Chapter 22 – A Gamble

A plague, a medical event that concerns the death of probably millions of the remaining life forms in the planet, finally ravaged upon the once vibrant and peaceful, post-apocalyptic land of Ooo. Death's decrepit, aged ivory hands beckon upon the souls of those afflicted by its curse, and even the most skilled and experienced doctors hailing from the most prestigious kingdoms couldn't even prevent him from claiming his physically corrupted bounty.

It had been a mere seven days since the catastrophic epidemic started, and the land had barely lost its hope for a struggling cure.

Seven Days Ago – The Abandoned Temple - Altar

"I've failed to kill it." Pathos growled, with his morbidly intricate blade still planted over the bloodstained walls of the ancient cavern, filled with bizarre runic inscriptions and the various cracks and scars that make them illegible. "Fool." An aged, dry voice echoed within the primordial and stuffy room, catching the horseman's attention. "He's within your grasp, and you've just let him escape. The All Seer would not be pleased." The voice added, with a hint of annoyance and anger writhing within it.

"Who says that I'm in it for the All Seer's sake?" the apocalyptic warrior blurted out as he smirked. "I'm in it...to fulfill other things." He added as he clutched his fists tightly, with the still vivid images of that horrific and gory battle still etched within his mind. "And what good would it do?" the voice responded with a glint of annoyance present in his tone. "You're just going to end this vast world so abruptly in the process…Horseman." It hissed, with the slithering noise to be followed by the sound of dragging skin.

"Show yourself." He demanded sternly, in an authoritative tone a likened to that of a general. "Oh, how cliché. I speak, and then you command me to reveal my rather "gassy" exterior. Please, do something more…unpredictable for a change." The voice cackled a bit, annoying the horseman further more.

"You seem rather amused of the recent events. Have you been watching me all the way?" he asked politely. "Yes, I was. And oh, no, I'm actually doing this on my own accord." The voice confirmed, constantly shifting its tone into a more feminine nature, confounding the horseman. "A war will wage on soon, as soon as this upcoming plague is over, that is." It added, stepping into the light, revealing a pitch black mound of heavy smoke.

The shapeless, odorless mound quickly shaped itself into that of a deathly pale, yet strikingly beautiful young woman covered in a severely aged, filthy brown cloak. Her eyes were colored in a shade of dull grey, with her mouth showing no emotion, despite of her rather cheerful demeanor within the shadows. As the horseman briefly studied her rather slightly frail yet slender structure, he could notice her arm clutching upon something hollow, and curved. A mask? He thought.

"I am known as the All Seer's envoy. But little did that sanity-ridden hybrid know about my true intentions. I am formally known as Lilith, and I know most of this world's deep and locked secrets." The girl spoke telepathically, since her face didn't match the rather jolly mood of her voice, and it's almost like she was possessed.

"I know where this is going. I'm certainly not going to work with you." He stated, detaching the gigantic weapon from the solid, corrupted grounds. "You bear great hatred against the Shades, do you, Drake?" her eyes continued to stare beyond his widened, flaming ones. Dumbfounded, the warrior couldn't find the appropriate words to say, leaving him completely silent.

"I can help you make that happen." She whispered, causing him to jerk off. "And I can bring them back without any catches… or perhaps…help you exact your true revenge and hatred…on your queen."

At that moment, a smile of insanity gripped him tightly, with his body filled with an overwhelming sensation…to kill. "Come with me." He beckoned, with his eyes displaying and odd expression of desire. "You've just earned my trust."

The World Organization's Headquarters – Room 709 – Princess Bubblegum's Quarters

"T-this can't be…" the princess panicked, with her hands quaking as she held the worn out piece of paper from side to side. If it weren't for the terribly diseased candy hawk that flew all the way from the refugee camp to inform her about the plague, she wouldn't have any knowledge about her people's outcries, from a currently leaderless and falling kingdom.

The hawk slowly closed its eyes, flailing and twitching around like that of a beheaded cockroach as it finally descends into the netherworld, leaving its lifeless body to rest on top of the broad, wooden table. "A-a…P-Plague? Without me in charge? Oh, things couldn't get much worse. Now I'll have to make that antidote again! But, I'll have to monitor the Flame Princess' mental and physical stability…but I couldn't just neglect my people's outcries, wouldn't I? Ugh!" she flipped the table violently, causing the files of scribbled research paper to scatter around the place. So much for the princess' confusion, it might affect her overall health.

