Episode 4 – Magic and Swords
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After Hop had revealed that none of the six humans would be evicted (however much the destruction of the family's prized relic stick would entail no light punishment) the mood in the house from sad became better, and the six earthlings, now that they had the prospect of being able to continue living with a roof over their heads and in the absence of large predatory insects, were taken over by merriment for the rest of the evening. Even Sasha, who as a rule was always ready to look with condescension and annoyance at the dingy basement that was their temporary quarters, for once got ready for bed and went to bed without annoyance, indeed happy with what she still had, and could still enjoy.
The happiness was such, that a small, tiny detail of the whole affair was overlooked, and because Hop Pop had not noticed it, and none of the humans seemed to remember it, it seemed destined to be forgotten.
And it was forgotten, for several hours, until the middle of the night: Sprig was asleep lying down in his bed; Polly in her crib; Anne, Sasha and Marcy were ( somewhat unknowingly ) hugging each other in their sleep; Amelia was mumbling in her sleep; Jacob was snoring, and had prompted James to turn his head to cover his ears, to fall asleep in turn.
Hop Pop, in his bed, tossed and turned, while in his head something kept buzzing. They were fragments of an idea, the vague ramblings of a lost memory, but which his sleeping brain could not piece together. Until, all of a sudden, the pieces of the memory came together, the fact reappeared clearly to him, and its meaning was strong enough that Hop Pop suddenly woke up with fury.
"A VERY RARE WOOD! AND THEY BROUGHT A LARGE QUANTITY OF IT?"
"Ok kids" Hop Pop apologized, looking at Polly, Sprig and the six humans sitting around the table. It was very early morning, way earlier than everyone was used to get up and have breakfast, but everyone has been awake since a very long time. To underscore this, the humans had quite visible eyes bags, and so did Polly and Sprig "I know that my action tonight woke you up a little bit earlier than usual…"
"You mean when you screamed in the middle of the night, waking all of us?" Sasha murmured.
"I was dreaming that I was fighting off a whole army of enemies as a badass warrior," Polly protested.
"Yes, yes. However, that happened, because, during the night, I did remembered something you might have said yesterday…"
"What?" replied Amelia, stopping mid-sentence for a huge yawn.
"Well, you did say something about going to that mythical tree…"
"The Tree of Doom, huh" James nodded "That was not a tree, in truth, but a large sticky bug pretending to be a tree."
"And you said…that you defeated it…"
"We almost died, and were all quite scarred by that thing" Jacob continued "but we were able to bring it to defeat in the end…"
"And you said that its body…"
"We brought it to Loggle's workshop, before we found it he had closed it for the night" Anne nodded "We can still ask him if he can make a copy of your cane, if that's what you want to ask…"
"To heck with that cane!" Hop Pop spoke, louder "The wood it was made, it is one of the most rare and most precious wood of the whole Amphibia! You caught a whole bug of it, which means a huge quantity of that wood, and left it close to Loggle's workshop: we can sell it for a very good price! We'll be rich!"
"Huh, just to ask," yawned Marcy "How much is worth that wood?"
In response, Hop Pop showed the broken pieces of his old cane "You see this? Before it was broke, it was worth fifteen coins."
"Copper?"
Hop Pop shook his head "Gold farthing coin."
At those words, the remaining drowsiness vanished, and Marcy ran for her notebook. Almost by accident, in the previous days, she had been able to find out about the currencies going on in Amphibia, and the exchange between coins of greater and lesser value.
"Let me double-check," she said as she flipped through the pages until she found the right spot "Here it is: coppers are the basic currency, the most common and widespread, and the one everyone uses in Wartwood and everywhere else; silver coins are the next currency in value, and each of them is worth five coppers: used mainly in large cities, by merchants or middle-income families; then there are gold farthing coins, which can be found and seen, usually, only in the largest and richest cities, and only in the most important, wealthy or influential personalities. Each gold coin is worth about...four silver coins…"
"Wait a second: fifteen multiplied five multiplied four..." said Sprig counting, only to be amazed at his own result "B-But that means..."
"That this stick you broke was worth over three hundred coppers." Hop Pop concluded, smiling.
"Wow, now I feel bad again for breaking it..." Anne whispered.
"But it was an infinitesimal piece of wood!" Sasha said stupefied "If we apply the same price tag to all the wood that covered that bug..."
The girls began to drool as they realized they had left a treasure worth millions of local coins outside Loggle's door. Jacob also ran his hands through his hair thinking about the possible consequences of this.
"We need to get back to Loggle right away!" Sasha roused herself first, running to the basement to change her clothes "We cannot leave such wealth unattended!"
"I'm coming with you!" Amelia ran after her
"I dare not imagine how much Loggle will pay us for that thing!" Jacob smiled as his mind let wild thoughts run rampant.
"Let's see!" Marcy intervened, starting to do calculations and reports on a separate want "If we consider the average density of wood and multiply it..."
"Mar-Mar" Anne intervened to calm her friend "We don't have a penny: any amount you offer will still be welcome. Besides, we have to consider a fair division, even counting those who participated..."
"Anne" Sprig opened her mouth wide in wonderment "Do you really want to leave us a share of the whole thing?"
"Hey, you and Polly went with us in grab that wood, and you helped us fight that thing. Plus, Hop Pop is your legal caretaker and thus, he deserves a part of it too, at least to keep take care of you two…"
"Yay!" Polly squealed "I'm gonna buy so much candy!"
"Polly, wasteful spending on candies is not a good thing" Hop Pop replied, "Still, if the price is honest, I do have a couple of ideas…"
"Huh, I really wanted to ask Loggle if he can use some of that wood for making me a new slingshot: my old one is getting obsolete…"
"We can ask him: also, a new cane so the ones we broke will still be replaced."
"I said not to worry about it" Hop Pop confirmed "But I appreciate the thinking…"
"Ok people" Sasha returned, now fully dressed "When we go, let me talk first: my silver tongue would be useful to drive the price up. The more we can ask for it, the better…"
"What do you mean, you can't afford to pay us for it?!" Sasha asked her voice full of shock.
The humans, together with Hop Pop, Polly and Sprig, were now at Loggle's workshop. Having gone outside early, they were able to meet with him before he opened his workshop: more specifically, they meet with him as he was removing the wood from the giant sticky bug's body.
