Heeeellooooow! Im Nigel Thornberry. And this week we'll be reading this in my voice. Ha! Did I get anyone? No? Maybe I should have used the "Good news everyone!" Meh, whatevs. So, its been 3 weeks since my last update. Oh fanbase, can you ever forgive me? This whole college thing alongside a job, it just keeps me so busy. Most of the time I just nap anymore, man are they nice. Anywho, about this story. I toned down the feel after that last little escapade. It was fun, but there's no way I can do it for 2 in a row. I don't really like this chapter, its cool but once again something feels like its lacking. And its not cowbell. There was enough of that to last the entire series. I just cant put my finger on it. Well, that's what you guys are for. Show me the error in my ways so I may cut it away and replace it with something better, something compleat... Oh yeah, disclaimer. I don't own AT or AT characters, I own the other guys, that's a lie, I don't own anyone, that's slavery, and its bad.
Finn and Jake made their way through the surge of musical fandom that surrounded them and headed towards the northeast corner of the festival. According to the brochure, the dark magic section was a rule and law free area; there was simply too much crime to handle. So in order to ease the festival's collective mind, a barrier was erected around the dark magic section. Normally, little crimes like pick pocketing or stealing merchandise were easily taken care of with a simple spell, one that involved the perpetrator to be depantsed and launched from the premises on a rainbow, but in the dark magic section it's all up to the vendors and civilians to protect themselves. This brings the danger to a whole new level.
It wasn't long before our heroes began to notice how big of an impact the dark magic section made on its surroundings. The tents had steadily lost their colorful flare, replaced by dark purples, greens and black. Patches of grass had begun to die, leaving brown scars that grew in size as they approached their target. And then there was the sound. Whereas the other three sections were bustling with activity and noise, there was an unnatural hush that covered the area. Laughter and music sounded far off even though it was only a short walk away. Suddenly Jake stopped and put his arm in front of Finn. They were a couple steps away from the entrance. The tents had been placed tight together leaving only one way in.
"Wha? Dude, why are we stopping?" asked Finn as he looked down at his brother.
Jake just peered ahead shaking his head a bit. "I got a bad feeling bro, this place aint natchy and its really messing with my dog sense." He pointed towards the ground. "Look at the grass, it's like all dead and stuff."
Finn looked down and saw the truth in his brother's words. Instead of patches, the grass had now died completely. It followed a perfect circle around the premises of the tents.
"Yeah, according to the brochure this is the very edge of the barrier." Finn squinted into the entrance, but a murky, ink like fog wouldn't let him see in. "We gotta go in Jake, it's the only way." Jake looked nervously ahead, tapping his fingers together in an antsy rhythm. "Fine. But at least where that cloak you brought. Who knows how many people's butts we've kicked in there."
"Yeah, good idea." Finn hastily pulled out a traveling cloak, complete with hood, and threw it over his shoulders and over his backpack. It gave him a strange hunchbacked appearance. "How do I look?" he said as he threw up the hood.
"Like a creepy hunchback. It's perfect! Now me." Jake stretched himself taller and squeezed in his gut. After stretching out a few flaps of skin into a robe he was finished. He looked like an emaciated fighter with his ribcage showing through his skin robes. "Dude, that's rad!" said Finn as he looked his brother up and down.
"Alright Finn, let's do this. For Flame princess!"
"Yeah man, for Flame princess!"
They stepped forward onto the dead grass and disappeared.
Finn could hardly believe his eyes; it was like walking into a completely new world. As soon as they stepped into the barrier's limits it sucked them in. The barrier itself was a massive dome of dark energy, it swirled and writhed, blocking out all light from the outside world. What looked to be a miniature moon floated around the dome's limits, casting a gentle glow that brought everything into an unexplainably sharp focus. Finn was too busy staring at the barrier to notice any of the dark magic square itself, but an elbow from Jake quickly turned his attention.
