I do not own Adventure Time. Again, Silverstein owns the title of this chapter.
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Chapter 14 - Sacrifice
"Mertens!"
"What now, Sam?"
"Astrid needs a break. We've been walking for two hours straight now!"
Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew taking these two lovebirds was a bad idea but his Mistress insisted. They need scavenging experience, she said. It will be easy, she said. Supply raids will be more fun, she said. Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose again.
"Alright, we'll take a break here."
He carefully sat himself on a nearby concrete slab. It seemed to have belonged to the ruins of a furniture shop along some business district. The off-white rock provided little comfort for his butt, but it will be much better than to stand in one place while waiting for his two luggage to rest. To be fair, Sam and Astrid were nice fellows as a whole; they just can't stop whining. Their age cannot be the root cause of their attitude, since all three of them were the same age of 14.
"Thanks, Mertens."
Astrid just shot him a toothy grin, being mute an all. Her big grey eyes reflected the bleak greenish sky above. Sawyer stole a glance upwards, immediately regretting it. He had always wondered how the other places of Earth have been holding up. For a decade or so, no one figured what to do with the death hanging in the atmosphere. If I could just get out of this planet or something.
"Don't sleep, we've got to move soon. I don't want to be on the road when night hits."
Sam and Astrid nodded attentively. It almost felt bad feeling and acting superior to the couple, what with them being the closest he got for childhood friends, but Sawyer cannot help it. He really was superior to these two orphans in terms of surviving in the wastelands.
The dark haired boy decided to break the monotony. "Hey, Mertens. What do you think about those rainbow horses?"
"What? Those Mr. McBryen told us the other day?"
"Yeah. I just can't believe those things ate a whole village-worth of people."
Sawyer thought for a moment. "Sounds like bull to me. Well, the mutants were a load of bull too until I almost stepped on one myself."
"You did?" Sam looked up at him with awe.
"It burned a hole right through the soles of my shoe, cost me precious time in finding a replacement."
"You kicked it to submission?" He looked so eager now.
Sawyer stared at Sam right in his black eyes and shook his head. "You don't pick a fight with a mutant. All you can do is run and pray."
"Man, you're lame. Not how Old Choose Bruce told you to be."
Astrid signaled at her friend to shut up. At least one of them has common sense to keep quiet and not to piss him off. Still, Sawyer have some things to straighten out with Sam before they continue with the supply raid.
"Look, I'm the sole reason here why you two whiny babies are still alive."
"Pssh...by hiding whenever there's imaginary danger. Dude, you're just some paranoid in a hoodie."
Sawyer could feel rage building inside him. One more word from the stupid kid will probably make him knock a tooth or two.
"Either paranoid or a coward. Maybe, a mix of two."
He slowly walked up to Sam, their evenly matched height becoming more apparent, and punched him in his stomach. The boy doubled over in pain, which Sawyer took the chance to slam the left side of his face down on the ground. He pressed down hard and punched him one more time in the guts.
"Lesson one in scavenging, never piss off the only person who can keep you alive."
He could feel Astrid weakly try to prise him off her boyfriend, to no avail. Sawyer thought about their current situation. If he was a mutant, the girl would not have the strength to save Sam.
"I'm sorry! You're hurting my neck! Please ge'off!"
He stood up and helped Sam on his feet. Sawyer hoped the boy learned his lesson, he really didn't want to know the limits of his patience. This is why I hate going to supply raids with someone.
"C'mon, let's get going. New Junktown is still a day's travel away. We've got to cover more ground before nightfall."
Sawyer turned away and started walking. He was about to rummage through the haul inside of his knapsack when a blow to the back of his head dropped him to his knees. It wasn't hard enough to make him see stars, much to his luck. Sam proceeded to tackle him to the ground. Astrid kept making gibberish sounds in panic as he pulled himself free from Sam's grip.
"Stop, you moron!"
"Coward! Fight me, Mertens!"
