Chapter 3: Wartwood
"So let me get this straight, you're a Time Lord from a planet called Gallifrey, you travel through time and space, exploring new worlds, and you are over 900 years old?"
"Precisely Ms. Wu."
The Master (under the guise of "The Doctor") and Marcy made some conversation during their walk to the town of Wartwood. He told Marcy of Gallifrey, how the fields of grass were red as roses, how the sky then turned burnt orange during the night, his youth days spent at the academy, and how his people achieved great things such as the ability to travel through time and space. Interestingly, he did leave out the part about Time War with the Daleks.
Maybe I should tell her about the War, probably could gain some sympathy from the girl. Thought the Master as he pondered about his next scheme. Maybe he could have a rest from all the fighting, genocides, and chaos that the conflict caused, after all, he deserved it. Luckily for him that Marcy was naïve enough to believe his lies without hypnosis.
Maybe when the time is right. Not right now.
"Wow" marveled Marcy with excitement written across her face as she jotted notes down in her notebook from the Master's tales, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Like I still cannot believe I am really here, me Marcy Wu, talking to a real-life alien in another dimension!"
"Indeed Ms. Wu." replied the Master as he trudged through the mud, keeping his composure and deception in front of Marcy. "I'm surprised you are taking all this information rather well."
"Well considering I was teleported to another dimension due to a music box you got your friend to steal for her birthday," Marcy said sheepishly. "I have been through a lot these past months."
While the Master had told her of Gallifrey, she had told him about the world of Amphibia. How she arrived in the kingdom of Newtopia and had been living there for the past months under the guidance of King Andrias, the tales of her adventures of being a ranger, the flora and fauna that covered the world, how there were amphibians that lived throughout the land, and their primitive class structure and societal characteristics. Oh, how foolish was she, making it almost too easy for him.
"True, true," said the Master "Girls your age don't really travel to other dimensions via a music box on a daily basis, especially not a world of frogs, toads, and newts no less."
"Yeah." responded Marcy as she prepared her next question "So Doctor, you said that you have been traveling several hundred years right? What kinds of alien threats have you faced?"
"Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Sea Devils, and many more, probably too many for you to list, some of them I have probably forgotten about." Replied the Master, listing off some of his "encounters" with other species.
"And have any of these aliens tried to invade Earth?" asked Marcy
"Well," said the Master in a thoughtful tone, trying to choose his next words carefully "Some have tried but every time they have attempted I've always come to the rescue."
"Interesting." Replied Marcy as she scribbled down some more notes. "You mentioned a group of aliens called Cybermen?"
"Um yes, why so?" said the Master curiously, raising a brow.
"During 2007, there were reports of an invasion of ghosts around the world that turned into metal men. Are they related to these Cybermen you speak off?"
The Master brushed it off "Probably one of your Earth government experiments gone wrong."
"Huh, that's what the news said" replied Marcy "Some sightings in Canary Wharf on the internet say it was aliens and that there were flying bronze UFOs shooting lasers from the sky."
Ugh, Why must humans always ask so many questions? Thought the Master as he was annoyed at Marcy's consistent prodding at him for answers like some kind of news reporter.
Just a little bit longer, Master, it will all be worth it in the end.
"No offense my dear child but you humans tend to overexaggerate things, especially when on social media with others."
"Well yeah but-"
Suddenly the Master stopped in his tracks as Marcy bumped into him, unable to finish her last sentence. Marcy looked up and saw that they had arrived at the gates of Wartwood.
"I assume we have arrived at the town called Wartwood?" The Master asked
Marcy then snapped out of her previous questioning and puzzling mood to then turn to her usual more excited, happy mood.
"Um yeah! Welcome to Wartwood!" announced Marcy showing her hand to the town as they then started to walk to the main center of town. "Home to 88 known Amphibians, well 90 if you count me and Anne, and one of the many towns located in Amphibia!"
"Fascinating." said the Master as he looked around, observing the various houses that lay on top of the swamp below. "Impressive engineering keeping the buildings floating on top rather than sinking into the depths of this um… lovely swamp."
"I know right!" replied Marcy "The designers knew how heavy to make everything so the town would never sink!"
"I never would have guessed that." said the Master sarcastically (though trying to cover that tone in front of Marcy). "Brilliant observation Ms. Wu."
Marcy then began giving a tour of the various places in Wartwood from the various shops, the town's history, and buildings. From what she had shown and told to the Master, it looked like the town was no different from any other backwater, primate society he has visited (besides the Amphibious residents). He was almost surprised that the Time War never came to this world as it did to most of the galaxy.
Oh, how the ignorant and stupid survive overall.