"I am outraged!" she screamed on top of her sugar-coated lungs, being unable to cover up her true emotions. "Why didn't they inform me soon enough? Heck, why am I wasting away here, in this place, abandoning my people?" the princess rambled about, with her angered and gentle voice echoing around the stuffy, flash-adorned room. "Great. Now I'm just talking to myself." She pouted, crossing her arms after twitching her round, frameless spectacles.

"Well, you sound like a total nutjob back there." A voice called out, causing the princess to turn her head to the direction where the sound came from. It was Marceline, hanging upside down on the ceiling, just like that of a bat, the mammal of her liking. "Just leave me alone, Marceline." She said sternly.

"What? I've just gotten here, and then you'll kick me out all of the sudden? You know how hard it is to find your room? It took me a couple of hours in my bat form." the vampire sounded pretty serious, causing the princess to blush a little, due to the thought of her willing to waste her well-earned energy to get there. "So, you've came all this way just to see me?" the princess asked nervously. "Yes…and no. And in fact, I need you to do me a little favor, a pretty important one." The vampire responded in a rather calm and innocent demeanor, thus causing the princess to take her seriously this time.

"And what is it this time?" she asked yet again, with her ears ready to absorb the words the vampire has yet to say. "Could you lend me one of those bottles that could store in magic?" The vampire blurted out sternly, with her eyes filled with a mild sense of determination. As her pale finger pointed out to the brown, elongated flask, which sat amidst the clumping piles of books, the princess felt a glint of reluctance growing within her.

"Do you have any idea what that flask is?" she asked plainly. "A tool that stores magic inside?" the vampire shrugged causelessly, causing the royal to sigh deeply. "It's a Magi Flask. It's a high graded tool forged by the great King Solomon himself. It sucks in any magical matter within its radius, and it activates automatically without any warning." The princess explained thoroughly. "Why would you want to get a hold of such an artifact? You could even get yourself hurt."

"Relax." The vampire blurted out, maintaining her cool and calm expression. "It's just a one term use, I'll return it soon after." She added, taking the item with great haste before passing through the white, wooden doors like that of a wandering ghost. "Marceline, wait!" the princess called out as she quickly stood up, scuffling up amongst the scrambled piles of papers and flasks below her.

Darn it. The royal thought as she quickly swung the door open, unveiling an empty hallway studded with a row of generic, wooden doors. She didn't even tell me about her intentions. And if she screws up, there is a slim chance for her to get sucked in, due to her massive magical essence. The princess felt a trail of thick, cold sweat leaking out of her rosy cheek. I'll have to retrieve the flask before it's too late.

"Jake." Marceline called out to the yellow canine, who was preparing some soup for the worn out hero back in his quarters. "Oh, 'sup Marcy. Could you talk to me later, I'm in the middle of making the most delicious broth of Finn. He's hungry." The dog responded, causing the vampire to go all "shifty eyed".

"Riiight. Well, about that…" the vampire paused for a bit as she took a quick glance at the various ingredients lying on the kitchen table. "…Could you explain why is there is a half empty bottle of Japanese wine sitting next to a handful of habaneros?" she asked, being all suspicious. "Well, Finn said he needed an extra kick, so I couldn't blame him. My little brother's turning into a man!" he rejoiced as a large, oversized tear leaked out of his large, circular eyes.

"Yeah, but the thing is, the Finn I know wouldn't try to drink under aged." She said sternly, as she took a second glance at the hefty bottle of Asian liquor. "Well, crops grow, Marcy. And you can't prevent them from doing so, just like all boys his age." The dog shrugged, as he displayed a rather proud expression on his thick, stretchy face. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think something fishy is going on here..." The vampire said, narrowing her eyes into thin slits.

"What're you talking about, Marcy?" the dog asked as he continued to stir the thick, boiling broth. "Are you saying that there's something wrong with Finn?" he added, raising his voice a little. "Yes." She blurted out bluntly. "He's just not the same dweeb I know. And plus, he's been acting pretty weird lately." The vampire added melancholically. "He probably has his reasons. I think it's best for you to let him be, you know? Just to cool him down." The dog continued to stir slowly. "If that's the case, can I pay him a visit? You know, just to help him kill some time? I won't bite." She asked in the most polite way possible.

