Raising a Torch
Bonnibel's lab expressed a vision of fireworks to any who happened to look inside, immediately blinded by the unending shower of sparks flying off of the woman's metallic target. She moved her instrument with unyielding precision, having easily mastered the blow torch in her vast lifespan. In the midst of a small touch-up, the woman noticed a far-off tapping noise mixing with the frazzle of sparks.
Shutting off her torch, the candy ruler took a moment to listen with her full attention. Sure enough, someone was knocking against her door. Sighing, the monarch placed her equipment aside and moved to the entrance, not looking forward to the likely tedious inquiry her subjects may be placing upon her. The door was tiringly swung open.
As one could guess, standing in front of PB was her loyal assistant Peppermint Butler. While normally a natural sight, the expression on the candy person's face instantly shifted Bubblegum's view on his presence. There was a grave look to it, a sense of urgency that went beyond the Candy Kingdom's mundane troubles.
"M'lady…" Pep But began, shuffling his hands nervously.
"The Flame King and Cinnamon Bun have just arrived. They urgently request to speak to you."
His choice of words only intensified PB's edginess. The striped man had left someone out.
"Just the two of them?" she asked in begged clarification.
Peppermint Butler nodded quickly, then stood to the side, gesturing forward. Peebles released her remaining shock and strode forward, her servant closing the lab door behind her. The princess made haste towards the main hall downstairs, where her visitors were procedurally asked to wait for her. Pep But struggled just to keep up with his short legs, breaking into a sprint at some points.
PB burst through double doors, immediately scanning the main hall for her guests. As her butler had said, the fiery ruler and her candy knight were somewhat patiently waiting in the center of the room, eyes trained on the floor in front of them. Upon hearing Bonnie's abrupt entrance however, they quickly set their hollow sights on the princess, who rushed over to greet them. Nearly leaning on her knees from the exhaustion of striding so forcefully downstairs, she took but a moment to catch her breath, then renewed her composure.
"Phoebe, I wasn't expecting you to visit. The kingdom is still in bad shape, but I'd be glad to offer any assistance."
She waited for a response with a hopeful smile on her face, hands held together in front of her. To the princess's confusion, Phoebe's expression seemed dulled and void of any urgency, or need of help for that matter. An unusual silence descended upon the three, as Pep But had discreetly stepped away to give them space, sensing discomfort. After a minute, PB tried something else.
"I noticed Fenrir isn't with you. Has there been a change in-"
She received a firm slap across the face before finishing. Flinching and holding a hand to her stung cheek, Bonnie stared in shock at the one who'd struck her. Besides the act itself, her reaction was also in part to the shift in expression on FP. Her face was set in a despairing gloom, but her eyes, those eyes were full of disbelief and rage melded together, a combination Bubblegum was somewhat familiar with. It was the look people gave her when a secret was spilled, or a questionable act was performed.
In the midst of tearing her eyes away from the blazing pupils of her fellow ruler, Bonnie managed to spot Finn's necklace, in terrible shape since she'd last seen it, but very clearly the same object that her friend had refused to let go of. It was now around Phoebe's neck, and it was the final puzzle piece to explain why she'd been silenced by the fire elemental's hand.
Princess Bubblegum lowered her own hand, revealing the red mark of the Flame King's strike. Bowing her head, she gazed sadly at the floor between them.
"I see…"
She absentmindedly began fidgeting with her hands, unsure of how to further the conversation.
"I… I won't try to defend myself. You have every right to hate me right now."
She glanced up nervously at the fiery girl.
"And I suppose Finn is sitting in a cell at the moment?"
Phoebe remained frozen in her perpetual glare for a moment longer, then her hand slowly reached up and grasped the heart locket tightly, fighting back her emotions. Finally, through gritted teeth, she replied.
"No, he isn't."
PB blinked, surprised at the response. Before she could question however, her collar was grabbed by FP's free hand.
"HE'S GONE!"
The elemental's outburst silenced any lingering chatter in the hall, with any candy people in the room suddenly shrinking back and whimpering, shaking eyes set on the Flame King. Even Cinnamon Bun recoiled a bit beside his companion.
Phoebe's utterance was quick to melt away, her face falling into a struggle between grief and utter frustration. Losing everything wasn't in Bonnibel's experience, which she currently found unfortunate, because the pain before her was not something she could sympathize with. As such, she still didn't fully comprehend what her counterpart was saying.
"I-I don't understand, what do you mean?"
Phoebe seemed to better compose herself, having let off a flare of raw feelings just now to clear her mind. She looked the pink woman in the eyes.
"The Olympian's stormed my palace, taking control of the kingdom and usurping me."
She tightened her hold on the heart locket as PB's shock grew.
"During the attack, Zeus impaled him through the heart."