He side stepped and delivered a hook, catching Sam right in his right eye. The boy retaliated by going for his throat, strangling Sawyer. He threw another hook, this time landing on his enemy's left ear. Sam's hold on him slackened, which he took as an opportunity to smash the boy's annoying face on his knee.
"Oof!" You bast-"
Sam pushed him hard and caused him to stumble back against something hard. Sawyer looked and was shocked to completely forget about the numerous cars that littered the road. To his horror, the rusty four-seater he accidentally leaned on alarmed loudly. The very sound sent him on panic while the two luggage just stare at him, dumbfounded.
"Lesson two of scavenging? Never touch a car or any vehicle."
Suddenly, but not unexpected, collective groans filled the air. A few feet from them, five mutants wormed out of an overturned grey van. The former humans looked terrible, the usual green goo was accompanied by some blood. Sawyer frowned at that. As far as he knew, these things don't bleed red blood.
"What are you waiting for? RUN!"
He ran towards the general direction of their destination, this time keeping off the road for fear of setting off more alarms. He can't go inside the forest though, the dead trees offer little cover and could only possibly hinder their escape. Sawyer glanced back and and saw the two, face ashen and already tired from short burst of running.
"Not so brave now, huh, Sam?"
"Shut it, Mertens!"
Ignoring the boy, Sawyer set his eyes down the road. To his further dismay, more mutants were crawling out of cars and other vehicles. They will not be able to escape these as easy as earlier. Mutants may look dumb, but these creatures seemed to have basic instinct to trap their victims.
"This is all your fault, Sam!"
The boy did not answered. Frowning, he slowed down and looked back. Sam was doubled over and coughing up blood on his hands. His knees shook weakly as beads of sweat fall down from his face. Sawyer knew what was happening. They all had seen numerous people succumbed to that violent coughing, dropping dead in mere days or weeks after the first burst of coughs. The settlers of New Junktown deemed it necessary to bury the dead quickly, or burn them in mass incinerations, for fear of further spreading the disease that struck the poor fellows.
"Astrid, keep running! I'll take care of Sam."
Sawyer ran closer to Sam and offered support. He tried his best to rally the boy, letting them catch up to Astrid. The mutants that were about to block their way was getting close. Their stench started to fill his nostrils again. No matter how many times he smelled these sick former humans, Sawyer will never be comfortable with the odor.
"Hey, I'm sorry Mertens... I shouldn't have told you those things."
"It's alright. Don't speak. You'll just cough harder."
"If we survive this, I'll promise I'll do everything you say."
Sawyer forced a smile. He almost had change of heart on what he was about to do. A few feet from the mutants, Astrid uttered a muffled yell as Sawyer threw a winding punch at Sam's solar plexus. He then kicked his left knee, which made an audible crack. The boy yelled in surprise and pain, a look of bewilderment in his face.
"What are you doing, Mertens?! Oh, God! It hurts!"
"Something I should have done earlier."
Astrid weakly kicked Sawyer as the five mutants from earlier were starting to catch up to them. Sawyer decided to act fast, wiping the tears forming in his eyes. He grabbed Astrid's hand and pulled her through the throng of mutants. The former humans decided to attack the helpless boy lying prone on the ground.
I'm sorry.
Sawyer easily ignored the sound of ripping flesh, but he could never ignore Sam's dying wails. He just wished he killed the boy first before leaving him, but he didn't knew if the mutants will react the same way to a dead prey the same way they react to a live one. He convinced himself that he had done it to survive, for Astrid to survive. Sam was about to die anyway. The disease...but still.
Astrid continued to shout incomprehensible sounds at him.
"This is why I want to do supply raids alone..."
Astrid suddenly stopped running. Apparently, in her hysterics, she failed to notice a group of mutants appearing behind them. They clung to the hapless mute as they try to bite and pull at her flesh. Sawyer gripped her hand and pulled. He can't let another one die like how Sam left the mortal plane.
"Don't let go, Astrid!"
The sweat and grime made it hard to find a solid grip on her hand. To Sawyer's further horror, the mutants who mauled Sam finished their deed and was now turned towards them. If he let go, Sawyer can have one last decoy. He can't think of the other situation that might happen.
