Haze of War
Many soldiers had seen their leader step into the medical hut. Few, if any, expected her to walk back out holding a child composed of blue fire, with Finn striding diligently by her side. More frozen out of shock than respect for authority, the men all stared with open mouths as the trio gradually approached the marketplace acting as the outpost's nerve center. Weis, who was speaking with another officer just outside the room, was drawn to the sight as well, once his companion abruptly went silent and looked past the commander's shoulder. Turning around, the man in charge blinked, but saluted nonetheless.
"Your highness, Sir Finn- I, uh, think…" Finn offhandedly rubbed the back of his neck, while Flame Princess nodded in acknowledgement.
"We're ready to move forward, commander. Assemble inside, and call my other knight back." Weis nodded, quickly moving further from the building before raising a hand and sending a ball of flame into the sky, where it detonated shortly after just above the two-story mark. Finn and FP made their way into the meeting room as forces reorganized for debrief. Inside the room, one officer yet remained to study the maps, but immediately backed away in surprise as the ruler of the kingdom entered with her knight, who was equally intimidating.
Phoebe handed the still asleep Aleen over to Finn, allowing her to straighten her clothes and prepare for a proper conversation with her subordinates. Within minutes, Weis had returned, followed closely by his second officer and Cinnamon Bun. Finn instinctually looked away as he met eyes with his fellow protector, trying to focus on Aleen's gentle heartbeat. The candy person stepped over to be beside the young man, folding his arms in front of him and looking to FP. Clearly, he knew now wasn't the time to talk. As everyone piled in, it was obvious they needed a moment to accept the child-carrying flame human back from the dead. His actions earlier were still sinking in. Finally, Phoebe softly cleared her throat.
"Thank you all for responding quickly. We have little time to act, in light of recent developments." A few eyes glanced at Finn and Aleen. "Hermes may be gone but he was only one of an entire team, not to mention one with an expendable army at their beck and call." The gathered elementals grimaced at the facts, but listened intently. Phoebe approached the table, placing her hand on the kingdom map.
"At least now, with their scout gone, the Olympians have taken a loss to their information gathering ability. We should use this time to move forward and strike them, rather than allowing the legionaries to grind us into nothing hour after hour." She turned to the commander. "Weis, what can you tell me about the other outposts' engagements?"
The man in question stepped forward, pointing on the map. "The southern outpost has been relatively secure, sustaining the largest force, namely in preemptive defense of the mining facility being used to house civilians. They've reported occasional groups of legionaries emerging from the lava, but nothing that couldn't be easily dealt with." He moved up with his finger. "The eastern camp has even less to report. Being close to the main base at the palace ruins, they do little more than guard the entrance to the kingdom per usual. So far, they've seen nothing." He then placed his sights on the final location, his brow furrowing. "The northern outpost is… an unknown."
Flame Princess frowned, folding her arms and scanning that region of the map. "Explain."
Weis balled the hand supporting his weight over the table. "About an hour ago they reported in on a mess of vibrations coming from the ground. They thought it might be an earthquake, but noticed that the tremors were rhythmic."
Finn, FP, and Cinnamon Bun exchanged looks.
"A short time later, they reported being under attack by the legion. Their commander said they were holding, but requested reinforcements if we could spare them. I sent who I could. Neither the camp nor my men have called in since."
The room was silent with anxiety for a moment, as those present shifted uncomfortably and looked to their ruler for a response. Surprisingly, she looked over to her flame human knight.
"Finn, you came from the western frontier. Can you tell us anything of an enemy presence?" Everyone in the room focused on the hero, who swallowed nervously at the sudden attention. The fire elementals here knew who he was now; he wasn't sure exactly how much respect or scorn they held for him. Seeing no way out of it, he did his best to reply earnestly.
"I sensed nothing as I made my way here. Wherever Hermes and the…legionnaires? came from, it definitely wasn't from the west." He paused, wondering if he should say anything more. For the moment, his peers seemed to be attentive, and hopeful. "I'm not military, but, I'd suggest moving the outpost closer to the palace base, to tighten communications and our ability to mobilize."
He stopped cold, nearly holding his breath, watching the reactions from everyone in the room. The officers vaguely murmured amongst themselves, a thoughtful expression on their faces. CB remained stoic, while Flame Princess seemed to hold a sense of admiration somewhere in her features, turning to her commander for confirmation. Weis said nothing at first, contemplating, studying the map, then finally nodded firmly.
"I agree. There's no use leaving ourselves open to further attacks." One of the others raised a hand.
"But we were attacked, even from this position. Doesn't that say something?" Again, a subtle debate was begun, but Finn stepped forward, finding more confidence.
