FATE CALAMITY Book 1: Amphibia

by FinalReviewer

"Does fate control our lives, or are we the masters that decides our own fate?" Follow the story of Kenji Richards with his friends Anne, Sasha, and Marcy as they enter the world of Amphibia with the power of Heroes for ancient history and legends in cards given to him by an trolling Wizard Marshal. (Amphibia AU. OC x Anne. Rated T may change to Rated M)

13. Chapter 13 and Bonus

The intro opens with Anne's hands on the Calamity Box, opening it. Light from inside the box shines brightly before it switches to a scene that shows Kenji, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy, looking inside. Suddenly there was a white light and everything when blank.

Kenji was on the ground when the light faded, covered in mud with Anne next to him. When he woke up, he looked shocked to see he was in Amphibia with Anne. The two friends stood up and looked at their surroundings in awe.

The camera then zoomed out and showed the entire world of Amphibia.

Tenohira ni kizama re teru

Tsugihagi no yona sono sen ni furete

The scene then changed to the town of Wartwood as the frog inhabitants go about their daily lives. As a pair of dragonflies fly past the camera, it followed them until stopping at the Plantar farmhouse while the sun was starting to rise in the sky.

When the camera changed to show the house's front door, Kenji and Anne stepped out from inside and out into the world. Ready to take on the day. But first, they ducked their heads under some dragonflies that passed them.

Hibiware sona atama to

Gurasu ga sasata kokoro de mae hashiru

The camera moves up to a window on the side of the house. Sprig opened the window with a telescope in hand. He looked through it at the horizon before slipping off the windowsill and started falling. Inside the house, Hop Pop was reading one of his books in his study when Sprig's falling and screaming made him look at his window. Down on the ground, Sprig had landed in Polly's bucket. His little sister responded by punching her brother in the butt. Sending him flying out of the bucket. She then dove back into her bucket of water.

Sprig landed on Anne's head, and the three of them smiled at one another. Then Sprig pointed at something. Kenji pulled out one of his Class Cards, and the friends rushed off into the unknown.

The scene changed to show Kenji, Anne, and Sprig hopping across multiple mushrooms that lit up when one of them landed on it.

Koware kake no sekai

Kuzure so o de memai

The next scene showed Anne, Sprig, and Kenji running for their lives from a giant chicken monster. Kenji summons a black steed from his Rider Card then gets the others on and gallops away faster from the giant poultry. The scene begins to break apart as red line spread across the screen.

The next scene showed Sprig, Anne, Kenji, Polly, and Hop Pop fishing together on a lily pad before it suddenly rose into the air. Underneath it was a giant fish that started swimming around as everyone started screaming. Kenji, however, started stabbing it with a black broadsword. The scene to break apart like the scene before.

Another scene showed Sprig in a temple looking at something before Kenji and Anne came rushing down the stairs beside him. Anne picked him up as they ran away from a giant boulder that came crashing into the temple. And just like the last two scenes, it begins to break apart in red lines.

Karappo na karada de

Ibtsuna shikai

The next scene showed a red, dark area. Anne and Kenji had their backs together, and both having looks of determination. Anne raised her card: Alter Ego, and Kenji raised his card: Saber as the cards begin to glow.

Still, in the same scene, the viewer is suddenly pulled back to reveal that they were surrounded by dozens of twisted frog/toad/newt-like creatures and a giant snake crawling up from behind them. Towering over them and hissing.

Zokkuri to myako o utsu inochi no sen

Naifu de nazotte nobashite shimaetara

ne dareka oshiete Tsuki ga mierunara

The amphibian-like abominations started attacking as Kenji now armed with Balmung/Gram and Anne now armed with the Absolute Sword – Endless Three-Stage rushed towards the viewer. Smashing, slicing, and killing any twisted being that came at them. Just as the viewer watched them go past the camera on both sides, the Giant Snake lunged at the fleeing kids. Its mouth opens as it comes towards the camera before the viewer is in the blackness of the snake's mouth, but it didn't last long as Kenji swung his sword and cuts down the snake with one strike.

Kesenai de

mada kesenai de

The scene changed again to a split screen with the left side show Anne's photo of herself, Kenji, Sasha, and Marcy together being held in a gloved hand and on the right is an older man in his fifties with a grin on his face. A flash of light showed the man's face more and the infamous Toad Tower in the background.

Kienaide mada Kienaide

The final scene of the intro showed Kenji standing in the middle of a road looking at the Class Cards he has. He looked to his left and saw Anne walking over to him with a smile. Then Sprig came over to his right and jumped on Kenji's shoulders while Fou jumps on his head with a content smile on his face. Hop Pop and Polly walked/hopped over and joined the trio. The screen begins to pan downwards as it shows reflections not of the group but of legendary heroes of Earth's history.

The intro ends with the title of the story.

---

FATE / CALAMITY

Book 1: Amphibia

Chapter 13:

Toad Tax with Fate

---

One month before she caused herself, Marcy, Sasha, and Kenji to be trapped in the world of Amphibia, Anne was walking down the road, letting out a sigh as she walked behind two other girls from her class. It was a long day of school with so many tests and teachers that got on her back for not paying attention during their lessons. It's not her fault that their lessons were boring! They should update the class so that people like her can understand it better.

Anne was just minding her own business, texting on her phone to her friends when the girls in front of her stopped suddenly.

One of the girls gasped with her hand over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, is that Kenji Richards?"

Anne gasped and looked up when she heard that name. Kenji? The same Kenji she still remembered? Looking in the direction of the girls, Anne saw them staring at something across the street. She turned her head and her eyes widened.

There he was, walking down the other sidewalk across the road, was Kenji Richards. The Japanese American boy that she and her friends abandoned long ago. His blue hat and brown hair covered his eyes as he walked alone down the sidewalk. Not looking up for anything.

"Oh my gosh, that's really him! I thought he was thrown in juvey," the other girl said. "Didn't he attack that owner of that new shoe brand?"

"I heard about that! It's awful what he did…."

Anne drowned them out as she watched her former walking away. Unable to believe what she was hearing. Kenji, one of the nicest boys she's met, got sent to juvenile detention? It's been so many years since she last talked to him yet would catch sight of him on occasions after she ended things with him. On very few occasions, they would share a glance, before Kenji would bitterly look away. But just from looking at him now, even from far away, Anne couldn't help but think how miserable and lonely he appeared to be.

Anne was about to walk across the street and talk to him when her phone pinged. She looked at it, seeing that it was Sasha. She wanted Anne to meet her at the arcade, now.

Having no other option, Anne turned her back on Kenji once again and walked away.

---

And now, Anne's back together with Kenji. The same (boy)friend she, Marcy, and Sasha turned their backs on. Now trapped in another world, they're forced to work together to survive and try and rebuild their old friendship.

On this day, both she and Kenji were accompanying Hop Pop to the Grub & Go. As Kenji with Fou sleeping on his head walked behind Hop Pop, Anne walked behind him. Staring at the back of his head with a conflicted expression. Anne never personally asked Kenji about the rumors. Because that's all they were to her. Rumors. There was no way that the sweet little boy that was all timid and shy, while also brave and courageous, would have been sent to juvenile detention.

Then again, she was the one that ended their friendship.

It made Anne hate herself when realizing that she could have been there for him. She loved Marcy and Sasha, for they were like the sisters she never had. But being with Kenji and rediscovering how much she enjoyed his company made Anne realize just how much of a mistake they made to just abandon him.

She'll have to talk to both girls when she reunites with them. But for now, Anne was happy to see Kenji smiling and having a good time.

"Oh!" Anne stopped out of her thoughts when she saw Hop Pop stop. "Pill bugs are on sale."

"Great! We can have them with the meat from that giant chicken me and Anne killed," Kenji said with a grin. "All I need to do is find the right seasoning for the meat."

"Ooh! I'll come with you. I want to grab some of that beetle jerky I like," Anne said. The girl had to pause for a moment, with Kenji even looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, can't believe I just said that, too."

"Okay, kiddos. See you outside," Hop Pop said before the kids walked off. He then just threw all the pill bugs into the cart.

As they walked down the aisle, Anne looked at her friend and blushed a little. "You're really stepping up as the chef of the house, huh?" she commented.

"Well, someone's got to," Kenji said bashfully as he looked at some of the spices on sale. "Especially with how Hop Pop cooks. We can't always eat fish, so I'm trying to learn how to cook other foods. I wonder if I can make Miso soup in this world. Oh, score!"

He grabbed a single bag of beetle jerky from the shelf. The only one that was on the shelf.

"Here you go, Anne," he said, turning to her. "The last of the–"

Suddenly, Wally shot his tongue out at the bag and grabbed it out of Kenji's hand. The two kids looked at the frog as he pulled his tongue back and grabbed the jerky with his hand.

"Hey, what the hell! That was totally our, Wally," Kenji said angrily.

"Didn't see your names on it, scarecrows," he said to them before guffawing and hopping off.

"Hey! Don't call us a scarecrow," Anne said, shaking her fist at him. However, she was hit in the back of her legs. The two kids looked back to see that it was Mrs. Croaker that rammed into her.

"Hey! Move your big behind, scarecrow. Croaker needs her cookies," she said, repeatedly ramming Anne with her cart.

"Hey Ms. Croaker, you can always go around her. You don't need to ram your cart into her." Kenji said to her with a narrow look on his face. The old frog was going to retort at him, but then she saw it was the boy that said it. Seeing the way that he was staring at her seemed to frighten Mrs. Croaker a little, because she silently took his advice and went around Kenji and Anne.

With a sigh, Kenji grabbed Anne's arm and pulled her along. "Come on, let's just go," he said, wanting to leave the store and go home. Even after all this time that he's spent in the village and being around the frogs of Wartwood, it all remains the same. They still feared him, and they still didn't respect him or Anne.

"My behind's not big. I'm big. Technically, it's to scale," Anne grumbled to herself.

"Don't let them get to you, Anne," Kenji said, trying to calm her down. However, he didn't notice the water on the floor in front of him. When Kenji stepped on it, the water caused him to slip and fall to the ground. Fou landed on his on his stomach as he looked around to see what the heck just happened.

"Hey! Didn't you see the sign, scarecrow?" the teenage frog that was mopping the floor said, pointing to the wet floor sign near Kenji.

"Classic, clumsy scarecrow," laughed Felicia.

The villages inside of the store joined in and laughed at Kenji. The young man flushed red with embarrassment but wasn't going to let them get to him. Anne, on the other hand, looked quite embarrassed as she helped Kenji on his feet. She then pulled Kenji along as Fou hopped on Kenji's shoulder and they walked out of the store.

Kenji and Anne walked over to Bessie, where the Plantars were waiting for them. When Sprig saw them walking towards them, he greeted them. "So did you get the beetle jerky–"

"No." Kenji simply answered, before grabbing his sword from the side of Bessie's saddle. He left his weapon with the snail as they weren't allowed in the store.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Sprig, seeing the frown on their faces.

Anne sighed sadly. "Well, it's just...We've been here over a month now, and the townspeople still treat me and Kenji like crap. I just wish they were just a little nicer."

"Oh, that's just the way these frogs are," Hop Pop explained to the kids. "Slow to accept, and even slower to respect. It's actually our town motto." He pointed over the stone arch gate of the town, which had a wooden sign with the motto edged into it.

"At least everyone's not afraid of you, Anne," Kenji said, placing his shield on his back.

"How are you not bothered how they treat us," Anne asked.

"Trust me, I am. I just don't let it bother me." Kenji said, even though it was a lie. "There's always going to be people that'll say mean things about us because we're different. But that's because they don't know a damn thing about us. At least we'll still have each other, and that's all that really matters, right?"

Anne smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Kenji. You're a good guy," she said. That compliment warmed Kenji's heart as he smiled back at her.

"You'll find a way to get their respect, in your own weird Kenji and Anne way," Hop Pop said. "Now, who wants pill bug pancakes?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" Kenji cheered.

"My favorite!" Anne exclaimed as she and Kenji high-fived with big grins. But then the two stopped grinning and looked a little disturbed.

"We've been here for far too long," Kenji whispered with Anne nodding, sharing his sentiment exactly.

