Old World Blues Chapter 4:
"It could be all yours you know, when I'm dead and gone. Well. That is to say. Dead, but still here. You know that's kind of funny Hah! When I die, I'll probably just re-appear in my office!"
That last syllable 'ffice' flicked off the tongue of Hunson Abadeer with such venom that even Marceline had to shudder.
Not that Abadeer had intended what he said to sound harsh. On the contrary he was being un-characteristically liberal to his daughters wishes. The reason Marceline had shivered was because her father, Lord of the Nightosphere, had LITERALLY just flicked venom off his tongue, which had fallen to the floor of her quaint living room and burnt a small hole in the turquoise rug.
"Oh.. Sorry honey." Abadeer apologised, taking out a blood red handkerchief and dabbing at his lips.
"I get it dad, and the answer is still 'no'. I'm not interested in commanding that whiz-hole. Did you want something to eat?"
Marceline drifted airily from her position on the couch (or rather, over the couch) and into the kitchen where upon she set about rustling up some grub.
"That's alright dear, I ate before I got here."
With that, Abadeer's stomach physically trembled, emitting a muffled shriek, which gradually grew to be less and less noisy.
Marceline wafted over with a chilled garland of red roses and started draining the colour from their petals.
She paused, then turned to her father, sitting comfortably in a plump armchair.
"Look, I appreciate that you're getting to grips with my lifestyle now, but I still haven't forgiven you for trying to brainwash and steal me away.
Abadeer laughed, fondling a pointed ear.
"Oh my Marceline, you have your mother's determination. Besides, I SUCCEEDED in brain washing you. The only tragedy is that you broke free. Heh, give me some credit sweetheart."
He re-crossed his legs, wrinkling the pitch-black trousers in the process, then knitted his hands together, completely content. The worst part was that Abadeer had believed that most recent exchange to be normal conversation.
Marceline sighed, tweaking off her levitation and slumping hard into her sofa.
Their family reunion was going to get a lot tougher before it got better.
She was still thinking this when her father sat bolt upright and craned his neck to peer outside a panelled window.
"Well would you look at that..." He hissed, turning the words over like a worm in his mouth.
"It seems your tasty friends have come over for a play date."
Marceline was sucking up the red from her last petal, and almost choked when she saw her father slide over to the front door.
"Daddy NO!" She yelled, as Abadeer turned the doorknob.
Slowly, cautiously, Hunson Abadeer retracted his scaly hand. He turned back to Marceline with a pointed smile.
"Oh, no, I quite understand Marcy. Just the old instincts kicking in there. I'll leave you and your friends alone together. Heh, don't want an old fuddy duddy like me cramping the style, I can relate."
Marceline watched as the Lord of Evil moved over to a nerdy caricature 'Phil' face, drawn on the wall in black ink.
She saw him take a carton of bug milk out of his tailor-made pocket.
"I'll take my leave now Marcy, but just remember, soon you'll have to start thinking about a future career and what you want to get out of your un-death. And when that happens, I know you'll make the right decision."
Abadeer grinned placidly, trying his best to appear like a sinister father. He did this because 'sinister' was a considerable step down from sadistic, and Abadeer had learn that compromises had to be made. For the time being at least.
Quick as a flash, Abadeer spun the carton at the wall, then seemed to loose his temper as his flesh warped, twisting out the sounds of his incantation.
"Maloso vobiscum et cum spiritum!"
The homely wall split open in great craggy chunks, revealing a swirling tumult of fire and brimstone that cascaded down into a lower and darker dimension. The Nightosphere had been unleashed, and with it the howling of the dead, as vivid to the ears as colour to the eyes.
Marceline backed away to watch the spectacle unfold, her father stepping through the void as calmly as if it were a front door. He turned, features warping where the red light fell.
"The offer is always open Marceline." He growled as his organs un-knit themselves and squeezed down into the eye of the storm.
"Just come over some time to keep your old man company, Heck! I've got more power than I know what to do with. And I think a taste will do you good."
Finally, Abadeer's exposed brain fed itself into the portal, triggering the wormhole to close up with a stuttering pop.
Marceline was left all on her own.
"Pffbbt. Whatevs Dad."
She spun low to the carpet, picked up her axe-bass, then wafted over to the brown door.
She may not have looked it, but the vampire queen felt very much in need of some company at that moment. She was glad her friends had chosen to see her on today of all days, seeing as her father's visits were random and left her slightly rattled by their end.
There was an impatient knocking which did the job of breaking her trance.
"Just a second."