Unfortunately, while Loggle was very interested in the bug's wood, apparently he was not as much interested into paying for it with money.
"Ok, I understand what you try to say, but I can't satisfy you. First, I have no proof you brought this here…"
"A-hem!" Sasha pointed to a section of the wood, where Marcy had left the words "X LOGGLE. WE BROUGH IT. CAN WE TRADE TOMORROW, PLEASE?" marked on it.
"Ok, I'll accept it, while it still does not proves anything. Still, I can't afford to pay the price you ask."
"But you can sure give us something for it, don't you?" Jacob asked.
"Absolutely...no way! Sorry, but lately, my workshop has not going so well: truth to say, before today I was probably headed toward bankruptcy."
"Come on, Loggle" Hop Pop felt off intervening "We have been known each other for years! We meet each other at the market! Are you telling me you can't offer anything to reciprocate these young ones who went to fetch so rare wood for you? I remind you, this wood is worth his weight in golden coins."
"As a matter of fact, it is…not, not now."
"What? Why?"
"Hop Pop" Loggle spoke to him "I am sure there are some people who would pay the price you ask for…in Newtopia, or somewhere else where people use silver or golden money with frequency. However, here on Wartwood no one has so much money to spend, and with the Valley currently isolated, it will be quite some time before such a huge shipment can be sent abroad."
James, who until then had been silent and listen, suddenly had an idea, and raised one of his hands "Excuse me, but what if I have an idea for an agreement that will satisfy both sides?"
"What kind of idea?" Loggle asked.
"Quite simple: we let you get the wood, but in exchange, you use some of it to make some items for us to use or allow us to take some of the stuff on the shop, scot free!"
"What?" Loggle asked.
"What?" Hop Pop looked at him.
"What?" the other humans (especially Sasha and Amelia) asked.
"Come on guys, you heard him: no one in the Valley would spend too much on such a rare wood, and it will be months before we can get it outside. And if Loggle was not in good economic situation, I would say a benefit trading would be better for both sides…"
Loggle thought about it "As a matter of fact…this is a good idea! But, we'll have on get settled on what you can get."
"I'm sure we can think of an agreement…"
"So, Hop Pop" Marcy asked to him "Happy to have again a cane like that?"
"Well, I surely do missed it, but this one is not too bad" he replied, "At least, I know I can still pass it on."
"And I've got a new slingshot!" Sprig showed his newest purchase, a bigger and more powerful slingshot with even a small space to store projectiles "Check it out!"
"I could have got sooo many sweets…" Polly lamented. To her, Loggle had prepared another slingshot, smaller than Sprig's (thus, it was more adapt for her own use) with additional projectiles space and even a target scope, that made it a worthwhile trade (and her side-grin foreshadowed an extensive use that it would get soon); still, Polly had some difficulties letting the idea of those many sweets go.
"It is good that Loggle was willing to trade some of his wood weapons" Jacob smiled, holding a wood quarterstaff that he planned to use from now on instead of relying on raw sticks he could find in the forest "They're a barely upgrade from their raw sticks, but an update is an update!"
"Plus, these wood swords looks quite cool and sturdy" Anne checked them "There is six of them and considering both Jacob and Amelia have their own already."
"I don't, but I do not think I would need a weapon like that" James said "Plus, Loggle's sextant looks quite good: I can't wait to test it tonight."
"Anyway, we have way more than we need. We could invite someone for spar, if interested…"
"With these?" Sasha looked with disinterest, almost with disgust "That guy ripped us off! A wood that would make a mint, and we gave it to him for a few items!"
"Hey, these wood swords are high-quality!" Polly protested, "These are the kind you can use for training, even for hard training you can sometimes do only with metal sword!"
"You know, Polly's right" Amelia looked at them "Now we can have a proper spar, and use decent weapons. True, it would be better if they were in iron, but for now, I guess they're good!" she said, before looking at Sasha "Hey Sash, want to try it out?"
"You, challenging me?" Sasha simply glared at her "It will be over in a few seconds at most."
"Hey, don't underestimate my abilities!" Amelia protested "I trained all my life to be able to par with the greatest judo masters!"
"OK, first, judo is a martial art style, to fight barehanded, not with a sword; second, what you call training is just what you believe to have learned by watching anime on your streaming; and third, we already faced each other in the past: you remember how that ended up?"
Jacob nodded, remembering that fateful day…
"I…I have not begun to fight yet!" Amelia protested.
"Then I suggest you start!" Sasha looked down at her "And put yourself back on feet!"
"Hah! You'll be the one at my feet NOW!" she yelled, trying to regain balance and charge at Sasha, without even bothering to look where she was walking to. Thus, Sasha just needed to move a little to the left and protrude her own foot to make Amelia trip, lose her balance for the definitive time and fall thunderously on Maggie, who was standing just under three feet behind Sasha.
"Get off me, false samurai!"
"We're stuck together, you ginger bully!"
"Knockout by interlocking with another girl!" Jacob said, like the referee of a boxing match, "Sasha the queen of school one, Amelia the crazy mug from the East zero."
"That was a long time ago!" Amelia said "I've trained my body and mind since that day; and I'm more than ready for a rematch!"
Sasha laughed. This could be fun, after all: "Wanna try me, little girl?"
"Sure I!"
"A-hem!" Hop Pop fake-coughed "You can make a challenge later. Right now, I need all of you: maybe you've forgotten, but the farm work needs to be done on-time."
Sasha grimaced, and so did Amelia, Anne and Jacob. Between believing they were going to get rich, the shock when Loggle revealed to them that he could not pay them for it, and the discussion about the wooden items he had given to them as remuneration, they had forgot about the work they were supposed to do.
"I propose you a deal" Hop Pop continued, "You help me gather what I need to bring to the local market, for my stand, and I'll give you free time while I'm there. If you bring your swords, you can even go as soon as we're finished."
"I accept!" Amelia suddenly jerked up "No one is gonna say Amelia Matthews backs down from a challenge!" And if I help with the products for the market, I'll be able to avoid clean the stable in the back, she thought happily.
"Then I'll take your challenge" Sasha replied, making similar calculations in her head "prepare to get you butt kicked!"
