Meanwhile, back at the campsite, dinner was over as Marceline and Ice King prepared their sleeping bags.
"Well, that was somethin'," Ice King complimented.
The vampire smiled, "See? I told you my advice would work!"
He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, "Eh, I could have been lucky."
She shook her head, "No, Ice King. Just keep acting nice and you'll have this girl beside you in no time."
"Alright, it's better than holding princesses against their will I guess. Hopefully I'll get used to being like this."
"You'll be just fine," Marcy assured. "Think of it as, I don't know, playing the waiting game with Gunther!"
IK whined, "But, that'll take too long!"
Marcy crossed her arms as she glared at him.
He raised his hands, "Oh, okay. I'll be 'patient'. Guess I'll just catch some z's then. Goodnight!" The ice wizard shuffled into his sleeping bag and faced his back towards the fading campfire. Within moments, he was fast asleep snoring. Taking the opportunity, Marcy approached Betty who was cleaning the dishes.
"Thanks for the food again," said the vampire.
"No problem, Marceline," Betty replied. "I also like to thank you again for coming along. It hasn't been fun going alone for two years, and it certainly doesn't get any easier."
The vampire chuckled lightly, "I know the feeling. Well, maybe too much." She shifted into a serious expression, "You don't need to thank me. I care about Simon too. He's done a great job looking after me when I was little, and I feel like I still owe him by helping you."
"You already helped me reunite with him after being apart for a thousand years technically. I mean, I'm glad enough to search for a cure for Simon. It's certainly better than running away and never seeing him again based on what his future self told me."
"But, you left the past so you can meet him again in the future," Marcy reminded.
"I did," Betty recalled. "Still though, it could have been a coincidence in itself. What if I actually ran away and got lost in the past? I left him back then because I was terrified of what he had become."
"Simon would have understood. Anyone else in your position could have ran away with all those changes going on. But, what matters now is that you're trying to bring him back," Marcy affirmed.
Betty nodded, "You're right. I love Simon so much to abandon him again. He doesn't seem like he's dangerous to be around unlike before, and I have been able survive on my own for a while now."
The vampire chuckled, "From what I've heard, you made that clear to everybody after you took down that Bella Noche monster in Wizard City. And I'm even more impressed that you're able to travel around here without getting so much of a culture shock!"
"Oh that? Pfft, I don't have time for that! It doesn't seem that much of a big deal. I've got too many things on my mind anyway than to be caught in such distractions."
They both laughed briefly until Marcy asked, "So, do you miss the past?"
"All I miss is being with Simon," Betty replied with a melancholic expression. "The third world war was already underway before I jumped into this time. Nations were crumbling down, the news made a big deal of everything, and everyone was in mass hysteria. Earth was already doomed, it was just a question of when. However, life continues to thrive miraculously despite all the destruction. I thought there wouldn't anything left afterward to be honest."
Marcy let out a grin, "Nope, everyone's worked their way around it! Now we just have all these creatures and beasts from myths and fairy tales running all over the place, haha."
Betty smiled and shrugged, "Eh, I'll make it work." She glanced over at Ice King, who was still snoring, "Seeing him again has actually given me a confidence boost. Thanks for bringing him along too. He helps me remember why I'm out here in the first place."
"No problem, now let's get some sleep."
The travelers drifted into slumber as the night progressed. While Marceline slept with ease, Betty remained restless for a couple hours before finally passing out. So many thoughts ran around Betty's mind regarding her quest to save Simon. She was hopeful that her goal would certainly be reached with more people accompanying her, but she also had doubts. What if the quest ended up taking her entire life? Although she was certain that she would never give up, she needed to consider other options. But for now, all those things could wait. Tomorrow was all that mattered.
It was six in the morning as Marceline woke up. The campfire was already out and the sunlight was slowly peeking over the eastern horizon. As her eyelids fluttered open, she noticed that Ice King was muttering in his sleep. Apparently he dreamt about Gunther breaking bottles again while he tried making a love potion. Marcy simply shook her head in dismay.
"Some things never change," she thought to herself. Marcy looked over to the next sleeping bag to discover it was empty. She frowned at first, but was at ease when she detected Betty using her vampire senses. She got up and floated towards Betty's location where she was kneeling at the open fields.
"Morning," Marcy greeted.
"Hey," Betty replied. She studied the ground and pinched the dirt with one hand.
"Any idea where we'll be going?"
Betty nodded, "Rumor has it that there's an ancient catacomb complex hidden deep within the meadows. It's somewhere on the other side of the grove over there." She frowned, "Do you think Simon will just simply help? I mean, I have a feeling the crown will stop us if we tell him the truth."
Marcy smiled in assurance, "I've got that covered. I simply told him that we're just going out on a plain ole' adventure. At the same time, I'm trying to get him to become more approachable to others. The poor guy's been shunned upon everywhere in Ooo because of that stupid crown."
Betty tilted her head in question, "Speaking of which, how are things back there? I haven't been keeping track with the news for a while now ever since my radio broke."
The vampire frowned and looked away, "It's a mess. War has broken out between the Candy and Fire Kingdoms."