"They weren't here for you, I think. They were here for her." He motioned to the slumbering Aleen, who was somehow still in her state despite the noise. One of Weis' officers furrowed his brow, looking over the little girl.
"Her? What makes you say that? And frankly, what is she?" Not only Finn, but even Phoebe felt a bit irked by the man's tone. Regardless, the hero tightened his hold on the child and stared back at the militant.
"She's with me. As for why I'm so sure, Hermes only appeared after she made it to your outpost. As a scout, Hermes would've definitely been skilled in reading the energies of other elementals. He probably sensed Aleen's unique energy, and attacked the camp trying to find the source."
Before anyone else could comment, Weis stood up straight, addressing the group. "I'm inclined to believe that. When the assault began, I could tell that snake was shifting around the camp, looking for something." He glanced at Aleen. "There's nothing else of value here, otherwise they wouldn't have sent an actual Olympian, rather than just a horde of legionnaires to demolish the place." Phoebe brightened, adding her own thoughts.
"That was all but confirmed with Hermes' words during the attack."
A few of the men nodded in agreement, but the one who'd questioned Finn drew a glare on his face.
"So the reason we were attacked, the reason we lost so many men and were backed into a corner, was because of that girl?" He looked directly at Finn. "And she's with you? Anything else you want to put us through?"
"Lieutenant…"
All bodies in the room stiffened at the tone of voice, followed closely by an unnatural heat spike, one that even caused CB to swear his skin was softening. All eyes moved to Flame Princess, who was staring at the man that had accused Finn. Said officer quickly shifted to a look of fear. Though her expression was calm, Phoebe exuded nothing but disapproval.
"She is a citizen of this land, moreover, she is not a fighter, but a civilian. As a soldier of the fire army, it is your duty to protect people like her in the event that the enemy attempts to bring harm to her, regardless of how different she may be." She raised a hand to motion to Finn, never letting her eyes drop from the lieutenant. "By sending her here to safety in the face of hazardous conditions, Finn performed his own duty to the kingdom, even while technically no longer being a part of it." The fiery ruler lowered her head just slightly. "If he held his honor in such a situation, where does that put you?"
Each word had been spoken firmly and with a hint of darkness. The man was left shivering, though tried his best to hide it. He glanced over at Finn and Aleen, the flame human displaying a neutral expression towards him. Finally, the militant hung his head, ceasing his shaking.
"I, I apologize, your highness. I was out of line." Weis didn't hesitate to follow up on that claim, nodding towards his subordinate.
"See to it that you build on that. In the meantime, have the men pack up. We're following the suggestion and moving in towards the palace ruins. Make sure those medical supplies receive top priority, it's a mess I that hut." The lieutenant saluted quickly, making his way out the door before anything else could be said. Weis let out a breath, looking to his ruler.
"What will you do, your highness?"
Phoebe stared at the map again, debating her next move. She finally faced her commander, a determined look on her face. "We'll be returning to base ahead of your movement. I need to confer with my brother and General Tellus. I'll contact you when we've reached a decision." Weis nodded, moving to join his men outside, everyone exiting the room. Once in the open, CB whistled with his fingers, not a second passing before Jake 2's bark was heard across the village. He bounded down from a nearby wall, walking up and going prone next to the king's group.
Just as they were about to embark, Aleen grunted softly in Finn's grasp, slowly opening her eyes. The flame human smiled and carefully set her down, making sure she could stand on her own feet. The will-o-wisp rubbed her eyes to remove the grogginess, then blinked a few times. She spotted Finn, but immediately looked past him upon seeing Cinnamon Bun in her peripheral. The little girl's eyes widened in wonder, having never seen a candy person before.
"Wow! Who are you, mister?" The knight flinched, not expecting such a reaction, looking uncertainly down at the young one as Finn knelt down and placed his hands on Aleen's shoulders.
"Aleen, this is Cinnamon Bun. He's from the Candy Kingdom, a land far from here. He's one of Phoebe's personal knights." The will-o-wisp looked on with renewed awe, which CB couldn't decide was flattering or uncomfortable.
"Then he's almost as amazing as you are," the girl replied. At that, CB's face dropped, furrowing his brow. FP stifled a giggle, while Finn gave an awkward grin.
"Oh really?" the candy knight began, folding his arms. "Well I've got a fire wolf that can fly. How's that for amazing?" he challenged. Aleen merely blinked at him.
"Then the wolf is amazing, not you."
Phoebe truly had a hard time suppressing her giggling now, while Finn chuckled nervously. Cinnamon Bun's face darkened, mortified, as he backed off, sighing.
"Come on, let's get moving," he deadpanned. Agreeing, everyone piled on behind the candy person as he climbed onto JT's back. Aleen sat between Phoebe and Finn, with the flame human taking up the rear. The will-o-wisp seemed rather excited to fly on the beast, affectionately ruffling his fur. The reaction seemed positive, as Jake 2's tail began waging. Soon enough, CB had him take off, bounding for the palace base while staying earthbound.
