Hunter vs Predator
Marceline wasted no time in lunging at her new opponent, who was forced to hastily bring up her fire bow to block the incoming attack. The bow clashed with the neck of the vampire's weapon, though the force still sent both women hurling backwards, Marceline's flight lengthening the journey. She gave a brief glance backwards towards Cinnamon Bun and Jake 2, her smile indicating her initial move was meant to put distance between the Olympian and her injured quarry. Grateful, CB gave a short nod, then proceeded to tend to JT, the fire wolf still whining softly on the ground.
Turning her attention back to Artemis, Marcy shot the elemental a smirk, before putting more pressure into her ax. Artemis glared at her in return, gritting her teeth as she felt her fire bow crack from the force. Deciding to give it up, the huntress dispersed into her flame form, shifting out of the path of Marcy's flight and reforming behind her, fabricating a machete out of fire in the process. The vampire wasn't expecting the speed of her foe's execution, just barely able to swing around and parry the large blade sent towards her neck. Artemis did, however, manage to nick the woman's flowing hair, burning a few inches off the side.
Marcy grunted as she dropped downward, digging her boots into the mountain incline as she quickly began sliding down. She watched as Artemis remained airborne, reforming her bow and beginning to rapidly fire arrow after arrow down on her grounded target. Marceline flew in short bursts to avoid each projectile, which exploded hazardously with every impact. After a good few dozen shots, she'd had enough, angling a swing from her bass to swat the explosive right back at her assailant. Artemis' eyes widened as she flame shifted once again to avoid damage. Unfortunately, the shockwave from the blast still struck her fiery mass, knocking her back into physical form. She cried out as her shoulder struck outlying rock, tumbling a few times before regaining her balance and sprinting down the mountainside towards Marceline, fury etched into her features.
As the vampire queen held her ax in front of her in defense, the Olympian generated a long whip of flames from her wrist, which she promptly sent towards her foe like a striking cobra. Marcy swung to slice the weapon as it approached, but wasn't expecting it to instantly regrow the portion she'd chopped off. With a flick of her wrist, Artemis used the opening to catch Marceline's arm in a bind, yanking the whip hard and pulling the raven-haired being right into the path of an incoming boulder.
She yelled in pain at the hard impact, losing her grip on the ax bass in the process. She laid dazed amongst the resulting rubble, as Artemis stopped her own decent and landed atop a nearby rock spire, bringing up her bow again and aiming at the half-buried vampire. As she let the projectile loose, Marcy regained enough composure to shapeshift, transforming into her massive tentacle monster form and shielding herself with the thick, black appendages. The explosion was still quite painful, but not enough to bring her down. Before the resulting smoke could even clear, she sent her many powerful limbs towards the perched Artemis, who panicked as the mess of arms began smashing apart any spot she jumped to while evading.
Eventually, a sweeping tentacle connected, flinging her to the right and across the mountainside. The Olympian managed to flip around and land shakily on her feet, taking a second to examine the nasty scrape on her shoulder, which was just about finished healing. She notched another arrow and prepared to jump back over to Marcy's last known location, but was interrupted by an unseen force smashing into her jaw. She held tight to her weapon, shaking her head and jumping back a few steps, eyes darting all over. Another hit was delivered to her gut, knocking the wind out of her. She reflexively flame shifted away, reappearing a fair distance away and aiming at the location she'd just stood in. The arrow held in her bow glowed brighter, then suddenly fired off a massive volley of smaller projectiles, seeping across the area in hopes that the sheer coverage would strike Artemis' target.
As the dust settled, it was clear Marceline had escaped unscathed. Artemis stood, frustrated, scanning the rocky landscape. Meanwhile, the vampire had discreetly swung by to grab her ax bass from where it had been wedged into the ground, coming back around towards her enemy's exposed backside to cut her down. Just as she was making her move, a wave of flames were expelled from the Olympian, though seemed to harmlessly pass through her. She shifted her angle of attack just in case, moving in closer, Artemis still not turning to face her.
In a flash, the Olympian archer flipped around her bow, holding the drawstring outward, and fired her arrow backwards over her shoulder. Marcy was in no position to dodge, screaming as the projectile planted itself in her arm. Her invisibility switched off as she fell to her knees, pushing through the pain to pull the arrow out, only to receive a rush of searing heat in response. She hissed, setting her narrowed eyes on Artemis, the huntress finally turning to acknowledge her.
"Not only is my heat sense far stronger than an average elemental, but that wave left a marker on you. No matter how far you are, or even if you turn invisible, I'll know exactly where you are."