"Sure. Knock yourself out, if you know what I mean." The dog grinned comically, causing the pale vampire to go all crimson red. "Whatever, Jake. I'm going in." the flustered vampire said as she quickly turned the knob, only to be followed by a rather loud creak.

Sure enough, the young lad was there; sitting on the edge of the unkept bed, with his soulless eyes fixated to the bright, glass windows just a few meters away from him. The room was a mess, actually. The lampshade looked absolutely untouched; the floor was carved in unreadable runic symbols and numbers, and the cold, ceramic mug of coffee he used to drink on was left on the floor, with the stench of fermented coffee beans scattering throughout the room. "Finn?" Marceline called out, causing the young lad to turn around, with an animal-like reaction.

"Oh, hi." The hero greeted as he quickly reverted his attention back to the shimmering light. "The view outside looks so amusing, don't you think?" he asked in a distracted kind of tone, unnerving her a bit. "Right. Finn, we need to talk." The vampire said nervously. "About what particular stuff? I'm in the mood for a pinch of comedy, if you ask me." The hero shrugged plainly.

"Well, speaking of comedy, do you happen to know this joke?" the vampire asked, in a less comical tone. "Great, lay it on me, princess." He said cheerfully. Princess? She thought, causing a lot of questions to pop out in her mind. "I'm not a princess, Finn. You know that." She faked a laugh. "Oh, is that so? Well…are you perhaps a maid of some sort?" he asked cluelessly, causing a glint of annoyance to spark within her.

"I'm a queen." She muttered. "Oh, I see. Just tell me the joke, your highness." The young lad chuckled nervously, with small droplets of miniature sweat leaking out of his face. "You don't address me that way." She smirked a little, unnerving the young hero further more. "Then w-what do I address you then?" his voice cracked, signifying his vulnerability.

"You know what? You really are a bad liar, for a clone." She smiled sadistically, exposing her sharp, elongated fangs, causing the helpless boy to squeal like that of a sissy. "W-what are you talking about? Uh…uh…" the clone stammered, with his arms wriggling uncontrollably. "Face it. If you were the real Finn, you would know my name. Now, I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself. Say my name." she commanded, shocking the clone to no avail.

"Hah, as If I would get that wrong!" the clone tried to build up his confidence. "Of course…It's M…ma…" He babbled like that of a baby saying its first words, and it was pretty disturbing to say the least. "Mary?" he finally blurted out. "Oh, you've got it wrong, punk." She said, pulling out the Magi Flask out of her pocket, which suddenly glowed in a luster blue shine. "I think it likes you." The vampire blurted out after taking a quick look at the ancient flask.

My energy…it's been slowly sucked in! The clone thought, with his skin slowly drying. And if this keeps up, the plan wouldn't work, and Lady Shuten would pay the price for my misdeeds! "Okay!" the clone yelled in defeat, with the bits of his skin glowing dimly. "Okay, I'm a clone, bingo, you've got me." He said as he raised his hands, signifying his utter submission. "Now, since I've already told you what I am, could you please put that thing away?" the clone began to point at the glowing bottle.

"And what If I don't?" a large smile began to curl on her light pink lips, as she continued to stare at the bottle for a couple of seconds. "Aw, c'mon. Are you expecting me to do something for an exchange? That's pathetic." The clone said as he began to lazily plop himself against the scuffled bed, anticipating his bitter end. "Well, the reason why you're still alive right now is that I still have some use of you." The vampire said as she suddenly placed the ancient container on top of the dusty cabinet on her right.

"Now tell me, what the hell happened to Finn?" she asked sternly, causing the once fear-stricken clone to grin slightly. "Oh? I see you have some feelings for the boy. Well, I couldn't see why he didn't manage to go out with you." This remark caused the vampire to blush yet again, due to the thought. "Answer my question, clone." She demanded, with a sense of authority expressed in her tone. "If you want to live, that is." She added.

"Very well. If it is the answer you want, then it is the answer you'll get. Now, listen closely." The clone said as he managed to lean closer to her ear, with his voice gradually changing. The vampire anticipated his words, with her crimson red eyes widening. "I don't know." The rascal whispered, with a crooked smile creasing in his mouth after spurting out those meaningless words.

Little did he know that sarcasm is what makes this vampire queen tick. Her eyes narrowed in rage, with her now heated pale hands grabbing unto the ancient artifact that stood dormant for the past few seconds. "You had your chance." She blurted out angrily. "And you failed." The vampire added in a fit of frustration.

