Here we go.
In hindsight, Finn thought he should have taken Jake with him to get to the market faster. Unfortunately, not only was Finn already close enough that he could see the market, but he had run out of the house in such a hurry that he had no way to communicate to the magic dog to come over. However most of that was minor issues compared to his current predicament.
'Oh Glob, why are my legs killing me this much?' A physically exhausted Finn thought as he got on his hands and knees, panting hard to refill the air in his lungs. Running for about 5 miles straight was a daunting task for someone not prepared for it. As such, his legs were feeling like they went through a meat grinder, leaving him unable to stand up for the time being. This gave him ample time to recollect his thoughts. 'This doesn't make any sense. I used to be able to run this distance no problem when I was… older.'
Suddenly remembering, he realized his folly. He had lived most of his life being physically capable of pulling off superhuman feats, even managing to punch monsters over twice his size and weight at the age of 12. However, the difference between his older body and his younger body now was that his younger body was severely lacking in stamina and endurance. He never really focused on that even as an adult, as most of the fights he got into would end pretty quick. Rarely had he fought a monster that could make him exhausted.
"Your stamina and endurance has gone up by +1!"
For some reason, Finn couldn't help but feel like the blue text box was taunting him.
"I need to exercise and work out more…" He said after finally having caught his breath. Getting up, the young hero traversed into the market, coming across many familiar stands. He noted that the stand where he got his grass sword wasn't there, meaning the wizard wasn't around yet. Shaking that thought off, he went to the familiar spot where he grinned at the sight before him.
"Welcome Finn the Human… Come to find something to catch your attention?" A voice from the stand sang. The voice belonged to none other than Choose Goose, in his normal lute suit. It was hard to imagine that he would become a catalyst for evil, but then again, he didn't expect for there to be an evil wizard cult lurking inside Wizard City. Something that was also going to be dealt with if he wanted to stop that from happening.
'This is going to be a hassle just to remember half of these events.' I'm definitely going to need those glasses.' With that thought, he walked towards the stall. "Hey Choose Goose, you're just the person I'm looking for."
"Oh really Finn, that makes me glad. Now tell me what you need so bad."
"Well, I was hoping to find something that would be able to make me smarter. You see, I want to become smarter, but I'm not sure what to do in such a short amount of time. I need something that can enhance the mind. Got anything magical like that?"
"Ah yes, the quest that you are on… requires the Glasses of Nerdicon!"
"So I can put these on and get the smarts that I need? I'll take it, what do you want for it?"
At this point, he was really hoping for the same thing last time he got it.
"If you want these glasses that can make you smarter, I would be more than willing to barter."
Not exactly the same thing, but it was good enough.
"All right, let me see what I have in my bag." Finn began, ruffling through the bag. Pointedly ignoring the Enchiridion, his hand moved on to something else familiar. Taking it out, he had a flute in his hand, not as damaged as he remembered, but still had some wear and tear from some form of improper use. Suddenly, an idea began forming in his head. Seems like Choose Goose would have to settle with being entertained after all.
"How about a song and dance?" Finn said, placing the instrument to his lips and began playing. Finn couldn't help but remember when he first played it in his previous life. While he wasn't bad at it per say, he was mediocre at best in his child years. It wasn't until years later when he encountered Huntress Wizard that he improved his skills. Now though, he knew how to play properly, including a few songs that Huntress Wizard taught him.
Closing his eyes to concentrate, Finn started playing a melody, dancing in a hypnotic way like a snake charmer. To anyone listening, they took a small pause from their activities to watch the young entertainer. Even some people, mostly the kids, got into the mood and started dancing themselves. After about 5 minutes of constant playing, Finn had stopped to catch his breath. He heard clapping and joyous cheering. While he expected Choose Goose to be enthralled, he didn't expect multiple voices and clapping. Opening his eyes, he finally realized that he was surrounded by a lot of market shoppers, all cheering at the performance. Some people even threw gold at his feet in signs of appreciation.
"New Skill Learned: Snake Charmer - With flute in hand, play a song and dance to either entertain or distract those around you."
"Eheh… Guess I got too into it." the young hero muttered, picking up the gold and placing it in his bag. After that, he retired back towards the stand with the clapping goose.
"Oh Finn the Human, well done! The glasses you have won!"
"Heh… Thanks. Pleasure doing business." The young hero said, waving the wandering merchant off as he went back home.
Unbeknownst to him however, a horned figure at the outskirts of the crowd was listening intently to the song and watched as Finn's silhouette shrinked in the distance.
Finn was rarely one for being nervous. If anything, he was more likely to stare down The Lich than run away. He should know as he's done it multiple times. However, now that he was back at the tree house, he couldn't help but feel a wave of trepidation come over him. In front of him were the Glasses of Nerdicon and a blank notebook. An extra blank notebook was on the side of the table just in case.
'Okay, let's think about this.' He said, sighing to himself. 'When I put these on, I need to keep my sanity just long enough for the sake of what I need to write down. First, let's just keep it simple, I need to make a timeline of everything that is going to happen. I'll brainstorm plans later.' Psyching himself up, he picked up the glasses and with just a moment's hesitation before completely putting them on.