No sooner had they traveled out of sight of the western outpost that Finn suddenly tensed. Something had washed over them in an instant, something familiar, yet different. He could feel abnormal heat rippling about the surrounding air, and it was constant, like a mass of fumes had been released. It scratched at his head, somehow frustrating him as he tried to figure out what it was. He looked to his companions, but they didn't seem to notice anything. Aleen was still happily clinging to JT's fur, letting herself nestle into Finn's chest.
"Did you guys feel that at all?" he ventured, cautious.
"Feel anything? Like what?" CB inquired, sounding a bit curt. The hero frowned, thinking how to say it.
"Like, a strange sense of heat, different from the rest." Phoebe looked at him from over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised.
"Finn, there's volcanic imbalance all over the place right now, you can't be getting us all suspicious of every pitch in temperature. Doesn't your new power let you detect things like that?" Finn opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when FP turned back to face forward. Her attitude seemed different, as if exhausted by his worry, or dismissive. He looked down at Aleen, who seemed to have a similar thought, looking up at him with concern in her eyes.
Regardless, they pressed on, JT jumping vehemently from rock to rock.
Finn was appalled by the site of the palace ruins when they at last emerged on the horizon. Even with the base set up on top of the rubble, he could clearly see the outline of where there were once hallways, chambers, and stairs that led up or down. He sighed, wishing he'd been there to protect the royal abode, but knew it was all in the past. It was time to focus on the current threat. JT made several more leaps, during which Finn could hear the flame guards on the FOB's perimeter call out their approach. The fire wolf bounded over the last stretch of lava, landing safely at the foot of the ruins, immediately swarmed by soldiers happy to see their leader again.
And stunned to see Finn again.
As everyone disembarked, the flame human helped Aleen down, hearing whispers from behind him. As he stood back up and took the little one's hand, he scanned the surrounding men. Most, if not all, were outright glaring at him. He nervously began following FP, who led the way further into the base. She seemed oblivious to the cold reaction of her troops, or didn't care.
"Where's my brother," she demanded, striding forward as more and more soldiers saluted her in passing. Fortunately, no one needed to answer, as right when Finn was passing the remnant of a wall, he stopped, eyes wide at the spear that was now impaled inches from his face. Aleen yelped, hugging his leg. All eyes turned to the source of the weapon, only to witness the seething form of Flint, teeth bared as he stared at the flame human.
"What in the name of Grod are you doing in our camp?" he growled, beginning to walk forward. He spotted his sister nearby, giving her a dismissive glance. "Phoebe, why isn't he dead? Or are you giving me the honor of beating his face into the gr- OOF!"
The man fell to his knees as the crowd gasped in shock. Flint clutched at his stomach, while his sister stood above him, lowering her fist and sending him a look of disdain.
"I'm not dealing with this again, Flint," she remarked. "He's here as an ally, so get over it and take us to Tellus!" Flint seemed completely baffled by the reaction, hesitantly getting back to his feet and taking a step back. Even so, part of his expression said he was almost willing to retaliate if provoked further.
"Fine. Let's go." He motioned leading the way. Jake 2 flew off to go about his business, while Finn and Cinnamon Bun took up the back of their group. The fire soldiers resumed their tasks and movements as they walked, though Finn still noticed then shooting him disapproving glances. Something definitely felt wrong. Yes, they had reason to be angry with him, but they also knew he valiantly protected the kingdom and their ruler. Even Weis showed him a respectful demeanor back at the outpost, as did his men. Perhaps word of Hermes' demise hadn't spread here yet?
As the flame human pondered this all, Flint looked at him over his shoulder, up at the front. He then spoke towards his sister.
"So who's the kid?" he asked as casually as possible. FP kept her eyes forward, but replied nonetheless.
"She's with Finn. You bother her, you lose your teeth." Flint grimaced, but didn't back down in attitude.
"What, is he her babysitter?" he sneered, now seeing the command tent in sight. Phoebe shoved past him, apparently deciding he wasn't worth the sass.
"More than that," she simply answered, just as CB and the hand-in-hand pair overtook the prince as well. Appalled by the behavior, he shot his sister a look of disbelief before grunting and following them into the tent. Instantly upon entering, Phoebe caught sight of General Tellus, sitting at the far end of the table that occupied the room's center, anxiously rubbing his eyes with a thumb and index finger. The man looked quite drained, but was able to at least give a half-baked smile upon noticing his king enter.