Marcy gritted her teeth, both from frustration and the stinging pain shooting through her body. The paralysis was setting in fully, but she figured her powers would heal it away if she could just remove the source, tugging at the arrow again. The more the woman tried, the more energy was jolted within her. By now, Artemis stood before her, fire machete in hand. The Olympian raised the weapon, aiming to cleave Marcy's head off.
In the last moments of the blade falling, Marceline threw herself to the side, crying out from the jolt of paralysis, but her timing was spot on, as the blade of Artemis' weapon struck the embedded fire arrow in her target's arm, slicing it in twain and causing the projectile to disintegrate. Marcy grunted as she hit the ground, but already began to feel her regeneration kicking in. Artemis wasn't willing to let her get away, suddenly forming her fire whip and wrapping it around Marcy's legs, dragging her back towards her, blade at the ready.
To the Olympian's surprise, the woman suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, her whip falling away. She retracted it in preparation for a counter, only to see a small shape shoot out of the smoke and wiz past her shoulder. She briefly noted a bat wing. Sure enough, as soon as Marceline was at her enemy's backside, she shifted back into her humanoid form and kicked Artemis in the back, sending the huntress tumbling to the ground. The vampire used this opportunity to retrieve her bass, readjusting it in her grip before flying at the recovering fire elemental. Artemis rolled to dodge as the ax blade struck the ground, then flame shifted away as Marcy angled the weapon and slashed across the earth to try hitting her again.
The two women engaged in repeated clashes for the next several minutes, the desire to prove who the better fighter was overwhelming the need to be crafty in order to gain the upper hand. Artemis repeatedly used knives to meet Marcy's ax bass, shoving the large weapon aside to try getting in close. Every time she did however, the vampire would simply hover away, making full use of her powers to maneuver just out of range. In time, both opponents seemed to begin tiring, sweating as their hardened gazes kept sights on their respective foe. Marceline finally slipped and allowed Artemis to swing around to a blind spot, slashing at the vampire's stomach with her knife. She hissed, but retaliated with an unexpectedly swift swing from her bass, nicking the Olympian on her thigh as she leapt away to rebalance herself.
Marceline's cut healed quickly, though she was mildly annoyed about the damage to her shirt; she considered she shouldn't have worn one of her favorites. On the other hand, Artemis looked down in puzzlement as her leg continued to let a thin streak of blood fall down her leg, dripping to the ground. She flame shifted, reappearing further back, yet the wound still remained. The huntress glared up at Marcy, who readied her bass for the next round. She noticed the fire elemental's confusion, letting a smirk cross her lips.
"It's not an ordinary ax, sweety." Artemis gasped lightly at the implication, eyeing the weapon closely. In that moment, a realization hit her, the Olympian's eyes narrowing before she suddenly threw her hands forward and unleashed a torrent of flames at Marceline. Suffice to say, she followed the trend of forgetting these enemies still had their base abilities, struggling to decide how to counter. In the end, Marcy spun her ax bass as fast as she could while hovering back, successfully tearing through the jet of fire with minimal burns on her hands. However, she certainly wasn't expecting Artemis herself to be behind those flames.
The vampire was tackled too quickly to respond, forcefully swung around before finding her back on the ground, her bass's blade being forcefully pushed towards her face. Artemis was on top of her, using her legs to pin the raven-haired woman as she turned her own weapon on her.
"Then it should be able to hurt you as well," she seethed, putting more pressure on the handle. Marcy held one hand on the bottom, the other along the neck of her weapon turned instrument, between the Olympian's own fiery fingers. Her leverage exceeded Marcy's, causing her to struggle as the blade inched closer. Attempting to transform would certainly lead to serious injury. Seconds later, Marceline felt the unpleasant sting of the demonic weapon's edge pressing into her cheek.
She growled, feeling her blood trickle from the forming cut, yet not begin healing right away. It would only get worse as Artemis suddenly blasted flames out of her back, adding even greater force to her assault. The ax cut deeper, Marcy beginning to feel tears forming in her eyes even as she stared with valiant determination at her foe. Artemis' hair billowed in the wind generated by her flames, with Marceline noticing the huntress' ears as a result. At this, her eyes widened, focus shifting to her bass. She repositioned the hand holding onto the neck, fingers in position, then prepared to hold back the opponent's push with all her might.
