A Newt and a Human, but One Story

by AuthorofLemuria

And Andrias saw past something. Until now, he had seen this girl as a new coming of Leif, his new chance to be with his old friend. Now, now he saw something of a young newt that had died in spirit a long time ago, betrayed by someone that he had held dear. (Crossposted from Ao3)

16. Family Reunions

Once again, the ancient city of Newtopia was enveloped in darkness. The buzzing metropolis mostly slept, the few that still were awake either working in their houses by the light of a candle or walking in the streets illuminated by the streetlights.

At its center, on a small hill that hid things from another age and other worlds in its bowels, stood the Royal Palace, where no lights shone save for the ones the guards needed and, for once, even King Andrias Leviathan, sitting in his throne, slept a dreamless sleep.

Not that far from the throne room, in one of the Palace's towers, was the room of one of the first otherworldly beings to visit Amphibia in a thousand years. Its occupant, Marcy Wu of Earth, slept as well, quietly, for once.

So deep was her sleep that she didn't notice when something opened the door to her room and slinked in.

Unnoticed by the unconscious human, the tiny figure walked sneakily towards the bed, graceful steps on the carpet making no noise, climbed on top of the bed and prepared to make her move.

Marcy was jolted to awareness as the figure put a hand on her shoulder. She immediately opened her eyes and saw, towering over her, the intruder.

Without missing a beat Marcy smiled and gingerly greeted the newt "Oh, hi Lady Olivia"

Lady Olivia, dressed in a light pink nightgown and fuzzy pink slippers, stood atop Marcy's bed, looking a bit confused by the human's words and attitude "Uh." She said "I… expected you to be a bit more surprised, honestly."

Marcy got up to a sitting position, her gigantic size relative to Lady Olivia meaning that, even if Olivia was standing and she was sitting, they were pretty much on eye level. The human shrugged "Eh. I already had Yunan sneak into my room while I was sleeping before and even Andrias snuck in. I was waiting for you to do it as well, honestly."

"Andrias?" Olivia asked. She knew about Yunan sneaking in, how could she forget the 'Pirate King' incident, but this was new.

The girl let out a small awkward laugh to dismiss Olivia's concern "It was after the… Flipwart thing. Nothing important. Anyways, what's the matter Lady Liv? You need Master Marcy's help at…" Marcy picked up her phone from her nightstand and checked the time "2 AM. Hey, it's not so bad, I've pulled worse all-nighters."

Olivia noticed instantly Marcy's blatant attempt to shift the conversation away from her late night talk with the King. She had way too much experience with Andrias using the same strategy ('Your Majesty, why are the throne room tapestries on fire!?' 'Oh, Lady Olivia, I was just… trying out some fireworks! By the way, new hairstyle? It suits you!') to fall for Marcy using it. Even if she did, however, she decided not to pry. She had had half a mind to give Andrias a good talk about what had happened at the tournament the morning after the incident, but, when Marcy had woken up the following day, the two had gone back to their usual goofy antics, so she had figured that Andrias had somehow worked it out and that was all that mattered. If Marcy didn't feel like talking about it, she wouldn't pry.

"I would advise against going to bed that late." She took the bait and felt good about it as Marcy's stance got slightly more relieved. "If human biology is anything like newt biology, and I'm pretty sure it is in this matter, you are still a growing girl and need your sleep."

Marcy chortled at that "No, I don't mean going to sleep at 2 AM!" She said, chuckling and waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "My parents would kill me if I did that, on a school night most of all! I simply went to bed, got my good three, four hours of sleep and got all night to read and game!" She bent over and extracted a can of Zap-O-Rade from under the bed "Plus, Andrias showed me you guys have energy drinks as well! These babies can keep me going for days!"

Olivia breathed deeply as she smothered her inner desire to smother a certain 20 feet tall millenary amphibian whose name started with 'A' and ended with 'ndrias' frogging 'Leviathan'.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and you're going to limit energy drinks, okay?" Olivia compromised "That stuff can't be healthy."

"Deal!" Marcy agreed "Now, let's hear what you need!"

Olivia sighed "Alright. General Yunan asked me to come with her to a family reunion. Now, I know how this sounds, but I'm going to need you to not- aaaand you're already doing it."

As the light blue newt looked again in the human's direction, she could hardly repress a sigh when she saw that, as expected, Marcy's mouth had a toothy grin that was wide enough to probably be painful, her eyes had become cartoonishly large with ecstasy, her hands clenched in two fists right in front of her and she appeared to be vibrating.

"Oh man, oh man, oh MAN!" She squealed out, practically bouncing into place. "A Longclaw family reunion!? That's going to be so AWESOME!"

"Marcy, darling, I know you're excited and everything, but could you please use your inside voice? It's 2 AM and people are trying to sleep."

"Oh, right right." Marcy said as she sat down again, still waving her closed fists around like crazy "It's just… Yunan's family reunion! She's the coolest newt around and her sister took down a heron! I bet the rest of her family is super cool as well!"

Olivia nodded "The General is pretty cool, as you say."

Marcy looked like she was about to comment on Olivia finally using Andrias style 'cool kidz lingo', but then she suddenly stopped "Wait." She said "Wait wait wait. Lady Olivia, do you think General Yunan's going to invite me?"

The newt chuckled "Dear, I think that is not even worth questioning. She gushes over her 'awesome apprentice that makes her an even awesomer mentor' at each chance she gets. Just pretend to be surprised when she asks you."

"Oh Frog, I'll meet General Yunan's family!" Marcy exclaimed in triumph, still managing to keep her voice hushed. She got up and went towards one of her room's walls, pulling down a board filled with handwritten notes and small sketches linked together with red yarn "I'll get to add some new lore to my Yunan board!"

Olivia chuckled in her hand at the human's silliness "Of course you have one of those"

Marcy turned around with a speed that almost surprised Olivia "How couldn't I? General Yunan's so cool! She also shares a lot of her adventures and I jot down everything, I mean like everything!" She began pointing at different parts of her board as she continued ranting "Like, when two months into the war, after taking the stronghold of Macragge that blocked the only way into the desert she discovered that the toads of Ragnar the Wretched were venturing down ancient ruins, possibly to search for the ancient legendary legions of the Metal Toads of Absolute Doom or the Vorpal Laser Blaster of Pittenweem or even the fabled Heron Tiara of the Olm King! So, she chased after them to stop them, leaving her army behind and living in the caverns for months while she chased Ragnar's scouts, defeating the Sword Lord of the Centipede Horde and ending the centuries long civil war to gain passage into the cave system where-"

"Marcy." Olivia interrupted the teen "I don't mind your rants, really, but for starters you still need to breathe."

Marcy smiled awkwardly and rubbed the backs of her head "Whoops. Yeah, I do tend to forget that, sometimes."

"No need to worry, dear" Olivia reassured the teen before continuing "And, I still need to tell you why I need your help."

"Oh. Right, that!" Marcy laughed and lightly slapped herself on her forehead "Sorry, went on a bit of a side rant there. My brain works funny at times!" She rapidly returned to the bed and sat "So, Lady Liv, what do you need my help for?"

The newt shifted a bit, almost awkwardly "I'm not exactly… the most well accustomed person when it comes to… family matters. Frog, I barely have any 'friendly' interactions outside Yunan and Andrias. And you of course."

"Aw, thanks Lady Liv!"

"Point is" the newt continued "I'd really like to make a good impression"

'Ah, impressing the parents!' Marcy thought 'Key shipping material! Well, not exactly the parents, but still something!'

"Lady Olivia" Marcy proclaimed in a solemn tone as she stood up on the bed, her arm extended for added dramaticness "I promise I will do everything necessary to make General Yunan's family -andalsoGeneralYunanbecauseyoutwowouldbesupercutetogether- absolutely love you!"

"I'm sorry, what was that last part?"

"No time to explain!" Marcy ignored Lady Olivia's question "You woke me up pretty late, but I think we can still make it!"

