In the hellish environment of the night-o-sphere, a massive red portal tears itself into existence with a scream, and the group is spill out of it. They all land feet first, quickly snapping their heads around as they scan for danger, except for Ice Queen, who instead looks around desperately for some reason. Finn stares at her in concern, then at the rest of the group. "Alright, we need to stick together so Butterscotch can show us the way! Ice Queen, could you give Fionna a weapon?" He yells at them, making the group turn to him and stare, Huntress giving him a look,
"We're not kids Finn." He looks behind her, observing Fionna as she squeezes a banana in her hand while Ice Queen hands her a sword made of ice with disgust. The duo glare at each other before walking away from each other, Ice Queen returning back to semi panicking as she looks and scans. "... A: Fionna doesn't count. B:... Ok I understand for Ice Queen right now."
Finn gives her a worried look, "Do you know what's wrong with her? Why is she acting so weird?" Huntress sighs,
"Yes I do, but she would be the better one to explain it."
Just as she was about to turn and call out to the royal, Butterscotch Butler yanks on her clothes, "Later. Right now we are in dangerous lands, and we must traverse it with haste." Huntress scowls at her,
"I don't like being told what to do, and this is important, it can hinder us if we don't know about it." She tugs her attire out of her grip, and looks at Ice Queen. To find her gone. "Where's Ice Queen!?" She yells in worry, making everyone snap to attention and look around.
Butterscotch quickly heads towards a small path that border lined a cliff into a fiery pit, "She must of rushed off ahead, for I haven't detected any demons come near us… but they are nearby, so we must find her now, before they get to her." Finn rushes forward and picks up Butterscotch, continuing to sprint at full speed as the group charges behind him. He holds her to her chest, allowing her to guide the way,
"What makes you think she went this way?"
"Simple…" She points up, making Finn look, "... There is the castle of the night-o-sphere, it's where Hana Abadeer keeps prisoners, and where Ice Queen has presumably assumed where she has entrapped Marshall Lee." Sure enough, a massive castle stood high above burning flames.
"... And that is probably where she isn't keeping him."
"Correct."
"And let me guess, that place is super dangerous?"
"Yes. There are no laws here in the night-o-sphere, so the prison is actually where she keeps people who have seriously enraged her. As such, she unleashes some of the deadliest, sickest, most cruel demons on them. They are probably all the demons in the area, all of which would be willing to get on her Hana's good side, and she has likely told everyone about us. She doesn't want Marshall to leave, and she knows Fionna would come to save him, so she has probably set a reward for killing us… Finn, if we get spotted by demons, then we will be swarmed by an army of them."
Finn stares at the candy person pressed against his chest, then looks up at the burning world, "Ice Queen! Get here now!" Huntress quickly speeds up to run besides him,
"Finn we need to be sneaky, shouting is just going to give us away." He grimaces, giving her a worried look,
"So will running straight into a horde of demons. We need to stop her before she gets into danger! I don't know what I would do if she got hurt..." Huntress nods, then hears a groan behind them. The duo spin to look at Cake and Fionna, the young heroine speaking up under their questioning gaze,
"It's just the Ice Queen! We need to save Marshall Lee instead!" Huntress glares at her, growling out,
"She is our friend! So we won't abandon her." Finn raises an eyebrow however,
"Fionna, a hero is meant to save everyone, sometimes even if they are 'bad' in your view… do you still see Ice Queen as evil?" Fionna flinches as she stares into his eyes.
"... Yes. I don't trust her! And I know I should save her as a hero…" She sighs, and looks of behind herself, staring at a tall building, "... But for some reason Marshall Lee is overpowering me, that I should rush to him and forget being a hero." Finn grimaces, 'Could she be in love with Marshall then?... Like when I was in a relationship with Flame Princess and how that ended… love related things did tend to blind me from being a hero.'
He skids to a halt, causing the group to do so as well, "I know from personal experience what... love can do to your vision, but you need to focus Fionna. What are you? A hero? Or a girl chasing boys?" She sighs,
"A hero." Finn smiles at her, Fionna closing her eyes and gaining one of her own. Until Finn touches her shoulder, then her eyes snap open and stare at the hand in terror,
"Good. I've made that mistake in the past Fionna, and I will do my best to help you avoid that." He pulls away, oblivious to Fionna's state.
"Finn, we must keep moving, for if we wait even a second then Ice Queen may be in even more danger." Butterscotch Butler lectures, and Finn simply rushes forward. The terrain quickly becomes nearly untraversable around them, yet they continue as Finn starts to worry,
"Are you sure she went this way?"
"Yes, I can feel the power of her cursed tiara now that we are close to it." Cake pats the sweet on her head,
"Good guess!"
"Please don't treat me like that Cake. I did an educated guess." Huntress nods,
"She's right. Most creatures and people will take the path of least resistance to a place. This path is the easiest to traverse, so she would of taken this. Comes in handy when you're hunting animals." Butterscotch shrugs in Finn's arms,
"Or when you're hunting a demon that escaped your summoning ritual." A sudden female cry of rage fills the air, making the group look at each other nervously, then charge forward.
The group dashes around some burning rock, and lock eyes on a very angry Ice Queen, surrounded by dark red demons slowly crawling towards her, all laughing creepily. They had the same body build and height of regular people, minus the sharp claws they have on their hands, yet they crawled sickly on all four with massive grins.
One suddenly frog leaps at her, raising its arms to slash her with its claws. And gets impaled by Ice Queen's longer ones, straight through its guts. Yet it still lives, throwing up its arms to cut up her face, but the royal halts it by slashing its head straight off with her other hand, then slamming its body off her claws and into the ground. "Anyone else wants to get in my way!?" She yells, and the demons laugh at their brethren's death, scrambling forward to show it how it is done.
The group rush in to help, weapons drawn and releasing war cries, halting the demons in their assault as they stare at them. They shake their heads and continue their attack on Ice Queen, wanting to see the group's pain in their eyes at their friend's death before them. Finn grimaces, and slides behind Ice Queen, back to back as he raises his sword, blocking a set of claws before shoving the demon back.
While he was on the defensive to protect his royal, everyone else was on the offensive, set on killing the demons. All except Butterscotch Butler, who sat at the back and watched unblinkingly, not lifting a hand to help. Fionna cries as she swings her sword randomly, forcing the demon to hop away but failing to injure it. Realising a serious fight was on their hands, the demons all stop their creepy crawls, getting onto their feet as they savagely try clawing their foes.
One such was Cake, who shifted into becoming a ball of spikes, causing the demon to pierce its hand on one of her spikes. It laughs at the sight of its own blood, and goes to dribble burning hot spit on her, but the cat quickly shifts back to her normal self and leaps away. The demon doesn't relent however, constantly slashing its claws at her and forcing her to constantly hop away, unable to attack. She spots Huntress and scowls, 'I am not asking her for help!'
Huntress meanwhile was dealing with two demons, one in front and one behind. She grimaces and launches her arrows at them, yet they simply shift positions, making the arrows slam into something non vital like an arm or shoulder. As much as she hates to say it, but the thought of Ice Queen's secret, the heat of the night-o-sphere, the flashes of burning flames, and other such things were distracting her, throwing off her aim. And as much as she also despises to admit it, one thought crossed her mind at that moment, 'I need help.' She angrily shakes the thought away, 'I never need help!'
Distracted, the demon behind her leaps onto her back, its claws digging into her green flesh as the one in front her leaps forward. She grimaces, and swings herself around, making it shred at its friend on her back, 'I don't need anyone's help!'