"Your highness, fortunate that you're back at last." He stood up, giving a small bow to his superior. The man spotted Finn beside Cinnamon Bun, as well as Aleen, who was half hiding behind the flame human's cloak. Tellus gave the girl a curious gaze, which she responded to with a blink, unsure how nice he was compared to those outside. Aware he needed to report, the general put the thought aside and faced his leader.
"It's gotten bad in the past hour or so." FP furrowed her brow, folding her arms as she stepped closer to the man.
"What do you mean?" Tellus sighed with a heavy breath, leaning over and placing his palms on the table.
"Everyone's… on edge. There have been fights breaking out all over the base. The men have grown extremely hostile towards Princess Bubblegum, to the point where I actually had to step in and put them in their place before they threw a fireball at her equipment." He shot a gaze at Flint. "Your brother seemed all too eager to turn a blind eye."
The flame prince's astonishment quickly shifted to anger.
"Excuse me?! Enlighten me to her role in all this, old man. What good is she to the kingdom? All she does is play with her chemistry set all day!"
Phoebe slammed her palms on the table, gathering all attention and causing Aleen to retreat further beneath Finn's cloak.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, FLINT!" she bellowed, her form destabilizing momentarily into a far more vicious figure. The prince flinched, stepping away from the table. Flame Princess returned to normal, glaring across at her brother. Finn shook his head subtly enough to be unnoticed. Something was definitely wrong. That itch was still at the back of his mind, like someone was poking him with a dagger. It miffed him something fierce, but he stayed calm on the outside, for Aleen's sake.
"Bonnibel is the only reason we were able to retake this area, as well as providing the info we need to fight the Phoenixian Legion effectively. She may have committed an act of aggression in the past, but we need that shrewdness now, especially in light of Athena."
General Tellus seemed to hang his head at that name, to which FP briefly placed her hand on the old man's shoulder in comfort. The fiery ruler then took a deep breath to try maintaining composure. Just as she was about to speak however, a new visitor entered the tent, turning all eyes upon her. The woman they'd just been discussing held the tent flaps open, huffing as if she'd dashed as fast as she could upon hearing the news. True to that assertion, her eyes widened in shock upon seeing the flame human standing by the table.
"Finn!" She rushed forward, ignoring Flint even as he tried to interject to her entry in the first place. Before the hero knew it, he was being embraced by the pink woman, feeling her tremble as he gently patted her back. "Thank Glob you're alright. I know you're tough to break, but it sounded so severe when Phoebe told me."
Finn could hear her crying from within her environmental suit, so he just smiled, feeling the frustration in his mind retreat for now. Eventually, PB stepped away, her cheeks stained a bit, but smiling brightly nonetheless. She studied his eyes, intrigued.
"Looks like that form was damaged even more after your ordeal." The hero grinned, forgetting that his true ocean blues were permanently fixed into his appearance now. As they talked, Aleen seemed to lean out of her hiding, looking the princess up and down. She noticed the girl, immediately stunned by her coloration.
"Finn, is that, a blue fire elemental?" The flame human looked down at Aleen, who whizzed back behind his cloak at being noticed. He smiled softly, kneeling down and revealing the will-o-wisp again, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Aleen, this is Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum. Remember when I told you about the Candy Kingdom? She'd its ruler." The girl's persistent awe at new encounters showed once again, as she stepped out and stared back at PB. "Bonnie, this is Aleen. She's a friend from the village that helped me recover after I was injured." He ruffled the little one's hair. "I guess you could say I've taken her under my wing."
Peebles absorbed the information, still amazed by the cobalt flames emitted by the fiery being's body.
"I, I guess I'll ask later. We've got bigger issues to deal with." She waved at Aleen as friendly as she could, smiling to the girl with her regal mannerisms. "Hello there, it's nice to meet you." Aleen responded positively to the greeting, softening her features. "You can call me Bonnie, ok? I'm like a big sister to Finn, keeping him out of trouble, if possible."
The will-o-wisp's eyes grew as Finn rubbed the back of his head.
"So you're Aunt Bonnie?" she declared with little restraint. PB was nearly startled by the declaration, immediately shooting her eyes at Finn for clarification.
"It's… a long story," he settled on. It did the trick, causing Bonnibel to nod. Just as the group was about to resume, two fire soldiers burst into the tent, scanning the room rapidly before pointing at the candy princess with scowls on their faces.
"Gum lady, you're not permitted to enter this tent! Escort yourself out or we'll do it for you, with excessive force!" PB did not respond to this positively, instantly grabbing one of the stones that held the map in place from the table and hurling it with all her might at the pair of guards.
"Yes I am, you dinguses!" she screeched, the two men dodging the projectile as it sailed outside. "Your own ruler allowed me to convene for tactical analysis and progress reports, so don't you dare try pulling that garbage on me! And stay away from my tools! I'll have my guardians grind you into the dirt beneath their heels!"
