further screaming was interrupted, as Finn found himself shoved violently away. FP fell to the ground, while he was thrown into a nearby wall, held against it by a lance.
(A minute earlier)
Flame Princess was nearly tearing up as she gently held Finn up by his shoulders, waiting for her protector to respond to her constant pleas.
"Please, look at me," she begged, worry engraved into her words.
Much to her shock, the young man actually complied, meeting her amber gaze with one of crimson, startling the fiery ruler, but not enough for her to back away. She waited for him to say something, anything, all while his red pupils stared endlessly at her pained expression. When he said nothing, the girl continued for him.
"Fen, what did that person do to you? Who was it?"
The knight immediately began stuttering, growing the fear inside FP as she anxiously awaited an answer. However, Finn soon fell silent, unable to speak whatsoever.
"Tell me what's wrong, please! I want to help."
This time, Finn outright retreated, tearing himself away from her and falling backwards several feet, only to then hold himself up on his elbows, back to the ground, with a look of utter horror on his face. Flame Princess began approaching slowly, now cautious. Her knight was clearly unstable, so she kept her movement slow as she closed the distance. To help calm the young man, she held up her hands as a show of peace.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Fen. You need help, there's something wrong with you."
As the fire elemental drew closer still, she suddenly noticed a shift in Finn's behavior. His fearful expression died off, replaced by a darkly developing scowl. The foreign image was enough to freeze FP in her tracks, staring in astonishment at a face she'd never see coming from one she cared for. Next, she watched him get to his feet, his figure noticeably steady, rather than the shaky composure a moment earlier.
"Who do you think you are…?"
FP flinched from the question, mostly due to the aggressive undertone.
"I-I…someone who cares about you."
Already caught off guard, the ruler was unable to avoid Finn lunging forward and gripping her tightly by the throat. As she found herself suspended in the air, the fire elemental stared down in terror at her knight's rage-filled eyes.
"Shut up! Shut up, you arrogant-!"
Before he could finish, Cinnamon Bun's shoulder rammed into his side, forcing him to let go of Flame Princess. As the ruler fell to her hands and knees, the candy knight shoved Finn against the nearest wall and held him in place with the help of his lance. The flame human instantly began struggling and growling, growing angrier by the second. In the meantime, FP managed to pull herself to her feet, keeping her trembling eyes on her enraged companion.
"W-why would he…"
She trailed off, still unable to accept her dear friend had just threatened her life. CB turned away for a brief second to consul her, grinding his teeth from the effort of holding the young man back.
"He's not normal right now, FP. He's under the same effect as the others."
The fiery girl bit her lip as she contemplated his words, instantly realizing the truth yet still shaken by the experience. While Cinnamon Bun waited eagerly for his assurance to kick in, he felt a great increase in heat in front of him. Turning back to Finn, his eyes grew wide upon seeing his flaming aura expanding, beginning to melt the candy wall at his back, as well as heat up the lance pinning him down.
Bearing the scorching temperatures, CB called back to his king.
"Flame Princess, you're going to have to contain him. I can't take this heat for much longer!"
Reality setting back in, FP shook her head and examined her knight's precarious position. Steeling herself, she nodded, getting into a stance to prepare for the inevitable struggle. Seeing her ready, CB nodded then faced Finn once again. With one swift motion, he bashed his lance into the hero's forehead, disorienting him long enough to roll out of the way. Roaring in anger, Finn brandished his lava vine sword.
"I'm going to fry your icing off, bun!"
He charged, only to meet a wall of flames separating him from his target. Backing away slightly, he darted his eyes in all directions trying to find its conjurer. When FP came into view, throwing out fire from her hands, which was slowly surrounding him, he glared daggers at her.
"Trying to trap me? Will that feel good? Doing it to someone else for a change?"
Struck by his words, Flame Princess's flames faltered, giving Finn an opportunity to lunge forward with his weapon raised. Out of fright, FP shielded herself with her arms. A clang was heard, causing her to double-take. Cinnamon Bun was once again holding his fellow knight back, albeit with less success than before. Finn's rage-induced strength was pushing him back. CB called over his shoulder as he put everything he had into his stance.