As expected, the moment he put them on, it was as if the Multiverse and everything about it came flooding into the young hero's head. So many things he didn't understand or knew about suddenly came to mind, only to be replaced by more knowledge and information flooding his brain, which was also soon replaced. No, not replaced, just moved to the side, quickly being organized and remembered if he recalled it. It was so sudden, yet he could instantly remember it in perfect detail as if the information being presented to him was happening in slow motion. What felt like an eternity only lasted a couple of seconds as he reoriented himself and realized he still had been holding the glasses to his face.
"Woah! Now I remember why I hesitated first. Feels like existence itself crashed into my head. Aaaaand it's going to feel like it was ripped out of me the moment I take off these glasses. Oh well, guess I'll have to deal with it like before." Finn said, more annoyed at the slight inconvenience before taking a look at the blue screen that just popped up in front of him.
"Warning! You have the Glasses of Nerdicon equipped! Knowledge has gone up by +[Unknown%] Such amount of Knowledge for long periods of time will cause the user to go insane! Please use it responsibly!"
"Heh…" The newly formed brainiac chittered. "Please, I remember the first time I used this. Everything went according to plan. Now to write it down!" Grabbing the pencil and notebook, Finn recalled the events of his past life with relative ease. Sentences were being written at a pace faster than the young hero has ever written, so much so that if he wasn't certain about it, he would have thought the paper would catch on fire. The benefit of knowing that wasn't going to happen made him write faster and faster. It took him only about 5 minutes to completely fill up one notebook before grabbing the second one and filling it up just as quickly. Once he was done, he placed the pencil and notebook back down before flipping to the first page of the first notebook and taking off the glasses.
Suddenly, all that knowledge and information came out of him like a fart. Which is exactly what happened last time.
"Gah! Oh man, that never gets easy…" Finn grumbled to himself.
"Skill Upgraded - Mental Lock has become Mental Fortitude! Stress, pressure, trauma! Consider it a thing of the past! Your mind is now a steel trap! When you put your mind to it, nothing will be able to break your resolve."
"Woah! From just that alone I was able to upgrade a skill. I guess the flood of information was considered a mental attack or something." He thought aloud. "Oh well, let's see what I wrote." Picking up the opened notebook in front of him, Finn expected to see a timeline of all the events that had happened. However, upon looking at the paper, he was definitely in for something else.
"Dear Finn, I know it's weird talking like this, but I feel like this would be the proper way to communicate considering the last time I took over for more than a day, I went completely insane trying to help Princess Bubblegum. So I figured I wanted to do something else about that. First, I didn't bother writing a timeline. Yes, I know, now pick your jaw off the ground." Finn nearly choked reading that sentence as he had, in fact his jaw hanging from his mouth. Picking it back up, he began reading again. "Look, I know a timeline is something you wanted, but why bother with that when you have me to guide you through everything. And before you doubt me, I'm literally a smarter version of you and remember everything. Sounds ominous, but I literally can recall everything, so there's no need for a timeline or something like that. Instead I want to help you out by giving you different solutions to the problems we've (or you specifically) have encountered. Think about it for at least a little bit if you don't trust this version of you. I will say this though, the challenges ahead are something no kid at the age of 12 should be dealing with. Hard to imagine that zombies are the least of your worries, and it occurs in March, giving you at least two months to train your body."
Finn stopped reading for a bit, realizing that this alternate personality of his is right. The young hero knew all about stupid, only going in most fights with barely a plan and hoping for the best. And it's not like his smarter self is evil, just a bit insane, still managing to make everything work out after creating a black hole. Sighing to himself, he continued reading.
"As much as we love this weird world of Ooo, it's still dangerous to even the likes of a human like us (or you). Which is why I want to propose something. Instead of making a timeline, I can guide you into doing the next steps of our journey. At least read the first three things before you decide to no longer put on the glasses okay? If I have earned your trust, just use more notebooks so I can fill them out. First things first though, you'll need to work out more. Pretty obvious when you think about it. You've only gotten as far as you have due to instinct and guts, but that won't cut it all the time. The Dungeon of the Crystal Eye showed us how outclassed we are and can easily die if we go into a fight haphazardly. Most of the things down there kicked your ass." Finn grumbled reading this, but conceded before continuing on.
"Next thing we need is a better sword. Yes, I know, Scarlet is your pride and joy and the first sword given to us, but you will need a big upgrade to your weaponry if you want to kill monsters better. Like say for example, the Demon Blood Sword." Finn read that line a second time just to make sure he didn't hallucinate. Yep, still there.
"Got your attention with that one, didn't I? Think about it, we already know where it is and how to get it. Just be sure to superglue the binding so that no one can read the demon runes underneath. That's how Kee-Oth got to the treefort in the first place." Finn paused his reading before rapidly searching the kitchen for any superglue to use. Seeing how there was none, he made a mental note to buy some before heading down that dungeon where his blood sword would be.
"Finally, once you have that sword, get Rattleballs to teach you. He should still be hiding out in the Candy Kingom's junkyard. It might take some time to look, but it would be worth it to have him teach you for longer than before. Plus you're not burdened to dedicate yourself to the Princess about him, so no worries of ratting him out. If you still think I'm pulling your leg, you're free to take the two notebooks and the glasses and destroy them. Information like that can fall into the wrong hands if not."