"Bravo!" A cheerful voice suddenly echoed throughout the room, causing the partially demonic royal to flinch, halting her rather hostile action. "You've scared Two really good, and for that, I offer you a glass of warm milk!" the voice began to giggle like that of a child, unnerving and annoying the vampire to no avail. "Lady Shuten!" the clone wept hysterically out of his relief, as his body began to harden due the rash circumstances he's in.

"Two?" the vampire muttered, facing the rather occupied space behind her. "Yep! That's his name!" the childish voice responded rather gleefully, without any signs of anger or relief.

Shuten Douji sat there, leaning her tired, slender back against the dusty walls, carrying a large jug of milk in her right hand. "Who are you?" the vampire asked, being rather confounded by the recent turn of events. "Oh, don't you remember me? I'm the one that saved your friend back then." The demon answered in an innocent, sinless demeanor. "You don't look familiar. I haven't seen a rather non-intimidating, busty demon around these parts recently." The vampire said, just for the sake of embarrassing her verbally.

"Non-intimidating? Busty?! Hah, you're just jealous about my beauty, aren't you? They all are!" the demon blushed heavily, covering her chest with her arms while faking a smile. "Whatever. I'm not here to take a chat with a stranger like you. I'm here to get some valid answers from this impostor." The vampire quickly shifted her attention to paralyzed clone, with his skin slowly withering.

"Ah, so you're wasting your time interrogating Two? What a pity, you've even hurt the poor thing." The demon suddenly stood up after taking a quick chug on the creamy beverage, staring at the frozen copy. "Trust me, you wouldn't gain anything. Clones are just there to take someone else's place, and they have no need to know about the plan whatsoever." Douji said, with the expression on her face suddenly shifting from embarrassed, to serious. "But on the bright side, I happen to know the valid answers to your questions." She added in a teasing tone.

"So, you must be this thing's master. He pretty weak and detectable, if you ask me." The vampire blurted out calmly, leaving the demon unfazed. "The plan was so sudden, so I have to make one as quickly as possible. And this is what came out, and it is the first time I've actually made a clone that's only physically identical to the original." The demon smirked comically.

"Actually, I'm not interested in your clone-making shenanigans. I'm only interested in the answers you're about to tell me. Now answer this, what happened to Finn the Human?" the vampire asked, with the ancient flask being pointed towards her. "Oh, that question can only be answered by one sentence and one sentence only." The demon paused for a moment, just for the fruitless purpose of stalling her. "He was sent in for training in the second dimension, without the consent of his dear friends." She finally blurted out.

"The second…dimension? Is that why you didn't bat an eye when you told me, just because it's completely out of reach?" the vampire asked desperately. "Bingo!" the demon responded cheerfully as she snapped her fingers loudly. "And for the higher up's sake, I'm not telling you how to get there." She said jokingly.

"Would it kill them for me to see him? There's something very important I needed to tell him." The vampire asked. "Nope, of course it wouldn't kill them. But, you'll just be in his way." The childish demon said as she began to walk to the door, carrying the clone with her like that of a stiff surfboard. "And he wouldn't like that, won't he?"

"No, but I'd rather be a nuisance to him than to leave him alone in a place possibly filled with a bunch of dangerous monsters." The vampire said as she pulled the dusty white curtain off its rack, causing the metallic pole to tumble and clatter beneath her. "Oh, so where are you off too now?" the demon asked cluelessly, as the vampire quickly cloaked herself with the thin and delicate shroud of woven linen. "I'm…going outside."

"Ah, c'mon!" A royal groaned at the scene, which was a surprisingly common sight to behold in the now fully occupied atrium, with the loud clamoring and complaints of the royal audience echoing throughout the spacious room. "We could barely even produce some crops, and instead of offering us some assistance, you'll just come up on stage and ask us to prepare for what? A war?!" The irritated Breakfast Princess ranted, causing the rest of the royals to spurt out their side of the story.

"Our warriors are too sick to even fight. And with a plague now crippling our kingdoms, siding with one another wouldn't increase our chances with winning against whatever we're up against, have you had that in mind, miss?" the war princess added, with a statement and question which was oddly much more intelligent than the rest of the princess' childish reasons.