"Pretty late?" Lady Olivia asked "It's 2 AM and we aren't leaving until late morning"

"As I said, barely enough time!" Marcy insisted as she jumped down the bed and returned to her Yunan board "Still, if I squeeze the explanation a bit, we should be able to cover all of the Yunan lore I've gathered."

"Master Marcy, I'm a pretty fast learner, I already know much about Yunan and that board is not that big, I'm sure-"

The human, who had looked confused for a second, suddenly began laughing "Oh, this is not the real 'Yunan board'!" Before Lady Olivia could inquire further, the teen hit the wall with a fist, causing a number of boards, all filled to the brim with complex diagrams, flowcharts, notes and doodles of all kinds, to drop down "This is the real Yunan lore board! Still missing bits and bobs here and there, but it's a start!"

It would be a long night, Olivia realized as she began to regret her life decisions.

When morning finally came, Master Marcy happily waltzed down the stairs to the dining room, the crownlet Andrias had given her on her head for the big occasion, a spring in her step and looking perfectly rested. In tow, came Lady Olivia, looking like death personified after a long night of being lectured on everything Yunan.

"C'mon, Lady Olivia!" Marcy beckoned, walking backwards as she turned to face Lady Olivia "We're almost late for breakfast!"

The newt made a sleepy sound of understanding and continued following the human, carried by the vague memory that Marcy was leading her to coffee.

As Marcy walked backwards, however, she stumbled into something. Before she could hit the ground, however, she was caught by two familiar arms.

"You should really watch where you're going, Master Marcy!" Yunan warned her pupil as she chuckled, effortlessly picking up the much larger Marcy and putting her back on her feet "Still, you weigh a bit more. Have you been snacking?"

"Nope!" Marcy cheerfully, popping the p, before pulling back one of her sleeves, exposing the bicep, and flexing. "It's all muscle, baby!" Announced the now less toothpick-armed teen.

"That's my apprentice!" Yunan cheered her on.

"'u'an" Grunted Lady Olivia, who had by now finally arrived.

"AAAH!" General Yunan screamed as she jumped back at least ten meters, extracting her blades on one hand, while she used the other arm to sling Marcy over her shoulder "A Banshee of Lake Tay! You and your kind will never have me!"

"Uhm, General, that's Lady Olivia" Marcy pointed out.

"Oh." Yunan said as her brain rebooted for a second "Aha, Liv! I had mistaken you for a Banshee, one of those beautiful, graceful and majestic creatures!" Yunan tried to save herself with a big forced smile.

"Didn't you say they were horrible creatures that terrified the meek and made the bold tear their own eyes out?"

"Be quiet, pupil" Yunan whispered to Marcy, still with the wide grin on her face.

"Oh my gosh, you called me your pupil!" Marcy exclaimed.

In her sleep-deprived state, Olivia couldn't exactly tell why, but she took a deep sigh.

"So, Liv!" Yunan went on "You look pretty ba- I mean, not bad, you always look good, but you seem a bit… sleepy?"

"Oh, that's because she didn't get any sleep." Marcy candidly admitted as she was let go from Yunan's shoulder.

"Really?" Yunan asked, an eyebrow raised "That's not usual for you, Liv. Particularly because of today."

Not wanting Yunan to find out why Lady Olivia had stayed up all night, Marcy butted in "Uhm, what happens today?"

"Oh, right, still have to ask you" Yunan mumbled as Marcy rejoiced at having successfully distracted her "Today's the annual Longclaw family meeting and I would really like for everyone to meet my kid. I mean,my apprentice, who is also a kid."

Marcy began hopping in place "Oh Frog, oh Frog, oh FROG!" She exclaimed "I know I knew it already, but hearing it from you is so much cooler!"

Yunan crooked her head slightly "What do you mean you knew it already?"

"Oh, uhm, ah, I, oh, I am really surprised!" Marcy deadpanned "I had no idea that this family reunion existed or that you were going to ask me to come, definitely! I am shocked, surprised and shocked! Did I say I was surprised yet? Because I am! Definitely!"

"Ah, okay" Yunan nodded "So, you gonna come, I assum-"

Marcy slammed her hands on each of the newt's cheeks "Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes yes yes yes, are you kidding me, yes yes yes, don't you even think about taking this from me."

"…oookay." Yunan said, awkwardly sliding out of Marcy's grip "What about you Lady Olivia?" She asked, turning toward the other newt, who had almost dozed off while standing, but mustered her remaining strength to let out a grunt to demonstrate she was still conscious. "I know I asked you to come, but you look exhausted."

"Oh, maybe I can help!" Marcy exclaimed, pulling out something almost out of thin air. It was a red plastic bottle, with spikes all around the top part, sporting in bright letters the words 'Blast Berry Blitz' "Behold! A human energy drink! It's Anne's favorite, I always carry around some, just in case. This baby can give you the energy to go on for days without sleep! I should know, I did it."

Yunan raised a finger, observing with vague reverence and intimidation the alien object "I know it's not like me to ask, but are you sure it's safe?"

Marcy brought a hand to her chin, tapping on it with her index "That's a… good question. It's mostly fine and mostly not toxic for humans"

"What do you mean 'mostly not toxic'?"

"But for amphibians?" Marcy loudly asked, ignoring Yunan's question. She pulled out her journal and started reading through it "It should affect normal amphibians, like frogs or toads, in a completely different way than humans, but newts have radically different diets, particularly those like Lady Olivia who lived in high society for most of their life…"

"Kid, I don't want to cut you off" Yunan butted in as Marcy began to mumble "But I believe Liv is starting to doze off again"

"Okay, okay, I should have an answer!" Marcy proclaimed as she slammed the journal shut, snapping Olivia out of her dozing. "Doctor Marcy's final result is…" She shrugged "Honestly, no idea."

Yunan sighed "Very well, it's weird to say, but I think if we don't know if it's safe to do it then we shouldn't do it. Liv, how about you catch some sleep? It's not the end of the world, I'll go with Marcy and you can come next ye-"

With a speed neither Yunan or Marcy expected from a nearly catatonic newt, Olivia lunged out and took the bottle of Blast Berry Blitz from Marcy's hand, rapidly ripped out the bottle cap and downed its entire contents in one go, with the classic ability of an alc- juice enjoyer.

For a second, as Olivia let the bottle fall to the ground and it tumbled on the floor, her fingers slightly twitching, nothing happened.

"Well, that was anticlimactic" Yunan commented

"Yeah," Marcy agreed "I expected more of a-"

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Olivia began screaming as light formed around her and she began to lift off the ground.

"IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND!" Marcy screamed.

Yunan whipped out two thumbs up, something she had learnt from Marcy "YOU'RE DOING GREAT LIV!"

As suddenly as it had happened, it stopped and Olivia returned on the ground, seemingly unharmed and better than ever "…uh." She finally spoke "I feel completely rejuvenated. I haven't felt this good in years!" Olivia stretched a bit and let out a tiny laugh "What was in that?"

"Oh, just the usual stuff" Marcy answered "Caffeine, other stimulants and you know, radioactive isotopes"

"Radiowhat now?" Yunan asked, slightly concerned.

"Doesn't matter" Olivia said, waving her hand "The important thing is that I'm going to come to your family reunion, no matter what. Shall we have breakfast?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm starving"

"Still bothered by those rabioadjective isotropes, but yeah, me too"

The three headed inside the dining room, climbed up the Andrias-sized table in the middle and served themselves, Yunan seemingly bothered by something else while they were chattering.

Marcy almost chalked it up to it being related to the dubious ethics of putting dangerous chemicals into drinks marketed for kids, but she remembered her stumbling into the General earlier. Usually Yunan dodged her even while she was trying to hit her in their spars, it was weird that she just ran into her.

As she mused about this and the end of the breakfast loomed ever closer, however, the last and unusually late occupant of the Palace entered the dining room.

"Good morning, everyone!" Andrias exclaimed as he strode inside.