"New Quest Discovered: World of Opportunity"
'The hero's journey is a long staking process. So why not just take leaps and bounds? Using the knowledge presented before you, traverse the world of Ooo with a better understanding. No need to learn from mistakes in this life when you've already learned it from the past life as you can just approach the situation at a different angle that better suits you. Fix the past and forge ahead anew. The opportunity for a better life is there, you just have to learn how to find it. Do you wish to proceed?'
Finn, try as he might, couldn't find a reason to say no.
"You got this, Finn! Just one more lap!"
"GO FINN GO!"
The crisp air of the cold was a bit burdensome to the yelling duo of Jake and BMO. But to Finn, it became a godsend as his lungs and legs felt like they were burning with exhaustion as he had been jogging for the past hour. He'd have stopped 20 minutes ago if he wanted to, but Jake and BMO saw him and wanted to encourage him on. Not wanting to look weak, he continued pushing himself until the hour was over.
By the end of it, he was a wreck. He would have puked into the lake by the tree house if the water nymphs didn't live there. Right now, he was glad they weren't around to see him as he dry heaved into a patch of grass over the hill. It took a few more minutes for him to collect himself to drink from the water bottle he brought with him. It was a good thing he brought it with him, or he might have fainted. While Finn had an above average fitness for a kid, he knew that with time he would get better. Which means he'd have to work more on this. More running. Ugh.
"Stamina and endurance has increased by +5!"
At least he was slowly improving it. Now if only he could feel his legs.
"I'm going to do this every morning if I can help it." groaned Finn. It was going to be a challenge to do so, but it was damn well what he needed. Getting out in the open would hopefully help him stick to it. He would have to make it a royal promise.
"Really Finn?" Jake couldn't help but ask. "That seems a bit excessive if you ask me."
"That's easy for you to say. You can shapeshift into anything you want. If I want to keep up, I need to train myself to beat down any monster I come across. Not everyone can just use magic to solve a situation."
"Oh. Well alright then. Just be more careful. The weather is getting colder everyday."
"Thanks man." Finn felt a tug on his shirt. Looking down, he saw that BMO came to say something to him.
"Remember not to push yourself too much, Finn. The body can only take so much before it gives out." the robot spoke with a hint of seriousness, causing the boy and dog to blink in surprise.
"Woah. Who knew you could say that? Getting all serious on us like that." Jake laughed. Finn for the most part, just gave BMO a smile and nod.
"Alright, BMO. I promise. Besides, I'm done running for the day." the young hero swore.
"Good. Now who wants to go inside and play some video games!" BMO cheered out.
Both Finn and Jake excitedly raised their hands.
So began Finn's new routine of training. Everyday, as soon as he got up, he would begin jogging around the tree house for about an hour. The first week was absolutely grueling as he felt like giving up nearly halfway. BMO and Jake insisted that he doesn't do it everyday as his body needs rest, so he complied with it. However, he wouldn't just sit around and be idle all day. Instead, he began doing weight training with various objects. He would even practice some sword swinging techniques that Rattleballs had taught him in his past life. Muscle memory would only get him so far if he didn't practice.
It was about a month later that Finn and Jake were up to the attic.
"Tell me again why exactly we're going up to the attic." an exasperated Jake asked.
"Because I wanted to find some polish for my sword. Scarlet has been looking a bit banged up and I want it to be in better shape." Finn replied.
"And why do you need me for this?"
"It will go a lot faster if we both search for it."
Jake could only grumble as he still helped his brother in all but blood. The search only lasted for about a couple of minutes before Finn stumbled across what he was looking for.
"Hey Jake, check this out!" exclaimed Finn. Hearing this, Jake followed the sound of Finn's voice, seeing him on the far side of the attic. In front of him was a holo-message player. "Do you know what this is?"
"It's a holo-message player. But what is this doing here in the first place? I don't remember bringing something like this."
"Me neither. It's got a cartridge with it, though." Finn said.
"Oh Snap!" Jake clapped. "Well plop that cartridge in the slot, playah!"
"Okay." With that, Finn placed the cartridge in, already expecting what the message was.
As predicted, the pink holo-message showed the living room space of their parents' house. There were two pictures of cats hanging on the wall and a table was next to the fireplace. A rug was shown only halfway because of the way the holo-message player was shot. Finn however, wasn't focused on any of those things. He was more focused on the sword hanging on the mantle above the fireplace. While everything in the holo-message player was pink, he could almost see the bright crimson color of the sword. For a moment, there was a second of silence before a figure stepped into the view of the holo-message, the person being none other than Joshua, Jake's real and Finn's adoptive dad.
"Hello boys." the holo-Joshua replied, revealing his 1940's Mid-Atlantic accent, not that Finn and Jake knew.
"DAD!" both boys yelled out, Jake out of shock and Finn to keep up the act, but also was happy to see his father in all but blood.
"If you're hearing this pre-recorded hologram message, it's because I've passed on, and my Spirit Sparkles guided you to its secret hiding place." Joshua made a movement to show that his spirit sparkles were there.