The only way to describe it was horrifyingly fascinating. Like the other sections there were stalls crammed together and packed to the brim with merchandise. But the merchandise itself was what made the difference. Piles of scrolls and books were a common sight but some stood out from the others. One was bound with an actual spine for a spine, while another seemed to be dripping a dark liquid that leaked from its pages.
Like before there were cages of beasts that snapped and growled at anything close to them. Imps and miniature devils sat in their cage corners watching as the patrons passed by, occasionally spitting through their bars or making hex signs with their fingers. Baby basilisks were blindfolded and put out for display with a please do not touch sign posted below. The sign was bloodied from a few who either didn't or couldn't read.
The most disturbing of the shops was the body parts retailer that they boys passed. Hearts and livers from nearly every species hung in bottles from the stands top. Shriveled heads stared on forlornly, their mouths stitched into an eternal grimace. Then there were the limbs, legs and arms, stingers and claws, tentacles and fins, there were so many different types it was incredible. A large man was flexing a brand new pair of arms that had been magically fused below his originals.
"Nice muscle quality, how old was it?" he asked the vendor.
"It was only an adolescent minotaur, adults are far harder to come by." Came the oily response. As if remembering their owner the arms twitched and the right delivered a brutal uppercut to the large mans chin. He fell to the ground dazed. The merchant leaned over his bench.
"Yeah, they'll do that for a little while."
Finn felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back to see Jake shaking his head. "You don't need em bro, besides that's not what we're here for." The human boy nodded, remembering his mission. The two continued on, warily making their way deeper into the square. After passing yet another poison stand, Finn had finally had enough. He went over to the most normal looking stand keeper her could find, this one had an eye patch and was only missing three fingers, and got his attention.
"Why hello young man, what can I do for you today? A curse, or maybe a hex? What will it be?" asked the vendor. Finn just shook his head. "Naw man, I need information. I'm looking for a guy called Giacamo." The shopkeeper cringed at the name but quickly controlled his expression. "Giacamo huh? Can't say I've ever heard of him. Sorry, cant help you. Bye bye then!" He was turning away when he heard the familiar rattle of gold on wood. Finn had planted a rather large sack of gold on the table and was staring at the vendor knowingly.
"It's yours if you tell me where he is." Said the human boy. The vendor looked at him, then the bag, then back to him as he weighed the risk. Finally he nodded and pointed further down the alley. "He's got a stand near the center of the square. It's the one made out of a dragon's skull, you can't miss it." In an instant the shopkeeper grabbed the gold and disappeared, closing down the stand with him. Finn went over to Jake who was admiring some large gems. "Check it out dude, these things can trap souls in them, then you can wear them like some kind of freaky soul fashionista." "Jake, that's just creepy man. Let's go, I know where he is."
The daring duo continued down the path looking for the previously described stand. When the vendor said you couldn't miss it, he wasn't joking. A massive bleached skull carved out a spot of its own among the many tents. The mouth had been turned into the shop opening, displaying merchandise of all kinds behind a fence of teeth, while the actual brain cavity had a door carved into it allowing access in and out of the cranium. A large, blue skinned man was sifting through the merchandise behind the counter, oblivious to all around him.
"Excuse me, sir?" said Finn in a shaky voice. The man looked up at him, standing to his full height. He easily dwarfed the young boy by several feet, with a pair of mismatched eyes that seemed to glow faintly.
"What is it boy, I'm busy." His voice was like grating gravel, deep and rumbling. Finn took a breath and steeled himself, meeting the large man's gaze.
"Are you Giacamo?" The vendor gave a grunt. "Who's wants to know?"
"I do." The man just laughed, mocking the white capped hero. "Listen kid, I don't know who you think you are, but you're out of your league. Now get lost, I've got merch to sell." Jake pulled on Finn's shirt trying to get his attention. "Dude, don't mess with this guy. He's crazy scary." Finn pushed his hand away, turning back to the jerkish shopkeeper.
