A/N: A huge thank you again to everyone that has read and reviewed this so far! It means so much to know that people are interested in what's going to happen, and it makes me even more excited to continue writing. This chapter took a while to put up because I took some time to outline the entire story; I'm happy to say that I'm pretty confident going forward with this, and I hope you guys will stick with me!
I don't own Adventure Time or any of its characters.
The countryside of Ooo was bathed in an early-afternoon sunlight as the group of nine travelers made their way southeast towards the waste of the badlands. The trees that populated the area surrounding the Candy Kingdom had gradually thinned out after a few days of travel, giving way to the seemingly endless sea of green that was the grasslands. For the most part, the group walked in single file: Finn and Jake led the troupe, with the six silent scientists occupying the middle. Marceline, who had not been particularly pleased about the decision to travel by daylight, floated at the rear of the group, her long black hair covered by a familiar sunhat.
When the nine had set out from the Candy Kingdom, Jake was concerned; Princess Bubblegum had been acting pretty weird about the whole thing, and their last trip to the badlands had left a bad taste in his mouth. Not to mention we didn't pack nearly enough snacks for this long of a journey. Despite these reservations, Jake knew that saying anything would be pointless once he saw the look in Finn's eyes. He'd seen that look plenty of times before, and he wasn't about to let his brother go off into danger solo.
Still, Jake had to admit that the going was easier than he had hoped. During the week that they had been traveling towards the badlands, the party had barely even seen another living creature, let alone anything that was remotely dangerous. Finn was as energetic as ever, and every now and then he could hear the strum of Marceline's bass echo from the back of the group. Even the food seemed to consistently be in good supply; Finn must have been more thorough in his preparations than usual.
"Hey Jake, how much longer do you think it'll be until we get to the badlands?" asked Finn as the group hiked through a patch of taller grass.
"Not sure, man, but I think we're getting close. We could be there before nighttime," replied Jake.
"All right, I guess that sounds good," Finn said as he began to hack at the grass in order to clear a path.
For as many times as the two had traveled this way, judging the distance had been a little bit difficult. Normally, they would just fly in one of PB's crazy inventions, or Jake would just make himself big enough to where covering ground was no big deal. But, this time they had to guard the colony crew, or whatever they were called, so they all went by foot. Jake probably could have fit them all on his back, but he decided that he'd rather just let them walk on their own. They hadn't run into much along their journey, but those six still made Jake feel uncomfortable; it was like their eyes were constantly staring through the back of his head, reminding him of a certain poo-brained horse. As pleasant as the journey had been so far, they were a constant reminder that something about this whole thing wasn't quite right.
A few hours passed, and the sun began to start its daily descent towards the horizon. The grass, which had been all there was to see for days, had finally begun to thin out. Here and there, patches of junk had become visible: half-buried tires, twisted posts, and rusted sheets of metal were becoming a more prominent feature of the landscape. As they continued to walk, the grass gave way almost entirely to miles and miles of brown sand, stretching out for what seemed liked forever. The group stopped marching momentarily and stood staring at the vast waste that lay before them. They had finally reached the badlands.
"Mathematical! We made it!" Finn shouted, as if he had never actually been there before.
"Whoa there Finn, you sure seem excited. Normally I'm the only one who gets a kick out of an empty wasteland filled with skulls," Marceline joked as she joined Finn and Jake at the head of the group.
"I mean, you know, I'm just excited that we're getting close to the end, that's all. I'm tired of walking, and I haven't actually gotten to fight anything yet," Finn responded, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah, well, be careful what you wish for bro," Jake said with a laugh. "I'd just as soon kick back once we get to where these little guys are supposed to be."
"Aww man, that junk's boring." Finn crossed his arms, "What kind of escort quest doesn't have some sort of raider band or something?"
"The relaxing kind," Jake replied.
"So where to now?" Marceline asked. As if in answer to her question, the colony crew began to move once more, wordlessly marching towards the heart of the wasteland.
"Looks like they know the way," Finn said, and quickly made to walk besides the travelers. Marceline and Jake soon followed suit.
"Dude, these guys still give me the creeps," Jake muttered as he reluctantly took his place besides the strangers. "It's like traveling with a bunch of zombies or something."
