Marceline took a deep breath before she began her trial. Like Phoebe and Betty, the vampire stopped at a door with ancient symbols that required a gem piece from the ice crown. She looked at the key in her right hand thinking how far she had sought to bring Simon back and reflected on a time when she used to be resigned into taking such a quest. No one could have ever told her in the past thousand years that there was a solution all along in a place isolated from civilization. The years she spent beforehand involved surviving the wasteland and making friends with people in the wrong crowd. Over time she gradually reformed and in a surprising turn of events, the vampire encountered Betty Grof when the latter jumped through a time portal constructed by Simon himself. Ever since that day, Marcy was given newfound hope to bring back someone she once cherished as a parent. With that in mind, she didn't hesitate to open the door and stepped forward.
The vampire walked into what appeared to be a training room for martial arts. The flooring had a flat, white carpet, the walls decorated with scrolls and paintings reminiscent to a Far-Eastern design, and the room itself was lit with several paper lanterns. It was a strong contrast compared to the temple's vague, stone-like interior, but Marceline didn't dwell too much about it.
A lone figure stood on the far side of the room with his arms crossed in front of chest. He was seen wearing an aikidogi with a red hakama and a white uwagi without sandals. Upon closer observation, he appeared as a middle-aged Caucasian man with blond short, slicked hair. Marcy felt a little bit surprised that he was actually human, and proceeded to approach him in a friendly conversation.
Unfortunately for Marcy, just before she could have the chance to take two steps, the man before her chuckled evilly. The vampire stopped with her guard up and waited for whatever was bound to happen.
"Kill her," the man said dismissively.
Marceline frowned in confusion as her eyes told her that it was only the stranger and herself in the room at the time. A few seconds later however, she heard the sound of several smoke bombs going off, followed by dozens of light footsteps.
Three hooded-masked figures dressed in white rushed towards the vampire. Each of them had their hands lifted at different offensive stances, intent on dealing the first strike. Marceline reacted accordingly by going into a side stance and threw a swift right hook on the leading enemy's chest. As a result, he flew backwards several feet from the vampire's strength before lying down motionless. Next, Marcy quickly dodged a straight punch from the man on her right while also catching her opponent's wrist in the process. She countered by delivering an elbow strike to the stomach before sending him flying backwards with a forward side kick. The last opponent who rushed into her managed to throw two alternating punches in quick succession, but both were parried before reaching their mark. Marcy then responded by imitating the same attack, stunning the man in place before finishing off with a jumping round-house kick. As he slid backwards across the floor alongside his fallen brethren, Marcy took on a widened defensive stance and watched as large group of ice ninjas made their way towards her. By then, the leader who gave out the order had seemingly disappeared.
Fists and kicks were given as Marcy defended herself. Fortunately for her, most of the ninjas she fought against easily fell after taking 2-3 hits to either the chest, head, or stomach. Marceline supposed they were more of a distraction than a challenge, but proceeded to fight at her best until none were left standing. At some point in the skirmish, a dozen more ninjas began to join the action by using more smoke bombs from a close distance. Marceline picked up the pace to compete with the newcomers and grunted her teeth as she took a stray punch or kick from being overwhelmed. Even with her natural physical abilities, Marceline had to be wary on when to stop attacking and block whenever it was needed. Unfortunately for her, when she did stop to absorb most of the group's fists, Marceline just couldn't find the chance to counter without having to get pummeled in the process. As a result, she yelled indignantly through the pain and threw her arms to the sides. The group that surrounded her stumbled backwards a few feet and the vampire was able to recompose herself. However, the pause was short-lived as the ninjas used their ice magic to conjure a variety of weapons for close quarters combat. Some of them had nunchucks, some with bo staffs, some with daggers, and some had swords.
"Time to get serious," Marceline thought to herself with a determined expression as she wielded her ax bass on cue.
It felt like an endless battle as the vampire swung tirelessly from left to right. She tried to count how many ninjas she defeated as more kept on approaching, but it was pointless. One thing that she did assume however was that even in her exhausted state, the ground beneath her should have been piled with bodies to point where it made maneuvering tricky to handle. And yet here she was, fighting on the floor that seemed spacious enough to run and even roll around in. She wasn't sure if some of the bodies had seemed to disappear on their own, but she needed to end her fight now.
