Me: Says this chapter will probably be short
Also Me: Writes 1900 words

The South Toad Tower was many things. For the greater Toad Army, it was one of their four strongholds from which they can exercise their will. For the frogs living in Wartwood and the surrounding valley, it was a fortress of fear and oppression. For the upper-class newts in Newtopia, it's a place to keep the "unruly" toads in check. But for Sasha and the toads who lived there, above all else Toad Tower was home. Yes, it was cold and dreary and grimy in one way or another, but it's home nonetheless.

It certainly felt a lot more like home than the Waybright residence at least.

"So will we be the first frogs to visit the tower?" asked Sprig.

"Definitely not," said Grime. "Plenty of frogs have come to our tower." His voice became quieter. "Though you might be the first ones who come there under friendly circumstances."

"Everything'll probably be fine," said Sasha. "The toads and frogs were really bonding at the party."

"You kids should keep your guard up, just in case," said Hop Pop. "In fact, maybe we should just stay outside while Sasha and Captain Grime get their stuff."

"C'mon, Grandpa-hop! I wanna see Sasha's room!" Anne protested.

"And I have to see the weapons room!" shouted Polly.

"We have more than one of those," said Sasha.

Polly's eyes widened with happy tears. "Yes!"

"Perhaps a little tour of the tower will be in order," said Grime."

"That sounds like it might be fun," said Sprig. Anne and Polly nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that's exactly what we need. Another delay…" muttered Karina under her breath. "I don't get paid enough for this job."

When the birds approached the tower, the Wartwoodians couldn't help but notice how different toad architecture was compared to frog-built structures. While the buildings in Wartwood and other frog towns were small and had a lot of plant-based elements in irregular shapes, toad structures were imposing, stone, and uniform. The higher-ups of Amphibia would never let frogs build structures that large. And the tower's imposing design was complemented by its location. It was situated right by a cliffside, almost as if it was the point of no return after a long journey.

"Welcome to the South Toad Tower!" said Sasha. "Doesn't it look awesome?"

"It certainly looks interesting…" said Sprig with some unease.

"It looks like a boss dungeon from one of Marcy's video games," said Anne.

"Well one day we'll bring Marcy here so she can see it for herself," said Sasha hopefully.

The birds landed right outside the tower's front gate.

Karina sighed. "You can go on this tour but don't take so long. I will leave in 45 minutes and if you're not done by then then you'll have to walk to Newtopia."

Everyone else hopped off the sparrow, "What's her problem?" asked Polly.

"She's probably just jealous that some frogs are getting special treatment from the king," said Grime.

Polly chuckled. "I am special."

The front gate opened and Percy and Braddock walked out to greet them. Percy was still wearing his funny hat from the Amphibaversary party. (Someone might've glued it to his head as a prank, but if that was true, Percy wasn't doing anything to rectify the problem.)

"Hey everyone!" Percy happily waved.

"Percy! Braddock!" Sasha ran up and squished the two toads into a hug.

"Whoa, easy there," said Braddock.

Sasha quickly let go. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," said Percy. "You're really strong but that's okay."

He and Braddock saluted as Grime approached. "Captain Grime, sir!"

"At ease, corporals," said Grime. "How have things at the tower been these past few weeks?"

"Mostly good," said Braddock. "There have been a few arguments but nothing's gotten out of hand."

Grime hummed. "I see."

"Captain Grime promised us a tour!" shouted Anne.

Percy and Braddock stared at Grime in surprise for a few seconds before the captain cleared his throat. "Yes. Percy, why don't you start showing the Plantars around the tower for a little bit while Braddock explains these arguments."

"Yes sir, Captain Grime, sir. Right this way, everyone." Percy started walking back into the tower and the frogs and humans followed him. "I guess we'll start with the rec room/mess hall." When they approached the door, Percy stopped everyone else from going in. "I should explain everything first. Just a second!" And with that, he rushed inside.

All the toads in the rec room froze up when Percy loudly ran through the doors. "Grime and Sasha are back?" one of them asked.

"Yep, and they brought some friends." Percy opened the door and let the rest come in. "You remember Anne and the Plantar frogs…"

"Hiiiiiiiiiiii!" Anne happily waved.

Many of the toads waved back. The situation was clearly awkward but most of them had smiles on their faces.

"I'm just gonna show them around for a bit while Captain Grime and Sasha pick up some supplies," said Percy.

"Ooh! Try mosquito darts!" said a blue female toad.

"No! Try tongue wrestling instead!" shouted a teal male toad.

"Humans can't do tongue wrestling so my idea wins!"

"Damn it!"

Grime and Braddock caught up with the group as they descended into a dank chamber. Some tired-looking toads stirred vats of green liquid.

"Here's where we brew our grog," said Braddock. "It tastes better than it looks."

One of the brewing toads handed cups to Anne, Sprig, and Polly. "Free samples…" they said in a raspy voice.

Hop Pop looked at the drink with suspicion. "Should kids really be drinking this stuff?"

"Is it any worse than the garbage juice you tried selling as a health drink?" She gulped down her grog immediately afterward.

Hop Pop shrugged. "Guess not."

"I like it," said Sprig. "It's tangy."

