Chapter XXII, Conqueror Worm
The cat ventured throughout the world, as he finally snatched the scent of the two, if only barely. He obviously hardly wanted to go deep within the flames of the Fire Kingdom, therefore he somehow found a detour. Now, as he was in a cove where the two apparently laid rest, he pondered. Their trail was all over the place, that was quite clear. Their stenches mixed up as well which would indicate something more than just playful jesting around. There was also something else in the air. Death. The cat shivered on that very notion, as he hardly would like to meet up face to face with the skeleton. He looked around, clearly pondering whenever the two are still present somewhere near as he found something quite curious - a small pillow, lying right next to the pond of water. He looked closely at it as he began to sniff it carefully. Pink one clearly lied her head there for some reason. The small drips of gum would indicate that it wasn't all that long ago. So there was still hope in finding them. He sighted with much relief. But there was something else, something quite troubling. As soon as he came close to this fluffy object, his eyelids began to feel heavy, almost as if something was putting him to sleep. His thoughts were overwhelmed by that sheer notion, as the only thing that occupied his mind after a while, was the desire to get some rest. And so he did, as he curled into a ball and began his little slumber. Things in his feline brain spanned fast. Almost too fast. The notion and motion were unbearable, even for him. Therefore, he quickly opened his eyes. The thing he saw however hardly resembled the place he left. The very rocks that surrounded him previously now looked more like big chunks of decaying meat and bones. The pond near him seemed to be filled with something green that almost oozed from within. That, and the pillow his head lied on so far happened to be someone's lap. It belonged to the Lich to be precised. As his cold, slim hand reached for the cat's neck, the creature assumed that this abomination is about to strangle him. Much to his surprise however, he simply began to caress him smoothly.
"I always liked cats. Yes. Yes..." He said silently, as his hoarse voice echoed throughout the caverns. "They are independent. They kill for fun. All the factors I enjoyed. They're cold killers. So cold..." His hand moved through the cat's fur like a comb. "So much curiosity. Yes... I think that the cat was the first being I ever killed. An inspiration one could say..."
"What do you want?"
The feline responded in a cold, dry matter. Despite the fact that his body was paralyzed in this weird dream-like state, he still was a creature made from shadows. The undead was apparently quite surprised by that very notion of resistance, as the little lights in his empty eye sockets were lit, if only for a little while. At times he forgot, that his power had limits, especially when dealing with the ones such as himself. The ones bound to promises, the ones that betrayed when given the opportunity.
"What do I want cat... what do I want..." The dead one chuckled. "Many things... all devolves into one however. Want to see, fiend?"
The Lich raised his hand, as the walls opened wide before them. The place that the cat knew ceased to be the one he remembered. It differed from the visions that the undead thing showed to Bubblegum however. Now the world looked like a huge, empty, rotting desert. It was almost like a copy of the gardens in the kingdom of Death, only those were much more obscure, much more frighting. There was some life in this forsaken place. Or perhaps not life. Motion. Some weird creations emerged from the ground, only to walk a couple of meters, as they felt down into the soil itself, becoming one with it once again. It was almost as if the master of all this tried to create something grand, yet every time he failed, he simply destroyed his doings.
"Perfect world. No sound. No whistles. No nothing. I am divine. I am the salvation. And from the scratch, new world shall arise." As he pointed his finger, yet another being collapsed before them. "I can destroy, create, destroy, create. And eventually - I shall obtain much needed perfection."
"You are mad."
"Perhaps. But insanity is what we have in common." He looked up in the air. "And maybe it's not insanity. Maybe I'm the only one that's sane cat. The only one that's sane."
The Lich stood up and the fiend was finally free. The undead being simply waved his hand, almost as if he commanded him to join in this weird cruise. What choice he had on the matter. They began to walk through the so called divine lands, as the stench of rot was present everywhere around, everywhere they looked, everywhere they gazed upon. The abomination seemed to be quite happy about that state. It was almost as if he tried to catch as much of this scent as possible, as he was caught in cheerful delight. That very notion, that very sight of him was more terrifying than seeing him devouring and destroying things.
"We both did things, unwillingly so. And we both are avoiding one certain thing..."
"Death."
"Indeed. And here's where I come into your play..."
"I'm not stupid enough to make a deal with you, old bag..."
"Oh, such words..." He put his bone hands over his chest. "But there's no need to be that way, you haven't even listened to my offer."
As he slowly measured his steps on this forsaken grounds, his footprints looked like small scabs on a diseased skin. Even the cat felt unsettled about that very sight as he tried not to look on the ground. The Lich just chuckled from time to time. They finally reached ventured to an old, diseased tree, standing with it's empty hollow. It looked even worse than those in the princess dreams, as this one had black scorched skin instead of bark.
"I could free you from your bounds. From your debts."
"You have no power over Death."
"No. But I tricked him once. Could do it again."
He began to impale the tree with his cold, thin fingers. It would seem that he had much joy in doing so. The thing twitched and shook almost as if it felt pain. Perhaps that was the case. Perhaps that was meant to show the cat something. Or, more likely, the one before him was just insane beyond measures, was depraved beyond understanding.
"You see, me and him, we're alike at times. At times, not so much, true..." The Lich chuckled. "But mostly, the same."
He began to rip the parts of the plant one by one. It began to bleed from every hole he made, from every scratch and ditch that was forced onto it. The feline almost felt sorry for this being. And he hardly ever cared about anything in the world that was not connected to him and his interests.
