Hey everyone!
I know you've all been waiting to see what happens next after that last chapter, and so have I! Here's the next installment, which will follow the plot of the 'Barrel's Warhammer' episode!
Also, if you'll notice the story thumbnail, I got a new commission of Ethan done! This one was also done by Kevin T from Twitter [ KevinT-comm], and features Ethan in full armor, as Lieutenant Day! Just a way for you all to better visualize the character, as well as a cool piece of cover art to have for the story! I hope you all like it!
And without further ado, here's chapter sixteen!
Barrel's Warhammer
The North Tower was much bigger and scarier than Toad Tower. Located outside a swampy marshland, its many towers were decorated with the skulls of Herons. It was the biggest of the four towers in Amphibia, which made it the perfect place to hold a toad council.
Braddock peeked out from behind the curtain at the large, circular room located in the main tower. Dozens of toad soldiers sat in the aisles, talking to one another as they waited for the meeting to begin. Three toads sat in special thrones, and were the leaders of the other towers. Captain Bufo of the East tower, with shogun-like armor and his hair pulled into a bun, seemed to be the most impatient, complaining to the toad next to him, Captain Beatrix of the West Tower. She was the only female toad out of the trio, and like Grime, she had a scar over one eye, which glowed a bright pink color. She replied with a cruel joke, laughing to herself. The third captain, a wizened old toad named Captain Aldo, sat limply in his seat, more dead than alive. And if Ethan and his friends weren't careful, they might end up the same way.
It had been several weeks since Captain Grime came up with the idea to take over all of Amphibia, and he had worked hard to get himself back to his former self [though not until he had finished the final episode of Suspicion Island]. He had lost the extra weight, got his fighting reflexes back, and [with some hesitation] shaved his beard. Now, he was ready to take over the country, but he needed help, which was the reason he had called this meeting; he needed all of the other towers' forces combined to take over the capital city of Newtopia, but he could not do so without approval from all three captains. If they said yes, they would make preparations to storm the city. If not, Grime would be arrested and most likely killed for his crimes, along with his three soldiers.
Braddock gulped as Bufo and Beatrix laughed, closing the gap in the curtain and turning to the others.
"Not exactly a welcoming crowd," she said.
"Especially that Captain Beatrix," Percy said, the bells on the end of his jester's hat jingling nervously. "What's her problem?"
"Her problem is that she's my sister," Captain Grime explained, walking over to them. "And I may have teased her quite a bit when we were tadpoles." This bit of news caused a reaction from the two toads and Ethan.
"GET OUT," Percy yelped.
"Wait, you have a sister," Ethan asked.
"WHAT," Braddock gasped as Percy started to hyperventilate. "Stick a fork in us, we're done!"
"Okay, enough loser talk," Ethan said, getting control of his emotions and kneeling down to Percy and Braddock's level, putting a hand on each ot their shoulders. "We can do this. Just remember what we practiced, and keep your eye on the prize." He smiled. "We'll get them to say yes; I know we will!"
"Ooh! That reminds me," Percy said, breaking away and running over to his bag. "I have one last touch for our outfits!" He brought out a brush and a palette of white paint, and proceeded to paint the same symbol on all of their cloaks: a single, simple eye. "Now we really are a team!"
"One eye," Grime commented. "I see what you did there."
"Nice one, Perce," Ethan said, grinning and standing back up; he now felt like they were a team, and stuck his hand out, and the others followers suit. "Come on! Let's impress some toads, or we die!"
"WHOO!" The three toads chorused, the four of them raising their hands up.
Meanwhile, in the audience, the two captains [it was best to assume that Captain Aldo was indeed dead] were getting tired of waiting.
"Dang it, Beatrix," Bufo complained. "What's your brother waiting for?"
Before she could reply, the window curtains closed behind them, plunging the room into semi-darkness. A single spotlight shone on the curtains [Braddock stood at the very back of the crowd, pointing Ethan's phone flashlight], which opened to reveal Ethan and Percy. Ethan set an easel and large pad of paper up, turning to his friend as funky rock music started to play [also from Ethan's phone, courtesy of his workout playlist]. There were a few gasps from the audience, and Braddock moved the beam to show Grime standing on top of the stage.