Kenji hooked the cart of fruits and vegetables on the back of Bessie before walking over to the side of the snail. Squatting down, he cupped his hands together and nodded for Anne to come over. The young girl stepped on his hand and Kenji helped her up by lifting her foot. In turn, Anne offered him her hand, which Kenji grabbed before Anne pulled him up.

The two sat together as Hop Pop drove the snail through the town square. As they started making their way back towards the farm, they passed by a rather bizarre statue of Toadstool. The statue depicted the mayor kissing a tadpole who was being held up by a young frog.

"Well, that statue's new," Hop Pop said.

"And very tasteless," Sprig commented.

"Fou!" Fou said as he nodded his head at what the pink frog boy said.

"I'll say," Kenji added. "Talk about a massive ego for a mayor of a small town. No offense guys."

"No, it's okay," Polly said. "We know who we are."

Suddenly, Bessie stopped and started chirping in a loud, panic-like manner. Anne and Kenji quickly hopped off and came around to the front of the Plantar's snail.

"Whoa, whoa, girl. Easy. What's wrong?" Anne asked the animal as she rubbed Bessie's neck. Soothing the snail and calming her down. Kenji looked around as for what might have caused Bessie to freak out. It was then that he looked towards the road leading out of town and he saw his answer.

Arriving in town on a tarantula-drawn wagon were a group of unknown frogs. However, these weren't frogs. They were toads.

The one that was driving the wagon was a large toad with red skin and an orange underbelly. He had a crest of horn-like protrusions on the top of his head. He, like his comrades, wore metal armor with leather pauldrons and a silver frog's foot emblem across his right shoulder. The frog's foot was the symbol for all of Amphibia.

Behind him sat a green female toad with a light green underbelly. She had grass-colored hair with a feather tied in a braid with a headband and wore armor like the other toad soldiers.

Next to her was a light-green toad with armor, just like his fellow companions. His face was hidden by a large frog-shaped helmet.

But the one that caught Kenji's attention the most was a toad that walked alongside the wagon. Compared to the others, this toad was massive! He was much taller than Kenji and Anne, with charcoal skin with a lighter underbelly. Just like the red toad, he had a crest of horn-like protrusions. He was unarmored across his bare chest and stomach but wore plated pauldrons and bracers on his arms and sported leather armor around his waist to protect his upper legs and hips. In his hand and resting on his shoulder was a large war hammer with a blade on the back of it.

When the wagon came to a stop, the smaller toads jumped off as the large toad cracked his neck. "Ah, that felt good," he said with a satisfied smile. The toad then looked at the mayor's office and growled. He slammed the head of his hammer into the ground and bellowed. "TOADSTOOL! GET OUT HERE!"

The doors to the building quickly opened and Toadstool quickly rushed out with Toadie following behind him. "Lieutenant Morgott! You're here," the mayor said with a very nervous expression. "I-I didn't know that they'd send you."

"I'm always sent," Morgott said with a raised eyebrow. "Where's the list?"

Mayor Toadstool laughed nervously before nudging his assistant. "Toadie, give 'em the list," he hissed. Toadie then presented the toad with said list.

"Who are those guys," Kenji asked.

"Toads from Toad Tower," Hop Pop said with great distrust aimed towards them. Especially Morgott. "They rule over the entire valley."

"Toad Tower? Isn't that the place located deep in the swamp that was on that map?" Anne asked in confusion.

Luckily for her, Sprig pulled out the map of the valley they were given a few nights ago and showed it to her and Kenji. "That's right, and the toads that live there are the valley's fiercest warriors," Sprig said as he pointed to where the tower was on the map.

"Whoa! Cool," Anne said with a smile.

"Cool, yes. But they can be a rough and violent sort," Hop Pop said. "It's probably for the best that we all stay clear of–" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Kenji, Anne, and Sprig walking off towards the toads. Fou stayed behind because Kenji told him to stay there. "Oh, dang it. There they go."

The three friends walked up to Morgott and his toads as they gathered their weapons. "Hey, guys. So, you're from Toad Tower?" Sprig asked the red toad.

"Sure are, runt," said the toad, named Bog. Morgott didn't pay attention to them, only reading the list that he was given.

Sprig laughed. "My name's Sprig, actually."

"Uh-huh. Yeah, sure," Bog said, looking over his shoulder at Sprig. But when he laid eyes on Kenji and Anne he was startled. "Whoa! What is that?" Bringing the attention of the other toads to them. "It's some kind of gangly new critters I've never seen before."

Kenji looked at his arms. "Hey!" He yelled, offended.

"I wonder what they taste like," the female toad, Fens, said.

"Sorry, lady, but we're not on the menu," Kenji said as he pulled out his broadsword. Sprig pulled out his slingshot and Anne pulled out her own sword. "Now stay back, or else."

"Is that a challenge?" Fens asked, pulling out a spiked mace from her back. She let out a battle cry and charged at them.

However, Kenji was more than ready for her. He waited for when Fens brought her arm back to take the first swing, then he enacted his counterattack. Just as she swung her mace at him, Kenji parried the weapon away with his sword. Caught off guard, Fens couldn't do anything when Kenji delivered a Spartan Kick to her face. Sending her on her back.

Kenji looked at Fens in surprise for a moment before smiling. However, that brief sense of pride was cut when a dark shadow came over him. With wide eyes, Kenji looked up and saw Morgott standing over him with his war hammer in hand.

The lieutenant growled as he stared down at Kenji. The young man gulped, fearing that he might have to fight him. However, to his shock, Morgott chuckled before letting out bellowing laughs. This was joined by Bog as Fens got up. Her face has a brown outline of the bottom of a shoe.

"Impressive, creature. No one has been able to knock over one of my subordinates like that," Morgott said with a giant grin.

"I'll say! That was awesome," Fens said with a smile.

"Well met, creatures. I don't know what you two are, but you both got fire in you," Bog said before he and the others turned and left.

Kenji sighed in relief. However, Anne felt a sense of pride when Bog said that about them. It was perhaps the first time that anyone in Wartwood, other than Kenji, Fou and the Plantars, showed her a sense of respect. Sprig, however, was not a fan of the Toads.

"Okay, kids," Hop Pop said, rolling up to them on Bessie. "That's enough flirting with death. Let's head home."

"Blech, finally. Come on, Anne," Sprig said, turning and walking away with Kenji following him.

But then Anne asked, "I was thinking we could hang out with these guys a little longer. They seem pretty cool."

"No way, Anne," Kenji said, turning to her with a stern look. "You're not going anywhere near those guys."

"Excuse me?" Anne raised an eyebrow.

"We don't know a single thing about these guys, Anne," Kenji said. "They attacked us, and not to mention that guy's giving me the creeps." He pointed to the armored toad, who breathed heavily in his helmet.

"Wait a second. Are you jealous I think they're cool?" Anne asked with a smirk.

"What? No," replied Kenji.

"You are! You totally are jelly!" Anne said, pointing at him with a big grin.

"I am not jealous!"

"Jelly!"

"I'm. Not. Jelly damnit!"

"Well, if you're jelly, then why not join me," Anne said with a smug smirk.

"Yeah? Well, maybe I will!" Kenji yelled at her. He looked smugly back at her for a moment. However, the moment was only very believable, as he quickly realized what Anne had just done. "Wait, I take that back."

"Too late. No, take backs." Anne grabbed his arm and pulled him along as she walked over the toads.

"Damnit." Kenji said to himself as het his temper get the better of himself again.

"Okay. But don't dally too long, you two," said Hop Pop.

"I'm eating your pancakes," Polly said as she, Sprig, and their grandpa rode off to the farm.

"You better not or I will stuff you in the toilet!" Kenji yelled, before following Anne as she approached the toads.

"Hey. I didn't get a chance to ask your–" Anne was interrupted when Morgott shoved a crate of weapons into her chest.

"The name's Morgott, proud lieutenant of Toad Tower," the large toad said with a grin that showed off his sharp teeth. He then pointed to his subordinates. "This is Bog. The silent one there is Mire. And Fens here you've already met."

"I'm Anne, and this is Kenji," Anne said, still holding up the crate.

"So, what are you guys doing in Wartwood?" Kenji asked with his arms crossed.

"Every year, this town sends taxes to the tower," Morgott said, setting his hammer down on top of its head and pulling out the list Toadstool gave him. "Well, this year, they came up short. So, the Mayor gave us this list of frogs who didn't pay and we're just here to collect."

"Say, we could use someone like you two," Bog said, pointing at the two humans.

Kenji and Anne looked at one another with surprised looks. "Really?" the boy asked.

"Yeah. You've got inside knowledge of this town. It'll make the whole job go a lot smoother," Bog said with a smirk.

Morgott thought for a moment and grinned. "An excellent idea, Bog. So, what do you say, you too?" He asked, pulling out two badges and offering them to the humans.

Kenji shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no," he said. "I'm not sure any of this is our business. Let's go, Anne."

However, before Anne could set the crate she was still holding up, Morgott said, "You know, the best part of wearing this badge is how everyone in this town will have to treat you with respect."

Anne instantly dropped the crate and held out her hand. "Gimme that ding-dang thing!"

"Wait, what?!" Kenji exclaimed in total shock.

"Excellent!" Morgott exclaimed with a happy smile. He then tossed her the badge, which she caught in her hands. "Here's your badge. And everything you'll need." He then handed her a metal pauldron and a sword.

Overjoyed and excited, Anne rushed off towards the Plantar farm. "Anne! Wait!" Kenji called out, before chasing after her. "Ugh! Damnit!"

---

When Anne got back to the house, she burst through the door and entered the home. Now wearing her new armor and sword. "Guess who became a Toad Tower deputy!" She exclaimed.

"What?!" Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly all exclaimed in shock, as well as being appalled.

"Fou?" The little white creature said as he tilts his head wondering what the heck is going on.

A moment later, Kenji came rushing in after Anne, wheezing and out of breath. "Damn, girl…how are you so fast?" He asked in exhaustion.

"Also, check out this cool sword Morgott gave me," Anne said before drawing her sword. She swung it around and would have almost sliced the coat hanger, if it wasn't for Kenji blocking her sword with his own.

"Anne, what the hell are you thinking?" He asked, sheathing his long sword. "You can't be serious about going around with those guys."

"Kenji's right, Anne," Hop Pop said with a disapproving frown. "When I said to earn the town's respect, I didn't mean join Morgott. He's a warmonger and his gang are just as bad as him!"

Anne, however, scoffed at his warning. "I don't believe this. They're not a gang. They're just here to do a job. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some respect to enjoy."

Before she could leave, Kenji blocked her path and said, "Anne, don't do this. I've seen their kind before. I've dealt with gangs before, and these guys are just like them."

With a sigh, Anne placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Look, Kenji, I appreciate your concern, but this is a big opportunity for me. I can finally get respect from the people of this town. Not just for me, but also for you. I know what you've…" Anne stopped herself, not wanting Kenji to know what she knew. Because she doesn't know the full extent of what he went through. "I know what you're feeling, Kenji. I know that you don't like how people are treating you. They treat you like a monster, and I don't like that. Sure, you're rough around the edges, but you're the sweetest guy I've ever met. So, please, let me do this. I can take care of myself."

Kenji frowned as he looked into her eyes, however, he couldn't help but smile with Anne's concern for him. In the end, he sighed in defeat and stepped to the side. "Just be careful around them, Anne. And don't become like them," he said.

Anne nodded and left the house. Closing the door behind her as Kenji walked over to the couch and sat down on it. In his mind, he was praying that Anne would be smart and not do anything to get herself into trouble.

Suddenly, Sprig jumped onto the back of the couch and opened the doors. "Uh, Sprig, what are you doing?" Kenji asked.

"Come on, Kenji. You've got a bad feeling about this, right?" Sprig said with narrow eyes. "We've got to go follow Anne and watch over her."

"That's all well and good, but can you at least use the front door?" Hop Pop asked with a frown.

"...No." Sprig then crawled up the wall and out of the window.

"Ah, screw it," Kenji said as he turns to Fou that was looking at him with a look of concern in his eyes. "Fou, stay here with Hop Pop and Polly. I'm going to check on Anne to make sure that she doesn't get into trouble."