"So, creep..." The cat grunted as he tried to turn his sight away. "...what is my role in this nonsense?"
"Simple. Kill the vampire. Leave the pink one." The undead looked at him closely. "That's the only thing you need to do. Pink one is my vessel. She needs to live. The pale one is her strength. Kill her." He yawned. "It shames me that it come to this. I thought that the pink one will kill her. Still, it's other way around, she gathers the strength from her..."
"She is powerful."
"Oh..." He came closer and caught his furry head. "But you are far beyond that, aren't you? You are far more powerful than this little brat..." The Lich leaned over and whispered. "You are such a ferocious beast... those muscles... this swift body... just a swipe... sharp claws... she's dead..." He paused and grinned. "And you... free from your bounds. Not one day shall you fear your own shadow... not one day you will look behind you and shiver... I can grant you that... I can grant you that..."
"I..."
"Think about it... one swipe... one swipe..." He pulled out yet another branch from the tree. "One swipe. And you're free. I always keep my deals. What you have to loose either way? Death will catch you... one day... one day... but I'm deathless. Should you become like me one day?... Should you become... deathless?"
The cat finally woke up, as the steam began to pour all around him. He thought deeply about what he just saw and experienced. To kill the vampire, now that would be a task quite hard to complete. But to be free from his burden, that was a tempting notion. Too tempting and too good to be true some would say. Then again. What's there to loose in the end, he pondered to himself as he stood up and sniffed around. The girls went west. And that's the direction where he'll go. West. The solution is always west.
###
Death wasn't joking when he said that one letter makes a difference at times. He apparently quite enjoyed his little jests, as the Haunted Swan was nothing more than a Haunted Swamp. It was a marsh, but not like those in the Grass Lands, oh no. This one was way more deep, savage, impassable, obscure. The creatures that came from within it's clutches were known for their various skills and abilities. And all of them resolved around killing things in the most precise and perfect matter. And in the middle of this place, the two girls ventured forth, slowly waging every step in this sunken land. The princess tried to jump from one dry spot to another, as Marceline chuckled constantly, simply floating above in a slow pace.
"A lit of help wouldn't hurt you know!"
"Oh, I know, I know." She smiled. "Watching you is a lot of fun though!" She swirled around her lover and eventually grabbed her tight in her arms, as she playfully placed a kiss on her forehead. "All aboard the vampire airlines!
That was much more comfortable, the princess had to admit. And as they ventured deeper and deeper into those forgotten and vile lands, the pale one eventually got bored of the silence. It was only a natural course of action, since she never enjoyed when things were calm for too long.
"So..." She looked at the one in her arms and smiled. "...how it'll be Bonnie?"
"What?"
"Oh, you know, after this little adventure."
"Well." She thought for a second. "I don't know being honest. Different, that's for sure."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Hardly the time for that now Marceline..."
"Aw, come on, a girl can dream!"
"Still..." She paused, as she looked at their surroundings. "Something's not right."
That would seem to be the case, as the swamps changed abruptly. The plants were now covered in thick slime. The marsh underneath their feet disappeared as well, as it now was replaced with thick, transparent ooze. Bubblegum jumped off from her partner's arms and began her little investigation. A closer look would indicate that it came from within some creature's body. It would seem that it was rather large, centipede being. The princess simply nodded at her lover, as she prepared her guitar in advance. They moved slowly now, carefully stepping between the drips and ponds of this disgusting essence, expecting that trap will be sprung any second now. They both felt weird, strange. Their heads were heavy. Visions before their eyes were blurry, twisted, deranged. They seemed to shift with their every blink, as the images of unnatural proportions and themes swirled around. Almost like a fever dream. Eventually, they came to a small glade right in the middle of it all. There, the girls saw numerous tiny worms, all crawling in their own directions, nabbing on things as they passed by. They all seemed to emerge from the one, central lair.
"Bonnie?"
"Think we'll better..."
Before she could even finish, all the little things stood up and looked directly at them. As they began to wobble around, they produced a true cacophony of sounds that driven right into their little minds. The visions and images intensified, as they couldn't tell anymore what's real and what's not. Marceline saw numerous things. Shards of ice passing by, pieces of cloth blown with the wind, shapes and sounds of beings that she could hardly remember, or that she simply preferred to forget. And shades. A lot of twisted, deformed shades. Bubblegum on the other hand, saw everything clear, if not too clear. Every detail was exaggerated to the point that it was meaningless. She tried to shrug off those thoughts, yet they simply overwhelmed her. And just as they were rendered helpless, just as they were an easy prey, the main host of this little lair emerged. It was a huge, obese worm with a crown on his head. His eyes were fixated closely at the two, looking curiously as they grew weaker and weaker. Such strong emotions in them. Such potent vision. Such nightmares to bring upon them. Delightful matter.
"Hello friends." He eventually said, as the girls tried their best to come to their senses. His long, big tail waved around, as the thing apparently was quite excited. "So many mixed emotions in those heads friends. Let me help you sort them out. Friends."
He said. And then, the worm towered over the prey before him. As the beams poured from within his eyes, he saw such wondrous things. Two tragic figures. Both with twisted paths. Both made their mistakes. Such toying in his grasp. Such wonders in his gaze. So many unanswered questions. So many lines, cut abruptly. Oh yes. The obese being grinned in tremendous joy. Even the boy wasn't so full of doubts and fears. Breaking them may take a while. Or, just a single second. How long will they last? Many questions. So many. Like a delightful gamble The nightmares can start in full...
"...sweet dreams, friends."