Although the two elementals were clearly intimidated by the much unexpected outburst, they sneered back, exiting back outside with a few curses muttered under their breath. Finn noticed a shaking from his leg, looking down to see Aleen was borderline terrified by the exchange. He comforted her by ruffling her hair again, which seemed to work. PB huffed for a minute, then finally turned to face the group, placed fingers to her temple.
"I'm sorry. They've been pushing my buttons for a while now. I have enough stress as it is, trying to work on a reversal for your state, as well as offhandedly looking into the Olympians." Finn nodded, seeing her predicament. Yet, it was rare to see such a rise out of her. Everyone in fact, except for Aleen it seemed, was particularly unstable and aggressive. With that settled, Phoebe resumed the meeting at last.
"General, did you receive news from the outposts?" Tellus nodded, placing his hands behind his back.
"Yes. We just got word from Commander Weis that his company had begun pulling back to a closer position. Once they've located a suitable landmass, they'll reconstruct the lookout. As for the others, we still have no word from the north. I fear that the Olympians themselves had established a foothold there."
Everyone in the room tensed.
"The east sends regular reports that all is well, so I'm not too concerned. The enemy seems uninterested in leaving the area anytime soon. We haven't received word from the southern outpost in some time, as well as the civilian camp." Phoebe turned to her brother.
"Flint, what can you tell me about the hiding place?" The flame prince leaned over the table, pointing with his finger to the location in question.
"It's a secure facility, located a few dozen feet underground. The shell of a refinery still sits on top of it, but there's little incentive for the Olympians to attack." He looked up to his sister. "We've noticed they seem to ignore civilians, for the moment at least." FP nodded, glad that some good news remained. This was quickly negated however, as the enchanted candle in the center of the table began jutting out bursts of fire in sets of two. Those with military status in the room narrowed their eyes.
"Distress call, the southern outpost," Flint growled. He waved his hand towards the flame, immediately causing it to burst with strength and expand to create a portal between itself and whoever was calling out to them from the other side. The noise was jumbled for a moment, before finally clarifying. To the groups' distaste, it was the sounds of battle. The fire soldier who answered already had a trickle of blood moving down his temple.
"Sir! We need suppressive action now!" Flint leaned further over the table, gritting his teeth.
"What the hell is going on over there?! Are the civilians safe?" The man on the other end scowled, surprisingly.
"They're fine, dammit, I'm calling about the men! They've gone insane! One argument broke out into absolute pandemonium! Everyone is trying to tear the other apart!" He was interrupted by someone charging at him, but from what they could see, he successfully kicked the rouge away. "This has been going on for the past hour, I only just managed to get a call out to you!" Tellus, Flint, and Phoebe all exchanged glances, baffled as to what was happening. Finn however, suddenly cut in, realization hitting him like a train.
"Ares."
All heads turned to the flame human, who was sending a stern look through the fire portal. PB noticeably grinded her teeth, while Tellus folded his arms, furrowing his brow. Flint looked at the hero in disbelief, as if thinking the young man had a screw loose. Phoebe, meanwhile, just stared at him, her expression unreadable. FP's brother finally acted, looking to the flame connection.
"Soldier, are there any claw marks on you?" The man on the other end looked astonished by the question, but nonetheless placated his superior, his face looking down as he patted himself over.
"Wh- no! What kind of question is that!?" Flint's eye twitched, prepared to call out insubordination, but neglected it in favor of venting to someone he already hated.
"That scum needs to slash them to infect with rage, doesn't he, baby man? Did some of your brain cells die off when you were comatose?" Finn was finally irked. He stepped away from Aleen, who called out to him in a whimper. But he ignored it. The flame human got a few steps towards the prince before CB's lance came between him and Flint. Looking over, the hero saw the candy knight shake his head carefully, dissuading him from continuing. "Let him come, pastry. I would adore an excuse to splatter him over the walls."
Phoebe opened her mouth to yell at her brother, but all attention was suddenly drawn to the candle flame, the solider contacting them letting out a jarring sound that instilled them with fear. The man's eyes went dim, and as his face fell away; they could already see embers falling off his disintegrating body. Even more terrifying, was the face left behind in his wake, grinning at the lot of them with its razor sharp teeth. Finn paled, while Aleen hid behind him again.
No one spoke, but they could all see Ares' form, stripped of the silver casing they'd seen when encountering him before. His vicious eyes scanned across the room, as if delighting in seeing them all gathered. He finally stopped at the sight of Finn, his empty eyes widening in glee. A clawed hand was raised, Ares' folding in his fingers, beckoning the flame human.