I'm sorry.
Sawyer will never forget the look on Astrid's face as he let go of her hand. Time seemed to have slowed down, letting him see clearly the tears that the mute girl shed. Her silent scream permanently imprinted itself on his mind.
"I've got to...I'm sorry. I need to..."
Survive.
I'm sorry.
I must survive.
Survive.
"...survive. I thought I'll see the true extinction of humans with my very own eyes."
Sawyer opened his eyes and darted around. "I'm sorry Astrid! I'm so sorry!"
He blinked. Where am I?
"Are you alright, Say?"
Sawyer blinked again. He finally remembered what happened earlier. The rooftop battle, Jake, the Princess of Flames, the Ice Prince, the Truthsayer and his...brother. His head throbbed painfully from the memories flashing back in his mind.
"I'm alright, Princess-"
"Bonnie."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Bonnie. I think I had another one of those memory reflux."
"According to my research on the cryogenic machine you came from, the memory reflux will take a long time to go away..."
Sawyer pondered for a moment. He wished that the memories that will play everytime he sleep will be those pleasant ones. Not that he have many, anyway. Suddenly, he remembered his failure to do what the Princess ordered.
"I'm sorry, Bonnie! I failed to bring back Princess of Flames and catch the intruders! I'm really -"
The Princess pressed a finger on his lips, silencing him. The smell of bubblegum pervaded his senses immediately. He resisted the urge to bite off her smooth little finger. Sawyer looked straight at her eyes.
"It's alright, Say. I'm the one who should take the blame. I shouldn't have sent you after those people on your first mission. On account of my lapse in judgment, please forgive me for putting you in danger."
He didn't replied right away. Sawyer can't tell if the lady was really sorry or just making him more guilty than he was already. He let his eyes roam around the room, not believing his luck. He wasn't even far away from the hospital ward for long and here he was again.
"I just...It's not your fault Princess. I just can't do this stuff. I'm not fit for this kind of work."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I should have just worked in the kitchens or something."
Bonnie heartily laughed at him, the sound resembling chimes dancing in the wind. He blushed. Suddenly, he felt conscious of himself. God, I must be laughable...and my smell! I literally did not took a bath for a millennium.
"No, Say. You're just not getting the hang of being a hero yet. Billy pretty much started the same way as you, and look at him now. Happily retired after his legendary deeds."
"I can't Princess. I have no business being a hero. And there's something too... about the Ice Prince."
"What is it, Say?"
"It's personal... I just don't think I can face him again so soon."
"You see, Say. I have my own personal things going on, my own weaknesses wearing me down, but as the ruler of Candy Kingdom, I have to set them aside for my responsibilities. Remember this, Say the Human, responsibility demands sacrifice."
"Something tells me, I'll never like where this is going."
"There are some things even I cannot do. I won't be able to protect my citizens from physical harm these people can bring. That is where you, as one of the heroes of the kingdom, figures in. To do my responsibilities..."
"...I'm your sacrifice."
The Princess smiled sadly at him, proving that he was right without even speaking. Sawyer cannot fathom why he readily agrees with the lady no matter what she says. In the long run, this could potentially be harmful to him. He looked down on his hands, the arm that was struck by ice shards was bandaged neatly.
"Bonnie? How long was I out?"
"A couple of hours. Joshua found you lying unconscious on the streets, bloody and prone. My citizens were too afraid to move you somewhere safer."
The Princess stood up and smoothed out her pink dress. The look on her face spelled out concern mixed with disappointment. Sawyer looked down in shame. This was supposed to be his chance to atone for his sins, and his first step already ended up in failure.
"I'm sorry, Bonnie..."
"I SAID IT'S ALRIGHT, OKAY?!"
He froze. Everything seemed familiar to him. The way Bonnie shouted, the way she contorted her face in sudden burst of anger, and the way she quickly changed her temperament. Mistress?
"Woah! I'm sorry Princess! I didn't mean to-"
Bonnie cupped his face and redirected his gaze to her eyes. Sawyer felt suddenly weird. There is more to this lady than what she was letting on.