"When I say the word, encircle him."
FP just nodded, knowing he had a plan. Focusing the last of his energy, Cinnamon Bun took in a deep breath, then threw his entire body weight into his armament, allowing it to push Finn back several feet. Within the opening, CB sidestepped, allowing Flame Princess to shoot out a rapid stream of fire that quickly trapped Finn in a ring, only to then grow the walls higher so that he couldn't escape. As a pillar gradually formed, FP and her knight breathed heavily, exhausted from the shock and effort but beginning to relax as it seemed the flame human within could do nothing but shout.
However, Flame Princess furrowed her brow.
"Wait…"
Sensing an extreme buildup of heat, the girl's eyes grew wide. As the walls of her fiery prison began to destabilize, she shouted to her companion.
"Get back!"
No sooner had she uttered the words that the pillar of flame exploded, throwing random whips of combustion in all directions and blasting the two backwards. Unfortunately, their backs hit a nearby building, sinking them to the ground groaning. The houses closer to Finn's location were no longer standing, now mere smoldering piles of burned sugar. The blast radius had scorched nearly an entire block, leaving an ugly and blackened scene.
Finn stepped out of the small crater his exertion had caused, his skin steaming and his sword slowly regenerating from his intensified flames. His crimson eyes were set on the slowly recovering FP and Cinnamon Bun, who were helping each other to stand up. Through the numerous billows of smoke, they instantly noticed Finn's approach, a killing glare etched into his face.
CB instinctively got in front of his ruler, brandishing his lance defensively. Finn just kept coming, his teeth bared as if he were a wolf ready to pounce.
"You're both going to pay, for all the times you brushed me off like a worthless bug."
His fists ignited as his hateful eyes planned his killing blow. Still disoriented from impact, CB and Flame Princess could only struggle in a defensive position. Even then, their bodies shook with both effort and the psychological sting of what the hero had just said. Their minds raced, wondering what he could possibly mean.
In salvation, a laser suddenly cut through the path between the two sides, causing Finn to jump back before angrily gazing into the air. His sight followed the beam's trajectory until he found its source: one of the gumball guardians. The titanic robot narrowed its eyes at the fully-engulfed fire elemental, clearly seeing him as a greater threat than the chaotic yet physically limited candy people.
"Eliminate threat," it declared, charging up another blast from its eyes.
Finn's eyes momentarily grew larger as the laser fired, grazing him in the left shoulder and forcing him to take a knee while holding a hand to his smoking injury. Flame Princess subconsciously began to walk towards him, concerned. However, CB was able to hold her back, shaking his head.
"No, he's still dangerous!"
She knew he was right, but it didn't help to watch as the guardian took a step forward and lifted up its giant foot, aiming to crush the pacified flame human underneath. As the robot's shadow was cast over him, Finn's fiery aura expanded back to full strength, as the red in his eyes practically began leaking out like tears.
"Stay… out… of… MY… WAY!"
Roaring, he caught the guardian's foot with both hands, his legs immediately pushed into the ground from the sheer force. The young man himself refused to buckle, pushing the robot back with the raw power currently possessing him. The scene only shocked the Fire Kingdom natives further. As the Candy Kingdom's protector was off balance, Finn went on to launch a concentrated, bombshell-like blast of flames from both hands, generating its own roar as it sailed at the guardian.
The bot instinctively blocked the attack with its huge arm, which ended up taking the hit. Unfortunately the impact shredded his mechanical limb, throwing metal shrapnel in all directions. FP and her remaining knight took cover behind what was left of the house beside them, while the gumball guardian was thrown over by the force of the detonation. It fell against the side of the kingdom's main wall, crushing a significant portion of it yet keeping the formidable defense mostly intact.
When Flame Princess and CB stood up and examined the damage, they saw Finn rush forward in a flame dash, closing fast on the stunned robot. With chilling disbelief, they watched him extend his lava vine to the form of a projectile, which he promptly fired from his wrist as he neared the guardian. The soaring weapon pierced the automaton's chest, jolting it into awareness. It was too late to react further.