"Hi Andrias!" Marcy greeted the big newt, excitedly waving with an outstretched hand, while Olivia nodded at him while sipping on her tea (she had opted for tea after her arm had twitched and sent her cup of coffee flying against a wall. After that they had agreed that the Berry Blitz had enough caffeine for the day) and, uncharacteristically, Yunan replied with a simple "Sire"

"I see you've started without me. Good, good, was worried I had kept you waiting." Andrias said before plopping down on his chair "So, any plans for today?"

"Actually, yes, Sire. Yunan, Master Marcy and I are going to Yunan's family reunion." Olivia politely answered "I hope it is okay"

"You could come too!" Marcy proposed. It would be fun having Andrias there! It would be a real family reunion, not like those stuffy lunches where her parents would parade her around in uncomfortable itchy clothes.

As she heard that, Yunan stiffened slightly. "Marcy, I th-"

"Sorry, Marcy, can't do" Andrias cut off Yunan "I've got a thing." He chuckled "You could say it is a 'family reunion' of my own, aha"

"I… don't get it" Marcy said, slightly confused, both by Andrias' weird joke and by Yunan's apparent uneasiness at the idea of inviting the King, which had disappeared when he had declined her invitation.

"Oh, you'll get it when you're older"

"Sire" Olivia intervened "I'm what Marcy would call older and I didn't get it either"

"You'll get it when you're a thousand years old, okay?" Andrias pouted "I'm sorry, are you going to a family reunion or to Newtopia's Comical Critics Convention?"

Before anyone could continue with the banter, they were interrupted by Yunan suddenly getting up "Well, I think it's time to go! Wouldn't want to be late!"

"Isn't that a Longclaw family tradition?" Olivia asked, earning a wink and a thumbs up from Marcy. She had paid attention to her lesson!

"Well, it is, yes, but… you know." Yunan jumped off the big table on which they were having breakfast. "Let's go!"

Olivia and Marcy exchanged a look, then they both decided to follow Yunan and got down to ground level. As they were making their way to the door, Andrias spoke up "General, by the way, did you think about what I spoke to you about yesterday?"

Yunan froze in place. "…I am thinking about it." She answered, earning a nod from Andrias.

"As I said, take your time" The Kind said as he pulled out a newspaper and began reading it.

"Bye, Andrias! Have a fun family reunion or whatever!" Marcy yelled out to Andrias and with that they made their way out of the room.

"Uhm, General, what was that about?" Marcy asked, a bit concerned. It was clear by now that whatever was troubling Yunan was related to Andrias, ridiculous as that may seem. After all, Andrias was a great guy and Yunan adored him! If it was Olivia, Marcy might have understood, but she seriously struggled to see how the Palace's second and third most adorable goofballs (there had been a vote and she had won that title decisively, despite not voting for herself) would come to this.

"It's…" Yunan seemed to be struggling to find the words to answer Marcy, while Olivia also listened with attention, having noticed the issue perhaps even earlier than Marcy had. "It's a mission." The pink newt eventually said "Yeah, I've been your bodyguard for a bit and, while I love it, I think some action would do me good, y'know? Was setting it up with Andrias and had a bit of a… disagreement"

While it sounded like there was something Yunan was still not telling her, Marcy was content with the explanation. Phew, she had feared it was something serious! "Okie dokie!" She replied "Let's go then! We have a reunion to attend!"

As the excited child carried the two adults towards the event, Andrias sat in the dining room alone.

He let down the newspaper and saw, on the wall right in front of him, an orange eye, observing him with unblinking resilience.

Andrias sighed. He had called it a family reunion, didn't he? It most definitely was one, but he wasn't as sure as Marcy was that it would be so fun.

The Longclaw family home was much bigger than Marcy expected it to be. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but it was big, with additions upon additions that made it look more like an overgrown plant than a house, with several walls that seemed to have been broken down and rebuilt and stubs of turrets sprouting from the upper floors.

It was true that Yunan had told Marcy that she was the exception and her sisters were more similar to Priscilla's size than hers, but, from what little Yunan had told her of her childhood after their spars, she had understood that they weren't exactly swimming in gold and her mother had struggled to raise her children on her own.

"Oh, Priscilla actually fixed up the house" Yunan explained when Marcy asked, as they entered the big house "Turns out, being a beast hunter/all around badass pays well. Plus, I live in the Palace, so I don't really need all the money I'm paid"

"Well, well, well, lookie here!" Boomed a loud voice, before an imposing figure jumped down from the top floor, landing with a thunderous impact right behind the three of them. "Late as usual, uh Yu?" Priscilla asked, smirking "Being in the army hasn't had any effect or did years of being a big shot made you even more arrogant?" She asked, jokingly

Yunan chuckled "Oh, it ain't arrogant if it's the truth, isn't it?" Yunan walked up to her sister and slapped her hand on the outstretched hand the other newt was offering her, the two pulling each other's hand and butting heads for a moment, before Priscilla whipped around and gave a good slam on Yunan's back, causing shockwaves that sent a passerby flying but barely bothering Yunan.

"So, Lady Olivia! We barely met last time, before, you know." Priscilla said as she walked up to the light blue newt.

"Yes, the kidnapping, I know. Can we not talk about that?"

"Aha, no way!" Priscilla laughed, as she got Yunan in a playful headlock. "I'm still teasing Yunan about it. The great and powerful General Yunan, bonked in the head by a couple of cultists! It's hilarious!"

"It was my day off!" Yunan complained, opening Priscilla's grip on her and getting out "Plus, they got the drop on us and we were looking for Master Marcy."

"All excuses, sis, I taught you better!" Priscilla shot back before focusing back on Olivia "Anyhow, since Yu invited you, I gotta give you the traditional Longclaw greeting!" Her arm rose up high in the sky before slamming down with tremendous force on Olivia's back.

The tiny newt, surprisingly, stood her ground, even managing a small smile and an hesitant thumbs up "Barely… felt it" She wheezed out.

"Whoa tiny, I went easier on you than with Yunan, but I totally expected to send you flying, y'know?" She turned towards Yunan, pointing to Lady Olivia with a thumb "Yu, you got a fighter over here! Good catch, gotta say!"

As Yunan blushed slightly, Priscilla turned her attention towards Marcy, giving Olivia the chance to slip out of her dress the metal pan she had put there for this occasion, on Marcy's advice. The poor thing was unusable, the distinct shape of a big hand impressed on its formerly flat bottom. As Olivia carefully threw it away (hitting the passerby that had been thrown to the ground earlier on the head and knocking him out), she could only thank Marcy for her not needing to go to the hospital.

"And you're Marcy, right?" Priscilla went on "The one who ended up in the heron's cage"

Marcy rubbed the back of her head, slightly embarrassed "Sorry, I act a bit… out of it, at times"

"No need to, squirt. Plus, you and the King kicked the frog down that heron. Literally!" The big newt laughed loudly "Most awesome thing I had seen in a while, gotta say. No wonder Yunan talks so much about you!"

"I don't talk so much about Master Marcy!" Yunan protested "I talk an amount moderate to her awesomeness."

"Sis, I think this kid is the first person that is not yourself, one of your enemies or your girlfriend there you've mentioned two phrases in a row." Priscilla teased Yunan. "That's one hell of an achievement!"

Olivia politely coughed in her hand "Language."

The big burly newt smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head "Whoops, sorry ma'am. I've been trying to get better since I had my daughter, but sometimes a word just slips through!" Her behavior instantly shifted towards her earlier Longclaw-brand confidence as she smirked "Hey, how about we get our daughters to know each other, Yunan?"

This time, all three sputtered in embarrassment as they chaotically tried to politely refute Priscilla's claim.

"Sure, sure" Priscilla laughed "Now, how about we get in? The others are waiting for you"

Happy to get out of the situation, the two newts and the human nodded vigorously and followed Priscilla inside, Yunan taking point after her sister while Olivia and Marcy remained behind for a second, Olivia giving a questioning look to Marcy while the girl just smiled and shot a couple of thumbs up to the newt.