"I'm sorry, Say. I'm just a little tired."
He forced a smile, not wanting to further aggravate the princess.
"Everytime you come back from your duties and missions, I will require you to do an oral report directly to me. Is that understood?"
Sawyer nodded.
"Good. Now tell me what informations you gathered about the two intruders and the Ice Prince."
He contemplated for a bit. Sawyer was torn between telling the princess the true identity of the Ice Prince and not telling her. "Both the boy in blue shirt and the Ice Prince have the same name, Finn. And..."
"And what?"
"The Ice Prince is my brother, Finn Mertens."
The Princess did not even blinked, apparently unaffected by the information. "Will that affect your resolve in future tasks? He's your brother."
"No. If it involve dispatching that pathetic bas-"
"Language, Say!" Bonnie waggled her finger in disapproval.
"...pathetic fool, I'll do it in a heartbeat. He caused my thousand year suffering after all. I just don't understand how he managed to live all those years that passed."
"The Crown kept him alive, but also made him insane. If you're wondering, yes, he's the reason the bomb went off."
"My Mistress told me that as much. Crown, huh? He was not wearing any when I fought him, just a golden mechanical arm."
"The Ice Prince is a powerful, albeit crazy, wizard. He probably found a way to meld the two metals that composed his right arm and the Crown."
So he was right. Sawyer should have slashed away the artificial arm. "As for the other boy, Finn, he is a human just like me. Around the same age too, and he runs around with Jake. He's some sort of magic dog."
Bonnie snorted at the word 'magic'. Something tells Sawyer it was not a good idea to bring up stuff about magic.
"That's probably some mutation, not magic."
He nodded. That was a topic better left off.
"I was wondering, m'lady, how could I fight these two effectively? The wounds I inflicted to them was just from lucky strikes."
"That is the reason I am placing you under Joshua's care and training. Together with him and Sir Rattleballs, they will teach you the ways of proper combat."
He nodded and immediately became nervous about the prospect of being under someone's tutelage. For Sawyer, it felt a bit too much like school; some place his Mistress seemed to miss so much.
"Bonnie? Why do you trust me so much? Your belief in my abilities is borderline exaggerating. What exactly did you saw in me?"
"I am the ruler of this kingdom. My intuition helped me shape this land."
Sawyer scratched the skin near the bandage in his left arm. With that, he suddenly remembered the loose teeth in his mouth. He let his tongue roam around was shocked to realize he now have a complete set of teeth.
"How did -"
The Princess winked at him. "Just a simple bone reconstruction serum I've created on my spare time."
"Gee, thanks. I guess." This is weird.
"I can't let your pretty face go to waste, you silly boy."
"Well, considering the line of duty you placed me in, you should probably make a lot more of that stuff."
The Princess motioned him to sit upright, which he obeyed unquestioningly. Small popping sounds erupted from his stiff back. Sawyer ruffled his hair in slight annoyance.
Bonnie sat beside him and pulled out from her bag a very old and tattered book. "I want you to have this, something that will help you traverse the path of being a hero, the Enchiridion."
"Enchi-what?"
"This is the Hero's Handbook. Everything you need to know to become a great hero reside in the pages of this ancient book. Joshua originally found this inside a canopy in the dark forest south of Candy Kingdom. Use this well, Say."
Sawyer picked up the heavy and frail-looking book, admiring the intricate designs. The sword in the middle really piqued his interest. He felt like there was something hidden beneath the cryptic design of the book. He set it down beside him.
"Thank you, Bonnie. I'll take care of this book." He looked up at her. Sawyer was immediately reminded of their height difference. Bonnie easily beat him by a half a foot.
"So, have you thought where you want to live?"
"Uh. I really don't..."
The Princess coiled her arm around him, placing him in a one armed hug. He cringed at the thought of her smelling her stink, but at that thought, he noticed he was already in different clothes. Sawyer also smelled nice, probably the first time since a millennium.
"You can stay at the Candy Castle. I'll have a room ready for you. Is that alright with you, Say?"