Seeing the opening she needed, Marceline's other hand flew across and strummed the bass hard, blaring out a hard note that instantly caused Artemis to screech and lose her composition. She stumbled back, cupping her ears in pain, while Marceline grabbed her bass and desperately began carving something into the ground, knowing her time was limited. The longer this fight dragged on, the worse position she'd be in. Completing her doodle, she looked up to see Artemis glaring at her, furious, fire emanating from her balled fists. Exhausted and shaken, Marcy put some distance between them, hopping back, only to hit the side of a rock face, grunting in frustration.
Artemis wasted no time in capitalizing on that mistake, charging forward. In apparent panic, Marceline reached behind her and grabbed the only object she could, hurling it at the Olympian in hopes of distracting her. Unfortunately, the huntress merely sliced the carton in half with a machete, leaving its contents to soak into the ground at her feet. She immediately switched to her fire bow, firing off four bolts at once. The quartet of fiery projectiles suddenly formed a net between them, shocking Marcy as she was suddenly bound to the formation behind her, the arrows at the net's edge dug deep into the rock.
Artemis' breathing was hard, but she formed another arrow, larger than the rest, and carefully raised it to aim at the vampire's heart.
"That was quite pitiful, lacking any tactile sense." Marceline scowled in reply, struggling against the bindings.
"Look who's talking. You were the one sneaking around my turf back when Finn visited. I recognized your scent when we started. Gotta uphold my rep and show what happens to those who mess with me or my friends." The Olympian scoffed, pulling back her drawstring.
"Bold words from a captured prey. I don't suppose you have anything further to say?" At this, Marceline's scowl turned into a smirk.
"Maloso… vobiscum… et cum spiritum."
Artemis' bewilderment was only exceed by her astonishment, as the rock floor beneath her began to glow and shake. For a split second before the ground at her feet was cracked open, the Olympian caught sight of the happy face Marcy had drawn into the earth earlier.
In the following moments, hellish screaming erupted from the boundary portal between Ooo and the forsaken land of the Nightosphere, bringing with it a chaotic aura of suffering and pain. This agonizing sensation was quickly made physical, as a flurry of demonic black tentacles burst from the portal's mouth and ensnared Artemis like a starved animal locking eyes on food. The huntress' bow fell apart as her hands clawed pointlessly at the limbs suppressing her, her face shifting constantly between anger and terror. She desperately attempted to flame shift out of the hold, but found her powers failing each time, only seeming to agitate the source of the tentacles. Drowning in hopelessness, Artemis looked over to Marceline, as the fire net fell away and was snuffed into the wind.
"I'm not usually one for traps, but after a thousand years you realize sometimes you just have to improvise." The vampire laughed shakily, wiping away the blood still dripping from her cheek, seeing her enemy's facial expression finally settle on rage.
With a scream of pure murderous intent, Artemis conjured a dagger in each hand and stabbed violently into the arms constricting her, earning a bellowing roar from the other side of the portal. Again and again, the fire elemental unleashed flurries of slices and stabs, Marcy unsure whether she was trying to escape or just vent. As the tentacles began dragging her in, Artemis cast one last look at her foe, eyes burning as her daggers sunk into the tentacle wrapped around her neck.
"THAT MARKER WILL NEVER GO AWAY! EVER! WHEN I FIND MY WAY BACK, I'LL COME FOR YOU!"
There was merit to that threat. Marceline could tell from her battle how skilled the Olympian was. No doubt she'd give the denizens of the Nightosphere a run for their money. Her father… not so much, but the possibility wasn't zero. Even so, Marceline didn't have much concern. She'd be ready next time; in fact, the vampire was looking forward to the challenge.
With nothing else, Artemis disappeared into the portal, one last blast of flames signaling her departure, as the rift between dimensions finally closed behind her, silencing the air around the sole remaining combatant.
Marceline let herself go, a shaky breath escaping her as she fell to her knees, her entire body feeling drained and sluggish.
"I could really use some red…" she mused. Glancing over, she found her ax bass lying nearby. Tempting as it was, she preferred to keep that particular object the color it was. Sighing, she glanced down, examining the cut on her shirt, which was also now stained with a fair amount of blood from her wound. I was then that Marcy chuckled to herself, realizing the attire was basically ruined, sentimentality lost. Grabbing the fabric, she pulled a handful to her mouth, then sunk her fangs into it, quickly sucking up the crimson coloration to satisfy her hunger. Licking her lips, she smiled. It didn't actually look that bad in grey.
Flame King grinned at the look of despair in his brother's eyes, the two fire royals stuck holding each other back in a deadlock. Numerous stab wounds were healing across the reanimated tyrant's body, while Aecus seemed relatively unscathed, though obviously tired. Across the way, Salvo had stopped firing flame shells, having depleted too much stamina and resorting to rush in for close combat. Don John didn't seem to particularly mind this, likely due to the fact that each time the larger opponent bashed apart some of his rocky body, it simply regenerated moments later. At point-blank, he retaliated with magical blasts to the will-o-wisp's face.