And for some reason, Suzuka remained calm, with her eyes shut tightly, as her hands clutched onto the sides of the broad podium, with the dented microphone already touching her lips. "Milady." Caleb, who was already by her side, called out, adjusting his rather oversized goggles. "If this keeps up, this once formal meeting would result into a riot. You should speak out, before we lose control of the crowd. A crowd filled with important people, that is." The clockwork whispered silently, with his eyes tethered to the swarming crowd before them.

"Enough!" She yelled out of her frustration, with her voice booming throughout the atrium, silencing the crowd. "I've heard a streaming collection of your complaints, your rants and your pieces of public opinion, but I have enough of your stubbornness to cooperate. I thought I've called in a group of sophisticated people, not a horde of impatient animals." The eastern demon said as she clutched the microphone tightly, with the tips of her incredibly long hair standing like that of goose bumps.

"How could we even cooperate with an epidemic ruining the lands, and plus, there's no sign of an enemy approaching from all corners of the globe, to be precise." A random princess blurted out, with her light, gentle voice occupying the now silent area. "From what I've heard from most of you, your infected citizens have a bunch of unidentified black markings etched on their skin, am I right, princess?" the demon asked politely, trying to keep her cool.

"If you say it that way, yes, they do. So, could you please tell us what's the importance of such markings?" the princess replied, in behalf of the fear-stricken crowd. "Our Alchemy sector has been recovering the bodies for the past few days, and the virus didn't stop multiplying, despite of their fruitless efforts. Even our most skilled physicians couldn't identify the main cause of such a disease. But the real story starts at our Magic sector…" after leaving a trail of unfinished words, another hand raised up high amongst the sea of people.

"So, you're saying that it's absolutely incurable?" a voice asked amongst the crowd. "If you let me finish, you'll be able to know the answer. Our skilled mages have determined the meaning of the various markings." The crowd continued to listen intently. "It is actually an inscription, written in ancient runic, which could be only translated into the English word, "Cripple" or "Disable". So, meaning to say…"

"That the epidemic is actually the work of an ancient and powerful form of magic." This remark has caused the crowd to clamor in shock, with the sound of worried gasps filling the room once more. "Then? Medicines couldn't do a thing?" one royal asked curiously, with a hint of utter desperation expressed within him. "Are we cursed?" said another, only to be followed by a dozen other questions.

"Royals of Ooo, do not waver at circumstances such as this? In the flames of war, you would be able to experience things much more badly than this. Yes, this land, or heck, the whole planet is cursed. It is in fact, it is doomed to face utter destruction and the oblivion of its inhabitants." She said sternly, while maintaining her eye contact and control of the crowd. "I have faced against a fearsome foe, prior to these ludacris days of hunger and death, and I believe, he's the one responsible for this madness." The demon stated. "And he has the power to undo your existence in an instant." Her words had finally stunned the crowd.

"Excuse me." A smooth, gentle voice called out politely. "According to your brief description, your foe has the powers a likened to that of an Evil God." the crowed looked at the boy curiously. "An Evil God? What the lump is that? Gods are supposed to be, like, holy?" LSP muttered, with her rather loud, masculine voice blending in with the crowd's noises. "Not all of them. There is always an antithesis for anything good." He stated, wearing a shrewd, crooked smile on his slender face.

"What do you want, Salem?" Suzuka called out, tethering her gaze towards the mysterious young boy. "You remembered, Suzuka. And you might as well remember my promise to return to you for some assistance. Well, I'm here, goofing around with these colorful bastards." Salem pointed out with his rather oversized needle, something he probably used as a weapon.

"So, tell me what you need." He added persistently. "I'm saying this to all of you." The demon responded, clutching onto the ringing microphone tightly. "I need all of you, to do your part as an important piece of history, to join hands on defeating those vile beings that have yet to be awakened." She said, as she planted one of her broken swords on the podium with a thud. "You're our only hope on winning back our future."

A/N – It has been a lot of days since I've posted the 21st chapter on , and I'll have to apologize for the long wait to all of my loyal readers out there. I've been fighting a rather severe writer's block and I couldn't come up with anything interesting. I've decided to rest for a few days. Well, since I've finally overcame it, I'm finally back in business.

Next on Castles of Glass Chapter 23 –

As the young hero had finally gotten a hang of living on a highly dangerous environment, flashes of Venti's obscure memories rain down on him like cold rain, causing him to get more and more unnerved by her presence. Will he be able to spit out the truth about him being her sent disciple?