Ice Queen meanwhile had three to deal with, but she had Finn at her side, making her smirk. "Bring it! I have things to do!" They all lunge at her, and she uses both hands to grab two of them by their throats. She couldn't deal with the third however, yet just as it was about to reach her, Finn slams his hand into its face and shoves it away, sending it sprawling onto its back. The royal smirks at him, 'I knew he would protect me.'
Finn grimaces and reaches down to the other one he was dealing with earlier, firmly stuck under his foot. He grabs its legs and shoulder, then yanks it up above his head, before chucking it into the second one still recovering. "I've got these two!" He yells, and charges at them. Ice Queen grins, then smashes her ones together, banging their heads together and stunning them.
She drops them to the floor then steps over them, heading towards the castle, "I've got no time to deal with you! Finn follow!" She orders, making Finn stare at her in shock. All four demons recover, the two at his feet gripping his legs and causing massive cuts in his legs that bleed heavily, while the two Ice Queen had stunned leap at him.
He yells, grabbing Ice Queen's duo mid air, then slams them into the two slashing up his legs. He lets go of one but holds the other as the three on the ground scramble up. He holds the leg of the fourth and swings it like a bat while letting go of it, sweeping all four demons away from him. It allows him time to spin and look at everyone else.
Ice Queen was walking away, Fionna was struggling, Huntress needed help, Cake needed help, and Butterscotch Butler wasn't helping. He sighs and rushes towards Ice Queen, grabbing and yanking her back towards the demons, "Ice Queen, stop and deal with these guys!" He doesn't give time for her to respond before rushing to Huntress, grabbing both demons and yanking them off her back.
He slams them into the floor, pinning them to the ground as Huntress easily launches two arrows into their heads, killing them both.
He jumps up and helps Cake next, simply booting the demon in the side, sending it onto the floor. Cake grins, and shifts her arm into a morning star, then dropping the spiked ball atop its head, turning it into a meaty pulp.
Finn rushes towards Fionna, finally drawing his sword and pointing it at the demon, "Run." It stares at him, then the others who were making their way to it. It hisses at the hero, then scrambles over a red hill, out of sight. Fionna meanwhile stares at him in slight fear, then down at her ice sword in slight disappointment, 'Finn had to help me… how am I meant to be a hero if I'm the one who needs help?'
Finn meanwhile charges towards Ice Queen who was still dealing with the four demons. She simply slices one's hand off, then slashing its neck, before gutting the second demon, tearing its insides out with a swipe. The third she launches her hands out, sending her clawed fingers through its eyes and into its brain, then boots it off into the fourth. They both tumble to the floor, making Ice Queen glare, "Go away, I'm busy!"
The last one still alive shoves its dead comrade off itself and scrambles up, charging Ice Queen. She glares in anger, despising it for wasting her time that she could spend on saving Marshall Lee. As it tries to lunge out at her, she sidesteps to its right side, swinging her right arm and lodging her ice claws into its shoulder joint. She slams a foot into its chest while grabbing the arm with her other hand, and tears the limb off, swings it above her and slams it into the back of the demon's head like a club. It falls forward, and into Ice Queen's claws as she swings them up, piercing straight into its heart, what she then promptly rips beating out of its chest. As her hand yanks it out, she rockets it back up and smashes the heart into its face, the force of the attack sending it sprawling onto its back. She finishes it off by stomping her foot down on its skull, obliterating it.
The group stares in shock, before Finn snaps out of it and walks cautiously towards Ice Queen, though Cake leaps in front of him.
"What did we tell you guys!? She's mad!" She yells, trying to hold Finn back. The royal snaps her gaze at the feline, glaring in magic fuelled rage as the tiara yells into her mind. Then her eyes drift to Finn, and they soften. She snaps out of her magic, and looks at the demon bodies around her, and she slowly walks away from them. She takes a deep breath, then stares at Finn,
"I'm sorry about that there, some... magic has blinded me, one that I need to talk with you about." Finn looks down to the brutally butchered demon, then up at her,
"What do you mean?" She sighs,
"The tiara… has put another curse on me." She grimaces, 'Nothing worse than telling someone you like that you have a problem, but it must be done for everyone's safety.' She gets ready for Finn to be put off by her, for her problems to repel any chances of him loving her, 'Probably for the best as well, he's with Huntress.'
Cake groans, "Not again! I don't want to deal with yo-"
"What!? What is it? Is there anything I can do to help?" Finn asks in shock, but suddenly his hunting clothes get tugged on by someone. He turns to see Butterscotch staring determinedly at him,
"Ask later Finn, let's get out of here and into a location more concealed from demon eyes." He looks up at Ice Queen with worry, then nods at her,
"Tell me if anything is going wrong." He looks at a slightly annoyed Huntress, "Same thing for you, I care for both of you guys." He looks at Butterscotch, "You know this place the best, so take us wherever you think is the safest. But I want an explanation why you didn't help us out against the demons just then."
"Very well, follow me, but I'll tell you now that the explanation will be simple and quick." Finn sighs, and lets everyone else walk forward, waiting at the back of the group to talk Huntress privately.
"Before you say anything Finn, I'm fine." Finn nods, causing her to sigh, "I know you're just worrying about her, it's the jealousy that accompanies magic at times that's putting me like this." Finn looks down at the ground,
"I'm sorry, I'll try to not get so… close with her. It's totes unfair on you." She shakes her head however,
"She's your friend, I shouldn't be so mad about you being close to her. Besides, like I said in that ball, seeing her happy makes me happy… and I think I might have a solution to this." Finn gives her a look of astonishment,
"You found a way to get by the magic madness curse?" She laughs,
"No Finn, I don't think anyone can. But I might have a way to both help Ice Queen and cheer me up, get me used to the sight of seeing her around you."
"You do know you don't have to, don't you?" She nods, and actually gains a small smile,
"No, I don't have to. But I might like it if we do." He raises an eyebrow, but she shakes her head, "I'll have to talk with Ice Queen in private first though."
"Alright, though let me know if you need my help." They go silent, promoting Finn to look around, "... I would have thought someone like you could handle those two demons~" He teases,
"Shut up." She says with a grin, continuing to have one as she starts to whisper, "I would have thought someone like you could keep them off me, or sweep me away from danger like the hero you are." He smirks,
"Oh? Is that what you were hoping for? Why didn't you just say so." He reaches for her legs and back, prompting her to try to discreetly yet swiftly push the hands back,
"Don't!." She says in a panicked whisper, making him snigger as quietly as possible, pulling back away. They walked in silence, yet had small smiles on their faces as Finn slowly pushes his hand at Huntress's, causing her to look down at their hands laying untwined. She looks up the group, finding none were looking, and blushes as she locks her fingers with his, starting the process to get used to showing her relationship in public, 'Everyone here already knows, except Butterscotch.'
"We're here!" Yells the candy person, making them jump. She quickly separates them as the butler spins around. They stood at a cliff's edge over a massive ocean of larva. Ice Queen spins around, and spots several demons crawling around nearby that luckily hasn't noticed them yet. She looks around some more, and gets her eyes locked onto Hana's home far in the distance, and for some reason feels a pull towards it.
Just as she was about to walk towards it, ready to remove anything in her path, she catches Finn in the side of her vision. She freezes up, and sighs, 'Just like with the princes, Finn is helping with the curse… it ain't gone but it's not as strong.' She spins to Butterscotch, "Are you sure this is safe? I see plenty of demons around here."
"It's not here, it over the edge." Finn walks forward, and curiously peeks over the edge. It was nothing but larva, but leaning out a little more he spots an alcove directly below them. They were standing on the roof, and the alcove was tall enough that just dropping down will definitely equal broken bones, probably even death,
"How are we going to reach that?" Ice Queen sighs, walking forward and peeking over the edge as well.