The girl clearly struggled to put words to the horrid event.
"Then he had Apollo toss his body in the river."
Their conversation was out of earshot, with the frightened candy people beginning to chatter amongst themselves. Bubblegum, despite her growing fear at Phoebe's words, knew she had to act, to remain calm, and find an approach to work with.
"Please follow me," she firmly requested.
As the pink lady walked out of Phoebe's grasp and towards the corridor entrance, her visitors briefly looked at one another, before CB nodded and ushered his ruler to follow. Bonnie led the pair back the way she came, step for step, knowing there was only one place where she could secure her own worries at what FP had described. Along the way, her companions remained mostly silent, although Cinnamon Bun was eventually overtaken by suspicion.
"You're awfully calm about hearing that one of your dearest friends was killed."
His tone was a bit harsher than he'd intended, but the renewed distrust for her edged its way in. PB was expecting this however, keeping her cool.
"I'm a scientist. It's difficult for me to believe anything that I haven't observed myself."
Again, CB and Phoebe exchanged glances.
"You two should know as well as I do how hard it is for Finn to stay down. Besides…"
They had arrived at her lab. Bonnie was quick to open the door and invite them to enter, which they did with subtle indecision. Once the entrance was closed behind them, she continued, all while her visitors stared in amazement at what lay before them.
"There's a big difference between fire elementals and flame humans."
A multitude of holographic screens covered nearly every wall of the room, displaying data, running statistics, tests, various hypotheses, and diagrams, all on Finn's transformation. While her guests were stuck taking in the complexity of it all, PB stepped forward and expanded her diagram, now exposing details about the hero's physiology.
"The process that I used to turn Finn into a fire elemental was new, something I'd never dabbled in before, and as such, it was imperfect. I had no previous data to work with, and frankly, he gave me little time to put it together."
Flame Princess and CB now listened intently, honestly quite curious as to the young man's mysterious form.
"I'm sure you noticed, he healed much slower than normal elementals."
FP nodded.
"Aside from a basic template, Finn remained human in the sense of his internal structure."
The candy ruler turned to Cinnamon Bun.
"Where exactly was Finn stabbed?"
Furrowing his brow, the knight stepped up to the diagram, which now stood full-sized. Recalling the event, he finally reached up and pointed to the correct spot.
"Here, just right of center."
PB nodded as he stepped back again.
"Then there's a chance," she concluded.
The Fire Kingdom envoy stared at her, confused.
"What do you mean?" Phoebe inquired, still unconsciously holding the locket.
The slight twinge of hope in her fellow princess's voice lifted Bonnie's spirits, gladly finishing her theory.
"Finn doesn't have an elemental matrix, he retained his four-chamber heart."
The diagram was enhanced to reflect her statement. While FP and Cinnamon Bun were left speechless, they also began to understand.
"So, the reason his body didn't fall apart…" the knight began.
PB nodded.
"Correct. There was no energy discharge upon a matrix's deterioration, therefore, his form remained intact."
She frowned slightly.
"I'm well aware that any injury to the heart is critical at best, but if the location of impact is true, there's a chance that only Finn's right ventricle was ruptured. Any normal human, even Finn, would've likely bled out instantly if not died from heart failure. However, while his regenerative abilities are limited, they are still active and coordinate with his combustive physiology."
She looked her company in the eyes, a hard but sure look upon her face.
"His body may have been able to close up the opening before he lost too much blood. Not to mention…"
She moved the diagram's focus point, now displaying Finn's right arm, with the lava vine wrapped tightly around it.
"That… thing, on Finn's arm can very well be considered symbiotic to him. It will, in essence, do whatever it takes to keep Finn alive."
CB moved to interrupt.
"But the sword is simply bonded to his skin, isn't it? It made no move to aid him after being impaled."
Bonnie shook her head.
"Incorrect."
She shifted the diagram once more, now an x-ray of sorts showing beneath Finn's arm. Phoebe and her knight were astonished.
The lava vine was truly a 'part' of Finn. Networks of vein-like structures were present inside the hero's limb, with some extending as far as into his chest cavity. While not appearing to be hurting the young man in any way or disrupting his body's vital functions, the visual could easily have been mistaken for a very grim infection. Bubblegum thought as much based on her companions' reactions, moving quickly to calm their nerves.
"It looks bad, I know, but as far as I've been able to examine it, the lava vine is in no way harming him. These structures within haven't expanded further over the past several months, so I'm certain they are simply a precautionary anchor."
She raised a finger as the others seemed to relax.
"As I implied earlier however, this network may very well be capable of working as a secondary regenerative system, as well as an immune system. On the outside, it's a weapon, but inside, the potential is astonishing."
Having concluded her speech, Bonnie walked carefully over to her fellow ruler and placed a hand on her shoulder, a sincere expression of care written into her features.