Finn and Jake gave a silent look to each other. They knew that mom and dad had passed away for years now. Finn was only a toddler when it happened, but they left such an impression on him that he couldn't stop crying while in the house. It was why Jake had to take him out of the house to the treehouse they live in today. Jermaine was still living there, trying to keep the family business open and prevent the demons from taking all of their possessions. Finn made a mental note to check up on him after this, and more often.
Both human and dog sat down as the rest of the holo-message player continued. They both saw Joshua leave the shot for a second before re-entering with two infants in his hands. One infant looked like a smaller and younger version of the talking dog, while the other infant was a human with a bear-shaped hat. The two brothers instantly realized that Joshua was holding them as babies.
"Right now, I'm holding both of you in my hands. You're both still little squishy babies." as if to demonstrate, Joshua gently squeezed the two infants in his hands. Jake reacted positively, giggling like he was being tickled, but Finn was shown crying from the older dog's actions. After that, he placed both infants on the ground gently, where they both crawled out of the shot. "I made you boys something: it's a dungeon. A proper dungeon, full of evil monsters, traps, and magic. The whole kazoo!"
Finn and Jake couldn't help but give each other a brofist as they heard the news, whispering to each other about how "kickin'" it would be. Although Finn's was more enthusiastic.
"This next part of the message is just for you Jake, so Finn, cover your ears!" Finn did so without complaint, already knowing what Joshua's message to Jake was in regards to wanting to toughen Finn up in a world that is dangerous. Finn had to withhold the smile that would form on his face, lest he accidentally give away to Jake that he knew what they were saying. Seeing the magic dog make a motion for him to uncover his ears, Finn did so.
"Alright boys. Now to give you some incentive, at the end of the dungeon I'm going to put the family sword." Joshua pulled the sword from the mantle it was hanging on. "It's made out of demon's blood." As soon as he finished that sentence, however, a flame that didn't come from the fireplace appeared right next to him, growing over to twice his size. The fire soon dissipated to reveal a demon, or more specifically, Kee-Oth the demon whose blood was used to make the sword. Jake exclaimed in shock while Finn stayed silent. However, just as abruptly as the demon showed up, Joshua uttered "Kee-Oth Rama Pancake", causing the demon to vanish in the same moment. That got both boys to exclaim in excitement. It was rare that they got to see just what sort of things Joshua got into, but it was worth it.
"The dungeon's 80 paces west of here, under a dumb looking rock. And Finn, this dungeon is going to kick your tail. I bet you won't even get past the first trial, you whiny baby!" With that the holo-message player ended. While the initial jab at him did sting, Finn knew better and held his tongue.
"New Quest Unlocked: Demon Blood Sword Dungeon"
"Joshua has left behind the family heirloom hidden deep beneath the dungeon. Should you best this dungeon, you'll be rewarded with the heirloom: The Demon Blood Sword. Fail your task and you will forever be labeled as a whiny baby. Do you wish to proceed?
It was one thing for his adoptive father to call him a whiny baby as he now knew better, but for the messages to start doing that, oh Nightosphere no.
"Bring it on!" Finn shouted.
'Finally. This time I won't let dad's words discourage me.' the young hero thought as he jumped down into the hole that was hidden underneath a rock that literally had a face that was dumb-looking. 'I guess when you're a non-moving rock creature, you might as well literally have rocks-for-brains.'
Reaching the floor, Finn cartwheeled as soon as his feet touched the ground. Letting his momentum slow down, he stopped to get a better look with the little amount of light beaming down from the hole. Fortunately, Joshua had the foresight to put up ceiling lights to show the rest of the hallway. All around him he saw piles upon piles of bones, either indicating that he wasn't the first person down here since Joshua, or if Joshua put them down here just to make him more scared. He didn't know which one, but he didn't care, he had a dungeon to explore. Further ahead he saw two piles of food that he knew were actually monsters. This time however, instead of being a pile of burgers and hotdogs, they were omelets and grilled cheese sandwiches.
'So these things play on what we want to eat most today, only this will eat us in return if we take the bait.' Finn realized, now seeing that if his former assumption was true, then most of these creatures were tempted, and their bones were a warning sign to not trust what you see.
Before Finn could contemplate further, he felt Jake land on top of his head, slightly smaller now due to his powers. He also had a backpack on to hold extra supplies that didn't fit in Finn's pack. The magic dog gasped in excitement at the sight before him.
"Woah! Grilled cheese sandwiches and deviled eggs! Yay! Yeah! Yeah!" Jake shouted as he climbed down Finn. Before he could run towards them however, he was stopped by Finn.
"Something's not right." he muttered before reaching into Jake's backpack that he had on. Reaching into it, he pulled out a lighter, and reaching into his own backpack, Finn pulled out an unlit torch and some oil. Putting the oil on the torch, Finn lit it and threw the torch at the pile of grilled cheese sandwiches. In an instant, the grilled cheese sandwiches caught on fire due to being soaked in the vegetable oil. Finn knew because he liked his grilled cheese sandwiches cooked with vegetable oil. The moment the pile caught on fire, it shrieked something unholy as the pile turned out to be a monster. The smell of burnt toast and cheese was soon permeating the air. Before the creature could even gather its bearings to attack, its body began to turn black from the burns. By the time the flames died down, its body was charcoal black, with the slightest movement breaking it apart and turning it to black ash. The pile of deviled eggs moved out of the way during all this, more concerned about not wanting to be burned, forgetting the newest visitors to the dungeon. Big mistake.