It was going so well! Marcy couldn't help but think. Olivia and Priscilla had immediately hit it off, which was really good since she was the only sister Yunan had ever named or spoken well of, so presumably her favorite one. As long as things continued to go this well, they were just peachy!

She just hoped Andrias was doing as well as they were!

In the bowels of the Newtopian Palace, King Andrias knelt. "I have come as promised."

Thirteen eyes opened in the black shadow before him, revealing for a second a large metallic body before everything was enveloped in shadows, leaving only the orange eyes of the Core who, for once, did not take a form.

"So you did, Andrias" One voice whispered, coming from nowhere in particular and yet from everywhere. Andrias paid no mind to it, knowing well from experience that the mindscape the Core used to speak to him had no concern for the rules of reality. "Pardon us for ripping you out of the little family life you so much adore" It sarcastically said "But we figured that, for once, we could be the one to summon you."

"It is of no matter, my Lord." Andrias dismissed their concerns nonchalantly, the same uneasiness that had come to him after the Core's voice had asked for him to come to the dungeons still in his stomach. "What do you wish of me?"

A low chuckle from the hive mind didn't do much to alleviate that sense of uneasiness "Straight to the point, aren't you? You really are Aldrich's son. Very well." As quick as it had appeared, any trace of humor left the Core's voice "Our energy storages dwindle, Andrias. Months have passed since the box returned to Amphibia, months have passed since the human has arrived, but you still haven't found the former or turned the latter. We want results."

Andrias gulped. He feared this would be the case. He had postponed revealing the truth to Marcy again and again, waiting for the perfect time that never came. It had been only a matter of time before the Core called for him to answer his promise "My Lord, you have to understand." He tried to justify himself "It is a very delicate matter. The trust I have built with Marcy had to be carefully built, I have merely been-"

"All we hear are excuses!" The voices pushed back, interrupting the King and scaring for a heartbeat. For a single moment, a familiar voice emerged from the cacophony of the Core's whispers, the vitriolic voice of his father. "You simply fear to ask her because you fear losing her like you did with those 'friends' of yours, a millennium ago."

Andrias knew that he was supposed to look to the floor and accept the reprimanding. Somehow, though, he managed to overcome that impulse. He looked up to the thirteen eyes of the Core "Perhaps." He whispered.

The Core was apparently surprised by this mote of defiance "Excuse us?"

"Perhaps I am. Trusting those two was the worst mistake I ever made and I am opening myself to Marcy in the same way I did to them. That, however, does not discount my concerns. I cannot simply ask Marcy to help invade her homeworld! She would turn against us and her friends are sure to follow her!"

"Then don't." This time, the voice was different, gravelly and dark, coming from behind him. Andrias turned and saw a figure he had only seen before in paintings. Aldrich I Leviathan, founder of his dynasty, the First Mind of the Core stood before him, with black armor and a red mantle, a sword on his hip and one single orange eye glowing in the center of his face. "She wishes to become a hero, that much is apparent. Give her that. Offer her to save Earth, forever, grant that miserable rock safety from our invasion for her help. The multiverse is vast and that planet is not that special."

Andrias sank to his knees. "A-As you wish, my Lord. Thank you."

"That is settled then. Let us continue." When he looked up, the ancient monarch had disappeared, replaced by the thirteen eyes of the Core. "You had promised us you would deal with the other human."

Andrias nodded "I have. I-"

"Let us see, then."

As quick as it had been cast, the darkness was dispelled. To replace it, in orange tones, Andrias' throne room appeared. The King found himself sitting on his throne. He felt his body, but found himself in the backseat as a memory from the day before, extracted straight from his brain, played before his eyes.

The doors opened and in came General Yunan "Your Highness?" She asked "You called for me?"

Andrias nodded "I have, General." He turned towards Lady Olivia, who had been in the process of doing paperwork with him. "You can go, my lady, this is… private."

Lady Olivia bowed her head "As you wish, your Highness. I'll finish the paperwork on my own."

As the light blue newt passed her, Yunan addressed her in a hushed tone that Andrias barely heard "Liv, I have to ask you something, later."

Olivia seemed puzzled for a second, then nodded and went on.

As the doors shut, Andrias spoke again "I have a task for you, General"

Yunan slapped her hands together in excitement, producing a resounding clap "Alright! I was hoping you would, bossman!"

The King chuckled at Yunan's blatant lack of protocol, before reminding himself of what he was about to ask of Yunan, his smile turning into a somber expression for a second before he resumed with his jolly facade. "You are so much tired of being Marcy's bodyguard?" He asked, teasingly.

"No!" Yunan hurriedly justified herself "I mean, I love the kid! She's awesome! But I think she has more than proved to be able to handle herself."

Andrias nodded "As long as she doesn't get herself into any caecilians' nest, that is."

"That was one time! And still, she handled herself perfectly." The pink newt smirked proudly "After all, no one could expect anything less from the pupil of General Yunan! Scourge of the San-"

"And I guess you miss adventure as well, don't you?" Andrias interrupted Yunan's spiel. "Got yourself a taste of adventure and you yearn for a good fight?"

"Well, yeah, that too I guess" Yunan deadpanned, blunt as always "So, show me what you got!"

"As you wish." Andrias agreed. "We have a runaway."

"Oooh, I like that. A good chase is always a nice warmup before a fight."

"A toad, former Captain of the Toad Tower of Frog Valley."

"A commander and a tax-leech? Andrias, you're spoiling me!"

"Goes by the name of Captain Grime."

"Wait, that Grime? The Champion of the Colosseum? That is one heck of a mission! Saved it just for me, haven't you?"

Andrias chuckled "You know it. But there is… another reason." The big newt took a deep breath. "It's about his lieutenant."

Yunan scoffed "They cannot be that tough. And, if they are, it'll be nice to practice a good ol' two-on-one!"

"It's not about her skill. I am sure you will have no problem in overcoming the two of them. It's her description that worries me." The King shifted in his position, his elbows resting on the throne's armrests as his hands intertwined before his mouth. "From what the reports tell us, she's a bizarre, unknown creature, with long, spindly limbs, blonde hair and a face bump."

"…a human?" Yunan asked in disbelief "It must be one of Marcy's friends!"

"Sasha Waybright, by Marcy's description."

Yunan seemed pumped up "Frog, that's awesome! We must tell Marcy immediately, she'll be so jazzed!" Carried by her emotions, the newt was about to leave the room on the spot, when she was interrupted by the King's voice.

"General, wait." Andrias ordered "Marcy must know nothing of it."

For a second Yunan looked confused, before she snapped her fingers "Oh! A surprise! Smart, Andrias! We bring her here secretly and badabang! Frog, we can even keep her locked up and free her next year for Marcy's birthday!"

Slowly, Andrias shook his head "That is not what I mean, General." He said in a grave voice "You're not to bring Sasha Waybright here. We will never tell Marcy of this."

This time the confusion on Yunan's face lasted "…okay, you lost me. Weren't we having the whole of Amphibia scoured for her friends? And, if we aren't bringing this Sasha here, what am I going to do with her?"

"You are to kill her, General."

You could have heard a penny drop in the silence that ensued after Andrias had spoken those words.

"…what?" Yunan whispered, in disbelief.

Andrias sighed "Now, I know that sounds bad, but-"

"No buts." Yunan growled as she extracted her blades with a single fluid motion "I-is this a test? Are you joking?"

Once more Andrias shook his head. "I am not. If you-"

"Then what the FROG are you saying!" Yunan roared "You are asking me to kill a child, Marcy's friend! You-"

"General Yunan, let me explain." Andrias roared back as he got up and stomped his foot, the shockwave and authoritative tone making Yunan falter.

"She's not Marcy's friend." Andrias said, matter-of-factly. "The night after the incident with the caecilians, Marcy came to me, in the middle of the night." The great newt's voice got softer "She was distressed. She asked me about… events of my past." He had evaded exactly what those events were, there was no need to tell Yunan about Leif and Barrel. "Something about that day… it had led her to question herself. To question her friends." He pronounced the words with some venom in his voice, not enough to growl, but enough to make it apparent what he thought of them.