"Mr. Plantar?" Marcy raised her hand "Can I come to the market too? I would like to see the little economy in progress of Wartwood."
"Sure you can, Marcy. However, please, don't call me Mister Plantar: that was my father!"
Later that day, as most of the frogs involved in the market were busy setting up their own shops for the day, Sasha, Marcy and Amelia were riding the Plantar's Family snail together with Hop Pop, pulling a large cart full of vegetables, fresh or nearly so, destined for sale.
"Very well, here we are!" Hop Pop said, pulling Bessie to stop and hopping out, beginning to unload his products "Give me a hand, girls"
"Sure Mr. Plantar!" Marcy said, petting Bessie on her head. While the large snail was still quite unaccostumed to the humans's hands and touch, Marcy was the most successful, so far, in getting her sympathy.
"Kiddo, again: Mr. Plantar was my father! Call me Hop Pop!"
"Ok Mr. Hop Pop!" Marcy nodded, moving to help him while Sasha and Amelia too hopped to the ground.
"The market sure is packed!" Amelia looked around, wondering "This reminds me of the farmer's market we have back home."
"Never been there" Sasha coldly replied "And besides…"
A loud gasp and some staggering eyes made Sasha stop as she spoke, and look around: several frogs had stopped doing whatever they were doing, and looked at her, Amelia and Marcy with bewilded, almost scared looks.
"Right. We are monsters for them" Amelia sighed.
"It's like you're some kind of strange creature at the zoo!" Sasha grimaced "I have half an idea to give them a piece of my mind!"
"Please, don't" Amelia replied, "We are still barely accepted in here, and just because Hop Pop promised to keep us under his watch. Better to not give them any more reasons to fear us, for now…"
Sasha glared at them, and a couple of frogs took some steps back as they saw the look in her eyes "Let's focus on the work: the earlier we finish, the earlier we can go."
"Look on the bright side: at least, we don't have to worry about the remaining housework..."
Meanwhile, on the Plantar's farm, Sprig and Polly, together with Anne, Jacob and James, were busy with the last works that Sasha and Amelie did not before leaving with Hop Pop. In short, the jobs that none of them cared to do, and which they had "dumped" on their mates.
"Ugh!" swallowed Anne as she and Sprig walked out of Bessie's barn "That's the stinkiest thing I've ever smelled!"
"Ugh!" Sprig sighed beside her as her breath formed skulls "That's the smell of death..."
"Do you want to switch?" replied James, raising his head again "These roots are as hard as stones: very hard to cut!"
"Bad news!" said Jacob, arriving at that moment with Polly in his arms "The well is blocked, and we'll have it that way for all the day: I guess we'll have to clean Bessie's barn by hand."
"Ugh, kill me!" Anne gasped.
"The Market is so amazing!" Marcy gleamed, looking around with barely-contained enthusiasm. So far, she had seen stands selling baked goods (a couple of them complete with watch-spiders to look out for potential pickpockets), stands of herbs and teas, stands selling parts of large bugs or even smaller, live ones, each one of them stranger and more far-fetched than the previous one. Sasha and Amelia were also looking, though with much less enthusiasm (and more distrust) than Marcy.
"Mob stuff?" Sasha exclaimed, looking at the on-sales torches and pitchforks "Seriously?"
"We have a mob almost once every two week: either some large and voracious beast attack Wartwood, or some focus discussion divides the populace, or we suspect someone might be a mad scientist in disguise" Hop Pop said, almost bored at the thought "When you've seen one, you've seen them all."
"Well, it's not a good thing to be the one the mod is against" Sasha murmured. She still remembered their first day at Wartwood, how that mob captured Anne and they had too fought through it.
"And no one bats an eye?" Amelia asked.
"Unless you are the objective of the mob, usually no one bother that much. And besides, it is important for us to be able to protect ourselves."
"Huh, protect?" Marcy asked, stopping for a second "But, why? You do not have someone protecting Wartwood by those things of dangers? Considering your position, I believed you would have worked up some defense by now."
"We used to have it: the Toads of Toad Tower."
"Toad Tower?" Sasha and Amelia asked, almost simultaneously.
"It's the name the folks here call the castle of the Toads, that controls the entire valley. Normally, they are supposed to protect us from larger bugs, enemy invaders or any other kind of threat, in exchange for our obedience and taxes. However...recently, under their current captain, the Toads no longer care about our protection-they only come to collect taxes, or to extort the property of those who cannot pay."
"Hey, this is the behavior of bandits, not soldiers!" Amelia retorted, causing several frogs to turn their heads toward her.
"Please, don't say that out loud!" Hop Pop interjected, "For better or worse, the Toads rule over the valley: it's not healthy to go against them."
"Um, this sound just like the beginning of one of my favorite stories..." Marcy thought, scratching her chin curiously as an idea began to form in her head.
"Anyway, you do not have to worry girls: as long as you are under my tutelage, nothing bad will ever happen to you!"
"Excuse me" Sasha replied, feeling her pride hurt "But I'm more than able to take care of myself."
"Sash-" Marcy started to reply, only for someone else to bang (rudely, without even waiting for an opening) in the conversation.
"Morning, Hopediah Plantar" a gruff, old male voice said, making Sasha, Amelia and Marcy turn their head to see an old frog with blue skin approach Hop Pop's stand.
"Morning, Monroe" he replied, with a small sigh, "How are you? Do you need something today as well?"
"Just need to catch up with an old friend" Monroe replied, before looking at the humans girl, starring at them with an interested, cryptic look. While Marcy waved with a friendly smile, both Sasha and Amelia were weirded out by the new guy: it did not look like he wanted to be friendly with Hop Pop, or them.
"I almost couldn't believe it when I heard the news: you, the old, predictable, naive Hopediah, with these monsters at your command? What did you use to tame them? Black magic? A sacrifice of fresh organs? Necromancy? Rotten insect flesh?"
"Hey, we are not monsters!" Marcy retorted.
"Nobody domesticated us!" Amelia continued.
"And we definitely don't eat rotten meat!" concluded Sasha, shaking her fist.
"Monroe" Hop Pop arched his eyebrows "They're not monsters: they're just poor kids who found themselves scattered and far from home. And you're provoking them."