"... Yeah I can fly us all down there, though one at a time." Finn looks up at her,
"Isn't flying not part of your crown?" She raises an eyebrow,
"No it is, or at least I gained the ability to after putting the tiara on."
"So it doesn't drain your magic to fly?"
"... No it does a little, but it is part of the crown… I think it is another echo from a previous user." Finn shakes his head,
"Whatever, if it drains your magic then no. After summoning that dragon you're dangerously low on magic, remember? I don't want you getting magic madness…" She gains a small smile at his caring words, glad that out of everyone who can put up with her, he is one of them. Huntress walks forward, she herself poking a look over the edge,
"I can get us down there Finn." She says, idly summoning an arrow with a vine attached to it.
"You sure?" Finn asks with worry, making her smirk,
"Yeah Finn, I'm not low on magic so no fears here. Besides, when has anybody or any task beaten me?" She says with pride, and launches the arrow, using her magic to guide it into the centre of the alcove, causing it to go at an angle underneath them. She summons a second arrow, and uses it to nail the end she was holding to the ground, creating a harsh zip line.
Cake examines her work, "Erm… is that even safe? How are we meant to even reach it if it goes underneath us?" Huntress merely grins at Finn,
"See you at the bottom." She then jumps over the edge backwards, reaching up with her gloved hands and grabbing the vine, zip lining down at a harsh angle. Just as she was about to hit the floor she jumps off, landing in a roll before springing up onto her feet. She grins smugly, turning around to stare at the roof and waiting for Finn. The hero chuckles, yanking his blade off his back and jumps off backwards as well, swinging his blade up above the vine and grabbing his blade, using his sword as a makeshift trolley, all the while whooping.
Cake simply blinks and looks at everyone, "Alright, group hug." The rest just walk into her, allowing her to stretch her arms around all of them, then walks off the edge, stretching her leg to reach the alcove with ease as she smoothly carries everyone inside. They are welcomed by the duo beaming at them, both at the end of the death zip line, prompting Butterscotch to speak up,
"Finn and Huntress Wizard, we will use Cake to get back out." Finn laughs,
"Fine, probably be quicker as well." Huntress swiftly uses her magic to absorb the vine, then summons both arrows back into her quiver. Then Finn becomes serious, "But now that we are here, I think we need to talk." He says, staring directly at Ice Queen, who sighs and looks at Huntress.
"Since you already know, mind making us some food please? If you can that is." The forest nymph simply reaches into Finn's bag, and starts pulling out preserved food like jerky.
Ice Queen sighs and sits down into the slightly hot floor, prompting the others to join her, "You remember how I conquered the first curse? The one that made me pred on dudes?" The group nod, and the royal goes quiet, planning her next words, "Well... the tiara wasn't happy that I did that, so it gave me another." Finn nods, prompting her to continue explaining, "It is another twisted cry from Simone. It wants me to look after Marshall Lee." Fionna gawks, leaning forward,
"What!? What do you mean 'look after Marshall Lee'!?" Ice Queen puts a finger against the girl's lip, shushing her before leaning back,
"I discovered in one of my many talks with Simone inside the tiara that she had discovered Marshall Lee as a kid-"
"What!?" Fionna exclaims, now heavily interested in the story as she stares at Ice Queen. The royal gives her a slightly annoyed look at being cut off, but ignores it for now,
"... Yes, she had met him when he was very young in a dangerous world… so she ended up being his guardian of sorts." The royal then sighs, preparing herself, "So when she was… taken by the tiara, one of her cries was for her boyfriend, Eddie, and another was for Marshall Lee, wanting to protect him." She stares at Fionna in the eyes, "I had a choice: chase Gumball and the other Princes, or be protective to Marshall. Me and Simone could only stop one curse, and I chose to protect Marshall."
The group goes silent, taking a moment to process the information before Finn sighs, staring her in the eyes, "I'm guessing that was the reason why you asked about him back at the ball?"
"Yes, the tiara has been making me constantly fret about him." The hero nods, then flashes her a small smile,
"Well, we got through one curse together, I'll gladly help you through another." Ice Queen stares. Then she laughs, startling him as he worries he said the wrong stupid thing,
"Sorry Finn, but I just realised how much of a hero you are." He only becomes more confused. "First off, you've only now said you're going to help me, but you've actually been helping me this whole time! You've been distracting me from the orders of the tiara, nullifying its effects! You are so good at 'being a hero', that you were saving me passively, that your literal presence helps mend nearly anything."
Finn blushes, knowing that these words were an exaggeration, caused by a wave of emotion. But Fionna didn't, who looks down at the ground dejectedly, 'She's right, Finn has been the one solving problems here since the moment he arrived… and he's done it so far without taking a single life… he is a better hero than me.' She looks away sighing, an act that Finn catches and looks at with slight worry, 'What's bothering her?' He thought then looks back at Ice Queen,
"That's a bit of an exaggeration…" Ice Queen nods, taking a deep breath to calm herself down,
"I know, but I don't want to be mad. And to hear that you're going to help… it just made me... excited, that is all."
Finn raises an eyebrow, shooting a small smile, "What? You thought I was going to abandon you?" She smiles as well, glad he was pointing out how ridiculous she was being,
"Slightly, I was afraid that you would leave me because of all these burdens…" She shakes her head, "... But you're right, I am worrying about nothing. You'll help me, just as you always have." She stands up, then raises her hands that glow with magic, "Now then, if I do this in quick bursts then I shouldn't go over my magic limit."
Everyone backs up as she sprays the floor in ice, Finn quickly realising that she was creating cover for them all, or more accurately, an igloo. She starts creating blocks manually, one atop the other as everyone else gravitates towards Huntress and the food from Finn's bag. There was a very small amount, making Finn sigh, "Sorry there isn't much guys, I didn't think I would need to bring any at all."
"It's fine master Finn, I will use magic to sustain myself for now." Butterscotch says, quickly sitting down and meditating. Fionna meanwhile grabs her own bag and takes it off, before rummaging through it, yanking out a bag full of treats with a grin. She quickly starts bringing more out, throwing them atop the pile of food, 'I'm finally helping!... And Finn still hasn't fought yet…' She looks at him grabbing a handful of jerky and a small amount of candy, talking to Huntress Wizard, 'How can I learn to fight like he does if he doesn't even attack demons!?' She shakes her head, '... Maybe I can trick him into a fight?'
Said hero reaches for more meat alongside Huntress, the duo taking a look at the royal as she makes more ice blocks at a rapid pace… and not getting something to eat, 'Man, she is nearly as bad as Bubblegum.' "You want to give it to her?" He asks, making her look at him,
"You're her knight."
"Well yeah… but I've got a feeling that if I was to give it to her then she would make the excuse she was too busy working to stop. And make me feed it to her." Huntress smirks at him,
"Why don't you do that then?" He chuckles at her tease, before putting the meat he gathered into her hand,
"Because I think she needs a friend to talk to… and because you said you wanted to talk to her in private about something earlier." Huntress stiffens, then nods, getting up with food in hand and leaving Finn behind with the sisters. She strolls up to Ice Queen silently, giving the royal a quick look over as she creates another block, the igloo already half done, just missing the roof, "... Sarah."
"Yes?" She asks, not looking away from her work.
"You need to eat some food." She says stoically yet with a small smile, pushing her jerky filled hand at the royal, who looks down at it.
"Thank you, though why did you bring it? Why not just drag me to the others?" Ice Queen smirks at her own jest, but Huntress looks at the group, trying to spot if any were nosing in, what they weren't as they eat in awkward silence,
"Because I also want to have a talk with you." Ice Queen halts her work, staring at Huntress's serious face.