"Oh, I don't know about that. Zombies tend to be much more lively," replied Marceline with a wry smile. "Though, I will admit that these guys smell a lot better. Besides Jake, if they actually were undead, I think you'd have a much harder time controlling your bowels, as I recall."
"Haha, gross," Finn laughed as Jake shot Marceline a dirty look.
"These guys really aren't so bad Jake," Finn continued. "They're kind of like some sort of squadron of science ninjas, you know? Sworn to secrecy to protect the things they hold most dear."
"Finn, I think I would know ninjas when I see them," Jake retorted. "Need I remind you who the current reigning ninja champion of the treehouse is?"
"Pfft, whatever man," Finn said dismissively. "You and I both know that-"
Finn was cut short as the ground beneath their feet began to shake. It started with a rumble, and quickly grew more violent; the sands were starting to shift and bubble around the group as they struggled to find their footing. Finn and Jake readied themselves for a skirmish, but the landscape then became calm once more, almost as suddenly as the action had begun. Jake, Finn, and Marceline shared a moment of confused stillness while the colonization crew continued to march onward, apparently not at all phased by the activity.
"What the heck was that?" Finn asked, the excitement in his voice making Jake somewhat uncomfortable.
"Bad news, if I had to take a guess," Jake said, the hair on the back of his neck still standing up. In all the times he had been to the badlands, Jake couldn't ever remember an earthquake. So what in Ooo would possibly cause the ground to-
"Jake, LOOK OUT."
The dog heard Finn yell just in time to turn around to a sight he had hoped to never see again. A dull brown figure had leapt out from the sand and lunged towards the group. The misshapen creature was barely distinguishable from the rest of the desert landscape, save for the green ooze that dripped out from gaping holes that covered its body. Jake barely managed to side step his attacker to gain a moment's reprieve, but not far off what sounded like a mix of growls and moans was clearly audible.
The monsters were back.
Three other figures followed the one that had lunged at Jake, each leaking a sickly toxic goo onto the ground as it walked towards the group. Finn had already jumped towards the first one, sword drawn. Apparently, the long week of travel hadn't dulled his reflexes at all; the monster had no time to react as the grass sword slashed across its abdomen. The liquid that had been dripping from its orifices sprayed out of the wound, covering Finn and Jake in the slime.
"Oh man, gross!" Finn grimaced as he attempted to shake some of the goop off of his hands. "This stuff smells like crud."
"Finn, be careful!" Jake yelled as another enemy jumped towards them. He was able to guard his brother with an extended arm, the hand of which was stretched to several times its original size. The monster was temporarily knocked back, which allowed Jake time to take stock of the situation. Aw man, I knew something like this was going to happen, he thought to himself as he looked at the monsters, who were only a few yards away and closing. If we don't do something fast, we might lose another…
It was at that moment that Jake realized that their group was noticeably smaller than it had been a few minutes ago. He glanced around, and saw that the colony crew had never stopped marching. Even during the earthquake, the six little guys kept moving towards their destination; apparently they were unaware of how well candy people had fared against these things recently.
"Finn, the colony crew!" Finn glanced behind him as he heard Jake call out.
"Aww, nuts!" the boy shouted. He turned back to face the enemy that was now only feet away from him. "Marceline, can you go after them?"
"And do what?" asked the vampire, who had been watching from a distance. "In case you haven't noticed, the sun hasn't set, and it's not exactly cloudy."
"What? You're just gonna stand there?" Jake turned toward Marceline.
"It's not my fault you two bozos insisted on traveling during the day. Besides, I think, Finn's got a pretty good handle on this," Marceline responded as she shifted her gaze towards where the monsters had been.
Turning back, Jake couldn't help but agree that she was right. Two more broken oozing husks lay on the ground, and Finn stood facing the last of their adversaries, his once-blue shirt covered in a sickly green. The final monster was still a few feet from Finn, who stood with eyes fixed on his enemy and both hands on the hilt of his sword; if he had thought the thing was capable of any sort of emotion, Jake would have said it looked scared. After the two had been staring at each other for what seemed like minutes-if you could call what the thing was doing staring-Finn's foe leapt high into the air, apparently attempting to land on him. Without much effort, Finn sidestepped as the creature landed headfirst into the sand. As it lay there dazed, Finn raised his sword in the air, letting it hover with its point above where anything else would have a heart.