However, no sooner did Marceline twist the latch than in burst a long nosed mage in plump blue robes and golden crown. To add to this disaster of fashion the creature had what looked like an electric guitar slung over it's thin shoulders, only this guitar had what looked like dried macaroni stuck on its edges in lopsided, unimaginative smears.
"Hey Marceline!" Crooned Ice King, using his beard to propel himself through the door.
"WHAT IN THE!, Simo...er...Ice King we don't have basketball for another week yet!"
"Naw that's not it sugar." Ice King landed and bounded up to Marceline, genuine excitement flooding his light blue eyes.
"Didn'tcha hear! We're all going on a road trip! THE GANG'S BACK TOGETHER AGAIN! Oh it's gonna be so much fun, we can make sweet notes together, and make each other bestie bracelets, or..."
Ice King took hold of Marceline's hand and rubbed it against his wrinkled face.
"We can stay up till dawn and talk about boys."
Marceline drew away, an expression of mild disgust present on her pale face.
"Yeah, real sorry about this Marceline." Announced Finn apologetically, wiping his feet on the mat.
"There's like a super important thing we all gotta do that's all like 'oh snap the world will go ba-donks!'"
Jake shook his head, morphing his feet into a pair of boots so he could wipe something to.
"Nah, you're building it up too much. We'll probably just find this demon guy quadruple team him, and mop up the fleshy confetti."
Then he turned to Finn with a worried look on his stretchy face.
"Hey dude, did that sound too harsh."
Finn waved him down.
"It's alright bro, you're just super pumped to pump this chump in the dumps."
Marceline smiled at the way Finn punched the air. His pun had been awful of course, but that child like enthusiasm did more for her than breaking a pixies' neck. Evil pixies of course, she'd matured since then.
"Really?" she questioned. "A dungeon crawl? Sorry Finn but that's not really my biz!"
Solomon's hulking frame suddenly filled the doorway, with Tim under his arm.
"It is all of our 'biz', vampiric maiden, lest this world fall into dis-repair. It is vital you join us as we mount an offensive against Obyrith Lord Dagon."
Finn snapped his fingers.
"Oh yeah and this is Solomon, and the flower dude's Tim. Solomon's kinda serious but he's doin his job I guess."
Marceline chuckled, strumming a cool riff as she thought it over. Finally she beckoned her chums (and Solomon) to come sit down.
However her wariness of the stranger diluted her normally easy-going vibe.
"I thought you had like an extra-planar assault team to deal with that kind of stuff, why don't you just call out your buds from wherever you're from and go take care of it, okay strange dude?"
Solomon stiffened as he felt his pride being challenged. He had chosen to stand where as Finn and Jake were sitting, and made good use of his posture now. He grimaced, which caused the bandages around his face to tighten, then arrested the vampire with a burnt finger.
"To prevent Dagon from slipping through the dimensions any further the council of the twin paradises have re-enforced the dimensional barriers leading to each plane. As of around twenty minutes ago inter-dimensional travel is now impossible, lest Dagon emerge upon this world pre-maturely."
If that was the case, Marceline thought, where abouts was her father at this precise moment in time? If not in the Nightosphere, he would have had to be pulled into the Astral plane. The idea of him being sucked out of subspace and flung into the world between worlds was in many ways, hilarious.
The room darkened as Solomon narrowed his already thin eyes.
"Believe me when I say that we are this world's only hope, and mind your tongue when you talk to me girl, or I shall have it out."
Marceline shot a sour look his way.
"Look, Solo'moron'. You might think you're all high and mighty in the celestial worlds, but I don't feel like goin out today, so you might have to ask nicer."
She struck some strings to make her point, floating up close to the warrior.
Marceline matched his gaze without faltering, despite the stop sign Jake had moulded out of his flesh.
"I'm sure you'll think of something…" Began Marceline, hammering her point home.
"I mean it's…urggh…its not like…grrrr…its not….WOULD YOU CUT THAT OUT!""
Ice king had taken this time to start racking at his chords, trying way too hard to look cool as he did.
"What?.." he asked, oblivious to the P.V.P battle
"I know, never had a lesson in my life, but that's only if you play manual. This is an ELECTRIC guitar! I just gotta figure out which HAPPNIN TUNES are programmed in."
He gave way to shaking the instrument at ear level, trying to get the musical notes to fall out.
Marceline sighed, worried about what would happen to the insane wizard that housed the remains of her dearest friend.
"Fine I'll tag along." She submitted.
"But if this dude does anything to crimp my crests, I'll personally stomp him"