"... Alright." She suddenly springs her arms up, and freeze the roof up instantly, making Huntress stare in confusion,
"Why didn't you do that earlier?... Or did you just ignore Finn and went over your magic limit?" She shakes her head quickly, and promptly creates a small bench for them.
"No, I was doing it one at a time because I wanted to prolong the duration, give myself time to think… and because it is more fun doing it one block at a time." Ice Queen looks away slightly embarrassed, 'Or more likely I was practicing for a kid… not Marshall, he's too old, but maybe one day…' She banishes the thought, knowing it would be impossible with her reputation, and turns her gaze back at her fellow wizard, "But what was it you wanted to talk about?"
Huntress looks at the ground, then hands the royal some jerky, "Let's talk about you first, I need some time to prepare myself."
"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine." Ice Queen inquires while beginning to munch on her food.
"What I mean is… how are you handling everything? Telling Finn of the second curse, the apology the royals did… sorry if I'm not good at this, I'm not very… social." Huntress says while cursing herself a little,
"It's fine, and I'll be honest, I'm in a similar boat. Being alone and crazy on a mountain for hundreds of years hasn't really made me the best talker either." They smile at her joke, before the royal continues, "The apology went fine, I don't have a problem with it. In fact, it felt nice knowing that everyone might give me a chance, but it felt even better knowing you and Finn won't be getting attacked anymore." She then frowns however, "But I could tell that some were holding resentment against me, clearing out of my way whenever I walked near them." Huntress sighs,
"I know, they did the exact same thing to me and Finn. I'm guessing them seeing us in action at the arena has them scared." Ice Queen sighs,
"Stupid princes shouldn't of just presumed you two were evil! Then to go as far to then resent you for defeating them when they were in the wrong." She huffs, deciding to instead release some anger by eating more food.
"Oh well, we can't change the past. Besides, with them making that mistake they had to pay reputations, what means them having to give you a chance." Huntress says, making Ice Queen nod,
"I think that is the only good thing that came out of the whole ordeal."
"And you deserve it… but what about telling Finn about your second curse?"
Ice Queen goes silent, then actually gains a small smile, "I'm glad I told him, to know that he has my back no matter what happens it makes me happy." Huntress grins as well,
"That's Finn for ya."
"You're lucky you got him, treat him well… for me at least."
Huntress freezes up, and turns to look at the royal, staring her in the eyes, "That's… actually what I wanted to talk to you about…" Ice Queen straightens, staring into the nymphs soul,
"What do you mean? What is there to talk about? Unless… you've broken up with him!?" She exclaims full of shock, staring with slight horror at the wizard, who panics and quickly covers the royal's mouth,
"No!" She snaps her head towards the entrance, peeking on the group. None of them seem to be reacting in any sort of way, so they most likely didn't hear, causing Huntress to sigh in relief and pull back. The two sit in silence as Huntress prepares herself, taking deep breaths.
"No Ice Queen, we haven't broken up, we're still dating and going strong." The royal flinches in pain, but keeps her smile, still masking her true emotions as best as she can. "But I have a proposition for you…" Ice Queen leans forward, paying attention in slight confusion… and hope. "My proposition is… you date Finn as well." Ice Queen blinks.
"... What?"
"I'm saying that if you want to… you can date Finn as well. The both of us dating Finn." Huntress says awkwardly, unsure on how to make such an offer.
Ice Queen stares, baffled by what the nymph had just said, "What the?- No! He's your boyfriend! I can't date him! Where did this even come from!?" Huntress sighs, slouching against the igloo's wall.
"Well… the idea came shortly after your dream… the one with Finn and Marshall." Ice Queen blushes a little, still embarrassed by the memory. "I… kept thinking about it… it didn't help with you constantly flirting with him all the time-"
"I'm incredibly sorry! I'll stop, I swear!" Huntress simply raises a hand, causing the royal to fall in absolute silence.
"It's fine right now Sarah, let me continue." She remains noiseless, making Huntress sigh, "So I ended up constantly thinking about it, and the pain it was causing me every time I caught you hitting on him."
Ice Queen flinches in pain, regret showing clearly on her face as her mouth opens to apologise once more, but Huntress swiftly presses a finger against her mouth, hushing her. "Will you be quiet until I finish at least?" The royal hesitates, then nods, "... Then I thought about it. If seeing you flirt with him every once in a while hurt me… then what was I doing to you every time I hit on Finn? I'll be honest with you Sarah, I saw through your mask, every flinch, frown and pained expression you had…" The royal's face drops, showing her only friend her pained expression. "And seeing you in pain, hurt me Ice Queen. It was terrible to come to the realisation: that you will never be happy if you didn't date Finn. That was when I saw you at your most happiest moments, laughing, smiling... with Finn. And as your friend, seeing you happy makes me happy." She takes a deep breath in preparation.
"Then I thought about your curse. How Finn seems to distract you from it, helps you keep your sanity… trust me as a fellow wizard, I understand what it is like to lose yourself, to no longer be in control as you watch your body go on a rampage… hurting those you care about. I don't want you to go through that pain. So when I put that all together, a mad, crazy idea came into my mind: A three way relationship. Though not between us, just with Finn."
Ice Queen bites her bottom lip, so, so desperately wanting to yell yes, to tackle and smother Finn in kisses… yet she knows that she can't do that. "I can't Huntress, that would put you pain… it's not right, people will stare at us, judge us."
"I thought about that as well. Don't mention me."
Ice Queen's face twists in confusion at her words, making Huntress smile. "Don't mention me, just say that it is just you and Finn dating." Ice Queen stares in absolute shock at her.
"W-what do you mean!?" She questions flabbergasted. Then it dawns her, "No! This is some trick by the tiara!" She raises her hands, pointing them at the illusion with her hands glowing with magic. Huntress doesn't even flinch,
"No it's not. Let me explain." Ice Queen holds her fire, though still glares at her, "As you already said, the princes are reluctant to be around you, scared that you will go for them. If you said you were dating Finn, then they might be willing to approach you… and to be honest it's not that strange for a princess or queen to date their knight."
"Yeah great, more whispering from the tiara! The real Huntress wouldn't just give Finn up for a political move, in fact she would tell everyone to go do one! She isn't scared of any royal or what anyone thinks of her!" She blasts her magic, but before anything could happen Huntress smacks her arm, knocking it off as an icicle shoots out her palm, impaling the wall.
"You're wrong." Ice Queen freezes up, "I hit you then, I'm physical, not an illusion." Ice Queen slouches, looking Huntress Wizard over as the nymph sighs, her mood dropping a little. "I am afraid of what people think of me. That's why I haven't gone public with my relationship, remember? I'm scared that people will see me as soft, that I won't be 'hard meat' that needs nobody… that is why I want you to not mention me dating Finn as well, despite that I will still be with him."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone has been presuming, making accurate guesses that we are dating. I mean think about those men back at the Ice Kingdom, when we were in the kitchen they all kept saying we were in love. However, if you and Finn said you were openly dating…" Ice Queen eyes widen as she realises what Huntress was suggesting,
"Then people wouldn't think you and Finn are dating! You can do whatever you want and people won't get suspicious! A cover for you two! 'Proof' that you two aren't dating!"
Huntress nods with a small smile. "So… do you want to date Finn?"
Ice Queen's heart freezes up, and her breath gets caught in her throat, 'A chance to date Finn…' She quickly forgets the thought, abandoning the dream to focus on reality, "Have you spoken to Finn about this?" The nymph shakes her head,
"No, not yet, I wanted to hear your opinion first... Actually... I have asked him a little." The royal stares at her, prompting her to continue, "Back at the ball… I asked him about you…" Ice Queen's eyes widen in shock, "... And if something were to happen to his girlfriend back in OOO, by the way, it was a cover for me if you can't tell, then would he date you." Ice Queen's jaw drops, hanging a little as she gapes, her mind processing how Huntress could even ask a question like that.