"This is for James!" Finn's voice pierced through the desert air like his sword through the hide of the monster. The creature contorted, gave one final shudder, and then was still.
Jake breathed a sigh of relief and headed towards his brother, who had renewed his attempts to shake the remnants of the battle off of his clothes. Even Marceline looked happy that the skirmish was done as she floated over.
"You all right, man?" Jake asked, pawing a chunk of glop from Finn's shirt.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just-Jake, the crew!" Finn stopped trying to clean himself as he realized that the six candy people were still missing.
"Don't worry, I got 'em," the dog responded, his arm stretching towards the marchers. "But seriously what is with these guys? I mean, bravery is one thing, but it's like they don't even-"
"Uhhh, Jake?" Marceline was staring towards Jake's outstretched arm. As he followed her gaze, Jake realized why she had stopped him; his hand was not the only one aiming for the colony crew. Just a few yards away from his own arm, a huge claw was making its way upward from beneath the sands.
"Is that another one?" Finn asked, joining Jake and Marceline in staring at the unearthed limb.
"Not necessarily," Jake shrugged, trying to convince himself more than anyone. "I mean, you know, it could just be an arm." The sands around the now outstretched arm began to bubble and quake, and an enormous figure began to rise from under the ground. Ok, so it's definitely not just an arm.
As Jake quickly withdrew his own arm, the creature continued to stand. The debris started to cascade off of its body, making the monster's outline clearer. Its figure was oddly rectangular, the angles in stark contrast to the misshapen enemies that they had faced earlier. The creature's only obvious defect was a missing chunk of its body in the upper right hand corner of its head. Whatever it is, it's huge, thought Jake; the thing was almost standing upright now, and was at least three times the height of Finn.
"Well, maybe it's friendly!" Finn suggested optimistically. Though it wouldn't have been the first friendly giant they met, Jake seriously doubted they would find anything in this wasteland that didn't want them dead. His doubts were confirmed as the first drop of green slime splashed near the monster's foot. He began to ready himself to face the new opponent, but as the creature finally made its way fully upright, Jake's stomach dropped. The last bits of debris had fallen off of the giant before them, and it was now clearly visible.
The monster was James.
Or, at least, it had been James. Looking into the hollow black pits that used to be eyes, Jake was fairly confident that any vestiges of their former friend had long since been erased.
"James? James!" Finn had apparently not been quite as observant. "James, hey JAMES!" Appearing to hear the shouts, the thing that had been James shifted its gaze from the other six trespassers towards Finn, Jake, and Marceline.
"James, it's us!" Finn continued. "We're sorry we had to leave you behind, but PB said you'd be fine, but now you're back, and, I mean, there's two of you now, but I'm sure we can work it out, I'm sure we can-"
"Dude, I don't think that's James anymore," Jake said as the monster slowly lurched towards them.
"But…it has to be." Finn began to step forward. "You remember us, don't you James? Remember, you thought we were ok guys?"
The two were now just steps away from each other. James looked down at the boy addressing him, and for a moment it looked like he might actually remember Finn. However, as it cocked back its right arm, its true intentions became clear. Before anyone had time to react, an oversized claw sent Finn flying off to the side with a sickening crack. He landed face-down in the sand several yards away with a soft thud.
"FINN!" Jake shouted. He quickly increased his size to match that of the creature, putting himself between it and its prey. The monster moved to attack with its other arm, but its massive size apparently dulled its speed. Jake ducked under the incoming swipe and was able to connect on an uppercut to James's stomach. The creature doubled over, allowing Jake to connect with a kick to its face. The kick sent James flying backwards, and for the moment he lay stunned facing the sky. Shrinking back down to his original size, Jake rushed over to Finn, who had somehow managed to sit upright.
"Finn, buddy, are you ok?" Jake looked over his brother. Finn's breathing was a bit labored, but regular. He seemed fully conscious, if not a little dazed, and the cuts on his stomach from where the claw had connected were bleeding, though they didn't appear to be too deep. He must have managed to take a step back just in time thought Jake.