"Fou!" Fou said with a chirp as Kenji nodded as he got up from the couch and jumped out of the window. Going after Sprig to watch over his friend.

---

The first place that Anne and the toads came across was none other than Wally's small home. As the wagon pulled up to the house, Morgott walked in front of the others with a grin.

"All right. First name on the list," he said, holding up the list.

He, the other toads, and Anne walked up to the front door as the human girl asked, "So, how does this work? Do we remind Wally how much he owes or–"

Morgott pushed her aside and lifted his war hammer. With a wicked grin and a malevolent chuckle, he swung it with all his strength and slammed into the front door. Destroying it and a large portion of the front wall. Wally, who was taking a bath, screamed when this happened. When the dust settled, Morgott lowered his head and then stepped into the house with a bloodthirsty grin.

"Jumping June bugs! What's all this about?" Wally yelled as Anne and the toads entered.

"I, uh, guess you owe the town money?" Anne said, still quite startled by the way Morgott casually just destroyed the kooky frog's home.

"Rubbish. I may live in squalor, but I always pay my taxes." Wally said adamantly with his arms crossed. All while chicken bugs scrambled about the house.

"The mayor's list says otherwise," Morgott said, holding up the list. "You know what happens now, don't you? If you can't pay up, we'll be taking your stuff."

"What?! You can't do that!" Wally protested.

"Oh, we can't?" Morgott said in faux surprise. The lieutenant's large hand then suddenly grabbed Wally by the scruff of his neck and pulled him out of the tub. "Need I remind you what happened the last time someone refused to pay up!?" He roared, before slamming Wally into the window and forcing him to see what was outside.

Just across from where he lived were the remains of a house that was completely burnt to the ground. And near it was a tree, where the two skeletons of a pair of frogs hung from nooses. Both corpses had multiple bones smashed or missing from the strike of Morgott's war hammer.

"It didn't end well for them."

Now very much scared, Wally was pulled away and brought up to the warmonger's face. "You pay us in your stuff…" Morgott raised his hammer. "Or you'll be paying us in your blood."

"Y-Yes, yes sir. Take it all if you like," Wally said in a whimpering voice.

Satisfied Morgott dropped him in the tub. "You heard him, lads! Grab everything!"

And so, they did. Together, Bog, Fens, and Mire gathered everything that Wally owned. From the biggest barrels to the smallest papers. Even the beetle jerky that Wally stole from Kenji and Anne at the shore. As they ransacked the little cable, Anne could already feel herself regretting her decisions. Stealing people's stuff, killing them, all because they didn't pay? This was going beyond what she was expecting this to be like.

"Here you go, Anne. Little something extra for you," Bog said, handing her the bag of beetle jerky.

However, as she looked at it, Anne couldn't help but feel guilt for just taking it. "Morgott, doesn't this seem a little extreme." she said to the large toad.

"It's just the way we do things here." Morgott said. "These frogs understand only one thing: fear. If you want respect from these frogs, you must set an example. Make them understand that they're not only under our protection from hostile tribes, but under our boot. They want to live, they'll pay us what we are owed."

"But killing them? That's far too–"

"Do you question my leadership, deputy? The ways of Toad Tower?" Anne was interrupted by the large toad, as Morgott pushed his war hammer against her chest. Forcing her to back up against the wall, with the blade of the hammer pressing against the collar of her uniform.

With eyes wide with fear and terror, she looked up at the toad as he leaned down with a terrifying grin.

"You'll understand in time, Anne. By the end of this day, they will respect you," he said, before pulling his hammer away. "Alright, lads! To the next house!"

Morgott and his goons walked out of Wally's home, all while the local kook sighed sadly. Feeling bad for the blue frog, she presented him with the bag of jerky. "Here, take this back," she whispered.

"Come on, Anne!" Bog called to her from outside.

"Comin'!" Anne quickly rushed out of the house. Not hearing the small thanks Wally would say. She rushed out to the cart the toads loaded Wally's things onto and hopped on. Not bothering to join them in the front. After what she just saw, Anne didn't want to be around them now.

---

However, unbeknownst to her, Kenji and Sprig were watching them. Sharing a pair of binoculars, they watched as the wagon drove away. Kenji pulled away from the binoculars with a worried expression on his face. "Anne, what did you get yourself into?" He whispered.

"That's weird," Sprig said, confused. "Wally always pays his taxes."

"Wait, he does?" Kenji asked in surprise. "Then why did he show up on that list."

"I don't know-"

"Come on," said a voice behind the two. Kenji quickly grabbed Sprig and threw him on his back before jumping up and climbing into the trees. Going high enough to not be spotted by anyone.

Once they were at the right position, Kenji remained still as Sprig hid behind his human friend's head and looked over his shoulder. Together, they scanned the area. "Wait, I see someone!" Sprig whispered, pointing to someone down on the ground.

Kenji shushed him and looked. Sure enough, there was someone coming peeking their head out from behind a tree. The frog then came out, revealing themselves to be Mayor Toadstool.

"Come on, Toadie. While the townsfolk are preoccupied," he said, walking with a cane and carrying a small bag.

Behind the fat toad emerged Toadie, panting as he carried a large bag on his back. Every step he took caused whatever was in the bag to jingle.

"Coming, sir," he said in a whisper. Nearly stumbling over.

As the two walked under the tree, Kenji and Sprig watched them. However, their attention was caught by something shiny that fell out of the bag. Kenji and Sprig shared a glance. They had to get it, without being seen. So, with one free hand, Kenji grabbed Sprig and lowered him down. The pink frog held onto Kenji's hand and shot his tongue out at the small object, before pulling his tongue back as quickly as he could.

When his tongue returned to his mouth, he felt the object in his mouth. So, he crawled back up Kenji's around and pulled it. Even though it was covered in saliva that may or may not be poisonous to humans, it was clear to see it was a copper coin.

"What's the mayor doing with that bag of money?" Kenji asked, watching as Toadie disappeared behind a tree. "Something's not right here."

Then he looked back at Anne and the toads. Seeing that they were heading off again to another house. Having just ransacked another home.

"Sprig, I need you to follow the mayor and Toadie. Find out what they're doing with all that money," Kenji said, jumping down to the ground.

"What about Anne?" Sprig asked, jumping off his friend's shoulder.

"I'll follow them. Get back to me if you find out what Toadstool's doing." Kenji then turned and ran off as Sprig hopped away.

---

As the day progressed, Kenji followed the toads and Anne all over Wartwood as they hit almost every single home in the village. When they came to Felicia's tea shop, they took her barrel of Beau-Tea, dishes, and anything they could carry. However, Mire dropped one of their teacups, which said #1 Mom on it. Anne picked it up and handed it back to Felicia.

Next was Loggle's woodshop, and they took a statue of the woodsmith doing a Discobolus pose. Loggle was helpless to stop them, even as he begged them. But behind the toads' backs, Anne returned one of his canes. Kenji saw this and smiled. Glad that she was doing something good for the frogs.

Mrs. Croaker was up next, and she tried to put up a fight by making her pet spider Archie attack Morgott. The little spider barked and leaped at the large toad, only for him to be caught in one hand. Morgott grinned sadistically and started crushing Archie, making him whimper and squeal in pain. This made Sadie beg them to stop and to take everything they wanted. So, Morgott dropped the spider. Mire grabbed Archie's bed and started walking away. But Anne quickly swapped the bed with a vase and gave the bed back to the old frog.

Being the last person inside the house, Anne carried out a grandfather clock and placed it on the pile the toads had on the cart. "I don't know, guys," Anne said, very much regretting coming along with the toads. "This whole thing feels…wrong."

"The law's the law, Anne," Morgott said. Kenji glared at the toad when he said that. "It can be tough, but this kind of work needs to get done."

"Yeah," Fens said, eating some pet food. "Needs to get done. Stuff, got to get it done."

"I... guess that makes sense," Anne said hesitantly.

"Close your heart to their suffering Anne," Morgott said with a grin. "After this, they'll be sure to pay next time. Who's next on the list?"

Bog pulled out the list and read it. "Eh, some nut named Hopadiah Plantar."

"Oh, crap," Kenji and Anne said, both realizing that there was something wrong going on here.

"Morgott, that list has to be wrong," Anne said to the lieutenant with a pleading look. "I know that frog. He's totally honest."

Morgott leaned down towards her with a glare. "Anne, the tower didn't get any taxes, okay? And if we didn't get the money, then where is it?"

"I-I…" Anne couldn't come up with an explanation.

"That's what I thought," he said before turning away.

---

Meanwhile, seeing the disaster that was about to unfold, Kenji started to panic. "I've got to get back to the farm. I've got to warn them!" He said, before rushing off back towards home.

As he ran down the dirt road towards the farm, dark clouds started to form over the skies. Blotting out the sun as thunder was heard. As he reached the farm, he quickly ran to the door and burst through it, finding Hop Pop, Polly and Fou eating.

"Guys! We've got trouble coming our way!" He exclaimed, startling the two.

"Kenji? What's wrong?" Hop Pop asked, standing up.

"Are we being attacked by ants?!" Polly yelled.

"Fou?" Fou said as he jumps on Kenji's shoulder with a look of confusion on his face.

"It's Morgott!" Kenji said, making the two frogs gasp in fear. "He's coming here with his goons because they think we didn't pay our taxes!"

Hop Pop gasped in shock. "That's ridiculous! I paid all my taxes fair and square," he said with his eyes closed and his fists on his hips.

"I know you did. You... made me watch," Kenji said with a haunted expression as he remembered that day.

---

Flashback:

Kenji felt ready to slide off his chair as he sat with Hop Pop with Fou sleeping on his lap. For more than an hour, the old frog walked him through every single step of paying taxes to the town. "So, then you add up your deductibles and... Oop! Guess what, Kenji? You're a deductible!" He joked, pointing at the young boy.

"It's not worth it! IT"S NOT WORTH IT!" Kenji yelled, pulling out a hammer and aiming at his head. "Goodbye everyone! I'll remember you all in therapy."

---

End of Flashback:

"That didn't happen," Hop Pop said.

"It did in my head," Kenji retorted.

"Fou?" The little creature said in confusion as it tilts his head to the side.

"Uh, guys." The two of them looked over at Polly, who was on the couch and looking out the window. She could see the toads and Anne arriving on the farm. "They're here!"

"Hop Pop, take Polly to the basement," Kenji said, grabbing his mantis scythe that was leaning against the wall. "I'll hold them off."

"No, Kenji. If one of us makes a stand, we all make a stand," Hop Pop said with determination. "We've got to tell them I've already paid and get this whole thing sorted out."

Together, the three of them exited the house. Kenji stood with his scythe in hand and Hop Pop stood beside him. Polly sat on top of his head. Seeing them standing before their house made a grin form on Morgott's lips. This might be interesting. The tarantula came to a stop, and the toads got off their cart and approached the house. Anne quickly got off and rushed around to join the toads. She glanced at Kenji with a look of regret, even when he nodded at her.

"Hopadiah Plantar!" Morgott yelled, pointing his hammer at the old frog. "The taxes are due!"

"You've got it all wrong, Morgott!" Kenji said, trying to reason with the lieutenant. "Hop Pop paid his taxes. He shouldn't have been on that list!"

"And yet he is, Kenji," Morgott said. "Now step aside and let us do our business."

"As Kenji said, I already paid my darn taxes!" Hop Pop exclaimed, with Polly trying to look tough on top of him. "You can't come in here, and that's final."

"I don't like your tone, frog. You would dare stand against the Tower?" Morgott growled, gripping the handle of his hammer tightly.

"Morgott, I am telling you, he paid his taxes," said Anne.

"They all say they've paid!" Morgott roared, making her stumble back from him with her hands up. "I don't care what you think. I don't care if you're friends with him. The list doesn't lie. And I will kill everyone on this farm to get what we're owed!" He then turned to his subordinates. "Get to work, you lazy idiots!"

"Uh, right, sir!" Bog said nervously before looking around to see what to claim. "Alright, what should we start with?"