"I wasn't able to get much from Master Marcy, it was miraculous enough that she had spoken to me. That girl… she keeps far too much bottled in."

"One thing was clear, though. Her friends have used her."

Yunan finally managed to get a word of her own "Sire, I can understand being wary, but this Sasha Waybright is just a kid!"

"Oh, kids are cruel, General, much more than you could ever imagine" Leif hadn't been much older than Marcy's friends, that hadn't stopped her. "Look at how Marcy has improved since she's come here! She's so more confident, so more open! If this Sasha returns to Marcy, what do you think will happen?" Andrias walked down the steps to his throne, getting closer to Yunan "You know her. She is too nice for her own good. She will forgive her and, in no time, this Sasha will have her hanging on her every word, back how she used to be."

"Sire, that is ridiculous." Yunan scoffed "Marcy's way better than that! And even if that is the case, we can help her!"

Andrias let out a deep breath, the stern mask of authority that had formed over his face dispelled almost immediately. "Can we, Yunan? Can we?" Andrias asked, his expression somber "We've known her only for a handful of months. We've cared for her, supported her, helped her, but in the end… she's only known us for a fraction of the time she's known her human friends. I know very well how much one can value their friends over those who care for them. If push comes to shove, if she's forced to choose between us and her friends… I'm scared she won't make the right decision."

Yunan did not seem to be able to reply to that, looking conflicted about what to do, understandably so.

"I won't force you to do this." Andrias clarified. "If you don't want to do it, there are plenty of people who could do it, people who don't know Marcy and wouldn't care about doing this. Just… think about it, alright?"

Yunan managed to nod.

Andrias put a hand on her shoulder, the large thing bigger than Yunan "Thank you. And I hope I don't have to specify that this conversation should remain between us, don't I?"

"Of… of course."

"Good. Very good. Now, you can go. Feel free to contact me at any moment if you make up your mind."

Just like it had come, the memory disappeared and Andrias found himself back in the void, staring at the thirteen glowing eyes of the Core.

"You did handle that… better than we expected you to, Andrias" The Core whispered, their voices sounding pleased "Guess we underestimated you."

The reluctant compliment from the ancient conclave didn't affect Andrias as much as he thought it would.

Everything he had told Yunan was true.

He well remembered how he had scorned his Father's advice, the Core's advice for Leif's manipulation. Both he and Marcy were smart, much smarter than that, but children are fools. He had enough experience to know what could happen, it was his duty to prevent it!

But that wasn't the true reason why he had chosen to unleash his most lethal warrior on a thirteen year old, wasn't it?

Marcy was the chosen champion of the Gem of Wit, on that there was no doubt. The other two's Gems were more nebulous, since they hadn't met them, but based on Marcy's descriptions of them, the Core's algorithms predicted with a 57% accuracy that Anne Boonchuy, with the athletic prowess Marcy lauded so often, was the Gem of Strength and Sasha Waybright, so versed in making everyone love her, popular beyond belief, was the Gem of Heart.

Something, however, told Andrias that it was the other way around, that it was Anne Boonchuy that wielded the power of the Gem of Heart, while Sasha Waybright wielded that of Strength, its color the same Leif had been. It all ended going back to Leif, didn't it?

Sasha Waybright reminded him way too much of Leif.

Marcy, as soon as she had arrived and even before he had grown to the point of considering her like a daughter, had become his friend.

He well remembered what someone like Leif could do to his friends.

"You had a chance to stop her, what happened!?"

"She confused me!"

"I'm having you reassigned. You will travel to the outskirts and defend the villages. Now get out of my sight."

"…Your Highness."

"Thank you, my Lord." Andrias finally spoke, shaking himself out of his thoughts. It wasn't the time for reminiscing. Marcy was nothing like Barrel or, Frog forbid, Leif. She might be similar, even share some of her worst traits, but she was different where it counted.

"You're being more cooperative. That is good." The Core pointed out "Keep it up and we might give you a special reward."

"I'm just doing what is necessary." Andrias stood up and looked at the Core's eyes "May I consider myself dismissed?"

"Our doubts have been dispelled and a strategy to handle two of the Champions has been set. This meeting has been… satisfactory." The voices conceded. "You may leave, Andrias."

The shadows dropped and Andrias got a glimpse of the Core's metallic form before it slinked back into the shadows. It did that a lot, in these last few centuries. Perhaps hundreds of years without activity, without anything concrete to do and without new members with new memories of having a body had left the hive mind dissatisfied with their metallic one, Andrias mused. He archived the thought. It wasn't important.

"I'm just doing what is necessary" He repeated himself in a low tone as he began to climb up the stairwell. He was, wasn't he? Some may dislike what he was doing, but someone had to do it. He had to do it.

And, if he did it, Marcy would never leave him, she would never betray him. He would never lose another friend.

Priscilla led them to the dining room. Yunan remembered it well, it was one of the few rooms her sister had barely changed at all. It had been where her mother used to work, but since it was the only room big enough to house the entire family at once it was where they used to eat as well.

There was a bit of clay in most of the food, Yunan did admit, but it only made them stronger, in her opinion.

As soon as she crossed the doorway, she was assaulted by a speeding light blue blur, who collided with her chest.

"Gotcha, auntie Yunan!" Cheered the small blue newt (and only child aside from Marcy she didn't want to punt as soon as they began to bother her)

Yunan chuckled "Ya sure did!" She should have been able to catch her, she told herself, but after what Andrias had told her the day before… her instincts were in a fritz, as her stumbling into Marcy had proved earlier. Once was a coincidence, twice was… she didn't remember the word, honestly, but she got the point.

Forcing herself to not think about it (she was very good at not thinking), she whipped around and proudly displayed the tiny amphibian who was now clinging on her shoulder "Marcy, Liv, this is my niece! Pearl, this is Lady Olivia, the King's advisor,-"

"Is that the one Mom said you want to smooch?" Pearl whispered to Yunan, causing her to become of a deeper pink "A-and this is Marcy, the human!"

Marcy instantly rushed the small newt "Oh my gosh, I've never seen a newtling! How old are you?"

The small newt proudly put up four fingers and began to speak. "I'm…" She looked at her mother for help and Priscilla silently mouthed 'four' "Flour!" The kid finished, smiling at her accomplishment.

Marcy began dancing on her tiptoes in place "Oh Frog, that was so cute! I love her!"

Yunan laughed "Yeah, she's a great toddl-"

"What about us, dear sister? Don't we get an introduction?" A voice came from the other side of the room.

Yunan turned around to see the group of three newts she had previously not noticed. They sat at the farthest end of the table, one right on the end and the other two on her sides.

The one on the left was the smallest, yet she was still bigger than Yunan, pure black and wearing a hooded tunic even inside, her smart red eyes darting from Yunan, to the more unfamiliar visitors. On the right, stood seated a forest green newt easily bigger than Priscilla, her big suit of armor rusted in places and bearing several marks of battle and her beady black eyes turned towards the newt that was between herself and her smaller sister.

Finally, said central newt. Almost an amalgamation of her two sisters in size, slightly bigger than Priscilla, she was green and black, wearing polished bronze scaled mail and a short cloak draped over her missing left arm. She was the one that had spoken and her eyes were fixed on her 'dear sister', while she smirked with a mouth only open barely enough for a golden sharp canine to show.

"Grendel" Yunan spoke, her tone definitely not pleased, but not particularly angry. She had humbled Grendel and her other sisters years ago, fresh from the Sand Wars, she didn't need to worry about her, at least. "How's the arm?" Yunan teased her.

The green and black newt simply laughed under her breath "Honestly, no idea. You kept it, after all."

"I did, didn't I? It does look great on my wall, gotta say." Yunan gloated a little. It was good, at least she could allow herself this, to take her mind off of everything. "Anyway, I didn't know you and the others were coming. Did you invite them, Pri?"

"They-" The big newt tried to answer, before she was cut off.