As the pair continued the tour, the frogs who lived in the town began to stare at the Master. Some even ran away when the two got close. Even at one point, a small mob with pitchforks and torches approached them but Marcy quickly shooed them away. Others began to whisper to each other or mutter to themselves, some of which he could overhear.
"Another outsider?"
"Just what we need if two weren't bad enough."
"Wonder where this one came from?"
"It looks uglier than the last one!"
The Master's hand slowly edged closer to his right pocket where his laser screwdriver was located as more insults and comments were thrown at him. Oh, how he wanted to kill them all where they stood and hear their screams of agony. How easy it would be to end their miserable, slimy, disgusting lives right this moment but they would live for now as he needed to be on Marcy's good side if he wanted to learn more.
"And over here is the Plantar farm. Home to the Plantar's and my BFF Anne!" said Marcy snapping the Master out of his cruel thoughts suddenly realizing how far they had walked from town.
In front of him was a giant stump that had been turned into some kind of housing unit, covered in moss and grass. Surrounding the house was a small shed and several fields where some crops were growing. Also outside was a wagon with a sign saying "Marcy is here" complete with her crudely drawn face.
"Oh this is so exciting" giggled Marcy hardly controlling herself "I can't wait for you to meet Anne, Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop!"
"As much as I appreciate your kindness, are you sure that they will accept me?" asked the Master "I don't really feel that with the townsfolk."
"Sure they will," replied Marcy confidently "They accepted Anne and I though it did take some time even after almost sinking the entire town but still."
"Very well Ms. Wu, I will trust your good faith." Said the Master as they approached the door as Marcy opened it.
As they entered the living room, he saw a girl about Marcy's age with auburn hair and a pink frog with a green hat lying on a couch. The frog seemed to be playing some sort of game on the girl's phone. Marcy then pulled the Master by the arm towards the pair on the couch like he was something for a show and tell.
"Anne, Sprig!" said Marcy, excitement, and joy oozing from her voice "You'll never guess what I just discovered!"
"Hey, Marcy," said Anne "Did you end up finishing your-OH MY GOSH WHO IS THAT?!"
Anne almost jumped from the couch. Her face had a look of pure shock as she saw the Master. Sprig began to look away from the phone due to Anne suddenly shouting and was just as shocked.
"Oh you must be Anne Boonchuy and Sprig Plantar," he said he held out his hand to shake theirs. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Marcy has told me so much about you two."
"Uh-huh," said Anne as she shook the Master's hand with a confused look on her face replacing the previous shocked one.
Sprig however had a suspicious look on his face as he slowly shook the Master's hand.
"Nice to me you too Marcy's friend," said Sprig squinting with menace "If that is your real name! Seriously what is your name?"
"Oh, how rude of me," apologized the Master putting on his best apologetic face. "Call me the Doctor."
"Um, Doctor who?" asked Anne
"Just the Doctor nothing else." replied the Master "Well at least not a Doctor from Amphibia of course."
"Wait are you from Earth?!" said Anne excitedly as hope begin to spread on her face. "Wait, are they like sending a rescue party after us?!"
Here we go again. Thought the Master, annoyed at having to endure another chatty girl.
Before Anne could ask anything else, Marcy then spoke "No Anne, he's not from Earth! He is an alien from another world called Gallifrey."
From what Anne had just heard, her face turned to a puzzled look. Sprig also had a puzzled look on his face though was still suspicious of who the Master was.
"No offense Mar-Mar but this guy looks pretty normal to me."
"Anne he has two hearts!" shouted Marcy "Two hearts!"
Then suddenly a voice came from another room. Suddenly two more figures entered the room. One was an elderly frog with grey hair and another was a purple tadpole who bounced in.
"Girls, could you be a little less loud Polly and I- Hey who are you?"
Marcy quickly dragged both of them towards the Master. The both of them had confused looks on their faces.
"Polly, Hop Pop I would like you to meet the Doctor!" she said as she proudly presented the Master in front of them. "He's a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey!"
The three Plantar's eyes then perked up in interest.
"Wait did you say Time Lord?" said Sprig
"Um yeah why?" asked Marcy as Hop Pop, Polly and Sprig had walked (or bounced in Polly's case) closer to the Master.
Hop Pop then spoke up "There are some old legends of creatures called themselves Time Lords. Creatures that could control time." Hop Pop then stared at the Master. "One of them called themselves a Doctor."
Marcy then looked at the Master in shock "Wait you've been here before?! Wait why haven't I heard of this, wouldn't it be written in one of the books in Amphibia?"
"Very few remember this tale as it happened thousands of years ago and was almost lost to time itself," replied Hop Pop "Well that and that no one really wrote it down."