"Well, how about that thing?" Fens asked, pointing to Bessie, who looked up in confusion as she chirped.

"You stay away from her!" Hop Pop yelled.

"I'll bite your face off!" Polly screamed in fury as Fou begins to growl at these toads.

"Good choice. That snail should cover everything," Morgott said with a grin. "Bog, Mire, Fens, Anne, move out."

The three toads proceeded towards the snail to claim her. But before they could reach out and touch her, Kenji suddenly jumped across and swung his scythe.

SLASH!

With a single swing, he cut across the chest of all three toads. Not enough to kill them, but enough to cut into their armor and nick the skin. Making them bleed as they were sent flying back. All three of them landed on the ground and groaned in pain.

"You keep your claws off that snail," Kenji said, standing tall and slamming the butt of his scythe's handle into the ground. "Better yet...get the hell off our property!"

Thunder clapped loudly and light flashed in the sky above. Then the rain started coming down on the valley.

Anne stared at her friend in shock as Kenji stood in front of the Plantar home in defiance. However, her shock turned to horror when Morgott started marching towards Kenji. His face contorted into an enraged glare as he dragged the head of his hammer across the dirt.

"Wait, Morgott! Don't–"

BASH!

To Kenji's shock, Morgott hit her with a backhanded strike. Sending her flying back into a fence post. "Anne!" He yelled at her, almost about to run to her when Morgott stopped in front of him.

Kenji stared at the larger toad as the lieutenant glared down at him. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Morgott snarled as his soldiers got back up.

"Yeah. I told you to get lost. Now!" Kenji yelled, getting into a fighting stance with his scythe. "Or else you want this to be the last thing you toads ever do."

Over where she was at, Anne groaned in pain as she picked herself up. She then saw the two and became extremely worried about her best friend. However, as she sat there on the ground, Anne noticed they weren't alone. Somehow, all the townsfolk heard about what was going on and all showed up to see it for themselves.

They were all stunned. This was the first time they've ever seen anyone stand up to Morgott and attack a toad from the tower. Nonetheless three at once. But they all knew what was going to happen. It's happened to frogs that were brave or stupid enough to stand up against the warmonger. Now it was going to happen again.

"Surrender, boy," Morgott growled.

Kenji glared up at him. "No chance, asshole."

The toad grinned. "Good."

SMASH!

Morgott suddenly swung his hammer and slammed it into Kenji's scythe. Shattering the weapon into pieces. The sheer force of the impact forced the boy off his feet and sent him flying into the air before landing on the ground. Hard. The pieces of his former weapon scattered all over the ground around him.

"KENJI!" Anne screamed as everyone else gasped in horror.

She scrambled to her feet and tried rushing towards Kenji when she was tangled by Fens. The female toad pinned her down as Mire grabbed Hop Pop, Polly and Fou.

"Hey! Let me go." Anne yelled, before Bog walked up to her with a hammer.

"I wouldn't get in the way, Anne," Bog said with a grin.

Kenji groaned in pain as he sat up. Feeling something stinking on his face, he placed his hand on his left cheek and revealed that he was bleeding. The blade of the hammer had cut into his skin.

He was then met with Morgott's hammer being pressed into his chest and pushing him down. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. How disappointing. I was hoping for more of a challenge. But it looks like you're all talk," the toad said with a sadistic grin. "Now I'm going to give you another choice. You die here or watch as I kill the Plantars!"

When he said that, something inside of Kenji snapped.

Morgott stared down at Kenji with a wicked grin. But then, to his surprise, Kenji grabbed the head of the hammer and pushed it aside. Making the toad step back from him. Everyone was stunned by this. With his cheek still bleeding, Kenji stood back up.

With a newly found determination, Kenji glared at Morgott. "You want to harm my frog family?" He asked. "Then you're going to have to get through me, Morgott!"

Morgott looked at him with a surprised look for a moment before he started laughing out loud. "HAHAHAHAHA! You honestly believe that you can fight against me?" He asked the boy in amusement. The other toads laughed with him, finding it funny that the human believed he could defeat the Tower's best warrior.

"Yeah. I do. And make you pay for all the frogs that you hurt in this village!" Kenji shot back.

"HA! You would fight for these frogs? They, who treat you like shit and view you as a monster."

"Yeah. I would. Because even though they treat me like shit, doesn't mean I'll do the same to them. You can't treat people like this!" Kenji said as reached for his sword and drew it. Now with sword in hand, he got into a fighting stance. "You want to kill my friends? Then you're going to have to go kill me first, you demented son of a bitch!"

Everyone in Wartwood stared at Kenji in surprise. After the way they've treated him and Anne, he was still willing to fight for them? Anne stared at her friend with wide eyes as a sense of admiration grew for him.

Morgott's grin only grew. He wasn't mad that Kenji was standing up against him and was willing to fight. No. This excited him. For so long he's been unable to find a worthy challenger. But could this creature be the one to do such a thing? There was only one way to find out.

"So be it." He spread out his arms and turned to everyone watching. "Bear witness, Wartwood, as your hero falls before me!" He shouted at all the frogs. "Set a fire in your heart, Kenji! Bear your fangs! Fight hard!... and die well."

And with that, Morgott let out a thunderous roar and charged at Kenji.

Kenji watched as he raised his hammer over his head and swung it down at him. Thinking quickly, he jumped out of the way. Landing on the ground, Kenji launched himself at Morgott and tried to cut him. However, the lieutenant used his armored arm to block the attack. When Kenji swung, the sword couldn't cut through the gauntlet. He then kicked Kenji away.

Landing on squishy mud, Kenji groaned and sat up. Morgott pulled his hammer out of the ground and rushed at him again. This time swinging horizontally at Kenji. The boy raised his sword, blocking the hammer. Kenji's arms ached from the impact as his whole body felt like it was vibrating. But he dug his feet in and then thrust his sword at his exposed chest. Cutting across it with the tip of his blade and drawing blood.

Growling, Morgott took his hammer away and backed up. He swung again, but Kenji ducked his head under the hammer and then attacked. But Morgott used his weapon to block the sword. Again, he tried smashing the young boy into a bloody pulp, but once again, Kenji used his sword to block the hammer.

Kenji and Morgott pushed against one another, digging their feet into the mud as they tried pushing the other back. But as he held him off, Kenji quickly pulled out his knife to stab into his leg. The toad let out a cry of pain and agony before angrily punching Kenji in the face, causing him to back up as his nose bled slightly.

Morgott grabbed it and yanked it out, growling when he did so. Throwing it down, he charged at Kenji and swung down at him. Kenji, however, stepped out of the way of the hammer and let it slam into the ground. Then he bashed the pommel of his sword into the face of Morgott, disorientating him and giving him time to rush to his sword. Grabbing it off the ground, Kenji turned around and saw Morgott turning towards him. Now there was a noticeable limp from the toad's injured leg.

"He's…actually losing?" Fens asked in shock. Anne, who was still pinned under her, watched her best friends with a smile. While still concerned, she believed that Kenji could win.

Stumbling towards Kenji, Morgott swung his hammer again at him. However, when Kenji blocked it with his shield, Morgott twirled around and swung from the opposite side. Kenji tried to counter it with his sword, but the hammer knocked the long sword out of his hand. Once again, Kenji was disarmed, and Morgott took the opportunity to punch him in the face. This knocked him down to the ground, and the lieutenant used that at the perfect moment to do some major damage to him. And he did so by stomping on his left arm.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Kenji let out a horrible scream of agony as the stomp dislocated his arm. Everyone in the crowd, including Hop Pop, Polly, and especially Anne gasped in shock. Kenji was unable to move as Morgott took that moment to start beating on him. Punching his face and even stomping on him.

Now bruised on his body and face, Kenji tried to stay in the fight as he was hit multiple times by the strong toad. Thankfully, Morgott stopped and got off his arm. Unfortunately, it was because he was about to end the fight. And his life. Morgott stood before him and raised his war hammer high over his head. Read to bring it down onto Kenji's face.

Just as all hope seemed lost, Kenji kicked Morgott in his injured leg. The lieutenant screamed in agony as he stumbled back and grasped his leg. This gave Kenji time to grab his sword and rush at him. Slashing him across the back and then stabbing him in the back!

Morgott let out a fatal gasp as everyone else gasped in shock. Still alive, the toad lieutenant fell to his knees. The frogs, the other toads, and Anne stared in disbelief. Kenji has just done the impossible. The commander gasped as Kenji pulled his sword out and walked around to face him. With the blade still stained with the blood of the toad, Kenji raised his arm and pointed the blade of the sword at Morgotts throat. He prepared to end the toad's life.

But then he looked up at Anne. Staring at him with wide eyes, as if afraid that he'll do it. He then looked around at the townsfolk. All of them were waiting to see what he'll do. And as Kenji started to calm down from his adrenaline, he began to lower his sword. After all that he said and standing up to Morgott, he wasn't going to be the monster they feared him to be.

"He's beaten…" Kenji whispered. Then he looked at Bog and Fens. "Now get the hell off our land."

Kenji started walking away from Morgott. He headed for Anne, who was still pinned by the two toads. She smiled at him in relief.

However, her expression turned to horror, and she screamed, "Look out!"

Kenji looked over his right shoulder and…

BASH!

With all the strength he had, Morgott stood up and swung his war hammer into Kenji's head! Slamming it into the right side of his face and head, sending him flying up into the air and slamming back down into the ground. His body remained motionless as his blood leaked onto the ground.

"Kenji!" Anne screamed with tears in her eyes. Bog and Fens were now having a harder time trying to keep her down as she thrashed around. Trying to get out from under them and go to her friend. "Get off me! Kenji!"

"What's with this girl? Is she in love with him?" Fens asked to which Bog shrugged.

Hearing his name being called out by Anne's voice caused Kenji's body to start moving again. But now he was in a worse state than he's ever been in before. He could feel his bones were broken and he was bleeding. His face was all bruised up, and the right side of his face was bleeding. He couldn't open his right eye, which now had a large scar going down his eye that was bleeding badly.

"I must admit, you are by far the greatest warrior that I've ever faced. But you're sloppy and young. Weak and undisciplined," Morgott said, dropping his hammer to the ground. Then he walked over to Kenji's sword and picked it up. "You'll have no use for this anymore. For you are going to die here, Kenji."

"What!?" Anne screamed as the frogs all gasped in shock and horror. "No, please! Don't do it!"

Panting from exhaustion and agony, Kenji struggled to sit up. However, every part of his body hurt. "Look…me in the eye…when you say that." Kenji said on his hands and knees.

"As you wish." Morgott walked up to Kenji and grabbed him by the back of his head. The toad then lifted Kenji up into the air and aimed the sword at his chest. "My face will be the last thing that you'll ever see."

As he stared into the bloodthirsty eyes of the warmonger, Kenji tried to keep his left eye open. However, as the world started to become a blur to him and his hearing became muffled, there was something that he could hear. No, it was a girl.

Past Morgott' head, Kenji could see Anne crying out to him. Crying his name as she sobbed. Begging him to not give up. He never liked it when she was sad. It made him sad. But what could he do? Kenji was going to die.

However, maybe it was bravest or stubbornness, but Kenji told himself that he couldn't die here. This wasn't his place to die. Kenji wouldn't let this monster touch the Plantars, especially not Anne. Not after he just got her back. Not after they became so close after being apart for so long.

As he struggled to stay conscious, Kenji's mind wandered back to when he was a little kid. He was in his parent's house and was playing around the living room with his toys. However, he saw his dad hanging up something on the wall. It was a picture frame, and inside of it was a single, old-looking piece of paper with something written inside of it.

After his dad finished hanging it up, he looked down at Kenji and smiled. Stepping back from the wall, he picked up his son and sat him down on his lap. It's strange. Remembering the good moments of his parents, even after their falling out. His dad explained that the words written on the paper were part of a quote that has been special for their family. Remembering those words gave their family the strength and determination to pass any change. At the time, he didn't really understand what the meaning of those words really meant, until today.

"Any last words?" Morgott asked.