Sliding to a halt, Finn grabbed the rope portion his weapon and yanked it with incredible force. As a result, the projectile buried deep within the guardian was violently ripped out, taking a large device along with it. The moment it was gone, the mechanical being lost all power, its arms falling to the ground with a crash and its head hung motionless. The object itself was removed with enough strength that it landed near the visiting Fire Kingdom dwellers, who gazed in a frozen state at the now lifeless power core that Finn's lava vine was impaling.
Not taking any respite, Finn turned away from the defeated bot, relocating his primary targets. With another flame dash, he came upon the duo, still too battered to retreat. They readied what defenses they had, lance and flame sword raised in anticipation of the worst. The berserk Finn approached them in normal form, closing the final dozen or so feet at a rapid pace, his reformed sword dragging across the ground, instantly caramelizing the road with the flames encasing it.
"This is payback, this is karma!" he declared, raising a hand.
A torrential flamethrower of combustion exploded from his palm, making its victims' hearts stop. As the area was cloaked in all-consuming fire, the world turned orange and red. Finn held the attack as long as his power would allow, finally cancelling the effort when he felt his energy draining. What he left behind was nothing short of a glancing scar across the kingdom.
The blast had pushed straight through the city until it hit the bordering walls, scorching even them to the point of needing immediate repair. A quarter-mile long trench, akin to that of a meteor impact, led from the damaged barrier to Finn's location, the edges of which were still on fire, burning through the remains of several buildings. Smoke obscured the full view, but the sight was enough to cause despair from anyone who'd been watching.
For all the destruction laid before him, Finn sensed the presence of several individuals behind him, causing him to turn. The hero's eyes shook in rage and confusion, seeing Flame Princess standing a fair distance away, supported by a much smaller, but all too familiar gumball robot. Beside the two, the flapping of wings was heard, until the sound revealed itself as the Morrow, holding Cinnamon Bun in its talons while Princess Bubblegum rode atop.
They set themselves down next to Rattleballs and FP, at which point PB hopped off and stood ahead of the group, staring at Finn with an emotionless expression. Rattleballs did the same, passing on Flame Princess to CB's care. The two kingdom natives stood as a defiant wall between the young man and his quarry.
"That's enough, Fen," the candy monarch spoke in a commanding tone.
In response, the flame human pointed his sword at her.
"Stand aside, both of you, or I'll tear you in half."
The venom in his voice was chilling, but the princess and her knight remained firm. Rattleballs was the first to act, turning to speak to FP.
"Princess, I must ask of you a difficult request."
The fiery ruler listened carefully.
"I must cause harm to Fen if we are to stop his rampage. I promise not to end his life, but it is for his, and everyone else's, own good."
The fire elemental was silent for a moment, briefly placing her gaze on Finn, who had begun walking towards the group, snarling at them. Realizing the cruel and unfortunate truth, she shut her eyes tightly, nodding. Rattleballs nodded back, then took point ahead of Bubblegum.
"Be careful," the monarch urged, taking a look at the freshly welded portion of the robot's chest.
The knight reassured her, then placed one hand on the belt holding his weapon, the other on the rapier's grip. Finn responded by raising his sword as well, preparing to charge at the gumball knight. A tense minute of peace ensued, broken only by the dominant crackling of the blazing city in the background. Those behind Rattleballs tightened their fists, anxiety plastered on each of their faces.
Unable to stand still any longer, Finn made a mad dash at his opponent, positioning his sword to perform a downward slash with all his might, all while letting out a deranged battle cry. Rattleballs remained still, carefully timing his move. Once Finn was mere steps from slicing the robot to pieces, the Candy Kingdom's knight pulled his sword from his hip.
Finn's breath was released all at once from the shock of being struck in four places simultaneously. Spurts of magma blood escaped his forearms and calves, instantly incapacitating him. As the disabled flame human fell flat on the ground, Rattleballs slid his sword back down. With their creator finished, the remaining flames quickly died down, existing as harmless campfires among the charred ruins.