C'mon, don't mess this up, Ethan thought, watching as Grime grabbed a rope, swung down towards them, and let go, doing a few flips in the air before landing perfectly. They had worked on that move for nearly a week, and the teen sighed with relief as Percy flew into the air, taking a t-shirt gun from behind his back, shooting shirts at random soldiers in the crowd. As the music ended, Grime took out a microphone, and the spotlight focused on him.
"My fellow toads," Captain Grime said loudly, his voice echoing through the hall. "For years, we have kept the kingdom's servants in line." Ethan turned over the first page of the paper pad, showing a crude drawing of King Andrias being threatened by spears. "But are we not just servants ourselves? I propose a future where toads overthrow King Andrias and take our rightful place as rulers of all of Amphibia!" As he spoke, Ethan tore away more pages, slowly revealing an image of a toad wearing a crown.
"Psst! Drop the mic," Ethan hissed, knowing they needed a dramatic ending.
"Ooh! Ooh, right," the toad replied, dropping the mic like he had learned to, the feedback briefly echoing through the hall.
For a few moments, there was absolute quiet, save for some crickets chirping. Percy and Braddock both exchanged worried glances, but Ethan smiled at them, though he himself was worried. Captains Bufo and Beatrix eyed them carefully, frowns on their faces.
"You all took a huge risk, coming here to gain support for your rebellion," Bufo said.
Uh-oh, the human thought.
"And it paid off," Beatrix suddenly exclaimed, a wide grin on her face. "We froggin' loved it!"
Now the other soldiers started to cheer, a few of them whooping with excitement. Ethan and Grime grinned, and Percy and Braddock quickly hugged before running up onto the stage to join them.
"Nicely done," Captain Beatrix continued, sitting back down in her seat. "Grimothy!"
There was a beat of silence, and the three Toad Tower soldiers turned to their captain, whose cheeks were red with humiliation. However, their shock didn't last long.
"No way," Ethan started to say, his look of surprise quickly replaced with a sly grin. "Is your real name-?"
"We're not talking about this," Grime said quickly, trying not to lose his temper as his sister smirked at him.
"So tell us," Captain Bufo asked, "who's leading this revolution?"
Ethan frowned a little; did these toads seriously expect to lead the revolution? Grime and him and come up with the idea!
"I was thinking… us," Captain Grime asked, a nervous smile on his face. Bufo and Beatrix frowned at that, and leaned together, whispering indistinctly for a few moments before separating.
"Yeah… I don't think so," Bufo said. "We love your vision, but no toad is going to follow the command of a fugitive and his hummus."
"'Humans,'" Ethan said, some annoyance in his tone. "We're called 'humans.'"
"Bufo's right," Captain Beatrix added. "Just because King Andrias is working with a couple of hummuses, doesn't mean us toads will go for it."
"Wait, other humans," the teen asked, looking at Grime. "They must be talking about Anne and Marcy." They had to be; Sasha was dead, and while he had no idea if Marcy had ended up in Amphibia with them, he now knew the answer. "I don't believe it. They're working together?" His fists shook. "Without me?"
Grime said something in reply, but Ethan didn't hear him, his anger starting to rise. What were the two of them doing with King Andrias? Was he helping them find a way home? Based on what he had heard from the toads, the king was very wise and had ruled for many years; if anyone knew a way home, it was probably him. And now his classmates were about to abandon him in Amphibia? Just leave him here as a punishment for what happened with Sasha? They got to go home to their families and he would never see his mom again?
"This whole thing is beginning to sound too risky," Captain Bufo was saying. "Guards! Arrest them!" A few guards ran forward at his order, spears aimed at the quartet.
They're just gonna leave me here, Ethan thought, his anger finally bursting out of him like a broken dam. Roaring angrily, he ran forward, leaping off the stage as Captain Grime tried to stop him. He dodged the attack of the first guard, kicking him aside and taking his weapon. Spinning around, he quickly attacked and disarmed the other guard, knocking him to the ground. Still seething, he stood on top of the fallen toad, glaring at the two captains.
"Listen here, you Romulan," the teen snapped, glaring at the two toads, who seemed taken aback by how quickly he had taken the guards down. If any of the Sci-Fi Club kids had been there, they would have recognized his reference, but it was only him. "What's it gonna take to prove that you should follow us?!"