Remembering those words, Kenji quoted them as he pulls out a class card from his pocket, "Shi to yoba reru hito ni watashitachi wa nan to iimasu ka?(What do we say to one we call death)…"

Morgott grinned a bloodthirsty grin as he was about to deliver the final blow when…

"Kyōde wa arimasen(Not today)…Install: BERSERKER!"

BOOM!

"Gah!" Morgott let out a gasp when was sent flying backwards as he drops the sword when a bolt of yellow lightning struck where Kenji was, causing Anne and the others to look on in horror as they thought Kenji was killed by a stray lightning bolt. However, when the dust cloud disappeared, everyone was surprised at what they saw.

There stood in the area is Kenji with his hair appears to have become longer and spikier and is worn in a ponytail that points upwards, tied by a grey and green bandana that hides his forehead. He wears white bandages around his right forearm. He wears an odd garment for his upper body, a skin-tight piece of cloth that ties around the right side of the body, covers his left pectoral, acts as a collar, and as a fingerless sleeve for the left arm, decorated with small pieces of black and green armor pieces with golden spikes. Blow the waist, he wears bluish-grey hakama, decorated with golden diamond-shaped ornaments, and black grieves with golden spikes, with sandals for his feet. In his right hand is a huge Masakari axe that carries the power of the thunder and lightning and cannot be handled without superhuman strength. On top of his golden axe, he carries, additionally, a katana and a large, wide, single-bladed sword that appears to have sustained damage from combat.

'Kenji' looked around to see what was going on as he notices that his left arm was hanging. With a deep breath, he grabs his left arm and with swift movement, relocated his left arm with ease. 'Kenji' gritted teeth from the pain that just happened to him, but the result was him getting the feeling back into his left arm again as he flexes his fingers.

"Damn Master. You could have called me when things didn't look like it went to hell." 'Kenji' said to himself with a rough tone in his voice as he looks around to see what is happening. "Then again, from the memories that I saw, it doesn't seem that much different."

"Kenji? Is that you?" Anne asked as 'Kenji' looked at her in confusion before he gained a look of realization as he realizes why

"Ohh, Nice to meet you! I am sorry to trouble you for now. I'm known as Sakata Kintoki, Servant: Berserker." 'Kenji' now known as Sakata Kintoki said with a grin on his face as he turns to Morgott that caused the grin to disappear. "But for you though toad, I'm about to show you what hell looks like."

"I don't know what the hell you are creature, but it doesn't matter now as I will make this very painful for you." Morgott said as Sakata smirked as he slams his Masakari axe into the ground, causing the Toad Lieutenant look at him confusion. "What the hell are doing?"

"Just giving you a little bit of a handicap." Sakata said as he gives him a "come here" gesture with his hand. "Bring it on, ugly."

Morgott growled as he charged towards Sakata as he wildly swings his war hammer to hit the Berserker, however Sakata wasn't a normal Servant as he dodges every swing that the toad soldier threw.

"Are you even trying?" Sakata said as he keeps effortlessly dodging the Toad Lieutenants attacks with ease. "And really, I've got no pity for demented fucks like you."

"SHUT UP, MAGGOT!" Morgott shouted as keeps swinging his hammer as tries to get closer to kill Sakata. However, the Berserker Servant knew what the Toad was doing so he responded appropriately with his own move.

"Get out of my face, punk!" Sakata said as he delivers a power punch to Morgott's face, the blow almost sounded like a thunderclap, causing the Toad to get sent flying back and land on the ground HARD! "How do you like THAT!?"

Morgott got up and picks up his war hammer as he gives off a roar and charges to Sakata, who only sighed at this dumb toads action as he picks up his Masakari Axe with ease.

"Blow em' away," Sakata chanted as his Masakari Axe begins to conduct yellow electricity within the axe blade. "Lethal!"

Morgott swings his hammer one more time as he slams his hammer into ground where Sakata was standing, but now he wasn't there. The toad soldier looked around to see where the Servant was but couldn't find him. After a few seconds, Morgott heard the noise of lightning above him and looks up to see Sakata Kintoki with his Masakari Axe raised into the air.

"Oh, Son of a bi-"

"Gooolden Spaaark!" Sakata shouted as he dives back down to earth as he slams his Masakari Axe into Morgott, causing a large blast of electricity to erupt from the area that the toad and Berserker were in, causing Anne, the other toads and frogs to cover their eyes. The whole group uncovered their eyes as they saw Sakata standing over the charred but still breathing Morgott. Sakata was still standing tall with his Axe resting on his shoulder as he gave off a low whistle.

"Got to give you some credit, to survive that is short of a miracle itself." Sakata said as his body begins glow. "As much as I want to finish you off, but Master has a bigger score to settle with you so he will deal with you personally."

With that said, Sakata was surrounded by a sphere of light for a few moments as it dissipates to reveal Kenji in his normal clothing. With what little strength he had left, Kenji picked up his sword that was nearby and stabbed it into the chest of Morgott. The toad lieutenant let out one final death cry before death took him.

Anne, the toads, Hop Pop, Polly, and every frog that was there stared at Kenji with wide eyes filled with shock. But most stared down at the dead toad. Neither one of them believed what they have just seen.

Morgott, one of the most feared toads in the valley, was finally dead.

But victory might just come at a cost.

As the rain poured down on him, Kenji fell back down onto the ground.

"Kenji!" Anne cried. She forced herself off Bog and Fens, both too stunned to stop her. Anne rushed over to Kenji's side and looked down at him. He looked horrible and Anne feared that he might be dead. Anne's eyes started to tear up, with some droplets falling onto his cheek. With one arm, she lifted his upper body while stroking his blood-soaked cheeks. He did it again. He saved her from a situation that she believed was her fault. And it was because of her, Kenji got himself hurt once again. And this time, she might have just lost him forever.

"Kenji, no... I'm so sorry...Please don't leave me..." She whispered as she started to sob.

"Anne!" Hop Pop called out to her. "Behind you!"

Anne looked up and saw Bog and Fens walking towards her with their weapons. Setting Kenji back down, she quickly pulled out her sword and got in front of her best friend.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Anne growled threateningly. Raising her sword and got ready to fight. Underneath her own shadow begins to shift slightly as if something is about to jump out.

"Out of our way, Anne," Bog said with a glare. "We're going to finish what Morgott started."

"Kenji won. He defeated Morgott and now you all must leave. Now!" Anne pointed her sword at them.

"That's not how this works," Bog said with a smirk. "No such deal was made. And no one kills one of us and lives to talk about it." He raised his hammer to attack when suddenly, he was hit in the face by a ball of mud. "Gah! What the–"

"You leave them alone!" Suddenly, Sprig came hopping out of the forest with his slingshot and landed on a nearby rock. However, it wasn't just him that was now standing against the toads.

"Yeah, you leave our Kenji and Anne alone," Wally said, who was still wearing a bath towel around his body. The townsfolk rally behind Sprig as they start yelling at the toads. Hopping over the fence, they surrounded the humans, toads, and the Plantars. All of them were ready to fight against the tax collectors.

"If you got a problem with them, you got a problem with all of us," Mrs. Croaker exclaimed, putting up her fists as Archie barked angrily at Bog and Fens.

All the frogs pulled out their farm tools to fight against the three remaining toads. Without Morgott, they had nothing to fear. Realizing that they were outnumbered and defeated, Bog and Fens dropped their weapons. Mire's helmet opened to reveal his small face as he squealed in fear. He dropped Hop Pop, Polly and Fou who quickly rushed over to the humans.

"Kenji! Anne!" Sprig yelled as he ran towards them.

"Anne…" Anne gasped when she heard that weak voice and looked down to see Kenji opening his eyes halfway.

"Kenji! You're alive!" Anne dropped to her knees and hugged him as best as she could. Sprig came to his side and picked up his hat. Polly hopped onto Anne's head and looked down at him, while Hop Pop stood near them. Fou jumped on his head and rubbed the top of Kenji's head with his chin as he was glad his caretaker is okay. "I thought I lost you."

Kenji reached up at her face. Whipping away the tears as he placed his hand on the side of her head. Cherishing it as he smiled up at her. "It's…going to take…more than that to…kill me…" he said with pants as he tried to sit up. Anne and Sprig helped him as he held his left arm, which was still dislodged. "Where is…"

Kenji paused when he saw Morgott's body on the ground. Sword still stabbed into his chest and the pool of his own blood spread across the ground.

"Oh…"

"You didn't have any other choice, Kenji," Hop Pop said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"So, what took you so long?" Kenji asked Sprig.

"Sorry, I got tied up," said Sprig.

Just then, Mayor Toadstool came running out of the bushes. Huffing and puffing from chasing after Sprig. "Oh, boy. Gotta cut back on them cricket nuggets. Whoo!" He said, taking a moment to stop and catch his breath. Toadie came running out of the bushes but tripped and fell face-first into the mud.

"Arrest that toad!" Sprig called out, pointing at Toadstool. "He stole the town's money and was keeping it all for himself."

The town gasped in shock as Kenji has a look of anger on his face.

"Show us, Sprig."

---

With the help of Anne, Kenji was able to make it to the center of town with everyone. Sprig had them gather around the tasteless statue of Toadstool where Sprig said that the money was being hidden.

With one foot on the base of the statue, Sprig turned to Bog and held out his hands. "May I?" Bog obliged and dropped his hammer into his arms. However, the weapon was too heavy, and Sprig ended up dropping it onto the ground. "I think you should do the honors," he grunted, struggling to pick it back up.

Bog took back his hammer and smashed the butt of Toadstool's statue. When pulling out the hammer, everyone gasped in surprise as a pool of coins spilled out. All Wartwood, the toads, and even Kenji and Anne grew furious at Toadstool, who started backing away from them.

Kenji turned towards the mayor and limped as he walked towards him. Anne helped him over, glaring at Toadstool with her friend. "So, you're the reason why the toads came to Wartwood? Why everyone had their stuff taken from them? Why I almost died?" Kenji shouted angrily.

"You no-good son of a slug!" Mrs. Croaker yelled as the townsfolk started to surround Toadstool.

"Fou!" The little creature said with a growl in its throat.

The mayor grew very scared as he stepped back from them. "People, I needed the extra money for my campaign. Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy your love?"

"Yeah, well you know how much it'll cost for everyone to kick your ass?" Kenji growled as the frogs pulled out their tools, weapons, and angry mob supplies. "Not a damn thing. Get him!"

Toadstool gulped. "Uh... As mayor, I hereby pardon myself of any wrongdoing. Thank you. Good day!" He said before running off while everyone else started throwing fruits and vegetables at him.

"So that's it? He screws everyone over and just gets away with it?" Kenji asked Hop Pop incredulously.

"I wouldn't say that." Kenji turned back to Anne who was now wielding a bow and saw her notching an arrow, pulling it back on the string, and taking aim at Toadstool. She then released the arrow and watched as it stabbed into Toadstool's butt.

"YEEOW!"

"Yes!" Anne cheered.

"Wow. Remind me to never challenge you at archery."

---

Later that day, the toads gathered the money from the statue, but not before giving back what they stole. And they did so by having the villagers do all the work while they attend to other matters.

Their wagon was parked outside the gates of the town, where Kenji and Anne were unloading all that was stolen. Most of the right side of Kenji's head was bandaged up, as well as other areas of his body. While still recovering from his fight, he was determined to help Anne. Together, the two friends helped bring down Mrs. Croaker's grandfather clock. When they set it down, they glanced at one another before looking away with bright blushes.

They then heard another cart coming their way and saw it was the toads. They had all the room they needed for the money on the cart. But not for Morgott. Morgott's body was wrapped in white sheets and laid on a simple wooden cart. He was going to be brought back to the Tower to be given a proper burial.

Kenji and Anne moved out of the way, letting them pass. Fens and Mire hooked the cart to the wagon, while Bog placed his war hammer next to him. Then the red toad walked up to the humans with a smile. "Well, Anne, if it was respect you were looking for…you've sure lost mine," Bog told her, his smile vanished.

"Good." Anne ripped the badge they gave her and threw it to the ground. "If your form of respect is through fear and hurting people, then I don't want it."

