Chapter 24: Biology Lessons

Quest for the Gems: Day 1

Location: Somewhere in the Grasslands

Time: 1:13 PM

"Where are theeeeeey?" Jake moaned, lying face-up in the grass beneath a tree's shadow.

Finn eyed the nearby green hills for a moment longer, and then sighed. "I don't know. But they should be here soon. Just be patient."

The canine groaned. While Finn would've preferred for him to be quiet, he could understand his annoyance.

Both of them had arrived in the Grasslands about two hours earlier. Despite how tired they were from every ordeal that transpired in the past day, the human had insisted that they wake up as soon as the sun came up to start the journey. They couldn't just leave immediately, however. Aside from eating breakfast and dealing with their hygiene, Jake had to take some to time to explain the reasoning behind their quest to Lady, which took longer than either of them would have liked. And even longer still to alleviate her fears once every detail had been covered.

"Don't worry," the dog had reassured. "It'll just be like any other adventure the two of us have been on over a hundred times. It'll be a cakewalk."

She still seemed unconvinced, but he placed a light kiss on her cheek for reassurance.

"I promise I'll be back. You know me. I can't just leave Finn to go without some magic dog action. It wouldn't be a bro-like thing to do."

Lady eventually smiled and seemed to have accepted it, but as the two were leaving, her eyes still made it clear that she hadn't fully.

Jake was probably wishing he was still with her now. On their way to this spot, Finn had made contact with Ice King with his phone, telling him where they could all meet. He sounded excited, as expected, but they were still unsure about whether or not he would be a good addition to the trip, until they remembered that ice equals water. The same with Blayze, though he took some extra time to contact. Before they had left the Fire Kingdom, the two heroes were told that in order to let the elemental know where to meet, they needed to find any source of fire and speak some mysterious phrase. What the words meant, they didn't know, but after they lit a match and chanted them, his face appeared in the fire, and they were able to speak.

Now, all they could do was wait. With how far away the Desert of Doom was from their current location, Finn dreaded the thought of them losing an entire day of travel. And with how cold the temperatures got in the desert during nighttime, not to mention that there is a reason for why it's called the Desert of "Doom", he was doubly worried of having to camp out in it during late hours.

But that was only the start of his worries. They had received no word thus far about the terms they had sent to Grand Master Wizard, so there was also the possibility that more enforcers from Wizard City would be waiting for them on the way. Even if their group consisted of four people, the longer they went without encountering any magic users, the better. Lady might have been able to deal with some, but she was magic herself. Until he could fully master the mark on his hand, Finn was not.

'Do I even wanna master it?' the young hero asked himself. 'I might have to if it's the only option during a tough situation, but even then, I wouldn't trust it. That cop we let go last night to deliver the message made it clear it contained dark magic…whatever that means.'

His thoughts were halted when he spotted two figures approaching over the hills. One flying across the sky, leaving a trail of ice behind him, and the other from the ground, leaving behind a burnt trail of grass.

Unsurprisingly, Ice King made it first, landing right beside the two heroes with a few final flaps of his beard. Without speaking, Finn could already tell why he had taken so long to arrive. He was carrying a traveling pack that was as big as his entire body, and judging by his heavy breathing, flying with its weight was not so easy.

"Hey…bros…" he said, still panting.

"Ice King, what is this?" Jake asked as he got up to his feet.

"It's…all the stuff we'll need. I brought some sandwiches, books, board games…"

"Why would we need board games and books?" the human asked.

"In case we get bored, obviously," replied the wizard as he removed the pack and placed beside him. "Every trip needs a bit of fun!"

Finn and Jake knew better than to continue arguing, so they just accepted it. A few minutes later, Blayze arrived as well, carrying nothing with him but his signature bow.

"Sorry I'm late," said the elemental, sounding less tired than one would expect after so much running. "I had to deal with some personal matters." He stopped when he saw the pack that Ice King brought. "Geez, did we pack enough?'