"Just look at you, brother. A few minutes ago you had me on the ropes, but just seeing your old superior die had broken you down. We're fire elementals, you fool. We step atop those who have burned out and become even stronger!" FK reared his head forward and bashed it into Aecus', knocking him back with a grunt. "Give it up, you can't strike my matrix with those random single strikes."
The will-o-wisp narrowed his eyes, pushing past the grief to eye his foe. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right. What was he doing? He was responsible for an entire village, he couldn't let a noble sacrifice like Tellus' do anything but inspire him to do better, for everyone. With this in mind, Aecus raised his flame sword once more, before the fifth and seventh rings glowed bright upon his arm. Flame King blinked in surprise, taking a step back.
"Wha? Two at once?!" Aecus neglected to give him a smirk in return, instead throwing his arms out as he suddenly rushed his enemy.
"While you dictated and destroyed, I spent my time training, making sure I had the power to defend those I care about, a concept that has become so foreign to you!" Before Flame King could reply, Aecus' flames veered off both his arms, forming dozens of cyclones that quickly surrounded FK, who began to panic, bringing up his flaming fists. A moment later each whirlwind of fire morphed into a flare clone, each with its own sword, each one firing towards a different part of the tyrant's body. Flame King was skewered instantly, impaled from every conceivable direction. There was a brief silence, before FK grinned, his body already flame shifting away from the pileup.
"Heh, you missed…"
"No I didn't."
Flame King's disbelieving eyes wandered to the side, witnessing the real Aecus standing a safe distance away, raising his hands up before clapping them firmly together in front of him, the sixth ring burning to life upon his flesh. The multitude of flare clones glowed brightly, before exploding in a rush of fire and light. Flame King's armor was vaporized in an instant, while his flame shifting form fizzled out and disappeared, lost amongst the smoke of the detonation.
Before it even had a chance to clear, an orb-like object was flung out of the cloud, bouncing loudly against the ground a few times before being scooped up by Aecus, who let out a breath, having used a significant amount of energy for that last attack. He held his brother's reanimated matrix in his hand, an image of the man's fiery face visible within, looking back at the will-o-wisp in pitiful defeat. Aecus glared down at the once intimidating eyes.
"Freedom is the last thing you deserve, but maybe my sister-in-law can knock some humility into you."
Flame King's eyes widened at the mention, his fiery image shaking back and forth rapidly as if in protest. Aecus ignored the plea, crushing the necrotic object into pieces within his hand. Ominous magical energy seeped into the air, followed closely by a ghostly moan reminiscent of the former king, relaying his final departure from the living realm.
Across the chamber, Salvo had switched to a tactic Don John wasn't expecting: wrestling moves. Having grown tired of the spells pelting his face, the will-o-wisp had proceeded to use his superior stature to grab and throw the evil wizard numerous times, finally catching him in a headlock. While the horned villain struggled, Salvo grinned, deciding to follow Aecus' example. The openings along his body, at least, those aimed at Don John, began to glow and hum, the flame lord's eyes widening in fear.
"Y-you're crazy!" Salvo just smirked.
"That's what my first CO said." Just like that, the intended projectiles exploded just as they were blasted out of the man's body, unfortunately battering him in the process, but succeeding in his goal nonetheless. The far more brittle, reanimated body was blown to bits, with Salvo himself suffering moderate portions of his body striped away. He fell to his knee, panting, one eye unable to open from the stinging pain. Yet he smiled through it, Don John's imprisoning matrix rolling along the ground until it hit a wall. Inside, the goat-faced wizard's face grimaced in humiliation as he watched Salvo struggle to his feet, until the man found an arm slung across his back and shoulder supporting him by the armpit.
Aecus nodded in approval to his oldest friend, who replied back in kind. The man helped his war buddy trudge over to the fallen matrix, with the flame lord's spirit desperately trying to pull together enough material to reform a body. Sadly for him, Salvo's foot smashed his vessel into smithereens, the soul crying out in spite before finally fading away into the other side. The two will-o-wisps gave each other a thumbs up, chuckling to one another despite their battered bodies.
They turned upon hearing others approach, witnessing Bonnie and Ice King step up to them, Weis being supported between them. All three had solemn looks upon their faces, which Aecus found understandable. Weis had served under Tellus for a long time, and Bonnibel… she had grown to respect the man greatly, the two collaborating excellently on various tactics. Ice King no doubt felt guilty at having delivered the finishing bow, necessary as it was. Aecus himself still felt the loss, but he knew the proper preceding of war; win first, mourn later.