"Oh, we invited ourselves." Grendel clarified "After all, we are sisters and this is a family reunion. Of course Priscilla wasn't all too happy, but we had a talk and she decided to let us have a" She flashed a toothy grin, making Priscilla's tail (who Yunan noticed only now had a mouth-shaped chunk taken off of it) shiver in reflex "bite"

The big green newt let out an obnoxious chuckle "She said the thing! It's even funnier the second time!"

Before Yunan could do anything, Marcy darted past her, quickly reaching the other end of the table and the three newts there "Hi!" She said cheerfully, extending her arm for a handshake "Are you Yunan's sisters? What are your names? Why are you a different color than her and Priscilla and Pearl? Is pink like a recessive trait or shouldn't I give it too much thought? You all look very cool, what do you do for a living? Do you have any baby pictures of Yunan? Or funny stories? Or simply stories? I'm not picky, any story will do! I'm Marcy by the way, Yunan's apprentice and pupil, nice to meet you!"

The three newts were taken aback for a second by Marcy's word barrage. The first one to recover was the black one "Heh" She chuckled in a sniveling voice "An excited fella, just like Yunan, ain't it, Grendel?"

"Eh!" Joined in the green one "Just like the little one when she was even littler!"

Yunan almost gritted her teeth at that, but Marcy's smile only got wider "Thank you! General Yunan's so cool, being like her would be nice!"

Grendel laughed at Marcy's words "Oh, I guess it would be. You asked a lot of questions, squirt, too many to answer. I'll only introduce ourselves, since the 'so cool' General Yunan is too good to introduce her sisters. The green one next to you is Scylla, my muscle and, literally, left hand, the black one is Charybdis. She's the best damn archer around"

"Oh!" Marcy perked up at that, whipping out her arm with her wrist mounted crossbow "I also like shooting things! Wanna exchange some pointers later?"

Charybdis rolled her eyes "Sorry kid, I don't deal with crossbows, baby version of them least of all. I'm not a hack, I'm a professional bownewt."

Marcy shrunk down a little at the harsh answer and Yunan growled "Oi, say sorry right now or I'll shove your head up-"

"Now now, dear sister" Grendel interrupted Yunan "Char is just proud about her work, you can hardly fault her. Let's try and keep cooler heads, no? After all, this is supposed to be a great occasion, let's not ruin it with threats and violence."

"Y-yeah, General" Marcy agreed, her tone just a bit hesitant "It's my fault, I asked a stupid question"

"Master Mar-" Olivia piped in, only to be cut off by Grendel as well.

"See? Even the kid has no issue with it!" The green and black newt ruffled Marcy's hair with her remaining arm, almost making the crownlet fall and putting a little bit too much strength into it, judging by how Marcy shuffled uncomfortably "She's got common sense, unlike you, dear sister. No offense meant, of course" She rapidly added with a saccharine smirk before going on "It's the thing that makes it really clear that you didn't end up with an egg by accident like Priscilla"

Priscilla poorly hid a snarl at that, as Pearl, who had found her usual place on her shoulder, shifted herself slightly behind her head, as if to hide herself.

"Well, that and her freakish appearance!" The green one laughed thunderously, grabbing Marcy by an arm all of a sudden "I mean, look at these toothpick arms!"

"H-hey, leave me!" Marcy protested, as she pulled uselessly against the grip around her arm.

"Look!" The green one laughed even louder, the sound making Marcy flinch slightly "So weak! It really reminds me of the runt when she was littler!"

"Unhand. Her." Yunan growled, her blades extracted.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Grendel spoke with a strong voice "Now, let's not get violent. Scylla, let the kid go."

The green newt, who was now looking worriedly between Grendel and Yunan in her 'starting-to-get-murderous' mood, obeyed immediately.

"You gotta forgive her, dear sister." Grendel apologized "You know how our sister is: she simply states what she sees, with no regard to other people's feelings. It's stronger than her, she can't help it."

"She better do it!" Olivia joined in, putting a hand on Yunan's shoulder in support "Speaking like that to a child!"

"Oh, please." Grendel rolled her eyes "Scylla may have gone a bit too far, but I expected a little better from the pupil of the great General Yunan! She can't even handle a little bit of criticism? Whatever happened to sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?"

"It's… fine, Lady Olivia." Marcy agreed, somewhat reluctantly "It's like she said, I gotta be stronger, that's all"

Before anything more could be said, Grendel raised her hands "Even if the kid said it's fine, I still feel bad about this. We didn't leave on the best of terms and it was as much our fault as it was yours. When we came here it wasn't to pick a fight, but there are tensions, that much is evident. Charybdis and Scylla went a bit too far, you overreacted, let's call it even, alright?"

"Call it even?" Olivia protested "We overreacted? That brute pulled Master Marcy by-"

A touch on the shoulder by Priscilla interrupted the aristocratic newt "Just… let it go. It will only get worse if you don't."

"See?" Grendel proclaimed, looking at Scylla and Charybdis for confirmation "We all got our hotheads, let's not get violent because of them. After all, we all want this reunion to go well, don't we? Pri, dear sister, why don't you be a good host and go get the food we brought?" She smiled at Marcy "Top notch stuff, kiddo! Fresh, too! You're going to love it, I just know it! Brought it all for you, caught it ourselves just for this!"

Priscilla gave a look to Yunan, who simply sighed "Fine, let's try and make this work." There was a solution that didn't include violence, as much as it was unlike herself to search for that, just like there had to be one for Marcy's friends.

Besides, at best, unlikely as it was, Grendel was telling the truth and it would be a good thing, at worst she would try to come after her. As long as she didn't give in to her provocations, she would have the upper hand and, if all went to worst, she could kick her ass.

'She just wants to hurt you' Yunan told herself 'You can show her she cannot. You are General Yunan, yada yada'

"Fantastic!" Grendel cheered as Priscilla went to get food from the kitchen "Now let's all sit down. You're making me jittery, all standing like that!"

Everyone went for a seat, with Yunan going to the end of the table opposite to Grendel and Priscilla, Pearl and Olivia at her sides, but, as Marcy moved to get closer to Olivia and Yunan, Grendel spoke again "Aw, little Marcy! C'mon, I've just got to know you and I've even brought some good food for you and you're just going to be leaving like that?"

Marcy looked conflicted between wanting to get the frog away from the green and black newt and not wanting to look rude and, before anyone could speak up for her, Grendel made her decision for her.

"Scylla, scoot over!" She ordered her sister "The little one is going to be sitting by me."

The big green newt moved over, the bench creaking as her massive weight changed application point, almost blocking Marcy's way and leaving her no other choice than sit in the place Scylla was sitting in earlier, Grendel waiting for her with an all too accommodating smile. The girl gulped and sat down, much to the green and black newt's glee.

"Ah, it is good to have my almost-niece sitting beside me!" Grendel said, to no one in particular. With that victory under her belt, she turned her attention towards Lady Olivia, while Charybdis' crimson eyes and Scylla's beady ones were still fixated on Marcy.

"I would like to apologize again for my sisters' behavior, milady" Grendel began "Our work requires us to spend a lot of time in the wilds and since I handle most of our buyers in Newtopia, they're less accustomed to other newts."

Still uncomfortable talking to the silver-tongued newt, Olivia accepted her apology with a nod, then she tried to make conversation. If she drew some attention away from Marcy, it would do good to the distressed teenager "What do you three do?"

"Oh, we're hunters." Grendel explained succinctly.

"The best around!" Scylla pointed out.

"If you eat meat in high society, chances are you bought it from us." Charybdis commented to finish the trio.

"All the more reason to go vegetarian…" Olivia mumbled under her breath and, even if she couldn't hear what the light blue newt had said, Grendel assumed it was about her.

"Say, Lady Olivia" She spoke, with an almost bored tone as she made her fork spin between the fingers of her only hand, "You don't have much in the way of family, dontcha?"

Olivia's heart stopped for a second as Marcy had a coughing fit and Yunan gave a thousand mile stare at the wall. "…I do not, no." Olivia finally managed to say.