Shedding their initial amazement, the rest of the group rapidly converged on Finn's fallen form, hoping the damage was minimal. Upon kneeling down to the young man, they found that he was still conscious, but capable of little more than grunting and fruitlessly trying to move his muscles. Turning him over onto his back, they found his crimson eyes still shaking in rage. Although unable to speak through his trembling groans, he kept a hateful gaze, cycling it past all those surrounding him.
Not wishing to burden anyone longer, PB reached into her dress and produced what appeared to be a glow stick. She held the object just above Finn's face, then snapped it, instantly releasing a small cloud of gas that enveloped the hero's face. He struggled against it for a moment, but ultimately succumbed and faded away, letting his head drop to the ground.
From atop one of the guard posts along the Candy Kingdom's perimeter, the cloaked figure of Ares observed the scene far below. He watched Finn's unconscious form lifted onto the Morrow, then flown to a nearby section of the outer wall. The Olympian's teeth were hidden beneath his lips, but the constant, sinister smile still glowed from beneath his hood.
"As the chorus falls silent, deaf ears applaud their vigorous dedication…"
The fiery being stood up, concluding that his task was complete. Upon turning to leave however, he found the figure of a fellow elemental standing behind him, her arms folded and a gaze of uncertainty upon her features. Ares just smiled wider, again revealing his intimidating maw.
"Through wrath and collapse, the huntress finds no obstacle…"
Artemis narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly.
"Do you ever talk normally?"
The male Olympian chuckled, unnerving her with its almost broken conduct.
"The force of speech heralds only waste in the wake of touch, eventually fading away into the forgotten grains of time…"
Giving up, Artemis sighed in irritation and motioned towards the direction of the Fire Kingdom.
"Zeus sent me to make sure you didn't level the entire kingdom. We needed a show of force, not a war."
Ares briefly rubbed his fingers against one another, letting out the sound of sharpening knives.
"The path's end is as free as the river's flow, what falls within can overcome the feeble influence of this touch, ensuring no physical guilt can sway from another…"
Growing exceptionally impatient, Artemis sternly pointed towards home.
"Just go!"
Ares held his trademark grin, then bowed slightly, moving past the huntress and dropping from the tower onto the main wall. From there, he performed a swift leap to the grassy earth. Once stable, he casually began to walk towards the black mountains in the distance, as carefree as a stroll through the park at night.
Seeing the man off, Artemis turned her attention back to the Candy Kingdom, noting the spot where everyone had retreated to upon halting Finn's rampage. Unknown to Ares, she'd been tasked with extending the operation, examining the effects it would have upon the terrified citizens and their leader; as well as the visitors from the Fire Kingdom. Before making her way closer to the intact portions of the city, the Olympian glanced at the destruction left by her "ally" and his abilities, growing ever dark as the sun began setting.
She shuddered, then sprung to the next unoccupied tower.
Jake 2 was receiving a well-earned rub behind the ears from his master, having successfully herded a large number of terrified candy people to a sectioned off area during the crisis. Cinnamon Bun gave the fire wolf his best smile as he tried to move the last few hours out of mind. Sitting nearby on a crate, Flame Princess was staring aimlessly across the area at Princess Bubblegum as the candy monarch was knelt beside Finn, pouring a strange liquid over the gashes on his chest.
The hissing produced went without notice, as a crackling fire beside them was keeping the temporary infirmary warm. The castle was still being secured, so the group was forced to make do with a stockpile section of the outer wall. Guards were vigilantly patrolling each corner of the area, watching for any remaining berserkers. In the distance, the lone gumball guardian was making its way through the city, spraying a high dose of chemical into the air.
Unable to keep herself occupied, FP stood up from her secluded seat and made her way to Finn's resting place. A fireproof blanket was keeping him from direct contact with the stone floor, while another was bundled up into a makeshift pillow. For the moment, his face was calm and sedated, as PB's knockout serum continued to function.
Kneeling down beside the monarch, Flame Princess watched her finish her procedure and begin packing away her bag of various compounds and equipment. Hoping the intellectual ruler could ease some tension, the fire elemental spoke up.
"Do you know what did this?"
Peebles sighed in exhaustion as she finished replacing her belongings.
"After doing an analysis on the guard, I found an extremely cryptic strain of neuro-toxin in his system."
She furrowed her brow, still frustrated by the event.