The creature felt something pierce its head, moving its eyes to a blade sticking out of it, brain matter coating the blade. That was the last thing it says before all it saw was darkness.
Finn pulled out the blade from its head, signaling Jake to follow him. They got through to the other side of the hallway with relative ease after that. Going through the entrance to the other room, they were greeted with another hallway, this perpendicular to the previous hallway. Seeing as how one side of the hallway, the side that they were at, was nothing but brick wall, they turned their attention to the other side and saw another hallway with a singular ornate blind arcade in the middle of it. In the blind arcade was a symbol that looked like a four-legged creature with a large body but a small head, the body had four large purple gemstones embedded in it in a diamond square pattern while the head had a small, rectangular purple gemstone. Also in the blind arcade was a pedestal that looked like a gargoyle holding up a stone slab flat on its back and head. On the pedestal was another holo-message player cartridge.
"Jake, look!" Finn shouted. The boys ran up to the pedestal and Finn grabbed the cartridge and placed it in the player. As soon as he did that, the pre-recorded message started up with Joshua in the frame this time and still in the room.
"Finn, cover up those nubs on your head." was Joshua's first sentence in the message. Rolling his eyes, instead of complaining, he complied immediately, already knowing what he would say. The young hero began walking to the right end of the hallway, heading further into the dungeon, telling his brother his intentions with a yell. He also wanted to hide the fact that he was chuckling when Jake inevitably began talking to a pre-recorded holo-message, only to be told off that Joshua couldn't hear him now. Coming across a fork in the path, Finn uncovered his ears and looked down the right pathway. The benefit of having a second life is knowing exactly where you can go, if you've been there in the previous life. Although, he couldn't help but realize that in the first life, both him and Jake somehow managed to find the sword on the first try and not get lost on the way back up. Weird, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"FINN!" he heard Jake yell, signaling that he was done listening to the message.
"OVER HERE!" he yelled back. He continued when Jake caught up to him. "Check it out Jake, I found two ways." he pointed to the right path. "This way has some sort of flower trap," he then pointed to the left. "…and that way has that guy."
Indeed, the left path revealed a hideous looking green monster that looked to obese for its small legs to support its weight. It didn't help that it was also… lactating sweat? At least, that's what he hoped was sweat.
"None shall pass!" as if to make that pathway even more unappealing, the green monster spoke in a high pitched, nasally voice.
"Eugh, let's take the flower path." Jake cringed. Finn made a grunt of agreement and nodded his head. Before they could leave however, they heard the monster talk.
"Wait!" it said, catching the duo's attention. "Why don't you want to take my path?"
"Because you're super gross, man." Jake nonchalantly said, causing the monster to let out a weak "oh', before it lowered its head down, sighing in depression. Finn decided to lift his spirits.
"Cheer up, man. We're only telling you you're because we're your bros."
"Really?" the monster lifted up its head in hope.
"Yeah, bros are real with each other. And you're gross, brother. Take a bath."
"Thanks, brother." the monster giggled, happy at the outcome.
"Hehe… No probs." Finn gave him a thumbs up before heading into the flower path with Jake following close behind. The duo kept walking into the flower path, and yet Jake couldn't help but notice the unnatural silence coming from Finn.
"What're you thinking about?" Jake couldn't help but ask.
"Hm? Oh, just thinking about the next thing we'll encounter. I wonder what else is placed in this dungeon." the young hero said, already knowing, but wanted to throw suspicion off. Jake seemed to buy it.
"You're not gonna ask about what dad wanted?"
"Nah, that was for you, not me. If he wanted to let me know, he would have just told me, ya know?"
"Oh, I guess that makes sense. But honestly though, it was nothing much. He said he's surprised a whiny baby like you made it this far." Jake said, somewhat hesitant to say that sentence.
"Oh really now? He thinks I'm a whiny baby? That may have been true when he first found me, but now that I'm older, I'm going to prove him wrong." Finn said with a determined grin.
Jake could only blink at his response. It wasn't like him to take insults like that in stride. Normally, he would have been at least shocked that someone close to him would insult him. To see him completely unfazed by such a thing and to have a rebuttal showed a sense of maturity. Then again, looking back on it, Finn has shown to train everyday for the past month ever since he got the Enchiridion. Something in that book must have resonated with him.
'Well, he always did want to be a hero. Maybe he's just following the book to the letter.' Jake thought. He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of feminine giggling. Looking ahead the boys encountered an enticing sight. "Woah…" he breathed out, entranced.
Indeed, anyone looking would have also been entranced by the thing. Just up ahead was a rectangular dining table that was long enough to house 6-8 people. However, only 6 chairs were placed on the longer sides of the table, 3 on each side. The chairs themselves looked to be of an ornate design that reminded Finn of the Jungle Kingdom. The table itself was full of all kinds of fruits stacked in a tower. Watermelons, oranges, apples, pomegranates, grapes, mangoes, bananas, and even a pineapple to literally top it off. If it wasn't located in a dungeon, it would have been the setting of a table party. There were even wooden plates, cups, and forks for each chair. Oddly enough, the sight of such a gorgeous display of food wasn't the thing that caught their attention. What did catch their attention was what was above the table.