"I'm fine…don't worry about me." Besides a ripped shirt, a few bruised ribs and a possible concussion, Jake had to admit that he really did look fine. This kid is something else. He looked behind him and saw James struggling to regain his footing.
"Well, that's good, 'cause it looks like we still got trouble, brother." Jake helped Finn to his feet, and the two stood side by side facing the now recovered monster.
"Right," Finn nodded, his blade retaking its place in his hand with a twang.
For some reason, James wasn't moving. Instead, he made his claws into fists, widened his stance, and leaned back his head. Suddenly, he began to inhale deeply, his monstrous diaphragm expanding to twice its original size.
"I think we should run now," Finn quickly whispered.
"Yeah, good call," Jake responded.
The decision was not made a moment too soon; as the two peeled off in opposite directions, James threw his head forward and began to spew forth a pillar of green flame. The fire engulfed everything in its path, leaving even the desert sands alight with burning emerald tongues. The heat from the flame was intense, and it had a toxic air about it that started to make Jake nauseous. This could get bad, Jake thought, still running away from the heat. If this guy hurls that stuff in the direction of our zombie troupe, they wouldn't even blink an eye while they burned alive.
Jake looked over his shoulder at Finn, who met his gaze while running the opposite direction. The two then nodded, as if reading each other's thoughts. Without a word, Finn and Jake began to wheel back towards James, making every effort to avoid the line of toxic flames still burning in the sand. James had finally stopped belching fire, and was readying himself for another attack.
Just as the monster began to fill up on air, Jake arrived within striking range. Quickly growing to his foe's size once more, he proceeded to wrap his arms around the clawed limbs that hung at James's side. The surprise of the bind caused the giant to harmlessly release what flames he had readied into the air. The heat from the fire at so close a distance was difficult to bear, but Jake kept his grip firm.
Before James could react, Finn was flying towards him through the air. The monster could only watch as the boy made his landing, the point of his sword sticking far into its chest. Kicking his feet free and hanging from the hilt, Finn proceeded to drag the sword down with his weight, slicing through rotting candy flesh as he descended to the ground. When Finn's feet touched the sand once more, Jake released his grip. James wavered for a moment, and then landed with a crash on the desert floor.
Breathing heavily, Finn and Jake walked towards each other. The fire had finally extinguished itself, leaving a path of blackened sand where it had once raged. The two looked back at the monster as the sun finally began to set far in the edge of the desert; this time, Jake doubted he would get back up. An oversized corpse leaking vile toxic fluid was all that remained of the one who had once saved their lives.
"James, I'm sor.." Finn fell over before he could finish his sentence. Looking down, Jake could see he was bleeding more heavily than before. The fight must have aggravated his wounds, he thought as he reached into Finn's pack to get bandages.
"Hey, Jake."
Jake looked up to see Marceline, along with the six candy people whom they had been charged to guard.
"How'd you get them to come back?" Jake asked as he wrapped Finn's wounds.
"Oh, I have a lot of experience getting zombies to do what I say," Marceline winked. Her face then became more serious. "Is he gonna be all right?"
"He'll be fine," Jake replied. "He's taken worse before. We'll need to let him rest tomorrow, though."
"It's just as well," Marceline said, glancing at the giant corpse as the tip of the sun vanished into the sand. "From now on, we travel at night."
Jake wasn't about to argue with her. "I'll set up camp," he said, and set about making the tent that he and Finn slept in.
Later that night, Jake sat outside his tent while Marceline kept guard over the colony crew. Odd as they were, the little guys still needed sleep every night, though they never seemed to mind just resting on the sand. He stared wordlessly into the fire, its embers reflecting their light off of his unblinking eyes. From the way Princess Bubblegum had been acting, Jake had figured the mission would be dangerous, but this…this was more than he expected. As he looked deeper into the flame, he thought for a second that he could see the toxic torches once more dancing in the desert.
Jake shuddered, and did his best not think about the last enemy that attacked with that kind of fire.
A/N: Finally, some action! Next chapter will be up as soon as possible. Thanks again for reading!