Bog scuffed and smirked. "You've got a lot of nerves, I'll give you that," he said, picking up the badge. Then the toad turned to the second human. His expression turned into a glare. "And as for you, Kenji. You have no idea what you've just done, do you? Morgott was the second in command at Toad Tower. One of the best toads in the valley. Believe me when I say that this is far from over, and there will be consequences. We'll be back, Kenji, and we won't be alone."

"Yeah?" Kenji asked, stepping up to Bog and glaring down at him. "Well tell whoever comes–whoever they are–that they better come in peace. As of now, this village is under Anne's and my protection. And we will protect it. No matter the cost."

Bog stared up at him before scuffing. "Then we'll be seeing you see, hero," he said before climbing into the driver's seat of the wagon. "Hyah!"

The tarantula started off, carrying their money and their fallen superior officer down the road towards the tower. "So, are we going to tell the captain about those creatures we found?" Fens asked. "He's going to want to know who killed the lieutenant."

"Oh, we're going to tell the captain everything," Bog said in a menacing voice.

With his one good eye, Kenji watched as the toads disappeared down the road. He sighed in relief but felt a sense of unease by Bog's threat. Morgott was unlike any enemy he's fought before, and he was just one of many toads from Toad Tower. And all would be coming down to Wartwood once they return. He could only imagine what they would say when they saw the lieutenant killed.

"Welp, I think we just started a conflict with the toads," he said.

"Are you scared?" Anne asked in a teasing manner.

Kenji looked at her with a serious expression. "Aren't you?"

Anne blushed as she grabbed his hand. Grasping his hand tightly as he did the same. "With you, no."

"Fou!" Fou said as he hops on Kenji's left shoulder.

"It'll be okay, you two," Hop Pop said as he and his grandkids gathered around the two humans. "We'll be standing with you when they come back."

"He's right, Kenji." Kenji and Anne turned around and were amazed to see everyone in Wartwood gathered in a crowd behind them. All the frogs looked at them with smiles, which surprised the two humans. "They want to mess with you, then they'll have to get through us," Wally said, finally having gotten dressed.

"And, well…We all owe you and Anne a huge apology," Felicia said, shamefully.

"All we ever saw were just two weird and skinny creatures," Mrs. Croaker said, walking up to the two humans with a soft smile. "We didn't even bother to get to know you. And yet even after the way we treated you, you were still willing to risk your life for us and stand up for all of us. Now, we frogs aren't too keen about admitting when we're wrong. But I think I speak for everyone when I say we've never been more wrong about someone in our lives. I hope one day you can forgive us."

Kenji stared at all the frogs with wide eyes as he felt tears starting to well up in his eyes. It has been so long since he felt accepted by a group of people. People who, while not humans, still showed him so much respect and even admiration. Even Anne started tearing up as she felt she was finally accepted by the town.

They looked at one another and then turned back to the crowd. "Thanks, you guys," Kenji said.

"Three cheers for Kenji and Anne, defenders of Wartwood!" Wally shouted.

"Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" They all chanted and cheered for Kenji and Anne. Even though a toad was killed on that day, and Kenji was badly hurt, both humans gained something more valuable. Something that they would cherish as much as their friendship.

The town's acceptance.

---

After the celebration from standing up to the toads; Kenji, Anne and the Plantars headed back home to earn a good long rest, this resulted in Kenji entering his Inner World again after a long time and things were different. Instead of the silver grass that reaches to his shins, trees with the same coloring as the grass, the wide blue skies with some clouds, Kenji now stood in a hallway that leads to a set of large doors. Kenji walks up to the large doors and opens them as he begins to enter the room.

The room is a large council chamber with the same statues from before now acting as pillars and the roundtable with the giant silver gemstone remains in the center of the room. When Kenji begins to look around to see if anything was different, he notices Sigurd, Siegfried, the two EMIYAS, and Karna were sitting at their respective chairs. However, he notices that there are few new faces here.

A young man around Kenji's age, garbed in armor and clothes that looks like it was from the Macedonian Era with a crimson cloak and a short sword with a small blade on the pommel rested at his hip, but the one thing that stood out was the ever-confident grin on his face, blood red hair, and eyes that are the color of crimson. Standing next to him is a giant shadow-like being and Kenji felt that this being is like the young man.

The one sitting in the Caster chair is a young man with messy brown hair and has eyes are deep, dark red of polished, perfect rubies. He has slender-but-hardy build with his standard clothing consists of a black waistcoat, white shirt, black slacks, and a pair of black leather half boot. A gilded shortsword is placed next to him and a symbol of a black dragon is shown on the back of his left hand.

The one sitting in the Assassin chair is an old man with a long thick beard covered with a black cloak with his hood up and has a cane nearby. No matter what Kenji would try to think about this old man, being in his presence is like being in front of the very essence of death itself.

The one sitting in the Berserker chair is a man in his early thirties with blue eyes. His blonde hair appears to be spiky and is worn in a ponytail that points upwards, tied by a grey and green bandana that hides his forehead. He wears white bandages around his right forearm. He wears an odd garment for his upper body, a skin-tight piece of cloth that ties around the right side of the body, covers his left pectoral, acts as a collar, and as a fingerless sleeve for the left arm, decorated with small pieces of black and green armor pieces with golden spikes. Blow the waist, he wears bluish-grey hakama, decorated with golden diamond-shaped ornaments, and black grieves with golden spikes, with sandals for his feet. On top of his golden axe, he carries, additionally, a katana and a large, wide, single-bladed sword that appears to have sustained damage from combat.

And finally, the one sitting in the Shielder chair is a young man is of medium height and average build, though more visibly muscular than Kenji. The man has short unkempt white hair and silver eyes. His outfit is a long grey sleeve shirt covered with a black chest plate, a pair of black gauntlets, grey pants with black greaves covering his lower legs, a black waist guard with purple waistcoat, and a purple shoulder cape over both of his shoulder. His armaments are a long sword that was emitting a holy aura and a giant round shield with four prongs sticking out, shaping it like a cross.

"Been a while since I've been here. Sorry if I hadn't shown up here for a while." Kenji said as he approaches a chair that was at the head of the table and takes a seat. The Heroic Spirits that Kenji knows and the ones who were sitting at the Rider and Caster seats smiled and nodded as they knew that he was trying to live his days in the real world, while the ones sitting in the Assassin and Shielder has stoic faces but they nodded all the same.

The one sitting in the Berserker chair though...

"Don't worry about it Boss!" The blonde man said as he wave his hand in front of him showing that he's not bother by it. "Though a little advise from me, don't wait to long to call us for battle. Otherwise you could kick the bucket."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kenji said as he looked towards the blonde man sitting in the Berserker chair. "By the way who are you?"

"Thought you never asked!" The blonde said as he sat up from his chair. "I'm known as Sakata Kintoki, Servant: Berserker. But you can call me 'Golden'."

...Though Kenji thought the name Golden was odd but he did know who Sakata Kintoki is. Known by his famous childhood name Kintarou, he was one of Minamoto-no-Raikou's Four Heavenly Kings. There are many legends about him, but no historical records to support them. He is the son of Raijin as a red dragon, and his mother is a cannibal mountain witch living on Mount Ashigara . Kintoki was raised with the strength of a monster, fighting and killing beasts in the mountain. Eventually, his mother, an ogress, was vanquished by Usui Sadamitsu, but Kintoki, taken to Minamoto-no-Raikou, was taught the way of man, and became his retainer. He participated in many hunts for demons as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Yorimitsu. He is famous for the episode of the battle against Shuten-douji on Ooe-yama, where he disguised himself as mountain priest, drugged Shuten-douji's alcohol and struck him down. In that episode, he fell in love with the demon Shuten-douji disguised as a beautiful girl, and then had to carry this burden for the rest of his life.

Kenji nodded as he looked towards the others. "And I have to guess that one sitting in The Rider seat is Alexander the Great and the one in the Caster seat is Sieg right?" The young man said as the two nodded at his statement. Kenji looked towards the last two and tries to figure out who they are but is coming to a blank. The one in the Assassin stood up to introduce himself.

"I am know as the Grand Class Servant: Assassin. The Old Man of the Mountain: The First Hassan-i-Sabbah is thy name. It is a pleasure to finally speak to you, Master of the Silver Calamity." The old man now know as First Hassan said old yet wise tone in his voice as Kenji nodded to him. The Servant's True Name is generally regarded as "the Old Man of the Mountain". He is also known as First Hassan, as the first hold the title of Hassan-i-Sabbah and the founder of the Hashashin where he is considered to be both the first and the last "Old Man". Even so, his actual identity was unknown even to the eighteen individuals who came to inherit his titles. Proof that he in fact existed is nowhere to be found—except in the certainty that if ever he who takes the seat of Hassan-i-Sabbah strays from his path, there shall come an executioner to part him from his head.

There was within the sect of the Hashashin not a single witness who could attest to the existence of the original Hassan; all of those who encountered him met their end. He who forged the name of "the Old Man of the Mountain" elected to live as an observer who would enact judgment upon the rot and the deviations of the sect. Even though the sect persisted in righteous accordance to the doctrine of Allah, it was inevitable that those avowed to carry it forth would come to sin in the eyes of Man. Thus, for the preservers the doctrine to lose themselves to the desires of man was to the Old Man of the Mountain all the more a sacrilege against Allah.

Namely, the corruption of the sect's leader, the current Old Man of the Mountain, would mean the decay of the sect. Whether that leader suffered from a corrupt spirit or declining skills, such a person must not bear the name of the Old Man of the Mountain. To decline was to die. He took their heads in forgiveness of their sin, and passed down hope to the next Old Man of the Mountain.

The one who's last is the one sitting in the Shielder chair who only sighed as he stood up from his seat. "Servant: Shielder. My true name is Galahad. That's all you need to know Master." The young man named Galahad said in an empty tone. Galahad was a later addition to the Round Table, especially famed for his escapades in the search for the Holy Grail alongside Percival and Bors.

Galahad is the son of Lancelot, but he only saw Lancelot as a father while he was a boy and both never got along that well. Galahad was admired as the perfect knight, the young boy who would shoulder the next generation of the Round Table. He was a "saint who was the only one to obtain the Holy Grail, just to return it to heavens." From that action, He is forever called Galahad of Revelations, the Knight of Heaven, and the Knight of the Grail.

"Okay now that we're fully introduce ourselves I need to know something Hassan." Kenji said as he places hands in front of him as the First Hassan looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why did one of your Assassins gave me the map of Frog Valley with one place in particular being important?"

Hassan was quiet for a moment before he turned to him to give him an answer. "While you were resting one night, I used a Forced Install so that I can send my shadows: Some of them were former Hassans. One of my shadows have found something that you need to know." The Old Man of the Mountain said as he passed a parchment towards Kenji who caught it as he begins to read the contents. After a few moments of reading his eyes widened as he places the parchment down and places his hands over his face as he lets off a groan.

"Oh son of a bi-"

---

Bonus Chapter:

Fated Prison Break

---

Far, far away from Wartwood...

We find ourselves at Toad Tower, which is a castle made of stone bricks and surrounded by a mountainous region, comprising of snow-capped mountains and ravines. There are many barren trees seen surrounding the tower and its walled exterior. The tower is built atop a rocky cliff with one leading pathway connecting it to the mainland, serving as its only entrance. Many fire torches can also be seen, hung at the entrance as well as along the tower's battlements. A single, long red flag is placed at the top of the tower. The tower has many rooms, including a stable keeping domesticated tarantulas, a main dining hall, a prison cell, and a basement.

In the Main dining hall, a massive group of Toad soldiers having a party as they were eating, drinking, playing Tongue-Wrestle, and playing darts with giant mosquitos. Pretty much a normal thing for the toads when they had a good day.

"Work that tongue. Yeah, come on!"

"Whoo!"

"Bull's-eye!"

Yeah. Everyone seems to be having a great time. However all good things must come to an end when the twin doors open causing the whole group to stop celebrating as a green toad with a large and muscular build walked in. His left eye glows yellow-green and is in a constant squint, while his right eye is marked with a pink scar, pale blue, and dull due to the injury. His eyes do not have visible pupils. He possesses sharp, yellow teeth. He wears brown metal armor with a dark mauve cape.

"It's Captain Grime."

