Contract of Apocalypse
The titanic lava being swung its head around at Hades' command, pointing its sights east. Not an ounce of hesitation was present, the gargantuan titan following orders as if its mind and the Olympian's were one and the same. Zeus and Poseidon quickly leapt up to join their brother on the beast's backside, standing on either side of the now fused middle sibling. Hades spread his hands out from him, surging forth his demonic power to call to the earth below. All around the slowly advancing primordial, the pools and streams of molten rock began to bubble.
Zeus grew a delighted grin as he watched hundreds of thousands of blackened, rocky limbs burst from below the orange surface, clawing their way out as the rest of their bodies constituted themselves for servitude. The legions rose into hordes, endless ranks that stood tall and formed up into a mass of reanimated doom. Hades grimaced slightly from the energy pouring into him through his bond, but smiled nonetheless as he glanced at his older brother.
"Athena was right. I can control them all with little effort. We have the souls of every fire elemental that has ever lived at our disposal." Zeus nodded in acknowledgement, inwardly containing the urge to laugh at how far they'd come, and how close they were to the final phase of their design.
"Then send them forth, all directions, all civilizations. We'll unleash the greatest wildfire this world has ever seen." At the leader's declaration, Hades nodded, his outstretched hands twitching as he sent forth the command. Immediately, the swollen mass of legionaries faced outward from the looming primordial, then grouped into line formations that proceeded to charge forward into their assigned destinations, fanning out across the land in waves of sickening orange light. Satisfied that the order will be followed, Hades turned to his leader again.
"And what of us, brother?" Zeus' grin widened as he continued to stare straight ahead, their vantage point atop the ancient giving a view of the bordering mountain range of the kingdom.
"We make for the center of Ooo, the Grass Lands. From there, we can wipe away the whole continent, then move on to the next." He reached out a hand to his sibling. "In the meantime, let us prepare for what resistance we're likely to meet." Hades nodded, reaching out to grasp the offered hand. He held out his other to Poseidon, who clasped it as well. The merged Olympian closed his eyes, before managing to surge the power he was now combined with through his conduit body and into his brothers. The two grunted briefly, accommodating the rush of magmatic energy, until they felt the ancient force accept its new vessels.
The three Olympians shared one more smile, feeling that they'd truly brushed godhood.
Since the aftermath of Aphrodite's ambush, the FOB had managed to get back on its feet. Chatter and activity ran rampant across the ruin-turned-base, with the victims of the puppeteer's powers finally waking up and resuming their duties. Most significant of all was Flint, who was now groaning as a medic helped him sit up. The fire prince instantly asked what had happened, at which point he was given a brief synopsis of the last battle by one of his officers, who had regained consciousness a short while ago. Cursing his own lack of will to resist, Flint nonetheless made his way over to the area by the fire giant, which served as the "meeting room" since the former tent had been destroyed.
It was little more than a tarp hanging horizontally from the massive idol to the ground, but it provided what privacy the leaders within required. Flint stepped into the opening on one side, quickly drawing the attention of those inside. Phoebe smiled and stepped over to hug her brother, who returned it, both equally relieved that the other was unharmed. Cinnamon Bun greeted him next with a salute, as did several officers. However, what really stunned the prince were the two will-o-wisps standing beside his sister.
"Wh… who the heck are these two?" he demanded, eyes wide with bafflement. Aecus chuckled, while Salvo gave a solid bellow of laughter.
"You never change, do you, nephew?" Flint stuttered, face contorted in complete confusion, to Aecus' amusement. "It was always fun to get that reaction out of you." Flint's eyes moved to Phoebe, who smiled and nodded. It took another minute, but the man managed to calm himself and take a deep breath. He stepped over to Aecus and placed a hand on his shoulder, looking up at the elder with a mixture of awe and fondness.
"It's… I… I'm glad to see you, uncle." Aecus grinned as he used the same arm to clap his nephew's shoulder.
"Likewise, Flint. I'll give you the whole story later." The prince nodded. "By the way, you remember Salvo?" he motioned towards the larger will-o-wisp, who shot the royal a cheeky grin. Now recognizing the blue elemental, Flint's eyes widened, his flames brightening.
"Th-the Salvo?! The one-man artillery? 'Flee on sight' designation?" The will-o-wisp bellowed another laugh, reaching over to ruffle the prince's flickering hair, a move that startled others in the room. Surprisingly, Flint didn't seem to mind, eyes shining in awe.
"An admirer, huh? Your uncle shared many stories of your own exploits, you know; it was always fun to listen." Flint looked about ready to lose it, muttering about and shaking in place. Phoebe couldn't help but giggle with a hand to her lips.