"You're kidding!" Betty was shocked.
"I wish I was."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know what to say."
"I had to get Simon and myself out of there," Marcy said. "I didn't want to be reminded again of all the death and suffering from the last war. Seeing another one unfold was just too much for me." Her eyes watered briefly, "I've lost too many friends as it is."
Betty stood up and placed a hand on the vampire's left shoulder, "We both have. If you need anything, I'll be here for you." She said sincerely.
Marcy nodded, "Thanks. Now let's go help Simon."
Ten minutes later, the three travelers packed their belongings and began traveling towards their destination. When they walked past the trees, they discovered a vast field of dry grass towering above them.
"I'll fly above and see if I can spot it ahead," Betty said as she used her magic carpet.
Marcy nodded, "Got it."
Hours passed as the group commenced their search for the lost catacombs. They took breaks occasionally for food and water then continued their mundane task in silence. Unfortunately for Ice King, he began growing impatient as the sun was setting.
"We woke up early just for this?!" The ice wizard complained.
Marcy shrugged while playing a tune from her ax bass, "Eh, I thought finding this place would be fun too. I'll talk with our friend real quick." She signaled Betty to land. "It's getting dark soon. Do you think we should rest and pickup tomorrow?"
Betty sighed, "Yeah, it doesn't look like we'll find it today. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, at least we covered a lot of ground. Besides, maybe you and Ice King could get to know more about each other in the meantime."
Betty gave out a tired smile, "Sure, I guess I could humor myself. Let's setup a clearing for the campsite so this place doesn't get engulfed in flames."
The vampire held out her instrument, "Way ahead of ya." She held up her weapon and started chopping the grass stalks until a small radius was formed. With the perimeter almost complete, Marcy was about to deliver a final strike until a flock of birds flew away suddenly from a distance. Immediately, the vampire sensed something dangerous was approaching.
"I think we got company," IK said slowly as he stared in the same direction. Apparently the crown itself also sensed trouble just like it did with the Lich's presence years ago.
Everyone was hushed and poised for battle as the sound of distant footsteps became louder. Soon they noticed the vegetation being brushed aside followed by an ominous low growl. What surprised the group however was that the growling was heard from all directions.
"We're being surrounded," Betty thought. She quickly signaled her companions to rest on each other's back to prepare for the imminent battle.
The world was at a complete standstill as the travelers maintained their battle stances. Marceline tightly gripped her ax base, while Betty and IK held up their fists to conjure magic. Despite the lack of visual, the group knew well enough that they were being watched. The only thing they could sense among themselves were their hearts thumping against their chests. Their bodies were tense with adrenaline, poised to make a stand.
A large wolf suddenly pounced towards the group with a bellowing roar. Its mouth was wide open, ready to sink its teeth into its first victim. In a split second, Betty fired an ice blast with her powers which made the canine miss his prey upon landing. Ice King was about to follow up with the attack by casting a lightning bolt until another wolf leapt into the fight.
IK lost his footing as he was caught by surprise. Just when he thought his life was over, Marcy batted the canine with her guitar before it got the chance to tackle IK.
"Phew, thanks," he said relieved.
Marcy nodded in determination, "We'll get through this. Now we know what we're dealing with." She transformed into her bat form and began to use her height and enhanced strength to her advantage.
The rest of the wolf pack entered the fight shortly after Marcy's transformation. Instead of staggering away from the vampire's intimidating appearance, the pack boldly advanced on the aggression and attempted to tackle Marcy altogether.
She swung with her right back-hand as three canines whimpered from the impact. Their bodies tumbled around the dirt briefly until they quickly recovered and snarled in anger.
"These aren't your average wolves," Marcy thought to herself. "Something seems a bit off." Even with the vampire's superior strength, the canines were still determined to fight nonetheless. They tried biting her wings, arms, and legs in an attempt to disable the vampire. Fortunately for Marcy, she dodged their attacks with ease and swung her fists to knock them back. They endured through pain however and persisted to kill their intended targets.
The fight for survival continued as IK and Betty fired ice beams in multiple directions. Their shots missed however as the wolves juked and rolled with expert agility. The hunters were gradually moving closer until IK crossed his hands in midair then slammed his palms onto the ground. A blue energy geyser erupted from the ground, knocking the canines backwards in midair. After the attack, the pack began to withdraw without a second thought.
"Whoa," IK said out loud as he stared at his hands in fascination.
"That's a new one," Marcy commented as she returned to her normal form. "I haven't seen you do that before."
Betty frowned in thought as she observed IK, "The crown must have given Simon new fighting techniques as a defensive mechanism. Wherever the catacombs are, we must be close." She cleared her throat and said, "Well done, Ice King! You saved us all! How would you like to share dinner with me as an act of thanks?"
The ice wizard blushed and chuckled nervously, "Oh, um. Sure! Okay, heheh."
Marcy gave a rough pat on IK's back, "We'll make a hero out of you yet!"
"I look forward to the day of Simon's return," Betty thought while she smiled superficially. "Somewhere within that wretched headpiece is the one who I love dearly. And I will travel to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes."