Suddenly, one of Captain Aldo's hands moved, the sound of his ancient joints creaking echoing through the hall. He leaned forward, the vines that had grown over him snapping. He leaned forward and looked at Ethan with dark, empty eye sockets, and in a deep, gravely voice said:
"Barrel's Warhammer."
"'Barrel's Warhammer,'" Bufo repeated, turning to the third captain. "You've finally gone senile, Aldo!"
"Yeah, that's a suicide mission," Beatrix agreed, looking uncharacteristically worried. Aldo simply held up his hand, silencing them.
"It is said," the old captain continued, "that the one who wields this hammer is the true leader of all toads. It is the one thing, the only thing-" He pointed at Ethan with a bony finger. "-that will prove we should follow you."
"Great! Done," Ethan said impulsively. "You'll have in your Cryptkeeper hands by morning!" Behind him, Braddock and Percy were hugging one another, fearful expressions on their faces. Even Captain Grime looked uneasy.
Bufo and Beatrix gasped, then started to laugh.
"No toad has ever gone after the hammer and made it back alive," Captain Bufo explained. "This, I gotta see!"
[][][]
Ten minutes later, Ethan, Captain Grime, Percy and Braddock were on a small boat, sailing up a river away from the North Tower. The red crescent moon was in the sky, and they passed dead and decaying trees as the teen tightened the rope for the sail, jumping down to join Grime. The one-eyed toad was reading an old map, a worried expression on his face.
"So, what's this hammer and why are y'all so scared of it," Ethan asked.
"A little late to be asking, don't you think," the toad captain asked, glaring at him.
"It's the weapon of the legendary toad warrior Barrel the Brave," Percy explained, he and Braddock still looking frightened.
"Barrel gave his life defending a helpless village from a terrifying beast," Braddock continued.
"Legend has it that this same beast guards his hammer to this very day," Percy added, pulling his girlfriend into a hug, comforting one another.
"Enough whimpering," Grime snapped, pushing the two apart. "We don't even know if this tackle tale is real!"
Percy shook, beads of sweat on his forehead. Ethan, on one hand, wanted to tell the two soldiers to man up and put their game faces on, but on the other hand, he felt sorry for them. They were still his friends, and they were clearly scared of whatever monster was supposedly guarding this hammer. He decided not to yell at them.
"Listen, if things get too wild, give me a sign and I'll call the whole thing off," he told them.
"A signal," Percy asked, the two toads turning to him. "What kind of signal?"
"Hmm," the teen muttered, trying to come up with a good idea. "How about this? Do your best…" He remembered his Star Trek insult from earlier. "The 'Live Long and Prosper' hand gesture. It's something Trekkies and Trekkers do for photos in my world. Like this." He held up his hand, his middle finger touching his pointer finger, and his ring finger touching his pinky finger, making a 'V' shape with the gap between the middle and ring fingers..
"What's a Trekkie," Braddock asked.
"Just try it."
The two toads did so, but they quickly realized that they couldn't do the exact gesture, since they only had four fingers. Still, they tried their best, holding up their right hands in a similar gesture. Ethan couldn't help but laugh, and his friends joined in, all grateful to let off some pressure.
"No giggling," Captain Grime snapped from the crow's nest, pointing straight ahead. "We're here!"
They were in the middle of a marshy wasteland, very different from the lush green woods that had been living in before. Dead trees stuck out of the glowing red water, and a few giant leeches with bat wings flew nearby, their screeches echoing through the night. While Ethan had gotten used to many foul smells in Amphibia [he lived with toads, after all], his nose wrinkled in disgust at the strong stench of rotting wood and algae. They sailed to a nearby patch of land, anchoring the boat and getting off.
"Hey, uh, Ethan," Percy said, grabbing the teen's cloak before he could join the others. The toad smiled. "Thanks for that. I feel better already."
The human couldn't help but smile too. "Hey, my pleasure," he said. "And don't forget, make the gesture, and we'll leave."
They started off into a nearby patch of woods, with trees that were alive, but looked dead. Ethan held the map in front of him, following the directions. The three toads followed behind; Grime look determined, but Percy and Braddock still looked a little frightened, looking around with nervous expressions.
"Okay," the human said. "According to the map Aldo gave us, we should be close to where the hammer was last seen."
"This is insane," the toad captain protested. "Even if it exists, we'll never find it!"