"But the properties are unlike anything I've ever seen."
She looked to her fellow princess.
"Once infected, the victim rapidly loses all higher-level functions, relying solely on instinct. It also affects perception and emotional chemistry, causing the severe behavior we saw."
FP looked back at Finn, unable to decide whether she wanted him to awaken or continue to lie quietly. His words were still running through her thoughts, causing her to scrunch up her dress. Peebles noticed, giving the girl a concerned look.
"Are you alright, Phoebe?"
The fire elemental bit her lip.
"All those things he said… it's as if me and Cinnamon Bun did something awful to him."
Seeing that she was on the verge of tears, as well as her weak voice, PB tried to think of comforting words, as well as draw attention away from the potential connection to Finn.
"I-it's entirely possible he perceived you as someone else. Hallucinations are common symptoms of toxin exposure."
Flame Princess stopped fidgeting, but held onto her anxiety.
"Is it… out of his system?"
Bubblegum nodded.
"I synthesized an antidote. It's not perfect, but what traces remain should be harmless until time finally flushes them out of his body. The gumball guardian is saturating the air with it as we speak, taking care of the infected candy citizens. Their minds are, for lack of a better word, simpler than Fen's, so it should work on them to even greater effectiveness."
Nodding in reply, FP reached out and placed her hand on Finn's arm, just above one of the cuts Rattleballs had inflicted. She absentmindedly studied the wound until she heard metal footsteps approach.
"I am truly sorry for what I had to do, princess," the robotic knight explained, sitting down on a pile of sandbags on Finn's opposite side.
Flame Princess shook her head, looking up to the swordsman.
"I know it was the last resort. You don't have to apologize."
Rattleballs nodded back, then joined her in examining the cuts.
"His tendons should heal quickly, if I understand fire elementals correctly."
The fiery girl made a noise in agreement, but for the most part kept her gaze upon the flame human. Suddenly, a soft groaning was heard from the hero, as his head began to move back and forth. Everyone's attention was fully drawn, anticipating the young man's revival. Finn's eyes eventually fought to open, slowly adjusting to the starlight now covering the heavens.
Once his irises were visible, he blinked several times, then dragged his vision all over to find out his surroundings. Upon coming in contact with Flame Princess's glimmering amber eyes, he stopped, suddenly experiencing a blurry flashback. He saw a fearful look from the girl, a gaze of absolute terror. Shaking the memory away, he struggled to move his hand, progressively finding hers in the process. With what little force he could muster, the hero squeezed. She returned the act, with much greater strength. Cinnamon Bun, intrigued by the gathered crowd, made his way to them and looked over his king's shoulder, smiling as he witnessed a conscious Finn.
"I'm… sorry, FP."
The fire elemental took the hero's hand in both of hers, trying her hardest not to break down right there in front of everyone. The flame human tilted his head to find Cinnamon Bun as well.
"And to you too, CB."
He returned his sights to Flame Princess. The girl felt his arm desperately trying to lift itself. She acted as his strength, following the slight movements he tried to command his powerless muscles and gradually lifted his hand to her face. Continuing to be guided by him, she found herself wiping away a single tear with his finger.
Satisfied, Finn, released his struggle, falling back into slumber and letting his body go limp.
Um... Nope, can't think of anything to say.
TheFlyingPriest: ...Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't notice that. Fail.
CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl: That is my signature style, and I hope I can keep it that way.
Bio team2: It's awesome how thoughts shift as you're reading, isn't it?
nrbuer: I anticipate great future updates from you.
dfinkel70: Yeah, it sucks, but at least now I'll soon be writing only two stories instead of three.
TheMentalAdventurer: He's still got a lot of development ahead. For now, I prefer to keep him as a shadow.
Neo Deadmau5: Hm, never actually played that one.
Awolfx9: Sorry, but that'll come later. Heh heh, it's gonna get crazy.
Fiery Crusader: Shoot, I'm getting too predictable.
Broken In7: Maybe, just maybe. We'll see how the future takes it.
R-Doll: Good feedback. And good questions to consider. Thanks.
MUTO TOHO: Glad to hear it.
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!