"I wonder how you sleep peacefully at night: haven't you ever been afraid they might eat your grandchildren while you sleep?"
Immediately Marcy and Amelia arranged to cover Sasha's mouth and immobilize her, to prevent her from attacking Monroe. He would have deserved it, of course, but the consequences would not have been good.
"Sprig and Polly are safer than they have ever been; and it is not for you to judge."
"Whoa, Hopediah, calm down" Monroe smiled wryly "I just want to make sure you're sure of the risks you're taking: tell me about it, does the selling of vegetables go well? Can you really handle that many new mouths to feed?"
Before Hop Pop could answer, however, Sasha managed to break free of his grip and stepped between Monroe and Hop Pop's booth, glaring at the blue frog with angry eyes.
"Okay, mister," Sasha said in a tone that revealed all her anger, "The cases are two: either you want to buy something, or not. If you want to buy something, it is my duty to inform you that you are occupying Hop Pop's time and exhausting his patience, and thus mine; so take what you have to take, pay the appropriate price, and you can go."
"Hey, stretchy, I-"
"Or, if you're not going to buy anything," Sasha continued as her eyes and tone of voice grew even meaner, "it means you're only here to goad Mr. Plantar, who had the patience to listen to you without complaining, and waste his time as if he were worthless. In that case, let me exercise our right to refuse to indulge your conceit...and kick you out."
Monroe took a step back: he knew nothing about these monsters, no matter how hard he tried to inform himself, and a thousand fears formed in his eyes. What if it was true, as the rumors said, that they ate tadpoles and live frogs? Sure, the idea seemed absurd, but the same could be said of these creatures with bumps on their snouts, huge heads and creepy elongated limbs.
And the gaze of the creature before him was certainly bloodthirsty.
"What do you choose? Do you buy, or do you not buy?"
"I buy, I buy!" said Monroe in panic, without even thinking.
"Very well!" replied Sasha pulling back and smiling, "What do you want to take?"
Monroe grumbled, but unable to turn back, he was forced to select several vegetables from Hopediah's stand in person, while Hop Pop weighed them and calculated the price, smiling secretly. Not that he would ever taste them (being Hop Pop's merchandise, he would probably throw them away once out of sight) but the snub to his detriment...was tremendous.
"Here you go!" he finally said, paying the outrageous (to him) price "And keep the change!" After that, he turned around and hurried away.
"Who was that?" asked Amelia, turning her gaze toward Hop Pop "He seemed to come here just to poke you."
"Monroe," replied Hop Pop annoyed, "Don't mind him. Girls, why do not you go have fun? You've already helped a lot today; I'll take care of closing up the store later."
"Really?" Marcy said, gleaming.
"Yes, no problem." replied the elderly frog "Go ahead and have fun: just be careful, and if anyone tries to provoke you, ignore them!"
"No problem: hey Sasha!" said Amelia taking the wooden swords "If I'm not mistaken, you and I have a challenge pending..."
Sasha smiled "Ready to be beaten again?"
"Ready for you to know the taste of defeat?" retorted Amelia with a mischievous smile "Marcy, are you coming?"
"Maybe not this time" Marcy replied, as if to apologize "Do you mind if I take a ride on my own? There are so many things to see..."
"Just be careful you don't get into trouble!" Sasha replied, "Come on Amelia, it's time to settle our dispute in a final, definitive way…"
As Sasha and Amelia left and Marcy went on to explore the market, something inside of here came close to regret her decision. The market was beautiful, a never-ending supply to satisfy her own curiosity, but as she proceeded among the stands, she noticed a few events and things that made her feel…less happy.
First, there were the looks full of apprehension and fear that the frogs in the valley kept giving her: she just wanted to be their friend, and help them, yet they acted as if she was some kind of monstrous predator. At her every movement, at every gesture, even when she turned her head, the citizens of Wartwood recoiled, hiding behind the booths or stand posts, their eyes full of fear. He knew that every hero's journey began in this way, alone and removed from the fearful populace, but experiencing the effects in person was very different.
Moreover, it was not only that that caused her sadness.
As Marcy went on and explored the market, she ended up finding a large stand selling homemade crafts and toys, strange clothes and some kind of low-level jewelry. It was a sight that made her remind the market scene during Creatures and Cavens or the Vagabondia Chronicle, some of her favorite RPGs of all times.
Nevertheless, it also reminded her of the local markets of the Thai community she saw when she visited the Thai Temple with Anne, or the small ethnic markets her parents loved to frequent.
She felt her own heart getting heavier as guilt overcame her: she was the reason why all of them were stuck in Amphibia now. She knew about that Box's powers, about its ability to make travels to other worlds possible, and while she did not believe it at first, she was the one who showed to Sasha, and indirectly led to Anne take it and everyone of them ending up in here.
They wanted to separate us, they wanted to divide us forever. I...I just wanted one last adventure, one last experience with my best friends. Besides, I didn't know that box would actually work! I can't be guilty if I myself didn't know it would work.
Nevertheless, such words sounded more like an attempt to justify her actions, and a rather pathetic attempt at that, rather than the truth of the matter. Moreover, her guilt was made worse by the fact that it was not only the three of them who had arrived in Amphibia-Jacob and Amelia, who were out that night, had been with them when Anne had opened the box, and they had found themselves involved in spite of themselves. And James...what had he done to end up here? He had just gotten too close, and had been teleported to Amphibia with them, for no reason other than being too close, at the wrong time in the wrong place.
I wonder how his parents are doing in our world. And Jacob's. And Anne's. And...mine.
A knot formed around her throat: as much as her parents had decided to move without her knowledge, they had always loved her and given her the attention she sought. And now that she was here...she dared not even imagine how they must have felt back on Earth. Part of her wanted to return home, to see them again at least once, and reassure them; another part, however, precisely because she was afraid of their reaction, wanted to delay such a reunion as late as possible.
Another thought crossed her mind: what would happen if Sasha and Anne found out that she knew about that box? Would they understand and forgive her, or would she lose them forever, as she had feared would happen?
She clenched her hand into a fist: she could not risk it. She would keep the secret, no matter how much pain it would cause her, and she would find a way to bring her friends back home. This would be their last adventure together.