"Found it," Percy spoke up, and the group stopped to look in the direction he was pointing. Sitting some distance away, partially stuck in the ground, was Barrel's Warhammer. It had to be it; it was big, metal, and sitting in the middle of a swamp with a spotlight on it. As if for dramatic effect, a few natural gasses puffed out from holes in the ground. Ethan wondered how no one had been able to find it before, seeing that it was just sitting out in the open for the taking; there was no cave or hidey hole for a monster to hide in, and he scoffed at the toads for being scared.
"I don't believe it," Captain Grime said, running over to the hammer, laughing a little. "It's real! Our ticket to revolution!"
"And no beast in sight," Percy added. "Could life actually be this easy for a change?"
"Quick, Grimothy," Ethan said, smirking as the captain's face flushed with embarrassment [Braddock and Percy covered snickers]. "Yank that thing out!"
Rubbing his hands together, Grime grabbed the handle of the hammer and pulled, grunting as he tried to lift it up. It didn't budge. He tried again a few times before he finally stopped.
"A little help?"
"Okay, gang," Ethan said as he and the toad soldiers joined Grime and grabbed the hammer. "On three. One, two, THREE!" They all pulled, but even with their combined efforts, the weapon did not lift, but it did shift a little.
As if on cue, the ground suddenly started to rumble. Immediately, they let go of the hammer, and Ethan, Braddock and Grime quickly drew their weapons.
"B-B-B-B-B-Beast," Percy stammered, hiding behind Grime.
"Look alive," the toad captain ordered. "Who knows where it'll come fro-"
The ground suddenly lurched beneath them, cutting off the toad's warning. It lifted into the sky, sending the group screaming and sliding into the nearby river. They quickly swam back to the boat, coughing and sputtering as they climbed aboard, looking around to see what it was. The mound of earth elongated, sliding through the water. Finally, the beast's head broke the surface, and they got their first look at it.
At first glance, Ethan thought that it was one of the giant sand worms straight out of his Dune book. It certainly looked like it; long, big, and with a mouth full of sharp teeth. However, unlike the worms, this one had large yellow eyes, and a large horn-like protrusion on its forehead. The eyes meant that it could see, which meant big trouble for them. Now that it was coiled up nearby, the thing screeched loudly, making all of them except Grime cover their ears as their teeth rattled at the noise.
"Ha ha ha," the captain laughed, unfazed by the noise as he drew his sword. "What a great way to go!"
Ethan glanced behind them, and saw Braddock and Percy frantically making the 'Live Long and Prosper,' sign, looking at him with terrified expressions. The teen looked back up at the monster, which roared again, and he spotted Barrel's Warhammer sitting on top of its head. He glanced back at his friends, then back at the monster, then shut his eyes.
We can't go back without it, he thought. We go back, we're toast, and we'll have the other toads looking for us, not just the Newtopians. If we bring the hammer back… He opened his eyes, putting aside his feelings.
"Sorry guys," he said out loud, turning to the two soldiers. We're too close to bail. I am not going back empty-handed."
The two toads gaped at him, shocked and betrayed looks on their faces.
"But-" Percy started to say.
"You said-" Braddock added.
"Steer us closer," Ethan ordered, sporting the same gleeful grin as Grime. "We need to get it to attack us."
"WHAT," Braddock and Percy exclaimed.
"Trust me," the human yelled back.
Opening the sail, Captain Grime sailed them towards the nearby coil of creature [since Percy and Braddock just stood there, being useless]. They stopped right in front of its tough, scaly hide, and Ethan drew his sword and attacked it. His sword clanged uselessly against it, but the monster brought its head around, glaring at them.
"Now we've got its attention," Ethan said. "Get ready!" He called the others to his side, watching as the creature's coils passed the boat. "Three, two, one, NOW!"
On the final yell, the group leaped into the air, right as the beast's head slammed into the boat destroying it. Percy and Braddock screamed, but all four of them landed on the monster's back, Ethan stabbing it with his sword to make sure he didn't fall off. The creature screeched again, bringing its body up out of the water, slanting into the sky. Screaming, the three toads started to slip and fall, but Ethan grabbed Grime's hand, and he in turn grabbed Braddock, who in turn grabbed Percy. The last toad looked down at the sinking wreckage of the boat.
"Aw, man, that was my mom's boat," he said. Fortunately, the creature brought its head back down, allowing them to rest on its back, and it started to swim across the swamp.