"Come, follow the path…" he spoke, the voice causing Aleen to shiver. Then Ares' hand swiped at the portal, the flame instantly extinguishing itself. The assembled allies all stared at the empty candle for a minute, not daring to say a word. Eventually, Finn found the sense to look at Flint once more, setting his face into a glare.
"Convinced now?" Despite the spite the flame prince held for him, Phoebe's brother only looked upon him with shock, shaking his head slowly.
"No. This, this doesn't make sense. How is he doing this?" It wasn't directed at Finn personally, evident as Flint placed his hands on the table again, staring at the southern outpost marking on the map. Finn waited a short time before replying, addressing the tent as a whole.
"His confinement is gone, you all saw that. He's an efreet, don't forget. Now that his power is free to flow out, there's no doubt it can stretch beyond the need for physical infliction." He faced everyone in turn. "Haven't you noticed? All of you, even me, are showing signs of increased aggression. I felt it, when we left the western outpost, the wave of rage washing over the kingdom."
As he concluded, Flint's fist slammed into the table, the man growling low.
"Son of a-!" The rest silently emanated his reaction, unsure how to speak now that they'd been made aware of the circumstances. Phoebe took a deep breath through her nostrils, keeping composure.
"This has to be our top priority. We can't function with the army in chaos. Not to mention the civilians are close by. Who knows how Ares' aura is affecting them?"
Flint nodded solemnly.
"It's quite cramped down there."
FP nodded back, biting her lower lip. Tellus stood straight beside her, reaffirming his position.
"But why now? Why risk letting that monster loose? This seems so reckless, especially if Zeus is still taking consul from Niol- from Athena." Peebles stepped forward, placing her own hand on the map, near the northern outpost.
"It's a distraction. They know Finn survived." This statement quickly created unease, with everyone giving the flame human a glance. PB continued once she regained their attention. "Whatever they're doing, they want to buy time for whatever their endgame is. We need to respond immediately by sending a force to engage in the north."
While some agreed with a grunt or nod, Flint stared daggers at the royal.
"You don't command our forces, gum lady. I'll be the one to mobilize, and only after discussing with the general and my-"
"Flint!" Tellus bellowed firmly, drawing the prince's attention. The older man huffed, shaking off the frustration as best he could. "The princess invokes correctly. Talk all you want, but she holds more tactical experience than several of your lifetimes. Her advisement will be considered as we act."
Flint growled in annoyance, but backed off, at last turning to storm out of the tent, not another word to the group. Once he was gone, PB breathed in apparent relief.
"Thank you, general. As I was saying, I suggest a small force be sent to incur on the northern outpost, if nothing else than to obtain information on what happened there. I'll followed behind them personally to establish communication and plan our next move." Tellus and Phoebe nodded, the latter impressed that she'd enter the fray herself. The general then continued from her stopping point.
"I'll go with you to command the troops. Your highness, you and Flint should remain here to hold order and keep the FOB operational." Flame Princess seemed reluctant to staying behind, but relented to the general's reasoning. She then turned to her candy knight.
"CB, go with them. You and JT can scout ahead. I don't want you all walking into an ambush." Cinnamon Bun seemed prone to disagree at first, but then watched as his king placed a hand to her chest. "I'll be fine," she proclaimed earnestly, feeling the full-force of her restored power fluctuating within herself. Her protector nodded firmly, awaiting the rest of the battle plan.
"Weis should be able to watch our backs if any enemies try sneaking around while we advance. And finally…" Tellus looked over at Finn. "There's Ares to deal with. If we can secure the south and our noncombatants, they entire movement will be that much more solid." The flame human pursed his lips, fisted tightening at his side.
"I'll go. Alone." Naturally, the two women in the room were astonished.
"Finn, you can't be serious!" Bonnie exclaimed stepping over to him. "That monster nearly had you destroy the Candy Kingdom all over again! Now that's he's free of his shackles, what makes you think you stand a chance by yourself?" FP concurred moving to stand beside her knight.
"I have to side with her on this one, Finn. What stops you from being enraged again?" The two rulers watched as their dear companion sighed, hanging his head. Soon after, he looked them both in the eyes.
"It's because of that danger that I'm going alone. If no one else is nearby, no one can get hurt by me, or him for that matter. I'll lure him away from your people, then take him out." It was Tellus who responded, furrowing his brow skeptically.
"What makes you think you have the power to do so? Hermes may have been an Olympian, but this efreet is clearly on a different level." In reply to the general's inquiry, Finn faced him, holding up his right arm. As everyone watched, the seven rings glowed to life upon his flesh, eliciting multiple stunned reactions. PB was more confused than anything, as was Cinnamon Bun, but General Tellus seemed at a loss of breath, stepping back as if in the presence of a revered being. "It can't be…" he breathed quietly.