"... And what did he say?" Huntress smiles,
"He said yes." Ice Queen stares, then leans back, staring into nothing as she thinks.
"He said yes…" Ice Queen repeats, a hundred thoughts going through her mind. Her gaze returns to Huntress "... Are you sure you want this?" Huntress nods,
"I'm open to it. Besides, it's not like crazier things hasn't happened." She grins, "We're wizards, remember? Madness is kinda our thing!" Ice Queen laughs at her joke, "So, final time Sarah… Do you want to date Finn the human, the hero of OOO and your knight?" Ice Queen sighs, thinking it all over for a few more seconds,
"... Yes." Huntress nods, then gets up,
"Well, we better tell him,-"
"Wait, don't tell him yet. He has to think about this as well, after all he might not like the idea of a three way relationship, and it would be best not to ask him before having to work with me… also let's not make it embarrassing by asking him in front of a bunch of people. We should wait after all of this pass… let's say after his birthday, so he doesn't have the weight of the choice on his day." Huntress nods, then looks the igloo over,
"So I guess we should all get in and rest… can this hold everyone?"
"Definitely!... Well hopefully at least… let's find out, shall we!?" She excitedly gets up, making Huntress smile, 'I made the right choice.' They both crouch through the igloo's entrance and stare at the group, finding them still in silence. Cake glares at the duo as they exit, but quickly focus back onto some of Fionna's sweets, while the heroine herself was staring intensely at her food, taking occasionally peeks at Finn before darting her eyes away.
Finn just gives the two sister a look over, sighing before turning his gaze to the approaching duo, and beams at them. "You two alright?" The girls grin mischievously at him,
"Oh the talk went well Finn~" Ice Queen says, making Finn stare in slight confusion. Huntress Wizard shakes her head, and focus back on task,
"We should probably turn in for the night." The sisters nod at the suggestion, immediately packing their food up and heading straight towards the igloo, not uttering a word to anyone else.
Ice Queen stares at them as they enter her creation, then looks at Finn, jabbing her thumb at them, "What's up with those two?" Finn sighs, and stands up, stretching his muscles,
"They both don't trust you yet, not fully. They know you want to be good, and that you have been helping me during the whole royal fight with Gumball. But until they get used to seeing an old foe hanging around them, and you give them some proof of change like acting heroic or something, they will likely be a tad stingy to you." Ice Queen sighs,
"I knew my actions would haunt me for a little while, but I would have thought someone like her would be one of the first to accept the change."
"And she likely will be, I know from personal experience that I won't change over night." He then looks at Huntress, "And I'm pretty sure Cake is still salty about you beating her several times. She was always a sore loser, but that just means she never gives up in a fight. As for Fionna… I don't know what is up with her, but something is. She is not talking to me- actually anyone really… something is definitely bothering her." He sighs, "What means I will need to have a talk with them as well…" Huntress raises an eyebrow,
"As well?"
"Yeah, don't lie to me you two, I know something is bothering you too."
"And I can tell something is affecting you too Finn." Huntress quickly counters, making Finn freeze up, then relaxes with a slight chuckle,
"Alright, a little. I've been so focused on helping you guys that I forgot about me. But my worries are about OOO, like how they are doing and all… but we can talk about this tomorrow, once we rested… and not in front of Butterscotch." The trio looks at the butler, finding her still meditating.
Then she quickly gets up and hurries inside the igloo, knowing her plan to nose in them was discovered. Finn smirks, 'That's Butterscotch for you, like master like servant.' Ice Queen walks up to him, grinning and putting a hand on his shoulder, playfully pushing him towards the igloo,
"Just what I want in the morning when I first wake up, a deep talk about our worries and problems. Though let's actually hurry up sleep, we'll need the energy if we're going to bust Marshall out of Hana's grip." Finn stares at their shelter, then his eyes widen in a realisation,
"Wait where am I sleeping?" Ice raises an eyebrow, "You know, gender thing?" Ice Queen laughs, and pushes him into the igloo's entrance,
"Finn, I'm not building a second igloo just for you. Besides, I trust that you won't try anything." Ice Queen then lets Huntress go in before her, then she herself crawled inside, promptly sealing the entrance up behind her to prevent any demon busting in while they were sleeping, yet leaving a small hole for air.
They all sit awkwardly inside, the igloo proving to have enough room for all of them to lay down in with some room to spare. Sighing, the two humans slip off their bags and put them in a pile out of the way, and trigger everyone else to start shedding their clothes. Fionna and Cake don't bother, just flopping over onto the ice floor and attempting to fall asleep, enjoying the cool ice after the hot environment of the night-o-sphere. Finn strips from his clothes, ending up in just some boxers as he rests his bare skin on the frozen ground as he lays on his side, not minding the chill after all the years of fighting having toughened his skin. Then Huntress lays next to him, also in her undergarments as she grins at him, making him smile.
Then Ice Queen approaches him, her dress laying on the floor as she grins with a hand on her hip, her blue body accented by a white garter stocking, bra, and thong. She beams at the hero, and crawls down next to him. She lays against him, pressing herself into him slightly as she wraps an arm around him. Finn stares in slight shock, looking directly at her closed eyes as she smiles happily, before he turns his head to look at Huntress. She had her eyes open, staring at Ice Queen as well, yet had a faint grin as well.
She takes one cautious look around the room, finding everyone else looking away from them, causing her to lean into Finn's face and give him a quick, silent kiss. He blushes, but before he can ask about Ice Queen the nymph closes her eyes, falling asleep against the hero. He feels the royal snuggle against his back, basically spooning him as she breaths slow, calm breathes against his neck. He eventually shrugs, deciding that if no one else was finding it weird, then he probably shouldn't either.
He shifts, laying onto his back, causing the girls to open their eyes and stare at him. He moves his arms, wrapping them both around their waists and pulls them in close, pressing their bodies against him as he drifts off. The girls look at each other, smirk, and accept this new position, resting against Finn as they fall asleep, sharing a single thought, 'This feels right…'
The entire igloo becomes silent as everyone sleeps, with Huntress and Ice Queen smiling happily. Then the tiara glows a little, sending Ice Queen into a dream once more. One with her, Huntress, Marshall, and Finn grinning at each other, eating a large feast together, but neither she nor Huntress were eating. They instead were holding calm, sleeping babies in their arms, both bearing striking similarities to their mothers, and Finn. In the real world, she grins, pulling her arms a little closer to her chest as she snuggles against Finn.
A few hours later, Finn's eyes crack open, murmuring slightly as he wakes up, and attempts to stretches, but then remembers the two weights atop him. He opens his eyes fully, looking the dark igloo over. No one else was awake, not even the two women on his arms. He looks at the duo, smiling at Huntress cute sleeping face, then confusingly at Ice Queen's peaceful slumber, a slight grin on her face as she laughs. 'I wonder what she is dreaming about?' He shakes the thought away, and deliberately shifts his arms in a way to shake them. Huntress of course wakes up first, her years of living as hard meat making her ready to act at the slightest movement. Her eyes snap open, stare into Finn's blue orbs, and grins as a result.