The group collectively made their way slowly out of the temple, the rubble now clear from the waning minutes of fighting amongst the legionnaires and fire elementals. The five were greeted upon emerging into the outside world by fire soldier and will-o-wisp alike, all grateful to see their comrades in one piece. They did, however, notice the general's absence, with Weis and Aecus shaking their heads in a somber motion, causing the gathered forces to bow their heads in mixed respect and sorrow.
Aecus and Weis were brought to a temporary first-aid setup, where a medic did his best to improve their conditions. In the process, Aecus' flames returned to normal, his image swathed in cobalt blue once more. Bonnibel discussed with the fire soldiers, while Salvo checked up on his people, refusing treatment until he did so. After a few minutes of plotting between the leadership, one scout cried out for an approaching figure from the air, causing everyone to be on-guard. The moment PB made out Marceline's giant bat form however, she called for everyone to be at ease, watching as the shapeshifting vampire gently set down a weary and injured pair of Cinnamon Bun and Jake 2. She shifted back to her humanoid form afterward, smirking as usual.
"Oh my Glob, Marcy! Is that a cut?" she exclaimed, gently rubbing her thumb against the now healing wound on her cheek. The dark-haired woman blushed lightly and knocked her hand away, smiling in amusement.
"Chill out, Bonnie, it's not that deep. Though it won't heal completely, thanks to my bass. Still, it's kinda rad to finally have a scar on me, even if it's not the coolest place for it." Bubblegum sighed, exasperated, but smiled knowingly back at her friend as she folded her arms. Marcy looked over to see CB and his hound being patched up by the medic, glad she came when she did. "So, what's our next move?"
Peebles' expression grew cross, suddenly recalling a large detail that had gone unexplained. "First you can tell me why you and Ice King showed up out of nowhere. Who else is here?" Before Marcy had a chance to reply, the two ladies noticed Aecus step over, recovered enough to walk normally. He smiled warmly as his eyes drifted from the vampire queen to candy princess.
"I suppose I'm the guilty party here." PB blinked, unsure of what he meant. Luckily, Marceline seemed eager to explain, floating up to Aecus' level and resting an elbow on his shoulder.
"You remember about how I messed around in the Fire Kingdom for a while, right Bonnie? Well, while here, I came across a certain hotshot prince turned soldier who knew how to throw down." She and Aecus exchanged a challenging grin. "Well, we ended it on friendly terms, but he always said he'd call if there was ever trouble." The will-o-wisp nodded, then hung his head.
"My people, our village, we denied Finn's request for aid in his battle against the Olympians. We feared drawing the villagers into a major conflict, something we had set out to avoid when founding. But, there were those among us who wanted to fight, to help the hero of Ooo that changed the perspectives of many. In the end, the council was overruled, with a majority stating they would help in the fight. I myself was convinced, and Salvo stood by my decision, like he always has."
He nodded towards PB, now looked more at peace.
"I sent some of the best healers our village has after Finn. He'll be in capable hands." Marceline flicked her uneven locks to the side.
"Jake headed over too. The look in his eyes when I told him the truth… I actually flinched." Bonnie could only imagine, knowing how close the brothers were. "We had Simon back you up. Wasn't too hard to convince him you were a 'damsel in distress', haha." PB pouted at this, but shook it off, instead looking to the northern horizon, eyes staring intently at the volcanic landscape.
"We can't relax yet though. There are still three more Olympians to deal with, the strongest as well. We're wounded, exhausted, and without proper communication. There's much to do." As the princess began to move on these tasks, Aecus frowned, turning to look back to the south, eyes scanning for some far-off objective.
"Four, actually…" he corrected.
A special quick update just for you guys! Well, that and the fact that as of this update, I have officially logged over 1,000,000 words onto the site! I FEEL INVINCIBLE! *ahem* Anyway, thanks to all of you who have brought me this far with all your support and reading, I'll see you next time!
Gamelover41592: Thanks, and I'm glad the depth was appreciated! I do so love those moments.
UnrealTears: All good things do, sadly. But of course, this will not until it has a proper ending!
Nashorn: Haha, that would've been interesting. 50 is the answer by the way, we're just about there.
Major144: Honestly, it didn't take me too long to come up with, though I was technically brainstorming it constantly. Either way, I'm always happy to provide quality depth to a character.
jfazende5: Lol, I was afraid someone would reference that.
next: Chapter 41: Hidden Strings