Of course, nothing forbade her from having some fun in the meantime.
It was then that she saw a young frog, blue in color, with pink hair and a black dress, carrying a small cauldron with both hands, coming at her.
"Hey!" the frog said, noticing that someone was in front of her, "Get out of my way!"
"Oops, I beg your pardon," Marcy apologized.
"One moment" the frog replied, his voice full of shock "You...you are one of those creatures that lives with the Plantars? The hummus?"
"Humans" Marcy corrected her "And yes, we are guests of Hop Pop and his family. My name is Marcy Wu, for my friends, Mar-mar."
"I am Maddie."
"Wait," Marcy said as her memories brought back her enthusiasm, "Maddie? Sprig's friend? The magic one?"
"Uh, yes?" replied Maddie, momentarily displaced by the creature. When she had mentioned her magic, she had not seemed frightened nor skeptical; rather...excited?
"OMG; this is so epic: a true connoisseur of magic! Can I go with you and see? Can you teach me some spells?"
Maddie's eyes went wide in surprise "Really? No one is usually interested in magic: as soon as you mention it, they run away screaming."
"Baby," Marcy replied with a grin, "You're talking to someone who grew up with myths of magic and wizards: if there's a chance to learn magic for real, count me in!"
"Are you sure? Because of that, everyone thinks I'm weird and scary."
"Oh, they already think that about me," Marcy replied, pointing with her eyes to the other frogs behind them. None of them were close enough to know what they were saying to each other, but they all looked at them with fearful, fear-filled glances.
"Can you believe that on the first day, a rabid mob with flashlights and pitchforks thought we were monsters?"
"I do believe it: it's not an uncommon occurrence around here."
"So, yes, I'm sure. Can you teach me what you know about magic?"
The frog smiled "In that case, you just found yourself a teacher, weird one. Come with me, before we start I'd like to talk to you...away from prying eyes and ears..."
"This looks like a perfect place for our sparring contest," Amelia said, looking around.
She and Sasha were now standing in a clearing of scrubland surrounded by trees, about a hundred meters from the path leading back to Wartwood. They were far enough away then to start their challenge, away from prying eyes.
"So, Sasha, are you ready?" said Amelia as she prepared to unsheathe her wooden katana.
"One moment," replied Sasha, who was already holding her training sword, "First, I want to check for any unexpected surprises. For example, a large carnivorous insect."
Amelia grimaced: as much as she hated to admit it, Sasha was right. The last thing they needed was to be suddenly attacked by another mantis the size of a house.
"Good idea: wait, I'll help you..."
Just then however, almost in response to their words, a bush to their left began to stir.
"Get back Sasha!" Amelia shouted, clutching her katana tightly with both hands "It could be a giant grasshopper!" Sasha said nothing, but in turn clutched her sword, preparing for the worst.
Amelia took a step forward, toward the bush, and used her wooded katana to move a part of the leaves, seeing that under that there was an old vegetable with a face drawn on it and fake hair made from twigs.
"Huh?"
"What the-"
"Ambush!" a young female voice yelled and something yellow jumped out from another bush, launching herself at Amelia. Sasha had a split seconds to react, but she rushed forward and hit the upcoming thing with her sword, making it jump on the ground, and revealing it to be a small young frog, of yellow color.
"Hey! You're not Sprig!" she lamented.
"Of course we aren't" Sasha replied, putting on defensive stance "I guess you choose to wrong target to attack."
"Wait, I…I know you" the frog replied, "You must those ugly creatures, that lives with Sprig."
"We're host of Sprig and his family" Amelia quickly replied "And you…know about us?"
"You're basically the talk of all Wartwood"
"Great: are they talking about weird we look, or are they asking what kind of monsters we are?"
"Well, it depends. However, I was not very attentive."
"Aren't you worried that we'll try to eat you?" Sasha looked at her "Or scared of our, ahem, face bumps or our large heads?"
"Nah, you looks weird sure, but you do not look like real monsters: real monsters would have never fallen for my ambush" she shrugged "And besides, I know something about fighting, so even if you were monsters, I could take you both. At the same time."
"You like a little full of yourself, you know?" Sasha commented.
"Nah, I'm just very savvy of my own strength. By the way, do you have names?"
"I am Amelia, and she's Sasha."
"My name is Ivy, Ivy Sundew. Still, sorry for the sudden ambush, but I thought you were Sprig: he is usually the only one to pass here. The ambush was for him."
"Why the heck would you plan an ambush against someone?" Sasha reprimanded her "Are you, like, nemesis or what?"
"Enemies? Nay, he is my sparring partner: I plan ambushes so he can train do quickly defend."
"No kiddin" Amelia smiled "You're like Closeau's assistant, who always ambushes him to keep his reflexes and fighting abilities at top, Katei!"
"It's Kato!" Sasha corrected her "If you want to be so obnoxious, at least try to get the references right!"
"Oh, it's difficult to be more obnoxious than you, Miss Pon-Pon!"
"I already told you TO NOT CALL ME-"
"Huh, excuse me" Ivy interrupted the two humans "But…why you were there?"
"My friend and I" Amelia said, trough gritted teeth "have a … quarrel to resolve, and we wanted to do so with some sparring action."
"Cool: are these the swords you'll use?" she said, gleaming over their wood weapons.
"Yep: Loggle gave us in exchange for some…wood bug we might have fought."
"Can I participate?" Ivy looked at them with a grin.
Sasha and Amelia looked at each other, with a skeptical look "You what?"
"What's the problem? There are three swords and you're just two" Ivy pointed at a still-untouched sword, due to Amelia already having her own.
"But is large and heavy" Amelia replied "Are you sure you can hold it?"
"If I can hold it? Ah!" The little frog said, moving to the sword and grabbing it with a quick movement.
"Looks like our little one is a fighting one." Amelia nodded.
"Very well, I guess we can allow a third participant" Sasha said, turning toward Amelia "En guarde!"
"Ok, Marcy" Maddie said, looking at the human "Before we start, I must make myself clear: Let's make one thing very clear: In magic, there are rules, very important ones..."
"Oh, it's like in Cynthia Coven's books ?! Never use magic in the presence of the uninitiated?"
"Who is this Cynthia Coven?" asked Maddie strangely.