Marceline roared in fury as she used her pyrokinesis to generate a ring of flames surrounding her. Moments later, the fire lashed out in all directions, incinerating anyone without a struggle. None of the ninjas uttered any signs of pain or agony in their last moments and the room was left silent once more.
The dojo was marred in blackness after the flames died out. Anything that decorated the interior that gave off its distinct appearance was essentially lost. Marceline paid no attention to the extent of the damage as she solely focused on catching her breath. She only waited around five minutes to fully recover. By the time her self-healing factor sealed the last cut on her body, only her tattered clothes indicated that she was previously wounded in battle.
Marceline sighed irritably as she tore both sleeves off from her grey plaid top. There were too many cuts made on the forearms and biceps from blocking that it made sense to be less restrictive overall. Her black undershirt luckily didn't have any tears and her pants had only a few small cuts made roughly around the knees. After that, she removed her grey baseball cap with the fire breathing unicorn emblem and fixed her hair back into a neater ponytail.
"That should do it," Marcy nodded to herself in approval.
She stepped forward towards the other side of the room and reached a door shortly after. When she walked in, the vampire noticed she was now in what appeared to be a a luxury suite typically reserved for a wealthy businessman before the Mushroom War. It had a lounge with a flat screen tv, two slim couches, and a glass coffee table. Next to it on the right was a large bookshelf with a desk and computer, along with a large portrait of the owner hanging right behind it. Lastly straight ahead, at the end of the area was a large outdoor patio designed with a small vineyard and custom wooded flooring. The vampire could also see there were skyscrapers and high rise buildings in the background. But the most important fact however, was that she noticed the sky was dark indicating it was night.
"I'm impressed," a familiar voice echoed throughout the room, getting Marcy's attention. "You've managed to defeat my entire clan of ice ninjas. No one has ever done that before."
"That the best you can do?" Marcy taunted throwing her hands up. "I was hoping for more of a challenge!"
"Indeed," the voice replied with a low chuckle. "If you still wish to seek the key for your journey, you must defeat me in single combat. Meet me outside of the patio when you are ready."
Marcy didn't bother to think twice as she rushed outside. When she did, she found the man she encountered earlier and tightened her fists to the sides.
"So, both wanderers have come seeking death. That makes both of you fools," the man taunted with a cruel smile. His voice was deep conveying power and intimidation.
"And you are?" Marcy questioned with a frown.
"I am the entity of Chaos," the man answered. "Known to possess many names throughout the ages. But for you, you may call me Geese Howard, the Master of Fridjitzu."
"I'm just gonna lay it down on you," Marcy scowled as she clutched her right fist upwards, "You've been messing with someone who I really care about for far too long, and I'm gonna put a stop to it!"
"Is that so?" Geese chuckled with an amused expression. "Come attack me then, Vampire Queen."
Marceline yelled as she charged at him with a straight right punch. Her speed was unbelievably fast due to her natural vampiric abilities, but it seemed Geese showed indifference nonetheless. When he saw her fist approaching near, he moved with the same speed and blocked it successfully without struggle. Marceline was shocked upon this discovery and she found herself speechless before him.
"Heh, child's play," Geese smirked.
Marceline then regained her focus and quickly spun counterclockwise to deliver a left roundhouse kick. Once again it was blocked, this time Geese posing with his left forearm in a parry before using his hands to perform a judo throw.
"Predictable," he taunted with his smirk becoming wider as Marceline slowly got up from the ground. Not one minute into the fight, and it seemed the vampire was already wrought with frustration.
"I will not lose to a total jerk wad like you," Marcy said with anger in her eyes. She summoned more of her strength and moved swiftly to deliver a series of punches and kicks.