"You can be all sarcastic now, but trust me, you'll thank me later when we're all having fun together while rolling some dice," Ice King said.

"Don't expect me to carry any of it, though," Jake mumbled, so quietly that only Finn could hear him.

Unfortunately for the dog, all of them would be riding on top of him towards the Desert of Doom. With how far Ice King flew with the pack, he was incapable of continuing above the group. They thought Blayze would be a problem, but the elemental promptly reminded them that he could cast Flame Shield by using it on Jake. Once all were on, their journey officially began.

Along the way, Finn, Jake, and Ice King shared a few words with each other, mostly about mundane stuff. Blayze joined in every so often when something was directly asked to him, but he was the quietest of the group. He mostly spent his time looking off into the distance, thinking of something that Finn probably had no business asking about. Eventually, he began to get lost in his thoughts as well, until the only sounds were Ice King reading one of his newest Fionna and Cake fanfictions out loud to Jake, much to the canine's dismay.

While sleeping at Lady's house, Finn had been lucky enough to go through the entire night without the Phantom visiting his dreams, which he was very grateful for. But how long would that last? Would he be seeing her again in the late hours to come, or did she fully run out of things to tell him? Whatever the case, all he could do was wait and see.

As was feared, the four of them had left for the Desert of Doom too late. Even with how much distance they covered in Jake's large form, by the time they reached the outskirts, where grass met sand and large oaks became thin palm trees, the sun was on the verge of setting completely.

It was visibly obvious that Jake was beginning to grow tired, and continuing on during the night in the desert, when the temperatures where at their lowest, would most likely be a bad idea. If they wanted a chance to explore this wasteland with better visibility, they would most likely need to camp out for the night.

"Jake, stop," Finn told his brother. "It's too risky going into the desert at night. We'll camp out here."

The magic dog was clearly relieved. Not only did he finally have the chance to stop after walking for hours, but he could get the sleep that he desperately wanted after being woken up so early in the morning. All three humanoids jumped off as he went back to his normal size, with Ice King nearly falling over from having to keep his travel pack from keeling over; a task made harder by the fact that their legs were numb from sitting for such a long span of time.

As the rest of the group stretched, Finn looked at their surroundings. Depending on where he looked, he got two completely different environments. Behind them was still the lush green grass of Ooo's center field, but in front of them, and the place that they were trying to get to, was nothing but sand dunes as far his eyes could see, decorated with abandoned constructs and skulls from large animals that once inhabited the scorching plain. His attention was brought back to the others when Ice King zipped the pack open and pulled out some sandwiches.

"Okay, who's hungry?" he asked, holding two of the packed treats in his hands.

"Do they have peanut butter?" Jake wondered. The wizard nodded. "Aw yeah!"

Finn got his own sandwich after Jake, and the three of them of them began to eat. Blayze, however, had gone on to gather stray pieces of wood and placed them all together in a pile, quickly creating a warm campfire. Ice King had been nice enough to include bedrolls along with everything else he had brought, and once flame shield had been placed on one of them, each member of the group gathered around the embers.

"Not the most productive day," Finn said, "but at least we made some headway."

"You mean I made some headway," Jake said, looking peeved. But he was only able to maintain the expression for a few seconds before chuckling. "I'm just messing. This is actually nice. When was the last time we went camping?"

"I don't remember. Months? A year? It used to be about once every two weeks or so."

Ice King sighed, smiling. "Yeah…those were the days. We really shared some good memories on those trips."

Jake spoke with a mouthful of food. "We never invited you, Simon. You just kept showing up. But hey, at least you were better company than when it was LSP."

They all shared a laugh at that. When their sandwiches were finished, Jake yawned.

"I'm beat," he said. "Wake me up when…"

Before he could even finish, he had fallen flat on the bedroll and began snoring. Ice King followed soon after, no doubt tired from all the weight he had carried earlier in the day.

Now, it was only Finn and Blayze left.

No words were exchanged between the two for the longest time. The human would turn his eyes in different directions, but he always failed to turn his gaze away from watching the man beside him working with the string of his bow.