"How could I ever make it up to you, Princess?"
"Just always do as I say."
"Of course m'lady, I am your sacrifice."
Who cleaned me up though?
"In case you're wondering, your clothes are in the laundry room. Don't worry, I already replicated your clothing style. You prefer hoods right?"
"Actually, yes. They offer better protection." He felt around his back and was delighted to realize his new pink apparel has a nice hood. "Well, looks like even my clothes are my debt to you. I just wished it was a different color though..."
Bonnie reached into his right sleeves and pressed some kind of button underneath the fabric. Sawyer watched in amazement as the hood copied the exact color of the bed sheet he was sitting on. Unfortunately, his pants remained denim blue in color.
"I haven't had the time to make you a camouflage pants though..."
"It's fine as it is, m'lady! This is so cool!" Sawyer felt like a kid at that moment.
"Choose Goose already showed up and informed me of your purchase of his two swords. Good call, I see." Bonnie pointed at the two blades leaning on his bedside table.
Sawyer wanted to hide the fact that the Truthsayer can reveal secrets of a wounded enemy, but he did not want to break the Princess' trust again. He reached for it and admired the infinity symbol on the cross guard. Practical and beautiful, that was how it is. Suddenly, an image of a golden temple invaded his mind. It only lasted for a split-second, much to his dismay.
"This sword...when I injured the Ice Prince with it, flashes of his memories flooded my mind. All pointed to the very truth I willingly waited for, the whereabouts of my brother."
Princess Bubblegum looked at him thoughtfully. Curiously, the Truthsayer's bluish aura slightly intensified and seemed to reach for the candy monarch. From his short experience with the peculiar blade, this could possibly mean that the Truthsayer was trying to tell him something.
"CG told me that sword belonged to a place called Citadel of Truth. A group of foolish humans tried to ransack the place, and that longsword seemed to have been one of the loot. That ancient artifact should be useful in the right hands. I suggest you keep it."
He eyed the simple but sharp-looking blade. "Yeah, I'll definitely hold on to this."
"How about the other one?"
"The Flam...berge? Flamberge. I dunno Princess. I don't think I can wield two swords at once." Truh be told, Sawyer definitely prefer the longsword over the broadsword. The Flamberge may have the advantage because of its ability to produce intense flames, but the Truthsayer was the one which pointed him to the truth about the Ice Prince.
"I'm very sure after your training under my two most skilled swordsmen, you can." Bonnie picked up the other sword and handed it to him. "Take this broadsword, hero."
Sawyer felt like melting because of Bonnie's sweet smile. He could feel his cheeks burning up. Grasping the handle in his left hand, Sawyer experimented with the weight of the two weapons. A person's strength can be boosted marginally by adrenaline, but now that he was at peace, the Truthsayer and Flamberge's combined weight felt really heavy.
"I'm sorry but these two will only slow me down."
"I bet these will help." For the second time, Bonnie reached for his hands again and held out his wrists. This time, she guided the two swords in entering both of his sleeves. Sawyer was about to protest when suddenly, both weapons were hidden beneath his sleeves.
"What? How? I don't even...feel any of the swords inside!"
"Pocket dimension, not the wishywashy nonsense magic kind though. That was made with the power of Science. Try flicking your wrist, but be careful not to cut yourself."
Sawyer did as she said and was surprised to see the two blades emerged quickly. He only managed the grasp the longsword while the short broadsword clanged loudly on the floor. He leaned and picked up the fallen weapon.
"I don't even know what to say. You're so amazing!" He placed a hurried kiss on the Princess' right cheek. They both became flustered. "Uh...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
The Princess smiled and caressed the cheek where he kissed her. "That's perfectly fine, Say. If I may ask, what do you plan to do for the rest or the day while I have a room prepared for you?"
Sawyer racked his brain, still ashamed of his stunt. "If it is okay with you, I'd like to explore your kingdom. I kinda never had the chance to really take a great look on my first time outside."
"Alright. Just be careful."