"Didn't know you were such a fanboy, bro." This seemed to pull Flint out of his rambling, his face reddening as he straightened up and cleared his throat.
"I, er, well, what I mean is that, with uncle and Salvo on our side, we have a much greater chance at victory." He managed to clear the air with a renewed expression of urgency, scanning about the table between everyone. "Where is the gum lady and baby man?" While Phoebe smacked him upside the head, Aecus and Salvo snickered to themselves. They weren't expecting one of the individuals to poke his head into the tent.
"Come on, man, that was Jake's fault," Finn groaned, taking a place beside Flint, who snorted with ire. The flame human let out a sigh, then turned to FP. "Peebs is taking care of some preparation, but should be here soon." Flame Princess nodded, then titled her head in curiosity.
"What did she want to talk to you about?" Finn subtly glanced down at his hip, but brushed off the question.
"I'll tell you later. What have we got from the sages?" Phoebe folded her arms.
"They're still looking over the kingdom, over behind the giant," she stated, nudging her head in the direction. "They did warn us to be ready to move at any moment. I've had the men preparing supplies for transport and mobilizing the civilians to the far side of the kingdom, over by some of the more ancient settlement sites that we abandoned long ago. They'll be safe there." Finn hummed in acknowledgement, looking over the kingdom map on the table.
"Since the Fire Kingdom's lowest mountains are just beyond the base, it would make sense for them to make their way past here to reach the rest of Ooo." Everyone agreed, as the flame human tapped a finger on the edge of the chart. "If they really want to burn the place down as fast as possible, they'll probably aim for the Grass Lands to set up a foothold, then spread out from there." Another round of agreement, along with some admiration for the hero's analysis, save for Flint.
"You're mostly correct, Finn." All eyes turned to the entrance, where Adrian and the rest of the fire sages now stood. All attention was given to the elders' leader as he stepped forward to the table. "Zeus and the others have begun moving, indeed towards the lowest range, but they didn't wait to begin torching the land." At this, most tensed. "With the power of the ancient, Hades can now command untold numbers of reanimated elementals, hordes of which he has sent in all directions, an envoy of what's to come. They cover ground faster than the ancient itself, so we surmise they'll breach the borders of any neighboring kingdoms soon."
This news was not well received. Thankfully, a new face rushing up to the tent had reprieve to offer. Weis saluted his superiors, bowed to the sages, and then addressed his king directly.
"Your highness, the men have finished preparations for mobilization. All citizens are accounted for and supplied with enough to last several days." Phoebe nodded with a softened expression.
"Excellent, commander. Have the soldiers form up at the eastern side." She glanced at Adrian momentarily. "And have Cinnamon Bun and Marceline recalled from their lookouts." Weis saluted once more, then bounded away to carry out the orders. FP then turned to her uncle.
"Aecus, are the will-o-wisps safe where they are?" The man nodded, reassuring her.
"Yes. The village is deep in a valley in the wilds of the kingdom. Zeus would have no interest in sending his hordes their way. I've sent the people I brought with me out to scout the borders of the kingdom. They'll let us know when the breach happens." Flame Princess appreciated the gesture, giving her uncle a smile before facing the fire sages.
"Adrian, I think it's best if you-?" She was interrupted by the sudden appearance of CB and Marcy, who had apparently rushed over, if their panting was anything to judge by. "That was fast. I didn't think Weis could-." Again, she was halted as her candy knight shook his head.
"They're coming. It's almost a solid wave of legionnaires. We have to move, now!" Distress quickly flooded everyone at the table, eyes looking to their ruler for guidance. She pursed her lips, eyes darting along the map laid out before her. Phoebe's face swung around to look her brother in the eye, nodding firmly. He understood without pause, flame shifting out of the tent as he went to signal the evacuation. As the leadership gradually left, Bonnibel suddenly appeared, worry dominant on her features.
"Phoebe, what's going on?" she inquired to her fellow monarch. FP motioned for the candy ruler to follow as she and the other elementals, along with Marcy and Cinnamon Bun, strode out towards the rest of the base.
"Zeus and the others are moving forward with their torching. In a moment this base will be overwhelmed by waves of legionnaires." PB grimaced at the news, glancing over at the troops in exodus across the area. "We're falling back to the Grass Lands to plan out our defense." Bonnie bit the end of her thumb in contemplation.
"That won't go over very well. The region doesn't have a decent vantage point to observe incoming threats." Amidst the group's walk, Finn struck an idea, glancing over at the two monarchs.
"Actually… it does." Everyone looked at him, surprised that he'd have a solution. He grinned slyly at his pink friend. "So long as you can put it back where it belongs." All at once, Peebles' mind lit up, her hands automatically moving to her wrist-mounted device. A communication hologram popped up seconds later.