To anyone, the vampire's movements could be seen as nothing but a blur. As for the ice master however, Geese saw every move and blocked accordingly without any difficulties. Two minutes have passed as he let Marcy lash out with her anger. Each blow was absorbed by his forearms and the vampire panted from being quickly exhausted. Once he saw her slow down slightly with fatigue settling in, he suddenly pushed on the offensive and imitated Marcy's strategy. The vampire did her best to block while backtracking, but when she made a certain distance, Geese picked her up again and tossed her back with another judo throw. He waited for her to get up and recover her breath and when she did, he immediately moved with earnest with a combo of straight punches, a few half circle kicks, and a shoulder strike. Each blow landed successfully on Marcy as though she were idle throughout the fight. When her arms dropped to her sides in a stun-like state, Geese sharply flung his right hand upwards yelling, "Repuken!" Right after he said that, a blue arch-like energy was conjured on the ground that struck Marcy and knocked her on her back.
The vampire's vision was hazy with pain and exhaustion as she got up again. She had only remembered a time she had felt this way and it was a memory she had dreaded to forget.
Finn's image flashed in her mind as she paused in battle. She could see his face smiling with joy and happiness as though he had no care in the world. But then it was quickly replaced with his expression showing an icy glare. Marcy knew he had become distant over the years after the Red Throne incident, and a part of her blamed herself for not being involved enough to offer advice and comfort. His death glare when he fought as Bubblegum's bodyguard conveyed a sense of resentment, almost as though he reserved his pent up aggression for that moment alone. Since then, Marcy wondered if she could ever have the chance to go back and make things better. Perhaps there could have been a chance where her and Finn could have been better friends earlier beforehand or even one where they would be so much more. It was wishful thinking on her part and the one thing that did resonate in her mind was that Finn would always encourage her to keep fighting for what was right, no matter the cost. Somehow that thought intensified as she also considered Simon and Betty's advice towards her, and moments later she posed in another battle stance with her resolve stronger than ever.
"You surprise me," the Fridjitzu Master admitted. "But your fighting technique cannot defeat my superior combat ability."
Marceline did not reply and closed her eyes taking a deep, controlled breath. As her inner peace settled over her body, the vampire flung her eyes open and approached her rival once more. This time however, both fighters were able to match each other's skill. Marceline would still get hit from time to time, but in turn she was able to do the same with Geese. However minuscule as it seemed, Geese was starting to lose his focus that Marcy was fighting smarter and adapting to his strategy. He tried to alternate with a combination of kicks and uppercuts but none seemed as effective as much. He even tried using the Repuken in quick succession, but those were missed altogether. The last thing he expected especially was when Marcy managed to perform the same counter move as him and flung him downwards with incredible force. He groaned as his strength left him and he found himself stunned on the ground for a long while before he mustered enough energy to get back up into a kneeling position.
"Well done, Marceline," Geese taunted evenly through the pain. "There are very few people I have met through the ages who forced me to use my ultimate technique. It has been an honor to be fighting against a worthy opponent and for that I say thank you and goodbye." He then formed a twisted expression while standing up and generated a large amount of energy around himself. Shortly after, he crossed his wrists and palms, raising them up high above his head before shouting, "RAISING STO-
Marcy didn't give him time to finish however. A split second before Geese could generate his signature forward power geyser, Marceline crouched and slammed her right fist forward onto the ground using a power wave technique. A small chain of explosions quickly made its way towards the Fridjitzu Master with the last one giving off a larger blast right near the front of his feet. Geese yelled in defeat as his body was flung backwards up high. He knew from that moment the force given from the blast was more than enough to send him over the edge and into the dark streets below. What made it more surprising for him though, was that somehow Marceline caught him miraculously in the last second. The vampire shouted in pain briefly as she held her rival with her left hand, while lying down on her stomach.
"Alright," Marcy demanded as she held him tightly with a grunt. "Any last words before I send you over the edge?"
"What do you expect me to say?" Geese laughed once he composed himself. "That I'm so sorry for taking away someone you care so much as a father? That I should feel regret or fear now that everything I've done has ultimately lead to this? Heh, I will be honest with you that I do not feel any of those things!"
Marcy blinked in shock despite being the one in control. She had hoped her rival would have some sort of sensibility given the dire circumstances but it seemed he was truly callous in nature. After a moment, she recomposed herself with a scowl and demanded, "Why?!"