Sawyer nodded as he picked up his knapsack. Sadly, it was still his torn and old knapsack, no modifications whatsoever. The same goes for his sneakers, still worn and torn in places. He thought that maybe he ought to ask the Princess sometime for a new storage pack and footwear. Shrugging at the thought, Sawyer slid inside the heavy Enchiridion, praying to God that his knapsack will hold the weight. Curiously, the stun baton he acquired years ago remained intact inside.
"Bonnie? I think you should take a look at this. It's a stun baton, a weapon from around my time. I don't know if it survived my slumber though."
He placed the cold and sinister-looking retractable stick on Bonnie's outstretched palm. "This looks interesting indeed. I was gonna ask you for this thing, but I was afraid you might want to hold on to it."
"No, you should keep it. I...don't really have any nice memories with that stick."
The Princess nodded gingerly. "Thanks. I'll run tests on this in my lab."
"Well, I'll be back before sundown, Bonnie."
"Be careful and take it easy, alright?"
With one last nod, Sawyer paced himself out of the hospital.
~~o~~
Apparently, almost everything in the kingdom was made of candy. The houses, streetlights, billboards, and most certainly, the people inhabiting the place. From where he stood, at the top of the bell tower, the dying light of the day illuminated the whole kingdom. He can't believe he actually made it through the years and escape the living nightmare of the old, crap world.
I'm sorry I wasn't able to bring someone with me.
He reached inside the pocket of his new hoodie and pulled out a library card. The Princess ordered a little dude made of peppermint to force Sawyer to register himself at the facility, saying he will be needing to borrow some books in there for his studies under her. The librarian, Turtle Princess, was very kind in accommodating him. She seemed very excited to have him as her newest customer, immediately reserving books that he might find interesting to read sometime.
That one tiny book really interested me the most. It seemed familiar. He pocketed the library card again.
Out of nowhere, a flock of normal looking bird flew near the tower. Normal-looking sparrows, until one of them suddenly spoke in his language. "Hey, Bert, look over there. Is that a human?"
The other bird's reply was drowned out by the wind. Sawyer was taken aback. A talking bird? Just what happened during those times I was sleeping? Oh yeah...the world changed. For the better, by the looks of it. I guess this is my chance to atone for my sins.
He took out a wanted poster from his other pocket. It depicted Finn, Jake, the Princess of Flames, and his brother. These pictures are probably all over the kingdom by that time. Sawyer felt a bit giddy on what could happen in the future.
I'll serve this new world with everything I've got.
"I'll sacrifice with everything I have..."
Then I'll get back up and do it again.
Sawyer stifled a cough.
~~o~~
Hoped you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Hey, the story just hit 2,152 views! Wow! Thanks for the time dudes!
The Nephilim King Michael: Thanks, dude! I swear I'll make things more epic in the future chapters! I sure hope those authors have the same opinion as yours. Haha.
Ooobserver: Thanks for all the reviews dude. I'm sorry I can't review every chapter of Citadel of Truth... I'm glad you find my story unpredictable. Although, I should ask you to please remind me if my chapters are getting too sidetracked with unnecessary things.
nrbuer: I'll keep waving the flag of Flinn shipping, for that you can count on me!
Hey dudes, from now on, Ooobserver's fantastic and splendid and awesome and all-other-nice-adjectives-I-missed Citadel of Truth and Archives of Ooo are both required readings now for The Line That Divides.
Curiously enough, the previous chapter seemed to have garnered more views than normal. So, some of you might have questions on just what the heck is the Imatari. It literally means "to imitate" in Latin. The validity of which I can't 100% confirm yet. As for what it looks in its "Dormant State", you only have to look at the logo/title of Adventure Time.
Finn - 1000 Years Back
Ice Prince - Tales of the Alternate Universe (Man, I miss SCIK)
Sawyer - three guesses. Haha. (Technically, he's from TAU too.)
Get ready for the next chapter, the one I'm so nervous about and by-far my biggest challenge for this story yet. I suggest you read (and reread) the first two or three chapters of Tales of the Alternate Universe by SCIK1012! That's all and have a nice day! Please read and review!