"Gumball Guardians, this is an emergency order: I'm issuing a replant of Asset Willow. Execute immediately." Brief static answered her, before a monotone robotic voice replied.
"Replant initiating. Estimated time to completion: 46 minutes."
Bonnie hummed in satisfaction before turning off her line, then watched as Marceline shifted into her massive bat beast form, gently picking up her long-time companion and setting her on her back. Finn looked at them in concern as they prepare to make their leave.
"Marcy, the sun is still up outside the kingdom." The vampire's now monstrous face shook with disregard.
"It's fine, Finn. The ash clouds began spreading beyond the borders, I could see it while I was in the air keeping watch." Understanding, the hero nodded and bid his friends luck as they took off towards the Grass Lands. His eyes picked up Jake 2 galloping up to the remaining crew, Aleen already nestled near his neck.
"What's going on?" she asked worriedly. Phoebe momentarily shook off her tense expression to deliver a soft smile to the girl.
"We're getting everyone out of here to safety, sweetie. Stay with Cinnamon Bun and JT, okay?" The young will-o-wisp seemed apprehensive, but nodded in agreement when she saw Finn add his reassuring grin to the monarch's. CB hopped up to his hound's back, just behind Aleen, then addressed his king before takeoff.
"We'll follow Bubblegum and Marceline. Stay safe." The others nodded, watching the fire wolf leap skyward and drift towards the bordering mountains. Finn suddenly felt a firm clap on his back. He spun around to see Jake, already growing to massive proportions. The dog gave his brother a thumbs up, winking with his huge, pale eyes.
"Don't you worry, bro, I'll keep my niece safe on the ride over." Finn smiled up to his best friend, giving a thumbs up in reply, then watched the towering canine stomp off, using his stretched out arms to feel out the area ahead of him to prevent stepping somewhere unpleasant. With that settled, FP turned to her remaining company, of which Wies had rejoined.
"Adrian, I know you and the others can evade the horde." The sages nodded. "Uncle, you two join the rest of the will-o-wisps, break off scouting and converge with the fire soldiers at the Grass Lands." The elder grunted in agreement, heading off with Salvo close behind. "Weis, help Flint with the exit, we'll need as much communication as possible." The commander saluted and went on his way. By now there were few soldiers left in the base, pockets of stragglers lugging packs of gear and their own weapons to carry away from the encroaching stampede. One could actually see the charging legionnaires on the horizon, as well as the distinct bulge of the primordial further back. As he realized they were the only two left, Finn furrowed his brows at the king.
"What about you, Phoebe?" The fiery woman drew his attention back towards where they had walked from, seeing the lone fire giant sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the deserted ruins.
"I've got to take that with us." She looked down at her hands, coating them in flames. "I should be able to with the strength that..." She looked up into Finn's ocean blue eyes, hers shimmering while a shy smile came to her lips. "That you gave back to me." The hero felt his cheeks heat up as he stared back at her, before shaking it off and rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, I mean, Delane did more. You can have a normal life now without, you know, exploding." Phoebe gazed fondly at the ground, considering his logic. She was broken out of the reverie when Finn held out his hand to her. "Give me your hand." FP blinked, but found herself slowing following the request. Finn gently grasped it in his, with the fiery ruler wondering where he was going with this. Not a moment later, she felt an unfamiliar flow of energy seeping into her elemental flesh, transferred into her through the temporary bond Finn had made between them. Phoebe felt an effect similar to when the flame human burned away the last of the poison in her body, as well as when Delane had mended her fracturing matrix.
Just as quickly as the sensation came, it settled, and Finn let go of her hand. Her curious expression fell on him, which he addressed without delay. "During my trials, Triab gave me the elder flame, the oldest vein of fire that's been passed down through generations. Now I gave it to you." Flame Princess nearly gasped, her muscles clenching at the thought of something so ancient and powerful coursing through her. "The sages said they'd do whatever they could to help in this fight, so, as their emissary, I figured I should do the same." Phoebe said nothing, just continuing to look upon him with an emotion he couldn't quite identify. Feeling a bit awkward, as if he'd done something wrong, he glanced away from her, studying the ruins around them.
"Been a while since we've been able to talk alone like this, huh? Or feels that way, at least." His small talk was answered by a hand being laid against his chest. As he turned back to Phoebe to ask what was the matter, his body froze up when she leaned up to his level and quietly kissed his cheek. The fiery lady left him stunned in place as she stepped away, trying her best to suppress the blush she had.