"Phoebe, ignoring his impulsive nature, you have faith in him, don't you?"
Though she took a moment to think on it, the fire elemental eventually nodded.
"Then have faith that he can pull through this. Zeus may have made a mistake disposing of him so quickly. That's our hope right there. Finn is a survivor, and much too stubborn to die quietly, especially when there are people in need. People like you and your citizens."
A hollow silence fell upon the room, as everyone within collected their thoughts. Bonnie had gone ahead and taken a seat, giving Phoebe some space to absorb it all. CB kept close to his king, expression holding blank. While PB expected her to take significantly longer to contemplate, she found the Fire Kingdom's ruler quietly step over to her, taking a seat beside her on the room's only other stool. Cinnamon Bun leaned against what little unoccupied wall remained.
Phoebe was absently overlapping her hands, a stoic look to her, as if caught between two different emotions.
"How did this all happen? How did you two bring yourselves to create such a deception?"
Her voice conveyed trace amounts of understandable disbelief and disappointment, but, the tone itself surprised Bonnibel by how gentle it was. Seeing as everything else had been laid out, the pink woman found no reason to hold back, taking in a deep breath.
"I'm guessing he told you why he did it."
FP nodded solemnly. Her counterpart let out the earlier breath, knowing where she needed to pick up from now.
"Finn didn't change in the slightest while rebuilding the Candy Kingdom; bent on never allowing for personal agenda ever again. I was the one who mentioned your search for a bodyguard to him."
Phoebe blinked, somewhat surprised.
"It was my attempt at bringing him back to himself, to smiling and laughing. When me, Jake, even Marceline failed to, I thought you would be the best thing for him."
Over on the side of the room, CB's features softened.
"Unfortunately, he wasn't fazed. Sure, he accepted the idea, but refused to go as himself."
She chuckled briefly.
"When he gave me the idea of changing him into a fire elemental I punched him in the face."
Flame Princess's gaze gradually appeared to shift. She'd never been exposed to this side of Bonnibel; the one who was a person with dear friends rather than a calculated figurehead.
"I told him it was wrong to give up his humanity, his uniqueness, just to avoid you. I said there was no guarantee I could reverse it. He was insistent however that there was nothing left to preserve of his race, eventually convincing me to fulfill his request, for the sake of responsibility."
She huffed.
"Ironic, isn't it?"
Phoebe simply nodded.
Bonnibel spun around in her chair, reaching over and typing on a keyboard. The screen in front of it removed the data presented, replacing it with a recording. Cinnamon Bun left the wall and made his way to look over PB's shoulder, while Flame Princess turned her attention to the new display as well. Bonnie hit 'play'.
The video depicted the candy ruler's subterranean lab, the metal table at center. Upon it lay Finn, still in his human form. PB was off to the side, working on massive machinery to prepare for her friend's procedure. Finally, the intimidating laser that hung above the hero took up the top of the screen. It shone with bright energy, but only for a second longer.
The crimson beam had fired into him, instantly filling the audio with his screaming. PB frowned and set her eyes down, not wishing to see it again. Cinnamon Bun had pursed his lips tightly and lowered his brow, finding it painful to watch as much as it was to listen. Indeed, seeing a human's skin being consumed by what looked like lava sprouting from his chest was a ghastly sight, as was the violent yet self-restrained shaking Finn was going through. Phoebe on the other hand, had her mouth hung open, eyes wide, pupils shaking as she witnessed what the hero had gone through to shroud himself from her. The video went on like this for another minute, until a steaming, semi-conscious flame human was left lying on the table, occasionally twitching.
Bonnie shut the recording off, happy to be rid of that particular chapter of her recollection. CB turned away, his expression conveying his amazement of what Finn was willing to go through. Flame Princess had her hands covering her mouth, looking on the verge of tears. Regardless, she kept listening as PB resumed.
"Finn had decided faking his death was the most effective way to hide his absence. I had the gumball guardians relocate his treehouse to a secret location, replacing it with a fake. Finn himself lit it up, and we both watched it burn to the ground."
Cinnamon Bun grunted, now realizing why the essence the Olympians gathered from the site had been Finn's. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something out of place. On a table nearby, surrounded by all manner of chemistry equipment, yet prominently displayed in a high-density vial, was a dark red liquid.
"What is that?" he questioned, drawing the girls' attention.
Peebles nodded towards the vial, a weary look in her eyes.
"That is a sample of Finn's human blood. Besides repairing the gumball guardian that was taken down, all my time is given to finding a safe process to turn him back to normal."
CB frowned at the quite depleted sample.
"That isn't much," he commented.
"I've tried many times. Each attempt requires a new, uncontaminated specimen. Regrettably, I can't synthesize more of it."
