Chapter 3: What Lies Ahead

Turns out, the writings on the wall wasn't joking about the "extremely dangerous stuff" part.

It seems like every part of the corridor (not to mention a few rooms they have set down to take a whiff) tried to kill them. Traps were laid after traps—mechanical spiders were literally a killing machine twenty-five long strides before them; and just recently, a few bewitched tendrils attacked and almost strangled them to death. The blonde adventuress wondered silently how a site so old contains such machinery. Sure, she can understand that a few annoying magic tricks will be played on them due to the landmark's age; but she could have sworn that kind of machinery was very much new. Hello? It's not possible to find a working polished killing machine in a thousand-years-old site like this—on a logical basis, of course.

Unless...

No. The human frowned, wiping that green icky stuff that clung to her golden blade. She has to be strong for her companions' sake. Though it was not voiced out by the three of them, an unspoken agreement was made that Fionna should really lead this one. Not only because she has more experience with this kind of stuff (which is technically true, since Cake spent most of her time with her cat naps and—ever since she met her significant other—spending time with Lord MoChro); because no matter how she tried to squash it, her pride as the last human being on Earth yearns to prove herself in front of her two companions. Considering the fact that she is very much fragile-er (Wait, the blonde paused, that's not even a word!) compared to Marshall Lee and Cake, she has this need to show them that she will not be a liability in every adventure they have.

"Ugh," The heroine heard the vampire grunt by her left. Like her, he seemed to be wiping off the goo from his instrument's blades. "I know that's disgusting and all, but it really takes a lot of time polishing this baby, you see."

Azure hues were rolled, playfully glaring at the male. "We were almost killed by a bunch of bewitched vines and you're worried about how it ruins the polish of your guitar?"

"Hey! It takes a lot of hours!" Marshall Lee stood a little straighter, defensive. "And this one's a bass guitar, mind you."

Not really putting up with her stern act anymore, the adventuress chuckled. "Yeah, right. Whatever you say, Marshie."

A scowl touched the Vampire King's face, disliking that nickname of his given to him by his mother. With a blush creeping up his grey face, he grumbled weakly: "Shut up."

Without really thinking on her choice of words, Fionna childishly sticking her tongue out at him, saying: "Make me."

An automatic smirk crawled up to the vampire's lips. "How?"

Upon realizing how it sounds so wrong to her ears, the human turned pink. The vampire cleared his throat rather awkwardly, forcing his eyes to stare at the ground.

Cake, which has been busy licking her furs clean all this time, narrowed her eyes at the two. "Are you two done flirtin' now or should I leave?"

If anything, it triggered the adventuress' face flamed worthy of the Flame Prince. Feeling the need to defend herself, Fionna stammered: "But—I wasn't—we weren't even..."

That irritating (yet adorable at the same time) smug 'nope-you-can't-fool-me' look was obviously plastered on the feline's furry face, making the human trail off. The said animal quirked a brow, as if she does not believe her sister's lame excuse to deny the fact they just flirted. "...Right."

Luckily enough, Marshall was witty enough to change the subject. "Don't you guys have a time limit or something?"

Obviously, Fionna bit the bait. Pounding her closed fist against her open palm, she exclaimed. "Glob! The crystal!"

Beckoning her friends to follow her, they trudged deeper into their chosen pathway; leaving behind any sense of awkwardness that were ensued earlier.

Cake served as a living sensor for the both of them as they moved on. Though the vampire almost share the same ability with the fluffy feline—acute senses and all—he'd like to be the back guard...or whatever name was given on the dude who stay behind to be their back defense.

"So," The male floated behind her rather eerily as possible, knowing that his creeper skills as a bloodsucking monster lost its charm (or scare-factor, rather) on the human girl. "What's with you and Bubba, huh? Haven't you moved on with him yet?"

"For the love of—" The blonde girl gritted her teeth in frustration. "I swear I'm gonna mutilate the next person who's going to ask this question again. Gumball and I are friends. End of the story. Nothing more, nothing less."

Marshall Lee quirked a taunting eyebrow towards the female. If there's something he really enjoys aside from scaring and pranking people night after night, it's riling up Fionna with her lovely affairs with the princes of Aaa. "Oh, really now, Fi?"

Though most of those princes fawned over the adventuress (perhaps it was the heroic deed of her saving their royal arses from that cougar Ice Queen made her more likable to those princes?), Fionna only laid her eyes to only two princes: Prince Gumball and the Flame Prince. And the last time she has checked—those things didn't end up well for the two princes.

True, both Gumball and the Flame Prince stayed friends with the human—romantic feelings aside, of course. But whenever her thoughts flew back how did she screwed up badly with the Flame Prince and how her feelings grew unrequited from Gumball makes her want to curl up in a ball in shame and disappear.

Man, she really sucks at romantic relationships, doesn't she?

Ugh, this is exactly why Fionna do not dwell on her feelings anymore—it crawls back to her then the shame on how naïve she was before sinks in.

A glare was shot towards the smirking vampire, using a closing tone for him to drop the subject. "Yes."

"Oh no," Cake called from afar, making the female rush towards her sister. "You have to see this, sugarcakes. 'Coz we can't go any further anymore."

Frowning at the feline's words, sapphire orbs followed Cake's. At the end of the long corridor lies a wall that stood proudly as if to say: 'That's it folks! All your efforts are wasted! Congratulations!"

"No, no, no!" The blonde exclaimed in disappointment, pounding that fist that holds her dagger against the wall. Delicate yet calloused hands scraped the wall in front of her, as if she were searching for something. "There has to be a secret button somewhere for a secret passage! This can't be end!"

Cake looked disappointed as well. Like her sister, her paws were desperately looking for that secret button that might not exist at her. The feline's internal clock warned her that they only have ten minutes left (don't ask her how, it more like a cat thing), unaware of that mirror that was placed beside her furry side.

"Hmm," However, the Vampire King did notice that peculiar mirror. Floating closer to the mirror that does not return his reflection, he called the two loud enough to make his companions stop their futile search. "Check this out."

"It's a mirror." Fionna obviously stated, hopeless and frustrated. "What about it?"

"Awwww hell naw!" The feline exclaimed beside the human, gaping in shock on how dirty her fur was. Biggest pet peeve of a cat like her: unkempt fur.

Getting more restless, Marshall threw both of his arms in the air before pointing its direction towards the mirror. "Look at it! It's a two-way mirror! Isn't that obvious?"

The adventuress was just as confused as her sister. "A what?"

Marshall Lee was aware that they were running out of time, so he summarized how a two-way mirror works. "A two-way mirror looks like any other mirror except that on the other side, someone can see you and you can't."

The uncomprehending faces made him frustrated. Grasping the neck of his bass guitar, he swung it at the mirror at full speed—causing the glass to break into tiny shards, revealing a dark hollow entrance to nowhere.

"What I'm trying to say is—" The vampire slung his axe bass back, smirking smugly at the ladies. "—it means that it is hollow on the other side. Come along."

Fumbling for the flashlight, the three of them entered the dark secret passage, unaware what was waiting for them on the other side.

A/N:

And that's it for chapter three! Leave a review so I can hear your thoughts (and they really help me a lot) and stuff.

I can assure you there will be more action on the next chapter. Stay tuned! :3

—A