Three people, all female, were floating in white tops and skirts. Green skin that reminded Finn of Huntress Wizard, but that's where the similarities between them and her ended. Long pink ribbons wrapped around their bodies, and also showed that they were barefoot. The women looked calm, serene, and benevolent, yet had an air of mystery to them. Each of them had different hair colors; blonde, black, and brunette. The brunette had the longest hair of them, reaching the back of her thighs while the blonde's hair reached past her shoulder blades. The woman with the black hair had the shortest, only reaching to her shoulders. Another thing all three of them had was a small black object on the top of their heads. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a creature with red, cross-shaped pupils, its mouth closed in a smile. Ignoring the small creatures, the women were absolutely gorgeous, the definition of seraphims. When the boys finally got to the table, instead of sitting down, they climbed on top of it and began walking to get to the other side, aware of this obvious trap.
"Besides, if anyone's the crybaby, it's definitely you." Finn said, pointing to his brother.
"Seriously, last month you cried because of a dream about me dying." Jake retorted.
"And you cried last week because you dropped your sandwich. Don't act like you're innocent. Besides, I only cry when it's healthy, like when people die." Finn fought back.
"Partake of the fruit~!" the brunette said seductively, floating past Finn's face, causing some hair to float into his mouth. He reflexively spat out.
"If I didn't cry when people died, I'd have a cold butt for a heart, dream or not." Finn continued.
"The fruit~!" the blonde sang out, getting in between the duo. When she floated away, the two continued.
"Waaah, I cry when people die. Waaaaah, I'm Finn." Jake said in a mocking tone. Finn decided to retaliate.
"Waaah, I'm Jake and I cry when my food falls on the floor. Waaaaah!" Finn said in an equally mocking tone, although he changed his voice with the small computer in his throat, making him sound like a baby version of Jake. He smugly grinned when he saw the look on his brother's face.
"Partake in the fruit~!" And just like that, Finn's amusement became annoyed as he glanced at the third woman, the black-haired one, that had interrupted their conversation. Instead of getting between them like the first two this one decided to just pop up from the table and stare at them like a child. Finn knew it was all an act and would have told them off if he wasn't sure that it would aggravate them. Instead, he gained an idea.
"Maybe I will partake of the fruit." he said, bending down to pick up an apple on the table. The other two women floated down as all three of them said words of encouragement for him to do it. Jake, on the other hand, was stunned. He knew it was a trap, they both knew, so why would Finn bother with falling into something so obvious like this.
"Dude, don't eat that!" Jake shouted, dropping his insulting act and showing real concern for his brother. However, the moment his eyes met with Finn's, the young hero winked at him, informing him to trust Finn's judgment.
"I think I will." Finn was now holding the apple to his eye level. Even though he wasn't facing them, he could feel the eyes of the three women staring at him in pure hunger. Finn smirked.
"But first," he said, reaching into his backpack and pulling out something in his hand. "I want to give you three women something." He said turning to face the women. Finn had to suppress a chuckle because the looks on their faces were priceless. "Here, a tip for your trouble." He opened his hand to reveal three pieces of candy.
Jake was confused as to why he would give the monsters in disguise candy, only for his jaw to literally drop to the floor when he saw Finn take a piece and place them in their mouths. He was about to say something when he saw the changes in the women's faces. Their eyes had dilated and they began giggling at an even more frantic rate. Each of them nearly fell to the floor, but Finn caught them and placed them in the chairs. Then, without warning, Finn ran towards Jake, grabbed his arm and ran towards the other end of the room. When they saw that there was no door, Jake felt Finn tug on him and pointed up. Seeing that they could get over the wall, Jake grabbed onto Finn with one hand and used his other hand to climb. His fingers stretched out to become their own set of arms and hands and began climbing at an astounding rate. It only took them about 10 seconds to climb it before reaching the top, where Jake retracted his fingers and stretched his legs to reach the bottom safely. Placing Finn down, he walked between his legs before transforming into a leopard and looking around.
If they thought the last room was large, then clearly they've yet to reach the rest of the dungeon. Simply put, this chamber was large, almost like an underground excavation and mining site that had been abandoned mid project. Machinery was still holding large slabs of stone blocks and there was even an old missile just next to one of them. Not to mention the scaffolding, stone ramps and stairs that lead to other parts of the dungeon. Despite the large room, Jake spotted another cartridge not far from them.
"There's another cartridge!" the magic dog said excitedly.
"Alright, let's go!" Finn said with equal enthusiasm.
With that the boys leaped down and began walking towards the object, but not before springing up another conversation.
"So, what exactly did you do back there? What compelled you to give them candy?" Jake couldn't help but ask.
"Oh that's easy. They were fruit witches, and they wanted us to eat the fruit, which was cursed to kill us and turn us into fruits. We would have been food for them." Finn explained.
"Yeah, I know they were fruit witches, but that doesn't explain why you gave them candy."
"Simple. Ironically enough, fruit witches have a sweet tooth. Candy is like catnip to them."
"How did you learn that?"
"The Enchiridion."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense."