"So…," Finn said, thinking of something to spark a conversation. "You've been really quiet the entire day."

The elemental stopped his motion, seemingly taken back by the human's observation. "Have I? Sorry, it's just…I've had a lot on my mind lately, and constantly thinking about it all makes it difficult to follow a conversation for so long."

Finn nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you use a bow? Aren't all fire elementals able to shoot fire from their hands."

While continuing to stare at the weapon in his hands, the lightest of smiles appeared on Blayze's face. "There's actually a valid reason for it…but you'll see it in time. I think it's better as a surprise."

"Oh." 'Come on, Finn. You can't keep hating this guy forever. Try and get to know him a little.'

He tried to think of something else. "Is Phoebe the first girlfriend you've ever had?" 'Great. You somehow made things even more awkward, idiot.'

Blayze thought for a moment. "There were a few in the past that I tried to make things work with. But I was always busy with other matters, so things never really worked out. Here's hoping that they do this time around."

Finn only nodded some more, and tried to think of another subject, but nothing came to his mind immediately.

"How about you, Finn?" Blayze asked, breaking the human's train of thought. "Surely with how popular you are around Ooo, you must've found at least a few people who strike your fancy."

He thought about the question for a moment, remembering a time when an entire forest danced along with the tune resonating from a pair of flutes. "There is one. I guess you could call her a traveler, like me. We met a while ago, before all of this started, but…I'm still not too sure if she feels the same way about me."

Blayze tilted his head in interest. "Oh? Who is it?"

Finn remained silent for a while longer, refusing to meet the gaze of the man sitting next to him.

"B-By the way, I noticed that you didn't pack any coal or anything to eat," he finally said, not-so-nonchalantly changing the subject. "Aren't you hungry?"

The elemental noticed the divergence in the conversation, but he understood and let it slide, chuckling instead.

"Let's just say that, since we're entering a desert. I didn't find it very necessary. Ah, but you probably don't know what I'm talking about. We fire elementals are…a lot more complicated than you might expect."

Finn remained silent once more, analyzing his words. He had never even realized it until now, but during the years that he has known Flame Princess, he never really took the time to figure out how her people actually worked as a species. In fact, the same could be said about almost any other civilization in Ooo. All he ever focused on was their personality and appearance, but not their bodily needs or basic functions. And as someone who relied on knowing the weak spot of his enemies whenever in a fight, that was kind of a big deal.

"So, since the night's still kinda young, and Jake and Ice King are already asleep, why don't you give me some brief biology lessons?" the human asked.

Blayze studied his face for a brief moment, wondering if what he was saying was serious. "I never figured you were interested in such things."

Finn shrugged. "Phoebe and I had a good run together when we dated, but I never really took the time to learn much about her people. And besides, if she wants us to get to know each other so badly, why not take this as a sort of bonding moment?"

A smile formed on Blayze's face, and Finn followed suit. "Well, if you really feel like it, I guess we can take some time to talk about it."

The elemental let his hand hover over the ground, glowing with the same intensity as the campfire currently keeping the group warm. Finn sat straight and gave him one hundred percent of his attention, eager to learn about whatever he had to say. The limb began to shake as small tendrils of fire shot from it, swirling with the cold night air as it made contact with the sand.

Something began to take shape within the orange glow, appearing more humanoid over the span of just a few seconds. By the time Blayze was done, there was a hologram of an average male hovering below his hand.

"Okay," he began, motioning to the hologram with his other hand. "Let's pretend that this is your average fire elemental. On the surface, everything you see is a simple person made out of fire, with the odd exception of some having traits of coal or molten rock as skin. We perform like you would expect. Some of us can use our powers to propel ourselves in the air, like Phoebe can; others can form weapons with their limbs, such as swords, maces, axes, etcetera; and the most common trait, being able to shoot projectile fireballs as a defense mechanism."

Waving his hand around a bit, Blayze formed a small glowing circle in the center of the hologram's chest area. He looked at Finn as he pointed directly at it.