"Morning Finn… anyone else awake?" She inquires while yawning, making Finn shake his head with a grin,
"Nope, just us… and maybe Ice Queen." He rolls his head over to check, and finds her staring at him with a huge grin. He jumps in shock, making Ice Queen giggle, before she rests her almost nude body against him, squishing her boobs into him a little,
"Well this is a first." She states, making Finn raise an eyebrow in curiosity, "You're a dude, and you've woken up next to me. Most just scramble to get away from me..." She lays her head on his chest, "... This feels nice, do we have to get up?" Huntress and Finn instantly flop back into position, with Huntress grinning,
"Nope, me and Finn are usually like this for a bit, with a tad of flirting." Finn looks down at Huntress Wizard with slight anger, 'Why are you telling her that!? You know she hates seeing you hit on me, you even said you saw her pained flinches!' Ice Queen meanwhile sighs in pleasure, imagining scenarios and lines, 'I can't wait to do that with Finn as well!'
They all rest silently in fear of waking up the others, yet with a smile, enjoying the sharing of body warmth in the cold igloo. Then they hear shuffling, causing the trio to all snap their heads up, staring at Butterscotch as she wakes up. The girls quickly pull away from Finn, and Finn brings his arms off their bodies, idly resting them against his sides. Then Ice Queen flops onto him.
He snaps his gaze at her, and finding her feinting sleep as she closes her eyes completely, with a calm expression on her face. Finn looks over to the others and finds Fionna and Cake waking up as well, and panics as a result. He looks around finding Huntress looking away, unaware of his blight. So he flops back down as well, also pretending to be asleep as he allows Ice Queen to rest on his chest.
The sisters yawn, stretching their muscles as their bodies wake up, before Fionna jumps to her feet full of youthful energy. She grabs Cake, yanking the lazy cat onto her feet, "Come on, we need to get ready to save-" She freezes up as she spots the duo 'sleeping' on the other side of the igloo, both in a calm serenity. Fionna stares, "What the Glob?" She whispers, prompting Cake to look at them as well, who then whispers to Fionna,
"See! She is still going for men! He's even got a girlfriend!" Ice Queen frowns atop Finn's chest, but then they turn to Huntress, "You do realise she is sleeping on Finn right?" The nymph shrugs uncaringly,
"We all got cold last night so we all huddled together. They just haven't woken up yet. It's no big deal, it's a common tactic when people have to deal with the cold." The sisters jaws drop as Huntress shows little care about what was going on, making Cake crosses her arms and look away, while Fionna stares a second longer, 'Male me is sleeping with an old lady?... Ew.' Meanwhile Finn 'wakes up', stretching his muscles hidden beneath his chub that made for a good pillow, an act that causes Ice Queen to stir as well.
She looks at Huntress and Finn, then grins cheekily, "Morning my knight." He raises an eyebrow,
"That's... different. Any reason why?" She shrugs, standing up in front of Finn and stretching her semi nude body excessively with a pleased grin, "Because Huntress is probably going to say 'Good morning Finn', so I thought of another line to say." They then look to the forest guardian, and finding her raiding Finn's bag, munching on some of the final bits of jerky for breakfast.
She looks at them, continuing to chew her food, "... Good morning Finn." Finn shakes his head with a grin, and pushes himself up to get change. They group quickly follow suit, except Fionna and Cake who were still changed from yesterday, and decides to have sweets instead. Once Ice Queen squeezes herself into her dress, deliberately making a show of it in front of Finn, she then melts the entrance of the igloo and pokes her head outside. Doing a quick scan of the environment for demons, she nods in approval end exiting.
Everyone else quickly follows, stretching to warm up their muscles for the fights that will undoubtedly come. Except Ice Queen, Finn, and Huntress Wizard. They instead walk away from the group for some privacy, and end up sitting on the edge of the alcove, above the sea of larva as they gaze at the view of burning buildings, rocks, and demons that dot the place. Huntress starts, "Since you wanted this Finn, you should probably go first." The hero sighs,
"Yeah… well, like I said, I am worried about OOO. Although you and me keep on saying that they will replace us, and that they no longer need us… I still can't help but worry about them, about PB, Marceline, Jake…" Huntress places her hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile,
"They are fine Finn. They're resourceful, I mean Bubblegum and Marceline have been through some pretty bad times, and I'm sure Jake is still helping everyone."
"I know, but it feels like I have backstabbed everyone…" The girls eyes widen in shock, and Ice Queen quickly rests her hands on his shoulder as well,
"Finn, you've helped me through my problems so far, been by my side through all of them. And I want to return that favour in kind. Tell me why you think you've betrayed everyone." He sighs, yet grins, glad he has them by his side to talk to them,
"Well, before I left, the princess had flooded me with letters, all with offers for homes after mine got destroyed… and well, I wasn't sure what to do with my life anymore, because I couldn't exactly be an adventurer as there were no more adventures to be had. So Bubblegum offered to teach me science, to work with her in the lab…" He sighs, "They were all so nice to me… and I just left."
"Finn, we didn't exactly have a choice, so there is no need to beat yourself up over it." He remains silent, then looks at her in the eyes,
"I know, and it's not that I feel guilty about it… it's the fact that I am unsure if I want to return." They remain silent at his words, then Ice Queen looks at Huntress,
"What about you?"
"... I'm not sure I want to return either… but we need to…" She grabs Finn's hands, looking him in the eyes, "... To put your worries to rest." He smiles at her, then grins at Ice Queen,
"Thank you... for listening guys." He pulls them in give them a quick hug, one that Ice Queen melts into, while Huntress only pretends to not like it to keep up her facade, but her blushing grin says otherwise. He lets them go, though the blue royal stays against him a second longer before pulling away. Finn blushes at that, confused as to why Huntress didn't react. Then she speaks,
"I'm surprised about Bubblegum was offering to let you be her lab assistant." He chuckles,
"I know, I still don't think I would make a very good one."
"Actually Finn, what I meant is that i am surprised she wants to take you out of fighting, and into a safe, fortified lab." Finn stops to process that, only realising what Bubblegum was doing now that Huntress had pointed it out,
"... Earlier that day, she had said she wouldn't know what she would do if I died… now that you mention it, I think she might of been trying to keep me safe..." He blinks at that, confused as to why she was doing that now, instead of earlier in his life. Then it dawns on him, "GOLB. When he ate me and I nearly died… I think it gave Bubblegum a reality check. That I was still mortal at the end of the day, and I could easily die on one of my adventures. And I think she realised how scared she is of losing me."
Ice Queen grins at him with a blush, "Finn, in the few weeks that you have been here, you have already touched me enough to care about you. And I'm guessing it's the same story for you Diana?" She nods, making the royal smirk. "And you've worked with her for years Finn. So yes, I think she cares about your well-being… just like we do~"
They close in on him, making the hero blush, and quickly try changing the subject, "Anyways! What is bothering you Huntress?" She freezes up at the question, pulling away from Finn slightly.
"... Well, earlier my mind… was distracted thinking about something, but don't worry, talking to Ice Queen helped solved that." The two women look at each other and grin, causing Finn to sigh in relief,
"It's good to hear you're better. But there are still things I want to talk about… And you might not like them." She stares at him full of worry,
"Don't worry, it's not about our relationship." She sighs in relief, and Finn continues, "But it is about you and the others. Or mainly you accepting or seeking help." She rears back a little,
"Where did this come from?"
"From the fight with the demons yesterday. When I was looking around to help, I saw everyone was disorganised. And I saw you take a glance at Cake, then ignore her." Huntress remains silent, and bites her lip.
"I didn't need any help Finn, I had those demons under control." Finn sighs,
"Huntress, you don't need to be afraid to ask for help." The nymph freezes up at his words, "No one will see you as soft for having someone by your side… or do you see me as soft for having Jake fighting with me most of my life?"