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?" He laughed again. "I am a construct whose sole purpose is to incite death and violence! It is what I thrive on, what I am designed to do! Your beloved Simon wasn't the only person I've been tormenting if you must know. There have been many others that have worn this crown since the beginning of time. Each of them chose to wield the power of ice for better or worse, but in the end they all shared the same fate."
Geese stopped to form a twisted smile before continuing, "The price to uphold such power demands one's mind and body. My speciality was to ensure that the user would always succumb to violent tendencies while retaining the knowledge and skill of an effective killer. Even if I chose not to intervene, anyone wearing the crown will be driven insane and eventually perish as decreed by the entities of Sadness and Madness."
"So there's no point with you having a change of heart?" Marcy asked flatly as she processed this information.
Geese scoffed in response, "You'll need to destroy me anyway if you are to ever leave this place. What difference does it make if you waste your time pestering me with insignificant questions?"
"There's just one last thing then," Marcy frowned. "Up until now, you guys have gone out of your way to keep me and Betty away from Simon. Why did you decide to help after all the junk you put us through when we first entered the Dark Meadows? Because if there's one thing I've learned during my quest is that Simon doesn't use a fighting technique he's never learned before."
Geese only chuckled as he already knew the answer. "Business, Miss Abadeer," he said cryptically. "I'd like to see my competitors out of action." With that, he sharply threw his grip away from Marcy's and found himself falling backwards with open arms. The vampire was shocked to see him take his own life so willingly and even more so as she watched him laugh maniacally on the way down. She stayed frozen in that same spot as his figure disappeared into the distance and eventually moved when his laughter ceased to echo. Upon dusting herself off from the tiresome duel, Marcy spotted a red gem hovering in midair from Geese's office. Like the others, it glowed immensely with a white hue outlining its form. Marcy walked over to grab it and then spotted a portal that formed right beside her.
"Good luck to you, Marceline," A new voice said solemnly as a figure approached her left side. "The journey that lies ahead will continue to be long and difficult. Always remember that no matter how bleak things will be, we must never forget to seek out joy and personal happiness. Life, in all its mystery finds a way to endure through such ordeals."
Marceline was startled briefly from the newcomer's sudden appearance. Once she gained her bearings, her mind clicked in realization when she recognized the man's overall appearance.
"But, I already know that," Marcy replied with a quirky expression. "And.. are you who I think you are?"
Santa Claus nodded in thought and answered, "I am indeed the first Santa. There is so much I want to tell you, but it must wait for another time. You see Marceline, sometimes it's best to remind ourselves with something we are well familiar with. At the same time, you'll never know if there'll be someone out there who will need your comfort and wisdom."
"You make a good point," she admitted. "So what happens to you now? Will you be free from this crown once we're done with everything? I feel like by doing this, I'll be able to bring Christmas back somehow." The thought of seeing Ooo celebrating a long-forgotten holiday made the vampire hopeful and excited.
"In a way," he replied. "Unfortunately for me, I only exist as a memory construct of Saint Nick. When I saw the crown's destructive nature beforehand, I took the crown for myself so that I may limit Chaos's influence. Anyone who would come to wear it would no longer act impulsive and pose as an immediate threat. I have tried to cast out the other entities altogether as a matter of fact, but their powers are too great. Once you and your friends succeed in your task however, I will have completely passed on into the next life."
Marcy was disheartened upon hearing this and hung her head and shoulders. "I guess.. Christmas is really gone then?" She said reluctantly as she fought back tears.
The burly, bearded man smiled warmly in comfort as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "It was never about everyone receiving the gifts they did or did not desire. It is in fact, a belief: one that is meant for families to be together and to forge everlasting memories. As long as the spirit exists in one person, Christmas can never truly be lost forever."
"I understand," Marcy said feeling uplifted. "I will carry it on and share the tradition in your absence, so that others may know too."
The two exchanged a long hug afterwards. Although Marcy felt bad that Claus couldn't be brought back, she ultimately felt acceptance.
"Ask for Gunther if you wish to know more of my story," Claus advised. "He will explain everything."
She stepped through the portal after one final wave and then found herself back to where she began.
"This is the spot," Marcy said to herself as she observed the temple interior. "Now to get back and meet with the others."