"This is our elemental matrix. It is, by our definition, the heart and soul of any member of my species. It's what keeps us going and gives us the energy necessary to make it through the day. One thing you should know about us, Finn, is that we don't need to 'eat' per say."

The human raised an eyebrow. "What'd you mean?"

Blayze continued. "You know how all of us tend to eat coal every once in a while? To anyone who doesn't know much about fire elementals, like you, they might think it's our primary source of food. This is not the case. Coal, by all intents and purposes, merely serves as a temporary boost to each elemental that consumes it. Because believe or not, my people can spend their entire lives without eating anything. Our real source of nutrition, similar to many other species, but more necessary, is the sun."

"The sun?"

"Yes. Think of each elemental as a solar panel. We obtain power from the rays of the sun during the day, and have excess power to remain functioning during the night after it's gone. However, since certain circumstances, such as working indoors or just a cloudy day, prevent some of us from gaining that solar energy, we rely on coal to keep us going. It fuels our matrix, in more or less the same way the sun would. Just not for as much time. Whenever a fire elemental wakes up feeling groggy, that means their matrix is running low on energy, and they need to either go outside to get some sunlight or eat a considerable amount of coal."

He stared at the starry sky for a moment. "If that big yellow star in the sky suddenly disappeared one day, we would suffer more than most. There's only enough coal in the world to keep us going, even if we currently produce seemingly endless amounts of it from mines. My species relies on daylight more than any other, Finn. We would be one of the first to go."

Finn was perplexed. It was incredible how much he had already learned about a fire elemental's basic functions after just a few minutes. As someone who normally found the whole learning process to be rather boring, he was legitimately interested in the subject being told to him. All he wanted was to keep listening.

"Geez," said the human. "That's heavy, knowing that you'd be vulnerable in a place with no coal or light for a long time."

Blayze nodded. With a flick of his wrist, he caused even more changes in the hologram. Numerous thin and wavy lines were shot from within the representation of the matrix, spreading to every other limb of the body.

"Now, back to the matrix itself. Aside from allowing us to get up from bed in the morning without keeling over, what else does it do? Well, that really depends on the actions of the elemental. If someone decides to spend some time meditating, they can make their bodies slender and more maneuverable. But, if someone is subjected to harsh punishment or exercise, their matrix will adapt to it and harden their bodies so that they may take more harm, which is why most of the guards you see around the Fire Kingdom are rather buff looking. They are subjected to these kinds of treatments on purpose in order to ready their matrix for battle."

"Sounds kinda cruel," Finn said.

"All guard positions in the kingdom are optional at the moment, Finn. And each recruit knows what they're getting into. Bottom line, if an elemental wishes to develop more immunities, or just simply make themselves more durable, it all depends on how they let their matrix adapt. Some may even be able to spend considerably more time than others without sunlight or coal if they isolate themselves in an environment without either. Without pushing themselves to the limit, of course. Essence production also has some play in it."

"Essence? What is that?"

"You know how an elemental 'bleeds' when they're cut? That's not technically blood. It's the energy from the matrix running through our bodies. That which lets us function. It produces less of it the more time it goes without sunlight, and stores most of it away within its core to keep the main body active at night during slumber."

"Isn't that basically still blood in a way?"

"Well, while most people would definitely die from excessive blood loss, as long as our matrix remains intact, all that losing that amount of Essence would do is have us be unable to do almost any sort of physical activity. It would be like…your whole body falling asleep at once, and all you can do is wait until you're healed and more Essence is produced."

They both turned their attention when a groan came from Jake's mouth, but the yellow canine was simply shifting positions on the ground. Knowing that they were not disturbing his slumber, Blayze sighed.

"I'm probably boring you with all of this information at once," he said.

Finn moved a bit closer. "No, no! I'm still interested."

Blayze raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Someone like you, I never would've expected such enthusiasm in learning about something like this."