Finn lowered his arm, letting the light of the sages' blessings fade away. The atmosphere of the tent was allowed to settle for a minute, until Tellus swallowed, at last nodding affirmatively in Finn's direction. "Very well. We'll leave him to you." Without waiting another second, Phoebe stepped up to the militant.
"You can't be serious, general!" Any further line was cut off as Tellus raised his hand, respectfully asking her to let him explain.
"Your highness, my grandfather told stories of how an Emissary decimated two warring factions that threatened the stability of the kingdom, leaving such destruction in their wake that your ancestor took the throne without so much as a show of force. There was no one left to oppose him." He looked his ruler in the eye. "Though it's astonishing that someone of his situation would be chosen, have no doubt, Finn holds far greater power than he realizes, even if only a fraction of what a natural fire elemental could command." As FP was left speechless, the old man turned to the flame human.
"Finn, embrace those gifts, learn to control them without restraint. I'm asking for a lot, considering how little time we have, but there's no other choice. You've become a beacon of hope in an ever-growing conflict." Tellus placed a hand over his matrix. "Please, we need your strength."
The hero was left with all attention on him, each face eyeing him expectantly. Bonnie and Phoebe still looked split on the issue, likely hoping he'd reconsider, despite Tellus' confidence. In the end, he looked down at Aleen, who had calmed down since the outburst earlier. Her obsidian eyes spoke of worry. Worry for him, of what might come if he isn't strong enough. At the same time, he knew there was a simple fact: so long as Ares lived, there could be no peace, no safety, for anyone, including the little one he now cared for. He briefly gave her shoulder a light squeeze, then looked up to the others.
"I'll win." He declared.
General Tellus nodded to him, allowing a small smile to show his appreciation. Next to the man, Flame Princess stared at Finn in disbelief, still not accepting it all. PB looked no better, but chose not to intervene, instead eyeing their military veteran.
"Very well. All of you, let's prepare for mobilization. Finn, get yourself what you need. You'll be heading out first." The flame human nodded, adding in a salute, then motioned for Aleen to take his hand and turned to leave the tent, leaving the rest to do as they needed. All except Phoebe, who, after a moment of silence, marched forward after him.
Upon reemerging into the camp, she quickly spotted him knelt down by the nearest barracks tent, speaking to Aleen with a gentle smile on his face. She made her way over, catching the tail end of his speech to the little one as he ruffled her wispy hair.
"You'll be safe here with Phoebe. She and Flint can handle anything that might go after you, ok?" The will-o-wisp seemed on the verge of tears, obviously disliking the idea of him heading back into battle. She rushed into his arms, rubbing her cheek into his.
"I don't want you to go! That guy was scary! And he makes everyone mean!" FP gazed sadly at the girl as she let herself be held in Finn's reciprocating hug, her blue flames dimming slightly. Truly, it looked like a father leaving his daughter behind to go to war. The image pricked at something within her, something that frustrated her beyond reason. Shaking her head, the woman strode forward, just as Finn stood up. He noticed her immediately after.
The two faced each other, not saying a word as activity buzzed around them. Tellus had evidentially sent the word out on their course of action, with squads of soldiers passing by the trio, paying them little mind. Many of them still yelled at one another, but held onto the sensibility to know what was required to protect their homeland. That, and Flint could be heard barking orders in the distance, no doubt exploiting his own bravado to lead the men.
"So you're really going, huh?" Phoebe asked, folding her arms as she set a hard look on her face. Finn blinked, but decided not to dwell too much on her composure, knowing Ares had the kingdom in his grip.
"Yeah, I am. It's for the best." As he took a moment to straighten out his cloak, he could swear he heard a tisk from the fiery girl.
"Is that what you said before this all began? When you said your last words to Bonnibel and came here?" Finn furrowed his brow, looking back up to her face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" FP was frowning at him now, while Aleen seemed to look between them uncomfortably.
"Have you even changed at all? You keep saying you have to do this alone, that anyone there will just be hurt by you. What if you need someone to snap you out of it, like back at the Candy Kingdom?" Finn frowned right back, taking a step towards her.
"Rattleballs didn't snap me out of it, he immobilized me, so that I wouldn't try to kill you." Phoebe stepped forward as well, nearly in his face.
"And now? It took one cut to send you into a rampage. One! If those men at the southern outpost were already trying to lay into one another, what do you think will happen when you engage Ares directly? In his state, you could be lost completely. You gave me back my full powers, and what am I doing with it? Staying here, for morale. If I go with you I can not only help fight him, but have the power to stop you from going berserk on anything besides that monster." Finn suddenly glared at her.
"And how will Aleen take it if both of us kill each other instead!?"