Anne nodded "Yeah, it's good tangy like my mom's chili sauce or your grilled ladybugs."

"What's bad tangy then?" asked Hop Pop.

"My dad's alcohol mixture," said Sasha. "I asked to try it once. Worst mistake of my life."

"We're here at the weapons room!" Percy announced.

Sasha and Polly ran into the room before he even finished his sentence. They grabbed over a dozen weapons out of storage and started to fill a chest.

"Most of these are toad weapons but a few of them are ones we confiscated from prisoners," Percy continued.

Hop Pop turned to Grime. "Aren't you a little concerned with how excited these kids are at handling deadly weapons?"

Grime shrugged. "Maybe a little. But in a world as dangerous as Amphibia, knowing how to fight is key."

"Look at these swords, Anne!" shouted Sasha.

Anne walked over and noticed she was attracted to one sword with a gold hilt and silver blade. She picked up and looked and admired it. "Is this a toad sword?"

"Nah," said Braddock. "We took that from a prisoner named Tritonio Espada. He robbed a few trains but we eventually caught him."

"It's beautiful," said Anne with a starry-eyed look. "Can I pleeeeeease keep it?"

Hop Pop put his hands over his eyes as soon as he saw Anne turn toward him. He knew she would use her "cute eyes" on him. "I'm not looking!"

"C'mon, Hop Pop!" said Polly. "How bad can it be?"

"Yeah, I think Captain Grime is right," said Sprig. "We can all use a weapon."

Hop Pop grumbled. He grumbled for an entire minute before he relented. "Oh, alright."

"Hoopa da boopa… this is your room!?"

Anne couldn't believe it. She had never seen a bedroom this big except in mansions in movies. It had a king-size bed, a plush couch, a long table with an oversized throne, big plush rabbits, and even a couple of statues of Sasha. To top it all off, the whole thing was decorated with gold, solidifying its fanciness.

"Yeah, it's awesome," said Sasha with a hint of sadness. "Maybe a little too awesome."

"Is everything okay?" asked Anne.

Sasha tried to hide her tears to no avail. "I'm scared, Anne." She stopped to hug Anne before continuing. "The toads have been so nice to me, so much nicer than my parents ever were. I don't want to go back there! I want to stay here!"

Anne hugged Sasha back even tighter. "Sash… we won't leave Amphibia forever. But I don't think we should abandon Earth either. Maybe you can stay at my house when we get back."

Sasha sniffed. "Maybe." It was just then that Sasha noticed she and Anne were the only ones in her room. "Where did everyone else go?"

Anne shrugged. "To see other rooms I guess. Sprig wanted to see all the rooms."

(Meanwhile)

"So what's in this here?" asked Sprig.

"Oh, that's where I keep my instruments," said Percy. "I've got a little one man band show going on."

"Uh huh, and what about here?"

"Food storage," said Braddock.

"Ooh! And that one!"

"We don't really do much with that room anymore," said Percy, "but it used to be the pain room."

"The pain room?" asked Polly.

Grime's eyes (eye?) widened. "Uh… what Percy means is that we are always looking for progress here at Toad Tower so sometimes we experiment with new things." He shot the fun-loving toad a glare. "Isn't that right, Corporal?"

Percy gulped. "Yes, that's right. Heh heh…"

Grime didn't want to admit he'd whitewashed some of the stuff that happened at the tower before Sasha's arrival. Young children don't need to know about the old torture chambers. Too bad this would be quickly ruined.

"Making others cover your ass now, Grime?"

Everyone turned around to see Bog standing at the end of the hallway.

"He used to torture failures in that room all the time."

"Is that true?" asked Sprig.

Bog nodded. "Yep. Grime was the toughest toad in the valley, but that blonde brat made him weak." He spit on the floor. "Pathetic."

"Watch your tone, Bog," said Grime threateningly. "I'm not as cruel or stern as I used to be— I won't deny that. However…" he grabbed his sword and pointed it at Bog. "I never stopped being tough, and you better not forget that. I know you're trying to subvert my authority. I advise you to stop this endeavor now before it fails miserably."

Bog wasn't fazed one bit. "Whatever you say, old man. I think you're better suited for retirement." He walked away before anyone could stop him.

"I don't trust him," Braddock muttered.

"What should we do?" asked Percy.

Grime sighed. "Right now let's collect Sasha and Anne. Our 45 minutes are almost up."

"You actually got everything in time," said Karina. "I'm impressed. I didn't think you were capable of being somewhat efficient."

"Yeah, yeah." Sasha tossed the chest of weapons onto the finch along with a few items she grabbed from her room.

"I'm expecting you two to hold down the fort while we're gone," said Grime to Percy and Braddock.

"We won't fail you, Captain," said Braddock.

Grime nodded. "I'll be sending regular correspondence so keep me notified of anything that happens. And keep an eye on Bog. I fear he may attempt an insurrection while I'm gone."

"Yes, sir!" Percy saluted.

"Daaaaaaaad! Hurry up!" called out Sasha.

Grime turned around and saw that he was the only one not on the sparrow. "Oh, alright."

He hopped up to join the rest of the group and the birds took off toward Newtopia.

I hope you're ready for Anne & Sasha's reunion with Marcy because it's coming in the next chapter!