"It won't be the last," she replied with a smile. "I'll see you on the other side." With nothing else, she fired herself at the fire giant, simultaneously growing in size to nearly swallow the massive idol in her inferno-like grasp. Finn watched, still stiff, as her towering figure emerged, the giant held tightly in her chest cavity as it was lifted off the ground. She didn't appear to be struggling with it at all, easily beginning to make her way towards the Fire Kingdom border.
The hero's mind was a mess of admiration in that moment, so much so that he wasn't broken out of it until a fireball impacted just by his foot. Finn jerked away and blinked at the spot, then turned around to see where it came from. "Oh, right."
He donned his newly repaired cloak, then took off after Flame Princess, dodging the occasional projectile hurled at him by the now very near horde of legionnaires aiming to break through to the outside world. The current battlefield, one they'd struggled on for months, was now too small. Zeus and his brothers would finish this in Ooo's rolling fields, and they'd have everyone standing in their way.
The three brothers had glimpsed the outside world only once; years ago, when they made their oath to burn it all away. They stood at the peak of the very same mountain they towered over now, a being of immeasurable volcanic power at their disposal, an army of mindless minions scurrying across the lands ahead. Zeus grinned as he watched the ash clouds extend to shadow over the neighboring Grass Lands, the once bright, verdant hills darkened, then soon after scorched into nothing by a line of reanimated elementals.
It had truly begun.
Across the land, at the border between fire and ice, Ice King gulped as his mobs of snow golems were melted down and evaporated, too few in numbers to withstand the constant flamethrowers being directed at them. No matter how many gigantic snowballs his summoned forces lobbed at the horde, the wizard's magic could not outpace the resources the Olympians had access to, with new elemental zombies springing up where the old ones fell. It wasn't long before the snowy banks and icicle-like mountains began to shrink and disappear. Simon grimaced as his frigid land was once again being melted away, except unlike his scuffle with Flame Princess, there would truly be nothing left after they were done.
What few forests had managed to grow beside the land of fire was now filled with the chaotic screaming of its fleeing inhabitants, all rushing to escape the blazing trees and withering brush of the woods. Those who protected such lands, Huntress and Forest Wizard, did their best to help whatever creatures were trapped by burning trunks and choking smoke. The legionnaires they encountered were unfazed by any magical attacks or arrows fired at them, leaving the arcane users with little choice but to flee without fighting back, letting the world crumble to ash behind them.
From any point in Ooo the blackened skies could be seen, either as a product of the cascading infernos the horde had instigated, or the growing mass that usually held fast above the Fire Kingdom. Fear and uncertainty spread nearly as quickly as the obscuring clouds above, convincing many that the end of days had arrived. Princess Bubblegum would be lying if she said she didn't feel such an effect herself, staring out towards the hellish forces that had now overrun the Fire Kingdom.
This wasn't the time to be afraid, however. She stood alongside her allies, in front of the scorched stain of the fake treehouse she'd watched Finn burn down so long ago. A deep, rhythmic rumbling had begun to echo across the Grass Lands, signaling the approach of her two most powerful creations. Many were left in awe at the Gumball Guardians making their way over, Finn's true home held carefully in their grasp, like two gardeners holding a delicate piece of foliage. The candy constructs lowered the willow to the ground, sending a minor quake through the earth as the roots impacted.
The air displacement sent everyone's hair and flames billowing wildly, but none turned away, finding the urge to smile up at the restored base of operations for Ooo's most devout protector. Said protector beamed up at his home, never imagining himself here, in this moment, with the people he had around him.
He had started this journey alone, with only Bonnie knowing he was still alive. His heart was closed, his mind focused on a single objective. Now he stood before his dilapidated but cherished house, surrounded by not only his friends, but a multitude of new ones he couldn't imagine not having. Aleen took hold of his hand from her spot to his left, while Phoebe laid a hand on his back at his left.
This was it. The final confrontation loomed ahead. The primordial, as well as the three Olympians, were in sight on the horizon, the burning Grass Lands heralding their approach. Where Finn had last stood on his own, he now stood alongside Ooo's gathered hope for a future.
Down to the final five, this is so exciting! It's the end of an era, or at least feels like it. Kinda gives you that memory lane type effect... Anyways, I'll be seeing you guys (hopefully soon).
Bio team2: Try as I might, I couldn't get to whatever link that is, sorry!
Raion Shinz: Haha, nice! I've never actually watched that, but I do see the hilarity that similar names can bring.
Major144: I do seem to be reminding people of a lot of stuff from other sources. Coincidence? Yes, because I am not familiar with much of them.
The Book of Eli: Lol.
TheWeirdPotato: I mean, he pretty much did, that's what I was going for. I guess it's kind of like a middle-man possession?
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!
next: Chapter 45: Between Gods