"Yeah, now enough talking and let's see what dad has to say this time."
Getting to the cartridge, Jake placed it in the holo-message player. The message began to play. This time instead of Joshua being in the living, it showed him in the same dungeon area the cartridge was in.
"Hey, hey! Finn, Jake, you made it past the fruit witches. Hey, did they make you cry, Finn? Huh? Huh?" Finn rolled his eyes at his father's personal jabs, knowing it to be a ruse. "Heheh, I bet they did. Alright, now cover your ears, Sue." Finn complied. "Jake, I'm almost done with this dungeon, I just have one last monster to put into this pit I dug, I got him real tied up in this room I'm building. It's really hard trying to put him in this pit. He's pretty evil heh…" As Joshua was saying that last sentence, two large fingers emerged from the hole behind him, getting closer until one finger was on his left and right sides. "…you're going to have a crazy time trying to defeat- WAAAAAAGH!" Like a venus fly trap snapped closed on Joshua, causing him to scream in panic as whatever creature caught him dragged him in the hole.
"DAD!" Finn and Jake yelled, Finn uncovering his ears as he did so. Going through the hole, the boys saw only three things. The first was darkness, not pitch black to not see anything, but enough to be a hindrance. The second thing was the giant gaping hole in the middle of the room. The third thing was a beam of light shining on the only other thing in the room.
Chained up to a small mound with crystals growing on top of it, the Demon Blood Sword was there in all its beauty, jutting out in a way that reminded Finn of one of the stories he heard in his past life. "The Sword in the Stone" was what the other humans called it, and he could definitely see why. Maybe Joshua had read that story and was inspired by it. All-in-all, despite the situation they were in, it took all of Finn's self control to not squeal like a fanboy.
While he was doing that, Jake roamed around the room and came across something else. He saw a holo-message camera and some tapes. Picking up one of the tapes, he placed the cartridge in the slot of the holo-message player. Instantly, a display of Joshua back in the living room with the fireplace behind him was shown.
"Hey Jake, when Finn finishes this dungeon, play this tape for him."
While Jake was listening to the tape, Finn tried to see if he could break the sword free from the chains. He didn't start lifting weights for a month for nothing. Unfortunately, just like last time, the chains were still holding on strong. Just when he felt the sword budge a little, he heard a sinister laugh. Knowing what that meant, he tried to get out of the way, but was still caught by the fingers, knocking him away from the sword.
"FINN!" Jake yelled, hearing the sounds of a scuffle. When he turned around, he caught sight of the monster, a giant monster that looked like it had many green spikes sticking out of its back. The body itself was very long and serpentine, and tentacles sticking out of its body that seemed to end with green spikes, though it was hard to tell if some didn't, not like it mattered. Its long, skinny arms were the main thing to focus on as it seemed to attack with only its hands for now. However, both Finn and Jake noticed that on its left wrist was the key to unlock the Demon Sword chained around it. Its teeth, as Finn horribly remembered, are similar to those of a Lub Glub from his past life. The most noticeable feature of all was the one eye that looked like a bright yellow crystal with an orange pentagon inside and a yellow dot for an iris.
Finn quickly tried to get back up, only to get slapped back into the ground by the same hand, causing him to grunt. That damn monster cackling madly just made it even more disorienting.
"Dude, use your karate bizz!" Jake said, trying to get Finn to fight back.
"Ugh! I-Oof!" Finn tried to say while getting up, only to get slapped back into the ground again by the hand behind him. Getting up fully this time, he finished his statement. "I'm trying, but this thing might be too strong. I'm going to need some motivation to bring it down. Do you have anything?" he said only for the monster to push him down again. He was getting really tired of holding back.
Jake looked on before looking at the message player in his hands. He knew it was technically breaking dad's rule, but for once, screw that, his brother needed help. Placing the tape in the slot, he let it play on full volume.
"Finn, if you're seeing this pre-recorded holo-message, it's because you finished the dungeon that I made for you. I'm proud of you. You're gonna do great things in this world. I love you son."
Despite knowing that the entire time, Finn couldn't help but nearly shed a tear at the heartwarming speech directed to him. Standing back up, this time he jumped out of the way from the slap just in the nick of time. Nevertheless the creature still laughed maniacally. Time to shut this thing up once and for all.
"JAKE, HYPE ME UP!" Finn yelled. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out the two objects, one of which was a dagger, and placed the handle in his mouth.
Jake, hearing his brother, could only hit the rewind button on the holo-message player before beatboxing, making an impromptu song out of his dad's message. Finn smirked as he ran towards the monster.