"I figured" Grendel said as she shrugged "It's no wonder you weren't all that accustomed to simple sisterly banter."

"Yeah, teasing is simply normal, in a family" Charybdis backed up her sister "You gotta be thick skinned, the world isn't sunshine and rainbows"

"Are you even a family without some good ol' banter?" Laughed Scylla, elbowing Marcy with one of her big arms. "It's basic family stuff, you can't say you're really close without it!"

"Even if she's somewhat correct, my sister exaggerates, as always" Grendel apologized, though she did join in with Scylla with a small laugh "But what Char says is true. You're just a bit too much overprotective, milady. Marcy's a big girl, like Yunan was at her age, she can take a bit of banter" The green and black newt sighed "But I can hardly blame you, can I? It's as you said, you ain't got much in the way of family, how could you know how to have one?"

The light blue newt deflated visibly at those words "That's… it's not tr-"

"You can try to fit in one, that's admirable" Grendel continued, cutting Olivia off "But, in the end, it will never be the real thing, won't it?"

"Grendel, enough." Yunan growled, staring at her sister with a murderous look.

"Oh, I didn't mean to be offensive, no." Grendel replied with an innocent look "Everything I said is simply true. I do admire the little motherless aristocrat who wants to get herself a fake family because her real one is gone." She put her only hand on her chin musingly "Perhaps I was too harsh, though. Forgive me, that really was not my intention, really."

Before things spiraled further, the door opened and Priscilla returned in, with a big covered plate in her arms.

"Ah, the food, how lovely!" Grendel annouced with a joyful smile as she gestured to Scylla with her only arm "Scylla, help our dear sister and bring it here"

As the green amphibian did as bid and got up, freeing an escape path for Marcy, the human tried to slide away towards Olivia and Yunan, only to be stopped in her tracks by Grendel putting a hand on her shoulder and grasping her hard.

"Now, now, Marcy dear, don't go yet! I'll give you the choice cut of meat, so it's best that you hang around"

"L-let go!" Marcy let out a whimper of pain as she struggled against Grendel's grasp "You're hurting me!"

While Olivia was still too shaken by Grendel's earlier words to react properly, Yunan was about to get up and give her sister a piece of her mind, but Grendel instantly heeded Marcy's plead.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, I hadn't realised I was" She apologized "Even after all these years it's difficult to adjust to only having one arm, so sometimes I struggle to handle my strength." Grendel shook her head and chuckled softly, before patting Marcy's hair "It's my fault. I'm just a cripple who really should know better."

Marcy seemed to fold into herself "No, I didn't- I'm… sorry. I didn't know, I should have known better."

Grendel chuckled to herself "Thanks, dear. I forgive you. Here, let us forget about this and celebrate our big, happy family. Scylla?"

The green newt, who had by now made her return, set down the plate and lifted the cover, revealing a bautiful fuming piece of meat.

Grendel took a good sniff, licking her lips and wagging her long tail at the delightful smell "Ah, magnificent. Char, my carving knife." The black newt passed her a big sharp blade, which Grendel used to carve several slices out of the roasted meat. She then picked out one and put it on Marcy's plate, before passing out the rest "Here you go, dear."

Marcy gave a look to Grendel, then to her left, where Scylla blocked every escape route just by sitting there, hiding Olivia and Yunan from view.

"Well?" Grendel asked, still looking at the child with an expecting smile. "Don't just stand there, c'mon, taste it!"

Marcy picked up her fork and poked at her food a couple of times, as if she was trying to figure out whether it was still alive. "What's… what's this?" She asked tentatively, her fork hovering over it and her other hand about to pick up her knife.

"Sparrow." Grendel spoke, the single word spelled out definitively.

The human almost winced, as she retracted her hand from her knife and turned away her fork. "…I can't eat it" She almost squeaked out.

One of Grendel's eyebrows lifted "Why not?" She asked.

"I… have a sparrow" Marcy attempted to explain "His name is John Sparrow and he's got a cool scar on his eye he got when he saved me from a heron and his feathers are a beautiful brown, he loves it when I brush them, he's fast and strong and I love him and I can't eat this"

Grendel's eyes narrowed. "Really." She spat out

Hesitantly, Marcy nodded.

The green and black newt scoffed "Talk about being ungrateful. Scylla, Charybdis and I worked hard to bring you this and this is how you repay us? Do you really believe we hunted down specifically a sparrow just to give it to you? Are you that self-centered?"

As Grendel began to tear into Marcy, Olivia attempted to protest, only to be silenced by Charybdis pulling out a dagger, while Scylla maintained eye contact with Priscilla, occasionally glancing to her daughter. Yunan appeared to be almost frozen in place, but what no one noticed, though, was that her fists had tightened enough for her metal gloves to deform.

"Oh, we didn't know it was yours" Grendel had said "We just found a random spider and thought it was a stray, which does say something about how you treated it, runt"

"We did all that work, gave you the best cut of meat, while we could have sold it for thousands of coppers to some noble and this is your thanks? Eat it."

"But-"

"Leave her alone, you-"

"I want to hear no excuses." Grendel cut off both Marcy and Olivia "That is the food we brought and you will eat it."

"You will eat it, runt. We already spent the money for food, so you will eat it or you will starve, understood?"

"Don't you understand the first thing about respect? We did something very nice for you and you spit in our face? Such an ungrateful, disrespectful child!"

"Master Marcy, do not listen to that bi- do not listen to her!" Olivia yelled out, ignoring the menacing look Charybdis gave her, the dagger still in the black newt's hand.

"No, I am- everything is- it's fine." Marcy stammered out, the corners of her eyes beginning to grow wetter by the second "I will… I'll do it.''

"She is too nice for her own good. She will forgive her and, in no time, this Sasha will have her hanging on her every word, back how she used to be."

Grendel smiled in satisfaction. "See? Wasn't that hard. Now, eat it before it grows cold, ru-"

"ENOUGH!" Yunan roared as she stood up suddenly, smashing a fist on the table with all the strength she could muster in her rage, splitting the table in two lengthwise, a long crack spreading from where Yunan had hit the wooden surface to Grendel like an accusing finger.

The green and black newt seemed slightly concerned, but attempted to blow it off, rolled her eyes and scoffed "Dear sister, it's just a child fussing over not wanting to eat something, hardly something to get angry over. You wouldn't want to cause a scene over th-"

"Oh, I absolutely would, Grendel." Yunan hissed, spitting out the newt's name like it was a curse "I would and I will. So, I suggest you shut that mouth of yours, since you like using it so much, before I detach the head that houses it from your neck."

A single bead of sweat formed on Grendel's head and she did as bid.

Yunan turned her attention towards the other two newts by Grendel's side "I never expected you two would improve from what you were and still are, but at least I thought you two would have grown a spine and became horrible people by yourselves after I beat Grendel's ass into submission" She shrugged "I guess I overestimated you, which, considering how little I thought of you to begin with, is impressive."

After the brief detour on her two sisters, Yunan's gaze and rage returned on her main target. "And you… at first I thought you just wanted to get back at me, to try to get a rise out of me like you did all those years ago. But you're too scared for that, aren'tcha?" Yunan laughed mockingly "All those insults to Olivia and Marcy and yet none to me? You're still having nightmares of little Yunan, pitiful Yunan, the runt, whooping yo ass, don't you?"

It was time for Grendel to seethe now, as she gritted her teeth enough for them to audibly creak and shook her only remaining hand under the ruined table.

"But you still needed to feel superior to someone, to feel in charge, because if you didn't you'd realise you're scum, so you went after those you thought were 'easy' targets. Well guess what? They're not. Olivia's strong and motivated and Marcy's is the smartest person I have ever met, she is so full of joy, energy and innocence. They're the best things to have ever happened to me. They're family, you are not."

Yunan turned towards Marcy, her expression instantly changing from one full of anger and contempt to a soft gaze and an encouraging smirk as soon as she shifted her attention towards the human. "What do you say, Marcy? Let's ditch this joint and go have a proper family reunion somewhere else."