Seeing the hammer, Ethan grabbed his sword and ran towards it, quickly followed by the others. Reaching it, they tried again to pull it out of the monster's back, but were unsuccessful.
"Urgh," the teen growled. "This thing's never coming loose!" Looking at the nearby horn of the creature, he got a sudden idea that not only would work [probably], but came right from the pages of his sci-fi novel.
Running towards the horn, he threw off his cloak and took the length of coiled rope he had with him. Making a lasso, he threw the end of the rope over the creature's horn, capturing it. Digging his heels, the human pulled back on the rope, and the beast grunted, its head forced to lift. Behind him, Captain Grime clung to Barrel's Warhammer as Percy and Braddock went flying, screaming and tumbling down the back of the giant worm. They eventually caught themselves, now bruised and battered as the clung on for dear life. Grunting with effort, Ethan pulled the rope to the side, forcing the creature to turn, and it now started to swim faster. The teen was ecstatic; in Dune, many characters rode and controlled the giant sand worms, riding on them and steering them across the dessert planet. While there was a lack of sand in Amphibia, he could not help but grin as he steered it towards the North Tower.
"What are you doing," Captain Grime demanded, having managed to climb up the head to where his lieutenant was.
"What's it look like," Ethan yelled back. "I'm getting the Warhammer back to the tower!"
A wide smile broke out on the one-eyed toad's face. "You're insane and I LOVE IT!" Behind them, Percy and Braddock still screamed, holding onto the creature's back as it swam through the water. A few rocks and branches flew back, hitting them in the face. The monster worm finally left the water, now zooming over dirt and knocking trees aside.
"ETHAN," Percy yelled, eyes shut tight, though a few tears managed to leak through. "Please! Stop this!"
"But we're almost there," Ethan protested.
Grime gasped. "The tower! It's coming up too fast! We're going to crash into it! Go left! Go left!"
Ethan looked up, seeing that the skull-adorned ramparts of the tower were indeed coming up fast. Gasping, he pulled the rope left, trying to steer the monster away. However, the creature fought back, more steam shooting from it as it continued straight on, like a steam engine.
"I can't," the human cried. "I've lost control of it!" Grime grabbed the rope as well, the two of them trying to pull the creature to the left.
"There must be another way to stop it," the toad yelled. Ethan's mind raced frantically, and he finally came up with the answer.
"The Warhammer," he exclaimed, looking over at the nearby weapon. "It's the only weapon big enough to dent this thing's armor!"
They both dropped the rope and ran over to the hammer, once again trying to pry it out of the ground. Ethan put everything he had into pulling the weapon free, but it still did not budge. Eventually, Captain Grime let go.
"It's no use," he said. "Ethan, we've got to get out of here or we'll all die!"
"No," the human protested, eyes shut in concentration as he tried in vain to pull the weapon free. "I can do this! I am not gonna fail!"
His eyes snapped open, the pupils briefly glowing a pinkish-red color before fading to their normal grey. Sweat poured down his face, and a vein throbbed on his forehead
"NOT WHILE ANNE AND MARCY ARE GETTING BY WITHOUT ME!"
Grunting and planting both feet on either side of the weapon, Ethan pulled the weapon, his muscles no longer hurting as much as they had before. Grime gasped as the weapon slowly broke free of the monster's skin. Still straining, the teen gave one last yell before pulling the Warhammer free, lifting it over his head with a triumphant grin on his face. However, his victory was short-lived as the weight of the hammer pulled him back, making him start to fall. But the toad captain quickly grabbed the handle as well, preventing both it and the human from falling. Ethan looked back at the captain, who grinned at him as they held the hammer up.
Suddenly, the teen heard an electric whine, and he looked up to find glowing pink symbols flash along the hammer's handle, finally illuminating its metal head, which cackled with electricity. As the human gasped, small bursts of fire suddenly shot from the weapon's head, pulling both him and Grime into the air as it tried to fly away. Finally managing to get control of it, they steered it towards the monster's head. Holding Barrel's Warhammer, and with a final yell, they jumped up at the same time, swinging the weapon down and hitting the beast square on the head.
Electrical bursts exploded from the weapon, and the creature's skin cracked like an egg. The swamp worm roared angrily, but it was soon cut off as its eyes rolled into the back of its head, flopping onto the ground and skidding forward. It slid right up to the edge of the North Tower before stopping, only its horn breaking through the main window.