'I knew this was my favorite song for a reason.' he thought as he saw the giant monster's left hand barreling towards him. However, instead of backflipping over it like in his past life, he jumped right on top of the hand, grabbing onto the golden chain and breaking it in with the dagger, letting the key fall right on the ground. Then, he sprinted onto the monster's arm, jumping and dodging the right hand that tried to slap him off. The monster was still cackling like a madman, unaware of Finn's true intentions. When the monster flexed its left arm, Finn timed his jump to use the momentum to launch himself closer to the monster's face. Grabbing onto the monster's eye, he flipped downward until he was faced with the monster's gaping mouth. That was all he needed as he threw the object into its mouth as it bit down, thinking it got the human. Finn grinned as he ran back as fast as he could. Seeing the human still alive and in one piece, it tried to reach for it yet again before the monster's mouth was filled with vines that began to wrap around its body. It quickly abandoned trying to grab the human in favor of ripping the vines out, but no matter how much it tried, the vines grew faster and faster. Soon cracks began appearing in the monster's crystal eye before shattering to reveal even more vines emerging from its now empty eye socket. The monster was helpless as the vines wrapped around its body completely. Soon the transformation began as the vines took shape. When it did, the vines dried up and shedded itself off, revealing a large red apple that was shining despite the lack of light. However, unlike Finn's past life, instead of it being the size of a big enough to envelop a human, it was now the size of a large house. It was too thick to go down the hole. If Finn had to guess, he'd say it was almost as tall as his own treehouse.
Shaking off his thoughts, he walked towards the key and picked it up before heading to where the sword was. His brother was also standing there, looking absolutely proud of the clever trick Finn pulled off. With a nod, he gave Finn room to go to the chained up sword. Inserting the key, the satisfying "clack" rang out of the dark room as the lock was now opened. Removing the chains, he placed his hands on the handle of the sword and pulled it out. While he could have pulled it out with brute strength, there was something more satisfying doing it this way. Oh well, the sword was his now.
Turning to the exit, the duo were surprised to see a trio of heads peeking at them. Realizing it was just the fruit witches, Finn lowered his guard.
"Ladies, I present to you a gift. I'm sure this will hold you over for quite some time. Don't go causing any trouble now, I would hate to slay such beautiful babes such as yourselves." He said as he walked out with Jake.
Getting back out of the dungeon and reaching the dumb looking rock, the boys saw that the sun was almost setting, making them realize that they've been down there longer than they thought.
Heading back home, the two were reminiscing about the events that played out.
"You know I don't think you're a baby, right?" Jake said, feeling a bit guilty for having to say those things to him.
"Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings about the sandwich thing. I just wanted to mess with you back." Finn said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, I knew this was a test all along."
"Really? When did you figure out that this whole thing was a test?" Jake couldn't help but ask.
"Oh c'mon. Dad suddenly insults me as soon as I uncover my ears the first time was a bit on the nose. I knew something had to be up. And then you start insulting me as soon as you're done listening to the second tape. I quickly put two and two together and started retaliating."
"Nothing can get past you now, huh? That sword though is sweet."
"Oh yeah~. I can't wait to slay some evil with it." Taking the sword out and showing it. No sooner than he did that, however, flames burst from the ground in front of them. The flames soon dissipated to reveal none other than Kee-Oth.
"Joshua! Return my-"
"Kee-Oth Rama Pancake!"
That was all the demon managed to get out before Finn interrupted him. The demon's voice was loud, but thanks to swallowing a small computer, Finn could make his voice much louder.
Just as quickly as the demon appeared, the flames reached up and enveloped the demon once more before disappearing, banished from this plane of existence for now.
"Wha- How did you do that?" Jake asked incredulously.
"Dad's first message had the same thing happen, I just did it faster. But man, dad was cool." Finn answered.
"Yeah." Jake couldn't help but chuckle afterward.
Unbeknownst to the both of them, a trio of heads popped out of the dungeon's entrance to look at the two adventurers, or more specifically, the boy in the blue shirt and white hat.
"Alright, let's see if I unlocked any new skills." Finn muttered to himself. Sitting down at the kitchen table in his house, it was dark at night and he knew Jake was already asleep. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity, he wanted to see if there was anything worth noting.
"New Skill Learned: Peace Among Species - Saying certain things or doing certain actions can help with disarming some enemies into becoming non-hostile, even turning them into allies, allowing you to avoid a possible confrontation. However, it's up to you to figure out how to do it."
Another non-damage type skill just like Snake Charmer, but not a bad thing either. It took him years in his past life to realize that not every problem could be solved with just punching it in the face, like trying to deescalate a war between Bubblegum and Gumbald. Maybe this time, he might have some success if it ever gets that bad. He just hopes it never does get that bad again.
"New Skill Learned: Dungeon Exploration - You get a better feel for knowing your way around dungeons, caves, and other underground areas. You have a higher chance of finding hidden rooms and secret entrances.
Finn blinked at that. That was a skill? He just likes to dungeon crawl in his spare time. Certainly no need for a skill like that. Realizing his train of thought, he sighted. His life really has become a game hasn't it. What's next, Master Chef due to constant cooking?
"New Skill Learned: Harem Master - When interacting with those with the opposite sex, you have a higher chance of persuading them. The higher their affection for you, the more persuasive you are. Watch out, Tiger. You might have your hand full!"
If Finn was drinking anything at the moment, he would have done a spit take, so instead he choked on air.
AN: And that's another chapter done. I have been thinking of bumping this story up to M because I wanted lemons, but I realized that the first one wasn't going to happen for a long while. But, I'll bump it up anyway to accommodate for language and gore instead. Don't worry, this story will have lemons, just not in the near future. Waiting for Finn to age up a bit, but right now he's more focused on training. He may be a wise old man mentally, but he's still in a 12 year old body. But let me know what you guys think. Constructive criticism is welcome.