Marcy wiped away her fledgling tears and nodded vigorously, before getting up and racing towards Yunan.

"Oh, and if anyone touches her" Yunan clarified as she saw Scylla begin to shift "they lose the arm. C'mon, try it, I'd really like to add another arm to my wall"

No one took on Yunan's offer and Marcy made it back to Yunan unscathed. She instantly hugged the newt like her life depended on it, her body trembling slightly.

Yunan smiled and hugged back, using her long neck to put her head atop the hunched over human' hair. "It's alright." She whispered in a soothing tone "We're almost done"

"T-thanks…" Marcy whispered back and Yunan chuckled.

"Don't worry. Now, can you let go and go to Liv?"

Marcy nodded and ran to the light blue newt.

"We're leaving" Yunan announced.

As she walked towards the door, however, she stopped as Priscilla put a hand over her shoulder.

"No, you are not" The big pink newt told Yunan, who bared her teeth as she gave her a menacing glare. "This house is mine and yours, Yu, as well as of anyone we consider family. You aren't leaving." Priscilla turned towards her other three sisters "They are."

"Oh yeah?" Grendel growled as she pulled out a sword, quickly followed by Charybdis extracting a bow and Scylla a flail. "And who's going to make us?"

Yunan laughed as she tilted her head first left, then right, producing two loud popping sounds.

"I am." She announced proudly as she stepped on the table. "Or I guess the best answer would be General Yunan!"

Charybdis let loose an arrow, but Yunan simply ducked under it as she struck the table with a fist, sending her plate flying "Scourge of the Sand Wars!"

With a kick, she sent her piece of meat straight on Grendel's face with the force of a bullet, temporarily incapacitating her, then she used her plate as a frisbee, the spinning piece of ceramic hitting Charybdis' bow like a buzzsaw and cutting it in two. "Defeater of Ragnar the Wretched!"

She ran up the table, jumping down and sliding on her knees to limbo under Scylla's flail before jumping out like a shark and severing the chain in two with only her teeth "Youngest newt to ever achieve the rank of General in the Great Newtopian Army!"

Charybdis jumped at her, daggers drawn, but Yunan's arm whipped out like a snake, grabbing her by the neck, making her drop her weapons and using her to block Scylla's oncoming punch, who knocked out the black newt. "Companion to Lady Olivia!"

Yunan tossed her unconscious sister on Scylla's face and used the green newt's momentary confusion to close the gap. She punched her chest, piercing straight through the armor, breaking several ribs and sending the much larger newt flying into a wall. "And Mentor to Marcy the Human!"

Finally Grendel managed to regain her senses. As she pulled the piece of cooked meat off from her face and tried to get off the ground, she found Yunan standing on the edge of the table, one set of blades extracted and right on her throat

The whole thing couldn't have lasted more than ten seconds and left Marcy gazing starry-eyed at Yunan's awesomeness, Priscilla nodding approvingly and Olivia with just a bit of a blue blush.

Grendel looked at her sister with an hateful stare, her hand still on her sword "You ain't got the guts." She growled at her.

"Try me" Yunan replied, venom in her words as she levelled a death glare at the green and black newt, her blades inching ever closer to her throat.

The two's staredown lasted for another good half minute, then, finally, Grendel left her sword, who plinked uselessly against the floor.

Grendel got up and glared at Yunan "This isn't over" She hissed.

Yunan gritted her teeth, then smiled a wide grin "Oh, but it is." She whispered as she leant in to the side of Grendel's head "Because if you ever come near me, near Olivia, near Marcy, near anyone I love, Frog, if you come near my frogging postnewt, I will kill you. That is not a threat, it's a promise." Nonchalantly, Yunan brought her fist to Grendel's stomach, her blades ready to be extracted and instantly impale the newt. "Frog, I could do it now and save us all a lot of trouble. And you know the best part? You can't do anything about it. You can't lie, you can't manipulate, you can't strongarm your way past this. You can't hurt anyone." She backed down, her fist still on Grendel's stomach "So tell me, dear sister, is it over?"

Grendel looked at Yunan bewildered "You're… insane!" She hissed

"Nah, just rightfully angry. Answer the question."

The green and black newt growled, then backed down, kicking at empty air "Alright, alright! Scylla, Charybdis, let's go!"

In no time, the three newts had left the house and, if they had any common sense, Newtopia.

Priscilla marched up to Yunan and ruffled her hair "That was a neat takedown, sis! Remember me never to anger you"

"It was impressive indeed, Yun" Olivia admitted as she approached Yunan "I only wish you had left me some of them, honestly."

Yunan smiled proudly and struck a pose "Don't worry, milady! I will leave you a piece, next time"

Olivia chuckled into her hand "Still, I believe a thank you is in order" Olivia took Yunan's hand and gave it a kiss on the back.

Yunan, from victorious defeater of evil, became a pink blushing mess in a second, beginning to blabber incoherently.

"I… hope that will suffice?" Olivia asked, blushing as well.

By some miracle, Yunan managed to pull together enough neurons to give Olivia a thumbs up.

Priscilla laughed, causing the two to blush even more "Aw, you're cute" Then, her expression got serious "Listen, Yu, I should have-"

"No need" Yunan interrupted her sister, managing to shake herself off of the kiss-induced stupor "Three against one is hardly fair and you have a kid. I can get why you wouldn't want to put Pearl in danger." Yunan looked at Marcy, who had remained at the other end of the room "Plus, this thing has helped me realize… things."

Priscilla nodded "Very well then. Now, since my dining room is smashed and I don't want to even touch Grendel's meat, who's up for gnatchos?"

"GNATCHOS!" Pearl exclaimed from her mother's shoulder.

"I too will partake in some choed gnat" Olivia agreed with a nod.

"Sounds good to me!" Yunan chimed in "Can you go ahead? I have some things I wish to say to Marcy, personally"

The other three newts left the room, leaving only Yunan and Marcy. The newt approached the human and adjusted the crownlet on her head "Is everything alright champ?" She asked

Marcy made a small smile "It's… better."

Yunan nodded "It's good enough. Listen, I'm sorry."

Marcy immediately tried to explain how it wasn't her fault, but Yunan shook her head and put a hand on Marcy's shoulder "I should have intervened way earlier. I just had… stuff to figure out. Ugh, I'm not good with thinking stuff like you and Liv." The General shook her head "But none of it matters now. I got everything figured out. I'm never going to allow anyone else to bully you, belittle you or do anything that will make you feel bad, never again."

Yunan took a deep breath "I'm going to leave for while, alright? Liv and Andrias will take care of you in the meantime and I'll be back as quick as I can. When I come back, I won't be able to tell you or anyone else for that matter what I did, but trust me when I say that thanks to it no one will ever hurt you."

Marcy, her eyes full of happy tears, nodded and leant in on Yunan's hand, making the newt chuckled.

"Now come on! Let us have our last together adventure for a bit!" Yunan announced, striking an epic pose.

Marcy quickly joined her "General Yunan and her pupil Marcy Wu go on a quest for…"

"GNATCHOS!"

It was extremely late, or extremely early. As someone who seldomly slept, Andrias was of the opinion that it was subjective.

He was seated on his throne, still as a statue as he often was. The game was beginning, that was clear, but he was afraid that, as often happened in a game of Flipwart, pieces would be lost or would have to be sacrificed.

Which pieces was he alright with losing to fix his mistake of old?

Before he could inquire more into this haunting question, the doors to the throne room opened and in came General Yunan, wreathed in shadows.

He observed her silently as she strode towards him, equally soundlessly. Finally, when she had gotten to a good distance, she knelt.

"General Yunan" He aknowledged her with a voice not louder than a whisper, but in the silence of the throne room it might as well have been a shout.

"Sire" She greeted him back "I have thought about the mission."

He raised a single eyebrow in a questioning manner "And?"

"I'll accept it. For Marcy's own good."

Andrias nodded "Very well. You've made the right choice, General. For Marcy's own good"