"Captain Grime's here."

"Captain Grime."

"So, these are the valley's strongest warriors. Pathetic!" Captain Grime said as he inspects his solders and notices something off. "Wait, hold on. Is this guy seriously wearing his breastplate as pants?

"Uh, it won't happen again, sir." The soldier wearing his breastplate as pants said in fear as Grime narrowed his eye at the sniveling coward.

"No, it won't. Take him to the pain room." Captain Grime said as he snaps his fingers. This caused two bigger toads with dark black cowls to appear and apprehend the toad soldier.

"Not the pain room. I hate pain!" The toad soldier said as he was dragged away to this so called pain room.

"I'm sure you've all heard frogs in the valley are getting unruly. They're questioning our authority. Some towns have even stopped paying their taxes. And do you know why?" Grime said with a snarl on his face as the toad soldiers where getting worried as they were trying to think of an answer.

"Maybe they, I don't know, forgot?"

"No, you imbeciles! You've all gotten soft." Grime roared as he slams his fist into a pillar causing it to fracture, causing the other toads to gulp or croak in fear. "To get this valley under control, I need warriors who are fierce, cunning, and above all, ruthless!"

---

A small bug crawled across the floor of one of the cells in Toad Tower. It cautiously headed towards an empty bowl, hoping to find a scrap of food. Reaching it, it looked around for something to eat, never noticing the brick that descended upon it, killing it instantly.

"Get your own food, you damn bug." Sasha muttered angrily, sitting with his back against the wall, waiting for dinner. He was in a foul mood, mainly because he had used up the last of his phone's battery watching the end of Season three of Suspicion Island. What added insult to injury was the fact that it cut off right before it got to the winner, so now he would never know if Celia or Nathan won. With nothing else to do, she pulled out a card that was next to her when she ended up this crazy place. It was a Gold accent card that depicts a knight holding a sword.

'Now what did that bug ever do to you?' A rough female spoke up from her mind. 'Besides trying to have a bite.'

'Shut it.' Sasha thought to herself thinking that she might be losing it. Though then again whenever she takes the card out to look at it, she heard that voice from time to time.

The door opened across the room, and a toad named Percy stuck his head in. Percy is a light green toad with small green spots along the side of his body. He has a lighter underbelly and wears brown, later red, armor with leather armbands. Sasha was quick to hide the card so it wouldn't get taken. While Percy might be nice to her, but that doesn't mean she was going to give this up.

"Hey, Sasha," he said brightly, the green and spotted toad giving him a kind smile, holding up a bowl of food. "I brought you dinner; it's Cricket Thursday!"

"Hey, Percy," the teen said, smiling and giving him a small wave, glad for the distraction from boredom. Percy was one of the only toads that treated her with some decency, and it was always a good day when he was on guard duty. "Sounds delicious. Tilly's really outdoing herself in the kitchen; breakfast and lunch were both delicious."

'Even though it looked like something the cat threw up.'

'Not listening.'

"We just got a fresh shipment of bugs last night." He hesitated, suddenly nervous. "I've uh… been working on my act. Do you want to see it?"

"Totally! Bring it." Sasha said with a smirk on her face.

"Okay, stay right there." The toad walked in, blowing a small horn while a bunch of other instruments attached to his body played at the same time, mainly a bass drum attached to his back. He looked like one of those one-man-band street performers, dancing around with a small jester hat on. The music sounded quite good, and when he finished, the human could not help but clap.

"That was cool," Sasha said honestly. "You're really good at that!"

'Not bad. He would make a very good court jester.' the voice spoke up but Sasha ignored it.

"Thanks," the toad said, smiling and handing him his bowl through the bars and taking the old silverware. "So, you really liked my act?"

"Yeah! Too bad you can't do that all the time."

"I know… Captain Grime doesn't really like music," the toad replied, sighing a little as he took off his funny hat to put his helmet back on. "I wish I could just leave here."

"Thant makes two of us," the teen muttered. "...Why don't you leave?"

The soldier looked up at him with surprise. "I… I can't just leave! You... you really think I should quit my job and be a performer?"

"Yeah," Sasha said, smiling a little. "You're clearly not happy here, and if you're not doing something that makes you happy, then what's the point of work?"

"I dunno…"

"You won't have to see Grime ever again."

Percy's eyes widened with realization, and a broad grin crossed his face.

"You know what… you're right! I'm going to leave!" He put his helmet on a nearby skeleton, putting his jester hat back on. "I can't wait to see the look on Grime's face when I tell him I'm-"

The toad backed into someone, falling over with a crash. He looked up, giving a short yelp when he saw Captain Grime standing there, glaring at him. Sasha was also surprised, having not noticed the captain come in, but she quickly hid her shock with a scowl.

"Tell me what," Grime growled, looking down at a terrified Percy. The soldier was shaking so much, the tambourine and cymbal were making noise. Finally, he leaped to his feet, running out the door.

"Sorry! I'm-quitting-this-place-and-I've-always-hated-this-job-BYEEE," he yelled, the sound of him running down the stairs as the instruments played fading into the distance. The toad captain and human looked at the door for a few seconds before turning to face one another.

"Hey there, Grimesy! What's that, like, the fifth toad I've talked into leaving this week?" Sasha said with smirk on her face

"There's plenty more where that came from, and far more loyal than Percy." Grime said with a feral growl.

"Are you sure about that? You're not exactly Mr. Popular around here." Sasha said as she inspect her nails.

'Oh! Sick burn!'

"Enough! Now who-"

Sasha interrupted him as she knew what he wanted to know "Sent me? No one. How'd I get here? Don't know. What do I want? To find my friends and go home. Haven't we been through this enough?"

"It'll be enough once you start giving me real answers. Until then-" Grime was interrupted again when a female toad runs in. The female toad is a light purple toad with violet shaded spots dotted across her cheeks and a light yellow underbelly. She also has blonde hair tied back into a bun with a loop of string and wears leather armbands and brown iron armor alike the other toad soldiers.

"Captain Grime! Captain Grime! Sir! Oh, hey, Sash." The female toad as she gave off a salute first before she waved to Sasha.

"Braddock! Hey, girlfriend. How's the garden coming along?" Sasha said with a small smile on her face as Grime looked on between the two with a look of confusion on his face as he was wondering what's going on here.

"Oh, it's gorgeous. You should see the squash-"

"Did you need something, soldier," Grime barked, making Braddock jump and snap back to attention. He also gave the human a quick glare, and Sasha quickly turned back to her dinner.

"Oh… yes! We may have a small problem. Herons! Two of them, due North!"

Captain Grime's eyes went wide, and he raced from the room, closely followed by Braddock, running up to the top of the tower.

"There," she whispered, pointing into the distance. He walked to the ledge, spying the two giant birds stalking through the swamp.

"Kill the torches," he ordered the solider. "Fast!"

"Yes sir!" Sasha, whose cell window was right below them, looked out at the distant birds.

"A bird," She asked sarcastically. "You guys are scared of a bird?"

"Quiet," the toad captain hissed at him. "It's not just a bird; it's a heron. A murderous predator that happens to love the taste of flesh!" One of the birds made a screeching roar, which was loud, despite them being about half a mile away.

"Cute."

'Yeah. In a violent deadly killerbird kind of way.'

"The most important thing right now is that we be very, very quiet," the toad whispered, and despite her dislike of the captain, the human shut her mouth.

Suddenly, a loud banging noise came from the courtyard below. Percy, still wearing his one-toad-band getup, was walking out the main gate, the cymbals and drum going off as he walked. The two monstrous birds turned their heads at the noise, looking at the Tower.

"PERCY," Sasha, Braddock and Grime whisper-yelled, waving and trying to get his attention. "Come back here! There's a heron! Stop walking!" The green toad finally noticed, turning to look at them.

"Sorry guys," he yelled, "but this toad's got to follow his dreams!" A giant talon stomped down, the toes landing on either side of him. Freezing, he looked up, gaping at the two giant birds towering over him. One gave a shrill screech that echoed across the land.

"AAAH," Percy screamed as one of the picked him up by its beak. The other pulled at his instruments, and he fell to the ground. His broken instruments fell as he dodged one of the heron's beaks. He ran back towards the tower, screaming the whole time as the birds chased him.

"Don't lead them here, you fool," Captain Grime shouted, face-palming himself and growling with anger. He then grabbed a horn from his belt, blowing a loud note that echoed around the Tower. "CLOSE THE GATES!" The gates started to close, but Percy was fortunately able to make it right before the doors shut, the two guards giving him confused look.

"Wow," Sasha said, looking at the distant figure of Percy. "This is serious."

Suddenly, one of the herons appeared right in front of his window, bursting through the wall with its beak and knocking the teen back. Sasha slid into the bars of the cell, staring at the giant bird beak in front of its face. He could see that the creature had sharp teeth, and some red liquid was dripping from its beak. It opened its mouth and gave a loud screech, blowing her hair back.

"OH CRAP" she cried, trying to scramble away as the bird tried to peck at her legs. The human noticed one of her chains had become severed in the destruction, but the other one still held her down.

"This place is falling apart," she vaguely heard Grime yell from the corridor, along with the sound of toads running and screaming in terror. "Come on you cowards, fight back! Do SOMETHING!"

Sasha, not wanting to die and not expecting anyone to rescue her, quickly stood up and spotted her bowl of food laying nearby. Getting an idea, she raced for it, jumping over the creature's beak, flipping as she did so. Managing to land on her feet which was impressive, given that she had not practiced in a month and was still chained with one leg, she grabbed the bowl and threw it at the bird's face, blinding it with stew and making it roar with rage.

"Bring it on, bird brain," she yelled, running forward and jumping onto the bird's beak, using it to vault herself into its face, where she punched it in the eye with the hope of disorienting it. It roared again, shaking its head as she held on like a rodeo rider, repeatedly poking its eyes. Eventually, it managed to shake her off, and she rolled onto the ground. In its anger, it ended up snapping the other chain that held her down, but now it was staring right at her, eyes red with anger, mouth open to eat her alive. The teen closed her eyes, not wanting to die, and then-

"AAH!"

Sasha opened her eyes to find Grime standing over him, using both hands to hold back the heron's beak. The captain was growling with concentration, glaring at the beast. Looking around, the teen saw that the toad had bent the bars of the cage open, and she quickly ran through it, heading for the exit. She had just made it into the hall when she paused, turning back towards the cell door. She could run away easily in the chaos, but... she was not a killer, like Grime. A second later, she made a decision.

"Fine," she muttered to herself, grabbing a nearby barrel and running back into the room. The heron had knocked the toad captain back, ready to eat him alive.

"I do not fear death," she heard Grime say.

Drama queen, Sasha thought, lifting the barrel over her head. "Hey! Ugly chicken!"

Yelling, she threw the barrel at the bird, which shattered on its beak and sent some green liquid spewing all over it. The head fell to the ground before retreating through the hole, heading off to attack another part of the tower. Captain Grime turned to her with a shocked expression, then he started to laugh.

"Where did you get moves like that?"

"Cheerleading, believe it or not."

"I'm sorry, cheer what?"

"Okay, listen up," the human interrupted. "If I help you get rid of these birds, you will give me provisions, and release me. It's the least you can do after I saved your life. Deal?"

Grime stared at her for a few seconds, then gave him a dark grin [or a regular grin; it was hard to tell when Grime was not being evil].

"Deal. Now grab every toad you can and head for the safe room!" A screech from the outside made the both jump. "Quickly!"

---

An hour or so later, Sasha, Grime, Braddock, Percy and several other toads were in the safe room at the base of the tower. Around them, they could hear the herons pecking at the foundations, making some rocks fall from the ceiling. Three toads guarding the door were thrown back by a powerful thud, and most of the others were shaking with fear.

"You know what would lighten this atmosphere a little bit," Percy suddenly asked, still wearing his jester hat. "A jo-oke! How many herons does it take to storm a castle?" Captain Grime drew his sword, pointing the blade at the guard's neck. "Too soon?"

"You lot are, without a doubt," Grime said quietly, his volume increasing to a yell as he turned to the other soldiers, "the most USELESS GROUP OF TOADS I HAVE EVER SEEN!"