"No..." She sighs, Finn nodding,
"See what I mean? No one will see you as soft for simply asking for help, and you should know that if you ever need it, I will happily give it. Besides, if you start getting used to opening up to people this way, then maybe… you might be able to tell people about our relationship. You know, baby steps in opening up! Then when we return to OOO, we might be able to continue our relationship without you fearing what others think…" He says sheepishly, honestly daydreaming a little.
All the while, Huntress and Ice Queen look at each other, the latter gaining a new fear. Her expression drops, a fact that Finn notices, and looks at her. She panics, 'I'm meant to tell him about our plan after his birthday!...'
"Don't worry Finn, I-" She sees him giving her a look, and she slouches as her resolve falls under his haze, "... I'm afraid of you leaving Finn." He looks like he was punched in the gut, "... That'll I'll be alone again, left to the madness of this tiara once more."
Finn's eyes slowly fall to the floor, his spirit dying, "That's… I didn't think of that…" 'There might be a way back to OOO, but what if there isn't a way back to AAA? GLOB! I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!' He sighs, and looks her in the eyes, "... And you can't exactly come back with us either, can you?" She shakes her head, "Not with my developing kingdom. Not with those men's families waiting for me back at home, I need to rule. I want to Finn, but responsibility demands I stay." She places a hand on his shoulder, grinning a sad smile, "But responsibility also orders that you return back home, to your friends and family. I will cherish these moments we had together, and I won't let the tiara or time claim them."
Finn looks out at the larva ocean. "... Now? I'm not sure I want to return to OOO… I don't want to abandon you..." The trio stare out, sitting side by side as they lean against each other, sharing the moment, all with muddled, confused minds about the future they want.
"Hey Finn! If you lot are done we need to get going!" Fionna shouts, making them all jump. The hero quickly stands, and spins to look at her,
"Sure." Meanwhile, inside Hana Abadeer's home, the most powerful demon of the night-o-sphere sat in her chair, planning a new torture chambers and areas she can claim more souls from the mortal world. She smirks, 'Doesn't matter what Marshall Lee thinks of them up there, especially since he's coming up to be a fine new ruler of the night-o-sphere down here.' Then a constant knocking fills the room, the quick sounds of frantic footsteps of a demon approaching her room. She groans, and waits patiently, then her door slams open, and a demon crawls creepily in.
"You know, it is very rude not to knock first. But we're demons! So who gives a fuck?" She lets the small lesser demon approach her desk, her towering form is silhouetted by a raging inferno behind her. She watches it crawl despite it being able to stand just fine, remembering them well, 'Their humanity is so lost to them, that they crawl like animals.' She grins smugly at it, showing off her razor sharp teeth. "So what are you doing here?"
"For a reward Hana." It speaks in a rasping, croaking voice. Hana scowls at it,
"And what makes you think I should give you one?" She spits out. It chuckles at her words,
"Cause I found some living mortals roaming your kingdom, and some match your description!" Now this does peak her interest, and she hurriedly stands up, walking up to the smaller demon.
"Some?"
"Yes, because there were several there that also didn't match what you described, but the main two you said to look out for were!"
Hana groans, looking up in annoyance, "So she has brought a bunch of new friends, great…" She smiles and walks over to a picture frame, showing her holding a young Marshall Lee, "I don't know what you see in that woman, she is incredibly annoying." She focuses back on the demon. "Where are they?" She demands, and the demon chuckles, crawling close, right next to her,
"Near the torture castle, one of the few paths that leads to it… they killed my friends there, but stupidly let me go! Can you believe those idiots!? Anyways… I want extra payment as compensation for their deaths." Hana rolls her eyes,
"Sure, tell where they're going or resting, and I'll reward you."
"To the sea of larva! I don't know why but that is probably where they're going to hunker down, retards should of just let us killed them without being a pest!" It grins, placing its red, slightly gory hands on her leg, "But I want my reward now!" She rolls her eyes,
"Fine. What do you want?" It does another chuckle, wheezing as it laughs,
"Flash me something will ya? Tit or cunt, doesn't matter!" It chuckles, and Hana smirks, crouching down,
"Sure~" She harshly grabs it neck, and yanks it off the floor, watching it struggle in her grasp. She smirks, then lobs it behind her, sending it flying into the massive blaze roaring behind her. Its body disintegrates in a 'flash' of light, making the Lady of the night-o-sphere smirk, "Don't worry Marshall, I'll remove the last anchor to AAA you have, then you can finally take over as ruler of the night-o-sphere." She walks over to her desk, and presses a button, "All demons, I have some news: we have a new prey to hunt!"
I'm back people! As I promised, I rewrote ch 1 and proofread ch 2-8 again, hence the delay for this chapter. Check out chapter 1 remaster, as I did reference it her in this chapter, and maybe later one as well.
Unfortunately, before I can discuss this chapter, I have to talk about the vote, or more accurately: THE SPAMMERS. I am well aware of them, and I DID NOT INCLUDE THEM IN THE FINAL RESULT. But, (A) won, so as seen/discussed in this chapter, ficetress begins. ALSO… Did this story get shared somewhere? I've just had a swarm of new people.
If you remember, when they were walking to their resting spot, I had Finn and Huntress hold hands. This Is officially the start of Huntress getting over her fear of appearing soft and opening up! Although, this WILL take a long time, a slow process of development, so as I had said in the chapter above, Ice Queen relationship with Finn will be a shield for Huntress and Finn's relationship .
Yeah, I decided that the flying be another echo of a previous user for the ice tiara, simply because I don't think that Ice Queen/King would go out of their way to learn flying. That, and I'm pretty sure they would of forgotten about it by now due to their madness/age. As to why it is not part of the base tiara power itself? Simple, I don't think the Ice Elementals come with the power to fly, what the tiara/crown was based/wished on.
Also, MonkeyDad (Previous proofreader) is gone for good now. No idea if anyone will replace him, but I will have Claz for a month now.
Review response:
FinalKingdomHearts, on FF, chapter 13:
Interesting... Have it a multi level sprawling city made of ice where hundreds, if not thousands will live in, with a massive ice castle/mansion as Ice Queen's home... Very good idea!
Claz7960, on FF, chapter 25,
I actually haven't rested since chapter 25 so… hahahaha!
I'm glad you enjoyed the hunting scene! I had decided to give our couple their favourite cute hobby together, just before they jump feet first into hell. Finn is indeed getting better at hunting, and hopefully, I won't accidentally make him OP, for the very reasons you stated. I'm glad you're not as angry at the cliffhanger ending, and it's a shame you weren't working with me before this chapter then, you could have told me to add that phone call to add suspension. Oh well, you're here now. The massage, yes the massage. It was the first sign that Huntress was slowly relaxing and no longer being scared of being soft.
I'm glad you enjoyed the dragon ride! It was actually an old suggestion/joke from 'book of eli', who made a joke about Finn riding the dragon. I made it a reality. And nothing is more empowering than being able to flex a dragon at both royals and your former enemies that wronged you. And I'm glad you're liking Ice Queen character, she is my favourite to write.
Yep, as the vote was swaying to (A), I had to start the process of Huntress swinging over to accepting the ficetress just so the change is so jarring. Yep, the pull of the curse is beginning, and it will only be stronger if Finn isn't around to help Ice Queen nullify it. Gumball is swallowing his pride and admitting his error, and I'm glad you liked it. Indeed, Ice Queen is a major powerhouse in both physical and social status, just that her madness usually her… occupied. I think we all know what happened to Marshall, though everyone else? Well we will have to wait and see, won't we~? Does this chapter tell you who took Marshall Lee?