He then continued the story "Long ago Amphibia was terrorized by monsters who lived in the water that would snatch frogs, toads, and newts alike. One day a creature wearing a red scarf and coat with another who had a golden badge came in a blue box. The two defeated the monsters that threatened Amphibia. Before they left, the folks asked who they were and the one in the red scarf said that he was a Doctor and a Time Lord."
"Every bedtime Hop Pop would tell us that story," said Polly "Though it got really annoying the thousandth time."
"Hey, that story was passed down from generation to generation!"
"Oh, I remember now," said the Master "I had just left Traken with my dear companion Adric when I stumbled across this world. I remember a town was being built but I never got its name."
"Wartwood!" said Marcy "You were there when it was just being built! Wait you said you had a companion what happened to him?"
The Master then made the best solemn expression he could and he said the following words as he shed a crocodile tear. "Unfortunately Adric was killed by the Cybermen. Poor boy never stood a chance."
Marcy gave the Master a sympathetic look. She then gave him a hug and he hugged her back. While Marcy was fully convinced of the Master's story, Anne and the rest were still not sure of what to think about him.
"So um Doctor, if you are an alien then can you show us some proof so like we know you are telling the truth?" asked Anne
The Master and Marcy stopped hugging then let go of each other. The Master then reached into his right pocket and pulled out his laser screwdriver. He then pointed it at the nearby grandfather clock and pushed it down admitting a loud buzzing sound as the tip turned yellow. The clock then began to spin forwards then backward then out of control. He then pressed down on the screwdriver again as the hands stopped spinning.
"Now do you believe me?" asked the Master who was annoyed with all these demonstrations.
"Boo! Lame!" said Polly not really impressed by the Master.
Frustrated, he then pointed his laser screwdriver out of an open window and aimed for a tree nearby. He then pressed down on the button and a beam of yellow light came out of the emitter hitting the tree, disintegrating it on impact leaving Marcy and the others shocked with their jaws wide open.
"Is that enough proof?"
Polly then became excited by the destruction the Master had caused. Marcy then scribbled some more notes down in her notebook as Polly spoke.
"Do it again!" she shouted bouncing in excitement at the destruction caused.
"That's enough for today," said Hop Pop quickly. "Don't want anything else blowing up now do we?"
"Yup." Said Anne as she nodded in agreement as the Master's stomach growled loudly as did Marcy's.
"Um sorry to be rude but could I have a bite to eat, I am rather famished." said the Master
"Well you're just in time for lunch," said Hop Pop
The elderly frog then leads them into the kitchen where they sat down at the table. Hop Pop then brought out a large pot and some bowls. He then began to serve the contents of the pot in the bowls and passed them over.
As the others began to eat, the Master stared down at the bowl to see various contents. Inside the bowl was some kind of green swamp water mixed in with multiple insects. After poking the "stew" with his spoon some sort of spider came crawling out.
"Um not to be rude to your kind hospitality but do you have anything that is um… how should I say it um.. not of the insect variety?" asked the Master trying not to vomit at the so-called "food" in front of him.
"Oh, so you're a no-bug kind of alien," said Marcy jotting down some more notes while eating her stew.
"Come on dude it's not that bad," said Anne "Once you get past all the bugs and the smell."
"It's got all the natural nutrients that every frog needs," Said Hop Pop "and Time Lord."
The Master looked at the stew then at everyone at the table. He then slowly took a spoonful and raised it to his mouth. Then he slowly took a sip from the stew. The Master then slowly swallowed the stew as everyone watched in anticipation.
Ugh! It tastes more repulsive than its looks! Thought the Master, trying not to think about what he had just eaten. He then ate some more, finishing the bowl.
"Mmmm. What a wonderful meal!" said the Master giving a smile while trying to retch or throw up. "I never thought you could get those flavors out of insects!"
"Hmph! Darn right!" said Hop Pop proudly "This recipe was family favorite! Would you like some more?"
Quickly the Master put up his hands. "No thank you. I think I've had quite enough for one day."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Also, do you have a bathroom so I may wash my hands? Asked the Master quickly as he felt the stew coming back up.
"Yeah. Second floor." Said Hop Pop
The Master once out of eyesight then rushed towards the bathroom. Once inside he then threw up the foul stew into the sink. After several minutes of nonstop retching and throwing up finally stopped. He then looked up at the bathroom mirror in disgust.
"Oh, these wretched amphibians will rue the day," sneered the Master to himself. "All of them will fear the name, The Master!"
"Did you just say something?" said Marcy outside
"Um, nothing my dear child! Just talking to myself that's all!" said the Master quickly changing his tone.
And you Miss Wu will help me achieve total dominance.
Author's notes: Here's chapter three. Hope you enjoyed it. Trying to see if I can push out a chapter every two weeks if possible. Also if you want to see what the War Master's laser screwdriver looks like look up the cover for "Rage of the Time Lords." See you guys later.