Sasha noticed a lot of the toads sigh at this, shoulders slumped with dejection. While she didn't care about most of the toad soldiers, Sasha noticed Percy and Braddock's dejected expressions, and felt herself growing angrier.

"Maybe," their leader continued to yell, "if any of you had a SCRAP of courage, we wouldn't BE in here, cowering like a bunch of-"

"Oh my gosh, shut the HELL UP!" Sasha shouted, eliciting a few gasps from the soldiers as the captain turned to her, too stunned to be mad. The human's face flushed with embarrassment, but she remained adamant in her statement; besides, it felt good calling out the guy who had her imprisoned, especially in front of his soldiers. The teen walked toward him, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him behind a tapestry for some privacy.

"Look," she told the toad captain, "if you keep acting like a dick all the time, yelling at them like that, they're gonna keep freaking out, and we're all gonna die! I'm not planning on dying here, of all places, so hurry up and grow a pair and start acting like a leader!"

Grime gaped at her for a few moments before his face turned into a snarl.

"And what would you suggest I do," he demanded. "Reward them for their pathetic behavior? Congratulate them for their mediocrity?" He spat off to the side, the small puddle of acidic saliva burning through the floor.

"No," the teen said exasperatedly, face palming herself. "Look; if you treat them with respect, and they'll listen to you. Compliment them every now and then, just to let them know you appreciate them trying their best, and they'll do anything for you."

"Really," the toad asked incredulously. "That actually works?"

"Yes."

The captain scratched his chin, deep in thought. "... Fine, I'll give it a try," he finally conceded. He drew back the tapestry, looking out at the group of toads. "Uh… where do I start?"

Sasha gave a small sigh of exasperation, but decided to have mercy on the toad. "Here. I'll help." Raising her voice, she yelled, "What? You think all of your guards are doing a great job but you're too scared to show your true feelings?"

Grime gave her a horrified look, and all the soldiers turned towards the two of them, muttering to one another and exchanging confused looks.

"What are you doing," the captain hissed at him.

"Don't worry. Follow my lead." The human raised her voice again. "And you think Braddock is the bravest soldier because she doesn't take crap from anyone?"

"What," the female toad asked, straightening up a little as everyone turned to her.

"I…" Captain Grime turned to Sasha, who gave him a small nod. "Uh… Yes," he said loudly, trying to give what he hoped was a believable smile of encouragement. "She is one of the best soldiers Toad Tower has ever had!"

"Aw… gosh," Braddock said, blushing a little as the other soldiers smiled around her, a few congratulating their friend.

"And what about Gary," the teen continued, pointing to a heavily-bandaged toad on crutches. "Do you have anything to say to him?"

"Uh… he's never taken a sick day," the captain said, grasping at straws as he tried to think of something kind to say.

"What can I say," the blue toad said, grinning happily while balancing on his crutches. "I'm just dedicated!" Grime could not help but grin, watching his soldiers start to liven up, looking at him with smiling faces.

"And Percy," Sasha asked, deciding to have one last jab at the captain.

Captain Grime gave her a murderous look. "I don't want to do Percy," he muttered.

"AND PERCY," the human repeated with gritted teeth.

"Percy's a grubbing IDIOT," the captain finally snapped. The group of soldiers gasped, and Percy's eyes went wide, starting to tear up. The teen face-palmed herself again, wanting to strangle the toad if his neck was not so fat. Grime, noticing how upset everyone became, quickly tried to back track.

"BUT… when he makes a mistake, he owns it, and he doesn't stop until he makes things right. And because of that…" The toad guards gasped, waiting for him to finish. "He… has…"

"C'mon, c'mon," Sasha muttered.

Captain Grime, swallowing his pride and not liking the taste, finally said, "EARNED MY RESPECT!"

The collective gasp that followed was almost deafening. Everyone stared at the captain in shock, some wondering if he was under some kind of spell. Percy, meanwhile, stopped flinching and looked up at the captain.

"I have," he asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Uh… yes," the toad leader questioned.

Percy looked like he was about to cry, but suddenly straightened up, a hard expression on his face.

"Captain Grime, Sir," he said, giving him a perfect salute, "we're taking this tower BACK! Even if we must fight through TWENTY herons!" He turned to his fellow soldiers. "Now c'mon, you toads, no one wants to live forever!"

Roars of applause and cheers started before he could even finish his sentence. All the toad soldiers were cheering, raising their weapons in triumph over their heads. Percy lifted his own, and with his jester had sitting proudly on his head, he led the charge out of the safe room, all of them calling for the birds' blood. Seconds later, they were gone, leaving only Grime and Sasha in the room. The captain was shocked, to say the least, that the human's plan had even worked. He looked up at the human, who gave him a thumbs up and a small smile.

'Things are about to get interesting.' The voice spoke though Sasha's mind and for once she agreed with the voice.

---

With their renewed courage and vigor, the toads stormed out of the tower, taking the two monsters by surprised. They attacked the legs, avoiding talons and beaks as the monsters looked around in confusion.

"FOR GRIME," Percy yelled, still leading the charge against the birds.

Sasha and Grime made it upstairs moments later, surveying the battlefield. Some toads now lay wounded, but most were still fighting, grouping together to attack at once. They spotted the two birds, necks bent low, cornering Braddock and Percy against a fallen wall. As if getting the same idea, the two of them raced up the nearest stairs, standing on a broken outcrop over the two bird's heads, lifting a club he had found.

"Hey, up here," Sasha yelled, catching their attention. Then, yelling a war cry, both Captain Grime and she jumped onto the birds, knocking them into the ground. Running up its neck, the teen did a front flip through the air, using the momentum to bring his club down on the heron's head. Jumping off, she turned to face the bird, the captain at his side. Both ran forward and attacked their respective bird, occasionally switching monsters to land a kick or a punch. The human had never felt more alive than she did in this moment, punching a giant bird in the eye before doing a back flip off its beak.

However one of the herons got creative as it uses its beak and swatted Sasha away to a wall. The heron opens its mouth and was about to finish off Sasha. Time came to a halt as Sasha was having her life flashing before her eyes. However, as this was happening the voice spoke up again but this time it was calmer than before.

'Do you want some help?'

'...Can you really help?'

'Do you want to see them again? Even the one you left behind?'

'...Yeah. I just want to see them again, but i guess that wont happen now since I'm about to die here.'

'...Then how about I lend you a hand here?'

As time begins to move again and the Heron getting closer to Sasha, bolts of crimson lighting strikes where Sasha was, causing the heron to step back. Standing before all of them is a woman covered completely in thick silver-red armor that entirely wraps her small frame. her whole head is covered in a full face-covering helm with twin horns on the sides of the helmet. In her armored hands is an ornate, sparkling white silver sword adorned with splendid decorations, acting as a symbol of kingship denoting the right of succession of the throne. It is a treasured sword that has worth equal to, if not exceeding, Caliburn, that amplifies the authority of the king, the "king's royal aura." This is Clarent: Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword.

Upon utilizing it, she takes a stance, while at the same time, her helmet, Secret of Pedigree, is removed due to the requirement of it being released before she can use the attack, revealing Sasha's face but her hair is now in a wild pony tale and her eyes are a forest green color. The space around her and the sword becomes stained with dark red blood, and the blade of the sword, enveloped by the radiance of blood, gives off strange, violent and furious sounds and begins to transform. Changing from Clarent's normally pure and beautiful form, her great hatred transfigures the sword into that of a sinister and wicked blade befitting a demon, a "demonic sword of calamity". Transformed into a grotesque and unsightly form, red lightning flickers through the surroundings as it is clad in her wanton hatred.

"This for sure will be the wicked blade that will destroy my father! Clarent Blood Arthur!" Sasha chanted as upon raising the sword, she releases the blood radiance upon the enemy as a flash of light, a surging wave with the simple purpose of destruction. The Clarent releases a straight line of crimson lightning from the tip of her sword, destroying all in its path. When the crimson lightning subsided, the two herons, that somehow survived the attack, takes flight as they wanted to get away from this deadly creature that stood before them. Sasha places her sword on he shoulder as she looked on with pride.

"How in the world did you do that?!" Captain Grime said as he walked towards Sasha who still had a prideful grin on her face.

"Let's just say I had some help."

"WOAH," Sasha heard, and turned to find the toad army gaping at her and Captain Grime, clearly impressed by their fighting skills.

"Toads of Toad Tower," Grime yelled, clearly on an adrenaline high from the fight, "today was a great victory! If it weren't for your bravery, the fortress would be lost! You're all HEROES!"

"Did Grime," one soldier asked.

"Just call us," Braddock continued.

"Heroes," Percy finished.

There was a beat of silence, then everyone started cheering at once, hugging one another and raising their weapons in celebration. The captain couldn't help but smile either, but he noticed once again that the human was still smirking.

"Alright troops, listen up," the toad finally said.

Immediately, the soldiers were silent, all falling into line and saluting him. "SIR, YES SIR," they yelled in unison.

"Wow… um… head down to the mess hall for some food and a round of beetle mead! You've earned it!"

"SIR, YES SIR," the toad warriors yelled, marching away in perfect step, which was something they could never do before.

"Unbelievable," the toad captain muttered, turning to face the human. "This 'compliment' stuff is amazing!"

"Yeah, so I upheld my end of the deal," Sasha said, as she approached the toad captain. "So give me some rations, a map, maybe a cool cloak or two so I don't freeze to death, and I'll be on my way."

Grime suddenly and quickly drew his sword and pressed it to the human's neck.

"Not so fast," he said, grinning at him. "You're far too dangerous and manipulative to be left to roam free and after what I saw far too destructive."

The teen's face went red, and she looked ready to attack the captain with her sword. "Why you warty little-"

"But, you have done me a great service today, including saving my life. So, go ahead" the toad continued, sheathing his sword. "Become a vagabond, wandering the wilderness to your content while searching for a way home. Even if you don't die right away, I doubt you'll survive a day."

The human looked out past the ruined walls of the castle, the red moon visible in the sky. He saw mountains, forests, swamps, and could even still see the two herons flying away in the distance. While he wanted to leave, he probably wouldn't survive on his own, and given the captain's tone, he ventured a guess that there was an-

"Or," Sasha asked, turning back to the toad.

Grime again gave her an evil grin. "Or… stay here, become a soldier, and given the promise you've shown today, maybe my second-in-command. Help us rebuild the tower. And... when we're done here, you, me, and the entire garrison will march on the Valley, restore order, and help you find your friends and your way home, if it's possible. Now, do we have a deal," he asked.

Sasha stared back at him, mulling the offer over in her head. Compared to living on her own and possibly dying in the wilderness, a promotion sounded nice. Not being a prisoner anymore and being locked in a cell was also appealing. Seconds later, she knew her reply.

"I think I can live with that."

Captain Grime grinned. "Excellent" he said. "Now come, Lieutenant; we have much to discuss!" He walked away, another toad soldier running up to tell him that someone named Bog had returned from Wartwood with news. Sasha looked around the fallen ramparts of the tower, surveying the alien world before her.

"Lieutenant," the teen muttered to herself, a small smile on her face. "Looks like I'm moving up in this world..."

'Well deserved I must say,'

'I'll say...By the the way, who are you? I don't want to call you just a voice,'

'...Call me Mordred.'

Sasha nodded as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out two photos: one which has Anne, Marcy and herself taking a group photo and the other...a photo of there younger selves and Kenji when they were still friends. "Marcy. Anne. Kenji. Hold on for a little longer. I'm coming for you. And when I find you, we're gonna get home." Sasha said as a smirk formed on her face.

"But first, I think we're gonna have some fun with this place."

'I can agree to that. Let's see what you got.' Mordred spoke through Sasha's mind before said girl turned and walked towards the mess hall, the sunset turning the sky a fiery red.

---

Just a quick announcement about Amphibia's end: All I got to say is that I enjoyed this show very much. This show was one heck of a ride like Gravity Falls was and I'm glad to say with 100% that this show will be remembered for its journey from beginning to end. So to you Matt and all the awesome people who made this incredible show I would like to say from the bottom of my heart: Thank you for this beautiful story that you have told us.