Inside, the three captains and the soldiers whirled around, gaping at what they saw. The human stood at the end of the horn, battered and bruised, with Barrel's Warhammer in his hand.
"One warhammer, as promised," he stated, tossing it towards the ground. The hammer hit the ground with a heavy thud, and a loud gasp echoed through the hall. Captains Bufo and Beatrix looked stunned, and the teen smirked at them as he hopped down to their level. Captain Grime jumped off the toad's horn, ran over to the hammer and grabbed it, lifting it over his head to symbolize that he was meant to lead the toads. Only then did most of the crowd start to cheer, though they were silenced as Captain Aldo raised his hand, turning to Ethan.
"We hereby grant you the support of all three towers for your rebellion," the toad stated, a small smile on his wizened face.
The teen could not help but grin. "YES! Yes, yes, yes," he exclaimed, fist-pumping the air several times.
"Well, lieutenant," Captain Grime said, coming over to him and nudging him in the side. "I had my doubts, but we did it!"
"Of course we did," the human agreed. "After all, we're the best team in this, or any other world! Right, Braddock? Percy?"
Ethan turned in time to watch the two soldiers scream and fall off the creature's horn, landing in a heap on the floor. They looked more battered and bruised than he and Grime, and the teen watched Braddock help Percy to his feet because his legs were shaking so bad. Concerned, he rushed over to them.
"Woah, you guys okay," Ethan asked.
"Okay," Percy repeated, a hard glare replacing his usual smile; Braddock sported a similar look. "Ethan, we almost DIED back there!"
"We trusted you," Braddock continued, "and you didn't care one bit about what happened to us, as long as you got what you wanted!"
"That's not true," the teen protested, surprised that they were upset with him. He smiled, hoping to cheer them up. "Besides, we did it! We got the hammer!"
The two toads' expressions softened a little, but now they just looked disappointed.
"No Ethan, you did it," Percy said. "And I think me and Braddock are done with this. With all of this." They shouldered past the human, starting to walk away.
"What," Ethan asked, running after them. "Where are you going? Guys, come back!" They stopped and looked back at him with sorrowful expressions, which upset him, for some bizarre reason. "You're not actually gonna throw this all away, are you?! We are so close, I can feel it!"
"Goodbye, Ethan," Percy said. "We hope you pull it off." He smiled a little. "We really do." Then, turning away, the two walked towards the exit, Percy leaning on his girlfriend for support.
For a split second, the human stood there, watching them leave. Then, he started to run after them before being stopped by Captain Grime.
"That's enough," the toad ordered.
"Out of my way, Grime," the teen demanded, hands clenched into fists, his fingernails digging into his palms.
"Just let them go, Ethan," the toad captain continued. "We all have our limits. And it looks like they finally hit theirs."
"But-"
"I know it hurts, but remember, every dream has its price, and not everyone's willing to pay it." He brightened up a little. "Now come on, soldier. We've got a world to conquer!" He ran off to join the other captains, but the teen stood where he was, watching the doors close behind his friends.
His friends…
Percy and Braddock had been his first friends in Amphibia. Ethan thought back to all the times they ate in the mess hall together, ran drills together. He put a hand to his shoulder, realizing that the cloak they had given him was gone; he had thrown it off back in the swamp. He remembered Percy comforting him that one time when he had run off, and recalled Braddock's herbal salve, which was the reason his scars had been able to heal. First left alone by his own species, but now his two closest friends… His lip trembled a little, but he forced himself not to cry; he can't be making himself and Grime look bad in front of all these toads. He relaxed his hands.
"Goodbye, Percy," he said in a low voice. "Goodbye, Braddock." And with a small sigh, he turned away from the door, walking back to join Captain Grime and his plan for Amphibia.
So now Grime and Ethan have the support they need to take over Amphibia, but it comes at the cost of his friendship with Braddock and Percy. First he loses his human friends, and now his toad ones...
Anyway, I hope you all liked this story, including the Start Trek references! Ethan's a sci-fi nerd, so I figured he'd know stuff like that. I hope you all have a great day, and Live Long and Prosper!
-aggiefrogger
Note: I do NOT own Start Trek or any of its associated names/terminology.