Yeah… I don't actually have a lot planned for humour, it just happens in a chapter. If it were a target, then I would of made it a tag. Attitude can be made pretty funny, though is incredibly hard to pull off, and my best recommendation for it to simply let it happen naturally, and don't plan for it/the scene to happen. So I'm glad you liked the Huntress massage scene. For the Gumball comedy scene, that is pretty much what I had in mind XD. Ah yes, the magic joke, my favourite as well.
This is indeed it for arc 1, and I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. I hope you are enjoying the first chapter of what I had 'cooking in the oven'. So did you enjoy chapter one? XD.
I'm glad you had finally voted, but it is a shame you voted wrongly :) Jokes aside, I commend you for not only staying true to what you think despite seeing the flood of votes swaying for A, but also sticking around despite losing. Thank you.
The Book Of Eli, on FF, chapter 25:
Then hello! It's good to know you read these. That makes sense, and that quite does confuse me a little as well, though I do believe you can review as an anon if you don't have an account. Partial memory loss? What's this about? (If you don't mind explaining). Feels might appear, but likely not from Finn. There is a much more likely person in the squad who is going to be unhappy with Hana. Full speed to the ship, ficetress is now sailing the seas! Also...
Claz's response:
Greetings The book of eli, i'm glad you liked the remake of chapter 1 and how the added information helps for finn's arc, btw you did a great hindsight on why people didn't vote too much in AO3 so you have my congratulations. If it isn't too bold to ask, why don't you join the Incrementum's discord server since you've seem like another person who makes theories on this story so it would be my pleasure to have a chance to talk with you personally. Anyways, i hope you also liked this new chapter and I am looking forward to your reaction to this chapter since the story is heating up, isn't it?
Smiling Lemon, on FF, chapter 25:
I'm glad you liked Incrementum enough that you could binge read it! Don't worry, more is obviously coming, and with both lemons and a three way relationship. Fionna does indeed have PTSD, or at least a fear of Finn.
DDisa, on FF, chapter 25:
Damn that's impressive :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!
SartorResartus, on FF, chapter 24:
Heh, glad you like the Finntress moment! Fionna and Gumball are developing as characters, being less stubborn and reckless :)
Safekidcoolest, on FF, chapter 25:
Good news mate, (A) won. Yes, Finn and Huntress will eventually find their way back.
Aaamazing, on FF, chapter 25:
Don't worry! An update has arrived! Your vote was noted mate, I hope you enjoy what you wanted.
Dreyfuss Kiroven, on FF, chapter 25:
Indeed, this might be hell of a show _
Nothing negative to say? Wow, thank you.
not even a spelling error? Man, that is an achievement for me 0_0
There is so much that can be done with the night-o-sphere, it's a shame no one else really explores it. I have some ideas what can be done in there, what they can fight, what they can overcome. I hope you will enjoy it~ Also...
Claz's response:
Well Drey, good hindsight on what can be done with the night-o-sphere's environment and denizens, it will certainly be something beautiful and crazy (not that i know but i'm also certain of it), the stage is set and the actors are ready so tell me, how is the first act of this show? (please do so, if there are any errors, please tell me)
Guest, on FF, chapter 25:
(Hey. Thank you for writing so well and I hope you keep it up. As far as the ship goes I'm fine either way but would prefer option A. Also I hope you write some cute mother and son moments with IQ and Marshal.)
No, thank you for giving this fic a chance and reading it _ I will definitely keep this going as long as I can, so don't worry.
Your vote has been noted!
I also hope I can write some cute mother son moments between Marshall and Ice Queen.
Guest, on FF, chapter 25:
(I adore the story so far and hope it continues for a long time to come. I want imagine that well get option A since there are so few finn x ice queen stories but just buttress is probably more likely. Either way, I can dream. Option A I pray for you.)
Thank you! I too hope Incrementum continues for a long time. Well imagine nor dream no more! (A) has won! The world heard your prayers!
Claz's response:
You don't have to pray anymore as your wishes have been answered and will soon be reality.
Incrumenterrific, on FF, chapter 25:
And I love your review! I'm glad you're liking Incrementum so much! And I'm guessing you're liking it a lot more now that A has won, right?
GobDob, on FF, chapter 25:
I know about the spammer man ); I don't like guys like them who think they can cheat me *Sigh*
I didn't include any of their votes, but (A) still won. I hope you've still stuck around.
vulcunniko, on FF, chapter 25:
Thank you for deciding to stick around, I was worried people would leave when they saw the vote outcome.
Claz's response:
I feel you, and i'll also stick around, this fic is just too good to pass out.
Fenrir Wylde Razgriz, on FF, chapter 26 message:
*Pops confetti cannon*
I hope you will enjoy what I write then :)
Then thank you for following and favourite this story, means a lot!
Claz's response:
Welp you guys won, *sweeping the floor* hey nuclear don't leave confetti on the floor.
SpeedKing, on FF, chapter 26 message:
I am aware that I didn't get swindled. I saw the spammer, and didn't include any of their votes. Yet, despite not including their votes, (A) still won.
Claz's response:
Believe me, i was watching the poll and nuclear's additions to it the whole time and believe it or not, A won fair and square so not even I can't really complain about the results and I also wanted B *sob* *sob, but those days are over, the new chapter is here and the future never looked so bright.
theblackdarkshadow, on FF, chapter 1:
It's no problem! And I'm glad you got what you wanted even though you didn't vote. I hope you enjoy Incrementum :)
The Book of Eli, on FF, chapter 26:
I'm glad the chapter 1 rewrite was worth it then, and I'm also glad you're enjoying the vote outcome. Well, I hope you enjoy where we go next.
TrueRavenKing, on FF, chapter 26:
And love she shall get XD
I'll having her screaming in pleasure, don't worry.
claz7960, on FF, chapter 1:
Yep, sorry for the delay but the remasters had to be done. No proofreading hasn't revoked your rights to review… though it is a bit weird. I'm glad the remaster is better than the previous! It's a sign of me improving.
I'm glad I was able to set some continuity! I didn't originally set a time because I was actually unsure of when I wanted the fic to start actually. I'm happy to hear you're liking the more details I added, I really should of added them the first time around, but I was more doing a 'set the stage' rather than a 'how did we get to this point'. He has been taking a more laid back approach to returning to OOO because of the chaos of all the fighting and his relationship with Huntress. And yes, he really didn't have much left to do in OOO, and these new adventures are indeed calling to him, after all, how could he deny someone in need of help? With his new relationship, a new job, a way to help people in the way he knows best… why would he want to leave if the place he wants to go doesn't need him? Indeed, we have some conflict in interests here, as despite Finn always choosing the peaceful path if he can, he still likes the rush of a battle. Indeed Finn wants to help people, not leach of princess that feel indebted to him.
So you're saying that in a few paragraphs and talking, I've changed your opinion on a character that the original AT writers have been making for years? Yep, as I explained in this chapter, she is worried for him after nearly dying to GOLB. And I bet that is something you missed right? That Bubblegum manipulated Finn into working in her labs for her own desires. Sure, it was for his safety and her own genuine feelings of worry for him, but it is not so obvious when I don't point it out, is it? But before your opinion of her drop again, she truly wanted to help Finn, and was actually worried about his safety.
I'm glad you liked the joke with Engagement Ring Princess, especially if you've read her character (It says she is pretty much a desperate woman looking for marriage). So I was able to bring some comedy to Finn, good~ I did indeed keep some original lines, just because they were just so good.
Oh my god a 10/10 rating!? I did the rewrite correctly!
I also really look forward to working with you again! You are a tremendous help! Take care man, and see you on the discord!
Stormspartan21, on FF, chapter 26:
I'm sorry you didn't win, but thank you for still sticking around! I hope it doesn't ruin the story, and thank you for the good luck.