"Huh, she's the main character in my favorite magic fantasy series: it's a super-mythical series! Have you ever read her? Do you want to read it? I can lend you my copy!"
Maddie was momentarily interjected: on the one hand, it was refreshing for her to meet someone so enthusiastic about magic; on the other...for the first time in her life, she had found someone even stranger than herself.
"Maybe later..." she replied.
"Ah yes, that's right! Sorry, it's just that I'm so excited...before I found myself here, I never thought I would find someone who knew how to use magic, let alone teach it...okay, what are the rules?"
"Rule number one: never, I repeat, NEVER use magic to hurt someone else, unless it's someone...who deserves it."
"So, I can use magic to help others?"
"Well, yes."
"Even to defend them from the bad guys?"
"Yes, as long as the punishment does not go beyond the crime committed. Rule number two: you must always use magic responsibly and judiciously: it cannot be used for personal purposes, or to get what only you want."
"From great power, great responsibility: okay!"
"Rule number three: always remember to follow the steps to create spells: the smallest mistake or change always leads to unexpected, unforeseen and almost always deadly consequences."
"Okay...noted."
"And finally, the last rule, the most important rule of all," Maddie said, taking on a somber tone full of intimidation, "IF I should see you violate a single one of these three rules, I will teach you no more. And should you attempt to proceed down the evil path, use magic to instill terror and fear ... I will have to stop you, no matter what."
Maddie, for her part, would have expected Marcy to take a step back, or at least assume a frightened expression. Of course, she did not expect Marcy to get down on one foot, raise her right hand, and put her left hand over her heart.
"I, Marcy Wu of Planet Earth, at this time, on this day, in this place, do solemnly swear that I will use the magical arts that I can learn only for charitable purposes and for the benefit of others, that I will always use them exclusively to protect the honest and righteous frogs of this land from the dangers and enemies that threaten their existence, that I will always follow the instructions of my teacher and that I will never, NEVER, let the black seed of evil contaminate my heart and judgment!"
"Is this something all you humans do?"
"Only when we want to prove our determination and will."
"You are strange, you act absurdly, and I understand less than half the names you say...I like you."
"Thank you!" said Marcy with genuine happiness "Now, I'm ready to get it on!"
"In that case, the first step is undoubtedly putting together the ingredients to create a basic spell."
Marcy listened intently as Maddie made a list of ingredients, but in her head, she couldn't help but squeal with delight that someone was about to teach her magic, real magic, something she had wanted all her life. Her excitement did not lower, even as she gathered all the ingredients Maddie told her to.
"The first spell you will learn today" Maddie said "Is a basic smelling spell: easy, cheap to make with whatever you can gather around you, but very useful against powerful giant bug predators, to repulse them and gain useful time…"
"So, it is like a bug repellant" Marcy asked, while digging up some rotten roots "Do you make often?"
"I make it always" Maddie replied, "As I said, it is quite easy and cheap to make, even for a beginner-mage, and it can be very useful if a large bug targets you. The only downside is that it is difficult to make while moving, especially if you're running, so it is better to have at least two or tree ready."
"I guess so. I mean, you can't use the cauldron under attack…"
"Huh, Marcy" Maddie looked at her "We are not using the cauldron for this specific spell."
"What?" Marcy jerked up, genuinely disappointed "Why?"
"The cauldron is used for far more advanced spells, the ones that surely a beginner like you can't expect to be able to make, in just one day. Plus, while it makes the resulting potions more powerful and more stable, the preparation also becomes more dangerous: do you have any idea what would happen if you made a mistake with the cauldron?"
"Well…"
"Even in the best case, you could seriously risk burning off all your hairs, or make yourself grow more arms or a second head, or become very small…"
Marcy grimaced: that was not a fanciful thought.
"Don't worry too much, however" Maddie added, to reassure her "Pay attention to my instructions, don't be rushed, follow the steps well, and everything will be fine. Where are we with the ingredients?"
"See for yourself!" Marcy said, showing with satisfaction the roots and other ingredients she had put together "But...do you need that many?"
"Not really." smiled Maddie, looking at the available materials, and pulling out her tools: a sharp knife, a wooden bowl, a spoon, a half-empty sack, and a smaller bowl "Now, first, take a root and cut it to one inch high."
"Easy: if you use the same measurements..." said Marcy, not realizing that she had miscalculated the measurement by eye, and that she had now cut the root...incorrectly.
"No," she said realizing her mistake, looking sorry.
"Don't worry: I expected a few mistakes, it's your first time right? Watch how I do it," Maddie replied, taking another root and cutting it the right way, showing Marcy how to proceed. Marcy, for her part, watched carefully how to do it, noting (in her head) the details to do it right.
"Now, try again."
Marcy nodded, taking another root and giving it another try. This time she focused more on what she was doing, closing one of her eyes and sticking out her tongue, and the cut came out better, identical to Maddie's "Yes!"
"Well done! Now, put the root you cut into the bowl, and add two rotten centipede eggs. After that, whisk them together at great speed, I meanwhile, prepare the container."
Marcy did as Maddie told her, then poured the liquid produced into a small piece of cloth, which she then tied with a string.
"How exciting...my first spell..." said Marcy as she looked at the bag with emotion "Can I try it?"
"This is a low-level spell that will generate a powerful scent capable of driving away insects and almost any living thing with a sense of smell." explained Maddie "If it hits you, you could be knocked out for several hours. Depending on the case...you might even die."
"I got it, thanks," Marcy said, in a frightened voice.
"Just a warning: don't drop it on yourself."
Marcy nodded, looking around, and her gaze landed on a large boulder, covered with lichen and small vegetation: here was an ideal target!
"OK, I'll hit that big rock!"
"Wait for me to take cover," Maddie said cautiously: novice mage or not, she felt safer with proper caution "OK, proceed!"
Marcy focused on the rock, grabbed the potion she made and threw it…missing it of a few centimeters, and landing her spell right in front of it. As soon as it landed, it exploded, creating a small cloud of brown-colored smog, and every small bugs or creature who sniffed it ran away.
"Cool!" Marcy said, immediately writing down the ingredients and the making procedure of the spell on her notebook "A smell spell: quite similar, both in the ingredients and in the procedure, to the stinky bombs we have back home…"
"You have things like this in your world?" Maddie asked her.