"Well, it's less boring than math, I can say that much. And besides, this is a bonding moment, remember?"

Chuckling, Blayze continued with his lesson.

"Okay, what else? Um…Oh." He waved his hand around the hologram and placed a small light in the abdominal region. "The reproduction process is something worth mentioning, I guess. Whenever a female elemental becomes pregnant, her matrix uses over half of its energy in developing the infant."

Finn's eyes widened. "But…isn't that dangerous?"

"Very. A female elemental is at her weakest during this period. We're talking about using most of her life force in creating another matrix for the child. This takes time, and a lot of power. It's important that she gets as much sunlight as possible or continuously eats coal to ensure the baby is born healthy and fully developed. Otherwise…there's a chance that both can die. But it's also a known fact that the matrix of a female elemental is more powerful than that of a male's. Not by much, but just enough to further help with this process."

"Man…" Finn whispered, processing the information. He then cleared his throat and his cheeks reddened a bit. "And is the actual…you know…method of reproduction any different?"

Blayze laughed. "No, it's still the same as any other humanoid being. I'm glad, because I really wouldn't want to go into full detail about something like that."

Suddenly, Jake snored loudly and mumbled something in his sleep. "Gah…never do tier fifteen…"

Worried that they were starting to wake him up, Finn moved closer. "Is the whole eating coal thing the reason that Phoebe was able to be kept alive in the lamp all those years? Was she just being fed the stuff most of the time?"

"I don't think so," Blayze replied, sounding a bit unsure. "It's been said that, since its invention, that lamp has had some…unknown magics placed upon it. Nobody's quite sure how it works, but it's always been able to permanently seal away any elemental, no matter how powerful, while consistently keeping their matrix in fully energized in any location."

"Ah. Anything else?"

The elemental thought for a moment, trying to think about something of import that was left to say. Then, he placed his hand on his chin in contemplation.

"I suppose that, even though you're not a fire elemental, no harm would come if you knew about…the Link."

Finn was obviously confused. "The Link? What is that?"

Blayze let the hologram dissipate, apparently having no further need for it. "I said at the beginning that an elemental's matrix is like our heart and soul. But it's even more than that. Think of it as a sort of library, where all of your memories and past experiences are stored should the brain be used for more recent stuff. If given enough time, you can access that library and view those memories as if they were being played out before you like a movie. Some elementals can do this, by either through years of practicing or just natural talent gained since birth."

He placed his hand over his chest, motioning to where his own matrix was located.

"This is me, Finn. It defines everything about me as a person. But at the same time, my matrix is its own being, with a mind of its own. It's something that an elemental must bond with from the minute we enter the world. If I practice enough, when I'm a lot older, I might be able to look back on this very conversation clear as day. But that depends if my matrix is also willing to open itself up to me and help me find it within my mind."

"That's incredible!" said Finn, amazed by the concept.

"Oh, but that's only scratching the surface of the Link's power. There's also the ability to share your memories and emotions with another elemental by 'linking' both theirs and your own matrix together. This is quite possibly the hardest thing a flame person can do with someone else, but it's also the biggest achievement. In order to Link with someone, the trust between both must be at its peak. If you can successfully Link with someone you love, it is considered a way of knowing that you've found the one and only partner for you. The process is usually a bit easier when done with family members, according to experts on the subject."

"Can it be done with people that don't have a matrix?" Finn asked. "Like, say, with a goblin or something?"

Blayze gathered his thoughts for a moment. "It's a matter of debate. The most logical conclusion is that an elemental can only form a Link with another of their kind, but performing the action with another species has not been properly tested yet. There's a slight chance a matrix could Link with someone's mind even if they aren't an elemental, but it's unclear whether it can be done or not."

Finn took a minute to take in everything that was just told to him. For a moment, his smile was wide as he appreciated the new knowledge, but it was gone as soon as another thought entered his mind.

"Have you been able to Link with…Phoebe?" he wondered.