"It's about the Orb of Osyrous." Hearing that name made the blue man stop, before turning back to Finn. "Who told you that name?" Finn smiled at him. "A man called Connoray, and he's calling in his favor." He stared at Finn and Jake for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. "Come in, let's talk."
It turned out that Giacamo wasn't that bad of a guy, he just kept up a rough exterior to keep his reputation. To be honest, Finn really liked him and even Jake was warming up to him. Well, the homemade jelly donuts helped out with that. The trio was sitting in the skull room, each in a chair placed around the fireplace by the wall. Books and crates were piled high around the room, some big, some small, but all magical.
"So." said Giacamo as he sipped his tea. "You need the orb to balance out the princess of the Fire Kingdom's powers, that way you two will be able to finally overcome nature and be together, right?" Finn rubbed the back of his head, flushing a bit at the summary. "Yeah, that's the plan." Jake took a bite out of his donut. His eyes got big and glossy. "Oh my glob Finn, when he says it like that it's like some kind of wacked out love story you'd read to your kids!"
"DUDE!" Giacamo just chuckled. "He's right ya know, it's like a fairy tale." He finished the rest of his tea in a single gulp. "But, we got to make sure this tale has a happy ending." He leaned back into his chair staring into the fire.
"I remember when I got the orb, about 100 years ago." Finn, who was in mid gulp spewed his tea into the fire releasing a hiss of steam. "100 years! Man, how old are you!?" Giacamo just waved him off. "Old enough to know a few things, and don't spit, its rude. Now I didn't sell it until, oh I don't know, twenty years later? Yeah that's right. I sold it to a young pale girl, she said she needed it for her wedding. Paid plenty for it so I didn't pay no mind. Not long after I heard the news that the Nightosphere's vampire king, Markell or something, was brutally murdered. Then the new queen set up a new order and just left." Finn's eyes had gone wide and he looked over to see Jake with the same expression. They both knew where this was going. Giacamo however was oblivious to both of them, completely focused on his memory.
"I managed to get ahold of a painting from the Vampire Kingdom of the queen; sure enough it was that same girl that I sold the orb to. Man did I flip out, went into hiding thinking she would come back to tie up the loose ends. But she never did, she just claimed her title, set up her kingdom to be self sufficient and disappeared." He rubbed his temple, trying to massage the memory into clearer focus. "Her name was something like, Mary or…"
"Marceline…" the boy and dog said in unison. Giacamo's eyes snapped open and he stared at the two shocked faces before him. "Yeah, that's it…You guys know about her?" Finn just nodded. "Yeah… She's like one of our best friends.."
"…"
"WHAAAAAAAAT?"
After a brief explanation of how they met and some of the adventures they shared they finally managed to calm Giacamo down and convince him that they weren't here to kill him. He had been skeptical at first, but decided that Finn was too good of a kid to lie to him.
"Well, heres the deal Finn." Said the large wizard as he poured himself another cup of tea. "Marceline was the last to have and use the orb, that's obviously how she got her title. I don't know if she still has it or if she got rid of it, but talking to her will set you in the right direction." He put a few lumps of sugar into the murky brew before stirring and looking off into the distance. "I also think that it's about time for you to get out of here." Finn opened his mouth to protest but was cut off. "Now here me out. You've seen the kind of people who browse the Dark Magic section right?" They both nodded. "Wrong, you've only seen the day browsers. In about half an hour the sun will set and true dark folk will come in."
"The dark folk?" asked Jake. Giacamo nodded.
"Evil isn't just a word here, it's a business. Hero hearts are high class trade materials, and they won't hesitate to rip either of yours out." Jake was visibly shaken, while Finn had lost most of the color in his face.
"You ready to go Finn?" asked Jake with a nervous laugh.
"Yes… Yes I am."