"Sure!" Marcy gleamed "You should ask Jacob: he and Sasha were very…productive with them…" she said, as her brain brought back old memories…
"OMG, girls, I'm so worried!" Anne said, with a fearful look "Today there is Math interrogation, and I have not studied!"
"Relax, Boonchuy" Sasha said, as to reassure her "Jacob told me that probably, today there will not be any interrogation of kind."
"What do you-"
"Girls!" said the Math professor, appearing right then "Do not enter the classroom, for any reason!"
"Why is that?" Sasha asked, feigning innocence.
"Is there something wrong?" Marcy added.
"Of course there is something wrong!" the prof replied "Some little…punk, Has put a stink bomb in my classroom! The smell is unbearable, and no matter how hard I try to wash it, it won't go away!"
"But professor...our math question..."
"We'll postpone it, at least for now: we can't have a question in such a stench, and my textbook has already been polluted! If I catch that punk..."
The professor left muttering, so that the girls were alone when they saw a mocking smile appear from the hallway."
"Jacob," said Sasha smiling mischievously, "You've improved."
"Bow down to the stink king, babes!"
"It took a whole week for the air in the classroom to become breathable again..."
Maddie looked at her quizzically "I really hope you are not going to use such a spell for pranks-it is these kinds of actions that give a bad name to anyone who uses magic..."
"What, never!" replied Marcy, waving her hands in front of her, "I made an oath, and I could never violate it for my own selfish ends! Moreover, I will never betray...my master..."
"Master?" Maddie repeated, realizing that Marcy was talking about her.
"Yes" Marcy nodded, taking Maddie's hands between her own "Do not distrust me: I will never betray your directives, nor the purpose that magic sets up; above all, never, NEVER will I be able to use it to do harm."
Maddie saw the light in Marcy's eyes, and realized that her words matched the truth. She therefore decided that the girl was entitled to some further testing.
"Let's go ahead: do you want to learn some more spells?"
Marcy smiled.
"Y-haa!" Ivy yelled, rushing to the attack again, her wood sword clashing against Sasha, who managed to intercept (barely).
When she and Amelia had invited Ivy to join them in their sparring, they had imagined that the little frog was not very much used to throw large swords (no matter that they were made in wood) around, something that they guessed right.
Of course, neither of them actually knew that frogs could be very fast, very agile and, in Ivy's case, very endowed with energy stores typical of children or young individuals.
"Gosh, she's good!" Amelia admitted, cleaning her front from the sweat "She's a real-life Jackie Chan!"
"Except that Jackie Chan exists for real and his martial arts are genuine," Sasha resumed her, "the little one has much more energy to invest. She's been fighting for at least half an hour without a break."
"I am breathless: I know how to use my katana, but she takes advantage of every possible opening. There is only one thing to do at this point..."
"Let me guess," Sasha made sarcastically, "since it is evident that neither you nor I alone are good enough to defeat her on our own, but we don't feel like letting her beat us, the only way we can balance our forces...is to cooperate."
"No, actually I was thinking of using you as a shield, but your plan is much better." Amelia smiled, "Truce?"
"I can't believe I'm saying these words, but let's join our forces, Amelia Matthews."
Amelia nodded, turning her gaze toward Ivy. The latter, after catching her breath for a few seconds, was again ready to resume the assault.
"Frontal attack!" shouted Ivy, launching herself forward.
"Zattenayo!" retorted Amelia, starting fourth in turn, followed a few steps behind by Sasha.
The wooden swords clashed forcefully: Ivy was the tiger, striking fast and swiftly, never stopping long enough to give her opponents a chance to land a blow, but Amelia and Sasha were the elephants, big and strong, parrying firmly and forcefully all the attacks Ivy threw at them, and looking for every opportunity to land the decisive blow.
None of the three wanted to give up, and soon their foreheads were dripping with sweat again and they began to feel the need to catch their breath. But none of the three wanted to stop, nor did they intend to change anything.
It was all too much fun.
"Marcy, you're a really fast learner" Maddie said with amazement "I don't know anyone before now who has managed to learn ten spells in a row in a single day."
"I've always had a good aptitude for studying," Marcy said with a smile, happy with the commendation she received, "But most importantly, I have an excellent teacher."
Maddie blushed slightly in turn-she was not used to being admired for what she knew about magic.
"I must admit that this is a new experience for me," Maddie admitted, "Until now, I have never met many people interested in approaching me..."
"What do you mean? You don't have any friends? What about Sprig?"
"Sprig and I...we're just acquaintances. And by that, I mean he's one of the few who are not afraid of me, and don't run for the hills if I get too close. Unfortunately, many peers consider me strange, partly because of my hobby. Now you know why I can't stand those who use magic for evil purposes: it is such rumors that keep me alone..."
Maddie did not have time to finish, because Marcy moved in on her, and with one swift movement, embraced her. A strong hug, full of affection, compassion and feeling.
"Teacher, may I have the honor of being your first real friend?"
"What?" replied Maddie, still in shock that she was experiencing a true loving hug.
"I mean, if you would let me. You are one of the coolest people I have ever met, and I know what it is like to grow up without friends, the oppressive cloak of loneliness over you. Moreover, so what if they think you are weird? Being normal is boring in my opinion."
"That's true...in any case, I think that's enough for today."
"Aw, can't we continue?"
"I'm afraid not," Maddie said, "I have to get back to the market before my father sends someone after me. He's given me time off, but he needs me when we get back to take down the booth."
"Is your father at the market too?"
"He's the baker at Wartwood."
"Ah, I see. Although, I wanted to ask you..."
"Kami-kazee!" a female scream bordering on inhuman resounded in the air.
"What was that?" asked Maddie, suddenly nervous.
"That was Amelia's voice!" Marcy opened her eyes wide, "Maybe she's in trouble!"
"Then let's go: if it's a predator, my magic will help!" said Maddie decisively.
"I'm coming too!" announced Marcy, taking off at a run, only to stumble, fall on her stomach and get back up, before starting to run again (and stumble again).
"Aw, frogs" Ivy lamented, "You beat me. You…actually beat me."