CB nodded solemnly.
"So your trials are limited."
The candy princess affirmed, tightening her fists.
"Yes."
After a moment, Peebles was startled by a hand being placed on her shoulder. Turning, she found Phoebe giving her a mixed expression of conflict and, to her astonishment, understanding. The fiery girl appeared to take some time to put her words together, but ultimately looked her fellow ruler in the eye.
"What you did was follow the wishes of a friend. It hurt everyone, including me, Jake, anyone who cared about Finn. You lied, the biggest lie I've ever come across in my life."
She closed her eyes.
"But it wasn't a selfish lie. You were willing to do whatever it took to help him find his heart again. Your lie was for him, for his own good and in the grand scheme of things, all of Ooo."
She looked at Bonnie again.
"I won't say it hasn't caused me pain and anger, but I have to respect the resolve both you and he have shown."
Bubblegum stared with jaw hung open, eyes practically glistening at the fire elemental's words.
"Phoebe…"
The fiery monarch clutched Finn's locket.
"I'll do it. I'll keep believing in his resolve. I'll use it to fight back and free my kingdom."
A hand was placed over the one on PB's shoulder. The Candy Kingdom's princess nodded firmly, a renewed determination flaring in her eyes.
"Then I'll stand with you, all the way."
Past all the frustration, sorrow, and confusion, Phoebe found herself able to surface a smile, one of gratitude. Though she didn't trust Bonnibel fully, she did trust her enough to know the woman cared for her friends and would do anything to help them; the footage from earlier was proof of that.
Blurs of orange and merlot swam in waves, refusing to give up any more detail. No matter how many times his eyes battled to focus, the struggle was painstaking and provided little progress. He tried raising a hand to his sight, hoping to rub them open as he did when he awoke in the morning. Neither arm budged further than his chest, immensely sore and stiff all at once. The young man forced himself to recall what had happened. A hand was left to rest against his upper body, instantly discovering a tear in his shirt. Beneath that, a messy texture of what could be mistaken for roots. His eyes suddenly opened fully, though his vision was still clouded.
I was stabbed!
Finn gradually moved his hand underneath his attire, feeling the skin on and around his wound. A massive tangle of unnatural fibers was clotting the affected area, effectively sealing it. All at once, the hero found his muscles reactivate, scrambling into a sitting position against the rock directly behind him. The movement seemed to shake his sight loose of dullness, allowing him to finally gaze upon the wound himself. Sure enough, foreign matter, colored the same as his lava vine, was plugging up the hole burned through his chest. The sword itself clung to his arm still, notably tighter than he'd ever remembered it.
Finn couldn't help but sigh.
"I go, you go," he realized.
Taking his eyes off the cursed weapon, the young man stared straight ahead, seeing his legs sprawled out before him. Just beyond his heels, thin trails of freshly cooled lava were present, leading all the way back towards the river of molten rock. A revelation quickly dawned.
He didn't crawl out, he was dragged out.
"That's some trinket you've got there,"
Swinging his head around, Finn pinpointed the voice's origin, laying eyes on a hooded figure sat upon a nearby rock. At the current angle between the two, only the being's eyes and mouth were visible. He was smiling.
The hero's expression turned to horror when his lava vine acted on its own will, responding to the subconscious image of Ares flashing into his mind. The weapon morphed into spear form, believing its host to be in danger. The vine's deadly tip shot forward, aiming to impale the cloaked figure immediately.
I'll definitely apologize for that, what is it now, two month wait? I've ben getting beaten down pretty good with two jobs on my shoulders. It takes a lot more energy for me to write than to read, but at least I was able to review all the great stuff others updated. That said, I managed to settle down a bit with work and should have better chances to update more often. In fact, I'll be pushing to update this story every Thursday starting next week. I appreciate the patience you all gave and will uphold my oath to complete this, as I always have. Thanks so much.
gamelover41592: It isn't much honestly, but thanks.
Fiery Crusader: We'll see much later just how firm the brothers' resolve is...
Lord of Grief: That means a lot, sure thing.
The Space Wizard Storybook: I feel the OOC may have crept up, but hopefully you all liked it.
TheMentalAdventurer: Yeah, I can see it that way too. I might have felt that way about it while writing.
TimeManipulator99: I've actually been trying to convince you guys he's dead these past chapters, just for fun. :P
Neo Deadmau5: It'll be quite far from the rest of the action.
MUTO TOHO: He got 'killed'.
Major144: A lot more, in fact. By the way I'm a little over halfway through Family by this point.
Ledgeion: Yep, that pretty much sums it up.
The last British: There he is for you, I'll keep him coming from here on out.
Escapism-my-refuge: Your hype is rewarded.
Johnny: Can't say I have.
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!