Finn and Jake hastily made their way out of Giacamo's shop and out into the main alley. The road was noticeably more crowded as they headed towards the exit. Dark cloaks were trending with this crowd, the hoods providing a shadow where the owners face should be. Occasionally one would turn and stare at our heroes watching them as they passed by. They were almost to the exit when Finn suddenly stopped. Jake looked back at his brother and saw him staring at something in one of the shops. He leaned down and whispered into his ear.
"Fiiiiinn, this really isn't the time man. We gotta go now!" Finn couldn't hear him though, his attention was focused solely on a small object hanging from the ceiling. Among the dried herbs and dangling bottles hung a small stuffed animal, it was in rough condition and looked like it had been patched multiple times. Finn had seen it before, but where? It was on the tip of his tongue, like some distant..MEMORY! It struck him like a bolt of lightning; it was Marceline's old toy. Hambo, she called it. He knew what had to be done.
"Hey, hey witch lady!" The dirty looking women in question turned to him. "What!"
"I want to buy that stuffed animal." Said Finn as he pointed to Hambo. The old witch shook her head slowly.
"That's a very powerful item sonny, the deep emotional attachment it has can make a spell ridiculously powerful. I could only give that up for something else that's deeply valuable, so personal you couldn't imagine having to lose it, something so dear that.." She was cut off as Finn slammed down a massive bag of gems onto the table, letting some spill out for show. "SOLDNOREFUNDSBYE!" The witch snatched the bag and threw a powder bomb on the ground enveloping her stand in grey smoke. When it cleared she was simply gone, and in Finn's hands was Hambo. Jake was shaking Finn's shoulder, dude we got to leave now! They're looking at us.."
Finn looked at his surroundings noticing the many hooded figures that had turned to stare at him. Red eyes glowed under the cowls and the glint of brilliant white teeth could be seen in the moonlight. He made to head towards the gate when a long leather clad arm grabbed him and spun him around. The clawed hand dug into his shoulder, slicing through the skin and leaving deep cuts in the flesh. Finn was pulled forced face to face with near featureless mask of bone. Only a long line of teeth shaped into a sinister smile stared back at him. Just as the masked creature pulled back its sharpened hand a massive, yellow fist slammed into it. The creature was launched into the air and over the sea of tents before landing in the distance with a crash.
Finn looked over to see his brother punching the oncoming group with various levels of success. The moment one would go down two more took its place and would surge forward. He dearly wished that he hadn't left his sword at home. Looking around, Finn noticed one enemy that stood out from the rest.
Nearly twice as tall as the others, its eyes glowed like twin embers in the dark and smoke could be seen billowing out of its hood. In a fluid motion, it pulled its veil back and revealed a heavily bandaged face. Finn's breath caught in his chest as he once again came face to face with Scorcher.
"Oh glob." Said Finn as he watched the burning killer conjure up a fireball. It started small, but began to grow larger as it swirled in on itself.
"Jake! We got to go, NOW!" The burning projectile had tripled in size as Scorcher raised it over his head, readying his attack to burn everyone and everything in his path. Finn looked toward his brother, desperately hoping he had a plan to get away, but Jake was falling. He stretched and dodged as many of the incoming spells and physical attacks as he could, but the sheer number was starting to overwhelm him. Claws raked at his fur, magic missiles singed wherever they touched and the onslaught of attacks only increased with each successful hit. A stray fist connected with his head causing him to fall into the writhing mob.
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!" Yelled Finn as he desperately tried to fight to his brother's side. He looked back at the now tent sized fireball above Scorcher. The fire moved with purpose, occasionally letting off gouts of flame like a miniature sun. The bandaged hit man laughed maniacally through his wrappings as he threw the burning monstrosity towards Finn, focused solely on ending the human boy's life. Time slowed down as Finn watched the superheated meteor incinerate everything in its path. The cloaked figures before him were set ablaze before falling to the ground as ash. He watched as the fire consumed all with an unrelenting hunger. His legs gave out beneath him as he stared death in the eye.
"Flame Princess. I'm sorry."
Check it out, I did that cliffhanger thing.