"That's just a little teamwork and Oriental Warrior Spirit" Amelia smiled "But let me admit that you were quite tough: if I did not had a lucky opening, you would still be standing right now."
"Plus, you did manage to hit some good points" Sasha sat down, tired for the long exercise "And I must admit…it was quite fun."
"Yep, that's even better than setting ambushes for Sprig to fall into. Can we do it again?"
"Sure, next time we have time. How did you learn such moves?"
"My grandmother: she taught me that you to be tough... to make it in this world, and survive. Nevertheless, my mom…she thinks the most important thing I should learn is to make tea and have tea parties. I do not want to do any of that: It's boring, frilly and so dumb!"
Sasha smiled, hearing the little frog say such words: it reminded her about her…complicated relationship with her parents, and her older sister.
"Your mom sound very lame." Sasha said.
"Hey!" Amelia protested
"She surely is!" Ivy replied "Still…"
"I'm coming!" Marcy yelled, appearing from out of the woods, her eyes covered by a leaf, running forward only to trip (again) and fall right on to Amelia.
"Gotcha! Now, you unknown enemy I cannot see, where is Amelia?!"
"Huh, Mar-Mar? It's me"
Marcy stopped, using one of her hands to remove the leaf on her eyes, and realized she was laying all over her friend.
"Oh, whoops! Sorry, Amelì!"
"What the heck was that, Mar-Mar?" Sasha called her out.
"I heard Amelia yell, and we thought you were in danger…."
"Wait a second, we?"
It was then than the bushes moved again and another frog (as the readers can imagine, it was Maddie) moved in the open.
"Maddie?" Ivy looked at her.
"Ivy." she nodded "What was happening in here?"
"Oh, you should have been here! Sasha and Amelie…they are soo cool. WE were having a mock-battle among us: I even lost!"
"You lost?" Maddie gasped "That…actually takes some consideration."
"Huh, Marcy?" Amelia intervened "She is with you?"
"Sure thing she is!" Marcy nodded "She's my friend and magic teacher!"
"Magic teacher?" Sasha glared "Such a thing exist in here?"
"Yes: she's teaching me some spells."
"Really, Maddie?" Ivy teased her "You're teaching her about your magic?"
"She's an excellent student. And didn't you mom forbid you to teach swordsmanship?"
"Shhhh! She does not need to know…"
"Then let's have a deal: I do not betray your secret, and you keep silent about mine…"
"Wow, I cannot believe it!" Marcy said, as the three girls (plus Maddie and Ivy) went back for the market "We made our first friends: this is soo amazing!"
"Huh, Mar-Mar?" Sasha grabbed her shoulder "Is it something to be so excited about? We already are friends…"
"Girls!" then came Hop Pop's voice, and the old frog appeared "You were gone for quite long: while I do admit that I gave you chance to do so, next time…" but he stopped as he saw Maddie and Ivy with them.
"Hello Mr. Plantar!" Ivy saluted him.
"Hello, Mister Pop" Maddie saluted him too.
"Maddie!" her father, a large blue-skinned frog arrived "Why are you with…these things?" he said, looking with suspect at the humans.
"Now, Mr. Flour…"
"That's ok" Maddie said "Dad, this one is Marcy, my friend."
"Friend?" he replied, almost un-believing it.
"Yes, and she is not creeped out by my magic. In fact, she asked me especially if I could teach her!"
Hop Pop gasped, and so did a few frogs who could hear them. However, Marcy simply smiled.
"I'm honored to have your daughter as my teacher" she smiled "And never, I would dare to risk betray her trust!"
"Well, you surely are a strange creature" he said "But if my daughter trust you, I'm ok with that."
"Before you go" Marcy asked "do you have some book of magic theory you can borrow to me? I do not know how much time it will be since you'll be able to teach me again, and I would like to learn something more on my own, meanwhile."
"Sure, here is" she smiled, giving her some strange black-covered book "However, remember what I said: do not make attempts on your own, until you have enough experience. Magic has a lot of side effects: if you make a mistake, it could have very dire consequences…"
"Be safe, Maddie" Marcy said, "I will uphold my promise."
"You better be" Hop Pop added, "I do not want uncontrolled magic on my farm!"
"Oh, right!" Marcy moved on her backpack, pulling out another book "I guess it is only fair if you borrow a book of mine while I borrow one of yours, huh?"
Maddie looked at the cover of the book Marcy was giving to her "Is this the Cynthia Coven you were talking about?"
"Cynthia Coven?" Amelia looked at Marcy "You read that too?"
"Mar-Mar" Sasha simply smiled "You're the same no matter which world we end up to."
"Hope you like it: the main character is a mage-expert, just like you!"
"I guess I'll give it a try" Maddie nodded, following her dad "And besides, I know three little pollywogs who might like a new evening story."
"I suppose I'll have to go too" Ivy said "But thank you for the amazing sparring session we had. I hope we can do it again, when possible."
"Sure thing!"
Ivy moved, and the girls waved a little before realizing Hop Pop was looking at them, with an interrogative look.
"Huh…"
"I do believe we have some explanation-talks to do…"
"So, let me get this straight" Anne asked, after listening to Sasha's, Amelia's and Marcy's narration of what happened to them "Mar-Mar, you're now learning magic?"
"With the help of a professional, Anne-Banana!"
"And Sasha, you and Amelia…found a sparring partner?"
"Yep."
"And they were Maddie and Ivy?" Sprig almost yelled unbelieving "Oh my, this will be so awkward next time we meet…"
"Meh, I wish I would be able to see you fight" Polly nodded "Or participate…"
"Anyway, I guess we must be happy for you" James said, "You're making friends too, and at a very high speed rate!"
"And look what Maddie gave to me!" Marcy showed her magic book "I'm going to become a real wizard!"
"Meanwhile, what about you?" Amelia asked "I suppose you had a very common, boring day."
"Huh, yeah."
"We absolutely had a very normal day."
"We certainly did not tried a difficult other way to try and clean Bessie's stable."
"And we did not awakened some giant large fire-breathing beetle."
"And surely we did not almost destroyed the farm…"
"So, it was a very, very boring day!" Jacob insisted, "Nothing strange happened! Nothing, for real!"
Please, leave a comment for any part or chapter you liked: I love reading your comments and receiving your insights.