Phoebe's eyes widened, while the will-o-wisp's were on the verge of bursting again. They were already upsetting her; talking of losing them wasn't the best direction to go.
"Now you're taking such responsibility?" FP began, her eyes trembling. "After tossing away humanity, letting your brother think you're dead, letting me think you're dead, just for the sake of isolating yourself, now you want to be the big grownup who takes care of a kid?" She pointed a finger in his face.
"What do you even know about being there for her? Huh? Will you distance yourself 'for her sake', when the time comes, just like you did to us?"
Finn's anger had been building up until now, and he felt the alloy vine tighten around his arm.
"I thought we'd talk about this after Zeus is dealt with." Flame Princess scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Well since we're on the topic, why not now? Or do you just want to hurry up and leave before you have to deal with me any longer?" The flame human shook his head, trying to contain himself.
"Ares' aura is affecting us all, Phoebe. We're just going to get angrier…"
"I don't give a damn if he's the reason I'm like this! The issue is real! Aleen aside, you haven't shown any signs of growing past that lie you told me all those weeks ago. A selfish lie at that. I thought about it, and no, I don't consider it a necessary one. You decided, on your own, that stabbing everyone close to you in the heart was the best way to do a simple bodyguard assignment! Well look at us now! If you'd stayed yourself, there would've been no openings for Zeus and his cronies to take to get to me, and you, and the whole kingdom! We'd have all the support we needed, rather than juggling around the 'death' of Ooo's greatest defender!"
Finn swept his hand to the side, as if dismissing her claims.
"And I would still be a soft and flammable human! What would I have done with that exactly? Even with a flame shield, Zeus could've vaporized me in an instant! I wouldn't stand a chance against the Olympians, and I never would've become this Emissary that your people seem to bow towards!" He motioned to Aleen with his other hand. "And her! I never would've met her, or the other wonderful people of her village." He paused, gathering his thoughts.
"And I never would've learned my lesson!" Flame Princess stared at him in silence, the rush of soldiers' boots still obscuring any other sound in the area, including Aleen's quiet sobbing. Then the fire elemental spoke, calmly.
"Lessons have an easy way and a hard way. You chose the hard way, of your own free will. The result is the rubble you're standing on, and the chaos all around you. Not to mention the pain you inflicted on everyone, myself included."
Neither of them said a word for a long time, their eye contact remaining even as their lips were sealed. Most of the forces around the base had managed to organize themselves, with General Tellus finally emerging from the command tent, alongside Bonnie. The two were in deep conversation, not even noticing the fairly close Finn and Phoebe.
"Just go," she said.
Finn watched as FP bent down and took the now crying Aleen in her arms, holding her close and gently patting the girl's back, even as her expression remained hard and scrutinizing, coal eyes trained on the flame human's ocean blue.
"Go alone. Go prove to yourself you did the right thing, if that's what you want so badly. The rest of us will be here, together."
She didn't say another word, turning to walk away. Aleen's teary eyes managed to catch sight of the still hero as her chin rested on Phoebe's shoulder. She said nothing, but the pain was evident nonetheless. Finn's mind was a mess of thoughts, all exacerbated by that damned aura his next target was emitting. Desperate to escape that state of mind, his body acted, turning him around and bounding for the edge of the base, cloak billowing from the movements.
Upon Phoebe's shoulder, Aleen sniffled, reaching her hand out towards the disappearing Finn. The fiery ruler heard one last pained whisper before the girl seemingly cried herself to inertness.
"Mommy, daddy, don't fight…"
Dang, I actually managed to write this one in one sitting. That's a good sign. Some more drama for you guys here, some of which was being looked forward to. I told you I'd have something planned.
Gamelover41592: Heh, well here's the rest of it.
Bio team2: Excellent, that's what I was aiming for, at least partially.
Fiery Crusader: Oh yeah, we'll be seeing tons of Olympian engagements real soon. I hadn't actually planned for Aleen in the story early on, but I like what she's become. As for the former Emissary, more will be brought to light on that, as well as the position itself.
The Book of Eli: They'll be going through a bit more struggle before then, but yeah, I wanted a touch of family bonds.
Deku: Indeed he is, and yes, you can be.
Major144: Still a bit more setup and interactions, but yes, starting next chapter, we will officially move into direct engagements with the enemy.
Upstart Psycho: Unfortunately, there's still the issue of exploding from a kiss, but we'll get to that, oh yes we will. In the meantime, yours is exactly the reaction I was hoping for, so I couldn't be happier. Glad you're enjoying it!
Neo Deadmau5: Yep, literally up next. (I hope I didn't say that already.)
shadow-dog18: All good things come in time, trust me.
Revenfall: Glad you liked it.
MUTO TOHO: Um... ok.
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!
next: Chapter 36: Pure, Blissful Fury