Blayze's own smile disappeared and he stared at the ground while speaking. "No. Like I said, performing the Link with someone else requires a great deal of trust. Phoebe and I have been dating for only a few months, and we're not nearly close enough to that point." He looked back to Finn. "But hey, one can only hope, right?"

Finn would have normally been jealous for such a comment. But now, he actually felt kind of joyful at the thought of the two achieving such a feat.

"Welp," Blayze continued, "I think it's time we got some sleep. We've been talking for a while, and we have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow."

"Yeah," the human agreed. "And thanks for the lessons, by the way."

"No problem. Hey, maybe some time in the future, I'll teach you some fire people history."

Finn chuckled at that. "You know a lot about that too?"

"If things really do work out between me an Phoebe, I kinda have to. But anyway, we'll continue our chat tomorrow."

As the two lied down on their respective spots, Finn remained awake for a few minutes longer as he pondered everything that was discussed. When his eyes met the embers hovering off the campfire, he could swear he saw a pair of eyes staring directly at him. But when he focused his vision, there was nothing. Just bright embers drifting in the air.

Flame Princess gasped as she quickly extinguished the small flame on her palm, staring at the ceiling above her for the longest time afterwards.

The ship had left at first light that very day. Cinnamon Bun had done outstanding work in finding her one that was mostly prepared to depart, and the captain was more than honored to have her aboard as they set sail for the Floating Gems. It wasn't the nicest brig that the Fire Kingdom's navy had to offer, but she hardly minded. It was small, so the winds would carry them quicker across the sea. And the men had made doubly sure that her quarters were as neat as they could possibly be.

She had tucked herself into bed a few minutes ago, but the young ruler could scarcely call herself tired. In reality, she just wanted some actual time to herself after being around so many people for most of the day (and the creaking and waving of the ship wasn't helping to make her sleepy either). The docks at the kingdom were always crowded, and it was a feat on its own for her to hide herself so that she could make it aboard undisturbed.

When night fell as the kingdom's orange glow slowly dimmed over the horizon, she retreated to her quarters. The room itself was nothing over-the-top: just a cabin with a large bed, a desk and mirror for any work or appearance maintenance, and small scones on the walls to provide extra light in the dark.

As she waited to fall asleep she decided to check if she could find Finn and Blayze through a fire source.

"Finn…Blayze…" she said softly, taking in everything that she had seen through their campfire.

The two of them, sharing a nice moment together in the cold of night. Seeing how they smiled at one another…it brought joy to her heart.

'And Finn…he said something about there being someone he has feelings for. Could it be…that Huntress woman?' She remembered her from when he talked about his journey, back in the Fire Kingdom. Unfortunately, she also recalled him mentioning that something bad had happened to her, but that she was getting the best help possible.

Flame Princess turned to her side on the bed, wishing only that Huntress received the treatment she needed. Aside from that minor setback, was everything that she had asked her mother for in the catacombs coming true? Were Finn and Blayze becoming friends? And would Finn actually find love in the near future with someone besides her?

Despite all questions, she knew that only time could provide the answers. As a smiled formed on her face, the princess closed her eyes and began to slumber, but not before wishing luck upon her traveling friends one more time.

"Be safe, you two."

Note: I've decided that I'm gonna be adding location and time stamps at some points during the next few chapters. Otherwise, it'll just get confusing to follow with so many character perspectives.

Anyway, I hope you all learned something here today, and happy Valentine's Day. See you next class-I MEAN, chapter.

-Atomsk the Pirate King: You could say that. Figured it'd be a bit more interesting.

-nico2883: It's definitely good to be writing consistently again.

-Guest: Indeed.

-Ooobserver: Whaaaaat? Pfft, you suspect that I would rip off one of the most popular anime of the last few years for my first story's concept? HA! Please. *Nervously drinks from a water bottle while sweating profusely*

-Fiery Crusader: Interesting observations. We shall see if they hold out in the chapters to come.

-Anonymous: I'm glad you like it, and look forward to some more stuff in the near future.

Next Chapter: The Infernal Goddess