(This chapter is going to be fun! And for the record, because they're going to be frogs, the text that is italic will be english while they say ribbit!
Swaine: Why do you keep going on about frogs!? I don't want to be a frog!
Me: Too bad! It's how the story goes!)
After they visited Kublai they headed out, watching the map.
"I think we should head towards Shipwreck Shore first, Oliver." Esther said. "That's where one of the stones are. Another appears to be by Tombstone Trail and the third appears to be in some sort of icy place."
"Well, I do want to hit up Tombstone Trail sometime soon." Abyssa said. "There's a casino around there and a skeleton who owes me a few guilders."
"What did a skeleton do to owe you guilders?" Swaine asked.
"He told me that all the dragons were gone." She told him, then patted Tengri. "Well, I'm going to prove him wrong!"
Soon they arrived on Shipwreck Shore, where the map led them into a building.
"Gah… Where have we ended up this time?" Swaine moaned. "I've known prisons that looked more inviting."
"Another damp old ruin is it? Knickers." Drippy muttered. "My lantern's going to end up covered in mold-caked, I tell you!"
"Does that lantern really go moldy…?" Esther asked him. Oliver turned to them.
"Uh… You know, that's not really important right now."
"Youer not wrong there, Ollie-boy-it looks like we've found the place we're after! One of them magic stones should be somewhere in here!"
"Then let's find it and get out of here." Abyssa muttered. "This place gives me the willies." Esther looked at her in surprise.
"Really? I didn't think you got scared, Abyssa." Abyssa gave her a look.
"Do you know where we are, Esther?" the blonde girl shook her head. "This is the Vault of Tears. The Cursed Crypt of the Cobra King." Then she shuddered. "Never thought I'd visit this place again."
"You've been here before?" Swaine asked as they walked in. Abyssa nodded.
"I thought I mentioned it before. There's a huge legend surrounding this place. A woman came here and sobbed for her lost love til the day she died. Some say, you can still hear her crying…" Swaine shuddered as they came into a bigger room with a statue of a snake.
"That doesn't make me feel any better about this place. I just wish it could be a bit less… creepy…" he looked at the huge snake statue, and his face froze with fear. "Take this, for example: a statue of a snake. Who in their right mind would choose that as an ornament? A nutter, that's who!"
"Hold on…" Esther said. "Are you saying you're scared of snakes, Swaine?" He turned around and shook his head.
"O-Of course not! And what is it to you if I am, anyway? Why do you-" Then Oliver gasped.
"Hey! Did anyone else just see that?"
"...HUh?" Swaine turned to him.
"Just now, the statue's eyes-they glowed…" Abyssa looked at the snake statue, her stomach in knots.
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" She muttered, but Swaine was angry now.
"Ohh, I see-trying to be funny, are you? Well it doesn't suit you, Oliver…" Then he turned back to the statue, and the eyes glowed again, and a bright light surrounded them. When the light disappeared, they looked down at themselves. They had been turned into frogs!
"...Ribbit!?" Oliver cried. Huh!? He was a little blue frog.
"Rarebit! Rarebit!?" A little teal frog with a lantern on it's nose cried. That was Drippy. What the flipping heck is going on!?
"RRRibbit… Ribbit…?" Said a small pink frog that had to be Esther. Have we… turned into frogs?
"R-Ribibit Ribbit Ribbit!" a short black frog shouted. That was Abyssa. This didn't happen last time! a big green frog, that had to be Swaine, turned back to them.
"Rob-it! R-R-Rob-it! RRRRRRob-it!?" He stammered. It's a c-c-curse! What are we going to do!?
"Rarebit! Rarebit, rarebit!" Drippy shouted told him assuringly. Don't make such a fuss, mun. It's not like it's made us smaller or anything!
"RRROB-IT!" Swaine exclaimed. Speak for yourself and Abyssa! She's only shrunk about a foot!
"Ribbit! Ribbit Ribbit Ribbit!" Abyssa shouted at him. Hey! I may be small, but I'm also four foot nine! That's a lot taller than one foot three! She hopped closer to him. "Ribbit Ribbit Ribbit." She said threateningly. And I'm way stronger too. Swaine hopped a little ways away, the snake statue seeming a little less scary now.
"Ribbit… Ribbit rrribbit!?" Esther asked, nervously. So… How are we going to turn back to normal!?
"Ribbit, ribbit." Said a rather high pitched voice that didn't belong to any of them. Oliver looked over.
"Ribbit!?" he exclaimed. ...What's that!? They all looked and saw a rainbow frog!
"Ribbit, ribbit?" It said.
"RRRibbit! Ribbit, ribbit!" Esther remarked. Gosh! What a colourful frog!
"Ribbit, ribbit!" The frog said again, then hopped down a corridor.
"Ribbit! Ribbit, ribbit!?" Oliver called to it. W-Wait up! Where are you going!?
"Rarebit! Rarebit, Rarebit!?" Drippy wondered aloud. Was that frog cursed by the statue as well, then?
"RRRibbit…? Ribbit!?" Esther asked. Do you think it's actually a human? Someone who came here before us… Abyssa shook her frog head.
"Ribbit! Ribbit ribbit!" I don't think so. We would be able to hear them if it was.
"Ribbit! Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!" Oliver told them. Maybe it knows something about this place! Let's go after it! Then they hopped after the rainbow coloured frog. As they hopped, Abyssa was still so confused.
"Ribbit Ribbit Ribbit! Ribbit!" She muttered to Swaine. I still don't understand. I came here before and didn't turn into frog. Swaine shrugged the best he could with his froggy shoulders.
"Rob-it Rob-it Rob-it." He told her. Maybe because someone's looking for the stones, the magic's reactivated.
"Ribbit Ribbit. Ribbit." She muttered. Perhaps it's because the guardian has reawakened. Soon, they came across a huge room that had two statues of weeping women and pictures of frogs all on the floor.
"Rarebit? Rarebit Rarebit…" Drippy remarked. Hmm? I'm sure that frog came over by here…
"Ribbit, Ribbit…" Esther looked to the side.
"Ribbit! Ribbit, ribbit!" She exclaimed. Oh! There it is! Stop, please! They all turned and saw the Rainbow Frog
"Ribbit…?" it said. "Ribbit, ribbit!"
"Ribbit, ribbit!" Oliver told them. Come on, everybody! We have to go after it! Then they continued their froggy adventures after it.
(Ha ha ha! I love this chapter!
Swaine: Rob-it Rob-it! Rob-it! Not funny Author!
Me: Sorry, Swaine! I don't speak frog!)